I've seen Youtube videos embedded in other blogs here, so thought I'd give it a shot. I just uploaded my Off The Moon trailer. It doesn't have music (yet, it might) and so far I'm just looking for comments before I actually start advertising it.

As I promised yesterday, no snow! This is from April 2009. Wish I'd had the sense to photograph the recent Wolf Moon.

that we do indeed have guardian angels, try hitting black ice underneath light snow, weaving across lanes trying to gain control, dropping into the ditch while thinking "no, this can't be times up!", and somehow coming back out of the ditch in a spin only to be facing the right direction in the right lane and coming out of it with no more than a bumped head (and unhappy car).

Long day. No snow photos tomorrow. Enough snow already.
 

Monopoly Revolution: circular board, electronic, no money (debit cards instead of paper bills), and selected current pop stars singing without us choosing who we want.

Yep, this is the state of the union. Coulda saved the big speech.
 

This morning's discussion on a writing list triggered an A-HA moment that led to more questions. The discussion was about books that have influenced your life. While I couldn't name one in particular, I did have a short list come to mind for different reasons. But the discussion's big relevance hit when a comment brought something to light about my writing past I hadn't considered before:

the Cs I received on my English papers in college.

Now, backing up a bit, in junior high, I aced English papers. I was even asked to not only join the school newspaper, but was put in a high position on it. By the time I hit high school, I was well known as having writing ability, and again, I aced English.

With plenty of confidence in my writing skills (and little elsewhere), I moved on to college. And I started getting Cs on my English essays and stories. It was a huge shock to my system, as bad as the C I got in basic drawing (because it was based ONLY on improvement, she said, and she hadn't taught me anything I didn't know already). I had been writing forever. It was part of who I was. Those Cs were like someone punching me in the gut and saying, "Who do you think you're trying to fool?" I expected every other class I had to be challenging, but English comp?

Up to that point, I'd been writing tons of story notes and scattered scenes for books yet to come. I had some bad poetry under my belt and even a play that got some nice comments from close family and a couple of friends.

During my college career, I got "too busy" to write creatively. And then I married and I still didn't touch it. Not for years. I've always blamed marriage and kids and moving and such. Maybe that wasn't it. Maybe that punch in the stomach pushed me away. I was well used to struggling through classes. School was hard, but I kept at it, wound up on the top ten in high school and the Who's Who list in college. *shrug* None of that mattered a heck of a lot. Looking back, I think it didn't much matter because the one thing I really wanted had been yanked from underneath me.

I left school before my bachelor's degree was finished due to marriage and moving away. I promised my mom I would finish, though, and years of working child care and retail and taxes convinced me I wanted more than that. So I went back in my early thirties.

This time, I was determined to do better. I wanted my GPA raised. My major was psychology, minor was a combination of art and English since I already had tons of those under my belt. And I dreaded turning in essays and term papers for my psych and lit classes. Math and science are my nemesis but I was much more willing to shove them in and see what I could get out of them than to cringe at my writing grades.

I aced them. Easily. In both psych and English, I received "impressive"-type comments on every paper I turned in.

Huh.

I'd been back to creative writing in the meantime, barely, but I had no thought of showing anyone. I wrote for my sanity, for something that was "mine" during years of military travel and putting kids and hubby first.

I'd even taken a novel writing class before going back to school. For myself. I had no plans to put anything out where someone could stomp on it.

I suppose those "impressive" comments changed my mind. And my husband kept asking what I was going to "do with" the book I spent so much time scribbling. He hadn't even known all the years we'd been married that I had any interest in writing before I became obsessed with that book, before I'd wait all day for him to be home to rescue me from the hellions so I could lock myself in my room and write.

I've been thinking there may not have been any point in finishing my degree since I'm working at home instead of applying it to a career and am happy doing so, but maybe there was. Maybe without those As and "impressive" comments, my work would still be sitting in notebooks unread by anyone but me.

What an explosive trigger today's conversation turned out to be.

Now I'm wondering what happened with those early college years for my work to be graded so differently than at any other time. Granted, there was some (a lot of) emotional upheaval during my life at that time, but there was earlier, as well. Maybe it was going from a tiny little town school to a city school where most of the students had more diverse/interesting topics to write about? I was horribly nervous during those early college years. Was that it? Did it show?

I suppose I won't find out the answers to those ponderings, but it seems like such a shame that all those years were wasted not writing because of something so silly as a few Cs.

Youth. *sigh*
 

Just HOW does a groundhog see his shadow when there has been nothing but thick grey clouds filling the sky all day long??

I smell a conspiracy. Someone was afraid he'd be held liable for his lies when we do have 6 more weeks of winter, which everyone already knew was coming. I'm not sure why. That doesn't seem to happen anymore.
 

The cashier nearly rolled her eyes today when my daughter decided I should buy her a lighter while I was checking out only because she thought "Flick My Bic" was hysterical and said I would need my ID to get it. (She uses them for candles - the girl is a candle addict.)

Uh, no cashier cards me any longer and they haven't for some time. Maybe it's all the grey in my hair that I suppose I could color again. Or the lines forming around my eyes. Ms. Cashier tried her best not to laugh about needing my ID to buy a lighter.Heck, I don't even need an ID to buy a Sharpie or ping pong balls.

Later in the day, I did have to let her know there IS an advantage to age (aside from the ping pong ball thing). She was half frozen the whole time we were out running. I left my coat in the car to run into the mall. Hey, I was wearing a sweater and our mall is tiny and I parked nearly within spitting distance of the door (no, I don't spit in public -- I am too old for that).

I'm always cold. Always. Unless it's 80 degree and sunny. 80 and shade is a bit iffy.

Except not so much anymore. Sometimes. Depends on the moment. She was a tad jealous that I wasn't frozen. Well, there's gotta be SOME advantage to being nearly half grey and part wrinkled.

Maybe I can even stand to go see Punxatawny Phil in PA in snowy February at o-dark-thirty.

Hm. Maybe next year. This year when he says I have 6 more weeks of this cold mess, I might not be friendly enough: another advantage of age - you don't feel as much need to "play nice" anymore. Anyone have bail money?

 

As an apology to Scarlett and Douger for the snow photo last week, this one is from last spring: something to look forward to...

final Cramp entry for the moment:"After The Party Ends" 

Hey, I'm tired and it's late and it's down to about 8 degree outside (which has nothing to do with anything except I don't like cold) and I'm close to missing getting anything here at all today, so never mind reading me tonight.. jump on over to vivacious 's blog and read her review of my Off The Moon! Many, many thanks, Andra!

ID: 1254599   (Rated: 13+) Title: The Undiscovered Country  Description: It's an insane world, and unfortunately I fit right in. By: vivacious

Ah, I did get my Cramp entry done this morning. My daughter again said I was sick. *shrug* "A Band of Squirrels" 

 

--
I tied for first again in the Cramp! A nice comeback since yesterday's story was not well-liked. Here's today's story, a comedy: "The President's Whisper" 
--

So I jumped into a POV discussion today on a blog. The writer who wrote the post was arguing for the use of jumping heads within the same scenes and even within paragraphs. There were tons of comments on this one. I think mine was likely too abrupt. Yes, I'm opinionated. What can I say?

My thought is that headhopping is a cheap imitation of omniscient POV within third person viewpoint. Either write third person or write omniscient, but don't write third with the ominicient idea of telling everyone's thoughts while one character is supposed to be telling the story.

It's my opinion a writer should know the difference between the two before she ever, ever considers submitting a book anywhere. I don't want an electrician coming to my house before learning the difference between live and neutral. It's the same difference (although maybe less less life-threatening). Third POV is live. Omniscient is neutral. If you mix them, you leave nothing but confusion in the reader's path.

I know: romance readers will say Nora headhops and does it well. I disagree. I don't read her books because of the cheap imitation of omniscient within her third person. And she does do it better than most I've read.

Rules can be broken, yes, but not always.

By the way, headhopping does not mean shifting POV in different sections in the same chapter. If you're adding a break and transitioning, it's all fine and dandy. It also doesn't mean talking about multiple subjects in the same entry/essay. It's telling us what two (or Heaven forbid, more than two) characters are thinking in the same paragraph or in back and forth paragraphs with no break. Yikes.

I also can't deal with two people talking to me at the same time. I won't hear either person because it all becomes a jumbled mess. It's the same thing. One at a time, please.

Feel free to disagree! I'd love to know why some people aren't bothered by it.

 

Has anyone heard of this film? I found it browsing Netflix for something hubby and I could both enjoy. We don't agree about movies in general. He likes loud action adventure crime killing horror stuff. I shut my door when he's watching those so I don't hear them. I like romantic comedies and musicals and thoughtful dramas with upbeat endings and such.

Well, when I ran across The World's Fastest Indian, about a 67 year old man from New Zealand whose big dream is to go to Utah for big Bonneville Salt Flats race with his 1920 Indian motorcycle, I figured we could both do that. It sat here until he had too many work hours again to watch it, but my 16 year old son watched it with me. We both loved it.

It's largely a story about chasing an impossible dream and ignoring naysayers. It has the feel of an old movie, which I appreciated, but I was surprised when checking that it came out in 2005. The incredible Anthony Hopkins stars, along with a supporting cast I didn't recognize. Although it's a slow, laid back kind of film, it holds your interest so it doesn't feel long (2 hours).

And it's a true story.

---
short post today - I've been sharing indie publishing experience on a list and now need to get to work, but here's my latest Cramp story:
"Who Needs Florida?" 

 

I stayed up MUCH too late last night reading.

So, I'm in the middle of working on 2 novels: one in second draft, the other in both first and second draft (yes, it's that much of a mess), but a third is pulling at me. I did the first 60K of it for Nanowrimo 2-3 years ago and it's been sitting. Last night I was too brain-dead to actually work, so I pulled it up and started going over what I have. Of course it's a mess, as it's first draft, but not as horribly as I expected, and that's what I want to work on. Problem is: it's a sequel to the series I haven't finished. I know, huge problems I'm having, right?

Anyway, at one-thirty this morning, my eyes were telling me they were gonna cause a major migraine if I didn't STOP and go to bed. Guess it's a good thing I didn't want to stop reading my own draft. Funny how you know the story but forget what you wrote. Does that make sense?

Of course I had trouble getting up this morning (darn good thing I work at home at the moment!) and by the time I got my computer warmed up, the coffee made, and my brain in the beginnings of ON mode, I had little time left to write my Cramp story! But apparently the morning writing has my muse awake because as I was trying to get up, what I wanted to write snapped into my half-numb brain so I only had to hurry it into print form (virtual print form).

I was rather shocked when at quarter after noon, I was emailed my half of the GPs for a tied win!
Here it is and I have to suppose it's not too much of a mess this time:
"A Fresh Start" 
Since I had to stay within 1,000 words, I didn't get everything in that I wanted and will likely rewrite/edit later to actually use. It's related to the story I want to work on now, at an earlier point than where the book actually starts, so it'll end up as another free read at Smashwords. Eventually.

I've been on here far too long playing with a shop and reading Cramp entries, so I guess the movie I want to talk about will wait until tomorrow. In between writing this, I got a call from my mil asking me if I was interested in some of her particular items she wants to start thinking about splitting up. Yikes, I hate those kinds of calls. Anyway, guess I'll work on Rehearsal 3 today since she's one of its biggest fans and is impatiently waiting for it. Nice that someone is.
 

Don't worry, this has nothing to do with feminine issues!


I decided yesterday morning, after finding the sponsored link for the Writer's Cramp's eight birthday party, to join the fun. To get my muse sharpened. I need to be pushed at times. That's why I love contests. I don't enter in hopes of winning (not that I don't hope, it's just not my main goal), but in hopes it'll spur some piece of writing I'll actually like. Or that it will simply jump-start me. When I feel stuck or sluggish, I find a contest here to enter. It's like a miracle.

So this is what I'm doing first thing in the morning each day for at least this week:

ID: 333655   (Rated: 13+) Title: The Writer's Cramp  Description: Write the best story or poem in 24 hours or less and win 10,000 GPs! By: Sophy

I don't sit down to write it until around 10 am and it's due by noon, so it pushes me fast and hard (particularly since today's was fantasy and that's not a genre I'm comfortable with). I barely even think about it until 10 am the day it's due. Yesterday, that's about the time I found the contest and so it's all the time I had!

If you're interested in the quick writes, here are the first two:
"23 January 2002" 
"the one where Sophie saves WDC" 

Just remember, I did come up with my ideas and write them in the matter of about an hour and a half, so don't expect much!

------
I have an admission. I caved.

I LOVE the show Castle with Nathion Fillian. It makes TV worth having when DWTS isn't on. It's smart and funny and I can't figure out where it's going until it gets there. Sometimes I get close but I never see the whole story until it's revealed. I guess I'm more a mystery lover than I thought. It's the blood and gore stuff I don't like.

Anyway, when I heard there was a crime novel that goes along with the show, I rolled my eyes. Cheap way to sell a book: my first thought. And then I read the reviews. The reviews were good.

So, yes, I caved. I bought Heat Wave by Richard Castle [or whoever ABC hired as the ghostwriter]. I tend to not like the ghostwriter concept. Writers should be recognized for their work.

However, I finished reading this in 4 days at bedtime. It's very short, which makes it an expensive read for a $20 book (I used a coupon so it was 30% less than that). And I'm rather surprised ABC with all their money couldn't hire a better writer.

Nope, it's not well written. It does one of my biggest pet peeves. It head hops horrendously. It doesn't only switch from one to another without a scene break, but it switches back and forth and up and down so badly, I often paused to try to figure out who was saying what. At times it felt like it was trying to be omniscient, then it would switch to close third for a paragraph or two or three and then jump again. I nearly didn't read past the first two chapters, it bugged me so much.

But I bought the thing and I had hopes it would improve.

*sigh*

The jokes felt contrived. The dialogue felt like an imitation of someone else's work, as though the writer didn't know the characters or understand them, but had to write them the best he could.

Still, I kept pushing through. What do you know? The middle of the book was very good! The writing began to flow. The love scene was beautifully handled and put me IN the story instead of trying to tread through looking for the story. I had to wonder if they switched writers half way through. If so, the one who did that section should have done the whole thing.

So I was finally on a roll and enjoying it and BAM ... back to the original style. I will say the jokes got a bit better and the dialogue a bit less contrived. But overall, this was a very amateur novel, and it will sell well because of the show. Two big name mystery/crime novelists endorsed the thing with cover quotes. I have to wonder if they read it. If so, and they still think it was that good, I can tell you I'm not interested in their work.

I could have given them a lot of names from this site who would've done the thing better.

But then, it seems to be everywhere: poorly written books coming from the big companies. How do we keep people interested in reading that way?

 

I woke up thinking about a friend who is maybe an ex friend. I've mostly severed connections but not completely, and would much rather go back to communicating. But how do you tell someone something when they just won't hear? *shrug*

Anyway, it's time to clear things out. I've spent some time this morning deleting more than 700 sent emails and half of the 2,000 messages in my inbox. That's just at this site. I'm being brutal and my main mail is next. And my house. I need the extra stuff cleared out.

That should also include miscellaneous projects I keep trying to keep up with. I've tried some delegating, with no luck. Maybe that means those things need to go. They must not be all that important if no one cares to help keep them going. I have too much I really want to do, including two new projects I want to get going and can't possibly find the time for yet.

The big one is the indie anthology. Yes, I'm still doing it. When is what I don't know. By now, it'll probably be one of a hundred since indies are making their stand. Still, I was using the phrase "indie author" not only before it was cool, but before anyone even knew what the heck I was talking about. This is a from-the-heart project and I've had three wonderful offers of help with it. It will be a go. Soon, I hope. I'm in process of cutting my work (aka paying job) schedule back. It may be crazy to let go of something that's actually making money for something that isn't yet, but hey, sometimes you have to take a chance. (And at the moment, hubby is doing fine with the providing thing. ) He says I've earned this time to take the chance.

My monthly blog calendar shows I'm finally trying to get back into a schedule , nevermind I missed yesterday. And nevermind that tends to work about as long as I can see into the future, although I know how important it is. *sigh*

What can you do with someone who refuses to listen?

Today is, according to the DJ of my fave radio station, "answer your cat's question" day. Hm. But as he said, that's impossible. We all know that cats already know everything.

 

I briefly mentioned yesterday I'd be participating in a local big arts fest next month. I've started preparing already.

I get a small space to set up my table. I could have gone with a bigger one but it was more than twice as expensive and I'll already be hard-pressed to make up the booth cost with my sales. It's exposure, though, and I'm new here. I need to get my name out there.

So, I have my folding table already since I've used it for signings. I have a deep red tablecloth, but think I'll get a navy one instead since it goes better with my covers. And I bought a big folding presentation board the other day. Now I have to figure out how to design it for maximum appeal.

I was thinking about that last night and part of my design plan has just become an extention of my tagline.

On the left panel, colorful letters will say: Not all romance is graphic.
On the right, they'll say: Not all literary fiction is stuffy.
Then the middle panel will have my author name and tagline: Literary Romance with an Artsy Twist

After coming up with that, I liked it so much I changed my email signature to incorporate it all.

~Not all romance is graphic.
~Not all literary fiction is stuffy.

LK Hunsaker
~ Literary Romance with an Artsy Twist ~
http://www.lkhunsaker.com
http://lkhunsaker.blogspot.com

What do you think? Catchy? Or does it sound condescending? I don't want that.


 

Tylenol
Rolaids
St. Joseph's Children's Aspirin
G.E. hash browns

I've been using one of the many Rolaids products, the lot that is recalled. No symptoms so I guess they're okay. My grocery store called and said I had the hash browns that were recalled. This was the night after we ate them. I did research. Nope, I bought the brand name, not the store name this time, so all's okay in that department. At that point, I figured it was since we were all still walking around as well as usual (knock on wood).

How about if we stop being so careless with our products???

Wonder how much of my own stuff I can manage to start and keep alive in a garden.

Dropped off two donated books today: one for the local commissioner who helped me get one of the photos I used for the cover, the other for a gift basket for an Arts Fest where I'll be trying to pawn off my books to anyone who still reads. Um, I mean sell. People tend to balk at the price. Nevermind I priced it lower than the going rate for a 370 page trade paperback. And it's better written and edited than much of what I've been reading. (Yeah I know, not at all humble, but there it is.) And it's intelligent, and visceral. My reader said so.

Anyway... THANK you to Vigilante Angel for sponsoring my contest and donating big GPs for awards. Because of it, I've added to them. Bigger prizes. Simple contest. Good cause. = Can't lose.



 

I haven't done much in the form of giving back to the site recently, so when I saw the WDC Olympics Auction, with my favorite category - Men's Figure Skating - still needing a package donation, I jumped on it.

Not only am I donating a first chapter competition package, but (with the okay of Early Hours) I decided to run a warm-up contest in support. I'm looking for competitors and for sponsors. Interested? Check it out:

ID: 1637312   (Rated: 13+) Title: The WDC Olympics: a warmup contest  Description: Proceeds benefit the Olympics auction: closes FEB 11 By: Voxxylady: doing warmups!

The Olympics needs more package donators also! Which is your fave event?

ID: 1634603   (Rated: E) Title: 2010 Winter Olympics Auction  Description: Lets celebrate the 2010 Winter Olympics, WDC style! By: EarlyHours, a Vigilante Ranger

----
Oh, and I did a quick blog over at Lindsay's Romantics in celebration of Cary Grant's birthday:
http://lindsaysromantics.blogspot.com/2010/01/best-form-of-exercise.html

Icicles in January, caught only moments before the 'heat wave' brought them crashing to the ground.

I don't like roller coasters much. If they're not too high and don't go upside-down, I can enjoy them, but in general, they kick in my heights-terror and the adrenaline I get isn't the good kind. I'm sure science people are saying about now that adrenaline is adrenaline and there aren't two different kinds. I disagree. (So sue me.)

Sue me, sue me, whatcha gonna do me... Sorry, it just whacked into my brain and had to come out.

Anyway, today in 1975, my favorite roller coaster opened: Space Mountain at Disney.

I love Space Mountain. I can't see down because it's dark inside, but there are enough lights that my fear of closed-in dark places doesn't get too carried away. [I know, how many phobias does one person need? Add the social thing and snakes and rodents...]

So without the extra sensory information (and I mean the additional sensory info, not ET stuff) I'm free to simply enjoy the ride while my mind believes what it wants to believe. It's not stifled by the details of the reality that I'm actually very incredibly high up on slim little pieces of metal in a cart held on to those by a little bit more metal. Not having those details flashed before my eyes is helpful to my enjoyment. We all have our little mind games we play.

Games people play in the middle of the night...

That one actually leads to where I'm going.

Sex.

Hey, this blog is marked 13+, so I can say sex here. Right? Don't worry. There won't be more detail than that. I don't wanna read it, so I don't write it.

See, that's how I feel about fiction, and especially romance fiction. I don't want the details. Leave all that stuff in the dark behind closed doors where it belongs (hey, my blog, my opinion) and I'm much happier and more comfortable. Because really, isn't the concept of flying on a roller coaster better than the reality and gritty details of how it works? I say focusing on the structure of the thing and how everything has to hold its own weight brings bad adrenaline. I don't want that stuff. I only want the good adrenaline.

Maybe my mind is simply active enough without it being filled with details I can provide myself, if I want to. Often, I don't. And I have to say that too many details in a sex scene really just makes me cringe about the whole process. Let me dwell in the romance and leave the scientific stuff to those into that sort of thing.

I prefer the dark.


Come on, I write romance (of a sort). Did you expect me never to bring up sex?