Crazy For You--L-O-L-A--LOLA!!

Hi All--



There's nothing like a fresh start, is there? A chance at a new life. This time, you'll do it better. You won't make the mistakes you made last time. Translation: hope. Scarlett O'Hara said it best: "Tomorrow is another day."

My new Airedale puppy, Lola, reminds me that new life means hope, and new beginnings. Her eyes widen at every turn. Yes, I must train her, teach her, feed her and guide her. But, in so doing, I discover and reinforce what I believe and know, and, yes, I am stretching my tolerance levels. Patience is a good thing.

So it was with beginning my new novel, Crazy For You. Every time the germ of a new idea takes root, the writer sets foot on the path to self-discovery. There is no telling where the novel may ramble and roam. Even if the book is published exactly as the outline specifies, I have found that there is no way to predict the influence a book or character can have on an individual reader. For example, I belong to Operation Desert Swap, an support organization for our US troops in Iraq. Authors adopt a soldier and send their signed books overseas for their soldier to read and swap with other soldiers. Once my book, The Wrong Side of Memphis, was in circulation overseas, it was truly "out of my hands." But, to me, that is the beautiful thing about being a writer.

To your new beginnings!

Claire