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Susan Mallery

Fools Gold

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Okay, so there have been some stumbling blocks on the way to self publication and I decided to not look at them as negative things.  It's not easy.  One of the things that I did was find a critique partner.  

One of the writer's websites that I belong to offers that service.  You sign up that you are looking for a critique partner, list what you write, what kind of stories you like and don't like and then they put out the list like once a month and you can see if there is anyone who matches what you are looking for.  Actually, someone contacted me.  

I was a little hesitant at first because this is where the rubber hits the road.  What if this person reads my work and tells me it stinks?  What if they have all these suggestions and there is no way for me to incorporate them without changing my entire story?  Well, the upside to that is that, really, I don't have to listen.  They are suggestions and as such, I can say "thanks" and just not use them.  But I have to tell you, so far so good.

In return of reading my work, I read theirs.  We are doing this three chapters at a time and I have to tell you, it's challenging.  First because my time is already so limited and secondly because the writing teacher in me came out in full-force when I read their first three chapters that after I sent them back with my suggestions, I felt bad.  I told Frank how I felt and he was like "Well, kiss that gig goodbye.  I doubt you'll hear form them again."

But I did.  We're on to our second set of three chapters and I am looking forward to getting some feedback since I'm trying to bulk up the story by 100 pages - which is no easy task.  This could be the best use of what I thought was negative time.  Who knew?

So  Frank's band played Saturday night at a club in downtown Raleigh.  I can't help but say...I really like watching him play!

I used to consider myself to be a fairly creative person.  I could write for hours on end, have multiple stories going on, scrapbook, cook, blog...I mean, it just came easy.  Now?  Not so much.

I am gearing up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and I cannot focus on any kind of a story.  Oh, and FYI, I even booked my little writing retreat cottage so that I COULD write endlessly without interruption but now I have a feeling I will be curled up in the fetal position eating Chinese food and BBQ potato chips while I cry for an entire weekend.

Where did my creative spark go?  True, I have been just a wee-bit distracted with the horrors that are my life right now but you think that would create some sort of fun world in my head for me to escape to, right?  

Clearly, no.

Even coming up with what to make for dinner makes my brain hurt!  Although, I did concoct some KILLER seafood quesadillas the other night. Seriously, they were so good I almost made myself sick.  I both love and hate when that happens.  That was the most inspired I've been in quite some time and for someone who is a foodie who likes to cook, that's sad.

I long for the days where my brain functioned normally.  And really hope that this, too, isn't one of those pesky signs of aging...that would really suck. 

You know, I have a love/hate relationship with Entrecard.  I do really well with it for a time and then I get away from it and it seems like when I am hitting my stride and doing great with my drops everyday, they start having technical issues.  

This last week has been one of those times.

I have had my standard hour of drops go closer to two because the widgets won't load or the sites won't load...whatever the issue is, it is killing me!!  I just want to go and do my drops and get on with it but no.  For a site that's been doing this for years, they still can't seem to get themselves together.  

The site gives you the whole "We're sorry...technical difficulties...blah, blah, blah..." but whatever the case, I'm not feeling too kindly towards them right now.  So if I haven't dropped on you in a few days, please don't blame me, put the blame where it belongs...with Entrecard!!!

Hello, my name is Stace and I am poor.

This is not an invitation for you to compete with me on your level of poorness, too.  This is not an opening for you to tell me why you are poorer than me or why your lack of money is worse than mine.  

Remember the days when we all wanted to do BETTER than one another?  What happened to those days??  Why am I ranting about this?  Because recently I had a conversation with someone that I am close to and just sort of shared very briefly what's been going on with us.  I didn't go in to great detail, it was just like "Things are really tough right now and I'm stressed, blah, blah, blah..."

Their response was to tell me about how they returned from a vacation to have two of their utilities shut off and how much they are struggling to keep up with their bills.  Okay, fine.  I sort of felt that it was relatable and we were done.  BUT...I come to find out that it was all a big, fat LIE.  No utilities were shut off, no struggling.  I mean, really?  I get it if you were trying to make me feel better if you were genuinely struggling but this level of competition or "I'm poorer than you" just seems juvenile.  

I don't want anyone to compete with me on this.  It's ridiculous.  I know that there are people in worse condition than we are or who have struggled with the same things, I get it.  Don't create drama and lie so that you can seem relatable!  That's just insane!  

Oy...I just want to have a normal life again...

So recently I was contacted by this website called "SheTaxi" about advertising here on All Stace and in return they would promote me on their site.  I had never heard of them before and decided to check them out.  After a couple of issues with getting their badge on here (it's here but it doesn't work for some reason), we are a go.

What is SheTaxi?  Well according to their site they are an on-line vehicle taking women through life's journey.  We're your resource for life's tools and conversations that go beyond the "superficial".  SheTaxi is dedicated to helping women thrive.

Pretty cool, right?

So once I got them set up here on the blog, I went to the site to check them out.  You need to create an account - which is no big deal - and then I wen to explore.  There was so much to read, see and do that I think it's going to take a while to navigate.  

Essentially, if you are familiar with Blog Her, it's kind of similar.  They promote women's blogs.  They have communities, you can invite friends, they offer advise.  It's a cool place to check out.  With topics/tabs like SheNess, Motherhood, Daughterhood, Friends, Coupling, Working, Well-Being and SelfHood there is something out there for every woman.

If you have time, click over to SheTaxi and check them out. 

This was just so dang cute that I had to share it. I mean, this little girl just tugged at my heart. The fact that it's Disney-themed is just an extra perk! Enjoy!

You all know that I am not a "sit in front of the TV all night" kind of gal.  I have my select few shows that I like and then I move on.  Well, a little over a week ago I had finished watching "Modern Family" and I was sitting no the couch doing me entrecard drops and was too lazy to change the channel and so I left it where it was and on came "Happy Endings".  

Have you seen this show??  I was cracking up!  It's a familiar premise with the group of friends casting but it just made me laugh like crazy!  Here's the synopsis from the ABC website:

Forget who gets to keep the ring -- when a couple splits, the real question is, who gets to keep the friends? In this modern comedy, a couple's break-up will complicate all of their friends' lives and make everyone question their choices. When life throws you for a curve, hold on tight to the people you love. Every circle of friends has someone who's the gravitational center. For years, perfect couple Dave and Alex drew their friends in and held them together. Now that they've split, does this group have the stuff to stay together? Or do Max, Brad, Jane and Penny have to choose sides? Suddenly every event is a negotiation... like, who gets to go on the annual ski trip? There are a lot of big questions to be answered, but this group has been together so long, somehow, little by little, they'll figure out how to hold on, even though their center is split up. It helps that Dave and Alex have agreed to stay friends. But there will definitely be other complications down the road. This show isn't afraid to ask the embarrassing personal questions that inevitably arise in every long-term, close-knit group of friends.

Happy Endings

stars Eliza Coupe (

Scrubs

) as Jane, Elisha Cuthbert (

24

) as Alex, Zachary Knighton (

FlashForward

) as Dave, Adam Pally as Max, Damon Wayans, Jr. (

The Underground

) as Brad and Casey Wilson (

Saturday Night Live

) as Penny. 

This is actually the second season that has just started and I am anxious to watch the first one and totally get in to the groove of what's going on.  Although, to be honest, I felt completely okay with the whole thing tuning in for the season premier. 

If you are looking for a great comedy and you're already watching "Modern Family", stick around for the following 30 minutes (and then turn to USA to watch "Psych").  Wednesdays are a great night to laugh!

An unfamiliar phenomenon happened here in my house this week.  My middle schooler asked if he could stay after school and go to the football game.

What the WHAT???

I know, completely bizarre.  No one in this house is a sports fan or participant. Well, we watch hockey but only if the NY Rangers are playing.  But I digress, Michael has always been athletically "gifted" and I say gifted because to the rest of us here in the house, he's a marvel.  But I'm not sporty or outdoorsy, Nick had no interest in team sports whatsoever and Frank just...well, never wanted to do the sports thing.  

So here's my boy, with his money that he's saved, telling us that he has the $4 for his ticket and could he please go to the game.  How could I say no?  We made a plan, he told us which friends he was going with, he had his cell phone and knew the time we were going to pick him up.  When he got home, he was fairly GLOWING.  He had a great time, was psyched about his school's team winning and talked about all of the friends that he saw there...it was amazing.  

I am thinking that this time next year I will be sitting in the bleachers cheering him on, myself.   It's kind of a cool thought...

I have a friend on Facebook who often complains that one of her co-workers sings all the time.  She's not opposed to singing in general, she's opposed to BAD singing that goes on all day, all the time.  I think that would definitely grate on my nerves after a while but what about a co-worker with, shall we say, more offensive habits?

Okay, I work with someone who is well aware that they have digestive "issues" and yet doesn't seem to care that when they eat certain things, their body makes certain sounds that are EXTREMELY offensive to the rest of us.  Yes, I'm talking about burping and farting.  There, I've said it.  It's not a once in a while thing, it is daily.  They apologize, say 'excuse me' but basically, it makes me throw up a little with each sound they make because...and here's the kicker...when they sit down to eat the offensive food, they ADMIT that this is not good for them and they are eating it anyway.

THAT IS WRONG ON EVERY LEVEL!

If you want to eat stuff that makes you...make noise, do it at home!  Have it for dinner!  Why would you do that to the people around you?  We have ALL complained about it and they laugh!  You can't blame cluelessness because we have all said "STOP EATING THAT!" and told them why!  

I've been temped to go to the bosses but what do you say?  How do you, as an adult and without laughing, say that your co-workers digestive problems are becoming a problem for you?  Is there a way to say that without sounding stupid or petty?  I just don't know...

So I'm on the laptop the other night and I went to log in to my email account.  I signed in and got an error message that my password was incorrect.  Okay, fine, I typed it again.  Still wrong.  This went on or quite a while and I tried not to freak out because Road Runner is sometimes funky.  I put the laptop down and went over to the desktop.

Next day I pick up the laptop and go to sign on and it says that my Windows password is incorrect.  I kid you not.  So now I'm freaking out because there is no way for me to retrieve that password because I cannot find the disc and pretty much was having a nervous breakdown because everything that I've written is on here and I stupidly had never made back up discs.  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

After much yelling and crying and generally losing my mind I decided to try one more time.  I typed in my password SLOWLY.  I watched as each character appeared on the screen and lo and behold...the F key would not type!  The letter F key is sticking and I cannot get it to unstick!  You have no idea how difficult it was to even type this post!  

Crazy, I tell you...just crazy!!!

I know, I know...I'm depressing to listen to (or read) these days but seriously things have got to get better eventually.

Deep down, I can be very petty.  I don't believe that to be a good thing but there it is.  I don't basque in others misfortune or anything but I do struggle with listening to all of the good things that are going on in other people's lives when mine is falling apart.  

For example, right now four people I know went on fabulous vacations.  Basically, I do not begrudge them their vacations, but I am having a VERY hard time wanting to sit and talk about them, and hear about them.  Three of the four are most gracious in this way; the fourth?  Not so much.  They want to cram their vacation down my throat.  

You see, it wasn't JUST a vacation, it was a FABULOUS vacation.  It was the BEST vacation.  They had the BEST place to stay and had the BEST food and they spent SO MUCH money and it was TOTALLY worth it.  By the third sentence I wanted to scream.  I mean, I'm sitting here eating canned soup for the third day in a row and so your little "All-you-can-eat-lobster-fest" is really not appealing to me on any level.

Am I wrong?  Am I just overly sensitive?  But would you go to someone who is homeless and brag about your trip to Paris?  Would you walk through the pediatric ward in the hospital and tell the parents there how healthy and wonderful your kids are?  I just think that if we're going to talk about it, have a little sensitivity, you know?  I will politely ask how your trip was (because it's the elephant in the room) but we do not need to spend ENDLESS hours talking about it, do we?

This is where the mean-girl in me fights to come out and just smack somebody.

As a parent,  you have the responsibility of teaching certain life necessities to your children.  How to walk, how to talk, how to have good manners at the table, tie your shoes, tell time, etc.  Then, as your child gets older and goes to school, the teacher then reinforces all of these things.

How is it, then, that I happen to have a child with NO sense of time???  I mean, we have a discussion DAILY on time:  it's time to get up, it's time to get ready for school, it's time to go to the bus stop, it's time to do your homework, it's time for dinner and it's time for bed.  We are fairly routine-oriented people.  Wake up is at 6:30, he leaves for the bus at 7:13, homework is to be started at 5:00, dinner is promptly at 7:00 and bedtime is 10:00.  

It doesn't seem to matter what is going on but whenever I mention the time the response is usually "WHAT?  ALREADY?"  Yes, son, time does not stop because you are sleeping, eating, playing a video game or whatever.  I'm getting kind of tired of the whole darn thing.  I mean, we have clocks in every room - sometimes more than one!  What time it is and what that time signifies should come to no great surprise DAILY.

I think it's time for me but him a timer...

A couple of years ago, someone had broken in to my car right here in our driveway.  It kind of ticked me off because the car is parked practically right outside my bedroom window and Frank is a nightowl who stays up until 3-4 in the morning and neither of us had heard anything.

It was a Monday morning when Frank was driving Michael to school when they both "thought" something was missing, but decided to say nothing to me.  The following morning, after driving Michael to school, Frank said "Did you take the DVD players out of the car?"  I had not and so I called the cops.  

Since we didn't know when the actual theft had occurred, the cops took our statement and pretty much told us that there was little to no chance of finding the people responsible and that there had been a rash of car breakins in the area.  Good-bye and good luck.

I was not happy.  They were dual screened portable DVD players and we usually only used them on long car trips but after our last one to wherever, the boys wanted them to stay in the car or were too lazy to take them out, whatever.  They cost $179 and that's not money that we usually have to spare.  I filed a claim with our insurance company but with our deductible, we weren't getting anything.

Yesterday in the mail I get a letter from a lawyer's office.  It scared the crap out of me because with all that's going on lately, I was sure that someone was after me for not paying something.  I open it up and after reading the letter like a half a dozen times it turns out that the car thief was actually CAUGHT, has been in jail and is now getting ready to be released and has been ordered to pay us the $179!  I have no idea if we'll actually ever SEE that money but I find it odd that we were never contacted to be let known that the police had actually caught anyone!

I'm not holding out much hope but it would be nice to get that money back...maybe soon...

My time as a cheerleader is coming to an end and I'm kind of sad about the whole thing.   I never quite made it to the top of the list - although I was cheerleader of the week once! - but I had so much fun doing this, you cannot even imagine.

I learned a lot about marketing and publishing that I know is going to help me with my own writing journey.  I think that if you like contemporary fiction and enjoy a good romance, then you should definitely check out Susan Mallery and her Fools Gold series.  "Only His" was a great book with a couple of different stories going on at once and actually had me laughing out loud quite a few times.

So if you're looking for a good read this weekend, check out "Only His". 

You know, it's really unfair for the universe to kick you when you're down.  With the way things have been, there are very few things that give me joy.  Chocolate is one of them.  Dove dark chocolate in particular.

So I'm food shopping the other day, cruising the aisles with my little calculator to stay within our budget and decided that I could go another week without conditioner so that I could buy the "big" bar of Dove Dark Chocolate.  It was a necessity and I was okay with spending that $1.99.

I came home, but the chocolate in the fridge for a little while - I prefer that it not melt in my hands - and went about my business.  After dinner, I cleaned up, did some things that I needed to do and then went in to grab a couple of squares of chocolate and...it was BAD.  No, not the taste (although I'm sure that wasn't good either) but the SIGHT of it!  I opened the package and what should have been dark chocolate was the color of sand!  The bar looked old and disgusting and I was SOOOOOO disappointed that I wanted to cry.

It was too late to head back to the store (I was lazy and didn't want to seem like a crazy person harassing the customer service clerk over a chocolate bar at ten o'clock at night) so I waited until the next day.  I go, I show them the bar, we laugh, I get a refund and the woman asks if I just want to grab another one.  "Oh, no", I say.  "That kind of scared me off."  

Fifteen minutes later I found myself on line with another one.  I'm not strong, I admit it.

I get home, open it up and...IT WAS BAD TOO!!!  Son of a bitch!!!  

All I needed to feel just a wee bit better about this crap life was a few squares of chocolate and really?  Two bad bars??  What are the odds???  Probably pretty good since I bought them both at the same store like an IDIOT.

Sigh...

For those of  you keeping track, Frank is still not working.  We've hit a new level of low and frankly, it sucks.  After the post I wrote last week about having lunch with Yoko, this will all seem ironic but...Frank has been forced to quit the band and we are having to sell his drum equipment.

I.  Feel.  Like.  Crap.

Honestly, there is nothing left of any value in our lives to sell other than the drums and it was his idea.  I totally appreciated the sacrifice because his music means the world to him and I had been struggling with the fact that I was making all of the sacrifices and working my butt off while he did nothing, but now that he's doing it, it makes me sad.  There was nothing else we could do.

I hate this.  I hate that our lives have come to this.  I hate that people we know have hired other painters; I hate that all of the things that we have worked towards are gone.  I'm tired of people asking stupid questions like "Why doesn't he just get a job" when the nations unemployment rate is like 9.1% and here in North Carolina it's 10.1%.  Obviously someone has to be in that stupid percentage and it sucks that it's us.

We also had to post his acoustic/electric guitar for sale and I had to roll up all of our change that I had been saving towards going to see Frank's parents in December.  That's the third trip this year that I've had to cancel - not luxury trips, mind you, just trips in general.

I want to move away and start over where I don't know anyone.  I want to just crawl under the blankets and go to sleep and not wake up.  This is all just too stinkin hard and I don't have the time or energy to keep dealing with stupid people asking stupid questions or making more demands on my time.  I'm exhausted - mentally and physically and there is no light at the end of the tunnel.

Nick went though his growth spurt late.  He was like 13 or 14 and even then, it was a slow process.  Michael is literally ripping and tearing through his clothes at an alarming rate.  We bought him a brand new pair of sneakers right before school started.  He went through nine weeks of school and a three week break to get us where we are right now.  

His sneakers actually split at the seams!  About a month ago.   The sole and sneaker came apart!  I mean, how often does that happen??  We used crazy glue and some sort of bonding stuff that Frank swore would work and...it did not.  

He was a size 12 at the beginning of the school year.  He is now a 14.  At this rate, I have no idea how big he'll be by the end of the school year!  We're not tall people.  I'm barely 5'3 and Frank is about 5'9.  Neither sets of parents/ grandparents are particularly tall so this is all a bit bizarre to me.  I want to put a heavy book on his head and keep him this size for a little bit longer.  Not just because of sentimental reasons but because we just cannot afford to buy him more clothes right now!

Why does time have to fly??? 

I know it said on the calendar like a week ago that it was the first day of Autumn, but here in NC it was still quite warm outside.  I realized at that point that I had spent about 98% of the summer indoors.  Why?  I hate the heat.  I honestly and truly hate the heat.

I don't enjoy sitting out in the sun tanning myself (I am fair skinned and burn WAY too easily), I don't like to sweat (I'm not one of those "pretty" sweaters... I like blotchy and disgusting) and honestly, I just enjoy the A/C a whole lot more.

While I am sad because this means my days of wearing cute flip flops and showing off my fun pedicure colors are coming to an end, I'm kind of looking forward to wearing a sweater or two.  I'm looking forward to my electric bill going down a little from the continuous use of the A/C.  We put the flannel sheets on the bed the other day and they kind of felt nice.

Summer is most definitely not my favorite season, it really is the Fall.  I'm looking forward to the leaves changing colors and just being able to be outside without being uncomfortable.

Yeah!  It's finally here!!

I like to win things.  I mean, who doesn't, right?  Here's the thing, I never win anything big.  I enter contest, sweepstakes, trivia stuff and I win, just small things.  

Okay, so last week I wrote a review for a Disney restaurant and won one of the Birnbaum guide books to Walt Disney World.  I wrote a bunch of blogs for a Disney site and won (more like earned) a Disney World cooler tote bag filled with a few goodies (thank you for bringing it home to me, Alison!).  I have won other tour books, I've won a bunch of stuff through my Susan Mallery cheerleading endeavor (t-shirt, tote bag, mug, books, mouse pad) and one time I won a 4 day/3 night resort stay at a hotel in Orlando.  What I want is to win a TRIP.  I know, greedy right?

I mean, I see sweepstakes to win trips all of the time but does anyone ever actually WIN them??  Any of you out there ever win an actual trip??  What is the secret?  How do you do it?

I need a trip...desperately.

So the other night I went over to my friend Christine's house for a girls night and we got some take out, hung out in our sweats and watched the movie "Bridesmaids".  We had meant to go and see it in the actual movie theater when it was out but never actually got around to it.  Well, it's out on DVD now and we were able to watch it on demand on cable.

OH.  MY.  GOD.

Ladies, if you have not seen this movie, you totally should.  We watched the uncut version and while there were a couple of scenes that I could have lived without, it was still a riot.  It was so funny, that last night I was having a HUGE fight with Frank and I had texted Christine to try and calm down and she quoted one line from the movie and I just about cried I was laughing so hard.  Frank then thought I was laughing at him...the fight escalated...and then I had to admit that I was laughing at something from a movie...he did not find it as funny as I did.

So girls, get your friends together and some take out and watch this movie - unless you are offended easily.  Then choose something safe...but if you just want to laugh out loud at other people's misfortune and stupidity, this is the movie for you.

Enjoy.

I love my kids, I honestly and truly do.  I love spending time with them, talking with them about their days and hearing what their hopes and dreams are.

I already told you how unprepared I was to see that Michael was seemingly interested in girls.  Every time he talked about this little girl I want to put my fingers in my ears and hum loudly.  Well, it's even worse when it is your almost twenty year old wanting to tell you about the things going on in his life.  

He lives on his own, he has his own life and really, I'm not blind or stupid.  I just do not choose to want to sit and HEAR about it all. OH...MY...GOODNESS.  He was here the other night and after only five minutes I was like "Stop talking!"  He didn't.  I am glad that the boy wants to talk to me and that he wants to share what is going on in his life but clearly, I am not mature enough to hear it.

Any of it.

I may be in my 40's (and we'll leave it at that) but I am either too old or too young to have to deal with this!

Wedding bells are ringing in Fool's Gold, but not for Nevada Hendrix.  Her triplet sisters are engaged, and even her mother has a more active love life than she does.  Determined to make a fresh start, she applies for her dream job, only to discover that her new boss is her first love.  Maybe she could overlook the fact that they've seen each other naked, but she'll never forget the way he broke her heart.  

And that, friends, is the plot of Susan Mallery's latest book, "Only His".  This is book number three in the "Only" trilogy and book number six in the Fools Gold series.  This book had me laughing out loud in so many places one minute and then sighing at the romanticism the next.  This was a great addition to the series and a wonderful conclusion to the trilogy.

 With Nevada Hendrix looking to take control of her life and pursue her dream, she soon finds that one thing is true:  Never agree to a job interview in which the interviewer has seen you naked. 

Enter Tucker Janack, the new head of Janack Construction and the biggest stumbling block to Nevada getting her dream job.  It isn’t that Tucker is blocking Nevada from achieving that dream, it’s just that she is having a hard time facing Tucker. 

This book has all the makings of a great reunion romance but Susan Mallery puts a really unique twist on the whole thing.  Over the course of the book we look at friendships - new and old, family relationships and how they effect the way that we view the world and how awkward those relationships can be at times.  

Susan has a gift of really digging deep in to these relationships and you end up with a story that is not just a romance; you end up connecting with an amazing group of people that you wish you could sit down and have lunch with.  If you haven't checked out the series yet, don't wait.  This one will make you smile and give you something to laugh about page after page. 

For an excerpt of this book, click HERE.  

So Frank's band had a gig on Saturday.  It was supposed to be an outdoor thing but we've been having a lot of rain so it was moved to an inside venue. A Tavern.  So what was supposed to be a family thing for all of us and in the end, we all decided it was not a kid-friendly place in the tavern.  

But I digress...

I have band issues.  I openly admit it.  I went with Frank to load up the equipment.  Three of the four band mates were there.  We drove to the Tavern.  Three of the four unloaded the equipment.  I had to sit in the van for 30 minutes while they unloaded to make sure we didn't get ticketed or towed.   I was not amused.  

The performance was not the best.  Three of the four band mates had bad sound.  After they were done, I approached the stage area and mentioned the sound issue, and the guy with the good sound did not, shall we say, "Appreciate" my observation.  Three of the four packed up the equipment and loaded the van back up, three of the four went back to the storage place where they (and two wives - including me) unloaded the van and put everything away.  

I had a freaking fit.  I mean, this guy has pissed me off for a long time but now that they are performing out in public, this sort of behavior is just not acceptable.  I ranted and raved to Frank and he was told me that I am not allowed to be the one to say something to this guy because I am too biased.  Like I care if this slack-ass jerk thinks I am biased!  What I am concerned about it is my husband being treated like the hired help.  They are a BAND not a solo act!  Frank is a member of the BAND not a roadie!

As I listened to myself ranting and raving, I began to feel like I was TRYING to break up the band...and that's not the case.  I am just not a fan of letting someone take advantage of people who are supposed to be their friend.  I am not a fan of someone being manipulative of people that they are supposed to work with.

Now I fear that I've put the idea in his mind that he needs to quit the band.  That was totally not my intent.  I was really hoping that he'd let me go and scream at this guy...no such luck.

Okay, so I had this really, really WEIRD dream and because I remember most of it, I had to share.  

First, I'm in my car driving down Vets Hwy. (on Long Island where I grew up) but I am letting Michael - my 11 year old - drive. As we're driving along, I see a plane flying overhead that is aglow and starting to catch on fire.  I'm screaming at Michael NOT to look at it and keep his eyes on the road.  It's flying the opposite way that we're driving so within seconds it it behind us.  Next thing I know, it is crashing on the highway ahead of us.  He screeches on the brakes and we hit the guardrail but are fine.  In front of us is a giant fireball.

Next thing I know, I am looking at a house with a family.  I think I know them but I'm not sure.  They are touring a house with their realtor and I'm there with them.  Not sure why.  So we're touring this house and it's pretty big and I mean, I can remember the two-zone heating, how many bedroom, the extremely large laundry room - it was a big house.  So we tour the house, they decide to buy and then I'm outside getting in a bus with...wait for it...the Blues Brothers!  Yes, Jake and Elwood, John Belushi and Dan Akroyd.  We're driving down the road into...a giant fireball!  I'm screaming for John to back the bus up and he's doing it but I can see the flames all around us but I'm not getting burned.  I keep saying it's going to be alright but he's saying "No, the whole front end is in flames!"

THEN...I'm walking through a neighborhood, and I know this neighborhood because I have a friend who lives there, and I'm leading  a horse around.  Actually, he's leading me because I'm walking behind him holding the reigns.  And the place looks burned (again, probably the fireball neighborhood) and there are tons of deer walking around and I'm thinking that this horse is leading me to my friend's house but then a vulture or hawk or something swoops down and spooks the horse a bit.  I was trying to swat it away with the reigns but it doesn't work...

And then I woke up...

WHAT DID ALL THAT MEAN???? (Other than the fact that I did NOT go back to sleep?)

Back in 2009, I competed in NaNoWriMo for the first time (National Novel Writing Month).  I finished the challenge and really, there is no "prize" for doing so; it's a personal challenge sort of thing.  However, you do get a neat little certificate to print out and then you get a coupon code to get a print copy of your book from CreateSpace.

For those of you who haven't heard of it, CreateSpace is a site that is run from Amazon and is the place to go if you want to self-publish your work.  Now if you had asked me in 2009 what I thought of them, all you would have heard is a growl followed by a scream.  I had no idea how to upload my book or how to format it to their specifications and after three months of trying (although not very hard) I gave up.

Then 2010 came around and although I DID finish my 50,000 words, I forgot to validate my work so I didn't get my certificate OR coupon code.  I was kicking myself for a long while after that.  BUT I DID compete in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award and although I did not advance in that, they too gave away a coupon code for a free proof copy.  So I sat myself down and forced myself to figure out the formatting process.

I almost killed myself over it, but I FINALLY got it done!  I formatted my book, designed a cover, edited everything to the best of my ability and ordered my proof copy.  If I was a drinker I would have sworn I'd been drunk when I did that because that proof copy was filled with many, many mistakes.

So I started the editing process.  I read the entire book and used highlighter sticky tabs to mark all of my errors, went back to the original file and started fresh - because my headers and footers were a mess, too.  Go figure.  I had a former student of mine design the cover and I went and resubmitted everything and when I was approved to order my proof (Now at the price of $11 with shipping) I noticed that the old cover was still there.

DAMMIT!

There is an option on the CreateSpace website where you can have a customer service agent call you immediately.  So I clicked the link, typed in my phone number and in less than ten seconds my phone rang!  I talked to an extremely nice young lady who walked me through the whole process, found my new cover and VOILA, I now have my new proof copy on my way.  I am hoping that it will be DONE and that I will not have to edit it anymore!  That process is crazy.

So once I approve this second proof friends, I give CreateSpace the okay and I will be selling on Amazon within 5 days.  How cool is that???

So Michael finished his first quarter of middle school.  As a year-round school, we are now on our first break.  I was desperately ready for it.  He is doing okay other than making us crazy with his waiting till the last minute to do any major project or assignment, but we're getting better. 

He's joined the ping-pong club and loves it.  

A couple of weeks ago he called me because he had forgotten some homework at the house and my office is almost right across the street from his school so I was able to stop there on my way to work without any problems.  When I got to the office, the secretary told me that he was in the cafeteria and I could bring the papers right to him.  Okay, fine.  

As I'm walking down the hall I'm thinking "How am I supposed to find him in a cafeteria of 100 kids?"  Well, as it turned out, he was literally the first kid at the end of the table right by the door.  Luck was on my side.  So I walk in, he has his back to me and I notice that he is looking quite "cozy" with the girl next to him and they are sort of giggling and tickling one another.

What the WHAT?????

I realize that we did not deal with this with Nick because he was homeschooled but for some reason, I never even THOUGHT of Michael being interested in girls yet!  He gets embarrassed if Frank notices a pretty girl on the TV and says something about it. 

So the next day, we're in the car and I asked Michael, very casually mind you, who the girl was.  He went in to GREAT detail of how her knew her and her unusual name.  Her name fascinated him - Neve.  He told me how people mispronounce it and how it's sort of like how people mispronounce our last name and then he rambled on for quite some time about the whole thing.  

I have to tell you, I was a little uncomfortable.

Another day, a friend of mine picked him up to take him to ping pong club, which the ever-so-lovely Neve is also a part of, and he went on to tell my friend all about her!  

So-Not-Ready-For-This!!!

So a friend of mine was recently telling me that her daughter was being harassed at school by some girls that she used to be friends with.  It happens; we've all been there.  Middle school is just plain awful socially.

Well, not long after that it turns out that her daughter's Facebook and e-mail accounts were hacked and some pretty hideous things were being written about her.  It didn't take long to find the culprit and so my friend and her daughter went to the girl's home, talked with the girl's mother and thought they were done.  

It happened again.  

Now, as someone who has dealt with a child having "friends" who do hideous things to them in attempts to ostracize and humiliate them, this sort of thing enrages me.  Back when it was happening to Nick, no one hacked his accounts but they certainly made sure that he knew what they all thought of him through their own Facebook postings.  This little girl, is committing, in my mind, a criminal act.  She has stolen an identity, hacked in to someone's personal accounts, compromised their stuff and should not receive a mere talking to.  

The parents are clearly doing nothing to punish this child or to stop her from having access to the internet.  I told my friend that when she went there the second time that she should have brought the authorities with her.  I think children like this are a danger to ALL of us and the parents should be careful of what she'll do to them.  And shame on them, in general, for raising a child who is capable of this sort of criminal behavior in the EIGHTH GRADE!!!  

Our kids make stupid mistakes; have bad judgment.  It goes with the territory of having teenagers.  But when your child is a bully, cyber or otherwise, YOU as the parent are just as responsible for the actions they take as the children are.

Wake up parents.  It's people like you that have our world going upside down. 

As a huge Susan Mallery fan, I found myself counting down the days until "Only Yours" came out. I had read the four previous books in the Fools Gold series and this book was well-worth the wait. This time out we are looking at Montana Hendrix of the Hendrix triplets. She is finally finding her own way in this story and found a career that she loves working with therapy dogs. Unfortunately, one over zealous pup gets her in to trouble with the new doctor in town, Dr. Simon Bradley. Simon is a surgical genius but not at all very good with dealing with people. The good folks of Fools Gold hope to convince him to stay in their little town and enlist the help of Montana to do so - not knowing that she and Simon already got off to a rocky start.

This is a Beauty and the Beast kind of story. Simon was badly scarred as a child and now works as a plastic surgeon to help others heal from similar wounds. He is awkward and short tempered but deep down he is really looking for acceptance. He's a perfect candidate for Fools Gold - a town known for taking in those in need.

This story grabbed me from the get-go and I had a hard time putting it down.  There were so many emotional aspects to this story and it was so well written that you felt everyone's joy, sorrow and pain.  Dr. Simon Bradley is now may favorite "hero" in any story and he brings out the healer in all of us who just want him to know that he is loved and accepted.

This story is a great addition to the Fools Gold series and a must read if you are a Susan Mallery fan.  You can click HERE to read an excerpt from "Only Yours." 

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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Monday, October 17, 2011

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Friday, October 14, 2011

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

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LIfe Well LIved

I'm a BlogHer Reviewer!

BlogHer Ads

Me - glammin' for the camera

Entrecard

She Taxi

The Latest from Susan Mallery!!!

Fool's Gold Summer Kisses magazine...check this out!

Fool's Gold

My Susan Mallery Bookshelf

Adgitize Me!

NaNoWriMo!

I Did It!!

Camp NaNoWriMo

Whew! That was rough!

January 2010 NaBloPoMo!

Stace on Kindle!

Riding Solo on the Monorail

Examiner.com - Reference Me!!

Blog Archive

Turning 40!

Current Time With Stace

Followers

My Boys at Christmas

My Blog List

Favorite Links

Site Meter

Live Traffic Feed

Counter

My Blinkie!

More Great Sites

Alexa Page Ranking

Facebook

Google Page Rank

My Bookshelf

Blog Awards!

The Bean

Nick

A Few of my Favorite Things - Movie Edition

A Few of my Favorite Things - TV Edition

Me and Nick

A Few of my Favorite Things...Food Edition

Elvis has left the building...

Michael

Me and Grandma

Me and Mom

Me, Mom and Karen

Me and Justin

Me and Karen

Me and Grandpa

Me and Nana

Cinderella's Castle

The Grand Floridian

Sunrise at Disney

The Castle

Sunrise from the Boardwalk Inn

Mickey Fire Pit

On safari at Animal Kingdom

Me & Grandma

In Loving Memory...

Grandma & Nick

Priorities

In Loving Memory: Collette Minutello

Great Grandma & Her Boys

Sunning at the Floridian

Stace on Vacation

Mouseketeer Me

Beauty, the Beast, & Me

Fluffy Meowington

Just something pretty...

More pretty scenery

About Me

A Few of My Favorite Things - Walt Disney World Ride Edition

A Few of My Favorite Things - Disney Restaurants Edition

A Few of My Favorite Things - Disney Movie Edition

A Few of My Favorite Things - Walt Disney World Resorts Edition

Family Slide Show!

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