My Bad

I had no idea people actually read this.  I have been throughly chastised and will try to post daily.  It is my goal.

I haven't been idle.  I've been working on the cards for my story.  I wanted to be kind of like Tarot Cards, but I didn't want to use tarot cards.  I can't figure out how to link within the site, but if you'll go to the Cards page, you can see what I've been working on.

I am currently reading Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen and loving it.

I need to get out more.

The whole blog thing can be a bit tough.  Over the summer it was easy, there was just so much material to work with.  Since I've been back, what's to tell, my life is boring.  My daughter suggested that I get out and people watch. She assured me that it is out there.  

Oh, is it EVER out there.

Talk to the hand.

I went to the library yesterday and this guy was pacing back and forth talking to his hand. Upon closer inspection you could see that he was holding a phone.  I came to the conclusion that smart phones make people look dumb.  

I'm not as think as you drunk I am.

• Okay, they got the car off the street. Barely. This is s good thing.
• They are going totally opposite to the stripe direction.
• None of the above really matters as this is a no parking zone. 
• Did I mention at least they got the car off the street?

I just got an interesting letter from the Homeowners Asso's

Wow, I just got a letter from the Homeowners Association that basically said if I did not get my broken windows fixed in the next 10 days they'd have someone come and board them up at my expense.  Really?

Do I have a cracked window? Well yes, but that's not the point.
Check out the photo below and tell me.  Do you REALLY  want to board up my windows???

Discovery Class - Cast of Characters

I have finally cast my characters.  Of course I still need to name them and figure out what they are doing. You know, the little things.  But in the mean time I at least have my place holders and that is helping the whole process to gel.

I decided to go with Keira Knightly for my protagonist.

I struggled with casting Angelica Huston as the antagonist as I didn't want to type cast her. But damn girl, if you're evil, you're evil and you are now my place holder.  I chose the picture from Ever After where she is the perfect wicked step mom.

The Supporting Cast:
Beaded Dragon - Every girl needs a familiar.
These are amazing social little critters.  I really would love to have one to add to my menagerie.  I won't, but I would really like one.
Morgan Freeman - He's going to be the wise one, druid kind of player.  Still working out his dynamics.
Herb Woman and Crazy Aunt are just pictures I found for place holders. I haven't found any living representations yet.  There are still movies to watch so there still may be time.

I think the most frightening thing in this process was google imaging 'Crazy Aunt' and I had to look twice.  I thought I saw my photo, sad but true.

Discovery Class

Place Holders

This week we are choosing 'place holders' for our characters.  I've spent a lot of time trying to find the right fit for my MC (Main Character) and have boiled it down to two; Keira Knightly and Juliana Margulies.


I am leaning towards Keira.  I like the fact that I've only ever seen her play spunky women.  I wanted my MC to be darkish, dark hair, dark eyes.  It seems so many characters with the gift tend towards the light, blue eyes and blonde hair or red hair with green eyes, unless of course they are the evil antagonist.  Is my MC goodness and light; the child of the prophecy born again to restore the universe to order?  Probably not, but then again... I just knew that she could not be a 'light' character.


I've got about a zillion movies with Keira in them, but the one I'm choosing for her audition tape will be King Arthur.  I think she is the most bad ass Gwen EV-ER.  I know that poor Juliana doesn't stand much of a chance, but I adored her in MIsts of Avalon and she is a contender.


Other Contenders were:  Helena Bonham Carter in Sweeny Todd.  I liked the look of darkness and while she was a murderess, if I recall the story correctly, she also had a heart.  Jennifer Gardner, kind of fit the mold, but her wide eyed innocence came through even when she was playing a bad ass roll and that look just was not quite right.  I'm not trying to fool the world into thinking my MC is innocient.  I don't think she is.  Michelle Rodriguez was a contender.  She always plays bad ass women, but it always feels to me as if she wished she'd been born a man and so she's a bad ass; not that she's comfortable in her own skin and can still kick your ass, kid of bad ass.


Yep, this Discovery Class is a bitch.  Eating popcorn and watching movies. These tough assignments are killing me.  Once I decide on my MC, then I have to cast the rest of my main players, guess that will mean more movies. 

Dreams Do Come True and Nightmares

Dreams Do Come True

Walking the dog this morning it was a dream come true for Chester. Anyone who knows my dog knows that a motionless state is next to impossible for him, but it happened this morning. He stopped, stared down the street and did not move a muscle, I'm thinking he was even holding his breath.  It was every dogs dream come true.  A big fluffy white kitty was making a bee line straight for us.  It veered at the last moment and Chester was back to his perpetual motion self.  But for one brief moment my dog and I stood in slack jawed awe.

Nightmares

It is every mother's nightmare to look out the window and see her daughter perched atop a motorcycle learning the art of 'making it go'.  

Nightmare 1

Where's the helmet?  Solid shoes, long pants, long-ish sleeves, but something's missing children!!

Nightmare 2

After a couple of false starts my daughter roars off down the street and I hear this being yelled above the din of the bike, "Don't forget the breaks."

WHAT?

That had me out of my seat.  The helmet thing had me twitching on the couch rocking rhythmically to the mantra, they are adults, they are adults, if they didn't live here you wouldn't know about this, they have to live their lives, they are no longer babies, step away from the motherhood and let them grow up.

Don't forget the breaks? I was out the door like a shot.  

Okay, so I guess it is fairly common in the excitement of the moment to forget that basic lesson.  He had actually taught her where the breaks were located and how to use them.  It was just a heart stopping moment for me, just say'n.

Writing Nightmares

Or maybe I should say Blogging Nightmares.  I have spent two weeks over on yola working up a web page.  Last year at the Muse Writers Conference it was pointed out that authors need to have a web page and I decided to work on mine while I'm waiting for Kyle to call, Kyle is my future boss. 

I was really glad that I'd gotten a jump start when I got a note from one of my instructors at this years Muse Conference.  She wanted to see our websites and she'd critic them.  This is awesome. The conference is not for another month and we had our first assignment.

Needless to say her comments on my website were OUCH. After two frustrating weeks fighting yola (they had been recommended at last years conference) I discover that yola can't give me what I want.

First comment:  Index...should be HOME.  (I tried, the gods know I did)

Your website is ... yawn... a little boring.  You have all the right ideas, you just need to ZIP them up a bit... here's how.

BIGGER pictures! (I went as big as humanly possible)

No links to Twitter and Facebook.  (Shame on me, I'll work on that.)

Widgets (WTF?  Yes, I'll google it. They have gadgets here, will that work?;)

I need more color and action or my ADHD crowd will drift away.

AND

My animals are cute, but that's not what I'm writing about.

Basically, I am in need of a do-over.

Since Yola was not giving me what I needed it was time to move on. In my quest for blog ideas I notice that a lot of people used blogger, and since it did us in good stead this summer, once we figured out the picture thing, it seemed like a logical next step.

So, here we go again.