Wednesday, May 31, 2006
This Month's Feature
 This month the Christian Blog Alliance is highlighting Kathryn Mackel's suspense, The Hidden.
Here is the synopsis:
"A dark ravine. A fiery death. An unimaginable secret. Some things are best left hidden. Grieving her son's death, psychiatrist Susan Stone returns home to Colorado to help her elderly father manage his horse-breeding business. After the botched delivery of a prized foal, Susan rides wildly into the mountains, seeking release from consuming guilt. Thrown from her horse, she tumbles into a dark ravine and makes a startling discovery--a young man, chained in the darkness. This novel will forever alter your perception of the darkness of evil and the light of forgiveness and hope." I've not had a chance to read it yet. I'm still plugging away on my deadline. But it is on my bedside table in my TBR stack. If you get to it before I do, let me know your thoughts!
posted by Deeanne at 12:49 PM
Monday, May 29, 2006
In The Eye of the Beholder
 My local critique group calls themselves LiT: Life in Translation and I am the new kid on the block. They had been meeting for two years when I started attending this past September.
At that time, two of their four were moving--one to Dallas and another to Missouri. Now, a third member, Allison Smythe, is also moving, leaving me and Mark Bertrand--one of the original four. Thursday was Allison's last meeting and I will miss her so much. She is an incredible talent, poet and friend.
In anticipation of her move, Allison, Mark and I and our spouses went out for a night of fun and fellowship. We started our sojourn at The Friends Meeting House, a quiet little building in the heart of Houston that opens up to the public once every week. They have a retractable section of their ceiling that they open at sunset. The visitors sit in wooden pews arranged in a square and watch as the sky turns from light-blue to royal-blue to midnight-blue to black.
What makes this experience so unique is that you are watching God's artwork through a frame. It's like hitting the zoom button on your computer and watching one little pixel of a gigantic film. Everything is magnified, intensified, enhanced: the nuances of a cloud as it moves and stretches across the sky, leaving tiny fragments of itself behind like puzzle pieces breaking away from the main picture. A single black bird winging past. A thin jet vapor far, far away slashing the atmosphere with its mark. The pink of the sunset gilding the western edges of the clouds.
But the most amazing thing was watching the sky darken one teeny shade at a time, until all was black. It was so magnificent. So beautiful. So awe-inspiring.
When it was time to head to dinner, we got into our separate cars. My heart was so full. My husband (the jock) shut my door, went around, got into the driver's seat and said, "I've done some stupid things in my life, but that's right up there at the top of the list."
I sat stunned for one horrified moment, before bursting into laughter. No matter how much I tried to explain to him the glory of what he had just witnessed, he would not be convinced.
He kept shaking his head. "Wait til I tell the boys at work about this."
Dinner with our friends was wonderful and included a piano man who asked for requests. And what does my jock request? Strangers in the Night. I started chuckling and the piano man asked me why I laughed. I confessed that Greg often sings it to me, but he does it in a goofy way that always makes me laugh.
So, in the middle of the song, he hollers to my husband: "Sing it to her!"
The problem is ... he only knows the first stanza. All the others, he makes up. So, he sang his two lines and then had to do the la-la-la-la thing. Mark & Laurie, Allison & Wayne were no help at all. They totally left him hanging. After some good natured ribbing, the piano man gave up on us.
It was one of those nights that resonates and is kept tucked in one's memory for safe keeping. The company was great, the conversation fun, the food yummy.
Goodbye, Allison. We shall miss you. Thank the Lord that you will only be a "mouse click" away.
posted by Deeanne at 9:21 AM
Friday, May 26, 2006
Last Day of School
 It's the last day of school here. And my 15-year-old's best friend will be spending it in surgery. Last night the boys gathered at a friend's house. They decided to take turns jumping out of a tree and onto a trampoline. I have to confess that it doesn't surprise me much. My kids have always been thrill seekers and have broken thirteen bones between them. Their friends are the same way. This time, though, it was my son's friend, Doug, who was hurt.
The branch he was on broke, and he fell. Thankfully, he still managed to fling himself onto the trampoline. I shudder to think what would have happened if he'd missed. As it was, the impact broke both shin bones in his left leg. It was a compound fracture (which is what they call a break where the bone is sticking out).
The ambulance came and took him to the hospital. For some reason the ER called in a spinal doctor. The doc took one look at Doug's leg and said, "I can't do this." So, he put the boy under and cleaned up all the denim and dirt that was imbedded inside his leg, then wrapped it up and put it in the splint.
The orthopedic surgeon will see Doug today around noon. And surgery will shortly follow that visit, I'm sure.
It will be a long, long summer for our friend. He's the drummer in our son's band and they were supposed to have had their first gig tonight. He was scheduled to get his driver's license next week, and a job after that. And, horror-of-horrors, he missed the opening midnight showing of X-Men III (which is where all the boys went once they saw Doug safely to the hospital).
I hope this makes a lasting impression on the boys. I hope they realize now how fragile their bodies are. This is Doug's third visit to the ER this school year. In November, he smashed in his face with his knee while on the trampoline. In April, he was bitten by a snake while the boys were playing "Capture the Flag" after dark in the woods. Then last night, this compound fracture. He's the sweetest thing, too. Quick to smile. Easy going. Helpful around the house.
My husband and I sat with his mom last night during the "clean up" procedure. She told us that the trampoline is "outta here." Now, we just hope the boys don't replace the trampoline with a mattress (which they've done before).
Hope you have a good and *safe* holiday weekend.
posted by Deeanne at 9:50 AM
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
American Idol Season Finale
 What is it about American Idol that is so appealing? I watched it faithfully when one of our local boys (Will Makar) was in the running. And it was the first time I ever participated in the voting. After that, my attendance was inconsistent ... until it narrowed to the top five.
It's a show that appeals to all walks of life and all ages. It's one of the few shows my teenagers and I both enjoy and can watch together. My hair dresser talks about these kids as if she knows them personally. The Starbucks cashier asked who I voted for last night. I saw an interview this weekend with Princes William & Harry. And guess what their favorite TV show is? Yep. American Idol. (Though they admit their favorite part is the auditions.)
For me, some of the appeal is the rags-to-riches scenario. Some of the appeal is that the viewer is an active participant. Some of the appeal is spending a season with these kids and watching them grow and achieve success. Some of the appeal is the wholesome factor in the show (no eatting maggots, no overtly sensual scenes, no going at each others' throats, etc.). Some of the appeal is sitting in the living room with my own teenagers twice a week for no other reason then because we want to.
It was amazing how much more invested in the outcome I was once I voted. I was so disappointed when Chris was not promoted. And excited when Taylor was.
I'd heard that more people vote for American Idol than the presidency. I don't know if that's true. And it's not really a fair comparision because you don't have to be registered to vote for AI, nor do you have to go to a voting booth to cast your opinion. Still, it's disconcerting.
Nevertheless, I (along with my teens) will be gathered around the tube this evening for the two hour season finale (Fox--8/7c). I tried to vote for Taylor last night, but the lines were busy for over an hour and then I got distracted and forgot.
What about you? Did you vote? Do you watch? Why?
posted by Deeanne at 9:33 AM
Monday, May 22, 2006
Barbaro
 It's been 28 years since a horse last won the Triple Crown (Affirmed, 1978). We've had some close calls with Funny Cide and Smarty Jones, but neither one was able to capture that coveted distinction. This year, however, three-year-old colt, Barbaro, looked as if he just might pull it off.
He had a 6-0 record, including a win at the Kentucky Derby by 6-1/2 lengths--the largest margin in 60 years. A win by him at Preakness this past weekend would set the stage for the 7th Triple Crown attempt in ten years.
I watched the Preakness this weekend with friends in the lounge of a hotel in Daytona (where I was attending a convention). Barbaro was spirted, feisty and raring to go before the race. He made a false start, was slowed and reloaded into the gate. Then ... they were off.
 After about 100 yards, Barbaro listed to the left, favoring his right hind leg. It took the jockey (Edgar Prado) another 100 to 200 yards to stop the horse. In reviewing the video tape, it appears Barbaro had improperly planted his right hind leg on the dirt track and broken his ankle. Then, he complicated that injury by shattering two more bones because he didn't want to stop running. When humans break something, we stop. Horses are not always so inclined.
One of the vetinary surgeons said, "It was like twisting an ankle at 40 mph."
Barbaro will never race again and his chances for survival are still only 50/50. Broken legs can lead to circulation problems and deadly diseases if horses can't distribute their weight onto all four legs. His surgery included insertions of a plate and 23 screws. It will be several weeks before we know if Barbaro is going to make it.
The race was won by Bernardini (jockey Javier Castellano). A bittersweet victory, I'm sure.
posted by Deeanne at 12:25 PM
Friday, May 19, 2006
Whoopee!
 Well, our oldest son graduated. I don't know who was more excited, him or us. But we sure are proud of him. He's decided to skip the whole college thing and go straight into the work force. So, we shall see what the future brings. For now, however, we are all basking in this huge milestone.
I'm off to Daytona. I'll check in with you when I get there and can establish an internet connection.
Until then, have a great weekend.
posted by Deeanne at 8:03 AM
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Only In Texas
 I went to a wedding this past weekend. It was a garden wedding. Beautiful weather. Beautiful setting. Beautiful bride. Handsome groom.
All was going as expected until the preacher asked the groom, "Do you promise to love, honor, cherish (and so on) your bride so long as you both shall live?"
The groom, in a pronounced Texas twang, said, "Yes, sir."
I about died. No I do. Just, Yes, sir. There was the merest hint of chuckling amongst the congregation. Nothing loud and obvious, but enough to know you weren't the only one both amused and touched.
The ceremony continued and when it came time for the vows, we all perked up. "Will you, Christopher So-and-so, take thee, Marisa So-and-so, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold (et. al.) ... from this day forward till death do you part?"
No hesitation by the groom whatsoever. "Yes, sir. I will."
Another scattering of chuckles. Another melting of my heart. I'm tellin' ya. I absolutely love these Texas men. They are without a doubt the most adorable creatures on earth.
God bless Texas--and don't be surprised if someday one of my characters says "Yes, sir" when speaking his vows. That is an opportunity that would be just too precious to pass up.
posted by Deeanne at 10:54 AM
Monday, May 15, 2006
Mother's Day
 We had a busy weekend with a wedding on Friday, prom on Saturday and a graduation party on Sunday. So, my Mother's Day gift--which was given to me in the evening after the kids got off of work--was a strawberry slushy and a pair of summer shoes. Just what I needed to sit back and relax.
R & R has been in short supply around here because I am trying to finish the first draft of Book #3. It is due (in polished form) to the publisher September 1st. (It comes out in stores summer of 2007.)
So, I had planned to have the first draft finished by May 30th. That would give me time to do revisions and polishing, then have some other writers give it a "read-through." They would then offer feedback on what worked, what didn't and what needs to be tweaked. Then, I'd do another revision and polish.
That process takes a couple of months at least (depending on how long it takes for the other writers to read the manuscript and give me feed back and then how much rewriting I need to do). Which is why the first draft needed to be finished by the end of this month. The bad news is ... that ain't gonna happen. I'm about a month behind and am working long hours in order to make even the pushed-back self-imposed due date (of June 30th).
On top of all that, there is a lot of extra duties that come with a new release--which I love doing, but it eats up a lot of time. There are radio & online interviews. There are speaking engagements/signings. There are conventions (of which I have 3 out-of-state). And there is the family vacation. All coming up before the September due date. (Not to mention the kids will be home in the summer and wanting attention and rides. And my husband still wants to know when I'm going to clean out the closet.)
All that to say, I'm going to cut my blog posts back to 3 times a week instead of 5 times a week. So, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday I'll put up a new post, but will continue to check back and comment all 5 days of the week. Does that make sense?
Hope that's all right.
Now ... tell me about your mother's day. I want to hear all about it.
posted by Deeanne at 12:54 PM
Friday, May 12, 2006
New and Improved
 Well, The Measure of a Lady has been released early. The publisher ships my author copies out the same time as they ship to the stores. I received my copies a few days ago, which means they'll start showing up in the stores any day now.
Who has them on the shelf first depends on the route the books take. Some stores use a distributor. So, Bethany House will send those orders to a distributor, who then logs them in and sends them out to the stores that were designated to receive them. Then, once they reach the stores, the box has to be opened, logged in, and shelved.
The independent stores who don't use distributors, receive the books direct from Bethany House. So, they will most likely be a jump ahead of those who have distributors. But you never know. The minute I say something like that, low and behold, they'll show up in a big chain somewhere.
The online bookstores that say it isn't available will receive their copies soon and will, therefore, be forwarding them to you as soon as they receive them. (I noticed CBD has Lady in stock and ready to go.) In any event, Lady should be available at your local store any day now. So ... be nice to the truck drivers, cause some of those trucks out there have my books in them!
In anticipation of Lady's release, we gave our website a face lift, so to speak. We added Lady to our home page. You can read an excerpt in our bookstore. You can play new games on our games page. And we've updated our press room. I also have delayed the newsletter until June 1st. So, if you haven't signed up for it, now would be a good time.
Have a great weekend!
posted by Deeanne at 11:32 AM
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
All Grown Up
Well, the puppies are big enough to leave the nest. Here is one last look:
This is Copper. The atheltic one. You should've seen his vertical. He has a great future in frisbee catching.
Here he is with his mama.
This is One-Eyed Jack. A big boy with a big appetite. His favorite subject in school was Recess.
  The black-and-white one below is the one we couldn't part with. Another healthy eater. We would put the puppies' dog food in a pan and set it in the yard. It was so cute to see them all come a-runnin' when that pan hit the ground. Our boy preferred a front row seat and always cleaned his plate. Two years later, he's still a piggly-wiggly. The vet has him on "lite" dog food. Hasn't helped.
His eyes eventually turned yellow like his mother's. Can you guess what we named him? Click here to vote.
posted by Deeanne at 11:14 AM
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
One Month Old
Look how much the puppies grew in just one month:
 
Amazing, eh? At this point they were walking, talking and out of control ... but, oh so cute!
We named the pup pictured below "One-Eyed Jack" (aka. Jack) because of the patch over just one eye. (Note their eyes are still blue at this age.)
For a chance to win and to guess the name of the black-and-white puppy, click here.
Tomorrow: Our puppies are all grown up.
posted by Deeanne at 12:51 PM
Monday, May 08, 2006
Pups Open Eyes
 Being a city girl, I kept trying to figure out which were the girls and which were the boys. They all looked the same to me and I knew that wasn't right. I ended up having to ask the Vet. Turns out they were all boys. Duh.
Anyway, we lost two pups within the first 48 hours--one red-and-white, one black-and-white. They simply refused to eat and failed to flourish. We did everything we could: bottle feeding, keeping warm, leaving with the Vet, everything. It just wasn't meant to be. So sad.
A couple of weeks after the birthing, the other three puppies opened their eyes. And I was lost. They all had blue eyes and were just the sweetest things you ever did see. Here's a picture of my best friend's daughter holding one of the red-and-white pups.
We ended up keeping the black-and-white one. If you want to guess what his name is, enter our contest.
Tomorrow, the pups at one month old.
posted by Deeanne at 11:53 AM
Friday, May 05, 2006
Puppies
 As per yesterday's flashback, our dog (alias Ginger) went into labor about 2:00am and delivered her first pup about 5:00am. I am a city girl and had never, ever assisted in anything like that before. The lady across the street from us lived on a farm once. In my eyes, that made her an expert. I woke my daughter up, sent her across the street in the wee hours and had her wake up the neighbor.
Three hours later we were the proud owners of five border collie puppies--three red-and-white, two black-and-white. (The dad was evidently black-and-white.) The kids were begging me to let them keep one. I stayed strong until they opened their eyes. Then, it was all over.
Monday: The puppies open their eyes.
posted by Deeanne at 11:38 AM
Thursday, May 04, 2006
New Contest
 Well, May's contest is up and it sparked quite a conversation in yesterday's comments. Those of you who follow my blog have got to love Barb. She's one of our regulars and she totally cracks me up. When I mentioned the next contests were going to ask you to guess the names of my dogs, her creative wheels immediately started turning.
In true Rumplestiltskin fashion, these were some of the ones she came up with:
- Sonny & Cher
- George & Gracie
- Nick & Jessica
- Fred & Ginger
- Bill & Gloria
- Samson & Delilah
- Ruth & Boaz
- Trigger & Trixie
- Simon & Schuster
And those were just a few. (See yesterday's comments for the unabridged version.) I so wish I'd had her suggestions before submitting my boring ones to the web designer. But alas, I didn't.
So, today I'll tell you a little bit about my babies (the four-legged ones, anyway). The kids (the two-legged ones) were begging for a dog and I did not want a puppy (aka. destroyers, pee-ers, diggers, biters, barkers, etc.). The only way I would acquiese was if the dog was at least a year old and had already been trained and I knew it had a sweet disposition.
I figured this would be the end of the discussion. I mean, if somebody had a dog like that, why would they give it up? I'll tell you why. Because they are a dog trainer and own 14 dogs and would love for you to take one off their hands for a handsome fee.
And that's just what happened. The red dog in the picture (we'll call her Ginger) was as sweet as they come, walked calmly on a leash, came when she was called, fetched like nobody's business and was (supposedly) potty trained. The Lord had answered my prayers (I'd been praying for a dog) as opposed to the answering the kids' prayers (they'd been praying for a puppy.)
When I went to pick Ginger up and take her home with me, the trainer said, "Oh, by the way she's been exposed."
Exposed? I thought. Dogs don't get chicken pox. I simply shrugged and went on my merry way with my sweet, calm wonderful dog ... who six weeks later bore five puppies. In my breakfast room. At five in the morning.
The Lord had answered the kids' prayers, too.
Tomorrow ... pictures of the puppies. Today ... enter the contest, because you now have the option of winning an autographed copy of Bride OR The Measure of a Lady! (I'll announce the winners of the last two contests next week. I know ... I'm alittle behind. Story of my life!)
posted by Deeanne at 12:14 PM
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Wireless
 I'm so proud of myself. I am trying to go totally wireless so that I can write from anywhere in the house. I have been slowly working toward that goal for several months now. First order of the day was to get a wireless internet connection. Did that. Then, I needed a wireless mouse because I hate using the mouse on the laptop. Did that.
Then, I needed an extra battery so that I didn't need to be attached to the wall when my laptop's battery ran out. Did that. Then, I needed to make the resource books I use most mobile so I didn't spend all my time getting up, going to the study, finding the book I needed, then piling it up on the floor beside me. Did that. (Bought a small bookshelf on wheels.)
The only thing left was the printer. I needed to be able to intermittenly print out the pages I was writing (they read differently on paper than they do on the computer--don't ask me why). And that was what I finally did last night. All by myself, with a screw driver and a little computer smarts, I installed a print server into my printer and connected it to my wireless router. I had to assign my printer an IP address, a default gateway, a hardware address and a print configuration. And, I did it without too much difficulty.
So, now I can hit the print button in my living room from my favorite chair ...
... from my bedroom on the settee ...
... from the backyard ...
... and even from my bed.
Of all those places, my favorite is the backyard (assuming it isn't too hot).  The only problem is how to get my rolling bookshelf out there. All we have are steps down to the deck. Do you think my man would build me a ramp? Would that be too much to ask, do you think? How much difficulty could a ramp be?
posted by Deeanne at 10:36 AM
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Catch-Up
 The posts this month are going to be short and sweet because everything I was supposed to do last month, didn't get done and now it is catch up time. I haven't written the quarterly newsletter, I haven't posted the contest winner for March. I haven't notified the contest winner for April. I haven't posted May's new contest. I haven't written so much as a page in weeks. I have interview questions that I need to respond to and send in. I have paperwork galore that is piled on my desk. And my husband wanted to know when I was going to clean out my side of the closet.
So ... I'd best get to it.
posted by Deeanne at 12:19 PM
Monday, May 01, 2006
Ta-Da!
Well, we did it, folks. Thanks to all your prayers and support, I finished my son's graduation scrapbook. It started with A is for Artwork (If you are having trouble seeing these teeny photos, right click on them and highlight "view image"):
 
The drawing on the right is the cover of a pamplet full of his artwork from preschool on up. (The scrapbook pages are 12x12, and my scanner isn't. So, I had to cut-and-paste these photos together. Sorry about that.)
Each page (well, double-page actually) represented a letter of the alphabet. It ended 26 pages later with Z is for "Zee" End:
 
We are going to put one of his senior portraits on the righthand page--they just haven't come in yet.
Then, when you turn the "Z" page over, the final page of the book looks like this:
The Scripture at the bottom says: When you seek Me you will find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart. Jer 29:13
I wrapped his scrapbook up and we surprised him with it at our family crawfish boil. We had cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, nieces, nephews, boyfriends and girlfriends. Here he is looking at it for the first time:
Here he is with his "little" sister:
Here I am with my man--the last to eat crawfish after the rest of us had our fill.
Now ... I think there's this book I'm suppose to be writing, so I better get to it!
posted by Deeanne at 1:13 PM
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