Progress on Rosie and a book review.

     Just wanted to do a quick review here today. If you like a good cozy and are looking for something to read, "Yarned and Dangerous, " by Sadie Hartwell is a good one to check out. It's Book I in her new series. This story is chock full of suspects, but I didn't even come close to who the killer might be. My kind of mystery, for sure. I met Sadie at last year's Crime Bake. She was delightful. She didn't look sinister... Looking forward to Book II.

     Making progress on "Cruising to a Murder." I should be finished by the end of September, take a month to polish it as much as I can and then...drum roll, please... PITCH IT AT CRIME BAKE!!!! 

     My Horoscope stories are coming along. "The Girl in the White Jeep Wrangler" is complete, as is, "Balance and Symmetry, a Story of the Scales" "Taurus, the Wandering Bull" is almost finished. It's a little longer than the short stories I usually write - probably because I'm not sure where it's going. I only know that someone has to die. It is, after all, a story from MY brain. Ha ha...

No Relation

The only similarity between Rosalie Chandler and Jennifer Hammond is, they were born in the same brain. Where Rosie is a mature, loving nurturer, Jenn is a psychopathic teen - so beautiful on the outside, hiding such an awful truth, inside. Will she get her due? We'll See.

Jennifer's story will be told in an, as yet, untitled anthology being put together by our very talented and diverse writing group.

We meet every Friday evening and are working diligently for your reading pleasure. Our stories will make you think, laugh, or dive for your covers. What they won't do, is disappoint.

My Time Has Come

In a couple of months I’ll be celebrating my 70^th birthday and I’ve decided to do it in a big way. I’ve been working on a novel for a  long time now, and have sat by and watched most of my writing friends become published. While I couldn't be happier for them, I have to question myself as to why I've procrastinated as long as I have with my own work.

And then I thought…

If not now, when?

This next birthday has been haunting me, so I'm just going to go full speed ahead. This will be the year I pull out all the stops and give it all I’ve got. I have a four-book series in me that is dying to come out and I plan to pitch it at this year's New England Crime Bake in November.

Rosalie Chandler is a woman of a certain age. When she boards a cruise ship with her husband, Stanley, for their long-awaited cruise to Bermuda, she has no idea how much her life is about to change.

Feeling a little depressed over her fifty-something birthday, and, oh-by-the-way, that twenty or so extra pounds that seems to have crept up on her over the last few years, Rosalie is fairly certain that her life has begun to wind down. That is, until she meets six women only a few years older than her own daughters, who welcome her with open arms into their newly formed clique.

When the group decides to gather their wits and sets out to solve the mystery of a missing crew member, they, and Rosalie (dubbed, "Rosie"), by her new circle of friends, realize that she has a knack for all things investigative which makes the group look to her not only for motherly advice, but for clues and insight into the disappearance as well.

Rosie is funny, smart and heartbreakingly fragile in this story of a woman looking for her place in the world when she doesn't seem to fit anywhere, anymore.

            

A dream come true!

Years ago, I heard a song on the radio that made me feel so happy I HAD to find out who the artist was. At first I thought it was Buffy St. Marie, but later learned that it was Melanie. I loved her music so much I set out to learn all I could about her. She put into words everything I believed in, in a way that I never could. I got out my guitar and made it my business to learn every note of every song and sang my heart out - for years.

Last night, not only did I have a fourth row seat to watch Melanie perform with her son, Beau Jarred, I got to meet her as she signed my CD. I was in awe. At sixty-nine years old, she continues to perform with all her heart. She could have sung off key for all I cared - she was Melanie, and she was only a few feet from me!

It  didn't sound like an audience of baby-boomers, no sir. My petite sister can whistle as loud as any man. Men sporting white pony-tails held up their battery-operated candles for "Candles in the Rain" and we all sang back-up. It was a blast! 

A night to remember.

I'm on a Roll!

     Five hundred thirty words yesterday, seven hundred twenty words today, what's happening? Who am I? What have I done to my lazy self? Ha ha… I'm writing up a storm and I'm thrilled. It's true that the more we sit down to write, the more words come to us. Even if they aren't all good words, they're down, they can be changed and fixed. It's a good feeling.
     I tend to work on my stories while I'm walking and I've been walking these days, so, there ya go! Besides, I have to work off this cupcake I ate in North Carolina. Oh. My. God. It was soooo good!

Writing while I walk!

     So, I've been drooling over a 1/2 Marathon medal for a couple of years now, and I've decided that this is the year. Yep. I'm doing it. I've had physical therapy for some six weeks now, and my legs are feeling much younger than they really are. I'm taking it easy - a few miles at a time - and I've registered for a few races to get me motivated. There's an ALS walk in June, a Cancer walk also in June, a Walk for Alzheimer's in September and whatever else comes up in the meantime.

     So, while I was on a three mile walk the other day, I was going over a scene in the second book in my series and my protagonist's future came to me - just like that! I wrote the entire thing in my head and couldn't wait to get home and get it in my computer. I'm loving these walks!

Walk on!

Getting down to business!

     The more I think about Rosie and the girls, the more anxious I am to finish their stories. I've been writing feverishly lately, trying to get it all down. I know in my heart that I'm not the only one who will love them! Who wouldn't love Rosie? She's everyone's mom, everyone's confidante. Kelli is a wise-ass, but she has heart and she'll never let you down. Missy and Emma are just trying to fit in and Sam is the glue. 
     We all have someone in our lives who fit the descriptions of these characters. The rest of the story is just waiting for me to write it!

Leaving the nest.

  

     Today my daughter finally leaves the nest. When the prospect of her accepting a job almost nine hundred miles away presented itself, I wasn't worried - and then, she accepted it. And all of a sudden everything happened so quickly. The house sold in one day and moving day has arrived. If this was 1955, I'd be freaking out, but today, with Facebook, FaceTime and a two hour plane ride - I'm good.

     It's a great opportunity for Lisa and Scott and they're both so excited about this new chapter in their lives. 

     We moved into that house when Lisa was ten or eleven years old. She's always loved that house, so she and Scott bought it when they got married, but they've also always been drawn to the south, so it seems to be a natural progression for them.

     Of course there'll be a room for ME in their new home, complete with pajamas, make-up and whatever clothes we shop for, for my NC room. Ha ha… I can't wait to take my first trip down! My thoughtful son-in-law gave me a beautiful card with a heartfelt letter - and the means to take those plane rides to visit.

     I'm so proud of them for being so brave and going for their dream. I know they're going to love it!

Art on the road.

  I babysat Kenny's granddaughter, Anabella. I knew I couldn't miss as long as I brought my art supplies with me and I was right. She went to town with those Sharpies and  stamped her heart out, saying, under her breath, "I love Sharpies." It was too funny. What a riot. She used every pen, sharpie and brush; in every color and even mixed some colors. We cut and ruled and glued and had a tea party. A good time was had by all. I only wish I had thought to 
take a picture of the tea set. It was 
ceramic, but felt like china! Just beautiful. Looking forward to doing that again, soon.

A peek into Rosie's life.

Meet Rosalie!

Rosalie Chandler is a woman of a certain age. When she boards a cruise ship with her husband, Stanley, for their long-awaited cruise through the Eastern Caribbean, she has no idea how much her life is about to change.

Feeling a little depressed over her fifty-something birthday, and, oh-by-the-way, that twenty or so extra pounds that seems to have crept up on her over the last few years, Rosalie is fairly certain that her life has begun to wind down. That is, until she meets six women only a few years older than her own daughters, who welcome her with open arms into their newly formed clique.

When the group decides to gather their wits and set out to solve the mystery of a missing crew member, they, and Rosalie (dubbed, "Rosie"), by her new circle of friends, realize that she has a knack for all things investigative which makes the group look to her not only for motherly advice, but for clues and insight into the disappearance as well.

Rosalie Chandler is funny, smart and heartbreakingly fragile in this story of a woman looking for her place in the world when she doesn't seem to fit anywhere, anymore.

So, I re-posted this from Feb., 2012 (Has it really been that long?", as a little background for the scene you're about to read.

After a few drinks, Rosie bares all to Kelli; and because Kelli has had a few drinks, she gives Rosie some advice on how to confront her husband.

 Rosie

Walking through the Casino is an assault on the senses, for sure. The cigarette smoke is suffocating. How do they do it? I wonder. I stand off to the side, by the huge window seat and look around. The place is jam-packed with people. Where do I begin? There’s even an ATM over in the far corner. Hmm…you can’t get on the internet, but you can get to your bank. Then I spot him. He’s at a slot machine instead of the blackjack table and lo and behold, there’s even an empty seat beside him. It’s hard to breathe but I take a deep breath and march over there to confront him.

Sliding onto the seat next to him, I clear my throat to get his attention and he doesn’t even turn my way. I insert my key card into the slot and the machine comes to life. Finally, he turns toward me and does a double take. His face blanches. “Hon! Are you okay? What are you doing here?”

“Stanley, we have to talk.” I say. I pull the lever and get fifteen free games.

“What? Is everything okay?”

“No, Stanley. Everything is not okay.” The next pull gets me ten more free games and I’m up sixty-seven dollars. I see his eyes going from mine to my machine and back.

“Okay, so stop. Tell me what’s going on, for crying-out-loud.” He crinkles up his eyes then. “Rosie, are you drunk?”

I turned to him and say, “Stanley, if you don’t start paying some attention to me I’m going to divorce you.” There. I’ve said it. “Your move.” I say, and give the lever another pull. I love these one-armed bandits. Then the lights begin to pulse and the alarms go off and all of a sudden we’re the main attraction as bells on my machine keep dinging and the “Total Amount Won” keeps going higher and higher. “Oh, my God!” I can’t believe my eyes. It’s actually a little scary the way people begin to gather around us to see how much I’ve won. For once, I’m speechless.

“Holy cow, Rosie. You’ve been here for five minutes and you manage to break the bank.” Stanley’s laughing and so, am I and for a minute, I’ve forgotten my purpose for being here. I turn to him, my laughter subsiding, my surprise and excitement replaced with the knowledge that my husband does not take me seriously.

I swallow the lump in my throat and for once, do not give in to the tears that threatened to diminish the importance of why I’m here. Stanley does not value me. I can see that now. All of a sudden, I see with such clarity, the insignificance of my existence. I get up from my seat and tell the crew-member to give the credit-slip to my husband and I walk away.

“Hon, wait. Where are you going?” My husband looks confused. I’m sure he doesn’t even remember the word “divorce” has passed my lips, because, as usual, he probably wasn’t listening.

I just keep walking.

Back in our stateroom I finally let go of years of pent-up frustration and anger. I cry and cry. I cry for every little thing that has ever gone wrong in my life. I cry for the baby I’d lost six months into our marriage, I cry for the time I couldn’t fit into my new jeans and I even cry for the time my Lana didn’t win the Little Miss Minnow Contest. I cry into the bed pillows until there are no tears left. The one thing I do not cry for is the fact that my marriage, as I’ve known it, is over – I’m crying for the fact that my life has meant nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Now I’m all stuffed up and can’t breathe, so I get up to splash my face with cold water and see myself in the mirror. Eyes swollen, blotchy skin, mascara smeared all over my face. Who cares? I think, and my pathetic looking face makes me start crying all over again. Now I’m just feeling sorry for myself, but I don’t care. It feels good to cry. I’m so tired of being strong. I’m tired of swallowing my feelings, my opinions that have never seemed to matter, but most of all, the very essence of myself.

And all of a sudden I feel an instant calm. And I know that things are about to change – I’m about to change. At fifty-three years old I still feel like twenty-five and my instinct to survive kicks in.

I know it will be a while before Stanley will be able to get down here, what with the paperwork and all, so I take a quick shower and go out to sit on our balcony. I lean my head back against the chaise and look up at the night sky. Our stateroom is situated away from most of the lights on the ship and the stars are so brilliant it takes my breath away. I see the little dipper for the first time since I was ten years old and other constellations I can’t name, but recognize the shapes of. No, my life isn’t over, I think. It’s just beginning.

Defunkifying the guest room!

     So, the guest room has been cleared of anything that doesn't obviously belong there, which is usually my folded laundry and I just figured out why. Part of the defunkifying process is figuring out why this happens in the first place.

     I do laundry in the evening, while we're watching TV, so I fold it during that time also. Well, I run mine into the guest room and drop it on the bed because I don't want to miss whatever it is we're watching by taking the time to put it away. So, there ya go. But THAT'S why we have a DVR!!!

     This looks so much better. So, what have I learned? Use the DVR!!

     Now, for the rest of the story…


UNDER THE BED!!!!

Sandals and sneakers!

Flip Flops!

Boxes of leftover cosmetics, a Yankee Candle and an oven tray!

An oven tray??????



Lisa, help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!





STAY TUNED!

Defunkifying my home!

     Defunkifying my home is ALWAYS in the back of my mind - ALWAYS! So, I'm following Tracy's lead, of (Tracystreasures), and I'm going to commit to it - pictures and all - the good, the bad and the ugly! Judgers are going to judge and haters are going to hate, but I only have two people who look at my blog; Lisa (my daughter), and Tracy - sometimes - and they aren't judgers OR haters. Time to go take some pictures!
So as not to put Tracy into shock, I decided to begin with my most perfect room - the second floor bathroom - MY bathroom. (It's in the room next to my studio). I love this room almost as much as I love my studio. So, nothing do be done here. NEXT!!

The Guest Room

So, this room seems to be a catch-all for my folded laundry and odds and ends that do not yet have a home. This has to stop, because I end up closing the door and I like ALL the doors open!

Not only that - under the bed is Chock. Full. Of. Stuff! Mostly shoes I don't wear or muffin tins that I seldom use or boxes of left-over, but not empty, cosmetics. Oh, so much!

This room I'll tackle tomorrow (we're getting snow), and I'll post pictures tomorrow evening.

Here I go!

I HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE AND EVERYTHING TO GAIN!

Boston with Margo

     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!

One week 'till Christmas!

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...

My studio is a mess!

   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!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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'

Another Crime Bake Under My Belt

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

It's NaNo time!!!

     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!

It's Flashwords Time!

     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 ~

Rosie's baaack...

Rosie went on vacation for a while as her story evolved. A woman like you, like me and millions of women all over the world, Rosie is a real, flawed human woman trying to get through life with as little pain as possible. But, in order to grow and become the people we are meant to be, we must take risks and the end result may involve a little pain. Well, Rosie does end up having pain - lots of it - but it's what she does with it that makes her special. So, she gives Marcie, her young neighbor, a little advice on how to save her marriage in this second book in the Rosie Chandler mystery series, "A Murder in the Neighborhood." Here's an excerpt:

    I answer the phone and it's Marcie. This can't be good. I expect to hear crying on the other end of the line. At least that's how it's been for the last two weeks, but I'm pleasantly surprised.
    "Rosie, wait 'till I tell you," She says. "You will just die."
      "Oh, oh. Marcie, what have you done?"
      "I've saved my marriage, that's what."
      "Oh, do tell." What else could I say? I'm not really comfortable getting the inside scoop like this - especially when it comes to a person's love life.
      "I've signed up for belly dance classes!"

So, yes, Rosie is back and I couldn't be happier.