A Work in Progress

I learn something from my dog every day. Every day. There are usually a few lessons that rotate through my life, lessons I'm still learning, so every time I see one of these "lessons" in action, right in front of me, I realize how far I need to go to grow in my wisdom to be a better person; a dog-wise person. The biggest lesson my dog has taught me is gratitude. Yep. Gratitude. My dog is the happiest person I know.  I realize my dog is not actually a human being, but she is such a part of my family and is so crucial to teaching me things (things that I just don't seem to want to learn), that I've deemed her human. So she is the happiest and smartest person I know.  Back to gratitude... she exudes this daily.  She's thankful to wake up to see me. Every day. She's thankful when I come home from wherever I was. Every day. She is thankful for food (most of the time...but especially if beef is involved.) Every day. She is so thankful to go for walks. Every day

You know what I find hilarious? Bookmarks. Not the concept of a  bookmark itself, but what we use to mark our book's page. I remember reading an article once about libraries and the bookmarks the librarians find with all the returned books. Banana peels, toilet paper, pens. You name it, they are the lucky recipients of it. The bookmark is as individual as the person using it, as much as the book choice of each person. And as a vintager, one who buys, sells and wears vintage, I also pick up used and -- sometimes vintage -- books. Because, second-hand books are the best invention ever. The bookmarks I find in said books are comical. If not insightful. For example, here's one from a middle-grade read. And I have a few questions: Was the reader reading this in the kitchen? Why the torn Ziploc box bit? Why not a plastic bag? Or was the Ziploc box headed out to the recycling? A foil or plastic wrap bookmark would've been great, too. Then ther

There's a much-adhered bit of writing advice that most writers are told, whether it's from a teacher, mentor, critique partner or book. It's this: To write well, you must read. And it's true. It's like studying art work if you paint or sculpt Or watching dramas or theater if you're an actor. You have to study the craft in which you create. As Stephen King said in his perfect book On Writing , " If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that” (147)." Yep. Also, I think I need to add that one needs to write in order to be a great writer. I know. How obvious, right? But, it's not to some. I know "writers" who only write the book they are working on, but nothing else. They don't write short stories, articles, poems, not even a blog. They don't do any writing other than the latest book they're working on. And edit it. Over and over. Day in and day out. Wher

This picture is pretty much what happens in the winter at my house. At least for me, anyway. As the weather gets cooler, outdoor activities i.e. sitting by the pool or swimming, disappear (Yes, even here in California) and a hibernation, if you will, takes over me. I want blankets, slippers, fireplaces, and something warm to drink all next to my stack of books. It is a stack. It's hard for me to focus on one book at a time for too long, since I have so much going on. So, a chapter here and there throughout the day works well. The real problem is me wanting to read so many different books at once. This picture is a little take of said problem, on the side table of my bed. And it doesn't even include the one or two or three books I'm reading on my tablet or phone PLUS the qeue of books that will be coming in to read, or that I'm going to be reading once I finished the affore mentioned. This isn't a problem to complain about. Good books are so much fun. An

I have a couple of things to share with you, and they all have to do with one of the best genres around: Middle Grade Fiction. 1. My fellow friend and author extraordinaire -- Kristiana Gregory -- just received a gold medal honor from Literary Classics, for her book Stalked . Yes, the book is fantastic! And yes, the book is more for young adults than kids. But, if you're over twelve, this book is for you regardless. I highly recommend it, too. Historical, fast-paced and action-packed, you'll be reading until way past your bedtime. 2. Another great read, called Dead Man's Hand by Eddie Jones will be released in a few days, and it looks riveting. Great for girls and boys, it had adventure written all over-- and absolutely inside -- the cover of it. Eddie Jones is a wonderful writer, speaker, teacher, and great-all around guy. I can say this because Eddie practices what he preaches. Got a middle grade boy in your house looking for a super sized order of adventure with

I had good intentions last year to read a book a week. That's 52 books. It really shouldn't have been an issue. Certainly I could find something worth reading, with the library so close by. And that there were tons of things I loved to read about, well, I had this 2010 New Year's resolution in the bag! I fell very short of that goal. And it is why I revamped my goals for this year (by a lot) to only one book a month. Before you tell me that this can't be right, that it seems rather extreme, like I should be horrified at reading so little, don't say it. At this point in my life, with a dog, my busy kids, cooking, housekeeping, working, editing ... reading has almost become laborious. In 2010, I forced myself to be something I wanted to be, and was still failing. After failing my own others-driven goal, I knew I had a problem. It is understood that writers are supposed to read. This is a school-driven, author-proven, writer-demanded way of living and thinking.

Two days before I left for vacation, I was on the phone making reservations for the Polar Express Train Ride .  What is that? Well, it's exactly what the name implies: a train ride based on the book The Polar Express , by Chris Van Allsburg. I'd say that I was only doing this for my children, but that wouldn't totally be accurate. Something with this much hype had to be good for me too. At least I hoped so.  The Polar Express Select cities all over America, and one in Canada, utilize trains (available from their railroad museums or railways) and transform them into replicas from the book -- complete with dancing waiters and hot chocolate. Passengers even get to wear their pajamas. While I’d heard that this was an extraordinary event, one my kids couldn’t miss, what I wasn’t prepared for was the mad dash --the absolute insane intensity-- that every parent in my city dove into on October first at 9 in the morning. It was like getting tickets for the concert of a