Back to work/school

My daughters have senioritis, my students think they're in high school already, and I...well, I resent that I'm still playing "catch up" from my week's absence. I have all these creative needs that aren't being met because I have papers to grade.Sigh.

The first week back went well, although by Friday I was wiped out. And because I've been favoring one side over the other, my knee gave out yesterday, so I'm in pain again.
OK, this blog was not meant to be a whine session (although wine seems to help --LOL). I'm looking to see what promotion I want to do with my September release, and still trying to find time to finish up the WIP. But there's only 28 days of school left and then I can be a full time writer again. For a while.

And I'm excited about getting back in the game full time.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Lori Wilde
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer
Bewitching by Jill Barnett
And lately I've gotten hooked on The Office (I know that's TV, but hey, this is my blog)
And I'll be buying Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture. For whatever reason, his name has appeared in my life daily since last week Saturday. It's a sign. LOL

News from the world of drugs

Just kidding. But I do have to tell you that Percocet takes the edge right off that pain. I can't imagine wanting to feel this way if I wasn't in pain (I don't get the whole recreational drug thing), but it sure is nice to have something that works to make me feel better. Even if I can't write when my head is swimming.

My new book cover is up at my web site. Go take a peek (www.gabianderson.com).

My surgery went well, I'm recuperating at home, and trying to get some reading and writing done. It's still a little hard (see above paragraph) but I have one more week to recover before I have to go back to work.

Meanwhile I've decided that I really want to focus on the writing. I have two books waiting to come out that need to wait their turns until I finish the current WIP. I love feeling the creativity return to my life.

A big congrats to all the GH and RITA finalists this year. (see the RWA website if you are unfamiliar with these two contests.)

--Gabi

What I'm reading now:
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Forever Odd by Dean Koontz
Fancy Pants by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
The Perfect Wife by Victoria Alexander
Once Smitten, Twice Shy by Lori Wilde

Posting

I've been pretty good lately, posting something here about every week, and then, WHAM! something happens and all my good intentions fly out the window and I don't get to posting. So I'm giving you all (what? all three people who read my blog) heads up that I won't be posting regularly for about a month. I have health issues in addition to the work issues, so please check back next month when I plan to be really good again.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Give me a Texan Anthology
I'm looking for some good reads to get me through the next few weeks--any suggestions?

The Romance Community

I have to say that the romance writer community is one of the best places to feel loved (no pun intended). These authors are so giving, so caring, so willing to share of themselves that any author should feel priveleged to write romance. Authors come to give talks and they embrace their fellow authors as if they were long lost friends. Yes, they do come to sell books and promote themselves, but that doesn't diminish the true grace and gentility they display. I have spent many a day with a author whom I have never met before and always felt as if I were sharing stories with a friend.

Today in my local paper, the books section (a page, not really a section) threw in a gratuitious blurb on Romance for Valentine's Day (because, of course, Romance doesn't exist the rest of the year and it's also not the bigest share of the mass market fiction market--sarcasm, if you couldn't tell). The headline reads "Romance! Passion! Lust!" (not so bad really), then the subtitle reads "Who wrote the book of love? For a mere six bucks you can set hearts aflame and get those bodices ripping". How long will it take for the media to understand that "bodice-ripper "is a term most romance authors find offensive, demeaning, and belittling? I give credit to the article for maintaing a neutral tone, but really out of the three romance novel examples the author gives, one is twenty years old, and the second is twelve years old. At least the third one is a recent publication. And no mention of Nora Roberts. Nor a mention that of the top ten bestselling authors on the fiction list printed that week (And I don't know if our paper reprints the NYT or if they have another source, but the list only covers hardcover books), two are known romance authors.

I think I'm just too sensitive because, really, nothing negative is said in the article. I guess I just want more. So much positive exists in the romance community that I want to celebrate it and extoll it to the world instead of relgating it to a mere Valentine's Day burb.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Crimes against Logic by Jamie Whyte
Give me a Texan by Jodi Thomas, Linda L Broday, DeWanna Pace, Phyliss Miranda
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Yup, it's that time of year again--teaching it to my eighth graders)

Winter blahs

For two weeks I've been battling the blues. Oh, not the serious blues, but the I've-got-no-talent-who-am-I- fooling blues.Sometimes, when life takes up so much of your time and you can't pursue your dreams, it's hard to keep the faith. And if doesn't help when you find people are advising things like Confucius's saying "Jump and the net will appear." That's all well and good when you don't have many responsibilitites, but if I were to quit my job and really pursue writing full time, who the heck would pay the tuition bills coming up next year when the girls hit college? I've been published. I know what those initial advances and royalties pay, and my kids can't go to college on those paychecks.

So until I can leave work and pursue the dream full time, the dream suffers because my soul is being sucked out of me by the demands of the job. It's a vicious ciricle.

And it's been COLD!

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Crimes Against Logic by Jamie Whyte
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gillman
Seven books and/or novellas for the RITA contest sponsered by RWA (not releasing the titles of those)

Reading, reading, and more reading

I have been indulging all week. I have been reading and enjoying my time reading. School has started up again, and next week I have papers to correct, but in the meantime I've been coming home and reading. I didn't have much of a chance to read over the break because, for whatever reason, my mother doesn't like to see me reading--even though it was MY vacation. So I've been making up for it since we returned home. How lovely to read. Just read.
Oh yes, and WRITE. I've been writing too.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Th Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman
Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
World Without End by Ken Follett
The Husband Trap by Tracy Anne Warren

Happy New Year

Resolutions? Not for me. I don't do the whole "this year I will..." thing. Either I do something or I don't. Time of year doesn't matter. Besides, if you think about it, this whole "new"year thing is pretty arbitrary anyway. The new year used to start in March (Thus the discrepancy in George Washington's age you sometimes find). If you teach, you're only in the middle of the year. And it's winter. How can anyone start anything in winter? (Being facetious here--I know there are people out there who like winter...strange people)

But in the spirit of the season and the need to write new numbers on my checks, Happy New Year to you all. May your year be filled with joy, luck, love, and riches. For me, a new book contract will do.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Tell Me Lies by Jennifer Crusie (a re-read)
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (not because it's an Oprah pick--this is a re-read before I buy the sequel. Of course I had forgotten how much I loved this book.)
The Husband Trap by Tracy Anne Warren

Merry, Merry

Brief post this time. I just want to wish you all a happy whatever. That may read cynical, but I truly mean it. I don't care what you may or may not celebrate, I wish you the happiness you deserve, the prosperity that keeps you well, and the joy that you can find in pursuing your dreams.

Don't forget to write 2008 on your checks soon.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts
Rules of Engagement by Christina Dodd
(And I've received a couple of gift certificates to book stores that I can hardly wait to use)

Comfort and Joy

Today I am facing grading twenty-two more tests that my charming eighth graders have taken on the wonderful novel Dandelion Wine. Of course, they didn't find it wonderful, despite the life affirming message of the book. They resented having been made to think while reading, or at least think after reading. But enough about the test. It's the grading I'm facing, and frankly I'm trying to put it off.

So I was thinking about taking a nice long bubble bath with book in hand, drink at my side, and snacks. One of my favorite guilty pleasures. Or I could just curl up under a down comforter (45 degrees here today) and read a book. Or perhaps make a cup of cocoa and sit at the table and read a book.

I believe you're getting the sense of where I'm going with this. My favorite way to escape reality is to read. Granted some books are better than others, and since becoming a writer, oh, sixteen years ago, I've become a jaded bibliophile, but when a book works, it works well.

So on that note, take some time for yourself, find your own guilty pleasure and indulge. I'm a firm believer in making yourself feel good.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Tangled up in You by Rachel Gibson
Santa Baby by Jennifer Crusie, Lori Foster, and Carly Phillips
The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (yes, again)
Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts

Fear, Worry, Panic and Other Beasts

I'm one of those individuals who obsess on things one really shouldn't. For example, a student from my school was walking home with her little brother as I was driving (No, I was NOT speeding and I was watching the kids who were walking home.). Just as I pulled up even with them, she grabbed her brother and did that pretend shove into the street gag, which I just love so much. I immediately stopped the car (what if he had slipped out of her hands, what if he had tripped?), and being in teacher mode, I opened the window, identified myself as one of the teachers at her school (she isn't one of my students) and told her of my disapproval of her actions. Turns out her mother was watching her children walk home. Mom got in her car, followed me home and proceeded to berate me for stopping to talk to her daughter. I told her that her daughter shouldn't scare drivers with a stunt like the one she pulled. In any case, the woman drove home, I went into my house and obsessed about the incident all day.

This is why I don't break rules. I can't handle the consequences. I don't want to deal with them, they make me uncomfortable, I obsess about them.

This got me thinking about fear and worry, which I do a lot of as well. I don't want to, but it's part of who I am. It's part of why I don't enjoy teaching. Too many students have parents who blame the teacher rather their own child's performance. I don't deal well with confrontation, even when I'm in the right.

So I try to live my life with as little chance of confrontation as possible. That's my real fear. That and worrying about my daughters when they drive. Or when they're out. Or when my husband is a little late. Or even waiting for medical test results, although I'm quite fine.

There's a reason I can write fiction. My brain is always coming up with the worst case scenario and rewriting reality.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:

Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypass

Family

Well, it's that time of year again. Family is coming to town. Mind you, I'm excited to see them, but it also means that I won't have a day to myself this week to write or simply do nothing. That's a little harsh. My sister would of course give me the time with encouragement no less. My mother on the other hand doesn't believe that I'm doing anything productive pursuing this writing career of mine and so will call me to fold laundry (!) rather than let me create. This is the woman who said, "When are you going to give up this silly thing of writing?" and "Why don't you write a real book?" and "I never understood you."

Family. You gotta love 'em. OK, you don't, but I love them anyway. At times.
--Gabi

What I'm reading now:
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Raintree: Sanctuary by Beverly Barton

Obsession

No, not the perfume. Have you ever found yourself consuming everything about a certain subject in a short period of time? Like reading a ton of J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) at once? Or cooking something once a week for a month (when one cooks)? Or having to have a certain candy bar for a while? I'm going through one such phase right now. Only I'm doing it with two things. First, I've discovered the CONNECTIONS series. I've watched several of the original (from 1979), a few of the second series (1994) and a couple of the third (1997). Fascinating stuff and James Burke is rather funny. I'm totally buying into his view that history (of science, of literature, of religion, etc.) isn't linear at all, but that all these connections exist. So every week, I'm going to the library to check out as many of the DVD's as they have and enjoying them. Because to buy the original series alone is $149.99 and my dollar is devalued enough, thank you very much.
My second second obsession can hardly be called that because there are only three items to glom. I needed reading material (I've been physically down this week with little energy to do anything but read) and my husband bought me Dean Koontz's BROTHER ODD. So Now I'm reading the first in the series, ODD THOMAS, and I will most likely get the second one this week as well, when I go to return my latest CONNECTIONS DVD's.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now (if you didn't get them from my post above)
Brother Odd by Dean Koontz
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz

Direct Proportions

I've noticed a direct correlation to the amount of writing work I get done to the amount of work I assign my students. After you read my discovery, you'll probably roll your eyes (if you could), and wonder why I consider myself even remotely intelligent. It's a real "Duh" moment. Let's just say I knew, but I never really thought about it much before.

So the observation is this: the bigger the assignment I have to correct, the less work I get done on my writing. (I told you--"Duh.") I have twenty-one more essays to correct by Monday, and I don't see myself getting to the chapter I wanted to have finished by Wednesday. Day jobs bleed your creative time, and teaching is worst than most. I also haven't read, haven't cooked, gone shopping, or any other useful thing. OK, let's face it. I'm a slug.

So onto the corrections and the shopping (we do need milk). I'm hoping I can get something productive done this week.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Late Night Talking by Leslie Schnur (finished, and that's all)

Red River

I've just returned from a wonderful non-conference weekend at Red River, NM. For about the past eight years, a groups of writers including myself have gotten together every October to meet, talk, discuss and support each other. We don't have scheduled talks, although one can give one if one wishes, we can bring up any topic we wish, writing related, and we just spend time with other writers. No meals except the ones you plan for yourself, no fees except the lodging, which you arrange yourself, no committees, no key speakers, no signings, no fuss, except those you create yourself.

Ahh, the joys of being a writer.

--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Rivals for the Crown by Kathleen Givens
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Moon Women by Pamela Duncan

And All is Well...

Today was the second day of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and the morning was cold, but cloud free. Most of the balloons took off, and I saw the totally awesome Darth Vader Balloon, an amazing sight. It was probably also the last time I will enjoy the Balloon Fiesta with all of my daughters. The oldest two are off to college next year, so they won't be home for next year's fiesta. Am I sad? In a way, but all is right with the world (I'm just speaking of my own little world, not the entire global situation--I mean, really. Who could call THAT right?) They are where they should be: growing up, going away, finding their own lives. So I'm good with this being the last Balloon Fiesta with the entire family. Who knows? Maybe the next time we are all together to see it, there will be more of us (No, I'm not pregnant--I'm speaking of husbands and grandchildren--but not for several years yet).

And I got an awesome amount of writing done today.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Candy Apple Red by Nancy Bush
A Kiss in Winter by Susan Crandall
Heart's Delight by Ruth Ryan Langan

Brain Games

One of the things I love to do when I have time is solve puzzles. I love them all--logic, crossword, acrostic, sudoku, jigsaw--almost everything except word search. Those I find stupid. So when one of my students (Hi, Connor) gave me a puzzle to do the first or second week of school, I was thrilled. I hadn't seen it before, so I was determined to solve it. No, I didn't google it (because that's what my husband did and found it at once), but I looked at it, and when I had a few moments here and there, I tried to solve it. So about five or six weeks later, I was lying in bed, about to fall asleep when suddenly I went, "Ah ha." I didn't even have the puzzle in front of me, but the answer clicked into place. Sure enough, the next morning when I went to check the puzzle to see if my answer made sense, I had solved it. What amazed me was how the subconscious mind will continue to work on a problem even when you don't think it's working. This happens a lot in plotting. In fact, I just solved a plot problem the other day using the same method.

So I thought I'd share the puzzle with you.

Determine the next number in this sequence:
1
11
21
1211
111221
312211
13112221
1113213211
31131211131221
13211311123113112211
???

Keep reading,
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:

Must Love Dragons by Stephanie Rowe
Bless Me Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya
Love Me, Love Me Hot by Stephanie Rowe

Movies, Part Deux

On the other hand, there is something to be said for watching truly bad movies. You can have a lot of fun watching hideously bad films. Look at Rocky Horror Picture Show. Horrible movie. So bad audiences started to make up movements and actions to correspond with the film, and now it's a classic (No offense to the actors--Susan Sarandon is an amazing actor, I've always liked Barry Bostwick, and I believe Tim Curry is one of the greatest underrated actors of all time. I'll watch anything with him in it--even his voice.) My daughters and I have watched a few movies that fall in this category; Deep Rising is the title that comes foremost to mind. We laughed at and mocked the screenplay until it has become one of our best family memories. (Coincidentally it stars yet another of my favorite actors, Treat Williams) Camp can be a good thing.

So here's how to watch a bad movie:
Never watch it alone. Have a group to "suffer" with you.
Have plenty of snacks.
Talking is definitely allowed.
Try to predict lines (this is fun).
Try to predict deaths (again, fun although some might call this morbid).
Try to predict the plot (Usually easy to do).
Repeat truly bad lines and act out scenes.
Rewrite as the movie plays out.
Laugh at inappropriate moments.
Scream and moan (I did this at the dialogue of Titanic. I know it's one of the most successful films ever, but I just didn't like it).
Critique as you go.
And if you get bored, turn it off. Life is too short to waste your time on a bad movie if it ceases to be fun.

And just for fun: Did you know Plan Nine from Outer Space has been rated the worst movie ever made? Bela Lugosi died during the making of it, so they have a body double playing the vampire for half of the film, his cape hiding his face in every scene. It's directed by Ed Wood, subject of a movie starring Johnny Depp. Actually Ed Wood is a pretty good movie.

Books I'm reading now:
A Family Practice by Gayle Kasper
A Lady's Pleasure by Renee Bernard
Date Me Baby, One More Time by Stephanie Rowe (who was so kind to me at the RWA National Conference in Dallas this summer. And I'm liking her book too.)

Movies

My husband and I have been members of Netflicks for a couple of years now. Our goal in joining was to show our children classic movies that are part of cultural literacy--in a way to expand their education into an area where school won't go. I know, I know; movies are hardly high culture, nor do they often provide true education, but, like literature, they do deal with universal themes and ideas. I truly believe the study of literature isn't for the examination of good writing but for the examination of the universal ideas. The arts help society deal with the changes and new ideas that bombard society, especially today with the advancements in technology and science. How can we expect people to accept stem cell research if they don't understand it? How can we as a society come to an ethical decision about cloning if we've never thought about it?Literature and stories (and the other art forms as well) can help society deal with all kinds of new ideas. OK, lofty thoughts, but you get what I'm driving at.

So back to movies. I believe that there are movies, the classics, that we should be showing children, although I firmly believe they shouldn't be taught at school--not for content reasons, but because we have to teach enough mandatory garbage there's hardly enough time for the core subjects. This generation should be exposed to movies like Casablanca, All About Eve, The Women, It Happened One Night, Duck Soup, The Heiress, etc. Some are heavier than others. I believe everyone should see Citizen Kane once, even if it does put some viewers to sleep. Let's not ignore silent films. People should know story tellers like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Douglas Fairbanks, etc. I know a lot of these names are the actors, not the writers, but they are the ones remembered.

So why this topic? Last night I watched Sunset Boulevard. I had never seen it before (yes, there are gaps in my education). It's creepy in a non horror movie way, the story is fascinating, and the humor in it is often disturbing. What a great film. I'm glad I watched it, and I'm glad my daughter saw it with me. And the theme is so interesting. It's all about selling out and compromising yourself for your dreams. Where are your limits? What would you do to be successful? And how much delusion can one person take in one's life? All interesting thoughts.

Go read a book, but watch a movie too.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen
A Family Practice by Gayle Kasper
Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (Yup. My daughter and I finished Prisoner of Azkaban, and now we're reading Goblet out loud.)

Time and the Use Thereof

One of the worst things about wanting to write and having a day job is, of course, the day job itself and the time it takes out of one's day. But the truth is that if one wants something badly enough, one will make the time for it. It's an ugly truth because no one wants to hear that we are responsible for the things we do or do not accomplish. We want things to fall magically in our laps with little effort and have a big pay off for our little effort. I read an interesting article in today's Albuquerque Journal--an interview of the guy who stars in Dirty Jobs on the Discovery channel. His theory is that somehow the American Puritan ethic-- hard work, discipline, duty, thrift, etc--has been replaced with the phrase "Work smart, not work hard." My students subscribe to this belief. They believe that they deserve good grades just because they show up. But I've seen the joy and satisfaction they have in themselves when they have worked hard and they earn that "A".

Anything worth having is worth working for. It would be nice if writing were easier, but then anybody could do it. And if I don't produce as much as I should, I have no one but myself to blame. Establish priorities, make goals, and work. It's simple, yet not simple.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Dead Shot by Annie Solomon
Savannah Breeze by Mary Kay Andrews

Confidence...

It's funny how shaky a thing like confidence is. I know grammar. I mean I really know grammar, yet doing some line edits, I am always questioning myself. The slightest remark can send my confidence spiraling. I know I shouldn't give others such power over me, but the thing is they don't know. My favorite motto is "Fake it, til you make it." When I tell people that I'm shy and have little confidence, they snort and tell me they don't believe it. That's because I ACT like I have so much confidence. It really doesn't hurt to act confident, and the surprising thing is that often the confidence will follow.
So I'm at this point where I'm questioning my abilities, which is dumb because I really do know what I am doing, but the confidence is slipping away.
--Gabi

Books I'm reading now:
Last Night at the Halfmoon by Kate Austin
McKettrick's Luck by Linda Lael Miller