My two Golden Retrievers, Gus and Rocky and cat, Fiona (dog dressed in a cat suit) and I want to wish you the happiest of Holiday Seasons!!
These photos are from many family/dog albums of people who have discovered the special love and devotion that only a dog can give you….especially a Golden.
My three (to date) Goldens were rescued and I adopted them from “Grateful Goldens“, a tri-state rescue organization. They vet YOU thoroughly and they have vetted the dog you are going to bring to its ‘forever home’.
I have a little section of my brain that resembles a hound dog. Nose to the ground, tail at half mast, she is relentless seeking a hot trail. Until she sniffs out an idea. Then the moon can hear her baying, the tail going like a pinwheel, the nose making a furrow in the soft dirt, it smells so good.
A friend shared a post with me on Google+ and it inspired me to write.
Inspiration: As some of you may know I have written 28 short plays for teenagers in the classroom.
Subjects that challenge them every day: bullying, cyber-bullying, cutting, drug use, texting and driving, date violence, breaking up, running away, etc. But I haven’t written one about the damage that an indiscriminate photo or posting can do…..forever!
When I first saw this photo, I chuckled and wondered if the teacher realized that there was a fire extinguisher behind her. Photos and gossip spreads like ‘wild fire’ on the Internet because of one supposedly innocent posting. And no fire extinguisher, fire hose, or fire truck would be big enough to put it out once it’s out there. Do our young people realize that a posting on a social network could follow them forever? College applications, job interviews, credit reports.
Stop!! Don’t Do It !! This photo will follow YOU forever!
Young people don’t think much of sending each other (sometimes) inappropriate photos. Or they say things about others (often not true) and think it’s funny, not to be taken seriously. A prank in the moment. They don’t realize that they may be harming themselves (or others) for a long time to come. THINK! Before you Post!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DON’T MISS UPCOMING BLOGS featuring INTERVIEWS with best-selling AUTHORS! “The Writer’s Corner”
So come along with me; we shall sneak into these writers’ special places, be a fly on the wall and watch them create!
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The final segment of my Interview with this fascinating author!
Q. and the all important: What does the process of going from “no book” to “finished book” look like?
A. I guess references to the Jonestown Massacre would be inappropriate? For some people it’s a pretty orderly process. I envy them and I try to be more orderly with every book. But I also think it’s important for the writer to be on a quest of his own, to be trying to understand the story in a million ways, and learning new things through the whole process of writing. When the writer figures something out, about the characters or the story– that generates real excitement for the reader. I’ve generally needed an editor at the end, the way one needs an obstetrician at the end of a pregnancy. And sometimes the editor has needed forceps.
Now in AUDIO books ! Book 1 of the series, ‘The World of Murder‘
This short novel is available at www.audible.com TODAY and at www.amazon.com and iTunes.com
Monty is a struggling, unknown artist, living in Soho in New York. From his third floor walk up, he watches his beautiful neighbor as she comes and goes. Too shy and reclusive to ask her out, he paints her again and again. Suddenly the police are at his door.
Detective O’Roarke and his partner, Stella Garcia sift through the forensics, motives and physical evidence. At first glance it seems that all the evidence points to the strange artist who is obsessed with the beautiful actress. But, as time passes, several other suspects come to the attention of the two murder cops and the case is now not so open and shut. As the detectives immerse themselves in her life, it turns out that she has more than one secret.
Also in Audio books: Art of Murder
Dance of Murder
Act of Murder
Angel of Murder
Taste of Murder Coming Soon! Video of Murder
My Interview with best selling author, Heidi Jon Schmidt
Q. Where do you write? Do you have a special room, shed, barn, special space for your writing?
A. I write in bed. It started during a chaotic childhood when my bed was pushed into the quietest corner of the house, a safe place to withdraw to and think, imagine, write. And now that I have my own house, family, garden, life….it’s still the place where I feel most connected to my imagination.
Q. Do you have any special rituals when you sit down to write? (a neat work space, sharpened #2 pencils, legal pad, cup of tea, glass of brandy, favorite pajamas, etc.)
A. The minute my daughter walks out the door for school, I take a cup of coffee up the stairs. And I don’t do anything else until I’ve gotten a day’s work done.
Peter Armstrong, co-founder of LeanPub, recently lectured on UTube about writing a book (in progress) on line….in a blog or on UTube or on your web site. This is called ‘progress writing’ or ‘progress publishing’. He claims you will get great reader feedback and gain traction for your final, finished book.
And this might be right for you. It may give you the stimulus, the poke in the rump that you need to either start writing or to continue writing.
Here’s how I feel about it:
‘Progress writing’ makes it too easy for someone to steal your idea/story. Even if you have covered yourself with a ‘poor man’s copyright’ like I’ve told you how to do or even if you’ve sent it partially written to the Library of Congress, your idea can be plagiarized and you may never know it. And what if the person who took your idea for a story gets it finished before you do. They are published and now you look like you ‘borrowed’ their idea. Continue reading “A Rebuttal….Wiz Kid encourages ‘Progress writing’. This author Doesn’t!”
From the author: It was great fun writing this book about a young woman so ahead of her time. Basketball star, speakeasy owner, flapper who literally worked all day and danced all night. The story about her red evening gown is true and her friends would make her change into it before going out on the town. The story about playing poker with a Catholic Bishop is true. She ultimately had five husbands, but always said the first one didn’t count as they never consummated the marriage. She went on to be the champion women’s bowler in California. She had three kids which she didn’t take very good care of. She was human with many flaws, she was selfish and generous in turns, she was wild and ladylike……she was my mother. Sometimes I ask myself: ‘did the apple fall very far from the tree?’
Writing it was fun but hearing her ‘voice’ and that of the other characters was amazing. When you hire an audio professional the author remains in control (quality) and can ‘proof’ ever word. It’s crucial that you hire the right narrator as your book sounds different from the written page. It’s important that the narrator is willing to work with you on edits, add on’s, and you can ask this upfront before you choose from the audition pieces that you receive.
If you’re an American, this Thursday, you will sit down with family and friends to some rendition of a Thanksgiving dinner. Or you might decide to give Mom/Dad (whoever the cook is) a break and go out to eat this year. If you are carnivores you will consume great quantities of turkey, ham, giblet dressing, oyster dressing, stuffed deviled eggs, and football. If you are vegetarian you will consume delicate, beautiful, tasty dishes made with all the food groups except those that had faces. Football optional.
A bit of trivia: Historical records strongly suggest that shellfish, geese, ducks, swans, and venison were the meats of the first Thanksgivings....then referred to as the Fall Harvest Celebration which traditional lasted 3 days. Here’s how Edward Winslow described the first Thanksgiving feast in a letter to a friend: Continue reading “What this Blogger is Thankful For…”
My Random House Dictionary weighs at least seven pounds and it takes both my arms to lug it around. Its copyright date is 1966 and I think I bought mine in about 1970. Forty three+ years ago. Its pages are ‘paper-thin’ (pun intended) and very fragile. It is my reference book when I write this series: Words being my box of chocolates. Continue reading “My momma always said, Life is Like a Box of Chocolates’….or words (part 6)”
