Writing the Day Away

Just my thoughts.....

2012-02-23T07:56:00.000-05:00

So another author has come out and told another reviewer off. Why can't authors just leave it alone? Not everyone is going to like your book. If I see someone leaving a review on something I wrote, sure I'll be a little upset but I'll move on. I'll know what to work on maybe for next time.

I look at the reviews as something we can use to improve on, just like when we get something from editors, agents, etc.

Negative Reviews are going to come and go. You'll get those from time to time. Move on with your life. Don't sit there and type away about some reviewer. Because here is the thing, if you write mean things about a reviewer. That makes you look bad. Other reviewers won't even try your book due to what you have done. I can already tell you, I won't be reading at least five authors who have done this. Respect for an author goes out the window when they diss someone, at least for me.

As a reviewer, although I haven't done much lately, I will come across books I couldn't stand or thought were okay. But guess what? Other reviewers liked those books. So I might not like the book but someone else does. You still have people who love your book. Enjoy that. Also, if I read a review where someone didn't like it. It doesn't necessarily get taken off my to read pile. I just take their thoughts into consideration but I won't let it stop me from reading the book. I've had books where my book reviewer friends didn't care for it but I loved it.

Just to note, if I ever come across a book I don't like and I review it. If you don't like what I have to say, sorry, but that's my opinion and that's final. Not changing my thoughts to make you happy. You can bad mouth me all you want.

Okay, just had to get that out of the way. It just annoys me that authors are doing this. I'm also surprised authors are not realizing their mistake. Haven't you noticed that once an author bad mouths a reviewer and it comes out that many readers will discover this, they stick up for the reviewer? Just something to think about before you hit that send button on facebook, twitter, or your blog.

Silver-Tongued Devil Discussion Part 2

2012-02-16T07:41:00.000-05:00

Hey all, just letting you know that Melissa and I finished Silver-Tongued Devil by Jaye Wells. As always feel free to join us in a great discussion.

Head on over to Melissa's blog.

One step closer....

2012-02-12T23:21:00.001-05:00

So today I got a little closer to cute balcony guy at church. I am starting to wonder though if maybe we're not meant to get to know each other. He usually comes in later and sits on the other side. Not too far though. I can still catch a few glances at him. Today at church, it was crowded so he had to sit in my area. He sat two pews in front of me.

I got so excited. Here was my chance. I could finally say hi. Well guess what? The couple next to me started to talk to me and of course I didn't want to be rude. Also noticed he didn't sign the attendance pad, so I guess I'll never find out his name that way.

On a positive note, I got to shake his hand and see him smile. I think I melted a little when we touched. Of course he had to turn and that was it. I didn't get a chance to say or just happen to be next to him as we went down the stairs because I had to rush out to make a movie since church ran late.

So should I take this as a hint or find other ways to at least get the man's name?

x-posted @ livejournal

Silver-Tongued Book Discussion Part One

2012-02-09T07:49:00.000-05:00

If you are a fan of the Sabina Kane series by Jaye Wells. Melissa and I are now discussing part one. Come join us if you have read up to chapter twenty or the whole book. I've missed reading about Sabina and crew. Click the image below to head on over to The Bookoholic Zone, my other blog.

When is it too much?

2012-02-01T13:03:00.000-05:00

Is it me or are more authors only tweeting about their book? I know we have to market ourselves and get out there but a few times should be enough. It's not just twitter either. Goodreads has gotten worse. I love adding people and making new friends but when I add new people, next thing I know I'm getting messages about their book. Why can't I just get a message about their love for books? I've even seen how authors like to brag about themselves in group discussions. We'll be talking about something and they'll say, "hey check me out."

Is it just me or is anyone getting bothered by this? I know I've tweeted my stuff a couple times but I tweet other things as well.

Thoughts anyone?

Happy 1st day of 2012

2012-01-01T23:51:00.000-05:00

So did everyone have a good first day of 2012? Mine wasn't too bad. Of course I didn't do much for it being New Year's day.

I'm still debating on the goals of 2012. I have awhile right? I can still think about in June? I could do the usual lose weight goal, but I think that goal gets old. I either have success one year or suck at it the next.

I would love to say for this year, I finish my book for the traditional world and the novella for the self-publishing world. I'm still in the editing process for the self-editing one. After many story plots, character thoughts, etc. I have come up with the story I want to focus on for the traditional publishing world. I think it took me forever because I wanted something different. I'm sure there is another story out there like mine, but I hope I can make it a little different from the rest. I guess time will tell.

On Goodreads, I made a goal of reading 100 books. If I can do that, I would be so happy. I would die of shock almost. I feel like I've been slacking in my reading goals. So maybe this is the year I get back on track.

I guess I can use the above for my goals but I feel like I should have something better for a goal. Something different. I don't need to quit anything. Okay maybe coffee is my addiction but me giving up coffee would probably make me go in shock. Okay, how about I drink less coffee?

It will be interesting overall to see what 2012 brings. I just know I'm one year closer to my lucky number, which means 2013 better kick butt.

What about you? Any goals this year?

Maybe not this time, but just wait until next time.

2011-12-24T17:39:00.000-05:00

You know that moment when you see someone you don't want to see but you always prepared yourself for that conversation? You would either say something nice or not so nice. Today I saw the one person who I told myself, if I ever saw them again? I would show my life was great. My world doesn't revolve around him.

Unfortunately that day came today and I didn't get the chance. One, I was with my dad. Second, it's Christmas Eve. I didn't want to be mean. I'm not saying I would say something cruel. Most people don't even think I have a cruel bone in my body. But I always pictured the day when I saw him. I would tell him what I really thought of him. He was the one that hurt me the most. The sad thing is, he was a friend and a crush. Ex-boyfriends or guys I went on dates with never hurt me as much as he did. It took forever to get over him.

Instead today, we looked at each other and I turned away.

I'm hoping the day will come again. I don't want to act like a teenager and give him the talk. I just want to be grown up and tell him my thoughts. I just want to get it off my chest. Which I know sounds crazy. That was the past, this is the present. It's time to move on. It's just one of those things I want to do no matter what. Think of it as something on the Bucket List. For me, it would be a big step. I'm the shy one. I hate dealing with conflict. I try to look at the positive of something. He was the one who depressed me like there was no tomorrow.

Of course I'm not surprised when I saw him the song that always reminded me of him popped into my head.

Supernatural Dream. What more could you ask for?

2011-12-21T07:47:00.000-05:00

I really love when I dream of TV. Last night I had a dream of Supernatural. I know, woo! Unfortunately though, my men were not in the dream for that long. They maybe appeared for a few minutes. At least that's what it felt like. Either way, the dream was based off Supernatural.

The guys stayed at a bed and breakfast where I worked. The Leviathans started to take over the place. If you don't know about the Leviathans, I'm guessing you don't watch the show. Just think a major bad guy.

Anyways, there are a few of us humans left. After the guys left, we decided to take control. We met at a far away place but of course didn't trust others that were around us. You don't know who is Leviathan since they look human. To even prove that everyone in our group indeed was a human we tested our blood.

I didn't get too far in the dream. We knew how to kill them thanks to the guys but we still had to figure out a plan. Unfortunately I woke up before a plan had been decided. Maybe I'll be lucky and I'll see part two in my dream.

Wouldn't that be nice if each dream was a sequel?

And Here We Go Again.........

2011-12-11T23:42:00.000-05:00

A week from today I'll be thirty-two years old. Am I ready? Yes and no. One, I kind of have no choice. Although who knows maybe someone will find the fountain of youth before I age another year.

Where did this year go? Heck where did my twenties go? It just seems like yesterday I was turning twenty-two. I still remember that birthday. I was in college and just finishing up the semester. Friends and I went out to celebrate.

What will I remember for age thirty-two? That's hard to say. I'm not the same person who can go all night and have a night out on the town. Although maybe if I get coffee or red bull in my system, I have a better chance.

I remembered when I turned thirty, I didn't do much. It was as if, after twenty-nine, you suddenly grow too old to be up all night.

Do you ever notice that? Now when you get with friends to throw a party, the party now ends at ten. Eleven, if you're lucky. What happens when we turn thirty. Is it a sign of growing older? Not a bad thing of course but it's like we know it's time to grow up. We can never look back. Neverland is a memory.

Of course now we get to experience something new. Now I can watch the TV show, Thirty-something and think, ahh, I totally get it.

Overall, I don't mind that I'm turning thirty-two years old. It was bound to happen. I think the one thing that kills me is that I only have a week to do what I like to think of as my Bucket List before I turn a certain age. I do it every year. I tell myself I'll a do few things before I turn the next age.

This year, I wanted to lose at least fifty pounds. Unless I can pull a miracle, I'm not losing that much weight by Sunday. My next goal to be closer to finding an agent. Yeah, I'm still working on my self-published book. I haven't even thought about the book I want to try traditional publishing with. I did finally decide what story and theme I want to write. But can I get it done by Sunday? Probably not. Those two were just a couple on my list. Another big one for me was to fall in love. I didn't even have a crush this year. I went on a few dates but nothing happened.

I'm thinking of dropping the falling in love goal. I do it every year and yet nothing happens. They say you aren't to think about falling in love but I have tried that so we'll see. Who knows maybe it really is true. Maybe if I don't think about my Prince Charming, he'll come.

I'll probably keep the lose the weight goal but won't go as high. I should have the list of goals done by next week. I hope.

Did you have a goal for your birthday? Did you complete it?

Jennifer Estep/RT Book Review Interview

2011-11-30T21:31:00.000-05:00

If you're a fan of Jennifer Estep, you might want to check out this video. They talked about her new Mythos Academy series.

For more information on the new series, click here.

For more information on the author, click here.

Need to keep that motivation going.

2011-11-27T23:36:00.000-05:00

So I probably should have mentioned this the other day but if you look at my sidebar, you'll see I made it. I finished National Novel Writing Month. It wasn't easy and I'm sure a lot of it doesn't make sense. No, I'm pretty sure done of it will make sense. I do hope to go back to it next month sometime. Unfortunately I don't mean December. I really need to get back on track with my wolf series. I'm hoping to spend December editing it so come January, the story is off to an editor. The sad thing is, right now it's not that long. Maybe 50,000 words. I'm going back to the beginning and editing. I already added a new scene to it, so who knows maybe it will be more than 50,000. Time will tell. I have to keep telling myself it's not the length that matters, it's the story.

I just feel like I haven't been motivated lately. I don't know if it's my life, job, family, or friends. I just haven't been all there this past year. I need to change that. Finishing up NaNoWriMo, I'm hoping I can use the same motivation and finish what I started. Once I finish the first book, I'll start planning the second one. I have a few ideas for the characters in my story.

Definitely will keep you posted when I decide on a release date. This series will be a self-published series. I have another story in mind for the traditional publisher but won't start that until after I finish the first in what I'm right now calling, Wolf Town series.

Hope everyone had a good holiday weekend.

American Horror Story....Let's Discuss

2011-11-23T12:21:00.000-05:00

So if you're here. I hope you watched tonight's episode of American Horror. If not, turn back now and come back later. Here are some of my thoughts of tonight's episode. There will be spoilers.

Why Tate? Why? I was disappointed he ended up being Rubber Man. I really wanted it to be someone else. Who? Not sure, but I guess the whole plot with Tate and Violet, makes me not like him as the Rubber Man. I kept hoping, the first few minutes were to throw us off. That maybe he just wore it to fool us or something. I tired to think of any reason for it still not to be him. It will be interesting to see how Violet takes the news that her ghost boyfriend slept with her mom.

Speaking of Violet, she has to be dead. She missed two weeks of school. It makes you wonder. If she is. Who's next? Ben or Vivian? Maybe neither. I'm guessing if it's Vivian, it will be around the time she has the baby. Guess if she does have a demon inside her. Could she survive that? If she was to stay on the show. She would have to be giving birth in the house.

For the next episode. Question already. I didn't think Vivian could stay that far from the house for a long time? How can she stay in the mental hospital for so long when she needs to be at the house because of the babies?

Despite my disappointment in who the Rubber Man ended up being, I still love the show.

Thoughts anyone?

A Webby Dream

2011-11-19T10:14:00.000-05:00

Why is it when we dream we can't dream of what we want? The dream I had last night just freaked me out. It wasn't even a monster or something a human did that freaked me out. It was something I feared the most. If I had to choose between this fear and another fear, I would pick the other fear. I'm talking about spiders. I don't know where my fear came from. I've had it for as long as I can remember. I don't know if I had an encounter with one as a kid or maybe my sisters did something to me and they aren't admitting to it.

I don't know where the dream of a spider came from last night. It's not like I thought of a spider before bed or even saw one. If anything, the last thing I remember was watching Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice.

In my dream, for some reason I had my old bedroom in the house. It was as if I never moved out of it. I came home from work one day and went to put my stuff upstairs. I put my purse down on my bed and looked in the corner. A huge spider web hung where my lamp used to be. I freaked out and went downstairs and grabbed the vacuum to suck up the web. I walked back upstairs in fear. My eyes widen when I saw another web in the room. This time it stood in the center. It went from the ceiling to the floor. At this point I ran down the stairs, I screamed for my dad to come up. He told me to do it myself. He didn't even go to look at it. I decided to brave it and just suck up the webs with the vacuum. I'm not all the way up the stairs when I looked into my room and I saw a web that filled up the whole doorway. I saw a spider the size of my hand come out and it scattered across the hallway. At that point, I woke up.

To me, that is just creepy. I hate those things and if that happened in real life, you can bet, I would be crying for my daddy.

I found this on dreammoods.com

Spiders
To see a spider in your dream indicates that you are feeling like an outsider in some situation. Or perhaps you want to keep your distance and stay away from an alluring and tempting situation. The spider is also symbolic of feminine power or an overbearing mother figure in your life. Alternatively, a spider refers to a powerful force protecting you against your self-destructive behavior. If you kill a spider in your dream, then it symbolizes misfortune and bad luck.
To see a spider spinning a web in your dream signifies that you will be rewarded for your hard work. You will be promoted in your job or recognized for your achievement in a difficult task. Spiders are also a symbol of creativity due to the intricate webs they spin. On a negative note, spiders may indicate a feeling of being entangled or trapped in a sticky or clingy relationship.It represents some ensnaring and controlling force. You feel that someone or some situation is sucking the life right out of you. Alternatively, if a spider is spinning a web in your dream, then it could be a metaphor for the world wide web and global communication.

To see a spider climbing up a wall in your dream denotes that your desires will be soon be realized.
To dream that you are bitten by a spider represents a conflict with your mother or some dominant female figure in your life. The dream may be a metaphor for a devouring mother or the feminine power to possess and entrap. Perhaps you are feeling trapped by some relationship. If you eat a spider or dream that a spider is in your mouth symbolizes your control over a situation. You are not afraid to exert your dominance in a relationship.

American Horror Story: Open House

2011-11-17T08:49:00.000-05:00

I really think American Horror Story is my new LOST. One, it airs on Wednesday night. Second, after each episode? I have more and more questions to ask or want answered. I'm thinking like LOST, I'll post my thoughts on each episode after it airs. If you're interested, look for it next week. I'm not sure on what time, but I'll post it sometime Wednesday after 11:00pm.

Here is my first few questions to get started. Remember there will be spoilers on this post and comments.

1. My first big question involves Violet. Is she dead? After last week's episode, I'm still wondering.

2. Does Vivian really have twins? Are we sure it's not some monster?

3. Involving next week's preview. I think the Rubber Man identity has to do with either Chad or Patrick. What are your thoughts?

So they sparkle, what's your point?

2011-10-30T09:04:00.000-04:00

If anyone is a fan of Anne Rice on facebook, I'm sure you saw the post she did on vampires where she talked about Lestat and Louie feeling bad for vampires who sparkle. People of course went off and dissed Twilight, which is fine since everyone has their own opinion. I think what drove me a little crazy was that people act like her characters are the only vampires out there.

I am a fan of the Vampire Chronicles. Heck, her vampire books were the first ones that pushed me further into my love for the vampire. By the time Twilight came, I found another interest in the vampire. Yes, at first I thought, really? Vampires sparkle, they live in the daylight? But guess that was just beginning. Soon after, I discovered my favorite vampire, Bones from The Night Huntress series by Jeaniene Frost. And you know what? He walks in the sun and it doesn't bother me one bit.

To me some of those people who left rude comments need to remember something. Fiction is fiction. Each author is going to create their own world. Just like my vampires that I create. I might do something that no other author has done before.

I just wish people were more open to the world of fiction. Yes, we can have our favorite authors and worlds but face it, if every world was the same, we would be bored.

NaNoWriMo Buddy?

2011-10-30T00:38:00.001-04:00

Are you doing NaNoWriMo? If you are and want a writing buddy. Feel free to add me.

Click here. :)

Here is to an exciting month of writing that one story that has been stuck in our head and wants to come out and play.

Once Upon a Time Thoughts

2011-10-24T11:37:00.000-04:00

Be warned, there will be spoilers if you haven't watched the show yet. If you haven't, go watch it. I loved it!! I had a feeling I would but I didn't know I would like it like I did. Can't wait for more episodes.

Now on to spoilers.

So my first question is, in the end will Snow White still have a happy ending? If you remember, Prince Charming was killed. Does this mean when they return back to their time, he'll be dead again? I know we saw him in the hospital when she went to put flowers by his side but will he always be like that? Will he die when they return? I'm hoping he'll wake up before they go back to their time so he'll still be alive. Fingers crossed. Otherwise, she won't have a happy ending. Sure, she'll know about her daughter but what about her prince? That would kind of suck.

The next question, who is Emma's son? Is he a fairy tale? A whole new person since technically we never meet Snow White's daughter in the fairy tale. At least if I recall since it's been years since I read the fairy tale, we don't. Might have to get out Snow White and see if there is any mention of a baby, boy or girl. I'm pretty sure there isn't though.

The last question I have for this episode is, figure the evil witch should know the truth about the town. You would think she would, unless a spell went wrong but judging by the end of the episode, she should know. But what about Rumpelstiltskin? Does he know the truth? When we see him with Emma at the inn, it looked like he did. So maybe he knows why she is here? Or maybe he recalls the name Emma and is thinking, Hmm I like that name but doesn't know why.

I can't wait to watch the next episode. What were your thoughts and questions?

I'm still here.

2011-10-19T07:33:00.000-04:00

So I promise I didn't fall off the face of the earth. This whole month has been a lazy one for me. I blame my cold which turned to bronchitis which turned into some infection. I went to urgent care over the weekend and they gave me an inhaler. I swear it's not working. Plus I feel like a cold is trying to return.

It sucks because I haven't done much writing this month thanks to it. It's hard to focus when you start coughing up a storm. I'll be into this scene and I lose track because I can't stop coughing for twenty minutes. It's not as bad as it was but there are still moments.

I'm just ready for it be over with.

Devil's Business Discussion

2011-09-29T08:21:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Just letting you know Melissa and I are now discussing Devil's Business by Caitlin Kittredge. We're going over the first half of the book so yup, there will be spoilers. :)

Click here for a book summary.
Click here to head on over to the discussion.

Writers Conference Fall 2011

2011-09-25T09:18:00.000-04:00

One of these days I will remember to post after the event.

I had a good time this year at Lakeland's Writers Conference. Well, I always do but I always look forward to learning something new and meeting other writers.

We met in the lecture room where they did the introduction and we listened to an author who wrote a memoir. It was nice to listen to what he had to say. I probably won't write a memoir though. If I write anything close to my life, it will end up fiction. I do have a couple ideas and you know though, I'll find a way to stick the paranormal in there.

Afterwards, my first session dealt with Young Adult. Yes, I don't write Young Adult but I've thought about it. I do enjoy many young adult books and would love to find the teenager in me again. I don't know when I'll write one but I know when I think of an idea, it's going in my idea notepad so when I'm ready I can look back.

The second session, I decided to do Today's Publishing. I'm always trying to keep up with the publishing world even though I'll probably self-publish my first book. I still like the idea of traditional publishing and will try to look for that agent and publisher. I'm one of those people who like to try different things. Maybe I'll discover self-publishing isn't for me but traditional is. Time will tell.

After that session, we had lunch. Yup, like every year it's like high school. You walk into the lunchroom and don't see anyone you know. There are some of us regulars but it's good to look for new faces. You have to network. At the table I sat at, I met some nice people and I hope to read their work someday. I sat with a mystery, autobiography, romance, and general fiction writer.

After lunch, we headed back to the lecture room and did a question/answer panel. This year, it went from getting yourself published to ebooks to writing for a living. Definitely something I found very useful. I wish I could have the motivation to write for a living but for now, that will have to wait.

The last session I did had to deal with editing. That as always was a good one. I'm always looking for ways to edit my work better. There were a few familiar lessons. The read out aloud, don't trust spell check, etc. I never thought about reading a paragraph here and a paragraph there. I like the idea of reading the book out of order. Will have to keep that in mind.

I could get into more details but that could end up a long post. If you want to know more, let me know.

CBS Monday Primetime

2011-09-19T22:24:00.000-04:00

So I saw the premiere of Two and a Half Men. I didn't think it was too bad. Of course, we'll have to wait and see but there were definitely some funny moments in tonight's episode. Going in, I wasn't sure if we would laugh or cry but I guess being a comedy of course, we'll get laughter. I just didn't know how they would handle the death of Charlie Sheen. Will definitely tune in next week but won't feel the need to watch it already. Yea, for DVR's. I just wanted to watch it live since I've been curious about this episode.

Also the return of How I Met Your Mother and the new show, 2 Broke Girls. I have to say 2 Broke Girls wasn't too bad tonight. Will have to watch it a couple more times before I can decide but I might like it. I really wasn't sure if I would or not. I saw the previews and thought, hmm, maybe I'll watch it if I'm bored. I could see me putting it on the DVR or catching up with it on the Ondemand channel. Although, that could change in a couple episodes. Time will tell.

Did you watch any CBS shows tonight? What did you think? Maybe not CBS. Did a favorite return?

I do know one thing knowing my favorite shows are back. My DVR will be filled now all the time until spring.

A Daily Dose of Me.

2011-09-18T21:36:00.000-04:00

I say this everytime but I'm going to try and do a nightly post about life in general.

I really hate colds. Why do they torture us? I had been doing so well. I try to do some type of workout everyday, take my vitamins, and even do tea with honey. Okay, I might be lacking in one thing, which is sleep. Although the past few days, I've done a lot of that. I have a feeling I'll be doing more of that tonight.

Yes, it's good to get sleep but at the same time. I haven't picked up my notebook or pen. I haven't even looked at past chapters to edit. Research? Didn't do that this weekend.

That of course kind of sucks because Friday night through Sunday night, I try to spend all my time doing something with my novel. Of course, I'll take breaks but you get the picture.

I really wanted to work on my demon story this weekend and maybe post chapter six but yeah, that's not going to happen. Speaking of my demon story. I've been thinking about bringing it back on here and going back to do some editing of past chapters. If you want to see what I have, right now. Click here. I'll keep you posted. Either way, you'll know when I post chapter six.

Not much else to report for the day or weekend. I'm finishing up Aftermath by Ann Aguirre, love the series. I opened up One Grave at a Time by Jeaniene Frost. Oh how I've missed Bones. Last but not least, I dug a hole in Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon today.

Well I'm off to finish watching the Emmys and get some more reading done for discussion on Aftermath. Don't forget you can join in the discussion on Thursday. This week we'll be at my Bookoholic blog.

Click below for Goodreads Summary:

Music of the night

Aftermath Discussion Part One

2011-09-15T23:24:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Melissa and I are discussing Aftermath by Ann Aguirre. You should join us in the first half of the book.

There will be spoilers from past books possibly and up to chapter twenty from Aftermath.

Click here to head on over to Melissa's blog, My World in...words and pages.

The Evil Sore Throat Has Return

2011-09-14T07:56:00.000-04:00

I really hate waking up with a sore throat. It's going to make for a long day or week. I'm hoping I can cure it before it turns into an official cold. What sucks is that I work in a call center ,so if I get a cold and it's busy season? My voice will be gone and it will be hard to talk on the phone. So today will be a day of finding anything to help me. If I'm still like this by tomorrow night, I might get the cold medicine out and prepare myself. As of right now, possible cold, 1 point. Me? Zero points.

We Will Never Forget...9-11-01

2011-09-11T08:51:00.001-04:00

I can't believe it's been ten years and I can't believe how fresh it is still in my mind. Normally it takes me awhile to remember stuff that happened two weeks ago but I do remember the morning of September 11.

I was 21 years old and a student at University of Akron. I remember being in the shower. At the moment the only thing on my mind was my assignment for my communication class. Did I need to go over the reading one more time? Maybe I should check my work again before turning it in. I wondered if I should have done more research on my newswriting assignment. It was a typical morning before classes.

The radio all of a sudden brought me out of it. I stopped midway of rinsing my hair of conditioner when they said a plane hit. I thought, what? How? All those questions running through my head. As soon as I could. I got out of the shower and checked with my roommate. We turned on the news and just watched it. I had to get ready for class and luckily I still made it with being so involved in the news.

When I got to class a little bit later, I remember walking in and everyone had a look of shock on their faces. My professor who was from New York City cancelled class the moment he walked into the door.

By noon, the school cancelled classes and we all gathered around the TV. I remember my ROTC friends waiting to see if they would be called to duty.

I even remember gathering with students and lighting candles.

I didn't know anyone who was killed but my heart went out to them and their families. To this day, my prayers are still with them.

What about you? What do you remember? Were you affected?

I saw this Budweiser commercial and most commercials make me tear up but watching the horses, I definitely got teared up.

Goodbye boxers, hello sweats

2011-09-06T23:04:00.000-04:00

Now I know I live in Ohio so I'm sure the weather will change back to warm before the end of September, but for me, I love this time of year. I love curling under the blankets. I love putting on my sweats with a big comfy sweater. Let's not forget the warm socks.

Despite the fact I was born in December, I love the fall. It's the start of being nice and toasty. The smell of the air. Halloween, the pumpkin spice flavor drinks. I could go on.

Talk to me in a few months when winter starts to show up and I bet I'll be sad fall is over. I just hope we don't have a short fall. Lately it seems it's summer and winter. Spring and Fall seem to last only a few weeks.

Here is hoping to a nice long fall.

A Little Help and a Little Blood

2011-09-05T11:56:00.001-04:00

I meant to post this last night but didn't get a chance to. My friend and I saw The Help. My thoughts? I liked it. I heard the book is even better so I'm definitely looking forward to reading the book.

My friend and I went in thinking there would be humor, serious issues because of how the previews looked. I didn't expect I was going to get a little teary eyed.

Even if you haven't read the book or enjoyed the book, I think you should go see it.

Now onto True Blood. I still love the show at times but they seem to be moving away more and more. You could know everything that is going to happen but it doesn't matter, they change the story that much. I understand you need to add storylines here and there when it comes to a TV show. With Vampire Diaries, I actually prefer the TV show over the books but that's because I haven't been a fan of the book series.

I'm sure there are other people who feel the same way about Vampire Diaries as I do about True Blood. I love the book series, don't mess it up. I won't go into it too much for those who might not have watched this season yet but yeah, I'm not too excited about it. The only thing that keeps me going is Eric.

Book four is my favorite of the series and I was really looking forward to it but for me, they changed way too much and not in a good way.

What are your thoughts on True Blood? Any thoughts on The Help?

Writer's Conference Fall 2011

2011-09-05T00:15:00.000-04:00

So I don't remember if I mentioned this yet but I did sign up for the writer's conference in September. Oh wait, it is September. How can it be September already?

Anyways.

It's towards the end of the month. As always I look forward to it every semester. It's held at the local community college in Kirtland, Ohio. It's nice to be together in the same room with other writers. The last time I was in a classroom like the workshops they held, was college. I miss having talks on writing. Yes, I'm a nerd. But I bet other writers would understand, lol.

As always I looked at the workshops that are planned and I have no clue which one I want to attend. If I could, I would attend them all.

We always start off with an author giving us a lecture. I'm not sure, who the one is this year, but I know I'll enjoy it.

The first set of workshops deal with young adult, mystery, and social media. For this, I'm torn. I have thought about maybe one day giving it a go at young adult. But social media would be good for me too as I get closer to publishing.

The next set deals with agents, the writing process, today's publishing, and the point of view. For me here, I'm torn between the agent, publishing, and point of view. Point of view, I might take out because I have plenty of books on that.

After those two workshop sections, we get to do a lunch with other writers which can be fun and make you nervous. I always feel like I'm back in grade school. Do I sit with the table over to my left? Maybe I should pick the one on my right. What if they don't like me? Maybe I picked the wrong table because they write a whole different genre.

But I have to tell myself to not worry about it. In the end, we all get along. Last September, I sat with a memoir writer, non-fiction, young adult, and sci-fi writer. Than there is me who is the Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance Writer.

After lunch we all meet up again and have a panel where different authors will answer questions for you and they'll talk about their work. There are some interesting ones this year. The topics will be the road to publication, e-books are here to stay, and new opportunities for writers.

We still have one more workshop we can attend. The last group deals with romance and women's fiction, editing, nonfiction, and creating characters. I'm thinking on this one, the romance and women's fiction, but at the same time, editing would be good.

The rest of the conference is networking. Another part of the day, I freak out but I'm sure I'm not the only writer who starts to panic. Although, who knows maybe I'm the only one.

The one nice thing about the workshops is that you can choose or pick two. I just don't like to leave midway as the author who is presenting discussing the topic. I'm one of those who like to stick until the end.

It will be a fun day, that's for sure.

Jane Eyre

2011-08-28T09:23:00.000-04:00

So I forgot to post my thoughts on Jane Eyre, the latest version when it comes to movies. I have to say, it was okay. The mini-series that came out a few years ago is still my favorite but I did enjoy this one.

Of course, you can't put the whole book in the two hour slot but I thought they did okay on the scenes they picked.

If there is one thing I didn't like and I'm sure many would disagree but Michael Fassbender didn't cut it for me as Rochester.

Otherwise if you're a fan of the book, check out the movie.

Thoughts?

The latest Jane Eyre

The Mini-Series

Book Discussion Time

2011-08-25T07:35:00.000-04:00

Hey all! If you liked Ann Aguirre's Killbox or just love the Jax series. Come join Melissa and I over at my other blog as we do the final discussion before the new book comes out next week. Will keep you posted when we discuss the next book.

Click here for the discussion.

Earthquake 2011

2011-08-24T07:32:00.000-04:00

So the way everyone is talking about yesterday's earthquake, it feels like it will be one of those, "Where were you?" moments.

Me? I didn't even know we had an earthquake until later in the day when someone at work said there had been one in VA. Apparently people around town felt it. Me? At that time, I was either writing outside during my lunch break or clocking in. I didn't feel a thing.

Did you?

What Are You Hiding

2011-08-22T23:17:00.000-04:00

Hi all, if you have been reading my story on fiction press. The fifth chapter is up. I know it's short. I'm hoping if I keep it shorter, maybe I'll post more. I've been so bad. Maybe the next chapter will be longer.

Anyways, here is Chapter Five. Click here. :)

Killbox Discussion Part 2

2011-08-19T07:27:00.000-04:00

Melissa and I are discussing Killbox by Ann Aguirre. Come join us as we discuss up to chapter 36. If you have read the book and want to discuss the book as a whole, join us next week. When we discuss this book and maybe get into theories of the latest book coming out at the end of the month.

Click here for Discussion Part 2.

Why?

2011-08-14T00:34:00.000-04:00

So last night while doing my last minute checking of the Internet or maybe I was lazy after a long week at work? Anyways. I came across Cynthia Eden's blog. I thought, ooh what's the latest blog about. Unfortunately this one wasn't a good one.

She talked about someone on fanfiction.net plagiarizing her book, Deadly Heat. Why do people do that? I don't get it. How could you steal someone's work? As someone who wants to someday make it in the book business, this saddens me.

Don't steal. If you want to write. Write! There are plenty of stories to be told. If you want to write about an FBI agent, come up with your own twist. I bet I could think of a few different stories just using an FBI agent and making it paranormal. Sure the stories don't come right away, but they are there, and will find a way out.

I can't believe this person who calls themselves a writer, wrote how she worked hard, did research, etc. All she did was copy and paste. She changed the characters names to Edward and Bella.

What's worse, is she does the copyright at the beginning about Stephenie Meyers.

I'm glad she was caught by Eden and others. What is sad though, even if she was caught? One, the story is still up. Second, she could post it somewhere else. Third, someone else is out there doing the same thing with our other favorite authors.

What are your thoughts?

On a side note, I just have to get this out. BROWNS WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, okay I'm done.

Legend Quest

2011-08-10T23:29:00.000-04:00

So I've been catching up on Legend Quest on Syfy. I thought it would be interesting show but now I'm not so sure. Which kind of sucks because I love Destination Truth and the Ghost Hunter shows.

I think what has been driving me crazy about this show is the evidence or should I say clues? He seems to find something and think he has the next clue. I know the show is only an hour but couldn't they show more research even if it's a thirty second clip. It's like he looks at a painting and goes, "Ha-ha, I have the next clue." If that is all it took. Maybe historians would have found lost treasures by now.

Maybe it will get better, I don't know. Right now though, I'm not a fan and yet, I"ll probably watch another episode. Part of me I guess, keeps hoping he'll actually find something or it will look more real.

Plus the girl on the show. Does she do anything? She seems to do a lot of standing and nodding.

What about you? Have you watched Legend Quest? Thoughts?

Self Publishing a no-no when you want to go Traditional?

2011-08-08T08:58:00.000-04:00

Here is a question for many writers out there.

I've talked to a few writers about publishing. Okay, who hasn't? One topic is, if you self-publish. Will traditional publishers deny you? Some say yes, they won't look at your work. Others say, they'll look at your sales and see how you are doing. Other say, sure why not self-publish, while you look for a publisher.

As we know there are some self-publishing authors out there who have done well, they are now going the traditional way.

So what do you think? Is it good to self-publish first? If you want to do traditional, should you not even think twice about self-publishing?

Outlander Series

2011-08-07T23:44:00.000-04:00

So I feel bad for not being on here. I need to try and get on here daily. I guess part of the reason is, I haven't had much of a life. Well at least an exciting one. I've been writing, reading, catching up with friends, and the DVR.

My hope is I can try to get on here every other day or everyday, even if it's just to talk whatever. Today's topic is Diana Gabaldon and the Outlander series. I'm only on Drums of Autumn, which is book four but I love this series and can't wait to see where it goes next.

I love the characters, Claire and Jamie. I'm always curious to know what trouble they will get into next.

The series is something different. Most book couples these days are in their twenties or thirties to have some good romance scenes. Not Claire and Jamie. Claire is near fifty years old. At her age they still have this passion for each other.

What also amazes me about the series is the research that had to be put into this. I do research yes but the facts you read in this, it's amazing. I can't help but wonder how long did she research. Did she spend hours and hours reading? Am I not doing enough?

I can't wait to see what happens next to Claire and Jamie. Have you read the series? Thoughts. Remember, I've only read up to book four, haha. I'm halfway through actually now.

I've heard samples of the musical and I want to see it now.

Doubleblind, the final discussion

2011-07-29T08:20:00.000-04:00

Melissa and I are now discussing the final part of Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre. If you have read the whole book and want to discuss? Please join us. Click here.

A Night to Remember

2011-07-29T08:15:00.000-04:00

I should have done this on Wednesday night but I was way too tired. Could have done it yesterday, but was way too tired. I was lucky to get out of bed. So what happened you ask? I got to see New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys in concert when they came to Cleveland, Ohio.

Some of you can stop laughing now, lol.

Seeing Backstreet Boys was great. Just like old times when I saw them in concert. I've seen who knows how many concerts of theirs. This goes back to the mid-nineties when they first came out. It just seems like yesterday my friends and I saw them at the I-X center where the unknowns come to perform. I still have their autographs from when I met them after the show.

Now New Kids on the Block? I have been a fan since the mid-eighties. I remember being a little kid and listening to them on the cassette tapes. Unfortunately, I never got to see them in concert. Who wants to take their nine year old?

Well, this week, was my first time and I would go again in a heartbeat. I loved it. It was great. Seeing the five boys or should I say men now? I didn't want the night to end. To make it even better something happened I never expected.

My friend got us close to the floor and first row. Not on the ground where we would be closer but still pretty close. So during the concert, security comes by. No surprise of course, but they moved a cloth off the railing. My friend and I don't think anything of it. But all of a sudden, a box is put in front of my seat. I mean literally in front. It hits us that maybe they'll be coming out to us. Of course we go all fan girl. We were maybe already at that point, but it got worse. At this point, we don't know who it is. Will be Backstreet Boys or New Kids on the Block? We thought maybe Backstreet Boys since we heard they come out to the audience.

Imagine my surprised face when Donnie Wahlberg is parallel to me and all of a sudden comes off the stage. I don't know if my face was in shock or surprise. I just know he came running and jumped onto the box. The man himself was right in front of me. He steps onto the railing and I got to the be the lucky one of my friend and I, who saw from belly button down. He also grabbed my hand twice. So yes, I was a thirty-one year old who went all fan girl. No, pictures from that. Even if I had my camera ready at that point, I wouldn't have noticed it due to him being so close.

So that was my night, Wednesday. If they come back, you know I'll be there in a heartbeat.

On a side note, Matthew Morrison from Glee was there. Enjoyed his show as well.

I did take a few pictures and videos. Not the best. My friend had the better camera. I'm waiting for her to put the pictures of Donnie so I can save those, haha.

For Matthew Morrison pics, click here.
For NKOTBSB, click here.
For videos, click here.

Book Blog

2011-07-21T08:24:00.000-04:00

Hi there. If you are into Sci Fi, Urban Fantasy, or Paranormal. My friend, Melissa and I are in the middle of discussion for Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre. Feel free to join us.
Click here.

Eric is back!!

2011-06-28T08:30:00.001-04:00

Yea, my True Blood is back. I enjoy my summers when I can see Eric. When it comes to television, he has to be my favorite vampire. Love him in the books also but Bones from Night Huntress series is technically my favorite book vampire.

So far this season isn't too bad. I'm always curious to know what they will change in the series compared to the book. I'm curious to know how Sookie and Eric's relationship will development. Bill? Still can't stand the vampire.

I do have to read the last two books still and the collection of short stories. Hope to do it soon so I can be caught up, especially if Alan Ball throws something in the TV series that's in the later books.

What Are You Hiding?

2011-06-21T09:03:00.000-04:00

So in my free time, I like to write other stories that aren't my main story. It's a story that is dying to get out. I also look at it as practice. So I'm going in without anyone reading or editing my story. I want readers to let me know, what I need to do to improve. Plus, I want to be able to take you to one of my worlds. So hopefully every late Monday or Tuesday morning, you'll see the latest chapter of What Are You Hiding?

Please feel free to leave reviews and let me know your thoughts.

I have the first three chapters up. Click here if you would like to check it out. I hope to put it up for free on smashwords when it's completed.

Morning Thoughts

2011-06-21T07:48:00.000-04:00

So I'm thinking I need to update my LinkedIn profile. It's been a long time since I touched it. I thought about doing years ago when I was looking for a job with my business and communication degree but I just never focused on it. Now I want to do it for my writing career. Does anyone use it? Is it worth it?

Also at the annual writer's conference here in Northeast Ohio, I've seen people with business cards. I'm wondering should I do that?

What about you? Have you done either of those things? I know eventually I'll need to market myself more, but the author/book fan page will come closer to the release of the book. I have thought about doing a website but I'll need to sit down and think about how to do so.

In other news, I need more hours so I can get more sleep.

Do I make a left or do I make a right?

2011-06-19T22:12:00.000-04:00

For the longest time, I always pictured, my mailbox would be filled one day with rejection. Not a bad thing but I would go to the mailbox and would see that envelope. The envelope that could one day change my future. It could be a letter asking for a full manuscript. When I see rejection? I would know I would be okay. My time will come. That was in the time of the traditional printing. When that was all you knew.

Now, we have the world of self-publishing. I can do my own thing. I can sell myself.

So here is a question for my writer friends. Are you going the self-publish way or the traditional way?

I'm still torn on which direction to go. Part of me wants to do the self-publish but I'm not that great of a marketer. I have this huge fear, I won't get far. Than there is the traditional way. Again, I have to market myself but the main marketing is the book. What if I send it out and it gets rejected and rejected.

Yes, the first years of getting yourself out there with traditional publishing is going to be hard. There will be rejection after rejection but what if two years go by or five years?

I'm sure I'm not alone with this fear. I think. I know I'll get somewhere but it will take time. I just happen to be one of those people who stress out. I'll be freaking out until I get that letter in the mail. If I self-publish, I'll be going online everyday to check my sales.

I also heard that when you self-publish, agents and publishers look down at that but yet there have been success stories.

I have thought about self-publishing my werewolf story and work on my witch/warlock story that will go traditional or maybe I'll switch it up. Maybe the witch story is worthy of self publish while the werewolves should go traditional. That's just another thing going through my head.

I still have time to think about it but it those darn thoughts that still drive me crazy. Please tell me, I'm not alone. There are others freaking out, right? No? You could lie, lol.

While I write, I do try to keep up with the self-publish and traditional world. That way, I'm ready when the time comes. Which will hopefully be soon. Either way, I'll either make a left turn or a right turn, and I know I'll find a good path. It might not be the path I dream but I know I'll be happy. I did my best, I gave my all, I showed the world my world.

#YASaves

2011-06-05T07:45:00.000-04:00

If you follow authors or many book lovers, by now I'm sure you heard about the latest hashtag on Twitter, which is #YASaves.

An article was released on Wall Street's website, titled Darkness Too Visible. The link will be at the bottom of the post for those who haven't read it.

What makes me hate this article, is the simple fact, the reporter seems to have forgotten what books were out there before the YA scene. The reporter does mention some books but calls them tame. What about all those other books?

When I was a teenager, the YA scene was slowly getting out there. We had books like R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike, V.C. Andrews and even L.J. Smith. Since we didn't have bookshelf after bookshelf like today, we went to authors such as, Stephen King or Anne Rice. I even went to Mary Higgins Clark or are you ready for this? The classic authors were a favorite.

Which brings me to my next point. If the books that are out there today, are violent, graphic, etc? What about the books we read and I'm sure that are still being read today? Does anyone remember Anne Frank, Lord of the Flies, Dracula, Frankenstein? I could go on.

What about the Bible? Should young adults stop reading that? I remember being a kid and having to learn about how Jesus died on the cross. If I recall, we hear about the nails going through his skin, etc.

The reporter talks about Judy Blume. I don't know about you but I spend hours reading her books. I went from reading Fudge to Are You There God. I maybe couldn't relate to every character but I know many friends who could.

That brings me to my next point. So the books today might show more violence and are about the supernatural. Guess what? We don't exactly live in the day of holding each others hand and singing, Kumbaya. Each of those books you see on the shelf when you go into the bookstore, help teenagers. They take them away, maybe even feel like that character. So there are plots in the book about rape, being gay, divorce, hate, etc. Guess what? That's the real world. Maybe a teenager likes that book because they can relate or they know someone. Either way, if it's not a book, a teenager will hear about those graphic scenes on the news, in the school hallway, or will experience it first hand.

When you think about it. Those books we see now could be read in the schools, fifty years from now. I already know that Harry Potter and Twilight are making the school reading list.

If I ever have kids, you can bet my kids will be reading whatever they want and that includes, whatever. Just to note, I was a huge fan of Anne Rice and Stephen King while in school. My parents didn't care. I was reading, I think that made them happy. Also guess what? I turned out okay.

At thirty-one years old, I do read YA. I wish I could have those books as a teenager. I also hope my author friends who write YA and those authors that I enjoy, keep writing them.

One quick thing before I close, I read some of the comments on the article that people left. I almost felt like leaving a comment due to the fact, all those people agree with the reporter.

Oh before I forget. That list of books on the side? Are you kidding me? Why are they split by gender? Did we go back in time?

If you haven't read the article, click here.

Burning hot...hot...hot....

2011-05-31T22:35:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again where I want to strip down to nothing and yet, I know I would still be sweating. Normally this time of year though, it's 60s/70s. This year, here in Northeast Ohio, we didn't get that. It went from 30s to the 50s and now almost 90. I'm a fall or spring person. I will complain about the cold and I will complain about the hot weather.

Even if I thought about moving somewhere else, I'm sure I would have a similar problem. Does anyone know of a state or even a country that has springtime all year? Let me know :).

Night Owl

2011-05-30T02:33:00.000-04:00

I love this extra night. Normally by now, I would have been asleep hopefully for a half hour or more. It's 2:30 in the morning and I'm still wide awake. I'm thinking of watching the latest episode of Game of Thrones, work on a chapter outline, and read the next short story in the book that I'm reading. Will I? Who knows. I guess it just depends on if I can keep my eyes open.

I find I'm more motivated at night when it comes to writing. I wish I could have this every night but until I can become a full-time writer? I'll take what I can get.

What about you? Do you have more motivation at night? Maybe it's in the morning.

All I know is, it's a good thing I can sleep in tomorrow.

Supernatural Finale

2011-05-26T08:41:00.000-04:00

I know I'm late in this but everytime I come to write on here, something gets in the way. Spoilers ahead if you haven't watched the Supernatural finale.

So the show opens up and you hear Dean say, "and you took Sam." My first thought? Seriously, he's dead again? Can't the guy catch a break? He died in the last finale. But it turned out okay because he comes into the scene.

In the episode, Cas who has been turning to the wrong side, pretty much drops the wall for Sam. Sam falls into a dream and starts to remember his time in Hell.

Of course, you know it's not solved in one episode. I could see them continuing that storyline next season.

Poor Dean, he has lost so much and now he lost his friend, Cas. That will be an issue next season.

Now Cas. What the heck? At first I thought he was just trying to save the world but now? Maybe he opened the door and it made him evil? Maybe it was his plan all along?

My biggest question though is, if he's God, where is the real God?

What are your thoughts?

Writing Class?

2011-05-25T08:58:00.001-04:00

Question for my writer friends? Do any of you take writing classes? I took one at our local community college but due to my new job, I can't do the classes anymore due to scheduling. I thought about online. So just curious if anyone has done one and what you thought.

Prom, anyone?

2011-05-22T08:43:00.000-04:00

I had another dream about my past again. Well, I guess sort of my past. I was in my thirty-one year old body but I was wearing a prom dress that was very similar to the one I wore my junior year of high school. Nope, sorry, can't see a picture, lol. We'll just say it met the ground, black, on the chest it had silver. There were no sleeves and I wore long black gloves. Oooh, it also had a slit going on the side.

Anyways, in my dream I was getting ready for the prom. It's like I knew it was the prom and everything. Not some special event that a thirty-one would go to. It was an actual prom.

I was even back at my old high school. Who was my date? That's the thing. It wasn't the same guy I went with in junior year. In fact, I knew it was a guy but in my dream, I didn't know the name or face. I just knew it wasn't my junior prom date.

Here is what dreammoods had to say dreaming about Prom

Prom
To dream that you are at a prom, signals an end to something and the beginning of something else. It refers to cycles and the passage of time. Alternatively, the dream may just about your anticipation of your own upcoming prom in real life.

So hmm, what am I ending and what am I beginning?

Hmm, decisions.

2011-05-21T13:10:00.002-04:00

So I'm debating if I want to move my book blog onto here. What do you think? Should I combine both blogs or keep them separate?

Urban Fantasy Book Blog

2011-05-20T08:07:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone! Did you read Shady Lady by Ann Aguirre? Do you feel the need to discuss it? Maybe you're like me and belong on Team Jesse. No, you belong on Team Chance or Team Kel? Well come on over and discuss. Melissa, over at My World in Words and Pages and I, have finished and are discussing. Join us here.

Pound Puppy?

2011-05-17T07:37:00.000-04:00

I love when we dream the most random thing. For me, I had a dream of a stuffed animal. Not just any stuff animal but Cooler, the pound puppy.

Does anyone remember those? I still remember mine. I thought Cooler was so cool that he was my choice for a stuff animal. I remember him wearing his blue jacket.

Not sure why I had dream about looking for it but according to Dreammoods, this is what it means.

Stuffed Animal
To see a stuffed animal in your dream, represents an immature attitude. You are trying to escape from your daily responsibilities and problems. Alternatively, a stuffed animal indicates your need to relax and be less serious. You need to let your mind and body to rejuvenate. A stuffed animal may also mean security, love, comfort, support and unconditional or unquestioned love.

To dream that a stuffed animal is choking you, indicates that something that was originally emotionally comforting is now giving you much stress. You are feeling emotionally restricted and unable to communicate how you feel especially in matters of the heart.

I could see that. Not the choking one. Can actually say Cooler didn't choke me, lol. I never even saw the stuff animal, itself. I just looked for it. What was weird, I looked for it in some type of research lab, my basement, and even work.

I do need to refresh my mind. It's been so long since I tried mediating. Maybe it's time to get back into that.

Smallville: The End

2011-05-14T09:40:00.000-04:00

So one of my favorite shows has come to an end. That show is Smallville.

I still remember ten seasons ago I wasn't sure if I was going to like this show about a boy called, Clark Kent. I have been a fan of Superman for the longest time. He's always been my favorite but I don't know. It didn't seem right at the time. Of course I had changed my mind pretty quick.

The last time we had a show focused on Clark Kent, in his younger days? It was the Superboy series. Remember that one?

At least after awhile we got to see Dean Cain as Superman.

I could compare all the Superman characters through the years but that could take all day. My favorite of course is Christoper Reeve but today's focus is Smallville.

I really liked the way they ended it. They tied up everything perfectly. The return of Lex Luthor and Clark realizes what his destiny is. You didn't see Perry White but I loved how you could hear him in his office, yelling for Lois.

Did you watch the episode? What did you think?

Writer's Friday Hop

2011-05-06T22:27:00.001-04:00

- Follow this blog.
- Follow Elizabeth Sharp, the originator of this hop.
- Follow the featured author of the week, VK Tremain.
- Go to Sharp Words and copy the image code found there and paste it in your blog. Add your name to the link at the bottom of the post while you are there.
- Copy and paste the rules in your blog, as well as this week's question.
- Answer the question.
- Follow, follow, follow. This is about networking, people, making connections with people in your community. So talk to us. We don't bite!
- If someone stops by, says hi and follows you, the polite thing to do is follow back.
- Comment here and introduce yourself and you just might find a new follower or two.

This week's question:
What moment has validated you and made you feel like a writer? If it hasn't happened yet, what do you think it will be?

My Answer:
If it's possible, I think I felt like a writer when I was a little kid. I remember doing programs like young authors, contests, or creating stories. I remember writing a story for school once and calling it The Best Friends Club. I used my friends as characters.

In college, I decided to go for a communications degree. It didn't get me far unfortunately. Now here I am at the age of 31 and I realize the one thing I want to do is write. I'll have to deal with the obstacles but I know somewhere down that yellow brick road, I will get there.

What Are You Hiding? Chapter Two

2011-05-04T01:00:00.000-04:00

Chrissy was tired but she knew she had to get a run in for the day. She already skipped three days of exercise. She had been stretching her legs for a few minutes when she heard something in the nearby bushes. She knew she should keep going but she walked over to it anyways.

Her hand went to her mouth as she stopped herself from screaming. A nude man stood behind a bush. He had to be over six feet as he stood there. She did her best not to look down to the one area that was unfortunately not covered by the bush.

The man looked at her wide eyed. “I am so sorry.” He replied in shock. “Could you turn around?” She nodded. There would no argument there. When she turned she heard him moving around.

“There we go. You can turn.” She arched an eyebrow before she faced him.

“Did you do a little too much partying?” She asked as she got a better look at him. With clothing on, he didn’t look too bad. He was possibly 6’2. Under his white shirt sleeves, he had a good set of biceps. The shirt was tight enough she could see a six pack under the shirt. He had on a pair of ripped jeans that she was sure if he turned, she would get a nice view of his backside. He had black hair that came just to his ear and he moved a piece behind it.

“Hello?”

“Oh sorry, I guess I was zoning.” Her face turned warm.

“Yes, well, as I was saying. I need to find a Peterson. I was brought here to the location but yet I can’t find him”

She closed her eyes for a second. What the hell did Davis do now? She reopened them to see the man with his head tilted at her in confusion.

“Well the last time I checked he was at home. Was he supposed to meet you for something? No offense but I swear if he is here for drugs. I’m going to have to kill him.”

He laughed. “Drugs, please, I’m not that demon.”

She snorted and she looked at him as if he was truly on drugs. “Demon, huh, yeah, whatever you say.”

He crossed his arms and walked away from the bush. He came over to her. She gulped as she got a whiff of a smoke. It wasn’t a drug smoke smell. It was as if he was just near a bonfire.

“This is no laughing matter. Mr. Davis Peterson owes me his soul. She nodded. “He owes it to me. He signed the paperwork.” She bit her lower lip. What mess did her brother do now?

“Okay look, I don’t what you and he are playing at but seriously, demon and soul taking? You two really need help.”

He moved closer to her. They were inches apart. Any movement closer and their chests would be touching.

“Who are you to him?”

She crossed her arms with what space she could and glared up at him. “Not that it’s your business but he is my brother.”

He moved his head to look at her closer. “Ah, I see the similarities between the two of you.” She moved her hand to touch her face. The only thing she shared with Davis was the pouty lips and a thin long nose. Since she could remember she has always wanted to get both fixed.

“What I want to know is why did I come to you? I specifically said Peterson.”

She gave him a roll of the eyes. “Thanks, feeling the love.”

He looked at her confused. “I’m sorry?”

“Nevermind that, what does my brother owe you?” She asked quickly changing the subject back to Davis.

He moved away and looked around her. “I believe I told you. He owes me his soul.”

“Well, I’m guessing that will be hard since souls don’t exist.”
He looked at her questionably. “Of course souls exist. You wouldn’t be here on earth without it.”

She really wasn’t in the mood to discuss the human body. She sighed instead. “Look, Mr. Whoever.”

His right hand came out of nowhere. She looked at it for a second before she took it into her own right hand. “The name is Patrick Sanders.”

She was taken back by how nice he was being. Figuring he was a drug dealer or hell, maybe a pimp. She assumed he would be rude or maybe it the attitude she was getting from him earlier. It was one or the other, she couldn’t decide.

“I’m Chrissy Peterson.”

“Ah, well it was nice meeting you but now if you could direct me to where Davis might be, I would really like that.”

Her shoulders shrugged. She wished she could help Patrick but to know where her brother was every moment would be a miracle.

“I wish I could help you but I’m only his sister. I’m not his secretary. If you want to know where he is, you would have to ask him yourself.”

His head shook. “I wish that was a good answer but you can not expect me to believe that you don’t know where your own brother is. You’re blood.”

Fingers stretched out on both of her hands which were at her sides. “That might be but like I told you, sir. I’m not my brother’s keeper.” Okay maybe she technically was since she was always getting him out of trouble but what this man didn’t know wouldn’t kill him.

“If you just lead me to his location, that’s all I ask.” He said in an irritated voice.

Her hand waved at him and she started back on her run. “Good luck but like I told you.” She started running a little faster as she ran backwards and kept her eyes on him. “I don’t know where he is and won’t know fifteen minutes later. I might not even know two days from now.” She sighed and turned away from him.

Patrick let out a sigh as he watched the human girl called Chrissy leave. How dare she treat him like that? He was a demon. He was at the top of the list. All demons wanted to be like him. He had the best record of taking souls. If the other demons had seen this scene, he would become the laughing stock. He couldn’t have that happened.

If only he could have taken her soul. When he became supervisor he was going to change that. No need for a contract. Soul demons would be able to take the soul no matter what the situation was. He smiled at the thought. He would teach that woman.

He had other things though on his mind. He had to get Davis Peterson’s soul. People were coming towards him on the sidewalk. He didn’t want to stand there and look like an idiot so he kept walking in the direction that Chrissy had gone in.

There was still a sense of her nearby. His eyes kept out for her. Maybe he could find her and follow her to Davis. They were bound to be come into contact; he just knew it and hoped it was soon.

As he walked he kept thinking about what went wrong tonight. It was supposed to be simple. He said the spell to bring him to earth and he would take Davis soul like they had agreed. Nope, somehow he landed and came face to face with the wrong Peterson. It didn’t make sense.

Why her? Never in a thousand years has this happened. His head shook as he kicked a rock in his way. Davis was nearby he just knew it, he must have been hiding. Was it possible that Davis saw his sister and decided to hide? What kind of brother would do that to his own sister? He would never do that to one of his.

He stopped where he was. There was another demon in the area. Great, just what he needed. He blinked himself back to Hell.

Chrissy looked at her surroundings before she unlocked her front door. Meeting that Patrick guy made her nervous. Maybe Davis didn’t offer his soul but what else is there that he could offer? She got chills throughout her body as she thought of Davis losing something of some value.

Her mind went to the bowl. The moment the door was unlock she slammed it behind her and didn’t bother to lock it. She threw open the cupboard door and let out a sigh of relief as she saw the bowl. It stared back at her.

She went to her phone and dialed Davis’s number. She felt something on her back. After turning and looking out the window. She saw nothing. The feeling of paranoia had started to kick in. Voicemail had picked up as she tried to calm her nerves. “Hi it’s Davis, you know what to do.”

“Davis? Where are you? Call me as soon as you get this.”

Once she hit the end button she stood there in the foyer and looked at her phone. She kept telling herself that any minute now, Davis would be calling her back.

As much fun as she was just standing there, she couldn’t take it anymore. The more she stood there, the more she started to worry that something had happened to Davis. He might be a jerk but she couldn’t lose him.

There was only one thing to do and that was to freshen up and go to bed. As she walked towards the stairs she remembered she had forgotten to lock the front door. When she turned the bolt on the door she heard movement outside.

Panic swept around her. Maybe it was Davis or maybe not. Did that man follow her home? What if it was a killer? She told herself she was crazy. For all she knew, it was a neighbor. Just to be safe she went to the side window next to the door and cracked the curtain a tad to see outside. There was no one on her porch.

“See Chris, you’re losing your mind.” She shook her head at herself as she realized she was officially talking to herself no. The curtain went back into position and she went back to the stairs. Her foot was on the first step when there was a knock at the door. “What the hell?” She asked nobody.

This time she stood on her tip toes and looked out the peep hole. The front porch was empty. Seeing no one she decided to open the door. Maybe somebody dropped off a package. Who cared if it was late at night? Maybe UPS had a busy night. It was possible. She sighed. Maybe it wasn’t. They lived in a small town. When UPS came through, everything was delivered within two hours.

Her feet made it to the end of the driveway. Nothing was close by. No deer or raccoons were out tonight. Goose bumps went all over her body as she felt coldness come through. It was a ghost town but she couldn’t fight off a creepy feeling something was wrong.

Giving up she had turned to go back in the house when she bumped into something hard. She looked up to see Patrick. Her eyes widen in fear and she started to run back inside but was pulled back by him.

“Please, I don’t want to hurt you.” Sure, she thought, the man who says that he collects souls or whatever. Yeah, he’s not crazy, not one bit. “Just tell me where Davis Peterson is and I’ll leave you alone forever.”

She moved her arm out his grasp. His arm fell to the side. “Look, I told you, I don’t know where he is. I wish I could help but I can’t. Please leave before I call the police.”

He laughed and his body shook. “Please like those police officers can stop me. No one can.”

She found herself walking backwards to the front door. “I take that back, I shouldn’t call police. I should call the mental institute.

“Ah, that’s one of my favorite places to go.” Patrick started to walk to her at a faster pace. “Did you know, I can get 1,000 souls from that place daily and it’s not always the patients’ soul I take from?”

“Whatever you say, Patrick was it?”

He nodded his head. “That is correct Ms. Peterson. I wish you could believe me when I tell you that I need to collect your brother’s soul. We made a deal that I would help him find a job and in return, I would get his soul in a payment.”

Was this man seriously for real? Why would Davis agree to give his soul for a job? What was he to do, get a job and lose his life?

She asked Patrick just that.

He smiled and started to pace back and forth on the driveway. “I have to admit myself that seemed crazy but he insisted. He said he had to show the world, that he could do it. ”

Yeah, that would be her brother alright. “Look, I’m sorry for what my brother did. How much does he owe you? What job did you get him?”

She reached for her wallet and forgot her wallet was probably still in her jean pocket that was laid out on a chair.

He moved close to her again. The man really needed to learn about personal space. She moved a few inches away but he only moved closer to her. “Look lady, I don’t know how many times I have to tell you but I want your brothers soul and that’s final. Take it or leave it but that is what I came for and I’m not leaving without it.”

She did the only thing she knew. She lifted her leg and slammed her foot onto his. He didn’t even move a muscle. What the hell? Why wasn’t he flinching or swearing at her. All he did was continue to look down at her with a smirk on his face. “I’ve been through a lot worse.”

“Who the hell are you?”

He crossed his arms and stretched out in front of her. Compared to when they first met he seemed even taller. “I told you, the name is Patrick Sanders and I’m a soul demon. I collect souls.”

“I see. Well Mr. Sanders. It was nice meeting you.” She made a run for the door. The door refused to open for her. He had started to walk towards her. She had to get inside. His foot was on the bottom step of the porch when the door was forced opened. She stood there for a second at how the door could have possibly opened by itself. She shook her head back to reality and ran inside. The door slammed behind her before she could even do it herself. She didn’t know how the door did it but she didn’t care. She was safe.

“That’s fine, Chrissy, was it? I can wait here all night.”

She checked the alarm system. “Go ahead and do that. I’ll see you in Hell.”

“Oh, sweetie, you have no idea.”

“What a freak.” She said to the door. She could care less that he might have heard it. All he had to do was break into her house and the alarm would go off. The police would be here in seconds. At least she hoped they did.

It took her four hours to fall asleep that night. She wondered if he truly did stay on her porch. She didn’t know how she did it but it was as if someone rocked her to sleep. The night took over and she forgot all about the man who was cursing her on the front porch the whole night.

Friday Hop for Writers

2011-04-29T23:14:00.000-04:00

It's that time again. Join in!

This week's question: Who has been most supportive of your writing?

My Answer: I think though the most support I get is from other writers. We all seem to stick together. Many of my writer friends keep me going. When I'm down, they know how I feel. They have been there. In most cases, they are the ones who get me back on my feet. I don't know where I would be without my writer friends. LOVE YOU GUYS!!

The Rules

- Follow this blog.

- Follow Elizabeth Sharp, the originator of this hop

- Follow the featured author, of the week, MD Christie.

-Go to Sharp Words and copy the image code found there and paste it in your blog. Add your name to the link at the bottom of the post while you are there.

- Copy and paste the rules in your blog, as well as this week's question.

- Answer the question.

- Follow, follow, follow. This is about networking, people, making connections with people in your community. So talk to us. We don't bite!

- If someone stops by, says hi and follows you, the polite thing to do is follow back.

-Comment here and introduce yourself and you just might find a new follower or two.

Follow Friday

2011-04-22T18:46:00.000-04:00

The Rules

-Follow Elizabeth Sharp, the host of this hop

-Follow the featured author of the week.

-Go to Sharp Words and copy the image code found there and paste it in your blog. Add your name to the link at the bottom of the post while you are there.

-Copy and paste the rules in your blog, as well as this week's question.

-Answer the Question.

-Follow, follow, follow. This is about networking, people, making connections with people in your community. So talk to us. We don't bite! This post serves as the perfect place for you to say hello.

-If someone stops by, says hi and follows you, the polite thing to do is follow back.

-Comment here and introduce yourself and you might just might find a new follower or two.

This week's question: What is your most referred to website for your writing?

My answer: For me, I do Google or Yahoo. Probably Google more. It's amazing what you can find for research. Besides research, if I get stuck on a sentence structure or word, sometimes the answer is right there on Google for you.

What Are You Hiding? Chapter One

2011-04-22T12:00:00.002-04:00

Chrissy let out a sigh. She watched two cops walk a man in handcuffs inside the police station. It was now or never. She preferred never but Davis gave her no choice. Her finger tapped along the steering wheel. Maybe she could start the car up and go home. Davis would never know since she was still technically in the parking lot and he was behind bars.

Another police officer knocked on her window. She jumped out of her skin. She bit her lip as she looked at him through her window. She had no choice now but to go inside. The keys were taken out as the door opened. The police officer smiled at her as she got out of the car.

“I take it Davis is in trouble again?” She nodded her head as she looked at the building. “What did he do this time?”

She looked at her former classmate. “I have no clue. I don’t think I want to know.” She replied.

He looked at her with concern. “Why do you do it anyways?”

Her shoulders shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess because he’s the only family I have left?”

He crossed his arms as the two started their walk to the police station. “Well he doesn’t deserve you as a sister.”

“Thanks, I guess.”

He held the door for her. She hesitated. “You, okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, I am.” She left it at that and stepped inside. She was greeted by the security guard.

“Hello Ms. Peterson.” She smiled at him and kept going. This just wasn’t right. The security guard shouldn’t know her. No one in this station should. If it hadn’t been for Davis, she would never have stepped foot in here. Not with her life. Her life for the past thirty-one years had been pretty boring.

She got up, did things around the house, went to work, came home, and that was about it. Most of her friends had their own lives. She hung out with them maybe a couple times a month when they weren’t with their families.

The front desk clerk looked upon her as she stepped up to the counter. “I’m here for.”
The clerk nodded. “Yeah, he’ll be ready for you in a minute.” The clerk went back to her computer.

Great, thanks.” She said with sarcasm. The usual chair in the corner called her name. She sat down and waited. That minute turned into ten and before she knew it, it was a half hour later. What the hell was taking him so long? Thoughts of what he might have done ran through her head as she sat there shaking her crossed legs. Last time it was stealing from the bar. Before that, it was a fight at the bar. It always seemed to be at that damn bar he worked at. Maybe it was time for him to get a new job.

She perked up when she heard footsteps coming. Finally, he was ready. She stood up and stretched. When she got to the hallway, she noticed it was empty. She thought that was strange that no one was there. Sure, it had been a long day at work but she could have sworn. No, she knew she heard footsteps.

“Are you okay, Ms. Peterson?” She turned to the clerk and nodded. She headed back to her seat when the footsteps came down the hallway again. She did a quick turn. Davis was coming down the hall with Jared behind him.

Davis looked at Chrissy but didn’t say anything. He walked over to the counter and took his stuff off the desk. Jared smiled at her but it was her turn not to say anything. She shook her head and followed Davis outside.

As they were getting into the car, she heard footsteps behind her once more. She let out a sigh as she did a quick turn of her head to see if maybe it had been Jared. Her hazel eyes widen when she saw no one was behind her.

“What the hell is your problem?”

She glared at her brother. “You are.”

He put his hand on the door and waited for her to beep it open. She thought about not unlocking the car for him. Just her side and she would make a run for it. No, she couldn’t do that. Somewhere deep down in her heart, she did love him.

“Come on, I want to get out of here.”

She beeped her silver pt cruiser. “Gee, I don’t even get a thank you anymore.”
The two got in. “What did you do this time anyways?”

“It wasn’t right. All I was doing was talking to some chick and this man comes over and claims he’s her boyfriend.”

Her eyes closed and she took a deep breath. “Please tell me you didn’t start another fight.”

He shook his head. “It wasn’t me.”

Oh she wanted to believe him but she couldn’t. “What did the bar do besides make sure you ended up in jail again?”

“Let’s put it this way, I need to find a new job.”

“Great, good luck with that.”

He turned to her. “You can’t help me?”

“Why? So you can get fired from that job?”

His arms crossed and he leaned back into the chair. “Fine be a bitch.”

They reached his apartment. At least he lived close to the police station and she only had to be in the car with him for a few minutes. She pulled up to his apartment building. “I’ll show you Chris. I can get a job and keep it.”

“Yeah, again, good luck with that.”

He slammed the door and walked into his building. She waited until he was gone from her sight and pulled out of the parking lot. She drove in silence. Maybe Jared was right. Maybe she should stop helping Davis. That would teach him a lesson. She changed her mind. No, it wouldn’t. It would take some type of miracle for him to be taught a lesson. It just wasn’t fair. When her parents died in the house fire twelve years ago she lost her own life.

Davis already had gone into having a bad rep. She had to come home from college and straighten up what was left of the house since he refused to do it. By the time she had it all straighten out, the semester was over and she was starting to get her brother out of jail. He was the older brother; he should have been taking care of her.

She pulled up to her house and sat in her car once more. She imagined going into the house and she would grab a suitcase. The suitcase would be filled with just the necessary things and she would never look back.

Her eyes blinked at the front of her house. A light blue flash came from the dining room window. “What the hell?”

She took her foot off the brake and parked into the garage. Her ear went to the door to the house when she walked up the step. She heard nothing. She laughed to herself. “I’m losing it.”

The cell in her purse rung as her hand touched the doorknob. She dug into her purse for her cell. She sighed. It was only Davis.

“What is it Davis?” She asked without saying hello.

“I think I found a way to get out of trouble.”

“Great, glad to hear it, let me know how it goes.” She moved to hit the end button but Davis spoke up.

“I just need a couple things. By any chance do you have the ugly bowl that dad used to have?”

Ugly bowl, why would he want it? “Yeah, I keep it in the cupboard with a few other antiques.

“Well it’s perfect for what I need.” She let out a sigh. “I’ll bring it back.”

She opened the door and listened again for any sound. There was still no sound in the house. Well maybe the grandfather clock that came from the foyer. “Do I want to know why you need the bowl? That’s a special bowl you know. It belonged to our dad, his dad, and his dad.” And so on. No one in the family knew where the bowl came from. It went to each first born son. Technically it did belong to Davis but she didn’t think he deserved it. Plus her dad told her to keep it if anything ever happened to him.

There was a rumored that it was for someone with special power. It went from son to son. She remembered her dad telling her stories of how she was special. She was the first female with this so-called special power. He said it came from his side of the family. This power started centuries ago or what he liked to say, the beginning of time. She let out a sigh. It was just a story. The only power she had was taking calls eight hours a day at work.

What was most bizarre about this bowl was that it survived the fire. She had walked to the kitchen area where the stand used to be. All the dishes had been burnt. She would have missed it if it hadn’t been for the sunlight that hit the bowl.

“Fine, come over and get it.” She said as she let out a sigh.

“Awesome, I’m on my way right now.” That was typical. He didn’t even brother to ask her if she was available.

They didn’t say their goodbyes. She put her purse and cell on the counter and went to the cupboard where the bowl was. It sat in its place in the middle of her tea cups and other plates that she had collected throughout the years.

Her hands went to it and she picked it up with gentle care. Why was she doing this? Why was she letting Davis take this bowl from her house? She moved it to the light to get a clearer picture of it. It was a mid gold that had one point had been silver. She thought maybe of getting it cleaned but she didn’t want to risk it and ruin it. She turned it to the left and saw her favorite thing on the bowl. There were wings indented on it. They were wings that looked like they belong to maybe an angel. Her fingers touched the wings. She felt the bowl get warm under her touch.

“Chrissy.”

The bowl almost fell out of her hands when she could have sworn the voice came from the bowl.

“You are seriously losing it.” She said out loud to herself. She set the bowl on the table and made sure she had a stock of food in her fridge. As soon as he came over, Davis would raid her for food.

Sure enough ten minutes later he came in through the door without knocking and went to the kitchen without a hello. “Good you have food, I’m starving.” He frowned at the food that stared back at him. “What is this crap?” He moved the food to the side as he explored the fridge.

“It’s called healthy food. You might try it sometime.”

He cursed and closed the door. “I’m not that hungry, I guess.”

“Chrissy.”

She turned her head to the table in the dining room where the bowl still sat. “Did you hear something?”

Davis tilted his head in confusion. “No.”

“Nevermind, I guess I’m losing it.”

He gave a small chuckle. “No comment.”

She rolled her eyes and got off the stool that she had been sitting on when he came in and headed towards the bowl. She grabbed it and turned to give it to Davis. He looked down at her with glee. He took it from her hands and spun it around with two fingers.

“Stop that, don’t break it.”

“Whatever, it’s just a bowl.”

She reached up to grab it but he raised his arm up. She cursed herself for being only 5’2. He moved away and headed towards the door. “See you later, sis.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say.” She moved to the coffee maker to start some coffee when she heard a grunt come from Davis.

She turned to look at him. The bowl had made its way to the floor. She ran to it and grabbed it. It was still in one piece. “Oh thank god.”

“Thanks for your concern.” He said as he waved his hand and started to rub it.

Her eyes went up in his direction and she shook her head. “Well you shouldn’t have spun it around. That was kind of dumb.”

“I didn’t do that. All I did was open the door and stepped onto the pavement when it shot out of my hands.”

She sighed and held the bowl to her chest as if it was a stuff animal. She felt it warm up in her arms. “Oh come on, it shot out of your hands? What kind of drugs are you on?”

“It’s not funny. It burned me before it fell.” She looked down at his hand that he stuck out for her to see. Sure enough there was a burn mark on his palm. It looked like it was in the shape of two horns you might see on an animal. She got chills as she remembered the bowl calling her name. With that thought running through her head, she put the bowl on the counter as if she got burnt.

“Well just be careful with it.”

He nodded his head and went to pick it back up but it was only inches from the counter when he placed it back on there. “What the hell, it’s still hot.”

“No, it’s not.” She went to touch it with her fingertip and could feel the coolness underneath.

“Whatever, I know it’s hot.” He curled his lips to the side. “You know what I have another idea. You can keep the damn bowl.”

“Good, I like it.” She said with a smile on her face.

“You would.”

She stuck her tongue out at him behind his back as he went out the door. The bowl found its way back to the cupboard. She glanced upon it one more time before closing the door.

“Sorry dad.” She said out loud. “I now know that Davis can’t have it.” She just knew deep down he would never be allowed to own it. It was strange though how when he touched it, his palm burned. How was it possible that when he held it, it was extremely hot but when she touched it? She felt warmth or even coolness.

The cupboard door closed and she leaned against it and crossed her arms. What would Davis be doing that he would need the bowl in the first place? He said he would bring it back or at least he claimed he would. Was he going to try and sell it? She wondered what else he had up his sleeve.

She moved to go to the family room when she felt eyes on her. She looked everywhere and didn’t anything. She shook her head and thought maybe she needed to go to bed early tonight. As she walked past the window, she missed a set of eyes that stared at her from afar.

Charlie St. Cloud

2011-04-17T20:28:00.000-04:00

I usually like to read the book before I watch the movie. Netflix decided to send me Charlie St. Cloud. Okay, maybe I also forgot it was next on my list to be sent. I thought about holding onto the DVD and reading the book or sending it back but decided to watch it.

Really wasn't sure I was going to like it or not. Zac Efron? I guess when I hear that name, I think teen idol and I get turned off thinking this will be some teen film that won't hold my interest. I've heard good things about the book so I thought, what the hell? Why not?

If the movie isn't as good as the book? I can't wait to read the book. I really enjoyed the movie. I might just have to pick up the book soon.

Movie Trailer

Title: The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud
Series: N/A
Author: Ben Seherwood
Goodreads Summary:
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud tells the haunting story of a young man who narrowly survives a terrible car wreck that kills his little brother. Years later, the brothers’ bond remains so strong that it transcends the normal boundaries separating life and death. Charlie St. Cloud lives in a snug New England fishing village. By day he tends the lawns and monuments of the ancient cemetery where his younger brother, Sam, is buried. Graced with an extraordinary gift after surviving the accident, he can still see, talk, and even play catch with Sam’s spirit. But townsfolk whisper that Charlie has never recovered from his loss.

Into his carefully ordered life comes Tess Carroll, a captivating, adventuresome woman training for a solo sailing trip around the globe. Fate steers her boat into a treacherous storm that blows her back to harbor, to a charged encounter with Charlie, and to a surprise more overwhelming than the violent sea itself. Charlie and Tess discover a beautiful and uncommon connection that leads to a race against time and a desperate choice between death and life, between the past and the future, between holding on and letting go.

Luminous, soulful, and filled with unforgettable characters, The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud is one of those rare, wise books that reveal the mysteries of the unseen world around us, gently transforming the worst pain of loss into hope, healing, and even laughter. Suspenseful and deeply moving, its startling climax reminds us that sometimes tragedies can bring about miracles if we simply open our hearts.

Won't Be Doing That Again

2011-04-17T08:47:00.000-04:00

So what did I learn last night? Never type on your netbook while in bed. Sure doesn't sound so bad but when your head is on your pillow and the netbook is positioned on your stomach? Yeah, two hours later, you will wake up and look to your right and see the TV is still on and the lamp is still lit. You turn your head and look straight ahead and words are staring back at you.

I have to say, I'm surprised my netbook was still in the same spot. I hate sleeping on my back so to see my netbook in the same place two hours later? Couldn't believe it.

On a positive note, I got a page and a half written before I fell asleep. I'm guessing I had my finger on the letter, e. This was my last word, haveeee. I kid you not, lol.

Next time a scene comes to me? I will be sitting up.

Follow Friday

2011-04-15T00:16:00.000-04:00

The rules

Follow, Elizabeth Sharp, the originator of this hop.

Follow the featured author of the week, Paige W. Pendleton.

Go to Sharp words and copy the image code found there and paste it in your blog. Add your name to the link at the bottom of the post while you are there.

Copy and paste the rules in your blog, as well as this week's question.

Answer the question.

Follow, follow, follow. This is about networking, people, making connections with people in your community. So talk to us. We don't bite!

If someone stops by, says hi and follows you, the polite thing to do is follow back.
Comment here and introduce yourself and you just might find a new follower or two.

This week's question is Shakespeare asked What's in a name? But we all know better. So let's talk about names, specifically our blog's name. How did you come you with yours?

Writing the Day Away? That came to me one day just because I'm always writing. Even if it's a sentence here and there. If I'm not writing my story I might just be writing in my journal or the blog. I never leave home without a pen or notepad. You never know when you'll need it.

I have another blog called The Bookoholic Zone. If you couldn't guess that one is where I post my thoughts on books or any news on an author or book. I'm a fan of the Twilight Zone and I remember at the time, I was thinking of a new title for the blog. I happened to be watching the Twilight Zone and the theme played. It hit me after that.

What Are You Hiding?

2011-04-14T08:45:00.000-04:00

Morning everyone! As you know I will be posting a chapter every week. Originally I thought about doing a new short story every week. Who knows I might post those also. This story that I have for you came to me one day and I really didn't want to put it off. I'm already working on a werewolf story and a witch/vampire story. So I thought why not give book one for free and post a new chapter every week?

I'm going into this without an editor or friends reading it. Although I might beg someone to read it before I post, lol. I hope to have the first chapter up by Sunday. Here is just a brief description of what's to come. It's not the best cover but I couldn't decide on which direction to go so I decided to focus on a setting of the book. I might give it a new cover when I post the whole book for free after I do all my postings.

Title: What Are You Hiding?
Summary:
Chrissy has had it with her brother, Davis. He’s the older of the two and he should be the one who takes care of her and not the other way around. Just when she thought she had seen it all with him, he surprises her. This time, it’s not a police officer or him telling her something is wrong, it’s a demon named Patrick, who wants to take Davis’s soul.

To top that off, her body is changing. She is feeling different everyday and doing things she never could before. Chrissy thinks she’s coming down with a common flu, while Patrick knows better, as he watches her change.

Despite their differences and the fact, Chrissy is fighting for her brother’s soul, the two hit it off. Should Patrick tell Chrissy the truth before it’s too late.

Patrick isn’t the only one Chrissy has to worry about. There is a new man in town that goes by the name, Nick that has taken a sudden interest in Chrissy and wants her to see her true self. Could Nick get in Patrick’s way of destroying what Chrissy and Patrick might have had? Or could Chrissy lose it all, including her life.

Paranormal Activty 2

2011-04-09T22:43:00.000-04:00

Watched Paranormal Activity 2 finally tonight. I have to say, this one freaked me out more than the first one. Even though you knew something was going to happen, you still jumped. I guess it's because you weren't sure what was going to happen. Was the door going to slam shut? Was someone going to get attacked?

Some people will watch this movie and probably wonder why this movie is scary. For me, I think it is because, you don't have a vampire or some other creature of the night. You are in the safety of your own home.

I think another reason this freaked me out more was because I was at home. I saw the first one in the theater with a friend. I jumped of course. At home though, I have the phone ringing, dogs barking, a car door slamming, etc.

I think I need to go watch a happy movie now, maybe something Disney.

The first one.

The second one.

Snow, rain, go away....

2011-04-08T07:59:00.000-04:00

I am so sick of the rain. Sure, it's better than the snow. Anything is at this point. I just wish we could have a few days without the rain. It's been so bad, that our backyard hasn't seen any sun so it's been a swamp back there. I'm actually still wearing my winter boots since that's the only pair that I have that can handle mud.

It's Ohio, I know. I keep hearing that. We've had snow in April, blah, blah. This winter I think has just been a downer and we're all ready for spring to come. I really am starting to wonder if it's true that we'll be getting longer winters and longer summers.

Thinking of summer already is nice but I'm also scared. The winter we had, what does that mean for summer? Will we all be sweating to death?

As of right now, I'm just looking forward to it when I can go outside with a winter coat.

Road Trip of the Living Dead Discussion

2011-04-07T23:40:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post. If you have read or want to read. Melissa and I are discussing Road Trip of the Living Dead by Mark Henry. Right now we are discussing up to chapter 9, so if you have read the whole book, join us in a couple weeks if you want to discuss it as a whole.

Click here for information on the book or click here to join in.

The Book to Come

2011-04-07T07:59:00.001-04:00

So I made this announcement on Twitter and Facebook but forgot to put it on here. What's wrong with me? Haha. Anyways, I have come up with what genre I'll be writing on here for the free story. It will be Urban Fantasy. This one will involve a demon and human. Will there be romance? Maybe, maybe not. :)

I will be working on the outline of the book this weekend, a title, and a book cover. I think I have an idea on when to post each chapter but I'm not sure yet. It might be on Saturdays. I'll have that decision made next week because I'll post the title, cover, and plot on that day.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVE EVERYONE!!

Lions, Tigers, and Rabbits?

2011-04-04T23:04:00.000-04:00

You would think I was jumpy tonight. I went to take Gabby out and we headed out to our usual spot which is the end of the backyard and the beginning of the woods. As we were walking there I saw a small animal. I didn't have my glasses to see far away so I put the flashlight on it. It froze and stood there. It's small enough, I'm thinking okay, it doesn't look like a coyote or a fox. It doesn't look like a raccoon. I'm running all these animals in my head. We move closer a little bit more. I'm thinking maybe I could scare it and it would run off. I get close enough and it's still not moving. Finally my eyes can focus on it and it moves so fast, I jump back. What was it, you ask? A rabbit. I can't believe I jumped over a rabbit.

In other news, I think I'm taking a break from netgalley. I love getting books from there and being able to give my thoughts but with all the writing I want to do, book clubs, and reading for fun. I just don't have time. I need a job where I could get enough money and have plenty of time to do that, lol.

Hope everyone had a good Monday.

Didn't mean to do that.

2011-04-04T08:28:00.000-04:00

You know what I need? I need a better alarm clock. Last night, I thought since I'm working overtime at my full-time job today, I would get up an hour early. That way I would have more time for writing. Well guess what. My alarm went off. I hit the snooze button and went back to sleep.

I need one of those alarm clocks that won't shut up. That will just keep making noise until you wake up. You can't hit the snooze button because there isn't one.

I've thought about maybe putting my alarm clock on the other side of the room but with my luck, I would hit the snooze button and get back into bed.

Due to not getting up early today, I already know I'll be up late tonight. I had it all planned out today that I would finish writing the current chapter I'm on.

Also with not waking up like I wanted to, I can't help but wonder. Is it going to be one of those day's. I miss the days when I actually didn't mind Mondays.

New Story

2011-04-03T18:22:00.000-04:00

I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing. I was thinking of doing a post every week with a chapter. It will be something new and maybe when I complete it, I'll post it on smashwords for free.

I'll also be asking for feedback. What did you like about it? What could use improvement? Any advice is helpful.

Not sure when I'll start posting chapters. So keep your eyes out for it. I'll at least give you a little info on the book before I post it. Hope to have that up at least by Wednesday or sooner.

I'm just debating if I want to do a paranormal romance or urban fantasy. Tough decisions.

Pocket Posh Jane Austen

2011-04-02T13:09:00.000-04:00

So if I'm not reading Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance, you can find me reading anything Jane Austen. Saw this on a blog, and got a little excited. I'm always a sucker when it comes to anything Jane Austen.

In this book, you'll get word searches, crossword puzzles, etc. It's supposed to hit stores in mid April. It appears though to be on Barnes and Nobles website ready to order. I'm debating if I want to order it now or wait until it actually hits the stores. Tough decision.

Click here for more information on it.

Follow Friday for Writers

2011-04-01T00:05:00.001-04:00

The rules

1) Follow, Elizabeth Sharp, the originator of this hop

2) Follow the featured author of the week.

3) Go to Sharp words and copy the image code found there and paste it in your blog. Add your name to the link at the bottom of the post while you are there.

4) Copy and paste the rules in your blog, as well as this week’s question.

5) Answer the question

6) Follow, follow, follow. This is about networking, people, making connections with people in your community. So talk to us. We don't bite!

7) If someone stops by, says hi and follows you, the polite thing to do is follow back.

8) Comment here and introduce yourself and you just might find a new follower or two.

This week's question: Some people like to do it in the office. Others prefer it in bed. Some people like it on the dining room table. Get your mind out of the gutter, I'm asking where you like to write!

Me? One of my favorite spots is right on my bed. When I'm on my lunch break at work, I go to my car. Yes, I will go to my car and write the hour away. I find it easier in the car because in the breakroom, you have your co-workers. I don't want to waste any time driving to get food so I spend as much time as I can writing. Plus it helps clear my head from the morning I already had at work.
Speaking of work, that's another place. If I'm on the call and all of a sudden an idea comes to me, I will quickly write any notes down for later. If I can't grab my netbook for some reason. I'll either take my tape recorder or notepad and get those thoughts down.

Urban Fantasy Book Blog Chat

2011-03-31T08:09:00.000-04:00

Hey all! If you liked Grimspace by Ann Aguirre, we're discussing the book over at My World...in words and pages. We've only read the first book in the series so if you have read the rest of the series, please be careful. :)

Click here.

The Writer's Conference

2011-03-27T09:21:00.000-04:00

Sorry for this late post. I meant to do it last night but between the dog wanting to play and my writing muse kicking in, it kept getting pushed aside.

So yesterday was the Writer's Conference at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, Ohio. This was my third time going and definitely not my last. I got to see people I've talked to before and a former writing classmate. Seeing her made me wish the school did classes on the weekend. Since I started my new job, my schedule prevents me from going during those times. Either way, it got me thinking, maybe I'll look for one online.

I walked into the room where we were all meeting. I saw familiar faces and new ones. What I love is that since you're by yourself, you have to meet people. You turn to the next person and say hi. I met different genres. There was the sci-fi, the memoir, the romance, the young adult, etc.

Once the introduction to the conference was done, it was time to start the workshops. The first one I went to was for Self-Publishing, Print on Demand. I was curious because I've done the ebook self-publishing but there was the idea of printing my book with that actual thing called paper. Remember those?

I did learn a lot about it and of course I'm still confused. We only had an hour so you can only do so much. I definitely know one thing, I'll need to save money to do it.

I was hoping though we would talk about ebooks, maybe the next one?

The second workshop was with author, S. Andrew Swann. He does sci-fi/fantasy and I thought that would be perfect for me. I write either urban fantasy or paranormal romance. I even have a couple ideas for sci-fi. The class was very useful. The main topic was plot. Plot is one I could always use tips on. The story might be there but you have to that plot. There was also the mention of suspense, conflict, and surprise.

There was a 4 step exercise but time ran out so we didn't get a chance to do it but it's on the handout so will be trying it later. If you want to, it's this.

1. Create a character.
2. Give this character a problem to deal with.
3. Imagine at least three different ways this particular character might possibly deal with this particular problem.
4. Pick one (or more) of these options, and imagine at least three different ways it a)wouldn't work, and b)would make the character's situation worse.

Also on a side note, there was a book titled, Wolfbreed I've been wanting to read. I didn't realize he was the author or that he lived in northeast Ohio. So that was cool. You always forget that there are actual authors in your area.

Another northeast Ohio author, came. That was Casey Daniels of the Pepper Martin Mystery series. Her topic was drama. I loved her discussion. Yes, you need drama but I never thought about adding it to your title. Now I want to go back and look at my title. Here is an interesting thing, I knew the title helped market your book but I never thought of it as a handshake.

We also talked about adding drama to your beginning and ending. Her exercises were fun also. You had to think which paragraph was her first paragraph in the first chapter. Which one grabbed you?

Also we did a quick writing example at the end. We took The Three Little Pigs and added drama to it. How would open The Three Little Pigs with drama? How would you get the action started in just those first few sentences?

After that we all met back up and did the author panel where we could ask questions. I was also surprised to find out my name was pulled for the raffle. I won a Writer's Digest magazine and a book titled, Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio. I can't wait to read that one.

I wish it was longer but this one unfortunately isn't. That will be in September when we get a longer day and a lunch where we can network and meet other writers.

I can't wait.

zzzzzzzzz

2011-03-26T06:54:00.000-04:00

Here I am up early for the writer's conference. I think that's the only thing that is keeping me awake. Otherwise, I am definitely not a morning person. Which isn't a good thing since I've been thinking about getting up earlier during the week to have more time to write. I guess I could get use to it but still right now the thought of it? Not fun.

Follow Friday for Writers

2011-03-25T20:33:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Elizabeth over at Sharp Words for having this.

1) (Required) You must follow my blog

2) (Required) You must follow the guest poster featured in the blog hop post.

3) Go to Sharp words and copy the image code found there and paste it in your blog. Add your name to the link at the bottom of the post while you are there

4) Copy and paste the rules in your blog, as well as this week’s question.

5) Answer the question

6) You must copy these rules, the hop link and the featured question with your answer on your own blog. This blog serves as a place for new followers to say hi.

7) Follow, follow, follow. This is about networking, people, making connections with people in your community. So talk to us. We don't bite!

8) If someone stops by, says hi and follows you, the polite thing to do is follow back.

9) Comment here and introduce yourself and you just might find a new follower or two.

This week's question:
What inspired you to start writing?
For me, I think it really has to do with reading. Since the day I learned how to read and could pick up a book? I think it really started there. I used to imagine different worlds or I would use people I knew in stories. I remember writing stories involving all my friends. I even did a book called The Best Friends Club involving my elementary school friends.
Unfortunately life got in the way as I did school activities and so on. A couple years ago, I picked up a pen and started to write. Now that's what I want to do with my life. So after thirty-one years, I discovered what I want to be when I grow up.

Now if it only was the weekend.

2011-03-25T08:40:00.000-04:00

So tomorrow is the Writer's Conference. I'm really excited. I look forward to it everytime. Okay, this is my third time going, but I have enjoyed the last two times. You get to meet people just like you. Maybe they have already published. Maybe they are on their way to publishing. Or maybe they need the help to get to the idea of being published.

Either way, I'm looking forward for tomorrow. I do wish they had the lunch though. In the fall is the longer conference and there is a lunch included. I like it because it forces you to meet others. Remember in high school and you would look for that table to sit at? You would look at each table and think, "do I belong there?" That is what it's like. You grab your lunch and see writer's all over the place.

I ended up at a table with someone who was writing their memoir, a sci-fi book, general fiction, nonfiction, and romance. There was me in the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre. We were in all different genres and yet, we all got along. I hope to see some of them there tomorrow.

I'm sure you'll get a post about it.

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!!

A Song to Add

2011-03-24T22:50:00.000-04:00

I'm starting to think I should use all the songs by 30 Seconds to Mars for the playlist of my novel. Lately when I write, they have been on in the background.

If I had to pick just one? I think this one would be in my novel.

Speaking of 30 Seconds to Mars, it just seems like yesterday I wanted a boyfriend in junior high just like Jared Leto's character in My So-Called Life. I remember when that show came out and there were many of us who couldn't stop thinking of him.

Memetastic Award

2011-03-24T08:05:00.000-04:00

Thank you to MD Christie for the award! I love it.

1. You must proudly display the absolutely disgusting grapic in a post.
2. You must list 5 things about yourself, and 4 of them must be bold-faced lies. Your readers are to guess which one is the truth by posting a comment on your blog.
3. You must pass this awesomely, prestigious award on to 5 deserving bloggers.

5 things about myself. Which one is the truth?

1. I met Prince Williams.
2. If I could, I would wear pj pants everywhere I went.
3. I've been to every state.
4. I'm a cat lover.
5. One of my guilty pleasures is Justin Bieber.

Now, I'm passing this on to, let's see? I really want to pass this on to everyone. Can I do that? If not, here are a few but again, I wish I could pass it on to everyone.

1. Nicole Chase
2. The True Book Addict
3. VK Tremain
4. My World...in words and pages
5. Inside the Mind of Wenona

Life Decisions, Gotta Love Them

2011-03-21T00:01:00.000-04:00

So a few months ago, I had decided I wanted to go back for a masters degree in Communications. I had hopes that maybe I could get that degree and get back into the field. Of course, the plans got pushed aside.

Out of nowhere, my mom and I got to talking about life today. I said, if I could, I would go back in time and work my butt off getting the job I wanted. Maybe even get that English degree.

When I started college, many moons ago. I had thought about going for a degree in English. I freaked out though. I thought, what if I can't get a job? I was your typical high school student freaking out about their future. I think I visited the counselor a few or so times, my senior year.

So what did I decide? Are you ready for this? I decided to go into computers. I know, what was I thinking? I ended up at Kent State University and met some great people. There is just one problem, I found out studying computers wasn't for me. The classes I loved of course were my English classes. My friends probably thought I was crazy when I got excited for my Shakespeare class that was at eight in the morning.

During my second year there, I decide to transfer into another program. I sat down with my parents and I thought about what I wanted to do. Do I go into the world of English? Maybe I should do Journalism? So after a decision was made, I went to the office to transfer.

Let's just say, Kent wasn't very useful. They said, I would have to do this, do that, etc. My grades also weren't the best. What can I say? Computer classes or classes like Business Statistics, wasn't for me. Don't get me wrong, I love my computer. I don't know where I would be without it but to go behind the scenes of a computer? That isn't me.

I was curious one day, so I looked into University of Akron. I contacted them and guess what? My junior year, I'm attending Akron. I wasn't sure what area of communications I wanted to focus on yet, so I did a few different classes. I found my place in Organizational Communications. With that degree, I could write, help do training and development stuff. I loved it.

It was a tough two and a half years but I did it. I took speech classes, English classes, media classes, and business communication classes. I was ready to go into the world.

Who knew finding a job in Communications in 2002 would be difficult? My dream of Communications got further and further away from me. Here I am in 2011 and I still miss it. All those days of studying for debate class or the world of media, are gone.

Now I sit here and wonder, do I go for the Communications or do I go for the English degree? I don't even know where the degree will take me. With today's economy, who knows? But I want to take that risk. I could work my hardest and get to where I want to be. Who cares if I'll be thirty-five or forty when I get there.

The fun part begins. Where do I find an online school that places will accept. I would love to go to an actual school but with my current job, there is no way I could. Not with my schedule. This week I hope to find a few good schools that I could do. Oh and maybe afford.

Free Nook Friday

2011-03-18T08:05:00.000-04:00

If you have the nook, here is the book for Free Friday.

Title: Millie's Fling
Author: Jill Mansell
Series: N/A
Goodreads Summary:
He's the best thing that ever happened to her. He's also the worst. He's Millie's Fling.From one of the premiere contemporary authors in the UK, here is a fun and romantic tale that proves the road to matchmaking hilarity is paved with good intentions.Bestselling novelist Orla Hart owes her life to her friend Millie Brady, whose rotten boyfriend has just left her. So Orla invites Millie to Cornwall, where Millie looks forward to a summer without any dating whatsoever. But Orla envisions Millie as the heroine of her next novel and decides to find Millie the man of her dreams. Except the two women have drastically different ideas about what kind of guy that should be. With Orla and Millie working at cross-purposes, and a dashing but bewildered hero stuck in the middle, the summer will turn out to be unforgettable for all concerned...PRAISE FOR JILL MANSELL:Pick this up at your peril: you won't get a thing done till it's finished." Heat magazine"Classy chick-lit that appeals to women of all ages. She [Jill Mansell] has a fantastic ability to keep a number of storylines running at the same time without losing the reader in a labyrinth." Daily Express"Slick, sexy, funny stories." Daily Telegraph"A romantic romp full of larger-than-life characters." Express "Fast, furious and fabulous fun. To read it is to devour it." Company" Expect to run the gamut of emotions, as this book is both laugh-outloud funny and tear-jerkingly sad. Basically, you won't put it down."New Woman

Happy St. Patty's Day

2011-03-17T23:13:00.003-04:00

How was the weather for everyone? Here in Northeast Ohio, it was great. We're still in the 60s right now. Unfortunately not sure how long it will last, especially since by next week, it's to snow. That is a week away so maybe by that time, we'll still have nice weather. Hey, it could happen. Okay, maybe that's me doing wishful thinking.

I showed this on my other blog but I can't stop watching it. I'm a fan of Lori Foster and saw this book trailer. I wonder if I could get the guys to model for my book trailer when it's time for me to make one.

In other news, Melissa over at My world...in words and pages are finishing up the discussion for The Darkest Edge of Dawn by Kelly Gay, if you want to join us. This is the final stop so you can discuss any part of the book. Click here.

Hope everyone had a Happy St. Patty's Day!

The Weekly Prompt

2011-03-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

Do you need the practice? Maybe you're bored. Are you stuck on a story plot? Every week, I thought it would be fun to do a weekly writing prompt.

This week's Writing Prompt:

It came from the water.

I'll start:

It was a cold night but I needed to get away. I had to find time for myself. Between friends, work, and family, I was ready to scream. I tried screaming into my pillow but that didn't help. I even went to the batting cages but nothing was cured. It was September so I knew the water would still be starting to freeze. I threw my clothing on the sand along with a towel. I found my feet in the cold water. I stood there for a minute while my feet got use to the cold. Inch by inch I went into the water.

When I was in just enough, I took a deep breath and sunk into the water. My eyes opened under water for a second and I could swear I saw something move near me. I came out from the water. I rubbed my eyes and panicked.

This was Lake Erie, there shouldn't be anything in that water. At least that's what I thought. I took another deep breath and went in. Something was coming in my direction. My eyes had started to fill with water so I no choice but to come back up.

I stayed in place. Maybe I had seen too many movies but I thought if I didn't move, I would be safe. It won't attack me if I don't move. Fear wrapped around me as it came from the water. At that moment I decided to say, screw it. I moved as fast my arms would let me. My legs kicked at top speed. I made it back to the land.

Whatever it was, was still coming towards me. I rubbed my eyes. It was getting closer. Did I worry for nothing? A male's head was coming out of the water. What made me wonder if I was losing my mind though, was the fin. First a human came out but a fish went back in.

What was going on? There was only one thing to do. I grabbed my clothing and towel and didn't look back.
-

The Dream

2011-03-13T08:52:00.000-04:00

You know what I love? When you're having a dream and you can already see the wheels turning in your head. When you wake up, you write it all down. What can suck though is you're woken up before you finish that dream. You can't see the ending. Maybe you hit the climax and want to see it through.

I know, I'll find the ending but I hate that my alarm clock had to wake me up. If anything, at least the dream gave me another idea for a story. It was added to my ever growing list.

Please work...

2011-03-10T08:07:00.002-05:00

Here is hoping, I have a better car day. Yesterday, I got into my car. Nothing new there. I pulled out of my garage. I'm in the driveway and my car stops. It won't start. I'm sitting there and turning the key. Of course, I'm thinking, this can't be happening. I have to be at work. I will admit when I start to worry, my heart starts to go a mile a minute. My blood pressure will rise. I pretty much stress out easily. I hate being late. I would rather be early and sit in my car. I can drink coffee, do a few things like maybe read or write before I start my workday.

Plus I'm one of those people who hate not being able to figure out what's going on or not being able to fix the problem.

Luckily my mom came to the rescue and picked me up. I made it to work on time. My dad was able to put a new battery in last night and it ran perfectly. Well maybe not perfect since it's an old car but good enough that I should be able to get to work.

Will find out later this morning if I will be able to drive my car. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Coffee...please.

2011-03-09T07:23:00.002-05:00

I love mornings where I feel like I didn't get any sleep. I know I did. I fell asleep earlier than I wanted to. I was reading in bed and trying to get a certain amount done. Before I know it, my eyelids are starting to close. I fought it as best as I could but next thing I know, I'm waking up fifteen minutes later with the nook in my face. I had maybe ten pages left so I fought my eyes and finished.

Next thing I know, Gabby is in my room. Which can only mean one thing. It's morning and it's time to get up. Technically I could sleep in but with my schedule, I like to have a couple hours in the morning.

Wouldn't it be nice to have more hours in the day? If we did though, would we have to work more hours?

Hope everyone has a happy hump day.

The Weekly Prompt

2011-02-28T23:53:00.000-05:00

So I did some thinking about a new post I could post every week. What is this post you ask? I'm calling it, The Weekly Prompt. Every week, I'll do a post with a writing prompt. I hope to do a post every Monday. Hopefully next week's will be earlier in the day.

All you have to do is leave a comment with your writing prompt. Let's go with a minimum of 100 words and a max of 500. Unless of course you want to keep going. If you do, awesome! If you have a couple ideas for the prompt, do both.

I'll keep this post going throughout the week.

So let's begin. The first prompt is.......

I saw it staring at me.

And it's Monday again

2011-02-28T08:47:00.003-05:00

It's a new week and it's the last day of the month. Is it me or is the year flying by already? I'm not even sure if I should say, "time flies when you're having fun."

It's raining and flooding here in Northeast Ohio. It sucks but I would take a flood over a blizzard anytime. Maybe it's because my car was one of the lucky ones that got stuck in the grass at work due to the lovely snow.

I came up with an idea for the blog and over at livejournal. I'll be posting about it tonight after work. It's a way for me and for many other writers out there to practice.

Hope everyone has a Happy Monday.

Uncovered Truth

2011-02-28T07:45:00.004-05:00

So are you looking for a new werewolf story? It's a short story and only 99 cents. It's an introduction to a new series I hope to continue for a long time or at least four books. All you have to do is go onto smashwords.com, kindle, or nook. Liked it? What did you like? Didn't? I'm always looking for feedback.

Smashwords
Kindle
Nook

Sex and the City 2

2011-02-23T00:40:00.000-05:00

So I forgot to mention this the other day but I finally saw Sex and the City 2. What are my thoughts? What the heck happened? I was a huge fan of the show and will admit I kinda liked the first one but this one? It was almost like they were trying too hard to make it a great movie.

Sure we got over two hours of the girls but I could have been okay with an hour and half by the time we reached that time.

Most of my friends who loved the show felt the same way as I did. I don't know if they plan on doing another one but if they do. I really it's better.

And we're off....

2011-02-22T22:56:00.004-05:00

So my ebook is up for sale at the price of 99 cents. My one concern is that it doesn't look right. Okay, maybe that's not my only concern. I have other concerns going through my head.

Anyways, I look at the kindle's version and from what I can tell it looks okay. The same goes with the nook. Right now, my status with smashwords, is, well not a clue. It just says pending review. It's a step up from what it was, which was, needs submission. I'm going to wait a couple days before I ask what that means. Unless you might know. If you do, please let me know.

Now comes the fun part, how do I market myself? I'll be thinking about that this week. In the meantime, if you feel like wasting 99 cents. You can get the short story here and here. If you do purchase it, please let me know your honest thoughts. I know I could always use room for improvement.

For those who don't have a kindle or nook, I'll let you know when smashwords is ready to go.

Something New.

2011-02-22T08:31:00.004-05:00

So I think I'm going to try something new. Every week, I will be posting a short story. Maybe 500 to 1,000 words. Nothing major. I'm hoping it will help me improve. Each story I will recommend any feedback. Did you like it? Great, what did you like about it. Did you hate it? Why? As someone who wants to improve, I recommend the negative feedback. Just tell me what I need to work on. I'll do just that and send you maybe an updated copy. Not sure what day, I will post this yet. Keep your eye out for it. I'll be posting this to livejournal, blogger, and maybe even Smashwords for free.

Something Different

2011-02-13T07:22:00.000-05:00

You know you read too much when the themes of the books start to invade your dreams. For me, that's not a bad thing. I'm a lover of books and I love to write. Sometimes those dreams will give me an idea and I'll roll with it. I'll think how can I make that dream a story?

The dream I just woke up today from was definitely different. I'm a reader of Urban Fantasy. That's a genre I'm also writing in. I'm used to seeing creatures of the night in my dreams. The creatures I had in my dream last night though was a first. I've read only a few selected stories about angels and demons, basically anything with a Heaven and Hell theme. The theme seems to becoming more popular. Of course, I don't think it's a bad idea. If you can come up with a good plot, I say go for it.

Last night's dream involved a similar plot to a book I just finished last night, which of course, could be the reason I had a dream about it.

In it, just like the main character, I worked with the angels who were preparing for the war with the demons. Yup, it's pretty much an end of the world theme.It was definitely different for me. I"m use to dreaming about vampires, werewolves, ghosts, but never have I had a dream of the end of the world.

It wasn't a nightmare for me but it was an interesting experience to dream something that I would never dream of.

I'm guessing tonight when I dream again, I won't see the world of Heaven and Hell. I'm just guessing, of course. I guess we'll just have to wait and see where the world of fiction takes me today. Who knows, maybe I'll have a dream dealing with my personal life. Now that sometimes can be a nightmare.

Someday..

2011-02-11T09:04:00.001-05:00

You know if there is one thing I would love to do, it would be to visit famous author places. If there is one that tops the list, it's Jane Austen. It will be easy to see the ones here in the states but to see the one and only in England? That would be a dream come true. I've never traveled outside the states. I really don't count Canada.

What about you? What place would you like to visit that would hold something special to you?

A Dream Home

2011-02-04T08:44:00.001-05:00

I was standing in a room. A room I felt like I have known before. The walls are blue and the carpet is beige. Nothing else is in the room but me. I turn to see if I’m missing something. Is there some detail, I missed? Is this where I really belong? A door opened in another room. It closed. I heard footsteps coming from the foyer. I turned to see who had entered the room.

A smile escaped my face. The man smiled back. He moved towards me. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and run my fingers through his spiky black hair. He squeezed his arms around my waist. I felt his muscles tighten around me.

His head moved back and I could see that his blue eyes matched the sky blue walls.

“So this is it?” He asked as he let go and walked around the room. I nodded my head. “It is.”

“I think we’ll be happy here.”

“I agree.” I moved to a window and saw the house across the street. I wondered if I would get along with my neighbors. His arms wrapped around my waist. His head found my shoulder. “Yup, this is definitely our home.”

Before I could reply with something like, “I love you.” There was a loud beeping noise that started above our heads. I wondered, is there smoke in our new home already? The arms that were around me have disappeared. My eyes closed. I open them back up to find myself back in bed.

I stretched out my arm to turn off the alarm. I went back to my bed. It was only a dream.

It's an icy kind of day.

2011-02-02T08:36:00.000-05:00

Nothing like going on an adventure this morning. First, I was happy that I got to sleep in. I had set my alarm early in case I had to do the driveway. I didn't think I was going to have to because there was sleet and rain involved so I didn't see much actual snow coming. So that was the good news, I didn't have to wake up early.

The next thing for me though was taking the dog out. It's never easy to take her out anyways when I first wake up because my eyes are still not focused. When you put ice in the picture? That's not always fun. I stepped onto the porch and almost went sliding. There was ice everywhere. I grabbed the railing for dear life as I walked down the steps and I was still slipping. I held Gabby as best as I could as I was going down because I didn't want her to slide down the stairs.

We finally made it to the end. The snow on the ground? I felt so bad for Gabby. She couldn't do her jump through the snow. She had to walk slow on the hard snow. Plus there is me everywhere we turn where I would fall through the snow. Imagine if you were on ice but without water. You had to watch your every step. You would have solid snow and before you know it, your foot fell into the snow and it made you almost fall.

I was very happy when we came inside. Now I just have to wait for the next trip outside with her.

That was a close call....

2011-01-23T23:05:00.000-05:00

There I was today at the mall shopping. I was on my way back to find my mom so I could drop off some bags in the car or at least my coat. It might be two degrees outside but when you shop somewhere like the mall, you can get pretty hot.

Only two people ahead of me that were walking, was the former crush. Did I freak out? Nope, but I did rush past him. Luckily I had my phone next to my ear and I was calling my mom at that moment so if he did see me and wanted to say something, I could shrug my shoulders and continue my phone conversation with my mom.

Of all the former crushes in the world, he is not the one I want to run into. He was the worse to put me down. It took me forever to get over him and to realize what a jerk he was.

As soon as I was off the phone with my mom, I had to text my best friend. And of course because she is my best friend, she felt the same way I did.

The rest of the time at the mall, I think I checked every corner.

I knew the time would come when I would see him. For so long, I thought I was good. I had luck on my side. Well not today. Now I'm wondering. Did I change my luck? Will I see him again? What would I say? Here is hoping, I never find out.

On the brightside, his personality? Help me creative one of my characters.

To this day, I still think of him when I hear this song...

Who can you trust?

2011-01-15T00:30:00.000-05:00

There are days where I wish I could just be myself around my friends. Yes, they are my friends but we all have our secrets. We keep stuff locked away and we pretty much take the key and throw it away so no one can ever find it.

It's the one thing we fear. What will happen when they discover the truth? Will they go, "that's great!" or "are you serious?"

My friends and I were talking about someone. Someone who is very nice but at the same time, they have their moments like we all do. One friend said a comment and my other friend laughed. What do I do? I sit there and watch the world go by and act like I'm into the conversation.

If I made any type of comment, my secret might have slipped out. I haven't known these friends for a long time or we don't have the type of friendship I would tell them my life story. You know who those friends are. They are great people I get along with and they do know certain things about me. They even know my personality.

There is just the one thing I only trust a couple friends with. I never have to fear they'll go behind my back and gossip about it. They are understanding about it. When something comes up that makes me want to lean on their shoulder? They will lean their shoulder over to me. They also know I will keep their secret inside where no one can get to it.

I do have to wonder though. Why can't we trust all of our friends? Why can't we look into their eyes and see that they'll keep us safe. That maybe they won't go behind our backs and stab us. Is it past experiences? Maybe it's the times we live in. It could even be that feeling you get in your gut that just won't go away.

Either way, I'm glad for the friends I have that I know I can trust with my life. They will be the ones who catch me as I fall.

NaNoWriMo Results

2010-11-28T21:04:00.002-05:00

So I did it. What did I do? I wrote 50,000 words in November. I'm honestly though afraid to look back at what I wrote. I just kept writing and didn't look back. I wanted to be able to say, "Hey I can do this!" Knowing I can do 50,000 words in a month makes me happy, especially as I try to get to where I want to be. How did you guys do?

My first.....

2010-11-23T08:11:00.003-05:00

I posted a short story on smashwords and kindle. It is $2.99 for 4,000 words or so. It's my first one to post and I definitely know it needs work. Either way, if you're in the mood for something with wolves :), click on one of the links below. It is part of a series I'm working on. My next one should be posted next week sometime with a christmas theme :).

Smashwords

Kindle