Monthly Archives: April 2012

Drinking Problems

Posted in Fun, Uncategorized by

“Animal parenting  is an unconditional commitment to an imperfect being.”  Ane Ryan Walker

For those of you who follow this blog you know I’ve written before about my faithful companion, Jake.  He’s real special and I love him more than anything.  Over the past few years he’s given me a real run for my money and most times I’m pretty understanding considering what he’s been through and how hard his life has been in the past.   (See post 8/15/2011 Her Story Calls)

Recently however, I’m beginning to lose patience with him.  You see, he’s developed a drinking problem.

I don’t want you to think I’m judgmental or I have the right to choose for anyone else, but he’s really creating problems in my happy home.

Last week alone, he drank my milk and ate the cookies, spilling some milk onto the remote control and destroying it.  He sat up, proud as punch, with cookie crumbs on his muzzle and milk on his snout, looking totally innocent, Not.  I’ve learned he likes coffee with cream and sugar, but will drink it black if it’s all that’s available.

He also likes ice tea, with lots of ice, and will go looking for a crunchy snack to go with the tea.  Preferably chips, or pretzels if there are any available.

Now, I want you to know I’m a responsible pet owner, and because of his sad, abused history, I always, yes, always make sure Jake has plenty of food and water available before I leave the house.  Sadly, that doesn’t mean much to the drinking problem dog.

He still likes a mixed drink when he can get one, and although he likes beer better, he’s been known to sneak a glass of wine here and there.

While I wouldn’t openly label him an alcoholic, I am beginning to worry.

But I will give him this, no matter how much or what he drinks, he usually gets up and does his mile and a half  first thing each morning without complaint.

I guess that’s why they call them faithful companions.

FANTASY WORLDS

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DELVING INTO THE FANTASY WORLD

While mysteries are my first love, and will continue to thrill me, I’ve since branched out to other genres, both in reading and writing. It seems, though, that I slip a mystery of some sort into every book, no matter what the genre.

I guess I can trace my love for fantasies as far back as my childhood, when I devoured every fairy tale the local library had. There are two that come to mind: The Red Book and the Blue Book (those titles might not be exact).

What particularly fascinates me now are the shape shifter stories. Back in 2007, right before I attended the RWA National Convention, I saw an ad for a romance just released. The blurb on the back told of a young woman who had a 50 foot dragon for a roommate. That really caught my attention and I sent for the book. I’ve since gotten two more in the series, as well as similar fantasies by other authors.

There always have been tales of creatures such as werewolves and dragons, though until recently, the ones about dragons weren’t shape shifter stories—unless I just haven’t come across them.

Such stories fire the imagination and with fantasy there are no limits. You can do what you want, create a character you made up and bring him or her to life. I have a middle grade story (unpublished) that contains a character named Bearfoot, created by the protagonist by drawing an animal that was half bear and half mouse. Weird, huh? But the story took off (in my mind) and generated other creatures, such as a baby owl that needed flying lessons from my protagonist, and others. That book is on my shelf, begging for revisions and, hopefully, I’ll get back to it one day.

But the romances are what really thrill me and get my imagination going. And the “different” character doesn’t have to be a shape shifter. What about the immortals, those beings that don’t die but remain youthful and sexy no matter how many centuries they’ve lived? One of the first such stories I read involved Scottish lords and such, and had immortals of one kind or another, both good and bad.

There are vampire stories as well, though I tend to steer clear of them at night. Either that or I leave on every light in my apartment. Recently, I judged a contest, opted for the paranormal, and one of them was about a vampire, a hero that I instantly fell in love with. Now, if only I could read the rest of the book, I’d be ecstatic. Hopefully, one day I’ll see it in the bookstores and online. The writing was phenomenal.

My shape shifter stories are novellas and I’ve got four of them. The first one, Flight of the Hawk, is published as an ebook under the name Jaye Leyel. I’m working on the second one, Noble Dragon, and don’t know when I’ve had such fun. The third is Path of the Wolf and the fourth is about a white jaguar. There is a fifth, but it is about an immortal rather than a shape shifter. And would you believe this entire group of five novellas came about because of a BIAW challenge?

Considering the electronics, etc., that have “died” on me lately, my monitor and printer, I think maybe I’d like to travel to another dimension inhabited by “unusual” beings in order to get away from it all.

Joan K. Maze

Writing as J. K. Maze

www.joanmaze.com

http://sleuthingwithmollie.wordpress.com

http://homicideandmayhem.wordpress.com

http://jayeleyelfantasyandparanormal.wordpress.com

Murder By Mistake, book 1 in the Mollie Fenwick Mystery Series, available as an ebook from Red Rose Publishing, B&N, Fictionwise and Amazon

Murder By Mistake, book 1 in the Mollie Fenwick Mystery Series, available in paperback from Amazon

Murder For Kicks, book 2 in the Mollie Fenwick Mystery Series, available as an ebook from Red Rose Publishing, Fictionwise and Amazon

Framed In Fear, romantic suspense, available from Red Rose Publishing, Fictionwise and Amazon

Murder By Spook, book 3 in the Mollie Fenwick Mystery Series, in progress

Flight of the Hawk, a shape shifter paranormal novella written under the name Jaye Leyel.

 

HOT FIREMAN

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HOT FIREMAN  (Because I Can’t figure out how to add a video – click on the link HOT FIREMAN to the left to view an awesome video about firemen and women)

Sorry for my delayed post, I thought I had posted an entire article and realized that I had not saved it nor scheduled it to post.

Today I was going to do another round of editing but decided instead to talk about observing the world around us.  I recently went to a military ball with my BFF and her husband.  Let me just say…WOW.  From not being in the military or familiar with the ceremonious and regimented lifestyle it was a phenomenal experience.  The night of the ball I was in total sensory overload.  My friend thought I was quite and I was, but in my head there was all kind of chatter.  First, I watched the events unfold as a first time viewer.  Then I took in the events as an observer, seeing how people moved, how people reacted to one another, how men looked at women, women looked at men, men at men, women at women.  Lastly, I watched as a writer, forming words, sentences, scenes, settings, descriptions, and plots.

As a first time participant, it was great to sit back and watch.  A lot of these people already knew each other from life on base.  There is a sense of familiarity mixed in with the formality. I loved the presentation of colors, the MIA-POW table, and the saber archway. If you’ve never seen it life, it’s chill inducing.

Looking past the actual events, I watched the people interaction around me. This was no Hollywood glamorized version of a ball, women were not perfect, men were not studs, though there was a fair mix of the beautiful, they were ordinary people.  A General or a senator were average Joe when you met with them one on one, but when someone threw the switch they were powerful and foreboding – stiff.  I could see self-doubt in those similar to myself, not knowing what was right and what was wrong, afraid of making a mistake. Others were confident and exuberant – risk takers.

There was formal conversation, men of lesser rank addressed superiors as “Sir”.  The words rolled easily and fluidly from their mouths, without a thought or question.  Men of smaller rank from another branch of service even responded that formally, which was quite a surprise.  As a civilian I don’t care what rank someone is and am guilty of calling an army recruiter, Darlin’ so for someone from the Army to respond to someone of rank in the Air Force was impressive.

The magic in my writer’s brain was where the party was really taking place.  I would see a couple and immediately put together their story.  For Example:

A woman stood next to her husband with a look of adoration and pride on her lips. Her chestnut brown and blond streaked hair curled around her face.  She wore a gown the color of the sea, tight bodice, with a corseted back.  It hugged to her curves showing the slight curve of cleavage, the slight flare of her hips, as it clung to her body and finally flared at the knees, mermaid style to the ground.  By all accounts, she’d be considered beautiful, if it hadn’t been for the thick black horn rimmed glasses riding her nose.  The result of an eye infection, that didn’t allow her to hide her bad eyesight behind a contact lens.

Her husband was tall and thin, gangly.  He stood stiff beside his commanding officer. Dark red hair combed over his slightly balding head, chin drawn taunt by the set of his jaw.  He watched intently as the color guard presented the flag. The intense downward curve of his brow intense curved downward, honor written so plainly in his firmest eyes.

The woman slipped her petite hand through his and held only his last two fingers. A touch so intimate, he immediately responded by closing his fist around hers.  For just a moment, a fragment of a second, his eyes dropped to hers and a smile twitched at his lips.

I watched and I observed this moment and countless others. This is only a snippet of time, a study in characterization, if you will.  Next, I plotted, I wanted to know why she’d touched him.  What did he feel when he looked at her that made him smile?  I drew up stories and plausible incidents that would have either started or ended here.  I was writing them on the spot, dying for a pen and paper in which to give them a life on paper.

I am an observer.  I am a storyteller.  I am a dreamer.

How about you HerStoryCall’s readers?  Are you an observer or a participant?  Do you write on the fly?  Do you find inspiration in a single touch?

Until next week:

Toodles

Michelle

Lessons Learned

Posted in Editing, Fun, Writing by

What a great month with the Spring Cleaning Challenge!

I’ve edited half my story so far and while there are major plot points I need to redo and minor character enhancement, overall my story doesn’t blow chunks as I previously believed.

This month taught me so much more than I’d planned.

I learned that the skinny, beautiful perfectionist trapped inside my current frame doesn’t know half as much as she likes to believe. I learned laughter really is the best medicine and mixed with wine can do wonders.

No seriously. I learned I’m not perfect and while it’s hard to let go-it’s okay-I won’t die of embarrassment, anger or shame. I learned I can grow as long as I give myself the right to make mistakes, and then promptly forgive myself, on the way of enhancing my skills.

I learned nothing is quite as awful as you first judge. I learned I’m my biggest critic, but also my biggest fan.  I learned editing doesn’t have to be equivalent to poking my eye out with a fork anymore then walking two miles a day does.  I learned if you want results you have to be willing to do the work.  HARD WORK! (Perhaps outlines are on my horizon after all.)

But most of all, I learned the journey doesn’t have to be full of solitary pain, angst and avoidance.

Sharing my work here on HerStoryCalls with some great friends has been an extremely humbly and wonderful experience. Freeing. So thank you!

I hope you find/share the same enjoyment and pleasure in writing as I. May your words flow like meandering streams and your love hold with constant passion.

Seize your pen and write!

Sláinte my friends, you deserve it!