M.J. Compton's Blog, page 59

Tantalizing Trivia: Paisley

I’ve always had a fondness for paisley.

My grandmother made my Barbie doll a gorgeous Persian pickle jersey dress. (People of my grandmother’s generation referred to paisley as Persian pickle.)

I’ve had two memorable pieces of clothing in paisley–a peanut butter-colored tent dress when I was very young, and a turquoise, fuchsia, and yellow (on white) blouse as an adult. I miss them both.

Although the pattern has its roots in Iran, the name “paisley” comes from a town in Scotland where shawls using these motifs were produced.

Yes, I recently purchased a coloring book with paisley patterns in it.

Time Saving Tips: Family Meals

Here’s one of my favorite time saving tips. I formed this habit when the Chromos were younger. Working a demanding full-time Day Job and raising a family didn’t leave a lot of time to sneak in writing a sentence or two, so anything I could do to streamline “chores” was a help. Even with the Chromos mostly grown and gone, and a less demanding Day Job, I still tend to use this system

I keep a large, dry-erase calendar on which I color coordinate the family’s events, in the kitchen. I am purple, TV Stevie is blue; Y-Chromo is green, X-Chromo is red. I plan our weekly meals around this calendar and post them on a dry-erase board on the refrigerator. I write my grocery shopping list from this menu. Now, when I get home from work, I don’t have to think about what’s for supper, who’s going to be there, etc., because the menu was planned around everyone’s schedule. The only snag is when I forget to take the chicken out of the freezer in the morning.

I also save “major” cooking for the weekends. Week night meals tend to be ready in 30 minutes or less. I also try to make them “dishwasher” friendly. (I don’t put metal pots and pans–what my mom calls “tin dishes” in the dishwasher.) Every minute I can save is a minute I can write.

Sunday Stewpot

Today is National Sunday Supper Day.

TV Stevie and I have differing views on when to have “the big meal” on Sundays. The home in which he grew up always ate the big meal at night. In my family, Sunday dinner was the big meal–around 1pm. But like parenting, marriage requires you to pick your battles and this was one I wasn’t going to win, so why waste the energy?

Regardless, Sunday Suppers at my house are usually simple. I don’t like making a fuss on the nights before I have to go to work. Homemade soups, chili (winter), or a big salad (summer) is usually on the menu. Once in a while I’ll spiralize a zucchini or two and fix it with chicken and seasonings, but I don’t do anything that takes more than 30 minutes prep. I save those meals for Saturdays.

What’s your favorite Sunday Supper?

 

Writing Props: Color, Light, and Janet Fish

Color and light are very important to me. They always have been. I write better when I’m happy, and color and light delight me.

Many years ago, my husband and I attended an exhibit of modern art at the local art museum. That’s where I ran into Spring Party and an artist named Janet Fish. The way the artist depicted light through colored pressed glass captivated me. Awed me.

A couple of years later, leafing through a catalog from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, I discovered a poster of Spring Party was for sale. My budget didn’t allow me to purchase it at the time. But I did cut out the photo from the catalog.  And from the next issue, too. I still have one of those makeshift bookmarks. I keep it on my desk at Day Job.

Ten years later, while my Day Job office was being redecorated, I was told I could pick out any artwork I wanted. I called the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see if they had any Spring Party posters left. I was ten years too late.

My husband purchased a coffee table book of Fish’s paintings for me. I keep it handy in my home office. There is a pullout of Spring Party that I will stare at for hours.

What Janet Fish does with color and light is what I want to accomplish with my words.

Slice of Life Sunday

Happy New Year!

I’ll be making some changes around here. It started with a mission statement.

Create a quick & quirky destination blog while still offering guest authors a chance to promote new/current releases.

May 2016 everything you need it to be.

Goal Check/Goal Set

Time to check my goals for 2015.

Writing:

Finish 3rd werewolf book–done, under contract, 1st round of revisions completed.
Search for home for Baseball Books–sold one to Loose Id, have a second one ready to go.
Novella for anthology with my critique partners–done; final polish done
2 writing retreats–done
Critique at least 1x per month–yes
Finish & submit proposal for another sports romance: no.
maintain and refine my writing space–mantained
30 minutes actual book time 5 days a week–I would say my average for this was 75%

And here are my hopes for 2016:

Omega Moon Rising publication
submit a second baseball book
progress on the critique group anthology
2 writing retreats
critique at least 1x per month
finish 1st draft of “other” sports romance
Maintain and refine my writing space
Writing Weekend get-aways whenever I can
“Standby” novella for publisher anthology opportunities.

Hope you have a safe, happy, healthy New Year!

Adult Coloring Books Part 2

X-Chromo, who recently graduated from college, has been looking for a set of 50 colored pencils. She checked every drug store, craft store, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, supermarket in the area looking for them. Most places don’t even have boxes of 24 colors left.

Yesterday, I took her to the Art Store, which is a commercial art supply outlet. We were told there is a world-wide shortage of colored pencils.

I am a writer. I could make this up. But I didn’t.

Holiday Gifts Part 2

A few weeks ago I asked other authors if they could give the world any gift at all this holiday, what would that gift be. The response was so overwhelming, I split the responses into two blogs. Here’s part two.

BELLE AMI (The One and More): That people all over the world would stop  teaching their children to hate.

RB AUSTIN (Fallen Darkness): Coexistence.

EMILY CARRINGTON (Tell Me I’m Home): Hope. The only thing humanity can’t live without.

LASHELL COLLINS (Soul Stealer): I’d destroy all the racial hatred in the world.

AMY DEASON (Angels in the Shadows): Freedom from terrorists.

NANCY FRASER (Home is Where the Hunk Is):  I would give tolerance. A world that could and would practice tolerance for all persons and beliefs would be an ideal place to live.

C.D. HERSH (Sizzle in the Snow: A Soul Mate Christmas Anthology): Peace and security.

ELIZABETH JOHN (Judging Joey): Everyone perform an act of kindness for a stranger each day and for that stranger to pay it forward.

LYNN LORENZ (Breakfast at Tiffany’s): The gift I’d give the world if it were in my power is clean drinking water for everyone.

P.J. MACLAYNE (Wolves’ Pawn):  The gift of kindness. If we all could just share a little kindness with each other, the world would be a better place.

A. CATHERINE NOON (Cat’s Cradle): The ability to express the unique voice that is in each of us; the gift of peace and safety, so that each voice could be heard. We don’t need to look alike, sound alike, or think alike in order to be human – in fact, that would be a great loss to the world if we rubbed away all that makes us unique.

TAMERA STONE (Race for My Heart): For the Peace Fairy sprinkle fairy dust over EVERYONE so we all could just get along and stop all this hatred and war.

TINA SUSEDIK (Sizzle in the Snow-A Collection of Christmas Stories):  Peace. I pray for peace. I pray that my grandchildren will not have to grow up and be scared in a world torn by war. If I could afford it, I would gift the homeless with a place to live and food to eat.

IRIS WYNNE (The Missing Mah Jongg Player): All the wishes and prayers to come true for those who have a good heart.

MJ: I hope your holidays are everything you need them to be

The Newest Rage With Writers

Adult coloring books. Social media is abuzz with authors refilling their wells by coloring.

Seriously? Because I never stopped coloring.

In fact, I still have (and use) a box of crayons purchased circa 1974 that I somehow hid from my children. 

(Yes, the price tag reads 77¢)

There are colors in the box that are no longer made.

I’m also fond of colored pencils, but that is a taste I acquired as an adult. I particularly enjoy using them to sketch my heroines, floor plans of the house in my books, etc. I won’t share photos of those here because, well, I’m not an artist. I’m an author.

Have you purchased an adult coloring book?

Holiday Gifts Part 1

A few weeks ago I asked other authors if they could give the world any gift at all this holiday, what would that gift be. The response was so overwhelming, I had to split the responses into two blogs. Here’s what they had to say.

KERRY ADRIENNE (The Guardian of Blackbird Inn):  Compassion and understanding for other people’s differences.

YOLANDA ASHTON (A Will for Love): A guaranteed Salary/Wage that will ensure the ability to take care of loved ones comfortably.

MARIE BOOTH (Dying for a Bite): An extra dose of compassion and an urge to help people and animals in need.

ANNE B. COLE (Souls Estranged): Hope.

CRYSTAL DAWN (Cassandra, White Wolf Matriarchs):  Peace with a side of goodwill to all. Even for just the season it would be a beautiful thing.

ALINA K. FIELD (Rosalyn’s Ring):  A peaceful world, peaceful communities, and peaceful homes, and for each man, woman, and child, I would give wisdom to see blessings, and a heart filled with gratitude, “not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others

REBECCA HEFLIN (Ship of Dreams): Tolerance.

KIRA HILLINS (Take You Away): Bringing superheroes to life. With all that’s wrong in the world, we need them.