Today I finished the rough draft of my new romance novel (more of a romantic comedy, really) THE COWBOY’S BABY GOES TO HEAVEN. It topped out at 79,201 words which is about 10,000 more than I intended.

It was really hard writing THE END to this one. It looks like I started work on this August 24, 2012. At the time I was trying to write two books at once, the other being a sequel to TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS, a mystery. I wrote on the mystery during the week and the romance on the weekend.

This plan came to a dead stop when I broke my shoulder in late October. It was really hard to write anything. Eventually, I decided to concentrate on HEAVEN. Now the rough draft is done! More !!!!! Even more !!!!!!!!!!

In my opinion, the rough draft is the hardest. You face perfectly blank white pages and fill them with story. Reviewing, revising, rewriting, extra research; all of that is frosting on the cake. It will be interesting to see how long that takes me. And then I’ll get back to TEA WITH A DEAD GAL.

I’ve got a third novel waiting in the wings to be written. And a novelette/short story collection that will merge THE COWBOY’S BABY characters with the TALKING TO THE DEAD GUYS characters and be quite fun reading. This was my sister Roxanne’s idea, and a pretty good one.

Here’s another promotional piece for Central Texas writers, although Mr. Mayer actually hails from East Texas. Previously featured were Houston area writer M.G. King and her Fizz & Peppers at the Bottom of the World troll book and Lockhart writer and neighbor Jeff Robenalt and his Texas Rangers series.

We first met Marvin S. Mayer, children’s book writer, when he drove all the way from the Tyler area to Lockhart several years ago to hear the winning stories from the very first year of the Scare The Dickens Out of Us ghost story contest.

He had entered the contest, but hadn’t placed. He and his wife proved delightful guests, and as far as I know, they were the only entrants who ever came so far in support of our fundraiser. We’ve never forgotten.

With him came copies of his first book, Sammy Squirrel and the Sunflower Seeds. We promote him and his books at our Rix Café Texican website http://rixcafetexican.com , as well as other local authors. And since then he’s written more children’s books, among them Ferdinand Frog’s Flight and The Day X Ran Away. Sammy and Ferdinand have a home at the Dr. Eugene Clark Library. I’ve read those two and they are delightful.

According to his website, http://kidsbooksbymarvin.com, he’s busy with four more titles: Changing Tomorrow, The Adventures of Preston and Oliver, The Case of the Stolen Stash, and The Queen’s Tea.

Mr. Mayer took writing lessons from the Institute for Children’s Literature, and he writes to entertain. He is a member of the East Texas Writers Guild, the Society for Children’s Writers and Illustrators, and the Texas Writers Network.

If you’ve got young children in your family, give his books a look. You can see them at Amazon.com or via his website.

And if you’re a Central Texas writer with a book to promote, get in touch through http://rixcafetexican.com. We’d love to meet you..

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Rose O’scarlett and the Vengeance of Cannonflash Jones by J.R. Knoll.  Congo by Michael Crichton.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.

Photos of the San Antonio Zoo’s 2013 annual members meeting by Roxanne Rix.

Honestly, I don’t remember any more how I found these blogs. I probably saw a mention in the forum pages of the Kindle Direct Publishing  Community. Before, during and right after I first published THE COWBOY’S BABY I read these forum pages religiously. Or, it could have come from a TWITTER mention. There’s lots of good information passed through there, too. But back to my point; over time I have found the four best blogs to watch if you are a writer.

In no particular order they are:

KRISTINE KATHRYN RUSCH at http://kriswrites.com  . Each and every Thursday she blogs about the business of publishing. You need to be reading what she says. Really. You really do.

THE PASSIVE VOICE at http://thepassivevoice.com . Every day Mr. P.G. (Passive Guy) gathers what has caught his interest (mostly concerning writing, the business of writing, and the law) and serves it up for his readers. He’s sort of a clearing house for us lazy types. And read the comments. Often the comments are the most useful parts.

J.A. KONRATH at  http://jakonrath.blogspot.com . Here is where you’ll find the really good stuff, as in controversy. Unfortunately for us,  Mr. Konrath doesn’t blog as much as he used to, but if he is new to you there is a lot of archived information. Warning: If you’re easily shocked, this is not the place for you.

And DEAN WESLEY SMITH at http://deanwesleysmith.com  . Go back and read THE SACRED COWS OF PUBLISHING and you’ll never think about writing the same way again. Ditto the week he just finished where he wrote an entire 70,000 word (almost) novel in ten days. No rewrites. Nada. Mr. Smith even offers to teach you some of what he knows through his on-line workshops.

And if you feel you gain by reading these guys, tell them thanks by buying their books. Three of them are writers, and the Passive Guy’s wife is a writer. There are other good blogs for writers too, but mostly the best of what they say will end up at THE PASSIVE VOICE and sometimes all or some of the other three.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  The Duke’s Undoing by G.G. Vandagriff. Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath.

Photos by Roxanne Rix (And they have nothing to do with my books or the blogs mentioned here. Just pretty pictures.)

You can find my  books at

http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix 

and

http://barnesandnoble.com/c/gretchen-rix

and

http://smashwords.com/books/view/105559

 How very cute. Horses in sweaters. Little horses in sweaters. Obviously this has nothing to do with my novel THE COWBOY’S BABY or the sequel I’m working on right now. Or does it?

http://amzn.com/B003UYUVZC

Photo by Roxanne Rix.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:   Sunny Says by Jan Hudson.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

PHOTOS OF IRELAND IN MARCH OF 2013 BY ROXANNE RIX.

BOOKS BY GRETCHEN RIX AT  http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:   The List by J. A. Konrath.

BUY THIS BOOK if you’re feeling charitable towards writers who need  your help. The author Dave Farland needs help right now due to an accident in his family and no insurance. See here for detailed information http://www.davidfarland.com/writing_tips/?a.  This Wednesday, April 10, has been designated Help Dave Farland day, but it doesn’t have to stop here. Anytime later in the year if you feel charitable, buy this book and it will help.  Nightingale  http://amzn.com/B006P7SEBY.

Why this book? Because it’s one of his two self-published books and he gets the lion’s share of the profits from it. The other book is basically for authors only, but here it is, too Million Dollar Outlines  http://amzn.com/B00B9JYJ6W.

And why help this particular author you’ve possibly never heard of? Help him because he stands in for one of your favorite authors who’s lucky enough right now not to need any help. I don’t know him either, but over the years I’ve tried to participate each and every time I’ve heard one of these calls for help because I love novels and you don’t get novels without the writers behind them.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Fizz & Peppers at the Bottom of the World by M.G. King.

 I recently read an article about writer’s block and how to work yourself out of it. I laughed. Some people will disagree, but there is really no such thing as writer’s block. It is many things: procrastination, laziness, being too busy, the every-day sort of depression you get when you’re sad about something, clinical depression, wanting to do something else instead, the list goes on and on. Calling any of your extended periods of not writing “writer’s block” is just romanticizing the facts. You can write if you want to. Anyone who wants to write can carve out enough time to write one hundred words a day. That’s about a paragraph. Or two. And over a year one hundred words a day equals about half of a completed book.

Many of us expect the words to flow, and often they do. But there are times you have to fight for each and every paragraph. Some writers have to fight for each sentence, and a select few do it word by word. This is not writer’s block. It’s just a hard writing day. Reading scads and scads of how-to books on writing and doing nothing else but attending writer’s meetings and conventions is not writer’s block. This is simply “not writing.” Probably because you don’t really want to write. I had a long period just like this about twenty years ago, and at one point I seriously considered giving up on my pretension of writing. This wasn’t writer’s block. It was having a lot more things I wanted to do instead.

I made a commitment instead. To write every day (well, most days) and complete whatever I started. Romance Writers of America and its local groups were a big help to me in keeping this commitment. In fact, they require a commitment, though they don’t check up on you to make sure. I completed my first novel by following their rules of membership. I finished my second novel many, many years after that when I joined Romance Writers of America for the second time. I finished my third and fourth novels because of the opportunities suddenly offered by Amazon.com and its Kindle Direct Publishing program.

Everyone using the excuse that they’ll never be published anyhow, or no one will read their books if they are published, now has had that rug pulled out from under their feet. You can be published and you can reach readers. Don’t let “writer’s block” hold you back. Finish what you start, every time. Don’t follow my example in taking a ten-year hiatus “writer’s block” vacation from writing. It was one of my biggest mistakes. And I guess I can claim it as “writer’s block” if I want to. Makes me sound more romantic.

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  Snowbound by Blake Crouch. Bitter Recoil by Steven F. Havill.

http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix  http://barnesandnoble.com/c/gretchen-rix  http://smashwords.com/books/view/79235

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:  M Is For Malice by Sue Grafton.

Photos by Roxanne Rix. Books by Gretchen Rix  http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

 The Central Texas Oil Patch Museum in Luling, Texas, hosts its annual MEET THE AUTHORS event Saturday, March 23, from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. Come participate in a group autographing session that includes local historian and writer Donaly E. Brice and Luling resident Chuck Parsons.

Also expected to attend are Judy Barrett (Recipes From and For the Garden), Wanda Carter (United Daughters of the Confederacy Cookbook), Kemp Dixon (From Plymouth Rock to Rocky Creek), Peggy Engledow and Victoria Daywood (Bad Boys of Caldwell County), Patti Jones Morgan (Ladies About Town), Max Oliver (Next Boom), Candice Wiester (Country Proud), and Patti Shafer (the Annie the Texas Ranch Dog series).

And while you’re there, visit the museum, eat at the famous City Market bbq restaurant or the charming 1896 Tavern at the Francis-Ainsworth House. Take a peek at the San Marcos River from the Zedler Mill, and take the pump jack tour (look it up).

Spring has sprung. Bluebonnets are out (but not for long). Do something different this weekend.

Photograph by Roxanne Rix

You can see my novels and stories at

http://amazon.com/author/gretchenrix

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK: Timecaster by J.A. Konrath. The Big Year by Mark Obmascik.