And I'm Off

So, I'm unplugging for the rest of this week and all of next week. My reasons are threefold.

1 - I'm running around like mad and am starting to forget what my laptop looks like.
2 - My birthday is on Sunday. *huzzah! Confetti and all that*
3 - We're taking the fam to Orlando for 8 days.

While I'm gone, you, my wonderful friends, have two assignments to choose from.
1 - build me a stasis pod. (I'd give you instructions, but there aren't any online. I checked. Just wing it.)
2 - leave me a comment saying what kind of Giveaway, Q&A, Contest, Writing Tips, whatever you'd like me to do when I get back.

Have a great week! I miss you already. ;-)

Are You Here Or Were You There?

Every book I've written so far has been in past tense. However, my shiny new project really screams to be written in present.

I'm going with it so far, but it's really been an interesting change. On one hand, it is very immersing. Everything is so, well...present. (Oh dear, I'm so so sorry for that.) I'm kind of loving it at the moment.

However, I've read books in present that I just couldn't get into. In some ways, it pulled me out of the story and actually had the opposite effect. I think it's hard to do it well, and I'm still working to figure out what went wrong with those stories.

So, here is my question for you, my brilliant friendlies: Which tense have you written in? Do you prefer one over the other? What strengths do you think each brings to the table? Do you prefer homestyle or curly fries? Chocolate Chip or Sugar Cookies? Do tell!

In Which I May Or May Not Rant

Lately I've noticed so many people telling everyone else what to do. I try to remain separate. Take my own path. And most of the time I do. But when I notice a growing trend with people in positions of authority or influence continually trying to convince newer writers that they don't have options, it drives me crazy. 

Now, of all times, writers have options. Yet all that I hear lately is:

~ Traditional publishing is the only way.

~ Traditional publishing is dead.

~ Self-publishing is the right path for everyone.

~ Self-publishing is always a mistake.

Here is the truth: No one should be able to tell you how to run your career. The only person who can make the right decision for you--is you. Take all the advice, then filter it out to the truth that makes sense for you. 

This is the only one that matters.

[end soapbox] 

Ahem...how about you? Any soapboxes you'd like to take a stand on today?

Getting My Groove Back

I know some of you are miraculous master-minds of the multi-task. I am in some ways, but writing method isn't really one of them. It can switch back and forth from day to day as necessary, but my focus remains buried in whichever one I'm working on at the time. When I'm writing, I'm pretty focused on that. I'm very fast and thorough at revisions, but I need to eat, sleep and dream it. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but what it does mean is that after doing several months of revisions and editing, I'm adjusting back into writing again...and it takes a little time.

For the moment, I'm working a bit on a new project that is deliciously dark and twisty. I'm a big fan of that, by the way.

The dark and the twisty = totally my thing.


How do you immerse yourself in a new project? Are you a multi-tasker or more divided, like me?

***edit*** Stop by the Ladies Who Critique blog and see my guest post on my fave revision tips!

Still My Hero

It's September, and every September I remember that I'm so lucky to have a hero in my home.

This is Kid A. He's adorable, awesome and brave. At 9 years old, he reads so fast and much that I can't keep up with him, he speaks Spanish fluently, can do a wicked Mexican Hat Dance, includes everyone in the neighborhood/city when he goes outside to play...

And he's had type 1 Diabetes for 3 1/2 years.

From the day we pulled him out of kindergarten, took him to the doctor, and then the hospital--to the day when we tried out a new needle for shots or a new insulin pump--he has been brave and tough. Tougher than a kindergartener should ever have to be. Tougher than I was, most of the time. Even through the tears, he's always had hope, faith and courage.

He is everything a hero should be.

Every fall he participates in a walk to raise money so the "smart men can find a cure". Every year he is in the list of the top 10 fundraisers in our state

He's incredible and he reminds me of everything I should strive to be. He is my hero this fall.

Every fall.

Every day.

Who is your hero today?

Unhealthy Addictions

Lately I've rediscovered an old, unhealthy addiction. It's called Slickdeals and it makes me want to buy things that I never missed and yet, at that price, I can't imagine living another day without it.

For example, I found a "Silk Capelet--in Black" listed on there for a great price the other day. Do I know what a capelet is? No. No, I do not. Am I fairly certain I need one, nonetheless? Yes. Yes, I am.

I mean, hello...it's in black. I'm quite certain I don't already own a capelet in black. Do you?

Another listing had a "22-Pack of Clif Mojo Bars--Variety Pack". I mean, the mystery is half of the fun. What exactly is a Mojo bar? What kind of Mojo does it give me? Am I lacking in Mojo? What, exactly, comes in this so-called "Variety Pack"?

So many unanswered questions! And the Candle Tumbler, the Fujitso Lifebook, the Logitech M260 Wireless Keyboard... ahem.

So, you know about my weakness...so spill. Do you have any unhealthy addictions you try to stay away from?

The Day My Arms Died

When we first bought our house, I spent all my time painting and trying to fix it up. In the first couple of months, we painted the entire house, by ourselves (including cabinets), installed new hardwood flooring, carpeted the stairs and replaced the light fixtures. Last summer, we trenched our yard, installed a sprinkler system, painted our siding, moved in 32 cubic yards of topsoil, seeded, poured a 10x10 concrete pad, & built a deck.

We worked hard and I was buff. I flexed my bicep and people two blocks away oooh'd, and aaahh'd -- okay, it was my 6-year-old and he does that on command, but still. I was tough.

Now, after taking only one year off from all the DIY amazingness, I did a weekend project. I decided to take a closet that was formerly used for storing tools and store food there. Now, my cleanliness standard for storing food is significantly higher than my husband's tool-cleanliness-standard. So, I emptied the closet, scrubbed it clean, primed and painted it...

and then my arms fell off. Or at least I'm wishing they did. Someone took my strong, buff arms and replaced them with gelatinous masses of goo. I'm pretty sure there aren't even bones in them anymore. They just hang there, limply, by my side. They are no longer good for anything but shooting pains up to my brain and out the top of my head.

As you can imagine, just propping them up enough to type this post took a feat of engineering. And that is how much I love you guys. That I hired a mini-crane, a.k.a. 9-year-old boy, to come lift, prop-up, and arrange pillows to make this post possible.

So, what did you guys do this weekend? Also, can someone lift up my Diet Coke?