About Charlotte Copper

Romance Writer - specializing in - but not limited to - the Paranormal

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Posted on September 15, 2013 by Charlotte Copper

As I’ve mentioned before, my daughter plays competitive volleyball. She had a new coach last year who was absolutely awesome with her. As a left-handed player, she plays on the right-side while “the power” players are on the left-side. Previously she was just there as “the other side”, but as an ex-professional himself, Coach M saw the benefit in using her abilities. He also saw potential in the rest of the team, and wanted to take them to a higher level of competitive play.

Coach M wrote an eight page plan that he gave to our club outlining what he wanted to do with the team. A lot of thought, time and effort went into the document, and he pulled it not just from his own experiences but from a number of successful sources, so he wasn’t just spouting garbage. It was rejected.

When the new season tryouts began, not only did we lose one of our key players to normal attrition, but without following his plan (or any plan from our point of view) the club was unable to attract the height and skills our coach and team needed. Coach M, wanting what was best for the players encouraged my daughter to try out for a team that would offer her the challenges she needed, as only through playing better teams would she become a better player. An extremely unselfish move on his behalf.

Unfortunately, no good deed goes unpunished. When the rest of the team found out one player left and that my daughter was looking elsewhere, the dominos began to fall. Coach M was left with only a handful of players – certainly not enough to make a team. Talk about feeling bad, my daughter and I thought he was a great coach and yet here we were contributing to the downfall of the team. But he said “no”, he understood and continued to encourage her.

It’s such a shame, but I blame the Club. Had they followed his plan, we wouldn’t have just kept the team, but we could have made it better. WE would have become “the better team”. His reward for trying to make the girls into the best players they could be resulted in him without a team. I’m hoping that he finds another club. A club that will listen to him, and invest in his plan. I hate to think that the saying is true. Instead I hope that when one door closes, another opens…
a bigger, better door one, and that behind it will stand a club and team that will reward him for his efforts.

Happy New Year

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Charlotte Copper

I read a blog the other day that said September 1st is more like the New Year than January 1st because it meant the end of summer and the start of school.

Well, it’s certainly a new beginning for The Eldest Step-daughter. We drove her to the airport the other day to see her off as she left for her first year in university. Best of luck, ESD.

The Daughter is starting to go a little crazy waiting for school to begin. Beach volleyball is over, camp is over, refereeing soccer is over, and volleyball tryouts are just beginning. While she isn’t looking forward to the actual school work, she is looking forward to seeing friends again. In a way it reminds of me of when she anxiously awaited Christmas, waiting for the presents, and then a week later you’d never know that the holiday that was planned for and shopped for and anxiously waited for had even occurred.

When people say to me “how’s your summer?” my reply is “okay, I guess”. Yes, I spent weekends at the beach watching volleyball, and had a few days away as we went around Ontario checking out universities…but unless you have the summer off, it’s just another season.

So for those of you experiencing a big change with the end of summer…Happy New Year. For those of you for which it is just another month…Happy September (at least you don’t need to remember to change the year on your cheques).

Wonderful World of Authors

Posted on August 18, 2013 by Charlotte Copper

It’s been nine months since I received the email from Wild Rose Press that they wanted my story, and over that time I have come across a large number of wonderful authors. Unfortunately I have only met a fraction of them in person, but one thing I have come to find is authors are an encouraging and supportive group of people.

In addition to the on-line group of “Roses” (fellow authors) at Wild Rose Press, I belong to the Toronto Romance Writers (in person and on-line) and to a number of on-line groups. Technically we are all competitors, but you would never know it by how willing everyone is to share their experiences and knowledge.

My recent blog tour was a perfect example of author generosity…Authors willingly inviting & promoting other authors on their websites. I would like to send out a big THANK YOU to all of those authors that hosted me: Delilah Devlin, Rachel Brimble, Linda Carroll-Bradd, Babette James, Calisa Rhose, and the ladies at Great Romance Productions and Wild Women Authors.

Most recently, I have delved into the world of critique partners…Other authors who read and help edit your drafts. In addition to hopefully improving your work, critiquing ensures you develop a thick skin because sorry, they aren’t going to love it as much as you. (Personally, I’d rather they caught my weak spots before I submit it to an editor.) The two authors that are critiquing me (Gina & JC) are wonderful, and I know there is no way I’m going to be able to offer them as much help as they are providing me. I hope, however, that I can offer at least some useful feedback for all the wonderful guidance they are giving, and maybe at some time in the future, I will be able to assist others the way these ladies are helping me.