Marlene Dotterer's Blog, page 89
October 10, 2011
Traveling Post
I'm still on vacation, with sporadic internet access. When I do get online, I'm reading your blogs, tweets, and emails, and never get around to posting anything here. That's by the way of explaining my absence.
We're on the first leg of our trip, visiting family in Oceanside and San Diego. Tomorrow, we leave for Arizona to see the family there. Then back here for a couple more days. Then back home. Lots of fun in between.
I am getting some writing done in Bridgebuilder. I'm stumbling around...
October 6, 2011
The Judge's Right Hand now available from BCS
The Judge's Right Hand now available from BCS.
J.S. Bangs is one of my most helpful critiquers, and he's got a practically perfect story up at BCS. Go read it!
Trials and Tribulations – But Not Too Much
It's not easy preparing for a trip when you're a food snob.
No, no, it's all right if you don't feel sympathetic. I understand this is the price I pay to be a snob, and I'm willing to pay it.
Planning ahead is a necessity. There's the trip itself – four days (6-10 hours each) on the road, which requires a lunch to be packed. Perhaps a small snack, but in all truth, those calories are not needed. Unless the purpose is to keep me awake while I'm driving. Then bring 'em on.
Then there are the days ...
October 5, 2011
Write Campaign: Who Are You?
The Write Campaign has been a wonderful way to meet other writers and build a network. To do my part, I thought I'd write a post showcasing some of the writers in my groups. I'm in two groups: one is science authors, the other is paranormal romance.
A few people have responded to my request for information, and here they are!
Jennifer Filipowicz
Jen writes SF. She's working on her second novel, and perfecting both to prepare for hopeful publishing success. She has a trailer for the first book...
October 3, 2011
Countdown to Halloween
I don't celebrate Halloween the way most people do.
Well, actually, that's not entirely true. I do celebrate it the usual way – with decorations and candy at the door for the kids that come by. We play – very loudly – awesome music like Midnight Syndicate, Bach's Organ Passacaglia, or my really cool Y2K CD of Best Classical Disaster music. We have pumpkin lights in the yard, and because my husband likes spiders, we have a few REALLY BIG ones that we set about the place. I like to wear a...
October 2, 2011
September 30, 2011
Writers Campaign: Hooked on Hooks
Thanks to Kimberly at Zook Book Nook, for hosting an opening hook challenge. Below is the opening paragraph to Moon Over Donamorgh, a fantasy novel. The entire first chapter is available under the Upcoming Novels tab, if anyone wants to read the whole thing.
I'm looking forward to comments. Would you keep reading? Why/Why not?
Edited to add: The first two comments on this opening were negative, and thankfully, the commentators gave some reasons for their thoughts. This is exactly what I've...
Pumpkins!
The post below is from my defunct food blog and it is as true for me now, as it was in 2007 when I first wrote it. This year, due to a cool summer, the local pumpkin crop is both late and sparse. We may not have very many, even by Halloween. I'm probably not going to carve a pumpkin anyway, and even one pumpkin provides enough servings to last us a while. So I don't mind waiting a little longer for my local pumpkin, and if I can only buy one, that will probably be enough. I tend to freely...
September 28, 2011
You Know You Live in a Geek Household When…
…When a simple comment at dinner, "I like to eat my food while it's still hot," leads to a discussion on the range of temperatures at which hot food is comfortable to eat, beginning with: room temperature (75°F), too cold; body temperature (internal or skin? Rick insists there's a few degrees difference); boiling water (212°F), too hot; yet it's comfortable to sip in just a few minutes – how many degrees does it drop in those few minutes – a hundred? Fifty? Eighty?
…Which results in digging o...
September 26, 2011
I've been Liebstered!
What fun! I've been awarded the Liebster Award by Juliet Greenwood. Lucky Juliet lives in Wales and and gets to post gorgeous pictures. She's the author of "Eden's Garden," which comes out in 2012. Thanks Juliet!
Here's the award:
It's given to blogs with less than 200 followers. I certainly qualify for that. The award helps to foster connections among bloggers. The requirements are to link back to the person who gave you the award (I've done that – see above), then nominate five other...
