Brenda Sills

Brain Lightning

2012-02-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

Step right up, folks!
Take a gander at my

BRAINICUS IMAGINO MACHINE!

You won't believe your eyes!

TA-DA!

My 11 year old daughter had the brilliant idea to hang a light bulb from the ceiling above my writing area.

Magnificent! Commendable! Ingenious!

So I rubber-banded fishing line to the base and suspended it from my ceiling by an immensely helpful thumbtack. And thrill of all thrills, the next morning before plunging into my story, I stood beneath my Inspiration Station! Yes! A thousand volts of ideaicity shocked my brain and traveled to my quivering fingers. I immediately grasped my favorite writing pen and penned away!

You've GOT to try this!

For a limited time, I will be bestowing my plans for the

BRAINICUS IMAGINO MACHINE

on wishful pals, after which time, I shall secure a patent and charge the extraordinarily marvelous sum of $999,999,999 for one of these beauties.

OH LIGHT,

HOW YOU

INVIGORATE THE BULB

AND ME

WITH THE SAME

FLABBERGASTING GLOW.

Knowledge Aflame

2012-02-21T23:54:00.001-07:00

I'M A LIFETIME MEMBER OF THE KNOWLEDGE EXPLORER'S GUILD!

I love unearthing gems of information through talking to people, reading, attending conferences, joining museum tours, and on and on and on.

Here's the scene of the last treasure hunt I went on.
— Actual rooms at LTUE where I found an immense stash of knowledge!

Doesn't it just give you thrills?

To think of the vast store of knowledge just out there waiting for us to discover it—now that's a thrilling adventure. — And one of the reasons I love LTUE so much. Such a variety and depth of classes, you can't help but learn scads!

Among my favorites are the student presentations on papers they've written, and classes that are worlds away from what I write. I find the best sparks there! —Here's a great example—

Last year at LTUE, at the last class of the day, there wasn't a class I was especially interested in, so I attended one titled Lovecraft. I figured even though I didn't write romance, I could learn something.

I settled in, the presenters spoke, and WHAT DID THEY JUST SAY?! Lovecraft is a horror writer?! Seriously? Lovecraft?! Unbelievable!

I almost left the class since I don't write or read horror, but I stayed for that spark, remember. And I'm so glad I did. The panel wasn't anything like I thought it would be, and I took a page and a half of notes. AND—I used a spark of an idea from the class in my current novel! Yes!

So in your knowledge expeditions, don't push away the places that look odd, despicable, boring—dig for the sparks!

Oh, and I have to tell you—

ONE OF MY FAVORITE PRESENTERS IS CLINT JOHNSON.

He's brilliant! If you ever get a chance to attend one of his classes, run! And be ready to catch all the sparks. At his presentation on Voice & Style last year at the League of Utah Writers Conference, he urged us to do something we'd never done before, something we'd never had any desire to do.

Like say, you've never had an inkling to watch a demolition derby—GO DO IT! It'll enrich your life, your writing, and your understanding and enjoyment of the people around you.

Here's Clint's website—jump on over and say hey!

And go do something, read something, listen to something you've never thought of before.

AND WATCH THE SPARKS FLY!

LATOOIE!

2012-02-14T00:03:00.003-07:00

YEP, THAT'S WHAT I CALL MY FAVORITE WRITER'S CON EVER SINCE MY DAUGHTER DUBBED IT SO!

THAT'S LTUE!

LIFE, THE UNIVERSE & EVERYTHING

WRITER'S CONFERENCE!

Behold, the glorious poster & registration directions!

This week I'll be posting about why I love LATOOIE so much.

And to start out with—TA-DA!

Clips of my LATOOIE Pals!

ROLL 'EM!

SCREECH! HALT! URCH!
(How are you supposed to spell urch anyway? You know, where you swerve to a sudden stop, feet smoking!)

THE MUSTACHE BANDIT STRUCK!
ARGH!

LATOOIE PALS—
TAKE 2
ROLL 'EM!

MY DAUGHTER, DANICA!

CURSES! MUSTACHED AGAIN!

OKAY, SO AHEM, THE MUSTACHIOED VICTIM
IN EACH PHOTO WOULD BE ME.
(Grumble, just you wait, you vile Mustache Bandit!)

RRRGH! ON WITH THE SHOW!—

MY SON DEREK!

(He had to leave a day early and I

failed to get a picture of him with me. Blast!)

CHANTELE SEDGWICK, KATIE DODGE, & RUTH JOSSE!

BONNIE GWYN JOHNSON!

SHELLY BROWN, MELANIE FOWLER, & J. A. BENNETT!

DAVID POWERS KING!

ANGIE LOFTHOUSE!

JAMES DUCKETT!

ROBIN WEEKS!

ROSE KRUGER!

BRODI ASHTON!

ELANA JOHNSON!

PEGGY EDDLEMAN & ERIN SUMMERILL!

ABBY FOWERS/LEIGH COVINGTON & DONNA KING WEAVER!

ELIZABETH MUELLER!

J. D. RAISOR!

AND OH! THERE ARE SO MANY MORE MARVELOUS FRIENDS I WISH LIKE CRAZY I COULD'VE SNAPPED A PICTURE OF! —

SHALLEE McARTHUR, JOSIE KILPACK, JENNI JAMES, LISA MANGUM, LESLI MUIR LYTLE, KAREN HOOVER, BRANDI & JESSICA RUSH, CLINT JOHNSON, TRISTI PINKSTON, BREE DESPAIN & MANY OTHERS!

THANKS EVERYONE FOR MAKING LATOOIE MARVELOUS!

AND NOW, FOR THAT WILY BANDIT—

( CALM DOWN, WILL YA. I REPLACED THE BULLETS IN THIS HERE PISTOL WITH A GRAPPLING HOOK TO SNATCH THE INFERNAL MARKER OUT OF THE MUSTACHE BANDIT'S HAND! CHARGE!)

(AND I PROMISE, THERE'S NOT EVEN ONE BULLET LEFT!)

Travel Agogity

2012-02-01T22:17:00.006-07:00

I love to travel.

To places only a smidgen of people have seen, spots with hidden curiosities waiting to surprise me, renowned and mesmerizing locales.

They're places I've never seen—

with my eyes, that is.

You see, I travel through the grand adventures of others. Sure, I'd love to be a genuine adventurer, but since that's not an option, traveling vicariously is one of my favorite hobbies.

I have a splendid collection of old travel books hailing from the early 1900's. I love reading of people's travel experiences. I revel in the details, in the intriguing things I didn't know.

So I was happily surprised when I discovered a writer friend—Irene Hastings—had penned a tome of her experiences living in Italy!

I LOVED IRENE'S DANCING ON GRAPES!

As I read, I felt a great longing to tell Irene how much I loved her book, so halfway through, I said to her in an email— "I didn't expect to experience such a gamut of feelings as I accompanied you on your adventures, but your story is taking me on such a deep, rich, fascinating journey that I feel so many things!"

THANKS IRENE!

Irene and I at The League of Utah

Writers Conference last September.

AND!

I RELISH MEETING BLOGGERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES—WHAT AN EXPERIENCE!

So Adventure away!

And remember—

"Years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover."
~ Mark Twain

Seriously? Seriously!

2012-01-17T11:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome fellow friends, colleagues, casual gawkers.
I finally finished the nightmare producing, hair yanking out ordeal of formatting my book to print for the book club to read. And I ordered it! Yes! I'll let you know how it all went after the book-club-ians discuss my book in their March meeting.

And now, I have a Pronouncement to make. Not an Announcement, mind you. That wouldn't be formal enough — a little too levitous, if you please.
So without further ado, I give you my Pronouncement—

TODAY, I SHALL BE SERIOUS.

As of this very moment, I have a contemplative look on my face, one of deep earnestness. So, thusly attired, I deliver my ponderings and experiences.
Ahem—

A fortnight ago, I stumbled upon a rare find for sale, a jewel in my realm of living. 'Twas a set of fifteen books from 1901, titled:

THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT:

Now first completely done into English prose and verse,

from the original arabic, by JOHN PAYNE

Gold leafed, Published in London, Limited to Five Hundred Copies— of which mine was No. 349.

I HAD to have it! To my profound delight, it hadn't been sold and I scooped them up with lightning euphoria. Happiness! HAPPINESS!! HAPPINESS!!!
Oh my. Seriousness, remember, seriousness. Ahem.

So I peeked in one of the books to launch my treasure hunt, found a good spot in the middle of volume III, cozied up in a blanket, and began reading the tale of

KEMEREZZEMAN AND BUDOUR.

The story goes that the king of the Khalidan Islands had scores of daughters and no sons. Fretting over the lack of an heir, he prayed "a two-bow prayer with a believing heart" And gladness! — he was blessed with a son! A son! — did you hear that?

And oh, what a splendid son! He'd been "clad in the habit of beauty and crowned with the crown of perfection."

Behold! A picture of him with an angel who "abode awhile,

astounded at his beauty and grace."

Ah, the description of him that follows!—you've GOT to read this for yourself.

Oh no. I can't do it. I'm starting to laugh at the mere thought of it.
I'm so sorry. I rescind my Pronouncement—all seriousness is off.

Just start reading along this passage and you'll hit the part where you'll understand why I can't keep my oath. You just see if YOU can be serious—

CAPICHE?

SOMETHING IN ARABIC PRINTED ALL BY ITS LONESOME ON A PAGE
BEFORE THE STORIES ALL BEGIN. WHAT DO YOU SUPPOSE IT MEANS?

Bracing For Book Club Caterwauling

2012-01-05T13:19:00.000-07:00

GOOD MORNING!
And if it's not morning in your neck of the woods, calm yourself by remembering that it's morning somewhere in the world!

So I've been busy spiffing up my Feel-Good Mystery (for the adult-type audience) so my courageous Sis can present it to her Book Club to read in February. I say courageous, because what if her book club peers think her daft for recommending such a novel as mine. So, yeah, she's a brave soul.

Anywho - I'm jazzed to see what complete strangers think of my book. And stomach-twisted-up-in-knots afeared. Uh-huh.

SO I'VE GOT TO BE STRONG!

(I MEAN, LOOK AT HIM - HE'S SO STRONG, HE MADE LIGHTNING STREAK ACROSS HIS SHIRT!)

NOT BLOW MY TOP AT

THEM-THERE'S-GROUNDS-FOR-WAR SUGGESTIONS.

QUELL PANIC MODE WHEN MY INSIDES FEEL LIKE

I'M PLUMMETING DOWN THE WEE KIDS ROLLER COASTER.

AND ESPECIALLY, VITALLY - DON'T CRY MY EYES OUT.

BUT IF I JUST CAN'T STOP MY EMOTIONS FROM GUSHING . . .

THEN I'LL JUST PICK 'EM UP, DUST 'EM OFF, AND STICK 'EM BACK ON.

So, in February, those Wonderful Book Club Benefactors will be reading my book and I'll be receiving strange vibes through the atmosphere. It's true. Really. Didn't you know there's an author-stratosphere-kinda-thing goin on, transmitting stuff to writer's souls? I heard about it. Intense, huh?

And in March—

I'LL REAP THE REWARDS OF THEIR INPUT

AND SPIFF UP MY STORY AGAIN!

AND THEN— I'LL CELEBRATE WITH CHEESECAKE OR SOME SUCH SCRUMPTIOUS DESSERT OVER

MY SURVIVAL OF THE BOOK CLUB!

AH, NO! I JUST THOUGHT OF SOMETHING— WHAT IF I DON'T SURVIVE?!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

A Real Scoop

2011-12-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Christmas is over - Boo-hoo, I love Christmas!
But I'll share a parting gift from my holiday adventures — a great laugh I experienced while madly shopping online.

I was searching Amazon for a scoop to go with the popcorn machine my son was getting when I found this offering—

Paragon Plastic Popcorn Scoop

What?, you say. Why am I sharing this scoop that is sadly, seemingly, sans humor? Patience, patience, my friends. Don't blame the scoop, it can't help it. It's not in its nature to be funny.

Okay, so on with the story — after I perused the specs & pertinent info about this little scoop, I scrolled down to weigh the reviews and ran across one that had me really laughing —Wahoo for people who surprise the world with spontaneous mirth and applaudable ingenuity!

So without further ado— THE REVIEW!

ROLL EM'!

"5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scoop this scoop!!!, November 5, 2011

OD (Earth)

This review is from: Paragon Plastic Popcorn Scoop (Sports)

It's a scoop! And it's yellow! The yellowist, scoopiest yellow scoop ever!!!

You will not be disappointed in this fantastic scoop. Neither too big nor too small, it is just the right size for a yellow scoop, and it picks up popcorn (not included) PERFECTLY. It also pours it into the serving vessel OF YOUR CHOICE (not included), with ease!

I was a little disappointed with the lack of directions, but I'll tell you, this scoop is so intuitive, it almost doesn't need directions at all. The handle is just right for putting your fingers around; the popcorn is lifted with the wider ("Scoop") end of the device. It feels hefty and well-made, with plenty of strength for even your heaviest, butteriest corn.

The eye on the handle allows one to display this fine piece of kitchen art in any underdeveloped corner of the kitchen.

Picture this fine piece of perfected sculpture reminiscent of the lines of Eames and George Jetson.

Hang a beautiful piece of work in an underappreciated corner of your pathethic Soho kitchen and watch the WOW! factor take over and brighten that dark corner.

YELLOW! It's the new black. "

I LOVE IT! WHAT PANACHE! WHAT HUMOR! WHAT A CHARACTER!

I love characters. Whether they're ones I meet in books, movies, or real life— I relish meeting them all. And I'm dancing a happy jig in anticipation of all the interesting characters I'll meet in 2012!

Thanks, splendid reviewer of the Paragon Plastic Popcorn Scoop! I hope, I hope, I hope to meet you in person one day.

So what do you think about ChARaCteRS?

Diabolical Doings

2011-12-14T15:20:00.004-07:00

So back in High School, in my How To Dramatize Your Life class — AKA Drama — the teach invited us to go around the room and say what food described us. When it came my turn, I proclaimed myself to be a taco. "Sometimes I'm mild like the cheese," I said, "and sometimes I'm spicy like the meat."

Which brings me to my recent gift shopping caper—

I disobeyed THE SIGN.

I'm serious, dead serious.

Here's the scene of the rebellion. I needed a glowing white robe from the top rack which I could not reach from my non-NBA-basketball-player-height. And I was in a hurry.

Aha! I spied a hook for retrieving high stuff and I nabbed it.

Did you notice the sign on the wall right above the hook?

(OBSCURE CLOSE-UP OF SAID SIGN)

It says —and I'm rephrasing— DON''T YOU DARE TOUCH THIS HOOK. IT'S FOR EMPLOYEES ONLY AND WE DON'T WANT TO BE LIABLE FOR YOUR STUPIDITY.

I was in a hurry.

Despite past clumsical errors, I had faith in my ability to use the hook without stupidity. So I surreptitiously checked for employees in the area, pulled down 4 robes of the wrong size, and after laughing so much employees should've come running, I snagged me a robe of the right size.

(Photos have been judiciously altered to avoid recognition and recrimination and I will vehemently deny that the person in the photos is me should the urgent need arise.)

THREE CHEERS FOR TACOS!

WHAT FOOD ARE YOU LIKE?!

Do The Twist

2011-12-06T23:14:00.001-07:00

Oh, hey—glad to see you!

I'm perusing notes, quotes, and pictures from my Idea Book for the young adult fantasy I'm writing. I'm just a scoshe away from finishing. The holidays and other stuff danced into my days, so I'll be penning the final pages of my novel when I get a chance, or two, or three.

From the aforementioned idea book, here's a great quote from Around the World With Captain Parker that gets the gears turning about how marvelous it is to put your own twist on the expected, the norm, the tame and turn them into your own kind of adventure. (In writing & in life!)

So here we go. Captain Parker doing things his own way—

   "After breakfast we will christen the vessel. How do you like her? She may not be as fast as some but she is safe and sure."
   "We—we haven't got to christen her with wine, Uncle Josh?" stammered Jake.
   "No, lad. We will never have a bottle of the stuff on board. We'll christen her with water from Yellowstone Park. See here!" and the jolly Captain took a small bottle of water from the pile of baggage. "I brought it for this very purpose."
   As soon as the morning meal was over, all assembled for the ceremony, the crew slyly jesting at such an unusual christening.

A PICTURE FROM MY IDEA BOOK

And let this splendid quote from Outside Lies Magic by John R. Stilgoe tickle your mind— "Ordinary exploration begins in casual indirection, in the juiciest sort of indecision, in deliberate, then routine fits of absence of mind."

Ha-ha! I love it!

Here's wishing you routine fits of absence of mind!

Fable Dwelling

2011-11-28T08:46:00.001-07:00

I lova, lova fairy tales. Yarns from countries around the world, fables from deep and shallow in the annals of time. So when I spied this house, I had to love the people who live there. They surely have the soul of a fairy tale lover to dwell in such a place.

I wish I had met them. I wonder what would've happened if I had wandered down the path to their door and rang the doorbell. I bet the chimes would've triggered something magical and suddenly I'd step into fairytale land. Mmm . . . fairytale land. Just imagine.

But even if I had remained in the here and now, just meeting such delightful, full-of-fairytale-life people would've been gleefully magical indeed. Oh, and this is a real house and yes, people really live there. It's in Bear Lake, Idaho. I took the photo when we were on vacation this summer!

You know what? - I think I'll find some way to live a bit of the fairy tale life myself. I can't build a fantastical house like these people did, but I can do something! Something magical. Hmm . . . I'll daydream about the possibilities and post my idea.

In the meantime, here are some passages to fairytale you away . . .

From the Japanese Folk Tale, The Deer of Five Colors—

   Then the deer answered. "Look at me. My coat is of five colors and my antlers are white. There is no deer anywhere on earth that looks like me. I know that men are greedy and cruel, and there are many who would kill me to sell my hide for gold. That is why I have hidden deep in this forest all these years, far away from the villages of men. You must promise never to tell anyone you saw me, for if you tell, surely someone will come to hunt me, and I shall be captured and killed."

And from the Swedish Fairy Tale, Lars, My Lad!—

   He lifted the lid.
   Inside the chest was another chest, and in that another. And so it continued to be; in each chest was one smaller, until they became tiny boxes. The more he opened, the harder he worked at it. He felt there must be something valuable inside to be so well hidden.
   At last the Prince came to a miniature box in which lay a tiny piece of paper. That was all he found for all his trouble! It disappointed him, but then he discovered something written on the paper. He was just able to make out the words, Lars, my lad!
   As he pronounced these words, he heard someone answer—right in his ear— "What are Master's orders?"

HAPPY FAIRYTALING THIS MAGICAL TIME OF YEAR!

Elementary, My Dear Bear

2011-11-22T01:20:00.014-07:00

I love the element of surprise, don't you? Sure, everyone does. It's one of the most delicious things to watch in a movie, read in a story—how-to book—advertisement, or write into your story.

Hey, that reminds me— Pull up a chair and I'll tell you the tale of

THE TELESCOPE, THE BEAR MAN,

AND THE SCARE THAT SHOT HIM OVER THE MOON

Once upon a time, a brother-in-law of mine with the physique and physiognomy of a great bear carted his ultra fancy telescope out to the country to the deep, deep dark.

The better to see the stars with, my dear.

He rumbled down a lonely road——all by his lonesome——out in the middle of nowhere——set up his telescope, and spied on the stars.

"Hi," a voice suddenly spoke right behind him.

Scared the-bear-of-a-brother-in-law to death! — (we'll call him Burt to protect the names of the non-innocent.)

The "voice" happened to belong to a policeman who saw Burt driving out in the boondocks and followed to see if he was up to no good. He snuck up on Burt until he was right behind him and said, "Hi."

The bear man shot into the sky in a spasm of fear and the policeman aimed the telescope into the deep, deep dark just in time to see Burt the Bear shoot over the moon. (Okay, so the last paragraph is entirely fabricated, but splendidly necessary.)

BY DANICA SILLS!

SO. There was—

Just a simple Hi.

Just a harmless, protect-the-people policeman.

But how intriguing, how amusing to see that such non-scary elements in just the right situation struck terror in a bear of a man!

I love reading the unexpected in books, and I relish mixing it in my own writing.

In my own experience, the fear springing from innocent-seeming surroundings is often the most terrifying— or exhilerating, whichever the case may be.

So—

Read it, write it, live it.

Give it a humorous ending, a truly scary one, or your own nefarious twist.

Experiment with the element of innocent surprise.
Liven things up, make someone happy, be a little ornery (or a lot, depending on the scaree!)

And, oh yeah— BOO!

The Hyena Habit

2011-11-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

So I was on my way to hear The Utah Symphony Orchestra and my daughter and I stopped to grab something to nosh.

We zipped into Smith's because they have Better Cheddars— one of my daughter's favorites — and no one else in town has the smarts to stock them.

SOOOO . . . . . .

We ran in, snagged Better Cheddars,

Grabbed yogurt — mine was Yoplait Whipped Key Lime Pie, and my daughter's was some sort of Greek yogurt.

Then we passed a display of Lofthouse soft sugar cookies. Mmmm. One of my faves and I HAD to pile them in my arms too.

(WITH ORANGE FROSTING)

And of course we needed some Simply Orange orange juice to drink along with our fine array of snacks.

So I headed down the aisle toward the checkout and

CRASH!

I dropped my yogurt, the seal cracked, and it splattered on the floor.

WHAT?!

You've got to be kidding. But we laughed, cleaned it up, and proceeded on down the aisle.

CRASH!

Ahhgh! My orange juice!

HA, HA, HA, HA, HEE!

All I could do was stare at it and laugh!

Isn't it beautiful? It almost looks like The Great Lakes.

So here's what I'm thinking— if you make a mistake and goof something up, just smile, dust yourself off, and LAUGH!

Oh— And make sure to announce: CLEAN-UP ON AISLE THREE!

I Paid The Piper

2011-11-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

At the end of a downtown jaunt last week, I stepped toward the gate that led to the road, to my car, to home. And a delightful razzle of musical beats — toe-tapping, soul-dancing sound — enchanted me.

A bagpiper delighted the area with his Pied Piper music
and my whole soul joined in.

I asked the guy if I could snap a photo of him to recall the experience. He agreed, struck this jovial pose, and I dropped some shekels in his case for his ambrosia of sound.

His name is John. If you have the astounding luck of hearing him play, say hi for me.

Here's a better lit photo.

(I just had to include his striking bagpiper pose in the first one.)

I PAID THE PIPER

BUT HE PAID ME FIRST

IN SUMPTUOUS, THRILLING, AMBROSICAL BURSTS!

Elizabeth Mueller's DARKSPELL Spookfesta

2011-10-31T12:57:00.004-06:00

Elizabeth!

It's your DARKSPELL Launch Day!

Fantastico!

Hey everybody, I'm lucky enough to know ELIZABETH in person and I have to tell you she's SPECTACULAR! Let her cast a spell on you and relish reading her book, DARKSPELL—

Winter Sky believes she is everything ordinary . . . until she is kissed by Alex Stormhold.

As seer of Stormhold Coven, Alex is sworn to be Winter's protector against the darkness that hunts her. Violently thrust into the magickal realm she always thought impossible, she stumbles upon a disturbing secret of her own.

Will love prove thicker than magic?

Click this Magic Link to grab a copy!
And here's a link to her Super Blog!

And here's Elizabeth's question for us to answer for her Spookfesta launch party—

Question: If I had all the magic in the world I'd . . .

My Answer: Charm life into being a full-blown Musical Extravaganza!

Translation: I've always wished life were like a musical and I could just sing and dance whenever and wherever the mood struck me. I sing & dance all the time at home, but how phenomenal it would be to live life like that everywhere.

Oh, oh, and there would automatically be background music whenever I felt a surge of emotion compelling me to burst into song! Just think of it— MUSIC to accompany everything we do! Everyone charmed to think of a Musical Life as normal! Yes!

One evening several months ago, I left a movie on Main Street with my daughter and it was raining. And you KNOW what I had to do. SING & DANCE! We sang Singing In The Rain while dancing around a lightpole! Here's a photo of the Brigham City sign near where I temporarily turned life into a musical.

And here's the Singin' In The Rain lamp post.

ABRA-CADABRA! ALA-KAZAM!

MAKE LIFE A MUSICAL,

HAPPY I AM!

AND A BAJILLION CONGRATULATORY CHEERS TO ELIZABETH! WAHOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Now Where Was I?

2011-10-30T23:52:00.003-06:00

I truly, truly wanted to do another post by now but I've been going crazy in my busyness so . . .

I played with my kids, laughed, & acted crazy with them.

And here's one of the places we played.

So tomorrow, I’ll post another post.
I'll see you then with the glorious smell of fall leaves still in my nose, the precious sight of my family making me truly live, and the sound of happiness chiming in my ears.

Volcano Eye

2011-10-21T13:02:00.000-06:00

Beep, beep-a-deep, beep, beep, beep.

WE INTERRUPT THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG STUFF TO BRING YOU AN URGENT MESSAGE:

THE LEFT EYE OF THE WRITER OF THE STARTLED SPYGLASS IS AN ERUPTING VOLCANO.

Below is a documented photo of the accursed eyeball.

WE REPEAT. DUE TO MIGRAINITIS OF THE STUPID DEGREE, THE WRITER OF THIS BLOG HAS A VOLCANO EYE. CLOSE PROXIMITY IS SEVERELY ILL ADVISED AS AN EYE SHOOTING HOT LAVA IS FAR WORSE THAN ONE SHOOTING DAGGERS.

RETURN NEXT WEEK FOR NORMAL CONTINUATION OF POSTS.

THE VOLCANO DERN WELL BETTER BE DORMANT BY THEN.

—YOU HEAR THAT, VOLCANO?!!

Wise Improvise

2011-10-12T23:52:00.000-06:00

Guess what? Those little clip things on rear view mirrors come in handy. So does a sheet of graph paper and a pen. For what, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. And I'll start at the beginning if that suits you just fine. It suits me just fine, so if it suits you just fine, I'll start.

The day before The Book Academy Writer's Conference at UVU on Oct 6th, I looked up directions. The page on their site said, "Please print the attached parking pass and leave it on your dashboard." I could not find any such pass. And they even said, please. Ahh, they asked so nicely, but to no avail.

So I vowed to write a sign. The whole drive there, I brainstormed what I would write on: The Sign. Okay, just kidding. I never gave it a thought until I parked.

Then I hurried and scribbled it out. Here's an original copy of my original sign—

See? I followed their example and said Please too. Then I clipped it on my rear view mirror and vamoosed.

But I have a confession to make. By the time I snagged my name tag, it was 5 minutes until the Awesome Dan Wells revealed his super funny and helpful Keynote Address, and 5 minutes until breakfast was over. So I did NOT run the pass which they provided at the registration table out to my car.

Therefore, I lied when I wrote, "I'll be back with a pass." But it was an accidental lie. And accidental lies are approved by the Board of Happiness for Hapless Humans.

I know you're just dying to know if I got a ticket. Okay so, when the conference was over, I snuck (yes, snuck is a word) up on my car, hopped in, dared to look, and NO! I did NOT get me a ticket! Thank you, kind and benevolent UVU.

One more thing you need to know about accidental lies. Whenever possible, you should fix said lie. So here, dear patient and kind UVU is The Parking Pass, right before your eyes, in all its glory!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on accidental lies. Now go and fix a lie today.

P.S. If you would like the answer to the question in my last post. (Yes I know you could live just fine without knowing, but here's the goods anyway.) The photo is indeed a ceiling of sorts. An outside ceiling—being that it's underneath the portico leading to the front doors. :)

THE 39 STEPS

2011-10-05T08:57:00.008-06:00

Here’s a Question—

What is this? And where is it located?

Okay, okay, that was two questions. It's all good, right?

So what do you think?

You're right! Whoa, I'm shocked— how'd you guess?

It's part of the Caine Lyric Theatre in Logan, Utah.

HERE'S THE COOL HISTORIC PLAQUE ON THE BUILDING.

AND SOME STELLAR DETAILS. FEAST YOUR EYES.

LET THEM FILL UP YOUR SENSES LIKE IN THAT JOHN DENVER SONG.

(Yeah, I know it's not nature, but they're still sensical!)

WHY AM I TELLING YOU THIS? BECAUSE I LOVE THIS THEATRE!

AND I LOVE STORIES!

THE LATEST PLAY MY DAUGHTER AND I

WENT TO SEE HERE WAS

THE 39 STEPS

BY ALFRED HITCHCOCK

HERE'S THE PROGRAM—

HERE'S MY DAUGHTER DANICA—

HERE ARE THE TICKETS—

AND HERE'S THE STAGE RIGHT BEFORE THE PLAY STARTED—

We sat in the foremost seats in the left loge of the balcony. Spectacular!

What a humorous, entertaining play this was! I loved it!

You know, I have a great affinity for experiencing stories in a variety of ways. Besides my love of reading in its plethora of forms, I relish stories told in plays, music, tales around the campfire, local legends recounted with bated breath, mysterious drawings on the corner of an old downtown building, and on and on! Stories are everywhere. Startlingly, deliciously all around if you just look.

SO WHERE'S THE CRAZIEST PLACE YOU'VE FOUND A STORY? WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE FOR A SPARK? AND WHERE HAVE YOU DISCOVERED A UNIQUE INSPIRATION STATION? I'D LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT THEM!

OH YEAH, SO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHERE IN THE THEATRE THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN?

HA HO! — I'LL TELL YOU NEXT POST! SO GIVE ME YOUR GUESS.

P.S. While I was taking the inside photos, a gentleman working in the theatre came up to me and said, "You know you can't take photos of the play, right?" I acknowledged my knowledge in this matter and assured him I would do nothing of the sort. And I said I just had to snap some photos so I could remember the theatre I adored.

But he sure startled me for a minute— I thought sure I was in hot water!

Writing Spot Hijinks

2011-09-28T23:44:00.000-06:00

DUN! DUN! DUN!

MY WRITING SPOT!

Okay so grab your notebook and pen and come along with me. (No laptop—no, no, no, sorry. We're in my territory now!) Hike up yonder grassy hill . . .

Ah, look back to see how far you've come. Don't you just feel so alive? So insanely creative?

Plop down your chair in crazy high grass. All hidden now? Good. We're in stealth writer mode. Dum-de-dum-de-dum. What to write, what to write.

Oh yeah—

Priscilla threw the sword in the air with such precision, it pierced the gargoyle in the eye and dangled the climbing rope all the way down to her

slippered toes . . . . .

Phwew! Done with my writing goal. Pack em up and roll down the hill. I mean, walk gracefully, without falling down. I'll roll another day. In shorter grass. With no possibility of snakes or other creepy-alive-stuff.

Hey. Hold on. That huge impression in the grass looks really creepy. Ominous-like. Do you see it? Look close. You must see it! What on earth made such a gigantuan indent in the hill? Or MAYbe it wasn't from our planet! I'm outta here.

Whoa, those cows are staring at me. I mean seriously, they won't look away. Are they planning an attack? Practicing advanced mind control they learned from the Martians? Chanting a spell under their stinky bovine breaths? Um—speed walking to the car now. Don't look em in the eye. Don't let em know you're afraid.

Running, running, running. In the car. Start it up. Back it up. Down the road. I made it! HaHaHa! Foiled you, you brainless cows. Hmm . . . wonder if I'll find evil, take-over-the-world cows in my manuscript when I read over it tomorrow.

SO HEY, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR WRITING SPOT!

EXECUTING THE CON

2011-09-20T23:13:00.003-06:00

THE CON

Rendezvoused at:

RIVERWOODS CONFERENCE CENTER

LOGAN, UTAH — SEPT. 16^TH & 17^TH

CONMEN & CONWOMEN

ME & IRENE HASTINGS

ME & DAVID POWERS KING & ALI CROSS

ME & LISA MANGUM & JOSI KILPACK (Behind) & AMBER ARGYLE & JULIE WRIGHT

ABBY FOWERS & DAVID POWERS KING & ME

ME & DAVID POWERS KING & DARREN HANSON

(Psst…I think David is attempting to take over the Heist - He's suddenly everywhere.) (Okay, okay, fine. The brains behind the photo surveillance was David - that's why he's everywhere. He wanted photos with everyone & I took the op to get some of my own!)

(What the hey? Why am I almost always standing in the same spot? Um, Gulp. Sorry - I cannot reveal that information.)

SECRET CON-ID

BLUEPRINTS FOR HEIST

MY CON ACCOMPLICES

CLINT JOHNSON

SECRET COMMUNIQUES RECEIVED:
Voice & Style

MAXWELL ALEXANDER DRAKE

SECRET COMMUNIQUES RECEIVED:

Dialogue: It’s Not Just People Talking &

Plot Structure: Part 1 &

Part 2: Heroes & Villains — Creating a Character Driven Story

WADDIE MITCHELL

SECRET COMMUNIQUES RECEIVED:

Cowboy Poetry & Storytelling

ALEXANDER GORDON SMITH

SECRET COMMUNIQUES RECEIVED:

Pacing: Writing at the Speed of Life

DANIEL "RUDY" RUETTIGER

SECRET COMMUNIQUES RECEIVED:

Inspiration & Motivation

RICK CHIANTARETTO

SECRET COMMUNIQUES RECEIVED:

Horror & Dark Fantasy Writing

THE LOOT:

CON HEIST = CONACOPIA OF EXCELLENT WRITING WISDOM & CONERADERIE WITH FRIENDS.

My friends, I will reveal that the con and resulting heist of writerly knowledge was a smashing success. I am deeply chagrined that I neglected to acquire photos of other top-notch conpeople I accompliced with. Next time, I will execute The Con with less error, I swear.

I now go to bask in the spoils of The Heist.

SEE YOU NEXT CON.

And The Dream Is Off And Running!

2011-09-19T14:29:00.000-06:00

DANICA IS A WINNER in the Wacom Art Contest!

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! DEAR EVERYONE!

for your kindness, your voting,

your boosting a fellow dreamer.

(See the previous post!)

Now everyone cheer on the count of three—

ONE! TWO! THREE!

WAHOO! CONGRATULATIONS, DANICA!!!

I VOTE FOR DREAMS

2011-09-02T16:36:00.008-06:00

Hold on, in just a minute I'll tell you about this picture. But first—

Once I heard the most soul-stirring rendition of To Dream The Impossible Dream, it left me breathless. The Air Force Band performed at the college I was attending, and a man with a voice unheard of on Earth sang. His voice crashed through the room—powerful, vibrating with hope and courage, and it left the audience stunned.

I wish I knew the name of that man. I wish I could hear him sing that song every day.

But I think of it. And I dream.

We all have dreams. Dreams that sing in our hearts and leave us breathless. Like many of you, I’m living my dream—I’m a writer. And someday, I would love that dream to flourish into a published book, to blossom into the thrill of people
loving my stories like I do.

You know what it’s like to dream.
No matter how impossible it seems, we dream. We put our whole selves into it.

My daughter has a dream too. She gets lost in creating characters through her art like we writers get lost in creating characters for our stories.

For the first time ever, she’s bravely putting her artwork before the public. She entered a contest by Wacom—the company who makes the digital art tablet she draws on. The winners are the 25 entries with the most votes, & the last day to vote
is Sept. 15.

That's her phenomenal entry at the top of this post. WHAT AN INTENSE, RICH, FULL-OF-STORIES CHARACTER, DON'T YOU THINK?!

How wonderful it would be if you could help her dream her dream. Please VOTE for her at this link!
Thanks, you wonderful people!

http://art.wacomcontests.com/entry/189750

VOTE FOR DREAMS!

(Blogger added a bunch of white space to the end of this post & I can't figure out how to fix it - just keep scrolling down & you'll find the comments section. Thanks!:)

The Writing Truck

2011-08-31T08:23:00.001-06:00

I FELL OFF THE WAGON.

Or, more precisely, the back of the truck.

Look at this truck! Isn't it incredible? It's the great old farm truck that's been keeping me company at my summer writing spot. It sits there all friendly-like just letting me do my writing thing.

I haven't been there for about three weeks. I slacked off on my writing stuff to go on vacation and enjoy the rest of summer break. And it was good, so good, to have a little vacation from my head.

But I do miss my truck friend in the grassy field by the tree by the pond. Hey, that reminds me of that song I used to sing when I was a kid -
And on that eye there was an eyelash, the prettiest little eyelash you ever did see. Oh, the eye on the bird and the bird in the nest and the nest on the branch and the branch on the tree and the tree in hole and the hole in the ground and the green grass growin' all around, all around, and the green grass growin' all around.

Whoa, what a marvelous tangent!

So what I've been trying to tell you is that I fell off the writing truck for a while, but I'm back! Yesterday I worked on my daily writing goal in my YA Fantasy book- my goal for Mon thru Fri that is. Saturdays are for skipping ideas through my head, researching, and absorbing the fascinating stuff all around me to use in my story while I hang out with my family.

SO WELCOME ME BACK, YOU GREAT RED TRUCK, CUZ I’M READY TO WRITE AND ROLL!

Hey, that gets me thinking. That red truck could be used in a thousand great tales. I could fall off in another dimension or maybe while I'm snoring in the back, the truck suddenly takes off and I find myself in the middle of a helicopter police chase (I don't snore by the way, just so you know), or there's some message hidden in the truck that's been there for 70 years. What do you think? Shoot me your ideas for how the red truck could infiltrate a book.

START YOUR BRAIN ENGINES!

REV ‘EM UP!

AND YOU’RE OFF!

Rachael Harrie's Platform-Building Campaign

2011-08-29T18:12:00.000-06:00

BUILD.

YOUR.

PLATFORM.

Then stand on it, grab the mike, and enjoy performing in the online theater of writing.

Over at Rachael Harrie's blog, Rach Writes, you can join this great friend-making, writer-helping, super-networking campaign - but hurry, you need to sign up by August 31to participate. Check it out right here.

Did you see all the fantastic groups you can be a part of? The challenges you can join in? Etc., etc. Super, huh?

SEE YOU THERE!

The Seven Senses

2011-08-17T09:21:00.002-06:00

JUST CAME BACK FROM HEAVEN.

I had everything in the mountains. My family. Breathtaking sights. Incomparable scents. The taste of food cooked over a campfire. The feel of a flower placed in my hands. The sound of water tumbling, quakie leaves singing in the breeze, kids laughing.

Heaven for my soul.

Ambrosia for the senses.

I want to build a cabin there right now. Why not? I'll go stake a claim like in the good old days. Have me a good 'ol cabin raising.

Sigh. I wish, I wish, oh how I wish.

I grew up camping in the mountains. They're a deep part of me, of my feelings for my family—my parents, siblings, and now my husband and children.

You know what?

I can use my experience in the mountains to fuel my writing. I don't have to leave it all behind. I'll remember the ambrosia to my senses and include every sense in my book. I'll ratchet up the happiness factor with deep, emotional ties—like how my family made my mountain experience truly heaven. And I'll add conflict and trauma because yeah, it's there too. It's all there and it's all going in my book.

MAKE YOUR BOOK AMBROSIA TO THE SENSES.

THE SEVEN SENSES.

YEAH, FIVE SENSES DOESN'T CUT IT — I'M INCLUDING THE MIND AND THE HEART IN THE COUNT. WHAT THEY SENSE IS RICH, LAYERED AND VITAL, AND THEY GIVE THE OTHER SENSES POWER.

AH, HEAVEN!

The Spy Disarmed By Love

2011-08-09T23:42:00.011-06:00

The bestowal of the Liebster Blog Award sailed across the internet seas from two fantastic friends:

KATIE DODGE & MISSI MORRIS. Zip on over to their blogs and show them some liebstership.

Katie's is Katie on Fiction at katieonfiction.blogspot.com and

Missi's is Whimsical Writing at whimsicalwriting.blogspot.com

So they tell me Liebster means Friend in German. And even more it means— Favorite, Beloved, Dearest, Sweetheart. A person loved by another person.

For some reason the thought of a spy love story popped in my head. Maybe because a spy book was sitting on my nightstand at the very moment I read about my award. Huh.

Sooooooo . . . .

Voila! A spy love story. (Bits of it, that it.)

From the book GREAT TRUE SPY STORIES, edited by Allen Dulles comes a tale called:

Assassin Disarmed By Love
by John L. Steele

Pop some popcorn, turn off the lights, get all comfy and read some of the details of this fascinating Liebster story.

5 − 4 − 3 − 2 − 1 ROLL 'EM!

THE PROJECTOR IS NOW ROLLING BEHIND YONDER WINDOW.

SPY: Bogdan Nikolayevich Stashinskiy

HIRED BY: Soviet Intelligence Service

RUNDOWN:
   "It was in great measure Stashinskiy's love for his German wife which made him break away from the Soviets, the record of his trial in Germany revealed that there was also a strong element of moral revulsion in Stashinskiy against his employers . . ."

SKIPPING, SKIPPING TO HERE:
   "The story of his rise and fall elicits no sympathy—but it is a weird and fascinating case in the recent history of international intelligence. It also offers testimony that the oldest of spy thriller cliches—spy meets girl, spy falls in love, spy gets in a miserable jam—is very much part of the flesh and blood business of espionage."

NOW THIS:
   "Unlike previous pseudonyms he had been given, his new one—Josef Lehmann—carried a complete biography. From June to October 1954 Stashinskiy spent his time absorbing the details of the life of this fictitious character. He visited every locality and address that was part of the Lehmann legend; he even learned the routine of a job in a sugar beet factory where Lehmann supposedly worked as a boy. After this painstaking preparation Stashinskiy was finally turned loose in East Germany to assume the identity of Josef Lehmann."

MOVE IN STEALTH MODE TO THIS NEXT INFO:
   "At the Tanz Casino in East Berlin he met a girl named Inge Pohl. He asked her to dance and rather suddenly Josef Lehmann had become entangled in a major nonespionage case: love."

USE THIS SPY STORY AS AN IDEA FOR A BOOK, OR A DETAIL FOR A CHARACTER, OR INSPIRATION FOR A SCENE. PLAY WITH IT - SEE WHAT YOU COME UP WITH. STORIES LIKE THIS CAN BE USED IN ANY TYPE OF FICTION — JUST BE CREATIVE WITH THE DETAILS, THE EMOTIONS, THE PEOPLE, THE SETTING, ETC, AND VOILA!

FANTASTIC FICTION!

And now, in accepting this Liebster Blog Award, I need to choose 5 bloggers who have less than 200 followers so we can show some love to them.

My computer is being glitchy so I have no idea how many followers my super blogger friends have since the followers don't show up when I go to most people's blogs.

Hey, I know! How about the first five people who tell me in the comments that they have less then 200 followers can have the Liebster Award!

ESPY THE SPY.

LOVE THE SPY.

SPY THE LOVE.

The Lusciousness of Little Things

2011-08-04T01:46:00.003-06:00

Hey, guess what? You blogger friends are amazing—simply amazing.

I LOVE you guys!

Thank you for the thrill of your comments. Boy are they ever loved!
I've been so crazy busy with summer wonderfulness that I haven't answered your comments and followed you back like I wanted to. But never fear, I'll be there! Just wanted you all to know how LOVED you are.

Speaking of love—

(No, I’m not mixed up and under the delusion that it’s February 14^th –Hello, no snow.)

I spotted this charming sight the other day and had to push the little silver button on the top of my camera to record the vision. ( How’s that for mixing up the usual snapped a photo. What? Just stick with the old way? Fine, fine—ye avoiders of creative re-phrasing.)

Now quit getting sidetracked. Stick with the story here.

Ahum, so I saw this Blue Bug of Love the other day and laughed out of sheer delight at the sight.

DID YOU ESPY THE WINDOW?

I love it! The message-writer expressed himself with uncommon ingenuity and that's what made me love it. He didn't rent a billboard to proclaim his love, or skydive from a cliff floating rose petals down on his beloved. He did it in a simple yet powerful way.

You know, I think writing is like that too. Along with the grand explosions and lightning strikes of happenings in our stories, the seemingly little things add richness, dimension, and life to a story. The setting, characters, mood, etc, are enhanced by them and we're immersed in the tale. Not too much, mind you. Cinnamon is scrumptious, but the whole container would be Death-by-Cinnamon.

Here's a delicious quote from The Adjuster by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Notice the little things. The things that make the story moment swallow you whole.

   "At five o'clock the somber egg-shaped room at the Ritz ripens to subtle melody—the light clat-clat of one lump, two lumps, into the cup, and the ding of the shining teapots and cream-pots as they kiss elegantly in transit upon a silver tray."

Mmmm. And how about this from Iris Murdoch.

   "People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy."

Simple things that make a story zing, a heart feel, a mind wonder.

The whole experience of living life is that way too. The little things in our lives offer the same benefits as the little things in a story. Live it. Write it. Embrace the power of small.

Hey, here's another blue car—My son made this pancake for his brother one morning. A small thing in the whole scheme of life. Powerful in its message and it's capability to induce happiness.

And I've got to tell you—KATIE DODGE, WONDERFUL KATIE DODGE posted about a little thing that, while it was hilarious, was also powerful in the message she gave her kids. All from a seemingly simple thing. Read her great story - just click this link for katieonfiction.blogspot.com

So go out and find the little things in life and infuse them in your heart and in your stories. Tell me about your favorites—in life and in writing.

AH, THE POSSIBILITIES!