Merry Christmas!!

A Merry Christmas to all, and hopes for a great (and more active when it comes to my blog) new year!

Republicans acting stupidly?

I am getting real tired of the Republican Party telling conservatives, "you must support whoever we tell you to support, or else."

I left the party a while ago because whatever they were once, they are barely giving more than lip service to conservative values. Someone try to tell me that Rudy Giuliani is a conservative. Go ahead. Try.

People say a third party candidate can't win. The Republicans weren't always a major party. With that attitude, it's possible the Whigs would still be a party. And we wouldn't have gotten Abraham Lincoln.

I'm tired of the two major parties doing all they can to bar others from participating. I'm fed up with Republicans who are willing to jettison social conservative values as long as a candidate says he/she will cut their taxes.

I'm watching. And waiting. Let's see who the two parties try to shove down our throats.

Teenagers...

I have an 18 year old. I love him to death, but today I wanted to sell him.

In his English class, they are having a Chaucer day. On Tuesday.

Today we went in search of a costume. He wanted a robe and a beard.

No problem, I thought. I mean, it's Halloween, right? How hard can it be to find this stuff?

Well, where I live, pretty hard.

Okay, we can whip together a robe. But finding a fake beard? Might as well try to find a snowball here in Central Florida.

My son even dragged me to Walmart - and I am certain it's written in the Geneva Convention that dragging your mother to Walmart on a Saturday afternoon falls under the category of "cruel and unusual punishment."

He will be a beardless franklin on Tuesday.

Latest computer time waster...

The game Fate.

It's easy to learn, cheap to buy, totally addictive.

In other words, dangerous.

Here's the link - check it out at your own risk:


http://games.wildtangent.com/fate/

Six years ago...

I've thought some about today. Yes, I remember where I was six years ago...I was home, getting ready for Ladies Bible Class, when I got the news.

Some think we're making a huge fuss. I asked myself why. I think I know.

Things like this don't happen every day in our country. We don't normally have people bombing our buildings and killing thousands of our citizens.

If the Lord is willing, I hope it stays that way.

This blog is rated....

"G," according to this link: http://mingle2.com/blog-rating

See? I'm harmless!

What a month!

So what's going on?

- First draft of my latest novel, "The Silent Witness" finally finished. Will go back to it soon - still have to go over another novel, "Dead Hypocrites," and I'm sketching out my next attempt at publication. (None of these have been published yet - still working on them).
- My father in law had surgery to fix a shunt in his head. He is doing better.
- College kid goes back to college tomorrow (sob).
- We have a houseguest for the week - a friend of one of my sons.
- My old laptop has started making ominous grinding sounds, so I have a new one which I have to configure while I get used to Windows Vista.

So any wonder I'm not blogging? '-)

Catch up...

Well, I guess the best thing to do to let you know what I've been up to lately is just a list...

What I'm reading: "Beka Cooper Book One: Terrier" by Tamora Pierce (Already read Deathly Hallows. No, I won't spoil it on the web.)

What I'm watching: The last part of Season 2 of "24". Fox News when I think about it.

What I'm listening to: Talk radio still. My Ipod feels neglected lately. :-)

What I'm playing: Civilization 4. Yup, still.

What about you?

WARNING!

Some idiots are sending false ecards using bluemountain.com as part of their address. They send you to some website and may try to install some malicious virus.

If you get a card and doubt whether it's valid, DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK!! Check this real page on bluemountain.com to verify it:
http://www.bluemountain.com/customer/trouble.pd#validecard

Some people need a life...

Back from Shore Leave...

Wow. That was great!

I got to meet writers I've admired for a long time, such as Keith R. A. DeCandido and Peter David. I hooked up with fellow Strange New Worlds writers. Ran through the dealer room several times.

Oh yeah, I got to sign books too. That was fantastic!

Might post pictures later after I get them. But it was great, great fun.

Shore Leave

I'm in Baltimore, MD this weekend for Shore Leave, a sci-fi convention. Here I will be signing copies of Strange New Worlds 10, a Star Trek anthology which contains my first published fiction, "Adjustments."

If I did this right you should be able to see the cover here:



I'll keep you posted on things.

Repairs update

AC unit, security system and dryer are all functioning.

Still no word on 2 computers. :-)

My brain is as crazy as ever.

Why 4 year olds shouldn't have cell phones...

There's a short story in here....

4 Year Old Calls 911 Nearly 300 Times

Breakdowns

Okay, the latest technology isn't working count goes something like this:

-- 2 computers in the shop after refusing to turn on.
-- an AC unit that is making ominous rattling sounds
-- Security system that got hit by lightning
-- Dryer that won't dry

Hopefully everything will be fixed by the end of this week!

Star Trek Magazine

The July/August issue of Star Trek Magizine is out.

If you see it, check pages 60-61. There's a blurb about Strange New Worlds 10.

And you might recognize one of the names. :-)

Civilization 4

Civilization 4 is an engrossing, fascinating, addictive game in which you try to build the best civilization of them all.

In other words, it is evil.

I am embarassed to tell you how many hours I've spent playing this game. Many of them have been with my oldest, who has quickly mastered the subtleties of the game and is excellent at it.

If you buy it (and if you like games like this, you should) make sure you have a caring spouse or parent to yank you off the computer from time to time. Or commit yourself to not playing until the house is clean, your homework is done, or your pages are written. :-)

Otherwise, we may never hear from you again...

2 reasons for writers to be cranky this year...

First, Miss Snark retires from blogging (though the posts are still up for all to see).

Now Dean Wesley Smith is shutting down the forum part of his website.

Two great writing resources, lost. Check Dean's forum this week (link on the right there) - lots of good stuff there if you are thinking about writing as a career.

Sigh.

Yet something else to keep me from blogging...

http://games.atari.com/

I'm bookwormlady if you want to play a game with me...

I'm two oppressed minorites!!

At least according to this...

Massachusetts wants rights for people who are short and fat

I am being spoiled rotten...

As I type this, I am sitting in a fabulous room in the Embassy Suites Hotel in the Seattle area. I'm here to attend a novel workshop which starts this evening and goes through Sunday.

The rooms are HUGE. I have a sitting area and a bedroom all to myself. The furniture is dark wood, very nice. When I got here they called the room to see if everything was okay.

I had breakfast (complimentary with the room). I got a cooked to order omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, ham, onions and cheese. While there I was asked - again - if everything was okay. The staff is very attentive.

I am feeling very spoiled. When I travel, I usually stay at places like La Quinta or Days Inn, which are decent places more often than not, but not like this.

It's nice for now. I'll enjoy it while I can.

Happy Day after Mother's Day!

Hope your Mother's Day was nice!

Mine was sweet. We went through a drive thru after church and got lunch. Then Don and I watched "Deja Vu" on DVD. (Not the best movie in the world but interesting).

John wrote me an extension of a poem he started two Christmases ago. I got lovely cards from James and Don. And I was permitted to bring forbidden food into the house - a chocolate fudge torte.

All in all, a nice day. :-)

Useless but fun bit of information for today...

At three minutes and four seconds after 2 AM on the 6th of May this year, the time and date will be

02:03:04****05/06/07****

This will never happen again.

Whoops...forgot to mention...

Sometime the week before last I wrote my 100,000th word for the year 2007.

I now have 23 short stories making the rounds of different publications.

I am still working on a novel I started back in January. Trying to market another novel to publishers.

And a third one will be critiqued by fellow writers later this month.

So far, no new sales or encouraging words. Welcome to the writer's life. :-)

Yet another way to waste time on the Internet...

www.nationstates.net lets you create your own nation and direct or abuse it as you choose.
Check out my 2 nations:

http://www.nationstates.net/mothers_of_squirrels
http://www.nationstates.net/bookaholics

Miss Snark, the literary agent: Yea, this works

This is absolutely too funny - and if you're a writer, you will love it!

Miss Snark, the literary agent: Yea, this works

The Virginia Tech Massacre

I just made myself turn off the news coverage. Words like "tragic" don't even begin to describe it.

Today I called my college kid, knowing he was okay, just to hear his voice. Bless him, he understood and kept his smart remarks to a minimum.

Pray for the familes and friends of those poor victims

A thought on perseverance

I was thinking about this from a post on Dean Wesley Smith's page, about a writer who kept submitting and then gave up just before he might have broken through.

It reminded me of a poem, "Don't Quit." I submit it to you as food for thought:

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will.

When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill.

When funds are low and the debts are high.

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh.

When care is pressing you down a bit.

Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns

.As everyone of us sometimes learns.

And many a failure turns about.

When he might have won had he stuck it out:

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow –

You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out –

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt

And you never can tell how close you are.

It may be near when it seems so far:

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

- Author unknown

Too Late to Learn?

I am a nerd. I have built computers. I play computer games. As a writer, Microsoft Word is probably the program I use most often. (World of Warcraft once held that distinction, but that's another story...)

Anyway, I am now facing a task that is driving me nuts. I was hoping to avoid it, but as luck would have it I am probably going to have to bite the bullet.

What is this fear-inspiring chore I have set up for myself?

Learning Microsoft Excel.

If you never hear from me again, you know what happened...

More pet food recalled

http://www.hillspet.com/menu_foods/Menu_Foods_03302007_en_US.htm

Hills Pet Nutrition, Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Single Product, Prescription Diet™ m/d™ Feline Dry Food, Only Product Containing Wheat GlutenTopeka, KS (March 30, 2007) - In accordance with its over-riding commitment to pet health and well-being, Hill's Pet Nutrition, Inc. is voluntarily recalling Prescription Diet m/d Feline dry food from the market. Hill's is taking this precautionary action because during a two-month period in early 2007, wheat gluten for this product was provided by a company that also supplied wheat gluten to Menu Foods. U.S. Food and Drug Administration tests of wheat gluten samples from this period show the presence of a small amount of melamine. Prescription Diet m/d Feline Dry represents less than one half of one percent of all Hill's products.

Dobson vs. Thompson

Let me start this post by saying I like Dr. James Dobson. His books on marriage and raising kids are usually first rate. I remember buying "Parenting Isn't for Cowards" simply because I loved the title.

But Dr. Dobson was wrong, in my opinion, when he first implied that former Senator Fred Thompson wasn't a Christian, and on finding that he was a believer, then said pretty much he wasn't "evangelical" enough for most Christians.

Dobson's recent public remarks seem to show him leaning towards Newt Gingrich, though as far as I know Newt isn't an evangelical Christian either.

I understand that as head of Focus on the Family Dr. Dobson carries a lot of weight with people. And there are those who would say he has the pulse of the "evangelical Christians."

I have to disagree on this. I think Dr. Dobson stepped over a line when he publically suggested that the wrong kind of Christian (i.e., not a James Dobson kind of Christian) would fail to get Christian's votes.

I wish I could vote for someone who totally shared by beliefs. Sadly, no one like that ever seems to be running. So I try to vote for the person who I think will do the best job.

In my opinion, Dr. Dobson owes Fred Thompson a public apology. It would be the Christian thing to do.

Donatella Versace's daughter.

Donatella Versace is a fashion designer. She creates styles that women like me are supposed to want to wear (I say supposed to but I'm not a huge fashion maven - anyone who's seen my wardrobe will testify to this).

Anyway, it turns out that her daughter has been diagnosed is undergoing treatment for anorexia.

It gets my attention because so many fashion models that are used by designers like Versace are little more than skin and bones. I mean, people are talking about having to create sub-zero sizes now! And it is truly unrealistic to expect women to maintain their health and these terribly low weights.

Will the fashion industry take Versace's daughter's condition as a warning?

Writing - week 12

Total words for the week: 6,220

Total words for the year: 84,458

Still working on the novel I started in January. Started a short story last week, but it's longer than I expected so I didn't finish it yet. :-)

Oh yeah, if you want to know what I look like...

http://www.shore-leave.com/guests/laura_ware.htm

John Edwards, his wife, cancer, and running for President

Today John Edwards announced that his wife Elizabeth's cancer had returned. (You may remember that Mrs. Edwards was diagnosed with cancer around the end of the 2004 presidential election). He also announced that he would continue his run for President.

I'm sure he's going to catch flak for this. He should make his wife the priority, etc. etc.. Some might even see his decision as cold.

I probably won't vote for Edwards. But I don't think he's a monster for continuing what he is doing.

What is he supposed to do? Bring his life to a screeching halt? I get the impression his wife doesn't want him to do that. She wants him to continue his avocation. And she will support him as much as he is able.

He stated that he will be with her when he needs to be. It seems to me he will put her before the campaign. That is right. But it doesn't mean he must abandon it entirely.

John Edwards will probably get criticized by me at some point. But not for this.

My prayers are with the Edwards family.

And you thought the interstate was dangerous!

Man gets run over while in bed

Catchup on the writing status...

It's been a while, but I've been really tired and trying to catch up on my sleep.

Anyway, while in Oregon I did write 30, 547 words. That was 2 short stories and a lot done on my current novel. All in all a successful time.

This past week I wrote only 2,425 words. But I was tired, in and out of town, and college kid came home for Spring Break, so it's understandable. I did make a massive push to get stuff out in the mail.

This week I need to get some more queries out on my novels and try to get caught up on paperwork.

And the blog. I promise.

Are you a conspiracy buff?

Here's a chance to make your own!

Write your own conspiracy theory

Back in town...

Was out in Oregon from the third until today for a writers retreat. At the moment I'm exhausted, tired, jet-lagged, whatever you want to call it.

Will spend the next day or two catching up on the home front, including this blog.

Writing - week 8

A little behind in posting this week...

Total words written this week: 6036
Total for year: 42,813

Also got a short story written. Had a couple come back that need to go out again and need to get the short story in the mail.

Still working on this writing thing. :-)

Oh, ick...

Rats run wild in a NYC fast food restaurant

Writing - week 7

Words for week - 6208

Words for year - 36,777

Total words out - 218,100

Did get a new short story done and mailed out.

Nothing really new this week - just maintaining.

Tired of it...

Am I the only one tired of the coverage of the aftermath of Anna Nicole Smith's death?

Don't get me wrong. I'm sorry she died. I'm also sorry for her baby daughter - it is crazy how this child has been thrown into such a questionable state while several men play "I'm the daddy."

But is it really breaking news? Is it really something we need to follow every second of? Something to be treated as hard news?

Or am I crazy?

The squirrel had to fly

Stowaway squirrel grounds jet.

Okay, this is totally worth a laugh...

You have the right to shut up...

Writing - week 6

Week 6 – 6,015 words

Had to fight to get that much and did it on a very strong medication (which is scary because I don't remember writing some of it - it's not bad, but I'm wondering where it came from).

Total words for 2007 - 30,569

Broke the 30,000 word mark this week. Happy about that.

Total words out: 214,700 Finished a short story and it's out in the mail today.

Sold a short story to Leading Edge last week, my second fiction sale. So a nice week overall.

Writing - week 5

Words this week: 2789

Total words for 2007: 24,554

No new short stories out this past week. A lot of real life stuff kept me away from the keyboard.

On the plus side, I got some queries out for two novels I am shopping around.

Back to work...

Hmmm....

Rush Limbaugh nominated for 2007 Nobel Peace Prize.

January's Writing

Word count for January: 22,878

That comes to an average of 738 words/day. About half of what I wanted to be doing.

I wrote 4 short stories in that time - happy about that.

Here's looking at improving some of those numbers in February.

New meaning for "coffee and doughnuts...

Scientist develops caffeinated doughnut...

Someone got crazy with the "bleep" button...

Overzealous censor edits "God" out of "Queen"

My first fiction sale!!

Click this link:
http://www.simonsays.com/content/feature.cfm?sid=44&feature_id=5768&tab=24

Life juggles

Sometimes I feel as if I'm juggling a ton of glass balls.

There's the Christian ball.
There's the wife ball.
There's the mom ball.
There's the daughter-in-law ball (inlaws live with us).
There's the writer ball.

And there are countless other ones as well.

My problem is balancing all of these without losing my mind. Sometimes I feel I'm doing great in one area but two other balls are crashing to the floor. Sometimes I want to drop ALL the balls and run away from them.

It would be nice if I could be Superwoman, and cover all the areas of my life without a hitch - but it never seems to work out that way.

Am I the only one to feel this way?

Writing goals for 2007

I already posted these on Dean Wesley Smith's site, but thought I'd put them here as well. I'll try to keep you up to date on how I'm doing with these goals throughout the year.

1) Write 10,000 words/week (weekly column counts towards this total)
2) Write at least 1 new short story/week
3) Complete 4 new novels in 2007 (cheating slightly on this one - counting a novel I finished the first draft on in December but will be working on 2nd draft next week).

So last week I got 6,012 words done (not quite 10,000 but a nice start) and 2 new short stories out.

Will keep you posted. :-)

Why people question bank security...

Bank issues credit card to cat.

Happy New Year!!

And happy blogging for 2007!!