Being an author

Everyone is different. I get that. And everyone's life runs in a different path. We all wear many hats, some more than others, and I have discovered that although all of our hats are not of our choosing, some we can pick.
I chose to be a Speech Therapist. It is my job, a full time one, and something that I love. I chose to be married, to be a mother, caretaker, leaf raker, house cleaner.
I was born to be a writer.
And for all of those who don't know the journey of a writer, well, it differs from person to person. We all have the passion in common. The love of a story, the richness of the written word.
For me, writing for now is not my primary job. I have to work outside the home to help pay the bills, to have benefits for my family, and for eventual retirement. Writing for me is my dream, tucked between work and dinner, after hours and on weekends.
So I generally am writing at least two books at one time, editing one, trying to promote one or two, and trying to go to signings and author events. My writing seems to permeate every piece of my of my life. I have ideas all the time. I'm fortunate in that I have never had true writer's block. When one topic fizzles, another pops. And when I can't think of what to say in one book, I just move to another and write on it.
At night, I dream in books, during the day I think in plots. I listen to dialogue for realism, I look at beauty in words.
I'm a writer. How about you?

Apple, Android, or Blackberry, Oh My!

Okay, so its a deep dark secret, a spot of shame, but I have owned and enjoyed a Blackberry. Now I'm writing this on an iPad, my primary computer is a Windows 10 monster, my phone is a Note Edge (jealous yet), but the idea that there is a Blackberry device that runs Android is strangely inviting.

I'm not a business person. I work as a Speech Language Pathologist and part time fiction author. So why would I need an undeniable business device, the Blackberry?

Sigh. I don't. 

However, the Blackberry has this lovely keyboard, and in my field, a keyboard is a handy dandy addition to any flat screen. So I'm tempted. I love my Note, the slick little stylus, the big ol screen. But I think I'd like to have a keyboard for the speed of typing, the precision. How else is a writer to create the next great American novel if they can't type really fast and really accurately?

So the question remains, is the leap worth it? I liked the Passport, but couldn't keep it. Great screen, great keyboard, too much hassle to go from Android to the new OS.

Time will tell, I suppose. It will be months before Swappa starts offering the new phones at discounted prices. And will I cave? Hmmm.

Getting crafty! Loving to design my bookmarks!

Check out this item in my Etsy shop https://www.etsy.com/listing/250417199/handmade-beaded-bookmark-designed-by-the

Thunderclap anyone?

So I'm trying something new! A Thunderclap is a promotion for various ideas, a way to send a one time message out to a lot of people. It links up Facebook, Twitter, and yep, tumbler. 

I'm promoting an awesome sale on my books in November.....giving a bargain for my birthday!

Check out mine! Share the love!

How to learn Tumblr

subtitle: get a teenager  to help you!

I am reaching out, stretching my social wings beyond the comfortable world of Facebook where me and the rest of my admittedly slightly older crowd like to show adorable pics of our (fill in the blank with dogs, children, birds, crafts etc)

I have this Blogger, a bit of a ramble about what I am thinking about at the moment. I have a wordpress that is hanging out in the net biding its time. I have a Google +, an admittedly confusing venue, but fun to explore. Oh, and my Wix site (my daughter set that one up too)

But none comes as close to the confusion of articles, images, videos, gifs, as the system that is Tumblr. So I started my Tumblr, and a week later, it appears that I am the only one who has ever seen my blog.

What the hey?

Time to call in the professional, ie, my teenaged daughter. So as I watch, totally confused, she is making my Tumblr. 

I can't wait until tomorrow to see how many Likes I get...or is it +1, or, hmmmm reblogs?

What is your favorite social media platform?

In preparation of Halloween....spooky places

I love Halloween! I love the fall season, the slightly spooky air, the colorful leaves, the pumkins, the costumes, the cool weather, and the energy it gives me. I was a November baby, so maybe that is just natural for me.

For this year, I'm going to take up my ramblings about fascinating, and a little spooky, places that I'd like to see.

The first, in no particular order, is the Catacombs of the Capuchins in Palermo Italy. 

The Catacombs were used by the local community of religious monks who discovered that the bodies the were left there were being preserved into natural mummies. The catacombs were established in 1599, and after the monk's discovery, became the resting place for many Sicilians, over 8000 in fact.

The place became the burial ground for famous people as well. Many wealthy people wanted to be buried there, richly garbed, almost to be on display!

During the war, the bombing of the monastery destroyed the building and many of the bodies. However, the monastery was rebuilt over what remained of the original site.

In present day, on a visit to the catacombs, someone can walk among the bodies of the long dead, observing their once magnificant clothing and gradually decaying corpses. Some are in better condition than others, but the bodies are separated in categories according to who they were in life, Priests, Monks, men, women, professors, and sadly, children.

The last person laid to rest there was a child, Rosalia Lombaro, who was placed in 1920 and has been called Sleeping Beauty.

In my opinion, this would be a fascinating place to visit, say, in the bright light of day. I have a healthy respect for the afterlife, so I'm not one to ever declare that I don't believe in any supernatural occurances. I like to know that the spirits of the dead go on, that death is just a doorway into a new and better life.

That being said, I would not want to have this discussion next to an empty shell of a person, the mummy that the person used to be. That, I think, is trying my luck. I mean, after I die, I'd like my organs donated and my body neatly entombed. But what if the other guy doesn't feel that way and wants to keep his body a little closer to him?

So what about you? Would you want to go? Would you add it to your European adventure? And would you ever brave the visit at night?

Many thanks to the site:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/palermo-capuchin-catacombs

Baby Fargo, my pit bull

Pit bulls are chickens?

Fargo is a pit bull lab mix that we adopted as a puppy. To be perfectly honest, I thought he was just a little lab mutt at the Humane Society, but one look into those eyes, and we had to take him home. In time I realized that his toothy grin was definitely not lab like. He was at least part pit. 

Now, seven years later, he is the regular couch potatoe in our house. When we let him outside, he is the fierce protector, barking like crazy, eager to meet any visitor. Problem is, he's more likely to invite a stranger into the house as a guest than chase them away.

But inside the house is a different story. Apparently, although we didn't realize the true terror of it, our refrigerator is a monster. Oh, and our vacuum is too. And the box that Amazon might have shipped some goody to us in, and the bookbag left on the floor, oh, and the trash can. Around every corner, in Fargo's canine brain, threats lurk that are much scarier than his pit  bull self.

So yes, I have a guard dog. But be kind, he has a sweet and gentle soul.

So what are your puppies afraid of?

What are you reading?

So I bought a bargain 99 cent book on Amazon thinking it was worth the try. After reading a few pages, I backtracked and bought the first in the series. Good sign!

I'm not a book snob, I'm a book lover. If it's a good story that interests me, I'll give it a try. Crane, by Stacy Rourke, is a good story. It has a mix of legend, of fiction, of history, and some great characters. I really like the way that the author brings a scary tale from my childhood into the present.

So I bought the book because I was interested in the premise. What makes you buy a book? What do you look for?

Nobody Expects a Bird to Quote Monty Python!

Blackberry Passport Challenge: It Begins

MKBHD Update 10.4: 2015!

In my opinion, Marques is one of the best reviews for tech!! And he seems like such a great guy!