Musings on a Strange Childhood

I thought I'd share a snippet from my kidhood. Something strange that I thought about and wanted to share.

When I was a kid, like between the ages of 9 and 14, I loved getting spare change. Loved it. Why? Because I felt like I was important. I had MONEY. Looking back, I'm not sure where the heck I got the change from, but I had some. The moment I had change, I wanted to spend it. Yep. Spend! Spend! Spend!

It was never anything big. Little things, like a blue folder or a banana hair clip or a pair of earrings. I'd see the object and know EXACTLY what I was going to do with it. The blue folder would hold my plans. Plans for what? I have no idea. I felt like I was important because I had plans. I was a thinker. The banana clip? For my Halloween costume...or when I wanted to dress up. And those earrings? Because they were pretty and would look cool with whatever outfit I loved at the time.

I don't remember how many of these plans and schemes actually panned out. I was a kid. I thought I was a thinker, but I was really a kid. I have no idea whatever happened to that blue folder, even though at the time I SWORE I needed it. The banana clip probably got broken and the earrings missing.

But that's how my mind worked. I could use this for that. Spend that on this to do those things.

Yep, I'm strange.

Cover Art - Thoughts?

I was looking at cover art the other day, trying to decide which book I wanted to spend my hard earned dollars on. Now, I am a self-avowed cover whore. I love me some pretty bodies in sexy positions. I got so excited when I saw the new Lust Bite covers and decided I wanted one. I know, goofy. Meh.

Then I was helping Megan with a cover. She wanted the thing to look just right and was in the process of filling out the form. And seeing her in action made me wonder. When we get the honor of inputting on cover art, what info is the right info and how do we make sure we're giving the poor cover artist the proper info to make the cover exactly what we thought it should be?

Now I am no expert on cover art creation. I do my best on my self pubbed free reads with picasa and a lot of trial and error. I give all the cover artists out there a lot of credit. It's HARD to create a pretty, eye-catching cover.

But when are we driving the cover artist crazy or just inputting the right ideas to make the cover pop?

I had one friend tell me the cover artist was thrilled when she sent along links for what she thought the characters should look like. Thrilled. Another said she'd done the same thing and the artist was mighty irked. Another friend had the cover done, but objected to the colors (ancient Greeks NEVER wore THAT color). Or there's the angel debate. How do you make the angle not look like he's got turkey wings on his back?

Now, before I go any further, I've seen my share of objectionable cover art. I realize that said, those covers are in the eye of the beholder. What I may not like might be the apple of the author's eye. Then again, what I think is beautiful might disgust other authors.

I just wonder sometimes if I'm being too pushy by saying I want this and this, but absolutely not this. Does that help the artist or hinder creativity? The guy can be built, but no furry chests. Does that really make a huge difference?

I still don't know the answer, so I'll go on wondering. Thoughts?

Black Friday!!!

I dunno about you, but I'm not a huge Black Friday shopper. Probably because I'm not good with crowds. I don't mind orderly lines and such - well, I don't mind them, but I don't really want to be in them. What I cannot handle is chaotic crowds. Concerts make me twitch. I'm not a princess by any means, but I cannot handle being jostled. I can't deal with having elbows dug into my sides or being packed in somewhere. It's probably claustrophobia or something, but sorry, can't do it.

I tried Black Friday shopping before I had kids. It wasn't so bad, but still not my favorite thing. I guess there's not that much I really want that bad that I'll stand in line or wait in a mob for. I'm oddly perfectly content to wait a few months to buy the tablet or iPod I really want if it means I can take my time, look it over and really think about it. And after having a kid, there's too much I don't want squashed. Like the tot and the stuff that must be lugged around for the tot - diaper bags, the toy that HAD to come along, sippy cup, or whatever was too important not to stay in the car.

Then again, I don't really have a long Christmas list this year either. The family wanted things that are more utilitarian. Yeah, I know. It's so hard to buy socks in a mob. Or get undershirts...stuff like that. The child wants paper, markers, and things to make comic books. Hey, can't knock a kid for wanting to create art. Shrugs. Maybe that's what makes me quirky or odd. I'm good with what I got and not really wanting anything for Christmas.

What about you? Are you out shopping? Reading blogs and tripping the blog fantastic? Writing? I'd like to be doing that right now. Sigh. The words are there, just not ready to make their way onto the page. Oh well. What are your thoughts on Black Friday? Let me know. :-)

Being Sick... Stinks

I went to bed last night ready to tackle today and get some stuff accomplished. I sure did. What went wrong?

I got a cold.

I thought I had one about two weeks ago. I probably did, but I caught it fast enough that time that it wasn't really bad. In fact, it ran its course in a couple days. Worked for me. I had a vacation to enjoy. But this time the cold is a tick worse. Can you say feels like death? Yeah, I'm so there.

I'll get something done shortly, I hope.

On other news, this was funny and yet incredibly sad. The plane that had the 'hijacker' trying to get into the cockpit. I know enough about planes to know that there's no room to goof around with guns. I also know how serious the threat of hijacking is. Now it's funny to think the pilot got himself stuck in the john. Why? Cuz I think it's funny when anyone gets stuck in a potty. What's not funny is the idea that we are so scared that something bad will happen. It's not funny because it's a very real possibility. Scary.

Then again, the overseas flight that required the fliers to cough up money to refuel the plane just sucks. Sounds like the travel agent who booked the flight never bothered to give the money for the refueling that the travelers paid to the airline. Now that's stupid. Thankfully they had the cash on hand to fuel it.

Oh well. I'm off to twiddle with a pilot story I've had in the back of my head for a while.

NaNo...Not Now

Okay, so the beginning of the month, I was all ready to tackle NaNo. A friend of mine insists that NaNo actually happens every month a writer writes. We all have deadlines and things we have to get done. She's right.

And yet...

It's fun to push yourself to get to that elusive word count. Its fun to really see what you can do. So yes, every month is a goal to get to the word count.

But...

For me it's been a little bit of a challenge and not just to get the words to flow. The words are there. I've got them just fine. What's the problem then?

Life.

I'm sure everyone who does NaNo has life stomp in and stampede. It's what happens. But in my case, there was vacation. Always fun and yep, I got lots of ideas. Lots of nice eye candy to look at, too. Then there was the birthday extravaganza - well, if you call eating Dilly Bars at Dairy Queen an extravaganza and since I do. Grin. Then the dog had her issues. Ever have a dog with a cyst? It happens a lot I'm told, but this one got icky. We're talking doubled in size, turned colors and burst. Yeah, gross. So I had to help with that. Now factor in a child in school, a DH with crazy work hours and yeah, I work myself in addition to writing.

What does all that add up to?

Writing whenever I can find the stray moment and having to take the laptop into the potty for privacy. No my family doesn't read over my shoulder, but sometimes you just need a moment with your thoughts.

How much have I honestly gotten done? About 20k. It's not much and well, it's really two shorts (maybe it's four [there were two really short shorts in there] I'm not sure) that I have compiled.

Ya think I'll make it by the end of the month to the full 50k of words? Here's to trying even when I'm sure something else (Murphy's Law resides at my house) will crop up and scream for my attention.

Do you ever have this problem? Coping suggestions? I'm all ears.

Thursday Ramblings

I happened to be at my totlet's school, picking the totlet up when as I waited, I saw a teen dressed in something that was remarkably like what I wore in high school.


I lived in my flannel. Warm, snuggly, layers over everything. So much fun. Oh, and it's cheap.

I was never really into Smashing Pumkins, but hey, we all have our quirks.
But everyone had this shirt.

I've never been able to wear skinny jeans. I'm too curvy for them. But still.

But in my case, they folded down because the leather got soft and gave way. We didn't BUY them folded.

Why am I rambling about it? Well, I thought this stuff went out in oh, 1999. I didn't realize that flannel was making the comeback with the remastered Pearl Jam albums. Maybe this is why my parents, Mom in particular, thought I was crazy for wearing some of the garish stuff they thought was cool back in 1974. Sigh. Is this a sign I'm getting old? Or is it just fashion, even bad fashion, never dies?

In closing, We're screwed if neon, the scrunchie, and plastic clothing comes back into vogue.

Another Thursday Rambling

Courtesy of: http://shopping.yahoo.com/articles/yshoppingarticles/717/7-gadgets-that-wont-be-around-in-2020

Going the way of the Dinosaur?

E-Readers
The e-reader has already undergone significant changes in its short history, evolving from a product with a keyboard to one with a touchscreen and more recently being integrated into a kind of a tablet-hybrid, but according to Golvin, the market for e-readers will mostly disappear by the end of the decade.

“The tablet will largely supplant the e-reader in the same way that the iPod increasingly gets displaced by smartphones,” Golvin says. “Tablets will take on the e-reader function of handling magazine, newspaper and book reading.” In essence, spending money on an e-reader that can only handle reading when tablets can do this and more will come to seem as useless as buying a GPS system that can only look up directions when other technology does this as well.

Just how small the e-reader market becomes may depend somewhat on advancements in display technology. One of the biggest incentives for consumers to buy a pure e-reader is to have an e-ink display (like reading from a book) rather than a backlit display (like reading from a computer screen), but according to Golvin, manufacturers are already working on ways to merge the two reading experiences and create a tablet that doubles as an authentic e-reader.

Even then, there may be still be some e-readers on the market at the beginning of next decade, but not many.

“It could be that by 2020 you can still buy a super cheap e-reader for $20, but by and large, the volume of sales will be so close to zero as to be indistinguishable, like CD players are now,” he says.

What the? Wednesday - What Inspires Your Book?

I'd submitted a book the other night and was busy being totally distracted by television when I started thinking...what inspires a book? I mean, what really gets the creative juices flowing?

I know it's different for everyone.

So I thought, gee, what is it that really nabs my attention. Well, here's a couple of my examples.

Television. As much as it's a deterrent, it can be an inspiration to me. I've had plenty of actors that made me think, 'he'd make a great.....' and usually, it works out great. I've had lots of good ideas come from an action the actor did. Not the guy, but how he looks or a way he moved. Never the character on the screen.

I've also found inspiration from things in my life. I spent time as a teacher. Went to college. I sat through boring lectures in gigantic halls. Teeny tiny art classes in loft-type rooms. I met lots of people there and most are unforgettable. Might not be an actual person but something they did. Or even, a situation I was in with them.

So there's some from the vault, so to speak. Some of my little gems about my work and it's origins.

What about you? Where do you get your ideas? What sparks you?

What the? Wednesdays...You Know You've Read Too Much MM When...

You know you've read to much MM when... this is a sad but true story. And it was worse once I realized, wow, yeah, I probably do read too much MM.

I was at a particular eatery with the youngling. We stood in line awaiting our turn when I happened to notice the people in front of me. Normally, I don't really care who happens to be standing around me--I'll strike up a conversation with anyone. But this particular time, there were three men (college aged man-children) and one young woman. They were joined by another male of the college-age range.

First thought, Hon, you've got the sweet and innocent look going on. Work it! I mean, she looked like All-American, apple pie, yanno? Then I thought, lucky girl...five guys. Isn't this a Siren Love Xtreme storyline?

Second thought, the one gent in front of me had a hickey the size of an apple on the side of his neck. Here's where the MM comes in. I actually stood and looked at the hickey wondering which was the angle of origin (yes, too many CSI marathon, too) and which one gave it to him.

Then my mind wandered. Which one HAD left the hickey? Of course now, Megan has arrived and is egging me on. She's such a bad influence.

We came to the conclusion, he was sammiched in the middle, her on one side, the brawnier guy on the other and EVERYONE has hickies, they just don't happen to be so visible.

I won't go into our deduction as to HOW the hickies precisely got there, but suffice it to say, Megan's creative thoughts flowed like wine.

So yeah, I've read WAYY TOOO MUCH MM.

How about you?

What the? Wednesdays...Fan Mail!!!!

I opened my email the other day and felt like the minion in this video. )If you haven't seen Despicable Me it's a riot and yes, I want minions.)

No way, I got fan mail. I mean, I'm not a hugely famous author...I'm just puttering around in my own little corner of cyberspace. But when I read it, I about fell down. This person read the blurb for Tangled Up and can't wait for it to come out. She's excited about the premise and is looking forward to it.

Talk about tough shoes to fill. I'm scared I'll let her down or not live up to her expectations.

The book comes out in January, so I hope she loves it. I hope you do, too. Anyone else have those crazy flutters when you see an author you love has a new book coming out? I do. What about when people tell you they're waiting with bated breath for your next book? How do you handle it?

Let me know. I can use all the pointers I can get.

And Don't Forget to Check out These Awesome Authors: Megan Slayer, Kealie Shay, Menagerie Authors, Jessica Jarman, Devon Rhodes, Ashley Ladd, Linda McMaken, Marianne Arkins, Anne Rainey, KA Mitchell, Mychael Black, and Jenika Snow!

What the? Wednesday...Shoving in the Store

I guess Wednesday is soap box day, but I have to talk about this. Why is it when people are in a store, getting gifts and something happens to be on sale, one feels the need to take the item from someone else's hands? Why must there be shoving?

I'm a simple gal. Really. (Don't ask DH he'll tell you otherwise.) When I holiday shop, I have a list, I go with the list and rarely deviate. Why? Cuz I'd go broke and forget everything. I'm a listy girl.

I happened to be holiday shopping and saw SODA was on sale. SODA. This isn't a huge deal. Right? You can buy soda (or what some call pop -- sorry. Pop was my great Grampa, not a fizzy drink made by Pepsi....anyway) pretty much anywhere. And when one store has it cheap, usually a couple more fall into step. Good gravy. I won't say the price or the place, but let's suffice it was cheap. I haven't seen it this low since I was in college (oh lands does that date me?!?!?!?!) But you should've seen the ADULTS scrambling to get SODA.

SODA!!!

I need my Mt. Dew fix (no TrueBlood comments, please), but would I shove someone out of the way, or better yet, rip the soda out of their hands so I'd get it first and at that price?

Sorry. No.

This is the holiday season. A time to put all differences aside (now I have an earworm). You'd think it wouldn't be a big deal.

But my first thought wasn't, gee this is the holiday season, let's get along. It was good gravy, please don't let there be a small person in that hornet's nest. The tot would not only end up being brained, but the lessons taught? Yes, youngling, you take what you want and if it happens to be out of someone else's hands, well, you win. Come on. That's against common manners.

I don't mean to sound like a Scrooge, but this is why I tend to do all my shopping for Christmas in July. People aren't quite so intoxicated by the season, the cold, and whatever else has gotten into them.

Am I old? Grumpy? Probably.

Next time you're at the store intent on getting whatever it is you need, just think for a moment first. K?

I'm going to go back into my bat cave, write, and try to get rid of my earworm. Oh, and 24 more shopping days left. Watch your toes, your arms, wallets, and fellow man. 'Tis the season to be merry, jolly, and courteous.

Ta.

What the? Wednesday

My what the? Wednesday is about time management. I could complain. I'm actually not. I'm looking for some advice.

I have an EDJ, even if it's really not evil. Hey, it pays the bills when writing doesn't (but then again, I didn't put pen to paper and fingers to keyboard because I wanted to get rich. I did it because I can't see myself not writing. Scouts honor--and yeah, I was a girl scout. Don't look so shocked. It didn't last forever, but I was a scout.). But lately I'm finding that either I've taken on too many projects (totally possible), things have gotten beyond my control (only when it's truly things I can't control--yanno, weather, the darn voices of my characters), and I want to get some of my projects to move forward but I feel like I'm spinning my wheels.

So I'm looking for some suggestions to manage my time. I have a schedule, but I can't always stick to it because with a youngling and animals, sometimes schedules are worthless. I've tried a timer, but I'm one of those masochistic people that will work on something until it's done because I can't leave it half done. I'll stay up all night working on a story if the flow is there.

What do you do to manage your time? Any tips? Suggestions? I'm all open ears.

What Do You Think?

While I was in Cincy, I was part of a lively discussion about erotica and romance novels. The arguement was the pacing by which the characters have sex.

I want to know what you think.

Some said this: Erotica should get to the fooling around right away and we should have a good idea that the Hero/Heroine will be together at the end. The reader should know that when they are fooling around the H/H are in love with each other. No love means you're reading porn.

Others said this: The sex and love should come later. We need a chance to really get to know the characters before they get horizontal. The story needs the time to develop and grow.

Still others said this: I want sex right away, but I want them to fall in love later in the story. If they say they're in love too early then I know the ending and its a loss.

What do you think?

My opinion?

It depends on the story. Some are nice when they get right at it, but I'm not keen on screwing just to screw. IMHO it makes the characters look desperate. Then again, sometimes, the right now approach works well.

I also like when the characters are in love earlier on, because there can be times when things can be elusive and then a bad thing happens to threaten the love. Plus, if you're reading romance, don't get me wrong, but come on...the hero and heroine are SUPPOSED to get together at the end and fall in love. (No, I'm not a fan of the happy for now endings and don't get me started on my irritation with hero or heroine dying at the end...)

Then again, I like erotica where there is a plot along with the sex. Sex is fine, it's why I read raunchy stuff, but, I want a plot, you know, a reason for them to have sex beyond for sex's sake.

So what do you think?

Is It Wrong?

This probably won't be a long post. I'm getting some quiet time and want to use it wisely. If you haven't guessed by now, I'm a champion at finding goofy things to take up time instead of the things I should be doing.

So what's wrong?

I found myself watching Forrest Gump for about the hundreth time. There are moments when I'd like to wring Jen-ny's neck, but that's me. But I was talking about wrong...

SPOILER ALERT

I'm watching the ending and I'm smiling along with Forrest when he finds out he's a daddy. Then, when they get married and Lt. Dan shows up, I'm laughing that he's got magic legs. But every darned time, I bawl like a baby when he's sitting at Jenny's grave and talking to her. Then there's the very end when he sends little Forrest to school for the first time. Yeah, I cry.

Now I'm wonderingif it's normal to shake my head, laugh, and interact with the movie like I'm PART of the movie. I mean, I know the filmmaker wants the audience to react. Sometimes I think I get way more into the movies than some do.

But then again, isn't that the point to writing? Well one of them, anyway. To get the reader to feel what the characters feel and to experience the story as if they were there, too.

I haven't gotten more than one review of my work, and I hope that's how the readers feel when they read my stuff. I'd love to know, so I know how to work on my work to make it more powerful and enjoyable for the reader.

Are there any stories that really made you think? Laugh? Cry? I'd love to know.

So I'll go back to my TV show and my putzing around. I have a story to marinate a bit logner anyway.

Toodles for now.

So I Was Talking to a Friend...

My farmer was rejected finally by the editor. Somehow in the back of my mind, I saw it coming. Don't get me wrong... I didn't send something I thought was subpar. I thought the story was right on track. But, apparently the editor, tho agreeing that the story was great, wasn't what was wanted. Am I bitter? Heck no. I learned a while back that what isn't one person's cup of tea is another's. So I sent him back out again hoping that this time he'll strike gold.

But as I said in the title, I was talking to Megan yesterday (well, I would've today but she's sorta busy now cause her third cabana boy found his way home and they have to make up for lost time...), anyway, she suggested that even though farmer is sexy and hunky, he's a recovering addict and though he's brooding, he's not rock star brooding. She seemed to think and I agree that he wasn't flashy enough and that's why he wasn't appealing to the editor.

What do you think? Does the hero have to be flashy for you to like him? I mean, in farmer's case, he's a farmer. I don't know about you, but I don't know too many flashy farmers and beings that I come from a long line of farmers, I'd say I know what I'm talking about. Why can't Joe Ordinary be a hero just like Jumping Jack Flash?

Megan says it's a matter of fantasy--women want their fantasy man. A farmer isn't exactly the idea sexy man (so sayeth the woman who has three freakin vampire cabana boys...). I agree to a small degree. Yes, it's nice to read about the hunky doctor, or the studly actor, but I also want to read about a real person. There is a trend in romance to write larger heroines. BBW. So why can't the hero be average? Cause really, there are a lot of average guys out there who are pretty heroic without having to be the flashy type. I mean, where would you get your food if it wasn't for a farmer?

Just sayin'.


What do you think?

Random Question

So I had this friend... and she sent me an email with one question:

If you could have one piece of clothing forever, what would it be and why?

Loaded question...

I asked, knowing it wasn't probably possible, if Jonathan togo counted as clothing...

Would you believe she said no! The gall! Oh well, I can dream.

My real answer? My hoodie. Yup. Dh swears I'm part lizard or something because I'm always cold. No joke. We went to a race where everyone else wore tees and shorts and I had on my jeans and hoodie. I was comfy and warm. Them? I have no idea. Then again, he also thinks the hoodie is part of my anatomy. (TMI? You'll get used to it. I can be worse.)

So why the hoodie? It keeps you dry in the rain and it's long enough to cover embarrassing situations. Oh, and its warm, but you can shove the sleeves up and cool down.

And since my first choice was taken... it's the hoodie.

What's your answer to the question? I'd love to know.

Toodles.