First of all, thank you to Terri of Artful Afirmations and Patti of Fill My Cup With Beauty for becoming my two newest followers. I am always so thrilled when I see a new face or two! I truly appreciate all of you.

I posted a while back that I gave myself permission to not write, or think about writing my book...for however long it took to get back into The Zone. It has worked out really well. The self-imposed pressure was lifted. My other creative ideas began to creep back into my thoughts. It's been a nice, little "vacation" from writing!

Today, I woke up with the inkling that Today is Almost The Day! I think attending yesterday's weekly Coffee & Critique group had a lot to do with it. I didn't bring anything to read, but just being around my writer buddies and hearing their thoughts and ideas, caused my cooled-down writing desire to begin percolating again!

"You may be able to take a break from writing, but you won't be able to take a break from being a writer." - Stephen Leigh

** Tea Cup Tuesday **

First of all, I'd like to welcome my newest follower -- Michaele Malta! Hello Michaele! I hope you stop by often and enjoy what you see.

It's been quite a long time since I participated in Tea Cup Tuesday. It hasn't been because of lack of interest, or not having a pretty tea cup to share. It's mostly been a problem with my time management skills, or lack there of! But not this week! I'm very pleased to join Terri of Artful Affirmations, and Martha of Martha's Favorites for Tea Cup Tuesday!

This is my newest find! I bought it last week at my favorite consignment store, Garvey Decor, in St. Peters, Missouri. I've purchased a few items there and also sold a few of mine.

At first, I didn't even realize it had a Christmasy pattern. I just loved everything about it.

Notice the scalloped edges of the saucer. Both saucer and cup have gold trim. 

In this photo, I tried to show the crack in the cup. It's in the middle and goes all the way from the top to the bottom. Whoever glued it back together, did a wonderful job. It can barely be seen on the outside. In fact, I didn't even notice it, until I saw it on the inside. I haven't filled the cup with anything to see if it leaks, because I really hadn't planned on using it. I just like to look at it!

I just love the shape of the cup! I don't know the right terminology to describe the "round, poofy" areas!

The stamp says: Royal Albert, Bone China, England.

Flower of the Month Series. Set of Twelve.

"Holly" No. 12

Okay...now to reveal the price I paid for this lovely cup & saucer.....$3.00!

I just looked on Ebay to see if anyone had this set, and what they were going for.

I found 16 of them, most listed under Buy it Now, with prices ranging from $8.99 to $39.99!

I'd say I got quite a wonderful bargain, wouldn't you?!

"If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you." --Gladstone, 1865

** First Monday of the Month **

Every first Monday of every month, at exactly 9:00 am, our town and/or county, does a "test" of our Warning System. You know, those obnoxious blaring sirens that go off when there's a tornado warning.

When one of my grown sons was younger, he was terribly afraid of storms. This lasted for a few years and even interfered occasionally with his school days. Some months, I would be aware enough to warn him that today was Test the Sirens Day, before I dropped him off at school. Even at that, I would practically hold my breath when that horrible noise started up and blasted on and on and on. Would he remember that it was just a test?

To this day, whenever I hear that test siren (or any sirens, for that matter!) I stop for a moment and recall those long-ago years when I was a young(er) mom. Memories wrap around me like a swirling fog, a bittersweet smile comes to my lips and I feel cozy and contented.

"Rainbows apologize for angry skies." ~ Sylvia Voirol

** Sweatshirt Weather is Here! **

The fall temperatures have arrived and I noticed more leaves beginning to change colors.
I had a wonderful weekend. I didn't really do anything special. Just living in the moment, ya know?

I'd like to welcome my newest follower - Joanne Fox! Thanks, Joanne. I hope you'll enjoy stopping by from time to time!

I took this photo a couple of days ago and thought I'd share it.

Right now, I have candles & autumn decor items inside the fireplace...until it's time for wooden logs and fires!

I took a couple of close-ups to show the items on the mantel better, but I haven't gotten them onto my laptop yet. ~ Thanks to Kathy at Oregon Gifts for reminding me I don't need to post any other photos. Clicking on this one, enlarges it, and you can see everything really well. ~

"Listen! the wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, we have had our summer evenings, now for October eves!" - Humbert Wolfe

** Author Introduction & Interview **

Today, I'm highlighting a local writer and friend, Lonnie Whitaker, who I met through Saturday Writers. Lonnie recently published his first book, a novel titled: Geese to a Poor Market. His publisher, High Hill Press, is the same one that will (eventually) publish my book, when I finally get it completed! The book title comes from an old Ozarks expression, which means people believe "you could do better" with your life.


Here's one of the book's back cover blurbs, by Jim Bohannon: What happens when your cross Norma Rae with Thelma & Louise? You get a Waltons-on-steroids slice of rural Americana called "Geese to a Poor Market." Lonnie Whitaker has cooked up a batch of literary White Lightnin' that you shouldn't miss! (He also interviewed Lonnie on his radio talk show. I missed hearing it, but heard it was good!)

Hello & Welcome Lonnie!

1) What steps take place between your first full draft, your rewrite and the published book?

I lost track of the full rewrites--it was somewhere in the umpteens, I think. But when the manuscript was in pretty good shape and had been reviewed by a few good writers, I engaged the services of a copy editor, which helped get it market-ready. Even after it had been accepted for publication, I still continued to revise, including one "hold the presses" e-mail for a last-minute correction.
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2) Are you superstitious when writing a book? Do you keep the story close to your heart while you’re working on it, or do you feel free to talk about it?

I am mildly superstitious, but not particularly when it comes to writing. For me, it's not so much a matter of keeping the story close to my heart, but more that I have transitioned from showing my wife every page. Perhaps I grew a bit more seasoned and began to just quietly go about the business of writing. I also learned that once you've announced that you are writing a book, everyone you know will continue to ask, "Is it done yet?"
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3) How has publishing your first book changed your life?

It has gotten a lot busier. I'm like the dog chasing a car and the driver stops and opens the door, and the dog is confused. "Hey, I'm into chasing." I am changing mental gears from chasing to marketing. Teaming with a small press like High Hill Press, the author is responsible for most of the marketing. You have to be your own publicist, advance person, accountant, and salesman. It's exciting and fun, but with a day-job that can take 12 hours of the day, it's hard to find time to get everything done as quickly as I would like.
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4) Do you plan to write another book? If so, when?

I would hate to think that it's "one-and-done," so I expect I will start writing another book as soon as I get Geese to a Poor Market down the market road a bit further. The most likely scenario would be a sequel. I am flattered that several readers want to know what happens to some of the characters. Heck, I want to know what's going to happen to them. Since I don't write from an extensive outline, I often find out what a character is going to say or do as I'm writing.
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5) What do you like and dislike the most about writing?

I like the focus I get when the writing is flowing smoothly. I dislike that my writing area gets unorganized and I waste time looking for stuff.
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6) What has being part of a writers group meant to you?

The fellowship is great--it's fun to hang out with other writers--but the real benefit is the learning opportunity. Saturday Writers, for example, sponsors workshops, guest speakers, and provides writing opportunities with contests and the publication of an anthology.
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7) How long did it take from your first thought about writing this book, until its completion?

After I sold a magazine article and attended my first writers workshop (Midwest Writers Workshop-Muncie, Indiana) in 2001, I began thinking about writing a book of connected stories. The thought of a novel may have been too daunting. But by 2003, I changed directions and commited to writing the novel. So, really, about seven (7) years.

You can contact Lonne at his e-mail:  info@geesetoapoormarket.com. Since Lonnie also works full-time, he hasn't entirely set up a blog or website yet. He hopes to get more caught up on the marketing side soon. Until then, if you'd like to purchase an autographed copy, just send him an e-mail and let him know you'd like to purchase a book...or two...directly from him. They will also be available from Amazon, but you won't get a signed copy from there!

"Easy reading is damn hard writing." ~ Nathaniel Hawthorne

** A Wondrous, Waggish Thursday **

Today was a glorious day. I sat on our deck for a few brief moments in the warm, bright afternoon sun. Tiger had wanted to go out and so I joined her, thinking it would be good to soak up a little Vitamin D. After running around the yard and rolling in the grass, she stretched out on our back driveway and watched the world go by. I swear, just about every single thing that dog does, makes me smile or laugh.

(This obviously isn't an outdoor photo, but this is what Tiger did outside in the grass today!)

The wind rustled the leaves, still green and clinging to the tall tree limbs. The chimes swayed and tingled, making me smile all the more. What a wonderful life, I thought to myself.

After going back inside the house, I decided to take a couple of pictures of the chimes, right through the screen window in the kitchen. This window is right over my kitchen sink and I've written before about how much I enjoy seeing and listening to the chimes, and the birds or squirrels, and the beautiful trees.

Notice the "action" photo I got on this one! The movement of the weight & chimes, swaying in the wind!

You can also see part of our back driveway I mentioned. The brownish grass is on a large, steep hill that goes up into the corner of our yard. Not enough rain and too much heat this summer!

All of the fencing and trees that are shown are not ours...they belong to our neighbors behind us. We live at the end of a cul-de-sac, which means we have a pie-shaped yard: tiny front yard, but very large back yard. In this picture, I was trying to get more of the trees, which I did, but I missed the weight hanging at the end of the chimes! Oh well...you all know that it's there! As you can probably see, some of the trees are evergreens, and the others turn the most beautiful shades of yellow, gold, red, and orange. Every autumn, I take pictures of them, and I'll be sure to post some of those when the time comes.  

Also, I'd like to say Thank You and Welcome to my 3 newest followers: Colie's Kitchen, Dave, and L.E. Neighbour! Please feel free to comment anytime you wish!

"Happiness is an attitude.  We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong.  The amount of work is the same."  ~Francesca Reigler

** Happy Birthday, Big Brother! **

No...not the TV Show!! Over the past few years, whenever I see my older brother, Mike, I always hug him and say, "Hello, big brudder!" ...In the way that Sally refers to her brother, Charlie Brown!

(photo courtesy: dvdizzy.com)

I looked for quite a while, hoping to find an image or video of Sally saying that to Charlie, but I couldn't fine one. Instead, I found this darling picture of the two of them, most likely walking to school....in my favorite time of the year.....Autumn!

My brother, Mike, is 15 months older than I am. We were born in the early 1950's, back in the days of cloth diapers, washing & sterlizing glass baby bottles, etc. (Good thing our mother had two teenage daughters to help out. We've been told many times, that they didn't mind helping out one bit. They loved and spoiled Mike and me like crazy!)

In honor of Mike's birthday, please click the link below for a little dancing and singing by the Peanuts Gang.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znDRrf7VkCE&feature=related

*I turned off the automatic start on my Play List, so you won't have dueling music when you click the link! *

"Birthdays are good for you.  Statistics show that the people who have the most live the longest. " ~Larry Lorenzoni

** Tuesday's Tidbits **

An extra special Thank You goes to Sue at Sue's News, Views 'n Muse! After reading yesterday's post, Sue realized I was most likely referring to a memoir she glowingly reviewed recently. She even listed the link in her comment: http://grannysuesnews.blogspot.com/2010/09/lets-take-long-way-home.html. The name of the memoir is "Let's Take the Long Way Home," by Gail Caldwell. I was practically jumping for joy when I realized Sue did have the information! But, now, I have a quandry. Should I still read "The Condition" first, before mailing it to Bookie/Claudia? It's a BIG book.....Hmmm...I think I'll go ahead and mail it to Clauida with her other winnings. I hope my library has Gail Caldwell's book, since I already own a gazillion books, and haven't even read a large number of them, yet! Ahhhh...So Many Books. So Little Time! ☺
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I don't know if I've mentioned a newsletter I receive about once a month that is full of literary magazines and contests and calls for submissions, etc. I've posted some of the information about them, but not the newsletter itself. The website is: Poets & Writers. It's full of wonderful information. Sign up for the newsletter and you'll be kept in the loop!
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You know all that irritating junk (snail) mail that fills your mail box practically daily? For years, I opened everything, realized it was junk and threw it away. Then someone mentioned to me about the great Buy One Get One Free restaurant coupons they received, or the Save So-Much when you spend So-Much kind of coupons. So, I started opened up junk mail again. Good thing I did, because recently I received a nice little rebate check in a blank-looking envelope, that almost got tossed before I opened it. And the coupons are worth going through, even if you only find one that you would use. Okay....I told you all that, so I can tell you this: I wanted to send something special to my sister now that she's home from the hospital, but I couldn't think of anything other than a cute homemade card. WELL, yesterday while going through stacks of junk mail that I'd let pile up in my office, I came across one for $4.00 off an Edible Arrangement! Voile! The perfect special gift! They're rather pricey, but I got a small one, since it's just Marian and her husband. She called me today to thank me and was so pleased and surprised and feeling quite "special"!

"When you urgently serve others, attack problems, enact solutions, and express your sense of family and friendship, the rewards will come back to you with equal speed." -- Pat Croce