Dog Gone

Look what the old cat dragged in!



Don't they make a great pair?

Dog Gone is Cynthia's debut novel. In the corner, you can see the postcard for her latest book, Buck Fever, and it is to celebrate its release that I entered her contest.

I was a winner. My name never gets picked out of the hat. So I am doubly pleased. My eight-year-old daughter grabbed it, but she has to wait until she finishes her homework. Sigh. If she just buckles down and works for 30 minutes, she'll be done. I have the incentive. She's actually pondering her homework across my desk as I type this.

I read the ending to make sure the dog doesn't die. After reading Where the Red Fern Grows, my kids refuse to read any dead dog books. So if you have a kid with the same sensibilities, fear not. Dog Gone has a sweet ending.

Thank you, Cynthia.
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Pumpkins and Beatitudes

It's been a lovely weekend. And I especially like the service for All Saints/Souls at church. My mother and brother are never far from my heart, but today I remember all the others whom I've known and loved. I imagine them all together. Joyful. In the company of all the Saints.

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We had a young seminarian who delivered a most rousing homily based on the readings for today. I cannot even begin to summarize it, but I'll give it a shot ...

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We are called children of God. Called for a purpose. Because our destiny is heaven.

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The Gospel reading were the Beatitudes (Blessed): Matthew 5: 3-12:

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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Jesus turns everything upside down. I never, ever understood the first one until now. I don't want to be poor in spirit. But what it means is to be less of yourself so you can be more like Christ. Less ego. In the end it comes down to "Not mine but Thy will be done." Again and again I have to learn this. Every. Single. Day. I confess it's not easy to follow Jesus, but I shall die trying.

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Which of these beatitudes are the most difficult for you to understand? Or live by?

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Candy Experiments

What to do with all that candy besides eat it?

Loralee Leavitt will guide you through candy experiments!

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November Madness

As if Halloween madness isn't enough, thousands of writers participate in National Novel Writing Month. I'm a slow writer. I revise as I go. The thought of writing 50,000 words in a month is paralyzing to me. What if I go in a wrong direction? What if I have to scrap everything? No matter that I scrap plenty even with revisions along the way.

One day I will have to try it using the tips I've gotten from Laini Taylor and Maggie Stiefvater. But until then, hats off to those who accomplish this feat.

My friend, Molly Blaisdell, has an alternative to Nano. It's the Golden Coffee Cup Award. You set your own goals and try to meet them. Molly gives you inspiration to keep you going. Go check it out.

I am shooting for revising the first third of my current novel and sending it out to my fabulous teacher Nancy Butts for a review. That's it.
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Halloween Madness

It's begun already ... the madness. Tomorrow, the kids will come home from school all sugared up and it won't end ... until we eat it all up.


I don't even like candy but since the kids started trick-or-treating, I have discovered that I have favorites, like Almond Joy and Kit-Kat. I still prefer Cadbury chocolate bars though. When we lived in Belgium, I had a smooth and creamy Belgian chocolate every single day (and I lived there for two years). Ooooh, how I wish someone would give me that quality of chocolate.

I didn't grow up with this holiday. Instead, we celebrated All Saints/Souls Day on Nov. 1st -- a day to remember all our beloved dead.

But the kids are growing up here and enjoying this sweet tradition. They love dressing up and collecting candy. Oh, but it's madness. Truly.

I do like carved pumpkins -- this is one my husband's. Mine are too pathetic to post. I always make a cat with a tail.

Best of all, we have a Halloween cat!

Some good books to keep you company this Halloween:

When the Whistle Blows by Fran Cannon Slayton.

Eighth Grade Bites: Chronicles of Vladimir Tod by Heather Brewer.

Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher: A Magic Shop Book by Bruce Coville.

Enjoy.

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Oregon Coast Children's Book Writers Workshop

My own pictures of the Oregon coast are not digitized because they're from way back before I ever had a digital camera and we're so pathetic we don't even have one of those cool scanners, copiers, printers and babysitters thingamajiggers all rolled into the one. So you'll have to go to the official OCCBWW site to see pictures that David Greenberg has.

Go now.

And come back here.

Good.

Did you click through some of the pages?

Under Tips and Suggestions David has more pictures. And under Instructors: Session II, you'll see moi!

Yup, I'm going to talk about magazine writing and nonfiction, both which I love to write, and that has paid for the endless reams of paper I go through for my novels and much more. I will be sharing what I know about getting started and published in these venues.

I'm very, very excited to be at OCCBWW. It is a gorgeous place and David runs an excellent conference. Just read the testimonials. I suspect it's a lot like the Highlights conference in Chautauqua but on a smaller scale. Of course, you can't beat the location. The Oregon coast is simply the most unspoiled piece of nature ever. It's intimate. There's time for learning in a group and one-one-one and quiet time to ponder and write.

Years ago, I had wanted to go to OCCBWW, but my kiddos were too young (and it seemed I was either pregnant or nursing or both) and by the time they were old enough, I somehow managed to get scholarships to two workshops on the East Coast. Of course, that's where I chose to go. So I'm thrilled to be coming to OCCBWW as a faculty member.

Register soon. I hear that spots get filled up fast. This is why David is offering two sessions.

I hope to see you there next summer. Happy writing.
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Buck Fever

I'm such a doofus. I've been seeing Cythnia's cover of Dog Gone on the Blueboard for some time, only it's been replaced by Buck Fever. And I was scratching my head over it. Duh! It's her new book. Isn't it gorgeous?

Go check it out here or here or here! She's having a drawing for both her books.

Fishing is the only thing that I can do that's close to hunting. My husband hasn't hunted since he was about twelve, when a failed shot didn't kill the rabbit, but just hurt it.

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Congratulations, Cynthia! We can't wait to read it.

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