Part 1 – Rhode Island

Let me extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to my fellow critters and to Karen, who looked after me wonderfully through my 18 day trip.
I loved every minute of it.
Even those minutes where I blew my nose, swallowed Benadryl and DayQuil, and sneezed my head off.
Apparently I gave it to everyone I met, so at least I left… something.

The trip started on a damp, cold October morning.
The 29th had me crawl out of bed at 5am, and on the road by 6am, to make my flight from London Heathrow to Boston.
Lucky I got there early, the check-in line was endless!
Uneventful flight, edible food, nice crew. Thanks AA, it was a pleasure, but damn… that approach to Logan was scary.

I get to Boston (omg, I thought we'll land in the water!), and after the immigration mayhem (I think I filled out that green sheet 5 times, at least it felt that way.) I trundle through the Baggage claim and got my suitcase (they didn't lose it!!) and headed to arrivals… realizing I have no idea what Cyn looks like.
Well, duh.
So I look around and there is this nice lady sitting on a bench, holding up a sign with "NEPH KEEPER" on it lol.
I kinda sorta felt that was me – so this blond lady had to be Cyn. She didn't know what I looked like either.
We said hi and all, and hurtled ourselves out of Boston toward Rhode Island — with me sneezing every 2 minutes.
I'd started to sneeze about 5 minutes after landing, so I figured it is pollution related. Off we pulled somewhere on the way so I could get some Benadryl.
So finally we get to Cyn's house and I have to admit, I was pretty zonked. I don't remember much of the afternoon to be fair lol. Carted my luggage downstairs, where Billy had vacated his "Man Room" for my stay. Picked up the hire car.
However, I do remember Cyn's face when I handed her some very nice slippers with heating pads lol. I'm just glad they fit!
Hope you get lots of warmth out of them, Cyn.
In the evening, we went to Marchetti's in Cranston, RI, and I ordered the Tortellini.
(Check out the menu!)
It was the biggest plate of Tortellini I have EVER seen lol! I think Billy, Cyn's husband, is still laughing about my shocked face.
I can heartily recommend the restaurant, if you're looking for first class Italian food in Rhode Island. Seriously. I know what I'm talking about, I practically spent my childhood in Italy — and the food at this restaurant is well worth the trip.

I woke up at 3 am, and after a quick trip to the bathroom, stretched out on my sofa again, when my bleary eyes settled on… a huge spider. 
I was not amused. I'm terrified of spiders, and this thing was massive. So I sat there, terrified, staring at the beastie. What to do? I could hardly scream the house down at three in the morning, hoping someone will rescue me from this monster. I waited for it to move. It was right next to the sofa and there was no way I would sleep with this beast roaming the unfamiliar room.
Ergo, it had to be trapped somehow. I spotted a little woven basket, edged my way over to it, grabbed the thing and tossed it over the top of the offending insect.
A breath of relief, I waited to see if the spider would run off with the basket. (Hey, I said it was big, and it was 3am, I wasn't exactly lucid. At that time, spiders can run off with loads weighing easily 100 times their own weight.)
Finally it was just too late and I was too tired, and I fell asleep again.
At about 7am I crawled off my sofa and headed upstairs (Not staying in a room with a spider in it, thank you very much.) reporting the spider trapping, hoping one of the kids or Cyn will squish the blighter.
Faces scrunched up. They all looked at me as if I'd just reported an elephant in the basement. Finally they laugh.
Well.
It turns out yes, there was a spider. I didn't imagine that part.
A PLASTIC spider.
Man… I'm never gonna live down trapping plastic spiders at three in the morning lol.

Later I was faced with a muffin the size of a cake for breakfast. It was… huge. Big pot of coffee, while Cyn sips on PG Tips tea heheeh. I got everyone converted to tea with milk.
Then we were off to Plymouth, MA. It was an interesting day, beautiful weather, too.
Cyn took me to Plimouth Plantation, which is a recreation of a Pilgrim village.
The actors were great, staying in character the entire time, trying to recruit Cyn's entire family "We could do with more families." and me "Oooh… single? We could use some more women here, we have a lot of fellers who could use a wife and–"
*Blink* Maybe I should have told him I've been living in sin with the same man for the past 25 years, before he got his hopes up lol.
Brady had a whale of a time, and so did we.
Afterward we decided to have some lunch, and — since I'd tried to distract Brady by saying "But Brady! I thought you were going to show me the beach!" — were out looking for the beach. Easier said than done, since the Brady-GPS was clearly broken. No matter which road we took, he would invariably point somewhere and yell "Beach!" Cars don't go through buildings, and you have to go in a certain direction when on a one-way street… which isn't a concept a 2 1/2 year old has any grasp of.
You guessed it. We got lost. LOL.
Eventually we found the harbor, and the Mayflower II.
Plymouth is beautiful, I have to say.
We headed down there and looked at Plymouth Rock, where the settlers apparently first set foot on US shores, but alas… it was in a cage. Met some funky pirate– pardon, privateers. All in all, it was fun, and for me it was great to see all the scenery and stuff. We came across a beautiful church somewhere on our way down to the harbor, too. It was a case of "Stop the car!!!" and me jumping out, running across the road to take pictures hehe.
It had to be done.  

Then, of course… it was Halloween!
And I'm struggling to remember what we did during the day lol. Figures.
We went to see Cyn's parents after dropping Thomas off at school. (Which was kinda fun for me, since I've never seen the inside of an American school…)
But Halloween was a blast. Halloween was… magic. I was going out there accompanied by Curious George and The Angel of Doom. Thomas was a bit grumpy at times, keeping with the Angel of Doom scenario.
The weather was fantastic, warm, with a light wind and a full moon above. Everyone and their dog was out having a great time — and so was I.
I took pictures of pumpkins and kids (and some adults) in their costumes, had the merits of "100 Grand" explained to me (Yummy stuff! Thomas shared some of his candy with me. Thanks pal!)
In fact, the kids were great, all of them. It took some getting used to, since I'm really not a kid person and have zero maternal instincts, but all in all, I really enjoyed having them around.
We shared some homemade wine after we got back and de-leafed Thomas's costume lol.

The next day, we went out early to go horse riding. It was slightly miserable and damp, but the horses and the people at the stables (barn) made up for that.
Great stuff and I really enjoyed being back in a western saddle. Being back on a horse, period!
Once we got back and dismounted, finished the rest of our coffee, we headed home. Cyn wanted me to see a Victorian Mansion nearby, so we headed there.
As we stand outside Clouds Hill, a man comes out and we got talking. And ended up being shown around this fantastic house.
I recommend visiting, it's a lovely place and the volunteers are very knowledgable. (And entertaining!)
So after that, being late as all hell, we get back.
Then, late afternoon, it was time for my lesson in NFL rules. Billy is a New England Patriots fan, but they weren't playing that day.

I got to throw a football, and we went to the bar to watch the Greenbay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings. Well now. That was interesting, and even more so when you have a bar full of guys you can ask "What did he just do?".
The only problem was… my glass of beer never got empty. Ever. Eek. By 7pm, when Cyn came to pick me up to go see the Pumpkin show at umm… some zoo, I was well and truly slaughtered lol. God, I was seriously sozzled. No amount of coffee worked — other than me needing to head for the bathroom every 5 minutes lol. Damn it was bad.
Cyn was in charge of taking photos, because frankly, if I'd took them… we'd have had an orange blur on every image.
Even so, the pumpkins were stunning. Totally amazing. I just wish I'd have been a little more sober lol.

The next day it was time to head to Long Island, to see Debora and her family. Cyn took me down to Connetticut (after lending me a diaper bag lol. I could hardly show up with the big ole suitcase!) and dropped me at the ferry (when we finally found it! And the cops we asked were no help either!) and I suddenly realized… the battery in my camera was dead. :/
Oh well. No piccies of the ferry port in CT, or my arrival at Ocean Point. The image is actually from when I left again.
I had woken up in the morning with a throat ache, but didn't think much of it.

Well, by the time I got to Long Island, I had a stinking, rotten cold. It was a wet day, and cold too. But alas… I got there. And didn't see anyone who might be Debora.
Yup. You've guessed it.
Once again I had no idea what the person I was meeting actually looked like. (I'm getting really good at this!) I didn't have to wait long though.
So once the hugs and hellos were out of the way… on the road we were. Talking, laughing and more talking. We looked for a place to eat and could we find one?
Well. We did, finally, after a stop at the bank, and a pharmacy to get me some throat lozenges and cold meds. Now… what Deb didn't realize… there were some shenanigans going on behind her back. So we were finally sitting down to eat, and I slid a bunch of dollar bills across to her. "That's from your critters."
Deb stares at me as if I'd lost my mind. I explained that we'd all chipped in and that's the result. (She had some awful car troubles previously) Now, the silly woman wasn't going to take it, and I wasn't going to take it back. Stalemate.
She took it, eventually, after I told her I had no idea who to return it to, so she'd have to take it. End of debate.
HA!
Shortly after a lovely lunch we were on the road again. Long Island is very pretty, indeed. Tons of Vineyards everywhere. Unfortunately I was wrestling a serious cold by then, my throat was trying to kill me, throat lozenges or not. Well, we got to Deb's house, which — according to her — is a miracle, because allegedly she keeps getting lost. There we were met by Alyssa and Paul, her husband.
I've had a ton of fun, got introduced to Reese's Peanut Cups (Or is that Chocolate cups??? LOL) and ended up with a ton of them in my bag, thanks to Deb's sons. (Thanks guys! I had chocolate/peanut overload!) This was after a great dinner cooked by Paul, who was a real sweetie and just left Deb and me to our own devices — probably knowing we'll talk writing until everyone's ears fall off.
Josh showed me his Eve Online, which looks darn impressive, I'm gonna have to try it. (I haven't had a chance yet.) And I have to say, Josh draws really well. He drew a bomber while we sat at the dining room table, and it was darn impressive.
Alyssa, the sweetheart, gave up her room for me and I had a great night's sleep — which I probably needed, thanks to the rotten cold I had. In the morning we had a nice breakfast, took Josh to College.
Paul escaped my camera though! Grr!
 
Too soon it was time to leave, but not after trying to track down some fountain pens — which proved futile. (There's a little something winging its way to you guys. )
Alas… I was sad to leave, but I had a ferry to catch. This time my camera wasn't out of batteries, so I took a lot of pictures from the ferry — especially of the Blood Moon over Ocean Point! Spectacular!
My sneezing and runny nose weren't as spectacular, let me tell you. Thank God Deb handed me a box of tissues to take with me, lol!
Back in Connetticut, Cyn picked me up and we went back to her house, for the last hurray. I was off the next day, back to Boston, to catch a flight to Atlanta, and then to Huntsville.
Morning came too soon, and we headed to Boston in the rental car, which had served us brilliantly. What didn't go so smoothly was the traffic…
We got stuck in a traffic jam, which wouldn't have been so bad, but oh my God, I needed a bathroom! Badly!
I think I gave Cyn a few giggles on the way lol. I was practically wrapping my legs around my ears, trying to stay sane.
We made it, with minutes to spare. I dashed off, took care of umm… yeah, and rushed back to get my luggage.
I left the tissues with Cyn… because… her nose was running. My last parting gift was… a rotten cold. Oops.
Lots and LOTS of hugs later, I'm in the terminal… ready to embark on the next stage of the grand adventure: Huntsville, Alabama!

Okay, time I posted this!

(Are you tired yet?)

Many years ago, I heard a poem. I didn’t know who it was by, I couldn’t remember the words.

I just loved it when I heard it and I couldn’t forget it.

I occasionally looked for it.

And then, doing some scouting for cemetaries to visit, I ran across Wapley, Gloucestershire.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this:

It is almost the full wording of the poem I heard, on a gravestone at the churchyard there.

The words are by Mary Elizabeth Frye.

This is the full version:

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,

I am the softly falling snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,

I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,

I am in the graceful rush

Of beautiful birds in circling flight,

I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,

I am in a quiet room.

I am in the birds that sing,

I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there. I do not die.

I think you’ll agree, it’s beautiful and incredibly moving.

And Rachel, if you happen to read this — I thought of you when I posted the poem.
I’m sure your Granddad would tell you exactly what this poem does.
It reminds us that no matter who we lose, as long as we are alive and keep them in our heart, they are with us, in every little thing we do, see, feel, experience.

I was chatting with a friend about descriptions, and something she said stuck with me.

"Work around it."

I thought that was pretty good advice.
She’s right, of course.
I use clichés far too much. It’s an easy mistake to make, and one that can be just as easily fixed — if you notice you used a cliché. Most of the time I don’t.
However, often I just get stuck at how to put the words so they’ll lead to something natural sounding, without boring the reader.
Something to lead the readers imagination, rather than stifle it.
Try giving your characters an edge by the way you describe them. Give them something memorable.
Easier said than done.

I took a sentence from my current WIP, which attempts to convey the sound of the hero’s voice to the reader.

His low voice sent shivers down her spine.

Not too bad, but nothing outstanding. Nothing that makes the reader remember it. And I end it with a cliché, of all things.
I stared at this sentence for hours.
How to make it better, how to get rid of the cliché?
How to turn it into something that gives the reader an idea why my heroine is so affected by his voice? Her first impression of him is shaped by the sound of his voice. She hasn’t seen him yet, so it needs to be powerful. The sentence above doesn’t cut it. At all.

This is the sentence after I thought to give it a bit of pop.

The man’s low voice had a cadence all of its own. He didn’t need to speak loudly, or yell. The resonance of his voice commanded attention, even though he spoke quietly. The sound of it promised dark things, whispered of tangled sheets and decadent pleasure.
A shiver made the hair on Felicia’s arms rise with expectation.

Although he still has a low voice, now we have a bit of an inkling that the guy has an unusual voice. A sexy voice. One that makes the heroine sit up and take note. And squirm.

Try it for yourself some time. Take an ordinary short, boring sentence, and add some snap, crackle and uh… fizz.
Work around it, basically.

Here is the link, for those who have not registered yet:

MUSE ONLINE CONFERENCE 2009
Last Registration Day: 01 August 2009

I would suggest to register before then. The conference is FREE and there is a ton going on.

Check it out here: 2009 Workshops
 

Wordles are… images made with words.
A.K.A. A great way to procrastinate.

So I made one. Or two. Or uh… yeah. Never mind.

Click to see the big version

Okay, it had to be done.

I giggled.

A lot.

Enjoy!

I never said I was normal.
I don’t know why, but all the stuff I used to do as a kid seems to make an appearance lately.
Like writing letters.
Like keeping a diary. (ish. I don’t journal every day.)
Like cutting stuff out of newspapers. (Scrapbooking? Is that what it’s called?)
And now… I seem to enjoy lobbing the head off a flower to squish it flat between a stack of books.
Granted, this does add a nice touch to a handwritten letter, if you stick one of those poor, mutilated flowerheads on the letter with a bit of glue.
A bit of British Spring, heading to wherever the letter is going.

Why am I even talking about this?
Because it’s a dimension. It’s one of those little things that makes me different from you, just like you enjoy hobbies I might not even think about, which in turn makes you different from me.
Your characters need those dimensions. The odd little quirk that can be supremely irritating, or endearing. (Trust me, collecting your toe nail clippings in a jar is not endearing. It’s just weird. )

Look around you. Notice the things you like about a person, and also the habits that irritate the hell out of you. Use them.

Imagine a heroine who likes to keep her toothpaste in the cup on the sink. Now have the hero move in, who doesn’t realize and who keeps putting the toothpaste (leaving it open, no less) beside the cup, every day. Eventually your heroine will flip. She may not even know what irritates her about the hero, and the blowup may have nothing to do with the toothpaste, but it’s a contributing factor.
Now, eventually, in such a fight, have her throw the toothpaste at his head and demand he put it in the cup in future. 
Picture our hero, who is completely flummoxed that the entire fight was apparently about toothpaste…

It’s all about dimensions.
 

I’ve added some more word lists to the Toolbox above.

Doors

Emotions

Hope they are of some use!

The synopsis is done.

I’ve whittled it down to two pages, and the girls all said it’s good.
Query stage is imminent…!

I can’t say it has been a pleasant experience, but I finally am at the stage where it can go out.
And not a moment too soon.
Do other writers feel the way I do? Do they get sick of the story they love, because of the synopsis?

So the other day I’m working on a story… I’m 2500 words in and… get butter fingers. (I blame the claws I’m growing, but that’s another story.)

Instead of hitting "YES! OMG! SAVE IT! YES!!", I hit "Cancel", thinking I’ve told it to close by accident. Usually "Cancel" keeps the document open and well…

It didn’t.

It logged me out.

[Insert horrific scream]

I lost all of it, because I’m an idiot. I hadn’t saved any of it.

Word does not have an "Autosave" option — at least not the way most people think. It’ll autosave all right — in case the app crashes. Not to save your work if you accidentally close the darn thing.

That kinda annoyed me, because I know this. I know and I did it anyway.

Argh.

So if you are a dunce like me, do yourself a favor and head to Graham Mayor’s website. Not only is he on the MVP Team at Microsoft and has a lot of useful info on his site, he also has a download for a Word Save Reminder.
Check out his downloads page for other goodies, too. There’s a lot of handy stuff there. (And if it saves you from going bald… consider making a donation. I’m sure he’ll appreciate it!)

Seriously. Get the darn thing. Install it and SAVE your stuff.

You can thank me later.