Happy Halloween

 

Happy Halloween. I hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween!

Team Nightmare

 

My daughters and I (and my husband when he is around when we watch) love Dancing with the Stars. This past Monday they had an amazing Halloween episode. They had individual dances along with team dances. This is Team Nightmare. Enjoy - it is Epic!

Picking a topic

NaNoWriMo begins in three days and I have yet to decide on a topic. I though I had and even set up my novel page with the title. That is all I have though because I am a definite 'pantser' when it comes to doing NaNoWriMo. I have an idea and a few details in my head but no formal outline or pages of notes or index cards pinned to my bulletin board. I don't even have Post-It notes with anything scribbled down on them on my desk. This will all change as of November first, of course, when the fun and craziness that is NaNoWriMo officially begins.

For now, I have three ideas that I can't seem to make up my mind about. I like all of them. My original idea has been percolating in my brain for a while now. It is the next story in my small town series. I also have an idea to write an inter-connected series of short stories. Then this morning I saw the latest story starter on A Daily Rhythm and now I have one more idea. The prompt is:

They met too soon.

How cool is that? I immediately had a great idea for that prompt. The thing is, now I have a third idea for November and I don't know which one to go with. I suppose, being the pantser that I am, I will see what I am feeling inspired to write as the clock turns over from Halloween to November fist and the writing fun and madness that is the next month.

What about you? Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year? Are you a 'pantser' or a 'plotter'? Please share with me.

Wordless Wednesday: Autumn colors in Boston

Teaser Tuesdays: Friction By Sandra Brown (2)

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read

- Open to a random page

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser.

My teaser this week is from page 187 of Friction by Sandra Brown:

He couldn't pinpoint what bothered him, but something was off, possibly the man's arrogance. Most people entering any law enforcement agency did so with a degree of self-consciousness.

Musing Mondays: Horror (or lack thereof) books and movies

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme put on at A Daily Rhythm that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

• I’m currently reading…
• Up next I think I’ll read…
• I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
• I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
• I can’t wait to get a copy of…
• I wish I could read ___, but…
• I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you read any horror, or something scary, in honor of Halloween? Why, or why not?

I don't read horror books. They get in my head and stay there. I will have nightmares about horror books and movies long after I have read the book or watched the movie. However, I don't mind suspense or even ghost stories that are more along the lines of mysteries than horror. I do read those sorts of books and watch that kind of movie around Halloween.

The book my kids and I look forward to most at Halloween is called Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson. Here is a description of the book from Good Reads:

The witch and her cat are happily flying through the sky on a broomstick when the wind picks up and blows away the witch's hat, then her bow, and then her wand!  Luckily, three helpful animals find the missing items, and all they want in return is a ride on the broom.  But is there room on the broom for so many friends?  And when disaster strikes, will they be able to save the witch from a hungry dragon?

My kids are what is called 'tweens now but they still love this book. They pull it out every year at Halloween and ask me to read it. They still love the voices I give all of the characters. They have even begun to read it and give their own voices to the characters. It is wonderful! I can definitely see them reading this book to their future children.

The Halloween movie we like best is Hocus Pocus. As a matter of fact, we will be watching it together on Friday evening. Do you have Halloween favorites in your family?

Autumn Themed Coasters

National Novel Writing Month

National Novel Writing Month or NaNoWriMo as it is commonly known is fast approaching. It runs from November 1st through November 30th. The goal during the month is to write a 50,000 word first draft of a novel. It is so much fun and something I look forward to all year long! I know, I know, it sounds kind of crazy but honestly it is so liberating! There is something about knowing there is a word goal and a finite amount of time to get there that helps to turn off the inner critic and just write.

Write. Sit down and just write.

If you are an author (published or still working toward being published) then this is what it is all about - writing. The main goal of NaNoWriMo is to get people, young and old, writing. Turn off your inner critic, that annoying naysayer in your head, tune out the distractions and pound out your 1,667 words per day. Then, at the end of November you will have a first draft to a novel. Of course it may very well end up being longer than 50,000 words and that is perfectly acceptable. The point is to challenge yourself to write that first draft of your book.

I've been participating in NaNoWriMo since 2009 and it is amazing. The first couple of years I didn't love what I wrote but was happy with my accomplishment. Since then I have become a progressively better writer and I am happy about that. My book from last November is currently in its third revision and has been requested by four publishing houses. So yes, the process takes time but it is so very worth it in the end. Have you ever considered trying NaNoWriMo? Maybe this is your year to do it!

Teaser Tuesdays: Friction by Sandra Brown

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read

- Open to a random page

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser.

My teaser this week is from page 17 of Friction by Sandra Brown:

The door at the back of the courtroom burst open and a figure straight out of a horror movie ran up the center aisle, handgun extended. The first bullet struck the wall behind the witness box, splitting the distance between Crawford and Judge Spencer.

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon - Mid-Event Survey

I can't believe the readathon is already half over. Here is the mid-event survey:

1. What are you reading right now? I've just finished (and LOVED!) J.D. Robb's Devoted in Death. I'm going to start Sandra Brown's Friction right after dinner. Perhaps I'll even start it during dinner if my kids feel like continuing to read their books, as well. Otherwise, it'll be after dinner.
2. How many books have you read so far? Just the one but I'm perfectly all right with that. It's about the enjoyment of the event and the books I read - not how many books I get done.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I'm looking forward to Friction. I also have Wonderment in Death on my Nook for later that I am quite excited to get in to.
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? Interruptions? LOL! I'm a mom - of course I've had interruptions, a LOT of them. They don't bother me, though. My kids come first and I don't really consider their needs interruptions so much as a part of everyday life.
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?

Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon

Today is the day for the Autumn edition of Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon. I'm late getting this post up but have been reading off and on for a couple of hours now. Even though I tried to plan the day to be available for reading and books - there are school projects that both of my kids must complete. That's all right though - we will all still be reading at various points throughout the day and night.

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Southern California

 2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I'm really looking forward to finishing Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb. Then I'm going to start Friction by Sandra Brown. I've been on the library waiting list for this one and as luck would have it the book became available two days ago. yay!

 3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I'm most looking forward to the dinner my kids and I made together - Chili in out Crockpot.

 4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I'm a wife, a mom, an avid book lover and reader all my life, a writer and a music lover.

 5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
I always enjoy the read-a-thon and participate without stress or expectation. The thing I love most is being able to do this with my kids and share our mutual love of reading.

Inspirational Quotes

I love things that inspire - whether that is people, quotes, art of some sort. I find inspiration in the every day. I don't usually post quotes, though. However, I have seen two today that are so appropriate and timely that I feel compelled to share them.

Here's the first one:

3 Tips for Today:

1. Be passionate about something bigger than yourself. It inspires growth.
2. Be proactive about your dreams. Stop waiting, get started.
3. Be patient with people. Give the love you wish to receive.

Here's the other one:

Ask yourself if what you're doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.

I got both of these from the yoga inspiration page from Instagram. They both spoke so loudly to be this morning.

Teaser Tuesdays: Devoted in Death by J.D. Robb

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read

- Open to a random page

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser.

My teaser this week is from page 117 J.D. Robb's Devoted in Death:

"I just got back from leave. My people need me around, as much as I can manage. And Trueheart takes his detective's exam tomorrow. Baxter's a wreck over it."

Lovely Wedding

One of my best friend's got married to her longtime love today. Lisa and I have been girlfriends for nearly 25 years. It's amazing to think about that! Today, as she and her now-husband shared their vows I was reminded of how amazing and what a gift life really is. They had an outdoor wedding at a gorgeous nature preserve surrounded by family and friends. I looked around and saw a group of women I've been friends with since we were all young - some of us still in high school and others just beginning college. We've been through so many things together - amazing and sometimes difficult things - and we all always have one another.

A lot of pictures were being taken. Of course, it was a wedding and reception and celebration! Near the end we got a group shot of all 'us girls'. Then, when that was done, most of our children ran in and we had to get pictures of with them, as well. It made me think about how our relationships are now encompassing a new generation. It made me weepy but in a really good, positive, joyous way.

So to Lisa and David I say: Congratulations! I hope you have many beautiful and blessed years together! Thank you for including my family in your day! And to Lisa specifically I say: I love you! Thank you for always being such an incredible friend and like a sister to me. I can't wait to see what we - and all of our kids - do next!

 

Beautiful centerpiece at the reception!

Teaser Tuesdays: Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts

Teaser Tuesday's is hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm. To play along, just do the following:

- Grab your current read

- Open to a random page

- Share two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like your teaser.

My teaser this week is from Dance of the Gods by Nora Roberts:

What was between them was illusion anyway. Something framed in fantasy, as transient as innocence.