First of all, I p
romised an update of my Denver trip complete with poodle skirt pics. Well, it turned out not to be a poodle skirt, but pretty darn close. Given my musical background, this skirt was more appropriate. Please keep your laughter to a low roar.
romised an update of my Denver trip complete with poodle skirt pics. Well, it turned out not to be a poodle skirt, but pretty darn close. Given my musical background, this skirt was more appropriate. Please keep your laughter to a low roar.
Here are me and my family. Aren't my guys cute? If you look closely, you can see their fake tats on their arms with hearts and Mary Lou and Peggy Sue written on them.
And here are the my parents eating their cake and looking spectacular on their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
They had a ceremony and read vows to each other. It was touching to see my parents declare their love for each other after a lifetime together.
Afterward, we had a 1950's styled party complete with an acapella singing group doing all 50's music, hula hoops, and a 50's style dinner including mashed potatoes, chicken pot pies, meatballs, and chocolate cake.
Chuck and I performed the song, "All I Have t
o Do is Dream" by the Everly Brothers, and my whole family performed the song, "The Great Pretender," substituting lyrics written by my sister, Laurie.Here are a couple of pictures of the cake with my parent's wedding picture on top. Isn't it gorgeous?
Of course, me
eting my new niece was a highlight of the trip. Here she is, in a puff of pink, all dressed up for the big party.IN OTHER NEWS...
First of all, a shout-out to one of my favorite Twitter friends. Congrats to you, Jamie, for securing representation! I'm thrilled for you and look forward to watching your career flourish.
Secondly, another agent has requested the full manuscript for SPARKS FLY SOMETIMES, which is beyond awesome. He said something to me that struck a chord. When I told him I was reviewing the ms before I send it out he said, "Soon is good, but good is better." Wow. Simple yet totally freaking brilliant. I have a tendency to want everything done yesterday (I blame it on my Brooklyn DNA) so this statement is deep for me. Very deep. SLOW. DOWN. Hmm.... What an ingenious concept.
So, I'm doing my best to read/edit at a reasonable rate, and not feel like I have to finish it in record time. I'm not yet halfway through, and have shaved off over 4,000 words. As I stated in my last post, Twitter has helped me hone my writing skills and become fearless in slashing words that aren't necessary. There's always more that can be cut, but I'm doing my best. In addition, I'm tweaking the dialogue to make it tighter, more efficient, and as genuine as possible.
I'm also writing THE SECRET KEEPER, but more slowly than before the requests came in for SPARKS FLY. I'm in love with my new book, and setting it aside is hard. It's like leaving your newborn with a sitter for the first time and feeling your arms ache with longing.
BUT... I know my baby's safe in the heart of my laptop (and on a back-up CD), and that as soon as I finish editing SFS, I will nurture it to the best of my ability.
So, thank you, you-know-who, for your sage advice. I'm doing my best to follow your counsel. I hope my work will prove worthy. No matter what, it's making me a better writer which is the greatest gift of all.
44 comments:
Love the title quote.
Glad you had a good time at your parents 50th :o)
Ken, I know, isn't it brilliant? And, yes, my parent's 50th bash was a blast. ;-)
Yes, that is excellent...and I will remember that.
So glad you all had such a great time! Looks like your family knows how to throw a party! (And I think your skirt looks fab.) Hugs, Beth
Beth, My family definitely knows how to throw a party! And, thanks for your compliment on the skirt. It was a fun and very comfortable outfit to wear. I was surprised, as it was my first time wearing a petticoat!
Awesome quote and advice!! Definitely something to take to heart.
What an awesome-looking party. You have a good looking family. You've got a lot to be thankful for :)
PS - Congrats on the 2nd request!!
Jemi, Thanks so much. My family is indeed a good looking group, even though I throw off the overall good looks. ;-)
Another writer friend told me when I first started writing, you will learn patience like you've never known before.
Uh yeah, you can say that again!
I know that itch to get your book out there. However good is better.
Congrats on getting a second request for a full. (Hugs)Indigo
Indigo, Patience seems to be one of the big lessons I'm meant to learn in life. I'm hoping it's not too late... ;-)
The only thing better than an acapella singing group is a poodle-skirt-wearing acapella singing group.
Debra, this is too fun. I've had two more requests since our last comment conversation.
Can't wait to see how things unfold for both of us!
Exciting times in your life! Awesome!
Wished I was at the party. Sounds like a blast!
What a beautiful family you have. It sounds like a great anniversary party.
That's great news about your manuscript and the agent's advice is something I needed to hear.
Love those family photos! You've got great legs, by the way, ;-) Looks like a lot of fun. Thanks for posting them.
And I'm just so thrilled for you with SFS. And I can't wait to hear how your process unfolds. I love how much you share with us.
Best wishes for continued success and that your editing flows out smoothly and in the best way possible.
Speaking of flow and writing, I finally had some inspiration this morning, way early in the a.m. I just wrote a post about it and I have questions for other writers on there. I'd LOVE for you to read it and offer comments if you have any, whenever you need a break from your busy schedule. No rush! I know you're so slammed with so many good things right now. But if you could - here is the link -
http://www.mandylifeafter30.com/2009/10/when-ideas-are-flowinghow-do-you-make.html
Thanks! Virtual hugs to you and your family! ~Mandy
Congrats on the additional request. That's exciting.
Best of luck on the new request for your manuscript. I'll keep fingers crossed for you. And how adorable you look in that skirt! Your boys are both cutie-pies. Sounds like your parents party was wonderful. Have a great day editing!
mo., True, except three of the four singers were men so that would have been a little odd... ;-)
Caroline, You are on a roll, girlfriend! Good for you. It's just a matter of time, right? ;-)
Donna, Every day is an exciting day! I wish you could have been at the party, too! It was a definite blast.
Deborah, My family isn't bad looking, even with slicked back 50's hair! And, yes, the agent's advice is simple yet brilliant. I'm glad it helped. ;-)
Mandy, Thank you for being such a great support. I promise to stop by sometime today and read your post. I hope you're adjusting well in sunny Florida.
Susan, Each request is indeed exciting. I'm so busy writing and editing these days, I barely come up for air. But, that's what it's all about, right?
Barbara, Thanks so much for your kind words. They mean a lot. ;-)))
Wow, 50 years together. Inspiration for us all! Debra, you're my hero at the moment. Working hard on your writing projects, getting attention from agents. You go, girl!
Wonderful find, I will enjoy following your site.
Karen, Thank you. When push comes to shove, my family cleans up pretty well. ;-)
Amy, Why thank you, but if I'm your hero you might want to rethink some things. But, seriously, I'm humbled by your comments. ;-)
A.J., Welcome my new friend! I look forward to getting to know you, and hope you enjoy your time here in my little corner of the blogisphere. ;-)
Wow, what a wonderful party! Your parents look so happy together and I love the 50s clothes, cake, etc!
I never thought about it, but you're so right about Twitter. I try to write interesting blurbs there and it's a real challenge...in a good way. I can see how it can help us slash through the fluff. Great point!
Elizabeth
Mystery Writing is Murder
Elizabeth, Thanks for the compliments, and yes, Twitter is helpful in scaling down the verbiage. The 140-character challenge has proven quite worthwhile!
Congrats to your parents! I loved the pics. Your family is adorable!
Kelly, Thank you so much. My parents, and by extension my entire family, are truly blessed.
That is an awesome quote!! And how exciting to have agents waiting to read your work!! You're on a roll, girl!
Jody, Thanks so much. Since I know you've got a direct line, I can say this in earnest, "from your lips to God's ears"!!!
You should have a "Name the Book" competition because I have a few ideas I'd like to toss out there.
BBSD, I'd love to hear your ideas. I'm sure they'd be quite, um, creative. ;-)
Glad I found your blog from Nathan's blog. That is what I love about the Internet. I am finding so many interesting people to follow.
Loved the pictures of the party. Reminded me of family parties we used to have. Nice memories. :-)
And I so agree with your advice to slow down and stay focused in writing. I used to dash things off in excitement and invariably discovered a typo or some other mistake later. Learned the hard way.
Maryann, I'm glad you found me, too! And from Nathan's blog; what an honor! I look forward to getting to know you and hope you'll stop by often. ;-)
I'm glad I've found your blog! Thanks for the quote, I'm going to repeat it to myself daily.
Elspeth
You're awesome Debra - have I told you that? Thanks for sharing the brilliant quote too.
Elspeth, I'm glad you found me because now I've found you. Awesome blog you've got there!
Steph, I'm humbled, truly. I and I'm glad you like the quote.
There is SO much truth in this.
Suzy, I know, right??? Simple yet brilliant. ;-)
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