"The 'What's-Up-Wednesday' Guest Interview!"

Welcome to another segment of the “What’s-Up-Wednesday” Guest Interview. Our guest today is my friend and fellow fiction writer, Pamela MacLean, who is also a member of Live Journal’s “SummerWrite2” Writing Challenge Group. Help me welcome Pam to my blog:


Hi, Pam! I am so glad that you agreed to do this interview today. I really think that our readers will enjoy getting to know you better, and this is the place to do it. Let’s start out with the basics. Why don’t you tell us a little about yourself, including how long you have been writing?

I'm 22 years old and I’m also a kindergarten teacher. Currently, I have a bachelor's degree in early childhood education. In the fall, I'll be starting work on my masters of Education in Teaching, Learning, and Advocacy. I was born and raised on the coast of South Carolina. I have one sister, whom I'm very close to. I started writing at a young age. I can remember writing stories as early as middle school. My sister and I enjoyed playing out stories with our Barbie dolls when we were younger.

Wow! I'm very impressed! It always makes me happy to see a young person who is actually accomplishing something with their life. Good for you! So, what genre is your favorite?

It’s definitely fantasy. I love living and writing in a made-up world.

Was there a light bulb moment that inspired you to become a writer?

There was never really a light bulb moment for writing. It's always been something that I enjoy doing. There have been several light bulb moments for stories that I've worked on, though.

What are you currently working on?

Currently, I am working on two projects with my sister. The first project is one that we have been working on for about five or six years. It started out as a simple novel about magic and has since then evolved into what will probably be a series of novels revolving around magic and a world we've created together. The second project is a single novel. The focus of this novel is a love story between a werewolf and a human. It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's the gist of it.

You’ve mentioned your sister a couple times now; what is her name and what can you tell us about her, just to satisfy our curiosity?

Her name is Crystal and she’s a junior in college. She’s almost three years younger than me and the most important thing in my life. We are nearly inseparable, and do lots of things together, including writing.

I guess now would be a good time to give a 'shout out' to Crystal. "Hey, Crystal! How are you, girl? Nice to 'meet' you!"

OK...back to the questions. When you write, do you use outlines?

I rarely do. I use extensive notes about the characters and their back stories, but rarely ever do I use an outline. I like the ending to be a surprise.

Who are your favorite authors?

Jane Austen (especially Pride and Prejudice); Neil Gaiman (Stardust); Sophie Kinsella (Shopaholic series); Stephanie Meyer (Twilight series), Margaret Mitchell (Gone with the Wind)

I see you have Margaret Mitchell — "Gone With The Wind" on your list. "Gone With The Wind" is my all-time favorite book — something exciting is happening on just about every page; it's incredible! What are your favorite writing links and your favorite writing resources?

It varies, depending on what I'm writing. I do enjoy several groups on Live Journal and the opportunities that they provide.

Do you or have you ever belonged to a critique group? If not, would you consider it, or are you against them?

I took two fiction writing classes in college and we critiqued each other's work. That's the closest I've come. Critique groups can be helpful because they let you see other's opinions on your work. However, they can also be very discouraging for a writer.

What is the one piece of advice that you would impart to a writer if you could only share one thing?

Let your imagination be the guide. Don't box yourself in too early.


That's good advice! Well, I want to thank you so much for joining us, Pam. I hope you enjoyed yourself today, and maybe you and your sister (pictured together, above, at one of the Renaissance Faires that they frequent.) would like to come and be interviewed together, just as soon as you publish your first novel? What do you think?

That would be great. I know she’d be happy to do it. We’ve got to get that first novel finished yet.

And I’m sure you will. I’ve had a great time, and I’m sure my readers have enjoyed it, too. Good luck with your writing, and we look forward to see you and your sister both on here, together, next time! Again, thank you so much for doing this interview, Pam.

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Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Farewell to Rufus and Momma Kitty!"

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Two very special pets from the world of "books and writers" have gone to the Rainbow Bridge.

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First, there is Rufus, who was has been known as Amazon.com's "shortest volunteer worker." He was owned by Amazon's former editor-in-chief and their principal engineer, and dating all the way back to the early days, he would accompany them to work every day.

Rufus had a wonderful life! He was able to sit in on all the meetings he wanted (something he loved to do!); stroll the hallways; take leisurely naps in his crate; he perfected his game of hallway tennis-ball-chase; and somehow he was able to charm people into giving him extra treats and goodies, whenever they saw him. Ah, to live a dog's life.

As soon as Amazon customers discovered that there was an "Amazon dog," he was overwhelmed with presents, and he was particularly delighted to receive an offering from his good friends in Guam. His celebrity status never changed him, though. He was always the same old lovable Rufus.

He was most proud of his accomplishment of starting up the dog-friendly culture that is present at Amazon.com today. Employees can thank Rufus for being able to bring their four-legged friends with them to work today, something that most companies wouldn't even dream of allowing their employees to do.

Amazon is sure going to miss you, Rufus!

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The next pet that has gone on to "meet the sweet reward" is my own precious baby, Momma Kitty. You probably don't remember the article that I wrote on April 3rd about writer's block, but I wrote a whole paragraph about her in that article, here.

I have been dreading this, ever since they re-blacktopped the road out in front of our house. Momma was so good about looking both ways before crossing the road, but there had been some strange, stray dogs out here lately that had been chasing her and the other kitties, and I knew that she had been depending on being able to hear the vehicles coming, just like in the old days, but she wouldn't be able to any more. Now the road was all smooth, and the vehicles travelled along it quietly. How could I warn her and make her understand that? I was frantic!

I tried to tell her, but she didn't understand what I was trying to say. She just purred and looked up at me with love in her eyes, enjoying being held by me and listening to the sound of my voice as tears ran down my cheeks.

Days passed by and she was ok, and this gave me hope. Then days turned into weeks and I was cautiously optimistic, but still I worried and prayed. I couldn't bear the thought of living without her. Then the weeks turned into months and I thought maybe, just maybe the hurdle had been crossed, but the months never had the chance to make it to a whole year. In less than ten months, my Momma Kitty, the only kitty to have survived the traffic on this treacherous road for anything over a year, was gone.

For eleven years, I was the one that she had loved the most. I was the one she ran to when she had boo-boos from fighting with the other cats; she would sit by the door and "meow" until I came out to see what the problem was, because that wasn't something she'd normally do. She was such a good kitty, and we could read each other. I had never had that before--not in my entire life--and now she was gone. I was going to miss her terribly.

My new neighbor, Sheila, had called me on the phone that morning, and when I answered, instantly I had been able to tell something was very wrong by the sound of her voice.

"Oh...uh, hi, Cynde," she stammered. "Is Dion around?"

"Hi, Sheila," I answered her, immediately on alert. "No, Dion went back to work this morning. Can I help you with something?" My husband had just returned to work after taking a few days vacation, and for some reason, she obviously didn't want to talk to me.

"Well, not exactly," she said. There was silence on the line.

"Is something wrong, Sheila?"

"I'm on my way to an appointment, and I'm going to be late," she said, agitated. Silence again.

I had been laying down because I didn't feel good, it was around 11:30 a.m., and I still wasn't dressed. Something told me to get up and start slamming on some clothes as we spoke, which I did. "Sheila, what is it?" I asked, alarmed.

"Well, I was just going to get out into my car, and I happened to notice that one of those cats are out in the road."


(The kitties in the photo above are Momma's last litter, from left to right: Luke, Capote, Grady, and Duke)

My first thought was, oh no, I bet it's Duke. All we had left now were three yellow tiger kitties: Momma Kitty and two of her kittens, both boys, Capote and Duke. Then Sheila shattered my world!

"I think it's that old one," she said.

I think I may screamed, "Oh no, not Momma!" but I'm not sure. I don't remember exactly what happened after that. I do remember thanking her and having a hard time getting her to get off the phone for some reason. Now that I think about it, I may have upset her with my devastated reaction, but I'm not sure. I just know that I had to get off the phone so I could finish dressing so that I could see if it was Momma; and she if she was alive; and then see if I could help her.

A few minutes later, I was dressed and ready, then I flew out the door. The very first thing I noticed were the two kittens, Capote and Duke, looking out towards the road, and howling, as if they were physically in pain. I have never seen anything quite like it, except when cats were in heat, and they definitely were. not! Just the sound of it made my heart race. Then I turned and saw that it surely was Momma lying there, so I ran with the soft towel that I had brought with me, and went to check her out.

Oh, how it grieved me to see what had happened to her. A car had driven right over her, and I won't describe the whole thing to you, but yes, she had died instantly, thank God. I said a prayer for her, then scooped her up, and tenderly wrapped her up in her shroud, then I cradled her in my arms, and took her to her favorite spot in our front yard so that she could rest there, covered, until Dion got home to bury her.

I went in to call Dion at work, and when I looked outside, both the kittens were nuzzling her. Then, each one of them got as close as they could, one of either side, and they both snuggled up next to her, and fell asleep. I totally lost it then. I told Dion what had happened, and I cried so much that I got the hiccups. I had to assure him that I was going to be ok, because he was coming home to be with me, he was so worried about me. That's the way he is; we love each other so much. I couldn't have gotten through this without him.

I know that some of you will think that this is ridiculous, but I loved her so much. I loved her in a way that I find hard to explain. I'm home every day, all by myself, and it gets so lonely, so I talked to Momma, for hours...and she listened happily, without complaint. When she saw me coming, she would literally run to greet me. And the night before she died, she came into the house on her own, and went looking for me.

I had just gotten out of the shower and Dion was drying me off, so she must have heard my voice. Dion had left the kitchen door open by mistake when he carried some things in from the car, and when he came in to check to see how I was doing with my shower, he just dropped what he was doing to help me dry off.

Then we both heard, "Meow!" "Meow!" and I opened the bathroom door just in time to see my poor little Momma Kitty looking more distraught than I had ever seen her in her entire life. I bent down, gently pet her head, and said, "how did you get in here, sweetheart?" She immediately responded by blinking her eyes at me, then wrapping herself around my legs as she weaved in and out, purring loudly as she did so. Oh, how I loved the way she talked to me. She was never too embarrassed to say "I love you, Mommy," no matter where we were or who was there.

Momma had basically been a feral cat, but she let me do anything I wanted with her, and she was the almost the same with Dion. We were her two favorite people in the world, but anybody else...and she took off like a shot! She had never come into the house that far before...it must have been a sign from the Lord, because that was the last time I ever saw her alive. She had come to say "goodbye".

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As a side note: the kitten that took it the hardest and that has been missing Momma the most, "Capote," (this is him in the photo to the left) has been following me everywhere! He isn't Momma, but he is awfully sweet, and I know Momma would want me to take good care of him. Who knows...I may grow to love him a lot, if I can learn to let my guard down. He is so smart, and I already do love him (and Duke, too, of course). I just don't want to get hurt again, I don't think my heart can take it, that's all. Pray that he doesn't get hurt, would you, please? Thanks!

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Welcome to my Page, Leona and Angie!"

By now, you all know how excited I get when a new "follower" comes on board my site! I whoop and holler; I jump up and down; I dance the jig; and I do cartwheels--well, not really...but I do smile a lot!

Seriously speaking, every last one of my "followers" represents someone that likes my blog; that cares about what I have to say; and that cares about me. I'd say that's pretty special. I owe it to all of them to do my very best to at least write something, now and then, that is entertaining, or at the very least, interesting.

My first new "follower" today is Leona G. Shankle, a published author and poet. Her book, entitled "At The Starting Gate," is a collection of assorted poetry and short stories ranging from humorous to serious and inspirational.

Leona also maintains her two blogs: Her first blog is named after her book, At The Starting Gate and it's filled with the things she learned "along the way to publishing [her] book," plus "some tips and insights," and what she calls "a mind-boggling set-back every now and then." Her second blog, Fun n Inspiration , is the sister site to her other blog, and in that blog, she shares inspirational emails and stories as well as things to "help make [our] day a little brighter."

My second new "follower" today is Angie Lofthouse. (Don't you just love her last name? She "is a stay-home mom of six children. Her fiction has appeared in NFG, AlienSkin, Amazing Journeys, The Sword Review, Dragons, Knights and Angels, Irreantum, and Unparalleled Journeys. She is also an editor for Mindflights Magazine. She lives in a little canyon in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains with her family of writers, artists, singers, composers, illustrators and musicians."

Angie's blog, which is entitled Notes From The Writing Chair, is loaded with valuable writing tips and secrets; updates on her family life; book reviews; links and resources; and so many goodies that it's a veritable goldmine! Her husband even has a gardening blog, called Loafer Canyon Gardening, which I signed up to follow because, I think that our spouses need supporting, as well, and when we as writer's, support each other's spouses, too, it gives us a boost emotionally and spiritually. What could be better than that? We've got to show some love, write right? (LOL!)

Aside from the amazing, very first book that Angie has written, called "Zion Rising," which she is now in the first stages of trying to get it published, here is a list of Angie's published works:

• "Soul Singer" in "The Sword Review" — September 2006


• "Brierly's Lilies" in "Dragons, Knights, and Angels" — April 2006


• "Casualties of War" in "AlienSkin" — April/May 2005


• "Ripped" in "Amazing Journeys" — March 2005


• "Fidelity" in "Unparalleled Journeys Anthology"


• "Getting Colder" in "Amazing Journeys" — June 2004


• "Sacred Places" in "Irreantum" — Spring 2004


• "Among the Silent Stars" in "Amazing Journeys" — March 2004


• "Blessing Stone" in "NFG" — June 2003

As you can see, I am beginning to amass some fantastic "followers" on my blog(s) and it's a shame if you haven't joined yet. It's not too late; you can join at any time!

Let me say, once again, "Welcome to my site, Leona and Angie!" and also..."I hope you enjoy being part of the "Cynde's Daybook" family. I am honored to have you as a members, and I'll do my best to make you glad that you have joined us!"

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Writer's Image Prompt!"

"Picture (no pun intended) This:"
written by: Cynde L. Hammond

It was Thursday night, 02 April 2009, at one of the Lariat Sandridge Energy oil rigs, south of Fort Stockton, Texas. There was an eerie calm outside while the men were busy working on the rig, but they couldn't help but notice the dazzling light display being played out right before them as they worked.

"I don't think I've seen lightning like that before as long as I've worked on these big rigs," Carl said thoughtfully. "Have you, Joe?"

"No, I can't say as I have," he answered, as he watched the thick shafts zig and zag towards the earth. "Somebody got a camera around here?"

"I've got one out in the truck," Bill yelled from the back of the group of about ten men that had formed to watch the show. "I'll go get it."

Just as Bill had turned to trot off and go get the camera, one of the men grabbed him by the arm and whispered in his ear, "Forget it. Get back to work--here comes Red," and with that, Bill went back to his station, never skipping a beat.

Red was a mammoth, barrel-chested man, with a head full of bright red hair, a beard, mustache and lamb-chop sideburns to match. Despite all the face hair, you could still clearly see the cleft chin and deep dimples on both cheeks, which were the perfect compliment to his sparkling, bright blue eyes.

On many occassions, the men had heard the women from the business office talk about what a handsome man Red was, and how they couldn't wait until he was ready to start dating again. They all babied him, brought him cookies, pastries, and all kinds of goodies, ever since his wife had died of uterine cancer two years earlier. Even though they were all jealous of the girls' attention to him, none of them would ever want to trade places with him and have to go through the pain that he had had to endure.

As Red stalked on to the platform, the men quickly scattered in the hopes that he hadn't noticed that they had been goofing off and congregating there, watching the lightning. "Bill!" Red yelled in to the darkness.

Bill swallowed hard, not sure he could answer. He knew he was in trouble now! "Yeah, Red?" he squeaked.

"Go get that camera!" Red commanded.

You didn't have to ask him twice, for Bill was off and running. He was back with his camera in a matter of a couple of minutes. Slowly, the men were gathering back together again at the platform, and watched as Bill handed the camera to Red.

"Well, come on!" Red demanded. "Come on over and gawk if you have to, because I know you won't get anymore work done tonight until these dern pictures have been taken, so let's get it over with!"

Everybody started laughing because they all knew he was just kidding. He was so easy to work for. He was such a fair man, and he'd give them the shirt off his back, if that's what you needed.

"Here, you taken them," Red said, handing the camera back to Bill. "It's your camera!"

So, as Bill prepared for his shot, the men lined up around him and waited in anticipation. "Take a bunch of pictures!" one of the men said, just as Bill was about to click. Now he'd have to get ready all over again. Bill was nervous being watched.

"Give him a little bit of room," Red said, sensing his unease, and Bill flashed him a grin. Now he was ready. This was going to be a great shot. He was going to click right when the lightning flashed! Bill took a deep breath, waited, it was almost time, he could feel it, and then he clicked!

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Now...let's see what you've got! Pick the story up from where I left off, and write how you would finish this little story, just for fun, ok?

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Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"The 'What's-Up-Wednesday' Short Story Review!"

When I was first told the title of my friend Suzette Saxton’s short story, and that it had been published in the fantasy and science fiction magazine, Mindflights, I thought surely there must be some mistake.

The title, “The Bone Setter,” conjured in my mind, visions of a muscular man twisting, punching and pulling at the half-naked, horizontally-inclined body of a weak woman needing joint manipulation. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

From the start of this enchanting, speculative fiction tale, the relationship between the orphan girls and their sovereign drew me in. I marveled at how well Ms. Saxton had described the scenes; it was almost as if I were there myself. And the characters seemed so believable, so real. How had she done that to such perfection? I felt compelled to read further. As I did, somewhere along the way, I had forgotten that I was reading. The journey had become mine as well. I was with “The Bone Setter.”

Visit Mindflights magazine so that you, too, can be lost in the wonder that is: "The Bone Setter" by Suzette Saxton. ”When ancient bones speak to an orphan girl, she struggles to free them from their mortal bounds while Monsignor, her sovereign from birth, strives to overpower her."

My overall rating: excellent!

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Query Tracker Turns Two--Let's Celebrate!"

Guess What! It looks like it's a proud parent moment--only I'm not the parent, and Query Tracky isn't exactly a kid anymore. But it's still the same excitement!

They're having a PARTY!

Copy and paste the link below the picture at the bottom of the page for more details. Oh, and there's also a little blog chain contest going on. The grand prize of this hulla-baloo is a FREE WEBSITE designed by the awesome Carolyn Kaufman and QT's daddy, Patrick McDonald. That's right. FREE. (They're the Purple Squirrel Web Designers. Check 'em out.)

You want that, don't you? Um, yeah..

You get one entry into the grand prize drawing for every contest you enter. (Details on the carnival page, click below.) You can also get another entry by helping us advertise!


Thanks, Elana!

Now here's how you do it: Simply make a post like this one you're reading on this blog. Make sure to use the wicked fun graphic and direct them to the carnival page for more deets. Then go here and leave a comment with your link and real name. Or email your link with your real name to any one of the members of the QT blogteam (listed on the right-hand side of the blog) on this page here. Use: Their Name(at)QueryTracker(dot)net.

They'll make sure you get in the drawing.

Be sure to tell your readers to EMAIL THEM (or comment here) your link and real name so they can put your name in the drawing. You can link to this post so everyone knows how to make sure they're entered for the FREE WEBSITE!

And hurry! You must have your blog post up by next Saturday, May 23 to get the extra entry.

Spread the word! Win a FREE WEBSITE!

"The 'What's-Up-Wednesday' Guest Interview!"

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

"Official Teddy Bear Book Announcement!"

According to the "Official Teddy Bear Book," something of momentous importance has occurred in the world of Teddy bears and babies! Would you like to hear what it is?

It's so exciting! Are you ready?

Well, here is what happened:

At 3:15 a.m. on Saturday, 02 May 2009, our grandson, Noah Christian Hammond, was born! He weighed 7 lbs. 9 ozs.; he was 20 inches long; and he has a head full of medium-dark brown hair. He is a perfect cross between his beautiful mom and his handsome dad, plus he also looks just like his grandpa, Dion, too. He's a "Hammond," through and through! We're so blessed and happy!

Noah is one of the most beautiful babies that I have ever seen in my entire life! Here, take a look and judge for yourself:


I fell in love with him the moment I laid eyes on him! He is so precious, don't you agree?

He's such a cutie pie!

I'll be posting more photos as soon as I get them. You know how fast these little guys grow up. I just hope he doesn't grow up too fast because I'd like the chance to enjoy some time with him before he goes off to college!

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please check out my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"That's Definitely A Big Mistake!"

Nothing bothers me more than to be reading a story, and to find a misspelled word, poor grammar or improper punctuation. It has been a pet peeve of mine, since I was a youngster, to find documents that have mistakes in them. If I was the one that had made a silly mistake, then you had better stay out of my way, because I would be so angry with myself for being careless that I would be grumpy for days!

To this day, I am still pretty hard on myself, but I am not sure that it is altogether such a bad trait. Lack of self-editing by authors who send their work in for consideration for publication is one of the main reasons that manuscripts are rejected. If an editor prepares to read a story, only to find that the story is riddled with errors, he will reject it immediately, a good story or not; it will be an irritation to him/her to read the story in unpublishable condition.

Certainly, you can understand that to an editor, if words are misspelled, that alone would indicate sloppiness on the part of the author in the preparation of the manuscript. It might also indicate that the author is someone that has a poor work ethic, therefore making him/her undesirable to work with. My advice is: present yourself in the best light possible, and if you want your book published, you had better be willing to go that extra mile and correct any mistakes that you possibly can.

If editing is not your forte, you could always hire someone to do it for you. If I were you, I would take the time to learn at least the basics, because, in my opinion, knowing proper grammar does help you to write better.

There are several courses to choose from, but I would suggest starting with the one that I am familiar with. Rob Parnell and Robyn Opie have teamed together to offer a course entitled "How to Edit for Success." It is a well-rounded course that offers such things as:

• Introduction to Manuscript Editing



• The Basics - Tips and Strategies to Ensure Your Success



• Editing for Story, Content & Rewriting



• Editing for Impact: Clarity, Sense, Logic and Transparency



• Editing for Submission & Publication



• Three SECRET BONUS ITEMS

Plus, if you want to learn to the best of your ability, you can also be mentored throughout the entire course! (*Note: Mentorship includes thorough feedback on your exercises, one on one guidance and individual help with editing your MSS.) If I were you, I think I would check out the "How to Edit for Success" course right away!

By the way, did you notice my new "favicon" that's located on the tab up above, next to my blog name? It looks like a capital letter "H" in a box, which stands for the "H" in my last name, Hammond, just like the one that is here on the right:

Until next time... stay safe, stay well and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Sometimes Things Get A Little Hairy!"

In medieval stories, romance novels, stories about Kings and their kingdoms, horses always play an important role. They are romantic figures, due to the fact that they almost always play a major part in the rescue of the heroine of the story, or they lead the King off to battle or home from victory and sometimes even defeat.

How would you feel if your horse appeared to look a little more like one of us? What if he had a head full of long, luxurious, locks and thick bangs instead of a mane and forelock? You'd have thought I went off the deep end if you hadn't see these astounding photos, am I right?




************************************These portraits were taken by the famous Australian photographer, Julian Wolkenstein . It took an entire day to all three horses, which included four hours of "hair and makeup" for each horse, of all things. Julian said he just took his time and made sure that everyone involved had fun; it was all on his own time, so the money didn't matter and he wanted it done right while at the same time he wanted it to be a special memory for all.

It may sound like punishment for these horses, but it wasn't. I owned a show horse a few years back, and when we took her to the shows, she would have to stand in the cross-ties for hours while we braided her mane and tail, painted her hooves and all the other little grooming tricks that you do for the shows. I loved every minute of it, and believe me...so did she!

Here is a video of Julian Wolkenstein on the "Today Show" with Meredith Viera:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

This is probably the new wave of the future in horse competitions somewhere. I'm sure we'll see a horse or two that looks like this in someone's book...maybe even mine!

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Accuracy Counts!"

When writing writing non-fiction stories, or let's say, news reports for the newspaper--especially front-page, headlining news--it's extremely important to be accurate with the facts. I would say that we "story" writers seem to take that more seriously than the media have or still do.

Case in point: 14 April 1912 (97 years ago today)--The British steamship RMS Titanic, which was thought to be virtually unsinkable, struck an iceberg. More than 1,500 people, which included both passengers and crew, perished after the impact from the crash crippled the vessel and ultimately caused it to sink into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Among the famous passengers who were killed were John Jacob Astor IV and his bride; Isidor Straus; and Benjamin Guggenheim. One of the most famous survivors was Margaret Brown, later to be known as "The Unsinkable Molly Brown."

The Fitchburg Sentinel initially reported on April 15, 1912:
"Though hard hit and damaged at the bow, the giant steamer, on her maiden trip across the water, from Southampton for New York, stands a fair chance of reaching port safely, for the officers of the White Star line say that she can not sink because her air tight compartments will hold her afloat."

NOTE: By April 16, reports confirmed that the Titanic had been lost, and of the more than 2,220 passengers, only around 700 survived

Some of the many irresponsible, inaccurate headlines can be found here, here, and here, with such titles as "Titanic's Passengers All Rescued and "Not One Is Lost."

My father always told me that it was always best "to err on the side of caution," so I would do that if you're not absolutely sure about a fact. If you don't have something to back it up with, then leave it out of your story/article. You certainly don't want someone coming back later to question the rest of your work, all because of one shaky bit of information; it's just not worth it!

Remember: They said the Titanic would never sink...

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please check out my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"Do You Like Horses AND Mystery?"

If you love horses and a good mystery as much as I do, then you're going to like the new blog site, Sasscer Hill Mystery & Suspense Stories.

Every posting that the blog owner, Lynda Hill, has made so far has been a short story that she has written about race horses, some of which were fiction and one was a rivoting non-fiction story called "THE TONGUELESS WONDER, A True Story."

Her most recent entry entitled, "Just As Well," was about a horse with the same name that she had her eye on for quite a while and that is actually scheduled to run the Grade 1 Maker's Mark Mile at Keeneland Thoroughbred Racing & Sales on 10 April 2009, which is today.





The story includes a jockey named Julien Leparoux, who happens to be featured in the video clip of the "$150,000 (G2) Beaumont Race" run at Keeneland on 08 April 2009, which I have for you here:



Trust me: you're going to love Lynda Hill's stories as she brings the world of the racetrack and betting to life for you. You will feel as if you are experiencing the excitement yourself while you read the stories and you become part of them. They are truly electrifying.



Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"

i I have so many ideas floating around in my head. I always have. I guess that if I could put those ideas to good use, then I could be considered a writer of sorts. First I would have to learn how to put the words in some kind of order, right?

One of the blogs that I follow called Nick's Writing Blog, is written by a man named Nick Daws and for his biography, he writes,

"I am a professional freelance writer and editor living in Burntwood, Staffordshire, England. I am the author of over 80 non-fiction books, mainly published in the UK. I have also written many articles, short stories, training materials, distance learning courses, and so on."

Nick is one of the smartest, friendliest, most helpful people I have ever had the pleasure to "meet" (though we have only met online and via email), and I have purchased a few things from him, but I'm ashamed to say that I haven't really been able to use them yet. I've thoroughly looked over these things and I refused to send them back for a refund because I know that they are going to work. The items are: Write Any Book in 28 Days and Earn Quick Cash Writing. They are both fabulous writing aids, and I suggest that you purchase both of them! Now, since I already have them, what's my excuse? I better get off my bum, as Nick might say, and get busy, because that's just what I've been doing--using excuses! Starting tomorrow: NO MORE EXCUSES!! There you have it, ladies and gentlemen!






Before I close today, I have a story that I think is worth your while to read. It circulated on the internet quite some time ago, but I kept it because it touched my heart so deeply. I thought I'd share it with you today, and if you like it as much as I do, then please, pass it on. It's entitled "The Cab Ride. Here it is:

"THE CAB RIDE


So I walked to the door and knocked. 'Just a minute,' answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor.

After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 90's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie.

By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets.

There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

'Would you carry my bag out to the car?' she said. I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman.

She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb.

She kept thanking me for my kindness. 'It's nothing,' I told her. 'I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated.'

'Oh, you're such a good boy,' she said. When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, and then asked, 'Could you drive through downtown?'

'It's not the shortest way,' I answered quickly.

'Oh, I don't mind,' she said.. 'I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice.'

I looked in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were glistening. 'I don't have any family left,' she continued. 'The doctor says I don't have very long.' I quietly reached over and shut off the meter.

'What route would you like me to take?' I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator.

We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl.

Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, 'I'm tired. Let's go now.'

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico.

Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

'How much do I owe you?' she asked, reaching into her purse.

'Nothing,' I said.

'You have to make a living,' she answered.

'There are other passengers,' I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly.

'You gave an old woman a little moment of joy,' she said.

'Thank you'

I squeezed her hand, and then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift?

What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life.

We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments.

But great moments often catch us unaware-beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

PEOPLE MAY NOT REMEMBER EXACTLY WHAT YOU DID, OR WHAT YOU SAID, BUT..... THEY WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER HOW YOU MADE THEM FEEL.







Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!

"The Dreaded Writer's Block!"

Let's say you're a writer that likes the basics, and you either have a sheet all ready in your typewriter, or a notebook full of paper, and it's blank and pristine; plus you have your sharpened pencils lined up; your favorite pen with two refills is by your side; and you have plenty of delete-o or white-out at the ready. You must have brought in five different beverages so you wouldn't have to get up and fix yourself something once you started writing; and you have snacks and a sandwich ready; yet still...that big, blank page is staring right back at you. Your forehead is starting to get moist, your heartbeat is accelerating, and you've noticed now that you've even started wringing your hands. This couldn't be happening to you, could it? Yes, it could. It happens to the best of us. What you have is a problem that is commonly referred to as the dreaded "writer's block!"

So what should you do? There are several tips to choose from, but let me list just three, and see if they appreal to you:

1.) Whip the paper out from your typewriter or the notebook, and just use a new piece.
2.) Scream at the top of your lungs, and pray that someone comes to your rescue.
3.) Simply give up! Your family and friends told you that you'd never make it as a writer anyway, so obviously they were correct.

Hmmm...actually, number one has some merit, especially if you change the color of the paper, but the others are ridiculous--unless you're looking for an excuse to get out writing anyway.

Let me tell you a secret: writer's block is not fatal. There are so many simple tips and tricks that writers keep coming up with, and they think of more all the time. There has to be at least one that will help you out of this predicament. Let's list a few and see what your favorites are:

• Take a walk - Change your scenery, get some fresh air, and stop thinking about writing. Take 10 minutes and hunt for squirrels or something silly!


• Take a shower; change clothes - Get a fresh, clean start.


• Stop blaming yourself - Getting writer's block is nothing unusual, and once you have conquered it, it won't be so scary the next time around, if there is a next time. It's no one's fault; it could come as a result of stress because you feel you don't have enough time to complete an assignment, you don't understand your task, or the topic may just bore you to tears!


• Give up and give in - Resign yourself to the fact that you have to write this assignment, maybe because it could mean the difference of whether you get promoted or not, but it's an important assignment nonetheless. Consult your boss, teacher or whomever has given you the task and find out exactly what is expected of you, then commit to doing the best job you can, with a good attitude.


• Talk to an animal (stuffed or otherwise) - You'd be surprised how receptive a stuffed friend is to your ideas. Furthermore, real dogs and cats are usually pretty good listeners, too. I've shared many a problem with my furry friends throughout the years, so why not work out this problem with one of yours? To the right is my cat, Momma Kitty, and she's the mother of all the feral cats that hang out around our home. Someone dropped her off out here about eleven years ago, and it took a long time to gain her trust enough so we could at least feed her and her little ones. We even find homes for the "tinies." (that's another story that I'll share with you some day--it's really good!), and now we are very close to Momma. Dion (my husband) and I are about the only ones that can get near her, but that's ok for now. I love her more than you can imagine, and she even rescued me from a snake, but that's another story, too. She's the one that I "talk" to about my stories, work out my plot twists with, get ideas from (hahaha), and generally confide in. She's my best (animal) friend, and I adore her! Back to the article...


• Listen to new music - Try some new music that is instrumental, so that your mind doesn't have to compete with the lyrics, then set it on repeat and start writing. The music will help you to relax so that your creativity can flow.


• Stretch - You are probably so tensed up that you aren't able to relax. Start by stretching as many muscle groups as you can, while you are still sitting. Then try relaxing each group afterwards. Take a deep, cleansing breath and fill your lungs to capacity and beyond, then hold it until you aren't able to any longer, and exhale until you think you have exhaled everything inside of you. After that, fill your lungs with fresh, clean air again, and you'll be amazed at how revitalized and refreshed you feel.


• Write a bunch of junk - Write a funny story about you and your husband "for your eyes only" or a spoof on something that you've always been wanting to write, but be sure to finish it.


• Find a new spot to work - Remember when you've stayed at the lake or you slept upside down on your bed, and you've always slept better than you've slept in months? Relocating and finding a new spot to write works the same way. It will make you feel like you've gone to a writer's retreat, plus it's guaranteed to spark something inside you, and you'll feel like you've been given a fresh start.


• Try word association - Write out five completely random words. Then write five more words. Study the words and see if any of them associate with each other or you can make a sentence out of them. If that starts you going, then you're writer's block has ended. How cool is that?!


• Write a different section of your story - If you developed writer's block while working on the beginning of your story, try working on the middle. If you were at the middle when you got stuck, why don't you try working on the end? If the end of the story made you draw a blank, then do some editing or work on your title or a cover email--anything other than the part that you would have been working on.


• Do a single chore - Try doing a household chore (nothing overly physical--just something that gets you in touch with your physical side), such as sweeping the floor or cleaning out the refrigerator.


• Make yourself adhere to a senseless rule - Making a pointless rule that you have to think about and stick to within your writing, such as: no eight letter words in the last sentence of the paragraph or you can't end sentences with words that begin with vowels, makes you focus and changes your perspective.


• Try freewriting - Sit down and write whatever comes to mind, even if it's gibberish, for about 10 minutes to start, and don't stop for anything! Don't go back to correct misspellings, incorrect grammar, the wrong word or anything. Just keep on writing! As long as your hand is moving, your brain will think it is writing...and it is!

I hope that these tips have helped in some way. I do have a few more up my sleeve if you ever need one for a rainy day. Just visit me again and ask me if you ever need one, but you know what? I don't think you will!

Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed

"Mistaken Identity"

By Cynde L. Hammond



















MY "TOP 5" POEM

He saw me from afar
Then he yelled, "Hey, wait for me!"
He hoped that when I turned
My sister's face he'd see.

When he had seen my face
He had thought she looked too thin.
He took a second look
And saw I was her twin!

He certainly was shocked,
Had he known my sister well?
Not well enough, it seems-
It upset him, I could tell!

He said, "You're so alike
I'd like to sneak some kisses,
If word EVER got back,
I'd catch 'it' from the Mrs.!"






I did something that was very scary, as far as I was concerned: I entered my very first poetry writing contest! It was a contest at the Helium website and the category was entitled “Mistaken Identity.” Guess what! I WAS IN THE TOP 5! I ranked #5 out of 83! Not bad, huh? My husband was so proud of me, and that made me feel great!


The first thing I thought of when I saw that title was my life-long problem of having people mistake me for Sande, simply because we’re twins. It’s a natural mistake. It still happens, in fact. However, sometimes it is so annoying because people think you’re lying! There are those that don’t know that one or the other of us have a twin; then there are those that think we’re fooling with them; and nine times out of ten, when they don’t believe it, it’s when one of us is in a colossal hurry and we don’t have time to explain, so we’re left with being accused of being terribly rude! It’s so unfair.

Once, I had the clever idea of trying to head one lady off at the pass, but it failed miserably! I recognized “the look,” so I just agreed with everything she said, then to my horror, she burst into tears.

“You’re trying to get rid of me, aren’t you, Sande?” she said, choking back her tears. “Well, it’s fine by me!” Then she stormed off down the street before I could even determine who she might be.

When I moved back home to New York State, after living in Texas and Virginia collectively for a little over ten years, I ran into a friend that I used to work with at the Seneca Army Depot in Romulus, New York.

“Hello, Carlos!” I said, extending my hand to shake his. “How nice to see you. How have you been?”

“Huh, so now you decide you want to talk,” he snarled. “Well, maybe I just don’t have the time for you.” He turned, and then briskly started walking away.

I was totally blindsided. Not quite sure how I should react, I went with my instincts and ran after him. He had been a very good friend to me once, after all, and I felt I owed it to him to at least make an effort to see what had happened to make him act that way.

“Carlos, wait!” I yelled. Thankfully, he stopped and waited for me until I could catch up to him. “What’s going on?” I asked, innocently. “What have I done?”

“I used to think we were friends. Good friends,” he said, the strong emotion clearly audible in his deep voice. “Not any more, though. Not after what you did to me a couple years ago.”

I had been away from home for over ten years, with only one or two short trips home per year, and I knew I hadn’t run in to him, so the picture was beginning to become a little bit clearer.

“When was this?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know!” he answered angrily. “It was two years ago, at the Train Show in Syracuse.”

“Do you happen to remember who I was with?”

“What does it matter?” he asked, annoyed.

“Please, Carlos,” I said. “You’ll understand why in a minute.”

“It was some guy with dark hair and a mustache.” he answered. “And he had a long ponytail.”

I had to laugh. While I felt so terrible that Carlos’ feelings had been hurt, I couldn’t believe that this had happened to me again! I didn’t understand why Sande couldn’t take that extra minute and explain to people that she had a twin that moved out of town, but she didn’t—she just let think that I was rude!

“What’s so darn funny?” he growled.

“I pulled out my wallet, and flipped it open to Sande’s and my senior high school portrait where the two of us were sitting on a special platform, flanking each other, and I was above her. We were dressed in identical navy blue dresses with white leather collars and cuffs. Then I flipped the page to Sande’s wedding photo where she was standing with a guy with dark hair and a mustache, and then once more to a more recent photo of Sande, where she was still with the same guy, but he had added a ponytail.

Carlos was stunned. He grabbed my wallet and looked at each photo closer, then he looked at me and smiled. He returned my wallet and reached for me with both arms and we hugged each other for a long time. “Friends?” he asked.

“You know it!” I replied.







Until next time...stay safe, stay well, and may God bless you all.

Cynde

Please visit my other blogs:
Cynde's Daybook ~and~ Usurper Exposed. Thank you!