Are you brave enough to DELETE?

I'm finally getting comfortable with the delete key. Not just comfortable... it's quickly becoming my best friend.
There used to be a time when I wouldn't DARE delete sentences or paragraphs, at least not without saving every variation of document 'just in case'. But as I grow as a writer, my hesitation diminishes. It's relative, I suppose.
In the past year I've kissed entire chapters goodbye.
Completely trashed a short story (it sucked).
In the case of that paranormal I began last January, (which is currently sitting on a back burner until I'm good enough to finish it -- it's bigger than my talent at the moment), I probably wrote-deleted-rewrote (rinse, repeat) about 40-50 K. That's practically an entire novel!! *GAH*

How does one get from the Each Word is Precious stage to the Be Gone Damn Ink! stage? I found someone who summed it beautifully. Check out this post by Elana of the Johnson Literary Agency:
http://johnsonlitagency.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/not-crafty-or-crafting-but-craft/#comments

Delete? Yes. Because I can do better.

Sweetness: The Interview

Well THIS WAS FUN!!
I saw this on Amy's blog. She interviewed her little girl Boo. So I thought I would interview my youngest, four year old Sweetness. None of the answers were prompted and I have no idea where he came up with the answer for #5. Nothing could be further from the truth!! LOL

1. WHAT IS SOMETHING MOM ALWAYS SAYS TO YOU? I love you.
2. WHAT MAKES MOM HAPPY? My hugs and kisses.
3. WHAT MAKES MOM SAD? When my willy hurts.
4. HOW DOES YOUR MOM MAKE YOU LAUGH? Tickles me.
5. WHAT WAS YOUR MOM LIKE AS A CHILD? Soccer player. (??)
6. HOW OLD IS YOUR MOM? Fifteen.
7. HOW TALL IS YOUR MOM? Fifteen feet
8. WHAT IS YOUR MOM’S FAVORITE THING TO DO? Work
9. WHAT DOES YOUR MOM DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT AROUND? Read.
10. IF YOUR MOM BECOMES FAMOUS, WHAT WILL IT BE FOR? Writing and working.
11. WHAT is YOUR MOM REALLY GOOD AT? Hugging me and kissing me.
12. WHAT IS YOUR MOM NOT VERY GOOD AT? You're good at everything!
13. WHAT DOES YOUR MOM DO FOR HER JOB? Writing
14. WHAT IS YOUR MOM’S FAVORITE FOOD? Coffee.
15. WHAT MAKES YOUR MOM PROUD OF YOU? Karate ... Hi-YA!
16. IF YOUR MOM WERE A CARTOON CHARACTER, WHO WOULD SHE BE? Wall-E (wtf?)
17. WHAT DO YOU AND YOUR MOM DO TOGETHER? hugging, playing Wii
18. HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR MOM THE SAME? Well... we have fish and petting our pussy cats.
19. HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR MOM DIFFERENT? I like KinderSurprise eggs and you don't. I have a DS and you dont' and I have different clothes.
20. HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR MOM LOVES YOU? Because you hug me and kiss me.
21. WHERE IS YOUR MOM’S FAVORITE PLACE TO GO? To me.
22. HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE YOUR MOM? A hundred percent.

The Blood, OMG, THE BLOOD and Stephen King goes 'e'

Thursdays are usually good writing days for me because my littlest has a gym/craft program in the morning, then school in the afternoon.

Not today.

Today I spent 5 hours in the ER with Sweetness (aka the 4 yr old), or as he shall now be known, Harry Headwound*
On our way to gym (not at gym, not in the gym, but in the lobby of the rec centre), Sweetness - who was walking (not running, not skipping, not cartwheeling, just simple one-foot-in-front-of-the-other walking) tripped, stumbled forward and fell.
As he went down, he slid...
under a bench.
A metal bench.
With unforgiving metal legs.

Gashed head... way too much blood... mother getting dizzy... trying to remain calm... no paper towels in ladies room (damn hand blowers!!)... mother calling out to another Dad-friend... he bringing napkins from coffee shop...

FF 5 hours...
Sweetness home, all smiles, sporting 4 stitches and what he hopes will be a Harry Potter scar.

But oh... the blood. THE FREAKING BLOOD. Poor kid looked like an extra on the set of My Bloody Valentine (now in 3D!) ...

I'm going to petition our govenment for a new rule in Health Care that states that: when/if a mother brings a child to the ER, said mother should automatically, no questions asked, be given a valium.

*remember? Dana Carvey in SNL??

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Now how's this for a perfect segue? Blood to.... Stephen King.
Interesting article...

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090303/entertainment/books_stephen_king_kindle

I've been curious about the Kindle. I think I want one. Then again, there isn't much I don't want!! :D I only just set my eyes on an e-reader for the very first time the other day, compliments of Leah Braemel who owns a Sony eReader -- very cool. Especially since she had my book on it!! *grin*

Do you have one? Thinking about one? Thoughts??

Pulling the Curtain Back

Long time no see! Here's a peek at what's been going on in Wylie's World:

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with fellow writers Leah Braemel, Christine D'Abo & Amy Ruttan and though there was chatting, we got an awful lot accomplished.

Personally, I was able to write 'The End' on Jump Zone, and though I've got a few segues to fill in, I can basically call Draft One done. Now the REAL work begins... getting it in some sort of condition suitable to pitch/sell!

And while I have my writing friends on the brain, I must give a shout out to Leah Braemel on her recent release of Private Property. I haven't read it yet but did get a chance to read the second book of her series (Personal Protection - coming soon!!) and must say that I look VERY forward to reading more about the fine men of Hauberk Security. Leah writes at a pretty high heat level which only serve to enhance her richly drawn characters and solid plotlines. During our weekend retreat, she shared some of the upcoming story lines and we're in for a treat :)
And Amy... well, she's cranking them out so fast I can't keep up!!! Not as a writer or reader - LOL!! The first book of Amy's Enchantress series, The Fey, is available now from Linden Bay and she also has a new release with Ellora's Cave, Hard Candy. As soon as i can catch my breath (how long until my kids are in college? ha ha) I'll be diving into these.

* * *
The kids were sick so I spent a few afternoons with them watching movies.

George of the Jungle: Brendan Fraser has the most gorgeous lips I've ever seen on a man. Lush, ripe, made for kissing. Yes, sick as that sounds, while he was entertaining my children with chest pounding, jungle calls and vine-swinging antics, I was staring at his mouth. Wow.
And he was pretty cut back then, too. Double wow.

Penelope: A movie about a girl cursed with a pig's nose. I didn't go into it with much hope of liking and suprised myself by LOVING! It's a great story about acceptance -- and an added bonus -- James McAvoy was in it, which I didn't even realize until his sad-eyed moppy haired character appeared on screen. *Squee!*


* * *
During my little hiatus I enjoyed the whole award-show experience. And I did watch the all... got to hear every f-bomb Mickey Rourke dropped during his many acceptance speeches.
I was happy for him... a great come back and all, but was a bit relieved when he lost to Sean Penn at the Oscars. As acidic and opinionated as Mr. Penn can be, he truly deserved the award, if not for this particular role, then for the cummulative career roles.
I thought this was one of the best Academy Awards shows I've seen (even with the cheesy song and dance bit in the middle). Hugh Jackman did an awesome job as host, everyone looked stunning in their black ties and gowns, and there were solid, first-class performances to celebrate. I'll sum it up with a few math equations:

The Brange = Royalty

Steve Martin + Tina Fey = LMAO

Ben Stiller doing Joaquin Phoenix > Joaquin Phoenix

Rob Pattinson channeling Edward Cullen while presenting = wee squee!


* * *
Random thoughts:

Does anyone else think POSH looks totally and ridiculously out of proportion? Why do they let her NEAR fashion?
Ghost Town with Ricky Gervais. See it.
Can Conan keep Jay's loyal fans happy? Hmmm...
George Cloony is short.
Lost ROCKS.
Today's date is interesting - 03/03/09 Don't you think?

What scarf?

Scarf? Huh?
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Around my neck? Wha--?
Oh, this old thing? Oh no, no no... it's not what you think.
My Aunt Mabel gave it to me. Like, um... 10 years ago. At least.

Now bugger off!

(don't know what I'm talking about? click the hyperlink)

It's so dark in here...

I'm such a bad blogger lately, eh? What can I say.... all my brain juice is being used on the current wip-from-hell, Jump Zone, that was supposed to end about 20k words ago... but is just NOT.
The good news: I finally figured out how to end the sucker.
The bad news: I still have many thousands of words to write.

The other bad news (or good news, depending on your pov...) I'm taking a blogaday (blog+holiday) for a month or two. I'm going deeper into the cave taking only a candle, match and my laptop. And maybe a bag of chips (or twelve).

Before I go...
I must give a big shout out to Leah Braemel who not only had her first book released from Samhain -- but also remained #1 on their best seller list for two weeks!! You can learn more about Private Property HERE.

Another shout out to Christine d'Abo for her recent release All Bottled Up from Samhain AND her uber-hot Ellora's Cave book The Bond that Ties Us (a must-read) is coming out in print. Double WOOTS!

Whew, I'm getting hoarse from these, but there's just much good news!
Another WOOT WOOT goes to Amy Ruttan who's first book of a five book series, Enchanted: The Fey just came out from Linden Bay. I haven't read it yet, but if it's got Amy's name on it, you can be sure it'll contain some hot stuff ;)

AND - last but certainly not least, the talented Thomma Lyn sold her novel Mirror Blue to Black Lyon Publishing!! Let me tell you... I've read the book and it's amazing. It's about damn time someone recognized her awesome literary talent. Keep your eyes on this one... it'll be a late spring release and you will NOT want to miss it. Trust.


Happy writing, happy reading and bye for awhile!

Ricky Gervais in blogland

If you like Ricky Gervais, you must check out his blog (but don't go there if you're easily offended!).
He wrote a hilarious open letter to President Obama regarding paparazzi loving Paris Hilton and her British counterpart, Posh. You have to scroll down a bit to get to it...

http://www.rickygervais.com/thissideofthetruth.php

And if you haven't seen the romantic comedy Ghost Town yet, I highly recommend. It was very underrated!!

Feeling Invisible

I'm thrilled to welcome a special guest, novelist Kimber Chin.
I met Kimber through the Toronto Romance Writers and was immediately drawn to humor, charm and warmth. I should have guessed that those qualities were only the shiny surface to a much deeper soul...
Kimber has a new book coming out this month and I for one, can't wait to dive into it. You can buy INVISIBLE by clicking the link.

Kimber, catch! *throws mic*

The Book Of My Heart

A Guest Post From Kimber Chin

First off, a big thank you to Wylie for letting me squat here. I adore Wylie. She is one of the most supportive writers I know. She answers my junior jammer questions cheerfully (and often with a straight face) and is always ready to participate in my mad schemes. She is also a brilliant writer. Wowsers, wasn’t Law Of Averages hot? My only complaint about Wylie is that I’ve been impatiently waiting forever for her next novel. Write it already, girl! [ed note: *blush*]

Anyhoo…

A buddy once told me she had written the ‘book of her heart.’ I smiled, said ‘that’s great' and then privately thought this book of your heart business was, as Maeve in Invisible would say, ‘a load of hooey.’ Book of her heart? What the he—did that mean? Was it autobiographical? Then I wrote Invisible, the book of my heart.

Invisible, a contemporary scavenger hunt through a world of hidden identities, isn’t autobiographical. Lord no. Although I know skip tracers and forensic accountants (as well as Russian ‘mafia’ members – long story), I don’t play in these elite levels. I’ve never had my identity stolen (my dear, sweet mom has though). I've never been a victim of financial abuse to the extent that Maeve has (my dear, sweet mom has though – she is a saint, I tell you, a brownie making saint). I might have drawn upon personal experience for my first novel Breach Of Trust, but I used observation for Invisible.

Except for the emotion.

I dug deep into a dark corner of my heart for that. The loss, the pain, the anger, and eventually the hope are all mine. I poured my feelings into this book, and not just the nice feelings, the ugly ones, the ones we all pretend we don't have.

It made for a great story (or so says my pre-editor and editors) but it wasn’t a prudent thing to do. It certainly wasn’t safe. With the book now out in the world, I feel naked (oh, bad visual), exposed (better?). I know some people are going to hate Invisible (it is that type of book). That'll hurt because I'll feel what they are hating is this emotion, this piece of me.

Oh, well. (Shrugging)

There is nothing I can do about it now. The genie is out of the bottle (and he's holding onto his three wishes, stingy blasted man). I figure I might as well go all in (mix metaphors much?). Although I have a light, fluffy novella releasing in between (because frankly, I frightened myself), my next full length novel is as raw (and demented).

About Kimber Chin:
Kimber Chin is a nutbar. What? You want more than that? Okay, she writes sexy contemporary romances set in the world of business. Yeah, I know, proof of her craziness. Want more proof? Visit http://businessromance.com/ where every week, she shares a photo of a hot guy in a good looking suit, and a short story her editor won't let her publish. Every month, she gives away a great romance eBook. Not her own because that would make too much sense.

Jump Zone angst

I just passed the 75K mark in my latest wip, Jump Zone. A very small part of me is pleased because I've never written anything this long before. *yay*
But I'm groaning because I should be typing 'the end', except it's no where in sight :( therefore, I am a terrible judge of plot and/or pacing, take your pick. And I may eventually have to chop very large chunks of it out because if I continue to ramble along at my current pace, I've easily got another 10-15 K before finishing.
And people... it's just not THAT kind of book. It's not supposed to be all introspective and deep. It's supposed to be a futuristic adventure with bit of fun and action.

But... I don't feel like I should hurry it along at this point or it will seem just that... hurried along. Don't you hate books like that? Where you sense that the author just wanted it DONE ALREADY?
*looks to heaven* Please don't let that be me. sigh.

500th post - I give you... eye candy

I got nuthin' people. NUTHIN!!

I planned on doing something special for this, my 500th blogpost... wracked my brains all night, but all I could think of was trees -- or the lack thereof in my latest WIP. No, I don't expect you to follow that...

So in lieu of a writing update, inspirational words, a rant or a meme, I leave you with this:

Enjoy ;)

The Anti Resolution Meme

Julia tagged me for an Anti Resolution Meme, so I thought, 'Sure, I'll play along!!' Here are the rules:

The rules:
• List ten things you resolve not to do in the upcoming year.
• Be as creative as possible.
• Post them on your blog and leave a link to your blog in your comments to this post.

1. I do solomnly swear not to see the latest SAW movie. Or any of them, for that matter.
2. I will not send in the application to Procrastinator's Anonymous that has been sitting in my desk drawer since 1982.
3. I will not, no matter how he begs, run away with Brad Pitt.
4. I shall not, this year nor any, turn down free chocolate.
5. My bed shall not get made in 2009.
6. As hard as it'll be, you won't see me being snarky on the book review and/or gossip sites. Bad for the creative soul...
7. I won't pass up a book just because I'm anti 'buzz'. I almost missed out on Twilight and that historical that was set in India (the name has escaped me... sorry) because I felt I was being manipulated by 'buzz'.
8. I won't get into the habit of blogging every day again. :)
9. I'll try-try not to drop everything when the next JR Ward book comes out (but let's be honest... this will be the one anti-resolution I probably break)
10. When I get 'the call' (because it IS coming in 2009 - I feel it) I resolutely SWEAR not jump more than two feet in the air OR scream for more than thirty seconds without taking a break.

I'm tagging anyone who wants to play along!

There's No One as Irish as Barack O'bama!

My friend Chris sent this YouTube clip of a song written about President-Elect Barack Obama and it is just brilliant. In fact, I almost assure you that you'll be singing along by the time they get to the last chorus!!
No wonder the entire world is excited about Obama's Presidency... it seems his ancestry touches all corners.



Here's the words so you can follow along:

No one as Irish as Barack OBama

O'Leary, O'Reilly, O'Hare and O'Hara
There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama

You don't believe me, I hear you say
But Barack's as Irish, as was JFK
His granddaddy's daddy came from Moneygall
A small Irish village, well known to you all

Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a lama
There's no one as Irish As Barack O'Bama

He's as Irish as bacon and cabbage and stew
He's Hawaiian he's Kenyan American too
He’s in the white house, He took his chance
Now let’s see Barack do Riverdance

Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a lama
There's no one as Irish As Barack O'Bama

From Kerry and cork to old Donegal
Let’s hear it for Barack from old moneygall
From the lakes if Killarney to old Connemara
There’s no one as Irish as Barack O’Bama

O'Leary, O'Reilly, O'Hare and O'Hara
There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama
From the old blarney stone to the great hill of Tara
There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama

2008 the white house is green,
their cheering in Mayo and in Skibereen.
The Irish in Kenya, and in Yokahama,
Are cheering for President Barack O’Bama

O'Leary, O'Reilly, O'Hare and O'Hara
There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama

The Hockey Moms gone, and so is McCain
They are cheering in Texas and in Borrisokane,
In Moneygall town, the greatest of drama,
for our Famous president Barack o Bama

Toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a lama
There's no one as Irish As Barack O'Bama

The great Stephen Neill, a great man of God,
He proved that Barack was from the Auld Sod
They came by bus and they came by car,
to celebrate Barack in Ollie Hayes’s Bar

O'Leary, O'Reilly, O'Hare and O'Hara
There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama

By
Hardy Drew

From Typewriter to Bookstore

Ever wonder how a book goes from a writer's brain to the bookstore shelves? Check this hilarious version of reality out:



Thanks to author Margaret Moore, for bringing this to the attention of the Toronto Romance Writers.

RantFest: The Library

Buckle in kids. Auntie Wylie is sounding off.

I write at the library because I need quiet - no distractions. I chose the research department because it's in the basement (furthest spot away from the kids who are up on the top floor) and even chose a spot around the corner from the main stairs for fewest distractions.
Most days, this works. People come and go, some talk in hushed whispers, most simply get on with their library business without uttering a peep. I pop my earbuds in, tune in to some soft classical pieces - and voila, word count goes up. Usually...

So,... today this dude (not one of the regulars) sits down at a study carroll, hauls out his cell phone and starts yapping away in a normal street-volume voice! FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES!
Dude... not cool.

Yes, other library users have had quick and quiet conversations that usually consist of a whispered "I'm in the library. Call you back, kay?", which is the polite way to handle the situation, imo, but this guy clearly didn't understand the whole "shhh!" concept.
Quite a few people (including moi) tried 'the look', the throat clear, but nothing seemed to phase this guy.
And... AND... he further vexed me because was babbling in a foreign language which meant I was cheated out of a perfectly good eavesdrop!!
The nerve *huff*

On my way out, I said to the woman at the main librarian desk, that perhaps they could put a sign in the research dept politely asking patrons to refrain from cell phone usage.

But srsly... why? WHY should a sign have to go up??
WHAT happened to good old fashioned manners? Respect for others? A little decorum??

Your thoughts: Sign, manners, oh-Wylie-quit-bitching-and-write-the-damn-book-already. Take your pick!

Golden Globe Recap

Love the Golden Globes.... 2008 just didn't feel right without them. And this years telecast was lovely -- the gowns were stunning, everyone looked well-behaved (even you, Colin Ferrell!), but if I had the opportunity to say a few words to the participants, here's what I'd say:

Heath Ledger - (Best Supporting Actor -drama): Wish you could have been there dude. You are missed.

Kate Winslet - (Best Supporting Actor - drama and Best Actor - drama): You're delightful, but please, next time jot a few notes down so you needn't 'gather' so much.

Sally Hawkins - Best Actor (comedy or musical): eat a sandwich. Please. You're a grown woman with the arms of a six year old.

Demi Moore: I saw your nipples. That was more of you than I ever needed to see.

Gerard Butler: try moving your whole mouth when you talk.

Ricky Gervais: I enjoyed the entire telecast, but you, sir, are da man. Made the night, imo.

Robert Downey: they should have found an excuse - any excuse - to get you on stage.

Paul Giamatti: I don't care how good of an actor you are, the bald on top-curly and longish around the sides doesn't work on anyone.

Meryl: You were robbed. I never even saw Mamma Mia, but you were forced to sing with Pierce Brosnan so that has to be worth something... at least a medal.

Brad & Angelina - it's okay that you didn't win your respective categories, you get to go home with each other.

Mr. Cruise: You know the rumors about you, don't you? For heaven's sake man, your wife is an actress. You should have brought her and left your mom home to babysit.

Drew: the Angie Dickinson c. 1968 look worked for you, somehow.

Seth Rogan: you got too skinny. Now people take you too seriously. Seriously. That's why they didn't laugh at your lame jokes.

Tina Fey: best speech of the night. Thanks for not boring us.

Did you see the Globes? Thoughts??

Viruses... GRRRRRRRR

My computer was struck by a virus earlier this week (OH NOES!) but I didn't know it, so spent most of Friday on the phone with my isp trying to figure out why my internet wasn't working. Not only wasn't working, but not recognizing my passwords (panic much?) and eventually kicking me out of everthing. The kindly man on the other end of the phone (who could get into my account just fine on his end) suggested I try another browser as mine had obviously been corrupted, but no matter what I tried - Mozilla Firefox, Safari - I had the same result.
Cruel nothingness.

Long story short (I know, too late) I got my computer back from the computer doctors yesterday (my love for them knows no bounds!!) and voila - I'm all fixed up and not terribly poorer.
But man, did I realize how dependant I am on my laptop. Like Winehouse-on-crack dependant!
And because of the computer drama, I missed my monthly RWA chapter meeting. Bummer since I can't make Feb's meeting due to a Bermuda-family visit.

But in writing news, I'm ticking along on my futuristic novel, currently titled JUMP ZONE. The inner editor in me made me go back to the beginning to start revising, even though I'm not finished the first draft yet - because the plot was beginning to get too complicated to remember everything I needed to go back and change. In the process, 5,000 new words have been added and getting everything in the right order will give me the drive I need to continue. I'm at 65 K now and I figure I'll end someplace between 75,000 and 80,000. YAY - the end is in sight!!

And now, dear blogworld, I'm going to lose myself in Red Garnier's latest novella... but OOPS, it's not in bookstores yet (look for it in late 2009!), so without further ado...
neerer, neerer, neerer
;)

Informal Poll: Do you like them LONG or SHORT?

Oh for heaven's sake... remove your mind from the gutter.
I'm talking about Chapter Length. I'm struggling with this issue in my latest wip and would love some feedback...

I broke the sections into logical places, but now am worried that they're much too long. In terms of word count - they go from 2000 to just over 4000 - which puts some well over 12 pages (and writers: I'm still in Times dbl space -- haven't converted to NY standards yet so you know they'll be longer).

So tell me, readers and writers -- what do you prefer?

A) Long meaty chapters that let you fully escape into the writer's world

B) Short - couple-of-pages-only, so that staying up to read 'just one more chapter' doesn't take you a year

C) a combination of the two because you like the variety, or...

D) I've never paid attention / I just don't care

I appreciate any and all opinions :)

Weekly Update - January 4, 2008 (for lack of a more exciting title)

One more day until the kidlets are back in school. Can I hear an "Oh yeah!"? I've enjoyed our holiday time together, but quite honestly have exhausted every means of entertainment at my disposal and am more than ready to get back to some routine.
We played board games, did puzzles, crafts (it'll take me all of January to get the dried glue off the kitchen table) and went bowling.
Saw two movies -- Bedtime Stories (highly recommend!!) and The Tale of Desperaux (meh - visually lovely but the story was all over the place), went to Chuck E Cheese, and played hours of Wii -- in fact, yours truly won the 2nd Annual Wii Olympics, I'll have you know, which is a total joke if you could possibly fathom how unathletic I truly am!!

In terms of my resolutions, I've made positive steps on # 5 & #6, which were, respectively, to shed some weight and exercise more. I joined Weight Watchers *little groan at the thought of chocolate depravation* and bought an exercise bike.
I enjoyed the WW meeting -- sort of like going to my monthly RWA chapter meeting in terms of boosting confidence and motivation, but my bike clicks when I ride, which means I need to take it back. But hey - if you're savvy, you've realized that I must have USED my bike to know it clicks, so that's good, eh??? ;)

Writing has been placed gently but firmly on the back burner during the holidays - aside from the contest entry - and will hopefully get back to a boil come Tuesday. I look forward to those few hours in the afternoons when I can hide away in the library with my laptop and iPod...

I leave you with...
Overheard at the Kinsons:

Sweetness (aka 4 year old): Mom, who's cuter... me or you?
Me (surprised by question): You are, buddy.
Sweetness: I knew you'd know the right answer!

Happy New Year!!

My FIRST post of 2009!

I'm a big believer in New Year's Resolutions - and for you cynics... yeah, I normally break them all, but heck, if you don't have something to reach for, you'll never take a step. That's my philosophy anyway... And what better day to start anew than January 1st.

Not many this year, but this is what I'm aiming for:

1. Finish Jump Zone by Feb. Revisions by April.
2. Try to get agent representation. In terms of end date, this one is out of my hands, but I can say that I'll start querying no later than March.
3. Continue and finish either Elements of Attraction or Caught in Possession... we'll see which is calling me after Feb -- by October.
4. Get another short story or novella out with Ellora's Cave. I've been concentrating on my non-erotic novels for some time now, at the expense of the fun short stuff.
5. Get rid of 10% of me. Yes, the inevitable weight loss goal, the one I always seem to blow by Jan 2nd. But I gotta try!
6. Exercise regularly. Yup, another one that'll last a week, maybe two ;) Srsly... I go in spits and spurts and I stay consistent if I want results!
7. Read more. My TBR grew and grew but I just didn't have much time to devote this year (even gave up listing them on my sidebar months ago...) I won't try for the 65 books I managed in 2007 -- in fact I hesitate to put a number on it, but I'm hoping for more than 30.

Do you share any of these? If so maybe we can support each other :)

Happy, Healthy & Successful New Year to all of you!

Writing Contests

Santa has come and gone for another year...
We had a lovely Christmas - just the four of us. It was quiet and calm... the kids had the presents opened by 8am and we spent the day in our pajamas, playing with our bounty.
Me - Apple TV! Very cool.

I haven't able to get much writing done, but I did enter my very first contest. Evah. EEK! Because I'm in the home stretch of my current wip, this seemed like a good time to send the baby out and get some good old contructive feedback.

The contest required the first 25 pages of the ms... so of course I agonized, tweaked every word... hated it... tweaked again... loved it... sent it to my compadre to look over... tweaked again... took a match to it... then swallowed my pride and sent it off. I've already bitten eight fingernails off and have two months to wittle away the last two. LOL

Red sent me this very cool contest chart (thanks!) should I want to put myself through the agony again :)

Have you entered contests? If so, did you find it helpful, intimidating, degrading, uplifting, ... ??

Thumpety Thump Thump

It snowed in my neck of the woods. Oh boy did it snow!!

Little Sweetness had his Christmas Concert last Friday so we pulled big brother, Light, out of school, which was only supposed to be for a couple of hours -- but it had snowed so much while we were in the church hall that we decided not to take him back, just to turn around and come home on a school bus a few hours later... in white out conditions.

We spent the rest of the day, snuggled inside watching Christmas movies. Then we had an old fashioned Christmas sing-a-long which started out to be much fun,... until 4 yr old Sweetness, who is completely stuck on Frosty the Snowman, decided to add "thumpety thump thump, thumpety thump thump" to every other carol.

Silver Bells didn't ring-a-ling, they thumpety thump thumped, Silent Night wasn't very quiet with all the thumpety thump thumps going on and On the First Day of Christmas my true love actually gave a thumpety thump thump to me.

On the other hand, none of the Kinsons can carry a tune so those thumpety thump thumps probably improved our attempts.

Here's a pic of 9 yr old Light on Saturday. Despite the frigid temps, Daddy Kinson had the boys outside for most of the day - tobagganin, building snow forts (pictured) and getting them good and tired out! He's totally up for Daddy-of-the-Year, ain't he? :)

Oh - and the Christmas list of many-things-that-must-be-done is more than half complete, which is a big 'whew'. One more trip to the mall, one more trip to the grocery store, one more trip to the sanity store...

Oh crap. They don't have one of those, do they?

I'm screwed.

My Light Turned Nine

My mother-in-law flew up from Bermuda to spend some time with us and get some more of her shopping done, so it's been a bit of a whirlwind week. She left this morning, with more suitcases than she came with *insert knowing nod* and I think she may have accidently packed my sanity. It's a mere 10 days before the big fat dude in red velvet visits and I still have way too much to do!!

In fact, I'm only this much (hold forefinger and thumb really close together) closer to being ready for Christmas than I was last week.
Most of my cards are done, but a bad case of carpal tunnels syndrome is making the whole address-the-envelope thing a real painful challenge. They may be sitting in a box for a few more days.
Baking - done.
Presents - half way done.
Decorating - partially done. I can't believe it, but we haven't got our tree yet!! This is usually a first week of December thing... but between our weekend away at Great Wolf Lodge, and this past weekend (which I'll get to in a second), our living room is still devoid of greenery. Not to mention - I was sick sick sick - with some cold-plague all week. Yuk. I have no patience for sick.

Ah yes - Saturday the 13th marked a very important day in the Kinson household. My oldest, dearest, Light of my heart son turned nine. NINE!!
Friday night, instead of a bedtime story (yes, we still 'chat' before bed) I told him what I was doing exactly nine years before... how I'd hosted a dinner party, then after everyone left tried to adjust the curtain swag that was falling off the rod - giving up in frustration to go to bed and deal with it in the morning. Except that the damn swag stayed 1/2 down for MONTHS because by the next morning, I was at the hospital in the throes of labor.
And the rest, as they say, is history.

So instead of attending my RWA chapter Christmas social, I spent the afternoon at Chuck E Cheese. Try not to hate me.

And writing? Well, not much of that got done this week, but I eeked past the 55,000 mark which is pretty damn exciting for this non-novel writer.
Kid #2 is out of school starting tomorrow (poor Kid #1 is stuck until Friday) so my wordcount won't inch up until January - which is uber frustrating - but hey, that's life.

Off to mall... CHARGE!!!!!

Two personal notes:
TL - SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEing in the blogworld!! And have a very happy birthday, my friend :)
RED - Thank you again and again and again. I adore you!!!

The Great Wolf Lodge Timewarp

The Kinsons made a trek down to Niagara Falls, Ontario to revisit the Great Wolf Lodge. Before leaving, which in reality was only a double digit handful of hours ago, we (read: I) was a total stress-case of Christmas angst.

We came back today (and this time I mean all of us) exhausted from all the fun and feeling as relaxed as if we were gone weeks. No kidding! It was like travelling through some kind of time warp!!

Upon arriving home this evening, I ran around the house watering my plants so they wouldn't die (Duh... they were watered last Thursday) and was quite prepared send hubby out with a grocery list (Double duh... stocked the fridge on Friday).

If you've never been, or never heard of the place, Great Wolf Lodge is ONE BIG BLAST OF WATERY FUN!!! The indoor water park (kept a balmy 84 degrees F) has big slides, medium slides, baby-fun slides, a wave pool (totally reminded me of the smashing wave-fun in Bermuda), two swimming pools, tons of splashy-pad type activities, towers to climb, water cannons to aim, buckets to tip, hot tubs, more hot tubs, and a lazy river, that despite your insisting otherwise, your kids insist on racing you through!

When your hands and feet are so pruny you're quite sure they'll never plump up again, you can haul butt to the arcade, send the kids to the cub club for arts, crafts and an array of activities, and in summer-time, amuse yourself with mini-golf. And speaking of summer - there's also an outdoor pool incase you don't get wet enough inside.

I didn't even make it to the Elements Spa this trip. Ah well... next time.

'Course, this latest trip, so close to Christmas, was an absolute delight -- the decor was festive, Santa made an appearance, they did sleigh rides around the property and had a ton of Christmassy stuff for kids.

Last night, we drove around Niagara Falls to see the annual festival of lights - which was spectacular - almost enough to distract us from the beauty of the falls themselves, all lit up and misty, a sight to behold.

And although we took our camera, we took NO pics of our own. In fact, all the pictures along the side are downloaded from the web -- with my apologies and thanks to those that did take them.

---

In other why-is-Wylie-not-blogging news... my mother-in-law arrives tomorrow so I'll probably not blog again until next week. Hope y'all are a'ight... and I will try to pop around everyone elses blogs and see what's what...

Prop 8 - The Musical

Yesterday I had nothing.
Today, I've got something to say it for me. Something absolutely brilliant. BRILLIANT!!

Prop 8 - The Musical... from Funny or Die.
What a cast - Jack Black, John C. Reilly, Doogie Howser (NPH will always be Doogie to me) and many more...
See how many stars twinkle in this hilarious sketch:

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Nothing to say, really.

I'm having a hard time coming up with anything interesting to say on this blog lately. As if that ever stopped me before...*snort*

Each morning, I grab a coffee and sit at my desk (which really means, on the couch with my laptop), sign on to blogger and nothing comes... NOTHING!

Should I chat about my wip? NAH
I'm 2/3rds in and enjoying the process, but I've nothing to share yet.

The fact that I have no Christmas decorations up yet, and no time to do anything Christmas-related this week? NAH
That only 1/2 my shopping has been done? Nu-uh.
From what I've been reading on YOUR blogs, many of us are sharing a ride on the Frantic Boat toward the 25th.

My birthday? nah
But in case you care... Yes, I had a fabulous day yesterday, thanks to my hubby and friends xoxo

AH-HA... here's something:
I'm presently reading two AMAZING manuscripts - a very hot romance that has me giggling out loud and a quirky delightful young adult book that has me wishing I could go back to highschool and do it all over again... on my terms!
But I can't really say too much about either of them at the moment... and this is hard for me! I want to wax eloquently about the wonderful characters and the sticky situations they're in, and how two uber-authors bring them to life on the computer screen.
You can be sure when those two novels are sitting on bookshelves (soon, I hope) I'll brag, BIG TIME "I knew them when!"

Surrounding myself with such talented writers makes me feel... I dunno... like maybe their magic sparkly talent dust will somehow sink into my skin.

Writers and bloggers alike - are you creatively inspired by others, or intimidated? I waiver between the two, usually, but at the moment, the magic dust is pushing me forward.

Demon's Hunger by Eve Silver... as good as a cold bath

I was lucky enough to get my hands on an ARC of Eve Silver's latest book, Demon's Hunger, the sequel to her bestselling novel Demon's Kiss.

Well Ms Silver, I have you to thank for the discomfort of not one, but TWO cold baths.

Let me explain...

I do my best reading in the tub. It's the only quiet place in the house, a sacred no-boys-allowed-to-bother-mom zone. And at risk of getting too personal, I follow a specific routine:

Stage 1: sink into the hot water (bubbles optional) and read one or two chapters. Before the water loses steam, I move to...

Stage 2: wash and condition hair (using the rinse cycle to re-heat the water back to optimum soak temp), wrap head in towel and continue reading the next chapter or two.

Stage 3: (and this is important) STOP reading long enough to exit the tub BEFORE the bath water cools enough to lower internal body temperature. Critical.

I never vary from this. (I'm anal that way.)

Except when I cracked Demon's Hunger.

There I was, reading away, not noticing that the bubbles were slowly dissolving around me, and next thing I knew, I was shivering.

So engrossed was I in the The Compact of Sorcerers (smoken hot demon fighting dudes) that I completely missed Stage 2 and went well beyond the critical point of Stage 3!!

I couldn't re-fill/re-heat, cause that's just wasteful, so I got out and took my drippy, shivery self into bed.

Next night, SAME THING!

Damn you, Eve Silver, for penning a tale so captivating it left my skin pruny and my hair greasy!

Here's the blurb:

Forensic anthropologist Vivien Cairn fears she's losing her mind. Her libido has kicked into overdrive, and she's blacking out-leaving hours of her life unaccounted for and no memory of where she's been...or what she's done. But when a sexy stranger rescues her from a demon attack, Vivien realizes there's more than just her sanity at stake... A seductive killer is luring victims, and Sorcerer Dain Hawkins finds himself walking a dangerous line between ancient duty and sizzling desire when the brotherhood-and Vivien herself-begin to suspect that her mysterious symptoms may connect her to the crimes. Can Dain save Vivien from the evil that threatens to claim her? Or will they both succumb to...Demon's Hunger...

I've said it before and I'll say it again -- Eve is the Queen of Sexual Tension. The chemistry between Vivien and Dain *sigh* is practically palpable. And I can't wait to read more about those sexy demon hunters...

Look for DEMON'S HUNGER (did I mention that you don't need to read Demon's Kiss first - that this hot paranormal romance is perfectly enjoyable as a stand alone? But you will want to go back and read it, just because...) in bookstores this December.

Great gift for your book-loving gal friends. And personally speaking, I always love seeing a book peeking out of my Christmas stocking :)

A Blog Award? For Me?

Ann over at Fractured Fiction awarded me *yay* with this delicious little Great Attitude/Graditude Award. (She must have missed my last rant - hee)
Isn't it purdy?






*Put the logo on your blog or post

*Nominate at least 10 blogs which show Great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

*Be sure to link to your nominees within your post

*Let them know they have received this award by commenting on their blog

*Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award



This is the fun part...

And the award goes to (in no particular order):

1. Jennifer Leeland cause her 'Thankful' post was right-on


2. Julia Smith cause her heart of gold shows in everything she touches (yes, I know she got it already but she needs at least five or six for her abundance of attitude/gratitude)


3. Susan Helene Gottfried cause she ROCKS. Ditto Julia's postscript.


4. Thomma-Lyn for her generous, insightful nature


5. Leah Braemel cause she's supportive, helpful and sincere


6. M. cause she makes it her purpose in life to find the funny


7. Tempest, Cora and Cassandra at Midnight Moon Cafe for always sharing their latest book finds


8. JK Coi cause she generously promotes her fellow authors


9. Shelley Munro cause she's as lovely, sweet and interesting in person as she is in blogworld


10. Bonnie Staring because she shares her excitement for life with everyone she comes in contact with.

Network Execs, YOU SUCK!

I don't watch that much television... That said, I was pretty excited about this year's line up because there are some excellent and unique dramas out there and I am sick sick sick of reality television and two-bit talent shows.

Apparently, I'm the only one who thinks so...
They cancelled My Own Worst Enemy. WTF? The cast was top-notch: Christian Slater, the old farmer dude from that pig movie, Babe -- you know who I mean, right?, Madchen Amick (sorry M, don't know how to put those dots above your 'a') and a few others whom I recognize but their names aren't forthcoming in my anger-haze. The writing was tight and the overall concept was unique. I ask again, WTF? Couldn't they have given it more than a 4 episode chance????

Another of my faves, Eli Stone, just got the axe. Again - excellent acting, fantastic feel-good stories, ... POOF!
Fuck you ABC.
(Yes Nicholas, I just swore on my blog. First and last time.)

Though I didn't watch Pushing Daisies, I understand it was an excellent show. Bye-bye. It's gone. Now I'll never get the chance.

How can sludge like Desperate Housewives continue to clog the air. And though I enjoy Law and Order and CSI, do we really need the twelve sub-versions? REALLY?? Cause advertisers, don't you realize that you're selling the same stuff to the same people? Does that make any sense?? Don't you want NEW viewers? NEW consumers?

Hey, network execs. Y'all need to be bitch-slapped.
I AM YOUR TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC. ME. WYLIE KINSON - HOMEMAKER, FEMALE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18-45. SHOPPER.
And you have alienated me.
I may not watch the shows during scheduled air time when your totals are being tallied but I AM WATCHING.
Between PVR's, On-demand cable viewing, the availability of entire-season DVDs, the current Neillson Rating system is obsolete.

I'm going to read a book.

Catching up with... ME!

I'm back from visiting my mom in the Great White North (which isn't white, btw, but very green, as opposed to the weather in the Toronto area, which is VERY white at the moment!)

I had no internet access for five days...
Yes, that IS as horrible as you can imagine!

Thought for sure that I'd be able to get some writing done (since no internet!) but alas... very little tapping occurred. I did cross the 40,000 line which sounds good, but my goal was 50,000, so not good.
But there was visiting to be done, and chatting, and going out for coffee, and Christmas shopping...
And seeing Quantum of Solace. *big grin*
Daniel Craig continues his splendorous portrayal of Bond, James Bond. It was excellent. Perhaps not quite as good as the first, but really, very good. 3 1/2 stars out of 4.

I've just spent a few minutes catching up on blogs though didn't have time to comment on any. But here's what I learned since Max & Ruby started:
Leah is Svening, Christine and Bonnie are NaNo-ing (yes, C - reward yourself with Quantum!), Amy is editing and eating (not necessarily in that order), Nicholas is providing thoughtful matter by way of book titles that never saw the light of day, Terra has lost 2 lbs (go Terra!!!), TL continues to hike, edit and play (TL - I love your character names, 'specially Renata) and JK has Matt Cory visiting.
I've still got to check out what's up with Tempest, Maureen, Jen the Redneck, Shelley Munro and see what's happening at Six Degrees of Sexy... so many blogs, so little time ;)

Back to Christmas shopping... Have you started? I'm starting to get a bit frantic because I've got to get my Bermuda-family pressies bought before the in-laws arrive in a couple of weeks so I can send stuff back with them. And December is so full of stuff -- three family birthdays (including mine - so start shopping), three friend birthdays, holiday parties, decorating, end of school,....
All that and finishing a book.
ACK, I'm stressed already!!!

Leaving on a jet plane, be back on Monday...

You have reached the blog of Wylie Kinson.
I'm currently away from my desk -- and away from all things internet! -- but if you'd like something to read while I'm gone, please check out my post at Six Degrees of Sexy entitled:

10 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT SEX

Or maybe you do know about them...

Don't forget to leave a message after the beep!

BEEP

This special bulletin just in from my friend Tracey...

Set your "Lost" countdown clocks to 72 days: ABC has set the show's season premiere date.

The show will open its fifth season with a two-hour premiere starting at 9p.m. ET Wednesday, Jan. 21. It marks a return to Wednesdays for the show.


Woohoo... something to look forward to!

Writing research, or an excuse not to write??

I'm trying to get a grasp on the future-world I'm creating for my latest wip (Jump Zone) so trotted down to Blockbuster for some post-apocolyptic inspiration.

I had to fight off two teenage boys to get the last (and only?) copy of the John Woo directed Appleseed Ex Machina. This was my first foray into anime and I must say, I was impressed! While the story was certainly interesting, it was the animation that had me shaking my head in a combination of creepy and cool in it's stunning 'realness' (the chick did NOT have sex with the hunky(?) faceless cyborg so the creep-factor came down by the end).
Though I did have a weird moment when I realized that two specific visual details in MY wip are presented in the fictional world of Olympia. Enough to have me worried that people will think I ripped them off from the movie (totally did NOT!!) but if/when Jump Zone is ever published, it'll be long forgotten,... ahem.

The second movie was a very dark vision of future-world starring Christian Bale (whom I heart more with every movie I see him in) called Equilibrium.
AGHAST - another three parallels to my story -- one major, two minor. I guess the collective vision of future-world is indeed bleak.
Anyhoo -- it was another enjoyable movie from a researchy aspect. And 1 1/2 hours of a stoic Mr. Bale was totally worth the $5 rental fee. The fight scenes were AMAZINGLY choreographed and more than a little violent.
The video store dude even said, "Uh... this is restricted. Are you sure you want it?" To which I replied, "Uh... yeah." Not sure if he thought I was underage (wishful thinking on my part?), too delicate, or if I was getting it as a package deal for my teenage son along with the anime flick.
Jeez kid... hate to blow your stereotype of 40 year old women, but we're not all sitting at home watching PS I Love You *snort*

Did I loose some valuable writing time watching movies. Oh yeah. Did it help. Undoubtably. If anything, it confirmed that my vision for our fine planet isn't completely whacked and might even save me from a few cliches. (Can they even be considered cliche if I thought I thought of them first?)

Question: Have you seen anything that qualifies as anime? Thoughts??

No taxes from Californian gays? Oh YEAH!!

Melissa Ethridge spoke out against that Prop 8 business...
I'm horrible at summarizing, so click here to read her right on rant: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2008-11-06/you-can-forget-my-taxes/
and join me in sayin' AMEN MELISSA!!!!

BUFFY IS DEAD?!?!

Oh where oh where has Wylie been...

Yes, aside from two little blips this past week, I haven't been much of a blogger lately. October was a month where a bunch of little niggly things collided and made me tired, grumpy, stressed and uncreative.

To escape real-life, I ended up spending the last few hours of every evening watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I missed this show when it was on television (we didn't get the WB in Bermuda back then) and besides... I couldn't really understand the appeal after having sat through the original movie.

A grainy season one (had me appreciating high def) was very short compared to the other 22 episode seasons, and I really had to leave my adult sensibilities aside and try to let my inner angsty teenager come into the light.
It worked, (must have been my mood, cause it was actually pretty easy!) and I eagerly plunged into season two.
By this time, I realized that even if the monsters were bordering on ridiculous, the acting was superb, the writing tight and the characters BRILLIANT!
It goes without saying that Sarah Michelle Geller was the perfect choice for Buffy... but Willow, Xander, Giles, Angel, even Oz -- incredibily well fleshed out characters that made the show shine. They were easily people you would know in high school (except maybe Angel, the vampire with a soul *snort*) and kudos to Joss Whedon who didn't rely on the transparent trick of slotting people in to stereotype slots.

And I finally completely 'get' why the Angel & Buffy story resonated with my fellow romance writers. WOW -- the chemistry between those two characters was palpable.
By the time I was deep into season three, the Buffy & Angel 'theme song' (a gorgeous, haunting melody by Montreal composer Christophe Beck) would squeeze my heart whenever played.

*SPOILER ALERT - don't continue unless you've watched the show, or don't intend to*

My inner 17 year old felt every ounce of Buffy's pain by the end of season three (you know, when Angel... and Buffy... yeah, then she became Ann). Anyway, I had to rush out and buy season four that very day and only then realized that Angel doesn't come back because the bugger went off and got his own show!!! Course, now I'll have to ask Santa for the Angel series...

Late last night I watched (end of season five) the Buffster jump off the tower to save her sister. And the world.
She died??? But... but... but... I happen to know there's two more seasons!! I've seen them at Best Buy - and she's on the cover so... HOW??!!!
Oh, the look on Willow's face when she saw her friend's lifeless body.
And SPIKE!! The anguish on his face.... he just broke my heart.
Speaking of Spike. He's become my absolute fave character.
Ever.
On any television show.
Double kudos to Mr. Whedon for this guy. His character grew into something multi-faceted and imo, overshadowed even Angel in his depth. The good-bad guy, complete with unrequited love.

Have you seen Buffy?
For writers - if so, have you drawn on it for inspiration/ideas/arcs, etc??

Michael Crichton is dead!!!

OMG - I just heard the most terrible news. One of my favorite authors passed away yesterday... Michael Crichton. :(

I've read everything he wrote - the list is too long to mention in my distressed state, so I'll just throw out SPHERE, THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, DISCLOSURE,and JURASSIC PARK for those who aren't sure who he is. Was. *sob*

RIP Michael. The world will miss you!

Today's the day, neighbours... do the world proud!

For my American friends...



Make history!

With no offense meant to anyone...

If you want a good laugh, go here: http://www.palinaspresident.us
It's interactive so click around.

If you need me, I'll be in TV LAND

Holy Procrastination Batman...

I got out of the writing routine during my sister's visit and am having a major hard time getting back in the saddle. Here I am, at my office (others call it the Library) and I'm blogging instead of progressing my word count.
Bad me.
Very bad me for circling a bunch of shows in the T.V. Guide that I want to catch this week. I feel so unproductive sitting in front of the idiot tube, but honestly, I've needed the escape!!
Caught that new Christian Slater pilot last night "My Own Worst Enemy" and I like it. I REALLY REALLY like it. Very cool premise, excellent acting (of course) and I'm afraid I just might be hooked.

Tuesday night is turning out to have quite the lineup: House, Eli Stone, Fringe and Mentalist. Thank goodness for time-shifting because three of them are on at the same time. And according to the 'regular Tuesday scheduling', so is My Own Worst Enemy, but I caught it on a local Canadian feed last night at midnight, right after the Mentalist. My sister -- who is back home now -- was pissed that I got to watch it a night early (neener neener neener!!)

And speaking of sister-dear, she had me watching The Unit, -- also a good program, but I'm not sure if I'll stick with that one. We'll see. It's a Sunday night thing and I don't know if I'm prepared to be stuck in front of the tv THREE nights running. ACK! I can feel my mind turning to mush and the mountain of TBR's growing to dizzying heights.
If everyone can please just stop writing/releasing books for a year or two so I can catch up, that be great. Thanks.
;)

And now YOU, fellow bloggers. What new shows or old shows coming back are you tuning in to?

Oh - one last message to Canadians: GO VOTE!!!!!!!!

RIP Owen Yee, 2004 - 2008

It's been a happy-sad week for me. Happy because I had a wonderful visit with my sister and brother-in-law. My sister is so amazing... soft and even-tempered to my dramatic shenanigans. And my bro-i-l (ha - BROIL -- love it) who ate all my cooking without complaint. That was a big job for him, believe me!!
It was difficult to say goodbye yesterday, so I avoided the airport scene and sent them off with my hubby.

Sad week as well as we bade farewell to little Owen Yee, who succumed to cancer at age four. It's been such a difficult journey for Owen's family, from the diagnosis a year and a half ago, a year of treatment, which they initially thought was successful, until the supposed final MRI this past May showed that the damn tumor came back. Poor child went through three brain surgeries, aggressive chemo, bone marrow transplant and radiation, but in the end, the horrible disease won.

I just returned home from the funeral and my hands are still shaking. My heart aches for his parents -- loosing their baby is surely worse than death itself.
For myself, looking at the small little box at the front of the church and knowing that my own four year old was at home watching Toopy and Binoo ... I was indescribably torn.

When I got home, my son, so astute for his age, wrapped is warm little arms around me and said "Did you say goodbye to Owen for me, Mommy?"

Tonight, as we sit down for our Thanksgiving meal, I know exactly what I'll be giving thanks for... For having the privilege of knowing a cheerful child whose soul will live on in those whom he touched.

Full House

My sister and bro-in-law are visiting from 'up north'. I LOVE it when they visit and not just because my sister keeps my kitchen sparkling clean and my early-rising b.i.l. has a Tim Horton's coffee waiting for me when I wake up... (though that's reason enough, trust.)

They're great company, fun to hang with and the kidlets luv 'em to pieces. It's all good.

We dragged them out with us for our Sunday hike. The leaves are finally beginning to shake loose so the walking paths were strewn with maples.

Speaking of maples:

This is my tree-hugging sister:

Sis and bro-in-law trying to contain my oldest son, who's decided he's too big for hugs, kisses or any adult-physical contact...

The kids with their Unc...

Oldest boy falling into the creek despite being told repeatedly not to put all his weight on one shaky branch. I even jokingly pulled out the camera and told him if he was going to fall in, I didn't want to waste a perfect picture opportunity. Of course, within 10 seconds, he toppled. I clicked about six photos of him going down, so when viewed in slide show, it's an impressive action montage :)

I should add, so you don't think me a callous mother, that the boy-child wasn't hurt and the creek water wasn't terribly cold :)

No fungus or tree growths this week (sorry, TL!!)

Thanks to my fellow writers who commented on my last post. Nice to see I'm not the only one with writerly ADD. One less thing to feel neurotic about :D

And no writing for me this week -- not while I've houseguests to hang with!

Probably no blogging, either, so I'll say adios until next week...

Shoulda

I should have been writing.
Should have been painting the bathroom.
Should have been getting the guestroom ready for my sister & brother-in-law's arrival tomorrow.
I SHOULD have been concentrating on the Canadian election debates!

But noooo...
This Canadian gal was GLUED to the American Vice Presidential debates last night. Overall, it was an excellent exchange with no major gaffes by either candidate. Sara Palin was not the train wreck that many expected, and I for one, was relieved. IMHO, I don't believe she should be in the position for VP, but I didn't want to see her humiliated (again) either.
Again, imho, Joe Biden, with his thirty-odd years of experience in the political game, was a clear winner. His familiarity with the issues and his comfort with the discussion gave me far more confidence than the woman who was primarily forced to defend the record of John McCain.
Opinions? I'd love to hear them, whether you agree with me or not ;)

A final note on writing... I've now passed the 25K mark on my latest WIP. The story is flowing at a pretty good pace (for me!), the momentum is still there and God willing, I may actually finish this one!! I mean, look at my sidebar. For heaven's sake, I can't seem to finish anything I start. Some for good reasons (I was over my head with the historical and the paranormal) and the others just got set aside because the muse INSISTED that I move on to *insert name of current wip here*.
My fellow writers - how do you deal with this?? How do you stay focused for so long on one project?

For the love of autumn

I LOVE AUTUMN!!!

...and not just for the Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks.

In my part of the world, we've had a gentle journey into fall. Up until this past weekend, we were still in shorts, the trees are still mostly green and the weather has been lovely. The Kinsons decided to take advantage of all the goodness and go for a hike.
And we needed to tear the kids away from the Wii :)

This one looks staged, don't you think? But this is how I found it, no kidding.

Sweetness and Light on the forest path.

We live in an area with primarily deciduous forest, but I grew up in an area that was a mix of deciduous and coniferous. They're both incredibly beautiful, though the conifers don't change color or drop leaves... instead they provide much needed greenery in the dead of winter.

My obsessions with 'growths on trees' continues.

And isn't this a neato plant?

Why research is fun...

Things I've learned while researching for my latest wip:

• you can start a fire by mixing potassium permanganate and glycerin, two common items in a survival/first-aid kit.
• a handful of termites is about 550 calories of yummy goodness
• grasshoppers are a great source of omega-3 oil
• there is such a thing as a grizzly bear - polar bear hybrid. It's rare, but it has happened both in captivity and in the wild
• dragon skin body armor is really cool
  
  

• Ka-Bar knives have been around for over 100 years (though not always called that) -- here's how it got it's famous name:

Soon after its introduction in the mid-1920's, the KA-BAR trademark became widely known and respected. There have been many versions of how the KA-BAR name came to be, but all evidence points to a letter received from a fur trapper. This particular fur trapper's testimonial turned out to be the most significant ever received by the company. He wrote, in very rough English, that his gun had jammed and that he had therefore relied on his knife to kill a wounded bear that was attacking him. In thanking the company for their quality product the trapper described using his knife to kill the bear. All that was legible of his scrawled writing was "k a bar". The company was so honored by this testimonial that they adopted this phrase and used it as their trademark, KA-BAR.

This is why I love being a writer.
What's the most interesting piece of information you picked during WIP research? Enquiring bloggers want to know!

Human Again

I finally feel somewhat human again. The cold came on fast, but looks like it's tapering off to a simple bit of stuffiness... no nagging chest cough, etc. *knocking wood*

Oops - looks like I missed my Tuesday... In the News yesterday. Or maybe... I did it but it got sucked into the Large Hadron Collider :)
Speaking of which, I didn't realize how much of our dinner table conversation revolved around that little bit of science news until I heard my four year old say to a friend of his,
"I know two Adams. You, and Adam Smasher!"
Get it? BWAhahahahah

Have you seen FRINGE yet? I watched again last night. Very cool - a little bit sci-fi, a little bit crime drama. It's filling the void that the X-Files left many many years ago. And keeping my 'wtf' neurons firing until LOST comes back.

Writing... Jeez, you'd think I'd mention this topic more since I'm a writer and all.
Now that the kids are back in school (my youngest goes to JK in the afternoons now - whoopee) I actually have a few hours a day. Most days, anyway.
I've been setting up office in the local library, which is conveniently next to the school, so I don't loose a half-hour of travel time. Seems to be working as I'm actually getting a bit of a word-count!
But I'm hesitant to discuss the 'what' until I'm sure I can pull it off. The genre is a bit of a departure out of my comfort zone (like and erotica author HAS a comfort zone - LOL) so we'll just see how it pans out. But the point is, I'm excited about it. And if I can hold my writerly ADD off for a bit longer, I might actually finish this wip!

The Kinsons go wild

It was a very germy weekend at our place as both Mr. Wylie and I have miserable colds.

(course, he has a Man Cold which is soooo much worse)

We did manage to get out with the kids on Sunday for a slow but lovely nature walk. Taking a page from Thomma Lyn's blog, I'll share a few of the photos. I desperately need help with focus and composition, but let's master one art form at a time, shall we?

For instance, this photo is meant to show the contrast between the summer-lush green leaves and the yellowish orange arrival of fall. But the bright sky washed out the colors. A different angle would have worked, methinks.

And this is the lovely path we were on. We did get more adventurous and cut through the bushes in places, but the conservation area we visited has this wonderfully maintained path for people with strollers, joggers, etc.

This is fungus on the base of a old tree stump. I don't know why I found this so fascinating... maybe because it reminds me of the coral formations in Bermuda's shallows. Focus isn't perfect, but at least you can see what it is. The pics of my kids, on the otherhand... not so good, so I'm leaving those ones out.

You may call me Indy.

I is sick...
sore throat,
stuffy head,
body aches,
YUK.

No energy to blog, so I leave you with this:

Your Soap Opera Name is

India Fitzgerald

Get Your Soap Opera Name Generator at Quizopolis.com
http://www.quizopolis.com/soap-opera-name-generator.php

We're still here!!

So the second episode of Fringe was on and it was... well... okay. Just okay. Didn't grab me like the first one did, although it had some intriguing moments.
I'm disappointed, only because I wanted to LOVE it. Will I watch again? Yeah, probably, but I won't cancel any plans for it.
And the serial killer storyline left me jonesing for Dexter!

Did you see it? What did you think? Are there any new fall shoes you're looking forward to??

postscript: (ha!! I meant SHOWS, of course... thanks Shelley!)

Today marks the one week anniversary of the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) going online. And guess what? We're still here! Yay - the planet didn't get sucked into a man-made black hole, we didn't pop into another dimension (at least, I don't think so) or blow up into cosmic dust.
Yet.

Waterworld, fo'real!

Welcome to the second edition of

Tuesday... In the News

Makes it more official to have a title, don't you think? And I hope the little voice in your head puts on a Walter Cronkite voice, complete with little pause between 'Tuesday' and 'in the news'.


Flooding, rising sea levels due to global warming, sinkage due to the extraction of ground water... all have contributed to the plight of a village in the Philappines that, due to the aforementioned, has been underwater for the past four years.


Yes - sounds like an even worse version of that Kevin Costner movie, but can you imagine what life must be like for those poor villagers? The chest deep water means without a boat you are literally house bound, kids are prohibited from playing outside and jogging is completely out!

Sure, I jest, but the thought of wading through garbage and raw sewage is too much to consider before my morning coffee. I mean, disease, sanitation, bad hair... the implications of living life under these conditions hardly need expounding.


Here's a newsclip:

Dang! I can't get the embed feature to work. Grrr. Here's the link. The video is only 1 1/2 minutes long.

Why hasn't the Philappine government rescued these poor folks? Relocated them??
It this was happening in YOUR country, wouldn't you expect (hope for) federal aid?
Discuss.

Fringe - The show, not the edging on my pillows.

With no intention of spending a night in front of the television, I switched on the old weather channel last evening about 8pm to see how much of Ike's remnants we were in for (moderate rain, a little blowy) and accidently hit the wrong channel. I stumbled on a show called Fringe, which I'd never heard of, or anything about, and something in that 10 seconds, before I realized my mistake, caught me.

Caught me good.

'Cause I didn't budge.

Not even to refill my tea.

Call me blissfully ignorant, but I'd never heard anything about this show, yet when my husband came in the room, after about 30 seconds he says "Is this that new show, Fringe?"

Okay - so apparently there's been some buzz... *head back in Hadron Collider*

It's like a cross between X-Files and Lost... WHAT COULD BE BETTER?!!?? After making that connection, I later learned it's a JJ Abrams production. Uh, yeah... makes perfect sense.

It's got all the requisite ingredients -- fast moving, mysterious, interesting characters (a mad scientist and heroine who's not annoying - yay!), captivating, creepy in an I-want-to-believe sort of way, and it starred Pacey -- what's not to love?

Furthermore, I recognized a few Toronto locations, so with an obvious Canadian connection (Joshua Jackson , born in Vancouver, is indeed a dual Canadian/US citizen) I felt a sense of obligitory patriotism, hence my non-guilt over a missed evening of writing.

Follow?

I believe it will be airing on Tuesday nights after House. Again, PERFECT! I'll be sitting in front of the television anyway, so it won't disrupt my life other than making a double batch of frozen grapes.

Have you heard of this show? Did you watch it?? Whadya think???

The Challenges of Writing a Series

I'm letting Amy Ruttan do all the work today... She's got a terrific post over at Six Degrees of Sexy about her experience writing a five book series.
And she's sharing the covers of her upcoming books!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend planned. For me, it's a trip to the city for our monthly RWA chapter meeting, a chance to catch up with my friends and meet new writers. Not to mention the incredible shot of motivation these get togethers provide.
How 'bout chu?

Thomma Lyn: this picture is for you. A PUFFIN...

Bad Disney Movie or Puffin Poop?

I ran across this little interview of Matt Damon talking about Sarah Palin's run with McCain on YouTube. I've never put much stock into what celebrities have to say about politics because...
well really,... do I have to explain?
But this was pretty spot on, imo.

Without further ado, I give you Mr. Damon...


LOL at bad Disney movie. Straight to video!

I know, I know... two political posts in as many weeks. So NOT me, but I can't help it!!
We Canadians (or is that 'us' Canadians?) have our own federal election set for next month and it's not nearly as juicy as the happenings to our south! All we've got is the tasteless Puffin Poop ad to get our knickers in a knot over...



Ah, politics... the jokes practically write themselves.

Dark Matter: Big BOOM or Big conCERN

I thought, since the kidlets are back in school, that I'd throw an extra blog day in. Welcome to the first edition of

TUESDAY... In the News

Have you heard about the underground, 27 kilometer atom smasher they built on the France-Swiss border? (besides you, TL)
CERN's (that's the European Union of Nuclear Research) 4 billion dollar project, involving scientists from 80 or so countries, began in 2003 and is scheduled to crank up this week.

And yup... as with any scientific explorations, the usual camps are divided into "OMG - this is the coolest thing EVER and will help explain the big bang theory, anti matter, and the behaviour of quarks and gluons!!!" and "OMG - this is the end of the world!! Prepare to be sucked into a giant black hoooooooooole!"

My knowledge of general science is perhaps a wee smidge better than the average bear, but I'm no rocket scientist. I'm not even the assistant to the assistant of the rocket scientist's dog walker. So though I 'get it' -- I understand what protons, neutrons and electrons are... this Large Hadron Collider had me a little mystified too, until I watched this funky little rap by 23 year old AlpineKat (aka Kate McAlpine, US scientist working at CERN). She sums it up beautifully, with subtitles!

Check it out...



For some reason, the comment option has disappeared from this post!! (thanks, Julia, for pointing that out)
All the correct boxes are checked in Blogger's post options, so I can only conclude that the comment option has been sucked into the Hadron Collider's black hole...

drip...drip... It's damp in this cave!

Hola,

I'm in my writing cave today. Yeah!! Sweetness (aka youngest son) starts preschool giving me a whole 2 hours to write. WOOT WOOT

While I'm in the dark recesses of my imagination, I leave you with this thought of the day, sent to me by my friend Donna from Bermuda.

"Whatever you give a woman, she's going to multiply. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.
If you give her a house, she'll give you a home.
If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.
If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.
She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.
So - if you give her crap, you will receive a bucket full of shit.
Love and appreciate all the women in your life."

Adios until Thursday

Why you need to read something DIFFERENT.

That's the basic theme of today's post...
but you need to go to Six Degrees of Sexy to see what sub-genre I've been dipping my toes into.

Tag, You're It! The Quirks Meme

I've been tagged! Ellora's Cave author, Debra Glass, nailed me in the Tag, You're It! game.
Here are the rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. List 6 unspectacular quirks you have.
4. Tag 6 bloggers by linking them.
5. Leave a comment on each person’s blog to let them know they’ve been tagged.

Six Unspectacular Quirks About Wylie Kinson:
1. I eat Tic Tacs in twos. Never just one, never three. Twos and fours only. But not six because it's too overwhelmingly minty)
2. I'm a pillow whore. I sleep with three or four king-sized feather pillows and get very angry when my DH takes one. To the point where I had his little foam pillow monogrammed so he wouldn't 'get confused' and steal mine.
3. I eschew trends but then feel bitter if I miss something good.
4. I only eat Glosette Raisins at the movies. If I eat them outside of a darkened room with a big screen, I don't like them.
5. I can bite my toenails. And do. Which is why I try to keep them painted, cause then I don't.
6. I crave egg noodles and saurkraut mixed together. It started when I was pregnant and didn't stop.

Come on, fess up... do you share any of these quirks with me?

And I'm passing on this tag to: Amy Ruttan, Thomma Lyn, Julia, Robin and Bonnie.

Let's start September off right...

Oooo - I found this yummy test over on Michelle Rowen's blog. What a deliciously mindless way to start September!

Your result for The What type of MAN turns you on Test...

Exotic bad-ass

You scored 80% masculine, 59% athletic, 64% exotic, and 44% refined!

You want everything in a man at the same time! Masculine, built like a Greek god, exotic and mysterious and even some bad-ass in there too. I think you would really like Freddy Ljungberg, the Swedish soccer player. He's the guy on the right. But let's face it, the whole point of this was to look at a bunch of hot guys. If you liked what you saw, please rate my test!

Take The What type of MAN turns you on Test at HelloQuizzy

Have fun ;)