Today is the first day of the rest .... (Book) http://www.Writing.Com/main/books.php/item_id/1028995/action/archive I finished updating the website today and uploading the six new releases to our shopping cart. Now to start on the November releases! We added two new authors, Mark Henderson from the UK and Teel James Glenn from New Jersey. Mark is, in his own words: " . . .well over 60, though I don't appear to be speeding. My career was in medicin...[Read Full Post] Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:05:12 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/674063 How does one go from being a relatively new author to being a brand new publisher? It's simple really. All you have to do is get dumped by your publisher (the publisher, also relatively new, went under and left its authors stranded), be too impatient to wait for another publisher to accept your work, and know other authors who are in the same boat. ...[Read Full Post] Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:05:34 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/668834 So here it is, folks . . . my latest extortion email. It seems the value of my life has more than tripled (maybe even quadrupled . . . guess I should go back and read, but somehow the figure $12,000 comes to mind) since the last one I received. Wonder how I got the upgrade? Urgent Thursday, July 23, 2009 7:14 PM From CP Gustavo A. Becquer (Garr...[Read Full Post] Fri, 24 Jul 2009 12:32:03 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/660666 Official Notice: I am no longer affiliated with Mystic Moon Press and am currently in process of regaining my rights for all my manuscripts. For more information about buying my work and updates on their status, please refer to my website: [Link: 'http://www.theactorsguildseries.com'] (to be updated in the next day or two). Thanks!...[Read Full Post] Sat, 18 Jul 2009 15:31:47 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/659732 I was the featured author on Raine Delight's blog on Thursday, with an additional special interview about my work. Raine is a fellow paranormal (romance) writer (the name is a pseudonym). Here are the links if you want to check them out (copy and paste into your browser). Please leave comments for us if you enjoy the posts. Well, in all fairness,...[Read Full Post] Sat, 27 Jun 2009 10:08:06 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/656480 I'd be less than honest if I didn't say this review is a bit discouraging . . . Then again, it would be even less honest not to share it all the same. McCann's Manor is NOT a fantasy romance, even though my publisher classified as such. It's little wonder to me that a romance reviewer might not think it is so hot! It doesn't have that...[Read Full Post] Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:27:32 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/653939 MR Review The Bakery Murders: Challenge - Book Two by Charlotte Holley The Bakery Murders: Challenge is the second book of the Actor's Guild series and picks up just a short time after the events of the first book in the series, McCann's Manor: Portal. Liz Carr and Kim Henson agree to look into why there is a ghost...[Read Full Post] Tue, 19 May 2009 11:23:22 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/650589 The Actor's Guild - The Bakery Murders: Challenge Full Length Novel (152506 word count) Author: Charlotte Holley (Author Website) Genre(s): Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Futuristic - Paranormal - Suspense/Mystery - Time-Travel Review Date: 2/19/2009 ISBN: 978-0-9801777-1-8 Print Book Price: E-Book Price: $6.99 Mystic Moon Press -([Link: 'http:...[Read Full Post] Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:39:23 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/644176 When a bakery becomes a murder scene, Kim and Liz find themselves drawn into a case that literally spans the cosmos. A serial killer is on the loose, but that human evil is not the only malevolence that they must confront. A dragon like being needs help that only the man Liz loves can give him and his people, and really, the universe at large. More than ...[Read Full Post] Fri, 27 Mar 2009 11:36:56 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/642438 McCann's Manor: Portal by Charlotte Holley Release Date: 01/08/08 Publisher: Mystic Moon Press Genre: Paranormal Romance ISBN: 978-0-9800146-9-3 Pages: 360 Format: Print List Price: 15.99 Author Page: Charlotte Holley Manic Readers Reviewer: Stevi B. McCann's Manor: Portal by Charlotte Holley Best friends and former ro...[Read Full Post] Tue, 03 Mar 2009 17:45:51 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/638662 Title: McCann's Manor: Portal, Book One of The Actor's Guild Paranormal Mystery Series Author:; Charlotte Holley Publisher: Mystic Moon Press ISBN: 978-0-9800146-9-3 Genre: Paranormal Mystery/Romance If you are one of the fans of old mansions that are haunted, you will love this tale of mysterious disappearances, an old house's history...[Read Full Post] Fri, 27 Feb 2009 21:09:42 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/638044 The Actor's Guild - McCann's Manor: Portal Length: Full Length Novel (154158 word count) Author: Charlotte Holley ([Link: 'http://www.theactorsguilseries.com']) Genre(s): Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Futuristic - Paranormal - Suspense/Mystery - Time-Travel Review Date: 10/13/2008 ISBN: 978-0-9800146-9-3 Print Book Price: $15.99 E-Book Pric...[Read Full Post] Mon, 23 Feb 2009 11:01:08 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/637285 FOUR STARS FOR MCCANN'S MANOR: PORTAL: Soul sisters Liz and Kim have no idea what they are letting themselves in for when they accept the challenge to live in McCann's Manor for a year and during that time heal the profound psychic wounds that have made life impossible for any living being who tries to inhabit it and sheer torture for the spirits...[Read Full Post] Fri, 20 Feb 2009 11:59:00 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/636872 Hi all, Just wanted to give you the heads up. We've been wanting to move for a while, but we hadn't found the right place. Then all of a sudden, there it was! So I am in process of cleaning both houses and relocating my things. If you write me but don't hear from me right away, that's the reason. I hope to have a lot of it finished th...[Read Full Post] Fri, 02 Jan 2009 11:57:25 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/627418 I went to college as a young widow, working my way through the courses as fast as I could between the ages of twenty-seven and thirty. As a mass communications major, I worked as an intern at the university's news and information office, had a part time job with a local weekly tabloid magazine, clocked in time at a couple of other part-time jobs and...[Read Full Post] Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:44:16 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/625876 When disaster strikes you or someone you love, what do you do? Where do you turn? How do you cope? Most of us never think much about those questions, because disasters are things that happen to others, NOT to us. You read about them every day, see them on television, but it's almost like "they" are in a different world from "us". D...[Read Full Post] Sat, 15 Nov 2008 09:38:40 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/618622 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Okay, it was supposed to have been out MONTHS ago, but due to unforeseen difficulties with the printer, the paperback has just now been released. The second novel in The Actor's Guild Paranormal Mystery Series will take you deeper into the mysteries of Benjamin McCann and the 200 yea...[Read Full Post] Wed, 27 Aug 2008 09:56:43 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/603991 Hello to you, my friends. Today is the last day of my membership and at this point I don't have the money to sign up for another three months. Naturally, I'd like to continue being a member, but I haven't had the time or the energy fo be a contributing member in a while and maybe it's time I let it go. I have been begging for upgrades the...[Read Full Post] Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:37:39 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/599497 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** It's been said if two or more people strongly agree on any one thing, no matter how unlikely, that thing will come to pass. When art lovers and critics alike unanimously acclaim Sam Forbes' monsters in his Dozen Dreadfuls series as real enough to step right off the canvas and int...[Read Full Post] Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:43:46 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/597536 I just received my second "assassination" notice, this time from someone who generously offered to consider sparing my life for a measly $8000. Wasn't that kind? Sheesh! If I had $8000, I'm not stupid enough to give it to this joker! Here's the lovely email! From: "BLOOD BLOOD" <landofseennomore2@gala.net&#6...[Read Full Post] Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:33:05 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/595673 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Gail is an average teenager with problems and a really big inferiority complex, trying to ignore the world so everyone will just leave her alone. The last thing she wants is to be singled out by the popular, ever-smiling and beautiful Nancy, but some things we don't want are exactly ...[Read Full Post] Sun, 06 Jul 2008 10:59:13 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/594859 Just a quick note to let everyone know the first installment (in eBook format) of Kilesha and the Atlantis Rock Band is releasing today at Mystic Moon Press... Check it out! [Link: 'http://www.mysticmoonpress.com/authorpages/charlotteholley.html'] ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ...[Read Full Post] Sat, 07 Jun 2008 11:00:02 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/589516 Today was my third anniversary at WDC. My, how time does fly! It's been a productive three years for my writing, though a really tough time for my world as a whole. Still, all in all, I am in a pretty fair position right now and feeling all right . . . no hives, no painful teeth or achey shoulders, knees or hips . . .I almost feel my age, instead of twenty yea...[Read Full Post] Mon, 26 May 2008 21:45:18 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/587389 I don't think so. I read on the Internet that this is a preamble to a demand for money, but I had to put it out there, just in case I turn up dead! The following is a copy (verbatim) of the email I got this morning. One has to wonder what anyone could be thinking sending this kind of email if they weren't planning to attempt extortion. Funny thing about th...[Read Full Post] Tue, 20 May 2008 13:37:24 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/586096 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Kilesha and the Atlantis Rock Band is a Teen/Young Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novel . . . Long ago the last scientists of Atlantis engineered and "programmed" a dozen fish-like "babies" and released them to the sea, hoping their progeny would be able to save t...[Read Full Post] Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:44:01 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/584374 Hey! I have posted my Cover Art (designed my moi!) at the New Covey Cover Art Awards and my trailer for The Actor's Guild Paranormal Mystery Series at the Covey Trailer Awards! Voting for the Most Artistic and Most Eye-catching covers started over the weekend and will run through April 4. Please go to: [Link: 'http://thenewcoveycoverawards.'...[Read Full Post] Tue, 01 Apr 2008 20:36:15 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/577025 1. The cover art for McCann's Manor is in the running for the New Covey Cover Arts awards this month! Stop by, take a look and vote for your favorite cover art at: [Link: 'http://thenewcoveycoverawards.blogspot.com/'] 2. The print version of The Bakery Murders is scheduled for release early in April. For more information, visit here: [Link...[Read Full Post] Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:36:12 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/576189 Just a quickie! The Bakery Murders Kindle edition is available as of yesterday at Amazon.com. I don't know how many people in the world have Amazon's Kindle reader, but I do know when Amazon adds a book, even the Kindle version, it gets seen more places. For example, because it is available at Amazon, I can add it to my bookshelf at Shelfari, which is c...[Read Full Post] Mon, 17 Mar 2008 18:01:15 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/573893 The Bakery Murders, second of The Actor's Guild Paranormal Mystery Series, was released this morning in eBook format! The print version will follow soon. EXCERPT: “Jessica,” a voice called in the stillness of the evening, “what are you doing up there? How long were you there in the dark, listening in on my pr...[Read Full Post] Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:30:33 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/570536 Okay, already! Enough hooting and honking my own horn. You have to do that if you want to get anywhere as an author, but I do hate flaunting myself. So . . . Congratulations to WDC's own [Link To User silvervalkyre] on the release of the first of her Sidhe/Bane Sidhe fantasy series, One Never Knows . . . With Dragons, which was r...[Read Full Post] Fri, 22 Feb 2008 20:35:24 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/569307 I was shocked and surprised yesterday when I went to see if I could add my book, McCann's Manor, to my bookshelf at Shelfari.com and found out that I indeed could! Many of these sites depend on Amazon for their released books, and Amazon has picked up the Kindle version of McCann's Manor, no doubt due to the tireless efforts of my e...[Read Full Post] Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:12:25 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/568685 I am floating! Just wanted to let everyone know, assuming anyone still comes here anymore! The book is available now at: [Link: 'http://www.mysticmoonpress.com/bookstore/'] It will soon be available at Barnes and Noble online as well. More to come! The Bakery Murders should be available in ebook format sometime this month, too!...[Read Full Post] Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:04:18 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/565608 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ABOUT THE BOOK: Whoever said the past is dead and buried never knew the evil wizard Arvashan or his fiendish plan to avenge himself on those who caused all the trouble at the very beginning . . . Liz Carr and Kim Henson find they have only skimmed the surface when it comes to the myst...[Read Full Post] Tue, 29 Jan 2008 14:49:56 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/564163 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Another cover I designed. This is the second in my Actor's Guild series and is scheduled for release in ebook form February or early March with the print version to follow soon. About The Bakery Murders: Liz Carr and Kim Henson got more than they bargained for when they ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 23 Jan 2008 21:40:51 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/562915 Available NOW in eBook Format from [Link: 'http://www.mysticmoonpress'] and in February, 2008 in Print form! ABOUT THE BOOK: Elizabeth Carr and her friend Kimberly Henson are psychically gifted and have worked together for years to help unfortunate souls find peace and go into the Light, a calling which has brought them much joy and adventu...[Read Full Post] Mon, 07 Jan 2008 13:00:31 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/559492 Okay, I know I am never around anymore, but I have to commemorate today, so I thought I would show up to say that today . . . Sunday, October 28, 2007, I signed the contract on my first novel, known to some of you as "Book One" and to others as McCann's Manor. . . . and altogether UNKNOWN to some! More details as they become available! W...[Read Full Post] Mon, 29 Oct 2007 14:39:35 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/545146 Anyone who looks it up online can find this incredible hymn and story in the Wikipedia. A number of years ago I was lying in bed one Sunday morning thinking about sleeping in instead of going to church. It was 20 degrees outside and it had snowed several inches during the night; the heater in my car wasn't very good, the tires were threadbare and ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 07 Feb 2007 10:23:48 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/486312 Oh, blah, blah, blah ... Since I am mostly just writing for my own amusement here these days and I don't have anything to say anyway, I think I will spend my energy instead on editing the manuscripts I want to submit for publication. I will see you another day! Have a good one! Thu, 25 Jan 2007 13:20:36 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/483556 Okay, so I didn't originate this, but it is so cute I have to share it. Since you already know I am a cat person, I can't hurt my reputation by passing this on! ENJOY!! My human will never let me eat his pet hamster, and I am at peace with that I will not slurp fish food from the surface of the aquarium I will not eat larg...[Read Full Post] Wed, 17 Jan 2007 13:44:27 EST http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/482000 Is Preparation-H(tm) an anal-gesic cream? If I stop packing boxes will I still be "crater-ing" in my dreams? How long will it take to get over this syndrome? How many boxes will it take to stuff my world inside cardboard cartons? Interesting, but I have never been able to get everything into boxes. Things just overflow into plastic bags, h...[Read Full Post] Mon, 04 Sep 2006 07:01:46 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/452547 I just finished answering a stack of reviews from [Link To Item #806455] I have never had my port raided before, so I feel so lucky and at the same time so overwhelmed. I was busy yesterday and most of today with other things and so didn't get a chance to answer but about 20 of the more than 60 emails I had in my inbox until this evening. I just finished the stac...[Read Full Post] Mon, 17 Jul 2006 01:22:43 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/441147 I hate to think, but, I am sure the answer is--pretty dyslexic ... I got a piece of junk mail yesterday and brought it in and laid it on the desk along with a bill, a check (YEA) and some other junk mail. I went through the rest of the day without so much as glancing at it, but today, I decided I couldn't take it; I had to look through my junk mail. It's somethin...[Read Full Post] Sun, 16 Jul 2006 01:06:01 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/440877 Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray to God my feet don't stink. (My kids -- daughter, her hubby and the grandkids -- are coming out to see us the end of the month. It will be the first time I've seen them since Christmas and possibly the last time I will see them before next Christmas. I am thrill...[Read Full Post] Sat, 15 Jul 2006 00:58:07 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/440687 [Link To User silvervalkyre] and I were out cruising tonight on our way back from a little post-sundown excursion to the grocery store in our "new" rust and yellow Mercedes (I'll get to that in a minute or two) when the smell of cigarette smoke wafted in through the open sunroof and windows and reminded me of summer evenings spent at the dr...[Read Full Post] Thu, 13 Jul 2006 01:32:55 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/440211 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** I have been doing some port decorating and organizing the last couple of weeks. I am honing in on making things look more inviting. Actually, I am trying to entice readers to come on in and explore. Almost every item in my port has a graphic of some sort now, whether it be a photograp...[Read Full Post] Sat, 08 Jul 2006 00:14:31 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/439051 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Hmmm ... I guess from the size of these boots (about 3-1/2 inches tall), that handmade cowboy my dad made must have been more like 20 inches tall ... I mentioned he was an artist. I didn't know he was when I was a child; I just thought he could make things ... He really could mak...[Read Full Post] Sat, 01 Jul 2006 00:29:23 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/437455 I was thinking today about how "crafty", as in good with their hands, my parents both were. My dad once made a cowboy doll about twelve inches tall. He sewed the body together and stuffed it then, taking scraps of old clothes, he made a pair of pants and a shirt for his cowboy. Using leather, he fashioned the cowboy a hat, chaps and a vest. T...[Read Full Post] Fri, 30 Jun 2006 01:14:34 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/437261 Hey, everyone, I spent most of the day working up and uploading some c-notes. I sure did have fun. You can check them out by clicking on the picture below. Sorry this is so short, but I worked in the yard a couple of hours then I spent the rest of my energy playing with graphics. These pictures aren't mine, but are mostly from graphics packages i...[Read Full Post] Tue, 27 Jun 2006 16:00:45 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/436043 Wheatgrass for juicing is just that—grass, which is grown and harvested within ten days of being planted, having grown to a height of five to seven inches. It is beautiful, lush green and succulent—looks just about like a flat of gorgeous grass, probably because it is a flat of gorgeous grass. It is grown in flats and carried to the juice b...[Read Full Post] Tue, 13 Jun 2006 00:14:34 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/433052 By popular demand—actually one request by a popular Blogger, [Link To User emmyloo] , whose inquiring mind wants to know more, I’ve been “inspired” to write about the subject of wheatgrass. Wheatgrass was brought to the American consciousness in 1963 when Dr. Ann Wigmore founded the Hippocrates Health Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. ...[Read Full Post] Mon, 12 Jun 2006 00:21:10 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/432777 Okay, I have to say first off that I am not above being “punny” and I know most puns are not all that funny to most people. I like them, though, and here are a few of the ones I made up. I used to have tons of them, but I don’t know where they all wandered off to. Maybe it’s because I have moved thirteen (or more) times in the last twenty years — it&#82...[Read Full Post] Sun, 11 Jun 2006 00:27:24 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/432569 I am on the third day (generally the worst) of a three-day migraine, so just a few pictures of my house and yard today ... kind of a photo essay without much of the essay ... ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** This is the view we see every day out our front door. The lot across the street is so thickly wooded I can&#3...[Read Full Post] Sat, 10 Jun 2006 12:18:54 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/432441 Some thoughts from a Native American seminar I attended once .... The answers and opinions expressed were the answers which came from inside my heart, not the views expressed by anyone else. Peace is the quiet contentment of heart. It springs from inside like a fountain of pure, soothing essential light. It does not come through the acquisition of w...[Read Full Post] Fri, 09 Jun 2006 12:51:22 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/432224 I've mentioned the raccoons living under my back deck before, but I had the pleasure a few evenings ago of watching Mom Raccoon bring her little ones out for the first time. Awwww! How cute .... Four miniature versions of Mrs. George Cooney, all fluff and legs, seeming to be stuck on rapid roll instead of walking or running. Mrs. Cooney was clea...[Read Full Post] Fri, 09 Jun 2006 11:35:23 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/431941 I don’t have the gift of comedy like some of our Bloggers— [Link To User partyof5dj] , [Link To User frasier] , [Link To User emmyloo] , [Link To User ccstring] , [Link To User davidmcclain] and others come to mind. Sometimes comedy comes out of my mouth, but it is more often an accident than on purpose, like with my poetry ... sometimes it happens...[Read Full Post] Wed, 07 Jun 2006 00:11:47 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/431585 Lots of things to do, not enough time to do them... Thought I would skip Blogging altogether today, but then I have become addicted to those blue months! Except for the first and second of January, I have been completely BLUE for five months ... starting month number six. Up to 1981 views this morning, and I figure it wouldn't have been half as man...[Read Full Post] Tue, 06 Jun 2006 10:53:49 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/431403 I was reading through Blogs the other day and I ran across one where someone was ranting against Tom Cruise. I don’t mind rants; I am even known to rant myself from time to time. Moreover, I am not a big fan of Tom Cruise and never have been. In fact, I have seen probably five of his movies total—over his lengthy career, that isn’t m...[Read Full Post] Sat, 27 May 2006 00:07:21 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/428717 Well look at this! One year ago today I joined WDC! Of course I joined and then got busy doing other things and it was months before I started posting things to the site. I might never have posted anything, but I received this email telling me my membership was about to be erased because I hadn't ever been back to the site! I was to a place in my life where I could take a little time and check it out a little more, so I came back and started posting things to my port. By then, it was something like September. The next thing I knew, someone gifted me with an u...[Read Full Post] Fri, 26 May 2006 00:54:15 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/428462 I admit it; it's true. I've been doing it for years and sometimes I believe they talk back to me. At the risk of sounding like I think I am some kind of special character or something, I know they listen when I speak to them ... they listen to all of us. I have had a number of times when, to my way of thinking, they have answered my call for he...[Read Full Post] Thu, 25 May 2006 00:44:50 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/428156 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** These are pictures of my grandson, Tristan. He is eight years old and all boy. He also is ADHD, but he is responding well to the medicine and starting to be able to function better at home and school. When I see him I can't help but think ab...[Read Full Post] Tue, 23 May 2006 12:53:25 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/427789 ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** My granddaughter turned thirteen just before Christmas. She is bright and funny, wants to be an actress or a journalist. I told her she could do either, or both, but what I can really imagine her doing is stand-up comedy and being great at it. Her remarkable sense of humor has surprised and amaze...[Read Full Post] Mon, 22 May 2006 13:43:31 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/427541 So, the thing I did on Friday was to edit some twenty-seven patterns replacing the pattern-site information with the kit site information, make a few other changes and convert them to PDF files and send them to the Sherry at the kit site. She has beads on hand to make kits and she will take the patterns and make kits for them, which is cool because I have been wanting to do ...[Read Full Post] Sun, 21 May 2006 00:17:44 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/427219 Okay, well I am really not having much time to write this weekend, but I will get back to it. I love what I do, so this is NOT a complaint, but I was so busy yesterday I can't even remember if I read my favorite Blogs or not, which is WAY too busy! There is, however, a feeling of accomplishment when I get as much done as I did yesterday. As most of you have read before, I am a beaded jewelry designer as well as a writer. This means I fo...[Read Full Post] Sat, 20 May 2006 11:38:47 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/427104 My schedule got turned upside down this morning! I got up two hours too early to start on an extra project that should have taken only an hour or two to accomplish ... Five hours later, I am still working on that same project. It is starting to look like the other additional details of the unexpected project are going to take the rest of the day. So ... stopping by to say hello to ev...[Read Full Post] Fri, 19 May 2006 13:53:01 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/426953 I like to believe she came to an understanding and acceptance of her life in those years of taking care of him, though I can never truly be sure. She was a complex and strange individual, one who never understood herself or the world. I know many people never really reach that understanding, after all, but she seemed more in the dark than most. So I t...[Read Full Post] Wed, 17 May 2006 00:09:04 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/426403 I can’t deny I bear some scars from the many shouting matches she and I had; the times she came home and woke me at two in the morning to come fix her some breakfast because she was too drunk to fix it herself; the times I would be too tired from spending half the night sobering her up to do well in school; the times she slapped me, pinched me and ...[Read Full Post] Tue, 16 May 2006 00:12:18 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/426187 Neither of us died, though she was never able to conceive again. From the moment I came into this world, she began to live her life through me. She would send me to the same Baptist college she had attended and I could become a missionary; she would pick the man I would marry and I would give her all the babies she had been denied. I would magically m...[Read Full Post] Mon, 15 May 2006 11:33:42 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/426055 This is the first of a few segments I wrote thinking about my mom this Mother's Day. It isn't all very pretty, but since it is long, I decided to break it up. Happy Mother's Day. My mother and I never got along very well. She had an extremely limited view of life and the world, while I reveled in all the many and diverse experien...[Read Full Post] Sun, 14 May 2006 00:22:48 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/425763 We Play at Paste Till qualified for pearl, Then drop the paste, And deem ourself a fool. The shapes, though, were similar, And our new hands Learned gem-tactics, Practising sands. —Emily Dickenson (1830-86) I was in seventh grade when I read these immortal words—words which, because of my wonderful English teacher’s glowing...[Read Full Post] Sat, 13 May 2006 00:36:33 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/425585 First off, an apology to all of you; I blogged early yesterday--well, early for me--and while I was feeling sorry for myself because only two people had looked at my Blog day before yesterday, two more visited it. Before the end of the day it had a decent number of views, just like every entry does every other day! I suppose day before yesterday was one of those d...[Read Full Post] Fri, 12 May 2006 12:44:41 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/425419 Interesting. Only two viewers of yesterday's entry. (pout--blink, blink) Oh, well .... I guess I will save the profound thoughts for my eyes only in the future. I do find it interesting that my life is comprised of so many of these unfinished tidbits, though. Generally I am one to finish what I start; it's something my mother insisted on an...[Read Full Post] Thu, 11 May 2006 10:53:04 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/425194 Written June 30, 1986 I am convinced my ideas are at least as good as anyone else's; my melodies are just as sweet. But out there in the real world, only a few ideas stand out from the rest; only a few melodies are smash hits. So the question is: if mine are at least as good as the others, why are mine all unheard, unsung? Do I lack the push? Tha...[Read Full Post] Wed, 10 May 2006 12:13:17 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/424946 There is a fresh batch of kittens under our back deck. The feral mother had them sometime in the last 24 hours. She had kittens because she never gentled down enough for us to catch her and take her to be spayed before she came in season. Fortunately, we have now found a local organization which will help to live trap them, take them to be neutered and return them. I don't mind taking care of them; I...[Read Full Post] Tue, 09 May 2006 14:35:04 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/424717 Okay, I don't have anything to Blog about ... might be able to think of something, but today is clean the house day, so I am going to get busy. I will think of something more interesting to write about while I am cleaning ... maybe .... Mon, 08 May 2006 11:44:46 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/424434 A few years ago, a friend of mine (no, this one isn't about [Link To User silvervalkyre] ; I do have more than one friend! Hahaha!) told us about an experience she had with a vulture once. I should preface this story by telling you this lady is an extremely fastidious person who can't stand anything that smells, is dirty or even looks like it might be dirty! This part...[Read Full Post] Sun, 07 May 2006 10:58:51 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/424074 Nestled in the Central Texas Hill Country is a picturesque little town known as Marble Falls, located on the Colorado River. This thriving community boasts beautiful scenery (being in the heart of the Bluebonnet Trail), excellent fishing and great retirement and recreational facilities. It is centrally located 47 miles northwest of Austin and 85 miles n...[Read Full Post] Sat, 06 May 2006 13:34:04 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/423902 It is possible I have an entirely different view of vultures than most people ... Most think of them as harbingers of death--loathsome and low. Well, yes, they are carrion feeders, but they do have their place in the scheme of things, especially now, with road kill at an all-time high. Vultures are thriving as never before, possibly, because we "feed" them so well. They fascinate me in the way they can...[Read Full Post] Fri, 05 May 2006 11:23:46 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/423657 This isn't a sad story; it just starts out that way ... It was a sad time at the horse farm. One of the beautiful Arabian horses had died—no reason, no warning—he just died. The autopsy (necessary for horses who are insured) revealed no cause of death—he had just stopped breathing. We were all devastated. Because Jamine had died in the night, the people who dispose of dead horses hadn’t yet been by to collect the body. He was lying...[Read Full Post] Thu, 04 May 2006 15:42:49 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/423527 I have a vision I have told many of my friends who are also bead weavers. It is about a retirement home for old beaders. No one except beaders would be there, of course, other than the attendants. Picture this: long rows of tables, with comfy high-backed chairs, complete with the perfect back supports and infrared, deep-heating vibrators built-into the backs ...[Read Full Post] Wed, 03 May 2006 11:19:34 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/423244 Whoever coined that phrase created one of the biggest oxymorons in history! What exactly, does it mean, and how in the world is anyone supposed to be able to do it? One thing I do know is there will be no graceful aging for me. Why should I grow old gracefully, when I have never done so much as one other graceful thing in my entire life? Graceful is not an attribute I have ever been accused of having by anyone, no matter how fond of me they were. We a...[Read Full Post] Tue, 02 May 2006 18:31:31 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/423108 Chachi was a pure breed white Pekingese with Champagne ears--a thoroughly beautiful dog! Somehow, he got lost from his owner and when he was found, he was with a six-month-old golden retreiver we named Brandon. Chachi treated Brandon as if he were Brandon's father and responsible for the youngster's well-being. At the time, [Link To User silvervalkyre] and I were runn...[Read Full Post] Mon, 01 May 2006 16:37:06 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/422860 I signed on to my WDC account this morning to find my mailbox full of emails! That doesn't happen very often--I usually get a few, but having more than a dozen is RARE! Seems a couple of very kind people (some folks I didn't know, but will remember, that's for sure!) raided my port last night and filled my mailbox with joyous and kind words and ratings! That is always a fun...[Read Full Post] Sun, 30 Apr 2006 13:30:41 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/422599 I am not sure. I really have to think about it. I hadn't intended my travelogue to go on endlessly--but there seems to be some interest in hearing about the further misadventures of Silver and Chalaedra... Well, okay, maybe, but I think I will need to collect my thoughts for a day or two. I have told about a few things that happened at the horse farm in earlier Blogs--s...[Read Full Post] Sat, 29 Apr 2006 12:13:42 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/422438 We lived in the trailer for about four months before we moved on to the next thing. We never saw anyone else at the “fortress”, nor did our landlady ever mention anything about the night visitors to us. There did come a time, however, when we were no longer able to afford the exorbitant rent of $400 a month. When we left there, we w...[Read Full Post] Fri, 28 Apr 2006 11:21:06 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/422253 Okay, I have to interrupt this incredibly spellbinding story (ahem... you have already read the most exciting part!) for a birthday celebration. Today is [Link To User silvervalkyre] 's birthday! I won't stoop so low as to tell you her age, but she was born in 1953 and she is exactly (almost) two and a half YEARS younger than I... I am 55... *...[Read Full Post] Thu, 27 Apr 2006 18:42:25 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/422068 Silver and I are both writers, and our minds quickly assessed the situation and played out any of a number of undesirable scenarios .... They could simply drive up, unhook us from our power, hook onto the trailer and haul us off! They could unhook the power and wait for us to come out, have their way with us and/or haul us off to Mexico to be sold into...[Read Full Post] Fri, 28 Apr 2006 11:21:40 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/421859 Once I finally got over the whiplash (through sheer determination more than anything else) and the initial shock of being surrounded by scorpions, I settled into a routine of doing my beadwork. It was during that time my work took on a sort of life of its own and became my meditation and prayer time. As I picked each tiny bead up and wove into the patt...[Read Full Post] Tue, 25 Apr 2006 13:41:31 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/421673 We soon settled into the routine of our new lifestyle. It was peaceful, and we became even more in tune with nature than we had been living in the cabin by the lake. The four acres, with gently rolling hills and lovely tall pine trees, rabbits, crows, moles, squirrels and other wildlife, was completely fenced—a big bonus since we had a sheltie/sp...[Read Full Post] Mon, 24 Apr 2006 12:43:38 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/421468 The most important things came first, of course. There was no furniture in the trailer, except what was built in—the bunk above the kitchen table, the kitchen table and booth for eating—other than that, there was nothing much there. I quickly grabbed the overhead bunk for storage of my beads and supplies and set up my beading table below in...[Read Full Post] Sun, 23 Apr 2006 12:06:24 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/421253 It was back to searching for a place to live, while frantically packing things away, moving them into storage and feeling more helpless by the day. When we make plans which should work and don’t, it leaves us feeling strangely hollow and lacking in judgement. This wasn’t the first time I had felt that way, nor would it be the last—so ...[Read Full Post] Sat, 22 Apr 2006 21:13:25 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/421076 Wow, I went past a thousand views to my Blog this week (thank you, faithful readers)! My poor portfolio only has about four hundred views, but my Blog is gaining popularity, which lets me know at least I can communicate, even if I don't interest people all that much in my stories! But I was going to tell you about the twenty-five foot travel tra...[Read Full Post] Fri, 21 Apr 2006 17:58:12 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/420882 I got the pattern made for the new design and sent it off via email last night. For those of you who are interested, here is a link to the finished product: [Link To Item #1096342] Today I am off to graph a raven for a friend who wants a necklace that is also a raven... Should be interesting, to say the least. The fun part is, I can also make a pattern from...[Read Full Post] Thu, 20 Apr 2006 10:54:52 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/420643 I just cloned my first graphic and combined it with itself to make it look like there were two of them... Okay, nothing really earth-shattering about that, except it is the first time I have been able to make it work and look good. I did it so the picture of the earring I had made would look like a pair of earrings. This way, I can get my new design up...[Read Full Post] Wed, 19 Apr 2006 15:03:25 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/420502 I am not a poet; never considered myself to be and yet, from time to time poetry comes to my heart, a rare and precious visitor. When it does come wafting through, I am always obliged to sit down and attempt to capture it. My poetry tends to be emotional and maybe even "gushy" because all the poems I really have loved have been those which expr...[Read Full Post] Tue, 18 Apr 2006 15:22:15 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/420320 It is possible I am way off on this entry, since I haven't really watched television in almost twenty years, but I have made some observations that I think--what the heck--I will just share with you today! Television has come halfway around the circle and it seems to me if it doesn't keep on going around and soon, we might as well just forget about watching it at all! Think about it. When we ...[Read Full Post] Mon, 17 Apr 2006 11:47:03 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/420073 *Note: This is not meant to be an improvement on the Lord’s Prayer, but rather a definition of what that prayer means to me personally. I wish you all a beautiful and blessed Easter Sunday! Oh Holy, Omnipotent Mother/Father, Creator of all that is, was or ever shall be; Your name is Sacred, Glorious and Pure above all others....[Read Full Post] Sun, 16 Apr 2006 10:40:42 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/419837 Is there a physicist, mathematician, scientist or ANYONE ELSE out there who might understand this phrase? The reason I am asking is that last night, I went to bed and was just dozing off when I suddenly heard myself saying, "... hyperbolic speed...." Say what?!?!?! This cute little catch phrase immediately roused me from my near-dream state a...[Read Full Post] Sat, 15 Apr 2006 16:51:01 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/419717 I went with a friend to run errands today, and so my Blog didn't get done earlier in the day. I could have said no thanks, I would rather stay at home and do my Blog, but it was a beautiful day and I have been cooped up in the house for weeks, except for a couple of times I have gotten out for about fifteen minutes each. See, first I had that awf...[Read Full Post] Fri, 14 Apr 2006 21:04:42 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/419599 I have no right to expect you to receive what I have to say. After all, I am the one who left without even a good-bye. I left, believing you didn’t care what I did, but without daring to ask how you did feel. I went thus, because I was a coward—because I couldn’t bear the thought you might reject my love. Funny, but now it all see...[Read Full Post] Thu, 13 Apr 2006 18:05:27 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/419329 When my aunt died, my daughter and I had to drive from Austin to Odessa for the funeral. Interstate ten can be a long, lonely desloate road. The farther west you go, the bigger and more endless the desert seems. My Aunt Doris was probably as close to my heart as any other human has ever been and closer than most; but we had watched her for weeks in th...[Read Full Post] Wed, 12 Apr 2006 15:24:43 EDT http://www.Writing.Com/main/books/entry_id/419070