The Good Life

Life is good. A Cinnamon Dolce Latte, sunshine, MY TAXES ARE DONE (sorry, didn't mean to shout.) OK, OK, so I didn't make my word count yesterday, I'll double up. But I have to say, I hate taxes and finances. I made my poor husband deal with all that when he was alive and now I whine because I have to do it. Other than that, my knee is a little better, go figure-I made a Dr. appt. so of course its better.

Conference and contest are coming along. Manuscripts are getting filed, slowly. Some contest chairs missed or skipped the part that said "Please put in alpha order." Such is life. Writing is fitting in but may get a little scarce closer to the big weekend. I'm not trying as much for good as for finished since I will have the re-write phase to finish everything and pretty it up.

Yay Me

Well, I made my word count yesterday, Yay. Now,

look at that view next door. Don't' you want to be there? I do. I think hang gliding would be so much fun. I don't think I have the arm strength but how freeing it would be to float like that? I used to have dreams of flying and as a kid wanted to be a pilot. Found out my eye sight was way past the limit you need to have to be a pilot.

In my next book I need to let my main character learn to fly, that could be a good way to fly myself, or have her learn to hang glide, even better for the story, especially if a fellow student is sabotaged and falls and Tali has to figure it out. Hmmm. Beginnings and ideas, what we all live for. OK one thing at a time. Finish Privy first. Then start a synopsis for book two.

Easter and Etc.

As you can see, my word count has not changed since Wednesday. Family stuff distracting me, what with fractures, seizures, holiday and etc. No real excuse but that's the way it is. Back to the grindstone this week, both with writing and filing contest manuscripts.

Easter we spent with my son and watched the three-year-old hunt for Easter eggs, had a fire in the fire pit (turned cold last week, had snow on Good Friday. Ate too much, watched a good movie "The Pursuit of Happiness" Also went to see "The Reaping" where Hilary Swank did a great acting job but I felt the writers fell down on the job with a totally predictable ending. It will be interesting to see if King falls into the same trap for the end of "Lisey's Story" because he's done it before. Got to come up with something new, guys.

PS The picture to the right, where I want to be in Florida right now.

Kids-fractures and etc.

I needed a soothing color this morning. I did make my word count yesterday. It's coming along. I will have a finished project, maybe by conference.

The down side of things, my grandson fractured his hand and had to have surgery with pins this winter in order to repairit. He was playing basketball at school and even tried to get the coach to let him finish the practice.

Now my 6yr old grand daughter managed to fall off a trampoline and fracture her arm, just above the elbow, requiring a trip to Dallas for a pediatric ortho specialist, surgery with pins once again. They have insurance coverage through CHIP, beginning in May. The pits. That baby shouldn't have to go through this.

Also, Easter is going to be cold with the possibility of snow. What's up with that? but happy easter anyway. So there.

Rant-Honestly

Time for a rant. What are writers thinking? We have a publishing industry that is not writer friendly now. It takes years to be published, especially when it comes to fiction. But we have a writer using a vanity press to publish a short story collection, and then fraudulently, under a fictitious name, ordering copies through bookstores? (See this weeks Publisher's Weekly).Not to mention the nonfiction books that have turned out to be fiction, the authorized biographies that weren't and well known fiction writers stealing each others words.

If it's difficult to get published now, what will this kind of lack of ethics do to our chances in the future? What happened to honesty, truth in journalism? And our words are all we have. That is what we are selling. We can't steal them from each other. The Internet, for all its good points, has made it possible for anyone to copy, cut and paste from anyone, anything else and promote it as there own. If humans can, they will, ethics be damned if profits be involved.

WAKE UP WRITERS. Don't shoot yourself in the foot and the rest of us too.
Word count-no. Too busy whining about my knee. It's better so I'll get with it today.

Wants and Wishes

This is who I want to be when I grow up. Someone who can do anything, doesn't have knees that do nasty things out-of-the-blue and looks great all the time. I would even wear that outfit if I could have her figure. Not sure how to keep the top on when you are fighting, but I could learn. Yes, I'm whining about pain today and praying it goes away after the cold front comes in and doesn't mean anything that requires any Dr. action.

I did get my words done yesterday, miracles happen. We'll see how things go today. We're scheduled for cold weather through Easter and beyond. Guess I'll wait on the pansies.

Sunshine on my Shoulders

Yes, sun yesterday. I spent as much time outside as I good, just enjoying the warm sun on my face, reading and writing and watching birds and squirrels chase each other. Birds were actively nesting. Too cool. I'm a sucker for kittens, baby birds, flowers and all things spring. I especially like to sit on the patio, with the Sunday paper, my journal, a cup of good coffee topped with whipped cream. Heaven. Alls at peace with the world. And don't remind me that in a month or so I'll be whining about being too hot, because I reserve the right to whine and have cheese with it if I wish.

I made the word goal this weekend, in spite of missing a couple of days. I always wonder, when I'm writing a passage that I have to pull out like an impacted tooth, is it going to be any good, and then have to remind myself that its a first draft. Whether or not it flows like a river or slogs along like mud, its a first draft and will have to be revised anyway.

I'm watching a friend of mine take off with her fiction. It's been a long haul for her but her new, Otherworld Series is taking off like gangbusters. If you haven't read "Witchling" by Yasmine Galenorn, do so now. Her new book, "Changeling" comes out in June. Treat yourself to a good read.