Yes! Packing now for this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Allstate 400. We'll catch the truck and Busch races at the O'Reilly track beforehand, but I'm really looking forward to our first forway to Indy.
I'm starting a new project with a friend, centered on a group of four women who all crew together - as in, go rowing in their shells - in Virginia Beach. Aged from 50 to 85, they have messy lives, crazy relatives, and a mystery to solve when the 85 year old's boy toy, aged 75, shows up as a floater. We're having such fun with it - I write the angst and murder, and my partner, Kat Jorgensen, writes the humor. We feel we know these women so well, they'll be good for a long series of books. We hope!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Monday, July 16, 2007
Dog Days and other Delights
I wonder why these hot hot days are called the Dog Days of summer? Will have to research that one!
The rewrites of LOLA are going well, and I'm discovering how much I like that book all over again. It's a fun story, filled with quirky people who all try to do the right thing. Good folk. Small town with hearts in the right place. Mouths may run too much and spew out the wrong thing, but it's never meant to be cruel. In other words, it's very Southern, LOL.
I have just discovered the joys of yellow tomatoes. My goodness, what wonderful goodies! Try some if you haven't.
Read REVEALED by Tamera Alexander, which I liked very much except for one tiny bit. I thought the hero's motive for being "on the run" was too weak, but otherwise, she writes one heck on an inspirational western romance. I see it just won the RITA (c) in its category at RWA's National conference last weekend. Well-deserved.
Counting down the hours until the last Harry Potter book drops. Mine is pre-paid and I'm picking it up at 12:01 July 21.
The rewrites of LOLA are going well, and I'm discovering how much I like that book all over again. It's a fun story, filled with quirky people who all try to do the right thing. Good folk. Small town with hearts in the right place. Mouths may run too much and spew out the wrong thing, but it's never meant to be cruel. In other words, it's very Southern, LOL.
I have just discovered the joys of yellow tomatoes. My goodness, what wonderful goodies! Try some if you haven't.
Read REVEALED by Tamera Alexander, which I liked very much except for one tiny bit. I thought the hero's motive for being "on the run" was too weak, but otherwise, she writes one heck on an inspirational western romance. I see it just won the RITA (c) in its category at RWA's National conference last weekend. Well-deserved.
Counting down the hours until the last Harry Potter book drops. Mine is pre-paid and I'm picking it up at 12:01 July 21.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Sorry about giving Sharyn McCrumb's latest a new title - hey, I may use it myself. Hers is titled ONCE AROUND THE TRACK and is published in hardback by Kensington. I loved it! Filled with insider NASCAR stories, like the one about Tim Richmond, um, exposing himself for a fan poster with all the other drivers. I'm not so sure an all-woman pit crew would pull a time under 13 seconds, but I'm willing to believe it in Sharyn's book. Ward Burton must be pleased with the dedication.
It's hot, hot, hot, but I'm not complaining. As long as I keep water on them, my day lilies are doing great, and the geraniums love the weather. My pikake from Hawaii is thriving, as are the hibiscus plants. Heat, humidity, and flowers - what joy!
I decided over a week ago to dump a book I've wrestled with for over a year. It had morphed into "literary," and I hated it. The writing is some of the best I've done, but it felt as if it had grown up to be a serial killer and I needed to be the one to put it down. So I did. Now that the agony is over, I'm back on LOLA, doing its rewrites, and having a lot more fun. Thank heavens. I've never pulled the trigger on a book I've put that much effort into - so I guess I shouldn't complain. And I'm not.
Oh, and there's no title for this posting because Blogspot wouldn't let me. I was going to call it "Book is DOA but Jamie McMurray Isn't" or something like that. Or maybe, Jamie McMurray, you're the MAN for your smooth move Saturday at Daytona.
It's hot, hot, hot, but I'm not complaining. As long as I keep water on them, my day lilies are doing great, and the geraniums love the weather. My pikake from Hawaii is thriving, as are the hibiscus plants. Heat, humidity, and flowers - what joy!
I decided over a week ago to dump a book I've wrestled with for over a year. It had morphed into "literary," and I hated it. The writing is some of the best I've done, but it felt as if it had grown up to be a serial killer and I needed to be the one to put it down. So I did. Now that the agony is over, I'm back on LOLA, doing its rewrites, and having a lot more fun. Thank heavens. I've never pulled the trigger on a book I've put that much effort into - so I guess I shouldn't complain. And I'm not.
Oh, and there's no title for this posting because Blogspot wouldn't let me. I was going to call it "Book is DOA but Jamie McMurray Isn't" or something like that. Or maybe, Jamie McMurray, you're the MAN for your smooth move Saturday at Daytona.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Happy Fourth and Happy Reading
I'm so looking forward to tomorrow. My husband and I have made a pact - no household stuff, just relax. Of course, my idea of heaven is a good book, a tall glass, and an umbrella shielding me from the hot sun. I've been saving books for my mini-vacation, but some of them called to me a tad loudly, and I succumbed to their siren song. Read John Lamb's THE FALSE- HEARTED TEDDY last night - I had to laugh out loud at John's thorough and very precise definition of how to violate the Fourth and Fifth Amendments with an illegal search. The lawyer in me cheered at this mini-legal lesson. It's a good read, and you'll have fun with it.
My youngest recommended BREAKFAST WITH THE ONES YOU LOVE, and I have to admit, the voice is original and intriguing. I'm still trying to figure out what's really going on, which keeps me reading. I'm going to get into Sharyn McCrumb's newest from Kensington, EVERY TWIST IN THE ROAD, tomorrow, and an old Southern novel called PENHALLY. Later, we're going to watch fireworks from a friend's house and eat ice cream. The perfect day, in my estimation.
In the meanwhile, I'm wondering what the Founding Fathers would think of Scooter Libby's commuted sentence. Gee, if you work for George Bush, you're above the law, huh? I don't think Tom Jefferson or Jame Madison would approve.
My youngest recommended BREAKFAST WITH THE ONES YOU LOVE, and I have to admit, the voice is original and intriguing. I'm still trying to figure out what's really going on, which keeps me reading. I'm going to get into Sharyn McCrumb's newest from Kensington, EVERY TWIST IN THE ROAD, tomorrow, and an old Southern novel called PENHALLY. Later, we're going to watch fireworks from a friend's house and eat ice cream. The perfect day, in my estimation.
In the meanwhile, I'm wondering what the Founding Fathers would think of Scooter Libby's commuted sentence. Gee, if you work for George Bush, you're above the law, huh? I don't think Tom Jefferson or Jame Madison would approve.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Been a While!
I've been busy, which is no excuse, but I'm baacckk. Looking forward to a Sharyn McCrumb signing tomorrow. Bought her new NASCAR novel, ONCE AROUND THE TRACK, and can't wait to get into it. Thank goodness writers like Sharyn don't back away from NASCAR because the PTB (Powers that Be) in NYC say NASCAR doesn't sell.
Can't believe it's officially summer. Looks as if the heat and humidity are coming with a vengeance, and it's about darned time. I'm READY for all-out, full-bore summer. The more of it there is, the better. My daylilies are almost bloomed out, but the hibiscus plants are going great guns. And the calla lilies - oh my. All that garden work has paid off this year, yeah!
Still working away on the umpteenth draft of DARKROOM. We've pinned each other to the mat a couple of times, but I think I'm ahead at this moment. We'll see who wins, it or me.
Can't believe it's officially summer. Looks as if the heat and humidity are coming with a vengeance, and it's about darned time. I'm READY for all-out, full-bore summer. The more of it there is, the better. My daylilies are almost bloomed out, but the hibiscus plants are going great guns. And the calla lilies - oh my. All that garden work has paid off this year, yeah!
Still working away on the umpteenth draft of DARKROOM. We've pinned each other to the mat a couple of times, but I think I'm ahead at this moment. We'll see who wins, it or me.
Friday, June 08, 2007
June 8
Heading out to a Mary Buckham workshop tomorrow. A full day of playing with The Hero's Journey - one of the best tools for writers, bar none. Even though I had a semester of Campbell's Myths in college, I never equated the lessons with plotting my own work until I heard The Writer's Journey explained at a workshop in Houston. Some of us take longer than others to connect the dots... Now, I wonder how I wrote all those years without it.
Hot here and getting hotter. The day lilies are looking lovely (I'm a sucker for alliteration), and after a morning spent planting new ones and some calla lilies, I'm feeling like a full day of writing. Nothing like hours in the garden to get the cobwebs out of the brain.
Oh, we have tickets to the race in Indianapolis at the end of July! Yeah! We've never been to that track, so it's going to be a fun time.
Am re-reading Larry McReynold's autobiography. It's been a while, so it reads "new." The stories told by Davey Allison's, Ernie Irvan's, and Dale Earnhardt's former crew chief reads like a novel. Love it. If you like racin', this one should be on your "must read" list.
Hot here and getting hotter. The day lilies are looking lovely (I'm a sucker for alliteration), and after a morning spent planting new ones and some calla lilies, I'm feeling like a full day of writing. Nothing like hours in the garden to get the cobwebs out of the brain.
Oh, we have tickets to the race in Indianapolis at the end of July! Yeah! We've never been to that track, so it's going to be a fun time.
Am re-reading Larry McReynold's autobiography. It's been a while, so it reads "new." The stories told by Davey Allison's, Ernie Irvan's, and Dale Earnhardt's former crew chief reads like a novel. Love it. If you like racin', this one should be on your "must read" list.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Water and the Washer
Oh my - my dear husband has said that, no matter how much he loves me, he's never renting a power washer again. All I wanted was a clean patio and redwood swing. It's no big deal, I said. Unfortunately, he believed me. The power washer, like anything with an engine and adjustable power, lead from one thing to another, and he went to town with his magic wand. Chimney, brick, siding, gutters - it's all been subjected to a Man with a Power Washer in his hands. After two days of pulsing water, we're both exhausted and tired of being soaking wet. So much for a long holiday weekend...
Heading for my college reunion next weekend - I'm too young for this number! It's always fun to see everyone, but I still expect everyone to look eighteen. Someday, I'll realize we aren't. But until then - I'll stick with my story, LOL, that I'm not getting older, I'm getting better.
Oh, and wasn't Casey Mears's win wonderful? He was truly deserving - he drove the better race, and if the "names" all pitted for gas and he didn't, well, they were racing for points and not to win. To heck with that. Go for it, Casey! We spent the Friday leading up o the Charlotte race at Evernham Motorsports Fan Day so our youngest could get a Kasey Kahne autograph on the life-sized poster of him she keeps in her room, and ended up having a ball. Lots of nice people. Charity auction with cool stuff.
Heading for my college reunion next weekend - I'm too young for this number! It's always fun to see everyone, but I still expect everyone to look eighteen. Someday, I'll realize we aren't. But until then - I'll stick with my story, LOL, that I'm not getting older, I'm getting better.
Oh, and wasn't Casey Mears's win wonderful? He was truly deserving - he drove the better race, and if the "names" all pitted for gas and he didn't, well, they were racing for points and not to win. To heck with that. Go for it, Casey! We spent the Friday leading up o the Charlotte race at Evernham Motorsports Fan Day so our youngest could get a Kasey Kahne autograph on the life-sized poster of him she keeps in her room, and ended up having a ball. Lots of nice people. Charity auction with cool stuff.
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