Another 2 chapters and I don't know how many hours. Let's, see...5 in the morning, then a long break, 6 in the evening, so, roughly 11 hours. I added a couple of scenes as well as revised.

But, early on, I got an email from one of the contest winners, LadyLee, and she shared with me, her thoughts on my book. Although I can't share the whole thing here, as she gives a lot of details, I'd love to have a little fun and edit and post her comments: (WARNING: THIS IS EXTREMELY EDITED, BUT FUN)

Hey Cherlyn,
"Counting Raindrops..."  was off the chain!!! I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's rare for me to get choked up when reading a book....But that part in your book...Oh my God!  That messed me up.  And she wakes up and sees...  Oh Jesus!!! I had to put the book down.  I've read some similar scenarios, but with your writing... I don't know, it was just like I was right there inside Vanella's head feeling what she was feeling, you know what I mean? 

And then when ... And the Daddy was ... Whoo, goodness!!! That was another part that shook me completely up.  Had to put the book down again.  I was an emotional wreck! Thanks a lot, Cherlyn (LOL)! Let's not even talk about when Vanella goes and...That whole porch scene... It just messed me up... And that scene where Kizaar and his Daddy are...You had me holding my breath there!

Now when Vanella ...and it looked like they were going to ...I was like... Hmm... I don't know Cherlyn... don't go corny on me, now!  But I liked how that didn't play out after all.  That was quite realistic.

Overall, I loved the fact that this book had a different female protagonist.  I love it! I love it! I love it!

And I liked that near the end...That's been my attitude of late, so I can relate to that.

But I liked how you had ... I didn't know how you were going to pull that off.  Quite original indeed! 

I thought the title was superb.  I was thinking while reading the book "what does this "Counting raindrops..." title have to do with anything"?  I kind of figured it out a few pages before you mentioned it.  Real cool concept.  I love it!

This book was good to the very last drop!! 


P.S.  A quick writer question:  how much of your own personality/habits do you allow yourself to write into a character? I mean do you guzzle that Pinot Griot wine like Vanella does? (LOL) (That type of stuff.).  I noticed that you said in your 9/6/05 blog that you like football.  Did you purposefully have Vanella like football because YOU like football? 


Okay, this is Cherlyn answering the question. :-)
Uh, yes, there was a lot of me in not only Vanella, but in several of the characters. Let me see if I can name a few of the things we have/had in common:

-We both were engineers and work for a Japanese manufacturing company,
-We both sipped Pinot Grigio (I think that's still her favorite, I've since moved on to Merlot,
-We both love sports, football and the Rams in particular,
-We both were born and raised in St. Louis and lived in Cleveland,
-We both avoid button down shirts like the plague,
-And as a confession, we both did that measuring tape thing for a while. Three-eighths of an inch? Oh, LAWD!!!! LOL

But still, I'm not Vanella and the story isn't about me. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!


But yes, I do incorporate some of the things that I'm familiar with and may do and like myself. But I also mix in things of friends, family, people I've worked with or met. And some things I just totally make up. This would all be stuff that I put in my character sketch so I can keep straight who has what quirks and why.

Okay, enough fun for today...gotta go write... :-)