Anyone who knows me knows I hate bananas. Hate. Them. But, I will make myself eat a banana every so often ... like, once every month or two. Why, you ask, when I hate them so? Because I know they're good for me. There are many other things with the same vitamins and nutrients and good-for-me elements that a banana has, and I do consume those quite a bit more often - cantaloupes, strawberries, tomatoes, and hello, orange juice, just to name a few - but every so often, if there's a banana in the house, I really just have this weird urge to eat one. I did that earlier today, and I can still taste it. Bleccchh. (The WGH and I tried one of those crazy diets once where you have to eat a certain prescribed combination of foods every day, and one day we had to eat four bananas. FOUR. In the same day. Quadruple-bleccchh.)
Now, I'm sure you probably didn't stop by the Lunch Room today to hear me rant about bananas (although they are on the menu if that suits your fancy), but as always, there's a method to my madness. So here's my wildcard way of connecting bananas to writing - sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do when it means you'll get some benefit from it, would you agree? Take, for example, the dreaded rewrite.
(Yep, that's where I was headed. Bananas and rewrites. Okay, so not profound, but you gotta admit it's different.)
You have your manuscript. You've slaved over it for months, getting that story down on paper. It's good, and you love it. Right? Meh, maybe not so much. But it's a start. Now you go back through it, nitpicking every little thing, making sure there are no gaping holes in your storyline, making sure all the minute details jibe (like your hero's eyes are the same color on page 315 that they were on page 3 and don't suddenly change halfway through the book - he's not a mutant, for crying out loud ... unless you write paranormal or sci-fi, but that's a horse of a different color ... er, never mind), beefing up that character development here, cutting a few extraneous words there, slaving over it until it's as nearly perfect as you can get it. And then you send it off to your critique partner or your editor or your first reader or whoever, and they send it back with their comments and you start the whole process all over again.
Wait, is this what I signed up for?
Well, yeah. It is.
To truly accomplish what you set out to do for your book, to get it into its ... for lack of a better term (and in keeping with my theme) healthiest state, you have to eat that banana. You have to do the tedious, arduous, hard and heavy nose to the grindstone work - polish, polish, polish - that drudgery that you don't look forward to but know in your heart of hearts that doing it will be the most beneficial thing you can do for your book.
I should probably stop at this point long enough to say, if you're not a writer and you're reading this and truly beginning to worry for my sanity - don't. I'm like this all the time, and my writer buddies will attest to the genius of my argument. Right, guys? Guys? Anybody?
Anyway, it all boils down to the fact that we writers love what we do enough (or at least, we should) to really put forth the effort it requires to make that manuscript the very best it can be, and if it means eating a few bananas along the way (God forbid, even four in a day), then that's what we'll do. And for you readers out there who to this point are still befuddled by all this fruit foolishness, know this ... that book you have in your hand is the product of many, many long hours of hard work - a labor of love, in a sense, and its writer did his or her very best to make it worth your taking the time to read it. Even the extra stuff that we don't really like to do.
You'll just have to excuse the little mushy white smudges on page 237. That was a banana day.
Read a book. Eat a banana. They're both good for you!
=) JB
"The book to read is not the one which thinks for you, but the one which makes you think."
-- Harper Lee, American writer, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for To Kill a Mockingbird
4.28.2008
4.26.2008
Words to Live By
Whilst I sit back and enjoy my aesthetically pleasing new landscaping, please grab a seat and enjoy this week's wonderful words:
From wordsmith.org:
suspire \suh-SPYR\ (verb tr., intr.) - To breathe; to sigh.
[From Latin suspirare (to breathe up), from spirare (to breathe).]
indurate \IN-doo-rayt, -dyoo-\ (verb tr.) - 1 : To make hardy, inured, accustomed. 2 : To make callous or unfeeling. (verb intr.) - 1 : To make hard. 2 : To become established. (adjective) \IN-doo-rit, -dyoo-\ - Hardened; callous; obstinate.
[From Latin indurare (to harden), from durare (to last), from durus (hard). Ultimately from the Indo-European root deru-/dreu- (to be firm) that's the source of such other words as truth, trust, betroth, tree, endure, and druid.]
yammer \YAM-uhr\ (verb tr., intr.) - To whine, complain, or to talk loudly and incessantly. (noun) - The act of yammering.
[From Middle Dutch jammeren (to lament).]
extirpate \EK-stuhr-payt\ (verb tr.) - 1 : To destroy completely. 2 : To pull up by the roots.
[From Latin extirpare (to root out), from stirps (stem, root).]
spall \spal\ (verb tr., intr.) - To break into small pieces; to splinter. (noun) - A chip or splinter, especially of stone.
[Of unknown origin.]
And from ArcaMax:
halcyon \HAL-see-uhn\ (noun) - 1 : A kingfisher. 2 : A mythical bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was fabled to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation. (adjective) - 1 : Calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy; as, "deep, halcyon repose." 2 : Marked by peace and prosperity; as, "halcyon years."
"West foreshadowed the end of Los Angeles's halcyon moment. He saw the city of angels becoming a city of despair, a place where hopes get crushed..." -- Michael Connelly, 'The Concrete Blonde'
Halcyon derives from Latin (h)alcyon, from Greek halkuon, a mythical bird, kingfisher. This bird was fabled by the Greeks to nest at sea, about the time of the winter solstice, and, during incubation, to calm the waves.
prevaricate \prih-VAIR-uh-kayt\ (intransitive verb) - To depart from or evade the truth; to speak with equivocation.
"As regards your question, however, I will not prevaricate nor deceive you, but what the old man of the sea told me, so much will I tell you in full." -- Homer, 'The Odyssey'
Prevaricate derives from the past participle of Latin praevaricari, "to pass in front of, or over, by straddling; to walk crookedly; to collude," from prae, "before, in front of" + varicare, "to straddle," from varicus, "straddling," from varus, "bent."
superfluous \soo-PER-floo-us\ (adjective) - More than is wanted or is sufficient; rendered unnecessary by superabundance; unnecessary; useless; excessive. (adverb) superfluously, (noun) superfluousness.
"You must consider that what is necessary always occurs, and what is superfluous usually, but what is almost necessary, at least in my case, rarely, as a result of which, robbed of all context, it can become slightly pathetic, i.e. amusing." -- Hanns Zischler, 'Kafka Goes to the Movies'
Superfluous comes ultimately from the Latin superfluus, from superfluo, superfluere, to overflow, from super-, over, above + fluo, fluere, to flow.
desideratum \dih-sid-uh-RAY-tum; -RAH-\ (noun) - Something desired or considered necessary. plural desiderata
"I went, had admittance, and offered him my service as a master of the Greek language, which I had been told was a desideratum in this university." -- Oliver Goldsmith, 'The Vicar of Wakefield'
Desideratum is from Latin desideratum, "a thing desired," from desiderare, "to desire."
stoic \STOH-ik\ (noun) - 1 : (Capitalized). A member of a school of philosophy founded by Zeno holding that one should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and should submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity. 2 : Hence, one who is apparently or professedly indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain, joy or grief. (adjective) - 1 : Of or pertaining to the Stoics; resembling the Stoics or their doctrines. 2 : Not affected by passion; being or appearing indifferent to pleasure or pain, joy or grief.
"A Stoic never evaded life: he faced it. A Stoic never avoided responsibility: he accepted it. A Stoic not only believed in liberty: he practised it." -- H. J. Duteil, 'The Great American Parade'
Stoic comes from Greek stoikos, literally "of or pertaining to a colonnade or porch," from stoa, "a roofed colonnade, a porch, especially, a porch in Athens where Zeno and his successors taught."
Today will be a run and gun catch-up day. Little Bit is going to her 'semi-formal' tonight, so we'll have some mother-daughter bonding time trying to get her ready to go (i.e., primping). And I'll have another by-myself evening. Last night's didn't quite go as planned as it seems I was very tired - I fell asleep with a book in my hand and the Food Network on low volume. Sheesh. So I'll be trying to finish that book this afternoon.
I read something yesterday that said there were something like 400,000 books published in the U.S. last year. I'm hoping that somewhere in that mountain of books you'll be able to find something that suits your fancy.
Don't forget - it's good for you.
=) JB
"Subtlety may deceive you; integrity never will."
-- Lord Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) English Lord Protector
From wordsmith.org:
suspire \suh-SPYR\ (verb tr., intr.) - To breathe; to sigh.
[From Latin suspirare (to breathe up), from spirare (to breathe).]
indurate \IN-doo-rayt, -dyoo-\ (verb tr.) - 1 : To make hardy, inured, accustomed. 2 : To make callous or unfeeling. (verb intr.) - 1 : To make hard. 2 : To become established. (adjective) \IN-doo-rit, -dyoo-\ - Hardened; callous; obstinate.
[From Latin indurare (to harden), from durare (to last), from durus (hard). Ultimately from the Indo-European root deru-/dreu- (to be firm) that's the source of such other words as truth, trust, betroth, tree, endure, and druid.]
yammer \YAM-uhr\ (verb tr., intr.) - To whine, complain, or to talk loudly and incessantly. (noun) - The act of yammering.
[From Middle Dutch jammeren (to lament).]
extirpate \EK-stuhr-payt\ (verb tr.) - 1 : To destroy completely. 2 : To pull up by the roots.
[From Latin extirpare (to root out), from stirps (stem, root).]
spall \spal\ (verb tr., intr.) - To break into small pieces; to splinter. (noun) - A chip or splinter, especially of stone.
[Of unknown origin.]
And from ArcaMax:
halcyon \HAL-see-uhn\ (noun) - 1 : A kingfisher. 2 : A mythical bird, identified with the kingfisher, that was fabled to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation. (adjective) - 1 : Calm; quiet; peaceful; undisturbed; happy; as, "deep, halcyon repose." 2 : Marked by peace and prosperity; as, "halcyon years."
"West foreshadowed the end of Los Angeles's halcyon moment. He saw the city of angels becoming a city of despair, a place where hopes get crushed..." -- Michael Connelly, 'The Concrete Blonde'
Halcyon derives from Latin (h)alcyon, from Greek halkuon, a mythical bird, kingfisher. This bird was fabled by the Greeks to nest at sea, about the time of the winter solstice, and, during incubation, to calm the waves.
prevaricate \prih-VAIR-uh-kayt\ (intransitive verb) - To depart from or evade the truth; to speak with equivocation.
"As regards your question, however, I will not prevaricate nor deceive you, but what the old man of the sea told me, so much will I tell you in full." -- Homer, 'The Odyssey'
Prevaricate derives from the past participle of Latin praevaricari, "to pass in front of, or over, by straddling; to walk crookedly; to collude," from prae, "before, in front of" + varicare, "to straddle," from varicus, "straddling," from varus, "bent."
superfluous \soo-PER-floo-us\ (adjective) - More than is wanted or is sufficient; rendered unnecessary by superabundance; unnecessary; useless; excessive. (adverb) superfluously, (noun) superfluousness.
"You must consider that what is necessary always occurs, and what is superfluous usually, but what is almost necessary, at least in my case, rarely, as a result of which, robbed of all context, it can become slightly pathetic, i.e. amusing." -- Hanns Zischler, 'Kafka Goes to the Movies'
Superfluous comes ultimately from the Latin superfluus, from superfluo, superfluere, to overflow, from super-, over, above + fluo, fluere, to flow.
desideratum \dih-sid-uh-RAY-tum; -RAH-\ (noun) - Something desired or considered necessary. plural desiderata
"I went, had admittance, and offered him my service as a master of the Greek language, which I had been told was a desideratum in this university." -- Oliver Goldsmith, 'The Vicar of Wakefield'
Desideratum is from Latin desideratum, "a thing desired," from desiderare, "to desire."
stoic \STOH-ik\ (noun) - 1 : (Capitalized). A member of a school of philosophy founded by Zeno holding that one should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and should submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity. 2 : Hence, one who is apparently or professedly indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain, joy or grief. (adjective) - 1 : Of or pertaining to the Stoics; resembling the Stoics or their doctrines. 2 : Not affected by passion; being or appearing indifferent to pleasure or pain, joy or grief.
"A Stoic never evaded life: he faced it. A Stoic never avoided responsibility: he accepted it. A Stoic not only believed in liberty: he practised it." -- H. J. Duteil, 'The Great American Parade'
Stoic comes from Greek stoikos, literally "of or pertaining to a colonnade or porch," from stoa, "a roofed colonnade, a porch, especially, a porch in Athens where Zeno and his successors taught."
Today will be a run and gun catch-up day. Little Bit is going to her 'semi-formal' tonight, so we'll have some mother-daughter bonding time trying to get her ready to go (i.e., primping). And I'll have another by-myself evening. Last night's didn't quite go as planned as it seems I was very tired - I fell asleep with a book in my hand and the Food Network on low volume. Sheesh. So I'll be trying to finish that book this afternoon.
I read something yesterday that said there were something like 400,000 books published in the U.S. last year. I'm hoping that somewhere in that mountain of books you'll be able to find something that suits your fancy.
Don't forget - it's good for you.
=) JB
"Subtlety may deceive you; integrity never will."
-- Lord Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) English Lord Protector
4.25.2008
Taking Stock
Before we get into today's musings, take a hop over to Murderati and read my Wonder Twin's post on How to Avoid Scams. It's brilliant advice for writers, especially new ones trying to break into the biz.
I'm not a skeptic by nature - JT and I differ a bit in that respect - I have the naive tendency to trust more than I probably should. But I do adhere to the adage she mentions, that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I could spend all day whining about the past, the things I should've done, regretting the things I did - when it came to getting my books published, that is - but what good would it do? What's done is done, what's in the past is in the past. A wise baboon once said, "It doesn't matter, it's in the past." What's important is what you're doing to plan for the future.
This notion is hitting me especially hard these days, as our second-born is beginning to look at choices for college. That seems strange to say. We have one in an institution of higher learning already (she starts finals today, so pray for her, will ya?), and the thought that a year from now The Boy will be preparing to graduate from high school and take off for college himself overwhelms me a little. I think - perhaps a bit selfishly - that I'm looking at this in terms not of where they are, but of where I am. Eleven years ago I had a near meltdown because I wasn't 'where I wanted to be' as far as my writing career. In the last 10 years I've had two books published and still I'm not sure I'm 'where I want to be'. So let's take stock.
I've written six manuscripts now. Two of them are actually in print. And the other four? Should be published but aren't, because I didn't have either the knowledge or the guts to get them out there. All I knew was that I wanted to find an agent, who would in turn find me a new publisher.
I know so much more now, and looking back I think perhaps it's not such a bad thing that I've waited to be where I am now. You can take a gander at the egoistic horn-tooting column to the right to see how much I've written in just the past two years. I mentioned a week or so ago that I'd finally put together that 'bibliography' the WMVR suggested I do, and it blew me away to think I'd written that much. These are writing credits, and JT and Mama Del say writing credits are good things.
I'm also eternally grateful for (and will extol ad nauseum) the advice and guidance I've received from JT about the business of writing and what to do as a writer. She's a fantastic example. Just incredible. And I listen to her. But I haven't, to this point, had the courage, really, to act on her advice. I can say, "I'm going to do it!" until I'm blue in the face, but if I don't actually go out and do it, is it getting me anywhere? Of course not.
So I'm done with saying I'm going to do something.
I'm just going to do it.
When something happens, I'll let you know.
Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and for listening to (or rather, reading) my rants. I'm not usually like this, but I think I've finally decided I'm tired of being such a wimp. Wish me luck on the change.
Be sure to register to win your very own autographed copy of BABY SHARK's third adventure (see The Chef's Special box to the right). And read a book!
=) JB
"No life is so hard that you can't make it easier by the way you take it."
-- Ellen Glasgow (1874-1945) American writer
I'm not a skeptic by nature - JT and I differ a bit in that respect - I have the naive tendency to trust more than I probably should. But I do adhere to the adage she mentions, that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I could spend all day whining about the past, the things I should've done, regretting the things I did - when it came to getting my books published, that is - but what good would it do? What's done is done, what's in the past is in the past. A wise baboon once said, "It doesn't matter, it's in the past." What's important is what you're doing to plan for the future.
This notion is hitting me especially hard these days, as our second-born is beginning to look at choices for college. That seems strange to say. We have one in an institution of higher learning already (she starts finals today, so pray for her, will ya?), and the thought that a year from now The Boy will be preparing to graduate from high school and take off for college himself overwhelms me a little. I think - perhaps a bit selfishly - that I'm looking at this in terms not of where they are, but of where I am. Eleven years ago I had a near meltdown because I wasn't 'where I wanted to be' as far as my writing career. In the last 10 years I've had two books published and still I'm not sure I'm 'where I want to be'. So let's take stock.
I've written six manuscripts now. Two of them are actually in print. And the other four? Should be published but aren't, because I didn't have either the knowledge or the guts to get them out there. All I knew was that I wanted to find an agent, who would in turn find me a new publisher.
I know so much more now, and looking back I think perhaps it's not such a bad thing that I've waited to be where I am now. You can take a gander at the egoistic horn-tooting column to the right to see how much I've written in just the past two years. I mentioned a week or so ago that I'd finally put together that 'bibliography' the WMVR suggested I do, and it blew me away to think I'd written that much. These are writing credits, and JT and Mama Del say writing credits are good things.
I'm also eternally grateful for (and will extol ad nauseum) the advice and guidance I've received from JT about the business of writing and what to do as a writer. She's a fantastic example. Just incredible. And I listen to her. But I haven't, to this point, had the courage, really, to act on her advice. I can say, "I'm going to do it!" until I'm blue in the face, but if I don't actually go out and do it, is it getting me anywhere? Of course not.
So I'm done with saying I'm going to do something.
I'm just going to do it.
When something happens, I'll let you know.
Thanks for stopping by to see me today, and for listening to (or rather, reading) my rants. I'm not usually like this, but I think I've finally decided I'm tired of being such a wimp. Wish me luck on the change.
Be sure to register to win your very own autographed copy of BABY SHARK's third adventure (see The Chef's Special box to the right). And read a book!
=) JB
"No life is so hard that you can't make it easier by the way you take it."
-- Ellen Glasgow (1874-1945) American writer
4.24.2008
Robert Fate Returns to the Lunch Room!
Remember I said I was working on a very special announcement? Well here it is, and I am dizzy with excitement - my dear pal Robert Fate has dropped in for another visit to his favorite online lunch place, and he's brought surprises with him!
I'm very pleased and honored to announce that his newest book in the Baby Shark series, BABY SHARK'S HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION, will be officially released in the next couple of weeks, and Bob has brought a few copies to the Lunch Room, which he will autograph and send to five lucky people - just enter to win! Details are below, but for now, grab a seat, settle in, and enjoy a few minutes of banter with Bob.
JB: We're so excited to have you drop by the Lunch Room again, Bob - welcome back! While we're waiting for your order of fried okra, let's chat about what you've been up to since you were here last (March 9, 2007) ... a new book ready for release, obviously, and Kristin has grown up quite a bit. You hinted at more adventures for our Baby Shark heroine - are those in the works?
ROBERT FATE: Yum, fried okra. Okay, let's see. It is May 1957 at the beginning of book three, Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption. So, yes, Kristin has grown up some. She will be twenty-two in July. She and her boyfriend, Lee, the Dallas Police Detective she met in Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues, are on again, off again. The problem they are having is one of full disclosure. She doesn't want to lie to her lover, but on the other hand how can she be totally honest with him? He has sworn to uphold the law and she and Otis are compelled by circumstances, from time to time, to work just over the line. That is to say, they occasionally bend the law in order to see justice done for their clients. But Lee and Kristin are crazy about each other, so it's a thorny issue that may not get settled for a book or two more.
JB: That's great - I really like Lee and Kristin together. And I do note that there is a fourth Baby Shark book scheduled to be released next year - yay!
I have to ask about HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION - when we talked last, BABY SHARK'S PANHANDLE CARAVAN was the working title. Although I love the one it's actually being published under, when did it change (most of our writer buddies know that happens all the time - but for the benefit of our non-writer members, you might throw in a brief explanation of the 'why')? Please give us a brief rundown of what Kristin's up to this time around.
RF: Titles, huh? My understanding is that different publishers handle the decision in reference to titles differently. At some publishing houses, I hear that authors have little or nothing to say about their titles. At my publisher, Capital Crime Press, the authors do have some say so about their titles. So, I alone was responsible for the confusion surrounding the title for book three in the Baby Shark series.
Here come all my excuses – I thought at first I would call it Sooner Weekend as a tongue in cheek stab at what turns into a weekend from hell. Everyone said it sounded like a travel book. Next, I thought Panhandle Caravan was a good idea because of the locale and the time Kristin spends in her car. Sounds like a musical comedy, I was told. I admit my stories are like cozies with a few brutal murders, but musical comedy? So, finally, I settled on High Plains Redemption. It sounded a little snooty to me, but everyone liked it and it does honestly address the subject of the book. So, as that TV detective used to say, "Dat's da name of dat tune."
And what is Kristin up to? You're really nosy for a lunchroom owner, you know that? I'm going to allow the reviewers to answer that question, but I will say that Kristin has some moments of hard-edged self-reflection about what she is turning into. She begins to question how easy it has become for her to kill. Nuff said.
JB: Yep, Nosy Nellie, that's me. And as I said, I love the title High Plains Redemption. It's perfect for the story. And I think you've given enough of a teaser to get folks interested in reading it - trust me, people, this is his best yet.
Now, what about that standalone you were contemplating?
RF: I am still contemplating a standalone. Here is the look I get on my face when I am contemplating. See? That proves it.
JB: How are things with Fern and Jenny? And who could forget Pharrell the sunbathing turtle. Is he still around?
RF: How kind of you to ask about my wife and daughter. Fern, as you know, is a ceramic artist. She is entering stuck-up shows these days in which you must be "invited" to display your pieces. Uh huh. Her hat size goes up with each invitation, but Jenny and I still love her. Jen is finishing her sophomore year at USC. We live fifteen minutes from her apartment near campus, but we only see her when she runs out of laundry, needs her refrigerator restocked, or comes home to sleep like the dead for a couple of days. She says it's all that studying. Well, I guess it could be all that studying ... "Sure," her father says, "It's because of all that studying."
The turtle? You ask about the turtle? What's the matter with you? He still wants to bite me and only shows his personality to Fern and Jen. I threatened to plaster a turtle soup label on his house, but Fern won't allow it.
JB: Sorry. Forgot that was a touchy subject. ;)
Thank you so much for coming back to visit with us, Bob. I'm thrilled and honored by your generous offer to give away brand spanking-new autographed copies of BABY SHARK'S HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION to five lucky Lunch Room visitors.
RF: Thank you for the invitation (see, Fern, I get invitations, too). It was my pleasure to join you, and the books? I am happy to think they will be read (and hopefully enjoyed) by visitors to your kitchen and stool set up. Finally, my fried okra has arrived. I will say J.B., you’re pleasant enough, but the service around here is really sloooow.
JB: Yeah, I know. I gotta have a chat with the hired help.
Okay, folks, here's the deal. We're giving away five autographed copies of BABY SHARK'S HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION in a random drawing. All you have to do to enter the drawing is click here to send me an email. (Please be sure to include your full name in the body!)
The drawing will be held on Friday, May 9, 2008 here in the Lunch Room. The winners will be notified by email and a list will be posted here. Good luck, and thanks for stopping by - your order will be ready soon ... if I can get the kitchen help off her ... never mind. Have some iced tea ...
=) JB
Robert Fate is the author of the Baby Shark series featuring Kristin Van Dijk, who is one tough little cookie. You can read my reviews of BABY SHARK and BABY SHARK'S BEAUMONT BLUES by following the links to the right under "Periodicals to Peruse". Visit Bob's website at www.robertfate.com.
I'm very pleased and honored to announce that his newest book in the Baby Shark series, BABY SHARK'S HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION, will be officially released in the next couple of weeks, and Bob has brought a few copies to the Lunch Room, which he will autograph and send to five lucky people - just enter to win! Details are below, but for now, grab a seat, settle in, and enjoy a few minutes of banter with Bob.
JB: We're so excited to have you drop by the Lunch Room again, Bob - welcome back! While we're waiting for your order of fried okra, let's chat about what you've been up to since you were here last (March 9, 2007) ... a new book ready for release, obviously, and Kristin has grown up quite a bit. You hinted at more adventures for our Baby Shark heroine - are those in the works?
ROBERT FATE: Yum, fried okra. Okay, let's see. It is May 1957 at the beginning of book three, Baby Shark's High Plains Redemption. So, yes, Kristin has grown up some. She will be twenty-two in July. She and her boyfriend, Lee, the Dallas Police Detective she met in Baby Shark's Beaumont Blues, are on again, off again. The problem they are having is one of full disclosure. She doesn't want to lie to her lover, but on the other hand how can she be totally honest with him? He has sworn to uphold the law and she and Otis are compelled by circumstances, from time to time, to work just over the line. That is to say, they occasionally bend the law in order to see justice done for their clients. But Lee and Kristin are crazy about each other, so it's a thorny issue that may not get settled for a book or two more.JB: That's great - I really like Lee and Kristin together. And I do note that there is a fourth Baby Shark book scheduled to be released next year - yay!
I have to ask about HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION - when we talked last, BABY SHARK'S PANHANDLE CARAVAN was the working title. Although I love the one it's actually being published under, when did it change (most of our writer buddies know that happens all the time - but for the benefit of our non-writer members, you might throw in a brief explanation of the 'why')? Please give us a brief rundown of what Kristin's up to this time around.
RF: Titles, huh? My understanding is that different publishers handle the decision in reference to titles differently. At some publishing houses, I hear that authors have little or nothing to say about their titles. At my publisher, Capital Crime Press, the authors do have some say so about their titles. So, I alone was responsible for the confusion surrounding the title for book three in the Baby Shark series.
Here come all my excuses – I thought at first I would call it Sooner Weekend as a tongue in cheek stab at what turns into a weekend from hell. Everyone said it sounded like a travel book. Next, I thought Panhandle Caravan was a good idea because of the locale and the time Kristin spends in her car. Sounds like a musical comedy, I was told. I admit my stories are like cozies with a few brutal murders, but musical comedy? So, finally, I settled on High Plains Redemption. It sounded a little snooty to me, but everyone liked it and it does honestly address the subject of the book. So, as that TV detective used to say, "Dat's da name of dat tune."
And what is Kristin up to? You're really nosy for a lunchroom owner, you know that? I'm going to allow the reviewers to answer that question, but I will say that Kristin has some moments of hard-edged self-reflection about what she is turning into. She begins to question how easy it has become for her to kill. Nuff said.
JB: Yep, Nosy Nellie, that's me. And as I said, I love the title High Plains Redemption. It's perfect for the story. And I think you've given enough of a teaser to get folks interested in reading it - trust me, people, this is his best yet.
Now, what about that standalone you were contemplating?
RF: I am still contemplating a standalone. Here is the look I get on my face when I am contemplating. See? That proves it.
JB: How are things with Fern and Jenny? And who could forget Pharrell the sunbathing turtle. Is he still around?
RF: How kind of you to ask about my wife and daughter. Fern, as you know, is a ceramic artist. She is entering stuck-up shows these days in which you must be "invited" to display your pieces. Uh huh. Her hat size goes up with each invitation, but Jenny and I still love her. Jen is finishing her sophomore year at USC. We live fifteen minutes from her apartment near campus, but we only see her when she runs out of laundry, needs her refrigerator restocked, or comes home to sleep like the dead for a couple of days. She says it's all that studying. Well, I guess it could be all that studying ... "Sure," her father says, "It's because of all that studying."
The turtle? You ask about the turtle? What's the matter with you? He still wants to bite me and only shows his personality to Fern and Jen. I threatened to plaster a turtle soup label on his house, but Fern won't allow it.
JB: Sorry. Forgot that was a touchy subject. ;)
Thank you so much for coming back to visit with us, Bob. I'm thrilled and honored by your generous offer to give away brand spanking-new autographed copies of BABY SHARK'S HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION to five lucky Lunch Room visitors.
RF: Thank you for the invitation (see, Fern, I get invitations, too). It was my pleasure to join you, and the books? I am happy to think they will be read (and hopefully enjoyed) by visitors to your kitchen and stool set up. Finally, my fried okra has arrived. I will say J.B., you’re pleasant enough, but the service around here is really sloooow.
JB: Yeah, I know. I gotta have a chat with the hired help.
Okay, folks, here's the deal. We're giving away five autographed copies of BABY SHARK'S HIGH PLAINS REDEMPTION in a random drawing. All you have to do to enter the drawing is click here to send me an email. (Please be sure to include your full name in the body!)
The drawing will be held on Friday, May 9, 2008 here in the Lunch Room. The winners will be notified by email and a list will be posted here. Good luck, and thanks for stopping by - your order will be ready soon ... if I can get the kitchen help off her ... never mind. Have some iced tea ...
=) JB
Robert Fate is the author of the Baby Shark series featuring Kristin Van Dijk, who is one tough little cookie. You can read my reviews of BABY SHARK and BABY SHARK'S BEAUMONT BLUES by following the links to the right under "Periodicals to Peruse". Visit Bob's website at www.robertfate.com.
4.21.2008
Tennessee Tuxedo
Raise your hands if you remember this character.
Ah, I see a few of you out there. Remember his pal Chumley? That's when cartoons were great, folks, I'm here to tell you. On second thought, don't get me started ...
So The Boy and I went to the Men's Wearhouse tux shop today - MWTux. All they do is tuxedos. For any and all occasions. And as you know, prom is fast approaching. Milady's dress is pink - shocking pink, if the truth be told - and The Boy has agreed to accessorize the otherwise all-black tux with a fuschia tie. Mom is pleased if a bit tired - I never knew that so much went into renting a tux. But the very knowledgeable young associate who helped us this afternoon took care of everything in a trice. He gets the whole shooting match in the rental package - jacket, pants, vest, tie, shirt - in her words, everything but his underwear. (The Boy and I agreed that he could probably come up with something in that department.) They even do socks and shoes - how cool is that? I question the socks thing, really - we have to take the thing back the day after prom, and do they really want those smelly socks back? Eewwww.
The upshot of our afternoon at the mall is that I haven't done a bloody thing writing-wise today. I have to make breakfast for tomorrow's session of the men's Bible study group at our church, so this evening is going to entail diving into a good book and a few of my favorite TV shows. We'll tackle the rest of the to-do list tomorrow, when I can actually stay home and get something done.
Be sure to stay tuned over the next few days, because I'm putting the finishing touches on a very special announcement which shall be forthcoming soon. You'll love it, I promise.
In the meantime, read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"If we would build on a sure foundation in friendship, we must love friends for their sake rather than for our own."
-- Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855) English writer
Ah, I see a few of you out there. Remember his pal Chumley? That's when cartoons were great, folks, I'm here to tell you. On second thought, don't get me started ...
So The Boy and I went to the Men's Wearhouse tux shop today - MWTux. All they do is tuxedos. For any and all occasions. And as you know, prom is fast approaching. Milady's dress is pink - shocking pink, if the truth be told - and The Boy has agreed to accessorize the otherwise all-black tux with a fuschia tie. Mom is pleased if a bit tired - I never knew that so much went into renting a tux. But the very knowledgeable young associate who helped us this afternoon took care of everything in a trice. He gets the whole shooting match in the rental package - jacket, pants, vest, tie, shirt - in her words, everything but his underwear. (The Boy and I agreed that he could probably come up with something in that department.) They even do socks and shoes - how cool is that? I question the socks thing, really - we have to take the thing back the day after prom, and do they really want those smelly socks back? Eewwww.
The upshot of our afternoon at the mall is that I haven't done a bloody thing writing-wise today. I have to make breakfast for tomorrow's session of the men's Bible study group at our church, so this evening is going to entail diving into a good book and a few of my favorite TV shows. We'll tackle the rest of the to-do list tomorrow, when I can actually stay home and get something done.
Be sure to stay tuned over the next few days, because I'm putting the finishing touches on a very special announcement which shall be forthcoming soon. You'll love it, I promise.
In the meantime, read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"If we would build on a sure foundation in friendship, we must love friends for their sake rather than for our own."
-- Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855) English writer
4.19.2008
Weekly Vocab
With the exception of the first one, which came from wordsmith.org, this week's words are, as usual, from my ArcaMax ezine subscriptions. Enrich your word power today ...
cenotaph \SEN-uh-taf\ (noun) - A tomb or a monument in honor of a person (or a group) whose remains are elsewhere. [Via French and Latin, from Greek kenotaphion, from kenos (empty) + taphos (tomb).]
undulant \UN-juh-lunt; UN-dyuh-\ (adjective) - Resembling waves in form, motion, or occurrence.
"After some time the car slowed to a palpitant pause at a spot where the road was bordered on one hand by a woods, on the other by meadow-lands running down to an arm of a bay, on whose gently undulant surface the flame-tipped finger of a distant lighthouse drew an undulant path of radiance." -- Louis Joseph Vance, 'The Destroying Angel'
Undulant is from Late Latin undula, "a small wave," diminutive of Latin unda, "wave."
concomitant \kuhn-KOM-uh-tuhnt\ (adjective) - Accompanying; attendant; occurring or existing concurrently. (noun) - Something that accompanies or is collaterally connected with something else; an accompaniment.
"I think it's worthy of note that passions do not tend to be inflamed without the presence of concomitant phantasms." -- Don DeLillo, 'Ratner's Star'
Concomitant comes from the present participle of Latin concomitari, to accompany, from com- (used intensively) + comitari, to accompany, from comes, comit-, a companion.
peregrination \pehr-uh-gruh-NAY-shun\ (noun) - A traveling from place to place; a wandering.
"They continued their peregrination, stopping to spend a few minutes in this circle or that before moving on again, she a foot before him, he prowling, relaxed but watchful, in her wake." -- Stephanie Laurens, 'On a Wild Night'
Peregrination comes from Latin peregrinatio, from peregrinari, "to stay or travel in foreign countries," from peregre, "in a foreign country, abroad," from per, "through" + ager, "land."
inimical \ih-NIM-ih-kul\ (adjective) - 1 : Having the disposition or temper of an enemy; unfriendly; unfavorable. 2 : Opposed in tendency, influence, or effects; antagonistic; adverse.
"The gods did not care -- or rather, were inimical. Beyond question, they were inimical to him." -- Gene Wolfe, 'Litany of the Long Sun'
nimical comes from Late Latin inimicalis, from Latin inimicus, unfriendly, adverse, hostile, from in-, not + amicus, friendly, well-wishing, favorable to, from amare, to love.
Today I'm recovering from the slumber party from ... well, anyway - it went fairly well, and most of the nine teenagers who ended up staying the night last night (Little Bit with five friends and The Boy with two) all fell asleep sometime around midnight or so. Fortunately, the WGH and I didn't hear a peep out of them after 10:30, by which time he and I were both quite oblivious to the world's existence - he because he had to get up at four this morning to go to work, I because I was pooped. ;)
So it's time for breakfast and then an afternoon of shopping (joy) and maybe by tonight I'll have enough energy left to make the apple pies the WGH promised I'd do for our Sunday school get-together tomorrow. Sigh.
Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself."
-- Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889-1977) English film actor, director, producer, writer, and composer
cenotaph \SEN-uh-taf\ (noun) - A tomb or a monument in honor of a person (or a group) whose remains are elsewhere. [Via French and Latin, from Greek kenotaphion, from kenos (empty) + taphos (tomb).]
undulant \UN-juh-lunt; UN-dyuh-\ (adjective) - Resembling waves in form, motion, or occurrence.
"After some time the car slowed to a palpitant pause at a spot where the road was bordered on one hand by a woods, on the other by meadow-lands running down to an arm of a bay, on whose gently undulant surface the flame-tipped finger of a distant lighthouse drew an undulant path of radiance." -- Louis Joseph Vance, 'The Destroying Angel'
Undulant is from Late Latin undula, "a small wave," diminutive of Latin unda, "wave."
concomitant \kuhn-KOM-uh-tuhnt\ (adjective) - Accompanying; attendant; occurring or existing concurrently. (noun) - Something that accompanies or is collaterally connected with something else; an accompaniment.
"I think it's worthy of note that passions do not tend to be inflamed without the presence of concomitant phantasms." -- Don DeLillo, 'Ratner's Star'
Concomitant comes from the present participle of Latin concomitari, to accompany, from com- (used intensively) + comitari, to accompany, from comes, comit-, a companion.
peregrination \pehr-uh-gruh-NAY-shun\ (noun) - A traveling from place to place; a wandering.
"They continued their peregrination, stopping to spend a few minutes in this circle or that before moving on again, she a foot before him, he prowling, relaxed but watchful, in her wake." -- Stephanie Laurens, 'On a Wild Night'
Peregrination comes from Latin peregrinatio, from peregrinari, "to stay or travel in foreign countries," from peregre, "in a foreign country, abroad," from per, "through" + ager, "land."
inimical \ih-NIM-ih-kul\ (adjective) - 1 : Having the disposition or temper of an enemy; unfriendly; unfavorable. 2 : Opposed in tendency, influence, or effects; antagonistic; adverse.
"The gods did not care -- or rather, were inimical. Beyond question, they were inimical to him." -- Gene Wolfe, 'Litany of the Long Sun'
nimical comes from Late Latin inimicalis, from Latin inimicus, unfriendly, adverse, hostile, from in-, not + amicus, friendly, well-wishing, favorable to, from amare, to love.
Today I'm recovering from the slumber party from ... well, anyway - it went fairly well, and most of the nine teenagers who ended up staying the night last night (Little Bit with five friends and The Boy with two) all fell asleep sometime around midnight or so. Fortunately, the WGH and I didn't hear a peep out of them after 10:30, by which time he and I were both quite oblivious to the world's existence - he because he had to get up at four this morning to go to work, I because I was pooped. ;)
So it's time for breakfast and then an afternoon of shopping (joy) and maybe by tonight I'll have enough energy left to make the apple pies the WGH promised I'd do for our Sunday school get-together tomorrow. Sigh.
Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself."
-- Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889-1977) English film actor, director, producer, writer, and composer
4.18.2008
Wake-Up Call of a Different Sort
I had begun a completely different post for today, talking about something inane like how early I have to get up in the morning and who's up with me at that hour ...
And then this happened: 5.2 quake in Ill. shakes large part of Midwest
Talk about waking up early. The report says this quake struck its epicenter just before 4:37 a.m. We felt it - nearly 200 miles away - at 4:40.
The WGH and I both woke up, trying to figure out why our house was trembling. He said, "Is that an earthquake?"
I was skeptical at first. I've been through earthquakes - several, as a matter of fact - and this didn't feel quite the same.
Little Bit woke up in near panic. After reassuring her that it was nothing and getting her back in bed, the WGH and I went back to sleep too. It wasn't until I woke up again at 6:20 (thanks to McCartney McWonder-Dog) and turned on the news that I learned the WGH had been correct once again.
(In case you're wondering, The Boy said this morning that he 'thought he felt something'. The kid sleeps like a brick.)
This is something that will occupy the news for a good part of the day, possibly the weekend - damage reports, how far away it was felt (I heard Atlanta), etc. But I have other things on my mind (and my agenda) today.
It sort of makes you look at life differently when something like this happens. But I have a better one for you - or rather, my Wonder Twin does ... read her incredible story here. This is one of those stories that really makes you look at life differently. And maybe appreciate it a little more.
By the way, today is Little Bit's 14th birthday. Her daddy told her it's not every kid who gets an earthquake for her birthday. I said, "The British are coming!" (If you get that, good for you - the first person who catches the reference and tells me about it will earn a place of honor at the Literary Table - send me an email so I can respond.)
Anyway, I have shopping, cleaning, and birthday cake baking on my to-do list today. Tonight I will have a houseful - not as many as we originally thought, but still, a passel of teenage girls will be descending upon the house later this afternoon for what I'm calling the slumber party from you-know-where. I should give Little Bit some credit and not be so pessimistic, but I remember having a slumber party when I was about her age. It wasn't pretty. I can only hope that tonight we won't end up with undergarments in the freezer (don't ask).
Enjoy your day, and life in general. Stay safe. And read a book!
=) JB
"God made the world round so we would never be able to see too far down the road."
-- Danish author Karen Blixen (Out of Africa), who wrote under the name Isak Dinesen (1885-1962)
And then this happened: 5.2 quake in Ill. shakes large part of Midwest
Talk about waking up early. The report says this quake struck its epicenter just before 4:37 a.m. We felt it - nearly 200 miles away - at 4:40.
The WGH and I both woke up, trying to figure out why our house was trembling. He said, "Is that an earthquake?"
I was skeptical at first. I've been through earthquakes - several, as a matter of fact - and this didn't feel quite the same.
Little Bit woke up in near panic. After reassuring her that it was nothing and getting her back in bed, the WGH and I went back to sleep too. It wasn't until I woke up again at 6:20 (thanks to McCartney McWonder-Dog) and turned on the news that I learned the WGH had been correct once again.
(In case you're wondering, The Boy said this morning that he 'thought he felt something'. The kid sleeps like a brick.)
This is something that will occupy the news for a good part of the day, possibly the weekend - damage reports, how far away it was felt (I heard Atlanta), etc. But I have other things on my mind (and my agenda) today.
It sort of makes you look at life differently when something like this happens. But I have a better one for you - or rather, my Wonder Twin does ... read her incredible story here. This is one of those stories that really makes you look at life differently. And maybe appreciate it a little more.
By the way, today is Little Bit's 14th birthday. Her daddy told her it's not every kid who gets an earthquake for her birthday. I said, "The British are coming!" (If you get that, good for you - the first person who catches the reference and tells me about it will earn a place of honor at the Literary Table - send me an email so I can respond.)
Anyway, I have shopping, cleaning, and birthday cake baking on my to-do list today. Tonight I will have a houseful - not as many as we originally thought, but still, a passel of teenage girls will be descending upon the house later this afternoon for what I'm calling the slumber party from you-know-where. I should give Little Bit some credit and not be so pessimistic, but I remember having a slumber party when I was about her age. It wasn't pretty. I can only hope that tonight we won't end up with undergarments in the freezer (don't ask).
Enjoy your day, and life in general. Stay safe. And read a book!
=) JB
"God made the world round so we would never be able to see too far down the road."
-- Danish author Karen Blixen (Out of Africa), who wrote under the name Isak Dinesen (1885-1962)
4.15.2008
Sunshine in a Glass
When he was about two or so, Nephew #1 (who is now 24) couldn't say my name properly, and because he knew I liked to drink it, he started calling me Aunt Orange Juice. To this day I still sign notes to him "Aunt OJ". It's our little just-between-us thing.
I also still like to drink it. Picture it ... a glass full of vibrant, bright, sunshiney juice, just waiting to jump start your day.
Now, throw about 2 ounces of grape juice into that, and you have my absolute all-time favorite breakfast drink. [insert long sigh of content here]
The point of this story? Character quirks.
You know I'm forever talking about character development, and about how the best character study you can do is to model your people after ... well, real people.
My main character in my third manuscript drinks grape-OJ when she's stressed out. That's how those people close to her know when something's wrong. I even wrote a scene where she makes it for someone else because he's had a long, stressful day.
There are a lot of great characters out there who have funny little quirks. It's what makes them unique. It's also what makes them SALABLE. Yes, that's a real word, at least in our business. Unique and different are good things. Admit it, you don't want to read a book that has the same old, same old, right? So we try not to write the same old, same old.
We're doing it just for you - isn't that nice of us? ;)
Lots of things going on at the Thompson household today. Much reading and writing is being done, but much other stuff as well, so we're off do those things ...
Read a book!
=) JB
"People seldom see the halting and painful steps by which the most insignificant success is achieved."
--Annie Sullivan (1866-1936) American educator (notably of Helen Keller)
I also still like to drink it. Picture it ... a glass full of vibrant, bright, sunshiney juice, just waiting to jump start your day.
Now, throw about 2 ounces of grape juice into that, and you have my absolute all-time favorite breakfast drink. [insert long sigh of content here]
The point of this story? Character quirks.
You know I'm forever talking about character development, and about how the best character study you can do is to model your people after ... well, real people.
My main character in my third manuscript drinks grape-OJ when she's stressed out. That's how those people close to her know when something's wrong. I even wrote a scene where she makes it for someone else because he's had a long, stressful day.
There are a lot of great characters out there who have funny little quirks. It's what makes them unique. It's also what makes them SALABLE. Yes, that's a real word, at least in our business. Unique and different are good things. Admit it, you don't want to read a book that has the same old, same old, right? So we try not to write the same old, same old.
We're doing it just for you - isn't that nice of us? ;)
Lots of things going on at the Thompson household today. Much reading and writing is being done, but much other stuff as well, so we're off do those things ...
Read a book!
=) JB
"People seldom see the halting and painful steps by which the most insignificant success is achieved."
--Annie Sullivan (1866-1936) American educator (notably of Helen Keller)
4.12.2008
Word Power!
Appropriately, The Boy and his buddies are off to take the ACT this morning. The Boy scored quite well on it the first time he took it, but apparently it wasn't good enough for him, so he's taking it again with a loftier goal in mind. This is not Mom bragging, this is Mom impressed. The Boy has high expectations, high standards, and won't accept anything less. Sigh. Sorry, had to have a proud Mom moment.
And now back to our regularly scheduled programming ...
A good collection of words this week, some of which us writers have probably utilized once or twice in a manuscript. Enjoy!
It's going to be mostly sunny in the mid-South today, albeit cooler after the front came through spawning some nasty weather yesterday - McCartney and I spent a good hour in the basement watching the line of storms blast across the state, but even with a tornado warning we were very fortunate not to have any damage in our area ... others weren't so lucky, so please say a prayer for them.
We had a lovely and promising visit with a landscaper yesterday, and the WGH and I are very excited about what he's going to put together for us. The front of my house may actually look pretty here very soon. Maybe even in time for prom. Yay.
So enjoy your Saturday. Read a book. Do something.
=) JB
"Writers and travelers are mesmerized alike by knowing of their destinations."
-- Eudora Welty (1909-2001) American author
And now back to our regularly scheduled programming ...
A good collection of words this week, some of which us writers have probably utilized once or twice in a manuscript. Enjoy!
misnomer \mis-NO-muhr\ (noun) - 1 : The misnaming of a person in a legal instrument, as in a complaint or indictment. 2 : Any misnaming of a person or thing; also, a wrong or inapplicable name or designation.
"Deep Canyon was a misnomer. It wasn't deep and it wasn't a canyon. It was a golf course and development of expensive homes that sat in a shallow trough ..." -- Arthur Lyons, 'At the Hands of Another'
Misnomer is from Medieval French mesnommer, "to misname," from mes-, "wrongly" + nommer, "to name," from Latin nominare, "to name," from nomen, "a name."
conspectus \kuhn-SPEK-tuhs\ (noun) - 1 : A general sketch or survey of a subject. 2 : A synopsis; an outline.
"Shortly after returning from London eighteen years earlier, she had stolen a conspectus of the medical sciences from her parents' physician in Dover." -- Robin Schone, 'The Lover'
Conspectus comes from the Latin, from the past participle of conspicere, "to catch sight of, to perceive," from com-, intensive prefix + specere, "to look at."
distrait \dis-TRAY\ (adjective) - Divided or withdrawn in attention, especially because of anxiety.
"I noticed that after my host had read it he seemed even more distrait and strange than before." -- Arthur Conan Doyle, 'The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge'
Distrait is from Old French, from distraire, "to distract," from Latin distrahere, "to pull apart; to draw away; to distract," from dis- + trahere, "to draw, to pull." It is related to distraught and distracted, which have the same Latin source.
furtive \FUR-tiv\ (adjective) - 1 : Done by stealth; surreptitious; secret; as, a furtive look. 2 : Expressive of stealth; sly; shifty; sneaky. 3 : Stolen; obtained by stealth. 4 : Given to stealing; thievish; pilfering.
"But that was merely a piece of furtive knowledge which he happened to possess because his memory was not satisfactorily under control." -- George Orwell, 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'
Furtive is from Latin furtivus, which dervies from furtum, "theft," from fur, "thief."
politic \POL-ih-tik\ (adjective) - 1 : Of or pertaining to polity, or civil government; political (as in the phrase "the body politic"). 2 : (Of persons): Sagacious in promoting a policy; ingenious in devising and advancing a system of management; characterized by political skill and ingenuity; hence, shrewdly tactful, cunning. 3 : (Of actions or things): Pertaining to or promoting a policy; hence, judicious; expedient; as, "a politic decision."
"Berenike swallowed her fury and gave the governor her most politic smile." -- Randall Scott, 'Retribution'
Politic derives from Greek politikos, and from polites, "citizen," from polis, "city."
It's going to be mostly sunny in the mid-South today, albeit cooler after the front came through spawning some nasty weather yesterday - McCartney and I spent a good hour in the basement watching the line of storms blast across the state, but even with a tornado warning we were very fortunate not to have any damage in our area ... others weren't so lucky, so please say a prayer for them.
We had a lovely and promising visit with a landscaper yesterday, and the WGH and I are very excited about what he's going to put together for us. The front of my house may actually look pretty here very soon. Maybe even in time for prom. Yay.
So enjoy your Saturday. Read a book. Do something.
=) JB
"Writers and travelers are mesmerized alike by knowing of their destinations."
-- Eudora Welty (1909-2001) American author
4.11.2008
Doing Something
This is one of those days when my brain can't seem to get jump-started well enough to wax eloquent about anything in particular. It's concentrating on getting started on the infamous to-do list.
There are a lot of items on the list. I made myself clean off the dry-erase boards that were full of all the tasks I knew I would never accomplish, and I filled them again with those I knew I would. On the main board, I listed the books in the stack for RTE, and I'm marking them off as I go. On the calendar board I listed my priorities in order. My top priority is the promised edits on my client's novella. After that, book reviews (at least two done and sent off to Shaz before the weekend). I need to write a 500- to 750-word synopsis of the latest manuscript so that next week I can start submitting again. The last but certainly not least item on the list is one simple word - READ. That's not so much the last priority as it is an ongoing to-do item.
This quote came in my ezine glut today and it really hit home for me:
For me, I have to remind myself that it's just one something at a time.
Enjoy your Friday, and don't forget - read a book!
=) JB
There are a lot of items on the list. I made myself clean off the dry-erase boards that were full of all the tasks I knew I would never accomplish, and I filled them again with those I knew I would. On the main board, I listed the books in the stack for RTE, and I'm marking them off as I go. On the calendar board I listed my priorities in order. My top priority is the promised edits on my client's novella. After that, book reviews (at least two done and sent off to Shaz before the weekend). I need to write a 500- to 750-word synopsis of the latest manuscript so that next week I can start submitting again. The last but certainly not least item on the list is one simple word - READ. That's not so much the last priority as it is an ongoing to-do item.
This quote came in my ezine glut today and it really hit home for me:
"I am only one, But still I am one.
I cannot do everything, But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything I will not refuse
to do the something that I can do."
-- Edward Everett (1794-1865) American educator
For me, I have to remind myself that it's just one something at a time.
Enjoy your Friday, and don't forget - read a book!
=) JB
4.10.2008
Going to Town
We live somewhere between the suburbs and the country, and one of the things I love about our little town is the ease with which I can get all my little errands run and not have to burn 3 hours and 3/4 of a tank of gas to get everything done. Today, after I finished with the 'day job' I had to pay the water bill and the house payment as well as making two deposits (one for us, one for The Boy, who is now gainfully employed and making money hand over fist). This involved going by the water department, the bank and the post office, and all three close at four o'clock.
I left the house at 3:30.
I was home again by 3:45.
In truth, our 'little town' is getting bigger by leaps and bounds - we've added a Sonic, a new travel plaza with a Wendy's, a Chinese restaurant and a Kentucky Fried Chicken/Taco Bell combo in just the four years since we moved up here. We're also adding countless new subdivisions and a new "village" that has a Mexican restaurant in addition to various and sundry other business, condos and even a daycare center. One of these days our little town isn't going to be so little any more, but at least at this point it still hasn't lost that small town feel that I love about it. The center of town is still the center of town - with the post office, bank, grocery store, doctor's office (also new but quite convenient for a stay-at-homebody like me), vet, and a wide variety of restaurants all within a stretch of about a mile and a half. Everybody who works at these places knows you when you walk in the door. Our kids go to school together. It's just a cozy little world.
And, of course, I take advantage of this in ways that might make my neighbors cringe with fear if they knew the truth.
Mwa-ha-ha-hah.
I am a people watcher. I get more ideas for characters and even specific scenes just from watching the sea of humanity going about their daily routines, completely oblivious to the fact that someone is watching them closely. And taking notes.
Popcorn. Microwave popcorn has to be one of nature's most perfect snacks. I know, there's nothing really natural about microwave popcorn. But it hits the spot when I need a little pick-me-up before diving into my electronic world. 'Cause, you know, running all those errands just wore me out.
My resume. Today I had the opportunity to really take stock of what it is I do. My supervisor for the day job offered up some overtime hours for this weekend, and I told her my two free days were already spoken for, what with somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 book reviews to write and a 68-page novella to edit for a client. Plus a few other things, like the landscapers coming to give us some quotes (see Monday's post, below) and having to run down to our church for a funeral visitation.
Her response was - and I quote - "Good grief!"
Yeah, me too.
She asked me who I reviewed for and what kind of books they were, so I gave her a couple or three paragraphs about my writing career. And I realized something.
I've done way more than I thought.
I was talking to the WMVR this afternoon and told her that I need to get a bibliography of sorts together of all the things I've written. Yeah, she said. You need to do that. In your spare time.
Heh. I'll have to put it on the to-do list, I guess ... right now I need to go find a blank videotape so I can record tonight's Without a Trace episode for the WGH, as he is working late (poor baby) and won't be home in time to watch it.
Ah, me and my life. Makes you want to hit me, doesn't it? ;)
Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors."
-- Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet and critic
I left the house at 3:30.
I was home again by 3:45.
In truth, our 'little town' is getting bigger by leaps and bounds - we've added a Sonic, a new travel plaza with a Wendy's, a Chinese restaurant and a Kentucky Fried Chicken/Taco Bell combo in just the four years since we moved up here. We're also adding countless new subdivisions and a new "village" that has a Mexican restaurant in addition to various and sundry other business, condos and even a daycare center. One of these days our little town isn't going to be so little any more, but at least at this point it still hasn't lost that small town feel that I love about it. The center of town is still the center of town - with the post office, bank, grocery store, doctor's office (also new but quite convenient for a stay-at-homebody like me), vet, and a wide variety of restaurants all within a stretch of about a mile and a half. Everybody who works at these places knows you when you walk in the door. Our kids go to school together. It's just a cozy little world.
And, of course, I take advantage of this in ways that might make my neighbors cringe with fear if they knew the truth.
Mwa-ha-ha-hah.
I am a people watcher. I get more ideas for characters and even specific scenes just from watching the sea of humanity going about their daily routines, completely oblivious to the fact that someone is watching them closely. And taking notes.
Popcorn. Microwave popcorn has to be one of nature's most perfect snacks. I know, there's nothing really natural about microwave popcorn. But it hits the spot when I need a little pick-me-up before diving into my electronic world. 'Cause, you know, running all those errands just wore me out.
My resume. Today I had the opportunity to really take stock of what it is I do. My supervisor for the day job offered up some overtime hours for this weekend, and I told her my two free days were already spoken for, what with somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 book reviews to write and a 68-page novella to edit for a client. Plus a few other things, like the landscapers coming to give us some quotes (see Monday's post, below) and having to run down to our church for a funeral visitation.
Her response was - and I quote - "Good grief!"
Yeah, me too.
She asked me who I reviewed for and what kind of books they were, so I gave her a couple or three paragraphs about my writing career. And I realized something.
I've done way more than I thought.
I was talking to the WMVR this afternoon and told her that I need to get a bibliography of sorts together of all the things I've written. Yeah, she said. You need to do that. In your spare time.
Heh. I'll have to put it on the to-do list, I guess ... right now I need to go find a blank videotape so I can record tonight's Without a Trace episode for the WGH, as he is working late (poor baby) and won't be home in time to watch it.
Ah, me and my life. Makes you want to hit me, doesn't it? ;)
Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"A book is a garden, an orchard, a storehouse, a party, a company by the way, a counselor, a multitude of counselors."
-- Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet and critic
4.07.2008
I Don't Do Yard Work
Spring fever has descended upon our house with a vengeance. The WGH is outside even as I write this, doing who knows what with the two ginormous bags of grass seed and three azalea bushes he just brought home from Lowe's before he heads off to pipes and drums practice. At some point in the next couple of hours he may appear at my study window (which is open - hello? It's something like 70 degrees outside and gorgeous) and say, "Can you come here a minute?"
He wants me to look at what he's doing and give my stamp of approval.
I'm up for that. I will put on my flip-flops (as soon as I pry them out from under the cat who happens to be sleeping on them) and go outside. He will say, "What do you think? Is this spot okay to put these?" and I will look and say, "Yes, honey, that looks great."
This is the extent of my participation in the yard work. I function best in a purely supervisory capacity. About now my parents are laughing their heads off, because they know this to be a true statement. I hate yard work with a passion. Now, don't get me wrong … I love the outdoors. A fine spring day like this usually prompts me to go out and play with the dog even more so than I usually do, or take a book and a glass of ice water out on the deck and sit and read for a while. Any excuse to be out in the fresh air and sunshine.
Except for yard work.
If you've spent any time at all in the Lunch Room, you know me by now … I'm much more content being holed up in my little 10 by 12 study with the CD player going and the computer working nonstop. I'm a writer, not a gardener!! Are you kidding me? I can't keep a PLASTIC plant alive, much less anything that actually GROWS. And pulling weeds? Forget it. Dirt under my fingernails? Blecchh. I shudder just thinking about it.
The BF is a gardener. She thrives on making things grow just as much as the things she's making grow. She has a spectacular garden, and I love to see the pictures she sends me. She went above and beyond the call of duty at our house right after we moved in - on her annual visit that year, we went to Wal-Mart or the Home Depot (I can't remember which), and she bought me, as a housewarming gift, several little plants and flowers, which she promptly arranged in a nice pot for display on the deck. It was beautiful, and lasted as long as I remembered to water it. Which, surprisingly, was longer than you might think, given my heretofore acknowledged brown thumb. I loved that pot, as much for its beauty as for its being a mark of our 30-plus-year friendship that she would trust me enough to keep it alive for longer than two months.
The WGH and I attended a workshop/seminar at our church for new members (which we are, as we're now at a new church), and the focus of the workshop was to identify our spiritual gifts, the vocational skills and experiences God has blessed us with to be able to put those gifts to good use, and the things we particularly have a passion for. Does it surprise you at all to learn that my most pronounced spiritual gift is Administration? My vocational skills and experiences, of course, have everything to do with writing and a bit of playing around on the computer (okay, more than a bit, but I don't like to confess to too much), and my passion is, of course, um, writing. So put those together and, well … duh … you have me, JB, the writer. Notice there's not one mention of gardening in that mix.
Now that you know way more about me than you ever wanted to, I will get to the point - and yes, there actually is one. Everyone has something that they're good at, that they love to do, that perhaps in some (or maybe a lot of) cases may be something different from what it is they actually get paid to do. For the WGH, it's music. (You thought I was going to say yard work, didn't you? Tsk-tsk, you haven't been paying attention.*) For the BF, it's gardening. As a good number of you who read my daily musings are writers yourselves, you know that for us it's putting words on paper for the sole purpose of entertaining and/or informing our readers.
There are those fortunate few of you out there (like my lovely Wonder Twin, for example), who are doing what they love to do (and are good at) and actually ARE getting paid to do it. To you I say, I think that's fantastic, and I wish we could all be right there with you. For those of us who are not there yet, however, I say keep at it. If you have a dream, a goal, don't let go of it, not until you achieve that goal or make that dream a reality. Because it can be done. Even though the day job and my recent health issues threatened to put the kibosh on my dream, I'm still writing. One of my long-overdue reviews went up today at Reviewing the Evidence (thanks, Shaz), which marks my official return to the land of the living.
That's right, friends. Buckle your seat belts, because JB is back in the driver's seat. And I'm stepping on the gas.
Read a book. It's good for you!
=) JB
"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."
-- William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
*P.S. -- I'm back to confess that the WGH has made a liar out of me. Yes, he called me to come outside. But it wasn't to look at what he was doing; it was to say, "I give up. We're calling a landscaper."
Apparently, he's not that big on yard work, either.
He wants me to look at what he's doing and give my stamp of approval.
I'm up for that. I will put on my flip-flops (as soon as I pry them out from under the cat who happens to be sleeping on them) and go outside. He will say, "What do you think? Is this spot okay to put these?" and I will look and say, "Yes, honey, that looks great."
This is the extent of my participation in the yard work. I function best in a purely supervisory capacity. About now my parents are laughing their heads off, because they know this to be a true statement. I hate yard work with a passion. Now, don't get me wrong … I love the outdoors. A fine spring day like this usually prompts me to go out and play with the dog even more so than I usually do, or take a book and a glass of ice water out on the deck and sit and read for a while. Any excuse to be out in the fresh air and sunshine.
Except for yard work.
If you've spent any time at all in the Lunch Room, you know me by now … I'm much more content being holed up in my little 10 by 12 study with the CD player going and the computer working nonstop. I'm a writer, not a gardener!! Are you kidding me? I can't keep a PLASTIC plant alive, much less anything that actually GROWS. And pulling weeds? Forget it. Dirt under my fingernails? Blecchh. I shudder just thinking about it.
The BF is a gardener. She thrives on making things grow just as much as the things she's making grow. She has a spectacular garden, and I love to see the pictures she sends me. She went above and beyond the call of duty at our house right after we moved in - on her annual visit that year, we went to Wal-Mart or the Home Depot (I can't remember which), and she bought me, as a housewarming gift, several little plants and flowers, which she promptly arranged in a nice pot for display on the deck. It was beautiful, and lasted as long as I remembered to water it. Which, surprisingly, was longer than you might think, given my heretofore acknowledged brown thumb. I loved that pot, as much for its beauty as for its being a mark of our 30-plus-year friendship that she would trust me enough to keep it alive for longer than two months.
The WGH and I attended a workshop/seminar at our church for new members (which we are, as we're now at a new church), and the focus of the workshop was to identify our spiritual gifts, the vocational skills and experiences God has blessed us with to be able to put those gifts to good use, and the things we particularly have a passion for. Does it surprise you at all to learn that my most pronounced spiritual gift is Administration? My vocational skills and experiences, of course, have everything to do with writing and a bit of playing around on the computer (okay, more than a bit, but I don't like to confess to too much), and my passion is, of course, um, writing. So put those together and, well … duh … you have me, JB, the writer. Notice there's not one mention of gardening in that mix.
Now that you know way more about me than you ever wanted to, I will get to the point - and yes, there actually is one. Everyone has something that they're good at, that they love to do, that perhaps in some (or maybe a lot of) cases may be something different from what it is they actually get paid to do. For the WGH, it's music. (You thought I was going to say yard work, didn't you? Tsk-tsk, you haven't been paying attention.*) For the BF, it's gardening. As a good number of you who read my daily musings are writers yourselves, you know that for us it's putting words on paper for the sole purpose of entertaining and/or informing our readers.
There are those fortunate few of you out there (like my lovely Wonder Twin, for example), who are doing what they love to do (and are good at) and actually ARE getting paid to do it. To you I say, I think that's fantastic, and I wish we could all be right there with you. For those of us who are not there yet, however, I say keep at it. If you have a dream, a goal, don't let go of it, not until you achieve that goal or make that dream a reality. Because it can be done. Even though the day job and my recent health issues threatened to put the kibosh on my dream, I'm still writing. One of my long-overdue reviews went up today at Reviewing the Evidence (thanks, Shaz), which marks my official return to the land of the living.
That's right, friends. Buckle your seat belts, because JB is back in the driver's seat. And I'm stepping on the gas.
Read a book. It's good for you!
=) JB
"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart."
-- William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet
*P.S. -- I'm back to confess that the WGH has made a liar out of me. Yes, he called me to come outside. But it wasn't to look at what he was doing; it was to say, "I give up. We're calling a landscaper."
Apparently, he's not that big on yard work, either.
4.05.2008
Weekly Vocabulary
Here I am, mostly back in the swing of things. It's sort of fun, feeling almost completely back to normal again ...
Saturday's the day I try to get caught up on the week's worth of emails and other various and sundry tasks I've been shunting down the to-do list, so I've decided to make it my weekly vocabulary forum (JT suggested this back a few months ago for Fridays - I'm taking but modifying her suggestion).
Without further ado, whilst Harry and I work on this month's edition of the Sisters in Crime - Middle Tennessee newsletter, here is this week's offering of words (courtesy of ArcaMax) to add to your verbal treasure trove:
Salutary derives from Latin salutaris, from salus, salut-, "health."
Berate is from be-, "thoroughly" + rate, "to scold, to chide," from Middle English raten.
Limn is from Middle English limnen, alteration of luminen, from enluminen, from Medieval French enluminer, from Late Latin illuminare, "to illuminate," ultimately from Latin lumen, "light."
Preponderate comes from the past participle of Latin praeponderare, "to weigh more, to exceed in weight," from prae, "before" + ponderare, "to weigh," from pondus, ponderis, "a weight."
Caesura comes from Latin caesura, "a cutting off, a division, a stop," from the past participle of caedere, "to cut."
And here's a bit of vocab trivia for you to enjoy too (also courtesy of ArcaMax - remember, I get 19 ezines a day from these people):
There, now - did you learn something new today?
I'm off to do ... what I do. Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed."
--Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) American educator
Saturday's the day I try to get caught up on the week's worth of emails and other various and sundry tasks I've been shunting down the to-do list, so I've decided to make it my weekly vocabulary forum (JT suggested this back a few months ago for Fridays - I'm taking but modifying her suggestion).
Without further ado, whilst Harry and I work on this month's edition of the Sisters in Crime - Middle Tennessee newsletter, here is this week's offering of words (courtesy of ArcaMax) to add to your verbal treasure trove:
salutary \SAL-yuh-ter-ee\ (adjective) - 1 : Producing or contributing to a beneficial effect; beneficial; advantageous. 2 : Wholesome; healthful; promoting health.
"Though their presence was often exasperating to the enthusiasts, it was salutary, for it was a guarantee against extravagance and against tyranny." -- Olaf Stapledon, 'Last and First Men and Star Maker'.Salutary derives from Latin salutaris, from salus, salut-, "health."
berate \bih-RAYT\ (transitive verb) - To scold severely or angrily.
"To crawl into her bed, hug her pillow, and berate herself for being a stupid fool. Berate herself and rid herself of the remnants of any lingering wisps of her crazy dreams." -- Brenda Joyce, 'The Finer Things'.Berate is from be-, "thoroughly" + rate, "to scold, to chide," from Middle English raten.
limn \LIM\ (transitive verb) - 1 : To depict by drawing or painting. 2 : To portray in words; to describe.
"...Her excellent memory could not limn her lover's features clearly; she had to reread his love letters to be sure that in truth he had existed, that they had loved one another and that the nights in the room of the armoires were not her invention." -- Isabel Allende, 'Daughter of Fortune'.Limn is from Middle English limnen, alteration of luminen, from enluminen, from Medieval French enluminer, from Late Latin illuminare, "to illuminate," ultimately from Latin lumen, "light."
preponderate \prih-PON-duh-rayt\ (intransitive verb) - 1 : To exceed in weight. 2 : To incline or descend, as the scale of a balance; to be weighed down. 3 : To exceed in influence, power, importance, number, amount, etc.
"Amour is the one human activity of any importance in which laughter and pleasure preponderate, if ever so slightly, over misery and pain." -- Aldous Huxley, 'Crome Yellow'.Preponderate comes from the past participle of Latin praeponderare, "to weigh more, to exceed in weight," from prae, "before" + ponderare, "to weigh," from pondus, ponderis, "a weight."
caesura \sih-ZHUR-uh; -ZUR-\ (noun) plural caesuras or caesurae \sih-ZHUR-ee; -ZUR-ee\ - 1 : A break or pause in a line of verse, usually occurring in the middle of a line, and indicated in scanning by a double vertical line; for example, "The proper study || of mankind is man" [Alexander Pope, An Essay on Man]. 2 : Any break, pause, or interruption.
"You have improperly placed the cleft in those loaves; the caesura belongs in the middle, between the hemistichs!" -- Edmond Rostand, 'Cyrano de Bergerac'.Caesura comes from Latin caesura, "a cutting off, a division, a stop," from the past participle of caedere, "to cut."
And here's a bit of vocab trivia for you to enjoy too (also courtesy of ArcaMax - remember, I get 19 ezines a day from these people):
Where did the term 'grease monkey' come from?
The word "grease monkey" comes from the person (usually a young boy) that would crawl up in the rafters to grease all of the pulleys and belts that ran all of the equipment in a blacksmith shop or machine shop.
There, now - did you learn something new today?
I'm off to do ... what I do. Read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has had to overcome while trying to succeed."
--Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) American educator
4.04.2008
The I Told You So Dance
Affirmation.
I live for this - it's one of my love languages. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I can't help you, because I can't remember the guy's name off the top of my head who wrote the book. Yes, I could look it up. But today is my lazy day.* Anyway, affirmation and physical touch (I'm a hugger) - those are my two. And every so often I find evidence that this assessment of my character is accurate. Today is one of those instances.
My ArcaMax subscription includes 19 daily ezines. I've already done the crossword puzzle this morning. But I found this under History & Quotes today:
Learning something new. I also get a Trivia ezine, and yesterday I learned something I'd never realized -- the "Dr" in Dr Pepper does not have a period:
Yesterday saw somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-3 inches of rain slog the mid-South, with another inch or two predicted for today. Perfect type of day to hole up in the study and get things done. I don't have to go anywhere, and I don't have to do anything ... no, wait, that last statement isn't quite true at all. I have a to-do list a mile long. It's just that none of it involves having to drive anywhere. I love days like this.
Music of the Moment: (hah - didn't think you'd see that again, did you?) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone soundtrack (John Williams). Yeah, I'm a geek. And obsessed. I can't help it.
Read a book. Even Ms. Angelou says it's good for you.
=) JB
*Okay, so I looked it up, and here you go: The Five Love Languages (Dr. Gary Chapman)
I live for this - it's one of my love languages. If you don't know what I'm talking about, I can't help you, because I can't remember the guy's name off the top of my head who wrote the book. Yes, I could look it up. But today is my lazy day.* Anyway, affirmation and physical touch (I'm a hugger) - those are my two. And every so often I find evidence that this assessment of my character is accurate. Today is one of those instances.
My ArcaMax subscription includes 19 daily ezines. I've already done the crossword puzzle this morning. But I found this under History & Quotes today:
"Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him."
-- Maya Angelou (1928- ) American writer and performer
Learning something new. I also get a Trivia ezine, and yesterday I learned something I'd never realized -- the "Dr" in Dr Pepper does not have a period:
Was there a real Dr. Pepper?
Charles Alderton, a Texan pharmacist, created a soft drink and named it after his prospective father-in-law, Dr. Charles Kenneth Pepper. The doctor was unimpressed, so Alderton dropped the period after the abbreviation for doctor and made his fortune with "Dr Pepper."
Yesterday saw somewhere in the neighborhood of 2-3 inches of rain slog the mid-South, with another inch or two predicted for today. Perfect type of day to hole up in the study and get things done. I don't have to go anywhere, and I don't have to do anything ... no, wait, that last statement isn't quite true at all. I have a to-do list a mile long. It's just that none of it involves having to drive anywhere. I love days like this.
Music of the Moment: (hah - didn't think you'd see that again, did you?) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone soundtrack (John Williams). Yeah, I'm a geek. And obsessed. I can't help it.
Read a book. Even Ms. Angelou says it's good for you.
=) JB
*Okay, so I looked it up, and here you go: The Five Love Languages (Dr. Gary Chapman)
4.02.2008
The Coolest Thing Ever
Okay, so it's at least in the top 10. Rob Browne over at Murderati, along with the incomparable Sarah Weinman and a bunch of other really great folks, have done the coolest thing - it's called a "progressive interview". What a fantastic concept!
This is being done to mark the release of Killer Year member Gregg Olsen's second novel, A COLD DARK PLACE, and it kicks off from Gregg's blog, CrimeRant. He answers a question there, then puts a link to the next blog, where he answers a question, then there's a link to the next blog ... you get the idea. There are something like 11 blogs participating and it's just the coolest thing I've seen in a long time - a great way to promote the book, the author, and all the blogs and their authors ... this is networking at its level best, class, so pay attention.
So it starts on CrimeRant (click here) and links around - although I think there might be a glitch along the way somewhere (i.e. a missing link), so be sure to go to the CrimeRant list of all the participating blogs. Again, this is a great idea, and I'm here to say I wish I'd either a) thought of it; or b) been involved.
Next time, I'm on the list, guys, okay?
I'm playing ketchup again while things are fairly quiet. More later.
In the meantime, read a book - you know it's good for you!
=) JB
"Every man's life is a fairy-tale written by God's fingers."
--Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) Danish poet and novelist
This is being done to mark the release of Killer Year member Gregg Olsen's second novel, A COLD DARK PLACE, and it kicks off from Gregg's blog, CrimeRant. He answers a question there, then puts a link to the next blog, where he answers a question, then there's a link to the next blog ... you get the idea. There are something like 11 blogs participating and it's just the coolest thing I've seen in a long time - a great way to promote the book, the author, and all the blogs and their authors ... this is networking at its level best, class, so pay attention.
So it starts on CrimeRant (click here) and links around - although I think there might be a glitch along the way somewhere (i.e. a missing link), so be sure to go to the CrimeRant list of all the participating blogs. Again, this is a great idea, and I'm here to say I wish I'd either a) thought of it; or b) been involved.
Next time, I'm on the list, guys, okay?
I'm playing ketchup again while things are fairly quiet. More later.
In the meantime, read a book - you know it's good for you!
=) JB
"Every man's life is a fairy-tale written by God's fingers."
--Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) Danish poet and novelist
4.01.2008
When One Computer Dies
With apologies to the adorable Dave White for scarping the title of his debut novel, I am here again with a very sad story (sniff) about my poor pitiful existence and the trials and tribulations of living one's life in an electronic world ... as I'm sure the title of this post implies, my computer - the sweet little practically brand-new, bought directly from the Dell scratch-n-dent shop laptop, a refurb with NO bugs or problems - died.
Apparently, I did something stupid.
And the consequences were, of course, dire.
The first thing it meant was that I lost two months' worth of emails. So if you've emailed me in the past two months, chances are you have gone off into the cyberspace void that my C-drive became before we restored it to the factory defaults. Sigh. Write me again, because it's not that I don't love you. Really.
The second - and quite the more dangerous and potentially catastrophic - problem was that all my recent files were on this thing. You know, like, oh, I don't know, the MANUSCRIPT for the latest book (upon which I worked very hard and which was quite darn good if I say so myself)...
Not to mention two very important Excel spreadsheets, one of which contains the family budget, a very complex workbook I'm not too keen on having to recreate.
Oy.
But don't fear, gentle reader ... yes, there is a bright side, a happy ending to this tale of woe.
Enter the Geek Squad.
I love these people. They have the glorious ability to figure out exactly what stupid thing I did, enlighten me lest it happen again, and assure me that I'm not the only stupid person in the world who has ever done this. That, and they were able to hook my hard drive up to some brilliant contraption that actually recovered my files. All of them. Manuscript, spreadsheet, pictures, music, the hot off the cutting room floor video I created in Windows Movie Maker ... everything.
Except the emails. Those are history. Gone. Vanished. Kaput. Pfft. Sorry.
I'm learning more lessons here. First, backup everything. I know, I know - most of you very smart people do this already. Spare me. I wasn't quite to that stage yet. But I'm getting there now.
Second, I'm deleting emails as soon as I'm finished with them. If there's some important piece of information I need to keep for posterity, I'm saving it to another file (and then backing that up, right?). Otherwise, it's outta here. No more clutter and nonsense to ... well, lose, if I happen to do that stupid thing again in future.
Ah, me.
I'm slowly but surely making my way back to the surface of the vast ocean of insanity in which I've been drowning the past few months, so bear with me while I learn to breathe properly again. I've a to-do list a mile long, and somewhere on it there are lots of good things that will make us all happy again ...
In the meantime, read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"It is not what we learn in conversation that enriches us. It is the elation that comes of swift contact with tingling currents of thought."
-- Agnes Repplier (1858-1950) American writer
Apparently, I did something stupid.
And the consequences were, of course, dire.
The first thing it meant was that I lost two months' worth of emails. So if you've emailed me in the past two months, chances are you have gone off into the cyberspace void that my C-drive became before we restored it to the factory defaults. Sigh. Write me again, because it's not that I don't love you. Really.
The second - and quite the more dangerous and potentially catastrophic - problem was that all my recent files were on this thing. You know, like, oh, I don't know, the MANUSCRIPT for the latest book (upon which I worked very hard and which was quite darn good if I say so myself)...
Not to mention two very important Excel spreadsheets, one of which contains the family budget, a very complex workbook I'm not too keen on having to recreate.
Oy.
But don't fear, gentle reader ... yes, there is a bright side, a happy ending to this tale of woe.
Enter the Geek Squad.
I love these people. They have the glorious ability to figure out exactly what stupid thing I did, enlighten me lest it happen again, and assure me that I'm not the only stupid person in the world who has ever done this. That, and they were able to hook my hard drive up to some brilliant contraption that actually recovered my files. All of them. Manuscript, spreadsheet, pictures, music, the hot off the cutting room floor video I created in Windows Movie Maker ... everything.
Except the emails. Those are history. Gone. Vanished. Kaput. Pfft. Sorry.
I'm learning more lessons here. First, backup everything. I know, I know - most of you very smart people do this already. Spare me. I wasn't quite to that stage yet. But I'm getting there now.
Second, I'm deleting emails as soon as I'm finished with them. If there's some important piece of information I need to keep for posterity, I'm saving it to another file (and then backing that up, right?). Otherwise, it's outta here. No more clutter and nonsense to ... well, lose, if I happen to do that stupid thing again in future.
Ah, me.
I'm slowly but surely making my way back to the surface of the vast ocean of insanity in which I've been drowning the past few months, so bear with me while I learn to breathe properly again. I've a to-do list a mile long, and somewhere on it there are lots of good things that will make us all happy again ...
In the meantime, read a book. It's good for you.
=) JB
"It is not what we learn in conversation that enriches us. It is the elation that comes of swift contact with tingling currents of thought."
-- Agnes Repplier (1858-1950) American writer
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