Blog Hops in March

Today's Subjects:

• Two blog hops
• April’s Mosh Pit
• Confetti soon-to-be thrown.

Unicorn Bell, a critique group moderated by four writers, is offering prizes.

The crit site features advice for writers at every stage of their career.

Marcy of Mainewords runs a fantabulous site where she crits first pages with Dianne Salemi and posts jaw-dropping photos of her life. This is where I go first every Sunday morning after I snag a cuppa.

Jeffrey begins a kick off tomorrow for his debut novel, Spell of Entrapment. If fantasy is your meat and potatoes as it is mine, check this out.

Charity of Charity’s Writing Journey is in a class all her own. The lady is a modern day Wonder Woman running her clan of younglings, serving her church, and writing. And OMGoodness, that writing is about to explode into the publishing world, I just know it.

And yes, I am the fourth member of this elite group and humbled more than I can say by the association.

Unicorn Bell’s blog hop begins March 26 – 28. Did I say there are prizes?

MarkKoopmans’ Blog O’Hop starts tomorrow. Quick, quick, sign up NOW!

The Be-All and End-All Mosh Pit of a blog hop begins April 1^st the A to Z Blog Challenge. Get in on the fun and meet some of the best humans on the planet.

Lastly, the confetti. Or fireworks in this case.

I am nearing my two hundredth follower. When that day arrives, an Amazon gift card is in someone’s future.

What blog hops are you looking forward to in March and have you signed up for A to Z?

Lucky Seven Meme

Chandara tagged me with the Lucky Seven.

• Go to page 77 of your current MS
• Go to line 7
• Copy down the next 7 lines - sentences or paragraphs - and post them as they're written. 
• No cheating

"Like the credit card."

I wasn't the only one startled when Faelan's words cut through the tension. His hooded eyes gleamed from under dark brows.

"Priceless," he said with a wry smile.

June sputtered then stalked toward him. "Looking for a sugar momma are you youngster?" Her face twisted in malice. "You need to stay out of this and keep..."

Her voice died. She came to a quivering stop.

Faelan hadn't moved.

 What is the title of your current WIP? Tell us about it.  

THE ADAMANT is about blacksmith Shamira Kelley a woman possessed by a pendant made from a unicorn’s horn that seeks payback from mankind for its millenniums-old death.

When did you start blogging and why?  

Two years last month. Blogging is a much better solution than a website, easier to keep fresh and update.

If you could do anything tomorrow, what would you do? 

I’d love to see the Northern Lights.

Describe your happy place. 

Sitting in my front yard, warm sun on my face and a dog under my hand.

What was your first happy memory?  

After coming home from work, my tired dad drove me ten miles to see the Christmas lights in town.

What was the scariest thing you've ever done? 
After I toured a wax museum in Hannibal, Mo, I was shaking. I don’t know why, but those wax figures totally freaked me out. I was about to go Hattie Hysterical on ‘em and use my fingernails to claw my way out.

Where is the strangest place you ever had an idea for a story?  

Driving seventy down a busy interstate. The idea for a climatic ending smacked me upside the head and I nearly lost control of my pickup.

Where do you write? 

Messy, paper-strewn computer table in the living room. Try writing with the spouse yelling, “Hey, come see this. ESPN’s top plays are on.”

If you just won a ticket to anywhere in the world and you had to take me, where would you take me and why?  

Scotland. The British Isles fascinates me. I love me some castles and ancient history.

The five Lucky Seven recipients that I admire most are:

Jenn (Substitute photography for writing)

1000^th Monkey

David Powers King

Tara

Magan

Clarissa

Honorable Mention goes to

Angela since *drat* someone beat me to her.

Got Green Blog O'Hop

"What does St. Paddy's Day mean to you!"

Mark Koopmans is sponsoring a blog hop, excuse me, Blog O’Hop.

I’ll save my Irish thoughts for next Saturday, the 17^th but for now, lemme say that visiting Ireland is at the top of my Wish List. 

Oh, did I mention he is offering prizes? *BG*

Even without the OMGoodness-prizes, it is worth your time to skip over and read his blog.

I'm *still laughing*

For Pete’s Sake, Don’t…

As a writer and blogger, I’ve stumbled down many an alleyway mostly due to naiveté.

Now I recognize how stooopid they were, those instances of Doh! and I cringe.

In order to help the writers just leaving the starting gate, I have three big Don’ts.

Since most writers have little time to dink around with long posts, here is

Monumental Advice Number One

Tell no one that you are writing/have written a book. If you have a spouse who supports you, it’s okay to tell them (she said grudgingly) but use digression.

By keeping your writing career mum, you will avoid these Questions.

“So where is your book? I keep checking the NYT bestseller list but *insert the snark here* haven’t seen your name.”

“I saw this ad about publishing your own book. They call it a vanity press. Why don’t you use them?”

“It’s been three months since you finished the book and still not published? Wow. “*insert pitying expression*

Advice Number Two:

Do not disparage agents, agencies, or your fellow authors on your blog. Self-inflicted wounds, i.e. shooting yourself in the foot, lose their charm after the first direct hit. No good can come of offending your potential clients and backers.

Last of the Three For-Heaven’s-Sake-Don’t-Do-This Rules

Posting rejections, the number of queries sent, the extra pages requested might seem like a good idea. But do you really want your followers to see this? Anytime I consider posting my stats, I refer to the Number One and the inclination dies.

Do you have any deep regrets since starting this business? I’d love to hear more from writers who committed the First Mistake, their friends and family’s responses, and how they dealt with them.

OT-Steamed

This is farming along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers in 2011.

Highways, farms, livelihoods, houses, trees, and family.

Gone.

On the Missouri, 207,000 acres were affected. An acquaintance lost his life along this river while performing his job.

In the proposed budget for 2013, The Missouri River RecoveryProgram, money was set aside to re-build those levees for flood control and maintenance.

7.7 million dollars.

Set aside for fish and wildlife restoration:

82.3 million

Did you catch that? 

To the farmers

and residents

seven percent of the budgeted 90 million goes to restoring the levees and their lives.

The balance of 82.3 million of our tax dollars goes to possibly the ugliest fish on the planet.

 And to the birds.