Feeling Springy

I freely admit I'm not a good photographer. I also admit our garden is a work in progress.

No thanks to me. If it weren't for my Dashingly Handsome Sidekick, I'm afraid we wouldn't have any flowers and our grass would be very, very long in some places, bald in others, and filled with weeds.

Despite my lack of green thumb, I did venture out into the garden today with my little girls. I lay in the grass and let the sun shine on me. I admired the flowers. Not all the plants are flowering, but some are. The colors are so gorgeous, the sky so blue.

I love spring!

How is your spring going? 

If you haven't already, click here to read my World's Quickest Interview with Bill Loehfelm and enter to win a copy of his newest book, THE DEVIL SHE KNOWS. 

WQI & Book Giveaway: THE DEVIL SHE KNOWS

I'm so excited to introduce author Bill Loehfelm for today's World's Quickest Interview (WQI)! His novel, THE DEVIL SHE KNOWS, is coming out in exactly one week.

And the exciting news is: he's giving away a signed copy of his book to one lucky winner on this blog! Giveaway details to come....

And now, without further ado, here's Bill:

What's your book about?

A worn-out NYC cocktail waitress sees something that puts her on the wrong side of some very bad people.

How long have you been writing?

Since the third grade. That's when I first noticed I could tell a good story on paper.

Who or what inspired your book?

I've had the protagonist, Maureen Coughlin, around for a while. I finally found the right story for her.

How long did it take you to write this book?

Between a year and eighteen months. That's the usual pace for me. Writing is the only thing I do quickly.

What do you enjoy doing besides writing?

I play the drums in a local band. I also run, practice yoga, and watch a lot of baseball.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

I'm a pantser. I usually don't know much beyond the next scene.

What's your favorite novel of all time?

Fitzgerald's THE GREAT GATSBY. Perfection. And a truly American story.

Do you have pets? If so, tell us about them.

Two dogs. A goofy, lovable ridgeback/lab/pit mix (she's a rescue) and a really smart Aussie/Border Collie mix. She's a princess.

Do you play croquet?

I do not, but my friends and I do play some Bocce, usually on the neutral ground (the streetcar tracks). 

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Get back to work. You can catch a break, but there are no shortcuts.


Thank you, Bill! Great advice and your book sounds awesome. I'm excited to read it.

Now, for the Easiest Contest Ever rules:

1) You must have a mailing address in the U.S. or Canada to enter. (Even if you live overseas, if you have a friend or relative in the U.S. or Canada who could receive the book for you-- enter the contest!)
2) Leave a comment. (1 entry)
3) Leave another comment if you blog about the contest. (Another entry)
4) Leave other comments if you tweet or facebook about the contest. (Potentially two more entries)

The contest runs until 11:59p.m. (PST) on May 24. I'll announce the lucky winner on May 25.

So, go ahead -- comment away! Congratulate Bill on his book and tell him how great he is. And treat yourselves to a wonderful day.

Adventures in the Lily Fields

We were in Portland at the end of last week for Olivia's her regular Shriners check up. After the appointment, my aunt wanted to take me up to the Camas Lily fields because I'd never seen them blooming.

I packed the baby in the front carrier and my five-year-old Anna wanted to come along. We were hiking happily, enjoying the sunny day. The lilies were gorgeous, but before we were even to the top of the hill, I was hot. Really hot.

My hands started to prickle. Then my scalp. I thought I might be dehydrated, but I kept walking.

As we came down the opposite side of the lily field hill, I started to get really uncomfortable. I couldn't breathe so well, either. I tried coughing to get the junk out of my lungs, but it wasn't working.

Anna asked my aunt at that point how much farther we had to go and I heard her say thirty minutes. There was no way I could walk for another thirty minutes.

We were still a twenty minute hike from the nearest road, but it was closer than her home, so my aunt called the dashingly handsome (and have I mentioned heroic?) sidekick to come meet us at the parking lot. By the time we finally made it to the parking lot my arms were covered in welts. We had to stop several times so I could catch my breath.

My uncle is a paramedic. He was in a far-away town working for Life Flight (a helicopter rescue service where he works part time), but my aunt called the fire station anyway and asked his co-workers if they could help me. Aaron drove me down there and I sat in the back of the stationary ambulance so my uncle's friends could give me an IV for Benedryl and a nebulizer treatment to help with the asthma.

I hadn't had an asthma attack in months, which is why I didn't have my emergency inhaler with me. *sigh* Lesson learned. I'm thankful to have friends in high places (read: the medical profession).

I was pretty loopy on the long drive back home, thanks to the Benedryl. My poor DHHS had to basically care for our five children single-handedly because I kept falling asleep....

So, that was my weekend adventure. What was yours?

Make sure to check back here on Tuesday because I will be giving away a book and interviewing another debut novelist in a World's Quickest Interview. You won't want to miss it!

Sacrifices

Thanks to everyone who gave me feedback on my short story first paragraph. I stayed up late last night polishing it up and finally submitted it. Your feedback was invaluable. I knew there was something wrong with that first line, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

As I said, I stayed up late last night. After I submitted my short story, I stayed up later reworking my query letter to reflect a recent edit on my manuscript. The lure of a completely silent house was too tempting and I could not go to bed.

This morning I was tired.

I walked into the kids' bathroom and picked something up off the floor. As I stood upright I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. This is what I saw:

courtesy of legolas1.webs.com

Ahh, there's nothing like seeing Wormtongue when you look in the mirror in the morning. My hair was still wet from my shower, and because I'd been bending over, some of it was hanging in my face. And unfortunately it's styled very similarly to Wormtongue's. Plus, we both have blue eyes and I hadn't put on makeup yet.... Ugh.

In all of this, I just want to point out the sacrifices we make as writers. BIG SACRIFICES. As in, looking like Wormtongue because we stayed up too late writing.

What sacrifices do you make to do what you love?

Happy, Happy, Happy!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! 

And Happy Birthday to my sweet Anna. She's five years old today ... my little Mother's Day present. 

Funny random fact:

Five years ago today the Dashingly Handsome Sidekick and I boarded a Beijing PUBLIC BUS to take us to the International hospital for Anna's birth. No joke! 

The DHS asked me if we should ride a public bus today as a family in honor of the occasion. I don't know if a public bus in our small town would have quite the same feel as riding one in Beijing ... I mean, he's welcome to ride around on one if he wants to, but I have some serious partying to do. It's Mother's Day and Anna's birthday, for goodness sake! Bring on the cake!! (And the Tangled Polly Pockets!)

But Happy Birthday, sweet Anna. We're so glad you're in the world!

First Paragraph Critique

Would you help me out, lovely community of bloggers, friends, and writers?

I've been working on a literary short story, "The Tiffin Box," on and off for over a year. I'm getting ready to submit it to magazines, but I thought I'd play my own little game of "Are You Hooked?" before I take the plunge.

I'll post my first paragraph below and I'd love your feedback. Tell me if you like it or if you don't, if you'd keep reading or if you wouldn't, or any edits you would make. I'll take any and all critique very gratefully!

From the top of a boulder, Sylvie stared into a sea that appeared in the deceptive sunlight to be filled with jewels. A solitary, strange thought ran a pattern through her mind—if I jumped, if I jumped, if I jumped … what a beautiful way to die. 

  

Thank you for taking the time. I'm indebted to you!

What I'm Reading....

This is what I'm reading this week:

I'm enjoying them both so far.

How about you? What's in your reading pile? Or have you read either of these? What did you think?