Disappoinment - A Friday Five

1. My mom and dad are always harping on me about keeping my eye on my kids. Don't look away, not even for a second. Of course they go on and on about how, when I was a little boy, they never, NEVER let me get in harms way.

Well... a few minutes digging through the box of family photos turned up this baby picture of me at the zoo.

 Disappoinment

2.) I've never had my fortune told. Never. So when I heard a local coffee shop was going to host a Psychic Fair... I was psyched! But as I walked to the entrance that day, I was greeted by this...

 Disappointment

3. My wife and her family spent months and months, and lots of money planning our wedding day. It was goint to be perfect. I had one job and one job only... get the limo. So how do you think my inlaws felt when this drove up?

 Disappointment

4. Over the summer, the family and I went to a town picnic. I signed up for the watermelon eating contest, first prize was a trip to Disney World. My kids were so excited! Until we saw the guy that I was going up against.

 Disappointment

5. This is the worst of the worst. I mean... Hollywood didn't even ask my permission!!!!!

 Disappointment

4 Year Blogging Anniversary

Well... it was four years ago today that I created my Live Journal. I didn't actually make my first post until August 29th, but still... today is the official anniversary, at least in my puny little mind.

So... let's do a little montage of the last four years to see how I got here. Hey! Comeback! This might be interesting... to at least one of you! Hey!

We have to start with that first 'legendary' post. Right?

Posted August 29th, 2006
Not really sure what to right on this journal. I'm a writer trying to get published. I have written four novels. The first three were so-so and I was able to score a few bites from a few agents.

My most recent novel has generated a 20% request for partial. Not sure if that's good or not, but I'm quite thrilled with it. The problem, though, is that only one agent has requested the full after reading my partial.

I haven't received any comments from the rejecting agents to understand why my partial is getting rejected. Anyway, that's all for now.
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Yes, I misspelled the word 'write' in that first sentence, the spell check didn't catch it.

I was querying with my first ever YA called CUPID IN THE REALM OF PURPOSE, a redo on the Cupid myth. When I originally wrote Cupid my MC was 19 years old and I was submitting it as an adult fantasy. I didn't know that YA existed. Can you believe it. Just FOUR years ago I knew nothing about Young Adult books.

But one agent responded to my query calling it a YA novel. I did some quick research, read lots of YA books... and discovered that my 'voice' was fit much better into the Young Adult category. So I changed my query and kept sending it out.

August - 2007
It was almost a year to the day of first LJ anniversary that I signed with Rachel Vater (at the time she was with Lowenstein-Yost and later moved to Folio). CUPID went out to a dozen editors over the course of a year, but never found a home. During that year I was writing a humorous MG as my next book to submit. Rachel didn't have the love for this new book so we parted company. I was DEVASTATED, though Rachel offered recommendations and always answered my emails promptly.

So I spent the last few months of 2007 completing my humorous MG called CHRONIC JOE AND THE HEAD OF VLAD THE SLAYER.

September 2008
I queried the hell out of CHRONIC JOE but couldn't find the right fit. Then, after amanda_marrone and jennifer_d_g gave me the thumbs up to their agent, I signed with Wendy Schmalz. For the next 8 months CHRONIC JOE went out to ten or so editors, but just like CUPID, couldn't find a home.

While CHRONIC JOE was out and about, I was working on my next manuscript a YA paranormal romance. And, as with Rachel, Wendy didn't feel the love for this new book. And... we parted ways. But Wendy was also very generous, offering recommendations and such.

February 2010
As with my first two books, I queried the crap out of my latest YA called CRUD - A LOVE STORY. And after rewrite after rewrite after rewrite... I accepted representation with Mark McVeigh of the aptly named McVeigh Agency. And, as I type this, CRUD sits on the desks (or computers actually) of several editors. Meanwhile I've almost completed my next humorous young adult novel HONESTLY BOGUS.

And there you have it... that's four years of LJ in a nutshell. ("Help... I'm in a nutshell!")

Without LJ I'm not sure I would have made any of this progress. What I'm saying is... it's the friends I've made here that have kept me going, made me feel competent and wanted. That's the best part about LJ... the friends we make.

I have no idea what I'll be adding to this on my FIVE year anniversary, but whatever it is, I'm sure all of you guys will be partially responsible for it.

I'm Hoping I'll Finally Breakout!!!!

 

'Looking For Some Time To Write' and my first 'Visual Emotion Tip'

Looking For Some Time To Write? 

Well... you ought'a head for China. Just make sure you have a pen and notebook.

After 10 days of bumper-to-bumper stop-and-start congestion, a 60-mile-long, 10,000-vehicle traffic jam on a major freeway west of Beijing has been broken up, Chinese traffic authorities said on Tuesday.



Some drivers were trapped in the jam for days, and roadside residents, weaving on bicycles amid the stalled vehicles, made a killing by selling them food.



I mean, sure, you've got your exhaust fumes, road rage and bathroom issues... but NINE days of quality writing time. Priceless!

Visual Emotion - Tip #1

I'm hoping to make this a regular topic on my blog. Sometimes its hard to visualize an emotion that you're trying to portray in your manuscript. You just can't quite picture it. That's where my Visual Emotion Tips come in.

Tip #1 - Emotion - Ranity (A combination of Rage and Insanity).

The Setup - A woman, pulling in the Drive-Thru, is told the restaurant is out of chicken nuggets.

Monday Miscellaneous

1. I watched this movie over the weekend...



I liked the Wild Things, the special effects were great... but I didn't like the movie at all. But my six year old did, she watched it twice.

2. I'm no hero... but I was heading to the store yesterday afternoon when I came upon this...

 

That's not an ACTUAL photo, but as I turned at a very busy intersection, I noticed a turtle out in the road, hunkered inside his shell. I quickly turned around, parked, leaped out and saved the little guy from certain death. I drove him back to my house, showed him to my daughters, and we all took him up the street and released him in the nearby pond. He didn't even thank me!!!

3. Finally... this photo reveals the truth behind the 'pants-hanging-low' trend.



4. When I'm driving, my teenage daughters control the radio and listen to their garbage, but when their with their grandmother, they don't touch the radio. I asked them, "Why?" And they were honest and said, "Because these songs are inappropriate."

Then why am I letting them listen to the crap! Time to put my foot down.

5. I'm not trying to promote a product or anything, but I caught a commercial for SunnyD late last night and thought I'd share the gist of it with you guys.

It's called The SunnyD Book Spree. Basically, you buy SunnyD, collect the labels, and when you child's class sends in 20 labels, they'll get 20 books for the school. The 10 classes that send in the most labels will get HUNDREDS of books.



Here's a blurb from a school in Springfield, Ohio

"THANK YOU!! Our school district changed the grades, placing 6th grade back into the elementary schools this year. Our library did not have enough 6th grade books for our students, so we sent in our labels and voila, we received 20 free books from the SunnyD Book Spree. Our students appreciated this so much! Thank You very much!!"

Go Here http://www.sunnyd.com/contest-martina-mcbride-book-spree/Participate.aspx to get information for your school. Seems like a really good idea.

Back from Borders... and I'm sickened...

Don't write to the trends. That's what everyone says... right? Don't. Write. To. The. Trends.

Okay. Fine! I won't! But after going to Borders today... those words have left a bad taste in my mouth. Why? Let me explain...

A friend of my recommended this book to me...

 Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

I was skeptical, but this friend of mine knows his books. So I read it... and REALLY enjoyed it. I loved the way the author took Lincoln's journal entries and twisted them into a believable story. I didn't read Pride, Prejudice and Zombies because I'm not much of a Jane Austin fan.

So I go to the bookstore today and what do I see?

THIS!!!!

 The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and the Undead

And THIS!!!!!

 Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

AND THIS!!!!!!

 Little Vampire Women

If this isn't a clear cut case of writing to the trends, then I'm not a man drowning in Estrogen. It's really kind of sad.

Although... I do have a little kernal of an Idea for one of these kinds of stories. Hm.

Good Things (A Friday Five)

1. Jarhead the Bear is free!!!!!



The poor guy had his head stuck in the jar for 10 days! Officials finally caught him and freed him.

http://www.popfi.com/2010/08/16/jarhead-bear-finds-freedom/

2. Only 3 weeks from today until the SCBWI Conference in Cleveland.

2010 Annual Conference

Bringing Home the Gold: Winning Strategies for Children’s Writers and Illustrators
September 10 – 11, 2010
Cleveland Airport Sheraton- Cleveland, Ohio
 

I'm thrill that my agent, Mark McVeigh, will be in attendance and giving the opening address (I'm picking him up from the Airport). Plus, I've already been warned that   will be there... anyone else going? I'd like to know who to avoid. ;-)

3. I am so EXCITED that my 13 year old daughter is the very FIRST beta reader for my latest book. She read the first 5 chapters a week or so ago and said, "It's weird reading your story... that's not how you talk." Plus, she said she really liked it. I'm giving her another 13 chapters tonight.

4. My oldest daughters (the twins) started school today. By next Wednesday... they'll all be in school. Hooray!!!!!

5. I just got this in the mail. I'm wearing it right now as I type this....

Writing Update and Writing an Epic

First of all... I'm tired. Not sleepy tired, but just tired tired. You know. It's a combo of lots of things like waiting... and the waiting. Oh... and waiting.

To counter this, I have been hard at work editing, I'm hoping I'll have BOGUS (I prefer this title to HONESTLY BOGUS) finished and sent to Mr. McVeigh and maybe a few other readers in a week or so.

Sometimes... okay, MOST times, when I read my first drafts, I want to do this...

  (Toss my Cookies)

But, so far (knock on wood, kiss a rock) I still sorta love this book. I'm a little leery about the ending, but I have alternatives if this one doesn't hit the mark.

WRITING AN EPIC:

Have you ever tried to write, or written, an Epic? You know, one of those books that sweeps the reader away through long periods of time or huge disasters (internal or external)  or from one far away place to another?

Reading a really good Epic Book is one of my favorite things as a reader. A nice thick book or a trilogy that I want to savor. But trying to write one of those books is frightening. So much history in the madeup world, so many characters, so much time passing, so much research and trying to keep tabs on it all. Don't get me wrong, I think it'd be a blast... but as a first novel or debut novel, it doesn't make sense to write. At least to me. Spending years on a novel that may never see the light of day is hard for me to fathom (but I give props to those who have attempted or succeeded at that).

I have an idea for an epic, but it's only a little kernal and not worth the effort right now. Someday, when I get a few books on the shelves (my own books, dammit), I would love to write this one or some other Epic. At least give it a try.
.
I was putting together a list of all the Epics that I've actually read. The few I could think of are...

Under the Dome - Stephen King
Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
The Stand - Stephen King
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn trilogy - Tad Williams
Lucifer's Hammer - Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
The Passage - Justin Cronin
 Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell - Susana Clarke
Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling

Would you consider 'The Hunger Games' an Epic? What other books have you read that you'd consider an Epic?

The Year of Giving Blog

I was told about this Blog by some friends who went to NYC on a mission trip. It's inspiring and thoughtful, definitely worth reading a few entries. And as a bonus, I think you might discover some interesting people/ideas/thoughts to incorperate into your characters or writing.

http://yearofgiving.org/

About Year of Giving Author...

The Year of Giving started officially on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 3:30 pm.  The concept is simple.  I will give $10 to a different person every day for a year.  I will write about the people who I intersect with as well as the truly altruistic experience that I am sure to have!

I recently lost my job at a nonprofit organization due to the economic climate so taking on this endeavor may not seem fiscally prudent.  However, I think it is exactly these times that we must focus on helping others. 

I started the Year of Giving on December 15th in memory of my mother who lost her long battle with heart disease on this day in 2006.  She was a true altruist.  She always thought of others before herself. 

My goal is not to change the lives of those with whom I come in contact.  Let’s face it, $10 dollars is not going to change someone’s life in and of itself.  I do believe, however, that the act of giving will hopefully inspire others to pursue the ideals that the French philosopher Auguste Comte envisioned when he coined the term “altruism.”  Whether that comes in the form of someone who reads this blog and wants to embark on their own Year of Giving or someone who uses the $10 to help someone else out, the specific results are less important than the overall good that we can achieve together.

Thanks for taking time to visit the site.  I hope that you find yourself inspired today to do something special for someone.  You would be surprised at how even something as simple as a smile or a thank you can make the difference in someone’s day.  And remember, “happiness [is] only real when shared.”

How Things Have Changed (A Friday Five)

I'm amazed how things have changed since my childhood (which, by the way, wasn't THAT long ago). Here are some examples.

1.) Playing Rock, Paper, Scissors was simple, fun and painless, but today...


2. Cookie Monster was a sweet, lovable puppet you just wanted to hug, but today...



3. When I looked up in the sky, only jets left contrails, but today...



4. Strolling through a cemetary was peaceful, but today...



5. These things were considered silly, but today...

Where do you read? Where do you LOVE to read?

I often wonder where people prefer to read, be it books, magazines, the kindle, the newspaper... whatever. I know it's pretty stereotypical that men prefer to read here...



But that's not the case for me. No siree! Where do I do most of my reading? Well... take a look at this picture from my early childhood.

  (Notice I'm questioning the 1st person present tense POV of this novel.)

So yeah... I read in the tub. Big deal!

If I could pick anyplace on the planet to read - I could pick the location, the weather, the furniture... everything, then I'd be reading here...



Warm with a slight breeze, blue skies, clear water, soft pillows and a copy of CRUD - A LOVE STORY or some other masterpiece in my hands.

How about you? Where do you read? Where is your dream spot to read?

Blogging (Live Journal takes another hit – see *** below)

How many of you guys are participating in the Write On Con taking place at www.writeoncon.com?

It’s a GREAT event for both beginning and published authors. Last nights’ LIVE panel was very interesting, especially if you’re a blogger. The panel consisted of ELANA ROTH (agent at Johnson Literary, www.johnsonliterary.com), KATHLEEN ORTIZ (Associate Agent with Lowenstein Associates, www.KathleenOrtiz.com), MARTHA MIHALICK (associate editor at Greenwillow Books, http://greenwillowblog.com), PAUL SAMUELSON (Sourcebooks Fire publicist, myteenfire.com).

The topic of the panel was Social Networking - what type of web presence should an author try to attain. You can find the entire transcript of the panel here: http://writeoncon.com/2010/08/live-industry-professional-panel-elana-roth-kathleen-ortiz-martha-mihalick/

REGARDING BLOGGING:

- Don't drive yourself crazy trying to join EVERY. SINGLE. SITE.

- What works and what's effective for each author is going to be different.

- My big thing is for authors to find the medium that works best for their communication style. If you like to use Twitter, great! If you hate it, DON'T USE IT. Use Facebook instead. Or blog. But try to do one thing REALLY WELL.

- I think if you don't have a book (and I don't want too much about your book on your site before it's sold to a publisher) just be yourself. Be interesting. Be professional.

- I like when an author's website gives me a sense of the kind of person she is, what kinds of books she's writing (excerpts are great!)

- Blog about anything you want. I, personally, am not a fan of 'snippets' on blogs. However, I won't judge someone on that.

- Don't put anything on the web that you wouldn't put on a billboard off a highway. A LOT of people will see it

- Don't be inhibited and be yourself, but also keep in mind that ANYONE can read it.

- Online presence SHOWS your dedication, to a certain degree.

- Regular, fresh, interesting content wins out any day of the week.

REGARDING FOLLOWERS/FRIENDS:

- I'd rather have 50 active, engaged followers with high quality content, than 10,000 spammy Twitter followers.

- I'd prefer 100 rabidly fanatic (active) authors to 1,000 lurkers.

- If you have 1,000 followers but NO ONE comments on your blog posts, it shows no one cares.

- When you have (example) 5,000 followers and you FOLLOW 5,000 people, that's a huge tip that you probably don't interact with your followers in an organic matter.

*** REGARDING LIVE JOURNAL:
The Question posed to the panelists: What are some of the mistakes you've seen that we can avoid?

One of the panelists said: Really ugly web design? LiveJournal as a general rule?

In a later comment said: I freakin' hate LJ, guys. You have no control over your content AT ALL. You're at their mercy and it's outdated.

Another panelist agreed with this statement.

I’m seeing this more and more regarding Live Journal, as well as less and less traffic across the board. I’ll admit, I’ve been working on this site, trying to make it look and read easy. Right now I’m just mirroring what I post here, but I may use it for more in the future.

I’ll never abandoned LJ, I think it’s a wonderful, personable way to connect with writers. Not to mention I’ve made lots of great friends on LJ. But I think we all have to be wary about looking into another form of blogging.

I Should Never Complain Again... (A Cat Story)

I saw this on the news this morning and just couldn't believe it. Amazing! The will of animals never ceases to amaze me!!!

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MOBILE, Ala. - It seems a lot of people want Callie Mae and want to know more about her. She's the cat we first told you about on News 5 this week. Callie Mae had to have all four legs amputated, and she's now up for adoption.

According to the Theodore Vet Clinic where Callie is staying, she ran up a tree to get away from some dogs and was electrocuted. She has been in rehabilitation ever since, but now she is ready to go to a good home.

Callie may not have any legs, but she still gets around. Sandy Tomlin with the Theodore Vet Clinic says that Callie even managed to catch a mouse!

Her caretakers say they've gotten dozens of requests to adopt Callie. They are going through each one to make sure she gets the best home.
WKRG.com News

What is On my Hand???

Here is a picture taken of me and my friend, Ed. He came in from Pittsburg this passed Friday. We went out in my backyard to make S'mores. My wife took this picture of us (Ed is on the left, I'm on the right).



It looks like I have a piece of Scotch tape or something on my left hand. But I don't!!!! Could it be a ghost?????

What is it?

More Reasons I Hate Cell Phones (A Friday Five)

First we had 'Texting'. Okay. I can understand why people don't want to actually speak to other people. Talking with another human isn't fun. Yeah. It's true.

Then we had *gulp* 'Sexting'. Now... this is sort of scary. What kind of protection do they make for cell phones to ensure they don't get a virus? I saw this guy walking around holding his celllphone a few inches from his ear... because it was covered in little white warts. Ooh.

And Now I find out there are more types of Texting. Ugh! I can't keep up.

1. People who stretch and contort their bodies while texting = FLEXTING.

2. People who curse other people over their cell phone = HEXTING

3. People who text in alphabetical order or by order of importantance = INDEXTING

4. People who's texts are annoying or provoke anger are = VEXTING

5. People who's texts make absolutely no sense at all are = PERPLEXTING

This is What Eye Think About When I Can't Sleep

So... if you take one of these...

                                             

Kernel of Corn




and add it to this...

Hot Oil







You get this....



 POPCORN
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Then, that means, if you take one of these....

 

and add it to this....

       

You Get....

POPPIES
********************************************************
So that would mean, if you take one of these....

         

and add it to this



You must get...

First Test Blog

This is a Test. It is only a Test. And, most likely, you'll fail!!!!