More Writing Reviews

I have received two more reviews on my writing and thought I would share. I have to qualify by saying, yes, I know I shouldn't write historicals. I've learned my lesson. Though I research and research and research, apparently, I need more research on the subject. I had the same thought about midway through the book, but I had to continue on.

I find it humorous that both individuals wanted to know if I would still be their friend after reading their reviews and if I would allow them to read my current work. I have to thank the four individuals who were kind enough to read through 200+ pages of my writing. I truly appreciate your critiques and thoughts and have taken them to heart in the aspect that I'll implement the ideas in my current work.

Here are some of the comments:

- Plot was good. Kept me interested.

- More description

- Staccato (Steve says this about my articles as well)

- Pretty good. Kept me reading

- Twilight Zone Town of Terror (not where I was going)

- Can't determine the hero's condition

- Creative bone was good

- Love scenes were great!

- One scene in Chapter 12 an example of some good writing. (Yeaaaa)

- Short sentences made into one dynamic sentence.

- More dialog. The dialog you had was really good, I wanted more.

- Show me, don't tell!

I've had other people offer to critique my work and I will call on you in the future, I promise. At the moment, I think I'm going to set the historical aside and focus on my current project, especially since I'm nearing the end of it. I feel I have a better understanding of the current work. Once again thanks to all the people who have offered to help.

Dead and Gone

Ms. Harris has outdone herself with Dead and Gone, the 9th book in the sookie Stackhouse series. The last few books have been lackluster, but book 9 kept me going. I read this book in one sitting determined to find out what happens to my favorite characters. The story left me with the impression that we should prepare ourselves for book 10 being the finale. I may be wrong, but I really want to know Sookie's final decision.

There is quite a bit of shocking graphic violence in the book, so it is not for the light of heart. Several characters we have grown to love leave during the course of the story, some in a startling fashion. And for those of us who love the men in Sookie's life, well, there is plenty of fodder for us to feed on. In the past few books, I have been torn between Eric and Bill. Dead and Gone does not alleviate this dilemma, but gives us more to debate. At the end of the book (the last few lines are major cliffhanger), I was completely confused on who to choose.

You can also read Lighthearted Librarian to see her review of the book. Let me know what you thought of Dead and Gone. Also, please debate which man Sookie should choose in the end. I know many of us have our favorites, but I think this book might have changed our minds.

No More Glasses

As several of you know or may have noticed in recent pictures, I have been going sans glasses. It has been a trying experience. Actually, it has been 6 weeks of torture. The doc and I decided that with my scar tissue pain it would be best for me not to wear glasses. We've experimented with various contacts. I suffer from severe allergies that make me sensitive plus an odd astigmatism that limits what I can wear. After numerous versions of contacts, including several that didn't fit, one that I had a reaction to the material, several I couldn't get in the eye, a few lost ones; I think we may have found the correct prescription and material. It has been a week with my new pair, and so far, so good. So no more glasses for me (except on my severe allergy days).

Memorial Day

I am gearing up for nothing over my 4-day Memorial Day weekend. Yes, you heard right, I plan to do absolutely nothing. Well, of course, I plan to write at some point this weekend, but otherwise nothing.

As I prepare for nothingness, I thought about why I had the time off. I want to thank all those who are serving in our military and their families who support them. My brother-in-law is currently stationed in Germany with possible deployment looming again. Everyday he's deployed, the family lives with the shadow of possibilities. I don't know how my sister finds the strength to raise their children in these circumstances, but I am very proud of their family and what they face everyday.

I thank them for their dedication and service everyday, but especially this Memorial Day weekend.

NGS Conference

I have returned from the NGS Conference in Raleigh, NC. It was very informative, educational, and a great networking opportunity. I got to spend time with old friends and make some new ones. Lots of food, southern accents, and genealogy lumped into one week.

There were a few humorous moments of course cause...well...I'm traveling. Dawne, hot drink, and an escalator is a bad idea; Sue needs help with hung, I mean hanged; Rev. MacDonald buying a round; yes, it's a family room; beware who's on your floor; "womanizers" don't mix well; drool; what were they thinking prom dresses; Kim telling Sue to behave; the "talker"; many meaningful looks exchanged; yes, the world really is that small.

I have to say Dawne was a great roommate! We had a lot of fun together! One problem, I only took 2 pictures the whole conference, so I need to steal some of Dawne's.

Great Entertainment Weekend

My weekend was very relaxing and included some great tv and movies that I had to share. Before I begin, I must qualify by explaining I am a complete geek. My weekend entertainment included two greats, Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams.

I began by watching the 2nd to last episode of Lost for this season. It was phenomonal. If you are not a Lost fan, all I can say is you are missing out on great tv. Catch up so you can watch the final season next year. I'm upset I'll be missing the final episode this week, but it is the first thing on my list when I return from the conference.

This was followed by watching Dollhouse. I beg and plead with Fox executives to please keep this show on the air. Please don't throw it away like you did Firefly (another fantastic Whedon production). If you enjoy actors from the Whedon verse, you'll see them pop up on this great show. I won't deny the first few episodes annoyed me, but there were hints. My hubby came out of the other room because I was so vocal in my reactions to the season finale. Sorry, I didn't see that twist coming. Freak'n good tv!

We ended our weekend with Star Trek. Everything you love about Lost: heroic death scenes, crescendo music (Abrams likes using orchestras), "easter eggs" for die hard fans, humorous moments, character development, great storytelling, revealing twists. I could go on. I think Abrams did a fantastic job with this movie, which features two great actors, Zachary Quinto (Heroes) and Karl Urban (LOTR). It is one of the better movies I've seen in a long time.

Boy, if that doesn't reveal what a geek I can be. Take a look at these shows and movies. Comment on what you thought.

Reason #

People ask me all the time, why I would leave Florida to move to the mid-west. I explain, I have numerous reasons from the weather, lack of seasons, expense, rudeness of people. My list goes on for a while. Now I have yet another reason. We'll call this reason #20: the huh factor.

I opened my mail the other day to discover a jury summons. I have never received one of these, so I skimmed it for a bit when something caught my eye. The 813 area code on the form confused me for a moment until I finally read the paperwork. It was from the Florida Courts concerning me serving as a juror. I checked to see if it was a forwarded piece of mail since I've lived up north for over 19 months now. No, it had been specifically addressed to my northern location.

So all I can say is huh? Why would they mail something to someone who lives out of state concerning serving on a jury? Obviously, I am not traveling down to Florida for this good service. I know it was mass produced by some machine and stuffed in an envelope by a machine. But shouldn't I be removed off their list for the fact that my address is not in Florida? I mean there's a computer code for that.

So all I can say is, another reason to be annoyed with Florida.

The Earlier the Better

As some of you know, I had some travel mayhem returning from Florida. And there is a lesson in it as well. I wrote last August about how pleased I was with a specific airline for their help in retrieving my lost wedding ring. That same airline is now on my s*%& list.

As I returned from Florida, I was laid over in Cleveland for 30 minutes. Due to bad weather, we hovered for a while before landing leaving me 10 minutes to catch my next flight. After we landed, I shoved my way off the plane and hightailed it across 2 terminals and up 4 flights of stairs to the gate. I made it to the gate according to their clock at 3:15 for a 3:20 flight. I couldn't breath as I handed my ticket to the attendant who told me the flight had already left.

I can't stress how furious I felt. Come to discover after talking to some people from said airline, they reserve the right to close the gate anytime before departure. They can even close it 20 minutes before if they feel the need.

I am someone who believes in being on time. If I'm told 7:00, I'm there a little before or at 7:00. If I'm unsure if I'll make it by 7:00, I call it 7ish. Apparently according to said airline, time falls into ish zone. It's not an exact time, it's an ish based on their whims. My piece of advice, be very early for your flights.