Liz and her beloved dog, Bubba, at their favorite walking spot at Fresh Pond in Cambridge, Mass.

Here is a blog about the original camera:

http://hipstamatic.com/

And here is my photo of La Quinta:

Kelly was a good girl after all!

Once upon a time, there was a little brindle girl-puppy named Kelly. She was born in an alley in a dusty desert town on Christmas eve and soon after was taken to an animal shelter with her mom and siblings.

One day at the shelter, three women came and bailed out the whole family — Sweet Katie and her many pups, including little Kelly. After the pups were old enough to be adopted, they all were — except for Kelly. The brindle pup was adopted out twice but returned both times because she was so nervous in her new home. So she stayed.

Kelly later moved to La Quinta to live with her moms and nearby Auntie. Her family also included many canine and feline friends. Kelly’s name was also borrowed by the mystery writer, Kelly D. Palmer.

Kelly had many scrapes in life. Because she was part pit-bull, some of the neighbors were afraid of her. And because she was scared of dogs she didn’t know, she sometimes lunged or barked in a menacing manner. As she got older, she mellowed out a lot. Everyone who got to know her learned that she was very sweet and loyal.

Although Kelly is no longer with us, we still feel her spirit. She sends us occasional feathers to remind us of her loving and free nature.

Thank you, Kelly!

– Kelly D. Palmer

I've been walking a mountain path

So it would be nice if I could return to my blog and announce that I’d finished my work in progress and was ready to send it out into the world. Or maybe just that I’d come close to making one of my only two New Year’s Resolutions — to write every day. But that, I must admit, would be a huge exaggeration of the truth. Actually, it would be a fabulous fib!

In fact, without meaning to, I ended up taking a two month sabbatical from writing and blogging. Two months of lost writing time! But it wasn’t all bad. I really did walk a mountain path and I enjoyed some thunderstorms, sushi and sunshine. I traveled to Chicago and took in some blues, some art and some pizza. I reconnected with some friends who I had been neglecting. And I have read a bunch of wonderful books. But I missed the writing. I missed Kelly D. Palmer and I missed Pepper Morgan.

So I’m back and looking forward to spending more time here again.

Give yourself permission to be free

Lately I have been exploring the mental side of writing and creativity. What kind of environment helps us to be more creative? How can we work through self-limiting thoughts to achieve our writing goals?

I’ve realized that it’s about giving ourselves permission to love our work fully. To be creative, to write, we need to be free of negative thoughts from ourselves and others.

So here is a fun exercise I just made up. It may seem a little silly but try it … it is kind of liberating.

1. Look at the photo of the Statue of Liberty. Isn’t that a great symbol? — of this country, of an international friendship, of immigration and humanity. Think about all this for a minute or two.

2. Stand up and pretend to be the Statue of Liberty. Raise that right hand toward the sky.

3. Say out loud: I give myself permission to be free. I give myself permission to be creative. I give myself permission to write today.

4. Hug yourself — you’re on your way to be the creative artist you were meant to be!

Let me know if you liked this exercise. Or maybe you can suggest an alternative inspirational script!

– Kelly D. Palmer

But it can be very meaningful to be part of a community of writers. I used to be in a very small writers group. We met monthly to give ourselves “writing prompts” and write together. And then we would share what we had written. Many, many times we were surprised by the quality of what each of us had created in the spontaneous moment. It was very exciting and affirming.

My little writers group no longer exists because each of our lives changed in very profound ways. For me, it was the end of a fabulous job close to home. Suddenly I was commuting almost three hours per day, which has dramatically impacted how much time I have to write — or to meet with friends for a shared pursuit.

However, thanks to the social world of the Internet, I am finding new ways to connect with other writers. First, I have met other writer/bloggers through WordPress.com. I have also joined the “guppies” group of Sisters in Crime. And now I’ve joined SavvyAuthors.com, which offers workshops and online networking and support. I signed up for a one-week workshop on “growing your manuscript,” which is my big challenge with my first Pepper Morgan mystery.

I’ll report back on how these groups help me. In the meantime, how do you connect with other writers?

– Kelly D. Palmer

Good night from La Quinta...

Sometimes the black Schnoodle just needs to be close

I took two vacation days off from my job this week and combined them with a regular weekend and — hooray — I’m at a writer’s retreat. This retreat is being conducted in my very own home with the doors open to the blue sky and the sounds of birds chirping merrily. I’m also surrounded by my dogs and cats. Can’t get much better than that!

Right now I’m going back over the written chapters and adding in more detail and a little more conversation. I’m trying to slow down the pace a little — and get close to the 50,000 words I need to complete the manuscript.

And, yes, sometimes it’s a little hard to type when a dog falls asleep on your keyboard!

– Kelly D. Palmer

Sometimes it's really hard to focus on the words

I’m pretty sure every writer in the world has faced writer’s block. Sometimes you just stare at the page or the computer screen and your mind goes blank. Other times the rest of life — the day job, the exhausting commute, a sick family member — takes priority. And sometimes lovely temptations — a wonderful book, an art fair or a long talk with a friend — drag you away from the chair.

A rare form of writer’s block shows up as an adorable black Schnoodle who doesn’t like it when mom tries to write or edit. That’s when you know the situation is very cute — or accute!

For whatever reason, I haven’t been writing as consistently these last couple months as I had. I have all sorts of excuses, including the black Schnoodle, but I’m ready to get back with the commitment to the Pepper Morgan mystery. One of my Indiana friends gave me a book that I plan to start reading today. It’s called “Write. 10 days to overcome writer’s block. Period.” It’s by Karen E. Peterson. It looks perfect and I’ll report back on it and my progress.

What works for you when you face writer’s block? How do  you get unstuck and motivated to be creative?

– Kelly D. Palmer