Kathryn Magendie's Blog: Lonely Woman's Guide to the Galaxy, page 32

Conversationus Interruptus . . .Living with this writer & her weirdness . . .

Picture it: Summer, 2010, a pleasant afternoon. A man and woman, husband and wife as it turns out to be, are sitting on the couch, watching television. The man watches the images. The woman seems to be doing so, but if one were to come closer . . . closer . . . one would see a glaze to the eyes, an inward glossiness, a far and away deepness. But, if not upon close inspection, there is simply a husband and wife watching television. And so it goes thusly:

During a commercial, GMR says: ". . ...

The Story of Mr. Shitter's Skull (and how GMR lives with a life of weirdness)

While walking the dogs in the cove one day without GMR, I passed a pile of leaves with something white sticking out. I backtracked and kicked at the leaves, and there among them was—A Skull! Wow! Without hesitation (that hesitation is what normal people feel, I guess, in these situations), I picked up a stick and poked it through the eye holes and continued my walk. All the while, humming away, la tee dah. If anyone looked out of their window, they'd see a grinning wild-haired woman (because ...

Wieners Experiment (& the weirdness that is my house)

I use cheap chicken wieners to train our dogs. For example, when out for a walk, I carry slices of wieners and when we pass other dogs, especially little dogs, I give Big Dog Jake a slice, unless he acts out and then he gets a No! Little Psycho Girl Maggie gets a slice, too, because she now expects it when we pass those dogs *laugh* Big Dog Jake gets all huffy if a little dog lunges at him and since he is HUGE and has BIG FAT TEETH and doesn't realize his own strength and ferocity of those...

Turning your manuscript on its head and shaking it to see what falls out

If I were to place here the original Virginia Kate document, you would not recognize our girl. The words you read may be nice, and you may even say, "Hey, I like that woman." But, it would not be Virginia Kate.


The very first paragraph of the original document is thus:

Beginnings and endings, sometimes the line between them is blurred. I am feeling lazy, lying in bed watching the wind blow the gauzy curtains in a languid waltz. I listen to the surf roar out my name, daring me to swim against...

Zumba--in the Community of a Whole

GMR and I go to the gym twice a week—Waynesville Recreational Center. Those two days are our "long workout" days. Most times, we'll walk the dogs first, and that could be anywhere up to forty minutes of walking. Then we head off to the gym where I'll jump on the treadmill for a jog of 2 – 3 miles, then some light weights, and then some yoga. GMR does this thing in the weight room, treadmill, or whatever.


Then, we head off to Zumba class. It's this low-impact class—the one we take is anyway...

Behind the Wizard's Curtain

Cowardly Lion: I *do* believe in spooks, I *do* believe in spooks. I do, I do, I do, I *do* believe in spooks, I *do* believe in spooks, I do, I do, I do, I *do*!
Wicked Witch of the West: Ah! You'll believe in more than that before I'm finished with you.


In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy and Friends quake and quiver and stare in respectful awe at The Great Wizard. The curtain hasn't yet been thrown back to show the little old man who hides behind a great fiery bravado.

Dorothy: It really was no...

The Writing Life: Making Choices One Step at a Time

I did a funny thing at some point in this writing life. I can't go into details because, well, I just can't. But, it seems that instead of going after something that may have meant "more prestige(in some people's eyes)" and "bragging rights" I instead chose the other thing.


I thought and thought on The Bigger Thing and the more I thought of it, the more strange I felt about it. But, when I would consider "the other thing" I felt an ease come over me. Well, there was my answer—except it isn't...

Bustin' a Gut Laughing with friends & writing writing writing because I can

Lawd; how behind I am in visiting everyone. While at the beach, I only checked my email a few times here and there, and I may have "tweeted" once, and "Facebooked" once. The only real work I did was to read the printed out copy of the novella due to Bellebooks this month and mark areas that needed work.


Yeah, I'm nuts! *laughing* - Yes, I have the Sweetie novel due to the publishers this month, too. So why did I agree to write a novella, too? *shrug* because I was asked? because I can...

I'm Home from Mexico Beach, Florida

I'm home from my brother's beach wedding; and from my extra few days stay at Mexico Beach, Florida. I can't tell you how long its been since I visited Florida.

And, even better - Angie Gumbo Writer was able to go, too! Then, as a surprise, her twin sister came on Thursday! We're "The Tripletts" - me separated at birth *laughing*

We had such a good time - lots of laughs, coffee, naps; and as well, Captain Allen, from whom we rented our little cottage, took us out on his boat. We saw dolphins...

Beach Wedding I go go

Soon I'll be heading down to Florida for my brother Johnny's beach wedding. I've never been to a beach wedding, so this will be a nice experience. I have a cool summer dress, and barely there sandals (or bare feet! Those who know me know I look for any excuse to take off my shoes and go barefoot!).


I've asked Angie Gumbo Writer if she wants to meet me there - she needs some time away. She's trying to get her schedule fixed so perhaps she can and so we can find a place we hope overlooks the wat...