Tomorrow's Tartish Tears

Know what? I'm a cry baby.

But see, the thing is, I cry whether I am HAPPY or SAD. So tomorrow I KNOW I will cry. I just don't know why yet. Tomorrow is the date they post the semi-finalists for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest. So there will be either tears of joy, or tears of sad... Speaking of tears... I had a moment of being touched this weekend. On Friday I had my first ever review from somebody I didn't know at all. I shared it on facebook, and one of my high school friends posted a link to The Azalea Assault with the suggestion my whole high school class read my book as a summer read! I really was truly moved.

But my REAL blog efforts today are at Burrowers, Books and Balderdash where I am sharing a ton of fabulous books that had their beginnings as ABNA contestants.

Detour, Blogfest, and a Free Book

This picture makes me giggle

I am really over at Burrowers, Books and Balderdash today, telling a little story that sort of happened, sort of didn't... though I have no idea where the line crosses...

(it goes up at noon, GMT)

But besides that, it is Cherie Reich's BIRTHDAY and to celebrate, she is giving away her novella!  This is the same one she talked about here just last week. So you should go get it!

 And then there is a FUN blogfest I should let you know about. Siv's Bloggiversary happened this week and she got to thinking about how she started blogging... And, being from Norway, of course it involved trolls (of a personal sort) and she dove in (for which we are very glad).  Anyway, she is having a blogfest this month to honor our blogging roots.  You should go check it out.

Is this me, or what?

See you over at BB&B!

I Set a Date!

Book release?   Erm. No.
Marriage?   Well, no, obviously... since I'm already married.

Then WHAT, pray tell, did you need to set a date for? You ask...

The eating plan. That's right. It's Weighty Wednesday and that's what I've got. A date.

You see, at Meijer on Sunday, they had Paczkis. And I came to the (albeit wrong) conclusion that Fat Tuesday fell on Valentine's Day. I had visions of chocolate paczki sugar comas prancing in my head and thought, “Well that's how I want to go!”

But then I learned Meijer had just jumped the gun (and I would have to buy paczkis two weeks in a row) but it was already decided.

I may not 'do Lent'--not being Catholic and all. But what better time is there for a severe diet than when EVERYBODY is in the midst of denial?

So it's decided.

And then... My REAL blog today is over at Burrowers, Books and Balderdash where I am talking about the beauty of the FOOL as a story character...

ABNA Over at BB and B

So this is a decoy post... I am really blogging at Burrowers, Books and Balderdash today about the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest because THAT is what is going on.... It's Topical Tuesday.


But if you'd like it to also be Naked Tuesday, I am not stopping you.

Two-Way Mirror

(doh! and a case of premature posting... pretend it is Wednesday, please...)

TOMORROW NIGHT!!!!! OHMYGAWD!!!! But on our countdown, we are to TWO... Two days to the LAST big Harry Potter Group Experience.

You know... I read the first book when my daughter, Tartlet #1, brought it home from the school library at age 6. I was a little excited... I'd wanted to read them, but had slated them (there were 3, 4th out for Christmas) for about 3rd grade. But since she'd brought it home... I read to her... and proceeded to read into my evening the week we had the book... Santa brought the first three... I read them in a closet before Christmas and bought the 4th by new years... and then waited... Was it 2 years? I think it might have been... I'd almost forgotten how much I loved them, but when Order of the Phoenix came out, daughter wanted to read to prep... son wanted to read for the first time... So for me, that made 5 times through the first 4—three times through the 5th... And honestly, the 5th is when I fell in love... with them not as passive I love this stories, but as things going on that I was trying to figure out...

It took me a while... years, even... to work up the nerve to seek out fellow Potterheads. In March of 2005 I finally worked up the nerve to SAY SOMETHING at the Wizard War at HPANA... You know what my first post was on?

THE TWO WAY MIRRORS!!!

Harry was blaming himself for not opening the gift... for not having the reliable way to reach Sirius that could have prevented needing to go into Umbridges office... could have headed off Kreacher betraying Sirus... for causing Sirius' death. He broke that mirror in the bottom of his trunk... but there was too much made for them to be nothing.

We had a lot of predictions... the most popular that the mirrors would be used for the trio to communicate when Harry was out Horcrux hunting. It was fairly certain they would be important SOMEHOW.

I loved though, how they ended up mattering... the tease that that blue eye was a Dumbledore eye... our HOPE that maybe Sirius really DID have it going through the veil and had passed it to DD so he could help Harry... I liked though, that it was nothing so improbable in the end...


That is all I have today, as I am also over at Burrowers, Books and Balderdash talking about Publishing Options, so anyone wanting more meat—particularly writing related stuff, that is where to find it...

Happy Hing Day Folks!!!

Wonky Me

So I am over at Burrowers, Books and Balderdash today talking about how I'm taking over the world, so that is my REAL blog, but I thought I'd share a few random quirks here...

Breaking the Ice

While I want it to warm up more than ANYTHING, I sort of love the days that are half melty, half below freezing. Know why? I walk along the sidewalk or edge of the street SMASHING the ice that has nothing under it anymore. It's this weird power trip (and I love the sound when it's thin ice). It's like I am personally conquering winter and bringing spring on.

Sometimes I will get on a sidewalk where I will notice that out there SOMEWHERE, I have kindred spirits in this domain.

Eating Grapes

I'm totally laid back, right? Very few things I'm picky about. I'm married to Mr. Pickypants (and YES, he wears pants—grrrrrr!) But when it comes to eating grapes, we swap roles. I think a person should take off the part of the stem and eat ALL those, then take a new one. He just picks one grape at a time from the total stalk. MAKES ME NUTS! (Son has picked up my habit, the daughter his)

Real Life

So I may have to go under soon. You heard me... my boss wants to write a GRANT. As early as yesterday I had to work ALL DAY at work... *cough* But if I get crabby in the next few weeks, this might be why, and you have been warned. On the POSITIVE side, though, I have a conference in Austin in May. I get to meet up with my FABULOUS writing buddy Stacy (who got her second novella contract within weeks of her first... she has fired out into the writing world fast, after years of perfecting craft...) you'll hear more about her... provided Austin survives the two of us in the same city... (anyone else in the Austin area, give a shout—maybe we can coordinate)

And 19 days to the next ABNA cut... anyone who wants to swim in pudding while we wait, head on over to the BB&;B link at the top...

And it's Thursday. You know what THAT means!