Wordless Wednesday -- Snape, my Grandcat

Ooma's Legacy

I got some news yesterday that made me very happy. It seems that my oldest granddaughter (the Princess) was looking for something to read the other night. She disappeared upstairs and came back down carrying The Secret of Red Gate Farm, one of my favorite Nancy Drew mysteries.

The book she found is a copy I left at their house when I was visiting during the summer. I came by it when my daughter found several Nancy Drew books in the trash outside the library one day. She'd been conducting Story Time and came across the books during clean-up. Knowing how much I loved Nancy Drew as a girl, my daughter rescued the books and brought them inside to me.

I took the volumes I didn't already have in my own collection and left the duplicates for the grand-girls, hoping that one day they would discover the joys of hanging out with Nancy, Bess, George and Ned and that they would appreciate the experience as much as I had.

This past year, the Princess and I have read several books together in our own private book club. She would pick out a book at her library and I would get the same book from mine. Together, we raced through the entire Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, read a few Judy Moodys a couple of Junie B Joneses, and an Allie Finkle or two. We have a great time talking about the books over the phone or on the computer. I was secretly harboring the hope that we might add Nancy Drew to the mix, but hoping was as far as I'd dared go.

So this was the moment of truth. I wasn't sure how the Princess would react to the book since -- let's face it -- they were written a long time ago and some of the language is a bit dated. This child is only 8 but she's sometimes fascinated by things that other kids wouldn't look at twice, so I figured there was a 50-50 chance she might enjoy the book.

This evening, my daughter let me know that, so far anyway, the book seems to be a success. While reading before dinner, the Princess had gasped audibly twice and was completely ignoring her daddy (who was apparently trying to get her attention with a shoelace.)

I can't explain how happy that piece of news made me, but I don't think I really need to explain. Anyone who read as a child and who nurtures a soft spot for a favorite book or series of books will understand. I'm off to pull my copy from the shelf so she and I can read it together. I wonder if it's too much to hope that the Pixie will love them too...?

I Stand Corrected

Last fall while driving to dinner in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, some good friends and I fell into a discussion about TV shows we liked (or not). It soon became clear that I was the odd woman out. Everyone else seemed to love The Big Bang Theory. I told them that I used to love it, but lost interest when the female characters of Amy Farrah Fowler and Bernadette were added to the show. We talked about a few other shows, I think, but that's the only one I clearly remember. What I remember most was when one friend (whom I dearly love and deeply respect) said that it was clear she and I could never watch TV together.

That comment didn't shatter me emotionally or anything. I thought it was kind of funny, actually. But I didn't forget it, either. It's not as if it weighed heavily on my mind or filled me with guilt or made me regret admitting how I felt. It just came back to me from time to time, usually when I saw an ad for an upcoming episode of  The Big Bang Theory. 

I've never been one of those people who forms an opinion about something without feeling as if I know what I'm talking about. So when everyone around me decides to boycott a particular show based on what they think it's going to be, I watch a few episodes to find out exactly what it is before I start acting as if my opinion has merit. I try not to mindlessly follow trends, get caught up in the latest fad, or watch a show I think is poorly written, sloppily edited, and/or badly acted just because "everyone else" is watching it. I will confess to being irritated by trailers and ads telling me that "all of America" is talking about or watching something that clearly "all" of America is neither talking about nor watching. (Channeling my inner Sheldon here.) 

Because I'm not much of a joiner, I'm usually the last person I know to see a popular movie or read a bestselling book just because it's popular. I doubt you'll ever find me first in line to get tickets to anything. 

But I digress . . . 

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with my youngest daughter during which she asked if I was caught up on Big Bang. I told her I was anything but caught up and, in fact, had missed several years of episodes. But again, the conversation with my friends loomed up in my memory and I decided that maybe I should try a few episodes to see if I really didn't like the upgraded cast or if I might (gasp!) have been wrong to quit watching so quickly. 

It took me a few episodes to really begin to appreciate the "new" ladies in the group, but I have to admit that after watching a couple of episodes after my writing day is finished, I actually like them quite a bit. I'm really not sure which relationship I like most.  A few days ago I watched an episode in which Amy Farrah Fowler referred to "Boyfriend/Girlfriend singalong night," and I've giggled about that on and off for days.  

I'm sure nobody has lost sleep over my opinion here, but when I'm wrong I like to say I'm wrong. So this is me, admitting that I was wrong. 

photo credit: Funky64 (www.lucarossato.com) via photopin cc

The Road to . . .

I have the very best of intentions. Really, I do. I begin every year vowing to be a better family member, a better friend, a better author. I vow to buy birthday cards for those closest to me and (better yet) actually mail them—on time! I know! The very concept leaves me breathless.

Every year I promise myself that I’ll blog regularly and fill the internet with witty chatter about my interesting life (the one I vow I’m going to have this year) and all my amazing activities (the ones I swear I’m going to actually participate in.)

And then reality sets in and 10 months later I’m looking at all the things I promised myself faithfully that I’d do this year, but haven’t, and I wonder what happened???

Sure, there’s work to do and books to write and the house to clean and the dog to walk and the cat to continually move from my lap to the floor so I can actually do all of those things. And there are illnesses and emergencies that get in the way. But not every day, and not all the time. So what happened?

I used to be one of the most prolific authors I knew. I was focused. Dedicated. Determined. That was okay, but I was also . . . rude. I rolled my eyes at excuses and thought that anybody could write three or four really good books a year if only they’d put their mind to it. I was convinced that anybody who was struggling to write must not really want to write.

Yeah. I know. I apologize to every writer in the entire world. I’m not joking.

I was one of those people you asked to take on a project because, as we all know, if you want something done you give it to a busy person. I worked three jobs at a time, or worked two and went to school in my spare time. I was a single mom, so raising the kids, running the house, keeping up the yard, and bringing home the bacon fell on my shoulders alone. I had to do it all, and I did. (Admittedly, I fell a bit short on some things. I mean, c’mon. It’s impossible to do everything well, right? Right? So let’s not talk about the yard, okay?)


But for the past few years I’ve felt as if I’m on the proverbial road to hell and that road really is paved with my good intentions. Somewhere along the way I hit the wall. I spent so long burning the candle at both ends that, apparently, the ends finally met in the middle.
I also encountered a few very challenging life experiences, a couple of which shattered my entire world. It has taken me a long, l-o-n-g time (and a whole lot of prayer) to find my way back from those. Back in my “everybody can write if they really want to” days, I didn’t factor in those earth-shaking, rock-your-world, leave you empty and shaking in the corner things that eventually happen to all of us.

I’ve always been an avid list-maker and goal-setter. But now, instead of producing long lists of tasks I’ve accomplished every day, I find myself staring at long lists of tasks I haven’t managed to complete. Lists are no longer my friend, they’re my guilty conscience.

But no matter how it happened, it’s way past time to get back on track. And I mean it this time.

Maybe I can’t fill the internet with witty chatter about my interesting and varied activities, but I can be honest about where I am and what I’m doing to pull myself up by my bootstraps.

Today I’m going to declare a dream and write it down with a date. My plan is to read through the very first book I ever wrote, which is also the first book I sold way back when. I recently got the rights to that series along with the rights to a few of my romances back from my publisher, and I’m going to release them all in Kindle format. That’s my big dream, but let’s take it one at a time.

Dream: Start with No Place for Secrets.

Date: Publish the book by October 31, 2013. That makes it a firm goal.

Steps: Since this book was written back in the olden days, everything after the first draft was done in hard copy, so the manuscript on my computer needs some work before it matches the finished product. So my steps are to read and polish one chapter at a time and celebrate the tiny victories along the way.
I remember this from back in the day: celebrating a small victory leads to more small victories. Repeatedly beating oneself up over small failures leads to inertia.

Action: Well … that’s pretty obvious. Now that I have my Grand Master Plan, I have to do the work. My plan is to track the steps here on my website, chapter by chapter, to keep me accountable. Steps + Action.
As for those birthday cards … my oldest niece has a birthday coming up later this month. I could wait until the beginning of the year and start over then, but why wait? I say, begin right where you are.

Ten Favorite Photos

 

Ten favorite photos in no particular order

Copyright Stholen Moments Photography

This one pretty much speaks for itself 

 

 My dog's first experience with a real body of water. 

Home from deployment. 

 

 

Big Sis and her friend Benjamin

Vanessa and me on the way home from Jacksonville

Sunrise on the Isle of Palms

Copyright Stholen Moments Photography

Riding on the Polar Express -- arriving at the North Pole

 

Taken on our last Pioneer Day in Utah

Why I had a little trouble working while living with the grandkids! 

This was the view from my "office." 

God Bless our Troops!

That's really all I have to say today. My son-in-law is on another deployment, and my heart is really full of soft, motherly feelings for him (which would have him rolling his eyes since he's a big, tough guy, and all.) 

So I'm just flying the flag today ... for Ian. 

_______________________________

Copyright © 2009 Sherry Lewis

Reading is still FUNdamental

My daughter sent me this photo from her phone's camera this afternoon, and I just had to share. As an avid reader, not to mention an author, it makes my heart soar to see a child enjoying a storybook. This child is definitely a chip off her grandmom's block :) When she was born, 13 1/2 weeks early, doctors told those of us who weren't allowed to touch her yet that the best thing we could do for her was to read. It didn't matter what we read, they assured us, we just needed to read to her. Reading would be the best way for us to assist in her development. When she contracted meningitis a couple of weeks later, we were told that she was almost certain to have some brain damage; yet she's developing normally, with only very minor complications from her early physical challenges. Doctors who see her now are astounded to learn that she started life so small and that she fought such incredible odds to be here. A couple of days ago, I told her that I'd be coming to her house to visit soon and I said I wanted to play when I came down there. She said, "I want to play too, Ooma." "Well, of course," I told her. "We'll play together. And we can read books, too. Do you want to read books?" "Uh-huh," she said, and then she paused. "I want to read a story," she told me firmly. And, of course, I assured her we would do exactly that. We'll probably never know whether she inherited her love of books from family members who would rather read than sleep, or if having been read to for hours while she was in the NICU out of storybooks, issues of the Romance Writers' Report, mystery novels, and non-fiction books about Egypt sparked that love in her. But there's no denying that the thing this child loves most is a good book. Wouldn't it be great if more kids felt that way?

All Is Well!

To everyone who has asked about Baby Wonderful's health, thank you for including her in your prayers over the past few weeks. She had a follow-up visit with the doctor today, and it looks like the operation has been successful so far. Everything in her little brain is working the way it's supposed to be working. She'll have another follow-up visit in three months, but for now all is well. So, to our family and friends, to all of you who held our sweet little girl in your hearts while she went through the brain surgery, to her surgeon and the entire medical team who cared for her, our heartfelt thanks. We couldn't be more pleased with today's news.

Time to Vote!

If you're a member of Romance Writers of America, you should be aware that voting has begun for next year's Board of Directors. I received an e-mail from the national office this afternoon, providing me a link and an individual election pass code so I could access the ballot. Once you're there, you can view the candidates' bios and vision statements, cast your vote, change your vote, save your vote and come back later. Just please don't forget to vote!!!! For the first time in 4 years, I'm not part of the election process. I have to say I'm having mixed feelings over it. I'm going to miss serving on the board. I'm going to miss the camaraderie with the other board members, I'm going to miss working with the incredible corporate staff that Executive Director Allison Kelley has put together. I'm going to miss being an integral part of what's going on in the organization. On the other hand, I'm going to like having a little more time to call my own. Time to spend . . . oh, I don't know . . . writing, maybe. To be fair, I can't say that my (ahem) slow writing schedule over the past few years has been board related, or even board caused. It's mostly been due to health issues that were misdiagnosed for about 3 years. But it looks as if the docs and I are finally on the right track, and now that we are, it will be nice to call my time my own as I get back into the swing of doing what I do. I'm also giving some serious thought to relocating during the coming year. I know it will come as a huge surprise that I've set my sights on Florida where Vanessa and Ian are making their home, along with the World's Most Incredible Grandbaby and, if the counter up at the top of my blog didn't give this away, the World's Other Most Incredible Grandbaby, who's on his/her way and should arrive in March. I know that people live on opposite sides of the country from their grandchildren all the time, and they survive quite nicely. Well, I've tried it, and I'm surviving it, but let's be honest here -- I don't like it. It's wrong. Sick, twisted, and very wrong. And since I can do what I do from anywhere I choose, there's no reason except fear of the unknown for me not to move. Well, there's also the lack of money, but getting back to work should take care of that issue. Which I can do since I'm not running for election this year! It's amazing how everything comes together, isn't it?

Wordless Wednesday