A Scare

My dog, Rascal, gave me a scare over the weekend. Sunday morning, right before I took her out, she made a little yelp like she was in pain. She wouldn't eat the rest of the day and was shivering off and on. Still, when I walked her, she had no trouble maneuvering, so I didn't think she'd twisted anything.

She has been known to get the shakes before and the vet said some dogs are like that, especially after they've been sleeping. Still, this was happening more often and I could tell she wasn't feeling right. She didn't eat her treats, which is very rare. She didn't want to sleep on her comforter, which she absolutely loves, but slept on the floor instead.

Also, she didn't demand my attention like she usually does when I'm at the keyboard. I didn't know how much I missed her nudges until she stopped doing that.

Since she's my baby, I was worried about her all day at work, and wondering when we should make an appointment at the vet. Maybe a piece of her rawhide bone got stuck in her stomach. Maybe she had samonella. All kinds of horrible thoughts raced through my mind.

Fortunately, she appears to have come around. The DH reported before I went to my Chicago-North RWA meeting that Rascal had eaten a few dog treats. Later he gave her some dog food which she ate, then she also ate more treats and dog food when I got home. Apparently it was an upset stomach. We may never know the exact cause.

The close scare reminded me of how important she is in our lives. What about you? Do you have a pet that means a lot to you, or maybe you once did? Please share.

Blog Talk Radio Show Up

Hi Gang,
For those who didn't get a chance to listen on Sunday, I've posted my Blog Talk Radio show player for you to listen in the left column.

L. Diane Wolfe and Barry Eva called in to say hi. They'll both be guests for interviews at a later date.

Also mentioned in the program were Marvin Wilson and Jean Henry Mead, who will also be featured in upcoming shows.

I'll be setting exact dates soon. I plan to keep the show on Sundays, 4pm or later, especially later when the weather gets better. Yes, Spring and Summer will happen. They always do each year.

Anyone else want to be on the show? Or do plan to host your own show? Or maybe it's not your thing. Please share your thoughts.

Tax Man is Coming

Please tune in to my Blog Talk Radio show today at 4pm Illinois (Daylight Savings Time) at http://blogtalkradio.com/booksandblogs

I've put off balancing my checkbooks and doing other mundane matters to keep my finances straight. It's finally caught up with me. I spent all day and evening entering numbers into the computer, so I can get one of my checkbooks to balance. I'm finally done. I've got another to do tomorrow.

Then, I need to get all my writing expenses organized. All this needs to be done by next Saturday for the accountant so she can work on it on time for the filing deadlines for Federal and State taxes.

What about you? Are you so organized you don't have to go through this kind of hell?
Please share.

Losing Track of Time - Daylight Savings Time

Please tune in to my Blog Talk Radio Show this Sunday at 4pm Daylight Savings Time - Illinois time - http://blogtalkradio.com/booksandblogs

Friday night I fell asleep on the couch. When I woke up at almost 10:30, I thought the next day was Friday. Then, I got my bearings and remembered it would actually be Saturday in the morning. That was a wonderful surprise to my foggy mind.

On Sunday morning at 2:00 a.m., we'll spring ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time. I suspect many of us won't wait until 2 to set our clocks, but will set them before we go to bed, or maybe forget about it until we get reminded by someone the next day.

Speaking of losing track of time, this can happen in the book realm. It's a wonderful feeling to get so lost in a book you lose track of time. On the other hand, it's not so wonderful if you're reading a book and you can't keep track of when the events take place.

Authors need to be aware of this and insert small hints about the passage of time, so the readers have some idea if it's been a few minutes, an hour, a day, a week, a month, or more that have passed. You can do this by describing seasons, or even mentioning the sun going down, and in other ways.

What about you? Have you ever fallen asleep and lost track of time? Have you ever lost track of time because you were so engrossed in a book? Authors, do you have any other hints to portray the passage of time in a novel? Please share.

House Swapping and Identity Swapping

Just saw on WGN TV a segment about house swapping, an innovative way to buy a home. You list your home online and swap it with someone who has a house you like. This outside-the-box concept seems to be catching on. I'd say you'd have to be careful if you tried this, but if done correctly, it could be a great opportunity.

What about people swapping? I've read a number of books where for some reason the main character swaps identities with another person and all sorts of mayhem results. Later comes the confrontation and confession. All seems lost, but then by some miracle the day is saved.

One famous swap identities book is The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain.

The original Parent Trap movie with Hayley Mills is a favorite of mine.

Do you know of any other books or movies where a person swap takes place? Or, maybe you've written one yourself. Please share.

Iphones - Kindle, Stanza

Okay, you may know by now that I love my Iphone. I have mentioned that fact here before. Now Apple and Amazon have given me another reason for loving my Iphone.

A few weeks ago, I uploaded the Stanza app to get ebooks on my Iphone.

Today, I was actually able to upload the Kindle app from Itunes, so now I can get Kindle formatted books from Amazon also. Very convenient and tempting.

Who knows what else lies in the future for my handy Iphone.

What about you - do you read ebooks sometimes, never, often? Would you read one if it were convenient? Please share.

Making Mistakes

We walk a fine line when describing our characters' thoughts and actions. We don't want them to be too intimidating, or the reader may not identify with them. One way to achieve this is to let our characters make mistakes. That way they show their human sides.

The problem with letting our characters make mistakes is we don't want them to seem too stupid or no one will like them. I'm sure you've read those kind of books or seen those type of movies where the hero or heroine is too stupid to live, running straight into danger instead of doing the sensible thing to avoid it.

Some authors allow their character to make mistakes in judgment by trusting the wrong people or being overconfident in situations where danger is involved.

Have you noticed characters make mistakes? What type? Have you let one or more of your characters make a mistake? Please share.

My Pilot Blog Talk Radio Program From 3/1/09,10pm

I was in a wild and crazy mood Sunday night, so I decided to host my own Blog Talk Radio program. Here's the telecast on the left. Just click to listen. It lasts 15 minutes, so listen to whatever you wish. I will be interviewing guests on future programs and talking about their books as well as my own.

To listen to a live show or archived show is free, but calling in is a phone charge to New York for the host and the callers. To get around that, I plan to host my programs on either evenings after 9pm or Saturdays and Sundays using my Iphone. I was surprised it came in so well using the speaker feature. Saved a sore neck.

Anyone who would like to be featured on a future show, let me know below and be sure to include your e-mail address. Also welcome will be phone callers at the time of the show. I'm still investigating more of the ins and outs and will keep you advised of anything I discover. Another fun thing to learn and share.

Hint - If you get tired of listening to my Blog Talk Radio program here, you can always head over to Blood-Red Pencil for my Tuesday post, Carve Your Niche.

I'm Doing It Again

Hate to lead you on more goose chases, but lately I've been blogging at other spots. I don't want to keep you here too long and waste all my efforts, so here you go:

Trust me on this one - or maybe not - Please check out
Trust and Mistrust - Part 2 of my feature at http://mysteriouspeople.blogspot.com/

As luck would have it, Monday's also my semi-monthly day to blog at Make Mine Mystery -
Please check out - Dialogue or Description - What's your forte'? at http://makeminemystery.blogspot.com/

As always, I'd love a hi comment here to let me and others know you stopped by.
Thanks, Gang

My Interview Is Up at Mysterious People

Hi Gang,
Feel like going on a short trip? Please hop on over to http://mysteriouspeople.blogspot.com/ and check out my interview by Jean Henry Mead and let me know what you think.

Before you go, please let me know you're going over, since I'd hate to have no comments here today.

Thanks a bunch,

Morgan Mandel

Sore Muscles

Sometimes, when I carry something heavy, my arms hurt the next day. If I do situps, my stomach hurts later. I can do other things, such as typing, and that doesn't bother me.

Why do I get sore muscles? It's because I'm using ones I don't ordinarily use and they're protesting.

I confess I've let things slide. I've allowed winter weather to interfere with getting to Fitness classes, and my body isn't happy about it. I didn't used to have this problem, and I hope to get to more classes, weather permitting, so I won't have it any more. If weather's not permitting, I'll exert discipline and exercise at home.

The same thing happens with writing. I can blog every day because I've kept up that exercise, but I'm having a harder time finishing my work in progress. Lately, my brain hasn't exercised in that direction. No, I don't get headaches after doing so, thank goodness, but it's harder for me to focus. I fumble around trying to find the right words to say. I have a difficult time coming up with plot points and descriptions. My characters' thoughts elude me.

I've got tons of unwriting projects that need doing. One of them is getting my income tax papers together, which means balancing a checkbook that's been neglected for months. Still, I'm determined to spend more time each day on my novel. I need to get back in writing shape.

What about you? Do you ever get out of writing shape? If you let yourself slide for a while, is it harder for you to come up with ideas when you do write? Or, are you so disciplined you never let this happen? Do you have a routine you follow, no matter what? Please share.

Bedbugs Are Back By Morgan Mandel

I thought mosquitos were bad! For the last few days on WLS 890 AM Talk Radio's Don Wade and Roma Show, one of the subjects has been bed bugs.

The Chicago Tribune newspaper reports a significant rise in United States sightings of these evil bloodsuckers, which attack unsuspecting victims in their beds at night.

Are you itching? Not yet? Keep reading.

These tiny little insects are camping out in hotel beds, on cruise ships, in nursing homes, hospitals and other likely spots. Click this link for a story about them in the New York Times. In this article entomologist Louis Sorkin mentions they're so small they're hard to find. If you see something a quarter inch long and it's reddish-brown, you may have found one, but there are many types. They not only feed on people, but also pets.

These nocturnal critters release some kind of nerve agent when they bite, numbing their victims during their feeds, until the damage is done. Afterwards, the fun and itching begin. If you scratch too much, you risk infection.

Why have they become so prevalent? Some people blame it on our shrinking world. Travelers are visiting more places where these tiny critters dwell and the nasty little things hitch a ride back on clothes or shoes, in suitcases, etc. Another reason is poor hygiene, with people being too busy or unable to spend money to wash sheets and pillowcases.

If you're traveling, what measures can you take to be safe? A few suggestions I heard on WLS were to check your sheets for little splotches of blood (that sound icky, doesn't it?), keep your covers tucked in, and make sure your bed doesn't rest against the wall.

Have you ever seen a bedbug or gotten bitten by one? Have you ever included bedbugs in a book you've written? Do you feel like doing so now? Did I make you itchy?

What Makes You Buy A Book?

How much does a cover influence whether or not you buy a book? If you've heard it's a good book, but you don't care for the cover, will you still buy it? Unfortunately, many times my answer is no. I have to like the cover at least some or I'll put the book down and choose another.

If I like the cover, I'll proceed to the back and read the blurbs. If I like what I see, I'll open and read the first page. Sometimes I feel an immediate click and know I want that book. Other times, I waver and flick to a few other pages, not reading them entirely, just kind of checking.

If I see books that seem interesting in bookstore windows, they're usually hardcovers. Since I can't afford them, except in special instances, I order them from the library.

Of course, if a book happens to be written by a friend, that's a different story. In that case, I'll buy the book, get it autographed and save it as I do all my autographed books.

I can't say that I buy books from reviews, but I have from word-of-mouth, or if it's by an author I like.

What about you? What makes you buy a book?

Follow the Leader - Yawn, Cough, Smile, Laugh

Do you feel the urge to yawn when someone else does? It's very catching. Even when my dog, Rascal, yawns, I find myself yawning, and vice versa, so this phenomenum spreads to more than one species.

Riding on the Metra to work on Tuesday, someone coughed and for some reason I coughed right afterwards,though I hadn't felt the urge moments before.

What about smiling? When you take someone's picture and tell that person to smile, have you caught yourself smiling,as if you were the person getting a picture taken?

Laughing? Have you wanted to laugh at absolutely the wrong time, and made others want to as well?

Why does this happen? Is there a scientic explanation, or is it just follow the leader?

What about you? Do you exhibit such involuntary reactions? Or, have you reacted inappropriately at the worst possible time, and don't know why? Have you ever started a chain reaction of yawning or something else? Please share.

If you liked this blog, check out Get A Life at http://acmeauthorslink.blogspot.com today.

I Missed It - Darn

Sunday night, like every year, I eagerly awaited the Academy Awards. I'd already eaten dinner, made sure the dog was fed and had been let out and in. The DH had graciously vacated the immediate premises in favor of watching another program in the other room. I put on my comfy clothes, and all set, I plopped down on the couch.

Hugh Jackman looked and sounded stunning as the show's emcee. I admired his talents in the opening number, also admired Anne Hathaway's voice. I was touched by the marvelous tributes to the supporting actress nominees and felt happy for Penelope Cruz as she accepted her award.

Then a commercial came on. That's when I made my mistake. I closed my eyes just for a second. Next thing I knew, it was 11:30 and the show was long over. Darn, I missed it!

I can't be the only one who's done something like this. What about you? Have you ever missed a television show you wanted to watch? Or maybe an event you'd planned to attend? Why did you miss it? Did you forget? Fall asleep or oversleep? Did something more pressing come up? Please share.

Please Welcome My Guest, Lacresha Hayes

Making a marriage works takes patience and practice. This journal has been designed to usher couples into new intimacy and love for each other. With three primary areas of closeness, couples will see how to fix common relationship problems. The question and answer area will help couples learn some lesser known facts about one another. The book fosters truth as a bond of understanding between both the husband and wife; and understanding as a bond of peace.

Lacresha N. Hayes is a business owner, author, and community advocate. She serves as Co-Founder and Co-Pastor of Compassionate Healing Ministries International. She's also on serves on the CommunityServ Executive Board as Chairperson. She's a student at Capella University online. She's married to Pastor Lensey Hayes and they have one son. Lacresha is a multi-published author writing under two pen names. She is author of the bestselling book, The Rape of Innocence: Taking Captivity Captive, and the new sensation, Truth and Intimacy: A Couple's Journal.
Truth and Intimacy Purchase Link: http://tinyurl.com/cxl65x

And Now, Here's Lacresha, with a a motivating message about leaving your own legacy:

When I entered the writing world, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I didn't fully understand the process of writing for the reader. Previously, I'd written only for myself and a select few. I wrote to heal, or to express things I couldn't express to others. Sometimes, I wrote because I couldn't get a thought out of my head until I did. That, I believe, is the driving force behind all writers.

There are three things I've discovered in these past eight years about writers and the craft of writing:

The best work of any writer is what comes from his/her soul. When I read a book, article or blog post that came from the heart of the author, normally it touches my heart, even when I don't fully agree. The passion seems to drip from every word. This kind of material makes an author special. It doesn't come around everyday. You can't really force it, but when it happens, it's something spectacular for both author and reader.

If you write for money, you'll miss the biggest reward for writing. If you write for change or inspiration, the money is a reward that follows close behind. I've seen wonderful books pounded out swiftly, and sent out way before time. I've done that myself. But writing a book, or even an article, is like parenting. Whatever you're writing, give yourself time to nurture it. Don't send it out looking crazy. Your writing is a direct representation of you. I wish I'd learned this sooner, but I'm happy I learned it at all.

Lastly, don't ever stop writing. Even if you have to slow down, don't stop. If one group of people reject what you're offering, seek out others. Someone somewhere will appreciate the effort you've put into your work, even if it isn't in a commercially published book or super popular blog. As long as I'm getting a visitor a day, I choose to keep blogging. As long as I can sell a book or two from time to time, I'm going to get pounding them out in faith.

I hope you have been inspired to continue on in your writing career. Remember, it's not the easiest job in the world, but it is very rewarding if done for the right reasons. What you write today is history tomorrow. Leave a great legacy!


Pastor Lacresha N. Hayes, Publisher, Author, Grantwriter
Choose ye this day whom you will serve. It's as simple as a choice!
Business ~ www.livingwaterspc.com
Author~ www.lacreshahayes.com
Twitter~ http://twitter.com/lacreshahayes
Goodreads~ http://www.goodreads.com/lacreshahayes
PPP~ http://learntofeelpretty.blogspot.com

Blog Tip of the Day - Don't Hide

When you leave a comment here or on any post, after you type your name, please leave the blogspot address where you'd like to be visited. Often, after receiving a comment on my blog, I like to return the favor, sometimes on the same day, or whenever I get a chance. Also, others commenting here may like your comment and want to visit you.

If there's no blog address, it takes a bit longer to click on your name link or profile photo link to learn where to find you. Then, if you have more than one blogspot listed, it gets confusing. It would be a shame if you just posted a great blog on one of the spots, but it was maybe the third one listed, so it didn't get attention.

So, please don't hide, unless you're not receiving visitors.

Okay, gang, let's see who's paid attention. Please leave a comment here and put your blogpost address underneath it. Many happy returns.

What's Your Favorite Gadget?

I've mentioned it before. I love gadgets. My favorite is still my Iphone since it has so many uses. I make and take phone calls and photos. I surf the net, send and receive e-mails, listen to music, watch videos, get directions, play the ipod, read books, plus so much more.

What about you? What's your favorite gadget? Maybe it's a Kindle, a camera, a videorecorder, a Swiss army knife, a TV remote, a garage door opener, an electric can opener.

Please name it and tell us why you like it so much.

Dirty Words - Self-Publishing, E-Publishing, POD

Just wondered. What's wrong with self-publishing, e-publishing, or print on demand technology? At times, I get the impression some people believe books published by any of these methods don't meet the standards of those published in the traditional manner.

All things being equal, if a book is edited correctly, looks good, and reads good, what more could readers want?

What's your take on this subject? Please share.

Facebook Backs Down

The twits on Twitter.com reached record proportion the last few days as news spread about Facebook's new terms of service. Foul was cried and many Facebook members rushed to their sites and removed items to prevent them from belonging to Facebook in perpetuity. To protect members of my network, I promptly removed the Book Place video and photo feeds to Facebook. Then I removed my own personal photos.

Here's one link on the matter:
http://www.canada.com/Entertainment/Facebook+about+face+content+rights/1301996/story.html

For more information, if you're a Twitter user, sign in, go to the bottom of the page, click search, type #Facebooktos and you'll see all sorts of enlightening tidbits and links.

As of Wednesday, Facebook, realizing the repercussions of the fallout of unhappy campers, backed off from the new terms and switched back to the old ones, with a promise of studying the matter thoroughly before making or revising another set. With news of the reversal, I downloaded my profile pic again to my Facebook account, but don't plan to overdo it until I'm more comfortable with the situation.

The same thing that made Facebook so popular threatened to destroy it. For now, it appears the danger has passed. And how was the reversal achieved? By social networking. People spoke out.

One person may not make a difference, but collectively we pack a wallop.

What are your feelings about Facebook and its terms of service? Were you aware of what happened? Do you trust them? Or, maybe you don't have a Facebook account. Please share.