Celebrations & Sharing
As of mid-June, I'll be a 10-year cancer survivor. Every day past the C word is progress, but somehow I felt like sharing the news on the 10-yr anniversary - it just seems like a big one to me. I had my yank-the-ute party in 1997 and have been celebrating ever since. My friend Willie had a double mastectomy that same summer, so here's a shout-out to her as well -
way to go, girlfriend!http://www.infoplease.com/year/1900.html is a link Janet sent me - I chose 1900, but you can plug in any year after that down at the bottom of the page - it's a great source for writers - THANKS, JANET!
Here's what Lex sent me this morning (and THANK YOU, LEX and reviewer ANITA):
Leaving Mama by Bobbie Cole receives 5 Hearts, reviewed by Anita http://theromancestudio.com:80/reviews/reviews/leavingmamacole.htmReceived this from Nick at Ellora's Cave after I sent him a submission entitled
Knights & White Satin for their Torrid Tarot line:
Great story. Powerful, moving. Love the characters. If you’re willing, it’s a go. This will be a Cash Cole book - in other words, m /m.
My first royalty check on
Crystal Clear Persuasion arrived - and looks like it sold just under 400 copies the first month, so THANK YOU to the readers and buyers for that one! I phoned Summer Devon, who had the 1st book in the series, and she said she'd had a bit of a jump on her sales for
Invisible Touch, so looks like readers are picking up the other stories as well. WHOO-HOO!
Smooth Ride is still doing very well!
Finally got tee-shirts mailed out for Sam and Merry, who won the Playgirl tees last month after I got home from RT convention in Houston. Be looking for them, ladies - mailed them about 5-6 days ago. (Sam, yours went to the address in the States.)
Jess and I went to The Salty Iguana yesterday to celebrate the sale to EC, and I'm afraid that Mom's margarita got her quite snockered. The chicken nachos were terrific, too. Afterwards, we went for groceries, bought lotto tickets, won, played a while. When I wasn't looking, Jess took a photo of her ta-tas and sent to The Kid, who opened his flip phone during a business meeting and exposed his woman's photo to those sitting around him before he could get the phone closed. I just sent him one of me with a silly grin.
The rain has been crazy - makes me wonder what DC will be like next week, what with it being hurricane season and all. I've not done DC in June.
Another link from Janet:
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/hummingbirds.aspAnd I'll end with a joke Janet sent last week:
Pet FishA Saskatchewan man was stopped by a game warden recently with two ice chests full of live fish in water, leaving a river well known for its fishing.
The game warden asked the man, "Do you have a license to catch those fish?"
"Naw, my friend, I ain't got no license. These here are my pet fish."
"Pet fish?"
"Yep. Every night I take these fish down to the river and let 'em swim' round for a while. Then I whistle and they jump right back into this ice chest and I take 'em home."
"That's a bunch of BS! Fish can't do that!"
The man looked at the game warden for a moment and then said, "It's the truth. I'll show you. It really works."
"Okay, I've GOT to see this!" The man poured the fish into the river and stood and waited. After several minutes, the game warden turned to him and said, "Well?"
"Well, what?" said the man.
"When are you going to call them back?"
"Call who back?"
"The FISH!"
"What fish?"
People in Saskatchewan may not be as smart as some, but they ain't as dumb as others!!
* * *OMG* * *
Sharyl just sent this one to me, so pardon me, those of you who have already read this or those who have me on one of those timer/reminder thingies that tell you each time I post, but...here goes - and THANKS, SHARYL! - lol
FORREST GUMP GOES TO HEAVEN
The day finally arrived. Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven. He is at the Pearly Gates, met by St. Peter himself. However, the gates are closed, and Forrest approaches the gatekeeper.
St. Peter said, "Well, Forrest, it is certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you. I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast, and we have been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven."
Forrest responds, "It sure is good to be here, St. Peter, sir. But nobody ever told me about any entrance exam. I sure hope that the test ain't too hard. Life was a big enough test as it was."
St. Peter continued, "Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions. First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T? Second: How many seconds are there in a year? Third: What is God's first name?"
Forrest leaves to think the questions over. He returns the next day and sees St. Peter, who waves him up, and says, "Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over,
tell me your answers."
Forrest replied, "Well, the first one -- which two days in the week begins with the letter "T"?
Shucks, that one is easy. That would be Today and Tomorrow."
The Saint's eyes opened wide and he exclaimed, "Forrest, that is not what I was thinking, but you do have a point, and I guess I did not specify, so I will give you credit for that answer. How about the next one?" asked St. Peter. "How many seconds in a year?"
"Now that one is harder," replied Forrest, but I thunk and thunk about that, and I guess the only answer can be twelve."
Astounded, St. Peter said, "Twelve? Twelve? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?"
Forrest replied, "Shucks, there's got to be twelve: January 2nd, February 2nd, March 2nd... "
"Hold it," interrupts St. Peter. "I see where you are going with this, and I see your point, though that was not quite what I had in mind....but I will have to give you credit for that one, too. Let us go on with the third and final question. Can you tell me God's first name"?
"Sure," Forrest replied, "it's Andy."
"Andy?" exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St Peter. "Ok, I can understand how you
came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?"
"Shucks, that was the easiest one of all," Forrest replied. "I learnt it from the song, "ANDY
WALKS WITH ME, ANDY TALKS WITH ME, ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN."
St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates, and said: "Run Forrest, run."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Obscure Books & Archaic Thinking
Le MemeKate tagged me for a meme several days ago, and I’m just now getting around to this, but it’s fun. REALLY – Life just got in the way of my posting earlier.
#1 on my list =
Elswyth Thane’s Williamsburg series
#2 =
Shelby Foote’s Civil War series
#3 = Her real name is
Jane Haddam – and the books – OMG – ROFL
Series
Patience McKenna (writing as Orania Papazoglou)
1.
Sweet, Savage Death (
1984)
2.
Wicked, Loving Murder (
1985)
3.
Death's Savage Passion (
1986)
4.
Rich, Radiant Slaughter (
1988)
5.
Once and Always Murder (
1990)
First book,
Sweet, Savage Death, opens with our hapless heroine inheriting a new life thanks to a
Barbara Cartland type character who passes away. Now I admire The Dame, but I couldn’t help but laugh while reading these books about romance authors getting murdered.
Speaking of which…
RWA’s Latest Attempt At SuicideEssentially, there’s a proposal on the table that if an author doesn’t sell at least 2000 copies of a book, they (the author) revert back to PRO status as opposed to PAN status. Before this proposal, PRO stood for ‘almost there’ writers who hadn’t yet sold to a publisher listed with RWA recognition. PAN represented the Published Authors Network. Many see this as an attempt at (1) making certain that authors with small publishing houses (i.e. a boatload of erotic romance authors) never make the cut and (2) the attempts of a few to exert their holier-than-thou status over publishers and authors who they feel aren’t up to snuff. My take? I’ve belonged, stood up for them, enjoyed the conferences, and made many friends, but enough is e-f’ing NUFF. The Romantic Times conferences are more fun, offer more in the way of contacts, and don’t presume to elevate one publisher or author over another. The houses with the money and the moxie certainly have a better shot at snagging attendees, but so what? At least RT doesn’t try to segregate everyone. So until this juvenile one-ups-man-ship within RWA halts, I’m outta there.
Every RWA board has its dumbasses, every edition of the Romance Writers’ Report its Wild Card. Since 2005, though, it’s like the organization has a smorgasbord of stupidity, and I’d just rather choose something more palatable than strife and upheaval within my writing community.
ContractorsPart of my real life moments taking me away from blogging deal with mold in the bathroom. There’s no vent, for one thing, and it’s black mold. Hence…repairmen. I’ve seen everything from fuzzy black mold to white butt crack a time or two. I’ve done without a shower until I could stand it no longer. And I’ve still managed to write.
Contracts
NOT CONTRACTED. All I can say is that it’s a New York publisher, that we’re still in the wheelin’ and dealin’ stage, and that it’s lookin’ good. Will keep you informed.
CONTRACTED. Just sold Knights & White Satin to Ellora’s Cave for part of their Torrid Tarot series. Knights is a m/m romance written under my Cash Cole moniker.
My Yahoo Messenger is messing up, so I’m not able to IM for a while. Need to get #1 Son to reload it for me, because he’s able to keep all the freakin’ icons from multiplying on my toolbar.
I’m in a good mood, relative good health, and I’m not mad at anyone – I just can’t IM, don’t want to put up with RWA’s (or anyone else’s) bullshit these days, and I’m enjoying Life. Hope you can say the same. More in a few days…the DC trip isn’t for another week or so. *g*
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I give the woman a meme
And she disappears. I think she said DC?
Okay, then, I'll do the meme for her. Three obscure books you've probably never read.
Muffin Ninja [boy 2's]Stealthy and sweet. You never see him coming but if you close your eyes, you might catch a whiff of his goods. Mmmm ...Blueberry
Lester BrownLeroy's younger brother, a promising young student of acupunture. He inherited Leroy's fortune but didn't get a chance to live high on Chicago's hog. He died when the brakes when out on the custom continental.
Witless, My LoveUnder the dark, languorous eyes of Clay RockStone, the Duke of Pebble Beach, Witless Stone grew from a saucy hoyden into a ravishingly silly woman who broke her neck trying to walk the edge of a cliff blindfolded.
Lyn? Feel free to delete this, or make it better. I'm bored and tarred tarred tarred of my own blog. Maybe I'll go see if I can raid someone else's comment section, or add something interesting to a wikipedia definition.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's all Sam's Fault! ~ da meme
Da Rulez:1.Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.Eight things about 'Moi'! (Sam is sorta French, and I love the way this sounds so am keeping moi.)
1. I'm a Scorpio, and all that is written about the Scorp being over-sexed, vicious, vindictive, jealous, deceptive, and blunt is a fucking lie. If you don't believe me, ask my former lovers and husbands - if you can find them. (A few of the bodies
have already been found.)
2. One of my closest friends is an ordained minister who writes erotic romance. No, I'm not ratting them out. (Yet another Scorpio trait = loyalty.)
3. I've had a hole in my skull since birth, I've swam with the pink dolphins in Peru, and I've worked with the FBI - and only one of those is a lie, so even though you may not know which one, you just got two for the price of one on what IS real. (Uh, that part about being deceptive *might* be true to an extent if you count lying by ommission.)
4. I have never had a professional manicure or pedicure *sigh*, and I've never yanked off bodily hair with hot wax. I prefer to inflict my own pain rather than pay someone else to hurt me. (Okay, so we're a smidgen sadistic.)
5. My maternal grandmothers for over a century were Medicine Women for the Creek Nation. (And I'll admit to being a tad secretive.)
6. The person who
demands something of me generally gets tossed aside. If they put me in a "choose THEM or ME situation, in other words, it's always "Okay - them - bye." (Don't tell me that's a Scorpio trait - I won't believe it.)
7. I believe there was more than one shooter on The Grassy Knoll, that Oswald did not act alone, and that the government was somehow involved - Johnson's family Bible had never left his house until that day...why that one particular day, I ask? How is it that he is sworn in as our President using that particular Bible unless he had warning? (We Scorps enjoy mysteries and conspiracy theories - hell, we probably started half of 'em.)
8. 7 is my favorite #, followed closely by the # 4. (I don't have an astrological comparison for that one, sorry - you'll just have to suppose it's a Scorpio thang.)
I tag:Rinda, Liz Wolfe, CJ, Lex, Ann Wesley Hardin, Sarah, Kelly, and Jess.
-------------
and here is my favorite Mother's Day story to date...sent by friend Liz M:
A Great Mother's Day Story
So, we had this great 10 year old cat named Jack who just recently died. Jack was a great cat and the kids would carry him around and sit on him and nothing ever bothered him. He used to hang out and nap all day long on this mat in our bathroom.
Well, we have 3 kids and at the time of this story they were 4 years old, 3 years old and 1 year old. The middle one is Eli. Eli really loves chapstick. LOVES IT. He kept asking to use my chapstick and then losing it. So finally one day I showed him where in the bathroom I keep my chapstick and how he could use it whenever he wanted to but he needed to put it right back in the drawer when he was done.
Last year on Mother's Day, we were having the typical rush around and trying to get ready for Church with everyone crying and carrying on. My two boys are fighting over the toy in the cereal box. I am trying to nurse my little one at the same time I am putting on my make-up. Everything is a mess and everyone has long forgotten that this is a wonderful day to honor me and the amazing job that is motherhood.
We finally have the older one and the baby loaded in the car and I am looking for Eli. I have searched everywhere and I finally round the corner to go into the bathroom. And there was Eli. He was applying my chapstick very carefully to Jack's . . . rear end. Eli looked right into my eyes and said "chapped."
Now if you have a cat, you know that he is right--their little butts do look pretty chapped. And, frankly, Jack didn't seem to mind. And the only question to really ask at that point was whether it was the FIRST time Eli had done that to the cat's behind or the hundredth.
And THAT is my favorite Mother's Day moment ever because it reminds us that no matter how hard we try to civilize these gloriouslittle creatures, there will always be that day when you realize they'vebeen using your chapstick on the cat's butt.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
My Mother's Day
I have about 3 weeks before my next trip - this time to DC, so I've been doing a bit of walking to stay in shape. Seems they have a few museums and sites in this place.
The photo to the left was taken with my camera phone, and I liked the shading in it so thought I'd share.
One of these days I'll learn how to take photos like Sam does. *sigh* Okay, one can dream.
Speaking of Sam, I have a meme to do, I believe - ack - I read it about 3 days after she posted it and smooth forgot about it until just now! I'll do that next!
Mother's Day had gorgeous weather, but we're back to the grey skies and occasional thunderstorm or shower. Welcome to the new swamplands - lol - the Midwest!
Speaking of Mother's Day, my roses are still pretty. Have a look.
Yeah, those are my daily meds next to them - lol - forgot to get rid of them for the photo. The flowers were a gift from Short Kid, aka DIL2B. The flat screen tv next to the printer was a gift from Tall Kid, aka #1 Son. Do they know how to keep me chained to my room so I'll write, or what?!
To sweeten the pot, though, they took me out to eat both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday we went to The Salty Iguana's Mexican cuisine (their chicken enchiladas are wonderful!), and Sunday I was treated to Old Chicago's pizza & appetizers. Had never been there but hope to go back - excellent service (hi, Audrey!) and terrific food.
One more thing before I go. Friend Kathy M sent this link to me - just blew me away. http://postsecret.blogspot.com/ - Here's what she said when she sent it:
At the beginning of 2005, Frank Warren launched a new blog called PostSecret as an experiment in community art, inviting strangers to mail him anonymous postcards that made art out of their innermost secrets and then posting a selection of the cards every week on his blog. Within a year, his blog was one of the five most popular in the world, and his first book, PostSecret, was one of the surprise bestsellers of 2005. Each card bears an intimate and powerful secret—at turns inspirational, shocking, hilarious, and poetic—that is told through original illustrations, photographs, collages, and other creative means. Sample messages include:
"I am avoiding you because you are socially below me."
"I know the truth to the lie my parents tell... "
"My friends think I was homeschooled. I spent high school in juvi."
Okay, time to look up the meme and do it. SORRY, SAM!
Hope the rest of you had a nice weekend.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
pics from Houston (RT 2007)
The photo sent to Playgirl Magazine. Editor Colleen Kane was kind enough to provide some swag for my book signing, and all she asked for in return was a photo or two. I need to ask Angie if the photo she took turned out okay.
Kensington editor Kate Duffy roomed next door to me and Lex, and we snagged her to take this photo. Poor woman looked shocked when I asked for a favor - I'm sure she was used to doing more than taking photos when that happened.
Think we kept her up a bit. Kate asked me the day after I'd arrived if I ever went to sleep. Ack!
Camera phone used here, so photo isn't supposed to be enlarged like this. Kathryn Falk has been engaged to publishing magnate Ken Rubin for several years - terrific guy. We should all have a Kenneth Rubin somewhere in the wings.
Kathryn herself with one of the cover models - I believe that this one is Rodney, crowned Mr. Romance at the 2006 pageant.
Photo too dark - my apologies - but had to present Amy, a reader from Pennsylvania. This was my 1st RT, and I'd never been to a conference where I got to meet READERS. She kept me in stitches, and I'm sure I got at least a half-dozen book ideas from her.
Yes, she's really that slender.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
final goodbyes from Houston
Flying tends to spook me ANYWAY, so I'm thankful for the following people who saw me through some rough weather:
Stewardess Shelly w/American Airlines, Dallas to Kansas City - thanks for the new fruit punch recipe.
Ed & Austin w/Dallas Int'l Airport - Dallas/Ft Worth, THANK YOU for seeing to it that I made my flight.
Nurse who sat beside me Houston to Dallas, your toddler (Rebecca Olivia) was delightful and NOT a bother. Actually, I was charmed.
"Denzel", you stud, omg - thank you for helping with the overhead luggage and for giving me such a great pair of buns to look at for 500 miles. (I still think you're really Denzel Washington. Let me keep my illusions if not.)
Roger with Super Shuttle, you're gonna find yourself as hero of your own book some day. It was a pleasure getting stranded for half an hour with you.
Amy from PA, you've sparked at least half a dozen books - it was a real treat meeting you!!!!!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
tee-shirt winners, bits about RT conference
Quickie Post (I've been sleeping all day)
Winners of the tee-shirts from Playgirl Magazine are Merry (the black shirt) and Sam (the white shirt) - send me your street addies to Milkbone Undies @ excite . com without the spaces - and WHOO-HOO - THANKS for posting and playing. I always enjoy your comments anyway - lol.
Breathing room: I had a really great time at RT, but one thing slammed into my brain so hard that this time I'm doing something about it. There were more and more and more people on oxygen, and when I got home, The Kids took me out for a Mexican dinner at The Salty Iguana, and the 3 of us had our last cigarette at the end of the meal. Threw our packs into the trash on our way out. Now sticking with it is gonna be hard - harder for Jessica, because she wasn't quite prepared. Josh has been wishing to do this for some time, but it had to be cold turkey for him. Well, it's now cold turkey for me. I promise not to be one of those former smokers who blasts their smoker friends - I'm just doing this for me. Lost one friend to COPD last year, might lose yet another this year, and...I have weak lungs anyway, so smoking is just stupid for me to do.
Photos: I have scads of photos to share once I wake up - I've been asleep ALL day. Woke up at 9, ate the leftovers I'd brought home from the Iguana - I know - eww - but not really - they were great. Have to wake Jess up, because looks like she slept as well.
Sleeping in snatches: It's all over the RT boards, so I may as well share it. My Aussie friend - ahem - I won't say the Alexis word - wrote that she hadn't slept well, that she'd slept in snatches, and sewer mind here just fell to the floor laughing. Well, I told that to our Samhain editor, Angie, who brought it up in her talk at the Samhain Spotlight, and Lex is about to kill me - and I'm sorry for the run-on. Ann Wesley Hardin cooked up a new tagline for Lex's signature: Writing In Snatches.
Samhain editor Angela James: Angie was so sweet - she took a photo of me at the booksigning to send to Playgirl Magazine - and the book she photographed wasn't even a Samhain book. I'll have to blog about her sometime in depth. Angie is gorgeous, energetic, intelligent, the best editor imaginable, and now this - to me, that was going the distance, and she got absolutely nothing out of that other than helping out one of her authors, so...I bow before greatness of character. Ask me if I'll be loyal to her now - lol. She probably set me up, the little heifer. No, I'm not paranoid. *wink* Anyway, she's marvelous and I can't say enough good about this woman. The photo just cemented an already sturdy admiration for her.
All for now - will be back in a day or two (dental appointment tomorrow - UGH).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sharyl just sent this one to me, so pardon me, those of you who have already read this or those who have me on one of those timer/reminder thingies that tell you each time I post, but...here goes - and THANKS, SHARYL! - lol
4 Comments:
Congratulations on the 10 year mark - wonderful news. (I just had my "yank-the-ute" moment. Ouch.)
And congratulations as to all your book successes - you deserve all good news!
Lord bless you - it's not fun, is it? :(
Thanks! I've MISSED you!
I noticed where Alice (from our writing class) sold her novella to EC - and while I was at RT in Houston I picked up a Secrets from like 2002 that had a story of hers in it, alongside other writers like Liz Maverick and Mary Janice Davidson!
Heart of Dixie is sponsoring another course in August (I *think* that's when it is). Just an FYI - lol - not hinting, honest. Told them I'd like to do only 1 week of the confessions this time and devote the other week to novellas. We shall see. :)
Hi Lyn!
Congratulations on your ten year anniversary - and may you have many more!!!
Loved the jokes - ha ha. Andy! And I'll be looking out for the tee shirt. Yay! At last, something to wear for those stuffy family dinners...
Hey CONGRATS on the 10 year anniversary. I've been one of the lucky people whose life you've enriched, so I'm thankful, too.
All my life we called that song "The Andy Song" and I was always jealous that my sister Margaret Shirley was in the Bible and I wasn't (Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life...)
As for the hummingbirds - 'tis true - here's a photo from my blog of ME with one landing on my finger.
http://merrystahel.blogspot.com/2006_05_01_archive.html
I got my T-shirt about 2 days ago! Yippee! The husband was duly impressed LOL.
Post a Comment
<< Home