waste some time watching this

help with animal names!

If you will post the names of your pets, I want to use them in my current story, the one with Benjamin the veterinarian. If I don't get all the names into this story, I'll use some in my Chrristmas novella.

Thanks!

me'n mom

I went searching for pics after the last blog entry comments and haven't found the one I wanted, but found these.

These are the very first photos I have of me with my mother. Why she dressed up like the old days, I'll never know. And of course black & white film was used merely for the artful touch it creates. :::snort:::




Who has the chubbiest face, me or the bear? LOL



I love old photos as much as I love new photos. Recently I studied the photographers who took the first pictures of the American westward expansion, and their stories are fascinating. They had to use pack mules for all the equipment they hauled up mountains and across rivers! I'm planning a photographer character in a historcal one of these days.

Remember how I said writing THE END was cause for celebration?

Well, we're going to celebrate here as soon as the book is in the mail!

My mom is still cleaning and found more doubles among her books, so I'll be giving these books away:

CHARLIE'S ANGELS
LAND OF DREAMS
THE DOCTOR'S WIFE
THE GUNSLINGER'S BRIDE
THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

How to get one:
Each time you post here through the next week or so (I HOPE it's only a week!) add the title of the book you'd like to receive at the end of your comment.

I'll use each comment as a slip for the drawing.

BONUS GIVEAWAY

I have another book to give away, and you'll be excited about this one! It's an autographed copy of Brenda Novak's EVERY WAKING MOMENT, and it's a stay-awake-all-night keeper you'll want to read. This story of Emma Wright and her son escaping from an abusive husband and finding love and trust along the way hooked me with the gripping characterization Brenda is so good at.

Check out her website for a cool trailer of her new book DEAD SILENCE and download a coupon for $1. off.
Go here:
http://www.brendanovak.com/index2.php

After names for my books have been drawn, I'll toss all the names together and draw for this one. I know my blog hasn't been terribly active as of late, but I'm in deadline crunch, so bear with me, please. I love you guys!

Evanovich fans go here

Fame & Fortune: Author Janet Evanovich
No mystery to her investing: She's 'Plum' conservative

go girls!

Alexis had her last soccer game of the season tonight, and it was COLD! Her mom wrapped her in blankets between turns on the field. The girl is an aggressive dynamo! She is all over that ball and can run faster than most of the other girls, so she gets it down the field. I was never good at those kind of sports because I'm not competitive. I couldn't accidentally kick somebody in the shins and not stop to apologize and offer medical attention. LOL

whole lotta cheesin' goin' on

Friday we had family picture night. It was a zoo, but it was so much fun. We got our whole entire family posed for pictures. I won't have them for a few weeks, but when I get 'em, you'll be the first to see.

How do I come up with a story?

I'm often asked about my creative process. A rough idea comes first. Sometimes just a few paragraphs or sometimes a scene, usually longhand, but occasionally on the computer. Then it goes into a binder. I need names for the characters before I can move forward, and I need a working title.

I have character grid sheets I used at this point and I start answering questions like
“What is the inciting incident that gets this story going?”
and
“What is this character’s motivation or backstory?”
and I figure out their goals and their strengths and weaknesses and the conflict between them. I usually have one person pretty well developed in my head before I start on the other, and I build in conflict by making them completely different personalities with pasts as vastly different as I can imagine. Once I have all my questions answered I write a synopsis.

I also make a list at this point: 25 Things That Could Happen. I brainstorm the list with all kinds of wild and unlikely things and don’t let myself quit until the page is filled. I usually use several of these ideas from the list--except the ones that include aliens. LOL

Somewhere in the process I find pictures of the characters and pair them.

Sometimes I write the first pages or a prologue to get started, but usually it’s the synopsis. The synopsis helps me flesh out the story and figure out if I have enough conflict and if these story people interest me enough to move forward. Most writers detest writing a synopsis. I love it because it's part of the fun creative process for me.

After this, I’m a pretty linear writer. I start at the beginning and write straight through to the end with very little revising, except for daily and weekly edits and a read-through every several chapters. In the middle of the book I get out my synopsis and the list of 25 things and remind myself where I’m going. The middle is always a tough spot, but with a little determination I push past it. Once the story is over half way the rest is usually actually fun. That light at the end of the tunnel thing, maybe.

And the end is cause for celebration!

who I'd like to meet

Create Your Own!

Happy Birthday to Brenda!

I'm not exactly sure which day is the Big Day, but I'm guessing it's close, so happy birthday to Brenda from me and the blogger buddies! Have a great birthday, eat lots of cake and buy yourself a book.

HOTTEST 2007 CALENDAR

You may have heard about it or seen it in the media, now you can order the 2007 America's Heroes Reconnaissance Marines Calendar for yourself and/or all your friends. 100% of the proceeds go to our wounded heroes and their families as directed by those who have been awarded the Purple Heart.

http://www.freedomisnotfree.com/

McAwesome!

I am so hooked, and the rollercoaster ride isn't slowing down a bit! I have watched every episode since this premiered and the writers and actors don't let us down. This show makes me laugh. This week was great. Meredith has finally developed a backbone--and just in time for her appendix to be affected! It's laughable these two guys fawning over her and bristling at each other--but wait! Finally McDreamy admits he's not the best man for her. We knew it all along, but we also knew he was THE ONE.

I could have done without the whole Izzy and Denny thing last season--thank God he died. Suppose they shaved him for his funeral? The only thing worse was his dad showing up now. Snap out of it, Izzy! You're a surgeon. What do you think she'll do with EIGHT MILLION DOLLARS? Should be interesting.

And George--I love you George. Maybe you can't have Meredith, but don't blow it with every woman! Well, the ortho surgeon wasn't good enough for you anyway if she jumps from your bed right into McSteamy's.

How interesting that McSteamy, McDreamy, Mrs. McDreamy and Meredith all came to a sort of understanding this week. If you've missed this, go rent season one -- two should be available. You can watch weekly on ABC.com if you miss episodes.

my surprise!

Look what my husband brought home for me yesterday! It's a vintage tea set, all nestled into a padded case--like a squarish suitcase. Gold trim on the china--just exquisite! I haven't taken out the pieces yet, I've just been enjoying looking at them. I may take them out today--or I may wait a little longer. Wash them all up and set them out. Oh, the anticipation is part of the enjoyment! No special occasion or anything...is he a honey, or what?

Fall Fashions

So what do you think of this seasons latest trends? Black & white as well as RED are the hottest colors this fall.

I love red and have already added a few more pieces of red to my wardrobe.

I probably won't buy any leggings--isn't it bizarre how everything old comes back around again? Like the peasant tops and skirts last year, like the loose knit sweater vests and crop tops and bell bottoms, for goodness sake! I did NOT buy a pair of bell bottoms--been there, did that, thank you.


Here we are with skinny-leg jeans in style again. Seriously, who can wear those? Anyone who doesn't look like Keira Knightly needs a flair at the bottom of the leg to even out the figure. And skinny legs plus a tunic top or sweater? I don't think so. If you any any junk in your trunk a tunic sweater only emphasizes it.



I love clothes and I love fashion and the season's latest colors, but I'm all about wearing what looks good on ME, not on the model in the JC Penny catalog or on the store mannequin. So my newest outfit is black pants, a red camisole and a black and white herringbone jacket. I also got one of those fun blouses that are all wrinkly with ruffles--you just handwash and let dry in the wrung position. That's how you store it, too, so I bought it because it will be great for packing for trips. I should have taken a pic when I wore it Sunday.

Next time.

photoshop nightmare

This is the cover of a reissue of one of my Special Editons. I learned of the Men Made in America series from Jennifer Y and discovered that there are 50 books in the mail-only series, and subscribers get five a month until they have them all. Jennifer let me know she got this one of mine, and that was my first notice.

My friend *lizzie Starr's mom, Edna gave me her copy so that I'd have one! Isn't she a sweetie? And here it is, in all its PhotoShop horror. Do you think they could have found a bigger hat? Do you think they could have drawn a more cartoonish-looking dork? Seriously, it's a good thing this book isn't actually on shelves, because who would pick it up except to laugh? Impulse buy? Not.

Here's the good part. I didn't have to do anything. They reprinted and published and mailed out the books to subscribers and I get royalties. WHoo hoo! The other good part? It's still a really good story! *lizzie read it and asked how I kept from getting myself confused while I was writing it. LOL The whole point is an identical twin plays the part of his brother for fourteen years. The story was rather controversial in its day and readers either loved it or hated it.

SURPRISE DRAWING!

I drew names from the fishbowl for surprise books!

Here are the names I drew, and if you already have the book I drew your name for, let me know so I can substitute:

Jennifer Y: SANDWICHED, Jennifer Archer
Meljprincess: PALE IMMORTAL, Anne Frasier
Nickol: COME OCTOBER: Patricia Kay

I'll mail them out later this week to give you time to respond.

I love fall! The colors, the flowers and trees, all the scarecrows and cornstalks and the harvest decoration. I still don't have my sarecrows made--the hubby tilled and we dug out for brick walkways, so the fun stuff is on the back burner.



Saw this swallowtail yesterday. The zinnias are pretty dried up, but the butterflies still love them, so I've clipped only the driest ones for seeds and am saving the rest as long as I can.

Met a few friendly grasshoppers today. LOL You know, they actually change color depending on what they're sitting on. Found one on a bright green canna leaf and he was as green as green can be.

Spirit Day

The entire school is assembled for pictures of them in their tie0dye shirts. I didn the orange ones.

my celebrity face profile!

I had to remove the pic becuase it took too much room; may find a way to use it elsewere.

Locks of Love

BEFORE









THE CUT


AFTER


Alexis donated her hair to Locks of Love which makes wigs for kids with cancer. How great is that?