Why We Need Friends

      Two things happened recently that made me realize--for the millionth time this month--how important friends are.

      I was reading a post by Linda O'Connell. She mentioned thinking her father worked for the WCC. Immediately, it brought to mind a summer I worked for the YCC, and shazam! I had a story to tell that had been buried for several decades.

      Writers need each other. We can't write in a vacuum. We need our friends' eyes, we need our friends' feedback, we need our friends' shoulders...

Linda O'Connell, St. Louis' Chicken Soup Queen

     And then a few weeks ago, our dumb-as-dirt-but-sweet-as-sugar Golden Retriever had made a mess of himself with his tongue. Some hotspots meant Foley would have to wear the "cone of shame," and he did...until Lisa Ricard Claro suggested a Boo Boo Loon. It keeps the dog from getting to stitches/hotspots but does not obstruct their view or hinder their hearing. (It also serves as a pillow when they sleep.) My husband, who spares no expense when it comes to Prince Foley, ordered a Boo Boo Loon for him; our dog is much happier now.

     "Thank god you came along, Lisa," barked Foley.

 

     What was something a friend of yours did for you recently?

  

Headin' to the Abbey

       I will be absent from the blogosphere for the next three days. (Try to refrain from sobbing for too long.) A friend and I go to Conception Abbey every year for a writing retreat. It's run by Benedictine monks and is located in northern Missouri.

        Three days without television or internet. Three days without distractions. Three days of quiet.

       I am working on a longish piece and will be sharing it with a critique group at the retreat. Although it's not finished, this will be the first chance for someone to say, "It's a steaming pile of poop." (If they do think it's crappy, I hope they see something redeeming in it so I can salvage something.)

      What is your favorite place to write/think/de-stress?

      And please, check my guest post out on The Muffin. After reading it, you might revel in your rejection...

Now There is Light!

Our part of St. Louis lost power on Friday evening, a little before nine. Tonight (Monday), a few minutes after nine, we regained power. Many people had a great deal of property damage; thankfully, I don't think a life was lost because of these tornadoes that dropped in for a visit. I figure, houses and cars can be replaced; loved ones can't.

 

On Thursday I went to see Khaled Hosseini, the author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns and now his most recent novel, And the Mountains Echoed.  His second book, Suns, is one of my all-time favorite books.

 

 

This is Khaled Hosseini signing his book.

This is the cover of his newest novel. Before the story begins, Hosseini includes a 13th century
quote from Jelaluddin Rumi. It could have been written yesterday. It is, "Out beyond ideas of
wrongdoing and rightdoing,there is a field. I'll meet you there." Brilliant! 

     He gave the audience some helpful hints. If you want to be a three-time best-selling author like he is, do this:

• become a political refugee
• come to a country where you don't know anyone
• learn a foreign language
• get into a profession (like medicine) that takes 10 years of school (Hosseini is a doctor and has lived in the U.S. since 1980) and then work on writing a book

     When asked what his writing day was like, he offered this golden nugget:

"I take my kids to school, I sit at my computer and hope something happens." (That's what all writers do...we hope something magical happens...)

       The woman who interviewed him asked a few silly questions. One of them was, "Why don't your stories have happy endings?" He responded as kindly as he could. (This ain't a Disney movie. These are stories about real life.)

      I finished the book this morning. (I read it by flashlight for the past couple of nights.) It did not disappoint...

The Kind of Sugar That's Calorie-Free

 

 

 

 

Lynn Obermoeller got this award, and then passed on the award to some of her blogging friends, which ended up being all of my blogging friends, so I'm going to have to find some strangers on the street to give this award to.  (Thank you, Lynn.)

 

The Rules:

• Thank the Super Sweet Blogger that nominated you.
• Answer five Super Sweet questions.
• Include the Super Sweet Blogging award image in your blog post.
• Nominate a baker’s dozen (13) other bloggers.
• Notify your nominees on their blog.

The 5 Super Sweet Questions:

1. Cookies or Cake? – Cake, with lots of frosting. 
2. Chocolate or Vanilla? – You mean there's another flavor besides chocolate? Are you sure?
3. Favorite Sweet Treat? – I have many favorites. Fudge. Chocolate nut heaps (a family recipe cookie). Ted Drewes' hot fudge macadamia sundae. I could go on and on and on... 
4. When do you crave sweet things the most? – I am an equal opportunity addict. I eat to celebrate, I eat to wallow. I eat when I'm bored, I eat when I'm stressed. It's always dessert time somewhere in the world...
5. Sweet Nick Name? – Suzy-Q, which coincidentally is the name of a chocolate, cream-filled snack cake...

    Okay, I can count, but I couldn't stand on the street corner any longer in order to get 13 names of bloggers. The police kept circling around, thinking I was hooking for dry-erase markers, so I am a little shy of a "baker's dozen," but here goes:

 

Kim

Shay

Pat

Katie Gates

Cathy C. Hall

Jennifer Brown Banks

Lisa Ricard Claro

Mary

Janel
Pat Wahler
Kathy and Her Kampground


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Canine Channel

         We don't usually get satellite/cable channels, but now, we do...courtesy of our dog Foley.

         We now have our own furry, four-legged satellite dish. Point him in one direction, and you get HBO. You want Showtime? Shift him into another direction. Oh, you're in the mood for a little wife-murdering-her-no-good-husband? Turn Foley this way for the Lifetime Movie Network...

         Foley has two hot spots--places he's licked raw--so he now has to wear the  Cone of Shame until those spots heal.

     And in case you're thinking that the cone of shame has sucked up some of his precious brain cells (and you've jumped to the conclusion he's not the smartest dog, which would make you correct), if you're concerned that he's depressed because of this new accessory he's sporting, forgeddabowdit. This is Foley's normal facial expression...

     As Foley travels from spot to spot in our house, trying to find a place where he can lessen his embarrassment, some local St. Louis writers will be spotted as they sign the Not Your Mother's Book...On Travel. When? Sunday, June 2 from 1-3. Where? Main Street Books in St. Charles, Missouri. Who? Terri Elders (the co-creator), Linda O'Connell, Sheree Nielsen, Greg Lamping, me and of course...You.

    Wouldn't you like to support an independent book store and get the chance to rub shoulders with some local writers? (Linda O'Connell is nearing the "20" mark when it comes Chicken Soup stories, she's just finished her "Listen to Your Mother" international whirlwind tour, and she's waist-deep in her work as co-creator of one of Publishing Syndicate's anthologies. If you need to increase your luck in getting publishing, buying one of the books and getting it signed on Sunday will guarantee you greater writing success.)

     So stop by on Sunday. And if your cable is acting up, come over to my house. Foley will be glad to help you tune into the channel of your choice... 

Travel to St. Charles

        Several local Not Your Mother's Book writers--Linda O'Connell, Sheree Nielsen, Gregory Lamping and me--along with the co-creator Terri Elders--will be at Main Street Books on June 2 from 1-3.

photo by gserafini


Please stop by. Terri is coming from Washington (the state, not as in D.C. nor the township around Union, Missouri) for this book signing, and it would be great if we could show her a warm Midwest welcome.

The book being signed? None other than Not Your Mother's Book...On Travel. Only brave souls should consider buying this book. My story, entitled "Half Right" is about moi going topless on the beaches in France...along with a Speedo that almost caused permanent scarring to my son's psyche.

So, stop by. Buy a book (or two) to support an independent, local bookstore and local writers. This anthology would make a wonderful gift...