Flora Doone

I've got a house filled with people...all nice, but nowhere to go. My writing room is a guest room this week, the office is a guest room, the guest room is a guest room... Little M complains that her loo is a mess! I explain that five people are sharing that one bathroom. She asks why they don't want to use the other two. I have no answers but sure am glad it's not my loo that is a mess!

Cooking for nine is insane. I'm doing it, but it's insane.

Saw Marley & Me last night...laughed, cried, passed tissues to some little boy sitting next to me. His mom dropped him in the only open seat and went to sit somewhere else. I swear, when that kid was crying I wanted to hug him, only I thought that might be inappropriate being he was someone else's kid, but his sniffles were making me sob even more. Kind of fun watching bits of the movie though. Some of the scenes were shot at the Sun-Sentinel, where I work, only it looked a lot more glamorous in the movies. Gotta say, I'm not a huge dog person but that movie stole my heart. And what's all this Jen talk...what about Owen? He's the one that needs the boost, not Jen! It's all about Jen vs. Brad at the box office, but really, it's all about Owen Wilson. I love Owen Wilson. I love his brother, Luke, too!

I planned on finishing up my last twenty pages by 2009. I haven't even touched those last twenty pages. Twenty! That's not too much...I can do it...but when? At work? Shall I write at work? Not an option. Longhand? I don't think I can do it! I neeeeeeed my little writing space.

Okay, have a great idea for a musical. Now I'm really getting ahead of myself, but I'm sure it would be a SRO hit! I had the idea a while ago but it keeps leaping into my head and each time it comes to me with another idea, twist, turn, musical number. I think I'm possessed. Too much egg nog. No, actually, it's latkes in my house and that oil can really clog your brain.

The new year is coming and along with it the pressure of having fun on the last night of 2008. Pressure! I've decided to have the guests each prepare one thing they would like to eat...one finger food...and that's dinner! A martooni or three will lighten the mood, or maybe a Mojito...I love a Mojito with lots of mint.

It's my brother's birthday today.

My husband is going to cover the outdoor hockey game in Chicago where it will be 40 below. Right at this very minute he is seeking out ski stores. Tough to do in south Florida, but I found him one in Delray Beach. He's there now buying thermal socks. I'd buy more than socks. I once had a friend tell me that on a trip to Russia, she stuffed socks in her bra to keep warm. Who knew socks had more uses other than sock puppets.

You have to check out this wrap up of 2008. It's hysterical.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWiXy55OHyY

Well my LJ friends, have a very happy new year!

Once in a while I need a dose of grooviness -- kind of takes me back to a different time in my life when I wasn't a PTA mom, a sandwich generation daughter, and a responsible (ack!) adult.

I'm at this "meet the parents" gathering on Friday night for my daughter's school. It's a charter school for the arts and we're gathered at someones home. Kids who volunteered are serving aps while the dads are pouring the drinks. From across the patio I spied a bottle of Rain vodka. Okay, it called to me, but either way, I wanted some! This one particular dad pouring the vodka sported an earring along with a dash of coolness. (I myself used to sport the same dash of coolness.) Anyway, the exchange goes something like this:

Me: I'll take a cup of Rain.
Volunteer Dad: A box of rain?
Me: Oh, former dead head?
VD: Yeah, I used to tour with the Dead.
Me: Gosh, I remember one concert I worked. I was this close to Bob Weir. That's when I worked at the Palladium -- when it was a concert hall
VD: Oh yeah? I ran the VIP room at the Ritz
Me: SHUT UP! I ran the VIP room at the Ritz!
VD: Huh?
Me: In the eighties. You?
VD: Yeah, after they moved it to the old Studio 54
Me: So...you know my life!

Then I proceeded to hover at the vodka table all because I felt validated in my grooviness and who could ever imagine meeting someone (in Boca Raton no less) who did this most unusual (but really cool) job!

The next night I went to a party, sans husband, that some old friends threw. Friends that I haven't seen in over a decade. Let me just say the apartment was beyond cool with every inch of wall and space covered with art, found objects, sculptures, paintings, odd montages and other unusual artifacts. A clip board was given to each guest with around 30 names of artists separated by categories like ceramics, paintings, drawings, photography, etc. Several of the works of art around this mecca of coolness were numbered. So, while sipping champagne and sampling tasty morsels of food, one walked around the apartment examining and guessing (unless of course there was a signature which I will not deem as cheating) the artist. I myself used the male/female method when I was really not sure -- and for the most part it worked! In this situation you were forced to converse with people, pick out the artist if they were present and try to scope out their conversation and find their particular piece. I felt so at peace and so in my element...

I had my does of grooviness which by Sunday manifested itself into the joy of writing and added several pages to my WIP.

Ba, da, da, da, da, da, da...feelin' groovy!

1. I registered for the scbwi LA conference! Thanks to the peer pressure of Tamarak and Cynthea... thank you very much. I almost, almost I say, didn't go this year. How could I possibly skip a year when I know just how much fun I'm going to have? See ya'all there!
2. I placed as a finalist in the South Florida Writers' Network for the second year in a row! Short story, not kid stuff. Last year I took first place. It was an unbelievable feeling. I'll find out on May 21 how I did this year. Truth be told, I'm happy to be in the running!
3. Darling daughter performs tomorrow in a Broadway revue (and for the next 3 Saturdays. I caught a glimpse of her rehearsal and walked in just as she was doing a song from Wicked. Tears welled up, I had chills, as my grandma would say, I was kvelling! And if I may kvell some more, I should shout REALLY LOUD that darling daughter made it into a school of the arts for middle school next Fall. She placed among the top 20% and will be studying theater for the next three years. If I tell you how cool this school is... well, I wanna go there. It's amazing!
4. I signed up for the Orlando scbwi summer workshop where I will fortunately be spending a day in a Humor track with none other than...Debbie Garfinkle! Does it get any funnier?
5. It's the weekend! Hallelujah!

If I may add a 6th... Last night was a cool triple book signing for Summer Reads at Borders in Boca Raton where Gaby Triana (The Temptress Four), Debbie Fischer (Braless in Wonderland) and Dorian Cirrone (Prom Kings and Drama Queens) read from their novels, captured the audience, signed books and kicked off summer reading with panache! By the way, all fellow Chudneyites... Can I get a seat at that table PLEASE :)

I'm glad I don't make resolutions. For one, if I did make resolutions it would be to write in my LJ at least once a week, to write 1,000 words a day as my friend Steven had suggested, and to eat less... See, by not making those resolutions I have not made an entry since December 26, wrote very little and ate a lot.
It is probably one of the single most horrible things to endure...the blank page. The second most horrible thing to endure...the excuses of why you haven't been writing, exercising, eating less and again...writing. Isn't the drama of not exercising and eating too much worth writing about. No, absolutely not! The stuff that's worth writing about is the stuff that's stored away, locked up, waiting to explode onto that blank page. Exhausting, huh?
I have been writing though. Writing out of sequence because I can see so many scenes unfolding but can't make sense of the order just yet. It will come, it will come. Through writing these scenes, my character comes alive in so many situations that he's letting me get to know him. It's more of a "what will he do next" kind of writing...and I wait until he tells me. Then, it's another scene. 25,000 words into the ms and I think I'm really liking this guy. I mean, not in the I like this guy sense, but the I love my character and he's becoming solid, sense.
The SCBWI Florida conference was wonderful. I've said it before and I'll say it again...what a wonderful community to be a part of. So many talented people! Linda did an excellent job of putting together a dynamic conference with wonderful speakers and great workshops. An editor who critiqued my new WIP (mentioned above) is interested in seeing it when finished (even tho she previously passed on a novel of mine). Encouraging.
The ms that my agent is shopping is having a hard time finding the right set of eyes to fall in love with it. I expected as much, but I am ambivalent about rewriting just yet. It hasn't gone to that many editors yet and frankly, it's different. It needs a brave soul to take it on.
Ah, brave souls. That's us! We are the brave souls putting it all out there for them. Here's to all of us... Cheers!

I am a closet kringle-a-holic. Yes, that's right. I'm Christmas starved!
Having been raised with nothing in particular, I knew I was Jewish 'cause we just were. However, I was constantly left with a Christian aunt and uncle who celebrated Christmas and Easter with verve! I loved it and saw nothing wrong with celebrating both. (I make a mean Easter Pie loaded with ham and cheese!)
Fast forward to dating the now husband.
Me: "I have a Christmas tree at Christmas!"
Him: You do?
Me: (I sense some excitement...I think.) Oh yes, and I make my own decorations, cut woodblock prints for my holiday cards, love gingerbread, and...
Him: BUT YOU'RE JEWISH!
Me: (Shrinking to the height of a sugar plum.) Oh, yeah. Do you like cats?
Him: No.
And then I married him anyway!
So, around Christmas time, I go to the supermarket and bury my nose in the sweet scented pine trees and when nobody is looking, yank a small piece off to squish between my fingers and sniff away! My daughter also loves Christmas but we "don't tell Daddy."
Yesterday was Christmas Day. I started by watching A Christmas Carrol and thought she'd watch it with me. She said it was boring. Then we watched Miracle on 34th Street, or should I say, I watched. She went off to sing in her room. Elf was a hit. That she watched.
I was prepared to cook something for dinner but Husband had spilkus (ants in the pants) and needed to 'get out'. So we did. We hunted down anything that was open and settled on a deli. Need I say, every octogenarian that's come down to Florida with a shiny new walker was on line, waiting for a table. We did take out...back at the house...ate corned beef sandwiches (hardly my idea of a Christmas dinner. Where was the figgy pudding?)...back to watching Christmas movies and a history of Radio City and the Rockettes (great, b.t.w.).
Now I'm at work...bah, humbug. The air compressor has blown out in the whole building. I let the group go home early but will stay put till I can't breathe anymore!
Happy Holidays!

Oh, sorry, different blog! It has been three months since I've made any kind of entry and that coincided with the three months I've actually been writing. Writing! And may I say, my WIP makes me very, very happy!

Last night I read to my crit group and they were howling! HOWLING! I couldn't believe that my attempt at being funny won me hugs at break and "thanks" for reading. My ego is stroked and I am empowered to move forward and write another 7,000 words by next Thursday, if not more. The challenge was to write 1,000 words a day. Whether those 1,000 words are good or not is to be determined, but getting it all down on paper when you have that number looming over your keyboard is amazing. It works!

And...this morning, the coffee pot I had my eye on at starbucks was on sale AND an additional 20% off gave me the one cup coffee maker of my dreams...for my new office...to keep me juiced up and ready to work. Work has finally balanced out with real life. Real life is trying to balance with writing.

M. has been so involved in theater this year that her 5th grade teacher conferenced me this morning to tell me that we should probably take her off the "gifted" track for middle school. Husband freaked. He says no more computer and TV. Pull the plug!!! Take her out of gifted? I say, go ahead. Why pressure my daughter when her real gifts are theater-related. She's getting ready to audition for a magnet school of the arts that blows all those other schools away. Recently, she had a solo performance and before she fell asleep she said, "Mama, I love a crowd!" Her fate is sealed. Broadway, look out!

Agent is still trying to place my middle grade novel. A friend who read it this past week said I just haven't found the right pair of eyes. Anyone out there have nice eyes??? Agent will be very surprised by my current WIP which I think is a departure from other manuscripts he's seen. Evolve! Evolve! Evolve!

And...CYNTHEA IS HAVING A BABY TODAY!!! Happy Friday!

Peace.

Current Mood: giddy

We had our fifteen minutes...uh, fifteen seconds...okay, who am I kidding...our two seconds of fame! Woo-hoo! Here are Mark, Cynthia, Me and Tammi applauding like the trained seals we were. I mean, totally natural. It all came so naturally! We're FAMOUS!!!

Oh, did I mention this was while we were in LA before the SCBWI conference actually began... we were whisked from the airport to DEAL OR NO DEAL ... and spent ... uh, what was it Tammi? Cynthia? Like TEN hours?!!!

See our silver? See the glitter? Our costumes were soooooo awesome! It's all in the eyes!

There's baby bumps in the tabloids, trans fat labels not to be believed and oh, Laura Bush and daughter will write a children's book to the tune of a lot o' money and a huge printing and net proceeds going to some charity or another. A story about a boy who hates to read. Okay, has that been done? Is yet another celebrity book going to take away from the budget that might allow, say, a first-time novelist to break in! Might the PR budget take away from, let's say, a first-time novelist's book showing up in PW? Harrumph!!!
But I digress, it's all good...If our work stands out and shines above the celebrity books, then so be it. I just get disgusted every time I find out about someone who doesn't work hard at their craft, getting a deal like this. And who does she think she is anyway? First Lady? Oh, yeah. Ohhhhhhhh, I get it! Thaaaaaaaaaaaaat's why. Hmmmmmmm.
Could you tell it's Friday and I had that glass of wine and I'm UNWINDING????

SCBWI LA makes me so happy! I need not say more, but I will...
I thought about this year's conference on the way home -- actually, that's not true, I took a red eye and was asleep before the plane left the runway (remnants of the par-tay). So, maybe it was when I woke up that I thought about the conference and here's what I think: I think that if you step outside your comfort zone, go to workshops that you might not go to because you aren't a YA writer, middle grade writer or even an illustrator, you would still glean something from it.
I usually leave the conference inspired, invigorated and ready to write, write, write. No different this year, only I'm willing to try something new. Even better, I've already begun. I'll say no more.
It was lovely meeting new people and fellow LJ bloggers. It was great seeing my conference buddies and rooming with the every-so-famous tksauer.
How many days till next year?