Sharla Lovelace's Blog, page 12

TGIF! Best posts of the week

It’s Friday!!!!

And that means it’s time to share the best of the blogisphere for this week.  I’ve been recooperating from the chaos of RWA National Conference, and getting used to working the day job again…lol… so I haven’t had much time to surf.  But here were a few worthy stops to check out.  Both will make you think about what’s important in life.

Taking note of the little things in life, over at It’s Only A Novel.  A very poignant post!

A word about balls and balancing life…by Jenny Hansen.   Curious?  LOL…go see.

Enjoy, my friends!!!

Tagged: before and ever since, darcy crowder, Friday linky love, it's only a novel, jenny hansen, life, sharla lovelace, the reason is you

Where I’m From…

This was an exercise from last year, and while I’m not a huge proponent of recycling, this one has been on my mind lately.  My parents old house across the street from me is for sale, and they’ve cut down the big swing tree in the backyard.  The one with the chains that grew into the tree.  It’s all in pieces at the street, and I’ve stared at them for the past two days.

This is an amazing thing to do for yourself, and the template is at the bottom for you to give it a shot.  Here’s a little piece of me.

 

Where I’m From…

I am from Coca-Cola and orange soda straight from the bottle, and drinking from the garden hose on a hot day. I’m from leaving the house in the morning and staying gone till dusk, till Daddy’s voice called me home. From handlebar pumping, treehouses, double-daring, and carving my own rubberband gun from a stick. I’m from no cell phones, computers, vcr’s, or cable TV. From black rotary phones wired to the wall, Hee Haw and Disney on Sunday evenings, and three-cent green apple bubble gum.

I am from the only 2-story house on the block, that was really just a converted attic. I’m from duct work made from a Dentler’s Chip can and wires held together with duct tape. From the upstairs room with the shower that never was. From a carpenter’s house, where the smell of sawdust and grease will always make me close my eyes and see my father’s hands, and the sound of an arm saw makes me long for hot summers in a dusty garage.

I am from the magnolia and dogwood trees that flower the sky of Southeast Texas, and the pinks, purples and whites of azaleas. From deep green St Augustine grass and verbenia bushes with millions of red berries that will kill you if you eat them…or so we were told.

I am from homemade ice cream cranked in a bucket while someone sat on the lid, watermelon seed wars, camping on the Neches River bank in East Texas where the stars were many, waterskiing, and playing Chinese Checkers and Yahtzee in a homemade wooden and felt box made by my dad. I’m from Duchess, Prince, Duke, Honey, and Brandi, all beloved dogs buried in the backyard at a house I can only see from across the street now. I’m from unlocked doors and just walking in, and sitting on the front porch drinking coffee.

 

I’m from Lovelace eyebrows and Milburn smiles, Nanny’s drama and Maw Maw’s sweet silliness. From craziness everyone talks about, and skeletons no one talks about. From blue eyes and curly hair and two big brothers. From chain smokers and staying in a log cabin on vacation for me when Mom really wanted a hotel.

From y’all, fixin to, ice box, and because I said so. From pulling weeds at the roots and dusting every single nack nack on weekends.

I am from Lutherans and Baptists, and sitting on the right side because no one had ever sat on the left.

I’m from Port Neches and Copperas Cove and Indian arrow heads on a hill. From lemon meringue pie and sand tarts at Christmas, homemade soup and shrimp gumbo, Steen’s Cane Syrup and Daddy’s special milk hash on toast to give Mom a break. I’m from ritz crackers with peanut butter, frozen bananas, and midnight snacks of sugar bread with hot milk.

I am from a homemade treasure trunk full of black and white pictures, a closet full of cards and letters and macaroni projects from children now grown, and the box of handmade Christmas ribbons used every year because giving them back was the rule. From overcoming economic hardship, union strikes, divorce, illness, and any adversity. I’m from June and Buddy, who I miss so much it aches.

##########

The original link is found here.

 

The WHERE I’M FROM Template

I am from _______ (specific ordinary item), from _______ (product name) and _______.

I am from the _______ (home description… adjective, adjective, sensory detail).

I am from the _______ (plant, flower, natural item), the _______ (plant, flower, natural detail)

I am from _______ (family tradition) and _______ (family trait), from _______ (name of family member) and _______ (another family name) and _______ (family name).

I am from the _______ (description of family tendency) and _______ (another one).

From _______ (something you were told as a child) and _______ (another).

I am from (representation of religion, or lack of it). Further description.

I’m from _______ (place of birth and family ancestry), _______ (two food items representing your family).

From the _______ (specific family story about a specific person and detail), the _______ (another detail, and the _______ (another detail about another family member).

I am from _______ (location of family pictures, mementos, archives and several more lines indicating their worth).

Tagged: before and ever since, family, nostalgia, romance, sharla lovelace, the reason is you, where I'm from, womens fiction

TGIF! Best posts of the week

It’s Friday!!!!

And that means it’s time to share the best of the blogisphere for this week.  Here were some of my favorite stops.

How Book Publicity is like Ziplining at Writer Unboxed.  Great article from Sparks PR Agency publicist Crystal Patriarche comparing her family vacation to what she sees and experiences for a living.

The 3 most important things to remember about any conference… by Carina editor Angela James.  With RWA coming up in just days, this is priceless!!

Author, Roni Loren’s new cover reveal of FALL INTO YOU due out in January!!  This cover is so hot, and check out that tagline… whew!!

Enjoy, my friends!!!

Tagged: before and ever since, book publicity, crystal patriarche, Friday linky love, sharla lovelace, the reason is you, writer unboxed

Distractions…or…My Typical Morning…

Tick…tick…tick…

I hear that sound too much lately, mostly in my own head.  The sound of time sliding by one tick at a time, while anxiety and too many shinies take precedence.

It’s early morning…early early morning.  I have 45 minutes before I have to get ready for work, so I want to be productive and start the day with some wordage.  I pull up my current manuscript in progress, and stare at the last sentence.  Yanno…that same one I stared at the night before.  It didn’t change.  Gremlins didn’t park themselves all cozy on my couch, pull the blanket up that the old lady dog pulled down, and work magic on my story overnight.  They also, by the way, did not clean the bathroom, wipe down the kitchen, or run a load of laundry, but I think they might have had a frat party in my daughter’s room.  Damn lazy gremlins.

So anyway, that sentence is still there, and the cursor is blinking at me, waiting for brilliant inspiration.  Inspiration that clearly hasn’t awakened yet, so I take a swallow of coffee and click over to Twitter for a minute.  Just a minute.  Just to see what the other coffee-swilling-half-awake people are doing. 

I see that my agent was up at 3:30 in the morning, spouting brilliance and retweeting important information.  I marvel that anyone thinks that clearly at that time of–um–day.  Oh, and there’s a friend of mine who debuted a few months before me, linking to her perfectly organized blog and those of fifty of her closest friends, before she sits down to write all day and knock out ten books this year.  Okay, maybe that’s a bit over the top.  But she’s awesome and my hero, seriously.  I want to be a writer like her.   So I click over to her website and check out her latest updates, notice a great idea that I want to incorporate on my site.  Actually, I saw this same idea done on another author’s site the other day, so I go there as well.  Yep, there it is.  I like how she’s done it a little better, so I make a note of how I could tweak it to fit me, and then go to my own website. 

My first reaction is the familiar one of disgust, as there are so many things I need to update.  It’s Wednesday and I didn’t get a chance to pre-write and post anything the night before, because I was taking my daughter to get the oil changed in her car and then stopping to get greasy fried chicken for dinner to comfort myself over the speeding ticket I got on the way home from work…but that’s yesterday’s drama, so I get back to my website.  I check the clock, and grimace that twenty minutes have passed, and I really don’t have time to deal with the updates right now.  I’ll do that tonight, when I get home, after I’ve cooked something–which is a good question–what am I cooking tonight?  My daughter has an appointment, and–   Anyway.  I’ll write the post real quick when I get to work, and post it from my phone over lunch.  Yeah–there will be time for that.

So I click back over to the manuscript.  There is a good scene going, so why can’t I see what’s next?  Why am I stuck with these two people talking at a table, it should be funny, it should flow.  Why aren’t they working with me?  Maybe I’ll go back and read a little.  Or work on the first pass pages from my November release, that my publisher sent me.  No, that’s a long-term duty, and I only have–I look at the clock on the side table–fifteen more minutes.

…tick…tick…tick…

I click back over to Twitter, and see someone’s link to their Facebook page, which I click on, knowing in the back of my mind I shouldn’t.  It’s another author friend, talking about getting ready for RWA National Conference, which is in a week, and I’m going too.  I read about her preparation, and think about my own scarce wardrobe and what I’m bringing for my signing table, and wonder if it is enough.  I wonder if I should hook up with other authors and do something fun for the Literacy Signing.  I wonder if I should do a newsletter drawing.  I wonder if my crazy local airport will keep from screwing up my luggage.  I think about the promo items in my closet and wonder how I’m going to get all that packed in with my clothes so it isn’t a nightmare at the airport.  I make a mental note to add some things to my ever growing RWA list of things to do, and then remember that I really wanted to have a certain word count done on this manuscript before having breakfast with my editor at the conference next Friday. 

Deep sigh.  I click back over to my manuscript.  I type in a sentence, then backspace it away.  I type in a different sentence, and hit Save.  Because I’ve looked at the clock again, and I have three minutes left. 

Time to get ready for the day job.  I’ll go pour another cup of coffee.  It will be better tonight.  After whatever I cook and laundry and pulling out those promo items.  The words will be there tonight.

Tagged: distractions, romance, sharla lovelace, shiny objects, the reason is you, twitter, womens fiction, writing

Naming grandparents…

My daughter and I got to talking this week about what her kids will call me and my husband.

Now–just for the record–she’s seventeen and this is all just for curiosity’s sake.  LOL.  We aren’t worrying our little heads about this anytime soon.  But it made for a fun conversation.  My grandparents growing up were Paw Paw and Nanny on one side, and Maw Maw on the other (never knew that grandfather).   My parents were Nana and Paw Paw for their grandchildren, but I don’t remember if the “Nana” was intentional, or if the first grandchild named her.

My daughter’s father is from the Midwest, and they very much just do Grandma and Grandpa with last names to designate the family.  But my now-husband is from the south like me, and his parents go by Granny and Pop.

Whew!

So–basically, I plan to go by Nana, since that’s what my Mom did.  And he plans to go by Pop, since that’s what his Dad did.  My daughter’s dad will likely go by Grandpa, and his new wife will most likely go by whatever she grew up with.

Or the first kid will come out saying Nooney and Pickle, and that’s what we’ll forever be. 

What did/do you call your grandparents, and how is the naming done in your family?

Tagged: before and ever since, family,

Best links of the week…It’s Friday!!

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!!

And if you didn’t realize that….sorry for ruining your day.  lol

 

Time to show off some of the best links I visited this week.  Enjoy!

Jenny Hansen’s blog Cowbell, with a fun exercise on defining yourself with 10 words

A site with Free Online Crossword Puzzles….because my daughter and I are geeks

Gem State Writers post about the love of Sweet Tea

James R. Preston’s post at Writers In the Storm on “When Is It Done” & he is really funny so it’s worth checking it out!

 

That’s it for today!!!  Have a great one, and don’t let that “13″ thing fool ya…

 

 

Tagged: before and ever since, crossword puzzles, Friday linky love, jenny hansen, romance, sharla lovelace, the reason is you, womens fiction

“I see alot of lawwwwbreakers out therrrrrrre…”

Today, I want to talk about the magic…

The magic that is MAGIC MIKE.

And by that, I don’t mean to gush on that this is the best movie of all time or anything crazy like that.  If broken down to plot, storyline, acting, dialogue, it was a solid movie with some awkward acting in places, but it was good.

That wasn’t the magic. 

The magic lies in there FINALLY being an eye-candy movie for women.

Face it, many many movies have the T&A for guys, that we have gotten so accustomed to, we sit through it not even thinking twice about it.  We probably haven’t had anything to get excited about since the volleyball scene in Top Gun!

And that’s been a while…

So yes…the lines at the theaters that wrap around and out the door?  The screen rooms full of women and maybe 2 or 3 brave men?  It’s all justified.  We finally have something to get hyped up over!!  Hey, if movies like that came out more often, it wouldn’t be such a novelty…but alas, they don’t.  So it is.

And if you’ve never been to a LeBare or Chippendale or other male burlesque show, this is pretty true to form… except with better looking men.  LOL.  I’ve been once for a bachelorette party, and they weren’t this good. 

Now, I will say that I was surprised at just how much the R rating was pushed.  Kind of R++++++++ in my opinion, LOL.  It was racier than I expected, very hot, very sexy, and went a little dark toward the end, which was another surprise.  The trailers show all the upbeat stuff, so you don’t expect to travel the seedier, darker side of that world.  But that’s okay, that’s keeping it real.

It’s also very funny, with some gems in the dialogue that made me laugh out loud several times.  Channing Tatum has the most of these, and this makes his character very charming.  And the guy can move!  Holy smokes…*fans self*

I will say that I was surprised that Joe Manganiello wasn’t used more.

Barely had speaking parts, he was just one of the dancers, and I kept waiting for him to have a bigger role.

Matthew M. was fabulous.  Crazy, a little psycho, and still sexy as a former stripper/bar owner/a little washed up and jaded but still has it.

     

but this (below) was a look he should never ever go with again…

I didn’t quite get the old guy that barely moved around.  I know they were trying to show how guys stay in it forever, but my God I thought it was Mickey Rourke at first, that’s how bad he looked.  LOL.

So have you seen the movie?  What did you think?  Who did you go with?  And who was your favorite? 

 

Tagged: before and ever since, channing tatum, eye candy, fun for women, magic mike, man candy, movies, romance, sharla lovelace, stripping, the reason is you, womens fiction

Linky Love: Best posts of the week

Sorry I’ve been awol for a couple of crazy weeks, but I’m back now.  And it being Friday, I’m fortunate to be able to ease into it with some linky love.

Some of my favorite posts from this past week:

Tawna Fenske’s hilarious post on setting writing goals

Roni Loren’s release of MELT INTO YOU

Jennifer Daiker’s post on 5 random things

Kristen Lamb’s post on trolling the trollosphere…aka Internet Crazy People

Amy Sue Nathan’s interview with HER SISTER’S SHADOW author, Katharine Britton

Click and enjoy!  See you back on Monday…. I promise!

Tagged: amy sue nathan, before and ever since, jennifer daiker, katharine britton, kristen lamb, linky love, romance, roni loren, sharla lovelace, tawna fenske, the reason is you, womens fiction

Bringing it home…

Favorite childhood memory…something that brings you home instantly…

That’s today’s question.  What does that for you?  It can be more than one thing.  For me, it’s big storms, the kind that knocks the lights out.  Our lights would go out easily, breakers would blow, and Mom would get out the storm candles (bowls and coffee cans with homemade candles in them) and the hurricane lantern, and then we’d go sit on the front porch and watch it blow sideways down the street.

Also, food tends to do it for me.  Certain things.

What’s yours?

Tagged: before and ever since, childhood memories, food, home, romance, sharla lovelace, storms, the reason is you, womens fiction

A day late…and a dinner date

Missed my normal post date yesterday…sorry about that!  Yanno…life and all that.

So I was at Tracie Banister’s blog this morning, reading her interview with Sophia Knightly, who has a new book coming out, GRILL ME BABY.  It sounds really good!  Click on the link above to read the interview! 

Also, one of the questions asked, is one that I’m stealing today.  Well, stealing and modifying. 

~~~

If you could have dinner with three famous people…living or dead…writer or actor or whatever kind of celebrity…  who would you choose??  and why??

~~~

I’ll comment with mine tomorrow…after I remember (headslap) to post tomorrow’s Friday Linky Love.   

Okay…I’m behind the eight ball this week and have no link in mind.  Who wants it?   First person to email me at sharlals(at)yahoo.com with their site addy and what you have going on to link to…gets the link tomorrow. 

Tagged: before and ever since, dinner date, grill me baby, random question, sharla lovelace, sophia knightly, the reason is you, tracie banister