Words and Letters -- Rant Ahead

I've been thinking about words, letters, writing... not surprising, all things considered, but still...

Does it make you crazy that people can't spell anymore? That the IM and texting generation, the LOLCats (regardless of how funny -- srsly, would they be any less funny if we spelled the words right?), and so on have so penetrated our society that people don't feel the NEED to spell correctly?

Spelling is only a small part of my general annoyance with people and the English language. I KNOW English is hard. It's stupid. It's full of rules that we turn around and break on a regular basis. But, it's MY language, doggone it, so it's my responsibility to speak (and write) it correctly.

It's (not its) not hard to remember which (not witch) word to (not too or two) use when you're (not your) writing something. There is a difference (not deference) between "affect" and "effect".

Why are people so lazy or apathetic that they just don't care?

Just the other day, I was reading a blurb on a book that had received a glowing review at a site I frequent. And in said blurb there was this: "...save her from the hoards of...monsters..."

WHAT???

Do you mean someone is collecting these monsters? That they are... yanno... HOARDING them?

Um, no. Of course they mean "hordes". But, I am horrified that such a basic error was missed by the author, the editor, and eventually by whomever posts the blurb on the site. And, despite the glowing review this story received, I'm loathe to buy it because, if the blurb has such an obvious error, what must the rest of the book be like?

Am I alone in this? Do the rest of you simply overlook these types of things? How do YOU feel about grammar errors and the general acceptance of them in today's world?

Pholph's Scrabble Generator My Scrabble© Score is: 24. What is your score? Get it here.

Wednesday Weirdness

1.) Do you drive with your hands at 10 and 2 on the wheel?

Sometimes...but usually only when I'm nervous, like if I'm driving in the snow. Otherwise, I don't have a specific way I drive, and have even been known to drive with my knees when necessary (i.e. if I'm putting my hair in a ponytail -- yeah, I know, but at least I don't read or put on makeup while I drive!).

2.) How long do you keep cards given to you on birthdays and holidays before throwing them away? If you don't throw them out, what do you do with them?

That depends. I'm a scrapbooker, so I will scrapbook cards sometimes. At Christmas, we hang them on the wall around the fireplace until after the actual holiday, and then take them down. I'm not a packrat, nor am I particularly sentimental, so into the recycle bin they go!

3.) If, when you die, you could will any one of your characteristics to your children (child/future children), what would it be and why?

My determination. If I set a task for myself, I usually get it done. I have a good work ethic, and take pride in what I do... so would like to see the same.

4.) What is the best personality trait you got from your mother and the best personality trait that you got from your father?

Both of my parents were stubborn, head-strong, loud and loving. I am those things, too. It's difficult to choose who gave me what, so that answer will have to do (though, I'd say my father and his family were by far the loudest and most boisterous).

5.) What is something that you wish you had a better understanding of?

Adobe Dreamweaver. It's on my list of things to learn. So far, due to simple lack of time to really apply myself, I'm stymied. But I'll get there.

6.) What makes you nervous?

Driving somewhere I've never been. I get lost in a paper bag, so I don't do well with directions. I can't intuit where something might be, or if I'm turned around, I can't figure out how to get back. It's truly terrifying for me.

7.) What is the strangest household object that you have ever or would ever use for help in masturbation?

Yanno, considering what I write, this question stymied me a bit. :::think, think, think::: Um... ::looks around:::... my house is pretty sparse. I think it would have to be food, but that sounds so predictable. Still, that European cucumber is enough to put any man to shame (and comes wrapped in its own protection, lol)!

8.) What do you have sitting on the countertop in your bathroom?

Soap and lotion. My toothbrush and toothpaste. That about it. My counter is very small. If I had a little more room (and a window), I'd have a plant. I'm not a clutterbug, so I wouldn't pile it deep with stuff, regardless if I had the room.

Sixteen Things About Me...

My two darling friends, Helen Hardt and April Vine, both tagged me in this game. Don't worry girls... I'll figure out a way to get ya back! :-D

Anyway, the rules are I'm supposed to tell y'all sixteen things you didn't know about me. Since I'm so chatty, that was kind of hard to come up with, but here they are, in no specific order (and I put it up on Facebook and MySpace as well):

1) I'm allergic to bees. Yup, deathly allergic as a matter of fact. I don't garden (no matter how much I want to) for the mere fact that one sting can send me to the hospital in anaphilaxis (sp?). I carry an EpiPen everywhere I go (an epinephrin auto-injector) and have actually had to use it twice.

2) I have to have ice in my milk. It just can never be cold enough if you ask me, and I think it's a little treat to suck the frozen milk off of the icecubes when I'm done.

3) I am not a morning person, I am mean and cranky and my kids have learned that they need to leave me be for at least an hour after I wake up, otherwise they get Mean Mommy. My hubby on the other hand refuses to remember this one.... he's been smacked more than once when trying to wake me up. You'd think he'd learn!

4) Purple is my absolute favorite color. Okay, you might have known this one, but still. I have purple everything: candles, candleholders, sweaters, purses, sheets, nailpolish... I have yet to find purple shoes that I actually like, but I will walk all the way across a store if I see purple shoes just to look and see if I find ones I like.

5) I am a pack rat. I really don't like to throw things away, and I have to be prodded to give stuff away or sell it. I always think that I'll find a use for it, or someone will want to see it... or something. I'm slowly breaking myself of this habit as I'm seeing a couple of my kids have the same unfortunate bent.

6) If I'm laughing really hard I tend to snort. Yeah, yeah, not ladylike... sue me. My kids don't think they've told a funny joke unless they can get a snort out of mommy. *sigh*

7) I don't drink alcohol. I'll use it for cooking, but that's it. Honestly, I don't need alcohol to dance on the bar... or change my sweater in the middle of a hot club.... and that way I know everyone will get home safely, because I'M driving and I'M sober!

8) I will not put my car in gear unless every single person in the car is wearing a seat belt. I don't care if you don't think they're comfortable, you can walk if you won't wear it in my car. Recently while out on the town with some friends I badgered a cab driver into pulling over until my friend in the back would put his seat belt on... he didn't want to but if he wanted to get to the nightclub ... needless to say, I won that argument and he wouldn't ride in the same cab with me the rest of the night. :-D

9) I have ridden motorcycles my entire life. For some reason this surprises people. My father has ALWAYS had a Harley ever since before I was born. I grew up knowing those bikers you see out and about. And I learned never to judge a book by it's cover... those guys bought me teddy bears and taught me how to change a tire just to mention a few things.

10) My oldest child has a disorder in the Autism spectrum. Life is never dull in our house.

11) I have about 50 pairs of fuzzy socks. You know, those really soft, fuzzy socks you get instead of slippers.... LOVE those! I compulsively buy them whenever I see them. And I wear them all the time.

12) I always sleep with covers... even in the middle of summer here in the desert. I have to have a sheet and blanket and I always tuck them under my feet. Considering how hot my hubby and boys sleep, we always have the air way down anyway... so it's self-preservation.

13) I can't stand for my food to touch on my plate, unless it's supposed to (lasagna, goulash... etc) or if I do it myself. Otherwise, I eat around the food that is touching and give it to my hubby.

14) I know absolutely nothing about football. I like to ask questions, but for some reason my brain just can't hang onto the information. I DO like football movies though, so hubby likes to reference football movies when he's explaining things to me.

15) I only have to go to a place twice (and sometimes only once) and I can get there again from that point on. I may not be able to tell you the streets, but I can get you there if I'm in the car with you.

16) I love to make cards. Birthday, Christmas, Halloween.. Thank you, Screw You... no matter what I LOVE to make cards. I have a decorated lunchbox tin that holds all my cards and whenever we need a card I usually have several made for every occasion. Which reminds me... I'm running low on Thank You cards.

Oy, that was hard... now y'all know just how neurotic I really am! Now I get to tag 16 other people. The problem I ran into was that most of the people I wanted to tag had already been tagged... but I tagged them again. Funny that we all know the same people! LOL So, here's my 16 people (I didn't tag Mysti or Jenny... figured they appreciate that, but they can do it if they want to):

1) Marianne Arkins
2) Judy Thomas
3) Belinda McBride
4) Paige Tyler
5) AJ Llewellyn
6) Devon Gray
7) Catherine Bybee
8) April Vine
9) Julie (you know who you are)
10) Michele O.
11) Briana K.
12) Dave H. (Uncle David)
13) Patti O'Shea
14) Daisy Dexter Dobbs
15) Kealie Frerichs
16) Kealie Flaherty

TAG, Y'all are it now!

Guest Blogger ~ Belinda McBride

Today our guest blogger is Belinda McBride. Her book, Imperative: Saving You, released last week... but I'm blonde. We'll leave it at that. Let's all give Belinda a warm welcome!

A CHARACTER IN SEARCH OF A STORY

“Rumor has it you’re my replacement.”

Those were Jason Anders’ first words to Marilyn in Imperative: Always You. He was the villain, the source of the conflict between our hero and heroine. Jason was the scorned lover, the temptation that pulled Neil from the arms of his Imperative lover. Jase was a manipulative bastard. He was a masochist more than willing to hurt his partner in order to receive the pain he needed to in order to function. Jason was not a very likable character at all.

Well, to my surprise, Jase was not happy with being the bad guy in the book. He wrenched the plot from my hands and threatened to take the story in the direction he saw fit. He certainly had a strong effect on the story, to the point that Always You wound up being an emotional roller-coaster, both for the author and for the reader.

Jason Anders had something to say, and he forced me to listen.

Normally, I build my characters carefully, but for some reason, Jase simply evolved on his own terms. His words came spontaneously, and it was very clear that at the end of Always You, he was waiting for his story to be told. Jase needed to explain the grief that drove him to such terrible extremes.

I started writing Saving You in early September, confident that it wouldn’t take long at all. By October, I was struggling, re-writing, and searching for the balance to his story. Dove was there from the start, she made her first appearance at the end of the previous book. But for some reason, Dove wasn’t enough to save Jason. Someone else was there. Someone who insisted that his story be told. It was a bit character who appeared in the very beginning of the book. An anonymous masked man who was obsessed with saving Jase. He was a hero with enough heart to save the story.

Weeks passed with little progress on the book. I was two weeks behind…three weeks…
I searched name books and online databases trying to figure out who this John Doe really was. When I found the Hindu word for peaceful, Arav Jain stepped off the page and right onto the cover.

Am I a plotter or a pantster? That’s a question that comes up often, and I usually say that I’m both. I plot, but when a character steps up in search of his or her story, I listen. Saving You wasn’t easy to write. The pivotal hero is an emotional cripple. He’s so deeply entrenched in depression that he seeks to end his own life. In spite of this, I didn’t want his story to be dark.

There was one more unusual thing about Jason’s story. The Imperative wasn’t there to save him. He wasn’t going to get the golden ticket to Paradise. There was no biological compulsion to force him into the perfect relationship.

In his story, Jason Anders has to save himself.

Imperative: Saving You by Belinda McBride is currently available at Changeling Press

In the future, we don’t choose our mates; Nature chooses for us. Nature doesn’t make mistakes. And if you don’t pay attention to Nature’s Imperative, you suffer.

All he wanted was peace. Eternal peace.

After the death of his Imperative mate, Jason Anders threw himself into a lifestyle of sexual excess and self-punishment. Just when he thought he’d hit rock bottom, Jase was nearly killed in a brutal attack.

Nature listened to Jason’s plea for peace, and gave him what he asked for. But Nature’s version of peace wasn’t exactly what Jase expected.

When Dr. Dove Sinclair stumbled into his life, Jase began to suspect that within her arms, he might find the will to live. And when he looked into the haunting eyes of a mysterious masked man, Jason realized that Nature wasn’t finished screwing with his life.

Sometimes Nature doesn’t play fair. But at least she’s willing to give Jason a second chance.

You can visit Belinda at her site: www.belindamcbride.com

Book Trailer ~ Imperative: Missing You by Belinda McBride

Missing You by Belinda McBride

In the future, we don't choose our mates; Nature chooses for us. Nature doesn't make mistakes. And if you don't pay attention to Nature's Imperative, you suffer.

Aquamarine Davis has an exciting future. The up and coming young choreographer is leaving town for a new job when she feels the unwelcome call of the Imperative. Hounded by an intense, biological compulsion to find her mate, Marina reluctantly attends the local mating assembly.

Artist Con Montgomery is thrilled that the Imperative finally called! At 32, he believed his time had passed. For years, he's been haunted by visions of blue which he knew symbolized his mate. The Imperative leads him to Duncan Sinclair, and Con immediately recognizes his future in the smiling blue eyes of this man.

When Con and Duncan walk out of the Assembly together, they leave something behind: Marina. Their mate.

****************************

Want to see your book trailer here? Go here to find out how!

Life... It Really Is Worth It!

Hey, everyone... or no one as the case may be. I hope all of y'all haven't disappeared due to my lack of keeping up our blog. It's been rather interesting to watch everything go a bit insane around me. Between trips out of town, a cold that we have all been so gracious to share amongst my family (twice), a bout of pink-eye (but only one child YAY!), a dog who may be going a bit neurotic and doctors' appointments for myself it's been fun to count my blessings.... BUT, I can count my blessings! Here we go, count with me!

1) The cold is really just a cold. Sniffles, coughing and sneezing... but no flu, nothing really bad and not even any really sleepless nights have been had. If anything, it's funny to hear how we all sound right now. My 6 year old doesn't think it's so funny that mommy laughs when he says, "Cad I hab a gyath of waddur?" and was quick to point out that for several days I sounded like a dolphin! Laughter is the best medicine.

2) The trips out of town were for holidays, and to see the hubby's family. It was great fun to see the cousins playing together and to make a craft with one of my nieces and encourage the love of music in my gorgeous teenaged niece; we exchanged music and talked about music since we both got iPods for Christmas this year... and she's such a girly-girl and I don't get to do that very much!

3) The pink-eye was mild, only the one child got it and it cleared up in two days. YAY!

4) My fur-baby Harley doesn't have any serious health issues... other than deciding suddenly that he no longer wants to be an indoor dog when he's always been an indoor dog. A German Shepherd mix he's a BIG indoor dog, but he's my baby! Honestly, as chaotic as it's been lately... the only peace the poor baby gets is when he goes outside and flirts with the little Yorkie next door. Considering she only comes up to his shin... it wouldn't work out, but he can hope!

5) While the doctors can't say what exactly is going on after TONS of tests, they CAN tell me that structurally my heart is fine, arteries and such aren't clogged and I don't need any sort of heart surgery. WHEW! That is a load off, now we do more tests to see if ew CAN figure out what's going on.

6) I love my family, and they love me and I refuse to leave them anytime soon!

7) My dance classes started back up this last week, and while I had to say good bye to quite a few of my students in December when I quit working for one of the Centers I worked at, I still have fun with the students I do have. They can make me smile on a day when I wasn't sure I'd smile at all. I can walk into a class in a horrid mood and those sweet little faces with their excitement at dancing and learning will have me leaving with a smile on MY face and a lighter step.

8) With all this chaos, I am finally getting organized! How flipping perverse is that? We pulled everything out of the boys' rooms and got rid of a BUNCH of stuff. For every toy they keep they have to donate one, and not only do we reduce the stuff they have, but they learn a valuable lesson: There are children out there who don't have it as good as they do. They're still spoiled... but we're hoping they learn values that I find so lacking in our world today.

9) I have some of the most wonderful friends in the world. Both online and in the "real" world. Some of them might as well be siblings, we've grown so close. They forgive me my faults, I only hope that I can repay them in the same love and friendship that they have given me.

10) Another year has gone by and we have our home in a time when so many homes are in foreclosure. We have food in our stomachs and my children have NEVER had to go hungry. My husband won't be losing his job as so many others have, including family members and friends. Life is good... and it's worth it to count the blessings.

I have more, but I figure this was enough. It always lifts my spirits to remember what is GOOD in my life, even if all is not well. How about your blessings? They're there, I promise!

Book Trailer ~ Imperative: Missing You by Belinda McBride

Missing You by Belinda McBride

In the future, we don't choose our mates; Nature chooses for us. Nature doesn't make mistakes. And if you don't pay attention to Nature's Imperative, you suffer.

Aquamarine Davis has an exciting future. The up and coming young choreographer is leaving town for a new job when she feels the unwelcome call of the Imperative. Hounded by an intense, biological compulsion to find her mate, Marina reluctantly attends the local mating assembly.

Artist Con Montgomery is thrilled that the Imperative finally called! At 32, he believed his time had passed. For years, he's been haunted by visions of blue which he knew symbolized his mate. The Imperative leads him to Duncan Sinclair, and Con immediately recognizes his future in the smiling blue eyes of this man.

When Con and Duncan walk out of the Assembly together, they leave something behind: Marina. Their mate.

****************************

Want to see your book trailer here? Go here to find out how!

Mysti Makes Excuses

Sorry... can't blog right now ... I'm writing:



K?

TMI Tuesday!

So, we all fell of the wagon a bit last week. Between Christmas and New Year's Day... it got a bit difficult to keep up. Add in doctors' appointments and testing and that's my only explanation. So, here's to a new year and hopefully no more missed weeks. :-D

Today is TMI Tuesday, and here are the questions for today:

'Would you rather...' edition

1. Would you rather be stranded on an island alone or with someone you dislike/don't get along with? Hmm... Let's see, I think that if I was stranded by myself I'd drive myself nuts... whereas if I'm stranded with someone I don't even like, I can drive THEM nuts. Besides, I'm sure that if we got to be too much for each other we could just face in opposite directions and ignore each other. :-D So, With someone I dislike/don't get along with.

2. Would you rather accidentally walk in on your parents having sex or have them walk in on you? :::shudder::: BOTH of these have happened to me, and while the walking in on ME was embarassing, the walking in on THEM was horrifying! A part of me thinks it's very cool that my parents still have the hots for each other, but I already know WAY too much about their sex lives, seeing was way too much for me, I needed bleach for my brain.

3. Would you rather be snapped by paparazzi during a nipple slip or while exiting a car with out any underwear?(guys, consider similar circumstances) Wow, how about neither! I'd like to think that I would have more class than to be caught with something hanging out that shouldn't be. Come on, my gramma taught me how to exit a car, and it's just plain crass to be so open as to get caught in that... position. I guess if I HAD to choose, it would be the nipple slip, at least that one could actually just be a wardrobe malfunction.

4. Would you rather not have sex for two years or not be able to use the Internet for two years? HA, that one's EASY! No sex... just kidding! No internet would be much preferable to no sex.

5. Would you rather find true love or 1 million dollars? Aww... I'm gonna be REALLY sappy, and say true love. But, yanno, I already found that, so could the million dollars find it's way to me now? Please? That would just rock!

Bonus (as in optional): If you had to choose *one* sexual position for the rest of your life, what would it be? Why? *Ahem* ... well... hmm... just one? I'd have to say... you'll have to read my stories to figure that one out. :-D

So, those are my answers for TMI Tuesday. Hope y'all enjoyed them. I'll hopefully have an update by the weekend on what the doctor has to say in regards to all the fun tests I've endured for the past couple of weeks. I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe New Year... and that you didn't get into too much trouble.