A Strange Kind of Snow

Schultz seems to be feeling much better. His chemo treatments are done and he is back to his old self creating chaos and mayhem wherever he goes.

Here's the latest story:

When I walked into the mansion (the term I use for my former place of residence), I noticed white stuff all over the ground: Blobs of cotton-like material strewn in the hall, in the family room, and in the kitchen.

I picked one of these blobs up between my fingers and looked at it. "What the heck?"

Then I saw the remains of "Beavie," one of Schultz's favorite toys. The stuffed beaver wasn't so stuffed anymore. His head was sliced open and his cotton stuffing was strewn about. I found the perpetrator looking as innocent as could be.

A short while later, that lovely green bunny you see him pictured with met the same fate. Apparently, the dog has too much time on his paws. Or maybe he misses the snow we had in Ohio and wants to get into the Christmas spirit! 


On another topic, I'd like to let you know that I'm a guest over at Regan Macaulay's blog telling her why my friend, Dennis Higgins' book, Christmas in Pottersville, is my favorite Christmas book. Please visit if you'd like to know why. 

And finally, I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  Enjoy the holidays!

IWSG and the Dinosaur Experiment

It's time for the Insecure Writers' Support Group monthly post.

Today's question is, "If you were living the ideal author life, what would it look like?"

Probably a bit different than what it looks like today! I don't need to be a best-selling author. But I would like to see my Amazon ranking under the 100,000 mark regularly. And I would like to get more than $10.00 a month in royalties. Writing books is a lot of effort! It's not just writing. It's editing and marketing. A lot of time goes into it. And it would be really nice to see a paycheck that reflects that.

So, my ideal writer's life:  Have 4-10 author appearances (school visits, library visits, bookstore visits) a year, write a book a year, stay under the 100,000 mark on all of my books, and make about $10,000 a year. Is that asking for too much? 

Now for the story:

My daughter had an assignment for her statistics class:  To find out if people's responses to surveys are influenced by what they see. For this grand experiment, my daughter and her friends decided that they would dress in dinosaur costumes and visit the local mall. There they would ask people what their favorite dinosaur was. The hypothesis was that the person would respond with the dinosaur the interviewer was dressed as. Things were going as planned until the security officer showed up.

"You're violating dress code rules," she stated.

"But we're doing a school project," my daughter objected.

"Too bad. No dinosaurs allowed."

"Well, what's your favorite dinosaur?" my daughter pressed.

"The extinct kind."

And that was the end of the experiment.



Before I go, I had the awesome opportunity to go to Miami, Florida to receive the silver medal for my book, Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China. Here's a picture. (That's a little bit of living the ideal author life!)

Favorite Holiday Memory Blog Hop

 Today, I'm participating in the Favorite Holiday Memory Blog Hop sponsored by Elaine Kaye who has a new picture book, Sleigh Ride. Check it out! It looks like a cute one in time for the holidays!

  

Blog Hop Question: What is your favorite holiday memory? 

My Memory:

Making and decorating Christmas cutout cookies. It's something I enjoyed doing as a kid, and it's a tradition I passed on with my own kids. The best part was decorating the big gingerbread man shape. We had a blast trying to see who make the fanciest one. Then we baked it and ate it!

What's your favorite memory?

 

New Picture Book Release from Elaine Kaye:

BLURB: On Christmas Eve, Gregory and Sammy get a special visitor—Santa Claus! Santa brings them on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world and to the North Pole. Bundle up and come along for the ride!

General Age Range - Kids 4-8 (Story Picture Book)

Book Links:

Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

Smashwords / Goodreads

PLUS, A FREEBIE!

Get Pea Soup Disaster now!

Kindle / Nook / Kobo

About the Author: Elaine Kaye is the author of A Gregory Green Adventure series. She created Gregory Green after her son, who loved her homemade pea soup.

Kaye has worked as a library assistant and teacher's assistant in elementary schools. She currently lives in Florida, but has called Michigan; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Okinawa, Japan home.

Website / Goodreads / Amazon / Instagram / Facebook

Hop around to the other blogs participating:

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IWSG Post and Rats Overhead

It's time for the Insecure Writers Support Group post of the month.

This month's question is, "What is the strangest thing you've had to research to write your story?"

Taser guns. In one of my stories, the criminal used a taser gun to knock someone out. The little plastics tags that were released after it was fired held the clue to the identity of the bad guy. Did you know one little tag can identify the place the weapon was made and the person who purchased it? I didn't know until I researched it. And now you know, too!

Now for a story:

My son was sitting in his class listening to his teacher drone on and on. He was about to fall asleep when something caught his attention. A noise overhead. Something was shuffling around in the ceiling space above him.

He looked up and noticed a hole in the ceiling. Why it was there, I do not know. But two seconds later, the shuffling thing fell out of it. Guess what it was? A rat!

Needless to say, mayhem and chaos ensued following the rat's drop-in! I'm not sure exactly what happened to that rat, but it sure livened things up a bit. I have to wonder what else might be hiding in that school's ceiling! 

Guest Author, C. Lee McKenzie

Today I have the awesome C.Lee McKenzie at my pad telling us about her newest release, Not Guilty. 

Hi Sherry. Thank you so much for giving me a chance to chat about this latest book I’ve titled NOT GUILTY. You asked me where the idea for this book came from, and that made me think back a few years. I found it quite interesting to trace this story from its beginning to now.

I discovered that no single idea generated Not Guilty, but my interest in exploring the theme of justice started the ball rolling. I love to think that there is such a thing in this world--even in the face of so much injustice. In fact, I wrote an earlier story with this same theme, but it’s still buried in my computer and may never be published. Maybe it was just a test run for this one.

When I set out to write Not Guilty, I had a very different plot in mind; then suddenly I had this clean-cut, middle-class basketball player of a kid locked up in juvenile hall for something he didn’t do. And while justice started out as my main theme, the one of friendship stepped up and took center stage. Surprise!

Well, I love surprises, so instead of trying to avoid this change in focus, I ran with it. Here’s a short scene where Devon (my MC) remembers how his long-time friend once left him to face the consequences for something the friend had done. This same friend has turned his back now that Devon’s in trouble, but not guilty...again.

          ... he wanted to get rid of the white noise inside his head. The noise that sputtered guilty. He’d only heard it once before when he was in the fifth grade playing ball in his backyard. His best friend, Colin Mayhew, had made a solid hit with his bat, but the ball hadn’t gone the direction it was supposed to. It had gone straight through their neighbor’s front window, shattering the urn on the mantel. But not just any urn. This one held Mr. Shipley’s ashes that were now scattered on the floor. Mrs. Shipley hysterical. Dad commandeering the broom and dustpan from him when he failed to sweep up Mr. Shipley fast enough. Mom trying reason and mint tea. Him, Devon Carlyle, wishing the bat hadn’t been his. Colin long gone.

          That moment was sharper in Devon’s memory now than ever before. He’d apologized. A lot. His dad had paid for the window and purchased a new, very expensive urn. Colin never owned up. Devon never told them what really happened. Nobody liked narcs, and there was something in his dad’s face that sealed his lips. So Mrs. Shipley and his parents always thought Devon had been the one who hit the ball.

Later, while Devon’s in juvenile hall, he finds friends who stand by him, ones who’d never leave him to take the rap for something he didn’t do.

So far my young adult writing has also explored themes like self-abuse, homophobia, grief, and guilt. And I’ve just finished a draft of a new book with intolerance and discrimination at its core.

A topic that Sherry suggested I might also discuss is my favorite genre. I can’t say I have a favorite one, but after so many serious young adult stories, I look forward to a magical middle-grade journey once in a while. I often jump into ones like Sign of the Green Dragon or my series of Pete and Weasel adventures (Alligators Overhead, The Great Time Lock Disaster, and Some Very Messy Medieval Magic). These are my sorbet between those young adult courses.

Thanks again for letting me be here on your great site, Sherry. And thanks to your readers for taking the time to find out more about Not Guilty.

 You're welcome, Lee! Best of luck with your new book! 

Here's my review:

When high school basketball star, Devon Carlyle, is wrongfully accused of assaulting a man on the beach with a knife, his world is turned upside-down. He needs to prove his innocence and find the true culprit.

Not Guilty is not just a story of social injustice and dealing with the aftermath of being wrongly accused. It is a story of friendship. Devon forms bonds with his juvenile detention roomies, Ice, Tats, and Chewy, who help him unravel who really committed the crime.


The book is well-written with fully-developed characters. Although it is obvious that Devon is not guilty, it is still interesting to watch the friendships develop and eventually learn the identity of the one who committed the crime. Recommended for Y/A readers. 5 star.

If you'd like to purchase a copy of Not Guilty, you can find it here:

AMAZON

BARNES and NOBLE

KOBO

SMASHWORDS

Goodreads

For more information on Lee and her writing, connect with her on

Facebook 

Twitter 

Instagram 

Website 

Lee's other young adult books include: 

Sliding on the Edge

Princess of Las Pulgas

Double Negative

Sudden Secrets

For a chance to win a copy of the book, click the following link:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Author, Charles Suddeth

Today I have author, Charles Suddeth, at my pad. He's here to tell us about himself and about his newly-released middle-grade book Stone Man and the Trail of Tears.

Hi, Charles. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

I have published poetry, picture books, middle reader’s books, young adult thrillers, and adult mysteries in English, Cherokee, and Turkish. I am active in SCBWI and Green River Writers. I lead a monthly SCBWI meeting in Louisville, and I teach for the Jefferson County Schools.

I started writing poetry and short stories when I was 11, and I haven’t stopped. A few years ago, I decided that I shouldn’t keep the stories for myself. I joined 2 writing groups: Green River Writers and SCBWI. They helped me hone my writing.

Wow! Sounds like you are a busy guy!

Where did you get your idea for Stone Man?

My great-great-grandfather, Bill Pennington was born about 1830 in a Cherokee village, in Kentucky. His family moved north of the Ohio River during the Trail of Tears to a rural area just north of Charlestown, Indiana, 30 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky where a mixture of whites and Meti (French/Shawnee mixed-bloods) lived.

It sounds like your family experienced first-hand what it was like on the Trail of Tears.

What do you want readers to take away from reading your book?

Most of all, I want readers to have fun–this is an adventure. I also want them to have an introduction to Cherokee culture and to know how the Trail of Tears tore apart people's lives. And I want them to appreciate that people everywhere are much the same.

I think your book accomplishes that.

Did you have to do any research before writing the book? If so, tell us about it.

I have been doing Cherokee research for a long time–after an uncle told me of my Cherokee heritage. The Museum of the Cherokee in Cherokee, North Carolina used to publish a journal, and several issues were devoted to those who escaped the trail of tears. Although I am not fluent, I can speak some Cherokee–it helps me to understand the characters' thinking.

What is your writing process like?

I do not outline–I prefer that my stories flow. I do know their destination, but not always their route getting there. I use critique groups and writing retreats to help my revisions.

Do you have a set schedule for writing, or do you work when you feel inspired?

I do not write by schedules. I am not an early riser, so I work in the afternoon and evenings. Inspiration helps, but if inspiration doesn't find you, hunt inspiration down. I like to do a short meditation before I write or revise to keep my mind focused.

Do you read much and if so, who are your favorite authors?

 I read a lot (I am not sure why I own a TV). My favorite authors were John Steinbeck and Michael Crichton–both are gone. Currently, I read a lot of thrillers and books on DNA research, both fiction and non-fiction. I do not have favorite living authors.

Are you working on anything new?

I am working on a historical novel, Run from the Devil. It is loosely based on the life of Cato Watts–legendarily the first slave, first musician, and first man hanged in colonialLouisville history.

It sounds like it'll be a fascinating read!

Where can readers purchase your book?

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Dancing Lemur Press

Here's my review of Stone Man and the Trail of Tears: 

Those familiar with US history know of the Trail of Tears. It is a sad chapter in which Cherokee Indians were hunted by US soldiers and forced off of their land. Stone Man and the Trail of Tears is the fictitious story of a young Cherokee boy, Tsatsi, and his family who lived during that time. When his village is attacked, Tsatsi and his sister, Sali, flee and are separated from their family. Things get worse when Sali becomes ill and is kidnapped by Stone Man, a legendary giant who instills fear in the hearts of the Cherokee people. Fortunately, Stone Man is not what he seems. He helps the children on their perilous journey to find a new home.

Stone Man and the Trail of Tears is a fascinating story that has bits of history and culture woven throughout. Readers will learn a little about the Trail of Tears as well as interesting things like which acorns are best to eat and what plants can help reduce fevers. At the end, there is a glossary with Cherokee words and definitions. Recommended for readers in grade 4 and up.  5 stars

  

IWSG

Hello everyone. No stories today. But I'm stopping by briefly to take part in the monthly IWSG post.

This month's question is, "Should you read a lot which may influence how you write and what you write about, or not read at all so that you have original ideas?"

I'd say read. That's how you get a sense of what works and what doesn't. I think even if you lived in a bubble and wrote, you'd still come up with universal themes and ideas. Reading does give you ideas. But that's not a bad thing. Besides, reading an author's work is being supportive. Isn't that what we're supposed to do?

What do you think? Should you read other people's work, or just write your own stuff with no outside literary influences? 

The Ice Crusher

Most people have an ice crusher as part of their freezer. My ice crusher is in the form of a three-legged canine. This dog won't eat a darn thing, but he sure likes crushing ice!

He gallops to the freezer and stands there, waiting for someone to depress the ice maker. When someone does, and the ice spills to the floor, he scoops it up in his large mouth and crushes it. It's ridiculous!

I'm waiting for the day when he will learn how to press the ice dispenser with his nose. That will be one good trick!

Here he is after his last chemo treatment. They actually put a bandaid on him. You can see it in the picture.

I have two other things that may be of interest to you:

One, I met my wonderful publisher, Diane Wolfe of Dancing Lemur Press last week at Book 'Em North Carolina. She's a terrific person! If any of you are one of her authors, know that she does a lot of work to promote your book!

And second, author, Irene Helenowski interviewed me via Skype. Click on the link if you'd like to watch. You'll be entertained because I'm such a goofy person!

The Band Played On and IWSG Post

My boy, Bubba, is in high school now. That means he attends high school football games. If you've ever been to one of those, you know there's usually a band that plays. The game Bubba attended last Friday was no exception. The band played a special tune every time their team made a first down. Usually, that doesn't happen all that much. But on this particular game, the team was making a first down every three minutes. Not a bad problem to have. The musicians, however, soon grew tired of playing the same tune over and over and over. 

One musician, a saxophone player, decided he'd had enough. He walked over to my boy who was standing near the sidelines and handed him his instrument. Now, Bubba isn't exactly a musician, but he does know one tune on the saxophone. So, while the rest of the band was playing the proper first-down tune, my boy stood there playing the only one he knew.

It was the funniest sight to see. Nobody seemed to mind the rogue saxophone player. In fact, I'm sure they found it quite entertaining. Leave it to my boy to do his own thing while the band played on!

Now for the IWSG question of the month:

If I could pick one place in the world to sit and write my story, where would it be, and why?

Hmmm. I think I'd mentioned at one time that I usually get a lot of writing done on a hotel balcony overlooking a beach. Now, the question is, which beach would I want to overlook? I have never been to the Greek island of Santorini. From the pictures, it looks really pretty–whitewashed buildings overlooking an azure blue bay. Maybe that would be a good place. Has anyone ever been there?
Where would you go to write your story?

Lastly, for those who would like to know how Schultz is, he's getting around just fine. In fact, he chased a deer across our yard the other day. Having three legs doesn't seem to bother him. The trouble is, he's gotten very skinny from not eating much. He weighed 112 pounds. Now he's down to 85. And he doesn't have a ton of energy. I guess that's to be expected from chemo treatments.

IWSG and Schultz Update

I know it's been a while since I've been here. A lot has been going on. I moved and got a new job. The new job is Executive Director of the Georgia Philharmonic. I'm excited about it, but I know I have a lot to learn! And it will keep me extremely busy!

So, you're all wondering how Schultz is doing. If you recall, he was diagnosed with bone cancer and had to have his left front leg amputated. He's getting around much better. In fact, because he has to trot on three legs all the time, he moves a lot faster. His main issue is eating. The chemo treatments have messed up his appetite. He's so skinny, you can see his rib cage. The only food that seems to appeal to him is human food. The vet gave us some appetite stimulant pills. We'll see if that helps. Here he is with his buddy, Bootsy.

It's time for the IWSG post.

This month's question is, "Has your writing ever taken you by surprise?"

Well, as a matter of fact, it has. Normally, I write picture books and chapter/middle-grade books for kids.  Those have always been humorous and on the lighter side. A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece for an anthology contest. I didn't really plot it out like a normally do. I did the pantser thing. I was surprised by how dark it got. In fact, I killed everybody except the villainous main character. And I enjoyed it. I'm sure it all had something to do with the difficulties I had been experiencing in my life. It felt good to take it out on my characters. The good thing about being a writer is that you can kill as many characters as you want, and not get in trouble for it.  I'm not sure embracing my dark side is something I would regularly do as a writer, but it was interesting to do it. What about you? Has your writing ever taken you by surprise? 

IWSG and Poor Puppy

I know I'm a little early for the IWSG post. Even more so than usual. But next week I'm moving. Who knows when I'll be online again. Hopefully, it will be in time for August's IWSG.

 This month's question is:  What personality traits of your own have you inserted into a character in your story?

Well, in my book,  Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China, I've used some of my children's personality traits. Not exactly the way they are, but similar. Bubba, like my son, is personable and someone who thinks outside of the box. In his younger years, he tended to be impulsive, like the character in the story. Squirt, like my daughter, is the responsible older one, always watching out for her brother and taking care of others. The mom in the book, although she doesn't make much of an appearance, is like me. Practical, observant, and always busy doing something.

Now for the story about Schultz, the poor puppy.

Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook know that Schultz, our 115-pound German Shepherd, and subject of many stories here, has bone cancer.

We are heartbroken.

A few weeks ago, he started limping. We thought he had sprained his leg either jumping out of the car or running around chasing the flashlight.  We took him to the vet who took X-rays. It appeared he had no broken bones, so he was sent home with some pain killers.

A week later, the vet called back. He checked the X-rays again and was concerned about a shadow he saw along the bone. He thought it might be indicative of cancer.  He referred us to a specialist. The specialist took a super-powerful X-ray and said, "Yep. It's cancer." Poor Schultz has a tumor inside the bone that is growing and pushing it out.

The cancer is aggressive. If we did nothing, he would have only three months to live.

We had a decision to make:  Give Schultz radiation and painkillers to keep the pain under control as long as we could until we had to put him down, or amputate the leg. X-rays showed that Schultz's lungs were clear, so cancer had not metastasized to there. We don't know if it's anywhere else. Schultz was a candidate for amputation which may save his life, at least for another year or two. He may also need eight weeks of chemo on top of that. The whole thing is a gamble.

It is difficult to imagine Schultz as a three-legged dog. Especially since he loves running around, chasing things, and climbing up and down stairs to visit everybody. Probably, if it was up to me, I would have done the first option. Keep him as comfortable as possible and put him down when it was time. But the kids couldn't bear to lose their dog yet, especially since we've got a lot of other rotten things going on right now. They opted for amputation.

So, as I write this, Mr. Schultz is at the doggy hospital prepping for surgery. When  I see him tomorrow, he will have only three legs. Hopefully, he'll adjust well, and hopefully, it won't be too painful for us to see him that way. 

Whenever I come back, I'll let you know how it all went.

Tara Tyler's New Release: Windy Hollow

Today, I'm here to tell you about a new release by my blogger friend, Tara Tyler. I'm so glad it's finally in print. She had a long journey to get this book published!

WINDY HOLLOW
Beast World MG Fantasy Series, book #3
by Tara Tyler
Available NOW!

In BROKEN BRANCH FALLS, Gabe and his friends go on a quest to save their
school, blowing up all the rules, and discover their origins.
Then they go to CRADLE ROCK and meet some real live humans, scaring them into
attack mode. The Beasts realize they have to spread the truth ASAP.
Now, school's out, and Gabe is ready for a break from all the drama...
Gabe and his friends fly over the Great Sea for the wedding of the century: a dragon
prince and a beautiful harpy. But Gabe can't relax on this vacation. Besides competing
in rigorous wedding events, he overhears the nearby human village WINDY HOLLOW is
in danger from an evil human scientist and a vengeful were-ogre experimenting on
beasts. Gabe and his friends risk crossing the mountains to help, despite several
warnings.
Maybe he's going too far this time, but he's in too deep to quit. It's do or die, hopefully
not die!

Paperback ~~~  Ebook



Author Bio
Tara Tyler has had a hand in everything from waitressing to rocket engineering. After
moving all over the US, she now writes and teaches math in Ohio with her husband and
one boy left in the nest. She has two novel series, Pop Travel (sci-fi detective thrillers)
and Beast World (fantasy adventures), plus her UnPrincess novella series where the
maidens save themselves. She's a commended blogger, contributed to several
anthologies, and to fit in all these projects, she economizes her time, aka the Lazy
Housewife—someday she might write a book on that... Make every day an adventure!

How to find:
website: Tara Tyler Talks
twitter: @taratylertalks
facebook: Tara Tyler - Author
Instagram: taratylertalks
newsletter: tara tyler news

Guest Author, Elaine Kaye

Today I have a special guest at my pad:  Author, Elaine Kaye. She's Chrys Fey's mom. Her new book, The Missing Alphabet, just came out. She's here, along with characters, Gregory and Sammy, to tell us about the book.


Gregory the Boy: Hi everyone! My name is Gregory.

Sammy the Teddy Bear: *waves* Don't be scared, but I can talk, too. I'm Sammy.

Gregory: Sammy is my best friend in the whole wide world. We go on a lot of adventures together. Don't we, Sammy?

Sammy: Yup! Like the time when Gregory turned green at school.

Gregory: And you came to tell my friends and me about bullying.

Sammy: Someone had to.

Gregory: Then there was the time when you ripped your leg, Sammy, and Mom had to fix you up.

 Sammy: *rubs leg* I don't want to talk about that.

Gregory: Let's not forget about what happened on Halloween night!

Sammy: We rode on a broom! *pretends to be an airplane*

Gregory: Now we have a brand-new adventure to share with everyone.

Sammy: We do! But maybe we should let Elaine Kaye share the details about the story of The Missing Alphabet.

Elaine Kaye the Author: Thanks, boys!

 NEW RELEASE FROM ELAINE KAYE:

The paper alphabet letters in Gregory Green’s classroom have gone missing, and it’s up to him and his friends to find those missing letters. They go on a hunt through the school, hoping to find them. They spot letters next to things that start with those letters, like B for Bananas in the cafeteria. But will they be able to find the entire alphabet? The Missing Alphabet is a great story for children learning to associate letters with objects, and four activities throughout the book will further help children to get familiar with the alphabet. General Age Range - Kids 5-8 (Story Picture Book) EBOOK: Amazon / Nook / Kobo PRINT: Amazon

 A GREGORY GREEN ADVENTURE SERIES:

“Bullying is not fun and, with colorful illustrations and interesting characters, the author handles the topic in a simple manner, giving a clear message about how the color of one's skin is not important." - Readers' Favorite (5-Star Review)
 EBOOK: Amazon / Nook / Kobo PRINT: Amazon / Barnes & Noble 

“Tutors and educators can use it in classrooms and school libraries for read-aloud sessions.” – Readers’ Favorite (5-Star Review)
 EBOOK: Amazon / Nook / Kobo PRINT: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

“This is a perfect story for children and it will make them imagine, dream, and become adventurous. The illustrations are whimsical and they bring out the spookiness and eeriness of the adventure.” – Readers’ Favorite (5-Star Review)
 EBOOK: Amazon / Nook / Kobo PRINT: Amazon / Barnes & Noble

About the Author: Elaine Kaye is the author of A Gregory Green Adventure series. She created Gregory Green after her son, who loved her homemade pea soup. Kaye has worked as a library assistant and teacher's assistant in elementary schools. She currently lives in Florida but has called Michigan; Honolulu, Hawaii; and Okinawa, Japan home.

 Website / Goodreads / Amazon / Instagram

Schultz's New Game and IWSG Question of the Month

Schultz, our giant nine-year-old German Shepherd, has learned a new trick. This new trick involves opening the door to the basement steps with his nose and throwing a tennis ball down the stairs. He loves watching the ball bounce all the way down to the landing. Then he retrieves it and does it again. He entertains himself for quite a while doing this. Unfortunately, when he's finished, he doesn't put his ball away. It stays on the landing. We'll have to see about teaching him yet another new trick and having him put his ball away.

It's time for the IWSG question of the month:  "What genre do you prefer writing and why?" I have always enjoyed writing children's books–picture books and middle-grade stories.  Probably because I'm a kid at heart. As a picture book writer, it's fun to see what the illustrator does with my manuscript. It's always a surprise. I also enjoy meeting the kids who read my books. Library visits and school visits are really the best part of being an author.

If you're a writer, what's your favorite genre to write?

Checking In

I know. I've been missing. I'm going through a difficult time in my life right now, and my world is very much upside down. But I wanted to check in to say hello. I also wanted to thank Alex Cavanaugh for the great "You Rock" Award.

Ninja Captain is the one who really rocks! He has a great way of brightening up someone's day.

I will continue to be MIA as I try to settle into my new life. But I will make every effort to show up for the IWSG monthly posting. Know that I am thinking about all of you.

Insecure Writers Support Group

This month's question for the Writer's Support Group is: What was an early experience you had where you discovered that language had power?

When I was in the second grade, my teacher read the story, James and the Giant Peach. I became so entranced in the story, that I couldn't wait for the next day when she would continue. It made me realize that words had the power to transport one into a fantasy world where a reader could actually care about what happens to imaginary characters.

Have you ever had an experience where you realized that language/words had power?




I don't really have a story today, so instead, I'll just share another recording from the recital I did. I'm joined by Allen Baston on piano.

The Blow-out

Schultz, our very large German Shepherd, is shedding. When this happens, the house becomes a catastrophic mess of dog hair.

My husband decided to speed up the process. He took Schultz outside and pulled out the leaf blower.

"You're not seriously going to use the leaf blower on him, are you?" I asked.

"Of course I am," he responded. "They sell things like this to blow out hair when a dog is shedding."

I shook my head. "Not ones that big and loud."

He grabbed Schultz's collar and turned the blower on. You should've seen the hair that came off of him. It looked like it was snowing. When my husband was done, the front yard was literally covered with Schultz's hair.

Schultz was not pleased with the blower. As soon as my husband let go of the collar, he ran off, gave himself a good shake, and promptly rolled in his own hair. Guess he wasn't ready to part with it!


Before I go, I thought I'd share a video I made from a recent recital I did. I'm joined by Allen Baston, piano and Earl Hough, violin.

Pump Up the Volume

Like most teenagers, my boy likes the volume of music to be loud. It drives me crazy.

"Can't you hear it at a lower level?" I asked when it was blaring out of his room.

"Yeah," he said. "But it's more fun when it's loud." 

Fast forward to later in the day when I had to drive him somewhere. He knows I dislike it when he turns the volume up in my car. He turns it up. I turn it down. So now he has a new way to torment me. Let me tell you about it. When he got into the car, I noticed a black cylindrical apparatus in his hand.

I narrowed my eyes. "What's that?"

He grinned. "You'll see."

A few minutes into our trip, he hooked the thing up to his phone. Then the music started. I tell you what, the windows in my car vibrated from the heavy bass that came out of the apparatus.  The thing he had brought was a speaker. A wireless one.  And it made a whole lot of noise!

The bad news was, I couldn't turn the volume down, which is exactly what he'd planned. But what he hadn't planned on was the wrath of the Mama. Speakers of any kind are now banned. At least in my car and in my presence.


Do any of you have teenagers that blast loud music? Or were any of you teenagers who drove your parents nuts with loud music? 



Before I go, I'd like to let you know about an author interview I did for LitPick. If you'd like to find out where my favorite place to write is, go here. 

Cheese Dip

My boy is constantly coming up with innovative ways to do things. The other day, I had gotten some mascarpone cheese and was making a dessert using it with croissants,  strawberries, and chocolate.

Bubba walked over and inspected my creation. "Nice!" Then he pointed at the cheese. "What's that?"

I explained.

"That would make a good cheese dip," he said.

"Yeah. It's good with fruit."

He grinned and walked over to the refrigerator. When he came back, he had some string mozzarella cheese in his hand. He dipped the cheese into the container of mascarpone cheese and took a bite. "Yep, I was right. It's a good cheese dip!"

Have you ever tried dipping cheese into a cheese dip? If so, how did it taste?


And before I go, I have some advertisements:

The publisher has reduced the cost of the ebook version of Bubba and Squirt's Big Dig to China to $2.99. That's the lowest it will go. Here are some buy links:  Amazon US, Amazon CA, Amazon UK

If you'd like to see a video of a student review on the book, here it is:

   
And last, if you'd like to read an author interview done by AllAuthor to learn a little more about me, please go here.

Natural Pants

The weather here in Georgia has taken a nosedive. It went from being in the high seventies to being in the high thirties. Like winter.

My boy didn't get the memo and went outside wearing shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt.

"Dude," I said when I saw him. "It's cold. You need to change."

He shrugged and went upstairs to find more clothes.  When he came back downstairs, he had on a sweatshirt, socks, and shorts. Almost appropriate.

"Your legs will freeze," I said.

He shook his head. "No, they won't. My leg hairs are natural pants!"




Now for something completely different: It's time for the IWSG question of the month.

This month's question is:  If you could use a wish to help you write just one scene/chapter in your book, which one would it be?

Well, I've been working on more books for my Bubba and Squirt series. I've come up with a plot thread that can go through the entire series. It involves a villain. I'd like to use that wish to write the scene in which Bubba, Squirt, and all their friends they've met along the way defeat the villain and his cohorts, and rescue a very important person.  It's going to be epic, but I'm not sure exactly how it's going to work, because it'll have to tie in everything from all previous books. It's taking massive brain power to figure it out. A wish might help!