Rose Anderson's Blog, page 49

Focus

Two years ago, my husband gave me a mostly empty album for collecting vintage holiday postcards. From now until January, I’ll put a card on for you to enjoy.

Everything I create is done intentionally, meaning – with intent. From writing my novels to shaping clay, from sewing to sketching and everything else, I put myself into it — imagination, affection, creativity, and my time on earth. It’s difficult sometimes if my arthritis isn’t cooperating, but I press on. I love making gifts because I love my family and friends.

Because the 8-day week hasn’t appeared yet (despite my fervent wishes!), I’m taking a break from blogging until after the holidays. I have multiple blogs for different reasons and those will go silent.

December marks the 3rd anniversary of me being a contracted and published author. If there’s anything I’ve learned in that time it’s the publishing world spins whether you’re on the carrousel or not. And that means it’s not a good idea to jump off completely no matter how many gifts  or holiday plans are in the making. So… this blog will still have short newsie posts each day and one holiday blog hop next month.

If you’re stopping here for the first time, I have some interesting links to follow and previous posts of all sorts here. My interests are wide and varied, you never know what interesting tidbit you’d find A to Z (you’ll even find the A to Z Challenge!). Scroll back on all my blogs for snippets, insights, challenges, recipes, writer tips, chatty things, etc.

My other blogs and their latest news:

http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/

http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

These two blogs have other things happening besides mine:

http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/(Look for me Dec. 4th)

~*~*~*~*~

100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’m posting a little something from my chosen topic of Words & Quotes of Love. There are 22 entries to come. Here’s one for today:

“Come live with me, and be my love, And we will all the pleasures prove, That valleys, groves, or hills, or fields, Or woods and steepy mountains, yield.”

~Christopher Marlowe

* FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE *

Love Waits in Unexpected Places – Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971

A Holiday Anthology https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815

our interview of Author Bobbi Smith

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Last days for the November contest with one-winner-takes-all prizes. Read the pages and find the cute little turkeys! http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

 

*Romance Author Promo Op!* http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/

We have several promotional opportunities o n my Exquisite Quills group blog:

First Kiss Wednesday ~ come share your best 300 word kiss.

Set the Scene in Six ~ on Sunday, come share your backdrop or lead-up.

The Genesis of the Story ~ share the spark that ignited your novel

Author Interviews too. Stop by and see if the last two have openings. We’re booking into the new year now.

What is, or better, who are, Exquisite Quills? We’re an old group of author friends & their new reader/writer friends, and together we’ve made a book-loving community. Come join us.

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/527671093985960/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExquisiteQuills

>>Subscribe to this blog for all my news<<

Time is flying

Time is flying and there’s lots to do.

I love making gifts for my family and friends. Everything I create is done intentionally – that is – with intent. My imagination, my affection, my creativity, and my time on earth, all align in focus to create interesting or lovely things for the people I care about.

Because time and creativity are measured things, and because there are never enough hours in the day for the necessary author stuff as it is, I’ll be taking a break from the bulk of my bloggings until after the holidays. This blog will still have newsie posts each day and one holiday blog hop in December.

For Christmas two years ago, my husband gave me a mostly empty album for collecting vintage holiday postcards. It was a sweet idea from a sweet man who explained how he carefully chose the craft papers to divide the pages into holiday sections. From now until January, I’ll put a card on for you to enjoy. We find these cards in antique stores and flea markets. They were such marvelous little ways of telling friends and family you were thinking about them. Email is so impersonal by comparison. The recipients loved them enough to keep them, and I love them as the tokens of affection they still are. I really need to start sending cards.

So what’s up now? …

My Sexy Saturday & Sexy Snippets http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

The Seductive Studs & Sirens and Weekend Writing Warriors http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/

The Romance Reviews Year-End Splash Party! http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

Scroll back on all my blogs for more snippets, insights, chatty things, etc.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’m posting a little something from my chosen topic of Words & Quotes of Love. There are 23 entries to come. Here’s one for today:

“Love in its essence is spiritual fire.”

~Emmanuel Swedenborg

 

* FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE *

Love Waits in Unexpected Places – Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971

A Holiday Anthology https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815 ۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Author Jean Hart Stewart’s blog day

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

Last days for the November contest with one-winner-takes-all prizes. Read the pages and find the cute little turkeys! http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

*Romance Author Promo Op!* http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/

We have several promotional opportunities on my Exquisite Quills group blog:

First Kiss Wednesday ~ come share your best 300 word kiss.

Set the Scene in Six ~ on Sunday, come share your backdrop or lead-up.

The Genesis of the Story ~ share the spark that ignited your novel

Author Interviews too. Stop by and see if the last two have openings. We’re booking into the new year now.

What is, or better, who are, Exquisite Quills? We’re an old group of author friends & their new reader/writer friends, and together we’ve made a book-loving community. Come join us.

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/527671093985960/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExquisiteQuills

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

>>Subscribe to this blog for all my news<<

Measured things

Because time and creativity are measured things (and I don’t have my own workshop of elves), I have gifts to make and not enough hours in the day for the amount of author promotion that must occur each week.

So…in the spirit of the season and to save my sanity, I’ll be taking a break from the bulk of my bloggings until after the holidays.  I’m in one more blog hop coming in December and I’ll still post small newsie things here as they arise. For the next 24 days, I’ll be finishing off the 100 Things Blogging Challenge.

So what’s up? …

My Sexy Saturday & Sexy Snippets http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

The Seductive Studs & Sirens and Weekend Writing Warriors http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/

The Romance Reviews Year-End Splash Party! http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

Scroll back on all my blogs for more snippets, insights, chatty things, etc.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’m posting a little something from my chosen topic of Words & Quotes of Love. There are 24 entries to come. Here’s one for today:

“The sweetest joy, the wildest woe is love.”

~Francis Bailey

 

* FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE *

Love Waits in Unexpected Places – Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971 A Holiday Anthology https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815 ۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

an interview of Author Dawn Atkins

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/ We have new author pages up and a new November contest with one-winner-takes-all prizes. Read the pages and find the cute little turkeys. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Romance Author Promo Op Every Wednesday is First Kiss Wednesday. Come share a 300 word kiss. Then join us for Set the Scene in Six ~ Authors are welcome to share a backdrop or lead-up to a scene from their novel every Sunday. We host several promo opportunities for authors too. Come see!

What is, or better, who are, Exquisite Quills? http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/ An old group of author friends & their new reader/writer friends have made a book-loving community.

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/527671093985960/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExquisiteQuills

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

>>Subscribe to this blog for all my news<<

A short break & a preliminary peek

I thought to run with the topic of women saving the world for a few days, but after yesterday, it occurs to me that my busy life needs my focus elsewhere at this time. Just no time for the research…and you know how I love researching interesting topics.    

The holidays are coming and time and creativity being what they are, I need those resources free to get my gifts made and my holiday things done. As has been my habit in the past few years, I’ll be cutting back on all the blogs until the first week in January. When all is said and done, my blogs are the one area in this busy writers world where I actually do have a measure of flexibility. So today I took a preliminary peek at what’s coming up. I’ll take stock at the end of the year to see what is attainable and what might have to wait. For now I came up with this:

Small things finishing soon:

I have 25 days left to the 100 Things Blogging Challenge.

I’m wrapping up a full year’s worth of blog hops I did as a test and will report the findings in January.

Larger things happening soon:

Launching my nearly completed novel ~ The Changeling.

I have a new blog coming called Exquisite Quills Recycled Reviews.

Huge plans for 2014:

Audio books

A graphic novel version of The Witchy Wolf and the Wendigo

The release of my childrens’ book

The release of Heart of Stone

Organizing a gazillion loose files and folders on my laptop

Setting up my own RoseAnderson email address.

Pitching one of my novels already in print to a large publishing house.

Leaving romance for my magnum opus (I may return to romance, I may not.)

I’m sure I’ve missed things. Like I said that’s just a peek. There’s still a lot going on now…

The Romance Reviews Year-End Splash Party! http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/ Check out my links page above. I have a lot going on on the satellite blogs this week. Scroll back for more snippets etc.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

100 Things Blogging Challenge! For 100 days, I’m posting a little something from my chosen topic of Words & Quotes of Love. There are 25 entries to come. Here’s one for today:

“The entire sum of existence is the magic of being needed by just one person.” ~Vi Putnam

*

FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE *

Love Waits in Unexpected Places – Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971 A Holiday Anthology https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815 ۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Author Fran Lee’s blog day. http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/ We have new author pages up and a new November contest with one-winner-takes-all prizes. Read the pages and find the cute little turkeys. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Romance Author Promo Op Every Wednesday is First Kiss Wednesday. Come share a 300 word kiss. Then join us for Set the Scene in Six ~ Authors are welcome to share a backdrop or lead-up to a scene from their novel every Sunday. We host several promo opportunities for authors too. Come see!

What is, or better, who are, Exquisite Quills? http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/ An old group of author friends & their new reader/writer friends have made a book-loving community.

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/527671093985960/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExquisiteQuills

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

>>Subscribe to this blog for all my news<<

Women Can Save the World ~ a story enabler

I came across an article on the Huffinton Post entitled How Women Can Save the World by Telling Epic Stories in the Movies  and it set me to thinking. The next few posts will follow that theme.

Today I’m discussing a woman who was not so much as a storyteller as a story enabler —

Queen Elizabeth I

Considered the greatest monarch in English history, Elizabeth Tudor assumed the role as Queen of England in 1558. She was just twenty-five years old at the time, and only the third queen to rule. (Lady Jane Grey (Henry’s niece) and half-sister Mary I (Henry’s legitimate heir) both ruled poorly for a short time. And to give you some idea just how poorly, Lady Jane was beheaded by Mary and Mary went on to earn the nickname Bloody Mary.) Her sister’s fanaticism aside, Elizabeth’s father, King Henry VIII’s, scandalous second marriage that resulted in her birth meant most Europeans considered her illegitimate. From the get-go, her monarchy was an uphill climb. Even her supporters believed her position dangerous and uncertain.

Well-read and intelligent, when Elizabeth came to power, she inherited a bankrupt nation, weak compared to the great powers of France and Spain, and torn in two by religious conflict. Her counselors advised her to marry quickly so her husband could guide her rule. Elizabeth had other ideas. A married woman deferred to her husband. She was committed to English peace and stability but never married to gain it. Predictably, Elizabeth’s unmarried status inspired many women to remain unwed.

She ruled alone for nearly half a century and did a fine job for all accounts. Her reign is known as the Elizabethan era and is considered by many to be a glorious epoch in world history – the pinnacle of the English Renaissance. England may have come late to the European Renaissance sweeping the  mainland, but in her reign poetry, music and literature flourished. The era is most famous for theater and Elizabeth shared her love of the arts. The stages of William Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe brought the world to the common man.

Tomorrow ~ more.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

The Romance Reviews Year-End Splash Party!

http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

Check out my links page above. I have a lot going on on the satellite blogs this week. Scroll back for more snippets etc.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

100 Things Blogging Challenge!

For 100 days, I’m posting a little something from my chosen topic of Words & Quotes of Love. There are 26 entries to come. Here’s one for today:

“They gave each other a smile with a future in it.”

~Ring Lardner

*FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE*

Love Waits in Unexpected Places – Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971

A Holiday Anthology https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

guest John Antorino. John is a cover model/actor who will play the main German Soldier in a true story being filmed this fall titled Escaping the Holocaust.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

We have new author pages up and a new November contest with one-winner-takes-all prizes. Read the pages and find the cute little turkeys. http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞

Today on my Exquisite Quills group blog.

The Genesis of a Book – Finding Hope by Emma Carlyle

Romance Author Promo Op

Every Wednesday is First Kiss Wednesday. Come share a 300 word kiss.

Then join us for Set the Scene in Six ~ Authors are welcome to share a backdrop or lead-up to a scene from their novel every Sunday. We host several promo opportunities for authors too. Come see!

What is, or better, who are, Exquisite Quills?

http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/ An old group of author friends & their new reader/writer friends have made a community.

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/527671093985960/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExquisiteQuills

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

>>Subscribe to this blog for all my news<<

Women Can Save the World ~ Hypatia

I recently read an article on the Huffinton Post entitled How Women Can Save the World by Telling Epic Stories in the Movies.

Occasionally topics like this will get me thinking in a cascade…about how media plays a role in society, and not always a good one…about history’s greatest female minds and the important roles played and contributions they’ve made…about women as teachers and storytellers in general. So for the next several posts, I’m going to look at all aspects of women saving the world one mind at a time.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/govindini-murty/how-women-can-save-the-wo_b_4038674.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

Taking a cue from that article, today I’ll discuss the female polymath. Here’s the definition:

“Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.”
~Hypatia

polymath -

(noun)

a person of great and varied learning

To my mind, no woman personifies polymath better than Hypatia of Alexandria. Ancient Greece boasted more than 300 listed mathematicians, men and women. Most were connected with the Pythagorean School which leaned heavily on the development of mathematics and how it applied to music and astronomy. Among this ancient brain trust — Hypatia of Alexandria, a polymath in the truest sense.

Hypatia was the daughter of Theon of Alexandria, a noted mathematician and philosopher. Undoubtedly raised on his field of expertise, she went further with her own studies. One of the things she’s known for was  conceptualizing hyperbolas, parabolas, and ellipses and making them easier to understand. Her work had a profound impact on the future study of mathematics.

http://www.polyamory.org/~howard/Hypatia/primary-sources.html

However, her genius wasn’t to last. She was more than a female scholar. Hypatia, and what she stood for, incomprehensibly  threatened a growing power.

Can you imagine if the Library at Alexandria had never been destroyed and Hypatia continued on in her studies and teaching? The loss is astounding. It staggers the mind how different our world would be right now. In comparison, imagine the last 700 years of human knowledge and discovery from 1300 on to today wiped from the earth.

Tomorrow ~ more.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

An interview today! Come ask a question or comment. 

http://www.miadowning.blogspot.com/?zx=4e37a359bcd4a34d

Hump Day Hook

http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

Horny Hump Day

http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/

The Romance Reviews Year-End Splash Party!

http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

100 Things Blogging Challenge!

For 100 days, I’m posting a little something from my chosen topic of Words & Quotes of Love. There are 27 entries to come. Here’s one for today:

“Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other.”

~Rainer Maria Rilke

*FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE * FREE*

Love Waits in Unexpected Places – Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971

A Holiday Anthology https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Author Cindy Spencer Pape’s blog day.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

We have new author pages up and a new November contest with one-winner-takes-all prizes. Read the pages and find the cute little turkeys.

http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Romance Author Promo Op

Today on my Exquisite Quills group blog.

Every Wednesday is First Kiss Wednesday.

Come share a 300 word kiss.

We also have Set the Scene in Six: Authors are welcome to share a backdrop or lead-up to a scene from their novel every Sunday. 

What is, or better who are, Exquisite Quills?

http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/ An old group of author friends & their new reader/writer friends.

We host several promo opportunities for authors. Come see!

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/527671093985960/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExquisiteQuills

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

>>Subscribe to this blog for all my news<<

Women Can Save the World ~ choosing words wisely

I recently read an article on the Huffinton Post entitled How Women Can Save the World by Telling Epic Stories in the Movies. It got me thinking about how things like movies could wield power for change, then I remembered a study came out when I was teaching 20 years ago. There was concern that violent video games, movies and TV desensitize the brain to violence.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/govindini-murty/how-women-can-save-the-wo_b_4038674.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

How could it not have an effect? The brain reacts like so:

Say you have a banana on the table. You can take in the details — the bright yellow skin, perhaps the occasional spot that tells you just how ripe it is, the withered stem, the ridged places on the peel that run the entire length. See it? Now close your eyes and envision it. See it? Sure you do. If your brain were wired with electrodes to monitor the differences between what was real and what was seen, those differences would be miniscule. The senses interpret everything the eyes see as real. When human eyes and brain reactions were developing in our species, all sights were real. There were no generated images with which to fool the mind.

So what do we have now 20 years after a study about desensitizing young minds with violence? We have violence in the form of shootings at schools, theaters, malls etc. We have bullying so intense and degrading the victim will take their life just to end it. And that’s just about violence. What about social issues that involve girls and women?

I grew up with the female TV stereotypes of the 1960′s and 70′s — those flighty weak-minded or scatterbrained women who were always doing the wrong things, making huge mistakes that she needed rescuing from, or constantly deferring to the man in the household. Is that why I second guess myself all the time? Was I conditioned? Yes, I was. We all were. Find yourself a baby-boomer female and ask her if she feels she’s on top of her game. I’ll bet she says she’s not. And I’ll go one further, I’ll bet she second-guesses herself a lot.

As an author steeped in the world of literature and a mother of a grown daughter, I find the trend in novels aimed at young women appalling. Some of the worst have been made into movies. Some authors have discovered astounding success by creating a niche in directing adult themes at teens as in 50 Shades and Twilight. The part of me that knows this business says bravo for your success.

There’s the other part of me that is completely outraged by your astounding ignorance. Do you understand the lost ground so hard won by women who came before you? This was the best you can do? Is this your best legacy beyond the money? Maybe I’m reaching too high here. A lot of people look at stuff like this as entertainment. Not every novel needs to save the world, mine wont I’m sure. I do believe, however, that if your target is young, your message encased in that entertainment should be a good one.

I’m a woman who grew up surrounded by blatant gender inequality and less opportunity. I’m the mother of a daughter raised in a society that consistently objectifies women to sell products –a society that even takes away a woman’s awesome right to age and be amazing with each gray hair and wrinkle. A society that says what’s on the outside is so much more important than the rest of you.

I applaud JK Rowling for her Hermione. I applaud Suzanne Collins for her Katniss Everdeen. I also applaud George R. R. Martin for his Arya Stark. The themes of these books and others like them say to young women: you’re powerful, intelligent, and competent. They say to young men the women in your life are worth your respect as equals in life. Conversely, the first books I’ve mentioned here and others like them say: you’re nothing without him. Change to keep him. It’s ok to be manipulated and even if you didn’t realize you were at first, now that you know it’s still ok. Take what you want, if she says no, there are a 100 just like her waiting to be used.

GAAAH! OK…temporary end of rant.

Back to my original thought. If movies and TV have “heroines full of valor, keen intelligence, and a desire to change the world”, what impact would they have upon the female psyche and society as a whole? I’m thinking, great things. There have been times in the past where women have rocked the world as we know it.

Tomorrow, the beginning ~ woman as storyteller.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

100 Things Blogging Challenge!

For 100 days, I’m posting a little something from my chosen topic of Words & Quotes of Love. There are 28 entries to come. Here’s one for today:

“The loving are the daring.”

~Bayard Taylor

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

*FREE * FREE * FREE*

Love Waits in Unexpected Places – Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971

A Holiday Anthology https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Author Gemma Juliana’s blog day.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

We have new author pages up and a new November contest with one-winner-takes-all prizes. Read the pages and find the cute little turkeys.

http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Romance Author Promo Op on my Exquisite Quills group blog. We have Set the Scene in Six: Authors are welcome to share a backdrop or lead-up to a scene from their novel every Sunday. And every Wednesday is First Kiss Wednesday.

Come share a 300 word kiss.

What is, or better who are, Exquisite Quills?

http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/ An old group of author friends & their new reader/writer friends.

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/527671093985960/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExquisiteQuills

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

>>Subscribe to this blog for all my news<<

In Flanders’ fields the poppies blow…

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.

Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

So wrote physician and poet John McCrae in 1915.  A soldier from Ontario Canada, McCrae fought on Flanders fields in Belgium. In the second battle of Ypres, in one of the first chemical attacks in history, Germany pounded the Canadians with a chlorine gas nightmare that lasted seventeen days and nights. The Canadians held their line amid the dead and the maimed and wounded, and during that horrific time, McCrae’s close friend was killed. He saw to the burial service himself, and that’s when he noticed the  red poppiesaround the graves of those who died at Ypres. Struck by the pretty flowers growing wild surrounded by death and destruction, he composed the poem destined to become a symbol of the bloodshed of war. Since then, the poppy serves as a reminder of precious blood spilled.

Around the world today is Armistice Day or Remembrance Day. In the states we call it Veterans Day. If you see a poppy seller today, be sure to buy a poppy. They raise funds to care for war veterans and their families.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

I read an article entitled How Women Can Save the World by Telling Epic Stories in the Movies. For the rest of the week, I’ll discuss woman as storyteller.

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

100 Things Blogging Challenge!

For 100 days, I’m posting a little something from my chosen topic of Words & Quotes of Love. There are 29 entries to come. Here’s one for today:

“No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever.”

~Francois Mauriac

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

*FREE * FREE * FREE*

The Exquisite Quills Holiday Anthology Vol.1 is out and is full of lovely wintery stories of all kinds

Come get your FREE copy and please spread the word!

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815

LOVE WAITS in UNEXPECTED PLACES – Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories.

Notice the new cover? FREE on Smashwords. If you haven’t read me yet, why not sample?

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

guest author Adele Downs.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

We have new author pages up and a new November contest with one-winner-takes-all prizes. Read the pages and find the cute little turkeys.

http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Romance Author Promo Op on my Exquisite Quills group blog. We have Set the Scene in Six: Authors are welcome to share a backdrop or lead-up to a scene from their novel every Sunday. And every Wednesday is First Kiss Wednesday.

Come share a 300 word kiss.

What is, or better who are, Exquisite Quills?

http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/ An old group of author friends & their new reader/writer friends.

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/527671093985960/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExquisiteQuills

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

>>Subscribe to this blog for all my news<<

Telling Epic Stories

I read something this week and it caught my mind. It was an article entitled How Women Can Save the World by Telling Epic Stories in the Movies. It got me thinking about how I write and the reason behind my magnum opus. For new people here, my magnum opus (MO for short) is my years in the making, 5-book, 500,000 words story that I’ve yet to name. For the coming week, I’ll discuss the woman as storyteller. For today though, just my normal Sunday stuff. Come see!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Romance Author Promo Op on my Exquisite Quills group blog.

Set the Scene in Six: Authors are welcome to share a backdrop or lead-up to a scene from their novel every Sunday.

And every Wednesday is First Kiss Wednesday.

Come share a 300 word kiss.

http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

100 Things Blogging Challenge!

For 100 days, I’m posting a little something from my chosen topic of Words & Quotes of Love. There are 30 entries to come. Here’s one for today:

“Love is the emblem of eternity; it confounds all notion of time: effaces all memory of a beginning, all fear of an end.”

~Madame de Stael

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Saturday and Sunday happenings on the other blogs. Scroll back to see what you missed yesterday.

My Sexy Saturday & Sexy Snippets http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

The Seductive Studs & Sirens and Weekend Writing Warriors http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/

The Romance Reviews Year-End Splash Party

http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

I’m in the Trifectra & Trifrextra this week too.

http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/2013/11/trifecta-craft.html

http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/2013/11/trifextra-god-in-33-words.html

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

*FREE * FREE * FREE*

The Exquisite Quills Holiday Anthology Vol.1 is out and is full of lovely wintery stories of all kinds

Come get your FREE copy and please spread the word!

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815

LOVE WAITS in UNEXPECTED PLACES – Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories.

Notice the new cover? FREE on Smashwords. If you haven’t read me yet, why not sample?

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Author R. Ann Siracusa’s blog day.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

We have new author pages up and a new November contest with one-winner-takes-all prizes. Read the pages and find the turkeys.

http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Exquisite Quills ~

A old group of author friends & their new reader/writer friends

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/527671093985960/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExquisiteQuills

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

>>Subscribe to this blog for all the news<<

Puns ~ why do we remember these things??

So yesterday’s Abet and Aid Punsters Day got me thinking about word play. Specifically the pun. A pun is a use of words or phrases to exploit ambiguities and innuendos in their meaning, usually for humorous effect. Once held in high regard, the pun has slipped to the realm of one-liners printed on bubblegum wrappers and Popsicle sticks.

For today, I’m taking another look at the One-Word Pun. One-word puns all need some kind of context to create the play on words. Usually one simple word that sounds like a different word or has another meaning does the trick (bear vs. bear or gnu vs. knew). These are called homophonic or homographic puns. Here are two homographic puns for the day.

“Corduroy pillows are making headlines.”

“Did you hear about the optometrist who fell into a lens grinder and made a spectacle of himself?”

That last one was told to me many years ago by an elderly friend named George. Every time I saw him he had some corny pun to share. He saved the bawdier jokes for my husband. I think he got a kick out of people’s pained expressions and groans. George was a paratrooper in WWII who was captured and held prisoner in a German prisoner of war camp. He’d been dropped in Holland on a strategic maneuver to secure the bridges and ended up on what would be called “the Bridge Too Far”. 

(Here’s an explanation of the story. It’s told in computer speech so you’ll notice some of the words sound a little odd. She begins saying W – a,r- e when it should be said World War Two. http://youtu.be/zP7DYPdi4Lg)

I picture these imprisoned soldiers in their wooden barracks, their every move watched over by armed guards, and imagine George collecting jokes and puns to while away the months. George is gone now, but his puns remain. And this morning my husband and I remember George’s puns and George’s life. I’ll end for today with another one of his ~

“Did you hear the Energizer Bunny got arrested? He was charged with battery.”

George I’ll never forget, but after 18 years I can’t believe I’m remembering his puns!!

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

100 Things Blogging Challenge!

For 100 days, I’m posting a little something from my chosen topic of Words & Quotes of Love. There are 31 entries to come. Here’s one for today:

“Love will find a way through paths where wolves fear to prey.”

~Lord Byron

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Saturday and Sunday happenings on the other blogs

My Sexy Saturday & Sexy Snippets http://calliopesotherwritingtablet.blogspot.com/

The Seductive Studs & Sirens and Weekend Writing Warriors http://theancillarymuse.blogspot.com/

The Romance Reviews Year-End Splash Party

http://calliopeswritingtablet.blogspot.com/

Other Newsie Things

The Exquisite Quills Holiday Anthology Vol.1 is out and is full of lovely wintery stories of all kinds

Come get your copy and please spread the word!

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/374815

 

LOVE WAITS in UNEXPECTED PLACES – Scorching Samplings of Unusual Love Stories.

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/333971

 

Author Melissa Keir’s blog day.

http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/

We have new author pages up and a new November contest with one-winner-takes-all prizes. Read the pages and find the turkeys.

http://www.romancebooks4us.com/

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

Romance Author Promo Op on my Exquisite Quills group blog!

Set the Scene in Six: Every Sunday all authors are welcome to share a backdrop or lead-up to a scene from their novel.

And every Wednesday is First Kiss Wednesday.

Come share a 300 word kiss.

http://exquisitequills.blogspot.com/

Exquisite Quills ~

A old group of author friends & their new reader/writer friends

Yahoo Groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ExquisiteQuills/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/527671093985960/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ExquisiteQuills

۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞>>>>۞<<<<۞ >>>>۞<<<<۞

>>Subscribe to this blog for all the news<<