Jennifer Shirk's Blog, page 25
June 22, 2012
Friday Food Favorites #13!
It's Friday. It's hot. And I'm heading to the beach this afternoon. So I'll make this short and sweet since I want to get a little editing done this morning.
If you haven't already noticed this, I'll mention it now.
Besides being a reader, I'm a foodie.
As a result my Friday Favorites tend to revolve around...FOOD. :-)
Well, I found this Friday Favorite a few weeks ago and have been hooked ever since. It's a bean dip. I usually make my own. But the last time I was at my favorite health food market, they had samples out of this stuff and I practically made myself lunch there!
(Yes, I never pass up free samples)
Once I tried Bobbi's Black Bean dip I was hooked! Then I tried their garlic hummus, their Kalamata olive hummus and their Tuscan white bean dip and have loved them all!
No junk in these dips either. Just beans, soybean oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
All-natural, gluten-free, vegan, kosher with no trans-fat or cholesterol. What more do you want? Oh, it tastes fantastic!!
I love to come back from the beach, take one of these dips out and serve it with pita chips and veggies just to hold us over until I can get dinner ready. It's my favorite snack.
It's now available at Acme and Shop Rite supermarkets as well as Whole Foods and Sam's Club.
You can like them on Facebook.
And no I'm not getting any endorsement deals out of my pimping. (I wish!) Just the satisfaction of spreading the good word on good food. LOL
Have a great weekend!
Do you like bean dips and hummus? What's your favorite kind of appetizer to serve at home?
If you haven't already noticed this, I'll mention it now.
Besides being a reader, I'm a foodie.
As a result my Friday Favorites tend to revolve around...FOOD. :-)
Well, I found this Friday Favorite a few weeks ago and have been hooked ever since. It's a bean dip. I usually make my own. But the last time I was at my favorite health food market, they had samples out of this stuff and I practically made myself lunch there!
(Yes, I never pass up free samples)
Once I tried Bobbi's Black Bean dip I was hooked! Then I tried their garlic hummus, their Kalamata olive hummus and their Tuscan white bean dip and have loved them all!No junk in these dips either. Just beans, soybean oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
All-natural, gluten-free, vegan, kosher with no trans-fat or cholesterol. What more do you want? Oh, it tastes fantastic!!
I love to come back from the beach, take one of these dips out and serve it with pita chips and veggies just to hold us over until I can get dinner ready. It's my favorite snack.
It's now available at Acme and Shop Rite supermarkets as well as Whole Foods and Sam's Club.
You can like them on Facebook.
And no I'm not getting any endorsement deals out of my pimping. (I wish!) Just the satisfaction of spreading the good word on good food. LOL
Have a great weekend!
Do you like bean dips and hummus? What's your favorite kind of appetizer to serve at home?
June 18, 2012
Goodbye to Avalon Books, Hello Amazon
Happy Monday, all!Well, in case you're late in hearing the news, my publisher Avalon Books (which pubbed Georgie on His Mind and Sunny Days for Sam) has been bought out by... Amazon. Eeep.
What does this mean for me?
Well... I'm not sure. :)
Right now there seems to be a "freeze" on my newest book, Sunny Days for Sam . So I have to wait and see what happens next.
But here are some things I DO know:
Will my book(s) still exist in print?
Yes. Amazon Publishing wants to give readers the choice on format—print or digital. Their plan is to continue to make Avalon Books titles available in print, either through inventory acquired from Avalon or via our print-on-demand program.What will be the imprint?
Going forward, Avalon Books’ romance titles will be published under our Montlake Romance list; they will continue to acknowledge Avalon Books in the front of each book they publish.
Will my books be available in other bookstores and libraries? Their goal is to make my books available at a wide range of libraries and retailers, and they do business with the numerous wholesalers that support these channels. What are the plans for Avalon Books as eBooks? They are in the process of digitizing Avalon Books with digital rights in the contract. These books will be made available throughout the Kindle ecosystem which includes all Kindle devices and via Kindle reading apps on iPad, iPhone, Android devices, Mac, and PC later this year.One positive thing to come out of this transition will be the availability of my books in digital format. Yay! That was something I've been begging for since the uprise of ebooks a few years ago.
Avalon's hardcover books are lovely, but priced at almost $24 a book, it cannot compete with the $2.99 and under ebooks so readily available to so many Kindle and Nook owners. So it will be nice to finally be a part of that market again.
But it does kind of sadden me to say goodbye to Avalon. I worked with some lovely and talented editors there, and the company itself was very good to me. One of the things that first attracted me to them was the wholesome, family-oriented stories they always put out for the library market.
Publishing changes are bound to happen and when they do, you have to roll with it and embrace the unknown. It's so funny to look back and where I started and where things are in now in just a short five years and see how many of my initial goals on publishing have changed.
I can't say publishing has ever been a boring ride. :-)
How about you? Have you heard about the whole Amazon buyout that went on?
If you're a writer, have your publishing goals changed? Did you ever think you'd be more concerned about the ebook market than print market (like me)? :-)
June 15, 2012
Summer Vacation is On!
Summer vacation has started. Thus, there will be no blog post from me today. :-)
Took a long bike ride with the kiddo yesterday and had frozen yogurt sundaes for lunch.
Now that's good living... LOL
Now, we have friends in town who will be stopping by for lunch, so I'm off to shop and prepare.
Will try to swing by some blogs later or maybe this weekend.
If not, see ya Monday!
Took a long bike ride with the kiddo yesterday and had frozen yogurt sundaes for lunch.
Now that's good living... LOL
Now, we have friends in town who will be stopping by for lunch, so I'm off to shop and prepare.
Will try to swing by some blogs later or maybe this weekend.
If not, see ya Monday!
June 11, 2012
"Know Before You Sign" ~Tamara Hart Heiner
Happy Monday, all! Tamara Hart Heiner is here with me today!
She is the YA author of Perilous and she has book two of that series out now called
Altercation
!
I'm one of her stops on her fun blog tour that's going on right now.
So I asked her to come by and talk about writing and contracts.
Take it away, Tamara!
Know Before You Sign
With the release of ALTERCATION, my second book from the same company,
I've been reflecting a lot on publishing contracts. The first time I
signed one, I got lucky that the company I signed with (WiDo) was an honest company and not about to do me dirty. That's good, because I knew nothing about contracts. I didn't know what to avoid, what to look out for, and what to make sure it included. I've learned a lot since then.
When you're a debut author and you get that contract offer, often it's so exciting that you sign without a second thought. STOP. Take a moment and think. This is a decision that will affect you forever.
And there are things you need to do.
1) Make sure this is your best offer. If you have other submissions out, contact the other agents/companies and let them know you have an offer. Give them the chance to compete for you.
Now that you've chosen a company, look your contract over. Some things to look for:
2) An expected release date. Make sure the publisher specifies an expected time period for editing and revisions, and when you can expect to be done. You don't want them to sit on your book for years without doing anything, keeping the rights and not letting you do anything with it. If they don't hold up that time frame, you get your rights back.
3) Your responsibilities. The contract should outline quite clearly what is expected of you. Deadlines, revisions, editing, etc. You have to hold up your end of the bargain, also.
4) Assigned rights. Some publisher only wants print rights. Other want the whole shebang, from print to digital to film. Whatever it is, just make sure you're aware.
5) Author name. The contract should state what name will appear on your cover. Make sure this is the name you want. If you plan on using a pseudonym, now would be the moment to bring it up. While not likely, there's always the possibility your publisher won't approve it at press time otherwise.
6) Royalties. Hugely important! Royalties need to be specified for all forms of release, from ebook to mass trade paperback. The contract should also specify at what point, if any, royalties increase. It should tell you when payments are sent, as well.
7) Advance. If there is to be an advance, get it in writing. The contract should also state how many books (or how much money) you need to sell to hit your advance, or how many books before you start earning royalties.
8) Right to audit. Of course you have the right to check up on your publisher and make sure you are actually selling the number of books they are paying you for. I imagine that even if the contract didn't mention a right to audit, you would still have that right. But it's always better to get it in writing.
9) Free copies and ARCs. Know ahead of time how many books the publisher will give you and provide for advance readers. The contract should also state your author price for purchasing more books.
10) Breach of contract. Along with your responsibilities, the contract should also outline the consequences if you (or them) default on your part of the bargain.
11) Return of rights. The contract should state when, if ever, you get your rights back to your works. This could be after a few years with no sales or if the publishing company goes out of business or both. Whatever the terms, make sure you are comfortable with them.
With all of these contract terms, you have OPTIONS. Be happy with what you choose.
Oh, and one more note of caution. While most contracts don't specifically say that sharing details is a breach of contract, I have heard of authors being let go of for sharing details. So stay on the safe side. Keep your contract private.
Happy writing!
GREAT advice. I know from personal experience you can get swept up and excited from the very first offer. Authors have lots of options now, so don't settle. :)
Don't forget to check out Tamara's new book Altercation ! Available thru Amazon in ebook and paperback.
The FBI promises Jacinta Rivera and her friends that they are
safe. Jaci wants desperately to believe them but weeks of hiding from their kidnapper, alias "The Hand", have left her wary. Hidden from the public eye in an FBI safe house, Jaci must reconcile both the mysterious disappearance of her father and the murder of her best friend.
A betrayal lands Jaci back in the grasp of The Hand, shattering her ability to trust and leaving her to wonder if she will ever piece together her broken life.
Lots of prizes going on now on her tour:
EVERY DAY she will randomly select one person who made a comment on that day's blog.
The winner will then get to decide if they would like an
ebook copy of PERILOUS or ALTERCATION.
(There must be AT LEAST ten comments on that day for her to do the giveaway)
But if that's not enough, leaving a comment also gets you entered into the PRIZE DRAWINGS. This won't be random; it's cumulative. Every comment you leave counts as 1 point. If you are a follower on my blog, you get 1
point. Every time you tweet or share on Facebook about the tour, it's one
point. She'll even add it up for you; just include her in on the tweet
@tamaraheiner or on Facebook @tamarahartheiner (unless you don't trust her
math, and then feel free to tally it up and send it to her). :)
THIRD PRIZE: 50-page critique of something of your choice (if you're not a
writer, a $5 amazon.com gift card)
SECOND PRIZE: lot of five YA books
FIRST PRIZE: $20 gift card to Amazon.com
**For more info on her tour, check out her BLOG here.
Thanks so much, Tamara!
She is the YA author of Perilous and she has book two of that series out now called
Altercation
!I'm one of her stops on her fun blog tour that's going on right now.
So I asked her to come by and talk about writing and contracts.
Take it away, Tamara!
Know Before You Sign
With the release of ALTERCATION, my second book from the same company,
I've been reflecting a lot on publishing contracts. The first time I
signed one, I got lucky that the company I signed with (WiDo) was an honest company and not about to do me dirty. That's good, because I knew nothing about contracts. I didn't know what to avoid, what to look out for, and what to make sure it included. I've learned a lot since then.
When you're a debut author and you get that contract offer, often it's so exciting that you sign without a second thought. STOP. Take a moment and think. This is a decision that will affect you forever.
And there are things you need to do.
1) Make sure this is your best offer. If you have other submissions out, contact the other agents/companies and let them know you have an offer. Give them the chance to compete for you.
Now that you've chosen a company, look your contract over. Some things to look for:
2) An expected release date. Make sure the publisher specifies an expected time period for editing and revisions, and when you can expect to be done. You don't want them to sit on your book for years without doing anything, keeping the rights and not letting you do anything with it. If they don't hold up that time frame, you get your rights back.
3) Your responsibilities. The contract should outline quite clearly what is expected of you. Deadlines, revisions, editing, etc. You have to hold up your end of the bargain, also.
4) Assigned rights. Some publisher only wants print rights. Other want the whole shebang, from print to digital to film. Whatever it is, just make sure you're aware.
5) Author name. The contract should state what name will appear on your cover. Make sure this is the name you want. If you plan on using a pseudonym, now would be the moment to bring it up. While not likely, there's always the possibility your publisher won't approve it at press time otherwise.
6) Royalties. Hugely important! Royalties need to be specified for all forms of release, from ebook to mass trade paperback. The contract should also specify at what point, if any, royalties increase. It should tell you when payments are sent, as well.
7) Advance. If there is to be an advance, get it in writing. The contract should also state how many books (or how much money) you need to sell to hit your advance, or how many books before you start earning royalties.
8) Right to audit. Of course you have the right to check up on your publisher and make sure you are actually selling the number of books they are paying you for. I imagine that even if the contract didn't mention a right to audit, you would still have that right. But it's always better to get it in writing.
9) Free copies and ARCs. Know ahead of time how many books the publisher will give you and provide for advance readers. The contract should also state your author price for purchasing more books.
10) Breach of contract. Along with your responsibilities, the contract should also outline the consequences if you (or them) default on your part of the bargain.
11) Return of rights. The contract should state when, if ever, you get your rights back to your works. This could be after a few years with no sales or if the publishing company goes out of business or both. Whatever the terms, make sure you are comfortable with them.
With all of these contract terms, you have OPTIONS. Be happy with what you choose.
Oh, and one more note of caution. While most contracts don't specifically say that sharing details is a breach of contract, I have heard of authors being let go of for sharing details. So stay on the safe side. Keep your contract private.
Happy writing!
GREAT advice. I know from personal experience you can get swept up and excited from the very first offer. Authors have lots of options now, so don't settle. :)
Don't forget to check out Tamara's new book Altercation ! Available thru Amazon in ebook and paperback.
.jpg)
The FBI promises Jacinta Rivera and her friends that they are
safe. Jaci wants desperately to believe them but weeks of hiding from their kidnapper, alias "The Hand", have left her wary. Hidden from the public eye in an FBI safe house, Jaci must reconcile both the mysterious disappearance of her father and the murder of her best friend.
A betrayal lands Jaci back in the grasp of The Hand, shattering her ability to trust and leaving her to wonder if she will ever piece together her broken life.
Lots of prizes going on now on her tour:
EVERY DAY she will randomly select one person who made a comment on that day's blog.
The winner will then get to decide if they would like an
ebook copy of PERILOUS or ALTERCATION.
(There must be AT LEAST ten comments on that day for her to do the giveaway)
But if that's not enough, leaving a comment also gets you entered into the PRIZE DRAWINGS. This won't be random; it's cumulative. Every comment you leave counts as 1 point. If you are a follower on my blog, you get 1
point. Every time you tweet or share on Facebook about the tour, it's one
point. She'll even add it up for you; just include her in on the tweet
@tamaraheiner or on Facebook @tamarahartheiner (unless you don't trust her
math, and then feel free to tally it up and send it to her). :)
THIRD PRIZE: 50-page critique of something of your choice (if you're not a
writer, a $5 amazon.com gift card)
SECOND PRIZE: lot of five YA books
FIRST PRIZE: $20 gift card to Amazon.com
**For more info on her tour, check out her BLOG here.
Thanks so much, Tamara!
June 8, 2012
Dear Julia Launch Wave - Stop Six
It’s launch day for my friend, Rae Summers’ new historical novella,
Dear Julia!
To celebrate she’s having a Launch Wave of excerpts! You can keep up with the wave’s progress on the Twitter hashtag #DearJulia. If you enjoy the story, feel free to tweet your comments and chat to other wave surfers.
By clicking on the links below each excerpt, you’ll be able to follow the wave across 8 blogs to read the entire first chapter - or you can click on the buy links below to get your own copy! * * *
Dear Julia is set in the English countryside in the early 1920s, and is part of the Love Letters series from The Wild Rose Press.
Read the opening extract here.
Extract Six
I remember Julia Fortescue well, Aunt Frances wrote. A pretty girl, but flighty, with dozens of suitors to choose from.
No wonder Mrs. Wallace and the vicar thought she resembled Julia. She’d been accused of being flighty often enough. Usually by people who didn’t know her well enough to have met her stubborn streak.
I remember she surprised us all by settling for a rather serious young man she’d grown up with. Can’t remember his name, but he was in the navy. That was before the Great War and seems so terribly long ago now.
Then her aunt moved on to more current news; parties and fashion advice, and the scandalous gossip that Frances had seen the Prince of Wales out dining with Freda Ward. With my very own eyes! In public, and she a married woman with two children!!
Rosalie set the letter down and stared unseeing at the garden before her.
So Julia had been betrothed to a local Somerset man. A marriage that clearly hadn’t happened, if she’d ended up married to an American not many years later. Had the war intervened, as it had for far too many?
No. Rosalie shook her head. He had survived the war, of that she was certain. She knew without a doubt now who that mysterious “he” was. All she needed was a name. And the answer to the burning question of why Julia hadn’t, after all, married the man she’d grown up with.
Rosalie popped her head into her father’s study. “I’m off to the Women’s Institute meeting. Is there anything I can get for you from the village?”
He looked up from his newfangled typewriter. “No, thanks, love. Do take care.”
Rosalie laughed. “You are aware that we are now in the depths of the country? What harm could possibly come to me here?”
His blue eyes, mirrors of hers, twinkled. “I meant that you should take care not to disturb the peace of the village too much.”
“Really, Father, I don’t create disturbances! Between you and Anna, you make me out to be the most tiresome, meddling person. You know I’m not. I just want to help people.”
His eyes softened. “I know you have the best intentions, love, but you’re also as single-minded as a bloodhound with your nose to the scent.”
She could hardly deny it, since cracking the mystery of the letter had been at the forefront of her thoughts all week. She laughed instead. “Don’t work too hard, and try to get outdoors for a little. This sunshine isn’t going to last forever.”
Before she shut the door he’d already returned to tapping at the typewriter keys.
* * *For the next instalment, click here to go to the blog of Suzanne Jones, short story writer extraordinaire and one of the Minxes of Romance.
Here is the full list of participating blogs:
Stop 1 – Minxes of Romance
Stop 2 – Sally Clements
Stop 3 – Rachel Bailey
Stop 4 – Scarlet Wilson
Stop 5 – Olivia Miles
Stop 6 – Me :)
Stop 7 – Suzanne Jones
Stop 8 – Romy Sommer
Dear Julia is on sale through Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes &Noble, AllRomance eBooks, and The Wild Rose Press. You can find out more about this novella here - and don’t forget to tweet your feedback using the hashtag #DearJulia.
Thanks! And I hope you get a chance to check out her book!Have a great weekend!
To celebrate she’s having a Launch Wave of excerpts! You can keep up with the wave’s progress on the Twitter hashtag #DearJulia. If you enjoy the story, feel free to tweet your comments and chat to other wave surfers.
By clicking on the links below each excerpt, you’ll be able to follow the wave across 8 blogs to read the entire first chapter - or you can click on the buy links below to get your own copy! * * *
Dear Julia is set in the English countryside in the early 1920s, and is part of the Love Letters series from The Wild Rose Press.Read the opening extract here.
Extract Six
I remember Julia Fortescue well, Aunt Frances wrote. A pretty girl, but flighty, with dozens of suitors to choose from.
No wonder Mrs. Wallace and the vicar thought she resembled Julia. She’d been accused of being flighty often enough. Usually by people who didn’t know her well enough to have met her stubborn streak.
I remember she surprised us all by settling for a rather serious young man she’d grown up with. Can’t remember his name, but he was in the navy. That was before the Great War and seems so terribly long ago now.
Then her aunt moved on to more current news; parties and fashion advice, and the scandalous gossip that Frances had seen the Prince of Wales out dining with Freda Ward. With my very own eyes! In public, and she a married woman with two children!!
Rosalie set the letter down and stared unseeing at the garden before her.
So Julia had been betrothed to a local Somerset man. A marriage that clearly hadn’t happened, if she’d ended up married to an American not many years later. Had the war intervened, as it had for far too many?
No. Rosalie shook her head. He had survived the war, of that she was certain. She knew without a doubt now who that mysterious “he” was. All she needed was a name. And the answer to the burning question of why Julia hadn’t, after all, married the man she’d grown up with.
Rosalie popped her head into her father’s study. “I’m off to the Women’s Institute meeting. Is there anything I can get for you from the village?”
He looked up from his newfangled typewriter. “No, thanks, love. Do take care.”
Rosalie laughed. “You are aware that we are now in the depths of the country? What harm could possibly come to me here?”
His blue eyes, mirrors of hers, twinkled. “I meant that you should take care not to disturb the peace of the village too much.”
“Really, Father, I don’t create disturbances! Between you and Anna, you make me out to be the most tiresome, meddling person. You know I’m not. I just want to help people.”
His eyes softened. “I know you have the best intentions, love, but you’re also as single-minded as a bloodhound with your nose to the scent.”
She could hardly deny it, since cracking the mystery of the letter had been at the forefront of her thoughts all week. She laughed instead. “Don’t work too hard, and try to get outdoors for a little. This sunshine isn’t going to last forever.”
Before she shut the door he’d already returned to tapping at the typewriter keys.
* * *For the next instalment, click here to go to the blog of Suzanne Jones, short story writer extraordinaire and one of the Minxes of Romance.
Here is the full list of participating blogs:
Stop 1 – Minxes of Romance
Stop 2 – Sally Clements
Stop 3 – Rachel Bailey
Stop 4 – Scarlet Wilson
Stop 5 – Olivia Miles
Stop 6 – Me :)
Stop 7 – Suzanne Jones
Stop 8 – Romy Sommer
Dear Julia is on sale through Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes &Noble, AllRomance eBooks, and The Wild Rose Press. You can find out more about this novella here - and don’t forget to tweet your feedback using the hashtag #DearJulia.
Thanks! And I hope you get a chance to check out her book!Have a great weekend!
June 3, 2012
Meme & Giveaway!
Happy Monday! So much to do, so much to say today!
First off: I was tagged in the Lucky 7 Meme by my bloggy buddy Susanne Drazic (PS. if you don't follow her blog, you should).
Lucky 7 Meme Rules:1. Go to page 77 of your current manuscript.
2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy the next 7 lines (sentences or paragraphs) and post them as they're written. No cheating!
4. Tag 7 other writers to pass this meme on to.
I went to my last manuscript I finished (tentatively called Kissing Kendall) since my Fast Draft manuscript is still in chunks and pieces and I didn't even put the chapters together yet.
Excerpt:
“I hadn’t thought about that. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He slung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her to his side. “Well, that’s something you never have to worry about. You’ll always have me around to look out for you.” Kendall’s grin slowly faded. What he said wasn’t exactly true. She wouldn’talways have him—for more than one reason alone. A slow chill settled down her spine, leaving her queasy. Brad was back in her life as her friend, but for how long? Soon he’d have a girlfriend as his priority. Then he’d have to leave for his schooling. She’d be left alone again.
**exciting, I know.**
7 Writers I'm tagging: 1-Jessica Patch2- Wendy Paine Miller3-Jill Kemerer4- Rula Sinara5-Leigh over at Em-Musing6- Linda Kage7-Julie Jarnagin
Enjoy, ladies! LOL
I'm also over at one of my fellow critique partner's BLOG today! Bethanne Strasser is celebrating the soon-to-be release of her first book For Love or Duty this week and she asked me to be there and help spread the word!PS. I'll be giving away a copy of my recent romance SUNNY DAYS FOR SAM to some lucky commenter!So stop by for the fun!
First off: I was tagged in the Lucky 7 Meme by my bloggy buddy Susanne Drazic (PS. if you don't follow her blog, you should).
Lucky 7 Meme Rules:1. Go to page 77 of your current manuscript.2. Go to line 7.
3. Copy the next 7 lines (sentences or paragraphs) and post them as they're written. No cheating!
4. Tag 7 other writers to pass this meme on to.
I went to my last manuscript I finished (tentatively called Kissing Kendall) since my Fast Draft manuscript is still in chunks and pieces and I didn't even put the chapters together yet.
Excerpt:
“I hadn’t thought about that. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” He slung his arm over her shoulder and pulled her to his side. “Well, that’s something you never have to worry about. You’ll always have me around to look out for you.” Kendall’s grin slowly faded. What he said wasn’t exactly true. She wouldn’talways have him—for more than one reason alone. A slow chill settled down her spine, leaving her queasy. Brad was back in her life as her friend, but for how long? Soon he’d have a girlfriend as his priority. Then he’d have to leave for his schooling. She’d be left alone again.
**exciting, I know.**
7 Writers I'm tagging: 1-Jessica Patch2- Wendy Paine Miller3-Jill Kemerer4- Rula Sinara5-Leigh over at Em-Musing6- Linda Kage7-Julie Jarnagin
Enjoy, ladies! LOLI'm also over at one of my fellow critique partner's BLOG today! Bethanne Strasser is celebrating the soon-to-be release of her first book For Love or Duty this week and she asked me to be there and help spread the word!PS. I'll be giving away a copy of my recent romance SUNNY DAYS FOR SAM to some lucky commenter!So stop by for the fun!
June 1, 2012
Friday Favorites #12
Hey, all! Hope you had a nice Memorial Day weekend.
Sorry, I haven't been around much on the Internet, but I'm STRESSED trying to edit and write here. But once June 10th comes, I'll be able to play again.
I pwomise. :-)
As a Friday Favorite I HAVE to share a great product that's been keeping the bunnies out of my garden.
It's called RABBIT SCRAM . (Um, yes, that's the actual name)
You just sprinkle it on the ground around your flowers. The bunnies must not like the smell. All I know is that is WORKS!
The problem is the bunnies aren't eating the flowers in my garden, so they've found my hanging baskets on my back deck.
As you can see by the evidence I've documented:
Looking all innocent...
Bad Bunny!!!
Just because. (look at that tail)
Sneaking up to my other plant...
Again, looking innocent...
Caught nibbling!!
Yes, they're really cute, but they are eating my flowers!! So now I have to place my baskets on the table before going to bed at night so they don't sneak and eat them while I'm sleeping. Oiy.
Anyhew, it looks as if I'm going to a library conference tomorrow (don't ask) and I'm scheduled to read at church on Sunday (my most hated of things asked to do).
Good times.
Try and have a nice weekend. :)
Do you have rabbit problems where you live?
Sorry, I haven't been around much on the Internet, but I'm STRESSED trying to edit and write here. But once June 10th comes, I'll be able to play again.
I pwomise. :-)
As a Friday Favorite I HAVE to share a great product that's been keeping the bunnies out of my garden.
It's called RABBIT SCRAM . (Um, yes, that's the actual name)
You just sprinkle it on the ground around your flowers. The bunnies must not like the smell. All I know is that is WORKS!
The problem is the bunnies aren't eating the flowers in my garden, so they've found my hanging baskets on my back deck.
As you can see by the evidence I've documented:
Looking all innocent...
Bad Bunny!!!
Just because. (look at that tail)
Sneaking up to my other plant...
Again, looking innocent...
Caught nibbling!!Yes, they're really cute, but they are eating my flowers!! So now I have to place my baskets on the table before going to bed at night so they don't sneak and eat them while I'm sleeping. Oiy.
Anyhew, it looks as if I'm going to a library conference tomorrow (don't ask) and I'm scheduled to read at church on Sunday (my most hated of things asked to do).
Good times.
Try and have a nice weekend. :)
Do you have rabbit problems where you live?
May 25, 2012
Friday Favorites #11
Happy Friday!
Wow, it's so weird not to be giving away a book today.
Seems like that's all I've been doing the past few Fridays.
Well, soon enough I'm sure. :)
This Memorial Day weekend we actually have...no plans. Wha? I know. Very weird. I'm sure we'll invite the hubby's parents over since they just got back from wintering in FL, but that looks like about it. Not that I'm complaining. It's nice to just have a weekend to relax.
The weather should be warm and sunny too.
Which kind of brings me to my Friday Favorite this week.
Some of you may or may not know, I often get complimented on my face. Well, my skin. But for good reason. UV rays rarely enter the barrier I create around it.
In short, I sunscreen. A lot.
Hubby calls me "eclipse". He thinks the sun goes in when I come out. LOL
But my personal favorite moisturizer/sunscreen that I use on my face is Healthy Wear Physicians Formula.
It's got an SPF of 50 plus it's tinted so I don't look all white and pasty. (AKA normal)
Then I follow it up with some Physicians Formula powder (also SPF 50) and I'm ready to meet the world! (After I put on my eyeshadow, blush, and lip gloss, that is)
**This comes in especially handy living at the beach where I feel I'm outside all the time.
So yes, that's yet another glimpse into my little world.
Hope you have a nice Memorial Day weekend!! And use your sunscreen!
Any plans?
Wow, it's so weird not to be giving away a book today.
Seems like that's all I've been doing the past few Fridays.
Well, soon enough I'm sure. :)
This Memorial Day weekend we actually have...no plans. Wha? I know. Very weird. I'm sure we'll invite the hubby's parents over since they just got back from wintering in FL, but that looks like about it. Not that I'm complaining. It's nice to just have a weekend to relax.
The weather should be warm and sunny too.
Which kind of brings me to my Friday Favorite this week.
Some of you may or may not know, I often get complimented on my face. Well, my skin. But for good reason. UV rays rarely enter the barrier I create around it.
In short, I sunscreen. A lot.
Hubby calls me "eclipse". He thinks the sun goes in when I come out. LOL
But my personal favorite moisturizer/sunscreen that I use on my face is Healthy Wear Physicians Formula.
It's got an SPF of 50 plus it's tinted so I don't look all white and pasty. (AKA normal)Then I follow it up with some Physicians Formula powder (also SPF 50) and I'm ready to meet the world! (After I put on my eyeshadow, blush, and lip gloss, that is)
**This comes in especially handy living at the beach where I feel I'm outside all the time.
So yes, that's yet another glimpse into my little world.
Hope you have a nice Memorial Day weekend!! And use your sunscreen!
Any plans?
May 21, 2012
Fast Drafting--AKA Getting the Frame Up
Happy Monday!!
I'm happy to report that I've written 40 pages so far in my new work in progress due to my Fast Draft Class!
Yes, I'm happy with that. But compared to most people in class, I'm not exactly sprinting toward the finish line. (Most people are writing 15 to 20 pages a day)
Eeep.
I'm keeping more of a nice even trot going, but I'm still getting a lot more done than I would have without it.
So what's the story behind Fast Drafting? Well, as Candace Havens puts it, you're telling your internal editor to stick it (I believe she phrases it a bit differently, but you get the idea) :-)
I have a very strong internal editor--whether she comes out because of fear or my analness, I'm not sure.
But she's one tough cookie.
Therefore I'm a bit of a slow writer. And believe it or not, I felt as if I was getting slower with each book. Although, I have to say my first drafts always came out pretty clear and clean, so I never need too much revision.
Obviously this won't be the case with this manuscript.
It's very hard not to stop and tinker with what I've written, and instead push forward. The instructor explains it this way: Think of it as building a house. In these two weeks, we'll get the frame up and see if we have a story there. Then when we go through revisions, we'll put the drywall up and then paint and then eventually decorate. :-)
My internal editor must have been an interior designer in a past life, because that's the part of writing I'm dying to get to but I have to wait.
I have to relax and just get the frame up.
Everybody has their own writing process, but I just wanted to try what seemed to be working for so many other authors I know.
Who knows what kind of first draft I'm going to end up with at the end of this week. Should be interesting to find out.
But the instructor will help us through the last two weeks of class called "Revision Hell" so that kind of gives me a hint. :-)
Have you ever tried or heard of Fast Drafting?
If you're a writer, would you classify yourself as slow or fast?
*****on a side note I got a lovely review for my book Sunny Days for Sam from It's Raining Books!! Woot! Check it out HERE!****
I'm happy to report that I've written 40 pages so far in my new work in progress due to my Fast Draft Class!
Yes, I'm happy with that. But compared to most people in class, I'm not exactly sprinting toward the finish line. (Most people are writing 15 to 20 pages a day)
Eeep.
I'm keeping more of a nice even trot going, but I'm still getting a lot more done than I would have without it.
So what's the story behind Fast Drafting? Well, as Candace Havens puts it, you're telling your internal editor to stick it (I believe she phrases it a bit differently, but you get the idea) :-)
I have a very strong internal editor--whether she comes out because of fear or my analness, I'm not sure.
But she's one tough cookie.
Therefore I'm a bit of a slow writer. And believe it or not, I felt as if I was getting slower with each book. Although, I have to say my first drafts always came out pretty clear and clean, so I never need too much revision.
Obviously this won't be the case with this manuscript.
It's very hard not to stop and tinker with what I've written, and instead push forward. The instructor explains it this way: Think of it as building a house. In these two weeks, we'll get the frame up and see if we have a story there. Then when we go through revisions, we'll put the drywall up and then paint and then eventually decorate. :-)
My internal editor must have been an interior designer in a past life, because that's the part of writing I'm dying to get to but I have to wait.
I have to relax and just get the frame up. Everybody has their own writing process, but I just wanted to try what seemed to be working for so many other authors I know.
Who knows what kind of first draft I'm going to end up with at the end of this week. Should be interesting to find out.
But the instructor will help us through the last two weeks of class called "Revision Hell" so that kind of gives me a hint. :-)
Have you ever tried or heard of Fast Drafting?
If you're a writer, would you classify yourself as slow or fast?
*****on a side note I got a lovely review for my book Sunny Days for Sam from It's Raining Books!! Woot! Check it out HERE!****
May 18, 2012
Friday Favorites #10!
Happy Friday!!
I've been kind of MIA lately around the Net in case you didn't notice.
I mentioned on Monday that I'm in Candy Havens' Fast Draft class.
Let me just say...it's HARD.
But since joining, I've written 24 pages and I hope to have another 24-30 done by Monday. (More on that on after the weekend)
But now I have to announce the winner of Allie Pleiter's new book: Homefront Hero .
The winner (thanks to random number generator) is
Karen Lange!!!
** congrats!!!**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's Friday Favorite time!!
I love grilled food, but I don't know how to use our grill. (true)
I don't even know how to turn it on. (also true)
I leave all of that to the Grill Master (AKA the hubby)
One of the things I love him to make for me is grilled veggies. The way he cooks them, I can easily eat a plate for lunch every day (with a little chipolte hot sauce). As a nice gesture, he even made them for me for lunch on Mother's Day.
Yes, in many ways I'm a simple woman. :)
Anyway, I think the secret to his grilling success with them is my Friday Favorite for today.
The grill wok.
He (AKA Grill Master, AKA hubby) meticulously slices the vegetables (onions, zucchini, carrots, red and green bell peppers, etc..) tosses them with salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh garlic and grills them for about 25 min.
The veggies come out so sweet! I can't get enough! The grill wok is pretty cheap. I think he got his for about $12.
If you don't have one, look into it. You can even toss shrimp into the cook veggies toward the end until the shrimp are done and voila! Dinner is served.
And now it's back to fast drafting for me...
Have a great weekend! (Hubby will be grilling me some more veggies for sure)
What about you? Do you know how to grill?
Have you ever tried a grill wok?
I've been kind of MIA lately around the Net in case you didn't notice.
I mentioned on Monday that I'm in Candy Havens' Fast Draft class.
Let me just say...it's HARD.
But since joining, I've written 24 pages and I hope to have another 24-30 done by Monday. (More on that on after the weekend)
But now I have to announce the winner of Allie Pleiter's new book: Homefront Hero .
The winner (thanks to random number generator) isKaren Lange!!!
** congrats!!!**
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's Friday Favorite time!!
I love grilled food, but I don't know how to use our grill. (true)
I don't even know how to turn it on. (also true)
I leave all of that to the Grill Master (AKA the hubby)
One of the things I love him to make for me is grilled veggies. The way he cooks them, I can easily eat a plate for lunch every day (with a little chipolte hot sauce). As a nice gesture, he even made them for me for lunch on Mother's Day.
Yes, in many ways I'm a simple woman. :)
Anyway, I think the secret to his grilling success with them is my Friday Favorite for today.
The grill wok.
He (AKA Grill Master, AKA hubby) meticulously slices the vegetables (onions, zucchini, carrots, red and green bell peppers, etc..) tosses them with salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh garlic and grills them for about 25 min.
The veggies come out so sweet! I can't get enough! The grill wok is pretty cheap. I think he got his for about $12.
If you don't have one, look into it. You can even toss shrimp into the cook veggies toward the end until the shrimp are done and voila! Dinner is served.
And now it's back to fast drafting for me...
Have a great weekend! (Hubby will be grilling me some more veggies for sure)
What about you? Do you know how to grill?
Have you ever tried a grill wok?
