I Won--

this beautiful necklace on Jennifer Lyon's blog!

Jennifer was having a pre-launch party on her blog for three weeks and her book Blood Magic came out yesterday. She took all the commenter's names and tossed them into a sparkly witches' hat and Ninjaface the cat picked ME!

Weeks ago, she posted Silver Enchantments website of this necklace and I spent much of my writing time trolling around the web pages. I WANT so many things on this site, but since I won something, I just might be able to convince hubster that I need a pair of earrings to go with my new necklace. Scroll down to the fantasy stuff and you'll see what I mean. So many goodies, so little money! *sigh* I'm so happy! And today, I'm going to be getting my hair done near the Barnes and Noble, so guess who plans to be early to her appointment! Just enough time to buy more books! Yay!

Oh, and I sort of came up with a plot for my MG novel! Another YAY! I'm writing a chapter a day (short chapters--1500 words). I'd like to finish the story before we go skiing, so I can hit the edits hard when I get back! Then I'll need to find someone who is willing to crit a middle-grade novel!

Any takers?

I hope all the links work. If they don't let me know.

Write on!

Delacorte Yearling contest

I've been racking my brains for a decent plot for the Delacorte Yearling contest I mentioned last Friday. My kiddo is just starting books that would be considered MG (middle grade, ages 8-12) and I'm fairly familiar with the books available. I've read many of them, BUT the contest stipulates 96-160 typewritten pages, 12-point font. Of course, I can manipulate the font to reach the minimum or maximum requirement by simply changing it from courier to Times. And by my rough calculations that runs around 25K-40K words. Not a problem. If I could come up with a story in the next week or two, I could feasibly write this amount by the deadline of June 30, 2009.

The problem arises because . . . I GOT NOTHING by the way of plot!
This is driving me crazy!! Usually, I have too much plot, but now, I can't think of anything! AARRGGHH!! The really good MG stories have the main plot and a subplot or something that can link it into a series.
...and there are A LOT of good series all ready invented! The Magic Tree house books come to mind, though they are far less than the required word count. I need to come up with a story that is either contemporary or historical. They don't specifically say NO FANTASY, but I'm guessing the fantasy had better be a subplot or not at all if you look at the list of previous winners.

I'll take any, and all suggestions for a story plot. Oh, and my daughter says there has to be a sad part near the end (black moment, anyone?) because all chapter books have them. ;-)

Halp!
And Write On!

This and That

I turned on the news this morning and one of my old chapter mates was featured. I don't belong to the chapter any longer, but I try to keep track of people. Peggy Fielding, an 82-year old writer was the single protester outside her post office. It seems the government is closing down the office. Peggy is one of the spunkiest old people that I know. My mom (87) is the other one! And she's a little ticked that they are closing down her P.O. as she lives only 3 blocks away and uses a walker to get there. She has no other method of transportation.

Even in this day of modern technology, writers must depend on good old USPS at times. In fact, I have two queries ready to go to the PO to be mailed. Equeries will only get you so far, sometimes you have to resort to old school.

I just saw a MG contest that you have to mail in your manuscript. I'm surprised with how everyone is trying to go green, that publishing hasn't figured out a way to follow the trend.
But, then again, I still like holding and smelling a fresh new paperback in my hands. Somethings you can't imitate. Now, if the new Kindle came with the artificial smell of books, I might have to look into it!

Speaking of MG (middle grade), I just finished a MG novel, The Fire Within. I had bought it for my daughter, but I pretty much read it yesterday afternoon. She started it, but 8-yo's don't read as quick as 'aged' adults. All I have to say is don't down play MG authors. This story had multiple sub-plots interwoven to a final conclusion. And yes, I will be buying book 2 and 3.

Two days ago, I entered a few RWA contests with my new UF. There were a few things that I verified before sending the monies via PayPal.

1) Fairly generic score sheet--as a judge and contest entrant, I feel I get more bang for my buck when I enter a contest that isn't too detailed. True, the judge might still think my book sucks, but my odds are better with a generic score sheet, instead of losing 10 points because my H/H don't meet in the first 10 pages. Uh, this UF doesn't have a hero.
2) Final judge--I definitely chose these contests because of the final judges. And the judges are all from different Publishing houses.
3) Lowest score dropped--goes without saying. 3 judges, only top 2 are used.
4) Chapter members NOT allowed to enter--I like this one. As much as a contest tries to follow their own rules by not judging their chapter mates, those of us who are outsiders tend to wonder about their honesty. They many be true, but how can we really tell?
5) No synopsis--Yes, I know you need a synopsis to sell on proposal, but many times I don't have a synopsis figured out until I hit 1/3 of the way through the book.
6) Fresh eyes--Many times I enter a contest just to see if I'm on the right track. My CP's have heard about my story, ad nauseum, and they may not be the best judge at this point--I want a fresh opinion.

Well, I think that's enough lagniappe for the day.
I still have almost 5,000 words to write (like THAT's gonna happen!) and a couple of hours on the Wii Fit.

Write on!

Mario Kart isn't for the weak

I've gone on and on before about how much I love my Wii player for my Wii Fit. I still love it! I'm still doing yoga, strength training, balance and the aerobic daily, except weekends. But now I must confess that I also play games on it.

--and this is detrimental to my writing.

Why? All of these games eat into my writing time, but my hubster and kiddo are blowing me away and I have to try to catch up, don't I?

If you don't have Mario Kart, get it. And get the game wheel--a steering wheel that you put the controller into. Like many other games you have to get good or win some of the races before you open up more characters, more races, more cars, or motorcycles.

I finally managed to get gold medals across 8 cups (4 races each) in the 50 cc for cars. Hubster and kiddo are racing in the 150 cc races and have placed in all, though not all gold--all gold will open another level of racing. Uh, did I mention that there is a whole level of 100cc races that I haven't managed to conquer? Yeah, I'm that far behind. The more you play, the meaner the other computer images get. There's nothing like getting hip checked on Rainbow Road and flying off into space . . . A LOT.

I'm not a game player, never got into PacMan when it came out or any of the others. It wasn't until I met my hubster that I actually started playing video games. Digg Dugg comes to mind.
And like an idiot, I play with full body movement. Moving the controller to the left or right doesn't make them go that way, the little arrows on the controller do.

Yeah, I don't play much. And when I do, my thumbs hurt (arthritis) and my shoulders tense up. I need a massage after each session. Relaxing it is not. But fun.

I wonder if they'll come up with some sort of ergonomic type of controller for those of us with thumb issues. And my thumb problems have arisen from 20+ years of horseback riding, not video games.

Getting old sucks, doesn't it? What do you do to keep yourself in the know and young?

Write on!

Time to Whack off--

those ornamental grasses and roses.


. . . caught you, didn't I? Get your mind out of the gutter, people!

In the part of Oklahoma that I live in we technically reside in zone 6. I say technically because we have been 7 degrees warmer than average for February. The last week of January gave us an ice storm that kept the kiddos out of school for three days, but then by the first weekend of February we were sitting in the 70's!


Tulsa also has a very active bird watching club that takes statistics of wintering birds over the Christmas break--many of the 'normal' populations are now migrating hundreds of miles to the north. Which means we are losing our winter birds, but gaining new ones that used to stay to the south. I haven't decided if this is good or bad yet.


We are warming up quicker this year than ever before. I'm also concerned about the possible tornado season as I've noticed a tendency of their forming to the north of the traditional tornado alley. And yes, Oklahoma did have Feb. tornadoes this year. Be careful and be prepared.


Now is the time to clean up the winter debris in the garden. For my garden, it means tackling the 37 rose bushes that I have. Luckily, most of them are minis. They're small, but tough--I feel an affinity to these little scrappers. My Gourmet Popcorn, normally a very laid back plant with only a few thorns, jabbed a thorn 1/3 of an inch into my finger! OUCH! After removing it with tweezers and letting it bleed profusely, I resorted to wearing gloves.


--I don't like gloves. I like to get my fingers in the dirt. Gloves don't protect you from everything--oh, no, I still managed to get jabbed through the thick leather! And, of course, I was wearing shorts and a short sleeved shirt, so I have proof of my outside activity in the form of numerous scratches on my arms and legs. Yes, I kept my eyes on the punctures and looked for the tale-tell sign of red lines (sporotrichosis). See, college Mycology is paying off!


Now, I didn't have to cut back some of my minis. I'll have to replace at least 4-5 of them since Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail have grazed on my babies. I have no idea why the wild rabbits like eating my roses, but they do. They are also chow-lining my crocuses, iris, phlox, and anything else that is currently greening up. Little bastards.


I'd love to take my BB gun and shoot them, but my gun looks like a real handgun and I live behind a school. Someday I'll tell you my Great Blue Heron story. But until the rabbits go bother someone else's garden, I'll just send the dog out to pester them.


No, she doesn't hurt them. Katie is an Old English Sheepdog and can't see squat--even with her bangs trimmed! And she definitely can't corner as well as the rabbits! So she just scares them back under the porch and I feel a little vindicated.


So, with the exception of putting down fertilizer and fluffing and adding to the mulch, I think we are ready for spring. Though hubster is planning a new gardening project--he thinks I'm going to help. *snort* After 16 years of marriage you would think he'd learn that I DON'T DIG. I find the plants, take care of the plants, get him gatorade/beer/Mike's hard lemonade, offer support by watching him work, but digging is out!

When I'm at my writing desk, I look out on a fairly barren yard. In less than a month, everything will be greening up and some of my early flowers will be going to town, but I know how gorgeous it will look in a month or so. Do you like to garden, or just appreciate other people's gardens?


Write on!

Believable Romantic Resolution

Tami Cowden & Margaret Golla, photo taken by Susan Shay, http://www.susanshay.net/


My epiphany happened roughly at 4:27 PM, 2/14/09 at the very end of Tami Cowden's presentation of the Hero & Heroine Archetypes, including villains.

During the AM session, she hit all the archetypes M & F & V (male, female, villain) and their various attributes. It was interesting to note that many of the villains were simply the dark side of the archetype they represented and had the same characteristics of the 'good' side.
What makes a villain would be a whole other blog, but it was eye opening to say the least.

In the afternoon, she talked about how to put the personality of the character on the page (fodder for another blog) and believable Romantic Resolution. Over the years I tried to write romances, and this was the one thing I never understood. Various people had described it to me as what is the internal conflict that keeps them apart.

I couldn't seem to get it.

It wasn't until Tami pointed out that the H/H archetypes could clash, but when they softened they could be the best counter traits to their partner. It was the clashing of personalities/characterization that provided the internal conflict. *ding, ding, ding* For me, this was the light bulb moment. Yeah, that often cliched line, "You complete me." is actually true.

I know some of you will be thinking, "Well yeah, Margaret, you doof!", but it took Tami Cowden and her archetypes to explain it in a way for me to 'get it'.

What was your most recent light bulb moment?
Write On!

Best Valentine's Day EVER!

Wow, I had the best day ever!

Epiphany about writing came late in the day at approximately 4:27 PM 2/14/09, but that blog will have to wait until tomorrow.

Yesterday was wonderful!

I saw old writing friends--not that they're old old . . . but old friends as in I haven't seen them in a few months--at Tami Cowden's workshop on the Hero/Heroine Archetypes. I got home at about 5:30 and was greeted at the door, by my loving family: the sheepdog who had been bathed and brushed and smelled sweet, the child who had been bathed and brushed and smelled sweet, and the hubster who was wearing his mother's old "I'd rather be selling Avon" apron standing at the stove with a plethora of pots and pans. My house was clean. The formal dining table was set. Hubster handed me a glass of Lodi Ranch Cabernet that he made last year. YUM! And they had made a "We-(heart)-you, Mom sign out of balloons.

While hubster prepared dinner: Chicken Piccatta with angel hair pasta and Spinach salad with warm balsamic dressing, I played MarioKart. Yep, the child was trying to be supportive, but her screams when Yoshi dived off the track did get a little grating--he dies a LOT in Wario's Gold Mine! My poor arthritic thumbs . . .I wonder if Nintendo will start producing bigger buttons for those of us who remain challenged by technology? We ate the wonderful dinner and hubster cleaned up the dishes while I played a little longer--Yoshi is on the sugarscoot cycle for the 100cc tracks and it moves a little differently than his car in the 50cc.
For dessert we had homemade Chocolate Mousse--double yum!

Hubster confessed he'd gone through all my recipes, took them out, made copies of them and had been planning the dinner for awhile. Sneaky dog! And going through my recipes is no small task. I have my clipped recipes, mainly Bon Appetit, in 13 binders that take up about 3 feet of bookshelf space. Every recipe that I cut out from the last 25 years is in one of those books, but it is very organized--what can I say? I'm a Virgo!

And after dinner we got in our swim suits and hit the hot tub with a bottle of homemade bubbly (kiddo had a soda). Hubster is a very talented guy. The sparkling wine (champagne) was wonderfully dry, the air was cold and the hot tub warm. Clouds scuttled across the night sky revealing the stars.
Ah, it was the best day ever!