Last Christmas

December 20, 2011

I wrote a short Christmas story and it’s being hosted over @ Passionate Critters as part of their 12 Days of Christmas. Please go read and give me some comment luv!

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Hiatus through the Holidays

December 7, 2011

Happy turkey-Christmas-Solstice, whatever you celebrate during this time of year.

I’ll be back in 2012.

Except I have a surprise on the 19th. Naturally, I’ll be back to let you all in on that. Until then, merry holiday!

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What’s In Your Wallet?

November 16, 2011

As mentioned on many occasions, I have become a full on convert to the digital reading experience. However, I still enjoy the occasional magazine (I got suckered into a year’s subscription when my kid was fundraising so she could have a fifty cent toy).

So, I’m scanning through the magazine, and I see this ad.

And so many thoughts occur to me. I will share.

  • She has Oscar Mayer food, including Jello, in her purse. Sometimes, I throw my lunch in my purse for the ten minute drive to the office. I get how this could happen. But… there’s no context here. Just… Jewel likes Oscar Mayer so much, she carries it in her purse.
  • There’s makeup and guitar picks (which I totally get–I’m a writer. Good luck catching me without a pen and something to write on.). But… seashells? Seashells. Really?

  • There’s a picture of her and her husband in there. Aw. And peaking out of the very top is a tube of Butt Paste. No, you guys. It’s for babies. But, there’s absolutely nothing else in her entire purse to indicate she has children. So I look some more. Hair stuff, mix CDs, a pen, makeup. No, no kid stuff.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m so not above carrying Butt Paste in my purse. But it’s not top of the list. I’d probably have some toys in there, a snack (for my kids, not this Oscar Mayer fancy Triscuit and Jello mousse crap), some wipes. What mother doesn’t carry wipes? I just… don’t buy it. Either she has a diaper bag and the Butt Paste was thrown in there for effect or she is the most ill prepared parent in the history of ever. What the hell, Jewel?

In closing, I can only say this: Don’t show me what’s in your purse–I will judge you.

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Museum of Idiosyncrasy | Link Licker Pick

11.09.2011
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If you’re under 18 or easily offended, you absolutely should not check out this site; otherwise, go there and see for yourself.

I go there to get inspiration when I need to write sexy scenes. Every image, to me, tells a story. It evokes a feeling. Every quote speaks truthfully. And, I love it.

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A Glance at: The Fortune Quilt by Lani Diane Rich

11.02.2011
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The best thing about this book (and this book has a lot going for it) are the characters. You’ve got a psychic quiltmaker. And her ex-husband, who is now the owner of the art supply shop in town. And a woman. An adorable beta artist as love interest. Sisters who are all so individual. A mom who disappeared 17 years ago and suddenly comes home. There is a big cast. And they all contribute. And they’re all real, complex, fully-formed. And yet, they don’t overpower the story.

And, at it’s core, it feels good. There are messages about accepting oneself and forgiveness that are very personal and moving (mostly because you come to care so much for these people. Um, characters.).

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Dog: Fixed.

10.25.2011

I drive the dog to the vet. It’s an hour away, but takes like an hour and forty-five minutes since I go slow so as not to alarm him. I talked to him the whole way. And not like, “Yes, well, this is going to be a lovely morning, I believe.” No, it was things like:

“I promise, after this, we’re going to treat you like a king. Totally.”
“Just think, things are going to be better after this. Well, not immediately after this. This is going to suck. But, this is like the first step in things being better. Just think of it that way.”

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How to Raise Your Characters Above the Status Quo @ WritersDigest.com

10.12.2011

One of THE best writing articles I’ve ever read: Simply put, in every social interaction, one person has (or attempts to have) more of a dominant role. Those in authority or those who want to exert authority use a collection of verbal and nonverbal cues to gain and maintain higher status. But it’s not just [...]

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The Hunger Games: I Read It.

10.06.2011
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Two days later,

Me: That first book is incredible. I can’t put it down.

My Boss: When you get to the end you’re going to be really annoyed.

Me, in my head, because he’s my boss: Then why did you tell me to read it?

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Plotting and Motivation

09.21.2011
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Alicia Rasley (blog) is a wildly talented writer and teacher who should get more recognition than she does. I bought her e-book in PDF, Discovering the Story Within, before people were even reading e-books. (My only complaint: it’s full of awesome worksheets, but the PDF is protected against copying, pasting, highlighting–anything you right-click to do, so [...]

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Best Writing Linkage 09.19.2011

09.19.2011

Coming back from a writing dead-end; deadly writing sins; another reason to make your non-writer friends question your sanity; when a crit group sucks the life from your story; incredible writing resource you should already be using, slacker.

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