Need to giggle?

Super busy with editing and writing the Book Store Series, and entertaining my kid with all these snow days!! So I decided to just give you some random stuff I've found on the internet that will hopefully make you giggle or just think.


There are 18 different animal shapes in the Animal Crackers cookie zoo.

When glass breaks, the cracks move faster than 3,000 miles per hour. To photograph the event, a camera must shoot at a millionth of a second!

Cats can hear ultrasound.

Married men change their underwear twice as often as single men.

Percentage of bird species that are monogamous: 90. Percentage of mammal species that are monogamous: 3.

Armadillos can be housebroken.

Ants stretch when they wake up in the morning.

Slugs have 4 noses.

Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

In 2003, there were 86 days of below-freezing weather in Hell, Michigan.

Giraffes and rats can go longer without water than camels.

It is illegal to frown at cows in Bladworth, Saskatchewan.

There are 240 dots on an arcade Pac-Man game.

Every time you lick a stamp, you consume 1/10 of a calorie.

Carnivorous animals will not eat another animal that has been hit by a lightning strike.

Mr. Rogers was an ordained minister.




Okay, I'm all done for today. Back to work!!!
Thanks for stopping by!!

Book Review!

Today's book is a Stephen King classic. I don't read or watch much horror because, well, I'll be honest: I'm a scaredy-cat. But I definitely have a much easier time reading horror than watching it, so although I only read it in the light of day, it wasn't too bad to get through this book.

                                                                                                                                                                                                            

If you couldn't tell, this is a vampire novel. I'm a big fan of Stephen King, I think he's an excellent writer, even if he does scare the crap out of me. I actually have a stack of beautiful hardcover SK books that I haven't even read yet because I'm a "buck buck" (chicken). Published in 1975, it comes long after Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897), and gives a modernized perception of vampires. On the other hand, it also comes long before Stephanie Meyers' 2005 popular series Twilight, which I believe ridiculously romanticizes vampires and fuels teenage lust and angst. 

This story is set in a small town in Maine, where a man goes back to his hometown only to have the town become overrun by vampires. It's spooky, but well-written and I loved reading it. I learned a couple of fun facts about this book as I was researching for this post, and here's a couple of cool things about it:

-It was made into a TV series twice; once in 1979 and again in 2004.

-BBC made it a seven part radio series.

-'Salem's Lot is shortened from Jerusalem's Lot because the publishers thought it sounded too religious.

-There have been several different covers, I picked this one because it's the cover of the copy I own.

-The original title was Second Coming, but King changed it because his wife said it sounded too much like a bad smut novel title.

That's all for today guys! Thanks for stopping by!

A Movie About Writing A Book!

I know I already have written about the Harry Potter books and movies, but last week I had a rough night of insomnia so I browsed through my Amazon instant videos looking for something to get me through the night. I stumbled on this jewel, and I'm thankful I did.

This is basically the story of how J.K. Rowling went from being a single mom on public assistance to a billionaire author. It's sweet and heartwarming, and I think many writers will appreciate her process and watching someone else in the same place you've been; brainstorming, writing for countless hours, and balancing family with getting your words to paper. I think a major difference that can make us all appreciate technology a little more is that she typed the whole first Harry Potter on an old typewriter. Remember those? I sort of wish I had one. I used to when I was younger, and there's something really poetic and nostalgic about writing something that way.

Anywho, that's my post for today, see you guys tomorrow! Thanks for stopping by!

Using 'review' options when editing electronically

To begin, I should clarify that I use Microsoft Word 2007 when I'm editing, and I'm thinking most people use Word or have it on their computers. I apologize if this doesn't apply to you for whatever you use, but I'm just writing for what I know.

*side note: You may want to pop open Word to play with the options I'm talking about.

When I edit, I use the "Review" tab at the top of the screen. It has your basic spelling, grammar, research, thesaurus, etc. to the left, but the stuff in the middle and to the right are what I use the most. 

In the center there is a little icon that looks like a pad of sticky notes (Post-Its). This is labeled "New Comment" and is used to be able to type in notes about what you are reading without interfering with the text within the document. You highlight the text you're talking about, or near the text, and hit the "New Comment" button. A column will appear to the right of the body of text along with a little box (mine's red, but I don't know if that's what color everyone else's are). You can type anything in the box/bubble. For example, as an editor I will write notes about character inconsistencies, if I feel like a change I made needs an explanation I will put it there, or even if I want to put a little note about the story (ex: I like this part! or I want to live in this house!). As a writer, you can use the comment box to make notes to yourself so they're easier to spot later on when you go back. For example, if you can't decide what someone's name should be or what color their hair is, you can highlight what you wrote, then put your alternative ideas in the box. 

You can also easily browse through the comments in the same part of the tab above by clicking the "next" or "previous" buttons, or you can "delete" a comment if you're finished using it.

The other main button I use is the "Track Changes" button. This allows me to show (in red or blue) the author what changes I've made to their piece. That way they can keep track of what was their original work and what I've added/deleted/changed. 

I don't use the "Balloons" button, but it seems to control what is shown in the boxes/bubbles on the right side of the page with the comments. Like I said, I never use it so you'll have to play with it if you think you need to change anything with it.

Another section has to do with changes, I never use that either. If someone makes changes to your document, you can accept and reject their changes accordingly using this section.

There are two more sections called Compare and Protect. The compare button gives you the option to compare an original with an edited copy. There's also a "combine" option, that will combine all changes within the two compared documents.

I never use the Protect Document button either because I'm not working in a space that is compromised to outside people (I work in my house. My son can't read and my husband doesn't want to, so I'm good there unless the cat has talents I don't know about.) This button is just a way to password the document so it stays safe.

I saved these next two for last because most people won't have them and I went super silly giddy when I discovered them. One is called "Ink Comment" and the other is called "Start Inking". You may or may not know that my trusty old laptop died at the end of last year, November or so, and my new dream laptop became my Christmas/Birthday present. My new LT has a touchscreen. So why are these two buttons so exciting? I can write on documents with my stylus!! The Ink Comment button pops a box up to the right of the text, just like the regular New Comment button does. But I can write in the box that appears! And the Start Inking button allows me to edit an electronic document the same way I would a paper one: with a red pen. And if you've been following me, you probably know by now that red-penning is my favorite!

I know that wasn't a super-exciting post, but hopefully it'll give you some idea of how I electronically edit. Also, writers might be able to use the comments to help them out along the way.

I've been writing a lot today, pushing forward with the Book Store Series. I'm at about 12,600 words at this point with quite a bit of story left to go. I'm getting really excited about this, and the possibility that I might actually be able to become a published author too! So while you all get to wait impatiently (I hope!) for every Thursday's posts, I have to keep myself quiet until I publish each section! I hope you guys like it, and like I said yesterday, if you show me that you've been reading all along, I'll reward you at the end! (Possibly with a signed-before-it's-released copy of the finished book???? Who knows?)

See you guys next week, have an amazing weekend!
Thanks for stopping by!

The Book Store Series, Part 8

To save me time and a little frustration, on all following Book Store Series posts I'll only be linking to Part 1 and the part previous to the post. It's just a royal pain to put all the links in and if you start at the first one, you can easily click through the whole series because I have been trying to go back and update previous posts with the link to the next part. (Um, if that made sense. I only had about 3-4 solid hours of sleep last night, so that could all be mumbo jumbo!)

Part 1

Part 7

Now, enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------------

I vowed to avoid the bookstore for a week after that, feeling the space was necessary for all of us to process. But Milo came to visit me a few days after Theo and I had our big fight. I had just gotten home from work, thrown my hair in a messy ponytail and I was wearing sweats and a t-shirt. I heard the knock and peeked through the peephole when I got to the door. Milo’s face filled the little glass bubble, and I let out a heavy sigh. For a split second I considered playing possum, pretending I wasn’t home. But I knew I’d have to face Milo sooner or later, so I might as well get it over with. I opened the door wide.

“Hi,” I said. He stood awkwardly, turning and squeezing his winter gloves in his hands, avoiding any eye contact. “Well don’t just stand there, come in.” I waved my hand towards the living room and he stepped inside.

I closed the door behind him. He paused for a second, then turned to me. “I really don’t know what to say to you Lily. I had no idea about any of it.”

“Come on,” I said as I led the way towards the kitchen. Milo took off his coat and shoes, then sat in a chair at the dining room table. I went about making some hot chocolate. “So you know everything then? About Lillian and the adoption deal and all that?”

“I do now. I honestly thought you just looked like her. I see people who look a little like people I know all the time. I just thought you were mom’s doppelganger. It’s all so weird.”

I brought two cups of steaming cocoa to the table and set one in front of Milo. “What do we do about it? Does it change things?”

“I don’t think so. Our friendship happened naturally, if not awkwardly. We will get along, regardless of whether or not we’re related to each other. I don’t want it to change.”

“I don’t either…brother,” I said and kicked him under the table. “Wait, so does that mean we have all those years of beating on each other and teasing to catch up on?”

“Really? That’s what you’re taking from this? I thought we were doing a good job of that all along anyways.” He smiled and sipped his cocoa.

“How’s Theo doing?” I felt awkward asking, the anger still twitching on the surface of my skin. But if I wanted to keep the status quo of my relationship with Milo, I had to play nice. After all, it was his father. No. Our father. I erased that thought with a little shake of my head, filing it away for processing at a later time.

“He’s really upset. He feels awful about the whole thing. I’m not sure he ever thought he’d have to deal with this situation. He spends a lot of time at the store, long after we’re closed and before we’re open. Same as he did right after mom died. After... well, you know.” Milo wouldn’t look in my eyes. I could tell he felt ashamed for his dad’s actions.

“Milo, you can’t feel bad for something your dad did. Those were the choices he made, and none of us can change them. I am angry and hurt, but we’re talking about a decision made 25 years ago now.”

He nodded and said, “Times were different then. And how emotional dad must have been with mom taken away so suddenly. You sure seem to be taking this awfully well.”

“Yeah, that’s me; Logic Girl. Able to analyze any situation in the blink of an eye. Or at least over two or three days and a tub of ice cream.” I laughed at my divisive processing skills. The only way I could handle situations like these was if I tore them apart, bit by bit, and processed each detail individually. I guess that’s what made me a good accountant.

We were smiling, enjoying our cocoa, when we heard muted music. I Love This Bar by Toby Keith floated out of the pocket of my coat hanging near the door. Milo raised his eyebrows at me, but I ignored him; I was sure he’d give me a hard time about it later. I went to the coat rack and pulled my phone out, checking the screen. It read Sophie across it, and I answered.

“Hi Soph, what’s up?” I started walking back to the table, but Sophie’s voice stopped me in my tracks.

I could hear her crying on the other end. Through her sobs, she managed to tell me that she and Vin had gone to the bookstore. It was still closed, which was odd because Theo was supposed to open. Vin used his key to get in and they found a mess, but no Theo.

“I’ll be right there, Sophie, hang in there!” I put my phone in my pocket and got ready faster than I ever had, filling Milo in as I rushed him out the door.

There weren’t enough details, not enough pieces. I guess that’s why what happened next was so hard for me to handle.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Stay tuned! I might just do an editing post tomorrow since yesterday's post was so lame.

Thanks for stopping by!

**P.S. If you've been reading all along, please leave a comment on this post every week. Even if it just says "ME!", there may or may not be a reward at the end of all this for being loyal readers. ;-)

Busy Wednesday!

So a full day of play dates and appointments made it impossible to put together a good blog today.

The good news is that I've written out a great outline for most of the rest of the BSS (The Book Store Series). It should last me a couple of months at the rate it's going, and could possibly be a publishable piece by the time all is said and done. Who knows?

I've sent out some feelers for some editing projects. I'm booked for May, but I could use some projects sooner than that, and I would love that!

Sorry, I have a massive headache so I don't have a lot for today. Next installment of the Book Store Series tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!

Book review day!

A book I've had for years, and forgot all about! I've been digging through my library, finding all sorts of old gems-some I don't even remember reading, so the next few reviews might be oldies!

Two sisters meet for the first time...at their father's funeral. One sister born with the noble Lawson name, raised in the privileged life Mr. Lawson could afford. The other sister was born a Farr, the love child of a passionate night. Now both daughters want the inheritance; a rich Texas wealth of oil and horses. But is finding out who was their father's favorite more important to these two? 

Sometimes a good old southern chick fight is all you need to stay entertained. Just kidding! I like the storyline, and I think the writing was fluid. I have read this book several times, but it's been a little while. Maybe I'll read it again. I'll just put it at the end of that ever-growing list!

Thanks for stopping by!