PRESENT & TENSE

One of my favorite things to do…

When I travel…

Is buy a new book and read it on the plane.

This trip...

It was John Grisham’s, THE CONFESSION.

I continued reading it all the while I was in Akumal, Mexico...

And boy, I gotta tell you…

The tension Grisham puts in it…

Is the best I’ve seen in a long time.

As every writer knows…

To build tension…

You, “put your hero up a tree and throw stones at him.”

And Grisham is a master at throwing stones…

Adding conflict, and setting up roadblocks and obstacles.

Each page, each chapter  kept me on edge...

How will the hero get out of this mess.?

He's running out of time!!!Oh no! 

He killed him? Now what?

Will there be a happy ending?

Well, with one hundred more pages to go…

It was time to pack for my trip to LA.

So now I’m on the plane…

Reach into my purse for THE CONFESSION—Gone!

I checked my carryon—Not there!

OK, I said…when I get to LA…

I’ll check my checked bag—NADA!

Damn it! Are you kidding me?

I’ll go crazy if I don’t know how it ends!

And the problem is…

I know I won’t buy the book again…

I can't find the ending on the Internet, only reviews...

I doubt I’ll take the time to go to the library…

Or to Barnes & Noble and read it there because…

I'M OUT OF TIME!

I’ve sold my house…

And I've got two weeks to pack it up and clean it up!

But I need to know...

How does THE CONFESSION end?

So please...

If you know...

Can you help your fellow writer…

And tell me the ending?

Always, Em-Musing

CHANGING MIND ZONES

I’m in LA now…

Well, actually a town above the valley in the mountains…

I came in last week for the Thanksgiving weekend…

Before LA was Akumal, Mexico…

And before Akumal, Ohio.

And all I can say is…

With all the different time zones…

Something weird is happening…

Like yesterday morning…

I blissfully sat in bed in the guest room…

Jammies on, coffee on the night stand…

And wrote and wrote and wrote—heaven!

But then this morning…

When I went to Dropbox to open up the file…

It wasn’t there…

ZIP! NADA! ZILCH! ZERO!

Now I’ve got to tell you…

If I was back home in Ohio…

I’d have freaked out, gone ballistic, went into a tizzy!

If I were in Akumal…

I would have toned down a bit…

But still be perturbed, annoyed, bothered.

However, here in California…

With the San Gabriel mountains outside…

And the air clear and aromatic…

I’m peaceful. Not worried. Hopeful actually.

So while sipping my coffee…

I calmly found the files again, no problem.

Lord! What’s happening?

Could it be true about Californians?

That they have a different attitude?

Could I have caught that attitude after just a few days?

I gotta tell you. I like this new attitude. I want to keep this new attitude.

But is this merely a change in altitude?

A change in sleep patterns?

Or has my perception of a California attitude…

Become my own reality?

I’m not sure…

But I am sure going to try and keep whatever it is.

What do you think?

Have you ever experienced a new attitude…

Because your perception of something…

Altered your reality?

Always, Em-Musing

GIVE ME SOME TONGUE

I can’t!

It feels too weird!

Like I’m doing something naughty with my tongue…

That should be done in private with someone else.

I’m talking about speaking Spanish.

Every time I say words that need more tongue involvement...

I feel like I my tongue is being naughty...

And should stay inside my mouth.

But then, everyone else’s tongue who speaks Spanish…

Is doing the same thing.

So why does my tongue feel this way?

Maybe my tongue has been imprisoned by my teeth so long…

It’s afraid of getting in trouble if I stick it out?

And weren’t we all told as kids not to stick our tongues out?

Maybe I have a repressed tongue?

Maybe my tongue needs therapy…

To overcome the trauma of being scolded?

Maybe…

breathe

I just need to keep practicing…

In front of the mirror…

Because maybe…

My tongue doesn’t look as naughty as it feels?
Maybe.


Always, Em-Musing

RRRR YOU RRRREADY?

So...

I’m continuing to learn how to speak Spanish…

With all its nuances…

Like tongue placements…

Specifically, when saying certain letters of the alphabet…

Like “R”.

I’ve never had to think about “R” before…

Or where my tongue is in my mouth.

When I use an “R” in English…

The most I do is move is squeeze my chin down and purse my lower lip…

Keeping my tongue still at the bottom of my mouth.

But Spanish requires a lot more tongue movement.

For instance, “R” at the beginning of a word…

Gets rolled like  rrrrolled.

If “R”is in the middle of the word…

It gets a quick snap of the tongue past the teeth…

And up to the roof of the mouth.

And then there’s “D”…

That in Spanish gets a “th” sound…

But with the tongue sticking further out between the teeth.

“N” with an accent has the whole tongue pressed to the roof of the mouth

Like what you do when trying to get peanut butter unstuck.

Hmm?

Is it just me?

Or when you learned a new language…

Did your tongue have trouble...

Finding its place?

 Always, Em-Musing

ON MYOWN LAND

On my honor...
(but more likely my sanity)
I pledge...
To my future retreat guests to have...
Internet with more than one bar...
Tables that you won't knock your knees on...
Running hot water 24 hours a day...
A toilet that flushes efficiently...
Screens so no mosquitoes, tabanos...
Or any other biting creature can get you...
Satelite service so you can use your cell phone...
But more importantly...
Electricity.
You see...I'm staying in a gorgeous villa on the Caribbean...
While I'm here in Akumal starting my spiritual writer's retreat.
(My land is about a half mile away in the jungle)
And while not all of the above happen all at once...
Just one of the above per day is enough to make me cranky..
And adamant...
I will not subject my guests to any of these.
But on a more positive note...
Below are two photos of my land that is being cleared...
By my Mayan workers, Marco and Flore.
(Marco is waaay in the back)
Also...
The little furry critters are called coati...
And band together in packs.They live most anywhere...
But these guys came out of the jungle...
By the restaurant I went to.
And so...
I'm leaving for the states again soon...
Where I know I'll have consistent internet...
Catch up with ya'll soon.


















Always, Em-Musing

PLEASE BE MY GUEST

Today you can find me posting at:
The Maumee Valley Romance Writers of America  blog

a.k.a....MVRWA.

Please feel free to stop by and say...
Well...
You can say anything you want.
Also...
I'm heading south again...
To Akumal, Mexico...
And proceeding with my Eco Maya Jungle Retreat.
The Mayan workers are starting to clear my land today.
Yeah!
Adios...
And catch up with you soon. 


Always, Em-Musing

STRINGING ALONG

One of the best reasons for authors to blog...
Is to help other authors...

Promote their books.

Today...
I'm proud to be part of....
Jessica Bell's (the famous Alliterative Allomorph)
STRING BRIDGE AMAZON CHART PUSH
For her debut novel...
STRING BRIDGE
.
And if you purchase her book TODAY (November 11)...
You'll receive the all-original soundtrack...
MELODY HILL-ON TH OTHER SIDE...FREE

All you have to do...

Is purchase the paperback at

Amazon USA

Or the eBook at:

Amazon USA

Amazon UK

Then send the receipts to:

jessica.carmen.bell(at)gmail(dot) com

She will then email you a link to download the album FREE!

To listen to samples of the soundtrack, visit iTunes.

Jessica is...

One great author...

With one great novel...

And one great soundtrack.

But don't just take my word for it...

Here's one of many rave reviews:

“Poet and musician Jessica Bell's debut novel StringBridge is a rich exploration of desire, guilt, and the difficult balancing act of the modern woman. The writing is lyrical throughout, seamlessly integrating setting, character and plot in a musical structure that allows the reader to identify with Melody's growing insecurity as her world begins to unravel … String Bridge is a powerful debut from a promising writer, full of music, metaphor, and just a hint of magic.” ~ Magdalena Ball, author of Repulsion Thrust and Sleep Before Evening

Always, Em-Musing

LOVE MY TENDER

How do I love thee?

Let me count thy assets----

I mean WAYS…yes ways!

In romance novels,

A heroine can fall in love with anyone…

Even a guy who is flat broke…

Because the author can manipulate and tweak...

Reality to a happy ending.

But in real life…

There’s much to consider and many obstacles…

Stepkids, different race, religion or ethnicity…

Handicaps, age difference, addictions…and so on.

Was money on Lady Chatterley’s mind……

When she fell in love with her gamekeeper? 

For Bella…

Did the fact that the man she loved…

Had to drink blood…

Stop her from falling for Edward?

So?

Have you ever written a story..

Where the odds were so stacked against the couple..

But you overcame them with the magic of fiction?

What was the obstacle?

Or…

Have you ever fallen in love…

And overcame the obstacle?

Please share—I love happy endings!

Me?

I know love conquers all.

Always, Em-Musing

CARB BOMBED

I’m like a caged animal…

Here in my apartment…

Confined into healthy restraint…

With only the right choices…

Of healthy foods…

Healthy beverages…

in my cabinet...

To keep me…well…healthy.

And then…

One morning…

I’m asked to babysit my three grandkids…

At my daughter’s house..

And suddenly it feels like the cage door opens…

And my appetite has escaped!

Ready to pounce!

On the first cheap carb I see in her cupboard.

Eat those Fritos, my stomach prodded.

Yay! Leftover Halloween candy! my sweet tooth screamed!

I love Count Chocula cereal, my mouth slobbered…

“Grandma!” You sure eat a lot.”

Cripes! When did you kids become guardians of my gut?

Wardens of my waistline?

I want to say…

But those six accusing eyes staring at me…

Shame my binge and my comment back into submission...

And all I can say is, “Grandma’s done now.”

Just this one time…

I wish I could be bulimic…

So I could get rid of all the crap I just ate.

But I don’t have the nerve.

To make myself hurl.

I’m just going to have to digest it all…

And hate myself when the scale becomes proof…

That I couldn't restrain my hunger for junk food.

So?

Does your appetite ever go on binges?

And if so, what do you have a hankering for?

Always, Em-Musing

I'M GOOD! I'M NOT GOOD! AM I GOOD?

I’m starting today’s post…

With an explanation about yesterday’s post.

When I said I was impressed with my own writing…

It may have been construed that I’m  vain…

Let me be the first to say…

My writing skills Sucked!

It was for NaNoWriMo…

I wrote on the fly…

Those three stories will need…

MASSIVE doses of editing.

It was the stories that surprised me…

And as a writer, you know…

You don’t always know…

Where your stories come from.

I remember last year…

Sitting in front of my laptop…

Thinking, I have no clue what to write…

I just put my fingers to the keys…

And let my mind free float or free fall…

Or whatever a mind does to create….

And the stories came out…

I didn’t care about grammar…

Or punctuation..

Or arcs.

I just wrote and wrote and wrote.

Then, at the end of November…

I forgot about them.

And that’s why yesterday…

When I read them, I was surprised, the stories were good.

So why am I justifying liking my own stories?

‘Cause just like all writers have ideas…

All writers have insecurities.

Or do you?

And if so…what are you insecure about?

Always, Em-Musing

P.S...HELLO new followers!

ICON ICK

Last year, I participated in NaNoWriMo,

And at the end of November…

After many life interruptions…

And thousands of words under my belt…

I put my NaNo writing in a folder on my desktop…

And forgot about it.

Then this year, with all the hooplah...

About NaNoWriMo starting up again…

The icon seemed to be more obvious than normal..

Bigger? Was it taunting me?

What's the matter? Chickened out? It seemed to be saying.

No! I told myself (and the icon). No time for NaNo this year.

But the icon mocked me back.

Poor baby, can’t handle the pressure?

“Shut up, you evil icon. Who are you to judge me?”

Why don’t you open me up at least. See what’s inside me.

“No. I’ve got more important things to do. Like work on my W.I.P.”
Now I know you’re a chicken. Afraid of what you wrote?

“Afraid of my writing? You really are an evil icon.”

Then open me up. I’ve been sitting here all year. Open me!

So this morning I did…

I had to say my mouth went dry. Probably a remnant from my cold.

I felt a flutter in my chest. Probably gas or a PVC.

And I read.

OMG!

I had totally forgotten what I wrote.

I actually had started three different stories.

And they were good...

Like they were someone else’s writing.

The last story, about spirits, was so intriguing...

And I don’t even remember where the story is going...

So, while sipping a fresh brew of coffee...

I'm going to read ...

And thoroughly enjoy my own writing.

And be surprised where my story goes.

So?

Have you ever found an old story you wrote and forgot about…

And when you read it…

Were impressed with your own writing?

Or at least with story you started?

Always, Em-Musing

SEE IT, FEEL IT, TOUCH IT

I could never be a library…

I hate to loan out my books.

I don’t mind giving books away…

Those that I’m not fond of…

But some books…

I have an affinity for…

And I don’t like sharing.

Recently,

While in Akumal Mexico…

I befriended a woman…

And we got into a great discussion about books.

She had a book she thought I would like…

And I had one for her.

Before I left for the States…

I left her that book—one of my favorites.

No big deal…

I know she’ll give it back to me…

But in the meantime…

I miss my book.

And that’s silly…

Because I know I’ll never read that book again...

It’s just that I like to see this book on my bookshelf…

Because this book—like all the books on my shelf…

Are like pieces of artwork to me.

And speaking of artwork…

Would anyone ask to borrow someone’s painting?

And really? What’s the point of keeping books?

They take up space.

And as I said—I won’t read them again.

The only books I do refer to…

Are reference books.

Hmm? Now that I think about it…

I’m more inclined to keep hardcover and trade paperbacks…

Than mass-market paperbacks.

I guess if I had an eReader…

It would be easier…

Because I wouldn’t have the urge to stare at it…

So tell me…

All you people with Kindles and other eReaders…

Do you have your own kind of attachment to the eBooks inside?

How often do you look at the cover art for your eBooks?

What kind of feelings does your eReader invoke?

And do eReaders have a particular scent?

Because I can’t be the only one…

Who loves the smell of a new book...

Or hates to loan books.

Always, Em-Musing

TEETH YOUR GRIT

I have a cold.

Oh, “Boo hoo” I can hear you say…

“Who doesn’t have a cold this time of year?”

But it’s OK. I’m dealing with it.

This morning though…

When I woke up to blog…

And to write in my W.I.P...

I felt that awful congestion in my chest...

Oh, no! Oncoming bronchitis?

And that’s when I went into action…

Pulling out my stash of home remedies…

Vitamin C, zinc, tea with honey, and…

Grits!

Oh, yeah!

This Midwest girl learned to love grits years ago.

And trust me…

Nothing feels as good…

As piping hot buttered grits…

Slowly slithering down soothing your throat and esophagus.

Trust me, oatmeal doesn’t work that way.

I don’t eat many grits other than when I’m sick…

They just don’t have much staying power with me.

And I like mine al dente…

So I can feel each and every little grit...

And especially those that get stuck in my teeth.

I also like my grits with gobs of butter, sans cheese.

So?

Like grits?

Ever have grits?

Or what’s your home remedy for bronchitis or a cold?

Always, Em-Musing

I'D LIKE TO THANK...

It isn’t the biggest award…

Nor the most prestigious…

But it’s mine…

And I earned it.

I won…

Ta ta ta TAH…

Honorable Mention in the…

80th annual...

Writer’s Digest Writing Competition…

In the Television/Movie Script category for…

My script The Diary of Tiffany J

There…

I bragged about it!

And I’m bragging…

Not just because it’s my first award for writing…

But it was my first screenplay ever.

After working many months on this project…

Funding fell through and we couldn’t continue to filming it.

Unlike writing novels…

There has to be upfront money.

A lot of passion went into writing this screenplay…

Because the subject matter was close to home—teen prostitution.

A few years back, the F.B.I ranked my city…

First in teen prostitution recruitment.

What a horrible statistic for a city to have to live with.

And what horrible real life stories I had researched.

But even more horrible…

Are the real experiences…

So many young teens are subjected to...

And sadly, many of these teens won’t survive.

The purpose of this short film…

Was meant to alert and teach teens…

The techniques pimps use to lure them.

It would have been shown…

In schools, churches, and youth organizations nationwide.

Perhaps one day…

Funds will find there way to this project…

But for now…

My bragging about my award...

Is the only attention...

This film about the reality of teen prostitution is going to get.

Thanks for reading about it.

Always, Em-Musing

DAY OF THE YEAH!

November 1^st…
It’s an exciting day…
It’s All Saints day…
It’s Dia de Los Angeles in some parts of Mexico…
Several blog buddy authors have releases today…
Others have blog tours starting today…
NaNoWriMo starts today…
And…
I GOT THREE OFFERS!
No...
Not from agents... but this will happen in the near future
For my house!
And I'm thrilled..
My house has been on the market for four months...
And in this economy...
It could have sat for a long time.
And speaking of time…
All three buyers...
Want possession at closing!
YIKES!
I will bargain for more time...
With whomever I go with…
But YIKES!
It means I'm going to be in overdrive...
Getting the house cleared out.
So…
No NaNoWriMo for me.
But what about you?
Are you participating in NaNo?
Or...
What's on your plate this month?

Always,  Em-Musing