Words

I have been inspired by this girl Natalie Rose, in more ways than one. But the current post she has written titled "Why I Write" has inspired me this morning to write this.

I sit here on my bed, with My Maccy. It's Saturday morning. Bon Iver's  station is playing on Pandora, My Fab 4 are watching cartoons and probably eating way too many donuts, My Giant is at work, the rains have stopped for now, and I feel like writing.

No link ups.

No giveaways.

Just me.

Have I ever told you my beloved readers that I love to write? (Hello Captain Obvious) I don't love it because your reading. I have written proof of countless post that no one will ever read. So no, I don't love it because you might comment on what I say. Although I truly do treasure every comment, every writer does, but that's not why I write. I don't love it because I think it will bring me fame and fortune someday. Although the fortune would be nice, I already feel famous in my own little spot on planet earth. I don't write because I feel this is the only way I can express myself, but I do feel it's one my best forms of communication. I write because I like words.

Words are prophetic.

Words are love documented.

I write because it's my therapy. I write because I feel I have something to say. I write because everyday I feel the moments slipping away, and somehow if I get it out there in writing it stays with me a little bit longer.  The moments stay. Time stands still in words.  I love to play with words. I like to create with words. I like to paint with words. I like to imagine with words.

Words are my muse.

Words are glorious.

I am also challenged on a regular basis to write better. After reading an amazing novel I put the book down and think to myself, that was a powerful experience. I think that was just glorious, being transported to the world of Words just now. Everyone and everything can be buzzing in such a rushed movement all around me, and I get consumed in the world of words. I suppose this doesn't make much sense to those who don't have this appreciation of reading and words. I feel sorry for them. Truly those who have not discovered the gift that is words, I feel they are missing out on a whole other planet. The Planet Words.

Words are powerful.

Words are encouraging.

There has also been so many times in my life that I can honestly feel the pen, or in this case my fingers taking on a life of their own. I used to think it odd when I would hear of authors being almost possessed by something that caused this story to come out of them, until it happened to me. Then my eyes were opened and I realized that I too have the capacity to write an entire novel, okay well maybe not a novel, but certainly a children's story, and not even remember how it happened. Granted this doesn't happen very often, but it does happen.

Words are playful.

Words are poignant.

When I open an empty post page and I have an idea of something I want to write about, my heart starts to beat a little bit faster. When I hear the happy buzz of tappity tap tap that means my fingers are creating right before my eyes it makes me feel purposeful. It makes me want more, and more, of that tappity tap tap sound.  It makes me want to just keep on tapping. Keep on writing. Keep on creating. Keep on documenting. Keep on recording the moments as they pass by. 

Words are amazing.

Words are good.

When I sit down with my favorite plain black Bic pen and I have a blank piece of paper and there is no one around, I could write for all eternity of the greatness that is words. When I read words that were written thousands of years ago and they still apply to my life today it causes an emotion to rise in my heart that is without measure. 

I write because I love it.

It is what makes my heart sing.
It has turned into much more than a hobby for me.
It has become a passion in this life.

It just started raining again, and I probably should go do the dishes and stop pretending that I'm getting paid to do this.

The Written Word

I love writing.
There is something so beautiful to me about the written word.
Words that are spoken are important for sure. But to me they are words that would normally come out of ones mouth, and then maybe fall on ears that would remember what was said for a day or two.
Maybe if the listener was really paying attention the words are ones that a person would carry for a lifetime, but often times the words we say fall on deaf ears never to be thought of again.

Ah... but the written word.
Well, that is an entirely different beast all together.

Good or bad the written words are forever held in time.
Right now I am finishing up a book club choice called People of The Book, by Geraldine Brooks
It's a fictional book about a book restorer who is working on a book that was written in the 1400's.
The book she has been commissioned to work on is an old Jewish prayer book called a Haggadah.

Anyway, the story is amazing!
The story within the story of this book is what has got my wheels turning.
She finds in her restoration process stains and marks in the book, and then has them analyzed for further clues as to where the book got it's origins. The amazing part to me is that we have books like this.
Books that have withstood the test of time.

One of my favorite older books that I own is a book called "Cooking for Two, by Janet M Hill copyright 1909.
I bought it from my neighbor June.
It has articles in the front and back about "Being a Good Housewife" or "When Mom lets us Cook" or " Some Cleaning Secrets " and all of these and her little scribbles here and there are what make the book that much more precious to me.
The story within the story.



June was an older Scottish woman who to keep her mind sharp and get some social interaction, every Saturday morning she would open up her little garage on Minnesota St. in Carson City and sell some of her treasures that she had carried for a lifetime.
I would go down every Saturday and buy only one or two things. Usually one of her salt and pepper shakers and one book.
We would talk for a bit, mostly I would ask her a lot of questions about her life and listen carefully to this very wise wonderful woman.
I miss June.
But I carry a little piece of her with me in the books that I bought from her.

I have often thought now that we have become so digital and everything is out here in cyberspace rather than on paper what treasures will be lost when we no longer have access to this.
There are ways, I know that you can turn your blog into a book and I really have thought of doing that for my children to enjoy someday.
It most certainly is a record of events.
An out loud journal of sorts.
It makes me wonder, why we all love living out loud so much?
Those of us that blog anyway.
To me its therapeutic.



When I first started blogging it was because I was a stay at home mom who desperately needed connection to the outside world.
Now I blog because I have grown to love the blogging community and the process of getting things out of my head and onto the computer screen.
I am thankful for the written word.
I am glad that there are others out there just like me who treasure it as much as I do.

For those of you who are just like me, I leave you with this the quote at the beginning of that old cookbook;

"The best things are nearest... Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things of life."


True, true indeed.

That and next time you are at a rummage sale, don't look over those old books. There might be a story within a story.
Oh, and when you own a book be sure to make your mark on it, who knows someday those little notes that you write down might be the very thing that makes that book so much more special to the readers of the future!

Happy Reading AND Writing Friends!

I resolve to regain my voice

I am sitting here on a Thursday morning alone in this cabin in the woods.
The air is cool but the sun is out (one of my all time favorites on the weather wheel) and it's shining through all these wonderful windows.
I have candles burning and smelling up the place like cinnamon and vanilla.
I have coffee in my cup and I am listening to some of my favorite musicians.

The stars have all aligned and given me this day to myself.

A day off.
How will I spend it?
What to do with all this free time?
Well, I have laundry going.
The house is clean.
The dogs have been walked.
Now what?

Well... usually time to myself gives me time to think.
I don't get much alone time to think.
Thinking is good.
Pondering is good.
I am relishing in my moments this morning to think and ponder.

I am thinking about a lot.
Last year at this time I had declared a month of love notes.
Some of you might remember my constant posting on FB, love quotes.
Looking back I now realize that to tell all the people I love, how much I truly love them it would take much longer than a month of love notes.
Still, that was a really special month last year because I realized that often times in life we don't tell people how much we truly love and appreciate them.
It stretched me to do that little self-imposed exercise.
It also made me realize how much I love writing.

Words.
I love expressing myself in written word.

So this day that I have to myself what did I turn to first.
Writing.

In a recent conversation with a new friend she asked if being a Preschool teacher was something that I was passionate about?
I told her that yes, on a good day!
I do love to teach little people.
Little people are amazing and they are truly my most favorite people to hang out with.
Still, I feel teaching is like an old trusted friend that I can fall back on anytime I want.
And I don't know if that means I am passionate or not about it, but that's how I feel about it right now.

But writing.....
Well, if I were to choose a career that I could transition out of teaching and explore more fully it would be writing.
I attempted to write some children's books, and well in the move those have taken a back seat.
Still they call to me every once in a while in a quiet moment like this I remember that, that is something I really do want to pursue.
I currently live in a place that would make it quite easy to actively pursue this dream of writing.
My time to think and ponder has now come to an end.
The laundry bell has rung.
Thanks for listening.

Finding A Literary Agent

I have found my searching for a literary agent to be quite difficult. As difficult as getting published, (ahem... by a legit publisher that is) will be I am sure. It is a more agonizing process than I thought it would be. The ability to be rejected several times without taking it personal is not an easy one to come by. I am sure this is a skill that comes over time. I haven't acquired it yet. It's not as though I am devastated every time a rejection email comes back, it's just each time I see an agent has written me back, I let the letter sit for 2.5 seconds before opening it with the high hopes that this might be the person who wants to read more of my work. So far, I haven't got that hopeful letter back YET!!

Every agent requires that you send them a query letter. Basically, it's like a resume for your book. Some require if you have illustrations to send those and some won't even open your email if there are attachments. IF you don't follow their specifications to a T (yes that is a capital T folks) they won't even consider your work. All of these things I didn't even know before entering this wonderful world of publishing.

I set out originally to find someone local. Much to my surprise, (I am being totally sarcastic here in case you didn't notice) there is no one in the Reno/Sparks area or even Northern Nevada area for that matter.
I did however get in touch with an agent in the San Francisco area, who referred me to this very helpful website;

agentquery.com

When I went to that website I then began to realize that I am a very small fish in an ocean of talented writers who were much more educated about this process than I was. I was scared. I was discouraged. I felt grossly underqualified to even be considering my work as something that should go public. My first query letters I was embarrassed by now. I did exactly what they said NOT to do before learning what a query letter even is or was. I didn't know that there are agents who specialize in certain genres of books and that I should be looking for those agents to even consider reading my query letter, let alone my books.

Then I remembered why I started this process in the first place. I regrouped and thought; some lucky agent is going to GET to be my agent, is going to GET to help me publish my book, and is going to GET to reap the Harvest of promises I have awaiting me.
So, once I realized all of this, I did some refining on my query letter, made a list of the agents that I wanted to pursue, and started sending away those queries via email. I have been rejected several times. I only have 12 more agents to pursue on that list that was 23 agents long.

I KNOW one of them will be the lucky winner.

Just Thoughts

Three weeks left of summer break. I need to get this family back to real life time instead of island time. We have successfully once again thrown away the clocks for the summer and I fear we will go into shock if we went cold-turkey back into school schedule time. So really, I am thinking we only have two weeks left of break and the week before school starts is always busy with school stuff and getting back into the groove.

Emma has really taken to baking and cooking things in the kitchen. Tonight it's cinnamon cupcakes with creme cheese frosting. Mmm...mmm good!!

Moses marinated a steak for this evenings dinner that I am pretty excited about.

I am not going with the first publishing company that offered to publish my book. There was some things in the contract that just didn't sit well with me and so I decided not only did I have no business looking at a 10 page legal document but that it was time to look for an agent. Looking for an agent has been interesting to say the least. More on that later.

My neighbors down the street are getting ready for the big Burn. They are coming into town at their usual speed for this time of year. Always provides for some free entertainment. They are all so nice and very excited that you can't help pick up on that energy. Hope they don't get rained out this year.

My other neighbors have been unusually nice lately. Bringing over all kinds of fruits and vegetations. These are not the usual nice neighbors.

We still haven't heard any news back from our bank lenders about getting "Help for Homeowners". They said it would be 30 to 90 days before we heard anything. It's been 37.5 days so there is still some time I guess before we have to start packing.

Picture of my Dad and Isaiah at Savy's 2nd b-day.

Brodey the Bishop and the Process of getting Published

I never imagined a year ago when I sat down at my computer to finally create a children's story that I would be here. I have been accepted by a publishing company, but now I am considering getting an agent and going with a bigger, better publishing company.
After reading a 10 page contract and having no idea what I was really getting into I have been reconsidering my first choice for a publisher for a lot of reasons.
I am still conversing with them about the book but I have also sent out queries to two separate agents that I am excited to hear back from. These agents in the world of children's books are HUGE!! So, if they like my pitch and my books then I am going to take the leap of faith and hope for something better for this book.

Introducing...

Brodey the Bishop and The First Day of Spring

Brody the Bishop

I have been working on a series of children's books since last year. It has taken a long time to get the perfect artist. I have been through 3 other artists before landing the greatest female artist Natalie Rose Heifner. She has finished the pages of artwork that we need to submit this project and I am getting nervous now.
I am of course hopefully optimistic about it all, but still there are some nerves involved there.

Will they say yes and and sign me finally after all this time?


It remains to be seen whether this will be the artistic adventure of mine that will finally come to pass.

Here's to Hoping!!

My book and freaking Artist's who are freaking flaky

I have had my first real frustration with this book deal.  My publishers called about a week ago and informed me that they were still interested and were just wondering if I was still waiting on an artist. I told them yes, that I was probably going to fire this artist because although he is very talented he has been a bit of a slacker. 

The problem lies with the fact that this was an artist from Mo's work and I didn't want to make things weird for him. So I tactfully asked what the status was on his work and he informed that it was the same as last time, which is pretty much nothing. He had a few ideas but basically he has done nothing since we spoke at Christmas.

Well, I was not too upset because during this time I realized that another person I know would make a fabulous children's illustrator and so I asked her if the job comes back to me if she would be interested. She said yes, and so I hired her on the spot. 

I am hoping to have the 5 pages they need of illustrations done by the end of this month and to get this ball rolling once again.

I told the previous artist that once I am raking in the dough I won't gloat too much :)

Some of my thoughts

Here are some of my thoughts for this Thursday afternoon-

-My love/hate relationship with my dogs is one that I have been pondering lately. They are the cutest dogs I have ever owned they are also the most destructive annoying dogs. I am not sure why I have allowed as much as I have with their shenanigans!! I am not sure why I agreed and even sought out this scenario in my life again. They do bring me some small piece of joy or I am sure I wouldn't keep them. However, this morning when they had eaten a whole pack of new bubble gum I was considering doing alot of things to these 4 legged creatures and these things were not nice.

-My thoughts on all writers being egocentric - I had this thought the other day. All writers have to have a certain sense of ego in order to think that their ideas are first of all good enough to be published in a book and second of all great enough ideas that people should pay money to read them. This thought had me a bit perplexed once again about my aspirations of becoming a published author and even why I have a blog. 

-Friends and some disappointments that I have finally come to realize in that area of life are this; some of my friends that have left stronger imprints than others still influence me today even though I haven't seen or heard from them in a while. One friend I have used to love to write with a plain old Bic pen , still to this day I like to write with a Bic pen because of her and when school supply shopping time comes around that is one item that is always on my list. Other friends I wonder was it just that we went to the same church that even barely classified us as friends. I am excited that Louie is blogging about this topic because it's something that I have been thinking alot about lately. Also, I am quickly learning in my 30's that every person who wants to be my friend maybe I don't want to be theirs and how to navigate through that one has been interesting. There are circles of friendships. The inner circle for me consists of my family first which right there makes it a big circle, then a middle circle of friends that are like family to me and that I share everything with, and finally an outer surface circle or what I would like to say is the acquaintance circle of friends.

-Music, why have I been given so many songs and what should I do with them. Why are we given certain gifts without the time to really pursue them. Will I ever move these songs out from the notebook and on to a recording. Dunno. I am however looking forward to going back to my Uncle's recording studio and getting some songs that my Grandmother wrote recorded. 

-The current political thoughts, honestly isn't this over already? But in reality I told Mo the other night that I think either of these guys are crazy for signing up for this job. You could not pay me enough money... no way would I ever take this job. Not on your life!! Also to the shock and awe of those of you who think I am an Obama groupie I will have you know that I do believe both of these gentlemen would do a fine enough job and I don't really care at this point. By that I mean, I won't be moving to Canada if Mc Cain does win. But he won't!! Last debate sure was interesting.

-Motivation, where it comes from , why it's lacking for me right now, and What can I do about that?

-Deja Vu's - This is my topic of research currently in my Psych class, lots of thoughts there. What are they really? Why do some have more than others and some none at all?

-School , I am so over it. Really, what's the point that I am going through all these hoops and for what? To get paid a measly teacher's salary. Sorry but I am just thinking it might not be worth it anymore. Although if Obama gets in, he has mention ECE several times in all his speeches and has some good plans for those of us pursuing that degree, hint hint Jessica :)

Those are them folks, hope you enjoyed the journey inside my brain for this week.

Motivation Bug

I am getting the bug , the motivation bug to finish up my books and send them out. As of the last email from the publishers I have done a whole lot of nothing with them and the email sits in my inbox haunting me. Reminding me of what a big sissy I am for not sending in my scripts. Last night I had a thought that really motivated me. I can 't really put into words what it was that clicked but today after finishing up some homework I am going to blow the dust off of my scripts, go to the post office, and mail this baby out.

It really has been a strange thing my reaction to this. As I have said in previous posts I really am afraid of the rejection and it has paused me for the last few months but I am motivated today. 

I will feel a huge sense of relief when they are out and no longer in my hands. When the move is in their courts then there will be nothing else I can do, but hope and pray that if this is meant to be it will be.

Oh how I hope it is meant to be!!

Oh to be a real Author

Oh how I would love to be a writer for life. It is just so easy to sit and write , and write, and write, or should I say type. The topics of life that I love to type about - books, family, kids, politics, pets, you name it, I could write about it. What I have always found so interesting is how people, very fortunate people end up getting paid to do this.  That is what motivated me a while back to just go for it in the writing department and see what happens.
So I thought for a minute or two of what would be the easiest thing for me to write about and came up with some children's characters that are chess pieces. I could attempt to write a novel, a autobiography, or some other adult type book, but in the end I just don't think I am geared for that kind of writing. I much prefer the land of make believe and entertaining children.  Maybe someday when I grow up I will think that my thoughts are valuable enough for the adult audiences but until then I think I will stay in the kids department.

I have a publishing company interested in all my manuscripts and they also want me to send the illustrations that Mo drew up as well. I am surprised by the response because I just didn't think it would happen this fast. So this is it. This is a publisher that will either say yea, or neah. 

I have no idea what to expect from this point on but I am excited and just trying not to get to hopeful so as not to be devastated if they say neah.  I wish I could be more of a realist in that department because in all reality I just expect good things to happen to me all the time so when it's not good I am truly and utterly surprised and taken back for a while.  

A side note to all of this- The other day I was found by an old high school acquaintance who is now a published author. You can see all her covers of her books in her facebook gallery. She is in the romance novel dept.  I find it so interesting how that can just happen and before you know people are reading what you have written. Anyway, it really encouraged me to keep going with this writing stuff.

So this blog is dedicated to all the other fellow aspiring authors out there to keep going because you never know. We have all seen the stuff on the shelves that is selling at Barnes and Nobles and we have all said to ourselves, I could do that, SO DO IT!!  Go for it !!

I just wanted to keep typing, I could type all day!!

I am sitting here wanting so much to blog about something but not really having a good topic to even consider typing. This has never stopped me before. Why should it stop me now.  I don't think I will let it. 

So here are some more random thoughts -

My book status is in a standstill right now because I have been debating whether or not to pay money to have it professionally edited. One agency says that I should and the other hasn't mentioned it yet. I am leaning toward not. I have it illustrated now (Thanks Mr. Big) but I don't know how to send the illustrations effectively. Up until this point everything has been through emails and phone calls. So it sits in my computer unpublished until I have the energy to move forward.

I leave again for High School camp on Sunday. This might be my last camp for a while which makes me sad. I really do enjoy teenagers and hanging out with them is really a good time for me. Getting to hear about their hopes and dreams for the future is always interesting. To see a young person turning into not so young a person, right before your  eyes is really amazing to me. Time flies when you are having fun. I think about the teens that I was able to know and lead back in the day and now they all have families, careers, and still keep in touch from time to time. I don't think I will be long from this break from the youths. They are all just too much fun.  Course,  I could get really old, irrelevant and boring to them and then I might just have to reconsider but I doubt it.  Anyway, if I wait long enough I will have teens of my own. YIKES!! 

I was reading in Malachi yesterday and was amazed at what stood out to me this time. It is not a hard book to read all the way being that it is very short but it is however a hard book to read in that it is full of convictions and harsh warnings for leaders. It spoke to me in a whole new way and I love that about THE BOOK.  So living and active.  You never get the same things twice when reading anything from the bible. 

I am enjoying sitting on my bed and being on the computer. Yipee, to having a laptop for the first time. I could really get used to this. I think I will. Oh to be a writer and get paid for this, wait.... I am working on that. What a dream come true that would be for this Frederick the field mouse.

Isaiah had another funny quote yesterday,   "Mom if I give you all my money in my pocket(which consisted of some pennies and a I think a dime) could you please make it my birthday today!"  Oh to be a kid again. 

Well, I am off to get some new running shoes and luggage. After my European tour my orange bags just couldn't make another trip. So much for buying luggage on Ebay.

Children's Books

I have successfully submitted my ideas for a characther I created a few months ago that will be in a series for my children's books. I am excited about the fact that I am going public with some of the ideas that have been rolling around in my head for a long time. I also have to say that this process was so incredibly easy and practically fell into my lap. I have a freind who's cousin is an agent to authors and this was a hook up that gave me some great advice and a few heads up on ways to go and what to avoid. I will let you all know if anything comes of it. If you soon see Brodey the Bishop on your children's scholastic book order just know that it is a really great read(for your 3-6year old) and you should buy it !!!

Last English Essay

I finished my last English essay this evening titled , "The Importance of Preschool" and although it is much less controversial than my first attempt at writing on Same Sex marriage it is soooooooooooooooooooooo boring. Not at all an argument really and I am wondering if my teacher is going to catch on to the fact that I don't really like to argue.
It's really lame even by my standards and so I revisited the old paper and I am wondering if it would be against college English protocol to turn them both in?? What do ya think ??