Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year

As I scrolled through all the excited Happy New Year wishes on blogs and facebook. I spend each year at this time wondering what the fuss is all about. I've just honestly never understood the big deal. The calendar turns over. So what?

Now, I'm not stupid despite what you might have heard. I understand it's the symbolic idea of casting off the past and looking forward with hope to the future that looms before us. It's renewal, rebirth. We have shifted the celebration of life renewed to the New year as opposed to the arrival of Spring which many of our ancestors used to serve just this same purpose.

So if this time of year is special to you, then I wish you a Happy New Year.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Spam Posts

Lately the number of spammer comments being posted to this blog are increasing at an alarming rate. It seams every day or two I have to delete a comment from a past or current blog from some spambot or another. I mean, I hope these are coming from spambots and not people who are somehow "earning money at home on the internet" by spamming nonsense all over people's blogs and forums. If it's the latter, you should be ashamed of yourself.

I discovered from someone that this is exactly the "earn money at home" nonsense with which some people are getting involved. It seems that they earn cyber dollars for each time they post this "advertising". Interesting concept. How about we all drop by your house and scatter leaflets over your yard and house like a flipping blizzard? Every day.

I wonder if there is an option to eliminate anonymous posters? Otherwise I'm going to be forced to moderate all comments. I know some who do.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Santa Baby

The past few years I've counted down the days to Christmas with a new sexy Santa pic every day. Well this year I decided to do something different. Instead of sexy, how about a whole different kind of warm fuzzy feelings?


It's Z's second Christmas, and his first one that he can actually participate in. He still doesn't know what's going on, but hey, half the fun is for us at this point. This first pic is of Z with Santa last year. He was only a couple of weeks old. Below it is this years, he's grown just a bit.



That's "Brown Bear" Santa is holding. Z doesn't go anywhere without Brown Bear except to sleep. Then it's all about Heffelump the musical elephant.
So to you from us, Merry Christmas.








Sunday, December 13, 2009

I hate publishing

In the last month or so I’ve come to a realization that shocked me. I have recently discovered that while I love writing, I hate publishing. With a passion.

I had dreamed of being a writer as a little girl and when I got older I re-embraced that dream. I began writing again and enjoyed the creative process. I grew close to many of the people I met as I honed my skills and shared with other writers. Then one day, what I thought I wanted came true. I received an offer to publish my manuscript. I was going to be a real writer. A published author.

What I didn’t realize was all the shit that comes along with publishing. Like most people, I guess I had been under the impression that the bulk of the pr for a book would be handled, or at least orchestrated, by the publisher. I assumed there would be some support from the publisher related to marketing of the product they were publishing. What I discovered was that, at least in my experience, the bulk of the pr has been left to me. This is a recipe for disaster for someone like me. I know zip about pr. I’m not a “people person” who knows how to chat people up. I have no business experience and was left with little to no concept of how to promote the books that were being published.

Talking to other authors from other publishers, I’ve learned that it’s not just my experience. According to what I’ve been told even authors who are known find themselves responsible for orchestrating some of their pr, often handled by either a professional firm or by an agent; two things I have no involvement with and don’t think I want to.

During the few years I've been involved in publishing my work, I've heard again and again about writers being mistreated and cheated by their publishers. I can't say that's been my experience, but I can't argue with their experiences.

So while I’ll probably always write, I don’t see myself publishing again for a long time. If I do, it won’t be in the erotic romance genre. But that’s a whole other moment of confession.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Mystery Writers of America delists Harlequin

Harlequin Romance finds itself in more trouble as MWA follows the lead of RWA and removes Harlequin from it's approved publishers list. Read the full posting below.

Mystery Writer's of America delists Harlequin

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Monday, December 7, 2009

'Tis the TV season

It is the season for holiday specials. I love holiday special and movies, especially the older ones. When compiling my list of favorites I found that I had to separate them into two categories, specials and movies. So here are mine, and I’d like to know yours.

Specials:
1. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
-This is my favorite and I wait for it every year. I loveFred Astair and Micky Rooney.


2. Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
-This is a lesser known one, but it is sweet and charming. It's based on Frank L. Baum's book.


3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas
-a classic, of course I'm talking about the animated version.


4. Charlie Brown Christmas

5. Year Without a Santa Claus
-"I'm Mr. Heat Miser, I'm Mr. Sun."


Movies:
1. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
-You can't beat Natalie Wood and Maureen O'Hara.



2. A Christmas Carol (1938)
-This one is a tradition with my stepdad and me. We watch it every year on Christmas Eve, even when we aren't in the same city.


3. A Christmas Story
-Ralphie brings to life the best and worst of a real family at holidays. We can all identify.



4. The Homecoming
-The original Waltons. This version had a different set of parents, but the kids were the same. It's a great story about what's really important at Christmas.



5. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
-Talk about being able to identify...Every family has a cousin Eddie.


6. The Santa Clause
-Tim Allen is surprisingly great as the man in the red suit.

7. White Christmas
-Danny Kaye was one of my all time favorite song and dance men. He and Bing make this a terrific movie filled with music and laughter.


8. Bells of St. Mary’s
-Bing again with the etherial and amazing Ingrid Bergman. This is on my list of top ten movies period.


9. The Bishop’s Wife
-Cary Grant, Loretta Young and David Niven. It's hard to mess that up.


10. It’s a Wonderful Life
-If you'd asked me a few years ago, I'd not have listed it because Ted Turner nearly ruined it by colorizing it and running it every hour on the blessed hour the whole Christmas season. But through it all, Jimmy Stewart still gave us a classic.