You're Not A Real Writer Unless You Can Bore Nonwriters

This weekend I have discovered Downton Abbey is on Netflix instant watch. Whoo! A blogger a while back mentioned it (please forgive me, I have been wracking my brain all weekend trying to remember who. If it was you, please let me know so I can credit you.) and I have been wanting to see if since. So glad I have, too! It's addicting!

**Nancy Williams says it was Clarissa Draper and she was RIGHT!

I can't get enough of the old houses and gowns and scenery! It's breathtaking. The scandals and plots. The rules of society and the changing women's rights. Ahhh...
It's just a bunch of goodness.

And makes me miss PBS.

That has been my weekend obsession as well as reading and critiquing. Not cleaning so much...Feel pretty guilty about it but whatever. I'll live.

We moved our crit. group meeting to a night that I don't feel like I'm going to fall asleep at the skype on. Worked out pretty well, me thinks! Those gals never fail to crack me up. Also realized that, somehow, breaking a novel into pieces and discussing it for 2 hours isn't interesting to everyone! I know, right? "The Hell!" you say! I know, I know. It's a weird thing to think about but nope. It's totally true. I guess only writers appreciate a 15 minute discussion about rocks vs gems.

So that was my weekend, how about yours?

Funny Friday Makes Fun of Men. Unintentionally. Swear. But It's Funny. Dudes.

Kari Marie over @ Writing by Heart gave me The Stylish Blogger award!!! Thanks so much Kari! (And she is reading The Hollows series ((One of my favorite series EVER)) and will have to rave about it with me when she gets done!) (((duties have been paid)))




Kid tells the best story about watching a movie!



HA! Wait...


I love how she's all "and if he says he isn't coming back, I'll be all MEH whatevs. I can get me's a new man!"



I LOVE this website. It's a new find thanks to Jennie Bailey. NotAlwaysRight.com. It cracks me up. Constantly. As do PassiveAggressiveNotes.com and DamnYouAutoCorrect.com. Need a quick giggle? Just pop over and enjoy a few entries.

Happy weekend you guys! See you all Monday!

Word Verification Wednesday

 Is there a BA(bookaholics Anonymous) meeting anywhere? I think I might have a problem. First step is admittance, right? RIGHT?! Wait. Do I ever want a cure?...No. No I don't.

Book addictions are nothing to be taken lightly. My bank account is seriously showing the strain. But. I can't stop. I have bought...12 books in the past 2 weeks. And I keep browsing Amazon and GoHastings for deals!!

AND on top of that, I already have a "small"(by comparison) stack of books to read! Is there a pill? 12 step program? Support group?

SO I JUST found out that Kim Harrison's next book in The Hollow's series came out TUESDAY! How can I stop buying books now!? They don't want me to get better...

HERE is a hilarious query critique from the Evil Editor. So...so many snickers.

Happy Wednesday!

It's Disgusting, Just How I Like It

The hubs and I were watching Survivorman. If you don't know what Survivor Man is, it's a show where this one guy puts himself into dangerous landscapes for 7 days with no crews, no food, and very few supplies. As if he was put into that circumstance by some sort of freak accident.

So, we were watching where he was in a desert (which he does a few times if I'm not mistaken((different deserts))) And, I think...I'm being punished for some content in my MS. OR a lesson in how gross I actually made my novel!

It is supposed to be oogy. That's how I wrote it. So, every time someone has mentioned how dark or yuck one part or another is, I'm all "sweeeeeet". Mission accomplished!

But, Les Stroud is demonstrating how to survive in this desert. And at one point, after a day or so with no water and little food he sets up traps. And...catches...half a dozen or so SCORPIONS!

Now...Scorpions are my biggest creepiest gross-out fear. I HATE THEM. HATE. HATE. HATE. HATE.

So, naturally he eats them. BBBBBBLECH!! Crunchy, disgusting, HORRIFYING awfulness. (I tried to put up a picture of some scorpions but I couldn't...I typed it in, found the pictures, then virtually hauled ass! Nope, couldn't do it.)

The cool thing is, I totally nailed the scene without seeing it first! Whoohoo! (IMO)

Experience, I suppose.  I don't know if other people will be creeped and grossed out like I mean them to, but I think, if you can pull it off on yourself, then you have accomplished what you wanted.

Sometimes, we just have to suck it up and actually experience some things we never want to just to make it perfect for a novel. AH a writers curse! The rest of my creepy/gross content, however, I will have to just hope I got right. Maybe I need to write a book about a pudgy white girl who moves to a private island with Ryan Reynolds...OH the research I could do!

Check back in Wednesday for another round of What's That Word Verification? !

Don't forget to check out Alexia and my St. Patty's Day blogfest where there are books to be won! Just click on that crazy little guy riding a pig to find out more!

HERE is K. M. Walton's 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Querying. GOOD stuff, for anyone about to, going to, getting ready to, wanting to query!

Lastly, thanks for everyone being so understanding about the bloggy absence a few days a week to do some writing!

Happy Monday!

F.F. Bringing You The Only Reason You Need to Exercise

So, if this doesn't motivate you to start working off those winter pounds, you're hopeless.





So, I bought the cats a bunch of crap because...well there are 5 of them against 1 and I buy them things to keep them from getting pissed and eating my face. So I spend half an hour assembling this 5'5 cat tree thing. They spend 2 minutes inspecting, 5 minutes playing, 3 minutes slapping each other just to irritate one another, and the rest of the night in the box full of bubble wrap that it came in...


Maria McKenzie @ Reading, Writing, Romance gave me the smiley award! I love that colorful thing. Thanks Maria!! (duties have been done to the award)

Quicky this week, sorry about that. But I hope you guys have a great weekend!
M

Writer Wednesday Where I Say Boob Too Much

So, I am a lady. (derp) And ladies have their favorite bras. We love the way this particular one feels, makes us look all sexy, is comfy, etc.

I have a favorite. And an older back up of the same kind. The one was being washed so I just threw on the backup old one for the day. All day my boobs felt...weird. Not internally, but something just felt off.

I'm just laying around catching up on blogs, snacking, watching t.v. on another snow day stuck inside. And I just don't feel right. I can't get comfortable because of the strange feeling with my boobs. Re-situate the bra. Nothing. Re-situate myself. Nothing.

So, I debate asking the hubs "do my boobs look okay? Normal?" and decide against it. He, being the sweet liar that he is, will tell me what he thinks I want to hear. That my boobs look great, blah blah blah. Not. Helpful. I don't ask.

As I get ready for bed, I take off my shirt. (boys, calm down...) And see it! They aren't the same! They don't look symmetrical. The one is all "HI!", the other is all "meh, hey". Turns out the washing machine or something ate the wire out of one side. Took the pep out my one step, so to speak.

This whole story about my boobs and bra has a point. When you have something in your manuscript that doesn't feel right -- you know something is wrong and you can't figure it out on your own just by going off feelings  -- who do you ask for help? Are they the kind of people that will tell you your boob is off? Or will they tell say you rock, it's perfect and let you walk around lopsided?

A gut feeling is nothing to ignore when it comes to your work. When you feel like you suck, you're probably wrong. When you feel a scene doesn't work right for some reason, you're probably right.

I want to thank my three favorite bras, Abby, Jennie, and Melissa for being the right amount of lift, support, and helping me to force my boobs(MS, just in case you are now confused) into the right shape. Thanks, you wonderful gals! Those 3 have pointed out some real boob mistakes this week!


In other news, how in this WORLD did someone come across my blog by searching : "club penguin with sexy boys and wieners on them" ?!


I might be taking a few days off a week from reading blogs to work all day on my MS revisions. I have a long way to go, and a rapidly approaching deadline.

Hopefully you will all understand that I need to take my own advice (finally) and put writing first for now. So please don't be offended if you don't see me poking around Tuesdays and Thursdays. And if you do, please tell me to get back to work.


Don't forget to sign up for my very first blogfest I'm cohosting with the lovely Alexia Chamberlynn!! Button on your top left! 

Happy Wednesday!

Just Kiss Already Blogfest

Happy Valentines Day!!

The hubs and I aren't Valentines Day people. We have tried, but it's just a day to do what you should be doing all year long--loving one another. BUT I do really enjoy the candies and the pretty red stuffs. So we usually just have a nicer than usual dinner. I asked for those chalky cheap hearts with the words on them this year too. I love those things.

And I couldn't NOT want to participate in Stina Lindenblatt and Christina Lee's Just Kiss Already Blogfest!! It was just too sweet to pass up! All you have to do is post a 250 word excerpt from your work or a book with actual kissing involved. Easy-peasy!

Hop around to check out everyone else.

"Now, finally, he has found her, and he has found his children, and there is no rush, for they have all eternity to love one another.

And she is kissing him and he is kissing her and the tears she has held back for five years, the tears that I knew could transform the moment, the tears that had to be saved for the right moment to transform, now come streaming down and drop on the face of the man whose head is cradled in the woman's arms. Zel's tears fall in Konrad's eyes, hot and salty and full of life. He blinks them in, absorbs them; they are now his own tears, and yes, he can see.

And they see each other, and yes, oh, yes, we are happy. "~Zel by Donna Jo Napoli

I could read that story a million times and still read it again, loving it's magic like it were the first. Swooooon. I HIGHLY suggest it. 

What do you have planned for today? Do you have a go to book that you could read over and over and never not love every second of it?

I hope you all have a great day!! Happy Monday!!