Edward Hoornaert's Blog, page 55

The perpetual struggle to be productive #MFRWwriter

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Time once again for the Marketing for Romance Writers blog. This week, the writing prompt is:

A Day in My Life

I’ve left the rat race, so my days tend to be similar.

An ideal day:

[image error]I didn’t stay up too late reading last night, so I’m awake and raring to go by 9:00. (You early risers are probably scandalized, but  I am not an early bird.)  I go the gym and then devote the rest of the morning to practicing my oboe and making oboe reeds.

If it’s one of the days we babysit the grandson, I play with Wesley around lunchtime, or maybe we take him to the play area at the mall.  If it isn’t one of his days, I talk with my caro sposo or read for a while.

Then I sit down to write.  I totally ignore the Internet, paying no attention to e-mail, baseball scores, or the news until I’ve written my daily quota of words. That quota varies, but 1500 to 2000 is typical; 4000 is better.  Right now, though, I’m working on my To-Do list of rewrites of a recently finished MS, so word counts are irrelevant.

After dinner, I take Twiggles to the dog park or for a walk, weather permitting; this time of year, the Arizona heat and summer monsoon season mean she doesn’t get walks or to the dog park as much as she likes. After I fix dinner and eat a leisurely meal while chatting with the wife, it’s back to the computer for more writing, e-mails, and a teensy bit of wasting time.

A less-than-ideal day

[image error]I stayed up too late, so I’m not up until 11:00. Still wearing my PJs, I think about practicing the gym or the oboe. Nah, too much effort.

I sit at the computer instead and waste time until dinner. I do cook dinner (usually), but then I sit in front of the TV, go shopping, or waste more time on the computer.  Poor Twiggles uses our big back yard instead of going anywhere.

Around 11:00 pm I realize I’ve wasted the whole day, so I frantically write or work on marketing.  If I’m feeling really guilty, I stay up too late but nonetheless end up with a word count of 78 words.  Rinse, lather, and repeat.

How about you?  What’s your typical day like?

Click here to check out the cool romance writers taking part in this blog hop.

Effing Feline wants the kitten to scoot

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Fart-Fueled Flying Feline, Effing for short, writes the Weekend Writing Warrior / Sunday Snippet posts on Mr. V’s behalf. Click the pic for info.

I, Effing Feline, told you that the neighbors have a cute new kitten. Yesterday the kitty hopped over the wall into MY yard. Worse, it paraded up and down in front of the floor to ceiling window in the family room begging to be let in.

The dumb kitten wanted into MY house. I hissed and puffed up my fur, telling it to scoot back to its own yard.

Inspired by the obnoxious kitten, I’m sharing a snippet about an obnoxious pet from one of Mr V’s books I’ve featured here before, Escapee. This SFRom is loosely based on the movie The African Queen, so if you’ve seen the movie, you know the lead characters start out not liking each other but will be thrown together for a long time. In Escapee, however, the roles are reversed:

The heroine, Catt Sayer, is the crusty captain of a decrepit airship.
The hero, Hector Dukelsky, is a by-the-book army captain forced by an enemy invasion to take refuge on Catt’s airship.

From early in the book, here’s one reason why Catt (lovely name, eh?) dislikes Hector’s company on her ship.

When a woman-eating crocodile leaped on her chest and opened its long snout, filled with dozens of teeth, Catt let out an inarticulate gurgle and shrieked for help.

“Contain your whimpering,” Dukelsky ordered without looking at her. “It’s just a skoot.”

Trying to get the beast to behave, Catt flailed and shouted, “Go away!”

The pet skoot—for that’s what it was, not a crocodile—obeyed. It scrambled backward on six legs and thirty-six clicking toenails and sat in the middle of the floor, staring at her with its long tongue hanging out. Except for sparse fur, its head was crocodilian, as was its rough hide, but its short tail was plumed and its legs were like a dog’s, even if there were six of them. The lolling tongue was sort of doglike, too, except it was longer than an anteater’s. All in all, a hideous combination of features. She would never understand why people kept them as pets.

Effing Feline here again. The #*@^% kitten looks exactly like a skoot. I don’t understand why people keep the ugly things as pets!

Be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday authors. And if you like pictures of cute little humans (although they’re almost as bad as cute kittens, because they pull tails) take a peak at Ed’s new grandson.

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Escapee

The African Queen in Outer Space

[image error]Edward Hoornaert’s romantic space opera, Escapee, continues the saga of the Dukelsky family (begun in The Guardian Angel of Farflung Station).  If you like The African Queen and the thrill of underdogs finding love while battling a hostile environment, you’ll love Escapee.

Don’t let this rousing adventure escape from you.

Amazon US  |  Canada  |  UK  |  Australia
MuseItUp Publishing
Apple iBooks
Barnes and Noble
Kobo Books

 

Outside of a dog #MFRW

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The year-long Marketing for Romance Writers blog hop is into its 30th week. For this week, the writing prompt is:

Paperback, eBook or Audio

No contest. I’m still prefer books made of real paper.  Perhaps a third of my reading is done on my Kindle, and if I take a car trip I’ll be sure to have a couple of audio books along, but the best reading is on paper rather via electrons or sound waves.

Since I  have so little to say about this topic, here is my favorite quotation about books:

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It’s usually attributed to Groucho Marx, but the Quote Investigator site suggests that it may predate Mr. Marx.

The earliest attribution to Groucho that QI has located occurred in 1974 at a museum exhibit celebrating words and reading. But the provenance of the quip can be traced further back to the 1950s. Top-notch researcher, John Baker, located the earliest known instance of this joke in an issue of Boys’ Life magazine dated 1954. In this initial appearance the quip is credited to Jim Brewer and not to Groucho Marx.

The quip appeared in a regular feature of Boys’ Life that requested readers to send in humorous material. A subset was then selected to appear in a section called “Think and Grin”. The attribution listed after the quote likely corresponds to the name and location of the individual who sent in the joke. The wording in February 1954 is permuted slightly:

A book is man’s best friend outside of a dog, and inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.—Jim Brewer, Cleveland, O.

Note that Groucho Marx was active as a comedian before 1954, and it is possible that he told the joke before this date

Now you know the rest of the story, so you can:

See pictures of my brand new grandson.
Check out the cool romance writers taking part in this blog hop.

I’m a grandpa again!

[image error][image error]I’m a grandpa again!  How can that be?  I still have a full head of hair.

Baby Logan Alexander was born yesterday morning. Seven pounds, nine ounces. Mother and child are doing well.

Three-year-old big brother’s first words on seeing his new sibling: “He’s so cute!”

I agree with that. However, like an guy who isn’t lying, I don’t see any resemblance to anyone in the family.  That’s a female thing!

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Effing Feline wants to delete pictures

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Fart-Fueled Flying Feline, Effing for short, writes the Weekend Writing Warrior / Sunday Snippet posts on Mr. V’s behalf. Click the pic for info.

I, Effing Feline, told you that the neighbors have a new kitten. A so-called cute kitten, though in truth she’s as ugly as a puppy.  Yesterday, Mrs V made things worse. When the kitten jumped onto the wall separating the yard, she took her cellphone outside to take pictures of the kitten.

This means war, little kitty.

Today, the final snippet from Secrets of Love and War. My pet human finished the first draft this week and wants a little break.

In previous snippets, we saw Cynthia help Riksid doctors deal with their violent patient, a captured human bomber pilot. As a result the alien family that adopted her assigned her to nurse the fallen pilot. Ever since Cynthia was raped at thirteen and then adopted by the Riksids, she’s had nothing to do with human males, so her first day as nurse promises to be a harrowing experience for her.

Number two on her list the doctors had given her: bathe the enemy daily. She froze. For a few heartbeats she was thirteen again, and afraid.

But she wasn’t thirteen and the enemy was doped to unconsciousness. She gathered supplies as indicated in her instructions and approached the bed. He didn’t stir as she pulled the sheet down to his waist, and he remained unconscious while she washed and dried his torso.

She stood there for long minutes, her heart pounding, as she reacquainted herself with the male of her species. He was more alien to her than any Riksid: too fleshy, too pale, and far too muscular — but his face was strangely . . . pleasing.

As she reached for the sheet covering his lower half, the direction of her thoughts made her mouth go dry.

Effing Feline here again. I’m hoping one of you can help me. I need to know how to delete kitten pictures from a cellphone.

Be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday authors.

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5 Ways to Take Control of Negative Thoughts

[image error]Today, I’m pleased as punch to hand my blog over for a second time to my son, Chris Hoornaert, who investigates what psychology has to say about another issue of importance to all writers:

Negative Thoughts

Take it away, Chris!

5 Ways to Take Control of Negative Thoughts
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Image via Pixabay

“Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future.”

―Robin Sharma

Are you a person who replays negative events in your head over and over? Are past slights, hurt feelings and disappointments on regular replay? Psychologists call this type of thinking rumination. A certain amount of deep thought is desirable when pondering life changes or reflecting upon past events. But rumination can be disruptive. It can distract us from our goals, sap our motivation, and even lead to depression.

For those of us who ruminate regularly, there is hope. We can stop the negative thoughts from taking control.

It’s normal to ruminate

First off, don’t feel ashamed about these thoughts. Our brains are simply oriented towards the negative.

One study found that children as young as three months showed a negative reaction to antisocial images (1). However, the same three-month-olds showed no measurable reaction to positive social interactions.  This suggests that we are programmed to concentrate on the negative from a very young age.

The metaphor of carrots (rewards) and sticks (punishments) helps illustrate why this is true. As psychologist Rick Hanson explains on Psychology Today, “if you don’t get a carrot today you’ll have another chance tomorrow, but if you don’t avoid that stick you’ll die and get no carrots forever” (2). And even though the dangers we face today are very different, the need to avoid the stick is ingrained deeply within us.

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Image via Pixabay

How can I fight millions of years of evolution?

Fortunately, we are not slaves to biology. There are things we can do. Science can recommend simple methods to disrupt negative thinking. Anytime we catch ourselves ruminating, we can try one of these five methods:

Researchers found that positive affirmations are effective (3). Participants who did a positive affirmation before or after a failure were less likely to replay the event in their minds. So we need to make a habit of reminding ourselves of things you do well. Or reflect on a personal value that we hold dear. If we do, future failures won’t affect us the same way.

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Positive psychology researcher Sonya Lyubomirsky suggests that we do something enjoyable to distract ourselves (4). Examples include watching a YouTube video of baby goats, listening to our favorite song or playing with our kids. Several minutes of distraction may be all it takes to disrupt the negative thought pattern.
Other research suggests we should confront our thoughts and feelings without becoming too involved or too self-critical (5). Ultimately we may need the assistance of a trained professional to do this. But it is important that we try to view our thoughts with self-compassion. If we do, we may find those thoughts aren’t really valid after all.

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Exercise for 3 to 5 minutes. The positive effect of exercise on our moods is well-documented. Jump up and down. Go for a vigorous walk. Dance like a maniac. Changing the focus from our minds to our bodies can do wonders.

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Write down negative thoughts in a journal. Putting our thoughts to paper can have a therapeutic effect. It also makes it easier to track what thoughts we are having and what might be triggering them.

Break that pattern!
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Image via Pixabay

Ruminating occasionally is normal. Nevertheless, it is important to be mindful of our thoughts. We need to stop ourselves when we dwell too much on the past. Once we become aware of what we are doing, we can take action. And when we take action, we will see results that improve our lives in both the short-term and long-term.

References

Kiley Hamlin, J., Wynn, K., & Bloom, P. (2010). Three‐month‐olds show a negativity bias in their social evaluations. Developmental science, 13(6), 923-929.
Koole, S. L., Smeets, K., Van Knippenberg, A., & Dijksterhuis, A. (1999). The cessation of rumination through self-affirmation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(1), 111.
Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). The how of happiness: A scientific approach to getting the life you want. New York: Penguin Press.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Wisco, B. E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Rethinking rumination. Perspectives on psychological science, 3(5), 400-424.
psychologytoday.com/blog/your-wise-br...

Warm fuzzies #MFRW

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I’ve been with the year-long Marketing for Romance Writers blog hop for over four months. By now, it’s become a weekly habit.  For this week, the writing prompt is:

My Favorite Holiday

I feel like I’m writing a school essay, with its concomitant predictability, but … Christmas.

Not because of the commercial aspects. Tinsel, flashing lights, presents, house decorations? Shrug. Sure, there are exceptions like presents for young children, and Christmas trees are nice, but what makes the season special are people. Cases in point:

[image error] Our first child was born a few weeks before Christmas. Bet you can’t beat that for the best-ever Christmas present.
It’s the one time of year my scattered family is (usually) together. Last year my sons in Amsterdam, Vancouver, and Toronto all flew in for Christmas. Total round trip distance traveled: 9800 miles, not counting my daughter who lives 1.5 miles away.
Soon after we were married, Judi and I taught on an isolated wilderness island halfway up the Inside Passage to Alaska. At Christmas we made the complicated, rather arduous trip to Vancouver — our first time off Gilford Island since summer. In our delight at being back in civilization, we treated ourselves to a very expensive restaurant that featured James Bond’s Aston-Martin car out front. Being together in luxury, after having no cars or television or even radio, made us feel appreciative of everything and giddy in love.
After Gilford, we taught in a somewhat less isolated school. Remembering the warm welcome other teachers gave us on our first Christmas there, we invited people without local family for a big Christmas dinner. Getting to know new people made for some of our best holidays.
And then there are the Christmases when our children were young. Judi excelled at inventing little traditions, such as the large homemade advent calendar that the kids took turns adding daily ornaments, also homemade. Driving everyone two hours to the nearest town for Christmas shopping was grueling, yet the trip back, with all six of us subdued but happy, seemed quintessentially family.
[image error] My mother was a fantastic baker. It’s no exaggeration to say it was her art form — and Christmas cookies were a specialty. Although she’s been gone for many years, I try to keep the tradition alive by baking her cookies and telling the kids about her.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day each have their own special meals and desserts. For decades, Cherry Cream Pudding tastes like Christmas. It’s something that brings us together.

Click here to check out the cool romance writers taking part in this blog hop. I’ll bet most of them write about Christmas, but maybe I’m wrong.

Effing Feline hates the neighbors

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Fart-Fueled Flying Feline, Effing for short, writes the Weekend Writing Warrior / Sunday Snippet posts on Mr. V’s behalf. Click the pic for info.

I, Effing Feline, hate the neighbors.  They used to have a tomcat too old and fat to leap over the wall into MY yard.  The only thing I hated about him was that he was an outdoor cat, while I’m a house cat, too valuable to be allowed outside in a region populated by coyotes who eat cats, with or without ketchup.

But now the neighbors have a kitten. And he’s cute. Cuter than me!

Today, another snippet from Ed’s WIP, Secrets of Love and War. The captured human bomber pilot, Norse Malstrom, fought the alien doctors, thinking they were monsters. Cynthia O’Connor, a human living on the alien world, was able to calm the heavily drugged pilot.

But she is badly shaken by the encounter, which causes a flashback of being raped when she was 13.  When the doctor approaches her afterward, she is shaking.

“. . . no longer a park for you to work at, correct?”

She’d missed something the doctor had said, but she focused on the last part. “Yes, with Peace for All Species Park destroyed, I am bereft of social meaning until my next assignment.”

“Will you do it, then?”

Summoning her strength and dignity, she rose. “The pardons of all my ancestors—I didn’t catch what you want me to do.”

“Assist my humble team care for the human pilot. Your very presence has calmed him better than the best of our psychotropics, and the temporary assignment, a pair of month at most, will loan you social meaning until your familium chooses your next permanent job.”

Nurse that violent, naked man? Cynthia couldn’t help it; she laughed hysterically, which was unpardonable even if she’d laughed in a proper Riksid flutter rather than a disgusting human honk.

Effing Feline here again. I hate the *&%$ neighbors and I hate their #^*$, *&%$ kitten! And I’ll hate you, too, if you watch the cute kitten video Ed has added below, without my consent!

Be sure to visit the other Weekend Writing Warriors and Snippet Sunday authors.

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Newborn by Edward Hoornaert – Review

A great review of Newborn just came online. Thanks, Whiskey with my Book!

Whiskey With My Book

Review by KJ Van Houten

Review of Newborn

And now for something completely different! For some reason, the word ‘romp’ comes to mind after I read Newborn. The dictionary defines romp as “a spell of rough, energetic play” and yeah, that sort of fits! If you’ve read any of the other books in the Alien Contact for Idiots universe, you’ll know what I mean. And if you have not read at least the first book is that series, you will find some spoilers here.

When I first picked up Newborn, I didn’t realize it was part of the Alien Contact for Idiots series. As I was reading, I kept seeing names for people and places and thinking, why do these sound familiar when I know I haven’t read this book! It finally struck me, doh! While Newborn can be read standalone, there is definitely some background that will…

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Teaching the ABCs? #MFRW

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I’ve been with the year-long Marketing for Romance Writers blog hop for over four months. By now, it’s become a weekly habit.  For this week, the writing prompt is:

Life Lessons in My Books

Good grief, where do I start?

First off, let me say that I used to be a teacher, but I quit.  Second, I write entertainment, not ‘capital L’ Literature. In other words, I don’t try to teach lessons.

Nonetheless, my books are always about an underlying issue. Sometimes I discover what that issue is as I write.  Often I’m not sure until after the book’s over.

But even thought a book might deal with an issue, I don’t consciously teach a life lesson: I ask questions, instead. Samuel Goldwyn said, and I agree, “If you’ve got a message, send a telegram.”  

That said, here are the underlying questions from some of my books:

The Trial of Tompa Lee — How does herd mentality interfere with justice?
The Tribulations of Tompa Lee — How can you trust after a life of disappointments?
The Triumph of Tompa Lee — What might make a woman a so-called ‘goddess’?
The Midas Rush — Can terrorism ever be justified?
Alien Contact for Idiots — What might real alien contact be like?
Alien Contact for Kid Sisters — What if aboriginal Americans had dominated the continent?
The Guardian Angel of Farflung Station — Can goodness, rather than expediency, overcome evil?
Newborn — What is the essence of humanity?

Click here to check out the cool romance writers taking part in this blog hop.  I’m sure you can learn a thing or three from them.