Thursday, May 21, 2009

Stay on Subject!

This article from Fox News breaks one of the most fundamental rules I learned as a writer...STAY ON SUBJECT!

Obama 'Distracted' by Biden's 'Indiscipline,' Book Asserts
The president is so "distracted by his vice president's indiscipline" that he has been forced to rebuke privately Vice President Biden, according to a new book by Richard Wolffe.

President Obama is so "distracted by his vice president's indiscipline" that he has been forced to rebuke privately Vice President Joe Biden, according to a new book by Newsweek journalist Richard Wolffe, who interviewed Obama a dozen times.

"He can't keep his mouth shut," Wolffe quotes a "senior Obama aide" as saying of the gaffe-prone Biden in "Renegade: The Making of a President," set for release June 2.


The article goes on to site one--ONE--example involving Valerie Jarrett. The article then mentions Obama's praise for former President Reagan, then Wolfe is quoted describing Obama's youth as a party animal, and then Obama's trip next month to Egypt where he wants to convene a "Muslim Summit." The article ends with a quote from Obama about racial relations.

Someone please tell me what Reagan/Obama's youth/Egypt "Muslim Summit"/racial relations have to do with Biden's ineptitude??? The headline is about Obama being "distracted" every time Biden opens his mouth...what does that have to do with Reagan? Or this "Muslim Summit?"

Don't get me wrong. I like Fox News. I also like CNN. I like getting more than one side of an issue (I'm a little bit of a radical that way). That way I can make up my own mind. The conclusion I've drawn from this article is that Bill Sammon (byline) either ran out of story and had to fill in the rest of the space, or he forgot how to STAY ON SUBJECT!

UPDATE

Okay, maybe this doesn't perfectly go with the above post, but this is what the article SHOULD be talking about.



Got it here!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

First Book Received

Received my first Leucrota Press book, The Kult, the other day. I'm about 1/4 of the way through and I hope to be able to finish it over the weekend. Mom's going out of town again, just for the weekend, so I should have plenty of uninterrupted time to read. I'll post a review here, as well as Amazon, B&N, Borders, & BAM. Anyone know of any other bookseller sites where I could post a review to?

So far, I must say, it's an interesting read. It takes place in England--I'm not sure if the author mentioned a city...I'll check later--involving a police officer named Prosper Snow (I'll say this much for the author, he does know how to pick unusual names!). When he and his friends were in school, they formed a mutual protection pact called The Kult...if one was being bullied, the others would ensure the bullying stopped...whatever the costs. Stopping short of murder, of course. Now, years later, one of The Kult needs help, and he doesn't want them to stop short of murder. There's also a serial murder case going on which Prosper is investigating. The scenes involving the serial killer, "the Oracle," are quite gory and I'm finding it a little difficult to read the murder scenes because the gore factor is so high. This is due to my own personal squeamishness and not the skill of the writer. The conflict arises from the fact that Prosper feels a loyalty toward his old friends, but at the same time, he's a cop and a cop shouldn't be getting involved in a murder conspiracy.

How will Prosper, um, prosper? I hope to know by the end of the weekend.

Shanna Moakler Resigns From Post as Miss California Pageant Director

Hmmm...how do I feel about this?

Well, if I had any real interest in the Pageant business, I'd feel...pretty damned good!

We live in a country where we are allowed to think as we choose. If two people's opinions don't match, that's okay. We don't need to drag each other through the mud and call each other names...is that supposed to change the other person's mind?

So now Shanna Moakler is so upset with Trump deciding Carrie Prejean can keep her crown that she's resigning from Miss California organization. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Carrie Prejean is due to give up her position in a few months. Couldn't Shanna swallow her bile long enough for Carrie to leave her post and then ensure all remaining Miss California's march to her party line? And, oh, I don't know, maybe grow a little as a person? Nope, guess not. She'd rather sulk and stamp her feet like a child...and she wants to be a role model for her children.

Another brava for Carrie.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Viva Las Vegas!

Tomorrow, my mother leaves for Las Vegas and I get the house to myself for the whole week! Wo-hoo! The only not-nice part is I have to get up at 5:30 tomorrow to drive her to the airport. I may wind up skipping church and coming home to catch up on sleep...that or I'll be there reeeeaaaallly early. We'll see.

The nice thing about having the house to myself is being able to focus on my writing. I know it's all in my head, but I have a hard time focusing on my writing at home when she's around. It's not like she's hovering over my shoulder, reading what I write. She actually leaves me alone and doesn't bug me or anything. It's just the fact that she's THERE that distracts me. I can usually shut it out for a while and get some things done, but it's not the same as when I'm totally alone.

Anyway, while she's hitting the casinos and the shows, I'll be getting some serious writing done. Registration for SCWW starts in a month and I need to register early to get a good editor to critique my work. I so badly need to outline so I have some idea of where my story is going. Part of the critique submission is a synopsis and if I have no idea where my story is going, how can I write one?

My writing group is totally awesome! I just came back from a meeting with them and they gave me a great new idea for a scene that'll work perfectly in my story. So if you'll excuse me, I have work to do while Mom packs.