Some Friday Fun

Out of the blue, a few months ago my system decided it no longer would tolerate dairy. No cheese, no milk, no ice cream...I could go on and on. It's been a challenge eliminating dairy from my diet and I think it's my morning coffee that I miss most of all.Cheese is a close second. Friday pizza nights just aren't the same with no mozzarella!

So, after spending the last month sulking and feeling miserable about all the things I'm missing, today after a month of being coffee-free I finally stopped at my local Starbucks and ordered my first soy latte.

No whip. (OMG!)

I think I'm going to be okay, turns out a soy latte isn't bad at all. (Can you hear that sigh of relief?)

So in honor of my new coffee and dairy free adventure, here's a few funnies to brighten your weekend!

And because no matter what life throws at you...

Have a great Friday my friends. Scribble on!

Six Sentence Sunday - Untitled Western Time Travel

This week I've decided to join in the fun of the Six Sentence Sunday blog posts and give a taste of what I've got currently on the upcoming horizon.

This is from Chapter One of my untitled western time travel (which is rare for me - I ALWAYS start with a title!)
Maybe by next week when I post another six sentences I'll have a title to go with it.

Until then, I hope you enjoy meeting my heroine, Lillian Bennett.

* * *

Lillian didn't share Rose's obsession for the run down ghost town. But, she loved Grandma Rose and was determined to honor her last wishes, even if it meant following the crazy rules of a ninety year old woman's will.

"Spend one night in Prosperity. Believe."

The usually stoic lawyer hadn't been able to hide his amusement when he announced her inheritance. "Your grandmother left you Prosperity, Lillian."

She could still remember the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Oh, how she wished for once prosperity meant money and not a bunch of run down buildings in the middle of nowhere.

Happy Sunday my friends!

 

The mystery of the magazine subscription

Last month I found MONEY magazine in my mailbox. Addressed to me and I know I didn't subscribe to it.

I figured it was probably a trial copy and went on with life.

Guess what showed up again in my mailbox yesterday? Yup - MONEY magazine. This time I took a look at the address label and it appears I'm subscribed through September 2013.

Hmmm. Mysterious.

Now, I love a good mystery as much as the next girl, but this one has me puzzled. It IS possible I signed up somewhere online and forgot (though I don't think I've gone that batshit crazy that I would forget something like that.)

Maybe someone else decided this would be the perfect gift for me (just because I have so much money I need a magazine to tell me what to do with it. hahahahahaha!)

Maybe the universe is giving me a heads-up that I'm about to be the recipient of a cash windfall and I'm going to need all the financial advice found within the pages of this magazine - now there's a possibility I could embrace! (Maybe I should play lotto this week? Or better yet, take a vacation to a casino. After all, who am I to question the universe when it's sending this clear message?)

All kidding aside, I'd really like to know how I got on this list - I haven't seen a bill. I'm really starting to wonder if I subscribed to this and if I did - WHY? I'm more the Woman's Day or Healthy Living type girl, you know, the magazines that offer craft ideas and meals in minutes...serious reading about planning your retirement, how to cut your taxes (hahahaha) and how not to get ripped off when planning a funeral? Not my idea of reading for pleasure.

Being the open minded woman I am, I've decided to embrace the mystery and at least thumb through the latest issue. Then I'll recycle the pages as puppy pads (which is saving me money I don't have to spend on those darn wee-wee pads this week...WOW, this subscription is already helping my bottom line!)

Lost your mind lately? Please share so I don't feel so alone!

Blueberry Corn Muffins

This time of year I love to make fresh muffins in the morning, they just seem to made for those crisp Fall days. (Okay, I lie...I love a good muffin anytime of the year!) I know I should probably watch all the carbs I love so much, but who can pass up some bready goodness with that first cup of coffee?

Another plus to whipping up a quick batch of muffins at home is that I won't be tempted to stop on the way to work to buy an over-sized, over-priced, calorie buster of a muffin at any of the popular places that otherwise call my name as I drive by. Yes, I am weak-willed when it comes to a good muffin. LOL

With the above in mind, I'm always on the lookout for easy (and semi-healthy) muffin recipes and I found this one in the Weight Watchers Meals in Minutes cookbook that's been sitting on my shelf now for more than 20 years (OMG!)

Blueberry Corn Muffins

1 Cup - less 2 tablespoons - uncooked yellow cornmeal

1 Cup - less 1 tablespoon - all purpose flour

1/4 Cup granulated sugar

1 Tablespoon PLUS 1 teaspoon double acting baking powder

1 Cup skim or non-fat milk

1/4 Cup vegetable oil

1 Egg

1 1/2 Cups fresh or frozen blueberries (no sugar added)

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

1 Tablespoon brown sugar, firmly packed

Preheat oven to 400. In mixing bowl combine cornmeal, flour, sugar and baking powder. In another bowl combine milk, oil and the egg, mix until blended. Add wet ingredients to the dry. Stir until blended (do not use blender or over mix.) Fold in blueberries..
Spray muffins cups with non-stick spray. Fill each cup with equal amount of batter (about 3/4 full) and bake on center rake for 15 minutes. Remove and brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.  Return to over for another 5 minutes.
Remove from over and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

A Monday Myth: A Bigger Conference is Better

This past weekend I attended the New Jersey Romance Writer's Conference. A small conference when compared to RWA Nationals, but it's a conference well worth the money every time I attend.

As a smaller conference the atmosphere is more intimate, yet still draws some pretty big names in the industry as keynote speakers and workshop leaders.

There was a workshop for every level of a writing career.

And best of all, it was casual!

As usual, I met up with old friends and made many new ones (which reminds me, I have to stalk some new people on Twitter and approve some new friend requests on Facebook as well!)

Inspiration was everywhere I turned - from people celebrating traditional book deals to toasting amazing indie sales. If anyone came away from this conference without a fire lit in their soul and the optimism that there is no longer only one path to publishing success...they were obviously NOT at the same conference I was!

So, for this week my top shattered myths are:

(1) The bigger the conference the better - MYTH
Sometimes a smaller, more intimate conference is just less overwhelming, leaving more room for absorbing the good vibes.

(2) The bigger conferences have better keynote speakers - MYTH
I've been to several smaller, regional conference and have never been disappointed. This year Sabrina Jeffries and Heather Graham gave the two keynote speeches and they were both awesome and inspiring.

(3) All conferences break the bank - MYTH
The NJ conference is always reasonably priced and have several meals included. In fact, my roommate (one of my wonderfully talented critique partners, Jennifer Shirk) and I determined at the end of the conference that even stopping at the bar each night, going out to dinner at a local sushi restaurant and having breakfast in the hotel restaurant we still came in under $75 for food and drinks the entire 3 days.

(4) New wardrobe needed - MYTH
A small, local conference is a more business casual affair than RWA National!

(5) You just don't get the same motivation at a small conference - MYTH
Actually it's more than a myth - it's bullshit.
For me (and your mileage may vary) a smaller conference is less harried, less overwhelming and little more friendly. There's less time standing in line for events and you're more likely to get a seat in a workshop. Being a little more relaxed leaves more time to schmooze and mingle and really take in all the good vibes pulsing through the event. And let's face facts here, romance writers are generous and giving people - ask them what's working for them and THEY WILL SHARE!

It was a great weekend and I'm so glad I decided to attend!

Have you been to a smaller regional conference lately?

It's Conference Weekend Time!

Writing is a solitary profession. Sure I love to skip all around the internet entertaining myself (and hopefully a few of you!) along the way on Twitter and Facebook - but when I'm working on my books, it's just me and the words on the page.

At least once a year I try to attend a writing conference. Sometimes on a grand and overwhelming scale, like RWA National or sometimes on a smaller, regional and much more intimate scale, like the NJRW Conference. And New Jersey is where I'm headed today!

My favorite things about a conference:

* Meeting up with old friends and making new ones.

* Putting faces to names I see online.

* The networking.

* The brainstorming.

* The workshops.

* The celebrations of success and the consolations of some of our defeats.

Even if just for the weekend, a conference has a way of filling my writer's well with hope, vision and renewed determination to get the books done. There's nothing like being in a hotel full of romance writers to pump up the motivation and redirect my focus. I always come home inspired by the keynote speeches and from the success of my friends.

One of my favorite quotes of all time is, "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" ~ Wayne Gretsky

Which is my world translates to, "Oprah can never recommend my book if I don't sit my ass down and write it!"

All the energy of a writing conference is part of my job, it's part of my motivation and I'm looking forward to all the little tidbits of information I will gathering this weekend.

Have a great weekend my friends!

A Monday Myth: Kids will help with the puppy!

Let me introduce you to Toby!

The newest addition to our family is a 10 week old YorkiePoo - because how could I resist that face?

Hubby and I have been hearing from the three kids that we really needed a puppy to round out the jungle we call home. While Toby will most definitely be a spoiled little puppy in no time, he joins a few other equally spoiled housemates! (Two cats, a cockatiel, a cockatoo, a bearded dragon and a hamster...oh my, we should probably buy some stock in Petco.)

Over the last year as the kids begged for a new furry member of the family we heard:

"I will take him for walks."

"I will feed him."

"I will take care of him."

MYTH
MYTH
MYTH

Three kids.

One doesn't like the way the puppy smells after he's been outside doing his business. Well...he's 10 weeks old, weighs all of about 2 lbs and pretty much fits in my hands - he cannot go out alone, needs to be picked up and carried outside (since he's too small to get out the door on his own, and we're in training mode. Which means someone (ME) needs to take him out every two hours.

One likes to play with him, but hasn't even asked if he can help with anything else.

One thinks he knows everything about puppy training - even though we've never had a puppy before. Oh wait, I forgot, he's 18. He knows everything about everything. LOL Unfortunately, he's 18 - so he's got college and a social life and that leaves ME to do the bulk of the training, the walking, the feeding...

To be fair, I knew this going in. I knew the puppy would be good for the family, great for the kids and I knew exactly who would taking care of him. I'm not that delusional.

One week in, everyone is totally in love with Toby.

Anyone have some puppy training tips for me?