Crepes!

The cold snap is easing a bit, but the weather is still gray and overcast. Today the sky was like lead, and the damp made everything shiny. But the house is cozy, and the table is set for dinner. I'm waiting for my husband to come home so he can make crepes.
Today we're having crepes for dinner. I'm not a good crepe maker. (My little brother used to called them creeps, and for some reason the name stuck.)
I can make the batter just fine - as a matter of fact, it's really easy. But I can't cook them!! I get everything ready - the half a potato in a cup of oil, fork stuck in it, to grease the pan. The bowl of batter. The ladle. Two crepe pans. A pan of steaming water with a plate on it to keep the cooked crepe warm and to keep them from getting dried out...Everything ready...and then I start to make the crepes.
The batter sticks, the crepe tears, it's cooked on one half and not cooked on the other. ARGH!
My daughter and son look on pityingly.
"Wait for dad to come home," says my daughter, after the third crepe is scraped off the pan looking like scrambled eggs.
"Argh!" I say again, determined to do it right, just one time.
"You're going to waste the batter." My son speaks in the voice of reason.
I sigh, and leave the crepe-making to my husband, who cannot cook - not one little bit - but who, for some reason, makes Excellent crepes.
So I get the table ready:
Nutella chocolate, strawberry jam, lemons, sugar, cinnamon, butter, and honey.
You have the choice - usually I put butter and honey. My hsuband likes jam, my son loves leamon and sugar, and my daughter eats them with Nutella.
The door just opened, and my husband is home -
Bon Appetite!

The third method of madness

So now I've told you about plotting plot driven books and writing character driven books without an outline but with a setting. Now I'm going to talk about using a timeline to write a book. Basically it's simple - you have a story that takes place say in a week - you use the week as your outline and plot the story around that. Or you have a journey - plot the story frome the start of the voyage to the end. I did that with the book on Alexander the Great, using the timeline of his voyage through Asia along with a map that showed where his army went. The trick was to get him from point A to point B - and that was the main part of the story. Having a timeline as the structure upon which you build your story is always a good idea - even in fiction when you really haven't really thought about time. Plotting your story using the timeline also keeps it moving forward.
Complex plots can profit from using a timeline. One of my book, Virtual Murder, takes place in two worlds - the real world and the world created by the mutants. It also had three protagonists, each in their own timeline or world, and flashbacks to certain happenings. Since the story takes place in the real work in a single week, it was important to keep a timeline handy with the important actions in the book in order to keep the story together and clear.
I don't have the plotting notes for Virtual Murder anymore, but I remember they went something like this:
Monkey goes into the virtual world for three days to save Mitch.
Sally is in the real world for one day - she watches Mitch in the sending room and talks to Digby about the possibility of mutants being real.
Monkey / Mitch - three days.
Sally / Digby - One day - Tuesday
Tuesday night in New Mexico - Laurel and Carlos fall in love - they go to the desert camping and Carloes tells Laurel of his conversation with Mahler, the eldest Mutant.
Wednesday - Mitch 'wakes up' from the virtual world and goes to Dallas.
Wednesday night - Carlos goes to Dallas at Laurel's urging to try to warn Mitch.
Thursday Morning - Carlos goes back to New Mexico. Monkey meets Mitch in the real world. Mitch learns who Monkey really is.
(Etc. etc.)
This method is handy when the plot has a lot of characters, is complex, or is a historical novel. A timeline can save a lot of rewriting and trouble if you use it for most books, actually.
Good Luck!

Thursday and I've been Thirteenth(ed)

Thirteen Things about SAM 1. I'm ambidextrous, dyslexic, and can't tell my right from my left. 2. History and politics fascinate me, as well as religion and other myths. 3. I'm really a terrific cook, but I don't know where it comes from. No one taught me how to cook, I just picked it up. 4. I have nightmares almost every night, but I've gotten used to them. I used to wake up screaming as a kid...Now I just turn on the light and sit for a minute. Sometimes I don't even have to do that. I think it's hereditary - my three kids have nightmares & two walk in their sleep. My husband, who claims he rarely dreams, thinks we're aliens. 5. I hardly ever believe anything I hear or read, I have to check and see for myself. The original doubting Thomas...It drove my parents and teachers crazy, and let's not get into what my husband thinks of that. 6. Traditions fascinate me. I love to invent traditions for the family. 7. I'm a geek. It's true. I took an online test and it told me I was mostly geek with a little nerd thrown in. The same as Bill Gates. I'm wondering if that means I can claim inheritance. 8. But I truly do believe that money is the root of all evil. 9. My family comes first in all situations. I'm like a lioness with my cubs when it comes to protecting my children. I can't understand how anyone could purposely hurt a child - the idea makes me physically sick. 10. I love to run as fast as I can on the beach, barefoot on hard sand. 11. I had two emergency cesarians and my stomach looks funny. I don't really mind because my husband told me HE doesn't mind - but sometimes I wish I had my flat stomach back. 12. I used to be a model, but I never bother about my looks except to change hair color once in a while. Otherwise I have finally gotten around to liking my freckles after 40 years of hating them. 13. Clothes and shoes don't interest me. I'd rather buy books or something good to eat. My favorite place to shop is the Thrift Shop, because I really could care less about clothing, so why spend lots of money for it? The only weakness I have is for cashmere sweaters. Thank goodness my mother gives me one for Christmas every year. I decided it had to be a TRADITION. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Kate Rothwell http://katerothwell.blogspot.com/

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there's more than one way to skin a cat...or write a book

When I'm in a hurry, or when I've got an idea but I'm not sure where it's going, I'll do an outline for the story, as in my last post. That could be called a plot driven book. But some books are character driven. Sometimes the characters are alive in my mind and I just start writing. That's what happened with this next book I'm working on. I had the setting and the characters, and I started writing with only the barest idea of a plot.
Here was the idea:
It’s about Jack, killed by a mutant known as the Heart Breaker. Jack's back as a Zombie to avenge his own death. The story is set in an alternate reality where mutants have come into being thanks to increased radiation from nuclear waste. It’s also a love story.
I didn't write an outline or synopsis, but I did do character sketches:
Jack: It’s strange. One day he’s dead and buried, and then a year later, on the day he was killed, he’s awake. Only he’s a zombie. Not the most attractive way to come back to life. Who brought him back to life? Why? The only inkling he has is a strange whisper in his mind… Some powerful force is leading him. And so he goes back to the club where he was killed.

Brianna: Private eye Brianna Kelsey has her work cut out for her. Her ex boyfriend, now a zombie, has hired her to find out who killed him. It’s a loser’s case; the police have been trying to find the Heart Taker for months, every lead is cold, every clue a dead-end. And Brianna has other problems—she was born under an unlucky star that tries to kill her on every possible occasion. If that’s not enough, she is still searching for that certain someone who can finally make the fireworks explode—instead of fizzle.

So I have my two protagonists and then I just started writing. I got about halfway through the book and realized I had too many POV's (I have a cast of secondary characters that needed to be kept in their place, lol) - so I went back and changed all that - making the POV's Jack's or Brianna's and cutting a lot of dead wood - in other words, parts of the story that were not carrying the two main characters towards their epiphanies.
Cast of secondary characters:
Dee: Dee’s dream has always been to own a nightclub. But all he can afford is a place where a gruesome murder happened. He changes the name and makes it into a classy strip-tease bar for women. And what better way to kick off the Halloween season but ask Jack to work for him as a stripper? He can find his killer and help Dee’s club become famous. Jack still has a fantastic body – as hard and polished as marble. For a zombie he’s hot. Plus, Dee argues, he can make up a number with his zombie scars, and use the music ‘Monster Mash’. On his first night as a stripper, Jack takes it all off, and proudly waving his cock, asks a lady “Can I dangle my dingle in your daiquiri?”

Mama Hoya: Voodoo queen from Haiti. Used to live in New Orleans before Katrina destroyed it. Now plies her trade in an abandoned warehouse. Like’s to be called m’ambo. Has a loa named Shirley who used to be a slave, and now advises Mama Hoya about who is going to die next. Mama Hoya has a useful library including a book called ‘Care and Feeding of your New Zombie body’. Jack might not have to turn green after all.

Jim and Maya Umberton: Jim is a two-hundred-year-old necromancer. What better place to work than in a morgue? His beautiful daughter Maya was killed by a mutant like the Heart Taker. He uses his powers to bring her back to life. She becomes a zombie mutant stalker. In this world, mutants are becoming more common and some are serial killers like the Heart Taker. Maya’s specialty are vampires. Armed with a stake and a black belt in tae kwando, she haunts the city’s cemeteries. Jack thinks she’s just wonderful. Too bad her heart belongs to daddy.

To make the story hold together, this books needed a setting so I had to work out a place that was very close to our world, with just a few slight differences. Magic and mutants abound, and there is a huge mutant interpol that Maya and Jim work for, and where Jack will eventually find...well, I haven't outlined the book, so I'm not telling he'll find yet, but the setting will help me keep the book focused. In this book, the setting is like another character.

However fun this book is to write - it's also taking longer because of the secondary characters, the setting, and the fact that there isn't an outline to follow - only a whisper of an idea that is pulling Jack toward his killer, Brianna into deadly danger, and Dee straight to his ruin...Unless...

If I had to choose between writing a character driven or a plot driven book, I would choose character driven. It's more fun to write, and it's more creative in some ways. However, if someone wants to write their first book, I will suggest they first start with the outline method. Writing is a very complex and yet ridiculously simple thing - and what is vital is finishing that first book. Once you have done that, the other ones will get easier and easier, and you will find the method that works best for you.
Tomorrow I'll talk about the third method I use - the timeline method - and how it can help with complex plots and historical novels.

methods to madness

My friend Andrea wants to write a book, and she was asking me how I wrote my books. (Everyone asks me that.) I usually just say, 'I sit down and write', but even though that's part of it, it's not the real answer. Andrea wanted to know why every time she started a book she ended up never finishing it, or why it sailed off on a hundred different tangents and never got off the ground. Those two complaints are the ones I hear the most - so for all you aspiring authors - those who never managed to finish a book or whose ideas got too scattered, here is my method, may it help!
First of all, I start with an idea.

I want to write a story about an ex NASCAR driver (who got in a terrible accident and is blind) and a woman, who fall in love over the phone.
That's the basic idea. I wrote it down and thought about it for a while.

Then I wrote a half page synopsis - it goes like this:

Angel: Blind NASCAR racer – lost his vision in a terrible accident and his wife dumps him. Feels sorry for himself, stays away from everyone – has phone sex to cool himself off.
Shelly: is a struggling songwriter – singer and she does waitressing and phone sex to pay her bills. She and Angel become friends.
The NASCAR association decides to honor Angel and have a big charity dinner to raise money for the blind. Angel doesn’t want to go by himself because he doesn’t want anyone to pity him, and everyone knows his wife dumped him when he couldn’t race anymore. So he asks Shelly to go to the charity ball with him. They fall in love.
Conflict:
Angel gets his eyesight back and Shelly is afraid he’ll turn into the old Angel – arrogant and haughty with everyone around him. This seems to be true when he comes into the restaurant where she works and is rude.
Angel’s ex-wife is also determined to get him back, so she mounts a seduction campaign. When he shows up at her party with Shelly, she is furious and decides to get rid of Shelly.

(That's just the rough synopsis, and hasn't got the character details or any real conflict - plot - resolution, yet.)

And then I do a chapter by chapter outline:

Chapt. 1 Angel and Shelly fall in love over the phone. (get to know Shelly and Angel)

Chapt. 2 She agrees to go with him to the charity ball where he meets a surgeon who wants to operate on his eyes. (Shelly and Angel really start to believe they have a future together. Angel doesn’t tell Shelly about the operation though. He’s too afraid it won’t work.

Chapt. 3 Angel has the operation and his sight is restored. He goes to the nearest restaurant to have a meal and he treats the waitress badly when she recognizes him by name – he thinks she’s an autograph hunter - little does he know it’s Shelly.

Chapt. 4 He goes back home and finds that his ex-wife has already heard about his operation and she wants to get back together with him. She’s sure he’s going to go back to racing, but he hasn’t decided yet.

(This is just to give me an idea of where the story is going and helps with the pacing...)
When the outline is finished, check to make sure you have the following things:
A clear beginning, middle, and ending.
A plot (this is the story - is it interesting?)
Character developement - the main characters should change in the book - I call it 'the epiphany' - it means that the main character will go through something that will bring about a change in his / her life or personality.
Conflict - what is keeping the main character from his / her goal?
Resolution - does it tie up all the loose ends? Is it satisfying?

Once the outline is finished, I start to write. Sometimes a scene will come to me from the middle or end of the book and I'll write it down while it's fresh - don't ever be afraid to write 'out of order'. You can stray from your outline - mine are usually just the framework and tend to get left behind halfway through the book. Try to have a theme while you're working - this can help. (For instance in this case I'm thinking about tolerance and overcoming a physical handicap as well as overcoming a bad reputation.)
And above all - stick to it until you've finished! Write a little every day, and when it's all done, you can say, 'I've written a book.'
Bravo!

funerals and such

Today I went into Paris with my husband. It was for the funeral of a lady I really liked. Her family is best friends with
my husband's family, and we've known them forever, so we were sitting in
the family section right behind the main family. It was my mother in law,
me, and my husband all lined up on the pew. Well, I hate funerals and I was pretty upset, but I didn't want to cry (I hate crying in public) So I started to stare at the painting in the church on the wall.
It portrayed Jesus dressed in a white
pleated long dress with a swooping hem-line - very 1930's flapper style - and he
looked like he was disco dancing in the air while Moses and St. Peter
looked on with horrified expressions painted on their faces. Beneath Moses (whose stone tablet had two bumps in the top that made him look like he had on a wonder bra) were two other saints cowering beneath the floating Jesus (in his pleated white flapper dress, with his arms held out in a cha-cha-cha...) Well, the more
I looked at that painting, the funnier it got, until I was trying not to
giggle instead of trying not to cry. Of course, when you bury your face in
your kleenex everyone thinks you're sobbing...
Then my mother in law who has eyesight problems (she can drive legally,
but she likes to pretend she's going blind) was clutching my arm through
the whole thing.
Afterwards we went outside to say hello - there
was quite a crowd - and everyone would come up and say to her "Hello Jackie"
and she would lean forward (with her huge dark glasses on) and say, "I'm
afraid I'm losing my sight, who is it?" And I'd have to introduce her. And
another friend came over and she said it again, and again, "I'm afraid I'm
losing my sight," until I finally said, "Yes, we were praying she'd lose her
voice, but unfortunately it's her sight that's going." Luckily my mother in
law has a good sense of humor, lol.
Well, that was the funeral. It was nice to see old friends, but in a bad
situation. I'll miss my friend, but she was very ill fora long time, and at least she's no longer suffering.
Then we had to go back home because the dogs were inside, and the
puppy had made a big mess in the kitchen, lol. Oh well. The sun was shining, so despite the bitter cold we went for a long walk.
So much for writing anything today, but maybe tomorrow I'll get some work done on my projects.

Cabbage Patch dog

Here is a picture of Auguste, sound asleep on my daughter's lap.

Poor Auguste had his vaccination yesterday, and about two hours later I took a look at him and noticed that his eyes were almost all swollen shut. In fact, his whole face was swollen. He looked like a Cabbage Patch dog. I called the vet who told me it was a rare but thankfully not dangerout allergic reaction to the vaccine, and I rushed him back to the vet's office where he got a shot. He's now back to normal, thank goodness.
This morning as I did the laundry he jumped in the laundry basket, grabbed a pair of shorts, and dashed into his little doggie carrier (that he uses as a bed). I looked inside, and there was one of my son's shoes, my daughter slipper, and the pair of shorts. Plus a dish towel and a sock. He's not a dog, he's a pack rat. Nothing was chewed - just stored away.
He did get a hold of my daughter's riding helmet and chewed it to pieces, however. So he is not exactly Mr. Perfectly Behaved. Yet.
I'm babysitting this weekend for two adorable children and their dog, Popaye. Popaye is a Jack Russel terrier and very funny. He spends most of the time trying to stay away from Auguste, and I spend most of my time cleaning the house. As you can tell, this weekend is not going to be very prolific for my writing.
And it's Still Cold out - it rained last night and froze, so there are patches of ice everywhere. Our front walk is particularly treacherous. I will be extra careful not to fall.

Bonsai!!

I wonder if I spelled that right - it looks odd.
Anyhow, my kids have been asking me about getting them bonsai trees - those tiny little trees tortured into staying in a flat pot - trees that lose their leaves and die almost as soon as you get them in the house. Well, the supermarket nearby had a Chinese New Year sale, and they had a bunch of bonsai trees for 5 euros. SO I got 2 -one for Sebi and one for Julia. Sebi went and painted a Chinese backdrop for his tree (he's a very talented artist and paints Chinese type watercolors - and then my daughter wanted one so he painted one for her (a bamboo grove) Very pretty.
So now we have two bonsai trees in the house, with Chinese backdrops, so they don't feel homesick. Maybe these trees will last longer than the ones I got, which died when it got (pick one or all: overwatered, underwatered, too much light, not enough light, too hot, too cold...) Anyhow, I can grow plants outside but I don't have much luck with houseplants.
It's still cold today. But we're going to burn the HUGE pile of brush in our back garden. I was going to work on my WIP, but I will have to keep the dogs away from the fire, so I'll be busy taking them for walks, I think.

Tagged!

Chey tagged me - I feel like I just got asked to the prom! *grin*
Which brings to mind Dorothy Parker's wit:
"If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised."
So without further ado:

7 things to do before I die:
See the Grand canyon
Go to Australia
See the pope
Visit Jerusalem
Learn to dance the Polka
Learn to speak at least two more languages
Have my own horse
See a volcano

7 things I cannot do:
Dance
Sing
hold my tongue
keep a grudge
understand politics
tolerate fanatics
tell my left from my right

7 things that attract me to men:
Hands
eyes
mouth
sense of humor
shoulders
gentleness
manners

7 things I say most often:
Argh!
Well, d'oh!
No Auguste!!!
Sit!
I love you!
Darn!
Did I do that?
What time is it?

7 Books or Series I love
Harry Potter books
Ann of Green Gables books
Lord of the Rings
The God of Small things
Dreams of my Russian Summer
Ann Frank's Diary
Where the Red Fern Grows

7 movies I can watch multiple times:
Willow
Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter
LadyHawk
The Longest Day
Honey I Shrunk the Kids
The Pink Panther

7 people I want to join in (tag, you’re it), provided they’ve not yet done it:
I didn’t check to see if you’ve already been tagged, so if you have, disregard!

Wynn
Tara Marie
Andrea
Wayne
Jaynie
Karen
Daisy

POV

Patrice Michelle wrote a blog on this today, and it really struck a chord with me because I'm in the middle of two books. I'm desperately trying to finish 'The Last Templer' but it's very tough going. It's probably one of the worst written books I've read, switching mercilessly between anyone's POV, (head-hopping, as my editor says), until I'm never sure who is thinking what or about to speak next. Another thing that bothers me are the historical settings. I'm sure the author did tons of research, but it hardly shows. The other book I'm reading is White Murder, and it quite a lot of fun being a Roman mystery (set in ancient Rome) but with the protagonists speaking like characters out of a Dashell Hammet mystery. It actually adds veracity, because I bet the Romans loved slang. The hero of the story loves wine bars and good food, and the author here has done a ton of research and it shows flawlessly. He's written a really good tale full of colorful characters and I'm dying to see 'who dunnit'.

I'm also re-writing a book I started and can't finish. I'm chopping out huge hunks of it - slashing and burning, to try and hone it down to where I can start over again and build it on a more solid base. It's got too many characters, and although I'm going to keep them, I'm taking out their POV's. The book 'The Last Templer' has shown me how too many POV's can weaken a story. The White Murder, which is a huge book (over 500 pages) is told first person, so it's only one POV and it's a strong, well-told story.

Writing lesson for the day - too many POV's can spoil the book, just as too many cooks spoil the soup!


Oh, and if you've read a few of my books, would you trot over to my website and take the poll? (under the News section) I'm really interested in what readers prefer to read!
Thanks

Happy Birthday Twins!

It's Jan. 23rd, and 20 years ago today, the twins were born. They were born at 6 mos - three months premature. They looked like miniature old men, and were about the size of my hand, with tiny little stick legs and wrinkled skin everywhere.
They were tough and hung in there, and finally got out of the hospital after two full months of treatment and care. They weighed 4lbs each when they got out of the hospital.
We flew to England right away, and stayed there for three months, living with a family near Bath in the Cotswalds while my husband played polo. Then we went to Deauville for a month, and then to Paris for two months, then to the US, Argentina, England again...and so on for nearly ten years.
The twins were regular little globe-trotters, packing their own bags and makeing sure they had their stuffed animals with them. One day Alex looked at me and said, "Mommy, I'm known all over the world!" Yes, especially after the time he lost his first tooth in the middle of an important polo final and had most of the spectators looking for it in the grass, while the announcer told everyone to please keep an eye out for Alex's tooth!
Sebi was always a clown, and people still tell me about things he said to them when he was little (to my friend Julia who lives in London - "I love your island. England is so nice." and "Now I'm a dead chicken" - when she had to carry him upstairs to his bed because he was too tired to walk.)
They made travelling more fun, as I got to look at the world through children's eyes, and more scary too, as in the day I had to drive forty miles through the Argentine Pampa looking for the doctor's office to put stitches in Alex's head. (He got hit by a polo mallet - guess who didn't look behind him when he swung it! Yes, Sebi!)
We never saw snow or fog, being mostly in places with warm climates, so the first time they stepped outside on a foggy day they started rubbing their eyes and asking me what was wrign with their eyes. And when the leaves fell off the trees and vines in Bordeaux, they thought all the trees and vines were dying and cried. They had never experienced fall, winter, then spring. When we settled down, they were impressed with our new hotel (the apartment building) and thrilled to have their own beds.
We could finally have a dog, and we adopted a black Lab and named her Fudge. She slept with Alex every night until she died age eleven. We moved a lot - polo still pulling us this way and that - but the twins managed to change schools and houses with no trouble.
And now they're in college, away from home, and it's wonderful that they've grown so, and sad for me that they've left home. But I'm awfully proud of them! Happy Birthday Alex and Sebi!

Apocalypse

Here's the promo post for my new book, just out at Changeling Press.
Best wishes,
Sam


Apocalypse by Samantha Winston

Adam and Evan discover Cabel's plans on Enfer Island. Cabel means to
rule what is left of the world. He is counting on the Federation
returning, and plans to denounce Evan as a shape-shifting
abomination.

Under Federation laws, all his children can be exterminated. If the
tribes from Paradise Island want to survive, they must defeat the
monsters on the mainland and also find a way to convince the
Federation they are no threat to the universe. But winning the war
may make the Federation fear them even more...

Don't miss this series finale for Samantha Winson's award winning
Paradise Earth!

ISBN (10): 1-59596-292-1 ISBN (13): 978-1-59596-292-8

Genre(s): Futuristic, Action Adventure, Sci-Fi

Theme(s): Gay/Bisexual, Vampires, Werewolves, Elves, Dragons &
Shapeshifters

Novella $3.49
http://www.changelingpress.com/product.php?&upt=book&ubid=259

coffee and oranges

Breakfast is coffee and oranges for me this morning. I bought a bag of the little clementines with the shiny orange skins and tart, sweet taste. The skins are full of oil, and this is what we do with them: We peel off a section and then bend it, releasing the scent. If we peel off a big piece, we put it on top of the radiator nearest us so that the room smells like orange. All winter long I have dried orange peels on the radiators, lol.

Last night I tried to make pizza from scratch but my yeast was too old and the dough never rose. I tried to bake it anyway, and it turned out sort of like a pizza cracker. Not very tasty. I decided to quick re-heat some pasta, and I burned it- thank goodness for the oranges that are scenting the room! Well, luckily I had some soup left in the pantry. So dinner was a bit of a disaster last night. I told my daughter that we couldn't be gourmet cooks every single day. Some days are cooking disasters. That's what soup is for.

My daughter and I put some music on this morning and the puppy starting to howl. He doesn't like rock music - only classical music. I can play my Portugese fados, or some country music, or folk songs. But as soon as the rock music comes on he howls and runs into his little bed to hide, lol. I'm sure he'll get used to it soon. (I hope so - I love to listen to my music while I clean house!)

Today I go back to the hospital for my last check-up for my arm. I got some x-rays taken yesterday. So far I've had almost twelve x-rays taken of my arm and I keep expecting it to start glowing in the dark. Hopefully the doctor will tell me I can go back to the gym. I'm getting desperate. Four weeks with no exercise except walking...And I'm tiring the dogs out with my walks, lol. They are fast asleep in the kitchen after our morning walk.

Churchbells ringing

This morning came too early. The churchbells ring at 8 a.m., but it was still dark out. I got up and put on some jeans and a warm fuzzy (what we call the big, huge, polar sweaters) and staggered downstairs to let the dogs out and feed them. The sun was just rising as I opened the door and the village square was bathed in the palest apricot light. The air was still vibrating from the churchbells, and the doves who nest in the belfry were still flapping around the old chestnut tree. (I'm sitting here wondering what it's like to be a dove, and wondering how many die of heart attacks when the bells start ringing in the morning...) There is also a small falcon who lives in the belfry, and two or three barn owl families. The owls never budge when the bells ring, but once a year there are fireworks in the village square and that always scares the owls out of their nest. When the first fireworks go off, four or five large white shadows come shooting out of the belfry and careen into the air, dodging the sparks and disappearing into the night.

The puppy is whining now. He made a poopy in the hall and according to the dog training book, I have to scold him and put him outside for fifteen minutes. I don't think the puppy minds, but he can hear Rusty in the kitchen finishing the dog food he left in his bowl and that is making him desperate to come inside. I am trying to ignore his heartbroken little whines. One must be consistant when house-training a dog (quoting from the book here) especially dachshunds who are notorious for not getting it right. (Advice from my sister-in-law here, who had three.) Just checked my watch. Fourteen minutes to go. The neighbors (hopefully) cannot hear his high-pitched whining. Which reminds me, the neighbor's daughter has been coming over for English lessons. Her mother called me from the restaurant and said that her daughter has had some bad grades and could help her study. I said of course. The grades are worse than bad, and the poor child has no notion of English. So I'm cheating a bit. We're going over and over the vocabulary for her next test. I told her I wanted to see her an hour every two days, and we just go over the words. If she can't speak English, at least she'll ace her tests. LOL. Which goes to show how little testing is worth. Well, she might get some vocabulary out of this too. (Just checked clock. Ten more minutes of puppy torture.) Rusty just came in looking very smug and lay down on the doggy bed next to me. She likes Auguste but, like any older, jealous sibling, feels no pity for the punished.

It's Sunday, and I have pity for my neighbors who might be sleeping in. I will let in the punished puppy and hope he's learned some sort of lesson...(I'm mean? Rusty is a pig? The door is very solid?)

Have a lovely day!

Sunshine and the Answer

Has the puzzle kept you up all night? Well, here is the solution, provided by Sebastian.

5 + 5 + 5 = 550 You take the first '+' sign and add one line to make it the number '4' thus: 545 + 5 = 550

(He made it look so easy!)

Today it's bright and sunny, so I'm outside all day. I've planned a long walk and then tea with friends, what better way to spend a sunny Saturday?

Have a good weekend!

Rain, Mud, and a Puzzle

I had planned to go for a long walk today to the badger grounds, where a family of badgers has made its home along a wooded knoll. Unfortunately, it rained and so the walk was postponed. I'll go as soon as I can and take pictures. The work the badgers have done is quite incredible. I see them rarely. Actually, in five years here, I've seen one twice. Both times it was at night, both times it was while it scooted across the road and vanished in the tall grass. For such a big creature, they move fast and are very discrete.

Our new dog, Auguste, is a dachshund, which means 'badger hound' in German. They were bred to dig badgers out of their holes, so the dachshund is quite a digger. Our garden already has several deep holes to prove this, and I am gearing up to defend my tulips and flower beds come this spring. Auguste and I may have some disagreements. Today, before it rained, my husband took the chainsaw and cut down some scrub trees in the back garden and we cleaned up the hedge. The garden looks good (for a winter garden) but it is mostly mud right now. Going outdors means putting on boots or my wooden garden clogs my friend Andrea gave me, and which I leave near the back door. The garden clogs are terrific. I can just hose them off and they are easier to put on and take off than rubber boots. When I put them on, Auguste has learned it means I'm going into the back garden, and he gets all excited. He loves to play (in the mud). I have to carry him down the back stairs though. He can go UP the stairs, but he hasn't learned to go back down.

Anyhow, because it rained, my son and I made chocolate chip cookies. And he figured out a puzzle I have been working on for 2 days now. (it took him ten minutes) Here is the puzzle:

By adding one single line, this equation will make sense: 5 + 5 + 5 = 550 (You may not touch the = sign)

Can you figure this out? I'll post the answer in a couple days!

Book 2 in TBR challange

I still can't type for any amount of time - my arm is just too sore. BUt I can read - so I've been tackling my TBR pile.
Book 2:


Title: Big Hair and Flying Cows
Author: Dolores Wilson
Year published: 2004

Why did you get this book? At the RT convention in St. Louis

Do you like the cover? It's a cartoon cover and not too clear what's happening on it but it's all right.
Did you enjoy the book? Not particularly.
Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? The author was new to me, and I won't be getting her other books.
Are you keeping it or passing it on? Passing it on.
Anything else? I just don't like whacky characters and rambling plots, although this book did get good reviews and other people have said they loved it. I am afraid it wasn't my cup of tea but I wouldn't discourage anyone from getting it because I know it may appeal to those who love whacky characters and comic situations.

Tackling the TBR pile

I joined Angie's TBR challenge - a book a month from my TBR pile.
Here is January's book:

Title: Tarnished Dreams
Author: Tricia McGill
Year published: 2004

Why did you get this book? I bought it online from Sheherazade Books last year, but never got around to reading it.

Do you like the cover? I can't remember the cover and the cover is missing from the file, lol.

Did you enjoy the book? Yes, but I had some issues with it. I loved the characters, but I thought that the heroine was very immature. She grew up at the end but it was too little, too late in my mind. The hero was terrific. The setting was unusual and well done too.

Was the author new to you and would you read something by this author again? She's not new to me, I've read four of her books and liked them very much - this was the weakest one of her books so far but she's such a good writer I will definitely buy something of hers again. I love how she does characters and emotion. She gets 5 out of 5 stars for emotion!

Are you keeping it or passing it on? It's an e-book, so I won't be passing it on. It was enjoyable, so I guess I'll keep it in my files. The setting, Tasmania, was interesting and I may re-read it for that.

Anything else? I think that her other books are better - if I were to suggest her to another reader I woulsd tell them to start with White clover, or Blue Haze, for example. Both outstanding books.

Renegade Aquarius cover

I got my new cover yesterday, and thought it was very nice. I love the colors, and since it's about an Aquarius, the water bearer was very effective. But this is the thing: they ("they" being the powers that be in the art department) asked me to tell them hair, skin, and eye color to personalize the hero. I sent in this: short, light brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin. This is what I got: a swarthy Rasta. I got a case of the giggles when I saw the cover. I also did not recieve a note telling me I could ask for a change (which I've gotten every single time up till this one) and I think it's because last time (for the first time ever) I asked for a teeny change. I found the poser-figure's arm looked like it had been badly broken (sometimes poser figures get joints where they should not have joints, you know what I mean?) and I wrote back saying I LOVED the cover, could they please fix the elbow (and me here with a broken elbow, lol) Anyhow, I didn't get an answer, and this cover came with no note letting me know I would be able to make suggestions and change it.
SO.....Without further ado -
Here is my cover for Renegade Aquarius - please ignore the swarthy Rasta on the cover, lol.

Auguste gets a bath

Yes, the puppy got a bath today. We flooded the kitchen, but he is clean! The house was too quiet. The twins are back in college, my daughter is in school. I had lunch with friends today, and learned a great new recipe. (Lynn's homemade salmon sauce - brown sugar, soy sauce, fresh ginger, and red Martini, mix well, add some water, and cook with salmon. yummy!) I decided to wash the puppy to give me something to do this afternoon. My arm is getting better, but typing for any length of time makes it hurt, so I just answer e-mails and blog a bit. I'm done with edits (mostly) and have one more book to finish, but that can wait a bit. I'm also happy to say that Horse Passages is doing well at Barnes & Noble, if you've read it, drop me a line and let me know what you think!

Auguste is as cute as ever (and he's clean too now!) Rusty is getting used to him and will play with him and lets him sleep in her bed (she doesn't have much of a choice, actually, lol.) I've never had two dogs before, so it's fun watching them interact. I believe Rusty looks younger and happier now that we have Auguste. Before she just kind of slept and moped around the house. Now she plays in the garden with him, and she's more alert. (Because he will often leap on her while she's peacefully sleeping and bite her ears - Rusty Hates that, so she sleeps with one eye open now.)

Other news - today it was cold and gray and there were snow flurries. Brrrr. No snow stuck to the ground, but it dusted the roofs and the cars. (There isn't much going on here right now - I'm still trying to get used to a quiet house, and it's horrible having to wake up early again. Ugh! I much prefer vacation!)