Name of fiction work? And were there other names you considered that you would like to share with us? The name, DISTANT MEMORY was coined before I barely had the plot defined. Though the book is entirely a work of fiction, the dream, or memory referenced in it was actually one from my childhood. Indeed, it was a distant memory for me and the title was rooted from the first moment.
What is the date you began writing this piece of fiction and the date when you completely finished the piece of fiction? I can’t say an exact date, but I believe I wrote this book between the months of March and November. Generally, a full fiction novel takes me close to six months to complete with all the rounds of edits.
Where did you do most of your writing for this fiction work? And please describe in detail. And can you please include a photo? I have an office in the house, and I generally work with a Corgi sleeping on my feet. She’s a really nice foot-warmer in the winter. One of the reasons it takes me six months to write a book is because my dog brings me her ball every half hour so I have to stop and toss it a few times.
Right: Tink in Maureen A. Miller’s office
Credit and Copyright by Maureen A. Miller.
What were your writing habits while writing this work- did you drink something as you wrote, listen to music, write in pen and paper, directly on laptop; specific time of day? Well, with a herding dog that is very high-energy, you learn to write whenever she’s taking naps. And I write to the sound of her snoring, which I think is better than any song because it represents peace. J Other than that, most everything I do is on the laptop. I don’t have too many hand-written notes because they’re too easy to lose. I am a big fan of Microsoft OneNote for keeping all my notes and plotlines together.
Please include just one excerpt and include page numbers as reference. This one excerpt can be as short or as long as you prefer. Here’s a little one that makes me smile from page 79.
“You don’t look like a Hollie. You’re too intense. You look more like a Sloane, or a Lauren.” Flinching at her frown he added, “Don’t get me wrong. I like Hollie. It counters that intensity. It makes you more real.”
“I’m not intense,” she retorted.
“Oh really? Tell a joke.”
Hollie struggled to think of something funny to say. Her face lit up in recollection. “I know one.”
Todd leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Please, do share.”
Resisting the impulse to scrunch her nose at the challenge, she sat straighter and lifted her head in pride.
“How much is corn in Tampa?”
Across the table, Todd’s lips curled up into a wry, but attractive grin. “I have no idea.”
“A buccaneer!” She caved over, letting loose a belly laugh.
Why is this excerpt so emotional for you as a writer to write? And can you describe your own emotional experience of writing this specific excerpt? This was a moment of levity in a mostly intense tale. Hollie was plagued with recurring dreams when she was a child. She dreamt of the same house over and over, but it was a house she had never been to. As an adult the dreams return. Along with the reoccurrence of her dreams, a series of threats against her life have Hollie truly on edge. So, this excerpt was a nice respite from that intensity.
Were there any deletions from this excerpt that you can share with us? And can you please include a photo of your marked up rough drafts of this excerpt. I don’t believe there were any deletions. Honestly, the joke stems from me being an avid Tampa Bay Buccaneer fan. I managed to incorporate that into the book!
Visit Maureen A. Miller at
DISTANT MEMORY is now FREE on Kindle Unlimited.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YK2PBFR
All of the Inside The Emotion of Fiction LIVE LINKS can be found at the very end of the below feature:
http://chrisricecooper.blogspot.com/2021/03/stephenson-holts-arranged-marriage-is.html
The images in this specific piece are granted copyright: Public Domain, GNU Free Documentation Licenses, Fair Use Under The United States Copyright Law.
The other images are granted copyright permission by the copyright holder, which is identified beneath each photo.
Some of the links will have to be copied and then posted in your search engine in order to pull up properly
The CRC Blog welcomes submissions from published and unpublished fiction genre (including screenwriters and playwrights) for INSIDE THE EMOTION OF FICTION. Contact CRC Blog via email at caccoop@aol.com or personal Facebook messaging at https://www.facebook.com/car.cooper.7