Terry Odell's Blog, page 328
November 1, 2009
Fall Backward
What I'm reading: The Perfect Couple, by Brenda Novak.Reminder: Don't forget -- you should have set your clocks back if you're in a 'Fall Backward' place.
October 31, 2009
Family Carvings 2009
Courtesy of Daughter #1
October 30, 2009
Happy Halloween
First, thanks to those who follow this blog. I hit a 100 milestone yesterday. I remember when Google first offered the "follow" option, and I had one person sign up--my daughter. Knowing there's some interest in my meanderings is extremely gratifying. Tomorrow is Halloween here in the states (and Canada, I'm assuming from the picture I took in Quebec City). Although we don't do much anymore, what
October 29, 2009
Getting It Right
A question frequently asked of authors is how they do their research for their books. Answers are as varied as the books they write. Some might spend months doing research. Some have budgets that permit travel to research exotic locales. While I take advantage of any travel I do, I've yet to reach the point where I can write it off as a legitimate business expense, since I'm pretty sure the IRS
October 28, 2009
Where's "The End?"
What I'm reading: Watch Me, by Brenda NovakThanks to Jeff for his fascinating tale of the Jersey Devil. Not something I care to meet up with on a dark night. Or even in broad daylight.The boring, real-life stuff: Communication. Why is it so hard? I'm STILL going round and round with the dryer repair people, who can't seem to communicate with each other, much less me. I call, they check, they need
October 27, 2009
The Legend of the Jersey Devil
Today, my guest, Jeff Markowitz, takes us on a tour of the New Jersey Pine Barrens and introduces us to one of the Pine Barrens' most famous citizens.Folks are always surprised when I tell them about the Pine Barrens. After all, it's not what people think of when they think of New Jersey. You might be surprised to find more than one million acres of pine forests and cranberry bogs less than one
October 26, 2009
What's in a Cover?
What I'm reading: Knock Off, by Rhonda Pollero.Where do those covers come from? People ask if authors design their own, or hire artists to create them. No, the publisher has an art department, and someone there is responsible for the cover. So far, all my publishers provide a questionnaire, and we fill in things like locale, time period, tone, theme, any special symbols, and character
October 25, 2009
Thanks to All
Thanks to everyone who left a comment on Friday's post. And congratulations, and thanks to Nicole for her tremendous efforts. Based on the comments, I'll be making a $35 donation to the cause. If anyone wants to join me, the link to her fundraising page is here.And if you're looking at another way to help, October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I've been doing my part--having a Pink
October 23, 2009
Respect for the Beast
What I'm reading: Hunt Her Down, by Roxanne St. Claire. Today, I'm turning my blog over to someone special - my youngest (by 3 minutes) daughter. It's her birthday, and I wish her (and her sister, of course!) the happiest of days, but I'd like to share her recent experience. Always warm and giving, she joined up with Team in Training several years ago, and has become a triathlete dedicated to
October 22, 2009
Backup, Backup, Backup
Still working on galleys -- as hubby puts it, "Reading like this sure pulls the eyeballs out of your head."I think everyone has had those panic and despair-filled moments when we lose a file, whether it's due to a computer crash or simple user error. When you're writing a 100,000 word document, it can be frightening.Backup, backup, backup. We have a networked hard drive. I have flash drives. I
