Love

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After attending a conference this weekend, I got to thinking...

What am I writing for? Who am I writing for? Why?....


But the answer right now is...I'm not writing much at all. I've done a bit of editing...a few critiques.


Darla's birth has put me in a different place. Actually, Matt's career in the army has done the same thing. I don't know what to do next. Do I continue writing romance? Do I try something new?


The wonderful ladies in my critique group can attest--I'm floundering!! I'm doing this. I'm doing that... no wait, I'll just do this. Or maybe that.


*sigh* Give me some time. I can't walk away from stories...
I believe there is a place for fiction, a place for romance, passion and love.

I just have to figure out where my place is in it. :P

Valentine's Day -- The Truth!

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I love this picture for a couple of reasons. One, I love the time period. Early to mid 1900s. Great clothing. Cool cars. Backyard parties.

My grandmother tells me of how their friends would have evening get togethers-cocktails and pools and games, and whoever hosted would leave a basket by the door. Everyone would throw their keys into the basket.

Once an hour or so, one of the many guests would take the basket and visit all the homes to see how the kids were doing.... :D You know it sounds crazy, but I envy them a little.

Back to the photo, though. This picture throws all a conservative girl's perceptions out the door. :D And reminds her that Grandma had her moments, too! Passion was alive in the 1940s.

I think I'm one of the lucky ones. My parents didn't lack affection while we were growing up.  As a matter of fact, I remember a good friend of mine coming into the kitchen when my parents were kissing... only to run back out, yelling.  Must have been shocking to see. 

So... it's Valentine's day. Go show your kids[someone] that you love your man[woman].  :D hahaha!

Where do I go?

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I held my baby today and thought to myself. What if I'm sitting here holding the baby for the next six months...and getting nothing done? For a brief moment, I was completely fine with it.

But, the kids were in bed at 8pm and the baby was asleep shortly after. I knew then that I wanted to use my time to write. I don't want to throw my career under the bus.

Okay, so at this point I have one, for sure, scheduled time for writing. Friday mornings. Two-ish hours with no kids and a babysitter. It's not much, but it's a start.

What do you do when you find yourself short of time?
Any suggestions for the best use of my time would be GREATLY appreciated.
Enjoy the coming weekend.
With Love,
Bethanne

Friday Five

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I know my blogging has been hit or miss the last several weeks. And I sat down this morning to write a witty post about why is wouldn't be all bad that my husband was on his way to basic training and officer candidate school for the next 21 weeks, but the reasons didn't come to mind.

Oh, believe me, there are reasons! [like the junkmail clutter disappearing--FOREVER!]

But in the end, it didn't seem worth it.

So here are five reasons it'll be worse than I'm thinking it's going to be.
1. He won't be around to smack my rear when he passes through the kitchen.
2. There will be no one to rile me up by correcting the way I say something.
3. I'll never see our friends and neighbors because he is always the first to initiate contact. He's way more social and friendly than i am.
4. He kills bugs.
5. He runs interference when the kids turn me into freak, crazy mom.

....I could go on, now that I'm on a roll. :D
Even the things that irritate me the most will also be missed.

If you like my list and want to see more. Visit these blogs.
Moira
Gina
Debora
Harper
Dawn
Silke

Friday Five

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Five Ways I know daytime television is not targeting me...

The HOVEROUND SCOOTER for the not so mobile


Polident Commercials for the toothless


J.G. Wentworth Commercials, for the sucker with a settlement who'd rather have 100 grand than the millions he's won.


Welbutrin for the depressed--not that there's anything wrong with this, it's just not for me [yet]. hahaha. :D


Humana Insurance for Gramma and Gramps


That's it folks. This is just a small portion of what I see while I watch Price is Right and Family Feud and The Talk and Perry Mason or Hawaii Five-O... okay, somedays are better than others and I watch nothing, but still, if I'm not careful, before long, I will be there target audience!! :D haha.

Want some more Friday Five fun? Visit these other ladies and their aweswome blogs!
1. Moira Keith

2. Gina Ardito

3. Debora Dennis

4. Harper Bennett

5. Silke
6. Dawn Brown

Tortured Hero Tuesday

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Not that I'm going to continue this feature every Tuesday, but you never know. Maybe I will.

So, here's the story. I watched The Cape last night. Predictably enough, I like it. Yummy hero. Bad, bad villains. Cool explosions and cars. Strong women. All the elements of a great story. And it reminded me of how much I appreciate a tortured hero. I can think back on several of my favorite books and movies. Sometimes the torture is subtle. Other times, like with Vince Faraday[sounds like a soap name, doesn't it?], the torture is obvious. A framed good cop who goes underground. The world thinks good cop is dead. So he picks up a cape and decides to fight the evil that separated him from his family.

Comic books have never been my cup of tea. My kids, on the other hand, have really gotten into them in the past few years. My son read this HUGE graphic, super-hero novel that was at least 300 pages long, at least. So, I picked up a few as well, and found them fun to read. The comics that have been made into movies are also entertaining. For example, Dick Tracy, and Batman. What do I enjoy about them? The villains.

Why is it that comic book villains are just so darn creative? I love it. They border on science fiction or paranormal. They emphasize the hero's victory because he's just a regular guy. He's not always super-human, like Superman--or he if he is superhuman, his human qualities make him down-to-earth. He often uses his brain, braun... and a bit of magic. I loved the magical element of The Cape.

Take a chance. You might be surprised. I was. :D

Friday Five

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Five Crappy Carb-filled Breakfasts I can't find just as easy replacements for:

1. Cereal -- Not even Special K is really that good for you.

2. Muffin Bread -- my son's name for sweet breads--banana, zuchini.

3. The quick Donut -- so easy when time is short.

4.  Breakfast Bar -- even easier than the donut on some days, but just as carb-filled and worthless.

5. Coffee -- there will never be a replacement for this, nor do I need one.  But just having coffee doesn't work either!!!

I NEED GOOD BREAKFAST FOOD!!  What do you do for breakfast?? 

Thanks to iFood and Dunkin Donuts for the Donut image

For other FRIDAY FIVES visit my lovely Passionate Critters:
Moira
Gina
Debora
Harper

If you'd like to join in, leave your link in the comments and we'll add you to the list.

Welcome to 2011

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Instead of resolutions, I like to look back... 2010 was a BUSY year.  I was pregnant most of the time and had a baby in November. I wrote two novellas, both of which have been nicely rejected and will be sent on again in the new year. I continued the search for a home for my Single Title, Shake the Sugar Tree and in December sent it off to the last NY publisher on my list, Avon.  In the new year, I will send it off to a few e-publishers and see what shakes out. 

Today, as usual is the first day of the rest of my life.

I have a lot to look forward to this year.  My husband finally has a job again.  My writing is even better than it was last year [now I just have to find the time to actually write, I say with a screaming baby over my lap.].  I look forward to looking back again in a year and seeing all the great things that happened in 2011.

Online Retail

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I love shopping online. Give me Amazon, Barnes and Noble, department stores... specialty shops and even travel plans. I love having the world at my fingertips. The convenience of online everything has become more and more apparent in the last five to ten years. Since 2000, there's almost no excuse for deliquency. Missed birthdays should be a thing of the past...

I say should because I'm still 'THE WORST EVER' birthday giver in the whole wide world.

2011 is going to be different for me. I've decided everyone in my family is going to get that email... that email-me-your-birthday-and-anniversary-dates email. Then they are all going into a calendar on my computer or email program. With reminders, how can I go wrong?

I do have one issue this Christmas. The store I am trying to purchase an item from has proven itself somewhat unreliable. :( I'm really disappointed, because their product is really COOL. But I'm at my wits end, trying to order from them. I almost get the feeling they don't want me to buy anything. Today I sent out a last-chance-email. The one saying, "hey. Are you there? Can I order from you or is this just a hobby, and I should worry about if I'll ever get the thing I want?" I don't know. I feel that if people are going to open an online store, they should be ready and available at least once a day. They should have email programs that aren't so spam vigilant. They have to expect that strangers will email them. :( Arg. Well, I don't know. I started a conversation. Now I would like to end it. That won't happen if I can't reach this gal and either order or confirm that ordering isn't possible.

So the question is... Is it okay to question a retailer's commitment? If you were in the position, would you [politely] ask about when and how the order would be placed? I mean, what if this gal has a nine to fiver and doesn't get around to putting together my order for another week or two? And if she has a nine to fiver, will she be able to get to the Post Office to mail my order when it is put together? If I don't hear from her in several days, what are my chances of being disappointed when all is said and done? *sigh*

It's really COOL stuff. Have I mentioned that? I'm willing to wait, but I need confirmation that I'm not talking to a virtual wall. :)

The 12 Days of eBooks

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Join me at Passionate Critters this week as we talk about our E-readers, what they mean to us and the eBOOKS we love.


This Thursday, I'll be featuring Jaci Burton's new release from Carina Press,

All She Wants For Christmas.

On Sunday, I get to talk about my new NOOK, the wonderful customer service I encountered....
and confessions on why in the heck I would need customer service. :P
Thanks for stopping here!!
Have a wonderfully Merry Christmas.
With Love,
Bethanne and Penny Dune

Took me a while, didn't it?

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:D But I'm back!
Of course, with a baby now, I need a schedule.
Otherwise, what you've seen in the last month is what you'll get--NOTHING! Haha.

Give me a few days to put something together.
Enjoy the new design while you're here. I'm loving it!! Thanks to Moira Keith for pointing me in the right direction. I was tired of the old. And this design speaks to me. :D I love the pink.

Can't wait to get into blogging again.
Love,
Bethanne