Summer Reading

Nora Roberts prolific writing and publishing has lead to her having a large space reserved on my book shelf. I generally buy her new books, too impatient to wait for the library to have a copy I can borrow. Her books are usually set in trilogies, giving the reader time to know all of the characters and see how their lives develope before and after their own stories. Black Rose is the second of her In the Garden series. A southern planation is haunted by a ghost who loves children. Three women, each in a different stage in life, are trying to figure out who she is. Rising Tides and Inner Harbor are the second and third in her Chesapeake Bay series. The identity of a young boy's parents fuels the rumors in a small New England town. The search for answers is complicated by a death and the woman who wants him back. While Ms Roberts' basic plot lines could be stories heard before, her well-developed and interesting characters always keep me coming back for me. She is one of the few authors who's books I'll re-read just for the characters.

Google Doodles

Google likes to surprise its visitors by changing things up a bit with their search page doodle. The complete doodle collection is available, thanks to the efforts of one man. Or you can go here and view it online.

National Association of Female Executives

Have you have heard of the above group? I'm all about empowering females and received an invite to join the group. I checked out their website but it didn't tell me what I wanted to know. I didn't find any local groups -- not even Milwaukee. I have a feeling that the $39 registration fee would be a rip off if I joined. Have you heard of it? What are your thoughts?

A Different Sort of Novel

Randy Ingermanson, the author of the the Snowflake Method has a has a Ph.D. in theoretical physics and writes novels with Christians in them. I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked up Premonition, the novel on which his example snowflake is based. I was interested, but my past experience with Christian novels didn't leave a good taste in my mouth. This one was quite good. It deals with the first century Christian church and the relationships between the various inevitable sects. Two of the characters are from modern day American who time travelled there in a previous novel and a messed-up experiment. Rivka is a fascinating woman struggling with her modern ideas and concepts in a society that ignores and suppresses women. This is the middle of three novels, Transgression is the first and Retribution the last. I intend to go back and catch the other two as well. In Double Vision, Rivka's cousin, Rachel, is a brilliant bio chemist involved in a modern day intrigue. She has invented a bio computer. Along with the code written by senior programmer Dillon Richard, a high-functioning autistic, their invention will rock the world of encryption and our ideas of security. But someone else wants it and will do anything to get it. Excerpts of this novel are available on Mr. Ingermanson's website.

Reading to Make You Hungry

In between catered events, Goldy Bahr solves murder mysteries, looks after her son Arch and dates the local cop Tom Schulz. Dying for Chocolate is second in the series of eleven by Diane Mott Davidson. Goldy bumbles her way through and solves the murder of ex-boyfriend Philip Miller in the end. Interspersed are delightful recipes that make me want to break out my pots and pans. I cannot honestly say if I read these for the mystery or for the recipes. Both are delightful.

Just Pass

Runaway Mistress by Robyn Carr and The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber are not worth the time. Flat characters with easily solved problems. Each book could have been split in half and it still would have been a complete story. The tales are sweet, in a extra-simple kind of way.

Deviation from the Norm

I'm not one much for poetry, but this one moves me. According to KayseaLove it is written in the Hebrew Talmud. It says: "Be very careful if you make a woman cry, because God Counts her tears. The woman came out of a man's rib. Not from his feet to be walked on. Not from his head to be superior. But from the side to be equal. Under the arm to be protected, and next to the heart to be loved." Thought provoking considering what one hears of this culture.

Snowflake Thoughts

I did it. I finished my plotting and outlining. Step 7 seems like such a long time ago. I am going to have so much fun working the "facts" about my characters into this story. I already know how some of them are going to make their appearance. It probably won't be as funny to anyone other than myself, but the detail will make my characters even better. Step Eight was really difficult. I probably made it worse as I just through out every line that might be a scene as I read through the various synopsis steps. I waited until the end to organize them all, including the ones that I thought of as I went and hadn't planned on incurring. Matching every step and coordinating the details was accomplished in Step Nine. I needed it more than I thought I was going to. Finding the contradictory details out about my characters was really fun though. It make me think of what they were really like, rather than my own perferences. For instance, my main character had an a Mini Cooper in one place and a Mitsubishi Spyder in another. So I had to find out if she was a fun Mini Cooper type or a sexy Spyder type. Both of which are cars I adore. As it turns out, she prefers the Spyder. Step Ten involves actually writing the first draft. I plan to do this in long hand for a couple of reasons.

1. It forces me to slow down and think since I don't write 65+ words a minute as I do when typing
2. I love the feeling of the right pen moving across paper
3. 100% Portability for when my kids want to be upstairs, outside or at the YMCA
4. Editing while typing

I probably could go on for quite some time, but really, isn't that enough? My writing has improved so much since I found Randy Ingermanson's Snowflake Method. I am so excited about this book. I'm willing to tell people I'm working on a chick lit novel. Being willing to share something as personal as writing is really scary for me. Almost as scary as handing you my journal and demanding that you read it. Mr. Ingermanson's example from Premonition and my reading of the novel gave me the confidence that I really could do this. Others say that it limited their creativity, but I found the opposite to be true. It focuses my attention on what was meaningful to the plot and where to go next. Now I just need to break out my paper and pen, find a quiet spot and start writing.

Meet the Author

Chris Paolini, author of Eragon and Eldest will be at the Milwaukee Public Mueseum on Thursday, September 1st at 7:00 pm Details below. Co-sponsored by H.W. Schwartz Bookshops and Friends of the Milwaukee Public Library at: Milwaukee Public Library's Centennial Hall 733 N. Eighth Street Milwaukee, Wisconsin I seriously want to go. I wonder if he'll be allowed to autograph copies of Eragon as well as Eldest.

Crews Battle Massive Tire Fire Near Watertown

I heard about this fire as I got ready for work. Imagine my surprise when I check my news feeds and discovered that J-walk blogged about it. I wonder how long it will take to put out the fire.

Great Promise that Fizzled

You Have to Kiss A lot of Frogs by Laurie Graff started with a wedding shower and the main character evaluating her life and her romantic prospects as a never married forty-something. Next chapter is a starts with a much younger version of herself and a review of the various men she has dated. It builds and leads and fails in the last chapter with a very vague notion of what is going to happen next. If the author was trying to achieve the effect of "real life" dating, she got it. If she was trying to make a romance novel into a literary novel, it failed miserably. It was so-so, but I'd wouldn't keep it on my book shelf.

Two Sides of the Story

For one event there will be as many points of view as there were individual witnesses. Somewhere in the midst of all these things, the truth is to be found. The NY Times recently printed an article in their Style section about the relationship between the journalist (Helaine Olen) and her nanny. If this article portrayals the style that the Times wishes its readers to emulate, I'll forgo paying my subscription. The article is a reaction to the nanny's online journal or blog. The two sides contradict one another. Ms Olen, who did not even tell the nanny the true reason for being fired, sounds jealous and resigned to her 40-something life style and is living vicariously and projecting into the 20-something lifestyle of the nanny. The nanny writes a nice essay and links to her archives to prove her point. Well worth reading, especially to an amaturer writer of fiction. It beautifully illustrates voice and point of view when multiple individuals view the same event. via Average Jane who lead me to Suburban Bliss and Blogging Baby where I found the pieces.

Onward to Step Nine

Matching my outline and synopsis didn't take as long as I thought. I'll actually had a piece to share at the Oshkosh Area Writers Meeting. I'm moving on to Step Nine - Narrative Description. This step is the most useless to me. I'm going to try it, but don't expect much. It's like a pre-first draft where you think through the scene and sort of story board it. Anyway, I'll see how it goes.

The Half-Blood Prince

I was in line at Paper Tiger in Oshkosh at 9:30ish on Friday night. I was number six. It was a long wait, but they had the Chamber of Secrets playing, along with cookies and Kool-Aid. Blimpies stayed open until midnight or so, for those of us that were waiting. Even though I thought it was going to kill me, I didn't read any of the book until Saturday morning after the kids woke-up. I hadn't planned on reading any of it as our weekend was going to be busy with birthday parties and such, but I finished it on Saturday, just before midnight. My plan is to post about sometime next week, just so I don't have any plot spoilers for those who didn't finish it yet. Of course, comments are always a good place for that sort of thing too...

Did You Know This?

According to the Harry Potter News Aggregator, the way that member of the Order of the Phoenix communicate is answered in Book 5.

Members of the Order use their Patronuses to communicate with each other. They are the only wizards who know how to use their spirit guardians in this way and they have been taught to do so by Dumbledore (he invented this method of communication). The Patronus is an immensely efficient messenger for several reasons: it is an anti-Dark Arts device, which makes it highly resilient to interference from Dark wizards; it is not hindered by physical barriers; each Patronus is unique and distinctive, so that there is never any doubt which Order member has sent it; nobody else can conjure another person's Patronus, so there is no danger of false messages being passed between Order members; nothing conspicuous needs to be carried by the Order member to create a Patronus.

I don't remember reading this...unless I was to figure it out from the scene in Doby's room of requirement when Harry was teaching the Patronus spell. Perhaps there is an implication there that I missed out on. Now I'm going to have to re-read that book again.

It's here...almost

I'm trying really hard to not think about the Harry Potter release tonight. I fear I will dwell on it all day, hypothesising what is in store and not accomplishing a damn thing. I haven't ever attended a release party and plan to do so tonight. I'm wild about it. I know I'm not going to get to read it right away. I'm seriously comtemplating taking Monday off from work and staying home to read it in one sitting. If I do that, you'll know cos I'll post reactions after every chapter. I'll post a spoiler warning though, just to be fair... My other option is to read as I can, which given how my kids have been lately, I should be able to finish it in a week. I have the annoying habit of reading the last sentence of the book, just to make sure everything is all right. That, and I like the last sentence of any book usually. Any thoughts on this momentous occasion?

Continuing the Saga

Just because Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has gone doesn't mean that the novels are finished. The legacy continues through a trust that asked Caleb Carr to continue. The results are the Case of the Italian Secretary. Holmes and Watson travel north to Edinburgh after Holmes receives a telegram from his brother. The mystery to be solved will save the queen's life, along with a young girl's reputation. The novel was thoroughly delightful in every way. While it wasn't the original, Carr was able to capture the voice and style of Dr. Watson's telling. The local library had this in the young adults section, but adult fans will enjoy it too.

Laugh Outloud Funny

Not every comedian is as good on paper as in person, but George Carlin manages it in Napalm & Silly Putty. Don't read if easily offended. Most of it is PG-13, but quickly ramps into an R rating. This is a great book for a bathroom; quick, short and applicable.

National Association of Female Executives

Have you have heard of the above group? I'm all about empowering females and received an invite to join the group. I checked out their website but it didn't tell me what I wanted to know. I didn't find any local groups -- not even Milwaukee. I have a feeling that the $39 registration fee would be a rip off if I joined. Have you heard of it? What are your thoughts?

Haunted

I was introduced to Alice Hoffman by the movie Practical Magic. I thought the movie to be entertaining and fun. On the cover of another of Ms Hoffman's books was the tag from the author of Practical Magic. I figured it would be worth a shot. It was nothing like the movie. Her books have a dark quality to them that my brain finds quite appealing. They are wonderful for melancholy days. The Ice Queen held to this prinicple as well. The victim of a lightening strike has had her one wish come true - to be frozen. Everyone that touches her is burned by the coldness that she can do nothing about. The color red has been lost to her. Through a daring friendship and journey of self-discovery, she learns to forgive herself. The story stuck with me for days after finishing the book, just as the other titles I've read have. Even as I type this, weeks after its conclusion, the same haunted feeling comes back. I'd highly recommend this book.