Attack of the fog...Photoblog

Sick Author haz a Sick

Me and Heather Long

I've heard of concooties but I'm pretty sure this isn't that. I think it's a combo of my kids cooties (thank you, public school system, for your diligence in your quest to keep our immune systems occupied), change in climate (according to foursquare, I traveled more than a thousand miles each way), and normal post-con-tired, but I'm coughing, sweatin', snottin', and I'm chugging cough syrup like it's coffee.

Jeanie!

Good times, right?

It's meant that I've been sort of quiet since there's codeine in my cough syrup and one doesn't like to look a little drunk online.  Kind of ruins one's rep and all that jazz.

So...photoblog.

Man-wich

I hopped on a plane last week and flew into Dallas/Fort Worth.  I kind of tried to backwards run into Dakota Cassidy.  Had I not contacted her at the last minute...I might have a picture of her, a signed Starbucks napkin or something else jazzy to show you.  I forgot she lived in Dallas.  *headsmack* I'm a terrible fangirl.  But, hey, I remember to read her books.  Maybe I'm a good fan after all.

On my way, someone cut a fiberoptic cable in the tower...adding a massive delay.  So by the time the fantastic Heather Long picked me up, I was so frazzled, I shoved my luggage into her car, snapped in, panted for a second and then, like a brontosaurus who just got his tail kicked, faced her and said something classy like, "ZOMG! You're really you!"

Riverwalk in Rivercenter Mall

Luckily, she'd talked to me for something like a year so my brand of weird was not terribly stunning to her.  I also got to meet Jeanie, Goddess of Shoes and Dynamic Personality of the Year.  This lady is not only stunningly beautiful, which you can see in her Marilyn Monroe-esque photos, she's just as NICE as she is pretty.  It's mind boggling.

So, then we road tripped to the Menger.  I went totally tourist, since the last time I was in Texas I saw three things: The San Antonio Airport, The Road to Lackland, Lackland Air Force Base.

I didn't shoot JR.

I did not see a single armadillo.  Apparently it was too cold for them.  Since I figured they'd be as common as squirrels, I was bummed.  I saw a TON of hawks.  TON.

They also advised me they're in a drought which was why the grass was dead.  I don't think if you watered what they were calling grass, it would turn into what we up north consider grass...but that's just a Yankee talkin.  I saw cactus, too, and everyone kept telling me it was 'cold.' *snicker*  Yeah, it wasn't cold.  There were a few days where it was chilly.  Cold?  No snot freezing in your nostrils weather for the Texans.  It kind of reminded me of Colorado, to be honest.

I remembered...

I got to be in a man-wich.  These beautiful guys are Ellora's Cave Cavemen.  Aside from being handsome fellas, they were both super nice.  *waves to the guys*

The Menger was haunted.  That was badass.  Just sayin.  And the conference was awesome.  If you go look at my facebook wall, my twitter feed, my instagram feed...you can see a TON of pics of authors, pubs, editors I fangirl squeed all over.  I met bloggers, reviewers, readers...and a really cool Irish family.

I got to go to South Fork. Saw the Alamo.  The Riverwalk.  Oh, and that guy?  He doesn't know you're looking at him.

Okay, I'm off to chug more hydromet syrup.

Later, lovies.

Happy Writing!

This guy doesn't know you're all looking at him.  Shhh...

First event!!

I've managed to stay pretty hermity in the writing world, never meeting anyone face to face and doing all my business online for years now.

It all changes Friday.

Yup, I am headed to Cincinnati to stay in a lovely hotel and meet people like Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lori Foster, Jill Shavis, Wendi Zwaduk...

The list is insanely long as to who all will be there.

And ME!!

I plan on going completely fangirl for two days straight. Maybe I will remember to give out a couple business cards but this trip should be a blast. Glancing over the event list has me dancing in happiness. To prepare...I had my rainbow colors put back in.

*fluffs hair*

Feeling more spunky already.

I'm bringing along cover art magnets of all my upcoming/current releases so if you want a magnet, catch up with me at the event. I'm happy to give you one, while they last.

Okay, pics and such to follow. Probably not till I come home but...

Off to visit Lori Foster!

Happy Writing!

How to do Nothing

Okay, I am trying to get some work done. I know...I am on vacation. The boys are off running around with Uncle Bob. Princess is over visiting (read pestering) Aunt Shelby and Mom and Dad are discussing possible things they want to do later (cemeteries and such (read: Mom is puttering about the kitchen))

But it is driving me CRAZY knowing that the work is piling up while I am not doing it all week and that I am just gonna play catch up all next week so it is either stress out or make a little dent today...

So, really, it is less stressful to work for an hour and NOT panic over it rather than not work and continue to panic.

I keep thinking of the quote from Eat, Pray, Love.

“Generally speaking, though, Americans have an inability to relax into sheer pleasure. Ours is an entertainment-seeking nation, but not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one. Americans spend billions to keep themselves amused with everything from porn to theme parks to wars, but that's not exactly the same thing as quiet enjoyment. Americans work harder and longer and more stressful hours than anyone in the world today. But...we seem to like it. Alarming statistics back this observation up, showing that many Americans feel more happy and fulfilled in their offices than they do in their own homes. Of course, we all inevitably work too hard, then we get burned out and have to spend the whole weekend in our pajamas, eating cereal straight out of the box and staring at the TV in a mild coma (which is the opposite of working, yes, but not exactly the same thing as pleasure). Americans don't really know how to do NOTHING. This is the cause of that great sad American stereotype-the overstressed executive who goes on vacation but who cannot relax."

I am feeling that this week. I have not really...not really...relaxed yet. I have worried if the kids are having fun. Is my mom relaxing? Is my dad okay? Am I spending too much? Am I spending too little? Is there something I should be doing? Should we go here? Should we just relax?

And I keep looking down the hill at the monastery.

Within view of my sisters house, there is a monastery. Full of nuns (supposedly, but they are ninjas or something because I haven't seen a single nun...and I have been diligently watching since I got here) who are doing whatever nuns do on the side of a mountain in Pennsylvania.

I keep wondering what DOES a nun in Pennsylvania DO all day long? Garden? I mean, they have TONS of land to do that on but I haven't SEEN a nun so...well, that sort of makes that unlikely. You have to be outside to garden. They aren't singing on the side of the mountain like Julie Andrews. (I did. I howled The Sound of Music at the top of my lungs but it isn't a nun calling song, apparently...and no...there weren't many around to see my show. The across the street neighbors did glance over at the loon visiting from out of state. Probably they think everyone from Ohio is nuts now. We won't tell her that I am FROM here...) Do they travel around doing good deeds? But they don't seem to LEAVE much. (I haven't SEEN one yet and have been watching all week.) And they taught my older sister Italian so do they spend their days in prayer and study?

Bet they know how to sit at peace and NOT work.

I think that is why I am fascinated with the nuns this trip.

There are these gorgeous peaceful mountains all around me. I took a vacation and am spending money to GET AWAY for awhile...because I know I have been stressed and I needed it.

But it didn't work. I brought all my stress with me. I haven't managed to silence the worry, the stress...or the thoughts of work. I haven't managed to slow down even one little bit. I just changed what I was worrying about and where I worried about it for a week.

And I think a lot of us do that on vacation. We don't really STOP worrying. We just change where we are doing it and the topic of the panic.

And then we scratch our heads when we come home and wonder why we are not refreshed and why we need a vacation from our vacation...

*sigh*

I kind of wish I could visit the nuns.

But something tells me that they would be confused as to why I was visiting...

*giggle*

For those of you who look at my pictures, today's is from the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and it is Nike of Samothrace...or Winged Victory of Samothrace. We went to the museum yesterday and this was originally part of a larger statue in a fountain. Kind of the first ever multimedia piece because you had the gurgling fountain and the flow of the water and the flow of her dress...in 190 BC. Pretty impressive, right?

Happy writing!

On the other side of the mountain...

The kids and I have hijacked our parents and run away to the mountains of Pennsylvania to our hometown for a week of vacation and a visit with our family there. Day one was mostly just travel to get down here and saying hellos.

Day two dawned beautiful. I watched the sun rise over the mountains, cloaked in mists and watercolors and it was gorgeous. Packing everyone up in the car, we headed off to wander the hills.

And my kids learned what fascinated me for years growing up...

The wonder of WHAT IS OVER THE MOUNTAIN?

I remember being a kid (in the years before school) and wondering, while looking from our yard up at the mountain (we lived on the side of the mountain so you could see up it to a point and that it went down but there was a mystery as to what WAS up it...) and thinking...

What was OVER there? Was there something wonderful on the other side of the mountain? Maybe a castle? Or a fairy land? Or a dragon, waiting to eat me alive?

Anything could have lurked up the mountain.

When school started (we didn't travel much...my mom didn't drive...so...I only had that yard, really, till school started) and I got on the school bus...

I was shocked to finally get to see the other side of the mountain.

And when they taught me that stupid song about the bear...who wanted to go over the mountain to see what he could see and all that he could see was the other side of the mountain...

Well, I was kind of pissed, really, that my mom hadn't taught me the song earlier so I would have KNOWN that the other side of the mountain was just more houses, mountains and fields...

Just like our side.

But as I told my son this morning when he looked out at the mountains and said to me, "Mom, I really wonder what is on the other side of that mountain over there."

What was on the other side of the mountain was possibility.

For one dumb, hick kid who never traveled out of her yard (and didn't know about traveling bears) ANYTHING could have been on the other side of that mountain. And wonder was born.

And imagination.

And a storyteller.

Speaking of a storyteller being born, my contest for my new release, Lips of Velvet is still running to the end of the month. For the details, check out the blog here.

I am also running another contest over at Lisa Pietsch's blog here. Check it out.

And I signed a contract with Decadent Publishing for their 1Night Stand Series!!

All in all...lots of exciting stuff.

Lots of possibilities.

Go find what is over your mountains.

Happy writing!

Maple Madness

When the youngest of my troop found the Maple Madness Driving Tour for his current events for school...I was intrigued. I mean, they mentioned a pancake breakfast and it said the event was in Rock Creek, Ohio.

Rock Creek, Ohio is really close to my house. Close enough for me to go get some pancakes. Especially if someone else is making them. The website for Bissell Maple Farm also seemed pretty intriguing. I mean...they sold maple mustard.

What was maple mustard?

So I woke up and called and asked how much for the pancakes?

When the person who answered said free...I have to admit I became leery. I mean, if they didn't value their pancakes...Was I driving to some tiny little farm with a woman baking pancakes in her kitchen and making syrup on the stovetop?

But...uh...I like pancakes. And I don't like to cook. So off we went.

And then my googlemaps failed me and I was pretty sure I was driving into the Blair Witch Maple Project. When the road turned to a dirt road, I got a little scared and more certain that I was headed to that woman over her stove top.

And I was really hoping she at least washed her hands...

And then I saw the horse drawn carriage.

Uh, yes. I did just say horse drawn carriage. Parking my car as directed, the kids and I loaded up onto the ride and I started snapping pics. Yes, I did take a picture of the horses butts. Shut up. This is my blog. And I was easily impressed by a spotted butt.

The tour blew my mind.

It turns out that this family has been in the business of making syrup for about 100 yrs. A lot of syrup gets made from Ohio (and apparently always has) and it used to be a really long and drawn out process since when sap comes out of a tree it is about 70% water.

I had no idea.

So they take the sap, pump it to a 2k tank and when it gets full, they send it to a reverse osmosis system.

Yes, I said reverse osmosis.

You see, this farm was a family run operation but by family run, I do not in any way mean old fashioned. They had a unique blend of the most modern technology and ways that had worked for their ancestors. Take the reverse osmosis...it allows them to have a smaller evaporator (see the cool picture here) because most of the water has been removed from the sap already. I believe the man advised this allows him to make about a gallon of syrup every 15minutes.

He also told us that the floor of the evaporator room was laid a little each year by himself and his father...and if you looked at it, you could see how every year they got a little better at the process...How cool is that???

He also advised us that his father chops every bit of wood they use to feed the evaporator himself...

Just like his father before him.

Uh, how can you not love that?

From there we went to the gift shop and sampled things like maple candies (which this farm makes for Daffins!), maple creame (which my kids LOVED), maple mustard (which I had to try!) and of course, maple syrup. We also got to try maple nuts...which are lovely. Our orders were rung up on an ipad (more of that old farm meets the best tech...love it.)

And then they gave us free pancakes.

Free. My kids scarfed their weight in pancakes smothered in real maple syrup while live musicians serenaded us with banjos and such. All in all, amazing.

Stuffed to the gills, we hopped back on the horse drawn carriage and rode back to the car.

If you haven't made it out to the Bissell farm and you are in the area, apparently they do this every year and it is REALLY worth the trip. They are right in Rock Creek, Ohio (directions on their website) and they are doing the tour today and March 17th this year.

If you aren't in the area...consider visiting. Or just visit their website. They ship aaaaaall over.