The Real Underdog

Last week was my favorite week of the year. The first round of the NCAA Tournament. Well, technically, the first and second rounds, together. Tuesday and Wednesday, two nights of games, and then Thursday through Saturday. Literally every minute of the day could be filled with basketball of some kind. There is no better week on the planet.

It's a week of match ups, clear favorites, and underdogs, I've been thinking. What is an underdog, really? Is it just someone who's not favored to win? Is it someone who's expected to lose? Someone who's under-rated? Or who is actually bad?

If you've been following this year's tournament, you will have undoubtedly heard about the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles who were the first #15-ranked school to make the Sweet Sixteen in the history of the tournament. In what seemed like back to back hours of highlight reels, they knocked off first #2 Georgetown, and then, two days later, #7 San Diego State. In both games, they were the lower-ranked team, and in both games, they pulled off what is known as an upset.

But were they really an underdog?

muzsy / Shutterstock.com

Nearly every year, in the tournament, there's some kind of under-rated team who makes a streaky run for the Final Four. Some get closer than others, because of course, it becomes harder and harder to maintain the kind of focused intensity it takes to beat teams who are really better than you are. That's a real underdog.

Their point guard has uncanny court sight. Their star player is a fantastic shooter. Then, there are four or five other players who are just incredibly athletic players and do well in a fast break setting. Once they got into the rhythm of the fast break, you couldn't stop them. That's no underdog. That's a dang talented team.Florida Gulf Coast is not an underdog. They are an unknown. If you saw their first two games, you knew this wasn't a fluke. They weren't a bad team suddenly playing well. They were an unknown team suddenly playing at their potential.


To me, an underdog is more than just the lower ranked team. Otherwise, everyone is an underdog at one point or another. An underdog is someone who is consistently underrated. Someone not expected to win. Maybe ever. Not just in a particular matchup.

What do you think? What makes an underdog? What was Florida Gulf Coast University? Underdog? Underrated? Unknown?

Day Zero Update (March)

Okay, so I'm not fluent in French yet, but I have definitely made progress on my Day Zero list. I went on a writing retreat... sort of. I ended up coming back because I had too much work to do at work. However, I'm headed into part-time work (down from full-time-plus right now) starting April 1st, and I'm hoping to re-create my writing retreat, because I have a million things rolling around in my head right now!


I registered for my self-publishing class. I saved $1000. I started crocheting another turtle blanket and... oh, yeah right...

I lost 30 pounds!!

Yeah, can you believe it? I've been attending a medical weight loss clinic here in Bozeman called "Go Figure" and the place has been absolutely incredible for my accountability. Just wanted to keep everyone updated on how things are going.

Don't forget, my website transition is coming soon. That means that, very soon, romancingthepalate.com will be subsumed into a bigger website. Keep your eyes peeled, because I will be having a big contest! Check it out!

New Website (Oh, and Party!)

Well, my writer and reader friends, it is almost time. I've been having my website redesigned and I just got the word it's being built-built-built. Woohoo!

What does that mean for this? Well, for now, romancingthepalate.com will be redirected to my new website, and I will continue to blog over there. Wooohoo.

But more importantly, I'm going to have a website launch PARTY! WOOOOOOOOHOOOOO! Those of you who know me know that I can't wipe my nose without having a party, let alone do something big like launch a new website.

So....

The party details will come later. For now, I want you to just be anticipating. Thinking of what my new website might look like. (It's better than whatever you're imagining.... trust me). I have it in my mind's eye right now...

Pontificating: To Liberate and Conserve

St. Peter's is the center of the world today.

I was listening to Father Rocky talk today on King of Kings Catholic radio (Relevant Radio) because I like to go straight to the source for my news. As we all know, today was the election of the newest Pope, and while the news was being discussed everywhere from Facebook to Fox News, I wanted to hear what the most prominent Catholic newsmakers were saying about the most prominent Catholic event.

Of course, when I turned it on, I heard familiar voices. I often listen to Relevant Radio (who doesn't want to be relevant?), and enjoy it immensely. When Father Rocky talks, I listen.

There was a plethora of opinion being given about what Pope Francis was going to do in his tenure. Of course, I remember this pontificating (pun intended) from the last conclave (which I watched with my Catholic grandmother). Everyone has an opinion. Will he be liberal or conservative? Will he move the church toward reformation or protect its central beliefs? (Of course, Drew Mariani pointed out the unlikely event of the church ever moving away from its central beliefs, which I agree with, but there's always speculation, nonetheless.)

One of the women who was actually in Rome (I wish I could remember her name--brilliant woman) brought up the very important point that is the center of what I walked away with today. What we have to remember, as religious people, is that there's going to be a fundamental misunderstanding of any major religious event by the non-religious media. Commentators on Fox News or NPR are going to talk about how "conservative" or "liberal" the new Pope will be, but those are not religious words. They are political ones. And the Pope is not a political figure, he is a religious one. So, fundamentally, the news is going to misunderstand the import of a day like today. Then Father Rocky started to talk about what it means, in a religious context, to be conservative and liberal. (Not theologically, either... bear with me.) The man is a genius; I mean it.

Several years ago, Jim Wallis wrote a book called God's Politics, the central theorem of which was best summed up by the bumper sticker made popular in the 2004 election which read: God is not a Republican or a Democrat. While I agree fundamentally with that statement, what I wish we would talk about more is that talking about God being "not" something is so unhelpful. That's like saying, "I am not a fish." Well, great! You're not a fish. Then what are you? I don't treat you in accordance with what you are not. I treat you in accordance with what you are. Either what you show me you are, or what you tell me you are, but regardless... I need to know what you are. So, if I could write a similar (to Wallis') book about Father Rocky's assertions, it would be called: "God's Theology: God is both a liberal and a conservative."

If we look at what these words really mean, then God is both liberal and conservative. God is liberal in that He is merciful and gracious; He showers the world with goodness; He liberates humanity. This is the very core of liberal, the word. Liberate.

But God is not only liberal. He is also conservative. He conserves His people in that He protects and guards them. He calls us to conserve in that He calls us to stewardship (of every one of our resources, not just our money), but He also calls us to conserve the truth, the core.

God is just. And merciful. God is holy. And forgiving. God is conserving. And liberating. Not one more than the other. Just both. So the fact that we have a polarized political system shouldn't keep us from the important truth that God calls this Pope (like He calls all of us and all of our religious leaders) to be conservative and liberal. We are to stand up for truth, and justice. We are to liberate, and conserve. When the basis of conserving and liberating is goodness (as it is with God), then both conservative and liberal are good things to be.

Freaky, I know. But no less true.

The Next Big Thing

It's been roughly two months since His Wounded Heart hit the shelves and the most common question I'm getting from readers and friends is: what are you working on next?

Well, as I've told many of you, I'm working on the sequel. Here are some of the consequences of writing a sequel. Or even contemplating one.

Reader Expectations. Everyone who's read the first book has met the characters. They have either enjoyed or not enjoyed their experience, and they've no doubt created some kind of story in their head about what happens to their favorite or least favorite characters. I do the same thing. Some people want Katie to drown in a lake. Some want Carter to die alone. Or not. But whenever you write about characters who already exist in a world, there are going to be expectations about how that character's story ends.

Writer Expectations. I've been living with these characters for years. Three years, in this particular case. They are more real to me than I care to admit. I care what happens to them. Maybe too much. It's more than a little tempting to write, for instance, Cameron's story in the way I want, regardless of what he wants. But if these characters are real (in the world they exist in), then they have paths already. I just have to find them instead of making them fit what I want.

Confidence. I still struggle with the fact that people enjoyed the book. I'd rather focus on the critiques (and there have been several well-founded ones). I'd still rather fix the first book than write the second one. Strange, I know. But this is my personal struggle. (Handling criticism as well as I do...) I can't stand having made mistakes. I worry that I'll make even more in the second book.

Other Projects. This isn't the only thing I'm working on right now. I have other books waiting in the wings--some that I'm very excited about. It's quite hard to sit down and work on a story I've already plotted that's almost finished when there are new projects swimming around in my head. Especially the ones that seem like they'd be so much fun! (No fair.)

There are others, of course. I have a full-time job, I have other commitments, I have a significant other and a family who need my attention. I have a house. Chores. Responsibilities. Not to mention hobbies. Sleep. Exercise. Food. Lots of ways for me to get around writing more words on the next book.

Thankfully, I'm nearly done. If I can manage to concentrate, I may even be done within the next couple of weeks. (I'm sure my editor would prefer the sooner the better.) But in writing the Next Book, there's always a list of obstacles. I hope to overcome them. But acknowledging them is only half that battle...

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changesssssss

This was the champagne
that I used to celebrate
my passage into a new life.

Many of you have been asking what's going on in my life lately. You know that there have been some ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch... well, yeah... in the works. Some health concerns were taking control of my focus, and I had to make some hard decisions about things that were going on in my life. It's been great, but it's definitely been different.

Here's an idea of what I used to do with my days:

Wake up
Work
Eat
Work
Watch TV (and work while I'm watching TV)
Work (and eat)
Go to sleep

Yes, I had a final meal
of pizza. Say goodbye
to dairy and carbs!

I generally ate two meals a day, and they were carb-heavy and large. I drank a lot of coffee with cream and sugar, mochas, and lattes. I also drank a lot of tea with cream and sugar, milk, and some soda and some wine.

I rarely snacked, but when I did, they were carb-heavy, dairy-heavy, and sugar-heavy.

My doctor referred me to a place called Go Figure. I'd heard of them before, because they've recently had a lot of press around Bozeman for getting people to their healthy weights and keeping them there. So I knew they existed, but I never would have voluntarily gone there. (That's a whole different post.)

After my weight had been gradually climbing for years into a very unhealthy place, I knew I needed to make a change. In typical Becca fashion, I'd been putting off making a real change. (Hello, Procrastinator Central.) My doctor's intervention, my parents' and friends' concerns... yeah, it's just time to make a change.

Here's what my life is like today.

To prepare, I cleaned
out my entire fridge
and pantry. I got rid of
tons of carbs and brought
in tons of protein! :)

Wake up
Work out (15 minutes) - watch TV while I do
Take vitamins & medicine
Eat protein-heavy breakfast
Work
Eat protein-heavy snack
Work
Eat protein-heavy lunch
Work
Eat protein-heavy snack
Work
Work out (15 minutes) - watch TV while I do
Eat protein-heavy dinner
Take vitamins
Work
Watch some TV (either with friends or doing a crochet project, or blogging... yes, I blog)
Go to sleep at a reasonable hour

Much more eating, much less food. Most of my calories come from protein. The ones that don't are mostly vegetables. The rest are healthy fats, really. I plan my eating from the morning, I usually take my meals with me. I drink less coffee and more water. But I still do drink coffee. But right now, I'm eating dairy-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, alcohol-free, and generally carb-free.

I've been doing this since Valentine's Day, and in three weeks, I've lost 25 pounds. I feel smaller, lighter, more fit, and more healthy. I'm very excited about where things are headed.

So every once in awhile, I'll be chronicling my health woes and successes. I'll also be talking about other things. I'm just about done the sequel to His Wounded Heart, so I want to talk about that some, as well. I have some great extras that are going up. PLUS... I'm having my website re-designed. And I'm very much looking forward to the finished product. But I'll be moving my blog over there. I've been taking some great workshops that I want to talk about, and I've been re-doing some things that I can't wait to share with everyone. So tune back in next week. I'll let you know what my schedule is going to be like, blogging. And I will let you in on the next round of secrets in the life of Becca!

Day Zero (Part Deux)

One of my first priorities in the new year is to make another Day Zero list. I'm going to be posting about the previous Day Zero list, along with the new one for the next 1001 days. So, if I start today, my next list will be complete by November 16, 2015. Doesn't seem like long, although it's almost three years. Still.

I completed 91 of the 101 things, so I'll need to give $50 to a charity. $5 for each uncompleted list item from the last one. Things I left undone were: donate blood, finish the BBC Top 100 books, get a new tattoo, take dance lessons, eat a meal inside a blanket fort, and others. None of those made the new list. But some of the new goals are:

* Make a custom recipe book
* Become fluent in French
* Go on a road trip with friends
* Visit all of my best friends again
* Go back to Disneyland
* Sell a novel to Harlequin
* Host a tea party
* Have professional photos taken
* Go to a regional writing conference
* Go on a writing retreat
* Crochet a turtle blanket

People always ask me what I mean when I say "turtle blanket". Well, a few of you have received one from me before, so here's a picture of what I mean. They take roughly 250 hours to complete, but they're lots of fun. I can carry little pieces around with me. I enjoy them.

I'm thinking maybe purple this time...

Release Party Winners!

Thank you so much to everyone who stopped by my virtual release party, and to those of you who came to the in-person party as well. What a fun couple of weeks it's been. Now, I sit on my couch with my spreadsheet of entries open, and with random.org open, ready to find out who won the prizes. Here we go...

First, I'll be giving away digital copies of the book to five people. Here are those winners:

Alexa Bourne, Mary G., Lily Dewaruile, theworldasmeditation, and Myra Hartzheim! Congratulations! I will be contacting you with details about how to claim those books from my publicist.

Prize #1 - a signed copy of the book, a tote bag, mug and pen... and the winner is:

Julia McKay!

Prize #2 - a signed copy of the book, a tote bag, mug, and pen... and the winner is:

Stephanie Breen!

Congratulations to both of you. I will email you and get your prizes to you as soon as possible. And now.... for the big prize. The grand prize. The digital book reader. Who will win? I don't know. Let me get over to random.org and hit the button and we... shall... see...

CHRISTINA SKARKA!

Thank you so much to everyone who participated! I'm so happy to have met new friends, especially my fellow Pelican authors, through this process. I look forward to many more release parties in the future.

Last Days

We're in the last days of the release party. I just want to say thank you to everyone who's participated so far. It's been so much fun. Don't forget, by commenting, you're entered to win an e-reader, a His Wounded Heart mug or tote bag, and free copies of the book. I'll be giving away a signed paperback copy of it, as well, as soon as my stock gets here.

I wanted to take a moment to say a few things in the way of acknowledgment. I've posted about this before, but there's no such thing as a writer island. You know the saying, no man is an island. Well, no writer is an island, either. And I've been reminded more and more lately about how much I am not an island.

There was a segment of literary criticism that, for so long, wanted writers to exist apart from who they were, and to write apart from their experience. Readers shouldn't pretend that what happened in a writer's book was the actual experience or thought of a writer. The narrator wasn't a writer's mouthpiece. Etc. While this may have been nice to argue about for awhile (and an interesting thought experiment), it's just not feasible.

My ability to write isn't something that belongs to me alone. It's also not something that I developed in a vacuum. While I take a good amount of wordspace in the book to talk about all the people who helped me (from research to editing, conception to final product) with the book itself, it would be impossible to explain all the people who had an effect on it, just by being part of my life.

For instance, I had a couple of friends who were joking about wanting to be in the book. Both the scenes where the characters I named after them appeared were scenes I had to write specifically to include them. That changed the trajectory of those scenes. It added to the characters' love story in a way that it wouldn't have if they hadn't wanted to be in the book.

Also, I decided to write about Bozeman--a place I've lived in and know quite well--which made the story a particular way. The characters may not be me, but they are a product of me. They are in my thoughts. And so many people made me who I am today.

If you are a part of my life, I just want to say: Thank You. Whether you've been a great part or you've done me wrong, I thank you. Of course, I'll thank those who have loved me and laughed with me more than those who have shunned me, treated me poorly, looked down on me, or done bad by me, but I thank you all, regardless. Where I am, who I am... those are things I'm not sad about or ashamed of. I am incredibly blessed, and I am grateful. I rejoice in my life and in those close to me.

Thank you, especially, to my family and my friends. Without your support, and without your continual theological and spiritual reorientation, I'm sure I would be a worse person than I am today. By God's grace and by your help, I am who I am. Thank you.

The Journey Here

Every book has a story. How did it come to be, how did it take shape, who helped with which parts, etc. And if you enjoy a book, I hope that you'd want to know the story behind it. I know these are my favorite kinds of stories, when I love a book.

So I figured I'd tell the story behind my book, His Wounded Heart that released yesterday.

This book began in Calgary in 2009. I was living there for a short time, getting to spend some time with one of my best friends that I almost never got. I had just joined RWA (Romance Writers of America), ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), and was just about to graduate from Seminary.

I woke up from a dream about a scene that, oddly, wouldn't end up in the final draft. But it was a dream about the hero, Sean. I woke up feeling his pain so clearly that I felt like I'd been living his life. I sat down in front of my laptop and wrote the very first words, about Sean throwing shoes, and sat there staring at the screen, thinking, no one is going to like this guy. Even though I loved him.

My Scribes critique groups ate up my chapters, which was a fantastic experience for me, and when I finished the book, I entered it in the Genesis Contest put on by ACFW. Back then, there were only finalists and winners, and when I was in Wal Mart one day, I got a call from the contest committee letting me know that I had finaled in my category. I was floored. 

Everyone told me that I would sell this book immediately, having been a Genesis finalist. I ended up getting a full request from Harlequin, and the wonderful editor finally rejected it for (very viable) plot issues, but she gave me some insight into things that I needed to fix in the book.

Meanwhile, I graduated Seminary, found a new job at a church in Montana, moved into a tiny apartment, and then found out that I'd sold HWH (then titled New Nineveh) to Pelican Book Group. We started working through the edits, and I realized just how much work I still had to do to learn as a writer. So while I'm very happy with my experience, I have no doubt that I will continue to grow as a writer, especially when it comes to my particular difficult areas.

But what I learned the most through this experience is that my books are a product of me. I have particular experiences and knowledge. I have a Seminary degree. I was a consultant. I love sports. I travel (to places like Baltimore). I have a high preference for narrative theology. All of my me-ness together is going to produce a book that's just different from other authors (in the same way that their difference from me produces different books). And what I'm learning is to lean into my difference. 

And of course, I like to say, I don't think my Seminary professors ever thought they would be training the next generation of romance novelists. :) Still... they had to know I was a different kind of a character. We'll see what kind of story I tell about the next books, but I hope that I always remember how much of myself will come into and out of my books. Either way, I look forward to seeing what the future holds.

Don't forget about my release party. Lots of prizes to win. And, of course, a book to highlight. Tune in tomorrow for my very first excerpt, in honor of my reading at the release party. :)

Virtual Release Party

Continuing the release party today by planning what I'm going to do at the physical, in-person party, and inviting lots of people to the physical, in-person party. But I wanted to just stop by and remind everyone that I'm still having a virtual release party and giving away lots of prizes just for stopping by my blog and commenting! Don't forget to tell me if you liked or hated the book, once you buy it! It's in stores on Friday!!

Have you ever been to a book release party before? Did you walk away with anything cool? Did you have a good time? Did the author read from his/her book? Did you get a free copy of the book? Was there anything good to eat? Did it have a theme, other than the book?

Unlikable Heroes (Part II)

My very first release day post was on "unlikable heroes". Specifically, the hero for my new release, His Wounded Heart. Sean Raleigh, as I said in the first post, starts off the book throwing shoes in frustration. Yet, he ends the story a whole and healthy man. It's a journey for him, and for the woman who wants to fall in love with him--or sometimes doesn't. Here's the first post.

Today, to continue the release party, I'm going to talk about unlikable heroes that we know and love.

Of course, there's the bad boy types that we know we shouldn't like, but do. Most of them have been played by Sean Bean at one point or another. Or will be. But by unlikable heroes, I really mean guys who have something wrong with them in the beginning.

I would consider, for instance, Jack from Romancing the Stone. Jack T. Colton. He's not a good guy. Sure, he has some redeeming qualities, but he mostly wants to lie, steal, cheat, and kill his way through life. He meets Joan Wilder and she changes him. He quite literally goes on a journey with her that changes him--makes him want to be a better man. In the beginning of the movie, he's not a man I would hang out with, let alone want to date my friends. He's got a wry sense of humor, so I like to watch him. But I don't like him as a person.

Another Jack. Jack Sparrow. He has no morals, his compass points in the direction of his will. He lies, steals, cheats... you get the idea. Granted, he doesn't have a "heroine" necessarily. But he definitely has friends on his journey. He's unlikable, yet likable. Why? Mostly because he's funny. Maybe we identify with him a little. But I don't know.

I could name a few romance novel heroes, of course, but we've probably not read a lot of the same books. The unlikable hero was very popular in the 90s, but until recently, I hadn't read a lot of him. Apparently, he's making a come-back. He made at least one come-back--to my novel, His Wounded Heart. Sean is definitely a wounded hero. In the beginning, you may not like him. But I hope that you like him in the end!

What about you? What makes you like an unlikable hero? Does he have to change for you to like him? Do you have criteria like I'd have to want him to date one of my friends or I have to want to be around him?

His Wounded Heart Release Party!

The first stop on the release party tour will be at "Chatting with Anna Kathryn Lanier". Anna Kathryn is having a huge holiday cheer event, and I'm the last stop on the tour. Then, I'm going to be other places... keep checking back to see where the stops will be.

There will be TONS of opportunities to win, and lots of prizes. So keep checking back for the full two weeks for some blog posts, some guest opportunities, my new Day Zero list, and a couple of reviews. I hope you enjoy the party as much as me. And if you live in Bozeman, I hope you come along to the live release party on January 4th. Check my Facebook page for more information!

Click here for more information on "HIS WOUNDED HEART", which releases on January 4th from Pelican Book Group!