Hello January

Cold weather here in the north east brings pain from an old shoulder injury. The pain radiates from jaw to fingertips so everything seems like an effort. Even typing. I exist on Advil and heating pads while I try to pound out a few pages every day.
And my Blue Diamond seems to be a struggle right now. There are things I have to get settled within the story and it's freakin' boring. She's homeless but I need to have hero-man help her without her being too needy about it. So it's a battle between keeping her independent and letting him in enough to supply some help. I need her slightly indebted to him so she takes up the adventure he's offering.
Does any of this make sense?
How do you get over the abyss in your story? It's there, it tells us stuff we kind of need to know but I feel like I'm missing something here.

Wild Rose Press and finding my groove

Sometimes in this writer's life there comes a certain kind of depression. I recognise it, know it will pass and just enjoy it while it's here. It gives me time to contemplate things I otherwise would be too busy to think about. This time it brought the urge to give up. Thoughts like; Why am I trying so hard? It's never going to happen! I should just give up. Stop the polishing and the rewrites and just forget this idea of getting published.
Whew! I've even stopped visiting my fav agent blogs (a morning ritual). I don't post as much and although I read all my other fav writer's blogs I'm not posting comments there either. I feel like I should crawl into my shell and just let it all pass me by.
:(
Then I got the email newsletter from Wild Rose Press and saw a contest. They are starting a new line and looking for writers to write a story that has "a blue diamond" it in.
Slowly the wheels in my head started squeaking. Turning slowly around the word "blue diamond". So many possibilities leaked through my brain. A person? place? actual diamond? The Blue Diamond could be anything.
And best of all this contest has a deadline.
I love deadlines. They push me, block out all other interuptions and make me move.
So I've been moving, writing once again and it feels good. Then today I realized the depression had lifted. Thoughts cleared and the buzzing in my brain turned into action.
I think sometimes the cure for this writer's depression is a goal. When we have no goals we flounder, wander and sink deeper into the numbness of our own brains.
I have a goal now and hit just hit 30 pages.
Ahhhh....life is good once again.
What do you do when you want to give up? Where is your magic cure for inertia?

It's the Pressure of the Season

As I was driving to work the other day the DJ was talking about not having the Christmas spirit this year and it got me thinking.
I too, lag in spirit this year and I tried to figure out why. I miss the excitement of childhood where I practically danced through December awaiting that big day. When did it disappear? Why did I lose it?

I think it's the pressure.
How many people do I have to buy for? Did I forget anyone? Will they like this? Will they like that?
Oh! Another party tonight! And tomorrow night! When am I going to find time to get anything done?
Company's coming! Clean the house!
Shopping for dinner parties, pick up some wine so you have something to bring to dinner parties, remembering which house you can't bring wine to, and wondering if it's okay to bring store bought cookies because you don't have time to bake.

I admire the people who get all their shopping done early. But how do they know what to buy? I agonize over such things! This causes procrastination and delays the inevitable shopping trips which turn one of my favorite hobbies (shopping) into a torture sessions.

Believe me, the day after Christmas is like letting out a long breath you've been holding for a month...is it over?
Oh no! Another Christmas party on the 27th!
Here we go again....
It's the pressure of the season, hope you survive!
Merry Christmas!

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.

The Halston Report

This is Halston's boo boo. She was a little slow to get up and down the first day she was home. But she still smiled at us like we were the bestest people on earth and she was just happy to be with us. (And extremely happy she was not at the vet's anymore)
Then we had to keep a T-shirt on her so she wouldn't injure her stitches. That was an old shirt from the Exchange Student program I used to work for and since it was Halloween we told everyone she was an Exchange student. People who saw her had lots of fun guessing which country she was from. The most popular vote was Pluto.
Now she seems like her old self. Happy and with lots of energy.
Next Friday she goes back to the vet to have the stitches removed. She usually goes beserko when we enter the vet's office. I think I might have a real tug of war on my hands this time.
:)
Giving her lots of hugs and cuddles now.

Halston

Just called the vet. Halston is doing good and we can pick her up at 6:30
Yay! Thanks so much for your prayers and postive energy.
:)

Halston needs prayers...

This is Halston. She was born at the Seeing Eye up in Morristown, NJ. That's a place that raises guide dogs for the blind. Halston was given to our family to raise for 18 months. And we did. We took her to Guide Dog Puppy Club every month. As a group we took the dogs on trains, planes, into stores and libraries and even some school functions. It was a great time and the kids loved it.
Then one day a van from the Seeing Eye pulled up in our driveway to take Halston back. Our job was done. We had to give her back so she could be trained to lead blind people around. It was the hardest thing I've ever done. We walked Halston out and they put her in a crate in the van. As the crate door closed and she realized we weren't going with her she went crazy. Barking and clawing at the crate door as they closed her in. The kids burst into tears and ran back into the house. I tried to tell myself we were doing a good thing for the blind person who would some day have a great dog like Halston to guide them, but it was so hard.
About a week later the phone rings and my youngest daughter answers it. It's a lady from the Seeing Eye. As I take the phone both kids are bouncing up and down in front of me with hands clasped, praying to get her back.
See, if the dog fails guide dog school for any reason the puppy raisers are offered the dog back.
The lady on the phone says Halston failed, do we want her?
:)
Of course we do!
They fixed her first and then four weeks later we headed up to Morristown to pick her up. We were guided into a room and told to wait. Then the door opened and there was our Halston. Thinner but definitely the same happy dog we gave up. She ran into my arms and sent me sprawling backward as she attacked with wet licky kisses. It was wonderful and Halston has been lighting up our lives ever since. 13 YEARS!
Last week I found a lump on her chest. Wednesday they aspirated the site and it came back as mast cell cancer. Sunday (yes, my wonderful vet is open on Sundays) we did xrays and blood work. Both came back clear. A good thing! Now she is scheduled for surgery on Friday to remove the lump.
Please pray that everything goes good and she comes out of this happy and healthy. Halston needs some prayers.

Confrontations are a bitch...

What's for dinner deer?

Dear little Blog...

I'm sorry I've been neglecting you. Work gets busy and by the time I get home my eyes are bleary from staring at the computer for so long. I work in the election biz so we're gearing up to make sure November 3rd is all by the book. There's a lot that goes on behind the scenes when you walk into the polling place. The election officials have been working for months to make sure everything will run smooth and by the time you place your vote their brains are fried. And it ain't over when the returns come in. There is still more to do. Clean up work. Then it starts all over. There are lots of little elections going on around the country in little towns that you may never hear of. Special school elections, fire elections, municipal elections...
So, if I haven't been here a lot it's because my brain cells are fried. My writing is taking a back seat and I feel like it's eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, work...
Hopefully, I'll be back before November...but it not...happy writing!

Judge not lest I can judge you too!

Let's talk about critique groups. I've been to the bad and I've been to the good. The worst was the one where the two most vocal guys in the group would harp on one or two words in the chapter. Especially words of the four letter kind. Like real life people never uttered such a word. ~~~Okay, avoid that kind of group. Sadly, one or two wackos can truly ruin a group.
A good group gives you positive feedback even while they tell you where your problems are. They watch for punctuation, story flow, head hopping and grammar. And they deliver the critique in a positive and encouraging manner. These groups are out there but usually it takes some time and patience to find.
The important thing is you don't stop looking. If one critique group doesn't fit, keep looking. Or even develop one on your own.
Critique groups are like shoes. Try them on, walk around a bit and if they pinch a nerve put them back on the shelf. Sooner or later you'll find the support and insight you seek.
But if you don't keep looking, you'll never know what's out there just waiting to ignite your passions.

Does she need a friend?

This is Halston. She's 13 years old. She came into our lives from the Seeing Eye school for the Blind. She was supposed to be a seeing eye dog.
We were puppy raisers. Halston lived with us from 6 weeks to 18 months. Then the Seeing Eye sent a van to pick her up. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. When you raise a dog for the Blind you have to write a report that goes back with the dog. In Halston's report I said she seemed afraid of loud noises. Fireworks, thunder, parades and anything else that goes boom.
A week after she went back to the Blind school they called and said she failed school. After reading my report they took her out in traffic to see how she would do in a busy area. Halston failed. It was too noisey for her delicate little ears. So we got her back.
Happy Day!
The whole time we had Halston we also had Lokie, a Sheltie, a year older than Halston. They were best friends and often cuddled together, bathed each other and romped in the yard together.
When she was about 8 Lani came to live with us. Lani was a greyhound mix.
Last November we lost Lokie. She passed on to the rainbow bridge.
Last month Lani moved to Florida with my daughter.
Now, for the first time in her life, Halston is an only dog. :(
We're thinking of getting her a friend. Go to the shelter and let her pick out another dog. Probably an older, couch potato like her.
What do you think? Good idea?

Kudos to Vermont! Yay!

As of today Vermont is one of five states that now allow same-sex couples to marry. Massachusetts, Connecticut and Iowa are the others. New Hampshire's law takes effect Jan. 1, 2010.
Land of the Free! Yeah!

Boo!