CraZy like mOm website up and running...

Yeah!!!

After many long attempts at creating a website on zero budget, not to mention five (5) hours on hold with a Yahoo representative in a call center galaxy far, far away--okay, it was another country, but it might as well be a different galaxy--I've finally put up a cryptic website for my first novel.

Please check it out and let me know what you think. I don't think it's bad for a technotard like myself; but I'm bipolar and manic today, so my self-esteem reflects a sense of grandeur.

Here's the link:  The most awesome young adult novel website ever titled CraZylikemOm.com by Joanna Woods

Thanks, in advance, for clicking the link and checking out the most awesome young adult novel website ever titled CraZylikemOm.com by Joanna Woods.

Lots of love (lol),

Me

Texas Giving Day is September 18th

There are several organizations that I plan to support on North Texas Giving Day. One is my daughter's High School--Life School Red Oak Secondary. The principal is asking for 25% of student body households to donate $25 this Thursday. 

What is Texas Giving Day, you ask?

It is an Internet on-linethon where people and business can donate money to causes they believe in. Donations can be given from 6 am to midnight through the North Texas Giving Day Website. Best of all, donations are tax-deductible.


 After last year's national record-crushing 75,000 donations totaling $25.2 million, North Texas Giving Day is back with the hope that North Texas will rise to the challenge and outdo itself once again. On September 18, 2014, donations can be made 6 a.m. to midnight to more than 1,600 certified nonprofits listed on the new website www.NorthTexasGivingDay.org . Donations $25 and above will be amplified by $2 million in bonus funds and prizes. In just five years, North Texas Giving Day has pumped more than $60 million into the North Texas community. In 2013, more than 75,000 gifts totaling $25.2 million, benefiting more than 1,350 nonprofits.

Once again, with every $25 donated to any North Texas not-for profit organizations, the organization(s) are eligible for bonus funds. Please consider going on-line and donating to Lucy's Charter School. Search Life School Red Oak Secondary for the donation link on the North Texas Giving Day Website.

Another organization I work with is the Cedar Hill Pet Memorial Project. In a little over three years, this organization has saved the cemetery from being demolished and created a War Dog Memorial. A lot is still needed to keep it's inhabitants safe and honor the commitment to the pet owners who buried their pets at the cemetery. I urge you to visit their website at: Cedar Hill Pet Cemetery .

Because community involvement is important to all local organizations, Cedar Hill Pet Memorial Project is teaming up with two other non-profit organizations under the name Kids Paws Unity, so by donating to one, you are donating to all. 

Thank you to all my friends and family who are able to give. Any amount donated goes to the organization, so if $25 is too much any gift is appreciated.

Many thanks,

Joanna

Peep Show by Joshua Braff

I bought this book as a guide for a NA novel I'm writing. I thought with a title like Peep Show it would give me insight into the strip club world, since one of my characters becomes a stripper for a short period of time.

However, this kind of novel fell right into the area I most love: stories about family dysfunction and makes the reader think about why people do the things they do to the people they love. Despite the backdrop of the main character's father's occupation, the story stood on its own and each character became lovable in their own right. I especially loved the growth of the main character, David.

CraZy like mOm, a novel by me

For the last seven years I have been writing a young adult novel titled, Crazy Like Mom. Writing a novel throughout this extended period of time forced me to read other books in the genre I write. I’ve also had plenty of time to study books on the writing craft. These instruction manuals have helped me lay a stronger foundation for the home where my characters live. I’ve also learned to trust my many critique group’s advise as they act as subcontractor builders in my story.  

As I’ve done this, my writing and novel have improved. I’m able to see things differently, not just as a writer but as a life observer. I truly mean it when I say grateful for rejections. It forces me to fill the cracks in my story’s drywall and repair the leaks in my novel’s plot.  

I’ve attended writing conferences and met with agents and editors who've told me that I write well, but... the book should be written as a young adult novel. So I made the suggested changes, and then at the next conference I'd receive versa-vice reply… this is a middle grade story.

The best advice I ever received was from an agent at a SCBWI conference—although she later rejected my submission—told me to, “let the character write herself.”

So that’s what I did. A brief plot outline is as follows:

Fifteen-year-old Lucinda Wright has dealt with her mom’s unstable emotions for her entire life. Lucinda’s father uses work as an excuse to leave the house, and her seventeen-year-old brother uses band practice, his artwork, and alcohol to escape the dysfunctional family situation. But when her mother is hospitalized for attempted suicide and diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Lucinda wonders if her own feelings of frustration, anger and sadness are signs that she’s becoming crazy like Mom.

After endless revisions, Lucinda is telling her own story. One that I believe is ready to share with readers.  We’ve (Lucinda and I) have put together a book trailer that explains her problems. The answers will be found in the novel, which I plan to self-publish within the next year, if I’m unable to find the right publisher.  

The following link is Lucinda’s trailer. Let her know in the comments if you understand what she’s going through. Give her encouragement, and pass on the link. Lucinda might be someone you actually know.

The following link is Lucinda’s trailer: CraZy like mOm Book Trailer

After you watch the clip, let Lucinda know in the comments if you understand what she’s going through. Give her encouragement, and pass on the link. Lucinda might be someone you actually know.

A second book trailer will be available on YouTube shortly. Also, the website crazylikemom.com  will be up and running soon. Please check back for preview chapters on this blog and on the website. 

I Wish They To Die...

There’s a popular BBC show that’s taken America by Police Box. Many science fiction Whovians  have been aware of this show for the past fifty (50) years, but my daughter discovered the show a few years ago and purchased the DVD seasons with the 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th Doctors.

It didn’t take her long to make her friends fans, including me, of Dr. Who. Unfortunately, we don’t have cable or internet, so if she wants to stream videos from Netflix, update blogs, and Pintrest we have to visit the library.

Anyway, the long anticipated season of the 12^th Doctor has been released to Netflix, so my daughter went to a friend’s house to watch the first episode. Her friend’s parents and siblings watched the episode with the girls, but something that was said disturbed my daughter during the program.

Texas is a “Bible Belt” state, and most of her friends are devoutly religious, as are the missionary parents of her friend whose house my daughter visited to watch the program. The episode featured a lesbian couple in the plot, and her friend's father responded, “I hope they die.” This statement shocked and offended my daughter, but she knew if she spoke up for what she believed, equal rights for homosexuals, she would probably be banned from seeing her friend.

My daughter has stood up for gay rights in California when a science teacher told a story about a homosexual couple that fostered AIDS babies. One of the babies went into remission and the couple wanted to adopt the boy. The teacher felt this was morally wrong because the couple was not heterosexual.   I was proud of my daughter when she stood up for the homosexual couple in front of the whole class.

Opinions are opinions, and freedom of speech is part of our constitution. The parents did nothing wrong. They, after all, expressed their views in the privacy of their own home.  The parents did not act on their words or said  they would kill homosexuals, so hate mongering from the other side of the coin is just as unnecessary and wrong.

However, I find the incident sad. Christ said in Matthew 22: 37 – 40 (KJV):

Jesus said unto them [the apostles], Thou shalt love the Lord the God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the laws and the prophets.

The apostle Paul preaches a strict version of condemnation in Ephesians, but Christ tells us the most important commandments are to love. Is it our job to judge and condemn?

I will leave that to God. 

Hungry?

How 'bout some Rat Cheese?

Found this sign in the window of a Mom and Pop grocery store. I stopped for the marque sign near the road offering pecan pies for sale, but I was surprised to see the other delicacies they offered.

Driving Miss Dezzy...

Dezzy, our nine-year-old boxer loves to go bye-bye. Every time I take her with me to do errands, she always winds up in the front seat. Staring out the front windshield, as if she believes she has every right to drive the car.

My nine-year-old boxer, Dezzy, loves to go bye-bye, but everytime I take her somewhere and have to leave the car for a minute or two, she seizes the opportunity to jump in the driver's seat.

      

It always takes me a minute or two to convince her she doesn't have a license, but she doesn't believe me. 

Keep Calm and ... Stop Screwing with WWII Slogan

I was at a semi-pro baseball game on the Forth of July and was disgusted by the butchering of the original British government's propaganda poster created to encourage its citizens during the war with Germany.

For more information there's a great little video on the origins of Keep Calm and Carry On

Enchilada Cassarole

Cooking for my hubby is like cooking for Chef Ramsey, only Lorne doesn't throw things. 

I do. 

I hate cooking. 

I try, but nothing is ever as wonderful as my husbands Five-Star Restaurant meals. 

His favorite comment after eating my meals is... dinner was adequatious. 

Tonight his response was "Well Done!" 

(Thank you Maria for helping me with this recipe.)

Happiest Person...

I am not the most cheerful person in the world, but I try not to let negativity dwarf my positive attitude. Unfortunately, sometimes the Grumpy in me prevails. 

How lucky I was to marry the Happy-ist of Snow Whites friends. My husband always finds ways to keep his spirits souring, and from the Certificate of Award from junior high he has always had this gift. 

Happy Birthday Sweet Fifteen ...

Fifteen years ago at 1:05 p.m. I gave birth to a beautiful, baby girl.



A child my husband and I waited, hoped, and prayed for for almost twelve years. She is a true miracle because her father, at twenty, had testicular cancer; while I, at twenty-six, went through early onset menopause.

I found out I was pregnant on Christmas Eve, but when I showed Lorne the beige pee stick as proof he wouldn't believe me. The following day, I took a second test and gave it to him for Christmas. He was still unable to trust our luck until the doctor confirmed the results at my first appointment.

I have and am amazed at how your mind works. You have a creativity and intuition that is second to none. And your compassion for others continues to make me proud. How blessed we are to have you in our family.

SH%T Southern Women Say

I've watched this YouTube video about a dozen times and I have to pay the laughs forward. In the past year, I've heard many of these expressions, but what I love most isn't the drawl or the words themselves, it's the tone of their voice. As I writer, I'm constantly thinking about how I can capture this on the page.

The clip is Episode One of a series titled SH%T Southern Women Say. Since I've only been a Southern woman for about fourteen months, I challenge my California friends and family to pay attention and tell me if I let any of these expressions slip the next time I return to So Cal for a visit.

Well done, The Southern Women Channel

A Monet Moment...

On a drive this afternoon I noticed a pond full of water lilies.

Below is a modern version of Monet's 1899 painting:

 Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lilies

To see Monet's original oil on canvas click the link below. 

Even nature has a hard time competing with Monet's genius. 

Bridge Over a Pond of Lilies

Innermix

Back on July 18th, I posted a link to my friend, Maria Cisneros Toth's YouTube channel that featured a band called Innermix. Maria wrote their bio's and I wanted to share them. Their lives are quiet extraordinary. Here are their stories:

Simply D & Jules

 Simply D and Jules were speeding along life’s highway when their music careers merged. The good friends met after Simply D discovered Jules on a social media site as he scouted new talent for his management company, DefCon One Entertainment. The artists quickly connected, recognizing they had more in common than their lifelong passion for music.

 “Even though we had different [life situations] and experiences, the feelings were the same when we were going through things,” says Jules, who was one of two lead singers in an all girls’ group before signing on with DefCon.  “The dark times, good times, times of pain, times of loss—all of the emotions are very similar.”

As children, while Jules dealt with feelings of abandonment after her parents moved back to Korea, leaving her alone in California with a host family, a younger D forged his way through the shadows after losing most of his sight at five years old.

But even as youngsters, with all of life’s emotional scrapes and bruises, the pair never gave up.  D says, “I had to go through so much in my life that wrong was something I had to go through to get something right.”

Their inner strength, deep Christian faith, and belief in themselves helped Jules and Simply D get past the rough times. Now, when the duo writes a new song, they reach into their hearts for inspiration. And when the words come out of their mouths, the audience connects with their honesty and genuine emotion. “We use all of our gifts and creative outlets that God has given us to motivate others,” Jules says.

After singing and writing songs with Simply D for four years, Jules signed another contract with DefCon One Entertainment—this time as a business partner.  Soon after, Simply D and Jules decided to take their message of hope to a whole new level. The multi-media artists merged all of their talents and formed a new company called Innermix.  That same year, in 2011, The Innermix Show launched and aired on Shine Factory Radio. The weekly online talk show gained an international following, and the entertainers’ success led to producing a new program for television—The Innermix Show Live.

“The Innermix Show Live is all about hope, pursuing dreams, and improving one’s quality of life,” says Simply D, who also works as a life and relationship coach.

The half-hour talk show coined, The Morning Show of Love and Relationships, features straightforward discussions, balancing the weight of heavy topics with a scoop of humor Innermix style. “Our goal is to help people get their lives back on a positive track so they can fulfil their dreams and get to where they want to travel in life,” says D. He also adds that technology is changing how people perceive themselves. “The Internet age is too easy to compare oneself with others. We want you to see yourself and navigate your life effectively.”

                 The TV co-hosts’ banter is like Yin and Yang. “We listen to each other and anticipate what the other is going to say,” says Jules, who is also an actress. She laughs. “We were probably twins in another lifetime.”

And just as others have encouraged Jules and D along life’s bumpy highway, they’d like to pay it forward by sharing their knowledge with others.

Says Simply D, who has always felt his mission in life is to help people feel better about their own, “Lives changes with a little encouragement.”

Meet Simply D

The Innermix Show Live co-host Simply D observes the world differently from most people. The energetic performer with the contagious smile, positive attitude, and a mountain of hope lost most of his sight by the time he was five years old. But his blindness didn’t stop him then and it’s not slowing him down now. The talk show host is on a mission. He wants to teach others how to tap into their own inner strength as he did after his world went dark.

At age four, Simply D’s older brother, Lamar, was diagnosed with a genetic eye disorder. Within weeks, the same condition was also detected in Simply D, eleven months younger than Lamar. “One day my brother took a nap and when he woke up he was blind.”

After D’s first surgery, like any other boy, D was anxious to get to the playground. He remembers racing another boy up a circular, geometrical dome structure. Little D scrambled upward and won the race. But the other child became angry and shoved D, making him lose his balance.  “I can still hear my head hitting each [steel] rung as I fell.”

                He underwent surgery, but young D lost his sight in his right eye and retained a little in his left. Two months later, he returned to the playground and played with the same boy who pushed him. “I was mad at him for about a week and then we were playing and jumping off swings again.”

                Even as a young person, D could not hold a grudge for very long.

                By the second grade, D was reading braille and learned how to use a braille writer. But with a brother who was completely blind and a sighted sister who had privileges he didn’t have, little D became frustrated. “I wanted to be fully blind or fully sighted. To be in the middle made me feel not complete in my mind.”

Not knowing how to process his emotions, D rebelled. “I was like a volcano with a lot of anger. I couldn’t give myself more sight. But I knew if I hit my head hard enough, I’d lose my sight.” The school sent him to a psychologist. He had to wear a helmet to prevent him from injuring himself.

                A surprising breakthrough came in the form of music. It helped calm his anxiety. D began doing something constructive. He wrote song lyrics and his brother put together musical arrangements for him. D’s creativity shined. He credits his mother with his love of music. When he had nightmares, she’d hug him close and sing to him. “Music is the way I breathe. It helps me to identify what’s going on internally and to work it out.” Without realizing it, young D had begun to tap into his inner strength. And his positive attitude was like a magnet, attracting more positive experiences to his life.

                D was excited when Hollywood paid a visit to his school for the blind. Actor/director Michael Landon hired some of the children to appear as extras on Highway to Heaven. Landon took a particular interest in D and his brother and invited them to act in more episodes. One day on the set, D swung on a rope swing like Tarzan. Tightly holding on, he built his momentum. “Every time the rope slowed, I was afraid to jump, afraid to let go.”

Landon walked up to him. “So, what are you going to do now that you’re swinging?” The actor, who played an angel on the popular TV show, told D, “You jump and I’ll catch you.” Little D let go of the rope and was surprised and happy when he landed on his feet. “Michael [Landon] was the first to teach me how not to be afraid to take risks in life. He never treated us like we were disabled.”

But in a sighted world, D would still need to learn how to overcome more barriers.

High-school remedial math became a problem for D when it came time to learn algebra. With his partial sight, he couldn’t see the lines on the blackboard. So, during lunch period, his math teacher taught him how to do algebra by using a deck of playing cards. “The following semester,” D said, “I became a math tutor.”

In high school, D was also a peer counselor. And later in college, he was the comforter, the go-to guy when people needed someone to talk with about their problems. “I felt I was here for people to feel better about their own lives. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t that person. I really care about people.”

On his twenty-second birthday, Simply D proved how much he cared when tragedy hit home. His stepfather, who’d been on dialysis, died in D’s arms. “I talked to him the whole time,” he explained. “I had to let him know he wasn’t by himself.”

Ironically, his stepfather’s passing would prepare him for the unfathomable. Four years later, D’s infant son died. The baby’s umbilical cord had become twisted in the womb. “My dad’s death prepared me to go through this with my son. It helped me to be there for my wife.”

                Now a father of two children, Simply D and his beautiful wife, Juanita, have learned how to work through the tough times with humor. D is a believer in cartoon therapy, because when life gets sad and complicated, cartoons get people laughing again. And the singer/songwriter loves to laugh—a lot. Simply D also draws his inner strength from his deep faith in God, in his family, in singing his heart out, and in staying positive no matter what life sends his way.  D says, “I always stay positive, because anything else takes too much energy.”

Meet Jules

The Innermix Show Live TV co-host, Jules is self-motivated, determined, level-headed, intelligent, funny, and radiates confidence. But the singer-songwriter hasn’t always believed in herself. As a child, she confronted hardships no kid should have to face alone. While little girls often dream of their future weddings, Jules remembers planning her funeral, wondering what kind of flowers she’d have on her casket, and who would show.

Her childhood daydream haunted her into adulthood. “I had very real issues: family issues, relationship issues, bouts with depression, and an eating disorder. I had so many things happen that God led me to where I am today. That makes me confident, because I know I overcame those things.”

Jules’s story began in Korea. As a youngster, she liked to draw and wanted to learn how to paint. Her mother enrolled her in an afterschool program where Jules discovered her passion for the arts. “I wanted to become a painter,” she said, “but my parents told me I was going to starve to death.”

Years later, when she expressed her desire to pursue a singing career, she received the same disapproval. “In Korea, the arts are considered a hobby, extracurricular, not a career. My parents wanted me to become a doctor or someone who works in research, but I said no.”

In spite of her parents’ disapproval, Jules chased after her dreams, but it hasn’t always been a smooth highway for the singer. When she was eight years old, her family relocated to the United States only to return to Korea five years later, leaving Jules behind to live with a host family. Her father, a minister, and her mother wanted their eldest daughter to have the opportunity of an American education. They’d hoped once she graduated from college, she’d return to their homeland and find a respectable, good-paying job.

Thirteen and in the eighth grade, Jules felt lonely and abandoned. She studied hard and made good grades, which pleased her mother and father. In high school, the shy teenager, who was now working full-time, ventured out of her comfort zone and joined the orchestra, tried out for musicals, and became a part of a jazz singing group. “In the school’s courtyard, I’d sing Mariah Carey harmonies with my girlfriends.”

During her senior year, Jules auditioned for a chance to sing the National Anthem at the homecoming football game. She was excited when she was chosen to sing the patriotic song before a large audience. Her performance turned out to be magical.

“The entire stadium was filled. I was so nervous and sang the song with my eyes closed. When I opened them, everyone was on their feet and clapping. I got a standing ovation. I remember the feeling, the energy. It makes me want to experience it all over again.”

Standing on that football field, Jules decided she really wanted to pursue a singing career more than anything. While still waiting tables full-time and attending college, she began performing with different singing groups. She was on her way to obtaining her dream.

 But sometimes people make plans and God smiles. Jules’s younger brother and sister were sent to America to live with her.  Jules’s parents wanted the children to have the same opportunities as their older sister. Between working toward her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and the added responsibility and stress of raising her siblings, there wasn’t much time left in the day for herself. Overwhelmed, she almost considered quitting.

Jules pressed onward. While juggling her career with her busy life, she began singing background for other artists. A rap group hired her without first listening to her voice. “They secretly hoped I could sing.” This opportunity propelled her to a contract with a producer. Jules wrote songs with him for an album, and soon she was performing as one of two lead singers of a promising pop girls’ group modeled after the Pussycat Dolls. “I remember one time hearing one of my songs playing on the radio and I almost got into a car accident on the freeway.”

Jules’s dream was finally coming true. She had to work hard to get there, but at last it was happening. During this time, she got a phone call from Simply D, a singer/songwriter and manager at DefCon One Entertainment. He had discovered Jules on a popular social media site, MySpace. He liked her sound and wanted to record a duet with her. Since she currently had representation, she declined his offer. Several months later, due to creative differences and management difficulties, Jules left the girls’ group.

Then, out of the blue, Jules received another phone call from a persistent Simply D. “Our first phone conversation lasted for five hours. I don’t do that. Never.”

After an audition with D, she signed on with DefCon One Entertainment. And for the past seven years, the talented and ambitious duo have co-written and recorded fifty songs together.

And Simply D had other plans for Jules. “I just wanted to sing, but D opened me up to more opportunities like acting. When he approached me about doing a radio show, I told him I had no experience in radio, and he said, “Just do it!”

Five years after signing on as an artist with DefCon One Entertainment, Jules became a business partner with the company. Soon after, she and her partner, Simply D, formed Innermix.

Innermix is the blended talents of multi-media personalities Jules and Simply D. By the end of the same year, the pair was offered their own talk show. In the summer of 2011, The Innermix Show Live launched and aired on Shine Factory Radio. The high-energy call-in show focused on love and relationships. The program gained an international audience, but now with more than one hundred and fifty episodes, Jules is ready to embark on another new and exciting Innermix adventure. She and Simply D are taking their talk show to television—The Innermix Show Live. Jules hopes viewers will look at them and say, “They made it through it [the hard times] and I can make it, too.”

                Jules, who also works in the fashion business, reflects on her journey. “I was very insecure in certain times of my life. It’s only because I’ve gone through so much that I now know I can deal with those things and survive and stand here today and talk about it without feeling I’m going to crumble inside.”

                As her Innermix family continues to grow, Jules hopes to keep growing, too. “I want to become better at everything I do.”

                Now, that once lonely little girl, who daydreamed of her funeral, is now looking forward to the day she gets to plan her own wedding.

The Program by Suzanne Young

Just finished reading The Program by Suzanne Young.  It was really great--no fabulous. Her writing is fantastic. The suspense drives the story. There were a few times when the plot makes it necessary for the main character, Sloane, to rehash some of the events she’s already shared, which I breezed over to get to back to the driving force of the plot, but those times were minimal. 

I believe The Program is meant to be a trilogy, like Matched by Allie Condie or The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.  The problem with trilogies for me is I never finish them. The second book never captures my interest enough to keep me reading—except Catching Fire made me too nervous in the first five pages which is why I stopped reading.

However, at the end of my copy of The Program is a sneak peak of the sequel, The Treatment, which peeked my interest enough to continue the journey with Sloane and James. 

I hope you join their plight and read the book, too.

Why Did the Armadillo Cross the Road?

The answer to this joke will not be funny to everyone, so I apologize, in advance, if my dark sense of humor offends you.

In my life, I've seen a lot of road kill. Even in California, we'd seen our share of deer, coyotes, opossums, skunks, raccoons, rattlesnakes, owls, and hawks, but never have I been compelled to pull over to the side of the road and snap a photo of a poor unfortunate animal soul. Nor have I ever been crass enough to make a joke out of the situation, but this time I had to make an exception.

My husband and I had never seen an armadillo and he joked that if I ever found a dead armadillo on the road (I know this sounds California hillbilly, right?) to bring it home and he would take it to a taxidermist. A year went by and I found no signs of any armadillo... until yesterday.

There was no way I was going to scoop the little guy off the road, load him in the truck, and bring him home to my husband. Instead, I snapped a photo of the little guy and sent it to my hubby with the second half of my riddle:

I don't know, he never made it.

RIP
Lil' Dillo

Multiple Points of View

The first book I read with multiple points of view was Cornelia Funk’s Inkheart. At that time, I was new to the whole read books if you want to become a writer philosophy, so I didn’t understand the reason I had a hard time enjoying this novel. I would come to understand that different perspectives meant different points of view from the minds of two or more characters.

In Inkheart, character points of view flip from Meggie, the protagonist child, to her father, then to the villain, etc.  I found the reading experience jarring because the perspectives switched suddenly, and often happened within the same chapter.

In Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies, author Deborah Halverson explains, “They [writers and editors] say it’s asking a lot to expect teens to emotionally connect with that many narrators. It’s also a lot of work for the writer. Mastering a single, distinct narrative voice is a full plate; creating three, four, or even five distinct voices for the same story is a tall order.”  

Emotionally connect.

Hmmm. For me, that’s it.

In a novel, if I don’t bond with a character I’ll set the book down and choose another. In one book I read with duel points of view, I found myself skipping ahead to find out what happened to the secondary character over the protagonist.

JK Rowling had a unique way of getting around the multiple points of view with Harry Potter. She was able to put Harry at the scene of every important event that might have,  just as easily, used a second or third point of view.

In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry had Tom Riddle’s diary to transport him back in time to experience the events when Hagrid was expelled.  In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry saw the world through Nagini’s eyes when Mr. Weesley was attacked at the Ministry of Magic.

Many times, Rowling used the pensive to enter other character’s memories. This technique let readers watch alongside Harry and decide for themselves what they thought of certain characters. For example, the reader saw Snape getting picked on by James and Sirius; the reader was pulled inside the courtroom trial of Barty Crouch, Jr.; and even tagged along with Dumbledore and Harry on their visit to see Tom Riddle at the orphanage.  And what about Harry’s scar? Harry’s scar was the reader’s connection into Voldemort’s mind.

Throughout the whole series, although not directly put inside the heads of these characters, I felt as if I knew them. Didn’t you?

I am an equal opportunity book reader, and just because a book offers several points of view doesn’t mean I’ll discard the novel. I loved both Newbery Medal books, The Underneath by Kathi Appelt and Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz. Each of these novels also had an adult narrator. So, what made those novels different, at least to me?

In Writing Young Adult Fiction for Dummies, Deborah sums up my feelings about multiple points of view in three suggestions:

1. Make clear breaks when switching from one POV to another.

2. Be diligent about making the voices distinct from each other.

3. Be sure that each character adds something that the other characters could not—information, important opinions, and so on.

I have no doubt choosing this writing style would be an enormous challenge, and I’m excited to find out if, as a writer, I can divide my narration into a horcrux without destroying my story’s soul.   

Happy Anniversary, Lorne!

Thank you for the last twenty-two years. I love you more with each passing year. It's been particularly nice to have couple time with Lucy in California. It's good to know that you and I will be fine when our nest is empty.

I love you and I'm looking forward to growing even older with you.

Deep Point of View

A member of a critique group I used to belong to became frustrated when, in my critiques of her work, I suggested that she write using deep point of view. She expressed that I was trying to change her writing style. 

For me, writing in deep point of view isn't part of my writing style, as she suggested. In my opinion the concept of deep pov is mechanics, and can be a learned writing technique, like learning where and when to use a comma. Deep point of view makes a story active and eliminates much of the dreaded "show don't tell" comments I would receive when I'd submit to first chapter for critique at a conference. 

I finally understood this concept after reading a writing craft novel by Jill Elizabeth Nelson titled Rivet Your Readers With Deep POV. This concept is often explained by guest agents and editors at conferences and on many professional blogs, but Jill's book broke it down for me. 

I advise every writer I met to read this book, yet I'm surprised how many writers don't bother. Maybe writers in general are a stubborn breed. After all, writers have to be thick skinned to handle the dreaded rejection letter. But, having thick skin is different than having a thick skull. 

In the introduction of Rivet Your Readers with Deep POV, Jill asks the reader: 

"Have you ever read a book that melded your mind with the main character's psyche? No vague sensation of an invisible narrator inserted itself between you and the point-of-view character. Line by line, scene by scene, you lived in that central character's head. Even if the story was not written in first person, the hero or heroine's every experience became yours, and your reading pleasure intensified."

Yes! Yes! Yes!  These are the books I love to read, and if, after the first few pages, I don't feel this way, I set down the book and pick up another to read.

If these are the books I want to read, how could I not want to write in this way? Isn't that my goal as a writer? To make my readers bond with the characters I create? 

The answer to my question is Yes! Yes! Yes!

A Booger Biography

To prove Booger Red was not a chunky nasal excrement here is his obituary:

Texas Nachos at Booger Red's

On our visit to Fort Worth last month we ate a a restaurant called the H3 Ranch, aka Booger Reds Saloon.

I had more fun looking at the scenery than I did eating my meal--the food was good, but the atmosphere was fantastic. This is where I drank Buffalo Butt Beer, although I didn't saddle up to the bar. 

In the far right there is patron who's back in the saddle again. 

No, really. I watched him return from the restroom. 

Anyway, we ordered nachos and here's what they looked like: 

In California we call these tostadas (sorry it's crooked, I couldn't figure how to rotate the photo)

Nothing like a little bedpan music in the upper right corner. 

Patchwork Road

Our street is off of a road that leads to a major Texas interstate. Semi-trucks are not supposed to use this road, but the local police do not enforce this rule. Thus, the heavy load the trucks haul leaves indentions where their tires trek up and down the roadway. This road had become so bad just driving on the street could throw out a car's alignment.

For the past year, the city promised to repave the street. Here's what my three mile drive to the interstate looks like now--bless their hearts.

 Pulling out onto Bear Creek

Approaching the interstate

These Boots Are Made For...

Plants? 

 

According to the Elements...

I was revising my first novel for submission, and I added the sentence: "Since I can’t borrow Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak or slip on Bilbo Baggins’[s] ring, I bow my head to avoid eye contact..."

When I reread the sentence I started wondering if the ring that Bilbo Baggins owns needs to be shown as a possessive with an extra  s  or just an apostrophe after the  s  in Bilbo’s last name. To find my solution, I searched the internet and found conflicting answers. 

Microsoft Word advised me that Baggins’s was incorrect, and when I removed the  s after the apostrophe, MSWord removed the ugly red underline under Baggins'. 

Even more perplexed than when I started, I consulted with good ole’ William Strunk and & E.B. White in the book The Elements of Style. Right there on the first page, rule one says:

“Form the possessive singular of nouns by adding 's. Follow this rule whatever the final consonant.”

Hmmm... whatever the final consonant? That means, a noun or proper noun that ends in  s  must be followed by 's  when writing the possessive object to follow. Thus, my sentence should read Bilbo Baggins’s  ring. 

I could have avoided everything if I would have deleted Bilbo’s sir name entirely, but what then would I have learned?

Maria Cisneros Toth's YouTube Channel

My fellow writer and critique partner, Maria, has a really fun YouTube channel. Besides being a published writer, she is major crafty and posts how-to videos on her channel. But in the clip below, she's featuring the band Innermix as the perform a song in her living room. Here's the link:

Innermix singing "Midnight Calls"

A Grammar Lesson

Weird Al's spoof on Blurred Lines. What else can I say?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc

Okra Flowers

Can you find the budding veggies?

Going to Seed...

Update on our asparagus. As the vegetable grows, the gardener covers the trench with dirt. When the little plants grow through the level, another pile of dirt, manure, and mulch is poured on top, eventually creating a mound for the little plants to grow. Right now they are seeding little ferns. Next year we should expect our harvest.

Somehow, we have a renegade tomato plant safely tucked trying to hide in the ditch.

I've Got A Bone To Pick With You...

Every payday when I go to Track Supply to grab the doggies food, I get them a special treat. Each of my boxers retreats to a corner of the rug to gnaw on their bones.

How About An Ice Cold Brewski?

The sign to the left of the Buffalo's Ass says, "Only in America."

My New Wheels...

            

My Hoveround is on layaway. Only twenty years, than he's all mine.

Time With My Daughter...

Back to our trip to the Texas State Cemetery. Despite my hatred of getting my photo taken, I have to savor the moments when my daughter and I still get along. I've been lucky thus far because as at almost fifteen year's old, she and I are still best friends.

Okay, I'll admit that after an hour-and-a-half of me reading all the headstones and memorials, Lucy was sick of posing and wanted to leave.

Why Did The Geese Cross The Road?

To make my husband late for work.

My husband's office overlooks Las Colinas Country Club's beautiful golf course. There is a part of the course's lake with a bridge overpass so the lake can continue to the other side of Decker Drive--the street my husband's office building is located. 

Over the past year or so the geese population seems to be growing. And despite the cold, the geese have decided to make the golf course area their home. There are probably about a hundred that have no problem stopping traffic to walk across the street to visit the other side of the lake. If you can enlarge the photo you will see a fraction of the geese on either side of the roadway.

The Future of Us by Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher

I just finished reading The Future of Us. Since I’ve started writing, I’ve noticed I read novels differently than I used to. Now, when I read, I dissect and analyze the author’s writing style. This leads me to the first reason I enjoyed this novel.

The story is told in two distinct characters: Josh, written by Jay Asher, and Emma, written by Carolyn Mackler. Often books with multiple POVs are written by the same author and, although there are two view points, the underlying style is the same. But this doesn’t happen in The Future of Us because both writers have completely different writing styles.

It is only my opinion, but I enjoyed Josh’s voice better than Emma’s because of Jay’s writing style.

Jay Asher is the bestselling author of Thirteen Reason’s Why. He’s a fabulous writer and his characters always reflect a deep point of view which melts me into the character’s plight more than a writer that doesn’t completely exercise this skill.  

For character depth, however, Emma wins hands down. Carolyn deserves mucho kudos for layering her character’s behavior.

Although, a teen may be able to relate to Emma, an adult reader is able to notice the reasons behind Emma’s actions, which made me deeply sympathize with Emma’s character.  

For example, without giving a spoiler alert, Emma’s mother is on her third husband. Emma’s father moved away, remarried, and has a new baby with his second wife. How can this family dynamic not affect a teenager as she develops dating relationships? Wouldn’t any girl want to find a boyfriend, aka future husband, that she will be happy with until death do they part?

As I got older, that was my dating goal. Luckily, twenty-two years later my husband still puts up with me. Or maybe it’s because I’m a technotard and have never bothered to open a Facebook account. 

MY First Blackberry!

Not the THE first blackberry on the bushes. 

It’s the first blackberry I've been able to eat. My husband, and all of his ten green fingers, takes care of our garden. Whenever, I go out to help—okay, I’ll be honest, to watch him work—I notice the blackberries are always missing from the bush.

When I’d ask what happened to all the berries, he replies, “Stupid birds.”

Birds, nothing! It was his green thumbs that picked those berries, and his lying tongue that ate ‘em.

But now that he’s on a business trip, the blackberries are all mine. 

Muahahaha

Madder than the Mad Hatter...

Tea party anyone?

Opps! The March Hare forgot to remove the empty tea container from the fridge.

(Those are tea bags in the bottom of the container, not the Dormouse and family.)

Follow up to A Posing Question...

Aside from the obvious butter beer, the drink of choice for children after age eleven, I emailed this question to some of my friends and here is some of the answers:

Marijuana flavor Bertie Botts Beans.

Chocolate Frogs, since for many chocolate is their favorite addition.

And since all Hogwarts students take Potions, maybe they can whip up a stimulant of their own.

A Posing Question...

My fourteen-year-old daughter Lucy likes to play the "Posing Question" game. She’s done this all her life, starting when she was two-and-a half and she asked me, “Do you want me to live or do you want me to die?”

All these years later her questions keep coming. Offering me weird insight into the mind of a child who examines life so different from me. Some of the questions border on the ridiculous, as if she asks them specifically to see my reaction, amused at the possibility I'll actually answer her question. For example, I’ll redirect this question to you.

Do you think the students at Hogwarts ever got in trouble for drugs, and if so what drug of choice would be most common in each house?

WKOQIT? (What kind of question is that?)

Got any answers for her? 

In remembrance of those who died...