Isabel Roman's Blog, page 49

Quotes of the day

On a random internet search I discovered Happy Quotes. My favorite is the first one, the others are in no particular order:

The Constitution only guarantees the American people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.
Benjamin Franklin
It's not what you've got, it's what you use that makes a difference.
Zig Ziglar

You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.
Zig Ziglar

Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today.
Mark Twain

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
Mark Twain

You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation.
Bette Davis

The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.
Richard Bach

Be happy. It's one way of being wise. - Sidonie Gabrielle

You just have to do your own thing, no matter what anyone says. It's your life. - Ethan Embry

So many books

So little time. Between work, writing, sleeping, and every other thing I do in my life, it's hard to find the time to read. I have a book on my nightstand and an audio in my car...and THREE on my MP3 player. How's one to keep up?

Saturday Excerpt

Susan Macatee will be posting an excerpt from one of her fantastic Civil War stories,

Stop by Slip into Something Victorian for a look-see!

Synopsis-ugh

Last week (or possibly early this week I forget) I was on Twitter (not so shocking) and saw a post on what a editor looks for in a synopsis. I usually click on these, just to see if there's anything I don't already know about the whole tedious process.
In fact, I made a t-shirt that says it all.

But here are three sites that offer good advice on how to get through it without A. Drinking (or drinking too much; drinking is perfectly acceptable) B. Developing a headache the size of Alaska, or C. Chucking the whole thing and ignoring that rather important part of the submission process.

Up first is from Arch Editing only because it's how I got the other 2 sites.

Writing an Synopsis? The Information you Need Before you Begin.
Then we haveNathan Bransford's How to Write a Synopsis
And Marg Gilks's How to Write a Synopsis

And if you really need soe additional help, try Vivian Beck's 5 Steps To Writing A Synopsis

All things being equal, reading this would automatically help in writing the synopsis to the absolutete best of your ability and it would be a perfect and polished masterpiece.

I'll stop laughing now.

But it'll help get those specific points in and help them come across in a better way to catch that certain some one's eye.

So you want to be a dog

This is from a forward a friend sent me. If you have a dog, you know exactly what this is talking about. If you don't, or rather have never, then feel free to skip over this. I probabaly wouldn't have got several of these pre-puppy, either.
TEN PEEVES THAT DOGS HAVE ABOUT HUMANS 
 1.  
Blaming your farts on me.....
not funny... not funny at all !!!
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2. 
Yelling at me for barking.
I'M A FRIGGIN' DOG
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3. 
Taking me for a walk, then
not letting me check stuff out.
Exactly whose walk is this anyway? 

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4.
Any trick that involves balancing
food on my nose.  Stop it!
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5.
Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons.
Now you know why we chew your stuff
up when you ' re not home. 

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6.
The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw.
You fooled a dog!  Whoooo Hoooooooo what
a proud moment for the top of the food chain.   

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7.
Taking me to the vet for ' the big snip ' , then acting
surprised when I freak out every time we go back! 

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8.
Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. 
Sorry, but I haven't quite mastered that handshake thing yet. 

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9.
Dog sweaters.  Hello ???
Haven't you noticed the fur?
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10.
How you act disgusted when I lick myself.
Look, we both know the truth.  You're just jealous.
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Now lay off me on some of these things.
We both know who's boss here!
You don't see me picking up your poop, do you?

EVERY DOG HAS HIS DAY.
 
A DOG ALWAYS OFFERS UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. 

CATS HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IT! 

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Wednesday Reviews: King's Speech

Let's face it, I love and adore Colin Firth. So of course I was going to see The King's Speech. I've seen everything else he's in (including the utterly humorous St. Trinian's and the truly horrible What a Girl Wants .)
This movie did not disappoint, despite my high hopes for Colin Firth and an historical setting. *le sigh* OK, so I may be biased given my Colin love...just a bit. But let's face it, he rocked in this roll. You can see the growth from the quiet Bertie to the King who doesn't stutter when addressing his people on the eve of World War 2. Not many actors can play a roll with only facial expressions (I'm talking the classics like Cary Grant etc.) but Colin always pulls it off.
Geoffrey Rush was, as always, superb. If there's a part he can't play, I've yet to see it. And the same equitable and long suffering qualities you see in pretty much everything he plays (including Barbosa) can be found here. I found it ironic that Jennifer Ehle (Elizabeth Bennett in BBC's Pride and Prejudice) was Myrtle Logue, Rush's character's wife.
(Am wondering if they cast that specifically. I've noticed that several Colin Firth films have either copious references to Mr. Darcy like St. Trinian's or that somehow the writers/directors/actors manage to get a dig in at some movie he did.)
Helen Bonham Carter...she's an actress that has a diverse acting background yet I found to be a perfectly wonderful addition as the roll of the Queen Mum. Granted, I can't picture her as the adorable 101 year old woman with the Corgis in perfectly matching hat, coat, shoes, and white gloves shaking hands with everyone and always with a smile on her face, but as a younger woman, yup. Totally there. Of course, this wasn't about her, and it's a shame she's more background character than anything but the story is about Bertie and Lionel and the friendship there.
Guy Pearce...I kept thinking he looked familiar, that I'd seen him in something. According to IMDB, only this. But I did discover he played Errol Flynn in Flynn . And I'd never heard of the movie let alone seen it. I suspect it'll be bad and a huge disappointment, and filled with half-truths from that biography I read years ago that I can't remember the title of but was subsequently debunked. Alas, if I can sit through What a Girl Wants, I can sit through this. Cause it's about Errol Flynn!
Lots of familiar themes like friendship over class boundaries and the power of other's beliefs in you. But it's a classic for a reason, and that reason is that we all enjoy happy endings, whether it's good over evil or personal triumph over some sort of adversity.

Tuesday Comings and Goings

I posted a little thing on Slip into Something Victorian about research books and website for the Victorian Era. Literally a list of things I find helpful and I hope these help someone else, too!

Monday Musings

I have girl scout cookies, a new dishwasher, a finished book, and a weekend off from writing. Life is good.
I know I have lots to do on the next book, I know I need to update the blog, the facebook page, the twitter feed, and yes even jump in and figure out that darn website and out to update that. And yes, I'll get to all that eventually.

But for today, I'm going to lounge on the couch and watch a little TV with the dog. I'm going to enjoy the moment and not pop up to write a few hundred words after work and dinner and before I crash. This week my brain will rest. My muse will recharge, and those pesky voices in my head will be silent.

If only for a little while. ;)

Saturday Excerpt

Have you checked out Slip into Something Victorian for our weekly excerpt? No? What are you waiting for? Bunch of authors, different books every week, giveaways! What more do you need?

This week Denise Eagan will be posting. Check her out. She's worth it!

Finished!

And it's a sweet sweet feeling.

Those last 8 chapters were a pain to edit, but they're done! Will be sending it out first thing Monday morning. WOOT!