What's Halloween without a little witchy magic? ;) 


So it isn't very much on the "writing" topic, but it's still a fun topic.  The research has been very fruitful, even if I didn't get to go to a local event due to a sprained ankle, but no matter.  A great friend (who was an officer for several years before becoming an EMT and who now works at a local hospital in the ER) has been VERY helpful.  I can ask him pretty much anything, and he has an answer.  He's also going to be one of the few who gets to read it it and point out all the inaccuracies. :)  No complaint there!!!

On the fun side, my little IMP has a slew of costumes to choose from for Halloween and my little Vampire Slayer is going to be getting a really awesome costume for his birthday.  Hopefully it will last until Halloween...  As for mommy, well, I've got plenty of costumes and am still debating which one to wear.  Batgirl, Poison Ivy, the sorceress, greek goddess, the Star Trek communications officer (think Uhura's outfit from the new movie)...  So many fun options and only three days to wear 'em.  :)  (Did I mention Halloween is my MOST favorite holiday???)  Since we have a wedding to go to the night of the 30th, I'll be wearing a tinker-bell-ish type gown complete with stilettos and (hopefully) will do something fancy-shmancy with my hair.  (Yes, I just made that word up.)

For those who are wondering about the ankle, I twisted it last Friday morning (the 15th), walked around on it all day, and realized it was swollen and bruised that night.  Our EMT/ER tech-friend advised getting it checked to make sure it wasn't broken Saturday evening, and I got it x-rayed at the ER Sunday.  I now have the nickname of "Gimpy" and "Hop Along" and keeping thinking I should be wearing a frog costume... 

As for my son's b-day, which is coming up, we're planning on taking him to Build-A-Bear at the capital (love saying that, hehehehehe) and a late lunch/early dinner at Maggiano's (aka little Italy).  Should be fun.  Especially since he has a coupon for Build-A-Bear since it's his birthday. 

Murder and Mayhem.  Two lovely words that fit perfectly together. 

I've always been intrigued with murder mytseries.  You could probably blame my parents for that.  My mother and father, both, read mysteries and watched a variety of TV shows and movies about murder mysteries.  Perry Mason, Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, Columbo, McMillian and Wife, Murder She Wrote, Banacek, and way more than I can remember. 
    (Artwork copyright J.F. Posthumus 2010)

Me? I loved 'em.  I now watch Castle, Bones, and Psych.  I also adored Monk.  My daughter, who is only four, also loves Bones, Castle, and Psych.  She especially loves Bones (her favorite, I think, is the Man in the Bear). There's just something about solving a murder that keeps me entertained. 

Then, there's the stories about murders that took place before I was born, told to me by my parents and grandparents.  Of course, a few of those also include ghosts.  Do I believe in ghosts?  Yep.  If you don't, fine.  To each their own.  :)  But many stories of murder, especially those that took place in the past, include a ghost.  Typically of the person killed.  To me, that makes it even more interesting and spooky.

As for writing a murder mystery, trying to keep it semi-real isn't easy.  You can only find out so much online and through movies.  Fortunately, I have a friend who was a former police officer who I can ask questions.

But... who does one do when they don't have friends in the right career?  How do you get the guts to call up someone, be it doctor or detective, and question them on a crime scene or the symptoms of a deadly poison?  Or what poison can't be traced or the questions asked at a murder scene?

So many questions, so little time. 

So, I've begun a new novel.  It's something I've been wanting to write for a loooong time.  Not to mention, it'll be pefect for someone with a last name that translates, literally, to "after death". 

Haven't guessed  yet?  It's a murder mystery!  With a fantasy-ish twist.  Only because computers are from hell, gremlins live in said computers, and demons possess the living... as well as walk amongst us unknown.  Ok, so two out of three is fantasy. ;)  After all, everyone knows computers are from hell!

I have about six pages, or 1900-some words, written so far.  Another oddity is the fact I'm actually writing in first person.  The reason being: I'm writing something I know.  I'm using my own profession in the novel for the main character, so I have eight years of experience to pull from, not to mention the annoyances that can come from everyday use of a computer. 

Of course, I've still got a long ways to go.  From discovering the body, to finding clues and planting red herrings, to figuring out who dun it and why.

The best part of this novel?  The research.  I get to pick a co-worker's brain about golf (a game I abhor and mock happily), I'll be asking Mark's sister and mother about working at a library (yep, that's a part of it, too), and, of course, reading mystery novels.  Not just any, but murder mysteries! 

Who am I reading?  The Queen of Murder Mysteries, Agatha Christie as well as the every amazing Earl Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason novels.  Then, of course, there are the movies (Murder on the Orient Express, Perry Mason episodes) and tv show Midsummer Murders and Sherlock Holmes.  Ok, so Holmes isn't murder mysteries, but he is an excellent example of mysteries! 

If I could find copies of The Toff, I'd read those, too! 


Here's the first page, for those interested.  It needs some editing (Mark's supposed to go over it later), but what the heck? ::


“How was the golf tournament?” I asked Jamie, my co-worker and golf enthusiast as I booted my computer.
The game, tournament, had taken place that weekend and though I hated golf, I enjoyed hearing about my friend’s weekend. An important part of being a good co-worker was taking an interest in their lives. Or at least hearing who won and who lost.  I'd been off the week before and, though she'd posted a status on her Facebook page, there hadn't been any post about who won or lost after the update on the game. 

Jamie peered over the short partitions, a broad grin on her face. “We placed second. You would’ve loved it. It was on the weird side.”

That peeked my interest. I turned around from my computer, giving Jamie my undivided attention. Sweet, friendly, and bubbly, she could have been a cherub. Wavy blond hair curled under her chin and at her neck, heart-shaped face, and bright blue eyes. She even had dimples when she smiled. Jamie also wore flattering clothing that showed off her blond-bombshell figure. I’d met a few cherubs and every one of them could have been a model. Of course, I also knew she wasn’t a cherub, but I always wondered if she had cherubic blood in her ancestry somewhere.

“Congrats on the win! How was it weird? What happened?” I asked.

“Thanks. Each player had nothing over a 53. They all had birdies or less. Talk about weird. I’ve never heard, let alone seen, anything like that before. They were all checked for ‘loaded’ clubs, but they came up clean. They won the pot with ease. It was almost eerie the way the balls seemed to zero in on the hole.” Jamie explained.

Great. A wizard that plays golf and cheats to win. That’s really original. Not that I could tell Jamie that, she’d probably think I was crazy. So, instead, I jumped on the loaded club comment. Especially since it made me think of a club rigged to be used as a gun.

“Loaded clubs? How do you make loaded clubs?”

Yes, I know, I'm falling behind on my blog and keeping it updated.  Or semi-updated.  Nothing exciting has happened in the writing arena, at least not yet.  (Though I DO have a cool idea for a book of a different color.  More will come of that at a later time.)

I've been editing the plethora of novels (mostly Banshee, Heiress, and Betrayal, but also two others that are in the works) while dealing with the usual gammet of problems.  Like a certain 2nd grade boy who doesn't want to do his homework, a little 4 year old whose diva/princess complex tends to get her into trouble, and the start of a celebration to take place in two years that involves my co-writer.  Speaking of my co-writer, he also moved in at the start of June last year!  YAY!!!!! 

He now has a job at a place he was wanting to work when he went to college for psychology (we won't go there. At all.  Ever.) before realizing what he wanted to do, wasn't gonna happen.  So, now he's finally working there and loving it, for the most part.  The downside, is we haven't managed to figure out when or how to get our writing done.  It'll come.  Eventually.  Besides, we have plenty of time to get the novels written and edited.  Why?  Because we wrote Heiress for fun, for us.  Sure, we want to be published and have the really awesome title of "published author", but it isn't a requirement for us.  After all, how many people can honestly say they've written x-many novels?  It's not something EVERYONE can do, just like being published isn't something everyone can manage.  (Not including self-publishing here, etiher.)

On the bright side of things, I now have a kick-ass query letter and short pitch thanks to a VERY awesome friend out in LA.  (Thanks, Stan, for all your help!!!  It's greatly appreciated!)

I've been doing lots of crafts to keep me occupied and have fallen in love with doing crafty stuff with ribbon.  I've also been doing crafts involving ceramic tiles (think kitchen, bath, and floors), photos, and modpodge.  They make GREAT coasters (after you cover them with a stain of sorts) or even plate holders.  I'll eventually have a tutorial for it, complete with photos.  (I've already got a tutorial on May Arts for ribbon roses.  I still need to do the one for turning them into a bouquet, though...)

Halloween is just around the corner, so who knows what else I'll get into between now and then.

Current update on me and the family:
School ends next week with the Vampire Slayer being out of school for the summer and the eldest (my stepson) graduating.  Mark will be moving in with me and the munchkins after the eldest graduates on the Imp's b-day. 
In the meantime, we've been window-shopping online at houses and looking into loans and stuff in the hopes of getting an acual HOUSE of our own with a yard for the dogs and (maybe... hopefully...) a cat.  Not to mention Kam (Kahmet) the bunny.  I miss my bunny, even if he is a tempermental brat at times.  (hmmmm... not the least bit like his owner *wink*)  And, of course, the fact that eventually we want another hellion to eventually turn loose on the world.  Three just isn't enough, after all ;)
The downside of things is Jammerz closed, which means no place local to go to for musical stuff.  It sucks, since Mark loved the place, I like the guys there, and the kids also loved going there.  Especially the Imp, who is very much her father's daughter in soooo many ways.
Oooooh, yesss... there IS one more thing for those who actually read and keep up with things....  We've figured out when we'll be getting married.  I'll post the exact date later, but at least we've most of the planning out of the way with the tentative where and who all will be there. 

Now, On the the Writing Stuff!!!



I think I finally figured out what writing and trying to get an agent is really like.... Fishing. 

Think on it. 

People love to fish, not just to GET the fish (and eat 'em afterwards) but because it's fun.  Even if you're fishing for sport and throwing 'em back, you can be sitting in the boat or at the edge of the lake or river trying to catch a fish, while others are reeling in big fat trout or salmon.  You, in the meantime, are pulling in nothing but an empty hook and maybe the occassional piece of trash.  Is it your bait? Your bobber?  Wrong hook?  Or just not your day to get a good catch?

Landing an agent is like landing a fish.  You have to be in the right spot, at the right time, with the right hook and bait (in this case query letter and novel).

So, what do you do?  Keep fishing!  (errr...writing...) and Keep trying.  Eventually you'll land something.  If not, you've still had fun in the process.  And at least in writing, you have a finished product and something you can be proud of: a completed manuscript.

Ok, so there won't be a teaser today or for gods know how long.  Why?  Simple: the novel writing is taking a break for other things... like making ribbon roses and planning of events and Mark finally moving in (it won't be till June, but it's not that long off).  We still writing when we can during my lunch and sometimes on the weekends or at night.  However, I'm not going to kill myself to write nor am I going to badger Mark into writing when we're doing other stuff.   

Spending time with the kids, the family, and doing other things is more important than writing, even if it IS our dream of becoming published.  Eventually we'll get back into a good pace for writing/editing/etc, but until then, we're going to write as we can, when we can, and not force it. 

On the bright side, the kids are doing well and plans are falling together nicely.  I've once more begun dabbling in crafts and, though I'm probably going to go crazy with trying to get my roses "perfect" then put together, I don't care!  I might even do an arrangement of ribbon roses to put in the fair... which reminds me... I've GOT to work on the art I'm gonna submit this year!  EEEK!!!  Times running out on that, too! LOL

There's another contest out for aspiring writers.  It's located HERE and offers critiques by agents and, if for some lucky winner, a lunch date with two agents in NYC! 

Heh... if you "tell Oprah" you get "+100"... and yes, there actually IS a way to "tell oprah"... it's called "contact us" on Oprah.com.  Finding that link is a pain in the arse, so good luck!!!