The Closet of Creativity

Kathleen Y'Barbo's Luxurious Cloister of Creativity

Where's your favorite place to write? Is it on your bed, laptop propped on your knees while your fingers fly across the keyboard? (Hmmm...sounds like someone we know.) Or, do you wait until the kids leave for school and frantically write for a few hours? Or, do you wait until everyone is asleep, trying to write as much as you can before giving in to sheer exhaustion? I used to write in our laundry room. Our desktop was in there, coated with lint from the dryer. Every time I'd get a good idea for my book and would sit down to write, someone would interrupt me. I'd take care of that issue, only to have another come up within the next three minutes. It was so frustrating. After the my first ACFW's conference, a friend gave me a laptop and I found freedom. My husband put some extra plugs in our bedroom closet and I bought a little desk. The cherry on the top, so to speak, was the lock my husband installed on the door. I have the key in my possession at all times. And so can I sit, typing away in my little writing nook and blissfully ignore the chaos around me. I've been hiding out in the closet for two years now and my family has survived.Where's your favorite place to write? I'd love to hear your stories!

*****BOOK REVIEW: The Red Siren (MaryLu Tyndall)

After months of being away from writing reviews, I'm thrilled to be back in the saddle again. Most of you probably remember that I only read in the bathtub. I'm so busy writing my own books that my bathtub time is truly the only free time I have for reading. (You should see the edge of my tub - loaded with books!) When I stumble across a really great book, I'll sit in the tub for hours, forgetting about the time and any other obligations. For that reason, I've decided to develop a new way to score these books as I read them. I'm calling it my pruning system. A one prune book is one that I'm not crazy about. Two prunes means it's so-so. Three prunes means I enjoyed it. Four prunes. . .really good. Five prunes? Well, a five prune book is one that kept me in the tub so long that I came out of the frigid water completely wrinkled with a water-soaked book in my hand. A five-pruner is the sort to make me want to give up writing altogether. (No joke. . .every time I read a book that completely floors me, I always feel like giving up. Either that, or it motivates me to want to improve.)



I made a commitment at the beginning of 2009 to read books that are different from the norm. For me, the norm is inspirational romance or romantic comedy/chick-lit. So, when I received a copy of MaryLu Tyndall's new book, The Red Siren, I was a little hesitant. First, I don't read pre-19th century books. Second, I don't read pirate stories. Imagine my surprise to find out The Red Siren was both!



I publish with Barbour, just like MaryLu, so I must start by saying how ashamed I am that I've never picked up one of her books before. I'd heard of her, of course. Knew she was nominated for a Christy. But I wasn't sure I'd do well with her books because they're just so different from what I read and write. Boy, was I wrong! After reading only two pages of The Red Siren, I knew I would love this story. First, the writing is brilliant. Very intelligent, but not in a snobbish sort of way, as if often the case in pre-19th century historicals. Second, the story line is clever, different from any I've ever seen before. Finally, the characters are unique and well thought out, especially the heroine. (How many stories do you see where the heroine is queen of the manor by day, pirate by night?) I found myself caught up in the story very quickly and couldn't get enough. I'm a Pride and Prejudice fanatic, and this book definitely has that feel about it. It's got just enough of all the elements to keep the reader turning page after page. Conflict is key, and MaryLu does a great job of creating it. As you might imagine, I sat in the tub for an extended length of time, turning into a wrinkled mess. So, with those things in mind, I have to dub The Red Siren my first five-pruner of 2009. It's truly amazing!

Here's a synopsis of the story:

Worlds collide when a lady pirate meets a godly naval captain. Faith Wescott abandoned her shallow faith when a series of tragedies struck her family. To save herself and her sisters from forced marriages, this fiery, born-to-the-manor redhead is a lady by day and a pirate by night. How long can she maintain this dual identity before she's caught red-handed?

God-fearing Dajon Waite, who scours the Carolina coast, expunging it of pirates, is more-than-capable captain in the British Royal Navy. But when he is asked to take on the guardianship of Faith and her sisters, he's headed for deep water. Having vowed to avoid women, what will he do when he finds himself falling for Faith?

Sir Wilhelm Carteret has always gotten everything he desired, but Faith seems to be unaffected by his charms. When he devises a plot to rid himself of his competition, more than Captain Waite's reputation is at stake as alarming secrets are revealed.

Will Faith regain her trust in God only to find herself headed for the gallows? Will Dajoy scuttle his good name--and neck--to save her?

Run to your nearest Christian bookstore and pick up a copy of this beautifully written book today!