Just Once by Zulmara Maria Teixeira de Lima

In November of 2010 I participated in my first NaNo and I was soo pleased to write over 90,000 words on my first novel, Just Once. I felt great, euphoric, and giddy as I started and partied like it was 1999 when I finished. I am still editing my novel, but I love my characters and my plot. Here is a bit of Just Once by Zulmara Maria Teixeira de Lima. I will be posting an excerpt on the NaNo site in a few days.

Con un pan y cafecito, seguimos Adelante
Zulmara

What happens when a recurring dream feels so real you think it is a part of your life?

Maritza has been having a troubling dream for almost 5 months. She is walking on the beach with an unknown person who gives her bad news and she starts crying. Sometimes, she wakes up in a cold sweat. Sometimes, she wakes up with tears streaming down her face. What is the message behind this dream? What is the universe trying to tell her? Is someone in her family in trouble? Is there a tragedy awaiting her?

Miguel, 40, has just been handed a lemon, the size of a brain tumor, which is killing him. For the most part, he is handling it pretty well, when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. Except for Maritza, who is now haunting his dreams. He has loved her and only her for his whole life. She has been the only person he has ever loved, although, heaven knows, he has tried to love others. And now he is dying and he wants to make love to her. The only problem is, she is happily married to his best friend and has not seen him for 15 years. Yet, he keeps having this dream of meeting with her at the beach and they are walking hand-in-hand and he tells her that he is dying. The dream always ends with her crying in his arms.

Just Once explores the lives of these two individuals and how they deal with and handle the choices, dilemmas, and predicaments they have been handed in the middle of their seemingly uneventful lives. Readers of multi-cultural romance, chica lit, and women’s contemporary fiction will truly enjoy and relate to this story of struggle, fidelity, reflection, and love.

NaNo Starts at Midnight

In order to get off to a great start with NaNo, I decided to take the first week of November as vacation and come to Carmel-by-the-Sea in order to work on my novel. This has been a great idea. This place is AWESOME and my novel will take place here in Carmel. I knew it would be a small, seaside, romantic sort of place...and here it is...I am sooo happy. Went for a walk around the town today, ate a great Italian Bistro, and am planning a night of relaxing and getting ready to write...starting at MIDNIGHT!!

Happy Halloween....to all you writers out there...may you get some great material for your characters tonight!!



NaNoWriMo Starts in a Week

I am so geared up and hyped. I love it...I have been pampering my muse big time. We start NaNo in one week. I have taken a one week vacation and books a place in Carmel...since my novel, Just Once, takes place in that beach town...to get started. I will be writing for a week and I have already cleared my calendar for most of November to be able to meet my word count.

My NaNo buddies are such a scream...I love them already...so many peeps are soo excited to be able to have an excuse to just write, write, and write some more.

I know this is the first of many NaNo's for me...soooo looking forward to it.

ADELANTE!!
Zulmara

NaNoWriMo 2010

Well, it has officially started...NaNoWriMo2010...well, not the writing, but the getting ready to write. We now have our badges and we will have word counts posted soon. I can't wait, I must admit, I have met the most wonderful group of writers online and from my region. I am looking forward to our write-ins and other activities as the month progresses and we start writing our novels.

I am working on my synoposis and will be posting it soon. Working title, "Just Once" and having a great time building character sketches and outlining subplots...

La vida es dulce,

Con un pan y cafecito...seguimos adelante

Zulmara

In Dis Life by IZ… the songs from Hawaii have a very mellow and non-distracting…sound. Played mostly on a ukele and sung in a melodic tone, IZ sets a mood that is both reflective and contemplative.

I like him for when I am writing passages that are romantic, heartfelt, a little bit heavy, and transitional. He makes any writing experience great and values, loves, perspectives, and desires match my own. Of course Hawaii is always calling to me and so are these tunes from Mr. Hawaii himself.


I now own 3 of his CD's, one for each trip to Hawaii…yes, he is a gem…just take a listen...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1bFr2SWP1I


Who is on your playlist? Do you prefer to write with no music? Do you prefer the instrumentals? What gets your muse inspired?

Con un pan y cafecito, seguimos adelante!!!

Zulmara





Music for my Writing



Hawaii

Chris Baty in No Plot-No Problem discussed the role of music in writing and how music can help many writers get in the zone. I can so relate. I love having my music match my mood and with my writing moods, I love music to match my story…slow, upbeat, exciting, calming…seem to have an effect on my writing.

 

Music is also one of the ways I pamper my inner muse. It is so inspiring to me to listen to some of my favorite artists to set the mood, the tone, the pace of my writing. When I am writing slow, moving parts, I like melodic music that quiets the mind. When I am in the zone of my inner diva, I love Brazilian Samba….to set a beat, a tone, a pace that is fast, fun, eventful , and filled with happiness.

When I am editing, I need something soothing and melodic, preferably sounds…with no words. I have a series of nature CD's that move and inspire me during the revision process.

Some of my favs for just getting in the zone and staying in the zone include:

○ In Dis Life by IZ…mellow and non-distracting...

○ Reyli for those soft, sadder love songs that bring back memories and put you in the mood of writing that sadder, deeper feeling.

○ Samba…especially by the Samba schools for those upbeat writing moments

○ Celine Dion…anything by Celine sets a tone and a mood that gets me in the zone.

What's on your playlist? How do you use to get in the zone? What music feeds your soul and unleashes your inner diva?

Con un pan y cafecito, seguimos adelante!!!

Zulmara





A sea turtle

Chris (No Plot-No Problem) also suggests making of list of the type of novel you do not like to read. Why write a book if you would not enjoy reading it? Right? So write your joy.

Novels I avoid:

• I am not a fan of characters who are mean and angry and have no redeeming qualities. Maybe one or two antagonists, but everyone…no, not for me.

• I like characters I can care about

• I like stories that make sense to me--the ebb and flow must seem natural

• No horror, no scary, no vampires, no werewolves, just can’t get into it.

• Not a fantasy/sci fi fan either

• Not a big fan of violence--especially toward children in crime novels, keeps me up at night worried about my children

• I like to read some adventure, but don’t read it often

• I like to read mysteries, but the genre gets predictable after a while. I find I have to keep switching authors.

Bueno, ya,

What do you avoid when choosing your reading buddies? Do write what you like to read?

Con un pan y cafecito, seguimos adelante…

Zulmara