The Women Behind this Woman

This month, I am taking part in BlogHer's "Eye" daily blogging challenge to allow my readers to get to know me, to bare my soul if you will.

Today's prompt: Who is someone you wish you could see again?

My great-grandmother

I am torn between my maternal grandmother and great-grandmother. Both women were ahead of their time and intricate pieces of the puzzle that was to become my mother, and I was blessed to know both of them for many years. My great-grandmother, Antho Greer LeMaire, passed away when I was in my early 30s while my grandmother, Mazelle LeMaire Beach, passed away in my late 30s.

In this day and age, very few people get to know their grandmother for that many years, much less their great-grandmother. My children won't. Their great-grandmothers are all gone. They won't know them. That makes me so sad.

My grandmother

If I could see my grandmothers again, I'd have a list of questions a mile long. Questions I never thought to ask them before they left for their new journey. Just as importantly, I'd want them to spend time with my children and teach them the best of each of their generations, to teach them about true strength and character.

My great-grandmother was a Southern dame who never shied away from expressing her opinion. One day she told me she just might live forever. I knew if will alone could make it possible, she would do it. But I asked her why. "Heaven might not take me, and Hell isn't ready for the likes of me."

My grandmother was the backbone of my mother's family, one of the hardest working women I've ever known, outside of my mother--the daughter she influenced.

As a writer, I kick myself for the opportunity I missed to write down every word they ever said and extract words they never uttered.

The only thing I can do now to honor their memories is never miss the same opportunity with my own mother, and to make sure my kids know her like I knew the generations before me.

Speaking of the women in my life...

 

Wishing my mother, Angela Silverthorne, a Happy Birthday today! I am so blessed to have you in my life and my children's lives.

 

Who is someone you wish you could see again?

The Next Best Thing Teaser: ROW80 Update

The Next Big Thing...

Dreaming I was rocking the ROW!

What writer doesn't want to be the next big thing?

Although, I'd be happy with the next bitty thing, known in the reading and writing community but still able to lead a normal life day to day. To dream.

Thanks to Sandi Tuttle (an amazing blogger, writer, and supporter of writers), I was tagged today to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. Basically, I will answer ten questions about my newest WIP and tag five authors to do the same the following week. I will publish mine next Wednesday, and I'm looking for 5 of my writer friends to participate.

Please let me know if you are interested so I can include you in my post next week. You'd then have a week (to post on Wednesday, 9/26) to complete the ten questions and tag five more people. Check out Sandi's post to see how it's done, or even Jo Michaels' post here.

I am blessed to know a lot of writers, and I'm interested in what you are all writing about, so please leave your name below if you are interested in being tagged.

Looking through the questions made me really excited to get my WIP done and out there for readers.

*****

My A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) Update

Writing: Is it really Wednesday? If so, I lost Monday and Tuesday somewhere. If any of you see a few extra days laying around, please return them. I can't afford to lose any!

Editing: I'm happy to report I made progress in this area. Yesterday, I dropped in on Lauren Garafalo and Julie Jordan Scott for #teamsprinty #row80 (2Pm EST weekdays). I needed to get through some editing, and they kept me motivated. Thanks, gals!!

Reading: Still struggling a bit with Anne Lamott's Blue Shoe. This is what happens when I go in with very high expectations.

Social Media: My head's still under water, but I'm determined to come up quickly for air and make some progress!

Blogging: Several subjects came up that kept me away from the BlogHer "eye" prompts, but I have been blogging daily. Actually, this week I've also blogged daily on Mom in Love with Fiction, my review blog.

I hope my fellow ROW80 writers are achieving their goals and cranking out words!

Let us Not Forget

September 11, 2001. A day few will forget.

Today, I went to a special flag raising ceremony at my daughter's middle school. It dawned on me that none of the kids there really remember September 11. They may have seen images or studied about it, but they don't remember the feelings they had that day.

I do.

The main speaker, a representative from our local American Legion, said he would never forget 9/11, just like he would never forget John F. Kennedy's assassination, the Cuban missile crisis, and even Pearl Harbor. I realized I "see" those events like my daughters will see 9/11... a series of pictures with a history lesson.

It shows you the difference between experiencing something and studying it. This really made an impression on me today.

From the 9/11 Memorial Website...

We shall never forget
We shall keep this day,
We shall keep the events and the tears
In our minds, our memory and our hearts
and take them with us as we carry on.

Source

A Conversation with my Daughter

Today will be a short post, because I spent most of my day in manic productivity. I wish I could say all of that energy resulted in words, but I did make progress there, too. And I cleared up my calendar for some serious writing tomorrow.

I was cruising through the to-do list, when I had to stop at 2:45pm for my middle daughter's weekly allergy shot, followed by my oldest daughter's first karate lesson (something she announced she wanted to do last week), pick up my baby from a play date, run through McDonald's for dinner, then take my middle daughter to her first of three swim practices this week. In the few minutes in between, we squeezed in homework and chore assignments.

On the way home from swim, my daughter (DD2) asked me how it felt to be a writer. My kids rarely ask me about writing. If anything, I think they wish they didn't have an editor/writer for a mom, because I red ink all their first draft writing assignments.

I told her I loved writing, because it gave me a way to process the world. It just came out, and it felt like the right answer. She's not old enough to read my book just yet, and she's my only daughter I have to force a timer on to do her nightly reading requirement.

It felt like the right time to find out why she didn't like reading...

Me: Why don't you like reading?
DD2: When I don't like a book, I find it so hard to get through. But when I really love a book, I go even slower.

It took me a moment to digest what she said.

Me: Why do you think that is?
DD2: Because I want to savor it.

Now, that doesn't sound like someone who doesn't like to read. Just someone frustrated by how long it takes to get through that really great book. I'm such a book nerd that I truly wanted to cry.

I'm sharing this, because I found it really inspiring. Learning new and unexpected things about my children always brings a smile to my face. Discovering that she really did love to read. Priceless.

Book Focus Groups: ROW80 Update

Have you ever participated in a focus group?

You know the kind I'm talking about. One of those "try this yogurt and tell me what you really think" groups where they pay you to try several yogurts and give your honest opinion.

Or, have you heard about the test groups that get blamed for movies getting a new ending? (By the way, how do you get in one of those? There's a group I'd be interested in.)

I've decided it would be interesting to have a blind focus group for my book's rough draft. People who don't know me, or any other books I've written. I know, what about beta readers? Yep, I want them as well. But, I also think a group of "blind" readers (chosen of course based on my target audience for age and genre) would be beneficial. Especially with a list of questions...

1) Who is your favorite character and why?
2) Which character do you not like and why?
3) What do you think of the ending?
4) At what page did you feel the story grabbed you?
5) Was there a "lull" at any point in the book?
6) What was the most memorable section of story?

I wonder why we don't hear of this kind of group, especially in the big publishing houses. A book that comes out with a "test audience recommendation." Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't be thrilled about rewriting an ending or a character, but if enough people had the same feedback, it would be worth it.

Thoughts?

*****

My A Round of Words in 80 Days (ROW80) Update

Writing: Slow and steady wins the race, right? I'm keeping with my time commitment, but it's not producing as many words as I would like. I'm sticking to it, and I hope the structure will encourage the words to flow.

Editing: Just like with reading, I find it hardest to get started on a new story. There's so much to learn about a new book, you really know little to nothing about characters, story, setting, etc. I find it hard to get my head into it at first. But, I finished up one project last week and finished a first edit on another... one I'm so excited to see come out!

Reading: I'm currently reading Anne Lamott's Blue Shoe. I was excited to read another Lamott after reading and enjoying her craft book, Bird by Bird. I'm finding the slow start a bit rough, but I trust Lamott enough to keep going. I wonder, though, if I had no relationship with this author, would I continue? Hmmm. If I was reading it in a blind test group...

Social Media: Did better the last few days, but I'm still trying to claw my way out of a very deep hole. Part of my problem, I feel the need to comment so people know I was there, but that takes a lot more effort than simply reading a post.

Blogging: So far, I'm keeping with the BlogHer daily challenge. 9 days and counting.

I hope all my ROW80 buds are doing well!

Grammar: Short and Sweet Saturdays

Saturdays are for family and catching up, so I've decided to make them Short and Sweet Saturdays here. Mostly I will share quick thoughts or questions based on a quote, graphic, or picture.

Today's...

 

I hate when people use irregardless (it's a double negative). It's not a word! Let's all agree to get the word out about this sensitive topic. Obviously, the "like to cast your vote" won't work here (it was originally published on Facebook), but feel free to show your support by saying Like in the comments below.

 

If you haven't visited Grammarly.com, please do. It's made for people with OGD (Obsessive Grammar Disorder) like me!

Yellowstone National Park: Fascinating Facts Friday

It's Fascinating Facts Friday. Feel free to let yourself get a bit giddy.

Since I'm participating in BlogHer's "eye" challenge, I wanted to also incorporate today's prompt: What is the coolest thing you ever saw?

I'll admit, the first thing that came to my mind was seeing my first baby come into the world. But, multitasker that I am, my next thought was Yellowstone National Park. Truly, it is the most beautiful place I've seen so far. But, just as importantly, part of my Young Adult WIP is set there, so consider this research.

Our Yellowstone trip 2010

Yellowstone National Park

- The park experiences 2,000 earthquakes per year. It's no wonder with its 10,000 thermal features and 300 active geysers.

- It is home to two endangered species: the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) and the Whooping Crane (Grus americana).

- Did you know that the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park area is roughly half the size of New Zealand and covers more than 2.2 million acres?

- Yellowstone National Park has the largest concentration of free roaming wildlife in all of the lower 48 states. (We took the picture of the buffalo above as he walked next to our car on the main road.)

- A grizzly bear will eat about 35 pounds of food in a given day. In August 2012, a man was killed by a grizzly in the park.

- Yellowstone National Park has 5 park entrances, 466 miles of roads, 950 miles of backcountry trails, 97 trailheads, and 287 backcountry campsites.

Note: It sure would be easy to lose someone to suspicious circumstances in such an area. Just saying.

- Yellowstone was the world's first national park. It was established by Congress and President Grant in 1872. Most of Yellowstone (96%) is in Wyoming, but parts extend into Montana and Idaho. The park is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined. Its elevation ranges from 5,282 feet to 11,358 feet (at Eagle Peak.) About 80% of the park is forested. (Source)

- Yellowstone has its own Grand Canyon, called the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. (That's my dad in the picture above.)

And just for a bit of fun, a picture of me, my husband, and our three girls during our 2010 Yellowstone trip (although the picture was taken at the Tetons).

For my writer friends... if you use a real city in one of your novels, do you visit it in addition to other types of research about the area?