Views and REviews...

Having your work on Amazon for the entire world to see is -  well honestly, a bit scarey.  Your heart and soul has gone into work that may or may not appeal to the masses.  They may hate it, throw cyber tomatoes at you- or they may say it is the best thing since Kindle was introduced.
Either way, you are asking for feedback- good or bad, on something as personal as your inner thoughts.

So lets put that piece into perspective-  you are walking into the office naked- and everyone has a stack of score cards-  judging your dips and dents- holding up their assessment of you.

Am I being dramatic?
Maybe-
But it does feel similar. 

Yes, yes, I know it is my choice to put myself out there.  I could choose to keep my work on the shelf for the next generation- but  what fun would that be?  :)

So when reviews come in that are not as glowing- not bad, just not as loving as you would wish, it is a tough pill to swallow.

Not because "I wasn't perfect", on the contrary-  it is because many people take that review and begin the dissection process.  What could I do better?  What can I change?  I thought that point was clear, why wasn't it?  Did I really drop the ball?  etc     etc

And then the sick masochistic side of us as writers-

put more work out there-  more work that can be seen, reviewed, criticized and -the entire true goal- made better- at least we hope.

Blog Crawling...Searching through the blackness for Inspiration

Often I find I need little inspiration or ideas for my writing.  Stories and characters come, sort of splinters of people I know or have known, relationships I have had or read about, but today as I sat down to put my dusty keys to work- I've Got Nothin'.

Alas, I began to search the web- crawling through blogs, searching for ones with catchy titles, song lyrics or movie lines,  my usual suspects in my inspirational arsenal.

Interesting reading I came across.  Little glimpses into peoples minds, lives and in same cases pasts. 

That got me thinking.....

The best view is often from the rear view, afterall that is when we truly have perspective, appreciation and full understanding of the lessons we have come through.  The gifts we originally saw as painful scars, now heal up into beloved beauty marks.  I was once told, the only way out is through and so often I find that is the key to getting through when life is rough.

But what about when it isn't?  What about when life is finally feeling right, when your universe is finally spinning in formation with the rest of the galaxies and you have a moment to reflect.. (mercury did go retrograde today, maybe that explains my travels down memory Lane....I digress)

I found my state of reflection a joyous walk down the two roads in the yellow wood, one of my favorite paths to travel down by the way, bringing up such gratitude for every little thing that had brought me to this place today.  Every mistake, every heartbreak, every betrayal -made today what it is  -truly magical.  Without all of the skinned knees we wouldn't have the lessons and education that make up stronger souls, better people and well, let's face it-a better society. 

Do I live in a world filled with glitter and rainbows?  Lost in my fictional fantasy young adult land that I allow my mind to hang out in so often? 

Maybe, but I feel a thank you is in order to all those who have taught me so much.  Who have helped chisel the pieces of my mind into the machine (gumball machines are still machines!) that it is today.

So after my crawl through the darkness of saying nothing, and feeling I had nothin' - leave you with this little quote:  Think of it as an inspiration, a reflection if you will, of a work now beginning to take shape in my mind... or better yet, live your life to be this.  You would be surprised at how many of you already are this person and just don't know it.....

"How Lucky Am I To Have Known Someone Who Was So Hard To Say Goodbye To"

Now get on with your life, and know you have made a difference too.

The Wolf Gift is a Re-Gifter

Anne Rice attacks the werewolf world in her highly anticipated latest paranormal.  Although readers of Rice will love her detailed setting, let's face it, we all want to go wherever her books are placed, I felt the story was not finished. 

Now this isn't a bad read.  I have read much worse, but it didn't have the teeth some of her others stories have. 

Her main characters felt like they weren't quite telling their story, and her villains felt a bit long winded. 

I love Rice's ability to transport the reader to her locations.  I love her attention to details, although at times they are tedious.  This one however, just didn't move me the way other of hers have.

  out of 5

Needing to have work Critiqued? BY MARY KOLE???

The below WEBINAR Features MARY KOLE- For almost $90 you will get a critique with her-
At our conference local in BOISE you can have critique for $35 and a IN PERSON meeting-

How is it possible I still have 5 slots open for this?? Conference is Sept 28th and Sept 29th in Boise at Owyhee Plaza Hotel.

http://iwlconference2012.ticketleap.com/iwlconference2012/

This Week's Featured Webinar:
Picture Book Craft Intensive
Session Date: Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012
Starting Time: 1:00pm Eastern
Duration: 90 minutes
Price: $89.00
VIP Price: $80.10*

About the Critique:
All submissions are guaranteed a critique by instructor Mary Kole. Mary reserves the right to contact any attendees by e-mail following the event if a manuscript is of the highest quality.

Who Should Attend:

Writers who are actively querying agents and publishers with their children's books
Writers who aren't sure about whether they're writing picture books or not
Writers who have always wanted to try writing a children's book, whether for publication or as a keepsake
Writers who want to improve their pitches and hooks
Writers who want to take the next step toward publication in the picture book market

Writing Up a Storm Idaho Writer's League Conference 2012

iwlconference2012.ticketleap.com

Learn from Top Agents, MARY KOLE ( Movable Type Management )and MINJU CHANG (Bookstop Literary ) as

It is OFFICIAL! The GUARDIANS OF FERAL MOUNTAIN IS AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!

The Guardians Feral Mountain

I am so excited to announce the official copy of The Guardians of Feral Mountain is now available on Kindle and NOOK! 
Please enjoy an escape from reality into the world of the Mysterious Mountains of Idaho. 

Take a journey with 14 year old Feral who escapes into the woods to live on her own away from her abusive distant relatives.  Alone, forging her new life, she finds company in her chickens and her work.

Emma and Elliot enter her life.  Her attraction to Elliot is undeniable, but also inconceivable.  He has been dead for over 100 years..... 

What a Boy Wants- you will want it!

What a Boy Wants




Nyre Dawn writes this fun light read with a guy every woman loves and hates.
This is a fantastic story where you want to slap the main character or ask him to prom- the problem is, you can't decide which.
Light entertaining, fun and incredibly good at nailing "typical guy" personality.
Add that to the fact it is written by a woman- makes this a fantastic read.

Characters are well developed, sub-characters -make sense, they stay true to who they are. The adult characters are not stupid- one of my pet peeves in young adult lit- they are caring, flawed and well- normal.

My advice, read it- then pass it to the nearest teen to enjoy.

Magic Mike- has some sparkle

I admit it, when I attended opening night of Magic Mike, I wasn't going for the script.  I mean, come on, it is about male strippers.  It has Mathew McConaughey, who has been vying for this role his entire career, and JoeManGaniello from True Blood fame, along side of course, the true former stripper Channing Tatum.  Looking at the cast, tells you this isn't going to change your life, or move you into a new view of the world.  It is to Movies what Maraschino Cherries are to fruit -very little nutritional value and strictly there for decoration.
The good news is, it lives up to expectations.  There is several shots of male skin and some pretty good dance moves.  The story is thin, not surprising however, because once they get through all the performance numbers it leaves very little time for an actual plot to develop. 
It could have been better, I liked where they wanted to go with the story, and hoped it would have been focused on a BIT more.  Having said that, hey I am a writer, I live for stories, and look for them everywhere.  My group that I went with however ,was completely satisfied, appetites satiated as we walked out.
Overall, the scenery was worth the movie.  Channing Tatum did a better performance in this movie than I've seen, which was a plus.  Cody Horn, in my opinion did a stellar job as the older sister to Alex Pettyfer's character, Adam.  Mattew McConaughey was creapy for the record, which saddened my greatly.
For a fun girls night movie, this one works.  out of 5

Wanderlust is Wanderfully Fun!

Take a moment and laugh with the girls!

Wanderlust staring Paul Rudd and Jennifer Aniston is a fun whimsical comedy taking on job loss, career changes, and facing your inner fears. 

After two high powered people leave New York, broke and embarrassed, they head to Atlanta to move in with family.  They end up in a commune of free thinking hippies who invite them to stay and enjoy their free lifestyle.

Jennifer Aniston looks amazing, and her character is so enduring.  We’ve all had the desire to run away at one time or another and this story takes us along with them! 

Fun movie, even the guys may like, (Jennifer looks amazing) filled with great after lines- you know the ones, the lines you and girlfriends repeat for days after?

Paul Rudd is adorable as always, nailing normal and making the audience love him.  Fun film, great lines. 

Friendly Frustration

Ever have one of those days?  You know the ones when your to-do list isn't that long.  It appears to be manageable.  Everything should be checked off before noon- OK 3 at the latest-
But looks can be deceiving....
You start on the list, check a few little things off and think all is going well with the world.  Then you start on number 4 or 5 on the list- the really important things- and BAM!  There it goes- all out the window.  One questions leads to another, and another and before you know it- it is almost 5 and you still don't have your list done.
Frustration. 
Not only is the list not done- you are now faced with even more questions and the little voices in your head (not the friendly ones either) are asking if you really are strong enough and smart enough to do what your list indicates needs to be done.

Frustration.

This is one of the most difficult parts of the process we call the "process."  You know the one.  Every time you get discouraged, you get irritated, you get -frustrated- your friends call it "all part of the process."

Frustration.

It is true, the process can be over whelming, irritating- maybe even annoying.  BUT

Could it be so when we get the finished list in our hands, the project done, the masterpiece mastered that we appreciate it more?

Maybe-
But I'll have to get back to you on that!

17 tips for every day things

I received this as an email and instead of saving the email, I decided to post it here so that I know I always have these great tips on my site. I plan on trying every single one of them too.
And the shaving tip?  Try baby oil-  amazing!!! (also pretty cheap)
So enjoy and know I didn't come up with any of these- just passing them along to you!!
A lot of these tips are things that I can actually use on a regular basis too.
1. Reheat Pizza

Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove , set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works.
2. Easy Deviled Eggs

Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing roughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up.
3. Expanding Frosting

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.
4. Reheating Refrigerated Bread

To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated , place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster.
5. Newspaper Weeds Away

Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers put layers around the plants overlapping as you go cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers.
6. Picking Up Broken Glass

Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can’t see easily.
7. No More Mosquitoes

Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away.
8. Squirrel Away!

To keep squirrels from eating your plants sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn’t hurt the plant and the squirrels won’t come near it.
9. Flexible Vacuum

To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings.
10. Reducing Static Cling

Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and — ta da! — static is gone.
11. Unsticky Measuring Cups

Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don’t dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out.
12. Foggy Windshield?

Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car. When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth!
13. Reopening Envelopes

If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Voila! It unseals easily.
14. Smoother Legs With Conditioner

Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It’s a lot cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It’s also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn’t like when you tried it in your hair…
15. Goodbye Fruit Flies

To get rid of pesky fruit flies , take a small glass fill it 1/2″ with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid , mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever!
16. Get Rid of Ants

Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it “home”, can’t digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains , but it works & you don’t have the worry about pets or small children being harmed!
17. Info About Clothes Dryers

The heating unit went out on my dryer! The gentleman that fixes things around the house for us told us that he wanted to show us something and he went over to the dryer and pulled out the lint filter. It was clean. (I always clean the lint from the filter after every load clothes.) He told us that he wanted to show us something; he took the filter over to the sink, ran hot water over it. The lint filter is made of a mesh material – I’m sure you know what your dryer’s lint filter looks like.
WELL…the hot water just sat on top of the mesh! It didn’t go through it at all! He told us that dryer sheets cause a film over that mesh that’s what burns out the heating unit. You can’t SEE the film , but it’s there. It’s wha t is in the dryer sheets to make your clothes soft and static free – that nice fragrance too, you know how they can feel waxy when you take them out of the box, well this stuff builds up on your clothes and on your lint screen This is also what causes dryer units to catch fire & potentially burn your house down with it! He said the best way to keep your dryer working for a very long time (& to keep your electric bill lower) is to take that filter out & wash it with hot soapy water & an old toothbrush (or other brush) at least every six months. He said that makes the life of the dryer at least twice as long!
How about that!?! Learn something new every day! I certainly didn’t know dryer sheets would do that. So, I thought I’d share!
Note: I went to my dryer & tested my screen by running water on it. The water ran through a little bit but mostly collected all the water in the mesh screen. I washed it with warm soapy water & a nylon brush & I had it done in 30 seconds. Then when I rinsed it the water ran right thru the screen! There wasn’t any puddling at all! That repairman knew what he was talking about!

Social Networking…are we really being social?

I was asked recently to assist some of my writing group members to, “get with it” and join the world wide web crawlers.  They needed my assistance getting set up on Linked In, Facebook, Twitter and even the basics of creating blogs. 

(Of course I found it irresistible to not set them up with Pinterest too, after all how could they see everything they were missing if they weren’t on it?)

I was astounded at how many simple things I had taken for granted when it came to the social world.  I began to wonder if I was the one who had been missing out on real social time…

I mean these people had wonderful social lives, filled with group activities as well as connections with several organizations, however they had never ventured off the beaten path to the world of internet yet.

I started thinking…

Maybe they had the right idea.   Maybe they were the ones who actually had a social life, and I was the one with the pretend group of friends.  Maybe I needed to branch out…

But by the end of the night I realized I liked my little safe virtual life-  I checked my boards on Pinterest, noting another few places I wanted to visit, updated my status and tweeted about my day…

Maybe in the end- I am virtually positive I like everything the way it is…

Counponing with a D+ Student

I admit it- the idea of spending hours in line waiting to save $1.00 on a box of laundry detergent didn’t do it for me.  I mean I am use to being a savvy shopper simply by knowing which store brands were the best and most like the expensive name brand ones. 

But then I started talking to a friend at the gym.  She explained to me she saved over half her grocery budget by doing this insane thing called couponing.  

I started to listen….

She talked about some of the deals she had gotten, and how, “She really wasn’t that good at it.  Lots of people she knew saved more than that.”  

I kept listening….

She went on about how she saved enough to figured her hourly profit- at least $25 an hour. 

 

Now I wanted details.  

I made her repeat some of the deals she had gotten, and asked since I cook so much of my own foods, try to stay as far away from prepackaged meals as I can, would I still save?  She said, “yes, especially on cereal, shampoo, razors, and detergents.”

I was hooked.  I looked up all types of sites, mostly national ones and found to my surprise…everyone was doing this.  (The conversation at the gym took place about nine months ago)

Immediately I was frustrated.  I didn’t want to be “one of those woman”.  I refused to build a notebook and haul around every ad that ever came out. 

So of course, I did it my way.

I found an old cosmetic organizer bag I already had and started clipping…and printing…and headed to the store with my organized and very precise list….

And quickly got so frustrated I left embarrassed about how I had just acted like a spoiled brat when the store employee said they had already been wiped out of literally everything I had on my list…  (see, now I had just become one of those OTHER woman)

I regrouped, realizing flexibility- something I was still developing- was critical in this new adventure.  I needed to look at this as something I would get some great deals at, but others – the really OMG ones, would likely be gone because I refused to be one of the notebook people.  I had a talk with myself.  Was I ok with not saving as much to keep from toting the notebook and shopping everyday?

Yes, yes I was.

So I tried it again.  Only this time I went with a happy, causal –this-is –fun- attitude.  It worked.  I saved about 20% on my bill- not bad and got things I would use. 

Fast forward nine months. 

I am still couponing, but again not to the level that some do.  Last week for instance, I was behind a woman who had an entire cart load of food, (including the bottom) and paid $3.45.  (That same day I was thrilled that I saved $35 and my total was $66!)

So is it worth my time?  Yes.  I have to grocery shop anyway, if I can save 25%-35%  or more per trip- it’s worth it. 

Could I save more?  ABSOLUTELY!!  But for me, it isn’t worth trading what my family eats for cheaper options.  I still make all my own sauces,  I try to make my own tortillas (I really hate it though) and focus on eating as much real food as possible. 

Having said that- I love paying almost nothing for toothpaste and getting free or even better) toothbrushes.  I get giddy when I buy razors for less than $2 a pack. (and no not the cheap ones that make my legs look like Edward Scissor hands helped)  My husband is a body wash boy and is very specific about the types- I stock up when they are a great deal.   

So For me Couponing has changed my life- But I am only a D+ student at best, unwilling to put more time and sacrifice into it.  I know I will never be featured on a TLC or make the TODAY show – Best leave that to the bestselling books that are still in the works.