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!

Find the Story Friday!! Love = Magic...

Do you agree?  There's something inherently magical about love, falling in love, that feeling...you know the one.  If you're one of the lucky ones who've snagged your soul mate - celebrate!  Often ~ :)  Sunsets are also pretty magical and they set just the right mood - so, I hope you enjoy the final February romantic pic.  Here you go....

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OK - so magic IS real.  Your MCs are in a place that's known to be a mystical power center.  Keeping romance in mind...Tell me - what are they doing there? 

Happy Friday!  Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  And if you missed and would like to visit the other romantic Feb. spots you can click HERE and HERE and HERE.  :)  *Oh!  1 more thing - I almost forgot to reveal the lie in yesterday's post!  I do not actually have a steamy love scene in the middle of my wip (but, maybe I should?)....

An Interview - Crusader Challenge Style...

Happy Thursday, everyone!  Today, I'm participating in the first crusader challenge.  And even for my wonderful followers who aren't crusading, I hope you'll find this (somewhat) enjoyable. 

The gist:  In 300 words - I'm supposed to tell the following about myself:  a secret, a lie, a interesting quirk, an annoying habit, an awesome character trait, a favorite thing...and all this while incorporating the following words seamlessly:  blade, rabbit, bloviate and fuliguline.

So - here's my attempt...300 words exactly:

“Donea! So nice to have you with me today.”


“Thanks, Blade. It’s nice to be here.”


"My name’s Wesley.”

*blank stare*

“Moving on…tell us about your book?”

“I’m glad you ask. Far be it from me to bloviate about my vast writing talent, but I have to say the love scene in the middle would put a rabbit to shame.”

“Can you give us a snippet?”

“Isn’t this a family show?”

“We’re on the Internet.”

“But, I haven’t enabled my content warning.”

“Umm. How about we just talk about you?”


“Shoot.”

“Well, why don’t you tell us a little about yourself. Likes, dislikes, whatever you’d like.”

“I hate it when people use big, fancy-schmancy words for one thing when they could say the same thing in a simple way. Like – fuliguline. Seriously? It’s a duck.”

“You did just use ‘bloviate’ in a sentence, didn’t you?”

*glares*

“But, I know what you mean.”

*picks fingernails* “I also love to travel. If I had the money, that’s probably all I’d do. But, I have to settle for midnight drives by the fields or mountains close to home. You know, stereo blasting, sunroof open, singing at the top of my lungs. It’s cheap, but it’s still an adventure for a girl on a budget. What else? I love my family, fiercely. And I like to think I’m always honest with people.”


“Really? What do you think of my hair?”

“It's hideous.”


"You’re right. This buzz cut went out in the '90's, didn't it?”

“Hey, I feel your pain.  I've been known to cut my own bangs at times.  Not always pretty!”

“Well, looks like we’re approaching our designated word count. Any final words?”

“Just between you and me?”

“Yep.”

“This is my first on-line interview. So, thanks much for having me.”

“You’re welcome.”

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:)  So - I may have revealed something about myself in my little mock interview that isn't strictly true.  Do you know what it is?  Hit me with your best guess, I dare you! 

Writerly Wednesday - A Useful Limerick or two...

There once was a girl bent to query
her novel about some daft faerie
she opened with "He..."
The agent did flee
And now the girl's gorging cold dairy.

1.  Ahhhh...the debate about opening your novel with dialogue.  You can click HERE to see what agent  John Sternfeld of the Irene Goodman agency has to say on the subject (plus some other query-don't tips!).

There is a blog called Falling Leaflets
a follower, here's what he or she gets
Writing tips galore
scroll down and there's more
You'll love all the info, is my bet(s)

2.  Seriously - if you aren't following Jess, you need to check out her blog of wonderful writery references.  The other day she posted this great list of 50 things your novel will be judged on.  Check it out HERE!

There once was a writer who cried,
"I think my creative muse died!"
No worries, take stock
It's just writer's block
Eat chocolate to pass the time, bide.

3.  Let's see, I've recently blogged about Brain Freeze and using I-Tunes shuffle to magic 8-ball my way through writer's block.  Why?  Because I have this accursed affliction!!  But, I want to thank everyone for their encouraging comments and tips on what gets you through it.  Everything from eating copious amounts of chocolate to visualizing your story via a brain-movie - I appreciate the support and suggestions!  And just for fun - I googled some other ideas for getting through writer's block that you can read about HERE.

If there's anything you'd like to add/comment on - I'd LOVE to hear it!

And that, my lovely peeps, is all I've got for you this Writerly Wednesday!  Happy Writing/Editing out there!

3M - In which I-Tunes becomes a Magic 8-ball...kind of...

First of all - just wanted to wave a BIG HELLO to all my new followers and fellow crusaders!  *waves*  :)  The buzz and support from Rach's fabulous crusade has just been wonderful.  Trust me - the rest of my Monday will be dedicated to following/following back.  My pleasure, of course!

In other news...  So, I've had a wicked case of writer's block lately.  I've been reading, I've been blogging, but I've written, oh, maybe a paragraph or two in the last week or three.  I open up my MS and can only re-read what's already there or stare at a blinking cursor.  Not fun.

I tried turning to other artistic media for inspiration, but my Veronica Mars DVD marathon this weekend, despite its witty banter, didn't quite do it for me.  I'm sitting here and aside from what I'm typing, my mind is rather blank.  Argh!  You hate writer's block when it happens, right?  And if it never happens to you, well...you suck you're very lucky.

So, I'm turning to another artistic medium to see if it will crack this hazy brown brick in my brain.  My I-tunes library.  I figure all the songs in it are there for a reason.  They've inspired me in some way.  My approach is initially for fun - but, I encourage you all to play along.  (*and if you don't have I-tunes, any music library/collection will do)

Today - I-Tunes shuffle will serve as a writer's block magic 8-ball.  Kind of. 

The idea behind the 8-ball is to tell the future in a vague, could-really-apply-to-anything manner.  I-tunes shuffle, obviously, will give different results.  *However - this is by no means a guide to the future writing in my MS.  It's merely to get the creative juices flowing.  If nothing else - I might have fun figuring out how to make my villain use....*pauses to shuffle*... "There She Goes" by Sixpence None the Richer to his/her advantage...

OK - so my random MS question of the day?  "I will find inspiration regarding the relationship between MC and (bleeped-out specific relative) by listening to...*again, pauses to shuffle*... Peter Murphy's "Cuts You Up".  Hmmm....interesting...(a tad disturbing, maybe)...but interesting.

OK, now it's your turn.  Any part of your current work giving you some trouble?  Ask a question and Shuffle It!  And please let me know what song you end up with?

Happy Mood Music Monday!

Find the Story Friday!!! Waterfalls are romantic...right?

Happy Friday!  I wonder - is silence or soft, soothing sounds absolutely necessary for romance?  I mean - waterfalls are sexy.  You're with me on this, aren't you?  Hard water cascading over a taut body....wet kisses...the rush, the clean smell, the foam... :)  Oh, and don't forget the mud (because there would be some around the edges...from the spray...).  I hear wrestling around in the stuff is a turn on for some people...you know, or so I've heard.  Not that I have any personal experience with this...honest!

(Where was I, now?) 

So - here's my pic of the week:

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See!??  Hubba, hubba - right?  Ok - so now it's your turn.  Your MCs are strolling along and come upon this lovely waterfall.  WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Have a fantabulous weekend ~ :)  (Oh, and if you'd like to see the other Find the Story romantic places for Feb. click HERE and HERE.)

BRAIN FREEZE!!!!

OK - so this is you:  *bows*  "Oh smart one!  What wisdom do you have for me today?"

This is me:  *does a busy head roll*  "Ummm, dude.  I think you've totally got the wrong person..."

Yeah, so I'd been up for awhile, crafting this awesome post for Colene and Alexia's St. Patty's Day blogfest. 

(here's a good place to plug the blogfest - so here you go!)

(remember to enter HERE!!)

Set it up to auto-post on the selected day...tomorrow, right?  Because it will be the 17th.  Ummm - KNOCK, KNOCK - "Hello?!!"  It's only now that I realize that it's only February.  *shakes head*  So, I'm afraid all I have to leave you with today is a picture of my brain as it currently looks:

Happy Thursday!!!

It goes without saying, and for all intents and purposes, CLICHES should be avoided at this point in time...

Welcome to Writerly Wednesday at The QoP!  I hope I'm posting this in a timely fashion.  Wouldn't want the cold shoulder from you.  I do try to offer up entertaining, useful tidbits for my lovely followers...wouldn't want you all to kick me to the curb, after all.  :)

(you caught all the "blech", right?  Smarty pants - I KNEW you would!)

So, if you missed me gushing about the Grammar Divas workshop I went to a few weeks ago - you can read about it HERE.  And if you did catch it, you know that I promised to share some fabulous tip I learned.  I decided to go with cliches, euphemisms, and idioms.  We use them all the time.  Heck!  They crop up in my writing ALL the time.  BUT, as the writing world continues to tell us...and frankly, I agree...using these common, overused phrases in your writing steals away your voice, your style and your tone.

Here's a handy list I got from the fab Grammar Divas of cliches, euphemisms, and idioms to watch for in your writing:

ace in the hold                       goes to show                      sick and tired
all wet                                     goes without saying           sigh of relief
as a matter of fact                 high and mighty                  significant other
at this point in time                in a nut shell                        sneaking suspicion
babe in the woods                 in a timely fashion              take exception
before long                             in place of                           take offense to
behind the eight ball              kick to the curb                   time and time again
better safe than sorry            knuckle under                      the long and short
cold shoulder                          like the plague                    tip of the iceberg
couldn't care less                   long and short of it              tried and true
day in and day out                  on the part of                       under the gun
down and dirty                        on thin ice                             wakeup call
fear and trembling                  par for the course                whole other story
few and far between               poor excuse for              window of opportunity
fly in the face of                       put on an act                         sick and tired
for all intents and purposes   rock and a hard place          sigh of relief


Now, I'll have to say that I'm of the opinion that eliminating ALL of these phrases from your writing may not be necessary.  Let's face it - this is how the world talks.  But, overusing them in your writing....well, ultimately your call.  Tell me - What's one cliche, euphemism or idiom that just makes you cringe when you read it?  What's your take on using them in writing?

Flowing Fonts and Poor Richard!! In 500 words...

Happy Tuesday, everyone!!  And a big, warm UT welcome to new followers and crusaders!!  Current followers - don't think I'm leaving you out ~ this is especially for you... :D

Today, I'm posting my entry (I use that term loosely, you'll understand once you read it...) into Madeleine's fabulous FLOWING  FONTS contest!!  You can read all about it and sign up (you've got till 2/28!!) over at her lovely Scribble and Edit blog found HERE.



Poor Richard. The Californian FB page he’d consulted before visiting L.A. assured him driving his own car would be a Snap. Too many wingdings on the road, he found. After surfing the crowd all night at a midnight ravie, he wished for a cab ride anyhow. But, it wasn’t all bad. He did meet enigmatic Estrangelo Edessa, an Algerian entrepreneur who’d recently relocated to Cali and hobnobbed with the off-Broadway circuit.

 He told Richard he’d married a Harrington (like that was supposed to mean something?) and his invention of the Instamatic cocktail chiller was going to have a huge impact on the world’s alcohol economy. With his fancy onyx ring and his cool use of Informal Roman (it was a real, if obscure language used in Eastern Europe, Edessa had told him), how could Richard not believe every word that crossed this Mistral’s lips. He’d have been better off believing Dad was a centaur and Niagara Falls had suddenly become Niagara solid!

But, he gave his money to Estrangelo anyhow. Returns on his investment were supposed to be short coming, but after a near century of time passed, Richard decided to hunt down Mr. “Jokerman”. His quest led him to Georgia, to a seedy cooper black motel called the Modern No. 20. He found his swindler writing freestyle script on the motel walls with a Lucida calligraphy marker. Estrangelo wrote the same three words over and over again, “Bookshelf Symbol 7.”

 “What does it mean?” Richard begged. “Is that where my money is, you son of a shruti!”

 Estrangelo only clutched his chest and toppled over dead.

 Richard searched the man’s pockets and pulled out a piece of parchment. There was an a(e)rial map of the town etched there and a black X on Cambria Rd.

 Hopping back in his car, he followed the map’s direction and stopped in front of an old brick library that had “Verba de futuro” in wide latin letters chiseled above the entrance. “Words about the future”, Dick translated. He may have been cheated, but he was still an educated man.

 He stumbled across the threshold and sought out the librarian, an old woman with short silver hair and a name badge calling her Ms. Marlett.

 “Bookshelf Symbol 7?” he asked.

 She pointed a bony finger to a bookshelf at the back of the room. As he got closer, he saw the 7 carved along the edge of the case. Every book there had its spine facing outwards except one. He took the, by all accounts, “book antiqua” off the shelf carefully and laid it on a nearby table.

 A twenty dollar bill stuck out between the pages. Richard pulled it out and looked at the face of it, dumbfounded. “Verba de futuro” was written there. A post-it note on the back of the bill served another slap to his face. “Gotcha, sucker! Here’s my words about your future. You don’t have one, because I’ve still got all your money. Better luck next time, Dick.”



So...there you have it!  The lesson here?  In case anyone approaches you about investing in an automatic cocktail chiller?  Don't do it!!!  It already exists.  Yeah, it's called "ice".  :)  Happy writing today!!

Just kiss already!!! Blogfest entry and Celebration Winners....

Happy V-day!!!  Today, I'm participating in Christina Lee's "Just Kiss Already Blogfest".  Thanks for a fun one, Christina!  If you're in the mood for a little smooching today... please click HERE to visit the rest of the participants ~

My blogfest entry here (from my WiP "The Glass Prince" - YA - urban fantasy):

Clara stood up again and walked back through the tunnel. She stopped at the mouth of it. Neil was looking right at her. She waved to him and he shrugged a silent “what’s taking so long?” She held up one finger and turned back around. Rion was right there, a few inches away from her, both of them hidden behind a wall of Ivy. Clara felt a flutter in her belly.

“He was right, you know,” he said, his voice low and breathy. “You are beautiful.”


Clara grabbed on to Rion, but only because she suddenly felt dizzy. He held on to her and pulled her closer to him. Their bodies touched. She saw his head tilt lower towards her own. She felt his breath warm on her face. She wanted to turn and run, but her legs were as solid as the stone columns all around them. His lips touched lightly on hers at first. But, then he kissed her hard and deep with an urgency she didn’t quite understand. She surrendered to him completely. Images began to fill her head, more and more and faster the longer they kissed. She saw disjointed pictures, apples and crowns, the glass prince, her grandmother, her father’s face.


She pushed him away then and rubbed the back of her hand across her lips.


“Quit doing that!” she yelled at him. She turned and ran back up the stairs until she reached Neil.

:)

Ok - and one last bit of business today ~ my winners for my 100+ celebration!!! 

Congratulations!!



Lydia Kang

Jemi Fraser

Donna Weaver

J.C. Martin

If you would all please e-mail me (donealw(at)aol(dot)com) your info - I'll make sure to get your prizes out asap!  Hope you all have a day full of LOVE ~ :)