Squirl's February blog-class and Story Sensei changes

Captain's Log, Stardate 02.14.2006

Book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway (A HERO FOR DRY CREEK) is here.
Randy Ingermanson's guest blog and the Fiction 101 CD giveaway is here.
You can still enter both of them. Just post a comment on those blog posts.
On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for HERO FOR DRY CREEK and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

I will have a special guest blogger on Thursday. Ooooh, who is it? who is it? If you subscribe to my YahooGroup newsletter Camys_Loft, you already know.

ACFW Genesis contest: TODAY IS THE POSTMARK DEADLINE! NO MORE PROCRASTINATING, YOU LOSERS!

Squirl's Blog-class on contests: My friend Cheryl Wyatt is doing a terrific blog-class during the month of February on writing contests. Since she has entered and finaled in a bazillion contests--including the 2005 Noble Theme with me--this is very apropos. Her blog is here.

Story Sensei changes: I decided to stop offering partial manuscript critiques. It just takes too long for me, especially when speed-readers like Robin take half the time and can offer it to people as well. I'll do occasional jobs, depending on initial assessment, but it's no longer offered regularly on my website.

However, I'll still be doing high-level structural critiques on synopses.

Oh, and Hmmph Valentine's Day, too.

Okay, okay, just kidding. I'm really not that unromantic.

Happy Valentine's Day: My husband and I usually celebrate on a different day, for multiple reasons:

1) For many years while my husband and I were dating, the church would have a ski trip in Tahoe over Presidents' Day Weekend. The trip offered a Youth Cabin, which allowed weary parents to thrust their offspring into a separate rented cabin so they could enjoy a much-needed respite, playing cutthroat games of Scrabble with the grown-ups in the Adult Cabins.

The church Youth Group Staff workers were stuck bunking with the miscreants--sleeping bags and all, people. Hence, in years past, my husband and I spent Presidents' Day Weekend chaperoning a cabin of loud teens who stayed up all hours playing card games (BS was a particular favorite, probably because staff leader David was so darn good at it).

Often, Valentine's Day fell on that weekend somewhere, so my husband and I ended up celebrating the weekend after, usually.

This year we are FREE--er, very sad that the church is not hosting a large ski trip. It doesn't matter, though, because Valentine's Day is not during President's Day Weekend, for once. Which leads me to the other reasons...

2) Restaurants in this area are usually booked solid by the weekend before.

3) Restaurants in this area jack up their prices to screech-levels.

4) Restaurants in this area tend to be very crowded on Valentine's Day.

5) Our favorite restaurant, the Charthouse in Saratoga, is now closed. :(

6) This year, my husband is playing IVL volleyball and is playing tonight, the bugger.

Bible in 90 Days: Day 37. Still in the Psalms and loving it a lot. The words resonate with me as I read. God is faithful and unfailing. Even when we are in pain and turmoil, He wants us to look to Him, cry out to Him, wait on Him. Our trust in Him should be complete, like David's, like Job's.

Writing: I got NOTHING done yesterday because of Genesis stuff. I'm hoping I'll have time today to get some work done, but I also realize that this week will be pretty busy.

Diet: Yesterday: 1600, plus 2 hours at PT. Today--I went for a walk, but had to eat leftovers for lunch since we have so much (800) and I had some chips (200) this afternoon. I'll have to eat healthy tonight.

Comments

Mirtika said…

Oh, the comments thing is working again? :)

Hubby took the day off. I drooled over his manly beauty under the afternoons sunlight of this really lovely day. He bought me chocolate truffles (always tasty) and offered to take me anywhere to dinner. I said, "Nah, let's stay home and smooch up a storm."

I felt like I was 22 again. God blessed this day.

I will have to kick myself in the hiney, though. I sent my GENESIS entry in the SF/F category...and I just noticed I overlooked FOUR TYPOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sometimes...you just gotta laugh or you'll bawl.
Mir
My Blog, Mirathon

Tue Feb 14, 05:20:00 PM 2006

Lynette Sowell said…

HA. We both had kinda rotten days at work today, so we blew our diets and took the two teenagers to Casa Ole. Woooo. At least I didn't have to cook. I would have probably burned the fajitas just to be ornery. :)

Tue Feb 14, 05:57:00 PM 2006

Dineen A. Miller said…

Happy Valentine's Day...late! LOL! Just checkin in on ya!

Wed Feb 15, 09:17:00 PM 2006

Anonymous said…

He should get a sub for that that day, wife+valentines before volleyball!

Bad Neal!
Jimbo

Fri Feb 17, 09:30:00 PM 2006

Bethany House Publishers Cover Survey Invitation

Captain's Log, Supplemental I just got this from Bethany House Publishers: Hello Reader, We at Bethany House Publishers appreciate our readers opinions about the books we publish. Occasionally, we seek your input about upcoming products. Currently, we are conducting a survey about the cover image for an upcoming novel. For your time, we are offering a giveaway in conjunction with this survey. You will be able to choose from ten recent Bethany House novels, and there will be ten winners. Winners will be notified within two weeks. Click here to take the survey, which should take about 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your participation, and feel free to forward this email on to your friends or link the survey on your website. The survey will be available through Monday, September 17. Thanks for your time and your opinions. We value your feedback. Sincerely, Jim Hart Internet Marketing Manager Bethany House Publishers

No Cold Bums toilet seat cover

Captain's Log, Stardate 08.22.2008 I actually wrote out my pattern! I was getting a lot of hits on my infamous toilet seat cover , and I wanted to make a new one with “improvements,” so I paid attention and wrote things down as I made the new one. This was originally based off the Potty Mouth toilet cover , but I altered it to fit over the seat instead of the lid. Yarn: any worsted weight yarn, about 120 yards (this is a really tight number, I used exactly 118 yards. My suggestion is to make sure you have about 130 yards.) I suggest using acrylic yarn because you’re going to be washing this often. Needle: I used US 8, but you can use whatever needle size is recommended by the yarn you’re using. Gauge: Not that important. Mine was 4 sts/1 inch in garter stitch. 6 buttons (I used some leftover shell buttons I had in my stash) tapestry needle Crochet hook (optional) Cover: Using a provisional cast on, cast on 12 stitches. Work in garter st until liner measures

Toilet seat cover

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Update August 2008: I wrote up the pattern for this with "improvements"! Here's the link to my No Cold Bums toilet seat cover ! Okay, remember a few days ago I was complaining about the cold toilet seat in my bathroom? Well, I decided to knit a seat cover. Not a lid cover, but a seat cover. I went online and couldn’t find anything for the seat, just one pattern for the lid by Feminitz.com . However, I took her pattern for the inside edge of the lid cover and modified it to make a seat cover. Here it is! It’s really ugly stitch-wise because originally I made it too small and had to extend it a couple inches on each side. I figured I’d be the one staring at it, so who cared if the extension wasn’t perfectly invisible? I used acrylic yarn since, well, that’s what I had, and also because it’s easy to wash. I’ll probably have to wash this cover every week or so, but it’s easy to take off—I made ties which you can see near the back of the seat. And

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Matthew 11:28-30

Matthew 11:28-30 Dear God, Thank you so much that we can come to you for help and rest. Help us to learn from you so that all we do is for you. Thank you for helping us with our burdens and that you ask so little in return. In you we can truly find rest in the midst of troubles and worries. Amen マタイによる福音書11章28-30節親愛なる神よ、私たちがあなたに助けを求め、休むことができることを心から感謝します。私たちのすることがすべてあなたのためになるように、あなたから学ぶことができるようにしてください。私たちの重荷を助けてくださりありがとうございます。あなたのおかげで、私たちは悩みや心配の中にあっても、心から安らぎを見出すことができるのです。アーメン

Save the Date - Camy's Patreon launch

My Patreon will launch in 2 weeks! I took all the results of the poll and I have hopefully created fun and appealing tiers. About my Patreon: I'm trying something new for the next 6-7 months. If it works, I'll continue, but if I end up not liking it, I'll stop it in September or October. I will be starting a monthly subscription membership on a new Patreon account. I will be posting the chapters of my current book ( Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7 ) so you can read ahead of when the ebook will be edited and published. My current plan is to post 1-2 chapters weekly. One reason I’m switching things up is that I want to get closer to my readers and build a tighter, more intimate community with you. You can comment on each chapter of my book, give a reaction, ask a question, or even correct mistakes. My books will become a dialogue with you. If you subscribe to my Patreon, you'll be charged monthly and have access to all the benefits for the tier you subscribe to. Th

I GOT A 3-BOOK CONTRACT WITH ZONDERVAN!

Captain's Log, Supplemental My agent called me today with the great news! Zondervan has contracted me for another three books! Right now, they’re all stand alone books—not a series. The first book is slated to release May 2010 and is tentatively titled The Year of the Dog (they’ll probably change it). It’s a women’s contemporary novel. Here’s the back cover blurb from my proposal: Tessa Ota, a professional dog trainer, is having a bad year. While moving ahead with renovation plans for her new dog kenneling and training facility, Tessa needs to move in with her disapproving mother and her antagonist sister. She convinces her ex-boyfriend to take her dog for a few months … but discovers that his brother is the irate engineer whose car she rammed a few weeks earlier. Charles Bretton has enough problems. His mama has just shown up on his doorstep all the way from Louisiana, and his brother has to move in with him after being kicked out of his apartment—with a dog in tow. And guess who

Tabi socks, part deux

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Movie review - Reign of Fire

Captain's Log, Stardate 06.10.2008 I just saw the movie Reign of Fire . Originally I wanted to see it because: (a) dragons (b) Matthew McConaughey (c) Gerard Butler (d) Christian Bale See, I have my priorities straight. :) It’s an Apocalyptic speculative fiction movie, and I was very surprised at how solid the storyline was. It had a great premise—dragons are real, and in fact feed on the ash from burnt organic material. They are the ones who destroyed the dinosaurs and caused the first ice age. When they started to starve from burning the earth up, they went into hibernation under the ground until the earth recovered. The movie opens in present day London, where a boy’s mother is in charge of an underground tunneling project. They hit a pocket and awaken the first dragon. Over the years, the dragons overran humanity until only a few small communities live scattered over the world, trying to survive. Then Matthew McConaughey comes, an American ex-military leader, who knows how to k

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Save the Date - Camy's Patreon Launch