Can someone explain grass to me? No I don’t mean the kind that’s illegal, I mean the stuff we all waste tons of money trying to grow in our yards. Living in the suburbs in the Midwest, lawns fall somewhere between a status symbol and a religion. People spend hours fertilizing their grass and watering it. They pay for lawn … Read More
How Surviving the School Year is Like Writing a Book.
For most Americans, August means back to school time. I love the start of a new school year, because it’s a new beginning, a chance to improve on what you taught the year before. All summer long, teachers hit garage sales and craft stores picking up new treasures to share with their kids. They are sure these new or gently … Read More
Fashion Rant, or How to Write Your Character’s Wardrobe.
This is a public service announcement. Attention any man wearing skinny jeans. You need to go home right now and change into a pair of normal Levi’s. Men do not look good in skinny jeans. And if you wear a striped shirt with your skinny jeans, you look like you’re channeling Where’s Waldo. While I’m trashing fashion trends, can someone … Read More
Fantasies, Reality and Writing
I have this fantasy where a man wearing low slung jeans, a tight T-shirt and a tool belt comes into my house and builds storage closets or shelves in every single room. When he’s done, every item I own has a special place to live where I’ll always be able to find it whenever I need it. And since it’s … Read More
Writing Mistakes to Avoid, or Things We Did Before We Knew Better
This is a list of advice I’ve gathered from multiple craft books, critique groups, and workshops. And yes, there are exceptions, but you have to know the rules before you break them. 1. Adverbs make your writing weak. Avoid adverbs. (That whirring sound you hear is all the deceased English teachers rolling over in their graves.) 2. “That” is a … Read More
Bad Spider, or Author Freak Out
When it comes to spiders, there are supposed to be rules, people. The spiders can hang out in the garage and in the basement. They can even build the occasional web in the corner of the living room ceiling. But they are not, I repeat not, supposed to hide under the car handle where you have to put your hand … Read More
Heroes and Anti-Heroes – Whats the difference? – Writers Write
Heroes and Anti-Heroes – Whats the difference? – Writers Write.
UtopYA / Quirky Chick Conference Report
I spent this past weekend in Nashville Tennessee at the UtopYA conference. What was it like? Imagine a conference full of quirky chicks who all love to read, write and blog. Then add a hot shirtless cover model, a ton of raffle prizes and a few fangirl moments. Attending a conference by myself was way outside my comfort zone. I’ve attended … Read More
My Post Needs Viagra
Just when I thought I had this WordPress blogging crap figured out, I couldn’t get a link to do its whole linking thing. Which makes the link, in all respects, quite useless. What had I done wrong? I followed the tried and true ritual. I highlighted and copied. I pasted it to my post. Which meant it should have turned blue … Read More
Head Shot: Help!
I’m going to have my head shots done tomorrow. No, I’m not letting someone shoot me in the head, as the sentence makes it sound. I’m going to a professional photographer to have a picture taken for my publicity photo. Did I mention I hate having my picture taken? The photographer explained I should wear a solid long-sleeved black or … Read More
Made Me Laugh: Barbie, The Raider, The Washboard, and Me
According to the official description, KenAlexander has “long brown windswept hair.” That’s not windswept. That’s “A windy hedgehog exploded on his head.” The Raider, The Washboard, and Me | Blog | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books | Romance Novel Reviews | News, romance reviews and humorous commentary for smart readers that can’t get enough of the romance genre..
Samantha Fish Rocks
We saw Samantha Fish this weekend. She is amazing. If you ever have a chance to see her, you should go.
Made Me Laugh : Sad Cat Diary
Video source missing
Liar Liar Pants on Fire
“Start a website,” they said. “It will be easy,” they said. And to that, I say, “Liar liar pants on fire.” Most of the time I have a pretty good grasp on technology. Pretty good means I mutter mild curse words under my breath, rather than ranting loud enough to bring all three dogs running. Yesterday, even my husband came … Read More