Countdown to September 30th

Just when the leaves turn to an earthy palette of rusts, gold and reds, I’m packing up and heading for Vancouver Island. It will be a long four day trek, driving through the better half of scenic Ontario, into the prairies where land and sky meet on the thin line of the horizon. On the third or fourth day hopefully we’ll be making our way into the majestic Rockies and at last the island.

This will be the second time we’ll escape winter’s grip in Ontario. With luck the winter will be as good in B.C. as it was back in 2004 when we were last there.

In preparation, we’re checking over our vehicle, pricing tires for the poor old thing. As for the writer in me, I’m planning on getting a new laptop (my old one had seen better days).

I’ve already begun to think about the countless TBR books I have, trying to decide which one to take. I have a ton of 80’s and 90’s books that I’ve always wanted to get through. They’re historicals. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I’m a big fan of Judith McNaught, Teresa Medeiros, Heather Graham… And the list goes on.

I Placed In The Lone Star Finals!

I have to say yesterday was a roller coaster ride in emotions for me. I entered the Lone Star writing contest back in June and thought by the time the announcements were made I would have forgotten I even entered.

Boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong. As August 20th drew near I found myself checking the calendar more often and calculating the days I would get word back from the chapter. The day finely arrived; I was reluctant to check my e-mail--strange I know. But for me it's like having a lottery ticket, for a brief moment your dreams of being a millionaire are still plausible, it's only when you check your numbers that your dreamy bubble bursts.

With the prompting of my mother I checked my e-mail and with a single glance I knew my romantic suspense didn't make the cut. Disheartened I read through the judge's comments which really weren't so bad, the scores were high but not high enough to get me into the finals.

As I wrote out my thank you notes to the judges, there was a long distance phone call. Our immediate thought was that it was a telemarketer. You can imagine my surprise when Karen Hankins informed me that my historical romance placed in the Lone Star finals. Talk about a pick-me-up!

I entered two entries; the story concepts couldn't have been more different from the other. I’m so happy I entered the two--the later, was a great chaser to end all writers’ blues. Talk about a day from lows to highs!

Now the wait begins for October 24th when the winners will be announced. Good luck to all entries.

Even if I don't win I’m grateful that I made it this far.

An Amazing Dog

I thought about it for days, wondering what I should post since I hadn’t blogged in months. I wanted something that would grab people’s attention and that’s when I got this video clip in my e-mail. It tugged at my heart and I nearly needed a tissue. It was a no brainer; I had to share :)

Writer’s Meltdown

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I write with Word Perfect 8, a program that’s out of date and for me I finally realized should be put out to pasture. The reason I say this is, is that more rules for contests open with Microsoft Office Word. I have my sights set on a contest that I can enter electronically but it has to be in rich text format. I Wikipedia rtf (not knowing exactly what it means, computer illiterate that I am) and it says; it’s a format developed by Microsoft.

So to make a long story short, I transferred the required pages of my manuscripts onto Microsoft Office Word (it’s a great program) and in so doing I decided to transfer the remainder of my story onto it as well.

I’ll most likely transfer my other manuscripts, but I’m not looking forwards to it. I’m eager to go forward and dread the thought of transferring hundreds of pages onto another program.

I guess I’ll just have to chalk it up to another hiccup in my journey to being published.

Mother’s Day

Here’s to all the mothers out there. Something about having a child brings out the best in some of us. And not just in humans but animals as well.

My dad told me a story about his dog Boots who was getting on in years. Her step was slower and her eyes dimming with age but when she had that last litter, she was like a pup again. She had more energy and her eyes seemed to clear as she took care of her litter. For a short time the sparkle returned to her life.

That nurturing instinct runs deep in our veins and shows us how connected we all are.

I hope you enjoyed this heart-touching Youtube video clip. I thought it was perfect for today.

Happy Mother’s Day.

Could Hugh Jackman be the next Dirty Harry?

Is it just me or does Hugh Jackman look like Clint Eastwood back in his earlier years?

I watched an old Dirty Harry movie the other day (can’t remember the name of it at the moment), but I couldn’t get over how much these two actors look alike.

Of course Hugh would have to lose the Australian accent (which of course I love), and take on a grittier no-holds-bar demeanor. But I could see him with that cigar clinched at the corner of his mouth, his eyes taking on that challenging glint…

Yeah, it does my heart good to think on it…

Earth Day

Today’s the day we pay tribute to the beautiful blue orb we live on. It’s amazing to think of all the living species we live amongst on our delicate planet.

In celebration of Earth Day, I’m going to go outside, soak up my surroundings and count my blessings that we live on such a beautiful planet.

I’m pleased to say my family and I took part in Earth Hour for the last two years and shut off the lights. I’m trying to incorporate it in our daily life and use lights when only necessary. It’s something small but in the end it adds up.

I received the cutest e-mail and I thought it would be perfect for today.

I hope you enjoy.

Writer’s Muddle

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I’m three quarters into my current manuscript; the hero and heroine are finally getting along and now I have to disrupt the whole thing. I have to shatter their world and break them apart but the problem is how?

This is the part writer’s refer to as Middle Muddle; it’s easy to get stuck here. But it’s a part where you must gear up and plow your way through to the end. One good way is to drop a thread at the beginning of the story where you can pick up and tangled their lives once again. I’m at that crucial point right now and hope I don’t drop a stitch and leave a gaping hole near the end. Ugh.

It’s a little nerve wracking. There’s a famous writer (I can’t remember his name at the moment) who said to entertain the reader on every page. I couldn’t agree more with him. I want the sparks to fly off the page. I want to entertain my readers and leave them eager to read my next book. Hopefully with a little luck they’ll remember my name when the next one comes out.

(Fingers crossed).