yet again...

Sorry to say I have to go on another hiatus.  Not sure how long this one will be.  I'm hoping to be back to it by the end of summer, but I have to get caught up on some personal stuff.

I'll keep reading your blogs.  Write well.

Megan.

Behind

Time to make myself accountable for the things I've fallen behind on during this busy, crazy, frustrating summer.  Of course, these are only my writing goals for the near future, the life stuff will have to fit in there between the cracks.

Three book reviews

Writing on the dystopian, Finding Nirvana, and another edit of Cheesy

Catching up in my critique group

Reading a couple more books for review

Filming a new author video

Sad to say that after I finish these last few book, I will only be doing reviews on a limited basis.  I've just been too busy as of late to keep up.  You can always still ask, just know, you may receive a "no". sigh.

Ciao,

Megan

Muses

A lot of friends have mentioned their muses the last couple days, so I thought I would really sit and ponder where my motivation comes from.

I've always said that my craft mostly reflects life.  Sometimes I get story ideas from my own experiences, or base characters on people I know, myself included, but I need more than that.

The weather.  I know, it's crazy, but the weather has an effect on my mood.  I've always said I write better when I'm my most angsty, but thinking on it, that's not necessarily true.  I also write well when the sun is shining, it's just different.  I don't use as much emotion, I use more energy.  So this kind of yin yang weather thing is definitely a muse for me.

Music.  I cannot listen to music when I write.  I have to have things perfectly quiet and still.  However, music does pop into my head during certain scenes, and in my novel Mending Fences, and now in my WIP Finding Nirvana, music plays a major role.  When I was writing, the second novel I ever wrote, Dena Powers: The Trouble with Boys, there was one scene in which Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars kept popping into my head, urging me along.  Most the time the music is alternative or Indie because those songs just seem to speak to me.

My emotions.  As I said before, the weather directly effects my moods, and my different emotions help me to write in a variety of different ways.  I actually prefer to write when I'm miserable.  I just think I write better when I'm brooding, but there's something to be said for happiness too.

I suppose if my muse took form, this is what she'd look like (and do not make fun of my drawing).

So tell me, how does your muse take form?

How Facebook Ruins Relationships

Okay, I never do this, because I mostly think he's an idiot, but I watched Dr. Phil yesterday because it was all about how social networking distracts relationships.

This has been an issue with my husband and I for a couple years now, and while I admit, during the first ABNA contest I got a little too caught up in the forum, now I mostly (yes mostly, but not entirely) use social networking for just that, networking.

And yes, perhaps I was caught up with Facebook when I first joined, but you could ask any of my Facebook friends now and they will say, Megan is hardly ever on their anymore.

There was a woman and her husband on the show, and she spent more time with Facebook than she did with them.  They were like strangers living under the same roof.  That said, it's obvious that there were problems before the Facebook, and this is the reason why she turned to social networking in the first place.  Something lacking at home, making her turn to others.

The show wasn't just about that, it was also about how men will use Facebook to "hook up".  One guy, who wasn't really all that, said he finds women to hook up about three times a week and his goal is to sleep with 13,000 women.  Ew. Why?  So anyway, protect your daughters people.  They are some strange people in the social networking world.

I also read a book about Facebook addiction, which I will be reviewing some time in the near future.  It gave people's stories about how their addiction ruined their life.  While the stories were all fiction, I do believe the social networking can cause problems for people in their relationships and their work if taken too far.

What do you think?  Do you think social networking has the capability of destroying relationships?

Ciao, 

Megan

In honor of the Spanish National Team.

I totally forgot to blog Friday.  Man, life has been busy lately which I'll discuss another time.

In honor of the Spanish National Team's win over the Netherlands yesterday, I was going to list some interesting facts about Spain, but I got bored looking, so I'll just say, congrats, your team is smoking hot, in more ways than one, I'll miss the World Cup, I will not miss the vuvuzela.

I'll also just tell you some things I know about Spain off the top of my head. 

The World Cup soccer team is hot except for that defender with the long stringy hair.

When I was in high school we had an exchange student from Barcelona who was in love with me, which was awkward because I was dating one of his exchange student friends.

Spain is in Europe.

The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain.

Salvador Dali is one of my favorite artists and it was amazing to see his originals up close and personal at the Vatican Museum.

Selma Hayek vs Penelope Cruz = Hayek wins every time.

Yep, that's about the sum of it meaning, I really know nothing about Spain.  Maybe next time US or Italy can win it.

Ciao,

Megan

Hot Wing Thursday

I actually did triple duty this week. I had hot wings twice on my vacation to the beach, then again last night.

First stop, Homeport Restaurant at Ocean Shores. Not all that impressed. Crispy, which is not really how I like my wings and they weren't hot enough for my taste. The waitress initially brought ranch. I was like, "Is this blue cheese?"

"Did you want blue cheese?" Um, hot wings come with blue cheese, not ranch. The whole experience was a bit disappointing.

Then I tried again at the Pirates Cove, also in Ocean Shores. They wings were crispy still, but hotter. Once again, they were delivered to me with ranch. This time I didn't complain because I came in right before the kitchen closed and didn't want to cause any trouble. So, I sucked it up.

Okay, so last night I go to the Loose Wheel Bar and Grill on 6th Ave in Tacoma. First of all, you can get an order of 6 or 12, and Wednesday happens to be Wing night, so I guess they're on the cheap. Then, you have a variety of sauces to choose from, there was BBQ, Sweet and Spicy, Mild, Hot, Extra Hot, and Stupid Hot.

I like hot, but if it's too hot, you can't really taste the food, so we asked for a sample of the Stupid Hot and Extra Hot, which our waitress, I wish I could remember her name because she was awesome, brought us. The Stupid Hot was a smoky chipotle sauce, and while I love chipotle, I don't like it on my wings. So, I went with the Extra Hot.

AND you got your choice of blue cheese or ranch.

When the wings came, they were just as I like them, not too crisp, dripping with hot sauce. Yum. Going to be hard to beat these. But I am a woman on a mission.

So while I'd skip the wings at the first two (though they have some great other food, Homeport serves killer breakfast, and I hear the fish and chips at the Pirates Cove rock) you can't miss out at The Loose Wheel.

Ciao,

Megan

New Project

So, I'm kind of excited about this new project I'm working on.  Titled, Finding Nirvana, it's about a girl addicted to grunge and obsessed with Kurt Cobain, who goes on a journey of self discovery.  I think.  It's mostly still in my head.

But I'm excited to do some research on this.  On the way back from the ocean, I went through Aberdeen to find his childhood home (on the right).  There is a documentary on Netflix I'm going to watch, and an exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum.

Here's a little totally rough, brand new, unedited excerpt:

      My name is Lanie and I’m a grunge addict.  Yes I’m well aware that it’s 2010, and grunge was so 1990’s, but it wasn’t really a choice, it was a way of life.  At times I felt like I was born a decade too late.  I would have totally fit in with the Seattle grunge scene, but that was my mom’s life, not mine.  So deep into that scene, she chose to name me Layne Veddar Cobain Cornell Miller.  Ridiculous I know, but she couldn’t make up her mind between her favorite singers from Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Soundgarden, respectively.  I decided when I started school that I would go by Lanie.  It sounded more, well, like a girl.

       When it comes to my dad, things get a bit more complicated.  You see, I don’t really know who he is, well, I kind of do.  He could be one of three guys, the first being Kenny James.  He’s a totally smart way cool dude who manages a couple local bands, the most “famous” if you can call it that being Toke.  The second might be BJ Dubois, the drummer for Drop Dead Lead, and no I don’t know if that’s his real name, or if he took the initials just to be funny or clever, which he’s neither, though he thinks he is.  He’s a bit socially retarded, but he’s nice, and not bad to look at.  The last contestant on “Who’s My Dad” is Doug “Spaz” Harris, singer of The Deceased .  If you knew Doug, you’d know exactly why they called him Spaz.  First of all he’s got Tourettes, so he tenses up and blurts out the most insane funniest shit at times, also,  on stage, he dances  like he’s having a seizure.

     These three are pretty much interchangeable to me, all white, all in their early thirties, all still living life as if they’re rock stars.  I can’t blame them really, I’ve got the bug myself and it’s hard to shake, plus I’ve never heard of a twelve step program for this kind of addiction.  When you look at those guys, there’s not one distinct feature you could point out and say, “oh, he’s GOT to be Lanie’s dad.”  I mean, my eyes are blue like Kenny’s, I have full lips, like BJ, and I’m tall and thin like Spaz.  I guess seventeen years ago my mother loved them all.  So there you have it. 

On a different note, I was invited to one of the Readergirlz Diva's book launch (Holly Cupala) and I'm so excited.  I've been wanting to meet some of these ladies since I started writing.  Only hitch, it's on my daughter's birthday.  Now, it's a teen book, and I can bring people, so I've talked to her about it and we're considering making a day of it in Seattle and getting a hotel room and stuff.  But I told her it's up to her. Still, it's exciting just to be invited. :)

That's all, let me know how you like the excerpt.

 Ciao,

 Megan

Back to Life, Back to Reality...

Now that I've lived like a rock star for five days, it's time to clean up, pack up, and get back home.  I've got a lot on my plate the next few weeks and I'm not sure where to start.  I know a trip to either the consignment store or Goodwill is in order as I've come to the realization that my closet is way too full of clothes I haven't worn in way too long.  I'm also going to make Thing One and Thing Two go through their things.

My muse as of late has been working overtime and I cannot get her to slow down. So now I've got two ms's I'm actively working on, and still probably need to do another round of edits on Cheesy before sending it to my agent toward the end of summer.  Have I mentioned that I hate edits?  I try to fool myself into thinking it's fun, but in reality, it's not.  If someone likes edits please tell me why.  Sway me into liking them.

I'm also house hunting.  I've found the perfect place, but unfortunately, it's a short sale, which my realtor tells me is a pain in the butt.  Figures.  I fell in love with it and of course now nothing will live up to it in my eyes.  It's big, it's colorful, it's full of light.  It's perfect for me.

Other than that, I'll need to lose the 20 pounds I gained this weekend, get myself a pedicure, and patiently await my advance check which should be coming within the next few weeks.  Woot!

Have a great Tuesday all.

Ciao,

Megan

We didn't blow our arms off...

We had a safe and fairly sane holiday weekend.  It was mostly devoid of sun, but of course it usually is here in the beautiful but gray and wet Pacific Northwest.

The girls and I came to the beach Thursday afternoon.  Traffic was fine, and the drive was okay except for the fact it was raining and rain + car = tired Megan.  But we arrived without incident, got settled then I took the girls our for dinner, and luckily their tastes still border on the simple, so they did not break the bank.  That night we had a mini 80's film fest with The Outsiders and Pretty In Pink, which I thought the girls would like since they had gotten into 16 Candles, Breakfast Club, and The Heathers (girls after my own heart)  They preferred the latter to the former and I'd forgotten how cute those boys were and how I was so in love with every one of them, especially C. Thomas Howell, Rob Lowe, and Emilio Estevez.

On Friday took them to see Eclipse, and since it was my favorite book of the series it only makes sense it was my favorite movie.  Taylor Lautner's abs were the star of the show and it didn't suck (haha, get it? Suck?) to look at the new vamp, Riley.  When we came out of the movie, the sun had miraculously decided to show itself so we hung out in the back yard, played badminton, and I bbq'd us some chicken, and it was good.

Friday night my sister and her kids came and we just chilled while watching Lords of Dogtown.  Which of course is the only way to watch Lords of Dogtown, if you're not chill, forget it.  Great movie btw, and I love Emil Hirsch and of course the late Heath Ledger.

Shopped around and laid in the sun all day Saturday.  Got the kids some pizza and my sister, her mother in law and I hit the casino.  Starship was playing (suddenly belts out *Jane, Jane, Jane!*).  We lasted about five songs as the wind was kicking and a glass of wine and Lobstermania slots were calling my name.  I dropped a $20 and it was good.

Then the grand finale, July 4th, the weather was crappy, like I said.  We just chilled, I made my famous (okay it's really Rachael Ray's) pesto pasta salad, we pretty much ate all day, bbq'd (I grilled the perfect hot dogs) then hit the beach for fireworks.  It was freezing, Thing Two and my nephew pretty much blew everything up while the rest of us bundled up in blankies or sat in our cars, and as soon as they were done, we were out of there.  I could not stay up for one more minute, so hit the hay.

Today me and the girls and whoever else wants to join us will take some garbage bags to the beach and help clean up.  Because sad as it is, people leave their trash for the tide.  Dead fireworks, bottles, cans, food wrappers.  We did the same thing last year.  It's a good lesson for the kids and we're doing our part, if only a little.

Hope you all had a great holiday.  I know I did.


Ciao,

Megan

F³A: Celebrating Our Freedoms

With Independence Day right around the corner, I thought I'd chat you up about our freedoms and traditions.

I do realize I  blogged about freedoms when Memorial Day rolled around, but I think we, and when I say we, I mean Americans, forget how good most of us have it.  We take for granted the things that other people only dream about.  Little freedoms, big freedoms, think about it.

Like right now, I'm sitting in a beach house, using my laptop to talk to people all over the world.  How cool is every little bit of that?  My kids are sleeping in their own room, in a comfortable bed, and they will wake to my famous cheesy eggs and ham.

I'm drinking purified water from a bottle and good coffee.

Little things.  Big things.

Last night we had an 80's DVD film fest (The Outsiders and Pretty in Pink). And today I think we'll go see Eclipse.  Little things.

All religions, races, and cultures are able to live in this country together in peace (mostly, don't get me wrong, I know there is still prejudice, bias, and bigotry, but still...) while other countries still kill for these reasons.  Big things.

So, how do you celebrate these freedoms?  Do you have traditions?  Or do you just see what comes up?

We've been going to the beach for a few years now.  We usually buy fireworks and shoot them off on a mostly abandoned beach on July 5th, which is way cool.  This year is a little different for reasons I'll not be going into at the moment.  This year will involved spending it with some family, bbq, hopefully some sun so we can play fun games like ladder ball, and water balloon volleyball.

And though I'm not pro war or anything, it wouldn't hurt to thank a soldier today, I know it's not a soldier-thanking holiday, but their sacrifices and just their presence make these freedoms possible.

So, have a safe and sane Independence Day.  Don't blow your arm off.

Ciao,

Megan

Current song on my iPod: Kandi by One Eskimo

Current read: Fatted Calf Blues, and anthology of short stories by Steven Mayoff.  And let me just say, I'm impressed so far.

Current watch: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.  Will probably be watching this tonight.

Quotes of the week: "Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good." ~ Thomas Paine


"You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence." ~ Abraham Lincoln

"I am lord of myself, accountable to none." ~ Ben Franklin

In search of the perfect hot wing...

So a friend of mine referred me to a place that serves great hot wings.   I was less than impressed.  What I got was a huge plate full of over crispy wings, a tiny cup of Franks and a tiny cup of blue cheese.

Now I am going on a Wednesday blog mission to find the perfect hot wing.  I know it sounds crazy, but I love hot wings and I want to know who makes the best.

If you have any local suggestions, let me know.  I may take this gig national some day, but money ain't quite rolling in right now, if you know what I mean.

I was going to go vegetarian, but I think this mission is much more important than that.

Ciao,

Megan