Goodbye My Loves

I’ll be brief because this is a sad post.

Rich passed away on April 4. It was his heart. It began slowing down in the morning – low blood pressure, low heart rate. By late afternoon, they moved him to ICU. He basically went to sleep and passed a short while later. Peaceful. He was a deeply spiritual man. He is healed now and probably eating pizza in Heaven. I’m selfish and feel sorry for myself because I will no longer have him in my life. He was my best friend.

Some of you may have known Jackie (Roeder) Phillips. Her blog was To Breathe Is To Write. She was also an author and published two books. Jackie lived in Canada, and we have been online friends since June of 2012. She *liked* my very first post. Last June, she was diagnosed with Mesothelioma. When a couple of weeks went by after my last email to her, and she hadn’t responded, I checked her Facebook page and was stunned to see she had passed away on February 18. Her cancer had stabilized – not getting better, not getting worse – so, this news saddened me greatly.

I loved them both very much.

An Update

Not wanting my blog to fade into obscurity again, and with no topics in mind, I thought I would at least post an update.

This first update is not a good one. After such good news about Rich’s cancer surgery and the positive outcome, it seems too much time went by after the surgery before chemo was started again, and the cancer took another foothold – in multiple places. It’s still small, but the chemo has been extremely toxic to him, and he hasn’t been able to eat. He is literally to the point of starvation. I dashed him off to a different hospital Saturday morning, and he is finally getting the help he needs. I still think he’s going to beat this. The odds are against him, but he’s a fighter. I don’t know how he’s gone through all that he has so far. Prayers, good thoughts, good vibes, and/or good wishes for him are appreciated.

The next update is mine.

I had a breakthrough with my writing, and I’m excited! This past Friday, I sat down with music and a cold coffee drink and started writing. Every now and then, I’d get up to take care of something – laundry, dinner, a bit of cleaning – but I kept coming back to my computer – just like the old days. I haven’t had an “old days” bit of writing for years. When I finally pulled myself away from my story in the evening, I had written 7,516 words. Wow! I think that’s a new daily record for me.

Last night, I wrote another 2,927 words … and THE BOOK IS FINISHED! Two Sisters and a Journalist #10 – Murder, A Mama Prediction is in the books.

Over two days, I wrote 10,443 words. Now I’m excited to get back to writing book number two in my new Appleseed Cozy series, Dying for Pie. It’s about two-thirds finished. If I can keep this type of momentum going, the book will be done in no time.

As for my newly finished book, I can’t wait for the editing games to begin. Have I ever confessed I love the editing process? I’ve learned so much over the years, and I love attempting to make everything the best I can. I’ve added another proofreader this year who will also help with editing. I haven’t felt this good about my writing in ages.

Plus, I think this is one of my better Two Sisters and a Journalist books. I love them all and am happy with all the storylines, but this one felt – like the old days! More humor. More light moments. More family. More drivel. Ha! It’s even coming in at 66,583 words, which is about 15,000 words more than I usually write for the series.

My last bit of news …

On my birthday in April, I’m having my pub friends over for a dinner party. Last year, I cooked all the food from scratch and went with a French theme. This year, we’re having Italian. I’m going to make everything I can from scratch again including the pasta and the Italian sausage for the meatballs. I’m having fun planning and expect to be cooking/baking for about three days for the event. Here’s my menu. Let me know what you think!

Tuscan Mac and Cheese
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Sweet Italian Sausages and Peppers
Lettuce Salad with Italian Dressing
Rustic Farmhouse Bread with Italian Dipping Oil
Spumoni Ice Cream Bombe
Pinot Noir Wine -and- Prosecco

I’m Disappointed …

In myself.

Blogger Textile Ranger recently had a post which referenced “habit tracking.” She mentions she first learned of the idea at an art retreat.

I believe the original idea was to pick a habit and spend x number of minutes per day on that habit. Make a little chart with boxes, one for each day of the month, and then color in the box on the days you achieve your target time. Colorful, visual progress.

Textile Ranger built on the idea by using a spreadsheet and adding more categories/habits – like paper arts, volunteering, decluttering (you can see her list on her blog post).

Enter me. LOL! I can’t even attribute my chart to my inner twelve-year-old. It’s barely a step above a kindergartner. However, I never intended to show it to anyone. You also never know where a blog post is going to come from. I should have known better.

Here’s my chart with my progress so far. I liked some of Textile Ranger’s additional categories and chose to use them in my own chart.

At the top of my list is Writing. I can write every day – right? That’s the most important thing to me right now. Get the books written! If I color the box for the day, that means I wrote more than 500 words but usually more like 1,500-2,000.

I added the little hanging boxes for days I wrote a blog post. That surely counts as writing. I did have to cobble these words together.

Blogging. These are the days I posted said written blog post.

Social Media. I color the days where I spent time attempting to make an effort to be sociable via the internet. This means I actively read blogs and commented on some of them. I also read tweets and left comments and/or likes. I don’t want to just push like buttons, I want to engage more.

Exercise. This frustrates me. Once warm weather starts, I’m out on my bike as much as possible, but this winter, ugh! I only mark the bike box if I was on my indoor bike for sprints at least two times during the day.

I had hoped to do some walking, but that’s not going to happen, so I note the days I throw darts. Because I practice by myself, I’m constantly moving – throw three darts, walk up to the board, grab the darts, walk back, throw, walk, throw, walk. Constant movement. I put my pedometer on one day and realized that if I throw for thirty minutes, I walk a mile! I can do that easily. So, some of those days are only one mile; others are up to five miles, albeit not all at once.

Family Care. With Rich and his cancer, and my son having been plagued with broken ribs from coughing (one more this month!), a lot of my time is spent taking them to the hospital for treatment, doctor visits, running errands/picking up prescriptions, sitting with Rich so he isn’t always alone – even running up to help with his dog at times. I’ve noticed that the days where I have “family care” are the days I am less likely to write. These days can be draining.

Social Events. Humph. I like going out with friends. I like spending time at our local pub. I cut back big time this month. Not because I wanted to, but out of necessity. I’ll look for more of a social life when the weather is warm again. I’ll be coming up on two years on my own soon. I wonder if I’ll ever consider dating? Ha! That could be interesting. My girlfriends tell me I’m “unapproachable” when we’re out. Maybe so. We’ll see.

Reading. No problem here. Last year I signed up for the Goodreads Challenge. I wanted to read fifty books. I read FOUR. I signed up again this year for fifty and have already read nine with two in progress.

And finally, the black boxes … Proper Eating. To me, proper eating is lean meats and vegetables, no sugar, and limited carbs. Too much time running the guys to the hospital and/or appointments, and it’s too easy to grab something quick that isn’t healthy. I’m not saying I eat a ton of junk, but I’m not eating as I should. I’m still on my way to that goal of 100 pounds lost, and by golly, I’m going to get there!

I have a couple other little things on my chart. Along the top, I’ve marked my AFIB days. I had a bout that lasted ten hours on the 3^rd, and another one that lasted almost thirty hours over the 13^th and 14^th. I know to stay down and rest while these happen, so no walking around or working at my desk – just read more books!

The exclamation point above the 17^th should have been its own blog post. Rich was having a terrible day. He couldn’t open his pill bottles or take care of his dog. I ran up and put Abigail on a ten-foot lead so she could run about a bit. She’s a two-year old silver lab/pitbull mix. Yikes! She assumed she was on the forty-foot lead, and after some frolicking, she took off toward the neighbor’s yard like she was running for her ball. I had the leash wrapped around my hand and couldn’t drop it. I held on tight with both hands and braced myself. In another instant, I was airborne. Think belly flopping in a pool, only I belly flopped onto frozen tundra before being dragged a couple of feet. I crushed everything frontal. The neighbors have an outdoor camera. I’d like to see the footage, please. It would probably make a good Twitter post. So much pain, but thankfully, nothing was broken. I have to quit giving myself these self-designed bone density tests.

Two days later, there was snow. With great trepidation, I put her on her 40-foot lead and took her out.

So, the disappointment? When I first made my chart, I knew, I just knew I would be able to write every day. And exercise every day. And eat properly every day. And so on. My chart would be impressive!

Reality sucks.

What about you? Do you have any habits you consistently work on?

Nostalgia

I always listen to music when I write. I’ve mostly been listening to a mix of oldies as well as current top forty. Listening to oldies conjures up memories, feelings, and nostalgia in general.

All that music had me recently thinking about what it was like when I was growing up. Specifically, after childhood but before I was old enough to date. Twelve was a good age.

I always say my inner child is twelve years old. I can be an absolute juvenile at times, and I still laugh at fart jokes, so twelve it is. The only lie I consistently tell is that of my age. I lop my inner-child age off the top because that’s just how it works – and it’s the law. So far, I’ve been getting away with it. (I know, I know. I had a blog post where I said I was embracing my white hair and my age. Both of those things only lasted about a year.)

My childhood was relatively normal. My family consisted of Mom, Dad, and five kids. No pets. We hurried to do homework after school so the evening would be free to play games as a family – board games, card games, or shooting pool, playing ping-pong, and throwing darts in the basement. During summers, there was always baseball in the backyard, jarts, horseshoes, or croquet. My mother made me quit playing football with the neighborhood boys at about age twelve. I had three brothers; of course I was a tomboy.

My thoughts are a tad random, but here are some things I remember from this time – give or take a year on either side.

Technology:

We had ONE rotary telephone in the house. It was on the wall in the kitchen. I always pulled the cord as far as I could around the corner into the hallway to talk, but there was never any privacy. I still remember our very first telephone number – HY9-7893. No area code and the HY stood for hyacinth, which equaled the numbers 4-9.

Our television antenna was in the garage. My dad had a couple of large sawhorses out there that we had to climb to be able to reach the antenna in the rafters. Whichever one of us was out there would turn the antenna and listen for someone inside to yell “There!”

Cars were full of 8-track tapes. 8-tracks were awesome! We could now listen to what we wanted instead of relying on the radio and enduring news and commercials.

The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour

Fashion:

I wore hip huggers and crocheted rope belts. Clothing was colorful with bright patterns – all the better if they were daisy or paisley.

My mother wouldn’t let me wear Go-Go boots, but my girlfriend had a pair. She left them in her locker at school, and I would put them on every morning when I arrived. You bet I thought I was tough stuff in those boots!

Entertainment:

The roller-skating rink was the hot spot on Friday nights. I was a terrible skater, but I loved being there. The rink had a disco ball before disco dancing was a thing. Most girls vied to get a boy to kiss them out back, but I was too scared to try.

In the summers, we were kicked out of doors after breakfast and told to stay out until supper. Sometimes, my mother would lock the door. She didn’t care where we were or what we were doing. There was no reason to worry.

Everyone had a bike. I can’t even imagine the number of miles we put on them. We played in fields and woods. Dad bought those little field guide books to trees, birds, flowers, insects, etc. We carried them around to identify the world around us.

When I was twelve, my older cousin Bud was the coolest thing in the world. He had a car! A Ford Mustang – yellow with a black stripe. That car was amazing. Sometimes, on Friday nights, he would take me cruising with him. The only rule was that when he drove by girls, I had to duck down so they wouldn’t see me.

He also took me and our grandmother “bushwhacking!” To us, bushwhacking meant going to all the popular makeout spots and disrupting the fun. Firecrackers were usually involved.

Here are few more fun tidbits:

My dad brought mercury home from work once and gave it to us kids to play with on the kitchen table. What a neat little metal.

We laid out in the sun without sunscreen. Baby oil was used to help the tanning process. I was fair-skinned and always burned to the point of peeling on shoulders, arms, nose, and cheeks. I thought it was “cute.”

There was a lot of excitement when the ice cream truck came around … but we were also excited when the truck spraying pesticide for mosquitos came through as well. We had a ball playing in the fog until it dissipated. I breathed in a lot of DDT – we all did.

Okay … okay … the year I was twelve was 1967. Do the math, but don’t forget to lop off twelve years to account for my childish … er … I mean young-at-heart spirit.

Here are the top ten songs of 1967:

1. “To Sir with Love” by Lulu
2. “The Letter” by The Box Tops
3. “Ode to Bille Joe” by Bobbie Gentry
4. “Windy” by The Association
5. “I’m a Believer” by The Monkees
6. “Light My Fire” by The Doors
7. “Something Stupid” by Nancy and Frank Sinatra
8. “Happy Together” by The Turtles
9. “Groovin’” by The Young Rascals
10. “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli

That about wraps it up. I’m sure there’s more, but this is long enough. If you were a child of the sixties, add to my list. What were you up to?

Do you put your family and friends in your writing?

I do.

Boy, do I ever!

Mick in my Susan Hunter books was modeled loosely after a past boyfriend. Quite a few scenes with Mick in Sunshine Hunter actually happened. Susan’s best friend and racquetball partner was modeled after my real-life racquetball partner.

Susan’s adventures in New York City also came from my own life and the people I met while traveling to New York and roaming the city by myself – twice.

The eccentric Mama in my Two Sisters and a Journalist books is written based on my own mother. Everyone in my family who has read my books easily sees this is Mom, and they laugh. Of course, Mom knew, too (she passed three years ago), and I know she loved being a part of my books – even if she was providing the comic relief.

In my last Two Sisters and a Journalist book (number nine), I introduced two new characters, Bob and Scott. They are two retired men who hang out at the snack counter in Mama’s flea market. I describe them in the book as being like the two balcony Muppet curmudgeons, Statler and Waldorf. Scott and Bob in real life are two of my local pub buddies. This is what Bob gave me for my birthday last April:

Statler and Waldorf

Scott (left) and Bob (right) in real life

As my friends came to find out Bob and Scott made it into one of my books, they began clamoring to be included. OMG and LOL! Two Sisters and a Journalist #10 is in the works, and my friends have taken over.

Chapter two recounts an adventure where my main character Jo tries to get her sister Pepper home from book club after she’s had too much to drink – Great Gatsby night and too much champagne. This scene is ripped from the night I tried to help one of my girlfriends home after she drank too much. How so much could go wrong still amazes me. It even entailed a late-night call to Rich pleading with him to help me find her dog that took off when I was trying to get my friend into her house. Rich was mostly mad that he was out looking for a dog named ERNIE. “Who in their right mind names a dog ERNIE?”

My friend Butch pestered me until he got a role – Captain Daddy Dutch. In the book, he owns a farm that’s being sabotaged.

Barb asked me to use her nickname of Ruthie. Her role is a stand-out. She’ll be surprised.

Bartender Tyler, was overheard asking, “Why do I have to be the murderer?” That still makes me laugh. Tyler’s wife is an attorney in the county prosecutor’s office. I told him they aren’t allowed to use her to sue me. I was counting on her to switch roles and defend me once they all read the book.

I can’t believe how much fodder my pub friends have provided to me this past year. They are all gems!

And speaking of gems! I have that standalone book, Stanley Pearl, He’s Out of His Shell. I recently had an ah-ha moment. I can make Stanley’s story part of a series. I’ll call it the Gem of a Man series. The next book is going to be Nick Diamond, He’s About to Shine – or something like that. I’m still working on it. But I want to turn this into at least a three-book series that has a man as the main character in each book. Their last names will all be that of a gem. Plus, I like men who are gems in real life.

I started writing Nick Diamond as soon as the idea took hold. I haven’t put any of my friends in the book, but I did include something that happened at the pub recently.

I swear, nothing is safe from me! And don’t get me started on Easter Eggs. Someday I’ll do a post about the crazy stuff I put in my books that only family and friends might spot.

Original question: Do you put your family and friends into your writing? If you do, do they know, and what do they think?

The Dreaded Book Report

My optimism is high right now. I’m starting this new year off with a bang, and I’m happy with my progress after just a few days.

One of the things on my list is to participate in the Goodreads Reading Challenge. My goal is fifty books this year. I’ve finished one book, and now I want to write a review.

But … ugh.

I’m terrible at writing reviews. Some people have a knack for it. They are eloquent and provide the information in such a way as to present the book in the best light possible. You want to read the book after reading the review.

Here’s me: I liked this book. You should read it, too.

This morning, while I was mulling over what I would say in my review, it dawned on me that reviews are hard for me because they remind of the dreaded book reports I had to do in school. I was never thorough enough, and I never got good grades on them. I also remember scrambling at the last minute to cobble something together the night before the book report was due.

I did look up the difference between a book report and a book review: A book report is a summary of a book’s content and analysis, while a book review is a critical evaluation of a book’s content, style, and merit.

LOL! I’m beat before I start, but here we go. This is the book:

Perseus Kills His Grandfather by Richard L. Pastore

I pick my reading material haphazardly. I scroll through my Kindle until a title or a cover jumps out at me. As I was looking for a book to read, I stopped on Perseus Kills His Grandfather. I didn’t want to read it. I’m a rom-com, chick-lit, or mystery kind of gal. I was looking for light entertainment.

However, I loved all things Greece in high school. Greek mythology was fascinating, and I couldn’t get enough. I even loved movies based on Greek gods and heroes, especially Jason and the Argonauts.

So, I somewhat willingly started to read Mr. Pastore’s version of the story of Perseus.

Oh my!

My critical evaluation of the book’s content: This is really good.

The story moves along at a good pace, and I’m delighted he sprinkles humor throughout his story. Like this passage where Perseus meets his brother Hermes. Perseus has led a quiet life until now and has no idea Zeus is his father:

            “Brother? Then Zeus is my… Zeus??? Zeus! No, that can’t be! I am no god.”

            “Demigod – at best.”

            “I’m just an ordinary man.”

            “Barely that mature. Let’s generously say, an ordinary young man.”

            “I’m not ready for this. You mean, my whole life I was…”

            “Wow. You really didn’t know. I’m reasonably certain my instructions were to tell you when you reached adulthood… Oh well. Oopsie. I guess I spoiled your big surprise.”

The exchange tickled my funny bone.

My review of the style: I liked Mr. Pastore’s style of writing. Even with all the Greek names and cities, there is nothing to bog you down. His style of writing is straightforward and easy to understand but not juvenile.

My review of the merit of the book: Five stars. The merit is good enough to warrant five stars. Super enjoyable read. I was up until four a.m. to finish the darn thing. I couldn’t put it down.

I’m tagging this blog post for homeschoolers. When I homeschooled my son, we read loads of retellings of history, Shakespeare, and myths. I wish this book had been available at that time. My son would have loved it.

Give this book a try. It’s free on Kindle Unlimited or $2.99 for the e-book.

If by chance you’ve read it, chime in and tell us your opinion.

The Hangover was Epic

Today is National Hangover Day.

After all the drinking on New Year’s Eve, I suppose hangovers are up on New Year’s Day. I had two drinks in five hours last night. No hangover for me today.

However, I do have a story leading up to a hangover. If it had happened to someone else, I would have put it in one of my books, but because it happened to me, it’s a blog post. The story is embarrassing, but it still makes me laugh, and I’m not against putting it out there for others to (maybe) laugh at me, so, here we go …

Valentine’s Day 2023 and I’m on my own for almost a year now. I have no Valentine, so I have no plans. I spend the late afternoon at the grocery store. I come home and put away the cold items; everything else is abandoned on the kitchen table.

I have no idea why I decided to put pork and sauerkraut in the crockpot this day, but there it was, and that was what I ate for supper. (Cleveland Kitchen brand of sauerkraut – whiskey dill flavor – yum!)

I hadn’t planned to go to our local pub, but it was Valentine’s Day, so why not.

I walk in, and four of my drinking buddies are at the bar. I go down the line giving each (and a stranger at the end) a hug with a “Happy Valentine’s Day” greeting. I grab a seat and ask the bartender to make “one of those peppermint drinks” he made for me at Christmas. He said he still had candy canes in the back.

Christmas drink: White Russian (Kahlua, vodka, cream), peppermint schnapps, crushed candy cane bits held around the lip of the glass with chocolate syrup, and a candy cane stick. A pretty drink.

Unbeknownst to me (a girl who usually drinks ONE drink and then is done because I feel it), he doesn’t have any cream on hand, so he substitutes Bailey’s Irish Cream. That means FOUR shots of booze in each drink.

I HAD THREE OF THEM.

They were crazy tasty, and I drank them like I had a milkshake in front of me.

One of my buddies told me later I started giggling at everything about one a half drinks in. Everything became funny, and I couldn’t stop. One of my girlfriends and her boyfriend were asking me questions, and I was telling everything. Good thing I don’t have anything tawdry in my past.

The bartender wanted to cut me off after two, but I convinced him to give me *one more.*

Oops.

That I had overdone it didn’t hit me until I walked into my kitchen later and realized how unsteady I was on my feet.

Good decisions were not made. All the dry goods on my kitchen table were begging to be put away.

I had a couple of items in my hands that belonged in the cabinet under the bathroom sink. I opened the cabinet door, bent down to put said items in, and everything went spinning. I had no control to stop it or reach out and catch myself.

I fell. Hard.

I fell onto the cabinet door. My hip sheared that oak frame in two! The door flew up and hit me in the chest, I crashed my shoulder on the toilet, and I have no idea what my wrist smashed into.

To top it all off, the toilet was now right in front of me. And you know what happens when you’ve had too much to drink and your brain sees a toilet. And let’s not forget, I had pork and sauerkraut for supper.

I haven’t had too much to drink since my twenties! Over forty years! What was I thinking?!

And yes, the hangover was epic.

Did I learn anything from the experience? Of course I did … I won’t do that again. At least not for another forty years.

I told my doctor about the experience. She’s been bugging me to have a bone density test. I told her there was no need. I just gave myself one and passed with flying colors!

Do you have a hangover today? Happy New Year!

The Year in Review

Abigail

Good grief, how time flies. With all my good intentions and optimism, I didn’t have a single blog post in 2023. How is that possible?

To be fair, 2023 was an unusual year.

My son was having a hard time adjusting to my absence as well as him having several difficult medical issues. I moved him in with me. He doesn’t tell people he lives with his mother. He says he has a roommate. As much as I like (love!) living on my own, I am glad he is here and that I can help him. It’s okay with me, too, he’s helping to pay the bills.

The hardest part of 2023 was Rich (the ex) being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He has no family left other than a brother-in-law, and I promised him I wouldn’t let him go through this alone. We had many early mornings and long drives to Cleveland Clinic for his treatments and doctor appointments. I won’t go into details, but he had ugly reactions to his chemo. I was always on deck to rush him to the hospital in the middle of the night when they seemed to present their worst.

I also spent a lot of time with him simply to occupy him and try to take his mind off all that was happening. We racked up a lot of hours playing Don’t Starve Together on the PlayStation. It’s almost stupid how much time we spent together this past year, but I do still view him as my best friend. He has had a Whipple surgery for his cancer, and it went well. We are now on the back end with another five months of chemo having just started. We can already see it’s going to get worse before it gets better. I do pray for a good outcome for him this year.

There was a month of trauma when I decided to no longer embrace my white hair. I went to a highly recommended salon and asked for light brown bordering on blonde with blonde highlights. I came out a full-blown brunette. I hated it and cried for three days. Isn’t it silly how the color of your hair can make you feel so bad? I had to wait a month before I could have it redone. My friends tried to be nice about it, but my family was not shy in telling me how much they didn’t like it. Gotta love honesty. 

My friend Shelly on the left. Me on the right. I won’t show you the dark brown hair!

As for my book business … meh. I didn’t publish anything in 2023. I had bouts where I wrote like gangbusters, and I had droughts where I couldn’t put my butt in a chair and write to save my life. I didn’t have writer’s block; I simply had no motivation to write.

I finished the first book in my new cozy series set in fictional Appleseed, Ohio. This book is edited and proofread and has been sitting on my desk for months. I only need to format it and put it up, but I didn’t want to put book number one up without another book in the series coming along soon after, so I’ve been waiting. I’ve started book number two, and that is the book I’m currently working on. Book number ten in my Two Sisters and a Journalist series is about two-thirds finished. I hope to start 2024 off with a bang and publish all three of these books in the first quarter.

So … New Year’s resolutions. I generally don’t make any. They are usually broken quickly. However, I feel I want to make some this year:

1. Stop staying in bed until noon. Get up earlier and write in the morning instead of late at night. Plan small rewards for staying at my desk and writing for “x” number of hours each day. Treat writing more like a “going to work” job.
2. Stop letting Rich talk me into eating things I shouldn’t. Because of his cancer, he is encouraged to eat as much as he can handle to try to keep his weight up. Dragging me along with him while he searches for the best coney in three counties has not been good for my waistline. Nor have french fry runs in the evening.
3. Get back to intermittent fasting and healthy eating. Low carbs. Lean meats and vegetables.
4. I still haven’t crossed the 100# lost mark yet, but I will. I’m close. The goal is to cross the line by Valentine’s Day.
5. Exercise more. When the weather is nice, I’m out riding my bike a lot. But I can do sprints on my indoor bike this winter. If I do resolution number one, I should be able to do sprints on my stationary bike three times a day. Good for my legs and my heart.
6. Practice throwing darts more! Get better! We found my dart board in the basement up at the house. I thought it had been sold at a garage sale long ago. It’s now mounted in my living room.

And finally ….

7. Go ahead and laugh. … BLOG MORE.

Happy New Year!

Tell me how 2023 was for you and what you hope to accomplish in 2024!

National Parents as Teachers Day

Here’s another one of those “national” days. This one is a soft spot for me.

I’ve mentioned before I homeschooled my son, but I don’t recall sharing very much about the experience.

He was thrown out of daycare at the tender age of three for leading all the children outside during naptime. (A born leader!)

He thought being screened for kindergarten was fun time. It wasn’t. The kindergarten teacher strongly suggested we take him to his doctor as she felt he needed medication for school.

No.

There was no way I was medicating my kid. I’d teach the boy myself. I quit my corporate job and turned in my suits for jeans and tennis shoes.

There were plenty of programs out there for homeschooling. I chose curriculum, and we were off to the races.

We turned our large living room in the front of the house into a schoolroom.

I changed the bulletin board every week to reflect our studies. Felt boards for math on the floor below.

Kept the sofa in the room, complete with teddy bear, for snuggling together and reading.

Every year, on the first day of public school, we played hooky and went fishing. It became a tradition.

We went on a million field trips because we could. We usually took my mother with us. Have you ever been to a pencil factory? A shoelace factory? A bread factory? We did all those things and a million more. Ooh, the chocolate factory with samples was the best. There are loads of historical sites in Northeast Ohio, and we probably visited all of them.

We used to do “unit studies.” I loved this approach – especially to history. When we studied pirates, we read about The Atocha treasure. How cool was it then when the exhibit came to Cleveland and we could go and touch some of the gold.

I read aloud to him while he played Nintendo. We read a million books this way. I would occasionally stop and ask him a question to be sure he was paying attention, and he always was. Sometimes, he would be so engrossed in what I was reading, he’d stop playing to listen.

I eventually stopped buying math curriculum. It was boring and repetitive. I made my own daily math sheets and moved him through the grades much faster. High school math was fun when he would sometimes have to help me understand an algebraic equation. “Mom, you’re supposed to be teaching me, not me teaching you.”

We saved science for summers … garden projects, insect projects, experiments, nature hikes while identifying plants, trees, and even snakes!  We built a worm box with an acrylic side to watch the worms all summer. We had ant farms and “sugared” trees for ants. Science was the best.

I say all the time that I have rebel tendencies with my writing. I had rebel tendencies as my son’s teacher. There was no way I wanted to give him a traditional schooling experience.

We jumped on beds while listening to opera. The Barber of Seville came from Bugs Bunny; Carmen was the real deal.

Every Friday night over one winter, we watched a musical – The Music Man, Meet Me in St. Louis, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, and a million more. We especially loved Oklahoma, Singin’ In the Rain, and Don Quixote. We even bought an adapted version of Don Quixote for young people and read it.

We read Shakespeare! I found a wonderful book to read, also with adapted works for young people, yet still retaining much of the original language. A Winter’s Tale, Cymbeline, As You Like It, Romeo and Juliet., and more. My son liked Hamlet so much, he wrote his own story Hamlet-style complete with illustrations with one of his computer programs.

The computer! We were on the internet early. We were proficient with DOS and Windows 3.1. There were loads of teaching software programs for kids out there at the time, and we had a million of them. We had software for every subject. These were fun games with cool graphics.

When he was in third grade, I began teaching him Latin. I think Latin vocabulary helped him tremendously with his understanding of words and his English grades.

Homeschooling my son was one of the best things I’ve done in my life. It was good for both of us, and I know I made learning an adventure for him. The closeness and memories we shared were priceless. I suspect many parents had a taste of homeschooling during the pandemic. I hope they had as much fun as we did.

million = a lot

The occasional “I’m not listening” rebellious day. 😊

Ahhh … Baloney

Today is National Bologna Day.

I kind of like bologna – or baloney as we refer to it in my neck of the woods. I even have memories of baloney.

I took a baloney sandwich to school every day for many years. The sandwich only had mustard on it and was always wrapped in wax paper. By lunchtime, my baloney was warm and had extra flavor from the wax paper. Or maybe that was just an added odor. I didn’t care. I liked my baloney sandwiches.

Sundays were special in our house. My dad taught me to bake bread, and we would get up early to do our baking. Mom would then have the kitchen to make Sunday dinner – usually something like baked chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, and applesauce. There was always applesauce for my brother to put on top of his mashed potatoes.

But it was Sunday supper that made all five of us kids happy. We had baloney sandwiches, potato chips (a treat!), and ice cream for dessert. Back then, it was “ice milk.” Do you remember ice milk? Crikey, I feel old right now.

We would put two slices of baloney on a slice of bread, spread mustard on, then layer potato chips over all. The second slice of bread went on top and you pushed down hard to crush the chips. They were great crunchy sandwiches!

I’m sure there’s baloney in there.

I’ve made loads of grilled cheese sandwiches with baloney in them. Fried baloney sandwiches, too. My canned hot peppers are fabulous on baloney sandwiches of any kind.

For the past seven months, I’ve had a ball hanging out at our local pub. I’ve made loads of new friends, and some of them have provided great inspiration for my writing.

I recently helped a friend home who had a few too many. It was a debacle of epic proportions that included her dog running away. I called Rich and got him out of bed to come help me find the dog.

Chapter two of my next Two Sisters and a Journalist book has Pepper getting drunk at her monthly book club. Her sister Jo (main character) picks her up to give her a ride home. What happens next reads suspiciously like what happened to me and my friend in real life, but in the book, Pepper’s cat runs away.

I wrote the chapter on a Monday. Tuesday morning, I re-read it and laughed out loud through the whole thing. I sent the chapter off to a brutally honest friend and asked if they thought it was humorous or was I nuts. They wrote back, “Loved it!”

The same friend from the pub showed up two weeks later laughing/lamenting that a pot of chili fell over in the back seat of her car, resulting in a huge mess.

In an upcoming chapter of my new book, Jo’s husband is teaching her to cook. They start with something easy – chili. Jo will be taking a big pot of chili to family dinner on Sunday. But because it tips over in the back seat of her truck, her entire family and three guests will be eating …

… wait for it …

… baloney sandwiches and potato chips with ice cream for dessert. 😊

I love my new pub friends. I’m going to dedicate this book to them and thank them for all the great fodder they’re providing me.

What about you? Do you like baloney sandwiches? If you’re writing a book, write in some baloney!

The Eternal Optimist

That’s me. The eternal optimist.

I wake up on the right side of bed every day. I aim to be cheerful as much as possible every day. I always believe that today will be better than the day before.

I’m an onward and upward type of person. Pick yourself up by the bootstraps and move on type of person.

In the past year, I’ve had some heartache like I’ve never experienced before – in several sectors of my life. But I refuse to dwell on heartache and pain. When I moved into my apartment, I found myself pacing quite often from room to room to room (it’s a pretty open layout). It’s one of the reasons I made myself go out – to dinner, to a movie, to the mall – anyplace to be with people.

It took a couple of hit-or-miss places before I popped into our local pub. I was thrilled the employees – bartenders and kitchen staff alike – made me feel welcome right away. I’ve made numerous friends there – guys to play cards with, women to go out with, a gal thirty-six years younger than me who likes to hang out and ride bikes with me.

With the pub being part of the local hotel, it’s been a perfect spot to meet people from all over the country. I’m collecting stories to incorporate into some of my future writing. “Captain Daddy Butch” bugs me all the time to put him in one of my books.

It’s slow going, but I know I’m healing. Having friends and good people around me certainly help with that.

I still have the feeling I’m on the verge of something big. I still believe I have a bright future. It’s the eternal optimist in me.

Want to know what prompted this post about optimism?

I realized I’ve been entirely too optimistic about saying when I would finish a book or when it would be published. I said my new Two Sisters and a Journalist book would be published last March. Ha! Here we are in September, and it’s just now been released.

Am I embarrassed I do this all the time? Maybe a little, but I’m usually excited and optimistic when I post information about writing and publishing. The first book in my new cozy series is finished (Delicious Death). I’m going to publish this book in October. Do you think that will happen? I’m optimistic it will, but I won’t be upset if I’m overly optimistic and it doesn’t happen until November.

Optimism. I think being the eternal optimist has served me well. I think I’ll just keep being me.

Murder Runs Amok – book number NINE in the Two Sisters and a Journalist series – has been published at Amazon and Smashwords. Look for it to be available today at all outlets – Amazon, Apple iBooks, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, etc.

Book Sale

I’m popping in with some news today.

The Summer/Winter Sale at Smashwords starts today and runs until the end of the month. The first three books in both of my series are free. The remaining books are half price. There are loads of good books on sale, so take a little time to peruse the site for some great summer reading.

http://www.smashwords.com

At long last, Murder Runs Amok is finished! This book WILL be published this month! I’ve never taken so long to write a book, but now that the logjam has been broken, I feel like I’m on fire. The editing is going well, I’m making notes and a rudimentary outline for the next book in the series, and I know how I want to finish the book that’s been dragging in my new series. Everything feels right in my writing world – much like it used to.

The book has to be a success; there is a dog on the cover!

In other news …

I’m still riding my bike as much as possible. I rode almost 14 miles a couple days ago – a record for me.

Rich and I have been out on the motorcycle on the hottest days we’ve had so far. I still love riding with the sun on my face and the wind in my hair.

For the first time in thirty years, I’ve started wearing shorts. Yep. My legs haven’t seen sun for thirty years! They were shockingly white but are finally getting some color. I suppose that’s too much information, but I’m so happy to have lost enough weight to be comfortable in a pair of shorts. Now, a swimming suit? That’s a whole ‘nother animal. My stomach will have to wonder about the sun for a few more pounds yet. 😊

I’ll leave you with this. Rich has been sitting on the deck feeding blue jays and squirrels. The blue jays are now standing on the rail and making loads of noise, trying to get him to come out of the house and give them peanuts. The squirrels are bolder. They come up and knock on the door.

What’s new with you? Are you on fire, too? Has your summer started off with a bang? Do you have critters knocking on your door?

A Quickie

Realizing I do not have enough pertinent material to justify a blog post every week, I accept defeat of my good intentions.

For the time being, I’ll be at Twitter. I’ll post my everyday drivel there which will include my continued efforts at exercise and weight loss. My writing progress will be logged there as well.

I’m not leaving blogging. I just want to at least have something worthwhile to say when I post here. I’ll definitely post when I have major news about my writing or my books.

A photography post, a cooking post, or a ride on a motorcycle might also garner a post.

In the meantime, if you want to see what I’m up to, follow me on Twitter. I’ll follow you back and see what you’re up to as well. Maddie Cochere / Twitter

Research for My Next Book

Ok, now I’m having too much fun.

I finally broke whatever mental log jam I was experiencing, and I’ve been writing with higher daily word counts this past week. My apartment has a patio out back, and I’ve been sitting there to write during the day. I don’t feel as confined as I did on our deck, and I love it out there. Check out the view:

Yep. Loads of heavy-duty machinery while workers tear up the road behind my apartment. The noise is all day long, and sometimes everything around me shakes like an earthquake. Why I can write with all this commotion around me is a wonder, but I can!

I called a couple of the guys knuckleheads when they accidentally cut the television cable in the ground, and I lost my internet connection and my music. But I smiled when I said it, and they laughed. They knew they were knuckleheads. They also took down the mailboxes for our complex. I don’t mind. It gives me a reason to ride my bike to the post office every day to collect my mail.

I’m still going strong with riding. I’ve only been “almost” hit twice, but I was in control, and I’m now more careful when running stop signs in the alleys. My chain slipped off yesterday. That was quite a jolt to realize I had no brakes once the chain was hanging loose (forgot about that tidbit). I think I’m up to about ten miles per day now.

On to my research!

A while back, ladysighs posted some creative poetry and information revolving around Tarot cards. (Her High Priestess and Empress cards were so cute!) This reminded me of a time long ago in my early twenties. All the girls from work decided to go out to dinner and then have “fortune teller” readings.

My reading was interesting. Nothing really outstanding, but later that evening, I wrote down the things I was told. As the next few years unfolded, I was amazed and even shocked at times that just about everything I was told came true – right down to a job I would have, what it would entail, and the initials of two of my bosses. When I took that particular job, I had no knowledge of any of those things at this particular business to influence me. To eventually see her words in front of me amazed me.

After reading more of Ladysighs tarot poetry, the idea for my next book fell into my head. Plopped right in there with a thud.

I love the Mama in my Murder books. She’s eccentric and causes a ruckus everywhere she goes. I’m going to have Mama watching online tarot readings and deciding she can do readings, too. Mama will torture Jo (her daughter; my main character), telling her what she sees in the cards for her every time she sees her. Jo will be annoyed, but this will ultimately affect how she handles her cases.

I’ve been watching online tarot readings to gather information to write for Mama. Oh my gosh! I’ve never giggled so much in my life. I am NOT a giggler, but I sure have been lately. According to these online readers, I am going to be wealthy! More than a million dollars! I am going to have new love come in and sweep me off my feet! I am going to have past love come in and sweep me off my feet! I am going to have alien love come in and sweep me off my feet! I am going to be famous! Think of any over-the-top good thing that could (or could not) happen in your life, and these online readers will tell you it’s coming in fast!

However, all this entertainment is wonderful fodder for writing Mama’s antics in my next book. I can’t wait to get started! I’ll still need a murder (maybe Mama will see a murder in the cards), and I’ll need a good murder title. I’m sure those will plop into my head soon, too.

There is one thing I won’t share. The fortune teller from my twenties told me something that never came true. I am in a position in my life for this to happen now, and I’ve recently had a partial glimpse of this. I’m looking forward to seeing the rest! If it comes to fruition, I’ll tell you then.

Have you ever had your fortune told? If you have, tell me about it!

Hmmm … Your thoughts?

I submitted fellow blogger disperser tracks‘ idea for the remake of my Stanley Pearl cover – “…how about a woman helping a guy with a briefcase (accountant) out of a giant shell. Half of him could be dressed in a suit, and the other half (out of his shell) with more casual attire.”

My description to the design company read: A woman helping a guy with a briefcase (Stanley) out of a giant clam shell. The same type of shell a pearl would be in. Half of him could be dressed in a suit, and the other half (the part out of the shell) with more casual attire. Or show the suit faintly slipping away as he comes out in casual jeans, gray t-shirt, possibly a sweater tied around his neck. The girl should have brown hair reaching just below her shoulders, wearing a skirt and possibly even a cute apron as she is a waitress. No glasses. Stanley also has brown hair, no glasses.

Below are the two rough drafts sent to me. Any details could be changed. The artist is asking me to approve one of the designs.

I’d like some input from you. Do you like one over the other? Do you dislike either/both? What changes or additions would you make? Are you disappointed there is no shell? Would this style be cohesive with my other titles?

Original:

Design 1:

Design 2:

Thanks for your thoughts!

That Didn’t Take Long

Three months and twelve posts. Coming back to blogging is great – until you run out of material. Today … I’ve got nothing.

Actually, I was supposed to have the rough draft of my new cover for Stanley Pearl on Saturday and had planned to show it today for your opinions and suggestions. Obviously, that didn’t happen.

I used to look for those weird national holiday days as blog starters. Today is World Tuna Day. I can eat sardine and herring fillets every day (blackened and fried), but I’ll pass on extolling the wonders of tuna, thank you.

Let me show you the present I bought for myself for my birthday.

Ain’t she a beaut! An Electra Beach Cruiser with no speeds and coaster brakes. It’s old school, and I love tooling around town and through the alleys on it. That sounds kind of creepy, doesn’t it? But I feel safer in the alleys than on the main road. Over 2,000 semi-trucks pass through our village each day, and I don’t need to get sideswiped by one. I recently found our local park has a 1.1 mile walking/bike path, and I’ve been riding there, too. I try to get out and ride three times a day.

I wish I knew how many miles I’ve logged so far. I see a speedometer in my future. But I’m delighted with how steady and in control I am, and it only took three days to make it up the hill behind my apartment without having to walk my bike. I’m getting stronger and faster which each day of riding.

What else?

Oh, I’m becoming a regular at my neighborhood pub. 😊 Not really. Stopping in once a week doesn’t constitute a “regular,” but I love that I’ve found a comfortable place to go, have a bite to eat, schmooze with the locals, and have one drink. Yes, one is my limit. I get a kick out of a couple of the guys who think I’m famous because I have books at Amazon.

I’ll close out with some writing news that is more pathetic than news.

I made a huge editing pass on my new book, but I still need to finish writing the last two chapters. My daily schedule is still on the chaotic side. Because I lost two of my proofreaders, I’m going to have to hire someone to make a proofreading pass for me. That will take a little time.

But there’s something else going on. I can’t quite put my finger on it. I “feel” something. It’s as though I’m close to realizing something. Maybe coming up with another idea for my books? All I know is I feel like I’m on the verge of a breakthrough. But I don’t know what kind or where it will come from. I do like having this underlying feeling of excitement in my life. It’s never let me down in the past, so I’m excited to see where this month leads.

Ok, enough rambling. Hopefully, I’ll have something solid for next week. Feel free to do your own rambling in my comments section. Rambling Monday. That sounds like a good idea for the first Monday of every month. I’ll keep that in mind.

Random Documents

Whilst packing “stuff” for my move, I took time to go through everything in my desk. Purge, purge, purge. I eliminated over half the paperwork in folders. Some things I left behind because there’s more storage there than here.

I found some miscellaneous documents I printed from websites. They pertain to writing, so I thought I would share them with you.

The first is How to Write a Pulp Western. Yep. At one time that was an interest of mine. I love pulp fiction, and a good western can make my day. I wonder if my love of westerns is from my teenage years while watching them on television on Sunday mornings/afternoons with my dad. Do you remember Sundays as being the day for westerns?

This document, How to Write a Pulp Western was written by Ben Haas (aka John Benteen). Ben typed this document for his son. I found the information interesting and informative. The article starts off telling you what you need for a successful western: the hero, the villain, and the weenie. The villain is the most important of the three, and the weenie is whatever is the conflict. The typed pages are here:

Rough Edges: How to Write a Pulp Western – Ben Haas

The comments on the blog post are worth reading as well.

Continuing with the theme of pulp fiction, I’m also a fan of noir fiction – especially detective fiction.

A character in my Murder books is a long-time private investigator who is definitely not PC by today’s standards. Some of his language is right out of the 30s. I had a ball trying to find things for him to say that weren’t too over the top. This list of words of Gumshoe Slang is a hoot!

Twists, Slugs and Roscoes: A Glossary of Hardboiled Slang

There are more words on this list of slang from Dirty 30s.

Dirty 30s! – Slang of the 30s

One more for the detective theme. S.S. Van Dine’s 20 Rules for Writing Detective Fiction:

Twenty Rules for Writing Detective Fiction – S.S. Van Dine

I like #7 – There simply must be a corpse in a detective novel, and the deader the corpse the better.

Next up: Fearmongering Words

I read an article about how danger words and words that evoke fear are effective in keeping a reader hooked in your story. Using the word murdered is better than using the word killed. It evokes a stronger emotion. Supposedly, fear isn’t just an emotion, it’s an effective tool that can send your writing to the next level.

I think this was one of the reasons I decided to use the word Murder in the titles of all my Two Sisters and a Journalist books.

Fearmongering Words Cheat Sheet

And finally, a list of words that denote Flabby Writing.

The funny thing is that because I write “simple,” meaning I use simple words, I kind of like some flabby writing. Most of my characters have humorous elements about them, and they talk flabby. I do like eliminating unnecessary prepositions and prepositional phrases. Adverbs many times get the chop, too. When I had Murder Under Construction edited, the editor nixed the word nefarious. She thought it was too old-fashioned for today’s reader. Hmph. I finally use an interesting word, and she wants to chop it. Stubborn me. Nefarious is still in the book today. 😊

297-flabby-words-and-phrases

Do you have printouts or links to articles you refer to now and then to give you inspiration or help with your writing? Share!

A Selfish Bonus Post

I’ve been hoping to keep to a once-a-week posting schedule, but today I have two reasons for sneaking in an additional post.

April 20 – 4/20 – 4:20 – 420 … for some people, that number has a significant meaning. Today is World Cannabis Day. In some parts of the world, smoke and odor will fill the air at 4:20 this afternoon. I know people who only remember that today is my birthday because of this day of smoking pot.

So, today I am sixty-seven years old. I flinch as I add another digit to my age, but as long as my inner child never ages past twelve years old, I’m good with it.

Ok, enough birthday celebration. Onto the next item.

I really love my Stanley Pearl book. I recently re-read it, and I enjoyed it just as much as the last time I read it. 😊 I like some of the absurdness of the story as well as the humor moments. It is a tad racier than anything else I’ve written but would still garner a PG-13 rating at the movie theater.

I haven’t marketed the book at all, and the thing that has been holding me back is the cover. Although the stock photo works just fine, the cover doesn’t really convey anything about the story.

I want to change it, but I’m struggling with ideas. I know my readership here isn’t what it used to be, but for those of you who are here, if anything pops into your head, give a girl a hand. Here are some basic points:

I want the cover to be cohesive with all my other covers, meaning I want that hand-drawn, somewhat cartoonish look.

Color isn’t an issue like it is with my other covers.

The story is more like a romantic comedy than anything – and an adventure for Stanley. He goes from a boring, drab accountant to an attractive, exciting man mixed up with dangerous people.

This is the blurb at Amazon:

When a boring accountant comes out of his shell, romance and danger await him.

Stanley Pearl’s life has been turned upside down. His wife ran off with another man, leaving Stanley to raise his teenage son alone. He takes the summer off from his accounting position to stay home with his son and write the novel he always dreamed of writing.

When a wealthy client demands Stanley help her nephew with his less than legal accounting, he has no choice but to say yes. Before he can deliver the finished work, his client is abducted, and Stanley soon discovers he has something the captors want.

A waitress at the coffee shop where he has been writing offers to help Stanley by introducing him to her ex-CIA brother. There’s no denying the chemistry between Teresa and Stanley, but can he stay alive long enough to explore the possibility of a relationship?

Stanley Pearl is a standalone novel with romance, suspense, and a splash of humor.

There are a whopping three reviews for Stanley so far (all good!). One is an editorial review from Readers’ Favorite (located above the product description). You can see those here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07DP4W8QQ/

If you have any suggestions, ideas, other book covers that show a representation of what might work … please let me know. What should be on the cover?

If you want to read Stanley Pearl, here is a code for a free book at Smashwords: PB99T If you want a copy from Amazon, let me know in the comments or drop an email to me, and I’ll send a link to you: maddiecochere@breezybooks.com

Thanks!!

Oh, I forgot to mention, I already have a design company ready to do the new cover, but they are hoping to get some information from me as to what I want. Ack! I don’t know what I want.

What say you?

A Fine Place for Writing – Part 2

Grab the Wayback Machine and travel back in time to September 2, 2012. There you will find my blog post showing where I was writing. I know you don’t want to go back there, so let me show you the picture:

If you want to know what all the numbers and arrows are for, you will have to go read the post – A Fine Place for Writing

I not only wrote many of my books in that fine place, but I also wrote a few books in an upstairs bedroom that was basically a playroom when our granddaughter visited. Ha! That room is Pepto Bismol pink. Here’s a picture of that writing place:

And who can forget the deck Rich built for me. That was a great place for writing until bird doo-doo, bugs, flies, neighbor kids, traffic, and my own family running in and out of the house every five minutes basically sent me back into the house.

You don’t need pictures of our local library or the Marriott hotel. I was writing at both of those places, too. I schmoozed with the staff at the Marriott more than I wrote, so that kind of defeated the purpose, but what great people! I had fun there, and it was a nice distraction during the rough times earlier in the year.

So, now that I’ve turned my life on its head, pretty much everything has changed. So, of course, has my fine place for writing.

Are you ready? Get a load of this setup:

Faerie lights. That’s right, faerie lights. I’m writing at night more than I am during the day, and I love these lights. There’s not much rhyme or reason to their placement, but they make me happy just as they are.

That’s still the behemoth of a desk I bought many years ago at a thrift shop for $35. It was pretty beat up then, and I haven’t done it any favors over the years, but I love it. It weighs about a million pounds and was the last thing I managed to get in here, because I couldn’t find anyone to move it for me. My “office” is just inside the front door in the living room.

My overall mood determines the music I choose (when I can tear myself away from the music of The Dead South). I always write with music – usually loud. The neighbors haven’t complained yet. And occasionally, I might have an adult beverage. Drambuie over ice is my preferred drink in winter, Hendrick’s and tonic for summer – or sometimes a spicy bloody Mary (bonus points for the potassium in the V-8 juice).

My old computer on the right has years of emails, photos, documents, and all-around junk filling it to the brink. Many of the files are backed up elsewhere, but there are programs I still use that are obsolete, so I keep the computer up and running and drag files back and forth on thumb drives.

My new computer is a marvel. How in the world can an entire computer fit within a thin monitor? Sheesh, I remember our very first computer back in ‘92. It was a Packard Bell with a 50mb hard drive. The computer and the monitor took up a ton of space. I was proficient with DOS programs. Technology. Wow.

I must admit, I love being able to sit at my desk and write whenever I want. I actually love being able to do whatever I want whenever I want. This new-found freedom is good for my soul. I have no idea how much time I have left in my life, and I plan to live this time with happiness and abandon.

So, how about you? A life of happiness and abandon? How about your fine place for writing? Take a picture of your writing space and drop it in the comments below!

Living life with abandon doesn’t mean living recklessly but rather deciding that no matter what comes your way you are going to enjoy everything, and you are going to make the best of what is going on around you. ~Michael Horner, Living An Ultra Life

In the Kitchen

My new kitchen. Note the fire extinguisher on top of the refrigerator. I’ve already caught a kitchen towel on fire but handled that one myself. The orchid is a gift from my son.

I’ve always loved to cook. As a teenager, my very first cookbook was Trader Vic’s Mexican Cookbook. I used my family as guinea pigs while I cooked many of the recipes in the book. Dad wasn’t a fan, but Mom and siblings were on board.

Today, I’m only a slightly intuitive cook, so I do use a recipe for the groundwork, but I’m not afraid to make changes or additions based on personal taste.

My cooking abilities seemed to miraculously ratchet up a notch during the pandemic. … Actually, it was because I became hooked on watching YouTube videos of people cooking great food. I couldn’t write recipes down fast enough.

The menfolk couldn’t believe all the good food I was turning out, and unless they requested something specific, we easily went six months without eating the same thing twice. Every meal was judged against this statement: “I’d be happy if I got this in a restaurant.”

I made monthly menus and categorized each day of the week – Sunday Dinner, Italian (Monday), Chinese (Tuesday), Sandwiches (Wednesday), Mexican (Thursday), One Pot/Casserole (Friday), Pizza Day (Saturday). Homemade pizzas were so good, we never had any desire to call and order one.

I became addicted to kitchen equipment. I spent way too much money on a Dutch oven. I love it for baking round loaves of rustic bread. A Kitchen Aid mixer? You betcha. And I’ve yet to use it for mixing anything. I bought the pasta attachments, and I make my own pasta. I always have homemade spaghetti in the freezer, ready to drop in boiling water and on the table three minutes later.

I make my bread dough by hand but let my bread maker produce my pasta dough.

Because it’s all the rage, I had to have an air fryer. Probably the one purchase I have some regrets about, because I only use it for wings. However, now that I’m by myself, and the air fryer is on the kitchen counter instead of tucked away in a cupboard, I might use it more often.

Oh! And a carbon steel wok. I love this wok! My Chinese food was great coming out of my large Farberware skillet, but the wok makes it so much easier and faster. The last Chinese dish I made was Orange Chicken. It was fantastic.

I keep my handwritten recipes from YouTube in three-ring binders. I won’t overwhelm you, but I’ll pull a few recipes I think are winners from each category. Maybe you might want to try them, too.

To start:

Spicy Chili Oil (I love this stuff and am not afraid to put it on anything!)

Italian:

Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Pasta Alla Norcina (I make my own Italian sausage for this.)

Chinese:

Orange Chicken

Spicy Ginger Beef Stir Fry

Vegetables:

French Onion Soup Potato Gratin (Oh my! So good! I made this for Thanksgiving dinner last year. It was a hit.)

Spanish Stuffed Zucchini with Cheese

Sunday Dinner:

Chicken Pan Pot Pie (Made in a cast iron skillet. Awesome!)

Roast Chicken with Lemon & Garlic (Lemon Gravy! This chicken is fantastic. I cut all whole chickens this way now – even Cornish game hens.)

Mexican:

Taco Bell Copycat Red Sauce (I use loads of this in Mexican dishes.)

Spicy Chicken Taquitos

Chili Con Carne (From Trader Vic’s cookbook.)

One Dish/Casseroles:

One Pan Chicken and Dirty Rice

Cheesy Jalapeno Popper Bake

Breads:

Farmhouse Loaf in a Dutch Oven (I love this water/slap-and-fold method for making bread. So easy.)

Ciabatta Bread for Sandwiches (Another favorite. The recipe doesn’t say to, but I use the same water/slap-and-fold technique when making these.)

Sandwiches:

Low Sodium Deli Style Roast Beef (My go-to protein for in my salads.)

OMG Burgers (A little work, but they are super tasty.)

Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese

Pizza:

Beer Pizza (One hour pizza.)

Mushroom Pizza with Fresh Herbs

Enjoy!

What are your favorite kitchen items? Will you try any of these recipes? If you do, pop back in and let me know what you think!

Dealing with Bad Reviews

Early in my writing career, I don’t recall finding much information about dealing with bad reviews other than to put on your big girl panties, suck it up, and move on.

I never found that helpful.

I’m on the other side of bad reviews now, but I sure was in the thick of them for a while. I became a target for bad reviews, and there was nothing I could do to stop them.

Most of my negative reviews are on my permafree books. It’s easy to download a free book, and if it isn’t your cup of tea – ding it. (Or download a free book for the sole purpose of leaving a negative review.)

I still have emails from the first two years I was writing. Here are some things I wrote to family and/or friends as I was tortured by bad reviews. My comments from these emails are in quotes.

“This whole review system is a kick in the gut.”

“I don’t think this writing gig is for me. … I just want to walk away. … I don’t have the thick skin needed for this.”

Becoming a target from people who read my blog was painful.

“Every time I post good things about my books, covers, whatever, on my blog, a few bad reviews are always right behind – sometimes within minutes.”

“Reviews have been the hardest part for me. I wasn’t prepared for them. I went back through my blog and edited and deleted posts where I felt someone could use my words against me.”

I felt as though my personality was changing.

“I really don’t have what it takes for this. I don’t. Some things with writing and self-publishing have practically paralyzed me. I’ve never had so much depression in my life. This is not who I am.”

What saved me?

February 28, 2014. Two years in. I had an ad run with BookBub for Sunshine Hunter.

There were in excess of 80,000 downloads the first two days. I was quickly able to see that approximately 300 people were making their way through the entire series of books. Sales were brisk.

Reviews started coming in – from complete strangers – not peers and/or readers to my blog. The good reviews far outweighed the bad.

That’s how I was able to get on the other side. That’s when the thick skin began to grow. I can honestly say I rarely look at my reviews now, and I certainly don’t flinch when someone doesn’t like one of my books. They may be an acquired taste anyway. My Susan Hunter books are pink and fluffy. My Murder books are uncouth.

So, what’s the takeaway here?

I honestly don’t think there is one answer. I do believe once your good reviews outweigh your bad by a good margin, you will breathe easier. You’ll develop that thick skin. Then force yourself to let the reviews go. Focus on writing your next book.

I realize not everyone can get a BookBub ad and be able to rocket past the bad reviews. So, do what I did for two years – rely on friends and family to listen to you complain and moan like crazy. Cry at times. Shake your fists at the Heavens and ask, “Why?”

You need an outlet to release the frustration and pressure. However, don’t stop writing. Never stop writing.

Before I let this topic go, I must add that I am of the camp where it is a no-no to respond to reviews. People have the right to free speech, and I don’t need to engage. Usually, nothing good will come of it.

I also think it’s wise to see if there is anything you can take from a bad review and use to either better your writing or fix something within your book. I’ve done both.

How have you handled bad reviews? Do you have some advice you can add? Leave a comment!

I should note that although I was distressed by some bad review “bombing,” the good reviews on my books were always more than the bad. I was never in the negative with my reviews. I liken the situation to the new car that gets a tiny scratch on the way home from the showroom floor. All you can forever see is the scratch. Negative reviews have a way of taking away all the good things people said who loved your book(s).

A Signature Color

Yellow is my favorite color. It’s cheery, sunshiny, and brings warmth. It’s a happy color. Decorating with yellow promotes a cheerful atmosphere. When playing a board game, keep your hands off the yellow token; that one is mine.

However, I chose pink for my signature color when I started writing my books. Pink is lovely. That’s it in a nutshell for me. Pink is lovely.

But I also think pink oozes from my soul. I’m a romantic at heart. Pink makes me want to kiss someone. Pink is sweet and romantic. I prefer pink roses over yellow or red.

I loved writing my Susan Hunter books. It was wonderful to put myself in Susan’s shoes as I wrote and envisioned myself in the love affair she had with Mick. I think the storytelling felt more real because of it. Every book felt pink to me.

In my life, I happily embrace pink. My wallet is pink. My new white computer has a pink keyboard and mouse. The setup is lovely! My mp3 player is pink. My earbuds are pink. Remember how I was going to the library to write? Ha! I gave up on that and started checking into a Mariott for a day or two at a time to write … and my suitcase is pink. I have a double-breasted jacket in pink I can’t wait to wear this spring. With the weight loss, it might be too big. I don’t care. I think it will still look lovely.

Do you have a signature color? Is it different from your favorite color? If so, how did you choose it?

I love my pink note cards from Modern Pink Paper!

Past Progressive (was + -ing)

Now that I’m beginning to write full time, I’m aware once again of my writing style. I’m a fan of past progressive (pp).

Editors are not fond of pp and are likely to send your manuscript back with loads of red ink, changing the verbs to more direct, sharper language. I have ugly, painful manuscript pages as proof.

Active verbs are crisper and move the story along quicker. I use active verbs all the time, but pp is prominent throughout my books – especially my Susan Hunter books. I find it to be a softer style of writing.

I consider my books to be light and breezy, and pp works for me.  I’ve had loads of reviews with the comment, “The book was an easy read.” I think the flow of pp gives my books that ease.

Here’s an example from my current work in progress: When I ended the call, Jackie was staring at me with eyebrows raised.

I know full well an editor would change that to: When I ended the call, Jackie stared at me with eyebrows raised. And maybe even: When I ended the call, Jackie stared at me, eyebrows raised.

However, in my wording, I envision Jackie already had her eyebrows up so far, they were hidden under her bangs and her eyes were popping out. (That’s actually pretty good. I might have to make a change in the story to reflect that.) The raised eyebrows had already happened during the call and were an ongoing action.

In the editor’s wording, it feels as though Jackie raised her eyebrows after the main character ended the call – and likely only slightly.

In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter, does it? They both work. But I am stubborn and want things my way.

I think I’m still a rebel when it comes to my overall style of writing. I haven’t completely given up exclamation points (although they have been tamed), and I check every instance of passive voice in my writing and decide to keep many (most) of them – because I like them and because I can.

What’s your writing style? Do you have rebel tendencies? Maybe I’ll do a future post on circular writing. I was “circling back” before it was a thing. And for the record, just because a book is an easy read doesn’t mean it was easy to write. 😊

A Civil Divorce

Civility during a divorce may be more common than I think, but it’s been my experience (through others) there is usually some contention before it’s over.

Several weeks ago, I began keeping a grateful journal. It felt like there were so many things going wrong in my life, I wanted to force myself to focus on the good things. Day after day, some things repeated themselves, and one of them was how grateful I was to Rich for his understanding – especially when I told him I was leaving – and for his compassion and kindness since.

Oh, I’m not saying there wasn’t some trauma in the first few weeks of discussion, or sadness still, but we have made some measure of peace with the details, and we are moving forward.

We aren’t even going the “divorce” route. We are in agreement with everything, so we have filed for a dissolution, which will go much quicker. I’ll still be here for a short while. My new living quarters are being remodeled, and I won’t be able to move in until the end of this month. That might be a blog post in itself.

Our son has asked how we can laugh so much if we are getting divorced. Probably because we both still act like we’re twelve years old, and laughter is better than tears. Plus, we’ve been friends throughout our entire marriage, and we are still friends. I suspect we will continue to be when I leave. I’m only moving ten blocks away, and Rich has promised to continue to be my beautician (he cuts my hair; I just bought new scissors for him). In return, I’m considering cooking a killer meal for these guys every now and then. They will miss my cooking.

These walks I’ve been taking in my effort to exercise more? Rich goes with me. He doesn’t want me to have a heart event or trip and fall. Someone needs to be there to call 911 or drag my butt up off the pavement if need be.

He recently spent a considerable amount of time struggling with setting up my new computer and my multiple email accounts. It was an ugly job, especially since I couldn’t remember logins or passwords. When he was finally finished many hours later, and everything worked perfectly, I told him, “Even though I’m leaving you, when it comes to computers, you are still my hero.”

You may ask – if everything is going so well, why break up? Well, there are still irreconcilable differences. Some things simply cannot be overcome.

Rather than to have sympathy for us, I think it’s best to wish us well as we move into our new lives.

I am grateful for civility.

A Bit of a Catch Up with Me

In the past (as many of you know), I’ve had a love/hate relationship with M&Ms. Crikey, I used to graze on them when I wrote. You will be proud of me when you hear I haven’t had any M&Ms in ages. I bet your stock price went down.

I’ve also had a love/hate relationship with losing weight. It’s been pretty easy to write about Jo Wheeler and her weight struggles, because I’ve experienced most of them myself.

I happen to be on the good side of losing weight these days and am at my lowest weight in many years (down 62 pounds since August – yay!). Before you ask what my diet has been, I’ll tell you: FEAR. That’s right, fear.

My heart gives me fits, and I’ve had terrible bouts of afib the past few years. Probably brought on by stress but also brought on by sodium. Do you have any idea how much sodium is in our food!? It got to the point where I was afraid to eat anything.

Now I make a lot of my own food without salt – really. I make a killer hot chili oil that I put on everything. I bake bread and make my own deli roast beef. I dehydrate mushrooms and jalapenos to always have on hand. I make my own mayonnaise and salad dressings. Spinach is my friend. Plus, I simply don’t eat as much. And no sugar! Giving up sugar was much easier than I thought it would be.

I wanted to start exercising, but I’m limited with what I can do because of occasional knee/back/hip problems (thanks to many years of playing racquetball competitively), but I knew I wanted to get outside and walk.

To date, I am presently up to 1.65 miles per walk (3-4 times per week). I typically walk the ten blocks up to my new apartment. (It’s really a duplex – do you still call it an apartment?) I keep checking on the progress of the renovations.

On the book front, I realize I jumped the gun a bit with choosing a March publication date for my new Two Sisters and a Journalist book. I still might make it, but with the upcoming move, I suspect it will more likely be in April.

It saddens me that I started my new cozy series way back in 2016, and the first book still isn’t finished. But it’s close! I love this new series, and want to have this first book, Delicious Death, ready to publish by summer.

From there on out, I hope to alternate writing books between the two series. I still have dreams of writing another Susan Hunter book – maybe from the eyes of her teenage daughter. We shall see.

What are you working on? I’m on my way to losing one hundred pounds. Have you ever done this? Share with me!

I Owned a Weight Loss Company?

Before I decided to come back to blogging, I thought it would be a good idea to run a search on my name. You know, just to be certain there was nothing upsetting or that needed addressing. When you disappear for three years, who knows what can happen.

I came across the website Book Series in Order. What a cool site. If you’ve ever found a series of books with many titles, this site will tell you in which order you will want to read them.

I had no idea I was listed there: https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/maddie-cochere/

I was further pleased and humbled by the information written about me as a writer. Other than the fact that it was noted I used to own a weight loss company (I didn’t; I used to work for one), I couldn’t believe all the good and kind words written about me.

Whoever cobbled this information together must have gone through my reviews, some of my blog posts, and maybe even read one of my books. They certainly made me sound so much better than I ever thought I was.

However, I sometimes think I sell myself short. If you are familiar with BookBub, then you know they are the largest book discovery service out there. They have huge mailing lists for books, and they are also one of the biggest advertisers for indie books.

I have 94,084 followers at BookBub.

I can barely wrap my head around that number. That’s more than the woman who wrote the Fifty Shades of Grey books (E. L. James). That’s more than some high-profile mystery writers (Brad Thor, Robin Cook) and even more than The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe author (C.S. Lewis).

You may wonder how I have so many followers. Well, I wonder that myself, but I can only surmise it is because I have given away nearly half a million free books since I began writing. That’s a lot of people who have at least one of my books, and when BookBub sends suggestions as to whom someone may want to follow (based on their downloads), some people obviously click the button to follow me.

I’ve never capitalized on the fact that I have so many followers at BookBub. I can’t wait to write as many books as I can this year and see what that number of followers really means.

I’ll keep you posted.

Do you write series books? Are you listed on the Book Series in Order site? Do you check your name online every now and then? Let me know!

Mama’s Big Pimpin’

Early in January, a large envelope arrived in the mail. My son said, “Uh, oh. Something big. That’s not good.”

The smile on my face was huge. “This isn’t something bad,” I said. “Your mama’s big pimpin’.”

I opened the envelope and pulled out my very own license plate that sported the word BREEZY. I couldn’t stop smiling.

Ohio no longer requires a front license plate, and I hated the plate the dealership had put on my car with their name on it, so voila – I ordered my own plate.

Now, granted, nobody will know it stands for Breezy Books (www.breezybooks.com), but I know, and it makes me happy, so that’s all that matters.

I’m driving a 2008 Honda Civic. I bought it in June of 2021. I knew when I went to look at the car it was thirteen years old, but it only had 39,000 miles on it! I nearly fell over when I saw the condition. This car was like new. I’m not kidding. The interior showed no signs of wear whatsoever. The engine was shiny and clean. The undercarriage was shiny and clean. It drove great. It was too good to be true – but it wasn’t.

I love this car. I envision a little old lady named Ethel previously owned it and only drove it to church on Sundays with a stop at the store for a few groceries on her way home.

I don’t drive the car very much either. I guess I am the next Ethel to whoever gets the car after me … but don’t call me Ethel.

What about you? Do you have a vanity plate? Are you as good at spotting great buys on cars as I am? Is there anything flashy and showoffy about your car like my BREEZY license plate? Spill!

Two Reveals

Three years. How time flies.

I was a little gobsmacked when I realized how long it’s been since I’ve written a blog post. I took some time to go back through my posts and reread many of them along with their comments. Jeez Louise, we used to have a lot of fun here. I miss those days.

I have two reveals for you today. The first is my new book cover, Murder Runs Amok. This is the ninth book in the Two Sisters and a Journalist series. I still love writing about Jo Ravens (Wheeler) and her family. I don’t see this series ending anytime soon.

The second reveal is … me!

I started writing when I was fifty-six years old. I am now sixty-six, and I am embracing my age and my white hair. I’ve never wanted to put my face out there, but now I don’t care. This is me, warts and all.

Things have changed dramatically in my life. The past several years have been extremely difficult, and I will soon no longer be living with the menfolk. I’m looking forward to this next chapter in my life, and I see only good things coming my way. I hope to realize my true potential as a writer.

I’m inspired when I write by a Canadian music ensemble – The Dead South. This is “new” music to me, and I can’t stop listening. They are four metalheads who built a folksy/bluegrassy band with jazzy/bluesy notes on the side and even an orchestral sound at times (because of that crazy cello). Their lyrics are dark, but the music is awesome. My go-to song to start my writing day is their song Spaghetti (see below). It has a spaghetti western vibe. Check them out and see what you think. https://www.thedeadsouth.com/music

If you used to hang out here and spot this post, stop in and say hello. Let me know how things are going with you. If you’ve never been here, stop in and say hello, too.

Cheers!

(My author headshot above was done by a fabulous man, Glenn Kerns, at Camelot Photography Studio in Navarre, Ohio. I went there scared like crazy to have my picture taken, but he was a gem by putting me at ease and making me smile (literally). Thank you, Glenn.)

A Trip to the Library

I’ve been looking for a change of scenery for writing.

I considered a few of the coffee shops in the area, but I can see an additional ten pounds in my future if I go that route, because, you know, they sell treats to go along with their highly sugared cold coffee drinks, and sometimes, resistance is futile.

Rich and I recently went to our county library to check it out. I thought it would be a good place to take my laptop and write for a few hours several times a week. There is a large room with a half dozen tables, a sofa, and two chairs. The magazines and newspapers are in this room. There are loads of windows, and the room is bright. It seemed perfect.

The following Monday, I packed up my things, and off to the library I went.

I arrived at 11:00. I dropped some notes to myself throughout my work. I thought I’d log some thoughts of my first day at the library. Here’s the first note:

Forgot the damn book.

Forgive my French. I was all set up and ready to write only to realize I forgot to grab the most current version of my book from my laptop upstairs and transfer it to my traveling laptop downstairs. I was soooo frustrated. I picked a future scene out of my mind and began writing.

Here’s the next note to myself:

11:30 – yawning, looking at clock, wondering if I can go home yet. Feel lost without book to look back on. 223 words so far – that’s 446 per hour  – 2 ½ hours to get to 1,000 words. That’s crap. Could use some M&M’s, but there’s no food allowed in library. Chair is really hard and cuts into the back of my legs.

Whine, whine, whine. And, for the record, it’s been FOR.EV.ER since I’ve grazed on M&M’s while writing.

I had my iPad with me. Fifteen minutes later, I sent this message to Rich:

45 minutes and I’m already ready to come home. I forgot to bring my current book with me. I’m struggling to remember where I left off and what to write next. Washed the car on the way down here – ha! – the trunk lid wasn’t latched. You thought it was wet in there before. And I forgot my mouse! I hate using this pad thingy. If there’s any good news, it’s that I have almost 500 words done so far. I’m making progress.

He ignores me. Several minutes later, I send this message to him:

If you whine in the forest and there’s no one to hear, is it audible?

Still no response. I buckle down and do some writing. At 12:30, this message goes his way:

1,131 words. I’m leaving at 1:00. I have to stop at the store and pick up a few things on the way home.

He still ignores me. I continue writing … and I’m on a roll.

Final note to myself:

1,857 words. The end of first day writing and two hours in the library.

Not great, but not bad. The drawbacks to writing at this library were that every time I coughed, it sounded three times as loud because of the echo effect. My clacking keyboard keys weren’t that loud, but they sure sounded loud in that room. And, I was surprised by how many people talked loudly on cell phones or just talked loudly to each other in the room. Using earbuds to listen to music on my iPad helped but didn’t quite drown everyone out. Even the library workers made a lot of noise using a microfiche machine.

I’m going to try a different library. There’s a library closer to us that isn’t quite as large. I won’t have to deal with an echo, and I think the workers are stricter when it comes to talking.

Do you have a favorite place to write? Have you tried writing outside your home? I’d love some new ideas.

Oh! And Rich wasn’t ignoring me. He was visiting with his brother-in-law and left his phone in the den. I guess my whining wasn’t audible after all.

Ah…Stanley Pearl. He’s Free.

I don’t remember how Stanley’s story came to me or why I even started to write it, but I have an email I sent to my sister on April 8, 2015 where I made this comment: “When you have time, would you read this please.  It’s the first chapter of a completely new story – you know – that Stanley Pearl guy who showed up yesterday and demanded I write about him.”

Interestingly enough, April 7 is Rich’s and my wedding anniversary. Stanley showed up on that day and demanded I write his story. Hmmm.

The book was fun to write, and even though I kept putting it on the back burner in order to write in my current series, it was never too long before I was adding words to the story.

Stanley Pearl hit the market in June with little to no fanfare, and because I didn’t have a way to know how well the book would be received, I opted to apply for a Readers’ Favorite review.

That review came in today with a 5-star rating. Here’s the takeaway:

“Stanley Pearl is a fun and fast-paced darkly humorous story about an accountant and single dad’s sudden immersion into a life of intrigue, danger and even soul-shattering romance. Cochere’s plot is sly and masterful as she parallels her hero’s life with that of his fictional character. Stanley’s tale is part delayed coming of age, part mid-life crisis, and seeing him develop from an otherworldly and somewhat reclusive accountant into a suave man of action is entertaining indeed. The author’s characters are credible and real, and her story delivers on a number of levels. Stanley Pearl is most highly recommended.”

The review was given by a man! It was so nice to get feedback from a man that I wrote Stanley’s character as credible and real.

It’s been a while since I’ve given away any free books, so let’s give Stanley away!

Please note that Stanley Pearl is a bit racier than I usually write but would still garner a PG-13 rating at the movie theater.

Here is a code for a free ebook at Smashwords. This code is good through the end of the month and expires on August 1^st … YL58R. Simply go to the book page on Smashwords and enter the code at checkout.

If you would prefer to have a free ebook through Amazon, please let me know through the comments section below and I’ll email a redemption link from Amazon to you. You’ll then simply have to click the link to download your free copy.

If you choose to read the book, I hope you enjoy Stanley’s story!

A Publishing Update

Phew! It’s been a while since I’ve been here. I had hoped to get back to blogging on a regular basis, but that thing called LIFE got in the way (Rich sick for over a year, nearly died, made a full recovery … all is well).

I’ve been writing again, and I’ve recently published two of the three books I’ve been working on for over a year.

The first is number eight in the Two Sisters and a Journalist series – Murder Breaks the Bank. I’m still enjoying writing the antics of Jo and her family, and I don’t have plans to end the series.

 

Two weeks before Thanksgiving, a man hires the investigative firm of Two Sisters and a Journalist to protect him. Jo Wheeler accompanies him to the bank with disastrous results. Jo, Pepper, and Jackie must now scramble to find out who murdered their client before Sergeant Rorski sends the wrong man to prison.

A rash of car vandalism and a Brussels sprouts caper also keep the three women on their toes, and it doesn’t help Jo’s mounting headache that Mama is preparing a comedy routine for open mic night at a favorite pub.

The second book, Stanley Pearl, is a standalone novel written from a male point of view. Before you ask how I could write from this perspective, let me assure you that Stanley was easily cobbled together from my three brothers, my husband, my son, and four male dogs that used to inhabit our home … but mostly my brother who is some type of corporate auditor and fits Stanley quite well. I enjoyed writing this book and have billed it as “romance, suspense and a splash of humor.”

Stanley Pearl’s life has been turned upside down. His wife ran off with another man, leaving Stanley to raise his teenage son alone. He takes the summer off from his accounting position to stay home with his son and write the novel he always dreamed of writing.

When a wealthy client demands Stanley help her nephew with his less than legal accounting, he has no choice but to say yes. Before he can deliver the finished work, his client is abducted, and Stanley soon discovers he has something the captors want.

A waitress at the coffee shop where he has been writing offers to help Stanley by introducing him to her ex-CIA brother. There’s no denying the chemistry between Teresa and Stanley, but can he stay alive long enough to explore the possibility of a relationship?

The third book, Delicious Death, is in progress. It’s the first in a new cozy mystery series set in fictitious Appleseed, Ohio. I’d love to publish this book in July, but I suspect August is more realistic.

On a personal level, I’m still playing that silly Don’t Starve video game, but I corralled Rich into playing it with me, so we’re playing the Don’t Starve Together version – daily. It helped to distract him when he was sick, and we have fun together, so there you go. I can’t leave it alone, and Rich has become an enabler.

The motorcycle has been cleaned and prepped, and Rich took it out for a spin yesterday. I honestly thought I wouldn’t be able to ride this year when I recently had a knee go on the fritz, but it has settled down nicely, and I think we’ll be meeting friends for ice cream at the horse manure stand soon.

Hope everyone who pops in here is well. Happy Father’s Day to all you dads out there!

On a Reading Binge

I signed up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge last year. Ha! That went well. I committed to reading fifty books. I read a whopping twelve.

I decided to give the challenge a go again this year. With a positive mindset, I set my number once again to fifty books. I can say with confidence that my goal won’t be a problem. I’ve already read twenty-two of the fifty.

I’ve definitely been on a reading binge. I read at night before bed, in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep, and I read for at least two hours every morning before I start my day. Even though I’d prefer to be able to sleep more, I’m enjoying reading.

I read many books in my own genre of writing, so my list has quite a few fun, light mysteries, but I’ve also picked up some other good reads.

I got a big kick out of the western Unwanted Dead or Alive by Gene Shelton. Two ranch hands lose their jobs and decide to try their hand at being outlaws. A reviewer said they were like “Abbott and Costello go west,” and I have to agree.

Groovin’: Horses, Hopes, and Slippery Slopes by Rich Israel was a hoot! He recounts his travels and travails in the sixties as he traveled around the country during the time of free love and drugs, all the while hoping he wouldn’t be drafted.

One of my favorite reads so far was The Devil and Preston Black by Jason Jack Miller. The book is billed as Appalachian Noir fiction and “… is your ticket into a world where love can save your soul, where a song can change your destiny, and where evil still hides in the dark corners of the night.” I enjoyed the music references and the description of music as the characters played their instruments. Preston Black was a well-written character. It was easy to feel sympathy for him and to root for him.

Summer at the Comfort Food Café is by British author Debbie Johnson and had a wonderful mix of humor, heartbreak, and family life. I like when I continue to think about a book days after I’ve finished reading. This book was like that for me.

I’ve only recently become aware of Richard Branson and what a motivating person he is. I read Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way. Having worked in the music industry for several years, I especially enjoyed the stories around Virgin Records, but the entire book was a good read.

Have you signed up for the Goodreads Reading Challenge this year? If you haven’t, it’s not too late. If you have, what have you read, and what has been your favorite book so far?

Bathroom Humor and a Free Book

My mother is a good sport. I’ve used and abused her in my books but always with a loving heart and with her knowledge and support.

My mother and father were the inspiration behind Susan Hunter’s mother and father. When physically describing Susan’s father, and her close relationship with him, I may as well have been talking about my own late father. Susan’s mother doesn’t resemble my mother in appearance, but many of her characteristics and her love of laughter do. Mom loved reading my Susan Hunter books, and I know she enjoyed knowing so much of her personality went into Susan’s mother.

My mother is now eighty-five years old. A few years back, she proclaimed she didn’t care what people thought any longer. She said she’s lived long enough to say and do what she wants. That made it easy to base Mama in my “Two Sisters and a Journalist” series on my own mother in her later years.

I grew up with three brothers who thought they were comedians. I can’t tell you how many whoopee cushions, fart machines, farts recorded on cassettes, belching contests, and just about any other manner of PG-13-rated potty humor went on in our house. I won’t say which brother, but one of them had so much gas one summer, he kept a notebook and logged each one as it passed.

My mother laughed at those boys until she cried. We all did.

If you don’t know by now, my “Two Sisters and a Journalist” books have bathroom humor in them. With the popularity of Melissa McCarthy and over-the-top humor in movies, I decided to go this route with the series. Where Susan Hunter wouldn’t pass gas in front of herself, Jo Ravens and her family are less couth. There are a few incidences of minor swear words (four in my new book), but they are used as humor rather than as angry swearing.

In Murder Under Construction, Jo laments the fact that her mother passes gas while shopping and then walks away, allowing Jo to come around the corner and walk into the gas cloud. Anyone coming near Jo would assume she was the offender. True story. I told my mother if she didn’t quit doing that to me, I wasn’t taking her shopping any more.

My sister called one day to tell me she picked Mom up to take her to the grocery store, and as Mom walked across the back porch, every step produced a puff of smoke. Upon further inspection, she realized Mom had put foot powder in her sandals. She was laughing so hard, she could barely tell me about it. In Murder Welcomes You to Buxley, Mama has an incident with baby powder in her shoes at the bowling alley.

One of my nieces read Murder Under Construction and asked her mother, “Has Grandma read this? Does she know she’s in here?” The false teeth incident gave it away for her.

My mother has threatened my siblings on occasion. She’ll tell them not to tell me about something she did, because it will end up in one of my books. She’s right, but she always laughs when it does. I know she secretly loves it.

Just last week, I published book number six in the “Two Sisters and a Journalist” series: Murder – A Chummy Affair. Mama is her usual inappropriate and silly self, but her bowling crony Lucille, who was mentioned in a previous book, has a bigger role this time, and she has chronic flatulence.

My mother loved the book and thought Lucille was hilarious. Of course she did! My mother’s middle name is Lucille.

I’m in the mood to give books away today. If you would like a copy of Murder – A Chummy Affair, let me know in the comments section below, and I’ll send a book to you from Amazon. If you need a copy for a different format, I’ll send a code for a free book at Smashwords, and you can choose the file that’s right for your eReader. Just make sure you let me know which venue – Amazon or Smashwords. If you prefer to write and ask me personally, my email is on my About page.

Finally, I was going through old pictures for a family member last week, and I came across pictures of my mother and father. I forgot how attractive my dad was when he was young. He could have been in the movie Grease!

A Few Reading Recommendations

Are there blog police?

If there are, they will be coming to my blog any day now to shut me down for dust, cobwebs, and lack of content.

I love blogging and reading blogs, but I’ve been on a tear writing. This past Wednesday, I published book number four in the Two Sisters and a Journalist series – Murder Wins the Game.

I’m also over fifty percent finished with book number five – Murder Between the Covers. I’m hoping to have the book published by Thanksgiving.

A new series snuck up on me, and I have three chapters finished of Delicious Death. I’m choosing to be optimistic and say the book will be published in time for Christmas. I’ll save the details of that series for later.

A character by the name of Stanley Pearl has been tormenting me since April. He’s not a priority for 2015, but he’s still managed to get me to write three chapters of his story. I expect to finish the book next year.

To top everything off, a reader recently convinced me to write another Susan Hunter book!

I’m sure I’ll be around a little here and there, but for now, let me clear out some of the dust and cobwebs and show you the new book.

I also want to share some books by my friends and fellow bloggers.

Jackie Phillips at To Breathe is to Write has written and published two books! The Canine Caper is a short story introducing her main character, DeeDee Watson. A Case of Deceit is a full-length novel. The books are fun, cozy mysteries featuring a Papillion. A Case of Deceit was just released this week.

Carrie Rubin has a new book – Eating Bull. I was honored to read the book ahead of publication, and it’s a great thriller. Not only does Carrie address topics pertinent to many people today – fat shaming, obesity, and bullying – but she writes about the topics in such a way that you will be thinking about the book long after you’ve finished reading. The paperback is available now; the eBook may be pre-ordered for release on November 12.

And last but not least, Valerie Clarizio has a new release coming out next Tuesday, November 3 – Plan Interrupted. I’ve read other books by Valerie, and I enjoy her writing style. Her books are a mix of romance and suspense, and I’m always entertained.

Happy reading!

Feel free to add your own new releases and recommendations in the comments below.

Time Flies When You’re Having Fun

I must be having fun, because I can’t believe I haven’t been here since June.

In July, I flew to Texas to pick up Princess Pancake and bring her to Ohio. What a whirlwind of playing with dolls, playing games, drawing pictures … and being loud just because we could. Everything in my life took a back seat while I played for five weeks.

Shortly before she left, Rich dug a hole in our old garden and made a fire pit. Not only did we have fun roasting hot dogs and marshmallows with our granddaughter, but we also spent a few Friday nights around the fire with our neighbors – the ones who moved into the house with the stairway to nowhere. I’m not much of a camper or the outdoorsy type, and I had no idea I would enjoy sitting around a fire so much.

We took a ride on the motorcycle. Yes, only one ride for me this year, and it was to visit with our friends at the horse manure ice cream stand. I have a knee acting up, so I haven’t been so keen to ride this year, but it sure was nice to feel the sun on my face and the wind in my hair again. We have a few ninety-degree days coming up, so maybe I’ll try to ride again.

In book news, I have a few things to share.

I read this book – 5,000 Words Per Hour: Write Faster, Write Smarter by Chris Fox – and found the information to be helpful. By putting Chris’ ideas into practice, I’ve been able to quit procrastinating and make steady progress on Murder Wins the Game. Not only will I be able to finish the book soon, but I’ll be able to complete another book I started this year. The $2.99 price for the Kindle edition of 5,000 Words Per Hour is definitely worth it, and if the iphone I have wasn’t a dinosaur, I would have purchased the app he wrote to go along with it.

Speaking of Chris Fox … when I was searching for information on his book, I stumbled upon his WordPress blog – Chris Fox Writes. One of his more recent posts is an inspiring post about time and how his attitude toward time affected his life. It’s very motivating. Give it a read.

For those of you who are authors with a book(s) at Amazon, if you haven’t yet seen the BookReport tool – try it out. It’s colorful, accurate, and the ka-ching sound when you sell a book is a pretty cool. BOOKREPORT (click the Learn more link.) The program is free unless you have over $1,000 in sales during the month. The cost is then ten dollars for that month.

BookBub. Ahh, BookBub. BookBub is frustrating and awesome. I tried for six months to get an ad spot with them. I was turned down every month – once within two hours. I was thrilled when I received word in July that Murder Under Construction was chosen for a feature to run on August 15. The ad would run on a Saturday, and I didn’t know if that was good or bad, but I didn’t care. It was BookBub!

I’ve been blown away by the results. Since the ad ran eleven days ago, there have been over 100,000 downloads of the book (105,555 to be exact). Within twenty-four hours, the book reached #1 in the Amazon Free Store, #1 in Cozy Mysteries, and #1 in Women Sleuths. The book is still holding in the top 100 in the Free Store and remains in the top ten in the two sub-categories (as I type this). Out of thirty new reviews, twelve are five stars and twelve are four stars. This thrills me! I’ve had requests from several people to be added to my mailing list, and I’ve had more interaction with people who have enjoyed the books than ever before – many of them going on to read the Susan Hunter series. It’s been quite a ride.

Now it’s time to get my head out of the clouds and get back to work. As with any good ad, downloads and sales will taper off, so it’s best to keep moving forward and write the next book.

That’s where I’m headed this evening – off to the pink room for some “writing sprints” ala Chris Fox. I’d like to knock out another scene or two today.

I’ll be back soon with my report on the second half of James Patterson’s lessons on writing.

How has your summer been going so far?

There’s no such thing as a free lunch …

But there is a free book!

I was thrilled to receive a notice from Amazon over the weekend that they have agreed to set Murder Under Construction to permanently free. They made the price change today.

Knowing I was ready to set this first-in-series book to free, I pondered the simple cover I had originally devised. With two more books in the series now, the first cover was too plain, and the title wasn’t in the same style as the others. I asked my cover artist to make some changes. With my bare bones idea, and her creative enhancements, I’m thrilled with the new cover.

I’ve mentioned before that my cover artist is my niece. She’s a graduate of Columbus College of Art & Design. It’s wonderful having an art major in the family, and I love working with her.

I’m busy with an editing project, and I continue to move forward with writing my new book. I may only write a few paragraphs each day, but I am writing!

If you haven’t yet grabbed a copy of Murder Under Construction, a humorous mystery, you can find it free at all major online eBook retailers. Links are conveniently grouped at my website: Breezy Books

I now have two books that are permanently free. Tell your friends!

Update 03/24/2015 – 8:30 p.m. – Murder Under Construction has broken into the top 100 free books in the Kindle Store at #97. It’s also #5 in Cozy Mysteries and #6 in Women Sleuths. I’m excited!!

Info Dump

Rich usually reads my blog posts before I submit them. He will occasionally talk me out of one – like the last one I wanted to post. He said it seemed more a mishmash of information rather than a cohesive post. He was right, and I nixed it.

However, that gave me the idea to do a post consisting of random thoughts, so here we go …

The first item is a tough one: My brother passed away unexpectedly last week. He was a kind man who loved to laugh and loved to make people laugh. I considered doing a post about him. There are many funny stories to tell, but you didn’t know him, and you sort of had to be there for the funny, so I just want to put it out into the universe that he was a good man, and he will be missed. He was only sixty-one.

Age: In April, I am going to be sixty. I haven’t been shy about saying our son is now twenty-eight, and I am a grandmother, but I never mentioned that I didn’t have him until I was thirty-one. I think using Susan Hunter for my avatar may have given the wrong impression about the person behind the image. It wasn’t intentional. I simply didn’t have a current photo when I first began blogging, and I didn’t want to have one taken. I still don’t. Besides, I like the overall branding that came about for my books by using “everything Susan” and everything pink.

A public service announcement: When you are self-employed, be sure to watch your taxes. (Sad story deleted here.) The bottom line – just make sure you hold enough money back – and stop blaming your accountant for missing the big picture even though you told him last fall what your totals for the year would be.

Weather: Can we be done with winter now? I nearly fell on ice again yesterday. I’m ready for spring flowers, and I’m ready to start writing out on our deck again.

Books: I can’t stop reading. I’m sort of out of control. I finally read Creativity For Sale by Jason Surfrapp. This is the book in which I sponsored page 105. Remember? “Two sassy women from Ohio. One finds criminals. One finds dead bodies. They should meet. Books by Maddie Cochere – www.breezybooks.com”

I’m still satisfied with the wording I chose, and I’m especially pleased that I was able to write the books and have the two women meet, thereby giving the ad substance. If you’re an entrepreneur, or looking to launch a business or website, or simply want to be motivated to work harder within your business, this is a great book to read. Jason has an engaging writing style, and I appreciated his willingness to share what worked and what didn’t as he embarked on his own creative endeavors.

Yes, that is a pathetic excuse for a snowman, but that is what Ohio is right now. Sloppy and messy, and we need more sunshine. Most people take a picture of the book on the beach or some other lovely locale. I’ve got nothing but the poor snowman with dog biscuit eyes.

Miscellaneous: I haven’t won the lottery yet, I think I’ve turned the corner on a bout of bronchitis, and I’m making spaghetti for supper tonight. I’m going to start spring cleaning soon. The spring cleaning might be a post of its own. I have a feeling it could turn into an adventure.

End Info Dump

Feel free to dump some info of your own into the comments!

A Tribute to Bo

Bo Lumpkin has been on my mind lately, and I’d like to tell you about him.

I first knew of Bo from following MsKatykins’ Spineless Wonders cartoon blog. I don’t remember if she pointed me to him, or if I began following him because I liked his comments to her. He seemed like a right nice fella.

Bo hosted two WordPress blogs: I’ve Been Thinkin’ -and- Gatorhead Comics. On I’ve Been Thinkin’, he posted his humorous stories and sayings, cartoons, and some of the beautiful copper jewelry he made. Gatorhead Comics was his cartoon site where I became familiar with Hank the Handyman, Kurt and Burt, Mildred and Aunt Edna, and Chester and Phil – both buzzards. His Geezerhood comics were some of my favorites.

His love of laughter and love of life came through in everything he wrote.

At first, I read and “liked” several of his posts. My first comment to him was after he made one small post: “I am writing this from a touch screen pad in St. Dominic hospital in Jackson. I came in by helicopter. Last. Night. It seems that so far I have survived another heart attack. I will try to keep you updated. :-)”

A smiley face! That was Bo. He put a smiley face after his news about having a heart attack – and obviously not his first one.

That was November 18, 2012. Over the next year, a friendship was formed. You couldn’t visit Bo’s blog without getting to know him and becoming friends. He was outgoing and caring. He was supportive, and he left great comments everywhere.

When I posted my story about ants, Bo commented: “Once I was standing outside the church when I noticed fire ants on my hands. I was covered. I had to run inside to an empty room and take my suit off. I couldn’t get nekkid right there in the parkin’ lot full of people but I did think about it.”

When I posted about losing weight, he commented: “Way to go. Good luck with it. I have finally got my weight down to what I didn’t want it to get up to.”

When I was so stressed about writing and riding the roller coaster, he wrote a poem for me:

This roller coaster of which you mention,
Should never be a source of tension,
It is the ups and downs you see,
That fill our life with joy and glee,

Sometimes the train climbs with stress,
And the sudden drop is none the less,
But as we breathlessly dismount the train,
We look back with a sigh, “Let’s go again”

Some upside down twists and turns,
And oh, how our stomach burns,
We stretch and grow from all the strife,
On this roller coaster we call Life.
-Bo

When I gave away free copies of Windy City Hunter, Bo requested a copy – and read it! He delighted me to no end when he commented: “I finished “Windy City Hunter” last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a great read and knowing that you wrote it in a month made it that much more fascinating. Thanks for the copy.”

He wrote a private email to me later telling me more reasons why he enjoyed the book so much and encouraged me to look for a print publisher. He was always incredibly supportive.

On November 1, 2013, I left a comment on his blog, but then I became busy with National Novel Writing Month and didn’t go back until December 12. I was absolutely heartbroken to find he had passed away shortly before Thanksgiving. I never met the man in person, but he was my friend, and I cried for days. I think it especially hurt my heart that I had no way to say goodbye to him.

I was writing Maple Leaf Hunter at the time. Susan, Mick, and friends were going to a hunting/fishing lodge in Canada. The owner was a friend of Mick’s from college. On the porch, sitting in a rocker, wearing a fisherman’s hat and overalls was the father of the owner’s wife – Beau.

Bo knew I was going to use him as inspiration for the Beau character in my book. He had already approved the idea that my character would tell anyone who would listen to him some of Bo’s sayings and stories.

I went forward and wrote Bo into my book as an elderly man (Bo was only 63), but I didn’t use any of his writings. I wasn’t comfortable to do so without him helping me choose which ones to use. The Beau in the book has a few humorous moments and a small part in the ending. I think Bo would have been pleased with how it turned out.

If you’ve read Maple Leaf Hunter, or if you read it at a future date, you now know that the Beau in the rocker on the porch was inspired by my dearly missed friend, Bo Lumpkin.

I’ll leave you with a few of Bo’s words that he wrote about his own life. It’s really everything you need to know about the man:

“Sometimes we can get caught up in life and make it a whole lot more complex than it really has to be. I consider myself one of the richest men in the world. I have a decent place to live. I eat way too much. I have two automobiles and both are runnin’ at this time. I have two great kids, three grandkids, the best wife in the world, and Molly (the super energized wiener dog). If I had to settle up financially tonight I would still have some of my stuff left because what I have is worth more than I owe. My health might be a little sub par but so far I have woke up every day for over 62 years. I don’t even have to wonder if there is a possum at the crossroads because I’ve got stuff in the freezer. Yep, all in all, I reckon Bill Gates and Donald Trump ain’t got it much better than I have it.” –Bo Lumpkin, February 20, 2013

 

An Anniversary and Free Books

My anniversary is here again.

Three years ago today, I sat down and began writing my first book.

It’s been a wild ride. The ups are full of laughter, and I have a ball while I write. The downs have been rough, and I’ve wanted to quit several times. However, the downs fade away, and I always come back to writing with a renewed sense of joy and enthusiasm.

But enough about me. Here are some other things that also share the date of February 8:

Who can forget that “I’m Too Sexy (for my shirt)” by Right Said Fred peaked at #1 in 1992. (Oh, wait. We all can – and did.)

James Dean was born on this day in 1931. (I’ve never seen a James Dean movie.)

February 8 is National Laugh and Get Rich Day (Buy your lottery tickets!)

If you are an Aquarius, here is part of your horoscope for today. … “Just when you thought something was going your way, you realize it’s not going your way at all.” (Glad I’m not an Aquarius today.)

In 1994, Jack Nicholson used a golf club to attack a car. (The driver laughed and got rich to the tune of half a million dollars.)

On television tonight: The premier of Better Call Saul – a spinoff of Breaking Bad. Casablanca is on TCM. CBS has The Grammy Awards with host James Todd Smith. (I’ll be reading with The Grammys on in the background, because The Good Wife has been preempted – again.)

Finally, to celebrate my anniversary, let’s give away some books! There are ten books to choose from. You can see them all on my Breezy Books website. When you leave a comment here, tell me which one you’d like, and I’ll email a code to you from Smashwords. You can grab the book in the format of your choice for free! If you prefer to email your request to me, my email address is on my About page.

Have a great February 8. I am definitely going to do some writing!

Good Things Come in Threes

With little fanfare, I released my three new books into the wild yesterday. Within hours, they were in the premium catalog at Smashwords and available at Apple iBooks. Amazon was quick to review and make available the Two Sisters and a Journalist books, but Buckeye Hunter has been stuck in review for over twenty-seven hours now. Hopefully, they will release the book soon.

Amateur private investigator, Jo Ravens, is the only common link in the murder of three people and the abduction of a cab driver. While police are busy building a case against her, Jo races to prove her innocence. Her sister Pepper and journalist friend Jackie are on hand to assist in catching the real killer. The antics of her ex-husband and eccentric Mama add to this humorous mystery.

 

Jo Ravens is busy trying to locate a stolen car, find a missing teen, and catch a philandering husband in the act. She already has more work than she can handle when she finds a murdered girl leaning against a dumpster. Jo also meets Susan Hunter when Susan comes to town to assist in the opening of a Slimmers Weight Loss center.

 

Susan travels to Southeast Ohio to assist in the grand opening of a Slimmers Weight Loss center. There she meets Jo, Pepper, and Jackie – local sleuths from Two Sisters and a Journalist . When a murder is committed on Susan’s doorstep, Jo is the one to find the body. Susan can’t believe the trouble swirling around her even though she is only two hours from home. She makes a life-changing decision in this final book of the Susan Hunter series.

 

That’s all for today. In my efforts to continue chronicling my writing efforts via my blog, I wanted to post the new releases.

I’m going to eat some chocolate now.

What Are You Reading in 2015?

After traipsing all over Northeast Ohio for sixteen years to attend library book sales, I assembled a nice collection of hardcover books for myself. Other than my Janet Evanovich books, I can count on one hand the number of books I’ve actually read from my bookshelves.

Enter the era of the eReader.

Rich bought a Nook for me in 2011. Many of my blogging friends had books available only at Amazon, so I bought a Paperwhite in January of 2013. This past summer, I couldn’t pass up a great buy on a Kindle Fire.

The amount of free, public domain, and purchased books on those three devices would fill a small house. I’ve only read a few of them.

I used to be an avid reader. I always had two or three books going at one time, and I could usually read a book in a day.

I don’t know when I stopped reading. I’ve made a few attempts in the past to read again, but I simply couldn’t find the time.

When I recently logged into Goodreads, I saw the notice for the Goodreads 2015 Reading Challenge. I set a goal of twenty-five books. I thought one every two weeks sounded just about right for me. I had no idea the challenge would light a fire under me to start reading with zeal again. As of this morning, I’ve read eight books this month. I suspect I’ll be increasing my goal soon. (Side bets may be taken now for how soon I’ll peter out.)

I’m finding out some things about my reading habits …

I like reading in bed at night until I fall asleep, which could be after five minutes or after several hours. I read for at least half an hour before I get out of bed every morning.

I keep a hardcover book on my desk downstairs and one on my desk upstairs. Depending upon whether I am editing (downstairs) or writing (upstairs) determines which book I’m reading. For most of my day, I rotate around writing/editing for an hour and reading for twenty minutes.

I tend to drag my Kindle with me around the house. If I decide to take a longer break and land somewhere else for a bit, I have a book with me.

I have no problem whatsoever dumping out of a book and deleting it from my eReader simply because I don’t like it. I’ve tossed three so far this month. One was written in a style I didn’t enjoy. I was gone at the 8% mark. I settled down fully prepared to love the second book. I loved the writing style and the dialogue was great. However, the subject matter was dry and depressing. I managed 32% before giving up. This author has more books in the same series. I’ll probably try another one later. The third started great, but devolved into nothing more than descriptions of criminal acts and a pretty blatant attitude against women. I hit the delete button on this one at 11%.

The only books I’m listing on my Goodreads challenge are books I’m currently reading and confident I will finish. When finished, the book is going to get five stars. I read for enjoyment; I don’t read to critique. If someone is a good storyteller and has entertained me for the few hours it took to read the book, they get five stars from me. Thank you for the good read.

The next book to be added to my list? A fifty-cent book sale find – a 1964 Erle Stanley Gardner hardcover with a dustjacket, The Case of the Phantom Fortune. I love a good Perry Mason mystery.

How many books do you hope to read this year? Have you signed up for the Goodreads challenge? What are you presently reading? Do you read more than one book at a time? Do you give up on books that don’t entertain you? What are your reading habits like? Chime in!

 

Free Advice

Not free advice for you. Free advice for me!

We’ve had some fun in the past trying to figure out a book cover or title. Let’s do it again.

In my Two Sisters and a Journalist series, all of the titles begin with the word Murder. The book I’m currently writing will have a lottery theme running throughout as Mama goes overboard buying scratch-off tickets. A murder will be connected to the lottery as well. There won’t be any jackpot drawings; everything revolves around scratch-off tickets. I prefer to keep the word Lottery out of the title.

So far, I’ve come up with these titles:

Murder Is A Numbers Game (However, I don’t really want another title that begins with “Murder Is.”)
Murder Unlucky
Murder Wins the Game
Murder Scratches the Game
Murder by Chance
Murder by Scratch

I’m leaning toward Murder Wins the Game or Murder Scratches the Game. Scratch is a term also used to cancel, eliminate, dismiss, etc., so I think it works physically and figuratively … but I’m not 100% sold on it. Which do you prefer? Or did you think of something else?

As for the cover … There are no people on the covers in this series. The backgrounds are less vibrant colors. I’m leaning toward a dusky green on this one simply because of the money/greed aspect of the story. (You can see all the covers for the series in the right sidebar of my home page.)

I’ve ruled out lottery balls with numbers. Mama has a lucky scratcher with a four-leaf clover in it, so I tried several four-leaf clovers on the cover with a lottery ticket that has blood dripping from the top. Even with the blood, it’s cheesy enough to impart a “lighter mystery” feel, which is what I want. We all know I love cheesy!

However, I think I like the idea of a vault in the morgue, with the body pulled out feet first, and a lottery ticket hanging as the toe tag.

It’s hard to know what works until you see it. If you have any ideas, please share!

My standard disclaimer is to ask that you not be offended if I don’t use your idea(s), and please don’t expect anything other than a free book if I do use your idea(s).

Thanks for brainstorming with me!

P.S. – For all the friendly wisenheimers out there, whom I’ve come to know and love, Hunter will not be part of the title. Nor will any body parts. Thank you very much.

Dipping My Toe in the Pool

I’ve been thinking about coming back to blogging on a regular basis.

My “few months” of hiatus turned into just over nine months of disappearance. Stepping away for a while was a good move for me, but I miss reading blogs and the friends I’ve made here.

I made two main goals for myself this year. One is to read every day, and one is to write every day.

I started my year of reading with Janet Evanovich’s book, Top Secret Twenty-One. I enjoyed the book, and I especially enjoyed seeing how many exclamation points she uses in her writing.

I’m currently reading two books – A Hardboiled Murder by Michelle Ann Hollstein and an autobiography, Dick Van Dyke. Both are good reads.

My writing goal is coming along just fine, and I think I’m in a groove now. My current work in progress is book number four in my Two Sisters and a Journalist series. I started it last week. Here’s the opening line: In exactly one minute, I was going to be a millionaire and quit my job as a private investigator.

I suppose Jo may be overly optimistic with that statement.

There isn’t much to tell about my hiatus, but here are a few highlights:

Our six-year-old granddaughter stayed with us again for six weeks over the summer. It was very fun … and very exhausting. That’s her in the beach picture above.

I managed to go nine months without a dryer. That’s right. My dryer burned up last March, and I insisted I could hang laundry just fine. Rich bought a dryer last month. He finally had enough of jeans stiff enough to stand on their own and towels so rough, you could exfoliate your skin when you dried with them.

I power-watched all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls – late at night – under the covers – on my Kindle – twice. How did I not know about this show?

I changed my spot in the house for writing. After our granddaughter left, I claimed a nook in her room upstairs, so I could sit near a window and have a view of the center of town while I write. I’m surrounded by pink walls and pink Minnie Mouse curtains. It has been a productive move.

I cleaned up the mess I wrote for National Novel Writing Month in 2013 and wrangled it into a book – Murder Is Where the Heart Is.

I fulfilled the goal of having the two main characters in my two series meet. Buckeye Hunter is the seventh (and final) book in the Susan Hunter series. Murder Welcomes You to Buxley is the third book in the Two Sisters and a Journalist series.

All three books are currently in various stages of editing.

Most recently, I was getting out of our truck with my arms full of grocery bags, and I slipped on ice and fell. The only thing that broke was a box of tissues. I crushed it with my … er, never mind.

I hope to see you soon. I’m sure I’ll come and go, but I’m optimistic I can add blogging to my goals for the year.

What have I missed while I was gone? What’s new with you?

On Hiatus

A girl can dream.

Rather than to simply disappear for weeks on end, as I am wont to do, I thought I’d leave a note that I am taking a leave from blogging for a while.

The house needs a good spring cleaning, and I’m trying to write two books at once. April also brings our 25th wedding anniversary, my birthday, and Easter. It will be a busy month.

I may check in with your blogs now and then, but I hope to buckle down to writing and stop allowing myself to be so distracted.

Comments are closed. I’ll be starting today to sneak a few M&M’s, crank up the music, and write. See you in a few months!

Oh, Look! A Squirrel!

There are always fun lists around WordPress. A couple with irrationally-loved things caught my attention lately. I thought I’d share one thing I irrationally love:Ever since we bought our first computer nineteen years ago, I’ve been in love with fonts. When we homeschooled, we put out a monthly newsletter for the grandparents and spiced it up with fonts. I would peruse them for hours at a time, searching for just the right ones.

Last evening, I was searching for a font, and I looked at all of them on Font Squirrel. I loved the test drive feature and took several of them out for a ride.

The font in my blog header is Parisian. I specifically chose it because of my French heritage, but I also liked the clean lines and couldn’t resist the curl on the Rs.

I tend to like and use fonts that are on the frilly side, but I appreciate all types.

What about you? Do you like fonts? Are you as obsessed with them as I am?

By the way, the samples I included – they make a list of ten simple things I love.

~ ~ ~

I caught up with a few blogs recently, but it will be a while before I’m on a regular blogging schedule again. If I haven’t been by to see you lately, I will soon. I’m still trying to rebuild my follow list. I had quite a few blogs disappear, and my reader is acting squirrelly lately and not showing all posts.

Fun, Laughter and a Touch of Murder

I woke up today to a very nice surprise. My new book, Murder Under Construction, has been reviewed at The Flyby Muse. I hope you’ll stop by to read it.

Creating Characters

Many of the characters in my books were created from people I know or have known in real life. My mother recently commented that the characters in my new series remind her of our family. There’s a good reason for that, Mom.  

A few bloggers have made their way into my books in one fashion or another. The latest is my friend Jackie at To Breathe is to Write.

Last year, I was having a hard time completing Maple Leaf Hunter. I was afraid when it was finished, my writing days would be over. However, my blog post of May 15 tells how the idea for my new series came about. Here is part of Jackie’s comment that day:

“I TOLD YOU SO!!! I TOLD YOU YOU HAD MORE BOOKS IN YOU AND ONE DAY IT WOULD JUST POP OUT!!! … I am volunteering to be one of the sisters!!! or, one of the characters. hehehe. I just love the concept and can’t wait for the first book. Big hugs!!”

I responded:

“I can put you in the book as a character. A famous writer friend in the neighborhood!”

When I started writing the book, the new character was quick to surface. In the first chapter, Jackie rushed onto the scene as the town’s star journalist. A short time later, she muscled her way into the series title: Two Sisters and a Journalist. That wasn’t planned, but it works, and it still makes me laugh.

Real life Jackie portrays herself as a redhead in cartoons on her blog, she loves to cook, and she’s writing a novel. These same three things also describe the voluptuous Jackie character in my new series.

Here’s another snippet from my work in progress. This one highlights Jackie.

– – –

Before he could respond and defend Officer Collins further, Jackie rushed in like a whirlwind. She glanced around the room. I knew she was taking stock of our appearance and demeanor.

It was obvious she had dashed right over. Usually impeccably dressed, she was wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt, with a sweater thrown on for warmth. Blessed with boobs, curves, and flowing red hair, Jackie was a siren. Howard’s eyes were shining and bulging as he unabashedly looked her up and down before noticing the blue pie box in her hands.

She moved to the table to look the girl over, sidled up to the coroner, and said, “It’s been a while, Howard. I thought you might like an apple pie since you’ll be working late tonight.” Her voice was sexy. I bit my lip again. She knew exactly how to play the man.

“My favorite,” he said. His eyes returned to her chest. “I can’t believe you remembered.”

She looked over at me and winked. I was going to have a hole in my lip if I bit any harder. She pointed to the body and asked, “Was this you?”

I shook my head. “Not this time. She fell out of the trunk of her cab over by the railroad tracks on Maple.”

– – –

Jackie has interviewed me for her blog post today. I hope you’ll pop on over to say hello and read the interview. It was fun answering her questions.

Before you go, leave a comment and tell me how you come up with your characters.

Let’s Chat about Writing Dialogue

Not surprisingly, I’ve drifted away from blogs and social media lately. I’m determined to buckle down and finish Murder Is Where the Heart Is.

Because I wrote the book so quickly during National Novel Writing Month, over five thousand words have been tossed. There is a ton of rewriting yet to do. I’ll get there. I simply need to focus.

However, there is a special reason for posting to my blog today.

I originally started blogging to chronicle my writing experiences. For that reason, I want to mark another milestone. Today is my two-year anniversary of becoming a writer.

Woo-hoo! Break out the M&M’s!

I thought it fitting to pick a writing topic for this post.

I chose dialogue for two reasons. First, I enjoy writing dialogue. Second, my blog post of September 18, 2012 has page views every day. Is Your book Dialogue Heavy has been visited more times than any of my other posts.

In that post, I expressed my discontent with a book I had read that was packed full of dialogue. I wrote: I became weary of listening in on conversations. I was relieved when there were short bursts of description or information. The story moved too quickly with nearly all of it being told in dialogue. New characters came on the scene and added to the conversation with nary an introduction made.

I still feel the same way, but I also still believe that enjoyment or dissatisfaction with the amount of dialogue in a book is ultimately the personal preference of the reader.

Let’s move on today to writing dialogue. I have a few things to share.

When I first began writing, I realized the story was playing in my mind like a movie. It was easy to write what I was seeing and hearing. It’s still like that for me most of the time.

I read several articles about dialogue, and two simple things helped me the most.
– People don’t use perfect grammar when they speak.
– People usually use contractions when they speak.

Reading my dialogue aloud helps tremendously to hear if it sounds realistic or not.

I often envision favorite television or movie actors playing out scenes. My Jo Ravens character isn’t blonde, but at times, I envision her facial expressions, manner of speaking, and even her laughter, as that of Katherine Heigl’s. It worked perfectly as I wrote the following short scene from my work in progress.

– – –

(Quick setup: Jo is at a wedding reception. The adults are avoiding her.)

I sat at a table where two young boys were playing with handheld video games. The boys were oblivious to my presence until I popped the second meatball into my mouth. One of them scowled at me.

“Hey, you got me in trouble.”

My eyes widened. I held back a smile. “I did not,” I said.

“Did too,” he said.

“Did not.”

“Did too.”

I leaned forward, stared the kid down, and asked, “How did I get you in trouble?”

“Geez, lady, once you started laughing, I started laughing, too.”

The second boy finally looked up from his game and said, “Me, too.”

The first boy finished his tale of woe. “My mom pinched me to make me stop laughing. It hurt like crazy.” He lifted his shirtsleeve to show a small bruise.

I gave him a look of sympathy and mouthed a silent, “Wow.”

“My mom gave me the death stare,” the second boy said. “That kept me from laughing.”

I pulled my lips in between my teeth and bit down, struggling to hold back laughter. I finally said, “Well, you have to admit, the helicopter was pretty funny. So was the preacher taking a dive.” I raised one eyebrow, smiled at the boys, and nodded my head to encourage them to agree with me.

The second boy laughed and said, “I know! I’ve never seen a preacher move so fast.”

The first boy put his hand over his mouth in an attempt to stifle a laugh, but a sourpuss woman quickly extinguished it for him when she tugged his arm hard enough to lift him out of his chair and whisk him away. The second boy might as well have been tugged, too, because he was gone in a flash.

– – –

Dialogue. It’s my favorite part of writing.

Share your best tips. What helps you write dialogue?

140 Characters

I’ve chosen my 140 characters for my ad in Jason SurfrApp’s upcoming book, Creativity for Sale.

After mulling over all of your great suggestions, and then doing a bit of research on book and movie taglines, I came up with this for my submission:

Two sassy women from Ohio. One finds criminals. One finds dead bodies. They should meet. Books by Maddie Cochere – www.breezybooks.com

Want to know some of my thought process behind the line?

– I like the deadpan feel of the saying. I decided against using exclamation marks or trying to force the humor aspect.

– The word “sassy” gives the lighter feel I want to impart. The word fits both main characters – lively, bold, and full of spirit.

– Using “criminals” and “dead bodies” denotes the tone of the books. Granted, Susan unwittingly finds criminals, but that minor point isn’t important for the tag. If someone clicks through to the webpage, they are going to find pink and the words, “chick lit” and “humorous mysteries.” It will be obvious my books aren’t gritty, hardcore mysteries.

– I really do think the two main characters should meet…

Oh, wait. They will. My new book project for this year will have Susan Hunter traveling to Southeast Ohio to assist in the grand opening of a Slimmers Weight Loss. Jo Ravens and her sister are always trying new ways to lose weight, and they will be right there for the grand opening.

I can’t wait to see their reactions to each other.

Help Me Write 140 Characters

November 26, 2013 was an unusual day for me. I did something outside the box.

I know I was running on about three hours of sleep. A snowstorm was on its way. My email to Rich that morning was whiny.

It was two days before Thanksgiving, and I was supposed to be writing my book for National Novel Writing Month. Instead, I was over at the Kindle Boards, where I am a serial lurker in the Writer’s Café.

On this day, Jim Kukral started a new thread: Creative book funding: Sponsormybook.com  He commented, “If you haven’t seen how this guy is funding his book, you should.”

The first thought that ran through my head was, “Fund a book? Why would you need funding for your book?” There were no replies to Jim’s thread, and I almost went my semi-merry way.

Almost.

Jim also commented, “Get creative people!”

That’s what pulled me in.

I followed the link to the website. Some guy in a t-shirt was selling advertising on every page of his book about creativity. I watched his video. I liked him.

(slightly cropped) Photo by Laura Evans Photography

I deduced he was a marketing genius. I thought it would be great to buy an ad in his book, but I knew his readers wouldn’t likely be my audience, so I clicked away to read other items of interest.

It wasn’t long before I was back at Jim’s post. This time, I watched the interview between t-shirt guy (Jason SurfrApp) and Jim Kukral. They talked about Jason wearing t-shirts for marketing, selling his last name to the highest bidder, and about success and failure. It was all very interesting, but two specific things stood out for me.

At the 22:18 mark, Jim mentions the ton of media coverage Jason has enjoyed, and they talk about how he will tap into that once again when he releases his book. Jason has been featured on/in The Today Show, CNN, The New York Times, and USA Today. He has written for Forbes, Business Insider, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and Entrepreneur.

His book will likely be a best seller.

At the 25:00 mark, Jason talks about the ads at the bottom of each page. He indicates that everyone who buys an ad will have a feature on the bookmarking website next year.

I knew right then I wanted in. I can’t even wrap my head around what kind of exposure the ad plus the feature might mean for my books. Or not. But I had to try this unusual method of marketing.

It took a while to choose a page to sponsor. The front of the book was too pricey for me; the back of the book was taken. I opted for a page near the middle. Assuming the book will be traditionally printed, the odd-numbered pages will be on the right. I chose page 105. I’m excited to see what information lands on that particular page. (Jason, if it’s a blank page or the end of a chapter, please place a fun picture on the page. My books are fun!)

My ad can only be 140 characters to include my URL. How about giving me a hand?

I want to link to my website for my books. I think I should continue with my branding of easy-breezy reading, and I suppose I should mention my name in addition to the website.

Short and sweet? Less is more? This might stand out in a sea of “larger” ads:

Breezy Books. Humorous mysteries by Maddie Cochere. www.breezybooks.com

Or something longer. I’m going round in circles with these phrases:

Easy-breezy reading from Breezy Books.
Do you enjoy humorous mysteries? Try books by Maddie Cochere.
Easy-breezy reading from Breezy Books and Maddie Cochere.
Light mysteries with romance and humor.

How would you put it all together? Did something else pop into your mind? I have a bit of brain lock on this.

There are still pages available in Jason’s book, Creativity for Sale. If you want to try some unique marketing for your book, product, or project, check out SponsorMyBook.

A New Book for a New Year

I’m celebrating the New Year with a book!

I’m excited to announce Murder Under Construction, the first book in my new series, Two Sisters and a Journalist, is published and available at Smashwords and will be available in a few hours at Amazon. It will become available at other outlets as Smashwords distributes the book.

This is the book that came to me out of the blue one day. While my sister was in the doctor’s office, I waited for her in my car. I found a little notebook in my purse, and I started scribbling. By the time she came out, I had scribbled almost 1300 words.

You won’t find pink on the covers of the new series. The main character, Jo Ravens, isn’t a girly girl. In fact, at times, she doesn’t act very lady-like. She’s not a shopaholic, men don’t swoon over her, and she’s not a crier.

The new series will be more true mystery than the Susan Hunter books, but don’t worry – they’ll still have my own brand of silliness in them. I enjoy writing lighter fare, and the genre for this new series will be humorous mystery.

Four people have read the book so far.

My mother loved the book. She said she liked it better than my Susan Hunter books.

My sister enjoyed the book and said she couldn’t put it down until she finished it; however, she said she likes the Susan Hunter books more. Secretly, I think she loves Mick. That’s what’s going on there.

My dear friend over there in Australia, David Harding, read the book and gave me a wonderful surprise one day by sending this email to me:

Hi Maddie!
Sorry I took so long but I finished your lovely new book and it is great!!!!
I’m so torn – do I like this better than Susan H? I don’t know! It’s so amazing both of these worlds came out of your head! Wow!
And how in the world do you go about writing a mystery that makes sense and is exciting (and funny). I don’t know that either!
So good!
David

His email put me on top of the world. (Of course! Because he’s Down Under!)

And last but not least, my sweet friend, Jackie, wrote a review for the book for my post today. Oh, did I mention the journalist in the book is named Jackie?  Yep! Once again, a blogger provides inspiration for one of my characters.

“Maddie’s new book is a funny, feel good cozy mystery. Even though it has a dead body (I mean a good mystery has to have a dead body!), the dialog between the two sisters and the journalist (which is my favorite, but I am a bit prejudiced) is filled with laughter and love. The secondary characters are believable and round out the book in a great way! I found myself laughing out loud in places and cheering the ladies on! If you want a great read, go get this book and see what Maddie does so well – write good, fun books!” ~Jackie

I love my early readers!

And yes, I allowed the first line to stand. It was, after all, what started the series.  I swear that body was hard as a rock when my butt bounced off it.

So let’s give some books away to start the New Year!

If you would like an eBook copy of Murder Under Construction, leave a comment and tell me how you would like to receive the book – through Amazon or via a coupon code at Smashwords. I’m offering a limited number of books, but at least thirty, so don’t be shy about asking!

If you are shy (cough, cough, men who like my books but don’t want others to know), feel free to ask for the book through email. My email address is on my About page.        

You can leave comments about other things, too.

Onward and upward! The second book in this new series is the book I wrote for National Novel Writing Month in November – Murder Is Where the Heart Is. Hopefully, I’ll get that book under control and publish it soon, too!

Guess Who I’m Talking About Today

The Cheeky Diva. Do you remember her? I miss Julie. Her blog was one crazy place to hang out. Her hilarious haiku was the best around. She hasn’t been blogging lately due to a move and a change in jobs – both good reasons, and I’m happy for her.

I bring her up today, because it’s her fault I met Adam Sendek. Yes, folks, we are still talking about Adam Sendek. In case you’ve been living under a rock, I lost a baseball bet to Adam. The loser had to highlight the other on their blog for a week. You know who lost.

Julie mentioned Adam to me a few times. She encouraged me to check him out. She was quite fond of him. I finally dragged myself over to his blog – only to find him Freshly Pressed! Art Blogging vs. Conversational Blogging. Here is our very first exchange: At that very moment, a friendship was born

His posts cover a variety of topics, and his blog seems to be evolving. It used to be called My Right to Bitch, but now it’s Chowderhead. Don’t let the name fool you; he is one smart guy.

You can thank me for boosting your stats today, Adam. I was digging around through some of your old posts. I looked at your very first post, 5 Creative Ways to Avoid Small Talk. There have been 58 likes (59 now – I pushed the button) and 96 comments on that post. Who gets that kind of mileage over time from a first post? You do!

One of my favorite posts was when we role-played on his blog. We had to address him as Drill Sergeant, Sir! He was going to instruct us in the ways of car buying. I showed up and reported for duty. I came back later looking like this:It’s never a dull moment at Adam’s blog. His comments are always as much fun as his posts.

I recently listened to a podcast by Peter DeWolf. Adam was his guest, and they were Two Dudes Chatting about Chicks. The conversation confirmed my overall opinion of Adam. He’s caring, kind, and has a soft heart. He admits he’s a hothead, but I think that rounds out his personality in a good way.

He’s a good man, and I haven’t minded at all highlighting him on my blog this week.But I’m not placing any more baseball bets. And don’t even try to discuss the Super Bowl with me!

Leave a comment! If you know Adam, share something great about him.

Long Awkward Pause

Christopher De Voss. Nice guy who writes some pretty cool stories and makes me laugh with his blog. I’m a fan since June of 2012.

Are you wondering why I’m mentioning him, when I’m supposed to be yammering about Adam Sendek? (Baseball bet. I lose. Talk about Adam for a week.)

Because Christopher started a new humor blog last July, and I want to highlight it today. It’s Long Awkward Pause, and it’s billed as a Humor Mag of Sorts…  “This is a humor magazine devoted to answering your questions or writing on the topics you, our dear readers would like to read.”

They have a very cool feature, TALK TO US HERE, where you can make requests (or leave comments or complaints or just say hi). Fill out the form, and voilà, one of their writers will cover your request in a post.

I was delighted to see that my favorite adorable chimp who shaves his head, Monk Monkey, is also a contributor to the blog. He and I go way back to last year. We even send emails to each other. (Hello, you cute little primate!)

I know Mike Calahan a wee bit. He’s not a complete stranger to me, but I must admit, I don’t know the other writers. I hope as I have more time in the coming year, I’ll be able to read their work and get to know them, too.

Oh wait.

I know one more person who contributes to Long Awkward Pause. Are you ready for this?

Adam Sendek. Yep! He’s a contributor, and Christopher recently mentioned he was instrumental in the new look of the website. Nice job, Adam!

I asked Adam to write a few words about Long Awkward Pause. So without further ado, here is Chowderhead himself:

LAP is a collaborative comedy team put together by Chris “The Boss” De Voss.  If I were to create a simile for it, LAP is like a monster truck that is being recklessly driven around a mall parking lot on a busy shopping day, destroying mini vans and running over pedestrians walking small dogs.

It’s Chris’s brainchild. I only take orders.  After taking his orders, I usually request new ones, or else edit them until they barely resemble the original orders, and then I order Chris to carry out those orders.  In other words, Chris doesn’t really do much except take orders from me.

The Boss comes to me daily with these grandiose ideas, and then projectile spews them all over the place without really thinking about the cost and implementation end of any of it.  That’s where I come in.  I’m a staff writer first and foremost, but secondarily, I also serve as a consultant to the CEO.

To give you an idea of the typical dynamic, here’s an excerpt taken from a conversation we had last month:

Chris:  hey, I need to ask a favor.
Chowder:  Shoot.
Chris:  I just bought us a blimp, and I need you to call around town and find me a graphic artist that can draw our logo on it.
Chowder:  Whoa whoa whoa, wait a minute…you bought a what?
Chris:  A blimp.  You know, like a hot air balloon, but with propellers.
Chowder:  I know what a blimp is.  How much exactly did you pay for this thing?

Chris:  I bought it off of some guy on Craigslist for $250k.
Chowder:  *spits out coffee*  What!!!
Chris:  Every other blimp I found online started off at $300k.
Chowder:  Would you mind opening up that window?  I’m feeling extremely lightheaded at the moment.
Chris:  Sure.  *opens window*
Chowder:  We have to be a little bit more frugal about our spending.  We’re now officially $250k over budget, and it’s only the 2^nd of the month.

Chris:  I saved 50k on it.  It was a steal!

Chowder:  How did you even pay for this thing, and where exactly do you plan on storing it?
Chris:  I took out a business loan, and my mom said I could keep it in her backyard until we can afford a hangar for it.
Chowder:  Does your mom live on a football field?
Chris:  Condo.
Chowder:  Jesus Christ.  Ok look, I’m gonna need you to call around town and find out if anybody wants to buy a blimp.

Chris:  Right.  You want another coffee while I’m out?
Chowder:  No, but pick up some Rum and a couple of cokes.  I think there’s a few bucks left in the petty cash jar.  And don’t tell Calahan that we have a petty cash jar.
Chris:  Great.  I’ll report back at lunch.
Chowder:  *shakes head*

*****
Long Awkward Pause is constantly evolving and expanding its concept and brand.  This month we’re excited to welcome in our brand new podcast team – Joe Jewett and Jack De Voss – and our newest staff writer, Aussa Lorens of the website Hacker Ninja Hooker Spy.

Here’s the current lineup under the current format:
BrainRants:  Rantology 101 – Rant Column
Blogdramedy:  That’s Entertainment!  – A Satirical look inside the Entertainment Industry
Mike Calahan:  From the Moderately Cluttered Desks of Mike Calahan – Spoof Journalism
Aussa Loren:  Hacker Ninja Hooker Spy – Espionage Parody
Chris De Voss:  On a Side Note – Funny, Satirical Interviews
Chowderhead:  On this Day in Pop Culture History – Insignificant Pop Culture Events
Justin Gawel:  Confessions of an Adult Child – What it sounds like
Omawarisan:  So Anyways – Random Funny Thoughts
Monk Monkey:  The Comedic Scriptures of a Funky Monk Monkey – Anecdotes by a Religious Monkey
Cordelia:  Culinary Clutz-Ups – Food that belongs on the “Ban List”
John Atkinson:  Original Web Comics
****
For more Long Awkward Pause, visit us at www.longawkwardpause.wordpress.com

A Last-Minute Gift

I’m delighted to have this post up before midnight on Christmas Day. I hope your holidays have been lovely so far.

But first things first … Baseball bet. Me loser. Mention Adam Sendek. Yada yada yada.

With that out of the way, I’m doubly delighted to show you the cover for my new Susan Hunter book. You will be happy to see I restrained myself – a Sasquatch does not appear on the cover.

I’m triply delighted to tell you I have a holiday gift for you. Head on over to Smashwords, and use the following coupon code at checkout to grab the book for free. The coupon is good for at least 48 hours, so there’s plenty of time to get yours.

Coupon Code:

And finally, lest you think I was unkind to Adam up above, the post about his Great-Grandmother was originally intended to be the Christmas Day post, but he requested it be shared on the 19th. If you haven’t yet read his tribute to his grandmother, it’s lovely. You can read it here.

Noir

Noir (nwär)
adj.

1. Of or relating to the film noir genre.
2. Of or relating to a genre of crime literature featuring tough, cynical characters and bleak settings.
3. Suggestive of danger or violence.

I love movies and books in the noir genre. They are often gritty, dark in their settings, and have hardboiled detectives in leading roles. A femme fatale is also a mainstay in the movies/books.

The Maltese Falcon and Double Indemnity are two classic movies that fit the genre. The more recent Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid is a Steve Martin comedy-mystery that is both a parody of, and homage to, film noir and pulp detective movies of the forties.

I always love the part where the narrator tells us of the dame who walks into the gumshoe’s office. She has a tale to tell. There are cigarettes and alcohol involved. We see it in black and white, and the music sets the tone.

Pulp fiction magazines of the thirties and forties also fit the bill. Those writers sure knew how to turn a phrase, and some of them are classic (although many are now politically incorrect). I’ve recently read several of Robert Leslie Bellem’s stories. He was a master at using slang and impact words. Typical fare for him would be – “I spooned him a helping of knuckle tonic.” “She slapped me a stinger across the chops.” “Moon’s kisser sagged open and his optics bulged like oysters being squeezed.”

Isn’t that last line so much better than my standard, “Her mouth hung open, and her eyes went wide.”

Ahh, the joys of the genre.

So, all this is a lead up to that guy. You remember him. Adam Sendek. By losing a baseball bet, I must talk about him on my blog every day this week. And I’m happy to do so!

What you might not know is that Adam blogs interesting topics and humor, but he also writes stories. One of my favorites is one he wrote that fit the noir genre well. Here’s the beginning:

“…so I’m sitting in this cafe, slumped over a (bleep*)-warm cup of dark roast coffee, casually tossing ashes into the tray at the end of the table.  The lighting is inadequate where I’m seated, making it difficult to study the entrees on the menu.

I pick up on a one-sided conversation coming from the booth adjacent to me, involving a pig-headed suit and tie, yammering into a phone about a stock deal gone sour.  The woman seated in front of the man appears emotionally detached, which is indicated by her body language.  She ignores the man and blankly stares off at a young female clearing the surrounding tables.

I’m overcome with remorse for the woman and her situation, finding myself privately analyzing the dysfunctional correlation between the two. Clearly, she’s numb inside; another wandering soul, financially bound to some corporate meat head. 

The murmur throughout the diner adds to the endless chatter taking place in my head, but the humming is abruptly halted when, without warning …” GO HERE to read the rest of the story. It’s short, and the comments are fun, too. Add yours to the list!

What about you? Do you like the noir genre, whether it be movies or books? What about pulp fiction? Did you ever read any? Tell me what you think!

(*bleep – It’s a Maddie bleep. My blog is rated PG-13, and even though I probably could have allowed the word to stand, I opted to apply the bleep. Hop on over to Adam’s blog for the more colorful phrasing.)

It’s December. Let’s talk baseball!

Yes, Susan Hunter is a Detroit Tigers fan – for one week!

Last March, I wrote a silly blog post about insects. Later that evening, Tim Dittmer and I were having a conversation in the comments section. Some of it went like this:

Me:  Btw, the Indians have a team this year, so methinks your team will not have another crack at the series this year. I’m just sayin’.

Tim:  Oh jeez. Everybody wants knock the Tigers. They sure did go down in flames last year, though.

Me:  I’m not knocking the Tigers. Just setting the stage for some friendly competition this year.

The next day, Adam Sendek showed up and added this comment below our conversation:

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
Did I read that correctly? The Indians taking the Central over the Tigers??? Hang on a second, I’m laughing so hard right now that I just might hurl! I’ll be back!
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

And just like that, a bet was born. Please take note: I have an 81-year-old mother who is a diehard Cleveland Indians fan. She had been telling me for weeks how excited she was for the new baseball season. Terry Francona was the new manager of the Indians (and was named AL Manager of the Year for 2013, I might add), and the team had some bats. If they could pull the pitching together, they would be contenders. It wasn’t until after I made the bet with Adam that she told me the Indians wouldn’t win the AL Central over Detroit. Thanks a lot, Mom.

Through emails to Adam, I tried to guide the bet. I offered these options for the loser to pony up:
$100
$50
$20
A blog post extolling the wonderfulness of the winner.
Mailing something wonderful from the loser’s city to the winner.

Somewhere along the line, Adam suggested a week of blog posts highlighting the winner. I accepted those terms, and alas and alack, here we are today – on my blog, not his.

So without further ado, I present to you Adam Sendek. Chowderhead himself.  We’ll find out more about him as the week goes on, but for now, let’s ask him about baseball!

What sports did you play as a kid?

Oh the irony…

Well, I always wanted to play baseball as a kid, but I ended up a soccer snob instead.  It ended up being a pretty great experience, however – one with a lot of traveling throughout the state of Michigan, and as far south as North Carolina to play in tournaments.  I still got mad skills too, Maddie.

Don’t make me bust out the YouTube camera to prove it.

At what position would you excel in baseball?

I don’t mean to boast (yes I do), but I was a pretty exceptional softball outfielder for a couple of summers.  I’m talkin’ like, go grab your pom-poms Kevin Griffey Junior while the big boys play some ball.  I did also have a brief stint at Short Stop but didn’t last long at the position.  I quickly realized that my teeth were more valuable to me than making an out.

If you played for the Tigers, what would your nickname be?

“Snarky Anderson”

Only a Tiger’s fan will understand that one.

Have you ever done the wave?

Yes!  \m/  It happened often at the old Tiger Stadium, and occasionally at Comerica Park too.  It’s one of those events that promote a certain kinship among a lot of other really drunk people.

Do you sing along when they play Take Me Out to the Ballgame?

Yes.  It’s one of the only two songs that I will sing outside of my vehicle or the shower.  The Birthday Song is the other one.  In both cases, I’m glad there are plenty of people around to prop me up and help drown out the illusion that I can carry a tune.

What do you do during the 7^th Inning Stretch?

Whiz.
Grab a beer.
Grab another beer.
In that order.

What are your top five baseball movies?

Well, I would have to say:

The Sandlot is my all-time favorite because Squints wears the same glasses as me and Calahan.

Moneyball is a close second, and an extremely well-done piece of cinema work.

Major League because Charlie Sheen is a goof ball, and I need goofballs to keep me inspired.

Rookie of the Year, because that was the flick responsible for coining the phrase, “funky butt-loving.”

And anything but A League of Their Own for number five.  Even Field of Dreams.

Share with us one memory from the ballpark.

My all-time favorite memory from any ballpark experience was watching the 2003 Tigers win the last game of the season, keeping them out of the history books as the worst team in MLB history.  They were the worst team in American League history that year, but ended up being one win better than the ’62 Mets.

I can still remember it:  the entire stadium was packed with suburbanites ready to witness another inglorious piece of Detroit history.  It was the only meaningful game played all season.  After the last out you would have thought they just won the World Series…

I’m glad I got to experience it firsthand.  High five!

How many games did you watch this past season, while I was watching the Cleveland Indians play and sweating over our bet?

Sweating over our bet, she says!  Thank you, by the way.  It was the easiest money I made all year.

To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I saw more than 2 games this year.  My cable package sucks, and I’m still waiting on the maintenance guy from the front office to stop by (at his convenience) to drill a hole in my wall so that I can proceed with my upgrade.

Normally I watch about half the season on TV.  Comerica Park is an insanely cool venue too, and I try to get down there at least a couple of times every summer for a live game.  I start getting burned out with all of it by about July though.  It’s a grind to have to sit there every night and watch baseball unless I’m at bar or playing fantasy baseball.

Yes, I play sometimes.  And yes, I know.    

Great answers, Adam! See you tomorrow!

A Christmas Gift

Christmas is a wonderful time of year for most people. There are parties, festivities, gifts, and treats. Christmas is also a time of remembrance.

At Christmastime, it’s only natural to think of loved ones who are no longer with us. The holiday is an especially poignant time of year for my family. My father passed away one week before Christmas. My grandmother passed two weeks later. Grandma didn’t know Dad had died, and I always thought she must have been so surprised to get to Heaven and find him waiting there to greet her.

My friend, Adam Sendek (Chowderhead to many of you), has a special remembrance of his Great Grandmother. I’m honored that he has agreed to share his story here with you today:

A Christmas Gift

It was three years ago on this date that I received a Christmas gift that I’ll never forget.  The present was a collection of memories wrapped in modest paper with neatly tucked edges – the box obscuring the contents inside.

My Great Grandmother was the matriarch of our family.  She was the glue that held together a dispersed group of people that were reunited each and every holiday because of her.

She was a Romanian born immigrant, relocated to Austria, and the mother of four small children during the Second World War.  My Great Grandfather served for the German Army during that time, and she was left behind to find a way to keep her unit alive and fed.

I was fascinated by the stories that she told about her time in Austria during the war; the anxiety of having to hide out in a basement with the lights off, sitting quietly with her young family, without her husband, and waiting for the American Bombers to pass over.  The instructions were very simple: don’t turn on the lights.  If the lights were on, that was the signal for the American planes to drop their payloads.

At any moment, life could have ceased at the mere flick of a switch.

They didn’t have the luxury then of indoor plumbing either.  Some of the people in that communal living space would become so terrified during the raids that they’d have to run to the outhouse during the flyovers.

She told me about the times when she would sneak bread through the POW camp fences to my Great Grandfather after he was captured.  She described how all of the grass around and inside the fencing was missing – the captives using it for sustenance by making soup out of it.  Apparently anything feeds a stomach that’s hungry enough.

She told me stories about her peasant upbringing, and about the modest food that they would make out of virtually nothing more than cornmeal, milk, eggs, flour, cabbage, and if fortunate enough, a chicken.  They made and repaired their own clothing, and walked wherever they needed to go, because they didn’t own a car or any other means of transportation.

Christmas was a modest tradition as well, but a very important one.  Homemade gifts and oranges were about all that was ever to be had on the morning of the holiday.  It was a religious holiday – a time for thanks and prayer.

She never went to college, never drove a car, and never had a ‘real’ job per se; but she was a nurturer, a protector, and a provider of so many things to so many people.  Despite her lack of experience in many life categories, she was as sharp as a tack – even at the age of 96.

She spoke four languages, memorized all of her recipes, she was knitter, and surprisingly hip to the American culture, even if she didn’t practice much of it herself.  She was up on politics and current pop culture happenings of the day, yet one would never assume it at a mere glance.  To any outsider she was probably just some little old immigrant lady that needed to assimilate better and work on her English-speaking skills.

She always made something for me to eat whenever she knew I was coming by to visit, and we’d sit together over a half shell of beer and talk.  She was tickled by the little bit of German that I picked up from listening in on the adult conversations over the years.  It was effortless to make her laugh, and she adored me in every way possible – always commenting on how handsome, smart, and charming she found me, and always making a note of our height differential.

She would always tell the same stories about us from when we were little kids.  I knew the stories by heart, and I knew when they were about to happen, because they were always told in the same tone with the same delivery every time.  Even after hearing them so many times before, it never got old because I knew that they were memories that she very much cherished.  Her family was her life.

It was after the War had ended, when she and her family made the long boat trek to the States to start a new life.  They’d been sponsored by family friends that had already moved here – friends from the old country.  She regularly sent care packages consisting of canned food, clothing, and money to friends still living overseas who were surviving on much less.

Life was different now, and the abundance was never taken for granted.  There was so much, and at times it overwhelmed her.  She cried often about the simplest things – the simplest gifts or experiences – and she was grateful for everything she had: a car, a home, a place to earn a living and modest pension, and personal safety.  It was just a simple life built around food, family gatherings, and God.

As I watched her lying there quietly in her hospital bed three years ago today, I remembered all these things.  I recalled the stories and the sacrifices that were made, and all the times that she sent me packing with a hug, a lot of kisses, and some kind of German dish or canned item to have later.  I remembered how much unconditional love she gave to me and the rest of her family throughout her time spent here.

Spending the holiday in the hospital with her wasn’t ideal, but I’m glad I was there with her as she quietly passed away.  It was a time for me to remember her life and the impact that she had on mine.  I didn’t recognize it as a gift at the time, but it turned out to be a gift that was far more important than anything I’d ever gotten any Christmas prior.

On this day a candle is lit to remind us of the place she holds in our hearts.

Thank you, Oma.  You’re a gift never forgotten.
~Adam

Family Game Night

One sister + three brothers + two parents + me = game night every night.

Growing up in a household of game lovers was a blast. There was always someone to play with, and we had everything going from board games to card games to ping pong and shooting pool in the basement.

Mom and Dad loved to play games. I have warm, fuzzy memories of my dad laughing like Muttley the dog as we played games around the kitchen table. My brothers thought they were comedians, so there was no expectation of calm or lack of nonsense when we played. In our house, we rushed to finish homework – not to watch television – but to play games.

One of the best parts of Christmas Day was playing the new games. Mom always ordered a few from Christmas catalogs. Thanks to eBay, I was able to buy many of my old favorites to play with our son when he was a little guy – Camp Granada, Park and Shop, Lie Detector, Go For Broke, Careers, and many more. I recently bought a vintage Barbie Queen of the Prom to play with our granddaughter.

That brings me to a new game I’m excited to get my hands on.

If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you probably know I think David Harding is a great guy – a super great guy! It was his fault we were calling pizza shops last December and asking the employees to draw pictures of gorillas throwing dice under the box lids.

I knew David was working on an actual gorilla dice game, but then this happened:A new idea fell out of his head and onto a little piece of paper.

David Harding has devised a wonderful card game. Elevenses – The Card Game of Morning Tea. In case you’re wondering, elevenses is a real event. “In the United Kingdom and Ireland, elevenses is a snack that is similar to afternoon tea, but eaten in the morning.”

I’m impressed David knew this. I’m more impressed that his game has come to fruition and will be coming to market soon. The game has been fully funded on Kickstarter and is in the last few days of raising money for “overfunding” goals.I’m proud to have had the opportunity to help fund David’s game, and I can’t wait to play Elevenses. Congratulations, my friend. I wish you many more successes in the future! xoxoxo

There is still time to support the game: KICKSTARTER

The gorgeous artwork is done by the lovely T. J. Lubrano.

This is a fun video review of the game by a man who enjoyed pretending he was a lady while playing the game: UNDEAD VIKING

Another video review of the game from a charming couple: COUPLE vs CARDBOARD

DAVID HARDING ♥

Are you a game player? Do you have a favorite board game? Do you like morning tea? I actually like tea quite a bit!

Chasing Caviar with a Double Shot of Gin Killed My Stomach

National Novel Writing Month last year was a hoot.

I remember the experience being frustrating, but I had a blast. I wrote Christopher De Voss into my book as zombie actor, Chris De Floss. When Susan and Darby ordered a pizza, they asked for the toppings from one of David Harding’s real-life pizzas. Two photographs of a fellow blogger were described as paintings in the book. They are hanging in a fictional gallery on Rush Street in Chicago. I used elements from a pulp fiction story in the book, and the cover is fabulously cheesy with a man in a gorilla head mask. I think it all turned out great.

National Novel Writing Month this year? Blech.

Before I could start my new book, I simply had to finish Maple Leaf Hunter. I wrote over 27,000 words from the first of the month to the tenth. After that, I did a little editing, suffered distractions from family members, and finally started writing for NaNo on the 18th.

The new book is a humorous murder mystery. I love my opening line:
Chasing caviar with a double shot of gin killed my stomach.

You can’t beat a murder in the first sentence, and I was off and running. I raced the clock for the next thirteen days and finished with only a few hours to spare at 52,677 words.

For the first time ever, I wrote without editing, and the book is a mess! There are a ton of crossed out words and sentences that need rewritten. I didn’t research as I wrote, and there are numerous details to look up and fill in.

I generally do most of my writing after 7:00 at night. In the morning, I read what I wrote the night before and clean it up. By the time I’m writing again, I know my book is in pretty good shape, and I’m in the right mindset for going forward.

I took the time to edit the first chapter of my new NaNo book. The word count went down by 735 words! Yikes!

So how are things in your neck of the woods?

I’ll Be Dead By Then

See You Later, NaNoWriMo

Ahh, National Novel Writing Month, you are here once again.

I signed up for the writing marathon this year, but I’m somewhat second guessing that decision today. I’m not usually one to set myself up for failure.

My first day of NaNo last year was spent chasing squirrels, and I logged a big fat zero for word count. Each day I fell farther behind, and by Thanksgiving, I was ready to throw in the towel. But then it clicked, and the words poured out onto the keyboard. I wrote 22,000 words over the next four days. I finished Windy City Hunter on November 26, and I published the book on December 21. I was proud to grab my first NaNoWriMo badge.

So why not do the same thing this year?

Because Susan Hunter is still in Canada, that’s why. When I last saw her around three a.m. this morning, she was fishing for muskie. It’s going to take a while yet to get her back home.

Maple Leaf Hunter is the one book I promised for 2013, and not only do I want to keep my promise, I want to finish the book. It’s shaping up to be a lot of fun, and there’s a Sasquatch (my brothers will be delighted). With over 20,000 words yet to write, I’m going to go into November with Susan Hunter. When the book is finished, I’ll take a day or two to make an editing pass, and then I’ll set it aside and move on to NaNo.

The book I intend to write for NaNo is Murder is Where the Heart Is, the second book in the Two Sisters and a Journalist series. I only have the bare bones of the story in my mind, but I’m looking forward to the challenge of penning 50,000 words toward it in November. I’m not confident about reaching the goal, but I’m not defeated before I start either.

So, I’ll see you later NaNoWriMo. Probably around November 10.

If you are participating, are you ready?

Shopping for Houses When You Write

My father and my uncles worked together to help each other build their houses. It’s too long ago to remember the details, but I recall each of them being skilled at one particular thing, and all of them able to do a little bit of everything.

I was three years old when Dad built our house, so I don’t have memories of the construction, but I do remember years later when my uncle built a duplex next door to us. The framework was up, and there were planks over cement block footers until the stoops were poured.

One day I angered my brother, and the chase was on. I was running to find Dad to save me, and I jumped onto the boards over one of the holes. The next thing I knew, I was bleeding in the basement. Once Dad knew I hadn’t broken anything in the fall, I got a whippin’ for the disruption to the work process. Ahhh … good memories.

But the best thing about those men building houses was the books. The books with drawings of houses and their floor plans. I spent hours poring over those books and dreaming about the house I would one day live in.

I still love floor plans, and I use them when I write.

When writing Windy City Hunter, I looked at condo floor plans before settling on one from a building I stayed in when visiting the city.

For my new book, Murder Under Construction, I chose a simple two-story home for my main character. I copied the floor plan and added my own information. It was a big help when I needed to reference direction, and it also helped me to remember what I had already written about the house.

For the book I’m writing now, I’ve been searching for Spanish-style homes. Floor plans are certainly more attractive than they were years ago.

I find it helps quite a bit to have actual houses and floor plans when I’m writing. It’s easier to envision my characters moving around in their homes. I’ve even printed hotel room layouts when my characters have stayed in hotels.

I’ve always used calendars, timelines, and maps when planning my books, but until I was searching for floor plans again, I didn’t realize how much I rely on them.

What about you? Do you make up your houses and floor plans in your head? Or do you go shopping for houses as I do?

Big Apple Hunter

I had such a nice surprise today. Julia at *Jwls Mac Ray, 2BCreative* reviewed my second book, Big Apple Hunter. If you have time, hop on over to read the review, and look around while you’re there, too. She’s one of my favorite bloggers!

Julia Ray

Review of Maddie Cochere’s novel Big Apple Hunter

In Big Apple Hunter, Susan decides to go on a trip with her friend Darby to New York City. I love the character of Darby and his friendship with Susan. I admit at one point I was hoping for them to get together. But, as we know, well…you must read the first book, Sunshine Hunter, to find out what makes their friendship just friends.

 (Photo credit to Bing.com)

I think setting one of the scenes in New York made the story line even more exciting and adventurous. I so loved the bus tour of men. Who wouldn’t want to tour with a bunch of hot guys?

( Photo credit to Bing.com) This is what I was picturing when I read about bus full of guys. 🙂 hee hee

I liked the mystery of the bad guys. It kept me guessing…

View original post 230 more words

Just do it.

It feels good to dive back into writing full time, and I recently completed the first book of my new series.

As I quickly moved on toward completion of the next Susan Hunter book, I was reminded of a blog post I wrote a few months ago but never published. It is the advice I give to myself all the time when I think I can’t do it, when I have a hard time keeping at it, or even when I feel like quitting. It’s good for me to read this again today as I forge ahead with the hopes of writing two books in two months. I’ll share it with you, too.

~ ~ ~

Just do it.

Everyone is familiar with the famous Nike slogan. It has seeped into many aspects of our lives. I think of the saying when I have chores to do, when I don’t want to exercise or eat healthy, and most definitely with writing.

I wasn’t a writer. I was a wife, a mother, a seller of used children’s books. I love books, but other than a couple of ideas for children’s picture books, the thought never entered my mind to write a fiction novel.

Until it did.

Just do it.

Late in the day, on a cold evening in February of 2012, it popped into my mind that I should write a story. It popped into my mind because I was surfing the Smashwords site, and I was amazed that people were writing stories and books and publishing them on their own. That’s when I thought I would try, too.

I didn’t do any preliminary outlining or give any serious thought to who the characters would be or where they would go. I simply started typing and kept at it for a couple of hours. It was fun, and the story made me smile. I went to bed laughing at myself that I might actually be writing a book.

I added to the story the next day, but I was already waning. I am sometimes my own worst enemy. I can be flighty. I talk myself out of things. Writing a book would be a lot of work, and I was already busy enough. I set the writing aside and went about my normal business for a few days.

But now that the story was started, it kept calling to me. I didn’t really want to, but I found myself adding to the story late at night after everyone was in bed. My book was finished within the month.
I wrote a second book. I wrote a third. I was too afraid to publish them.

Until I wasn’t.

Just do it.

In May of 2012, I published all three books at Smashwords and Amazon. I freaked out shortly after over the fact that I had put my work up at Amazon, but it was done, and I let it be.

Now I couldn’t stop writing. I started a fourth book, and then a blog. I didn’t want to start a blog, but the thought wouldn’t leave me alone until I did. It seemed a good idea to keep a chronicle of my writing and self-publishing journey. I had no idea what I was doing. I didn’t know any of the finer points of writing or marketing. I was doing everything wrong, but I was oblivious, and there was no one to tell me otherwise, so I simply kept going forward.

Just do it.

I’ve made wonderful friends through blogging, and I’ve learned a lot about writing, self-publishing, and marketing from other bloggers. If I would have had all of this “new” information before I started writing, I probably would have never written my first book. It would have been too daunting.

I didn’t have money for professional editing or expensive marketing, but that didn’t stop me. I’ve kept my sense of humor throughout most of my trials and tribulations. There have been times when I’ve wanted to throw in the towel and quit, but those feelings passed fairly quickly, and, for the most part, I continue to have fun writing and self-publishing. I’ve made corrections, republished a couple of my titles (numerous times), and I believe my writing has become stronger. There is still a lot to learn.

Will I ever write the great American novel? No. I enjoy my silly fare too much. But I’m happy I followed my instincts and the little voice inside my head that continually says …

Just do it.

Today, I want to encourage you, too – especially new writers. Whether you are toying with the idea of writing a book, or finally on your way and writing, don’t listen to the naysayers, not even the ones in your own mind. Learn what you can when you can, but don’t be afraid to go forward with what you know now and the tools you have on hand. I was as green as they come when I first started.

Just do it.

~ ~ ~

Write. Write for fun. Write to entertain yourself. Write because you can. Then publish. It’s a wonderful world that has opened up to us because we can publish our own works.

What about you? What do you tell yourself to keep going forward?

Back at the keyboard when the rain passes.

 

Charm Me

Saturday
June 22, 2013
2:30 p.m.

It’s 86° in the shade, and 81° in the house. The central air isn’t working.

Rich brings the motorcycle up to the house, and we get ready to go. I further insulate an insulated cup filled with ice water, grab my mp3 player and my sunglasses, and we’re out the door.

“Where to?” Rich asks.

“Take me to Charm,” I tell him. “I’ve never been to Charm.”

Charm is a small Amish town, and as this is my first time out on the motorcycle this year, I want to ride through some of my favorite country.

It feels wonderful to have the hot sun on my face and the wind whipping through my hair again. Traffic isn’t heavy, and we take our time enjoying the beautiful scenery.

After riding for about an hour and fifteen minutes, we arrive in Charm. We stop and get off the bike at Guggisberg Cheese. We don’t go in to see if there are cheese samples, but we do take a couple of pictures. Rich is armed with an iPhone. I have a little Bloggie in my hand.

Enter here for cheese!

The mailbox for the cheese plant.

My hair isn’t terribly tangled, and I silently thank my cream rinse for doing its job.

A group of motorcycle riders passes us. Not a single person is wearing a helmet. We’ve probably seen over one hundred riders today, and maybe six people were wearing helmets. If we ever have an accident and die because we weren’t wearing ours, you must write in your blogs, “Well, at least they died doing something they loved.”

The Amish are friendly. When we drive through the area in a car, they never look at us or wave. However, when we are on the motorcycle, men nod, boys wave, little girls smile, and even women relaxing in chairs under the shade of a tree will wave and smile as we go by. I wonder why that is? I find it incredibly enjoyable.

There are no ice cream cones or sundaes today, but that doesn’t keep us from having to watch where we step. Horse manure is plentiful in parking lots and along roadways.

By the time we get home, my bum is numb. Maybe we stayed out a little too long on my first day, but it was worth it.

How’s your summer going so far? We’ve had rain, rain, and more rain. Some of it has been in the kitchen and in the basement. A nice man sledgehammered our old cement porch at the back door and hauled it away. Rich is now building a deck for me. A new place to write! I’m woefully behind with reading blogs, but I have been productive by trying to write two books at once: Susan Hunter and her misadventures in Canada – as well as the two sisters and their efforts to solve a murder. Despite the rain, I think summer is coming along just fine.

Oblivious in Ohio

It’s early evening, and I’ve been sitting at my desk pondering what to do. Watch television? Write? Go over to the den and torture Rich? Go to the grocery store for eggs and pumpkin?

As I sat here twiddling my thumbs, trying to make a decision, a strange little icon popped up in my notifications box. Cool. I probably reached some new WordPress milestone. I clicked the box and found a congratulations notice. Ha! Today is my one-year blogging anniversary.

I was oblivious.

So much for a special post.

 

 

What was your post about on your one-year anniversary?  See you in a bit. I’m going to the grocery store.

Avoiding the Circus -and- A Breakthrough

Do you have a mundane daily routine? Does every day seem like the previous one? Do things never change?

That’s certainly not my life, but I sometimes pine for that level of “normal” – if only for a week or two. How in the world do you ever write with consistency when you have no routine?

When there were four dogs, a son, and a husband in the house with me, it was a three-ring circus every day. With three of the dogs and the son now gone (I kept one beagle and the husband), we are still having at least two-ring circuses.

Where is the time to write?

Yesterday was “the day.” I was determined to get down to it, and nothing was going to get in my way of writing.

Then my sister called. She needed a ride to the hospital for a CT scan. No problem. The trip to the hospital turned into two trips to the hospital, an Arby’s lunch run for a Reuben sandwich for me, one trip to her surgeon’s office, and then a third trip back to the hospital where she was admitted for emergency surgery. I arrived home late in the evening. She had her surgery today, and she came through it just fine. She’ll soon be as good as new. Yay for great surgeons!

But something happened while I was waiting for her at the doctor’s office. I thought he would see her right away, so I opted to wait in the truck and listen to the radio. Earlier in the day, in an effort to keep her distracted and make her laugh, I told her I was going to write my next series of books about a couple of weight-challenged sisters who solve crimes in their community. We laughed, but the idea intrigued me, and I thought about it again while I waited for her.

I found a little notebook in my purse. I started jotting down ideas for characters. Names, ages, married or not, kids, jobs, community, etc., and a first line that will never stand: I swear that body was hard as a rock when my butt bounced off it.

I began scribbling as fast as I could. I managed just under 1300 words before my sister came out. At home, I hurried to type the words before I would forget and could no longer read what I had scribbled.  The last line on this page is: “Sorry, Sergeant. She’s got a knife in her.”

This was huge for me! I’ve been afraid to complete the Susan Hunter series for fear there wouldn’t be anything else. I kept thinking Susan was a fluke, a flash in the pan, a one-hit wonder. Ha! No longer! Make way for a couple of fun sisters.

I’m not going to finish this first chapter just yet. I’m going to get back to Maple Leaf Hunter and enjoy writing the story. I’m going to keep an open mind that Susan just might show up again in the future – somewhere deep in a new series where she meets a couple of sisters via a Slimmers Weight Loss center.

Oh my gosh! Writing is crazy fun, and I continue to be amazed at how ideas pop up, rush in, and come together. Now, if I could just get my daily routine under control to make it all happen.

Edited to add: Chinese was for dinner again tonight. I opened my fortune cookie a few minutes ago, and this one popped out!!  🙂

When Blogging Takes a Back Seat

Just kidding!

It was a big job to pack and ship over 1,000 books, but they were finally shipped last week. I am officially out of the used book business.

I know I’ve missed a ton of great posts, and I know I can’t catch up with all of them, but I have started to read blogs again and will try to go forward with some regularity of stopping by to see what you all are up to. Here are some of the things I’ve been doing the past couple of weeks:

~ We finally have new neighbors. I’ve been keeping an eye on the Stairway to Nowhere to see what they do with it, but there is nothing to report yet. The family has a well-behaved dog who looks like Carl, so I’m assuming (based on the dog) that they will be good neighbors.

~ I’ve rediscovered glass in our house. I’ve enjoyed reading Dianne Gray’s adventures as her family has moved a rugby club onto their property and is now restoring it into a beautiful home. It has been lovingly dubbed The RUC, and it has some wonderful features including some vintage windows. Rich finally convinced me that the window in the upstairs bathroom is an oldie but goodie, and there is not a plastic laminate over it; it’s 100% glass:

And this window hides behind a shade in a spare room that is only accessible through the bathroom, so I rarely remember the window is even there:

It’s double-paned glass with glass slats running up and down between the panes.

~ I read Carrie Rubin’s book, The Seneca Scourge. I enjoyed it very much. I stayed up until after 3:30 a.m. to finish it one night. I haven’t read a medical thriller in ages, and I had a hard time putting it down. Carrie, you made me cry in chapter six, and I had to grab a tissue while reading a few subsequent chapters, too. The funny thing was that no matter how many times the main character’s blonde hair was mentioned, I could only picture Sydney as Carrie! And Sydney/Carrie, you rock!

~ I read Matthew Iden’s book, A Reason to Live. I read it in two days, and thoroughly enjoyed this one, too. This style of book (murder, crime, suspense) is probably my number one genre to read, and Matthew didn’t disappoint. His main character of Marty Singer is likeable and easy to root for. A couple of events at the end of the book took me by surprise. I’m definitely reading the next two books in this series.

~ I’ve been cleaning and throwing things out. The room I work/write in has an echo now. I kind of like that. Most of the shipping boxes are gone from the house, but I still have to deal with packing peanuts and a few other packing materials.

~ My hardcover books are finally on my bookshelves. The plastic shelving on the right holds the overflow. I’ve started reading A Decadent Way to Die by G. A. McKevett. She’s not a WordPress author, but I couldn’t resist the cheesecake on the cover of this one, and I want to hold a hardcover in my hands for a change. This book is in the Savannah Reid series of books. I’m only two chapters in, but so far so good.

~ I watched a marathon of Bar Rescue on Spike TV. It’s a bit like a train wreck, but I couldn’t look away.

~ I found a blog I must tell you about. Mr P’s Adventures. Mr P is a potato head! He has some type of adventure every day. The first time I saw one of his blog posts – happily orchestrated by Ohiophotogrl – I laughed out loud. I took the time to go back through the archives and look at every post from the beginning of the year. I was wonderfully entertained. The posts are usually short, and you can click an archived month and simply scroll down to see all the pictures and posts. You don’t have to click through to the actual post unless you want to leave a like or comment (which you will want to do as something will likely tickle your funny bone). The blog is family friendly, and your kids will enjoy seeing what each day holds for Mr P as well as to read his final daily comment: “Wonder what we are going to do tomorrow?” Please check it out!

~ I caught up with all of my business paperwork.

~ I’m nearly finished with an editing pass on Big Apple Hunter. I wanted to do this before republishing with the new cover, and I’m happy that some small errors will now be fixed. But most of all, I’m finally ready to buckle down to continue writing Maple Leaf Hunter. My family is giving me pointers on Bigfoot creatures. Yes, that’s right. My two brothers believe in Bigfoot, and I’m putting one (or more) in my new book. Ghosts, a gorilla head, zombies, and now a Bigfoot. I’m still out of control!

Do you believe in Bigfoot? What do you do when your blogging takes a back seat?

Putting My Best Face Forward

Have you ever heard of Ford Models? No, not the cars. The modeling agency. There was a Ford Modeling Agency about a mile from our home, and I signed up for classes when I was nineteen. I had no illusions of being a model in New York City; I was simply tired of being gawky.

For me, it was like acting. I loved learning about hair, fashion, and how to walk a runway, but most of all, I loved learning how to apply makeup.

I was reminded of this fun time in my life yesterday as I stood in front of the bathroom mirror applying full makeup. I wanted more coverage than that of the mineral powders everyone is pushing right now, so I went full-spackle with a foundation, followed by a light dusting of loose powder. Blush, three shades of brown shadow, false lash mascara, eyebrow pencil, lip liner, and an all day lipstick. I removed the hot rollers that were curling my hair, and I picked out a pretty maroon shirt with a nice detail and gold buttons.

Twenty minutes later I was having my picture taken as I renewed my driver’s license.

That’s right. I put on all that make-up for my driver’s license photo. For four years, I’ve had the driver’s license from hell. The lighting is terrible in the BMV, and my last picture had yellow hair. Not blonde, but bright yellow! Last week I chose to do my hair in a light auburn shade simply because of the upcoming picture. There was no way they could turn auburn into yellow. Four years ago, I had chopped off most of my hair, and I don’t know if I tumbled out of bed just before I had the picture taken, but my hair looked like something styled by Moe of the Three Stooges. Every time I had to hand that license to someone (I still write a lot of checks), I wanted to die, or at least melt into the floor.

Yesterday, I was determined to get a good picture worthy of the next four years.

It was windy as I walked into the BMV. I was aware of my hair blowing around. Before I could even take a number and sit down, I was called to the counter. What are the odds of that happening? There wasn’t a spare second to run a brush through my hair before the woman wanted to take my picture. I told myself it would be ok; my windblown hair would give the picture a sexy look.

I looked down into the camera, because it wasn’t at eye level. I expected a “1-2-3” or at least a “ready?” from the woman, but the next thing I knew, she was telling me to have a seat. Five minutes later, I was walking out with my new license.

The picture is on the dark side. My makeup doesn’t show up whatsoever, and my hair is blonde, not auburn. It doesn’t look windblown and sexy; it looks like someone flattened it. There is no expression on my face, no smile, and as the picture was taken at an angle from under my chin, I look like a criminal.

The only good thing about the license – IT’S PINK!

I cry false advertising!!  Her picture is well lit. You can see the highlighting under her eyebrows, and her lipstick even shows. She has a smile, and the picture was taken straight on. I’m hating on our BMV today.

I’m finally going to make the move to a debit card so I never have to hand my license over to anyone ever again. Well, other than the policeman who is surely going to stop me one of these days as I blow up and down the Interstate to and from my mother’s house. He’ll think I look like a criminal and run a background check on me.

Do you try to look your best for your driver’s license? Are you happy with your picture? Do you look like a criminal?

Help Me Pick My Summer Music

We’ve had a couple of days in the 70s. Warm weather is on the way.

This is our motorcycle that I keep talking about.  It isn’t pink, and it isn’t pretty right now. It’s presently torn apart in my mother’s garage. The seats are off, the covers are off, and I listen patiently as Rich tells me about nuts and bolts and pulleys and something about the alternator, but I daydream about blogging or chocolate while nodding my head and pretending to listen, so I really don’t know what he’s doing.

But I do know it’s almost time to hit the open road, and it’s definitely time to update my mp3 player.

I like to listen to loud music on the bike. Not just volume loud, but upbeat and make me happy loud. No heavy metal though, because I’m not going to bang my head on Rich’s back. I like music that makes me feel good with the sun on my face and the wind in my hair.

So today I’m asking for song recommendations to add to my mp3 player for the upcoming year. To give you a better idea of what I like, here are some of the songs on my player right now:

American Boy by Estelle
Blackout by Breathe Carolina
Club Can’t Handle Me by Flo Rida
Dangerous by Kardinal Offishall
Daylight by Kelly Rowland
DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love by Usher
Dynamite by Taio Cruz
Feel So Close by Calvin Harris
Give It To Me by Timbaland
Hey Baby by Pitbull
How We Do by Rita Ora
Memories by David Guetta
Rocketeer by Far East Movement
Secrets by One Republic
Shake That by Eminem
Shattered by O.A.R.
So Good by B.o.B.
Uprising by Muse
Wild Ones by Flo Rida

As you can see, it’s been a while since I’ve updated my pink mp3 player. (I also have a black mp3 player. It’s full of softer sounds from Van Morrison, Robert Plant, Frank Sinatra, James Last, Bob Dylan, Sting, Harry Connick, Jr.,  etc., but none of that works on the motorcycle.)

Now it’s your turn. What do you think would fit in with the songs I already have? Feel free to link to a YouTube video, so I can see/hear your recommendation(s).

The End of an Era

When I look back on my life, I see blocks of years.

There was the silly, somewhat gawky girl in school who was everybody’s buddy. School was fun and not taken nearly as seriously as it should have been.

Later came a block of years where working for a large music distributor brought about a more confident young woman who met musicians and was on the receiving end of some very cool swag and a ton of fun.

That lifestyle was set aside, and an athlete appeared in the new block of years. Racquetball, softball, and bowling filled the spaces between work and sleep.

Climbing the corporate ladder eventually replaced sports, and the fast-paced world of decision-making, advertising, brainstorming, and training filled nearly every waking minute of every day.

Marriage and a little boy who needed his mommy brought it all to a screeching halt, and a new block emerged.

Deciding to homeschool our son was a big decision, and I went from the boardroom to the schoolroom. A five-year-old became the person I conversed with most. I traded suits and heels for jeans and tennis shoes. I became a kid again.

A few years later, we bought a computer. We were on the internet. We found eBay! Our home business was born.

We started traveling all over NE Ohio to library book sales where we purchased used children’s books for resale on our own website and on eBay. eBay was in its infancy, and you could see all of the books for sale, in all genres, on just a page or two. Today, there are over one million books for sale on eBay.

Our living room when it was full of industrial shelves and books.

For sixteen years, we’ve shopped, we’ve sold, we’ve packed, and we’ve hauled heavy boxes of books to the post office. It has been worth it, but it’s been harder work than you might think. I’ve often thought I needed to quit because the heavy lifting is taking such a toll on my back and arms.

Two weeks ago, I was working on an update to our site by adding another 400 books to the pages. I was looking forward to the income an update would generate, but I was not looking forward to pulling orders and packing boxes.

Before I was finished with the typing, an email arrived from a family who was placing an order for 135 books already listed on the site. Rich came home from work the next day while I was pulling the order. When I told him about it, he asked, “Why don’t you make her an offer to buy all of your inventory, and then you can finally be done with book selling?”

Really? Was he serious?

We estimated the number of boxes and the weight to ship everything at once, and then he checked shipping quotes. I sent an email back to her with an offer she couldn’t refuse, and she didn’t!

So now we are in the process of packing for the last time. We’ll take all of the boxes to Rich’s work where they will be put on a pallet, wrapped, and shipped across the country.

I am so excited to rid my house of boxes, styrofoam peanuts, packing material, tape, and paperwork! My bookshelves will once again hold my hardcover books. The kitchen table won’t be stacked sky high with books. We will no longer be walking around stacks of books on the floor. Our house will be a home again.

Now that our son is moved out and on his own, and now that my used book business will soon be shipped out of my life, and with only one Susan Hunter book left to write … I can’t help but wonder what the next block of years will bring.

Maybe I should buy a Harley.

Let the Games Begin

Adam – all around great guy and blogger – thinks Detroit has it in the bag. We shall see.

Will you be following baseball this year? If so, who is your team, and do you have any predictions?

The Ants Go Marching One by One

Ant cookie from The bearfoot Baker.

This blog needs a good airing. Let me set aside all things books, open the window, and allow some fresh air and sunshine to come in. Yes, the sun is shining today. It will be raining and snowing again tomorrow, but for today, there is a glimpse of spring, and I’m pretending it’s much warmer than the 40 degrees on the thermometer.

So what shall we talk about?

I choose insects as the topic for today, because I seem to have a history with ants. It all started when I was a child, and a Saturday morning rolled around. My mother came into the room I shared with my older sister. She had called for us to wake up a few times, but we had ignored her, and by coming into the room, we knew she meant business. There were chores to be done before we could take off on our bikes for the day.

I remember Mom standing there staring at me with her mouth open and a deep frown on her face. What? What did I do now? I wasn’t even out of bed yet.

“What do you have all over you?” she asked.

I sat up, focused on my bed, and promptly bolted up into a standing position and started jumping and hopping on my bed, while screaming and writhing with the heebie-jeebies. My bed, and therefore me, too, was covered with ants!

The source was soon discovered. Before going to bed, I had tossed my sneakers into the nearby closet, and they had something sweet on them. Whether it was something I had stepped in, or something I had climbed into via a tree, there were a million ants in my closet, and they had come up onto and into my bed.

Thankfully, they were the garden variety ant and not the biting kind.

Moving on.

When I was nineteen, I moved into my first apartment. It was a basement apartment in a large complex, and it was basically one big room with one door leading into a small bathroom. There was very little counter space, so when I wanted to make sugar cookie cutouts at Christmas, there wasn’t room to cool the massive amount of cookies I was baking. I spread a clean tablecloth out on the living room floor, and as the cookies came out of the oven, I transferred them from the cookie sheets to the tablecloth.

Imagine my surprise when after a time, the cookies appeared to be decorating themselves.  Yep, an army of ants had invaded and covered nearly half of the cookies. It was winter for crying out loud!

Some of you know we homeschooled our son. Rather than to give in to the recommendations of our local school and medicate the hyper boy, I quit my job to stay home and school him myself. I didn’t have a clue how to start, but I figured it out, and we had a blast. A lot of our studies were done by focusing on one thing at a time – unit studies.

One summer, we did a unit study on ants. We started by setting up an ant farm in the house. Those kits are actually very cool. We started a war in our ant farm by putting a couple of big black ants in with the smaller common ants. We didn’t know they weren’t compatible, and the little ants attacked the big ants, overtook them in quick order, and threw their dead bodies onto the garbage heap at the side of the farm. It was somewhat horrifying to me, but the boy loved it.

One day we went sugaring for ants. We made ant bait by mashing a banana and stirring in a good amount of sugar. We smeared the bait onto the base of a tree trunk, and then we settled into lawn chairs to watch and wait for the ants to come. It took an hour before we noticed a steady stream of ants marching to the banana mash and then back to their anthill. There appeared to be more than one colony coming from different directions, and they truly did march single file, one by one. It was amazing.

So, ants and I share a long history.

How about you? Tell me your best insect story? Have you ever had ants in your pants?

Please Remain Seated Until the Ride Comes to a Complete Stop

I hate roller coasters. They scare me like crazy, and I’m lucky I was never sick on one.

Many years ago, I went to Myrtle Beach with three of my girlfriends. We ended up at an amusement park. I didn’t want to ride the roller coaster, but I also didn’t want them to know I was afraid, so, of course, I hopped on.

The first turn was made at the top, and as we leveled out, all I could see was the ocean ahead of me. The feeling of flying down the first hill was that of plunging into the ocean. I don’t remember much else other than a sick feeling. I was so relieved to get off of that roller coaster.

I’ve said before that if I only ever wrote my books to entertain my mother and my sister, it would have been worth it. Although I’ve hoped for more, that statement has always been true. I’ve been wondering why I’ve had so much unease lately. Last Saturday night, I had a light bulb moment. I realized the unease was coming from the emotional roller coaster I was still riding – and I wanted off!

Downloads, no downloads. Sales, no sales. Reviews, no reviews. Up and down and up and down and up and down. Whether I realized it or not, the ride was constantly running in the back of my mind.

I allowed the car to pull into the station, come to a complete stop … and I got off.

Last July, when I realized I had made total royalties of $74.72, Rich said to me, “Honey, $74.72 is more than you ever thought you’d make. You’re way ahead of the game.” He was right then, and he’s still right now.

I’ve accomplished more than I ever dreamed I would when I sat down to write my first story. I’m happy with the success I’ve achieved, and I’m not getting back on that roller coaster.

We will soon be out riding the motorcycle again, and I’m relieved I’ll be riding without nagging worries riding along with me. I already feel lighter, and I’ll be sure to report all of the crazy things Rich and I get into this summer while we’re out. In the meantime, I’m going to set my mind to working harder on Maple Leaf Hunter. I have a few fans waiting for it.

The Voices in My Head

The voices aren’t really in my head. They’re in the head of Marcus Matherne (pronounced Smith).

Marcus is an author who has a blog here at WordPress, and in my effort to support WordPress authors this year, I recently read Marcus’ book, My Status Update Journey.

I wasn’t going to read it just yet. I’m in the middle of another book, and I’m chomping at the bit to get to the next one on my list. I wonder where Marcus’ book is on my list. Let me check and see.

Ok, I’m back. A lot of you have written books, you know. My list is quite long, and to be fair, I’ve already read Marcus’ picture book for children going to school for the first time, Big Yellow School Bus, so, hopefully, he won’t be offended when he reads this and finds out he was number fourteen on my list.

But then the power went out last Monday night. I finished reading a book on my Nook, and I played “Where’s My Water” until my Nook died. Now what?

My new Kindle Paperwhite was charged, but that meant starting a new book. I didn’t want to get into something deep, so I started flipping through my library and spotted Marcus’ book. Why not? I’d give it a shot.

Oh my gosh! This book is funny!

I rarely laugh out loud when I’m by myself, and I suppose I didn’t laugh out loud when reading this, but I did chuckle out loud quite a few times. COL!

Marcus downloaded his Facebook status comments from a span of about three years, and pulled out the best of them. His commentary around these “status update” comments is worthy of a stand-up comic with perfect timing. His stories are entertaining, and some are downright hilarious, with most revolving around his wife and two sons.

Can you imagine a grown man driving his two boys all around town so they could find every bench in town. The boys would hop out, sit on the bench, Marcus would take a picture of them sitting on the bench, and off they would go to the next bench where they would do it again. This still tickles my funny bone.

His blog post here was inspired by my telling my mother his story from the book about children needing their behinds wiped. She laughed as hard as if I had told her a great joke.

Then there was the clapping of hands. If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands. He writes: The next time I am in an important meeting or in a crowd of strangers, I’m going to start clapping like crazy. When people start to stare, I’ll just say, “I’m happy and I know it.”

I muffled a laugh so I wouldn’t wake Rich up when I read, “There was one time that I saw a half of a jelly doughnut lying there spilling its guts out. I felt like I was at a crime scene and almost called 911.”

There are even a few pictures in his book. I especially liked the one where his face was pressed against a flatbed scanner – and his eyes were open!

I enjoyed My Status Update Journey and a look into the life of Marcus and his family. The man still loves Froot Loops. What’s not to love!

This is a perfect read for when you want something to fill the gap. Read it on an airplane, or read it at the beach. Read it over a few lunches or while waiting for an appointment. It’s a great palate cleanser, so to speak, between other reads.

I hope you, too, will consider supporting WordPress authors this year, and add Marcus Matherne (pronounced Smith) to your list of authors to read. I know you will laugh.

—

In case anyone wonders … I purchased my copy of My Status Update Journey. Marcus did not ask for a review, and my review today is based solely on the fact that I enjoyed his book enough to recommend it to my friends. Check out his reviews at Amazon; I’m not the only one!

What is it with Men and Bacon?

I came downstairs last Sunday morning, and Rich was watching United States of Bacon on Discovery Channel. People were eating 5-ounce chunks of thick, hickory-smoked bacon-on-a-stick, and my husband was drooling.

“Honey,” he said. “I swear this is just like watching porn.”

Not that he watches porn.

I laughed, shook my head, and asked him what was the deal with men and bacon? Women like bacon, but they don’t turn into idiots when it’s on television, or when they’re cooking it, or even when they see it in the grocery store. Bacon awakens something deep inside of men.

He recently did some computer work for a friend. It took a couple of trips and several hours to complete the work. HE TOOK PAYMENT FOR HIS SERVICES IN BACON. Seven pounds to be exact.

We’ve joked about bacon here before, and some of you may remember his bacon poem. He wrote it for me to enter into another blogger’s poetry contest, but I refused:

Slice it, smoke it, fry it up quick.
Make sure it’s done, or it might make you sick.
Splattering grease burn, it looks like a freckle.
An apron protects you, especially your schmekel.

(Yes, we’re really twelve years old, and the poem still makes me laugh.)

When I make potato soup, he wants bacon in it. Fried cabbage? Only with bacon. Bacon on pizza. Bacon-wrapped steaks. Bacon on baked chicken. Bacon on burgers. Bacon in baked beans. Bacon and eggs, of course. It never ends, and just the smell of it as it cooks reduces him to the grinning village idiot.

A 2009 study in Britain showed men to prefer the smell of bacon over babies. Why am I not surprised? When I told this to Rich, he replied, “Well, that makes sense.”

Bacon is addictive. Per wikipedia: bacon possesses six ingredient types of umami, which elicits an addictive neurochemical response.  … “the chain lards on bacon” create a one-of-a-kind product that has no taste substitute.

You can’t help it if you love bacon: “Bacon makes you feel happy, satisfied, blissful, which greatly reduces stress in our lives and effectively relieves the negative effects of frustration, self deprivation and sense of lack in ones existence.” Bacon is nature’s candy.

I’ll close with some final thoughts from my husband:

– Bacon is like fine wine, except you fry it.

– There is nothing better than bacon and eggs – minus the eggs.

– There is no proper way to prepare bacon.  Whether it’s almost burnt, or fried just enough, it’s perfect every time.

– Kevin is one of the luckiest guys on earth!

– Just because there are no bacon paintings by van Gogh doesn’t mean he didn’t paint one.

– Did you know that no matter what you type into Google Images after the word bacon, you will get legitimate results?  From bacon automobiles to bacon zombies, you’ll get real bacon results.  Try it.  Do you love bacon? When was the last time you ate bacon? What’s your favorite way to eat bacon?

Is Your Book Cover A Stinker?

I know I’ve had a lot of posts lately about my books, but I promise I have a bacon post coming up.

*** BACON ***

If you are a man reading this, please comment as to if that word caused some type of reaction within you. I’d like to know for my research.

Today, I want to talk about book covers. I’m not an expert, and for as many times as I’ve changed my covers, I am definitely not the person to be giving you advice.

The look of a cover is not a deal breaker for me, but some definitely pull me in more than others. I do like when a cover gives me an idea about the book – at least the genre. I saw a lovely cover recently that gave the impression of being a memoir, both via the title and the soft abstract style of the design. I was surprised to read the blurb and discover it was a romantic comedy.

I know my covers don’t follow the rules of the experts. They wouldn’t like the font, the placement of my name, or the fact that they are on the “busy” side. They would be critical of my using a clichéd pink theme for chick lit. I don’t care. I wanted pink covers, and I was going to have them.

It was my idea to have Susan in gym clothes with a racquet in Florida. I thought racquetball would play a strong role in all of the books, but it doesn’t. It isn’t even the main theme of Sunshine Hunter.

After the fifth book was published, I knew it was time to make the first one free. Then it hit me – change the cover again! I sent this note to my niece: “You won’t believe this, but I want to go back to Sunshine Hunter. I think the sports theme is keeping people from giving the book a chance.”

The book is chick lit first. There is a mystery, a little romance, and some humor. Having a racquet on the cover was definitely giving the wrong impression. I think I realized this several months back, but I didn’t act on the nagging feelings.

The book went free at Barnes & Noble on February 20. The cover change showed up the next morning. I saw later that the book was promptly listed by two Nook Facebook sites, and the downloads at Barnes & Noble started right away. I didn’t know it at the time, but sales of the other books in the series started the very next day.

I truly believe that changing the cover on Sunshine Hunter to a cuter, more girly cover representing Chick Lit made a huge difference in people choosing to download the book or not. To all of the over 20,000 people who have downloaded the book so far – thank you! Thank you to everyone who has read their download, and another big thank you if you have chosen to read more of Susan’s (mis)adventures. I’m grateful and appreciative.

Bacon post coming up. I promise!

Have you always loved your book cover? Have you had any nagging feelings about it? Have you changed your cover, and if so, how many times? I know I’m not alone in this.

OH MY GOSH!

Hello, my lovely blogging friends!

It is very hard for me to step out of the blogosphere, but I have been on a self-imposed two-week blog hiatus, because I simply must take care of my work-from-home business and a few other important things. I’ll be taking time this weekend to park myself at your blogs to see what I’ve missed … but I do know that Zen is giving up chocolate. 🙂

However, I had to drop everything and pop in today, because I’m squealing, and excited, and if I don’t share this with someone other than my dog, I will burst!

Amazon was fantastic to work with when I asked to have the price of Sunshine Hunter set to free. I wrote directly to KDP and pleaded my case. We had a short series of emails back and forth, and the price was lowered to permanently free this past Monday night – only four days after my initial inquiry.

Sometimes it takes me a little while to figure things out. I looked at my Amazon sales figures yesterday and a few sales for Sunshine Hunter trickled in. I checked this morning, and the numbers were the same. I wondered if I would see any bump due to free downloads. Well, silly me! About an hour ago, I finally realized if I scrolled to the right while looking at my sales report, I would see the free downloads in the very last column. LOL! They are already in the thousands!

The next thought bubble above my head was, “I wonder if this affects my ranking?”

Oh my gosh!! It does! But I had to look at it a couple of times. Was that my book? #1 under Women Sleuths? Susan isn’t a very good sleuth, but until chick-lit/mystery is a first choice, she ends up where the book sites want her.  And #45 under romance!

Here, I’ll click the link and show you what you’ll see (at least as of noon today):

Squee!! Next to J.D. Robb!!  LOL!!

Thanks for letting me gush. I have no idea what will ever happen with these crazy Susan Hunter books, but today is a day that makes me want to run outside and yell as loud as I can to anyone who will listen, “I’m number one on Amazon!”

When a Comment Becomes a Review

Sometimes a comment comes along, and it’s just too good to let it slide off into the sunset. That happened last Friday night in the wee hours of the morning.

Piper George’s blog Talk About Cheesecake is noted as “Musings, meanderings and meditation for my mind.” I enjoy Piper and her variety of blog topics. She’s married with two young children, three chickens, one cat, one puppy, and a varying number of fish. She has a lot of material to work with, and she’s writing.

It was nearly 3:30 a.m. when I was closing things up for night before heading on up to bed. I checked my notifications one last time and saw a comment from Piper on my post about the new cover for Sunshine Hunter. I’m pretty sure I squealed when I finished reading it:

“I finally got around to reading your books. Yes, all of them. I downloaded one to read last week and went on to buy them all.

This is not my usual style of book, there were no vampires or werewolves and I don’t do mystery. I would never have picked them up if I had not read your blog and been nosy.

But, I have to say thank you. Brilliant, funny light hearted reading – perfect for a weekend chill. I really enjoyed them.

I also like your character. Susan is girly, again, not my usual read. But also kick arse. Good to know that you can be both – I think more girls out there should learn that. I like that she is a normal human, she makes mistakes, she gets moody, she is funny. One of the things that struck me the most was that she had fallings out with people. You know, like normal people do and book heroines normally don’t. Shouting at the nosy old lady in the supermarket for spreading rumours of an orgy – very funny.

Thanks for the great read. I’m sorry you are only doing 6 books, but start working your next theme please because I want to read them all. Expectations are high now. ”

I am so appreciative Piper took the time to tell me what she thought about the books, and why she liked them. I had no idea she was reading even one book, let alone all five. It is a writer’s dream – that a reader will read the first book and keep on going until they’ve read them all. I’m still smiling a big smile over her comment/review. Thank you again, Piper.

There are a few more ladies here at WordPress who have read all of my books, and a couple who are in the process of reading all. A huge thank you to them as well.

I’ve been cleaning up, tweaking, and adding to my website for my books. I’m pretty tickled here, too. Take a look! Breezy Books

It’s All Good News!

The cover for Sunshine Hunter has been updated. Hurray for no more gym clothes!

We’ve come a long way from the first cover:

My niece has done a wonderful job for me. I was delighted with my first Susan Hunter cover, and I’ve been delighted with every cover in between. I think we’re both getting better at what we do. 🙂

My next big news is that I’ve decided to make Sunshine Hunter a FREE book – permanently.  Now that there are five books, with a sixth on the way, I think having the first book in the series for free is a good move. I’m finding that many people who have read the first book have gone on to read more (if not all) of the books in the series.

I’ve already made the cover change and the price change at Smashwords. You can go there and download the book for any eReader (to be sideloaded) – or to read on your PC. When the book is approved for their premium catalog in a few days, it will be distributed with the new cover and pricing to all of their outlets – Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Sony, Apple, and Diesel Books.

Amazon doesn’t allow me to list the price as free, but they will match the price when the other outlets have updated to free. When the changes have been made everywhere, I hope to do some fun marketing.

I’m looking forward to a good year!

Edited to add: A few minutes before 6:00 p.m. today (15th), the changes to Sunshine Hunter were approved for the premium catalog at Smashwords. Less than 24 hours! That was so fast! It will be going out to major outlets soon.

Oh, My Aching Back!

Here’s something different today. Let’s talk about PAIN.

I’ve mentioned it a few times. I have two depleted disks in my lower back and nerve damage in my right shoulder. Playing sports hard for more than a decade can do a lot of damage to your body.

When I go over to the den to sit and read, I can’t stay in the chair for more than an hour at a time. A recliner naturally puts your weight on your tailbone, and the pain builds. We have to take frequent breaks when we’re out on the motorcycle to give my tailbone some relief. After playing a few hours of Dr. Mario, my right arm feels like it wants to fall off. Lying in bed at night is when I feel all of the pain everywhere at one time. Sometimes I can’t sleep because of pain and turning over is a killer.

What to do?

I don’t take anything for pain during the day. My aches and pains are bearable, and because I sit in an office chair at my desk, I can lean forward a bit and stay off of my tailbone. However, every night before bed, I take four ibuprofen. Without them, it’s nearly impossible to sleep.

An article on pain caught my eye last year. It extolled the benefits of curcumin, which is the major component of the spice tumeric. Curcumin is supposed to have anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and antioxidant properties. I didn’t really care about anything but the pain claims.

I read quite a bit of information about curcumin before I ordered a bottle. It was being touted as a miracle cure for all manner of ailments, and I’m sure some of it was hype, but if it could give me any relief from pain, I was in.

At first, I took it as recommended, but gradually upped my pills to take two in the morning and two at night – four grams per day. I had no side effects whatsoever.

One night it dawned on me that I hadn’t taken any ibuprofen for a few days. I hadn’t been having any pain that would send me to the IB bottle, and I was sleeping through the night. I realized my pain level had gone down dramatically. By month’s end, my arm wasn’t bothering me, and I was comfortable in bed at night. Riding the motorcycle this past summer was much easier, and I could ride for an hour before wanting to take a short break.

The Longaberger Basket building. An hour and fifteen minutes from our home, and we made the trip down without stopping for my back.

The day-to-day pain associated with my arms and back was completely gone!

I thought about this today, because in my complacency, I haven’t ordered any curcumin for several months, and I’ve become a miserable wreck with pain again. After I took four ibuprofen last night before bed, I knew I needed to order another bottle, and I did that first thing this morning.

For me, it works for pain, and it works great.

If you’re curious, I take Doctor’s Best Curcumin C3 Complex with Bioperine (1000 mg tablets). I order it from Amazon. I am not a paid or unpaid spokesperson.

Disclaimer: If you take blood thinners, this isn’t for you. As with any supplement, check with your doctor before taking.

Have any of you tried curcumin for pain? What do you take for pain?

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my one year anniversary of becoming a writer. On February 8, 2012, at 11:00 p.m., I used Microsoft Word for the first time in my life and decided to write a story. Susan Hunter and M&M’s showed up.

To this day, I still wonder where all of this came from. I had no burning desire to write a book, and I wasn’t even reading very much at the time. I’m sure I was quite bored – in addition to having the winter blues. I suppose most of it came from Rich giving me a Nook Tablet for Christmas. It opened my eyes to the number of indie works out there, and I simply thought, “I’ll give it a go, too.”

And go I did.

Five books in one year. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around this. Maple Leaf Hunter is the sixth book, and the story is underway. I think I have a solid first line this time:

The hot, sweaty man lying on top of me was dead.

Pretty good, eh? (Eh? I’m already practicing my Canadian for the book.) Here’s the rough draft of the first paragraph:

The hot, sweaty man lying on top of me was dead. At least I think he was dead. He didn’t appear to be breathing, while I, on the other hand, was gasping for air from his dead weight on my chest.

We’re off to a good start! And no, for all you pervy types, this isn’t something tawdry. Susan is with Samantha at the food court in the mall.

I’m having fun writing again. I keep reading that we should write to entertain ourselves, and I have that down pat. Already events are taking unexpected twists, and I can’t wait to start writing every day to see what’s going to happen next.

I want to do more marketing this year. With six books in the series, I think I’ll be able to find more creative ways to get Susan Hunter out there than I have in the past. Before I go gung-ho though … please control the shocked look on your face when I tell you …  I’m messing with covers again.

I know!!

We’re supposed to leave the covers alone, but I can’t. Not yet. As much I love the cover of Sunshine Hunter, I’m taking Susan’s racquet and gym clothes away from her, and putting her in a sundress. She’ll be walking barefoot on the beach with shoes in hand. I think the look will be more cohesive with the other covers, and it won’t impart such a strong sports theme, which is not the main theme of the book in the first place.

The cover for Big Apple Hunter is then going to be polished and given a more realistic, detailed skyline in the background. I’m one hundred percent happy with the remaining covers. Once the covers are completed and distributed to all sales outlets, I’m going to do my best to try some different avenues for marketing. I’ll keep you posted.

 

But for now, champagne for everyone!

Reclaiming My Life

My mother has been under the weather quite a bit lately, and I spent a chunk of the day on Saturday helping/visiting with her. When I came home, I was simply too tired to read blogs.

On Sunday, I spent most of the day in the den with Rich. I ignored him for the most part as I finished reading Gordon Kessler’s Knight’s Big Easy. I’m liking my new Kindle Paperwhite quite a bit and appreciate that it is four ounces lighter than my Nook Tablet. That lousy quarter of a pound on the Nook definitely starts to feel heavy after a few hours.

Monday morning, I slipped out to grab a new notebook. Blogs were calling to me, but I refused to allow myself to be sucked into the blogosphere. I started filling my new notebook with ideas and information for Maple Leaf Hunter. This book will take place three years after Windy City Hunter, so there are some big changes. I had to double check the ages and hair color of everyone in the book, and when I wasn’t looking, some of the characters changed their residence. Mick’s son, Alex, will, for the first time, play a prominent role, and Nate will be back. There are no ghosts to torment Nate in this book, but I think the Sasquatch could have a bit of fun with him.

It truly is enjoyable to write lighthearted fare, and I found myself smiling quite a bit as I worked on my notes.

The next thing I want to do is set a loose schedule for my day. There have been days when I started my day by reading blogs, and I kept reading all day long! It’s hard to tear yourself away when everyone you enjoy has a new post up on the same day. And just when you think you’re caught up, your WP Reader informs you there are nineteen new posts. Crikey! The entire blogging experience – reading, writing, commenting – was nearing full-time job status for me.

I’m going to work with blocks of time. I know I would never adhere to a strict schedule, but I can work with blocks of time. Two hours at a time to mess with blogs. Three to four hours to write. An hour at a time to do whatever needs done around the house. I want to take the time to start cooking again. We are not doing the Chinese/fast food thing this year just because I want to write and blog. Instead of reading blogs late into the night, I want to read books.

Finally, I think Rich would appreciate it if I would start carrying my weight around here and get back to my work-from-home business.

So, I’m reclaiming my life and am going to attempt to find a balance. I still intend to read all the blogs I am currently following, but I may not see or be able to read every post. I’ll probably leave more likes than I used to – as opposed to like then comment on every blog, but if I leave a like somewhere, I will have definitely read the post.

I intend to do a some catching up with blogs today, but I’m going to start writing tomorrow. I am really, really tempted to start my new book with dialogue. I have my own drum, you know.

Susan Hunter and Pearson Sharp

Hockey is on again. Rich is a big hockey fan, and I recently asked him what type of symbol or nickname is synonymous with Canada. His first response was “the maple leaf.” Duh. Of course.

Maple Leaf Hunter

The cover will most likely have a wilderness setting – complete with moose, bear, and/or beaver – and the Canadian flag with maple leaf will have prominence. I’m ready to start writing this sixth book in the series, but something is holding me back.

I think it’s loose ends. I want to have most of my research completed before I start writing, but before I do that, I want my office to be organized. It’s hard to write with clutter around me, and how did this big room get so messy anyway? I also want to have the sugar monster tamed, because I am not eating four pounds of M&M’s this go-round. I blame NaNoWriMo for driving me to that with the last book.

Maple Leaf Hunter is likely to be the last Susan Hunter book, and I can’t help but wonder what I will do after that. It might not be writing. Maybe I’m hesitant to start writing, because it will signal the end. I suppose I will have all of my answers soon enough.

~~~~~

Pearson Sharp. Isn’t that a great name! It’s the perfect name for a main character in a book, but it’s already taken. Pearson Sharp is a WordPress blogger. He’s writing a novel, and he shares his experiences and thoughts as he hones his craft. He quotes Hemingway and Frank Herbert on his blog.

I once quoted Tim Allen as Commander Jason Nesmith in Galaxy Quest.

Pearson and I talked recently about the possibility of him writing something for my blog, and in return, I would write something for his. However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that he is too mature and cerebral for the pink nonsense that goes on here, and I truly doubted that I had anything to add to his exceptional and more serious blog.

However, I wanted to mention him today, because many of my followers are writers, and I know you will enjoy Pearson’s posts. He’s very welcoming. When you visit his blog, don’t leave until you read his poem, A River Fay. You may want to listen to “My Jolly Sailor Bold” as you read. Pearson recommends the song, and it’s perfect.

(He could play the part of Mick in the movie version of my Susan Hunter books. Too bad he is not an actor.)

Hop on over to Pearson’s blog and say hello. Be sure to follow if you’re interested in his excellent posts as he writes his novel.

Computer? eReader? Hardcover Book?

 

I’ve set my reading goals for 2013.

This year, I’m going to try to read more WordPress authors. I presently have twenty-four books on my computer that have been written by WP bloggers. I haven’t read sixteen of them.

Do you fine folks know that I have a Nook Tablet? I’m not the only one. Over five million Nooks have been sold now. I get pretty frustrated with the fact that many titles are only available through Amazon and their Kindle. Even after some authors go through a 90-day exclusivity with Amazon, their books are only at Barnes & Noble via paperback or hardcover – or not at all. My Susan Hunter books are only in eBook format, but they are everywhere, and twenty-five percent of my sales are occurring outside of Amazon. I’m just sayin’.

Not one to be thwarted, I downloaded Kindle for PC, so I could read Kindle books on my computer. In all fairness to Carrie Rubin, it became such a habit to run to Amazon to purchase WP-authored books, I forgot to look at Barnes & Noble first when buying The Seneca Scourge, and it was available for the Nook.

I can read blogs all day long. Truly. But reading blogs is interactive. Read, comment, follow links, watch videos, etc.  Reading a book on the computer is not conducive to my personality, and I find it more difficult to “get lost in a book” on the computer.

When I read Tim Dittmer’s The Valley Walker on my computer, I felt terrible that it took me a couple of months to read it. His book is unique in that it has 93 short chapters, and I admit to reading only a few at a time before my hyper personality would send me somewhere else. His book is no longer exclusive to Amazon and is now available for Nook, too.

I just finished Valerie Clarizio’s Cookies for Santa this weekend. I started it at Christmas, and what should have taken me a day or two took a month. The delay in reading was mostly because I was reading it on my computer (where the blogs live and clamor for attention).

You may be wondering by now how I’m going to read sixteen books this year if it takes me so long to read just one. Well, my new Kindle Paperwhite (no ads, thank you) has been ordered and will be here this coming Friday, that’s how. And I’m excited!

What am I going to read first? I’m going to finish two books I started far too long ago. The first is Gordon Kessler’s Knight’s Big Easy. I was enjoying this book, but for some reason, I stopped reading on the computer and never went back to it. The same with Anne Mitchell’s Happy Hour.

Saturday night, I sat down in the easy chair in Rich’s den, threw a blanket over my lap, and started reading Janet Evanovich’s most recent book, Notorious Nineteen. A hardcover book with a dustjacket, a new book smell, and pages to turn … it was heaven!

I LOVE HARDCOVER BOOKS.

Reading in the easy chair, or even in bed, with an eReader is just fine, and that is what I’ll be doing for most of my reading this year. I’ll be ecstatic to say good-bye to Kindle for PC, and I’ll grab a hardcover book to read when I need a “real book” fix every now and then.

What about you? Any thoughts on who or what you will be reading this year? How many formats do you use for reading? If you read on your computer, does it bother you as much as it bothers me?

Miracles and Clean Underwear

We had a lovely awards ceremony here at the end of the year, and a good time was had by all.

At that time, I skipped answering the questions for the awards and threatened promised to answer them in a later post. That later post is today.

I’ll start with the standard “seven things” about me, but I’ll share seven things I’ve never done before:
1. I’ve never broken a bone.
2. I’ve never snow skied.
3. I’ve never traveled overseas.
4. I’ve never bungee jumped.
5. I’ve never acted in a play.
6. I’ve never eaten sushi.
7. I’ve never used power tools.

~~~~~

Here are seven more to go with the other awards. There are life lessons included:

1) I met my husband on a blind date. At the end of the evening, I told him I didn’t want to see him again. The next day, he told his friends at work that he had met his future wife the night before. Don’t automatically count out the blinding white, cute, blonde guy because he wore white shoes and a white tie.

2) With influentially bad friends, I sneaked into Everglades National Park at midnight, walked out onto a boardwalk, and threw pennies at the alligators.  I found out later we were lucky we weren’t eaten by them. Don’t let your friends try to lead you to your death.

3) I lost control of a car on an icy bridge once. Thankfully, I was in the third lane and the car went left onto the berm instead of right and under the semi next to me. Don’t brake on an icy bridge – even if you don’t know it’s icy.

4) I currently drive a navy blue Ford F150 truck. I never thought I would enjoy driving a truck so much.  Don’t tell your husband “no” when he wants you to drive a truck.

5) I locked myself out of my truck once with only a t-shirt and thin jacket on (and pants for all you wisenheimers). It was during a brutal winter storm, and I had to wait an hour for the tow truck. Don’t wear lightweight clothing in winter, even if you think you are going to be warm in your vehicle.

6) I once lost control of my car (yes, I know!) and ended up in a snow bank very late at night. I walked two miles home in the snow. My neighbor was a State Highway Patrolman, and I knocked at his door for help. He had the car towed home for me. My brothers saw my tracks in the snow the next day and laughed their butts off. They refused to believe it was me and not some drunk. Don’t drive in bad snow conditions late at night when you’re tired.

7) I once made a grand entrance into a company Christmas party. I was the last person to arrive, and I had to walk down a long staircase into the room. I used my best staircase walk to try to be elegant as I made my way down. My heel caught in the back of my dress and I pitched down several steps on my knees before I could catch myself. When you fall down in front of 300 people, just remember, they can’t help it that they laugh; it’s instinctive.

~~~~~

Moving on to the Super Sweet Blog Award, here are my answers. (I was awarded this again last week by Card Castles in the Sky; thank you so much!)
Cookies or Cake?  Cake
Chocolate or Vanilla?  What is this thing you call vanilla?
What is your favorite sweet treat? Chocolate brownies – hold the nuts.
When do you crave sweet things the most?  Evenings
If you had a sweet nickname what would it be? Sweetie Pie

~~~~~

The Liebster Award was recently awarded to me by Card Castles in the Sky; thank you again! I have questions to answer from Malinka of Malinka’s Studio, and also from Jackie at Change Is Good…..Right???  This would be a lot of questions, so I’ve narrowed it down to several from each list:

What is the exact time and date that you were born?  I was born at 8:00 p.m. on April 20.

What do you believe in?  I believe in miracles and clean underwear.

If someone would write a book upon your life, it would be named?  Sunshine Hunter

Tell us a dear childhood memory that you still cherish.  Playing kick-the-can late at night with siblings, neighbors, and my aunt.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?  Starbuck’s Java Chip

If you could meet anyone in the whole of time and space, who would it be?  I know most people would be philosophical here, but I want to meet Frank Sinatra. I’d tell Frank that I think we would have had a good time cruising around Las Vegas together, and please sing “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” to me.

Why did chicken cross the street? Because Susan Hunter was over there with chicken feed. 🙂

What got you into blogging? I wanted to chronicle the writing of my books.

When you aren’t blogging what do you do? I don’t remember what I used to do in my spare time. 

What’s your greatest vice? Playing the lottery.

What was your favorite moment of 2012?  Seeing my first book published on Amazon.

Your next dream travel destination?  The grocery store. Our refrigerator is empty.

A few simple things you love in life?  Listening to sappy, romantic music. Standing outside late at night and listening to the quiet.

What musical instrument have you tried to learn to play? I tried to teach myself to play piano. My left hand refused to cooperate.

Do you like shopping? I like grocery shopping. I hate shopping for clothes. I really, really, hate having to slog through a Gander Mountain or some other manly store.

A wish for this year? To win the blasted lottery! (and world peace)

Phew! But you probably already knew all of these things.

~~~~~

To tie up some loose ends, I want to thank Pam Tanzey for giving me my sixth Blog of the Year 2012 star to fill my card. Thank you, Pam! I also received a bonus star this week from Jae at Scatterbrain. Thank you, Jae!

~~~~~

Click the award for the rules for this award.

I also want to acknowledge Piper George at Talk About Cheesecake and Chelsea Brown at The Jenny Mac Book Blog for recent nominations for The Versatile Blogger Award. I nominate these versatile folks for this award:

Amber at The Smile Scavenger
Pauline at Gypsy Life
Julie Browning – The Cheeky Diva
Connie at The Sunny Side
Brooke at Wrecking Routine

~~~~~

Click the award for the rules for the award.

Passing on the Super Sweet Blog Award, I choose these super sweet people:

Paula at stuff i tell my sister
Becca at 25ToFly
Kenny
Dianne – Dianne Gray author
Janice a.k.a Café at Your Daily Dose
Carolyn at ABC of Spirit Talk

~~~~~

Click on the award for the rules for this award.

For The Liebster Award, I choose these dear people:

Brother Jon
So I Went Undercover
The Hook
Crazy Train to Tinky Town
Browsing the Atlas
Lovin the Trip

I hope you will check out some of the people who are linked. As I add and subtract people from my follow list, these fine folks are here to stay.

Meatmobile I and Meatmobile II

This is Meatmobile II. It’s supposed to be in the garage, but Rich parked it on the street last night, so it’s the first thing I saw today when I opened the back door.

This is the kitchen table. As I came back through the door, it was the first thing I saw.

The connection between these two objects is one word: GENEROSITY

Rich’s parents haven’t been with us for several years now, and not a day goes by that they aren’t thought of in some way. They were two of the most generous people I have ever known. Mom would give you the coat off of her back if you needed it, and dad would probably give you everything down to his underwear, and maybe even that if you truly needed it.

Our house was a lot of space to fill when we were first married. Over the years, Rich’s mom and dad helped us fill the empty spaces. They gave us their sofa, coffee table, and end tables when they purchased new. A refrigerator, an upright freezer, dressers, and book shelves came our way – even a furnace when they bought a new one.

We had a scary, behemoth of a furnace in the basement, and it was very cool having a “spare furnace” on hand when it finally died.

They gave us a beautiful, pecan wood dining table with matching chairs. We used it for many years, but we gave it away to a family of ten when Dad gave us the smaller kitchen table and chairs you see in the picture.

Vehicles were another story. After Mom passed, Dad eventually dated another woman and spent several years with her. When our son needed a car, Dad bought this woman’s car and gave it to our son. It always had a faint smell of meat. I don’t know what kind of meat. It was as though an old salami had gone under the back seat to die at some time. I nicknamed the car the Meatmobile, and it stuck.

After Dad passed, he left his car to us. It’s the car in the picture above. I don’t know if it came to us with a missing hubcap or if Rich lost it somewhere along the way. It vaguely smelled like meat, too, and I can’t help but wonder what perfume Dad’s friend wore, or if she made it herself from essence of salami. I deemed the car Meatmobile II.

My mother used to love going on one day bus trips. It had been quite a while since she had been on one, so Rich and I made up a flyer for Meatmobile Tours, and we planned our own day trip using Meat Mobile II. It was a Saturday in December a few years ago, and we took my mother to the A Christmas Story House in Cleveland, followed by a late lunch at a café/pub in Peninsula. We shopped at several of the town’s small shops, and finished our day trip at Blossom Music Center for their drive-thru Christmas light display. It was a fantastic day.

I haven’t participated in the WordPress Daily Challenges for a while, but when I saw this one, I knew I wanted to tell this story. Mom and Dad were wonderful people, and their generosity knew no bounds.

Before I close, I want to share one more story of generosity that happened just a few hours ago. Rita Kay at Teaching David to Cook gives helpful cooking and gardening tips on her blog. She has been reading my books, and she delights me so much as she finishes one and tells me how much she enjoyed the story. She has generously taken time from her usual blogging topics to devote a post to my books and my blog. I am truly honored, and I’m still smiling. If you would drop by her blog, read what she wrote, and leave a like, I would be appreciative, and I’m sure she would, too. Please consider following Rita Kay while you are there. She is one of the kindest people I have met since blogging, she is generous, and her comments always make me smile.

Leave a comment before you go! Share a generosity story of your own – or a meatmobile story.

(WordPress Daily Prompt: Take Two – Run outside. Take a picture of the first thing you see. Run inside. Take a picture of the second thing you see. Write about the connection between these two random objects, people, or scenes.)

Comments, Embarrassment, and Free Books

I’ve been blogging for seven months now, and on most days, it no longer freaks me out. I’m more comfortable with people coming to my blog, and I’m more comfortable visiting blogs.

When I was Freshly Pressed in October, I only mentioned it as an afterthought about a week later. It was a fun post (Stairway to Heaven), but I tried to fly under the radar with it. I love how my friends have celebrated and enjoyed their Freshly Pressed fame, but my heart sank when I received the notification email. I wasn’t ready for that many people to see my blog.

The notice and the link on the Freshly Pressed site came on the same day – the day my new post was titled Blogging Freaks Me Out (Part Three). Being Freshly Pressed was overwhelming and time consuming, but it ended up being a good experience, and I made some pretty great new friends because of it – but I still hyperventilated through the entire thing.

Now that blogging in itself is more comfortable, I have certainly been getting around and leaving comments and unintentional typos all over the place.

Some of my comments are pithy; a couple have been mini-blog posts of their own. I’ve somewhat regretted a few comments I’ve left.

When I find myself being early to a new post, and I have something to say, I don’t want to be the first person to leave a comment for fear of looking too eager, yet when I put a new post up, I hold my breath and worry that it’s a dud until someone pushes the like button and leaves a comment.

When someone replies to my comment on their blog, and then they finish with “thanks for stopping by” or “have a good day,” is that a dismissal? Were they done with me, and I shouldn’t say anything more? It feels like it, but I do this on my own blog all the time! I thank a lot of people for stopping by, but I don’t mean for them to leave. They can stay and chat if they want.

I’ve read a few articles giving advice on commenting. One said you should visit only three blogs per day for commenting. Read more blogs, but only leave comments on three. It has something to do with saturating the blogosphere with your voice. A couple of things come to mind:– Hello! Susan Hunter and Maddie Cochere. I’m definitely trying to saturate the blogosphere with a couple of names.
– I’m following 183 blogs at the present time, and if they all post something interesting on the same day, I want to comment on all of them. I hate it when I fall behind like I have lately (because of taxes!).

I’ve been telling myself that I don’t have to comment on everything. I’ve typed out comments, and just before hitting the post button, I tell myself that this person isn’t really interested in what I have to say, and I delete.  

I forget to leave a like at times. I want to push the like button to help with stats, so I try not to forget. But then, it becomes a habit, and when someone posts about an illness in their family, I sometimes accidentally push the like button. Arrgh!

I’ve read where some people delete “simple” comments. One man deletes all one-liners. If all you are going to say is, “I really like your thoughts on this, Johnny,” he’s going to delete your comment. That’s ok; it’s his blog and his rules. Sometimes, I just want to tell someone that even though I have nothing to add, I really like what they wrote. I know that’s what the like button is for, but sometimes I want to say it.

Have you ever followed and commented on someone’s brand new blog only to have them never post again, and you feel like you scared them away?

Have you ever had someone respond to every comment on their post but yours?

Have you ever been lead down the wrong path when someone invited you to a “really fun” pity party, so you go there and leave a stupid humorous comment about your childhood only to find out it was a serious party, and you are an idiot?

Have you ever read blogs in the middle of the night, when you’re kind of punchy, and some of your comments are just too silly, but you can’t make yourself stop?

Have you ever proofread your comment, deemed it just fine, and then saw the typo wave at you the second you pushed the post reply button? I’ve even quickly closed a browser to stop it, but once that button is pushed, the typo refuses to die.

I like it when there are a lot of comments on a post. My comment will likely be at the bottom of the page, so if I say something goofy, it’s buried down there. Then I hit the post reply button and it sails to the top of the comments.

Your turn! Leave a comment! Tell me some of your fun (or not so fun) experiences when leaving comments.

I feel like giving away more books. I’ll choose five people from the comments section to receive a Susan Hunter book – winner’s choice, and the winners will be chosen next week.

Drink Up!

There is always a glass of something to drink at my desk.

I usually work or write late into the night. On hot summer nights, a Tanqueray and Tonic is refreshing, while cold winter nights lend themselves to Drambuie over cracked ice. Bloody Marys work any time. However, most of the time, I don’t think about an alcoholic drink, and I’m in the refrigerator grabbing another Coke.

What I drink has become a problem this past year, and although I’m not a resolution maker, this is one area where I intend to make some big changes.

Not too long ago, I saw a post about writers and their drinking habits. After reading several online articles, I was left with the impression that writers have a reputation for imbibing. Some say alcohol lubes and liberates the mind for writing. Others say it breaks down inhibitions which enhances creativity. My one little drink every now and then neither adds nor detracts from my writing.

Then there are the caffeine drinkers. Some of these writers say caffeine helps them meet deadlines and that it extends times of productivity

I don’t need to drink anything to be able to write, but I do think having something to drink while writing is a crutch for me (much like grazing on M&M’s).

That brings me to The Coffee Quiz. This is a new quiz brainstormed by BTW – Ben Trube, Writer.  Paula Acton tagged me to answer the questions, and I think my answers will clearly show my drinking problem.

The Coffee Quiz!

1) How many cups of coffee per day? 
None. I’m not a coffee drinker. At least that’s what I tell people; otherwise, I suppose I have one cup a day.

2) What is your favorite caffeine delivery system?
Starbucks Frappuccino
Homemade frappuccino
Gas station cappuccino
Coca Cola
(in that order)

3) What was your best cup of coffee?
The one that I made/make myself.  About 6 oz. of cold coffee go into a tall glass, followed by too much sugar or sweetener, a squirt of chocolate syrup, followed by 2% milk to fill the glass. Throw in ice cubes, and it almost like having the Starbuck’s Frappuccino. … What? That’s not a cup of coffee?

4) What was your worst cup of coffee?
Every sip of coffee I ever took from a cup of coffee was the worst.

5) What does your favorite mug say?
My favorite mug is a large Sakura mug with a flag on it. I bought it at a garage sale for fifty cents, and even though I chipped it, I refuse to give it up because it holds two packages of hot cocoa at a time. I make it on cold mornings, and I put a teaspoon of instant coffee crystals in with the cocoa – and some caramel creamer. It sits on my desk for several hours, and I just keep drinking it even after it’s cold.  Oh, the mug I do have with a saying on it reads, “Friends of Main Library.” Yep, that’s me – one of the friends.

6) How do you take your coffee?
With all of the crap listed in #3.

7) When was your first cup?
I don’t have a clue. I may have sipped Mom or Dad’s coffee at one time and declared it the most vile liquid ever. Every time I’ve tried it since, my opinion has never changed. But I do love the smell of freshly brewed coffee.

8) Have you ever gone on a coffee date?
No. Boo-hoo. No one ever asked me out on a coffee date. Not that I would have wanted to go.

So, you can see … I have a real problem with the junk I am drinking at my desk all day long. The coffee isn’t the problem; it’s all the sugar I’m dumping into it! And even though I’ll drink Coke Zero for weeks at a time, I really don’t want the chemicals.

My goal this year is to drink more water. I like water with ice. A slice of fresh lemon or lime in it is good, too.

What about you? What do you drink while you write or blog?

To keep Ben’s quiz alive and moving along, I’m tagging a few people to take the coffee quiz. Now, Tim Dittmer, I know you are contrary and don’t do these things, but you are a self-confessed coffee addict, so you may want to consider this one. Tag!

I’ll also nudge these fun bloggers to answer the quiz: Zen Scribbles, Carrie Rubin, Marcus Matherne, Piper George, Jackie Roeder, Dallas (that Crazy Train to Tinky Town), and my buddy Mike Akin.

Title for My Next Book?

New Year’s Eve was quiet this year. Rich was recovering from a nasty bug, so we didn’t visit with friends or family. We played some Dr. Mario, and I kicked him to the curb as I won nearly every game. I realize I should have gone easy on him as he wasn’t at his best, but my competitive nature wouldn’t allow it, and I gloated and taunted him, and I let him know definitively that I was the champion of 2012!

With all of that winning adrenaline coursing through my veins, I sat down at my desk and gave some thought to the next Susan Hunter book. I was surprised at how many ideas came to mind, so I started mapping out scenes.

With 26 seconds remaining until the ball dropped in Times Square, I dashed over to the den, stood behind Rich’s chair, and kissed him on the top of his head at midnight. I love him, but I didn’t want his germs. I told him I would see him later, and dashed back to my desk. Aren’t I romantic?

At 2:30 a.m., I had my notes finished, and I realized I could start writing the book. I had most of the pieces.

I promise I won’t torture you by babbling about this book all the time, but I need some help. The titles of the books have all had a theme. Sushine Hunter referenced the nickname of the state of Florida; all of the other titles had city nicknames.

This book will start in fictional Carbide City, Ohio, move to Niagara Falls, then to Toronto, farther north to a hunting/fishing lodge, and finally back to Niagara Falls.

I don’t have a title. There are no nicknames that work for Niagara Falls or Toronto. I don’t think I like Niagara Falls Hunter – or Niagara Hunter, or Falls Hunter, or Falling Hunter. Sheesh.

There may be treasure in this book. Treasure Hunter Hunter. Oh, yeah, that’s good. /sarcasm

Oooh! I think there will be a Bigfoot in this book. Bigfoot Hunter. Sasquatch Hunter. Cue the Fonzie music.

There may be a rare coin(s), mules (like drug mules, but no drugs), muskie, sturgeon, bear, and frogs.

Susan will be meeting with an editor in Toronto to publish a children’s picture book entitled, Stuck in the Bushes.

I think that’s all I have to share at this time. Any ideas for a title?

Disclaimer: If you offer an idea that I like and decide to use, by offering it, you agree there will be no payment to you other than a free book when it is finished. If you offer an idea, and it doesn’t quite do it for me, please don’t be offended. Silliness is always appreciated here, but no vulgarity please. Also, remember that Zombie Hunter, Rat Hunter, Gorilla Hunter, and Flushing Hunter have all been suggested at other times and rejected. Thanks again for those suggestions, guys.

Stalking Bloggers in 2013

There is quite a voyeuristic quality to blogging. You can look in on the lives of others, and they don’t even know you are there.

Or they do know you’re there, because you push the Like button and/or leave a comment. Sometimes you *really* like a blogger, and you almost gush (or maybe you do gush) as you let them know how much you like them. I’m speaking in strictly platonic terms here.

Sometimes people joke about stalking in the comments section, because it feels like stalking at times – especially when you comment on every blog post of your stalkee, and then comment on your stalkee’s posts on other blogs, too. (Did you follow that?)

I recently upped my game a bit in the stalker department.

Because David Harding has caused me to truly laugh out loud so much, I decided one day to hang around his blog and peek through the windows. I went back and looked in on his very first blog post – April 13, 2012. Friday the 13th. Who starts a blog on a bad luck day? David Harding, that’s who!

After clicking the Like button and leaving a comment, I told him I was going to read all of his blog posts and comment on every one. And I did! It turned out to be a fun romp through the world and mind of David Harding.

My original intent was to read one post per day, but it was too much fun, and I went through all of August in one day. There were only eight posts.

There are poems, book reviews, game reviews, stories, and some crazy stuff that is uniquely David Harding. I saw where one man stopped by and told him he needed help, and it appears the man never went back. He missed so much fun! Who ever heard of Fist Dancing before?

Hanging around David’s blog was like taking a field trip every day. I ran off to read samples of books he recommended, I lost myself in websites of authors he linked to, and I watched YouTube movies and shorts. I bought one of his books and read it!

I was entertained over these early, wintery, cold days as I read his blog. He responded to my comments from his summery Australia while wearing Vegemite shorts.  I certainly know more about him now than I did when I first stopped by his blog in October, and I am happy to call him, friend. 🙂

I already know who I’m going to “stalk” next, but I think I’ll ask permission first, lest she call the Blogger Police for a restraining order against me.

And before you think you might stalk me, don’t bother. My early posts were stiff, dry, and boring. I was trying to be a mature adult, and we all know how hard it is to be someone you’re not. Is there a person who brings a smile to your face the minute you see that they’ve made a new post? That’s the person you should choose to stalk.

So, go forward and stalk!

BUT FIRST!!!!!!

PizzaBoxDrawcember has come to a close. Voting is open on David Harding’s site. Before you dash over there and VOTE, leave a comment, and let me know if you have ever gone back through a blogger’s archives and left comments on all posts before, and If so, how did it go? Will you stalk anyone in 2013?

Good-bye PizzaBoxDrawcember

New Year’s Resolution #1 – Quit asking pizza workers to draw pictures of gorillas throwing dice.

New Year’s Resolution #2 – Quit eating pizza for at least three months.

I need the next three months to work off the amount of pizza I’ve eaten in December alone. Getting that first picture under the pizza box lid was like being on crack (not that I’ve ever been on crack), but I needed more, more, more!

The second time we ordered pizza and requested a drawing, Rich used a Pizza Hut app to order. The request was ignored. The pizza didn’t taste quite as good as one with a gorilla drawing in it.

The third time, he asked for a drawing over the phone, and there must have been an artist on staff at this pizza shop, because we got a killer gorilla with dice! Eat your heart out over this gorilla, David Harding!

(Cue heavenly music as you view the drawing.)Three days before Christmas, I drove up north to meet our son and do a little Christmas shopping with him. We stopped at a pizza shop next door to his apartment building to place an order for delivery before heading back to his apartment. There was a young girl behind the register. I told her I wanted double cheese, pepperoni, and jalapenos. She asked, “Those are green peppers, right?” I told her they were green, but not “green peppers.” No green peppers for me! I wanted hot jalapeno peppers. Once she had our order in the system, I asked her to have someone draw a gorilla throwing dice under the lid. After I repeated the request a few times, and she fully understood what I was asking, she smiled and said, “Ok.” Our son gave her $5.00 and said half was for the delivery guy and to give the other half to whoever draws the gorilla. As we were walking out the door, I heard her ask, “Jim, what’s half of $5.00?”

It’s no wonder this is what was in our pizza box: If you look closely, you’ll see yellow banana peppers and not jalapenos. We still thought it tasted awesome, but what a freaky little dinosaur with tiny little hands that couldn’t even hold the dice if he tried. Hahahahaha!

Here is our last pizza of the year. This was when we knew we had a problem and needed to stop. Don’t feel sorry for us. We learned our lesson. We won’t let David Harding lead us down the primrose pizza path again. What about you? Did you get pulled in by the seductive lure of PizzaBoxDrawcember? Will you next year?

Overture, Curtains, Lights!

This is it, the night of nights
No more rehearsing and nursing a part
We know every part by heart
Overture, curtains, lights
This is it, you’ll hit the heights
And oh what heights we’ll hit
On with the show this is it

It’s that time again. Time to acknowledge some really great bloggers who have passed out awards, and time to pass out some awards from here as well.

I’ve come to appreciate the awards. I’m honored when someone has thought enough of me and/or my silly blog to send an award my way, and I like how the awards give us an opportunity to point others in the direction of bloggers we enjoy and think others would, too.

We may run over time with today’s awards, so I’m going to list the award winners first. They are more important than any babbling I may do, so here we go …

Click the award for the rules for this award.

On September 13, recently published author Tessa Sheppard honored me with the Reader Appreciation Award. I am passing this award on to three good men who you might appreciate reading:
vinnylanni – Live the Dream. He’s a dreamer, he still watches cartoons, and I like his outlook.
Simplicity Lane – Steven writes some beautiful pieces and poetry. I like his “building blocks.”
tincantheory – I love Jerron Tables. He writes things that I can’t make heads or tails of, and then he writes something that has me tapping my toes. I find him hugely entertaining (even though he can be quite serious at times), and he has the best tags out there.

 ~~~~~

Click the award for the rules for this award.

On September 28, Zen of Zen Scribbles awarded to me the Super Sweet Blog Award. I choose these super sweet women to accept this award. They have wonderful blogs, and I think of each of them as friends:
Dianne Gray author
Michelle Proulx Official
retiredruth Life in the 50’s and beyond
stuff i tell my sister
Maggie Myklebust

~~~~~

Click the award for the rules for this award

The One Lovely Blog Award came to me from Chelsea Brown of The Jenny Mac Book Blog on September 14. I nominate these lovely ladies – and two lovely critters – for this award:
Valerie Clarizio – I’m reading her lovely book right now. It’s really good!
Tales of a Charm City Chick – La La is lovely and fun. I enjoy her sense of humor.
Scatterbrain – I enjoy reading about Jae’s lovely life and family.
Seriously Seeking Grannies – Mary is a favorite blogger of mine. She has a lovely spirit, and I enjoy reading her musings.
Teaching David to Cook – Rita Kay is as lovely as they come. She is sweet, full of life, and I always enjoy a visit with her.
Deep in the Heart of Textiles – Textile Ranger has wonderful, lovely photos of textiles treasures. I always enjoy a visit to her blog.
Spineless Wonders – Cyrus and Willy. A snail and a worm. They are lovely together. You just have to go see.

 ~~~~~

Click the award for the rules for the award.

The Liebster Blog Award came twice. Once from Malinka of Malinka’s Studio on October 9, and one from Jackie at Change Is Good…..Right??? This award comes with questions to be answered, and I choose these two authors for this award:
Keri Peardon
That Girl Who Reads Books

 ~~~~~

Click the award for the rules for the award.

Three Very Inspiring Blogger Award(s) came my way from Chelsea Brown (11/16), Marie at good morning, joe (12/4), and from Claire at LilyPetal (12/16).  This nice mix of bloggers will inspire you in their own unique way.
Brother Jon
Daniel Koeker
Bo Lumpkin at Gatorhead Comics
Rachelle at A Rich, Full Life in Spite of It
Kris at vikingessa

 ~~~~~

Click the award for the rules for the award.

I was very honored to receive five stars for the Blog of the Year 2012 Award. They came from Maggie, Chelsea, Mary, Carolyn, and Paula. I think these bloggers deserve Blog of the Year 2012 awards:
Tessa Sheppard – One of the hardest working writers I know.
The Cheeky Diva – Julie! Cheeky and fun!
Pam Tanzey, Artist – Her artwork is fantastic, and she even does it for Trader Joe’s.
Before I Forget – Katykins! Kate! Creator of Cyrus and Willy. You never know what you’ll get here, and it’s always fun!
Michelle at Play – Probably one of the nicest people I’ve run across in the blogosphere. She makes great lists, and she has wonderful bits of wisdom to share.
Kat at Travel Garden Eat – Kat is inviting, and her blog is a visual delight in addition to giving us wonderful words to read.

 

The music is playing. They’re telling me to hurry up.

 

Click the award for the rules for the award.

The final award is humbly and graciously accepted. I was amongst a fine group of people chosen to receive the first ever Cheeky Diva Award on October 7. She is so cheeky, she made her own award. What do you have to do to accept the award? In her own words, “Not a damn thing.” I think these fine folks would love a Cheeky Diva Award, too:
Kate at Let’s Get Milkshakes! – If nothing else, read about her fabulous vacation to Fiji.
Marcus at Voices in His Head – You get fabulous humor here.
The Famous David Harding – He’s just fabulous. Period.
Jackie at Change Is Good…..Right??? – She posts fabulous recipes, her fabulous comments are witty, and her writing is fabulous.
john the aussie – There’s always a laugh at his blog, and his Murphy’s Road Rules posts are fabulous!

~~~~~

I simply cannot make this post any longer. I will do a separate post with answers to questions and some fascinating to me, boring to you, tidbits about me to go along with these awards.

Please do check out some of these fine blogs. There is something for everyone here, and it took a couple of hours to assemble all of the links, so please click some or all!

Finally, I wish I had my own award to give. I’m not quite as cheeky as Julie, but if I did have my own award, I would give one to everyone who follows me, and one to everyone I follow. I’ve only been blogging for seven months, and it has been a great experience. It’s been wonderful getting to know so many nice people.

If you stop by and see your award, please let me know. I’m afraid it will take days for me to notify everyone.  If you haven’t clicked on the award for your rules, click here for all of the award rules.

There’s A Bloody Mary at the End of the Mayan Calendar

My new book is published! I’m celebrating with a Bloody Mary that has been spiced up with jalapeno dust.

This is the book I wrote in November for National Novel Writing Month. Start to finish, November 3 to December 21, and I squeaked in under the end-of-the-world deadline. I hit the publish button at Smashwords at 8:00 p.m. and at Amazon at 9:27 p.m.

Windy City Hunter is live at Smashwords, and will go live at Amazon, hopefully, by morning. It will be at Barnes & Noble and other outlets as Smashwords distributes and retailers update their inventory.

I want to share some fun things with you about the book:

– One of my favorite bloggers is a genuinely nice guy with a great sense of humor – Christopher De Voss. His blog posts, and his one-liners in blog comments, tickle my funny bone. Chris is a poker player and a zombie expert, and he recently had a story published in Undead Uncensored, an anthology from the Zombie Survival Crew.

I asked him for permission to use his name for a cameo appearance in my book under the name of Chris/Christopher De Floss. He was a peach to say yes, and he promised not to sue me. After the initial scene with Chris in chapter three, he’s mentioned six more times throughout the book, and that includes prominence in the ending. It’s pretty cool, and if you don’t think you want to wade through all of the Susan Hunter books, read this one. It stands alone just fine, and I think it will even entertain the guys.

– Glenno at Erehwon, a.k.a Arnold the Armadillo, enjoys photography. I took a fancy to one of his photos, and he sent the original to me. Rich printed it, framed it, and it now hangs above my desk. I described this photo and one other (b/w with red door) as paintings in the book. They are now hanging in a fictitious art gallery on Rush Street in Chicago.

– At the last minute (truly, just a couple of hours ago), I made two small changes in the book as shout-outs to David Harding. I won’t say what they are at this time, but will wait for him to read and see if he finds them. Don’t shake your head like that. He will read the book.

I want to thank all of you, my blogging friends, who have been helpful, encouraging, and supportive while I was writing this year. It’s truly appreciated. I still can’t believe I started writing and actually published these books; it’s quite surreal. I say it all the time, because it is true: my books aren’t perfect, but they are entertaining.

Also, I do apologize for not visiting your blogs this past week. Editing has been a priority for quite a while now. I promise to be by soon to catch up with all of you. I know I missed some great posts as I watched them scroll by in my reader.

It will likely be a while before I write the next Susan Hunter book, so I want to do a little babbling about the books in general.

I like the way they have progressed. Susan manages a weight loss center by day and works and plays at a racquetball club in the evenings and on weekends. I tried to mix up the locations, characters, and stories between the books.

Sunshine Hunter – The story starts in a racquetball club in Carbide City, Ohio. The book basically starts out as chick-lit. Susan and her best friend, Darby, go to Florida, and this is where the mystery starts. There is a bit of romance, humor, and some action. The ending is back home in Carbide City at the racquetball club.

 

Big Apple Hunter – The pace is slower in this book. It starts as chick-lit with the setting in the weight loss center this time. There are some flashbacks in this story. I didn’t know you shouldn’t do that, but I’m a rookie author, and I’m sticking with it. Susan accompanies Darby to New York City for a weekend, and this is where the mystery starts. It is then brought back home to Carbide City and the weight loss center for the climax. Once again, there is a bit of humor, some romance, and action.

 

Sin City Hunter – This book moves faster, and I finally had clarity on the use of “which” vs “that” in writing. 🙂 Susan is in Las Vegas for a week of work at the corporate offices of the weight loss company. She flies out a few days early for some fun and relaxation. Her parents join her, and there is a new character introduced. Once again, we have chick-lit, a (murder) mystery, some romance, action, and I think the humor worked well in this book.

 

Big Easy Hunter – The book starts on a racquetball court in Carbide City, and two mysteries are quickly introduced. A character only mentioned before has a main role in this book. Susan, Darby, and the new character go to New Orleans for a wedding, where there is yet another mystery. The book ends back in Carbide City with a big climax. Chick-lit, romance, humor, action – and dogs! I love this book.

 

Windy City Hunter – This is the first book that has no racquetball playing in it, and there aren’t any scenes at the weight loss center. It takes place entirely in Chicago. The tone of this book is different. It’s more “pure mystery” than the others. There is a flicker of romance (hard to have romance when Mick is in England), and some humor. A new character joins the fray near the end.

I don’t know what’s next for Susan. I have an idea for one more book, but even though I feel quite certain number six will be the end, I’m learning to never say never. I also know that I may not have the final say in the matter. I’ve been to Los Angeles, and Susan just might want to go there, too.

Comment! I’m giving away five copies of Windy City Hunter and will draw the winners from the comments section! 🙂

I’ll leave you with this. I didn’t pony up the money to be able to post this little video wherever I want, but clicking the picture will take you to YouTube where you can see a little promo I put together for Windy City Hunter.

Editing Your Own Work

When in the midst of writing a book, I like to go back and read what I’ve already written. I usually do this at the beginning of each writing session. I read the previous chapter or two to set the stage again in my mind, and it allows me to do some early proofreading.

Here are my next steps:

1. Read the book on my computer from chapter one to the end. This is my first full pass, and I’ll usually catch typos and missing words/commas/quotation marks. Sentences are sometimes reworked. Details might be wrong from one part of the book to the next, and I try to fix all of this on the first pass.

2. Wait a day or two and read it again. I still read the book on my computer, but I read out loud this time. I read as if I’m reading for the audio book version. Laugh if you must, but I pay closer attention when I read as if someone is listening. Reading out loud is a good way to find all of the things that sound “clunky” or don’t portray normal speech patterns.

3. Notebook time. I make a list of unnecessary/overused words and the number of times I used them. Here are a few that are troublesome for me in my current project: that (343), just (78), very (101); the list is long. Other words are: fact, quite, truly, try to, shocked, surprised, a lot, really, pretty, put, place, suddenly, took, looked, time, walked, and there are more.

This is the step that takes the longest. I look at every use of each word. Most of the usage is fine in its context, but if I can eliminate or trade out the word, I do. I write with simple words, and if I change a word, it is usually to another simple word. It is during this step that I am most likely to rewrite a sentence.

4. Print a hard copy. When I go back to editing in a few minutes, this is where I am in my current project. The book is printed, and I will now read it as if I had purchased it and am reading for my own enjoyment. Errors, poor sentence structure, and lack of commas seem to jump off the page at this stage.

Sneak peek of my new cover!

When I reach the end of the book, this is when I’m usually surprised and think, “If someone else had written this, and I had bought it, I would have really liked it.” And I think that’s important! I’ve read that we should write to please ourselves, and our work is more likely then to be pleasing to others.

5. Two more copies are printed – this time for my beta readers. Both copies come back fairly quickly with changes, but there usually aren’t too many. I try to leave the book alone while they read, and then I make their corrections on my master – or do some rewriting based on their suggestions.

6.  Time to print one last copy and read the book backwards one page at a time. This way, I don’t get caught up in the story, and I tend to read individual sentences and paragraphs with an eye for anything we may have missed.

It’s almost as good as “maroon.”

When I’m satisfied we’ve done the best we could, and the words aren’t macaronic, my book is ready to publish.

Do you do your own editing? Is your process similar? Am I missing any important steps?

macaronic: muddled or mixed up
A challenge from Zen.

Edited to add reader tips from comments below:

From Book Writing Tips: “If it is possible and you can, after your 1st step which is to read the book in your computer from chapter one to the end, why not leave it for a much longer time like 15 days or a month perhaps? In this way, you get a clear head and you get to read the book as if you’re not the one who wrote it.”

From Dianne Gray: “When you read it on your computer can I suggest you change the font. Enlarge it and change it to something you’re not used to looking at – I find I pick up a lot of mistakes this way.”

Pro Writing Aid

Grammarly

SmartEdit

 

No More Cranky Interviewer

Zen at Zen Scribbles has reviewed my first book, Sunshine Hunter, and graciously interviewed me as well. It’s my first interview by a genuinely nice person.

Hop on over and take a look. There’s chocolate cake, and we’re giving away free books!

http://zenscribbles.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/a-review-a-giveaway-and-a-chat-with-maddie-cochere-on-everything-from-writing-to-cake/

Sunday Night Pizza Bender

In case you haven’t heard, something is afoot this month.

“PizzaBoxDrawcember is an age-old celebration created by David Harding last week in which participants order pizza online and ask the pizza shop to draw something awesome inside the box.”

I lifted most of those words from Chris Morphew who is also celebrating PizzaBoxDrawcember.

I’ve actually never heard of a pizza bender before, but La La of Tales of a Charm City Chick fame recently blogged about a pizza bender with her commitment to participate in PizzaBoxDrawcember.

Rich and I chose tonight for a double whammy – to have a pizza bender and celebrate PizzaBoxDrawcember.

My telephone call to the pizza shop went like this:

Me: I’d like to order a large pizza with the works for delivery. Oh, and light sauce.

Pizza Shop Owner: You got it!

Me: And I have a request.

Pizza Shop Owner: Ok.

Me: Under the lid, could you draw a picture of a gorilla playing dice? It’s not for me! It’s for a guy in Australia.

Pizza Shop Owner: You got it! Coming right up!

UPDATE! Monday, December 10: Paula (whom we all love) told her sister, Renae, about PizzaBoxDrawcember, and her family ordered pizza tonight and asked for a Christmas tree with dice under the tree. Her comment about ordering the pizza is below. Here is the picture the nice people at the pizza shop drew for them. Thanks for sharing, Renae!

Renae’s pizza box picture. Click for a closer look!

What are your favorite pizza toppings? If you are in the United States, do you put shrimp on your pizza? What about walnuts and pears? Will you be participating in PizzaBoxDrawcember? Go on, try it! Call your favorite pizza shop and ask for a drawing!

Susan Hunter Gangnam Style

All Susan Hunter needs is for someone in one country, like India, to fall in love with her, spread the love around, and before you know it, she will be the next big thing (like PSY’s Gangnam Style), and the entire country will be buying the books and making fabulous Bollywood movies about Susan and Darby and their adventures.

Hey! A girl can dream, can’t she?

In October, Paula Acton tagged me for The Next Big Thing, but I didn’t realize at the time it had an expiration date. You can see Paula’s answers to her next big thing here: Voices Across The Void, A Collection of Ghostly Tales

Recently, Valerie Clarizio wanted to tag me for this, but as I was still writing for NaNo, I declined. You can read about her next big thing here: Cookies for Santa

When Chelsea Brown tagged me last Wednesday for The Next Big Thing, I thought it must be time to answer the questions. You can read about Chelsea’s next big thing here: Jenny Mac and the Man of Secrets

There are ten questions to answer. I’m sorry if I’ve been babbling for so long about this book that you already know the answers, but here we go …

1. What is the working title of your book?

Windy City Hunter

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

Susan has been to Florida, New York, Las Vegas, and New Orleans. It was simply time to go to Chicago. My husband helped me with plot ideas in July.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

My books are all noted as mystery, but this is the first book in the series that is a true mystery throughout.

4. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I enjoy mystery books with an element of fun and even silliness. Gemma Halliday comes to mind, Laura Levine, and dare I say, Janet Evanovich.

5. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

I have an image of Susan and Darby in my mind, so it’s hard to think of someone playing them. I will leave that to the casting director, but here are a couple of looks (not necessarily the right people) which are close:

6. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

Susan and Darby bite off more than they can chew when they go to Chicago for a cooking competition and become embroiled in a murder. (Nicely cliched, eh?)

7. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published – before Christmas I hope!

8. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Twenty-four days. This is my National Novel Writing Month book. I started on November 3 and finished on November 26.

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I had the storyline in mind, and it was simply time for the next book in the series. NaNo lit the fire under me to start writing.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The book is typical Susan Hunter. She has a knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hopefully, readers will laugh with her, and if they don’t cry with her, they will certainly feel sorry for her at times. There are pink shoelaces on one man, a gorilla head on another, and a wise-guy investigator involved with both.

All of my books stand alone with individual story content, but the books are chronological with respect to Susan’s relationship:

#1 – Sunshine Hunter
#2 – Big Apple Hunter
#3 – Sin City Hunter
#4 – Big Easy Hunter
#5 – Windy City Hunter – due out this month!

Just in case Susan is not The Next Big Thing, here are a couple of authors whose books just might be. I tag these two fine Michaels to answer the same questions next Wednesday:

Michael (Mike) Akin – author of The Distorted Trail
12/12/2012 – Edited to add a link to Mike’s answers to The Next Big Thing.

Michael Fedison – author of young adult sci-fi/fantasy, The Eye Dancers
12/12/2012 – Edited to add a link to Michael’s answers to The Next Big Thing.

When Your Life Is a Video Game

For a break from the usual, I thought I would share a couple of Christmas memories today.

This will be our first Christmas since our son moved out on his own, and Rich and I don’t really care if we have any hoopla around us or not. Christmas with family will be at our nephew’s house this year, so we’ll enjoy the decorations, food, and festivities there.

Our son has had some pretty memorable Christmases. I was always like a kid at Christmas, so in essence, we were like two kids, and Rich had to be the adult.

The first memory comes from when Rich used to work afternoons, and for several years, he worked on Christmas Eve, which took away that evening and also the next morning.

Our son was twelve at the time, and, of course, he played Nintendo quite a bit. We were all enjoying a goofy old game called Snake, Rattle, and Roll. One of the best parts of the game was warping to other levels. If you have never warped to another level, it’s basically finding a secret place on one level (like level three) that will automatically send you up to another level (like level six), so you can bypass some of the game.

This particular year, our son also bowled in a league on Saturday mornings. Two weekends before Christmas, I took him to the bowling alley as I always did. I told him I would pick him up in three hours, and if he was done early to stay inside and wait for me. I usually stayed to watch.

The minute I left the house, Rich put a ham in the oven and started decorating. The tree went up and presents were loaded beneath. Other decorations were placed around the house. Christmas music was turned on. The minute I came home from dropping the boy off, I started fixing Christmas dinner. Rich made a banner for across the wall in the kitchen.

When it was time to pick him up, Rich drove down to the bowling alley. He probably told our son something lame like Mom wasn’t feeling good. When they walked through the door, a huge Christmas dinner was on the table, the house was decorated, gifts were under the tree, and along the wall was a banner which read:
WARP TO CHRISTMAS DAY.

The boy couldn’t believe it. He was living a video game. He kept asking, “Is this for real?” He had two full days that weekend to play with Dad, the neighbor kids thought he was the coolest thing ever, and it made Christmas that year so much nicer for all of us.

The second memory is from a couple years later when our son and I were sitting in a Starbucks late one afternoon. Once again it was about two weeks before Christmas. I asked him if I was getting something in particular, but I can’t remember now what it was. He said, “I’ll tell you if you tell me something I’m getting.”

Well, there we were, not one kid and one adult, but two kids. Before you knew it, we were telling each other everything. Rich was at work, and we dashed back to the house and dragged all of the boy’s gifts out from their hiding places and looked at everything. There was a Sega Game Gear in the lot, and we played with it for the rest of the day. We messed with and/or played with his gifts every day after Dad left for work – right up until I had to wrap the stuff on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas day, our son acted wonderfully surprised with everything he opened – as did I. It was months – as many as eight or nine – before we confessed to Rich what we had done. We confessed in front of Grandma and Grandpa. They thought it was hilarious, but Rich absolutely couldn’t believe that I would have done such a thing. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. The boy and I had a blast.

So even if my house isn’t decorated this year, or Rich and I don’t have any hoopla, I still have a ton of fun memories.

I know I’m not the only one to mess with Christmas. Tell me what you’ve done!

Book Covers and The Public Domain

Now that National Novel Writing Month is over, I have a book in hand. I didn’t take the advice of experienced NaNo participants, and I did some editing as I went along – at least on the first half of the book. I finished writing last Monday, and since then, I’ve made a pass on the second half of the book.

My mother has finished reading it, and she has proclaimed it entertaining and a winner. That’s what mother’s are for, but she really did like it. We laughed over a few scenes, and she approved a few minor swear words that worked well in their context. My books really are pretty squeaky clean.

I usually cut out pictures, use glue, crayons, and markers to cobble together ideas for covers. I used the cover from Big Apple Hunter and started playing around with that yesterday.  Here was my first attempt. It is only being shown for humor purposes:

This is what I sent to my niece and asked her to work a miracle for me: I want a Christmas tree that is mostly white -or- one that is very colorful; whichever looks best. I’m leaning toward a colorful tree. If I’m going Christmas on the cover, I may as well go all the way. I want a Chicago skyline, Susan in an apron while holding a cake, and I need a gorilla head! She also needs longer hair because Mick doesn’t want her to cut it. Men! It will be fun to see what Gillian comes up with based on the mess I sent to her. I gave her free rein to discard my ideas and go with something completely different if she wanted to.

This morning (Saturday), I double-checked the story I “used” in my book to be certain it was in the public domain. I spent most of my day reading about public domain works, and how they can be used for inspiration, or in your writing itself.

You may remember that I wanted to put Susan into a situation where she was seeing events unfold in the apartment building of Stephanie Plum. I wouldn’t mention any names from the Evanovich book, simply references of hearing gunshots, seeing a redhead lying in the hallway, men in black at her door, etc.  But, I soon found out that even if names are not mentioned, if a scene is recognizable, it is copyrighted.

I started reading books and stories in the public domain. I had the main storyline for my book mapped out, but I still wanted a sub-plot in the condo. I wanted Susan and Darby to have a parallel view of something happening in another book. I finally found a short story in an old pulp fiction magazine.

It started out perfectly. The two of them saw the body, and they were questioned when the police arrived. It was all downhill from there. I only meant for them to observe and comment, but Susan can’t keep her nose out of anything, and she ended up smack dab in the middle of everything. I actually felt as though I had no control of the story at times. Writing still surprises me so much.

My book turned out better than I could have hoped by taking some elements of the public domain story and turning them into something completely different. I didn’t use any of the same names, nor did I use any text from the original story. Once Susan started snooping around the building, there were actually only a few original elements that remained.

That brings me to some of the things I’ve read as I’ve searched public domain books and articles over the past two months. It’s been fascinating!

Public domain is massive. There are more than 85 million books and stories in the public domain. In a nutshell, that means you can pretty much do anything you want with them.

If I wanted to write a book about Cinderella (the original Cinderella) traveling in H. G. Wells’ time machine to obtain some advice from Romeo and Juliet, I could do so. My new, original story would be copyrighted, but the characters would not. The characters will always remain in the public domain for others to use.

Many old fairy tales have been rewritten into modern day tales. Beauty and the Beast didn’t originate as a Disney movie. Look no further than Once Upon A Time on television, and you will see very creative use of public domain works.

You can borrow ideas, concepts, plots, and characters, and do whatever you want with them as you write them into your new work. Numerous beloved stories have been adapted. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a New York Times bestseller, a creation from the public domain, and it’s being made into a movie starring Natalie Portman.

My husband and I spent nearly an hour this morning chatting about the public domain, and discussing how so many books, movies, television shows, and music have used work from public domain sources to create wildly popular spinoffs, mashups, and new works.

Because there is still at least one Sherlock Holmes work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle that is under copyright, the character of Sherlock Holmes won’t be released into the public domain until 2022. Start working on your zombie and vampire books now. The Sherlock Holmes fans will be gobbling them up.

Have you ever written a story, book, or song based on something that was in the public domain?

P.S. – The little cutie pie at the top of this post? She’s there because the first picture posted in the reader is the *BIG* one, and I couldn’t let that goofy cover with the gorilla head behind the Christmas tree be it, so you get to look at a little cutie pie.