Nicole M. White

Breakfast Together Twenty-Seven Years Later

2012-05-13T16:21:00.000-07:00

The other week I attended a breakfast honoring all the new Eagle Scouts in our Scouting District. Seated at the table with us was a man with his wife and son. Turns out Ron S. and I graduated from the same big suburban high school in 1985. Neither of us recalled the other. We laughed and said we’d have to dig out our year books.

As we sorted out the garage this week, deciding what to trash, donate or move with us Mr. W unearthed the plastic tote with our yearbooks. Yes, we’ve schlepped these book with us on every move (expect to Germany where they stayed in government storage stateside). Silly as the only time we look at them is when we pop open the box and skims through them each time we move. I pulled out the book for my senior year, flipped the pages and there smack next to my photo, the last two on the page, sat Ron S. Not a glimmer of recognition at seeing his youthful face. Yeah, it was the same guy I ate breakfast with, but as far as I know our paths never crossed twenty-seven years ago.

What funny twist and turns it took for Ron and I after we crossed that graduation stage those many years ago (I with about sixteen moves and having lived in five states and Europe) to end up in Portland, Oregon having breakfast together.

me 1985

Bloom Where You're Planted

2012-05-06T19:30:00.001-07:00

When I lived in Germany eighteen years ago a friend gave me a magnet that says, “bloom where you're planted”. Since then that magnet has hung on fridges in eight different homes. In each place I know I’ve blossomed and I hope at the same time I’ve planted seeds that helped someone else blossom too.

Six weeks ago I started taking a permaculture class, some call it urban homesteading, with my friend MJ. My purpose was twofold – to see in action and learn better how to create the vision I have for my two acre property and to become better friends with a woman I greatly admire. Both those points were accomplished, but little did I know when the class started what all would transpire over those few weeks.

Midway through the course Mr. W and I got word his job was transferring him to a new city. This move would take me from the Pacific Northwest to the high desert, a climate I am physically and socially unfamiliar with. I will be living in suburbia possibly on a lot as large as a half acre which though big by suburban standards is much smaller than my current environment. As each class unfolded I learned topics I could apply to my yet unselected new home: water catchment systems (which will be very necessary in the new place), bee and animal keeping on small lots, strategies for working with close neighbors and more. We explored our instructors lot, every inch bursting with something useful or beautiful or both. I know my new home will be a fairly generic suburban lot, but I can envision the space transformed.

I could be overwhelmed, being transplanted again, but instead I am calm. Putting down roots doesn’t have to happen overnight. As our instructor said when she the look of dismay on some of the students faces, “you don’t need to transform your space all at once. Pick a small patch of lawn to remove, plant a few things then later expand it a bit. Piece by piece a lot can be changed.”

The last night of class I took pictures of the instructor’s property. The last spot I photographed was a somewhat triangular shaped bed, running about six feet on two sides with a curvy hypotenuse. The straight sides lined a public side walk and the driveway. The bed is filled with artichoke, germanium, some rhubarb, an apple tree and several other plants.

“I can do that,” I said to MJ as we looked over this bed. “In my new place, I can start with a useful corner.”

She smiled. “I like that, a useful corner.”

I fingered a leaf and breathed slow and deep because I know it is true, one can bloom wherever you are planted.

a useful corner

I Will Go Where You Want Me To Go...

2012-04-22T11:42:00.001-07:00

With two of our kids in college, two more to follow in a few years, and one married daughter we have chosen to follow our kids lead…

And move to Utah.

Actually it is a lot more complicated and bureaucratic than that, but it serendipitously happened to coincide that one of the positions Mr. W was offered is in Utah. We weren’t planning on going to Utah, in fact we’ve never wanted to live in Utah. We were waiting for the final stamp of approval (as with anything governmental there are many layers and committees stuff must go through until anything happens) for a transfer to Virginia when two weeks ago Mr. W gets a call there is a slot in Utah, “it’s yours if you want it”. The tipping factor in choosing Utah over Virginia – FAMILY. Yes, three of the five kids will be there and we can still drive to see family in northern California and for our family and friends in Southern California it is now a doable drive.

So Utah, here we come.

It’s not that we don’t like Oregon, actually when we came here six years ago we figured we’d retire here. Then a year into Mr. W being a supervisor here “they” instituted a rule that one can only be a supervisor for five years then you must change positions. Five years are up.

We never know the things that will shape and direct our lives but we are going forward with faith knowing after twenty-five years of marriage and about sixteen relocations that each move, each place, every new person we meet and each friend we hold on to has enriched our lives.

The Last Time

2012-04-19T13:49:00.003-07:00

Think of someone you love.

Think of the last time you saw them. Call up the sounds, the smells, the feelings of that moment. Immerse yourself in it.

Now think that this is the last time you will see them.

It was a year ago today my father, RLT, passed away.

Miss B’s wedding, the last time I saw him. Mr. W and Miss B were dancing the father-daughter dance. Half way through the song Butterfly Kisses RLT comes up behind where I sat and put his hand on my shoulder. The weight, the warmth, the love and pride that flowed from him to me – I can still feel it. The song ended and Mr. W handed our daughter over to Mr. B. My father stayed as they danced to Little Wonders.

Today Little Wonderscomes on the radio. I see my daughters glowing face. I feel my father’s hand on my shoulder.

I cry.

Tears of peace.

Rest well RLT.

Know you are missed.

Know you are loved.

about 1971

18 April 1988

June 1985

Comicon - Who Would of Thought?

2012-04-06T03:16:00.000-07:00

I threaded my way through the throng of people moving around each other the way water flows and bubbles in a rocky stream.

“Aeryn, Aeryn Sun – can I get a picture?”

After a day and a half in this persona I respond almost automatically and turn and smile, “Sure.” I pull my pulse pistol from the leather and rivet studded holster wrapping my thigh and pose. The crowd parts around the photographer and I.

Behind me are clustered several Wrath from Stargate Atlantis and over by the pillar is a group dressed in a Steampunk Superman motif.

Dr. Whos

Imperial Officers

Katnisses with Zombie

Klingons and Spock

Weeping Angles

Lady in a cool get-up

Name your favorite sci-fi or comic and there is probably a character wandering here. Here being the Emerald City Comicon.

This is a first for our family. Mr. W came up with the idea months ago. It turned out to be a great family vacation, no, really – it did. Over the last few years we’d talked about going to Disneyland and then we’d run the numbers and put the idea on the back burner. For us Comicon was a better vacation:

1) Cheaper

2) Closer to home

3) Unifying - We worked together to make the outfits and all the little details that went into getting them just right

4) Way fun – wegot to dress as the characters, walk around in their persona and have our picture taken (Okay, okay, so there are no rides, but we have fond memories of two seasons of unlimited passes to Kings Dominion Amusement Park in Virginia)

In my mind I’m is churning costumes ideas for another Comicon – Steampunk Batman, a character who uses intricate gadgets anyway one only needs to give them a steampunk twist. Batman accented with brass and gears, Batgirl in a corset her black outfit highlighted with purple taffeta...hmmm this could get addicting.

Little Joys

2012-03-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Two small things happened recently to make me happy. One, a lady I did not know offered to teach me how to put a zipper in the pleather pants I needed to have ready by Friday. The other, I found out that at the Emerald City ComicCon (Seattle’s comic book and sci-fi convention) I would be able to attend three writing classes.

Yeah, fake leather pants and ComicCon.

It turns out that finding someone who not only sews but does zippers is hard. After weeks of asking almost everyone I know, last Friday, during my super early work out session, I finally said something at Curves. Later in the morning a woman calls and said she heard I needed help, she teaches 4-H sewing, and would be happy to teach me how to do the zipper. So, I spent two hours at her house that afternoon (the pattern has the worst directions I have ever seen) and learned to put in a zipper.

As for ComicCon, the twisty path to my attendance is a tale for another post, but needless to say I’m going with my happy husband and children. This has meant any time for writing has been given over to the making of costumes and the acquisition of the needed paraphernalia and accoutrements. I’ve been a bit frustrated by this encroachment on my time but, Mr. W has wanted to do this forever and it is probably the only time we will have four of our five children together (our oldest is jealous) while ComicCon is going on. Last night as I looked over the list of activities, classes, panels, games etc… I found three writing seminars. Mr. W has encouraged me to attend the classes. I feel a bit rewarded for my sacrifice and unselfishness. And I get to go to class wearing pleather pants, a custom made (by Mr. W) leather belt, a holster (also made by Mr. W) that is so huge is wraps around my thigh, and a pulse pistol. How cool is that?

A Little Tale of World Travel

2012-02-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

On February 23, 2012 I hurriedly flipped through the mail on the table sorting it into keep or recycle. I saw the face of this postcard, but didn’t notice the tattered edges and thought it was an ad for a cruise line.

As I tossed it to the recycle pile it landed back side up. Then I noticed the splotched writing my mom’s signature, the date March 27, 2009, and no stamp.
I carefully looked the card over noting it was from the Galapagos. Three years ago my mother visited the island. I read the least blotchy part of the card, “It will be amazing if you receive this. I’ll explain later.” I remembered the pictures she shared of her trip. In one she stood beside a box on a post on the beach. She told us how visitors to the island will look through the letters in the box and if they are going near to the destination take the letter home and mail it. She didn’t tell me she’d put in letters to my sister, my four step-siblings, and I. I realized the empty white business envelope with a scribbled Portland zip code in the return address spot was the medium for the postcard’s arrival in my mail box. I feel a fond affection for this unknown Portlander who sifted through the mail box, found the card and carried it all the way home. The traveler then took the time to decipher the address and mail to me. So far my card is the only one of the six my mom posted to make it to its destination. For three years it rubbed shoulders with other letters, was looked over by the visitors to the island, heard the sound of the ocean, and the call of the birds. Now it is propped up on my dresser, I little tale of world travel.

(in case you are wondering the postcard says: Dear Ones, this is truly a magical place. I've been walking among ? ? ? the sea lions, stepping over iguanas, watching Blue Footed Boobies and waving at dolphins. The Boobies are endemic to the Galapagos. It will be amazing if you receive this. I'll explain later. Love...)

Compassion

2011-10-02T09:31:00.000-07:00

Jeff Goins wrote a brilliant piece on the cost of compassion. I invite you to join the conversation. http://goinswriter.com/cost-of-compassion/

For three years I had a position at church where I served people on a weekly, sometimes daily, basis that had needs. It was rewarding and heart-wrenching. I had days when I cried and was down on my knees, and days I rejoiced for the progress they made. Then two years into this service came a day when my mother’s cancer, my step-father’s cancer, my step-mother’s death and my oldest son leaving for a two year mission all came crashing in at once and I had to reach out to those I had been helping and supporting for their strength. Often the one serving is the one who in the end is raised up. I spent another year in this position. Now I’m serving the people in my church (and by extension the larger community) in another capacity. My mother and step-father are better. My son is thriving on his mission in Brazil and will be home in February.

Most often when people think about extending compassion they think of big things- serving weekly in a shelter or going to a foreign country and working with people in dire straits, but for most people this is not possible. What is possible is extending compassion on a daily basis and in seemingly small ways. Taking a few moments to visit with an elderly neighbor, driving the speed limit and being courteous to the others on the road, turning off the music, or other distraction, and talking with, not to, your child, bringing a meal to a friend- just because. You never know the ripple effect these ‘small’ acts of compassion can have in a life, to a family, to a community.

I would encourage you though to make the conscience choice to structure your life and set the goal to serve deeper and harder. It may mean working less, or giving up a favorite hobby, or not having a vacation, or forgoing a conference, or restructuring retirement so you have the time and money to be in the difficult places.

Please- share your thoughts and experiences with compassion. Compassion you've been able to extend or compassion extended to you.

Interconnectivity or Invasive?

2011-09-24T04:43:00.000-07:00

I’m on my Android phone and I click on the AP news feed and it wants permission to access the GPS to know my location. Google+ and Twitter request the same as well as the Connect’Em game I played the other day. No, no and NO! The world does NOT need to know my every move...

Okay, I understand AP’s request, they can then target news feeds for my location. Google+ and Twitter, so the followers and people in my circles can better connect with me. Honestly, though, the writers and bloggers I follow (or who follow me) on Google+ and Twitter do not need to know where I live and my friends and family members already know the places I frequent. The whole thing rather creeps me out. The last straw- this morning I read on BBC News about IoT or Internet of Things in which everyday objects, say the newest jeans you just bought, are equipped (um… implanted) with “tiny radio-frequency identification devices”… “which in turn can be connected to the web” and broadcast your every move. The article goes on to state “IoT advocates claim that overall interconnectivity would allow us to locate and monitor everything everywhere and at anytime”. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15004063)This does not appeal to me. Maybe to get away from it all I’ll go live in Green Bank, West Virginia. It is a designated radio quiet zone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_National_Radio_Quiet_Zone).

Summer Harvest

2011-09-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to grow and many things to harvest. From strawberries, to tomatoes, wild berries and family memories, new achievements and steadily working toward a long term goal.

Summer never really hit the greater Portland Oregon area until the beginning of September so the tomatoes are just getting ripe, but we have a huge crop. My zucchini grew enough to satisfy; we got a few artichokes, and a bunch of hot peppers. Strawberries came out our ears and from down the road we picked 25 pounds of wild blackberries. I planted the corn and green beans to early so next year I'll take a clue from my more experienced neighbors and wait until they plant.

In other areas of growth and harvest I sent my manuscript for a novel I worked on over the last year to my writing group and got great feedback (now to prune and trim the story). I also got a nice blog up and running and delved into the world of twitter to connect with other writers and agents.

As a family we harvested up a few warms days to spend on the boat at a nearby lake and out on Columbia River (avoiding the salmon fishermen) so we could tube and swim.

All in all a productive and satisfying summer.

Now, how about you? What you are harvesting….in any sense of the word.

Scappoose Bay and Mt. St. Helens, sunset

Write Your Query NOW!

2011-08-12T21:41:00.000-07:00

I sent my manuscript, the main one I’ve been working on for the last year, off to my writing group today. Huge relief washed over me, I’ve gotten so that I felt (gasp!) sick just thinking about Sophia, Ryan, and the rest of the cast of STARS BRIGHT. I shut off the computer and took a deep breath knowing I wouldn’t have to look at that thing until the fabulous ladies of the Moonwriting Chapter of the American Night Writers Association get back to me.

An hour later (I swear either I’m insane or I like torturing myself) the writer in me kicked back into gear and I started churning out ideas for another story I’ve been working on. Not only were scenes developing but I mentally started to work on the query. Crazy, I only have 2,217 words down on paper. Elana Johnson in a video chat she held a few months ago said she stops and writes her query letter when she gets to about page fifty. This thought has stuck with me. I didn’t write my query letter for STARS BRIGHT until I was deep into revisions. Tonight I hammered out a very rough and very ugly query for SKIES BLUE. Yeah, it needs work, but I now have focus and clarity.

More importantly I’m falling in love with SKIES BLUE and Chas and Mel. I’m glad to be back at the familiar fields of Cascade View Farm and am looking forward to exploring the wide open spaces of the Double M Ranch.

When do you like to start working on your query?

Are you up to the challenge of stopping your WIP and writing your query now?

GO ON – GIVE IT A TRY

Words Inadequate

2011-08-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

No, I really didn’t drop off the edge of the earth I went to Big Sur.
This amazing slice of our planet on the central California coast had spotty cell coverage, no wifi and tie-dye is the norm for attire. I commented to my sisters, who had been with me for the three days, “Words are inadequate to describe out time in Big Sur. Bixby Bridge is a portal to another realm and Kris Kristofferson is the sound track.”

Bixby Bridge

For the three of us E, S and I this trip was a step back in time as we relived memories of our childhood and amazing times spent in Big Sur as a family with our parents RLT and LJF. RLT mine and E’s father passed away, unexpectedly, in April. LJF, S’s mom, passed away in December 2010 after a hard fought battle with cancer. Our family history is messy, our childhoods fraught with hurt, and our memories sweet as well as painful. RLT and LJF parted ways over fifteen years ago. E, S and I have drifted in and out of contact during our adult lives but have made a dedicated effort to reach out to one another over the last couple of years. Along with connecting as sisters we spread our parents’ ashes in special places. We spread their ashes together, after all they did once love each other with a passion that burned and they did bring us together and together E, S and I are stronger, better women. And Kris, well as kids we’d roll our eyes as Dad popped in the cassette tape, but we’d sing along as we drove down the highway laying on the bed in the back of the retrofitted blue cargo van the breeze from the open window whipping our hair into tangles and the sun on our faces.

E, S and I

Sunset Walk on Sauvie Island

2011-07-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

Take a break from your busy day and escape to the Pacific Northwest.

My son and his Scout troop wanted to take a hike but their fellow scout, who they call The Awesomeness, has a medical condition and wouldn't be able to walk very far. So, they worked out an Awesomeness capable walk they could take on Sauvie Island (a few miles downriver from Portland OR). A few family members came along too.


NAW with The Awesomness

Come join us as we walk at sunset.

First, take a deep breath and breath in the warm, end of day, slightly dusty scent of warm grass, flowing water, mixed with a hint of bug repellent.

Feel the warm air (73 degrees) air on your bare arms. Squint upwards toward the setting sun and the clear blue sky. Relish a view that goes on into eternity with no clouds to break up the expanse (a rare view in this part of the world).

You start walking with the group, chatter, shouts, shuffled footsteps and laughter scare away all wildlife. Slowly you fall behind while working on getting just the right shot in the soft lowering light.

The path you walk takes you around a wet land area with small lake/large pond.

It is a wide path. Smooth enough for the wheelchair to be pushed. Rutted enough for it to be a challenge for the boys. Mostly dry, but occasionally a mud puddle covers the path. The Awesomeness walks around these as one of the other Scouts carries the chair over.

You take another picture and the group rounds a corner. The voices become a faint echo in the breeze.

Along the way you see blackberries in all stages of development.

And think about the patch a mile from your home, at the back of the 150 year old cemetery. The growth season is running late this year. It will be a few weeks until the berries are ready to be picked. When they are you will wrangle a few kids and make a morning out of berry picking. For days you will eat fresh berries, on pancakes, in muffins and mixed with vanilla ice-cream. You will freeze a few gallon size bags to enjoy mid-winter when a taste of summer is needed to get you through the weeks of gray days.

In places the grass grows over your head.

And the flowers tower along side the path.

Your fellow walkers have moved so far up the path that small animals are once again rustling in the brush. Birds swoop overhead and land on branches in the shadows.

You look ahead and see a soaring pine.

You look behind at a twisted oak.

To one side is a field with patchy blushes of purple flowers.

A gentle breeze rustles the dry grass and shakes the tops of the tallest trees. You are sheltered by the banks of vegetation and the breeze does not even ruffle your hair. Mixed into the bird calls and crackle of grass is the distant hum of vehicles on HWY 30.

You round the corner. Sometime this spring a part of the bank fell away opening a gap in the vegetation giving you a view of the Multnomah Channel.

New fern fronds, fuzzy and curled glow in the sun's rays.

Queen Ann's Lace

thistle

moss covered branches

Evidence of the birds you hear in the distance.

Before you turn toward the cars you stop at a wildlife viewing blind and see a few ducks getting an evening snack.

I hope this walk provided a respite from your day. Let me know if you ever come to my corner of the world. We will take a walk and you can add the feel and scents to the pictures you viewed today.

Winnie-the-Pooh and Shortcomings

2011-07-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

I love Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne. He has a big heart, great patience for other’s shortcomings, and is quick with forgiveness. Every person has things they stumble and struggle with. It is our reactions to these quirks, disabilities, or faults that give us a measure of who we are.

Pooh also has something he is less than perfect at. He has a pot he is giving to Eeyore as a birthday present. He wants to write on the pot “A Happy Birthday” so he goes to see Owl and their exchange is as follows:

Owl: “What are you giving him, Pooh?”

Pooh: “I’m giving him a Useful Pot to Keep Things In…”

Owl: “You ought to write ‘A Happy Birthday’ on it.”

Pooh: “That is what I wanted to ask you. Because my spelling is Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles and the letters get in the wrong places. Would you write 'A Happy Birthday' on it for me?"

I have the same issue as Pooh, my spelling Wobbles. It is quite an awful shortcoming for a writer to have. Oh, but there is spellchecker you say- sometimes no matter how I try I can’t get the word I want to spell correctly nor can I find it in the dictionary. So, I substitute another word, but the meaning is not quite the same, and frustration has built, and I’ve lost the flow of thought. Also, spellchecker does not catch everything. HMW looked at some of my blog entries the other day and found three spelling mistakes (one she did concede was a typo).

Embarrassed, horrified, ashamed, yep, that’s how it makes me feel. I need to exemplify Pooh in my treatment of myself- I need to treat myself with kindness, I need to exercise patience with my shortcomings, and I need to forgive myself and I hope you can do the same. I promise I will do everything I can to make sure the letters don’t Wobble in my writing, but if they do and I don’t catch it smile to yourself and think of Winnie-the-Pooh.

(I kept count of every time the red squiggly line appeared under a word or a word was auto-corrected, in this one post I made eighteen mistakes.)

I’m not going to ask you to share your shortcomings, but I will ask you to be kind, tolerant, and forgiving with yourself. And read a little Pooh he’ll put a smile on your face.

Guilty Pleasures

2011-07-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

I’ve been revising (and revising) Stars Bright and thinking about the little details that make Sophia (main character) who she is. At one point she confesses to a secret, guilty pleasure which is in juxtaposition to her character.
The other day I had to drive into town (I live between two small towns, each four miles from the point I enter the highway) to pick up two small items at the store. I hate having to make trips like this and try to do my grocery shopping once a week. But, the kids had been hungrier than usual and had eaten the flour tortillas I needed to make chicken Quesadas to feed the guests coming for dinner in a few hours.

Our household has three vehicles (plus the one provided Mr. W’s workplace, which by their rules no one but him can even sit in). One is a 1997 Toyota Corolla bought 2^nd hand in Virginia when Mr. W’s work did not provide a car. One is a 1996 Toyota Camry with 220,000 mile on it given to us by my mother a few years ago when she replaced it with a new car. And one is a 2006 bright red Ford Expedition we bought two years ago when our mini-van’s transmission went out for the second time.

The Expedition seats 8, good for hauling scouts around, something we do quite a bit, and our boat, something we don’t do nearly enough and eats gasoline like a teenage boy eats peanut butter sandwiches after two hours at track practice. 90% of the time the Toyota Camry is the vehicle I or HMW drives. No one likes to drive the Corolla, ALW drove this for two years to school and work and track and he it got it all stinky and gross- as only a teenage boy can do. He was supposed to clean it before he left for Brazil 15 months ago but somehow avoided that task.

This day Mr. W had taken the Corolla, HMW had the Camry so that left me the Expedition. The sun shone warm. I had the windows down and the music up. I sat high above most of the other cars on the road. The red paint gleamed like a candy apple and the muffler (crazy thing, it’s made this way) rumbled and roared. And I LOVE it. I LOVE driving the Expedition. My guilty pleasure.

We all have one, come on- what’s yours?

A Query story- my process

2011-07-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Queries- what I’ve learned over the last five months...

In March I had reached the point in my manuscript that I felt it was time to start working on my query.

The first thing I did was attend a workshop by author Elana Johnson. Then I downloaded her free e-book (http://www.elanajohnson.com/#!query-to-the-call) and worked through it page by page.

I also read and read and read successful queries (http://queryshark.blogspot.com/ and http://querytracker.net/).

While I researched agents to query I found many of them had query tips. So check around on your favorite agent’s blogs and website to see what advice they supply.

I got to the point where I thought the query was okay I posted it to my on-line critique group. Then I tweaked it a bit more.

I also enlisted the help of Gabriela Lessa (http://gabrielalessa.com/ you can hire her services here).

After all that I entered the query in a contest hosted by Deana Barnhart (http://deanabarnhart.blogspot.com/ ) and judged by Lora Rivera (http://www.lorarivera.com/blog/ ). This gave me the opportunity to read a several more queries and suggestions by other writers on how to make those queries better. (I find entering contests to be a great way to learn the writing craft and meet other writers.)

Finally after many hours, days, weeks, month of working on the query I almost had it. Yesterday morning I determined to finish it. When my head felt like it was about to explode I called my mom, just to have another voice other than my own to listen to.

Then (and I think this step was key) I paced my house talking to Sophia, my main character, and asked her, “What are your main concerns? What is causing you the most conflict in the 90,000 words of your life?” She spoke back and bam the query was finished.

I still have my doubts, of course and I’ll probably fiddle with it here and there and tailor it to each agent I query but the meat of it is on paper. Yay!!

Here is the advice Gabriela gave me:

-Start with a catchy one-liner. Something that really showcases your voice and draws attention to your query

-It's important to showcase your voice in your query.

-Don't tell what the story is about, show it. Make them want to read it!

-After this short explanation of what your book's about, do mention word count and genre (some agents like this first so be sure to follow their guidelines)

-Then you add a personalized paragraph related to that agent. Does she represent an author you love? Does she say in her website that she's searching for a wonderful contemporary romance? Try something like "I love that you're this and that. Because you're X and Y, I think you'd be the perfect agent for this project."

-Then you add a short paragraph with some info about yourself. Really short, just your name and credentials, relevant information only.

And you end with:

- As requested on your submission guidelines (ALWAYS follow the submission guidelines!), I'm pasting below X pages (or whatever they ask for on their submission guidelines). I hope you'll enjoy it. If you need more pages or any more information, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you

Always follow guidelines.

Add at least a little personalized information.

Agents like feeling unique.

What is your query writing process?

What sources have been most helpful to you as you wrote your query?

Happy Querying!

Deana Barnhart Query Contest

2011-07-18T16:36:00.000-07:00

(updated July 20)
Here's the final version of the query that I can tweak to fit each agents personal tastes. Thanks for the help and feedback everyone. And those fresh from the garden, virtual strawberries I promised- here you go:

Being rescued by a movie star is the last thing widow Sophia Hunt expects when her car breaks down along the California coast. A straight-laced mother of two teenage sons who loves the calm country life on her organic farm is hardly what could be called a perfect match for reformed Hollywood bad-boy Ryan Daniels, yet she can’t resist his persistent charms.

With threats from one of Ryan’s crazed fans endangering her farm, a saboteur trying to destroy Ryan’s rebuilt career, and a bully set on revenge Sophia wonders if stepping into Ryan's sleek silver sports car that bright spring day was such a good idea. After two “accidental” dates with hometown veterinarian Bill Gordon she finds herself torn between the comfort of life familiar and the zest of life unknown.

Sweet like chocolate, tangy like citrus, with a hint of spice, STARS BRIGHT is a 90,000-word contemporary romance about what happens when the flowering hills of Cascade View Farm and the bright lights of Hollywood collide.

As requested on your submission guidelines, I'm pasting below X pages. I hope you'll enjoy it. If you need more pages or any more information, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

To read the rest of the original post click "more"

Thank you Deana for hosting this contest and thank you Lora Rivera for being the judge and offering a great prize. I'm hopping on the bandwagon a bit late with this one so to anyone who stops on by and reads- Thank You, I'm sending you virtual strawberries fresh from my garden.

Dear Agent,

Being rescued by a movie star is the last thing widow Sophia Hunt expects when her car breaks down along the California coast. After all, a straight laced mother of two who loves her calm country life is hardly what anyone would call a perfect match for reformed Hollywood bad-boy Ryan Daniels. From the moment he offers his assistance Sophia's life is turned upside down, and yet she can't ignore his charm. When a good deed turns into a quasi-date with hometown veterinarian Bill Gordon, she finds herself with two suitors too many. With midday visits from the local Sheriff, harassment from one of Ryan's crazed fans, and her name in the weekly gossip column, Sophia begins to wonder if stepping into Ryan's sleek silver sports car that bright spring day was such a good idea. Then demons from Ryan's past threaten and Sophia must balance the swirling chaos with what is best for her teenage sons and for her heart.

Sweet, with a bit of sizzle, STARS BRIGHT is a 90,000 word contemporary romance about what happens when the flowering hills of Cascade View Farm and the bright lights of Hollywood collide.

Learning Curve 10 facts and 3 new words

2011-07-09T08:55:00.000-07:00

It’s been an interesting (stressful, scary) week where I’ve been introduced to many new things.

Fact 1- the large intestine is about 1.5 meters (5 ft) long. One can have 100 cm removed and be okay.

Fact 2- 6 ft. 4in. mild mannered, easy going son-in-law (BLM) becomes quite stubborn and difficult when in a lot of pain.

Fact 3- it is better to go to the emergency room early in the day. If one arrives around 4:30 p.m. by the time the x-ray and CT scan is completed, they call in the surgeon, the O.R. staff and prep the O.R. it will be 11 p.m. before surgery starts. This means that it is at least 3 a.m. before the surgeon visits with the waiting family members and discusses what she did. (this also means that those waiting family members take a long nap during the beautiful, sunny, ‘we-never-get-days-like-this’ 4^th of July holiday afternoon)

Fact 4- When, within a few minutes of returning from the x-ray, the nurse hurries in and starts a strong antibiotic drip in the I.V. line, something is seriously wrong (a rupture in the large intestine- complication from Crohns that BLM was diagnosed with 3 weeks ago)

Fact 5- Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland Oregon is a REALLY good facility. Also, it is set in a nice area of town so family members can take a walk, or stop in at a café when needing a break from the hospital.

Fact 6- when a person does not eat for 4 days, and they are already very thin, they will lose a lot of weight.

Fact 7- even though one is only 28, upon discharge (which only happens when one can keep down food and meds taken orally) one will return home with a nifty cane and can apply for a disabled parking placard.

Fact 8- my daughter, BAM, is amazing, patient, kind, supportive, doing what needs to be done but encouraging BLM to do what he can, recognizing his limits while at the same time letting him do all he can. She is also strong and courageous, thankful and loving. It has been wonderful to watch her with her sweetheart. (Um, yeah, I was truly blessed with an angel for a first child)

Fact 9- fireworks are just as fun set off on the 8^th (the night BLM returned to our place from the hospital) as they were on the 4^th.

Fact 9a- Costco is the BEST place to purchase fireworks ( go ahead, you know you want to, get the grande pack)

Fact 10- Use Southwest Airlines whenever you can. They don’t penalize you when you need to change your flights at the last minute. B&B were supposed to return home from their visit to us on July 6. They might now leave on the 11^th. But, seeing how BLM can’t sit upright from more than ½ hour at a time this might be tricky.

Vocabulary Words:

Stoma- official definition: an artificial opening between two hollow organs or between one hollow organ and the outside of the body, constructed to permit the passage of body fluids or waste products

Layman’s terms: taking the small intestine and bringing it to the surface of the body, turning the end of the intestine over like you would the top of a sock and fastening the intestine to an opening then attaching a bag to catch the waste. (yucky but fascinating at the same time) btw- the intestine does not have nerve endings

Ostomy- an operation (such as a colostomy, ileostomy, or urostomy) to create and artificial passage for bodily elimination

Crohn’s Disease - a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes scarring and thickening of the intestinal walls and frequently leads to obstruction.

The run down- BLM had emergency surgery on July 3 because his large intestine had a rupture. He will have an ileostomy bag for 2-3 months while his large intestine heals, then they will hook his small and large intestine back up (so yes, more major surgery). He will be out of work for at least a month (this go around). He has really good medical insurance. As soon as he can travel they will return home.

Generational Choices

2011-06-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

When it came time for ALW to start studying a foreign language he chose Italian. For a few days I tried to convince him to study Spanish. Spanish is close to Italian and immensely more practical. He stood firm. See what you get when you give a child a choice!

A few days after our discussion I received a book from my mom about her father’s, father Michael written by her cousin Tom. Micheal lived in northern Italy. Around 1885 he stowaway on a boat bound for America.

Upon his arrival he was sentenced to work on the railroad. At first opportunity he ran away and headed west to California. When Tom was a young boy he asked his grandfather to teach him Italian. Michael said, “No. When you come inside America, there is a big box by the door and you have to put the way you are the way you talk inside that box. Then you come inside to be American.”

Michael came to America, willing to set aside all he had been in order to escape a system where education, professions, and respect were denied to him (and many others) by the monarchy of the time. He gave up his home and his parents so that his children, grandchildren and all generations following him would have choices and opportunities in education, employment, religion and human rights. So they could direct their futures.

After reading Michael’s statement on why he wouldn’t teach his grandson Italian I went to my son, ALW, and for the first time asked him why he wanted to learn Italian. He looked up at me and with all sincerity said, “Because it is my heritage.”

I read to him about his great-great-grandfather crying as I did so. Michael left an oppressive society for one with freedom of choice which allowed his great-great-grandson to study Italian. ALW is now living in Brazil and speaks fluent Portuguese. Monday he sent me an e-mail saying he is going to start learning Spanish because he met a family from Bolivia, they speak Spanish, and it is a language he wants to learn anyway.

What choices of ‘those who have gone before’ helped shape you into the person you are today?

What choices are you making today that will shape those coming after you?

The Week in Pictures

2011-06-26T19:26:00.000-07:00

June 19-24 in photos
chickens, peonies, strawberries... oh my!

Sunday I found a stray flock of young guinea hens in the yard. They eventually flew away, phew- guinea hens are noisy constantly calling to one another.

Monday- fresh strawberries from the garden- need I say more?

Tuesday- picking pink and white peonies. WOW the scent fills the room

Around the corner from my house a field of daisies. Yeah, I live in the country and it really is this beautiful

A sign down the road reads "2011 Hay in the Field. Haying soon. Call to reserve"
Yep- people around here have their favorite local hay farms to supply hay for their cattle and horses (in our case goats). All these farmers have town jobs and run the old family farm on the side.

Solstice Tuesday and my birthday. Joined the youth from church at the Temple. The late evening summer sun shining bright in a blue sky.

NAW, 12yo has a job cleaning the neighbors chicken coop. He helps pay for his taekwondo lessons.

Friday- kayaking with NAW. WRW went backpacking for 3 days and HMW is visiting her sister in Utah. Strange to have just one child at home. HMW having a terrific time and WRW found his first backpacking trip fantastic. NAW loved his time out on the water. The river/creek/bay is still running high, this is normally land with grazing cows.

Saturday found us at the city park listening to a Scottish storyteller and bagpipe player (he also played the Irish flute, whistle, and guitar).

In other news- I spent some time working on my current WIP (no title, main character Leslie). I like the basic story line but writing it is giving me headache and I found it boring! Despairing. Then this morning I woke up with ideas for a story I started several years ago (mc- Beth) from despair to excitement. LOVE the creative process.

A few weeks ago I participated in a small contest hosted by Gabriela Lessa. I won an honorable mention and a first 25 page critique of Stars Bright. Other than a few family members no one has read beyond chapter one. On my birthday I get this feedback from Gabriela: "Just finished your pages and I love them! The plot is wonderful, the characters are strong and the pace is great." (then follows some very good critique). Humm... maybe I can really do this writing thing.

Lots of family visiting the next two weeks, my oldest and her husband and then my mom so not much posting or writing happening. Taking a few weeks to enjoy my loved ones and summer in the the Pacific Northwest.

Hugs - Nicole

Little Changes

2011-06-23T12:50:00.000-07:00

I’m one of those rare people who actually like to do laundry. I like the sorting into orderly defined piles. I like the swish, swish as the clothes tumble around in the washer. I have a front loader. It is mesmerizing to watch the material, water and soap scramble and tumble around each other. I love the scent of laundry drying so much that my daughter gave me bubble bath called fresh cotton. I even like to iron. This is a good thing because I’ve started washing and ironing all of Mr. W’s dress shirts.

He wears six a week, five to work and one for church. Now, I’m not ironing six shirts a week because I love him so much (besides I’m sure he could think of some better way I could express my love for him in the time it takes me to do the ironing) but simply because it saves us $50 a month in laundering costs. We also canceled Orkin pest control- they were quite useful in keeping the country crawly things out of the house and wasps away from it. NAW got a job cleaning out the neighbor’s chicken coop each month. This job will pay for the increased cost of his Taekwondo class. I’ve also, at Mr. W’s request, started making him lunch each morning (if I plan right it is usually dinner leftovers- he likes that). Little changes, small shifts in the way we have done things as we adjust to the larger changes in the world.

Given this week’s economic news I’m betting those people who have planted gardens are feeling a bit better about themselves. On my walks this week I saw six vegetable gardens in yards that in years past have not had gardens. This may not seem like much but on a three mile walk I pass about 35 houses, they are spread apart with the smallest lot being about two acres. I would guess that at least half these houses have vegetable gardens, fruit trees and berry bushes. Many also have few chickens. A friend has milk goats and another has meat rabbits. I doubled the size of this year’s garden and am working real hard to keep it alive. Little changes, small shifts in the way we have done things as we adjust to the change in the world.

What little changes have you made to stay within budget?

Earn Your Degree in Home Education

2011-06-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Studying the works and methods of other home educators is a great way to get started or to bolster your own home education efforts. When you add in your final project (getting a child successfully to the education level you planned, for me that is to college), write up your final report (in the form of an ongoing journal, diary or blog posts), and give back to your community (helping other families get started with home education) you have earned the equivalent of a bachelors or masters degree.

The first books I read, twenty years ago, on the How To of home education are still applicable today. These authors/educators were some of the first pioneers in the modern home education movement. Take a look at these classics. You can find them on Amazon.

The Three R’s by Dr. Ruth Beechick – the basics of teaching your child from K-3

Better Late Than Early by Raymond and Dorothy Moore

The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook by Raymond and Dorothy Moore

In college I also studied the methods of Waldorf, Charlotte Mason, Maria Montessori, and others.

Later, the number of families home educating their children grew more and more books were written. The following gave a boost to our education efforts when our oldest was about twelve.

The Well Trained Mind, a guide to classical education at home by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise

Then a few years later Oliver DeMille came out with A Thomas Jefferson Education. In this book he has synthesized the best of the last twenty years of the home education movement by harkening back to an age when the great minds were educated at home before venturing out to colleges. Together with his wife, Rachel, they have written several books and produced many audio recording (taken from seminars). Once you have read A Thomas Jefferson Education (also available in audio form) listen to Core and Love of Learning Seminar Highlights. Over the last several years they have written more books, such as A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion, which I have not yet read. You can find their items at their web site www.tjed.org some of the books are also available on Amazon.

Have I ever followed any of these ideas to a “T”? No. I took what was best for each child and for our family’s goals and circumstances and pieced them together. You too will need to find a balance and discover what works best for you.

What home education how to books/audio have you found most helpful?

Next time: Preschool Fun

Best Pizza Dough

2011-06-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

We make our pizza's from scratch (as much as we can, I do buy the pepperoni and cheese). One reasons we do this is they taste SO much better than just about any restaurant. I like Round Table (Maui Zaui with their zesty red sauce) but my kids insist mine are the best (so sweet). I think I like Round Table because I don't have to clean up after cooking (I don't mind cooking but the clean up after...yeck). I've been making pizzas for 20 years. This is the recipe that I've developed.

Nicole's Favorite Pizza Dough

1 cup warm water
1 package or 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
about 3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 425.

Put water in mixing bowl, sprinkle yeast on top and add the sugar. Let set about five minutes. Add the salt and oil and 2 1/2 cups flour. Mix and kneed until smooth and elastic, keep adding flour if sticky.

Divide the dough in two, roll into balls and let rest 5 minutes.
Sprinkle counter with flour and roll each ball into a 12 inch circle (though if you only have rectangle pans make a rectangle).
Place dough on baking pan and let rest 10-20 minutes.
Add your favorite topping and bake for 15 minutes (check at the 12 minute mark).

Beyond the basics:
I have a Bosch mixer (LOVE it) and triple the recipe and mix it all at once.
I use "speed bake" or "convection" when baking the pizza's (one at a time) and set the oven to 415 and cook for 12 minutes.
You can use half whole wheat for the white flour. Fresh ground "golden wheat" is best.

Enjoy!

Self-reliance, an introduction

2011-06-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

Self-reliance

“the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the necessities of life for self and family”

Why be self-reliant:

- - We can prepare for and avoid problems

- - Have lower stress

- - Independence feels good

- - Be better able to care for others

Area’s to be self-reliant in:

- - Education

- - Health

- - Employment

- - Family home production and storage

- - Family Finances

Change and uncertainty are a part of life. We can do many things of and for ourselves to help mitigate unexpected change in our life. In this series of blog posts I’ll share ways to be self-reliant in these areas. Maybe you’ve got self-reliance down pat, congratulations! Feel free to share comments and to pass this information on to those in your sphere of influence that could use some guidance in this area. Check back often to see what is new. Better yet follow me on twitter and get notices of when a new post has gone up.

Over the next week make note of areas of self-reliance you would like to improve.

“the ability, commitment, and effort to provide the necessities of life for self and family”- Thomas S. Monson

Look to the Possiblities

2011-06-13T08:46:00.000-07:00

Recently, several challenges have presented themselves to Mr. W and I. Dealing with all this “stuff” can be daunting. These aren’t issues we are taking lightly, we’ve talked of them, prayed about them, meditated over the course to take and we can’t, at this moment, see a clear way through but I have hope solutions will be reached.
Mr.W, in one quick mid-workday phone call, had just finished recounting a lengthy list of problems to the several end points we had come up with. I listened, after twenty-four years of marriage I know this man is going to look at all (and I mean all) the reasons why something won’t work. I tend to see only the sweet smelling (thorn-less) roses so we balance each other nicely.

In the silence that ensued upon hanging up the phone I felt the Spirit whisper, ever so gently, “Look to the possibilities”. I have thought about that statement over and over again. It hasn’t made the pathway any clearer but I know as I look beyond the problems to the possibilities a way will be shown.

Then I remembered an address I heard in October of 2010 at a Time Out for Women conference. S. Michael Wilcox spoke on a message of hope and told a story from the Old Testament found in Numbers 13. A summary of that story goes as follows:

At this point in history, Israel was just a few months out of Egypt, and they had been given the law of God. The Lord indicated that it was time to go in and possess the Promised Land. He commanded that a reconnaissance group be sent into Canaan to look over the land. The evidence of the richness of the land was irrefutable, and the spies even brought back a cluster of grapes carried on a staff between two men to demonstrate the beauty and richness of the produce (see Numbers 13:23). Yet the spies, except for Joshua and Caleb, reported that, despite the richness of the land, there was no hope for driving out the inhabitants. The exaggerated tone of their negative report shows in the use of such words as “very great,” the land “eateth up the inhabitants thereof,” “all the people . . . are men of great stature,” “we saw the giants,” “we were . . . as grasshoppers”. (Old Testament Student Guide, pg 205)

So here we have two views:

Caleb and Joshua who focused on the fruits of the land, brought back grapes, pomegranates and figs and they described it as a place flowing with milk and honey.

And the rest of the spies who focused on the barriers to the fruit- the walls and the strength of the inhabitants.

38 years later the people were ready to focus on the fruit the Lord promised them and with his strength they were able to overcome the barriers.

If you want to create hope look past the walls and the giants and focus on the fruit. The Lord will bring down the walls and deal with the giants. Don’t wait 38 years to reach your promise.

Look beyond the problems and to the possibilities.

What do you do when faced with a great barrier?