Having Fun with the Backhanded Compliment

Meow.

I entered Riding with the Hides of Hell* into the writing contest put on by The BookLife Prize (at $99 a pop) and with every entry comes a critic's report. Entrants are able to use quotes from their reports for publicity if they're properly attributed to The BookLife Prize, which I've faithfully done below.

My overall score was a moderate one, something to be proud of but certainly not enough to brag about. I wish I could rave about my highest points, but unfortunately, they sound like backhanded compliments, leaving it difficult to pull out a good marketing quote.

Hello? Is this thing on?

I guess if I wanted good-feels about my book, I should have called my mom!

9/10 for originality:
"At its essence, this book tells a familiar story: two kids finding their places in the world and falling in love. However, Leigh mixes that straightforward YA structure with motorcycle gangs and a fair amount of gender role reversal with the protagonists. And this works to create a book that is anything but standard fare." ~ The BookLife Prize 

9/10 for character development:
"Will and Miki both have strong voices and clear motivations for their actions. As with all good YA protagonists, readers will root for them to stop being such drama queens. And readers will root for them to finally figure out their issues with one another." ~The BookLife Prize

There ya go! My characters are a bunch of drama queens, but at least the reader gets to root for them to stop being so! Lol.

Now I'm not being sensitive over here, or a Neggie-Nellie, because I know writing is a tough business, and as the saying goes, "This isn't my first rodeo." So I'm having my go at a bit of fun.

On another note, Writer Beware wrote an interesting and fair article about The BookLife Prize and the comments are worth a read, too. I certainly don't begrudge the $99 entrance fee (*cough*) because reading and critiquing is hard work! I know, I've done my "fair share." And I understand why The BookLife Prize words their critiques in a slightly negative way. They can't have their good name splashed on every book! It's the yin and the yang of it.

Click Riding with the Hides of Hell* to read The BookLife Prize's full assessment.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

* Riding with the Hides of Hell has a new title: Burnout!

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Short Love Story on Wattpad: Love on LaSalle

Here's my first short story set in the Flathead Valley, called Love on LaSalle. Want a quick zap of love while on the go? Check it out on Wattpad...it's less than 1500 words long.

Love on LaSalle

Five-Minute Mac Cover

This was an entry for a contest due a month ago, and since there was no rule saying I couldn't share it with the world, I decided to put it out on Wattpad, which was a nice way to figure out the nuts and bolts of that social outlet. Here's the description:

Marcia has resorted to hiding her things in her tiny pull trailer ever since her jerk boyfriend, Nick, has demanded that she throw her stuff away to prove her love. She's better off without him. Then Chase, a free-spirit camper from next door, saunters over with ideas that have her questioning love and second chances. 

This is a snapshot into Marcia and Nick's relationship as their love tips on the rails. It's set in an RV park in Montana's Flathead Valley.

This story is about Suzy Blue's parents from Dealing with Blue, when they were young and carefree.

From the Art Docent: Tin Foil Owl

How can one incorporate metal into a third grade art project that doesn't require loud hammering and sharp edges? Thankfully, I came across an awesome blog called Make It...a Wonderful Life that offered up an amazing idea using tin foil. Sign me up!

This was a two part lesson, because I needed time for the glue to dry in between. So the first part included the following:

1.) simple line drawing of an owl on cardboard, using familiar shapes: oval for the body, upside down triangles for the forehead and beak, circles for the eyes, and more ovals for the wings and toes. No details! 

2.) We set that aside, then worked on a Zentangle-type project to explore patterns and details that the kids might want to use later on in the tin foil assignment. 

3.) While half the class worked on creating patterns, the other half outlined their owls using tacky craft glue. Then the kids alternated until both projects were done.

Outline Drawing with Tacky Glue

Let It Dry

In the second class, the kids were given their dried projects, a tube of glue stick, a piece of tin foil, a paper towel, and an etching stick (or use a dull pencil). Part two consisted of:

4.) Smear a decent layer of glue stick to the surface of the owl project. 

5.) Lay down the sheet of tin foil and with a fingertip wrapped in paper towel (so as not to mar or tear the foil), rub the foil onto the glued cardboard. Start in the middle and work your way out, burnishing the foil into place. Find the dried tacky glue edges and mold the foil gently. 

6.) Use the etching stick (or a dull pencil) and with a light touch, score the foil with details (remembering Zentangle-type patterns from the first lesson). 

7.) Each student then took their turn wiping their project with shoe polish (the kind with the sponge applicator) to give the tin an antiqued look.

My Finished Project

I had a bit of a problem using the shoe polish. At home I applied a liberal coat and immediately wiped it off, which removed everything. I tried to let the polish sit for awhile, maybe a minute or two, and then when I wiped it, it all came off again, leaving no antiquing affect. The third try, I left if on for five minutes or so, and the shoe polish had dried. I couldn't remove it, and it left dark brown blotches (insert eye roll). What was I doing wrong? I had to get out the steel wool to remove most of it, but I managed to get the antiqued affect I was looking for. Check out the image above.

When in class, the shoe polish dried very quickly, and I barely had time to remove it before it started setting up. It was the same bottle, so the only thing I could think of was that perhaps when the bottle of polish was full, it was a lot more "liquidy," which took longer to dry. As the shoe polish in the bottle was reduced, it came out more foamy and thick and dried a lot quicker.  

Some pieces looked a lot more rusty than others, but overall, I was quite pleased. It was a fun project!

Students' Work Mounted for Art Walk

Students' Work

________________________________

"Observe and reflect and become a little wiser everyday." ~ Author Unknown

Fabulous Five: A Tribute to the Road

Every morning and afternoon, I walk around the streets and avenues of my neighborhood. If there's no rain, then I take my ever-sun-loving Cherriers, Tilly and Tango. My phone camera is usually ready as I search out my the next close-up shot to share on Instagram--Come visit me! Poop bag in hand, two 10-pounders pulling on the leash, glasses to contend with...but somehow out of a bunch of blurry pictures, I manage to get a decent one.

We had some road construction/pipe fixing thing going on, and the finishing touch was filling the cut marks in the asphalt with black tar, and as the pictures show, it's turned into my latest fascination. On rainy days, the droplets sit poised on top. On sunny ones, the tar is shiny and reflects the light. Then there are the tread marks and thick, gloppy drips, which create great textures.

Now with spring break looming, a bit of wanderlust calls. I feel a road trip coming on... 

The Road has Legs

Rain Drops on Road Tar

Time to see the details. A time for reflections.

Yin and Yang

It's dark and light, good and bad.

It's balance...or maybe it's just a blob.

Roadkill

It's that crazy tar on the road, reflecting the sun.

I nearly got ran over by the school bus.

Passenger

Get outta my way...I'm Riding with the Hides of Hell*!

Ready for a road trip. Whoot!

___________________________

"Remember that happiness is a way of travel, not a destination." ~ Roy M. Goodman

Riding with the Hides of Hell has a new title: Burnout!

Thank You Cards for the Coaches

It's been awhile since I've been in card-making mode (see last year's Coach card), and being the paper nerd that I am, I volunteered to make two thank-you cards for the girls' basketball coaches. I sorted through my stash--scrapbook paper, hole punches, and glue--and told Alexa to blast Sam Hunt for some good times. This morning I put on the finishing touches and crept out of my basement studio with two cards, just in time for the awards/pizza party.

Ta da!

Coach Dan

(Atlas by L. Renard from Hammond's

World Atlas Classics Edition, 1958)

Assistant Coach Sebastian

___________________________________

"A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever." ~ Mary Lou Retton

“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back. Play for her.” ~ Mia Hamm

2017 ESPIALDesign's Art for Heart Donations

I enjoy doing these blackout poems so much that I have a decent sized collection brewing. Here's the latest:

THE WALL

Officially starting another observation of the wall.

It was an exercise in staring.

So...what to do with them all? Why not sell 'em? I tucked them into cellophane envelopes and then uploaded them to my new Etsy shop. The proceeds will be equally divided between the American Heart Association as an ongoing effort toward my Heart Art Challenge and publishing costs for book #3. Check out a sample of the goods below:

An Array of Blackouts

Check back for a running tally of the donations here.

___________________________________

SOLD!

Teapot

The Rain

Cat Man

A New Idea Is Born

The Wall

Start

The Universe

Little Fool

A Part of Me

There, I Said It

Secret's Out

Deep Root

Carried Away

 $26.00 paid to the American Heart Association (AHA) on 11/28/17 for #GivingTuesday.

March 2017 - Green Covers Reading Challenge

I've got TBR piles all over the place: library books, e-books, new paperbacks, and old hand-me-downs. Writing, marketing, cooking, romances, and kid lit. How does one decide which one to read next? That's right...

Green reading challenge, coming right up!

Last year, Green Books for March 2016, I read six out of seven on my green list. Not too shabby. This year I found six green books within reach. Below is the list of *potential* reads. I say potential, because I probably won't get to all of them, but they're pulled from the dark depths of the stack to make an appearance at the top once again.

Green Book Pile

Matched by Ally Condie (YA Dystopian) Used from the thrift shop
Up in the Treehouse by K.K. Allen (New Adult) New book from Amazon
Pack of Dorks: Camp Dorks by Beth Vrabel (Middle Grade) New from Barnes & Noble
Five Ways to Fall by K.A. Tucker* (Romance) Used from the thrift shop
Wanna Get Lucky? by Deborah Coonts (Romance) A giveaway from the RWA conference

...and not in my picture above but still green is Squish: Captain Disaster by Jennifer and Matthew Holm* (Chapter Book Kid Comic) Borrowed from the library

* A recommended read!

Currently: A List of Lucky Things

Currently, it's March! I can finally relax with all the hearts and love stuff and start thinking about hard work and fortune. Bring on the good luck, I say. I'm not Irish, so I don't celebrate St. Paddy's day, drink green beer, worry about mischievous leprechauns, or chase rainbows. I do try to wear green in case there's a hold-over who thinks butt pinching is okay. And yes I know, St. Paddy's day isn't until March 17; I'm just sharing.

That's right...should not.

Okay, so back to the lucky stuff. I went on a search and gather mission to see what I have tucked around the house...and of course, I had to make a list.

Good Luck Charms

1.) Magic 8 Ball

2.) Lucky cards (8)

3.) Jade turtle

4.) Iron piggy bank

5.) A Great Blue Heron

6.) Ladybug

7.) Wishbone

8.) Elephant

9.) Lucky dice (7)

10.) Lucky coin

11.) Fortune

12.) Horseshoe nails

13.) Iron key

14.) Arrowhead

15.) Color green

But, HOLD THE PHONE. I just read that it's the year of the "fire" rooster and according to Chinese astrology, I'm a rooster, this is my birth year, and luck MAY NOT be on my side. Say what? My whole lucky blog post is getting shot out of the water.

Dammit.

Time to reverse this...back to the basics. "Magic 8 Ball, will 2017 be a lucky year for me?" [Yes. Definitely.]

Okay, good. Carry on.

"Luck is believing you're lucky."

The Heart Art Challenge: Finito!

Day 28: It's the last day of February, and I have to admit that I'm sorta happy about it. While the Heart Art Challenge has been eye opening--helping me to look for the positive, share it, and have fun--it's also been a distraction from some good writing time. I've been off my game for months...worrying about all kinds of things. But I'm ready to move forward and get back to it.

Here's my last project for the Valentine's month:

My Heart

"I forgot to add a bunch of stuff to my heart, but thankfully there's always room for more." ~ Stacia Leigh, quoting herself.

The Heart Art Challenge: Day 27

Day 27: Earlier this week, I was at the library and right away Mindy Kaling's book drew me in. It's my favorite color and she's funny and cute, so I thought the book might follow suit. When I saw the big heart on the back cover, I grabbed it since that's what I'm about this month. I made it to page 80 before turning in for the night, but I couldn't find a bookmark. I guess I've started so many good reads that my stash was depleted. Snap! Great idea...

So this morning, I struggled through my Heart Art Challenge by trying to fold a heart using this Origami project from Pinterest. But I couldn't figure out what step 4 was telling m. I tried another version and it, too, had me scratching my head. Huh?

Origami Fail

Back at the drawing board, I used my old bookmark pattern and reworked the square into a heart shape. For a great tutorial, check out Tally's Treasury blog on how to make the corner bookmark along with creating the pattern. Here's how it went:

New heart pattern next to original.

Fold one triangle to the side.

Put glue on top of one folded triangle,

then fold second triangle over and stick down.

A heart with a triangle pocket.

Flip over and decorate!

Voila!

It works!

A BIG bookmark reminding me of my favorite things:

books, love, hearts, and coffee.

_______________________________

"I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, 

I go into the other room and read a book." ~ Groucho Marx

Heart Art Challenge, Week 4

Day 20: Ready for some horrible haiku poetry? How about something inspired by Valentine's Day gimcrack, the Heart Art Challenge, and what we've been watching lately...good old Cap'n Kirk and Spock. Here goes:

Don't be a stressball.
Healthy and happy hearts mean:
"Live long and prosper."

Day 21: I distracted myself this morning with a celtic heart knot tutorial, something I found on Pinterest *shakes fist at computer* but I did it! Took a couple tries, though. Now, I can get back to writing.

A celtic heart tied

with "Sugar Rush" paracord

makes for a sweet knot.

Day 22: Last night I baked my favorite cookie, chocolate chip, and this morning I modified Anne Taintor illustrations. Hyuk-hyuk. Just having some fun.

Day 23: Our caring neighbor asked us to fish-sit for her while she's on vacation and hinted that if we became attached to him, that would be fine, too. Of course, with the seed planted, we immediately jumped on the internet to see how to care for a veiltail betta, then off to the pet shop to buy the necessary supplies. We named him Benny, and he went from a plain ol' bowl to a colorful filtered tank and some company, a tiger snail. We named her Margaret. Love my new pets :)

New Writing Buddies

Day 24: Remember when I cut a heart into my slice of swiss cheese and said, "Sometimes you have to make the magic happen?" Well, in this case, I pushed the water around to make a heart shape, and it looked really cool, reflecting the sky and trees above. But I couldn't capture it with my camera the way it looked in nature. I'm going with it because not everything has to be perfect, right? Good advice for writing the first draft of book #3. 

Imperfect Asphalt Heart

A drop of water,

Sitting on the hard asphalt

Reflecting the sky.

Day 25: Time for some boob tube; therefor time for some blackout poetry. I don't watch a lot of TV (the news is negative and Hollywood is crazy), so to get ready for the big event, I pulled out my proof book pages because I can't sit and do nothing. I like to have options around me just in case I need to check out. So I made my nest with my things within reach: laptop, book, markers, dogs for snuggling, and a mug of tea. We watched an actual Netflix DVD (The Infiltrator with Cranston and Leguizamo) and then some Youtube (PewDiePie's, "How About That").


Day 26: I've been inspired to write haiku after we got an Alexa from Amazon. "Alexa, tell me a haiku." One night in January while visiting a family member in the hospital post open heart surgery, I got the idea to write some healthy haiku. The nurses and hospital staff were phenomenal, so friendly and good-natured, too. Anyway, after a funny conversation with one of them, I came up with this:

Green hospital pants...

Tight crotch and a baggy butt.

One size fits no one

It sort of reminds me of Dr. Suess' story, What Was I Scared Of? about the pair of stalking empty pants. It comes from the book The Sneeches and Other Stories. 

Here is another #healthyhaiku that I came up with from those bittersweet hospital days:

Helium balloon...
One happy face floating by.

Don't forget to smile.

I say "bittersweet" because we chose to do the surgery, knowing there were risks versus no surgery and waiting for a possible heart attack. It brings tears to my eyes even now, thinking how we'd clung to each other, wondering if we'd see each other on the other side. Thank God we did, and it all turned out wonderfully. I loved seeing the faces of family and true friends...so much positive energy, so much life. This is why I've made January 6 the new Heart Day and February is a month of rejoicing love and hearts and health and... Well, you get the picture. One for the road:

My advice to you

Eat right, exercise, and love.

Keep your heart healthy

A Book Cover Quick Fix

"A great cover image makes a promise to the reader.

A poor cover image chases potential readers away." ~ Derek Murphy

Readership has been low for this book, so I took a step back for a moment of quiet review. Is something wrong with the cover? Yes, it's blocky, dark, static, and there's nothing eye-catching. 

RHOH, version 1

For some help on where to go from here, I watched a video by Derek Murphy called 7 Must Have Qualities For a Book Cover That Sells. I have a graphic design and illustration background, so things like contrasting colors, negative space, and balance aren't *necessarily* where I have problems, it's the marketing side I find très difficult. After watching the video, I made some notes:

1.) Did I choose the correct font? Does it speak to the genre I'm writing, which is teen romance? [No.]

2.) Is there enough interesting elements here to catch the readers eye? Derek Murphy says orange and teals make a rocking combination. Is the shirt color against the brass zipper enough? [Probably not.]

3.) Is there a humanizing element? [No face, but there is a hint of someone behind the clothes...right?]

4.) If I were to strip away the words, does the image convey what the story is about? [leather jacket means bikers, gangsters, something sinister perhaps. White-ish tee means clean, good... so together it could show a conflicted person, which is half the story...but it certainly doesn't say "teen love."] 

5.) Does it mesh with the other teen romances in the same genre? [No, there isn't a girl on the cover and the font choice is off.]

I'm an indie author in exploratory mode, learning as I go, and since I enjoy creating my own covers for the time being, I'm gonna stick with it. I'm not ready to give up on my image just yet, so I aimed at quicker fixes like color and font.

RHOH, New and Improved

Here's what I did to help seed the cover and story into the Young Adult (YA) genre:

1.) I over-layed the dark part of the cover--the black leather and the asphalt road--with an autumn brown. Instead of feeling cold, it took on a warm tone. The brass zipper stands out a bit more, which helps identify it more as clothing. 

2.) I changed the font to match Dealing with Blue since Will Sullivan is in both books. A sidekick in the first and now the main character in Riding with the Hides of Hell*. Plus the font looks young and fun. 

3.) I tilted the title to create a feeling of action and speed. It's an adventure romance; the kids are going places on their motorcycles. They're feeling a bit off-kilter with the danger surrounding them and with their growing love. 

4.) I swapped the gritty, squat-looking heart with one that is clean, but not perfectly shaped. It's sort of stretched like it's about to turn into action lines, riding into the distance. It also matches the new font, young, energetic, and fun.

What do you think? I'm open to hearing how I can improve. Does the font work? Should I look for a different cover image? Does it say, "teen romance and road trip adventure" to you? Let me know in the comments! Thank you.

* Riding with the Hides of Hell has a new title: Burnout!

Heart Art Challenge: Week 3

Day 13: The thing I like about this blackout poetry business, is that it's one big doodle. I find the words, create an image to go with them, and overwork it to the point the paper looks exhausted, but it's fun! I let my pens and pencils walk all over, and it gets messy, and I'm okay with it. Very freeing.

"I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else." ~ Pablo Picasso

Heart Doodle

Day 14: Happy Valentine's Day! It's a day that some people detest and some people await with open arms. I've been on both sides, so I get it. Friends all around getting love notes and I get zip. Or the time of red roses, a night on the town, and a heart bursting with love. Now? Where's the time? I'm thinking about lunches for kids, traffic, lines of people, homework, what's due tomorrow...that type of thing. But doing this Heart Art Challenge has been fun...everyday has been about love. Sometimes, I see it all around, and when I don't...I have to create it. 

I carved the heart in my swiss cheese.

Sometimes you have to make the magic happen.

Day 15: Don't forget about the little things, like a favorite pair of jeans or a silver heart or its reflection...

Tilly Bean!

Day 16: Fourteen words of romance for Goodread's Romance Week: "He was lost. It was true. His soul had been touched, heated and altered." ~ Dealing with Blue

Blackout Poem

Day 17: What an intense day of writing. Today, 6 pm, was the deadline for entering the PNWA Literary Contest. I admitted my YA romance earlier, but then tried to brush up my Middle Grade story at the last possible moment. I worked steady up until 5:30 pm when my husband drove like a bat out of hell (#meatloaf) to get me to the Writer's Cottage on time. Boom! Five minutes to spare. Sweet relief!

Who cares about dirty windows when you've got

sunshine, Christmas lights, and hearts?

Day 18: Many moons ago, I wanted to be an illustrator. Paper, scissors, glue...collage is my specialty. I love all the textures and trying to cut little scraps for details. I haven't created anything new in a long time since I've been writing. Not enough hours in the day. But the King of Hearts is out again, worried about the Queen eating his cookie heart. Poor fellah.

King of Hearts

Day 19: What's a king without a queen? 

Queen of Tarts

Heart Art Challenge, Week 2

Day 7: I'm writing blackout poetry from an old proof copy of Dealing with Blue. I was about to shred it, but why toss it when I could upcycle the pages into a new way to look at words? It's like those adult coloring books...totally relaxing.

Day 8: Then...to make my heart feel good, I went shopping with my best gal pal, who wanted to stop in at a specialty chocolate shop. Who am I to say no? Hearts galore!

"Alas! there is no instinct like the heart..." ~Lord Byron

You won't find this in a survival handbook. Lol.

Alas! Chocolates filled with booze.

Day 9: Our diets have changed at my house, so I've been looking for new heart healthy recipes, like how to turn quinoa from bland to amazing. Found one! Try this quinoa salad. Wow! So easy: throw in some spinach, avocado, walnuts, cherry tomatoes and what-have-you, then drizzle with some honey, mustard, olive oil, and white wine vinegar. Flexible and de-lish, even for the quinoa curious.

Show the Love!

Day 10: While writing book #3, I perused my workspace for a heart sign and found on my favorite pencil (yes, I have one) the words "I [heart] Australia," a gift from a friend. Then, it was back to blackout poetry time, scouting out the right word...

I Heart Hearts

Day 11: A found object! When I was in high school, I made this with my dad's jigsaw. Let's just say that was a l-o-n-g time ago and leave it at that. I've always kept it but it ends up tucked in strange places...like why was it in the medicine cabinet? Who knows? But now it's on my desk as a  nice reminder.

I Heart U

Day 12: I was collecting fortunes from cookies as "research" for my current writing project and this one seemed apropos. A good message for starting another week:

Have no doubt.