Friday, December 31, 2010

Getting Lucky at Midnight?



Happy New Year!!!!!





Whether 2010 was a good year or one you prefer to forget, the passing of the torch from one year to the next deserves a little pause to consider what we leave behind.



2010 was a mixed bag for me, but rather than delete the 2010 entry from the calendar of my life,  I realized I want to remember every second of this year as life learned and friends loved.

Known as the most popular song that no one knows the words to.
Auld Lang Syne, a Scottish song first published by Robert Burns is the perfect choice for New Years celebrations.

We sing: 'Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And auld lang syne. For auld lang syne, my dear, For auld lang syne, We'll tak a cup of kindness yet, For auld lang sine!'
The song in its entirety embellishes that theme of old friends who have shared common interests in their youth, getting together for a good will drink, remembering the past with fondness and celebrating their friendships.
And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp, And surely I'll be mine, And we'll tak a cup o kindness yet, For auld lang syne!
We twa hae run about the braes, And pou'd the gowans fine, But we've wander'd monie a weary fit, Sin auld lang syne.
We twa hae paidl'd in the burn, Frae morning sun till dine, But seas between us braid hae roar'd Sin auld lang syne.
And there's a hand my trusty fiere, And gie's a hand o thine, And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught, For auld lang syne.

(The Scottish were also the originators of Hogmanay, where a popular tradition - first-footing - sprang up with neighbors visiting neighbors shortly after midnight with gifts and well wishes. One tale is that you'll be especially lucky if a tall, dark, and handsome man is the first to enter your house after the new year celebration - guess that's what they call 'getting lucky', eh? )

How will you remember 2010? How will you celebrate? Are there any traditions you've heard about that you'd like to start doing this New Years?
I will remember 2010 as the year I met some fabulous people at the Moonlight and Magnolias Conference in Atlanta - one of my best experiences in years.

Pop the cork on the best year yet to come - 2011!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

100 Books to Read, or Not

Found a list of books and this concept at Mind Muffins.
Whether you read printed versions or electronic, listen to CDs or Audible, we all have our favorites and those we could live without. 
This is a cool way to see the difference in our preferences. Try it.

My directions are thus: 
*  Copy the whole list to YOUR blog.
Bold the ones you’ve read, leave ones you haven’t alone
** Put a couple of astericks by the ones you recommend.
Highlight ten you have no interest in.
*  Leave ten blank from the ones you don’t expect to read.
*  It might be interesting to see if you read it in P - print, E - electronic, or L - listened to it.

Fill in the blanks with others you or a friend has recommended.
Leave a comment on this author’s site with a link to your list. Then share the love and carry on.

(I don't read many on Electronic yet, so I marked those I listened to with L, the rest are print. Personally, I love holding the book. the ones I read several times I gave details.)
So to begin....
 1. The DaVinci Code  L
 2. Pride and Prejudice  (re-read) P
 3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee) ** (It’s been too long).  P
 4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)** P
 5. Flirting with Danger, Suzanne Enochs**  P
 6. Warning Signs , Stephen White L
 7. The Lord of the Rings: (SAW THE MOVIES, does that count?)
 8.  Full Moon Rising   Keri Arthur **  P,L
 9.  Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)*** P,L,L,L
10. Darkborn  (Allison Sinclair) ** can’t wait for the third book! P
11.
12.
13. Nobody’s Baby But Mine (Susan Elizabeth Phillips)** L,P,L
14. Sweet Hush, Deborah Smith ** P

15. Last Man Standing David Baldacci** L,P
16.
17. The Husband, Dean Koontz*** L,P
18. The Wolf and the Dove,   Kathleen Woodiwiss** P
19. Stanley   Jack Rosse (surprising! And delightful.)** P

20. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte Again, it’s been a lonnnng time P
21. Sphere of Influence,  Kyle Mills *** P,L,L,L
22. Cold Day in Paradise, Steve Hamilton ** P,L
23. It’s in His Kiss, Julia White P
24. Envy, Sandra Brown P,L
25.  Life of Pi, Yann Martel
26. Small Town Girl, Laverle Spencer** P
27. Peace is the Way, Deepok Chopra**  Awesome P,L
28. The Watchman, Robert Crais** L
29. 
East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Mistborn, Brandon Sanderson** L
31. Aint She Sweet? Susan Elizabeth Phillips** P,L,L
32. The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) I can’t do Nicolas Sparks, only one happy ending – NightsnR.
33. The Heir,  Grace Burrowes** her first book and it’s wonderful P
34. 
35. The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
P,L
36. A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin** brilliant writer but a reviewer said he didn’t know why Martin’s characters didn’t just kill themselves. It’s a bleak world. P,L
37. The Power of Now   Eckhart Tolle** L,P
38. I Know This Much is True (Wally Lamb)
39. Beautiful Lies, Lisa Unger** L
40. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) no, but I’m reading Brida  L
41. T
he Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel) NOoo interest
42. 
The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Witches’ Bane (Susan Wittig Albert)** P
44.
The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)(didn’t even see the movie)
45. The Bible (God, with some help from his friends)** P,L
46. Romeo, Romeo, Robin Kaye ** P
47. First Degree, David Rosenfelt**  All Andy Carpenter books, snarky lawyer humor, with his golden retriever soul mate he solves murders his clients are accused of. L,P
48. Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. Dixie City Jam, James Lee Burke** L
50. Tairel Soul, C.L. Wilson** P,L
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens)
53. Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Turn Coat, Jim Butcher** L
55. Lord of Scoundrels (Loretta Chase)** P
56.
The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57.
58. Heather and Velvet, Medeiros ** P
59. 
The Handmaid's Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) mostly ** P
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand) **P
63. Blue Edge of Midnight, Jonothan King** P,L
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice) L
65.
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. Ten Big Ones (Janet Evanovich)*** P, L,L,L
68.
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)**
70. 
Original Sin, Allison Brennan ** P
71. Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. Love in the Time of Cholera, Marquez
  Ugh, the title
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75.  Eclipse Saga, Meyer ** P,L
76. The Summer Tree, Guy Gavriel Kay ??
77. Faeries Gone Wild, Mary Janice Davidson* P
78. The World According to Garp (John Irving) can’t remember
79. The Gift (Marianne Williamson)** P
80. Charlotte's Web (E.B. White)
81. Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)??
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)**
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier) (My father’s absolute favorite book.) P
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85.
86. Watership Down ,Richard Adams
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. The Help ( want to just haven't gotten to it yet)
89. Blindness, Jose Saramago
90. Material Evidence, Bill Kirton **P
91. Firebrand,  Gillian Roberts** P
92. Dragonfly and Amber,  Gabaldon, and all the rest ** P,L L
93. In From the Cold, Nora Roberts** P
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. When Darkness Falls (Kyle Mills) oddly prophetic, last of the Mark Beamons*** P,L,L
96. A Place to Call Home, Deborah Smith**
97.
98. Naked in Death, (J.D.Robb)**P,L
99. 
100. Ivanhoe (Sir Walter Scott) and I can still remember gritting my teeth

Lots of books didn't make the list that should have. I don't know where my list of favorite books went from an earlier blog template.


Friday, December 24, 2010

A wish for you at Christmas Time

I've put a few cool vids up on the Blame It On The Muse blog today.

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukka! Happy Holidays.
Marley

Monday, December 20, 2010

So You Want to Write a Book

Did you miss me? Where have I been? Well, I have been busy.

I have been blogging on Blame It On The Muse and from now on, I'll post my blog there on my Marley blog, so you won't miss a thang!

Let's see, I was going to do Nano but then decided to enter the Golden Heart. For those of you who aren't familiar with the RWA's big contests - that's Romance Writers of America - there are two. The Rita is for published writers, the Golden Heart for unpublished. Everyone says if you only enter one contest, enter this one.

My motivation for entering had to do more with timing - the deadline for the contest and the entry requirements helped me get my synopsis and partial completed to fulfill the requests from the M&M conference in October.

In the middle of those preparations I took a trip to San Diego for my cousin's wedding and got sick in Sunny - ha ha - California. That might have been part of the problem, considering I left sunny and hot Louisiana as we touched down, on the rain blown tarmac the pilot announced sarcastically, "Welcome to Sunny San Diego." I was cold for four days.

I came home, got my entry off (finishing my synopsis the morning I put it in the mail). Now it's time to get back to work, get the partial off, get Reluctant Defender, the new title, revised for the full submission. And start something new.

It is also my intention to be more active on Twitter, Facebook, and my blog.
I'm researching what the most effective use of my time and slow internet is and I'll  keep you updated on what I find out. There are some great software packages, new tools for self promo. Things are changing! More on that soon.


For my writer friends.  Therese Walsh posted the top mistakes writers make on queries and  used this video to make her point. Amy Atwell shared it on own GIAM loop's new daily newsletter.

Don't lie. How many of these comments do you remember someone saying? That's what makes it so funny!