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My humorous thoughts about life.

"My Humorous and Helpful Thoughts About Teaching / Educational Resources for Your Classroom / Music and Random Fun"
Showing posts with label about me. Show all posts
Showing posts with label about me. Show all posts

Sunday, September 2, 2012

GUTGAA Meet and Greet

I am joining Deana Barnhart's week of fun. To get in on the action, hop over to her blog at GUTGAA. Now for the meet and greet I will give you the rare opportunity to get to know me by answering her questions.


-Where do you write?
Where don't I write? I like to sit at the dining room table, kitchen table, or curled on my love seat, preferably with a little love dog by my side. 

-Quick. Go to your writing space, sit down and look to your left. What is the first thing you see?
I spy with my little eye a Millie dog stretch on the couch. That's right, she's not on my lap this time.

-Favorite time to write?

I like to write on week end mornings or at night. 

-Drink of choice while writing?

While writing, I'll occasionally sip a cup of coffee (mornings), water, or Crystal Light sweetened water. Currently I have nothing to drink and my mouth is a bit parched. Excuse me while I fetch a cup of water.
Ah. That's better, but now I have to–TMI. My Honey Bear dog likes to push the door open for a little toilet love. 
-When writing , do you listen to music or do you need complete silence?

I'm what you call adaptable. Sometimes I write in silence while at other times the TV drones in the background. If I'm in a serious writing mood or struggling to make progress, I'll dim the lights and wrap my head around a bit of classical music. 
-What was your inspiration for your latest manuscript and where did you find it?
When I was a child, my mother told me to never eat anything unwrapped on Halloween. Being obedient to a fault, year after year I passed up Mrs. Zimmerman's amazing homemade donuts because, yeah, they weren't wrapped. 
This gave me the idea of a child strangled in a cocoon of mother trying to break free into a fun but daring life. Not that my mom was overly protective, she wasn't, but I've known helicopter parents who breed children who can't do a thing for themselves. These kids need a story about too much mother love. Furthermore, a third grader with a spiky Mohawk and lots of personality gave me my main character's mentor and thus MRS. ZIMMERMAN'S DONUTS was hatched.

-What's your most valuable writing tip?
Replace "be" verbs with action verbs. I know it's basic, but I've see many writers ignore this beginning writing tip. Those who learn to strengthen verbs blossom to a whole new level.



 

Monday, May 16, 2011

Nah, I Won't Do That (Laughter is the Best Medicine)

Since I messed up and posted my O before my P,  I figured I could do it again with the Laughter is the Best Medicine Blog Hop. I could have called this post, Monday Hop, Laughter is the Best Medicine, or anything else now that I've set the pattern of not knowing the alphabet backwards, but it's time for N so, Nah, I won't do that.

I'm supposed to make folks laugh by blogging jokes about myself, but there is nothing about me that anyone could ever make fun of. Let's face it, I have perfectly friendly hair that reaches out to greet anyone within a foot of me. I can take a lock, wrap it around a finger, and make a perfect curl. If I don't like the direction of the curl, I just flip it the other way. It bends and stays just like a pipe cleaner. But that's not all. My hair has the magical ability to change colors every few months. Not many can do that.

Even my skin is welcoming with friendly zits that come out to say "hello" right before a major event. Yes, I am the world's oldest teenager. I bet not many women pushing fifty can brag about acne! Did I say fifty? Uh, let's make that thirty.
This is my soul

But forget about my looks. The eyes are the windows to the soul, so let's see what my soul is about. In Sharon Creech's novel, "Walk Two Moons," the teacher asked the kids to draw a picture of their soul. Here is mine:

Need I say more. Now that you've seen my soul, you know that there is nothing funny about me. I am a totally serious teacher who is about to go crazy now that it's May and the kids have quit thinking because to them school is out. So what does your soul look like. Do you dare share??



Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Stylish Blogger Award

I was given a Stylish Blogger Award  from Rhonda several weeks ago, but I'm just now getting around to taking it.  Having Style is new for me!  I never really considered the humor genre to be elegant but maybe I make it that way. ;)  Then yesterday she gave me the Versatile Blogger Award. I guess if I can have style, I must be versatile too. The awards have the same rules, so I'm awarding them together to some wonderful bloggers. You may choose the one that fits you best or have them both because I'm giving them to those on the list below.

                                 ♥ Thank You Rhonda at http://www.laugh-quotes.com
Stylish Blogger Award

With these awards come a set of rules. Rhonda and I are not crazy about rules, but here they are:
1. Thank and link back to the person giving you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 10-15 blogs you think deserve this award.
4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award.

Here's my seven "things" in case you're interested:
  • I love to write for children.
  • I'm currently working on my fifth kidlit novel.
  • I have a story published in this month's issue of AppleSeeds magazine.
  • I have queried and am hoping for more gigs.
  • I am currently enrolled in my second course at the Institute of Children's Literature.
  • My all time favorite authors are Gordan Kormen and Margaret Peterson Haddix.
  • I am an active member of the Midsouth chapter of SCBWI.
Here are some wonderful blogs that deserve the Stylish & Versatile Blogger Awards:

Anna at Green Talk http://www.green-talk.com
Shelli's  at Market My Words http://www.faeriality.blogs.com
Christina at Hungry Meets Healthy http://www.hungrymeetshealthy.com
Crazy Mommy at Evil Eyebrows and Other Oddities www.evileyebrows.blogspot.com
Talli at Talli Roland http://talliroland.blogspot.com
Aimee at Seeking the Write Life http://www.aimeelsalter.com
Debbie at Inkygirl http://inkygirl.com
Pamo at Pamo Blog http://pamoblog.blogspot.com
Karen at Following the Whispers http://karenfollowingthewhispers.blogspot.com
The Humor Smith http://www.humorsmith.com
Quirky Loon http://www.quirkyloon.com
Jodi at Rants "N Rascals http://www.rantsnrascals.com
The Chronicals of Rico and Regular Appearances From...  http://ricoswaff.com


Please check them out.