Margo and I took the train into Boston yesterday and had such a great time. The ride was too short though. Next time, we'll continue on to NYC! Ha ha…
While walking through Government Center we hit a wind tunnel that I thought was going to knock us down. Wow! We made it to our destination and had some lunch and a good old fashioned talk. It was the best. There's pretty much nothing I can't tell Margo.
Later, we found just the gifts we'd been looking for (my granddaughters are going to be very happy) and we made it back to the train just before dark. Ahh… A most perfect day!
Christmas shopping is done, food is planned and the family is set to visit. My oldest son, Tim, lives in Maine with his wife and six daughters, so we won't be seeing them, that will happen in January when I take the drive up. I always look forward to that as I love road trips!
This is the Christmas Tree I made for my daughter, Lisa last year. It was such a pleasure to make. I liked it so much I've started to make one for myself. It's mounted on a 21/2 x 31/2 inch piece of wood that I usually use to make ATCs to trade with my mosaic friends.
Next week I'll be jumping on the train to go into Boston to do a little shopping. Even if I don't buy anything, I LOVE taking the train in. I'll be sure and take pictures. It would be awesome to have a little snowfall that day!
'Till next time...
How can I get anything done in a mess like this? Arghh… I've tried to set aside fifteen minutes at a time to go up and take care of one little spot, but I never know where to start! All I end up doing is cleaning off the table to start a new project. Wahh… My daughter could organize it for me, but she'd end up throwing things away. She's a minimalist, so, messy spaces like this would totally give her anxiety! Lol
I have so many unfinished projects that it's embarrassing. I should just make a list of projects to complete, one-by-one, before I start even one more thing. That could be my big project for 2016!!
Thanksgiving was a whirlwind of family and good friends. Michael and Diane, Paul and Margo and Kenny and I enjoyed our dinner here, while Julie, Shane, Sara and Shawn ate at "The Common Man," in NH, but we all had dessert together. We had such a nice day. We even watched videos of the kids' vacation (swimming with sting rays). I'll stay on the boat, thank you very much. LOL!
I don't see my children on Thanksgiving, but they come for Christmas.
So, I was very organized and wasn't the least bit stressed, as I have been in previous years. I'd done quite a bit of prep the day before and set the table before I went to bed, so all I really had to do was make my bread. I LOVE to bake bread. There's something so therapeutic about kneading the dough! I made lovely knots out of the dough and brushed them with an egg wash. I really do have to remember to take more pictures of things like that.
By five-thirty my feet were up and I was lost in my Fauxbonichi!
Lata'
Well, another Crime Bake has come and gone and once again, a good time was had by all.
It began on Friday, November sixth. My first Master class was on Revision, with Barbara Ross as the speaker and I doubt if anyone could have done it better. She's one smart and lovely person. I got so much from her class and I glad I chose it.
The fabulous Elizabeth George was our speaker and she was just wonderful. She's quite shy, but she really put herself out there and announced that we could approach her with our questions any time at all. I thought that was so generous of her. Actually, all the panelists were approachable in that way.
I got to meet old friends and new ones, got to chat with my favorite death investigator, Michelle Clarke, the cute little blonde on the right. Yup, whenever there's a crime in the state of Connecticut, Michelle is on it!
I didn't win Flashwords, but my girlfriend, Margo (at right in the cowboy hat), did!! Her story, "Sweet Thing" was a hit.
And last, but not least, the wonderfully funny, sassy, amazing Arlene Kay critiqued the first fifteen pages of my WIP, "Cruising to a Murder." She liked my protagonist and the premise. She said the dialogue was good and she said she really sees my being able to sell this. EEEEEEEk!!!! She spent a whole hour with me - so happy I was her last one.
I could go on about the music and dancing and shenanigans, but there's not enough room or time.
So, I had a blast and can't wait to go back next year.
~ Write on
Woo hoo!!! It's NaNo time!! So far, I'm 3500 words in and happy-as-a-clam! I'm getting it down for "A Murder in the Neighborhood." That way book two will be ready when "Cruising to a Murder" goes to print. Ha ha ha ha ha… The laughing is a joke. I do expect to sell it in the next year, so I have to be ready when I do. I've had "Rosie" in my back pocket for a while now and she's dying to make her public debut.
So, NaNoWriMo is all about writing your novel in thirty days, or, at least 50,000 words. Now that I'm retired I have no excuse. My mornings belong to me, as Kenny goes for coffee every day until eleven o'clock. When he gets home we go out for lunch, maybe a bike ride or we walk the mall. I could write again after dinner, but I usually make some art, watch television, or aggravate Kenny. Ha ha… Anyway, those three to four hours I have in the mornings are more than enough. Next Monday night I'll be meeting other writers at Panera Bread in Vinnin Square and we'll all write together. So much fun! I even made a calendar for myself, which I'll post a picture of the next time I write a blog post. Hopefully, it won't be next year!
Has it really been a year since I last wrote about my favorite contest ever? Yes, Flashwords is my favorite, not because I won it one year (heh heh), but because it's such a challenge. We have to write a compelling story of one hundred and fifty words using ten of twenty words taken from the titles of our guest speaker's novels - no easy task. My friend, Margo Carey, is a three-time winner! LOVE her flash fiction. Anyway, I waited until the last minute this year. I was hung up on writing a story to match a title I had come up with, but couldn't do it, so at the urging of my sister, I put my butt in the chair, put the title out of my mind and just wrote the story. Whew!
Naturally, I didn't like it when I read it the next day, but after reading it to my writer's group, I felt much much better about it, as they liked it very much, and I trust them.
It's amazing how much work goes into putting a few choice words together in a way that gets you more bang-for-your-buck. For instance, "The young woman put down her book and yelled at him for being so rude." gives you so much less than, "The young woman slammed her book down on the table and yelled at him for being so rude."
I have also submitted the first fifteen pages of Book I in the Rosalie Chandler mystery series, for critique by a published author. I've heard from my author and we'll be meeting for fifteen minutes or so. Looking forward to that!
Till then ~
Margo and I took the train into Boston yesterday and had such a great time. The ride was too short though. Next time, we'll continue on to NYC! Ha ha… 
