.@kellyleefiction Coincidence? Or subconscious mind tricks? #Murdering Eve #release #characternames #amwriting #myWANA

My first book, Murdering Eve, got a revamp & a facelift this year.  Newly edited with a shiny new cover, my new publisher asked me for a slew of information, including "interesting" anecdotes about either my writing process, or the book, to prepare for release promotional materials.

Immediately, I was stumped. What's an interesting anecdote? There are tons of un-interesting things I could say, like the fact that I write cross-legged, or guzzle diet cokes all day, or that I don't usually shower until I know husby is about to arrive home from work - and even then, it's hit or miss. None of that stuff, while true, is particularly interesting.

Then I got a random, out-of-the-blue email from an old boyfriend. And stared at his name in horror. The book I was about to release featured his first name as the name of my hero. Thrown into a frenzy of "holy crap", my brain buzzed with whether or not I'd done it "accidently on purpose".  Questions I didn't want the answer to ricocheted inside my skull, bouncing off one another.

- What if ex-boyfriend finds out I'm an author, reads the book, and assumes I'm still hung up on him?

- What would husby feel if he knew the hero in my first book shares the same name as the guy I dated before him? 

- Most importantly, why on earth did my brain pull such a nasty trick on me?

@SloaneBCollins Dreams: Is a cigar really just a cigar? #InspiringStories #SafeHaven #MFRWorg

I’m one of those people who dreams vividly and in color – I always have. It boggles my mind when my husband tells me he doesn’t dream, or that he doesn’t remember his dreams.  I usually remember most of my dreams, or at least flashes of them, on a daily basis.  And, depending on what’s going on in my life at that time, I tend to dream of certain things.  We used to have two cats, and when we lost them in the early 2000’s, it was as if we’d lost our children.  Actually, they were our kids.  I found when I was missing them the most, they would visit me in my dreams. 

Every so often, I dream about my dad, and the sister I lost in 1991.  I’ve analyzed those dreams, and they usually occur when I’m missing them the most, or when I have something exciting I wish I could share with them.  When something big is coming, I dream about it, and I think that’s my way of looking at every scenario that could happen. 

When I’m troubled, I dream about my grandmother’s house.

New Stories, New Beginnings

When I'm writing, it's easy to get lost in the story. Actually, it's one of my favorite parts of the creative process. It's the same when reading an amazing book or watching a riveting film.

These books and movies go on our 'keeper shelf'. There's a comfort in being able to revisit them, to spend time in places we love with people that 'speak' to us.

Here are a few of my fave classics: #1984, #LordOfTheFlies, #TheShellSeekers, and A Pilgrim's Progress. I have a sprinkling of horror, a good pile of scifi, some mysteries, and, of course, lots of romance (#PlottingPrincess books galore!).

#Reading #NancyDrew @kathyivan #MFRWorg

MY EVOLUTION OF READING – by Kathy Ivan

I've always been a reader, from a very early age.  I was one of those kids in school who when they got the reading list for the year had it finished in just a few weeks.  Books were my escape from life, from school, from everything.  They took me away to places I'd never get to see outside of their pages.  I got to meet people and make special friends, all between the covers of a book.

One of my fondest memories was when I was about seven or eight.  My mom loved to visit second-hand shops and used book stores and I'd often go with her.  On this one particular afternoon, she was browsing, and I wandered around the store, never too far from her sight but enough that I felt free to look at my leisure.  In my explorations, I found a tattered old cardboard box.  When I started digging, I found these lovely old volumes of books I'd never seen or heard of.  They all starred this girl called Nancy Drew.

Opening the first book, I remember falling under the spell of the story.  A girl and her friends were having adventures.  Solving mysteries.  They were having FUN!  Oh, I wanted those books so much, but I didn't have enough to get one of them, much less all that were in that box.  I was heartbroken, because I knew they'd be gone the next time we came in.  After all, these were special books, so everybody would want to read them.