The Verdicts Are In

The first verdict: the majority of my readers are scaredy-cats. A couple people emerged from their anonymity, but many many did not. But that's ok, you're still welcome. :)

The second verdict: I can't decide which writing books to request. All of your suggestions were wonderful and I was only able to eliminate three or four (for various reasons).

Here's my list, in order of preference:

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.) by Francine Prose

Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) (Write Great Fiction) by James Scott Bell

Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting Dynamic Characters and Effective Viewpoints (Write Great Fiction) by Nancy Kress

Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School by Gotham Writers' Workshop

The First Five Pages: A Writer's Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman

The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers by John Gardner

How to Write a Damn Good Novel: A Step-by-Step No Nonsense Guide to Dramatic Storytelling (How to Write a Damn Good Novel) by James N. Frey


Did you notice I slipped one in that no one recommended? Stupid Amazon and it's endless supply of books... I really, really want the first five on the list. Well, who am I kidding? I really, really want all of them, but I think the first five will be a good start. I think it's funny the book with "the first five" in the title is number six on my list, but I think that's just my lack of sleep talking.

Thank you all for your suggestions!


ETA: This just in. My benefactor has offered to purchase all of the above books. :)

I have a wonderful mother.

Step Right Up!

Janna had a brilliant idea and I'm stealing it.

I have a loyal group of people who regularly comment and make me feel like I'm not spewing my thoughts into the stratosphere. I often write with them in mind; sometimes my posts are even influenced by things they've talked about. My stat counter says I get anywhere from 20 to 50 hits per day, but only a handful of people comment.

Who are those other people?

Hints come to me from unexpected places. A comment from my mom that my aunt mentioned the pink shirt Ibis wore to graduation, that she'd only know about if she read that post. An email from a cousin telling me she knows what's going on in my life because she follows my blog, then asks if that's weird. I actually get emails like that from several friends, and no, it's not weird. That's why I'm here.

So, if you come here regularly but don't normally comment, could you? Just for today? I'll keep copying Janna and say you don't even have to out yourself. Log on anonymously and leave a clue so I'll know who you are.

Maybe I'll customize a post for YOU!

Writing Books

A generous benefactor (my mom) has offered to buy me a couple writing books. She saw the comments last week when I said it's hard for me to get my hands on anything down here and said she'd order them so they'd be ready when I arrive home in September.

Now, you know how you can have a whole list of things you want, but the minute someone asks you, your mind goes blank? That's happened to me. I cannot think of any books! I know I saw one in the last month or so on a blog - real specific, huh? - that has something to do with 48 Reasons Not to Write, or 52 Ways to Get Published. Not to be confused with the blog 101 Reasons to Stop Writing (see right sidebar).

I believe my cousin has mention Donald Maas' Writing the Breakout Novel, but I could have the name or title wrong.

I already have Stephen King's On Writing, Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird, and Strunk & White's The Elements of Style. Beyond that, I'm open to your suggestions. I don't think I'm really a workbook type of person, but I'll keep an open mind.

I can't wait to hear your suggestions!

21 Hours Later

Ibis has torn apart the kitchen and is killing everything that moves. I found several nests *shudders* in various drawers and cupboards, so he's got his work cut out for him.

I've declared that I am finished dealing with these things, but we'll see how long that lasts. If one jumps out in front of me, I'm obviously not going to let it have the run of the house. Oh, and I need to clarify something from yesterday's post: the biggun I flung off the deck was closer to three inches long, not two.

At the moment, all the drawers and shelves have been removed, and the contents of the kitchen are in the living room. I hear banging, but every time I go in there he tells me he'll call if he needs something. As long as I don't hear a death scream, I suppose I'll let him be.

Thanks for all your well-wishes. I am feeling better today.

ETA: I'm in clean-up mode and had to share something. Before Ibis left I drilled him to make sure he really did look everywhere for bugs. (I found an ant nest since he left.) Our kitchen rug is in a bucket of water, so I asked if there were any cockroaches in it.

"Yeah, but he should be dead."

Should be? Ack. As soon as the water comes back fully (oh yeah, water ran out when I started to clean) I'll tackle the bucket. Joy.

Abandon Ship

I give up. The cockroaches win. I'm leaving the house until Ibis gets off work and can deal with this. I killed four smaller ones and shot a 2 incher off the deck, but at least four got away from me in the cabinets.

If you don't hear from me in 24 hours, please send backup.

Where's Robin When You Need Him?

I need to be more careful about my blog topics. In the past week I've written about seeing the movie Batman and having a new predator in my home. Can you guess where this is going?

Last night, as I innocently watched The Lords of Dogtown on TV, a bat swooped through my living room.

A BAT.

IN MY LIVING ROOM.

RIGHT OVER MY HEAD.

I managed to maintain my bodily functions and flattened myself against the sofa. The whole thing was over in a matter of seconds - I barely had time to yelp before he (she?) flew out the window.

I've seen them downtown, circling the trees after dark, and we even encountered a pair in a friend's hotel room, but I've never seen them in our neighborhood.

Perhaps someone turned on the batlight?

So Apparently Vanilla Means Dark Brown

Like many women across the globe, I color my hair every couple months. I used to go to a salon, where Andreas would give me three different colored highlights, but now I use Garnier Nutrisse. Considering I'm still a relative newbie when it comes to home hair color, a mistake here and there should be expected. Up until now, however, it's been smooth sailing.

I've played around with colors - I was really blond over the winter - and lately I've gone a shade darker each time. Nothing drastic, just a slight shift. Well, I tried a new color, Vanilla, and this is what happened:



In case you don't see the problem, please look at yesterday's post and the picture there. Quite a difference, eh?

The good news is NO ONE talked to me this morning. They didn't even look at me. Perhaps I should've done this months ago.