Tonight, at the Billie and Molly Show Spectacular, along with Vickers, Steve, Cheryl, and whoever else decided to join in, I will be attempting the following songs:
-Back at One-Brian McKnight
-Band of God-Belinda Carlisle
-Because of You-Kelly Clarkson
-Before He Cheats-Carrie Underwood
-Because You Loved Me-Celine Dion
-Bad Company (maybe...I'm still undecided)
-Beauty and the Beast (if I can find someone willing to duet with me!)
Yes, I hear you...I posted these same ones last week. BUT, being the night before a holiday, the bar was packed; we didn't have our usual table; and the rotation was an hour long. We're hoping for a smaller crowd tonight. I'm finally on page #2 of my selected songs; I've been doing this now for what, two or three months? And just now got to the 2nd page?
I think the week of my birthday, I'm going to select a few of the new ones and sing those. Or maybe devote that week to Christmas tunes. Who knows; I still have three weeks to decide:)
Anyway, I'm off to the writing cave. Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo, and I think my combined word count is roughly 10K. So I'm doing fine:)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
NaNo Update: Diving Into New Territory....
Normally by now, I'm either hyperventilating or bemoaning the fact my muse is exhausted from trying to pound out 1600 words every day. In 2007, my family was ready to have me committed to the mental ward, as I pretty much neglected the housework. In 2008, I didn't put so much pressure on myself, but was mad at myself for not doing more. 2009 and 10, I relaxed. And this year, while I didn't sign up for NaNo, I spent the first two weeks editing a 50K manuscript and my 2007 NaNo project, now whittled to 41K.
Last week, I spent two days typing up the 4K handwritten paranormal I'd begun in 2002 or 3 after reading my first EC books. And kept going, adding another thousand words. Took a break for Thanksgiving and to spend time with my kids.
On Sunday, something unusual happened around here. The youngling found Gnomeo and Juliet on his brother's NetFlix account, so I watched it with him. Meanwhile, the daughter hijacks my laptop for homework. After reading everything on my e-reader, and after the college kid left to return to Purdue, I wandered into the living room where the SU was watching The Walking Dead marathon. I'm not into zombies, so after a while I wandered out of the room again.
The youngling was watching Toy Story 3 on the desktop by this time, so after watching a little bit with him, I was restless. Puttered around, doing minor chores, and then finally wandered back to the living room. And ended up watching three complete episodes and pissing off the SU by asking questions during the commercial breaks.
Ended up sticking around at midnight to watch the rerun of the finale, since I had been putting the youngling to bed, and watching The Talking Dead, where the host interviewed the creator, producer, and one of the actors.
Fell into bed at 1am.....and woke up yesterday morning with an idea.
If you've been a loyal reader of this blog, you'll remember one Saturday morning when I woke up with a Very Angry Person in my head. I wrote down his story, then wondered what to do with it. I sent it to a friend, who sent it to another friend, who emailed me.
"I sooo see zombies in the next scene!"
I told him to write it, and it was decided the three of us would collaborate.
But the boys never held up their end, and it's just been sitting there on my hard drive, collecting dust.
Until yesterday.
It took me a while to find it; I'd forgotten what I'd named the file. But after I re-read the original 3 pages, I flexed my fingers and began writing. Three hours later, I had another three pages written (among various interruptions!), and another thousand words added.
And then I hit the creative wall.
I'm going to try punching my way through it today. I don't know if I'll succeed or not, but thankfully tonight at Crit Group, I can get input on where it needs improvement or more ideas on where to take it. This is soooo far out of my comfort zone!
But every now and then you just have to step out, right?
Wish me luck:)
Last week, I spent two days typing up the 4K handwritten paranormal I'd begun in 2002 or 3 after reading my first EC books. And kept going, adding another thousand words. Took a break for Thanksgiving and to spend time with my kids.
On Sunday, something unusual happened around here. The youngling found Gnomeo and Juliet on his brother's NetFlix account, so I watched it with him. Meanwhile, the daughter hijacks my laptop for homework. After reading everything on my e-reader, and after the college kid left to return to Purdue, I wandered into the living room where the SU was watching The Walking Dead marathon. I'm not into zombies, so after a while I wandered out of the room again.
The youngling was watching Toy Story 3 on the desktop by this time, so after watching a little bit with him, I was restless. Puttered around, doing minor chores, and then finally wandered back to the living room. And ended up watching three complete episodes and pissing off the SU by asking questions during the commercial breaks.
Ended up sticking around at midnight to watch the rerun of the finale, since I had been putting the youngling to bed, and watching The Talking Dead, where the host interviewed the creator, producer, and one of the actors.
Fell into bed at 1am.....and woke up yesterday morning with an idea.
If you've been a loyal reader of this blog, you'll remember one Saturday morning when I woke up with a Very Angry Person in my head. I wrote down his story, then wondered what to do with it. I sent it to a friend, who sent it to another friend, who emailed me.
"I sooo see zombies in the next scene!"
I told him to write it, and it was decided the three of us would collaborate.
But the boys never held up their end, and it's just been sitting there on my hard drive, collecting dust.
Until yesterday.
It took me a while to find it; I'd forgotten what I'd named the file. But after I re-read the original 3 pages, I flexed my fingers and began writing. Three hours later, I had another three pages written (among various interruptions!), and another thousand words added.
And then I hit the creative wall.
I'm going to try punching my way through it today. I don't know if I'll succeed or not, but thankfully tonight at Crit Group, I can get input on where it needs improvement or more ideas on where to take it. This is soooo far out of my comfort zone!
But every now and then you just have to step out, right?
Wish me luck:)
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Saturday Book Review (And Stupid Saying)
First of all, today's stupid saying:
In the future, I plan on taking more of an active role in the decisions I make.
-socialite Paris Hilton
Duh! (head slap) I would certainly hope so!
And now for the books I've read lately:
This book contains both Woman On Fire and Jillian's Job. I'd read Woman On Fire before in e-format, so I eagerly devoured Jillian's Job. I loved it and had a hard time putting it down:)
This was my first Linda Kage book, and it took me back to my own high school years of finding out the 'popular basketball player' was actually interested in (gasp!) ME! Very enjoyable read and one I definitely recommend:) I look forward to Ms Kage's other work!
I think this is the one I had to finish reading on my laptop; for whatever reason, only pages 1-8 showed up on my laptop. I really enjoyed the story, and watching Sara's ex-husband taken down a notch. I'm going to download it again so I can read at my leisure, rather than scrolling rapidly to avoid underage eyes from seeing anything inappropriate, lol!
I really enjoyed this one! I wanted to grab Colin and go with him back to Scotland, lol!
This is my first Allie Standiffer book, and it won't be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between Petra and Roman, and loved how she included Duchess the dog near the end! Great job Allie!
Next up:
I'm currently reading A Long Time Coming, soon to be followed by Wet Ride, then Whiz Bang. I somehow managed to skip Bound and Determined, so need to go back and read it. Desiree Holt never fails to entertain me, as does Rita Carlysle.
Happy Saturday:) Today on the agenda is putting up the tree and decorating the house for Christmas. My College Kid returns to Purdue tomorrow, so I'm enjoying the time we spend together.
Kenzie will be posting a short story tomorrow on The Writer's Evo blog, so stop by and say hi?
In the future, I plan on taking more of an active role in the decisions I make.
-socialite Paris Hilton
Duh! (head slap) I would certainly hope so!
And now for the books I've read lately:
This book contains both Woman On Fire and Jillian's Job. I'd read Woman On Fire before in e-format, so I eagerly devoured Jillian's Job. I loved it and had a hard time putting it down:)
This was my first Linda Kage book, and it took me back to my own high school years of finding out the 'popular basketball player' was actually interested in (gasp!) ME! Very enjoyable read and one I definitely recommend:) I look forward to Ms Kage's other work!
I think this is the one I had to finish reading on my laptop; for whatever reason, only pages 1-8 showed up on my laptop. I really enjoyed the story, and watching Sara's ex-husband taken down a notch. I'm going to download it again so I can read at my leisure, rather than scrolling rapidly to avoid underage eyes from seeing anything inappropriate, lol!
I really enjoyed this one! I wanted to grab Colin and go with him back to Scotland, lol!
This is my first Allie Standiffer book, and it won't be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between Petra and Roman, and loved how she included Duchess the dog near the end! Great job Allie!
Next up:
I'm currently reading A Long Time Coming, soon to be followed by Wet Ride, then Whiz Bang. I somehow managed to skip Bound and Determined, so need to go back and read it. Desiree Holt never fails to entertain me, as does Rita Carlysle.
Happy Saturday:) Today on the agenda is putting up the tree and decorating the house for Christmas. My College Kid returns to Purdue tomorrow, so I'm enjoying the time we spend together.
Kenzie will be posting a short story tomorrow on The Writer's Evo blog, so stop by and say hi?
Friday, November 25, 2011
Flashback Friday: My New Job
November 2001:
A friend of mine was now a monitor on the preschool bus at the school corporation and mentioned they were in a bind: One of the drivers had an emergency coming up and they needed another driver/monitor.
"Didn't you tell me you used to drive for somebody to and from school?"
"Yes; Crossroads in Indianapolis."
"You really need to talk to Mike, and put your application in."
I thought about it; talked it over with the spouse, and as the deadline drew nearer and they still hadn't found the right person, I put my application in. A phone call later that day, and I was heading in to talk to Mike, the head of the Transportation Department.
He asked me about my driving experience and education background, then hired me on the spot.
"You've got the best resume of all the ones I've seen. Can you be here at 6am tomorrow?"
"S-sure."
6am? OMG...suddenly I was going to have to wake everyone up at 5:30am; make sure my kids got on the bus at 7am, and have the teenage neighbor watch them after school. Thankfully, this would only last three days, and then I'd be on call. I could handle that, right?
And it was fun, at first. I got to know all the kids and both drivers, and after dropping the kids at school, we met at a coffee shop in Clayton for breakfast. I was home by 10:15 and collapsed into bed for a nap.
At noon, I took a shower and was back at the school by 1, then arrived home around 5.
Thanksgiving arrived, and we traveled south to the MIL's house. And received a shock two hours later: Nephew D and his girlfriend arrived....and announced they were expecting. "Andrew" would be born in the spring.
I don't think Niece J and little MDQ (age 3 months) were there that day; I don't think I met MDQ until Easter 2002.
Present Day:
I made chocolate chip muffins this morning. I'd started watching The Social Network last night when company arrived, so finished it the morning. It nearly made me want to delete my FB account. MZ came off extremely arrogant, but after I thought about it, I think he was snowed over by SP, and it was a case of bad decision-making. Slow-rise vs meteoric rise and not caring who gets hurt in the process? Everything worked out in the end, but the mom in me wanted to storm in and knock some heads around, plus deliver a loyalty and friendship lecture.
I am not a Black Friday shopper. I don't have the desire to fight the crowds, nor do I have the finances to shop. If we do ever get fiscally solvent again, I plan to shop online or at least get the majority bought by October. I heard a woman pepper-sprayed her 'competition' in L.A. over an X-Box. Seriously?
I plan to take down my Thanksgiving decorations and start hauling up the Christmas ones. And that means rallying the troops to clean up some of the mess from yesterday. Yes, my spouse and the teenagers left sticky plates in the living room, and crumbs on the floor.
Have a good weekend!
A friend of mine was now a monitor on the preschool bus at the school corporation and mentioned they were in a bind: One of the drivers had an emergency coming up and they needed another driver/monitor.
"Didn't you tell me you used to drive for somebody to and from school?"
"Yes; Crossroads in Indianapolis."
"You really need to talk to Mike, and put your application in."
I thought about it; talked it over with the spouse, and as the deadline drew nearer and they still hadn't found the right person, I put my application in. A phone call later that day, and I was heading in to talk to Mike, the head of the Transportation Department.
He asked me about my driving experience and education background, then hired me on the spot.
"You've got the best resume of all the ones I've seen. Can you be here at 6am tomorrow?"
"S-sure."
6am? OMG...suddenly I was going to have to wake everyone up at 5:30am; make sure my kids got on the bus at 7am, and have the teenage neighbor watch them after school. Thankfully, this would only last three days, and then I'd be on call. I could handle that, right?
And it was fun, at first. I got to know all the kids and both drivers, and after dropping the kids at school, we met at a coffee shop in Clayton for breakfast. I was home by 10:15 and collapsed into bed for a nap.
At noon, I took a shower and was back at the school by 1, then arrived home around 5.
Thanksgiving arrived, and we traveled south to the MIL's house. And received a shock two hours later: Nephew D and his girlfriend arrived....and announced they were expecting. "Andrew" would be born in the spring.
I don't think Niece J and little MDQ (age 3 months) were there that day; I don't think I met MDQ until Easter 2002.
Present Day:
I made chocolate chip muffins this morning. I'd started watching The Social Network last night when company arrived, so finished it the morning. It nearly made me want to delete my FB account. MZ came off extremely arrogant, but after I thought about it, I think he was snowed over by SP, and it was a case of bad decision-making. Slow-rise vs meteoric rise and not caring who gets hurt in the process? Everything worked out in the end, but the mom in me wanted to storm in and knock some heads around, plus deliver a loyalty and friendship lecture.
I am not a Black Friday shopper. I don't have the desire to fight the crowds, nor do I have the finances to shop. If we do ever get fiscally solvent again, I plan to shop online or at least get the majority bought by October. I heard a woman pepper-sprayed her 'competition' in L.A. over an X-Box. Seriously?
I plan to take down my Thanksgiving decorations and start hauling up the Christmas ones. And that means rallying the troops to clean up some of the mess from yesterday. Yes, my spouse and the teenagers left sticky plates in the living room, and crumbs on the floor.
Have a good weekend!
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Happy Wednesday:)
The winner of the free download is......
Liz Crowe!
Congratulations!
My College Kid arrived home safely yesterday and surprised his little brother at his class's Thanksgiving Feast:) He also rescued me last night when the tire blew on my car, and was able to put the doughnut on it. Thankfully, I was only going 25 mph and never lost control of the vehicle.
Today we will be cleaning up the house in preparation for tomorrow. I have no idea if anyone else will be here, but we've got a turkey, ham, stuffing, noodles, mashed potatoes, veggies, and rolls planned for tomorrow, as well as whatever desserts we decide to whip up.
And tonight at karaoke, I plan to sing:
-99 Times (Kate Vogel)
-Angels Will Fall (I plan to practice this BEFORE I leave, lol!)
-Back At One
-Band of Gold
-Beauty and the Beast (if I can find a duet partner)
-Because of You
-Because You Loved Me
-Before He Cheats
I finally started my NaNo project! (Hey, better late than never!) I began typing up the paranormal romance I began back in 2002 or 3. It is 26 handwritten pages and when I quit at 1am, I'd typed 13 pages of it and was over the 2K mark.
So have a Happy Thanksgiving and if you're in the mood to laugh, check back tomorrow. But if you don't like Adam Sandler, stay away. Just giving you a head's up!
Liz Crowe!
Congratulations!
My College Kid arrived home safely yesterday and surprised his little brother at his class's Thanksgiving Feast:) He also rescued me last night when the tire blew on my car, and was able to put the doughnut on it. Thankfully, I was only going 25 mph and never lost control of the vehicle.
Today we will be cleaning up the house in preparation for tomorrow. I have no idea if anyone else will be here, but we've got a turkey, ham, stuffing, noodles, mashed potatoes, veggies, and rolls planned for tomorrow, as well as whatever desserts we decide to whip up.
And tonight at karaoke, I plan to sing:
-99 Times (Kate Vogel)
-Angels Will Fall (I plan to practice this BEFORE I leave, lol!)
-Back At One
-Band of Gold
-Beauty and the Beast (if I can find a duet partner)
-Because of You
-Because You Loved Me
-Before He Cheats
I finally started my NaNo project! (Hey, better late than never!) I began typing up the paranormal romance I began back in 2002 or 3. It is 26 handwritten pages and when I quit at 1am, I'd typed 13 pages of it and was over the 2K mark.
So have a Happy Thanksgiving and if you're in the mood to laugh, check back tomorrow. But if you don't like Adam Sandler, stay away. Just giving you a head's up!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
New Cover Art!
Blurb:
Meet Keri Patterson, a
sophomore at Arbor University, pursuing a dream to one day be a part of an Indy car racing
team. Along the way, she meets and falls
for an older man. With the innocence of
her first love, Keri tries to balance her ambition to be the first female
member of a racing pit crew and her awakening femininity. Will Keri and Kyle’s romance survive the
hairpin twists and turns, or is disaster looming?
Kyle is not without
problems of his own. He wasn’t expecting
to meet the girl of his dreams before the ink is dry on the divorce
petition. Trying to keep the two facets
of his life separate, he discovers there is a fine line between love and hate,
as well as deception and protection. But
life doesn’t always get wrapped up in neat packages. Sometimes it blows up in your face.
Releasing Jan 2012:)
I've also been interviewed on Drea Becraft's blog, so come over and say hi? Leave a comment and you just might win a free download:)
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