Thursday, January 31, 2008
First Sale o' 2008
A short story of mine, "A Thing about Spiders," has been accepted for publication at Fear and Trembling magazine.
Stay tuned.
Stay tuned.
Labels: Fear and Trembling, Writing
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
That Was Quick
Just finished the Jeopardy! online exam*. 50 questions. Up to 15 seconds each. Quite a few "huh?"s and several "I know I know that, but what is it?"s. Answered quite a few, though; most I think I got right. Time will tell.
Next step, if I passed, is to get my name drawn out of the hat when the roadshow comes to town. Pass that and it's interview time. Pass that and it's back to hoping my name gets drawn again, this time for the show.
Stay tuned.
*If you want to play along, there's time to sign up for the "West Coast" time zone exam, taking place tomorrow, January 31st.
Next step, if I passed, is to get my name drawn out of the hat when the roadshow comes to town. Pass that and it's interview time. Pass that and it's back to hoping my name gets drawn again, this time for the show.
Stay tuned.
*If you want to play along, there's time to sign up for the "West Coast" time zone exam, taking place tomorrow, January 31st.
Labels: Jeopardy
Friday, January 25, 2008
Jeopardy Odyssey
Those are two words darn hard to spell.
Also, they suggest what (I hope) will begin Wednesday, Jan. 30, and lead to a long and lucrative TV experience. Or a least a case of Rice-a-Roni (the San Francisco treat) and a copy of the home game.
That's right, I've signed up for the Jeopardy! Online Test. The East Coast test comes up Tuesday night, West Coast Thursday.
Join the fun.
Also, they suggest what (I hope) will begin Wednesday, Jan. 30, and lead to a long and lucrative TV experience. Or a least a case of Rice-a-Roni (the San Francisco treat) and a copy of the home game.
That's right, I've signed up for the Jeopardy! Online Test. The East Coast test comes up Tuesday night, West Coast Thursday.
Join the fun.
Labels: Jeopardy
Thursday, January 24, 2008
LEGO-Rama
Phil got a membership to the LEGO Brickmasters Club for Christmas. Since then he's really wanted to get photos of his LEGO creations online or in the LEGO Club magazine. So I snapped some pix the other day (with a cool quilt as a backdrop) and sent a few to the LEGO folks.
They looked like this:
They looked like this:
- Phil's 4-Gun Police Ship
- The "Functual Time" Truck
According to Phil, the FT Truck sells clocks and phones. If you look at the top of the truck you can see the F (reversed) and T for Functual (Phil's word) Time. - The Chase (widescreen)
- The LegoMaster
Saturday, January 19, 2008
"Cameron's Next Religious Exposé" Redux
"Greeks Protest Cameron's Next Religious Exposé," the article I wrote that appeared in the Nov/Dec '07 issue of The Wittenburg Door, is now available as a feature on their website.
Lots of other good stuff in that ish. Subscribe.
Lots of other good stuff in that ish. Subscribe.
Labels: In Print, Wittenburg Door, Writing
Friday, January 18, 2008
CFBA: Christian Writers' Market Guide 2008
This week, the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance is featuring the Christian Writers' Market Guide 2008 (WaterBrook Press) by Sally Stuart
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sally Stuart has been writing for the last 40+ years, and has been putting out the annual "Christian Writers' Market Guide" for the last 23 years. Her other writing includes several Christian education resources books, a children's picture book, a basic writing text, writing resources, and a western novel--plus hundreds of articles and marketing columns. She writes marketing columns for the "Christian Communicator," "Advanced Christian Writer," and the Oregon Christian Writers' Newsletter. She speaks and teaches at Christian Writers' Conferences nationwide. Sally is the mother of three and grandmother of eight. She and her husband, Norm, spend their free time vacationing on the Oregon coast.
Check out her blog!
ABOUT THE BOOK:
The essential reference tool for the Christian writer, Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide is now in its 23rd annual edition!
Check out the section on Blogging on page 69 ... the CFBA is listed!
Writers’ Conference listings, Book Publishers, Magazine Publishers, and a Bookstore filled with the resources you need to be successful in this business. Get a Book Contract or Manuscript Evaluation, and check out the Writer’s Resource links. This book has all you need to connect to all these valuable helps for the beginning, intermediate, or professional writer.
To keep you up to date with the latest marketing news, visit Sally Stuart’s new marketing blog, Christian Writers’ Marketplace, at http://www.stuartmarket.blogspot.com/.
A new, updated version of the Christian Writers’ Market Guide is available about January 15 each year.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Sally Stuart has been writing for the last 40+ years, and has been putting out the annual "Christian Writers' Market Guide" for the last 23 years. Her other writing includes several Christian education resources books, a children's picture book, a basic writing text, writing resources, and a western novel--plus hundreds of articles and marketing columns. She writes marketing columns for the "Christian Communicator," "Advanced Christian Writer," and the Oregon Christian Writers' Newsletter. She speaks and teaches at Christian Writers' Conferences nationwide. Sally is the mother of three and grandmother of eight. She and her husband, Norm, spend their free time vacationing on the Oregon coast.Check out her blog!
ABOUT THE BOOK:The essential reference tool for the Christian writer, Sally Stuart’s Christian Writers’ Market Guide is now in its 23rd annual edition!
Check out the section on Blogging on page 69 ... the CFBA is listed!
Writers’ Conference listings, Book Publishers, Magazine Publishers, and a Bookstore filled with the resources you need to be successful in this business. Get a Book Contract or Manuscript Evaluation, and check out the Writer’s Resource links. This book has all you need to connect to all these valuable helps for the beginning, intermediate, or professional writer.
To keep you up to date with the latest marketing news, visit Sally Stuart’s new marketing blog, Christian Writers’ Marketplace, at http://www.stuartmarket.blogspot.com/.
A new, updated version of the Christian Writers’ Market Guide is available about January 15 each year.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Phil: Boy of Science
Tonight was the Science Fair at Phil's elementary school. Phil's entry dealt with what happens when you make significant modifications to one of his LEGO toys. It was his first time to participate in a science fair and he's happy with his participant's ribbon.
Here's a pic of the happy scientist.
In conjuction with the Science Fair, the school also had math and science activities for the kids to play. Among other things, Phil estimated area with Ms. Spencer, played a predictions game with Mrs. Wheeler (his teacher), and helped the blue eyes catch up with the browns (OK, not quite).
Next year we'll see if they lift the ban on explosives and Phil can enter his rocket engine-modified LEGO car....
Here's a pic of the happy scientist.
In conjuction with the Science Fair, the school also had math and science activities for the kids to play. Among other things, Phil estimated area with Ms. Spencer, played a predictions game with Mrs. Wheeler (his teacher), and helped the blue eyes catch up with the browns (OK, not quite).
Next year we'll see if they lift the ban on explosives and Phil can enter his rocket engine-modified LEGO car....
Labels: Philpix, Second Grade
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Meeting Melody and Mike
(Yes, class, that's alliteration.)
Last night we drove out to Arlington to attend a book signing and reading by Melody Graves. Melody was one of the authors who appeared in the premiere issue of Coach's Midnight Diner, and she was reading a new short story and signing copies of CMD. The reading was well attended and the book sold well.
In addition to getting to meet Melody, I also got to meet another CMD author (and Dallasite), Mike Medina. Good times.
The Relief Journal website has more on the signing and an interview with Melody. Enjoy!
Last night we drove out to Arlington to attend a book signing and reading by Melody Graves. Melody was one of the authors who appeared in the premiere issue of Coach's Midnight Diner, and she was reading a new short story and signing copies of CMD. The reading was well attended and the book sold well.
In addition to getting to meet Melody, I also got to meet another CMD author (and Dallasite), Mike Medina. Good times.
The Relief Journal website has more on the signing and an interview with Melody. Enjoy!
Monday, January 07, 2008
The Return of Monday Nights
Much as I enjoy Heroes it's nice not having the middle of my evening interrupted by the tube. (Then again, things were getting darn interesting before the writers' strike halted production, so I'm gonna try to not get too comfy with my reclaimed 8-9p Central.)
Of course, new eps of Monk and Psych start up again this week. <sigh> There goes Friday...
Of course, new eps of Monk and Psych start up again this week. <sigh> There goes Friday...
Labels: Heroes, Monk, Psych, Television
Sunday, January 06, 2008
2007: Reading and Writing
Around the end of summer, last year, I stopped logging the books I finished reading. I've done my best to figure out what I read, but still come up about five books short of my book-a-week goal. Here's what I read:
I did manage to read a short story a week, making it through all 31 stories in the Dorothy L. Sayers anthology and 24 stories in The Art of Fiction (plus the short stories we read in class).
Although I did worse than recent years in the reading department, I more than made up for it with writing. 18 short stories and satirical "news" articles published, second-placing in the Genesis contest (opening pages of novel), two stories slated for publication this year (with another one or two in limbo). All that and upwards of $800 makes for a pretty good year for me.
How was your 2007?
- Fight Club
- Unfortunate Events: The End
- Masterpieces in 3-D*
- Seventy Times Seven
- Germ (ARC)
- The Hard Goodbye (graphic novel)
- Trinity (3 of 3 - graphic novel)
- Batman Gothic (graphic novel)
- Deadline
- House of Invention*
- Coral Moon
- Lisey's Story
- Flannery O'Connor: The Complete Stories
- It's Not Funny if I Have to Explain It
- 10 Classics in 10 Minutes
- The Utter Zoo Alphabet
- Mystery & Crime (The NY Public Library Book of Answers)*
- The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower
- 24 Declassified: Cat's Claw
- Star Trek: The Modala Imperitive (graphic novel)
- Cell
- Tribulation House
- Unknown Man No. 89
- Teaching for Student Achievement Guidebook*
- The Complete Guide to Editing Your Fiction*
- The Crucible
- Broken Prey
- Elementary, the Cartoonist Did It
- The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
- Of Mice and Men
- A Raisin in the Sun
- Napalm and Silly Putty
- Secret Window*
- Shutter Island
- Of Other Worlds*
- Art Masterpieces in 3D*
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Iron Joe Bob
- Rising Stars (graphic novel)
- The Death of Superman (graphic novel)
- Firefly: The Official Companion - Vol. 1
- How Fiction Works*
- Coach's Midnight Diner
- The Original Hitchhiker Radio Scripts
- Soul Circus
- The Pearl
- The Gashlycrumb Tinies
*non-fiction; average pages per book: 266
I did manage to read a short story a week, making it through all 31 stories in the Dorothy L. Sayers anthology and 24 stories in The Art of Fiction (plus the short stories we read in class).
Although I did worse than recent years in the reading department, I more than made up for it with writing. 18 short stories and satirical "news" articles published, second-placing in the Genesis contest (opening pages of novel), two stories slated for publication this year (with another one or two in limbo). All that and upwards of $800 makes for a pretty good year for me.
How was your 2007?
Friday, January 04, 2008
A Good Word for Dell
Although I'm an Apple guy, Dina is not. Neither. Not an Apple person, nor a guy. Go figure, but it works well for us. She has a Dell laptop, purchased last year, bit of an oversized monster, but it works. At least it was working until a few days ago when it stopped charging. Three guesses as to why: bad power cord/transformer; bad battery; bad AC jack on the motherboard. Optimist I am (not), I was expecting the motherboard jack had come loose; big repair bill equals most likely cause o' problem in my little world.
This afternoon we lugged her laptop and power cord down to the Dell retail shop at NorthPark Mall in Dallas. Friendly guy at the service counter took the power cord, plugged it in; little green light on the transformer box didn't come on so problem solved. Turns out it was still under warranty (even though we didn't have warrantee paperwork with us he looked up the laptop serial number in Dell's big database o' facts and verified the warranty info instead of laughing at us and our pathetic filing skills). So he got us a fresh power cord ensemble, plugged it into the wall (green light!) and Dina's laptop, and checked a BIOS setting to make sure it was charging (for which I'm grateful because in my little world just because one problem is solved at no charge doesn't mean there's not a second, more costly problem lurking out there, too). It was charging (Yay!), and we packed things back up and were on our way.
So, Dell support/service guy, thank you very much. It's nice to take a vacation from my little world every now and again.
* Dina had to go with a refurb-ed unit to get XP on it as Dell was Vista-only at the time; they've since come to their senses...
This afternoon we lugged her laptop and power cord down to the Dell retail shop at NorthPark Mall in Dallas. Friendly guy at the service counter took the power cord, plugged it in; little green light on the transformer box didn't come on so problem solved. Turns out it was still under warranty (even though we didn't have warrantee paperwork with us he looked up the laptop serial number in Dell's big database o' facts and verified the warranty info instead of laughing at us and our pathetic filing skills). So he got us a fresh power cord ensemble, plugged it into the wall (green light!) and Dina's laptop, and checked a BIOS setting to make sure it was charging (for which I'm grateful because in my little world just because one problem is solved at no charge doesn't mean there's not a second, more costly problem lurking out there, too). It was charging (Yay!), and we packed things back up and were on our way.
So, Dell support/service guy, thank you very much. It's nice to take a vacation from my little world every now and again.
* Dina had to go with a refurb-ed unit to get XP on it as Dell was Vista-only at the time; they've since come to their senses...
Labels: Dell
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Oh Boy
(both the Buddy Holly and the Allan Sherman versions)
It's been a while since I've blogged. Not a lot happening other than our home being overtaken by LEGOs and books a'plenty for my birthday, Christmas, and (because its what my folks do to welcome the new year) New Year's Day.
And I'm into the O's now in my alphamabetical iPod quest.
Doesn't if feel good to be caught up?
And a Happy New Year to you, too.
It's been a while since I've blogged. Not a lot happening other than our home being overtaken by LEGOs and books a'plenty for my birthday, Christmas, and (because its what my folks do to welcome the new year) New Year's Day.
And I'm into the O's now in my alphamabetical iPod quest.
Doesn't if feel good to be caught up?
And a Happy New Year to you, too.
