Funny! Is it ironic I was once a 'rattler'?

Allow me to toot my own horn. It doesn't happen often. ;) okay, ever.

Wow. I've been going through some of my old posts to read what I wrote, and I am surprised at some of the things I think about and have done. I've kept a journal before, but I have to say that my thoughts run free in a whole new way with the ease of typing on a keyboard.

I am most surprised with all I have accomplished. I look like a jack of all trades with the lists I have compiled here. Some of my achievements even give the idea that I am distinguished and classy. Very nice.

I wonder if it is too late to add that I can play the piano and clarinet very well? That I know how to play the trombone poorly and have played the flute, trumpet, bass clarinet, saxophone, and tuba at least a few times in my life. Of course these last ones have been forgotten except how to make the instrument work. I can make noise! Just not very good noise....

Or that I have volunteered at over nine hundred charities in my lifetime and still send in money to several outside of the church I give ten percent to every week. Mobility is the only thing stopping me from running marathons and giving charity hockey events (and yes I have played hockey before; street hockey, but we didn't have much ice in Arizona).

Even now I look at this stuff and think I'm cooler than I really am. I live, love, and care like the rest of the world. I'm no different, sometimes less than cool I think. I know I always want to do more, or should do more. It makes me sad to admit that my life is busier and I don't have the time I did before I got married. How selfish am I?

Look at me, I start writing a blog about how cool I am and I end up still thinking I'm dirt.

I have my moments, as does everyone else. Maybe I could step them up a little. I'm no Mother Teresa, but I have great respect for those that give their lives as she did. But I know I will never be one of them. I have accepted this... okay well maybe not if I'm still grouchy!

Life has to be taken one day at a time. I think I've forgotten that.

At least I have my writing! Oy! How selfish do I sound doing something only for me now?!

This is a comment seeking blog. Post how you wish you did more. Or if you are awesome, let me know. I need ideas... maybe I'll take them and do them... maybe I'll keep writing this blog.

Hehe. The latter is very provocative! Guess 'll be here for a while!

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Do you ever have those words that are just on the tip of your tongue that they really should burn it? You can recite the definition for this word, and you could use it in a sentence, indeed the sentence is formed and a space is made, ready to insert it as soon as your stumbling brain stops for a second to grasp the tottering word before it gets lost?

Well I am feeling that right now. What is the question that no one wants answered called? You ask, but you aren't asking for an answer, you are simply putting it out there into the void that we call thought. Honestly, i have used this word for this thousands of times and now I am drawing a blank.

"Question," says person one.
"Answer," says person two.
Person one gives glare. "That was a .... question, you dork."

What? Not supposed to be answered, I know, but what is the word!?! Ugh! This is driving me crazy.

WAIT!!! Hypothetical?

Is that it? A hypothetical question? Honestly I have been spinning for so long I am too dizzy to really believe I finally have it.

Time will tell. I think I need a break now....

Yes. Definitely bedtime. Goodnight crazy book until I can think a little better.

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Books and books and more wonderful books!

I finished my second book in the Jewel saga!

I am so happy I am ready to burst! It took me a little less time to nail down than the first, and is much shorter as result, but I believe it will be just as fun now that Julia and Joshua's relationship is determined. Now all the fun adventure starts! And battles! And powers will swell! Hehe I digress. The book is finished!

Next I have the editing to look forward to. This is where I read the full book from start to finish and make sure each scene melts into the next one peacefully without leaving anyone scratching their heads. Of course there are cliff hangers, but that is entirely different! They add fun scratching!

Editing is fun because I get to plunge into the world I created and see it from an outsider's view. Indeed I will put the book away for a few weeks and dive into my young adult one with the frogs before I come back to it. That way when I open the file that contains the full book, I have fresh eyes and can really see it objectively. Scenes that I had in my head and were cut out are now gone(saved in another drive if I decide in editing that I really liked them after all), and I can see how the finished book really is without all the distractions that clouded my brain before. It is now new and exciting as it goes to places I don't expect after being away for so long.

And yes, a few weeks on another project really can wipe so much of that world out of my head. I switch from elves to frogs. Quite a jump between characters and ages and likes and dislikes. When Jewels is introduced again I will watch her go through her experiences with only a vague overall of what happens. I rewind to the beginning again with her and see what she sees almost for the first time. It is enthralling to relive it as it should be lived; from the reader's viewpoint!

I have said I love to read. I love to read I love to read I love to read!

Oh, but it is so much more than that! I love to experience, and see the world visually, and feel what the words in front of me want me to feel!

And here I have to say that I hated being made to feel some of the things in the Eragon books.

But most of what I read is wonderful! Fantasy and happiness by the end; it is no wonder I don't want the poor things to end! I was having too much fun celebrating with the characters once the crisis was finally out of the way!

And in all fairness, I think I need more celebrating in the end of book two. Perhaps a longer ending will be better. But I will not fix it, won't even touch it, for a few weeks! I want it to be perfect! I know that if I spend enough time away, my subconscious will fix everything for me and I will have another masterpiece on my hands! Ahhhh! Sweet success in a wonder-filled world of perfection and cohesively meshing chapters! Sigh and big tingly grin!

I love everything about being a writer! Well, with the big exception of the tedious queries I have to send out to complete strangers. Yeah not so much fun.

But if I could see their faces after they read my book and when they find it as exciting as I do, then it would all be worth it! I revel to think that more people can enjoy the worlds I create! How many would love to buy my book because it was what they were looking for! I wonder!

My dream halfway to reality I continue with every idea that pops into my head in hopes of making that dream the reality I see before me. It is tangible. It will be within my hands quite soon, I believe. I believe this with all my dreaming heart. I have never wanted anything for myself (besides the CK for me and my family for those of you who know me) more than I want this. Truly my religious beliefs come first, but if "Adam fell that men might be, and men are that they may have joy in this life and in the life to come", then I have to believe that my Heavenly Father wants me to be happy too.

And I know this goes without saying, but being a published author and sharing my worlds with everyone who loves the good written word would make me VERY happy!

'And the bank account' adds hubby over my shoulder. Heehee, Yes dear.

He is very patient with me when my fingers start clicking this fast. He knows my passion for writing runs very deep within me. He saw it when I had forgotten, and I deeply thank him for that.

I hope to get my books out there so you may all read what is close to my heart. I do think that many of you would fall in love with these characters too. Only time will tell! And a long series of fortunate events!

Until that time! Adeiu! I will be on here blogging in the meantime. Again, it is writing, how could I resist?!

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"Writing as a writer that writes." ~anonymous

...As opposed to what? A writer that does not write? I thought this was a weird quote posted on an agent's blog today. Just had to share it. What do you think?

Most of the posts I read today talked about stories and ideas being stolen with all the new technology out there on the internet. Authors have sent their manuscripts over plain emails and had them stolen, rewritten and sold under someone else's name with no knowledge until the agent trying to sell it to another publisher tells them it's been done. Shock and horror follow as they try to figure out just what happened.

Though that was the worst of the cases I read, a different type of stealing is fast coming popular. Before the book comes to the shelve, versions are downloaded into the internet published by strangers. It impacts sales that could have sent the book over the top, but because it had free access, stores lost good money from a promising novel.

This sucks. It is the main reason I do not send my book through email anymore. Full manuscripts have been snatched through the US mail system and read and either stolen and submitted under a different name, or deemed unworthy and sent on in new packaging that the author doesn't recognize when the agent (who funnily thought it was great) goes over the ms with them later. These are true stories that really happened. Illegal to be sure, but travesties that truly scare me as a beginner novelist.

I have four books that I am studiously working on. Several ideas for more, but these four really speak to me right now. Two books finished, and none of the six published or copywrited, I worry that someone will either come up with the idea genuinely and get there faster than me, or as I talk about them they will get passed, either in jest as people think the ideas I share with them are lame, or seriously as others truly think I have something, to people who write faster than me and come up with their own versions making mine not as unique as I was going for. This terrifies me.

Those of you who keep asking to read my book please understand where I am coming from. If you want to read it, find me a publisher or an agent who is willing to do you a favor and read it for me for serious contemplation to getting it hardbound. If you help me get my dream to happen for any of these books, I will give you for free one of the first ones off the press hand signed by the author. I promise.

But, and this saddens me, that is the only way I think you will be able to read it. I want to make money as well as get published. It is part of what makes the game worth it. I want to know that people are willing to but me in print. It makes me excited to think that I am going to be in print. I don't want that ruined by the slip that is more common than my niave little mind had previously thought it was.

And a small part of me refuses to believe that 8% of ms are stolen. That is huge when you think about it. 8% is more than a thousand incidents, people. Scary. Of course I don't want to believe. These took me a long time create to think they'll be carted and sold by a faker.

The worst is that it is hard to prove who the idea came from. Some of the authors like me were new and they had no public name to tie their idea to while they wrote it so when they went to claim their own work they had no proof it was really theirs. Very few had copies saved with a date and time that preceded all dates for the thieves. And as they pointed out in the posts, anyone could fudge a time record.

So what is an author to do?

Honestly I don't know.

..............

Soooo many new gadgets, so little time to learn all of them. Really this blog is my new toy. And it is the best as not many of my other ones let me do what I love best... write!

Today I have to gripe about telemarketers and those annoying people who call your home. I have a right to do this as I used to be one kind of these people. I accepted calls about what my company was selling and then tried to 'sell' the product that they were just calling in to learn about. I made a living doing this for five months before I couldn't do it any more. With the money I earned there I was able to buy a car, a whole new business wardrobe, and put close to nine thousand dollars into savings. The car was bought right after I started. I should have waited for a nicer one, but it served well for the few years I needed it.

But back to telemarketers. There should be a moral code they are expected to keep when they call these poor unsuspecting people up. If it is mentioned that the person has not the funds to participate in the 'wonderful' deal the other person is offering, then they should politely say goodbye and hang up.

Not give a new price for the same thing and offer it with a few new perks! They should not torment the nice person on the other line with a false hope that they will get to their price bracket and all they ever wanted will be theirs for mere pennies!

And they should never talk to someone who just woke up! Obviously the groggy person would do anything to get the chatter to stop, and they are not always in the right frame of mind to just hang up. They can barely string together the thoughts they were programmed with than to think of deviating from such polite programming!

My rant can go on, but I will leave you with that. Thank you for letting me say this about the profession that served me well physically. Mentally it was a moral drain to do it. I was lucky enough to quit with a lot of cash in my pocket after a short time. But I loathe the next person who calls me at five thirty in the morning. Polite programming may just have been overridden! Indeed, I will not soon forget to turn the nasty gadget off anytime soon!

Have a lovely weekend my wonderful friends and family. And chew out any advertiser you see for me, kay? Just for fun. They deserve a healthy dose every once in while. It puts them back on their own personal moral path for a few phone calls. Truly, we all need our moral path to be seen every once in a while.

Luvs and hugs.

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"...And thus I've risen from the ashes... reborn again."

Someone asked me the other day what it was that inspired me to be a writer. This made me think, and I've finally narrowed down my reason.

First, I used to write about anything and everything in junior high and the beginning of high school. It was fascinating to watch the things I wrote take on a shape and life of their own. I was always creating some new world to escape into. Writing was like breathing back then; a necessity. The books I'd read colored these new thoughts to existence and helped create others. It was not altogether an unhappy time, despite it being junior high.

In high school, I was turned away from the idea of becoming the writer I wanted to be when I was told I couldn't write, and that no amount of college was going to write a story for me. Misunderstanding, I thought that they meant that I merely had no talent and that I never would have any. I gave up and, after much crying, threw myself into my next creative outlet; the arts.

Drama, dance, choir, and band filled my day from dawn to right before dinner time with all the extra curricular activities they offered outside of regular school hours. Song and dance my favorite, I joined the after school show choir, and dance club. My life seemed full. At least, my hours were accounted for.

After high school I knew that I was a weak singer and that my knees wouldn't let me dance much longer, so when I went to college I began my career to become a teacher. After a very short time I decided I didn't like teaching. I like playing.

It didn't matter my course after that as I found the one I was meant to be with and started a family together. My passions forgotten except in my dreams or the church choir, I settled into my life. It wasn't until my twenty eighth birthday that I even thought about writing seriously again.

A few months before October, my mother bought a few books to help me when I was unable to move about properly. I was going to be ill until after my birthday, and she, remembering my youthful fondness for the written word, bought me a few of the new releases in young adult fiction. Having read them herself, she knew they were excellent and that I may enjoy them as well. And being the wonderful mother she was, she kindly bought the whole series of each tale for me. I had gold in my hands.

Those listed in her selections were:

The Harry Potter series
The Fablehaven series
The Eragon series
The Percy Jackson series
The Twilight series
and
The World of Foo series

With enough written fantasy to last me weeks, I was soon flying to the worlds these precious authors opened for me with great delight. I rarely surfaced and when I did, it was only to cart the children to school and make meals for them after. Family night and church were the only other times I really saw them. Even when they requested snuggles and sat on my lap I regret to say that I read around them as I kissed their hair and hugged them back and rubbed their back affectionately. They stayed for near an hour or so before they grew bored and went to play dress up with their sibling in the other room.

When I put the last book down, I erred again as I became moody. My worlds had been snatched away with the last ominous word and I was plunged back into my own. My children and their smiles were the only thing that made me not weep outright. They really helped me see that not living in a fantasy world was not all that bad.

Subdued now, my husband suggested the funniest thing. Not knowing my past with the awful English teacher, he asked why I didn't create my own world to disappear into every once in a while. Then he shocked me further by magically producing a pretty laptop.

Silver, it reminded me of the colors I saw in my head during those precious hours of reading. "It's your birthday, thanksgiving and Christmas present," he beamed in his presentation. And indeed all I got for Christmas was a filled stocking and a package of colorful socks that year, but I didn't mind. I had already half a world created by then.

Not liking vampires very much, I held off on the Twilight series until last. That being said, it was still fresh in my mind when I started writing. I wanted another romance to bloom before my eyes. My character would be stronger though. She would be the damsel saving heroine... eventually.

My own klutz stumbled forward across the blank (pages) of my creation like a child with new life breathed into it. I flew beside it, encouraging her to take shape and then flight and then soar high above as I finished it.

I didn't stop there. My creation had to be perfect. I found a few English majors to help me hammer out the finer points and chop off the worse ones. Indeed I have another lined up, so that when I have ironed out the first suggestion to my taste (not all of which I chose to use as some were just plot suggestions) I will be able to present them with the newer, better version to be hacked up again. I actually like this part of the process, too. It is fun for me to watch my world change into sharper focus.

The part I don't like is the querying. The poor agents that I try to sell this to are getting very bad proposals as I have no idea how to sell the idea. I believe in it, but convincing someone else is harder than it sounds.

I am yet unpublished, but I feel that I am a writer. It is who I am, who i was, though for a long time I forgot, and it is who I will be in the future. Indeed at this present moment, I have three books I am writing. Each very different. One a women's romance, and the other two in different ages of young adult.

Whether they are elves again, toad dwelling demons, or creatures from another dimension, my characters are leaping off the pages and dancing around me in inspiration. I am their creator. I see them as if they were standing here beside me. I say I am a writer. But I am also a dreamer.

And thus I dream....

What sings to you? What would your driving life-force outside of your family be? Let me know I want to hear what speaks to you.

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"...Sing Vienna, as only you can, the songs of the rising tide and the suns of the ocean's deep."

I have never really wanted to travel. I had done so much of it when I was a kid(granted we only visited Canada and Mexico outside the US) that my need to get 'out and see the world' was sufficiently quelled by the time I was seventeen. I am very lucky that my parents took the time every summer to educate us in all that was in our own backyard.

Much older now, and with my own kids to cart around to the various places yet untouched by my personal experience, I have the rest of the world to look at. There are a few places that intrigue me.

Like England and the lush country landscape and beautiful castles and homes to tour. Ireland would be great because I would want to see the forests that inspired faeries and leprechauns into being. China's country sounds gorgeous and I would like to see the pandas and secret villages that have no modern connection and hike the vast landscapes to find the temples scattered throughout.

Perched on the lagoon's tallest islands and sand dunes, Venice sounds like it would be the most fun for me. I would of course ride the gondolas, and see the museums. Maybe see Doge's Palace and the Basilica of San Marcos, even.

However, I would really love to book a tour with the underground excavating teams that dig up watery basements to see what kinds of things have been forgotten in the stories that get buried by the rising tides.

Now, understand that this is not a normal thing available to tourists. Indeed if you asked someone about this they would give you a quizzical look and leave you standing there feeling stupid.

No, this is a wonderful opportunity only available to those who seek the right licenses and permits. Then you have to get permission from the owners to dig up the watery grave that sits beneath them every night. Not going to happen for most. But I can dream.

Exploring the past in these soggy rooms seems to me, fantasy. It was interesting to watch the explorers on TV bring up treasures buried by time. I really would like to go there and get to see that for a few days. It would be the highlight of my traveling.

Sometimes I wonder if I should have been an archaeologist or artifact excavator when I grew up instead of a writer...

No this is so much more fun!

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(Sorry, but I don't have the slide show on here.)

I love how there is a feature on here that lets me post things a day from when I write the! What a nice thing! Obviously this means that I won't have to 'work'(honestly i like this too much to call it work) on Sunday. A day of rest from all my activities as my Heavenly Father has asked of me. Cool! This has truly been a wonderful thing for me to do as a creative outlet.

But on to today's blog....

I do not usually have favorite songs outside of the hymns or choir music I sang in church and high school, but this one really touched me.

"There's always going to be another mountain. I'm always going to want to make it move. Always gonna be an uphill battle. Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose.

"It's the cliiii-iiii-iiii-iiiimb!"

Wow. This really spoke to me. Miley Cirus has certainly found a song that is worth listening to. It really helps when the rejections come. Thanks Miley.

I'm going to keep climbing. Wish me luck!

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Okay. So who got the email from Uncle (nameless) describing the similarities by the history professor between Hitler and Obama? That was downright scary. In case you missed it, here's what he said:

The guy has the credentials to be credible.

Dr. David Kaiser is a respected historian whose published works have covered a broad range of topics, from European Warfare to American League Baseball. Born in 1947, the son of a diplomat, Kaiser spent his childhood in three capital cities: Washington D.C. , Albany , New York , and Dakar , Senegal . He attended Harvard University , graduating there in 1969 with a B.A. in history. He then spent several years more at Harvard, gaining a PhD in history, which he obtained in 1976. He served in the Army Reserve from 1970 to 1976.

He is a professor in the Strategy and Policy Department of the United States Naval War College. He has previously taught at Carnegie Mellon, Williams College and Harvard University . Kaiser's latest book, The Road to Dallas, about the Kennedy assassination, was just published by Harvard University Press.

History Unfolding

I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books on history that have been published in six languages, and I have studied history all my life. I have come to think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is simply a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes, these exist, but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus.

Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about ten to fifteen years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.

We demand and then codify into law the require ment that our banks make massive loans to people we know they can never pay back? Why?

We learned just days ago that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700 billion we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "we the people," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not.

We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy.. Why?

We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity.. Why?

We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it simply wants marriage to remain defined as between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?) We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose?

Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, social security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and I know precisely what I am talking about) - the list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x ten...and we are at war with an enemy we cannot even name for fear of offending people of the same religion, who, in turn, cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so.

And finally, we have elected a man that no one really knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla, Alaska. All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe are more important.)

Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why?

I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now.

This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again

And that is only the beginning..

As a serious student of history, I thought I would never come to experience what the ordinary, moral German must have felt in the mid-1930s.. In those times, the "savior" was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they should have known was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory. Conservative "losers" read it right now.

And there were the promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and frowned and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully and beat them into submission. Which they did - regularly. And then, he was duly elected to office, while a full-throttled economic crisis bloomed at hand - the Great Depression. Slowly, but surely he seized the controls of government power, person by person, department by department, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The children of German citizens were, at first, encouraged to join a Youth Movement in his name where they were taught exactly what to think. Later, they were required to do so. No Jews of course,

How did he get people on his side? He did it by promising jobs to the jobless, money to the money-less, and rewards for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe , and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and .... . .. change. And the people surely got what they voted for.

If you think I am exaggerating, look it up. It's all there in the history books.

So read your history books. Many people of conscience objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and ridiculed. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though. And the world came to regret that he was not listened to.

Do not forget that Germany was the most educated, the most cultured country in Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And yet, in less than six years (a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency) it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors.. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.

As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what t he objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong by closing my eyes, having another latte, and ignoring what is transpiring around me.

I choose to believe the evidence. No doubt some people will scoff at me, others laugh, or think I am foolish, naive, or both. To some degree, perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe-and why I believe it.

I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am. Perhaps the only hope is our vote in the next elections.

David Kaiser

Jamestown, Rhode Island

United States

I pray that he is wrong too. But look at the evidence. And is he right about the army for discipline within our own borders? Hello Brown shirts... again? What did we do?

We voted for a monster... or didn't vote?

That'll teach us. I guess it serves us right. If we're too busy to get to the polls, what makes us think we have a voice after the fact? Like my family always says; "If you don't vote, you don't have the right to complain about the results".

I voted. I'm complaining. This is not what I wanted either.

....................

Well... that's not good.

Writer's police!!! You did something wrong, so you are being rejected before I even know what the story is about!

I just found out that flashbacks in the beginning of a story are 'redflags' in the agent/publishing industry. Taboo things that when found earn an immediate no from whomever you are querying. Well there goes that chapter! The beginning of the book no less!

So I have to assume(okay, prefer to presume) that anyone who got to read those first ten-fifty pages saw it and skipped on it because of that.

Oops!

Okay, so now I get to redirect the whole beginning and find a way to tell the back story by inserting tidbits through out the immediate action. I guess it wasn't needed, but it was fun to write about. I am sad to see it go, but I have hope that this will tighten the beginning and draw the reader in quicker.

Here I go. (This will take a while....)

............................

My Flaw...,
I am not perfect.

I have never claimed to be. In truth I think I am the black sheep of the family when it comes to the flaw that sent me to selfish tears the other day. Truly my sister, and really most of the people I know, is much better than I.

On my facebook photo page is a picture of me that is not so flattering. I am selfish, and it really bothers me to see it there; that others will see it there.

All my life I have been told by anybody not directly related to me that I am quite ugly, sometimes very hatefully, but usually it was just a fact from those around me feeling the need to express their opinions. Okay. I have learned to deal with the fact that I am not a celestial beauty on the outside.

So, my flaw is that now I want to moderate what gets around. If people must post a picture on their site, I would prefer that they do not name me as the hag next to them. When I let people(on the very rare occasion) see me, I want 'my best foot forward' out there. Gut sucked in, makeup done nice, flattering outfit, hair brushed and not thrown in a rag, etc., to name a few of the things I like to do before being seen by the judgmental masses.

To have to come to my site one day and see the horrendous creature that claims she is me posted there, I was in tears. The beast people have commented on my whole life is there in her worst state to wreak havoc on all those poor eyes that have the misfortune of beholding her.

I call my sister straightway to have it removed(vowing to keep my cool in my pleading, and insane, request), only to buckle into the torrent that wouldn't stay away at her refusal. She said the profound 'why does it matter what other people think?', but finally succumbed to the embarrassing flood of sobs from the other end of the phone line.

Indeed, I thought immediately, awed by her amazing indifference, 'why does it matter?'. I had no answer for her, only that it did. It really really mattered that the worst of the beast not be seen.

I know for a fact that most of my wonderful family have no discrepancies with pictures being posted about them not at their best. I am awed and amazed and have high respect for them. I wish, desperately wish, that I could be as nonchalant as they. That it wouldn't matter to me to be seen with that weird expression. I am envious, too. Another flaw I own up to. Indeed it would be much easier not to care, to be so sure of myself that it didn't matter what others think.

But I do care... and indeed, stupidly worry.

Thank you wonderful sister for respecting my sad, pathetic plea. I respect you, and think very highly of you for rising above what others pettily think. I warmly salute your awesomeness.

Everyone else, I am sorry for the beast on my wall. I am much prettier on the inside; if a little unsure of myself.

......................

Someone asked what my favorite movies were while visiting with them the other day. Unprepared for the question, I actually stared at them blankly. I really had nothing to tell them as I truly did not know.

The question made me think how strange it was that I couldn't come up with a single title like that, so when I got home that night, I looked at what we had in our collection, thinking surely that if I liked a movie, I would have made sure I owned it.

After a thorough search through the small drawers and cupboard, I have narrowed the list to five. Here they are:

Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. (He is my favorite actor to play this part)

Cinderella starring Lesley Ann Warren. (She does the meek thing perfectly here)

Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. (I love the idea of having all that time to perfect myself)

Galaxy Quest with Tim Allen and that guy from Monk (I actually saw him here first) and that guy from Harry Potter (Snape; and I saw him here first too). I love those two guys! High-hilarious.

Princess Bride, loved it since I was yea high.

And my very first favorite movie ever...?

The Dark Crystal, this was my first 'scary movie' I was seven and staying the night at someones house at a slumber party. Nightmares for a week until I decided I LOVED IT!!!!

Tell me what you favorite movie is. Do you have more than one?

....................

I received an answer to my latest query today. It has been a while, yes, but I can honestly say that this agent left a very kind rejection for me. It sounded like she was answering me personally, not the many that query her en-mass.

I know by reading over seven hundred blogs that agents have it hard. They stay up late reading a very good many proposals for books that are not all good. Or, in my case, are too similar to other books she already represents. Children's authors and agents love the fictional genre of magic and other worldly creatures, and it is not prudent for an agent to have too many books with elves in them, or she will forget which is which. This is the first time I have run across this in my querying, and after looking at her site, I see what she means. The similarity may not be elves, but there are other things that are the same. I see her point, and don't take her rejection personally. In fact I am grateful for her honesty.

Often times an agent needs to feel like they 'connect' with the book they are selling. It helps them be better able to sell it for their author. And most of us want a great sale. So we humbly take the rejection, and move on politely: "Thank you for your time, I am grateful for your comment," etc.

I am still looking for the agent that will be excited for my book. Perhaps I may send out one more query tomorrow. I hope this next one enjoys the tenor of the book better, AND has no similar projects on the shelves. Though, maybe I will work on shortening the blurb... I do tend to go on and on and on.... I want it perfect.

Sitting still will not get me published. I am off!

..............

The name of my book is Jewel Discovered. The novel is roughly 190k words and sits in a book of 731 pages. Though a tad long, it will suck you in and keep your attention so well, you will still be sad for the tale to end.

I finally got a blurb! Enjoy!

For the first time in her life, Julia has fallen in love. And for the life of her she doesn't understand why that is wrong.

Among the frigid waters of Alaska, Julia and her cousin Carey sail in the frightening storm that is not showing up on anybody's weather radar. With classes to distract them on the large liner, however, they learn that the most interesting things are happening inside the ship. Like the hibernating royals in suite 623. Hiding in their room for the last four years, no one has really seen them.

That is until they make it to their first feast in the dining hall. The gossip that had been at a lull for years, comes out in full force when the crew and guests find out that the reason they ventured out of their preferred solitude is to meet the orphaned contest winners. Julia is special, they believe, and they are going to make sure she stays that way; despite her own dislike over the five-hundred year old moldy prophecy about her. She thinks her love should be chosen personally, not picked out and demanded of by these strange beings; whatever their noble intentions to save their people. But even with her newly found gifts, Jewels wonders if she can thwart the unwanted fate thrust upon her.

Not bad, huh! Let's hope this next agent thinks so! Off I go to send it off!

.................

The beginning of Fall is upon us. School starts, weather cools, leaves change, and there are less bugs.

It is a great time of year because it is no longer hot and the weather turns my front yard into the extended living room I always wanted. Time is spent outside as cool breezes blow and the warm sun shines down. I love to take a book out and let the kids run on slow Saturdays, or drag the laptop out to just be in nature while catching up on work. Sometimes I feel like chasing the kids. So I do.

If the weather was wonderful all year, would we give it a second thought? I would like to think that many a day would be spent in the shade of that giant tree out there. Maybe I would finally explore the forest out back (I've only walked it once in the two years I've lived here), and see the wildlife that rarely stray out of the trees.

Wildlife is fun, too.

While driving on our quiet country lane, I saw my first opossum. It was bigger than a large dog, and the tail was icky. But it was the coolest most frightening thing that night as it stared at us while we changed the direction of our car to go around it. Hubby actually slowed down to about five miles per hour for the kids to see too.

A few months before our naked tailed friend, we were on the freeway exit ramp on the way around the loopdeloo, as we call it, when a buck and a doe happened in front of us. Again, Hubby had been going slow for us and we were able to go around them safely. They were beautiful in the pale moonlight that night.

From Arizona, and living there most of my life, I really had not the chance to see the cardinal that our local team boasted as their mascot. Now, three thousand miles away, I have the rare chance to see this magnificent creature at least a few days a week. Shocking red, sharp black features just like the mural. Exquisite.

I also saw my first blue bird, bluejay, and robin (their eggs are blue btw) within the first week of moving here. Squirrels, rabbits, and chipmunks regularly come up to our porch. No I do not feed them, but their interested stares are eagerly returned.

The most frightening animal related circumstance was when my mother came to visit, poor soul. She had been the one driving as we went to a town far away and were coming back late from shopping all day at the boutiques, when an actual wolf ran in front of us. We were going (and I shudder to remember) seventy miles an hour. The brakes hit barely in time, the wild animal ran off into the black forest. Luckily no one was behind us. There was an angel that night, I know.

Today, our wildlife tour was in our own front yard. For the last few days whenever I stepped in certain areas, something would jump away from my foot and then disappear into the thick grass a few feet away from my toes. I would always be too busy with carting the girls around, but this time the bus had already gone, and we were strolling on our way back to the house. So I peered closer. Much closer.

The prettiest emerald green frog with black spots was sitting in the grass as motionless as the blades around it. Truly the dark color was deep and rich. Gorgeous.

I immediately bent down to catch it so I could better identify it. I caught it, but relaxed the hold too quickly and this time it jumped away. I did not see the exact place it landed, and its beautiful camouflage abilities hid it well, despite the excited search my girls and I gave it. Oh well.

The girls loved it. Squealed with delight and we went inside with excitement to find out what fun creature mommy had unsuccessfully caught. It was a Northern Leopard Frog. But honestly, the pictures on the site did not do it justice. They were a muted green, and ours was definitely an emerald dark variety. Too bad I didn't have the camera. I shall have to remember next time to bring it with me. I should have a few more weeks until it starts burrowing due to the inevitable cold that comes upon us every October.

So the hunt begins. My weapon: a digital trap with 7.1 mega pixels.

*not quite so evil chuckle* Mwah Hahaha!

Epiphanies are not always good.

Indeed, sometimes they may come as a shock to some. Especially when one is forced to realize that a relationship with a friend wasn't as close as they thought it was. A friend they thought would be there when things got tough. A friend they were there for when things got tough for them.

To find out that my friend never saw me as the close friend I thought they were, was a little hurtful. Especially for them to come out and say it the way they did: 'I didn't think we were that close.'

And no, she doesn't want to fix that, nor thinks that our relationship needs to be that close.

Ouch.

Well even if we are not, I will still be there for her. I will still help in emergencies, be there when she needs a shoulder to cry on, and help out when she is low on her luck; as I have done in the past. She will still have me around until she makes it clear she doesn't want me; she hasn't yet, and the phone calls with her on the other line keep coming. Maybe I will give her a break until she starts missing me. I'm lovable. She'll miss me.

Perhaps I am too passive. Or I care too much. I prefer the last. And, honestly, who wouldn't choose to believe better of themselves.

Well. If you are my friend that is not really my friend, know that I, at least, love you. I'm weird like that. I care too much; about you. *shrugs*

..........

I did not write this, but thought it was worthy of being shared. From facebook friend, (Thanks Amy) she posted:

New Pledge of Allegiance (TOTALLY AWESOME!)

Since the Pledge of Allegiance & The Lords Prayer Are not allowed in Schools anymore Because the word 'God' is mentioned... A Kid in Ohio wrote the attached:NEW School prayer:

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule.
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd. ... Read More
If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall... Read More
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.
We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible....
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.
We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,...
No word of God must reach this crowd.
It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen
If you aren't ashamed to do this,
Please pass this on....
Jesus said,
'If you are ashamed of me,
I will be ashamed of you before my Father.'


WOW. And I got yelled at the other day for letting my child pray in a public restaurant! At least the poor kid wasn't shooting anybody!
I think it is very sad that our forefathers', the people who fought for this country's freedom, were fighting mainly so that they may worship How, Where, and What they may. The whole reason was because they wanted freedom from the oppression of England's church at the time. They wanted a land where they could worship differently, freely. And now our right to worship however and wherever we want(remember, the reason they fought and many died) is being stripped away as they chase away our blood sacrificed-earned right to do so. And they claim it is in the name of unfair justice for our merely practicing our beliefs around them.

Turn around! Don't make us leave, or worse, forsake our beliefs. We (Christians) were in this land first! THAT WAS WHY WE CAME HERE! And we fought this battle already! Why must we fight it AGAIN?!

Remember, we are not the ones causing the problems (usually; there are a few, as in every group). The man who cheats on his wife only gets the divorce he wanted and his new honey. Why is prayer so offensive?

Adultery is okay, but praying to better yourself and those around you is not? Hmmm. Sad sad world. I cringe to think what our forefathers would say. I know what I say; people need to get over themselves if they are offended. The prayer wasn't to them. It was to a better being.

When did freedom of speech limit itself to all things vulgar and not the sweetness of a humble prayer?
What are your thoughts?

Also I got this in my Emailbox(it ties in nicely):

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. ?I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu . If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen' (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). ?We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.
If not, then just discard it... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully.


Huh. More of this is getting around. I concur heartily. Of course.

.......

Reposting as per a few requests!



Being multiculturally minded is awesome. I wish I was! It would be utterly fantastic to speak fluently in several languages.

I said that I knew how to say 'hello' in several different languages. I think I do.

I used to work in a store that had many different people from several diverse backgrounds visit it frequently. I thought, one day when I was young and eager to please everybody, how great it would be if I could greet everybody in their native tongue. The idea was so exciting for me, I immediately went about asking everybody where they were from, and what the general greeting was in their native land. Sometimes I just asked for the translation for 'Hello. How are you.' Now, remember, they were all regulars, so they liked my idea and were very gracious for the eager young student, and taught me pronunciation. Pronunciation means only how to say it. I never did learn how to 'spell' in anything other than the English sounds. No cool characters, just the tongue, throat and mouth to help. So most of them will look butchered (And I rightly apologize to everyone out there), but you should have perfect pronunciation for the ones not spelled correctly.

Here goes:

1.) Aafricans: Alafia.

2.) Apache Native American: Hon duh.

3.) Arabic: Harleh shumur chetoreh.

4.) Bengoli: Namwash karkemohnachee?

5.) Czech: Hada sha?

6.) Chinese: Nee hao.
or: Nee hao mah.

7.) Chomara: Half a day.

8.) Cuban: Ebo roo.

9.) Dutch: Halo hoe gaat het er mee (sp: hoo hat heter ma)

10.) Egyptian Arabic: Majaba Lamatz.

11.) Farsi: Allan wasalahn.

12.) Finish: Tervay meeta cooloo.

13.) French: Bonjour. Comment Alle Vou?

14.) Gaelic: Kimir Aha shive.

15.) German: Halo. Vie gates?

16.) Greek: Yia sou ti kanete?
respond: Imai poly kala essi (Im fine, and you?)
last: Kala kala efcharisto (Fine fine thanks.)

17.) Hebrew: Shallohm.

18.) Hindi: Namastae.

19.) India(n): Kemchoh.

20.) Italian: Bien venudo?

21.) Japanese: for morning only; Ohaiyo Gonzaimasoo.
around noon only; Koneecheewa.
afternoon or evening; Konbanwa.

22.) Korean: to child; On Yong.
to someone the same age; On yong Hasayo.
to someone older (respectively given); On yong hasho meeka.

23.) Lakota (sioux native american): Haukola.

24.) Lebonese: Halo. Marhaba.

25.) Muslim: As salaam aliakum.

26.) Mylasian: Apa khabar.

27.) Navaho: Yata hay.
sometimes: Huh lund et hah.

28.) Persian: Shallohm.

29.) Different dialect, Persian: Sallam chitor ahstee.

30.) Philipino: Como sta?

31.) Polish: Yak sheemash.

32.) Punjabe: Keyhalheh.

33.) Romainian:Boona zee you.

34.) Russian: Dristae Kakoovazdoo-lah?
Also Russian: Previat.

35.) Samoan: Talohfa.

36.) Somalian: Iska warahn.

37.) Dif dialect Somalian: Sidee tahay.

38.) Sotho: Doo mayla.

39.) Spain(ish): Bien Dia.

40.) Spanish (Espanol): Hola Como Estas?

41.) Swahili: Woo hon ditz.

42.) Swedish: Tak.

43.) Ty: Sawadee.

44.) Varu: Malayalam.

45.) Vietnamese: Quiakom.

46.) Dif dialect Vietnamese: Dow Cole.

47.) Third Dialect Vietnamese: Malayalam.

48.) Yugoslavien: Zdravo kakosee.

49.) Yugoslavick: Kako stevie.

50.) Tribal Zulu: Coonjohnee.

51.) Zulu: San Bonanee.


Oops. It looks like I can only remember fifty one languages. That means I forgot about five different ones. Oh well. The mind is a slippery thing....

I thought it was really cool that although people came from the same country, they said their greetings differently within it. The only sure different one I knew before was Mandarin and Kantonese Chinese. But India alone has close to forty different languages. Now I am learning that every country has many unique diversities within it. Of course I grew up knowing the US has Native Americans that speak differently, but I was ignorant to realize that many people outside our country saw them as other dialects within our country (not all, many do know the difference between English and Cherokee). Zulu and tribal Zulu are completely different races as well. This is very interesting to me. Even now I enjoy seeing how truly diverse our languages are. Absolute fun.

I also learned several other things to say in a few of these languages. Though I never learned a whole one, it was fun to try to speak to my friends as one of their own.

Tidbits...

Japanese: Keemeewa kawaii -I think you are cute.

Chinese: Nee hun koo I -You are cute.

Hindi: Boh hooserahs -You are good looking.

German: Ich leebee deech -I love you.

French: Je te aime -I love you.


Do you like diversity? I know that it can get annoying when you are in the US and Spanish greets you on the phone, but it can be fun, too. The next time that Spanish greets you, be very serious and say;

Lo siento no comprendo.

See if you make them halt as you answer 'sorry' that you 'can't understand Spanish' while speaking fluent Espanol! I love doing that to people! As a fair haired person, I often get looked over when people think about intelligence.

I.E. I spoke perfect Russian to my movers when they arrived here with my stuff from Arizona. Shocked them! They both looked chagrined and spoke in English for me for the rest of the time they were in my presence. I knew they had said something awful, or at the very least not so nice, and I let them think I knew exactly what it was. They will never know I only knew 'hello how are you', and then 'goodbye' as I spoke only those two phrases in their perfect fluent tongue.

They did ask about my perfect pronunciation. I answered I had a very close friend that lived there most of her life. It was true. I worked with the lady at that job I mentioned. She was very kind to let me pick her brain. I am so glad I did. Those movers were much nicer afterward!

I like to believe good of people. Maybe it let them feel happy that someone took the time to speak to them in their native tongue. Some of my friends in the states have mentioned that they miss their home country even though they are glad to be here. I was glad to be able to give them at least a greeting. The smiles I got were great, and made me feel all warm inside. I hope when I travel, if I am poor in speaking the beautiful languages around me(that I will study studiously before I go), I will get the same attitude I give. Culture is precious. I hope people don't hate me for mine, despite those out there that give us Americans a poor rep. I care. I know we don't 'rule'. But I am glad to be one. Just as everyone should be proud of their heritage.

.............

Regarding Query Etiquette....

Queries... what is the best approach?

Okay. It has been several weeks now, almost three months, and the recent agent I petitioned has yet to answer. Now, did they not get the query I sent them with requested half the book? Or did they not like it? I wish I knew so I could do something about it. Well, nothing if they didn't like it; can't please them all. But I could send it to other agents at the very least. I think I will send to others. It isn't fair that they are sitting on it and not responding. I didn't lie when I sent it; that I was only querying them at the time, but I will be now if I decide to go ahead with this.

Anyone out there that wants to publish a book? I have a new one! Fun, adventure, and lots of clean romance!

Huh. Well maybe I will just go back to querying the regular way... old school... pull out the printer and the ink cartridges, hubby, cause I'm going to plaster the tables with stacks and stacks and stacks.... So sad. I wish all agents were green. All those trees....

Ah well. When you see my book on the shelves, it will be worth it. I will even plant an acre of trees when my novel starts making the money I know it will.

Lots of pretty trees.... Not a tree-hugger, mind you, but they sure are pretty.

Hobbies: Past and Present

A first time for everything and a first time to be heard. Many before me have gone this way, and I am sure many after will be here when I'm gone. I am glad to be here now.

So many years after college, and indeed dance, I have finally found a new way to pass the hours of boredom and solitude. Movement not always an option now, I have done much to quell the desire to run around as I would like, such as: Learned to play one song on the guitar, read every book I could get my hands on, learned how to say "Hello how are you?" in fifty six different languages(the native phrase for each of the people I knew at work), learned for the first time ever how to knit-did several dishrags before deciding that I hate knitting(how bizarre is it that I love doilies), learned to draw floor plans properly; love architecture and drawing castles(and thus have several floor plans tucked in the archives), finally had two precious children after much trial and error, dress up said children in as much pink lace and satin as I can find(Lucky for them they're girls ;D), donate much of household stuff every month(I honestly don't know where the Cinderella statue, or that full wardrobe came from), collect water globes(they just show up now), painfully watch children break said water globes, try new workouts-Tybo, Pilate's, belly dancing (last great for killer abs, btw), clean house, watch husband dirty said house, clean again, rinse and repeat, cart children to and from school, volunteer at said school, and everything else required for such children, go to church and donate every Sunday, sing in choir when I can(not bad, not good, but appreciated), sing at home to myself(when hubby isn't working on his own laptop right next to me), gone bungee jumping, skiing(water and snow; was pretty good at both), and decided I wasn't brave enough for sky diving. I have also done many other various things I can come up with, needed or otherwise.

Point being: after a thorough search into what is out there, I have now found a wonderful alternative to the dancing I miss. I am a writer. It is who I am no matter how new I am to it. Poetry and short stories forgotten when I could dance, I never took my hand to real stories, and I am excited to say I have finished my first novel. It actually surprised me. I am not only a great writer(promised me by more than just my book-loving mom), but I have found that I enjoy writing immensely. It is my new favorite thing to do (along with drawing those castle floor plans I dream to live in one of these days).

I am also a dreamer. I always have been and I always will be. I am not adverse to learning something new(as noted by the guitar song and knitting and bungee jumping). I am glad to find that, after experimenting, I have found the one thing that really speaks to me. I also love editing. It is fun to go through what I have written and pick it apart to find new ways to express how the characters are feeling or what they are doing. I get a thrill and wonderful chill every time a scene does exactly what I think it should do. And yes, sometimes I grin verbally (a short squeal of excitement). I just can't contain my joy at seeing the words mesh cohesively.

My book is finally done. I have let my English major friends pick it apart and fixed what I thought was appropriate(not everything mind you, writing is an art that should stay true to the author). They agree with how I left it and like what I improved upon. My greatest joy was when someone who does not particularly like me admitted with reluctance that I have talent, and that she is quite impressed with the story(she has great talent herself in writing, so her opinion is valid to me). We will not reconcile our differences(honestly we never saw eye to eye), but she admits to having respect for my writing talent. Big goosebumps and wide smile.

I now have only the task of querying my precious piece. I have started writing a second book to take up some more of my time(I do not like watching TV so I have to have something to do while my husband watches his 'unwind' movie before bed). There is an agent that will want to represent this just so they can make as much money off of it as they can. I am okay with that as I am hoping to profit, too. But my book really is wonderful. Humor I miss in everyday life has found it to these pages. Though it really is more urban fantasy meets paranormal romance. But why not laugh along the way? Romance and evil villains can be funny; can't they? Maybe not the evil villain part(that word always makes me want to get a mustache just so I can twirl it), but certainly an awkward romance by two people who are definitely new to the game can be played as funny.

Well that's it for today. Here I am. And here I will be every week day.

Question: How many languages can you say 'Hello' in? Just off the top off your head, and no cheating.