Southern Princess

Holding On and Letting Go...

2012-01-15T09:45:00.000-06:00

"It's everything you wanted, It's everything you don't. It's one door swinging open and one door swinging closed. Some prayers find an answer, some prayers never know. Holding on and Letting go."

-Ross Copperman, Holding On and Letting Go

***

There are songs in this life that touch me. That move me to moments of clarity and make me feel as though someone out there understands. This one has been on repeat for the last month. I talk often about how you must live to be able to write. You must recognize that it is this amazing world around us that reminds us how great a story can be. Life inspires us to dream beyond the realities we see every day. It reminds us that in the pages of a book great love can be found, great pain can be survived and great things can happen to those who feel they are lost among the wreckage. Words found on clean crisp pages tell us to remember that evil can be defeated, that cancer can be beaten before it begins, that loss can bring us to a place where we appreciate all that we have.

Losing options in life is not something we always think of. We are built to be hopeful, to look to the good things and to overcome the dark times. Occasionally we give in, we let the sadness creep up our bodies and steal a little of the sunlight. I strive everyday to not let darkness cloud my mind, my life or my heart. I know that losing options is inevitable in life. We often lose them because we choose to, we choose another path, we walk in a different direction and never look back. This past December I lost an option. We chose to take a direction that will forever remove the possibility of holding a mini me or a mini version of my husband. We did not do this blindly or out of the blue. Our window was rapidly sliding closed and I know that God stood with me at every discussion, during the surgery, after it, and as I sit here. I am discovering, as my recovery progresses, that life is worth even more than I originally knew. Faith flows through me and yet I let the hard time cloud my mind, each day I work to rise above it. My recovery is painful, but less than some; it is long, but shorter than others; it is a time where I am understanding what it all means; it is a process. We often hold on to things that really should be released. I am still clinging to the things I will never get to experience...I know this. Each day I am forcing myself to let go, bit by bit, chunk by chunk and to remember that Holding on and Letting Go is a part of life. We don't always get what we ask for, but that doesn't mean we are not exactly where we are supposed to be, doing exactly what we are supposed to do and learning the lesson meant just for us. We must have faith that as we let go we are giving our problems, our issues and our troubles to our Faith. We are letting it go, trusting our life will be guided by a loving God.

I am so blessed. Today I am writing again. Words that hopefully will help someone else, will bring them some sort of comfort, happiness or compassion. I don't know if it will be successful, but the fact that I am sitting here, that I am thinking about life, talking to family, loving my dog and my husband... well it means that sometimes we just have to wade through what we let go and recognize the things we get to hold onto, that we get to enjoy. Don't ever let a supposed unanswered prayer take you down a dark road. Because you are where you need to be, sometimes you just need to recognize that the options in front of you may be foreign but they are yours and yours alone. Climb out of the dark, find the light and see that life gives you so many options that even when you think they are gone another one will slide into place..... and that sometimes, every so often we are blessed to be able to recognize how amazing this life is and it is worth inspiring each and every one of us to be better, to use our talents, to discover new ones and to live.

Solid Advice for a Writer.....

2011-10-25T08:25:00.000-05:00

“The most solid advice for a writeris this, I think: Try to learn to breathe deeply, really to taste food when youeat, and when you sleep really to sleep. Try as much as possible to be whollyalive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when youget angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.” – William Saroyan

***

Greetingsfrom the South! Fall weather is here, trying desperately to flirt with a SouthernWinter every now and then; dang if the girl isn’t flirting back every couple ofdays.

The house isfull of activity. Football games on the weekends, homework on the weeknights,movies, books, art festivals, music, laughter, writing, and living. WilliamSaroyan was quite right in his assessment for a writer. We get bogged downsometimes in characters, plotlines, settings, grammar and word counts. Weoften slip into our fictional worlds and shut off the one around us. His words remind me that we must pull fromthe life we are leading in order to bring our fictional worlds alive. If weforget to experience, to observe, to enjoy then we are shortchanging thecharacters we love. For them to breathe we must give them emotions, give themlife experiences, give them knowledge or hide from them what they need not knowjust yet…So take his advice. Live. You just might find that whatever has youbogged down in your writing will be released and discovery is one of the bestside effects life has to offer.

My Saturdays Make Me Smile....

2011-09-17T23:55:00.000-05:00

Every weekend from August to January we have plans. Actual plans. Not just "oh we may or may not be doing something." No this is Type-A - Set - In -Stone plans. They aren't even plans made by me, really. The University of Alabama owns my Saturdays during these months. What I love is not only the boys on the field, but that these plans are not only best laid they are best overall. They are set in stone in that I know for a fact that for 3.5 hours the University of Alabama owns my attention but I also know that around those 3.5 hours I find myself in a bevy of the most wonderful activities...

Every Saturday we wake up, sometimes at home if the game is in Tuscaloosa, sometimes in a hotel room as we travel to whatever town is hosting us. We have breakfast, catch College Gameday and begin the day with whichever games are the early ones. There are days where I see my kitchen and listen more than see the other games. Where scents of delicious tailgate food wafts through my home. There are days where before or after the game some shopping takes place. It may be to familiar stores or perhaps discovering a wonderful place specific to the region. We meet new people and catch up with familiar faces. We host family members and friends. We get grouchy when the game goes in a bad direction and euphoric when it goes our way. Your emotions ride a wonderful roller coaster of fandom unlike any other. ALL these factors, ALL these variables could make some people go crazy...

Yet somehow every weekend, even when the work week has been crazy, even when the weather has played ping pong with my sinuses, even when airports make you really wonder how trains might be, even when the season is not as great on the field as you hoped...it still ends up being a time where memories are created, moments are suspended in time and life reminds me how beautiful it is to love something completely out of my control ...

ROLL TIDE!

Monday Memos...By Order of this Author

2011-08-15T10:54:00.000-05:00

Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot. By Order of the Author.

-Mark Twain

***

Mark Twain has been visiting my house a great deal lately. He popped up on a summer reading list for the Resident 17 year old and again when I was at Lowe's selecting Mark Twain Brown as a color for my staircase treads (who knew). He has settled in nicely as a topic of discussion and now as a pretty good eye for color. His introductions to his work are sometimes the most intriguing look into a man that took life very seriously but was able to convey his social observances with a wit, charm and honesty that Southern hospitality loves to chastise openly and celebrate in quiet reverence when not in public.(let's just say I am sure there were tons of "Bless his heart" when he first began sharing his thoughts).

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is by far one of my favorite pieces of classic literature. A story that contains more than just human characters, Twain was able to make a river a third dynamic character with its meandering currents and symbolic essence of freedom. He found a way to weave not only everything he banishes us from seeing into each setting, nuance, and dialect loaded dialogue. He truly crafted a piece of art.

Isn't that what we all hope for. That our words on the page become a living breathing piece of history. We know that not everyone will love it, that those who dislike it have their reasons and those who embrace it become our biggest marketing campaigns. Writing is definitely a risk. One that we take on every time we sit down with an MS or blog entry. We open a door from our mind/hearts directly for the public to peek into. They can dissect our ideas, discuss our feelings and dissuade/persuade others from stopping by as well. Its a risky business. But I love it. It is a business where one must develop discipline, must question ideas, look differently at character and develop the understanding that reviewing things more than once is tedious only if you forget how wonderful the outcome will be. Discovering adverbs, adjectives, conclusive outcomes, exciting cliffhangers, dangerous romances and delicious character flaws is just part of the process.

Twain said this in a letter to Orion Clemens on March 23, 1878: "You need not expect to get your book right the first time. Go to work and revamp or rewrite it. God only exhibits his thunder and lightning at intervals, and so they always command attention. These are God's adjectives. You thunder and lightning too much; the reader ceases to get under the bed, by and by."

Right now, this author is working through a story that has captivated her husband, though he is quite perturbed not to be yet let in on the plot directions, and reminded her how much fun it is to discover new things within a new world. But be forewarned, continuous work will help me make sure that my "thunder and lightning" appear at the right moments, time will allow me to develop characters that I love, twizzlers will help me with all the cravings, support from my family will give me strength and Mark Twain will remind me that once it is written I need only to let it go to live a life all its own...By Order of the Author.

Around the Blogs today:

Lisa Schroeder teases us with talk of video blogs tomorrow - so tune in!

Talli Roland has the queasies over sending out Watching Willow Watts..go over and help calm her nerves, Oh and read chapter 1...

Shannon Messenger explains her own reasons why WriteOnCon craziness is something she does out of love (plus see the agenda in her post for the conference)

Natalie Bahm talks priorities, writing and family.

Have a Memorable Monday!

Breathing life into an MS beyond the inertia...

2011-08-10T11:08:00.000-05:00

"If you do not breathe through writing, if you do not cry out in writing, or sing in writing, then don't write, because our culture has no use for it."

-Anais Nin

***

I don't like the word inertia...well some weekends I do; but on the whole I really don't. I enjoy relaxing after a long day's work, but there must first be that long day, that work to then enjoy what relaxation is all about.

All summer long I have been in a state of inertia when it comes to writing. The storm shook me up a bit, then we held the fundraiser and now school has begun for my resident 17 year old. Life is never boring, but inertia can still exist within areas that seem to be a constant movement. That is scary part about inertia. We think that we are moving, that we are being productive but really we are just performing a rote action. We have lost the excitement, the feeling of accomplishment, the ambition, the desire to better improve; we are just going along with the motions pretending that we are moving.

I was at a service last weekend that discussed life, creating habits, and looking at something you do every day differently. The application was more geared to prayer but I would be losing a great deal of the message if I did not apply it to other areas as well. I realized that writing before the storm had become a bit rote. I wasn't excited when I opened the file and I wasn't missing it when I was away. That isn't good. I had let the entire summer pass me by and had barely done anything with the story except go through the motions.

So last night I decided to apply the message to my own story. To sit down, to open the file, to read my words and see beyond what letters on the page spelled out and to breathe life back into the story. It was fulfilling to move forward, to no longer sit on the edge of something I truly desire to witness in all its elements. I broke it apart and saw myself looking at the characters, settings, and plot more openly. It is not ready to be shelved, in fact a brand new direction came out the endeavor.

Inertia had me thinking that it was time to give up but fresh air, an open mind and the desire to better the work has me now excited to see where the next scene is going...

What do you do when the words seem to be lackluster on the page? Do you give up immediately or do you work through the issues and discover something new? How do you know when it is truly time to shelve the work or it just needs an afternoon in the sun?

Throat, Promise, Forget, Splendor, Hex and....Pee

2011-06-28T16:50:00.002-05:00

Throat,

Promise,

Forget,

Splendor,

Hex,

Pee

6 words, 6 very different words.

But those 6 words made for one of the BEST afternoons among authors, writers, & fans.

Oh yeah, you heard me.

I wasn't sure what an afternoon at the Homewood Public Library would showcase on a Saturday. I can promise you that those 6 words were not what I would have guessed beforehand.

The lovely members of Southern Magic hosted 5 sensational authors:

R.A. Nelson (The 6'3" sweetheart who works at Nasa by the way)

Chandra Sparks Taylor( the ever so lovely mother who is ever so brave with her manuscript revisions)

Jennifer Echols (an engaging blonde with wit that will have you doubled over - sarcasm has met its match!)

Rosemary Clement-Moore (a perky author whose grin is infectious plus! OMG Scooby Doo's team WISHES they had someone like her)

Rachel Hawkins ( the honest, hilarious, friendly, married to a scientist author who enjoys torturing her husband with finger injuries)

The room was simple, almost classroom set up. Around 25 people sat and listened to these lovely authors discuss methods, talk about getting "the phone call" and just chatting about how if you are going to be an author then there are no excuses - WRITE!

Laughter flowed around the room as stories were shared, excitement permeated the air as tidbits of upcoming projects were whispered and the feeling of camaraderie was inescapable.

I found myself enjoying every single minute of the afternoon. At the end of their questions we were all invited up to purchase or bring books to sign. But this was not like an overwhelming, large signing, you weren't ushered up to the table then asked to politely scurry away. No, they were there to "MEET and greet". You could ask questions and find yourself in a lengthy discussion with an author you love, you could shyly hand over a book that you traveled all the way from Carollton, Georgia with your parents and friends to have signed by someone who creates worlds you want to live in.

As time passed and people began to slip out I found myself talking to the lovely Crystal (my cohort in ALL 4 ALABAMA) and her friend Natalie. We were the last 3 in the room - EVERYONE had cleared out. We had been talking books, donations, contributors, writing, bidders, everything when to our surprise bounced in the lovely Rosemary Clement-Moore. Yep. She was waiting on her friend who had accompanied her and saw us still standing around gabbing.

She did not run from the lingering fans - she ran to us. She thanked us for the event. For attending and enjoying it. She then told us why she was still in the building: Nature called. She had to pee and somehow this rolled into how you pee before perfoming on stage and then Natalie chimed in with a pregnancy and pee story...yeah... the things we writers discuss! It isn't a full day until bodily functions enter your discussions and by golly if you can get a celebrated author to join in - well congrats! It was a blast.

So 6 words. 6 very different words.

Combined together make 1 lovely afternoon that I would do over again and again....

A Great Loss for the Writing and Storytelling Communities...

2011-06-13T08:58:00.002-05:00

"I think we need to be put back in touch with our childhood...to be reminded of what's important, like memories about people we loved, or things that happened to us that affected our lives, things we can laugh about and shed a few tears about... I think storytelling is a way of saying 'I love you. I love you enough to tell you something that means a great deal to me.' "

-- Kathryn Tucker Windham

***

If you don't know who Jeffrey the ghost is, boy did you miss out on childhood ghost stories that could make you shiver and laugh in one sitting. He lived at Windham house and he created quite a stir for many years...

I spent my childhood reading of course, reading anything and everything I could get my hands on. Shakespeare, Faulker, Dickinson, Alcott, Austen, Pike, Stine, Pascal, Keene and so many others...as you can see my genre choices were quite varied. In the mix were two names that are famous not only to many parts of the world but are royalty in my neck of the woods: Lee & Tucker. Harper Lee wrote the famous "To Kill A Mockingbird" - the stirring book that faces problems with race, culture and ignorance from the eyes of children - she lives only 35 minutes down the road (literally) from my childhood home.

Then there is Tucker. Kathryn Tucker Windham - she brought to our attention a little ghost by the name of Jeffrey but she also helped all of us learn the rich ghost stories and heritage of our beloved South. She did not just make up stories for us to imagine, she traveled to the areas that had for many years before her time had been passing down the legends, the horrors, the comedies and the tragedies that encompass any small town. She retold those stories, made towns no bigger than your thumb famous, helped tell visitors why they should jump off the interstate and seek the scenic rather than the quick. She was someone who believed that history could be passed down by word of mouth & written word when told in the vernacular of its beginnings. She began a festival in the historic town of Selma Alabama...a Tale Tellin' Festival that I was blessed to go to as a child. She would be at many festivals as I grew up...she would sign her books, smile at you with a broad brim hat on her head and she would open her mouth to begin telling a tale that would touch you for a lifetime. She was one of those, in my group of beloved authors, who helped me understand that I could be whoever I wanted to be. That I could stand tall on my heritage and could write, could write what I wanted and enjoy it throughout my life. She inspired me by loving what she did so much.

Before her storytelling made her famous she just so happened to become one of the first female reporters to cover a police beat in a major Southern daily in 1939. Men were going to war; she needed a job and she had talent. She already loved photography and at a young age had been a jr reporter for her hometown of Thomasville's paper...her hometown by the way...is around 28 minutes from my own. Such talent so close to home...crazy how small our world is.

Storytelling is an art. Being able to relay information that not only informs but ignites ideas, memories, sorrow, and happiness for the listener is an amazing gift. She did not always write it down like us writers do in order to imprint it on her fans' minds, she could do it with her voice, the intonation, the inflection of syllable by syllable. Her art won many types of recognition, I am sure she was quite thankful. But to be honest having seen her in the flesh, having listened to her and read her stories I know that the accolades were important because they brought attention to something she loved not just that they brought attention to her. She reminded us that our legacies, our past, our heritage is worth passing down. It is important to those yet to come that we give them this gift, this loving wonderful gift of who we are.

Kathryn Tucker Windham died yesterday. She was 93. She lived a long life full of adventures that we are so blessed to even know about. She will be sorely missed and will forever be a part of my own dreams of being a writer. But even more importantly she is truly the reason I enjoy Southern heritage so much. She made it interesting, she made it unique and she made it real.

Go to your local bookstore, see if they carry any of her books. Visit Amazon.com and order a book about a ghost named Jeffrey. He will make you smile, I promise.

GUYS!!! WE ARE AT DAY 23!!!

2011-06-08T14:31:00.004-05:00

OMG! 23 Days.

It has been TWENTY - THREE DAYS since ALL 4 ALABAMA began & almost 6 weeks since that horrific day!

This particular journey has been like no other...

So far I have found that the people who write things I love are also people I love!

The writing community is one of the most unique, compassionate, heartwarming, crazy, hilarious, fun, exciting, demanding, stubborn, active, reliable and overall awesome!

Can you believe the list of people on our Auction "Who We Are" page?

Have you seen the critiques that have been bid on during days 1-19? Have you seen the critiques still available?

What about the signed books? The Swag? Book Trailers? Jewelry? Art?

GUYS!!! THIS IS AMAZING!!! So many things and so many times has my husband said "That is wonderful! You aren't going to bid though right? I mean you've won enough so far, right?"

*insert my sweet southern smile and puppy dog eyes*

"Why, hubby, but think of all the wonderful things left to be posted? And all those we could help?"

Yeah he just shakes his head and walks away...Bless my husband y'all! ;o)

KEEP BIDDING! KEEP WRITING! KEEP GIVING!

VISIT the site and win something amazing!

ALL 4 ALABAMA AUCTIONS SUPPORT AL TORNADO RELIEF

Writing, Posting, Blogging, Auctions, Rebuilding...LIVING!

2011-06-02T13:13:00.000-05:00

Whew...it is June 2 and the temperature outside is 100 F...yep.

The air is hot, the days are long, the breeze is nonexistent, sweet tea cools you down, creeks make you smile and mosquitoes seem to find us the tastiest group of people around.

Welcome to the South!

Right now I am sitting at Capitol Park in Tuscaloosa. The air is beyond stifling and the sun's hot rays are already turning my skin a nice pink. I woke up this morning and said "Whew! Its Thursday."

Now normally Thursday just means one day before "Happy Danc'n through the Weekend" but right now in my life it means exactly: WHEW!

ALL 4 ALABAMA Tornado Relief are going strong, we are on DAY 18. There are so many awesome items and I was right there last night bidding for Tahereh Mafi's ARC of Shatter Me! Dang it if Amanda did not whoop me on that one! Sheesh! But what a mixture of "Darn I lost & Yay for the Cause!" swept over me (of course the hubby sits and lets a happy tear roll down as he realizes "Thank goodness she lost - the woman is trying to break me!")

Posting has gotten very sparse over here in the Kingdom because my posts are consumed at the Auctions - but I PROMISE you, my Royal Court, that you are all in my thoughts and I will be back soon.

The rebuilding of Tuscaloosa is an astonishing, whirlwind that just amazes me with every drive into work and every cruise through town. The damage continues to bring heart ache but the spirit of this town is like no other. Yesterday was 5 weeks...5 WEEKS since that horrific afternoon and hundreds of people came to downtown for a candlelight vigil in remembrance. We are all still reeling but thankfully we are all here to catch each other. Our death toll rose by two, we must not forget that there are those still in the hospital from injuries sustained during the storm - our prayers are with their families. Now the radio is back to music and the papers are not only pics of devastating scenes - NOW they talk of rebuilding, of redesigning, of donating, of helping...it is a beautiful thing.

While all of this is wonderful our little adopted town of Hackleburg is far from the shining clear surfaces waiting to rebuild a Krispy Kreme or Subway. They are without all the things that we gained back so quickly...please be sure to continue to pray for this town and to swing by our site if you can. Donate, contribute, bid...share a hopeful message - it all counts towards hope.

Remembering my blessings and wishing those around me to continue to be so blessed is the best part of Living. Even in loss we find strength and right now Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri and Massachusetts are finding that strength comes from a hard blow but that the compassion of people ease the pain.

Have a Terrific Thursday...

Monday Memos...Updates, Auctions, Oh my!

2011-05-23T08:45:00.000-05:00

"Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. Love still stands when all else has fallen."

-1 Corinthians 13:7-8

***

It is a hot, sunny day in Tuscaloosa this morning. A morning commute in my beloved town still creates a crestfallen reaction. People who are just getting here still breakdown into tears from the sheer magnitude of one tornado. It is hard to reinforce the fact that this is better than what it was 3 weeks ago. I survey the landscape and take in a deep breath.

We have seen such love for our town, for our people and it is here in this disastrous situation that I thought of Corinthians. The passage rolled around in my head this morning as I listened to the destruction that occurred over the weekend in Joplin, Missouri. Every storm is different, it hits different buildings, different homes, different walks of life but in its differences there is a common feeling of being stripped down and attacked. We refer to aftermath as "bombings, war zones, destructions, decimation, heart wrenching sadness." It is all those things. A battle we were unprepared to endure, an attack of mother nature, a destroyed town, decimated homes and the sadness of people lost...but endure we will. The people of Joplin are wandering around their hometown today, not recognizing their favorite spots, but if there is one thing I would love to tell them all it is that you will endure. The love you have for each other, each stranger, each friend, each place that made your town a home will make your town stand again. It has not fallen, it is not lost, it is merely in need of repair and rebuilding. We love you. We are praying for you and we know you will outlast.

***

It is Day 11 in the ALL 4 ALABAMA Tornado Relief Auctions! yep, Day E.L.E.V.E.N!!! We are still accepting donations (items & funds). We are still going strong and we are still using ALL funds for the community of Hackleburg - though if you guys help us raise enough there may be even more to spread around. Hackleburg is still reeling from all of this. Tuscaloosa is already showing great signs of a long recovery, but a productive one. However, Hackleburg is so completely decimated that its recovery process will not be as swift and will be very trying on their community. Please keep them in your thoughts, as well as Joplin, MO and the other towns hit by tornadoes.

Be sure to swing by the auction: ALL 4 ALABAMA Tornado Relief Auctions

Frankie has a teasing and tempting post this a.m.

It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday around the blogs so be sure to check out Shannon M

Carrie Harris is talking Storks and Booties...But Not Babies

of course the Roeckers have a great one on Parenting today!

Have a MARVELOUS MONDAY!!!

Moments....

2011-05-18T12:50:00.002-05:00

There are moments in life where winning is not exactly the important aspect - it isn't that you are doing it for the team, for the ring, for the prize it is truly for something inside you. No matter what the outcome you, you will reach into the recesses of your mind and bring it forward one day. The moment is filled with so many things: colors, smells, laughter, tears, sorrow, anger, frustration, determination, desire...a piece of yourself that you might never know existed.

Within that piece there is strength, a divine power if you will, that holds onto the belief that this moment, this second is worth it all. The outcome negative or positive will forever be imprinted on your mind. It will come back to you in other moments ones where chaos may reign or peace is filtered in. You might smile and think how much things have changed or you may grimace because it is merely a reminder that you are still exactly as you were on that day. They will try you when you are down and find you when you are celebrating. They are picture books of our soul and in their pages we seek answers.

Do not fret, moments are meant for this. They are destined to be filed away, filtered through and brought forth. Without moments we cease to exist and with them we learn how to truly live...

DAY 4 AUCTIONS RESUME TODAY!!!

2011-05-16T09:45:00.000-05:00

It is Monday...well usually Monday is a drag but not today!!

Day 4 Auctions resume today and start off with a Royal bang! All you Lindsey Leavitt fans need to be ready because in 14 minutes you will get the chance at Royal treatment! Oh yeah!

We have a stellar line up for Day 4 and are ecstatic to continue raising money for the Tornado Relief. Be sure to check them out, we put 5 per day up and the first goes up at 10 a.m. CST and the last one of the day goes up at 2 p.m.

Please remember that your donations and contributions are going to the adopted rural community of Hackleburg. The quaint Southern town of Hackleburg lost its fire station, police station, elementary school, high school - actually 31 of the town's 32 business were destroyed. The population is 1500 and over 2 dozen lives were lost. The numbers when you get down to it are staggering, yet these people do not want to pick up and just move. They love their town, they love the community and most importantly they love each other. This town will rebuild but it is going to take as much help as they can get! YOU ARE HELPING!!

So go, bid, view, donate, spread the word!!!

ALL 4 ALABAMA

30 Minutes....DAY 3 goes live for ALL 4 ALABAMA Tornado Relief

2011-05-12T09:26:00.000-05:00

Hey Guys!

We are on Day 3 for ALL 4 ALABAMA Tornado Relief!!

in 34 minutes we will begin another day of amazing auctions!!!

Just to let everyone know - the auctions are open for 5 days! 5 DAYS GUYS - you still have plenty of time to go after the items from Day 1 and Day 2.

The response has been wonderful! We have some lovely things coming up in the next days and I truly hope you will stop by, bid, spread the word and enjoy the eccentric and exciting items we have up for grabs!

ALL 4 ALABAMA Tornado Relief

Go forth - Bid - Enjoy!

Day 2 Auction Items

2011-05-11T13:49:00.000-05:00

Guys!!! Have you seen what the amazing Bree Despain is offering over at ALL 4 ALABAMA Tornado Relief Auctions

OMG - a character in the final book of the Dark Divine Trilogy?

Or have you seen the Critique by PJ Hoover?

What about the Book Lover pendant

Or, oh my gosh, the BOOK WREATH????

I cannot even bare to keep my grubby fingers off these things!!!

GO, GO BID!

We have item number 5 coming up in 10 minutes!!!

ONE HOUR & 25 MINUTES until DAY 2 Auctions Go LIVE!!

2011-05-11T08:35:00.002-05:00

Okay guys...

this is Day 2...the auctions are under way...we are giddy with anticipation of items that will be popping up over the coming days...

Remember all items are up on the site for 5 days from start date to close date...

This will help victims in the rural town of Hackleburg left after the horrific tornado...

Oh and a little hint for Day 2, Item #1...

Her knowledge of the writing world might give your tablet views of the world being the necropolis....

Happy Bidding...

WE ARE LIVE!!!

2011-05-10T10:18:00.002-05:00

Okay guys as of 19 minutes ago the very first item is up for bid!!

It is a BEAUTIFUL handmade artisan vase from an artist in Selma, Alabama.

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD! Get over to ALL 4 ALABAMA

Get on over there because in 40 minutes another delightful item will be up for grabs...

hint hint: zombies + boys = AWESOMENESS!!!

BIDDING & BUTTONS for ALL 4 ALABAMA Disaster Relief

2011-05-09T17:34:00.000-05:00

Hey Guys! Tomorrow the bidding begins over at ALL 4 ALABAMA Disaster Relief!!

Be there at 10 a.m. CST.

Also, please spread the word about the auctions and if you would like to put one of the buttons on your site please don't hesitate to copy the embed link!! Check them out over on the Left of this blog.

I want to thank in advance all the wonderful writers, agents, editors, artisans and citizens who are donating items or services. Your commitment to this cause is wonderful! Living here in Alabama during all of these devastating circumstances can make some forget that four letter word....Hope...but it is through events like these and Help Write Now that remind us all that no one is ever truly alone and that the spirit of mankind exists and still reigns supreme...

Have a wonderful night! We will see you in the a.m.!

Getting the Word Out!!

2011-05-05T16:54:00.002-05:00

We are getting the word out! It is such a wonderful thing to know that people care for one another.

Our radio stations rarely play music these days because they act as a call center and hotline. People STILL unable to get food and water are having anyone with a cell phone call these stations so that their community/neighborhood/town can get on the map again. So that someone will add their names and those of their loved ones to their prayer list. They don't care who you are praying to, just please pray for them.

I listened with tears streaming down my face as Erica stood on a hill so that she could get signal in order to call our local station JUST to get the people around her on a prayer list. Five months pregnant and she has been living in a tent with her husband since the storm. He gets up every day and walks down the road to help those who are sifting through what is left. She bides her time by helping some other families also living in tents around them. There are dogs who would not leave the side of their loved one even after that loved one no longer breathes the same air. One dog sat sadly on the rubble that was his home and watched as his beloved owner was taken away. These are real people, real stories - they need our help...

Just last night I met with the amazing Crystal Harris at Barnes & Noble in Hoover, Alabama. I was beyond excited and ever so touched by her enthusiasm to help in every way possible. Together with all the amazing people who contribute, donate, bid, communicate - I am confident that this will be a great success!!

We are contacting so many people but there is still a great need for items/services/critiques. SO SPREAD THE WORD about the upcoming ALL 4 ALABAMA Disaster Relief Auction!!

Oh by the way HELP WRITE NOW is also hosting an auction that is already live! Go bid - spread the love for these devastated communities!

Getting Organized over at ALL 4 ALABAMA Disaster Relief Auction Site

2011-05-04T08:24:00.002-05:00

Good Morning!

I have had some wonderful contacts about the upcoming auction!! So excited for all there is to come.

There are some wonderful writers/bloggers/authors contributing so far (check out the Contributions page on the ALL 4 ALABAMA Disaster Relief Auction Site ). I know that list will continue to grow.

It sounds like some awesome items will be given but also some amazing opportunities for query & manuscript critiques!!! I know!

So continue to spread the word to all who want to contribute and those that are just itching for it all to begin.

Lots of Love,

Courtney

My Life Belongs to the Whole Community...

2011-05-02T07:41:00.001-05:00

I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live.

~George Bernard Shaw

***

Good Morning! It has been a crazy past few days. I have found myself crying at the smallest things, at the oddest things and at the most beautiful things. They say that with faith you find strength. Many people still search every day for a God to believe in, for a reason to keep going, for meaning that they may never truly understand. Well we are human. We question, we wonder, we ask, we ignore, we believe and we begin again every morning. Life makes us remember that time is not something we can control.

In an instant a child is born, a flower blooms, a baby cries, laughter rings out, lives are changed and lives are lost. If you have seen any sort of news outlet you know about the devastating scenes that surround a town and state that I cherish. We are still combing through the rubble even as the academia class this storm a Category 1 Natural Disaster - that my friends means that we are now the history books with Hurricane Katrine and 9/11. I am beginning to accept that life here will be termed a timeline event; a Before & After. Already our local news source ,Tuscaloosa News, offers the unique tool using Geo & Google Earth to see the exact Before & After. Modern media outlets were able to utilize technology that filmed live the devastation as it literally tore a path across three states. They were there when the lights went out in each town and as my own family huddled in the basement of our home. We all have been through terrible storms, tornadoes, hurricane winds or some weather controlled scare but this day was different. We knew it even before we saw the horrible images online.

Our power was out for 3 days, for others it still is and who knows when it will return. Alabama Power has worked diligently to restore power to so many areas. But friends the "area" is so large. We have National Guard units, my brother's included, patrolling our town hoping to keep looters at bay. We are under a curfew every night. Areas are still under a boil water advisory. We lost 3 schools - LOST - as in gone. Who knows when school will return to some form of normalcy. This storm hit on exam week and commencement week for our University of Alabama and others. These are just a small collection of the impact of the storm in my area.

There are other areas: Hackleburg - the town is gone, the people remaining are trying to get help. Sawyerville is much the same, Moody, Phil Campbell - towns that will not only need aid but will have to completely rebuild EVERYTHING.

So I decided to quit the tears, to reach out and see what this writing community, this collection of amazing people can pull together and do. Some of you, my dear Royal Court, will have received emails from me. I hope that we can ban together and do something for the rural communities in this great state.

I have created the blog: ALL 4 ALABAMA. I plan to soon begin auctioning off items & services in order to raise money for those rural affected towns. If any of you would like to contribute, be it an idea, an item, a service or even a dollar please contact me. I plan to go live with the auction as soon as possible. It will just take a little bit to get all the items set up, so please keep watch on the blogs (this one and the ALL 4 ALABAMA); go over and follow it in order to keep updated on all news.

The people need help. Truly. Please do what you can. I know we can do this and by golly we will do it well! Please spread the word - tell people that you know who can help donate or supply items for auction to contact me.

contact me at all4alabamarelief(at)yahoo(dot)com

COMING SOON: ALL 4 ALABAMA Disaster Relief Blog!!!

2011-05-01T13:44:00.003-05:00

I am working to get a Donation/Auction site up to benefit those affected by the 4/27/11 Tornado in Alabama! I hope to offer some wonderful items soon! Please check back periodically!

I always enjoy being surprised by the outpouring love of mankind. My beautiful city that has seen such horrific destruction over the past few days has been shown kindness beyond belief. But there are other areas, rural areas begging for help and needing to be reminded of hope.

After much prayer, tons of inner turmoil on where to begin & continue I decided to contact a community full of wonderful people who have welcomed me with open arms over the last few years...the Writing community. I am so blessed to have 4 walls around me, my husband safe and sound, my dog at my side, my niece safe at home - a few streets over was not so lucky. I just had to find a way to help soooo......

If you or someone you know, publishers/editors/writers/friends/neighbors/dogs/cats can offer critiques, experiences, items...WHATEVER it is, please contact me. I created the blog ALL 4 ALABAMA so that we could help to raise money for these areas. There is already a Donate button but I plan for it to work very similar to the Do The Write Thing for Nashville campaign. We will auction items/services off via the blog. ALL proceeds are going to Disaster Relief in Alabama.

Please if you have any ideas or want to help contact me at all4alabamarelief@yahoo.com

Have a beautiful Sunday and check back for updates soon!

ALL 4 ALABAMA!!! Please pray for us...WE WILL REBUILD

2011-04-29T17:34:00.002-05:00

Wednesday, April 27,2011 a tragic Tornado hit Tuscaloosa, Alabama - my town.

We are safe, our home is still standing, we are beyond blessed...but for the town we cherish we will be rebuilding for quite some time...

Kicker Road

We are not the only ones....

from Mississippi to Tennessee to Georgia, but this for me is personal... These flat areas with just metal - those were homes, businesses, landmarks, historic places....

15th street

McFarland

Please pray for us...

This is my home...These are my people...

This video is a compilation copy and paste if you can.

(if you can see it wonderful, if not the above speaks just as loudly)

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=217778308234398&comments

(Tuscaloosa Tornado video footage compiled by Shari Gilbert)
These images are of those who I may know, may meet, may never know, may never see again...but they are also of people who are strong, who are hurting, who are powerful, who laugh, who cry and who I love....
We are a state, a town, a family going through a storm. April's Fury is more than a nice title for a tornado it is how we will come back from this tragedy: with a furious, strong, resolve. We will rebuild. We will rise.
Please go to Tuscaloosanews.com, RedCross.org, United Way liveunited.org - if you can help, please do, but please continue to pray.

(photos are a compilation from my own pics and various outlets)

You give me fever....

2011-04-26T14:30:00.002-05:00

"It's Spring fever...You don't quite know what it is you DO want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!"

-Mark Twain

***

Wow. This time of year brings a yearning that always catches me a little off guard. Mark Twain nailed that idea of a need/want/urgency during this time of year. My heart flutters when the sun warms me. I think of swimming holes, three digit temps, humid evenings, mosquitoes, lemonade, BBQ, fruit salad, picnics, bumblebees and sweet tea. My childhood is full of memories that include wonderful books, cold metal wheelbarrows and the cool earth as I dug for worms to fish with. Life in Spring is special.

Spring Fever has me in its clutches and its a lovely place to be!

Is there one particular memory/thought that Spring makes you think of?

***

On a different note - my heart goes out for everyone who has seen damage, survived, loss or been taken aback by these Spring storms. So much devastation and the weather season is not done yet. Please know you are in our prayers.

Here... and Now...

2011-04-19T17:30:00.000-05:00

it is a good thing you aren't here right now...

you would see my messy hair from rushing this morning...

the note smeared on my left hand as a reminder to bring a book to a coworker (forgotten again by the way)...

my nails for some reason are still hosting a bright blue polish beneath the nude professional overlay...

my barely charged cellphone Barry the Blackberry (who is quite whiny of late)...

non-mascara-d eyes that scream for eye make-up love...

leggings that really are not the same black as the lovely tunic on top (darn fading cotton)...

but most of all you would see the expression of utter craziness on my face...

You see right here and now I am sinking/diving/careening/wrecking/jumping/crashing into 'StoryLand'. I did not realize that the Hook bringing me back would also come with its on crashing ball as well. Did I order the insane dreams with crazy characters as well? I really need to check my dream card statements!

I actually dreamed one of my MCs was holding the word "DIVULGE" and chasing me down the freeway...not sure I want to even try to decipher that one.

But I did notice one thing during my "Great Word Escape" last night. The MC was screaming while she ran:

Not my name.

Not HELP!

Not "I'm gonna get you my pretty!"

But the single word: NOW.

She screamed it over and over again. I actually woke up with the word on my lips. Okay that is weird. All day I have ran Divulge and Now through my head. What do I divulge? What is the urgency? Why don't I understand?

Have you ever done this? Woke up from a dream and KNOW there is a message, there on the tip of your consciousness it waits for you...

If you were here you would see me ponder a dream that beckons me to act on something...and you would laugh as I walk to the freezer grab an orange TwinPop popsicle, pull back the wrapper and with utter sincerity scream:

NOW... WHAT?

Have a Nonsensical & Terrifical Tuesday...

Monday Memo: The HOOK brought me back around...

2011-04-11T09:43:00.001-05:00

Hook: a device especially in music or writing that catches the attention (Webster's Dictionary)

Because the hook brings you back

I ain't tellin' you no lie

The hook brings you back

On that you can rely

-John Popper, Blues Traveler, HOOK

I found myself this weekend reminiscing with some tunes from my Middle School/Jr. High days, no idea why early 90's was the theme but it was... Blues Traveler popped up on my iPod and I sang "Run Around" at the top of my lungs just before it clicked over to "Hook". Immediately a sense of longing flooded through me. Longing that I had not felt during my two month hiatus from everything writing related. I did not exactly mean to take the break. It just happened. Softball has been in full swing with Duchess Kristin, traveling for the dayjob and well a weird aversion even to reading. The written word, normally so elusive yet so near, had decided to become a mere shadow. Often I opened the computer and read blog entries but the urge to write my own was so far down in my system that I could barely even recognize it this weekend. But it emerged - triumphantly as the lyrics to this song played loudly in my kitchen. It swam through my bloodstream and had tears falling down my cheeks.

John Popper was enjoying a satirical view on how no matter what words a singer sings so long as the "hook" is good people will love it & come back to it every time. He also speaks deeply while trying to tell you he isn't - about how in music a hook is what makes the money not the depth of the song. Yet even he while writing such a song could not avoid deep topics. I admit the hook in a song is great, not always the chorus mind you, but that portion that brings it to forefront of your memory. But if you love the song, the hook may not be the only thing that brings you back. The entire song is important to the listener - when you love it, you listen, and when you listen you find meaning just for you. In writing the Hook in your story is often discussed as the first few lines. Those words on page one that suck you in.

A writer cannot depend on a musical background. Sure, playlists are now very popular with books, but how often do you press play on your iPod as you begin reading? The words need to have their own flow, their own rhythm in order to bring you to that moment where you feel like the characters are sitting with you following along on their adventure.

So it was a Hook that had me waking up this morning and wanting to do a Monday Memo. I have a file open that houses my own hook. It is there minimized at the bottom of the screen waiting for me to wake up a couple characters who have been on vacation. To engage in conversation with them and to remember why they continue to bring me back in and hopefully one day soon will suck you in as well to their adventures....

***

Around BloggerVille...

Shannon's Got a Great Giveaway Post...check it out!

Talli has an awesome interview with Kate Lord Brown! What a great sounding read!

One of my favortie Montanians is telling all about what sounds like a great Middle Grade book! Check it out!

Okay the sweetest CP and all around doll Summer has a romance novel cover hottie photo on her blog today...oh yeah and something about character names, maybe...still drooling.

Have a Marvelous Monday!!!

Temporary - a powerful word until it meets Hope...!

2011-02-10T08:03:00.003-06:00

"If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or Fight Like Hell."

-Lance Armstrong

***

I don't think anyone is ever ready for a disease. Any disease. We all know that life is temporary, that our time here is limited. We know that there are things we each have on a list, a list we want to check off, to say we did that we saw this. There are people we want to meet, grandchildren we want to hold and changes in the world we wish to witness. So many of us get to do just that, we live a long, yet temporary, existence and exit the world knowing we did not do it all but we did so much. We all grow up with the belief that we can change the world, own it, find a purpose, develop a path and hope to see all our items checked off.

But there are some of us, some who walk into a cold stark room clutching not only a purse or hand but also grabbing tightly the idea of temporary - the definition of the word that is unique to each and every one of us. It is in those seconds, I am told, that hope feels fleeting - that the air is heavier and that temporary becomes a word much shorter than it began. Hope lingers around the room, dancing along the walls, trying desperately to prove that though its letters are few its strength makes it the most powerful and longest word.

Hope, fighting, belief, strength, faith, love, laughter, family - words that make temporary... immortal. I know that I am blessed - those around me who have fought disease (Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer...) most have won the battles and made their "temporary" more ordinary than most. But there are so many who still need signs that the words of hope, fight, faith, belief and strength to remember that temporary can be longer than we think and that no matter how long it is - each one of us must find the joy in our life that reminds us of why we love our time here.

My sister, Nina, is a Jazzercise instructor. This past year her best friend of 38 was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. She fights every day to make her "temporary" as long as she possibly can - her young son is grateful to those who remind us how wonderful life can be no matter how hard it seems. My coworker, Danny, has a 14 year old son named Cade (his caringbride site is here http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cadeainsworth ). This young man is battling rhabdomyosarcoma - Stage 4 cancer - he is amazing. So young, so strong and so willing to fight for temporary. So many things can change that word, can make it so powerful to each an everyone of us.

That sister of mine, Nina, she is doing a Jazzercise fundraiser for Susan G. Komen Foundations this Sunday - February 13, 2011. I know that asking for charity is often frowned upon, but in this case I am going against etiquette. She is only trying to raise $300.00 - such a small amount that can go to helping so many...if you have a moment and you want to help someone else's temporary time here please visit the below site...donate a $1, $5, whatever you can. Hey - make a note of it and next year around this time remind the IRS that you gave a little to help a lot.

Please click on the following link: Nina's Team Page! Support Susan G Komen!!

You will see a button with Support Nina! that is where you click and it will take you to the donation page! Easy Peasey... ;o)

Please give whatever you can. Every little bit brings hope and we all know how big of an impact that can make...

Have a Whimsical Thursday!

First Line Blogfest...

2011-02-08T10:26:00.004-06:00

The lovely Brenda Drake is hosting this first line blogfest and I am ecstatic! There are so many entries (OVER a 100!!!) that it has taken me forever last night and still today to visit these great opening lines...

Name: Courtney Barr

Title: BOUND

Genre: YA Paranormal/Romance

First Line:

Outsiders never understand.

First Paragraph:

At first glance they see the simple houses, the bustling streets, the neighborly waves and the perfect blue sky. They never look down the alleys or beyond the clapboard homes. They see the young man raking leaves but they don’t see his face. Even if he stops to smile and share a friendly glance they don’t see the truth. The young woman in the diner brings their coffee as they rest from the drive, yet they don’t see her furtive glances and nervous fingers.

Now go, visit all the other wonderful entries at Brenda Drake They are so fun and such a mixture of genres...

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

(for those who have followed my blog prior to today - please note this first page has once before been placed in a blogfest, only now you are viewing the tweaked version - hope you still enjoy!)

Wednesday Wants & Wonders: SNOW

2011-02-02T20:40:00.001-06:00

"I frequently tramped eight or ten miles through the deepest snow to keep an appointment with a beech-tree, or a yellow birch, or an old acquaintance among the pines."

-Henry David Thoreau

***

I am not sure if Thoreau saw a winter like ours this year but if he had I know he would have seen wonder in it not aggravation. I myself have not exactly found wonder with each cold degree on the thermometer but I must say I have found some delight in the unexpected. It is rare that I get to wear sweaters for so long or boots EVERY single day, that I visit somewhere with 6 foot snow drifts, or that I yearn for humidity (yes humidity - only a true crazy southerner wishes for the humidity). Thoreau would have found beauty in the chilled air, cleansing of the snow and how nature is such a wonder. I also think that he would have seen it as a wonderful opportunity for writing. I also like to believe that he would have found humor and delight in some interesting things that we don't often run into. For that I toast him and his appreciation. I will now present this week's Wants & Wonders:

I thought it would be fun to showcase the white fluff in a different way...For those that don't have snow or haven't seen any (bless you) the first Wonder might catch your eye

The SNOW FACTOR SCIENCE LAB!

amazon.com $5.99

DESCRIPTION: This kit is suitable for ages 8+ with adult supervision, but it's also a great project for an intrigued grown-up! This kit allows you to make up your own heap of snow, whatever the weather. Just add water and follow the instructions and it'll only be a few minutes before you've got your own pot of white 'snow', but without the cold. Includes full instructions, mixing tools and non-toxic ingredients.

For those of you completely tired of the white fluff and needing a safe way to vent while also using a practical item (this also might just tickle the recipient as well...) If you are a Bill Watterson fan you will love this:

SUICIDAL SNOWMAN WRAPPING PAPER!

amazon.com $4.95

I love the tanning bed...

Okay for those of us who don't want to step outside but yearn for the good Summer treats...give Snoopy a call:

amazon.com $16.95-$19.99

(I had one of these as a kid rather than an Easy Bake Oven - I'm ALWAYS in the mood for a sno cone!)

Now on the fact that Thoreau would have found time to write, actually that he would have reveled in the setting to write here are some things that might make this wintry mix more pleasant on the writing front:

To keep your mind fresh and your body warm delight in my favorite tea

Nobo Whole Fruit Tea

tealeaves.com $17.95

It is a wonderful sweet berry full bodied flavor & aroma!

Don't forget the French Press amazon.com $17.00

If your story requires you to travel outside, please don't forget the hand warmers or foot warmers: (amazon.com)

Last but not least, for those of us who have problems with our fingers getting cold while at the keyboard here is a little monkey business for your characters....(I want these - SUPER CUTE)

A pair of monkey-shaped USB hand warmers, for when you're typing in the cold or you're a sufferer of chilly hands! (they can get up to 46 degrees in 5 min, have a built in wrist support, and when they reach the temp you can disconnect & still have warm hands!) gadget4all.com $21.00

I hope everyone found something useful today! I know I seriously want those Monkey Hands!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!!

Significant Other Blogfest! Marcus

2011-01-21T08:00:00.004-06:00

Okay guys, one of my amazing CPs, DL Hammons and the always wonderful Talli Roland are hosting a Significant Other Blogfest. Now this is no ordinary Blogfest...no ma'am! This is where our significant others (children, spouse, boyfriend, friends) are able to take over our Blogs today and share their thoughts on living with a writer! I know- what are we thinking? Well my adorable husband is going to be answering some questions and commenting today. His name is Marcus and he is very aware of the Royal Court, so no worries - he aims to please.

Please be sure to check out the other lovely significant others by visiting Mr. Linky

Well I will let him have the floor now...

Hi, I'm Marcus. The Prince. Well I used to be just the most popular Stable Boy in the Kingdom until the Princess finally married me. Of course I had to keep her on the hook for 10 years before we could make it official - got to date a decade I say! I am very excited to be in charge at the Kingdom today. Princess Courtney is quite nervous as to what I may say here, but I aim to surprise her by being brutally honest. So bring on the questions:

1. What food or drink is guaranteed to return your loved one to a good mood, even after a bad day writing?
Drink: Cherry Coke & Root Beer (separately) Food: Sno Cone & Coconut Cake

2. What one thing would you change about your others writing habits? She likes to read me things when football is on the television - I don't know why.

3. How hard is it to sit by and watch someone you care for struggle to attain a dream...knowing there's very little you can do to help? Courtney does not have that problem. She is always creating, if a story line has her stumped she gets up and cleans, redecorates, cooks, something! Her creative juices are always flowing.

4. How do you feel about being used as a "prop" for character study? Used. Vulnerable. Violated. Dirty.*insert snicker here*

5. What is it like to live every day with someone who writes? Its very freeing for me. She really gets in a groove sometimes and it allows me to get away with a few things. I get to play PS3 for hours, watch football, relax, but also know that I am there if she needs my advice or to bounce ideas off of.

6. What is your one favorite thing about living with a writer? The input. There is something very special about having someone ask you to take part in their creation. To know that they value your opinion so much about something as personal as their story. It is pretty awesome. Besides the conversations are hilarious when dining out - "He cheated! No, don't let him cheat, he's a murderer!" You should see neighboring tables!

7. How does living with a writer affect "your"dayjob? It's great. I have a personal spell check just a phone call away!

8. When you first started realizing that writing was going to be a big part of your relationship were you open to it or did you think it just a silly hobby? I was very open to it. When are we signing the papers for movie rights? :) Truthfully, I don't doubt Courtney doing anything. She will be exactly who she wants to be and writing has been a part of her long before I came along. It is one of the reasons I love her.

Okay, thanks for letting me on here today. I enjoyed this. Now - um you all do know that there is some football this weekend so I better get off of this thing so she can get to writing. Oh and thank you all, she talks all the time about each of you and I feel like I know you. It really makes me smile to see her getting to know such great people. Our Kingdom really loves all its Court and really enjoys that you all let us share this journey with you. Have a good weekend.

Wednesday Wants & Wonders..

2011-01-19T11:39:00.001-06:00

Samantha: "Carrie, honey if it hurts so much why are we going shopping?"

Carrie: "I have a broken toe, not a broken spirit!"

-Sex & the City

***

Okay, Wednesday is going to shift themes a bit...I plan to do Wednesday Wants & Wonders. Don't worry the other days will still be focused on Writing this just will help break up the monotony of the week! A Blog day about things out there that writers might want/need/desire, etc. or sometimes just the odd items found in the retail world but also focus on the Wonders. Now I am using Wonders vaguely so that it can be a completely open idea. What is a wonder to me may not be to you and vice versa. So really who knows what could appear on Wednesdays but with it being the middle of the week, sometimes a little retail therapy can help with weekly doldrums... dontcha' think? ;o)

But FIRST I need to recap Birthday Week Shopping:

There is a possibility that you all know I celebrate Birthday Week (7 days of Birthday Bliss - no chores, all choices). Well it just so happens the lovely and beautiful Kristin turned 17 two days after my birthday, needless to say "Marcus needed your prayers." ;o)

Oh the shopping trip - A wonderful day spent with my mom! I look forward to seeing her every time I get the chance, throw in food & shopping and Watch Out!

As for the shopping: I went knowing EXACTLY the color purse I wanted but discovered something else and love it!:

L.O.V.E.

I have never had a printed purse like this (I know!) but for some reason this one spoke to me.

Oh Michael Kors...how I love you - this is beyond perfect for traveling.

Then there was the lovely cake selection. I first wanted polka dots...then I saw a cake similar to my final selection...and oh mama! Check out this beauty:

Even Peanut is amazed!

Then there is the discovery of something I did not even realize I wanted or needed...

My darling hubby sent these as a surprise...46 gorgeous petite roses. They are stunning! The week was also full of wonderful dinners, great movies, AWESOME PRESENTS!!! I have a necklace, some DVD's, gift cards...I mean my hubby knows me too well!!!

Now for the Wonders:

Okay Amazon, now I know you have everything but who would ever expect this -

Bacon scented car fresheners....yeah...I'm at a loss.

Then when you really just want to complete your breakfast ensemble, that cholesterol induced high stress episode or when that character in your story has REALLY made you angry you can enjoy this eggy wonder:

SMASH IT EGG YOLK STRESS RELIEF SPLATTER TOY!!

Well I cannot say I want it but I do Wonder about the creators...

Now this I DO want:

One of my amazing CPs has something akin to this and it is awesome!

LiveScribe Pen - AWESOME!! Check out the website! If you are interviewing sources then this pen would do wonders for you! Livescribe.com

I WANT THIS!!!! Would love it for home & the office!

The iHome version is on sale for $28.92 on Amazon

Oh and this is so cool!! Last but not least:

The Conceal Bookshelf!

Amazon.com - I am buying one of these! Only 14.95$

How about you? Have you discovered any odd & wonderful items lately?

Have a WONDERful Wednesday!

Monday Memos: Martha Washington

2011-01-18T12:24:00.003-06:00

"Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle, and the dance...is a celebration of that miracle."

-Martha Washington

***

It is quite normal for me to find myself in our kitchen singing along to music streaming from a local station.

I sing loudly and enjoy the feeling of the words bursting from within. They flow out and around me, forcing a smile, making me laugh or commanding a tear. My voice is not one you might hear on the radio or even on the stage. The melodies have me spinning in place, sometimes flinging cake batter or dropping a spoon in the process. Peanut, my precious dog who is always under foot, will stand on his back legs and "dance" around me. Marcus will more than often wander in, sing along and sweep me into a quick step or a slow turn. Our bodies do not move with the precision of a ballerina or the quickness of a contemporary dancer. Yet we dance often in our home, we sing more than most people would probably like, we create silly songs to familiar beats and we laugh - loudly.

Those words that come from the radio, those painstaking lyrics flying so simply with that beautiful melody are someone's dream. They are a piece of someone's vision. I dance in my kitchen surrounded by magic when the radio plays. I am celebrating a miracle with every awkward spin or silly dip.

Normally while whatever I was cooking is finishing up I wander into the living room and sit on the couch or a favorite chair and read a magazine or book. My mind imagines the characters or family faces, it enjoys the newest adventure or revisiting the old one. I might wander to my own work and continue the painstaking process of revision or creation. Again, I am seeing a dream. I am surrounded by magic when those pages turn and the images burn into my mind. I am celebrating a miracle with every sentence...with every phrase.

At night I often dream of the stories I read or write, of the memories a song reminds me of or the activities of the day. These type of things stay with me.

Take a few tidbits about Martha Washington, she not only followed her husband into battle to aid the troops and support the man she loved; she stepped into a miracle. She surrounded herself with the magic of perseverance and faith. Those men were painstakingly fighting for freedom, for a dream of a nation. Battle is brutal, friends are lost, friends are made, enemies are destroyed and families are missed. The smallest things in life are thought of as comfort. She is said to have led the men many nights in song or story, where each sitting together must share. Men said that those nights of words and melodies made a difference...yes words and melodies - their magic is like no other.

Think of the magic of the pen, the finger, the pencil...also comparatively small, upon which your dreams rest, the weight of that is immeasurable. It is also a miracle, and the words that you share? They are a celebration of that miracle...who knows where they will pop up: a kitchen, a living room, a battlefield....what a way to share a dream...

Happy Happy Tuesday!

(It's a Monday Memo, but we all celebrated another type of Dream yesterday ;o) )

Something Beautiful...

2011-01-03T09:32:00.002-06:00

I awoke with a start this morning. The alarm clock blaring its call of daylight had me swinging my arm into the darkness. I turn to glance at the clock; as usual I am not surprised that the wretched noise is right on schedule, I don't know why I tend to hope the clock somehow got it wrong and I still have hours to sleep. That only happens in dreams. I cannot stop the grunt that escapes my lips.

***

January 3rd my calendar shows me....2011. My eyes want to blink it back to sometime before, anytime before. The new year has come. It is not waiting patiently for midnight to release the chimes, to drop the ball, to welcome the new beginning. No, the day of celebratory drinking, kissing strangers at the stroke of 12, singing loudly amongst people you may never see again, it is now in the past. As are the things I did not do, the time wasted...A chill falls over me as my wet hair clings to my forehead, I must get dressed and go back to work....another thing telling me the new year is here...2011.

***

A fast, fun beat fills my car as I travel the familiar road to work. My voice lifts on a chorus

Hey now, this is my desire,

Consume me like a fire, 'cause I just want something beautiful

To touch me, I know that I'm in reach

'Cause I am down on my knees, I'm waiting for something beautiful...

Oh, oh, oh something beautiful.

I cannot contain the grinning... yes 2011 is here, we are all waiting...hopefully we are all in reach...at that moment I think of the blaring alarm clock, the want to sleep later and the chill of the morning air...how silly I can be..

Yes, 2011, I am always going to think about the speed the previous year traveled, the opportunities squandered by not having enough belief in myself, the people I was unable to see, the traveling I was unable to do...

It is not what we were unable to do that we should waste time on, it is not the sorrow of moments missed... it is the waiting...the expectation... the anticipation of something beautiful in the new year; for it will come, we will discover new things, make new goals, and if I am lucky, I will glare at the alarm clock next year, feel the stinging cold on my cheeks, sing as loud as I can and reminisce with the same smile on my face...

Welcome 2011, you are already something beautiful....

A Christmas List for All...

2010-12-07T09:32:00.000-06:00

Christmas gift suggestions:

To your enemy, forgiveness

To an opponent, tolerance

To a friend, your heart

To a customer, service

To all, charity

To every child, a good example

To yourself,...respect.

-Oren Arnold

***

December 7, 2010.

The list seems daunting. So many things that in the moment we hesitate.

Forgive an enemy? But they are the enemy....
A good example? How do I do this and know that it is enough to make the child notice?....
Tolerance to the one I am competing with...yeah those snarky comments about their slowness/lack probably is not tolerance...
A friend my heart? Don't I do that, don't I always lend an ear....or do I?...
A customer? I am friendly and try my best to work with my business associates in a serviceable manner - is it enough?
Charity...for all? Did I ignore the bell and walk on in, hurrying out of the cold? Did I let the door slam on the couple as they entered the store?
Respect...for me. For the one person who must look at the list and take in all its tasks, place them within my heartstrings and become better with each item...yes...respect:
for the little girl in me who still stands amazed at the dazzling Christmas lights...
for the teenage girl in me whose heart beats faster every time her beau holds her hand...
for the young woman in me who marvels at the places in her life she has seen and excites at those to come...
for the person I am who is a work in progress, a person who knows that every day she must accept her flaws and love them all the same, make decisions to be proud of and learn to accept the things we cannot change with dignity...

Yes, a list. A Christmas list that should last the whole year through. It may appear to be daunting, you may wonder whether or not you have checked it twice; but the most important part of all is that you acknowledge the list.

Memorize it.

I have many lists...this is merely one. Small and simple, easy to remember but quite possibly the hardest to complete - therefore my most important.

Happy Christmas, Happy Holidays...Happy Lists!

Monday Memos: ROYAL PROCLAMATION: BONUS EDITION - TAMARA HART HEINER!!!

2010-11-29T08:48:00.009-06:00

OMG! Have you seen this yet?

Have you bought this yet? Is it on your shelf? Have you downloaded the ebook? Are you reading it right now? NO? WELL WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR...Oh, wait, some of you have not heard about it yet...well step into the Courtyard and lend me an ear...er...eye... ;o)

The Kingdom would like to welcome Tamara Hart Heiner to its lovely garden. (Isn't she just darl'n?) PERILOUS (released November 16, 2010 by WiDo Publishing)

Amazon's snippet: Jaci Rivera has plans for her sophomore year: go to regionals with the track team, make the honor roll, and eat too much pizza with her best friends, Callie and Sara. Her biggest concern is Amanda, the pushy girl who moved in a few months ago.What she doesn't plan for is catching a robber red-handed, or being kidnapped. The desperate thief drags her and her friends 2,000 miles across the Canadian border. They escape from his lair, only to find that he has spies and agents watching their path home, waiting to intercept them and take them back.Then Jaci finds something out about her family. Something which irrevocably connects her to their kidnapper, and makes her question their chances of escape.
Are you still with us or did you already grab your keys and head for the nearest bookstore? Still here? Good.

I was not sure what I was going to encounter when I was privileged to read this book before it hit the shelves. My reading selections are in no way predictable and Perilous fell right between finishing up a sci-fi fantasy and beginning a young adult paranormal romance. From the first few pages I was hooked. Jaci and her friends are much like the teens that I encounter with my own nieces. Their verbage and banter is believable in a way that sucks you back into days of your own youth. As you are introduced to the family you find a deeper tone. There are layers here that do not disappoint.

Tamara was able to weave a tale that at once excites and terrifies the reader. It could happen any time, anywhere, to anyone. The fact that it is teenage girls in situations that parents NEVER want to even imagine breathes life into the story - because it COULD happen and sadly as the news proclaims; it does.

I happily handed my own 16 year old niece this book and she gobbled it up in a day. After discussing the action, the twists, the turns, the surprises we discussed the dynamics of the girls. A chord that rang loudly is strength & perseverance. The friends discover a strength that pulls them through the trauma and propels them toward safer ground.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and happily flew through it in an evening. It is a quick read that takes the reader on an emotional journey, desperately wanting all clues, all secrets, all puzzle pieces tied up neatly by the final page...does it deliver that perfectly wrapped ending?...you'll have to find out.... ;o)

In case you are still too curious to slip out into the chill and head to the store, perhaps this link will provide something that will get you moving...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-Tq3Rrj7uI

Well have I whet your appetite? Are you at the door, one eye on the screen reading this - the other on the doorknob ready to break free to the bookstore? Don't close those fingers around the knob just yet...there might be a few ways to snuggle up with Perilous...

The wonderful & sweet Tamara is hosting the following, awesome, amazing contests:

Any person who comments on any post during the blog tour will be entered into
a random drawing for a book. Which she can autograph, if you want. The
contest ends on Dec. 15.

Kindle giveaway: This contest is point-based and ends
Dec. 15. Whoever has the most points wins the Kindle. There will only be
one Kindle given away. Here are the points:
1 point: blog comment (can comment on all the blogs, multiple times, on
the tour)
1 point: follow my blog (http://tamarahartheiner.blogspot.com/)
1 point: retweet
2 points: blog about the blog tour
5 points: purchase the book (ebook or paperback, must email me the
confirmation email) if they actually buy the book in the store they can
mail me a copy of the receipt.
Add up all your points as well as your proof (links, etc) and
email it to Tamara at the end of the blog tour (tamara at tamarahartheiner dot
com)
People can earn an infinite number of points!

In addition to her contest, I also have purchased a copy of Perilous to place in someone's stocking! Yep so um that is like so many things to win, to enter..to tabulate (thank goodness Tamara must be good at math..;o) ) For my contest all you have to do is share this review (blog/Tweet/scream it out the window/skywrite it/whatever) this review and place a comment HERE on this post of how you did it! I will be using the honor system and on December 8 (hubby's birthday) will announce the randomly drawn winner! So go, get, spread the word and enjoy this edge of your seat debut!

HAVE A MARVELOUS MONDAY!!!

p.s there is a sequel... I know...I want it now too! ;o)

Feeling like a gopher...

2010-11-23T08:46:00.005-06:00

Good Tuesday before Turkey Day everyone!

I feel like a gopher peeking out to see what's going on in the land above. These last few weeks have been C-R-A-Z-Y! Seriously.

NaNo, holiday preparations...family...friends...teenagers...is it possible to find a nice ruby red candy apple, a coconut & peach sno cone and a chocolate iced yellow cake anywhere all at once? If so, PUHLEASE draw me a map! Those are the foods I am craving while writing, working & wondering about my To Do list!

BUT! I decided to poke my head out of the ground for 3 reasons:

1. My hair is beginning to take on a life of its own and sunshine might be necessary for its survival.

2. It's almost Turkey Day & well I am getting antsy for the family time & wonderful foods.

3. For a Royal Decree. Yep you read it right a Royal Decree!...

On MONDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2010 be sure to wander by the Kingdom...as you recuperate from Black Friday madness and read about a wonderful writer, blogger & person:

TAMARA HART HEINER!

Oh yeah she's gonna be here - yep right here, on the steps of the Southern Tower, speaking to the masses and telling all about a tale that you DO NOT WANT TO MISS!!! If you don't know who she is then you are in for a real treat!

So please stop by, learn about a wonderful new book, a great author, watch a video and enter to win!

Now I must crawl back down the hole, my poor hair...all this dirt and such...ah well the characters need me... (at least I tell them they do ;o) )

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK EVERYONE!!

10 days in...Can you feel your fingertips?

2010-11-10T12:48:00.004-06:00

"Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish..."

-John Jakes

***

My fingertips are beginning to rub the letters from the keys, to know the words before my mind even processes the scene, they are moving quickly then finding a slow ease to the lines that appear on the screen above them. They stretch languidly as my eyes dance along the pages...my heart speeds up as excitement turns to thrilling anticipation of the next paragraph.

My eyes dart to the clock and realize that I have to pause, to calm my heart and attend to the dayjob. I check the wordcount and smile. I have met my daily goal. I realize that I have not updated the site and chastise myself...but wait...the site is there to help me remain disciplined, to remind me of why this magical month is so wonderful, I know that updating is good but what is important is the words on the screen...the flow of the story...the discovery of the character and the passion that pours through the worn keys from heart, head & fingers....yes...I wink at the screen, sharing secrets and suppressing a smile. It is me on the screen, a part of me that knows danger, thrills at adventure, fears the unknown, loves with all its soul and defies the laws of nature...

My mind flickers to thoughts of you, dear Royal Court, and I frown. You are not forgotten, not put aside due to dayjobs, family time, or even lack of internet - you are actually my support group, my silent section of the stadium that waits patiently for the scoring drive, your faces are beautiful, your words are my comfort. I look forward to your posts even if I must visit while being invisible, must read quickly and take in your sage advice and humorous anecdotes.

Good Wednesday everyone...

it is 10 days into NaNoWriMo...

my fingertips are still tingling from the sheer joy of this month...

How are yours doing?

Monday Memos - Da Vinci...NaNo...Art...

2010-10-18T10:23:00.002-05:00

"Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art..."

Leonardo da Vinci

***

My fingers have been hovering lately...not touching the keys nearly as much yet itching to feel the smooth motion as they press against the base. Twitching when they must only use the action for dayjob searches and nighttime vehicular research. They seemed to sing last week as I discovered the new car and quickly pressed print. They held the paper, featherlight between the tips and could feel my excitement.

.....

They curled around the steering wheel and flexed as my toes pressed the new gas pedal. They fluttered as I waved to my niece; she now enjoys my old Jeep as her own...My fingers tapped against the wheel, a motion so natural that I almost do not notice it. Glancing at their dark nail polish I cannot contain the sigh....for the first time in weeks they can sense the freedom again. A surge of excitement rolls through my mind and out through their ends; the electrical sensation is more than I can handle. I must now give in and let them reunite with their artistic lover.

.....

Once home I climb the stairs, tossing my keys on the table - their loud clang against the marble does not cause me to pause; I continue to the bedroom. Placing the laptop onto my knees evokes a broad grin. I lift the lid as I have for weeks but in this moment I feel the difference - there are no searches for vehicles to feel out, no histories to find about owners & mileage; there is only the never ending abilities of a white background, a black font, and my own mind as it guides the fingers that so desperately yearn for contentment.

.....

It is late, my eyes blur from the black on white beauty before them. The fingers are still able to continue, but they must accept that rest will aide in their quest. Smiling I select the blue disk icon and save my work...yes my work...it is work that we call it, yet it is art in the end...appreciated by those who will love it for all its flaws and imperfections - hated by those who find disconnect with its subject...for me it is the result of a spirit in waiting, of fingers who needed to flex and find their groove and a heart that has been absent from their tasks....

.....

NaNoWriMo is around the corner.....my fingers know it...they ache for it and I smile knowing that I will give them the pleasure of 30 blissful days to work on their art...

What about you? Have you signed up?

friend me if you'd like: southrnprincess

***

Have you heard about Nightshade by Andrea Cremer? If not you need to, I was blessed to get a very early copy & let me tell you - I LOVE IT! It releases tomorrow!Andrea has a blog - follow it!

PJ Hoover is having a wonderful contest about her Forgotten Worlds Trilogy - you should definitely enter - these books are wonderful!

Janette Rallison makes you think golf balls, danger & the wonderful protection of writing without an audience...

Shannon M. is giving away a copy of the Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan...yep...wait are you still here? Go enter!

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Why do you judge me?

2010-10-01T12:43:00.004-05:00

"Why do you judge me?" they ask softly "Did I do something to offend you? Did I not tell it correctly? Was I out of line? Does it matter that I am not widely accepted but there are a few who appreciate me? Are those few out of line for loving me? Who is to say whether they cherish or hate me?"

Their questions are all at once.

Their voices are tones of all dialects, all worlds, all times, all nations, all vernacular.

They speak with earnest and wish only to be heard.

They understand that not everyone will like them all, that more than likely only a few will love them.

Their lives are determined by a select few and they understand the prejudice of those few - in fact they support their right to have an opinion.

They only wish the few allowed everyone else to make their own choices - for within their voices we can discover great things about ourselves, about life, and about dreams...

"Curiosity is not a sin...But we should exercise caution with our curiosity...yes indeed." Albus Dumbledore - Harry Potter & The Goblet of Fire -the amazing JK Rowling.

"Language is man's way of communicating with his fellow man and it is language alone that separates him from the lower animals." - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - the beautiful Maya Angelou

Suddenly two coiled arms of twisting hair shot out of Wedgie Woman's head and grabbed George and Harold by the back of their underwear, yanking them high into the air.

"You know," said George "this isn't as funny as I thought it would be."

-Captain Underpants - the hilarious Dav Pilkey

"You know when you see a gorgeous boy on the street and you say to your friend, "Look at him!" and then your friend makes a face like, ugly? We all have such totally varied tastes that someone is going to look at you and think, yum-yum dee-lish, no matter what you think you look like. You just have to learn to see what they see." - Because I'm Worth It - Gossip Girl - the witty & utterly hip Cecily von Ziegesar

"Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. I just told my mother I want a bra. Please help me grow God. You know where. I want to be like everyone else." - Are you there God? It's me, Margaret. - the honest & unfiltered at any age Judy Blume.

"Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter - tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther....And then one fine morning --

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." - The Great Gatsby - the moving and melancholy tones of F. Scott Fitzgerald

"It was that kind of a crazy afternoon, terrifically cold, and no sun out or anything and you felt like you were disappearing every time you crossed a road." - The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

Make them more popular by putting them on a list - making them forbidden and ever so tempting.

Yes, judge them - we won't judge you for the list.

Because a list is just words & who better than the reader or writer understands words? That as a list they are just...a column of opinion...we have the freedom to look at the list, to ignore it, to accept it, to follow it and to laugh at it...

We educate ourselves in order to know that hidden within the list are lessons..that those of us who laugh at the list AND those of us who support it should always remember..

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

-To Kill A Mockingbird - the ever reclusive yet embraced Harper Lee

Pick that last one up sometime, banned/schmanned - its worth the time and the consideration to forget that its banned....

Happy Banned Books Week

For the list & more information about Banned Books Week

click Here

Oh the awesome and fun you may discover! Have a Fun Filled Friday!

A girl with red hair & love that shines through the ages...

2010-09-21T14:14:00.001-05:00

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware."

-Martin Buber

***

Well, hello everyone! *shakes head with a smile & waves* Have we all been enjoying the ending of summer and getting ready for those Fall colors that mimic the summer sun? I have been...at least I think I have. :o)

My dayjob has sent me to a few locations lately that have hindered my time visiting many of you except through Google Reader. This makes me sad but also appreciate the ease of Google Reader - though not being able to comment is a real bust!

I am again getting back into the swing of things and have discovered the above quote while flipping through a magazine. I laughed when I read it, could not help it. You see lately I have seen some crazy airports, met some unique people, shopped incessantly for a car, discovered a love for feta & red pepper mashed potatoes, decided Chicago has the BEST popcorn, found Mt. Washington in PA to be one of the most scenic cityscape viewing ever, enjoyed Maryland crab cakes, pontificated over the number of rude store clerks, shopped some amazing stores and fell exhausted many nights in some wonderful hotels...all due to the dayjob. Each trip, each location is technically where I am supposed to go. But it's the roads that I take sporadically in each town, the little eateries that have me whipping the rental around and popping in for a bite, the store windows with their items glowing - pulling me in, the airport travelers, the hidden bookstores and the discovery of a new story that make this quote perfect for me.

I am always amazed at the wonderful surprises that await me when I travel. Those little gems that you take home and ponder over: the young woman with light red hair that fell in waves down her back. She wore dark black tights, tall boots and a striped dolman sweater. Her eyes were red from tears and her hand shook slightly as she sat beside me in Chicago. I did not speak for she seemed to be trying to fold into the chair, to disappear from the strangers around her. She could not have been older than twenty. From the corner of my eye I worried for her. Hoping that whatever was wrong/sad/disturbing would not plague her as she continued her journey. She carried only a purse and held an iPod tightly between her fingers.

Then in Baltimore I watched an older couple, a man no younger than seventy and a wife the same walk hand in hand down the skyway. He held her purse as she entered a restroom and I enjoyed the simple gesture with sheer pleasure. We smiled to one another across the way and later as I stood near a monitor he was there again, she stood beside him reading the scrolling flight times. Slipping another smile towards him he began to speak. "You have a lovely smile my dear. It is so rare to see young people really smile anymore." Grinning I thanked him, told him I thought it kind that he still held his wife's purse and even more wonderful that they held hands. He made a light joke that they would both get lost if they did not and we shared a laugh. I turned to see my gate and wished them a safe flight.

Random encounters give us so much to think about. I felt sadness and a deep need to want to help the young girl, but allowed her the space she seemed to crave. The couple had me tearing up and thinking how wonderful it is to have someone who already will hold my purse and my hand whenever I need it. Those secret destinations that I discovered along Blvd of the Allies, Grandview Ave, Clark Street, Charles Street and along William Penn Highway/US -22 are wonderful, memorable and worth the time; but it is the vision of red hair falling over slim shoulders, head bowed and that of the soft clasp of hands that cling to each other as they pass through the later years of life - those images, those unexpected distractions are what stay burned into my mind and lay upon my heart.

They may become characters in a story I later write, perhaps I will forget about them as time passes... but no matter what, they are dynamic within their own stories and for a moment they captured this traveler's attention completely unaware....

Have a merry Tuesday with a Twist!

P.S.

Oh yeah - just heard about this AWESOME contest: Enter Carol's SPEAK about Banned Books by 9-26-2010

Monday Memos: Car Shopping & Writing...

2010-08-30T13:02:00.001-05:00

"If you've never bought a car, you don't know anything about maintaining a car. Young buyers don't figure out how much the car is going to cost them the whole year..."

-Jeff Oseroff

***

Car shopping is a lot of fun...when you can window shop & dream about owning the vehicle or when your funds are unlimited... Not so much fun when you have a budget you must maintain, a teenager who truly is not sure what she wants - and is still developing exactly what style even appeals to her, a husband who just wants to find a good deal and an insurance company to deal with as well. Now, I'm no saint in this equation - I have my own list of requirements and rules for her first vehicle. Overall its just an experience that is exciting, tiring, fun & overwhelming at times. (By the way - thank you mom & dad for a patience that I am now beginning to truly appreciate)

The big details of all of this are no different than any household big purchase but it is the little conversations that appeal to me the most. Discussing the costs that will go into it and informing a 16 year old she will be responsible for gas and that where it goes/who drives it are details that we are seriously discussing at dinner & while running errands. As maintenance & care becomes more & more the subject of the search I realized this is much like writing a manuscript.

You have an idea, a concept of what you want your end result to be. You are not positive that it will be that exact story but you are pointed in a certain direction. The big details: story arc, main character and genre is much like the body, make & model of a vehicle. But it doesn't stop there - interior colors/textures are like setting/time. The miles per gallon/gas prices are much like the relevance of your story/your want for completion: does it get you from A to B at a cost that will allow you to have extra cash - is the story one that you believe in and are ready to put everything you have into it? The engine is your characters. All those parts, those tiny pieces that get the story running & keep the driver going where they need to go...Such details that we sometimes labor over and other times we just dive right in. For us, we are researching, trying to make smart decisions, safe decisions yet also make it something fun. For me, I am still maintaining - working at getting the interior details & maintaining flow. We just don't always realize how much goes into maintenance. The revising, the changes, the aggravation, the excitement, the stress, the lack of sleep, the joy, the tears...the brake pads, the oil, the gas prices, the balance & rotation, the insurance, the cleaning...

The best part about all of this is that with both cars & writing, sometimes all we need to do is trade in or maybe, just maybe, we only need a fresh coat of paint, a weekend joy ride or an appraisal to remind us that we have a classic on our hands.

We need to be patient and enjoy the fact that over time our value will be retained, even if its only by a select few - we can be proud of the end result and enjoy those Sunday afternoon drives...

***

Hello Monday! How is everyone today?

Do you have to tell yourself to say "no" so that you can focus on writing?Roni Griffin tackles this issue & as a fellow Southern gal, I feel her pain...

So Blaze or Dry Rot? Don't know? well wander over to Book Dreaming..I can promise you Shannon is always blazing!

Frankie met Sara Shepard! Yep - are you a Pretty Little Liars fan? If not, well shame on you - the books rock and the show is fun! Scoot over to her blog and you just might win a signed copy - or don't more chances for me... ;o)

Have a Magical Monday!

Wednesday's Written Word: Delivered

2010-08-25T13:52:00.001-05:00

He looks at me...knowing it has been too long...

My fingers are ready but scared to dive back in...

The words are so few, such tiny scraps of paper...

So terrifying with their unknown letters...

I inhale and release the breath, accepting I must return to the habit...

to the sanctuary of the words...

***

DELIVERED

***

This cannot be happening! Air! I need air...p-pllleeease...air!

The whimper escapes before I can stop it. Inhaling burns my lungs and I wait for the pain to ease before running my hands along the rough wall, frantically searching for an opening. I pound against the wood, ignoring the pain, wanting only to be heard by someone. It has been at least four days since I was placed in the first box and hours since the second.

Splinters pull at my skin with every inch I cover. The wood's tiny spikes scratch my bare legs and back. The cold has long since left body, replaced by the warmth of my own blood scattered across my skin. The journey was rough over the last days and the box had been thrown around. But none of the pain of travel compared to before.

My jaw aches from the lashes. Even if I wanted to speak it would be difficult. My teeth chattered for so long when they first loaded my crate that I bit the edges of my tongue, my cheek and my lips.

Wooden walls encase me; walls so tight that I cannot turn around. Every movement has my body aching. It has been hours since I last heard voices and now it seems they have placed me in another box; only this one appears to be airtight.

Please, God, please if you can hear me...please don't let me die...please...I don't understand.

My hands rest on my knees and I feel a splinter dig into my index finger - the pain is dull, no longer so sharp. Breathing hurts. Every inhale is peppered with a quiet rasp that has begun to grow louder with every passing minute.

Tears flow freely down my cheeks. Sweet salty drops fall against my lips and I taste my own fear. Hope is a fickle mystery that lingers in my mind, skirting along a thin line of sanity. My soul seems to remind me to relax, to wait...so I sit back against the coarse boards.

Closing my eyes I sit still and listen to the crackling rasp of my own breath.

My thoughts are of before, when once I knew the feeling of the safety. I had not known that things could change so quickly. They had come before I could learn the ways of the lost and taken me, stripped me of my belongings and handed me over... to him.

He hates me. I disgust him.

In my heart I believe he fears me but I do not know why. What could a girl of eighteen do to a man of such power? A man who ruled so many.

I anger him. His power tore at my face and hands but I did not weep. He wanted me to cry out, to beg and my soul would not let me. It told me to be patient and to be strong.

Why did I not cry?

It hurt so badly, yet tears would not come. Now they run freely and there is no one here to see them.

A noise in the distance has me jumping, my shoulder scrapes against the wall. Biting my lip from the pain I listen.

Footsteps. I pull my knees close to my chest, the rasps are faster now and the sound coming from my mouth cannot be silenced.

"Which one is she in?" A voice hard and gritty fills my ears.

"The one with the mark - the mark of the stone." The words are spoken in a whisper with a reverence that startles me. "They said she would arrive within the week."

Stone?

The odd shaped mark on my ankle has always resembled a jewel. I have no idea if I was born with it, only that it had been of interest to him.

The footsteps are closer now, I can hear their breathing.

Loud creaking fills my ears as they open the outer box. Light peeks through the slats of wood and I fight the urge to weep.

"I can hear her breathing! She's alive. The Gelders will be so happy!"

The words have me cowering. Who are the Gelders? Dear God, please don't let it be like before. Please.

"How has she survived?" The whispering voice speaks so soft that I almost do not hear it.

The wood shakes as they try to open the box that has surrounded me for days. The panel beside me begins to loosen from the corners and I lean away from it.

Light spills over me as it is removed. I duck my head from the stark white brightness.

"Oh my...what did he - " the question dies on his lips as I slowly try to move. My limbs are sore and cut, my skin is covered in patches of blood. At first I do not think that I can even unfold myself, but I look to see his hand outstretched toward me.

Slowly I reach out for the large hand, feeling the callouses on his upturned palm as our skin meets and sensing the strength within it. I should be scared but a feeling of comfort washes over me at the human touch.

I allow them to pull me out and help me to stand. My nakedness has them blushing but I have learned in a short time that modesty is the least of my worries. The two men look me over as I adjust to the air and the light. Their cheeks are pink as their gaze travels my body but I see the light in their eyes when they find the mark on my ankle. The one who held my hand reaches for a cloak and covers me as his companion hits his knees.

Then he also kneels and bows his head.

In unison they speak and I begin to tremble.

"We bow to you, and promise to serve you. You bear the mark and we are blessed to have been chosen to be your guides."

***

Have a Wacky & Whimsical Wednesday!

To read past Wednesday's Written Words please feel free to use the sidebar menu on the right or visit my Original Works page!

P.S. Scoot over to CJREDWINE's Blog and donate to a worthy cause - one of the most amazing reasons to enter a contest - a family can be made a reality...THE LAST WORD

Monday Memos....Routine vs Life

2010-08-16T13:03:00.000-05:00

The less routine, the more life!

-Amos Bronson Alcott

***

Ahh...here we are again...

that word..

that stinky little 7 letter word that sometimes eclipses the wonders of that 4 letter word.

I don't mean to let it slip in and take over, let it sometimes suck the fun out of a good 4 letter word; but gosh darn it - it can.

It creeps in when I sit down to plan out dinners, when I look at a football schedule and try to decide how to time everything just right; it walks into my bedroom every morning at 7:20 and works diligently to point me in the correct direction...

but alas...those 7 letters are a formidable opponent but the 4 in the opposite corner win out every time:

Routine vs. Life

Who knew that between the little ticks on a daily planner that life can swoop in and create an inky mess or wonderful escape?

Routine can be perfect for one matter and ridiculous for another. We talk of balance, of time management, of school schedules and work shenanigans all the while forgetting that each routine must have life within it...Life wins out, even when the routine seems perfectly patterned for success. That little bump, that hitch in your time management - it isn't exactly a bad thing; actually it is probably just what you needed to remember that Life isn't routine. It is not set in stone within the squares of a DayTimer. It is messy, unforgiving, relentless, exciting, dramatic, tiring, busy, surprising, heroic, fatal, mysterious, romantic, shocking, hilarious, sad and dangerous.

It is all the elements we seek when wandering a bookstore - granted even a book store attempts to control routine, yet we all know that genre divisions can be misleading and often overlap. They segregate the books into genre, theme, author, style - forgetting that if its good, if its worth the time to read it, to enjoy it, to relish it...well, we don't mind which piece of life is in it - so long as the life is there when we turn the page....

So work on your projects, let the hitches come, let the routine slip a little, let the day planner have a blank square...because I promise if you were to flip back through it and think about that day you will remember: not a blank day with no activity but a day full of the routines of life - after all Life always wins... ;o)

***

For me today...my daily match with Life can be found in these blogs as well...

Tina Lynn asks if you also struggle to find a new VOICE...

Dear Lord! I could pass out - James Dashner graciously gives us an update on book 3 in THE MAZE RUNNER trilogy and lets us see a snippet of the SCORCH TRIALS!! I may faint from excitement...

Lola's preaching to my writing choir today and well...my choir needs to be sure to keep showing me their talent...(though telling me appears to be their favorite method) - oh the agony of realizing I tell too much... ;o)

DL has a wonderful post discussing his 'budget' that can in many ways relate to Routine vs Life - those that's and then's we encounter while writing our beloved manuscripts...

Enjoy your Marvelous Monday...I hope its full of Life... ;o)

Monday Memos!

2010-08-09T10:26:00.007-05:00

"The beginning is the most important part of the work.”

-Plato

***

You can find hundreds of blog posts all over the internet that focus on "hooking" your reader. Books are written about how to pull a reader in by using tone, subject, description or just a few words - oh I'm sorry, the right words.

We all search for the right words. What makes me laugh is that we search not only for the words to draw a reader in, but we must work to discover the ones that keep them in our clutches. ;o)

We want them to turn that first page, stay up late, lose sleep because they cannot put it down and fall in love with our characters. These are demands we make of ourselves as we scurry through a manuscript. What we sometimes forget is that we are also the reader during this process. WE need to want to turn the first page, we need to want to stay up late, lose sleep and fall in love with the villains, the heroes and the supporting characters. But for the writer even if the first attempt does not keep us close, don't lose faith or think it a wasted beginning.

Plato is right the beginning is the most important part, what he leaves open to interpretation is "what is the beginning?". For the reader it's that hook on the first few pages...but for the writer it is whatever point the story appears in our mind then fleshes out on paper. Some write from middle to end and end to beginning. Others are traditional and start from page one, some create an outline and fill in as they go. I am a traditionalist for the most part but have found myself waking up to a scene that is at the end of a story itching to be told....they are all beginnings for the writer. They are all our most important part of the work for that story.

We cannot forget that each story is its own beginning as a whole. It is a step, a platform, a direction that we yearn to explore. It is a part of us that must be nurtured. Yes, I know some stories get shelved, they never get printed out, they are barely even a full MS; but can you not see that they too are beginnings...they are the first step or the turning point or the base for something we will begin again later or that will push us to write the MS that changes it all. Yes, beginnings are the most important work. Life is full of beginnings just waiting for us to discover their hook and keep us up late, working our fingers to the bone and loving every single second...

Where do you begin?

***

Around the blogs today!!

Um, are you ready for WRITE ON CON? NO? What? You have to be - it begins tomorrow!!!!!

Wendy Ramer has an adorable post about Justin Bieber - yes, you read that right!

The Literary Lab has a very interesting interview with Murray Dunlap, What would you do if you forgot everything you ever wrote?

Oh & The CONTESTS!!!

Okay, Lola's is awesome - go enter now! Click on the pic in the right sidebar -No other words need be said ;o)

Early info on Miss Snark's August Secret Agent contest!

Rebecca & Naomi: 2 sisters, 2 birthdays, 2 contests, 2 AWESOME GIRLS!

Follow both: Rebecca & Naomi

Carol over at Carol's Prints is giving away 7 ARCS! Yep you read it right 7 ARCS!!! click now it ends 8-15-10

Have a Marvelous Monday!

HIGH DRAMA BLOGFEST!!!

2010-08-07T09:28:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the HIGH DRAMA BLOGFEST hosted by the sweet and wonderful DL Hammons... be sure to wander over to his blog Cruising Altitude and wander through the other entries.
I was a bit unclear as to what constituted High Drama...so if this is not textbook definition I apologize, for me it is dramatic - I hope for you as well ;o)
This is not from a WIP but written specifically for the blogfest...

***

"What does it mean?"

My eyes followed her nervous fingers as she opened the door; the round edges of her nails a stark white against the dingy brass knob. An urge to stop her slammed into my gut.

"It means that things have changed." The voice that spoke did not sound like my own. Gruff tones, low and sad.

What is wrong with you?

"Why? I thought - I thought you...I mean I thought it was getting better."

Her voice isn't gruff. It is soft and sweet, a sound that could soothe away any pain, make you remember things long buried and not care about the things you had done. I wanted to hear her always.

The large wooden door creaked as she pulled it open. Melodic strains of Rachmaninoff glided out and chills ran down my arms. Her question was simple but now I knew the answer would not be - at least not to her.

"It isn't."

I pushed her through and she stumbled to the floor. Her gasp barely registered when I saw him. He stood. Long, lean limbs unfolded as he straightened; dark black hair curled at the nape of his neck. A gray shirt hung loosely on his gangly frame accentuating the snug jeans. High cheekbones, eerie in their structure sat beneath eyes of night - black and terrifying.

She backed up and pressed against me. The ache grew and forcibly I pushed her forward.

"Wait - please..." No longer sweet and soft, her voice a pleading whisper that was more whine than ever.

He was in front of her before she could finish; his movements barely visible as he crossed the room. Long bony fingers curled around her neck.

Her body shook as she tried to turn back to me.

I started to leave. His head snapped up and I froze. He looked from her to me and smiled.

"I see...you know the rules Evan."

Silently I nodded.

"Good." Gravely tones elongated the word and I knew then that yes, it isn't any better. "I apologize Evan, but I do not sense the gift in her."

Before I could say a word his hand twisted and her head fell to the side unnaturally. He released her and I watched the soft peach skin, dark chesnut hair and the brightest light I had ever known collapse onto the floor.

The ache was gone, replaced by an internal scream that can never be freed. My breathing hitched as I stared at her. He cleared his throat and I looked back at him; my body reeling with a hatred I had never known.

"Do better next time Evan." He began to hum along with music, waving a hand in dismissal.

I glanced at her, seeing her eyes stare blindly towards the wall and felt the scream die down replaced by a burning heat.

"Oh, I will sir, I will." Yes things had definitely changed.

***

Have fun today on this Sunny Saturday!

Friday Fun: Tag! You Are It!

2010-08-06T15:13:00.003-05:00

H-E-L-L-O F-R-I-D-A-Y!!!

(Wacko's Hellllooooo Nurse! is stuck in my head today)

So Shannon over at Book Dreaming decided to pay me a visit this morning. Yep, she popped over to this here lil' Royal setting and told me I was tagged...now before I hyperventilated with worry as to what on earth she had tagged me for I grinned. Not just any grin, but a big one.

You see I have been a bit chaotic and busy lately. Not able to post as regularly, have missed my Wednesday writings and well am just now beginning to slow down even the tiniest bit. To some it might appear that my slow down and their slow down are TOTALLY different definitions, but I promise it really is beginning to be a little more laid back at the Castle. What had me smiling was the comments from Monday's post. There wasn't just one, but 9. Nine comments. Each one sweet, sincere and genuinely glad to have visited. I had not yet posted my own comment to everyone else and well I just wanted to say Hello & Thank you. You have all been so supportive during these adjustments for our Kingdom and have visited here each time I have posted. For that I am forever grateful. We all go on soapboxes every now and then about the wonderful community of writers, book bloggers & authors that we frequent, I often chime in and this time I just want to express the simple appreciation for y'all letting this Southern Princess prance around & feel so welcome. I hope that I am able to return the love in every way possible.

Now on to the tagging:

This is the one where you have to write the following list of items in your own handwriting and then post a pic of it here. I had to split mine up because my cell phone won't hold the whole thing legibly...so here goes...The instructions are to write the following items:
1. Name/Blog Name.

2. Right handed, left handed or both?

3. Favorite letters to write?

4. Least favorite letters to write?

5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

6. Write in caps:CRABHUMORKALEIDOSCOPEPAJAMASGAZILLION

7. Favorite song lyrics?

8. Tag 7 people.

9. Any special note or drawing?

Okay so the ones who are now tagged:

if you cannot decipher on the photo here they lovelies are again...(if you have already done this one, please just divert your post to the link) ;o)

Jemi @ Just Jemi

Lola Sharp @ Sharp Pen/Dull Sword

DL Hammons @ Cruising Altitude

Karen Amanda Hooper @ Eternal Moonshine of a Daydreaming Mind

Frankie Mallis @ Frankie Writes

Talli @ Talli Roland

Summer @ ...and this time concentrate

Okay, whew! Well that was fun! I hope you all enjoyed this odd look into my handwriting!
Have a wonderful weekend and be sure to check out DL's Fantabulous HIGH DRAMA BLOGFEST tomorrow..should be a great one!

Also be sure to check out Lola's AWESOME Whatever Lola Wants or her Back from Maine Contest!!!!

*I should add one disclaimer...um I change my signature about every 3 months, so the way I write my name can be different at a moment's notice.

Monday Memos...First Focus...

2010-08-02T14:14:00.002-05:00

"It's not what's happening to you now or what has happened in your past that determines who you become. Rather, it's your decisions about what to focus on, what things mean to you, and what you're going to do about them that will determine your ultimate destiny."

-Anthony Robbins

***

Focus is a big word right now in our house. We have come to discover that within those five letters lie a host of directions. By now most of you have seen the post(s) regarding our newest family member Kristin, have seen that we have been vacationing last week and that my blog has been more sporadic than ever before - well it has not been purposeful and I realized that I had let my focus stretch out. There are moments where I focus on one schedule, then another, then another until I am such a mess that you cannot even consider my thoughts to be collective!

We sometimes do this when we are writing. We begin at one point and plot through our story then we find a hole/a change that we jump to examine. We adjust, we make note then shift back to where we were; only to discover something else that might need tweaking. We tell ourselves to wait until it is complete, when revisions should be the focus but it is hard. The characters are everywhere, the details are forming and we feel the draft is beginning to take the shape of a large building. The hardest part is when the draft/building begins to show early wear & tear. The sides are bulging, the floors are becoming dingy, there are way too many pink flamingos on the lawn and the windows are not only open but missing in some rooms. Often we lose hope and the drive to refurbish or sometimes we continue to add elements that truly make an ostentatious, over done, extravagant & cheeky place that really needs to be bulldozed!

That is not the way to utilize focus. Anthony Robbins is right-Its where you place your focus that determines where you will end up. Those decisions to add TOO much or revise TOO soon, well it normally means you will be working on that draft for MUCH longer than you expected; cull the parts that need to go, kill the character that needs to die, change the setting, end the story - all actions that determine your draft's destiny. Yes, yes, there are agents & publishers to woo and seduce but before that, before the great announcement there must be what I now call First Focus.

Don't worry I am in First Focus myself and trying desperately to not have the tackiest house on the block. I have discovered that focus is not always easy, that distractions are not always simple to push aside and that learning from my mistakes is still a work in progress. But no matter what I must remember to Focus. That with the proper First Focus I will hopefully be ready to have that curb appeal we all seek. Though a few flamingos can be cute...can't they?? (just lie and say yes ;o) )

So how are all of you? Are you aware that you need to slow down and maybe refocus in order to find the right direction?

***

A few announcements...

Rebecca asks if you have a System?

Jamie over at Writer's write, right? is hosting a FIRST GIVEAWAY... - be sure to check in on 8/9 for more details!

Oh yeah...there is a winner...one for a prize pack of Harper Lee goodness...

THE WINNER OF:

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill A Mockingbird featuring Gregory Peck DVD

Surprise from the Monroeville, Alabama Heritage Museum

is....

LIZA

Now Liza did not leave an email in her comment and I laughed out loud when her name popped up especially since her comment was this:

"How did I miss this last week...one of my all time favorite books? So, old follower...6 little points for me. I won't win, but may get out my yellowing, thumb-eared copy and give it another read. Thanks for reminding me that it is time."

So Liza I am going to try to track you down!

If I cannot find you by Wednesday, 8-4-2010 I will have to draw another name, so please if you read this send me an email!

Don't despair, I have another contest coming up...yep a good one since I am dancing around 300 followers... so look out for that post coming up... ;o)

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Greetings from... A Royal Departure...

2010-07-30T20:13:00.001-05:00

"Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air..."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson
***

All adventures seem to find their way to a conclusion. Yet it is in the final moments that we reflect on the events and marvel at their surreality. The steps that took us to the final scene, the moments that captured our breath and left us wanton; those glimpses of magic that remind us of all that fascinates and the surge of pleasure we get when we realize how amazing this life is.

Our Royal Adventure to the Gulf Coast has been truly an adventure. We came hoping to find a fun and fantastic vacation and leave with the child like exhaustion of a day in the sun. We are tired, we are tan, we are moving a bit more slowly, reacting with a bit more snark and grudgingly collecting all our goodies before the long drive home. Yet with every single damp towel, sand crusted flip flop, empty suntan bottle and over stuffed suitcase - we pack up a week's worth of smiles, a lifetime's worth of memories and the pleasurable feeling of returning to normal life knowing that we just spent 8 days having a blast with close family....we also know it will be around 2 -3 years before we do this again so we breath a little easier.

I have enjoyed this week and all its activities, waking each morning at 6 a.m (my dog decided to try a new time schedule...WHILE ON VACATION! ;o) ), wandering the sandy shores & wading in the water collecting seashells until after 9:30 a.m., then gathering together to discuss the day's options. So many of us, so many places to go, things to see and pictures to take. We are a big group and getting around restaurants, movie theaters and the swimming pool can be overwhelming but we do it and we love it. Yes, there are occasional snide moods and snarky teenagers, whining young ones and grumpy adults but the in between, the up & around, the middle moments are when we shine. I am thankful to have a wonderful family. One that likes to have me around and welcomes me with open arms.

We missed those that had to leave early and there were a few who were unable to attend at all due to uncontrollable injuries (yep a broken arm and foot fracture was not the worst that struck our family but that is another story - one that today has high hopes for a good recovery in the next months). We are all at such different points in our lives. We move in so many directions that often a printed map would definitely help us keep up if not get us to where we should be. It is trips like this one, full of laughter & excitement that finds the checkered flag on our personal GPS systems. It allows a win that we were not expecting, that feeling of contentment similar to winning a prize and wanting to display it on the shelf.

So here..my prize, my trophy is to sit upon this blogging shelf and shine for me to remember and for you to enjoy...

Kristin & Me driving up and down Front Beach (don't worry we are at a stoplight) ;o)

Me & My sister Nina!My niece Anna hula hooping at J Michael's restaurant - you can barely see the hula hoop spinnng around her..

Broken arm and all...texting is still the utmost important thing to a 16 year old..

Kristin in the Hot Seat at Ripley's - one handed she made it to 3000 points, not too shabby...

Watching the dolphins play...

Kristin & me on the dolphin cruise...

The "Spearhead" my sister stepped on while shellseeking...she is adamant about it being a giant arrowhead or spearhead. I must say the shape is definitely interesting as is a mark at its base that resembles an indention of where a post may have been..either way it is her treasure...

A snippet of the shells collected each morning...

A few of my favorites..

So there you have it...my trophies, my lovelies, my memories...treat them well and I hope you enjoyed perusing our Royal Ramblings...

Have a Fantastic Friday & Wonderful Weekend...check in on Monday for the return of Monday Memos & the winner of the Harper Lee Prize Package..

Greetings...from a Royal Adventure....

2010-07-27T22:26:00.008-05:00

So here we are... Tuesday...day 4. The kids are happily swimming in the pool, my brother & girlfriend are walking the sand dunes, my sister is laying on the bed, Kristin is beside me watching Lopez and well I am missing my hubby. He had to go back today due to work (don't worry we knew he would have to leave early) and well a vacation is just not as much fun without my hilarious and wonderful Marcus.

The other night our entire crew went to dinner...yeah..its a fun outing (don't warn the waitress its much more fun to see the fear on their faces when they first seat us...)

This is just a snippet...(Click to enlarge - I am taking this particular photo-do note this isn't all of us..)

We have two children here with injuries: one in a hand cast (Kristin) and one in a toe to knee cast on crutches (my nephew Coy)...this means they can't go to the beach and get in the water. BUT! Wait!! they CAN go to Ripley's Believe It or Not! & WonderWorks!! So who volunteers to take them? Why, me & Marcus! It was a blast. We all enjoyed the exhibits then we had a wonderful lunch at a beachside restaurant...

Yes, my husband and nephew are crazy...but we love'em...

But this morning me, Kristin, & Marcus woke up at 7 a.m. to go lay on the white sands of the Emerald Coast.

We literally got out of bed, grabbed our mats - towels - snacks - umbrella and headed to the sandy edge. We stretched out and...... went back to sleep listening to the waves...did I mention:

It is beautiful here!

(Check out the rainbow)

"I dropped a tear in the ocean... whenever they find it, I'll stop loving you..."

Enjoy what remains of a Terrific Tuesday!

Good Morning...from the Gulf Coast...

2010-07-25T08:21:00.003-05:00

Good Morning my blogging friends.... I have been sporatic and poorly posting lately...for that I greatly apologize.

BUT there have been some extenuating circumstances.

In the past month my family has grown by one.

We now welcome Kristin to our family. She is my sixteen year old niece and is now a permanent member of our household. We have been working on legal documentation, school enrollment, driver's license tests, shopping, redesigning, redecorating, laughing, smiling and loving the new addition to our lives.

Right this moment my husband and her are still sleeping as I sit on the balcony of a beach home on the Gulf Coast. I can hear the early morning beach traffic, the waves crashing and feel the sun warming my skin. My little dog Peanut is beside me sniffing the air - no doubt reveling in the myriad of scents. Downstairs my other nieces and nephews are waking up and stirring in the lower floor, above me my sister and a few other nieces and nephews are moving as well. On the first floor (we have 3 floors) my parents are quietly stirring and walking out towards the pool...

YES! we are on vacation. 9 days, beach fun, warm sunshine and lots of family. More will arrive this afternoon and then we will be here - a large group of people who genuinely enjoy each other's company.

We are here to relax, to bond, to indulge and to support the coast that we have loved our whole lives. The beaches truly are open and I will be uploading photos beginning this evening and letting you all vicariously enjoy the beautiful Gulf Coast; also so you can begin to plan your next vacation in hopes you might frolic in our pure white sands...The oil spill has wreaked havoc on perception of our coast and well, I want to let you see how it is really doing.

So enjoy the day, have some good food, and check back later for more info on these announcements:

*I have been dancing around 300 followers for a while now and well its about time for a F.I.C. (Follower Incentive Contest). I will be finding a special 'beachy' prize while I am down here as well as some other prizes. So be SURE to check in on all of that.

*Don't forget the To Kill A Mockingbird Contest ends next week so go enter it too (click on the sidebar link)!

Now I am headed to get some breakfast and see what the day holds...

"A vacation is having nothing to do, and all day to do it in..."

-Robert Orden

Have a Sunny Sunday!

Quick Contest Update!!

2010-07-20T17:54:00.003-05:00

Sara McClung never ceases to amaze me with her contests!!!

Okay Check out Summer Saradise

7 ARCs

One Blogger

One Contest

ENDLESS AWESOMESAUCE!!

Click HERE for your chance to win:

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Halo by Alexandra Adornetto

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Torment by Lauren Kate

Personal Demons by Lisa Desrochers

Contest runs July 20 - August 6th

TELL HER I SENT YOU!!

ALSO

Don't forget about my TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD CONTEST ending on July 28, 2010

click HERE to enter

Wednesday's Written Word on a Thursday: QUILL

2010-07-15T11:16:00.007-05:00

The papers lay waiting,

Slips with words needing to be discovered,

A few weeks have passed,

will I find them or will I sit lost...

He hands me one - conviction in his smile...

I nod and unfold it...my grin matches his...

QUILL

***

The cold, cruel wind slapped at my cheeks; no doubt making the rouge I had applied obsolete.

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Soft layers of cotton wrapped around my legs. I could feel the weight of the fabric, much lighter than was needed for the season, cling to my chilled skin. A heavier scarf fluttered behind my head, desperately trying to make me turn around and return to the house. It's pattern was simple, lines of deep navy, white and pale cerulean traveled from tassel to tassel. The thick threads knotting with each gust.

He loved blue.

Even now I could hear his voice.

"Who would not love the shades of heaven?" The words, a deep baritone that bellowed when excited. Then he would lightly kiss my cheeks. His rough beard scratching gently and his face glowing with love.

I always thought that if heaven were blue it would be the blue of his eyes on a warm spring day and that hell would be the blue I saw only once - so dark, so deep a navy that in its depth black at the core. That one moment, that one color, that one anger - I swore I would never evoke since and kept my promise.

The chuckle escaped my lips on a sob. Others had seen that darkness, had felt his wrath and knew that he was a formidable man. A man that did not back down from any creature. Yet when the cool cerulean blue returned they saw only the man I loved, the man I idolized and the man who had taught me of living.

Tears stained my cheeks, running down my chin and dripping onto the light blue eyelet dressing gown. He would not approve of the tears, of the sadness, he would tell me to remember that life is still right here. That standing here at this moment is proof that there is more to be done.

Dark brown mud glistened with dew. At the top of the mound lay wreaths of flowers, colors that seemed too bright, too perfect to be real. But I knew they were. I had walked among them in the garden for years, had played beside the petals and smelled their sweet essence. The marble headstone etched only with his name and our family symbol; the swan.

The breath ached as I took in the cold air of morning.

I know he is right.

But why must it be me...all alone...here?

The scarf continued to flail behind me, towards the house. Turning I put my back to the wind and looked up.

Above me, yards away stood the only home I had known. Stately arches and gardens all at once seeming larger than before. Eccentric lines, painstakingly built generations before my own, appeared too much for one woman, one girl to oversee.

"You are the mistress, Carina, you are the one I will leave Dowelunder for. It has always been yours. For in its walls life spills, in its garden life grows, and in its heart you are the keeper. Guard it well and it will guard you." At seven the words had meant only that the castle like home was a fun playground. It was a place where hallways changed, windows were more for traveling than looking and gardens where creatures I had once thought only in my imagination lived. There had been adventures, shared with those I loved and the one man who had taught me our ways.

But now, knowing the secrets he had so carefully guarded, I saw its grandeur, its possibilities and the idea that my destiny was still to be discovered.

Glancing back at the marble grave, I saw that no longer did mud cover the mound. In the seconds I had turned grass had risen to the top; deep blue green grass. Amongst the strands small bluebells had slipped in, creating a blanket of pale perfect blue.

A pain shot through my heart at the beauty but I held back the tears and let the smile come freely.

"Yes, papa, it is mine. As you were, as I to you and as we are to the day before us. I will be the mistress, I will be the keeper and I will see you again...one day..."

As the words left my lips I felt the object appear in my grasp. Small, silver and extraordinary - the quill of a Swan.

The key to Dowelunder and to the awakening day.

***

Have a Terrific Thursday!

"Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself: I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I just have one day, today, and I am going to be happy in it." - Groucho Marx

Monday Memos! ~ warning.... ;o)

2010-07-12T11:18:00.004-05:00

WARNING!
-Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

***

I love this poem. There are moments when I do think about how I will be when I get older & it is in these lines that I smile the most.

I have a Great Aunt Eloise & Great Aunt Clara; sisters they are. My memory is peppered with things that they have done. I am too young to have known them in what they would say was their heyday, but the women I have come to admire still have a sensational shock and awe lifestyle. Now don't let your mind drift to south of the gutter, their shock and awe may be tame to some of you, but for me it is an enlightened experience every time I have the pleasure of visiting.

They took me & a cousin on trips during our childhood summers. Excursions to the beach where we would rent a house on the sand, listening to the soft morning murmurs of the Gulf and nights of games & laughter. They would tell scandalous stories of their youth - the men they dated, the men they loved, the men they lost and those that are forever etched on their hearts. True Southern Belles to the core, they are the kind that Scarlett would have been jealous of; their romances, adventures and even calm days are ones that could fill a hundred books! I have always admired that with each passing year they seem to get more energetic, more alive. Eloise travels often to see her children. Clara, though recently age & illness have been a battle, for years kept up as though she were ten years younger than her birthdate. Both have always been eclectic, outspoken, kind, women of gumption and barrels of laughs - refreshingly growing more with ever year.

I loved them as a young girl for the ice cream sundaes, caramel cake, trips to the Gulf and sweet disposition. As a teenager I fell in love with their ability to listen, to comment and to share their own teen trials without ever preaching or patronizing. As a woman, I now appreciate their zest, their ability to promote family, to live life, to speak their mind, to be eccentric, and to love with all their hearts.

They are my WARNING. My poem, walking around this earth reminding me of purple hats, red dresses, summers sipping sweet tea or brandy and the need for satin shoes. I am enjoying every day that I get to spend on this earth and hope that I will get to live out a life so full of fun & love that one day my own nieces & nephews will write a post about me.

I hope to do it justice... ;o)

Do you have anyone who inspires eccentricity or any habits you have that help in continuing an eccentric life? I know you do - you are a writer ;o)

**AROUND THE BLOGS***

Do you think you read Sci- Fi? (SyFy)...yeah..maybe genius has a great post about science fiction, but um, some of you may be surprised when you realize you already read sci-fi

Send Matt over at The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment well wishes on his 'sabbatical' - I know I will miss his posts!

Check out Jennifer's Featured Writer Interviews this week: First up Karen from the English Writer Blog!

CONTESTS:

Wanna win anARC of Invincible Summer by Hannah Moskowitz? I do and Hannah's giving one away!!

Liz over at Cleverly Inked is having a VACATION GIVEAWAY - no you don't win a vacation - breathe & quit googling locations! - BUT you do win an awesome prize pack of goodies from her travels!

My own TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD CONTEST ends July 28!

UPDATE! WIN an ARC of Guardians of the Gate by Michelle Zink at PJ Hoover's blog!!!

Have You Jumped? If so, are you falling or flying?

2010-07-08T11:52:00.003-05:00

“Jump, and you will find out how to unfold your wings as you fall.”

-Ray Bradbury

***

This is my mind lately as I work on my WIP:

My wings have unfolded – I am getting the hang of gliding, my only worry is after landing will I be able to take off again and find my way through revisions… ;o)

I don’t know. But I DO know that I am excited to be someone who stepped off the ledge, throwing myself into an adventure that I will forever be changed by…

***

How about you…have you jumped? Are your wings out and are you discovering all there is to see with ease?

- Or -

Are you like me, sensing that flying is awesome, landing looks scary and the return trip might be a reason to invest in Dramamine?

Just remember:

“Aerodynamically, the bumblebee shouldn’t be able to fly; but the bumblebee doesn’t know it so it goes on flying anyway.”

-Mary Kay Ash

Don't forget to enter my To Kill A Mockingbird contest!

Have a Terrific Thursday!

A Contest & A Mockingbird....

2010-07-02T11:00:00.003-05:00

They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself. The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.

~Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 11, spoken by the character Atticus

A steep, treacherous cliff shoots down on the right side of the car. Inhaling I grip the seatbelt and lean towards the middle of the seat. I do not want to see the depth of the sheer dropoff if the car were to swerve ever so slightly, I do not want to think of the danger below. The curves wind as we journey towards Monroeville, as we head to shop at the Vanity Fair factory store and spend the day at the Pecan Festival. My tiny fingers grip the book in my lap, my eyes closed tight until we reach an area of flat road. I release the breath I did not realize I was holding and turn the page.

I continue reading, my nine year old brain accepting the words but bookmarking phrases to ask my mother. She drives carefully as the 45 minute drive to Monroeville comes to a close. I am excited to wander the vendors at the festival. I have new wicker furniture in my room and I want a few things to match the unicorn blanket on my daybed. The words "footwashing" Baptists brings me pause. This is a phrase I cannot just bookmark. My mind sees what a child would consider the definition to be and in my gut I know I am mistaken. That this will be a question for discussion at lunch. We plan to go to Radley's Deli - I LOVE their grilled cheese and root beer. The idea of a day with just me and my mother makes me grin.

The minutes fly by and we are soon at our destination. The festival wraps around the courthouse. The streets smell of kettle corn, hot dogs and cotton candy. Vendors talented with woodwork, paint brushes, quilting surround the brick building. Across the street at the light murals depicting scenes of Scout & Boo peeking around a tree and the subject of the book now laying on the seat of the car watch over the residents and visitors. The temperature is cool, an Alabama fall is magical and here where characters live and breath there is no comparison...

We window shop, we purchase, we laugh, we argue over the worth of a small pillow in the shape of a unicorn and whether or not I will finish the red candied apple that has stained my lips. Lunch comes quickly and with it the reminder of the phrase in the book. I ask my mother and she sighs. I read things well beyond my years she says and it becomes harder and harder for her to explain things to me. I tell her that I am a big girl, that I want to read everything! She laughs and begins to tell me not just what the phrase means but of the author, of the book and how there are pages yet to come when I may ask more questions.

She touches my hand and asks me a very important question: "Courtney, are you any more important than the waitress?" Standing near the cashier is a young woman. She appears to be much older (meaning in her late teens). At first I think how I am a princess (seriously I took this title pretty highly as a kid - not like I do now *wink*) but then I shake my head. She asks me what I see when I look at the young woman. I describe her clothes, her hair, even her smile, my mother grins when I remember the chocolate of her eyes, and how she's very nice because she gave me extra cherries for my root beer. I never once mentioned the dark brown of her skin.

My mother nods and does not speak at first. Then she tells me she loves me, that she is proud of me and that yes I am big now and that I will enjoy the book even more after I finish it. I blush forgetting the quiz only enjoying the praise. I do not realize yet what she is getting at and to be honest it is years later when the memory slams me in the gut.

She was in many ways testing me. Trying to see if I had somewhere in my few years learned of a horrible judgment, whether or not the story would be something I would cherish and love or something that I would find fault with its ending. She knew then how Atticus, Jem, Boo, & Scout lived amongst the pages, she knew of the themes threaded amidst the setting; how they could be construed - how some might think Atticus wrong or that things should have turned out differently for the characters. She was merely trying to settle her own mind about the way her daughter was being raised, about whether or not the lessons on loving people had seeped into my young heart and if I had let them take root.

For those of us in South Alabama, the story is as famous as any. Nelle Harper Lee wove a tale that speaks of the way things happened and how many people should have handled situations, how parents should talk with their children, listen to their children, have faith in their children and how the color of your skin does not tell the color of your heart. 50 years ago she wrote a story that still stands the test of time, that still resonates in any town, in any state, in any country. For me it is a story of great love, of courage, of conviction and of understanding. I often looked for Atticus in my own father & was ever more pleased to find even more traces of that wonderful character in the living breathing version who kissed me goodnight.

I love this book and have read it many times, each time discovering some snippet that I must tuck away, some dialogue that I must etch into memory. Nelle gave us a gift and every year the tiny town that neighbors my own celebrates it, even if she feels all the hub bub is a bit silly, I hope that Nelle realizes how much she molded my life and so many others...

So when I journey down there for the celebratory festival this year ( July 8 - 11, 2010 ) I will walk the square. remember the story, the day I made my mother smile and the lessons I have learned even since...

I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.

~Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Chapter 23, spoken by the character Scout

***

So folks in honor of this marvelous novel I would like to give away a prize package...

You Must Comment on THIS Post

New Followers: +4

Old Followers: +6

Bonus Entries:

Tweet +3 (@southrnprincess)

Blog Post +3

Sidebar +3

For every new follower you send my way +5

Tally your points +1

Leave your email in this format clsbarr(at)yahoo(dot)com

PRIZE:

One copy of To Kill A Mockingbird (50th Anniversary edition)

by Nelle Harper Lee

The DVD version of To Kill a Mockingbird starring Gregory Peck

Sur-prize from the Monroeville County Heritage Museum

Open to US & Canada only...sorry Internationals ;o)

CONTEST ENDS JULY 28 at 11;59 CST

I will announce the winner on August 1st

(Harper Lee's birthday is April 28, so why not choose that numeric ;o)

Have a Fabulous Friday!

Wednesday's Written Word: Beloved + Love Letter Blogfest...

2010-06-30T11:00:00.002-05:00

My Wednesday's Written Word has been taken over by loving thoughts for the literary characters who stole my heart years ago... Frankie came up with this idea in order to honor our literary loves the day ECLIPSE premiered. It is for some to showcase Jacob & Edward and for others to give light on their favorite literary loves.

The word for today is Beloved and it is for more than one man! *GASP* yes, I am in the love triangle (really a square) so commonly found within the pages of our books, so common that it is rare to ever select a book that does not have the now expected 3 hearts where one is meant to be broken no matter the odds or actions of the others...

Yet here in my Kingdom my heart is safe, my love intact and my dreams filled with thoughts of not two but three men (I mean my husband isn't fiction but come on my heart beats for the real life humorous character who fills my days as well as the ones who fill my dreams)...

***

My Dearest Professor Bhaer,

It is over tea, as we both dislike coffee, that I revel in your sweet demeanor and unique wit. Try as I might to avoid running into you on my daily walks, it appears that fate has still managed to direct my hands.

You at once recognized my inky fingers for the writer I have hidden. Your kindness knows no bounds and your patience unlike any other.

It is in your sweet smile that I blush and lose all train of thought. You care not that I forget my umbrella in the rain, or run sometimes through the fields forgetting my stature. Your counseling when I need help is something I treasure.

I will never let your love for learning, your excitement for teaching those children who would not have the opportunity and your ability to make me forget everything around me when I feel your hand in mine be taken for granted.

Thank you my beloved Fritz.

Your dearest Courtney

Professor Friedrich "Fritz" Bhaer - Little Women 1868; Jo's Boys 1886; Little Men 1871 by Louisa May Alcott ( I read Little Women every summer, it has been that way since I was nine. It remains one of my favorite stories and Louisa is one of my favorite classic authors.)

Dear Colin,

At first I was unsure as to why your presence unnerved me. Your dashing good looks and loner demeanor made me suspicious. My own haven had become habit and the fear of the unknown tried to hold me back. But it was the kind heart that you tried so hard to conceal that when discovered stole my own.

You gave me a new outlook, a realization that love can see past the physical qualities that we think mar us to relationships. Instead you embraced me. The me from the inside, the soul, the spirit that yearned to be understood and wanted desperately to be seen as stronger than even I thought I could be. You saw that. You saw me and I am forever grateful.

It is your love that steered me beyond certain prejudice and opened a young mind to the idea that anything is possible, mysteries can be solved and love can remain through the test of time. Our journey through myth, legend, trust, fidelity, past lives and reincarnation planted the steps needed for my current imagination to continue creating stories.

Thank you Colin. I will love you always...

Courtney

Colin McCallum- The Court of Three Sisters by Marianne Willman 1994 (This, like Little Women, is a book that my young hands read over and over and over again. The spine is worn down almost to nothing, the pages crinkled, it was a book more than likely considered a bit too old for my young mind but my heart understood every page. I still read it now at least once a year. It holds the adventure, the romance, the paranormal, the unbelievable story line that has since inspired many of my own works.)

So please visit the other Love Letters and discover new dashingly delicious hunks/ladies to haunt your dreams...

Have A Wishful Wednesday!

For other blogfest entries and other Wednesday's Written Word entries please visit my Original Works page.

Monday Memos.... Experience

2010-06-28T10:41:00.005-05:00

"If you will call your troubles experiences and remember that every experience develops some latent force within you, you will grow vigorous and happy, however adverse your circumstances may seem to be..."

-John Heywood

***

Experience - the conscious events that make up an individual life; something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through (definition - courtesy of dicionary.com)

Experience is a word that crops up everywhere in life.

To get the good job they want experience.

To understand the value of friendship it takes an experience shared.

To write a great story they say write from experience.

To truly know sorrow we experience loss.

To truly know happiness we experience love.

Which experience? Which set of events do we catalogue as experience?... All of them.

Life is a collection of obstacles, of dreams, of needs, of wants, of desires all culminating into one experience. How could we call life anything but wonderful? It is the journey & the result. It is both beginning and end.

Experience should never be looked at negatively. It should always be positive.

The traffic jam is a time to think about the day's agenda or to reflect on the shared moments from the night before.

The years spent in an office, toiling away at charts and reports should be seen as character building and a lesson in how not to or how to treat those around us.

The days spent washing clothes, cleaning house, aiding with homework, laughing out loud, shedding tears and wiping noses should be acknowledged as an empowering experience- as touching the life of your family & being touched by their love in return.

These are all experiences that crop up in books. We reach for the shelves searching for someone who has written about experiences we relate to or those that we only dream about. Every page offers one more bullet on our life resume. Though we are reading and vicariously living through a character we are experiencing the emotions all the same.

So keep collecting things to list. Even when it seems that the experience is one that does not make you smile immediately. Remember that those experiences are the ones where we learn so much about ourselves...they are the cherished ones that show our inherent characteristics...

***

Experience the blogosphere...

Elle asks why you put a book down? (or don't?)

Elana asks What Makes a Good Writer?

Raquel has a great list of upcoming Blogfests! Check it out!

Congrats are in order for Carrie Harris! Her Book Bad Taste in Boys has a release date! Yep! Scoot over and don't run scared from the Richard Simmons photos!

MaryBeth poses the ultimate question: Why don't they have Summer Reading Program for Adults?

Sara is giving away SISTERS RED & The Tension of Opposites ends 7-4-2010 hurry go enter!

Win the Truth Teller's Tale by Sharon Shinn over on Jennifer's site! She has 500 followers - CONGRATS JENNIFER!!

Have a Magnificent Monday!

*Yes I was MIA all last week...I plan to do a post about that tomorrow - crazy experiences in my household lately but I am truly cherishing these... ;o)

Monday Memos!

2010-06-21T10:52:00.003-05:00

Family...a group experience of love and support.

-Marianne Williamson

***

There are books, there are movies, there are poems, there are songs that tell us what a family is. None of them the same, none of them wrong - all of them can be right.

When I sit down to work on a project, family is something that inadvertently creeps in. I don't always recognize the familial relationships at first but then as the characters develop they become more apparent. They sneak into the friendship between a hero and a victim. They wrap around the one destined to save them all and they surprise the one who lost his/her faith in humanity. I see it between characters who society would say are too young to grasp the meaning and between older characters who had all but given up on connecting with someone else. The feeling of family is something that I cannot help but pepper into my work.

I am blessed to have two loving parents who support every avenue I want to take. My love of reading, writing and art is because they always let me know they would be beside me no matter my direction. They told me when something I created was good, when it was okay and when it was something they did not connect with. It was never bad because they taught me that so long as I am creating, putting my heart into my work then the end result is something to be proud of. It may still be something that needs work, could be improved or might be shelved; but it was worth it because I loved it at that time.

Family does that. We help each other, we call the bluffs - yet we are there when the wall crumbles down, we stand our ground, we give, we take, we endure the times when the page is blank and we feel alone but we know we are not.

My Royal Court on the right hand sidebar are people I go to when I need advice, when I need help, or when I just need to smile. There are people who are not listed over there that visit my site and provide the same support.

Each one is a member of my family:

I have a Wolfpack Leader who makes me grin every time I see her, especially if the Tiger got in the bathroom again...

A girl who feels that "shame" comes in the form of Vlogging or in a story about a gameshow...(we will find that video one day!).

A picture book author who has a knack for finding the perfect quote every day and seems to keep a permanent smile on her face while constantly dreaming of books.

A man who can spout Frost, Hemingway or Woolf - knows classical music like the back of his hand - enjoys great Vodka, writes stirring flash fiction and has a heart of gold when referencing his own immediate family.

There are bloggers who share my love of Disney, who know why Crimson & White are my favorite fall colors, who are Royalty as well, who can teach me line editing, who help with my POV. So many people who I consider family. Who I mourn with when they lose someone, who I laugh with when sharing a joke, who I cry with when they need me, who I offer support when I can.

You all make my writing better. You all make me better.

Thank you for being such a great family and for providing a Southern girl a taste of the world through the keys on a keyboard and the wonderful idea that one day, one day, I may get to meet you all. What a reunion we would have...

***

Some family updates...

Let Talli know what you think of Something Old...Something New... it looks great to me!

WhatWord Trick do you like? Don't know well go see Shannon O' for her take...

I think Shannon M. is trying to have as many contests as possible...and I love her for it! Go enter to win Lisa Mantchev goodies!

Simon reflects on the mind of a teenager experiencing the power of Frost and his current state of mind when re-reading a classic....check it out - it will move you, I promise.

Karen tells you togive up on her...but I won't and I know you won't either ;o)

Natalie asks: Book reviews? Love them or hate them...

Please note that on my left sidebar are my blogrolls... There are a ton of blogs worth checking out so if you get a moment, scroll through, add one to the list above and introduce yourself to my family. I promise we won't bite... unless of course you wander over to one of the horror writers...can't promise anything there!

Have a Marvelous Monday!

My Hero...

2010-06-20T22:06:00.008-05:00

A father is always making his baby into a little woman.

And when she is a woman he turns her back again...

-Enid Bagnold

***

He is my hero.

He is my friend.

He is my father.

I thank God for him every day.

Happy Father's Day!

Besides doesn't he have the best smile?

Love you dad...