You are currently browsing the monthly archive for May 2009.
Interesting ABCnews segment. Click on the link below:
I’ve created a new cover for my own book, Finding Riches.
It was my first completed novel. It is not the greatest, obviously, or I would have found a traditional publisher for it.
If you are brave enough to read it, keep in mind that it was not professionally edited.
It can be purchased here.
Tour de Force by Elizabeth White is an absolutely wonderful love story.
Using art to tell a story–that’s what the characters did in this delightful book that takes us into the world of NY professional ballet and gives us a realistic look behind the scenes–the good, the bad and the ugly.
From the Back Cover
Gillian Kincade is a soloist with Ballet New York, a sought-after guest artist, and a committed Christian. Though she may be an anomaly in the world of dance, Gilly believes her devotion to God isn’t compromised by following her dreams. Then she meets Jacob Ferrar.
Jacob is the brilliant young artistic director of the Birmingham Ballet Theatre and a born-again Christian. When he offers Gillian the lead in his latest ballet she accepts, knowing it won’t necessarily further her career, but it will touch her soul.
On the chaotic road to opening night, Gilly and Jacob develop a deep professional respect for each other and begin to fall in love. Then their brilliant first performance is destroyed by a terrible accident, and suddenly both must face an uncertain future. Together, they dance the fine line between personal vision and God’s will, listening for the guidance of the Father’s heart.
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Okay, so I want to be a ballerina, but I don’t have the body for it. I never have, but for a few hours I was transported to the world of dance–the beauty, the grace, the pain, the backstabbing, the jealousy–and enjoyed every minute of it.
You moms of ballerinas–this is the book for you. I could not put it down.
I purchased the 2008 ACFW Writers Conference CD last year. And let me say that the sessions by Mark Mynheir, a homicide detective and author, made the purchase well worth the price(can be purchased here).
He offered insights into the lives of cops and detectives and made me respect law enforcement even more than I already did.
So, when I received some “teaser” e-mails from his publisher, Multnomah, I had to buy the book–maybe it was because I already felt I “knew” the author after hearing his talk.
My husband and I are on Dave Ramsey’s Baby steps so I didn’t want to buy the book. I want to stick to the budget.
The day before Mother’s Day, my husband informed me he didn’t know what to get me. Of course, I knew–I wanted The Night Watchman by Mark Mynheir.
But we weren’t going anywhere to buy it and I knew first hand that Barnes and Noble didn’t have it in stock at the store closest by me(I had checked previously—I wasn’t going to buy it, I promise. I was just curious to see if they had it).
My husband and son went with my mother-in-law to see Star Trek and while they were gone, I had a brilliant idea(my husband always hates those).
I got out my PALM T/X and hooked in to Mobipocket and downloaded the book and within minutes I was reading a GREAT detective novel.
Personally, I like my Palm TX as an e-reader because it is much smaller than the Kindle and fits better in my smaller purses. But the big problem with these e-books–I can’t share them with others like I can with my hard copy books. I really want to share the book with my friends because it is so good.
After a terrible police call gone wrong, Ray Quinn, a cop forced into medical retirement, works as a night watchman where he spends his shift working on sudoku puzzles. When a young woman shows up at the complex concerned about her brother, the preacher, the night watchman finds himself thrown into an unauthorized investigation.
This film noir-like novel offers realism (based on the author’s experience) and the character reminds me of two of my favorite TV characters– Dr. House(walks with a cane and is not afraid to use it) and Monk(lost his loved one to an act of violence).
Oh, and I LOVE the sidekick in the novel who seems a little like Barney Fife.
The author has an incredible authorial “voice”. This is the first paragraph in chapter 3:
Crime scene tape is like flypaper for busybodies; the second you put it up, they all come buzzing around and stick to it.
What is even more impressive to me--the author has dyslexia and had previously resigned himself to the fact that he was “just not very bright”.
I wished I had been a little more patient and ordered the physical copy of the book.
http://mbldownloads.com/0209CNS_GR_Riggio.pdf
Click the above link for an excellent report on frontal lobe seizures. I could not explain to others exactly what occurred when my son had his seizures–Case #3 in the report is what my son did–run for no reason with an extreme look of terror. He tried(many times) to get out of a moving car when he was in first grade just like the woman in the case. See my previous post for videos.
When I think about the Doctor who wouldn’t put him back on his anti-seizure medication in 2005, I get so angry. The Doctor questioned my parenting. He said, “Something must have changed at home.” referring to my son’s “behavior”.
It’s not what you might be thinking. Some of you know my little secret. Well, now I’m making it known to potentially the whole world.
I slept in a closet.
I can’t sleep in my bed (no, I’m not mad at my husband) because of back pain. I had been sleeping on a recliner in my bedroom.
My sister took her aerobed on a beach trip one year and I laid on it and thought, I could sleep on this. So, I purchased a twin-sized aerobed (the kind that sits up to the height of a regular bed) and put it in my closet. Hey, it fit with plenty of room for me to dress in too. And I can sleep with no back pain. It is wonderful.
But…
This past week I’ve heard critters in my attic and the head of the bed is pushed up against the door that leads to that space. I don’t like critters. Especially mice critters.
So, this week, I moved my bed out of the closet and into the bedroom. There is plenty of room– I just had to move the recumbent bike into the closet. (I have too many pieces of exercise equipment that I don’t use. I guess I need to start using them).
Anyway, so now, I’ve come out of the closet.
Thought you might want to know, or maybe not.
I know I need to exercise. I would say “exercise more” but that would imply I do a little bit and I don’t.
So, I had a brilliant idea on Saturday.
Let me just say that my husband hates my brilliant ideas. They usually involve moving furniture.
My cousin Tammi and I share the same genetic affliction we inherited from our Grandma Christine–the uncontrollable desire to rearrange the furniture.
I decided to move my little stair climber machine (cheap, but usable) from my bedroom(upstairs) to my office(downstairs). My thought was that as I am writing and I get writer’s block I could climb a few stairs to get the blood pumping to the brain–either that or hang upside down (click Here for this explanation).
But instead of telling my husband my true purpose for the move, I asked him to move the stair climber to my office so I wouldn’t have to climb the stairs to the bedroom.
Yes, my husband is still living with me. Go figure. He must be crazy. Because, I’m certainly not. Right? Right? I’m not, am I?
http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=7536595
My husband walked in as I wept over the above Good Morning America segment. He looked at me and I pointed to the TV.
He looked in the direction of my finger, saw the famous chef and asked, “Emeril made you cry?”
I said, “Yes, cooking always makes me cry.”
If you need a good cry, click on the link.
Put A Ruffle On It 
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