I went for these.

Didn’t we just have Halloween? Where has this year gone? I can’t believe it’s been six months since I last posted. It has been so long, I forgot the password to log in to the site.  What have I been doing with my time? Well, since the last time I posted a blog, I started a new job and with it came a load of  responsibilities and long hours. The people are great and it pays the bills, but I’m not meant to be an accountant. It’s not my passion. I am a writer. I’m a writer. I’M A WRITER!

Unfortunately, I have not felt like a writer for the past few months. My rough draft isn’t finished and I haven’t been submitting my superheroes to anyone. How can I sell a book if I don’t send it out? I know this, I just haven’t found the time or the energy to make it happen. 

So now it’s the end of March. Spring. A time for new beginnings. A time to get my ass in gear. Oh, so much easier said than done. All this week I have felt off. Nothing seemed to sparkle, I couldn’t muster any real joy for anything. Housework seems never ending and creativity is down the toilet. The world was dark and gloomy. Of course with it being Seattle, everything is dark and gloomy. But   had errands to run, errands I actually looked forward to doing, yet it still took too much effort to climb out of bed and look presentable. I sloshed out to my car and began to take care of the to-do list, including a stop at the shoe store to replace my broken brown pumps.

Now you should know that I love shoes. Loooove shoes. Maybe because they fit no matter what size you are and there is a shoe for every mood imaginable. You want to know how someone feels? Look at their shoes. The last time I really splurged on shoes was three years ago. My divorce was final, I just moved into my own place, and I decided to truly pursue my writing dreams. I bought eight pairs of shoes in one week because there wasn’t anyone to tell me no. It was an exciting time. I was shedding the shell of the person I never wanted to become and there was this new world ahead of me where anything was possible, and it all began by purchasing a pair of shoes just for the hell of it.

A lot has happened since I bought those shoes, some of which I don’t have anymore. They fell apart or just weren’t practical anymore. My life has had some crazy ups and downs and have taken turns I never expected. I’ve purchased other shoes since then, but there had to be a purpose, a specific need or else I did without. (My family may disagree about that, but it’s true.)

And that was the plan for today: get a practical pair of shoes that would pair well with slacks or a skirt. I found what I needed right away. Brown suede with a two-and-a-half inch heel. They were comfortable and half-off. Perfect. But oh, on the next shelf were a pair of open toe chocolate satin pumps- sleek and sexy. I hadn’t bought sexy shoes in, well, three years. It’s hard to feel sexy when you’re covered from neck to toes in wool, flannel and/or denim all winter long. In the next aisle over there were these cute little ballet flats with the tennis shoe soles in a floral print, and next to those  a pair of amazing red suede heels. Ooo, and the maroon patent leather loafer with the gold buckle. What would it hurt to try them on?

It seared like a sunburn to take them off. I didn’t want to move.

With each pair I slipped on it was a reawakening, a jolt to my tired soul. The ‘me’ I lost under endless debts and credits and program conversions broke through the mud to blossom. Could I splurge on another pair? The accountant side of me busted out the calculator to tabulate 40% off $49.99 plus 9.5% sales tax. I could live off oatmeal for a week. If only that one had a blue sticker. I couldn’t. I shouldn’t. Which do I leave behind?

An hour later I walked to the register with four boxes stacked to my chin. Hysterical laughter bubbled in my throat and I called myself crazy with every step, but it didn’t matter. What did I care that I didn’t have a specific reason to wear them. Perhaps now I will think of a place to wear them, a place where I would do something, or meet someone, and  my life would change forever. Oh, the possibilities.

Possibility. That’s a very powerful word.

The effects of my purchase were immediate. When I left the store the clouds glowed a little brighter and the rain didn’t feel so wet. On the drive home I thought of a new opening paragraph to my query letter that is so fantastic I could kick my own ass for not thinking of it sooner. I want to write.

Some would say ” but it’s just a shoe,” a piece of apparel meant to protect your feet from the elements, and they would be right. But shoes have the power to be so much more. Don’t just stop to consider the comfort or the price. Think of where that shoe can take you, what you could see, or do, or become.

Think of the possibilities.

 

And came home with these too.

Once a week I have an hour to kill between picking up my children. As I searched for something to do during that hour, I stumbled upon the latest version of Let’s Make a Deal with Wayne Brady on the television.  The last time I saw this show I was wearing neon and glued to my Walkman. X-plus years later, the concept remains the same. For those of you not familiar, Let’s Make a Deal is a game show were people dress up in goofy outfits in order to be selected to play one of several games. During the game, the player will be offered prizes that are hidden behind curtains number one, two, or three, or be tempted to exchange unknown prize for something else. Prizes can include appliances, cars, cash, or the dread  zonk, which is the booby prize.

When I was a kid, the person in the crazy get-up always went for the deal. Behind the curtain could be riches beyond their wildest dreams: trips, cars, or the luxury living room they always wished for. But that was not the case anymore. More often than not, when the contestant was offered the choice between a cash or the mystery prize, the person went for the cold hard cash.

As one of the newly downsized, I identified all to much with taking what you have and running, and cheered loudly “Keep the money!” Who cares if the key to a new Toyota was potentially waiting under the silver box? If Wayne Brady gave me $700 cash in hand, I would take it too. The risks are too scary, the potential for failure too great. Only one man gave up his cash for what was behind curtain number three and do you know what happened? He was zonked!!

Now it is possible that these lack of gamblers were contained to one episode, but I really can’t spend all my time watching continuously for research purposes. I already spend too much time with the History Channel, TruTV, Discovery, and Dr. Oz. Seriously, if I follow everything he says, I should live to be 100.

Taking the leap was once the American way, but no more. It’s really sad actually. The world is in such a flux, how can anything feel like a sure thing anymore. DO you really expect me to take the chance of being told “thanks for playing,” while being handed an inflatable palm tree? Zonks are everywhere, just waiting to blow a raspberry all over your enthusiasm.

Aack, I’m depressing myself now.

No more. I can’t be afraid to see what is behind the curtain. Throw it open and show me my prize. I’ll throw on my stripped stockings and fairy wings and take the chance. How will I start? I will submit a query to two agents tonight. It’s a small step, but it’s a start, because I’m ready to make a deal.

Last Saturday I typed “The End” for the last time (hopefully) on my superhero story. Now the real work begins. It’s time to start collating my list of agents to target, write the synopsis, and work on the all important query letter. The Emerald City Writers Conference is in a few short weeks, and that will be the launching point of my expedition to publication.

OnRomantically Speaking with Danielle Monsch we talk about the trials and tribulations all unpublished authors go through and what my strategies are to overcome those.  

 Now back to work.

The Joust

The chicklets and I headed to the Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire this past weekend in Buckley. It was the second year at this new location and the organizers really did a fantastic job of correcting a few of the issues from last year, mainly the trough of mud you used to have to muddle through along the food court. Now if they could just clarify the whole corn maze information, then it would be perfect. All though my girls thought being stopped by security was incredible exciting.

The jugglers were funny, the jewelry plentiful, and the joust lively and dangerous. A heart stopping moment occurred during the spear competition when a horse caught his foreleg on a hale bale, falling to the ground and tumbling the Lady Maria off the saddle and under its hooves. She was shaken, but okay, and jumped right back into the saddle to finish the show. 

The chicklets and I left with plastic swords, bottles of root beer and lots of stories that they will recreate for the amusement of anyone who is willing to watch. Besides the Highland Games, the Ren Faire is one of the favorite things I look forward to each summer and I can’t wait for next year.

What I like to see, a man in a fantastic hat reading

The Lady Maria of Portugal

 

 

 

 

Hey all,

Today I am guest blogging at Once Written, Twice Shy about being a shy writer who happens to write sexy, leave nothing to the imagination, sex scenes.

Thanks Rebecca for letting me participate!

www.shywriters.blogspot.com

It’s three o’clock in the afternoon and I am just now waking up. This weekend was a whirlwind and  the are no signs of it slowing down.

On Friday I attended the new author panel and book signing of my colleagues Rose Lerner, Gayle Ann Williams, Marie-Claude Bourque and Amy Rench at the Redmond Borders. It was a fun evening listening to their stories. However, my favorite part of the night was realizing that we were sitting in the erotica section. Perusing the erotica shelves with other romance novelists is highly entertaining, and led to an ideal of holding a workshop for men entitled “What Women Really Want.”

Saturday afternoon was spent working on the Emerald City Writer’s Conference. I am assistant registration chair this year and I was learning the ropes from Carol the reg. chair. Organization is the key when handling 250 attendees and their preferences for meals, editor/agent appointments, and other affiliations. Alyssa Day and Brenda Novak will be speaking and it is shaping up to be a great conference.

Later on I went to work at my sister’s where I am the bookkeeper for her event planning business. While entering in time sheets and receipts, we dished on the latest episodes of Vampire Diaries and Glee. I love those shows.

The night ended with a plotting party that quickly turned into a wine tasting party with Gwen, Christa, Danielle, Vivenne, Marianne and Natalie. There was lots of laughter, food, storytelling, and oh-yeah, wine drinking.  Learning and listening to everyone’s life and writing experiences had me laughing my ass off. While not a whole lot of actual plotting was done, it went a long way to getting a feel for where everyones’ personalities and writing styles lay. It is so difficult to offer advice or an opinion to someone you have just met. Knowing where they are coming from makes a world of difference to me.

Up next is the Writer’s at Sea cruise. Three days with Mary Buckham and Dianna Love on a Carnival cruise along the Mexican coast. The plan is to work hard and play hard. My hope is that by the end of the weekend I’ll come away with the entire second book of my superhero series plotted. I know it is possible despite the allure of sunshine and rum at the Serenity pool.

As far as my writing, I finished the second draft of the first superhero novel. Progress is being made amongst all of the fun.

Today started out grey and nasty. It’s Seattle and to be expected. However later in the day the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, and the roads dried out enough that motorcyclists took to the streets.

On the eleven mile drive home, I passed at least twenty different types of bikes. From the big bad Harleys to the nimble Yamahas. I even passed a guy on his dirt bike. If it was on two wheels with a motor, it was on the highway.

I have no idea what it is, but I cannot take my eyes off a man on a bike. I don’t know the difference between a Fat Bob or a Soft Tail, but I get excited when I hear the roar of the engine and see the sunlight glinting off the handlebars.

There’s a mystique about the man in the seat, and I will say man because 99.9% of the time it is a man. Who is he, where’s he going, where’s he been? It’s like Grease 2 when Michelle Pfeiffer and gang sang “Who’s that Guy?”

Everybody wants you when they don’t know who you are. If you’re a man of mystery, it really takes you far.

Maybe it’s like a belly dancer who wears a veil. It’s titillation, excitement. Under that helmet it could be anyone. Marlon Brando in The Wild One, Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, Ewan McGregor in, well, real life. He’s balancing a thin line between exhilaration and total dismemberment. Freedom and a lifetime in a wheelchair. Insanity and total clarity. A fantasy for my fertile writer’s mind.

So ride on my brothers. Be safe. And if you see a curly hair girl staring at you from her little SUV, give her a wave and a smile.

I want a devil in skin tight leather. And he’s gonna be wild as the wind. And one fine night, I’ll be holding on tight. To my cooool rider.

I loved that movie. I should dig it out.

Hot cross buns are my favorite bread item this time of year. They’re good warm, or room temperature. They’re yeasty, chewy, fragrant and have just the right amount of sweetness. So I wanted to share my favorite recipe with everyone for Ostara, Easter or just to celebrate the Spring.

Most of this recipe comes from the book Breadby Jeffrey Hamelman.

Sponge: ¼ cup Bread Flour

                  7/8 cup Milk (warm, not hot)

                  ½ tablespoon Sugar

                  2 ¼ teaspoon Instant Dry Yeast

Whisk all of the ingredients together, cover with plastic wrap and let it stand until it grows 3 to 4 times the size (about 30-40 minutes).

Dough: 2 ¾ cups Bread Flour

                4 tablespoons Butter

                1 Egg

                ¼ cup Sugar

                ½ teaspoon Salt

                ½ tablespoon Ground Allspice

                Sponge

               ¾ cup Dried Currents

               ¼ cup chopped Candied Lemon Peel

Add all of the ingredients ( except fruit) into a mixer, making sure that the sponge is first and the flour and salt is last. Mix on first speed until everything is combined, then turn to second speed and let it go for about six minutes. Add fruit near the end. The dough should form a nice pliable ball. Place in a large bowl and cover in plastic wrap, and a towel if the room is cold.

Let stand for 40 minutes, then fold the dough. Folding dough is just like it sounds. Place the dough on a wooden surface and taking one side in your fingers, fold it to the center. Repeat for all four sides. Place back in bowl and recover for another 25 minutes.

Fold the dough again, then divide into 12 equal pieces. Round the pieces into a ball shape and place on a sheet pan. Cover with plastic again to rise a final time. About 1 hour.

Now comes time for the crossing paste. Combine 1/2 cup Pastry Flour, .75 ounces of shortening and a 1/3 cup of milk. The mix should be firm but pipeable. Adjust milk according to make that happen. You don’t want to hurt your hand squeezing too hard. Also at this time make a simple syrup with equal parts sugar and water. Flavor it to taste with ground ginger and lemon zest.

When buns are nice and place the crossing paste in a pastry bag with a round tip and pipe a criss-cross pattern on each bun. Bake in a 440 degree oven for about 15 minutes. I say about because every oven is different and baking times may very. Check on them after ten minutes. When their hot out of the oven brush them with the sugar syrup.

Not only are they tasty, your house will smell fantastic.

Enjoy

Last weekend my family and I went to experience James Cameron’s latest big-budget adventure Avatar. It was everything that critics and movie-goers talked about. A fairly decent movie with bold, never before been seen flashy effects, and an incredibly predictable storyline.

If you haven’t already heard about the plot, Avatar follows the story of Jake Sully, a paraplegic marine who inherits a job on the planet of Pandora from his recently deceased twin brother. Pandora is rich with a mineral that will solve the Earth’s energy crisis. Jake’s job is to pilot an avatar, a biological robot made from a combination of DNA from the driver and the native people, the Na’vi. The avatar allows the humans to spend extended periods of time in the planet’s toxic environment. With his military background Jake’s scientific mission is quickly changed to a recognizance one, where he is to bring back information on the Na’vi that the humans can use to force them to move from their home, where the richest mineral deposits lie. After Jake is separated from his team, he spends the night defending himself against the dangers of the jungle and is found by Neytiri, the Na’vi princess and she…well, I don’t have to tell you the rest. You already know. Seriously, take ten seconds, relax and you will figure out exactly how the story is played out. I could even hand you a list of characters and you could check off who lives and who dies.

After all of the buzz, it becomes readily obvious that one goes to see Avatar for the bagillion dollar special effects, not the story. My sister was actually grateful for the simple story because she became distracted by the visuals and wasn’t concerned about missing any of the plot. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. For me to make an informed decision, I saw the film in both standard and 3-D formats. It wasn’t a hardship. I truly enjoyed the movie, and in my honest opinion it’s just as epic-y in 2-D as in 3-D. The only thing you miss out on is floating embers (which were pretty cool) and in-depth chase scenes that made me a little motion sick. If you want to shell out the extra few dollars, then by all means, definitely see it in 3-D.

So after seeing the movie, my brother, father and I started to brainstorm on ways the story could be elevated from the predictable to a bit more interesting. Here’s what we came up with.

First off, there is no reason, what-so-ever, for Jake to be in a wheelchair. None. Most of the time he is in a fancy MRI machine (a link) and his leaping, jumping, fighting avatar is on the screen. Even when he is in his own body, nothing was occurring that made his inability to walk a disability. But wait, you say, his incentive to spy on the Na’vi was that in exchange, he would receive the surgery that would return the use of his legs. So what? He wasn’t in the avatar because he couldn’t walk, it was because he can’t breathe in the air. If he was able bodied, he could have been offered something else. The bottom line is, with the way this story was told, it was not necessary. 

If you go to the trouble of having him be in a wheelchair, than we say use the wheelchair. What if all of the links were destroyed and Jake could not connect with his avatar body? Then he would be forced to lead the fight from his chair. Would the Na’vi, a race that places value on the warrior ability and spirit, accept him in his imperfect human form? Would Neytiri, the woman he loves, still want him? How would he cope in not being able to jump from tree to tree and connecting with his dragon-like flying counterpart? What if? What if? WHAT IF?

This is just one change, one, that would have taken the conflict from beyond natives versus big business, to a multi-layered story. When faced with Jake’s much smaller, wheelchair bound, oxygen mask wearing body, the Na’vi would have really had to think hard about following him into battle. You could still keep the same, good prevails over all, ending. Even down to the last frame. But the road there would have been a little more adventurous.

And do you know how long it took us to come up with that little tid-bit? All of two minutes. Two! Would it have made for a better story? Who really knows. But maybe if Cameron’s team took a few minutes away from the flying jelly fish and spent that on the script, they could have taken Avatar from being an okay story with spectacular effects, to a truly extraordinary piece of storytelling.

Supposedly there are two sequels that are being considered. Perhaps they’ll make the effort then, because after all, there are only so many versions of plated armor, multi-rows of sharp teeth, snarling, slobbering jungle beasts that you can watch before you go, “meh- seen that already. What else have you got?”

Last September I was fortunate enough to get the chance to explore the belt of Scotland. As you might have gleaned from previous postings, I love Scotland. The music, the food, the architecture; it is my warm fuzzy blanket.

While I was there, I notated random observations in my travel journal. This is a special journal that is small enough to tuck into my purse, and large enough to doodle sketches of the scenery as I wait in line for various activities. It is special because it is only used on adventures. I have several journals for various purposes, hence why it is called the ‘travel journal’.

So, on the eve of the first anniversary of my trip, I thought I would share some of these observations. Keep them in mind the next to you travel to anywhere. They may come in handy.

1. Brush up on the cuisine of the area you are visiting. I was having lunch at Deacon Brodie’s and a group of American women sat next to me. The menu was fried, with a fried potato product on the side. Not too difficult, yet these women seemed to have difficulty understanding what “pub food” meant. How did I know they were American? They were so loud that everyone knew that they were on Atkins.
2. Speaking of fried…every restaurant I went to had the best french fries. Don’t know if it’s the potatoes or the oil, but they are excellent.
3. Parts Edinburgh are thousands of years old. The Royal Mile and Old Town itself span 600 to 700 years old. Much of that is unchanged. Including paved roads. Why oh why would you go tottering around in four-inch stilettos? I saw a woman on a ghost tour catch her heel in the cobblestones. The resulting fall lead to a broken ankle, torn jeans, and a very red face. You don’t look so cute when you’re sprawled out on the pavement.
4. Why do secret service men wear suites? I know, this digresses a bit, but lets think about it. A hotel was bombed in Rwanda and the footage showed secret service men running around in suits, their neck ties flapping in their faces. I would think that a tie would be distracting, or used against them in hand to hand combat. I would understand if they wore something more fitting to defensive maneuvers.
5. A Scotsman doing a Sean Connery impersonation. Funny.
6. If asked if you would like your meat pie or sausage roll warmed up, just say no. The inside is molten lava hot every time.
7. Several times I saw women wearing a halter top with a bra. Visible bra straps? Who lied to you and told you that you looked good?
8. What exactly is brown sauce?
9. Remember the your camera has a video function prior to the middle of your vacation.
10. Upper Crust still has the best baguette sandwiches ever.
11. Most importantly, enjoy yourself! Don’t be afraid to try new things. If I had been to timid to travel around the world by myself, I would have missed out on this amazing scenery, and that would have just been sad.