It’s hard to believe that another year has come and gone but here we are on the eve of 2012! I hope the new year brings much health, happiness and success to all. I hope to see you all in 2012 as we share our lives and the love of the written word. For the past two weeks the wnners are:

Congrats to Commenter #10 Erin from Allison’s pre-Christmas post — you have won a box of books! Whatever can fit in a flat-rate USPS box. A mix of thrillers and YA since both Allison and her daughter recently cleaned off their shelves to make way for more books

The winner of the $15 Amazon gift certificate is kmg, commenter #25! Please email sophie@sophielittlefield.com.

Sometimes you just can’t help eavesdropping  in the checkout line at the supermarket.  Yesterday I overheard a woman saying she was ready for 2012 and wanted to press Delete on 2011.

It’s a sentiment I’ve heard before… Wouldn’t it be nice to just erase a difficult time from existence? But I’m not sure I buy into the idea. Looking back on some of the rough patches in my life, I usually see some sort of silver lining (even if it takes years to see it). What do you think as you look back on 2011? Do you want to hit Delete, or did the year bring some happy milestones?

This year I have the honor of writing MSW’s last blog of 2011, so I thought it might be an appropriate time to reflect. It’s been a tumultuous year, in many respects. Who will forget the terrifying images of the tsunami that killed more than 15,000 people in Japan?  Or images of protesters gathering in countries across the Middle East? Or crowds cheering the news of Osama bin Laden’s death? Or the throng of wannabe spectators lining up to witness the Casey Anthony trial? For me, the most heartwarming sight on the news was footage of so many soldiers coming home from war and being welcomed by eager spouses and children.

This year brought some interesting developments in popular culture as well. We have Charlie Sheen to thank for adding the phrase, “Duh…winning!” to the American lexicon. And then there was the royal wedding in Britain, watched by millions around the globe. Notable passings this year include Steve Jobs, Christopher Hitchens, and Elizabeth Taylor–just to name a few.

On a more personal note, we’ve had some ups and downs this year. Wildfires devasted so many homes here in central Texas. And I know far too many people who spent the year dealing with cancer and disease.

But there have been happy milestones, too, and experiences I wouldn’t trade for anything… welcoming a new baby into the family, visiting relatives from overseas, a family vacation in Yellowstone Park that I know I’ll never forget.

What about you? Any personal milestones this year? Does 2011 go down as a year where you’d like to hit Rewind or Delete?

Anyone who shares a comment is eligible to win a  $10 Starbucks card and a signed copy of my latest book SNAPPED.

Happy New Year!

There was a Samurai who lived in the early 1600s who is, to this day, considered one of the world’s topmost warriors; he thought of himself more as an artist, a teacher, a craftsman. Being a warrior was just something else that he was, in the same way that he was a breathing human being. His name was Miyamoto Musashi, and he is still highly revered among martial artists the world over. From the time he was thirteen and challenged his first opponent until the time he was 29, he traveled all over Japan, learning various styles of martial arts/fighting, learning to defend himself, incorporating new information. He remained undefeated, even after 60 challenges. (And keep in mind, many of these challenges at the time were fights to the death.)

When he was nearing the end of his life, at the age of sixty (he would die a few years later of what modern day historians assume was some type of thoracic cancer), he wrote a book titled THE BOOK OF FIVE RINGS. Like Sun Tzu’s THE ART OF WAR, it would become a classic and a must-read touted by many professional athletes, successful businessmen, and corporate honchos.

His philosophy is rather simple: the man who defeats himself, who gets out of his own way, will be the victor. He speaks, really, to being fearless, to studying continually that which you want to become, to never getting complacent once you have achieved the initial goal, and to keep challenging yourself to practice. To be.

Musashi referred to various methods as The Way… so there was The Way of the Artisan, The Way of the Merchant, The Way of Farmer, and The Way of the Martial Artist. He kept it simple: here’s what they do and why and how. He would refer to The Way of the Truth or The Way of Emptiness, and so on as a part of the “how.” His tome is a very slim book that somehow encompasses the depth of oceans.

When writing his book, he listed 9 rules he believed anyone who wanted to study martial arts must follow. They resonated so much with me, that I have adapted them (and made up a name, The Way of the Open Palm) to describe my basic philosophy of life and writing. I am not a warrior of swords and martial arts in the way of Musashi, but I have been a warrior in business and in writing, in publishing, in child-rearing. When I think about the end of this year and the beginning of the next, I don’t think in terms of resolutions–small, individual goals–but, instead, think about deep changes, ways of being, of thinking, that will resonate outward and help me accomplish any number of goals.

Here, then, are his rules in italics, and my elaborations beneath.

1. Think without any dishonesty.

Do not, in other words, fool yourself. Do not say “I can’t” when you can, but are simply afraid. Do not say “I can” when you know you will not. Do not rationalize that brownie/cookie/name-your-vice. Tell yourself the truth about where you are, about who you are. Every trip has to start somewhere, but you’ll go around in circles if you don’t place a pin on the map and be honest about where you’re beginning.

2. Forge yourself in The Way.

Practice. Learn. Practice more. Learn more. Fail some. Pick yourself up. Practice more. Learn. Win some. Lose some. Practice again. Whatever it is you choose to do in life, commit.

3. Touch upon all of the arts.

Do not assume that your art is the only way of expression. Do not assume that other arts can’t teach you something and make you better at what you’re doing. Great artists, businessmen, champions, humanitarians respect the talents of others and try to learn what they can from other arts, cultures, methods and apply what they learn to what they’re trying to accomplish. It is how creativity is born. It is where genius begins.

4. Know the ways of all occupations.

Everyone has value. Everyone. Pay attention. Smile. Ask questions. Learn. Respect. It is how compassion is born. It is where beauty begins.

5. Know the advantages and disadvantages of everything.

Do not assume. Understand the pros and cons of the choices you are making. Understand the pros and cons of the choices those around you are making. Do not assume you know why they do what they do. Ask. Learn. Take care not to make quick decisions based solely on emotion; be clearheaded and rational. Even when you know you are going against the majority, at least be able to articulate to yourself why you are making the choice.

6. Develop a discerning eye in all matters.

Learn to tell the difference in your life between habit, wants, needs and necessities. The first three can lead to clutter–both emotionally and physically, and can drain you dry trying to acquire them, pay for them or maintain them. Figure out what you absolutely must have. Anything else is lagniappe. Remember that it is lagniappe, and in all likelihood, temporary. If it happens to last longer, it is a blessing. If not, you let it go, open your palm and see what’s next. You cannot hold something new with a palm completely full of junk. You cannot offer a helping hand with a fist tightly closed.

7. Understand what cannot be seen by the eye.

The true character of any person is defined by the choices they make in a crisis, when no one is around to see them.

You not only cannot judge the book by the cover, you cannot even be sure it’s a book. In other words, intentions matter. Figure out the intentions, and you’ll know more about the person than they likely know of themselves.

8. Pay attention to even small things.

Savor the taste of your favorite food. Notice the sunlight at the end of the day. See the smile in your loved one’s face, the exact way the corners of their eyes crinkle, the way they hold their head. Appreciate the architecture of your home, your town, the landscape, the seasons. Notice the details. When you’re suddenly at death’s door, you’re not going to wish you’d had ten more minutes to worry or gripe or argue or ignore the world. You’ll wish you’d savored the moments. Do it now.

9. Do not involve yourself with the impractical.

Worry, anger, disgust, complaining, judgmental attitudes, controlling desires… all impractical. They are each a waste of time. They do not make you a better person, improve the world, or give you any more actual control over your own ultimate fate. Jettison these from your life; the time you free up can be spent on love, joy, friendship, resolving problems, achieving goals, dreams.

Dreams, it must be pointed out, are practical. They are necessary. They teach us more about ourselves and others, help us connect, help us become more than what we are today. Some will be achieved, some will serve to help you grow, some will break your heart and teach you compassion. Learn how to set goals and work hard. Take the time to live the joy of the journey. Take the moment to celebrate your own successes, and others. Take the time to commiserate when someone else has failed; encourage them, for one day, you may need it.

Pay it forward.

How about you — what philosophy / goal / new habit do you want to emphasize or try to incorporate in the new year?

Have you heard about the charity auctions where an author agrees to name a character after a person chosen by the highest bidder? It’s a delightful way to raise money for good causes, and fans enjoy discovering what the author has in store for them, whether they get to be an unfortunate victim or make a Hitchcock-style cameo.

I’m not yet famous enough to be asked to participate in such an event, which is fine, because I fear that the moment I was asked to assign a fictional persona to an actual – well, person – I would freeze up and be unable to think of a single creative attribute. As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, my characters sort of just tumble into being, showing up at the edges of my conscious mind and begging to be included. Linking them to actual people would be…well…horrendously awkward for me, because it would require me to leave the stream-of-consciousness mode in which I do most of my writing, and acknowledge that I spend much of my time in a hazy imagination sandbox, waiting for stuff to happen. Which is to say, I have serious doubts about whether I’m my own puppet-master. I’m more like the receiver – I’m picturing a 1960′s era model, a giant, clunky device that just sort of sits there waiting for lightning to strike and turn into words on a page.

The day that a fan asks me to insert their fictional namesake into a story, I’ll be beset with all kinds of anxiety – just who is this meta-person? How can I conjure him or her? And will I cause offense? Make him/her too clumsy/not credible/one-dimensional?  Will my humor fall flat, my suspense fizzle, my best intentions evaporate in the harsh light of day?

I’m the first to admit that most of my characters are composites of the real and the fantastical. My young adults draw very strongly on the young people that live in or visit my house; my bad guys owe a debt to every jerk who ever pissed me off. My heros are a blush-inducing reflection of the men I admire and my heroines are my friends, all glommed together and rolled out like dough and cut into people-shapes.

Still…in the last year or so, I’ve found myself putting actual people into my books on more than one occasion. Well, their names, anyway – something about the character I’m building will remind me of someone and then suddenly it seems imperative that I use their name. It’s part homage, part an attempt to coax out the muse, part free-form play, but suddenly in the vast milling crowd of my characters one will pop up and holler “hey, pick me! Pick me!” and I’ll realize it’s someone I already know.

First there was the bad guy in my young adult series. Bryce Safian is just deliciously evil, a real monster (although he does have his redemptive moment at the end), but I named him after my dear old friend Roger Safian. Roger and I worked together from 1990 to 1995. He was the overseer of the computer labs where I worked, one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met, and a technology zealot. He was the first person I ever knew to own a DVD, for instance, back when they were like ten-pound pizzas. Anyway, Roger had a deliciously wicked way of raising one eyebrow and grinning – he looked like Puck mixed with Satan. So when I needed a mad, evil scientist – well, there was no other choice!

Then one day I was writing the girlfriend for a 1970s San Francisco homicide inspector. I knew she had strong convictions, was more beautiful and impassioned than reasonable, and was equal parts provocative and petulant. I also envisioned her as a redhead. Well, who should pop into my head, but Vicki Pettersson. If you’re not already familiar with Vicki, she is  the author of the Signs of The Zodiac urban fantasy series. I don’t even know Vicki that well (we met during a wonderful Romantic Times weekend that – for me, anyway – alternated between hyper-caffeinated and pleasantly debauched) but I just *knew* that, with her extravagant red hair, she was exactly the woman that Inspector Yar Sanregret would have fallen hard for and then kicked himself forever for letting her go.

And then….just a week or two ago, I was working away on the final chapters of my work in progress, wrapping up loose ends, closing plot windows, when I got the word that our dear Jen would be leaving MurderSheWrites come the new year. Jen had good, logical reasons for making the change…but I am the woman who hates change, who clings to the familiar and the comfortable, who mourns every loss, big and small. After two years (really??!!) on MurderSheWrites I still feel lucky to be here and every kindness from every one of my peers seems memorable. And Jen was not only kind to me, she was the kind of thoughtful that notices small details and takes the time to encourage and appreciate.

There, in the midst of my scene, Jen suddenly sprang to life…as Nurse Apodaca,world-weary World War II volunteer, caregiver of an injured and psycichally wounded young woman. In this case it wasn’t a physical resemblance (my nurse is craggy and long in the tooth, and our Jen is pretty damn foxy!) but rather her wisdom and kindness.

I’m sure didn’t do you justice, Jen, but I appreciate the inspiration nonetheless!

So…here’s my question for all of you guys. If you could be a character in a book, would you want to be heroine, bad guy, or victim? I’ll give away a $15 Amazon gift certificate to a random commenter – perhaps you can use it to round out your Apodaca collection!

Well, Christmas is behind us for another year. There’s nothing left to do except put away the decorations and take down the tree (except clean up and return duplicate gifts and the like).  My family gathered here in our century old home. Everyone brought their dogs who are as much a part of the family as anyone. Both my older daughter and I got Kindle Fires for Christmas. My husband got a Nook Color. We’re all exploring our new toys and loading them down with books! My younger daughter got an iPad (not the fancy new version but the older one which was priced to sell). So we’re all ready for whatever 2012 brings in the way of books and magazines. My two sons(-in-law) got gorgeous leather Man Bags for which I tackled the wilds of NYC’s Chinatown to find at a bargain price (Fossil ain’t got nothing on me).

There are many predictions about 2012, both good and bad, and it’s all very exciting (even a little unsettling), but I choose to see the coming year as a new adventure full of possibility! In addition to a new Colby Agency trilogy coming in the summer, which will herald in that 50th Colby, I will explore many new adventures with my new Faces of Evil series in 2012. Books one, OBSESSION, and two, IMPULSE, are out now. Look for POWER in February and then RAGE in April. All the Faces of Evil books are set in Birmingham, Alabama, my father’s hometown. Growing up Birmingham was like a second home to me. It’s also very special because of the brilliants doctors and hospitals there. As you know my oldest daughter was born with very serious physical challenges and the fantastic folks in Birmingham saved her life and set her on the path to a normal future in spite of the many odds against her. So Birmingham will forever hold a special place in my heart. For my first post in 2012 I’ll feature a research trip to the Magic City for POWER with lots of photos from interesting places. I’ll be doing that a few times next year and I promise that one of those adventures will include the hauntingly famous Sloss Furnace! So be sure and watch for those posts. You’ll see where Police Chief Dan Burnett lives and the popular Five Points area that Lori Wells calls home and we’ll all consider the options for a new home for Jess Harris somewhere that suits her. If you haven’t read OBSESSION and IMPULSE already, I hope you will soon! You don’t need an ereader to read ebooks. The Kindle or BN apps are available for free download right to your computer!

Speaking of ereaders, this is the final day to comment to win! So, drop by and tell me about your Christmas or just say hello and you are automatically entered into the contest for a new Kindle or Nook (your choice of either $100 value!). In addition, another winner will be chosen to receive a one year subscription to the fantastic RT Book Reviews magazine. You’ll love the magazine! More than 200 books are reviewed each month. And all the great news and upcoming events surrounding books are found in this one beautiful magazine! So be sure to comment today! The winners will be announced this Saturday, December 31st, right here with the MSW’s weekly winners!

Since so many of us got ereaders for Christmas and some lucky winner will be getting one this weekend, we need books and more books to load up on! Don’t miss the newest releases by all our great MSW authors (just click one of the covers to the right and you can find any one of our latest releases). Today, I’m pleased to offer some very special free books by dear friends Vicki Hinze and Kathy Carmichael.

First up is the terrific Vicki Hinze. Vicki’s next book, NOT THIS TIME, is coming in February but is available for preorder now. Here’s a a taste of the chilling story: A blood-soaked mattress. A terrorist attack. A traitor. Sara and Beth built a multi-million dollar business as anti-terrorism consultants but business and friendship are strained–Beth doesn’t trust Sara’s husband. Now he’s missing, verified kidnapped, and Beth is the prime suspect! Sounds like just my kind of story! But we don’t want to wait for a fantastic read so Vicki has generously offered to giveaway a free digital copy of her short story Before the White Rose (general fiction). Email Vicki at http://vickihinze.com/contact for your free digital story just for stopping by MSW today!

The funny and heartwarming Kathy Carmichael is giving away five copies of her fabulous DIARY OF A CONFESSIONS QUEEN. Kathy has found that tiny details can make all the difference for readers to fully invest in a story. Authors spend countless hours working on making sure even the smallest of details are exactly right.  When she was writing Diary of a Confessions Queen, Kathy spent several days trying to nail one specific detail that was important for the end of the book. Since she had written and sold confessions for the confessions magazine market, it was natural for her to create a heroine who writes confessions as her career.  Amy is a little different, though, because when she researches topics for her confessions, she thinks she has the same skills—for instance, when she researched psychics, she came to believe she was clairvoyant.  When she writes about a lady wrestler, she thinks she’s a skilled wrestler, too.  An important detail for the book denouement meant Kathy needed to invent a wrestling move for Amy. She sought advice from fellow author, Kimberly Llewellyn, who had previously been a professional lady wrestler. After working out the details of the needed new move, Kathy tried it on her husband and—it worked!  (Cue evil laughter.)  Kathy had him exactly where she wanted him.  Thus the Dead Man’s Cradle was born.  To find out more, check out her comedic mystery, Diary of a Confessions Queen.  For a chance to win one of 5 Kindle or Nook eBook copies of Diary of a Confessions Queen, contact Kathy at kathycarmichaelcontests@gmail.com.

Many great opportunities here today, folks. Be sure to leave a comment and you are automatically entered into my Kindle/Nook giveaway AND the RT Book Reviews Magazine giveaway. And be sure to email Vicki for a free digital story and Kathy for the chance to win yet another free story! And don’t forget to check back on Saturday for today’s winners of the ereader and RT magazine! See you in the New Year!