Happy Holidays!

I love this guy!

Open letter to the New Jersey Senate

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
I believe that line was from the Declaration of Independence. And now in New Jersey the bill for Gay Marriage is up for a vote. It looks like it's going to be close. The only good thing is our lame duck Governor says he'll sign if it makes it to his desk. God bless him.
Now the only argument I've heard against giving gays the right to marry is that marriage is between a man and a woman. I didn't see that in our Declaration. As a matter of fact not much was mentioned about women at all...we need to edit this doc asap!
Is this whole issue a matter of semantics? They can have a civil union but not a marriage then why shouldn't we just have civil unions and do away with marriage entirely? It certainly doesn't make us all equal if only certain types of people can use it, right?
Remember that separation of church and state? In NJ we see lots of religious leaders sitting in the front row ready to speak out against gay marriage. I guess they didn't hear about that separation issue.
Women had to fight for their rights
Blacks had to fight for their rights
And now it's Gays. Who are entitled to the same rights as women, African Americans and every one else. To deny them is unconstitutional and denies them the right to pursue happiness. If we truly are the land of the free we can't exclude any one group and still be true to the freedoms granted to us by the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.
We hold these truths to be self evident. Come on New Jersey Senate! Vote with your heads and with the truths that founded our nation. Vote YES!
Want to do more? Go to Middletown Mike's site for contact information to email the powers that be: http://middletownmike.blogspot.com/

Surprize!

Books, books, and more books...

I have books. Lots of books. Books in bookcases, books under beds, books in boxes, books under tables, books in nooks, nooks full of books, books in boxes in the attic... I was in my office today, which doubles as a gym, and feeling crowded. It's time to get rid of "stuff" and as I look around, aside from the box of manuscripts on the floor and piles of them on my bench, the books are taking over. One bookcase is full of crime stuff; forensic books, books of poisons, studies of criminals and cases, police procedures, etc. Another has art books; painting rocks, acrylics, oils, pastels, drawing, Dewberry, landscapes, etc. The one standing on my work bench has my writing books; everything from the sweet and inspiring Artist's Way to Stephen King's On Writing (he has the heart of a small boy---in a jar on his desk). Moving out to the little alcove we call a library we have books on Celiac Disease, cook books, some collector items, a few fav's we might read again some day, dictionaries(my favorite book!), thesaurus, books on CD's, some Vonnegut's, Koontz, King, Konrath and Corben among others. Moving into the family room there's another bookcase with nutrition books, cooking (Kill it & Grill it), some medical manuals, oops, there's another forensic book there sandwiched between two more Konraths and an Evanovich. Let's not even go into my bedroom where I routinely knock over the pile of books on my nightstand while I'm looking for things. (this is why I can't own a kindle-I'd probably kill it.)
I've really got to thin out the herd. Any suggestions? How do you decide what to toss and what to keep? I mean, really! How can I get rid of something I might someday want to read? And how do I know the next person will love them as much as I do?
Help!

Harlequin goes to self publishing? Yikes!

The publishing community is reeling over Harlequin's announcement that they are hooking up with a self publisher and putting the Harlequin name on it.
Now correct me if I'm wrong but isn't this like a cop out? Or are they in financial trouble and looking for a quick way out?
It kind of scares me. I've read a few self published books and granted, a few are fairly good, but most lack the editing necessary to make a good book. I've often wanted to break out the red pen and go at them myself. To the author so desperate to see their book in print that they opt for this way out I'd like to say; RETHINK!
Getting a book from the authors hands takes the skill and talent of many people in the publishing house. Just because there's a cover on the book doesn't mean you should be proud of it. Keep working, editiing, critiquing and sending it out to agents and reputible publishing houses, but don't give up and self publish.
I'm a little ashamed of Harlequin. What happens now to their base of authors who work so hard to perfect their work now that substandard work will now bear the Harlequin name?
Thoughts?

Keeping track of submissions...Oy!

I was sending out queries for my latest WIP. I got a little interest but one sweet editor gave me quite a critique (Thank You!) and I'm rethinking my opening now. So the brakes are on until I redo it. However when I started sending it out I put it all in a file somewhere on my computer so I could track who/when sent/when returned and not query the same one twice. (How embarrassing would that be?) But here's the problem...
I can't find it. It's hiding somewhere in my computer but I can't remember what I named it or where I put it. Hmmmm....
Now the Halston update:

Stitches are out. (She didn't like that at all-we had to pin her down to get them out.) But the biopsy on the tumor came back as a class 2 out of 3. This means there is a really good chance it could come back, somewhere. So they recommend something called Neoplazene (hope I spelled that right) which is a newer drug that stops cancer cells from dividing. So we're probably going to do it. I've looked it up and it seems to be fairly safe. The only side effect is vomiting and diarrhea which can be controlled by lowering the dose. Most of the case studies I've read in dogs show good results and at Halston's age(13) she'll probably be on it for the rest of her life.
It is what it is.