Another notch in the belt

As you can see, I once again have "won" the challenge! A Day of Reckoning will continue to get worked on but, it's time to work on another project. Savant is in the process of heading to the finish line and hopefully, in the next couple of months I will have the first draft finished! Next will come the arduous task of editing. I think I will enjoy this part because it's fine tuning and digging deeper into research. I want it to be as close to the truth without it being non-fiction.

Because this is my rambling log, I thought I'd toss this photo in for laughs. My friend had a cat that did not care for sharing its food with others and judging from this little guy's face, he doesn't either. It's hard to make out the caption, but it says, "my baloney has a first name, it's momnommmm. something to that effect.

Christmas is coming soon, and Thanksgiving? I was at work, which I am thankful for, many are losing their jobs, their homes, their livelihood. My boss was supposed to bring me dinner, just like last year, but poor me, I suffered and ate a baloney sandwich. I take that back. I had burritos. I took my laptop with me, but I worried too much of overloading circuits or blowing my computer's innards. I don't think I'll take it with me again. I don't have Internet access and working on a project on the job that actually pays, well it probably isn't the right thing to do. I'll just stick to pen and paper, doing crosswords, or sleeping. Don't worry boss I don't do any of that!

Another year is nearly gone and what have I done? Grew a little older, got a little fatter, and heading closer to menopause. I'm not sure if I gained wisdom of any sorts, maybe next year, I'll know.

Five down and counting...

It's getting to the wire, five days left and my world becomes a little crazier for the next month!

Fiftythousand words, thirty days. Look out NaNo, here I come!

I have a new blogsite called Writer Potpourri. It is strickly about writing and the craft, books I read, my opinion of them will also be posted there. I plan to have other writers come and talk about their projects, and I will post comments about websites I find. This is exciting for me, because as I get deeper into writing, the better my chances are of getting my material published. It also helps me to hone my writing skills, and keep intuned to the writing world.

However, I am seriously considering self publishing my novel "Savant", in the hopes it will catch a publisher's (or agent) eye. These days it gets harder to become published and noticed. There are many writers who want the brass ring, and competition is tough. Publlishing houses don't take risks on new writers, and I could spend years looking for someone to have enough faith in me, and my material. With our nation's economy on the downslide, it's understandable they (the publidhing houses) would do a little eggshell walking. More and more writers are turning to self-publication for the same reason I do. That doesn't mean I quit sending queries, that's part of the process. I would probably spend nearly every waking hour writing if I could, but the butt would get really numb, the house would get dirtier than it already is, and the animals would starve, so it's just as well I don't.

The Muse Online Writer's Conference

First and foremost, I want to thank Lea Schizas, for this years writer's conference. Last year. I barely came in under the wire to register. That was my mistake on the email address. I gained a lot if information about websites and met some really cool folks. It ended up propelling me into writer's cyberspace! This is my second conference to attend and it was the most intense week of learning I've ever been a part of.

Because of Lea's selfless acts, many aspiring writers, (and established/published authors) gain thousands of dollars of valuable information from the week long conference. All of this great stuff for free. There is a place for donations, it cost quite a bit for maintenance and the web master fees, etc. So, as of November 1, 2008 you can register for next year's conference by clicking on to this link http://themuseonlinewritersconference.com/ and sign up! Believe me, it's worth it. You do get to meet publishers and published authors. As a matter of fact, I'm talking to a nice lady about a coffee table book. It was totally unexpected and could be what I need to get credits for publication. I am into photography and I'm thinking about submitting some photos and accompanying them with short poems. From the conference, I have the makings of a "cozy" mystery, a step below mystery which is a bit darker than the cozy. I didn't know that, but now I do. I think it will be a lot of fun and giving serious thought to making it my NaNo project. I also came away with a series of short stories gathered into a collection called a series novel. I took two short stories that were laying around in their files and wove them together for a novel.

Last night, was the end of the conference, and the after party! That was the funniest thing! Someone mentioned that it was a crash course in speed reading. That was no joke. Words flew by (those of you who go to chat rooms may have an idea of how that works) so quick that if a comment was made you better have fast fingers and a quick pinkie for hitting the return key because your comment may not mean anything within two minutes. The chat rooms also come with a variety of sounds and smiley icons, there were plenty of those flying around too. I am not a chat room sort of person and last year's conference was my first experience in "chatting".

To attend a conference in person cost hundreds of dollars. The registration fees. Booking a flight, hotel room cost, food and transportation. The upside of this, is meeting authors and guest speakers in person, maybe an agent or publisher. Going to a different place and seeing a city you have never visited, meeting people you may have been talking to on the Internet in one of your groups are some of the other perks. The downside is, of course the cost. Many of us simply do not have that kind of cash sitting around the house to spend. There are several of my new friends who are disabled and the online conference lets them mix and mingle with everyone too.

We writers tend to think we know it all. We think our work is beautiful, everyone will love it. There will be hundreds of publishers and agents knocking down the door just to have you on board. The reality of it is, (unless you are extremely gifted or a famous author in a former life and kept all you knew,) getting published is hard. I think possibly harder now than in the good ol' days, simply because of the competition. Publishing houses anymore do not hand out huge advances unless you have a big name. You have to be careful too. Unfortunately as with any good thing there has to be a bad side. If you are looking for an agent or a critique group go to http://www.predatorsandeditors.com/ and check them out. This is a valuable resource for every writer. They go through the markets and do a thorough check to find out who's legit. They post their findings and pass them on to you. The Internet has become a valuable tool for authors. (I wish my dad could of seen all of the resources available for today's writer.)

On that thought, it is very easy to get caught up in all of those wonderful websites, blogs, social networking, and newsletters. I suggest going through and picking out which ones will help you out. Ask some of your writing friends if they know about such and such site or google it. There again, check out predators and editors. Throughout the next couple of weeks, I'll be adding links to various websites and giving you my impression of them. I hope you check them out.

If you haven't read any of my past postings, I would like to introduce you to Roger, my writing totem. Roger was my dad's name and I know he's hanging out so I put him in the moose. They are my muses.

My Pets Rule!

Those of you who have cats or have had one know what I mean when I say I am ruled by them.
I have two, Troy, aka "T" (named after Tesla's drummer), and Love Bug, aka, "Buggy" (named after no one, she had unusally huge eyes when she was little). Their personalities are complete opposites.
"Buggy" is loveable, docile, and sleeps by my side, or inside the crook of my legs at night. When she was little, she had this thing of trying to lay across my neck, which I had to break her from since I do not care for asphyixiation.
She loves milk and curling up in my lap when I read. She's not too picky when it comes to food, she will pretty much eat whatever I give her. She does not have a tail, it's a little stub, I suppose she was born with it. She's muscular and stout, but a real puss when it comes to storms, kinda like me, except I don't hide in a spidery hole *shudder*. She is skiddish around other humans, why, I don't know. She hears a voice that is neither me or my husband's, into the hole, under the house, or up the stairs she goes.
Her claws are sharp and do not feel very good when they dig into my flesh. It's not because she's attacking me, she's doing what I call "kneading bread". She has a funny way of standing, especially if she is looking outside or has just stepped out there. Her little legs are spread apart, ready to either bolt under the house or stalk an unsuspecting bird. There have been times when she has sat on my chest or hip while I slept, wanting to go outside. I ignore her until the meowing is unbearble. I had a video clip on my profile once about a cat who did just that, execpt Buggy does not use a baseball bat to wake me up. She cracks me up when she all of a sudden pops up or steps from around a corner, her tail stub twitching, and the legs spread apart. She has a funny way of letting you know when she has to use the bathroom. She runs up and down the stairs, into the bathroom, then outside. This process is repeated several times until the smell hits your nose and hopefully she made it to the litter box or outside. Usually, it's in the bathroom, unless the door is shut.
All in all, she's an ideal pet. She's into her fourteenth year of life, but she still has a lot of vitality although sometimes her hips seem to give way when she runs across the kitchen floor. I like to think it's because the floor is slick.
T, well, he's a brat. No other way to describe him. I found him in the street, crying his little lungs out until I finally coaxed him into the yard. My husband was inside repeating the word "no". Poor little baby kitty, I tell him, he's gonna get ran over.
At the time I had another cat, "Scooter" ( she died of some kind of fungal infection in her bones at the ripe old age of eleven). Both Scooter and Buggy were not happy with the new addition. That tiny orange and white baby got wacked anytime he approched either one of the girls (cats). For a few weeks, I thought Buggy would kill him.
Then he got comfortable with his surroundings. Soon the ambushes began; hiding behind the couch, under the table, or under the bed. A slight movement of a foot under the cover rendered a hefty pounce, claws dug into the bottom of the foot and teeth/fangs sunk into a toe. Scooter and Buggy were under constant attack, Scooter didn't back down, Buggy? She has mastered the art of slipping from sight and claw. Don't think for a minute she lets him get away with it though. He supports several scars on his pink nose.
T hadn't been in the family long until one morning he didn't come home. I was sick, he was so little, so vunerable. I'm worried, I tell my husband. I begin to call his name then I hear a meow far away, I move in the direction of the sound. Then I see him. Relief! I see he's not walking so well. I try to pick him up and he lets out the most horrible cry and hissing. We get him to the vet where we learn he has a broken hip, most likely from a car or possibly a kick from a human. It was going to cost some money to fix him. I just couldn't let the little guy suffer and I did not want him put down. I let my husband make the call.
A week later, T was brought home with a tiny hip replacement. We never did figure out what happened, but he keeps away from cars.
T has totally dominated the household. Sometimes, Alan, my husband, eats sunflower seeds when he watches television. We have discovered T likes them as well. He will climb up on Alan's chest and wait while Alan cracks open a seed. It's only two or three of the nuts but that's all, he jumps off his chest and pursues other interests like terroizing Buggy if she's around.
He loves peanutbutter, not a whole lot, just a little on the tip of my finger is enough to satisfy him. I have discovered he cannot tolerate milk, no matter the type, he pukes it right back up. Grasshoppers, the little green ones are a favorite, he like to bring them in and play with them until he grows tired then eats them. Now, the big green and yellow ones, they get thrown up, ugh, nasty.
He's a hunter, both cats are. T is more so than Buggy. Of course, they have to bring their trophies inside the house. Birds, mice, a rat or two, snakes, Cicadias, even a squirrel(it was dead, but behind the couch) have been lose in the home. I know I enjoy coming downstairs in the mornings and seeing feathers everywhere. We have even been graced with a bat's presence, thanks to T.
He rarely drinks out of a bowl, he prefers drinking from a faucet. I think he learned this from Scooter. People? Not a problem, even the neighbor keeps his garage open so T can go in to maintain the mouse population, which I appreciate because that usually means he has brought them home for us. Thanks man.
If we do not have one of our doors cracked open, just like Buggy, he's telling us he wants outside, usually by stepping across our heads, if that doesn't work, he's trying to take the curtian off the window. Sometimes it may not mean he wants out, it could mean he's thirsty, or he wants food, or simply nothing at all. Little shit. We try to accomodate by cracking the back door so my darlings are able to come and go as they please, but then this invites strays too. In the winter this is a real problem. The doors are closed, it's cold outside, and when he wants in, he pulls the screen door back with his paw then lets it go, BAM! I do not get a full eight hours sleep. I'm not complaining, that's just the way it goes.
He has a urinary tract issue, so we have to give him wet cat food in order for him to maintain a normal pH. When that refrigerator opens, he's right there, and he know where that food is at. If I haven't taken the can out, he shows his displeasure in several ways. Attack a foot, attack Buggy, or attack the little rug I have in the kitchen. Most of the time it's all three. I was hoping he would get over the tantrums as he grows older, but alas, no. He is getting a little more docile the older he gets, but there are those moments....
I have to keep a pillow on my desk so he can curl up next to me, otherwise he's trying to lay on top of the laptop which does not work well when I am using it. I don't know if I could have another cat when these two are gone, as much as I love them, when I lose a pet, it's like losing a child. It breaks my heart and several days are spent in mourning. I tend to be more of a cat lover than of dogs although we have two of them.

I suppose it's because I have never got over being attacked by a German Shepard when I was younger. Yet they rule us too. I just wish they would mow their own yards.

MySpace and other stuff

MySpace



Hello there! I have tried something new. I don't know if it is going to work, but instead of having to cut, copy or paste from the myspace page when I post a blog (sometimes I do that) here. I would appreciate it if I got a little feedback on this. Would you rather I set up the link, or view the post from here? I suppose, I should make sure this works huh?



I tested the link, it works. I know there are those of you who do not like myspace. If you want to check it out, you will have to sign up. So I have decided to do an edited version. Anything to get someone to read my blog!





Pouring rain, outside my window, all in all I know, it's gettin' better everyday. Soon the sun will shine through my window....
I don't know if that's word for word in Telsa's song Gettin' Better or not, but that's how I feel it best describes the way things are going weather wise. Right now however, I'm hoping we don't have a power outage, the lights keep flickering. I am not a fan of storms.








Anyone who knows me personally, know I have a love/hate relationship with weather. Read, A Wild Ride in my past blog postings. I love the weather channel. It's informative and knowlege is power so "they" say. I agree. I love watching the clouds build, huge "thunderheads", billowing thousands of feet into the atmosphere, the sun setting on them, all that poetic stuff.




I think it's cool to watch them at night, when they are far away from me and have no intentions of coming in my direction. I do not, do not, enjoy being in the midst of one. Especially at work. It sucks.
But that's not what I intend to write about this morning.
Back to the song, Gettin' Better. It also is how I try to handle my life and the situation/issues thrown at it. For over twenty years, I've used this philosophy to guide me through a lot of bad times. And I just wanted to thank the writer(s). Without the gift of words and emotions, there would be no music, art, poetry or books. Thanks Tesla for allowing me the pleasure to keep this song in my pocket.
*sniff*, yeah, I mean it, no mushiness here.
My husband and I are working on a solution to a delimea.
You see, we have tickets to meet Tesla personally. Everytime I think about it, I get light headed. It's...it's a rush of adreneline, it's, OH MY GOD! If I were a teenager, I'd be screaming, jumping up and down, all that fun stuff. I'd probably have posters of Tesla up on my wall in my room. *looking around the study/office* Er, uh, well just one of a nut buster. Oh, and the one that came with the DVD.



Hell, I'm too friggin' old to be jumping up and down!
While I am doing all of those things in my head, I'm gonna be cool and be me.
Stupid.
No, I'm married to a musican, I've met some famous people before, Brad Gillis of Night Ranger and Mitch Ryder. Alan and I even got to hang out with them too, which was way cool.
But, this is Tesla! My favorite band in the whole wide world! Ozzy, by the way, is my favorite solo artist. these are the people who I want to meet, it's listed in my profile as such. To the problem....

At first, I arugued with myself, we could use the money spent for the VIPs, on things we need. Who couldn't?
This is going to probably be a once in a lifetime ordeal for us. It's one of Alan's favorite bands too. Long story short, we have the tickets, not in hand, but on reserve.
We have ran into a snag of financial means. I don't feel that I need to explain the root of the problem, but it could mean having to refund our VIP passes! We would still go to the concert, but, shit man! If we do, I will just absolutely cry. I will be so very blue. But, because I carry Gettin' Better in my heart, it will be okay if it comes to pass. Maybe the next time.


Onto writing, I did a restructuring of sorts on Savant, the novel I am working on. It's possible I may do to another one. I need to either make the main character, an FBI agent, a male or female. I want the MC to like cats, and to have a couple of them. I have two. I want my character to have a motorcycle. We own one and so I know what it feels like to be on one. It's an outlet of the MC. I had one of my crits say that with the mixed emotions and kitties he couldn't find the character believeable. He was right. I read it agin, but this time in the MCs point of view.
He is expierencing a death, trying to catch a serial killer, should a tough nosed investigator not have these feelings? He should, I think, maybe, hell, I don't know. Is it too cliche-ish? What if I made the MC a female? Steroetype? A woman trying to still make it in a "man's world", a cop, no less. Would belivablity of emotions and the struggle to land a top notch position on the FBI ladder make it a stronger plot if she was a female? Hummm....
The Muse Online Writer's Conference is getting close, less than a month away now. I have many things to read about, and yes, homework. It will sharpen my writing skills, and there ain't a thang wrong wid dat! That means, I'm outta here!

Savant Jacket Covers

This morning after spending a few hours outside burning brush and watching the sky. I had some ideas for a jacket cover.

In this blog, I am only posting the ones I really liked since it would take too long to put all of them here. You can view the rest on myspace, just click on the link and go to the photo albums.

I started having images of what the cover could look like and at the first little drop of rain, I was inside, got a shower, (discovered poison ivy on my elbow, yea for me!) ate lunch and then began creating. I'm pretty impressed with what I came up with. I only scrapped one drawing. Hummm...I wonder.....maybe I need grapic design software for christmas? I don't know, it's the first time I've really played around with the default paint software. It's very basic designing but I sure had fun with it. I thought about having someone do the cover, but I don't think that will be necessary.

I wonder if I haven't stumbled upon something I didn't know I could do? Huh. Here is another excerpt from Savant......

At the end of the excerpt are the covers. Leave a comment if you feel compelled to do so.

It started a year ago, when FBI Agent Gibbons died by the hands of what the media was now calling the Tic Tac Toe serial killer, while on an undercover assignment. His body was found in a trash bin behind a seedy bar in Nashville, Tennessee with the letter “x” carved into his back, and a blood smeared note nailed into the back of his head. His wallet and its contents intact, his watch still on his wrist. With robbery ruled out, motive speculations became clouded and fuzzy. No witnesses, or clues; nothing. It was like that with each case so far. Trent needed Tic Tac Toe to slip up, like someone surviving an attack, have close call victim or laccidentlly leave DNA. Something.
Trent desperately needed a solid lead. He guessed poor Ester Varner, the woman lying face down in her own blood, wouldn’t yield much information either. Maybe when he got a chance to talk to the first officer on the scene something might come to light. Trent’s doubts engulfed him like a dark shroud.
It bothered him that he did not pick up even a slight twinge from the killer, no vague images, or a mental nudge. He had no other explanation for it. He could go to any crime scene and touch the victim or an object nearby and get fuzzy mental pictures, distorted impressions or flashes of the incident. He prided himself on his ability to sniff out the bad guys with his keen sixth sense, a secret nobody knew about, not his family or his boss.
But, with this guy, not a damn thing. That bothered Trent more than anything else. He had to catch this monster and soon.
He stared out into the small knit cluster of onlookers. It amazed him how macabre curiosity could be as he watched emergency lights play across women in curlers and robes hugged tight across their bodies. Their eyes full of concern and questions on their lips. Some of the men gathered in small groups, hands in their pockets, nodding their heads every now and then toward their dead neighbor’s home. Reporters strained against the yellow crime scene tape wanting answers. No matter the incident, the lookie-loos were there, speculating on what happened. The people next door thought she was in Florida, not on the floor of her living room starting to rot.

From Savant copyright March 2007
Connie Clark

In a learning phase

Hello to all!

I'm excited about November's National Novel Writer's Month project "A Day of Reckoning". If you read the blurb about in my last post, you know it's based on a family situation involving my niece. I'm in the beginning phase of character building, plot and subplots, chapter outlines and research! In addition to still working on "Savant". I really want to have the first draft of it finished by or before the New Year.

For those who think just picking up a pen/pencil and writing a story is all there is to it. Wellllll, as I have mentioned before (read other posts, I hate to repeat myself and cringe when I do) at least for me, it is an involved process. I want to have as much of it laid out in front of me before I get into actually writing. That's my process and works. I can get easily distracted and have many interruptions. I try to limit that by writing when the world sleeps.

The days I work, leave me drained to even think. All I want to do is get out of the stinky clothes, soak my feet/take a shower. Yeah I whine about it, but I am truly thankful for the paycheck! My employer has got my ass out of a sling several times because of the benefits provided and many thanks to them! I have mentioned I want to, need to, rather, find something I can do without having to be on my feet the whole twelve hours, whether it be standing, walking or climbing stairs. I'm sure it would be much better if I didn't have a hundred pounds of ass behind me (no I'm not talking about my Supervisor, that's at least 160- ha, ha, ha!)

I had a melt down at work last week, my annual cryfest. I let too much build up and then a minor incident happened. I accidentally poured a water sample down the drain. I had to tell my boss, dreading it. He's under pressure too and here I go making his day just a little better. I felt so bad, I simply lost my balance and had to find a place to go cry. Being tired, hurting feet and knee, hot and sweaty and what not, like the feather that lands on a teetering stack of glass, over it went. That's how those things work I suppose.

I try to not let work issues bother me. It got so bad I broke down and bought cigarettes, (yeah I did, boo-hiss) and then another pack and another pack. It's hard enough without thinking I'll be blamed for something that I possibly cannot control. This comes from the seventeen years working in the Quality Assurance department. Everything has to be near perfect, all paperwork flawless, all tests conducted in a timely manner, so on an so forth. There was a time in my life I didn't have all these issues, but then, I did not have the responsibility. I want to do my job to the best of my ability. My boss has pretty much said that if I let the job get to me, I should think about getting out. He doesn't want that to happen, but it's not fair for him to have to deal with my menopausal spurts. He did suggest to go one week without worrying like I do, and if I did not feel better, he'd kiss my ass, ack!

When I do find the right job, or rather the one I think I might like to try, then I will leave the treatment process. Believe me, I would like to just jump into a job simply to get away from the weather issues, winter is coming up and fall in this area is full of storms just like spring. Hate them! Working night shift would not be too bad if we had another person who worked that shift, it's a one person show that really needs two. I think it's a safety hazard in itself. I could go through a whole list of reasons why I think this but it just depresses me so I won't. I'm searching the papers, and keeping an eye on our job bids, but enough of whining. When the time comes, and hopefully soon, then I will make the move.

Back to writing, it's a much better subject.

I have a writing friend who I met on "Myspace", named Kim. We make comments and such, and am looking forward to attending her workshop in October during the writer's conference. I was checking out her blog and am amazed that not only her but several other of my writing buddies have a half dozen or so sites, and keep up with them on a regular basis. How they do that, I can't figure out, but more power to them! I've learned something from each one on how they present their work. I'm always for learning new things when it comes to the writing craft. As long as I learn, I can only get better.

At this writing, I am also listening to NBC broadcast discussing Gustav. I'm glad it was not as destructive as meteorologists predicted. I'm sure this is one time they are glad to be wrong. This storm is supposed to work its way up into Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, with massive amounts of rain forecasted. Not the news I wanted to hear.

I hope everyone had a nice Labor Day!

To make a long story short

It's been a couple of weeks since I stepped in here, and things are no different today. There are one or two things different I suppose. I'm still writing and as for the word challenge in August; I'm not going to meet that goal of thirty-five thousand, just too many things going on in my work life and what not.

My niece has had her share of issues, her ex-boyfriend is causing problems. Together, they have two children and I feel bad for those boys. The oldest one is now four and the other day, I babysat him and another little girl. They were at the kitchen table drawing and coloring on paper. As I sat there watching them, I asked Nicholas what he was drawing and he told me a picture for his dad.

His mother has a "friend", nothing serious as of now, although I have my suspicions they are steering towards something of that nature. I think she should have relationships, but it will be rough on the kids. They have their "Am ma" and me, but all little ones want their mom when they get tired. To make a long story short, after a girlfriend of hers buried Jessie's vehicle up to both axles in someones front yard, momma finally said enough was enough. There is more to that story too, but I will not go there.

This past Saturday, I had my sister (Am ma) and my "adopted" daughter/friend were over drinking a couple of beers and shooting the breeze. My niece calls, wanting to leave the kids to go see the ex, supposedly he has diapers for his younger son. I made it known to her she is on a timer. Bring the kids over, I say, but you have 30 minutes, get over there, get the diapers and get back.

We had enough beer in us that we promised if she was not back within that time frame, we would be coming after her. She made it back in 35, of course, I called her at the twenty-nine minute mark and at thirty minutes. I pretty sure she thinks we are totally nuts, that being said, she is a good mom and loves her kids.

This situation with her children and the ex has sparked the project I will do for National Novel Writer's Month in November. The working title is "A Day of Reckoning", in the Thriller genre.

Here is the blurb: After Karrie Jensen is murdered by her ex-boyfriend, Carla Simpson is left to care for the two children. When Carla's sister, Abby is found dead and the grandchildren are kidnapped from school by their father, Carla's worst fear is reality when she finds out he has taken them to Mexico. Now Carla has to find the boys and somehow make Juan Pedreza pay for what he has done.

That is the basic idea of the story.

My being the victim of spousal abuse gives me an advantage. Any writer knows that if they read on the subject of writing, it is preached to write what you know. I know in the past twenty years, great strides have been made to help victims of abuse and to keep it from becoming a tragedy.

I pray that nothing comes from this situation. The boyfriend has shown aggressiveness by pushing and shoving, making remarks she is not to have communications with family members and friends. He has stopped making payments (his half) on the vehicle she uses, cut off the television subscription, good thing she has movies to keep the kids entertained and takes them to the park. The man stalks her, follows her around. I told her all it will take is a phone call and INS will take care of him, yes, he's an illegal alien, and so is most of his family. She wants him to be able to have interaction with his kids. Fine, great, and so he should. So far, he's not going about this in the right way. Momma has made it clear he is not welcome, yeah, that's another story and will probably be in the book.

It gives me a passion that I think will be felt in the book and it is exciting to have this passion flowing. I'm glad that I don't believe in things being said and things happening from that. Like to movie "Stranger Than Fiction" with Will Farrell.

As for the job. I'm coming to a point in my life I want to do other things, the main one of course is to become a published writer and do that professionally. In high school, I wanted to be a teacher and when I went to our local school back in June with my friend and her daughter, it came back, those wants of becoming a teacher. To make a long story short, it's a no-go. Tuition rates are too high, I make too much money for grants and student loans? Uh,no. I don't really want to go through four years taking classes I don't need for gaining a teaching certificate. So, this is something I should have pursued way back when. I could try to get a Bachelor's of Arts, there again, taking classes I don't want to take just to get that degree. Online? Most of them want you to come to the campus for orientation, sooo, it's not going to happen. I want to be able to have more time to write, I get depressed when I don't, it's addicting, even a thirty minute span isn't enough.

Working in the water treatment department is causing some health issues. I hurt all the time. Stretching and pills help some but not enough. I would like to find another job which will allow me to sit down and not worry about something going wrong. I don't want to deal with weather issues, power outages, and equipment failure. I make good money, but honestly, I would rather be happy and less stressed out for less dollars an hour.

But for now, I'll have to put up with my feet screaming in agony and the rest of my joints throbbing that constant dull ache. My ideal setting would be to own my own bookstore where folks could come in and get a cup of coffee, for there would be many flavors and blends to choose from, nice cushy chairs and privacy cubicles for reading. On Tuesday nights have a book club and writer's club on Saturday mornings. During the summer, kids could come in such as a reading group. I'd even do commission of second hand books.

I'll just keep on dreaming that one, I do not see anything of that sort falling into my lap and funding is out of the question. I'm finding that to search for loans, grants and funding also cost money, what little extra we have goes to vet bills, saving for work to be done on the home, the list goes on.

It's funny though, here I am almost fifty, and still don't know what I truly want. Oh, there are things I would like to have, such as the dream store mentioned, a bestselling author would be nice, but for many, that is one dream that reaches few.

To make a long story short, I'll stay where I'm at for now, but keep looking for what I want. I most definitely will continue to write, that is a given

.

how I feel some days

Online writer's conference and updates

Hello to allayaz!

The last time I posted here, I was preparing for a fifty-thousand word challenge (JulNoWriMo) similiar to the one I participated in November. I didn't meet the goal, too many things were going on and too many distractions, and August is turning out to be no different!
I'm in the fifth day of a new word count challenge, (AugNoWriMo) but so far, I only have about 1,450; not too good but, that's okay. The good news is the goal this time is for 35k, and I can continue on Savant. I want to have the first draft of it done before November, cause in that month, It's 50k all the way! It's the mother of all word count challenges, the National Novel Writer's Month or as I will refer to as NaNo. I'll post more about it as the time gets closer. (I know, everybody's groaning. Kiss my ass. *snicker*).

My writing totem shown here hasn't been much help, maybe he just feels sorry for me.

For those of you who do write or are intrested in learning how to write: in October there will be a free, online writer's conference. You can go to this website and check it out. http://www.themuseonlinewritersconference.com/

Last year was the first year for this type of conference and it's one of the coolest things I have ever done. I didn't have to go nowhere, spend lots of money on gas, lodging and getting lost. I didn't have to put on makeup or even take a shower, nor did I have to go out and buy new clothes, ('cause I would of, everything I own either has holes, bleach spots, stains and what have you because of my job). I could take my time, check out the different forums and chat rooms where authors, editors, agents and other writing professionals let you ask questions. In the forums there are different workshops and writing challenges.
It was because of this conference that the internet became a valuable source for an aspiring writer such as myself as well as for writers of all genres and styles. I had no idea there was so much information! I found a writer's group where I can post material without worrying about publication rights and such, several sites about writing, writing contests, writing online magazines, newsletters, and yahoo groups. A person could get caught up so easy in all of those wonderful tools they may not get that writing project off the ground!
It's hard to not check out those places from a writer's point of view, many of them have great information! I'm always learning something or refreshing my brain with tips, not a thing wrong with that!
I love to write, it's a passion I've had on the back burner for a long, long, long, time, and only in the past year and a half have I become seriously serious! This time, no matter how many rejection letters I get, I will keep on keepin' on. that's what you are supposed to do if you have passion and want to succeed. I love the research and character building, plotting the plot and outlinning the outlines. I love the whole ordeal about writing except finding the right agent, a process I've only checked into briefly. I problably won't get too serious about that part until I've finished the novel and put it through the second draft. The search can take a long time too, so I have to make sure I have those who would find an interest in even reading any of my material. By the time I have submitted the necessary requirements to each of my prospective agent picks, I'll have gone through the third revision probably. I may just let it rest and do a wait and see.

Sometimes prospective markets will have suggestions to make your project better and it's good to revise using their suggestions, you send it back, he/she may bite then. I have two other projects in the wings, Dream Drifter, a paranormal/thriller, and last year's NaNo project, as well as the one I will start in November, The Belle of Mobile, a supernatural/suspense kind of story.
It's also a good thing I learned, to have several things going, It can become tiring reading,and rereading the same words over and over. It can get bogged down in research material, or one of the characters may be going in a different direction (it happens). Put that aside for a few days and write a short story, take a month, more if necessary, and work on a larger project such as a novel or screenplay.
Writing is not simply sitting down and thinking it will just fall into your lap. Maybe of a select few, but that's so very, very rare. It's tedious work. It takes a long time, especially if your are just getting into it. Now if you want to write short stories, which I like to do too, it's not as complicated as far as information gathering. Poems, that's a whole different game I won't get into. Just like in music, dance, painting, etc. or anything in life, if you want it, get the passion and desire and keep it in your heart and head. Work, work, work, practice, practice, practice! Payoffs might not be so great, but that's not what should matter. Granted, when they get big enough to count I would like it very much, any fool would. Right now, finishing Savant and getting it to market is my focus.
I'm curious to see how many of you read this blog. How many of you will read the excerps I post? Keep in mind they are only tidbits. I'll give it until the end of the month. You read them, then let me know what you think coming from a reader's perspective. I'd appreciate the input!
Here is the prologue:

It started with one knife gliding through the air. Its blade silent, glinting and cruel. Cold, sharp winks increase in intensity as more knives join. Red tendrils of mist begin to weave through the knife ballet, circling a faceless man standing in the middle.
Max sat up gasping for air, gathering the sheet under his chin. His long hair matted in corkscrews, eyes wide, searching the batwing shadows clinging in the corners of the ceiling. Sweat popped out on his forehead. "Joe" was in his head again. Max struggled against the tangled bedspread. Fear tore at the edges of his subconscious, trying to pull him back into the dream. He dug out from the bed sheets and found his robe and slippers. He stared into the empty street from his darkened bedroom window, gazing at the shimmering lights of Bainbridge Island across Lake Washington. Sometimes watching the planes take off and land at Seattle-Tacoma airport helped loosen the constrictive feeling seizing his heart, threatening to squeeze every drop of blood until there was no more. The Mickey Mouse night light stared at him. Of course, Mickey wasn't scared; Mickey didn't have bad dreams about Bad Things.
He stopped in front of the empty canvas, his chest heaving, tears rolled down his puffy cheeks. Slowly Max sat down. His pupils began to dilate, his breathing slowed and the tears dried. He picked up a wax crayon, his favorite drawing medium, and began; his face set and determined as the crayons skated across the canvas, smooth and silent as the knives in his nightmare.

Hello to all-a-ya!
Vacations are coming up in the Clark household. Alan has eleven days scheduled off starting Thursday, yeah! He needs to relax for a few days and just hang out at the house and drink lots of beer! I'm quite certian he can take this one on hands down. He's going to be a little busy working on some origninal material in the studio and two gigs coming up the weekend of the 12th. Me, not until October, but my work schedule on the norm gives me some extra off time during the week, so it's all good!

For some writer's, what I am preparing to do may be their worst nightmare. Word count, getting a novel written in a month (or close to it). As long as you reach the assigned number, in this instance 50 thousand words, you are declared a winner. No prizes are given, just a mega boost to my writer's ego and bragging rites. That's a lot when you consider most people can't write a 500 word essay! I love the challege though. It gets me keyed up and ready to rock!
For those who don't understand this insanity, pray for me! When I subject myself to these "contests", what little housework got done nearly comes to a standstill during these challenges. Work is work, but armed with pen and paper everywhere. I have a laptop. It does not go with me to work. (I'd go postal if something were to happen to it there, and trust me, it probably would.)

I will occupy nearly every waking moment to the cause or at least 1500 words a day. By the last week, I should be able to crank it up and sail right past 50k by at least another two thousand. That's the plan. In the site's forum sponsoring the challenge, I read tales of people shutting themselves up, families tread lightly about the house. Writer's who are serious about their craft can be like poking a gorilla with a stick during these times of trial. Be nice to us, we can bite. I have read about those who become stuck in the middle of the month, maybe 500 words into the story, really pray for those folks! Who knows? I could be one of them *gasp* Hell no man! I'm too f**king crazy! (I'll write the word potato if I have to get the last words in if necessary. I actually saw that written about in a writer's forum)
So, in addition to Alan on vacation and a couple of our neices from California here soon, my challenge is heightened. Our two cats are of no help either. They think they can just climb right up on the desks and lay there. No space is sacred when it comes to my little dears.
I will keep you all updated on my progress, it may be at the end of the month when all is said and done though. If there are some of my writing buddies doing JulNoWriMo (July Novel Writer's Month) good luck!

My wooden moose writing totem sits behind my laptop, watching, urging me on.

Where I Am

I thought it would be fun to show you some of the places where I live. (I tried to put two videos here, but I guess I will have to post the other one in a seperate post.) The video above is a highway (two lane) which winds throughout the area. There is one place in particular I think shows the beautiful little valley I live in. Green Forest doesn't feel like it is in one, but when you get on the downhill side, it really sprawls out.

To look at my town, it's not very big, we only have one 24/7 place, a quick mart store, oh yeah, and the chicken processing plant. The rest of it, shuts down by ten, the two beer bars are allowed to stay open until 1:00 a.m. on Friday nights. But when you get up on top of the hills in the area and look at it from that perspective, it's such a beautiful place!

The series of pictures I took are from several places in the area. Mostly wild flowers that grow well in this particular soil, but some of the trees, and grasses too.

I'm driving down a narrow country lane to a discount grocery store. Again, I thought it would be fun to let my many viewers see what's up in my hood! The day was humid, sultry, and only the beginning of June. The clouds hung low, brushing lush, green hills and snaking their feathery tendrils into the valleys. I passed several vehicles along the way, probably wondering what the hell I had in my hands and talking. Hopefully, no one noticed!

Anyway, the air cleansed free of pollen and stale odors. The road is wet, the tires and windshield are making their own music with the rain. It seems that flowers and fields of grass for hay can be heard growing! When the sun pops out, the sauna kicks in, the air becomes oppressive, the clouds begin to tower higher into the sky. Then the downpours start! We have had so much rain this year, I would think we would be drought free for the next two years at least! Of course, it's doesn't work like that, too bad though. The mosquitoes will be larger than the lightening bugs, they, will be larger than a humming bird. That would be cool I suppose, but I don't think I want to see mosquitoes that big!

Livewyre

I hate it when people take vacations! No, they have to have them too. I'm just glad I had two days off to recover, five days in a row twelve+ hours each day equals sore feet, legs and knees. As my sister put it, Calgon really needs to take me away!!!! But I'll just look at some nice scenery.......

That's much better.

I am busy with several writing projects. "Savant" is in process of restructuring and will be participating in another 50k writing contest. This one is held every July, this is the fourth or fifth season for this particular one. It's like NaNo, but you can use an active project, you just have to have the 50k to "win". So far, "Savant" has fifteen chapters outlined, and a prologue added, with more to go. I'm excited about this venture. I think I have found a way to jump start my novels by doing these types of activities. My critique group helps me to polish and shine the words and all I have to do now is find an agent.

My other novel, "Dream Drifter" (2007 NaNo project) is in critique now. I have three short stories in active stages as well, "Pumice" (a story about one man's greed)is getting a query letter written, magazine market search and editing, "Man in the Mist" (what would you do if you had the power to change things?) is on hold. Right now, it's in a contest in Colorado, top prize 1,000! The new story, "Thunder Thief"( aka "The Man Who Stole the Thunder")is one written by my dad over thirty years ago. He has passed on however. He sent it out numerous times, and it kept getting rejected. I'm going to see what I can do with it. I have nearly dismantled it, parts and pieces scattered here and there. He sure had a weird sense of humor is all I can say about it for now. I'm trying to decide if I want to keep what he did at the ending of the story or make it have a dramatic ending. Huh, I'll just have to write it and see......

As you can see from the photos I have to the side of my blog, my husband is a drummer. He's played in many types of bands, country, blues, rock and combos of such. He loves playing, I would say so since it's been a passion of his over 30 years now. The newest project is with a couple of guys from the Harrison area and Mountain Home vicinity. The name of the band is "Livewyre". They play a harder type of classic rock, and some newer stuff. Their approach to cover songs is unique which makes them a great three piece band.

Lead guitarist, Jim, Bass and vocals Erik and of course Alan on drums.

This is a video of them playing Ted Nugent's tune "Free For All" I must say I was rather impressed! As the evening wore on, more of the club's patrons decided to bear their breasts and such. I won't be posting those. I must make mention of the fact, I am still learning how my camera works and even though this particular clip wasn't so bad as far as movement goes, it's still shaky. I'm working on my technique. If this one plays and works here on my blog, well you might as well be prepared to listen to some of the other ones I may post here from time to time. I have a myspace page for this sort of stuff, but some people don't like myspace, so.....here goes.

The Graduate

Ahhh, graduation! Tis the season alright!



This year marks the 30th year since I graduated. It sure doesn't seem like it's been so long ago, but reality check says it has. What have I done with all of that time? If I had to do it all over again would I? You bet I would, in a heartbeat!

There are many things I would do, like not get married the first two times. Never tried cigarettes. Spent more time listening to my folks, maybe even co-wrote something with my dad. Finished college. Kept writing. Exercised. Never refinanced my house( it would be paid for now)! Those are just the major changes. I would have really liked the chance to change some of the paths I chose. Yes, there are regrets. If you hear someone say they wouldn't change a thing, they are lying through their teeth! There is always something, even if it was a minor incident.

Even though I am a bit more savvy about things I learned through my chosen path, I know I can (and have) benefit from those learning experiences. Yeah, sometimes it takes more than one mistake to fully get the meaning, well, for me it has. I wouldn't have to go far to have someone back up that statement. And no, I will not go there!

Some of the positive things from the past 30 years do include the fact I'm still with the same job for over 20 years, not doing the same thing, but nevertheless I'm still there. I have my own house and a couple of decent vehicles. I have beautiful nieces and nephews and two handsome great-nephews. I have had many great friends; some have passed on, others moved on, one or two are still around and I enjoy making new ones. I have reconnected with a "long lost" cousin and a good friend from when my family lived in Nome, Alaska. Even though our family split like brittle kindling when my dad died, we were never too far apart and are now beginning to come back together. I have a pretty cool marriage, it's the third one, but it was meant to turn out that way. He tells me I wouldn't have liked him very much when he was younger, maybe, maybe not. That one can go both ways.

I still make mistakes. I'm pretty sure there will be more. I pray though I have enough sense in my head to not make so many.

To those who graduated this year, congratulations! You have many possibilities that await you. Stick with your dreams. Listen to your folks occasionally, they know what they are talking about when it comes to life's experiences, they were young once. Be wary, be smart; pay attention to the things around you. What's that saying? Trust few, harm none? Be compassionate, but don't let people take advantage of that. Give glory to your God, pray for all humanity.

Now, I have to go. I have a friend whose little girl is getting to see what her kindergarten room is going to look like. She just graduated from pre-school. My great-nephew will go next year, he's only four.














My Senior picture 1978














My g-nephew, "T", and me 2006














Kindergarten Queen 2009

A wild ride

With aching muscles I climbed out of bed this morning, surprised by the fact I could. Actually, considering what happened, I feel pretty good.
Alan and a buddy of his from work decided they wanted to go on a float trip on the Buffalo River. It was all set and we anxiously awaited the day. Alan and I woke up a little fuzzy from a late night spent with friends who coaxed us into drinking a few beers, but we loaded up our gear and headed out. The start of the day was absolutely beautiful! Sunny skies and warm temps, promises of sunburns and sweaty arm pits in full "for sure" mode, but it didn't matter. There would be plenty of opportunities to jump in the water to cool off. Sunscreen to keep the burns away, (although we saw plenty of folks who I'm sure wished they would have put some on!) sun glasses to shield our eyes and hats to keep from getting burnt heads too. We were prepared and ready to have fun! The first thing we came across on our way to Ponca, Arkansas ( a few miles down the road from us) was a part of the highway washed out from the recent rains we had back in April and March.

The drive was scenic, hills lush with trees in full leafiness (?), fields knee high and higher with grasses of all varieties. Spring is in it's most greenest state. There were wildflowers blooming everywhere! The blackberry bushes are loaded down with blooms, I plan on doing some backroading later on and pick a few before the birds get to them!
Anyway, we got to our destination a half hour early so we walked around and checked out the store which is really cool. They several types of canoes, one of them made of wood on display. The store was loaded with all kinds of stuff a person may need on their float or camping trip they may have forgotten at home.

The folks running it were really nice and full of information about the river and it's condition. One of the things they told us was that there were places in which we would have to get out and ford the river. Even though we had all that rain the river was pretty low in several areas. We just didn't know how low it turned out to be!
Soon we were on our way and pushing out into the river. Now mind you, it's been nearly fourteen years since the last time I went floating in a canoe. I'm about 80 pounds heavier now than I was then and of course I'm fourteen years older too. No, we didn't dump the canoe! We did finally get our bearings and with a few wrong turns with the paddle I thought I had it down. It was so beautiful! I would like to say it was peaceful, but there were plenty of canoes and kayaks along for the ride too, but that was okay. I was really enjoying this! I wasn't so sure I would be able to though, I have carpal tunnel in hands, elbow issues and a jacked up knee. But I was having a nice time. Then we started to hit the low spots. We had to get out of the canoe to get it over the rocks. They had a thin film of algae on them and of course rocks move when you step on them. I just knew I would end up breaking or spraining my ankle. There were a few times we were able to just push with our paddles and make it over the low areas, but more times than not, it was out of the canoe again. My poor husband did most of that tho, and he's my hero for the week (He's always my hero ).
We finally stopped to eat. So far, Alan lost his sunglasses and stubbed one of his toes. His hat that he uses when mowing the lawn fell in the water as well, but he retrieved it, soggy and misshapened, still wearable for the time being. Egg salad sandwiches and veggies with ranch dip and chips, to eat and flavored waters to drink. There were other beverages, clamato beers (which are yummy) and frozen margaritas (of course by now they weren't), but after the previous night I really wasn't up for that, I stuck with water. Alan decided to try a little fishing. We spotted a few fish along the way, most of them are sucker fish, they eat algae and snails , but there were blue gills (panfish) and several bass too. On his second cast he caught a fish, a "brownie" small mouth bass with a crayfish lure. It put up a pretty good fight too. We figure it was at least a foot long.

On we push, after a few more of those low water "pushings" my arms were beginning to get sore, more than once I got my paddle directions mixed up, we would end up hitting the shore, get cross ways in a rapid or go down them backwards. We did make a few of them where some folks didn't so I suppose it evened itself out. There was a guy with a video recorder who is doing a documentary (I overheard this) got us going through some particular rough rapids which we aced! I was quite proud of that! We watched as a couple of kids decided to jump from a huge tree overhanging the river. In this particular canoe, one female and two guys occupied it. It seemed the girl was the one doing all of the work, she had to get out and do the pushing across the low areas, then walk while they floated away (go figure). And we pushed on.

By now, we are wanting to get to the halfway mark, this is a ten mile float and it seemed as though we had been out on the river for hours. Well, we had nearly four hours by then. By now Alan not only lost his sun glasses but somehow lost his fishing pole. As far as we know, it's still in the river. We never saw it go out of the canoe. We kept taking on water, more than once we stopped to dump it out. Then I hear faint rumblings of thunder, great.
The halfway mark is called Hemmed In Holler, this is where most of our fellow floaters were at.

My shoes have large rips in them. The places where I did not get sunscreen applied on well are red. Dark, angry looking clouds are moving in. It looked as though they my move west of us, but I kept looking up to the sky. I DO NOT LIKE STORMS They are wonderful and beautiful as long as I am not underneath them. Our floating companions decided they wanted to take the hiking trail and go check out a waterfall. I would have liked to do the same, but my knee said other wise. My shoes and socks were wet and hiking in those would have spelled blisters, even in that short distance. I use to hike a lot in the Cascades back in the days of my youth, I know how painful that is. I didn't feel comfortable leaving our gear unprotected. There is supposed to be a code of honor amongst campers and the like, but unfortunately, those days for the most part, are long gone. Alan and I stayed while Tommy and his wife Regina took the hike.
Pretty soon the only people who were still on the water were us, Tommy and Regina, and a sparse few. The clouds are really building and the rumbles of thunder are turning into claps of thunder. Bolts of lightening arc across the sky. I'm really freaking out in my head. Everybody knows you shouldn't be out in the water during weather like that, but we didn't have much choice. Now not only was I worried about getting my digital camera wet, I'm worried about rising water, and electrocution. We are making good time though, once past the halfway mark, the water seems a bit deeper, but there are larger rocks in the river and huge slabs in the shallows covered in algae making footing hard. Then it begins to rain.
At first, it was slow, but the thunder is closer between the lightning flashes, the storm is coming and here we are. Oh my god. The canoe has a lot of water in it now and then it begins to pour. I want to cry. After a bit, the rain subsides somewhat and the thunder begins to ease up. Yeah! We have a few rapids to get through, great. I'm pretty wet now, praying the camera is okay inside the bag I have stored most of our food stuff and such in. We make it through them without a whole lot of trouble, there were some pretty big boulders under the water but we steered clear of those, yet we managed to get sideways. Alan's just about had enough of that, it wasn't our fault really, in some places the current is swift and unforeseen circumstances can jump out at you before you have time to say......... oh shit.
Then it happens. Yep, we or should I say I managed to dump the canoe. It happened fast too. We let Tommy and Regina go through the rapid first, they came very close to some flood debris caught up along the shore line. The bank cut in deep underneath all of that crap. Okay, I knew we needed to stay to the right of that and we would be in the clear. That friggin' water was running fast and then I saw these sticks just waiting to poke out my eyes or skewer me right between the eyes (I like my eyes and head to not have sticks poked into them thank you very much) and I ducked, backwards. I leaned over a bit too much and felt the canoe begin to capsize and over we went. I felt like I was getting sucked under the damn thing but all I could think of was my camera and it was in the black bag. I had it up over my head, out of the water, Alan had me and the canoe. He kept shouting for me to stand up, but I couldn't get footing, the current in that particular part was very fast. I finally did but the shock of the water and the swiftness of it had me hyperventilating. I only do that when I'm terrified.
Then I started crying, no one saw me do that. I was pretty scared and I guess the fact that I screwed up made feel bad. I was tired, sore and ready to call it quits. We are still on the river though and we had to recover our belongings and dump the water out. I think what really got to me was the next floaters who came through made it past that without issue. With the help of our friends we were able to retrieve our things, but I lost my sunglasses too. The camera? It still works! I felt bad though, but I was reassured that all was okay. Many people dump their canoes, even the most experienced can have it happen. Alan ended up giving his poor straw mowing hat to the river, it was beyond fixable. His tackle box filled with water too. I had thought about putting the camera it it, I'm glad I didn't! As it was, we were not far from the final destination, Kyle's landing. The rain started again, but I was so glad to see the end. I went to step out of the canoe but I couldn't get up, I think my knee locked up, and had to have Alan pull me up. He's my hero!
Will I ever get into a canoe again? Hell yeah! It was a lot of fun for the most part. I like canoeing, used to do it all the time, but not on rivers. We will do it again, but we think it will be on the lake. It's great exercise, you get to see beautiful views, it's quiet, and no gassy smells (unless you fart).