Skip to main content

GRR-RWA Fundraiser books

Captain’s Log, Stardate 08.15.2005

Well, it’s my first official day as full-time writer. I spend a great time with God this morning, and I’m expecting a call from Marilyn to help her with some brainstorming. I love this feeling of being available to my writing friends. However, I have been warned by my Romance Diva friend Kristen Painter not to allow people to hijack my writing time, which is like my “work hours.” Sounds like good advice.

I am a red-handed robber.

Yup, I admit to thievery. At the Moonlight Madness Bazaar at RWA National, I picked up a packet of teas from the Grand Rapids Region chapter table and thought it was one of those freebies. When I got home later, I saw a “3” on the corner of the label and realized it had probably been on sale for $3. So I emailed GRR-RWA to apologize for my mistake and to ask who I can send my $3 to for the tea.

The VP of GRR-RWA sent a very gracious email:

Don't worry about the three dollars - just enjoy the tea and get some writing done! :) Goodness knows there's never enough time for that - at least not at my house!

Funny, that’s the same at my house, too. Anyway, I have been absolved by those wonderful ladies and I feel much better about it.

GRR-RWA is holding a fund-raiser for their first conference. They are selling two books: The "Everything Writing" Guide, and The “Dinner on a Deadline” Cookbook. I saw copies of these two books at their table at the Bazaar, and I thought both were great ideas.

The “Everything Writing” Guide is a series of articles on the whole gamut of writing topics, a kind of encyclopedia for the beginning writer. It’s a massive book and very thorough, plus it has the added bonus of all that information in one place, separated by category.

The “Dinner on a Deadline” Cookbook is just that--easy, quick recipes for any busy homemaker, whether you’re on deadline or not. One thing I discovered at RWA is that a large majority of the writers are mothers who have to feed their brood while writing in their free time (HA! What’s that?). This cookbook is geared for them, to help shorten the time in the kitchen so they have more time at the computer.

The books seem very reasonably priced, especially considering the prices of books by Writer’s Digest Book Club and the like. The “Everything Writing” Guide seemed very comprehensive and well worth the price, since it would take several Writer’s Digest books to be equivalent in terms of information.

Here’s the website to order the books:

http://grrrwa.org/buy.html

I’m considering buying the cookbook myself, since I am now a full-time writer and my husband is not as lenient about my aversion to cooking. :)

Writing: Spent time with Marilyn brainstorming her theme/GMC, which was tons of fun. I’m also going to join the Christian PEN email loop to get more information about starting a job as a freelance editor. The good thing is that my husband already got a business license earlier this year when he was contracting.

Diet: Uh . . . Camy sneaks out of the room . . .

Comments

Anonymous said…
Go Camy!!

You know, I've started trying to discipline myself for that time when I can finally get back to being a full time writer and mom, I feel like I wasted a lot of the time I had when I was able to do that, so now I'm going to make sure I don't make that mistake twice. So I'll be eagerly watching how you combat it.

You can do it!!
Pammer said…
Hang in there Sweetie! You're so organized, you will have a schedule down pat soon. (((((Hugs)))) and prayers heading your way.

love ya.

Popular Posts

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 ...

Lavender hand lotion

Captain's Log, Stardate 11.05.2009 I have to tell you, I LOVE Etsy.com ! Etsy is dedicated to providing a marketplace for people who like to make handmade products and people who appreciate them (and buy them). It has everything from handmade gifts (like my mom’s Bucilla Christmas stockings and ornaments and tree skirts and wall hangings and … well, just click here to see what she has! ) to soaps and lotions and jewelry and knitted items and hand-painted yarn and ... I could surf that website for DAYS. Anyway, lately I’ve been concerned about the lead content in my lotions, especially since I’m using them more now that it’s turned colder and drier here in California. I have to use lotion on my hands everytime after I wash them. So I went onto Etsy and searched for organic hand lotions, and bought this lavender lotion from Lue Cosmetics . What was really nice is that the owner, Jane, sent me a direct message via Etsy right after I made the purchase to ask if I’d received it yet and ...

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

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...

I got my cover!

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. Eyes of Elisha by Brandilyn Collins Tangerine by Marilynn Griffith I GOT MY COVER!!!! What do you guys think?