Mary's Ramblings for Wednesday

Hogue Cellars I guess I'll share what we had for dinner. Well not literally. We had shrimp Alfredo w/red peppers. Cheese garlic bread and a Hogue Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. Hogue is from the Columbia Valley. The Cabernet is a finely balanced with flavors of blackberry, blueberry and cherry with a touch of vanilla and oak.

Okay I got that right off the label. LOL. It was a perfect match for our pasta. However, the label also recommends that it goes well with grilled steak, roast beef or ribs. Well it's a cab, doesn't that go without saying. So maybe I've had one to many glasses before I wrote this.

Wait! I only had 1!

2007 Hogue Cabernet Sauvignon
$10 (Utah)

Scenario: To be read with a full bodied wine... (suspense)

Eric Clapton's voice flowed over the audience and when the song ended the venue erupted in thundering applause. No one wanted the concert to end. Especially Candy. She knew it would be time to pay back her husband for taking her. 

When they'd dated he's seemed the perfect guy. When they'd married he'd done a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde switch. Now she walked on egg shells every day for fear of innocently saying the wrong thing. Then there would be hell to pay.

And if he granted her a wish, like this concert, he expected something in return. Something she didn't enjoy giving.

But she had a plan. If things went well after tomorrow she'd never have to see him again.

Tuesday Ramblings

Sorry I'm late. And it's going to be short and sweet. I try to schedule my posts before I go to bed. I actually lost track of time editing. I hate to edit, so that's unusual. As a result here I am mid-morning posting and I'm not prepared.

How about we discuss your favorite brunch drink. Mine is a toss up between a Mimosa, easy and quick, orange juice and champagne, and a crisp Presecco. Italy's sparkling wine.

So let's discuss. And as incentive to discuss; I'm going to have a give-a-way. I can't afford to do this all the time, however I'm trying to build my followers. I also would like those followers to be genuinely interested in my blog, and enjoy reading it.

I'd love to have you give me your opinion on the blog topic, or your opinion on wines or wineries you've visited. And/or become a follower. Starting back in time--yesterday. Anyone who does all of the above between 6/28 and 7/9 will get their name in a drawing for a mug and $10 GC to Starbucks.

 Okay let the discussion begin! Today, what is your favorite Brunch drink?

Monday Ramblings about a Cabernet

Today we had friends over for a nice rib-eye steak. And to complement it a full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon.

Winery: Hess Collection
Price: $13-15 (Utah prices)

One of my favorite Wineries in the Napa Valley. The drive is gorgeous especially in the fall. They have a fabulous garden, not to mention an art gallery. It has it all.

Monday scenario:

Cassandra loved taking a drive late afternoon on a warm Indian summer Saturday. The top down on her car, the breeze ruffling her hair. Fresh, that's how it felt. Today she'd stop at her favorite winery for a tasting. But not until after she explored the gallery to see if there was any new art to admire.

Climbing the stairs, she passed the old typewriter still in it's place then rounded the corner and faced the headless. One of her favorites. An artist had used live models to mold the bodies. About twenty headless mud people stood as if nothing were missing--out for a walk. Though she loved it, she couldn't help but be a little freaked out by it.

Today she had the gallery to herself. Nice. She would wander and gaze, no hurry.

Disappointment ran through her when she heard heavy footsteps behind her. A long enjoyable browse was out. Turning slightly to the right to see who had joined her, she was shocked to find no one. Twisting the other way, the room was still empty. Full circle confirmed she was alone. She must be more creaped out by the headless than usual.

She continued until she stood in front of Franz Gertsch's Johanna II, the naturalness of the painting was amazing. Startled by the hand that clamped on her shoulder she swung around.

No one was there.

(Keep in mind I do these scenario's for fun and at the last minute) Thanks for reading though, hope you enjoy some of the wines I recommend.

Mary's Ramblings - It's Friday so that means Fume Blanc

Fume Blanc a nice crisp, with lemon zest and fresh herbs mark this fruit focused, dry white wine. I've had this with two dinners. A burger with jalepeno's, very smooth with the spice. Yes I drink wine with pretty much everything. Also, it goes well with chicken pasta with basil tomato sauce. It complemented both.

Details:
Cost: approx. $12 (in Utah)
Hogue
2008 Columbia Valley (Washington State)
Fume Blanc
Suggestions for pairing on the label are:
Grilled Seafood, fresh oysters, or soft shell crab.

Discover the Hogue family, farm, wines and recipes online: www.hoguecellars.com

Now for discussion, have you tried this wine? If so did you enjoy it? Have you ever tried a Fume Blanc with something spicy? Or chicken? What are your thoughts?

Today's scenario:

Sadie sprinkles bits of minced shell crab into the basil sauce. Then she stepped away and smiled.  Ford would never know what happened. A laugh bubbled up from the pit of her tummy.

"What's so funny?" Ford reached a finger over her shoulder intending to sample the marinara, she deftly swatted his hand away before it made contact.

"No tasting until our guests arrive." She placed the lid firmly on the pot to let dinner simmer to perfection.

Another chuckle threatened, she forced it back. Sometimes television could be so educational. After all hadn't watching the restaurant scene in Mrs. Doubtfire given her the idea to take care of Ford?

The doctor would claim he died from his allergic reaction to Shell Fish.

Mary's Ramblings - Thursday is movie day!

I love movies, who doesn't? But I especially enjoy ones about wines or wineries. So I'm going to recommend one of my favorites. Can you guess which one? You're probably thinking Sideways, and I do like that movie. I'll discuss that another time. But you'd be wrong!

Today I'm going to discuss:

A Good Year (2006) Comedy, Drama and Romance
Russell Crowe
Albert Finney
Archie Panjabi

Blurb: After years of no contact with his Uncle Henry, London banker and bond trader Max Skinner learns that Henry has died intestate, so Max inherits a château and vineyard in Provence. Max spent part of his childhood there, learning maxims and how to win and lose, and honing his killer instinct (at chess, which serves him well in finance). Max goes to France intent on selling the property. He spends a few days there, getting the property ready to show. Memories, a beautiful woman, and a young American who says she's Henry's illegitimate daughter interrupt his plans. Did Max the boy know things that Max the man has forgotten?

If you can rent it, do so. It's well worth it. And the scenery is wonderful.

Happy movie watching!

Now on to something I promised you last week. If you remember I launched my new web design. Anyone who left a comment on this blog and the group blog (Mysteries and Margaritas) this week had their names put into a hat for a drawing. The winner receives a coffee mug and a $10 GC to Starbucks. I wrote all the names down and put them in Ron's (hubby) golf hat and he drew a name. 

The winner is....

Congratulations! Marie H. 

Mary's Ramblings Quicky review for a Wednesday

It's BBQ season so if you're a wine drinker you're looking for a few good wines. Italian is always a good way to go. Are you doing a nice juicy steak? Try a nice full bodied red.

2001 Banfi Centine Vintage Red Wine
Region - Toscana
We had this at a wine tasting our overall rating out of 10 was a 9. The sight (color, clarity) clear and the bouquet was full. It had a nice balance in the taste (acidity, body, balance).
The cost is $15 (Utah)

Next time you're throwing a T-bone on the grill pick up a bottle.

Mary's Ramblings Tuesday wine listing

I'm back from Beautiful Lake Tahoe, and I'm rejuvenated. I'm also going to change the way I'm doing the wine blogging. yes I'm still going to discuss wines, wineries, and restaurants with great wines. Movies that are about vineyards or wines, etc. However, I've been thinking a lot about wines and topics over the weekend, and having the wine, winery or region start with an M on Mondays, T on Tuesdays, and so forth is to restraining.

No specific day for specific topics. If I have a nice wine story I'll tell it.

And I just so happen to have one from my adventure in Tahoe.

Saturday night we drove along the lake from the North shore where we'd been to a pre-wedding beach party. I chatted with my sister-in-law while my husband drove. They own a home in south Tahoe and rent it out. Anyway, I asked her for some dinner recommendations.

If you're ever there try Orchid's it's authentic Thai Cuisine. It's just in a little strip mall type place. You'd never think it would be that good. Not only was it delicious but it was fast. We had the Red Curry, very hot. We ordered a bottle of red wine. Never order your wine before you decide what you're eating. A nice crisp Riesling would have complimented the spice better.

However, we sipped the wine until dinner arrived and it complimented the summer rolls, nicely. A California Cabernet Sauvignon Callaway from Manteca The parent winery is in Temecula, CA one we've visited a few times and really love. This was a full bodied red and very reasonably priced. It's not available in Utah, but in California or Nevada it would be priced under $10.

Today's scenario: From Watching Jenny
Romance in the air:
“Smells good,” Dan commented as he stepped onto the balcony, taking in the view of the bay before he looked to the barbecue to see what Jenny had planned. She hadn’t let him see what she bought at the store, saying she wanted to surprise him with her culinary talent.

“Why don’t you open the wine and pour it in the decanter so it can breathe before we eat? I’m just about finished here.”

Dan dutifully opened the bottle of Beaujolais, then walked over to the grill to peer over Jenny’s shoulder. It did him no good. Whatever cooked was wrapped in foil giving no clue to the contents. Jenny told Dan that, since everything was under control, he could go put on some CDs. There was a speaker out on the balcony so they could listen while they ate dinner. Since the player was a five-disc one, he picked a variety of music—blues, jazz, and a little rock and roll. When he rejoined Jenny, she’d just finished dishing up their meal. Salmon had been cooking in the foil with bacon and some spices. To go with the salmon, Jenny had tossed a salad and added rice pilaf to complete their dinner. She had made a chocolate cake for dessert, as she said the chocolate would go well with coffee.

“If that tastes as good as it smells and looks, I’m going to be in seventh heaven. You have no idea how long it’s been since I’ve had a home-cooked meal that looks and smells as good as this does.”

What is your favorite Cabernet?

Mary's Ramblings - New Wine theme

In honor of my new web site I decided with a little brainstorming with a few of you, to make my blog a wine theme. So I'll review, pair and search for new wines. Weekends will be free, but any of you can comment at any time. During the week. I'll do the following:

Monday – Wines, wineries or regions that start with M
Tuesday- Wines, wineries or regions that start with T
Wednesday - Wines, wineries or regions that start with W
Thursday – Movies or Books that talk about Wines, wineries or regions
Friday - Wines, wineries or regions that start with F

At the end of each post I'll do a little scenario of how a murder could be accomplished. Or a romance could start, or whatever my mood strikes my fancy to do.

If I haven't tasted the wine I choose for the day, then I'll be asking if anyone has, and what their thoughts are. I hope all of you will participate and enjoy. 

I am leaving this morning very early, and will not be home until Monday evening, so my first post on wine will be Tuesday. So look for something with a T. Now if any of you know of one that I don't mention, please comment. Any wine that starts with a T, or the winery starts with a T or the region where the wine comes from starts with a T is fair game on Tuesdays. I have a feeling we'll be discussing a lot of wines from Tuscany.

Chat on Tuesday.

I have a new web site! Funny, it matches my new blog look!

Good morning.

If you're an author and someone says that you need to have 1. a professional web presence and 2. you need to brand yourself. What do you think that means?

Well when the lovely CW (Christine Witthohn my agent) told me this the first thing I did was evaluate my web page. I had a home made site and it wasn't bad if I do say so myself. But it wasn't what you would call professional.

I researched many web design companies and found Rae Monet, Inc. Design her designs were awesome and reasonably priced to boot. How could I go wrong? Well she couldn't but I could. I chatted with her on the phone and told her so much information, because I really didn't know what I wanted.

It was one of those things that you know you'll know what you want when you see it. She designed me something that was totally awesome, but wasn't what my husband or agent had in mind. We went with what I was writing at the time. Suspense.

Great site. I was looking really urbanish at the end of an alley. So I said great I'll take it. But every time I looked at it, it just wasn't what I wanted. However, I still couldn't put my finger on why. Other than it was suspense, and I had many ideas and finished manuscripts that were not. Back to what I originally was trying to express. I didn't want to be branded as suspense only I wanted something more broad to brand my name.

My writing has a women's lit flare even in my mystery/suspense. Finally, I realized that I wanted something that would brand my name that wasn't genre related. I called Rae and of course, she thought I was nuts. But she worked with me.

And after really researching and soul searching--I know sounds melodramatic, but I did--I came up with an idea. My original tag line that I've had for a few years is Surrender yourself to the wanderlust of Mary Martinez. I wanted to go back to that. What did I love? Travel, a good story, and a good bottle of wine.

I checked dozens upon dozens of web sites and with the help and suggestions of a few friends and my husband I came up with an idea of taking my dad's old (as in ancient) brown suitcase, a bottle of wine, glass and a book to Red Butte Gardens, Salt Lake City's botanical Gardens, for pictures. (Our daughter Kaci Walters took the lovely pictures used)

Without further ado, check out my new and fabulous web site: http://marymartinez.com/

Look around my site, and tell me if you like it, if you think it brands me as an author who may write a bit of all genre's. Everyone who comments either on this blog or the Mysteries and Margarita blog will have their name entered into a drawing for a coffee mug and a $10 GC for Starbucks. I will also send out a newsletter about the drawing, I'm giving everyone a week to comment. I'll announce the winner next Thursday on Mary's Rants!

Mary's Interview with Greg Smith

Add the elements to your story, how to make it real. Special Guest: Greg Smith National Weather service will answer any questions for you adventure, suspense writers that want to had the elements to your story.

A little bit about our Guest: Greg has spent 27 years with the national weather Service. For eight of those years he served in the capacity of a meteorologist, responsible for preparing and disseminating aviation, agricultural, and public forecasts at a Weather Forecast Office (WFO). WFO’s have the primary responsibility, as designated by Congress, to issue warnings and watches as they relate to weather or hydrologic situations. The past 19 years he served in a River Forecast Center (RFC) where the primary responsibility is to provide short-term river forecasts and longer seasonal water supply forecasts for the protection of lives and property and to enhance the nation’s economy. In this role in the RFC, forecasters are responsible for analyzing current weather and precipitation amounts using the latest technology such as Doppler radar, importing this information into river models, then analyzing the output to determine whether river levels may approach dangerous levels. This information is provided to WFO’s where flood related warnings might be issued based on the guidance form the RFC’s. His educational background includes a Bachelors degree in meteorology and Masters in Geography.

Mary: Greg thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule for a short interview on the elements. And how we can add them to our stories. First, is there anything you’d like to add to your bio?

Greg: I think that’s really about it as far as the bio goes. Perhaps the most interesting weather phenomena I’ve experiences was in Grand Junction Colorado. A thunderstorm came over the area and dropped what I thought was hail. I picked up the hail and it was cold, but warmed in my hands. It never melted. It turned out to be small white rocks. Most likely what had happened was these were picked up in some type of strong updraft. Given the weight of them it may very well have been a funnel cloud or possibly a tornado. As the storm dissipated it dropped the super cooled rocks. It was pretty cool at the time.

Mary: What is the most common element, or situation a person finds themselves stranded? And how would they survive?

Greg: From a weather perspective, flooding is the most common killer, and the most costly in the United States. More people find themselves dealing with flood dangers than any other weather element. A lot of people perish in floods needlessly by not avoiding the situation in the first place, or by trying to escape the water improperly. Flooding also takes on many forms, including flash flooding, coastal flooding (associated with a wind driven storm surge or tsunami), urban flooding (due to the creation of impervious surfaces) that can cause street and basement flooding, and ice jams (that block river flows). River flooding is more inevitable and just a natural part of the life of a river. The worst river flooding usually occurs from torrential rains associated with dying hurricanes or tropical storms. Runoff from snowmelt, especially if accompanied by heavy rainfall, results in some fairly significant flooding.

When caught in a flood time to act is usually very short. Some situations are simply not survivable which is why we stress preparation and what we like to call “situational awareness”. If caught though, the number one move should be to try and get to higher ground. If trapped by fast moving floodwaters, stay put if all possible and wait for the waters to recede. Six inches of moving water can sweep a person off their feet. Two feet of water will move most vehicles. One foot of water moving at 6-12 mph will move 1500 lbs. So 2-3 feet will move most vehicles. The other unknown factor is that the streambed, whether it be a road surface or whatever, may be undermined or washed away and you can’t see it. Close to half of all flood deaths occur in vehicles when people try and drive through flooded areas.  If a person is ever swept away in a flood, they should keep their feet pointing downstream as best as they can. It is better to hit debris, rocks, etc. with your feet than your head. This also allows you to perhaps spot an out, such as a tree, something floating on the surface, or an eddy or area where you might be able to escape.

Mary: What exactly is a flash flood? Where would this be most common? And what would a person need to do to survive? Is there any warning?

Greg: The most straightforward definition is the onset of a large volume of water in a very short duration. The NWS has loosely used a 6 hour time threshold to determine the onset of a flash flood. Flash flood can occur just about anywhere, but most commonly you will find them where geology, geography, and topography combine to form an ideal setting. One such place is Austin Texas, and here’s an example of how these things work together.

Geography – Austin lies in an area where it receives large sources of moisture from the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. As a result very heavy rainfall occurs in this part of the world.

Topography – Austin is near an area called the “Hill Country”. Water runs downhill and runoff quickly moves into the area where Austin is located. The Balcones Escarpment also acts to enhance precipitation rates as it creates additional lift to storms moving into the area. As air is lifted it cools and can hold less water, so this adds to heavy precipitation rates. Mountains and large sloping surface features that are perpendicular to the air flow or storm movement cause these systems to lift, cool, and reduces their ability to hold moisture, thus – heavier rainfall.

Geology - Limestone and thin soils exist in much of this area and it doesn’t absorb water all that quickly.

All these things combine to make Austin very susceptible to flash flooding. Other areas include the desert southwest. In these areas the hardened sandstone is very impervious to runoff, and the narrow canyons funnel the water. Basically “walls of water” have been observed moving down stream, in some instances they move for many miles, over several hours, far away from the original storm.

To survive these you need to arm yourself with knowledge beforehand as to whether you will be in a flash flood prone region and if the weather is conducive to heavy rainfall. If a flash flood does occur the only thing you can do is to climb to higher ground. If your are not in a area where you can do this, chances of survival are minimal. Flash floods occur very rapidly in these areas.. When in a flash flood prone region, the sound of distant thunder is a good warning to adhere to. Rain does not need to be occurring where you are standing.

Warnings are issued but because these situations develop quickly, the lead time may not be enough to react. In many cases, people out in the country, may or may not hear any such warning.

Mary: I live in Utah, during the winter we hear a lot about Avalanches in the news. What conditions would a skier or hiker need to be aware of to avoid one? Also, what equipment is it wise to have on your person to avoid disaster if caught in one?

Greg: I’m not an expert on avalanches and not qualified to speak of them extensively, but I work only a few feet away from several people who are. They are with the Utah Avalanche Forecast Center and I am going to give you a link to one of their web pages with some great information. There is a lot of good advice here and I also copied an excerpt from that page and pasted it below. Note also that avalanches occur as large slabs of snow, one slab of snow, with particular properties of density, weight, etc., that slides over another layer of snow. Dry slabs cause most fatalities.

The web page:  http://utahavalanchecenter.org/education/faq

Snow is a lot like people. It doesn't like rapid change. (Raise taxes slowly enough and no one notices.) Dry slab avalanches occur when the weak layer beneath the slab fractures, usually because too much additional weight has been added too quickly, which overloads the buried weak layer. Snow is very sensitive to the rate at which it is loaded or stressed. Two feet of snow added over two weeks is not a problem. Two feet of snow in two days is a much bigger problem. Two feet of snow in two hours is a huge problem. (Wind can easily deposit two feet of snow in two hours.) Then, finally the weight of a person can add a tremendous stress to a buried weak layer, not in two hours, but in two tenths of a second-a very rapid change. That is why in 90 percent of avalanche accidents, the avalanche is triggered by the victim (or someone in the victim's party). Wet slab avalanches occur for the opposite reason. Percolating water dissolves the bonds between the snow grains, which decrease the strength of the buried weak layer.

Mary: If my hero & heroine ended in a ditch in a blizzard and they had to walk ...to a cabin...if the temps were dipping below zero, how long could they stay out in the elements without hypothermia setting in.  How about frostbite?

Greg: Hypothermia occurs when the body temperature drops below about 95 degrees Fahrenheit.  How long this might take depends upon the condition of the person at risk since everyone reacts to cold differently. Because of this there’s no real reliable table or temperature threshold. Elderly or very young individuals are more susceptible, as are thin people vs. heavier individuals.  Those with inadequate food or those who have been drinking or on drugs will also be more susceptible to hypothermia sooner since their body is not efficiently generating heat.  Also keep in mind that people lose body heat in water about 25 times faster. So, if in cold water the time to reach hypothermia is much quicker. It can occur very quickly, in a matter of minutes.

Hypothermia can actually occur at temperatures above freezing, even up to around 40 degrees. If you are wet, are cold, in cold rain, sweat and then get chilled etc. hypothermia is possible. Whenever you shiver (due to the cold), your body is in a very early stage of response to hypothermia and a lower body core temperature.

Frostbite will occur when tissue freezes and blood flow stops to that area. On exposed skin frostbite occurs and the wind chill does play a role. I’ve listed some wind chill temperatures (or air temperatures without the wind) that are associated with frostbite. Again, it may depend on the individual.

-00F to -190F    Exposed skin can freeze within 5 minutes.
-200F to -690 Exposed skin can freeze within 1 minute.  Outdoor activity becomes dangerous.
-700F and below  Exposed skin can freeze in 30 seconds.

Hopefully your hero and heroine have enough clothing to layer. Layering clothes traps pockets of air and acts as excellent insulators in cold weather. When trapped in winter we’ve always advised people to stay with their vehicle. It’s a source of heat and protection. Most people leave due to panic and or lack of food. It’s always good to keep extra food in a vehicle when traveling in remote regions in winter. If you stay with your car, it’s also important to get out and remove the snow from the tailpipe. Unfortunately people forget to do this and they succumb to CO poisoning.

Mary: Katrina is still on the minds of people in the South. What would a person need to do to survive a category 5 hurricane? Actually, what is the most common category? And what are normal precautions people make who live in hurricane zones?

Greg: A category 5 hurricane by all rights is not survivable.  I would say to anyone facing a cat 5 is to either leave, or prepare to meet your maker. Don’t expect to survive, odds are against you. Those that do survive beat incredible odds and are very lucky.  Folks forget, that while Katrina hit CAT 5 just off the coast, it weakened to CAT 3 just as it hit the mainland. That said, any hurricane warrants evacuation if that is possible. Other than that you need to get inland, away for the coast and potential storm surge. You also need to be in a strong building but avoid highest floors since that’s where strongest winds occur. Do not take shelter in a temporary structure or mobile home. Get away from glass doors and windows. Stay in an interior room, closet, or hallway.

Prior to hurricanes most folks in these areas have an evacuation plan, they have storm shutters or board up their windows, extra food, water, fuel is stored. They have battery powered light sources and radios. They are advised to turn off all utilities, in particular gas, prior to the onset of the storm. There are materials to secure roofing. Trees and shrubs that might become airborne in the winds are trimmed. Anything outdoors that could become airborne is secured or taken in.

Between 1850 and 2006 the greatest number of hurricanes that have hit the US mainland were Category 1 hurricanes, followed by Cat 3, then Cat 2, Cat 4, then Cat 5.

Mary: The only thing left that I can think of is a Tornado. I’m sure we’ve all seen Twister, and know what a funnel cloud looks like. Is there anything interesting you could tell us that we may not know that we could add to a story?

Greg: Twister was a fun movie, but there was quite a bit there that was unrealistic. Most storm chasers can’t get within 5 miles of a tornado. Debris flying around and the danger associated with these storms is simply to great. In addition accurately determining where one is going to develop (at least at the scale in the movie) isn’t that easy. Most twisters last less than 10 minutes although some can last over an hour. Most tornadoes travel from southwest to northeast.  Some other interesting facts, 70% of all tornado deaths occur in only 2% of all tornadoes while weaker tornadoes account for 69% of all tornadoes accounting for less than 5% of all deaths. I’ve got a kick out of the cows floating around in those twisters. There have been survivors of tornados in Wichita Falls Kansas that lost arms and legs. Here’s some other tornado tidbits:

In the southern states, peak tornado occurrence is in March through May, while peak months in the northern states are during the summer.

Note, in some states, a secondary tornado maximum occurs in the fall.

Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 and 9 p.m. but have been known to occur at all hours of the day or night.

The strongest tornadoes have rotating winds of more than 250 mph.

Tornadoes can be one mile wide and stay on the ground over 50 miles,

Tornadoes may appear nearly transparent until dust and debris are picked up or a cloud forms within the funnel.

The average forward speed is 30 mph but may vary from nearly stationary to 70 mph.
Environmental clues – look out for:
•    Dark, often greenish sky
•    Wall cloud
•    Large hail
•    Loud roar; similar to a freight train

Mary: Is there anything I haven’t asked that you may think an author would find interesting to use?

Thank you, Greg, for visiting with us. We appreciate all the information. 

Thank you!

Thank you! I had a great and successful book signing, and it's because of all my friends. They are my biggest support group.

Then yesterday I attended the chapter workshop with special guest Bob Mayer. Very inspiring. Now I'm going to figure out the subject and GMC (Goal, Motivation, Conflict) for each chapter, to finish up my WIP (Work in progress). Since I'm not a plotter but a panster we'll see how my characters react.

Off now to check out my plan. If it works I should wrap this WIP within the next week or so. Wish me luck!

Join me tonight at Gateway Barnes & Noble

Heart of the West Utah Romance Writers of America presents
Book signing with Bob Mayer http://bobmayer.org/
Date: June 4th
Time: 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Place: Gateway Barnes & Noble
Address: 6 North Rio Grande Street, SLC (Gateway Mall at the North end by the Fountains)
New York Times bestselling author Bob Mayer has published 39 books ranging from military techno-thriller to political thriller to non-fiction to science fiction to romantic suspense. He has over three million books in print.
Bob has presented for over five hundred organizations, including numerous keynote presentations, all day workshops, and multi-day seminars. He has taught at writers' conferences ranging from Maui, to Whidbey Island, to San Diego State University to Harriette Austin at University of Georgia and at the Romance Writers of America National Convention.

Local Authors include:
RaeAnne Thayne http://www.xmission.com/~rthayne/
Victoria Dahl http://www.victoriadahl.com/
Denise Patrick http://www.denisepatrickauthor.com/
Judy Baker http://www.judybakerauthor.com/
Mary Martinez http://www.marymartinez.com/
Paige Shelton http://www.paigeshelton.com/
KyAnn Waters http://www.kyannwaters.com/
Heather Horrocks http://heatherhorrocks.com/
Jaleta Clegg: http://home.earthlink.net/~jaletac/index.html
Sara Fitzgerald

I'll be signing Chick Magnet and hope to see everyone there! (There will be chocolate!)

Tuesday Ramblings

Edits!

Need I say more. I love the building of the story. How the germ of an idea grows into a blurb and then into a novel. The characters start to take on their own personalities and then they become your friends. By the time you write The End. They are your family and it's hard to let them out into the world.

But you need to, it is time for you to move onto your next story.

Not!

No, now you need to edit. Catch all the holes in your story. Find all the 'telling' instead of the 'showing'. You need to add layers to your characters, make sure the emotion is there. You don't want your characters cardboard cutouts of each other.

Yes, the easy part is writing the story. The hard part is making it a masterpiece that an editor or agent can't put down.

And it's dang hard because in the back of your mind you've got that little germ of an idea for your next story fighting to niggle it's way out. You have to pull in on its little reins and say 'hold on to your horses, your day will come'.

Not to mention how vulnerable you feel as you're trying to accomplish this task. Did you make it layered enough? Did you make your characters likable/lovable? Unless of course they're your villains.

At times like this who has your back? Because you need someone to give you a pep talk. And not your mother, because you know she's going to tell you how wonderful it is. Even when it sucks dirt!

Tell me who your cheerleader is?

Mine is Kim. My critique partner, she is always there to tell me it's okay or wrong. And to point out where I need more depth or what doesn't make sense, etc. And lately, Tiffinie. She shares the same agent. She's helped me through the uncertainty, "Am I doing what my agent has asked?" She understands since she's been asked to do the same things.

It helps to have someone in your corner who knows you, and knows the industry to help you through the rough edits!

So who has your back?