Uncategorized

Oct 31, 2014 Uncategorized

Just looking at this makes me want to hurl

Aaack!! Why would a photo of pumpkin seeds make me want to hurl you ask? It all stems back to 6th grade. I remember like it was yesterday… But before I get to the story, you have to understand something. We didn’t celebrate holidays when I was a kid. Yup – no Halloween, no Christmas, no birthdays, no NOTHIN’! (I’ve blogged a little about that here) No holidays meant any chance to do something remotely festive—I was all in with reckless abandon, or in this case – reckless stupidity… I have Mrs.

Read article

Oct 4, 2013 All Things British

New Music–CHVRCHES

It’s new music Tuesday for the Scottish trio CHVRCHES. I love this play on letters. And yes, I agree with this BBC article – you must use all caps when writing, err typing their name. (And don’t forget the “E”) Today their debut studio album Bones of What You Believe is released in the States. The group is electropop, but if you like Arcade Fire or Bastille or Depeche Mode, you’ll probably like CHVRCHES. As an author, I’m always on the lookout for new music to listen to while I run through a

Oct 3, 2013 Uncategorized

October 1st - A Magical Day for Disney World

It was forty-two years ago today, that Disney World opened its doors to the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. Entrance into Magic Kingdom. Believe it or not, I took this photo with my iPhone. I happen to believe that Disney World is one of the most magical places on earth. Honestly – it’s ruined most other theme parks for me because I’m always comparing it to Disney. I’ll never forget taking my kids to a regional (not Disney) theme park. They were so excited to meet one of the characters.

Jun 7, 2013 Uncategorized

Lilies for Lily

This past weekend we had four generations present to help my Nana ring in 92 years on this planet. Can you believe it? Ninety-two freakin’ years?! Nana’s quite frail, but she toddles around with the help of a walker. And, although she suffers from flashes of dementia, she’s still got a kick-arse sense of humor. When I got home from my trip, I found that the lilies in my garden were in full bloom. Then it hit me… She’s named Lily, after the flower. I can see the scene now 93 years ago…. Nana’s

Aug 17, 2012 Uncategorized

Oh Happy Day...

I just got back from walking Fergie, my six month old Portuguese Water Dog. Isn’t she cute?? She’s a bundle of energy, so we try to walk her twice a day. Between my runs and these Fergie power walks, I should stay in good shape. Today, the sun is shining, birds are chirping. There’s a slight westerly breeze. I saw this quote and thought it was quite appropriate for such a beautiful summer day. "Every day should be unwrapped as a gift." -Harry Harrison

Jul 21, 2011 Things I Love

The ever growing TBR pile

Aye! My TBR pile runneth over. At the moment – it’s a bit overwhelming. Here’s the stack of freebies from RWA. And here are two other piles that I haven’t gotten to yet. That’s a total of thirty books!! 1.7333 books per week if I don’t add any more books to the pile for a year. Since I have a book obsession, that’s not a very likely prospect. Case in point -- here’s what came today from BAM.com. And it’s going straight to the top of the pile!!! Actually – it’s skipping the pile entirely. After

Jul 20, 2011 Uncategorized

To be…or Not to be

I’ve been figuratively tugging my hair out trying to write a synopsis for THE NOVEL. I need to condense a four-hundred page novel into two pages. How in the heck do you do such a thing? I spent hours Googling and studying resources from various sources. (BTW - RWA University has a really thorough transcript from a workshop on synopsis.) Then I started writing. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote again. I shipped it off to a friend to review because it sounded flat. And she said, “You’re using too

Mar 15, 2011 Uncategorized

Word Clouding

I loved creating collages as a kid. Going through magazines or catalogs to find pictures and words. Picking out the right color of construction paper, so my treasured finds would be visible. Glueing the little pieces of paper. Then hoping my masterpiece didn't curl up too much on the ends when it was dry. Oh - the smell of rubber cement or trying to peel off dried Elmer's School glue from your fingertip in one piece so you'd have a cast of your fingerprint. Me-mor-ies... I still enjoy creating

Mar 4, 2011 Uncategorized

Friday Morning Rambling

Friday is one of my favorite days of the week. There’s a circular reference with the name… Fri-day – as in French Fries, my favorite food. French - the language spoken in my favorite city – Paris. Paris – also called The City of Lights. Lights – as in Christmas. Christmas – my favorite holiday. Holiday – a time off from work to spend with family and friends. Time off from work – the weekend. Weekend – starts on Friday evening… Happy Friday to one and all.