September 28, 2007

Okay - this is it. The last day to sign up for my online class. Go here for more info and a way to get in on the action.

Also, is everyone getting involved with the whole Giving thing? I admire Clinton so much for what he’s doing to make a difference in the world. I’ve volunteered (using commitments.org) to help me find a perfect match for my time and my skills. I’m going to be working on editing and composing letters for 2nd Chance 4 Pets, an organization dedicated to making sure our pets are taken care of in case something happens to us.

There are literally thousands of opportunities for giving, hundreds you can do from home. Did you know people who volunteer live longer?

And speaking of making a difference - this year, Dotes and I are participating in Heifer International - making one big donation that will be our Christmas/Hanukkah gift to everyone we love. Honestly, all our friends pretty much have everything they need, and what better way to celebrate the season than to transform a family’s life. If you haven’t heard of Heifer’s International, go check it out.

There’s still time to sign up for ForensicU - an all forensic weekend sponsored by Sister’s in Crime. It’s running from Nov 1 - 4 in St. Louis, and I’m so excited about it! Here’s the info: ForensicU

September 25, 2007

I haven’t done one of these posts for awhile, but since this is working out so well for me, I thought I’d share. Each day, I try to start out with either steel-cut oats, whole grain cereal or a healthy smoothie:

1/4 cup silken tofu
1/4 cup soy milk (I use organic vanilla)
2 tbsp flax seed
1 tbsp flax oil
1 frozen banana
a few pieces of frozen peaches or some frozen berries
1 4 oz container of probiotic yogurt

Blend away!

Then, for lunch, I have either a cabbage/veggie Asian salad, or a Miso soup with cabbage/veggies.

Each Sunday I chop up:

1 head Nappa cabbage
1/4 to 1/2 head red cabbage
1 bunch scallions
2 red peppers
3-4 sliced carrots
3-4 ribs celery (sliced)
several sliced radishes
a bunch of sweet peas
anything else that looks good and crunchy

I make sure it’s all completely dry (yay salad spinner!) then I mix it all up and put it in one or two ziploc bags.

I decide, depending on my mood or the weather if I want salad or soup. If it’s salad, well, that’s simple - throw cabbage/veggies in a bowl. Add dressing. Eat. If it’s soup, I add some miso to boiling water, then chuck in cabbage/veggies. I also add some buckwheat soba or udon noodles to the soup, cause I like them. Sometimes I’ll add leftover chicken, which I shred or chop.

I find it’s much simpler when I don’t have to think about breakfast or lunch. I just know it’s going to be good, and good for me. and the big bags of cabbage/veggies last all week, and they really do stay fresh. So it’s only dinner that I have to worry about, and mostly the answer to that is to go out. :)

Anyway, that’s my Tip for the Day. Oh, and I try all kinds of Asian dressing, all of which have:

light soy
rice wine vinegar
whey sugar
a little sesame oil
a little flax oil
a little other oil, maybe

and I sometimes add:

mustard
mirin
toasted sesame seeds
peanut butter

although not all at the same time.

You guys have any neato tips to share?

September 22, 2007

Course No.: 103

Workshop Description: Here’s what I believe: Novels that involve the reader are about characters. Special characters. Characters who, through the course of the novel, go through a transformation. In romance novels, the characters transform because of their involvement with the other primary character (as opposed to, say, finding Moby Dick). I also believe that the only reason for plot is to force our characters into situations that make them have to chose. To transform.

The Core Decision is all about creating characters. It’s about using your own life, the joys, the tragedies, the love, the desperation that made us who we are. It’s about breathing life into your hero and heroine and your villain so that each of them leap off the page and into the reader’s heart. In this workshop, we will cover:

The Core Decision

* The Child’s Interpretation
* The Decision
* The Fallout
* Reinforcements
* Recognition
* The New Decision
* Actions = Transformations

The Process of Discovery

* Remembering
* Writing it out
* Shame
* Pain

The Fatal Flaw

* Character Arc and Emotions
* Transference — how plot reveals character
* Multiple Levels of Interaction — All the Yous of You

About the Instructor: Jolie Kramer, who writes romance under the name Jo Leigh, is a two-time RITA finalist and bestselling author of over 45 novels. She began her career in film, where she studied with Robert McKee, Syd Field and other brilliant teachers. Her TV series Mystagogue was optioned by Cinemax, and her screenplay Geezer’s Run was optioned by Northern Lights Productions. She also ghost-authored Great Big Beautiful Doll- The Anna Nicole Smith Story. Jolie has taught story structure and writing classes in workshops all over the country. To get her complete bibliography and learn more about her, go to www.joleigh.com.

Deadline to Register: September 28th.

September 20, 2007

Yeehaw! It’s the last day of Sweating with Sven! How’d you do? What did you learn?

Go here and let us all know about your experience, and what you’ve taken from the challenge.

Me? I learned a lot about myself, and made some changes to my writing life. It’s all good.

Thanks to all who went through this, and I hope to see you next round!

September 18, 2007

Let’s see…impacted, infected tooth. Out of town. Out of town, again. Migraine… Check.
Work. Uhhhhh, not so much.

I’m behind in everything now, thank you. Completely, sadly, behind. I have a to-do list that’s very long, and all I want to do is go back to bed.

Yeah, I’m probably the only one.

How’s your week coming along?

September 14, 2007

It’s Random Stuff Friday!

- Anyone here have any experience with Melaleuca?

- I have my screen saver set to rotate all my personal pictures, and since I had to save all the puppy pictures to get them posted, I now have Adorable Puppies and Kitties popping up at random. This is a Very Good Thing as it makes me totally happy to see them all. On the other hand, I end up not working so the auto screen saver kicks in, which is not a good thing as I have a book due really, really soon.

- I’m putting together the online workshop, which is interesting because I’ve only ever given the class live. For me, that means I have an outline of things to cover, but I hadn’t ever written it out. I’m trying to include everything, but I really hope it’s an active class. So much of what I teach live has to do with audience participation. So far, so good, but the proof will be in the pudding. (mmm…pudding)

- Dr. Who Tonight! Weeeee!

- I’m almost finished reading AMERICAN GODS by Gaiman (terrific book!) and now have to decide whether to read TWILIGHT or DIRTY next. Recommendations?

- I’m planning a container bulb garden. Another first for me. I’m really going to miss my tomato plants. In fact, I’ll miss my whole little garden. The herbs! I made a mint-rosemary tea yesterday and I was squee-ing like a little girl that I got the ingredients (except the black tea) from my garden!

- I’m off to the bigger city to get wonderful things done - facial, hair, massage. If I was very, very rich, I’d hire a full time masseuse and one of her jobs would be to massage my scalp all day. Yes. I’m that odd.

Have a great weekend, and if you haven’t submitted your pet yet, go to the Who’s Your Doggie post and do it!

September 10, 2007

So I’m doing the art-fact sheet for my latest book, which is a pain in the ass, but inevitable, sort of like revisions, and usually I like to give the art department a visual. I pick someone reasonably famous and let them know he/she should look something like that. It mostly doesn’t work, but did so, smashingly, with Relentless -

I told them the hero was Clive Owen. Not too shabby, huh?

Anyway, I filled out the whole thing, phft, done. Here’s what the hero looks like:

Unfortunately, instead of writing Thomas Gibson…I wrote Charles Gibson:

Not that Charles isn’t a very good newscaster, and I’m certainly not implying that he isn’t a nice looking man. It’s just that, well, you know.

PS - sign up for my newsletter!
PS, again - I need more dogs! See two posts down. I’ve already included most of those submitted! More! More!

That is all.

September 9, 2007

Sorry I didn’t post this last night. The winner of the free online class is…

Jessica Tudor!

Jessica, I’ll be sending you the information you need via email. Congratulations!

September 7, 2007

UPDATE: If you send me a (small) pic of your pup, I’ll add it to your comment!

I’m currently working on a book that stars a pet concierge. Needless to say, there are going to be a number of canine cameos in the book. Of course, my little darlin’ Jessie will make an appearance, but I was thinking it would be fun to feature other puppy pals in the book…so here’s your chance to have your dog immortalized in a new Blaze!

Comment below, giving me your dog’s name, age, breed, and a one or two line description, and I’ll do my best to include your pooch in print. I’ll also include some kitties, although fewer, and if you have an unusual pet, say a ferret or a pot-bellied pig, I’ll see what I can do.

No promises, however. If I get a gazillion posts, I wouldn’t have room for the romance, but hell, let’s see if we can populate PetQuarters right here!

PS - I have no idea if one can add a pic in a comment. If you can, go for it (small, please). Or if you’d like to add a link, that would be great, too. I’ll make sure and keep a running list of who will appear, so check back in late October to find out if your pet is going to be in a Blaze!

September 5, 2007

Alison Kent is sponsoring a contest today to win a free pass to my Oct online class: The Core Decision: Finding the Key to Character Transformation Using Your Own Life. For more info about the class, go here. To enter for a free tuition, go here.

And wow, check out what PBW has to say! :

Kidnapped! is Jo Leigh’s latest release, and I loved it for a number of reasons. It’s so audacious, emotionally-charged and unpredictable that it leaves you breathless. You never know what’s going to happen next in this novel. Technically speaking, the plotting in this one is insane; it demanded precise balancing in order for it to work, and she pulled it off without a single hitch. By the end I wasn’t quite sure how she’d done it. I got so caught up in the story that I stopped paying attention to the mechanics.

She’s giving away a copy of Kidnapped!, so don’t forget to visit.