Tuesday Truth-Writing is Work
Do you ever think: Wow, I wish I could write book, but … And then list the reasons why you couldn’t, like “I don’t have the time” or “my computer is crappy” or “I don’t have the patience” or “I start and then it fizzles”.
Well, published authors deal with all that too. We all have days where the ideas just aren’t coming. Or maybe I should speak just for myself. I have struggled with writing Eddie’s Prize. I’ve had a lot going on in my life the last year or so. My mom’s been sick, my widowed sister moved back into my mom’s house with her daughter, I’ve had a lot of illness myself. Last summer the department I’d worked in for years was downsized and I was sent to another team. It hasn’t been a good experience for me. In fact, I hate my day job, but I can’t live without the paycheck. I think that stress has affected my love for writing.
However, the good news is my critique group has told me that they think the writing I have done is very good. In fact, one gal said she thought Eddie’s Prize was my best writing yet.
So, I’m back on the horse, trying hard to get this story finished.
Tuesday Truth: RAGT
I had a GREAT time at the Annual Reader & Author Get Together that Lori Foster and Duffy Brown put on near Cincinnati OH. I arrived home last night and I’m taking my time going through the loot I came home with. What should I read first?
Tuesday Teaser-Eddie’s Prize
As promised, I’m posting a short teaser from Eddie’s Prize. I’m running around like a chicken with its head cut off, getting ready for the Annual Reader & Author Get Together. We’re leaving tomorrow morning at 6am and should arrive at the hotel in West Chester, OH Thursday afternoon. I’ll be sure to post some pix from that event.
The Madison family looked startled as Carla and Lisa explained everything that had happened since yesterday morning when they boarded the plane in Minneapolis. Brianna and Mrs. Madison made sounds of horror and sympathy when they described the way the plane bucked and fell, nearly completely out of the pilot’s control, to the earth. The blood and the screams of the dying … Lisa’s mind stuttered to a stop when she remembered the little boy who had cried so weakly in her arms until his struggling heart finally stopped beating. The mild look of wonder and the half-smile on his face had stayed even after he had died. Lisa would never forget it as long as she lived.
Carla was matter-of-fact. “We need to send an air ambulance. Some people were badly hurt but still alive when we left the plane.”
“An airplane,” said Mayor Madison, shaking his head with wonder. “You think it’s about thirty or forty miles west of here, and a bit north. You can leave that to me. I’ll round up some men and we’ll get things taken care of. Meanwhile, you gals should go on upstairs and get a good rest.”
A weight fell off Lisa’s shoulders. She had actually been worried that they wouldn’t be able to get help for the survivors they had left behind. She paid attention the pie on her plate. Lisa normally didn’t eat pie; it wasn’t in her diet plan, and as a model she had to work hard to keep her figure perfect. But this was really good. And even though a half hour ago she had felt nauseous in the wagon, she found now that she was really hungry. When she got back to L.A. she’d skimp a little bit to make up for it, but right now she scooped up the last bite of pie with pleasure.
Mrs. Madison noticed. “You look like pie isn’t on the menu for you too often.”
“Not too often,” Lisa agreed with a smile. “It was wonderful. Thank you.”
“Now, there,” said the mayor heartily. “You’re a bit on the scrawny side, but you have nice manners. A man should consider more than just looks when he’s shopping for a wife.”
“Uh,” said Lisa blankly.
“Now, Ray,” said his wife severely. “You get going. There’s plenty to get done for these girls. There’s no time to waste.”
“That’s a fact.” Ray nodded and got up. “Eddie, you’re with me. Honey, we’ll likely miss supper. Don’t keep anything for us, we’ll grab a bite when we get back.”
On the Mend
Last Tuesday I was diagnosed with pneumonia, and I did feel pretty darned crappy. I’ve been on antibiotics, plus two different inhalers and a steroid, and today I’m feeling pretty good. It used to feel like my left lung was a garage for a small red-hot brick with sharp edges that cut me every time I breathed. Very uncomfortable. And my temperature fluctuated between 100.6 and 102.4. I’m much better today. A little tired, because I’ve been running around getting stuff ready for the Annual Reader & Author Get Together next weekend, but definitely on the mend.
My friend Jess and I have been getting goodies together for the raffle basket we’re donating. It will contain a handknit shawl, the 1st two After the Crash books in paperback, some chocolates, a nook simple touch ereader with a handsewn cover, a gift card to Barnes & Noble and the basket itself is a hand woven purse from South America.
Lots still to do, but we’re not leaving until Wednesday morning. Best thing? I’m on vacation now until Wed June 6!
Tuesday Truth
My truth for today: I have pneumonia. Made an appointment with a doctor about three weeks ago for my asthma/allergies. Things seem usually to get a little worse after March, and in the past I’ve been given a steroid shot that really helps. I’ve had a fever off and on for a month. I went to the doctor, she asked questions, listened to my lungs and ordered a chest X-ray. Then she told me I had pneumonia, wrote perscriptions for about 5 different drugs (antibiotics, prednisone, 2 diferent inhalers for my asthma and rhinocort) and ordered a steroid shot, too. She also recommended that I take a few days off work, and I want to. Oh, do I want to! But I’m on vacation starting next week and there is just too much for me to get done before I go.
So, that’s my Tuesday Truth! Next week, I promise a Teaser from Eddies’ Prize.
How To Make a Quick and Easy 1920s Party Dress
I’m going to a Murder Mystery party in a few weeks, and the theme is Babes, Bootleg and Bodies. We’re all being asked to dress in the style of the 1920s.
I don’t have a pattern, but the styles of the 1920s are based on a simple, straight sillouette. It’s the fantastic beading that makes a dress stand out. Well, I haven’t the money or time for fancy beading, but I can eyeball a dress and figure out the basic pattern. And since I’m not the only one to ever need a pattern for a dress like this I thought I’d share the quick and dirty directions that I came up with. I’m not a professional costume designer, and these directions are basic, so I’m not guaranteeing a perfect end product. But maybe these will help.
First, get some measurements.
A = widest part of your body + 3 inches divided by 4.
On me, that’s my bust. For you it might be your hips. So if your widest is 43 inches, add 3 (a total of 46) divide that by 4 and you have 11.5. Your “A” measurement is 11.5.
B = Distance from top of shoulder to where the hem will be (usually about the knee) + 3.
If your measurement from the top of your shoulder to your knee is 42 inches, add 3 for a total of 45. Your “B” is 45. This determines how much fabric you need. Multiply B by 2. You will need 90 inches, or 2.5 yards.
C = Distance around arm, divided by 2.
Measure from the top of your shoulder, through the armpit, and back to the shoulder, snugly. If this is 20 inches, divide by 2. Your “C” is 10.
D = Distance from the center back neck to end of shoulder.
Find the little bony bump at the base of the back of your neck and measure to where you want the outside of the shoulder of the dress to be. On mine, I wish I would have not gone so far out. I may trim that and re-sew it if I have time.
E = Top of Shoulder to Neckline
Measure from the top of your shoulder, down your chest to where you want neckline of your dress to hit. In the 1920s some necklines were very deep, some were very modest. Please yourself.
Cut the Dress Out
- Fold your fabric lengthwise, selvedge to selvedge (that’s the woven sides, not the cut ones) with the right side of the fabric inside.
- Fold again crosswise (in quarters) so the cut ends are together. It’s like folding paper to make paper dolls. If you haven’t done this before, it might be a good idea to get a piece of paper and practice the next few steps in miniature.
- The fabric should now equal measurement “A”. The top fold will be the shoulders of the dress. Use a pin or chalk to mark the shoulder fold. Open the fabric again so
the selvedges are still together
Mark and Cut Out Neckline
- See the pin or chalk mark you just made? Let’s call that the shoulder. Measure 1 inch above the shoulder and use a pin or chalk to mark the back of the neck.
- Measure 6 inches away from the fold. Mark.
- Measure “E” from Shoulder. Mark.
Now you can decide if you want a V neck, a square neck or a round neck. Use c
halk or pins to trace neck and cut. yay! You have a neck hole! Re-fold the fabric again in quarters so the cut edges are together.
Mark and Cut Out Dress Body
- From body fold, measure along shoulder fold the distance of “D”. Mark. (actually, since you’ve alread ycut out your neckline, you have to estimate where the body fold would be. Shouldn’t be too hard tho) From shoulder fold, measure down “C”. Mark.
- Measure “A” from fold near the cut edges , mark. Continue to mark “A” at 6 inch intervals as you go up. When you get to “C”, curve inward until you meet “D”.
- Cut out dress.
Sew the Dress
- Use seam binding (purchased or self-made) to bind the neck edge.
- Make a narrow hem in arm opening.
- Fold the dress right sides together and sew the side seams.
- Turn up 1 inch hem and sew.
Note: I chose to do an asymmetrical hemline.
Basically, you’re done now. You can go a step further and fancy your dress up with extra stuff if you want.
Embellish the Dress
Here’s the fun part. Let your imagination go. Make a sash. Add glitz. Fringe, beads, feathers, braids and trims were all used lavishly in the 1920s. Here are a few pics of actual dresses from the 1920s to give you some ideas.
Tuesday Truth–Reviews
I’m taking a page from my friend Virginia Cavanaugh. She’s decided to have a few theme days on her blog, and Tuesdays are going to be Truth or Teasers days. I’m going to join her. At least for today. I really need to blog more often. We’ll see how long my resolves sticks. 🙂 Today my truth is:
I like reviews
5 star raves, 3 star blahs, 1 star rants, they’re all good. Naturally, I prefer the 5 star reviews that make me feel all warm and fuzzy. The 1 and 2 star reviews are sometimes a little bit harder to enjoy. But doesn’t a reader have the right to express his or her reactions to a book they’ve read? A recent review of one of my books hurt me. Not because the reader who wrote the review was rude or insulting. Not at all. I thought this person wrote a good review, briefly explaining what it was that disappointed her. I was sorry she wasn’t able to enjoy it more. I hope other readers will have a better experience than she did.
Sometimes it’s easy to think a review is a letter addressed to the author. But they are not. A review is usually intended for other readers, to let them know what one particular reader thought about the book. If a reader wants to let an author know what they thought of a book, they can probably find the author’s email address on their website, or post on their Facebook page.
What are your thoughts about reviews?
Writing Update & Excerpt
Hello, all! As May goes on, I’m getting more and more excited about the Annual Reader & Author Get Together. I spent several hours today with my friend Jessica sewing her 1920s dancing dress for the murder mystery party at Duffy Brown’s. We’re nearly done with it. Next weekend I’ll make mine.
On the writing front, I’ve been working hard on Eddie’s Prize, the story of model Lisa Anton and Eddie Madison, the son of the mayor of Kearney. For some reason this book has more love scenes in it already than the others, and I’m only half done. I’m just about to write another love scene and I’m not sure how it’s going to go. Eddie had just read an old magazine article about Lisa’s love life in 2064 and he’s jealous. The next minute he sees Lisa crying on a bench with one of his friends close beside her, comforting her. Eddie sees red. He drags Lisa home and makes furious love to her, to show her who her husband is. Lisa loves it. She has to, otherwise it’s not really a romance, is it? But that’s the beginning of their marriage problems. Eddie doesn’t trust her. The scene I’m really looking forward to is when she decides she’s had enough and leaves him to go live with Taye’s Pack.
Also, Sherry’s Wolf is out all over now. (Except Barnes & Noble, grr.) It’s free everywhere except at Amazon. They don’t allow books to be priced at free unless it’s a publisher loading the book. So I had to price it at $0.99. I put a note at the bottom of the description saying the story was available elsewhere for free, but some people are paying for it anyway. There’s a link on the page at the bottom of the product details section where people can report a lower price and hopefully Amazon will match it. If any of you could take a few minutes to report the lower price at one of the sites below maybe Amazon would make Sherry’s Wolf free. Please don’t feel you must. Only if you want to. 🙂 I meant this story to be a thank you gift to my readers, and it doesn’t seem very grateful to charge for a gift.
ETA: Never mind! Looks like Amazon has dropped the price to $0.00! Thanks, everyone. who went to report the lower price. IT WORKED!
Oh, and I wrote the first chapter of Ellie and Quill’s book. I hope you enjoy Wolfs-Prize in its raw state. I imagine I’ll do some significant editing to this. I might even scrap it all together, but I haven’t shared much lately, so here you go.
That’s all for now, folks! For you moms reading this, I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day.
Shawl for the Raffle Basket is Done!
The Annual Reader & Author Get Together that is hosted each year by Lori Foster in the Cincinnati area is coming up in only 25 days! Each year there are fantastic raffle baskets for people to bid on. My friend Jessica and I are putting together a basket that will contain some goodies for a romance reader: a B&N nook with a hand sewn cover, paperbacks of my books Sleeping With the Wolf and Wolf’s Glory, a B&B gift card, and a hand knit shawlette. We’re not sure what else to put in it.
You readers, what else would make a raffle basket interesting enough for you to buy a ticket for it?
Historical Costume, SCA Garb …
Before I started my second careeer as a writer, I sewed quite a lot of garb for myself and friends. I went to be part of a panel about the SCA at the sci-fy convention Core Con today, and had to wear something bling-y. That is, something eye-catching that showed off what we do in the SCA. I had a terrible time finding something to wear!
I couldn’t wear this red dress from 1550 Florence because it doesn’t fit any
more. I sewed all three layers by hand for an A&S competition years ago.
I couldn’t wear this blue/pink shot silk dress from 1530 Florence this because I gave it away.
I couldn’t wear this Indian dress because it isn’t really historically accurate. It’s the only one I didn’t sew myself.
This Viking Apron dress was out because the last time I wore it it got badly stained. Fine for camping, but not for a show-off opportunity.
I decided against this velvet dress from 1535 Florence Italy because it takes 2 people to get me into it, it’s an extremely tight fit and it’s hot to wear.
And this one was impossible because it isn’t finished yet. I’m stumped by it. I can’t fit the bodice no matter what and I’m too lazy to actually try to rip it out and start over.
I couldn’t wear this one because it’s Victorian/Steampunk, not medieval or renaissance.
So I wore this one. Purple and silver Byzantine silk/blend brocade.
You know what this means? I need to sew some more garb. Something that will wow the audience but is comfortable to wear, easy to put on and doesn’t weigh a ton.
