Favorite line from rehersal - Amanda's dad is conducting the ceremony. At rehersal, he said to John, "You may kiss the bride - tomorrow!"

Getting ready to head for church - all dressed up.

500 words written. Test of writing streak will b tomorrow, day of the wedding. Is my desire 2 maintain this streak crazy or disciplined?

I'm going to be a mother-in-law in less than 24 hours!

Got laptop from husband - going to try to work for an hour.

I'm getting addicted to Mafia Wars on Facebook. I blame my friend Nancy

*Glares at erratic internet connection* It's going to be one of THOSE days, eh?

My column for this week: RT @TheNewsSun Life's not fair; get used to it : "It's not fair!" How many times do we... http://ping.fm/TzoaV

Finally home after day of shoppung. New dress and shoes!

Yay! I don't need blood pressure medicine!

Got my 500 words done...passed the 30 mark! Yay me!

just finished reading "The Boneman's Daughters" by Ted Dekker. A somewhat disturbing tale - very dark.

This is turning out to be a rotten day so far. May have to take it out on one of my fictional characters!

My latest column is online at http://ping.fm/gMHPu

Rained good part of the day. We need it, but I could do without the thunder.

Day 26 of at least 500 words/day...

500 words done! Now watching "Taken" with boys.

John's feeling better, I got my 500 words written. Dead tired. Night all!

Three recent books I've read...

At the moment, I'm on page 134 of Ted Dekker's "The Boneman's Daughters" (and it's pretty interesting so far). But I recently finished 3 books that I'll make a few comments on here. Keep in mind this is my opinion and only my opinion:

The Associate by John Grisham: This one felt like a return to "The Firm," the novel that got Grisham launched into the spotlight. A graduating law student gets blackmailed to become a corporate spy. Some interesting bits there, certainly not the worst Grisham has penned, but I still prefer "A Time to Kill" and "The Runaway Jury" over this one.

Star Trek: The Movie Novelization: As I've indicated, I really like the new Trek movie. The novelization (which has Alan Dean Foster's name on it along with two other authors) does what movie novelizations are supposed to do (at least in my opinion): fill in gaps the movie left out. Not as good as the movie, but at least we find out what happened to Porthos!

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult: I started this book on Sunday, while traveling back home from John's college graduation. I finished it sitting in my bathtub the next day, tears streaming down my face. This is a powerful,, intense, emotional book, and Jodi Picoult's writing is amazing. The movie version comes out in June, but don't wait for it - buy the book and read it today!

Stressing out for some reason. Probably due to working on computer, which was finally working when I left home.

Column finished! Now getting ready to find a replacement video card for desktop

Okay, enough goofing off. Time to get to work!

Finally home. Wrote my 500 words and now going to bed!

Lots of things going on!

I've added links to my Livejournal and new Facebook pages to my list on the side. Check them out - I'm going to try to keep things current. Emphasis on the word "try."

Tomorrow Don and I head to Tennessee to see our oldest son John graduate from college. Where did the time go?

So right now I should be writing my column and packing and stuff. Why is it that I keep getting distracted?

The New Star Trek Movie

Well Don and I have just gotten back from the new Star Trek movie, and I wanted to throw out some of my thoughts on it. Don't worry, no spoilers.

First off, I am a huge Star Trek fan. My first professional fiction sale was for a Star Trek anthology titled "Strange New Worlds 10." So I was interested in this latest installment of the Trek universe.

I liked the movie. And when I first heard about it, I wasn't sure I would.

Prequels are tricky things to pull off. If you are writing a prequel, you are bound by what has happened already. For example, if Mr. Smith exists after the prequel, you can't very well kill him off during the prequel.

Fans of Star Trek can be a challenge to please. There have been five series, an animated series, and a number of movies. Some fans have taken almost an ownership attitude with the series, feeling that they and only they should dictate what should and should not happen with the franchise.

I tried to go into the movie with an open mind. I loved the original series. I wasn't sure how I'd react to other actors playing Kirk, Spock, Scotty and the rest. Would there be anything familiar, or Trek-like in it? Or would it feel like someone just slapped "Star Trek" on a movie that bore no resemblance to that universe?

I was impressed. They managed to pull it off.

There are echoes of the original series throughout the movie. The actors playing the characters have done their homework. Some do better than others (the actor playing McCoy just nailed the character) but overall I didn't watch this thinking, "That isn't so-and-so!"

And they do find a way to get around the predictability factor prequels labor under. I won't tell you how, because it's a spoiler. Let's just say it's Trek-like.

I can see future movies with this crew happening and being done well. And I would love to see this one again. A fellow writer got to see it in an IMAX theater, and I admit I'm terribly jealous.

If you like the concept of Trek and are willing to see a somewhat different version of how our beloved characters turned out, you will enjoy this movie. If true Trek only means Shatner, Nimoy, etc., you will have to let go of that if you want to see this movie. And if you don't, you'll be missing out on a good flick. Your choice. Your loss.

Funny Publishing Glossary

I got this from an elist I'm on. If you're writer, these will make you laugh out loud. If your not a writer but know one, this will explain a lot!

http://www.rightrea ding.com/ publishing/ publishing- glossary. htm

When Do You Quit?

My friend Chris York shared an awesome blog entry that talks about when a writer should hang it up.

Read it here: http://www.murderati.com/blog/category/toni-mcgee-causey

Tweet!

You can now follow me on Twitter! My name there is Bookwormlady2 (someone thought of it first!)

I promise not to litter it too much, but you'll get tweets when my column is online, when I update this blog, or when I sell something.

I'll listen for you!

An Article I Wrote for the OWN Blog

I recently wrote an article on "The Do's and Don'ts of Sending Out Manuscripts." It's my thoughts after a push to get a large number of stories back out in the mail.

You can read it HERE.

Let me know what you think!

Interesting column concerning writers and the current economy

Kristine Kathryn Rusch, a successful award winning writer, comments upon why the current economy is a golden age for short story authors, and has comments on how one in general can cope with the economic crisis with a good attitude intact.

You can read it HERE.

Reading, writing, and a blog to check out

I devoured the Twilight saga last month. It held me and carried me through to the end. I know some people found BREAKING DAWN to be disappointing, but I liked it. It just demonstrates that different people like different things.

This goes for editors as well. A rejection doesn't mean a story's bad (it might mean that, but not necessarily); it means it didn't hit the editor's buttons. Or they'd just bought something like it. Or they don't have room or budget for it. All kinds of reasons.

This week I'm working on getting short stories out that have been sitting in my office for months. They won't sell sitting on a desk, so I'm working on getting stuff in the mail (or email).

Check out the OWN Writer's Blog, listed under my links on the right. The people penning these articles are professional writers, and worth checking out if that's what your goal is.

Updating...

Yeah, it's been ages. My serious apologies. Real Life has been kicking me in the teeth lately, making it hard to get things done.

So, let me run a list of what's up so you know what I'm up to:

• Currently reading: Finishing up Adams Vs. Jefferson, a must read if you want to study the birth of partisanship and political parties in this country. Planning to dive into New Moon pretty soon.
• Currently listening to: Aside from my usual fare (country, etc) I'm listening to Michael Connelly's Black Echo. Let's hear it for libraries that loan out ebooks.
• Currently watching: Battlestar Galactica, Bones, and getting seriously interested in House. Caught 24 for the first time in ages, still looks good.
• Current favorite new toy: A Blackberry Curve. I am seriously in love with this thing.
• Current projects: Working hard to finish a short story to submit to a workshop I'm planning on attending later this month. Other writing projects in various stages...probably will go into more detail on that in the next couple of days.

That should give you an idea of life at the moment...

My columns can be seen online!

As I've indicated in past posts, I write a weekly column called "Laura's Look" that is seen in the Highlands County News Sun on Sundays.

Now, for those who haven't had a chance to read them, you can go to the News Sun website and search for my name, "Laura Ware." You'll find my comments on a variety of topics.

Read and let me know what you think!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Hope you have a great day!

Nano is coming!!

National Novel Writing Month (Nano) is coming in November!

Nano is a period of insanity where bold and insane writers pledge to attempt to craft 50,000 words in the month of November.

I'm the Municipal Liason for Sebring, and trying to kick things off here.

If you live in the area, email me and let me know!

Or, go to www.nanowrimo.org

Finally back!

I'm home after two exhausting and awesome weeks at the Master's Class, an intensive writing workshop.

I got back in town Monday night. Went to bed at around 11 PM. Woke up Tuesday at about 4:30 PM. Yeah, I was pretty tired. :-)

Hope to give dribbles of information as time goes by. Right now trying to get back in the swing of real life again. :-)

In Oregon for a couple of weeks...

Sorry I've been silent - been getting ready for a major writing workshop I have a chance to attend in Oregon.

So right now I'm typing this post while waiting for the Master Class to start. I won't be able to post much the next two weeks - the instructors promise to keep us QUITE busy.

Cheerful replies and emails are welcome!

A book I hadn't read in so long...

I teach a Ladies Bible class on Tuesday mornings. I was doing a lesson I called "Nameless Service."

Sometimes when I teach I recall things that apply. I think this is God's way of helping me out.

This time, as we talked about not having to take credit and thanks for everything we do reminded me of a child's book I read when I was young, called "Understood Betsy."

It had been years - perhaps more than 20 - since I read the book, yet I recalled parts of it clearly. I'd read it several times and loved it. I can still see the cover of it in my mind.

Wednesday I did a websearch and to my delight found the book (published in 1917) was available to read. It was as good as I remembered it.

Will my writings be like that for someone? Something they'll remember with pleasure even years after they read it?

I hope so.

By the way, if you want to read the book yourself, you can link to it here.

One Step at a Time...

Those who know me know that this was a stressful summer.

I had seven people living at my house at one point - that's a lot. My youngest was getting ready to go off to college, my oldest was spending his last summer with us (he's getting married next June). Plus there were health issues with a family member.

I was stressed. Something had to give, or I might have cracked.

What gave was Weight Watchers.

I've been on Weight Watchers since October. In July, I'd lost 40 pounds. Not a small thing.

But I quit going to meetings. I quit counting points (in Weight Watchers, food has points). I didn't go hog wild - for example, I didn't consume a whole cheesecake in one sitting - but I wasn't being as rigid as I was.

Last week, I started back. I started counting points again.

Last night, I went back to my first meeting in 8 weeks. I only stayed long enough to weigh in and see how bad the damage was.

Fortuantely, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. In 8 weeks, I'd gained 3.8 pounds.

Next week, I'll stay for the meeting.

One step at a time.

Did you know...

...that September is "Be kind to editors and writers" month?

Find a writer or editor you know and give them a hug!

Governor Palin

The coverage and out and out hostility that has greeted Sarah Palin has been disturbing.

Look, people are entitled to their opinions. No one is required to like the governor as far as I'm concerned. Some people don't agree with her stands. That's a valid argument.

But can I have the same courtesy?

Can I agree with Governor Palin's views without being dismissed as a hick or stupid? Can I disagree with Senator Obama's stands on things without being ignorant?

Can we respect the fact we disagree without acting like we're better than each other?

Or is that just me spinning more fiction?

Don't mess with a writer's copyright...

I've heard of Stephanie Meyer, though I've never read her books.

Looks like her last book will be on hold, thanks to someone ignoring her rights and posting her stuff on the Internet without permission...

Stephanie Meyers drops new book after Web leak.

I KNEW reading was good for you!

Reading novels enhances social skills: study

Fay has come and gone...

..and it wasn't much. Wind and rain and VERY wet mail, but other than that, it was just a weird day.

Tropical Storm Fay...

Just when you thought it was safe not to close the hurricaine shutters... :-)

We're under a "hurricane wind watch" at the moment.

It doesn't look bad out there but I've seen the weather change quickly. At this point we're just figuring on a lot of rain and some wind, nothing to freak out about.

So meanwhile life goes on...

The birds have flown!

John and James left for college today.

I'd say more, but I'm a little cranky.

Anyone have some chocolate?

Can't believe I didn't mention this!

My short story LAST HEIR was published in the November 2007 issue of Leading Edge Magazine. (#54)



You have to order the issue through the mail. Their website is http://www.leadingedgemagazine.com/

In Orlando yet again...

Husband Don is attending a medical conference at a very nice hotel in Orlando and invited me to come along. While he listens to lectures, I'm planning to use the time to catch up on some work. A mini-writing retreat, if you will.

Turning on the lights, frowning at the mess...

I haven't posted in a while. I will be honest, the future of this blog is uncertain at the moment. I am having to consider the pros/cons of keeping it up.

A blog requires a commitment of time. The problem at the moment is I have other demands on my time, including the writing which I hope to devote more attention to.

Will ponder this while I research. Thanks to those who've checked out the blog and posted comments. Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated.

A blog worth looking at

A fellow writer named Scott William Carter has put up a blog profiling first time novelists. You can check it out at this link: http://thefirstbook.wordpress.com

Back from a writer's conference.

I just got back home from a writer's conference in Cocoa Beach. It was a wonderful opportunity to talk to other writers, get ideas for making my writing better, and pitching a novel of mine to an editor and 3 agents.

I got the chance to meet some fellow writers I met through Strange New Worlds. We had a great hanging out together and picking on a friend of mine who was asked to submit a proposal to an agent a year ago and hasn't done it yet.

I also got to see my friends Dean Wesley Smith and his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch, who have been generous to me in their advice. They were keynote speakers at the conference, and as usual they had things to share that I needed to hear.

The editor I spoke with and one of the agents asked me to send the entire manuscript of "Dead Hypocrites," I novel I wrote as my Nano project in 2006. Two agents asked for the first 3 chapters. I am excited about the interest and will work to get the material in their hands as soon as possible.

Now, home and tired. :-)

Laugh, cry, and/or shake your head...

Whether you're a writer or a reader, you will probably enjoy this satire:

Eccentric reads an entire book

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.