Hacked!

My web based email was hacked and someone sent out a weird email saying I was stranded in the UK and needed money. What kind of sicko does this? Then it wiped out all my contacts so I don't even know who it went out to. I'm fuming! I contacted yahoo and asked what they could do about it but haven't heard from them yet. Has this ever happened to you? What do you do about it?
I'm deleting my yahoo accounts which will also delete my flicker account but what else can I do?
Blah. Some people are so mean.

So You Want to be a Writer

Work is really slow this time of year. In fact, it's dead. We sit around and watch movies, read, draw or paint, play computer games or surf. (I hate this job...I don't do well with boredom) And now the powers that be told us to stay off the internet.
REally? What the hell am I supposed to do now?
I want them to give me work...something...anything to do...but there is none for now. Even when there is work it's easy stuff so that's not that entertaining either.
I try writing and sometimes when the office is quiet I can get some done, but usually the chatter is too distracting.
I need a new job. Something busy and active. Blah, the job market isn't that great right now so I don't see anything that would fit me. . . yet. Being a full time writer isn't there for me. At least not yet. (I'm hoping!)
So, I'm looking.
While I'm looking, check this out -->

Cross Country, Oy! Mr. Patterson!

Normally, I love James Patterson. Yes, I've heard the rumors that he doesn't write his own books and yes, sometimes those short chapters annoy the hell out of me, but generally I like his books. And I love the Alex Cross series.
Then I read Cross Country and prayed for it to be over. This was the worst book I've read in a long! long! long! time!
It broke all the rules! There were so many exclamation marks I thought I should be jumping up off my chair for every other sentence!
There there were the rhetorical sentences. They came in groups of three (always three!) in every chapter.
If you've ever read any of the Alex Cross books you know he's this big, tough detective. He's too smart to take unnecessary chances and always puts his family first.
He's the perfect man.
Well, whoever took over the Alex Cross in this book was none of those things. He came across dumb as a doornail, took stupid chances and was a really feminine. Yes, big tough Alex Cross came across in this book as a girl. Jacqueline Daniels had a bigger pair than this guy.
Now lets move on to the plot....Alex goes to Africa to try and track a murderer. However he goes without a clue as to where to look for this man. Africa is a big continent so....what's the plan Alex? Wander here and there and hope for the best to bump into this guy?
But lets back up, Alex has no proof that this guy is in Africa. He only has some rumors that the guy originally came from there. The Alex Cross in previous books was much smarter than this guy.
Weak plot and out-of-character characters make for a really bad book. And I think this book was written by a woman. The feminine voice comes through so loud and clear
I can picture big, tough Alex Cross running in high heels.
Sorry James, whoever wrote this book needs to go back to writing 101.

More Sales!

Two more sales to the Confessions for January!
Yippy!

When is it Okay?

I've read a couple of books lately where there are info dumps in the first two chapters. One, a very popular book, had so much back story in the first two chapters I was wondering when the story would start.
In my critique groups this was one of the biggest no-no's, but I see this happening in books all the time.
So when is it okay?
This is a picture of Trixie. She came up from West Virginia on the day she was supposed to be euthanized. This week she got a new family to love. Yay Trixie!

I. Have. To. Share.

Freelancing...

I've been doing a little freelance writing and having a lot of fun with it. I'm nervous every time I turn something in. I sweat out the rewrites and rejoice when I get an acceptance.
The amazing Mark Terry posted a whole freelance course on his blog a while ago and over these months I keep going back and rereading it. I wanted to do it, but was so scared to start. Fiction was easy. Fiction can take many roads and as long as you know the basic guidelines/rules you can make it into anything. But freelance?
DemandStudios.com lists jobs and you grab them up. Most are short, quick things that can be written in a couple hours (if that) and they pay between seven and fifteen. I heard they pay more but haven't seen it yet. These are getting easier and easier to write.
Constant-content.com lets you write whatever you want and put it up for sale. That's easier because I can write what I want and not what I have to. And you put your own prices on the article. So far, I've made nothing there, but I only have one article up. I'm working on a few more ideas and should have more up soon.
My daughter is working for odesk.com. They post jobs from private peeps and you do whatever job they want. This can include articles, ebooks, brochures, etc. Right now I don't have time to do odesk. Work is soul-crushingly busy and I don't want to commit to something I can't give my all to.
Anyway, I'm excited about this new endeavor and just wanted to share.
This is a picture of Trixie. She came up from West Virginia the day she was supposed to be euthanized. Now she's looking for a home.
:)

A New Blog...

Since I've fostered a number of dogs already I've decided to start a new blog; Foster Dog Stories.
I hope it helps get the word out that there are millions of dogs our there that need our help. When I first started fostering I'll admit I was scared. What was I getting myself into? All kinds of questions ran through my head: Would I be able to handle a dog with "baggage"? What if they were mean? What if they pee on my furniture? What if I have to go somewhere? Who pays for the food and crates and stuff?
So that's why I started the blog. I'm hoping my experience will help others see that it's not so scary and you get a lot in return.
I may cry when I get a pancake dog or when I see the scars and neglect, but a few tears are nothing compared to the love you get in return.
So now that stuff will be on the Foster Dog blog and I'll keep the writing stuff here.
You don't have to save them all. Just start with one.

Do you Ebook?

I read Konrath's take on the new self-published ebooks and I'm curious, a little afraid of it, but curious just the same.
I have one story about a woman reincarnated as a dog and it's told from the dog's perspective...how would I ever sell this to an agent??? I don't know how to put a positive marketing spin on it so I was thinking of Amazon. (Actually it's a lot more complicated than a reincarnated dog, but it's hard to blurb)
I really like this story. It's based on the fact that a soul mate doesn't have to be a romantic interest but just a higher connection.
However what holds me back is the fact that to go up as an ebook it would have to be perfect...beyond perfect. Every word, punctuation mark, paragraph would have to be absolutely perfect.
I'm not sure if I'm up to that much perfection.
Anyone got any ebooks they did themselves? Where did you publish? How did it work out?

Which would you buy???

Kindle? Sony Reader? Nook?
I'm thinking of purchasing one of these, but I'm not sure which is better and why?
I want light weight. I want to be able to read in sunlight. I want a lot of books.
Anyone have one of these toys? Why did you choose it and how do you like it?

Courage and Freelancing...

I've finally bitten the bullet and decided to give Freelancing a go. I'm nervously waiting for my reviews on two sites, Demand Studios and Constant Content.
Demand offers topics for you to write and has strict guidelines as to how each article should be written. I see this as a learning experience. Constant Content is more open. You post what you want and someone can buy it. They also have fairly strict copy editors who will review your work before it is accepted.

This is something I've always wanted to do but never had the courage to try. Even after the amazing Mark Terry put up a wonderful online course in freelancing I still worried that what I wrote wouldn't be good enough. Courage is a funny thing. We don't always have it when we need it. Some days its there and we feel like lions, but then it disappears like a whisper fading into the wind and we're left cowering under the desk.

I once read that courage was just fear holding out a moment longer. Do you think that's true? Where is your courage? Does it come from your convictions or your fears?

Let there be Peace on Earth and...

I live across the bay from New York City. September 11th was a nightmare here. My little town is full of commuters. Most people I know train, bus or ferry across the Hudson (East River) every day to work in Manhattan. I like the Sea Streak the best. That's the ferry going from the Highlands to the city. It's a beautiful ride.
When the towers went down we could stand on our shore and see the flames from where the planes hit. Within hours our view of the New York skyline was blocked by a huge cloud of smoke. We could see the Statue but everything beyond that was just one big cloud of billowing smoke. Frantic, we all grabbed out cell phones to call our family and friends who we knew were in the city. Almost immediately cell phone service in to the city shut down and we realize how many cell phone antennas are/were on top of the twin towers. When we turned to the TV we caught images of people running from the smoke clouds chasing them down the street. I thought of my cousins, neighbors and friends who worked in the towers. It was days before we knew who made it out and who didn't. Family members went into the city each day searching through hospitals where many lay unidentified. The stink from the smoke hung in our air for days afterward. You couldn't go anywhere to escape it. That smell was in our yards, our cars and our homes. I still remember exactly how it smelled. I don't think I can ever forget.
I went into the city a few weeks later. We took the train and were met with armed soldiers who patroled the streets. They made us feel safe and horrified. The city wasn't the bustling explosion of life we knew, it was subdued. Shock still clouded the faces of those who walked the streets. Coming out of the tunnel from the train the walls were decorated with pictures and posters of the missing. Women in wedding dresses, mothers and fathers with children, graduation photos. "Have you seen this woman? this man? my wife?" We cried.
We went to see the Allergist Wife and at the end Valerie Bertinelli came out to thank everyone for not giving up on our city. She said we can't let terrorism take away our way of life. If we do, they win.
Now I see this preacher in Florida wanting to burn the Quran. Why? What purpose does that serve? Would burning the Bible avenge the Inquisition? As a man of God shouldn't he be using his powers for good instead of hate?
Somethings I don't understand.
Muslims didn't attack America, terrorists did. Just because they use God/Allah as an excuse that doesn't mean every Muslim in the world wanted it to happen. I have friends who are Muslim and they were horrified by 9/11. Muslims died in the towers along with everyone else.
So here's our memorial to 9/11. If anything let it be a day we should remember the importance of peace and respect.
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me. And you. And him. And her. And them.

Wordiness...

I'm going back over a story that's been on the shelf for a while and I'm trying to cut the useless words. Not an easy thing in fiction because we need to describe things. Hoping that when someone reads our stuff they can visualize the scenes. We need to put pictures into their heads, but how much is too much?
If I see too much description in a book I start skimming. Too little and I find myself going back to see if I missed something.
When writing sometimes I take things out only to put them back on the next rewrite. Sometimes I waffle back and forth---should I or shouldn't I?
I wish there was a black and white rule. Then I would know for sure.
Do you think Harlen Coben worries about these things?
This is my new foster dog. Her name is Riley and she's 3 months old.

The Trues...

My story, Never Give UP, is in September's issue of True Romance.
:)
And they put in a cute pic of a dog there that totally matched the dog in my story. Yay!
Woof!

California Judge OVERTURNS Gay Marriage Ban

Cheering here in New Jersey! Finally, we found one brain in California! This judge actually agrees that gay people should have the same rights as everyone else. Wow, what a concept!
This never should have gone to a vote in the first place. If our country is based on equal rights for each and every person then that should include everyone regardless of their personal choices. If the Emancipation Proclamation went to a vote of the general population slavery would still exist. Would women have the right to vote today if that went to a vote back then?
Of course not.
The human race grows and matures when they learn to accept each and every person is equal in every way. Today's decision is another step toward the maturity of mankind.
Yay Judge Vaughn Walker!

Shark!

This little guy came ashore for a snack and closed our beaches.
I need to go watch that movie JAWS now....

To E or not to E...

I've been reading a lot about authors who are now publishing their work as ebooks on Amazon and other places and it has me thinking that the face of publishing is changing.
Is this new round of self-publishing a good thing or bad?
Mr. Konrath has some very interesting thoughts on the subject. I've been reading his books since he published the first one and think he's an awesome writer. When you're looking over your shoulder at night as you read one of his books you know he has sufficiently creeped you out. And he's making money on his ebooks. We already know he's a good writer but his marketing and sales tactics continue to amaze.
We write because we love to tell the story, but for all those books that are sitting in a drawer right now, clean and ready to go, but without an agent who will take a chance on them maybe they belong as a ebook?
I have a book I love, I've written and rewritten and rewritten and now it sits there collecting dust. I'm not sure what genre it would fit in. What genre is the Marley and Me book in? It's kind of like that but from a dogs point of view. And it's more a novella size.
See?
It was a fun book to write and I love my characters, but under what label do you sell something like that?
I'm thinking .... maybe....ebook?
Do you publish your own ebooks? Would you? Where? How?
Have you reaped more problems or rewards from it?
This little pup is my new foster dog. He was found in the yard of an abandoned house. His hair was so matted they named him Marley.

Harlan Coben - CAUGHT

When 17 year old Haley McWaid goes missing the community assumes the worst. Reporter, Wendy Tynes is on a mission to bring down sexual predators with her news program, Caught in the Act. When she publicly humiliates Dan Mercer and ruins his life things happen that make Wendy believe she may have been wrong. The story escalates and brings us into suburban America where more than a few secrets are hiding.
Nothing is as it seems in Harlan Coben's new thriller, CAUGHT. This book is a page turner that will make you believe one thing is true then twist everything around till you know nothing is as it seems.
In true Coben style this book will keep you up at night. I actually misplaced it at one point and tore my house apart to find it because I just had to find out how it ended.
Great read= 5 Aimless Stars

Getting the Groove back...

I've been slacking for a while now and can't seem to get back in the saddle. I've been writing shorts and actually sold one but just can't seem to find my groove.
The health issues I've been dealing with since my car accident in 07 are still there to haunt me. My family dynamics are changing as my kids are grown up now and building their own lives and I think it's this combination that is dragging me down.
Taking in the foster dogs help. They often come from cruel and stressful situations and need extra TLC. The house still has some life in it, but I miss having the kids around.
I've been slacking off on all my writing groups which help me immensely. I just can't find the urge to go anymore. It's not like writer's block...its more like writer's don't care anymore. But I do, care that is, but still there's something missing. Perhaps my muse has fled the scene? Maybe it's all worn out and I have to go find a new one to push around? Did I work him to the bone and overload him so now he needs his rest? Ahhhh, Muse, where are you now?
Blah.
So HELP!
Where does the groove go and how can I hunt it down to drag it back?

Techie Help needed...

I work in a place that is very slow this time of year. There is NOTHING to do there. I mean...no work at all. We're busy like 7 random months out of the year and I hate it. It drives me crazy to sit there and do nothing all day. I keep thinking of all the things I could get done if I were anywhere but there.
Today I surfed the net, read a book, played spider solitaire, read some more. I tried writing a little but there are too many people yapping and I forgot my ipod.
The one thing I used to enjoy was AOL's Instant messenger. My daughter lives in Florida and it was wonderful to chat with her while I sit there and do nothing.
Then the company blocked it!
Grrrrr....
So any techie's out there tell me how I can get around this blocked chat?
Gmail chat-blocked
MSN-blocked
Yahoo chat-blocked
Help!
The IT department is pretty good...I'll need some real geek help to beat this.
Either that or anyone know of a job that will keep me busy? I can't stand this down time! Why don't they put us on a four day work week for the summer? Why don't they lend us out to other departments? Something? Anything!

Taking a Break and Guilt

I usually have several book length projects going at a time. (And I think this is my problem-I'm toooo ambidextrous.) But lately I've taken a break from working on this sort of stuff and moved to short stories. It's like having more room to breathe. Books are a commitment. They go on for hours, days, months, but a short can be cranked out in hours (not counting the rewrite). I'm having some issues finding homes for them all, but at least they're keeping my writer's muscle flexing.
So? Do you ever need a break? What do you do?

Head Hopping....I just can't let go of this...

I'm listening to a book on CD in my car for my drive to work and...I have to go look up the author's name...she's head hopping. Not blatantly and if I wasn't a writer would I even notice? It's subtle but it's there.
We're in a room with four sets of parents of kids who have been kidnapped together. Our main head is Lena's (mother of one of the victims) and we're hearing her husband's thoughts at one part and then SNAP' we're back in Lena's.
It was just like one sentence, but it was there. We weren't Lena watching the husband or listening to him, we were in his thoughts. It was so well done I'm not sure it would have bothered me except for the fact I knew it was a head hop.
I was like ...wait a minute...flip the CD back a few paces...listen...again... Yep! that was a head hop.
So now my radar is up and I'm watching for more.
Like I said, this was very well done. It kept with the flow of the story and characters.
So when is head hopping okay? Is there some kind of rule?
Or, and I've seen this before, could this be an older, more established writer who is allowed to take liberties the rest of us poor folks don't get?

Finding Old Friends

I met an old friend today. Someone I haven't seen in over twenty years. Someone I used to love. He is one of those people with a great sense of humor and all round good nature. His soul was pure. And seeing him today made me realize how much I missed him. He was there with is wife and told me about his sons and his pets. I could see by the way he talked about his life ...its been good and that made me happy.
I think seeing him today was a gift. A smile from God.

What Joy is

When Coco came to our house she was very shy. That first night she whined constantly as she paced back and forth from the front door to the back. When I'd go to pet her she'd cower, head to the ground, eyes closed-like she was waiting for the smack. When it was time to eat she'd inch up and if I turned to quick she'd brace for the blow. My heart broke each time she cringed back against the floor.
She's been with me a little over two weeks now and her personality is coming out more and more.
She comes running to get her food and prances and wags her tail when she hears me get out the treat bag. She lays out on the deck in the sun and surveys the yard instead of cowering by my side. I see a bit of independence in her today that was missing when she first came.
And today I saw pure Joy. She ran to me, put her paws up then raced away, daring me to give chase. This repeated over and over as she would run into the bushes, peek out, then come racing back. She was playing! A first for Coco since she arrived hungry, scared and shaking. I raced her around the yard a few times just to see her joy.
This one has stolen my heart. She is going to be hard to give up.
Happy Independence Day!

Good News!

I made a sale! I made a sale! I made a sale!
It's a short story but ...I made a sale!
:)
Smiling now.

The Oil Spill

I GOT AN ARC!!!

I came home the other day to find an Advanced Reading Copy of a book from Dorchester in my mail box. I'm so excited! There was a single sheet of paper in it telling me where to send my review. It also had someone's name, phone and email printed on the front of the book. Inside the author thanks her agent...one of my fav-wish-she'd-pick-me- agents...Jessica Faust from Bookends.
I don't know what I signed up for or how this book came to me, but I can't wait to review it.
It's a fantasy which is not really my kind of read but so far it's very well written. The use of language is absolutely .... beautiful. It almost reminds me of Koontz who I have long admired because of the way he weaves his words. If the rest of this book is as good as the first few chapters it's going to be a very good read.

I'm so excited!!!