Thinking Things Through

Invest a few moments in thinking. It will pay good interest. ~Author Unknown

So, I'm not going to talk much about the Bru-hah-hah at Harlequin, other than to say it's clear they didn't think things through much. Most of you who are readers ONLY probably don't know what happened, but it's made quite a splash in the writing world.

Harlequin has partnered with Author Solutions to open a vanity press. Again, I see no problem with this IF THEY KEEP THE TWO ENTITIES SEPARATE. Most people probably don't know that Random House own Xlibris, right? That's as it should be.

What bothers me most about Harlequin's venture is that they are referring authors that they reject for publication to this new vanity press. And that, to me, it completely unethical. If you're interested, much of the news regarding this little mess can be found at these links:

Author Jackie Kessler

Writer Beware

Dear Author

And there are many more -- just type "Harlequin Horizons" into Google and you'll see.

The biggest ramifications of this move to authors is this: RWA (Romance Writers Association) has revoked Harlequins "approved" status, which means that no author may submit their Harlequin published book for a RITA.

This is a big deal, and my heart breaks for my friends who are pubbed through Harlequin. This mess may be cleaned up before Nationals, but will it be cleaned up in time for the RITA? I have no idea.

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So, DH got his deer on Tuesday and we're processing it today. Thankfully the weather has been quite cold this week, so we didn't have to worry about hanging it for so long.

As much as I don't like the cold weather, I do have to admit that it's nice not having to pull in my bird feeders at night. I DO have to retrain myself to check them now and then to see if they're empty, though! I use to just fill them every morning before I put them out.

The morning sky is bright pink. Should I take warning?

So ... what are YOUR plans for the weekend?

OH...and I've been meaning to ask you all a favor. Suzanne McMinn is trying to get an online gig with Sam-E and needs votes! I've been voting daily, but there are never enough, and competition is stiff. You can vote every day and the link is here: Vote for Suzanne!

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You Are a Blogging Expert

You got 7/8 correct! You know so much about blogging, you should blog for a living.

How Much Do You Know About Blogging?

I wish they'd tell me which one I got wrong! LOL...

A Shortie

Protect me from knowing what I don't need to know. Protect me from even knowing that there are things to know that I don't know. Protect me from knowing that I decided not to know about the things that I decided not to know about. Amen. ~Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless


Lord, lord, lord. Protect me from the consequences of the above prayer. ~Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless

Am struggling with my webhost to get the LASR/WC pages up for today --- GRRRR... So this will be a short blog.

Was worried I was getting the flu last night. When I went to bed, I was nauseous and had chills/hot flashes. I had to hold completely still or I was sure I would lose my lunch, but I kept running the gamut of sweating profusely and then freezing and back again. UGH.

This morning I feel fine. How weird. But I'm thankful!

I watched the pilot for "V" finally, and decided I just wasn't interested enough to watch the series. I'm kind of glad, since I really have very little time to watch TV.

Rain today. DH is home. Life is interesting.

And that's the truth.



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Stuff and Nonsense

It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

We got some pix back from the agility competition and one included a pic of the score board.



The very bottom scores are the run-off times between the highest ranking dogs. And Dakota blew them out of the water (that time -- wish she'd performed that well all day!).

They also had a video of Dakota's last, best run -- BUT it's so close up you can all but see the freckles on DD's face, so I can't post.

We had fun at agility last night. DD has made friends with the instructor's granddaughter and they gabbed all night. On the way home, though, DD and I had a talk about what her responsibilities were. There were a couple of incidents that disturbed me -- once during the first class, she was holding a Yorkie (named Lucky) for one of the ladies who runs her other Yorkie. The one DD holds is a puppy mill rescue and isn't in tremendous shape, physically (he'd been confined to a cage for four years with no medical care), but his knee joints are especially bad. At one point, DD wasn't watching him and he fell off her lap.

Three times in the second class (this is the one she runs Dakota in), she wasn't paying attention, so didn't know the course and didn't know when she was up.

And, the two of them were antsy, so kept getting up and going out of the room, which is terribly distracting to both the people and the dogs. Once, they even stood there with the door wide open for a good 30 seconds. This may not seem like a crime, but we run our dogs off leash, so having an open door is a no-no.

On the way home, I told her that I didn't mind her visiting with the other girl but that she needed to keep her priorities straight. If she wants to hold Lucky, then she needs to pay attention to him and if she wants to run Dakota the second class, then she needs to pay attention. If she wants to talk and play with the girl, then they need to go out in the hallway and talk and play.

A funny from the night, though, was this: the other girl kept asking DD if she liked various kinds of candy, and DD kept saying, "I don't know what that is." Finally, when DD was running the dog, the other girl plopped down beside me and said, "Why doesn't she know what Twix and Guzzlers and ... are?"

I said, "We don't eat a lot of candy in our house."

She was shocked.

Yes folks, it's true. I abuse my DD by not allowing her to eat a lot of candy. And she doesn't know what Twix are. I'm horrible.

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DD is learning how to convert decimals to fractions and vice versa right now, as well as multiplying and diving fractions and decimals. I'm having a terrible time -- not because I can't do it, but I can't do it the way THEY want me to show her how to do it.

I can't believe how much things have changed since I went to school. You don't "carry" or "borrow" anymore. You have "logic charts" and can check your work by "casting out nines". I never learned any of that!

Yesterday, she had to figure out how many days were in 36 hours. Oy. Yes, I know we all know the answer, but telling her how to get there was more complex than I can explain here.

Homeschooling kids is a little like revisiting your own school years, the good and the bad. I have to do word problems again. Blech.... lol.

One sad thing about DD's new friend: she HATES to read. That almost broke my heart. I wanted to take her home and show her how amazing books are, how they open doors and expand horizons. How, if you can read, you can learn anything. DD was shocked. Maybe she'll rub off on this poor girl.

In any case, I have 30 minutes before I have to wake the house. Going to work on revisions for "Stiller Creek". Have an awesome day!

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You Are a Donkey

You have a reputation for being stubborn, but that's okay. Your stubbornness has served you well in life. You know what you can and can't do, and you resent anyone trying to push you. You like make changes on your own schedule. You are a very conscientious creature. You are willing to take responsibility for yourself and for the people you care about. Because you have a lot of burdens, you have to be extremely careful and cautious. This explains your "look before you leap" mentality!

What Farm Animal Are You?

Oddly, this is almost completely spot on! LOL... HEE HAW!!!

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What, When, Where, Why, How with Sara Taney Humphreys

Welcome to Sara Taney Humphreys!

What hero would you borrow from another authors series that would be perfect for one of your heroines?

Hmmm... Sara, you didn't answer this one? Too many choices out there? Readers, who is your favorite fictional hero? Let's give Sara some help!

When do you write?

When ever I can squeeze in a few minutes to be honest. I have full time job, as most writers do, in addition to a husband, 4 little boys, 2 dogs, and a partridge in a pear tree. Ok....it's a cockatiel but you get the idea. I live in an insane house. It's phenomenally loud and never quiet unless the boys aren't home...but if they're not home then neither am I. Usually I wait until night time after they've all collapsed and passed out. Occasionally, my husband will take pity on me during the weekend so I can have some time...but I often am overcome with guilt when the looming pile of laundry mocks me from the corner. So, short answer..(too late)--When ever I can get a minute.

Where did you go on your first date?

A rather pathetic trip to the 7th grade dance. My date, complete with bow tie, glasses and flood water pants--and his similarly clad Father--picked me up in the giant wood paneled station wagon 45 minutes late. Just before we pulled up to the school, he realized that he forgot the tickets and we had to go all the way back to his house to get them. It was the first of many horrendous dating experiences, a foreshadowing if you will.

Why do dogs turn around twice before they lie down?

Once just isn't enough and three times...c'mon that's just silly.

How long do you want to live?

Only as long as my mind and body work properly. The moment I need a diaper or forget my name...I'm out.

Bio: "The Amoveo Legacy", with eXtasy Books, is Sara’s first published novel and the first book in The Amoveo Series. She is a graduate of Marist College, with a B.A. Degree in English Literature & Theater. Her initial career path after college was as a professional actress. Some of her television credits include, “A&E Biography”, “Guiding Light”, “Another World”, “As the World Turns” and “Rescue Me”. For the past several years Sara has been a professional Public Speaker and Speaker Trainer.

Her speaking career began with Monster’s “Making It Count” programs, speaking in High Schools and Colleges around the United States to thousands of students. For the past several years, Sara has worked with The College of Westchester in New York as the Director of High School and Community Relations.

She has been a lover of both the paranormal and romance novels for years. Her sci-fi/fantasy/romance obsession began years ago with the TV Series STAR TREK and an enormous crush on Captain Kirk. That sci-fi obsession soon evolved into the love of all types of fantasy/paranormal; vampires, ghosts, werewolves, and of course shape shifters. Sara lives in New York with her husband of 14 years, their 4 boys, 2 dopey dogs and an extremely loud bird. Life is busy but never dull.

Visit Sara at her website or blog.

Revisions

The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible. ~ Vladimir Nabakov

It was such a pretty day yesterday -- at least from the inside! Lots of sun, but also lots of cold wind, so it wasn't a lot of fun to be out in it. Still, sun always makes me happy, so I'm glad to say we have sun again today (with a little less wind). We've had such a mild autumn this year, but I suspect our time is about to run out. Last year we had a mild autumn, too, and then we had record-breaking snowfall! They're predicting much the same this year which thrills DH and DD, but me? Not so much...

Last night (all night) I couldn't stop thinking about how I want to revise "Return to Stiller Creek" -- which is weird for me, because I typically hate, dread, and loathe revisions. But these excite me. Maybe that means they are exactly what needs to be done? It's a massive overhaul, but I already know what I want to do with the pivotal first scene. Originally, police chief Clint is called in to investigate a death/murder scene. But he's not the police chief anymore and I couldn't figure out how he would end up there in any believable capacity. Last night I did, AND I figured out how to intro the new chief, too. Yay me.

I'm ready to go. I'm sad about stopping NaNo, but that story just wasn't going in the right direction and it's just silly to keep writing something that's just plain unusable. That one is sitting in my brain and I know my subconscious is working on it and one day it'll pop out in a new form. It always seems to work that way :-)

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We got some clothing for Dakota. A lady from our agility class thoughtfully and generously donated some she had for her last dog. Dakota has no undercoat and freezes her dog-behind off in the winter, so I'm so thankful for the coat, raincoat and sweatshirt. I still want to get her a snow suit AND I was given a website that is remarkably low-priced. For all you pet owners out there, check out Pet Edge. Even their treats, leashes, etc. are inexpensive! I can't wait to do a little shopping for the critters.

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You Are Complex and Brilliant

You have extremely interesting thoughts and complicated theories. You're always plunging deeper into whatever subject you happen to be studying. People make find your ideas confusing and even disorienting. That's disappointing because you are actually a very organized and orderly thinker. Your energy level super high. It's more of a challenge for you to get your brain to shut off than it is for you to turn it on. Your signature latte would be strong. Heavy on the espresso and light on the milk. You've got work to do, and you need every milligram of caffeine to count.

The Latte Art Test

That's actually pretty darn close! LOL...

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Monday, Monday

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere. ~Chinese Proverb

I was going through DD's schoolwork yesterday -- I only grade her stuff weekly, because I'm a lazy slug -- and discovered that I didn't have enough math worksheets to grade. Ooh...someone hadn't been doing her homework and she was so busted, lol. So she spent yesterday working on math AND she lost TV privileges for this entire week. She's not a happy DD.

However, we just finished our first quarter and her grades are fantastic. Mostly A's and a couple B's -- ironically she's doing best in Math, and that's what she complains most about!

I have to say that I really do admire teachers. I do NOT enjoy grading papers at all, in any way. And as I sat there yesterday doing only one child's papers and scowling the entire time, my admiration grew for the folks who do this on a daily basis for 20 - 30 (or more!) kids -- you all deserve a special pat on the back.

I spent yesterday cleaning. My poor house was in desperate need. I've been good at the basic stuff: sweeping, mopping, dusting, etc. But the "deep" stuff? Scrubbing the bathrooms, wiping down all the cupboards in the kitchen, cleaning the fridge -- that had been left long enough. I didn't get everything done I wanted to because I had laundry and baking to do, too. But I got enough that I didn't get the shakes every time I looked around. I hate a dirty house. I don't mind clutter, but dirt makes me crazy.

Today I'm hoping to get back into some semblance of routine. DH is still home, but I'm going to give it a go. I swear, next November, I'm going to run away from home for the month! *G*

Happy Monday!

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You Are Bubblegum Flavored Toothpaste

You are impulsive about most things in life, and you can't say no to fun! You are always in search of a new adventure. You try to lighten up every task and bring a little zing to your day. You like whimsical little treats, like bubblegum Like everyone else, you have your struggles and problems in life. Unlike everyone else, you don't let the difficulty of life get you down. The world may be a harsh place, but knowing that you can bring sunshine into other people's lives keeps you going.

What Flavor Toothpaste Are You?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

HAHAHAHAHAHA.... no.

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Busy, Busy, Busy....

The essential question is not, "How busy are you?" but "What are you busy at?" ~Oprah Winfrey

Yesterday was crazy busy (shocking, I know) -- we processed our neighbor's deer and that's always an all day thing. I managed to do some computer work in between times, but unfortunately I have a whole bunch of chores to do today, like laundry (since we're running out of clothes!).

I'm also working on three book videos, so if I'm noticeably absent, that's why. I did try to touch base with people a little yesterday, to catch up on your lives and all the cute cat pictures from Brandy (loved Layla's!) and the LOLcats from Melissa. They always make me smile.

I have well over 20 TV shows on my TiVo to catch up on, too -- usually I'll watch them during the day while I work on the computer at the same time, but with DH home I haven't been able to. Oy Vey. And, the thing is: I don't watch all that many shows, so that tells you how long it's been since I've watched an TV (weeks!).

In any case, today is supposed to be nice and sunny, thankfully, so even if I have to be inside at least the house will feel cheery. Yesterday was dark and dismal (we were getting the leftovers from Ida) and I am looking forward to sun. So is Dakota. She's not a big fan of the wet weather.

Wishing you all a lovely Sunday :-)

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You Put Yourself Last

You take everyone's needs seriously, except for your own. You mean to take care of yourself, but you're always the last one on the list. While it may be tempting to lend a helping hand every time you can, you're actually not helping people as much as you could be. You are simply not at your best. You're too frazzled to really be giving anyone 100%. Take a mental health day - or even a mental health hour - as soon as you can. It's time to start getting some balance in your life.

Do You Put Yourself First or Last?

Blogthings: Free Quizzes for Everyone

Hmmm... well, yeah. And that's a bad thing?

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