Oops, forgot to post pictures….

Hmm, this week passed by in a blur.  Spent 3 hours 50 minutes in the dentist’s chair on Thursday.  Fortunately, the man has a darn good sense of humor or I would’ve been out of my mind after the first fifteen minutes.  Getting anxious about the end of summer — dreading the back to school stuff, which begins with some small activities this week!!!

Oh, oh, oh…before I foget.  Guess what arrived in the mail this week?  My author copies of “The Catcher and the Lie”.  They are lovely…smooth and glossy with my name in bold print!  Yippee skippy – I stared at them for close to an hour.  Mark your calendars now.  This story will be released in print from Samhain beginning September 1st.  You can reserve a copy from Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc.

I picked just a couple of pictures to share from my earlier trip to Toronto.  Take a look and tell me this isn’t a city you would love to visit

Check back here in the next day or two for a link to where you can purchase a print copy of my book!!!

Back from hiatus….

 

 

Right now I’m staring at an evil pile of dirty laundry – stacked almost to the ceiling in my bedroom.  Yesterday we returned from our last vacation of the summer (I mean that this time) and I’ve yet to find my way to the laundry room.  I’m sick of clothes, clean or dirty.  This happens every August and can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks depending on the phase of the moon, how much chocolate I’ve consumed, and when I’m expecting visitors to my home. 

Toronto was lovely…beautiful city, friendly people, and my beloved Red Sox managed to pull off a sweep of the Blue Jays (DO NOT MENTION LAST NIGHT’S DEBACLE AGAINST THE YANKEES).  Although I could blabber on ad nauseam about what we did, where we ate, etc…I will share only two of my favorite moments.  I’ll post pictures as soon as I download them from my camera.

As my family returned to our hotel after Wednesday night’s game (dressed in our Red Sox jerseys and hats) a man and his young son approached us near the elevator bank.  In an unusual display of luck they walked away with two game balls that evening – one from a Kevin Youkilis strikeout and another from a David Ortiz homerun.  Out of the blue these Toronto Blue Jays fans asked if we would like to have the Ortiz homerun ball as a souvenir.  Seriously…our mouths dropped open like a school of bass.  It was kind, sweet, and completely unexpected.  My little guys stayed up for hours that night talking about how cool it was to take home a ball that David Ortiz whacked out of the park.  The kindness of strangers really leaves a strong impression – especially with children.  Thank you! 

On our final full day in Toronto we were again overwhelmed by a generous stranger.  As we stood in the lobby around midmorning, trying to decide how to spend the next few hours, a lovely woman approached and offered us her special city passes that she was unable to use. These passes would allow access to numerous attractions (Toronto Zoo, CN Tower, etc) in the area.  How sweet is that?  

So, now I’m home with my dirty clothes wondering when my family can slip away again.   Toronto in the fall sounds nice, eh?

Monday’s mishmash….

The heat has finally reached Western NY.  Frankly, I’m not a fan of 90 degree weather…although I know many around me adore the sweltering heat. I wilt and trust me, it’s not a pretty picture.

 Summer is coming to a close much too quickly.  Tomorrow we leave on our final vacation before school resumes.  Four days in Toronto — three Red Sox games!!!!  (Here’s a picture of the scoreboard from our last visit to Toronto.)  It’s a beautiful city, with countless places to visit and dozens of fabulous restaurants.  Since I’m a food-a-holic, it fits nicely with my needs.

 

Having suffered some recent computer woes, I’ve decided not to fret over my lack of writing progress.  The next two weeks will be stuffed to the brim with activity — trying to enjoy every bit of summer with my boys.  It comes and goes way too quickly.  I’m the one that cries the most when school returns in September    I’ve actually been going through files trying to pick my favorite pictures from this summer to have printed and enlarged.  It always gives me something to smile about when I’m trudging through a foot of snow in January.  (Here is one from our most recent trip to Cape Cod.)

Last Thursday I let my seven year old pick out the paint color for his room.  After much debate we’ve decided to let the boys share a room for the time being.  They’ve always had their own space — so we’ll see how this works out.  As the youngest in a family of six children I always shared space with one of my sisters….and I loved it!!!!  BTW he picked out an awesome green color which looks kind of cool.  I spent much of Friday painting and rearranging furniture.  This is something I do way too frequently.  Every room in my house is a different color.  Fortunately my husband just shrugs his shoulders and smiles.  He is mega tolerant when it comes to my painting preferences. 

Laundry time.  I have chores galore to complete before tomorrow’s departure!!!! Hugs for now!

Pssst….There’s a Party Going on (Not Here)

One of my favorite sites, Long and Short Reviews, is celebrating their second anniversary this month.  Trust me, these ladies know how to throw a party.  They’re giving away 3 Sony E-Readers — that’s right 3!!!  Participate in their scavenger hunt (August 3 – August 20) and you might be a lucky winner.  If you are anything like me when it comes to devouring books an e-reader will quickly become your BFF.  Seriously, you’ll want to go everywhere with it.

One of today’s questions comes from my story, Ready to Take a Chance Again.  So, dear blog reader, are you ready to take a chance?   Here’s the link:

www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/promo.htm

Go forth and hopefully prosper!  Hugs!!!

Well life on the farm is kinda laid back…

Cows are cute!  Who knew?  I spent much of yesterday at a fantastic dairy farm in Western New York.  And let me tell you these chicks have personality.  As upwards of eight-hundred people (attending a picnic for a very worthy charity) trudged through mud and manure (eew )the resident cows stopped in their tracks to check us out.  Clearly we were disturbing their tranquil afternoon and they weren’t exactly overjoyed.  But being well mannered farm animals they refrained from snorting, spitting grass or kicking droppings our way.  It was really an amazing afternoon.  Since I’m not exactly a country girl I was far from educated on the advanced technology that goes into milking cows in the twenty-first century.  Seriously cool. 

Now I’m desperately trying to come up with the framework for a future story set in a similar backdrop.   Hee Haw…what fun!!!!

Making Progress on My WIP…

(Psst…I cheated when I created this word counter.  My manuscript goal is closer to 60,000…but somehow I feel better thinking I’m closer to the end.)

I mentioned several weeks back that I made the painful decision to pull the plug on a completed manuscript!  Gulp!!!  That still stings a little.  I liked pieces of the story but overall it was missing something.  Something big.  So, I opened a fresh new Word document and started over.  Same character names.  Same setting.  Different conflict.  The good news = I think the writing is stronger.  I say ‘think’ because I’m a really BAD judge of my own writing.  Some people can spot their own flaws a mile away….I’m not so talented

The bad news = Summer.  My days are completely unstructured.  Between vacation trips, fun with the kids, lessons, and plain old living I’m moving at a sloshy pace.  Last night I hit eighty pages — not exactly where I wanted to be at this point.   As the characters continue to develop in my head I started to create a mental laundry list of things I would not want to see in any hero.  Here are just three of my pet peeves:

1:  UGLY SHOES

There is no excuse for bad shoe choices if you are of legal age.  It’s not hip if you’re a guy to wear shoes that remind a woman of what her mother used to wear in the 1970’s or what some goofy sports figure is wearing to the clubs in Miami. ICK!

 

2: Obsessive concern with their appearance.  Any man that spends more time and money at a salon than the woman in his life leaves me giggling.  Sure, being clean and well groomed is essential.  But going for a weekly mani/pedi leaves me in search of a barf bag.

3.  Men who can’t find their wallets.  Enough said!

Summer days driftin’ away….

Returned home after eight days on the Cape…so, yeah, I’m feeling a touch out of sorts.  We had fun…loads and loads of fun.  It was likely our last trip to the ocean this summer which makes this chick a little blue.  At heart I’m a beach girl.  Specifically a Cape Cod beach girl.  We swam, walked almost four miles a day, played many rounds of miniature golf, rode go-carts, ate endless cups of homemade ice cream, played with cousins & nieces, got henna tattoos (lovin’ mine to death), drank mind blowingly delicious tropical drinks, attended a magical wedding on a bluff overlooking the bay in Chatham (danced outdoors under a tent for hours), kicked back each night and watched the Red Sox at my mom’s cottage, ate fresh seafood from one of the best spots in Yarmouth, played wiffle ball in the back yard until my calves ached….

And then there was a moment I’ll always remember.  Hundreds of mourners lined the streets to honor the memory of a fallen Marine Corporal.  It was heartbreaking.  It was inspiring.  An entire community (that I’ve been a part of each summer every year of my life) came together to honor a young man who lost his life in Afghanistan.  It was a painful reminder of the sacrifices men and women are making every day for our country.  Twenty-one year old Nicholas Xiarhos gave his life…I’m not sure I can even take that in.  I felt honored  to be with my family amongst the crowd gathered along Route 28 paying homage to his memory.   I didn’t know Nicholas but I’m certain I will never forget him. 

Photo: Cape Cod Times/Steve Heaslip