I'm free!

Captain's Log, Stardate 05.21.2005

I was supposed to accompany my husband to a youth group outing tonight to see Star Wars III. My husband, the darling man, said I didn't have to go because almost all the kids will be accompanied by their parents tonight. So instead I get to stay home and write.

I know I'm in the minority here, but I hate going to movie theaters. I have very definitive reasons why:

1) I always have to use the bathroom in the middle. No exceptions. For Lord of the Rings, I had to go twice. It doesn't matter if I go 3 times in the half hour before the movie starts, or if I don't drink anything the hour before and inside the theater.

2) Because I have to go to the bathroom, I have to make sure I get a seat at the end of a row, which stinks in terms of viewing the screen. When a theater is packed, like tonight will be, getting an end seat becomes ten times more difficult. Since I get motion sickness easily, I can't sit in the very front row and I need to find that all-important end seat in the rows at the back half of the theater.

3) Even before I tore my ACL, my knee ached when I sat for too long. My knee was always stiff and painful when I got up to use the bathroom, and at the end of the movie. Since the surgery, I haven't gone to a theater to test how bad it is. I can't think that reconstructive surgery would improve things.

My article "Writing Styles: Confessions of a Plotter Who Used to Be a Pantser" appeared in Spirit-Led Writer today. I'm totally stoked. It's the same article that appeared in the ACFW newsletter last month. These article publishing credits are so rare for me because I don't write many articles and don't have the writing experience to say anything unique or credible anyway.

Writing: Finished my suspense proposal, now I just need my friends to finish critting my manuscript so I can send it to my agent. Now I also have time to look over other peoples' writing--I've been meaning to get to Pammer's stuff for WEEKS (sorry about that, Pams), and Squirly just sent me her awesome military ops romance, Ominous Code. Woohoo! I also hope to get more serious on my Hawaii Chicklit. I really want to bust my butt and shoot for a July 1st deadline.

Diet: Had a birthday party today and didn't do too bad. Managed not to stuff myself on appetizers and limited myself to one hamburger. I also went running with the dog, although it was so flippin' hot I thought I'd die before we were halfway. My scale still says I haven't lost any poundage, but I tried on some pants today and can now button a pair of khakis I couldn't button last week.

Comments

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...

Brainstorm - character occupation

Captain's Log, Stardate 03.23.2009 Hey guys, I could use some help. In my current manuscript, The Year of the Dog , which is a humorous contemporary romance, I have a minor character, Eddie. He’s my heroine’s ex-boyfriend, and they’re on good terms with each other. He’s a bit irresponsible, but not so much so that he’s a complete loser. He’s got a very easy going attitude, he forgets to pay his bills sometimes, he’s friendly and charming. He’s adventurous and fun to be around, but he’s a little forgetful sometimes, and he tends to spend a little outside his income. I need an occupation for him. What would a charming, easy going, slightly irresponsible guy do for a living? He’s not too irresponsible, because otherwise readers will wonder what in the world my heroine saw in him to date him in the first place. She was attracted to his charm, his easy going attitude (her family’s uptight, and he was a nice contrast), and his adventurousness. But his forgetfulness and irresponsibility ...

I sold to Steeple Hill!

Captain's Log, Supplemental Remember that romantic suspense proposal I blogged about earlier? Well, it just sold to Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line! I am so jazzed! I am beyond jazzed! The story’s working title is Sinister Spa The story's title is Deadly Intent and here’s a blurb (but it’s probably not what will appear on the back of the book): Massage therapist Naomi Grant could use a massage herself. With her father at home recovering from a stroke, Naomi is put in charge of the family’s elite day spa in Sonoma county. The new responsibilities sit awkwardly on her shoulders, and things only get worse when handsome Dr. Devon Knightley breezes into the spa, demanding to see one of the female clients. And the woman is found dead in Naomi’s massage room. Suddenly, Naomi is a suspect and her family’s spa is shut down. How could God let this awful thing happen? Devon only needed to see his ex-wife about a family necklace she still hadn’t returned, but when she dies and...

Chinese Take-Out and Sushi for One

Captain’s Log, Supplemental My agent sent me an article from Publisher’s Weekly that discussed this incident: Chinese Take-Out Spawns Christian Controversy And here’s also a blog post that talks about it in more detail: The Fighting 44s This is Soong-Chan Rah’s blog: The PCS blog In sum: Apparently Zondervan (yes, my publisher), who has partnered with Youth Specialties, had put out a youth leaders skit that had stereotypical Asian dialogue, which offended many Christian Asian Americans. In response to the outcry, Zondervan/Youth Specialities put out a sincere apology and is not only freezing the remaining stock of the book, but also reprinting it and replacing the copies people have already bought. I am very proud of my publisher for how they have handled this situation. The skit writers have also issued a public apology . (I feel sorry for them, because they were only trying to write a funny skit, not stir up this maelstrom of internet controversy. I’ve been in youth work long enou...

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

Search This Blog