Highs and Lows

I was on a huge high yesterday. I found out CP is going to publish another one of my books first thing in the morning, then I opened my copy of Romantic Times magazine and found both of my books had been reviewed and received 4 stars each. This is huge. I was floating on clouds all day.

Then today happened. I spent the day running errands - the first one, I was in the checkout lane at a large chain store and thought the clerk double scanned one of my items. She got huffy and declared she hadn't. Before I left the store, I stood at another cashier's lane and checked. Yep, she had. So I went to Customer Service. And waited. And waited. And waited. Nearly twenty minutes as the line was ridiculously long. But I did get my money back. Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to find everything on my list so that meant another stop.

Next stop was the grocery store. At checkout, there was a problem with the card reader. Took three tries to get my stuff paid for. And I couldn't get everything I needed there either. Sigh.

Home for lunch, then back out to run more errands. Did manage to get more stuff on my next trip, but still haven't finished my list.

But the day is looking up.

I managed to decide on the title of my new book. Let you know once it's official.
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Birthdays: Walt Whitman, Elizabeth Coatsworth, Al Young

Tips and Teasers: You have been given the ability to go back in time and change one thing in history. Would you? If so, what? Why – or why not?

Thought for the day: "The best emotions to write out of are anger and fear or dread.... The least energizing emotion to write out of is admiration. It is very difficult to write out of because the basic feeling that goes with admiration is a passive contemplative mood." - Susan Sontag

YIPPEEE!

I got the news this morning of an offer for a third book of mine to be published. To say I've been a bit excited would probably qualify as an understatement.

The one drawback is the title. The title I've given the book and have firmly embedded in my mind as the title has already been taken by another author in this company. So I have to come up with a new title. I am not good with titles so I've been asking friends and family for help. The problem is, nobody knows the book like I do, so basically it's up to me.

How important is a title? Extremely as far as I'm concerned. It should convey the flavor of the story to anyone who scans it. And yet, titles can be misleading. Take one of my obscure books from yesterday - Draper's Self Culture. It sounds dry and high brow and totally boring. And yet, as a child and teen, I loved the book, reading about fairy tales and legends from all around the world - how different, and yet how similar they all were.

So how does one choose a title? Good question. I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out.
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Birthdays: Gountee Cullen

Tips and Teasers: You’ve been given a key that opens one of three chests. Inside one chest is a million dollars, tax free. A second one holds a powerful poison that will kill you instantly. The third is empty. How do you choose which to open?

Thought for the day: "Novelists do not write as birds sing, by the push of nature. It is part of the job that there should be much routine and some daily stuff on the level of carpentry." - William Golding

Late Start

Getting a late start today - just too much going on right now to think about this first thing in the morning. Although I am considered a "morning person", the past few days have been challenging as I wrestle with insomnia once again.

But on the bright side - the writing is going well. I submitted the proposal of my urban query this morning and am working on more of the background for my new WIP.

I'm also reading a very interesting book - Eyes of the Crow by Jeri Smith-Ready. It's about a young woman who takes on the aspect of the Crow from Native American lore. I have to say it's the first Luna book I've really enjoyed. I've tried several of their other books and just could not get into them. But this one has drawn me in. The writing is well crafted, the characters believable and the world building done well also. A friend who also read the book didn't care for parts of the middle when the main character goes on her spirit quest, but it didn't bother me. Having read other books where people go on these journeys, I took the scenes as part of the character's growth. I'll let you know more of my opinion when I finish it.

In the meantime, back to work. Goals for the rest of this week - finish updates to web site and add more to current WIP.

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Birthdays: G.K. Chesterton, T.H. White, Andrew Clements

Tips and Teasers: Edmund Hillary reached the top of Mt. Everest on this day in history. What is your Everest? How will you reach the summit?

Thought for the day: "Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it." - Sir Edmund Hillary

Obscure Books

One of my friends (check out Natalie's link) had a minor challenge on her blog yesterday to name three obscure books you've read. Here is my answer to her challenge, but I'm taking it a step further. I've read so many books over the years, but I'm listing here three I read as a child and that have stayed with me throughout the years. They are forever in my memory, and I still have the original copies of them.

1. "The Forgotten Door" by Alexander Key (1965). This is a child's science fiction book that I probably read in fourth grade and is the reason I fell in love with science fiction and fantasy stories.

2. "The City in the Dawn" by Hervey Allen. This is actually three books in one - "The Forest and the Fort", "Bedford Village", and "Toward the Morning". The reason this one has stuck with me is not because it's a wonderful book, although I did enjoy the stories, but more because of the memories it evokes. Set on the Susquehanna River and the surrounding area in central Pennsylvania, my father and I read the book together, then walked the paths Salathiel (main character) walked and I learned the history of my family. The book has stuck with me because of those times with my father.

3. "Draper's Self Culture" by Andrew Draper, c 1907. And yes, I have the original - and no, I didn't buy it new. :) Unfortunately, I only have volume II - Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends of Many Lands. I read these stories as a child and still love them as an adult. As the sub-title says, they are tales from many lands - Africa, Arabia, Native American, Chinese, Norse, Celtic, Greek, Turkish, Russian... and more. Again, showing my bias toward tales of other worlds and paranormal beings. But although these tales are over a century old - most are even older - they are still as vivid today as they were when first told.

These are my three obscure books. My list of authors I've read and enjoyed over the years is quite extensive and I will not go into them here. But there are certain ones that have stuck with me. When we moved to this smaller house last year, I was forced to part with nearly a thousand books (765 to be exact - and yes, I counted and yes, I have a list of which ones I donated). Those hundreds were but a small part of my library. Though some were easily discarded, others were not, but as I looked at them, I knew I'd never read them again and they had no "collector" value. Many were in poor shape. Though I am trained in book repair and can even do rebinding with sewn bindings, these were not worth the time and effort, so they joined the discard pile.

But what I was left with were the ones that, for me, have special places in my heart. From Piers Anthony to Sarah Zettel, these are books that I have read many times and will continue to do so. And yes, I've got more than sf on my shelves. They share space with Shakespeare, Dickens, Poe, Dumas, Hugo and Kipling. I've got volumes of short stories and an extensive non-fiction library also. These books that remain are ones that will stay with me until the end. Each has a special meaning to me - either a memory, a good story, or other association.

And each was a step toward me becoming a writer. Because a writer can't be truly effective unless she is also a reader.

So, what are you reading?
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Birthdays: Ian Fleming, May Swenson, Walker Percy, Thomas Moore

Tips and Teasers: Reaping rejections can be very depressing. Make a list of things you can do to make yourself feel better. The next time you get rejected, pick one (or more) and do it.

Thought for the day: "If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mouse-trap, than his neighbor, though he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Progress on Goals

Each month, my local writer's group has us set individual goals for that month. For some, it's as simple as "write 100 words a day", for others as ambitious as "write ten pages a day (or more)". Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. Mine is usually something like write the equivalent of three pages a day. Why "equivalent"? Because I don't always get to write every day so some days I may write only a paragraph or two, others I can get out five to ten pages. My record was 24 pages. (And I will NEVER do that again. My hands were killing me!)

Anyway, for this month, my goals were rather ambitious, the reason being I knew I was going to be at the retreat and would have tons of time to do nothing but write. So, my goals this month included: complete edit of urban fantasy (289 pages) and add enough meat to take it up to 300 pages, begin background on new fantasy story, submit to at least five agents.

I finally managed to finish the edit on the urban fantasy and make my word count - my new story comes in at just over 60,000 words by computer count. That's approximately 300 pages. Yippeee!!!!!!!!! And the synopsis is done and the cover letter. Now I just need to send it out and then sit back and wait.

I also got a good bit of work done on my new WIP last night - got my main characters fleshed out, their motivations and conflicts, both internal and external, and even the first chapter started.

I've submitted to the agents I wanted - and already got back several rejections, but also got back one request for a partial (which was immediately sent out).

So I am on track with my goals this month.

Now, for next month................... I'll have to let you know. :)
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Birthdays: Arnold Bennett, Herman Wouk, Tony Hillerman, M.E. Kerr, Rachel Carson

Tips and Teasers: Do you use a pseudonym? Do you want to? Make a list of names you could write under – then check them on the web to make sure they’re not already being used by someone else.

Thought for the day: "Ordering a man to write a poem is like commanding a pregnant woman to give birth to a red-headed child." - Carl Sandburg

Lists

I am a list maker. There. I've admitted it. My family often teases me about my lists. When I'm really under pressure, I even have lists of my lists. Am I obsessive? Nope. At least, I don't think so. But I do like being organized and lists are a way to help me do that.

For instance, right now, I have dozens of things to do. So much, it's starting to get overwhelming. I don't know where to start, which tasks need the most attention, which ones can wait. So today, I am going to sit down and make a list. On the first one, I will just jot down the things that need done. All of them. Even the things that fall under the "someday I should...." category. Then I will take that list and I will rank everything on it. Some of the tasks can be broken down into simpler tasks that I will also break out. From this mess, I will make a new list with those same items, but in order of importance. And yes, I will toss the first list.

In this way, I'll be able to see what needs doing, what can wait, what will take a few minutes and what will take much longer. And I can get to work. For me, taking the time to do this level of organization will actually make things go faster and will give me a sense of accomplishment as I check off items on my list.

So what are some things on my list? Update my website; re-organize my library (okay, those who have seen my library are probably shaking their heads at this one since I do have it fairly well organized. I mean, I have fiction (arranged alphabetically by author) and non-fiction (arranged by subject) sections, most of the books cataloged and entered in a database, but to me there is still work to be done.); talk to contractors about work on our house; edit wip; write next wip; gather notes in notebooks and arrange for ease of use; help dil with filing; take care of mothers' finances; figure out silly thing to do for older brother's upcoming way over-the-hill birthday; figure out marketing strategy for current and next books; check over agent/editor listings and re-organize...

There's more - a lot more - but you get the gist of it.

So I will make my lists. And I will get to work.

lol - have to share something with you all. I always write my blog first before I add my birthdays/tips/thoughts. I have them already done for the year and just cut and paste. So I wrote this blog before I saw what today's tip was - only to find out it was about making lists. Scary.

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Birthdays: Maxwell Bodenheim, Micahel Benedikt

Tips and Teasers: You just got “The Call.” Make a list of questions to ask the agent or editor.

Thought for the day: "I think like a genius, I write like a distinguished author, and I speak like a child." - Vladimir Nabokov

The life of a writer

Well, it's happened. I've been assigned my new editor at Cerridwen Press. Funny thing is, she is the editor I was originally supposed to get, but there was a mix-up and I ended up with the other one and now am back where I was to be. I loved my previous editor, though, and will miss her. I wish her all the best. And I am very much looking forward to working with the new one.

I received notes from two agents this week. One asked for a partial from a query I sent, the second sent me a form rejection. Ups and downs. Ups and downs.

I also spent time this week working on characters for my new wip, editing my previous wip, and sending out queries to agents. Although for most this weekend is a long holiday, my hubby actually has to work all weekend and Monday, so I have a lot of time to get stuff done. At least that's the current plan. :)

My pile of "To Be Read" books keeps growing by leaps and bounds - and no, I'm not buying any more (although I should!). A lot of them are donations from conferences, workshops, review copies, etc. I need to start wading through them. One thing I find myself doing now that I never used to do is if I don't like a book, if it's a real problem for me, I don't finish it (unless it's a review book - those I have no choice in the matter - I finish them). But I simply don't have time to wade through something I don't like. I used to keep reading just to see how it ended and hope that it got better - some did, some didn't. Now, if I'm several chapters into it and don't like it, I may read the last couple of chapters just to see how it does end, then toss it in my donate pile. There's no point wasting my time on something I don't enjoy. If I do like the end, I may go back and attempt to wade through the rest, but most of the time not. But every now and then, you find a gem - one that might have started out badly, but picks up in the middle and wows you by the end. Those are the ones I can't wait to read.

Of course, it would be better if they wowed you from the beginning, but we can't have everything. :)

I find it interesting that on this date in 1977, the first Star Wars movie was released. How much of our culture is influenced by those - and any popular - movie. We pick up phrases (May the force be with you.), fashions, hair styles (okay, not from Star Wars, but from other movies), so much of what we do comes from cinema.

And tonight, the third Pirates of the Caribbean will be out. My small group of writer friends are all going to see it, sans me. It's a fifty mile drive to where they are and I don't do midnight showings. Guess I'll just have to wait and see what they say.

Hope you have a good writing day!
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Birthdays: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Ludlum, Raymond Carver, Theodore Roethke

Tips and Teasers: On May 25^th, 1977, the first “Star Wars” movie was released. In that universe, pretend you are a seer and can give just one of the characters a short warning about a future event. Who would you warn and what would you say? Why?

Thought for the day: "I don’t use a pen. I write with a goose quill dipped in venom." - Jay Dratler

Taking care of you

I am sitting here at my desk with needles in my skull thanks to my acupuncturist. Not sure how I feel about this new "scalp" session - it's something we're trying. Normally I get the needles in various parts of the body and no, it does not hurt. Okay, it stings a little going in, but after that, there is no pain. And I know it's been helping me.

As writers, we tend to sit at our desks or computers for long hours. We rarely exercise (huh? we're supposed to actually move?) and tend to snack on the wrong things. In other words, we don't take care of us.

And that's not good. So my blog today is short and sweet but important. Take care of you. You come first always. Make a pledge to eat better, move more and do what you have to in order to take care of yourself. Not only will you feel better, but it will actually help your writing.
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Birthdays: Arthur Wing Pinero, Joseph Brodsky, Mikhail Sholokhov

Tips and Teasers: “Her eyes dropped to the floor.” Ewwww – check your story for body parts. Unless it’s a horror story or gruesome murder scene, you shouldn’t leave them lying around. Her gaze can drop to the floor, but not her eyes.

Thought for the day: "You can’t write about people out of textbooks, and you can’t use jargon. You have to speak clearly and simply and purely in a language that a six-year-old child can understand; and yet have the meanings and the overtones of language, and the implications, that appeal to the highest intelligence." - Katherine Anne Porter

Writing Programs

I'd like to tell you about a writing aid program I just got. It's called "Character Pro5" - and I absolutely love it. It helps you create characters for your work (duh) - but in such a way that they are better than the usual character charts you fill out.

This is based on enneagrams, a type of personality profiling. I've been playing around with it for the last week and am incredibly amazed at what it is coming up with from what I plug in. You plug in your parameters for a character (male, female, physical attributes, etc.) and then start working with the program to create the full character. It's extremely easy to work with.

My take on the program so far? A five out of five stars. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone for helping create great characters.

Okay, commercial over.
Am still recovering from the retreat and got hit with the news last night that my editor at Cerridwen Press will be leaving and I'll have to work with someone else. This is not unusual for a publisher - editors leave all the time - but I really liked Jaynie and will miss her. Good luck to her in whatever she does.

Goal today - finish rewrites on current wip and organize my notes from the weekend on the next wip.
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Birthdays: John Howard Payne, Thomas Hood, Margaret Fuller, Scott O’Dell, Margaret Wise Brown

Tips and Teasers: What is the most boring job you can think of? What if you had that job? What could you do to make it more exciting?

Thought for the day: "I can’t write five words but that I change seven." - Dorothy Parker

Exhaustion and Imagination

I just spent the day babysitting my 3-year-old grandson. He is an absolute doll to be with (I know, grandma talk), but I find I no longer have the energy to keep up with him for a full day. But the imagination of a child is something to be envied. We played with blocks and "Tinker Toys" and colored and played with letters and shapes (he knows what a hexagon and octagon are! I'm not sure I know what they are now!). We watched Sesame Street and played with toy figures and cars and built roads....

We had fun, but I am ready to get back to my own imagination. :) No progress on anything today except loving a child - and that's way more important than writing words on a piece of paper (or a screen).

So here's to some progress tomorrow.

Or maybe I'll get out my Play Doh and let my imagination take flight. :)
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Birthdays: Arthur Conan Doyle, Peter Matthiessen

Tips and Teasers: Write a one-line sentence that describes what you would like to accomplish as a writer in the next five years. Be specific – and realistic.

Thought for the day: "To write a book is a task needing only pen, ink and paper; to print a book is rather more difficult, because genius often expresses itself illegibly; to read a book is more difficult still, for one has to struggle with sleep; but to sell a book is the most difficult task of all." - Frank Mumny

Retreat - The End

Well, all are now back home from the retreat. Yesterday, we had breakfast, then a quick meeting, then it was time to pack up and head for home.

Of the sixteen of us there, everyone met their goals. I know for me, this was the best retreat ever. I managed to get 289 pages of my finished wip edited and the background started for my new wip.

In the midst of all the work, we had a ton of fun. We brainstormed and chatted and laughed - and worked - a lot. This is something every writer should do at least once. It is well worth the money. Even if all you do is pack up and go to a hotel by yourself for the weekend, try it. Order room service if you don't want to go out, take lots of snacks, but put in the time to really concentrate on the writing. But don't forget to put your head outside once in a while. Fresh air really helps to brush away the cobwebs.

So now it's back to reality and our normal lives (if anyone can call the life of a writer normal). But the excitement lingers. I can't wait to get done with the stuff I *have* to do in order to get to my writing.
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Birthdays: Dante Alighieri, Alexander Pope, Harold Robbins, Robert Creeley

Tips and Teasers: Things seem to be missing around your house. An old t-shirt here, some food there. Nothing major, just little things. But it keeps happening. Who or what is taking your stuff and what is he/she/it doing with it?

Thought for the day: "Writing a novel is a terrible experience, during which the hair often falls out and the teeth decay." – Flannery O'Connor

Retreat - Day 3

I'm posting this tonight since I don't know if I'll get time tomorrow. This was our last full day of the writer's retreat. Tomorrow morning, we have breakfast, a quick meeting to wrap up our time, then it's pack up and head for home.

Today was packed with work and fun. As always, the food was really good, although, once again, I was relegated to the meeting room since they once again had peppers in lunch. And my friend and fellow writer - and overall grand gentleman - Karl joined me so I wasn't alone.

The afternoon was spent writing or napping - many of us doing the latter as we've been working into the wee hours. But it's all good. After dinner, we retreated to our rooms or other places until 8 p.m. when we met in the general meeting room. We had a quick meeting then played Romance Family Feud. It was raucous, rowdy, and so much fun. We laughed so hard - and all kudos go to Natalie for putting it all together. And kudos to Lainey for the overall planning.

As for my goals, I met both of them this weekend. I edited 289 pages of my current WIP. I need to do some more work on it, but the overall editing is done. My second goal was to work on the background for my new, upcoming WIP which I also did. So overall the retreat was a huge success for me. I've heard similar sentiments from others - goals have been met or exceeded.

While this was a wonderful time, I will be glad to head for home tomorrow. I have a renewed sense of purpose and lots of good ideas and new directions to go in.
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Birthdays: Honore de Balzac, Elisabeth Ogilvie, Sigurd Undset

Tips and Teasers: This is National Be a Millionaire Day and you’ve just won the lottery. What’s the first thing you’ll do?

Thought for the day: "Planning to write is not writing. Outlining … researching … talking to people about what you’re doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing." - E.L. Doctorow

Retreat - Day 2

Wow, what a day yesterday was. So much excitement.

First of all, we had a great breakfast - they do feed you well here. There is no excuse for going hungry (unless you have certain food allergies - which they do try to accommodate). After breakfast, we got down to work. Yes, there was some mingling and socializing as new people arrived. But for the most part, we really did get a lot of work done, either singly or with others. Lunch was a problem for me as they served a dish with cooked peppers in it. I'm one of those with food allergies and the cooks didn't understand that the issue for me isn't just that I can't eat them, but I can't be around them either as I also react to the smell.

As I dashed for safer areas, the coughing already starting, one of my friends prepared a plate of foods I could eat for me. I took it to another floor to eat by myself. To my delight, our lone male attendee brought his plate up to join me. A true gentleman in every sense of the word. Thank you, Karl. Yes, others offered, and I was really fine eating alone, but he decided that wasn't right so came anyway. We had a really good conversation about the state of education today. (He's a teacher, I'm a former one). All in all, a very good lunch.

After the meal, it was time to get back to work - then the scream came.

We all ran for Natalie's room as we knew she was expecting her call from "THE AGENT". But we all backed out as we saw she was still on the phone; pulled the door shut - and paced. It was worse than a waiting room in a birthing hospital. We chatted, we paced, we kept watching the door. We wondered and worried. What was taking so long. Nearly an hour later, she emerged, but not with the the beaming grin she should have had. I feared the worst. Then the grin came. She'd been offered representation!!!! We laughed and hugged and celebrated with her.

Then back to work. Yeah, right. Well, we tried.

Dinner was enjoyable - at least I could go in the room and eat with the others. Afterward, we worked some more. Then it was time for some fun. Several of us gathered together to watch the season finale of Supernatural (which one of our latecomers had recorded). Afterward, a little more work, then a group of us (9) went out to the nearby town for some relaxation and celebration time. Nothing drastic, just a couple of drinks at Applebee's - but fun anyway.

Back here by 11 p.m. for work or bed.

And thus ends day two at the retreat.

Progress made: 125 pages edited, beginning sketches done for new wip.
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Birthdays: Jim Lehrer, Lorraine Hansberry, Nora Ephron

Tips and Teasers: You’ve been asked to do a workshop for a local writer’s group – what would you do one on?

Thought for the day: "No one can write a best seller by trying to. He must write with complete sincerity; the clichés that make you laugh, the hackneyed characters, the well-worn situations, the commonplace story that excites your derision, seem neither hackneyed, well worn nor commonplace to him.... The conclusion is obvious: you cannot write anything that will convince unless you are yourself convinced. The best seller sells because he writes with his heart’s blood." - W. Somerset Maugham

Retreat: Day 1

Thirteen of us arrived yesterday. We trickled in starting about ten in the morning and the last here by dinner.

We spent the afternoon unpacking and getting ourselves ready to work - some got right to their projects. I took about an hour to get things together, then started working on editing my Lumaria story (Atlantis-type place). One of the girls stopped in to ask if I had a tiny screwdriver - which, of course, I did. I'm one of those strange women who travels with a toolkit. Actually, I'm a former girl scout who travels with anything that might be needed - portable office, first aid (including ace bandage), tools, etc. Anyway, she uses a Dana to work on and needed to replace her batteries. The battery area is accessible through a long tab that is screwed in. Not only did she need the screwdriver, but the screw that was in there was stripped. It took some doing, but we managed to get it out and she replaced her batteries. And rather than replace the faulty screw, we taped the cover back on. A disaster averted.

At dinner, we gathered in the large dining room and chowed down on pot roast, vegetarian lasagna, salad, potato rolls, and strawberry tarts. Delicious.

After our meal, we had a short meeting and received our welcome packs. This year's theme is "Making play of work" so our packs included a deck of cards, jacks, bubble stuff, play doh, colory books, crayons, as well as pens, pencils and notebooks for actual works. Oh, and Mardi Gras beads. :)

After our meeting, Misty Simon did a short session on mind mapping - a type of plotting that allows you more freedom than a regular plot board. Then we all got down to work.

The highlight of the evening was when Natalie Damschroder screamed bloody murder and brought us all running to find out the agent she's been trying to get in with for two years sent her an e-mail and wants to talk with her today. We will all be waiting with baited breath for the phone call, I'm sure!

And thus ended the first day at the retreat.
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Birthdays: Omar Khayyam, Bertrand Russell, Patrick Dennis, Diane Duane

Tips and Teasers: On this date in 1980, Mt. St. Helen’s erupted, coating the northwest in ash and soot. Imagine you character was there. What did s/he do? Where did s/he go? Or didn’t s/he?

Thought for the day: "If you write fiction you are, in a sense, corrupted. There’s a tremendous corruptibility for the fiction writer because you’re dealing mainly with sex and violence. These remain the basic themes, they’re the basic themes of Shakespeare whether you like it or not." - Anthony Burgess

Retreat

Today, I leave for my annual writer's retreat. I am so looking forward to this, as are my friends who are also going. Four days of nothing but writing, talking, writing, eating, writing, playing, writing...

The place we go is a lovely campground that also happens to have a conference hotel on site. We stay in the hotel, not the cabins. Our meals are prepared for us and there is coffee and/or tea 24 hours plus a small kitchenette for those times between meals when we have snack attacks. What the place doesn't have are TVs, radios, or other distractions. It is a time for us to concentrate on our writing, not on TV. We set goals for ourselves for the weekend and really get down to work.

And yet, we leave plenty of room for socialization and fun.

It's a wonderful weekend and I am sooooo looking forward to it. But at the same time, I will miss my husband not being next to me and my cat waking me up at 6:00 to tell me it's time to feed her.

Ah well. :)

For those of you who don't have the opportunity to do something like this, can you do a mini-retreat? You don't even have to go anywhere. Get your family in on it. Tell them you want one full day - or even just a few hours - with no interruptions, no emergencies (yes, real ones do arise and you deal as necessary, but not being able to find a matching sock or iPod or a pestering sibling does not constitute an emergency), no "where's my..." or "I'm hungry." - fix yourself some snacks and drinks so everything is prepared, close yourself off in a room and write.

Even writers need nurturing and this is necessary for your craft. Try it. It may take some planning, but I'll bet it works.
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Birthdays: Dorothy Richardson, Gary Paulsen, Eloise Greenfield

Tips and Teasers: Someone has vandalized your neighborhood. All the neighbors are talking about it. Since you fashion yourself as an amateur sleuth, you set out to see who's doing it. When you find out, you are shocked. So who is it? And why is s/he doing the damage?

Thought for the day: "Do we write books so that they shall merely be read? Don’t we also write them for employment in the household? For one that is read from start to finish, thousands are leafed through, other thousands lie motionless, others are jammed against mouseholes, thrown at rats, others are stood on, sat on, drummed on, have gingerbread baked on them or are used to light pipes." – G.C. Lichtenberg

Sacrifices and Gifts

A little over a year ago, my husband and I moved to a new home in a new town. We left a big house with five bedrooms, library, huge kitchen, family room, etc. Our new home is approximately half the size of our old one. While I love my new little house, there were things we had to give up just because they didn't fit.

For me, I had to give up my dining room set as I do not now have a dining room. I also had to give up my bedroom set as it did not fit into our new bedroom. There was a lot more, but those were the biggies for me. For my husband, it was our slate-bed, regulation sized pool table. Number one, since we were moving ourselves, there was no way we could do that. Nor did we have any room for it. There were no rooms in the house large enough to hold such a piece. So we donated it to the Boys and Girls Club. It got a good home with a good organization. They also got most of the rest of our furniture (computer desks, shelves, tables, chairs, appliances, even a large plant or two). For them, it was a boon. For us, a relief.

But I know my husband missed the pool table. Not that we used it much, but it was there.

Over the years, he had also talked about wanting a foosball table. During his college years, he was something of a local champion at this game. So yesterday, for his birthday, I got him a foosball table. It's a lot bigger than I thought it would be; we're going to have to rearrange some furniture in our rec-room, but it's still smaller than a pool table. It's not an expensive one. My royalty checks aren't that good. But it's something I could do for him. He supports me in everything I do. I wanted to do this for him.

Yesterday, it was a big do-it-yourself project as we had to assemble it. First of all, it was too heavy for us to get out of the car so we opened the box and unpacked it piece-by-piece from there. Once inside, we got to work. Three hours later after lots of sweat, a few choice words, banged up knuckles and other mishaps, we were actually able to play a game on his new foosball table.

I must admit, I'm not any good. But I'm willing to learn. And I know our sons are anxious to play a game or two with dear old dad - even the one who lives 1100 miles away. He wanted to come home just to play a game! :)

I know my husband could have lived the rest of his life without this. And we could have done other things with the money. But this is one little thing I could do for him. He is my staunchest supporter when it comes to my writing. He is there for me always. Backing me up, helping me, being there for me. This is my gift to him for all he does for me.

Anybody want to play a game?
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Birthdays: Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Adrienne Rich, Bruce Coville

Tips and Teasers: Make a list of ten publishers or agents to send your latest work to. Do your homework – don’t just pick names out of a list. Study the guidelines and only submit to those who work with your type of writing.

Thought for the day: "Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down." – Robert Frost

Contractions

I'm reading a book that reads like an elementary primer. It's set in the near future (2019) on Earth, mostly in the US. The main character starts out in 2002 as an eighteen year old and matures as the book goes on. That's the background. So what's the problem? The writer doesn't use contractions, or uses them sporadically. For example (note - these are not quotes taken from the book. They are merely examples to show similar style):

"You are having trouble because you are trying too hard. It is not that difficult."

"And what if I am wrong?"

There are more, but you get the idea. Now, before my friends call me a hypocrite, I'll admit that I tend to not use contractions in some cases. But I usually do so to emphasize a character. When I write high fantasy, there are certain characters for whom contractions would be, well, out of character. So their speech is more formal.

But we're talking an American teen here. Not use contractions? Come on.

So what if the author is trying to establish the character through this type of speech? Okay, I can see that - as I said, I do that myself. But then the writer must be consistent and use that type of speech for that character throughout the story. She doesn't. In some spots the dialog is stilted like above, in others, not. And not because of different situations. There just is no consistency.

What bothers me most is this book has been published in paperback form and is out there for all the world to read. Which means it went through the editorial process. Which means it had an editor and a copy editor.

If the dialog had been the only problem, I could maybe pass on it. Some writers just write like that. But there are other glaring errors in the book that a good editor should have picked up on. Do I name names? Nope. Not in our litigious society. Even though I have hard proof in my hand that this is a sub-standard product. And they are one of the better-known e-pubs.

All I will say is I've subbed to this e/micro-print publisher several times, but if this is the type of book they produce, I will not do so again. After all, I do have some standards. They obviously do not.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY WONDERFUL HUSBAND!

Birthdays: L. Frank Baum, Katherine Anne Porter, Paul Zindel, Douglas Southall Freeman

Tips and Teasers: This is National Chocolate Chip Day. Bake or buy a batch or two to celebrate. As you enjoy them, think about them. Are they crispy or soft? With or without nuts? What makes one brand better than another? Write all your perceptions down. Be precise.

Thought for the day: "Writing is conscience, scruple, and the farming of our ancestors." – Edward Dahlberg

Anticipation

From Thursday to Sunday this week, I will be attending a writer's retreat. I can't wait. There are about fourteen of us going from my local writer's group. It's a chance for all of us to spend a long weekend doing nothing but working on writing. We have nice rooms, meals prepared for us, a good environment - and will be with a group of people who don't think we're crazy when we talk about the voices in our heads - mostly because they also hear the characters talking to them. It's a place where when we're stuck, we can go out to the hall and yell "I need a word" or "I'm stuck" and know that at least a few others will stick their heads out to help.

We will laugh and brainstorm and play and work. This is the fourth one I've been to and each year they get better. It's a great time for all of us and in between the antics, we actually get a lot done. I am so looking forward to this.

But before that happens, I have to get an awful lot done this week. Don't be surprised if my blogs are short and sweet the rest of the week and, depending on connectivity, I may not be on at all next weekend.

My goals for this month, and the retreat are:
Crit two writing partner's works

Finish edits on magic story and submit

Do character sketches and background on next story and write minimum of two chapters
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Birthdays: Hal Borland, George Lucas, Solange Chaput-Rolland,

Tips and Teasers: Use the following in a scene: tickertape, okapi, ballroom, "You've been chosen…"

Thought for the day: "Most writers write badly because they tell us not only their thoughts but also the thinking of their thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche

Mother's Day

Short and sweet today. I just want to wish all the mother's out there a happy Mother's Day.
And to all the other's who do the duty, a happy day to you too.

Mom, you held my hand to cross the street
Then later, let me go
You took me shopping
(Even when I didn't want to go)
Then later, let me go
You drove me to school
to band
to scouts
to clubs
Then later, let me go
You moved me to college
and helped me lug all those bags up flights of steps
Then later, let me go
You met my fiance and catered the wedding
Then later, let me go
You held my first born
And the next
And gave me advice
Then later, let me go
You gave me strength to stand on my own
But I always knew you'd be there
Don't ever let me go.

I love you mom
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Birthdays: Daphne Du Maurier, Roger Zelazny, Francine Pascal, Rachel Ingalls

Tips and Teasers: If you could have any superpower, what would it be? Why?

Thought for the day: "In a mood of faith and hope my work goes on. A ream of fresh paper lies on my desk waiting for the next book. I am a writer and I take up my pen to write." - Pearl Buck

Friends Blogs

I just finished reading my friends blogs - Misty, Vicki, Natalie, Megan - you can find links to theirs here on the page.

But what a hoot! Misty is Misty Simon and she just got a brand new tattoo - of the cover art from her latest book! Misty writes the "Poison Ivy" series - mysteries with a wry sense of humor. Her heroine is not a perfect miss - her thighs rub together, her arms jiggle and she makes mistakes. In other words, she's human. But she gets things figured out. I absolutely adore her. Anyway, I got to see the new tattoo in person yesterday. It looks really neat! I admire her courage. We all got to talking about tattoos - not something I could ever bring myself to do - but it is interesting. Of the five of us, three have tattoos, one is thinking, and me. The artwork is beautiful and I admire them for having the nerve to do it. But I'll stick to looking at it. :)

Anyway, if you get a chance, check out Vicki and Misty's blogs about getting the tattoo and other things.

In the meantime, I continue to work on edits of my own stuff - I want to submit at least one this coming week - if I can get all the formatting done. I swear, taking care of the "rules" for submission to this publisher is taking more time than the actual writing did. I'll let you know how it goes.
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Birthdays: Edward Lear, Dante Rossetti, Leslie Charteris

Tips and Teasers: This is National Limerick Day. Stretch your writing brain and write a limerick about writing.

Thought for the day: "The really great writers are people like Emily Brontë who sit in a room and write out of their limited experience and unlimited imagination." - James A. Michener

Friends

I met with some friends today and it was a hoot. I really needed this break with them. I don't think they realize how much I appreciate what they do for me - just meeting. You see, I am old enough to be the mother of at least two of them. I don't quite fit in - I'm not "up" on a lot of the things they are into. And I sometimes feel that they let me hang around just because they're too nice to say otherwise. But one thing we do all have in common is that we are all writers. We all write different stuff, but we are all writers. And that is a strong thread.

We may talk about a lot of things - and we do - but the bottom line is, we talk mostly about our writing. Our frustrations, our successes, our ups, our downs. What we're writing, who we're targeting, what's happening with our latest works in progress. It is that thread that underlies everything else we talk about.

And I love that they are there for me - just as I am there for them. Having someone else who "gets it" is so incredibly wonderful. It is a relief to just let our hair down and just be ourselves and know that the rest all understand.

Having a friend is a wonderful gift. Having a friend who understands you is even better.
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Birthdays: Irving Berlin, Mari Sandoz, Stanley Elkin

Tips and Teasers: You’ve gone to see a psychic who will answer your deepest question. What do you ask?

Thought for the day: "If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing." - Benjamin Franklin

Backups

On one of my lists, a friend just posted a warning to all members for them to back up their stuff onto portable backups and then store it somewhere else. An alternative would be to backup to an online site.

Why?

Because she was robbed. Her house was broken into and her computer stolen. And she did have backups of everything. She was very good about backing up every day and every time she changed something. Unfortunately, like many of us, she left her flash drive lying with the computer so the backup was taken too. All her manuscripts, contacts, everything - gone.

So... back up. Back up. Back up. And then store elsewhere. And as an added security measure, put a password on your computer. Yes, it's a hassle when you start the thing up and have to enter a password, but think about it. You probably have a lot of personal information on your computer - tax records, financial stuff, everything you need to do what you need to do - and you probably told the computer to "remember this user name and password" at sites you visit. If your computer is stolen and you don't have it password protected, the thief now has access to everything you do.

I know, security is a hassle, but think about it. Then do it.
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Birthdays: Monica Dickens, Jayne Cortez

Tips and Teasers: Do yourself a favor and start doing crossword and other word puzzles. They will stretch your vocabulary and help with your writing.

Thought for the day: "It takes a lot of energy and a lot of neurosis to write a novel. If you were really sensible, you ‘d do something else." - Lawrence Durrell

Bummer of a day

And just because it is a bummer of a day, all I'll do is the end stuff. Hugs to all of you.

Birthdays: J.M. Barrie, Richard Adams, Mona Van Duyn, Alan Bennett

Tips and Teasers: Finish this: I closed my eyes, I held my nose and took a drink…

Thought for the day: "Talent is like a faucet, while it is open, one must write." - Jean Anouilh

Good Stories

If you've been reading any of these blogs, you know that I'm working my way through several books as a judge for a contest. These are published books. One I liked a lot, one so-so and I'm slogging through a third. It's not bad, but it's "put-down-able" which means it doesn't capture my attention enough for me to want to keep reading. If something else comes up - like cleaning the house or doing the dishes - I'm okay with putting this one down and doing that. Not good.

I'm also critiquing a friend's manuscript. I worked on her chapters last night up until after 10 p.m. Now anyone that knows me, knows I am a morning person. I do not stay up past 10 for any reason. Except that I did last night. Reading her story. It was so good I forgot to edit and had to go back today and type in my notes. This is a story I should be reading for this contest, not the published books I am.

And yet, she doesn't have an agent. She is published, but not by the big boys in New York. Her story is so edge of your seat gripping and so well written, it makes me want to toss my own stuff away and just work on hers.

Her characters are real; her settings well done without being intrusive; her plot lines take you by the throat, then give you a chance to gulp a breath of air before tightening the grip and taking you further.

I can't wait to finish this crit so I can see where it ends. And I know when she sells this book - and she WILL sell it - I will be one of the first in line to buy it, even though I've already read it. My schedule today doesn't allow time to work on it until later tonight, but I know where I'll be and what I'll be doing then! I can't wait.
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Birthdays: Edward Gibbon, Irene Hunt, Peter Benchley, Elizabeth Becker

Tips and Teasers: What action have you taken that has affected the lives of others?

Thought for the day: "A superhuman will is needed in order to write, and I am only a man." Gustave Flaubert

Reviews - Prime Time

I just got my first review for Prime Time and am so chuffed. (For those of you who don't know that word, it's Australian for extremely happy). I've included it here. Thank you, Mia, from Coffee Time Romance for the review. Just wish she'd have spelled my name right! :)
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PRIME TIME

VICKY BUCKHOLDER
ISBN# 9781419908187
March 2007
Cerridwen Press
www.cerridwenpress.com
$6.49
170 Pages
Futuristic/SciFi
Rating: 5 cups

Deena Carstairs has known that danger lurks in the area that she calls home. She wants to find peace with the passing of her parents, and just wants someone to fall in love with. That someone is totally out of her league, but she is willing to do whatever it takes to fight for him.

Jake Parsons is a member of the elite class of Lunar Base with a mission to enlist Deena to help him to find out where the drug Utopia is coming from, and try to stop the people who make it. Jake wants to protect Deena with every breath he has; even if it means that he will lose his own life.

Deena and Jake must put aside their differences and work together against a common enemy; a threat to both Techies and Porters. Along the way, they discover love does not care where you come from, and evil has a long reach. But they have no idea what other plans the enemy has in store for them, or how the relationship will turn out in the end.

Astounding! Miss Burkholder has outdone herself with this book. A real page turner. Deena and Jake are made for each other! The world the author created is stunningly realistic and pulls you in. A definite must for lovers of sci-fi action books!

Mia
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance
Reviewer for Karen Find Out About New Books

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Birthdays: Robert Browning, Rabindranath Tagore, Archibald MacLeish

Tips and Teasers: Write a letter to your grandchild (or other posterity) explaining why you write what you do and giving him or her advice on living a creative life

Thought for the day: "Actually if a writer needs a dictionary he should not write. He should have read the dictionary at least three times from beginning to end and then have loaned it to someone who needs it. There are only certain words which are valid and similes (bring me my dictionary) are like defective ammunition (the lowest thing I can think of at this time)." - Ernest Hemingway

Computer Time

I've been adding to my links list here on my blog and need to update my website one of these days with new links. Most of the links are fellow Cerridwen Press authors whom I'm getting to know through the lists and the chats we do together.

I like to check out other people's blogs, but it is starting to take up too much time. When I first get on the computer in the morning, it takes me an hour to go through my e-mail and do my blog and the other things I do each day. Then I start checking other's blogs and websites and myspaces, etc. That's starting to take longer than my first hour doing just my stuff. And yet, many of these people are my friends and I like to see what they're saying.

But time is becoming an issue. Updating my website takes me a long time because I'm not well-versed in HTML programming (but I'm learning). And no, I don't pay someone else to do it. I haven't earned that kind of money yet in sales of my books. Then you add in checking out various blogs and websites, doing marketing and promotion work for my books, doing searches for agents, all the stuff that makes up writer's life - and it leaves little time for writing.

As primarily a writer, I have to balance what works for me. I do have a life outside my job. Okay, my family may argue that point, but I think I do. And I still enjoy just reading books - must find time for that too.

It's an interesting conundrum - finding time for everything that must be done and integrating it with what you'd like to do. It's something we all struggle with everyday. Some of us are more successful at it than others.

It all comes down to one question - what is most important to you?

Answer that, and you'll be able to prioritize.

Or not. :)
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Birthdays: Sigmund Freud, Leo Lionni, Ariel Dorfman

Tips and Teasers: A publisher has bought your novel but you have to write a short bio for the back cover. What do you say? Write one now and file it for when this happens

Thought for the day: "A lot of people say you can't teach writing, but I've never felt that was entirely true. You can't make a great writer, but you can teach discipline, at least through example, and that's the biggest part of writing, I think. If you don't have the talent, you'll probably figure out sooner or later that writing's not for you, but you'll never know if you don't make a serious commitment to it." - Dave Weich

Tagged!!

This is all Natalie Damscroder's fault. :)

Here are the rules:

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

4. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them they're tagged, and to read your blog.
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My random facts:
1. I have four great (and grown) kids - two biological, two adopted.

2. Over my lifetime, I've lived in 28 different places, but all in the same state. And almost all those moves took place in a ten year span early in my marriage.

3. I love science fiction and fantasy and firmly believe there are other beings in our universe.

4. I abhor violence of any sort. I'm probably one of the few people whose kids censor what the parent watches.

5. I was the first female ever allowed to have a show on my college radio station, but was forced to play only "dinnertime" muzak since girls weren't smart enough to handle top 40. We girls went on strike and showed the guys just what girls *were* capable of. :)

6. I was considered "slow" in elementary and junior high, but finished in the top third of my class and in college, made dean's list several times as an undergrad and had a 4.0 average with my Master's degree.

7. I love trying new crafts. I've made soap, candles, woven baskets, done needlepoint, crewel, quilting, knitting, crocheting, tailored my and other's clothing, learned to make natural dyes, bake bread from scratch (both regular and gluten free), done so many different things - and had fun with them all.

8. I've been a teacher, waitress, short-order cook, secretary, computer specialist, inventory specialist, office manager, electronics salesperson, acquisitions specialist, librarian, newspaper journalist, editor, reviewer and writer.

I am tagging: Jeff, Nean, Terry, Amy, Frances, Jenyfer, Sharon, Ash
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Birthdays: Karl Marx, Nellie Bly, Soren Kierkegaard

Tips and Teasers: You’ve been hired to appear on a talk show to promote your latest work. How do you describe what you are currently working on?

Thought for the day: "The greatest part of a writer's time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book." - Samuel Johnson

Conventions, Retreats and Workshops, Oh My

For anyone who writes romance novels, the recent Romantic Times convention in Texas was "the" place to be. It is a meeting of writers and readers - heavy on the readers - with lots of parties and schmoozing and fun. The next big one to go to is the Romance Writers of America being held in July in Dallas, Texas. Unlike the RT one, this one is specifically aimed at writers - although I don't know any writer who isn't also a reader. But it is heavy on the workshops, meet and greets with editors and agents, oh, and yeah, schmoozing. But it is geared more towards the business end of writing than the reading end. These conventions are attended by thousands of people.

And these are just two. Pick up any writer related magazine or join a writer's list or organization and you'll see conventions, workshops, retreats, etc. listed for every month of the year and for every genre. Don't like huge crowds? Pick one of the smaller, more intimate ones, often held at colleges. Want to concentrate on a specific area of your writing? Go to a workshop specifically aimed at that.

All these things can be fun, but they can also get expensive as you figure in the cost of the event, travel, lodging, meals (though some are included in prices). So how do you pick and choose what to go to? You join writer's lists and ask questions. Somewhere, someone has been to one or more of these and will give you good advice. You have to weigh the benefits of going with the cost.

I ran into that problem this year. I am a member of RWA and was going to attempt to go to their national convention in July. First off, let me tell you, I do not do well with travel or with crowds. So why even consider going? To promote my books. But when I looked at the costs vs. the advantages, and then considered other more local, smaller conventions coming up, I decided not to go. I could spend the same amount of money going to several venues here in the northeast as I could going to one event in Dallas - where I would just be one of thousands trying to push my work. I would reach nearly as many people and not have nearly as many travel hassles as I would going to Texas.

I still aim to get to a national convention one of these years, just to say I did it. But I think I'll wait until it comes here to the northeast. In the meantime, there are fantasy cons, science fiction cons, retreats, workshops and other events I can attend. So, where do I go next... hmmmmmm...

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Birthdays: Thomas Henry Huxley , Graham Swift, David Gutterson

Tips and Teasers: Finish this, using glass, lizard, knife, flag: Finally, I checked the closet, and found…

Thought for the day: "A bad book is as much of a labor to write as a good one, it comes as sincerely from the author’s soul." - Aldous Huxley

Synonyms

One of my crit partners has a "thing" for the words "push", "pull", "feel" and "felt", another picks up on "that", "it" and "was". And there are others. When we crit each other's work, we tend to pick up on our favorites and it's gotten to the point where we automatically go after those words before we send our work out for crits.

So I started a list of words to look for. Words that can be weak when used one way, but are okay in another. For this list, I also included words that can be used instead. Synonyms. In some cases, the synonym is more descriptive and a much stronger word. For instance, I tend to pick up on the word "walk". Now using the word walk is perfectly okay. But think about it - when we say that a person walked into the room, unless we know that character very well, we don't know how he entered the room. It is much more descriptive to say he swaggered, staggered, strolled, strode, tiptoed, crept or any of a dozen other ways to describe his way of walking. Each one of these synonyms is more exact and gives us a specific picture of the way the person is moving--and a specific tone to the scene.

No, you don't need to change every word. In some cases, the original word works just fine. But when doing an edit, go through your work and see if you can find a stronger word to replace the one you used. Get a good thesaurus and go to town.

Some of the words on our list:
walk
feel/felt
push/pull
that
it
was/were
realize
just
only
suddenly
really

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Birthdays: Niccolo Machiavelli, Jacob Riis, William Inge

Tips and Teasers: Go through your WIP and make sure you don’t mix tenses. Most writing is done in past tense (They went to the store. I passed the speeding car.) If your character says “I carried her books.”, then switches to “We walk (instead of walked) to her house.” This is a switch in tenses.

Thought for the day: "Writing about an idea frees me of it. Thinking about it is a circle of repetitions." – Mason Cooley

What to do

So, I have three novels to read and judge by the end of the month. But I also have two manuscripts to finish editing so they can be submitted (and five more waiting in the wings and a new one just started). Plus a friend's manuscript to crit. All this month.

And that's in addition to two writer's meetings, a four day writer's retreat, and all the other usual stuff that goes on in a normal month.

What's a person to do?

Get organized and get working.

I just finished reading the first book. It was really good and once the contest is over, I'll post a review about it. So, one down, two to go. Basically, I read when my husband or other family is around. I can be interrupted from reading and not have to worry about losing my train of thought.

Writing is what gets done when I have whole blocks of time to myself. Or, if there are no blocks coming up, I make notes and get to them when possible.

Editing is a little like reading - it's something I can usually be interrupted from and easily return to. But sometimes, when I'm trying to evaluate plot lines or check on consistency issues, I can tend to get a little disgruntled when interrupted. But that's life. You do what you can when you can.

So, a busy month ahead with a lot to do - but I'm looking forward to it. Should be a good month for this writer.
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Birthdays: Novalis

Tips and Teasers: May is also National Date Your Mate Month. Plan the perfect date for you and your mate (or significant other – or between your hero and heroine). What will you do? Where will you go, if anywhere? What will you wear? What time will you go? Be creative.

Thought for the day: "One of the pleasant things those of us who write or paint do is to have the daily miracle. It does come." - Gertrude Stein

E-mail and Replies

Time for a small rant about e-mail. This is a pet peeve both my husband and I have. Over the past few months, we've sent several important e-mails either answering ads for jobs or looking to hire someone for a job we have. In more than a few cases, we received no answer back, not even an acknowledgment that they received the missive, although in at least one case, I know the person did as I included return notification. We followed up with other e-mails, asking for assurances our original ones were received. In most cases, we got that assurance - and nothing more.

My peeve? People who ask you to contact them through e-mail and do not reply. Even a "e-mail received" would be enough to let us know that it got there. It can be set up to automatically respond so you don't even have to do anything, but common courtesy would be to allow the sender to know you got the thing.

My husband used to work with a man who refused to answer any e-mails. He had thousands of them stored on his computer - he didn't delete them - he just refused to answer them. And he was a supervisor.

So, what do you do when you've sent an e-mail asking for a response, and the responder doesn't? Do you follow up with more e-mail? Call? (If you can find a number) Send a snail mail (if you can find an address)? Or just forget about it and figure they either didn't want the job, or you. How do you handle this?
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Birthdays: Joseph Heller, Sterling Brown, Niccolo Tucci, Terry Southern, Bobbie Ann Mason

Tips and Teasers: May is national Bike Month, Barbecue Month, Blood Pressure Month, Hamburger Month, Photography Month and Salad Month. Take three of these items and weave them into a short story or scene.

Thought for the day: "Writing a novel is actually searching for victims. As I write, I keep looking for casualties. The stories uncover the casualties." - John Irving