What I'm Up To

What am I up to?

On the writing scene, I'm working on my manuscript titled, "What Makes a Man." It's a story of a man and woman who had an oops pregnancy in high school. Twelve years later, they reconnect because of their daughter, and must decide what's best for her. Each brings his or her own life experiences since school to the table, though. And each brings their past hurt over their breakup. Can they forgive and forget? Can the heroine let the hero have a say in raising this child he never met until now? That's the gist of it. Can't say too much, cuz I don't want to spoil it. Plus, I make it up as I go. Ssh. That's supposed to be a secret.

I'm also anxiously awaiting college admissions day, April 1. That's when Torie will find out which schools she got into. And we're waiting to hear if she gets any corporate scholarship money. That happens between March and May.

I'm training my dog! He now knows how to jump onto my back on command, and then sit there. The first time we tried it, he bounced around and around me, unsure of what I wanted from him, and ended up whacking the bridge of my nose with his concrete-hard cranium!! OWWWW!! I just about had a broken nose AND toe.

Oh, and I'm dealing with a broken toe, too, in case you haven't heard my whining via Facebook (which is something else occupying my time lately.)

I'm finishing up Disciple 3 Bible study. Ends in May. We're in Paul. We study every week for nine months. I love my little group and will miss it when we finish. Am wondering if we'll all continue into Disciple 4 together.

I'm packing up my extensive doll collection. Have about 15 boxes done and inventoried so far. I am planning on selling them at auction in coming months. I can't wait to get rid of all this stuff taking up space and gathering dust! More packing up to do. We're not moving. It's just an organizing thing.

I'm filet crocheting a table runner with a farm scene on both edges. It's tedious work. It's basically lacemaking. And I'm braiding a wool rug. And knitting a spring sweater. And learning bead crochet.

That's not all, but can't think of other things right now. Lunching with friends a few times a week. Weight-lifting twice a week. And wishing my toe wasn't broken, cuz I seem to have gained 3 lbs and *surely* it isn't from eating out too often!

Things I Couldn't Care Less About

1) Body lotion. I have bottles and bottles of it. It makes me feel bad, seeing all those wasted bottles. I have nice Bath and Body Works ones, Victoria's Secret ones, and tons from hotels, too. My hubby brings home all the hotel shampoos and lotions. I use the shampoos and conditioners. The lotions sit there. Is there an expiration on lotion? Not really. But have you ever tried to use some lotion that used to smell like hyacinths and now it smells like dirty wax? Yeah. 'nuf said.

2) Whether or not coffee is good or bad for me. I like it and I'm drinking it, anyway. One year it causes cancer, the next it's harmless and in fact good for the brain. If anyone ever gets a real clue and gives me hard evidence about its ill effects (and I don't believe the stuff on it being bad for breasts or anxiety, either) then maybe I'll quit drinking it. But I have liked the taste of coffee all my life, ever since I drank the dregs from my mom's or dad's coffee cups when they asked me to tote them into the kitchen. And so far, I'm healthy as an ox. Enjoy coffee!!

3) Football. Pumped-up males making too much money to run a ball around a field. Huge muscles and huge egos, it seems. I just read where one NFL dude punched a **teammate** in the eye and broke his eye socket a few years back. And Punch-out Dude lives on, out in Hollywood, taking small TV roles. OJ Simpson was a football player. UGH. I don't have much respect for the sport. JMHO. Sorry.

4) Politics. I don't trust anyone in it. Maybe I would find some nice politicians out there if I were really interested in government and laws and such. But that stuff makes my eyes cross and I'm not afraid to admit it. To me, it all seems it's a bunch of egos again, wasting taxpayers' dollars by holding too many meetings and pontificating on either their own personal opinions or the opionions of people who support them--many with money they illegally received. Now, if I could, I might go back and study more on government in the early days. HOW it began IS interesting to me. I do enjoy government history, how court rulings changed laws, etc,... It's just that I didn't take a lot of it in school. I'll admit to a lack of knowledge and experience here. Maybe I should get "Politics for Dummies." Maybe I will.

5) Manicures and pedicures. Well, it's not that I don't care about them. I think they're great. I just don't wish to spend either the time or the money on them. I would rather buy yarn, or read, or knit, or write. Or spend that time with my family. Or a friend. If I need a mani or pedi, I'll do my own, thank you, and pocket the money and be in my own home while the fingers and toes are drying. And I won't have to worry about catching nail fungus, or being talked into getting an entire body wax for MORE $$$ by a tiny, fast-talking woman who wants to tack more $$$ onto her fee. AND I can use my own OPI polish, which I *know* will last a long time, and I don't have to worry that they ripped me off by using watered-down polish that will peel off in a matter of two days.

6) The Local News. It's ALL gloom and doom. The water supply is ridiculously low. The economy has gone to hell in a handbasket. Someone has burned up his family in an apartment fire. Someone got caught in a drug-related crossfire. Someone's body was found in a field. Someone took illegal campaign contributions. And have you noticed how, as with politics, people are always trying to pull you into the latest junk, just the stuff you're trying to avoid? For instance, someone'll ask me if I heard about the murder of the six-year-old who was found in the dumpster. "No," I reply, looking down, turning my shoulder away from them. "I don't like to watch the news. It depresses me." But the person continues on with, "Well, her parents were on Oprah. They said she was abused. Her head was cut off, they put her body in ten bags, and..." And on and on! You can imagine how I retreat from that conversation. I just SAID I don't like to watch the news because it's awful. It gives me nightmares. I already have a vivid imagination and I know when I can watch a 48 Hours mystery and when I really can't. At least with the profiled mysteries, there is usually a suspect and a trail and subsequent comeuppance. So, HELLO??? Would you *please* let me choose when I can and can't take the gory details? LOL

7) Whether or not people like my dog. **I** like my dog. If you don't like him, fine. I'm not asking you to live with him. And if you live here and you don't like him, then I'll help you pack. Fortunately, the blowhards living here who complain about my dog do in fact like him. They just enjoy complaining loudly and trying to jerk my chain. Most of the time I ignore them. But I'll admit I enjoy it when the dog clearly likes me better than them. He's not stupid. He knows who *really* loves him. Whenever I hear someone say they had to get rid of their cat or dog because their fiance or spouse or whatever didn't want the pet, unless they're allergic to the pet I say get rid of the fiance or spouse. What kind of person asks you to abandon an animal? Probably the same kind who wants to control when you have kids, what you wear and who you spend your time with. Run away!

Gee. This has been a fun exercise. I can see that I'm quite opinionated on several things. I try to keep my opinions to myself and be mostly pleasant to get along with. But this is freeing. I'm sure you won't agree on all this and I don't expect you to. It's a free world! So send me your comments and complaints. I can deal.


Next installment: Things I Really Really Like!

A new year, and some new thoughts

Did you make New Year's resolutions? I did. I look forward to the few days before a new year, after the Christmas rush when I can sit down and happily ponder a new beginning to my little world. New plans, new thoughts, new hopes. So imagine my surprise when I asked others if they'd made their resolutions and they said they don't do them. They say if they made them, it'd just be a great reason to break them. Hunh? To me, that *really* shows a person isn't too disciplined. They don't like rules because if they are aware of them, they surely won't follow them? Dang. That's rather sad.

I also think it's a very easy way out. If I don't resolve to do better, I can just keep maintaining status quo (or less.) I don't have to make any plans. I don't have to aspire to any point higher than the plane I'm on right now.

I know I sound harsh, and I feel badly about it. I guess I'm just not cut from that sort of cloth, so it makes it really hard for me to put myself in someone's place and feel ho-hum about new beginnings. But maybe they think New Year's resolutions always have to be about losing weight, or some other decision like "get married" or "buy a house" or "exercise more." All of those top the resolutions lists annually. They also set many, many people up for failure. So maybe what those people who said they didn't make New Year's resolutions really mean is, they don't want to feel bad about themselves if they fail to follow through with their desires or plans. Fear of failure. Now THAT is definitely something I can relate to.

Still, with New Year's resolutions, I think it's key to think positively about them in the first place. Let them be fun things to do, things you want to do, things with steps that are easy to achieve. Then you won't be setting yourself up for failure. Also, have them be markers, stones you want to step on, upbeat stops along your life path that even if you don't achieve them are still good ideas and you'll be proud of at least making the attempt. So you fail. So what? At least you're a dreamer, a schemer, a forward-mover. That's how I see them and I think that's why they work for me.

Summary:

Glass half empty? New Year's resolutions are another chore, another thing you can fail at. Glass half full? They're something to look forward to and strive for, a positive motivator.

So here are my resolutions:

1) Try to stay motivated with my writing. This involves several steps I'm set on taking, such as: a new critique partner, better daily schedule involving less Googling and TV, etc,...

2) Read Pulitzer Prize winning fiction that I've missed, starting with The Shipping News, since someone loaned it to me a while back and it was on my bookshelf. I've printed out a list of prizewinners from 1917 to now. I believe there were 87 titles, most of which I haven't read. Some, I read the author but not that particular book. If you're subtracting 1917 from 2009 right now and coming up with more than 87 books, keep in mind that they didn't give out the award to *any* book in some years. And I'm not counting 2008 yet. Have they given the award for 2008? I don't know.

3) Be open to various avenues of romance publishing. By that I mean, seek out different markets if needs be. This one I'm *always* resolving to do. That's how people get published. Don't be narrow when it comes to marketing.

4) Be a nicer person. That's always on my list, too.

5) Train my dog. Heavy sigh here. My dog always needs training, but I've resolved to do weeks of obedience at a nearby training place. It'll be something new.

6) Further contemplate other things I may want to do if we move to the mountains. These are big pipedreams, so I won't go into detail. I mull over things, things I love doing and could make into a business, but have yet to make up real business plans, or buy any product, or even consider starting small online first. I'm afraid of failure in this area, so unless I change next year's resolution to "Make up my mind about a business" it still won't get done. So you see I'm not always Pollyanna.

That's all. Not a lot, and nothing really new and different except for the reading of Pulitzer books. I've already started the one, and I like it.

How about you? I'll bet you have resolutions, too. Maybe you don't want to label them as such, but they're there. And maybe mine aren't *really* New Year's resolutions, but just goals I'm reminded of in the days before the big ball drops in Times Square. What's the real difference between a goal and a resolution, anyway? The date? I think it's just, having a deadline. And January 1 works for me!

Come back in a year and I'll let you know how well the resolutions went.

Working with a Professional Organizer...and beyond

In deep frustration over all the crap I've brought into my home, and the resulting stress-inducing piles that seemed to be taking over, I did it! I hired a professional organizer. It cost me $$, but hopefully that was just added incentive to toe the line now that the funds have run out, the organizing is over and I'm on my own again.



Paying hourly had me so money conscious that I talked really fast, like Joe Isuzu in those old TV commercials. It was rather funny. And weird. I think I had Organizer Deb's head spinning. Let's just say that after only three or four trips to my house, she knew me really well!



Deb taught me how to reassess the way I do things. In fact, I'm already changing two behaviors that I think will be a big help in keeping order around here. First, I haven't been putting things away as soon as I'm finished with them. I'm not the only one in this house who does that, but I'm a big offender. I have a lot of stuff and I tend to keep whatever I've been working on around me like little scouts at a campfire. But now that I've asked someone into my home and she has noted the problem, I'm committed to working on it. Secondly, Deb helped me see that all my little piles are a result of indecision. I could tell she has this 5 second rule with things she gets her hands on, ya know? She must really be able to fly through her daily chores.



In case you're curious, here's how we worked together:


Deb picks up one of my key chains: "What is this?"


Mel: "Well, see, I had this thing for key chains a few years back. And then my friends found out, and started giving me some, and suddenly I had a collection. I don't want them anymore, but--"


Deb: So, you're no longer collecting them?


Mel: "No, but--"


Deb: "Get rid of them."


Mel: "Well, I was thinking I could sell them on eBay. But I really hate doing eBay lately. It's such a hassle, so I--"


Deb: "So get rid of them."


Mel (looking dubious): "I guess I *could.*"


Deb: "Give them to me. I'll take them away for you."


Mel (eyeing the tiny Barbie, the ant farm, the mini barrel containing Yahtzee dice and even a little pad and pencil)


Deb picks up two handfuls of key chains and deposits them in her purse


Mel wonders briefly if Deb is going to give them out as party favors or a birthday gift, but then tells herself that's crazy. Deb has already had them 5 seconds longer than she would like to have them

Deb (turning, brow arched): "And what is in that chair?"


Mel: "Sweaters. I got them at the thrift store."


Deb (nodding knowingly, after having already heard "thrift store" from Mel at least 50 times): "Of course you did."


Mel: "See, I thought I'd felt them and make them into purses. I already washed them, and then I have to cut them out, and I don't have the handles for them yet. So--"


Deb: "You don't need another project." (hairy eyeball) "Get rid of them."


Mel: "Okay." Looks a little worried, but puts the sweaters into a "Giveaway" pile.


Deb: "Good girl."


Mel smiles over the praise and is totally okay with letting go of her crap


And *that* is how it goes, people. Things have been flying out the door, thanks to Deb my wonderful organizer. You, too, can purchase clutter-freeing hours with her, from her website at organizerdeb@charter.net. I've made a little parody of Deb's and my working together here, but the bottom line is, she helped me tremendously in just 12 short hours. She rocks!

The Daddy Issue is Contracted!

Yea! I have a new contract on The Daddy Issue. It'll be a Champagne Rose selection from The Wild Rose Press.

I'm enjoying learning about all the marketing opportunities with my new publisher. For one thing, they send our titles out to several review sites. That's great for getting the readers' attention.


They also create some eye-catching cover art.


If you'd like to check out some of the books available right now, just click on their blog that appears under my new "Blog List" section on this blog.


I hope to have a cover to share with you soon. Can't wait!

Meanwhile, back to the current work-in-progress...

Creating Emotion

Lately I've been searching for ways to imbue the writing with emotion. I want that feeling that the reader can't put down the book, the sense that the characters are real people, and that you want to know their lives, their hopes, their dreams.

I found a few online articles on the topic. It seems I'm not the only writer worrying over this tidbit.

When you can't put down a book, when you read for hours, the author has hooked into YOUR emotions by putting a lot of himself/herself into the writing.

Just ordered Margie Lawson's Empowering Characters' Emotions. She's a psychologist, and a good observer of human nature. I think that's something that benefits everyone. The ability to read body language is a huge plus when it comes to understanding people, or characters from a writer's perspective.

I'm kinda drained today, so not as chatty. Been trying to lose the "he nodded" and "she sighed" usual stuff and come up with real, honest descriptions.

One thing I've discovered: writing with emotion takes a lot out of me!

Happy writing! (and reading)

Writing Romance (and devotionals)

Well, I'm back to romances again. I'm in Ch1 of a new manuscript. Let's hope this one goes better than the mystery I started, and I can actually make it on to more chapters! I needed a break and I hope it has helped me to better concentrate on the emotional stuff I need to get into my story. After all, I've learned what I know about writing thru the romance industry, so I feel I should stick to my roots and not veer off in other directions. Some people can do that and do it well. I've tried, and each time, I just lose all my momentum.

Risk. Stakes. Upping the ante for the hero and heroine. It's starting to sink in, after all these years. This is what Harlequin is looking for. The lack of it results in rejections. I don't want another rejection. <>

Anyway, just thought I'd tell everyone that I'm back to romance writing. Two people have said, "Yea!" That's uplifting! I hope I don't disappoint my two fans (Marsha and Torie.) LOLOL

And I wrote a devotional this week for our church. It reminded me of some of the entries I did for the Comfort Ministry manual. This one was on seeking perfection. There was a time when I wanted to be perfect in just about everything I did. But I learned my lesson, and now I do not believe God expects us to be perfect. He knows we're all sinners. We're supposed to seek perfection though, according to both the Old and New Testaments. But it ain't easy. As usual, we're mere humans, trying to walk the straight path. Sounds so simple, yet only one ever achieved it--the One and Only. That's why I love the 1Corinthians:12-13 passages, 12"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."

Our Bible study lesson was on faith and unfaith. I think if we have hope, and especially if we have love, then it leads to faith. The two, love and hope, make us want to be faithful. When you love someone or something, you will do things you would never do. You'll take leaps of faith, based on that love.

So, does love+hope+faith=perfect? Maybe so. Food for thought, anyway.

End of sermon! Just practicing devotional stuff on *you.*

On a lighter note, after much floor wrestling with both Buddy the sheltie and me, the cattle dog is sleeping. SSSSSSHHHHHH!!!

Continuation of Last Post and Breakthrough!

Hey! While I was in the shower, something struck me. The answer to all my worries lately. Ready for it?

BE HAPPY

Simple and true. Here is what I just emailed a friend, concerning this light bulb moment:

I just wrote on my blog about how anal I am. I was angsting about my dog's poor manners and how I was searching out the best trainer around, how I am obsessing about just starting this new story, and worrying over whether I should be knitting or sewing goofy stuff or heirlooms. Suddenly it dawned on me what the answer to all of my troubles is: be happy.

Be happy w/my dog, whom I love no matter what he does. Be happy with my story and just enjoy the heck out of writing. Be happy with my needlework. Who gives a crap if all I ever crochet is rosary bag booties? There's a story behind that last one. I'll tell it in a second.

Anyway, I have decided to quit being so hard on myself. For today. Remind me of this decision tomorrow. I am terrible this way. I go in definite cycles, but yesterday and this morning were doozies of the downward spiral type.

As for rosary bag booties, I'm not Catholic and only know the bare basics about rosaries. It's just that when my niece was a baby, my sister had this Great Aunt Katherine on her husband's side who gave her several sets of these odd-looking, square-toed baby booties. Seems Aunt Katherine was always crocheting rosary bags for her church bazaar, and we surmised that one day when someone had a baby, Aunt Katherine realized she could make two matching rosary bags and they'd pass as booties! After all, they were about the size of a little foot, and tied off at the top to stay on nicely (or contain a bunch of beads.)

I need to be more like Aunt Katherine. I didn't ever meet her, but I can imagine that she just took great joy in her craft.

I am tired of.....

...eating Zone Perfect bars!! Ugh. Especially the Fudge Graham ones. Those are Frank's. I like the Peanut Butter. But mine are gone so I've started in on his. They're too sweet. The only reason I eat them is because I have a sweet tooth and somehow feel they're better for me than a candy bar. And I can control how many I eat cuz they're in individual packaging.

...trying to figure out how to train a cattle dog. I've finally found the experts who can help me, though. This guy has trained national champs in obedience and agility. He has received awards with his own dogs, and many of his staff members have won awards with dogs. He provides feedback in law enforcement trials concerning dogs (ie police dog biting a fleeing suspect, etc,...) and he's been at this for several years. I think he can probably tackle Shadow and me, so we have enrolled in a day of assessment and training. Meanwhile, Shadow is bored. Last night, he "tackled" an empty Coke case and really enjoyed ripping it into a million tiny pieces. This annoyed Frank no end, but I was just happy that the dog found something entertaining and rather innocuous to do with himself for a few happy minutes.

...plotting a new story. This story is not coming easily. I have a hard time pre-planning a book, and I'm about to quit on this one. I'd rather do it seat-of-my-pants and I'm going to revert to that method as soon as I get frustrated enough with working on this synopsis. It stinks trying to come up with stuff before I know my characters. I've done enough work on character sheets to start and not work myself into a hole. I think I may get busy and let the story flow from them.

...worrying over what I should be doing with my needlework. My latest thoughts are, should I be doing needlework the Napoleon Dynamite way, as in, "Whatever I feel like doing! Gosh!" or should I be creating the best I can create, in the way of heirlooms? What is the answer to this??? It's driving me nuts! Heirlooms can take a while. They take years of practice, or hours of tedious sewing, knitting, embroidery. Some things are just fun because you don't have to sweat them. Pincushions. Altoids sewing kits. Bookmarks. They satisfy the need to complete things faster. What to do, what to do. And needlework was always the one thing I didn't sweat so much. Now I've decided to pour my perfectionism into that, too. As Frank said, "It's not enough that each piece must be perfect in your eyes? Now you're putting your perfecting into even deciding what to work on?"

...worrying about what to have in each room of my house, and what to throw out. It bugs me that I can't make decisions. I would like to just know what I liked and what I was hanging on to out of fear, guilt, concern. You know. I just would rather be a little more satisfied and less of a worrywart.

I hate worrywarts!! And look! I'm the worst!

Okay. Back to work on a manuscript that has me worried from the start, about *starting* it!

Sheesh. It's a wonder I ever complete *any* project, and it's an even bigger wonder that I'm ever satisfied with it once I do.

My dog is snoring. That's a satisfying sound. Oh, to just be a sleeping dog.

How Not to Write a Manuscript

Well, there are many ways to not be writing. I've discovered a few lately that might be considered the ultimate in procrastination. We've already discussed the huge error of rescuing a dog from animal control and then finding out he's part Aussie Cattle Dog, ie he has dingo blood in him. BIG mistake for writers to own this type of demanding dog. Next, I took improv comedy class. It was fun. It was mentally stimulating, and physical, and all those things that you would think would make me want to write. It didn't. It was just a great way not to write. Plus, I could check it off my "bucket list."

Here are my current procrastinating ways:

1) Taking a beginner's quilting class for 5 weeks
2) Crocheting a rug

3) Selling items on Craig's List
4) Still thrift shopping

5) Joined a pin cushion enthusiasts Yahoo group!!

6) Looking at just about any/every free needlework tutorial

I can find online, and saving them so I can make things like

the Altoids case (above) as small projects between my big ones

like the 10-year bedspread project I'm knitting out of thread on needles the width of toothpicks

I think I have a small problem with overloading my schedule and overworking my poor hands and eyes. I think a large part of it is a way to fill up my time while I lay off creating stories, trying to consider which market is right for my characters and what I want to tell people thru fiction.

If you can offer any help, it would be appreciated. Is there a Procrastinators Anonymous already, or should I start one? LOLOLOL

Tossed Out Treasures

I'll admit it. I have an addiction to buying other people's cast-offs. It's getting me into trouble in my own home because there is too much "stuff" in here.





Maybe people get rid of their things for a *reason,* and that reason is NOT supposed to be to clutter up *my* house!





I think I need a 12-step program.





I bought a set of these flour, sugar and coffee (?) canisters this week. But I already own two other canisters sets. And I notice there are several of these currently on eBay and they're not selling that well. <>

Also bought one framed print and one framed watercolor that I can put in the renovated bathrooms.

Trouble is, I'm attending this big sale tonight here called "Tossed Out Treasures," and boy, is it full of goodies! I usually come home with plenty of goodies for the house and the cabin. But if I don't rehabilitate myself soon, I'm gonna need another place to put all this stuff.

I need an intervention. If anyone has any words of wisdom or is willing to send me regular reminders to quit bargain shopping, I could really use your help!

Ponderings on Elevators and War

Today is Wednesday. Hump Day. What's going on in my life today? Well...

I'm pretty proud of myself because I've been somewhat consistent with blogging. Ooh, and another thing I'm proud of is, yesterday I made it all the way to the 19th floor of the Westin Hotel in the elevator! A friend had told me about a jewelry showing there, so I ventured out to look for graduation and birthday gifts. She *hadn't* said the show was on that floor, so I was immediately disappointed when I saw the sign that read, "Jewelry Show--Suite 1921." For years, I've been deathly afraid of elevators. I got really panicky/claustrophobic in an elevator that stopped on me in my 20's, so since then I've had trouble going in them. I resorted to climbing lots of stairs (in some very smarmy stairwells at times) and also asking for low floors when we stayed in rooms in hotels. But thanks to some anti-anxiety medication I took a few years ago, I started back into elevators panic-free. Once off the meds, I forced myself to continue my behavioral therapy by not resorting to stairs. Wow. Now I can really appreciate elevators again. They're fast and efficient. Thank you, Otis the Elevator Man!

The maids are here. Two of them. And there are two men cutting a hole in my bathroom wall. My *new* (as of last year) wall. Apparently there was a cast iron plumbing pipe in there, and when they realized the drywall went right up against it, they cut out the drywall plaster all the way to the paper and let that rest on the pipe. Well, when the pipe gets condensation on it, it wets the drywall, and we'd noticed the wall cracking and being wet. Now they're going to put plastic on it.

It's always *something,* isn't it?

I have to write another scene today. I'm forcing myself to get busy. I really like how this mystery I'm writing is going, but I'm very slow with it at the moment. Not presenting it to anyone for critique, so that means I don't have any real deadlines. Hm, could be a problem!

What else? Dinner at church tonight. We go to a small church, so we're all like family. After that is Bible study. Our teacher, Arnold Schumacher, was in Hitler's youth army. He was pressed into service when he was 14. But he refused to sign the Nazi papers, and I believe he said he refused twice. At that time, my dad was 17 and he lied about his age and joined up to fight for the U.S. When Arnold heard that Dad had been a medic's aide in the war, he said, "Tell your father thank you. If it weren't for the American hospital, I wouldn't be here. They saved my life." Just a little war tidbit that's so interesting to me. We're so trained to think that all the Germans were against us, and we were against all of them. There's always more to a story.

That's it for now, kids! Back to writing. Okay, I'll tell the truth. I've been doing more talking with Silvana, my maid, than writing. Bad Mel. But she's an interesting topic, too. She's from Uruguay. She cleans four or five houses a day, and she's too tired at night to learn English. She wants to, but she can't concentrate. All her friends here speak Spanish. So after five years, she hasn't learned enough English to feel comfortable. I told her if she wants to come over on Saturdays, I can work with her on it. But I suspect she probably won't. I think she needs the down time, anyway. She works very, very hard.

Now I'm really signing off!

A Finished Project--Farmhouse Rug (wall hanging)

This was NOT easy, but I'm happy with the results. I did a lot of over the 2 weeks that Mom was in the hospital two falls back, having an emergency surgery.





Each color required two bobbins of yarn. I cut my "bobbins" from cardboard, because you have to have plenty of yarn on them. The small plastic manufactured ones wouldn't be sufficient. At one point, I think I was carrying 22 bobbins across the rows. It was around the area of the various fields + the small outbuilding.





I'll never forget sitting there in Mom's room with Dad, and glancing up when I heard him snickering. "You spend more time untangling the bobbins than you do knitting," he said. That was a very true statement. So if you decide to do this project, beware! Oh, and it's from the book, Knitter's Stash. It's the farmhouse rug, made with Cascade 220, 100% wool. Since I once hooked a rug where I hand cut all the 1/4" wide strips of wool, only to have my cat pee on it, this "rug" will always be on a wall.

What Should I Do With My Life?

I'm reading a book called "What Should I Do With My Life?" by Po Bronson and I'm getting a lot out of it. I'm not trying to answer that question. This book won't answer that. It's not a "What Color is Your Parachute." It's more of a series of 50 two-page vignettes about people who either found their calling, or didn't find it, or are still seeking it. Ooh, and there are photos of many of them, so you can "see' them, too.

This book is really cool cuz it makes you think about yourself and where you are in life, what you're contributing, if you really *do* love what you're doing, how you found your niche, etc,... Like, I enjoy knowing that there are people out there who believed with all their hearts that they were doctors, only to practice medicine for years before suddenly realizing it wasn't what they were meant to do. I'm very hard on myself, so knowing people are allowed to make big mistakes, or to go down the wrong path for a while, makes me feel better. I guess it's because I have yet to feel that big sense of accomplishment. Fulfillment is something I'm still seeking, and there are those people in this book who are definitely still on that path with me.

I suppose you could call it a Weight Watchers type mentality that makes me like this book. When I want to really work on losing weight, I go to WW. Why? Because of who is also there: the leader and the weigh-in helpers, who have all earned their jobs by losing their weight and keeping it off are , other WWers who have been around longer than me and call tell me all their weight-loss tips, the joiners who start on the path with me and sort of become my teammates, and the ones who come in after. It's the community effect that spurs me on in other areas of my life, and I think it's why I liked this book. "You're not in this alone" is so inspiring for people.

This is THE coolest!!

I saw this and thought it was the coolest thing I've seen in a while. I hope I don't get in trouble for copying it, but it's so neat, I wanted to share:

What a great example of how books can make us feel. Especially romances.

Phyllis A. Whitney Dead at 104

Honestly I had no idea if she was living or not. All I know is that when I was in 6th grade, I read ALL of her young adult books and probably some adult mystery type books, too. She had a great influence on me, she and author Dorothy Eden. I'd graduated from reading all the dog books in the school library, and I just remember the gothic, sort of cozy mystery feel of these YA authors' writings.

So according to her obit, Ms. Whitney was indeed 104 years old when she passed away recently. She had written for over 50 years. When she was 79, she said she'd always thought when she "was old" she would read her books over again. But she never felt old!

I think that's the secret to longevity, don't you? If you never *feel* old, or act old, then maybe you fool your body into believing it's still young and you keep on going! LOL

Anyway, I'm just in awe of people like Ms. Whitney. The obit said she and her first husband divorced after I think 5 years, and it implied that he did not support her writing and that was a cause of their parting ways. I'm glad my hubby supports my writing. I can't imagine living with someone who didn't believe in me. What kind of love is that? Fortunately for her, Phyllis Whitney remarried and that one must've been a good guy cuz they were married until his death in the 1970's. She outlived him by a lot!!

Well, two great influences on my writing have passed away lately, the other being Kathleen Woodiwiss. She turned so many of us on to romance novels, and got us involved in the industry. She made a writer want to put the passion behind the prose. Man, was she good at it.

Kathleen and Phyllis, I'm sure you're entertaining the crowds up there in heaven!

Tag, You're IT!

Okay. I just *lost* the entire post I'd just written! GRRR. If anyone reading this knows how to copy a post or save it so it doesn't disappear, please let me know. I can't seem to keep rough drafts. It *said* it autosaved, but it didn't.

Writer Cat Schield "tagged" my blog as one that she enjoys. Thanks, Cat! Apparently tagging is a way to connect to other writers and share thoughts and supports and updates, so I'm all for that. There are rules to the game of tag here. I'm supposed to share 6 unimportant things about myself, and then link back to Cat's blog and others' and to post the rules on here. So here goes:

6 Unimportant Things about Mel:

1) I'm addicted to reality shows. I started with "Survivor" and "The Mole." Got bored with Survivor years ago, and The Mole has been off for forever, but I now watch "Intervention," "Mission:Organization," "Rock of Love" and "Project Runway," to name a few! Never got into "The Great Race" but can't wait for each "Big Brother" or "American Idol." Love "First 48," where detectives work on the first 48 hours of a real homicide case. If you want to know what makes me love these shows, read Unimportant Thing about Me #6.

2) Roses aren't my favorite flowers. Roses are so...popular. I like the fresh-picked look of a wildflower arrangement, as long as it doesn't contain mums and other hothouse-looking stuff. I like to garden, so maybe that explains my preference.

3) I love to sing. I'm not very good at it, but I know a LOT of songs and have a knack for remembering lyrics. I can just enjoy singing to myself or unfortunate family members, but I have no pressing need to really perform for others. Sadly, I don't feel that way about writing. It pains me to not have a book out there that people believe in. It makes me feel inadequate. I would love to be writing and selling. Writing is different from singing in that a book proves you can do it! At least, it proves it to the author. It doesn't really matter how many people say it's cool that I can even put sentences together. I just want the publishing industry to believe in me! Correction: it *does* help when people compliment me for being a writer. It helps a lot. The way I feel about not having a big publishing contract is just me being hard on myself, and I know that.

4) I was sick a lot when I was a kid, bouncing back and forth between sore throats and bladder infections. I only became healthy when, at 10, I had surgeries to correct their causes. So I had to spend a lot of time alone. That's when I learned to entertain myself with needlework and reading. And imagining. I feel that's what made me able to be happily alone most days, which is quite conducive to writing.

5) I LOVE St. Pattie's Day!! We like to celebrate it. It's a great time of the year to have a party cuz it's after the big holidays and before Spring break. We love to fix Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage, Irish soda bread and have Irish beer. I love green! It's my fave color.

6) I'm constantly amazed by people. I think something that fascinates me most is the dichotomy of all the wonderful, big-hearted people, and all the selfish people. But really, everything about people is interesting to me. I'd be happy for the rest of my life if I could just talk to people, observe them and think, "Why are they that way?"

Now I'm supposed to post the "Tag" rules, so here they are:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your blog entry.
5. Let the tagged people know by leaving a comment on their blogs.

The six people are: Cat, Mary, Chelle, Carla, Angi, Cynthia.

Write on!

On submissions, Improv Comedy and one Crazy Dog

Current mood: upbeat

I *should* be tired since it's 1:12 am and I'm not in bed. Gotta get up at 7 am, but oh, well. I haven't blogged in a while, and I can always sleep!

I'm feeling encouraged because I've got The Daddy Issue out for review and I just now emailed Mending Rafe's Heart out to a publisher. So will be waiting to hear on those two manuscripts. Meanwhile, I dropped the idea of writing something for the Harlequin Presents contest. It was a good idea until I actually tried it. I don't think I have the voice for that line. But at least I made an attempt that I canned *before* I wrote a 50,000-word manuscript.

I've decided to try writing an amateur sleuth mystery. There may be a dash of romance in it, and then again, maybe not. I'm thinking that with my love of fleshing out the main characters by showing their interactions with those around them, cozy mysteries may be the better way to go. That gives me a cast of suspects with motives! Sounds like fun! And God knows we writers have to have fun with the process. If not, we dig in our heels and do things like, well, anything but write.

Meanwhile, improv comedy is sooo cool! It's HARD. It's fun. It's frustrating. Imagine coming up with jokes about corn at 10:30 at night. Or if that's not up your alley, how about acting out a scene with another player where every line has to start with the next letter of the alphabet?That's improv!

Dog agility training, on the other hand, is not fun when you have the class clown dog. My dog wants to bark, to play, to lunge. He thinks running thru tunnels and walking up and down A-frames is tame compared to what HE can do, which reminds me of that white bear in the Dr. Seuss book, Put Me in The Zoo. When I think about my dog Shadow, I'm always playing this rhyme from that book over in my head: "They would put me in the zoo if they could see what *I* can do!" But alas, this Aussie cattle dog must live (boringly) at home with us, in our once peaceful home. Arrgh. He'd be a halfway decent dog if he wouldn't seek out entertainment like chewing the feet off my 100-year-old doll! And that's just one of his many feats around here. Shadow also reminds me of the movie "Napoleon Dynamite." Remember the scene where Napoleon is on the bus and the younger kid goes, "What're you gonna do today, Napoleon?" And he answers, "Whatever I *feel* like doing. GOSH." That's the cattle dog mentality. Today my friend Emily said Shadow looks like the Blue Dog. I agree. He has that same intense gaze. Too bad I can't sell Shadow for $22,000, which is what Rodrigue is getting for his original Blue Dog paintings these days! Guess I'm stuck with my practically free pound pup. Good thing I love him.

Time To Write

Sure wish I had more of it!
Yesterday was dance aerobics starting at 8:30 am and I didn't finish my day until improv comedy class ended at 10:30. In between I attended Weight Watchers, a doctor's appointment for T and held an animated phone discussion with an educational consultant to decide if I want to shell out $$$ for help with T's college placement.

Meanwhile, Jacques Renault and Margaret Kestle waited for me to get on with their story, Margaret with crossed arms, tapping her fingers and Jacques pacing and with a scowl contorting his dark, rugged features.

The Harlequin Presents contest deadline looms and my characters shout, "Get on with it!" while I count calories, try to firm up the bod, angst over my kids, train/contain our cattle dog and try to improve my punch lines, eye contact and storytelling with a band of other fools late at night! (jk--love you guys!)

Two Posts in One Evening

This is to prove that when I'm not typing, I'm still moving my fingers.

Okay, so I'm also a knitter. Been at it since I was about 8 years old.

Over Christmas, I made a few ornaments, as usual. Also am almost finished with a sweater I started for myself back in August. But a quick, fun project was a Dark Mark (Harry Potter ) Illusion Scarf that I did for my 16-year-old daughter. She saw the free pattern on another knitter's blog and said she would like it. Illusion, or shadow knitting, is a cool way of knitting to a chart (like counted cross-stitch) where your purl stitches in contrast with the knitted ones create a "shadow" of something in what at most angles appears to be a simple striped scarf. The far left photo is of the scarf from most angles, looking like it's just striped. The second photo shows the snake-through-the-skull that it knitted in on both ends. Pretty cool, hunh?