Wednesday, June 27, 2007

I'm a Rockin' Girl Blogger!


Cindy Swanson over at Notes in the Key of Life has named me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. Let me say, I am touched. Seriously. I was tagged as a "thinking blogger" the other day and I meant to mention it, but I think I was in the middle of a BOM or something, so I never got around to it. (Shows you how well I think!)

As part of this award, I'm supposed to nominate five other rockin' girl bloggers, and I will. In a minute.

First, I want to talk a moment about my WIP, tentatively titled THE FACE. Have I mentioned lately that I REALLY dislike writing first drafts? They are like pushing out a baby that doesn't want to be born, and trust me, once it's out and on the table, it's a mess. Things definitely get better once the first draft is done, but it's no fun when you're in labor. And it does NOT get easier.

What is this book about? The easiest way for me to explain is to lead you back to the source of the idea. Visit this web site-- then come back here and I'll continue.

Did you visit? Okay--I saw a special on this little girl on the Discovery channel, and that's when the idea began to germinate. My book isn't about that particular little girl, but let's say another child was born with that same condition about 20 years ago. Let's say her parents worked for the CIA. Let's say her parents died right after her birth. Let's say her grief-stricken grandmother didn't/couldn't handle the thought of coping with such a tragedy, so the little girl remained in the secret CIA hospital where she was first cared for. Let's say she grew up there, and only had whatever surgeries were necessary for her to breathe, eat, and talk.

Let's say she's 21 years old, and still doesn't have a real face . . . and her aunt, who has always thought she died at birth, discovers that she's still alive.

And there you have the beginning of this book. It's set within the CIA (thanks to my Alias fixation, though I am taking the time to get the CIA right) and involves spying, the legal and illegal production of opium, and, of course, two women who will learn a lot from each other. It's another parable story, where the real meaning lies beneath the surface.

Believe it or not, it's been helpful for me to lay all that out. :-)

And now, for my five rockin' girl blogger nominees (and this is certainly not an exhaustive list because I know so many):

Julianna's Mom. Tami and her husband have to be two of the most courageous people I've ever heard of. I think--I know--God had a special reason for sending this child to them.

Links to all these gals are on the right. Read 'em and you'll know why I love 'em!
Roxy Henke
BJ Hoff
Lisa Samson
Robin Lee Hatcher
Brandilyn "the Babe" Collins and
Charlene Baumbich (Traveling Laughs)

Well, that's seven, but I'm feeling generous. And of course, kudos to Cindy Swanson, who never fails to have something intriguing on her blog. Thanks, Cindy, for putting me on your list!

~~Angie

7 comments:

Cindy Swanson said...

Angie, so glad you awarded those bloggers...some of them were ones I wanted to award, but I ran out of slots! Those really are deserving.

I'm so intrigued by your WIP. My husband and I recently had an "Alias" marathon. I never watched the show while it was on, but I fell in love with it and with Jennifer Garner! (well, you know what I mean.)

Anonymous said...

sounds like another great book!

Suzanne said...

That does sound like a great book! Get to it girl!

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the Rockin' Girl Blogger nomination. And what an honor this is: I can honestly say that so far as I know--other than the possible exception of my grandsons--no one has ever considered me "rockin'" anything.

One problem: between you, Cindy, and others, all the gal blogs I visit seem to have already been tapped!

But many thanks anyway.

BJ

Anonymous said...

You amaze me. I would love to crawl up into your brain for a bit and just sit back and watch the flurry of activity. Thanks for the fun peeks inside your brilliant mind.

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous story idea. Cannot wait to get my hands on it. From one writer to another, I can absolutely relate to birthing a book! It's hard as hell, but the end rewards are amazing.

Jill Eileen Smith said...

Things definitely get better once the first draft is done, but it's no fun when you're in labor. And it does NOT get easier.

I feel the same way, Angie! I get to know my characters as I write, and I know the plot as I go, but getting it actually down on paper is...well...some days it's torture! Some days 1000 words can fly onto the page in an hour. Some days I keep checking the word count and will barely make 100 in the same amount of time.

I must say your story sounds intriguing! I'll look forward to reading it!

Btw, I'm Spotlighting you in July on my website - check it out at www.jilleileensmith.com on the Spotlight page.

Blessings,
~Jill