Hello, readers! It’s me, your loveable porcupine friend. I have big news. It’s so big! You will not believe who is guest blogging with us tomorrow. You won’t!

Stop by–there will be prizes!

Oh, yeah. Shana has a blog below. Scroll down…if you want.

I’ve never really thought of myself as a klutz, but lately I’m beginning to wonder. I keep getting hurt–not really hurt so much as battered and bruised.

The first incident happened in August. I was running on the trail near my home, and instead of looking at the ground, which is kind of uneven, I was watching the people ahead of me. See, I was trying to prevent a collision. Instead, I tripped on the asphalt and went down, seriously skinning both knees. Luckily, Ultimate Sportsfan has some medical training and he cleaned me up.

The next incident happened while I was skiing. I didn’t get hurt from any of my numerous falls, but I got a pretty serious ski boot injury. The boot rubbing on my textured sock for two days caused a huge blister, and even after a month, it’s still raw and pink.

The last incident happened Sunday. I was running with USF at the park and right after mile 1, I hit the dirt. This time I skinned both hands and both knees–right on top of the old injuries. Ouch! I had to buy more bandges today because I’ve used all of those in my home. Maybe I should invest in band-aids?

So what about you? Are you graceful or a klutz like me?

We will dearly miss you, Jenna and Kim. A Muppet tribute to the two of you!

The new year is always a time for change. I know I always sort of re-evaluate where I am and what I’m doing and try to figure out if it’s time for a change. I’ve been a Jaunty for a little over a year now, blogging a few times a month, and playing with my Jaunty friends. And Jaunty, of course. Couldn’t forget our pokey little friend. I’m close friends with my Jaunty pals and we still get along really well.

But change has to come and after a lot of thought, I decided that the time had come to say farewell. I still love the ‘girls’ (let’s not start any rumors for that gossip column lady at RT!!) and I definitely love all you loyal, wonderful readers! It just felt like it was time for a change.

I’ll still be around and comment here from time to time. And I hope you’ll all continue to visit with me at Jenna Petersen, Jess Michaels and MySpace. I have two books out this year (SOMETHING RECKLESS as Jess Michaels on April 22 and LESSONS FROM A COURTESAN as Jenna on June 24), so I wouldn’t want you all to forget about me.

In the meantime, a huge thanks to Cindy, Margo, Shirley, Kim, Robyn, Shana and Anne for putting up with me as long as they have. And a big, big thanks for all of you for all your comments and love here.

See you in internetland! Much love,

JennaP

Last weekend I attended a fabulous writing retreat with presentations by Debra Dixon. Friday night we covered the Big Black Moment, Saturday morning we discussed GMC (goal, motivation & conflict) and after lunch we covered The Hero’s Journey, which breaks down the structure inherent in stories that stand the test of time. Star Wars, Pretty Woman, and The Wizard of Oz are amazingly similar if you’re familiar with the twelve stages, or steps, of THJ. (Insert your own joke here about writing and other 12-step programs.)

One of the light bulb moments for me came during a discussion of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and how the hero Indiana Jones is actually a failure.

Indy, a failure? Oh Harrison, say it ain’t so.

As we discussed it in more detail I realized that yes indeed, Indy is a failure … and it’s a good thing. All good action-adventure heroes, in fact, are failures.

Consider: At the start of Raiders, Indiana loses the golden idol to his arch rival, Belloq. When Marion is kidnapped, Indy’s plan to retrieve the Ark and rescue Marion goes horribly awry. He finds the Ark only to lose it almost immediately to Belloq. His bluff to destroy the Ark (an attempt to rescue Marion, again) is called. He gets captured. And at the end of the adventure the government winds up with the relic he went through so much to get.

A failure from beginning to end. And audiences love him.

Why? Harrison Ford aside, how your hero fails is as important as how he succeeds, and Indy failed spectacularly. Each failure then creates an opportunity for greater heroism.

It’s often taught that the answer to a story question is either yes (boring), no (better), or no and furthermore …. (best). No, Indy does not rescue Marion, and furthermore he’s trapped in a dark pit with her and a million snakes. We know from the opening sequence that Indy hates snakes. The man unfazed by poison dart-blowing Hovitos is afraid of reptiles, and gets thrown into a pit of them. He must face his worst fear.

Does he freak out or cower? No, he acts in spite of his fear, and orchestrates an impressive escape that requires brains and bravery – more exciting than if he’d been able to rescue Marion simply by untying her as he’d first planned. Audiences sympathize with him in his travails, and cheer when he perseveres and finally succeeds against such great odds.

On the flip side, consider Mariner of Waterworld. Kevin Costner’s character starts out great, being quick-witted and outsmarting the bad guys. He succeeds impressively. But when he fails – the plot hinges on him losing his boat and the boy with the tattoo – it’s because he was doing some unnecessary sight-seeing underwater, and when he surfaces the bad guys get the drop on him. Dumb. We tend not to sympathize with stupidity.

Indy’s failures never came about because he was dumb or careless. He succeeds after his failures so well, in fact, 27 years after he first appeared in theaters audiences will get to reunite with Indy when his fourth adventure, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, opens on May 22nd. Sequels for Waterworld? Don’t think so.

Now I need to get back to my current manuscript and figure some even more impressive ways for my hero to fail.

I think you’ll enjoy this short feature … The comedian is Gary Gulman and the pictures are just pure fun.

Okay, it’s been almost three weeks since I once again made my New Year’s resolution….and it’s time for a reality check.

Like many of you, my resolution was to be healthier in 2008. I wanted to eat less, exercise more, and take time to smell the flowers (which I’m telling you is an impossibility right now with the cold and snow)

Anyway I started the year with a bang, then fell off the healthy wagon after about a week…but am back on board now.

How about you? Though I’ll be happy if you’ve stuck to your resolution, I would like to hear from a few of you who’ve struggled like me to stay on track.

Or, if you’d like to talk about what YOUR weather has been like, I’d like to hear that, too.

It is with a great deal of bittersweet sadness that I write my last official blog as a Jaunty Quill. It’s been a fun two years and I will miss everyone more than I can say, but I think this is a decision that will ultimately help me to focus more on my long-term writing goals. I have enjoyed getting to know our regular visitors and sharing tales of my life as an author with all of you, and I promise I won’t be gone for good. I will stop by often and I will hopefully be able to guest blog at some point in the future. And of course, you can still visit me at my website at www.kimberlylogan.net as well as at my MySpace page. And don’t forget that the final book in my Daventry Sisters series, SEDUCED BY SIN, will be out on March 25. (If you do happen to pick it up, please let me know what you think!)

Thank you to my fellow Quills for letting me be part of such an amazing group of “sister” writers. Thanks also to the JQ readers and visitors who have made my time here such a blast.

Wishing you a fond adieu!

I found this on a BB I frequent and it was too funny not to share.

Pick the month you were born:
January…. I Kicked
February… I loved
March……. I karate copped
April………. I licked
May……….. I jumped on
June……….. I smelled
July…………. I did the Macarena With
August……… I had lunch with
September…. I danced with
October……… I sang to
November…… I yelled at
December…… I ran over

Pick the day (number) you were born on:
1……….A birdbath
2………..A monster
3…………A cardboard cut-out of Luke Skywalker
4………….A tennis ball
5………….A snowman
6………….A ganster
7………….My rat
8………….My tutu
9………….My lamp shade
10………..My toe
11………..My booger
12………..A banana
13………..A fireman
14………..A stuffed gorilla
15……….. A goat
16………… A pickle
17………… Your mom
18…………A towel
19…………A smurf
20…………A base ball hat
21…………A ninja
22…………Chuck Norris
23…………A noodle
24………….A squirrel
25………….A football player
26………….My cottage cheese
27………….My pineapple
28………….An iPod
29…………..A surfer
30…………..A llama
31……………A homeless guy

Pick the color of the shirt you are wearing:
White………Because they were after me again.
Black………..Because my underwear were tight
Pink…………..Because nobody was looking.
Red…………….Because the voices told me to.
Blue……………..Because I’m sexy and I do what I want.
Green……………Because I think I need some serious help.
Purple…………….Because the world thinks I’m wonderful.
Gray……………….Because Big Bird said to and he’s my leader.
Yellow………………Because I was bribed by the president.
Orange……………..Because my family thinks I’m stupid anyway.
Brown……………….Because the clown was crying.
Other………………..Because the aliens left their chip in me.
None………………….Because I’m a ninja (be prepared to answer questions if you get this one)

Okay totally ridiculous and silly, but should bring a smile to your face. So come on, fess up, what did you get?

I don’t keep very good track of Hollywood and its stars. And I readily admit to being baffled by America’s obsession with personalities like Britney and Paris. Ye Gods, don’t we have anything better to do?

But onward … Did you see the list of Oscar nominations for best picture? I’ll put it here, in case you haven’t:
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton

I think this is the first time in my adult life that I haven’t seen any of the nominated movies. And most of them I don’t want to see. No Country for Old Men? Why would I want to watch some horrible, sadistic, relentless killer (even if it’s a new take on the old good vs evil theme) going after his victims? And in that hot, dry setting? Yeeech. Several of my friends have seen it and say it’s really great. But I’m not into that kind of violence, even if it is art.

Nothing about There Will Be Blood draws me. I’m quite sure Daniel Day Lewis gives a spectacular performance, but hey … Stories of corruption and deception? I am SO not there!

I might be persuaded to see Atonement, but only because it isn’t a “guy” movie with dirt, heat, sand and killings. But the storyline bothers me. Can there be a good resolution to it? Will I leave the theater happy and satisfied?

Michael Clayton looks compelling. I wouldn’t object to watching George Clooney for a couple of hours, and I think the question of good and evil, right and wrong, morality vs immorality can be done in this kind of movie, without a lot of horrific screen violence.

I do plan to see Juno. I’ve heard it’s really smart with sharp dialogue and excellent characters. My 20 year-old son said it sucks, which I take to be an excellent recommendation!

OK, I guess I’m a wuss. I want to feel good when I leave the theater. I want to have experienced excitement, romance, some conflict and a resolution. I don’t think it’s too much to ask.

But enough about me. Have you seen any of these? Do you plan to?

Scroll down to see Shana’s winner from yesterday’s blog.