I used to think I had Restless Legs Syndrome. Now I realize I get it only when I’m watching a movie that we just watched a week (or three) ago. Or I’m reading the same passage from a book in which I’ve lost my place. Or how about waiting rooms? If I don’t have a book, a magazine, anything to read, my skin starts to crawl! I don’t know what comes over me, or why. But I just can’t sit through it.

But yet I can do other repetitive, boring jobs without being bothered by them. I can clear the table and fill the dishwasher (just as I’ve done 90 million times before). Or walk the same 2.5 mile route every morning. Or go grocery shopping at the same store every week.

What gives? Why can I do some repetitive things, but not others? Am I the only one, or do you have certain things along these lines that make you want to pull your hair out?

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I’ll have to get back to you on what Napoleon, peach preserves and champagne bottles have in common. Until then, I present some deep thoughts and insights into the feline condition.

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more cat pictures

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more cat pictures

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

more cat pictures

I’m still trying to hit the trifecta of having the camera, fresh batteries, and good timing to catch Daniel cuddling with the cat. Our red tabby stays close though just out of his reach, but the Himalayan will come and lay right beside Daniel, knowing full well his fur will be pulled. Sometimes Daniel resists the siren call of grabbing fistfuls of fur and instead lays his head on Dakarai, his arms wrapped around the fluffy kitty … but only for a brief moment. You’ll have to take my word for it …

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As an aspiring writer, I wanted to give up on my dream of being published about a hundred times. People close to me even encouraged me to give up. But each time I was really serious about calling it quits, something would happen to encourage me. I’d final in a contest or get a note of encouragement from an agent or hear something really motivational in a workshop.

I stuck with it for four years and realized my dream.

Of course, I didn’t know that I’d realize my dream in four years. I can’t see the future any more than any of you, and for all I knew, four years could have been ten or fifteen or never.

But I would have never known that I could realize my dream if I hadn’t stuck with it.

If any of you are feeling like giving up, let me give you some stick-with-it-ness tips:

1) Set achievable goals. Plan to write 3 days a week or 5 pages a day. Maybe you want to find a critique partner or submit to 2 agents a month. When you achieve your goals, you’ll feel like you’re making progress.

2) Celebrate small victories. If you write 5 pages a day for a week, treat yourself to a movie or your favorite snack or a day off.

3) Focus on what you can and are doing, not what you can’t control. You cannot control whether your dream agent takes you on as a client. You cannot control whether your book finals in a contest or whether you sell by the end of the year. You can control your book, your characters, and your writing schedule. Feel good about that.

4) Keep moving forward. If you get a rejection or you realize that a book you’ve spent 6 months on just is not salvageable (happened to me and not very long ago), don’t give up. Write another book. Query another agent. Published writers are persistent.

5) Get some support. I’m lucky to have a husband who really takes an interest in my career. He cares about how many pages I write a day and whether or not I need a sub-plot. Maybe your DH isn’t as supportive. Maybe no one in your family gets why your dream is so important to you. Find a writing group and friends who do. When you don’t have to rely solely on family for support, you take the pressure off them and you.

Good luck!

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I was just seventeen years old when the world media turned its attention to the student protest in Tiananmen Square. I remember vividly seeing that photo of that lone protestor facing down a line of tanks, tears in my eyes and my heart lodged in my throat. I was in awe of that person’s courage and determination in the face of insurmountable strength.

Oddly, I was also a little sad. In the late-eighties prosperity and comfort of middle America, it seemed as if the need and the opportunity for such displays were a thing of the distant past. Long ago, Americans fought for the rights the Chinese students now wanted, and we won. Which is a good thing … and yet, romantic teenager that I was, I yearned for the chance to make a difference in the world. To fight for something in which I believed totally. To fight the good fight.

Fast forward nearly twenty years to the weeks following the birth of my son this past January. Some people suffer from post-partum depression, but me? I gotta be unique. I suffered from post-partum panic. (And, yes, this is something my obgyn diagnosed me with). I lied awake for weeks on end—not because my newborn wouldn’t let me sleep—but feeling nervous and panicky, most of my fears stemming from things I’d read or heard about declining oil reserves. Here I had these two beautiful children, but I’d born them into a world of burgeoning population, dwindling natural resources, and potential environmental catastrophes.

So how did I snap out of my funk? One night while chopping vegetables, trying to keep the panic at bay, I remembered those Chinese students from 1989, braving facing down their government for the basic rights all humans should have. And that’s when it hit me. In terms of big causes and worthy fights, it doesn’t get any bigger than saving the earth and the human race. I’d wanted a good fight. Well, maybe this was it. The environment could be my Tiananmen Square.

Now, the Geek and I are already pretty environmentally aware. We drive fuel efficient cars and we recycle anything that doesn’t move. Still we needed to do more. Bringing those green tote bags to the grocery store just didn’t seem like enough. So we’re looking into putting solar cells on our house and I’ve started to hang our clothes out on the line to dry. Still I’ve been itching to do more. To find a flag to rally behind.

Friday afternoon, I found it when I watched Al Gore’s speech challenging America to produce all of its energy from clean sources within the next ten years. Now, I know we don’t usually talk politics. But to me even though Al Gore is a former democratic VP, this isn’t a political issue. It’s a human race issue.

Gore’s speech was inspiring and the challenge is a daunting one. But I’m excited by the prospect of our nation joining together to do something great. If you haven’t seen Gore’s speech, you can watch see the highlights at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idlJDcr669o

Okay, I’m off my soapbox now. Back to our regularly scheduled programming of fun and romance. 

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WalletPop (www.walletpop.com) took a look at 25 such things that are quickly disappearing from our country. From honey bees to checks to bowling alleys to incandescent light bulbs, they counted down 25 things you may not be able to find in the U.S. for very much longer. I was surprised by some and others, well, even I could see the end is near.

Top 25 Things Vanishing from America

25. Outdoor toilets- By the 2000 Census, the number of Americans who lacked indoor plumbing was down to 0.6%. In 1950, 27% of households (and over half of rural households) didn’t have complete indoor plumbing.

24. Yellow Pages- This one surprised me. One research firm predicts the falloff in usage of newspapers and print Yellow Pages could even reach 10% this year.

23. Classified Ads- If newspaper classifieds are replaced by free online listings, can newspapers be far behind?

22. Movie Rental Stores- Netflix is looking up, Blockbuster is closing stores. It still has about 6,000 left across the world, but those keep dwindling. Movie Gallery, which owned the Hollywood Video brand, closed earlier this year. Countless small video chains and mom-and-pop stores have already closed.

21. Dial-up Internet Access- Dial-up connections fell from 40% in 2001 to 10% in 2008.

20. Phone Land lines-According to a survey from the National Center for Health Statistics, at the end of 2007, nearly one in six homes was cell-only and, of those homes that had landlines, one in eight only received calls on their cells. I actually just went to this plan…where you can receive calls on your land-line but if you call out it’s 10 cents a minute. I did it because I like being in the phone book and a lot of people have my home number but not my cell.

19. Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs- Overfishing, pollution, invasive species and global warming get the blame. I never had these, so I guess you can’t miss what you’ve never had.

18. VCRs- Pre-recorded VHS tapes are largely gone and VHS decks are hard to find…but my local Target had some for $39. I have a friend who bought a VCR when they first came out in the late 70’s….they paid $1200.

17. Ash trees- The emerald ash borer is to blame and it makes me sad to see these trees die. They’re one of my favorites.

16. Ham Radio- In the past five years alone, the number of people holding active ham radio licenses has dropped by 50,000, even though Morse Code is no longer a requirement.

15. The Swimming Hole- Due to injuries and subsequent lawsuits, many property owners are posting “Keep out!” signs.

14. Answering Machines- This only makes sense. Cell phones up. Land lines down. Less need for answering machines.

13. Cameras that use film- In 2006, iNikon announced it would stop making film cameras, pointing to the shrinking market — only 3% of its sales in 2005, compared to 75% of sales from digital cameras and equipment. This is one change I couldn’t have imagined ten years ago.

12. Incandescent Bulbs- According to USA Today, expect a new energy bill plans to phase out incandescent bulbs in the next four to 12 years.

11. Stand-Alone Bowling Alleys- Bowling lanes also have been added to many non-traditional venues such as adult communities, hotels and resorts, and gambling casinos.

10. The Milkman- Does this job still exist anywhere??

9. Hand-Written letters-In 2006, the Radicati Group estimated that, worldwide, 183 billion e-mails were sent each day. Two million each second. By November of 2007, an estimated 3.3 billion Earthlings owned cell phones, and 80% of the world’s population had access to cell phone coverage. In 2004, half-a-trillion text messages were sent, and the number has no doubt increased exponentially since then.

8. Wild Horses- It is estimated that 100 years ago, as many as two million horses were roaming free within the United States. In 2001, National Geographic News estimated that the wild horse population had decreased to about 50,000 head. Currently, the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory board states that there are 32,000 free roaming horses in ten Western states, with half of them residing in Nevada.

7. Personal Checks- According to an American Bankers Assoc. report, a net 23% of consumers plan to decrease their use of checks over the next two years. I rarely write checks anymore. How ’bout you?

6. Drive-in theaters- in 2007 only 405 drive-ins were still operating. No new drive-ins have been built since 2005.

5. Mumps and measles- In 2005, only 66 cases were recorded.

4. Honey bees- ‘Colony Collapse Disorder,’ or CCD, has spread throughout the U.S. and Europe over the past few years, wiping out 50% to 90% of the colonies of many beekeepers — and along with it, their livelihood. Have you ever stepped on a honey bee? My hand is in the air.

3. News Magazines and TV news- In 1984, in a story about the diminishing returns of the evening news, the New York Times reported that all three network evening-news programs combined had only 40.9 million viewers. Fast forward to 2008, and what they have today is half that.

2. Analog television- 85% of homes in the U.S. get their television programming through cable or satellite providers. For the remaining 15% — or 13 million individuals — who are using rabbit ears or a large outdoor antenna to get their local stations, change is in the air. We have an antennae in our attic.

1. Family Farm-Since the 1930s, the number of family farms has been declining rapidly. According to the USDA, 5.3 million farms dotted the nation in 1950, but this number had declined to 2.1 million by the 2003 farm census (data from the 2007 census hasn’t yet been published). Ninety-one percent of the U.S. farms are small family farms.

Any surprises??? Which do you hate to see go?? Which ones won’t you miss at all?

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Everyone else … Scroll down and check out Anne’s blog on Murder!!

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Verrrry fun. And if you play it while dining, it becomes a whole party experience.

So, for those of you who may be scratching your heads, here are the rules…

You get a character and a playbook. I think there were nine characters in our game - so nine players each with his/her own book. The playbook gives your character synopsis and perhaps one or two unsavory traits about your character that you might want to keep quiet. You do not share the contents of your book with any other character. And you do not turn the page until told to do so.

After you read your synopsis, it’s game on! The murder scenario is read from the view of the police/Scotland Yard/etc. Clues abound in the scenario. A map is also provided of the grounds/house/train/plane (wherever you scenario is taking place) so that you can visually track clues and character or victim movements as they are revealed. Four rounds are played, each round revealing new clues about each player and what they observed during the time/weekend surrounding the murder (in your playbook you get a couple of clues that you MUST share with the others - which means that sometimes other people reveal unsavory things/actions about your character too). As a character it is your job to try and put people off your scent (you don’t know IF you did it until the end though!) without lying. No lying allowed. But it is quite fun to try and explain sketchy actions and redirect attention elsewhere, all the time questioning other people and putting the clues together as to who YOU think did it.

At the end of the four rounds everyone takes a guess as to who they think did it. After the guessing/accusations are complete, each character turns to the last page in her booklet and reads a synopsis of her character’s less savory aspects and actions, how she “might” have done it had she really done it, and then gives her motivation. The murderer is revealed when the last person reads.

So, have you played before? Or played a similar type of game (like Mafia)? What did you think?

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And I admit I love the thrill, the gamble of putting some money in a machine and hoping that it’s my lucky day.

You get better odds with the table games, but I’m a writer which means I’m an introvert and therefore I don’t want to talk to anyone. So I play the slots. They’ve changed a lot since I first started going and was stuck with the nickel slots crossing for my fingers for cherries or sevens. Now you can play penny slots for hours on a $20 and they have fun bonuses with treasure hunts and leprechauns and mermaids. So fun.

I’m not a serious gambler, it’s pure entertainment for me and I never play with much money so I rarely win big. Okay I’ve never won big, but I have won and tend to leave a casino with about as much as I went with. I’d call that a win. The Professor and The Chief (aka my father) would call that “girl math” but hey you don’t get money back after you go to the movies so to get money back after you’ve enjoyed your entertainment, so hey, it’s a win.

So how about you? Are you the thrifty sort that can’t get passed the thought of throwing money away or are you like me and enjoy a game of chance every now and then?

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I ran several ideas by my editor, but the one that stuck has these elements:
-> Hugh Christie feels guilty about his late wife.
->He also runs a smuggling operation from one of his properties, a castle on Scotland’s eastern coast.
->The castle has a ghost.
-> The heroine is Brianna Gilroy, whose guardian wants her to wed a duke’s creepy son.
-> Brianna will inherit a fortune from her spinster aunt when she turns 21 in two months.
-> She just wants to live as her aunt did - with no men to harass her.
-> She will go into hiding until her birthday.

These elements give me tons to work with, and hopefully I’ll devise an exciting, emotional, sensuous story!

While I was researching smuggling in Scotland in 1829, I came across this youtube video. It’s exactly what I needed in order to “place” my story. Newbury’s castle will be something like this.

This is going to take place in winter, and I’m planning to have Hugh and Brianna get snowed in together. And then there will be fireworks.

Now, all I’ve got to do is get to work! I had knee arthroscopy last week and I’m feeling cooped up and … crippled! although the knee is definitely improving every day. I think I overdid it yesterday and so I paid (with pain) overnight and today. I’ve stayed off it as much as possible today and iced it several times. I’m hoping tomorrow will be better.

If not, I’ve decided to make it better for someone. Send me a comment here about anything in this post and I’ll enter your name into a drawing for a copy of my last book, Temptation of the Warrior. Good luck!

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MAINIA

In the 1950s my maternal grandfather plunked down $1K for twenty-two acres on the coast of Maine (I don’t even want to think about what it would cost now). I’ve traveled extensively around the country and abroad, and I still think it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. Not dramatic, not breathtaking, but peaceful and unspoiled. The kind of place that might get a “how pretty” reaction at first, but once you’ve spent time there, smelled the woods on a hike and the sea from a boat, eaten fresh-from-the ocean lobster, gazed at the sunset, and counted shooting stars after dark, you’re hooked. Just don’t forget the mosquito repellant.

Every book I’ve set there has been special to me. Writing about a place you love makes all the difference, because besides knowing the sights, you know the smells and the sounds and most importantly, the emotional effect the place has. A far cry from researching places I’ve never been on the Internet which my budget makes necessary for too many books.

As Good As It Got was inspired by a community college program I came across years ago, which helped divorced and widowed homemakers carve out new lives. Originally I set the book in a huge fancy house modeled on the Pabst Mansion here in Milwaukee. I decided the place would be owned by a wealthy widow who wanted to help other women in times of transition. However . . . my editor said the setting made the program feel like some kind of correctional facility. Ha! As usual, she was right.

So I changed the concept to a retreat experience and set Camp Kinsonu in the healing air of my favorite state, where my three heroines, all “suddenly single” go to take a breath before embarking on new altered lives. Cynical, independent Ann is struggling to cope after her husband killed himself to avoid facing the financial ruin he caused; naive optimist Cindy is biding time, certain her serial-cheating husband will again come back to her; withdrawn, troubled Martha is forced to examine her choices after her married lover has a debilitating stroke.

Well okay, that sounded too grim. There are plenty of funny and uplifting moments because I can’t write gloom and doom to save my life. But switching the location to Maine breathed real life and purpose into the book. The coast is like another heroine.

And I’m counting down until August 18 when I can be there myself. In the meantime, tell me about your favorite place and I’ll choose one from all the entries to receive a copy of my first Avon release, WOMEN ON THE EDGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKTHROUGH.

Cheers,

Isabel
www.isabelsharpe.com

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