tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67972153911744215832024-02-19T02:06:40.467-08:00Books, Bits & BabblesAnn Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-67244115579441886082016-02-04T07:59:00.001-08:002016-02-04T07:59:14.606-08:00Clever Definitions
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 14.5pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 9.5pt;">COMMITTEE<br />
A body that keeps minutes and wastes hours.<br />
<br />
DUST<br />
Mud with the juice squeezed out.<br />
<br />
EGOTIST<br />
Someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.<br />
<br />
HANDKERCHIEF<br />
Cold Storage.<br />
<br />
INFLATION<br />
Cutting money in half without damaging the paper.<br />
<br />
MOSQUITO<br />
An insect that makes you like flies better.<br />
<br />
SECRET<br />
A story you tell to one person at a time.<br />
<br />
TOOTHACHE<br />
The pain that drives you to extraction.<br />
<br />
TOMORROW<br />
One of the greatest labour saving devices of today.<br />
<br />
YAWN<br />
An honest opinion openly expressed.<br />
<br />
WRINKLES<br />
Something other people have....similar to my character lines.</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 14.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-67239746957532581782016-01-07T13:42:00.000-08:002016-01-07T13:42:02.218-08:00Preserve Pictures for Posterity<span lang="">The holidays were a time for taking pictures. It's a good idea to preserve them.<br />
<br />
Before cell phones, people used cameras to take pictures. They needed film, then they needed to get the pictures developed, and prints made. It took time.<br />
<br />
Then along came cell phones and the ability to take pictures any time, any place, and to share them instantly with family friends all over the world. This instant viewing of photos is wonderful, but what happens down the line? <br />
<br />
If photos are left in the phone or online, will people have access to them? Technology changes at almost the speed of light, and some photos may get "left behind." The simple solution? Print out your pictures. Not all, but the ones you want to look at again years from now, and want other to see, maybe even years after you are no longer walking this earth. <br />
<br />
It doesn't take long or cost much to preserve a bit of your photographic history. So be sure to do it every now and then for yourself and for future generations. </span><br />Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-55720602908054913862015-10-17T08:29:00.003-07:002015-10-17T08:29:50.665-07:00An Untended Grave<span lang="">I've always liked to walk through old cemeteries, study the gravestones, and learn a bit about the people buried there. <br />
<br />
Every now and then I have tended to a gravestone in the old cemetery in my neighborhood. It is all by itself near the edge, lying flat on the ground, and often gets covered over with debris from the cedar tree branches above it and a vine on the ground. I cut everything back, sweep off the stone, and even blow on it to get it as clean as possible.<br />
<br />
I always could read the name on the stone, but not the dates. Today a woman connected with the cemetery was there doing some research and I asked her about this grave. I had always thought that since the stone was lying flat that it had been knocked over, but she told me that it was a stone that was put in that way.<br />
<br />
She was also able to check and see that it was a five-year-old boy who was buried there. While that is so sad, it made me doubly glad that I have been tending this little isolated gravestone.</span><br />Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-78095778747194511452015-10-02T12:23:00.000-07:002015-10-02T12:23:10.910-07:00Coming in November!Easy to enter, easy to win!<br />
<br />
A PDF of my YA novel, <em>Hey, Nobody's Perfect</em>, is one of the prizes!<br />
<br />
<em>Things were complicated enough for Sivia before a guy with no legs came into her life. <br /><br />Her parent's divorce did not wipe out their traditional family values. Dad is still way too self-centered, Mom is still resentful, Russ is still shoving food in his mouth and Sivia doesn’t need any more drama. But when the new student, obnoxious and legless Keeley, becomes her project partner, her life becomes even more complicated. Family friction, peer pressure and her overly controlling father are threats her budding relationship—but prejudices she never knew she had and doesn't want to acknowledge are the biggest hurdle of all.</em> <br />
<br />
Grand Prize is $100!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzT66UYpY1fh2sH9FkePXC1NAHmw07l3nO876TYksfegpclzr_W4n9mRak5Um0F0IaKQlJt2Q41db0AdGLtr137Qd2X-tuVrLJUS4Dmj6AITVRfDj4DpJGvBvWITX_VlC_0b-VFxo5FRg/s1600/TRRYearroundSplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzT66UYpY1fh2sH9FkePXC1NAHmw07l3nO876TYksfegpclzr_W4n9mRak5Um0F0IaKQlJt2Q41db0AdGLtr137Qd2X-tuVrLJUS4Dmj6AITVRfDj4DpJGvBvWITX_VlC_0b-VFxo5FRg/s320/TRRYearroundSplash.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-25556900249884950162015-09-29T17:23:00.001-07:002015-09-29T17:23:41.497-07:00Coming soon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngdkGdhllw8PuXqCH1KSEw_3IcJV5NUiopu5-7xItlQXSY_pPtRdffCCQgVDlGHd_DUKTPLZQp3o2Ew082g9eSyBX7w-XVYZtlPWdGHlIOmy4eSW5JhdEoRHTCx9ygtG4xJwFyaFFyQc/s1600/Herrick-RockStar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngdkGdhllw8PuXqCH1KSEw_3IcJV5NUiopu5-7xItlQXSY_pPtRdffCCQgVDlGHd_DUKTPLZQp3o2Ew082g9eSyBX7w-XVYZtlPWdGHlIOmy4eSW5JhdEoRHTCx9ygtG4xJwFyaFFyQc/s320/Herrick-RockStar.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-83128049785854432602015-07-24T08:36:00.001-07:002015-07-24T08:36:10.758-07:00All my books are now also at iTunes!You can find all of my Books We Love, Ltd. books at iTunes!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ann-herrick/id425348957?mt=11"><span style="color: #0563c1;">https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/ann-herrick/id425348957?mt=11</span></a>
<o:p></o:p></div>
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-41229521367400151762015-05-03T12:49:00.003-07:002015-05-03T12:50:32.349-07:00Sizzling Summer Reads Contest!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Coming in June! Over 350 prizes!</strong></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMaYMv_fdyf4rLK6nGAJ3IbTRdeKXgCLMz5Jz7UTbZgsj-BSomt8zSp2fJNrwaXpbAc2IS0Y-M-zP6QHgpN5cb4jIlTfKMuZHNcfpm11j_ahn6TihjFhmwwMHLINKU9nHDH9Cu2GLoGg/s1600/RomanceReviewPoster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMaYMv_fdyf4rLK6nGAJ3IbTRdeKXgCLMz5Jz7UTbZgsj-BSomt8zSp2fJNrwaXpbAc2IS0Y-M-zP6QHgpN5cb4jIlTfKMuZHNcfpm11j_ahn6TihjFhmwwMHLINKU9nHDH9Cu2GLoGg/s1600/RomanceReviewPoster.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.theromancereviews.com/">http://www.theromancereviews.com </a>Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-36376177631621861462015-04-19T12:26:00.001-07:002015-04-19T12:26:14.307-07:00A new website for sweet romances!Check out this new website featuring clean romance novels!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="http://cleanromancebooks.com/"><span style="color: blue; font-family: Calibri;">http://cleanromancebooks.com/</span></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span></div>
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-2793961152196605942015-01-27T08:12:00.000-08:002015-01-27T08:12:25.059-08:00Coming in March!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZSt8ZQ5Pj3sczM6CZEOCwA-EmoNrtIYJVtSBgNwM2ZZDQw1eXj5JtqkjLwIPPHA2-Zx8EFtG0pk2K9kU7R9iPkH1dBkwQbnw979QBErrn4pgIF9xW46AjpECmK4GID4cuktvvnQzTjA/s1600/anniv2015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkZSt8ZQ5Pj3sczM6CZEOCwA-EmoNrtIYJVtSBgNwM2ZZDQw1eXj5JtqkjLwIPPHA2-Zx8EFtG0pk2K9kU7R9iPkH1dBkwQbnw979QBErrn4pgIF9xW46AjpECmK4GID4cuktvvnQzTjA/s320/anniv2015.jpg" /></a></div>Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-57499451635140775722014-08-18T15:03:00.001-07:002014-08-18T15:07:59.062-07:00Living Life to the Fullest
Do you have to climb a mountain in order to "live life to the fullest?" <P>
Or can a fully-lived life be one of the small joys and every-day events? <P>
There's nothing wrong with climbing a mountain, sailing around the world, hang-gliding, or riding the ten highest rollercoasters in the world. But there are other ways to enjoy life. <P>
How about reading a book, sharing a laugh with a friend, sipping tea by the fire? Listening to a cat purr as you stroke her fur while she snuggles on your lap? <P>
Kissing your partner good-night? Putting a clean diaper on a freshly-bathed baby? Watching kids play soccer? Standing on a dock and looking out at the water. Chasing fireflies? Sitting on the front porch? Shelling peas? Eating vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce? <P>
If you'd like to scuba dive by the Great Barrier Reef, go for it. But for a really full life you might stop and smell some lilacs and jasmine along the way too.
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-30761141419447118782014-07-31T11:57:00.002-07:002014-07-31T11:57:57.007-07:00Fall into Love Party at The Romance Reviews<i>Easy to enter, easy to win</i>! <P>
September 1-30. <P>
<b>Grand Prize: $100 Gift Card!</b> <P>
<a href="http://www.theromancereviews.com">www.theromancereviews.com</a>Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-21368949167408297632014-06-18T08:28:00.000-07:002014-06-18T08:28:00.981-07:00Rejection - It is How You React that Counts
No one likes to be rejected, but we all have to deal with it from time to time. <P>
Writers especially know they can count on rejection. Not every manuscript will make it to publication. Those that do are not necessarily going to become bestsellers. Not all reviews are going to be glowing. <P>
But we can't curl up in a ball and wither away every time rejection knocks at our doors. We have to use that rejection to make our work better. Revise. Rewrite. Get more critiques for our manuscript. After that, sometimes the new manuscript that emerged from rejection will find the right path--the one where our work was meant to be. The right editor, the right publisher, and/or the right reader. <P>
Not everyone will love even our published works--there is rejection even after publication. But when our books and stories find their way to the reviewers and readers who DO love them, we know we have found some direction. At least until we start on the next writing journey.
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-59963823896840005972014-06-02T12:08:00.000-07:002014-06-02T12:08:01.913-07:00Sizzling Summer Reads Party!Play and win awesome prizes!
<a href="http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php">http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php
</a> <P>
Check out the prize list! (partial thus far)
<a href="http://www.theromancereviews.com/event.php?prize=1"></a> <P>
My book, <i>Hey, Nobody's Perfect</i>, will be a prize feature on June 12! <P>
Just register at The Romance Reviews (free and easy), log in, and you can enter for fabulous prizes! <P>
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-35907195249329377512014-05-27T08:24:00.000-07:002014-05-27T08:26:38.043-07:00A Bird in the Hand......is better than one in the attic. <P>
Last night I heard a bird flapping around in the attic space. I went out on the deck and could see it behind one of the vent screens, so I pulled out a corner of the screen so it could get out. Instead, it panicked and flew up higher into the attic space. So I went upstairs, opened the door to the space, left the room light on and went back downstairs. <P>
I waited a couple minutes then went back upstairs. I could see the bird thrashing around behind a window shade, so I reached up and caught it in my hands. I loosely cradled it as it flailed around because I wanted to sure not to hurt it.Went back downstairs where dh opened the back door and I "tossed" the bird into the air. It quickly flew up into the trees. Happy ending!Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-28187794832082874552014-04-10T12:02:00.003-07:002014-04-10T12:02:51.403-07:00Book EndingsDon't cheat when it comes to endings. <P>
Don't write that wild adventure only to have it turn out to all have been a dream. Readers will be disappointed, even angry, and editors will disapprove. <P>
Do make your ending believable. Yes, the ending can certainly be a surprise, but it has to make sense within the context of the story. <P>
Don't make the ending too easy. If problem could have been solved anywhere throughout the story by the main character clearing up a misunderstanding, the ending is weak. (TV sitcoms rely on the easily-cleared-up misunderstanding way too often! But that's television comedy.) <P>
Do have the main character be the one who is most affected and who is the one who solves the problem. He/she can have some help, but no magical outside force or overeager parents saving the day, please. <P>
Stop when the story ends. Yes, readers may wish for more, because they've been involved with characters throughout the book and are reluctant to say goodbye to them. But once there's been a resolution to the problem, that's it. It doesn't really hurt to leave the readers wanting more, as long as the story has reached a conclusion. <P>
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-38282197907148634202014-03-05T14:11:00.000-08:002014-03-05T14:11:03.554-08:00Little Miss Fluffy-BottomOtherwise known as Colette (the cat). <P>
We adopted Colette, our gray kitty with white chin and paws, when she was about 9 months old. She was very timid and quiet, and someone had shaved her tail. Her fur was said to be medium-length. <P>
Well, once she made herself at home at our house, Colette was no long shy, retiring and quiet. She became one of the most playful, meowiest cats we've ever had. Oh, and that medium-length fur? Let's just say that is now long. Very long. <P>
Fortunately, Colette loves to manage her fur and can spend what seems like hours grooming it. Occasionally I have to brush her, but that's in the summer when she's been outside gathering all sorts of plant-and-tree debris in her lovely locks. <P>
Colette's fastidiousness extends to her toilet habits. Though she is an indoor-outdoor kitty, she will come into the house to use the litter box. I guess, like many humans, she prefers her own bathroom. <P>
Unlike previous cats who have resided here, Colette is not a fighter. Oh, she will chase another cat out of the yard--if that cat is smaller and easily intimated. With some cats her own size she simply stares at them from afar, occasionally hissing or growing from that safe distance. If another cat seems at all threatening to her, she is up on the shelf outside the kitchen window in almost an instant. We've never had to take her to the vet to treat a wound inflicted by another cat. <P>
From inside the house she will get excited about seeing birds on the deck. But outside she takes that watch-from-afar stance. Maybe the fact that some of the crows out there are as big, if not bigger, than she is has something to do with that. In any case, the birds are safe from her. <P>
Colette takes forever to settle in when she wants to sleep on my lap. She meows and head-butts until I pick her up and place her so that her head is in the crook of my arm. Then there's some more (demanding) meowing until I scratch her head and chin and she finally falls asleep, stretched across me until it seems as if she is at least 3 feet long! <P>
Needless to say, with Colette there is rarely the dull moment. :)
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-83322639521843043132014-02-16T14:25:00.000-08:002014-02-16T14:25:08.527-08:00Treat Your Writing as a CareerEven if you have a full-time job. <P>
You might not have a lot of time to write, especially if you have a job, be it full time or part time. Or if you're an at-home Mom. Or for any number of reasons, your writing time may be limited. <P>
But even if you can write only an hour a day, or even only an hour a week, treat the time as you would the time you put in at any other job. Don't skip it on a whim. Don't tell yourself you'll put in twice as much time next week to make up for not writing this week. <P>
Sure, there will be sick days and even vacation days. But only when you are *really* sick should you skip your writing time. And schedule vacation days from writing as you would from any other job. <P>
Mark your writing time on the calendar or smartphone or however you keep track of anything important. Because your writing time is important--or at least it should be, if you really want writing to be your career. <P>
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-71407555067783735172014-02-05T07:47:00.000-08:002014-02-05T07:47:12.587-08:00The Romance Reviews Anniversary Party!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJFSJdZAMLLmbuJlqz3IDytkM_krqFgG9z32GBbvVCLrbXYYJUQN3lzW9xNkqHvK1dA6iwuw7khZV5OVJqZ174iZpfOuRMguDQFizraF2CqROrpLLonnBnI4NjFNC2-BgJkoj5Mwi3NU/s1600/3rd+Anniversary+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_lm_202319="null" cua="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUJFSJdZAMLLmbuJlqz3IDytkM_krqFgG9z32GBbvVCLrbXYYJUQN3lzW9xNkqHvK1dA6iwuw7khZV5OVJqZ174iZpfOuRMguDQFizraF2CqROrpLLonnBnI4NjFNC2-BgJkoj5Mwi3NU/s1600/3rd+Anniversary+Poster.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-39535479965920545512013-12-21T14:45:00.001-08:002013-12-21T14:46:26.179-08:00Non-deep Thoughts
- I went to San Francisco. I found someone's heart. Now what?... <P>
- Protons have mass? I didn't even know they were Catholic. <P>
- All I ask is a chance to prove that money can't make me happy. <P>
- If the world were a logical place, men would ride horses sidesaddle. <P>
- What is a "free" gift? Aren't all gifts free? <P>
- They told me I was gullible ... And I believed them. <P>
- Teach a child to be polite and courteous in the home and, when he grows up,
he'll never be able to merge his car onto a freeway. <P>
- Two can live as cheaply as one, for half as long. <P>
- Is there another word for synonym? <P>
- Where do forest rangers go to "get away from it all"? <P>
- The speed of time is one second per second. <P>
- Is it possible to be totally partial? <P>
- What's another word for thesaurus? <P>
- Is Marx's tomb a communist plot? <P>
- If swimming is so good for your figure, how do you explain whales? <P>
- Show me a man with both feet firmly on the ground, and I'll show you a man who can't get his pants off. <P>
-It's not an optical illusion. It just looks like one. <P>
- Is it my imagination, or do buffalo wings taste like chicken? <P>
- Experience is the thing you have left when everything else is gone. <P>
- What if there were no hypothetical questions? <P>
- One nice thing about egotists: They don't talk about other people. <P>
- When the only tool you own is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail. <P>
- A flashlight is a case for holding dead batteries. <P>
- What was the greatest thing before sliced bread? <P>
- My weight is perfect for my height -- which varies. <P>
- I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure. <P>
- The cost of living hasn't affected its popularity. <P>
- How can there be self-help "groups"? <P>
- I planted some bird seed. A bird came up. Now I don't know what to feed it.
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-39496119622847795002013-11-22T17:29:00.000-08:002013-11-22T17:29:09.456-08:00Writing the Perfect BookIt's not going to be perfect. So what do you do? <P>
You just keep writing. <P>
Just grind it out. The next day re-read what you wrote. It may sound better than you thought it would. If not, you'll probably have some idea on how to make it better. But don't worry about it being perfect. For one thing, you can rewrite and polish later. For another, nothing is perfect, so don't expect to write the perfect book. <P>
What you can do is write the best book that you can write. It will be your idea. Your voice. Your story. <P>
That wonderful book that you had in your mind before you ever sat down and actually started writing is never going to be perfect. <P>
But don't give up. Just keep writing.
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-36459414365045638032013-11-08T12:59:00.000-08:002013-11-08T12:59:00.080-08:00Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?Why not both?
I've heard and read a lot of discussion about people not saying Merry Christmas any more. Well, I still hear Merry Christmas, quite often, in fact. But I do also hear Happy Holidays too. <P>
I celebrate Christmas. So I say Merry Christmas--to those I know who also celebrate Christmas. Otherwise, I say Happy Holidays. I feel that's inclusive. There are several holidays in December, and of course there is New's Day in January. So Happy Holidays can cover a lot of ground, especially if you are saying it to someone early in the month who you probably won't see again for another month or so. <P>
Store clerks are probably instructed to say Happy Holidays, because they don't usually know what holidays their customers might celebrate. And, of course, the customers might not know what, if any, holidays the store workers celebrate. So again, Happy Holidays covers it all. <P>
Since already I'm seeing ads for Christmas on TV and in newspapers and magazines, and Christmas music will be taking over some of the radio stations either just before or just after Thanksgiving, depending on the station, I think there's plenty of Christmas in the air. <P>
And of course decorations will be showing up in stores, churches, homes and in many businesses. The businesses may have more generic decorations, such as snow scenes, since, again, not everyone working at or coming into the business will necessarily be celebrating Christmas. But there will be Santas and Christmas villages and angels and Nativity scenes in many places. <P>
So, it's early, but let me wish you Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays--whichever works for you! <P>Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-84327767470666582502013-10-17T08:06:00.000-07:002013-10-17T08:06:09.817-07:00Freud had it wrong.His question should have been "What do CATS want?"<P>
Really, has anyone every figured out the inner workings of a cat's mind? Anyone who has a cat knows that cats are intelligent. Look at how they get us to do their bidding! <P>
It's their methods, though, that often prompt us to ask what the cat really wants. If a cat has gotten his or her way once by doing a series of activities before the cat's person finally figures out that the cat, say, wants to go out, then ever after the cat will go through the same series. Nevermind that it might start with a meow by the food dish, followed by ignoring the food, walking in a circle, meowing a again, and then, maybe, heading for the door to the outside. If it worked once, the cat figures that's how it's done! <P>
And how many of us have give food to our apparantly starving cats, only to have them turn up their noses at it? It took me years before I finally figured out that I should not stand there waiting to see if the cat was going to eat. I now walk away into another room, and soon the cat starts chowing down. She must want her privacy when she eats. At least, that's how I read the situation. Who really knows? <P>
Most of the time when my cat curls up on my lap it is because she wants to snuggle, be petted and sleep (or that's the way it appears). But sometimes I think it's just to keep tabs on me and be prepared, when I get up, to indicate another want or need, be it food or to go outside (the primary cat issues, at least in my home). <P>
So, let others worry about what women want. Those of us with cats will better spend our time trying to figure out what cats want!
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-70554177075511593522013-10-14T13:13:00.001-07:002013-10-14T13:13:50.206-07:00In the Beginning
An author has to grab the reader's attention. <P>
A writer has only a few pages to hook a reader. It doesn't matter if the rest of book is fascinating, page-turning reading if a reader can't get past the first two or three pages. If those beginning pages are weak, the readers will probably abandon the book. (Editors too, if your book is in the submission phase.) With TV, internet, cell phones, etc., there is too much competition for a young reader's time. <P>
The writer has to reveal something to the reader. It could be a problem, a conflict or an attitude. It could be the emotional state of the main character. <P>
Another approach is to present a question. Why does Nicole hate her father? What did Jason see his best friend do? What was that student doing hiding in the custodian's closet? <P>
No matter what approach a writer takes, the result needs to be a beginning that hooks the reader.
Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-57494708065142178372013-10-10T08:18:00.001-07:002013-10-10T08:19:27.607-07:00"Please prove you are not a robot."You know you're a person, but several times a week you have to prove it. <P>
You get those "requests" where you have to prove you are a human in order to post a message. You run into them almost every day. It's bad enough to have to prove that funny, intelligent, good-looking, flesh-and-blood you has to show that you are not a machine. But when the proof requires you to try to read blurry numbers that seem to be attached to houses that have a shady past or letters that are so wavy and squeezed together that they might as well be a pre-schooler's scribbles, it can be almost impossible. How many times have you "failed" and had to try again? And again? And again? How many times have you decided that what you wanted to say was not worth the effort of proving you are you? <P>
Yes, spamming can be a problem. But surely there must be a better way of eliminating it than having to try to interpret indecipherable numbers and letters!Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6797215391174421583.post-6544944400580709272013-10-07T12:46:00.000-07:002013-10-07T12:46:54.900-07:00Handwritten LettersAlthough I email a lot (along with other electronic communication) and phone occasionally, I do still write letters to some of my friends and family. My handwriting is terrible, but I do the best I can. Why? Because I think handwritten letters are special. <P>
I've saved many letters over the years, and when I look at them again they bring the letter-writer right back into my mind, even those who have passed on. When I see my mother's handwriting, I can hear her voice. When I read a friend's letter, I can picture as she was back at the time when she wrote it. <P>
When I was growing up, it was a thrill to get a letter in the mail addressed to me. I still feel that way. I love actual cards, be they birthday, Christmas or whatever, much better than ecards. I can put a real, paper card on the mantle and enjoy it every time I look in that direction. While emails can be saved (and I do save certain ones), it is not the same. They are hidden away. And most people delete their emails as soon as they have read them. <P>
Handwritten letters and cards often contain family and friendship history. Years later letters can be discovered by future generations that will tell them something about the past. But no one is going to look through ancient emails, even if by some chance years from now they could still be read by future computers and electronic devices. <P>
I have letters from my mother dating back to when I first moved away from home. I have letters from my husband written to me before we were married. I even have a letter from an author of a series of favorite books that I read when I was growing up. <P>
My grandmother saved her correspondence, and there is a "letter" from me written when I was very young, before I could actually write. It looks like a row of ocean waves. But I was trying! <P>
Of course, there are stashes of Valentine's and Mother's Day cards that I gave my mother when I was growing up and that my daughter gave to me. <P>
Emails and such are fun, but handwritten cards and letters are pure gold. <P>Ann Herrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06041353495884375883noreply@blogger.com10