The Two Rs - Reading & Writing...

My Blog is Broken

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 18:15:00 +0000

If you land on my blog and it hangs your computer, my apologies! It’s hanging mine as well, which is why I’ve stopped blogging. I couldn’t stand the frustration anymore.

I did spend an entire weekend troubleshooting, but that turned out to be a giant waste of my time. Blogger doesn’t like something on this blog and I can’t figure out what it is. Although it may be an Internet Explorer issue, because it seems to open fine in Firefox and Safari.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know why I wasn’t blogging. But don't worry, I'm still out there in webland.

From The Funny File...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:28:00 +0000

Ah, romance. Isn't this sweet?

Another New Release from my CP

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 17 May 2008 20:58:00 +0000

Mixed Blessings

Daniela Blessing’s ability to see crimes through the eyes of victims is a mixed blessing. She thinks she’s a handmaiden of Fate, but when Vincent Gabriele accosts her one sunny morning he calls it eye for an eye justice. He’s willing to keep her secrets—if she helps him. Despite his blackmail tactics, Danni would help, except her psychic abilities evaporate whenever Vincent is around. As truths emerge unlocking Vincent’s past, some of Danni’s history is also revealed. They’ve been intrinsically tied in the past, and their future is about to become a Destiny neither of them expected.

Buy it HERE.

My CP Has a New Release Out!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 00:03:00 +0000

Ready to Reel

When Suzette Michaud reels into the arms of a man she wouldn’t ordinarily look twice at, she reexamines her priorities. Fed up with the social limitations her parents, and her French boarding school background impressed upon her, she decides it’s time to take a walk on the wild side. Handlebar Hank and his Honky Tonk are just the distraction she needs.

She doesn’t count on falling in love with the rough around the edges man, especially when he insists on treating her—a forty-six year old divorcee—like some blushing virgin. And she certainly doesn’t suspect that his big body, heart and sense of humor hide a bigger hurt than she ever could have imagined. Can a wounded bar owner and a bitter French debutante/divorcee make each other feel whole again, or are they just reeling into more heartbreak?

Buy it HERE!

Things That Make You Go Hmm

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 15:59:00 +0000

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?'

From The Funny File...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 15:55:00 +0000

Bob was in trouble. He forgot his wedding anniversary.

His wife was really pissed. She told him "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE!!"

The next morning he got up early and left for work. When his wife woke up, she looked out the window and sure enough, there was a box gift-wrapped in the middle of the driveway. Confused, the wife put on her robe and ran out to the driveway, brought the box back in the house.

She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale.

Bob has been missing since Friday.

World Wide Weather Whacked

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Rare snowstorm hits the Middle East, closing schools and delighting children
By Ian Deitch, The Associated Press

JERUSALEM - A rare snowstorm swept the Middle East on Wednesday, blanketing parts of the Holy Land in white, shutting schools and sending excited children into the streets for snowball fights.

The weather in Jerusalem topped local newscasts, eclipsing a government report on Israel's 2006 war in Lebanon.

Jerusalem's Old City was coated in white. A few ultra-Orthodox Jews, wearing plastic bags over their hats to keep them dry, prayed at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site.

Snow falls in Jerusalem once or twice each winter, but temperatures rarely drop low enough for it to stick.

But this time the Israeli weather service said up to 20 centimetres of snow fell in the city.

By late morning, the snow changed to rain, turning the city into a slushy mess. But forecasters says temperatures are expected to drop, and the snow would continue through Thursday morning.

"I'm originally from Gaza where snow never falls," said Bothaina Smairi, 28, who was out in Ramallah, on the West Bank, taking photographs.

"The white snow is covering the old world and I feel like I am in a new world where everything is white, clean, and beautiful."

Heavy snow also was reported in the Golan Heights and the northern Israeli town of Safed, and throughout the West Bank.

In Ramallah, residents were surprised to see snow when they awoke. For some, it was their first time.

"I am just astonished with the snow. When I saw the snow this morning, I felt happy, my heart was laughing," said Mary Zabaro, 17.

In Amman, where a foot of snow fell, children used inflatable tubes as sleds. Some roads were temporarily closed.

Snow covered most mountain villages and blocked roads in Lebanon. The storm disrupted power supplies in most Lebanese towns and villages, exacerbating existing power cuts. Parts of the Beirut-Damascus highway were closed.

Temperatures in Syria dipped below freezing and snow blanketed the hills overlooking the capital, Damascus.

Article found HERE.

And in my little corner of the world it's so windy here today the general public is being advised to "exercise much extreme caution." I wonder if my new roof will hold up to its MPH rating!

Cassie Edwards – Plagiarism

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 18:49:00 +0000

Every once in a while there’s a tempest that sweeps through the industry. Generally, they die a normal death in a week or so.

The current storm surrounding Cassie Edwards--the allegations of plagiarism against her--is showing no signs of a natural death. Instead, the winds of destruction have gained strength and they are heading straight for CE herself.

In case you’ve been out of the loop, or hiding under a rock, I first learned of this last week HERE, but the story broke HERE. They've also provided a PDF of similarites. Dear Author is covering the story as well.

There were some that may have had sympathy for CE at the get go, but I’d say that’s dwindling, if not disappeared. What was the woman thinking? And don’t give me that “she’s old” story. Old does not equate with stupid. Who of us doesn’t know what plagiarism is? I could ask my mother—who is older than CE and has never written a word in her life—what plagiarism is, and she could tell me. She could tell me it’s something unacceptable. She’d tell me never to fall into such an immoral, unethical trap.

When the story first hit, it seemed that CE was just “taking” from works that are now public domain. Out of copyright. And that she didn’t know that what she was doing was wrong. Uh huh. You can check out the AP story HERE, and get her response—and her husband’s.

As I said, the storm has gained strength. Now it’s been discovered she’s been “taking” from works that are still protected under copyright. Non-fiction and fiction.

The latest is that she’s taken from Pulitzer Prize winning Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge. And Hiawatha by Longfellow!

Both the RWA and Signet—CE’s publisher—initially pooh-poohed the issue and stated no wrongdoing. Signet has reassessed that statement and is now diligently checking all of CE’s work.

This just makes me sick. I’d originally thought to stay out of this, but the blatant wrongness of it overwhelms me. How can any writer claim not to know this is wrong? Here’s an excerpt from my contract for my little e-book.

Author Warrantees
Author warrants that s/he is the author and sole owner of the Work or has been assigned the rights delineated above; that it is original and contains no matter unlawful in its content, nor does it violate the rights of any third party; that the Work is not in the public domain. Author also warrants that these rights are owned or controlled by him/her without encumbrance and that Author has full power to grant the listed rights to Publisher.

I’m guessing a big house like Signet had CE sign something similar.

Oh yeah, the storm is fierce now. And it's blowing CE right toward the fan along with you know what.

Can you Even Imagine??

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 03:41:00 +0000

Twins separated at birth met and married
Fri Jan 11, 2:33 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters)-A couple discovered after they had married that they were twins who had been split up at birth and adopted by separate families, according to a member of Britain's House of Lords.

British peer David Alton recounted the story to parliament last month to support his argument that artificially conceived children should be told who their biological parents are.

Alton said he had heard the story of the separated twins from a High Court judge who had dealt with the case.

"This did not involve in vitro fertilization: It involved the normal birth of twins who were separated at birth and adopted by separate parents," said Alton, an independent member of the Lords. "They were never told that they were twins."

"They met later in life and felt an inevitable attraction, and the judge had to deal with the consequences of the marriage that they entered into and all the issues of their separation," he said.

"I suspect that it will be a matter of litigation in the future if we do not make information of this kind available to children who have been donor-conceived," he said.

Alton could not immediately be reached for comment and no further information was available about the twins or where they were from.

"I think it's a very tragic story for the people involved," said Pam Hodgkins, head of a group that helps adults affected by adoption.

"It is a lesson that we need to learn and apply to the situation of donor-conceived children," she told Sky News.

"Whilst ... nowadays it would be most unusual for siblings to be separated ... the risk of secrecy affecting the lives of people born as a result of egg and sperm donation is exactly the same as the risks that have affected adopted people in the past," she said.

Story found HERE.

From The Funny File...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:09:00 +0000

Never let your mother-in-law do the wedding invitations!

Click the pic for a larger image.

Check Out This New Release!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 04:05:00 +0000

Settling Back - Lainey Bancroft

Hey gang, my CP has a new release.

Angelina Jordan has lived up to her late mother’s wish that she never settle for an ordinary life and it’s left her feeling—unsettled. When the grandmother who raised her breaks a hip, she returns to the tiny northern Ontario town she couldn’t wait to escape and is surprised to discover it feels like home for the first time in years. She is also amazed to discover she still shares an incredible connection with Billy, her high school sweetheart. It’s just too bad he’s the same carefree and utterly lacking in ambition man she left behind. How can she be so attracted to who he is, when she finds what he is distasteful?

Why not head on over HERE and buy yourself a copy?

Don't Worry, The Bleeding Has Stopped

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 00:30:00 +0000

Yeah, I fell off my chair and hit my head when I saw this headline. But then I read it and well, maybe, just maybe, she has a point.

Publishing a Book in the Digital Age is a Snap
Source: By CANDACE CHOI, The Associated Press
Posted: 01/02/08 12:10PM

NEW YORK (AP) Getting a book published isn't the rarefied literary feat it once was.

New printing technologies are making published authors of legions of aspiring writers, a population that once toiled for years on tomes that might not see the light of day.

The vast majority of today's instant authors may sell only a few dozen copies of their books, but on-demand publishing is letting thousands realize the ambitions of generations of would-be writers.

On-demand publisher Lulu.com has churned out 236,000 paperbacks since it opened in 2002, and its volume of new paperbacks has risen each month this year, hitting 14,74 in November. Retail giant Amazon.com got into the game this summer, offering on-demand publishing through its CreateSpace, which was already letting filmmakers and musicians burn DVDs and CDs.

The programs are easy for just about anyone to use: Authors select basic options, including the book's size, binding style and paperback or hardcover. After the manuscript is uploaded, users go to a page where they select a font and design the book's cover. Even after a book has been printed they can fix typos for later printings.

Unlike vanity publishing, in which aspiring authors pay to have their books run on traditional presses, on-demand publishing doesn't have to cost writers a cent.

Publishers produce books only after they're ordered and paid for, which eliminates overruns and the need for warehousing. They charge for printing, or take a cut of sales, and they set up payment systems, online bookstores and Web marketing tools.

Some authors publish on-demand books in hopes of catching the eye of a major publisher. But not all writers who use on-demand publishers aspire to write the great American novel.

The system also allows small businesses to print high-end brochures, screenwriters to shop their scripts around and others to assemble wedding and other special-event books for friends and family.

"I'm just amazed I have the book in my hand," said Catherine Dyer, a 49-year-old Atlanta resident who co-authored a cookbook with her four sisters through Lulu.com. "I knew trying to get a traditional publisher would take ages. With this, I knew at the onset I could have a book in my hand."

"You Want Me To Bring a Dish?" — the sisters' 104-page cookbook — sells for $22.76. They've ordered about 100 copies to stock stores around Atlanta and are promoting the book through local signings and radio appearances.

Dyer's already brainstorming ideas for a spinoff.

"Cause I know I can get it published," she said.

The challenge for authors now is getting the word out about their work.

"It's all about the marketing and distribution. We realized early on that that was the bigger challenge," said Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO of Blurb.com, an on-demand publisher with 11,000 available self-published titles.

To help authors, Blurb automatically creates widgets that can be dragged and dropped onto other Web sites.

What makes self-publishing viable is the Internet, which gives writers instant access to audiences that share their same interests, no matter how obscure. Authors also use online communities such as blogs, MySpace.com and others to market their works.

"It used to be, if you created a book about an obscure topic, your audience was limited. Now maybe you're part of an online gardening community, and you already have an audience of 5,000 who care deeply about roses," Gittins said.

For most aspiring authors, a book deal with a major publishing house remains the ultimate dream, however.

Big companies like Random House Inc. or HarperCollins Publishers can promote authors on a national scale and get titles in major bookstores. Professional editors also polish copy in the traditional publishing world, a step that can transform a manuscript into a best-seller or perhaps a masterpiece.

"The value and cachet of being with a larger house is still something authors value," said Tina Jordan, vice president of the Association of American Publishers.

Users of Amazon.com's CreateSpace are listed the same way as literary giants online. Keyword searches will pull up self-published books along with those of Grisham, Shakespeare, Hemingway or Rowling.

The writers are willing to live with drawbacks that would drive a purist crazy. Printing quality can vary, with images possibly emerging denser or brighter in some copies. Some in the industry say the quality of on-demand publishing has improved greatly and few would be able to distinguish the difference from those printed on traditional presses. And on-demand books are priced according to their length, making them pricier than books printed en masse.

But Gittins said shoppers are willing to pay a little more for a book tailored to a specific audience.
"It's really an opportunity for people to get their creative content out there to millions of people," said Stacey Hurwitz, spokeswoman for CreateSpace.

Article found HERE.

Talk About Not Reading the Fine Print!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 02:00:00 +0000

$85K cellphone bill shocks Bell user

Customer refuses to pay even after Bell knocks debt down to $4,000

Jorge Barrera
CanWest News Service

Thursday, December 13, 2007

A Grande Prairie, Alta. man is gearing for a fight with his service provider after receiving an $85,000 bill for using his cellphone as a modem for almost two months.

Bell Canada has since cut the bill down to around $4,000 but Piotr Staniaszek, 22, of Grande Prairie said he has no plans to pay it off -- and challenged the company to make the next move.

"There is no way I can afford it as a 22-year-old living in Grande Prairie, working in the oil industry that's going slow. I am not even working right now," said Staniaszek in a cellphone interview using the same Motorola KRZR that's brought him the debt grief.

Staniaszek said Bell never made the rates clear and should have at least alerted him when his bill started climbing into the stratosphere. He was using his cellphone as an Internet modem for his computer, believing it was part of his mobile web-browsing package.

He said he started using the phone as modem in October. His November bill hit him between the eyes with a $60,000 charge. Then it grew to $85,000.

"They never called me when it got up to $1,000 or $2,000 or $30,000 and I kept using the Internet. It is kind of unfair," Staniaszek said.

He said he didn't know about the $15-per-megabyte modem charge.

A spokesman for Bell said Staniaszek downloaded the equivalent of 10 high-resolution movies in one month. Mark Langton said accessing the modem service requires online registration and agreeing to terms spelling out the higher fees.

"It is quite clear it wasn't accidental. You have to agree to the conditions," he said.

Langton said the size of the bill was an anomaly. Staniaszek's billing cycle managed to slip through a newly implemented data-usage monitoring system, he said.

But the company expects him to pay.

"He used the network, used the service and did so knowingly and willingly," he said.

Consumers' Association of Canada president Bruce Cran said Staniaszek has the right to refuse to pay.

"The bill is absolutely ludicrous. They should have noticed something very wrong when they sent the billing," Cran said.

Staniaszek's father, Piotr Staniaszek, 53, also thinks his son should fight the company to the end. "They're bloodsuckers," said the elder Staniaszek, a physicist who lives in Calgary and came to Canada from Poland 22 years ago.

Story found HERE.

Right Brain or Left Brain?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 22:51:00 +0000

The Right Brain vs Left Brain test ... do you see the dancer turning clockwise or anti-clockwise?

If clockwise, then you use more of the right side of the brain and vice versa.

Most of us would see the dancer turning anti-clockwise though you can try to focus and change the direction; see if you can do it.

LEFT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses logic
detail oriented
facts rule
words and language
present and past
math and science
can comprehend
knowing
acknowledges
order/pattern perception
knows object name
reality based
forms strategies
practical
safe

RIGHT BRAIN FUNCTIONS
uses feeling
"big picture" oriented
imagination rules
symbols and images
present and future
philosophy & religion
can "get it" (i.e. meaning)
believes
appreciates
spatial perception
knows object function
fantasy based
presents possibilities
impetuous
risk taking

I've had left/right/quadrant tests done, and while I'm predominantly left brained, it's only by a hair. I'm still quite strong in the right brain capabilities. You?

I found this HERE. If you like stuff like this, check out some of the links under it. The helicopter one is cool.

Yes, I’m Still Alive

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 20:38:00 +0000

Thought I should pop in here and let you all know I haven’t fallen off the planet.

I got sick at the beginning of the month (so much for Nano!) and really haven’t been able to get my head back into the game.

Also, I’ve been seriously thinking about stepping away from blogging and forums to spend a bit more time concentrating on what I really should be using my time for. You know, writing!

So, don’t panic if I only pop my head up from time to time. Everything is cool.

NaNo - Day 5

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 03:22:00 +0000

It's a sad face day! For a few reasons. Last night I started coughing before I went to sleep. Didn't think much of it.

Day 5 = 546 before work this morning
Total = 9,356

By noon I had a fever! Now a fever is a good thing, it means my body is fighting something off. However, a fever isn't conducive to writing. So we're leaving it at 546 for the day and hoping to be back in form for tomorrow.

Damn flu season!

NaNo - Day 4

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:21:00 +0000

Man, my little fingers are on fire! The keyboad is going to start smoking.

Day 4 = 2,298
Total = 8,810

Now, I wanted to be at 10K today, but since I'm still a few thousand past target, I'm not going to complain!

So, how is everyone else doing?

NaNo - Day 3

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:50:00 +0000

Another good day today! Not as much as I was hoping for, but still better than a poke in the eye.

Day 3 = 2,755
Total = 6,012

I'm pretty amazed at myself, I gotta say. I've never written so much, so fast. Here's hoping I can keep up the pace!

NaNo - Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 01:56:00 +0000

Okay, I didn't do as much as yesterday, but I'm still feeling stoked.

Day 2 = 1,091
Total = 3,224

I've set aside some writing time this weekend, so let's hope I don't get too distracted by life!

I've got a sad face to use on days I don't do so well. How cool would it be if I never got to use it?

NaNo - Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 02:12:00 +0000

Okay, put your hands in the air and wave them around with me.

Day 1 = 2,133 words.

Woohoo! Was it a fluke or can I do it again? Stay with me people, and we shall see.

NanoNanoNana!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:53:00 +0000

No TT today, gang. For the next month, all my free time, and some that isn’t free, is going to be spent writing.

At least, that’s the plan.

For those that aren’t in the know, November 1st marks the beginning of National Novel Writing Month. The object is to write 50K words by November 30th. And in a delusional moment or two, I’ve decided that it just may be possible for me to do this. So, if you feel like poking and prodding me on, please do so. I’m sure I’ll need all the help I can get!

I’ll be posting daily to let you all know my progress. Hopefully I’ll have cause to cheer, not hang my head in shame.

Oh, well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Or as my dad says, nothing beats a trial but a failure.

Let the madness begin!!

Word Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:07:00 +0000

Monday's Word of the Day

captious {kap-shes}
adjective

1. apt to notice and make much of trivial faults or defects; faultfinding; difficult to please.
2. proceeding from a faultfinding or caviling disposition: He could never praise without adding a captious remark.
3. apt or designed to ensnare or perplex, esp. in argument: captious questions.

Hmm, since I get the sense that captious criticism likely isn't constructive criticism, I'm glad my CP isn't captious. :o)

Thursday Thirteen #29

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:42:00 +0000

13 Memories That Will Date Me.

1. When gas was 27 cents a litre (3.79 litres = 1 US gallon)
2. When little boys wanted to grow up to be David Hassellhof
3. Installing Windows 3.1 from 6 floppy disks
4. Installing Windows 95 from 13 floppy disks
5. When Michael Jackson was still black
6. Lenny and Squiggy
7. When you thought 256K RAM rocked
8. The original cast of Saturday Night Live
9. When Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon
10. When The People's Court with Judge Wapner was the only courtroom show on TV
11. Bellbottoms – the first time around
12. Tetris – the original
13. New Coke

Yep, I was born in the '60s. What about you? Any memories that instantly date you?

Word Up!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:21:00 +0000

Monday's Word of the Day

antiheroine
noun

- A female protagonist, as in a novel or play, whose attitudes and behavior are not typical of a conventional heroine.

I am the antiheroine.

Thursday Thirteen #28

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:50:00 +0000

13 (+5 bonus) names of towns/cities that may cause you to pause before answering the question - where do you live?

1. Intercourse, Pennsylvania
2. Hell, Michigan
3. Blue Ball, Pennsylvania
4. Climax, Michigan
5. Experiment, Georgia
6. Boring, Oregon
7. Poop Creek, Oregon
8. Poopoo, Hawaii
9. Batcave, North Carolina
10. Beer Bottle Crossing, Idaho
11. Dull, Ohio
12. Toad Suck, Arkansas
13. Frog Suck, Wyoming
14. Bastard, Ontario
15. Jerry's Nose, Newfoundland
16. Dildo, Newfoundland
17. Crotch Lake, Ontario
18. Swastika, Ontario

Okay, there were so many I couldn't stop at 13. And these are only the North American names I found. There are some doozies internationally. I may have to do a part deux at some point.

I bet you most of these places don't have any big businesses. Imagine your company letterhead saying Dildo, NF? Of course, there could be some marketing mileage out of some of these. Like if the Gillette Company manufactured razors in Crotch Lake. Or some tweezers company was located in Jerry's Nose.

So, where do you live?