Overheard #69

"Move nebulously."

Birthday Rose

Photo by me.

Yesterday was my birthday, and my husband gave me roses.

Band Camp

Last Friday, I volunteered at Band Camp and found myself immersed in a teenage world that is different from the one my kids display at home. I observed teen fashion trends and learned about the intricacies of pocket texting (sending text messages from a phone that is hidden in a pocket). I watched freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors interact. I listened to the way kids spoke to their parents, teachers and mentors. Some students loved Band Camp while others were clearly suffering. Band Camp was a kaleidoscope of experiences, but two points stand out in my recollections.

1. The protagonist of my Work-In-Progress would fit right in at Band Camp.

2. Hope is the great motivator.

Sunday

Photo by me.

Things I Should Have Realized a Long Time Ago - Part 6

This evening, while waiting in line at a small local grocery store, I overheard a conversation between a box boy and a box girl. The box boy was wearing a rubber wristband that said Prom 2009. The box girl looked to be about the same age.

Box boy: Why does your mom want you to have blond hair?
Box girl: She wanted me to have highlights for my senior portrait. And she said my roots were showing.
Box boy: It must be difficult to maintain it, with all those different colors.
Box girl: (shrugs)

Okay, if I put this conversation in a manuscript, my critique group would never believe a boy would be so interested in a girl's hair color. [I never discuss my hair color with my husband or teenage sons.]

I guess, if a boy is really interested in a girl, he'll talk about anything.

Back in Michigan

I forgot to bring the camera on an evening walk out to Picnic Point so I couldn't photograph the full moon over the Capitol dome. It was a magical evening with moonlight reflected on Lake Mendota, and fireflies zooming around us.

I saw old friends, colleagues and mentors.

I still can't explain why I am a former scientist. (See sidebar bio.)

Madison seems to be experiencing an economic boom. The recession is much more obvious in Michigan.

Overheard #68

"If I thought more slowly, it would be safer."

Greetings From Mad City

You know you're in Wisconsin when the rest stops have signs that say Cheese Gifts. So far, mostly I've visited with old friends and eaten too much. We stopped by the Henry Vilas Park Zoo this morning, but the flamingos and the rhinos weren't quite awake.

Sunday

Photo by me.

Lazy Person's Reading Group - August Update

Hmmm. I guess I've been lazy since my July update.

10. A book that pertains to a skill you do not, and never will have.

Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside by Katrina Firlik. Don't read this book when you have a headache, especially if you have a tendency to self-diagnose. Sections of this book were fascinating, but other passages, I just skimmed. The most important take-home message is WEAR A SEAT BELT.

8. A book that has recently received rave reviews. Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter. This is the second book in the Gallagher Girl series, and again the voice and the rising tension combine to make an enjoyable read. This time around, I could see some of the plot twists coming.

Young Folk BookFest

This year's Great Lakes Folk Festival at Michigan State University will also feature the Young Folk BookFest. Several terrific Michigan authors and illustrators will speak (schedule here), and the "Michigan Reads!" winner will be announced.

This all takes place on August 8 & 9 at the Young Folk BookFest tent, located on Abbot Road at Albert Avenue in East Lansing, MI.

Not only that, they used a picture of Science is Golden on the poster.

Another Dryad

The old man in the tree.

Photos by me.

Overheard #67

"I laugh in the face of optimism."

Wonderful Writing Retreat

The World's Greatest Critique group spent last weekend on a writing retreat at Topliff's Tara B&B. In the picture, the gentleman holding the llama (Gus Pacho) is Don Topliff who with his wife, Sheryl, run the bed and breakfast and raise llamas. The other people in the picture are Buffy Silverman, Tim Bogar, Lori Van Hoesen, Debbie Diesen, me, Kay Grimnes, and Ruth McNally Barshaw. Next year's photo will also include Amy Huntley and April Young.

They had a baby llama named Fergie who had an itch when I snapped that photo.

The moth is a "bird poop moth" also known as a beautiful wood nymph or pearly wood nymph. How's that for mimicry? Tim identified the moth and provided the link.

I spent the weekend among great friends and shared much laughter and a little wine.

I made some progress revising TAoCBS and figured out how much more there is to do.

Sunday

Photo by me.

My Poll

What do you do when you're sick of your work-in-progress?

Thanks to everyone who voted in my poll. I received a variety of answers, probably because different problems require different solutions. My approach was to persevere with CBL and finish the stylistic changes, then put it aside for a few days. During that time, I got a great idea, for one scene at least.

Today I leave on a writing retreat. I hope to tweak the beginning of CBL before I leave, then focus on TAoCBS while I'm away. I have the comments of three critique group members to ponder.

I scheduled this week's Sunday picture to appear, and I hope it will. Blogger can be willful. By the way, Jeremy calls my Sunday series "naturey things".

And speaking of Blogger's willfulness, I could not move the poll to the post column. Not to be thwarted, I copied it into PowerPoint, saved it as a JPEG then imported it as a picture. Thus, the resolution is terrible. I'm sure someone will tell me a better way to do this.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow, the World's Greatest Critique Group leaves for a writing retreat. A couple members won't be able to attend this year, and I miss them already. We'll be joined by a talented writer who isn't in our group. I am looking forward to tackling the many problems in TAoCBS.

Here, here and here are posts about last year's retreat.

Overheard #66

"Mythological genetics are not bound by Punnett Squares."

My Father's Secret War

My Father's Secret War
a memoir

by Lucinda Franks

Hyperion Books, 2007



I added this book to my Lazy Person's Reading Group list because I thought it would complement the other spy books I've been reading. I learned much about covert operations during World War II, but for me, the important lesson involved character development.

Lucinda Frank's father, Thomas Franks, was a spy for the US Navy during WWII, a fact not known to his family or friends. Like many soldiers returning from WWII, Tom Franks hoped to forget the atrocities he'd witnessed and refused to speak of them. In addition, he'd been ordered to secrecy. His daughter, Lucinda Franks, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, wheedled parts of the story out of him, battling his reticence and age-related memory loss.

I was taken by this quote that ends a description of a family Thanksgiving dinner.
"Chatter and clatter and wine corks popping and everything is normal except that the quiet, unassuming gentleman pushing in the chairs of the women has taught people to kill in cold blood."

Many characters harbor secrets, and how they choose to conceal them provides a goldmine for writers.

Sunday

Photo by me.