The Writer's High

When I made the decision to start an exercise routine, I started out slow. I did about twenty minutes of pilates a day for flexibility and core strengthening and walked a mile at least five days a week. After a few weeks the thought occurred to me to add in a little running. The first two weeks was pretty rough, I was completely out of breath after a short run, but I kept pressing on. Another week into it, I found I was breathing easy at the end of my run, so I decided to push myself a little further. The next day when I came to my run marker, I kept going. I grew tired and weary, but I looked ahead and set a goal. If I could just make it to my goal, I would slow down to a walk and allow my body to cool down a bit. What I found was when I pressed past the point of weariness, I was flooded with a rush strength and power, so much strength that I didn't want to stop when I passed my goal. It was a runner's high that made me feel wonderful! 

I've found that my writing is similar. I start out slow, making my outline, detailing information about my characters, and researching the things I need to lay everything out properly. I often find that when I start the actual writing process, it's pretty rough. One or two pages are turmoil to type as I pull my thoughts together and look frequently to my outline and characters, but I push myself to go a little further each day, setting a writing goal when I can. (Work days are not really possible since I'm not at home). As I pace through the room mulling over the plot and subplots and how to pull them all together, I grow weary of trying to figure it all out, but then as I type that one extra scene, a character says one word, and that one word floods my mind with a torrent of information on how to pull everything together and tie it in a nice little bow. It's the writer's high! You know that high that comes when your mind is bombarded with a beautiful flow of words spilling onto the keypad through your fingertips, and your fingers move at an incredible rate of speed, and you're left to wonder if you will be able to stop. You don't want to, in fact. Ah, it's an amazing feeling, and it makes all the rough places worth every ounce of sweat and tears!

Today I will be chatting with Sherri about my novel Wildflowers. Listen in at 12:30 CDT to find out about me and my most recent novel. 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rithebard/2013/08/13/chatting-with-sherri

MIA and a Fairy Day

Wow! Summer has been crazy busy. I feel like I've lost touch with the online world. I've been consumed with writing, editing, and revising my fantasy series, The Called Ones. I finally made it back on here today to catch up on all the shares I've received. 
I've got to figure out a system for keeping up with everything. Any advice out there on that? Oh, I know, I need to read Donna Huber's book. Maybe she has some tips in there to help me sort all this out. 
Well, after a few hours of online catching up, I've got to head into my kitchen and prepare for my baby girl's birthday party. She turned nine. I managed to capture a few fairies last night, so they'll have some fairies to play with later today, and did I mention that I was able to get three jars of fairy dust? This way the girls can consume a little fairy magic

For The Motherless on Mother's Day

It's been a while since I've been on here. Sorry about that. I've been rather busy!
I know that today is the day after Mother's Day, but I wanted to share a note I wrote last year for Mother's Day.

On a day like today, a day where we honor mothers for bringing their children into the world in a loving environment, rearing them with love and consistency to become productive members of society, molding their gifts and training them to use them wisely, and loving them unconditionally---despite the many mistakes children make, I tend to think not only of praise worthy mothers but also of the hundreds of thousands of children who do not have mothers they can honor.
I am not speaking of those who have lost their mothers to the angel of death. Many of those who have are still able to honor their mother in some way because their mothers were honorable. I am speaking of those who cannot honor their mother because they are not worth honoring.
As unfortunate as it may be, the truth is that there are children in our country (as well as adults) who do not have mothers because they were physically adandoned by them. Some at an early age. These are the ones who grow up in the foster system. While there are wonderful people in that system who love the children placed with them, there are tragically so many who are only in it for the money and often abuse the children placed in their care---as we have so sadly seen in the news!
For many their mothers have prioritized their jobs, their friends, and their social life over that of their children. I'm not saying that mothers cannot work or have friends or a social life. I am speaking of those children who are neglected because of these things. We cannot ignore the fact that it happens and it is an emotional abandonment with consequences.
Typically we hear beautiful messages about how wonderful mothers are on Mother's Day. I have even heard it said that "all mothers deserve to be honored because all mothers love their children." How far from the truth that statement is, and it hurts my heart to make a day purely about telling people they should honor their mother without trying to help them heal from the wounds their mothers have inflicted.
So today, if you are out there and you were either physcially or emotionally abandoned by your mother, I honor you today for surviving without the love you needed from your mother. I honor you today for enduring the pain you have suffered emotionally. Today when you hear people say "happy mother's day" or "be sure to honor your mother today," when you feel that stab in your heart from those words, just know that someone out there understands that today is a painful day for you. You are not alone, there are many others like you in this world and your heart can be healed.

Tonight at 7 pm Central Time I will be talking with Ali. Come join us and call in with your own questions.


http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=118923&cmd=tc

Girl Who Reads: Wildflowers 99 Cent Tour

Girl Who Reads: Wildflowers 99 Cent Tour: "This story deals with some strong issues, so it is not for the faint of heart." ~ Christina "What a beautiful and sad...

Home

We’ve all heard the saying that home is where the heart is. Home can be more than the house you live in. There are multitudes of people who move away for a job and reside in another state. While they may refer to their house in that state as their home, you will often hear them say, “I’m coming home for a visit,” when they schedule a trip back to where they are from. Why? Because a piece of their heart is still there, so it is home.

We don’t travel much, but when we do, it always feels good to pass the state line and see the exit sign to our small community. Why? Because our state is our home, and our community is our home, but even better than that is walking in the door of your house, seeing your pets, loving on them, and climbing into your own bed! Ah, the elation of home...where the heart is!

Physical Health and Emotional Health

When I was younger I had no comprehension of the connection between physical health and emotional health. I was extremely thin, so when my doctor kept insisting that I needed to exercise, I kept brushing it off as unimportant. I thought, I'm skinny. People exercise to lose weight. Why do I need to exercise?  I was battling depression, and we couldn’t find any prescription medication that seemed to help. Eventually he found one that helped to a certain degree. After giving birth to my fifth child, I decided that I should start exercising. She was two, and I was still carrying extra weight. I knew that forty was not too far away, and it would be more difficult to get control over my weight at that point. I was not on antidepressants because I had just weaned her. I set my mind to getting in shape, and after about a month, I felt better, not just physically though. I realized that I was no longer depressed. I finally understood what my doctor had been trying to tell me all along. I had thought being thin meant I WAS healthy, but I was far from it. After six months of a regular workout routine, I was able to wear the clothes I wore at 106 pounds, yet I weighed 120. I was finally healthy and no longer required medication for depression. Being physically healthy was the best medication I had tried! Understanding the connection between emotional health and physical health is extremely important to anyone battling depression.

Innocence

The Blog Flash for today is innocence. As I pondered what to say about innocence, I thought of the missionaries to an orphanage in Guatemala who came to speak at our church. The country of Guatemala is only about the size of Tennessee, yet there are over 200,000 innocent children living on the streets.  Some are abandoned by their parents, and some are so severely abused that they flee. Being inspired by the stories I heard, I wrote this poem about innocence.

“Innocence”

Innocence is often wrapped

In a bundle of joy,

Or seen through the smile

Of a child receiving a new toy.

Innocence is the purity

Staring through the eyes

Of the crying newborn

Left in a dumpster to die.

Innocence roams the streets

Not having a clue

Of the evil that surrounds it,

Or what he or she is to do.

Innocence has a heart

That will easily forgive,

The lashings that a mother

Or father can sometimes give.

Innocence sees through eyes

Shining with pure light.

As he or she walks through

The blackest and darkest of nights.

                                                      Schledia Benefield

 

 

 

Technology

Today’s topic for the Blog Flash is technology. Honestly, technology is something I shy away from most of the time. I’m new to much of it and stay away from the majority of it. I get mad when Facebook decides to change its layout because I’ve usually just gotten the hang of the one I have, and then I am forced to have to learn a new version. When I went back to college in 2002, I had to take an introduction to computers class. My hands visibly shook as I placed them on the keys of the computer. I remember clearly the teacher telling me that I wouldn’t break it. My high school was just starting to get computers that students had access to when I was getting out of school, and my children were introduced to computers in kindergarten! Life has definitely changed due to technology. It is something that often frightens me because of my lack of knowledge, but it is something I must learn to accept. Technology is out there for everyday use, and it is only going to increase. I guess that means I should buckle down and apply more of it to my life.

Enter to Win an autographed Copy of Wildflowers

To celebrate the recent release of my novel, Wildflowers, I will be giving away two autographed copies through a Goodreads Giveaway!

Enter to Win!
http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/45795-wildflowers

Have you ever feared what may be hiding deep within you?

Darkness often skulks in the blood of unsuspecting victims, but Aster McGrath is acutely aware of the violence coursing through his veins. After all, he is the son of a murderer, and everyone in the town of Bayville, Mississippi says he will end up just like his father.

When Susan Blackman moves into town, Aster has already embraced his brutal nature, but her gentle spirit draws him in and slowly melts the icy exterior of his heart. Taming his savagery, she professes her love, but will the good within him be able to overcome the evil lurking deep inside? Or will the fiend break free of its fetters and seek blood?

Fans of Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember will fall in love with the young love, tough choices, sacrifice and redemption found within the pages of WILDFLOWERS.

 

Authors' Purposes and Why Readers Read

I know it has been a while since I actually posted anything here, but honestly I’ve been swamped. My YA romance novel, Wildflowers, came out on the 8^th of this month, so I’ve been answering interview questions and writing guest posts. I actually came to the point where my brain said, “I’m out of words!” Wow! That was a big one that my husband had a hard time believing, but I assure you, it didn’t take long before my thoughts started churning again.

One thing that has been bubbling in my thoughts is authors’ purposes for their stories. This goes hand-in-hand with why readers read. My husband, for instance, is not a fiction reader. He likes to read biographies, autobiographies, self-help, and educational books, but not every reader desires to read for that purpose. I have a daughter who reads anything and everything. Seriously, she will actually pull the wrapper off a Coke bottle and read everything it says. She’s read more books in a year than I’ve read in my life. She LOVES to read, and it doesn’t matter what it is to her. Don’t get me wrong, she has her favorite types of books, but if she can find a book lying around, she will pick it up and stick her nose in it.

Writers tell stories to a particular audience. Some writers share with children, some with middle grade, some with young adults, and some with adults, and just like there are different categories and genres authors write in, there are also different purposes for their stories.

Here’s a list of some of those purposes:

1.     To Entertain

2.     To Escape

3.     To Inspire

4.     To inform/educate

5.     To provoke

6.     To move readers deeply

 

It seems the majority of the books published fall into the category of entertainment and escape. I suppose I could be wrong, but considering how difficult it is to find an agent and to be picked up by a publishing house when you write for a different purpose, I think that the mass market is full of readers that read for those reasons. I like to read for entertainment and escape, so I completely understand, but there are readers out there (like my husband) who don’t have a desire to read for those purposes, so there has to be authors who write with other intents.

When it comes to my purpose with writing, I fall into multiple categories. I write in two genres: middle grade fantasy and young adult contemporary.

When I write in the fantasy genre, my writing falls into three categories. My fantasy book, The Called Ones (And the Keys of Sight) is dualistic in nature. First, it is a story of a group of kids who find a portal into another dimension within Earth. For me, it was an escape to another realm with vivid descriptions where your imagination can run wild. I escape to this other realm as I write. I see that world, taste that world, and smell the sweet scents of the unique flowers there. The story is also allegorical. My main focus is on the picture it paints of what I believe to be a truth that exists around us, so its main purpose is to provoke thought. The first book in the series The Called Ones is an introduction to the characters and the other dimension they find, so it may not be as entertaining as some readers desire, but the second book in that series The Keys of Sinew, which I’m presently writing, takes the children on an adventurous quest, so it will entertain readers on top of allowing them to escape to another world and provoke thought.

As much as I enjoy escaping reality and entering other worlds, my heart lies in telling stories that move readers deeply, which is also the main reason I read books. I love picking up a book and having a variety of my emotions tapped into. I want to feel the pain a person experiences. I want my heart to swell with love and compassion. I want to cry when they cry. I want to be angered by those who have harmed them. This is the main purpose of my writing. Of course, I’m aware that there are readers out there that have no desire to feel the attraction as two characters look into each other’s eyes or feel the warmth in their hearts as they gently kiss for the first time, nor do they yearn to feel the shattering of their own heart as they watch the character’s world fall apart before their very eyes. Some readers have no longing to feel the heavy weight of depression as it sinks over the character and enshrouds them with darkness, but I do. I want to experience all of those things as I read a story, so I write what I love. I write from the pain I’ve personally experienced in this life.

Will every reader love my work? No, I’m well aware of that, I always have been, but readers who like to read books that move them deeply and touch their hearts; those are the people I write for.

My first book published, Plain Jane, deals with the downward spiral of depression in a young girl’s life. I want readers to see how a young, intelligent girl can be swallowed by the black abyss and sink into its depths. I want people to understand how depression can take someone with a bright future and bring them to the point of grabbing a bottle of vodka and a bottle of sleeping pills seeking to end their pain. (Don’t worry; I’m not giving anything away there. That scene is in the preface, so readers know up front that the character came to that point, but they are left not knowing if she goes through with it or not. You have to read to find that out)!

I've received phone calls from readers so touched that they've had to share the range of emotions churning through them from the character's plight. I've received cards of thanks for writing such a beautiful story that the reader could relate to and how deeply the story touched them. When I get those phone calls and receive those cards, I know that I've fulfilled my purpose in writing. Will it be a bestseller? I can always hope for that, and I do hope for that, but it's not my purpose.

So, why do you read?

If you're an author, why do you write?

Book signing

Well, everyone, I'm heading out to set up for the book signing at the West Mobile Regional Library being hosted by the Mobile Writer's Guild.

If you happen to live near Mobile stop by. There will be several authors there. It's from 10-12 today.

Wish me luck!

Pub Day Book Blast

From the author of Plain Jane comes a new young adult novel by Schledia Benefield

Have you ever feared what may be hiding deep within you?

Darkness often skulks in the blood of unsuspecting victims, but Aster McGrath is acutely aware of the violence coursing through his veins. After all, he is the son of a murderer, and everyone in the town of Bayville, Mississippi says he will end up just like his father.

When Susan Blackman moves into town, Aster has already embraced his brutal nature, but her gentle spirit draws him in and slowly melts the icy exterior of his heart. Taming his savagery, she professes her love, but will the good within him be able to overcome the evil lurking deep inside? Or will the fiend break free of its fetters and seek blood?

Fans of Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember will fall in love with the young love, tough choices, sacrifice and redemption found within the pages of WILDFLOWERS.

Buy it TODAY in ebook & paperback at Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Writing Journey

As I sit and ponder my journey since I began writing novels, I think of all the times I started to tell a story but never finished it. During my childhood, I wrote quite a few short stories. I wish I still had them. Maybe they're hidden in my dad's attic somewhere awaiting being found by one of my grandchildren after I'm gone. Who knows! As a teenager I started writing a couple of different books, but I feared rejection and failure, so I stopped before getting too far into them and discarded them all. If I ever discover a portal in time, I may venture back to those days and sneak into my old bedroom, without my teenage self knowing, and salvage them. I'm quite certain that none of them would stay the same if I happened upon them and tackled writing them now that I'm an adult and mother.
Honestly, there is a part of me that wants to kick myself for not overcoming my fears sooner, but the truth of the matter is that waiting to gain life experiences and perspective has probably made me a much better author than I would have been in my younger days, so I suppose everything has played out the way it was meant to unfold.

So, what has your journey in your destiny and life been like? Do you have memories of childhood dreams? Did you fear failing in them? Have you overcome those fears and ventured to climb that rainbow in hopes of finding not a pot of gold but rather your destiny awaiting you at the end?

Biggest Struggle in Writing?

When I think upon this question, there are several struggles that immediately flood my mind. Time, noise, discipline, and many others pop up in an instant, but the biggest struggle I have, the one that bothers me the most, is writing characters who say and do things that I would never say or do, but it is a necessary part of writing. Stories and characters would not be realistic if every character has the values of the writer creating them.

When I wrote Pretty Boy, I wanted to tackle racial issues, so I created a scenario where my main character's step-dad is prejudice. It was difficult to write scenes where he uses the "N" word because I hate that word, but I had to make the scenes realistic, and let's face it...people still in this day and time use that word. To me it's a curse word, and that is what I teach my children about it. As I was writing it, I was praying that people would not think that I feel anything like that character about those issues, but I had to push those thoughts aside and continue writing for the sake of realism. I also worried that some may be offended by the use of the word, but I wouldn't have been able to relay the message I was giving had I not used the word. I mean, seriously, how well would it have gone over if I created a prejudice character, but never allowed the reader to see how he shows his prejudice.

I still hope in the back of my mind, almost a year after its release, that readers will not presume that the writer was relaying her personal feelings through that character, but I have learned along the way, that realism in a story is vital, and that means that there will be times when I have to create characters who do not see things the way I do. I have to trust that readers can see that as well.

Even Though I am Gone

 

Just thought I'd share a song I wrote a few years back when a friend unexpectedly lost her spouse.

 

 

 

“Even Though I am Gone”

 

Tears roll down your face as you watch me leave this place.

I always said, “I’ll be there for you.”

My spirit just took flight.  You sit and cry all night.

I promise I’ll still be there for you!

Even though I am gone, you are never alone.

Just remember I’m right there next to you.

And when you feel sad, lonely, or mad,

Just remember I’m right there next to you.

 

My heart will never leave.  Grab a picture of me and cleave.

I promise I Will be there for you.

Just look up to the sky, and feel me by your side.

I promise I will be there for you.

Even though I am gone, you are never alone.

 Just remember I’m right there next to you.

And when you feel sad, lonely, or mad,

Just remember I’m right there next to you.

 

Standing in a crowded room, you feel overcome with gloom.

I promise I Am still there with you.

Alone at night you cry, how you never said, “goodbye”.

I promise I see the tears that you cry.

Even though I am gone, you are never alone.

Just remember I’m right there next to you.

And when you feel sad, lonely, or mad,

Just remember I’m right there next to you. 

 

                                                                                         Schledia Benefield

Back cover invitation for Wildflowers:

Have you ever feared what may be hiding deep within you? 

 Darkness often skulks in the blood of unsuspecting victims, but Aster McGrath is acutely aware of the violence coursing through his veins. After all, he is the son of a murderer, and everyone in the town of Bayville, Mississippi says he will end up just like his father.

 When Susan Blackman moves into... town, Aster has already embraced his brutal nature, but her gentle spirit draws him in and slowly melts the icy exterior of his heart. Taming his savagery, she professes her love, but will the good within him be able to overcome the evil lurking deep inside? Or will the fiend break free of its fetters and seek blood?

What Makes a Book a Classic?

     When I consider what makes a book a classic, my thoughts immediately drift to books that have stood the test of time. The great works of Jane Austen, J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Mark Twain, Ernest Hemingway, and the solitary work of Harper Lee have all stood the test of time. Despite the age of their works, they still manage to find their way into the hearts of many readers picking them up for the first time. They leave you with a sense of knowing the characters and caring about what happens to them. Some of their works (such as C.S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia) still entertain young readers and guide them into imaginative worlds. I was in my thirties the first time I flipped through the pages of Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird; the issues of racism and prejudice grasped my heartstrings, and pulled me into her realistic world.  The subject matter she tackled still resides in my heart to this day.

     On a personal level, I feel that the style of writing by such authors is more to my taste. I enjoy well developed, well-rounded characters. It is more difficult in modern days to find stories that do not immediately jump into action before allowing you to know your characters when calamity comes into their lives. Of course, I am not saying that you cannot have bits and pieces of action while developing a character. I am also fully aware that there is a large audience in search of books with fast paced plots. For my taste, I appreciate an author taking time to steadily develop their characters and plot line.

     When I think of a modern work that fills both shoes for me, I think of The Gateway Chronicles by K. B. Hoyle. Hoyle introduces us to her characters and does a magnificent job developing them before rushing into action in the first book in her fantasy series, which allows her to create a cycle of trials, tribulations, and conflicts in the books that followed and the ones that are still being drafted. I appreciated that about her, and I admire her for it. I truly cared about everything Darcy and her friends were facing because I felt that I knew them.  I also believe that her works will stand the test of time and one day be considered classics.

http://terriglong.com/blog/2013/01/classic-reads-a-case-for-plurality-newclassicreads/

 

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A New Year, A New Journey

As I bring in the new year, I am also beginning a new journey. My newest work, Wildflowers, is soon to be released through Three Keys Publishing. The cover art is presently being worked on, and I am beyond excited to see the finished work! The photographer is amazing and the models are gorgeous.

My hopes are to eventually be able to write full-time and travel for speaking engagements and signings.

What are your hopes for the new year? Have you stepped onto a new path for the new year?