*groan*

Went sledding on Saturday with the kiddos and some friends.

Somehow, it wasn't the same kind of sledding that I remember from when I was a kid.

The hills--mountains! (or so they seemed...on the way up)--were pure ice. Pure bumpy, mogul-ridden ice. I swear, I won't have to see my chiropractor for a week, 'cause the bumping adjusted my neck and back quite well, thankyouverymuch.

Jolt, jolt, jolt....squeeeee!

One of our friends took some pics, and apparently have one of me airborne. Likely with a gaping hole where my mouth is shrieking and wide-ass eyes. Yikes. (When/if I get it, I'll be sure to post for your entertainment.)

And so I'm more than a bit sore. (Thus the topic of this blog post.)

It was fun, though. The day was beautiful--not too cold, not windy, bright and sunny. I wasn't cold at all (and that's saying something).

Great fun.

So did anyone see any good movies this weekend? We'll probably take the kiddos to see Spiderwick. I also want to see Definitely, Maybe and Jumper.

I'm guest author over on the RomanceNovel.tv forums until Wednesday...and found out that two of the lovely ladies at All About Romance named Rises the Night as their favorite book for the 2007 Staff Picks. W00T! 

2:50 PM - 5 Comments - 5 Kudos - Add Comment

’Fess Up Friday: Peeking Ahead?

Okay, time to 'fess up...when you read, do you peek ahead? Do you read the last page first? 

Do you do it all the time, or just for certain books? Why?

Why? asks the author, who's never ever ever peeked ahead in her life. Why?

(And I'm guessing that you peek-aheaders are also the ones who sneak down an unwrap your Christmas/etc. presents early too. Am I right?)

And, just 'cause it's Friday and I'm nice, I thought I'd share The Hotness....Lynn sent me this pic and said she thought it was the perfect image of Max. Hmmm.

Richard Armitage might just be a contender, no?

6:42 AM - 4 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Blowy, snowy winter

It's definitely winter here in Michigan. February is usually the worst month of the year--even though it's short, it's so hard to get through it with the dark, cold days and too-early-alarm mornings.

So I thought I'd remind myself of the things I like about a Michigan winter. The list won't be all that long, but at least there are some things. Feel free to add to the list yourself!

What I Like About Michigan Winters

1.  Snow days. We do have them, despite the fact that we get enough snow that we should be used to it--but it's a nice surprise in an otherwise interminable week when we get to go back to sleep instead of getting the kids up and off to school.
2. The morning after an ice storm. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than the sun shining over trees dripping with ice, glittering like diamonds on the snowy ground. The details, the beauty...breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking. (I will take a picture next time this happens.)
3. Being able to wear heavy sweaters over layers of clothing...they hide a multitude of physical sins and they're cozy to boot!
4. Being able to grocery shop and then go to lunch or somewhere else without worrying that the food will spoil.
5. Ice-skating under the moon and stars.
6. Roaring fires in the fireplace, cuddled up with my Music Man/kids/a good book/a great movie/etc.
7. Comfort food. We eat lots of comfort food in the winter, and I don't feel guilty about it! Meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, etc.

So there you have it.

Reasons to like winter even when it's dark and dreary and cooooold. 

6:19 AM - 4 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Blowy, snowy winter

It's definitely winter here in Michigan. February is usually the worst month of the year--even though it's short, it's so hard to get through it with the dark, cold days and too-early-alarm mornings.

So I thought I'd remind myself of the things I like about a Michigan winter. The list won't be all that long, but at least there are some things. Feel free to add to the list yourself!

What I Like About Michigan Winters

1.  Snow days. We do have them, despite the fact that we get enough snow that we should be used to it--but it's a nice surprise in an otherwise interminable week when we get to go back to sleep instead of getting the kids up and off to school.
2. The morning after an ice storm. To me, there is nothing more beautiful than the sun shining over trees dripping with ice, glittering like diamonds on the snowy ground. The details, the beauty...breathtaking. Absolutely breathtaking. (I will take a picture next time this happens.)
3. Being able to wear heavy sweaters over layers of clothing...they hide a multitude of physical sins and they're cozy to boot!
4. Being able to grocery shop and then go to lunch or somewhere else without worrying that the food will spoil.
5. Ice-skating under the moon and stars.
6. Roaring fires in the fireplace, cuddled up with my Music Man/kids/a good book/a great movie/etc.
7. Comfort food. We eat lots of comfort food in the winter, and I don't feel guilty about it! Meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, etc.

So there you have it.

Reasons to like winter even when it's dark and dreary and cooooold. 

6:19 AM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

Humbled.

I had the pleasure of meeting a wonderful young woman last Friday night.

Shay's a teacher who works with middle school children at a charter school in Detroit. She's been there for five years, and some of the stories she tells about her day to day job really settled me back in my seat and got me to thinking.

And truly humbled me.

Many people say to Shay things like, "Wow...you really make a difference in these kids' lives." and "I don't think I could do what you do."

She says, "You just do it."

But then she went on to say that the frustrating thing, the thing that people who say those things don't understand is that no matter what happens at that school, no matter what positive environment they succeed in creating, those kids go home from school and their real lives take over. Their lives of drunken or high parents, drug raids on their home, parents who don't want them to go to school but instead want them to be home to keep them company/watch their younger children/etc., and so on.

Parents who get angry with a teacher who buys their child a new pair of pants...because the child only has one pair.

Parents who don't want their children to read because they can't. And don't want to.

Even...the most frustrating thing, especially in Detroit, is that these people who fought for education, who fought for equality in the race riots in the late '60s...aren't sharing their victories with these children. They are "aliterate"--they can read, or could at one time, but no longer care to, and so have lost their skills.

Their children are having to fight for it all over again.

In too many cases, the good that the school and teachers do can't have an impact on these kids because they still have to deal with "real life."

These are children whose favorite snacks are apples. Or carrots and ranch dressing--because they never get that at home.

Because crap is cheaper to buy than fresh fruits and vegetables.

This is sort of a rambling blog entry, and I apologize, but I feel the need to express the dismay and yet hope that I felt when hearing about this experience. And the truly humbling feeling I had after talking with Shay and realizing that she is making a difference in kids' lives.

Dismay that even dedicated teachers and schools have a hard time making any impact on a child's life because of the limited time they have.

And hope because there are people like Shay, teachers in all venues--inner city or not--who are determined to make a difference. Even if it's just a little bit. Even if that difference won't be evident for years.

Shay hasn't had the smoothest life herself, and she's been able to translate her ups and downs into a way to connect with these kids. She says that the eighth grade class they have at the school now is the best class they've ever had...because this is the first class that's been at that school all along. They've had a chance to let those little bits of goodness infiltrate their lives.

And yet, these teachers burn out. They get tired of having lock-downs at the school because of a drug-raid across the street. Or having to deal with the parent of one of the students come running into the school, half-dressed, because a drug deal has gone wrong--without considering the danger that those students and teachers might be put in because he's trying to save his butt.

So, on this very cold Monday morning in Michigan, I'm extending a truly heartfelt thank you and blessings to people like Shay who are making a difference in children's lives, whether they believe it or not...whether they think it's enough or not.

Have you met a teacher or someone who works with children who's really humbled you by what they do? Please share.

11:05 AM - 2 Comments - 6 Kudos - Add Comment

Goofy Joke and New Contest

Q: What do you call a bear without teeth?

A: A gummy bear, of course!

Okay, I know. But it's cute, and it's a joke you can tell your kids!

Happy Friday. It's been a busy week!

Have you got Dusk yet? Did you read it? Are you ready for more?

If you'd like to be entered in a chance to win an advance copy of When Twilight Burns, Carl V. might just be able to help.

To enter: Email a photo of yourself (to cvincent68 at comcast dot net) with your copy of Dusk (read or unread) to him by Tuesday, February 12, midnight EST, and you'll be entered in a drawing to win an advance copy of Twilight Burns.

Based on some of the responses to the last, similar contest he held, Carl says he's giving extra points for creativity.

(Personally, I think he just wants to see how many pictures he gets of women in black bustiers...but who am I to judge?)

And in the meantime, my kids are looking for some new jokes. So if you have a particularly good one you'd like to share this Friday morning, add it in the comments.

And hope to see some of you in Flint for the signing this evening...and Brighton tomorrow!

5:26 AM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

Fasting.

Today is Ash Wednesday, and Christians all over the world begin the forty days of Lent in preparation for Easter.

Part of the preparation is fasting--a common enough theme in many world religions. Ramadan and Yom Kippur are just two other examples.

A friend sent me a thought-provoking poem on different ways to fast that I think make sense for all of us--Christian or no.

I'm taking a break from my incessant promo for the release of The Bleeding Dusk to share a few lines of the poem, and I hope that you'll indulge me through the next six weeks if I take a few other detours from my regular blog topics to do so, on occasion.

I think if we all paid attention to some of these types of fasting, we'd have a happier world. So I challenge you--Lenten participant or not--to give it a shot, today. Tomorrow. Maybe for a week. See how it works.

Just for today, try to:

Fast from discontent; feast on gratitude.

Fast from anger; feast on patience.

Are you with me?

5:13 PM - 4 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

What am I doing on Super Tuesday? It’s Release Day!
Current mood: rockin

Get thee to a voting machine and to a bookstore, and that will make me very happy.

And what am I doing here on Super Tuesday? Well, besides being book release day, it's also my wedding anniversary (14 years), so I'll be lazing around, thinking about how much I absolutely adore my Music Man.

Well, maybe not.

Not that I don't adore him, but I've got other things to do besides moon about. I'm guest-blogging at Yoho A Writer's Life for Me, and I hear that the infamous Bam is going to post her review of Dusk today (ulp). 

I've got a volunteer stint at my son's school today as well. I'll probably head out to a couple of bookstores and see what's what. And, oh yes, I'll be getting some writing done.

I really must do that. Gardella Five awaits!

Have a great day! Let me know if/where you see Dusk, and if the other books are there with it.

Thanks in advance for all your support! 

11:30 AM - 6 Comments - 7 Kudos - Add Comment

Carl V. Rocks!
Category: Writing and Poetry

So Carl V., of the beautiful, entertaining Fantasy and Miscellaneous., blog Stainless Steel Droppings has--in his words--subjected me to another round of his questions.

I didn't feel subjected at all; in fact, I thought he had some very interesting and thought-provoking ones. They really made me think!

It's a very thorough interview, with lots of questions--and answers--you may not have heard before.

And there's also a contest through his blog to win an early copy of When Twilight Burns!

So go check it out and support Carl. He's a great blogger and a wonderful friend that I've met through our shared love of books and fantastic beauty.

Stay tuned for other chances to win a copy of Dusk, and other prizes. 

8:26 PM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Tuesday Rant No.2
Category: Fashion, Style, Shopping

Can someone explain to me why, when I'm buying chocolate at a Godiva storefront in the mall, they need my phone number?

Seriously. That is absolutely freaking ridiculous.

Why does everyone ask for your phone number nowadays?

I don't mind giving out my zip code; that I can understand, and it still affords me privacy. But my phone number?

I returned something the other day--a Christmas gift from my in-laws (for my daughter). I had a gift receipt, it was on their credit card...yet the store wanted my phone number.

They said it was required for any return. But with a receipt?

I used to work in retail, and handled returns at a very busy Wal-mart-like store. There were plenty of people who tried to return things they hadn't bought, or had bought years ago, or had used or worn or whatever. I can totally understand why phone numbers/addresses were required for suspicious or serial returners, and especially ones without receipts.

But with a gift receipt?

Or to buy chocolate, which, by the way, was gone after I'd taken two steps out of the Godiva store?

No way.

I refuse to give my phone number. If I have to for a return, I make one up.

You?

7:46 AM - 5 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment