IWSG & Bloo Moose

The Insecure Writer's Support Group is the brainchild of Alex J. Cavanaugh. He, his clones, minions, friends, and fellow authors make it an amazing event every month.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

July 6 question - If you could live in any book world, which one would you choose?

So many options! 

If I weren't an author, I might be tempted to say PERN from Anne McCaffrey's series - such a fabulous world! Although I would choose my position (Dragonrider) and time in the world with great care.

Or maybe the Shire or Gondor after Frodo's journey. PEI with Anne of Green Gables. The Enterprise, Firefly...

Because I am an author, I'd love to choose one of the worlds I've created!

Bloo Moose is a quirky little town in Vermont (which is in a climate very similar to my own). I love the people of the world and the ways they take care of each other. It's an upbeat, fun place, with lots of things to do.

Bloo Moose relies on tourists coming to town (fishing, camping, winter sports, leaf-peeping...). I'd love to go to Fortini's for Antonia's lasagna, visit Noah's alpacas, take the tour at Bloo Moose Maple Syrup, have a tea at The Lucky, rent a kayak from LaChance Lodge, and play a tennis set at Kami's Kamp. I'd stay in Darby's B&B and pick up a few Bloo Moose themed t-shirts at Moose Prints. I might even get a chance to brainstorm writing with Max. The best time to visit would be a week before Christmas to join in the fun of Merry MooseMas Days!

My kind of vacation - my kind of life!

How about you? Would you go for the adventures or AFTER the adventures (like me!)? Would you like a medieval, contemporary, or future setting for your world? Which of your own worlds would you choose?

On another note, Reaching For Normal, Bloo Moose #1 is one of the choices for the IWSG Book Club this month! If you like romance and romantic suspense, you might enjoy this one - it's free at all retailers. 

I'm currently reading Ronel's book and it's a fun read too!

Comfort Reads

Between the flu and snow and more snow and freezing rain and a broken water main, it's been a roller coaster couple of weeks.

For a day or two, my head/eyes couldn't handle any screens. When my head cleared enough to read, I reached for one of my all-time favourite books.

I've owned it for decades. The spine is broken from so many reads and it brings me comfort just holding the book.

I have several comfort reads, but this time I pulled out Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship of the Ring.

Reading it is like seeing a friend you've lost touch with for a few years, but as soon as you get together, it's perfect.

The language is gorgeous, the characters complex, the story pulls me in again.

What about you? Do you re-read your favourite books? What are some of your favourite comfort reads?

Elliot's Tough Questions

The charming Elliot Grace over at So Close, But... has tagged me with the Liebster Award! The rules are simple, offer 11 fun facts about yourself, answer 11 questions provided by Elliot, pass the award on to 11 blogger pals, answering 11 new questions from yours truly. 

On to Elliot's (really hard!) questions...

1) What is your favorite genre to read?
I love so many genres! Currently my fave is definitely contemporary romance, but I also love fantasy, sf, mystery, YA & MG (I know those last 2 aren't genres--humour me) and more!
 

2) Pizza or pasta?

This is another hard one! We live in a town with a TON of fantastic Italian restaurants. I've been to bigger cities with more famous places and tried a variety of popular chain restaurants, but there is nothing that beats our local pizza & pasta. Nothing! My heart is a little torn with this question, but I think I'll go with pasta!

 

3) If you were to be stranded on an island and could choose one book to take with you, which would you choose?

AHHH! Can I have an easy question please??? Okay. I'd bring Lord of the Rings. I never tire of Tolkien's characters!

 

4) If you could choose to have dinner with one writer, in order to pick his/her brain, who would you choose?

Nora Roberts! She is such a prolific author. She's written a mind-boggling number of best-selling romances and each character is unique and intriguing. Her In Death series has an incredible cast of repeat characters and each book keeps getting stronger!!

 

5) Who is your choice of musician for inspiration while writing?

I never listen to one musician at a time. I always set my iTunes to shuffle. My tastes are pretty eclectic with music too - I've got everything from classic rock to easy listening to jazz to blues to country to Motown to pop... So it would depend on the scene I think!

 

6) The Walking Dead, or Breaking Bad?

Sadly, neither. I've stopped adding new TV series to my schedule. There's just not enough time to watch and do everything else I want to do so I haven't seen either of these.

 

7) If you could choose an actor to play the part of lead role in your book, who would it be?

Another tough one! I actually think Chris Pine would make a pretty good Jaz in the book I'm hoping to pub later this year.

 

8) Do you prefer writing in the a.m or p.m?

Both! I am a morning person, but for most of the year, the job gets in the way. During the school year I tend to write after 9 p.m. once family life has slowed down. In the summer I have more freedom and write whenever I can.

 

9) What is your best antidote for writer's block?

Try something else. I currently have 4 stories in various stages of editing and another one I'm drafting. For a person who thought she was a one draft at a time writer, it's a bit of a shock, but it works!

 

10) When going on vacation...drive or fly?

I'd love to fly to more places but the wallet usually says we drive. My hubby likes to drive so that leaves me free to read too!

 

11) Name the city that tops your bucket list to visit.

So many! Probably Hong Kong. Or New York. Or Rome. Or Cairo...

 

And 11 fun facts about me...

1. I hate/despise/detest/loathe housecleaning
2. My dad and I used to always shop for bonus 'as is' presents for people for Christmas on Christmas Eve when the stores were nuts and the crowds desperate. We got some really strange items and had a ton of fun!
3. I used to walk along the tops of swing sets as a kid
4. I've never owned a pet even though I love animals
5. Although I'm Canadian, I'm a rotten skater. Actually I can skate pretty well, it's the whole stopping thing I never mastered
6. I make an awesome lasagna!
7. I want to go on an African photo safari one day
8. Although I don't watch too many TV series, I'm kind of a sports nut and often have sports on in the background when I'm writing
9. I LOVE teaching Math!
10. When I'm baking/cooking I rarely measure anything - that would take the mystery out!

I won't tag anyone specifically, but if you'd like to play along, please do!

Tell me one fun fact I don't know about you!

Non-Mom Moms

I'm one of the lucky ones. I grew up in a family with lots of love. I still have my mom and we still spend a lot of time together. Not everyone's so lucky.

Mother's Day always makes me think of the kids I've worked with over the years who don't have moms who live with them (or don't have them at all). Thankfully, most of them have someone in their life who takes on that role to help them through.

You don't have to be a mom to be a mom ... if you know what I mean. :)

Some of my favourite non-mom moms from my favourite stories are:

•  Matthew & Marilla from Anne of Green Gables - they pulled off a great tag-team mom for the lonley little girl and showed her how to love and be strong
• Gandalf in LotR - he really takes care of Bilbo and makes him a stronger, better person
• The Receiver of Memory in The Giver - Jonas has never experienced love. It's an un-used emotion in the dystopian community. The Receiver gives Jonas memories and strength and courage and hope .. and love
• Mrs. Beale in Maniac Magee - she takes in this runaway kid from the other side of the town and treats him like her own. She ignores the customs of her town and not only loves him, she gives him the thing he wants/needs more than anything else in the world - an address.

Moms make you better, stronger, happier people. They give you the skills required to be an adult. They give you unconditional love and a kick in the pants when you need it. Thanks Mom!

How about you? Who are some of your favourite non-mom moms?

Lord of the Rings

As a writer, my A to Z challenge is going to be about books, characters, TV shows and movies that have impacted me somehow. Enjoy! Be sure to check out Lee’s blog to find more bloggers taking on this challenge!

Lord of the Rings

You knew I had to include this one! I read the books immediately after I finished The Hobbit in grade 5 or 6. I read them multiple times in the years that followed. The scope of Middle Earth is incredible and so beautifully realized. I can drop into that world again, and again and again. When the movies came out, I was terrified. I don’t usually like movie versions. But, wow! Jackson and company captured the essence of Middle Earth. The play of light and shadow in the movies is one of my favourite parts. It echoes the morality of the books and characters, and makes the movies beautiful to watch over and over again.

Which movies do you like to watch because they are so beautifully done?

Timeless

After my post about couples for Valentine's Day, I downloaded a copy of Anne of Green Gables onto my iPod. I hadn't read it in years, maybe even decades. I wondered if I would still feel the same love for it as I did when I read it for the very first time as a child.

I did!
The language is so very different from most of what I read today. On my iPod, the first sentence goes on for pages! Semi-colons have the audacity to appear - three times - in that same sentence.

Lucy Maud Montgomery's style isn't the style I usually read anymore, but I loved visiting with Anne again. The words flow - the imagery is long and lovely. The characters are sweet and true and wonderful.

The Lord of the Rings is another of my favourites, another classic with a very different style from my usual reads - and a very different style from the way I write. I have the books (a glorious boxed set edition) - but maybe I'll see how long Tolkein's sentences are on my iPod too!

Do you have any favourites that are classics - favourites that differ from today's style? And from your writing style?