A Magical Year to Remember

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It is said that France and the U.S. have always had a special relationship, dating back to our revolutionary days. I feel it every year on July 14.

Today, ten days after all the hoopla surrounding our 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, France is celebrating their own  national holiday, le Quatorze Juillet (July 14), la Fête Nationale.

History tells us that the success of our American Revolution inspired the French to rebel against their own squirrelly King, beginning with the storming of the Bastille, a formidable prison and a hated symbol of royal cruelty.

This date always takes me back to my junior year of college, that magical time when I was immersed in everything French.

Lucky thirteen

There were thirteen of us who sailed across the Atlantic in late summer, twelve girls and one boy, aboard the USS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. The weather was so awful, it was impossible to go out on deck for the 4-day sail. Cabin fever made us crazy, but bonded us together as friends. At last, we docked in Le Havre and spent the night in Rouen, where we were welcomed by our Dijon professor and our first taste of French champagne.

Castles & cathedrals

At the port the next morning, we boarded a bus that took us on a week’s meander to Caen (William the Conqueror’s castle!), and Bayeux (the tapestries!), Fougeres (another castle!) then south (Mont San Michel!) and east to the Loire valley (more chateaux and cathedrals). By the end of the week we were so completely overwhelmed by all the Romanesque and Gothic architecture, we let off steam by posing for a group photo in which we all contorted our bodies and faces to resemble the dozens and dozens of gargoyles we’d encountered on the way.

My personal chateau

Our next-to-last destination was Dijon, where we spent some weeks practicing our French-speaking skills and learning more about the history and the culture of the Burgundy region. We were separated into various local hosting homes. I was placed in an airy room at a spacious 18th century chateau outside of town owned by a fur merchant and his beautiful big family. Lovely people.

Paris!

Once we were ready to face life alone in the big city, we were moved to Paris where we separated again. Some moved into a dorm, but I was given my own room in the home of another large family, not far from the Seine on the Left Bank. Life settled into a regular pattern of private classes for the 13 of us, plus huge public lectures at the Sorbonne, and regular tickets to all the museums, the Comedie-Francaise, and the Paris Opera.

Night club gig

One of the older children of my Paris hosts operated a popular student boîte. He invited Patrick (the boy in our group) and me to perform there. A thrill, for sure. Pat and I have been friends ever since.

I couldn’t help but fall in love with France. By the time my year was over, I was  fluent in the language. I even dreamed in French, a habit that sadly dwindled to dust as time went by.

Memories that linger

At my first dinner in the home of my Paris family, the father had welcomed me by raising his glass in a toast to America in gratitude for what our country had done for France in World War II. I recalled what Lafayette had done for ours. Our kinship truly does go way back.

And every year, I feel gratitude for having experienced a most magical time of my life.

Happy Bastille Day! Vive La France! Vive L’Amerique!

I hope you’ve had a magical time to remember. Tell us about it in the comments below!

Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism. She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “Notable.” Her Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and laced with touches of romance, heart, and humor. Available on Amazon or to order through your favorite bookseller.

 

Spamalot (Not the Musical)

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I’m thinking about venturing into a career as a stand-up comic.

I already have a enough material for a routine full of laugh-out-loud absurdity, delivered to me in the form of dozens of spam emails that arrive in my inbox every month, specifically, the ones that offer me fame and fortune as a best-selling author. All for a handsome fee, of course.

I could riff on every one of their offers, like the one from “Elena” that promises Category optimization | Review velocity strategy | Long-term discoverability.” Wow, she’s really got her corp-speak language down!

*Chloe” tells me that my readers are in the “wellness and niche communities,” whatever that means.  “Lewis,” from the Author Credibility Society, says he’s “creating meaningful conversations in my field.” And “Tim,” from The Philosophical Zurich Club, “an international literary community,” is deeply moved by my writing.

Their real names should be something like A.I. Scam or Chat-Gee P. Tee.

In my new act, I could deliver zingers about the idiots who, after scraping tidbits from my website and other urls where my author info resides, still get it wrong. Yes, “Rachel,” I did once work at a prestigious film organization, but it was not the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Next comes one of my favorites so far, from “Samuel, a literary advisor at QuantumCreative.digital.”

Hi Gay,

I came across your Facebook author page and I have to say — a feature in D Magazine, an author interview, a series with a title as sharp as Sorry Knot Sorry — this is an author with genuine credibility and a clear voice. The work you have done to build visibility in the Dallas literary community is evident and impressive.”

I agree that my esteemed colleague, Lois Winston (the actual author of a book with that clever title), has genuine, award-winning credibility. However, I am the one who earned that national literary award for a series of articles I did for D Magazine in Dallas, back when I was its managing editor.

All of this seemingly unceasing, unscrupulous, and pitiful effort to scam unsuspecting authors is big a waste of time, especially my time, when I could be working on my next book instead of having to daily flush this spam down the toilet. Anyone with a working idea of how to eliminate the constant barrage, please let me know. There may even be a free book in it for you.

And, speaking of free books…

This June is the time for the Stiletto Gang Annual Summer Book Bonanza, when lucky readers can win free e-books from our participating authors. First Prize winner receives one book from each of us. Two runners-up will get 3 books by the Stiletto authors of their choosing. Just sign up on our homepage, and in July, you could be a winner!

In the meantime, if you know any of the aforesaid e-scammers personally, please kick ’em un the shins for me.

Thanks!

Read more about this award-winning author at GayYellen.com…

… and remember to sign up for your chance to sample some of our books. Winners announced next month, Happy Reading!

 

Believe in your Story and Never Give Up

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By Donnell Ann Bell

I do not consider myself a vain person. Uncertainty follows me on a daily basis. And like most authors insecurity has me on speed dial. But if I write something that corresponds with the vision in my head, then I develop a strong belief in my project. It doesn’t happen with every manuscript. I have a drawerful of attempted projects that haven’t quite measured up.

My debut book, however, the unpublished title Walk Away Joe, earned me a Golden Heart nod and agent representation. Afterward, I set to work on book two. Based on the plot, the title Deadly Recall came to me almost immediately. The story was a romantic suspense spinning off from my elementary Catholic school days and my court reporting legal experience.

The characters in Deadly Recall came to me equally fast. I was so confident in that book, I almost ignored the advice offered by Donald Maass, renowned literary agent and author of Writing the Breakout Novel. I attended a seminar in which Maass warned writers that if they knew who the killer was throughout the book, the reader would too.

What did he know? I remained steadfast in my belief I’d chosen the right antagonist for my story. Yet as my page count increased, reality intruded on my pipedream. I was a brand-new author; Donald Maass was an expert. I remember the precise moment I flipped the script and changed my killer’s identity. It was near the end of the book. To this day, I credit Donald Maass’s advice. Thanks to him Deadly Recall became a more cohesive and suspenseful story.

After I finished the novel, I entered writing contests but didn’t send it to my agent just yet. She hadn’t sold Walk Away Joe, and if Deadly Recall did well, I hoped to convince her I wasn’t a “one-book wonder.” Deadly Recall won several contests, one of which included agents and editors as the final round judges. I confess my head was the size of a pinata when one contest coordinator wrote, “This is so good. Can’t wait to see it in print.”

I was still flying high until weeks later I opened my entry to learn I’d received an honorable mention. Obviously, my writing peer judges liked the story, New York professionals, not so much. Needless to say, I was disheartened. Still, I believed in that book. So, when a well-known editor from a respected house announced she was accepting on-line pitches, I participated. Her response to my pitch? “Nice idea. But Catholic stories don’t sell. Put it under your bed and never get it out again.”

I don’t have to tell you that left a mark! At the same time, I was smarting from that rejection, my agent wrote me about Deadly Recall. She said she’d shared the book with her team, and they all agreed with her that it “wasn’t my best work.” At that, I sent her a 30-day termination notice and cancelled our agency agreement.

Along with the Deadly Recall rejections I was receiving, I was still hopeful for Walk Away Joe. At a writer’s conference, I pitched the book to an acquiring editor of a major house, and she asked me to send it. I sent it, knowing I was engaging in a proverbial longshot as New York publishers rarely, if ever, accepted unagented submissions.

About this time, RWA’s 2010 Golden Heart calls went out, and I was both happy and stunned to learn that Deadly Recall was a finalist in the organization’s largest and most respected contest. This was my second Golden Heart final, so some (not all) of my confidence was restored as I felt it gave me some street creds.

A short time later, I queried BelleBooks/Bell Bridge Books about Walk Away Joe and Vice President Deborah Smith wrote me back saying, “Send it. Send Deadly Recall while you’re at it.” I’ll never forget when BelleBooks sent me an offer letter for both books. I had huge respect for Debra Dixon and Deborah Smith, both legends in publishing, and decided to accept. As a courtesy I wrote the New York editor with whom I’d submitted Walk Away Joe. All my rejection bruises seemed to fade when she wrote back, “Congratulations. This is our loss. I love Melanie and Joe.” FYI, Melanie and Joe are characters from the WAJ manuscript that BelleBooks/Bell Bridge Books subsequently renamed The Past Came Hunting.

In the early days of my publishing career, Amazon, had a marketing tool called Deal of the Day on Kindle. Both The Past Came Hunting and Deadly Recall hit the top ten of the overall paid deals. I was on my way to Santa Fe when Deborah Smith messaged me to tell me Deadly Recall had hit #1 in the overall paid category! For a brief time, my book was listed alongside John Grisham and Clive Custler. Typically, I couldn’t get a signal to capture a screen shot but did manage one a couple days later in which the book still held the #1 spot in three genre categories.

I tell you this long drawn-out story to remind you that while others may not believe in your work, if you’re passionate about it, never give up. Deadly Recall remains my bestselling book. Imagine if I had done what that editor suggested and put it under my bed. Deadly Recall is one of the books in The Stiletto Gang’s Summer Bonanza. The log line is: A terrifying memory is locked deep inside her. A Killer wants to keep it that way. https://donnellannbell.net/books/romantic-suspense-thrillers/deadly-recall/   Now that you know its history, I hope you’ll give it a try. And remember this business is subjective. Whatever you’re passionate about, it’s important to believe!  Happy Reading!

 

What’s a Freedom Plane?

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In the government’s growing penchant for giving events names that have little relation to what they actually are, our Museum of Natural History announced the arrival of The National Archive’s “Freedom Plane Tour,” a display in honor of the 250th anniversary of  the United States of America. The invitation to the opening of the exhibit had me wondering where they’d be parking a Boeing 737 in the museum’s urban setting.

Silly me, to think there was a plane in the exhibit.

The plane never left the airport. Only its precious contents are on display in a very small, darkened space at the museum. We joined the long line of folks slowly snaking into and through the closet-sized, curtained enclosure, surrounded by security. Only a dozen or so gawkers at a time were granted a brief view of some of the most important original documents that forged our nation.

At first, I was disappointed that only a few items were there. But as I took my turn before each one, I was transfixed. I began to imagine what it must have been like for those who struggled to produce them, and the compromises and sacrifices that had to be reckoned with in order to forge a new nation, founded on radical principals of liberty and freedom, at least as they were perceived 250 years ago.

I imagined what fortitude and courage it took to reach enough consensus to have laid it out on a page for all posterity.Oaths of Allegiance to King George I wished I was allowed more time to read the difficult script and each signature, and especially, to ponder those last minute, hand-written edits on what became the final drafts.

It was definitely a messy business, and it’s not difficult to understand why we’re still debating many of the particulars today.

Which may be why, at the outset, the founders must have known how important it was to insert the word “more” between “a” and “perfect union.” They understood that, hard as we humans may try, achieving perfection is only a pipe dream.

And yet, bless our little hearts, we still try.

Every citizen learns at least an elementary version of how life was back then. But many of the details, as evidenced in the few documents displayed here, were new to me. More than any history book or TV documentary I’ve ever come across, these few items on display brought the struggle to life.

Treaty of Paris 1783In adding their names to the Declaration of Independence in 1776, these colonial representatives still had to unite and then muster the wherewithal to engage in a long, costly war. A  peace treaty with Britain was not signed until 1783.

But that’s not all.

They still had to figure out how to form a unified nation among the independent colonies, each of which had varying economic and social needs and philosophies.That task took well over a decade to accomplish.

The final draft of the U.S. Constitution was not ratified until 1783, and at the actual signing, representatives from only eleven the thirteen new states were present.

Fast forward to current times

As I walked out of the exhibit, the day was dreary. So was my mood. I mourned the spirit of so those who stood up for their lofty principles and fought battle after battle, both intellectually and physically, to create a country that has been, for almost all of its 250 years, the envy of the world.

It’s difficult these days to remain positive about the future of our country, what with the seemingly constant turmoil within and outside of our borders. While it’s tempting to believe that, since we’ve always been able to pull ourselves away from the brink of collapse, things will always work themselves out. But great civilizations before us have thrived and withered. Let us not be complacent.

I’ve included photos of every document in the exhibit; the pictures aren’t great, but given the crowd, the lighting, the height of the display, and the short time allowed, t’was the best I could do. Like our country, much is still a work in progress.

If you want to experience the exhibit in person, the official itinerary is here: Freedom Plane. 

Read more about this award-winning author at GayYellen.com.

 

Are We Looking Up?

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Today is National Look Up at the Sky Day, and the timing couldn’t be better.

I can’t think of a more perfect time to celebrate this day as we try to maintain our equilibrium in what feels like a very troubled world. The proponents of this special Day suggest that we take a moment to go outside and contemplate the clouds as they roll by, kind of a Zen approach to relaxing the mind.

This date also marks another National designation. It’s Reach as High as You Can Day, which encourages us to create a new goal, share our goals, or encourage others to reach for theirs. While these two notable suggestions may provide encouragement for some, I think we can find an even better third one:

The Artemis Moon Mission

Prior to launch on April 1, I heard arguments, both pro and con, about going back to the moon. The two camps seemed to be equally divided as to whether the country should be spending so much money just to fly around the moon instead of fixing more urgent needs here on earth. I could understand and sympathize with both positions, until I watched the press conference with the four astronauts, who had returned to earth less than 24 hours before.

Each one of the four took about two minutes to share their individual and deeply human reactions to their extraordinary experience, and in doing so, restored some hope that humanity will survive. There was no speachifying or preaching, only honest, touching, and often funny insights. I encourage you to watch this uplifting clip. It’s a quick dose of joy.

Seriously, watch the video. You’ll be glad you did.

Initially, I wan’t keen to sit through what I expected to be just one more bloated, self-congratulatory press conference full of the usual blah-blahl rhetoric. But that wasn’t what it was.

Afterward, I wanted to renew my half-forgotten knowledge of what Artemis, the mission’s Olympian namesake, stood for. Twin sister of the Greek god Apollo, Artemis was known as the goddess of the hunt, a protector of children and nature, and a patron of the healing arts. She was a lover and a warrior. One of the most venerated divinities, she had two sides: one nurturing and the other, brutal.

In short, Artemis was an avatar for the best and worst human traits.

And so, my thoughts today are on Artemis the goddess, her namesake mission, and the heartfelt comments from our latest space explorers, words that, while simple, illustrate how qualities like integrity and love can lead to a life worth living.

Whatever anxiety people may be feeling these days, we can still look up to the sky, reach as high as we can, create new goals and give love to those near and far. Perhaps in this way, we can still achieve heaven on earth together.

#ArtemisII #ReachAsHighAsYouCanDay #LookUpAtTheSkyDay

Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism.  She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted on the New York Times New & Notable list. Ms. Yellen’s  Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and laced with touches of romance, heart, and humor. Available on Amazon or to order through your favorite bookseller.

 

Life in the Cracks

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I had an entirely different topic planned for today’s post until I learned that this date marks a celebration of “life in the cracks” for at least one community in California. I think it’s actually something we all should celebrate, especially these days.

It’s the Festival of Life-in-the-Cracks Day!

Time to celebrate the first signs of Spring that bring us fresh crops, fuzzy little ducklings, and even sprouts of greenery that rise up through our cracked sidewalks.

It is a day to celebrate rebirth and renewal, a day to appreciate the beauty of life anywhere you find it.

There’s something about new greenery popping up and out all around us that offers us a mental boost. Given the current state of the world, we could use a reminder to celebrate life. No matter how bleak the outlook, here comes Spring to remind us that things can change for the better.

Here comes the time to plant seeds, stroll through the woods, or simply bask in the sun.

In our park’s family garden, spring has definitely sprung. Cabbage, okra, tomatoes, figs, and apple blossoms abound.

Bees are buzzing, flowers blooming, and crops are bursting with life. Just to be surrounded by it all can lift our spirits.

With the world in turmoil, I can’t think of a more timely celebration than Life-in-the-Cracks Day. It calls to mind the encouraging message in Leonard Cohen’s beautiful Anthem which shares the wisdom that—even when life feels like there’s a crack in everything—remember this: it’s how the light gets in.

I’m no Pollyanna, but I am so very, very eager to mute the bad news and turn myself toward hopeful things right now. Here’s to a bright, refreshing Spring for us all!

How about you, friends and readers… Are you ready for a brighter day?

Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism.  She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “New & Notable.”

The Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and full of romance, heart, and humor. Available on Amazon or order through your favorite bookseller. 

 

Are Men More Romantic Than Women?

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Valentine’s Day can bring on a variety of emotions, from high-stakes excitement to blasé indifference, or even outright dread. But, ready or not, it’s barreling into our lives this week. Who loves romance more, men or women?

Romantic Love

Before we get into how we feel about it, a little history may shed some light on this red-letter date.

(Spoiler alert: The earliest celebrations were fraught with unpleasantness, to put it mildly.)

According to History.com the red-letter day began as an ancient pagan fertility ritual in which a goat was usually sacrificed. The poor animal’s hide was sliced into strips that were soaked in blood, which then got slapped (lovingly?) against young village women and nearby crop fields to insure successful procreation. Allegedly, that festival was so popular, it was observed for over a thousand years until, in the 3rd century, a February date was adopted to commemorate an entirely new horror: the martyrdom of Valentinus, an early church priest who advocated for marriage, a rite the emperor at the time apparently frowned upon.

Whew!

We can thank the Victorians for turning the date into an occasion for the  more humane ritual of exchanging cards and tokens of affection with people we liked.

Things remained in that pleasant mode for well over a century, until modern life took a more ironic turn. Nowadays, not all women pine for a Prince Charming. The old obligatory box of chocolates and bouquet of roses can fall short of making a woman swoon. Instead of hearts and flowers, it’s common to find restaurants that tout “Galentine” or “Palentine” specials to include a wider audience.

In my favorite new twist, even a well-respected institutions like the Museum of Natural Science is offering a chance to dedicate a live Madagascar hissing cockroach in honor of your favorite person.

Could this be another sign that Romantic Love is dying?

Not so fast, because hope sometimes comes from where you might least expect it.

According to an article in the New York Post, men outnumber women as fans of romance novels, at least in the world of publishing. A recent survey of 2,000 American romance readers revealed that more men in the survey consider themselves die-hard romance enthusiasts compared to women. And men spent more of their leisure time reading romance: 364 hours per year for men; 312 hours for women.

The survey also uncovered the mental images romance junkies think of while they’re reading. Seventeen percent of married readers picture their spouse as the love interest in a book, 21% conjure up a celebrity crush, and 7% confessed that they envision their ex. Awww…

For the writers among us, take note: regardless of gender, those same readers also mentioned their least-favorite romance tropes: love triangles, office romance, and fake dating (whatever that is).

Best loved? Forbidden romance, friends-to-lovers, enemies-to-lovers. What seemed most important to those readers: good character development, realistic dialog, and ample romantic moments. Not a bad checklist.

And speaking of romance, my award-winning Samantha Newman Romantic Mystery Series has just been named a Semifinalist at Chanticleer for their Best Series Award! That’s a Valentine I heartily welcome.

How about you, friends and readers, how do you feel about Romantic Love on this Valentine’s Day?

Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism.

She later served as the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “Notable.”

The Samantha Newman Mystery Series : includes The Body Business, The Body Next Door, and The Body in the News. The books are  packed with suspense,  romance, and humor. Available on Amazon or order through your favorite bookseller.  More at GayYellen.com

 

 

Would You Take This Advice?

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As the calendar turns, it seems like we’re bombarded with suggestions about how to improve our happiness and well-being in the new year. Much of this purported wisdom comes from professional gurus, some from ordinary folks, and some—heaven help us—from chatbots. A meme I recently came across suggested that we had to invent artificial intelligence because we are running out of real intelligence. But I digress…

The New York Times columnist, Melissa Kirsch, asked her readers to share the best advice they got in the past year. A few ideas were practical, such as: “Don’t think harder, breathe deeper.” Or, “Baby steps still move us forward.” Or, “Always have a bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge.”

And others seemed less helpful, such as “You don’t need to tell everyone everything that goes into making the chicken soup.”

I’m guessing that one was from a chatbot.

If you take advice from TEDTalk gurus or best-seller book lists, you’ve probably come across the podcaster Mel Robbins and her blockbuster “Let Them” theory. At its core is this message: Don’t waste your energy worrying about people and situations beyond your control. Let them be stupid, mean, or just plain wrong, and get on with your life.

I received similar advice years ago. After venting my frustration over a personal relationship, an older and wiser woman of few words, responded, “When you argue with a fool, there are two fools arguing.” She saved me from allowing an untenable situation to ruin my life. It’s been a lesson I’ve returned to time and again.

When our family doctor retired, we thought we’d lost his gentle, humorous counsel forever. But he recently reappeared as a columnist on The Buzz, a local publication that’s often fun to read. On New Year’s Day, he cited a university’s report showing that less than ten percent of resolutions are kept, and almost half are abandoned before the end of the month.

The good doctor’s believes it would help if we promised ourselves to do something less boring than lose weight or exercise more. “Why not resolve to do things that you really secretly want to do,” he asks, like “eat some chocolate every day?” Wise man.

Still, the urge is strong at New Year’s to look inward for ways to improve ourselves. My own resolutions tend to revolve around my writing career, which puts me in mind of the main character in my Samantha Newman Mystery Series.

Samantha is too headstrong to worry about any personal shortcomings, even though they often lead her into dangerous territory. When she sees an injustice, she dives headfirst into fixing the situation. So far, she’s survived relatively unscathed. But will she make it through another dicey situation?

We’ll see. In the meantime, let’s all cut ourselves a little slack.

Have fun, be well, and no matter what… have a great year!

Gay Yellen began her award-winning writing career in magazine journalism. She also was the contributing editor for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “Notable.” Her Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and laced with touches of romance, heart, and humor. Find it on Amazon or through your favorite bookseller. 

 

My Accidental Career

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Have you ever bluffed your way into a job?

In my ongoing task of digging through the overwhelming amount of my family’s old photos and papers to form some semblance of an organized archive, I’ve recently encountered episodes of my life that I haven’t thought about in years. Including the one that turned me into a professional writer.

It started with accepting an emergency assignment for a job I knew nothing about.

One Friday morning in L.A., a friend called me at work to ask if I could fill in for a journalist who was scheduled to cover the opening of a new tennis camp in Lake Tahoe over the weekend. Apparently, the designated reporter fell ill at the last minute, and the magazine was desperate to find a replacement.

Would I take the gig?

I knew zero about the game of tennis, but the magazine didn’t know that. They hadn’t asked. That’s how desperate they were.

The job meant a few extra bucks for me, and I had no weekend plans. So, that evening, I borrowed a racket from a friend, packed a bag and boarded the next puddle jumper from L.A. to Tahoe to cover the event.

This was in pre-Internet days, so there was no way for me to access information about the game of tennis or the new camp, a reality that hadn’t sunk in until I was on the plane. I told myself that a reporter’s job was just to ask questions, which helped calm my nerves. After all, I’d written lots of reports in high school and college. What could be so hard about writing this one?

By the time I arrived, it was almost midnight. I’d already missed the welcome dinner and any chance to find out anything in advance of  tomorrow’s Opening Day’s activities.

The first thing I learned when I arrived at the courts the next morning was that the camp’s purpose was to teach tennis professionals how to teach tennis. All the attendees were accomplished players. All fifteen or so of them were there to get certified as tennis pros at various country clubs around the nation. Since they were already seasoned athletes, the training was sure to be exceedingly rigorous. And I was expected to participate.

After a long and excruciating first day on the court, I was ready for bed as soon as the sun set. When I woke the next morning, my legs were completely in spasm. I rolled off the bed onto the floor and belly-crawled to the bathroom, then hoisted myself into the bathtub. After a few minutes of soaking in warm water, the cramps relaxed just enough for me to hobble to the courts in time for a second round of torture. All the pros were already warming up, practicing their sleek forehands, twisty backhands, powerful overhead smashes, cunning lobs, and the rest of the words in my new sports vocabulary.

I returned to L.A., turned in my report, and collected the check. The next month, Tennis Illustrated  published the article. A few weeks later, they called to ask if I’d be interested in being their editor. The offer was almost twice what my job as Assistant to the Director of Production at The American Film Institute paid, so I accepted.

And then I really panicked. I wasn’t really sure what an editor did. And all I knew about the tennis world was from those two days at the resort. How could I possibly run the magazine?

Luckily, the friend who had loaned me his racket came to the rescue again. Not only did he know tennis, but he’d also been the editor of his college newspaper. He gave me his extra racket along with a manual of editorial squiggles (which I came to learn were called “proofreaders’ marks”) so I’d know how to mark copy.

That is how, while I was still in my twenties, my life as a professional writer began. After a couple of years of covering big tournaments and interviewing tennis greats, I moved on to the masthead of a lifestyle magazine, where I earned a national journalism award. And then I turned to writing novels, which also happened to me out of the blue. But that’s a story for another time.

Today, with my multi-award-winning Samantha Newman Mystery Series—and beloved writing colleagues all over the country—I’m thrilled to be part of the publishing community. And I’m working on another book. But that is another story for another time.

To all the aspiring writers out there, keep writing. You never know when good luck might lead you to your best life.

Gay Yellen’s award-winning writing career began in magazine journalism.  She later served as the contributing writer for the international thriller, Five Minutes to Midnight (Delacorte), which debuted as a New York Times “Notable.”

Her multi-award-winning Samantha Newman Mystery Series is packed with suspense and laced with touches of romance, heart, and humor. Available on Amazon or through your favorite bookseller. 

Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference, Waterfalls, & Wicked

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By Lois Winston

Cumberland Falls

I’m exhausted! But I’m not complaining. Just stating a fact. The last month has been a good exhaustion filled with family, writers, and accolades.

First, at the end of July, my husband and I took our soon-to-be nine and eleven-year-old grandsons to Cumberland Falls State Park in Kentucky for four days. The falls are billed as the Niagara Falls of the South. I’m wondering if whoever came up with that slogan has ever been to Niagara Falls. I have. Twice. Talk about false advertising! I’ve seen bigger waterfalls in New Jersey! That said, though, the boys had a great time panning for gemstones.

We also spent a day at a waterpark and another at an entertainment complex that featured bowling, a multiplex theater, an arcade, and a restaurant. We did it all because that was the day the temperatures hovered near 100 degrees. New Jersey is known for its hazy, hot, and humid Augusts. As a kid, I lived through many without benefit of air-conditioning. But after four years living in Tennessee, I’m still not used to the oppressive heat of the South. I may never get used to it!

A week after we returned to Tennessee, my nineteen-year-old granddaughter arrived, and the two of us flew to New York for five days. Zoe hadn’t been to New York since she was nine years old, and when I asked her where she’d like to go, she immediately said New York City. She’s definitely got my genes!

Luckily, the heat wasn’t too bad while we were in Manhattan, and we walked everywhere. We met a writer friend of mine for dinner in Chelsea, walked the High Line back to our midtown hotel, spent a day at the Museum of Modern Art, another at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and saw the Broadway production of Wicked.

Stiletto Gang members Debra H. Goldstein, Gay Yellen, and Lois Winston at the Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference

A week after arriving back in Tennessee, it was time for the Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference. I had been asked to give a Keynote Address at Saturday night’s banquet. I was also a finalist in the Best Comedy category of the Silver Falchion Awards for Sorry, Knot Sorry. I had no expectation of winning because A Crafty Collage of Crime had won the year before. Much to my amazement, my name was called!

 Lois Winston at Killer Nashville Writers’ Conference

Stiletto Gang members Gay Yellen and Debra H. Goldstein also attended the conference. That’s the three of us in the photo. The other photo is of me, either making my acceptance speech or giving the Keynote.

Anyway, like I said at the beginning of this post, I’m exhausted, but it’s a happy exhaustion, and I’ll be spending the remainder of this week catching up and hopefully adding to the word count of my current work-in-progress because the following week is going to be devoted to prep for that dreaded test we all have to go through every five years.

How has your summer been? Post a comment for a chance to win a promo code for a free audiobook download of any of the Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mysteries. 

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USA Today and Amazon bestselling and award-winning author Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and nonfiction. Kirkus Reviews dubbed her critically acclaimed Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mystery series, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” In addition, Lois is a former literary agent and an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry. Learn more about Lois and her books at her website www.loiswinston.com. Sign up for her newsletter to receive an Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mystery.

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