Tag, You're IT!

In elementary school, I hated being IT. I was puny, an awkward runner, and not particularly interested in slapping people to make them freeze or become the new IT kid. But in the blogosphere, it's fun!

So my thanks to author friend Tiffany A. White for hunting me down on the virtual playground and tagging me for the Writer’s Platform Building Campaign hosted by Rachael Harrie.

Here are the three simple rules:

You must be tagged by someone;

You list 10 random facts about yourself; and

You tag 4 more people.

As if I didn't already feel adequately esteemed, Tia Bach at Depression Cookies passed on the Kreativ Blogger Award to me! Given my love of grammar, it was a little hard for me to type that creative spelling. Just joking! I can totally relax and enjoy this award. Thanks so much to Tia! (You gotta love the title Depression Cookies, right? And she's as much fun as you'd expect!)

For the Kreativ Blogger Award, I have:

The privilege of thanking the person who passed on the award;

The duty of writing seven things about yourself;

The honor of passing the award to 7 blogs.

So here it goes for both:

Rule #2:

1.  The only two theater movies I've ever walked out of were The Fly (1986) and District 9 (2009). I wish I had left Pet Sematary (1989) – which disturbed my dreams for weeks – but I was on a date and too shy to demand we get out of there. Obviously, I hate gore.

2.  I have narrow feet. It's hard to find shoes! If not for online shopping at Easy Spirit, Naturalizer, and Zappos, I would have to hire a cobbler to craft shoes to fit my skinny feet.

3.  I am adamant that the toilet paper should unfurl over not under. If you try to pull the T.P. from underneath, it can start a tissue avalanche and you end up with a heap on the floor. Wasted toilet paper. A shame!

4.  I collect matchboxes. It's a little sad because I don't get to add to it much. The collection began with my grandmother and was carried on by my sister and me. However, this was when smoking in public areas was common, and restaurants and businesses gave out matchbooks. It's rare now. But I still like looking at the boxes and remembering places I've been.

5.  I hate coffee. When I drive through Starbucks, I order a peppermint hot chocolate with whipped cream. It's absolutely delicious!

6.  I'm determined to reintroduce the word “kench” back into the English language. It's an obsolete term that means to laugh loudly. Isn't it great? Y'all can help by throwing it into conversation anytime you see an opportunity.

7.  I have a scar on my forehead from an injury when I was 5 years old. I was jumping on the bed (against my parents' rule) and slammed into the door's corner. Blood gushed all over my Mom's white shirt as she picked me up, and I got several stitches in my head. No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

8.  I took a year of Italian in college, and the best thing about it is that I can pronounce everything on the Olive Garden menu with no problem. Ciao!

9.  I love roller coasters. My heart broke when Astroworld in Houston closed. Still, I haven't ridden the Boardwalk Bullet – which is only 30 minutes away. It's on my list.

Boardwalk Bullet, Kemah, Texas

10.  I live in Ron Paul's congressional district. Make of that what you will.

Rule #3

It's my turn to slap tap 4 blogger friends in this Writer’s Campaign game of tag and to deliver 7 bloggers the Kreativ Blogger Award.

Double Whammy Winners - Tagged for Writer's Platform Building Campaign AND Kreativ Blogger Award:

Erin Brambilla - I adore reading Erin's blog and seeing the way she expertly juggles mommyhood and authorship. She's terrific at both!

Jolyse Barnett - Jolyse's posts make me appreciate the beauty and joys of life. I can imagine Jimmy Buffet songs playing in the background. After all, it's entitled Margarita Moments & Other Escapes.

Catie Rhodes - Another favorite blogger who tells true crime and paranomal like no other! Catie also throws in fun posts about movies and more. Check out her Full-Tilt Backwoods Boogie blog.

Julia King - Her Writing Jewels blog has a perfect balance of writing, reading, and Julia herself. Check out this young adult author.

Kreativ Blogger Winners - Tagged for a Kreativ Blogger Award:

Jennifer McCoy - Young adult author and fabulously stylish attendee at the #TambernyParty. Check out her blog with a book of the month and a movie of the week.

Amanda Bozeman - Romantic suspense author who writes about this and that on her Danger and Dancing blog.

Anne-Mhairi Simpson - Young adult fantasy author who blogs about health, books, and interviews.

Tamberny Awards Virtual After Party

Tamberny Awards Hosts
Amber & Tiffany

In case you missed it, you haven't really missed it! Amber West and Tiffany A. White hosted a Tamberny Awards show with their picks for the Emmys. I am hosting the Virtual After Party for this event. See more details at my post: I'm Throwing an After Party! You're welcome to continue posting anything Emmy or Tamberny related on Twitter with the hashtag #Tambernyparty.

By the way, I had not seen most of the televisions shows nominated for Emmys. However, I was doing a happy dance when Downton Abbey received awards because that show was wonderful! You can watch season one on Netflix.

What did you enjoy most about the Emmys?

I'm Throwing an After Party!

I interrupt the regular Friday Fiction programming to make the following important announcement. 

Even though I’m an admitted introvert, I love a good party! Fun people, delicious food, cool activities, decorations, even dress-up . . . I’m up for pretty much whatever. However, I’m not usually the party-thrower, and I would like for that to change. In fact, it’s on my 40 After 40 List to host a costume party one of these days. (Wanna come?)

But after reading some great posts from authors Tiffany A. White and Amber West about their Tamberny Awards (they pick Emmy winners!), I had a brilliant, or insane, idea! How about a Tamberny Awards Virtual After Party? This way, I can look like a fabulous hostess while avoiding preparatory housecleaning; hunting down themed plates and napkins; choosing the perfect dress and shoes within my limited budget; catering or, heaven forbid, cooking for umpteen guests; tactfully hustling people out of my house when they have overstayed their welcome; and cleaning up for a several hours and still finding a dried cocktail shrimp underneath the couch when I move it to vacuum two weeks later. Perhaps I’m merely using Tiffany and Amber’s Tamberny Awards as an excuse to say I’ve hosted a party when I’m too lazy to actually do so. For whatever reason, I have volunteered to host a virtual After Party.

I’ll be wearing this:

Well, imagine me in that! Actually, I’ll probably be wearing a robe and slippers with my hair in a ponytail and a Pop Tart and a Coca-Cola in hand . . . but if the party was real, I would look stunning!

Now what does this After Party entail? Thankfully, there is WikiHow that gave me How to Throw an Awesome Hollywood Party tips! These appear to be the necessary components:

Design a Creative Invitation.

You are officially invited!

Have a red carpet ready.

Voila!

Interview VIP attendees.

If you are reading this blog post, you are an attendee. Please answer the following interview questions in the Comment section: Who is the designer of your gown or tuxedo? What do you think of this year’s nominees? Who are you rooting for to win this year?

Provide entertainment.

I thought long and hard about what entertainer should perform at our party. Since, I am three degrees of Kevin Bacon and still want to meet him, I’m going with this:

It’s a really cool song about us fabulous gals. Plus, if the Bacon Brothers perform, we might all get to meet the Closer (Kyra Sedgewick) in person!

Come up with a good name for our awards.

Um, Tamberny Awards – already beautifully named by Amber and Tiffany!

Serve delicious food.

Here’s the buffet spread. Have as much as you’d like!

Since it’s a virtual party, I found the photo at Fake-Foods.com™. Hey, it looks real to me!

Hand out awards.

I’m not handing out awards. But check out the faves that Tiffany and Amber have chosen in their posts:

Welcome to the Tamberny Show

The Continuation of the Tamberny Awards

Take plenty of pics.

The professional photographer called and said that he won’t be arriving on time. Apparently, he got caught up with a band of paparazzi filming Charlie Sheen’s demand of a Tamberny award for his genius performance in Two and a Half Men. You might want to watch your Twitter feed for Charlie’s tidbits of wisdom on why he should get a gold statue and Ashton Krutcher should give him back his job.

But you’re welcome to take pictures of yourself in black tie attire on the red carpet and post them to Twitter with the hashtag #Tambernyparty. We promise to make you feel like you were really there by lambasting your fashion sense like Joan and Melissa Rivers would have.

Seriously, post whatever party stuff you want at #Tambernyparty on Twitter - Sunday evening, Monday, Tuesday, or whenever you get around to it. Just promise not to jump on the stage like Kanye West and demand that someone else deserved the award. That’s just rude, people! Order your dress or tux, rent your bling-bling, and reserve your limo: This is going to be the best awards After Party you’ve ever (virtually) attended!

Monday Musings: Generation TV

I was recently reading comments on an author's blog (probably Tiffany A. White, but I can't find the post) and noticed that several people were talking about Saved by the Bell – which I don’t think I’ve ever seen!  That show debuted after my school years.  In fact, I spent a lot of my time when that show was airing watching CNN’s coverage of the Gulf War, not finding out who Screech was. 

Saved by the Bell Cast

Besides reminding me that I’m getting older by the nanosecond, the conversation made me think about how TV shows characterize generations.  Growing up in the 70’s, I have never met anyone my age who hasn’t watched The Brady Bunch (1969-1974).  That was THE family sitcom for our time.  My sister was so well-versed on the Bradys that she could usually predict the plot line based on the opening scene.  (“Jan is wearing her yellow dress and coming down the stairs, so this is the one where she fakes a boyfriend named George Glass and rubs lemon on her freckles.”  That kind of thing.)  The show was such a part of our childhoods that I wonder how many of my generation have secretly downloaded It’s a Sunshine Day onto their MP3 players. 

Then, there was Happy Days (1974-1984).  Cool was defined by the leather-clad Arthur Fonzarelli; 1950’s style and music made a comeback; and my friends all thought Joanie and Chachi were the perfect couple.  Of course, Ron Howard was the crux of the show as the naïve but maturing Richie Cunningham.  In addition to its success, this show spawned Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and Joanie Loves Chachi.  Happy Days was THE show to watch.  (Well, until Fonzie jumped the shark.) 

Welcome Back, Kotter (1975-1979) was perhaps my generation’s Saved by the Bell.  If not for Kotter, I’m pretty sure John Travolta would not have played Danny Zucko a few years later in Grease.  Looking back, the funny thing is how few women were in the show.  Other than Mr. Kotter’s wife and a few supporting actresses who interacted with the main characters, it was a male-focused show.  But Juan Epstein’s mother’s notes were always entertaining, Vinnie Barbarino was nice eye candy even if he was intellectually-challenged, Arnold Horshack was probably our version of Screech – a little nerdy, and Freddie Washington was the really cool one at the end of the day.  And the show made us appreciate that some teachers care about their students quite a lot. 

The last popular sitcom I can recall being a big deal when I was growing up was One Day at a Time (1975-1984), which traces the family of a divorced mother and her teenage daughters – played by Mackenzie Phillips (daughter of Mamas and Papas’ John and Michelle) and Valerie Bertinelli (before Eddie Van Halen and Jenny Craig).  This show dealt with more serious issues – like family break-up, drugs, teenage sexuality – but interjected humor as well.  I think I have at one time or another seen all of the episodes for this show. 

Maybe these shows do characterize my generation well.  It was post-1960’s, but tough subjects were still not talked about a lot on the TV screen.  Slowly, however, shows debuted that dealt with both humorous plots and tough family challenges.  

So what sitcoms define your youth?  What do you recall about them?  Do you think they represent your generation well?  What family sitcoms appeal to you today?

80 Days, 4 Goals, 5 Questions, and 116 Years

80 Days

I first joined up with the Round of Words in 80 Days Challenge back in April and set specific goals for my writing career.  I met all my goals in about half the time.  So in one sense, the endeavor was a huge success for me! 

However, I fizzled on reporting my progress, did a poor job of cheerleading others once I had met my own goals, and didn’t set new ones to keep myself on track.  So in that sense, I kind of, sort of, well . . . blew it.  I could have gotten more out of the experience and been a blessing to others along the way! 

When the Round of Words in 80 Days Round 3 was announced, I thought, “I’ll pass.”  After all, it begins right smack in the middle of summer (July 4) when my kids are home and wanting to have fun and I am busy preparing lessons for a Christian youth camp (Camp Bandina near Bandera, Texas).  How am I supposed to set writing goals and meet them?  And how will I do in encouraging others when I’m merely trying to keep my children from watching video games 12 hours a day and maintain my blogging? 

Go ahead and say it:  Wuss. 

I mean, really, am I that big a wimp that I can’t set a goal and meet it – even if it is smaller than I might achieve during the school year?  Can I not spend a few minutes a day saying “Way to Go!” to other authors who indeed impress me with their persistence and talent?  Can I not follow through on a challenge that lasts a mere 80 days? 

4 Goals

Yes, I can!  With a little positive peer pressure from Tiffany A White (ROW80 cheerleader) and Kait Nolan (ROW80 Sponsor), I am jumping in again!  So here are my ROW80 goals for Round 3:

·        Send out three queries a week for my completed mystery novel, Grace & Fire (working title).

·        Edit my middle grade novel, The First Time (working title), incorporating suggestions from beta readers.

·        Blog three times a week – Mondays Musings, Wednesday Words, and Friday Fiction.

·        Read at least two writing craft books.

That’s all for now.  But I will check in regularly, note progress, and change the goals as needed.  If you want to help me cheer on fellow ROW80 participants, check out this great group HERE. 

5 Questions

Marji Laine, fellow Texan and mystery writer, has tagged me to complete the following questions. Check out her blog! Here are my answers: 

Do you think you're hot?  I know what this is asking, but my family reads my blog! Still, I live in Southeast Texas, and it’s been blazing hot – breaking triple digits many days.  So yeah, I’m hot – every time I walk out the door into the sweat-inducing heat. 

Upload a picture of the wallpaper you are using.

How do I even do this?  It’s a wallpaper that came with my computer – mauve pink.  I know, boring.

When was the last time you ate chicken?

I had a southwestern chicken enchilada and a chicken flauta on Saturday from Café Adobe. Yum!

What song or songs have you listened to recently?

Here are my most recent downloads to a Walkman MP3 player.  This list shows my ridiculously eclectic musical taste.

All Shook Up by Elvis Presley

Istanbul Not Constantinople by They Might Be Giants

Rock Steady by God Rocks

Rolling in the Deep by Adele

Do you have any nicknames? If so what are they?

Jules.  That’s the nickname used at times by my husband and college friends in particular.  I like it, although I slightly prefer Julie.  One of my sisters also calls me Pickle, but there’s a back story to that one and it’s only between the two of us. 

Tag 5 bloggers:  Frankly, having already tagged bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award, the Stylish Blogger Award, and the Writing is Like Meme Challenge, I am concerned that my writer friends may begin to hide behind sprawling trees, parked semi-trucks, and flimsy sheets of journal paper so as not to be tagged again.  So if you want to participate, leave a comment and your blog link.  The first five to respond with the “I’m in!” are IT! 

Thanks again, Marji!  And please check out Marji Laine’s blog! 

116 Years

One last note:  Today, my son is participating with his Boy Scout troop in our town’s July 4th Parade.  It is one of the oldest consecutively running Independence Day parades, having been in existence for 116 years!  This is a great hometown experience for my family, and I’m thankful that many of us will be celebrating the United States of America and its principles today.  Happy 4^th to you all!

Monday Musings: Research & Reconnaissance

My friend (call her Susie Q) and I walk into the Houston International Boat Show to see all kinds of marine vessels displayed around the large convention hall.  One of the first things I notice is that these events are primarily attended by those of the xY chromosomal persuasion.  They are also usually visited by people who actually know something about boats.

Growing up in a coastal town, I’d been around boats plenty, but I’d never driven one or owned one or thought about buying one.  But I wasn’t there to purchase.  I was there for reconnaissance. 

We mosey up and down the aisles, checking out everything from streamlined bass boats to luxurious yachts.  We strike up conversations with boat shoppers and salespeople.  Most of them are pretty smooth, up until the time Susie Q or I ask something like, “Now what’s the best way to set one of these babies on fire?”  That gets you some strange looks!

But that’s one of the fun things about being a fiction writer – researching what you’re writing about!  To figure out how to describe boat arson in mystery novel, I attended the boat show, read several books on arson and firefighting, and watched I-don’t-know-how-many videos on YouTube.com and other sites showing video of boat fires.  I can’t remember which ones I viewed, but here’s a sample.

For other projects, I’ve researched bed carving, blood science, languages, legends, journaling, piracy, and trees.  Once I get interested in a topic, I can spend hours on the internet or speaking with others to enhance my body of knowledge.  In fact, there is no end to the number of topics one can research, and there is always some obscure expert somewhere who has been there before you and discovered fascinating things.

Twitter has also provided another great place for book research.  I recently asked what swim meet event a not-so-terrific 12 year old swimmer might participate in.  Within a couple of minutes, I received two responses from Twitter friends (with the same answer, so my girl character is in the 100 meter freestyle!).  How nice of these ladies to save me the trouble of researching that one by simply sharing their knowledge.

What have you researched?  How do you go about gathering information?  Do you have favorite resources?

Bonus: Stylish Blogger Award

First, I’d like to thank the Academy . . .  Oh, it’s not THAT award.  Still, I’m so excited that my Twitter and blog friend Tiffany A. White has given me the award, The Stylish Blogger!  (See, I can be stylish even if I do shop at Target.)

In addition to being an excellent writer, Tiffany is a TV guru with loads of information on what to watch, so be sure to check out her blog.  In fact, every time anyone clicks on the Stylish Blogger Award icon on my website, they will experience Tiffany’s blog.

The Stylish Blogger award does come with rules. (Don’t all awards?)

1.       Thank and link to the person who nominated you.

2.       Share seven random facts about yourself.

3.       Pass the award along to 5 new-found blogging buddies.

4.       Contact those buddies to congratulate them.

Since I recently gave seven random facts about myself and five blogging buddies for the Versatile Blogger award, I refer you to that post and my recommendations of blogs to check out.

Versatile and Stylish. I bet my sisters are wondering how I ever managed that.

Thanks again, Tiffany!

Monday Musings: Writing is Like . . .

On Friday, the brilliant Tracey Hansen tagged me in a “new bloggy project exercise thingy” called Writing Is Not Like a Box of Chocolates: A Meme.

THE RULES:  Take the phrase “Writing is like . . .” and finish it.  Post it on your blog.  Tag three others to do the same.  That is all. Can it really be that easy?  Yes, it can.  So here I go:

Writing is like . . . that scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana and Marion are stuck in the tomb, and she walks into a corridor where cobwebbed skeletons reach out for her from all sides.  (1000-year-old skeletons = fictional characters that won’t leave you alone.)

Okay, maybe I didn’t put enough effort into that.

Actually, after telling people that I write books, some have responded, “So I guess it’s easy for you to write.”  I want to respond, “No, it’s REALLY HARD trying to squeeze words out of your head and your fingers and type them onto a page in an orderly fashion that conveys the story that you want to tell.”  But it is also wonderful!  Time disappears when I am writing.

So what is writing like?  Maybe because I have lived much of my life on the Texas Gulf Coast, I think I will compare it to an ocean.

 

Writing is like wading into the sea, watching the waves break against the shore and tumble into the sand.  You stride out confidently, ready to leap across the waves and feel the tide and foam splash against your skin.  It’s a thing of rhythm – making sure you bounce at the right time and the right height.  You feel like you’re in control as you gracefully ride the waves.  And then, the waves grow larger and unwieldy, and you realize that they will have their say as well.  But as tempted as you might be to sink your toes down into the ocean’s bottom, you throw yourself forward and allow the salty rush of water to sweep you in with the tide.  When the wave passes and you look back to the shore, you see that you have drifted. You are still in the same ocean, still the same swimmer, but the sea has moved you.

And now (drumroll, please), my three tags:

Tiffany A. White: Tiffany is a fabulous Twitter and wordmongering friend and a great blogger with loads of information on the TV scene.  Follow her now.

Catie Rhodes: Catie has a knack for quirky and curious stories - like the curse of James Dean's car.  Check out her blog.

Amy Thomas:  Young Adult author and organizer of the YASB Facebook group and Twitter hashtag. She also recently won the Backwards Contest on Figment.com.

I wish to also add that Memorial Day is a day to honor those who have served and sacrificed. God bless them and their families.