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?