Trash or Treasure

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” This American proverb and has spawned the weekend rash of garage sales.

In 2008, a website called “Smart Bitches, Trashy Books” created such a controversy regarding the treasure and tropes of romance novels it caused servers to crash and the term “romancelandia” was coined. It’s a mythical place where happy-endings abound.

Romance Novels have a complicated history that spans centuries. During my speech class in 2008, I presented an overview of the romance industry from the publishers side. This was prior to the Kindle but the digital publishing industry was already established, though tiny.

The financial data astounded the class. But that’s just business. One question I was asked after my speech was, “Why can I fly through a 300 page novel in a few hours, but barely read 3 pages of my textbooks before falling asleep?” My answer was, “They are written in present tense, active voice, and full of action verbs.”  Hint to scholastic writers and teachers…

Romances are used for literacy programs because they are easy reading and engaging stories. Even illiterate construction workers can soon breeze through them and are proud to have read them. Romances are also used for couples therapies and marriage counseling and are stocked at women’s shelters. These are the same places and programs that receive much of the industry dollars as well. Many romance novelists were victims where the first rays of hope, for personal power, came from the pages of trashy romance fiction and the required happy ending.

In the 1980′s, when I was a lonely stay-at-home mom, 300 miles from family, category romances introduced me to couples around the world pursuing happiness, and in the end, together. My epiphany was when I realized none of the characters were “normal” but uniquely ordinary people, in remarkably toned bodies, struggling to create a life worth living. They got distracted from their practical goals by sexual attraction. They endured conflicts to dump past baggage and heal emotional issues. They realized they deserved love and grew up. They could now give and receive love. The end.

Romances are often criticized for being fiction. Truly, the most criticism is that they aren’t real and give women unrealistic expectations of a relationship.

In the 1970′s there was lots of brutality inflicted on the heroines. During the 1980′s the victimization of women started to dissolve and some heroines actually had jobs out of the kitchen. Empowered woman began to emerge in the 1990′s and as a mother of four school age daughters, I was pleased.

Many old-skool romance novelists fought the battle of the “trashy” label in the trenches. These women maintained their dignity in relative silence, while laughing all the way to the bank. However, the new generation of romance readers and writers use the “trashy” mislabel as a battle cry and have whole libraries of high quality novels to promote.

The treasure today is knowing women around the globe who have little access to health care or education, who exist within cultures that promote victimizing and brutalizing women, are reading romances that empower women. These uneducated and victimized women understand the stories are fiction yet are getting that first ray of hope for happiness, equality, and personal power.

As the Chinese proverb says, “women hold up half the sky”.

The Winds of the Dragon

We had some strong and consistent winds roaring through the treetops for two days here in Oregon. I enjoyed these winds as a herald of the Chinese New Year for me in addition to pictures of celebrations in Australia. I do love the web and global connections. Blogsphere is my home because there is space for personalities to bloom and all kinds of content and pictures.

Our newly tiled bathroom was finished on Monday and I spent the day wiping construction dust off the furniture and sending all fabrics through a laundry cycle.  A good house cleaning is recommended with a New Year and the dragon flavor made the chores more fun. I had to wipe down every little thing in our bedroom so lots of silly clutter is also gone.

Many of the blogs I follow have a new look, as does mine. I’ve chatted with tech support on my new domain server and email process. A friend came over with bags of laundry, as her washer died, and I did a year forecast tarot reading for her. I haven’t done one of those for years and it was fun. Tonight, Ed and I tried a new pizza place with friends and it was awesome.

I’m very excited about how the marketing workbook for authors, that I am co-writing, is progressing. It’s wonderful to feel the flow of creativity even with nonfiction. The DVD’s I’ve watched and analyzed from the library have all been romantic comedies (also known as chick flicks). My critique partners helped me realize my story style and voice fits this genre. I’ll also be studying classic Rock Hudson-Doris Day movies as recommended.  This will be another new thing for me because I’ve never taken the time to absorb the classics.  :D

I watched the State of The Union Address and, while politics does not compute in my world view, I felt there were significant potentials being stirred. Or maybe it was a a foretaste of having our planetary magnetics and communication grid disrupted with a massive solar flare today.  There are powers and mysteries in play at all times but it’s not my job to worry about them. Hallelujah!

No matter how dramatic and turbulent my life has been, nor how intimidating I can be, I am defining my life purpose to silly romances. They have transformed my life and as an industry insider I know their potential for literacy and marriage counseling. I’m delighted to know how trashy fiction is aligned with the heroes journey, through ancient mythologies, and connects with cultures around the globe.

It’s also fun when I feel confident on where I placed commas in a sentence.

Punctuation is only a few centuries old in the journey of communication. That’s what I worry about.

On The Right Road

2011 was a turbulent year for many, me too. But I have a dream, an intent, and not even the republican candidate debates or a month of construction noise and dust in my home has deterred me. I’m not Martin Luther King and maybe only romance novelists will benefit from my dream but they are people too.

C. Morgan Kennedy, my marketing business partner, always takes a personal holiday to honor MLK day, and working on our project was her goal. We’re both excited because when a project is close to completion and it is more than envisioned, well, it’s almost orgasmic.

On Monday I was on my way over to her house for what turned into a six hour meeting with a ton of disruptions. The song on the radio was telling me I’m beautiful and I glanced at the clock and saw 11:33. Double digits on the clock are my personal signal to pay attention, and those numbers were on the clock for quite awhile so I was really determined to pay attention.

The message of 11 to me is: illumination and enlightenment of the duality that life is. 33 is a message for me to bring balance to my creativity, communication and compassion. I know these messages so well it was a split second smack to be aware.

Except that road I was driving is one I travel all the time and there’s nothing to see but trees. It’s a busy four lane divided highway. It’s three miles long and there’s a long stretch visible at all times. Lots of cars were on the other side of the divider going in a different direction.

I was all alone on my side. No cars in sight behind me, nothing but the open road before me. “You are beautiful, just the way you are…” crooning in my ears from the radio. 11:33 nice and steady on the clock.

The Year of the Dragon dawns soon.

“The time for new business ventures and projects. Euphoric and unpredictable, this is the year for outlandish schemes and taking risks. Dragon babies are considered lucky.”

Oh yeah, I’m ready for the ride.

New Blog Theme

I’m trying out a new blog theme. After 3 years with theme “Thirteen by Becca Wells” I felt it was time for a change.

What I like about it is all the topics I post about are listed in the banner across the top. I also like the tabs for adding static pages.

The only thing I don’t like is that the link to add comments is at the title of the post instead of at the bottom. How do you like it?

productive day

With two nonfiction projects and two novels in process I’ve had to rearrange my schedule. Today was nonfiction in the morning and fiction in the afternoon. Three hours each and it worked well.

 But the big news of the day is, the bathroom is almost done! A little more grout, an application of sealer in a few days and it’s done. Our son-in-law who’s a welding instructor is stopping by on Thursday morning to design a shower rod.

Here’s a picture of the floor. Ed did some tile work, once, in our home back in NJ twenty years ago. But he sure does good work.  

JAK thru time

I recovered from the flu and was able to attend the dinner party with Jayne Ann Krentz (Amanda Quick & Jane Castle) and 23 of my writing friends. Then we crossed the mall parking lot for her book signing event at Powell’s Books.

Renee - Jane - Marti

Renee and Marti are awesome booksellers and love promoting local authors! So when they host an event, our writers groups shows up.

I met Jayne at the RWA conference in Reno in 2005.  We chatted for almost half an hour while both waiting in a quiet lobby for the next session of workshops. I had recently returned to romancelandia and Jayne is one of the queens in the industry. She also promotes her reputation as an authority on killing and rebuilding your career.

As one of the keynote speakers Jayne revealed she still gets rejected by editors, which she prefers to having readers refuse to buy her books because they were too different than previous ones. That’s how she killed her career more than once and even changing her name didn’t help. However, as history has proved, her previous names and books have found new markets and avid fans who are happy to read all her names.

Since Jayne is a writer, her talks at reader signings are about being a writer. I’ve recapped:

Jayne’s 5 Tips to becoming a better writer:

1. Recognize your own writing voice.  Chose your genre to fit your voice, and it is usually what you love to read. Be aware that you are writing to a specific genre/audience.

2. Know your own core story. The themes remain the same  independent of the fictional landscape. Themes with heroic flavors, like courage and relationships, are more important than character archetypes or time frames. One of her rejected novels was a futuristic on a different planet. But since it was a marriage of convenience story she shifted everything but the setting into a historical saga, that’s how “Amanda Quick” was born.

3. Know your market. Always consider how the reader finds your books. Write to the audience. Bad cops and snarky P.I.’s are okay for an audience in the USA but are not welcome in England.

4. The book proposal must include the genre and read like a back cover blurb. The industry has changed and authors have more options than banging on the gates around the agencies and publishing houses. But a book is still about connection with an audience and if you can’t explain your story, why would a reader care to open the page?

5. The most important advice for aspiring writers: Join a good writers group and become an active participant in writer organizations as it is a business.

Unfortunately, Jayne could only shrug to the question, “How do you get inspired with new story ideas?” Ideas are just there for her.

She writes from 6am until noon everyday and is vocal about it being exhausting work. She always feels the book she just sent off to her editor as being the worst one she’s ever written, this seems to be common among authors but she explained why,

“It’s because we’ve been through the book so many times, in so many ways, for so many months, that it’s not fresh and new to us. But we have to trust that initial excitement for the story we had during the first writing.”

Since I had personal chatting time Jayne when I first returned to romancelandia and now again on my second return… I see this as a good sign. She’s a marker in time, like bookends, for my aspirations to be a romance novelist. She’s excited regarding the changes in the industry since 2005 and the opportunities for authors.

Strangely enough, I found Jayne’s Arcane Series at the library and have stopped searching out other authors and continue to read through the series. I even drafted a blog post and thought I saved it. But a search on her name through my blog and my documents only revealed one mention.

On 2/18/11, I answered the following workshop exercise question:  Name three authors living or dead you would want to have dinner with: Only three?

Jayne Ann Krentz was #1.

The next adventure begins

There is always another adventure available. Throughout 2011 I focused on making the shift from turning my writing hobby into a career focus. I’ve been successful on many levels that take place behind the scenes and never seen by a reader. I’m also human and currently have the flu, which sucks.

So here’s two pictures from my youngest daughters engagement party.

The future Bride kicking it up with her girls.

They make a cute family, don’t they?

Begin with a Bang

2012 resonates to the number 5: Freedom of thought and action, change, variety, thinking outside the box.  Change and variety have certainly sabotaged these first few days of the year but in a good way. I have been able to try out my new writing rituals and routines to see the potential for productivity.

But…

Our little bathroom now has a beautiful tile floor and the toilet and new sink are in place and functional. Yeah! The shower walls are still in process so it’s not picture worthy yet. My sister’s little sheltie McGiver is in the house for a week and he’s a playful and easy distraction. His head is at knee level and he eats less than our cat.

Daughter # 1 is enduring the first week misery of being a non-smoker. Send good thoughts her way! Her sons are proud and supportive.

Daughter # 2 and hubby spent New Year’s Eve in NYC and will fill us in on their adventure when we see them prior to her scheduled four month hibernation as a CPA during tax season.

Daughter # 3 and new hubby asked us to join them today for a house viewing, the best we’ve seen so far in their price range. But they aren’t going to jump too fast as it is a new listing and on Monday she will begin an eighteen month focus on completing her degree. A new home will happen but getting back into the school routine is her primary focus.

Daughter # 4 attended the Lakers-Blazers basketball game last night with her sweetie. They had amazing seats behind the Lakers bench and she wore a Lakers jersey even though she also cheered for the Blazers, our hometown team. Then, before the 2^nd quarter ended – drum roll – her sweetie proposed and she said yes! I’m sure there will be a video to view soon as all the fans in the stadium had access to the moment on the big screen.

Tomorrow I’m off with the bride-to-be, and some of her friends, for the Portland Bridal Show which we had no intention to attend but it is an annual event. This will be my first and I’m hoping to sample cakes while watching the wedding dress fashion parade. An impromptu engagement party is being hosted by the groom’s parents on Sunday and this will be the first party of this type I’ve ever attended. I’m bringing desserts.

I love flurries of change, variety and excitement. All four of my daughters have given me real life experiences, in this first week of the year, of what is called in fiction: the inciting incident, the beginning of a story that can be fraught with drama and conflict but also deliver an enjoyable story with an uplifting ending.

On Wednesday the 11^th, McGiver will return to his happy home with my sister and my calendar has many project deadlines in the weeks and months ahead. The bathroom will be done, I’ll take a shower in it, and the monster tile saw will be removed from my living room.

I’m sure change and variety will continue to flavor the year ahead but the “Freedom of thought and action” will be stronger. I love thinking “outside the box” because I know the box, and love the box.

A box has four sides as I have four daughters. Each faces a different direction but are part of a complete whole. Add a top and a bottom to a box and it becomes a cube. Ed is the top of the box, as the “head” of our family. I’m the bottom, or foundation, as the “heart” of our family.

Now, all four sides of our box are morphing into cubes of their own.

That’s how family trees are grown.

Catch Time

It’s time for my first post of 2012! Wee Hee!  The message of TIME has surrounded me for weeks now – so it’s time for….. (fill in the blank). Time is the 4th dimension of our physical existence called a “lifetime.”

The title of this post is to recommend Time Catcher by Rob MacGregor. FABULOUS STORY! Loved it, will reread.

An ancient Hopi prophecy…the end of the Fourth World … a mysterious ruin…and a window between worlds. 

Mystery, mayhem, magic, time travel, a touch of romance and a fascinating and thought provoking ending. I learned at the end that there are 3 previous Will Lanza Mysteries: Prophecy Rock, Hawk Moon, and Double Heart.

Here’s a great piece of advice for the new year, coming to you from Seth Godin:

The artificiality of time

Until the transcontinental railroad, there were no time zones. Each village kept its own time, based on its own steeple and its own high noon. And why not? There was no good reason to go through the pain of coordinating the clocks.

Factory work forced us all to know exactly what time it was. The shift couldn’t start until the foreman and the workers were ready to go. Synchronicity paid big dividends, so we embraced it.  (… more on his blog…)

Celebrate New Year’s when you want to, and as often as you choose. They’re your resolutions, not ours.

With the shift from 2011 to 2012 have come a plethora of comments from friends, family, bloggers and writers regarding how glad they are 2011 is done. It was a wild ride for many who feel they are in a better and brighter place. For others it was a turbulent year but they are hopeful for lighter days ahead.

For some reason the lyrics, “Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away” is cycling through my head now. If we can catch falling stars, we certainly can catch time too.

Feel free to share anything about time in the comments.

Begin a Happy 2012

The dawn of a new year is always exciting to me and I have been savoring all the events that have touched my life in 2011. We grow as individuals through conflict and challenges and I’d say every person I know has grown this year.

Many are thrilled to see the 2011 energy come to a close as change is not always pleasant, but that is why we celebrate clearing the old energy away to embrace the new.

I feel really good about the potentials of the year ahead for myself, my family and my friends. I will also soon have a really nice new bathroom!

My wish to all is A JOYOUS NEW YEAR.

Celebrate with gratitude that we have chosen the privilege of being alive on Mother Earth at this time. May blessings abound in the days ahead.

new memories!

It was our eldest daughter’s first annual hosting of the Christmas Day family gathering. It began with the magic of Santa for her and her boys in her awesome home. This home was a dream come true for her 30th birthday in March of this year. The preparations for dinner began and the garbage disposal choked and died as the potatoes were being peeled.

Everyone was already there when Ed and I arrived with our tower of presents. I unpacked the cheese and crackers, veggies and dips, and set up the cookie tower. The hard-boiled eggs were handed to our chef to be deviled. That’s when I learned the kitchen sink was a goner for the day, which meant the dishwasher was out of commission as well.

The party was in full swing by 2pm and we washed our hands and needed utensils in the bathroom sink. Then we opened presents. Ed and I now have some awesome new pictures of our girls and grandsons to hang on the walls of our home. I was delighted to see the younger men in my life (2 son-in-laws, a potential SIL, and my 9-year-old-grandson) all immediately put on their new, and identical, jackets and were happy to pose for a picture – but there were comments about coordinating future events so they didn’t all show up as jacket twins.

Then it was game time! A card game, table top games, new puzzles, a short jaunt to the park for a basketball game. During this time, snacks were enjoyed, dinner was roasting, and NBA and then NFL games were displayed on the TV. No one was hungry when dinner was served but the glazed ham and slow roasted veggie casseroles were too awesome and flavorful to ignore.

Eventually the plates, cups and utensils were carried upstairs to be washed in a bathroom sink. The pots, cutlery and baking pans were soaked and then scrubbed in a tub. The washing assembly included towels held by toddlers. The men used a new tool set, so recently gifted to one it was totally shiny and all the pieces were in place, to dissect the pipes under the kitchen sink and remove the dead garbage disposal.

The party continued with desserts and a few late arrivals. It is possible there will never be another holiday party with such a disaster but the story of the cesspool sink will live now for greater embellishment in the retelling!

That was our Christmas day in Oregon. I’ve caught tidbits on FaceBook about the celebration at my sister’s home in Ohio that include a broken tree and flames dancing on a hand but I don’t have any details yet aside from there being no lasting injuries.

There is a quote oft repeated that happy families are boring but I don’t buy it. We’ve got as much drama and conflict as dysfunctional families. We just laugh more and open another bottle of wine.

Happy Holidays!

It was January 2003 when I attended my first monthly meeting of the Rose City Romance Writers. Delilah Marvelle was the chapter president and an aspiring author then. Look at her now, and a few of the friends who have blessed my life these past eight years. It was an awesome party!

I am in the front of the chorus at the end and now know to never again wear pink tones as they clash with my enhanced hair color.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

the male view

Failure to Launch and Made of Honor are two romantic comedies written, directed, and produced by men. I recommend them for the entertainment value and especially to authors who want to study the male approach to romance.

It’s fascinating to watch the body language as these 30+ men try to explore emotional issues with buddies while rock climbing, playing basketball, and at sporting events. This attention to competition resonates to the way a man wants to solve problems, or fix things, with the woman in their life. The action distraction is a great example of Mars energy while the women in these movies all communicate with a musical, intellectual and artistic Venus flavor.

Age also has an impact on the male perspective as Nathan Bransford blogged about with his How Art Changes With Us post that he begins with “I recently rewatched the movies “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset,” which, if you haven’t seen or heard of them, are rather amazing.”

I have not watched either movie, yet, but Nathan explains that these two movies are the same relationship story set nine years apart. What makes this post a must read (even if you don’t watch the movies) is that Nathan explores how his perspective on the relevance of these two movies has changed in relation to his age and life experiences. He shows that a good story remains unchanged through time, but the reader experience is always unique. It’s a great male perspective about relationship stories. (He’s in his 30′s and exceptionally articulate.)

The example of a male view in my life right now is a bathroom remodel has begun. Ed has some vacation days to use before the end of the year and he’s often viewed long holiday weekends as a good time to begin a home construction project. There were a few years when his projects and my holiday party preparations overlapped and caused concerns that there was sawdust in the wineglasses. But our family gathering has shifted to our daughter’s home this year and the construction mess will be resigned to an upper corner of our house.

Our view of home improvements has shifted as we have tucked years and life experiences under our belts. He enjoys the projects because he likes working with his hands and his work is good. But we are less interested in the improvement to our lifestyle in this house and more focused on the resale benefit someday.

I do enjoy the view as men do physical work or engage in sporting competitions and will watch these two movies again before I return them to the library. I’ve realized that conversations between 30+ men attempting to create a relationship with a woman they desire are fascinating. But when a man is content in his relationship for years, his conversations with his buddies (topics like work, politics, investments, and bodily functions) are not as entertaining.

This means, I’m most interested in man-speak when my view is handsome and athletic 30-year-old men who are wondering how to please a woman, and exploring emotional issues, while flexing well tanned biceps and abs.

brain insights

Mike Perry posted about the brain and I remembered the transparent head kit I got as a gift when I was ten or eleven. While I watched the 20/20 special on Gabby Gifford/Mike Kelly I was pleased at the miraculous leaps and bounds of Gabby’s recovery from having a bullet tear through her brain, and I got emotional at the positive energy of the love story. But I was also impressed that Gabby’s essence/personality/humor/spirit was undamaged, while it is the linear and tactile skills she needs to relearn.

I’ve watched the TED.com video of Jill Bolte Taylor’s Stroke of Insight a few times and two days after the 20/20 show on Gabby, I was in the library and saw Dr. Jill’s book with the same title. The book is lots better than the TED.com talk and I have high expectations now Ron Howard is planning a movie based on the book.  I believe the Gabby Gifford story has exceptional potential and is wonderfully emotional, but Dr. Jill’s story is basic science and explores her revelations in LaLaland during her near death episode.

People often compare computers to the brain and now that computers have wireless connections to The Cloud, where all data is floating in the ether, I like the comparison even more. The left side of the brain is the ego side which develops our individuality and linear skills. The ego protects us with knowledge and fears to stay physical on earth. The right side of our dual core processor brain is our essence side which develops our personality and joys.  This is where we build our self esteem, appreciate our memories, celebrate our accomplishments, feel gratitude, understand humor, and wonder.

Both Jill and Gabby’s examples are about repairing/retraining the left side of our brain function. What makes it a powerful story is that when a skill or goal is achieved there is a celebration. Celebrating is a right brain function as it serves no purpose in the linear achievement of goals. But if either of these women were only able to work on regaining their left brain function without that celebration energy, the stories would be tragic instead of uplifting.

This is why great novels have characters on an emotional journey while also achieving linear goals and facing tragedies. A character arc is defined as the emotional journey from ego to essence which means developing right brain function, while the left brain keeps the character alive, growing and adapting through the action of the plot.

An emotional journey of learning to celebrate fits well with the hero journey plot structure. This can be enhanced to the tone of the story as: learning to celebrate the self, nature, security, children, or learning to celebrate technology, science, or history. Whatever fits with the story, no matter how dark or wacky, that ability to celebrate more freely at the end of the conflict and drama is uplifting for the reader.

This is also the message of both the above stories, both women are inspiring because they truly and freely celebrate their right brain and the essence of who they are, even when the ego/left side is a challenge.

Expendable by Maggie

It’s been ten days since I blogged, I think that’s a record for me. There are draft posts in my cue to review to see if I want to publish them. It’s been a potent mercury retrograde (nostalgia on steroids) with a full-moon-lunar-eclipse to scramble my thoughts, yet I’ve made good progress on my new process of writing a novel.

My Christmas preparations are done and the newlyweds (in June) intend to become homeowners and viewing five houses with them in one afternoon triggered all kinds of memories. I’ve attended holiday parties and craft fairs. I got a Kindle (for $79!) and I’ve been downloading books as I want it to be library of  my friends books so I can carry them all with me.

A few weeks ago, Expendable by Maggie Jaimeson arrived as a prize and I have not been able to do a review of this story as it is so – wow. Intensity! Texture! Dark thriller! Powerful romance! I read it in two days and spent the next two wandering around thinking about it. I don’t choose to read dark thriller/horror stories but I adore Maggie and trusted it was a romance and would deliver a happy ending. It does, and it’s good, but it was a wild journey to get there and that’s what a reader wants.

Except I couldn’t write for two days. And I couldn’t do a review so I read other reviews and realized I read/watch romantic comedy and adventure stories, with the occasional sci-fi or intrigue. I don’t do “Silence of the Lambs” and Expendable had more that flavor. And -drat it – I want to read it again…

To be able to get my thoughts back to my own writing (and life) I grabbed a Terri Reed Tiny Blessings tale that was published by Love Inspired in 2007. This is a classic sweet and cuddly romance where all you can do when you close the back cover is go, aawwhh….

As a reader, I knew from the first page that Expendable was not a book I would choose for entertainment. I don’t like being grabbed by the throat and dragged into a sinister world with PTSD battle flashbacks, or rescuing victimized children from narcissistic scientists.

I’m also not sure how to respond when viewing potential homes with newlyweds who discuss the merits of living on the property during the pending zombie apocalypse. But between books and daughters and holidays and pesky planets, sometimes we just have to go with the flow and be open to anything.

Life is a journey and nothing is written in stone until it is published.

ask and they appear

Last year we had a Macy’s Christmas as I worked there for the season and it was fun and nostalgic to have lots of packages under the tree. At Thanksgiving dinner I asked all my girls for a list so I could do that again. I knew with extra coupons and sales I could get great deals and value for the cash and I have the time to find them. Only one knew what she wanted, three items for her kitchen.

When I dropped Ed off at the airport at noon, I decided to check out the new collection of stores and got such good deals I was able to get all three. Then I made a trip to Costco and saw some gifts to give my grandsons. I decided to wrap them as I wasn’t sure if I’d need more paper or tags. That was fun and quickly done so I went off to the mall without a clue about what was on any of my other daughters lists.

As I stood in the men’s department in Macy’s a nice man asked if he could help me. Oh yeah, I needed help. There are now three men in my life who I adore and I had an idea, with a spark of fun, and needed help to turn that idea into good gifts each man would enjoy.  Their new jackets are identical but different sizes. Then I got a similar style jacket for my oldest grandson so he can be one of the big boys.

Since I was having such success shopping, I stashed the bags in the trunk of my car and returned to the store. Wandering, wondering, about what to get for my other daughters.  The eldest was set, I got everything on her list. So I wandered over to the jewelry area and while I was there, I looked up and daughter #2 appeared. How fun!

Daughter #2 picked out earrings and a necklace she likes, then a sweater set she will wear. We discussed the great deals I’d gotten for daughter #1′s wish list and I showed her the awesome jackets I’d gotten for all the men. We went our separate ways as I shopped for daughter #3. After that I went home and wrapped and tagged with delight and chatted with daughter #4 on the phone as she’s the only one left on my list, what does she want?

In one day I had lots of examples of going forth with an intent for giving and ideas and help appeared. I even had enough wrapping paper and tags.

I love giving gifts. Receiving gifts is my personal challenge. I always love what I receive but giving is so rewarding that receiving gifts requires my gratitude be sincere. For others to enjoy giving gifts like I do, I have to receive to keep that joy rolling forward.

Being a grateful receiver of gifts is not listed on the rules for living. Maybe it should be.

Running Wild – the movie

This 1998 movie, Running Wild, was one I picked up from the library and I wasn’t sure I wanted to watch it. It seemed too intense from the blurb. Ha. The joke was on me.

Cheesiest romance, totally kid powered, with hapless villains that meet their end in random explosions and by going over the falls. The scenery and music are amazing and up the entertainment value.

Ahh, just what I needed.  Recommend. The only disappointment was the crocs were only props.

It could be your last…

The holiday season has always begun for me with Halloween. There was that party when I was dressed as a gypsy and the house was full of kids in costume. The game was to bite an apple hung from a string and I was short with my new front teeth barely breaking through my gums. I didn’t win the prize but years later my high school friends showed up in a variety of costumes and rated my haunted house creation as the best.

Thanksgiving traditions were all about the food and football. I loved it. This year football was not my focus but the game played after our food feast was called, “apples to apples” and it triggered many fond memories for me as well as setting the stage for new traditions in our future family celebrations.

During the preparation stage, of our potluck Thanksgiving dinner this year, I mentioned my intent at holiday activities was to approach them as the potential of being the last one. This isn’t with a morbid fascination but an awareness that life experiences can change. Like when a move from Ohio to New Jersey in 1982 meant the last time I participated in the annual family celebrations was the year before. During the 1980′s I would often contemplate my lack of awareness that the family Thanksgiving tradition I expected to flavor my life was a past experience now, never to be repeated. Every annual ritual is different from the one before.

Again, in 1997 we were planning a family move from New Jersey to Oregon, and the death of a grandmother took us back to Ohio, the holiday celebrations that year took on a new flavor for me. I knew these were the last time we would do these activities in this home, this state. Change was happening for my family. So everything was more vibrant as I savored ever color and aroma.

It’s not easy to travel through a flux of time. This is when the traditions of the past are in conflict with the potentials of the future. I will not blow smoke and say it is easy. But having done it, I can say it is worth it. Consider your experiences of today may be the last time you can celebrate being thankful for what is – as it may become – what was.

Johnny Depp, and his movie director Bruce Robinson, burst into hysterical at the concept that they were going to die.

I’ve often laughed at being alive. It’s fun. Because I’m not dead. There are stories yet to tell…

Holiday Prep

Thanksgiving Day is the favorite holiday in our house as it’s all about the food and football. There are other traditions we include, like being thankful adventurers came to America over the past few centuries and now we can roast a turkey in apricot glaze. This includes appreciation for innovation that brings us electricity and aluminum foil. We also like being able to watch the Macy’s parade in NYC on our TV in Oregon.

Today is the food preparation day for me. I’m not doing the turkey but am making some sides, treats, and the traditional sausage stuffing. The variation this year is I am making the sausage with turkey and personal control over the ingredients. I am thankful I do not have any dietary issues and am fascinated to learn modifications to old recipes so they can be enjoyed by all. No one will miss the lack of pork fat with our fowl.

Happy Thanksgiving – Be Grateful Daily!

Year of the Rabbit

2011 is the Year of The Rabbit and there has been a lot of hopping around in my life this year. In my Feng Shui book the description of the energetic quality of the Year of the Rabbit states:

A respite from the past year and a breather before the next, rest is indicated here.

Respite and rest have not flavored my year except recently as I reaquainted myself to that marvelous place called the library. With this rediscovery was the reminder that, as a writer of books, I need to read books. Ahh, I’m currently reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog and savoring the utter beauty of words on the page.

This is a time for negotiations and settlements, but not for new ventures.

I can see this flavor in retrospect though often I’ve felt like – aren’t we done with this yet? – why haven’t we got this going yet? (I’ve often been accused of wanting things yesterday.)

Women’s and family concerns are considered important.

Two daughters moved, another married. It was delightful to be absorbed in all those bridal and decorating activities. I also spent a lot of time with women exploring their passions in crafts of quilting, knitting, ceramics, baking and writing.

Add to all this bunny bouncing this year, the 2011 Rabbit also had the flavor of negatively charged metal.

Metal can be a beautiful and precious commodity, or the blade of a weapon. It represents solidity and the ability to contain objects. It is also a conductor. Negatively, it can suggest destruction, danger and sadness.

Ed and I both had to take our vehicles in for collision repair this year, my car was hit in March, his truck had a loading incident in October. The only other car accident we’ve had was in 2002, and the car was totaled so no repair. That was Year of the Horse, with a positive water element.

January 23rd, 2012 begins the Year of the Dragon:

The time for new business ventures and projects. Euphoric and unpredictable, this is the year for outlandish schemes and taking risks. Dragon babies are considered lucky.

The element for the year is water, with a positive charge. It will be interesting to review next year how all this played out in my life. It sounds like fun times and only three more months of hopping around before I practice belching fire.

novel writing month

Thousands are pounding keyboards this NaNoWriMo month in an attempt to reach a word count. I’m working on a new process to create a novel instead and have a 12 page How-To reference outline.  It’s utterly dreary but no characters were screaming in my head to have their story written before it fades. My goal is to have a solid synopsis to go over with my critique partners this weekend.

To find my romantic hero and heroine I picked two real life characters as templates and now have a Cancer Moon Maiden matched with an Intellectual Water Bearer. Their moons are aligned and they have fiery identities to protect their inner child wounds. They were faceless and nameless for a week but the more I worked with their issues and interests the more solid they became.

As I imagined these characters in scenes, a setting began to form with terra firma under their feet and scenery around them. Scents, textures and colors emerged as my characters began to move and speak to confirm it’s not a dark and creepy story but bright and challenging. Yeah! My favorite type to read so it will be happy writing.

Romance novel checklist: Hero, heroine, setting, back story, wounds, mentor, sidekick. All good and I’ve added careers, conflicts, and themes to my outline. Their names and mannerisms were revealed as I fleshed out more scenes then specific issues and secrets appeared. Yeah, going well!

On Saturday, I attended Delilah Marvelle’s workshop on Writing Sex Scenes which Jenna has recapped. The focus of this workshop was the importance of the writer being in the mood in order to accomplish valid story goals by putting the characters in the mood. It was a great workshop and now I’m looking at my outline regarding the sexual arc of my characters. I write more intimate-sensation than hot-n-steamy.

I could be using the November novel month focus to polish a novel to submit to the publisher of my choice. Instead I am developing a process that aligns the books already written, that are as yet unpublished, to the books I have yet to begin. I’m not going to be a one-book-wonder to disappear into obscurity. This is part of my journey.  What I learn from my new process and story I will then apply to this novel that is almost ready to submit.

Every author has to find their own process and get there on their own journey.

It happened on 11/11/11

It was a fun day for me! First, my Christmas Cactus bloomed.

Christmas Cactus

This is an event because the blossoms are awesome, vibrant, and it always blooms in early November.

I had some fun with numbers on the clock today as I only looked at the time when something caught my attention.  Then I had to laugh because my attention was caught on something that compelled me to check the time… that began at 1:11 am, 11:55am, 2:55pm, 3:11pm and finally 11:11pm.

We attended our grandson’s birthday celebration this evening and it was a great party.

Devon 9th Birthday 055

You’ll notice this picture is # 55.

It was time to open presents and the kids gathered, while the adults watched. There had already been games played – Toss Across, Bingo – and a paper airplane competition.

The under 21 crowd

The over 21 crowd

Musical chairs were played by black-light and my camera flashes were like a strobe. First the kids played then the adults had a round…

Now, you’ve seen pictures taken from my camera.  If you follow my blog you know I believe laughter and fun times will attract orbs, whatever they are. No need to travel to specific points on the globe – or sacred caves. Just have a fun party and a boxing match…

Devon 9th Birthday 074

Devon 9th Birthday 077

Some of them orbs are bit frisky as they were on one daughters boob and another daughters belt buckle.

Them frisky orbs were in lots of pictures because that’s what I was asked to do, take lots of pictures so my eldest, who was hosting the party, would have a record of the event.

11×3

Have a great triple eleven day, especially when there will be five at 11:11 on 11/11/11.  There’s a fun pyramid of these numbers at synchrosecrets.

It is also Veteran’s Day in the USA and while I want to see the war machine put into museums or out to pasture, I totally honor the individual warriors involved for the cause of honor and freedom through history.

On Monday night, 11/14 the first story of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will air on TV and I’ll be watching because I agree with her mother who said, “I think Gabby’s got a message now that exceeds the political one. … Gabby is a warrior.”

I’ve posted about numbers a few times and there are numerous websites and books about numbers and numerology. My advice is read them or not. The only truth about numbers is they are one language that translates easily at the global level regarding music, money, and all measurements from cooking, to building, to aging.

Whether you mark the date for the triple elevens,  or the six ones, regardless what the skeptics say a lot of people see the day as cause for celebration and anything that creates a surge of happy energy is an awesome thing.

sports widow vs romance widower

Yesterday was a fun mother/daughter day. First, we got new jeans for me that my daughter had to approve as not being “mom jeans.” Then we went downtown for the Body, Mind and Spirit Expo because I met a woman named Yvonne at the writer conference last weekend and she was an exhibitor there, this weekend. Yvonne’s Dream Interpretation tent and team were our favorite spot in the whole expo. So while my daughter chose to sit with a team of three inside the dream tent to discuss recent nightmares, I chatted with Yvonne’s husband in the aisle.

Romance novels have been compared to sports because in many ways it’s the same appeal. Sport followers like to watch teams battle balls across specific tracts of land according officiated rules. Romance readers like to watch the battle of the sexes across specific time frames in history and on other planets. Yvonne’s husband is still adjusting to his new role as a romance writer widower, except the difference is it’s not just a game to watch for the romance writer. She’s the owner and coach in this sport.

His first question to me was to explain the difference between erotica romance and porn. Delilah Marvelle explained this to me, so I shared what I understand. Porn is the physical act of tab A into slot B no matter what other enhancements may be involved. Erotica is (when done well) how the characters exploring the physical tabs, slots, and enhancements, are able to take an emotional journey to self love and then learn intimacy within a physical partnership. I personally don’t read erotic romance but will always promote the emotional journey a character takes to a happy ending that promotes intimacy.  In some cultures the physical sex act is also spiritual.

The sport analogy between football and erotic romance is silly but it works because there are many who understand being passionate for a sport even as an observer. I don’t promote the observer mentality but it is a good place to begin a new journey. Humans are emotional beings so wherever emotions are part of the journey is a good thing.

This evening, Ed sat on his corner of the couch watching Sunday night football, and I sat on my corner of the couch with my research books and tools to explore characters for a new romance novel. There was nothing erotic about our evening but it could be considered an intimate happily-ever-after.

the Cherry challenge

Cherry Adair is an amazing woman who’s also written a few books. I’m finally reading one. This is the conundrum of a writer, we’re so involved in the world of books, and have authors as friends, we seldom stop to read the NYT best-sellers even when we get to chat with them often.

Cherry’s got hair like mine and we chatted about how she had just gotten hers done and I was due for my next enhancement. 

Cherry always poses the “Finish the damn book challenge” at the ECRW conference and this year I decided to take it. I know I’ll be at the conference next year as I’ll be one of the workshop presenters with C. Morgan Kennedy and our still to be embellished Author Marketing 101 workshop and potential book. We’ll be working on it this winter…

Today I actually read the rules of Cherry’s “Finish the damn book challenge” and realized that it has to be a NEW story begun and polished within the year. I hadn’t considered NEW. I have two novels to polish and this third one of … Then, there are those books in the storage box that need to be shredded but not until I give them a look through because they were not half bad, they are really bad, but there are gems of ideas worth a look since they claimed my attention for a whole year each…

New. Not started before 10/28/2011 and will be completed by September 15, 2012. Which is three months before Doomsday so I can’t count on that as an excuse.

What to write about? Begin a NEW story? This is a serious issue! Shit. I’ve got so much in process, so many files… But the new concept resonated with me. The new me. The new story plan. I’ve got a business plan, a marketing plan, a writing plan, a career plan. This ”Finish the damn book challenge” makes me feel a new story plan is connected to a new life plan.

Cherry Adair is an amazing woman and I’m totally impressed by the tiny bits of information I know about her. It’s funny that I know more about her process to write her books than anything about her books since I am only now reading one. I’m even doing my damn-dest to read it like a reader instead of dissecting it as a writer.

There’s no way to know how I will succeed on any of these levels, that’s why it’s called a challenge.

learning to love

As you know, I was just at a romance writers conference and it was probably one of the best ones I’ve ever attended for a variety of personal and professional reasons. Like a good novel, the events are scheduled to progress with keynote speakers. The last one of the weekend was Sarah Wendell, better known as “Smart Bitch Sarah” of SmartBitchesTrashyBooks.com. She’s one of the co-authors of Beyond Heaving Bosoms and the author of a new jewel,  Everything I know about love I learned from romance novels.

I’ve watched the evolution of Sarah’s career as an author and have been a follower of the rollicking website. It’s a fun story full of controversy, drama, romance books, and advice that romance authors remember to wear their big girl panties. I was thrilled to have a copy of her latest book on the seat of my chair for the final conference event. I’d forgotten she was the keynote speaker for the Sunday luncheon.

I squealed in delight as I held the book. The cover is smooth and firm, the pages are crisp and the size of the book is just sooo right. I felt like I was holding quality in my hands. I’ve read “Bosoms” more than once and it is a forever keeper on my bookshelf. Now that I’ve read this one, it will also be one.

I’ve learned about love in many more places than within the pages of romance novels, but I’ve been blessed. What this book contains is the stories of how romance novels have touched the hearts and mind of readers. I’ve heard tons of these stories over the years and have my own to tell. Her name was Candy Hall, she was a southern belle and a temporary neighbor of mine in New Jersey. Candy handed me paper grocery bags neatly stacked with every type of romance novel. Some of them were barely an hours read, many were god-awful.

Romance novels only promise two things, an emotional journey as a relationship is created – and a happy ending.

As I read through grocery bags of these books in the mid 1980′s I remember feeling connected to a bigger world where there were a multitude of choices available from soup to shoes. Men and women came in all sizes, shapes and colors, with a plethora of passions, and – they all were looking for a happy together future.

I remember feeling so grateful that there were hundreds of authors on this planet, and a variety of publishing venues, willing to devote their time and business budgets to producing what was known as Trashy Books. They were cheaply made, and easy to buy anywhere.

But the words within the pages had the power to transform. They created a connection, for me, to a greater community of women through trashy fiction. We have evolved, ladies, from accepting a ripped bodice to being in control of our personal destiny. There are young woman around the world who will need the stories we have yet to tell.

Love is an ever evolving construct of the human condition and we can never explore all the nuances in one place. But we’ve got to start somewhere and if a romance novel is the first spark, say Amen and Hallelujah! Then put on your big girl panties and strive forth.

I thank you, Sarah. You are a voice in the wilderness for all the young women looking for love in all the wrong places.

inspiration overload

This happens when 300 romance writers gather in one spot for three days. The “follow your passion” action can be a rather turbulent journey and when two hundred women who aspire to do so are gathered together with a hundred women who are doing so, the yin energy can soar. Introduce some potent yang energy and lots of bouncing will occur.

The Emerald City Writers Conference, in Bellevue, WA, was a wild weekend and sooo much fun! I forgot my camera and a few other special but not-needed essentials. I learned about some author journey’s that make all my angst and trials seem like a thorn-less bed of (long stem) roses.

I hugged exceptionally talented and successful women who got giddy and teary at what they can do to help others enjoy – joy.  The dream to be a novelist always has the fly-off-the-tracks-crash-and-burn potential.  I will never recommend it to anyone. But I’m on it – and it’s a kick-ass roller coaster of fun.

The journey can shift at a conference into a the bouncing ball of information overload. My friend Jenna Bailey-Burke has already loaded a bunch of this on her blog.  If you’re interested in the current state of publishing world and romance author insights, hop on over to her blog. It’s always good to see agents, editors, and authors in pictures to verify they are real people with awesome shoes and boots.

I was blessed to have my critique partners, who have actually read my current novel, help me devise a simple statement about my contemporary romance. It’s a Debbie Macomber with nature magic and astrology. I like that because it probably will ring true for all my future books as well. And someday, decades from now, some aspiring writer may describe her own books as It’s a Terri Patrick with…

My conference decompression/exhaustion wasn’t bad today and it’s probably because I’ve been feeling that it’s no longer about the learning and the time to be producing. Maybe you are at the same stage. It’s time.  Shift your focus from aspiring-to-be to taking action on your journey.

mermaid tail

My daughter stopped over to return my crock pot and took a picture.

Since I know how I am with costumes I specifically made it a separate tail. This way if I, or someone else steps on my tail at the party it won’t tear the dress.

It only drags a few inches and I painted my nails to match.

It’s been a few years since I’ve done a costume!

Those are real seashells at the top of the fin, fortunately they had natural holes in the shells.

Happy Halloween!

shit happens

I’m attending my favorite conference this weekend. It’s been on my calendar for months and there’s a yahoo group for attendees of this conference. It’s the Emerald City Writers Conference sponsored by the Greater Seattle Romance Writers of America chapter. It’s a 3 hour drive north and limited to 300 attendees. There will be three of us in one hotel room for the weekend.

This is my 6th or 7th year attending and in those past years it was scheduled for the beginning of October, but, they chose a new venue and this year it is on Halloween weekend, hence the addition of a masquerade party and my mermaid costume.  I’m involved with writing activities all year long but this is the one conference that I feel is a celebration of my passion with my friends.

Lots of people in my life  get that passion concept (blessing! few get the passion concept!) – Ed’s passion is flying airplanes, my friends have passions for horses, farming, music… mine is story, everything about it, the words, the craft, the romance!

It was a real pain to lose a chunk of ceramic in my mouth while flossing last night. I knew there was a need to replace a dental crown but I really wanted it to be something I scheduled – in a few months. Nope. I’m an awesome dental patient, I hear this every time I go for my cleanings. I do the relaxed altered state with my mouth wide open – very well. But it’s annoying that I have a distracting temporary crown on my #19 molar. The permanent repair will be complete on 11/11/11 – at 1:00 pm.

While I could ramble about the numbers, and the lunar and stellar aspects of my dental issues (my sister stated Saturn is related to teeth issues) the reality is when I came home with a numb mouth and checked my email, I read an email post that put it all in perspective.

A woman named Bonnie will not be attending this awesome conference because her mom died today. Bonnie (who I’ve probably met at at least once in these years attending this conference) will be doing funeral duties instead of enjoying her passion. Been there, done that.

No matter how enlightened we become on our human journey, or what politics are in place to fight or support, shit happens and there is a reason for it. I’ll probably never know Bonnie’s journey but I appreciate knowing it is not one I am taking this year. My parents estate was settled in 2006.

No one life story super-cedes another. Death is the great equalizer. Until then, our passions are really what matters. So I’m going to hug all my friends  with an extra delight, and I’m going to eat with intent not to harm my temporary crown.

Shit happens all the time but time is an individual construct and I’m going to enjoy being present in the moment.

the business of story

I watched the premier of Once Upon A Time tonight and enjoyed it. I plan to study all the techniques of storytelling woven into this new show. It’s got fantasy, time  travel, the potential for some kick-assitude and more. It’s heartening there’s something new and creative on TV.

I’ve read all kinds of books and watched a variety of movies these past few months with the flavor of preparing for final exams. The intimate conference I attended in April was packed full of advice and processes for a career as an author. Agents and editors agreed an author today should embrace all venues of publishing available (print, electronic & self) and create marketing processes through social networking.

In my network of writers we all consider November as the month to begin a new project because of the NaNoWriMo focus. Last year Larry Brooks was vocal about how this is a waste of time for writers as it only produces text, not story. This year he’s taken a different route and has blogged daily at Storyfix.com through October to present ways to prepare for National Writing Month so all that words-on-the-page effort will be beneficial. It’s because of his posts that I’ve been creating a story template for my use in the upcoming weeks.

On the 23rd the new moon will be in Scorpio. It will also be my lunar return in my 4th house, so I could be in a bit of a daze that day. I’m ready for new routines and projects and have been considering a variety of options while saturating myself with books and movies. Since my sis is an astrologer I was forewarned of this stellar aspect and have been conscientious to choose carefully where I focus my energy on the story of my life.

On the 28^th,  Jupiter (expansion) and Pluto(permanent transformation) get together in a beneficial way and suddenly, you get it.  Sydney Omarr’s Astro Insights

This is an awesome prediction for the 28th as that day begins the Emerald City Writer’s Conference. A lot of my writer friends and favorite authors will be there and it will have the flavor of an annual reunion. As Rachelle Gardner posted today, there’s a steep learning curve between aspiring novelist and published author but the conferences are one the perks.

My mermaid tail for the masquerade on Saturday is almost done…

setting the stage

I’m creating a novel template for myself. I’m combing through my craft binders and books to get an organized structure for my future stories since I’ve always gone forth on a new project with barely a clue. It was tons of fun finding the story along the way. The only rule was to begin -

in medias res,( Latin: “in the midst of things”) in narrative technique, the recommended practice of beginning an epic or other fictional form by plunging into a crucial situation that is part of a related chain of events; the situation is an extension of previous events and will be developed in later action. The narrative then goes directly forward, and exposition of earlier events is supplied by flashbacks. The principle is based on the practice of Homer in the Iliad and the Odyssey. The Iliad,for example, begins dramatically with the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon during theTrojan War.

The Trojan War ended a few years ago but its lesson of a gift horse being a prelude to disaster is still current. A romance reader knows from the first pages that the hero and heroine are going to get their happily ever after, after a few disasters. What separates a good story from a mediocre one is how those disasters are staged.

In Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind the story is staged as beginning when it really has ended and the movie is halfway over before the audience has a clue that this whole story is “in medius res”. The movie also didn’t get funny or fascinating until it was half over when the real story was suddenly revealed as a twisting mire through time and memories.

What I learned from this movie (and all the library books and movies I’ve been randomly selecting) is – there’s really no reason for me to write anything. Every theme and story is already written. I certainly have opinions on them all but that whole angst and months of aggravation to write a new story? Not needed.

So I can approach my whole process of writing romantic fiction as a joy, a passion, and not as a paycheck or because I’m so desperately tortured by the brilliance of my muse. Instead, I can sit for hours writing stories because I love it and have the skills to do so well enough to entertain readers. I’m pretty sure the text only book will be around for a few more decades even if it is on an electronic reader. The whole ebook thing is a a Trojan Horse to some…

So while I can’t promote  Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind as delightful entertainment, if you’re a writer and want to get a clue about the concept of “in medius res” this is a movie to watch, and learn.

Story themes

As I rushed through the library last week I ended up with two movies that, without my knowledge prior to watching them, were about the characters dealing with the death of their dad.

Hanging Up looked like a total chick-flick and when my sister stopped over in the afternoon, we watched it.  Nothing about this movie related to my life but it still got to me because a girl never gets over the loss of her daddy. However that wasn’t the theme of this movie and I’m not sure any of the characters had an epiphany or even needed one.

Then there was Elizabeth Town which again – dad dies – and the son then has to find himself. I don’t have a clue who the writers thought was the target audience for this movie. Like Hanging Up the acting was great and there was a fascinating setting, a whole cast of quirky and interesting characters, and none of it really made a point that I could figure out.

Of the books I grabbed to read, three of them were Christmas stories, two specifically revolving around a small town Holiday pageant. The third, well, I’m sort of trying to read it but doubt I’ll succeed. The most enjoyable was Donna Andrews’  Six Geese A Slaying. As a murder-mystery-caper it didn’t have a theme I can pinpoint but it was a fun read, for free, from the library.

Again, I didn’t realize I was choosing three Christmas stories so that’s something I have to consider on a personal level. Maybe there’s a message for me from my daddy about Christmas miracles. If so, it will be a few months yet before I get it.

Tonight I watched Love Potion #9 which was as silly as the title. But there was a THEME, the characters TRANSFORMED, there was CONFLICT. And the ending was fun and fuzzy.  It was totally worth the price of admission to watch for free in my own home.

Lots of 9′s

9 = Finishing a project, looking beyond the immediate, setting your goals, reflection, expansion;  Sydney Omarr’s Day-to-Day Astrological Guide for Taurus 2012

The number 9 symbolizes Mars – Conflict – Man; Linda Goodman’s Star Signs.  9 is the number of originality and initiative… also the contradictory traits of vulnerability and naiveté.

999 = completion and 99% = the majority.

Today is 10/19/11 – the moon is in Cancer and my lunch dates today are both Cancer women. It is a water sign and we will savor my clam chowder and work on a mermaid tail for a masquerade party.

Another friend, a Taurus woman, is having surgery on her neck today to expand the path for her spine. I hope all the 1′s and the nurturing energy of Cancer will be good energy for her. My sister, an Aquarius woman, needs a new dishwasher today as the current one died last night after a week of glitches with the control panel. Lots of water energy and it’s a foggy day.

There’s been a lot of surprises, twists and news brought into my awareness and the advice in my horoscope today states: Practice what Ester and Jerry Hicks call “rampaging appreciation” so that you raise your own vibration and attract more of what makes you happy.

911 has been claiming my attention recently, and occasionally in the past few years. I thought it was a reminder of The Twin Towers disaster on 9/11/01 which impacted my personal life enough that I wrote a story about it. This novel was my return to the world of romance fiction and I got lots of good feedback from publishers for a year then it was suddenly considered ‘old news’.  Maybe I’ll rewrite it some day. 

This month I’ve had new insights into 911 as relating to the past nine years, and the initiating choice made eleven years ago. I hadn’t counted the years until recently, and it was after seeing 9:11 one day. These years have been full of drama, conflict, change and enlightenment. There’s been lots of learning and opportunities for growth.

dancing

Tonight Carson and Anna danced their last dance on Dancing With The Stars. I enjoy the stories of the stars as they learn new skills and realize they are able to become dancers, something they never considered being able to do.  There have been a few memorable transformations through the DWTS seasons and I appreciate this show is full of music and dance and airs during a time frame I can sit and watch for a few weeks. Each dance tells a story.

Earlier, Ed watched the Republican candidates debate in Vegas, while I was making our dinner so I got to hear it, and I laughed at a lot of what I heard. Squabbles and contradictions, interspersed with philosophical statements, don’t impress me. A radical idea like Cain’s 9-9-9 tax plan does interest me because though I doubt it’s feasible to implement, it is different.  Maybe it’s the spark of an idea for a new way to fund a government.  Maybe one of the young democracies struggling to begin, around the world, will take a look at all the global financial implosions then test the analysis of this and many other radical ideas to come up with a new tax dance. These United States were initiated on radical ideals.

Amazon.com has entered the publishing world by signing authors, and is now selling its own tablet, so the traditional world of book distribution is tottering on spiked heels without any musicality in its steps. Radical change terrifies many but out of the ashes something better may arise.  Storytelling will continue, as it has through the history of humanity. A good story will reach an audience and the primary issue in flux is how books are distributed and who makes the money.

The employment dance has gained my attention recently as I’ve begun looking for a job that will define a new routine for my days and create more interaction with people who are not writers or family members. I can relate to those within The Occupy movement because I now have personal insight that whether they are fresh from academia or veterans of years on a career track, the current job seeker needs a dancing teacher. Unfortunately what they get is a lot of advice on how to be a good job seeker which, in my opinion, is the last thing anyone wants to be.

On the career track flip-side, I know companies don’t want to publicly post a job opening because doing so for one week, on one website, can slam them with hundreds of applicants to weed through to find four potentials for that one available job.

We all have our personal areas of expertise, I’m not an authority on dancing, employment, publishing, taxes, or politics. I went on a wine tour yesterday and know I’m not an authority on wine though I drink it daily, and touring wineries was tons of fun! Tomorrow I’m going to try a new recipe for clam chowder  and attempt to make a mermaid tail to wear at a masquerade later this month.

According to the current tax codes, the $13.00 I spent on my mermaid costume is tax deductible but I’m not sure about the wine I’ll have at the party.  Maybe I’ll have a new job before I go to the party and maybe I’ll learn new dance steps. And maybe the clam chowder will be awesome.

In November 2012 I hope to have a clear decision on who to vote for in the presidential election. We will see…

New glasses

Our oldest daughter is an optician but she wasn’t at that office when I picked out my new glasses. The wonderful optician who helped me asked, “Why aren’t you letting her help you?”

“Because she wouldn’t explain anything to me, she’d make all the choices for me.” Which is true.

And I would have been happy to let my daughter do so because I know she’s one of the best and dedicated to doing her best for me. But, there’s a lot about me she doesn’t know. My pride in her success has made her forget I was also an independent power woman, at her age. She never saw me that way. I’m mom, and her confident and grandma to her sons. Whereas I am still totally connected to that woman who makes choices for myself.

When I got the call my glasses were ready to pick up, I sent my daughter a text but she wouldn’t be in that office until the next day. I chose not to wait and met another of her coworkers, a woman named Cheri who explained she was the only one better than my daughter, for fitting my new glasses to my face. I had a delightful session with her as we discussed the reason my glasses looked uneven was related to my eyebrows. My eyebrows are blond and barely visible so the unevenness was because I had penciled them in unevenly…

I learned later that Cheri is the woman who taught my daughter her skills, and she wanted to meet me.

I chose one of the hardest to adjust frames. But they look so right on my face that hubby and our youngest daughter didn’t even notice I was wearing glasses. Until now I only wore readers which means when I wasn’t reading or writing, there were no glasses on my face. But now that there are, I had to point them out that there was something different about my face. Hello! Do you see me?

I’m adjusting! I keep reaching up to take them off but have no reason to do so! I can look across the room and read posters, notes, and also open a book and the text comes into clear focus with a slight adjustment of my head. I can multitask with no pause to put on or take off my glasses. It’s liberating.

There are times in our lives when we have to change out patterns and point of view. I’m in one of those stages and the icing on the cake is designer glasses on my face.

Apple and MicroSoft

The news of Steve Jobs death is very personal to me because I’ve never had an Apple product. Friends and members of my family have Apples and Mac’s, Iphones and Ipads, so I’ve had chances to play on them. Occasionally I will slip into the Apple Store at the mall and test out keyboards, marvel at the monitors and wander around the demonstrations.

No matter how mystical or romance focused my blog may be, the world of computer technology is the foundation of my lifestyle and loyalty must be maintained to PC’s and MS products. Fortunately, regardless of the competition between Steve Jobs and Bill Gates (Apple vs. Microsoft), Bill’s initial statement on the death of Steve Jobs includes a video created in 2007 that reveals they worked together a lot, especially in the early years, whether they wanted to or not. One could create what the other needed to succeed and vice-versa.

When I watched Steve Jobs address the 2005 graduates of Stanford I remembered that Calligraphy connection from the first time I watched this speech. I was again delighted to note that the innovations we use today  are steeped within mysterious codes few truly understand yet did not remain monochrome with block letters because the underdog took a Calligraphy class.

R.I.P. Steve, and thanks for the pretty fonts, graphics and animation.

‎”Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life,” Jobs said. “Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Everything else is secondary.”
Steve Jobs 1955 – 2011
wired.com

what’s in a blurb

It’s time for some books and movie recommendations. The blurbs on the back cover of the book or DVD case are to entice the audience with a promise that the time investment to read the book, or watch the movie, will be worth the cost. This is highly subjective because what entertains or inspires one is not what works for others. So here’s some promo blurbs and my opinion of the story I watched unfurl then reread the blurbs…

The Jane Austen Book Club (2007) [Blurb] Six Californians start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships — both old and new — begin to resemble 21st century versions of her novels. 

I haven’t read the Jane Austen novels. This admission is considered heresy within the historical romance community but I’m a contemporary writer so can admit this lack to my education. I adored all the twists and dramas as six unique women created a personal network because of their love of Ms. Austen’s novels. I’m not sure why the “Six Californians” are the first two words of the blurb since that was the setting. The setting was a very integral part of the plot but the story portrayed timeless characters, universal themes, and was entertaining enough to watch twice because the final twist related to the men in their lives actually becoming interested in – what interests the women in their lives.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day (2008) [Blurb] Guinevere Pettigrew, a middle-aged London governess, finds herself unfairly dismissed from her job. An attempt to gain new employment catapults her into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of an American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse.

Yep, all true for the first 20 minutes of the movie. This movie is a delightful representation of pre-WWII London, from the point-of-view of a woman who has nothing left to lose, so she sheds all her prejudices and dogmas as well. For one day she is less an observer than participant, but this is a role she’s played for years and suddenly she no longer observes but becomes a participant in the life happening around her. Miss Pettigrew has her image spruced up and when the whirlwind of her story that day settles, a good meal with a good man is gained. What makes him a good man is his interest in women as a designer for their lingerie.

The Thirteenth Tale (2006) [Blurb] Sometimes, when you open the door to the past, what you confront is your destiny. Reclusive author Vida Winter, famous for her collection of twelve enchanting stories, has spent the past six decades penning a series of alternate lives for herself. Now old and ailing, she is ready to reveal the truth about her extraordinary existence and the violent and tragic past she has kept secret for so long. Calling on Margaret Lea, a young biographer troubled by her own painful history, Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good. Margaret is mesmerized by the author’s tale of gothic strangeness — featuring the beautifuland willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Together, Margaret and Vida confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves. 

This is actually a pretty good blurb for the book. The writing is lyrical all the way through to the final page. It’s a bit spooky, a bit mystical, and since Margaret (the biographer) is even more reclusive than her subject I really enjoyed watching the tortured Margaret transform into a woman who can be happy as she strives forth into her life once the story/assignment is complete. Maybe… The men in this story are only scantily revealed but create  pivotal  turning points in the lives of the women that psychologists and English teachers will be able to dissect for decades.

Enjoy!

the most memorable

Dancing with the Stars tonight was about the story the stars wanted to tell as being the most memorable in their life. The stories were all good though some were more powerful than others. Then they all danced.

The movie Footloose became a cult hit in 1984 but the theme of dancing in celebration is timeless. I hope a remake of this movie will have the same impact in 2011 because I applaud anything that inspires us to get up and dance.

What makes a story memorable is the transformation it inspires and the journey taken afterwards. No matter how tragic or joyful an event may be to become the most memorable, it is the the journey then taken after the turning point that makes a story powerful. Then, it is time to learn to dance.

While watching DWTS tonight, I found myself weighing all the turning points in my life to decide which was the most memorable. There are so many! They are all interconnected to my personal life story! One would not have mattered without others. But eventually I did settle on one specific event that put me on a path I would never have chosen to travel.

The event was in September of 2002 and I was suddenly making choices I never would have made, and embarking on a journey I would never have chosen. I swam in dark and turbulent waters but also found myself perched on the occasional tropical beach to bask in the sun. It’s always good to determine when and why we took the path less traveled. It is often tempting to stagnate at the edge of the pond.

As I listened to the stories that were most memorable for this seasons dancers I felt a connection to all of them. Each story had a before, during, and after message. We become nostalgic for the before story, the during story is full of conflict and choices. The after story is where the transition becomes the new journey. It’s scary.

And then, we learn to dance.

Another move

Our youngest moved into a new home today. It’s a wonderful condo and represents a new chapter for her life. 2011 began with moving our oldest daughter and her sons into a new home and that has proved to be an amazing transition for this young family.

The wedding, of another daughter, in June was another main event.

It is truly mind boggling to consider there are four amazing women on this planet who call me mom, and are happy to do so. That mommy-career track wasn’t my intention and it was truly a learn-as-they-grow challenge.

A few weeks ago, a new acquaintance guessed my age as 36. This caused extensive laughter since I’ve been married to Ed for 31 years, and our oldest is 30. But it stuck in my head because in many ways I haven’t had the opportunity to grow older. Or as our eldest stated, at her 30th birthday party, “Mom, I remember your 50th birthday party so I know you’re over 50 but I still think you’re 36.”

In the past few weeks, I’ve had my hair color refreshed, got my teeth cleaned, and did my annual medical checkups (2 years overdue) and I’m hale and hearty. I got my eyes checked (5 years overdue) and will soon have new glasses to add to my daily routine.

My heredity on my dad’s side shows a potential that I will be hale and hearty into my 80′s. On my mom’s side, into my 90′s. Which means I can anticipate another thirty to forty years (at least) of life experiences.

I feel like I am in the same place as my daughters, embarking on new potentials. Yet, they can’t see what I see. I’m really excited for them, but I’m even more excited for myself. Adventure awaits.

the day job

Rob MacGregor and his wife are a stellar writing team (for decades) as is evident from their non-fiction books, Rob’s novels, and Trish’s novels.  Rob’s interview for his new book shows there’s intensity, synchronicity, and some ridiculous deadlines when novel writing is the day job.  Here’s Rob’s answer to a very common question a writer is asked:

If you could only provide ONE piece of advice for aspiring writers, what would it be?

Rob: The cynical response would be to keep your day job. However, a better response: write because you enjoy telling a story or writing about a subject. The rest will follow.

I’m going to disagree with this advice. Having a day job is a good way for an aspiring writer to observe story in process. Learning the nuances of character goals, motivations, and how they react to conflict is best learned at a day job. Too often aspiring authors lament the day job as what prevents their brilliance or strangles their time and energy. They are missing the point. The people they see and interact with at the day job are potential readers or (well disguised) characters.

Every published author I know has a day job from childcare to farming to teaching and a variety of careers that produce consistent paychecks. The reason is, publishing books is a turbulent and random business.  The day job keeps writers grounded and present in their personal life while they learn the art and craft of storytelling.

The day job is where a storyteller feels the setting, smells the pacing, and tastes the dialogue of a story. Story fulfills a primal need beyond the basics of shelter, food, and clothing, to survive as a human. Story aspires to show that love, strife, community, solitude, culture, fantasy, history, and dreams are the building blocks for humanity. Conflict generates hope, despair, strength, failure, and the opportunity for character growth in a story.

Story travels through time and includes the day job. Writing is not an expensive passion and it can nurture aspiring authors for life, but to live life, regular paychecks are a bonus.

New Moon in Libra

Check out Trish’s post about this Super New Moon.

I’ve always been interested in new moons because they are potent to me for their invisible energy. The full moon is awesome but it’s obvious and visible in the skies even over large cities where light pollution will hide the stars. But the new moon symbolizes the pause between fading lunar energies and what will begin when the goddess of the night returns.

have to share

Please visit my friend Rose’s blog Skip to the Loo for some great pics of outhouses.

She posted more about this lost cultural treasure, not that I’m complaining. I truly appreciate flush toilets!

There’s so much intensity in the news and our lives that I will forever delight in the gods of the internet (and awesome friends!) so we can lighten up with outhouse designs. Have you upgraded your toilet seat?

Maybe it’s time for a new roll holder. If so, the answer to the age-old debate is that the paper is supposed to flow over the top of the roll, not hang down against the wall.

the seasons turn

Phew! It’s fall now. 2011 has been a jumble of events and activities for me since the first firework. To quote my article (written in 2009):

The full date 2011 adds together to a single number, and primary energy of the year, the number 4.

An ancient school of thought says the number 4 resonates with Uranus, the planet of innovation, and unexpected events.  Another school of thought says the number 4 resonates with Earth, the planet of stability and endurance.  The action energy of the number 4 is associated with building foundations, and work.  Work is action with purpose.  Understanding the work that matters to us will promote personal happiness in our life.

My experiences this year have resonated to all of the above with lots of lunar flavors and dramatic emotions. I’m glad there’s still a few months to go because I’m enjoying the turbulence and have some goals yet to complete before the end of the year.

7 romance novels serve a new purpose with an old place mat to prevent slipping...

As soon as I typed those words, my monitor fell off its stand. I’m sure there is some significance to this event, but what could it be? To remind me that I am innovative and can replace the fancy pedestal with a bunch of paperbacks off my shelf? Will this unexpected event be a better position and angle for this high tech monitor? It seems so at the moment.

Or does this have a deeper meaning? Like, this quick and awesome fix would not be available with an ereader and ebooks?

Will this new stand be more stable and endure longer than the adjustable   pedestal that is barely a year old?

Can we get too carried away with potential signs and the significance of the event?

I’ve done tons of work this year that was dedicated to helping our daughters create new foundations for their lives. At the same time, I’ve had huge chunks of time to work on my own dreams and goals, interspersed with a riot of fun and parties.  This is why I’ve been unplugged most of this summer. It’s been exhausting but worth every moment.

This week has been appointments for health checks, hair repair, teeth cleaning and a long overdue eye assessment. (Bifocals instead of reading glasses?) My hot tub should be repaired on Monday and we’ll have a tarp on the roof of our 5th-wheel camper in case the repair wasn’t enough to stem all leaks. The rains are forecast to begin next week… It’s Oregon, it rains.

There’s been a lot of scuttle regarding the 2012 energy but my plans for the year are utterly boring routines, by choice, because I’ve never had it. My sisters and my friends have all given me the same stellar advice this year, “What do you want?”

It’s a good question and until my monitor fell off the stand I didn’t realize how much I didn’t like having it on a tall perch…

Gambling on an Angel

I’ve known Paty Jager for a few years and recently recommended her as a speaker to my sister, who was organizing diverse events for a weekend conference. As a result, my sister has been thrilled to discover Paty’s books. Gambling on an Angel is one I hadn’t read yet but my sister was adamant that I would love it. I did but I’m not going to review it, instead I want to share why I liked it…

First – the writing is rich and textured. There’s no rushing into the story with guns blazing. It opens on the Lower Cascades dock on the Columbia River in 1873 Oregon. As the words flow, I am totally there, over a century ago. Good historical novels are my personal time travel experience.

Second – since I’ve traveled back in time, I  became absorbed into the concerns and hopes of Bas Slokum and Letha Harrison. The physical baggage they haul cross-country for creating a whole new life may only be one suitcase, or a few crates, but the emotional baggage is more complex.  Life was shorter and more precious. Choices were clearer – wash clothes or starve.

Third – the passionate fervor for a cause is the same in any century in the American past. The example in Gambling on an Angel explores the Temperance movement against the Wild West saloons, and as a subplot, the reality of building a railroad to connect this massive continent.

My personal conclusion, after reading this enjoyable book, is that building a physical infrastructure is an important foundation for progress. Societies are established from a personal need of connection to the greater whole, even prior to TV and the internet. But personal fulfillment comes from the connection with individuals and the best connection is when love and partnership is established from those on opposing sides of the train tracks.

This was a love-thy-enemy-for-they-are you type of book. It is wonderfully written and a rich tapestry to read. Enjoy!

the vacation

Prior to this last week of summer fun, I posted a question on facebook, What does the word “vacation” mean to you?

Here’s some replies from the tiny world of my personal friends and family:

• No Dishes..No Laundry…oh and getting a pedicure!
• hmm.. Doing only what I want to do & when I want to do it.. No demands. Maybe a cruise where I sit back and do NOTHING & everything is done for me!!
• It means a pile up of work when I get back.
• no setting the alarm (if I stay home); packing as much as I can do into each day(if I’m travelling)
• Being able to take naps in the afternoon, and blow off a whole day without feeling guilty
• to quote the go-gos… “Vacation, all I ever wanted, Vacation, had to get away…”

For me – I relate to “the pile of work when I get back” which today included six hours of activity and three loads of laundry. 

Webster online defines vacation as:

1.  a respite or a time of respite from something : intermission 
2. a : a scheduled period during which activity (as of a court or school) is suspended b : a period of exemption from work granted to an employee
3. a period spent away from home or business in travel or recreation <had a restful vacation at the beach>
4. an act or an instance of vacating

I personally see vacations as intermissions,  an interval between the parts of an entertainment (as the acts of a play) -  a space of time between events or states

I can honestly state I have never had a desire to do nothing.

Pedicures are something that I need to add to my personal hygiene routine and cloud gazing is a valid activity.

So what does “Vacation” mean to you?

still unplugged

It was 1984 when Ed brought home some electronics and set them up for me to use with the comment, “This is my career now so you might as well know something about it.” I was interested because our oldest two were toddlers and I was 300 miles from family and friends.

I played with a monochrome monitor and noisy CPU, using keyboard commands and a dot matrix printer. A few feet away, our girls played with the Strawberry Shortcake kitchen, Lego’s and a variety of puzzles, blocks, games and more. Through the years, the girls and I always had access to the latest computer gadgets and tools, they learned to play the piano by computer. I was writing novels on Ed’s old laptops long before desktops populated offices or anyone used the word Apple for anything beside the fruit.

In 2003, I wrote a novel using a PDA with a trifold keyboard while I traveled with Ed after his car accident. The logistics of hauling two laptops that year wasn’t something we considered. He was a technical trainer and software specialist, I was an unemployed tech writer.

With the recent explosion of social networking, Iphones, Ereaders, mini’s, pads, and apps, I chose to return to the basics. The CPU has half a dozen USB ports and two high speed ones. The monitor has exceptional graphics and screen resolution.  The printer and mouse are both laser. I am not virtually mobile on any level. I’ve been physically traveling again but am unplugged from the electronic noise. I haven’t decided on a mobile device even though Ed will discuss with friends the potential for creating a private cloud.

I “unplugged” earlier this year and I will go for days without access to the internet or local TV stations. This explains my sporadic blog posts and comments this summer while the weather has been good for kayaking. I know this will change because the seasons do and I’m too fascinated at some of the new technology toys. I’m getting bored at being off the grid. But that novel I wrote in 2003 is vastly improved, after years of sitting on a shelf.

When George Orwell wrote his novel “1984″, it was considered a horror-doomsday story. I’ve never read that book but I expect the 2012 doom machine will also be an interesting story in thirty years.

care-less characters

The movie Always seemed to be a good compromise to watch as Ed’s interest is in aviation sequences and I love a romance. The ghost story could be a plus, or so we thought. John Goodman made this movie worthwhile, the rest of it was good photography.  Richard Dreyfuss and Holly Hunter are great actors and portrayed these quirky characters with skill and passion.

I knew from the blurb their romance was doomed but even death hanging over the love story wasn’t enough for me to care about them. The romantic hero was instantly recognizable and hardly on screen enough to like, and the final trauma was give-me-a-break melodramatic. But I liked John Goodman and his portrayal of the character Al, who was in most scenes and the only character who took action and made decisions. He made the story.

Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts was my chosen vacation read. It’s book #2 of a quartet of wedding stories. I believe they were written during the time Ms. Roberts was totally involved in being mother of the bride (or groom). It was written “For girlfriends” and both the cover and internal flaps are a nice presentation as are the weddings described in the pages. I do not like offset pages that make the edge of the book look like a sloppy paperback, and this was one more book of Nora’s that I wish had been edited into a novella.

The reason I couldn’t care about Emma or Jack’s romance is because they are too nice and become more clueless at the end. Neither will survive a real life conflict or challenge. I did read the whole book because the descriptions were beautiful and some of the other characters were cute. I also wanted to see if the final conflict was going to be as lame as I expected. It was worse.

I’m trying to care about the characters in the novel I’m currently reading except the heroine is a former art thief and the hero an expat billionaire so I’m not relating to their lifestyle or attitudes. The appearance of a “dead” father and now a theft and potential intrigue probably won’t elevate this story to one I’ll care to finish.

Fortunately, I’ll have dinner with my sister tomorrow in honor of our dad’s birthday last week and she’ll give me a book to read that she enjoyed: Paty Jager’s Gambling On An Angel. It’s a historical and I’m trying to stick with contemporary novels right now but I’ll probably read it this weekend because I want to care about some characters.

Long weekend

Kayaks & a wave runner

We brought our own shade

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We ended the final summer weekend with extra days,

an impromptu party

and lake activities with our grandsons.

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There was also a parade that introduced me to more rural fun and I remained within the spirit of the event and drank beer from a can instead of a bottle.

Mountain Men

Racing Lawnmowers

Tractors

Horses

Muscle and Antique Cars

Veteran Floats

All experiences are treasures.

After Irene

Here’s a personal photo posted on FaceBook from a friend in our former New Jersey neighborhood, of her back yard.

Janet Reid posted pictures of The Catskills, where we went for our honeymoon, 31 years ago.

Earlier this year, the news in Oregon was full of flooding in the Northwest from the heavy rains. As I’ve followed various weather reports this year, one fact continues to come to my attention about the anomalies, “on record since 1895, as far back as the data goes.” This means the current weather patterns may be normal and part of a natural cycle unknown to city planners and farmers across the country.

In eastern Oregon the smoke from surrounding fires is thick enough to burn eyes and close roads. Lightning strikes started 36 fires in one night and some are still burning out of control. Mother Nature will do her thing.

Yet, the big news in our family is – our grandsons got a new cat, a niece left for college in New Orleans, and one of our busy daughters is surprised there’s a three day weekend in honor of Labor Day. Apparently it’s an annual event.

This Labor Day weekend send compassionate thoughts to all those who labor around the world in the aftermath of natural events.

the make believe challenge

The make believe agenda surrounds us. The news of the recent earthquake on the east coast of the USA was reported as horrific as the one in Japan on 3/11/2011. Many will consider Hurricane Irene following so closely behind the quake as an apocalyptic event where humans are victims.  Others will promote it as part of a paradigm shift for humans to evolve into creators.

A different type of news story concerns how the Texas DOT believed the slogan for their anti-litter campaign was good enough to trademark. Now the T-DOT is suing for using that slogan as a title of a romance novel as it will confuse readers looking for maps. Here’s the link to Barnes & Noble for Christie Craig’s book, “Don’t Mess with Texas”.  Be warned, it’s a fun and sexy read which aroused the ire of the DOT and prompted the suit.

On Tuesday I watched the video of Michael Hyatt interviewing Rachelle Gardner and I liked their answers to authors who believe their books are direct messages from God. These two Christian publishing professionals are very respectful of spiritual channels and believe God’s message is in all the books they publish. Choices are made for which God channeled message will appeal to readers.

One challenge of Mercury retrogrades is we’re encouraged to consider what to believe and how to make others get our point. According to ASTROMARK we are also wandering in a Neptune retrograde that is prompting a life review back to 1998 and this will flavor our thoughts through spring of 2012.

Attending the Madras Air Show is our plan this weekend. The event last year was nostalgic and significant to Ed and I on so many levels I could write a book about it. I did feel I should write books about my life events since 1997. I made myself believe that all the dramas and challenges were research for the benefit of readers and once I got to the happy ending I’d get the point.

I believe numbers give me messages and the recent 333′s made me contemplate what decisions to make. I realized I was ambivalent about many things. Each required clarifying the choice, considering the potentials, and being open to messages. The first was – no more memoirs. One’s enough. It feels good to decide all that research since 1997 applies to my life journey, not a chronological book. Few readers would be able to swim through all the characters and layers even if I could make it beneficial for them to try.

Other choices related to my novel, my business, my energy, my future, and my personal relationships. The benefit of reviewing even the most mundane choice is to know why it is the right choice for me. Once I understood to believe in the choices I make – I saw 444 “You have just completed an important phase.” 

Have a great weekend!