Patti O'Shea's Blog, page 200
June 3, 2010
The Kiribati Revelation
I've been to Kiribati. I just found that out over the weekend.
I did know I'd been to Fanning Island. I was just unaware that Fanning Island belonged to the country of Kiribati. Next time I'll have to check my passport more closely and see who stamps it. :-)
It's actually kind of sad. Because I work for an airline, my geography skills are pretty strong. It's all self-taught, too. When I was in school, they quit teaching geography when I was in the second grade. That isn't enough time to...
I did know I'd been to Fanning Island. I was just unaware that Fanning Island belonged to the country of Kiribati. Next time I'll have to check my passport more closely and see who stamps it. :-)
It's actually kind of sad. Because I work for an airline, my geography skills are pretty strong. It's all self-taught, too. When I was in school, they quit teaching geography when I was in the second grade. That isn't enough time to...
June 1, 2010
Adventures With Glasses
Friday, May 14th at 6:10 am, I'm cleaning my glasses at the Evil Day Job (EDJ), when tragedy struck. My glasses broke at the solder point between the bridge and the rim around the lens. The thing that's ironic is just two days earlier, I'd been talking to my parents about picking up some new glasses, but earlier that Friday morning, I'd decided I didn't feel like going shopping on Saturday and maybe I'd wait until the next week. That decision was taken out of my hands.
But now I have a prob...
But now I have a prob...
May 30, 2010
Memorial Day
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Take a moment to remember those who've given their lives to keep this country safe, please. Thank you to the soldiers, past and present, who fought for the US.
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Take a moment to remember those who've given their lives to keep this country safe, please. Thank you to the soldiers, past and present, who fought for the US.
May 27, 2010
Living With a Troll
I woke up Wednesday morning with Troll on my mind. He's the hero in The Troll Bridge from The Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance.
Yes, I'm going to riff about characters again. They're why I write and I live with them in my head for months and not just the months while I'm writing their story. They come in before that, spend time telling me who they are and letting me see who they are, and they're with me while I write their proposal. They stick with me while I wait to find out if their s...
Yes, I'm going to riff about characters again. They're why I write and I live with them in my head for months and not just the months while I'm writing their story. They come in before that, spend time telling me who they are and letting me see who they are, and they're with me while I write their proposal. They stick with me while I wait to find out if their s...
May 25, 2010
The Proposal In Progress
Sunday in the late afternoon, I finally finished the rough draft of my proposal chapters for the latest Work In Progress(WIP). I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever reach this point, especially after my heroine was determined to hide her personality from me. I wrote and rewrote her first scene again and again trying to find her.
The work isn't done yet, though. I have to revise and polish this opening and get the three chapters all bright and shiny. I have to write a synopsis where I lay o...
The work isn't done yet, though. I have to revise and polish this opening and get the three chapters all bright and shiny. I have to write a synopsis where I lay o...
May 23, 2010
Sharing My Pretties
I can't believe how beautiful my peonies are this year, especially since these plants just went in the ground last spring. I'm like a kid on Christmas morning and I get so excited whenever I go out and look at my flowers. I want to share some of the awesomeness with y'all.
This is what the coral peonies looked like on Friday afternoon.
And here's what they look like today.
Group shot and yes, that is a creamy yellow peony in with the coral.
Coral flower
Close up on the coral
Double coral
Coral...
This is what the coral peonies looked like on Friday afternoon.
And here's what they look like today.
Group shot and yes, that is a creamy yellow peony in with the coral.
Coral flower
Close up on the coral
Double coral
Coral...
May 20, 2010
Listening To My Own Books
Just like I reread my books to visit with my characters, I also listen to my stories on audio (Through a Crimson Veil and Shards of Crimson) for the same reason.
When I write, I hear a lot more often than I actually see anything. It's always been like this and maybe this is why it's so hard for me to listen to my books. Nothing against the narrator, but when they read, they don't have the same cadence/rhythm/intonation as my characters do when they talk.
It throws me off every time.
I can hear...
When I write, I hear a lot more often than I actually see anything. It's always been like this and maybe this is why it's so hard for me to listen to my books. Nothing against the narrator, but when they read, they don't have the same cadence/rhythm/intonation as my characters do when they talk.
It throws me off every time.
I can hear...
May 18, 2010
In Search Of a Personality
Characters come in my head, talk to me, let me get to know them, and I write their stories. They're not always cooperative. I've had them lie to me, refuse to talk, stonewall me, and a bunch of other maneuvers, but I've always gotten around them. I've never had a character hold back their personality--until the Work In Progress (WIP).
The book opens in the hero's Point of View (POV) and he didn't give me any problems, but my heroine! I wrote and rewrote her scene over and over and over and...
The book opens in the hero's Point of View (POV) and he didn't give me any problems, but my heroine! I wrote and rewrote her scene over and over and over and...
May 16, 2010
Mother Nature's Surprise
Last year, I planted peonies. I'd had a tree peony before this, but no regular herbaceous peonies. They're beautiful flowers and my mom has gorgeous plants which have left me spoiled. We tried to split hers, but my dad and I both chickened out because we didn't know what we were doing. Instead, I went to a garden center and bought some. This year, I'm going to have some flowers.
This is the first one to bloom. It's a bit redder than it appears in the picture, but the flowers are absolute...
This is the first one to bloom. It's a bit redder than it appears in the picture, but the flowers are absolute...
May 13, 2010
Finding People Like Me
One of the really nice thing about the online community is finding like-minded individuals to hang out with. I've always been a voracious reader--I'm betting I averaged 20-25 books a month there for a while--and finding people who read like I did was impossible. No one I knew read that much. In fact, I hardly knew anyone who even read romance. And To Be Read (TBR) piles? Forget about it. I thought I was some kind of mutant freak and I never told anyone I had about a dozen books piled on ...
