The Writer's Voice - ENTER May 1st!!

I've had some success with Pitch Contests via Twitter or through blogs. While I'm still on that elusive hunt for an agent - by success, I mean that a talented group of fellow writers that volunteer a LOT of their time to put these contests out there have selected my work, on occasion, to showcase. Woot!

We all write because we LOVE to write, but we still secretly crave that validation from our peers. And even when I don't get picked - I root for the writers who did and keep tabs on what's going on, what genres are doing the best in the contest - that kind of stuff, because - hey! Helpful! :)

So, thought I'd give a quick shout out to another pitch contest coming up on May 1st:

And you can click HERE for all the juicy deets.  Enter it! Can't hurt - right? Happy writing and GOOD LUCK!!

the One Where I Equate Getting my Dog to Look up and Sit Still for a Picture...to Writing. :)

Hello my fellow bloggers and writing friends!! 

I know I've been in-blog-visible lately...all I can say is that I've missed you all terribly, *virtual hugs to all*, and hope you'll still stop by and say "hello" to an old bloggy friend? *fingers and toes crossed*

Besides, I had to get this post up that I promised you months ago!!! And I KNOW many of you can relate ~

This writing thing...why do we do it? It's sort of like getting your pet to sit still for picture, isn't it?

I can get him positioned one way, but just as I go in for the pic!! Head turn.

And then, of course, something fascinating, like a bird ruffling feathers in a nearby bush, distracts him...



Try three...another head turn just as I click!

And then after a few (dozen!!!) more tries...the dog's just done.

BUT!!!  With a little patience and persistence...as with all things...in the end, you might just get the money shot:

I love writing and I love my cute, little dog. Why? Because both of these things make me happy. And things that make me happy are totally worth my time and patience.

Happy writing, my friends!!!!  Hope you're all doing wonderfully and find something that makes you happy today!! :)



Balls!! Of the popcorn persuasion....

(*disclaimer: the recipes you may find here from time to time on Mood Munchies Mondays will by no means be healthy.  So, if you're trying to trim the fat, cut carbs, be fit, eat more veggies, etc...oh, heck!  Stick around.  You've got "cheat" days, don't you?)

Happy Monday, everyone!!  So, today's post will be short and sweet - literally!  A super easy recipe and a sure-fire sugar fix!  I give you:

Popcorn Balls

Here's what you'll need:

1 cube margarine/butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 t. vanilla (I add a bit more)
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2-3 packages movie theater buttery microwave popcorn OR 6 qts. natural air-popped pop corn (I go with the microwaveable bags w/extra butter...umm, yeah...)

Here's what you do:

In a heavy sauce pan, bring all ingredients (less the popcorn) to a boil, boil for 3 minutes.  Take off heat and stir, stir, stir to a smooth consistency.  Pour over your popcorn.  Stir well to coat.  *You can either eat it straight out of the bowl or form into popcorn balls.  Wetting hands with water helps in the forming of balls.

And then you eat them, of course!!!  Soooo yum.

*But, how does this tie to writing, you ask?  Simple.  If you ever need to mindlessly mull over an idea, a problem spot, an edit, a choice...this delicious, addicting treat is a silent friend  you can gnaw on with one hand as you let your mind wander.  If your WiP is really giving you trouble?  You can also throw a popcorn ball.  It will likely stick to a wall, which - let's face it.  That's just good fun.  :)  And don't forget - this nummy treat you're enjoying?  Just like your initial idea, your little kernel of a story - it didn't really get good until you applied a little heat and popped it open and layered it with some sweet plots and deliciously delightful characters.

Happy writing today!

My WiPs

So, I was perusing a few great author/aspiring writer blogs today and was TOTALLY jealous of the neat little link some of them had at the top of their blogs that took them to a page all about their WiPs.  I guess maybe I'm totally lame or something (valid) because I don't know how to put this feature on my own blog.  Lamer yet is that I realize that I don't really have ANY information on my blog about what I write.  For shame!

I'm going to fix that right now.  Not in a cool link - sorry.  But, just neatly listed here for your information:

#1 focus project:  YA (contemporary) Fantasy.  65,000 word complete 1st draft called "The Glass Prince".  I'd like to make this into a series and I'm about 33,800 words into book # 2 - working title is "The Poisoner's Apple".  I've benched book 2 for a bit to try to focus on revisions for book #1.  Pulling my hair out a little, but still working on it - so GOOD!

#2 - Adult (contemporary) Fantasy.  66,000 word 2nd/3rd/or 4th draft...called "Always Sunday".  This one I haven't looked at in awhile.  It needed a rest.

#3 - My Nano project - Adult (contemporary) Fantasy (is there a better "genre" choice for this?)  Or, this one might actually be sci-fi or paranormal.  I can't decide.  It's called "The Cabin at Lost Creek".

I also have partials for a myriad of ideas - adult, ya and middle grade.  I'm kind of all over the place.  One theme that seems to string through all of my writing, however, is the magical, fantastical, sci-fi, supernatural, paranormal something.  I love, love, love things that reality deems "un".

So, now you know!  In case you were wondering... :)  What are you writing about lately?

Did you enter the Querytracker.net Contest? I did!!

Ok - so I'm really just getting to a point where I'm trying to get my writing out there.  You know, out there, in that scary world of publishers, agents, editors, etc. 

I don't know if you've noticed, but my blog has technically been active since 2007.  This will be my twenty-fifth post - TOTAL.  Most of which have come from this year - 2010.  I've polished my work, I've really started to focus, I've been checking stuff out, I joined the League of Utah Writers and went to their Fall Roundup.  Where (very luckily) I had the opportunity to attend a query writing class by Elana Johnson.  Elana's blog is also the first one I came across that really got me motivated to start blogging more.  And (I'm guessing here) commenting on Elana's blog is where Jen Daiker, another fabulous blogger, found me.  The great circle!  Read, write, respond, and on and on it goes!! 

It's through all this that I also came across this contest  hosted by Querytracker.net - 100 words and and a 1-line pitch to an agent!  So, I'm throwing my hat in.  Wish me luck?

Here's my pitch:

17-year-old Clara Knight thinks spending the summer in faraway New York with estranged Grandma equals Broadway shows and shopping, but what she gets instead is a family curse, stalked by an immortal Prince, and Grandma plotting against her with her new best friend/villain. 

Do you think I've got a chance?  :)

Well...there's got to be at least 1 post a year...

I profess to be a writer, but I am certainly not a blogger. Does that seem contradictory somehow? Perhaps this is the reason why I am not yet published. No follow through. No daily writing ethic. No focus. No....just no. I do happen to follow the blog of a the girl (woman, now - I guess) who is known as the bitty my first ever boyfriend dumped me for when I was 15. I freaked out when he tried to french kiss me and then he cheated on me with an older woman (she was 16 and apparently not freaked out by french kissing). They used to torture me a little (damned 3-way calling!!!) Some of the details blur with age, but I could swear she 3-way called me (I thought it was only "2-way") and gave me some crap story about how she and this boy broke up and what a jerk he was and got me to spill some stuff I'm sure I wouldn't have spilled otherwise and "let's be best friends now" and blah, blah, blah. I found out later of course that she was only messing with me and she and the boy were happy as clams, laughing the night away at my utter pathetic-ness (is that a word?)

Anyhow - to make a convoluted story have a point, I spied a wall post of hers through a mutual friend of ours and found that she had a blog. So, of course, I promptly looked it up hoping SOOO much that she was fat and losery. She wasn't. In fact, I'm rather envious of her life. She's an accomplished photographer. She and her husband have their own photography business, which he seems to run now so that she can be home to blog wonderfully, raise her kids, make all sorts of wonderful crafts, cook gourmet meals, garden in her very lovely back yard, travel, and live life to her very enjoyable and enviable fullest. And the thing is...she's witty, funny, a GREAT writer, immensly talented and I think, under different circumstances, we could have been friends. Is that crazy? I did comment on her blog and let her know who I am. She was quite nice about it, but I felt that if I pushed the communication she'd think I was some psycho, out-for-revenge, ex-girlfriend-of-my-ex-boyfriend stalker person. Or maybe it's all in my head?

I still don't know if I know what I'm getting at...anyhow! She's quite dedicated to her blog. It's humorous and real and fun and I'm still jealous. But, if anyone at all reads this darn thing (and I don't blame you if you don't...there's never much to read here) you should check it out: www.sansomfamily.com It's lovely.

And, it's really starting to get under my skin. In a good way (I think). I don't know that anyone will ever really read or follow my blog. Heck! I'm just some random nobody out there that wished she had something of value to write on a daily basis that might brighten the tiny world of some other random person. But, let's get real here. I'll likely be writing this for myself. And I'm ok with that. It's a good writing exercise for an aspiring writer - after all.

So - I think this also calls for a blog name change. Queen of Procrastination NO MORE!! I turned 36 recently and heck...JK Rowling published the first Harry Potter book when she was 32. I'm running late! I don't even have a nibble from an agent yet. I need to go BALLS OUT at it and make my dream come true!! Or try my damndest!! (again - word?) I don't know if I have a good title for this new blog of mine or not. I'm thinking of writing an on-the-fly serial novel. What do you think? No edits, no re-writes, just spontaneous writing of some on-the-fly plot that comes as I sit here to write this blog. Something completely NEW! I have so many ideas in my head....works in progress...but, this will be something I come up with on the spot - like right now....ummm......a story about....a shy 15-year old girl who's the picture of propriety and crazy only in her head. Her friends may find her a little boring, but if they could just slip inside her brain for 5-minutes...wow. What a picture they would see. A look into the seedy, underbelly of junior high and high school, secret crushes, secret secrets, friendships won and friendships lost...through the eyes of a girl named Holly Sinclair. (that just came to me) She's a 9th grader...ok, now a (working) title....hmmm....."Molly-mo Holly meets the Mountain Time Mob". Seriously, folks. I'm making this stuff up as it comes along....

Shall I do a chapter 1? Maybe I'll start that in a new post....so, I hope anyone who stumbles across this enjoys it just a little? Wish me luck!!!! :) - D