Happy New Year & A New Book Trailer!

To all my subscribers and readers, I'd like to wish every one of you the happiest new year! Although it's not officially 2007 for another couple of hours, let's take the time to reflect on what we have accomplished in the past year. Did we meet our goals? Did we try to be the best we can be?

I hope every one of you found your dreams; and if not, let's work even harder at finding what we are looking for and becoming who we want to be in the upcoming year. But, no matter what kind of resolutions you have lined up, the main key is to be happy.

With that in mind, I wish you a Happy New Year and may all your dreams come true!

Also, I'd like to show you a new video I made of my book, ROMANCING THE SOUL. Enjoy!

Check Out My Smoky Mountain Vacation Photo Video!

I'm going photo video nuts! I made another video that you might enjoy. These are pictures I took in the Smoky Mountains last September. It's beautiful...check it out!

http://www83.rockyou.com/show_my_gallery.php?instanceid=48983863

Nurse Kratchet Photo Video Debut

Everyone knows that my daughter and my boyfriend really don't see eye to eye, putting it mildly.

To keep peace, they don't say anything to each other when I'm around, and basically, they act as if they are tolerating each other pretty well.

Truth be known, they do stuff to each other when I'm not looking...like hearing the other one pull up in the driveway and jumping in the shower real quick. Now, to clarify, it's a game they play--who can get in the shower first and use up all the hot water so the other one has none.

That's only one of many games they play which really irks me.

Well, I put together this little photo video of my daughter graduating from nursing school, right? She's known around here as Nurse Kratchet...well...truth be known...Nurse Kratchet has finally gotten the last one over BF...here's the photo video...

Christmas '06

Boomer Chick is exhausted. I wanted to tell everyone Merry Christmas before I go to bed.

Christmas was weird for me this year, and I'm trying to zero in on why, but it hasn't hit yet. BF said that it could be that I've not gotten much sleep the past few days. That on top of having a cold, and having to work and other things, I guess the Christmas spirit just didn't visit my house this year.

I'm trying to think back on what in the heck happened. Last year was great, but what was it about this year that was less than spectacular?

Well, I didn't have a car. Car has been sitting in the yard for a couple months now. Needs a starter, I think. So, getting out and about is next to impossible. I at first thought it wasn't so bad being as I don't get out and about except for working anyway. But, Christmas is a time to get out and what few times I did get it, it was rush, rush, rush.

I never took my son shopping. Anyone who reads this blog knows how much I love my son, and every year, we go on an annual shopping trip. My daughter goes along, we eat at Texas Road House, and have fun. I didn't get that this year.

Hmmm....

Money was a slight problem, too, since I haven't recooped from going to the mountains in September. Lesson learned...space things that involve money months apart.

But, I still don't feel like I'm zeroing in on this.

Maybe I'll figure it out. Maybe it's just I'm tired.

My son ended up feeling better, and came over tonight to open presents. He looked tired. I guess I'd be tired, too, if I'd been throwing up all night. I think he liked the digital camera I got him. It was something he'd never owned before. I've never even seen him buy a disposable camera before, so this was a rather new thing to him, and I think he liked it.

I told my daughter he needed things normal people need in order to feel normal, so I think that was a good idea. Might give him a new hobby, who knows? When you're sitting in a trailer day in and day out, it has to be pretty boring. He says he's fine, but I don't think he realizes what he's doing to himself. He might have Marfans, but he's not dead.

My daughter felt like she didn't give me enough, and I wanted to shake her silly. She got me a black P-coat and a matching black Aigner purse to go with it. Other stuff, too, but I was happy with just that.

My son gave me a pair of slippers. I wanted to cry because I believe that is the first time he's ever given me a present for Christmas. They're really nice, too.

Well, looks like it's finally over and I can try to get back to my normal, over-worked state again. It surely beats the after-Christmas blues I'm having right now.

I've got so much to do, but it keeps me sane, believe it or not.

Hope you had a happy Christmas, and don't forget to give the kids an extra hug tonight. Family is the most important thing in the world.

It's Finally Christmas

It's 1 a.m., Christmas has arrived, and I'm sitting here kind of sad. Or, maybe it's just exhaustion.

We had a little get together tonight with dip, chips, cheese ball and crackers, and I made some sweet and sour meatballs. My daughter bought a bottle of wine and we watched "Surviving Christmas" on DVD.

But, something was really missing.

My son, who lives with his father, is really sick and couldn't be here tonight.

His father said he has been in bed, and getting up just to throw up.

My heart so cries for him.

When he was a little boy (he's 23 now), I nursed him through whatever ailment he had. I'd sit by his bed, rub his forehead, and help him get through it.

I think why it's really affecting me right now is I'm having a mental picture of this and want to go to him so bad. But, it's hard.

His father and I have been apart for about 15 years now, and I still feel uncomfortable around him. I think it might have to do with how much he hated me toward the end of our marriage, which carried over for years and years, and to this day, I'm not sure how or what he feels.

The reason for our separation is that he found someone else, so it's not like it was of my doing.

I guess love took another turn for him.

Reminded me of this old movie I was watching tonight, "When Harry Met Sallie," and Sallie is sitting on her bed crying because her ex announced he was getting married. She's sobbing all over Harry, who is sitting there looking real sympathetic, and truly listening to her, and he turns to her and says, "If you could, would you go back with him?"

Immediately, Sally replies, "No!" and then says, "I thought she was supposed to be a transitional, not THE ONE! What's wrong with ME?"

Been there, Sallie.

Ahhh...holidays makes you wistful.

I don't even know why I'm talking about this. I should be in bed anyway.

My daughter and I were coming back from shopping today, and I have no idea why I even brought it up, but I told her that when I married her father, I knew it would last forever. And then, I said, "I'll never marry again. I would never go back with him, but he's your father and I still care about him, no matter what, and I think that's why I have resolved to never marrying again."

She didn't say anything...she didn't have to.

She and her brother would love it if we got back together, but they know, and I've said it a million times, I just can't because it would bring up all those bad times and I've gone beyond that. The years following his departure is what I call my "black period" which took ten years to heal. No, no, I'm above all that. I'm happy now...happy, you hear me?

Silly stuff I'm thinking about this early Christmas morning, but I so miss my son. He's sick and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.

It's quiet in the house now. My daughter has gone on to bed after wishing me a Merry Christmas. BF has gone to bed, too. No one up but me and my thoughts and they're driving me crazy. Haven't slept much the last few nights with preparing for Christmas, but I'm glad it's almost over.

I think I just need to go to bed. Night, everyone, and may your Christmas be filled with joy and laughter. They once were for me. A long, long time ago.

Dear Fat Man in Red Suit

I don't find this in the least amusing.

Last night, Max, the Demon Dog, peed on my nutcracker sitting in front of the Christmas tree last night. Not only that, he tried denying it.

I knew it was him because Cassie, my female cocker, and Skylar, my shelter who is also a girl, are perfect little fur babies, and Max, well, Max is Max, and there's no changing him.

But, what I found less amusing was something he had obviously written on MY computer while I was asleep....

Dear Fat Man in Red Suit:

I'm beginning to feel a little suspicious.

There was a time in my past, in fact, quite a few times, when I saw this same dang tree in the corner of the living room. It's not hard to miss because those dang lights blind you everytime you come in here. And there are wrapped boxes underneath.

Now, why I'm suspicious is because the last few times I've seen the same scenario, I am always surprised that some of them are meant for me. I'm surprised because one day they're not there and the next day, they are. Well, that's the way it's been anyway.

Now, on the few times there were boxes for me, they were cool as all get out to unwrap because not only was I having a kickin' time opening them, but another cool as all get out new stuffed squeeky toy was inside. Wait...I think one was a set of balls, but most of them were these squeeky toys.

Now, everyone knows how much I live for these things. Dad buys them for me once in awhile, and then it's like a challenge to see if I can get the squeek outta them.

Dog, is it fun.

But, this year, I see boxes and boxes, but none are shaped like squeeky things. Or balls.

And this has me suspicious.

And then I go and read this dang Christmas story about how you better be good, better be nice, or Santa Claus won't come, or some stupid stuff these humans call entertainment, but it has me to thinking.

I peed on Mom's stupid nutcracker last night.

Listen, dude, it was standing in front of this stupid tree which everyone knows is a target for a urinary pit stop, and since the stupid nutcracker was in the way, I peed on it. I figured I was okay because how could they tell it was mine, you know? I have 2 sisters; heck, they could have done it. Dig?

But, this morning, all h e double l broke out. How did she know it was me????

So, I'm wondering something.

It's four days before that fat man in the red suit comes and I sure as heck don't want to screw things up, so I'm sending this letter out over the Internet in the hopes he's on here, and I can be redeemed. And it goes...

Dear Fat Man in Red Suit:

I know you're only human (sorry about that misfortune), but I need to clarify a few things.

You gotta give a dog a break sometimes.

When you are used to emptying your bladder on God's things he put outside, and then someone brings that thing inside, how are you to know it can't be used? Shouldn't there be a "NO WETTING" sign hanging around or something? I really don't think this is my fault.

Another thing that really gets my fur all ruffled is why can't the humans take us poor misfortunate pooches out to do their business BEFORE they go to bed? Do they think that just because we're DOGS we can hold it longer than they can?

I think I have a solution if you want to hear, Fat Man in Red Suit....

What I think you need to do is take pity on those with four paws and send them lots of squeeky toys in the place of those foolish things like slippers that massage your feet. Come on now...these humans wouldn't know work if you hit'em in the head with it, so those feet don't need massaging.

And leave balls instead of those stupid DVD movies you like to place in their stocking. Do you realize you are contributing to obesity? All these people do, if they're not sitting around on the computer watching their back sides spread, they're lounging out on the sofa stuffing themselves with junk food, and watching movies.

Oh, one more thing. Please, they do not need anything to read. All those books you bring don't get read because they are having too much fun doing other fat-inducing things like torturing the kids by not letting them play with their own Christmas video games as they sit there for hours in front of the TV.

I'm hoping this letter will make you realize a few things, and that's that dogs have feelings, too.

So, while the humans are torturing us with putting tape all over our mouths and thinking it's funny, or taking my floppy ears and pulling it up with a scrunchie thing and making me look like a girl, I hope you see who is being good and who is being nice.

I hope this letter gets to you, Fat Man in Red Suit. I know you sure as heck wouldn't want me to slip a telepathic message to Rudolf and your crew of happy sleigh-pullers and tell them what you've been doing all these years to one of their almost kind.

Oh, Fat Man in Red Suit...be easy on Vixen. The last I heard she was going to enlist you in some kind of Jenny Craig program.

Sincerely,

Max

Online Promotion Class?

Someone in one of my writing groups approached me today and asked me if I would help her promote her book online. For PAY.

You mean all this time my valuable wisdom is worth greenbacks?

I thought about this for a whole millisecond before I concluded hell yeah, I'd love to do it.

So, all today I've been giving it some thought.

But, what I'm really seriously thinking (and still in the thinking stage) of is starting my own online promotion class. I'll be teaching a class how to promote self-published ebooks over at Earthly Charms (www.earthlycharms.com) in July, but this one will be a little different.

Actually, what I was thinking was more in the line of helping any kind of author promote their books online. I had one NY published author tell me that her publisher is stepping up on online promotion. Wonder why...hmmm...that there's money in them thar hills?

You bet it's money there.

So, this is what I'm thinking. A four-week class at $12.99 a head. And no more than 30 heads.

What I would like to do is implement the points discussed in my ebook, "A Complete Guide to Promoting & Selling Your Self-Published eBook." What I could do is get everyone to tell me what promotion they have done so far. This way, I'll know what I need to work on to help them.

Sounds right neat. I'm thinking of doing this four times a year, starting with the end of January and do another one in the spring, another one in the summer, and another one in the fall. Keep the classes coming.

So, what do you think? $12.99 sound reasonable?

An Awesome Christmas Shopping Trip

I had the most WONDERFUL day today. My daughter and I took off to the mall to do some Christmas shopping. I'm not sure if I have completely lost my mind, but I really enjoyed myself. It wasn't too bad as far as traffic and shopping lines, but it really didn't matter, and I think the reason why I had such an enjoyable day is that I had everything planned--where I was going to go and what I was going to buy. I think when you do that, as long as nothing screws it up, you'll be able to get through this buying season unscathed.

We stopped off at the Old Navy Store and I found 2 pairs of pants and 2 long-sleeve t-shirts for my son, and a pair of boots for my daughter. The pants were $10 apiece, and the long-sleeve t-shirts were $5 apiece. Couldn't be beat! The boots were $35, which I hadn't planned on but she wanted them and I figured that could be an extra present under the tree for her.

The next stop was Rugged Warehouse. Now if you haven't ever been to one, it's a thrifty shoppers' paradise. Picked up a sweatshirt for my son to wear to bed ($4.99) and another one to wear to bed ($3.99). Man, I was doing great.

We head over to the mall and my daughter sees a calendar she likes, so I pick that up for her, and one for my son.

Then...omg...this was the topping on the cake...

I went in a new store in the mall called Hollister. If you don't have one in your area, please get to one somewhere near because you will absolutely fall in love with it. I think the reason why I loved it was because of its California theme. I love California!

Omg...this store was like walking into another world. When I came out, I told my daughter, "Well, back to reality."

It was awesome...dimly lit, blaring music, and t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, hoodies, you name it with different California emblems. It's a mite expensive, not too bad, but omg I am going back for myself after the holidays.

I got my daughter a long-sleeve top ($24.99) and my son a hoodie ($39.99). Really, it could have been more expensive and I don't mind putting money into something that is really going to make great presents. I'm going back before Christmas.

But, let me tell you, they have this projection TV cam that shows Huntington Beach at the same time you are there and what degrees it is. It was 64 degrees at about 4 p.m, and you could see people walking around the beach and everything. I was just in awe.

When we went to pay, I couldn't hold back and you know how much I embarrass my daughter, and I said, "You guys must love working here. I use to live near Huntington Beach, and you know, this so much feels like going back home."

The clerks took it real well, and instead of rolling their eyes, they actually thought it was neat I lived there.

My daughter gave me a look like let's hurry up and get out of here, but I didn't want to leave. It was like being home again!

Speaking of which, I've decided our California trip will be the first week of September. We're going to rent a van and drive from Virginia all the way out there. You haven't lived until you've traveled across country with your family, no sirree! My daughter, when she first heard that's what we were doing, was vehemently against it, but I think I talked her into it once I promised her a trip to Laguna Bay. We'll fly back, but the trip across country ought to be awesome.

I absolutely cannot wait, and before I go I'm going to go back to Hollister's and buy me some t-shirts for the trip.

So, I'm back home and I've got all this Christmas tree to put together so I better get cracking.

An awesome day!

Tags: Hollister, christmas shopping, christmas shopping trip, Old Navy, Rugged Warehouse, California, Laguna Bay

Max, the Cocker Spaniel Demon Dog, Has a Webpage!

I know I've not kept up with blogging, but for the last few days I've been deep in a book I've been writing that's the most unusual I've ever written. Nothing like I've ever done before. Can't really say just yet what it's all about but a children's story I had written long ago and one of my fur babies gave me the idea (no, it's not a children's book either...stop guessing!).

The fur baby in question is one of my Cocker Spaniels, Max. And this is the reason for my blog post tonight. Not only does he have a webpage (http://www.dogster.com/pet_page.php?j=t&i=429588), but I also would like some input on something.

I have two pictures of Max that I want to enter in online doggie contests, and I'd love to see which one of the two you think brings the beast out of Max.

If I can get them to load, they're at the right. Which one of the two do you think I should use, as I can only use one?

BTW, rat problem hopefully is solved. BF put poison underneath the cabinets and under the house. About freaking time!

And I found the ladder to get up in the attic so that I can get the Christmas stuff down tomorrow. Maybe things are finally coming together!

Murder She Didn't Write

I wasn't sure I wanted to blog about this today. It's grisly. And sick.

There was a murder at my house last night.

I was in my daughter's room, watching Dolly Parton in the classic, "Christmas in the Smokies," and was singing and dancing along, driving her dog, Skylar, in fits. She hates it when you act like you're having fun and she'll start barking and biting at your ankles which only adds to the excitement.

I went out to get a smoke, and BF tells me he hears the mousetrap go off.

I go to investigate.

I walk upon the site where I had set the trap (I couldn't stand the constant pitter-patter of little feet running through my kitchen every night, completely distracting me from creating my masterpieces), and I froze.

The trap was behind the stove. It was overturned. And beside it, not in the trap, was a baby freaking rat.

I'm not talking those cute little mousey-things, I'm talking a real live freaking rat the size of a 3-month-old kitten.

Now this is the part that gets grisly. If you are squeemish, or have them as pets (god forbid), don't read on, but instead, go watch Dolly Parton's Christmas in the Smokies. Laugh. Sing. Dance. And pretend you never happened upon my blog.

Anyway, the rat is not dead, but stunned, and isn't moving. He/she/it is not scared of me. In fact, it looks dead, but I know it's not.

I scream for BF, who is quite annoyed at me bothering him. In his words, "This had better be worth it. I'm watching poker."

I ignore his remark, and keep screaming his name.

He comes. I point. And I say, "It's a freaking rat!"

I'm like in shock, and the first thing I do is grab some bug spray nearby and start spraying. I'm not sure at this point what was going on in my head to do that, but I did it.

BF looks incredulously at me and says, "You can't kill it with that. Hand me a knife."

Okay, back up, I love animals, no matter what kind they are. Yes, I have mousetraps, but you try wiping your counter and find mouse turds..you'll change your mind in a hurry. And you try having all your silverware sitting in a container on a table because they're in your silverware drawer. And you try sitting on the toilet, doing your business, and one runs over your feet.

And you try sitting on the computer every single night, exactly the time when everyone else is asleep, and the house is quiet except for the hum of the heater, and you hear them running all over the place. The dogs go crazy, everyone wakes up...it's not a peaceful down home feeling.

So, anyway, I do have mousetraps. But, it's quick. I'm not sure about painless, but it's quick enough that they don't let out shrieks of "Save me! I'm dyyyyyyying...."

So, keep in mind that I really do love all creatures, no matter how ugly.

So, BF tells me to give him a knife. I start getting upset. He says, "Well, you want it killed, don't you?"

I'm delirious at this point.

I hand him the knife, and run to my daughter's bedroom, and bawl. But, before I get there, I hear the blow. And the shrieks.

I fly into the room, slam the door, and bawl. My daughter wants to know what's going on. I can't talk. I can't do anything but stand there, bawling, and mumbling incoherently. I have lost it.

I finally tell her that BF is in the kitchen stabbing a rat.

She is mortified. I am crying. The dogs I've grabbed and put in the room with us are barking like something's going on and they want to be a part of it.

I open the door. I am reaaaaal spastic at that point, and I hear the stabbing. Over and over and over. It's like how much body does a small rat have anyway????

And then it's over. But, I don't know it. My daughter has run out of the house to a friend's house, and I'm sitting on the bed, rocking and crying. BF walks in.

"I got him."

I can't look at him. He's a murderer.

"You wanted me to get him, didn't you?"

I don't speak.

I rock back and forth.

He can't understand why I'm reacting like this.

I can't understand why he had to use a knife to do it.

I can't talk.

"You all right?"

Still rocking.

BF gets up and goes back to his poker show.

"Is there any blood?"

"No, I cleaned it up," he yells.

A brutal massacre. In my kitchen.

I haven't been the same since.

I'm trying to write.

I'm trying to snap out of it.

I can't.

Authors Chat Lounge 2 Tonight! - Correction # 2

Okay. I give up. The right url is:

http://museonlineconference.tripod.com/id13.html

Jeez Louise Sam. They don't call me an over the hill boomer chick for nothing.

Authors Chat Lounge 2 Tonight! - Correction

Sorry, gang, had the url wrong. If you'd like to come to the chat tonight where I'll be discussing ways to make money online by publishing your own eBooks, click here. So sorry!

'Tis the Season

I just went on the first of many Christmas shopping trips of the season, and it was actually fun! Ask me in a couple more weeks when I go back out, and I'm sure I won't have the same answer.

I just finished reading Linda Rucker's blog where she had the shopping trip from hell, but I have to admit, today wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Stopped in Shoe Show and got my son a pair of Sketchers...not bad at $39. I remember the day when I was whopping out more than a hundred bucks on sneakers for the kids. Thank God, they're grown, and really don't care about status anymore.

Then, it was off to Wally World.

Now, I really hate Wally World, but I think it was because I hadn't been in awhile, and the crowd wasn't too bad, I actually had fun.

I stopped off at the Christmas section, and turned on all the musical toys, even had one of them marching along the floor. Adorable! I saw an old friend, Victor, who was watching me having so much fun, and he proceeded to tell me he had bought a $4000 TV for his kid. Now who in the right mind would do that? He's always spoiled the kid, so that was so like Victor.

The highlight of this trip, though, was when I was in the frozen foods department, and a woman tapped me on my shoulder. "Dotti? Is that you, Dotti?"

I turned around and omg it was the most wonderful woman in the world. Her name is Louzetta Kellam, and she's my sister's mother-in-law, but when they made her, they broke the mold. I always envied my sister in that she had the best mother-in-law in the world.

So, we hugged (I wouldn't let her go), and remininced about old times.

See, I haven't seen my sister since the funeral of my Aunt Sissy, and we have had words in the past, and it's so hard anymore. I don't know what it is exactly, water under the bridge I suppose, but it's like once my mother died thirty years ago, things were never the same between us. She had her life, and I had mine.

So, of course, I asked her about my sister and she told me to visit over Christmas, of which I said I would (dunno), and then she brought out a picture of my sister's daughter's little girl who is three now. She is beautiful. Looks like Stacy (my sister's daughter), and even looks like my sister with that red curly hair.

She asked me how I was doing, and I told her about my books and what I'm doing online, and her face lights up. I said, "You have a computer?" I mean, this woman has to be in her seventies, and not too many older people have computers around here, and she goes, "Of course I have a computer! I'm always on it!"

Well, I'll be damn. So she takes out a piece of paper and gets me to write my website down.

So I tell her then about my trip to California in the spring and how the LA Times wants to do an interview with me, and it damn near floored her. I loved it.

But, it did make me really want to see my sister again. Perhaps I'll swallow my pride and do just that.

Christmas shopping can be more than stress. Who knows who you might run into that will really make your day.

Authors Chat Lounge 2 Tonight!

Hi guys, just want to let you know that I'll be a guest at Lea Schizas' online conference chat room at the Authors Chat Lounge 2 tonight at 7 p.m. eastern time. Come on out and find out all about my new eBook, "A Complete Guide to Promoting & Selling Your Self-Published eBook," and how you, too, can write, publish and promote your own eBook. To get into the chatroom, click here and sign in!

Season's Greetings from The Writersville Gang is # 1!!!

I have some super fantastic news! My writing group's free Christmas eBook, "Season's Greetings from The Writersville Gang" hit #1 in Google in ONE day, beating our previous record of six days for one of our free ebooks!

Why is this so great?

Because it was an experiment I've been doing to see if I can take ANYTHING and get it to show up in the #1 spot in the search engines, and IT WORKS.

This is really the most fantastic finding because I have figured out a way to get any book, or whatever, to appear first in the search engines using certain key search words!

And, not only can I get that number one spot, I can do it in ONE DAY!

This only goes to prove that you DON'T have to pay to have search engine placement, and by using a formula I have devised, which is outlined in my eBook "A Complete Guide to Promoting & Selling Your Self-Published eBook," it means that ANYONE can do this, once you learn how to do it.

This is incredible, and a milestone in ebook (or any book) promotion!

It's really simple, although it requires a little work on your part. Can't give the secret away, but you CAN buy my ebook...hint...hint.

This is just incredible. It works. It freaking works.

Oh, if you don't believe me, our eBook was released yesterday, December 1, 2006. If you go here (and today is December 2, 2006), you'll see it right in front of your eyes.

I am dancing on the clouds because this is a major breakthrough. Not only do you not have to submit your website to the search engines, and just sit back and wait for them to find you, but it only proves that it IS quicker letting them find you. But, you have to know what steps to take.

Incidentally, if you've not picked up your e-copy of "Season's Greetings from The Writersville Gang," do it today! It's absolutely free!

FREE CHRISTMAS EBOOK

Hi everyone,

On behalf of my writing group and myself, I am pleased to announce the release of our holiday ebook, "Season's Greetings from The Writersville Gang"! This 70-page downloadable ebook is absolutely free with no strings attached. This is our way of showing gratitude to the writing community. To get your free e-copy, visit http://www.writersville.homestead.com/seasonsgreetings.html.

Happy holidays to all of you!