I try to keep both Live Journal and this Blogger going at the same time, so basically if you read both, you'll be seeing pretty much double.  

    I've been 'journaling for quite awhile now so am loyal to that blog though I find that more of my writer friends socialize over here at Blogger.  Of course there are the others-twitter, wordpress, and whatever else, but this blogging stuff is like pulling teeth for me so managing the two will have to do for now until I decide I can break the old tie.

      So, my thoughts for this week, came when two books arrived on the same day. Each of them have a different story,so here's the repeat of the tale...

         I know you’re thinking, ‘what’s up with her-that’s what books have, a story’. So let me tell you my story of each of these.

I was a winner again!!! Galaxy Games by Greg Fishbone was my prize from entering Debbi Michiko Florence’s  blog. Greg is kind of a friend of mine so it makes that one extra special. Okay, again you question, ‘kind of a friend?’ Well yeah. Greg and I see each other once a year at the New England SCBWI conference. We always meet up somewhere, usually the lobby, and have a bit of a personal chat. He always shows me updated pictures of his beautiful little daughter. Both of us are early birds so we even had breakfast together one morning before our other friends woke up. I’ll be exited to meet up with him again in April so I can tell him that I read his book and truly enjoyed it. I’m reading it as we speak, and I’ll tell you, it is really a “different” story, and funny! The cover even cracks me up and makes me want to get inside! I can’t wait to pass it on to my nephew who’s a good reader, but a truly reluctant reader. He’s a fun and funny kid and I know that he’ll love sharing Greg’s humor with his friends. So that’s my story on this book.

The second book that arrived this week is one that I ordered, and that’s where its story is-the ordering of it. Let me backtrack a bit and tell you the story behind the story! My friends birthday was coming up and she was also going to have knee surgery. I know she reads all she can of Beverly Lewis series and I also knew that she hadn’t read The Secret so that was going to be my dual gift. I believe in the saying, SHOP LOCAL, so I tried to locate it at two of my in town book stores. They could order it but neither had it available. I wanted it now! I’ve ordered from Amazon before and was thinking that would be my quickest means when I read a few blogs about an upcoming event at the Flying Pig Bookstore in Vermont. Some of my author friends were going to be there reading and signing and I know author and co-owner Elizabeth Blumie, and tada, flick lightbulb, or whatever the moment was, I decided that The Flying Pig is still shopping locally for me! So I tried ordering through their online form and guess what, The Secret was available. I ordered, had an email contact with co-owner Josie and in a few days my friend’s book was her in the ‘ville.  So that’s my tale of this book! 

    And there's more stories in my life....the ones I try to write. JoNoWriMo is about to wind down. I think I was supposed to be working on my nearly completed SFD'd middle grade novel, but my muse just hasn't been cooperating. It wants to throw picture book ideas at me. So with November in the air, I've signed up for both NaNoWriMo, you know, 50,000 words a day I think, to the novel,  and Tara Lazar's PiBoLoMo. Write a picture book idea for a month. That way, by signing up for both, I'll have the motivation to complete a goal though garbly mind hasn't told me which one I'll be working on. Doesn't matter, as long as I write write write. Some of my crit partners are hanging around in these groups too....are you?

    Anticipating our first big snow of the season...hunger down with wood fire, soup, ideas and pencil in hand in case the power goes out....glad I got the kayak under cover this week...on to another season.

Choices

Life is full of choices-some are over the edge Big and some are simply every day-mundane. ‘What am I having for lunch? Should I go to town today or stay home? Should I play my turn on a word game on my computer or turn the other way and write? Today, right now anyway, I choose to stay home, have shrimp rolls for lunch, check a game move and write a blog entry. Easy peasy!

except, 

I’m going to go around Robin Hood’s barn to get back to this thing about choices. First off,  I’ll tell you about a few of my obsessions- one, being my fascination with the sky. No matter what the color, clouds or no clouds, sun or moon, I have to grab my camera and shoot! Lately it’s been the reds and grays and yellows of pre dawn clouds and the night’s full moon. I not only take the pictures and sometimes post them, but that sky sets me to dreaming-real and fairytalish!

      Another of my obsessions is writing for children, and those of you that know me and the kinds of stories I write, know that there’s usually a bit of non fiction, or true facts, sprinkled into my fictional tales. So I can write about the moon if I feel like it and invent images and throw in a few real things in the mix of words and the truth! 

I research before I insert the facts, so when a friend who knows that I have a full moon story itching to be published, she said, “Yeah, it’s October and it’s the Hunter Moon, right?” 

        Hunter Moon? Well that’s not what I thought. Not how I tell it in my story. So in a bit of a panic this morning, I went back to the Farmer’s Almanac and my friend was right-it is Hunter’s Full Moon, but it is also Harvest Full Moon. Whew! 

                                                                      October 11, 2011  Harvest Moon of October

Okay, so back to the choice and the obsessions and the truth. Truth is, I made the choice to write Harvest in my story moon for October. A moon to dream of gathering rather than stalking and shooting. I have nothing against hunting. It’s what they do around here during the seasons.  But me, in this tale anyway, I want the vision to be of pumpkins and apples and squash. Doesn’t Harvest (Moon) say that to you? And, if by chance you’re questioning that the full moon of September might be the Harvest moon, well that’s true too. But there again, I had choices, so I picked Corn moon.  Just another harvest thought! Tall stalks, mazes, silk, ears, bushel baskets.

        So here I am, ‘fessing up, making choices and telling the truth. And with that, one other little thought. I’m gullible. Oh so gullible and believing of everything you tell me-without question. You tell me, I believe you. Why, you might ask. Some of you know because you know me well, or you’re in the same boat...look a person in the eye, don’t lie and don’t expect them to lie back to you. Simple as that!  

                                                               THE END