I can’t recall how I stumbled across blogger Amanda Del Buono’s website: MandaJuice – Blogging With the Safety Off, but I’m glad I did. Her writing style is open and honest and quirky and funny. She is very near – if not exactly -  my own age, has 2 young chilluns (her oldest and Miss A were born in the same year) and, above all else, she is also on the journey to publication. She’s a few steps ahead of me because her first book is finished…and wow, but do I love how she includes an open invitation for an agent to come check her awesomeness out. If that is not the definition of awesome, I don’t know what is. (I promise to stop using awesome now). Her unabashed “Hey you, I wrote this incredible book, now who is cool enough to be my agent?”  was enough to get me wanting to read Gravy, the title of her hopefully-eventually-published-novel (y’know, the one she actually finished while I am still about 30k away from the 90k finish line I’ve estimated). I really like her recent post on “Where the Magic Happens” it makes me want to tote my netbook around more often, just on the off chance I’ll finally manage to find an extra 30 seconds in my day.

Apart from the kinship of a childhood in the 1980′s, motherhood, a love for Trader Joe’s,  and writing – I find we have something else “in common.” Manda went through gastric-bypass surgery and is very open about the procedure and its impact on her life. My mother and brother have both had this surgery, and my sister and other brother are both in the planning stages to have it as well. Though weight is a constant struggle for me, it is a battle I have managed to control, for the most part, in that surgery is not an option I have had to consider – nor do I ever plan to let it become one. But I can, all too well, understand the ache:  physical, mental, and emotional, that obesity causes.

But that’s not holding either of us back! On a much lighter note (yes, pun intended)  I am happy to see her GoodReads shelf includes Laura Kinsale’s newest novel, which I have cued up (thanks to a rockin’ SB Sarah!) and ready to go on Miss Scarlett. Wow, this is one Monday Muse I’d love to sit and have coffee with…especially if it means I’d be doing it in Portland (I still really want to visit there, and the husband still really wants to live there).

But if you can’t get some java right now – in the Pacific Northwest or otherwise, click on over to MandaJuice and start sipping.

Though I can’t imagine being unable to obtain some kind of coffee-type beverage at a moment’s notice in the Pacific Northwest…or is that a stereotypical fallacy? I’d be happy to do the research necessary to find out.

I am a fly by the seat of my pants kind of writer – and this story is taking me in all kinds of places I wasn’t expecting. It’s exciting – and only happening because I am making an effort to write every day.

SO that’s it really – I want to teach myself some discipline – to get into the habit – to make it a priority – to have it be a part of my life like I know it should. And the freedom of NaNo – the wild crazy literary abandon that seems to come with this project, is incredibly inspiring and just plain good for the soul.
If I end up getting a book ready to submit at the end of this, it will be icing on my cake.

But, as I said this isn’t a post about Nano (or wasn’t supposed to be at least).

Over at my idol’s website (you know the one…PW herself) a longtime homeschool contributor OMSH (Oh My Stinking Heck) ran a wonderful post about the writing activities she has her first grader do. As soon as I saw it, I knew I had to try tbis with Miss A. I say “try” because Miss A can be extremely difficult when I ask her to just try something and see how it goes. She likes structure and order and a clear list of expectations (personally, I think so she can know exactly what to complain about). So I was worried how she would react when I handed her a blank page and told her to just go for it.

The activity is to draw a picture of anything your little heart desires, then write a few lines talking about the picture. I told Aishtyn I would not be checking her spelling, to just write the words as best she could and it could be like a mystery for me to solve if they weren’t “just right.”

I have to say, she did awesome! She was thrilled when I could actually read 99% of what she had written. I’d love to show you her first effort, but my scanner is still in limbo until the husband re-intalls everything (remember my terrible horrible no good very bad day?) As soon as it’s up and running, I’ll add it in. Or maybe I’ll just take a picture of it and add it that way.

The activity sheets are available for FREE at this very cool little site (where a variety of other cool writing pages are also available). I am adding this to my weekly homeschool repertoire: along with Fractions Friday, we will now have FreeWrite Friday. I look forward to all the wonderful glimpses into Miss A’s mind…and the improvement in her reading and writing too of course!

Thanks again to OMSH for such a great idea!

ETA: Here it is, Miss A’s first Friday FreeWrite

“This is me on the viper. My first time. What is it like? said me.”

(On the last day our local theme park was open, she was finally tall enough to ride some of the bigger rollercoasters, it was a great way to end the season!)

Currently Diana is on a book tour promoting the recent release of the 7th (of at least 8, I think) novel in her Outlander series, Echo in The Bone. 4 years ago when A Breath of Snow and Ashes came out, I had to miss her visit because the high school show I was directing was in its final dress rehearsal and well, it’s sorta important for the director to be there for that. So when I saw she would be here again, I begged the husband to play superDad  while I made the hour+ drive to meet one of my literary idols.

It was a very nice evening – I met some wonderful women (when you’re in a room of people all as passionate about a book as you are, you make friends very quickly). Before Diana came out, a group of Scottish dancers  performed a variety of numbers.

Sorry for the fuzzy pics, but I have a wimpy point-and-shoot, and didn’t want to use the flash, so I jacked up the ISO and hoped for the best.

I loved the more feminine costumes a few of them wore for some of the dances.

My favorite was the Sword dance – soldiers would perform this dance before battle as a way to predict the outcome (touch a sword or knock it out of place, and things could go bad…talk about pressure!).

Of course, all this Scottish dancing required some music,  and most of it was provided by this fine gentleman.

Then came the part we were all waiting for, Diana herself! She was wonderfully warm and relaxed as she chatted with the audience, describing how she became a novelist and sharing various stories concerning the books and her characters.

She also performed a reading from EITB, the passage she chose made for many giggles from the audience. If you read the book, the part she read involves Jamie and Claire, and a discussion they have involving grey hair and being squidgy.

Then she asked for questions from the audience, and there were many of the usual: when will there be a movie (who knows), when is the graphic novel coming out (fall of next year, she thinks), etc. My question focused on whether she ever found herself working events from her own daily life into her novels and if so, could she provide an example? She said it doesn’t happen too often, but a few she could remember involving direct quotes both came from her husband: one about how bad he smelled and the other while teaching a youngster how to pee standing up. It was an entertaining answer.

While waiting my turn in line for the book signing, I do what I always do these days while waiting for something – I took out Miss Scarlett and began to read.

Did I mention I was in a room full of people who LOVED books? The questions started coming fast and furious…most of them starting with, “Is that a Kindle?” By the end of the night I had several people planning to buy one…one woman even texted her husband demanding he go out and buy it for her 20th anniversary present. As a test driver, I believe I have more than earned the discount I got on my Sony Reader.

Finally, the highlight of the night – I got to walk up to Diana and have 10 seconds with her.

She was very gracious, and smiled for pictures and signed books for the 200+ people in line.  Yet she still took a moment to talk to me and wish me all the best on my writing journey.

Early in her talk, she mentioned she was 35 years old when she decided that if she wanted to write a book, she better get to it. That was so encouraging to me, to know that I can do this, I’m not too old or too late or too anything. I just need to start writing, and more importantly – to keep writing.

I signed up for NaNoWriMo this year, and if I get frustrated and feel like I just don’t have the time, I’ll remember those words…Keep Writing!

And I will.

And who knows what can happen then.

I love Miss Scarlett, as I told SBSarah – we have bonded on the treadmill, and in the grocery store line, and in the middle of  the night when I couldn’t sleep. I very well may decide to fork over the dough and keep Miss Scarlett forever; enjoying a HEA of walking and e-book reading into the sunset.

But I am human, after all, and when offered a choice, I want to explore my options. Which is why I have been trying to hunt down a Sony Pocket (the 300) to hold in my hand and play with for awhile. I want to know what I’m giving up – that kind of thing.

Someone on our test driver e-mail loop mentioned Staples had the models in store. So off I go to push the easy button…except when I get there it takes the dudes working there a bit of navel gazing to realize what the hell I’m talking about…finally lighting up as I compare the Sony to a Kindle,  they consult the computer to see if one is in the store (really? you roam these aisles all day…) eventually determining that no, these are not in the store and only on-line. But they print me out a bunch of propaganda on the Pocket and Touch, oh gee, thanks.

Next, I swing by Borders, where one of the Staples dudes swears they are on display. Sure enough, there is a big table covered in Reader boxes and a banner proudly announcing sale of the Pocket and Touch waves above…but the boxes are empty, and aside from various accessories such as carrying cases and adapters – there is nothing for me to fondle. “Ooops,” says the portly employee whom I corner a moment later…”there was a mix-up and we didn’t get the right parts.” Huh? I demand to know if this is going to be a problem at all Borders, or just my home-town one. Mr. Get a Clue seems to think it’ s only a problem here, so I plan to trek to  a few other Borders in a 30 minute radius this weekend.

In the meantime, I swung into my local Best Buy, the husband seemed to remember hearing they had Sony Readers on display there. So I roamed around the store, a walking advertisement for birth control with Lil’ G screaming holy hell in the shopping cart seat because she has decided this week she has better things to do then hang with her Mama, and Miss A jumping on and off the bottom of the cart and randomly touching expensive electronic devices – eventually an employee asks if he can help me find something. When I tell him what I’m looking for, he stares at me blankfaced…he then calls over another lackey, who also stares blankfaced before calling over a third dude. This guy at least acted like he knew what I was talking about, and quickly told me, “Uh…no, we don’t have those in the store.”  Strike 3 Sony – I mean what the hell?

First of all, most of the employees I talked to at STORES THAT SUPPOSEDLY CARRY YOUR PRODUCT didn’t have half a clue as to what I was talking about:

Me: I’m looking for a PRS…Personal Reading System….

Useless Store Tool: Huh?

Me: Like a a Kindle.

Useless Tool: Oooooooh.

What’s the deal Sony? Amazon, who only sells their product on-line, is widely more recognized than your stuff…clearly, you have dropped the marketing ball.

I love my PRS 505 Miss Scarlett – I do. I will more than likely cough up the dough to keep her. I may very well decide I like the Pocket better…but before I kiss $200 goodbye I would like to see what I am buying…but if I have to jump through this many hoops and go on a wild goose chase just to see an item I want to buy…wow, you REALLY need to sell me on it (assuming I ever actually see the product of which I seek).

Like I said, I’ll search out a few other area Borders this weekend, and maybe even see if a Sony Store exists somewhere near me…I’ll get my E-Reader HEA one way or the other…it just won’t be easy.

And speaking of HQ, I’m sure you are already aware of the similar promotion they have been offering all summer, but in case you haven’t heard about it, in honor of their 60th anniversary, they are offering 16 free e-books.

Now granted, many of the titles are beyond absurd (Pleasure,Pregnancy, and a Proposition anyone?), and I’m sure my gag reflex will kick in from time to time at the awfulness…but if I find just one new author that I like, it will have been worth it.

Besides, did I mention they are free?

I can’t imagine how tickled I’ll be if a novel (I eventually manage to finish and submit to a pub) gets published. My skirt will flip so high you’ll see London, France, and a remote town somewhere in Alaska.

So, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get off the internets and get back to that novel…either the one I’m writing or the one on the e-reader…or maybe a little of both.

Then, the SmartBitches (with the help of Sony and Harlequin) put a call out for people to “apply” to be a test driver for an e-reader this summer. If you’ve looked around this here site lately, you’ve probably figured out Iz got lucky there too. Having that reader has been made of so much awesome; I use it when I take the baby for walks, and my walks are getting so much longer that I’m finally getting off that hated plateau and starting to lose weight again – so extra Win!

And this morning, I wake up to discover I haz won again! Yesterday’s blog post about the Saving the Contemporary campaign was also a contest entry in disguise – and woohoo! I scored myself some sweet stuff. Since Lil’ G was born I have only enjoyed a soak in my whirlpool tub once…she’s 14 months old now – so really, when my prize arrives I am locking that bathroom door and having a bubble bath/reading bonanza.

So, I’m having a good summer. A truly lucky and fun summer. I want my luck to keep rolling, so I know the best way to do that is pay it forward – so I iz going to offer a prize, and since it’s the Bitches who have been so fundamental in making my summer awesome, I’m sharing the love with them as well (I’m cool like that). The prize of my contest: a copy of the Bitches Bitchn’ book: Beyond Heaving Bosoms

My contemporary post took  note of the WTF titles that have kept me far far away from reading one for so long. To win: simply tell me what was the most ridiculous contemporary romance novel title you have ever come across (preferably, one that you ended up reading and LOVED, but not necessarily).

Contest open until Midnight (central time) on Friday August 7th. The winner will be chosen by my 6 year old, Miss A – who will pick a number at random.

If you already own the Bosoms, good for you!, you can still enter; alternate prize will be a $15 gift card to the bookseller of your choice.

Winner announced sometime on Saturday.

And please – play fair – only one entry per person.

The problem is, Miss Scarlett is like that gossipy girlfriend: y’know the type:  the one you spend way too much time dishing with over a few drinks when really you should be doing something more constructive?

Aside from returning stuff at Wal-Mart, one of the items on my list of THINGS I HATE TO DO is leave  a book unfinished. I just don’t like doing it. I feel like I failed somehow. Yet, maybe it’s because I’m growing older and realizing life is short and sweet – I am starting to mellow a bit and have grown lax from time to time. (Hence the list of books I have left unfinished slowly yet steadily increasing in number). I’m going to have to add another book to that list. The book  club meeting for this month’s choice was tonight, and I still hadn’t managed to get farther than the half way point in this book.  Hence (I seem to like using that word) why I’m hanging out here rather than out with the ladies sipping wine and talking smack.

Because in the case of this book, some smack talk there would be. (I just love Yoda-isms).

This month’s pick was Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman.

On the surface, the book seemed intriguing enough, if a little weird. All about superheroes and super villains and their personal angst and foibles and…

In the words of my 6-year-old, “IT WAS SO BO-ooo-RING.”

Really. I don’t know why exactly- the writing just didn’t hit me. I didn’t care that Dr. Impossible was a super-genius. I didn’t care that CoreFire (whoever the hell he was) is missing. And I didn’t care that some 1/2 robotic version of the Bionic Woman was getting all excited to join the super heroes (and possibly get into one of the superdude’s tights).

So here I am, trying to force myself to care whether Dr. Impossible will finally take over the world, and there is Miss Scarlett – silently seductive – just waiting, knowing I’d be much happier with her and her stockpile of romance novels just a thumb swipe away.

Over and over again, the e-reader won. And Dr. Impossible just had to stick it.

Sometimes, on the rare occasion I don’t finish the book before a book club meeting occurs, I will still endeavor to get it done. Not this time.

Oh no sir.

CoreFire can stay missing, and Dr. Impossible can do whatever it is he does on his remote island/underground lab/lair.

Miss Scarlett and I are going to get together to read some more steamy sexxoring.

I just can’t say no to her.

And she knows it, the damn little enabler.

Yet you don’t stay – you aren’t fooled – you know it’s not permanent.

And even if it is a change for the better, it’s too little, too late.

Well, apparently the Silver Bullet wasn’t taking the end of our summer  romance as well as I thought.  Before I could pack his broke ass up to get shipped back to SBHQ, I dropped him…and would you believe it – the contrary bad boy now works perfectly! His power button is sliding on and off like nothing ever happened.

Oh no buddy, you’re not fooling me.  You’re still heading out the door. Miss Scarlett and I agree it’s for the best.

But for anybody else out there who is dealing with a Sony 505 E-reader and the power button decides to flip out and jam…I have a simple solution.

Drop that misbehaving bee-yatch on the floor.

And if this doesn’t work, and in fact causes more damage – do NOT come looking to blame me. I’m not the best person to be taking technical advice from, after all – I just used the word “bee-yatch.”

Excuse me for a minute while I recall my days of rollerskating and boy ogling.

And giggling…lots of giggling.

In stonewashed jeans.

But not rolled up. I never followed that trend.

Ok,  leaving nineteen-eighty-whatever and arriving in the here and now, I’m still happily married and all – but my summer fling with a Sony E-Reader has taken on a new character: she’s  sexy, she’s spicy, and she’s dressed in red pleather. Actually, it’s more of a burgundy. Yes, I said she. Maybe the new Sony reader felt feminine to me because she is the exact color of my favorite toe nail polish, but I have to say, her wardrobe choice embarrasses me a little.  As a red head myself, I am aware that certain colors just are a no-no…it simply ain’t pretty.

And heads up, whoever chooses these combos – red and burgundy…eck.

Meet Miss Scarlett

This picture doesn’t do the color clashing justice; but I assure you, it is abrasive on the eyes.

The cover is really neither here nor there, though; especially since SB Sarah was kind enough to point out some of the lovely accessories available for the Sony 505, including Skins! Yes!

If you recall, my initial lusty summer fling developed an issue with getting turned on, and SB Sarah stepped in to save the day; alerting Sony to the problem.

Within 48 hours I had a new e-book to test drive. Which is waaaaay awesome (sorry, going back to the 80′s there again) but makes me stop and wonder just how accommodating Sony would be about an issue like this were I your average consumer (and not one of the lucky 30?).

But I didn’t worry too long – I had reading to do and stuff.

So, my two readers sat down for tea to discuss things a bit.

And no, I didn’t actually set up the whole “tea” thing on purpose – I’m wierd enough to have my dining room table pre-set for tea (hey, I like the way it looks), but not so wierd as to plot a scenario in which 2 of my electronic devices meet for tea (though give me a few more years raising my 2 red headed daughters, and I might be ready to board that crazy train) – actually, I saw the teacup in the background of the pic and the scenario wrote itself.

So Miss Scarlett explained to the Silver Bullet that it was time for him to head off into the sunset. She tried to let him down gently. I think the dude understood – because he gave me no trouble when I had to add Miss S as an authorized device and then started loading books onto her.

I was a tad concerned that adding a new e-reader on my computer/Sony store  and getting books I had already bought onto her  was going to be tricky – but it was a b-uh-reeze.  Within 10 minutes of the new reader arriving at my doorstep I had the thing recognized, authorized, loaded, and ready to roll read. The only thing that took a second was the e-books I had borrowed from the library. I had to plug the Silver Bullet back in, remind Adobe Digital Edition that I had borrowed these 2 books, then plug Miss Scarlett in, authorize her, and badda-bing (how would YOU spell that?) with a drag and drop,  the borrowed e-books were on both readers.

Sony allows you to authorize up to 6 items – so having access to e-books you have purchased on your computer, laptop, netbook, e-reader, cell phone, and (shhhh!) work computer – should not be an issue. At the moment, I have both e-readers installed and authorized – but before the weekend is out I plan to de-authorize the Silver Bullet, pack his broke ass up, and ship him back to SB Sarah.

Miss Scarlett and I are looking forward to spending the rest of the summer in a wine-induced haze of girlfriendy bliss.