Indecision

I am not, by nature, an indecisive person. I see what I want/what must be done, and I do. Period.
So why, for the love of all that's good in the world, do I not know which story I want to work on at the end of this week when I have two precious/sacred days off? (And yes, the answer to your unspoken question is: The backslash is my friend. K?)
I have MT which is the last story I worked on. But there are SIGNS. No...keep the tinfoil off your head. I'm just saying...I feel like I'm being pushed in another direction. And *deep breath* it's another four-book series.
Is that why I just want to shrivel up like a raisin in the hot sun of my literary dilemma? Am I drawing odd fruit comparisons??? YES to both!
There is so much research involved with the four-book series. And while I embrace the theory, *grins* the practice makes my eye twitch sometimes. I want to WRITE!
But with so many threads, I have to sort before I sew. Ya know?
Oye. And the sorting--it is a large and daunting prospect.
But if not now, when? I feel like THIS is the time to take this on. And I always go with my gut.
SO...*massive hyperventilating sigh*...I suppose I'll break out the books that I need to make notes and start culling information to weave into my stories.
Oh, and did I mention that there's actually five total with the fifth being a lengthy epilogue-type piece?
Grins*

I have a new toy

And no...it isn't one of those. Though if I DID get a new toy (one of those), I doubt I would advertise said toy on my blog. Unless I was feeling frisky. But really...when am I NOT feeling frisky? So now I must ponder. If I DO get a new toy (which implies I have at least one or more old toys--heh)...would I share with the masses?
But I digress. For now. Breathe deeply, people.
I'm referring to my new technological toy...Microsoft OneNote.
Holy shit. I'm in Microsoft lust.
It comes in Microsoft 2010 suite, and it's freakin' awesome!!!
I can title a page and then open up tabs and import stuff from the Internet, and I LOVE IT!!!
Normally I take my notes down in notebooks, post-it notes (I LOVE post-it notes), and sticky things on pages of books I need.
And while I still may do some of that, I cannot tell you how happy I am to have all my info at my fingertips with a click of the tab.
*trying not to hyperventilate here*
How fantastic is it going to be to be able to refer back to my notes without digging? Sure, I color-coordinated my post-it notes per hero/heroine/book.
Shup.
But now I can just click and voila! I'm all up in it.
Love. It.
It will make my multi-tasking that much easier. And isn't that what the ol' laptop is for?
Well, that and keeping up with my friends on FB.
Grins*

There's an app for that

Numbers vary per electronic device, but there are tens of thousands of apps out there.
Some are useful and timely. Some are useless and time-consuming. Let's have a look, shall we?
Stupid/Worthless/Why the HELL did I buy this apps:
1. Rate a Fart 2.0: Not only can you enjoy the sound of over 700 melodious flatulent individuals, you can upload your own and share with friends!
2. ipickuplines: For example--Your eyes are as blue as my toilet water back home.
3. igirl she obeys: for the repressed male user. (I hope there's a screen protector on your electronic device. ick)
4. Wooo! Button: Yeah. That's what it does. Says "Wooo!" (What? Now our vocal cords are incapable?)
The examples are numerous and, quite honestly, revolting.
But the flipside?
There is also a world of apps that will rock your socks. Apps for documents and reading. Making music and storing a whole classroom of information.
So where's the line? And how fine a line is it???
I started thinking about this while reading CNN and finding an app that tells users when to reapply sunscreen. Something people have, obviously, been doing for decades.
Have we reached that point? Honestly? A place where an app should tell us when to apply sunscreen? Wash our hair? Feed the cat? Hug our children?
How many pieces of minutiae throughout our day must be spoon fed to us? And when will we begin to choke on it or, God forbid, welcome it?
Independence and individualism are priceless. Listening to people fart and sharing your own? That'll be ninety-nine cents.
Grins*

Relationship Chameleons

I have a couple people I know who are pulling this right now. Morphing into something the person that they're seeing wants. Forsaking sense of self for someone else's pleasure/opinion.
This bothers me.
First of all, let's take into consideration that if you don't know who YOU are...then how in the hell can you offer anything to someone else?
Second of all, if you DO know who you are...then why in the hell are you forsaking that for someone else?
Third of all, if you're forsaking pieces of yourself to make another happy...then you're selling yourself supremely short. And if you sell yourself short, my friends, you'll always find a buyer.
Compromise is one thing. Full-blown martyrdom is bullshit.
A relationship is two whole beings fitting together to make something beautiful while still retaining self.
It's not puzzle pieces from two different puzzles mashed together to try and fit when it obviously doesn't.
I'm reminded of the Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. (They should have stuck with Pretty Woman...just saying).
Julia Robert's character lost herself so completely when she was with her partner du jour that she hadn't a clue who she really was. If they liked scrambled eggs, then so did she. Whether she really did or not.
That's overwhelmingly sad.
Each person has an infinite value unto his/herself. This value should magnify when with the one he/she professes to love. It shouldn't diminish.
No one said it was easy.
But, damn it, it's worth it. And so are you.
Grins*

Undead and Unfinished

I couldn't have been more pleased when I discovered MaryJanice Davidson and the Undead series.
But then enthusiasm waned a bit. I didn't much care for her Mermaid series. Read two of those and didn't bother with the third.
So, with a bit of trepidation, I picked up Undead and Unfinished.
Let me say that this is, by far, one of the best--if not THE best, book in the series. Pick it up. Wallow in its cleverness, snarkiness, and all that is Betsy The Vampire Queen.
And now that I've indulged myself with a worthwhile book, I'm off to work on some of my own.
Have a fantastic and safe holiday weekend!
Grins*

Can you hear me now?

Writing is subjective. Reading is subjective.
We, as readers and writers, know what we like. It's there in every purchase we make or consider making.
But my likes are not your likes. They can criss and cross, intersect on occasion, but tastes are as individual as, well, individuals.
As a writer, I take this in stride. If I didn't, I would assume and retain the fetal position on a daily basis. My feelings would be hurt to the point of incapacitating me. I would simply give up.
That's not me.
You can like what I write. You can hate what I write. Point is: I LOVE what I write. *grins*
It comes from a creative part of me that is connected to every cell I have.
I could try and borrow someone else's voice or writing pattern. I could mimic bestselling authors on the NY Times list. I could...change.
But I refuse. My voice is my own. My ideas are my own. My mistakes...MINE ALL MINE!!! LOL
A writer is only truly a writer when he/she creates the story of his/her heart and soul. No matter the packaging. No matter the opinions of others. No matter...no matter. *smile*
So let me clear my throat and prepare to breathe life into the dozen or so stories I've started but have yet to finish because I was trying to be someone I'm not, and in the process, blocked off my creativity.
But I'm back.
Grins*

Over the top

I've had a lot going on as of late. Shuffling the girls to and fro. Shuffling myself to and fro. Baby Chicken had lumps in her armpits which freaked me the hell out. So that involved doc visit, referral, specialist doc visit, ultrasound, WAITING, doc visit.
Luckily, the right lump is a cyst. The left lumps are lymph nodes and are not big enough to worry about.
Thank God.
Summer is the busy time at work. Inundation would be a key term here.
But amidst all the loveliness known as life, I submitted another book. And I also received word from my publisher that What He Wants is a Top Ten Bestseller at WCP Torrid this month. *smile*
It makes me happy.
So I track down where exactly all these sales are coming from. Amazon Kindle. It amazes me, and I'm just floored.
People who bought the Percy Jackson series are buying it. People why buy Linda Lael Miller are buying it.
*dancing*
What a lovely afternoon.
Grins*

Warrior and the Sparrow

I love this book.
*smile*
And that's not my ego talking. It's my heart.
This is the latest book I've submitted. And here's what it's about:

Willow is a simple woman who keeps her father’s house. A loner by design, she exists unnoticed among the village beauties. That is, until the day a stranger tears through town hell-bent on fulfilling a prophecy no matter the price.

Tait needs Willow . It’s as simple and complicated as that. Dark days loom for their entire world. A sleeping sickness has spread all the way to the royal kingdom while a madman lets loose a disease on the masses that tears apart the very fabric of humanity.

Warrior and the Sparrow is one woman’s journey from negligible to remarkable. It shows how the human spirit can grow and flourish even under the most horrid of circumstances. And it is a woman’s rite of passage from bystander to savior.
****
This is my longest foray into the storytelling of romance--almost 90,000 words--with all the blood, sweat, and tears that goes with.
Here's hoping my story finds a loving home.
Grins*

Crystal Inman

Yeah. That's me. But there's also the Crystal Inman who's young, thin, blond and cavorts about without clothes. The first three---SO not me. The last one? *grins* If you know me, you already know the answer.
lmao
I get a weekly tally of visits to my website, both traditional (Crystal Inman) and erotic (C'ann Inman). I average about twenty visits to the traditional while the erotic is more sporadic because I haven't had anything published in the last couple of years.
So when I receive a weekly tally that is just below a hundred, I must go investigate.
I thought my young counterpart must have put out a new porn tape or something. :)
Here is what I found: Around eighty-five of the hundred or so were visits from Slovenia. I promptly googled the hell out of that to locate it on the map.
What boggles my mind is that some of the visits were two pages. So that means that after finding my website, the searcher promptly clicked on another page (probably hoping to be rewarded with the sight of "Crystal Inman" wearing chaps, holding a whip, and nothing else). Alas, they must have been sorely disappointed.
We have to be TIGHT for those photos to circulate. Ya feel me? *grins*
So either some wonderful individual is sharing my literary goodness across the Atlantic, or those Slovenians love them some young, thin, blond chickies.
Either way, thanks for the numbers.
Grins*
Oh for criminey sake...before I wrap it up...I submitted to Samhain about a week ago and hope to hear something soon.
Just looked on Fictionwise and find that my earlier titles are still selling well. And One Enchanted Evening was the #8 bestseller for my publisher last month. This is just the kick in the ass I need. *smile*

Time in a bottle

There are moments locked in time, in recent memory, that are as rare and precious as each breath I take.
The combined laughter of my children and myself.
Dancing with the one I love.
Hugs from teenage daughters that don't hug all that often anymore.
The wind in my hair after a hard day that wore me down.
Another's hands preparing dinner.
Baby Chicken looking at me after we watched a scene on TV where the teenage son looks at his Mom and says, "You're a good Mom", then turning to me and saying the same thing.
Embarrassing the Oldest Chicken while mimicking her dance moves in the car on the way to the high school.
Laughing at something (God, ANYTHING) Middle Chicken says.
So on days when I just want to bang my head against the brick wall, kick the door, and scream until my lungs collapse, I'll pull these moments out and wrap myself in them as a cushion between the wondrous beauty of parts of my life and the stress that tries to cling to me and bring me down like quicksand.
*humming Jim Croce*
Grins*

THIS is my reality

I don't much care for Reality TV shows. I know a lot of people do. (Hopefully forestalling the Hate Mail here)
I DO watch Survivor because the honey does. I watched Big Brother one season. *laughing* Apparently where the winner has now taken his earnings and tried to turn himself into a drug kingpin. How fantastic is that? I clearly remember him stating that some money would go to help others. I didn't know he meant nose candy.
I watched the Amazing Race one season. I can't remember who won.
Reality TV is just not for me. And I'll tell you why.
I like spontaneous as much as the next person. And there's a lot of spontaneity (unscripted) business going on with RTV. But what I really enjoy are getting to know the characters. The familiarity with quirks and opinions.
There are some TV characters I'd love to sit down and chit-chat with. Dr. Who, obviously. *grins* Hawkeye Pierce. Mr. Roarke. lmao
Don't judge me. :)~~
These characters mean something to me. They kept me company and shared their fictional little lives with me. They opened my eyes to different emotions and ideologies. They symbolize so much more than just a two-dimensional character reading lines and going through the motions.
RTV characters? Eh.
I don't need the drama. Seriously, I have enough of my own. I don't need the conflict or background of their muddled-up lives. Tales of plastic surgery and divorce. It squicks me out, quite frankly.
Rarely do you see the sunshiney side of RTV. The high ratings comes from conflict, and I just can't get on board with that.
Really.
Grins*

The Inimitable Dr. Who

Tardis, we have a problem.
Where is the Dr. Who I love? The genius Time Lord who saves multiple planets with humility, compassion, and wit in place?
I'm all about giving a guy a chance. Matt Smith, Dr. Who du jour, is okay. I say that without rancor. But I haven't had my Dr. Who moment with him. And the way the writers are writing...I'm not sure I will.
Hmph.
Dr. Who is the last of the Time Lords. He has seen and done things that the mere mortal cannot imagine. That's fine. He also has a companion which makes him, in my eyes, a bit more well-rounded.
But when you make HIM the hothead, and HER the voice of reason in all things...I rebel against the notion.
He has seen the birth and death of earth. He knows what humans are capable and not capable of. Yet in the past two episodes of this show that I absolutely LOVE...Amy Pond (latest companion) has saved everyone in a pinch.
Excuse me???
I like the fiery redheaded Scottish chick. She's no Rose, Martha, or Donna. She's her own person. And I love that about her.
But this is DR. WHO for God's sake!!!
This character is interplanetary Mr. Fixit. Amy Pond can hand him the tools, but by God, Dr. Who is THE MAN. Okay. Time Lord.
But the bottom line...give the Time Lord his due. Or I will lose all respect for this amazing show.
Grins*

The weekend from hell, and TMI!!!

I knew I was screwed at 9:03 Friday evening. I calmly put down my food and waited. Around and hour later, the onslaught began. I was in full virus force. A virus, to me, feels like barbed wire in my stomach. There's no other way to describe it. Therefore, when it strikes, I know what I'm in for. Hell.
I am throwing up. I have diahrrea. I am spent. Done.
HA!
Or so I thought.
The food is all gone. There is NOTHING in my stomach, people. NOTHING. And yet I continue to vomit. It's an anomaly that pisses me the fuck off, quite frankly. So up comes the stomach acid. Yeah. For hours.
Which, by the way, felt lovely brushing up against my stomach ulcer.
I don't think I slept fifteen minutes Friday night into Saturday. The first time I got any rest at all was about five o'clock Saturday.
I was weak and exhausted. I'm quite sure I smelled lovely. I was scared to drink water, people. Water. Yeah.
And when I did, I took little sips in case that tipped over the vomiting scale one more time. Because seriously, I just couldn't take another go-round.
I missed a wedding Saturday. I missed church Sunday. I was still weak this morning but took Middle Chicken to the oral surgeon to get four more teeth pulled so she can get braces.
You could tip me over with a feather right now. I'm not playing.
I only get this type of virus once every two years or so. Thank God. One time it sent me to the E.R.
I was headed that way again, before I located some phenagren and prayer.
Now that I've purged the hideous weekend onto my blog, I feel better.
*smile*
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Hand me a rifle, and don't argue with me, son.

There is talk of a militia in Oklahoma.
This is enough to turn my stomach. Bad enough that this state supported McCain and carried him. Bad enough that I knew people waiting in line for HOURS for the Sarah Palin book.
A fucking militia??? Excuse me?
This brain fart from leaders of the Tea Party and Conservative members of the Oklahoma Congress.
So we're giving small-minded people firearms now?
We're going to listen to pathetic extremists who "draw inspiration from the white supremacist thriller The Turner Diaries"?
When is enough enough???
RIGHT NOW!!!
Oklahoma is still a part of the United States of America though at times I feel like there are some in power here that would gladly secede and make women wear burqas and walk behind men. Who would harm anyone whose skin isn't white or sexual orientation isn't hetero. Who would annhilate those that have a voice and an opinion.
So...those extremists in the Oklahoma Congress that have their own agenda need to be STOPPED! NOW!
They don't represent the people. They can't because the people are all different races, religions, backgrounds, financial statuses, and sexual orientations.
We will not be silent. We will not be stepped on. We will fight for our freedoms as well.
A volunteer militia in Oklahoma is unacceptable.
But I'm full of ideas of where you can put your guns.
Crystal*

And then they go and do something like THIS!

It's no secret. I love my children and want to strangle them. All at the same time. I'm eternally tired. Still getting over the death of my dad. Struggling to keep the house clean, my ass to work, and my sanity.
And then what happens?
Middle Chicken writes an Ode. To me. *grins*
I needed kleenex.
Without further ado:
An Ode to Mom

When I was little,
I thought I was indestructible;
like nothing could hurt me,
break through my skin.

But as I got older,
I wanted to explore more;
I would climb up on things,
and fall down hard.

You would always be there,
with a band-aid and a hug;
no matter what happened to me,
I counted on you to protect me.

When everything went wrong,
or when my dad was never there;
you stayed with me always,
you were always there.

*sniff* *sniff*
I'll put off the strangling for another day.
*smile*
Chrys*

Um, seriously???

Today I've dealt with:
Faxes
Phone Calls
Books by the hundreds
A large German Shepard
The incapacity to understand English
Repetitive instructions for those that just don't understand
PMS pills in mass quantities
Ambition-challenged people around me
Sore feet
Massive exhaustion
Juggling multiple people
People who are incapable of helping others
Indecisive children
Screaming ovaries
Headache on the back burner edging toward the front
****
*sigh*
Is it Friday at six o'clock yet???
Grins*

Clash of the Titans 3D

I'm SURE I will have spoilers in here so just a warning!!!

Allrighty.
This movie was mediocre. There. I said it. I was so hyped on the trailer that I downloaded the main theme song they use in the trailer from iTunes. Let's just say I could have watched the trailer and saved myself $50 for my family to go see the thing. In 3D, no less.
The pros?
Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes as the opposing mythological Gods and brothers Zeus and Hades. Poseidon didn't get any face time. I suppose he was out hanging ten or something. Anyway, these two talented actors did a hell of a job with a weak script and corny lines. And you have no idea how much it pains me to say that. Seriously.
Love me some Liam Neeson.
And it was cool when Hades would throw out his arms and do this little "whoosh" thing and this black smoky stuff would envelope him. Yeah, good stuff.
Sam Worthington is credible as Perseus. Give the guy his due.
The Kracken is some good digital monsterizing, but he has very little screen time before he's turned to stone.
I like my daughter's God of War game better as far as mythological baddies.
This movie had unexpected bits of humor in it which I enjoyed immensely. But those don't happen until later when Perseus decides he going to kill Hades who killed his family. Hades, being a God and all, lives, by the way. *snickers*
The cons?
This movie did not have as many mythological creatures as I would have liked to enjoyed. Hell, Pegasus pretty much had a cameo.
I KNEW everybody but Perseus would die. Criminey!!!
Dialogue is stilted.
Movie is choppy.
It's like someone divided the movie up into six parts. Put them into bags. Then tied them up and told the producers to put them back together again. And they didn't do a bang-up job.
Andromeda? Forgettable.
The talent was there. The money for special effects was there. Good cast. Someone, somewhere, failed along the way. And shame on them.

There was a very small but extremely cute part where Perseus finds this odd little machinelike owl before he starts his quest. *grins* The head of the army tells him to put it down, and he does. I think the movie may have been better if he'd taken the owl.
But there it was. A little nod to the first Clash of the Titans with the odd little golden owl that was a gift from a goddess.
Too bad she didn't gift the directors/producers with a little help. Or in this case, some magical thread and a needle to stitch a good premise together to please the masses.
Grins*

Clash of the Titans

OMG! I remember seeing the previews to this movie, and my jaw just dropping. Yeah, I loved the Harry Hamlin (old, children...the OLD version) as Perseus movie. But with the special effects and digital mastery of today's age, I was uber excited. And then when it was thrown out there in commercials that it could be (dum dum DUM) 3D!!! I'm not too proud to admit that I became a bit more than a bit excited.
That lessened considerably while reading an interview with James Cameron about the movie. He explained that it wasn't shot in 3D. That only 1/3 of the time usually spent was put into MAKING it 3D. And so it was pretty much "Clash of the Titans 2.8". Color me highly displeased.
2.8?
Really?
Can I just pay 80% of the damn movie price? How would THAT do for ya??? In fact, I still have my 3D glasses from another movie. How's about I just take those little suckers in with me so I don't have to buy another $3 pair? Well?
*crickets chirping*
Yeah. I thought so.
So after church tomorrow, we're headed out to see Clash of the Titans 2.8. More to come on if it was worth it, or if 2D should suffice.
Have a Happy Easter!
Oh, by the way, two blogs in one day. Just saying.

AND...I looked up earlier how a rabbit is synonymous with Easter and whatnot. It's interesting. Google it.
Grins*

Crystal Update

Hello all!

I need to try and blog a bit more often. That's something I'm going to work on. That and the cursed treadmill. LOL
Since we last connected, in no particular order: My Dad died. My oldest child has gone through about four significant others. I submitted a complete manuscript to Pocket Juno. My middle child is getting braces. My baby child has been getting some fierce migraines (doc appt Wed). Watched "Lightning Thief" at the theater (the books are so much better). And any one of numerous other trivial things have occurred.
I hope to focus more on: 1. the damn gym 2. the marvelous writing 3. keeping my sanity while doing all that, mothering three teenage daughters, and working a full-time job.
Quit laughing.
I've read the time management books, and I say...bullshit. For one, I'm not a morning person so even though I CONSIDERED getting up and going to the gym at the buttcrack of dawn--that has no relevance in the real world in which I live.
Most days I work until five-thirty. Hit the gym for two hours. That makes it about eight when I get home. Sometimes cooking dinner. Cleaning up. Laundry. Paperwork/homework with the girls. Catching up with the girls.
I'm managing the hell out of my time. I just need about six more hours. Really.
Professionally, I want to finish another full-length novel (80,000-100,000) before the girls go back to school. This will be nine kinds of fun as summer at the library is akin to a sleep-deprived individual herding cats.
Pass the bottle.

So that's it in a nutshell, my lovely blogger friends. Have a Happy Easter!!! I'm working today but am going to church tomorrow followed by "Clash of the Titans." Can't wait.
Grins*

When high school becomes Sunday School

I'm a Christian. Just throwing that out there to (hopefully) deflect the lunatics that think I bite the heads off live chickens and whatnot.
I attend church every Sunday. I love it.
What I do NOT love, however, is the State of Oklahoma taking it upon itself to offer the study of the Bible up as an elective in high school.
Pisses. Me. Off.
Will these same people offer up an elective for studying the Koran or Paganism? Wiccan Arts? WELL???
Yeah. Close-minded, full of themselves, pompous jackasses at our State Capitol.
We can't feed our children healthy food in the fucking cafeteria, but we can zip a law through that makes the lawmakers look like suckasses. That's sure enough. Yeah. We're a Red State. Turns my stomach, quite frankly. I'm so damn sick and tired of the bible-thumping hypocritical bastards here.
Why don't you try giving a hand up instead of using that hand to pat yourselves on the back??? Why don't you pass some fucking laws that HELP the people of this state?
If a person wants to learn about the Bible, there IS a class they can go to. It's called Sunday School.
Make a note of THAT.
Crystal*