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....