Liv Rancourt's Blog, page 44

Friday Fun: Vampires Inc.

A week or so ago I joined a new Triberr Tribe, one that's focused on science fiction and fantasy. For those of you who aren't familiar with Triberr, it's a blog networking and promotion site. It's been a lot of fun getting to know a bunch of new bloggers, but today I realized something. Since joining this new tribe, I've done posts about my kids and romance blogs and salted caramel. Not much sci-fi going on, unless you count my kids. They are teenagers, after all.

**waves at members of the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books and Writing Tribe**

In order to prove that my paranormal cred is intact, I decided to do a post featuring a couple of my favorite vampires - Bill and Eric - along with Sookie, and, well, the whole True Blood gang.

I have to confess I'm not a huge fan of the show (except for the pix of a certain blond viking vampire) but I love the books the series is based on, and last weekend I read Deadlocked, book 13 in the Southern Vampire Mysteries. I don't really do book reviews, so I'm making an exception for this one. The hard part will be avoiding spoilers, and maybe this won't be so much a book review as just a collection of my impressions. I have a feeling that if you've made it this far in the series, you'll read Deadlocked regardless of what I say. And if you've given up on the series, this probably won't make you want to jump back in.

Impression 1:  Deadlocked unwinds at a leisurely pace, as if Ms Charlaine and I were sitting down with a couple glasses of sweet tea while she told me the story. There's some action over here and then some banter over there. There's time for Sookie to run to the grocery store to pick up a few things to make dinner for some friends who just had new baby twins. There were times when I wondered if we were ever going to get where we were going. On the whole, though, I liked that aspect of it.

Impression 2: Towards the end she dropped in a couple of surprising details that left me feeling like I didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle. Either I've missed a short story or she's fired her continuity editor. It wasn't a deal-breaker, by any means, but I ended up with the same sense of dislocation I felt while reading Definitely Dead, when I came to the place that refers to events that happened in the short story One Word Answer. I've read all the Southern Vampire Mysteries - some of them multiple times - and there were things in this one that I thought came out of left field. Or perhaps another short story. Or maybe I'm just getting forgetful in my old age.

Impression 3:It was like going out for cocktails with a guy you used to have a huge crush on and maybe dated for a while, but now think of as a friend. It was fun to catch up and hear the news, but there was a sense of sadness too because so much of the excitement was gone.

Impression 4: She sure is wrapping things up! By the end, so many story lines had bows on them I could barely see the words on the page.

I cannot even imagine how hard it is to create thirteen books about the same bunch of characters, and I have a great deal of respect for what Charlaine Harris has done. I liked Deadlocked, and if you're a Sookie fan, I encourage you to read it. But you probably already have.
;)
Couple more things...Noni couldn't be here this week, because she has a new job where they expect her to be in an office from 9 - 5 Monday through Friday. Sadly, there'll be no more working from home in her slouchy slacks and Rocket Dog sandals. It's seriously cut into our white-wine-and-salad lunches, let me tell you. So, since I was left to my own devices, I picked the video trailer for True Blood Season One - the only season I really paid attention to. Oh, and then there's the gratuitous SPIKE pic. Because, um, you know. It's Spike.
Peace,
Liv





Photo credits:  http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/true-blood/photos.php

Kids With Sara: A Conversation with Sara Walpert Foster

Today I’d like to welcome Sara Foster to the blog. I got to know Sara through Kristen Lamb's class on Blogging To Build A Brand, and very much value her offbeat take on life, a view she shares on her blog, Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition. We have a lot in common. We’re both trying to balance raising kids and writing and, well, all the other stuff Life has put on our list. Oh, and we’re both addicted to Pinterest. So, see? We’ve got all the tools to be BFF.  ;)This post started out as an interview but turned into more of a conversation, because whenever the mothers of teenagers get together, the talk generally runs in the direction of how crazy they can make you. As I’m typing this, I’m staring at our Easter Centerpiece, wherein a rather dilapidated stuffed chicken is impaled on a tapered ceramic vase, wearing a pair of oversized bunny ears like a cape while surrounded by a wreath of colored eggs. I couldn’t have imagined this scene before I had children.
LR: So, Sara, was there a moment that stands out as the biggest child-related departure from how you thought life WOULD be compared with how it IS?

SWF: I’m not somebody who has my life thought out long before it happens but I must say that I expected my children to be more like me in the way they behave toward their parents. I sort of disappeared at age 13 and only made myself available to my parents at meals and family events until I graduated college (and realized that I needed them). My kids, for some strange reason, either like me or are really good actors (hmmm they both ARE into theater) and choose much more frequently than I did, to spend time with their parents.

LR: My daughter’s 14, and at times I think her nickname should be Sybil. What have you nicknamed your daughters and, more importantly, how do you COPE?

SWF: They both have the same nickname: Oscar Madison. Not that they understand the reference. I think they have a condition where it is physically impossible to pick up anything they have put down. How do I cope? Well, there’s wine. And dirty martinis. And telling my husband he’s on duty, I’m going out.

LR: My son (12 years old) tried to read my newest short story but got bored and couldn’t finish it. Kids are real good at keeping you humble. Do you use your kids as barometers of your work, or are you smarter than I am in that regard?

SWF: Wish I were smarter. Both my kids are writers but the younger one (almost 14) keep tabs on me. “When are you going to finish the novel? You’ve been writing it for my entire life. Have you got an agent yet? How come you haven’t sold it yet? Is it any good?” But I don’t let them read much since I do tend to get a little racy here and there. Not that they don’t think they’d understand.

LR: In an email you mentioned threatening to use your daughter’s laptop as a coaster so that she learns not to leave it on the kitchen island. That sounds like the kind of discipline I would use. I also liked your idea for giving the dog the lacrosse mouthguard as a chewtoy to teach your kid not to leave it lying around. I’ve used a retainer. It works. What’s been your most effective disciplinary technique and/or biggest success?

SWF: Well, I string them up by their toes . . . Naaa. I’m pretty mellow when it comes to discipline. We expect our kids to follow our rules and when they don’t, we usually take away friend time. As my older daughter nears 16, I’m seeing more sneakiness and hope that I won’t have to pull out the big guns. But respect is huge in our house and if they disrespect, things will disappear. Quickly.

LR: And, more seriously, if you could name the one thing you like best about each of your kids, what would it be?

SWF: Older daughter has compassion in spades. She may not always behave perfectly toward her peers but she truly gets when somebody is in need and she is there for her friends (and her Mom - she can always tell when I’m feeling low - takes about ten seconds in the room with me).Younger daughter has drive out the wazoo. She does not give up on anything, even if she has to push, push, push. It really serves her in life so far. And also she still lets me hug her. Not in front of her friends, mind you, but in the privacy of our home, I get lots of love.Now, Liv, in the spirit of BFF-ness, I think it wouldn’t be fair to let you get off scot-free. So here are my questions:

SWF: How have you dealt with the birds and the bees subject with your children and was it different with the different genders?

LR: Pretty much my daughter learned a lot about sex from watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and my son from Jon Stewart and Steven Colbert. Wow. Jon and Steven would probably be appalled if they knew that.

SWF:  How would you respond if you caught one of your precious darlings in a bold-faced lie?

LR: Cutting off computer access is a huge motivator. Just the threat keeps them honest, or it has so far.

SWF: Did you really give the dog the retainer? And are you sure you didn’t make that centerpiece?


LR: Heh. I’ll never tell.  Nah, really, the retainer was an accident (but if it happens again…), and while I might have been instrumental in assembling the centerpiece, I can guarantee you that I never owned a ratty stuffed chicken and a pair of big white bunny ears when I was a single girl.

SWF:  Best qualities of each kid?

LR: My daughter, who is 14, has always had a very strong sense of herself. At the end of 6th grade, she wanted to get her long hair cut short and bleached out. I made her wait a couple months, because a major change like that could almost be classified as plastic surgery and I didn’t want a crazed kid freaking out because she got the haircut she’d asked for. When after two months she was still pointing to pictures of the singer Pink and saying that’s how she wanted her hair, we got it done. We did compromise on the color – heavy highlights instead of platinum, b/c none of the adults involved were interested in putting peroxide on a kid’s scalp. She looked awesome, and it was such a huge confidence boost for her. And ever since, you can pick her out on the soccer field, because every other kid on the team has their long hair pulled back in a ponytail. She knew what she wanted, and even though her two closest friends were telling her not to (and her mother was skeptical), she did and proved us all wrong.My son, 12, is a super bright kid and has a quirky sense of humor. He’s on the quiet side, and then he’ll drop these bombs and just crack everybody up. The other day we stopped at 7/11 after school to get him a snack, and when he got back in the car he told me he’d seen a tabloid headline that said, “Asteroid Storm Headed to Earth. Everyone Get Their Guns and Take Cover.”“Yeah, like that’ll do them a lot of good,” I said.“But it’d make a funny Southpark episode. Can you see it? All the little people out in the middle of an empty field shooting up into the sky trying to redirect the asteroids?”Heh. Someone tell Cartman we’ve got an idea for an upcoming show.

SWF: This has been so much fun. I hope you’ll join me on my blog one day soon. Until then, see you on Pinterest. And Facebook. And Twitter. And Triberr. And any other social media excuse we can come up with. Okay?
LR: Done! I’d be happy to be your guest, Sara. Thank you so much for hanging out with me here today.
Peace,Liv

Team Sophia Update

It's been a month or so since I've written about Sophia. For a chunk of that time, she was at Seattle Children's Hospital being treated for the side-effects of chemo. Today we're celebrating the fact that she's only got ONE more chemotherapy session and then, except for quarterly scans to evaluate for recurrence, she'll be done with it. She and her mother Stacey can really start gearing up for their Hawaii trip.  If any two people have earned a vacation, it's Sophia and Stacey.
(Doesn't she look awesome with her do-rag & tatt?)
 I asked Stacey to share a few words on how things are going in Sophia's world...
Although when you're in my shoes you hate to jinx something, I am pleased to say that Sophia is tolerating her second to last chemo well! As of last Wednesday, she has one remaining treatment to go(likely 2 weeks from now) and we can, God willing, put this cancer crap behind us.I recall an emergency room Dr. once say as he was looking at the sign on her chart that said 18 of 18(she has 18 huge charts!) "Man, she has been through a lot" I responded quickly with, "I don't keep a tally, I just keep track". At that moment I realized the importance of that statement. See, if I kept a tally, it would not be fair to her, and it would be too much for me. She deserves to wake each day and receive the benefit of the doubt. A fresh start to prove just how strong she is, not some ongoing reminder of times of trial or weakness. Miss Sophia Grace is a kid you don't want to meet in a dark alley. She can, and will, take you down! Thank you to all who have thought of, prayed for, donated to, smiled at, and pondered the power of the Soph. Please know that it is YOU who gives ME the strength to empower HER to live to her fullest.  For that we are both eternally grateful.  Living life to the fullest...that's something we all could do a little more of. One thing that has impressed me since the day Sophia was born is that Stacey has always referred to her problems as "differences", not "disabilities". She has always tried to give Sophia Grace experiences that support and maximize who she is. Obviously that's what every parent wants to do, but when you're accruing 18 thick medical charts in the process, you can imagine the difficulty that Stacey has faced. 
Many of you who are reading this have donated to Team Sophia, helping Stacey with a trip to Hawaii to visit Grandma and Grandpa. It's been humbling to see how generous people can be, and I sincerely thank every one of you who has donated or said a prayer on Sophia's behalf. Today I'm going to do something a little different. The video below was created by the staff at Seattle Children's hospital. It shows their heme-onc staff and patients performing the Kelly Clarkson song "Stronger". I'm going to take half of all the money donated to Team Sophia as a result of this post and send it to the SCH Foundation, earmarked for their heme-onc floor. I'm a 20+ year employee of Children's, and I can't watch this video without bawling like a baby. If you can kick in the cost of a fancy coffee beverage, you'll be helping Sophia and Stacey with their Hawaiian vacation AND helping the kids at Seattle Children's. Peace,Liv


 

Monday Morning Post: Romance Mash-up

Last August I saw a call for submissions for a Christmas themed anthology that was being put together by Still Moments Publishing. At the time I was in the process of editing A Vampire's Deadly Delight and wanted to work on something completely different. I remember sitting on the deck of a swimming pool at my son's swim practice, texting my sister for short story ideas. One thing led to another, and, to make a long story short, I found a whole bunch of new friends. Getting my story published was almost beside the point.

This month, Still Moments is celebrating their first anniversary. They're running a blog hop - of which this post it a part - as well as a scavenger hunt and  a series of fun interviews at The Author's Den. A full list of anniversary celebration activities, including the Pitch the Publisher and Ask the Editor Contests, can be found here.

And HERE, on this blog, is a mash-up of blogs from some of the fabulous authors that are with Still Moments Publishing. This isn't an exhaustive list, by any means, and it's not in any particular order. You'll notice some of the names appear as guests on one blog and hostesses on another, and many of them have appeared here before, so it might feel a little in-bred. Oh well. What can I say? We all like each other!

To start us off, Denise Moncrief' has a lovely interview with Darlene Henderson. These two both have short stories appearing the in recently released Unleashed Hearts anthology from SMP.

Andto spread the love a little further, Krista Ames posted a charming interview with Denise Moncrief on her blog A Passion For Romance.

You can catch a taste of Ceri Herbert's fabulous work with this Six Second Sunday post.

Jennifer Daiker blogs at JenUnedited, and her  Wednesday Wordies feature games and giveaways using the first lines in YA & romance novels. She's a very clever girl, and these are fun posts.

Check out Shannon O'Brien's post, Yeah, I'm That Kind Of Irish Girl ...because there always has to be a kick-ass party chick in the crowd.

Now you know Jillian Chantal is always up for a challenge, and her page is called Romantic Adventure With International Flare. You'll want to see what I made her do...

On the blog Decadent Decisions, W. Lynn Chantal has lots of interesting guests. Look for this post, Word Junkie Anonymous. It's an interview with SMP editor AJ Neust (and while you're there, keep your eyes peeled for Tyrell sightings).

New SMP author Tudor Robins captures the heart of the SMP experience in this post, Finding Community.

And one of the first SMP authors, Liberty Blake, blogs at Liberty's Spells. Here she's got an interview with Mackenzie Crowne.

Mac gets two hits, because this post on blog Mac's Mad Mania just plain cracked me up. You Might Be A Romance Author If...
Leave a comment if you pass the test...or even if you don't. Thank you Darlene, AJ, Annie & the rest of the SMP team. Working with you guys is an awesome experience.
;)
Peace,
Liv


(And if I forgot anyone, I sincerely apologize. Ping me and I'll be happy to add you to the list.)

Sleepover Consequenses: A Mixed Bag

Happy Saturday! Last night the census of people under the age of 15 in our house increased from two to five, and as a result, very little actual sleeping happened. Well, the 12-year-old boys slept (more-or-less), but the 14-year-old girls, not so much. And therefore the parents (that would be the husband and myself)? Also, not so much.

So I'm kind of taking a day off from blogging. Today I've got a new post on writing short stories at the SavvyAuthors.com page, and I encourage you to hop on over there and check it out. On Monday I'm going to have a romance-themed mash-up in honor of the first anniversary of Still Moments Publishing, and on Wednesday Sara W. Foster and I am going to be sharing war stories comparing notes on raising kids. And there'll be a TEAM SOPHIA update very soon! 

Have a fabulous weekend! I hope it's sunny where you are...
Peace,
Liv

One more thought...RIP, Adam...

 

Friday Fun: Recipe Included!

So the other day I was playing around on Pinterest and found the picture to the right. It's linked to a recipe for Salted Caramel Shortbread. A good friend of mine who goes by the name The Freeway Diva (The FWD) commented that it was like she and Noni got together and made a love baby. I laughed because she was right. That recipe plays to each of their strengths.

The FWD is an expert baker who takes care of all of our birthday cake needs, and Noni is a very fine cook who specializes in creative combinations. Lately Noni has been playing around with salty and sweet, recipes similar to the one below, for Cheesecake with a Chocolate Crust and Salted Caramel Sauce. Noni didn't make that one, but she could have. Maybe I'll ask for it the next time she offers to make dessert...














 
The idea of combining salty and sweet is very popular right now, and it's easy to find recipes based on that principle. I looked around the internet and found a recipe for Honey-Marinated Goat Cheese with Lavender, and one for Crispy Chocolate Peanut-Butter Cups. Even something as simple as the bag of Kettle Korn you buy on the way in to the baseball game is based on this concept.



Our girl Noni, well, she's got to push the envelope. She grabbed salty and sweet and took it to 11. Wanna know how?

She added bacon.

OMG does she rock or what?

So here, for those of you with adventurous palates, is Noni's recipe for Ginger-Bacon Cookies a Butter Glaze. Go on. Try 'em. They're all kinds of yum.



Noni speaks...and you're going to love what she has to say...

Ginger-Bacon Cookies with a Butter Glaze

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark molasses
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
4 strips thick cut bacon (maybe more?)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Beat in molasses and egg. Fry the bacon SLOWLY so it doesn't burn. chop it superfine. Add bacon and the remaining ingredients and combine thoroughly.
Form tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in sugar. Flatten on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. Cool.

Butter Glaze

Brown the butter on medium heat (no higher!), then add a pinch of salt and enough powdered sugar to make a drippable glaze. Dribble over cookies.



And other thing that's based on the principle of salty and sweet is the book Go The F*** To Sleep. If you've never seen this book, it looks an awful lot like something you'd read to a baby. Personally, I wouldn't, but, as you can see from the following video, some people do.
(The language in this video is quite, um, salty. Consider yourself warned.)


Thanks for playing along today. Leave a comment with your favorite salty/sweet recipe, and definitely let me n' Noni know if you try her recipe. Also, let me know what you think of the blog's new look. Is it too busy? Happy Weekend!
Peace,
Liv

Photo Credit: Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Chocolate Crust and Salted Caramel
Photo Credit: Salted Caramel Shortbread
Photo Credit: Kettle Corn

The 'What Ifs' In My Closet

It takes a brave woman to show off what's in her closet, and I'm here to introduce to you one of the bravest. I got to know Tami Clayton through Kristen Lamb's Blogging To Build A Brand class, and she is as clever as they come. On her own blog she writes about traveling in Morocco and weequashing with Benedict. Intrigued? Check it out. I don't want to spoil the surprise.  ;)
And now, Tami has been gracious enough to open her soul closet for your inspection...



One day not too long ago, I decided it would be a perfect time to avoid a rough spot in my novel clean out my closet. I am the kind of person who thinks in terms of "what if?" scenarios and as a result, I have a whole bunch of "what if?" garments taking over hanging in my closet. Staring into the depths, the first thing to catch my eye was the funky, colorful 1960's dress I haven't worn since that one Halloween party six years ago. Should I keep it? What if I accidentally enter a time travel portal and am sucked back into the 1960's? I'd want to be able to fit in right away, wouldn't I? Best keep that one. *puts dress back in closet*How about this lovely hand-woven wool sweater from Peru? (Not that I've ever been to Peru and never mind that it was purchased in some hippie shop in Illinois 20 years ago.) Undecided, I decided to try it on and was nearly swallowed in a literal ocean of itchy wool. I could have easily fit four other people with me inside that sweater and we all would have been cozy, yet comfortable. I looked like a ball of yarn with legs, a neatly woven Sasquatch. Why am I hanging on to this and what possessed me, at all of 5'4", to buy such an ENORMOUS thing? Did I have a subconscious thing for Yetis? Hmmm... What if I needed a quick, impromptu costume of Sasquatch? This could work in a pinch as ol' Big Foot. Just add a wig and a little facial hair. Or what if the sun suddenly vanished from the sky and the earth's temperatures plummeted? Wouldn't I have need for such a sweater? Think of the children I could save!Reality, the buzz kill that it can be, suddenly came knocking on my door and said: That thing is as big as a freakin' house. Not to mention it takes up a huge portion of real estate in your closet. You do not need a Sasquatch costume. Furthermore, the memories of that time of your life when you actually wore this monstrosity are neatly stored in your psyche, not in the sweater. You don't need the sweater to store them for you.
Fine, Mr. Killjoy. But it'll be on your head when the lives of many poor, innocent children are snuffed out because the sun dies and they suddenly freeze to death. Just sayin'.
Next up was a shimmery gold (yes, GOLD) sleeveless dress, circa 1995, that I wore to a New Year's Eve party, complete with matching GOLD pumps. I couldn't even bring myself to try it on. What if it didn't fit? What if it did? To what occasion would I wear this? Is it tacky? Yes? No? It's kinda retro-glam with a nod to both the 40's AND the 80's. That's possible, right?*knock at the door*Reality walks in wheeling the 360-degree mirrored closet from TLC's What Not to Wear: You are a piece of work, let me tell ya. Hold that thing up to you and stand in the Chamber of Doom. C'mon. Don't be shy. You did consciously buy it after all. I'm only here to help. There you go. *quickly closes door and latches it* Now, tell me what you see.Um, well...Reality: *flings open the door* Exactly. There are no words to even describe it. Again, the memories from that night are right here. *taps bony finger on my head* Time to let the dress go.But what if I get offered a part in the remake of Goldfinger? This would be perfect for that!Reality stares at me and shakes his head.Fine. Have it your way. But at this rate, I will have nothing to wear if Armageddon strikes or Hollywood calls or there's a sudden need for a Sasquatch costume. What will I do then?Reality, putting a hand on each of my shoulders, looks me squarely in the eye: Then go buy what you need when you need it. It will be there, whatever it is you're looking for. Save the what if's for your writing, not your closet.I don't know about you, but when someone says "trust me" - even if they are fictional, anthropomorphized entities that I talk to in my head - I become a bit skeptical. What if he is wrong?But then again, what if he is right?What if I stopped cleaning closets and got back to writing?What if?...but what I want to know is, where's the picture of the shimmery gold shoes? And for you reading along, what's hanging in YOUR closet?
;)
Thanks Tami, for a delightfully thought-provoking post.
Peace,
Liv

Monday Evening Star: Something For Everybody

The Letter D...

So last week a post by the always cool Shay Fabbro was "brought to us by the letter P". She listed ten things she loved that began with P and said if you left her a comment, she'd give you a letter of your own. She was true to her word, and my letter is D.
Coming up with ten things that start with D was harder than you'd think. Seriously. Here goes:

1. Dunn (because it's my maiden name)
2. Mr. Darcy (well duh)
3. Dogs (a picture's worth 1000 words)
4. Dysfunctional (because that's how I live)
5. Daydreams (because that's how I survive #4)
6. Delicious (because it refers to food, and I'ma lova mah grub)
7. Daredevil (because if it doesn't scare you a little, it's probably not worth doing)
8. Dancing (because you're never too old...right Tami?)
9. Daughter (because everyone needs a daughter to keep them honest...right Sara?)
10. Daybreak (because it means you get another chance)

Now leave me a comment and I'll assign YOU a letter. Good luck!

Lucy 7

Speaking of luck, my friend and fellow Black Opal Books author Jami Gray tagged me with the Lucky 7 meme. The rules are pretty simple...


go to page 7 or 77 in your current manuscriptgo to line 7post on your blog the next 7 lines, or sentences, as they aretag 7 other people to do the same
My current WIP doesn't have 77 pages (yet), but here are 7 lines (or maybe 8, I lost count) from  page  7 of a piece I'm calling Hell...The Story. Ophelia Rand and her friends Sally Serpent and Jimmy the Ghost are sitting in the lobby of the Hell Hotel, wondering why one of Hell's Escorts tried to bring a live one through. And, I'm not exactly sure where I'm going with this, either.     ;)

I came around in front of my desk, leaning back to rest my butt cheeks on the edge of the marble top. Under our feet, the tile floor showed a naked couple in a garden, circled by the feathers of a giant peacock. My feet were right by the peacock’s eye. “Makes me wonder what Leon’s up to.”            “Losing it,” Jimmy said.            “Yeah, dude must be like a thousand years old.” Sally shifted again so she could lean back against the arm of the couch and drape her legs over Jimmy’s lap. He put a hand on her thigh, letting it slide up to the hem of her skirt, which was way too high. Around me, the billowy silks started shifting to darker colors, deep ruby and gold and forest green. Now the rules say I'm supposed to tag seven other bloggers, but that seems so dictatorial, right? So, if you want to play, consider yourself tagged.  ;)  Grab the Lucky 7 graphic and post your seven lines. Just make sure to ping me so I know to take a look, okay?

 We Have A Winner

Last Wednesday, Diana Brandmeyer was my guest with a fun & informative post about living a gluten-free life. Check here if you missed it. At the end of her post, she said that she'd give a copy of one of her books to a lucky commenter. The winner was Tam Linsey, and while I'll hook the two of them up via email, I wanted to announce it here, too. Congratulations Tam! You'll be able to choose either Diana's nonfiction book, We're Not Blended, We're Pureed or her romance, A Bride's Dilemma.


Final Thought

Let me set the scene...
I was driving my 14 year old daughter to her choir practice this afternoon. We were stuck in traffic on I5 and the radio wasn't playing something she could sing to.
R: Mom, can I ask you something?
Me: Um, okay.
(quickly thinking, I HATE that question. Can I trade you in for a 2-year-old, because they're just EASIER)
R: How come I look Asian?
(Now, for reals, if we lived in Hawaii, most people would assume she was hapa - her eyes have heavy lids and she has high cheekbones and she could be part Japanese or something. She's not. We're French, Irish, German, etc... I have NO idea why her eyes look sort of Asian.)
Me: Why? (thinking. your father really is your father, child; also thinking, this is important why?)
R: Two kids asked me what race I was at school today.
Me: (thinking something articulate like, Goddam kids) Well, supposedly your Grandfather's family has some Native American mixed in somewhere. Just tell them you're part Native American.
R: (sitting up a little straighter) Cool.
And that, friends, is the beauty of Middle School. On the one hand, one stupid question can ruin your day. On the other, Mom can still fix it with a few words. If she's lucky.
Peace,
Liv

Word Choice: Saying Exactly The Right Thing

Hope   

Hope is the thing with feathers 
That perches in the soul, 
And sings the tune--without the words, 
And never stops at all,And sweetest in the gale is heard; 
And sore must be the storm 
That could abash the little bird 
That kept so many warm.I've heard it in the chillest land, 
And on the strangest sea; 
Yet, never, in extremity, 
It asked a crumb of me.


 
I woke up this morning thinking about word choice. So, as you do, I looked up my favorite Emily Dickinson poem. Because I can't imagine anyone who knows more about word choice than Miss Dickinson. 

When I was in college, I fancied myself a poet, and used to challenge myself by drawing the outline of a rabbit with one line. I tried not to lift the pencil from the paper or cross one line over the other, and the goal was to convey as much life as I could in the sparest of drawings. 

Drawing and writing might not be an obvious link, but the connection is real. I picture drawing that rabbit when I'm writing short stories, as I'm pruning away anything that isn't essential. I googled 'word choice' and found a quote that I like. "With good word choice, the writer creates a mental picture for the reader by using words that are specific and accurate." (From: )

Specific & accurate. Those are important concepts when you're trying to tell the truth about an imaginary situation. There's never any doubt the Emily Dickinson's words said exactly what she meant them to say, though for the rest of us, finding that level of discipline is a life-long process.

I don't really have any answers today. Mostly questions: how do you approach word choice? How do you know when the you're using the most specific and accurate words possible for a given situation?

Peace,
Liv

Flying Bird by Jiri Hodan

Friday Fun: The Colbert Report

 So it's Friday, which means it's time to have a little fun. Right? Noni and I have been busy this week, searching for just the right video. Okay, that's a bit of a lie. Both of us have been busy, and this is a video we found a while ago that seems to fit the moment.


I mean, last week's video featured my husband's band, The Fentons, and it was presented in terms of romance. This week you're going to see the guy I'd dump my husband for in a second. (Sorry dear...)

Steven Colbert.

I think he's brilliant, and not just because he's smart and he can sing and he's a good Catholic boy. I love the way he's playing with irony to get his point across. So much of what's considered humor right now is pretty sophomoric - T&A, potty jokes, angry strings of F-words. Irony is a higher level of humor, and day after day, Colbert just nails it.


Dictionary.com defines irony as "the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning". In Colbert's case, it goes beyond words. It's his persona, his attitude, the deft way he covers his anger with a smiley face. He's been accused of promoting 'ironic rot' by the National Review, and, along with Jon Stewart, of being a symptom of the decaying politic system that defines this country. 

In his 2010 Los Angeles Times article, Will Bunch compared Stewart & Colbert to Glen Beck, the pundit they're supposedly lampooning. His assessment shows more similarities than you'd expect, although I doubt the crowds of people who went to see them on the National Mall would agree.

I would offer that this disagreement is a symptom of the real problem with our political system. People of opposing viewpoints don't listen to each other. Consider some research findings published in The International Journal of Press/Politics:


Using data from an experiment (N = 332), we found that individual-level political ideology significantly predicted perceptions of Colbert's political ideology. Additionally, there was no significant difference between the groups in thinking Colbert was funny, but conservatives were more likely to report that Colbert only pretends to be joking and genuinely meant what he said while liberals were more likely to report that Colbert used satire and was not serious when offering political statements.

So he's on both sides? That doesn't bug me at all. I'm glad there's a place liberals and conservatives can find common ground. IMHO, only a united front will fix the things that are wrong with this country, and only real dialogue will get us there. And if we're laughing at the same things, maybe some of that dialogue will happen.

Wow. That went much deeper than I'd expected. Noni's crying in her cocktail over here. In the interest of keeping to the Friday Fun theme, let's make a little hay with one of our major corporation person friends. Here's Mr. Colbert talking about a fave snack...




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