I was recently on a flight out to Las Vegas. Yeah, Vegas, baby. Sin City, land of the evil slot machines. Thank God it only took one session to cure me of my urge to gamble. But that's another story.
While on the plane, (Delta, flight something-or-other) I started looking through the Sky magazine they stash in the seat pocket. You know, something to pass the four hours from Atlanta to Vegas. Anyway, I got to the very last page and what do you know, there's an article about writing. The article is called "Writing, a Romance" and it's by author Libba Bray. Ms. Bray writes novels for young adults, including A Great and Terrible Beauty, The Sweet Far Thing, and Going Bovine. In the article, she compares the process of writing and publishing a novel to that of a romance. Very insightful.
For instance, in the early stages, an author is star-struck by how clever and special her new bow, I mean, book, is. The romance blossoms, lasting all the way through the first draft as they see each other every day. "My book is so easy to talk to. I'm seeing my book again tomorrow. I can't wait." *SIGH*
Unfortunately, that first rush of infatuation begins to fade when the revisions start. That time in a romance when you realize you've done everything together and you start repeating yourself. The lines of communication blur and the author begins to see a flaw here and there in her book. Nothing major...yet. But as the months pass, things get pretty rough. Phrases like, "I hate you!" and "I wish I'd never met you" start to crop up more and more when author and book are together. Friends become concerned, wondering if they should step in and stop the word abuse.
By the third draft, the author has become completely disillusioned and just wants the difficult relationship to end. With the encouragement of friends (and her editor), she pulls herself together and breaks it off with the demanding book, realizing that there are definitely other fish in the sea.
Days of copy edits pass--brief exchanges of polite small talk that get further and further apart until the author wakes up one morning and realizes she hasn't seen her book for months. She's finally able to put the whole emotional episode behind her with a feeling that she's come out of it a stronger writer. Even when she runs into her finished book in a book store one day, she's able to smile. She might feel a twinge of excitement at first, a touch of pride that she had something to do with transforming a mild-mannered plot-bunny into such a polished book-about-town. They might even spend a nostalgic afternoon reminiscing about the good times, recalling the creation of funny phrases and plot twists that just fell into place. But both know it's time to move on. He has a date with a reader down the street and she's been seeing a cute plot that kept her up half the night last Wednesday whispering sweet prose in her ear. Ah, L`Amore.
Thank you Libba Bray for giving me a fresh perspective on an author's life. Now if you'll excuse me, I also have a date with this really hot story that has the most gorgeous phrases and cutest metaphors you've ever seen. *SIGH* We were made for each other. Really.
8/27/10
3/26/10
Losing a Loved One
I think losing a loved one is a little like child-birth. God helps you forget the pain of the last one so you're able to handle the next one. Since June, 2005, I've lost 4 people very close to me. My husband, my best friend, my mother-in-law, and today, my Mother, Mary Redding. She passed at 9:10am. Quietly, with no fuss or fan-fare, her body just stopped breathing. She was a very strong woman who walked closely with God. Watching over her this morning, I felt like her spirit, her soul, had already gone, having left her body sometime yesterday. I believe those of us left behind are often just caretakers of an empty husk. It's hard, but believing she was already walking with Jesus, talking, laughing, hugging my dad and my brother, Shelton, made it easier to bear the pain. Faith "is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1) I'm extremely grateful my mother raised me not only as her child, but as a child of God. One day, I'll see her and all my other loved ones again. Thank you, Mother.
2/13/10
Book Review: Pride Mates by Jennifer Ashley
Wolves, leopards, and bears, oh, my.
Whatever you want to call them, shape-shifters are hot. Between Kenyon’s broody Were-Hunters, Singh’s predatory Changelings, and Brigg’s possessive werewolves, I thought I’d read all the shape-shifter scenarios. Silly me.
Enter Jennifer Ashley and her Shifters Unbound series.
Book one in the series, Pride Mates, isn’t the flashiest book on the shelf. The background is gray and black, the words plain white. The overall image is very subdued. Kind of like a shape-shifter hiding in the trees...you don’t really know it’s there until you see the teeth. And Pride Mates definitely has teeth. Ms. Ashley has created an interesting world where ‘Shifters’ are treated little better than captured and collared animals. The prejudice against them as a race is reminiscent of our own culture in the volatile 1960’s, and just as distasteful.
The heroine, Kim Fraser, is a young junior lawyer in a prestigious law firm. When she’s assigned to defend a shifter-male charged with murdering his human girlfriend, her investigation takes her deeper into the Shifter world than is safe for a mere human.
In her first venture into Shiftertown, Kim meets Liam Morrissey, a strong Fae-cat with a soft Irish lilt, and a protective streak as wide as they come. Liam is intrigued by Kim and her determination to get to the truth in a case everyone else sees as open and shut. Knowing she treads dangerous ground in her efforts to prove a Shifter innocent, he marks her with his scent to protect her from others of his kind. The move backfires, placing Kim in the greatest danger of her life, and making it impossible for Liam to do anything but claim her as his mate.
The attraction Kim feels for Liam seems to grow by leaps and bounds, but being with him, especially accepting him as her mate, could brand her as a ‘shifter-whore’, endangering her job and the career she has worked so hard for. Yet she longs to be part of a family again, and Liam’s close-knit family tempts Kim almost as much as Liam himself. She just isn’t sure if his desire for her stems from love, or his animal instincts.
Teeth and claws, hot kisses and hotter bodies, Pride Mates has it all and Ms. Ashley does a wonderful job of drawing you into the world of her Shifters. I invite you to take a walk on 'the other side of the tracks’ and hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. I look forward to Ms. Ashley’s next adventure in the world of Shifters Unbound.
Question of the week: What's your favorite shape-shifter book?
Whatever you want to call them, shape-shifters are hot. Between Kenyon’s broody Were-Hunters, Singh’s predatory Changelings, and Brigg’s possessive werewolves, I thought I’d read all the shape-shifter scenarios. Silly me.
Enter Jennifer Ashley and her Shifters Unbound series.
Book one in the series, Pride Mates, isn’t the flashiest book on the shelf. The background is gray and black, the words plain white. The overall image is very subdued. Kind of like a shape-shifter hiding in the trees...you don’t really know it’s there until you see the teeth. And Pride Mates definitely has teeth. Ms. Ashley has created an interesting world where ‘Shifters’ are treated little better than captured and collared animals. The prejudice against them as a race is reminiscent of our own culture in the volatile 1960’s, and just as distasteful.
The heroine, Kim Fraser, is a young junior lawyer in a prestigious law firm. When she’s assigned to defend a shifter-male charged with murdering his human girlfriend, her investigation takes her deeper into the Shifter world than is safe for a mere human.
In her first venture into Shiftertown, Kim meets Liam Morrissey, a strong Fae-cat with a soft Irish lilt, and a protective streak as wide as they come. Liam is intrigued by Kim and her determination to get to the truth in a case everyone else sees as open and shut. Knowing she treads dangerous ground in her efforts to prove a Shifter innocent, he marks her with his scent to protect her from others of his kind. The move backfires, placing Kim in the greatest danger of her life, and making it impossible for Liam to do anything but claim her as his mate.
The attraction Kim feels for Liam seems to grow by leaps and bounds, but being with him, especially accepting him as her mate, could brand her as a ‘shifter-whore’, endangering her job and the career she has worked so hard for. Yet she longs to be part of a family again, and Liam’s close-knit family tempts Kim almost as much as Liam himself. She just isn’t sure if his desire for her stems from love, or his animal instincts.
Teeth and claws, hot kisses and hotter bodies, Pride Mates has it all and Ms. Ashley does a wonderful job of drawing you into the world of her Shifters. I invite you to take a walk on 'the other side of the tracks’ and hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. I look forward to Ms. Ashley’s next adventure in the world of Shifters Unbound.
Question of the week: What's your favorite shape-shifter book?
12/5/09
Why There’s No Cat In Christmas
I’m sorry, but cats and Christmas just don’t mix. I know this from personal experience.
Ever have a kitten climb your Christmas tree? At night? I spent an hour the next morning looking for him before he decided to meow. Found him perched at the back of the tree up near the top, naturally.
Or have a cat swipe a glass ornament and use it for his personal toy before hiding it under the couch across the room. (I found it in March.)
And God forbid I put bows on any of the packages. I thought this one bow with pretty curling ribbons kept falling off until I caught my current cat, Vinnie, red-handed, err, pawed, with his claws snagged in the ribbon. He looked up at me as if to say, "Oh, this one wasn't for me?"
And it’s not only indoor cats you have to worry about. My outdoor cat, Miles, is celebrating his first Christmas. Imagine his joy when my son and I were stringing the lights up outside. I’m surprised we got the chore finished before dark. Now all I have to worry about is finding the light string chewed in half. I can see Miles now, orange eyes innocently wide despite every hair on his body standing on end. (Shudder)
Oh, and before I go, let’s not forget the tinsel episode. Last year I decided to put silver tinsel on the tree and had to snatch it back off when Vinnie started slurping it up like strings of spaghetti. Off course, not all of it stayed down and I had a wonderful time cleaning up after him the next few days. It was funny, though, when I went to sift the litter box and found several glittery ‘treasures’. I even invited my sons to come take a look and share in the laughter. After all, isn’t sharing what Christmas is all about?
Merry Christmas to all. Yes, even the cats.
Ever have a kitten climb your Christmas tree? At night? I spent an hour the next morning looking for him before he decided to meow. Found him perched at the back of the tree up near the top, naturally.
Or have a cat swipe a glass ornament and use it for his personal toy before hiding it under the couch across the room. (I found it in March.)
And God forbid I put bows on any of the packages. I thought this one bow with pretty curling ribbons kept falling off until I caught my current cat, Vinnie, red-handed, err, pawed, with his claws snagged in the ribbon. He looked up at me as if to say, "Oh, this one wasn't for me?"
And it’s not only indoor cats you have to worry about. My outdoor cat, Miles, is celebrating his first Christmas. Imagine his joy when my son and I were stringing the lights up outside. I’m surprised we got the chore finished before dark. Now all I have to worry about is finding the light string chewed in half. I can see Miles now, orange eyes innocently wide despite every hair on his body standing on end. (Shudder)
Oh, and before I go, let’s not forget the tinsel episode. Last year I decided to put silver tinsel on the tree and had to snatch it back off when Vinnie started slurping it up like strings of spaghetti. Off course, not all of it stayed down and I had a wonderful time cleaning up after him the next few days. It was funny, though, when I went to sift the litter box and found several glittery ‘treasures’. I even invited my sons to come take a look and share in the laughter. After all, isn’t sharing what Christmas is all about?
Merry Christmas to all. Yes, even the cats.
11/26/09
Could I get a hug with that drumstick?
Easter, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Four times a year I grant unto myself the freedom to indulge in potato salad, baked beans, squash casserole, dirty rice, ham, turkey, cake, pie… You get the picture. And yeah, I guess that should be over-indulge. Nor do I do this dirty deed alone. Oh, no. I drag my whole entire family to the table. Misery loves company, after all.
“Here, have a deviled egg. Take two, they’re small.”
“Want some Cool Whip with that pie?”
“Mmmmm, cornbread and collard greens, delicious.”
“Of course, I’d love another helping of dressing. Ladle on the gravy, baby!”
Gathering for a meal at the holidays is a ritual in our family. We meet, we eat, we talk, we laugh, and we renew the bonds that hold us together. Sometimes we even call a family gathering when there isn’t a holiday, just to shake things up a bit. You know, grill a few hotdogs and hamburgers, or fry up some fish and hush puppies. Not everything has to be about turkey and ham.
The best thing is that whatever the occasion, everyone always goes away full of more than just food. We stock up on hugs and smiles, encouraging words and humorous stories. Accomplishments are applauded. Failures are meticulously examined for silver linings and golden nuggets of wisdom. And dreams for the future are polished until they shine.
Yes, the fried turkey was juicy, the potato salad, perfect, and the pecan pie a slice of heaven, but though it may be the food that brings us together, it’s the heaping plate full of love that keeps us coming back for more.
“Here, have a deviled egg. Take two, they’re small.”
“Want some Cool Whip with that pie?”
“Mmmmm, cornbread and collard greens, delicious.”
“Of course, I’d love another helping of dressing. Ladle on the gravy, baby!”
Gathering for a meal at the holidays is a ritual in our family. We meet, we eat, we talk, we laugh, and we renew the bonds that hold us together. Sometimes we even call a family gathering when there isn’t a holiday, just to shake things up a bit. You know, grill a few hotdogs and hamburgers, or fry up some fish and hush puppies. Not everything has to be about turkey and ham.
The best thing is that whatever the occasion, everyone always goes away full of more than just food. We stock up on hugs and smiles, encouraging words and humorous stories. Accomplishments are applauded. Failures are meticulously examined for silver linings and golden nuggets of wisdom. And dreams for the future are polished until they shine.
Yes, the fried turkey was juicy, the potato salad, perfect, and the pecan pie a slice of heaven, but though it may be the food that brings us together, it’s the heaping plate full of love that keeps us coming back for more.
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