Coffee in the Morning

England

2011-07-26T00:00:00.002-04:00

I am so excited!! I am going to England in the Fall. Yes, this fall. Yes, in 2011. Yes in about two or three months. . . . .!!!!

I can't wait to see everything that I have ever heard about in Regency books. I want to go to Grosvenor Square and Buckingham Castle. I want to visit an English county manor house. I want to see Big Ben and the Elgin Marbles. I want to go to Hyde Park and see the Serpentine. I want to shop on Bond Street and see the Crown Jewels. I want to see the Thames and the Tower of London.

OMG . . . squeel!

I am going to try to visit the manor house of Baron Grey du Ruthyn in Wolston. I want to go to Chatsworth House in Devonshire.

Oh, oh, and of course, the reason that I am going to London, I will finally meet my brother-in-law. My sister, Angie, has been married for two and half years to an Egyptian man. He has not been able to get a visa to visit or live in the US. Angie has traveled to Egypt many times and they also try to get together every few months in other countries to try to have a relationship. Hopefully, by having a member of Angie family meet her husband, the case for a spousal visa will be strong and he can finally come to the US.

So, this visit will accomplish two things. ~I~ get to visit England and meet my brother-in-law, Sadek.

If anyone has suggestions for what to see in England, please please pass on the recommendations.

Not at RWA National Convention

2009-06-29T08:50:00.003-04:00

Sorry gang, but I'm not going to RWA National Conference this year. The convention happens to conflict with a family vacation. We could have scheduled our family vacation around the conference dates... but really not.

I have four children who are incredibly busy during the summer. Between summer gym classes, band camps, driver's ed, work, etc, we had to squeeze in a three week trip out to the western provinces and states. As it is, my oldest son is unable to come.

We leave on July 5 and will be back home July 27.

Follow our incredible journey as we post our pictures and descriptions on our vaction blog, www.operationvacation.blogspot.com

I have already posted an itinery and some pictures of what we are expecting to see. Read, comment, but most of all, enjoy our trip with us...!!

States I have visited

2009-05-30T17:33:00.001-04:00

Here is a map of states I have visited in the US. How about you?

visited 27 states (54%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

Feel the Connection

2009-05-03T22:01:00.001-04:00

I didn’t feel a connection.

Anyone ever get those words in a rejection letter? I’ve seen them and never knew quite what the editor, agent or contest judge was trying to tell me. I finally got it today. Not the reject letter, the concept.

I love plays, musicals and any type of stage production. I especially like community theater or high school productions. The actors and crew really put their heart and soul into the productions. The audience can feel the energy.

Except today.

I saw a high school musical production of The Sound of Music. I love the story and especially love the songs. Must of us know them by heart, having sung the words by Rogers and Hammerstein from the cradle. The story is a romance story of a plain Jane Cinderella who finds her prince through the love of music.

So why didn’t I love the production?

All of the necessary ingredients were present. Good story, check. Great music, check. Local production, check. Energetic cast and crew, check.

What was missing? I did not feel a connection to the characters. I don’t know why; I can’t explain it. I was hopelessly bored before intermission. The person I went with felt the same way I did. Everyone else seemed to love the play and rave about the production. I smiled and only said the children put a lot of enthusiasm into it.

So, the next time an agent/editor/contest judge writes that he did not feel a connection to your characters, think of that movie or book that everyone raved about and you hated. The story just didn’t have that spark for you. That’s what the editor thinks about your story. No spark; no connection.

What have you given up for your writing dream

2009-05-01T20:26:00.002-04:00

Nathan Bransford asked this question the other day on his blog. I had a discussion with a friend and admitted that I had not given up much. I knew I had commitment issues. But I also have a full time job, four children and an active social life. It difficult to give up any of that.

My friend, Shay Lacy, wrote a beautiful answer as to what she has given up. I am awed by her dedication.

Every week when I write my weekly TO DO list, I schedule a time, 2 hours minimum, each day, except Thursday, to write and 2-4-hour blocks approximately 2x/day on weekends. I rarely give up those blocks of time to do anything else. I schedule in my TV shows, my RWA meetings, etc.

But you don't have to block out that much time.

I can tell Bransford what I've given up:

Sometimes I feel like everyone is living life but me.

You don't think I feel bitter that I have to write or edit 2 hours a night?

You don't think I'm tired and wish I could lie on the couch and do nothing?

You don't think I'm harried when I get home late and know I still have to load the dishwasher, run a load of laundry and STILL get in my 2 hours if at all possible?

How do you think I feel when it's a choice between exercising or writing?

You don't think it galls me to give up this much of my life without a contract?

You don't think I'd love to have a week's vacation where I don't have to write/edit?

You don't think I want to chat on the phone with my girlfriends and my family?

You don't think I hear the tinge of bitterness in my mom's voice when she calls and I can't talk long?

You don't think I want to keep up-to-date with blogs, etc., like the rest of you keep talking about? But every hour I spend on blogs, that's an hour I'm not finishing a book.

You don't think I want to read? I love to read. But if I'm reading, I'm not writing. I lose almost 2 days each time my favorite fantasy author puts out a new book!

You don't think I'm frustrated whenever I take an online class that I can't keep up with posts during the week and can't actively participate because that hour is an hour I'm not writing? I have to read my backlog of posts at 8 a.m. on the weekends.

You don't think I'd like to get a little sun sometimes? I can't when I'm editing because I don't have (nor want) a laptop. But I can't schedule when I finish writing a book to coincide with warm months.

You don't think I go into editing with a cringe? I do. But it's gotta be done. Writing is the fun part. Editing is work.

You don't think I get frustrated while I'm stuck at work on a slow day knowing I could be home working on my books?

You don't think I'd love to be a full-time writer, but I don't make enough money yet to quit?

Writing began a job for me a few years ago. I don't get paid to do it. But I'm required to show up and put in my time. I'm like an intern now and I'll be a paid employee later.

World of Wine

2009-02-22T07:53:00.002-05:00

Each year, my husband and I plan a weekend get-a-way to celebrate our anniversary. This year, we took a day trip to the county of Essex in Ontario for the Wine Tour.

We had a great time driving the countryside and stopping at small local wineries tasting the wines produced with local grapes. We learned so much and still have so much to learn.

Every winery was staffed by intelligent, pleasant people. Our day was a joy, thanks to these workers.

Our first stop was D'Angelo Estate Winery were we tasted five different wines and bought a Monarch Rose, which is a light red wine, and Iched Foch, a sweet iced wine, and a Vidal Winter Harvest which is late winter sweet white wine.

At Sprucewood Shores Winery, we had a lovely chat with the clerk and tasted more wines. She gaves us a great lead for a place for lunch in Kingville, Jack's pub. We bought two bottles of Riesling.

Next stop was Erie Shore Vineyard and tasted their reds. We bought a Summer Sun Cabernet that is a red wine that has the skins removed early on in the process. The wine is lighter than a full-bodied red. I am not a fan of the really dry, almost harsh red wines. This one was very tasty. We also bought Sellar Secret which is another almost sweet red wine.

Viewpoint Estate Winery has a beautiful wine tasting room worth going to just to see. It's right on Lake Erie and as a wonderful view of the lake. Here we tasted all whites and bought an unoaked Chardonnay.

We had to go somewhat out of the way to find Mastronardi Estate Winery but so worth it. The wines were exceptional. The tasting room was decorated like a Mediterranean cellar. Very cute! The owners are Italian and Portuguese. We bought two bottles of the oaked Reserve Chardonnary.

Our last stop was the Pelee Island Winery with a huge retail store and a large tasting bar. They produce a large selection of wines and I wasn't expecting anything exceptional. The first wine poured was a red and I almost grimaced. But it was a red blend that had a wonderful taste! We bought two bottles of it called Monarch. We also bought one bottle of one of the grapes used in the blend, a Reserve Zweigelt, which is a Hungarian grape grown on Pelee Island.

Lunch was at Jack's pub and I highly recommend it. When I mentioned the pub to one of the wine staff she told me how Kingsville has become a culinary center. Many chefs are opening restaurants and people from all over Ontario are going there.

All in all, a great day spent with hubby and learning and tasting wines!

Wi Fi

2008-08-22T21:59:00.002-04:00

Wi Fi does not mean free Wi Fi, I found out.

We looked up the fact sheet for our hotel in San Francisco so we knew what to expect in the room, like iron, coffee pot, etc. The list did say internet service. And it did say there was Wi Fi in the public areas of the hotel

I discovered that Wi Fi does not mean free.

The cost for wired internet service in our room was sixteen dollars a day... and this after already paying $225 per night. That was just sick... I don't pay sixteen dollars for one month of internet service at home.

The public area Wi Fi was only accessible if you had paid for internet in your room.

Now I was really sick. I had brought my laptop and digital camera for the conference and promised to post all about the conference. But I could not afford $16 per day.

I went to the front desk to ask about the internet access. The very nice gentleman at the desk showed me a brochure and explained the high speed internet in the room. There was a cheaper option for DSL in the room for only $8 per day. He explained that I could order it for just one day at a time, then skip a day if I wanted.

He also told me a secret. If I sat in the lounge behind the bar, at the tables, I could get free Wi Fi from the provider. There was an option to choose "Free Trial Day". The secret was you could choose that. . . every day!

So that's how I got free Wi Fi to blog and check e-mail. It was not convenient to lug my laptop down to the lounge and composed posts, but I did it. I would download the pictures from my camera to the laptop in my room, then go down to the lounge to blog.

Yup. . . I am a cheapskate. After paying $130 per night just for my share of the room, I just could NOT pay them any more money for internet.

And many thanks to Bob at the main desk for that little secret!!

Reflections on San Fran

2008-08-16T20:48:00.002-04:00

Thinking back of my trip to San Francisco, one of the things that really stuck with me was the amount of international tourists in the city. There were LOTS of tourists. Every bus we rode, every street we walked, every stop we made had lots of tourists in the city. Many of the tourists were international. I expected Asian tourists because we were on the west coast. But there were many European tourists, too. Like French, German, Spanish, British, and other languages I could not figure out. The dollar is weak overseas and touring the USA is reasonably priced for the international tourists.

The public transit drivers could not have been nicer to all the tourists who, collectively, were trying to get to the same place. I really have to put in a plug for all the bus, etc, drivers that we met. At one bus stop, the entire bus (save a few locals) exited the bus to catch a connection to the downtown area. A few tourists were confused as to where to pick up the next bus. The corner was the same where we got caught the connection before, but now we were going in the opposite direction.

I walked to the bus stop on the side of the street I knew we had to be on. Shortly a bus showed up, but the other riders from my bus had not gotten there yet. They hurried toward the stop, but were still far away after we had loaded. But the driver still waited for them to catch up. I expected him to leave, but he waited.

Many times, Rita and I would tell the driver we wanted to get off to go to a certain place and he would stop for us and call out the stop. Often, other tourists were headed to the same place.

A few times, we would wait at the bus stop and ask the next bus driver which bus we needed to take to get somewhere. The drivers were always courteous and gave us good directions.

On the last bus we rode in the city, we needed to go down Stockton street to Market, to our hotel. We asked the next bus that pulled up if she went to Market. Yes she did. But the bus was full. She stood up to yell at the riders to "Move on back so we can get these ladies on the bus." lol..

Rita and I had an enjoyable chat with her as we hung on to the railings as the bus barreled down the street. The driver had been a nurse but didn't like nursing. She had only gone into nursing to please her mother. She didn't particularly like driving bus, but it paid the bills. She could not afford to live in San Fran and lived to the west of the city.

We told her we were from Ohio. She had been there once, flying into the Cleveland airport to drop off a relative. Then she got back on a plane to return to California. She says Hello to all the buckeyes.

Great people, all of the transit workers.

Gone Camping

2008-08-09T22:20:00.009-04:00

In case you were wondering what happened to me, upon my arrival home from RWA and San Fran, I was whisked away to another vacation week, this time camping. Yes, I went from the Marriott to a tent within the same day. I didn't even get a chance to sleep one night in my own bed before being subjected to a cot and sleeping bag. However, the campground is a beautiful one in Ontario. And, as usual, here are some of the pictures I took.

Fisherman's Wharf and China Town

2008-08-09T22:10:00.008-04:00

Pictures from Fisherman's Wharf and China Town.

Golden Gate Park

2008-08-09T21:59:00.011-04:00

On Sunday, we had some free time for sight-seeing before our plane left San Francisco. We visited the Golden Gate Park and the Japanese Tea Garden within the park. Here are some of the pics. The park was very crowded and its amazing I have pictures with no people in them.

Check out the little Go-Cars which are little cars for tourists to rent to scoot around the city. Aren't they adorable?

RITA Awards

2008-08-04T14:16:00.007-04:00

WOW..!! What else can I say. The awards ceremony itself was fabulous. You can read about the winners on the rwa website. I want to tell you about the glamor. The formal dresses were out in full force. Everyone looked beautiful. Here are some pictures from the reception afterwards. I got to hold a RITA..! eek... Maybe one day I will own one.

It's all about the shoes... bay..bee...

Star Struck

2008-08-02T19:01:00.008-04:00

I am not a movie person and do not read People or the National Enquirer. But when surrounded by big name writers, I become a blithering mass of mush, unable to act in an intelligent manner.

When standing in line for the book signings today, I struck up a conversation with a nicely dress attendee. I commented on her clothes to her only because I decided to dress down a bit today. My feet hurt from the walk around Fisherman's Wharf last night and I wanted to wear my athletic shoes. My feet should be in better shape for my red heels for tonight's award ceremony.

I looked at the name tag of this nicely dress woman and about drooled down the front of my sweater. It was Hank Phillippi Ryan, a RITA nominee. I babbled incoherently and then apologized profusely. I'm sure she thought I was a total idiot. Sorry Miss Ryan, I really can string together a sentence.

Once in the room, my mush brain didn't get any better. I babbled at other authors, collected autographed books and ran out.

As stupid as it seems, I went to another room with more authors signing books. I was a glutton for punishment. This time, I settled down and wasn't quite as bad. I had wonderful chats with Connie Brockway, Anne Stuart, Kristin Hannah, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Deb Stover and Geralyn Dawson.

I took some pictures and got my picture taken with Lisa Kleypas and Christina Dodd.... until I met Jo Beverly.

Back to mush brain.

I had to leave before I really embarrassed myself. The problem was all mine. Every author was gracious and polite as possible. I was the one who was the idiot.

I grabbed a box from the shipping department and took it up to my room. I packed up all my books that I collected so far, used the promotional bookmarks as packing material and took it back to the shipping department set up in the hotel.

All those lovely books are being shipped home. I filled a medium box and the cost was $25. Much cheaper than the airlines. It will take a week, but I shipped it to my work. If it comes when I'm not there, the receiving department at work will take it up to my desk.

Thank you to all the authors for signing and the publishers for providing the books.

Workshop

2008-08-02T11:36:00.003-04:00

I have completed my commitment to the RWA by presenting my workshop yesterday afternoon. I had a room big enough to hold 120 people and I had about 20 people in the audience. Taxes must be ultra boring... or the time slot of 4:30 on Friday afternoon discouraged people.

But, I don't get paid by the person and I didn't choose the time. I did my part by informing the audience of my topic.

Done...

Then we went to dinner. My roomie, Rita, brother-in-law, Bob, and I caught a street car to Fisherman's Wharf for dinner. We ate at Boudins. We all ordered fish and all agreed it was excellent. I have to go back Sunday morning to buy a loaf of sourdough bread to take home.

After dinner, we walked down to Pier 39, one of the famous piers on the Wharf. I was ~forced~ into seeing the sea lions.... Rita insisted that to have the full San Francisco experience, I had to see them.

They were... animals on docks.. um... and not exciting at all.

I guess the excitement is that the sea lions are wild. They are not in cages. They naturally come into the bay and congregate at the pier and the docks. All the tourists come to ooh and aah over them and snap endless pictures.

I was more thrilled with the view of the city. You could look back at the city on the hill and see all the buildings lit up for the night. That was beautiful!

Of course we had to walk through the shopping area and look at the endless tourist shops. Very typical tourist fare, jewelry, art, candy, chocolate, souvenirs, etc. And of course, we had to stop and buy somethings. We are tourists in San Francisco, you know. I bought salt-water taffy for the family and sugar-free chocolate fudge for me.

(To hubby: I might have some left when I get home, sweetie, but no promises. It's very yummy!)

We road the streetcar again back to the hotel. Riding the streetcars puts you in ... uh... close proximity with the public. Many times closer than you really want to be. On the way out to dinner, one man on the car was loud and obnoxious and not playing with a full deck. On the way back, the car was just packed.

Moonlight Madness Bazaar

2008-08-01T17:59:00.006-04:00

Last night was the Moonlight Madness Bazaar where the chapters sell items to the conference attendees. My chapter was selling Fairy Muse Jewelry. We had a lot of fun at the bazaar. As you can see, I am wearing head boppers which caused many smiles from the shoppers. Many thanks to Katrina from my chapter who made the stand up signs. We received many compliments on the artwork. One women was so taken by the art that she bought the sign...! Hey Kat, she wants more!

The room

2008-08-01T17:57:00.002-04:00

Our room has a mini bar and a selection of snacks available to purchase. Isn’t that a great opportunity? Is the hotel so wonderful to provide such convenience for its guests?

Well.. such convenience comes with cost. The prices of the items are enough to take away any hunger pangs I may have been having.

A bottle of Miller Lite costs $6.50. One bottle, not a six-pack.

A bottle of Evian water costs. $4.00. A bottle of Coke or Pepsi is also $4.

Those cute little bottles of liquor are $8.

The can of almonds will set you back $9, the Pringles are $5.

The rest of the items: Snickers, M&Ms, Ghirardelli Chocolate, Reeses, Rice Crispys and Famous Amos cookies are all $4 each.

And get this, don’t even touch them. They are sitting on electronic sensors that will automatically charge your room when an item is removed. Any accidental movement may cause an unintentional charge.

And to add insult to injury, the items are subject to 8.5% sales tax and a 20% restocking fee.

Thank goodness coffee is free otherwise I would be in big trouble.

Thursday at RWA

2008-07-31T21:04:00.007-04:00

The first pic is me all dressed for the day.

Today was the Opening Session with motivational speaker/entertainer Theresa Behenna. She talked about how change can be good and if a door closes through a rejection, another one might open.

Next was the Annual General Meeting. We did not have a quorum present either with live bodies or with proxies, so the “meeting” did not take place. We had a gathering instead, I guess. After presenting the secretary minutes and treasurer’s report, the members were invited to speak.

Some members did make comments about various actions the board had taken in the past, like contest categories and eligibility for PAN membership. Some one also commented on the difficulty she had registering for the conference and using the website.

Next was the Keynote Luncheon with Victoria Alexander. She was wonderful and made us laugh hysterically at ourselves. Rita finalist, Julianne MacLean sat at my table.

The workshops started and I sat for two. I got slightly nervous thinking about my own workshop tomorrow. It was spooky. I have not been nervous at all. I’ve given the spiel three times. I know my content upside down and backwards.

But, for some reason, sitting in that first workshop, made me realize how real this all was. I was on stage tomorrow, up front, with information to impart, to knowledge-seeking attendees. Tomorrow, I’m the expert.

Sorry that some pictures are fuzzy. It's difficult to get a good picture in the low light.

Literacy Signing

2008-07-30T23:49:00.011-04:00

I don’t think I mentioned how much fun I’m having… good times.

I just left the literacy signing and the room was electric! So much hustle and bustle going on!

The line to get in snaked around some corded off area, like a roller coaster ride at Disney World, then extended up the escalators and snaked on the upper floor. The hotel had staff directing everyone to the lines. Once in, the room was orderly, with the big name authors around the perimeter and the others lay out alphabetically on long tables. The authors had their books stacked up on the tables in front of them. I got a chance to talk to some of my favorite authors, like Julie Ann Long and Lorraine Heath. I also saw Vicki Thompson, Lisa Mondello, Theresa Mederios, Christina Dodd, Terri Garey, Stacey Keane, and Tawny Weber.

There were many authors, more than five hundred in total.

The first picture is me all ready for the day.

Wednesday at RWA

2008-07-30T19:24:00.002-04:00

Today was all business. I attended the Chapter Leadership Seminar. The event was a great way to meet other chapter presidents and network. We discussed planning, leadership development, chapter documents, committees, and other aspects of running a chapter. The current RWA board of directors introduced themselves to us.

In an hour, the literacy signing begins and I'll post pictures and more news.

We Walked The Golden Gate Bridge

2008-07-30T01:04:00.010-04:00

My friend Rita really, really wanted to walk across the Golden Gate Bridge. So.. like a fool, I agreed... just kidding, but it was long and tiring. We walked from the dirt of San Francisco to the dirt of Sausolita. The bridge isn't too terribly long, only 8000 feet from end to end. And I was surprised as to how flat it was. I have walked the Mackinac Bridge in Michigan, and that bridge is five miles long!

But the Golden Gate Bridge has beauty of its own.

We watched two ocean freighters go underneath it. The day was sunny and warm. The weather was windy as all get out up on the bridge. We watched the famous San Francisco fog roll in.

Another church in SFO

2008-07-30T00:58:00.007-04:00

We also saw Grace Cathedral. Beautiful..!!

When I entered, I felt that I had been there before. The stone, the architecture, the setting all looked familiar. I thalought the church looked similar to the National Cathedral in Washington DC. What do you think?

More SFO - Day 2

2008-07-30T00:53:00.005-04:00

Next was Coit Tower. We purchased Muni ride passes to ride all the different types of transportation in SFO. We were able to take a bus to Coit Tower and not have to walk up hill. Here are some of the sites from the tower. In one picture, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge.

SFO 2, continuned

2008-07-30T00:37:00.007-04:00

Next was cable cars. I think every tourist in San Francisco wanted to ride the cable cars today. The lines were crazy; the cars were packed. We rode a cable car to get to the top of Lombard street. Here again, all the tourist were congregating. Cars were queuing in line to drive down the crookedest street in the world. People everywhere taking pictures. It was fun to be part of the crowd.

SFO 2

2008-07-30T00:26:00.006-04:00

San Francisco Day 2 -- Sight Seeing

What a day..!! So much to see..! Wow.. Okay, now pictures.

First Stop was Mission Dolores, an old mission site in San Francisco. If you like churches and history, you would like the church. Post are some of the pictures of the church. Also, the neighborhood was interesting. It was "gritty". Not pretty and clean, but well used and lived in.

SFO Day 1

2008-07-28T23:30:00.006-04:00

We got in today and the hotel is huge.. like rooms and floors and people everywhere. It’s a bit overwhelming for a simple girl like me.

The rooms themselves are a disappointment, though. I’ve had bigger, more plush rooms at the Holiday Inn. There is no place to stash the suitcases. The floor of the closet is taken up by the in-room safe (extra fee). The desk is full of snacks to buy. There are only two dresser drawers. We don’t even get two chairs for the table. We have one desk chair and another “easy” chair.

Yes, but we are in San Francisco, downtown by Market and Third. I can see a Starbucks from the hotel window and there is another one in the Lobby.

After we checked in, we walked around the area a bit. The city is vibrant and active. Lots of hustle and bustle. Many people walking around, buses zooming by, car, bicyclists. If it was a mode of transportation, it was on the streets.

I took a few pictures of the Market Street area.

And we went down to Fisherman's Wharf.

Sorry about the pictures not going in the right places, but I have never figured out how to do that.

Tomorrow is our big sight-seeing adventure.

Too busy?

2008-07-23T20:30:00.001-04:00

An article in my newspaper the other day lamented the busyness of a teenager. They highlighted stories of teenagers who have an after school job, get home at ten pm, then have three hours of homework to do. Teens are involved in sports, music, clubs, church groups as well as working, and volunteering for nonprofit groups. The story focused on the stress level of these teens.

Am I doing the same thing? I am going to be extremely busy for the national conference next week. I was commenting to my husband that I am not only going to the workshops, but presenting one, AND representing my chapter at the leadership seminar, AND making and selling jewelry, AND playing tourist. How much more can I cram into five days?

Then I talked with another gal from my local chapter who said how many events she was involved in, and I did not feel swamped anymore. I think everyone at the conference will be busy... and loving every minute of it...!!!

The week will go by so fast my head will be spinning. So I better write down every minute so I can have a journal of the conference. My first post will Monday after we arrive in San Francisco.

Historical Context

2008-07-22T20:58:00.002-04:00

When discussing an historical event, I mentioned that I found it difficult to believe that a historical figure (in 1600s England) was literate, given that his parents were illiterate and there was no public school in the town in which he was raised. A person took offense. His own parents were illiterate and he assumed I meant that just because a person has illiterate parents, he could not learn to read or write.

I certainly do not mean to insult anyone's parents. My own grandparents could not read or write. My father had to read for his parents.

But this person needs to keep the historical context of the country in mind. In 1600 England, there was a very distinct class system in place. If one's parents were illiterate peasants, there was a very high chance that he would be too. Education was not mandatory and was actually discouraged in many cases. School was not for the masses, but for the rich. Children worked instead of going to school.

My case for the illiterate historical figure is also bolstered by the lack of actual handwritten letters by this person. For someone who is purported to be a literary genius, why is there no hand written papers available? Four hundred years have passed, but many other papers have lasted that length of time. Many papers have been found of many people written four hundred or more years ago. But none of this famous person.

Jewelry

2008-07-04T14:47:00.002-04:00

I don't consider myself a crafty person. I have done some stamping and I do bake wedding cakes. But lately I have been making jewelry.

My local chapter is going to be selling my creations at the RWA national conference in San Fransico in July. I am posting a of my creations here.

At the Midnight Madness Bazaar, stop by our table and buy some Fairy Muse Jewelry. Keep your muse with you at all times.

Blogging from the RWA Conference in San Francisco

2008-06-28T20:02:00.004-04:00

For too many years, I have watched my fellow RWA members truck to exotic spots such as Reno, Atlanta and Dallas for the National Conference. I was green with envy, wishing I could be there, too. I eagerly read their blogs daily to get some news of the conference. Some wrote about the conference and some didn't. I yearned for some way to be connected to my writer friends while they rubbed elbows with other writers. Through luck, I stumbled upon a few other RWA members who were blogging from the conference. Still, I was never satisfied. I also felt that I could not be the only writer who wished for a closer connection to the conference. Why couldn't someone blog daily and tell us what was happening?

I am not naive and I realize a participant is probably extremely busy at the conference. But couldn't a writer use the blog as journal to chronicle her daily life during the conference?

My dream is going to come true. *I* am going to blog daily from the RWA National Conference in San Francisco. You can come here every day and find out what I did at the conference each and every day. I promise to tell you as much as I can. I promise to post pictures. I promise to give you a synopsis of the workshops I take and to tell you all about each person I meet.

I want you to experience the conference with me.

Join me when I start my journey, leaving home, on July 28.

Personal Goals

2008-06-27T08:15:00.002-04:00

I have had a professional goal for many many years, more than ten years. Somewhere along the way, my day job changed and the goal changed. It more than changed, it just didn't matter anymore. Last year, an outside force made me rethink that goal and brought it to the top of my list. This past month, I achieved my long-time goal for my profession. I have been celebrating my achievement.

Which made me think about my writing goals. I have a half finished manuscript that s*cks. Would I ever change the plot and make it better? Maybe. I have another manuscript that has been rejected by too many editors. Would I continue to shop it? Probably not. My third manuscript is my WIP. What is my goal for the WIP? To have it published by a NY publisher. Can I achieve it? Yes. ... okay... maybe.

But just because NY publisher is very difficult to get, doesn't mean it's impossible. I can achieve it. Just like I acheived my professional goal from years ago.

Historical Romance

2008-05-18T17:57:00.003-04:00

I am the only one who is tired of the same old "new" historical that has a young woman masquerading as a boy to either fool some old man or pick pockets on the street or work to save her family from poverty.

Of course, the hero is Lord Soandso who falls madly in love with the street urchin and makes her his lady. Add lots of sex in stupid places.

blah....

Is there no more Heyer type historical romances anymore?

The latest trend is paranormal historical romances. What's that? Vampires in the 19th century? I doubt if it's time travels. Those are hard sells.

Must be the return of ghosts or psychic powers.

Could I write one of those...? Better yet, do I want to write that? Do I want to read that?

The World at 350

2008-05-13T09:41:00.002-04:00

The World at 350: A Last Chance for Civilization
By Bill McKibben
TomDispatch.com
Sunday 11 May 2008
Even for Americans, constitutionally convinced that there will always be a second act, and a third, and a do-over after that, and, if necessary, a little public repentance and forgiveness and a Brand New Start - even for us, the world looks a little Terminal right now.
It's not just the economy. We've gone through swoons before. It's that gas at $4 a gallon means we're running out, at least of the cheap stuff that built our sprawling society. It's that when we try to turn corn into gas, it sends the price of a loaf of bread shooting upwards and starts food riots on three continents. It's that everything is so inextricably tied together. It's that, all of a sudden, those grim Club of Rome types who, way back in the 1970s, went on and on about the 'limits to growth' suddenly seem? how best to put it, right.
All of a sudden it isn't morning in America, it's dusk on planet Earth.
There's a number - a new number - that makes this point most powerfully. It may now be the most important number on Earth: 350. As in parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
A few weeks ago, our foremost climatologist, NASA's Jim Hansen, submitted a paper to Science magazine with several co-authors. The abstract attached to it argued - and I have never read stronger language in a scientific paper - 'if humanity wishes to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed and to which life on earth is adapted, paleoclimate evidence and ongoing climate change suggest that CO2 will need to be reduced from its current 385 ppm to at most 350 ppm.' Hansen cites six irreversible tipping points - massive sea level rise and huge changes in rainfall patterns, among them - that we'll pass if we don't get back down to 350 soon; and the first of them, judging by last summer's insane melt of Arctic ice, may already be behind us.
So it's a tough diagnosis. It's like the doctor telling you that your cholesterol is way too high and, if you don't bring it down right away, you're going to have a stroke. So you take the pill, you swear off the cheese, and, if you're lucky, you get back into the safety zone before the coronary. It's like watching the tachometer edge into the red zone and knowing that you need to take your foot off the gas before you hear that clunk up front.
In this case, though, it's worse than that because we're not taking the pill and we are stomping on the gas - hard. Instead of slowing down, we're pouring on the coal, quite literally. Two weeks ago came the news that atmospheric carbon dioxide had jumped 2.4 parts per million last year - two decades ago, it was going up barely half that fast.
And suddenly, the news arrives that the amount of methane, another potent greenhouse gas, accumulating in the atmosphere, has unexpectedly begun to soar as well. Apparently, we've managed to warm the far north enough to start melting huge patches of permafrost and massive quantities of methane trapped beneath it have begun to bubble forth.
And don't forget: China is building more power plants; India is pioneering the $2,500 car, and Americans are converting to TVs the size of windshields which suck juice ever faster.
Here's the thing. Hansen didn't just say that, if we didn't act, there was trouble coming; or, if we didn't yet know what was best for us, we'd certainly be better off below 350 ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. His phrase was: '... if we wish to preserve a planet similar to that on which civilization developed.' A planet with billions of people living near those oh-so-floodable coastlines. A planet with ever more vulnerable forests. (A beetle, encouraged by warmer temperatures, has already managed to kill 10 times more trees than in any previous infestation across the northern reaches of Canada this year. This means far more carbon heading for the atmosphere and apparently dooms Canada's efforts to comply with the Kyoto Protocol, already in doubt because of its decision to start producing oil for the U.S. from Alberta's tar sands.)
We're the ones who kicked the warming off; now, the planet is starting to take over the job. Melt all that Arctic ice, for instance, and suddenly the nice white shield that reflected 80% of incoming solar radiation back into space has turned to blue water that absorbs 80% of the sun's heat. Such feedbacks are beyond history, though not in the sense that Francis Fukuyama had in mind.
And we have, at best, a few years to short-circuit them - to reverse course. Here's the Indian scientist and economist Rajendra Pachauri, who accepted the Nobel Prize on behalf of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change last year (and, by the way, got his job when the Bush administration, at the behest of Exxon Mobil, forced out his predecessor): 'If there's no action before 2012, that's too late. What we do in the next two to three years will determine our future. This is the defining moment.'
In the next two or three years, the nations of the world are supposed to be negotiating a successor treaty to the Kyoto Accord. When December 2009 rolls around, heads of state are supposed to converge on Copenhagen to sign a treaty - a treaty that would go into effect at the last plausible moment to heed the most basic and crucial of limits on atmospheric CO2.
If we did everything right, says Hansen, we could see carbon emissions start to fall fairly rapidly and the oceans begin to pull some of that CO2 out of the atmosphere. Before the century was out we might even be on track back to 350. We might stop just short of some of those tipping points, like the Road Runner screeching to a halt at the very edge of the cliff.
More likely, though, we're the Coyote - because 'doing everything right' means that political systems around the world would have to take enormous and painful steps right away. It means no more new coal-fired power plants anywhere, and plans to quickly close the ones already in operation. (Coal-fired power plants operating the way they're supposed to are, in global warming terms, as dangerous as nuclear plants melting down.) It means making car factories turn out efficient hybrids next year, just the way we made them turn out tanks in six months at the start of World War II. It means making trains an absolute priority and planes a taboo.
It means making every decision wisely because we have so little time and so little money, at least relative to the task at hand. And hardest of all, it means the rich countries of the world sharing resources and technology freely with the poorest ones, so that they can develop dignified lives without burning their cheap coal.
That's possible - we launched a Marshall Plan once, and we could do it again, this time in relation to carbon. But in a month when the President has, once more, urged us to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, that seems unlikely. In a month when the alluring phrase 'gas tax holiday' has danced into our vocabulary, it's hard to see (though it was encouraging to see that Clinton's gambit didn't sway many voters). And if it's hard to imagine sacrifice here, imagine China, where people produce a quarter as much carbon apiece as we do.
Still, as long as it's not impossible, we've got a duty to try. In fact, it's about the most obvious duty humans have ever faced.
A few of us have just launched a new campaign, 350.org. Its only goal is to spread this number around the world in the next 18 months, via art and music and ruckuses of all kinds, in the hope that it will push those post-Kyoto negotiations in the direction of reality.
After all, those talks are our last chance; you just can't do this one light bulb at a time. And if this 350.org campaign is a Hail Mary pass, well, sometimes those passes get caught.
We do have one thing going for us: This new tool, the Web which, at least, allows you to imagine something like a grassroots global effort. If the Internet was built for anything, it was built for sharing this number, for making people understand that '350' stands for a kind of safety, a kind of possibility, a kind of future.
Hansen's words were well-chosen: 'a planet similar to that on which civilization developed.' People will doubtless survive on a non-350 planet, but those who do will be so preoccupied, coping with the endless unintended consequences of an overheated planet that civilization may not.
Civilization is what grows up in the margins of leisure and security provided by a workable relationship with the natural world. That margin won't exist, at least not for long, this side of 350. That's the limit we face.

Bill McKibben is a scholar-in-residence at Middlebury College and co-founder of 350.org. His most recent book is The Bill McKibben Reader.

I doubt if all those links worked, just take a look at the www.350.org website, and support them in whatever way you can.

~~Olivia

THE CALL...!!!

2008-05-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

No, not for me.

I am so very excited for a friend who received The Call..!!

Tracy has been shopping this book around to agents and could not get any interest so she entered it in a contest, and finalled, and the editor requested the full, and now she has sold it.

Last year, I had made a book for each of my officers. I made this for Tracy's book:

I am so happy for Tracy!

Fun To Be Myself

2008-03-19T22:25:00.000-04:00

I had the most fun last Saturday. I was a participant in a Murder Mystery Party. I've sure you've heard of them before. You go to a party and one of the cast gets "murdered". As a guest, you help solve the mystery. It's fun fun fun.

The murder party I went to gave characters to all the guests. It was set in the 1920's. Since I had an "in" with the writer of the murder party, I asked if I could go as Olivia Charles, romance writer. So I was. My husband played Warren Kincaid, the newspaper editor. And we had our son with us, Sebastian who is a graduate of Harvard, and his darling fiancee, Estelle Baker, of the Connecticut Bakers you know.

The theme was a birthday party for Max, a chocolatier. The women were dressed in flapper dresses with feathers in their hair. Men wore tuxes or "gangster" suits. The "press" and paparazzi were there too.

I got to talk to some of my adoring fans.

Dahling... it was mahvelous....

Getting closer to San Francisco

2008-02-09T07:18:00.000-05:00

I haven't stopped bouncing yet. I'm still over the moon about going to National Conference this year in San Francisco (SFO).

It really didn't seem real until I got my Speaker Information packet in the mail. Right there in black and white, hard paper copy, I was a speaker at the conference. It was real all right...!

I've signed up for the conference and paid my fee. Four other members of my local chapter are also going, so the five of us have been booking our hotel and flight. We've been looking into the subway system to get around SFO. We are researching tours to take.

We've all decided to fly in Monday before the conference begins. That will give the others two full days of sight-seeing before the conference starts. The president of the chapter and I will be attending the leadership seminar on Wednesday before the conference, so I have one less day.

I've been to SFO before, about 25 years ago. I look forward to seeing it again.

Westward Ho...!!!

I'm so excited.....

2008-01-27T08:08:00.001-05:00

I have been bouncing around this past week, bubbly and giddy like a fourteen year old with a note from a boy.

Why..??

Because I am going to the RWA National convention in San Francisco...!!!!

It gets better.... I am going to present a workshop at the National convention...!!!

Is that a reason to be giddy or what...!!!

I got the e-mail from National stating my workshop was accepted and I could not stop smiling for the rest of the day.

By day, I am an accountant. Yes, folks, bean counter, grey suits, the whole nine yards. Boring, boring boring. No wonder I write. I need a creative outlet.

But, I know tax law. Since my chapter knows how I make my real money, the members started asking me questions a few years back about taxes, like what to deduct and becoming a corporation. I put together an hour long workshop to explain some things. It was very well received. One member suggested I submit it to Nationals. She had never seen a workshop like mine before.

Last fall, I put together my proposal for "Taking the Mystery Out of Taxes" and submitted. A week ago, I got an e-mail telling me I had been accepted.

So, I registered for the conference. And now I searching for flights, booking a hotel room. Geez, I need new luggage, and a laptop..... lol... I could go on a buying spree...!!

But, convention is six months away..... cool it.... I've got plenty of time.

If you are at National convention, stop by before, during or after my workshop to say "hi".

Contests

2008-01-20T20:17:00.000-05:00

I just burned a few bridges today.

I'm still fuming and I have to burn off some of the steam.

A question had come through one of the author loops I belong to about contests. The original writer of the post was bemoaning that the number of contest entries has fallen over the past few years. The chapter was having a difficult time getting a fair number of entries. Contests are usually one of the largest money makers for a chapter.

Some other posters had made suggestions that the economy was in trouble and it was too expensive for people to enter many contests.

I suggested that there were too many bad contests out there. I said that when host chapter members seem to always win, other contestants don't bother entering anymore.

I was flamed.

The idea that a chapter would play favorites was juvenile and unprofessional. Someone pointed out that final judges were always from outside the chapter.

Well, guess what.... I did some checking and not all contests had final judges from outside the chapter.

AND... who chose which entries to send to the final judges? Those entries that "finalled" were chosen by someone within the chapter.

In my original post, I had also suggested that widely diverse scores for the same manuscript might also be why members are not entering contests anymore. Member enter to get good feedback. What kind of feedback is a manuscript that scores a 50 and 150 in the same contest?

Or course, bad judging was ignored by the loop. One can complain about people being juvenile, more so than fixing the problems.

If I didn't need this loop for other things, I would drop it.

True evil Wal-mart

2007-12-02T21:34:00.000-05:00

Copied from the LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-walmart21nov21,0,635924.story?coll=la-opinion-leftrail

Wal-mart's lawsuit: legal, but wrong

template_bas

The retail giant's pursuit of funds paid to a severely injured former employee puts hardship on a family.

November 21, 2007

Deborah Shank's story would have been sad enough, considering the devastating injuries she suffered in a traffic accident seven years ago. Nevertheless, Wal-Mart found a way to add a brutal coda.

As chronicled in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, Shank, a former overnight shelf-stocker for Wal-Mart in southeastern Missouri, was driving her minivan when she was broadsided by a semi and suffered permanent brain damage. Unable to walk without help, she lost the ability to care for herself or interact meaningfully with her family. Now 52, she lives in a nursing home.

Wal-Mart started out as one of the good guys in this story, paying almost $470,000 of her initial medical bills. But three years after Shank's husband sued and settled with the semi driver's employer, the retail giant changed hats. It demanded every penny back, plus interest and legal fees -- more, in fact, than the $417,477 the settlement had placed in a special-needs Medicaid trust fund for Shank's future healthcare expenses.

The company persuaded a federal district court judge and the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to award it the full amount, even though Shank's family had paid for the lawsuit. Nor did it matter that the settlement covered a fraction of her expenses and losses. Wal-Mart's healthcare plan clearly states that it gets first dibs on any money recovered by injured employees. Such provisions aren't uncommon in health plans, and Wal-Mart isn't the first to enforce one.

Doing what the law allows isn't the same as doing the right thing, however. The company made itself whole at the expense of a helpless former employee who will never be whole again. Instead of having some resources to improve her care, Shank will receive only the basic services afforded her by Medicaid and Social Security. Nor will the trust fund be in a position to reimburse Medicaid (i.e., taxpayers), which stood to collect any unspent money upon Shank's death.

Wal-Mart argues that it's just trying to be fair to those still paying into the company's healthcare plan. Big payouts to insured workers can drive up the plan's premiums. The half-million dollars it spent on Shank's care, however, translates into less than 40 cents per Wal-Mart employee. In its most recent quarter, its stores generated that much in operating income every eight minutes.

Wal-Mart has spent the last few years working hard to rebut healthcare reformers, labor unions, anti-globalization groups and other critics who've argued that it puts profits ahead of humanity. While its advertising campaigns try to put a friendlier spin on the company, its behavior toward Shank tells a different story. If Wal-Mart can't restrain itself, perhaps Congress should prevent health plans from draining settlements won by injured workers with more bills to pay.

Olivia here: This is so disgusting it makes me ill. Do you read that one statistic correctly? The amount that Wal-mart collected from this employee adds up to forty cents per employee!!! 40 frickin' cents.

This huge giant has devastated this family for a pittance, a half a million dollars, the amount that Wal-mart makes in operating income in eight minutes!

How can ANY person call Wal-mart a good Christian entity. Someone has blinders on and it's not me.

Lookin' good...!

2007-11-18T22:47:00.000-05:00

Why is it, when a man where's a black sweater, he is instantly attractive?

At work last week, a young man wore a black sweater. I did a double-take. I had never considered this guy at being attractive at all. Yet, while wearing a black sweater, he looked almost handsome.

Amazing....!

Pushy or an opportunity...?

2007-11-11T16:10:00.002-05:00

The other day at work, we got a company wide e-mail from our communications department about a special offer from the Prince Pie Company. We could order our holiday pies over the phone, pay from them with a credit card and the pies would be delivered directly to our office. We would avod the hassle of driving to the store and standing in long lines.

Isn’t that a great opportunity? Aren’t they doing us a favor?
I didn’t think so. And I was not the only person who thought it quite pushy.

The opportunity came to us in a company-wide e-mail, like those used to announce carpet cleaning (move your stuff off the floor) or parking lot maintenance (move your car). We have a bulletin board for employees to sell items (like Craig’s List) or to ask for advice (I’m looking for a good dentist). I didn’t think the selling of pies should have been done in a company wide email.

If you were at a chapter meeting and a member set up a display of Avon products and passed out make-up samples, would you be offended? Is this being pushy or is this an opportunity for the members?

So why is it acceptable, no encouraged, behavior for the published members of a chapter to hold a book sale at the end of a workshop? Is that pushy or an opoortunity? Do the other members feel that they have an obligation to purchase books from the pubbed members?

I’ve been to two workshops where the book sale/autographing was done. *I* felt uncomfortable. I felt like I had an obligation to buy books. No statement was said that I had to buy any books. But I still felt like everyone knew that I had not bought anything.

I asked around what other chapters do. I was surprised to discover that the book signing was a common occurrence. Some chapters had them after special workshops and the presenter sold her books. Some chapter had them after each meeting.

Pushy…. or an opportunity…?

You decide.

Food Alergies

2007-11-01T12:59:00.000-04:00

Newsweek this week has an article on food allergies. After I read the article, I wonder why more attention was not given to the question as to why so many more children lately have food allergies.

They mentioned some reason about how clean we've become, so the body is now attacking food instead of germs.

I believe food allergies develop because of an entirely different reason, lack of breastfeeding. I wonder how many of the allergic children in the story had been exclusively breast fed for at least six months? I would bet none. I would bet less than 10 percent had even been breast fed at all.

I see total irony in our consumer culture where parents try to buy the very best [[insert latest item here]] for their children but fail to give them something necessary for their entire life, good health. Good healthy children do not come from formula cans, but from breast feeding.

Oh, I know there are plenty of healthy children who had formula. But why would a parent "take a chance" that their child will be healthy on formula? Why not go for the known and feed their child the way nature intended.

And I also know there are some women who can't breastfeed, and those are a very small minority.

Women, please give your child the healthiest life possible, breast feed your babies!

Pet peeves

2007-10-27T01:46:00.000-04:00

We all have things that bother us. Some are very minor, like the way a person in my carpool slurps his coffee in the morning, or the hee-haw laugh another co-workers has. But some pet peeves are so offensive, I have to speak up.

What's got my panties in a wad, you ask?

e-mail signature lines.

hate 'em... with a passion.

Not all of them, mind you, just the real long ones.

I belong to a number of on-line loop groups. I get lots of e-mail from many different people. I detest signature lines that are longer than the post. Why does an author feel that she must list every book published in the last five years plus those books coming in the next five, plus all the blogs she posts on, plus her own website!

And I'm not exaggerating!!!

I'd post examples, but then I would be personally attacking an author and I don't want to do that.

All I'm asking is that writers are conscience of the length of their signature lines. If it's too long, I don't read it. And I suspect I'm not the only person in the world who feels this way.

Family Values

2007-10-23T07:47:00.000-04:00

Family Values

In my town, a minister of a contemporary church spouts family values. He preaches against the evil and sin in the world and asks us to pray with him (and give money to his church). Recently, he has been arrested for indecent exposure. A year before, he was arrested for drunk driving. How hypocritical is that!

I know that each of us are flawed because we are human and I don't expect a minister to be a saint. But I would expect a minister who preaches family values to be upholding them. There are many many people in this world who have not been arrested for drunk driving or exposure. These offenses are not minor, like a parking ticket or an honest mistake like a car accident. These are sinful choices that he deliberately made.

Recently, I received a written scolding after suggesting to a published author that she not recommend Walmart as a retail store to buy her books. I have a problem with a corporation that puts profits over the well-being of their employees. It is a documented fact that the wages Walmart pays are below poverty level and that fewer than 20 percent of employees have medical, retirement, or other benefits.

What made the scolding even more ~interesting~ is this author writes Christian inspirational books. She sees Walmart not an an "evil entity", but as a store with strong family values.

WalMart is a store that promotes family values by refusing to carry music CDs with lyrics containing explicit sexual and violent language. WalMart is a store that wields enormous power over romance publishers because it won't sell books with racy covers. WalMart is the single largest retailer of mass-market and bestselling romance novels, so many publishers (including Harlequin) design their bookcovers with WalMart standards in mind. I'm glad about all of that.

WalMart is very much aware that a huge percentage of their customers are conservative Christians. That's why they sell all kinds of Christian books, videos, and music CDs. That's why they're bucking the national trend and wishing customers a "Merry Christmas" when other stores have watered that down to "Happy Holidays." For a secular store, WalMart is EXTREMELY friendly to conservative Christians.

She also noted that Walmart is a good employer.

I don't believe that WalMart treats its employees badly and rapes local economies. My mother-in-law worked at WalMart for years and loved it. She made a fair wage and worked her way up to department manager. She retired about four years ago, but is still a WalMart shareholder. The WalMart she worked for has provided many needed jobs in her small Texas town. That WalMart has boosted, not hurt, the local economy. It has also made a number of charitable contributions that have directly benefited that town.

That statement may be true for a small Texas town that had no other retail stores, but it's not true for many northern larger towns. The wages received in a small Texas town may be good for a person in a dual income household. But those same wages will not supply a single mother living up north with two children all the money she needs to survive.

I am of the belief that a person's actions speak louder than their words. Walmart is only promoting "family values" as a facade for marketing. They wouldn't be doing it if they weren't making money. If Walmart was truly a family friendly corporation, why won't they treat their own employees with more consideration?

It can be done. Costco is a well known retail corporation that may not have a strong presence in the "fammly values" arena, but their employment policies are extremely family friendly. They pay higher wages then Walmart and provide full benefits. In return they have a higher retention rate among employees with less turnover. Walmart does not care about the well being of their workers, Costco treats them fairly, a true "family value."

Preaching family values and living them are two entirely different phenomenon. Actions speak much louder than words.

WEN Conference

2007-10-14T18:11:00.000-04:00

I had the privilege of attending a conference aimed at entrepreneurial women. The energy in the place was electrifying! These women were movers and shakers of the business world. There were many different workshops presented, my favorite being a mock-tail party. Since the party was held early in the morning, it was too early for real cocktails. The idea was all networking.

In this session, we learned networking skill. Moderated by Heather and Miriam, these two high energy women guided us through the dos and don’t of successful networking. We were given tips on starting a conversation, asking for what we specifically want, getting clear replies, gracefully exiting a conversation, jump starting conversation stalls, business cards, leaving the impression you want, joining groups, and follow-up after the event.

I met so many new people! It was amazing. I went with the intention of getting speakers for my local RWA chapter meeting. At the end of the day, I had five solid prospects of women who were willing to talk to our group of writers. I usually started the conversation with humor. I would say, “I’m trolling for speakers for my group.” That would start the conversation, because the other person would want to know what kind of group. I would hold up the business card of our local chapter and explain that I am the president of a group of romance writers.

I don’t think anyone in the room had ever met a romance writer before. I did explain that I was unpublished and gave a very brief background of my writing career and talk more about the group. Each writer will be a business professional upon being published.

Rebecca is in the business of marketing and direct mail. She also does web design. The emphasis is on sales and getting your name out in the market.

I met Debby Peters who is a certified Networker. Honest! I didn’t know one could get certified in networking. She was one of the friendliest people there. When I asked her to speak, she didn’t hesitate and immediately agreed. She could really help our group by giving us tips on networking. Writers do a LOT of networking. We meet people all the time, like readers, editors, other writers, and agents.

Angie organizes home, office and life. I hope that she could gives us some tips on how to stay organized in our total life.

Ellen has a business that does public relations. She created the mayors campaign slogan and would be a big help to our members to give us some tips on doing PR and if and when we need public relations person.

The last person I met actually sought me out. Linda is one of the officers of the WEN and had seen my registration and application come through for the conference. She wanted to know who I was and what I did. I was very happy to share with her all about romance writing. Again, she had never met a romance writer before. Linda’s business helps people with the financial side of running a business. She made many business plans for the women of the group. I would love her to tell our group about planning and why it’s important to have a plan for their business. Even if the business is the business of writing. I think it’s just as important for a writer as it is for any other business.

No problem....

2007-08-29T08:24:00.001-04:00

When someone thanks you, the proper response is "you're welcome". Why is that so difficult for people to say?

It seems the most popular response has been "No Problem".....

What's up with that...?

I hate that response (with a passion) because it shows just how ignorant a person is. Or more likely, that their parents did not teach them proper manners.... and they can't correct themselves.

I mean, really, do the words hurt coming out? No. So why can't anyone give the proper response?

I don't care about whether it was a problem or not. That is a very selfish answer. It is putting the focus back on the person who did the action and ignoring the speaker. "No problem" is brushing me off. I want my graditude to be respectfully acknowledged.

So, for all you college educated or otherwise educated people out there, have some common decency and use the polite words to acknowledge gratitude.

Say "You're Welcome!"

It was a hit

2007-08-27T09:23:00.000-04:00

The bride did not know I was bringing a wedding cake. When I heard that she was "not having a big deal, not even a wedding cake," I heard my calling. I had to take her a cake, one that was not a big deal.

The hall was locked.... so I had to "fib" to get it opened. This was the funniest part of the whole weekend. The bride leaves in the morning and locks the hall, comes back later in the afternoon and finds a wedding cake all set up for her wedding... lol...

She knew it was me, though. Connie (bride) comes up to me and asked me point blank, "Did you bring the cake?" I couldn't lie and fessed up. But how had I gotten it into a locked hall? Hey... I have my ways....! LOL....

Really, no secret. The hall is the township community center and right next door to the township volunteer fire department. There was a guy working at the fire department so I went there. I told him I had a cake for the wedding. He called a woman who had the keys....

I decided against the plastic bride and groom on top. I don't know if you can tell, but the top is just cloth flowers, two sheer roses and a spray of other white flowers.

Anatomy of a Wedding Cake

2007-08-23T14:48:00.000-04:00

Everytime I tell someone I am making a wedding cake, the invariable response is a squeal and a breathless, "I couldn't possibly do that!"

I'll tell you a secret, it's not that hard to do. If you have the proper training (which I have) and have done enough (which I have) you can do it too.

Gawsh... just like doing almost anything.

Except, of course, you have to have ~some~ talent. Talent gives the flair and the spark to the creation. It make it come alive.

My middle son, Ted, is a very talented musician. He plays piano and french horn. He has natural talent and plays with his heart and soul. You can hear it.

Last March, he competed in a contest where the participants were graded. They didn't compete against each other, but each received a score, with 1 being the best score possible. It was possible for many students to have a score of 1. And many did get 1's.

Ted played his piano solo after a very good friend played his piano solo. Both boys received a score of 1. Some people remarked to me that Ted had played much better than his friend, but they could say why. Ted had actually made a small mistake during his performance. Ted's piano teacher summed it up nicely. He said that Ted played with his heart and the other boy played with his mind.

That was the difference between the two performances, the heart and soul that went into the piece could be heard.

So it is with wedding cakes (and writing). If you heart is in it while creating, your creation will stand out and be a masterpiece!

I'll try to post a picture so you can see my creation!

I'm a fraud

2007-08-19T22:35:00.000-04:00

I'm a fraud. I can write worth a crap.

Why do I even try? My stuff sucks.

I'm sitting at my computer with no interruptions and I'm busy playing solitaire instead of writing.

I'm a fraud.

I haven't even opened the manuscript this time. Most times I pretend to write and have it opened. Not today. I just don't want to write anything.

Fraud... tell everyone.

Reading

2007-07-21T10:06:00.000-04:00

Another Harry Potter night and the last book published.

We did the whole Potter Party at the bookstore thing. Stood in line for hours until we finally got our book (at the grocery store).

At 1 am, I was tired of the crowds at the bookstore and physically beat, my youngest was cranky, the older boy was had lost his friends. It was time to go. Someone had come into the bookstore and told us the grocery store had plenty of HP books with no waiting. We all agreed, let's go. Ten minutes later we've bought the book and checking it out in the car. My older boy starting reading it aloud to us on the way home.

It was kind of sad, too. The last book. As my older boy said, I don't want it to end.

Yes, but all things must end, so enjoy them while you can. The HP hype has been interesting. I truly hope that more children and young adults are reading because of the Harry Potter phenomenon.

There was a mix of people at the bookstore. Of course, you had the school age kids with mom and dad. But there were a fair amount of high school age teenagers and young 20 somethings. I would bet half of the people in the store ranged in age between 12 and 30.

These are the readers that the NY publishers hope to catch. If the HP books are the start, then so be it. I think there has been an explosion of young adult titles in the past ten years. We've seen everything from the Pullman novels, to Charlie Bones to Eragon and Eldest, to the re-issueing of the Narnia books. My older son is reading the Alice in Wonderland books.

Anything that gets kids reading can't be bad.

I wonder how late the boys stayed up reading last night...? I went to bed. I only bought two copies. I can wait to read the book when the boys are done.

Life?

2007-07-07T23:09:00.000-04:00

Life passes us by, stealing time away. It seems that the hour glass with sand dwindling away is a very appropriate metaphor, We watch our days seeping down and being lost to us. Do we ever savor the moment? Are we making a difference on this earth? Does anyone care about me?

Last week, I spent a sorrow-filled evening in a church with all ages of mourners paying their last respects to a young man. Caleb was only 21 and had tragically died in an accident.

In the everyday sense, he wasn’t a remarkable young man. He didn’t graduate from high school with honors. He wasn’t the captain of the football team and didn’t earn Eagle Scout. He didn’t play first chair violin in orchestra and didn’t star in the school play. He didn’t edit the school newspaper and wasn’t on yearbook staff. He was not on Quiz Bowl or the Chess Team.

But he was remarkable in his own way. He had the biggest heart and would do anything for his friends or family. He loved and was loved by many people. He may not have made a big difference in the world, but he did make a big difference in lives of those people.

The church was packed with hundreds of people of all ages. Fifty or more of his friends filled the balcony and many of the pews. Members of the church came to show their support to the family. Other mourners were like myself. We knew his parents, having lost touch with a young man out of his parents house. We came out of respect for his family.

But what did I see? People that Caleb had touched during his short lifetime. The service didn’t fill a football stadium, but it did fill the hearts of those present.

To paraphrase the wizard in The Wizard of Oz, we are not judged by how much we love, but by how much we are loved.

Surely if Caleb was judged at the pearly gates of heaven, God didn’t look at his academic or work record, but at the hearts that mourned the loss of the young man.

Rest in peace, Caleb.

Shakespeare by Another Name

2007-05-19T23:20:00.000-04:00

I've just completed reading a fascinating book by Mark Anderson called "Shakespeare by Another Name". In this biography, he writes a compelling story of Edward de Vere, the English Earl of Oxford, who wrote under the pen name of "Shake-speare".

I am not a fan of Shakespeare and find it very difficult to read his plays and sonnets. However, he was obviously a very learned man, widely traveled and intimate with the upper class of England. After reading this book, I find it hard to believe that a tanner's son from the country town of Avon, with no provable schooling could have written some of the greatest works of the English language.

I see that we have two personaes, one being Shakspere the actor (as spelled on his tombstone) and the other being Shakespeare the author. The question has arisen as to why did the author choose a name already belonging to someone, and an actor to boot! I find that to be the easiest question of all to answer. It was pure coincidence that an actor would have almost the same name as the pseudonym. There was no "google" for de Vere to check on a pen name.

De Vere choose the name Shakespeare because it means to shake a spear or pen, thus being the perfect pen name for a playwright. When the plays were published, the author was listed as "Shake-speare". It was very common for pen names to be hyphenated in the 16th century.

William Shakspere's parents were illiterate as well as his siblings and children. There is no written manuscripts, letters or anything by his hand and the few signatures on record look like scribble. Not that a person cannot go to school and become literate, but keeping in mind the sixteenth century England that Will S lived in. Schools were for the privileged and wealthy. There was a grammar school in town, but there are no records as to who attended the school. Most Will S scholars believe he received his elementary schooling and then moved to London to be a law clerk. Since it has not been proven that he ever left England, how did he acquire his knowledge of Italy, or Europe? The Will S scholars believe that he learned his geography second hand and show his mistakes as "proof" that he actually never visited those countries.

Anderson's book shows that de Vere's geography of Europe in Shakespeare's plays was more correct than thought. It doesn't show ignorance, but the opposite, an intimate knowledge of Italy.

Another question arises as to why did de Vere even use a pen name. For the same reasons that modern authors use pen names, to escape censure or harassment. De Vere was a member of Queen Elizabeth's court and his plays were spoofs of the Queen and the daily life of the court. Remember Hamlet's play-within-a-play? Hamlet used the play to show his uncle that he knew the truth about his father's death. Plays were common, but subtle way to project the views of an author, much like SML today or political cartoons.

De Vere didn't want to bring shame on his family or worse, punishment to himself. At the time, freedom of speech did not exist. If the queen didn't like what you wrote, you could be censured, imprisoned, or beheaded. Anderson's book details a few of de Vere's contemporaries who were punished for their writings.

I only had to read the introduction of this book to buy it. Then, I was so hooked I read it within days. No easy feat for a book counting 800+ pages.

Workshops, etc

2007-03-17T18:02:00.000-04:00

For the past month, I've been to a writing conference and gave ideas for a writing workshop. I just came back from a "muse" talk. So... time to write.

Somewhere in between the dishes, cleaning and the daily grind, I need to find time to write. My dh loves to tell me that I can go write, but then he interrupts me for some reason. If I'm only "writing", I can do [[insert task here]] instead.

sigh....

I have to assert myself and write, otherwise this manuscript will never get completed.

Out of the Fog

2007-02-14T20:41:00.000-05:00

I have finished my busy season at work and feel like I am coming out of a fog. I am still a bit disoriented and exhausted from navigating the unseen perils.

I am trying very hard to get back into my story. I have written bits of dialog, scenes and the whole ending. I just need to keep writing and put it all together. Through the help of writing friends, I have the whole book plotted. And I still love this story.

Through everything, I still love this story. Grey and Anna are the most believable and realistic couple I have created. I know them so well and feel privileged to be writing their love story. I hope I can convey their story in the right manner to the reader. I think my love for this story has kept me on track and will help me complete this manuscript.

So, between writing challenges, moving my office, promises to myself, and reading Chinese fortune cookies, I am pressing myself to write.

So... you ask, what's with the fortune cookie? I opened one today and it said, "Any ideas seriously entertained tends to bring about the realization of itself." Even the d@mm fortune cookies are telling me to get off my duff and write.... butt in chair, fingers on keyboard, brain focused.

In similar vein, I am taking my writing to a new level. I am going to be serious about my writing. How serious? So serious that I am treating writing like a business. I am keeping receipts and am going to write off expenses on next year's taxes. I am going to go to writer's workshops. I've join another chapter of RWA and dropped one that didn't do anything for me.

Sigh... I wish I could go to Nationals, but I can't. The money woes rears it's ugly head. Between airfare, conference fees, hotels and food, I would need over one thousand dollars. I know many chapters give out scholarships for the conference fees, but how would I come up with the rest of the money?

There's always next year in San Fran. A local chapter mate and I are planning for 2008.

Nora Pages

2006-09-16T23:35:00.000-04:00

In July, RWR published an interview with Nora Roberts. In this interview, the inevitable question is asked of her, how do you write so much?

Nora, in her never-failing poise, answered "hard work."

Now, how basic is that? If a surgeon wants to perform surgery, he goes to the hospital, dons gown, picks up scapel and works. If a actor wants to act, he goes to the movie set and works. If programmer wants to create a software program, he sits in front of the compter and works.

So, if a writer wants to writer, he picks up pen (or whatever instrument) and writes!

As for the "muse", Nora ignores her muse. She said something to the effect that you should lasso the muse to chair and make her write. It doesn't matter what you write or how good or bad it is, what matters is that you are writing. You can always fix bad writing, but you can't fix no writing. There is nothing to edit on an empty page.

Well, that interveiw had a profound effect on some writer friends of mine. We have coined the term "Nora Pages".

Nora Pages are what you write when you're tired and don't want to write. They are a guaranteed POS (piece of sh!t) when they are being written. You will rub your eyes and grit your teeth while writing them. You will hate them. You will call them a waste of time because you could be mopping the floor instead. You will spend an hour staring, cursing, and writing, while your butt gets sore from sitting in the chair.

By the end of the week, you'll have written more than you had at the beginning. You might have something you can use. You might have a germ of an idea. You might have some dialog, you might have a descriptive passage. And might only have a POS that all needs to be stricken from your manuscript.

But you will definitely have the stretched your brain and have had some productive writing that week.

If you want to be a writer, everyday you have to write something. If it's not the greatest work you've ever done, then it better be Nora Pages.

Nora is a great inspiration to all writers. Her books are award-winning and they sell like crazy. Writers should emulate her work ethic and just "write." Go do your Nora Pages.

Moving Right Along

2006-08-18T22:35:00.000-04:00

My latest story is moving right along. Thanks to Mel and Rene! I needed a good kick to get started. This is such a great story. I'm excited. The characters are real, but I have no clue about their love story.... So I just made it up.

On another note, for my research, I have been collecting pictures and I made these book covers out of pictures of the house.

Aren't they a riot! LOL

I am hoping I will find a picutre of my hero, Lord Grey. So far, no luck. There might exist one in a private collection, but ... who knows? The house on the cover, that was owned by Grey, is now a hotel. I even e-mailed the hotel asking if they knew if they had a portrait in the collection in the house. See the portrait over the mantel on the left? Maybe they had one? But no. Get this, they had not catalogued the paintings in the house. I'm not sure if I believe that. The portraits in th hotel are probably museum quality. I would think the hotel would be sure to catalogue them.

Sigh.... I think I got the brush off. I bet the person who answered my e-mail was a flunky.

Even without a picture, I can still write.

To the end

2006-08-01T20:52:00.000-04:00

My next story (see below) has given me such inspiration, it's amazing. I've plotted out other stories before but never felt such excitement as I have with this one. It's great! I am so ready to write. I have been doing research, writing out character bits, plot charts, etc. The creative juices are just flowing. I am soooo ready to write this next story!

Just one teensy problem. I promised myself I would finish my other historical first.

Darn...

Should I? I should, shouldn't I? I should finish one story before starting another. The funny thing about my other story is that it's all plotted. I know exactly what's going to happen in the next three chapters until the end. That's how close I am.

I'm not bored with my first historical. On the contrary, I think it's pretty good and I'm not sick of the characters yet. But I'm just not excited anymore.

So . . . If I finish my first historical, then as a reward, I can write this next one? (No title yet, just Lord Grey)

Maybe. . . and maybe not. Rene seems to write three stories at once. Can I write two?

My Next Story

2006-07-23T22:34:00.000-04:00

Here's the inspiration for my next story. This is a real portrait of a countess and her daughter painted around 1760. The girl elopes (gasp!) with an army officer and has three children. Their only boy is a baron, Lord Grey, who is a friend of Lord Byron, the poet. Lord Grey even leases Lord Byron's country house for five years. The two men have a falling out, then Lord Grey marries a country girl, Anna. And thus begins my story. I know nothing of their courtship and marriage, but hey, I'm a writer, I'll make it up!

Too much fun!

2006-07-12T22:31:00.000-04:00

I am having way too much fun with this site:

http://www.glassgiant.com/romance/

Here's a romance novel bookcover I created.

Time Out

2006-06-17T15:38:00.000-04:00

With the help of a book and a wonderful support group, I am back to writing my novel. I am going to finish it and submit it to an agent/editor before the end of the year. That is my goal.

But the help I'm getting is invaluable. The book "The Artist's Way at Work" has many tools to help someone get back their creativity. One aspect is Time Outs.

The idea behind a Time Out is nicely explained in this month's RWR, in the PROgress article by Barbara Samuels called Filling the Well.

Each of us gets burned out. We need time to relax and many of us take that time. For me, there is no more relaxing even than a hot tub and a book. I had been doing that, but my creativity had not returned. I still felt stymied, stuck at the starting gate. My writing was going nowhere. I would sit at my computer and nothing would flow from my fingers to the keyboards. Was I not trying hard enough? No, since taking part in this bookstudy and reading Samuels article, I know what was missing: Filling the well.

I had an empty well, but I needed to fill it. I needed to find creative outlets, for me to look at, read, watch, explore. I needed to refresh, renew and energize.

I am taking my time outs and am finding my creativity returning. My muse has returned. I am writing. I have written more in the past month than I have in the past year.

I have discovered that I must push myself to write, I do need to find the time to sit in front of the computer. But I needed more. I needed to fill the well.

I need to nurture myself and my creativity.

As parents, we spend much time to bring different expereinces to our children, sports, music, art, we haul them to museums and science centers, trying to have them experience as much as possible. Well, we need that as much as they do.

I challenge you to find yourself a creative outlet this week. Take a time out. Go to a museum all by yourself. Go visit a flower garden. Window shop at a store that you can't afford. Get out of the house and see something new. Don't go with a friend, but by yourself so you don't have a relationship to manage, just you and your experience.

Fill the well.

Doing nothin'

2006-05-31T22:51:00.000-04:00

I love vacations!

I love to travel and see new places, meet new people and try new things. Travel vacation are great!

But know what else I like? Doing nothing on a week off work!

I have been off work this week and had no special plans. My dh is also off. Oh, we pretend to do some work, then lay around and read. We've been too lazy to go anywhere, even seeing things in our hometown.

The boys still have school this week, so we have been waving them good-bye as they climb into the bus. Then we run back inside and take a nap! [giggle]

Lazy lazy lazy.... guilty

Fried Brains

2006-03-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

I absolutely HATE this time of year. I finished my busy season at work. The additional work and overtime takes so much out of me that I have a hard time getting back into the swing of things.

I don't want to do any work at work, especially since I now have the most boring routine tasks to do. My house is a pit and cleaning sounds too much like drudgery. I don't want to sweep out the dust balls from underneath the beds and clean the toiliets.

Worse, I find it hard to write. It happens very year at this time. I finally have more time to write and my muse is silient. I should not try so hard to fight it. I think my mind is in a re-generating mode. I give so much of my brain to my work that there's not much left for writing. I have been trying to read more. And that's part of writing, too.

sigh

Christmas in The Trenches

2005-11-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

My name is Francis Toliver, I come from Liverpool.

Two years ago the war was waitin’ for me after school.

To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here.

I fought for King and Country I love dear.

Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung.

The frozen fields of France were still—no Christmas songs were sung.

Our families back in England were toasting us that day,

Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground,

When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound.

Says I, “Now listen up me boys,” each soldier strained to hear,

As one young German voice sang out so clear.

“He’s singing bloody well, you know,” my partner says to me.

Soon one by one each German voice joined in in harmony.

The cannons rested silent—the gas cloud rolled no more,

As Christmas brought us respite from the war.

As soon as they were finished, and the reverent pause was spent,

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” struck up some lads from Kent.

Oh, the next they sang was “Stille Nacht,” tis “Silent Night” says I,

And in two tongues one song filled up that sky.

“There’s someone comin’ towards us!” the frontline sentry cried.

All sights were fixed on one lone figure trudging from their side.

His truce flag like a Christmas Star shone on that plain so bright,

As he bravely strode unarmed into the night.

Then one by one on either side walked into “no man’s land,”

With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand.

We shared some secret brandy and wished each other well,

And in a flare-lit soccer game, we gave ‘em hell.

We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home.

These sons and fathers far away from families of their own.

Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin.

This curious and unlikely band of men.

Soon daylight stole upon us, and France was France once more.

With sad farewells we each began to settle back to war.

But the question haunted every heart that lived that wondrous night,

“Whose family have I fixed within my sights?”

Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost so bitter hung.

The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung.

For the walls they’d kept between us to exact the work of war,

Had been crumbled and were gone forever more.

Oh my name is Francis Toliver, in Liverpool I dwell.

Each Christmas come since World War One. I’ve learned its lessons well.

That the ones who call the shots won’t be among the dead and lame,

And on each end of the rifle we’re the same.

© 1984 John McCutcheon - All rights reserved

Olivia speaking - My husband discovered this song on the radio
years ago and plays it on piano during the Christmas season.
I find it very appropriate for the events of the past few years.
I think the last two lines are especially poignant.

Call me Madame President

2005-11-19T23:35:00.000-05:00

or.... (more appropriately titled)

What in the heck have I done?

My RWA chapter met today and guees who is the new president? yeah, me.

It can't be very pretigious because no one else wanted it.

Oh,wait, that's not fair. Our chapter may be small, but I bet we good percentage of published authors. A quick tabulation has me guessing about fifteen percent of the members are published. Not bad, not bad.

One reason I took the job was because it's not a lot of work. I don't have lots of time to organize speakers, or whatever. Our meetings are pretty informal gab sessions where we discuss the problems we are having with our plot, writing, agents, etc. It's actually very informative for a newbie like me.

I am going to take some advice of the outgoing president. She suggested that I create a vision of where the chapter is going: grow more members, have more outside speakers, have a contest, whatever. I've been thinking and more and more I want to take improve the website. The member doing the website is uber-busy and wouldn't mind giving it up. (I inquired about it.)

I know next to nothing about websites. I wonder if I could convince my twelve-year old son to do it for me. I bet he would take the challenge and run with it. Teenagers, they know everything. And MY son knows even more than that!

Im hoping that being president might help me with my career. It might look nice on a query letter to write"President of local chapter of RWA". And, if I go to nationals, there's a special meeting or somehting for presidents.

So, it will be an interesting year. Wish me luck!

Meme Tag

2005-11-06T00:17:00.000-05:00

I'm finally getting around to doing this, Rene.

Three screen names that you've had: Ladie_Olivia, ~~Olivia, oliviacharles

Three things you like about yourself: Smart, funny, great hair

Three things you don't like about yourself: Too fat, shy, somethimes I speak before I think.

Three parts of your heritage: Hungarian, Hungarian, Hungarian (yup 100% pure)

Three things that scare you: Spiders, scary movies, rats

Three of your everyday essentials: coffee, hugs, morning shower

Three things you are wearing right now: jeans, tee shirt, sweatshirt

Three of your favorite songs: Top of the World (Karen Carpenter, hokey but I love it); anything Beethoven; Woman (John Lennon)

Three things you want in a relationship: unconditional love, endless hugs, humor

Two truths and a lie: I am as fierce as a tiger when something threatens my children; I play handbells at church; we watch lots of TV

Three things you can't live without: my car, my cat, my daughter

Three places you want to go on vacation: coast of Maine, Black Hills of South Dakota, Grand Canyon

Three things you just can't do: fit into size twelve jeans, eat olives, build a fire

Three kids' names: Ann, John, Ted, Charlie (how could I not name all four?)

Three things you want to do before you die: visit my vacation spots, make money publishing a book, find the secret to my grandmother's coffee cake

Three celeb crushes: I'm really out of touch cause I don't have any

Three of your favourite musicians: Oh geez . . .

Three physical things about the opposite sex that appeals to you: chest hair, muscles on forearms, tight rear

Three of your favourite hobbies: writing, reading, cooking

Three things you really want to do badly right now: sleep late, drink a chocolate milkshake, write my story

Three careers you're considering/you've considered: lawyer, editor/proofreader, writer

Three ways that you are stereotypically a boy: can't get me out of jeans, love video games, I love calculus & math!

Three ways that you are stereotypically a girl: love to play with hair, awesome cook, cry at sad movies

Three people that I would like to see post this meme: Ann, Emily, Steph

Published . . . . not really

2005-09-27T01:16:00.000-04:00

One of our ex-VPs at work has published a sci-fi book. We all thought it was great he had become a published author. So, being the dutiful employees we are, we looked up the book on Amazon. It got a glowing reveiw. Wow! I'm impressed.

Wait. . . something's not right. The person who wrote the review is an old buddy of the author. Oh, look. Who's the publisher? Booksurge? I haven't heard of that publisher before. A quick google revealed BookSurge to be a vanity press.

We weren't impressed anymore, we were laughing. The ex-VP paid to have his book published.

Well, not all self-published books were crap. So I decided to see what BookSurge was publishing. I don't have a wide experience, but I know a good romance when I read one.

I ramdomly choose one romance and opened the sample chapter. yuk. And to prove it, here's the first few paragraphs. (Names have been changed to protect the innocent)

John Smith would remember that particular April 28th for a long time, because it somehow managed to be both the worst day and the best day of his life.
The mail had arrived as usual the night before, but he hadn’t bothered to read it until he got up that morning. When he had, he’d found out that he and his buddy Jack Jones, who shared an apartment, had just been evicted. The letter from the landlord had informed them that a couple of 22-year-olds had never been his idea of prime tenants. Especially when they cultivated bait in the bathroom. John thought it was unfair to blame both of them for something Jack had done.

Now we know why this was not picked up by a reputable publisher. I can only imagine what my former collegue's book is like.

I've just listed two reason why I will never publish with a vanity press. One, I won't really be published. Two, no editing. Now with all due respect to BookSurge, professional editing is available for (another) cost. How many books would you have to sell at $14 each to recover $2000 spent for artwork, editing, printing, etc at a royalty rate of 25 percent?

Okay, I know I'm being snarky and laughing up my sleeve at vanity press authors. But I will never forget a comment made in a writer's meeting.

"It's good to be published, but it's great to be paid."

Let's keep sight of the real goal.

Shocked and sad

2005-08-27T16:17:00.000-04:00

A few days ago, I heard that some very good friends are ending their marriage. I feel shocked! Really!

This is a couple who have two children and have been married for almost twenty-five years. I feel that the world has tilted on it's axis.

How can they do this to themselves? Their children? Their marriage? Their friends?! (Am I being selfish by thinking of how this affects me?)

Twenty-five years! Why? Why are they getting a divorce now? They are very religious and never expected it of them. They've talked of commitment many times. Commitment to each other, their marriage, their children, god.

I don't get it.

My husband and I have been married twenty-three years. Each time we hear of another pair of our contemporaries getting a divorce, we always wonder about ourselves. If it can happen to them, can it happen to us? I am so puzzled.

Commitment, damn it! I stood in front of hundreds of relatives and friends and promised this man that I would stand by him no matter what! It meant something to me. Other people have done it to. Doesn't it mean anything to them! Is it all a big fat lie? It it just wishful thinking?

Of course people change, but do they have to grow apart? Are we predestined to be divorced in twenty years? Is it inevitable? Can my marriage beat the odds?

I try to look at the couples that are still together. While my parents are married (50 years and counting) they are not of the "divorce" generation. People my age are the one that first got divorces as easily as getting a new car. I have a friend who is on her third husband. Each year the pool of "still married" shrinks.

I don't have anything against divorced people. I realize that relationships go bad and people change. The person you married many years ago may not be the person you are living with now. If someone is truly unhappy and the love is gone, then nothing can save a marriage.

But my job as a friend, if to stand by and be there. Whatever decisions they make are theirs to make. I don't have to agree, or understand, just abide by it.

But I don't fully understand. . .

and maybe never will.

Hmmm. . . an apology

2005-08-05T22:33:00.000-04:00

Hot off the presses: This just popped through my e-mail from an on-line RWA chapter:

Permission to forward granted: The following members of the RWA Board of Directors wish to apologize for the disappointing direction of the Awards Ceremony during the 2005 conference. What should have been a celebration, not only of our finalists and award winners, but also of the growth and success of RWA, was not. Members of the board were repeatedly assured by the Awards Ceremony Board Liaison that the planning of the program was progressing appropriately. It was not until it was too late that we discovered that the focus of the ceremony had strayed from the theme we'd been given. We thank those members who stepped in at the last moment to try to fix the script. We also apologize sincerely to our award winners, our finalists, and our members that the program was not appropriate to celebrate RWA's success, as well as theirs. We apologize especially to Nora Roberts, who was not only put in an untenable position, but whose statement as to her reasons for not appearing was not read. We pledge to move forward from this and to make the Awards Ceremony in Atlanta exactly what it should always be--a night on which we embrace the joys of romance writing and recognize the finalists and winners of our most cherished awards. Gayle Wilson President-Elect Kathy Carmichael Secretary Connie Newman Treasurer Nicole Burnham Region 1 Director Lisa Kamps Region 1 Director Dorien Kelly Region 2 Director Peggy Emard Region 2 Director Linda Howard Region 3 Director Linda Winstead Jones Region 3 Director Karen Fox Region 4 Director Sherry Lewis Region 4 Director Geralyn Dawson Region 5 Director Jill Limber Region 6 Director Jennifer Crump PRO Liaison Teresa Carpenter Chapter Liaison

The Real Magic of Harry Potter

2005-07-20T21:05:00.000-04:00

Did you hear it? You have to be real quiet. There! A page of a book was turning. And there. . . I hear a chuckle.

Isn't it amazing how one author can turn a nation (world) of movie fanatics into readers of books? Applause and cheers for J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter series. Not only are children fascinated with her characters, but adults as well. I admit it; I have read the books many times.

I am reading The Half Blood Prince very slowly so I can savor the book. The last two I devoured in hours and missed too much of Rowling's writings to enjoy it. I compare it to gulping a gormet meal to get to the dessert. I will savor every bite or this book, taste every morsel, swirl it on my palate and swallow slowly.

My two older boys have read it all and are being very quiet about the outcome and I thank them.

Why is the well dry?

2005-07-14T20:03:00.000-04:00

Our house is built on low ground. We knew this, but still decided to put in a basement. The floor of the basement sits inches above a water table, sometimes below. To keep our basement dry, we have a system of holey pipes or "drainage tile" embedded into the perimeter of the foundation. Some tiles sit under the basement floor. All the water collected in the pipes flow into a sump crock at the corner of the basement. In this crock is a sump pump that pumps the water up from the basement and out to a drain.

During the spring when the snow melts, water constantly flows into the crock, sounding like a horse emptying his bladder. I often go down to the basement to do laundry and never think about the tile, crock or the sump pump doing their intended job, keeping our basment dry.

Until yesterdy. I lugged down a load of laundry and noticed the quiet in the basement. It was eerie. I feared the worst. Had the system stopped working and water was backing up into the crock? When water reaches the tile, there is no sound of water falling.

With trepidation, I went to the crock and lifted the lid. To my total horror, the crock was dry!

I gazed at the sight beneath my feet. The edges of the tile showed no sign of any water. The pump sat on the bottom of the crock surrounded by dried silt. Thinking of the weather the past months reminded me that we hadn't had any rain. The ground was dry and no water flowed into the crock.

There was no water. The crock was dry.

And so it is with my writing. The crock is dry. There are no ideas flowing into my brain. There are no ideas flowing onto my keyboard. You cannot pump water out of a dry crock.

Why has my well of ideas gone dry? I have been trying for months to bring back the magic I had when thoughts flowed from my brain to my fingers so fast that it was hard to keep up with typing.

Lately though, nothing has flowed from my fingers. I have tried many different exercises to bring back the magic. I am reading novels, writer's how-to books, motivation books (and quoting them digustingly). I am trying to write small essays like this one. If something in the news gets me riled up, I'll write a letter to the editor. Heck, I've even tried writing smut, ...er erotica.

But no water has been flowing into my crock. There is nothing to pump out.

Do I wait for the rainy season to come back? Will it? Do I keep trying to prime the pump?

Quick post

2005-07-07T14:31:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post from vacation-land. I am sitting in the library ~er.. "infozone"... of the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Three of the four boys have deserted me and the remaining one is sitting next to me playing an internet computer game while I check my mail and blogs.

I am amazed at the speed of the internet service! My dial-up crawls compare to the hyper-speed of this computer. Of course, the downside is that I have five kids standing behind me, breathing down my neck waiting for me to get off.

[[pause in typing to give the evil eye to the kids reading over my shoulder]]

Vacations are great. Sleeping in, swimming, spending money recklessly... what a way to live. I'm glad I don't do it all the time. Tomorrow we go to the lake.

I have discovered that there is a serious flaw in my gothic manuscript. . . . it needs a story. I have a great ending with all the intricate web of deceit to reveal. but I need to go from the first stalking event (the beginning) past the murder (body on the stairs that disappears) to the climax, (FBI agents storming the house to save our heroine from the villian). I can't seem to creat a story for this plot. Maybe I need to concentrate on the romance story first and weave the action around the romance.

Hey. . . maybe that's what I'm doing wrong. I'm trying to write action and I should be writing romance.

~~And maybe our herione can save herself and hold the gun on the villian while waiting for the FBI~~

Another vacation

2005-06-28T09:59:00.000-04:00

I have a short vacation coming up next week. Nothing big and fancy like the last one. I am just going to visit my sister and "play" with her children and mine. I have two boys and she has two stepsons. The four boys just love each other. So I am visiting her and taking all the boys to a science museum, the zoo and plenty of swimming. I am looking forward to getting off work for a week and going to another city. And maybe it will be cooler next week.

This 90+ degree weather is killer. We do not have air conditioning at home and the house gets up to 85 or so. Fans, cold water, etc. At least it cools off at night.... and I work in an air conditioned office.

Take back the night

2005-06-23T20:18:00.000-04:00

There is a program in my city that's called "Take Back the Night". It's basically an anti-crime program trying to make the streets safe for people to walk.

I have my own program called "Take Back the Night". I have decided to not kill myself at work. I am not going to work SO hard that I am dead tired at night when I get home. I want to use my evenings for more than sitting on the couch.

With the American work ethic, you would think that the harder I worked, the more rewards I would reap. Well, it doesn't work that way in my office. If you work hard and get all your work done, you will be given more work, usually from a person who is goofing off.

Let's see if I have this right. I work my butt off and get my work done. Do I get a raise? No, I get more work. So now I am doing one-third of another's person work. . . . and she is getting paid the same as me.

What----am I nuts?

No. I am going to do what is necessary and not a minute more. . . . . and maybe sneak in some writing, too.

Will I get in trouble? Heavens no. I'll just stand around and complain about how much work I have. . . like other people do.

Chill Out!

2005-06-15T00:25:00.000-04:00

Was I on meds when I wrote that last post? Geez, could you feel the anger? I need to chill out.

In all fairness, I was tired and sleep-deprived and the boys wouldn't be quiet and go to sleep.

Coffee...... trees..... birds......

Think mellow thoughts.

I have some great ideas for the next few chapters of my book. My heroine Selina, is reading her mother's diary. For weeks, I have been trying to decide what I wanted her to read. I know that Selina will find out that her mother, Annabelle, really did love her father, George. But I needed more to that story.

So, Selina will also learn that her mother did not leave willingly. She was threaten by her husband's father. Her in-laws, the earl and countess at that time, didn't want their "impeccable lineage" destroyed by a common actress. They tried giving her money, they tried making her life miserable. When those schemes didn't work, they threatened her. Annabelle still wouldn't leave. Then they threatened the baby. The child was a girl and expendable. So Annabelle left Selina to save her life.

Her husband knew nothing of this. Annabelle couldn't tell him. He wouldn't believe his parents capable of threats and his parents would deny it, making Annabelle look like a fool. His parents thought that if Annabelle left with a man and went back to London to acting, George would divorce Annabelle and find a new bride.

Selina knows that her father never sought a divorce and never remarried. And she also finds out later in the book that her father loved her mother and felt horribly betrayed when she left. The betrayal ran so deep that he could not marry again, not even to secure an heir.

What do you think? I've already started the story of Selina's parents as a subplot in the book. I will add their reunion as a second "love story".

Noise ! ! !

2005-06-12T21:18:00.000-04:00

I hate noisy fireworks!!

It's 9:30 at night and I am trying to get my boys to bed and someone in the neighborhood is lighting firecrackers. How in the h3ll are we supposed to sleep with such noise going on? It's summertime and the windows are open. No, we don't have air conditioning.

Every year it's the same noisy crap. For about a month, the neighborhood goes nuts with firecrackers, M-80s, Kat bombs, and other crap I've never even heard of. And the only objective of these dangerous, illegal (did I mention that this sh!t was illegal) crap is to make NOISE!!! Until 2 or 3 in the morning!!!!

Don't bother calling the police. The perpetrators all hide it and deny everything when a cop car trolls by. The cops don't care. Yeah, they're all busy with real crimes like bank robbers (Ha ha ha...) They're really late for donuts at Beaners.

So we have to put up with noisy crap all night long, every night, for a month.

And they don't stop on July 4. Oh no. the noise continues for a week after that.

I need to get even. I need to buy my own firecrackers and light them at 5:30 in the morning in front of their house.... if I can figure out who is doing it.

As I am writing this, I am thinking of all the ways to get revenge. If I find the houses that are doing it, I need a camcorder to record them. Maybe that'll make them stop. Or, I can park my car in front and lay on the horn while their lighting them. A big spotlight. Hmm.... I wonder how much it is to rent a big spotlight? Imagine that. Three or four cars blaring their horns with a big spotlight turned on their sky to ruin the display. Shit... I am laughing so hard....

Don't get me wrong. I love fireworks.... for a half hour display. Then stop it. Not hours and hours and days and days of noise noise noise noise.

Getting old

2005-06-08T22:26:00.000-04:00

It's hell to get old, really. Okay, maybe I'm not eighty and barely able to walk, but I am in my forty's and losing my eyesight. I have worn glasses since seventh grade. Luckily, my eyes were never that bad, I didn't need coke bottle bottoms perched on my nose to see the blackboard. When I turned sixteen, I was able to pass the eye exam part of the driver's test without my glasses. But in the thirty years since, my eyes have slowly deteriorated. I find myself getting a stronger prescription everytime I go to the eye doctors. It's normal, he reassures me, just the aging process of the eyes. But, now I've hit big time, READING GLASSES!!!

I find it funny that when my distance vision is corrected, I need reading glasses to see close up. Oh it's not that bad yet. I can read most things, menus in restuarants don't thwart me yet. Newspaper and magazines can be read, but when I need to read a medicine bottle or the fine print in a magazine, I reach for my reading glasses.

If do not have in contacts for distance, I can read just fine. But I find myself squinting at other things. For example, if I try to do anything on the computer without contacts, my nose must be six inches or less from the screen to see it.

I am up this morning, coffe in one hand and dana in the other. If I sit at a confortable position to type, I can't read the screen. Mistakes abound!

If I hunch over to read what I am writing, by back hurts and my fingers hit my nose.

Oh, but the fredom of going without contacts. I feel I am naked in the wind.

Is laser surgery in my future?

We live in a forest

2005-06-07T02:09:00.000-04:00

Not really but almost. It sure seems like that somedays.

We are blessed by owning an acre of land with tall mature trees, something that is very rare being minutes away from a major highway on the outskirts of a city.

We have trees that are green and sweet smelling, birds that are busy gathering food and other woodland creatures. This morning, I was sitting at the kitchen table waiting for my morning cofee to brew, listening to the sound of the coffee maker, smelling the coffee, but other sounds invaded my space. More pleasent sounds, birds. Many birds. Our cat heard them too

I had opened the sliding glass doors to the outside. I coud hear many birds singing their morning songs.

What peace.

Tweets and twitters, pleasent trills and music. How blessed I am. Some people cannot hear the birds. Not because they don't have them near their house, but because they never stop to listen.

The only thing better would be a deck to sit on. Then I could truly be in the middle. But if I were outside, would the birds stop?

Good Morning

2005-06-05T21:50:00.000-04:00

I need coffee. I need it like air, like water, like sleep. It's my wake-up potion and my morning ritual. I lust not only for the caffeine, but for the hot bitter beverage that delivers the stimulant. There is something timeless and comforting about a creamy cup of java and jelly toast. I am home.

Welcome to my blog, my ritual, my comfort, my stimulant. A place to empty my mind and allow thoughts, just random thoughts about stuff, to fill a page. A place where there is no judgment, no pressure, no urgency.

Just floating on a sea of thoughts.