Tag, You're It!

Sandy Shin tagged me for the Penmanship Meme. And I'm so glad! There's so much you can learn about a person by looking at penmanship. The rule is to do the meme on paper and scan it (or take a picture if you don't have a scanner). Here are the items:

1. Name/Blog Name.
2. Right handed, left handed or both?
3. Favorite letters to write?
4. Least favorite letters to write?
5. Write: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
6. Write in caps:
CRAB
HUMOR
KALEIDOSCOPE
PAJAMAS
GAZILLION
7. Favorite song lyrics?
8. Tag 7 people.
9. Any special note or drawing?

And here is my hand-written version of it. Wow, I can't believe how self-conscious this made me of my writing! But it's so fun to see people's handwriting, so here we go:

Okay, if you can't tell who I tagged: Jessie Oliveros, Raquel Byrnes, Janet Reid (*big grin*), Medeia Sharif, Lynn, Vicki Rocho, and Laurel. Don't feel like you have to, but I'd love to see your handwriting. :) Then I can size you up, and analyze your psyche . . . bwa-ha-ha-ha!

So what does my handwriting tell you about me?

101-Follower Contest!

The day has finally arrived! I hit 101 followers, and Jessie Oliveros at Louder than Noise has hit 101. Hurray!

Not one to beat around the bush, the rules are simple:

1. You must follow both my blog and Jessie's blog.
2. Leave a comment on THIS post.
3. Enter by midnight EDT on Tuesday, June 22, 2010.

And that's it. If you spread the word any old way, just let me know and I'll give an extra entry (I trust ya'll, so you only need to put the link if you want).

And drumroll please . . . .

The Prizes.

1st Prize: A $25 gift card to Amazon. 

A pre-order of Mockingjay, you ask? Done. Matched? Taken care of. Your prize is up to you with this dazzlingly glorious item. (Yes, I used to write prize descriptions for The Price Is Right . . . or should I say Write?) ;)

2nd Prize: Mystery Prize! 

I have pre-designated 4 prizes behind doors number 1, 2, 3, and 4. You, as lucky winner number two, will get to choose which one you want! Are they all AB FAB you ask? Why, of course not! Where's the fun in that? But at least one is exciting. Another not so much. And the last two are satisfactory to varying degrees.

Good luck, everyone!

P.S. Jessie has her own contest running with separate prizes, so to enter her contest, be sure to click on over and follow her contest rules!

Fab New Look

So I'm sure you've noticed the new look. I am no artiste, but my best friend from high school is a talented photographer and designer. You can always tell a great friend because they not only tell you your weaknesses, but they help you improve them! I love what she came up with. The passages on the wall are actual excerpts of my book. How cool is that?

I know I had the whole 'thanks' thing going on yesterday, but I want to thank my wonderful friend, too. If you want to check out her blog, you can find her at Shot by Celeste.

In your opinion, what makes a great friend?

Thanks!

So, I'm feeling all kinds of grateful today, and I wanted to thank some people. First, of course, all of ya'll, for coming and commenting and following. I've loved getting to know you all through this whole blogging thing. :)

Then, I have been uber lucky to win some contests. And I wanted to thank them for having such great contests!

1. I won Lynn's 100-follower contest at Place to Create. I'm already drooling over the books I'll choose at Amazon. 
2. I won some chocolate from Gail at Write From the Soul &Visualeyes. Yumm! 
3. I won a prize package from Michelle McLean in her WooHoo I'm Finished Grand Give-away. 
4. And I won an ARC of Nightshade by Andrea Cremer from Shelli at Market My Words. I know you're all jealous! ;)

In light of all these wins, I'd feel extremely ungrateful if I didn't take this opportunity to thank random.org. So thank you, random.org, for showing me some love!

And finally, I have to thank my sweet man for supporting me in my craziness, and putting up with my constant stream of questions about what he thinks of my writing. Without him, I wouldn't be doing this. Thank you Bunches!

Who is the greatest support of your writing?

P.S. And just a quick note, Jessie has hit 101! Hurray for her! So be sure to come back Wednesday, when we'll host our 101 Followers Giveaway.

Good News All Around

In case you haven't noticed, I recently crossed the landmark number of 101 followers. Woo hoo!! Thanks everyone! I appreciate your willingness to hang out with me in the cybersphere.

Of course this calls for a give-away of some sort. My blogging friend Jessie Oliveros at Louder Than Noise is on the brink of 101. And since I think this whole blogging things is about connecting and building relationships, we are going to share the love and do a contest together as soon as she hits that magic number, too. We'll have great prizes, but you'll have to be a follower of BOTH blogs to enter. So if you don't follow Jessie, pop on over and make her acquaintance, and you'll be all set for our soon-to-come giveaway!

So in OTHER good news, I have finished my book! Not just the first draft, but like the 600th (okay, maybe a wee bit of exaggeration there, but it feels like that). Hurray, hurray! Now, if I could just finish that synopsis . . .

Seriously! If I can write this how-many-page book, why can't I write a stinkin' synopsis? Does anyone else struggle with this? Suzie Townsend is my new hero because here's her take on the subject:

"Don't worry about sending a synopsis - they're evil."

How can you help but admire such wisdom?

Dear Grammar Nazi

Dear Grammar Nazi,

I need your help. Your answer will effect a lot of people as we have a little bet going on at the office. See, Bill in Accounting says that 'affect' is a verb and 'effect' is a noun, but I've been using verbs for years now, and I'm certain 'effect' is a verb.

Rita in HR says we should 'just look in a stinkin' dictionary for crying out loud,' but I trust you over a guy named "Merri" any day. So who's right?

Counting on your help to pay off the bowling jersey and matching shoe set I splurged on. Best dressed bowler on the office team, baby!

Mr. Kirk N. Scottie

Dear Mr. Scottie,

Wow, I hate to think what kind of bets are taking place in your office that what I say would effect actual people. Right up there with the birds and bees. But perhaps you only meant I might affect people. I'll pretend you did.

Ironically, you are both right.

Affect is a verb, as in to influence. For example:

• Wearing a bowling jersey will AFFECT people's opinion of you.

Effect is a noun that can also be used as a verb. Noun:

• The special EFFECTS in Star Trek are totally outdated. (I'm just guessing you're a Star Trek fan)

And as a verb, meaning to cause or bring about:

• HR should effect a change in the office betting policy.

Hope that helps as I've given you all that I got, capt'n.

Sincerely,

The Grammar Nazi

More Than a Writer

Lately it feels like writing and its appendages (i.e. blogging, reading, plotting, etc.) have taken up so much of my life. It's so easy to let writing consume me. Doesn't matter what I'm doing, my mind is with my book: trying to fix that wrinkle in Chapter 13 or wondering if I've really caught the essence of the argument between my MC and love interest, or is that first sentence a good enough hook. Well you get the idea.

Every now and then, I have to remind myself that I'm more than a writer. And that believe it or not, I have other talents. So here is my reminder list:

Five Random Talents (not connected to writing)

1. I am a pro at Diaper Ball. Seriously. Michael Jordanette. Any angle, any shot, *swoosh!* Two points, in the trash . . . er, I mean basket.
2. I can pour 6 oz. in a bottle without measuring. In my sleep, too. I know! Impressive, right?
3. I make a mean spaghetti sauce. Mean. You should taste it.
4. I can remember the price of every single item in my grocery cart. Yep. About every other shopping trip, I find a mistake, so they get a runner to check the price. Not to brag, but I'm always right. Very useful.
5. I can carry a baby, diaper bag, purse, bag full of library books, and ten bags of groceries up 3 flights of stairs, AND unlock the door without dropping anything. Isn't taking a second trip back down and up an easier option, you ask? That's besides the point. :)

So what are your random talents?