A Graphic Guestpost on the Weirdness of Writing and TWO Giveaways

By Annette Lyon
A few year ago, I pulled one of my many reference books from my office bookshelf so I could get a few details for an upcoming scene I’m writing. 

Holding the book in my hands, I immediately felt transported back to the time I first read it, and I had to smile. Suddenly I felt sentimental. 

It was the Christmas holidays, visiting my in-laws, during the time I was still a hopeful writer who hadn’t yet been published. I remembered the manuscript I was working on and why I needed this particular book to help me with certain details—and I still remember what those details were. Snow fell; holiday cheer abounded; carols drifted through the house.

And here I was engrossed in Body Trauma, where every chapter follows an organ system, explaining injuries and how they affect the human body—and even better, how those injuries can be used by writers in their work. 

I know; you don’t have to tell me. I’m morbid.

It’s great to be reading along about blood and guts, then have the author insert something along the lines of, "Use this injury if you need your character’s future to be uncertain," or "This is a good one to use if a character needs to be ill, recover, and then relapse."

Okay, so I’m not just morbid; I’m weird.

I’m aware of that.

But sometimes I forget that others don’t share my bizarre curiosity.

You should have seen the faces of my brothers-in-law when they saw the book. "Light reading, huh?" they asked as they inched away from me.

"No, really, it’s so fascinating," I said as I stepped forward, eager to share gems I had just learned. "Did you know that if someone has a bad impact—say they fell from a cliff—and it’s so bad you can’t tell where their face is, you look for air bubbles?"

They sank into the couch, eyes wide with horror.

The reality is that I am weird.

I’m a writer. That makes me a little bit off the beaten path.

How many other people do you know who have conflicts appear in their imaginations in the middle of the night? Who else hears people talking in their heads (and no, they don’t need medication or a strait jacket). Who else finds joy in the discovery of new information that will help make their pretend world a little closer to reality?

And how many people do you know who are so obsessed with punctuation rules that they cringe when they see a T-shirt with a comma splice?

So yes, I’m weird. And I celebrate that weirdness.

Weirdness is the quality that brings me the wonder of the written word, characters, storylines, creation, and so much more. It’s what brought me to the place of—finally—getting published. 

And yes, in case you’re wondering, that first manuscript I read Body Trauma for did end up published several years later, complete with injuries for three victims of a drunk-driving car accident.

That book is now known as At the Water’s Edge. 

A few months after reading Body Trauma I brought my next bit of light reading while visiting family—Cause of Death. I had to chase people around the house so they’d pay attention to the diagrams of autopsies. "No really. Check this out! It’s totally cool!"

They’d block their eyes and run the other way, saying, "Man, are you kidding me?"

Sheesh. Some people just can’t appreciate a good reference book.

Annette Lyon is an award-winning novelist (Whitney Award, Best of State), freelance writer, and editor when she is not wearing her mother and wife hats. She craves chocolate, books, knitting, and lunch with friends.

If you haven't already stopped by her blog you are missing out.  She has great grammar post on her Word Nerd Wednesdays. I always feel at home reading her posts and walk away knowing more about writing than I did before.

You can find her at these websites 
Annette Lyon 
The Lyon's Tale 
Writing on the Wall 
The Newport Ladies Book Club 
Out of the Best Books

Annette has also been so very generous to offer two of her wonderful books for giveaway.

 The out of print novel
  Spires of Stone. 
Description: Bethany Hansen wasn't sure when or if she would ever see Benjamin Adams again. She also told herself that it didn't matter. But when Ben and his two brothers come home after more than two years of serving a mission to the Eastern states, her feelings of heartache and anger also return—fiercer than ever. And so do Ben's feelings for her.
Good-naturedly, Ben's brothers attempt to reunite the two, even as they separately vie for Bethany's younger sister, Hannah. What follows is a charming historical romance complete with wonderful characters and witty dialogue that explores the redemption and power of finding—and rediscovering—true love.

•  AND
  
  The ebook version of   
  Lost Without You
  Description: For months, Christopher Morris has been Brooke’s idea of the perfect man—attractive, charming, and fun to be around. But lately he’s begun acting strangely, becoming possessive, controlling, and moody. Brooke feels she has no choice but to break up with him, but Christopher doesn’t take it well. He drives her wildly back home and gets into a car accident.
  That’s when Brooke first meets police officer Greg Stevens. After she keeps meeting him—at the worst possible times—the begin dating. Greg confesses he’s a widower and that Brooke is the first woman he has so much as looked at in years.
  But as Brooke agonizes over whether Greg will ever be able to truly love her, Christopher makes a dangerous return into her life, deciding that if he can’t have her, no one can.
  
  
  
  Entry Rules:
  
  
  Due to the fact that today's post did not get posted until late afternoon, we are allowing a whole extra day to enter.  Therefore this means that ALL ENTRIES MUST BE MADE BY 11:59 PM MST tomorrow night, February 1, 2012. Winners will be posted the following morning in our Winner's Circle (tab at the top of the blog home page).
  
  
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