It is my honor to welcome four
ENTANGLED authors
who are Margie Grads:
Allison Brennan
Nancy Haddock
Liz Kreger
Edie Ramer
Enjoy the Deep Edit Q & A with each author!
GHOSTLY JUSTICE, by Allison Brennan
Deep Editing Q & A: Allison Brennan
1. What’s your writing process? Pantser? Plotter?
AB: I don't like the word pantser! I like "organic writer."
Dirty first draft? Edit as you go?
AB: Unfortunately, I edit as I go and still end up with a messy first draft!
Do you strive to complete a first draft in a certain time frame?
AB: I have to. They pay me when I turn in my draft.
How long do you allow for deep editing a complete manuscript?
AB: I would LOVE to have three months to draft a book and one month to edit deeply … as it turns out, I write my first draft in 12-14 weeks but end up turning in my rough draft to my editor because I've run out of time and I know that I'll be doing revisions anyway. (As an aside, it takes me twice as long to write the first 100 pages of a full-length book as it does to write the 350 pages that come after.) I then take my editor's notes and my own notes and revise the book from beginning to end. This is where I do deep editing--and it takes me 2-4 weeks, depending on how clean my first draft.
1. What are some deep editing tools you learned from me, and how did they make a difference in your writing?
AB:Something you said ages ago has stuck with me about non-verbal communication. That there are more ways to communicate than dialogue or the standard cliches like running hands through hair, pinching the bridge of the nose, etc. So now I'm always on the look-out for ways that my characters can show what they're thinking through non-verbal clues. I still use the "standards" because those are things lots of people do, but I strive to find a non-verbal communication tool that's unique for every character.
2. You used a powerful cadence-driven rhetorical device in the second paragraph of Ghostly Justice. It’s the same rhetorical device that Lisa Gardner and Harlan Coben almost always use in the openings, and often the turning points, of their books. It’s called anaphora. Here’s your second paragraph:
It had been a month since Grace Harvest Church had been damn near destroyed in a supernatural battle that he helped cover up. Who would believe that a coven of witches had used a demon to kill men they didn’t like? Who would believe that a demon named Lust had possessed his girlfriend and nearly killed him? And who would believe that he’d seen Lust in its twisted, sick, and surprisingly huge snake-like form?
Did this paragraph evolve over several rewrites? If so, do you recall how it changed?
AB: I always keep my first draft and my final revised draft. I checked my first draft and there is only one change in the final--I changed "ten days" to "a month" on the opening line. After re-reading the ending of CARNAL SIN, I realized that no one would be healthy enough to battle anyone, human or demon, after only ten days! Everything else is exactly the same. (I don't know how much I fiddled with the opening while I was writing it, but I knew I needed to establish from the beginning who the characters were and what they did.)
Thank you Allison!
MEDIUM RARE, by Nancy Haddock
Deep Editing Q & A: Nancy Haddock
First, many thanks to you, Margie, for featuring your grads who’ve contributed to ENTANGLED. The cause is near and dear to our hearts, and so are you!
Ah -- Thank you. I'm thrilled to have this chance to support breast cancer research by boosting sales for ENCHANTED. I'm happy. :-)
- What’s your writing process? Pantser? Plotter?
I’ve learned that I’m more pantser than plotter, but for a good number of years, I plotted in depth. Like leagues under the sea in depth. Chapter by chapter in depth. Get-on-with-it-already in depth. In those days as I watched the story “movie” unfold in my mind’s eye, scenes and dialogue popped into my head, and I recorded it all. I didn’t use every last word of my extensive notes, and the characters and stories did take twists that surprised me, but I worked from this kind of first-to-last framework.
Now I save myself 6 weeks of prewriting. I start with a good but general idea of the plot, a deeper grasp of the characters, and start writing. It works for me.
Dirty first draft? Edit as you go?
I edit as I go more than I’d like, but I have to get the rhythm of the first chapters smooth before I dive into the rest of the manuscript. My first drafts are fairly clean, but I go back to layer in everything from dressing my characters to pumping up emotion to weaving dangling threads.
Do you strive to complete a first draft in a certain time frame?
I shoot for 5 months, and that might include researching critical questions that arise in the story. I’d rather know that a pivotal fact or location will work before I spend lots of time writing what may have to change – and what may then radically change other parts of the book.
How long do you allow for deep editing a complete manuscript?
Anywhere from a week to 3 weeks. Surprisingly, some deep editing techniques pop out as I write. (Hmmm, someone trained me well!)
YAY! Good for you! Writers who have learned my EDITS System and Deep Editing techniques find that they THINK scene dynamics and deep editing and add power to first and second drafts.
- What are some deep editing tools you learned from me, and how did they make a difference in your writing?
How much space do you have? Okay, so I didn’t learn sarcasm from you, but your classes took what I should have learned and smashed it home with a pile driver! The entire EDITS System helped me make sense of and use all the devices more effectively. They include visceral responses, cadence, rhetorical devices such as anaphora (love it!), proxemics, backloading, and my personal fav of twisting clichés. I make it my mission to twist as many clichés per book as possible. Without being obvious about it. Obviously.
I love the way you empower your writing with all those deep editing techniques. I love your cliche twists too!
3. Nancy – Your writing is smooth and powerful. These lines grabbed me. The first is a play on words:
Far more steel than magnolia, her will was a force of nature.
You deepened character and had fun with the reader. :-)
Here’s a fresh, cadence-driven Dialogue Cue with a power internalization:
“Listen, Colleen,” Brick said, his voice placating, his energy set to soothe instead of confront.
These two sentences carried multiple layers of messages:
He stepped nearer, close enough to smell a hint of his cologne and a lot of clean, virile man. My pulse stuttered, then sped.
1) Proximity
2) Two smells: cologne, and a lot of clean, virile man
I love the way you AMPLIFIED the second scent three times:
-- clean
-- virile
-- a lot of :-))
You EMPOWERED that message for the reader, and made the cadence drive the reader through those sentences.
3) Short and Powerful Visceral Response: My pulse stuttered, then sped.
NANCY – My question speaks to these two sentences:
He stepped nearer, close enough to smell a hint of his cologne and a lot of clean, virile man. My pulse stuttered, then sped.
Every word of those two sentences boosts the cadence and power.
How’d you do it? Did those two sentences start off as lean? Please fill us in on how you worked that magic.
Remember my pile-driving comment? Honestly, some of the techniques I learned from you trip right onto the page without me thinking too much about it. I love that! The sentences above are an example of what Margie Magic lurks in my head. :-)
Woohoo!
I did play with the words ‘nearer’ and ‘closer,” switching them back and forth in the sentence. In the end, although I didn’t use alliteration (another device I adore!), using “close,” “cologne,” and “clean” in the phrase achieved the punch I wanted with the hard C sound. However, because this wasn’t an action-packed “hard” bit in the scene, I also used words with the letter “l” in the same word run to soften the sentence – smell, lot, and virile. To my ear, that achieved balance.
Yes, I can be cranky about my cadence, can’t I? :-)
Not cranky - SMART!
Thank you Nancy!
FEEL THE MAGIC by Liz Kreger
Deep Editing Q & A: Liz Kreger
1. What’s your writing process? Pantser? Plotter?
Definitely a pantser. Tried plotting on one book and it was a dismal experience. I found myself getting bored with the story because I knew all the twists and turns it was going to take. I love it when I’m going along and a stray thought will pop up and suddenly I’m taking a whole new direction. Every chapter is a surprise to me. Plotting is definitely not for me.
Dirty first draft? Edit as you go?
I edit as I go. I’ll read over what I’d written previously, clean it up and embellish it before I go on. This helps get me in the right frame of mind and eager to continue. As a side benefit, I find that by the time I come to the end that my manuscript is pretty tight.
Do you strive to complete a first draft in a certain time frame?
Never. Right now I’m not under contract and between family and some crummy health issues, find it difficult to set a time frame for any type of writing. I write when I have the time and the energy. For awhile I was getting up at 4:30 a.m. to get in a couple of quiet hours but unfortunately I find that difficult to do now.
How long do you allow for deep editing a complete manuscript?
That I’ll give myself a time line on. I try to allow myself two to three weeks of intense editing. I’ll read over the entire manuscript, line by line and make changes as needed. As I said, from my writing/editing habit, the end result is already tight. With my crit partners there to point out my flaws, most plot holes are caught and fixed as I write.
2. What are some deep editing tools you learned from me, and how did they make a difference in your writing?
Hmmm. I’m far more conscious of the visceral responses in my characters. I try to draw in all the senses when setting a scene. I also find by putting myself in my character’s position, I can more easily imagine what they’d do in any given situation. Little tough to do with the male character, but I’m not above asking my husband for pointers on the male habits. I tend to have a problem with dialogue cues, but that’s something I try to consciously work on. My crit partner, Edie is good at catching the cues that I miss. LOL
3. Liz, The way you wrote the magic scene in FEELTHE MAGIC is beyond magical. Here’s where you showed Jenna’s recovery. Interrupted in the middle of casting a powerful spell, bad things happen to someone close by, which make cool things happen in the story. ;-)
The Set Up: Jenna is turning Jessica into a cat.
Jenna reeled. It felt like a snapped rubber band, only a million times worse. The backlash caught her and again flung her to the ground. She hit the carpet with a force that knocked all the air out of her. Colors of blue, red and purple flashed across her vision before she blacked out.
When she came to, she was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Spots with the residue of the last colors she’d seen danced in front of her eyes, fading in and out as her body decided whether to stay conscious or not. Breathing was an effort, and her stomach wanted to empty itself. All in all, she felt like shit.
Liz – Love the content and cadence. Do you think about cadence, or do you have a naturally strong Cadence Ear?
I think I have a naturally strong Cadence Ear. It seems to come automatically. I wrote that scene in a bit of a hurry, but then again, I find that I work really well under pressure. Give me a deadline of — oh, say a week, and I can turn out something pretty darned good ... if I do say so myself.
That last line -- All in all, she felt like shit. – provides a spot on coda to the empowered passage.
How did those paragraphs evolve?
While that scene was written in a hurry, it was re-written several times, each time embellishing as I went. I wanted to get the colors of magic in there. The magic of Jenna’s world can be wonderful and terrifying at the same time. It's all about control. If you can control it, it feels right. If you cannot, it will turn on you. In this case, Jenna lost control and it beat the crap out of her.
Did you always have that last line? All in all, she felt like shit.
No. That came around because it felt right. I tend to have a loose tongue and feel that to have a character whose profession is on the fringe of society, she should have colorful language as well.
It’s so RIGHT. I bet the first time you thought of it, you grinned. You had to know it was PERFECT!
Yep. I thought so. LOL.
Thank you Liz!
THE FAT CAT, by Edie Ramer
Deep Editing Q & A: Edie Ramer
1. What’s your writing process? Pantser? Plotter?
Heavy pantser. It gets worse with every book. I know the direction I want to go and a few things that will happen. Once in a while, I even have a turning point or two in mind.
Dirty first draft? Edit as you go?
In the beginning, I edit as I go. There always comes a time, sometime after the halfway mark, when the story comes together and I know what will happen. That’s when I stop editing and just write. I love it when that happens. But it is nice to look at the polished beginning and feel good about my writing.
Do you strive to complete a first draft in a certain time frame?
I usually have a deadline in mind. I used to finish early but not anymore. I need to be more disciplined. I’m trying to set a schedule and stick to it.
How long do you allow for deep editing a complete manuscript?
However long it takes. Usually a month to six weeks, but part of the reason is that I’m waiting to hear back from my readers, and that’s something I can’t control. I probably read the ms. about five or six times. Usually my two CPs, at least one beta reader, and now a proofreader go over it, too.
2. What are some deep editing tools you learned from me, and how did they make a difference in your writing? Things like -- the EDITS System, visceral responses, cadence, rhetorical devices, writing facial expressions, proxemics, dialogue cues . . .
I use all of that. Anaphora and visceral responses have become second nature to me. To the point where I sometimes have to cut to avoid a scene becoming too gimmicky or moving too slow. Before your classes, my books were fast-paced but low on emotion. Now I have both. Reviewers often mention the range of emotion in my books and the depth of my characters. Since it’s something I struggled to learn, that makes me feel good.
I also like backloading sentences or paragraphs with power words and phrases. I especially like a scene ending with a backloaded sentence. Something that will keep the reader pressing the next-page arrow, eager to see what will happen.
As writers, we get stuck using certain words or tricks. Every once in a while, I go to your website and read your Deep Editing Analyses and Pubbed Writing Margie Grad Blogs. They’re great reminders of the different tools we have, and it helps keep my writing fresh.
3. Edie – You are so good at writing visceral responses! I’ll share two viscerals and one recovery, apply the EDITS System , then ask questions.
Visceral Responses:
1) A fatalistic feeling spread inside her like indigestion. The kind she got after she did something really, really stupid.
A fatalistic feeling spread inside her like indigestion. The kind she got after she did something really, really stupid.
Visceral response followed by an empowered internalization.
2) She needed to get on with it and ignore the dread that sat heavy in her belly like a fist-sized hairball.
She needed to get on with it and ignore the dread that sat heavy in her belly like a fist-sized hairball.
Thoughts. Visceral. Thoughts. Love the cat-themed simile!
BLOG GUESTS -- Note how Edie included a hit of humor with both those examples of visceral responses. Harder to write than it looks. Cliche alert!
The Recovery:
Her eyes closed and she stayed there for long moments, reclaiming her power with each breath and each beat of her heart.
Her eyes closed and she stayed there for long moments, reclaiming her power with each breath and each beat of her heart.
RED PEN: Body Language. YELLOW: Thoughts. PINK: Visceral Recovery.
EDIE – Do you include most of your visceral responses in your first pass? Or sometimes, do you realize later that you need visceral?
Are your first pass visceral responses fresh?
Thank you! The “fist-sized hairball” was one of my favorites, and that did come during the first pass. In my WIP, my main character is a baker and I use references to her profession, like this one from the first paragraph: “...her insides whirling faster than her industrial cake mixer...” As soon as I wrote that, I knew I’d nailed the beginning.
I do write a lot of visceral responses in the first draft, though I add or cut in the following drafts.
For fun -- I have to add this CLICHÉ PLAY:
She felt wired, restless, as if she were the pink bunny with the battery running.
Ha! Thanks for making that cliché fresh, and thanks for making me smile. ;-)
Margie, thank you for making me smile, as always. And thank you for helping to get the word out about Entangled. It’s no cliché to say that cancer is a rat-bastard disease and we want it stopped.
EDIE -- I'm thrilled to support stopping heinous diseases.
A BIG THANK YOU TO ALLISON and NANCY and LIZ and EDIE for donating their time and talent. Loved your stories!
BLOG GUESTS: It's your turn! You can ask these fabulous writers anything about their writing and publishing world. Don't be shy!
Since it's a FUNDRAISER to support Breast Cancer Research, no donations of books.
FIRST BONUS!
But you can still be a winner! Email me a picture of YOU holding an ebook with the cover of ENTANGLED, and I'll put you in the drawing to win an online course (Oct. or Nov.) from Lawson Writer's Academy.
You have until Sunday, Oct. 2nd, at 8PM to send me your picture. THANK YOU!
SECOND BONUS!
Post a comment today, and you may win a Lecture Packet from one of my online courses. I'll do the drawing for the Lecture Packet on Thursday at 8AM Mountain Time.
Dive in!
Comments
You strengthened your writing in Immersion class. You're thinking DEEP EDITING when you write and edit -- and it shows. Your writing carries Kimberle Magic!
So glad you're coming to Denver - and I get to see you tomorrow!
Kimberle, I like "Margie Magic," too. It's so apt!
Thank you!
Lots of smart-brained pantsers here today. Fabulous writing! Fabulous people too.
Kimberle (love the spelling of your name!), I'm so happy to hear that Margie Magic pops onto the page for you, too! May you write like the wind and squeal away!
LOL about pantsers rule, Edie. Your writing is amazing, and it is fun to see how we all answered!
Margie, thank you again for featuring us and ENTANGLED! This is super fun!
Light,
Nancy
As for mammograms, that's super important. Mine was in the milk ducts, and there was no visible lump. Without a mammogram, my cancer would not have been found so early.
Light,
Nancy
So great to know that your brain is on the science end of fighting the rat-bastard disease.
Thanks for chiming in. I'm looking forward to featuring YOU and ENCHANTED DESTINY here on Oct. 7th!
Thanks for visiting us today, and have a good week!
Light,
Nancy
Thanks for dropping by. Glad you enjoyed the blog.
You'll find examples and and deep edit analyses for 9 other Margie Grads on my Pubbed Margie Grad blog.
You'll see their names with links at the top ob the blog. ENJOY!
Thank you for writing a stellar novella and donating it to support breast cancer research. Thanks for being here today too!
I need to get you back to Denver, and up in the plane. I promise, you'd love flying around over Denver and Boulder and the mountains. You'd enjoy the view so much, you probably wouldn't throw up.
If you get a chance to read ENTANGLED, I hope you'll enjoy it!
Light,
Nancy
Thank you for visiting the blog today. I can vouch for the stories, they are fabulous.
I hope you can drop by again and read some of the other Margie Grad blogs too. Lots of strong deep editing teaching points.
And -- check out Lawson Writer's Academy. If you're new to my deep editing systems and techniques, read about Empowering Characters' Emotions.
Don't forget my DRAWING FOR A FREE ONLINE COURSE! You can read about it on my home page.
Thank you again for dropping by!
What is your favorite line that you've used to build sexual tension between the h/h.
Cheryl
Of all the cat houses, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.
"Brickman A. Frasier, the hot ghost investigator of my dreams and nightmares, glowered at me."
My h/h don't get off to a rollicking start.
Thanks for visiting today, and have a great week!
I think the opening of CARNAL SIN, book two in the Seven Deadly sins series, highlights the sexual tension between Rafe and Moira the best -- they're talking, but Rafe is touching, too, and when he gets too close (physically and emotionally) Moira jumps up and suggests they go for a run. To me, one line is never enough, it's the context of the line and when you can incorporate a double meaning that kind of pulls everything together. When I get to that point I get so excited because I never consciously think about it. :)
I enjoyed reading all the other author's responses. Great insight.
Applying what you learn consciously, or subconsciously, it's all good!
I enjoyed all the author's responses too. Smart, smart, smart!
Thanks again for being here today!
Patti
Light,
Nancy
My question for all of you is do you apply Margie's editing techniques with each chapter (for those of you who edit as you go) or do you wait unit you've finished?
My answer to your question is that I do both. Some techniques are there from the first draft. Others I fill in as I revise scenes and chapters. Others I layer in during the full edit. I like word plays and twisting cliches, so I especially look for those opportunities in the post-draft phase.
Thanks for stopping in, Liz! Big cyber hugs until I see you again!
Light,
Nancy
Glad you enjoyed the examples, and analyses.
Send me a picture of you holding your Kindle with ENTANGLED on the screen, and you might win an online class from Lawson Writer's Academy!
and hope yall do many more books together!
I'd love to do books with them in the future, too. Thanks!
So do you, and I look forward to seeing you again!
Light,
Nancy
I like your style!
Thanks for chiming in and cheering for Liz and Allison and Edie and Nancy!
We appreciate your support, and I wish you a fab week!
Light,
Nancy
I commend them too!
Don't forget the drawing for an online course from Lawson Writer's Academy. Send me a picture of you holding your e-reader with Entangled on the screen, and you could win an online course!
I love the term "organic writer" Allison. (I think you probably know this, but you are one of my fav writers on planet Earth!) FANTASTIC EXAMPLES!!!
(okay, my comment was too long so I am going to have to break it up into more than one. Sorry, all!)
Always fabulous to see you online. Can't wait to see you in the flesh (so to speak) in November!
These four are uber-talented. It takes a skilled writer to see the scaffolding that provides the depth and flow and power.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your comments and enthusiasm. It's shimmering on the screen.
Ah -- it's the essence of Charley Davidson!
I sat in an incredible workshop at the Orlando RWA conference given by Kathleen Baldwin called The Secret Life of Pantsers - or a title close to that. Kathleen gave us a way of identifying if we were more on the plotter or pantser side, but mentioned that we all might be a bit of both. That made sense to me because sometimes I miss those deep plotting days. I wrote first drafts a lot faster then!
Again, thanks for visiting, and have a terrific day!
Light,
Nancy
HUGS! ~D~
You're someone I'd love to talk shop with someday. Hope that happens!!
Light,
Nancy
LOVED this post!
Allison, my writing process sounds similar to yours. I've been trying to do a little plotting to help me "see" where I'm going, but I inevitably turn onto a dirt track. I find the unknown a bit daunting. When you were still learning your process, did you find it scary? If so, did you conquer the fear through experience or do you have a technique to keep you calm during the journey?
Thanks again to everyone!
Light,
Nancy
Recognizing that fear doesn't go away was a huge relief to me. Once you recognize it, you can work through it. But thinking you can beat it--that's the problem. It paralyzes you because you think you shouldn't be scared, when in truth all of us are scared. We're scared of rejection, of success, of writing a crappy book, of disappointing readers, of never selling, or selling less, we're scared of reviews and criticism and even praise, because if they like one thing, what if they hate the next? Recognize the fear, then write on. :)
Were you a psychologist in a previous lifetime?
Excellent!
The fear is with everyone. It's how you frame the fear that differentiates stallers and movers. If you tell yourself it happens, it's normal, you keep moving toward your goals.
Smart question for smart authors. Glad you asked.
BTW: On road trips, the dirt tracks often lead to the best places. But sometimes they dead end.
Light,
Nancy
My deep editing analyses are mini-lectures. Glad you enjoyed the stellar examples and digging into deep editing.
Check out the other Margie Grad blogs too!
~Renee~
Light,
Nancy
Thanks for dropping by!
YOU'LL LOVE ENTANGLED!
Great to see you here!
Loved the way you worded this line:
All your writing has guts . . .
So true! All four of these authors are STRONG WRITERS!
Congrats to all the grads involved with Entangled, and best of luck with it!
I enjoyed all of today's samples of great writing.
Am sending an extra big shout out to Edie. Go, girl! You're an inspiration.
Barbara
Light,
Nancy
Great to see you here. Thanks for cheering for everyone!
The fight goes on ... and on ... and on ...
Thanks for your support of our cause, and for checking out our websites! Happy Reading -- and WRITING - Always!
Light,
Nancy
Thanks for stopping by again -- and sharing.
You are an inspiration too. Wish you lived closer so we could get together and celebrate your 30 years free!
I love the examples you posted Margie. As one of the authors in Entangled, I've been privileged to have advanced viewing of all the stories - and I have to tell you - they are awesome!
Margie - I LOVE your published author blog!! Its chock full of great information, great examples and great writing. Thanks for sharing!
Entangled Authors - Thank you for writing for such a great cause. Inspiring! I can't believe how quickly you all turn around a complete novel. Dang! I have some catching up to do.
LOL about turning out a complete novel fast. What's the saying? Needs must when the devil drives? The devil is in my driver's seat a lot ... though we've been know to take detours!
May you write like the wind ... or at least a stiff breeze!
Light,
Nancy
See you soon!
Light,
Nancy
Light,
Nancy
Great reference material.
You all are so smart!
Karen Kendall has binders for my courses: Laws of Lawson 1, Laws of Lawson 2, Laws of Lawson 3 . . .
Love that humor!
Smart!
I view all behavioral patterns on continuums. The right attention to detail makes us successful. Slide part-way across the continuum and you stall, slide too far and you hit OCD.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I'm happy to know you refer to your notes from Deep Editing. I'm smiling.
Maureen
Six years free! Congratulations !
We WILL celebrate together, in a couple of weeks. Let's match schedules.
So glad we each live within 40 minutes of Boulder!
Light,
Nancy
Light,
Nancy
I love the hairball analogy.:) It'll be fun to read the story it's part of.
I already have Entangled (it's wonderful) but it was really great to read the Q&As and to see the examples of terrific writing highlighted here. ;)
Thanks for reading the book and supporting the cause!
Light,
Nancy
These refreshers are pretty cool, aren't they? I'm happy to hear you enjoyed the posts!!
Light,
Nancy
WOW!
Loved all the insights and energy and fun on the blog.
I used random.org to select the winner. And the winner is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SHEILA SEABROOK!
Congratulations to SHEILA!
Shelia won a Lecture Packet from one of my online courses. Empowering Characters' Emotions and Deep Editing each have 350+ pages of lectures.
Sheila -- If you haven't taken any of my writing craft courses, start with ECE.
Please email me and I'll send you the Lecture Packet.
ANOTHER BIG THANK YOU TO Edie and Liz and Nancy and Allison for being here and for fighting breast cancer in such a big way.
Thanks to all for chiming in!
See you back here for more deep editing learning opps with other Margie Grads!
Nancy, I'm so with you on editing as I go. I need that solid base to work up. :)
Take care and I wish you all the very best! *Hugs*