Authonomy

I found a spot on Harper Collins (a publisher) that allows wanna be authors to send their work for people to read and critique. I put Winds of Fire, first 7 chapters, up. So far, I'm having good reviews! It's fun reading it. I didn't expect such a good response so quickly. I hope it keeps up!

Off to Washington! Wish us luck :)

This years end

Due to family bereavement, I probably won't get to blog again until sometime next week. I will be busy trying to find a way to get my MIL and daughter back home (they barely arrived) and packing up to go myself.


Have a Happy New Year!

Politically Correct

Now, I have friends of multiple religious persuasions and respect all of them. That being said, I love this poem I found today. Christmas is my favorite time of year, and that combined with a recent article in Times magazing that talked about helcopter parents and how we all hover over our children too much made this apropo for me this year. (I agree with the article. Parents are NUTS!)

‘Twas the night before Christmas and Santa’s a wreck…
How to live in a world that’s politically correct?
His workers no longer would answer to “Elves,”
“Vertically Challenged” they were calling themselves.


And labor conditions at the North Pole
Were alleged by the union to stifle the soul.
Four reindeer had vanished, without much propriety,
Released to the wilds by the Humane Society.


And equal employment had made it quite clear
That Santa had better not use just reindeer.
So Dancer and Donner, Comet and Cupid,
Were replaced with 4 pigs, and you know that looked stupid!


The runners had been removed from his sleigh;
The ruts were termed dangerous by the E.P.A.
And people had started to call for the cops
When they heard sled noises on their roof-tops.


Second-hand smoke from his pipe had his workers quite frightened.
His fur trimmed red suit was called “Unenlightened.”
And to show you the strangeness of life’s ebbs and flows,
Rudolf was suing over unauthorized use of his nose
And had gone on Geraldo, in front of the nation,
Demanding millions in over-due compensation.


So, half of the reindeer were gone; and his wife,
Who suddenly said she’d enough of this life,
Joined a self-help group, packed, and left in a whiz,
Demanding from now on her title was Ms.


And as for the gifts, why, he’d ne’er had a notion
That making a choice could cause so much commotion.
Nothing of leather, nothing of fur,
Which meant nothing for him. And nothing for her.


Nothing that might be construed to pollute.
Nothing to aim. Nothing to shoot.
Nothing that clamored or made lots of noise.
Nothing for just girls. Or just for the boys.


Nothing that claimed to be gender specific.
Nothing that’s warlike or non-pacific.
No candy or sweets…they were bad for the tooth.
Nothing that seemed to embellish a truth.


And fairy tales, while not yet forbidden,
Were like Ken and Barbie, better off hidden.
For they raised the hackles of those psychological
Who claimed the only good gift was one ecological.


No baseball, no football…someone could get hurt;
Besides, playing sports exposed kids to dirt.
Dolls were said to be sexist, and should be passe’;
And Nintendo would rot your entire brain away.


So Santa just stood there, disheveled, perplexed;
He just could not figure out what to do next.
He tried to be merry, tried to be gay,
But you’ve got to be careful with that word today.


His sack was quite empty, limp to the ground;
Nothing fully acceptable was to be found.
Something special was needed, a gift that he might
Give to all without angering the left or the right.


A gift that would satisfy, with no indecision,
Each group of people, every religion;
Every ethnicity, every hue,
Everyone, everywhere…even you.


So here is that gift, it’s price beyond worth…
“May you and your loved ones enjoy peace on earth.”


copyright Harvey Ehrlich, 1992
Notice: This poem is copyright 1992 by Harvey Ehrlich. It is free to distribute, without changes, as long as this notice remains intact.

Whether you celebrate Christmas or Yule or Hanukah, the lesson here can be seen.Think about it.

Merry Christmas!

Countdown to Christmas

It's December 21st, I think. I'm down to a tickle in my throat and being exhausted but getting better. We've finished wrapping our presents and if I didn't know we were moving, I'd be sad. Have to save the money for the move. Our van is acting up and we will be taking it in tomorrow. I'm sick of car trouble, that's for sure.

It needs to be working before we move and that's in less than two weeks! UGH. The week after Christmas is going to be hectic as my MIL and daughter will be here. I would prefer our van worked by then as we want to tour the missions here in San Antonio with them.

I'm fixing on finishing up a couple of stories, but between cleaning house after being sick, my appointment today and the van I'm ready to pull my hair out! I have a contest for Winds of Fire though so IT WILL BE DONE. I HAVE SPOKEN. **insert scary voice there. lmao

When I get all moved, I'm hoping to sponsor a contest and if it has arrived, I will be giving away a signed copy of a romantic comedy, and another book, sorry not signed of an historical romance. I haven't decided which will be first or the criteria yet, so I'll have to think about it. I just know I'm going to do the give away for all my LOYAL fans :)

Tis the season

Apparently, everyone goes on hiatus for the next two weeks. That means less blogs to read, which will help me get my packing done :P I am trying hard not to get too excited at the possible series, but I can't help it. I sent in a short story, so I asked them a question, and it went something like this: "As hope springs eternal, I'm outlying where I want the series to go. Do they all have to be shorts or will I get to do novel length as well." See, I sent in a novella originally.

Well, the reply was something to the effect of they are looking for novels under 80k :) Yeah me. So anyways, I'm starting with the original and beefing it up some. Only need to add like 40k. **insert a little tongue in cheek there**

Then I need to get an idea basis for at least two more right away. I've already got an idea for one of them. May set next one in some exotic locale. Have to see if there are any instant rejects on locale with this publisher. I'm thinking maybe Hawii. My MIL and people who work with my FIL have been there, and one person I know has a daughter living there, so I'll have lots of pics and info to work from.

Plus, I have to finish the thriller, Winds of Fire. I'm stuck in a part about Chicago. Not sure of the timeline I want to follow. However, thanks to an old classmate of mine, I have lots of good info on the area. I promised him a copy of the book if it ever got published. Of course, I'll also thanki him in the acknowledgements. There is a contest happening that this book would do well in, so I need to get it finished ASAP. Nothing like deadlines to get me going :D

Procrastinators Unite! Tomorrow. Anyone ever hear that phrase? lol

Well, it's off to packing and writing for me. Not to mention babies and boys to watch and manage. Wish me luck :)

Sick

So that earlier sickness I mentioned? Strep throat in the worst way. I've started to blog a few times since but couldn't sit up long enough to get through my email, buch less a posing of any lenght or quality. Although, with my high fever, it may have been interesting to see what I wrote!

I tried to work a bit, outlining a series, etc, but I didn't get very far. Did ask a few questions/comments and learn a few things but now real work got done.

I do believe that my short story may be turning into a novel so I'm going to get started now. Plus, outline the series better as my feverish brain only imagined it wrote things down. Of course, the way I felt, it may be written down in blood somewhere for all I know. I was in a real bad way. My kids alternated between taking full advantage of a mom who can't talk much less raise her voice (Yeah, quiet you in the peanut gallery)and looking pretty scared when they saw me. I was miserable and you could tell with barely a glance.

I am looking forward to Christmas. I did get a couple wrapped day before yesterday cuz I felt a little better, but I exhausted myself so did nothing yesterday. My son keeps asking to wrap a packing box, as he calls it, which is actually a wipies holder for the diaper bag :D I said when I'm done wrapping presents. Oh lordie, for a five year old its been an interminable wait. Finally, late yesterday, I told him if he asks again I was going to let Isaac (the baby) wrap it!

He looked at me in confusion and said, "But Isaac can't wrap!" and I said, "Exactly!" He gave me a look like I had lost my mind and fled to his room to ponder what I meant.

I'm tortuing my 16 yr old with it as he was with me when I bought his christmas present and he wrapped it himself and has spent the last two weeks bugging me to open it LOL I said NOPE. That's all you're getting. It's been funny. He's been very creative about it. Like, I could do the dishes faster if I could just use that ;;) I swear, it's been more fun than presents I've bought him in years LOL

Blah

I'm sick, but at least it's a different kind of sick then its been for the last four? five? months. However long its been since we've been in TX. My baby has kept me up the last five nights in a row and now I'm slammed with something that makes my throat hurt :( I'm taking lots of meds for it, but I still feel like crap and I have to work tonight. What's worst, is I'm doing a rehearsal which no one knew about, rather no one on the Crew knew about. So I'll be working from 12:30 to 9:30 in a place that gets up to ninety degrees without the doors open so the door all get open and one of them is next to my station. So I'll be going hot, cold, hot, cold, which may be what set me off in the first place. Plus being exposed to 50 odd people. UGH.

I won't get to write today in any way shape or form, well except for blogging:) because I've been called in early. I am missing out on my research hours :( oh well, such is the life of a struggling artist.

Hopefully the assorted meds will kick in and I will make it through the day with no mishaps. Hope everyone is enjoying snow that has it and that they are staying well :)

PS Congrats to my MIL on new house :)