How do you organize?

24 Feb

A lot of people have been talking about how they like to read lately–eBook or paper? Piles of books scattered everywhere, or organized shelves?

Personally, I do love eBooks!  My Nook had me sold from day one.  That being said, there are still books that I absolutely must have in a hard copy:

  1. Reference books, such as writing books
    When I was in school, I tried getting eBooks.  Thank goodness for the trial period, because I ended up with the hard copy every time.  Same with writing books.  I am addicted to my highlighter, and I find it easier to do by hand than on my eReader.  I also tend to write a lot of notes in the margins and mark things with Post-it flags.  I know most eReaders allow you to do this, too, but this is one time where I feel the technology does not make life easier.
  2. Books I absolutely love
    I usually buy new fiction for my Nook.  I like having my entire to be read list with me wherever I am.  That being said, if I read a book and know it is something that I am going to read over and over, I need it in both format.  This goes both ways–if I read a hard copy book and fall in love, I will grab the eBook, too.  Needless to say, I have quite a few books in both formats.  :-)
  3. Classics–books I want to be able to pass on to my children
    I have a lot of classics on my shelves.  I started my collection years ago, and always said I would one day pass them on to my children.  At this point, I have too many to start over, and I am too compulsive to have them in two different formats. This leads me to…
  4. Books in series
    I need to have all of the books in a series in the same format.  My grandmother will often buy books, read them, and then pass them on to me.  If she gives me book one of a trilogy, I will buy 2 and 3 in hard copy, too.

Having similar book in the same format is not the only way I am compulsive with my books.  I have certain ways I organize them, depending on what type of books they are.  I have three different sets of bookshelves in my house–fiction, non-fiction, and TBR (to be read).  Fiction books are arranged alphabetically by author, and are on shelves in our sunroom.  Non-fiction are arranged by topic, and are on the built-in shelves in the office.  My TBR books are in the living room, organized by genre, then alphabetically by author.

My Nook is the same way.  I have created two shelves for each genre–those on the TBR list and those I have read.  When I finish a book, I immediately move it from the TRB list to the Read list.  Then, when I want to read something new, I just have to go to the shelf for the genre I am in the mood for, and I can see all the books I have already purchased but not yet read.  (I warned you I was compulsive!) :-)

Earlier today, I came across this video that was inspired by a couple that was organizing their bookshelves.  I have to say, it looks like they are having a whole lot more fun than I am while organizing their shelves! :-)

So, where do you fall? Are you a fan of eBooks or paper–or a bit of each? Do you keep your books organized, or do you prefer having them lying around wherever you are? Did that video make you want to organize your books by color, too? ;-)

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Spring is Springing?

22 Feb

The last two years have been odd to say the least.  Last year the Northeast had record-breaking snows and spring seemed like it would never arrive.  As of Easter, my tulips and Daffodils had barely began to sprout.

This winter, we had another record-breaking snow storm–in October.  Since then? Nothing.  We are looking at a few days with temperatures in the 60s this week.

I have heard a lot of people complaining; they’re missing the cold weather and snow of a typical Northeastern winter.  Me? I have honestly been thrilled.  I am just not a winter person.

Thank being said, even I was a bit shocked when I walked outside yesterday and saw this:

Yup, that’s right.  Sprouts.  Throughout our gardens, there are tulips and daffodils spring to life, months earlier than last year.

Maybe it is Mother Nature’s way of paying us back for last year’s non-existent spring.  All I know is, if this keeps up, I will have flowers for Easter this year.  :-)

Have you had an abnormally warm winter this year, or are you in an area that has been getting all of our cold weather?  Have you seen any early signs that spring is coming? What is your favorite part of the warmer weather months?  (For me, it’s baseball and beaches!) :-)

It’s almost that time!! :-)

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Cute Dog Alert: Don’t Stop Jumping

20 Feb

Do you ever feel Tessie, the dog in this video–like you are jumping around, trying to keep up with what’s going on around you?

     Seriously, isn’t this dog adorable?

I’m sure we have all felt like this at some time or another, regardless of what our goals are.

Like most of my fellow WANA112ers, I have been feeling like this for a few weeks.  (For those that aren’t familiar, WANA is Kristen Lamb’s blogging class–highly recommended for any writers out there!) We all seem to be in information overload, struggling to balance all we covered in this class with families, day jobs, and, oh yeah, writing. ;-)

Fortunately, like Tessie, we all just keep jumping, confident that we will eventually get what we are striving for–while making some awesome new friends in the process.  :-)

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed?  How do you force yourself to just keep leaping toward your goals?

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A New Take on Sexy

15 Feb

My husband was home sick on Monday, having got the flu from me (an early Valentine’s Day gift ;-)   ).  He got a burst of energy after taking some cold medicine, and was walking around the house, trying to dance, singing LMFAO‘s I’m Sexy and I Know It.  It went something like this:

I’m se…*coughing fit* …xy and I *coughing fit* it.

It kind of lost the effect.  ;-) Ten minutes later, he was sound asleep on the sofa and I was cruising YouTube.

So, I couldn’t help but laugh when I came across this video on Monday:

OK, I don’t have kids (yet), but I did love Sesame Street when I was a kid.  I thought Big Bird was my best friend.  My husband and my brother both preferred Cookie Monster. Most people seem to have a favorite character, whether from their own childhood or from that of their children or grandchildren–my Grandma is with me on team Big Bird. :-)

Did you have a favorite Sesame Street character? Other favorites from childhood? (I loved Strawberry Shortcake.)  Are you disappointed that I didn’t get a video of my husband’s rather unsexy performance? ;-)

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More Creative Than Me…

10 Feb

I have been sick all week (stupid flu), so I am running way behind on pretty much everything.   While I am finally starting to feel better, I just couldn’t come up with any creative blog posts this morning.  Rather than skipping this post entirely, I figured I would share some of the awesome posts that kept me entertained as I spent the week curled up on the sofa, written by writers who are much more creative than I am feeling right this moment.  :-)

Emmie Mears write a great post on her worried about the changes in the publishing and the closure of physical bookstores in “‘Book on Shelf’ and the Evaporating Dream“.

Erica Miles wrote about her journey as a writer and some of the great books that helped her along the way in “The First Novel I Wrote Was Genius. Not.“

Be sure to check out Shay Fabbro’s “Camp HOPE: Giving HOPE to Kids” to see how you can help out a great cause for kids in need.

Last week, my very first writing buddy, Karen DeLabar, wrote a great post about overcoming doubt–complete with a video of her snowboarding down the mountain.  :-) Check out “It’s All Downhill From Here“

My guest blogger from last week, Julie Kenner, posted an awesome video about a disgruntled writer.  Check out “Dead In The Room – How not to pitch. Then again…“

Finally, for a little fun, you have to read Kristen Lamb’s hilarious poem, “Twas the Night Before Valentines.” and Liv Rancourt’s awesome “Friday Fun” video.  :-)

What were some of your favorite posts this week?  Funny? Moving? Leave them in the comments.  :-)

Related articles

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Out and About with Liv Rancourt

9 Feb

Hi, all! I am out and about today, visiting an awesome WANA classmate,  Liv Rancourt, on her blog.  I am talking about my favorite places to read.  Come check it out, and weigh in on your favorites.  :-)

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Guest Post by Marianne Hansen: Do You Shop to Look the Part?

8 Feb

Hi! I am excited to have Marianne Hansen, another awesome writer friend, here as my guest today!

In one of the Shopaholic books, there is a scene where the main character tries to pass herself off as an experienced horseback rider.  In order to do this, she buys a brand new riding outfit.  If she looked like she fit the part, she figured that would make all the difference.

I think the reader is supposed to laugh at this scene and think how silly she is thinking that clothes will be able to hide the fact she can’t ride once she is actually on the horse. When I read this, I thought:

“I wonder if this would work?”

I tried it with mountain biking – I own padded shorts- but I have to find babysitters to go and I think that hampers me more than anything else.

Where I really try this is with my writing.

I have a new desk.  I have new paper clips that are in funky, awesome shapes like t-shirts and lips.  I have a fountain pen from Lamy.  I have a black notebook from Surrey International Writer’s Conference (I will never be able to use this at SIWC, though, because I think if I bring it, I will look like I am trying too hard.  I am trying too hard, but I’m going for the not trying too hard look.  Much harder to achieve.  Especially the hair.)

                            My paperclips are better than your paperclips

I even have a sweater with leather patches on the elbows and my study in the new house will have a fireplace.  I will look like a writer!  I even have a MacBook which is obviously more stylish than a PC.  Especially if I get that cover I want.

But none of this means that I am sitting down every day and writing, like a writer actually does.  It means I procrastinate by buying everything I need to actually write without doing it.

But I will look so GOOD when I finally do.

Thank you so much, Marianne! I have to admit, I do the same thing–look for the perfect writing outfit, notebooks, and funky-colored highlighters.  :-)

What about you–do you find yourself shopping for the perfect outfit for writing (or anything else)? Do you have any other “must have” items? Are you as jealous as I am of those paperclips? ;-)

To find out more about Marianne, visit her blog, find her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

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A Few Of My Favorite Things

3 Feb

I love my family, and their endless support of my writing goals.  For Christmas this year, I was thrilled to get the enrolment fees for two classes I had been hoping to take – Kristen Lamb‘s Blogging to Build Brand (aka WANA) and Bob Mayer‘s Write It Forward. (Thanks, Mom & Dad!) :-)

I am learning so much in both classes, but I am also meeting a lot of wonderful writers.  On Wednesday, I was lucky to feature one of my fellow WANA classmates, Julie Kenner, as a guest blogger.  Today, I am being featured on my new friend and WANA classmate Ellen Gregory‘s blog, talking about some of my favorites in the reading world.  Take a moment and check it out here.

While I am on the topic of favorites, I thought I would point out that I recently added links to some of my favorite blogs in the links section in my footer, below (Awesome Writer Friends and Some Of My Favorite Sites).  Since there are too many to show them all at once, feel free to check back often for more links (I have a whole list entered, so they should be different every time.) :-)

What are some of your favorite sites out there is cyber-world?  Any amazing sites I am missing?

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Guest Post by Julie Kenner: The Genetic Link to Telling a Good Story

1 Feb

Hi Friends! I am excited to bring you an awesome guest post by bestselling author Julie Kenner! Check it out:

I’m a writer (can I hear a “duh” from the blogverse?) and so I know all about embellishing to make a story better, stronger, faster. But it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized that embellishment thing had a bit of a genetic component.

Yes, whatever ability I may have to spin a good yarn came from my grandmother.

I blogged about Grandma recently (anyone else been stranded in Stockholm while traveling with a grandparent? Show of hands, please) and there are definitely more potential stories out there. So let’s call her by her name, shall we? Ebby. Yup, I got oodles of genetic material from Ebby, including the fact that my chin is slightly off center.

But I digress.

About that embellishment thing…

My parents used to work for NASA (I’m not embellishing that). My mom was a secretary, and my dad an aeronautical engineer. They worked out of the Mountainview, California location (remember that—it’s a clue) and I was born there (Mountainview, not NASA) and lived there until I was about 18 months old when my parents moved back to Texas. At that time, my dad left NASA for a private sector job in Austin.

In case you don’t know, NASA has offices in multiple locations, but I think it’s fair to say its main one is in Texas. But in Houston, not Austin.

So that’s the set-up. Here’s the story: Grandma Ebby was rightfully proud of her son, the aeronautical engineer. My dad’s a smart guy, with lots of patents on gizmoes and gadgets he’s invented. Cool stuff that I don’t understand, but will nod and pretend to get. But in addition to that pride, Grandma also (rightfully in my mind) thought that his tenure at NASA was supercool. And on top of THAT, she thought that his relationship with Al Bean, one of the Apollo astronauts who walked on the moon, was even cooler. Bean and my dad, you see, went to high school together. (That’s fact, not embellishment, unless I’m confusing my astronauts, in which case it’s a mistake, not embellishment, but I’m pretty sure I’m right since Bean is the same age as my dad and also from Ft. Worth. But, again, I digress).

For years and years, Grandma Ebby would tell me over and over again — in the way that grandparents repeat stories that you’ve heard a dozen times— that Al Bean used to babysit me. I repeated the story, sharing it with friends, thinking how cool it was that an astronaut babysat me. I mean, I’m right, yes? That’s pretty cool!

Except there were those clues: I wasn’t around when Daddy and Bean would have been hanging together. I came waaaaay after those high school years. And when Daddy worked at NASA, Bean would have been in Houston. And when Daddy was in Austin, Bean might have been passing through the state capital, but why would he pop over and visit us? Especially since the story was always about how he babysat me as a baby. As in changed my diapers. (An astronaut changing my diapers? See, the story’s even cooler!)

Except it was all bunk.

Fabrication.

Fluff and phooey.

How do I know? Because a few years after my grandmother passed away I mentioned it to my dad. Something about how I always loved that story and wasn’t it cool that Bean babysat me?

My dad’s response? A long, blank stare.

And then the crushing truth: He knows Bean. Bean and he went to high school together. Bean’s as nice a guy as you’d ever meet. But no, he never babysat me.

And he certainly never changed my diapers.

Which is a shame…because it makes one heck of a good story.

Thank you so much Julie! If you would like to know more about Julie, you can find her on Twitter, Facebook, or on her blog.  :-)

About Julie: Praised by Publishers Weekly as an author with a “flair for dialogue and eccentric characterizations,” bestselling author Julie Kenner’s books have hit lists as varied as USA Today, Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, and Locus Magazine. Julie is also a two-time RITA finalist, the winner of Romantic Times’ Reviewer’s Choice Award for Best Contemporary Paranormal of 2001, the winner of the Reviewers International Organization’s award for best romantic suspense of 2004 and best paranormal of 2005, and the winner of the National Readers’ Choice Award for best mainstream book of 2005. She writes a range of stories including sexy and quirky romances, young adult novels, chick lit suspense and paranormal mommy lit. Her foray into the latter, Carpe Demon: Adventures of a Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom, was selected as a Booksense Summer Paperback Pick for 2005, was a Target Breakout Book, was a Barnes & Noble Number One SFF/Fantasy bestseller for seven weeks, and is in development as a feature film with 1492 Pictures. Julie also writes dark and sexy paranormal romances as J.K. Beck. Julie lives in Central Texas, with her husband, two daughters, and several cats.

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Finding Inspiration in the Oddest Places

27 Jan

I love to cook, which is good.  If we left the cooking up to my husband (who I lovingly refer to as Pookie), food poising may be a regular part of our lives.   He is known to try to surprise me with a meal every now and then.  His problem–he is so afraid of burning things that he tend to undercook them.  Let me tell you, French toast with cold egg runs out when you cut into it is not the best breakfast (although the thought was beyond sweet!)

In his defense, he has gotten a lot better in recent years since he discovered the joys of a digital thermometer.  Still, 99% of the cooking falls on me.

In spite of not cooking, Pookie loves the food network (if a recipe looks good, I will get a random email with the recipe). :-) He kept hearing how solid dishes, especially white, help to showcase the food.  So, he decided that we needed white dishes. (We got our old dishes the first Christmas we were together, in 2000.  We were only 22, and let our parents pick everything out.  While what they picked was nice, as we found our own style they really didn’t fit.  )

Arround the same time, I was hitting the point where I was getting bored with cooking. Still, we were both thrilled to find a  beautiful set of all-white dishes under my mother-in-laws tree last month.  All of a sudden, I wanted to go home and cook (although I figured it would be rude to take my dishes and run without staying to visit for a while).

Even though the new dishes are for serving, not cooking, they made cooking fun again.  I loved putting everything together, making a pretty presentation for whoever was going to eat it.  I fell in love all over again. :-)   Here are a few of the meals I have made:

Leftovers from Christmas Eve dinner (braised short ribs, salad, and

a couple bites of tiramisu and cannoli.  

Homemade Beef Stew

Up Close. :-)

My go-to upset tummy meal–spaghetti with grated Parmesan

cheese and basil (and, in this case, a touch of  a balsamic reduction,

just to make it pretty). :-)  

Breakfast sandwich and fruit

Even Campbell’s soup and a salad look pretty! :-)

What did I learn? I learned that a little change can completely revitalize my inspiration.  A few new dishes were much less expensive than a new kitchen or regular trips to restaurants, yet this one change was enough to change my outlook.  :-)

Have you made any little changes in your life that have had a big impact?  Are you a cook, or do you prefer to leave it to someone else?  And do you have any awesome recipes that would look pretty in my new dishes? ;-)

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