Friday's Feast 191

A library is a hospital for the mind. ~ Anonymous



Appetizer

What is the nearest big city to your home?

We live near the biggest city in New Hampshire: Manchester. But with a population of merely 107,006 it doesn't really qualify. I'd have to say Boston, MA -- ringing in with a population of 589,141.

Soup

On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?

I'd have to say 9. I mean, after all, you didn't know about that time I... erhm... never mind.

Seriously, though, I'm a world class secret keeper. Feel free to share yours *G*.

Salad

Describe your hair (color, texture, length).

I have thick (not just how much hair, but each individual hair!), dry, frizzy, super curly, impossible to tame reddish-brown (going to gray, *sigh*) hair. My hairdresser tells me she cuts more hair off my head for a "trim" than most people HAVE on their heads. I have yet, in 41 years, learned how to deal with it so most days I pull it into a braid or a ponytail.

Main Course

What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?

I drive the speed limit (thereby annoying everyone else on the road), I obey the traffic laws, and I let people in when they need it. That said, I also despise pushy drivers, and nothing annoys me more on the road when someone does something like zoom past me in a lane they KNOW is ending (or on the shoulder), just to get four cars farther ahead and then try to shove their way in. In those cases, I admit to having a tendency to kiss the bumper ahead of me and then look straight ahead (I don't see you....) -- hmmm, am I really that passive aggressive?

Dessert

When was the last time you had a really bad week?

Last week. That's all I'll say. I have NO desire to relive it.

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Yesterday, I looked into doggy daycare for Dakota. I think I'm going to start putting her in one day a week. I hate to spend money on something that isn't really necessary, but honestly -- I need one day for my sanity. I took a tour of the facility and they even have an indoor pool for the dogs!! In fact, for $20 you can reserve the pool for you, your family or friends, and dogs for an hour on the weekend. How cool is that?

Anyway, she'll go in for an "evaluation day" next week where they'll see how she does, see what group of dogs she'll fit in with for the playtimes, etc., and then I think we'll start the once a week trip the following week.

Yay. Freedom!

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What Your Taste in Music Says About You

Your musical tastes are upbeat and conventional. You are an easy going, optimistic person. Family and friends are very important to you. You enjoy caring for and helping other people. You thrive in a tranquil environment, and you do your best to keep things peaceful. You enjoy your life. You have your priorities straight.

What Does Your Taste in Music Say About You?

Uh. No.

I am, possibly, the least optimistic person you'll ever meet, LOL...But, fact is, this quiz didn't give me "real" choices and I had to select the lesser of evils. Oh well.

::shrugs::

Much Ado About Nothing

"There seems to be a kind of order in the universe, in the movement of the stars and the turning of the earth and the changing of the seasons, and even in the cycle of human life. But human life itself is almost pure chaos. Everyone takes his stance, asserts his own rights and feelings, mistaking the motives of others, and his own." - Katherine Anne Porter

Just FYI, one of my older short stories is posted as the Free Read at The Long and the Short of It today.

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Also, if any of you purchased and read "A Change Of Heart", I'd love if you went back to the Wild Rose Press site and left a review. You can do that on the "buy" page of the story. Thanks! And, I hope you enjoyed it :-)

It's the number two bestseller in the Yellow Rose category, but hasn't hit the front door, overall best seller list yet. :::fingers crossed:::

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I got the first round of edits back for "Kitchen Matches" (and, yes, it seems we're going to stick with that title after all, lol). They aren't so bad, phew! Maybe I am getting better at what I do, but it's clear that an author can't edit herself well because some of the things I look for (like words that distance: felt, heard, saw, smelled, etc) and the dreaded "THAT" still slip through. Not as many as used to be there, but still... when you consider how many times I check for those things, it's frustrating to still miss them.

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Dakota has taken some form of a puppy pep pill. Seriously. There seems to be NOTHING we can do to wear her out. Yesterday she went on FOUR bike rides -- each of two miles or more. Understand that she runs full out the entire time, usually holding the leash in her teeth and pulling me. She also went outside twice to fetch the ball, and once just to run around on her own while I watered. And she was still bouncing off the walls all day long.

Dear heavens. A word of warning: DO NOT GET AN IRISH SETTER. EVER.

And, I don't care what the breeder says, she's at LEAST 3/4 Irish Setter, lol.

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Another picture from DD -- the maples trees leafing out:



And the model horse grandma got DD for her birthday:



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Your Score: Much Ado About...

You scored 35% = Tragic, 52% = Comic, 29% = Romantic, 33% = Historic

You Scored Much Ado About Nothing!

First published in 1600, Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare's most enduring comedies, and probably his most performed to this day.

Much Ado About Nothing tells the story of two pairs of would-be lovers and the hysterical events that happen surrounding the wedding. As Claudio and Hero prepare to marry, Don Pedro and his friends, bored with the length of preparation time, take it upon themselves in the meantime to play matchmaker to Benedick and Beatrice, two sharp-tongued would-be lovers whose love for each other is masked by the "merry war of words" in which they are engaged that both of them are too stubborn to lose.

Based on your results, we believe you to be a quick-witted, light-hearted romantic who is probably very charming and charismatic. While your stubbornness may sometimes get the better of you, we are confident that you always eventually come to your senses and do what's best. You probably have a lot of friends and we like you too!

Link: The Which Shakespeare Play Are You? Test

Released! A Change of Heart!

"I want to escape the unrest, to shut out the voices around me and within me, and so I write." - Franz Kafka

My scheduled guest blogger was a no-show today, which actually worked out well for me since it's my release day!!! Now, I can do all this, and not feel guilty:

It's finally HERE! Yay! And the winner of yesterday's contest for a free PDF copy of my story, "A Change of Heart" is AMY!! Amy, email me a marianne AT mariannearkins DOT com and I'll get that out to you.

This story was a challenge I made to myself. I wanted to take a cliche (the secret baby cowboy story) and set it on its ear a bit. That ear-setting was one of the first things my editor mentioned when she contracted the story. I hope you all enjoy it as well!

Excerpt:

When the bell over the ice cream shop entrance rang, Emily dried her hands on the towel hanging from her waist. She stepped through the doorway, a smile on her face. That smile froze as hard as a fresh bucket of ice cream at the sight before her.

Jacob Langley.

"Hey, Emily." He said it like it had been six days since the last time he'd seen her instead of nearly six years.

"Jake." Her throat was tight with fury and hurt and she could barely speak. "What do you want?"

"Some of that caramel peanut butter ice cream on a sugar cone if you don't mind." He flashed his best grin.

Did he think they were still best friends like they were all through school? Had he forgotten what he'd done to her? Worse, what he'd done to Casey? If he thought she'd let him stay in her place any longer, he was mistaken. "Sorry. We're all out." Emily's gaze never wavered, her smile didn't thaw.

"Funny, I'm looking at it right there in front of me." He pointed through the glass case.

She tapped a sign behind her. "Then I guess I'm exercising my rights."

He pursed his lips and read the bold, black words printed on the white board: We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason.

Click here to buy your own copy of this 80 page story!

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To the folks who asked me to do a blog post on creating a book trailer... I'm certainly no pro! It was agonizing for me, and was actually the second I'd created (I played around with one for "Pregnancy Cravings", but it's just not good enough to show anyone at this point).

Still, I'll keep that in mind for a post at a later date after I've messed around a bit more and get better at it!

Thanks.

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Some pictures DD-- the budding photographer -- took yesterday:





And a picture I took -- the dog was looking for DD and when she found her it was full speed ahead and a tackle:



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Your Mind is Green

Of all the mind types, yours has the most balance. You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver. You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Mind?

It isn't easy being green. You knew I had to say that, right?

New Review for "A Change of Heart"!

Lookie what I stumbled upon -- another great review for "A Change of Heart" (releasing TOMORROW!):

Four Hearts from Maura at The Romance Studio:

The author of this story packed a lot of story into a small package and does it with great skill. The characters are very real, none of them too perfect or too evil. ... The author does a good job of reintroducing the characters to each other .... Bode is also a great character who realizes just how great Emily really is. He seems to be the one person who recognizes Em’s beauty without having it pointed out to him, making him the smartest person in the story in my opinion. The author does a wonderful job of describing small tourist town life as well.

Yay!!

So Busy and Contests!

A good book is always on tap; it may be decanted and drunk a hundred times, and it is still there for further imbibement. ~Holbrook Jackson

Do you ever get so busy that you forget something important? Yanno, like an upcoming release?

Cuz, I did! My next story with The Wild Rose Press comes out tomorrow and I all but forgot. I also forgot to do anything to celebrate, so I'm going to give away a copy of it to one lucky blog commenter from today! It releases tomorrow, so I'll make the winning announcement tomorrow morning so, if you don't win, you can hurry on over and buy it! ***VBG***

Here's the scoop on the story:

Returning to Wyoming after a six-year absence, Jake Langley finds more than just changes in the now run down family ranch. His warm feelings for a former girlfriend have cooled, and he finds himself drawn to her sister and his former best friend, Emily. His discovery of the sisters' well-kept secret, however, upsets his long-term plans and sets duty against his heart's desire. Now, four hearts and four lives will be changed, forever.

Check out my first ever trailer made by ME!!



It's a little blurry, which is odd because it wasn't on Movie Maker.

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You Are a Carousel

You are young at heart and a truly playful person. No one would ever accuse you of taking life too seriously. You are definitely in things for the fun. You find joy easily, and you are often building up anticipation for your next adventure. In relationships, you tend to want to be babied and taken care of. And while you may be a bit high maintenance, you are incredibly loyal. Your life is simple and satisfying. Each day you treat yourself to something you enjoy. You have a lot of emotional attachments, and experiences are extra vivid to you. You tend to be nostalgic and sentimental. The past is important to you. Comfortable around all living things, you have a special connection to animals and children. At your best, you are whimsical, free spirited, and creative. Even if your schemes seem a bit strange, they usually work out wonderfully. At your worst, you are spoiled, demanding, and impossible to satisfy. You've been known to act like a brat if you aren't getting your way!

What Carnival Ride Are You?

Collages and Contests

Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia. ~E.L. Doctorow

So, Saturday Groovy asked me what I use the collage for. I actually post the collage of whatever my current WIP is as wallpaper on my computer and use it to remember what my characters look like! LOL...

I'm only partly joking about that. As I've mentioned before, I frequently travel from one story to another, so it's easy to forget what color hair someone has. I also like to remember some of the important things in a story, and that's easy to lose sight of.

So, I have collages for most of my WIPs.

Return to Stiller Creek:



The Possibility of Forever (Formerly Camilla's Critters):


One Love for Liv:



You saw what I have for Kitchen Matches. I'm still working on one for "Playing House" and "Queen and Assassin" (that one will undoubtedly be the toughest, since it's a fantasy).

Yes, I do use the pix of the H/H and pets to send to the art departments of both publishers. But, mostly I do it for me.

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~~~permission to forward granted~~~

The Long and the Short of It's First Annual Short Story Contest

It's said everyone has at least one story inside them. This is your chance to let yours out. The Long and the Short of It is seeking the best new short story 1,000 words or less.

So... put on your thinking cap, dial up your muse, and give it a shot. The story must be a romance and must end with a HEA. PG-13 or less, please. You can see samples of the types of stories we're looking for by checking their short story archive here.

The Grand Prize Winner will receive, in addition to publication on The Long and the Short of It website, a banner for their blog or website, one year free book cover/banner advertising, six months author pages, plus an award certificate suitable for framing.

First prize will receive publication on The Long and the Short of It website, a banner for their blog or website, six month author page + three month free book cover/ banner advertising, plus an award certificate suitable for framing.

Second prize will receive publication on The Long and the Short of It website, a banner for their blog or website, three months book cover/banner advertising, plus an award certificate suitable for framing.

Five honorable mentions will receive publication on The Long and the Short of It website, a banner, plus an award certificate suitable for framing.

TWELVE DOOR PRIZES (randomly drawn from all participants):

One copy of Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress

Six autographed books

Six goodie bags

Please send your entry via email (lasrcontests @ gmail.com-- no spaces) with the subject line: Short Story Contest: NAME OF STORY

Your entry will be provided to our judges with all identifying names removed and will be scored by a rating system.

Deadline for this contest is June 14, 2008. The winners and runners up will be posted July 1, 2008. By entering the contest, you agree to allow The Long and the Short of It to publish your entry on the LASR website. All stories chosen to be published will be archived for a period of six months following publication. All rights revert back to the author at that time and, at the author's written request, the story will be pulled from our archives.

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What's Important to You... And What Isn't:

For you, primal needs like eating and sleeping are your top priorities. You don't mind having things to get done... as long as they don't pile up on you. You have trouble giving time to any of your priorities. You life is too busy and chaotic. You want thinking to be a high priority, but you don't take enough time for yourself.

The Priority Test

Sunday Meme and Happy Mother's Day!

My mom is a neverending song in my heart of comfort, happiness, and being. I may sometimes forget the words but I always remember the tune. ~ Graycie Harmon

I bought myself some perennials for the garden around my well pump yesterday. And, just because I love flowers, I thought I'd share a few that are finally blooming out here.

First, my latest addition -- a Bachelor's Button:


And, thankfully three of my tulips (out of dozens) survived the winter and are blooming. Here are two of them. Aren't they pretty?


For Diane... my rhubarb! Wish I could share it with you.


I told DD she could choose a new perennial for her garden, and she chose an English Daisy:


My creeping flox is beginning to bloom:


And my small-leaf rhododendron had buds that are just beginning to pop:


I know that many of you live places where it's more summer than spring, but we're only just beginning to get a taste of spring. DD thinks she saw a black swallowtail butterfly today. I'm not so certain, but in the next week or two, it will be time to set out the three chrysalis' (Jill, Rose and Martin) we have in the basement who overwintered there. And, thus will the circle of life begin again.

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Because it's Mother's Day (are you doing anything special?), I'm giving myself the day off of thinking about what to say and doing this meme. Stolen from Chris, who got it from Judy who swiped it from Groovy who probably got it from somewhere else. I'm of the mind that memes don't originate anywhere. They just ARE... always have been, always will be.

Anyway...

A meme about ME!

1. Go to http://www.photobucket.com/
2. Type in your answer to the question in the “search” box
3. Use only the first page
4. Insert the picture into your Blog.

Okay, I cheated and used Google Images because Photobucket kept crashing my computer for some reason.

1. What is your current relationship stat?



2. What is your current mood?



3. What is your favorite band singer?



(Note: That one was difficult, because I really prefer solo artists. But I asked myself whose work I would want on a desert island, and I kept returning to Alan Parsons Project because they're all so different, I'd never get bored).

4. What is your favorite movie?



With this running a close second:



5. Where do you live?



6. Where do you work?



7. What do you look like?

(LOL... these both came up when I typed in a few descriptive words -- you decide which fits me best!)




8. What do you drive?



9. What is your favorite TV show?



10. Describe yourself?



(Hmmm... this came up when I typed in "romance writer" "mother" and "webmistress" ... think it's trying to tell me something?)

11. What are you doing today?



12. What did you do last night?



13. What is your name?



(It was the best I could do...)

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You've Changed 32% in 10 Years

Ah, the past! You may not remember it well - because you're still living in it. While you've changed some, you may want to update your wardrobe, music collection and circle of friends.

How Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

But... I like my wardrobe, music and especially my friends!!