Bones...I got one to pick

I am a huge Bones Fan.  This is one of two TV shows that I refuse to miss.  Thank you DVR!

That being said, I am having a hard time with this new season.  Last May Season 5 ended with Dr. Brennan leaving the Jeffersonian to pursue some old bones in Indonesia and Booth was called back to duty in Afghanistan by Uncle Sam.  The emotionally charged season finale left viewers waiting on the edge of their seats for the next season.  Okay, it left this viewer waiting on the edge of her seat for the next season.

Finally at the end of September my wait came to an end.

So what did they do?  They went and had Booth fall in love *gasp* with somebody else?  

Okay, I get it.  He was overseas in a war zone and she is hot in a Dessert Barbie kind of way.  But how did he just stop loving Dr. Brennan?  Because lets face it we all know or knew that he did.  In fact Dr. Brennan was the only one who didn't seem to know that Booth's heart was hers but for the taking. 

The only way these writers are going to get me back on their side is if I start to see Booth torn between the woman he is with and the one his heart wants him to be with.  AKA Dr. Brennan. 

Originally I found the idea of a love interest for Booth quite acceptable.  But to say that he is in love with her?  No, I have to draw the line there. 

Is it wrong for me to be this emotional about a story line?  My husband certainly thinks so.  He became especially distraught when I started throwing popcorn at the TV while I watched the latest episode.  Although, I think it had more to do with popcorn hitting his television than with my actual mindset concerning two of my beloved characters.  He does like to point out that it is only a TV show after all.

It's not like I don't want him to be happy, but in true love story fashion I think he should want to miserable with Brennan than be happy with someone else. 

Come on people!  Who is with me on this?  I am thinking of starting a petition.  Or maybe just a seriously angry twitter stream.  I have to think on this a little more.

In closing I just want to know which show does or did it for you?  Which ones are/were the quintessential romantic characters on that TV show you are/were hooked on.  Maybe I will find a new must see.

Top Ten Reasons you should be reading my blog

It's Friday and I didn't write up a post yesterday.

Today I am supposed to write about one of my follower friends, but since I didn't spend anytime last night on this I am going to pass this off until next Friday.  I don't want anyone to get short changed.

Instead today I thought I would share a few things with you guys.  In other words a quick lazy submission.

Okay, here goes.

Top Ten Reasons....You should want to read my Blog.

10.  I love to write.  Oh, wait you already knew that?  Snap!  So sometimes its good.

9.  I always add pictures.

8.  My friends get mentioned regularly.

7.  I love to go boating...well what did you expect, I am throwing this together.

6.  The background is pretty.

5.  I use a big font for easier reading.

4.  You can meet my book club here.

3.  I have an awesome Blog Roll Call on the side

2.  I plan to throw a contest once a month

And the number one reason why you should want to read my blog...The comments by all my cool blog followers.

So if you are new to the blog...thanks for stopping by and if you are old a regular visitor, just know you are appreciated.  No really, I mean it.  I appreciate you guys!  A LOT!

Have a great weekend.

Now, give me one good reason why everyone should come and read your blog.  I will let you know if I agree or not!

Embracing What Comes Next

I am afraid of heights.  Sitting on the ground looking up that doesn't seem to be a bad thing.  But when you are up in the trees looking down...well you get the picture.

This week I have posted a lot about getting reacquainted with an older manuscript.  Well, lets be honest here, it wasn't even an older manuscript.  It was an idea that took its shape in the form of about forty pages of write up.  The basic story line emerged for me as I sat in my office rummaging through old files trying to find something to post for Teaser Tuesday.

Back in the day....oh a hundred or so years ago, when I originally penned this idea I was not the neurotic organized writer that you see today.  Back then I would sit down and write long hand.  *Shudders*  I know, I did it long hand.  I also did not flesh out the ideas from start to finish the way I do today.  Do I see that as a good thing or a bad thing?  Since we are asking the question today I would have to say a good thing.  

Reason being.  I have this forty or so pages of story line and when I got done reading it the other night I sat here in disbelief looking for the rest of the it.  What happens next?  No, seriously Kelly, WHAT happens next?  Do you ever do that?  Read something that you wrote and wonder where you were going to go with it. 

I didn't suffer for long.  No sirree.  Immediately ideas started to come to me.  Where they had been, where they had to go.  How they got to this point.  The journey's they had taken.  I know that sounds like a lot of gibberish right now, but I am hoping with some serious effort on my part and a lot of time tickling the keys I will come up for air and have something solid. 

And if I don't I can always go back to the drawing board and start all over again.  That really is the best part of doing this crazy awesome thing of writing.  But I think for the first time in a long time I really understood the idea of not mapping it all out and just going it with the ideas as they came to me.  

I know being a planner works for me on certain levels.

But in this story, in that time, had I spent too much on the ideas and planned it from start to finish I may not have thought this was maybe a diamond in the rough.  I may have just cringed at the naive ideas I had all those many years ago and put it aside and moved on to the next.

So this weekend I am going to spend some time culling through the boxes I have of long writing and the many files I have stored on my computer to see if there is anything I can use.  There are few things I am sure of though.  If I don't find anything, at least I will have the pleasure of seeing how far I have come as a writer.  And I am not going to be afraid of what comes next, even when I don't necessarily know what that is. 

So here is my challenge to you guys.  Go pull out an early writing.  Look at it through new eyes and see if you can salvage anything from it.  But today, tell me about the first story idea you ever had.

Like a Virgin

Last week I read a bloggers post about letting go of a manuscript.  It seems to be the day for people to want to move on and start over.  The ever lovely Karla Nellenbach admitted this week on twitter that she falls out of love with her characters at about 35000 words. 

I have not had the luxury of falling out of love with an idea.  I will say this if I don't have a clear vision of the story board, from start to finish, I usually don't start it.  I don't like to be surprised.  I like to know, at least in my head, how it is going to play out.  Yes, I am a little neurotic that way.

But I actually had something very different happen to me this week. 

I have started to partake in the Tuesday Teaser segment that Ms. Nellenbach started.  Okay, I don't know if she actually started it or if hers was just the first blog that I saw it on, so she is getting the credit here.  For my faithful readers (you know who you are...all five of you) I had a very hard time with this the first time.  Kind of like losing your virginity.  The first time hurts but once you get the hang of it you can get pretty darn good at it if you know what I mean. *wink wink*

Yesterday's post was a blast from the past.  Something I had worked on quite a while ago.  When I say a while ago, I am talking years.  I didn't do anything more than pull it out and post it.  Right after that I found my fingers itching to start working on it.  Make some changes.  Some things that I saw from the eyes of a younger writer don't seem to fit now. 

This story was one I started back in the day when I just wrote whatever I felt compelled to write, so I don't have all of it yet.  I did find myself plotting out a new story board on this one with the intent to maybe start over and give these two characters the ending they deserve.

I am very excited about this.  So thanks to all of you who encouraged me to take a chance on putting some of my stuff out there.  You guys helped me face something that in retrospect wasn't really all the scary.  And boy do I feel better for the experience.

So now you guys are expecting to me to ask who you lost your virginity to right?  Nah, I would never do anything so crass.  Would I?  No I would not.  But if you want to share...feel free.

Teaser Tuesday: Another one of my earlier works

This one is from a story I have not finished about a reunion ten years after high school.  I had a theme with them for a while but I didn't finish this one. 

Kelsey pulled smoothly up to the curb and cut the engine.  She marveled that the house still looked the same.  Ten years and while the paint was a little more faded the gardens in front were still as spectacular as ever.  The simple A frame reminded her of days sitting on the front porch or playing hop scotch on the sidewalk.  

Shifting her eyes a little to the left she couldn't help but look at the house next door.  It had represented so much to her before high school.  Her best friend had lived there then.  She had always had dinner with Scott and his family on Thursday's because that was when Mrs. Raynor made lasagna and while Gram hadn't much cared for it, Kelsey loved it.  Especially Mrs. R's.  

Taking a deep breath she took in both houses one last time before she turned back toward the car.  Two steps later the sound of a voice from the past stopped her.  It wasn't coming from the house but from the man leaning on the dark blue luxury sedan across the street.  "You are a little late you know.  The reunion was almost two months ago.'

Scott Raynor.  The bane of her existence most of her life.  Best friends until the ninth grade and then arch enemies until they bid each other adieu after their senior year when they left for college.  

He looked good.  Okay, he looked better than good.  But she wasn't going to think about that.  Sometimes life just wasn't fair.  How could he have seriously gotten better looking?

Stepping off the curb, Kelsey stopped and took him in.  "Well I don't see a beer gut, so I am thinking the football thing worked for you at FSU."  Which she very well knew because even though she was studying at Yale, she had kept track of every move he made on the field.  And when he helped take his team to two national championships back to back she hadn't missed a second of either.

Smiling, because it was good to see her, even if she had driven him crazy all through their growing up years, he started across the street and stopped in the middle.  "Well you aren't looking too pale from spending all your time in doors so I am thinking you may have made it out of the library."  Actually she looked as far from pale as you could get and too damn good for his piece of mind.

Her hair had darkened since they had last seen each other and her body had filled out in all the right places.  She was casual in jeans and a Yale sweatshirt, but the watch at her wrist glinted gold in the sun and the studs in her ears softly spoke of her success.

"Oh I get back there every once in a while." 

Chuckling he came to stand in front of her.  "As I said, you missed the reunion.  I was a little sad, because I so expected you to show up and kick my ass with all your wordly accomplishments."

"Sorry I was in Australia over seeing the completion of a building design."  Okay so that was maybe stretching it a little bit, she was in Australia, doing mostly grunt work for one of the partners in the firm she worked for, but not for long.  She was willing to put in the back breaking hours to make herself a success in her chosen field.  "Looks like you are doing pretty good for yourself" she said giving a pointed look at his BMW.  

Scott felt the smile form.  "Unfortunately for you, those high school predictions didn't pan out."  Pointing to his knees he added, "Both knees got me all the way through school where I graduated, with a pretty good GPA."

Neither one of them would ever forget their fiery blow up at the start of their senior year.  During a class assembly regarding life after college an impromptu debate had sparked a lively discussion turned train wreck when the former best friends had gone at each other like two dogs fighting over a bone.  All of this taking place while the rest of their classmates watched on in facsinated horror.

Falling easily back into their pattern she asked, "What? They give out degrees in football now?  Or is that only at the jock schools."

Shaking his head, Scott tsked and told her, "No my degree was in pre-law with a follow up at Georgetown Law School after which I did successfully pass the bar."

Kelsey felt her chest expand with pride.  So what if she really didn't have the right, she couldn't help it.  Her big dumb jock had done it and she was proud.  Leaning in she grabbed him in a hug around the neck and laughed, "Scott that is awesome.  I am so proud of you.  Somehow I always knew you would beat the odds."

Okay, that's all for today.  Of course there is more, but I didn't want to give you guys too much.  What do you think?

Stop: Smell the Roses

Okay, its official.

October is here.

Growing up it heralded in the season of holidays.  That is how we thought of it. Growing up in Maryland the trees would have already lost their leaves, and wood smoke would be perfuming the air regularly.  Living in the south it is a little different.  Some of the trees do lose their leaves, but for the most part the main change is the grass goes from green to brown.  Backyard fire pits are big here and the smell of burning wood is more pronounced this time of year but not anything like it was where I grew up.

I only think about missing the idea of seasons for a moment or two before I remember snow.  Personally I don't have anything against snow.  It is lovely.  From inside the house sipping hot tea snuggled up in a fleece throw.  Outside freezing my lady parts off - not so much.  Before the hubs and I moved to the south we lived in Alaska.  I didn't even know what cold was until we lived there.

Once it was time to move again (ah, Navy life) my only plea was no more snow.  Since the hubs was in complete agreement it didn't take him long to decide where he wanted to relocate to.  He had me at Florida.  All I could think of was sun, sun, and more sun.  I didn't even care that the state was overrun with retirees.  I just wanted warmth.

But now October has officially arrived and it is time to start getting ready for the next holiday season.  Every year they seem to start just a little earlier than the one before.  (Lowe's already has Xmas decorations out.)

So as I bid farewell to summer and or at least the warmer version of it and hello to that season of in between I have to wonder why time seems to keep moving faster and faster.  Or maybe it's just me.  Okay, I am going to stop and smell the roses today.  I promise.  Let's just hope I can find some.

 

 

It's all about the Candy

It's Friday and the sun is shining and the trees are swaying in the breeze.  The smell of, well I would like to say autumn is in the air, but its really more of a late summer smell.  Hey people, this is Florida.  Since today is Friday you know what that means.  So without further ado, here is my pick for another great twitterati/blogger/friend/crazy all around gal you should follow....Candace Ganger.  If you go to her blog you may find yourself under the impression that she does not have a face...well you would be wrong.  She does.  And here it is.

Okay so some of you are already acquainted with Candy?  Excellent.  My work here is done.  No, no, no I am just kidding.  

Candy writes a blog called the "Misadventures in Candyland".  Now don't be misguided she does not give away candy.  I know I was sad about that too.  What she does do-and very well-is entertain us daily with her caustic wit and dry humor regarding the struggles and triumphs in her everyday life.  Not just with writing, although she hits on that too, we also get a very real glimpse into the life and loves of Candy.  (Yes she is married but she has a serious love/love/love relationship with Brady of New Medicine. 

Candy is one of my favorite bloggers because she is not afraid to put her feelings, fears, friends, well everything out there for public consumption.  I am not brave enough to do that.  Yet.  But I hope to be more like, well not her, cuz between me and you she is a little crazy (nah, just kidding, sort of, well okay she is a little crazy but aren't we all?  Yeah, me neither.)  I am really trying to write like her here today.  Can you tell?  No?  Oh well.

One of the greatest things about Candy is her love for charity and the support she throws behind them.  She makes me want to do what I can do to help out in my own community.  I don't, but she makes me want to and that is the important thing.  Right now she is getting ready to walk for Out of the Darkness which helps support suicide prevention.  You can check them out here and support our girl on her walk too here.  Just type in her name and make your donation.  It is a worthy cause and if you have any questions you can catch up with Candy on twitter here and ask her.  

In closing.  If you don't follow her blog, go and do so now.  It is totally worth it and if you don't follow her on twitter well you should do that too.   I should also mention that I hijacked the photos I have included in my posting today from Candy's blog without her express written permission.  So if I don't post on Monday it's because she has killed me for showing her face here.  But it was so worth it.

So tell me, which one of your tweeps should I follow today?

When I can't sleep I read...oh and a spoiler too!

I couldn't sleep last night.  

Not, "Oh I am not tired so I think I will read."  This was more like, "I am over tossing and turning for two hours, I am getting myself up and doing something constructive." 

So I read.

I had started reading an author that I had never read before because she had been recommended to me and the premise to the book sounded okay.  Yes a little contrived, but sometimes they can be fun and surprise me. 

I didn't like anything about this book.  The characters were juvenile and this wasn't young adult.  There was a lot of crude language from both the male POV and the female, which I just thought was unnecessary.  There are ways of making your point without being so graphic.

I never could get behind the female character because she was completely unlikeable.  The book was more erotic than anything else with the sex playing more of role than the relationship.  Now, don't get me wrong, I am a huge Jill Shalvis fan and she writes a lot of Desire books.  But I think there is a line between tasteful and distasteful and this book seemed to stay on the latter side of that line.

At 2:30 this morning when I was finally...finally finished with this book, I found myself a little bit angry.  I spent the better part of two weeks trying to get through this and it is time I can never get back.  I am a book buyer, but I think this one taught me a very real lesson.  From now on I am going to the book store to check out new authors before I buy them.

This book has two more in the series.  Normally this would be difficult for me.  When I am disappointed in the first one I feel anxious about not going after the next one or I will convince myself to give an author another chance.  Not this time.

I am not writing this post to dis a published author or any of her fans because she does have them and it was through twitter that this book was recommended to me.  I just felt the need to vent and since this is my blog, I am allowed.  But here is a question since I am in a book club.  What if I hate the book we are tasked with reading?

For the month of October we are reading Beauty by Robin McKinley.  Have you read it?  If so let me know what you think.  I have not started yet.  I like to wait until the actual month starts before I get my reading started.  So far our Book Hungry club has covered The Hunger Games and Gods In Alabama.  Both great reads, but both were not books I would have selected to read on my own.

Want to join the discussion and read with us for the month of October?  We will be posting our reviews on October 21, 2010. 

So here is my question today.  How do you handle it when you read a book that you find to be dissatisfying?   Do you read it through to the end or do you stop way before that?  

The one where we have cake...

Today is my 100th blog entry.

Wow!  I can't believe I started this blog only this past April and now here I am writing my 100th post.  I thought this most auspicious occasions was worthy of cake.  So there it is.  Cake.

I was going through some of the my earlier entries and had myself laughing last night about some of the things I have actually posted on this site.  I guess at the time they seemed like a good idea.

To date my hardest entry was undoubtedly yesterday's post where I shared with you guys a snippet of my writing.  (First off I want to apologize for the grammatical errors that I did not catch before posting.  I was a little nervous.  At least that is the story I am sticking to.) Right now I am not sure why I was so freaked out to do it, but there it is.  I wrote the post the night before it was due to go up and scheduled it so I could not chicken out.

You would think that would have been the end of it, but no.  I made quite a few forays into my office during the evening and late into the night trying to decide if I should post it.  With my hand hovering on the mouse and the mouse skirting around the delete key, I made myself a nervous wreck.  Now that I have done it, I am kind of disgusted with myself.  What was the big hairy freakin' deal?  Besides the fact that I am a total wuss.

I didn't send out a book to be critiqued.  I sent out a few paragraphs and while everyone was so wonderful in their support, there wasn't enough there to really see what I am made of.  Putting out a few paragraph's is completely different then submitting a piece of work for feedback or acceptance.  So while I do not have anything near ready to be read by an agent, I am going to continue with the Teaser Tuesday's.  

I am also going to finish the WIP I have currently been slaving over and get it ready for the beta readers.  Yes, I am going to take a chance.  

So wish my luck.

And to all you who stop by on a regular basis whether you comment or not, I really do appreciate you.  So thanks!

Teaser Tuesday

Okay here is a sneak peak of  "It's Always Been You."

Chapter One

IT was a pretty shitty day for a funeral.

Or at least it should be.  How the hell was she supposed to stand at a graveside and say goodbye to Sophie with the sun shining.  Shaking her head in disgust, she turned her eyes up toward the cerulean blue sky and wondered why she couldn't get a roiling black one spitting rain when she needed it?

Sighing, she tried to concentrate on the words the pastor was saying, but his lips seemed to be moving in slow motion.  In fact everything around her seemed to be moving in slow motion.  Had it only been three days since her life had so completely changed? 

Looking across the casket she took in the family picture that included Seth, Sean and Brenna.  Sophie's family.  How were they going to live without her?  How were they supposed to get up everyday knowing they were never going to see her again.

Seth lifted his head and looked directly at Shea and suddenly she was grateful for the sun which had forced her to wear the dark sunglasses.  Sunglasses that she had only donned to help her red rimmed pained eyes and maybe hide her guilt. 

Guilt that she was alive and Sophie wasn't.

Suddenly a small hand found it's way into hers and Shea looked down to find four year old Sean looking up at her with eyes mirroring her own pain.  Feeling her heart pinch, she leaned over and scooped him up into a tight hug.

How was she ever going to leave them?  God it was so unfair, but she didn't have a choice.  She really never had.

SIX hours later Shea was moving through the house that Sophie had been so proud to call home.  Picking up the cups and plates that littered every surface, she found her first smile of the day.  Sophie would have been so pleased with the turnout, knowing all of those people had come to pay their respects.

It seemed as if everyone in the whole town had shown up in their best marrying and burying attire.  They had come under the guise of saying goodbye to Sophie, but Shea suspected the majority of them wanted to see the new widower up close and personal.  

It had been one of the hardest days she had ever lived through, but she was fiercely glad she had been here.  For the kids.  For Seth.  

"Hey." Seth said softly from the stairs.

Facing him she prayed for inspiration on how to break the news.  "Are they down for the night?"  It would be so easy.  To stay and fall into the routine of acting like a matched set. 

Showing her a small smile, the one that had just recently made her heart take flight, he nodded.  "Brenna fought it until the very last second, but eventually she lost the fight."

Making their way into the kitchen Shea deposited the paper products she had collected into the trash can.  Closing her eyes for a moment, she silently sighed and turned.  Before she could find the words, he shook his head and said, "I know."

And in that moment as she looked into the eyes of her best friend from childhood she knew that he did.  He already knew she was leaving and probably even the why of it too.  It didn't matter that her plans had been made before the accident.  She still had to go.  

In that moment she realized that today hadn't been her hardest day after all.  That one was still to come.

Okay that's it.  All of the tease you guys are going to get today.  I am not even sure how I feel about showing this and between now and when this is supposed to post I may still change my mind.  

Okay, I am not going to change my mind.  I made a promise and here I am following through, so tell me what you think. 

New Music...New Medicine

A couple of weeks ago I won my very first blog contest.  

It was even more exciting since I had never won anything before.

My prize?  A New Medicine CD along with a poster.

New Medicine?  Hmmm??? I had never heard of them.  No worries, I am a music lover.  I still know all of the songs from the soundtrack Seven Brides for Seven Brothers along with Singing in the Rain.  When I was a teenager my Barbara Streisand and Barry Manilow cassettes (they were cheaper than vinyl) sat right up against my Def Leppard, Cyndi Lauper and Rick Astley.

 

As I have gotten older my music collections has only become more uncontrollable and diverse.  I love everything from country and jazz to hip-hop and ska.  I am fascinated by the talent it takes to not only dream up music but to put lyrics to it as well.

I guess it's not so different when you write stories.  For me they are just there.  Now I am a plotter through and through and wear my "Team Plotter" shirt proudly, but when a story starts the ideas and conflicts are just there for me in my head.  I can see the characters and hear them as they speak to each other and ultimately to me.

Anyway, since I was jamming to New Medicine on Friday as I partook of the twitter #wineparty which is seems is fast becoming a tradition, I decided that today's post should pay homage to my first blogger contest win and thank Candy.  You can check her out for yourself over at her blog The Misadventures of Candyland and you can also find her here @candylandgang on twitter.

So thanks Candy for my New Medicine CD and poster even if it is addressed to you.  In your honor, and because I am such a huge @Candylandgang fan I hung it up too.  It resides in a place of honor right next to my desk as you can see by the pictures I have attached here.  

 

So what is the best thing you ever won in a contest?  Tell me, I am dying to know.

And the winner is....

Last week I launched my very first contest!

Yeah, I know bring out the band right?  And today I am announcing the winner.

My husband is starting to get into this.  Last night as I explained my dilemma on how to select a winner, because I want this to be fair and impartial, he offered up his services because as he explained to me he wants to support me in my blogging any way he can.  (What a guy!) Besides, that is just the way he rolls or so he said.

I should have been suspicious right away.  At that very moment my BS radar should have gone off.  But no, sucker that I am, I eagerly asked what his idea for selecting the winner was.

And he eagerly told me.

Strip Poker.

He thought this was absolute genius and ran off to find the cards even as he explained the rules to me.  Each contestant was to be given the number in the order in which they commented.  At the end of the game, however many pieces of clothing the winner still had on would dictate who won the book.  Simple really.

Strip Poker?  Huh? I really didn't see that one coming.  Immediately, I thought it was just a very obvious attempt for him to get to see what dirty girl lingerie I was rocking last night.  And you know what?  I was right?  But I really had no other way to fairly select who should get the prize.  

So ladies and gentlemen, I took one for the team.  Literally.  Cuz that's the way I roll.

So without further ado, the winner is Elizabeth Flora Ross.  Congratulations!  Just direct message me with your address and I will get your copy of Gods In Alabama shipped to you.  

I bet you guys want to know who won the card game right?  Let's just say we both did.

Because I said so.

Follow Friday is a trend on twitter that really irritates me. 

I don't know why.

Oh, yeah I do.  It makes me feel that if I leave someone out I am saying they are not good enough to follow.  Which of course is just such bull...er...puckey.  I am trying to keep it clean today.

So I am officially opting out of follow Friday on Twitter.  Not because I don't appreciate all the folks who offer me up as their example of a great follow (does that sound dirty?) but because I hate leaving people out.  If they said you can only offer up one person as a follow Friday that would have more meaning but to just jump on the band wagon because everyone else is doing it...well I just can't anymore. 

What I am going to do is high light some of my favorites.  The ones that I follow and I why I do that.  They are all worthy, but each for different reasons.  Since I spent about an hour last night trying to figure out who should go first, I finally devised an Excel spreadsheet and had my husband pick a number.    I logged them in no particular order than sorted them alphabetically.  I have serious problems, I know.

So without any further ado...I give you the first of my many follow Friday recommendations. (I am posting this today instead of tomorrow because I am picking a winner for the book contest tomorrow.)

We are going to start with Ms. Karla Nellenbach.  (Your number was 69 and my husband giggled when he picked it.) (Of course I have no idea why.) (And of course I should not have been surprised when he picked that one.)

Okay so why do I think you should follow Karla or @LastWord0524, well for starters because she is my Ninja sparring partner and there is nothing like a good Ninja sparring partner when you are feeling down.  We tweet our Ninja greatness back and forth (sometimes she wins but its mostly me, of course if you asked her she would say she mostly wins but since this is my blog...well you get the drift.) 

Her blog is pretty awesome too.  You can find her here at the LastWord.  She likes to tease us with little tidbits of her writing, which so far as I can see if pretty awesome.  She also writes great book reviews.  I know I listen to her. 

She always makes me laugh and is a total smart ass.  (I know I said I was keeping it clean.  Sue me.  There is no other way to describe her.  I even tried looking up another word in the thesaurus just in case there was a better way to say it and the only word that jumped out at me was cocky (and she is) but I think smart ass just says it better!)

So if you don't follow Karla, you should.  And if you already do than you know what I speak is the truth.  And since I am always looking for new people to follow please offer up one of your favorites so I can go and follow them today.  Not fifty, just one.  I am listening.  And I promise to follow.  Wow, that is some power I am handing out to you guys today!

Be Brave, or just fake it!

A recap:  On Friday I launched a book giveaway.  Check it out here and make sure you leave a comment and follow my blog to enter.  I will be announcing the winner this Friday.  So check it out.

I am always amazed at the posts that resonate the most with my blog readers.

I giggled a little bit when I wrote that.  I have blog readers.  I feel so special.

On the days when I am really fired up and have something that I think the masses want to hear I get a smattering of comments.  And don't get me wrong, I appreciate each and every one of them.  On the days where I am not trying to be funny but sending out something, anything into the vast cosmic void that is my blog site, things to which I think none of you dear readers could care anything about, I get the most responses.  

I am amazed and to a certain extent it amazes me that I can still be amazed by these thoughts that I have.  I think that is the thought progression that eventually got me going on the whole should I show my stuff after all.  If you guys don't respond to the stuff that I think you are going to respond too than how can I be sure I am any good after all?    Yes I am quite aware I am writing myself in circles now.  Welcome to the daily grind that is also known as my thought process.

Hello Kelly's Thought Process.   Are you waving to me right now?

After the all of the great responses I got yesterday I have decided that I am going to put my stuff out there for your feedback.  That's right I am aiming to let it all hang out.  Okay, I am going to try.  I said TRY!  Try to work up the nerve to post something next Tuesday.  I picked Tuesday because it is a good day for Teasers according to my good friend Karla Nellenbach over at her blog LastWord

She likes to tease us with little snippets and then stop writing said work in progress so I have to wonder about the cast of characters for months on end before I am forced to finish the story in my own mind just for closure sake.  (Okay I will get off my soapbox.  Karla finish the damn story already!) 

So come back next week and see if I don't puss out and strap some lame ass video up there instead.  Keep your fingers crossed for me okay.  Or anything else for that matter that you may be able to cross.  

Also any words of encouragement would work right about now.  Because since I am saying it today I am really going to try and put myself out there but I am not going to lie, I could totally puss out.

Just saying!

Time to Fess Up

A recap:  On Friday I launched a book giveaway.  Check it out here and make sure you leave a comment and follow my blog to enter.  I will be announcing the winner this Friday.  So check it out.

It has recently come to my attention that even though I think I am brave, I am actually a big chickenshit!.  How is that for a way to start off the blog for today?

I am a writer.  No, really I am.  I think up wonderful stories and I can spend hours with the music going, hanging out with these really awesome characters that matriculated inside my somewhat twisted, very fertile imagination.

But when it comes time to showing my peers or even my friends these amazing works of art (hey it is my story after all) I can't seem to go through with it.

I am not sure what it is that keeps me from passing on my written word for feedback.  I can take constructive criticism in every other area of my life.  But when it comes to this, I am just not comfortable letting someone else pass judgment on the stories I have created and nurtured.

Today I am thinking I can live with the cowardice.  Maybe even embrace it.  I look good with a red ribbon in my hair, although I may be too old for that.  I know this, if I was stuck on a deserted island I would never be bored because I could entertain myself for hours with the stories I have in my head just waiting to be released.

So tell me dear friends, how did you get up the courage, or gumption, or grow a pair in order to open yourself up and let others read what you had written?  Yeah, I really want to know.

I used to be a Massage Virgin...not anymore

A recap:  On Friday I launched a book giveaway.  Check it out here and make sure you leave a comment and follow my blog to enter.  I will be announcing the winner this Friday.  So check it out.

Sunday is not a day of rest for me.

This is the day that I do the laundry, clean the bathrooms, vacuum, mop, dust, grocery shopping, etc.  Yesterday was no different and I even added getting my pedicure and a massage to the itinerary.

Just so you know, I have never had a massage before.  I guess I always thought it was just too extravagant.  I was unable to justify paying someone to basically rub my back.  After said massage I am now aware of one glaring fact.  I am a moron.  

A big bonafide card carrying MORON.

Where has massage therapy been all of my adult life? 

This was the best thing that I have ever done for myself.  I have been basically blackmailing friends for shoulder rubs because I have a tendency to store stress in my shoulders and lately my shoulders have been harder than cast iron.  My IT Manager finally put his foot down last week and insisted that I make arrangements to get a massage done.  So I did.

Before the massage I had pretty much convinced myself that I didn't need it.  It was Sunday and I wasn't tense or stressed.  Yeah, I had that wrong.  This guy had magic hands.  From the moment I was shown into his massage room he had me completely at ease.  We spent a few moments discussing problem areas and what type of massage I would like.  Swedish is for sissies and while he recommended a deep tissue massage, he wasn't going to go as deep as he usually does because this was my first time.  Yepper, I was a massage virgin.  To say that this was the beginning of a beautiful new relationship is an understatement.

In was so awesome that as I was laying on that table getting the toxins pushed and prodded out of my body I got a new idea for a story line.  Normally that would have had me itching for pen and paper to get it down, not this time.

After my massage I felt like a new person.  I was loose like a goose and just about slid myself out to my truck. 

I got the best night sleep of my life last night and can't wait to get this day started.  Of course I am a little sore, but they warned me that it would be like that and even though I am moving a little slower, I can't wait until the next one.  It is scheduled in two weeks.  I promise to keep you guys posted, but in the meantime if you have the opportunity to get one, don't hesitate, get your butt on that massage table and let the pros do their work.   If you have had one before I am curious as to what you thought.  Did you love it?  Let me know.

Book Hungry Book Contest

I am part of an amazing book club called The Book Hungry Club.

We came together via twitter and it has become one of my favorite things.  Mainly because I am passionate about reading.  Through this book club I have been tempted to step outside of my regular reads and pick up things that I would never check out on my own.

With that in mind I have decided to do my very first give away.  Yay!   I know.  You are all excited and can't wait for this so let me tell you about how this is going to work. 

Every month we review a book.  The day after we post our reviews I will be doing a give away of said book.  This will be a brand new book, hardback if it is available and the condition to entering is you have to comment on the blog question that I l ask and be a follower.  That's it.

I have not decided how I am going to select the winner yet, but I will find a genius way to be sure.

So this month up for grabs is Gods In Alabama.  It is a great book.  Sorry to say you will not be getting my copy because I have it on my kindle, but you will get a brand new copy of your very own delivered right to your door.

In Gods In Alabama Arlene takes us on a journey through past and present and we learn who her very first crush was.  So today you need to tell me about yours.  Who was the very first boy/girl you had a crush on?  Name, age when it happened and maybe a quirky little story just for fun.  Next Friday I will announce our winner.  Pretty easy, right? 

So get to it ladies and gentlemen.  Tell me about the first time those hormones woke up.

 

Book Hungry: God Is In Alabama

The book review below was a Book Hungry Club read.  All of the Book Hungry Members are posting a book review today on their blogs.  They are all listed in my blog roll to the right, so after you read mine, go check them out too! 

This months selection Gods In Alabama, by Joshilyn Jackson comes to us from the Fabulous Cynthia Reese.

I should tell you this is anther book recommendation that I would never have picked up and read on my own. 


The title Gods In Alabama had me wondering if God resided in Alabama or if our author was saying there are Gods in Alabama.  Either way works here from Arlene's point of view, but mainly it just meant that their are Gods residing in Alabama and they just happen to play high school football.

This book takes us on the journey of Arlene Fleet who escaped her small town roots and traded them in for the vastness of the windy city.  Her motives, totally not-altruistic, were based on the deal she made with God.  No more sex, lies or even returning to the scene of the crime as long as He keeps the body hidden.  

The body in question belonged to one Jim Beverly, the local reining God of the football field.  The reveal comes to us in a series of flashbacks and present day story telling, a format I have not been over found of in past books but keeps this story moving extremely well without confusing the reader. 

After ten years of excuses, when a visitor from home (looking for Jim Beverly) leaves Arlene believing God may be slipping on his end of the bargain, she decides to head back to the tiny town in Alabama she called home.  Coming along for the ride is her boyfriend Burr who also happens to be African American.

This book had all the earmarks of embracing every stereotype, instead it made fun of them.  Ms. Jackson's characters jumped off the page at me and I was there with them from start to finish.   Ms. Jackson's ability to write characters that resonate comes through from the first page and kept me entertained until the very end.

Once again, I step out of my reading comfort zone and the result is another satisfying read.  Thanks Cynthia for the recommendation and don't forget to check out the other members thoughts on this book at their blogs as well.

The Devils real name is Toby

Because I found this to be very amusing and I have been trying to figure out how to add video to my blog.  

Yay me!  I finally mastered it and since I was so proud, I though I should share something that would make you laugh.  Trust me it's funny.

Check back tomorrow for the next book review from the "Book Hungry" Book Club.  You really don't want to miss it.