Moving my Blog back to my old Stomping Grounds & BelleBooks Linky love

Welp, yesterday my blog went bye-bye. A notice popped up that my blog was suspended and there was no explanation other than the link I clicked on that read how I could be seen as spam or did something that was against their rules.

Of course, it was a "glitch;" I wasn't spam and didn't do something against their rules, and they had my blog up again by today.

However, I've decided to return to my former blog where I don't have to worry about that happening. It felt really weird to be suddenly suspended as if I did something wrong even though I knew I hadn't, but I felt rather oogly about it, as if I had dirt on my hands or something.

My old stomping grounds used to be under the window spaces blogger and sometime about a year or so ago it was formed into wordpress- I kept that blog but rarely posted to it. Yesterday I fiddled around with it and am trying to spiff it up for my move there.

I will leave my blog here with a redirect link - I don't want to delete a couple of years of my life I've had here! Lawd no!  I may import my posts over there, if it works out all right, and in that case, I don't know if posts stay in both places.

I hope y'all will follow me on over there! I plan to make it easy as I can to follow the blog and leave comments - soon as I figure out all the whatevers and such and sos - feel free to email me if you have any problems.

Okay, y'all come on over! It's still under construction right now and I've changed the look of it several times (I may upgrade to Pro so I have more to work with), but I hope to have it 'finished' over the weekend  - lawd.

Kathryn's Wordpress Blog

And since today is linky love day, I will do as I planned and link to BelleBooks/ Bell Bridge Books and their authors. This will be my last Linky Love here on this blog.

BelleBooks/Bell Bridge books has been wonderful to me and I adore them. Their authors adore them. And, there is something for everyone to read. I want to give them a big Shout Out today.

BelleBooks/BBB page for writers

BB/BBB Authors

About BB

They made my dreams come true. Three published books and a novella later, and another book on its way in the spring (Family Graces probably will be the title of the last in the Graces Trilogy), foreign rights (Russia so far!), ebooks, print books, audio books soon to come - I just can't say enough things about them. They are a dream to work with and respect and love their authors. Go BB/BBB! Check them out, and as their site says - there really is something for everyone.

Now - y'all come on over and help me to feel at home in my new/old blog home.

Stop. Sit in your chair. Open a word doc (or pull out pen and paper) and Begin

We not only have holiday company for a few days at the little log house at Killian Knob, but I am up against a deadline, or two! The post below is a repeat post from 2009 but bears repeating. And it applies to more than just writing!

As for me, I am right now doing some last minute edits on the final Graces novel in the Graces Trilogy. The contract is signed. A date of March/April is planned for its release, and as well, Bellebooks/Bell Bridge Books is re-doing Secret Graces's cover so that all three Graces Sagas bookcovers are similar, so they look like a trilogy (I had a lot of mixed letters/comments on the original cover for SG-some hated/some loved). I can't wait to see what SG and the third Graces novel covers will look like - I still become excited; I still am giddy about it all.

And as well, Rose & Thorn will go live January 15 - we are busy preparing the winter issue. My New Years Holiday will be busy, but in a good kind of way.

So now -

What someone wrote in a comment one day: “You know all that is what kind of halts me in writing. It just overwhelms me and then I block. I like blogging because I have the feel of freely writing. I guess it is a bit of a quirk.”

Never never never never never never never never never never never never never never never NEVER NEVER NEVER let anything stop you from writing if this is what you want to do and you are ready to discipline yourself to it—no one else on this earth or beyond should stand in your way: no advice from well-meaning writers, no rules, no nuttin’.

 Trust me when I say that if you really want to write a novel, or stories, then you must practice your craft and the only way to practice is to just sit down and write. As you practice, you will figure out what works for you, what your “voice” is, what your “tics” are, what your weaknesses and strengths are, what delights you and urges you on and what frustrates you and makes you want to stop writing. You will find out your own personal style of writing in both how you write and what you write.

 But listen! If you are happy writing blog posts, what is wrong with that? If you write a successful blog and people come to your site and leave happy interested comments, are you not a success? Are you not writing for an audience who loves coming by and seeing what you have written?

 When I began writing Tender Graces, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing; I didn’t even know how to write dialogue! But I had desire. I had discipline. I had want. I just wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and things began to come clear as to my own style and voice and what made me feel comfortable. I wrote 200,000 words and most of those had to be trashed or re-cast or fiddle-dee-deed, but, boy did I have fun, and boy did I learn much about what kind of writer I’d be. I was writing for an audience of one: Me. That is free-ing, let me tell you!

 Don’t let the “rules” or advice of others stop you or scare you or make you feel as if you are somehow lacking if you don’t write in a certain way—just write and in the writing find out who you are, what kind of writer you are, what you love to write, and how you will write. I can’t stress this enough. Find what makes you happy and do it.

 If the writing feels strained and you want to back away from it, then find out what is hindering you: Are you writing for someone else? Are you listening to too many writers (like me!) give advice and it confuses you? Are you straining towards something that isn’t meant for you?

 Stop. Sit in your chair. Open a word doc (or pull out pen and paper) and Begin. Just have some fun, see what comes out. Who cares if you have so-just-very-little; who cares if there are many adverbs and present participles and dangling participles and similes and blah blah blah blah—how will you know what you want, or where you want to go, or how far you will take things, until you sit down and begin? How will you know what makes you happy until you write it without restraint?

I had to get to a certain point in my writing before the advice I read made sense –Hear that: I had to know how to sit down and write and find out what kind of writer I’d be before all the “rules” began to make sense, and only then could I use them, manipulate them, have fun with them—and I’m still having fun, and I’m still learning my craft—there is always room for growth, never become complacent even if you are a best-seller.

You all would laugh your arses off if you could see some of my first attempts at writing stories. So what? I laugh too! Haw! But I also see how far I’ve come, how much I’ve learned and how much more I can learn.  Lawd, even some of the works I've had published I want to go in and change the heck out of them!

Sit. Breathe. Tune out the voices. Have fun. And, write how and what you want, and where and for whom you want. Be sincere.

Dig it out from the you that is uniquely you.

See y'all Friday for Links Day! Hope you are having a wonderful holiday.

Photos/Video: Hopes for you & Happy New Year

 Hope your Christmas/Hannuka/Holiday Celebration is/was lovely and bright

Hope your travels were safe and beautiful and brought you to where you longed to be

Hope you spent time with friends and family - even if it was via Skype or Telephone, mail or email . . . or even social networking!

And finally . . . to all of you whom I in one fashion or another or all of the above love, respect, admire, and am exceedly grateful for, I wish you a . . .

Holiday Linky Love & Last Day for Sweetie deal

South Louisiana - LSU Lakes - Birds as Ornaments flocking the trees

For the holidays, here is some linky love. I'll be back to "regular links" next Friday, but for today, I am posting those I happened upon this morning that had a holiday theme. I didn't come across any with any other holidays besides Christmas, and if I had, I'd link to them as well - so if you have a different holiday tradition than Christmas, link it in the comments and I'll update my post!

Despite my Grinchy post below, today I am feeling full of holiday cheer - and no, not because of vodka *sigh* oh, I still have not received my Crystal Head Vodka -- I want that skull *laughing* to help my cheer along - dang it all! :-D

Then, there is the annual posting of the link for my Moonshine & Santy Claus - a quirky Santy and menopausal appalachian woman story, published by Vagabondage Press. And how interesting to see my bio then when I was 'in the query process' - well, dreams do come true, y'all *gratitude*

I love this blog - full of Appalachian everything and always positive: Blind Pig and the Acorn - Appalachia through my eyes - Christmas folklore

Michelle Teacress has a short video that made me tear up - *still sniffling* - it struck my heart: The Coat: A story of charity - it will warm your heart.

saw this in South Louisiana near LSU - laughing! love it -you can't see the picture of the LSU coach Miles in that shiny square:-D

Speaking of charity - Every year I do Toys for Tots, and as well, I do the Angel Tree (look for those Christmas trees with "ornaments" hanging that have information on children you can purchase clothing and toys for), and another place I like to give memorial gifts on behalf of my brother, granny, and now my father, is Heifer International - I'm linking you to Nathan Bransford site, for he information there and an incentive. These are the things that take me outside of myself and remind me what this season is about: giving and charity and loving and remembering. It's especially for the children. You may have your own charities, but if not, these are wonderful places to think about giving. But, yes, people need us all year round, no matter the season - however, during the holidays, harder times are oft-times more keenly felt.

And the Pudgy Penguin has on his santy suit  (so cute) and is having a book give-away. Even if you don't enter, just a look at that penguin makes a smile.

And, last time I'll be mentioning my book like a used car salesman (no offense to any car salesmen *laugh*), but it's the last day of the One-Week Deal at Amazon where SWEETIE is discounted for this promo. (Firefly Dance, the anthology, is on that same deal.)


Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


And now, I will leave you with an oldie but goodie - Christmas Lights Gone Wild

All those whos in whoville and their noise noise noise! Am I a Grinch?

I fear I am turning into the Grinch. You know, scowling about Christmas commercialism and all the Whos in Whoville’s noise wearing on my nerves. What’s happened to me? When Christmas was always the most perfect, most wonderful time of the year? Somewhere along the way I’ve let some kind of magic go, some kind of beauty of the season. I want it back. Lawdy be, can you help me? How? you may ask. Well . . . I’m open to suggestions. Perhaps: leave me Christmassy comments that enlighten and lighten? Email me cute Christmas cards? Post wonderful holiday thoughts and send me the link? Then my heart will grow umpteen sizes too big and I'll be full of Christmas Cheer - whoop!

 I want to look forward to decorating the tree with glee and fiddledeedee. I want to inhale the scents that come only this time of year - spices and sweet and fresh. I want to gasp at the wonders. I will have no child running in breathlessly to tear open gifts, for my son and granddaughter are many miles away in Oregon. Maybe that’s part of it, too—my friends and family are far from me. Oh, I hate whiners! Whos in Whoville and all that noise, noise, noise!

What do I want for Christmas this year? I want that spirit to come back with a big Bam-a-lammo. I can’t force it, so I’m asking you all, anyone of you at all, to help me find that Christmas-Holiday Doodledeedahday. I know it’s somewhere. I must have just misplaced it in a corner, under a pile of sweaters, in the sock drawer, in the hollowed out tree, behind the dresser, under the couch . . . somewhere, it’s here somewhere.

 There is a Christmas special on Lifetime television where this jaded book editor hates Christmas and is grumpy and yada yada the same old; but, as I watch it, I tear up a bit, as if I am seeing parts of myself in this woman. Thing is, at the end of the movie, I know she’ll have found what she is missing—will I find it along with her? Gee, I hope so.

 I think perhaps I will need to do something different, something to take me outside of myself. Yes. That's it. Outside of myself. And, I’ll keep searching those little corners and places for that old feeling—I just know it’s there. It rises up and quickly flies away just out of my grasp. Maybe you’ve seen it? Floating around, my Holiday Spirit. If you do see it, grab hold of it and bring it back to me, and for that, I’ll be filled with gratitude.

Perhaps I’ll fly like the hawk over a jeweled city of holiday shine and there I will find what I need . . . yes, right in Whoville. Yes. There it is . . . just ahead.

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Now, off with my bad elf-self, and I'll see you all on Friday with Linky Love.

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(and SWEETIE is doing well in the Amazon weekly deals - Friday is the last day to find it at this special before it goes back to its regular price - same with Firefly Dance. Thank you all for your support! Hmm, that's something to be grateful for this holiday season! - MY READERS! *heart is starting to grow* After this promo is over, I won't be mentioning it as I have been - you know how I like my "car salesman-free zone" here *laughing* :-D )

Where'd Monday go? Discombobulation abounds. No photos/videos: Bad Kat

Morning y'all. I'm late with my Monday post - I have been out of town to South Louisiana to visit family and friends. It was a quick trip, but here it is Tuesday morning and I don't have my photos/images/videos! *Bad Kat* I even woke up in my iron bed in the little log house in the cove at Killian Knob thinking this was Monday. Lawd.

So pardon my lateness and zippity do dah diggity didn't do-it-ness as I unpack and unwind and decompress. I will see you on Wednesday with my regular blog post!

By the way, SWEETIE is inching up the "Amazon Kindle Best Seller List" - she's at this moment no 29 in literary fiction. I'd love to see her head up to No 1 of course *haw!* but even the top 50 is very nice. THANK YOU for your support. She'll, Sweetie that is, will be on this "Amazon Weekly Deals" for a mere .99cents until Friday and then it's over and she's the regular price. (Firefly Dance is on that same deal.) Appreciate all of you.

See you Wednesday!

Linky Love - Blogger Community

Time for links, y'all! And today's links are from the blogger community.

And a big Thank You to blogspot Blogger for making it easy to open links to a new page - at last! yay!

Jessica Nelson BookingIt. Whenever I see her profile photo, it makes me smile. There is a sweetness about Jessica and it comes out in her blog and in her comments she leaves.

Diane Estrella "That's what I'm here for" has a fun Christmas quiz going on. She also reviews books and products, and her energy bounds off her blog page.

I have a new Blogger friend whose blog I am exploring - From Sarah, With Joy. And "joy" does describe what I've experienced stopping by her place.

Hilary Melton-Butcher has such an interesting blog "Positive Letters . . . Inspirational Stories," chock full of information on things you don't realize you longed to know until you get there, and Voila! She's told you all about something so interesting, you leave feeling smarter and more wordly.

I laughed when I watched Carolyn V's "Checkboard Squares" video on Zombie Love - and I HATE zombies . . .  ungh - but danged if I couldn't get that song out of my mind.

Reader Unboxed - it's all about books and reading and it's the sister site of Writer Unboxed. I love both of these blogs, and am a member of Writer Unboxed, for which I've linked to before.

Folks, if you haven't stopped by John Bord's Ink Spots, then slip on over there. His writings are starkly beautiful, and he's just a nice guy to boot. Sometimes he writes of social issues and whether I agree or do not, I always leave his blog thinking.

Colby Marshall Spittin' out words like a llama is quirky and fun, and, ohhh!, I do believe she has a form of synesthesia, so that makes her my new "writing interest" - I want to study her, for I have a character who will probably be in my next book who has synesthesia.

Click on over to Eryl at The Kitchen Bitch Ponders . . . because she's just cool and I like her and I love that title, too.

And finally, last one for this Friday's Linky Love is Titus the Dog - I have two of her poetry collections and have ordered the latest. The words are gorgeous and profound, yes, but, the covers are exceptional as well.

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As an aside - I am writing this on Wednesday because I have to unplug all of Thursday and perhaps into Friday. However, from what I understand, beginning on Saturday the 17th is the Amazon Kindle Promo for Sweetie (and as well for the anthology The Firefly Dance). Sweetie, and Firefly, will be priced by Amazon for $.99 for one week only - through the 23rd. After that, it goes back to regular price. So, there you go, a Christmas Kindle Book Promo. Thank you for your support - without my readers, my writing is lonely and unloved :-D .

Just found out this, apparently Amazon has Sweetie and FD at .99cents instead of what I thought! lawd! wow. Far as I know, just for the week still. Firefly is priced the same.

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See y'all on Monday!

Finding the Rest of Your (life) Story - Don't Give Up

As my brother and I left Blanchard Caverns on our Odyssey trip, one of the tour guides called out, “Watch out for deer. They come out this time of the evening.”

It wasn’t ten minutes later, as we carefully drove along an unfamiliar road in the soon-to-be-coming dusky dark, that I saw a deer by the side of the road and said, “There’s one; be careful.” We passed the deer without incident, both laughing at how we were just warned and then there a deer was.

 A few miles more, and I saw her. She darted out quickly and in the time it took me to open my mouth and yell, “Watch out!” she’d already ran right into Tommy’s truck. The sickening sound of WHAM! against metal, and our cries of “Oh no!”

Tommy said, “I can’t go back. I just can’t.” The stricken look that formed his features into grief must have mirrored my own.

 I said, “I know, Tommy. I understand.”

Yet, despite our words, he’d already slowed to pull to the side of the road. We both knew we couldn’t leave a suffering animal. We’d just lost our father and the thought of dealing with death of any kind caused our faces to fall into folds of worry and sick and sad. And if she was suffering, what could we do? How to help her? The Odyssey had barely begun and already we were ready to call it Done. It was all too much. Too much. Too much.

 Tommy looked into his rearview and said, “Hey wait! She’s up! She’s running into the woods.”

“That means she’s probably okay. Oh I hope so. And Tommy,” I said, “even if she’s not, we can’t go searching for her in unfamiliar woods, especially with dark coming soon.”

 “Yeah, I know,” he said. And we went on our way down that lonely darkening road. The night tainted, unfamiliar. Grieved. It felt as if Tommy and I were the only humans left in the world. Visions of the beautiful animal hurt in the woods pummeled my thoughts. I know Tommy was feeling that too.

We drove in a silent dark that became a deeper dark, nothing around except for a smattering of farm houses here and there far back from the road. Then, at last! There! Lights in the distance. We soon came to a gas-station and stopped to fill up. As Tommy went inside, I looked around, trying to gauge my bearings, feeling disoriented and exhausted. There were a few men standing around but they didn’t look approachable. Another woman filled her car, but she had an angry expression. I felt uncomfortable there, as if I were an interloper upon their space and place and time.

A young woman pulled up to fill her tank. Her friendly face calmed me, so I made my decision and walked up to her, “Excuse me,” I said, “But where are we?”

She laughed, and told me.

“Is there a hotel nearby?”

She laughed again, then said, “Not one you’d want to stay in, that’s for sure.”

 At my stricken look her face softened. “Hey, look. You can go to Hardy. It’s a little town but it has a couple of decent hotels. And!” She smiled and said with mock excitement, “it has a Wal-mart and a McDonalds!”

 “Sold!” I grinned at her, then said, “Thank you so very much.”

 “No problem. Drive safely. There’s some construction on the way.”

We followed the woman's directions and soon Tommy and I were checked-in to a hotel. We set out to the McDonalds for salads and to Wal-mart for a few supplies. Our moods were lighter, our faces lit in relief. I told Tommy I wished I'd have thought to ask her name, for she didn't know what her kindness meant to me, and to my brother.

The next morning was bright and beautiful. Tommy and I prepared again for our Odyssey, our faces as bright and beautiful as the morning. “Off we go!, I cried, “into the wild blue yonder!” We laughed, speeding off to the next adventure.

 I often think what if we’d have given up because of that evening we were so tired and sad and distraught? I think, what if we’d have consulted technology and sped our way to an interstate where everything is The Same, given up the discovery we had been so excited about—the old back roads using only our sense of direction and a paper map. I think what if we’d have said the trip was too hard, and we were too tired and disoriented and defeated. We’d have missed the Rest of the Story. We’d have never known the days ahead of that evening. We’d have slapped the face of the evenings before The Deer & Lost in the Dark incident, when everything was about that discovery.

 Everything doesn’t have to be easy. Everything doesn’t always go our way, or the right way. Everything we do has ups and downs, has disappointments and successes. It’s when we decide to keep going, to let the dark times teach us to reach out to someone, and to find The Rest of The Story, that we live the life we were meant to live—one well-lived.

 Will you give up? Or will you drive through the scary dark to a friendly face, right into the bright and beautiful to find The Rest of Your Story?

Time for Video/Photos No/Few Words: Jingle Dogs Reunion & Secret Places & etc

Morning Y'all! Time for video/photos no/few words! Now this is just silly but it still made me laugh:-D

My Secret Place - this made it into the SWEETIE novel *shhh* very secret

What I can see on way to Secret Place and where Sweetie and Melissa sometimes ran to hide

close up

ice crystals in the grass

mushrooms on a log

wasp nest in our Christmas tree - we have "nature things" and regular ornaments - our tree is on the porch

"Not Quite Fat Dog" Jake helped decorate by looking cute

the christmas decorations made shadows which kept the frost in same pattern -at Lake Junaluska

Friday Linky Love in this wonderful Community of Bloggers we are!

bffs are wunnerful - in blogland too!

Yes, folks - I am back to three days a week posting, after months  of wailing and gnashing my teeth over my deadline I thought I'd never make (of course I will and the final in the Graces Trilogy will be out in a few months!), and after my father's illness and passing - oh how wonderful you all are and were for supporting me, and for your understanding I am appreciative.

Which takes me to how much of a community Blogger Land is, and why I have missed my thrice-weekly posting, and my visiting your  blogs. What a wonderful community of people there are out there in Blogger Land!

Friday is Linky Love day, so here are a few offerings. As always, I invite you to tell me about any gooey noughty goodness you find out there so I can share it - yes, even if it is your own site.

What brought me back to excitement over my blog? Why Kristen Lamb's blog and her book "Are you there blog, it's me, Writer." I've mentioned Kristen before, but she bears mentioning again if this whole Social Networking thang has you beating your head against the wall (as the bruises on said pea-head of mine will attest).

I was curious what would happen if I clicked on "Next Blog" - something I never think to do, and it brought me to The Simple Woman's Day Book blog - where "thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the everyday moments." Looks interesting, so I think I'll check it out further.

Jan O'Hara is one of the blogs I miss visiting regularly - she makes me laugh and think and giggle and go "hmmmmm." Miz Tart at Tartitude is wunnerful.

I have also missed the Amazing Voyages of the Turtle, Sandra Leigh's blog about her travels here there and yonder. She is amazing.

Author Jody Hedlund always has interesting and informative posts for writers. I learn a lot about myself as it pertains to my writing life from these posts and sometimes find I am writing much too long comments! lawd!

Hungry? Like to "pass a good time" with music and food and a really nice person down in the Louisiana Swampland? Then visit Marguerite at Cajun Delights. I lived in South Louisiana many years and her blog reminds me of the food and fun and people there.

Deb Shucka's blog "Catbird Scout" is another for whom I have missed reading regularly - her intimate, poignant, and beatifully-written blog never ceases to amaze me with just how lovely a person, and a writer, Deb is. She's also an editor at our Rose & Thorn journal.

Anita from Life with a Cherry on Top is one of those quiet blogs that doesn't announce itself and make a lot of noise, just as Anita herself is! But I adore Anita and her blog. Visiting her makes me feel calmed and warm and toasty.

Another of our Rose & Thorn editors is Janna Qualman over at Something She Wrote. We both stumbled upon Rod McKeun's poetry books and that makes me smile. She is also one of those quiet writers who doesn't shout out, but she should!

Terri Tiffani's blog is titled "Inspirational Writer" and that is just what she is, which is why she has such a loyal following, and I've missed reading her blog.

And there are many more - and I will be linking to those in the coming Fridays.

Ah, feels good to be back, y'all!

You all have a wonderful weekend!

The Sheldon Cooper in Me

sheldon cooper & me -okay, not me *laughing*

Sometimes when I'm watching The Big Bang Theory, I have this semi-uncomfortable feeling that I am oft-times too much like Sheldon Cooper. That I understand too much of what he says and does and it makes perfect sense to me, so that while I, and the studio audience, are laughing, I am also going, "Um . . . wait . . . we are laughing because this is a bit of the ridiculous . . . and so I am a bit of the ridiculous.” Teehee.


I know I have tics and weirdness and "ways I must do things." I know when I go into a hotel room, I first put down my luggage on a wooden surface and not on the floor in the case there are critters there hiding just so they can crawl into my luggage and snuggle in for the trip home. And then I immediately walk to the bed, lift the covers, and check out the sheets and the mattress. If I am in a Hampton Inn, which is where I try to stay because they sanitize their comforters and they are white--which shows everything!--I mostly feel I don’t have to remove the bedspread, but if I have to stay where there is one of those colorful bedspread, off it comes! Colorful bedspreads are made that way to hide stains and other icky nasty. The sheets best be white without any stains—stains will send me into apoplectic fits of EWWWWWWW. The mattress check is for signs of critters. And, to make things more weirdly embarrassing: during the middle of the night, at around 2 a.m., since that’s when an article said certain critters come out, I have to shine a light under the covers to make sure no critters have sneaked up on me and are feasting on my wittle legs. Well, so far, so good, I’ve not had to go screeching into the hotel hallway as if my hair’s on fire.

My place is at the left end of the couch. When company comes, I hurry to sit on that end, because it is My End; however, if someone beats me to it, unknowing that this is My End, then I will toss and turn upon the other end of the couch; I am displaced! I am uncomfortable –ungh! Ungh! I would never say anything to the displacer but as soon as they go home, I pounce upon My End of the couch and nestle it back to its former Me-ness. I have a few moments of, “It feels weird because someone else has been here,” which I must quickly overcome so I can enjoy My End again. Huhn.

I have rules about food. I’m not much of a meat eater, but when there is Meat Food prepared, it must be eaten within a certain amount of time. Usually about two days, preferably one. Yes, this is so. GMR will eat meat or meat-dishes a million days after it has been prepared, but not so I! I imagine it is spoiling almost immediately, growing nasty crawling critters, and souring, and I just will not eat it. Meatless food items may stay a little longer in my “I will eat this” category, but there are more Food Rules—I will not get into this right now, but they all make sense to me. erk.

When I shake a stranger’s hand, my hand tingles afterward. Because I begin to think, “I wonder where that hand’s been?” And the thought grows and grows until my hand tingles and I am just so AWARE of my hand! Sometimes this happens even if it is not a stranger and for this I can only ask for forgiveness. No one will ever know, because it is only me who can feel the critters crawling all over my hand. Ungh. Ungh. Sometimes this may be my “People Radar” going off—the radar that tells me something ain’t right about a person and I am taken aback by the force of those feelings, and sometimes it’s because I am just Weird.

Sometimes when I’m walking, I will step on a root or bump or something elevated in my path. Say I step on it with my right foot. Well, then the left foot begins to feel cheated. It wants to step on something elevated. I try to ignore it, but eventually, I give in and make sure I step on something elevated with the left foot. Sometimes, just to be mean to my left foot, I will step on something elevated numerous times with my right foot and say, “HA! THERE! Try to control ME will you! hahaha!”

Shall I go on? Well, I shall not because I’m of the belief that you must leak out your crazy a teeny bit at a time. Let people become used to it. Lull them into a sense of how they think you are quirky and slightly sweet and loveable, and then they accept all the crazy-arse stuff you throw at them without blinking an incredulous eye hardly one bit, hardly.

 What about you? Have any quirks you want to share?

PS - As an aside - whenever I find out there is going to be a "Special Promotion" for my books, I always want to let y'all know they are coming. From around December 17th until 23rd, The Firefly Dance and Sweetie will be on a special Amazon Kindle promo. I believe they are pricing them for $1.99 for just that time. A head's up - in case you are interested. You all know I get all irkity talking about my books because I want this to be a "car salesman free zone" :-D haw! But, dang, this is a deal! Later y'all.

Images, few words - You Go Girl Accomplishments I should be "proud" of instead of whining about what I haven't done. Huhn!

more about Tender Graces

More about Secret Graces

More about Sweetie

more about the Firefly Dance

Well, you all know I rarely put stuff up here on my blog, or anywhere else, about my books - but over the last weeks I've been all whiny - thinking about what I have NOT accomplished. Then, this morning, I slapped myself upside my head and thought, "Hon; dear; look at what you HAVE accomplished." And among those things are these. I'm taking today to give myself a "you go girl."

Along with those novels, a novella, and a novel to be released in March, I've written and had published poetry and essays and stories and photographs - have I stopped to think, "Hey . . . cool!" or have I thought, "Yeah but . . ." or "Don't talk about your stuff because it sounds like bragging and that's UGH and unseemly" . . .

Those Yeah Buts and other admonishments are sneaky lil stinkers, aren't they? Huhn.

What about you? What's your "you go girl/guy" moment(s)?

see you Wednesday!
------ -- sometime later in the Magendie Little Log House in the cove at Killian Knob------

 PS! - y'all - I'm laughing because ever since I posted this I've wanted to take it down. I really do not do well with talkin' bout my stuff . . . ungh ungh! . . . haw! Dang . . . *kat looks at the delete key - considerrrrrs -- connnnnssssiiiderrrrrs -- * :-D