HelenKay Dimon's Blog, page 54
October 4, 2010
Photo: Oahu
My upcoming book, IMPULSIVE, is set in Hawaii. Specifically, the action unfolds on the island of Oahu. My husband was born and raised there. My in-laws live there. So, I visit as often as I possibly can. Here's a photo from one of my favorite parts of the island:
Notice the lack of houses and people. Yeah, priceless.
Contest Winner
Bet you thought with my deadline and birthday and trying to catch up with the 5,000 things I let slide over the last two weeks that I forgot to pick a September contest winner. Well, you're right. I will fix that error right now.
The September winner is: Brandy W (for the comment on September 20th) – Congratulations!! Email me and I'll get the gift certificate to you.
September 28, 2010
Banned Books
It's Banned Book Week, a time to celebrate books, for education and for general eyerolling. It's a reminder that some folks out there want to ban specific books from schools, libraries and bookstores. Why those folks should get to decide what the rest of us read, I do not know. I'm guessing it comes from a place of fear and is a result of being narrow-minded and misinformed. I get wanting to watch over what your kids read and see, but this goes beyond that. These folks want to control the marketplace.
You don't like a book – fine. You don't want your kids to read it – fine, talk to them. But you don't get to keep the book from everyone else.
According to the American Library Association, here are the ten most challenged titles:
1.ttyl; ttfn; l8r, g8r (series), by Lauren Myracle
Reasons: nudity, sexually explicit, offensive language, drugs, and unsuited to age group
2. And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: homosexuality
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs, homosexuality, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, suicide, and unsuited to age group
4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
Reasons: racism, offensive language, unsuited to age group
5. Twilight (series), by Stephanie Meyer
Reasons: sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
6. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
Reasons: sexaully explicit, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
7. My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
Reasons: sexism, homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group, drugs, suicide, violence
8. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
Reasons: sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
9. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
Reasons: sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
10. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
Reasons: nudity, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
Lots of "unsuitable" complaints here. Makes me wonder who these folks are who complain and what they do find suitable. Probably not much.
September 27, 2010
Photo: Las Vegas
My hubby and I like to vacation in Las Vegas. We stay at the Bellagio because the place is just gorgeous. One of my favorite parts of the hotel is the conservatory. The flowers and displays change seasonally. Here's a spring shot from a few years ago:
September 25, 2010
Snippet Saturday
Today's topic is villians. I have a lot of those to pick from. I went with an early villian in UNDER THE GUN. Luke and Claire are stuck in an alley with a gunman.
Luke positioned his body in front of Claire's. A bullet or knife or anything else would have to go through him first.
He could hear people on the other side of the building's door and a dull thud as they pushed against it. He needed back-up and a way out that didn't involve fighting through an angry crowd that viewed him as...
September 22, 2010
September 20, 2010
Some Thoughts
I bet you think I've forgotten how to blog. Not so! It's just been a circus around here. I have two writing projects that are just about due (one IS due on September 30th and the other is due on October 30th). The house has been under construction thanks to a mold problem. That meant taking our master bath and closet down to the studs and rebuilding. It also meant a parade of construction folks in and out of my house while I was trying to write. You can imagine how fun that's been....
September 13, 2010
Winner!
The winner of the Alison Kent's ICING ON THE CAKE contest is…Moran. Congratulations!! Email me and I'll get that book out to you.
September 11, 2010
Snippet Saturday
Today's topic is break-ups. It wasn't very hard to figure out what to post. I have a book where the hero dumps the heroine in the first scene. I know it doesn't sound romantic, but I think it works. The book is RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW.
"This isn't working."
There they were. To Gabrielle Pearson the phrase stood second only to "it's not you, it's me" as the most lame male excuse on the planet for cutting out of a date before the dessert menus hit the table.
She glanced around the upscale r...
