IT'S A DOG'S LIFE...

Dear Diary,

I had another great day at the lake.  Well, it was mostly great.  I slept in late with K.  Licked her ears to wake her up.  Got my ball and headed to my boat.  Mom put on my life jacket and Dad drove us out into the middle of the lake. 

For some strange reason Dad threw my ball out in the water.  I jumped off the back of the boat and swam about three miles to get it!  When I got back he did it again...I mean for goodness sakes, it's my ball and I wanted it in the boat.  Dad kept throwing until I laid down on Mom's towel.

But then, I needed to...you know...I whined a little to get my point across.  Dad soooo understood. He pulled up the anchor and drove us towards the bank.  He put on the leash so he wouldn't get lost.  (He's always worrying about getting lost.  Every time we go for a walk he puts the leash on.  I think if I wasn't attached to the other end of it, he'd never find his way home!)  Anyway, he pulled up to a cliff.  He wanted me to...you know on a CLIFF!

                                     

Yeah, like that was gonna happen...I was hoping for something a little more like a grassy bank...

It all turned out okay.  I didn't have an accident in the boat or anything.  Dad fell in the lake though .  It was a good thing he was on his leash or he might have drowned.  I'm pretty sure next time he'll take me to a grassy bank.

Licks and Back Scratches,

Macy

********************

I kept a journal of Macy's first year of life...I haven't done anything with it yet, but I'm thinking mid grade novel.  What do you think?

Do you keep a writer's notebook (or 6)?  Do you open a new file every time you get a new story idea?  Do you write on napkins if that is the only paper available?

P.S. I'm only 804 people away from having a 1,000 followers! Can you believe it? I'm totally stoked and have been thinking of what to do to celebrate when I'm K-800 followers. Well, we've come up with a plan...My daughter (now a high school freshman) and I decided to have a Really Random Prize Give-A-Way...one of EPIC proportion!

RELAX A A TION...it's makin me wait...

Take a deep breath.  Hold it in.  Let it out slowly.  Tell your body to relax as you let it out.

Tighten up all of your muscles and then release them...Do one muscle group at a time...(Start at your toes!)

Relax your shoulders and breath in and out slowly...

You can do this...

It's summer...

Kick back, relax and enjoy the ride...

Stop rushing around...

Find relaxing things you like to do and make a habit of doing them...

The more you enjoy life, the more relaxed you will be...

(the more productive as a writer and human you will be.)

Don't worry about that query you sent out...write something else while you are waiting for a response...

Make a relaxation plan...and stick to it!

What do you do to relax?

P.S. I'm only 807 people away from having a 1,000 followers! Can you believe it? I'm totally stoked and have been thinking of what to do to celebrate when I'm K-800 followers. Well, we've come up with a plan...My daughter (now a high school freshman) and I decided to have a Really Random Prize Give-A-Way...one of EPIC proportion! It's going to be sooooo (I could add more o's) much fun for you, me and a committee of judges....

ALLITERATION & WHAT ARE YOU READING?

How do you feel about alliteration? Do you think it's fun? Does it make you want to play in the sun? But, maybe it makes you want to run!

 Fun, sun, run, perhaps it makes you wish I was done...

If you like picture books, hop over to Amy's blog and read her interview with picture book author Beth Reinke. (It's a good one!)

Most of you know I'm on a retreat...retreating to the sunny warm weather of the south.  I took a few books with me and thought I'd share them with you. 

Read so far this week:

Fancy Nancy, Pajama Day by Jane O'Connor. 

A fun easy reader with some FANCY vocabulary introductions.

Mount Rushmore by Marion Dane Bauer.

A sweet but simple easy reader about the history of Mt. Rushmore.

Good Night, Good Knight by blogging friend Shelley Moore Thomas.

A lovely level two easy reader that tells a comforting tale using some repetition to help the beginning reader feel confident in their new reading skills.

Peanut Butter For Cupcakes by Donna Nordmark Aviles.

                                                 

(I was introduced to Donna by YaYa a few months ago.  Thanks, Yaya!)

This is the third book Donna has written about her families experiences during the Great Depression and The Orphan Train.  Outstanding chapter books that you won't be able to put down until you are finished with all three of them!

Reading Right Now:

Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse.

This Newbery winner is awesome!  I was a bit leery by the format of this mid grade novel, but once you get used to the formatting it's a lovely read that takes you into the turmoil of the dust bowl.

                                                       

Heist Society by Ally Carter.

(My lovely blog friend Jackee sent me this awesome book. Thanks, Jackee!)

This young adult (YA) novel is hot!  I've just started reading it, but am anxious to finish this post, so I can go back to reading...

I've been quite busy reading and writing since I left our little home in Iowa...

What are you reading right now?

P.S. I'm only 809 people away from having a 1,000 followers! Can you believe it? I'm totally stoked and have been thinking of what to do to celebrate when I'm K-800 followers. Well, we've come up with a plan...My daughter (now a high school freshman) and I decided to have a Really Random Prize Give-A-Way...one of EPIC proportion! It's going to be sooooo (I could add more o's) much fun for you, me and a committee of judges....

NOW THAT'S GOTTA STING!

It was a lovely Saturday morning.  The sun was gently warming the day. 

Macy needed to go out, but the big dog, Otto (who doesn't like ANY other dogs) was in our yard...so the brave hubby took out Macy.  I went out to stand watch (in case I needed to throw something to protect Macy).  I slid out of the patio door in my pj's to stand guard.  And WHAM!  Some thing bit me or stung me.  I had no idea what happened except that it was painful...I felt like someone had shoved a six in needle in my right side.  I rushed in, followed by brave hubby...I was sure a brown recluse or a black widow had bit me.  I threw down a handful of benadryl.  Brave hubby found a bee sting kit and rubbed the ointment on my red swelling spot on my right side.  (Still hurting...)  I sit down. 

Brave husband goes outside to look for whatever stung or bit me...And WHAM he gets stung!  He sees the hornet and where it came from.  A hornet's nest is hanging on the far side of our deck!  He comes in and I put bee sting ointment on his back.  Then he gears up: jeans, winter coat with hood up and a towel wrapped around his face for protection.  He takes a can of wasp/hornet spray and heads out the back door.  MY HERO!  He blowss down the paper covered nest (they chew up wood and leaves to make the nest covering) and left it so I could take a picture and blog about it....

Have you ever been stung? Please share your epic tales of pain...If you don't have one, feel free to make one up... 

P.S. I'm only 810 people away from having a 1,000 followers! Can you believe it? I'm totally stoked and have been thinking of what to do to celebrate when I'm K-800 followers. Well, we've come up with a plan...My daughter (now a high school freshman) and I decided to have a Really Random Prize Give-A-Way...one of EPIC proportion! It's going to be sooooo (I could add more o's) much fun for you, me and a committee of judges....

Carpet, Disconnecting and Writing...

I thought you might like to see a bit of carpet from the past.

We went to historic Galena, Illinois and toured (then) General Ulysses S. Grant's home.

I was fascinated by the carpet and the pottery. 

It turns out Galena Pottery is quite valuable!  Don't buy the green pottery!  It has a higher concentration of lead in it... (YIKES!)

I'll be hibernating with my disconnected laptop and my research for the next few weeks.  I'm not sure how much I'll be around, as I'll have to drive a bit to get Internet...Hopefully, you'll miss me as much as I miss you!

Are you planning any writing retreats this summer?

Title Smarties...

(My daughter made this larger than life box of Smarties in an art class this year...Very nice, K!)

The results are in...On Saturday I entered The Slushpile Slut's  Next Top Title Blogfest.  It was a lot of fun and I met some great new people and got some really interesting information about two of my manuscripts' titles.

My middle grade historical fiction novel is about two girls who survive the Blitz in London (WWII) and are evacuated to a village in the countryside.  The titles I considered were: A TEMPORARY HOME, EVERYONE DID THEIR PART, AND NOT A HOLIDAY.  EVERYONE DID THEIR PART was my original title and it got zero votes.  I was totally shocked.  A TEMPORARY HOME came in second and although I really like this title, my teenage daughter said it sounds like a modern foster care story.  So the New title and one I love is; NOT A HOLIDAY.  I really think it sounds English and tells a lot about the story.  Children were told that their evacuation would be like a holiday and that they would have adventures while they were  out of harms way.  For some children it was a better life than what they had in the slums of London and Manchester, but for others that was not true. 

The rhyming picture book is about a little girl (or could be a boy depending on the illustrations) that bakes an over the top cake.  The three titles I put up were: A CAKE I WILL BAKE, CAKE FOR TWO, AND THE CAKE CHALLENGE.  A CAKE I WILL BAKE was the resounding winner and my original title.  CAKE CHALLENGE came in second.  I think I will stick with A CAKE I WILL BAKE, my only concern is that they are also the first words in the book. 

WHAT DO YOU THINK???  Is that okay?

During the Next Top Title Blogfest I had the opportunity to meet about 30 new to me bloggers.  Clara was one of them.  She is a YA (young adult) fantasy writer.  She has a wonderful blog.  One of her recent posts was an interview with one of her characters Timas...Very cool!

These are the rules...but let's face it, I'm a Harley girl and I don't always follow the rules...

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award. (done)
2. Share 7 things about yourself. (done)
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason!  (done)
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award. (working on it)

Seven Things About Me:
1. I was born just outside of London, England and moved to the States when I was 8.
2. I'm trying to be a go with the flow Harley chick.  (Not so easy for a spreadsheet kind of girl...)
3. I've had numerous personal hand written rejections.  (Which tells me to keep on writing.)
4. I belong to two critique groups: The WAD and Mark One. (Check out my sidebar to meet some of my buddies.)
5. I love to tube!
6. I truly believe that one can NOT host a party without a cheese tray!
7. I'm a mostatarian. I eat mostly vegetables, but do eat fish, eggs, and seafood.


AND THE AWARDS GO TO....
Vicki Rocho- aspiring writer
Valerie-who writes about politics, modern culture and anything else controversial
Terri  Tiffany- inspirational writer
Sandy Shin-YA writer and book reviewer
Tahereh-YA author (and my daughter's favorite blogger)
Roland Yeoman-writer
Niki-aspiring writer
Lydia Kang-doctor and writer
Kathi Peterson-romance writer
Jen Blom-mg writer
Janet Johnson-ya and mg writer (lover of fairytales)
Jeff King-aspiring writer for adults
Jennifer Daiker-aspiring author
Houston Knight-romance writer
Catherine-writer, photographer, animal lover
Angela Ackerman-chapter book, mg, ya author

I know this is a lot of links...That's why I broke it down into what people write about...This way you can hunt down the bloggers you have something in common with.  :)

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY!

P.S. I'm only 813 people away from having a 1,000 followers! Can you believe it? I'm totally stoked and have been thinking of what to do to celebrate when I'm 800 followers away from 1,000. Well, we've come up with a plan...My daughter (now a high school freshman) and I decided to have a Really Random Prize Give-A-Way...one of EPIC proportion! It's going to be sooooo (I could add more o's) much fun for you, me and a committee of judges....

SETTING GOALS PAYS OFF!

As an aspiring author with no contracts or books on the market (YET) I have to be willing to set my own goals and deadlines.  Last month I entered Jackee's May Scramble Challenge.  We had to set writing goals and blog visit goals.  I was the winner and today this awesome package sitting on my front porch when I got home from the gym.   Jackee inspired me to put my new blog visits and word count goal on my sidebar, but then I took it one step further and began posting my weekly goals (with my progress in parenthesis). 

(Jackee is going sugar free for the month of June...I'm not!  Thanks, Jackee!  I've been desperate to try coconut M & M's.  They taste like...summer!)

Do you keep track of your word count goals? Blogging goals? What about writing queries?  For me, writing queries is a huge struggle...I labor over the letter for days and then who to send it to for weeks.  What about you?  Are queries challenging for you or are they a walk in the park?

P.S. I'm only 814 people away from having a 1,000 followers! Can you believe it? I'm totally stoked and have been thinking of what to do to celebrate when I'm 800 followers away from 1,000. Well, we've come up with a plan...My daughter (now a high school freshman) and I decided to have a Really Random Prize Give-A-Way...one of EPIC proportion! It's going to be sooooo (I could add more o's) much fun for you, me and a committee of judges....

NEXT TOP TITLE BLOGFEST...

It's Saturday, normally  I don't post on the weekend, but here I am...It's an all day blogfest!

Slushpile Slut is hosting The Next Top Title Blogfest. Everyone is supposed to post 3-5 possible titles for a WIP (or two) without any background information. (She has a list of all the participants on her blog...)  Then we ask (beg) our dear blog friends for advice on what title they think it the best.

So here I go:

Middle Grade Historical Fiction Novel
1. A TEMPORARY HOME
2. EVERYONE DID THEIR PART
3. NOT A HOLIDAY

Picture Book
1. A CAKE I WILL BAKE
2. CAKE FOR TWO
3. THE CAKE CHALLENGE

Thanks for stopping by and giving your opinions.

Have a lovely weekend!

 P.S.  I'm only 820 people away from having a 1,000 followers! Can you believe it? I'm totally stoked and have been thinking of what to do to celebrate when I'm 800 followers away from 1,000.  Well, we've come up with a plan...My daughter (now a high school freshman) and I decided to have a Really Random Prize Give-A-Way...one of EPIC proportion! It's going to be sooooo (I could add more o's) much fun for you, me and a committee of judges....

AND THE WINNERS ARE...

The winners of signed hardback copies of Judy's books are...Angela and Vicki.  Congratulations, Ladies!  Please email your addresses to: skmayh at q dot com.  I hope you enjoy the ALL THE NUMBERS as much as I did.  If you didn't win, please order a copy today....

I am so bad at posting awards...It's not that I don't appreciate them because I really do.  It makes me feel wonderful, like my words and photographs matter to you. 

Shannon O'Donnell gave me this lovely award.  Shannon is an inspiration to all of us.  I don't think I've ever seen a blog without one of her comments in the comments section.  She ROCKS!

I'd like to pass this award along to:

Jackee and Jill who have really inspired me set goals and to work harder.  If you haven't met them yet, go check them out...be prepared to be inspired.

Amy is one beautiful person and puts up some lovely blog posts....I've had the privilege of reading some of her work and it is AWESOME!

Carolina just did the funniest, heart wrenching vlog (I think that's what they are called)...You've got to check it out!  Seriously, I mean it!

This adorable award was presented to my by action and suspense author Stephen Tremp.  If you haven't met Stephen he's one smart cookie and you should check him out.

I'd like to pass this award along to several awesome bloggers:

Lenny is an awesome blogger for sure!  He is bright and witty and a sweetie on top of all of that.

Sierra is a lovely young woman that shares bits of her life with us.  She talks about fashion, travel, pop culture and pretty soon she's getting her own pad!

Brian is one of my newest friends.  He helps me a little bit every day since Stripes died.  He's one cool cat!

This award was presented to me by one of my blog idols, Buffy Andrews.  Buffy is an assisting managing editor to a variety of publications on the East Coast.  She has a beautiful "voice" and is an even more beautiful friend.  Buffy is one of the founders of The Inkwell, an awesome (free) writing community, that covers picture books to young adults.  If you haven't been there please go and join.  (I am the moderator on one of the forums and would love to see you guys over there!)

I'd like to pass this award along to a few bloggers that I think have beautiful "voices."

Sharon McPherson is an awesome (adult fiction) writer from Scotland.  Her blog is a riot!  So check it out if you want to be immersed in her dating life and Scottish culture.

Donna Aviles is has written a series of books about her grandfather and his adventures on the Orphan Train.  Her writing is exceptional!

Hema has one of the deepest blogs.  Her discussions are thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking.  I recently had the privilege of reading a bit of her work....(Nice stuff!)

I don't usually do the "this is what I did today" thing , but today my daughter and I did something and it's going to affect all of you.  I'm only 823 people away from having a 1,000 followers!  Can you believe it?  I can't, so I've been thinking of what I could do to celebrate when I'm only 800 followers away from 1,000.  My daughter (now a high school freshman) and I decided to have a Really Random Prize Give-A-Way...one of EPIC proportion!  It's going to be sooooo (I could add more o's) much fun for you, me and a committee of judges....That's all I'm saying for now.  (wink wink)

Have a great weekend!

THE PERFECT LENGTH… (and a contest)

(Miami in February is a lot like Iowa in June...)

It’s WIP Wednesday and I’ve been pondering over something…

What is the perfect word count for a middle grade novel chapter?

Do you keep track of your word count by chapter? Are your chapters all about the same length?

When you read do you like long chapters or short ones?

One last thing (because my brain is shutting down after editing a rhyming picture book manuscript for what seems like the entire day) …Have you entered my contest?

What Is Beautiful To You? (and a contest)

Straight Lines

Wavy Lines

Thick Lines

Zig Zag Lines

 

Do you see beauty in the fruits of your labor?

 (This is our first EVER lettuce and spinach crop!)

Do you see it in your back yard? 

 These sweet babies are not in my backyard, but you can check out The Raccoon Chronicles to see loads of lovely pictures of raccoons in the Grape Ladies backyard.

Where do you see beauty? Don't forget to leave a comment HERE to enter my contest!

Not Afraid of the "F" Word...Judy Merrill Larsen Stops in for a Visit

Today I’d like to introduce you to my friend and women’s fiction writer Judy Merrill Larsen. I met Judy several years ago through Laura Bradford (Elizabeth Lynn Casey). Judy and I were on Laura’s MS walk team. (Late this month, I’ll introduce you to another one of Laura’s team members.) I hope you enjoy the interview and stick around for the drawing.


Me: Judy, ALL THE NUMBERS is one of my favorite adult books. I took it with me on to a conference. I remember crying on the plane. (Not big out loud crying, tears running down cheeks crying.) It was the best conference I’ve ever been to, but every night I was dying to get to bed so I could read your book. My roommate went straight to sleep and laid there reading and crying until 1 in the morning every night, until I finished your book. It was emotionally overwhelming. Did any particular event cause you to write it?

Judy: The idea for the book came to me when I was at my best friend's lake house and our kids were playing in the lake while we watched from the dock. A jet skier went by and I thought, "what if?" What if one of the kids had been out too far? What would that do to me as a mother? As a friend? How would I recover from something like that? The whole story just flowed from there.

Me: Judy, even though you have one published book, do you ever doubt yourself?

Judy: Of course. I think all writers struggle at times--is this manuscript good enough? Will I ever get published again? Will readers connect with my work? But you have to learn to push those doubts aside and control what you can control--and that's the writing.

Me: What advice can you give to aspiring authors?

Judy: Read everything you can--things in your genre, things in other genres--it doesn't matter, just read. And then write. Set goals and aim toward them. Don't ever give up.

Me: I’ve done several posts on writing routines and setting weekly goals. Do you have a writing routine?

Judy: Yes. I try to write nearly every day--even if it's just to tweak what I write the day before. When I'm in full writing mode, my goal is to write 1500 words a day. And I never let myself stop when I'm stuck. I always make myself write through the "dead zone" and I always try to stop when I'm excited about what comes next.

Me: I love researching, what is your favorite type of research?

Judy: I love talking to people who have "inside information"--they always give me such wonderful details and usually I'm surprised by some of the things I learn from them which not only add depth to my story but often also take me in a new direction with it.

Me: Do you have an agent? How does having an agent help you?

Judy: I love, love, love my agent. A good agent is your link to publishing. She knows which editors are looking for which manuscripts and she also knows the business side so I all I have to worry about is writing the best book I can write.

Me: Do you have a favorite book?

Judy: My favorite book of all time is TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. It's such a perfect, sweet, powerful story. And my 15 years as an English teacher really developed my love of classics--GRAPES OF WRATH, THE SOUND AND THE FURY, and THE THINGS THEY CARRIED.

Me: At this point in your career, do have a critiquing partner or beta reader?

Judy: Not officially. I have several good writing friends and we'll exchange work at times, but it's nothing formal or structured or organized.

Me: As an aspiring writer I hear that being socially available is so important. Do you do school visits? Book signings? Library visits?

Judy: Oh, my gosh, I love to visit school and libraries and book stores to meet readers and talk about books and writing. I've probably visited (in person or by phone) with close to 100 book clubs since my novel came out--it's one of my absolute favorite things to do!

I’d like to thank Judy for stopping by today. I’ll be using random.org to give away two signed hardback copies of Judy’s book ALL THE NUMBERS on Friday, June 11th at 3:00. (I know that’s an odd time, but I’m doing a cancer walk from 6 to midnight.) Here’s what you have to do: be a follower on my blog, leave a comment telling your favorite adult book (Yeah, I know most of you read young adult…), hop over and check out Judy’s blog (Not Afraid of the “F” word) and her website.

WHAT I LEARNED IN MAY...

Did you participate in Jackee's Great May Scramble Challenge?  I'm pleased to announce that I was the winner (random.org is my friend)!  Jackee's challenge involved setting a word count goal and a blogging goal.  I decided that I would visit three new-to-me blogs a day.  I felt that if I set the number too high, I wouldn't be able to spend time reading the blogs I visit on a regular basis.  I discovered there are all kinds of blogs out there.  If you look at my side bar you'll see I have some non-writer blogs listed.  (Check them out...they'll make you smile too!)  I didn't meet my word count goal, but I did work on my writing in some way every day, so that was a big accomplishment.

I don't know about you, but I realized I need to write down my writing goals on a weekly basis.  Thanks to Lenny, I remembered what SMART goals were and how to set them.  Lenny made a comment about being careful not to set too many goals...Well, I forgot that I took Monday off to ride the Harley, so I did no writing related work and gave myself too many goals...The good thing is I've accomplished part of what I wanted to do (and I still have Friday).  I finished a query letter and sent it to an editor that an agent, I queried in February, suggested and to a publisher in the UK. (I'd love having it published in the UK, then I could visit family and call it work. *smile*) 

I realized that I'm more productive after I have a nap.  I get the kiddo off to school, go to the gym, check my email, take a nap and then start my writing day...

When are you most productive?  Do you have a routine?

GOALS…ARE THEY ACHIEVABLE?

I’d like to send an overdue thank you to a few fellow bloggers.

I won these wonderful Wonka Bars from Janet. Janet writes YA and MG novels with a special love for all things fairy tale.

I’d like to thank Joany for holding a contest with Donna Aviles. I won three of Donna’s wonderful historical fiction chapter books. I just started reading FLY LITTLE BIRD FLY and it is wonderful!

Do you set weekly or monthly goals?

I enjoy reading Jill’s goals and posting my own goals on her blog on Fridays. (If you haven’t checked her out, hop over…) Around May 16th Jackee started a Challenge for the rest of the month (BREAKING NEWS…Jackee gave us two extra days for the May Scramble Challenge. Hop over and join in.).

All of this goal talk got me thinking back to my teaching days, every lesson had to have a goal and these goals had to be Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time specific. (My blog friend Lenny helped me remember what all the terms for S.M.A.R.T. goals were, as I haven’t written any smart goals for four years.)

Are your goals SMART Goals? Do you go back and check to see if you reached them? Are you making your goals too broad, which in the end might cause you to not reach them? If your goal is to get your mg novel published you need to break it down into specific goals…word count goals, research goals, industry research goals, query letter writing goals…Do you see what I’m saying? You have to break things down into small enough segments that you can determine if you are reaching those goals that lead to the big goal, PUBLICATION.

My goals for this week:

1. finish EVERYONE DID THEIR PART QUERY
2. write WE HAVE ENOUGH query
3. research who to send WHE to
4. write two chapters of A TEMPORARY HOME (WIP)
5. post three blog items
6. shoot photos for photo essay

Now I have to ask myself, are these SMART goals? Are they specific? Can I measure that they have been accomplished? Can I get all of this done in one week? Am I being realistic in these goals? Have I given myself a time frame? I think the only one that is not specific enough is number three. So I need to revise it…

3. Find five educational publishing houses to submit WE HAVE ENOUGH to.

That’s better…it’s more specific and measureable.

What are your SMART GOALS for this week???