Snoopy dancing

Does everyone have the image? Good, now it’s time for a webbit tour! I was reminded that I hadn’t done one for a while. My webbit tours are a collection of links to different websites that interested me today. So here goes:

The first is one of those “restricted ones” so you can skip it, but it is an interview with a new author friend who I have yet to read but is definitely on my TBR list – that is To Be Read but Matt associates the acronym with  Typical Brain Ridiculousness. So check out  M. L. Buchman at his own website, which is not restricted.  :D

Next up, another writer friend Marc Acito has a great post exploring the question, “Why Bother Writing?” and yes, many of us need to revisit our answer to this craft.

For a some heart stopping True Stories check out Mike Perry’s Heart Saving Coincidences.

And for my final Valentines Gift to you, hop on over to SynchroSecrets where The MacGregors share the history of Charles M. Shultz, the creator of Peanuts and the immortal Snoopy with his happy dance.

webbit tour

Lots happening in my life seems to be a recurring theme and I’m processing a lot of life/death/new home/new job/holiday/family/ events and responsibilities this month.   So instead of attempting a coherent post it’s better if I do a webbit tour of blogs I like.  It’s been a while!

After my last post, one of the first I read was Seth Godin’s post The World’s Worst Boss.   This is one of the big lessons it’s taken me ten years to learn, to be my own best boss.  I like the synchronicity of his words explaining this concept even if Seth tends to be a bit pithy.

In Mike Perry’s post today about reincarnation studies, I laughed at how the professor of psychology debunks those who had past life experiences as:  “…They tend to be very imaginative, articulate and interesting people.”

That statement alone, from a respected professional, encourages me to not seek out those who are rational, inarticulate and boring.  Mike also has a cool Richard Bach post.  This story about the random antique airplane part where and when it was needed is well known in the world of aviators.

Deb Cooke’s post Radio Silence explains the truth behind the life of a professional novelist.  It’s really boring to talk about writing a book until there is a book and this has been my personal lament for years.  If only I could get the conflict and drama out of my life and into my books I’d have something to talk about! 

In don’t pet me I’m writing, Tawna has a list of five potential gifts for writers.  Hint!  Hint!  Of course I’d rather get the taut fanny over the fancy underpants as a present but writers over 50 take what they can get.

Trish and Rob MacGregor posted about the new TV reality show Gold Rush which we watched because Ed has a lot of connections with the family involved and the Sandy River Airpark.  I wasn’t overly impressed with the show but the Alaska scenery is pretty awesome and there’s no connection to a folksy woman or her tea-party politics.

I could include lots more webbits but I have that LIFE thing going on so instead I’ll just direct you to my sidebar links.

I’m currently reading Paty Jager’s Spirit of the Mountain.

a techno choir

This is too cool!  I love how the internet is showing its potential for being so much more than a place to share information.  Eric Whitacre created a global choir!

Check out how they did it.

Enjoy!

writer appreciation week

It seems like this week is lasting a lifetime.  But that’s because the new roof this house has needed for longer than the 12 years we’ve lived here, is in process.  Each swipe of the shovel above, has unearthed a horror to fix.  Today was one of those high-drama days, where in the midst of major noise, a grandson screaming in fear every time the saw ran outside, I also had to drop a doped up hubby at the dentist, for a root canal.

Hours later I picked up hubby, sleepy and stumbling, to sit in the car with the grandson who cried in spurts, because I put shoes on his feet.  The dental staff would not let me leave without handing over a check for a grand.  Then I’m home again and the roofers were calling it quits, the largest, highest roof, was too big of a hornets nest to tackle this late in the day.  Thank God I trust them, the man in charge is my grandson’s daddy.

But the drugs hubby had, also have an amnesiac effect, with their ‘invincible’ effect.  I had to coax him off a ladder, and later, down from the roof.  I’ve been there before, when days after major neck surgery, Ed was checking the garage roof, and missed the ladder steps….

Fortunately, one of my fav blogs is an agent who’s got great energy!  He’s designated this is Writer Appreciation Week.  Since I know, personally, that writers are a strange breed, it’s nice to know we can at least appreciate each other.  So here’s a copy of the comment I left, within hundreds, on his blog…

Thank you all my writer friends, who love to twist and turn the plots and words.  Who else understands when I say, I’m up a blazing tree, rocks are falling and the wolves are circling, how can I sprout wings?  What talent do I need, that I’ve forgotten, before I ended up here?

Thank you all authors who touched my heart, spirited me away to others worlds, then brought me back to earth with a gentle bump, a “Whew!” and another adventure to savor in my psyche.

And special thanks to my friend Candy, who dropped grocery bags full of genre romances on my doorstep.  So I could savor different worlds, relationships, families and talents, while sipping coffee and my toddlers played.  Those books waiting to be read made housework something fun to finish – with the reward of another story to savor.

good stories

Basic computer skills and a little e-savvy now opens the world to the curious.  The world of blog and social networks share stories and information.

As I am reading a week’s worth of the blogs I follow, I was introduced to a young mother, and literary agent, who is carrying to term, her best friend’s baby.    Then I learned there’s an amazing book about marriage, that’s already sold a million copies, and the publisher thinks is just getting started.  Hmm, might be good research for a romance novelist, since that career path also is lots of work and luck creating good relationships.  Yet, it is also a career considered to be good for readers health, now, or as good as Viagra.

I’ve also learned my favorite writer’s contest has extended the deadline for submissions, granting me the chance to submit.

Cruising so many posts reminds me I need to become more e-savvy and upgrade my website and blog with cool stuff.  But I also know, it’s all about the book, first and foremost, so it’s time to close the door on my writer’s cave and polish those  last two chapters of the memoir and the first three of my novel.  The techno stuff will wait until after Labor Day.  I won’t close that door too tight either, I have grandsons claiming my energy, by day, and know quieter days will come with the school year.   The road to publishing books takes years, boys are little charmers for only a few.

too fast

After a productive two days of rewrites and edits on my memoir, I decided to cruise the internet and check in on favorite blogs.  The message that came to me is there’s a lot of living going on – and a lot of energy spiraling forth.

Slow down a moment and contemplate some fascinating people at the Mesmer Project or wander through a specialty foods market.    Contemplate taking a volunteer excursion or wander your own spice racks.

It’s summer, and sometimes the most important thing to do is savor the day.

There is time to take a pause and consider, what I do is not who I am.  Are you an impostor?

Journeys

A journey can begin without going anywhere, and instead, taking stock with what is.  Many, myself included, have recently had issues from our past, resurface.  One friend had a traumatic relationship, long over, and she moved on, created a wonderful life.  Yet seeing that person again, years later, triggered all sorts of insecurities that made no sense.   All of my daughters have made new decisions, or altered their perspectives, on issues they’ve resisted.

This shows how we are connected to energies of unrest and transformation taking place on a global scale.

For myself, I faced my professional skills and successes in the business world.  This was a potent issue for me because; being part of a dynamic team, working on fascinating projects, and getting a great paycheck, has an instant gratification scale.  Being self-disciplined while slogging through, alone, a total rewrite of a book, that is not under contract, lacks a tangible weekly reward for work completed.

The journey of living often gives us moments to reassess.   So I will.  I like having “pin money” I earned myself.  Maybe I’ll do Tarot readings for the characters of friends current books in process.  I’ve done that in the past and it was tons of fun and really helped them past “writers block” and enhanced their plot development.  I like sharing my talents.   Which is also why I like posting cool links I come across…

Kathie Snow has completely redesigned her website.  I love her articles because her common sense is powerful for anyone.   Elizabeth Boyle posted a link to Mary-Frances Makichen’s What’s Your Legacy post.  Minnette Meador’s StarSight books are available for half price.   Tess Gerritsen shared that books are still being “banned“.  The list of banned books is endless and this type of publicity usually increases sales. 

Deb Stover posted pictures of her granddaughter Bella and a comparrison photo of “Grandpa”.  There’s lots of cool posts and links at Synchronicity and that book proposal is now under contract.    I think Rob’s Indiana Jones book will also be available someday.

Lately, I’ve been called to share my personal insights on numbers, so if you have any number related questions, like you keep seeing certain numbers on clocks, license plates or wherever, feel free to ask and I’ll share what I’ve learned.

A nice day

How often do we have a day, where everything just sort of flows?  That was today, for me.  Beautiful weather and a happy grandson crawling around my house, playing with his toys.  I had productive hours putting together the genealogy of the characters for my novel.  Dinner was tasty, and clean up quick, followed by two hours wandering car lots while Ed debated the merits of upgrading our truck, with polite salesmen.

Days like these, where everything just sort of flows, should be treasured.  They are the proof to hold on to – that – life is not always a struggle, full of conflict and drama.  It’s a choice, to see the simplicity that can be.  This showed up in some of the internet cruising I did tonight.  Take a fun ride with me…

From the Graham Hancock site posts I learned tidal energy can be tapped, a jellyfish appeared as a Crop Circle and the latest Dalai Lama is learning to be a teenager.  Personally, I think the last bit is more interesting.  I like kids having a chance to be kids.  Maybe this potential religious leader will be able to relate more to his generation, they are the future of his country.

In other news:  Trish posted the June astrological forecasts for writers.  I’ve only followed these posts a few months and see validity in the dates she targets.  My Mercury retrograde is happily over…

Elizabeth Boyle is recovering from P-Nome-E-Ah and got a wonderful request for books from a library in NC. I love libraries too, and am sure donations of books would be welcome from those of us that are not bestselling novelists.  Recycling books, to library shelves, is a great way to share the wealth of stories, that enrich lives.

Another Nice Day post was from literary agent Kristen, who liked a book was bought for big money, because of what it’s not.   As a savvy reader, who puts many books back on the shelves, this was refreshing.

The best part of today, was taking a Facebook quiz my youngest posted, to see how well I know my daughter.  I didn’t get a perfect score but did score higher than the guy who has been significant in her life the past few years.  Ha!

The Digital Way

It’s really weird to be old enough to have typed computer punch cards in college and now watch people Twitter.

Photos were taken and never seen until the roll of film was used up, and taken for the week long processing, until pictures were viewed.  Now we have YouTube.

Today I read a blog about the death of voice mail, in preference to Twitter, IM’s and email.  I learned phone etiquette while using a rotary dial.

When our girls were young, they were the first of their cousins to have more than three TV channels, a remote control, a camcorder, and more than one computer in the house.    Now, # 1 daughter avoids computers and is afraid of credit cards.  # 2 daughter has DSL but no cable TV; (They rent movies or read books).  # 3 daughter  has two cell phones, a personal one and one for business; (She’s on Facebook but seldom posts).  # 4 daughter texts constantly, destroys cell phones monthly(she buys the replacement insurance) and posts on Facebook daily, more than once.   None of these four women would be able to  explain what a byte is… none of them read blogs (not even mine ).

When I look at my daughters: #1 is an Optician with 2 sons; #2 is a CPA with an amazing husband; #3 is a LMT and has a  dog and a horse: # 4 is almost 20 and has already managed a staff…  I see amazing women, who may or may not use the latest and greatest in electronic technology.  That was their parents thing.

And I count my blessings because all four of our daughters are avid users of text messaging, which means, we all show up on time, at the right place, when we want to get together for a party.

We’re all good cooks.

There’s a bunch of amazing recipes available on-line…

There’s even a new world called Flicker.  A friend sent me news about cool stuff and conventions in the world of Legos.

spiral down the stonehenge hole

The allergies are here, spring is in the air.  My primary defense is saline nasal spray.

When I feel cloudy and congested, there’s nothing like getting a spark of interest from something cool.  Like learning about instructions left for the post-apocalypse humans, in eight languages, on a huge monument in Georgia, completed in 1981.

I was in Georgia in 2007.  I saw Stonehenge in England for the first time in 2008.  Only tonight did I learn, there’s a connection.  There’s always something cool to me on Graham Hancock’s site,  but tonight I spiraled through articles and links, and printed a bunch of stuff to read.   Ed and I have visited the Maryhill Stonehenge a few times and I have a picture of him casting shadows on those stones, as the cover for a planned novel.  Maybe it’s a nudge to get busy.

So here’s what I found:  These are called the Georgia Guidestones, surrounded by mystery and decades of drama.  I printed the article and the 50 page guidebook.     I’m a writer, we love research.  Once I had paper copy, I was free to search more.  Another “Stonehenge” is in Salem, NH and then…  OMG!  They are all over America, built from fridges, foam and automobiles.   (The word, cars, didn’t have the resonance I wanted.)   Some are credited to artists, others to eccentrics.  Some are raised in a day, others take decades.

For some reason, they all have astronomical significance, at the spring equinox.

Except, I’m not sure about the astrological alignment of Carhenge, but it’s predecessor, Cadillac Ranch, does remind me of Easter Island…

Live long and prosper

Today was glorious, sunny, warm and wonderfully lazy.  I didn’t intend to play hooky but after a long and dreary winter, I wasn’t in the mood to stay indoors.  I was on the deck, flipping through the AAA Vista magazine, and noticed a mention of a Labyrinth at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Clackamas.  Though I can’t  remember what the first was, this was the second connection this morning, to this.  So after lunch I hopped in the car and drove to the hospital.

I wandered around outside the buildings, marveling once again, how nice hospitals are today in comparison to what they were 30 years ago.  (I’ve had enough hospital time, in recent years, as a visitor.)   I like following a hunch, and felt pretty sure I’d find the Labyrinth in a certain area.  I didn’t, and walked around the huge complex, asked some people, and then kept walking.  When I found it, I realized it was right where my earlier hunch was leading me, if only I’d explored a little farther.

It’s cute, and in a peaceful healing garden with pretty landscaping and water features.  I walked carefully around the path all the way to the center, then in reverse to the beginning.  I paused and relaxed then went home.  It was nice.

This evening was just as lazy, burgers on the grill, Ed and a buddy attempting to shoot hoops after dinner.  Watched some amazing singers perform on American Idol.  Watched some clips on TED and then checked Graham Hancock’s latest.  I found this site years ago, after reading Fingerprints of the Gods, and love the daily posts of random news items from around the globe, collected in one spot.

Rita Levi Montalcini turned 100 today and is still an actively working scientist.  What a classy lady.

Venice is going to turn invasive alge, into a fuel source.  Antartica ice is growing despite global warming, and the African Government is limiting its people by only allowing information about basic healthcare and fundamental education.

The Einstein Quote of the Day:  Life is like riding a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must keep moving.

synchronicity

I’m enjoying this world of blog.  I can see how many times my blog is viewed and enjoy the mystery of who it might have been.  Other times I have someone post a comment, one was an accountant from London.  How cool is that?  I’m global now. 

Yesterday, Rob MacGregor posted a question, that needed an answer.  It led to an exchange of emails and a fun new connection.  So I put the story together and now it’s posted on their blog, SYNCHRONICITY, check it out.  There’s a bunch of cool stuff and links on this site.  I can’t wait to get to a book store and check out their books.  But I have to stay on task this week, and get my screenplay done for class on Thursday.   On Friday I complete my final duty as Treasurer for Rose City Romance Writers.

The second half of my screenplay is going much better than the first half.   The experience has been enlightening but I am not thrilled with the restrictions of making everything visual, non-stop action, and no opportunity to delve deeply into my characters psyche and emotions.

I returned to college for the learning experience about my writing process.   It’s been awesome.  Unfortunately, this Grandma, has issues with grammar that need attention.

The World’s a Stage

Living life has been described in a variety of ways, like,  “We’re all just actors on a stage” – or – “Welcome to Spaceship Earth”.  Fate and Karma are tossed into conversations and followed by shrugs.  There are specific secrets to living the life of your dreams and every year or two someone shares theirs with a big splash.  It’s big business to figure out the meaning of life.

Marc Acito, an author/friend has explained on NPR’s All Things Considered, The World of Opera.  Marc is a humorist with professional experience in Opera and Theater so he knows what he’s talking about.  He and I also share connections with New Jersey, ’80′s hairstyles and Musical Theater.   After finding his first book,  HOW I PAID FOR COLLEGE, so entertaining, I was thrilled by his second book,  ATTACK OF THE THEATER PEOPLE.  Seriously, in the world of fiction, there are many authors who are one-book-wonders, and crash and burn soon after.

With luck, the world of publishing will not implode and someday I’ll be reading Marc’s third book, THE JAZZ HANDS OF GOD.    He’s also written a play HOLIDAZED, that was performed to rave reviews by the Artists Repertory Theater in Portland.  During 2008, Marc vowed to do something new every day and blog about it, to be accountable.  I believe that daily blog will be a motivational book someday.

What is Marc’s answer to living the life of your dreams?  Laughter, music, friends, family and embracing all the fun of life.

I agree.

Details

Today, Portland, OR was beautiful, 60, sunny, no wind.   This is a bit rare for early February.  We grew up in the snow belt off the Great Lakes, then lived with Nor’easters until 11 years ago, when Ed and I moved our family here.  Warm and sunny enough to wash the car, on Feb 7th, in those other climates?   Not!  But that’s what I did, washed my car.

Then I had to go out for a walk, and look around at the tips of growth poking through the dirt, and kept reminding myself – today’s Feb 7th.   Fortunately it is February, and the days are short, so I did get into the required chore for today – taxes.  Yuck.  Hate it even though we have a good accountant who makes it really easy.  I sort through stacks of statements, tabulate too many numbers, and stress over where to put that sum.  And it’s only in pencil, on the worksheets from the accountant.  They do the official stuff.

I had issues with my website but finally cleaned that up and checked all the links.  Some chores got done, dinner enjoyed, and finally I got to dance around some websites.  I learned Writing Books can Make you Fat;  checked out a new artist, and met some interesting people.

I’m still thinking about the pink-slip-party concept, because I was one of these a few years ago, and there was no support network.  The isolation was huge.  But I returned to writing fiction, nurtured my self-worth, and it would be nice to say, the rest is history.  Except I was working on taxes, and my “writing business” spent less than last year but is still — on the income side.

It’s only year two, and a friend assured me three years of dedicated focus is what it takes.   My focus has been disrupted this year, but it was all good, as I said in my annual family newsletter.

What is my platform?

I attended an awesome workshop this weekend, presented by Alicia Rasley and she stated an author needs to be an expert on something to build community, and become an authority, which will promote interest in the books an author writes.   Which makes sense – especially for non-fiction.

Except, my dilemma, the book I am currently marketing for publication is a memoir of my parents and childhood.  I’m certainly an authority on this subject.   I also know, enough to be dangerous, about astrology and astronomy and a bunch of other really cool stuff.   I also know, enough to be irreverent, about loss and death.   The obvious path may be an awareness that Disability is Natural and we are all People First.

The publishing world is still looking for good stories, strong author voices, and to stay in business.   Yet there is this new genre on the rise.  It’s the inspirational market.  This is an obvious next step, to me, from the Self-Help to New Age explosion, readers want to take.

Could I be an authority on spirituality?  Only if you want a good laugh!

Laughter is a direct connection to the angelic realms, so is music and art.   I’m not an authority on the last two, but the first?  Yeah, I know angels look at me and get a laugh, because I’m always telling them what they don’t want to do, if they try on this human condition.

Which brings me back to my platform, I won’t know if there is value to what I know, untill I’m asked a question.