I could have done without that.

Peaceful Sunday afternoon. Just cruising the Internet.

The dog outside starts barking. He's a stray that we've been feeding. We get a lot of dumpees in the country. I think he travels to all the houses for a hand out. He's an older dog and I hate to see any animal go hungry. Anyway, husband goes outside to see what's happening and spots a rattle snake. (Diamondback) He comes back inside for his shotgun. I go out with him. Dog's barking. Snake's vanished. But I hear a buzzing noise. The snake's warning us to stay away. We can't see it. (The grass needs mowing. Will get on that.) 

We stand there, trying to locate the snake. It keeps rattling. We finally pinpoint its location. Biiiiggg one. It is now small pieces. Shotguns do that. Poor Traveler (that's what I call the dog) took off at the blast of the gun. But if he had not been outside to warn us, we might have accidently stepped too close to the snake. I hope Traveler comes back so I can reward him with a big dish of food. 

How was your Sunday?

Happy reading and writing. 

Currently reading : Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4) By Stephenie Meyer Release date: 2008-08-02

10:24 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

J. B. B. Winner Interview
Current mood: impressed

Brittany and Brianna Winner are the youngest award winning novelists in the USA. Their book The Strand Prophecy has won eight awards including "Best Young Adult Fiction", "Best First Book Fiction" and "Best First Book Young Adult Fiction".

The Winner Twins, as they are referred to, are 13 year old identical twins. Their book started as a family project to assist them in overcoming their Dyslexia and focus on their strengths, not their weaknesses. The twins tour the country inspiring teens to overcome their challenges and motivating them to read and write.

The book is the first of a series of five. They took time from their busy schedule to grant me an interview. Meet the Winner Twins:

When and how did you get the idea for The Strand Prophecy?

Brianna: We combined all of our favorite things into one story.

Brittany: We like superhero sci-fi, creatures and technologies…

Jeff: and we like to write together

Brittany: As long as we can remember we loved adventures stories and sci-fi. There was nothing better than our dad taking us to see a sci-fi movie and to the comic book store afterwards.

Who is your favorite character(s) in the novel?

Brittany – That changes from day to day. Today my favorite is Howler the cyborg monkey. We are writing the third novel and in one scene he is very melodramatic, even though what he is saying is really intense. He is not afraid of anything. He will hold your hand one moment and fight mutant creatures to the death a moment later. He will never abandon you.

Brianna – Lately my favorite has been COTAR Prime and Robot Number Two. They are two sides of Ned Vitamani's personality. COTAR Prime is his serious and logical side and Robot Number Two is his humorous side. He split his personality into separate robots because he can explore each side more fully.

Jeff – Strand. He is a father to Anna and even though he knows she has to grow up he wants to protect her. No matter what he does he can't. It is a fundamental conflict I feel as a parent.

Tell us about the second book in the series. When can your fans expect it to come out?

Brittany: In the second book Extinctions Embrace, millions of people start to evolve and mysteriously migrate north. They just stop what they are doing, and start walking, they could be cooking or driving or in their pajamas. Meanwhile the Strand Team must also evolve to become something more than they are to try and solve the mysterious migration and find a solution to help humanity survive.

Brianna: Each character progresses, for example, Strand battles becoming more machine than man.

What are 5 things you especially enjoy doing? (Ex. Reading, writing, etc.)

Brianna –Singing, watching movies, hanging with the family, shopping and eating sushi

Brittany – Painting, drawing watching movies, shopping, hanging with the family and eating sushi.

Jeff – Watching movies, hanging with the girls, designing, listening to music

What music do you like to listen to?

Brittany – All kinds from Rock to movie sound tracks.

Brianna – 80's music, classic rock, alternative rock, Choral chamber music (medieval), pop and soft rock.

Jeff – It's pretty diverse: movie sound tracks, 70-80-90 rock, classical, techno, industrial, flamenco guitar, Stevie Ray, unplugged alternative such as Nirvana.

Who are your favorite authors?

Brianna – Stephanie Meyer and Jules Verne

Brittany – Isaac Asimov and Jules Verne

Jeff – Issac Asimov

Do you have any advice for other teens about writing or life in general?

Yes for sure…

Brittany: I was born 11 weeks early and suffer from dyslexia, dysgraphia and more. In school I felt very bad about myself, I could not catch up with the classroom work no matter how hard I tried. Then my dad had a radical idea, to write a book… I mean, I had the vocabulary and the ideas but getting them down into a novel was unfathomable.  Together we focused on our strengths instead of our weaknesses and look at what we have been able to achieve.

So my advice is for everyone to keep in mind that we all have strengths and weaknesses, don't conclude that you are less than anyone else just because it appears that people are writing faster or seem smarter or better then you at school. Focus on what you CAN do, not what you CAN'T do. Get your ideas down on paper one page at a time, one day at a time and soon you will have written a novel.

Brianna: Yes, write a chapter at a time and don't worry about how long the book will be when it is done. Think about your character and the situation, then write and keep writing.

Brittany: Brianna is right. Don't stop, just keep writing. We never edit, rewrite or change the story until the whole book is done.

Brianna: When the book is done and we edit, we may delete entire scenes or rewrite them a different way.

Brianna: Just get it done. Write, write, write until it is done. Then go back and edit.

Where can your fans learn more about you and your books? Web site? Blog?

We have a great flash web site www Strand The Book dot com and videos of our signings and book trailer at www.youtube.com/jbbwinner

Thanks for giving us a glimpse into your busy world.

Currently reading : The Strand Prophecy By J. B. B. Winner

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Fall, Football, Volleyball, Birthdays
Current mood: busy

Fall is my favorite time of year. The excitement of school beginning. Fresh little faces eager to learn. Have a great year all you teachers. 

Football and cheerleaders and bands. I especially like the bands marching up and down the fields, playing fight songs and school songs. I was a band kid, many years ago, played a clarinet and was also a majorette. We marched in front of the band, the tassels on our boots swinging. Do schools have them anymore? The ones around here don't. 

Volleyball players should be inspired, after watching the fantastic matches at the Olympics. Then there's tennis and golf and other sports depending on where you live. Have a great season all you athletes.

And birthdays. For some reason our family has oodles of birthdays in September and October. I must remember cards and gifts.

Then there's writing. Something about fall invigorates me, makes me eager to finish those projects I've been working on for months and months. So this fall, I hope to type The End to my mg wip, the rough draft of my ya wip, and brainstorm another ya that's been rattling around in my brain for a while. 

It would be nice too, to find an agent or a publisher for my completed ya.

And if I stay away from the dozen blogs I've somehow ended up with, maybe I'll accomplish a few of my goals.

Happy reading and writing.

Currently reading : The Strand Prophecy By J. B. B. Winner

1:53 PM - 2 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

HHH
Current mood: awake

It's that time of year again, the annual Hotter Than H_ll Hundred. We live on the 50 mile route, and I've been watching the bicycles cruise past. There are some neat ones: bicycles built for two, some with little side cars for the kiddies. The early birds will be finished before the temperature rises, but it's supposed to reach 100 degrees today. The race's name is appropriate. The route for the trail ride had to be changed, I think, because of the flooding we had in that area the past week. This has been a weird August, with the rains which seldom occur this time of year.

I'm also watching the hummingbirds. The prettiest little ruby throat has been at the feeder in my writing room window.

Have a super weekend. Relax, stay cool.

Happy reading and writing.

Currently reading : The Strand Prophecy By J. B. B. Winner

1:10 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Never Trust Me With Your Goldfish
Current mood: guilty

For the past two weeks I've been cat sitting for my son and his family while they are on vacation. (They took the dog with them.) No problem. The cats are sweet, and we get along fine. I feed them, water them, let them in the house when they want in and put them outside when they want out. They meow their thanks, I scratch their chins, and we go on our separate ways.

Unfortunately, my relationship with the goldfish is quite different. The fish live (or they did live) in a pond in the backyard. A pump pumps fresh water in, providing oxygen for the fish. My son reminded me to check each day to make sure that the water was flowing ok. I checked every morning and evening. Every time I looked, a tiny waterfall was trickling into the pond. The goldfish were happy--trust me. Why wouldn't they be when they were in the cool water under the shade of a tree instead of sweltering under 100 plus temperatures. They had their own private pool, for goodness' sake.

But then ...When I got to the house early Saturday morning, no bubbly sound of running water greeted me.The tiny waterfall no longer was dripping. Four little goldfish floated, belly up in the murky water.

"What happened?" I asked my son, later on the phone. All he could figure was the rain must have kicked a circuit breaker to the pump, which caused it to stop. This was the morning we had the much welcome rainfall. So I had done it again.

I say again, because a couple years ago they had a beautiful Siamese fighting fish, a Betta. They kept it in a fish bowl in the house. Again, i was taking care of their critters while they were on vacation, and I kept that little fish fed. Boy, did I. I thought they said to feed it once a day. So I did. What they actually told me was to feed it once a week. You can guess what happened to the Betta. No details are necessary, but it wasn't a pretty picture.

Happy Reading and Writing.

(And remember: never trust me with your goldfish.)

Currently reading : The Strand Prophecy By J. B. B. Winner

8:01 PM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Awesome!
Current mood: excited

How about our men's relay swim team? Aren't they awesome! (I didn't see the women's team. Phooey.)

Okay, if you're not watching the Olympics and don't know what I'm talking about, you're missing some great moments in history. The swimming and gymnastics are my favorites. And the diving. The athletes are so graceful and make it look so easy, though I know they've spent years and years of practice to achieve their goals. Like writers, in a sense.

Anyhow, have a super week everyone. May each of you win the gold with your stories and articles.

Happy reading and writing.

Currently reading : The Strand Prophecy By J. B. B. Winner

7:03 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Temperature Rising
Current mood: busy

Would someone be so kind as to send cooler weather to Texas? Yesterday's temperature rose to 108. Today promises more of the same. The grass is so dry it crackles when you walk across it. And the little bushes are crying "I'm thirsty, I'm thirsty." I keep water for the birds in the birdbath. All we can do is stay inside under the air conditioner. I pity the people who have to work out in this. Maybe I'm just a wimp.

Books I've read recently:

Lock and Key, Sarah Dessen
Saving Juliet, Suzanne Selfors
Bubba and Giganto: Odds Against Us, Lea Schizas
I Heart You, You Haunt Me, Lisa Schroeder
The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Mary E. Pearson
The House of the Scorpion, Nancy Farmer

Currently reading:

Lost in the Fog, Rachel Van Meers and Daniel Chase
The Strand Prophecy, J.B.B. Winner

I have a stack waiting to be read. So many good books, so little time.

A bit of good news. My article "How Does Your Daddy Carry You" is in the August issue of Stories for Children Magazine Have a good week.

Happy Reading and Writing.

Currently reading : Lost in the Fog: Memoir of a Bastard: A Belgian Recalls the War, the Nazis, Her Fractured Life By Rachel Van Meers

9:57 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Hi!
Current mood: hopeful

Just stopping by to say have a super week. May all your news be good news.

Happy reading and writing.

Currently reading : Lost in the Fog: Memoir of a Bastard: A Belgian Recalls the War, the Nazis, Her Fractured Life By Rachel Van Meers

7:01 AM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Lessons I Learned from the Ants
Current mood: curious

For days I've been battling ants that are determined to take over my hummingbird feeders. The sugar water draws them in. If ants can think, their brains are saying, "Yummy, yummy, my favorite food."

I've spread Vaseline on the windows around the suction cups that hold the feeder to the glass. That works for about two seconds before a brave, adventuresome ant finds a small path through the sticky mess and once again dines on sugar water. So I spread the Vaseline again, hoping to cover up that one tiny entrance. Ah! Good! It worked. For another two seconds. Then an ant, to prove that it's smarter than I am, marches right through the barrier.

Okay, this clearly isn't working, so I go on the Internet to see what other people do about the ant problem. I get conflicting advice. Use Vaseline or Vicks Vapor Rub. (Tried that, doesn't work.) Don't use Vaseline because the bird may rub against it and then can't groom itself and might die. Oh! Great! Now I'm a bird killer. Other suggestions are bay leaves, terro liquid, and olive oil. None of them sound much better, and they're all meant for feeders hanging under trees, which mine are not. There is an answer somewhere. I just haven't found it yet. I will keep on, though, because I have to prove to those ants that I'm as smart as they are. Or until the ants' tummies are so full they can't drink another drop.

In the meantime, I see a parallel to my writing career and to life in general: persistence. Those little insects, barely bigger than a grain of sand, are persistent. They have a goal, and they will sacrifice anything to reach that goal. Now I don't recommend being that drastic. I don't want to end up drowned like most of the ants do. But if I want something badly enough I can set my goals and do everything possible (legally) to reach those goals. Think of the ants. They let nothing stand in their way. I should not let bumps in the road that steer me off course detour me, either. If my goals are worthwhile then give them my best efforts. I may not always succeed, but at least I've tried, and I can learn from each experience and choose another road to follow, one that perhaps is better than the previous one.

Who would have thought that those pesky ants could teach me a lesson? Persistence. They have it. I want it. At the moment the ants are winning.

By the way, if anyone has a good solution to keeping ants away from feeders, please let me know.

Currently reading : Lost in the Fog: Memoir of a Bastard: A Belgian Recalls the War, the Nazis, Her Fractured Life By Rachel Van Meers

11:44 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Bullies, Soccer, and Friendship
Current mood: busy

BUBBA AND GIGANTO: ODDS AGAINST THEM

Review

Lea Schizas has written another page turner. Once I started reading about Bubba and David, AKA Giganto, I couldn't stop. Before I knew it I'd read the whole story. I'm so glad I did.

Bubba (yes, Bubba, not Bobby or Brendan) Jacobson, tough guy, smart mouth, sensitive heart, and David (Giganto) Montana, nice guy, picked on by bullies, big and clumsy, are the least likely of friends. But when they meet on the first day of ninth grade a remarkable friendship is formed.

This is Bubba's first year at Pierson High, and he's delighted to discover they have a soccer team. Questions arise, however, when Bubba and David try out for the team. Why does Mr. Ambrose, the gym teacher, tell Bubba not to push David (Giganto) into something he doesn't want to do? What is the secret about the boy who died during a soccer scrimmage the previous year? Is David (Giganto) connected to the tragedy? And why is Jason, all-star athlete with an attitude, so determined David doesn't make the team?

Ms. Schizas is a master at surprise endings. Just when you think you know all the answers, she changes the questions with an unexpected twist or two. I never saw this one coming.

Themes of bullies, soccer, friendship, and forgiveness are woven through this short story, making it one boys can relate to and will enjoy reading. I recommend it for reluctant readers, children who perhaps are facing their own bullies, and also for sports lovers and everyone who enjoys a fast-paced book with continuous action.

Currently reading : Lock and Key By Sarah Dessen

12:48 AM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment