A to Z - Zany

1. a man who is a stupid incompetent fool
2. a buffoon in one of the old comedies; imitates others for ludicrous effect
3. like a clown; "a buffoonish walk"; "a clownish face"; "a zany sense of humor"
4. pungent adjectives of disesteem; "gave me a cockamamie reason for not going"; "wore a goofy hat"; "a silly idea"; "some wacky plan for selling more books"
5. A merry-andrew; a buffoon.
6. To mimic.

Okay. That's one I've never heard before. A merry-andrew?

Definition of merry-andrew: clown: a person who amuses others by ridiculous behavior.

Well, folks. We survived. We completed A to Z. Phew.

And Woot! (that means We Owned the Other Team, btw.)

Now, I'm taking a rest and heading to the Storymakers conference this Friday and Saturday. I'm also doing something called Publication Primer. I hear my drill sergeant (though this isn't bootcamp) is brutal but brilliant. I hope to have lots to report next week, especially since I'm taking all master classes this year.

When I went last year I knew almost no one. What a difference a year makes! I became a member of the wonderful Authors Incognito group (you have to have attended a Storymakers conference to join), and I've found an incredible and supportive community of writers and authors. They provide online training, the most recent was a two-week long series on pitches. The first week was on writing and preparing to present it. The second week was on going beyond the pitch, presenting yourself. And this was all before the conference!

Seriously. Am I lucky or what?

And the fabulous Sarah Eden is going to be the Master of Ceremonies again. Sarah writes regency romance and has a delightful sense of humor. I read her books to my hubby, and he likes them. Did I mentioned that I love Love LOVE her books?

Storymakers also has something called the Whitney Awards. These are to recognize LDS authors. I'm a sucker for speculative fiction, so here are the finalists (a complete list of the finalists can be found here):

• The Alloy of Law: A Mistborn Novel by Brandon Sanderson
• I Don't Want to Kill You by Dan Wells
• The Lost Gate by Orson Scott Card
• A Night of Blacker Darkness by Dan Wells
• No Angel by Theresa Sneed

I've read four of the five, and I'm embarrassed to admit it's Scott Card's book I haven't gotten to yet. I didn't go to the awards banquet last year. I'm so going this year.

Have you ever attended a writing conference that changed your life?


P.S.

I was hoping to hit the 600 follower mark with A to Z, but while I've followed a ton of new people few of them have followed me back. And I really, really wanted to hit that nice round number of 600. I sent out a plea to a new group I've joined of clean romance writers and within 10 minutes I had 9 new followers. Thank you, ladies!

A to Z - Youth

"Youth is wasted on the young" ~~George Bernard Shaw

What I could do if I was 20 again and knew what I know now.

I think that at times.

But am I right? If I had a young body again that could do the things so easily that I have to work so hard for now, would that be enough? Or is there more to being young than just the young body?

I believe there is. There's a fearless freshness to young people as they go out to face the world and wrestle it into the the image of their dreams. They're not troubled by the "been there, done that" apathy that can overcome us as we age. They're filled with excitement at what each new day will bring.

I have to work at that. Hard.

As much as I think I'd like to be 20 again, I wonder if I could really do it the justice it deserves.

This is actually an issue a couple of my characters deal with in the project I'm editing now. What would they do if they could be young again--not go back and live their old lives again but go back and live a new one, still keeping all their knowledge, experience, and memories.

Do you ever wish you could get back some of the years that have gone?

On an aside, this is my 300th post. Wow.

A to Z - X Chromosome

I break into the usual A to Z post with a query update. Got a request for a full from a publisher I submitted to in February. I'm excited they liked the 15% that I sent them enough to want to read the entire book. 

Can I squeeee?  

And then wait--but I'll be writing and querying while I do that, so don't worry. ;)

Definition: the sex chromosome that is present in both sexes: singly in males and doubly in females; "human females normally have two X chromosomes"


See, there really is a difference between boys and girls--outside of the obvious.


This video is a little long but incredibly informative if you've ever wondered why you couldn't make sense of the way your other gender acquaintances think. There are shorter versions, but I like especially that part where he compares how men try to help women (and vice versa) with their problems. 


To me, understanding the motivation behind the way the help is offered changes how I view it. And helps me appreciate that my husband really isn't the idiot I used to think he was. He's just different than me. That's not a bad thing. 





Though, I will confess that it's a little scary that recent research has hinted the Y-chromosome could be on the way to oblivion. I'm glad that's being debated. Of the five children I birthed, four carry Y chromosomes. I'm kind of fond of them.


What do you think? Are you one of those people who think men and women are essentially the same but with different reproductive parts? Or are you one who goes, "Duh!"?

A to Z - Dr. Who

I confess that I've only caught an occasional snippet of episodes of Dr. Who. But I've got friends who are crazy mad about the show.

The show made the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running science fiction show--2013 will mark its 50th anniversary.

That's pretty impressive.

This is a montage of some episodes.


This is an explanation of the show's history and the various actors who've played Dr. Who.


So, are you a fan? Have you even heard of this show?

A to Z - Vainglorious

So what does vainglorious mean? 

1. Boastful, unwarranted pride in one's accomplishments or qualities. 

2. Vain, ostentatious display.

Notice the "unwarranted" pride. My examples are from the old TV series M*A*S*H.

So I would consider Frank Burns to be vainglorious.

 Whereas Charles Emerson Winchester III (irritating as he could be) was not--because he really was as good as he thought he was . . . minus the bedside manner.

Have you ever known anyone in real life who was vainglorious?

A to Z - Ugh and Ugah Chuka

I like to use words for sounds. Anyone who's conversed with me online has noticed that I use ugh a lot.

An exclamation expressive of disgust, horror, or recoil. 
Its utterance is usually accompanied by a shudder.

Now, I confess I don't usually shudder when I use it--or even my characters use it. It's more like a really deep sigh for me.

But I must confess that when I see it written it always reminds me of the song Hooked on a Feeling. You know, the one with the added caveman grunting thingy going on.



Now the song above includes Dr. Who clips, but that discussion is for a different letter.

Do you like to use words for the nonwords in your vocabulary? If so which are your favorites? Or are you one of those folks who avoid them?

A to Z - There, Their, and They're

I've been seeing these done incorrectly a LOT lately, so here's a reminder.

There ... Their ... They're

There . . . . . . . in or at that place

Their . . . . . . .  possessive form of they

They're . . . contraction of "they are"

That Other Blog

I'm posting over at that other blog today . . . about writing aids.

But, if you're so inclined to offer some input, I've been working on a trailer for A Change of Plans. Does it hook you? Do the pages move too fast? Or too slow?

A to Z - StarCraft

I'm part of a gaming family. We love board games, but we really love video games. One that's sucked us all in is StarCraft. We got to play missions that follow a storyline and reached a conclusion. There are three races--Terrans, Zerg, and Protoss--and you got to play as all three. We had a LAN, so we could play with/against each other. Then there was Battlenet, where you could get online and play with/against people all over the world. And there was the ability to make your own levels.

It began with the StarCraft game and one of the characters, Sarah Kerrigan, is overrun by the Zerg.

In the expansion set BroodWar you find out that your enemy is now led by Kerrigan--who's been taken over and made to become a Terran/Zerg hybrid.





And we had to wait something like ten or twelve years before StarCraft II came.

Oh, my freakin' heck! Love this new version. Blizzard doesn't do anything halfway, and their graphics are awesome as is the storyline. The guy in the picture above is Raynor, who was a main character from the earlier editions. And, who we discover, was in love with Kerrigan, who he's determined to defeat.

Now they've upped the ante. Brilliant because it involves you even more in the characters. It's not just a game about strategy and battles, it's now got heart. I must confess to crushing a little on Raynor's haunted character in this version.

This time Blizzard is releasing three different campaigns. This first one is the Terran campaign. I'm not sure who they'll release next, but with the little romance going on, my guess is it'll be Protoss. They'll want to save the Zerg for last . . . especially now that there're hints a human taken over by the Zerg can be restored.

Are you a gamer? Board games? Video games--even if it's Farmville on Facebook? What appeals to you about the games you play?

A to Z - R2 D2

I'm a total fan of Star Wars' R2 D2. I'm always amazed as I watch the movies how much personality they managed to build into this little guy with his little beeps and whistles.

Let's be real here. It's not like they really had that much to work with, yet I was completely rooting for him every time he was in a dangerous situation. At the end of Episode 4, when he got hit and we're not sure he'd make it, I was stressing out!

That's powerful writing when you can engage someone's emotions so well that they're rooting for a machine!



What's your favorite movie or literary nonliving character?

A to Z - Protected by Cindy M. Hogan

Protected by Cindy M. Hogan

 Click here for Melanie McCullough's blog, the next link in the tour.

Protected Description:

She has the guy. The terrorists have been taken care of and she is on the brink of being popular. Life is GREAT! Until they find her. Now she must run and leave behind everything she knows, including herself.

My thoughts? This is quite the ride. I was going to take my time working my way through this book, but I had to finish it. I really felt for Christy as she enters the witness protection program and leaves behind everyone she knew and loved in order to protect not only herself, but them as well. She's told she can never again be who she was.

To help keep her safe, she is trained in the arts of protecting herself. And boy does she need it!

Protected is the second book in the Watched series. 

In the first book:

It takes more than a school trip to Washington, D.C. to change Christy's life. it takes murder. A witness to the slaying of a senator's aide, Christy finds herself watched not only by the killers and the FBI but also by two hot boys. She discovers that if she can't help the FBI, who want to protect her, it will cost her and her new friends their lives.

A to Z - Don Quixote - Man of La Mancha

I'm switching up my P & Q posts today and tomorrow

to accommodate a blog hop for the book Protected by Cindy M. Hogan.

The movie Man of La Mancha starring Peter O'Toole and Sophia Loren came out the year I graduated from high school. I LOVED this film. The message of persevering after worthy goals regardless of the odds and of not limiting yourself by "the world as it is" impacted my life. It's full of beautiful, dramatic, and humorous music and lyrics.

Following is the video from the film where the mad Don Quixote (he's really a country squire who thinks he's a knight (and sees windmills as dragons he must defeat). He's stopped at an inn where he's sure the inn's maid (and whore) is a fine, virtuous lady. The maid Aldonza--or Dulcinea as he calls her--has had a terrible, bitter life and can't believe the fine noble things Quixote is telling her.

The clip below shows both versions of the song To Dream the Impossible Dream from the movie. The first is when he sings to her and begins to bring her into his madness. Then, after some horrible things happen to both Aldonza  and Quixote has been brought back from his madness by his family, she comes to his home and reminds him of who he really is. It's a long video, but the basic song only take the first two minutes.

Did I mention that I LOVE this song? I love everything it stands for. And that, I hope, is reflected in my life's actions and the behavior of the characters I write.



The movie is the telling of the author Miguel de Cervantes's wait in prison before he must go before the Spanish Inquisition. The prisoners take his manuscript, and he must convince them they should let him keep it. That story is interwoven through the telling of Quixote's tale. At one point the prisoner, who is acting as the prosecutor, challenges Cervantes about the stupidity of dreaming and failing to see "life as it is".

Here's Cervante's response:



I memorized this soliloquy from the soundtrack when I was in college. It still gives me chills.

What about you? Has there been any book or film that particularly impacted you and continues to influence your view of the world?

A to Z - Omniscient Point of View

Source

 As defined in About.com, the third person omniscient point of view is:

a method of storytelling in which the narrator knows the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the story . . ..

I've considered the use of this POV lately and wondered if it would be difficult to write. Initially, I thought it would be the simpler way because you can be in everyone's heads.  No worrying about being accused of head hopping because, well, you're in everyone's heads. So, of course you're head hopping. It's the nature of omniscient. But would it be confusing to the reader if not done well?

Have you ever written in omniscient or seen it done well? Am I making it harder than it should be?

A to Z - Networking

Earlier this month author Robison Wells (Variant) wrote a great post about marketing that also touched on networking. He said it was a rant, and it was, but I think it was a good rant. Rob's day job for many years was marketing, and he has a lot of good information in the post, so I highly recommend that you go read the whole thing. But I want to share this from the post:

"So, let’s try to hammer one thing into our heads. If get nothing else from this blog, get this:

When you see the term “social networking”, ignore the word “networking” and focus on the word “social“. Some people act like Facebook and Twitter and blogging are a chore, and if you have that attitude, then you’ll always hate social networking. But I don’t see it that way. I log into Twitter the first thing every morning to see what my FRIENDS are talking about, and so I can join the conversation. And a lot of these friends are people who I’ve never met in real life. Some are fellow authors. Some are readers. Some are just fun people who I’ve met and built a relationship with.

Yes, that took time, and in those early days when I had few Twitter followers, it wasn’t as much fun. But it’s definitely worth the investment. Now, I feel like I always have someone to talk to, or someone to hear a joke from, or someone who has something insightful to share. It’s like hanging out with your friends all the time.

It’s not a friggin’ chore. It’s a delight. It’s SOCIAL.

And if you don’t like Twitter, then blog. Build your SOCIAL network there, and interact with your commenters. Or on Facebook. Or on YouTube, or Google Plus, or Friendster, or whatever-the-heck else. It doesn’t matter which platforms you chose. Just chose something, and have a good time. Be social. Be fun. Be interesting.

You’re a writer, for crying out loud. If you can’t be fun or interesting for ten minutes a day then maybe you’re in the wrong business."

How do you feel about social networking and how it relates to marketing your books? Is it just a huge burden or are you having fun?

That Other Blog

This is a day off from the A to Z Challenge.

I'm posting at that other blog today if anyone's interested in a lesson on gender specific language.

And here's the video my two youngest sons made. The filmer had to do an assignment. How do you like the dubbing? ROFL

A to Z - Map Making

Map from The Way of Kings

This is a post about a class I attended at LTUE that was taught by Isaac Stewart, who did the one above for Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings. Isaac reviewed a number of things that the writer/mapmaker would want to consider relating to geography, such as where and what kinds of mountains would have been formed (which makes a difference as to where your deserts are) and the locations of rivers and bodies of water. Communities tend to grow up where there are sources of water, building materials, arable land, and trade routes.

In my SciFi trilogy, I'm going to have to have maps for two continents, and I'd wondered how I was going to come up with a map. Isaac showed a number of photos of random objects that ended up being perfect for map coastline ideas.

Examples:

• chipped paint on a chair
• splattered water stain on concrete
• the blobby stuff on the lid of a guacamole tub when you first open it
• a messy pile of wet leaves after a storm
• stains on a ceiling.

Brilliant, I say!

But you know what else he said? It can take a HUGE amount of time to create a map. If you're the author, quit working on the map and write the dang book!

Have you ever had to create a map for a book?

A to Z - Love

I'm going to talk a bit today about a mother's love. Having children changed my life in way I could never have anticipated. People can talk to an expectant mother but it's not until she bonds with her child that she really understands the depth.

Following is by Erma Bombeck--loved her humor and her heart.

Some day when my children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates a mother, I will tell them:

I loved you enough to ask about where you were going, with whom and what time you would get home.

I loved you enough to insist that you buy a bike, that we could afford to give you, with your own money.

I loved you enough to make you return a Milky-Way—with a bite out of it—to the drug store and to confess “I stole this.”

I loved you enough to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that would have taken me 15 minutes.

I loved you enough to let you see anger, disappointment, disgust and tears in my eyes.

I loved you enough to admit I was wrong and ask for your forgiveness.

I loved you enough to let you stumble, fall and hurt.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say NO when you hated me for it. That was the hardest part of all.

I found that one of the hardest things about my children growing up was when I went from being the brightest, funnest, most beautiful woman around to being the stupidest creature God put on the earth.

The pendulum has (generally) swung back the other direction, and now my children have a more balanced and practical view of me. It's just proof that you need to hang in there. The terrible twos do turn into the terrible teens--except then they can drive. But the teens years, for all their volatility, can be an amazing journey of discovery and decision.

Maybe that's why I enjoy reading YA so much.

How about you? You've got children and/or you've been a child. How powerful have you found a mother's love to be?

A to Z - Kiersey Personality Sorter

Source

This is from a series I began last month. A to Z got in the middle of it, so I'm just posting a little reminder here.

I've been fascinated for years (all right, decades) with the Kiersey Personality Sorter. It was based on the MMPI, which is a comprehensive test, something like 600 questions. The MMPI is used a lot in dealing with mental illness, but for people trained in what to look for it tells a lot more about the people taking it than they would ever dream.

The Kiersey is much shorter and has many practical uses. They give it to department heads at work. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions, but merely give insight into how the taker views the world.

You can find my March 21st post here where I provide an overview of it, and my March 28th post here where I discuss Introverts vs Extroverts. I'll take the series up again in May.

I'm an EXFP -- you'll have to check out the March 21st post to see what that means.

What is your personality type?

A to Z - Joust

Um. No. This isn't a post about the medieval sport

A bazillion years ago, we used to love to play a video game called Joust. 

Dang, but this was a quirky, fun little game where your character is riding an ostrich, and you have to fight enemy knights riding buzzards. The defeated enemy turns into an egg which will get you extra points. 

Then there's a bumper bird kind of round thing, in which you must collide with your opponent.  

But you'd best watch out for the pterodactyls.

Do you remember this game? If you don't, what's your favorite video game?

A to Z - Ireland

Nearly a year ago, I went to Ireland with a friend. One of my favorite places was the little town of Cong. This is where they filmed the movie The Quiet Man, and there's even a little museum there.

I took lots of fun pictures because a future book is going to be situated here. It made it an interesting experience, as I wandered around, trying to imagine different things for my book.

Following are some pictures. Did I mention I loved this place?

Cong Abbey

Time for lunch--and the food was SO yummy!

I had to take a picture of this. Like some people have a place on their trucks for rifles? This guy has a fishing pole.

Have you ever had a chance to visit the Emerald Isle? If so, what was your favorite place? If you haven't been so lucky, where have you had a chance to visit?

A to Z - Humor

Today's post draws on my notes from a class the awesome Sarah Eden taught last fall at the UVU Book Academy. Sarah's always got great humor in her books, and she's just as funny in person.

Why should you include humor?

• Well, for one thing, it makes the characters likeable. 
• Another is comic relief. I remember thinking as my family was watching The Two Towers film about how dark it was. If it hadn't been for Gimli, it would have been an exhausting experience.
• It's a great way to sneak in an emotional experience.
• Like every emotional response, humor must be earned.

So, what makes things funny?

•  Incongruity - something out of place or inappropriate to the situation
• The unexpected - misdirection or surprise (Jack Sparrow--the pirate we never saw coming--is a prime example)
• Familiarity - the reader can relate to what is said or done. This is something stand up comics use a lot.

Now you can have all those things and still bomb because it's all about the context. You need to know your audience and genre. Some things will appeal to certain ages, or to people who have lived through a certain era, or it can appeal to a stage in life or a common experience.

When I was young, there was a joke we used to love to tell.

Question: What's bigger than Winnie's Pooh?

Answer: Gomer's Pyle

I know. This seriously dates me. Many you won't get that joke at all, unless you've ever seen the old reruns of the TV show Gomer Pyle, which was a spin off of the old Andy Griffith Show.

So, play off your strengths and don't try something you're not good at. Don't force it.

Following is a sample of incongruity, where classical pianist Victor Borgia does the unexpected.



Do you have much humor in your writing? What's one of your more favorite funny scenes in a book?

A to Z - Group Hugs

"The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

So what are you doing this weekend? John Carter of Mars has moved out of our regular theaters but isn't in the dollar flicks yet. Hubby would like to see that but I'm wondering about The Hunger Games. Anybody seen either of them? What are your thoughts?

A to Z - Foreshadowing

I lurves foreshadowing, especially when it's cleverly done. I think Jo Rowling is probably one of the best out there. It made her books like little treasure hunts every time I'd read them, especially when a new book would come out.

Her books are so full of them that this could be quite a long post. To spare you I'm only going to touch on one that I thought was particularly well done--if you knew what you were looking for.

Scabbers aka Peter Pettigrew aka Wormtail. 

How many of you imagined, even after you'd read the first couple of books--or, to be honest, 3/4s of the way through Prisoner of Azkaban--that Ron's pet rat was really the animagus form of the supposedly dead Peter Pettigrew?

Here's a bit of foreshadowing from the first book--in fact, it's from the very first time that Ron and Harry ride together to Hogwarts. Remember that spell Fred gave Ron?

Sunshine daisies,

Butter mellow,

Turn this stupid,

fat rat yellow!

We assumed the spell either wasn't a real spell and just a practical joke or that Ron didn't cast   it right. Well, the spell wouldn't have worked because Scabbers wasn't a rat. 

See what I mean? That tricksy Jo.

What are some of your favorite pieces of foreshadowing?

A to Z - Ender's Game

Well, Ender's Game, the Hugo winning, freakin' amazing book, is finally going to be made into a movie. Harrison Ford is going to play Colonel Graff, and Ben Kingsley is going to be Mazer Rackham.

Scott Card has held firm when the folks in Hollywood kept wanting to up the ages and make it a teen movie. He also commented, at the end of the audiobook, that it's difficult to take a book where so much takes place inside the main character's head. It all came together when they realized they needed to have it be about Bean, too.

Since I love Bean--who got his own story in the Ender's Shadow series, that totally works for me. I recently finished Shadows in Flight. *sniff*

Ender's Game Book Description:
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut--young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers, Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If the world survives, that is.

Bear in mind that Ender is only 12 at the end of the book. What a world when a 12-year-old kid could be considered as a general. Kinda blows the mind, doesn't it?

Have you read Ender's Game? What did you think of it? If you haven't, why not?

A to Z - Dream Launcher

I would like to acknowledge Tara Tyler who kindly awarded this to me back in March. I just figured it would too good an A to Z post to pass up.

I've always had stories going on in my head. Over two years ago, after finding out about NaNoWriMo too late to participate, I decided to do my own personal one and see if I could even write a novel length story. Thirty days and eighty thousands words later, I found I can.

And I fell in love with writing. The stories in my head are so much more satisfactory now that they are on paper and complete.

Well, kinda complete. I've never met a page I didn't want to edit.

Consider yourself tagged.

What/who helped you launch your writing dreams?

A to Z - CassaFirE

Seems appropriate, since Alex Cavanaugh is one of A to Z hosts, to review his new book CassaFirE for "C".

Book Description:
The Vindicarn War is a distant memory and Byron’s days of piloting Cosbolt fighters are over. He has kept the promise he made to his fallen mentor and friend - to probe space on an exploration vessel. Shuttle work is dull, but it’s a free and solitary existence. The senior officer is content with his life aboard the Rennather. The detection of alien ruins sends the exploration ship to the distant planet of Tgren. If their scientists can decipher the language, they can unlock the secrets of this device. Is it a key to the Tgren’s civilization or a weapon of unimaginable power? Tensions mount as their new allies are suspicious of the Cassan’s technology and strange mental abilities. To complicate matters, the Tgrens are showing signs of mental powers themselves; the strongest of which belongs to a pilot named Athee, a woman whose skills rival Byron’s unique abilities. Forced to train her mind and further develop her flying aptitude, he finds his patience strained. Add a reluctant friendship with a young scientist, and he feels invaded on every level. All Byron wanted was his privacy…


What did we think?

I read this book aloud to hubby, as I did Alex's first book CassaStaR, which we both very much enjoyed. It was fun as I'd be reading it aloud when hubby would laugh out loud, or the first comment from his mouth when he woke up was a question about the story.

We wondered how the tale would work out because the main character Byron is a very private man, living in a controlled way that keeps him distant from most meaningful connections with other people. Even from the first book I've wondered what happened to him in his youth that make it so difficult for him to trust people with his private thoughts--because the Cassan people are telepathic.

I love the way Alex wrote Athee, the young, energetic, and not-to-be-held-back Tgren woman whom Byron discovers is also telepathic. Her vibrant personality just showed through the dialogue and descriptions. It was a delight to see Byron falling for her even as he fought it.

We really enjoyed this book.

Have you read it yet? What'd you think? If not, have you read anything good lately?

A to Z - Boys and Birthdays

I was widowed young--twenty six. I had two children: a son a month shy of four and a daughter of seventeen months.

Unfortunately, my birthday that year fell on the two-month anniversary of our loss. For a number of reasons, neither my family nor my late husband's made contact with me that day--the cards came late.

It was a Saturday, and I felt sorry for myself early on, though later in the day I finally broke down and baked myself a birthday cake.

Well, my little boy (now all grown up and a father himself--and an artist--you'll need to scroll down) wondered what the cake was for. I explained it was my birthday.

He understood birthday cakes because he'd just celebrated his own special day the month before. The little guy looked around, wanting to know where my presents were. I asked him who was going to give me a present. He gave me a sheepish shrug. I told him not to worry about it, and the three of us had our own little cake party.

I didn't give it any further thought.

Until Christmas approached. My little guy told me he needed someone to take him Christmas shopping. Clueless, I asked him why. He said that since I hadn't gotten anything for my birthday he wanted to make sure I got something for Christmas.

*sniff*

I love little boys.

What about you? Do you have any special memories of a child in your life?

A to Z - About Us

Today is the first posting day for the A to Z blogging challenge. For "A" I'd like to tell you something about me and ask you to share something about you.

I am a black belt in Shorei Kempo Karate. I took it up partly because I'd always thought it would be fun to learn but mostly to spend time with two of my sons who were involved in it. They eventually dropped out, but I stuck with it. So . . .

What about you? Please share whatever appeals to you--something unique, something informational, something you'd like the world to know about you. Whatever.