Skip to main content

What I'm writing in YEAR OF THE DOG

I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
Post a Comment

Under the Tuscan Sun

Captain's Log, Stardate 06.21.2006

Blog book giveaway:
My Thursday book giveaway is A SOUNDING BRASS by Shelley Bates.
My Monday book giveaway is WAKING LAZARUS by TL Hines.
You can still enter both giveaways. Just post a comment on each of those blog posts. On Thursday, I'll draw the winner for A SOUNDING BRASS and post the title for another book I'm giving away. Stay tuned.

I'd love to go to Italy: I've been watching a few movies now that I turned in my manuscript to my editor. I finally got to see Under the Tuscan Sun. Beautiful scenes, and very quirky characters.

It was as funny as I thought it would be—a nice, light movie. Not a romance, more of a travel chick-lit. Certainly not slow-paced, yet interspersed with dramatic shots of Italy’s landscape.

I loved the ending the best--when she looks around at the house and realizes what she's gotten for herself. It was a very poignant moment.

And man, I want to look like Diane Lane when I’m inching toward 40.

TMI:

Diet: I’ve been so good about doing my Denise Austin exercise programs that I injured my quad muscle. Yeah, I’m brilliant. Please pray it heals quickly.

And speaking of prayers and healing, my good knee (not the surgery knee) is clicking. It’s not painful, and I have friends whose knees click and they still play volleyball, but I just don’t like it. And it does hurt sometimes when I do certain bending movements. Please pray it heals. I’m doing more leg exercises to help strengthen the muscles around the knee.

My eating has been okay, but I can’t seem to get my calorie count below 1600-1700 a day. Much of those calories are vegetables, so I guess that’s good, but my calorie count for my height and weight and bone structure is supposed to be 1300-1400 a day. Man, I need more discipline.

Oh, and I’ve been eating less salt. I don’t have high blood pressure, but I’m doing it out of vanity. When I eat more salt, my body bloats and I feel fat, but if I eat less salt, my body doesn’t bloat. Isn’t that just the most pathetic reason you’ve ever heard?

Blogging: I decided to not post on Saturdays. I think I post too often. I mean, people have enough to read without hearing from me seven days a week. Fridays will be my Blog Bible Study posts.
Labels:

Comments

Angie Poole said…
People tell me I look EXACTLY like Diane Lane. I hear it all the time. Well, the inching toward 40 part anyway.
Wed Jun 21, 04:45:00 AM 2006
Just Nancy said…
I love that movie! My daughter and I rented it one time when my husband went on a business trip. My girlfriend was shocked that I would let my teenage daughter what THAT movie! I don't really know what the problem was. I'm over 40 and would love to look like Diane Lane, even a little! Oh, and I love your blog.
Wed Jun 21, 06:05:00 AM 2006
Ruth said…
I think your reason for not eating salt is perfectly valid, and I think it's great that you have the self-discipline to do that. I have a huge salt weakness (love them chips!)...but eating too much salty, processed food bloats me up too (and high bp isn't an issue with me either).
Wed Jun 21, 09:01:00 AM 2006
Georgiana Daniels said…
Thanks Camy, now I know what to rent this weekend. Sometimes I think I've already rented everything.

PS. Now what am I going to read on Saturdays?
Wed Jun 21, 10:23:00 AM 2006
Mary DeMuth said…
Camy,

You need to come visit. We live ONE HOUR away from Italy, not much farther to Tuscany. And this part of France used to be Italy, so where we live looks like it too.
Wed Jun 21, 12:48:00 PM 2006
Delia said…
Our 16 yr old is in England visiting our oldest right now and they're going to Italy during the first week of July. I'm so jealous! I told her to take lots and lots of pictures and video. But she refused to "lug" around the video camera. :( I'll be okay with just pictures though.

I don't have a BP problem, but I'm supposed to watch my salt intake because my feet and ankles swell with too much salt or caffeine. (Notice I say supposed to, lol.)
Wed Jun 21, 02:31:00 PM 2006
Delia said…
And I don't think you post too often.
Wed Jun 21, 02:32:00 PM 2006
Julie Carobini said…
Just before we were married, my (Italian) husband visited Paris and I went to London. We promised each other we'd go to Italy the following year...but baby #1 showed up. Fifteen years later, and three kids, we've yet to go. I'm thinking it's time!
Wed Jun 21, 06:34:00 PM 2006
Anonymous said…
Then I guess we both need more discipline: me for exercising, you for eating or as the case is not eating.

That'll be my prayer for both of us. Also for both your knees but especially the one that starting to give you problems.

Maybe I was influenced by my early years of having little to eat but I usually eat to exist. Sometimes, I have to remind myself to do so. There have been a few times when I'd wolf down anything, including sweet stuff. At other times, like right now, just thinking of something sweet makes me shudder.
Wed Jun 21, 07:01:00 PM 2006
Dineen A. Miller said…
Yeah, I want to look like her too when I inch toward 40. Oh, wait! I'm already there. Waaaaaaaaaaaah!!!
Wed Jun 21, 10:13:00 PM 2006
Myra Johnson said…
I loved Under the Tuscan Sun! Made me wish I could move to Italy and live in a house like that. Of course, I'd want it already fixed up when I moved in, but wow! The scenery! (Forty??? I seem to remember being forty once. A looooong time ago!)
Thu Jun 22, 07:38:00 AM 2006
Post a Comment

Popular Posts

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...
10 comments
Read more

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...
18 comments
Read more

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...
21 comments
Read more

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...
2 comments
Read more

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...
39 comments
Read more

Lady Wynwood #7 early release Kickstarter

I worked on my first Kickstarter and it got approved! It’s for the Special Edition Hardcover of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 1: Archer and the release of Lady Wynwood’s Spies, volume 7: Spinster. I contacted my graphic designer about the Special Edition Hardcover of vol. 1: Archer—it’s going to be SO beautiful! The Kickstarter focuses on the Special Edition Hardcover, but it’ll also include vol. 7: Spinster so that it’ll sort of be like a launch day for vol. 7, too. A third special thing that’ll be in the Kickstarter is Special Edition Paperbacks of all the books in the series. They won’t be available in stores, just in the Kickstarter (and later, from my website, and also in my Patreon book box tiers if I decide to do them). The Kickstarter is not live yet, but you can follow it to be alerted when it has launched. (You may need to create a free Kickstarter account.) Follow Camy’s Kickstarter
4 comments
Read more

A List of my Free Blog Reads

Curious about what my writing is like? Here’s a list of all my free books and the free short stories, novellas, and novels that you can read here on my blog. I’ll update this post as I add more free reads. Christian Romantic Suspense: Necessary Proof (Sonoma series #4.1, novella) Click here to buy the FREE ebook on all retailers Alex Villa became a Christian in prison, and because of his efforts to help stop a gang producing meth in Sonoma, he has been set up for the death of a cop. Can computer expert Jane Lawton find the evidence that will prove his innocence before the gang eliminates them both? Fantasy short stories: Pixies in a Garden in Kyoto There were pixies in the garden. Since she was in Kyoto, she was certain they were not called pixies, but she didn't know what they would be called in Japanese, and they certainly looked like what she imagined pixies would look like. The King’s Daughter The trees in the King's garden were full of colored pixie lights. The...
Post a Comment
Read more

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 ...
64 comments
Read more

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...
32 comments
Read more