Showing posts with label celebrate small things. Show all posts

Hatt Tricking the Cat


Pat Hatt at Rhymetime offered this inspiration to bloggers:  Poof! Topics galore. Took 5 minutes at my shore. Don't you like a helpful cat? 

 Why yes, I do like a helpful cat....

 He took the time to inspire, so today I won't perspire. I'll take that cool cat's advice and put my brain on ice. 

 1. Mommy Issues I have no issues with my mom. I think that crazy chick's da bomb.
2. Daddy Issues My dad was tops! No issues with my pops. 
3. How to build a fire? Need one quick? Flick your Bic.
4. How to change a tire? This gal don't play, she calls Triple A. 
5. Places I almost died? Land sakes alive, I don't even sky dive. 
6. Things never to say to your mother. My lord, never tell Mom you're bored. 
7. Butt pics Tsk, tsk, you asked for this...


Thanks to our hosts Lexa, L.G, and Tonja Drecker for this weekly good things check in!  


~The kids had more snow days this week. I know, adults are tired of the snow, but kids do the most awesome snow dances when they get that call.

~Crawled back into the edit cave. Hopefully this is the final edit. Wish me luck.

~I bought Scrivener. I'm not really sure how to use it, but I have it.




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I Am What I Say I Am


My son sent me a link to a study by WalletHub that ranked West Virginia (our home state) as the worst place to live. He was shocked.
I was too. We can usually count on Mississippi, Kentucky, or Alabama to carry the honor.
"We're the worst, huh?" I asked.
"Yeah," he said. "I didn't realize it was so bad here..."
"Fuggitabout it," I said. "People love to tell people how sucky their lives are. Ignore it and be happy."
He was satisfied.
But I wasn't.
I've been sick of these sort of "studies" since I was in college.
My first week at Marshall University, I got a letter from my adviser to go to a seminar for first generation college students (neither of my parents graduated college). I dutifully went and took my place among the other first generationers. The professor took the podium and commenced giving us the sh*ttiest pep talk ever. It seemed, as first generationers, we were doomed to failure. The statistics proved that very few of us would finish. Not only did we NOT come from households that were understanding and conducive to the education experience,but we were also-- GASP-- from the Appalachian region of the nation. The way this guy talked, the only people with a scarier start were the ones living in boxes in Detroit.
I started to think this little talk was worse than a waste of my time. It was detrimental to my psyche. I mean would I tell a runner who's lined up at the starting line, "Whoa, dudette, you look way chunkier than everyone else here, so we're going to ask you to untie your shoes and run backward, so when you fail, you won't take it personally."
Thanks, but no thanks.
I refused to return for the rest of the meetings.
I don't see the point of negative thinking. As a lifetime resident of the Mountain State, I've grown up hearing all about our failures. Personally, I think the obsession with the negatives is taught too early and too often, handicapping people from the get-go. How is a person supposed to see the stars, much less reach for them, when people keep handing them umbrellas to protect them from the sky they're certain will fall at any time?
Statistics can't tell you who you are and what you're capable of being.

 Now, onto the regularly scheduled portion of this post :)

Thanks to our hosts Lexa, L.G, and Tonja Drecker for this weekly good things check in!  

We went the better part of the week with a half-plugged sewage line. I didn't realize how spoiled I was by such things as flushing toilets and long showers.

My husband snaked the drain; the plumbers snaked the drain; and finally my husband and kids dug up the yard and snaked the drain from the underground clean out.

The clog was fixed and we're back to flushing at will.

That's a very good thing!

*

FreeFall_BackworldsBook7_3DSoft release date for FreeFall, Backworlds Book 7, May. Subject to change because life stuff is in flux. Progress is being made. The secrets of the planet Iax are revealed. Craze finds out whether he can ever go home again. War stuff is starting. Oh no! Lots of drama and opera in space.

*

Backworlds_BoxCollectionBooks1-3
*
Projected release date for Backworlds Collection, Volumes 1-3, end of February. Again depending on life stuff being in flux. Started reading through them and marking up any stray typos. Getting it ready for formatting.

*


What if the government tried to create the perfect utopia? Could a society linked to a supercomputer survive on its own? Do our reflections control secret lives on the other side of the mirror? Can one moment split a person’s world forever?

Exploring the fantastic, ten authors offer incredible visions and captivating tales of diverse reality. Featuring the talents of L. G. Keltner, Crystal Collier, Hart Johnson, Cherie Reich, Sandra Cox, Yolanda Renee, Melanie Schulz, Sylvia Ney, Michael Abayomi, and Tamara Narayan.

Hand-picked by a panel of agents and authors, these ten tales will expand your imagination and twist the tropes of science fiction. Step through the portal and enter another dimension!

And I leave you with a gorgeous parting image of MURDER (open with death, close with death...)
The amazing COVER REVEAL (and new covers) for Yolanda Renee's MURDER collection!

Flames burn between a hardboiled cop and a gifted artist, but soon extinguish as another man’s obsession ignites into an inferno of desire, driving him to destroy the object of his madness.

As wedding bells echo like the ring of toasting champagne glasses in the ice carved mountains of Anchorage Alaska, detective Steven Quaid rehabs his grandfather’s cabin into a honeymoon cottage for his new bride.

When he returns from a hunting trip, Steven’s faced with five police officers, who “Want to talk.” Plagued by two unsolved murders, the Department is searching for answers.

Steven’s jaw clenches and his heart races. Images of Sarah streak through his mind. The silence breaks as an explosion of accusations vibrate through every fiber of his being. Steven bolts…

This Steven Quaid mystery is both personal and heartbreaking.

Yolanda's first two MURDER novels:





MURDER & OBSESSION, Book Three 
to be released March 10.

Sort of Here



I'm only sort of here today. I'm here, but only to tell you I'm not here. 

Me, Tara, and Ashley 
This was my week to do the Really Real Housewives posts- a blog I share with a couple of wonderful gals, Ashley Chappell-Peeples and Tara Tyler. It's a girly sort of blog for busy chicks, but we allow guys to stop by- just ask Mark Koopmans. 

If you'd like to come visit, or better yet...guest post...just leave a message in the comments and we'll stalk you down and get you on the calendar.




Thanks to our hosts Lexa, L.G, and Tonja Drecker for this weekly good things check in!  

1. I have a few ideas for the Lost and Found Blog hop. Yay! The brain is working! Are you signed up? You need to sign up...come on...blog hopping is fun. Sign up here

2. Got my short story finished for the Thing That Turned Me anthology. Yay!!! Done. Just need another quick read through.

3. I got one room of Christmas decorations down and packed up. I only have five rooms left. 

4. The boys are coming home this weekend. Monday is MLK Day, so they have a long weekend.



Happy Birthday MLK.
The world could use more men like you. 

Meet Louis

A shot of Louis inside Carter's hoodie pocket.
He's very content to snuggle up in the pocket and snooze. 

Meet the newest member of the Seckman household-  Loius Vuitton, the sharp dressed man. He's an Algerian Hedgehog, and he wasn't cheap. But boy #3 has wanted one for years.
I kept telling him no. I knew nothing about hedgehogs and had zero interest in taking care of another pet, much less an exotic one. But then, during a online book event, I asked readers to post a picture of a cute guy for a chance to win a free ebook. A lady posted a picture of her pet hedgehog.
The red mark is the mark the breeder painted
on his quills to tell him from his brothers. 
She was a fan of the little critters.
She assured me they weren't difficult to raise; weren't often bothered by other pets; and were very lovable little fellas.
"Come on," she said, "get your kid a hedgehog!"
I told him what she said and agreed- if I could find a reputable local breeder, he could get one.
Oh, and he needed to save $500 to buy it and the supplies he'd need (and I hoped to slow him down...maybe to the point of losing interest...hey, don't judge!).
But he did it.
Now, we have baby Loius.
When I shared Louis' picture on Facebook, our very own blog buddy. Jo Wake, pointed out that they had hedgehogs in England, but they were kept outside in pens. And- gasp- some people ate them!
Her husband, Matt, has eaten hedgehog and reported it was quite delicious.
If anyone wants a hedgehog recipe, go visit Jo.

Louis in his new home.
For now, he lives in a plastic tote with holes drilled in the sides.
He's on top oh his "home"- a modified Amazon shipping box.
When he's not being played with, we keep the lid on him to protect him from our cat.
Like Jo's Matt- Mayzie is pretty certain this guy is dinner. 
Thanks to our hosts Lexa, L.G, and Tonja Drecker for this weekly good things check in!  


1. The Seckmans had a great Christmas. My blogging was awful, but I was ready for Christmas- cookies and all. Thanks again to all my guest bloggers (Tyrean Martinson, Alex Cavanaugh, Jo Wake, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Cathrina Constantine) who posted during the holiday. 

2. This year's resolution is to renew my faith and trust that God puts me where I need to be when I need to be there. There is more joy in living in the moment.

3. Finally got the rough draft for The Thing That Turned Me anthology with Randi Lee and many other fabulous writer friends. I was getting worried that I had no ideas. Whew. Late night inspiration saved me.

Here's the trailer. Randi did a great job.

Young Writers

  
This isn't the actual class. Or did you already guess that?
   
This week I had the pleasure of hanging out with my sister's creative writing class at Cameron High School. It was a reminder that the world is full of talented writers. Even the kids who only wrote because they were forced, by threat of a lowered grade, showed talent.

I believe it's human nature to be a story teller. Whether we are telling our truths, or making things up, we still use our words and our stories to not only express ourselves and communicate, but as a way of interconnecting humanity.

So, it's no wonder that everyone is gifted with talent.

But talent is hardly enough. Writing is hard work. Once you start laying out all the parts of a story- mechanics, setting, dialogue, characters...even the opening line and closing line of every chapter is its own headache...I often get blank stares. Perhaps some are thinking, Sure, sure...slap some words on a page and sell it for big bucks. Tell me how hard that is. But there is always one believes and asks, "Why would anyone want to be a writer?"

Insanity?

No. There really is only one reason. It's an addiction. Even when there is little money and loads of rejection, they stay in there. Plagued by words...stalked by characters...writers know it's not a matter of choice. Writing is just what they do.

And I'm certain there were more than a few sitting in that class who will one day say, "I've been writing for as long as I can remember. I've been told I suck, and few buy what I'm selling. But will I quit? Oh, hell no...I'm pretty sure the next story will be The One."

           
Thanks to our hosts Lexa, L.G, and Tonja Drecker for this weekly good things check in! I'm posting this early, since I won't be posting Friday. 

1. My boys will be home for a week!!!

2. Thanksgiving Day is coming!!!

3. It's Christmas tree getting season!!!               


photo credit: Grade School at Bartley Nebraska via photopin (license)

Bad Pics

It's bad picture day. 

And it's an IWSG post.

Yesterday was my cyber twin's book launch for his awesome, you should own it by now biography, Revival, the true story of Donald Braswell, Texan opera singer.

Anyhow, I allowed my brother* to have a respectable launch day.

But I wouldn't be doing my job as pain in the arse sister if I didn't share this:



This is Mark in his happy Hawaiian home. See how he's enjoying the sweet life? Sipping his Pina Colada and soaking up the sun? Well, all good things come to an end, and Mark had to move to the US mainland. Now, I realize the coconut bra outfit didn't quite work on the East coast and a change was in order...but I'm not sure Mark quite understands East Coast fashion...



Check out the IWSG! 
IWSG Anthology Contest (open until November 1) 
Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and this month's co-hosts!




When life needs an edit. 

Wouldn't it be nice if our scenes in life could be edited? 

Take Senior Night. 

I'm 46, with four kids. 

So, when pictures are planned- I always have a plan. 

Usually.

This year, senior night was early in the season, so the first-preferred, mom-body-camouflage coat was off the table. 

A nice blouse would have been good. 

But it was supposed to be raining, and a rainy night in West Virginia means it would be cold when the wind blew from the west, and warm when it came from the south.** 

Blouse was vetoed. Unless I added a rain coat. 

Ooh, a rain coat! Genius idea. 

But the blouse may not be thick enough for the westerly winds, so maybe add a sweatshirt?

A sweatshirt would add bulk, so forget that. 

The answer? A thin cotton/cashmere blend sweater. It's great for layering, but not so great at concealing the tummy roll. It's the opposite. It's a clinger and a highlighter of flaws. 

No worries about that. I'd just zip the rain coat before walking out. 

Boom. Perfect plan. 

Then it all went to bird crap. 

As I stood in the line up, a bird flew over head and dropped a doodie on the tip of my nose. 

In my napkin wiping, Purell smearing attempt to get myself ready, I totally forgot my picture planning: 

I didn't zip the jacket, didn't square my shoulders, didn't suck in the gut, didn't realize my online purchased jeans were gapping in the crotch, and that my Wal Mart bra wasn't quite the tensile-steeled-underwired contraption the girls count on. 

It was a picture perfect fail. 

If I could edit real life, I'd go back and make sure I wasn't standing under a sparrow with a bowel problem. 

But I can't. 

So, you know what?

Screw it. The perfect moment wouldn't have made a blog post. 

Don't worry about your insecurities. Exploit them. 

                     
Thanks to our hosts Lexa, L.G, and Tonja Drecker for this weekly good things check in! I'm posting this early, since I won't be posting Friday. 

1. Swept Away is finished. Sent it back out to writer friends for their input. 

2. The weather here is supposed to be beautiful this week. 

3. I have all the football fundraiser t-shirts out of the back of my van. Woo hoo! I can unstow and go my seats.                              

*Mark is not really my biological brother. We've spent so much time giving each other online noogies, we're certain we're twins who were separated at conception by the Atlantic Ocean
. 
**I'm no weather girl...my hair isn't blond enough, so I don't really know which way the wind blows. I just know that in West Virginia the temperature can change as quickly as a NASCAR pit crew changes a flat (that's really fast).
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