Helping Goadingthepen

I'm not sure if I'm doing this right, but goadingthepen put a call for help on her blog. she entered Maggie's contest and needs help winning. You can check out her blog post for more information.

All you have to do is copy and paste everything from below here onto your blog! Then go to Maggie's blog and tell her you did it. Don't forget to mention goadingthepen sent you!

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can’t seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human…until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It’s her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace forever.

Pre-Order Shiver Here:

http://www.amazon.com/Shiver-Maggie-Stiefvater/dp/0545123267/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241744679&sr=1-2

Posting because of

goadingthepen

The Slush Pile contest

The Slush Pile is a new blog, and to launch the blog, there is a contest. I know slushy_one from another blog, and have promised to keep his/her identity secret.

The contest sounds pretty cool so I entered (plus Slushy gives a great critique). You can get your first 250 words critiqued by Slushy and other posters on the site, and you have the chance to win a slushy_one critique of your first chapter . . . plus a $25 gift card to Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com.

I know how you all love contests so go to  The Slush Pile for details.

And to help launch the site and contest, I got permission from slushy_one to have a promotional contest of my own.

All you have to do is help spread the word by posting a link to Slushy's contest on your blog. Leave a comment below with a link to your post promoting the contest and your automatically entered!

I'll put all entries in a hat and draw the winner on May 11th. What can you win? I'm offering a $25 gift card to your choice of either Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com . . . 'cause I know you people love to buy books! I mean, who doesn't?

 

Write on!

Silver Phoenix Contest

What could be better than a contest? Well, how about a completely AWESOME contest? The wonderful Cindy Pon is having a contest to celebrate the upcoming release (May 1st) of her debut novel:

 

And what can you win? Oh, my friends, you DON'T want to miss this!

First of all, you could win one of Cindy's original framed brush paintings! If you have not seen Cindy's brush painting, go here. I am blessed enough to own one of her amazingly beautiful paintings (Peach Blossoms).

But that's not all! Though it's hard to top a painting, Cindy is also offering a signed copy of her novel along with the painting. That's right, you get them BOTH!

But she's not done yet . . . nope, there's even more! In case you win and are crazy enough not to want one of her paintings, she's offering a $100 gift card to a bookstore of your choice with a signed copy of her novel.

And she may give away more than one painting/gift card prize depending on number of entries!

So, what do you have to do? Well, she is fantastic enough to offer you SEVERAL opportunities to earn a "raffle" ticket. There are too many to list here so please don't hesitate to click on the link and visit Cindy's blog.

And while you're clicking around, why not go check out the book trailer Madison did for "Silver Phoenix" . . . go on, get clicking!

 

Write on!

Win a book!

Want a chance to win?

Of course you do! head on over to Marybeth Kelsey's blog to find out how to win! It's really easy to enter. What are you waiting for?

Write on.

Cheerios Stories Posted

If you want to read the first prize winning stories in the Cheerios contest, go here. I still can't believe they chose mine . . . and after you read it, you all may  not believe it either. ;-)

 

Write on.

Novel Novel Review

It's that time again. Here's a quick reminder of my rating system

A+--I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book. In most cases, I passed it on to my teen.

A--I enjoyed this book and I might pass it on to my teen.

B--I liked this book, but probably won't pass it on to my teen.

C--I thought it was okay, but I won't pass it on to my teen.

D--I didn't like this book, and won't allow my teen to read it.

F--I hope I never have to go here. =D

I will give reasons for my rating in my review, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you find your book here, don't panic if I rate it below an A. These are my personal preferences and I'm only one small person in a large market. =D

Okay, now here we go.

This is not my usual genre (you all know I'm more of a Fantasy reader/writer), but I have to tell you, I've very much enjoyed stepping outside my comfort zone. This novel is brilliant!

WINNIE'S WAR by Jenny Moss

Rating: A+

Category: Historical Fiction

Age Recommendation: 9+

During the Spanish Influenza epidemic of 1918, Winnie struggles to keep her family and friends safe. But how can she fight something she can't see?

In this time of illness, Winnie learns tough lessons about life, death, and a mother and grandmother she never fully understood.

WINNIE'S WAR kept me reading as I suffered with and cheered Winnie on. With such likeable and relatable characters, Moss pulled me effortlessly into Coward Creek Texas in the fall of 1918. I emotionally connected with Winnie and grew with her as she lived through a terrible time in history.

Through her beautiful prose, Moss brings this little known epidemic out of the past and shares the poignant story of Winnie's life. I will definitely recommend this book to others (including a few history teachers I know), and I look forward to reading future books by Jenny Moss.

 

If you haven't read WINNIE'S WAR, go . . . read . . . enjoy. I have a feeling this won't be the last time I pick up this novel.

Write on!

Critique Group openings

Hello all!
Works in Progress (WIP) critique group is accepting new member applications. We are a group of intermediate to advanced writers committed to helping each other reach our publication goals and improve our writing one critique at a time. We prefer MG, YA, but accept some PB authors.

Here's a bit about our set-up:

Two members per month submit one chapter or equivalent (no more than 5000 words) the first week of the month (assigned schedule) via email. Members are given two weeks to complete the month's critiques (remember, there are only two) and on the fourth week, the members have an open discussion about the month's critiques (so we can all learn). We do provide for emergency submissions (for agent/editor revisions, contest entries, etc.).

If you're interested in joining, please send a brief bio about yourself (including writing experience) and a sample of your writing (no more than 500 words) to worksinprogress at officeliveusers dot com.

Write on.

Oh, and one more picture

My youngest son caught the garter so he decided to be the clown he is with it . . . yes, he wore it like this and danced around the room for everyone to see. *sigh* This one is just like his father!! =D

Write on?

And yes, I know the date on my camera is WAY off . . . the batteries died and I forgot to reset the date before the pictures were taken . . . I'll get around to it one of these days. =)

Found, one camera

I misplaced my camera after the wedding on Friday. I've been searching for it, and I finally found it a few minutes ago! I won't tell you where it was since I searched there several times and I'm embarrassed I didn't see it the many times I looked. *blush*

Anyway, here are some pictures of the tunics I made for the little boys in the wedding.

You can't see them very well, but they have laces going down the front and everything. I also made a jacket for myself and another bride's maid since the dresses were sleeveless/strapless.

Here's a picture of the other bride's maid:

Here's what the dresses looked like without the jacket (this is the bride's daughter, Mari and my SIL, Jessica):

Here's a picture of my daughters (they were flower girls) and no, I did NOT make these dresses:

And here's a picture of my crazy kids and hubby with the wedding cake:

Oldest son was taking many of these pictures so he's not in any of them. =( And I took some so I'm not in any of them either. =) oh, I mean =(

They did have a professional photographer there so when Christi sends me some pictures that I'm in, I'll post them for you. =)

Here's a picture of the bride, Christi, and the groom, Aaron:

So, this was the wedding . . . it was nice. I got the sewing done in time, I sang my song during the wedding, and it's all over. WHEW!

I hope they have many years of happiness. =)

 

Write on.

Fairy Tale

Cyn2write is having a contest in which you could win an autographed copy of FAIRY TALE and a cool necklace. Don't miss your chance to enter and join in the countdown to release day!

 

Write on!

Loki

Just a quick post before I get back to sewing (I'm almost done YAY). Yesterday we added a new member to our family. Here're a few pictures:

 

He's a Harlequin Macaw (cross between a Blue and Gold Macaw and Green Wing Macaw). At eight months old, he is already learning to speak. He says "hello" and "hi" and we're looking forward to teaching him many more words and fun things.

And now I must get back to sewing. I'll take pictures of my sewing creations after I'm finished. =)

Write on . . . or Sew on (as the case may be).

Hiatus

Dear readers,

I am not abandoning you, for I shall return. But for a while, I shall be busy. A friend's wedding is on the 20th and I have lots of sewing to get finished before then.

Therefore, I shall be away from blogging for a while. I may still pop in on your blogs to comment now and then, but after today, I will try to unplug myself from the laptop and plug into the the sewing machine.

Since today is my last full day of computer usage, I shall be using my remaining hours wisely. These marvelous hours will be spent pouring through my WIP and finishing up some major revisions (based on some feedback from first beta readers). If all goes well, these revisions will be complete today and I will be able to mail a hard copy to a very patient friend of mine (on Blogger . . . she knows who she is) for a critique.

So, this activity means I shall be away from this blog for a while . . . but I will be back sometime next week when the wedding is over. In the meantime, I wish you all good times, good company, good health, good writing, and good news!

 

Write on.

Wherefore art thou Dora?

If I were a cursing woman, I would do so now . . . as if the original weren't annoying enough, Dora the Explorer is getting a makeover. I thought my kids were out of the Dora phase and now they are trying to suck them back in by making her "grow" with my children who have moved on from Dora adoration.

Though her new look has yet to be revealed, they do have a silhouette of her.

You can find an article about this travesty here: Dora article

I'm not sure I'm entirely happy about this . . . aren't our children exposed to enough subtle (and not so subtle) sexuality?

A rose by any other name is not as sweet!

Write on?

Novel Novel Review

It's that time again. Here's a quick reminder of my rating system

A+--I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book. In most cases, I passed it on to my teen.

A--I enjoyed this book and I might pass it on to my teen.

B--I liked this book, but probably won't pass it on to my teen.

C--I thought it was okay, but I won't pass it on to my teen.

D--I didn't like this book, and won't allow my teen to read it.

F--I hope I never have to go here. =D

I will give reasons for my rating in my review, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you find your book here, don't panic if I rate it below an A. These are my personal preferences and I'm only one small person in a large market. =D

Okay, now here we go.

I can't stop praising this book! Not only did I recommend it to my teen, but I also recommended it to the librarian at my kids' elementary school!

It was my great privilege to receive an ARC of:

THE FARWALKER'S QUEST by Joni Sensel

Rating: A+ (and if I could add a few more plusses, I would =D)

Age level: 9+

When Ariel and her best friend Zeke find a magical artifact, their lives are changed forever. Soon they are on a dangerous journey to discover where the artifact originated. In the process they discover their true callings and forge an unlikely friendship.

Filled with adventure, surprises, and great characters, THE FARWALKER'S QUEST guides the reader one exciting step at a time into a fantastic trip through Ariel's world.

This book has common fantasy elements of a magical artifact and a heroic quest, but Sensel writes in such a refreshing, original way that this book is far from cliché.

I loved THE FARWALKER'S QUEST! From the very first line, I found myself striding into Ariel's story and loving every step. I couldn't stop walking (and sometimes running) until I reached the last page, and even then I wanted to go on.

This is a book I will enjoy stepping into again.

I am especially intrigued with the concept of the Blind War and would love Sensel to guide us back to this time in a new adventure (hint, hint).

 

This book was released February 17, 2009. Walk far, walk long . . . or better yet, run to buy this book.

 

Write on!

The Great Procrastination Meme

 
Here are the rules. If you comment on this entry I will reply with 5 subjects/things/people/whatever that I associate with you. You then have to take those five, create a new post, elaborate on them and keep it going.

I got caught up in the moment and commented on whitehousemom's before I realized what I was doing. ;-)

Here are the five things she associates with me, and my elaborations on them.

1. Writing: I guess Paula associates me with writing because . . . well, I'm a writer. =)

The kids finished up their four week after school program yesterday. They participated in different "classes" (art, Dragonology, fun with science, etc.). Last night at the dinner table, D1 and I had the following conversation:

D1: Mom, I told my art teacher that you were really creative and did drawings and crafts and stuff and that you wrote books.

Me: You did, huh?

D1: Yep.

Me: What did she say?

D1: She thinks it's cool that you write books.

Me: Do you think it's cool that I write books?

D1: Duh! I wouldn't have told her if it wasn't.

So there you have it. Writing books is cool. =) But my biggest reward is seeing D1 and my other kids making their own books. D1 has become especially good at it. She's in the process of creating her own graphic novel . . . she's nine and while the stories/artwork may not be "professional" I think it's great that she's flexing her writing and artistic muscles. I expect great things to come from these early attempts. =)

2. Kids: Yeah. I have four of the little beasties and they always manage to make my life a bit more difficult. ;-) But no matter how much I may complain about them, I do love them very much. My life wouldn't be the same without them . . . heck, if it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't be a writer. Not only are they a great source of inspiration, but I want to be something more for them . . . not just mom (or supermom), but a mom who follows her dreams, sets goals, and strives to better herself. And why not? If I want them to succeed, I have to set an example. Right?

3. Hating pregnancy: I had horrible pregnancies. I was sick nearly the entire nine months. And I'm not talking the usual morning sickness . . . no, my friends, it was to the point of having to have IV fluids every other week because I couldn't keep enough down to prevent dehydration. And after the constant vomiting ended, the pre-term labor began. And if you've ever had to be on terbutaline, you understand. But I do have four wonderful monkeys from my five pregnancies so I suppose it was worth it. ;-)

4. Puppies: I breed, raise, and show Toy Fox Terriers. I own a couple of AKC champions and am looking forward to raising up a few more. =) These dogs bring lots of fun (and trying) times! My dog, Jewel, had puppies a month ago. Here's a couple of pictures of puppy preciousness:

5. Arizona: I live in this totally hot state. =) The area in which I live is about the perfect climate. It's warm in summer, but not as blistering hot as some places in AZ. Once in a while, our temps reach over 100, but not too often. And it's cold enough in winter to still get some snow. We usually only get one good snowfall a year, but that's enough for me. =) I like to look on the beauty of snow, but I don't like the cold it brings with it . . . could we have warm snow for a change? ;-)

And there you have it folks. The five things Paula associates with me and my elaborations on them. Now feel free to leave a comment and I'll associate five things with you . . . and then you can procrastinate with this Meme too!

Write on.

Personality Test

On Jennifer Jabaley's blog today, she linked to a personality test. It looked like fun so I gave it a try. My results:

INFJ (Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging)

Characteristics include:

Deep convictions, champion of the oppressed and downtrodden, not easily led, nonverbal sensitivity, empathetic, highly intuitive, etc.

Famous INFJ's:

Eleanor Roosevelt

Emily Bronte

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Chaucer

Jimmy Carter

Michael Landon

John Katz

Carrie fisher

And many more . . .

This is supposedly a "scarce" (according to D. Keirsey) personality type (little more than one percent of the population).

Careers for INFJ's:

Writing, counseling, public service, politics, etc.

 

My result is pretty accurate! Anyone else out there an INFJ? What's your personality? Take the personality test and share your results . . . I dare you . . . no, I double dog dare you. ;-)

 

Write on.

Confident or Delusional writer?

The Swivet had a link from Nathan Bransford's blog to J. A. Konrath's fantastic post about confident and delusional writers.

Into which category do you fall? =D

Write on.

Good News!

I've been wanting to share this news since I found out about it in November . . . and now I finally can!

This news is about the first (and maybe last) picture book I wrote.

What news? Go here to find out. =D

Can you believe it?!

Write on.

Contest

Carrie Ryan is having a contest and giving away copies of her book. Hurry on over and enter!

Carrie's contest!

 

Write on.

Novel Novel Review

It's that time again. Here's a quick reminder of my rating system

A+--I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book. In most cases, I passed it on to my teen.

A--I enjoyed this book and I might pass it on to my teen.

B--I liked this book, but probably won't pass it on to my teen.

C--I thought it was okay, but I won't pass it on to my teen.

D--I didn't like this book, and won't allow my teen to read it.

F--I hope I never have to go here. =D

I will give reasons for my rating in my review, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you find your book here, don't panic if I rate it below an A. These are my personal preferences and I'm only one small person in a large market. =D

Okay, now here we go.

In anticipation of reviewing the sequel, I chose an older release for my third review. In this case, I did not pass it on to my teen . . . he passed it on to me!

TUNNELS by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams

Rating: A

Age level: 12+

Like his father, fourteen-year-old Will Burrows has an obsession with archeological digs. When his father disappears, Will is determined to find him. With the help of his best friend, Chester, Will discovers a network of tunnels under modern-day London. As they follow the tunnels deeper and deeper into the earth, they discover a dark underworld. But the inhabitants don't want them there.

Will never dreamed his digging would unearth dark family secrets . . . secrets that should have remained buried.

I enjoyed reading Tunnels. The dark caverns of this book were filled with twists and turns that took me deeper and deeper into the story. I found myself completely submerged in the underground world and the lives of the characters.

It was a little slow going at first, and there were a few rough spots to get through, but this is to be expected when tunneling to avoid collapse later on. Once the story broke through into the underground it was fast paced and exciting with surprises around every turn. I am looking forward to the sequel so I can go "Deeper".

Write on.

Almost over

I'm so glad this week is almost over. I had a daughter (D2)with a broken finger, a daughter who had chest pain (D1) and had to go to the ER, and a son who has been sick the entire week (S2).

D2 is doing well, though she still has bouts of pain from her broken finger. D1 is fine . . . only some chest wall pain (but she's had open heart surgery so we have to get these things checked out). S2 has antibiotics to help him get rid of his bronchial/tonsillitis garbage.

So, I'm hoping next week will be better. I haven't been able to get any work/writing done. What have I been doing with my time (when I'm not waiting on kids)? Visiting blogs/replying to email/ but mostly, I've been reading. I should have some reviews posted soon. =)

 

Write on

D2 Update

We went to the doctor and he promptly sent us to the orthopedic surgeon who got us in right away. She looked at D2's x-rays and declared she did have a break along the growth plate and up into the bone. It's called a Salter-Harris fracture and it's at least a type two and possibly a three (the digital x-rays weren't very good).

She declared D2 WON'T have to have any surgery! YAY! Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

She re-splinted D2's finger and put it in a half-cast. We go back to the orthopedic surgeon in three weeks for a follow-up and they will x-ray her finger again to see how it is doing. She's in quite a bit of pain this morning and I'm not sure if she'll make it through school.

I'm going to give her some Children's Motrin after she eats some breakfast and we'll see how the day goes. And now S2 (son 2) is feeling lousy; coughing and he had a slight fever last night. So he'll probably be staying home today . . . which means I won't get any work done. *sigh*

 

Write on.

Weekend woes

This weekend we traveled to a family birthday party. Unfortunately, only three of our family members actually attended the festivities. Hubby, D2, and I ended up in the Urgent Care facility.

As Mr. Monk would say, "Here's what happened."

We were the first to arrive at the party. The kids were playing as the aunts, uncles, and cousins began to arrive. D2 fell and caught her pinky finger of her right hand in the hide-a-bed couch. She came to me with her finger at an awkward angle. I told her to have daddy (he's an EMT) look at it and he agreed with me that it was likely dislocated.

We decided to leave our other three children at the party with my mother and drive D2 up to the Urgent Care facility about 30 minutes away. Upon arrival, we waited for an hour before being seen (they were busy with lots of ski accidents). They took x-rays with their digital machine

and diagnosed her with a fracture (I think the doctor called it a Salter Fracture) of the lower knuckle on her pinky finger. Then the doctor said it was into the growth plate and would likely require surgery to repair. They splinted her finger to stabilize it

and sent us on our way with instructions to follow up with our local doctor (D2 has an appointment at 3:00 this afternoon . . . thank goodness our doctor is working today) and possibly make arrangements with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon.

We are hoping they won't have to do surgery (though that doctor thought it was inevitable).

So we missed the party, we're stressed out, and our plans for today are a bust. D2 is feeling okay and is managing pain with Motrin. She's nervous and concerned about the surgery possibility (doctor didn't know she understood what surgery meant so she freaked out when he said it), but over all, she's doing fine. I'm amazed because when I dislocated my finger, it HURT! But she's not complaining and hasn't had any Motrin since last night.

She did sleep in our bed last night so we didn't get much sleep, but it was a small price to pay for her to be able to relax and sleep.

So those are our weekend woes. How has your three day weekend been?

Write on.

King Cake Party Day!

The dough for the King Cake is rising! I wasn't sure it would do well since it is a cold, rainy/snowy day today. But I did turn my oven on (to warm) in an effort to help heat the kitchen and make the dough rise.

So, the party will go forward today!

I didn't find a little doggie or baby to put in the cake so I decided to use a glass bead instead. I found some nice purple, green, and gold ones to stick with the traditional King Cake colors.

So I will wash one of these beautiful beads and put it in the cake. Maybe one of the prizes I'll send the winner will be a bracelet or necklace made with the bead from the cake. =)

So, when the cake is done, I'll be back to post the winner!

ETA:

Okay, so the cake didn't turn out too well (I had to go get kids from school during the process and it didn't quite get done. But we went ahead and did it anyway! So, here's the cake.

My son is putting the names in because I knew the general area where the beads were and didn't want to be accused of playing favorites. ;-)Here are all the names in place:

Then I cut the cake with son telling me where to cut. So here's the cake all cut.

Then we started cutting into smaller pieces because I couldn't handle the huge chunks as they were.

I started over in Amandamarrone's section because I thought the beads were over there. Apparently I was wrong when I said I thought I knew the general area of the beads. *blush* The beads were not there.

Then we moved to Whitehousemom's section as I was sure they must be there . . . but again, I was wrong.

So the next section over was Robinellen's. You'll notice in the above picture that her name is in the yellow section with a bit of green on the edge. I thought the beads might be in the yellow section so I started on the far side. I was wrong again. This isn't my night!

Son suggested I move to the piece with the bit of green.

And there they were! Son gave the thumbs-up sign. He moved the name over to the green part of Robinellen's section because we had destroyed the yellow part trying to find the beads.

By the way, the stuff in the middle of the cake is cream cheese filling, not raw dough (the top of the cake is done, it's the bottom part that didn't fare so well).

Anyway, Congratulations Robinellen!

Dang girl, you are on a roll! I'm not sure what I'll send you yet, but you know I'm good for it! =D

And now, you get to host the next KING CAKE PARTY on your blog! So everyone keep checking Robin's blog to enter her King Cake Party!Thank you all for playing and I hope you have a great night.

Write on.

King Cake Party Delayed . . .

I did not get time to make the cake today. I WILL make it tomorrow and the five who entered (here and on my other blog) are entered. If you didn't get an entry before now, it's too late. Sorry. :(

I could draw names out of a hat, but I really want to do the cake. So, please be patient and the winner will be announced tomorrow.

Write on.

Valentines Day Contest Winners!

Thank you to all who entered the Valentine's Day Contest. We have our winners!

After putting the names in an M&M's bag (because it was empty and within reach), I shook it up, and drew the names of the lucky winners.

 

The grand prize of a $25 Amazon.com card, a $50 Rim Treasure Trove.com gift card, and the loot pictured below

goes to robinellen!

And our first prize of a $25 Rim Treasure Trove.com gift card and the goodies pictured below

 

goes to Amy D.

Congratulations Robin and Amy! PM me with your addresses and I'll get your fun stuff shipped out Monday.

Thank you all for entering and while you're here, please enter the King Cake Contest for more fun goodies and a chance to host a King Cake party on  your blog.

Write on.

Last chance to enter!

This is the last reminder (really, I mean it) for my Valentine's Day Contest. The deadline is Saturday, February 7th at 6:00pm (Arizona time). That's tomorrow! So get your entries in if you still want to enter for the fabulous prizes.

Hurry, time is running out! I'll post the winners Saturday evening after I draw them. Good luck to everyone!

Write on.

King Cake Party!

Are you ready to party? It is KING CAKE DAY! For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, here's the slice. Inside the king cake is hidden a plastic figure of a baby (or sometimes a pecan or whatever). The lucky person who gets the baby/pecan/whatever in their slice of king cake is the winner.

There is a catch though . . . if you get the baby/pecan/whatever, you have to host a party on your blog and offer some sort of fabulous prize(s) to the winner.

I was lucky enough to get the pecan last week on afraclose's blog so it's MY turn to host a party.

What do you win?

Yeah, I'm not sure about that yet, but I promise it will be something good. I'll send you a package of some sort with lots of fun stuff inside (maybe even a book or two).

 

(cake pictured is only a representation and is in no way meant to imply the actual cake will look like this)

Are you ready to put your name in for a slice of the cake? It's simple, all you have to do is leave a comment in this post. Yep, any old comment. Before I cut the cake, I will assign a slice to each person who comments (yep, I'm going to make a cake and everything). On Sunday I will cut the cake and announce the winner!

So, go on, leave a comment and see if you are lucky enough to get the baby (or whatever I put in there).

Write on.

Four on Thursday

I was going to post a review today of a recent title I read. I will, but not in this post. This post is reserved for some good news.

Okay, don't get all excited, it has nothing to do with writing. This is on a more personal type note. =)

Today, my Toy Fox Terrier, Jewel, had puppies! There are four of them. Two girls and two boys. The two girls were born first, then the two boys. They are all doing fine. And now for the pictures. =D

So, I did get my book review written, but no other writing.

Write on.

Looking back

Today Robin posted some pictures of her adorable kids as she remembered their younger years. This got me thinking about my writing.

What?

Yeah, I know, but bear with me here. =) I thought about how good it can be to look back and see how far the kids have come since they were born. And I think it's the same with writing.

I don't know about you, but I saved copies of my early drafts. I think it might be a good idea to take a moment and look back at those first writings to see how far my work has come.

What comments would I make to the author of that first draft were I doing a critique? Were there some good moments in there that have since been cut? How horrible is this first draft, really?

So today after work, I will be looking back at my first draft and answering these (and probably other) questions. I think it might be a good exercise for each of us to stop a minute and look at how far we've come. Whether published or unpublished, I bet our work has changed since those first drafts. Please, join with me in looking back and then leave a comment to let us know how far you've come.

Write on.

I have to write and contest stuff

As I caught up on blog posts today, I came across

janel_harrison

and her inspirational post for the day. She inspired me with the following:

"A Circle of Quiet" a memoir by Madeline L'Engle
"I had to write. I had no choice in the matter. It was not up to me to say that I could stop because I could not. It didn't matter how small or inadequate my talent. If I never had another book published, and it was very clear to me that this was a real possibility, I still had to go on writing. I'm very glad I made this decision in the moment of failure. It's very easy to say you're a writer when things are going well. When the decision is made in the abyss, then it is quite clear that it is not one's own decision at all."

This revelation came to her after she had cried over a rejection on her fortieth birthday. She had endured 10 years of rejection. As we all know, her story had quite the happy ending!
This is a good summation of how I feel. Thank you, Madeline L'Engle and thank you, janel_harrison for sharing this with us.
In other news, I will be hosting a King Cake party on this blog at some point during the week. Why? Because I got to be the lucky winner of the baby (or in this case, pecan) onafraclose's blog! YAY!! So check back for that. Also, there is still time to enter my Valentine's Day contest contest.

Write on.

Contest reminder . . . win a book!

Don't forget, it's Friday. And Friday means Robin is having her Friday Five contest. You can win a book if you can figure out the debut 2009 book from the clues in her post. Head on over to Robin's blog to enter her contest before it's too late!

 

Oh, and if you haven't already entered the contests on my blog (Valentine's Day and Stuff for you), go for it!

Write on.

Valentine's experience

Since so many of you are sharing your worst experiences and/or gifts for my contest, I thought I'd take a moment to share my worst Valentine's Day experience.

The year was 2000. It was the second Valentine's day of our married life (the first would qualify as a worst experience, too). And where was I? In the hospital with our oldest daughter (then six months old and weighing just over six pounds). She was recovering from RSV and Pneumonia but was having a difficult time due to the two holes in her heart (ASD and VSD) that we didn't know she had until she got RSV and nearly died. She was hooked up to all kinds of wires but had been weaned off the ventilator. She was weak and having morphine withdrawals (they sedated her with morphine to keep her from pulling wires and tubes out). Hubby did make it up to see me that day after work, but I can't remember if he brought me a gift (I think he must have).

We went home from the hospital the following week and two months later, oldest daughter had open-heart surgery to repair the holes. It was a tough Valentine's Day but at least we made it through the worst and have had quite a few great ones since then.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences and for those who haven't, there is still time to enter. Just go here to see the prizes and leave a comment with your worst V-Day experience/gift.

Write on.

Life rating

Thanks to afraclose for the link to this quiz.

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	7.6
Mind:	7.3
Body:	7.7
Spirit:	7.2
Friends/Family:	8.2
Love:	7.3
Finance:	4.8
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

 

 

Write on.

Novel Novel Review

It's that time again. Here's a quick reminder of my rating system

A+--I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this book. In most cases, I passed it on to my teen.

A--I enjoyed this book and I might pass it on to my teen.

B--I liked this book, but probably won't pass it on to my teen.

C--I thought it was okay, but I won't pass it on to my teen.

D--I didn't like this book, and won't allow my teen to read it.

F--I hope I never have to go here. =D

I will give reasons for my rating in my review, but if you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If you find your book here, don't panic if I rate it below an A. These are my personal preferences and I'm only one small person in a large market. =D

Okay, now here we go.

For my second review, it was my privilege to receive an ARC of

RAMPANT by Diana Peterfreund

Rating: A

Age level: 14+

Release date: May 26, 2009

Think unicorns are sweet, magical horse-like creatures? Think again! Diana Peterfreund introduces us to the darker side of unicorns in her novel RAMPANT. Peterfreund's unicorns are man eating monsters. They can kill with poison in their horns, rip someone apart with their sharp teeth, and some have breath that can kill (literally).

Astrid Llewelyn has listened to her mother's crazy stories about extinct man eating unicorns for years. Astrid never believed the stories until the night her date ended up on the sharp end of a unicorn horn. Now her mother's stories are all too real and Astrid is sent to Rome for training as a unicorn hunter. She meets a group of other virgin descendants of Alexander the Great and together they train to hunt and kill unicorns. But Astrid doesn’t want to be a hunter.

I enjoyed reading RAMPANT. There was some sexual tension and scenes of passion (but not super graphic), as well as discussion about sex, and while it wasn't enough to bother me, I think it would bother some teens. I put the age level at 14+ because of the sexual content, but there may be some younger than 14 who would be okay with it. I didn't pass it on to my teen, but only because he's a boy and isn't into unicorns (nope, not even man eating ones). =( Where did he come from?

I enjoyed the characters and learning about their lives. Astrid is strong, and yet vulnerable enough to make her real. The characters and their lives will run Rampant in my memory for a long time, but in a good way.

Write on.

Want to win Chocolate?

In honor of Valentine's Day (coming soon to a calendar near you), I thought I'd hold a little contest. First of all, let me show you my inspiration for this idea.

My husband saw this in a store and thought it was funny so he brought it home to me.

This is a Marital Bliss Bar from Bloomsberry & Co. (not to be confused with Bloomsbury). I thought it was hilarious! Now we did open it and eat a bit of it. He only got two squares . . . much less than the 50% the box gave him . . . but I won't eat the rest of it without him . . . I'll be good. I can resist, really I can. =D Let me tell you, this is good stuff!

On to the CONTEST!

From now until February 7th, I'd like to hear your WORST Valentines gift and/or experience. The gift can be something you either gave or received, but the experience must be your own. Everyone who posts a comment with either a worst gift or worst experience will have one entry into the contest. You may post both a worst gift and a worst experience if you wish to have two entries. And if you wish to have three entries, you may post a worst gift, a worst experience, AND post about this contest (with a link to this post . . . either from my LJ or my Blogger) in your blog.

Why would you want to win this contest? For the fabulous prizes, of course! Oh, did I forget to tell you about the prizes?

Well, here we go . . .

There will be two winners.

Grand prize is your own Marital Bliss Bar as well as other chocolate/Valentine's Day related goodies, a $25 Amazon.com card, and a $50 Rim Treasure Trove.com gift card!

And don't worry about the Valentine's Day related goodies, I won't be sending lingerie or anything kinky (I'll keep those things for myself =D). I'll add a picture of the chocolate items soon (will be going shopping in a bit).

Here's a picture of the goodies for the Grand Prize

First prize is a Marital Bliss Bar, a chocolate frog (not from Harry Potter) and a $25 Rim Treasure Trove.com gift card.

Here's a picture of the first prize chocolate

The contest will end on February 7th at 6:00pm EST (so I will hopefully have time to mail the goodies to arrive before Valentine's Day).

Go ahead, you know you want to enter. ;-)

Write on.

Contest! Win books!

If you haven't already visit Robin's blog, Poetry Works, get on over there! She went to ALA and came home with lots of great books. And she's sharing the love! I know, doesn't she rock?

So head on over to her contest and enter before it's too late (contest ends Monday).

Write on.

Politics stink

Why is it that people who normally get along, even admire each other can suddenly turn into enemies and loath each other when politics are introduced into the mix?

What ever happened to "agree to disagree"?

The author of a blog I visit posted her views on politics and ended up bombarded by comments. Some comments were well thought out and added to a great political discussion. Other comments were rude and downright mean (and were deleted) in the form of personal attacks (anonymously of course).

In honor of this blogger, I will share my views on politics today.

First of all, I will let you know I did not vote for President Obama. I do not agree with many of his views. I know many people are excited and hopeful and I've heard several people say he will be able to clean up the mess of the last eight years. I've said it before, and I'll say it again here. The mess the country is in now, was more than eight years in the making. ;-)

Our world has been going downhill fast for quite some time now. I don't think any President (no matter who they are) can run fast enough to reach the bottom of the hill in time to stop it. This is not to say that Obama will not be able to do some good . . . and perhaps even slow the progression. ALL past Presidents have been able to do something during their administration to slow the downhill spiral. But no one has been able to stop it. I am of the belief that everything has a purpose. Obama is no exception.

Do I worry what the next several years will bring? Yes. Am I hopeful that good will come? Yes. Will bad also come? Yes.

It is inevitable. There MUST be opposition in all things. Without tasting the bad, we would be unable to recognize the good. There WILL be bad things come from this administration (bad comes from ALL administrations, regardless of party lines), but it is also inevitable that good will also come from this administration. All we can do with this (and ANY) administration is hope the good outweighs the bad. Unfortunately, we tend to remember the bad much longer than we do the good in most cases. ;-)

And so I am hopeful, but realistic in my views of this administration (as I have been with EACH administration). I'm sure if you think about it, you'll find there is something Obama is for that you are against or something he is against that you are for. It's difficult for me to believe that his views exactly match the views of everyone who voted for him. I voted for McCain because I agreed with more of his policies than I did with Obama's.

My views will likely differ with yours, and this is a good thing. If we agreed all of the time, we'd be a pretty boring bunch. But let's not allow our differing views to tear us apart. What this country needs more than anything is to truly be the United States. This means we must be willing to set aside our differences and support each other, no matter our views or personal politics.

So unite my friends and let us truly become "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Write on.

If I were a work of art, what would I be?

Today I learned the answer to this question.

 

 

You Are Best Described By Meditative Rose

By Salvadore Dali

What Famous Work of Art Are You?

 

Thank you to saputnam for the link to the quiz. So, if you were a work of art what would you be?

 

Write on!

My Muse?

Thanks to saputnam for the link.

Your Inner Muse is Melpomene

You are most like this muse of tragedy. While you aren't depressed, you don't shy away from sadness. Although you do tend to be gloomy, you have a sensitive side. And this sensitive side helps inspire and help others.

What Muse Are You?

Write on?

Contest reminder

Either you missed it, or you're terribly afraid of what I might send you. Anyway, here's a reminder about the little contest I posted here yesterday.

Come on, people, I promise it won't be too horrible. I'm pretty creative and it's not like I'm going to send you one of my children (though they do qualify as something made by me).

And just to clarify, YOU don't have to make something for five people. All you have to do is post a link to my contest on your blog.

Write on.

Award

Bish at Random Thoughts gave me this:

The Kreativ Blogger (award)

Thanks so much, Bish!

As part of this award, I must list seven (7) things I love and then pass this award on to seven (7) "Kreativ" people.

Everyone knows I love my family so I won't use that for one of the seven . . . unless I get stuck. The following are in no particular order.

1. My Toy Fox Terriers. They bring me endless hours of joy and amusement.

2. Writing (duh).

3. Quiet reflective moments. I don't get many of these so I really love it when I do.

4. School. Not only does it expand our minds, but it also gives me several hours of child free time. What's not to love?

5. Being creative. No this is not the same thing as writing (though writing is certainly creative). I also do a bit of crocheting, sewing, crafting, cooking, drawing, and other fun stuff that falls under the creative category.

6. Friends. You guys are so supportive, kind, caring, loving, and I really appreciate all you do to help me be the best me I can be.

7. My toilet. Come on, you know you love yours, too. Without it, you'd have to have an outhouse or find a spot in the woods. And while I'm at it, I better add toilet paper, too because leaves don't work nearly as well as my soft, absorbent toilet paper.

And now to pass the award to 7 of the wonderful friends I mentioned above.

Cindy

Janelle

Amy

Allison

Lisa

Mandy

Robin

Have fun and share the love.

Write on.