Planes, Trains, and Television Shows

I prefer to blog about writing and books. (I'm finishing up THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE. Presumably I'm the last person in America to do so.) But I have to mention a couple of television shows that I never miss each week: GLEE and SUPERNATURAL. And, oh yeah, THE OFFICE.

If you've not tuned in to GLEE this season, you must. Talk about creative and hilarious and clever. It's laugh-out loud funny. It's the story about a high school glee club (brings back memories!) but it's not your mother's glee club. These kids are super-talented and their teachers are a riot. My favorite teacher is the evil physical education teacher, Sue Seymour played by Jane Lynch. IMO, she absolutely steals the show and reminds me of a high school P.E. teacher I had who was only slightly less evil.

SUPERNATURAL is the other show I never miss, but it's been on a few seasons already. It's taken a decidedly funnier tone this year. Dean and Sam, brothers who hunt ghosts and demons, are perfect in their roles. I don't think I've missed a single episode.

I don't know if it's because I've written a couple of YA novels lately that I'm drawn to shows that are probably targeted to people in high school but these shows are so much fun to watch.

Then, of course, there's THE OFFICE. This show reminds me of my corporate days and I can relate to it on so many levels. The scary part is that it's a comedy but it's hardly make-believe. Offices are filled with Michael Scotts and Dwight Shroops. I've worked with a few of them.

Must-see TV!

All Good Things Must End

My current freelance writing project has ended. That's good. And bad. It'll pick up again in January, and that means that I have nothing but time to work on my current WIP. So now my December deadline to complete my current WIP is doable, and I have another idea for my next book beginning to float around in my brain. Can't wait to get started on outlining that, too. So much to do; so little time.

By the way, has anyone seen The Nook yet? I was at Barnes & Noble yesterday, talking with the guys there about it. It's pretty cool. Kind of like the Kindle but slightly more sleek and with color. It's the same price as the small Kindle: $260. Like the Kindle and the Sony Reader, you can store about a bazillion books on it. Great if you travel a lot. Santa, Baby?

Happy Halloween! And please don't say "Punkin"

So I'm at my local gym yesterday. Thursdays are one of the three days of the week I do a long distance run on the treadmill. It's also a day where I try to position myself in front of a gym TV with something fairly interesting to watch, for obvious reasons.

The treadmill I chose was smack-dab in front of a talk show that paraded out these adorable kids in Halloween costumes. They were so dang cute! At first, it tugged at my heartstrings because who doesn't remember trick-or-treating? Who doesn't remember the house in the neighborhood that always passed out the best treats (oversized Snicker bars were a fav)? And who doesn't remember the old guy who always made you do a stupid trick before he gave you a treat? My sisters and I would purposely avoid that house like the plague!

Anyway, back to these kids on the daytime talk show. What struck me were their costumes. Seems no one wants to be a witch or a princess or a ghost anymore. Too boring, I guess. The kids on this particular show came dressed as their favorite reality TV star. I'm talking Jon & Kate Plus 8, the Housewives of Atlanta, and even some of those celebs from the cooking shows. I mean, gag me with a spoon.

Anyway, I really felt old watching these kids and yearning for the days of yore, which really weren't that long ago. I guess wearing a pointy witch hat or a tiara are considered dull by today's standards.

That won't stop me from passing out what will most assuredly be obscene amounts of Halloween candy tomorrow night. Can't wait to see who rings the doorbell! But if I see Jon & Kate Plus 8, I may ask the kids to do a trick first. ;-)

As an aside, my nephew is going as an Ooompa Loompa and my niece is going as Jennifer Beals in Flashdance. Happy Halloween! Boo!

That Pivotal Moment

My fingers have been smoking across my keyboard the last couple of weeks. Two reasons: I've been finishing up a freelance writing project in between churning out chapters for my latest WIP. I never thought writing an entire book in the perspective of a 12-year old boy could be so much fun. But I'm having a blast.

And I love it when I think a story should go one way but it goes in the other. Jonas, my protagonist, likes to zig when I think we should zag. Like most of the characters I like to write, he's sufficiently flawed (who likes perfection?) and he's at that stage in his life where he's between boy and man. That makes him fun, perplexing, endearing, and curious--at least to me. Hopefully my early readers will agree.

I've written nine chapters so far. I've already plotted the story but it keeps changing direction on me, especially as Jonas fires up my pages. My goal is to have the first draft completed by the end of December. Barring any floods, sickness, tornados, power outages, earthquakes, or alien invasions, I may get my wish.

A Good Time Was Had By All

Just had one of those magical weekends where I wrote a few really solid chapters for my latest WIP, finished reading an excellent book, watched a couple of unexpectedly good movies, and did it all from the quiet of a cabin in northeastern Arizona. I even saw rain! Yes, it does rain every once in a while, even in the Arizona desert. This past weekend was one of those times you say, "Life doesn't get much better than this!"

My current WIP is moving nicely again. It took me a few weeks to get a true feel for my main character, but I'm definitely feeling him now. I can see him, hear him, and tell what he thinks about things. Like science class. Or constellations. And big feet. He's a cute kid--but not too cute. He has his flaws.

Regarding the book that I finished yesterday, it was called POPE JOAN by Donna Cross. My sister had recommended it almost a year ago and for some reason I always kept putting it off and read something else. I'm glad I finally read it. The writing was beautiful and I felt like I was back in Rome during the 800's. It's about a girl who disguises herself as a man and climbs the ranks within the Catholic Church. It was quite interesting and the tension was good throughout. The ending left me a little unsatisfied but other than that I loved it. Suffice it to say that I'm glad I wasn't born a woman during the 800's. I think women back then were treated on par with the livestock.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I have a whole week to work on my WIP as I finished up one freelance project last week and the next one doesn't start till next week. Oh, happy day! Hoping my muse won't let me down this week!

DowntownPhoenix.com

I recently started blogging for a brand-new web site called Downtown Phoenix. It's a great place to learn about Phoenix's growing urban scene. (Yes, Phoenix is just not all about cowboys and cactus, although we still do love our cowboys.)

I can't believe how much Phoenix has changed since I moved here. There's so much more to do and even more to see. Check out DowntownPhoenix.com if you're wondering where to catch a play, see a comedy show, stroll through a museum, or even enjoy a meal. There's something for everyone, even the cowboys on your list.

Recommended Reads

I did read a couple of books recently that I'd like to recommend.

First, if you haven't read A BUMP IN THE ROAD by Maureen Lipinski, you must. It's a laugh-out-loud story of career-girl Clare Finnegan who finds herself pregnant. I read it while I was on vacation last month; it's a perfect vacation read. Written in the style very much like BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK but without the footnotes.

My mom passed along a book to me that I could not put down: WISH YOU WELL by David Baldacci of ABSOLUTE POWER fame. It's set in the 1940's and it's the story of two practically orphaned children from NYC who must live with their great-great grandmother in the mountains of Virginia. The story and the writing are both very rich and descriptive. It reminds me a lot of the kinds of stories I loved as a kid, although I would hardly call it a YA novel. Couldn't. Put. It. Down.

Meanwhile, in between books (I'm usually reading at least two) I've written the first five chapters of my latest WIP and have sent the first four chapters to a few of my readers to see if it passes the "should I keep going?" test. It's the story of a 12-year old boy with some pretty big dreams. I've never written a story entirely in the voice of a boy before and, I must say, it's an absolute blast.

On top of everything else, more freelance writing projects have flooded in. When it rains, it pours.