Did anyone get the chance to see it last night? My girls and I got all cubbied up, lathered on the Skin-so-soft and headed out under the stars and started to watch the show about 9:30PM. Eating popcorn of course and saw a few falling stars none of which either of them witnessed. The popcorn was too good I guess and H complained of her  neck hurting, but  after finding a slimy slug on my daughters left out flip-flop, I wasn't about to lay out a blanket, even though I wished we could. So we sat there in our cushioned chairs until about... well until their popcorn bowls were empty, then went in. They went nighty-night and I went back out. 

I sat there by myself just looking up and feeling so tiny- kind of like an ant compared to the world above. Thoughts pondered my mind and then I saw it- an earth grazer blazing in the Northeastern sky. It shot upward with an endless lit up tail lining the night. How beautiful! Soon my  hubby got home, and at approx 11:45, grabbed some popcorn and mosquito coils and  together we watched and waited...And then there it was- the one we were there for, why it could have been Haley's Comet it was so big!  It  forged through the sky like a traveling light shooting across space and time in the shape of a rainbow until it was no longer visible behind the trees. Let me tell you it was so cool! I wanted to see the peak of the show at about 4AM, but it was cloudy and the moon was too high decreasing visibility. 

So did anyone else catch a glimpse? I'd love to know.                                                           

The Perseids (pronounced /ˈpɜrsiː.ɨdz/) is the name of a prolific meteor shower associated with the comet Swift-Tuttle. The Perseids are so-called because the point they appear to come from, called the radiant, lies in the constellation Perseus. The stream of debris is called the Perseid cloud and stretches along the orbit of the comet Swift-Tuttle. The cloud consists of particles ejected by the comet as it travels on its 130-year orbit. Most of the dust in the cloud today is around a thousand years old. However, there is also a relatively young filament of dust in the stream that was pulled off the comet in 1862. The rate of meteors originating from this filament is much higher than for the older part of the stream.

The Perseid meteor shower has been observed for about 2000 years, with the earliest information on this meteor shower coming from the Far East.^[1] Some Catholics refer to the Perseids as the "tears of St. Lawrence", since August 10 is the date of that saint's martyrdom.^[2]

The shower is visible from mid-July each year, with the peak in activity being between August 9 and 14, depending on the particular location of the stream. During the peak, the rate of meteors reaches 60 or more per hour. They can be seen all across the sky, but because of the path of Swift-Tuttle's orbit, Perseids are primarily visible in the northern hemisphere. As with all meteor showers, the rate is greatest in the pre-dawn hours, since the side of the Earth nearest to turning into the sun scoops up more meteors as the Earth moves through space. In 2009, the peak Zenithal Hourly Rate will be about 120, but fainter meteors will be washed out by a waning gibbous moon.

Next are the Leonids in November. It may be cold but I'll be bundled up and there.

 
Yes! You heard that right! Well the first draft anyhow, and so now the real work begins right? I know there's still much to do.
 I was lucky enough to spark the interest of a very cool editor, but I'm not counting those chicks, because after sending it to her I thought "Mmm this character could be more developed and do I really need this one? And all kinds of other stuff. Yeah I think I will make crazy for a while:O  I do think I'm finally ready to write a story near to my heart but requires alot of bravery to write it. Do any of you have one of those?

Our house is coming along and has siding! It really is starting to look like a house, a real home, Thank God. 

My girls are getting ready for their new school and I may be making the commute for about a month if the house isn't ready . 1st grade and Preschool, Oh my.

We're taking off to Lake George in two weeks for a much needed vacation, making memories:)

Did mention I'm cooking absolutely scrumptious foods with my best girlfriend who has a thriving high end catering company and soon to open restaurant, busy season, but so fun with friends and tasting tasting tasting!

I miss my Mom.
 
I hope everyone is having a great summer full of good times, family, friends, passion, and nature- be it a refreshing surf or a forest of tree frogs, have fun:)  

It's so true!  I stepped back into the early 1900's. It was like one of my favorite movies "Somewhere in Time"  ya know with Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymore. Oh my I'm getting teary- eyed just thinking about it, what a love! As a matter of fact my sister and I think the movie might have been filmed there- yes! In my quite fancy-schmancy hotel "Athenaeum". It was truly beautiful... 

Allow me to just  debrief a bit!  What a week! Not only did I meet fabulous-fantacular writers-such wonderful sweet and funloving ,quirky and strikeingly intelligent writers but incredible-pinch me I'm really here- authors and editors too. Oh and Kent Brown what a man! His generosity and love for writers has created an empire in itself! And he's  too funny, his humor kinda reminds me of my dad.  It was an honor to know him.
 
Jerry and his wife Eileen Spinelli, yes you heard that right ...were speakers and stayed with us the whole week and get this- he told me I looked like his granddaughter Angel- me! I look like Jerry Spinelli's granddaughter. I guess you had to be there. B-E-A-Utiful people they were and he signed my book, free books filled in our free Chautauqua totes, now how cool is that? And every darlin word bucket- (that's what Stephen Roxburgh calls books) I had signed by the authors and illustrators. Eric Rohmann was quite witty and fun. Peter Jacobi is a legendary speaker and all the Highlights people Christine French Clark and Judy Burke-so nice and knowledgeable! Alvina Ling! We ate closing brunch with. It's surreal really... and humbling. There were moments of sheer emotion and being in a room full of lovely-sensitive writers our spaces were often swimming in it.

Donna Jo Napolie gave the opening speech and said to "grow big ears and thick skin if you want to be a writer" and I think we all know that's true:0) She was fun and really helpful! Author Barbara Santucci was an absolute doll and I loved meeting her. Patti Lee Gauch was my absolute favorite! Oh gosh there is so much to say and I have to go! So if you want to see pics of moi and some of the very cool writers at Chautauqua pop on over to Shakespears Stage (who was so great and funny girl on campus!) for more info and I will be back! There's so much more to tell and show! I must tell all the great tips, much much more than tips-that sounds so small- inspirational quotations! And I have to figure out how to download my pics on this laptop:) O.K.there's one thing I want to leave you with. I'm a writer! A real gosh-darn try and fail, keep on truckin and there will be light- Alleluia! For all of us writer! Its funny but floating around that beautiful place, and knowing the extreme of what we were all doing there, to hone our craft, write for children and perhaps someday maybe change the world... it's just  nice to know.

In the words of the late great Michael Jackson:

We are the world, we are the children, we are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving...

I was enchanted when late yesterday I received a special gift and hand written note in the mail from Kent Brown Executive Director of Chautauqua!!!!!

It was the book Loser  (I'm thinking- no hidden connotations here I hope) by Jerry Spinelli  who will be one of the guest speakers there. What a writer! And I love his use of small poignant phrases that  really hit home and bring you not only  right into the story but into your own past, now how is that possible? Anywho thank you Kent for the gift as all books are such a treasure and a discovery...

Erin and I have been conversing on what to wear to the royal banquets(that's what I feel they are) and I for one love, love, love clothes! Always have, it's one of my flaws especially when I see things and want, want, want, don't always buy but then it haunts me untill I go back and yes! It's still there and on sale too! Or no:( it's gonezo and I'm like- what a fool! I should have just gotten it in the first place. Of course there's that guilty side of me that says Go and buy something cute for your girls and hubby instead and I do! I'm such a sucker to my own conscience. Oh well getting off the subject here just a tad. 

So has anyone out there read Loser and what are your thoughts?

 
 

 I'm not doing too well with the blogging thing right now and this is why-

O.K.  So whoever decides to build a house must be prepared for a few things. 
 
Here are the the Ten Live and Learn Warnings To Building A Home So Far my friends:

1. Never-ever ever completely trust your contractor because they lie and many lie very well. Get everything in writing!!!! Especially... and this is where we missed(Bang-bang-banging my head on the wall) an end date for framing and septic because there is soooooooo much more after that.

2. Always know that your house is going to cost alot-mucho more than the quote you started out with. We may be living on Ramen soup for a while once the mortgage kicks in. That is unless I get an agent and sell a book, then maybe we can have a roasted chicken or  Hmmmm...some lobster?

3. I hope you have a glacier-hard strong marriage because this will test it to the brinkedy-brink! My builder joked with me... Build a house -loose a spouse! Don't worry, I'm still maried, but no matter how right matched you are, you can't agree on everything! Compromise:)

4. Yes there is definitely a four. Do not sign off for your windows with the kids yelling and playing in the backround, they may not be what you want and guess what? If they're special order they ain't going anywhere! Unless of course it was the orderee's error and in our case- thank you it was and I got the windows I wanted. Phew! Windows are a big-big thing! Huge! When you get the chance to pick and you're spending your hard earned money, you just want what you want.

5. Make sure that the asssociation, if you happen to be moving to a private road, isn't run by The Wicked Witch Of The West, although she's got nothing on our lady-monster people!

6. Do not pay your builder the money to start the septic unless you are completely sure it will be started and there is no chance of the weather changing fast, because if winter comes, the money will vanish and no septic untill only God knows when? Quite upsetting:(

7. Here comes number seven, let's see, well that's good I'm thinking...Um... listen to building inspector always, or any other warnings that may come into your ears.

8.  Go to LampsPlus.com for lighting fixtures. I love chandeliers and got some great prices on beautiful Euro stuff which I love! But you can also pick from all styles, what ever your's may be. OK-- not so much a warning anymore and still good even if your not building and looking for a touch of extra ambiance. It helps too if your hubby's a brilliant electrician- bonus! Or any tradesmen for that matter.

9. The kids will love to peek at the barn swallow nest in your soon to be laundry room. So sweet!

10. Finally- I know some of this sounds just  plain bad, On the other hand if it's what you want , I say listen and go for it! And know of the immence accomplishment of building your dreamhouse with the  people you adore the most in this world, the precious space where your family will grow and eat dinner together,  laugh and cry, read and write, garden and birdwatch, sing and oh yes! dance, dance, dance! With much faith and alot of  hardwork, white chocolate and other goodies, flowers. It's all worth it in the end...

Stay tuned for more to come if the subject tickles your fancy in the least little smidge.

Chuga chuga choo-choo! Here's another one for Team Raving Pen! I'm jumping on after reading Vicssitude's and Shakespear's blog. Maggie Stiefvater is giving out ARCS of her intriguingly cool sounding new book Shiver and presently has a bid out on Ebay for 51 buckos woohoo! Go Maggie!

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

Here's what you do:

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

-Go to Maggie's entry  http://m-stiefvater.livejournal.com/105279.html for the rules and prizes and leave a comment that I sent you and good luck! Contest ends May 15th!

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Mothers Day and hope all of your days are special.

Here's what being a mother means to me:

- It means giving birth to your new best friends.

- It means having your own heart always walking around on the outside of you.

- It means seeing their eyes light up and feeling your heart do a leap when they smile in pride of their accomplishments.

- it means seeing them cry and feeling your heart sink.

- It means giving all of yourself and loving someone more than your own life.

- It means making sacrifices.

- It means giving support and being a pillar of strength when at times you can feel yourself about to fall.

- It means watching and waiting for each new day spent with your child.

- It means knowing it's O.K  to sometimes feel like you could just pull all of your hair out, you never actually will, at least not all of it. I had to throw that one in

- It means being a friend, teacher, nurse, voice, piano teacher, a play date, and more...

- I could go on and on... but the most important thing of all that being a mother means to me is loving and being loved in return, a kind of love that only a Mom can understand.

A toast to all mother's for just being present always in love!

"Don't be discouraged by a failure. It can be a positive experience. Failure is, in a sense, the highway to success, inasmuch as every discovery of what is false leads us to seek earnestly after what is true, and every fresh experience points out some."
John Keats

This morning I was in search of famous quotes to share from discouraged writers and was truely inspired and saddened at the poignant and tragic life of the Young English poet John Keats who when he died requested this to be on his grave stone: "Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water." He did not want his name to appear on the stone.

Despite these requests, however, Severn and Brown also added the epitaph: "This Grave contains all that was mortal, of a YOUNG ENGLISH POET, who on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his heart, at the Malicious Power of his enemies, desired these words to be Engraven on his Tomb Stone" along with the image of a lyre with broken strings.

He died in which is now a museum situated next to the Spanish Steps of  Rome, Italy from Tuberculosis in 1821; the horrid illness he watched plague one by one his whole family. At last the disease took him at the young age of 25. Just imagine how much more we could have had from him. Even though he has died his words are truely immortal and will live on. When I read his story I was both heartbroken and inspired at the same time, and felt the need to pass on my sentiment. It seems he watched every person close to him taken and with each occurrance he was moved to a new place as a peice of his heart stayed behind.

It is said he fell in love with Fanny Brawl and she with him, of which turned into a bitter sweet ending due to John's contraction of TB. He wrote some beautiful love poems and I wonder if Fanny was his muse.

So if you don't know his story, which I'm sure some of you do, then take the time to read it.  I'm glad I did:)

  I am just tickeled pink today! Which explains the bright pink display filled with hearts and sweet daisies, one of my favorite flowers. They symbolize innocence with no high maintenance required.
 
Anywho the reason I'm feeling a little giddy is because I just wrote the ending to True Love June and I love it. For a while I've  been at a crossroads of where to go with this, I didn't want something too predictable, but felt the need to sort of wow the reader and though I'm not finished yet. I still have a few scenes leading up to it. It just feels good to know. I will be taking it to Chautauqua finished, and hopefully with all body limbs crossed XXXXXXXXX get it ready to sell. I prepared a cover letter and sample to send out this week which they will match with the right faculty member to work with me on it, and I couldn't be more loosing my mind ecstatic. Yay!

So on with the teaser.

     I headed upstairs to find the mystery: Great Grandmother’s Juniah’s book. Amongst this old house it lay somewhere. I was in search of the knowledge that could help me understand the strange rock inscribed with love’s declaration. I searched Juniah’s great house that must have really been something in its day, before the natural course of time followed suit. To the left– to the right– upstairs- downstairs and upstairs again until I came to a hallway situated way in the back near what must have been the servants quarters. Of course Grandmother—some place nice and discreet. There at the end stood a tall mahogany door…I ran for it, like it was the end to my means, everything I wanted to know would be behind it, I just knew it. I turned the antique brass knob only to find it locked. Great-- now what? I don’t know what it was, but some inbred instinct took over and it said: door frame and so here I am on my tip- tip toes feeling nothing but dust until my fingers crept over its flattened edges. As I pulled it down it was an unusual looking skeleton key, one that couldn’t be used for any old door, it was made for this one. I stuck it in the key hole and turned to the right… and nothing; the door wouldn’t give. Perhaps I wasn’t getting in, so much for instinct I thought. Then the inbred thing came back again, Right …Left…jiggle in the middle, and placing my hand on the door to give it a good shove… hesitantly it squeaked and squealed open. I was in.
 

O.K. I need to talk about this and ask if any other Mom out there  has kept their child home from school simply due to paranoya self destroya about this ... shall I say it ...S. Flu? I can't! Last week I kept my daughter out of Kindergarten for two days, well really one because one of them there were teacher conferences and they didn't have school anyway. But truthfully I sent her to school today, out into that germ infested world and was a big scaredy-cat, even though there have not yet been any reported cases in the Berkshires. I just feel like what if that one day I keep her out and it's the right time and she misses any possible exposure, crazy huh? Meet me ... Germaphobe Mommy! O.K. So I know all the precautions and preventions, origin, number of cases and it just keeps getting worse with the World Health Organization increasing the alert level to 5 possibly  6, and I'm thinking uh...homeschool?

 I keep telling myself and my hubby does too to keep things in perspective and maintain all precautions you would for any flu. So that's it- and just wondering if there are any other Moms out there like me. Please say I'm not alone!!!!!!!

Hi everyone!

I've been staying away from the blogging thing to take care of other things, namely our new house in the country which is coming along pretty slowly. You can't imagine the work that goes into it until you do it! We hope to be in in 3-4 months. I'm exhaused just talking about it , but it really is fun- well sometimes, and we have a curious new friend on our property who we named Pomona, our property not the friend , nooo- not Tara...Pomona. It's  after the Roman Goddess of fruit and it also means fruitful , and don't we all want to be fruitful? I love to name things. So yes to get back to the friend, we all met a very friendly grouse(see above) who we named Henrietta after her father or brother, or maybe even sister, (not sure about the stripes) Henry who lived once upon our land last year and who --and this to me was heartbraking and to this day we tell our girls Henry went off to stay with his cousin George in the next bit of wilderness down yonder.  Truthfully, he was found----- inside our neighbors's garage, who hadn't been there for a while, like weeks. So we were all quite sad until just this Spring-surprise! Henrietta... came along and she really is sweet. She coo-coos and cheep-cheeps and chases our car and visits with us every time we come to our house. It's silly, but she healed our hearts, because Henry was just the same, who I had even written a Picture Book about.

Wow, things can really surprise you and turn around when you keep your heart open:) Hope all my friends are well and having a happy spring! 

Hi everyone and Happy Easter and Passover:) I don't know if today is link day but what the hey! Oh look I just made a rhyme- yeh - I'd like to send y'all over to a very talented lady's website, also known as my beloved sis. She does beautiful work, and even has ilustrated some of my books(even though they're not published yet, but will be. Now how's that for positive?) some of which are featured in her gallery. The site is still in need of a little tweaking, but here's a sneak peak . O.K. so without further adoo.... enjoy and pass on if you wish!

http://creativeeyecara.com/

All I can say is what a show! I think it's so creative how the writer Catherine Johnson took all those songs and put them into the perfect story! didn't know quite what to expect after seeing the movie with the great Meryl Streep who I bow down to in worship as the greatest actress of all time! However the show was dynamic because it was live and the singing was incredible along with the understage orchestra. I was dissapointed because everyone told me that it was a "dancin in the isles" show and I'm a huge Abba fan, Love love love them! Dancing Queen thats me! O.K. so no one danced in the isles people. I danced in my seat the whole time though and it didn't quite cut it. I didn't want to be rude and block the old fogie's behind me view, but there was an internal argument with myself to just get up and do it... You know how you have those sometimes when you just figure "I'll be the first one and get the party started" and sometimes it works out and everyone follows and sometimes you wind up feeling like the only one dancing in the room, ya mide as well be naked! One lady in the front row did get up and boogie down and I'm like "here we go" then the people behind her asked her to sit down! Totally lame! The cast were great though and I'm so happy to have gone. I love Broadway and I love New York! 

Any way things are really coming along with our house in the country and the plummer has started his work, then my hubby the electrician, and the sheetrockers. It's really coming together and in about 3-4 months I'll be home... 

Time for a little tuesday teaser from my book True Love June O.K. beleive it or not I fashioned this scene from a dream which spun into the whole story. Here goes...
 

Once again the leaves crackled beneath my feet. I was on my way back to the tree and the rock and well, as mom would put it… my destiny? It couldn’t be to far from here. It seemed I had already walked quite a way, the next thing I knew its branches reached out through the solemn air. I ran for it… the rock…and as I turned it over…

 Dear Tia,

I can’t tell you of the joy I felt in finding your letter.

 My heart aches with every thought of you and I only

 hope with each passing beat we’ll be together soon.

    Emotions came over me like a storm’s rush of wind, and the words became a blur. I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. Now I’m asking myself how could this possibly be? Who is this beautiful pair? It just seems sad to be tormented so. I was inspired that such a love could exist in a flawed world, and perplexed as to how. I placed the rock back again, and lay down on the grass looking up as the tree swayed like a pendulum until I was hypnotized by my surroundings…

      I must be dreaming because I’m not in the woods anymore, but I’m bounded by stone covered buildings and a cobblestone road. There’s a girl and she looks just like me? She’s walking along the stones with a pile of books against her chest. I see others holding books and bags, and I realize I’m at some kind of university, only nothing in this century. She looks so lonely; kinda like me. Her long dress dragged the ground and her hair swept up in a loose bun.

     The ominous sky was packed with dark clouds as their banshee like shadows blanketed the road.

Soon it was apparent that some of the shadows were not clouds at all but of something else…

something with pointy hats and straggly hair; then I hear the shrieking sounds like a distant cat fight. The
girl began to run, and as the gloomy clouds parted, what I saw was not to be believed…They were

riding on brooms, sweeping through the air like they owned it. There were many of them and it seemed
they were there for one purpose of which I hoped to soon discover.  Something was happening and I

couldn’t understand. The girl that looked like me was hiding, crouched behind a tree as her eyes glazed
over in terror. I tried to go to her, but couldn’t move, and the next moment I’m back lying in the wood

staring up at my tree.

O.K. so you know how some days just seem to be like mad and sad and nothing turns out right! Things with our house and our home owners association; well let's just say they could be alot better...

So I decide to check my email because well it's like breathing these days and I can't live without it. I long for good news from out there in the great universe and today guess what I got?.......... Ready here goes..... I got a most refreshing and thrilling email from Kent Brown that yanked me out of the darkness and  gave me reason to hope again! Thank you Kent Brown and Jo Lloyd for this surreal feeling in my heart!
I got  the Chautauqua Scholarship Award! Yay! And as I was writing this post recieved even more juicy details of where to stay and the rooms and B&B's sound wonderful. It truly is a dream come true for me and I hope, never mind that- I know- that one of my writer friends from live journal and you know who you are... has also been given the opportunity because I know we'd have a ball, not to mention have the opportunity of a lifetime to hone our craft and be that much closer to reaching our highest dreams! I'm a little excited as you can see, because I never win anything and for me this is grandiose!!!!!!

O.K.  so have a great weekend everyone. I've been gone a little while writing my WIP, spending time  with family and dealing with financials, but I'm back and I hope all my friends are well:) 

Enough of all this serious menlancholy stuff about the economy! The whole thing really irks me:(

Let's just set our worries aside...It's time for a little bit of intrigue and mystery...  because yes- it's time to tease on Tuesday! (Crowd roars) YAY!
 
O.K. -so maybe no crowd and no roaring, but a girl can dream right?

Anywho things have been busy over here with the new house and the wicked witch across the street sueing our association. Don't ask, I'll explain when I have more energy. Ya know- and here's that question sent out into the cosmos again WHY? At a most auspicious time in a family's life ie. building our dream home, do we have to put up with psycho lady! But have no fear my friends because all will be well soon. Our association is about to disban leaving her no controll, nada! YAY ! the wicked witch will move away forever and ever never to haunt us again! Hahahahaha! Wishful thinking?

So I've been working on TL June, but it seems we've come to a cross roads of where exactly to go next. I have an idea, it's finding how to implement it, and it's going to take a bit of research. Here's how the story begins and feel free to  voice your opinion. I really need to get back to finding another crit group. I do belong to crit circle which is great! And the blue boards and SCBWI are always willing to listen. Anyone out there want to switch manuscripts? Give a shout:)

So here goes.

      June turned the delicate yellowed page and read the words “It has been long told that when one curves a blade of grass into the dimensions of a perfect circle and peers through its center, an unknown and unseen world shines in the eye of its beholder.”

      “I have bent lots of grass, enough to make a bail of hay, but no world; only plain air. I wish I could see it… just once.”

    It was a warm summer evening as June rocked back and forth on the porch of her late great grandmother’s one hundred acre Berkshire estate. The very words sent an uncertain tingle and she wondered... what brought her to this place really? She loved California and missed the smell of the sea. The salty air always seemed to cleanse her senses. Why did we leave that home to come here? Here being this ten thousand square foot old mansion, one of which if you were to drive up to it you would immediately think it was full of wandering ghosts with unsettled business, but it wasn’t, at least none she’d met yet. Hairy spiders and hanging cobwebs had surely taken residence, and the house often groaned in the middle of the night. And then there was the horrid fountain at the driveway’s center, that sprayed giant weeds instead of water, but all that didn’t matter. For there in the corner of the porch sat a rickety old rocking chair; its comfort unexplainable like an old pair of worn out jeans or a beloved teddy bear. It was that kind of closeness that made the ancient place feel like home whenever she sat upon it. The more she rocked back and forth the more it carried her away as her troubles seem to fade with every creak…
Have a great day!

Today I thought I'd talk about the hardships in life we face both monetary and psychological as one seems to either come before or after the other. Obviously it's no secret that our declining economy is taking a toll, more so than I've ever seen and people I know are in danger of loosing homes, cars, realestate, not to mention stocks. I'm no expert on this, but what  I can see is the emotional effects all this has on people. People are a little more uneasy these days, horrific occurrences on the media, and it is such a sad, sad thing.

What do you do when you're experiencing a hardship?...that is the question on deck my friends, and I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 I guess the first thing I do is try to get to the root of it and come up with a resolution and a plan, or find  the right support systems to help me come up with a plan and then execute it, but what if- those support systems are experiencing similar issues and it's all such a vicious circle. I know you've heard this a million times but I truly am so  thankful for what I do have. This is what I say as mushy -gushy as it sounds, it's true ... Hug someone, whether it be your children, spouse or significant other, mother, father, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather, Aunt, Uncle,cousin, friend, a pet and know that with their love you'll get through. Through them we get our strenth. Speaking of love and strength, I know for me that my faith allows me to sail and sometimes the current gets pretty choppy and it seems like there's no wind at all, but then a soft breeze brushes across my face and I'm on my way again. Let it do the same for you, no matter what religion  you may be, lean on it, and know that, "The Lord will provide" and then ask yourself - are we facing these difficult times for a reson? I know! I get tired of hearing that too and in the grand scheme of things I send out into the cosmos the question WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?WHY?

So today I just want to say to all of my friends that no matter what it is, big or small I'm here if you need me, there's always someone or something to lean on, and I wish you all the happiness your hearts can hold. Let's all try to be cohesive and stick together like glue right now because no matter what hardships each of us goes through the most important thing in life is just to love eachother... The rest will follow with a little bit of faith and determined efforts to make our futures bright...

Happy Monday everyone! It's a brand new week of possibilities!

Ya know we're all writers right? No matter what! It's like inbread in us. Even when we contemplate the thought of never getting published, or never achieving our set out dreams. The feeling remains firm and clear. To me writing is my life, my outlet, my inevitable light, my black hole of emotion and without it a bottomless void would surely exist. To extreme? Really! It's so true! When I read this excerpt written by one of my very favorite authors, it lifted me at the right moment, and has stayed with me ever since, happily saved in my PC with a font of about 100, O.K. actually 22. I read it in moments of hopelessness and feel restored. Sadley Madeline L'Engle passed in November of 2007, but her stories and her beautiful expression of words will remain forever on.

Read on my friends!

"A Circle of Quiet" a memoir by Madeline L'Engle

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

This revelation came to her after she had cried over a rejection on her fortieth birthday.  She had endured 10 years of rejection. As we all know, her story had quite the happy ending! Thank you so much Madeline.

Can you believe it's Tuesday again? Time just seems to fly right on by and the older you get the faster it goes. Anyway -time for a little bit of  True Love June And The Magic Callipoons:

Deep in thought something pulled me out and there in the distance was the faint roar of a lawn mower. Wow! Someone besides me and my chronically absent mother. Oh I knew she loved me, but there were times when I concluded it was the writing she loved more. That’s a tough thing for a girl to realize. Growing up with her was like growing up with a blender, she was always in the house, but too busy blending up the words of a new piece of writing to stop and be with me. My mother: the kitchen appliance. I think that’s why Dad left and went off to discover his family roots of Pocahontis Indians, being the archeologist that he was. Mom always said he was a dreamer, while she tried to remain grounded and on her feet at all times. So what does that make me? I’ll tell you what that makes me—

Befuddled; how’s that for a word?   

     I ran toward the auspicious sound till I reached the tree line. Out on the lawn was a John Deer Green Rider with a boy on top of it. His sun dyed hair seemed to glimmer in the sun. To me watching him was like coming up from a dark sea, and for the first time I felt good about my circumstances. I skulked around the tree line like a sly fox or perhaps a stalker; take your pick, and observed the manner of his movements, OK-- I am a stalker…only doesn’t that really count for psycho X’s? I’m being cautious is what I am. He had on a head set and grooved to some tune; his mouth even moved like a rock star. How can someone have so much fun riding a lawnmower? Something inside me felt alive, and I just wanted to know him, but my present altered self esteem wouldn’t let me. So I continued to hide like a scared rabbit, making the rounds of the grounds till the back porch stared at me and the grass was free of him… And then there it was… my reflection in the door. He was so cute! And I was this plain brown haired, brown eyed skinny girl, still waiting for a figure to appear; the one promised to me when mom and I had… ya know…the talk. That’s it, he wouldn’t even notice me--he was out of my mind forever.

Poor girl, but good things to come!And bad come to think of it! Thanks for reading and have a great Tuesday! I look forward to reading all your fun tid-bits!:)

There are Two Great Contests to name in this blog and I'm sure more to follow but let me start with these:


The first is Robinellen's blog Poetry Works: (I can't get the little heads to come up)

Starting this Friday, I'll have my usuall Friday Five. One of the five will be the clue -- and the clue will pertain to one of the books coming out this year and discussed on </a></font></b></a>debut2009. The clue will not mention a summary of the book -- it will (hopefully) be more subtle than that. I'm hoping people will actually go and check out the 'our books' section of </a></font></b></a>debut2009 to figure it out ;)

Why this site, you might wonder? Well, I know many of the writers there, and I want to help promote them and their books as much as I can. Here's how it will work: one of my five will have at least 3 clues in it about one of those books. The clues might be ciphers (or something similar) about the author's first or last name; they might be words associated with the book; they might even mention something about the covers or a general association with the plot or characters. That's what you get to figure out.

I have no idea how easy or hard it will be...I haven't written clues like this since I taught, and I don't know how good I was then (hehe). You'll notice that the clues are embedded in a Five that sounds similar to my other five, too.

Anyone in North America can participate -- unless it you realize it's your book (hehe) or one of your critique partner's books...or, if you're one of </a></font></b></a>debut2009 and you instantly figure it out. I'll have to leave you on the honor system for that one. The first two to offer the correct answer win their choice of four (or five) ARCs (and I'll list the ones to choose between each week). Have I mentioned everything? Let me know if there's anything you're confused on here. ETA: After this Friday's clue, I'll have a better idea if it's too hard or too easy -- I'd like to find a balance which will allow the Debs to play, as well :)

Yay! and may the best guesser win! I put in my first shot at it:) Thanks Robin for your kindness and limitless generosity!



The second is on Authorwithin's blog Vicissitudes, great name by the way and idea: