Just Ranting

So today I had the immense displeasure of seeing The Planet of the Apes. 1968 version. Hubby stayed home from work, you see. Seems he's picked up the bug that went around the rest of the family the two weeks before. And so, with DH home, naturally, the TV was on all day long. Hey, it's just a fact of life. As he was flipping through the channels, here's this scene that looked to me like a bunch of cavemen running through a corn field. What the heck? I said out loud. I thought it was some new Geico commercial. Grr...Me and my big mouth. DH stopped, and we had to sit through two or so agonizing hours of really bad acting, creepy 60's movie music, and the biggest piece of heretical junk I've ever seen. I was disappointed in Charleton Heston. I expected a lot more from the man who played Moses and Ben Hur.

Of course, I don't know why I still bother being disappointed in Hollywood folk. It seems they're natural inclinations are so opposed to my own that there will never really be one who doesn't disappoint me in some way or other.

I'm also coming to the conclusion that our society really hasn't changed all that much in the past few decades. I was under the false impression that people, even Hollywood, had a little more morality back then. Silly me. Movies like that show me that mankind was the same old rotten creature in past decades as he is now. Always rebeling against God in some way or other.

Sometimes I imagine God looks down on earth and weeps. But after what I saw today, sometimes I wonder if He doesn't just look down and laugh. Not out of humor, of course, because there is nothing funny about rebelling against God. But you know, that sarcastic kind of laughter that goes with when He says, "Who does man think he is?"

On the other hand, this gives me a little hope. If it's always been bad, then maybe society isn't really getting worse. Maybe I've just begun to grow up and see things for how they really are...and always were. Maybe...just maybe...we're only seeing mankind being more honest about what's really in his heart. And we know what the Bible says about what's really in our hearts. Well, I know what it says, and I believe it!

You know the worse part about The Planet of the Apes? They went on to make more of them! Three more, I believe, not counting the 2001 remake. Talk about a waste of money.

Much Ado About...Nothing!

No, you won't find any Shakespeare here. I just thought it was a catchy title for this post. **GRIN** But if you read to the end, you might see the relevance.

I've been a bit of a mess this week, so I'm sorry I haven't been as faithful over here. But I'm starting to feel better, and I want to get myself back up and running again. No, not literally. It is WAY too cold outside to go running. I woke up this morning to a groan-worthy low of -12. At least I didn't have to go out in it so early, but the kids and hubby did, the poor dears. At least their buses are heated.

Anyway, I thought I'd pop on to say something really witty and deep. Ok, so nothing very witty has come to mind let alone deep. So let me rephrase. I thought I'd pop on to say something.

Now I don't like to post just to post. Really I don't. I mean, what's the purpose in that? It seems kinda, well, meaningless. And now I'm getting repetitious. The funny thing is, when I'm falling asleep at night, or in the middle of cooking, or cleaning, or taking a shower...you name it...when I'm busy with something else, that's when really good ideas come to me. But by the time I sit down and open up my little blogger dashboard and get ready to write...

Yeah, I think you get the picture. Anyone else have that problem? I don't set out to say something super deep every time, although I would settle for witty every time. **G** But I guess I'm just not that witty of a person after all. More's the pity.

So I guess I just used a whole post to say that, well, I have nothing to say. But please keep coming back, and indulge me with your comments. I'm still learning all the ins and outs of blogging, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to address your comments in my posts or not. I'm thinking not, but posting on your blogs would be good. Yeah, that should have been part of my resolution, shouldn't it? Post to mine, and comment on others. Ok, well, January is almost over, but I've got me another resolution.

Have a great weekend if I don't see you all here tomorrow. I'll try to be here, if you do. :)

Requiem

My family and I are so saddened tonight. We just read the headlines that actor Heath Ledger has died. I didn't know this young man personally, but a couple of his movies have brought alot of entertainment to our family. One of my favorite movies of all time is A Knight's Tale. It's not deep, yet it is. It had no really earth shattering message...yet it did. The whole thing was a case study in contrasts. So I'm very sad to think that this shining star has burned out so early. He will be missed.

And now I have to vent. This tragedy comes on the heals of another young Hollywood death, that of Brad Renfro, also from an overdose, if I'm not mistaken. And that one after the attempted suicide of actor Owen Wilson. It's going to be interesting to find out what the authorities decide about Mr. Ledger's death--whether it was accidental or a planned suicide. On one hand, I'd like to believe it was an accident, but how tragic is that? However, knowing the track record of Hollywood and the movie industry in general (in other words, not leaving out Hollywood's international siblings in movie making. We Americans really shouldn't hog ALL the blame, now should we?), it would not surprise me in the least if this was no accident at all. I think Hollywood et al needs to wake up and take a good look in the mirror. What is wrong that these people, who seem to have it made, would find life not worth living? Or then, too difficult to face without the help of drugs or alcohol. We've all seen what fame and fortune has done to Brittany Spears and Lindsay Lohan. And I don't think it's fair to put the whole blame on the parents. In the long haul, Hollywood is going to have alot to answer for. I don't believe it was ever a place that truly welcomed God, but I don't think in the past they made Him as much an outcast as now. Oh, there were problems. Broken marriages. Drugs and drinking. Marilyn Monroe comes to mind, as well as Dorothy Dandridge. I know there are plenty of others, but I won't spend alot of time on that right now. Suffice it to say, there's a huge problem, and I think it should be dealt with. How? I don't know. But it really bothers me that these are the people our young kids look up to and want to emulate. I cringe when I think that my beautiful fifteen year old aspires to some day become an actress. My twelve year old has also begun to show signs of the same desires. Whether stage or TV and movie, it doesn't matter. I don't think life on Broadway is a whole lot less complicated than in Hollywood.

Now someone could point out the good ones. The ones whose lives weren't torn to bits by the lifestyle that goes hand in hand with acting. I mean, look at Mel Gibson who is still married to the same woman after so many years. Yeah, right. LOOK at Mel. He's one of my favorite actors, and I admire the fact that he's still married to the same woman. I admire the fact he had the guts to make movies like The Patriot and The Passion of the Christ (but hey, what's with Apocalypto??? Woops...rabbit trailing here.) But he still lives with the consequences of a life of alcohol abuse.

What about Hillary Duff and Miley Cyrus? Well, time will tell, won't it? Already we see Duff heading toward the sensual and the obsession of all of Hollywood to stay overly thin. Miley is young, but even she's veering too much toward the sensual for my taste in a young pop star/actress of fifteen. Where will she be in ten years? I hope for the best, but I won't hold my breath.

In this whole grim Hollywood picture comes a touch of hope...in the name of Michael Landon, Jr. Now there's a guy to admire...if he's able to keep up the testimony and the good work.

Rest in peace, Heath Ledger. You're missed already. And I hope that your death will serve as a final warning that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. But then the old adage comes to mind of the blind leading the blind. They probably won't get very far.

Sick Family

I had planned on writing up a really sumptuous post for today. After all, with the weekend, I should have had time to play, right? Well, the kids have been sick since Wednesday with some kind of little flu bug. Then yesterday I woke up with it. Ack! So all I did all day yesterday was sit around on the sofa and do nothing. And the brain wouldn't work to save my life. So maybe, if the plegm gets cleared out of my throat and my brain, I'll be able to get something written for tomorrow. But I did want to post something so it wouldn't look as if I'd just given up on this blog again. **grin**

Have a great week, and hope to be back tomorrow or the next day.

Simon Says...

So we were watching American Idol last night. Boy, what a circus! But the last contestant for the night was this sweet young thing, 23 or 24 years old, can’t remember which. And she started talking about herself at the judges request. Somehow it came out that she doesn’t watch R rated movies, never has. So they asked her why, and she said it was because her parents set some guidelines while she was growing up, and it just made sense. So even now that the choice is her own, she doesn’t watch R rated movies. She went on to say that along with that came the “don’t drink, don’t smoke” and that made sense to her too. So she doesn’t do those things. So I’m saying Bravo! for her. But Randy and Simon right away start to make fun. Simon more than Randy. Of course. She finally sang, after the two goofs stopped goofing, and she did a good job. She was in. But you know Simon, even if you don’t watch the show. He just had to be, well, Simon. Randy’s telling her he likes her, there’s something pure about her, she seems nice. Paula agrees. And Simon agrees that she’s nice, has talent and yadda yadda, but... “You’re maybe a little worthy...”

Maybe a little worthy? What is wrong with this guy? I think he was jealous cuz he liked her and she’s already married. But anyway. She doesn’t like to watch R rated movies. She doesn’t drink and she doesn’t smoke. With the way things are in this society, shouldn’t TV personalities encourage that kind of behavior? This girl appears to be a great role model for today’s youth. If she lives up to her testimony of clean living, then she should be encouraged, not made fun of.

But I guess misery loves company, right? I cannot imagine that a man like Simon is truly very happy. I hope he is, but I have a tendency to doubt it. And that would account for why he’d make fun of a sweet girl like that.

I hope she makes it, if not to the end, at least a long way on. And I hope American Idol doesn’t ruin her morals. I saw it happen, at least on the surface, last season with one of the contestants.

Now if I could only remember her name...

Do You Want Your Milk in the Bag?

So here I am, posting late again today. But I am posting. And there's nothing earth shattering here. Never is, you say. But today's post is really trivial. So if you would, bear with me, 'cuz I'm going to rant about one of my more recent pet peeves.

I don't know if it's the same all over the United States, but since coming back from Brazil I've encountered a little irksome trend when I go grocery shopping. When the clerks would go to bag the stuff, they would ask if I wanted my gallon of milk in the bag. So usually I'd just say yes, please. No big deal. I mean, I didn't understand the question. Why would I NOT want my milk in a bag? But lately it's gotten worse. Now they don't even ask anymore. They just don't bother to bag the milk. Sometimes, depending on my mood, I just grin and bear it. Well, bear it, at least, without much of a grin. But with single digit temperatures outside right now, (we do the Snoopy Dance if we manage to get above 10 degrees, these days) I do NOT want to be holding on to the very cold handle of a plastic milk bottle. At these temps, gloves don't help a whole lot either. So what's the deal with this? Is it just that way in the liberal area where I live, or is this going on all over the country? And what's the reason behind it? I understood the "paper or plastic" deal. Paper is more environmentally friendly. But it's not like carrying my milk outside the bag is going to save the baby whales or whatever else we need to be worrying about (other than the unborn humans, of course, but that's a whole other issue). Even in warmer months, it's a whole lot easier when you get home to drag in the groceries when EVERYTHING (including milk) is in baggies with handles on them that you can hang over your arms, around you neck if necessary, and grab bunches in your hands.

Just so you don't think I don't care about the environment (if that's even the reason for not bagging the milk...I don't know...I suspect it's that the supermarkets have just gotten cheap and want to use fewer bags), we do our duty for recycling. Most things, anyway. We store all our plastic and glass bottles, and soda cans etc, and when we have enough trash accumulated, we take it to the recycling centers at the grocery stores. And although taking it isn't a big deal, storing trash in an apartment that was made for mice (meaning it's very small) is a big deal. At least for me, because staying organized is a constant struggle. But that, too, is a whole other issue.

All in all, I think I have a right to have my milk in a bag.

Anyone else have this annoying little problem?

Hampster Dance and Perseverence

So rate me. How am I doing with this blog, now? Ok, ok, I know I forgot to post on Friday, and I'm late on this one. But I think I'm doing ok, don't you?

And now on to the post.

I know y'all are probably going to shake your heads and say, "where've YOU been?" but my family and I only recently discovered the Hampster Dance song. It was back in May sometime when a friend of my daughter's had it on a CD. We thought it was really cute. So we've listened to it, danced to it a few times, but I never gave it a whole lot of thought. Then one day I wanted to know who performed it, so I went to Google. Wow! What an interesting story behind this fun little...well, song, web site...the works.

If you're not familiar with the story, here's it in a nutshell. In August of 1998, an art student was having a competition with her sister and best friend to see who could get the most hits to their web sites. So in honor of her pet hampster, Hampton, this young lady put together a simple little web site with a bunch of hampsters, and I believe rabbits dancing to a clip that kept repeating. In March of 1999 she was still only getting maybe four hits a day. But something happened, and almost overnight she started getting up to 15,000 hits...A DAY! People started to send emails with the link to friends and family, posted it on blogs, and it was even featured in a television commercial. By 2005 it was named by CNET as the number one web fad.

I seriously doubt the young lady behind the fad ever dreamed it would grow so big, or that she would even get to sell the rights to her creation. But I'm sure those first eight or so months were a little frustrating, waiting to see if people would amble onto her site. I don't know if she won the original contest, don't know how long the friends were holding it. But what a testimony to patience and not giving up.

And this comes at a time in my life where I need to concentrate on that. As a writer, it takes patience and perseverence to keep going even when the rejections come. Even when the house is a mess but the story is calling. Even when the doubts ring so loud they're almost deafening. If the Hampster Dance gal had given up and removed her cute little site, it wouldn't have turned into anything.

So start this week thinking positively. If you've got a dream, any dream, don't give up on it.

Working on Rewrites

Y'all are probablly tired of reading about my little writing saga, but I can't help myself. I'm excited about this and I can't shut up. lol. So here's what's next. I'm in the process of rewriting this story and making changes. In the original rejection letter, the editor told me that most readers of this particular line like to see romances develop between two single characters. My characters were already married, and it wasn't a "marriage of convenience" sort of plot. So the story wasn't exactly a traditional romance. I was trying more for women's fiction anyway, and focusing a little less on the romance. Funny thing is, when I originally started writing this story, my characters WERE unmarried. Now, romance writers, don't throw rotten tomatoes at me yet. Hear me out.

Romance has gotten a bad rap through the years. I've not yet come across a Romance Readers Anonymous, but I'm sure there are or at least were at some point many "closet romance readers." I think romance was seen as lesser quality fiction and not a serious read. But romance has changed, at least in the Christian publishing world. (Can't speak much for secular because I don't read a whole lot of secular romance.) Even the sweet, lighter reads have some kind of deeper message in them now. But I guess I was still thinking with the mentality of the past. I didn't want my writing to be labeled as fluff just because it had romance in it.

So I changed my characters' marital status and made them a newly-wed couple who was very much in love. The romance was there, but not in the same way. There was no longer the question of, will they ever get together, or why won't he just kiss her already! At the time, I felt strongly about this change, and in many ways, it strengthened the conflict for my female character. At least the non-romantic conflict.

But a funny thing happened. Actually, it wasn't so funny. I lost my passion for the story, and it became work just to write each new word. That should have told me something. I thought it was the story itself, but now I know differently.

I know there are folks out there that don't like to read romance. There are writers out there who don't really get their kicks out of writing it, either. I happen to be neither of those. :) I was watching a movie the other day, and right in the middle of it came this unexpected romance. The story was going in one direction, and then bam! A romance developed. The movie was interesting already, but I found myself even more drawn to it once that love story began to develop, and I couldn't stop watching until the romance was resolved. That finally told me what I needed to know. I need romance in my life! lol. Well, I don't mean in my personal life, because I get plenty of romance from my husband. But I do mean in my writing life.

So I let all of these thoughts stew for a few days, considered different directions in which to take the story. Then finally on Tuesday I started to work on the re-writing. It's amazing how the story sparked back to life when I put that romantic element back in. I've gotten the excitement back for writing it. I've got the same characters, the same setting, and even some of the same issues. But that romantic development has given me back the joy in working on this story.

The Bible tells us that "all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord." So maybe this process was all to make me understand my place in my writing, and find the joy in it again.

Book Contract III -- Conclusion

Well, "conclusion" for now. Because I hope to truly conclude this story in the NEAR (I hope) future with a post titled, Got My Contract! :-)

So picking up from where I left off yesterday...Friday morning, January 4, I wrote back to the editor who had turned down my proposal. I asked if she would be willing to look at it again if I changed some of the issues that caused them to reject my book. I'm not naturally a very pushy person. Sometimes I wish I were, because pushy people seem to get things in life that we non-pushy people don't. So it took great courage for me to actually send that email.

I had a dentist appointment that morning. Figured that sitting in a dentist chair with someone else's hands in my mouth would take my mind off the fact that I'd actually been audacious enough to send that email to a big wig editor from a big wig Christian publisher. Well, the dentist appointment was only a cleaning and check up. (And I got a CLEAN bill of dental health, I'm pleased to announce.) Had lunch with my hubby, then I came home. Turned on the computer. Opened Outlook Express. And Voila! There was another email from the editor. To be perfectly honest, I thought she might not have answered so soon. She's been so sweet, was sweet in person, so I wasn't as trembly this time when I opened it. I knew it wouldn't be hate mail or anything like that. lol. I was also very anxious to read her answer, so I clicked on it right away and the first words I read were... "Hi Lianne." Of course those were the first words, you say. So the really important words, that came right after the greeting were... "Sure, I’d be happy to look at it again."

Yippee!!! I did the Snoopy Dance, break dance, hula dance...whatever dance you want to insert there...so not really. Just in my head. But I did get on the phone right away and call my mom.

Those weren't the only words the editor wrote. In fact, when I saw those blessed first words, then saw the length of the email, I got even more excited. It was a long email. Now, you have to understand, these folks are busy people. They have stacks and hoards of proposals and raw manuscripts junking up their desks. Or their inboxes, now with the innovation of email. In any case, they're busy people and they just don't have the time to be spending alot of it on new or wannabe writers like me. I'm sure alot of them would LOVE to have the time to help out new authors. But this kind lady did take the time to tell me some things that might help me with rewrites on this story. I'd post the whole email here, but I don't know if that would be a good idea, so I'll just give some hightlights.

Basically she said that making suggestions is a hard thing, that the story has to work as a whole. Then she said that my exotic setting (Brazil) would be a hard sell, because publishers usually like to try to stick with the tried and true. BUT...she said that with my personal experiences living in Brazil, that I was uniquely fit to write that setting, and encouraged me to keep it set there. Yey! Points for me. :) She went on to say that while they had my proposal, she'd asked another editor to look at it. Now, I'm just a wanna be writer here, I've never been an editor, I'm not sure of the whole process. But my logic tells me that if she showed it to another editor, then maybe it's because she thought it was pretty good. Yey! More points for me. **grin** Then she gave me two writing suggestions. Not plot, but writing. She said I did a pretty good job in the beginning with describing the setting, but to be careful not to make it sound like a travelogue. Funny thing. My good friend Judy had used that same word, and that same admonition. The other thing the editor said was that, having an underlying message is fine, but not to slap the reader in the face with it. Great points, advice taken.

So now I'm back to square one. Or maybe square two, because I do have a sort of "open invitation" to submit this again. I've made a contact that I didn't have before, with someone who is important in this business. And she's open to hearing from me again. :) So that's why I say I'm very encouraged by all of this. I have not heard beans from the other editor. I may have to get "pushy" and write to him to ask if he even got my proposal. Because with email, ya never know.

Have a great day, and come back tomorrow. I hope to have something posted. :)

Book Contract II -- Got My Answer

So I had planned on posting yesterday's post on Friday last week. But Friday morning was quite busy and before I knew it, the day was almost over and I hadn't posted. But even had I posted, I would still have to admit to "cheating." If you've been keeping up with this blog, you'll know that I don't always have stuff to say. So to throw away such a great post (well, I liked it. I thought it was a great post.)was out of the question for me. Anyway, Thursday evening (January 3), late, I checked my email to find I'd gotten a response from one of the editors. My knees might have been knocking, only I was sitting down. Good thing, too! My fingers were sure trembling and I had to draw in a deep breath before opening the email. The whole family was around holding a collective breath. Click. "Hi Lianne," the email opens, "Thank you for the opportunity to read your proposal..." And about that time I freak out, though inwardly only because I need to maintain calm in front of the kids. I scan down quickly to see if there's a yes or a no. I find those life-changing words. Blah, blah, blah... "...so unfortunately we are not going to pursue..." Argh! So now I know it's a no and I go back to read the whole thing calmly. And as I'm reading, my spirits begin to rise again. Basically, the reason they rejected it is because, although the setting is unique, it started to sound just like other books this publisher has put out in the past dealing with this particular time period. The editor did take some time to tell me what she liked about my story, and made a few other suggestions as well. Then she went on to say that she wouldn't be surprised to see this story put out by another publisher somewhere, it just didn't fit HER line.

It's still a rejection, but I came out of this feeling positive. In fact, I felt so positive about it that I still have not felt depressed or down over it. IN FACT, the story isn't really over. lol. Friday morning after sleeping on this, I wrote back to this same editor. I thanked her for her "kind rejection". Then I got brave. I figured, I had nothing to lose, right? So I asked her if I made some changes, if she would be willing to look at it again.

And if you want to know the conclusion to this part of the story...hehe...well, you'll have to tune back in tomorrow and find out. :) Now...don't complain. Be happy for me that I have something to say for two days straight!

Have a great day, and a great week.

A Book Contract? I Wish!

Or maybe I should say, I'm hoping. In September of 2007 I got to go to my first ever writer's conference. It was WONDERFUL. I never knew how cool it would be to sit around and chat writing with other wacky kindred spirits. I learned some good stuff, but even if I hadn't, just the fellowship with other authors was an amazing experience. I got to meet folks I'd only heard of for years, and others I'd struck up online friendships with, but had never actually met in person. So it was a great experience for me.

But the book contract, you ask. Hold your horses, I'm getting to it. It's not that big of news, but for me it is kind of exciting even if it doesn't pan out. In short, I had two major Christian publishers ask to see a proposal for my story. The first one was very unexpected. The way the ACFW conference is set up, they put published authors or agents or editors to host a table at meal times. You just choose who you want to sit with, and go to their table. Well, the first morning of the conference my roomie and I went down for breakfast right on time. Big mistake. HUGE! Because "on time" means late. Almost everyone had already gone in to eat. So the two of us sort of slunk in and grabbed the first two seats we could find. But wonder of wonders, even so we got to sit at the table of the head acquisitions editor of a major publisher. So we all got to talking (there were maybe 8 - 12 people at each table) and this editor guy asked each person to take a turn telling what they were working on. Came my turn and I spouted off my rehearsed little blurb about my story set in Brazil. Big wig editor nodded kindly, then, "Next!" No, not really. He was very polite. But he showed no interest whatsoever. And I basically shrugged it off since I still had an appointment set up to talk to an agent and the editor from the publisher of my choice. So I finished my breakfast and saw someone I wanted very much to meet. While I was talking to this lady, the editor from my breakfast table came up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder.

"I'm just wondering," he said, "If you'd be interested in submitting a proposal to us for your story."

And I'm standing there with shock written all over my face, I'm sure. And no, I didn't need a mirror to know that. I could feel it! So I'm sure big wig editor guy is rolling his eyes--inwardly, because he still has a very polite smile on his face--and thinking, boy is this one a newbie! When I finally managed to pick my bottom jaw up off the floor, I swallowed hard and nodded. Stammered a very unprofessional "S-s-sure!"

"Great," he says, and hands me his card and another quiet, polite smile.

The moment I got a chance, I ran to the bathroom and called my husband to let him know. Later that same day I had an appointment with an agent. He didn't ask to see my proposal, but he did give me some really good tips about pitching to an agent or editor. So the next day I had an appointment with the editor of my choice. She was so sweet, and my knees weren't knocking like they had been the day before when I gave my first pitch. She showed great interest in my story, and asked to see a proposal. Whoo-hoo!

Whoa! Two requests! Talk about getting your head out of the clouds. So now I had to get that baby ready to send. I've heard that alot of editors and even agents just tell anyone they meet with at conferences to send them a proposal because it's easier to send a rejection in writing than to say it to a person's face. Well, the agent I met with obviously didn't do that, thankfully. He simply didn't ask me to send him a proposal. The first editor came to me, and the second one seemed legitimately interested.

So I came home from the conference full of glee and really got to work on polishing the proposal. If you're not a writer, or you haven't submitted any of your writing yet, a proposal is basically a sample of your writing that you send an editor or agent to see if they want to read your full manuscript. It usually consists of the first three chapters of your book and a 3 to 5 page synopsis, where you tell all the major points of the story so they get an idea of your plot. If they like what they see in the proposal, then they'll ask to see the whole thing. And if they like the whole thing...well, hopefully it'll lead to them offering you a contract and then the best part, publishing that baby. It might not seem like a big deal. After all, the first three chapters were already written, right?? Y-yeah. That's right. That proposal has to really shine. I mean, really. So it'll stand out from all the other proposals these guys are getting every day. I went over my proposal until the story was coming out of my ears and I could barely stand to read another single word of it. But I got it done, and in early November I sent it off to both of the editors who requested to see it.

The End.

Ha! I hope not. But that's all the news I have so far. :) These things take a long time. I know that, and I'm trying to be patient. Well, there's nothing else I can do. lol. So now I sit and wait. And wait. And wait and wait and wait. And wait some more. But some day I'll get an answer, and I'm hoping that answer will be in 2008. And I'm hoping that answer will be a yes! Well, duh. Of course I hope for a yes. But if a no comes along, I'm still honored to have been asked by these two editors to see my work. I'm confident that I did my best. That's all I can do, and the rest is in God's hands.

So that's my little saga, and where I stand in my publishing journey. :) Sorry for the long post. But have you really known me to write anything other than long posts??? **grin**

Oh, and if you're a writer, check out the new link I added to my list of blogs. "My Book Therapy" is by prolific Christian author, Susan Warren. She's got great tips if you want to get your writing life organized. (Yes, Judy, I actually said [wrote] that word!)

What I Want for the New Year

Actually, I don't want alot. But I know already that we're going to see alot of change coming our way. You'd think my family would be used to change, and in a way I guess we are. But being used to it doesn't mean you like it. And I'm ready for a change in the changes. In other words, I'm ready to settle down and grow some roots. We've been here and there for the past 17 years. I met and married my husband in the Washington, DC area. Moved to Dallas, Texas, a year later and spent 5 years there. My two daughters were born there. Then we moved to Wake Forest, North Carolina where DH pursued his master's degree. We spent 3 wonderful years there, and they were just too short. I've always wanted to get back there, but so far, God has had other plans. From there, we moved to Brazil for the next 7+ years. That might seem like a good chunk of time to stay in one place, and it was. But the "where to next?" cloud was always hanging over our heads. DH and I joke around that somewhere in our ancestry there must be gypsies, because we can't seem to stay put in one place for very long. After Brazil, we moved back to the US, to the Midwest. A first for us in that area, and I've come to love it. Yes, even with the sub-zero winter temperatures and lots of snow. (I'm loving the snow! Check out the picture at the bottom of the blog. I took it myself, and I'm very proud of it. lol) But in August our "lease" on the Midwest will be over. That will be two years spent here. My previously homeschooled kids started school here this year, and despite some glitches getting started, they've come to love their schools. Made friends. Started to put down some roots, I guess you could say. And it looks like we're going to have to rip up those roots again and move...but only God knows to where at this point. In a way, it's kind of adventurous to be able to pick just about any place to go to next. But I'm ready to be a little more permanent. Guess that's my age starting to show. :) So I'm hoping 2008 will bring me some semblance of "stability". Not that I believe in that word, not really, not in the society we live in, but you know what I mean. I want to at least have that illusion of stability. lol. Is that too much to ask?

The other thing I hope for is a book contract. Ah...yes, that's the biggie. And one I have no control over, so I leave it completely in God's very big, very capable hands. I'll tell y'all more about that in my next post. Now...no whining. I've got to keep SOMETHING on the menu for tomorrow. Remember, I've RESOLVED to be a better blogger this year. I need to have material to be able to keep writing. :)

Leave me a comment, and let me know what you're hoping for in this brand spaking new year of 2008. Maybe we can even pray together for our hopes and dreams.

Happy New Year, and Resolutions

Happy New Year! I made a resolution to start being more faithful to my blog. Yesterday didn't count, because it was still a holiday and the family was all at home. (Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Excuses, excuses!) But today I start fresh, and hope I can at least keep THIS resolution.

So I'm going to start by saying, don't pay any attention to my last post. The one where there's a commercial for Simpleology. I had to post that so I could get to the "free course" on blogging. Well, I did what I was supposed to do and I got sent to a page that was another commercial for the Simpleology group. Fine, no problem, I understand they need to market their goods. But when I went to a new page that said I had to sign up for something that I could try for 30 days free, well, I got nervous. I'll admit, I didn't go any farther than that, so I don't know if a credit card was actually involved. But I don't trust these "try it for free or get your money back" deals. It's often a run around to get your money back, so I don't even go there. Needless to say, I never did find/get to the free tips on blogging. I hope no one else had this experience because of me. If you did, I apologize.

Now, I'm not saying that those people are frauds. I don't know anything about them. I'm just saying that I didn't give them my trust based on my own past experiences, and because of that, I didn't even get to the article on blogging. But I'm going to take a chance on myself, and trust that I'll be able to do this on my own. :) So if you're reading this, take a moment and leave me a comment. A simple "I read it!" will suffice for now. lol. I just need that little encouragement so I know someone is actually reading my words.

Ok, enough wining. Tomorrow life goes back to "normal". (Translation: Kids go back to school.) So maybe tomorrow I'll have something really good to say.

Happy New Year, and may you be highly blessed by God as 2008 progresses. That's my prayer for all my friends (if you read my blog, that means you), and for myself as well.