Poor Bandit!

I'm getting geared up mentally for the SCBWI conference this weekend, but Bandit is not cooperating. Last Tuesday, he went into surgery to have a tumor removed from his tail and other things (dental cleaning and check up and nails trimmed).  The surgery went fine, but poor Bandit came home wearing one of those cone collars. The vet staff, not understanding Bandit's contortion skills, gave him the smallest collar that they thought would work. The incision on his tail looked horrible. Six stitches  resembling something from Frankenstein. On Wednesday, Bandit decided it was time to remove the stitches. I thought I would have a stroke. He has this gaping incision, hanging open and bleeding.  Ok, I'll save the gory details! Another trip to the vet. He had successfully removed 4 of the 6 stitches. They could not replace them without putting him out again. The vet elected to leave as is, so now, I have the pleasure of cleaning, medicating and wrapping his tail daily. And as a bonus for such good behavior, Bandit received a bigger cone collar. Now the furniture, doorways, and my legs are banged every time he walks by. It is funny to watch the cats grow three sizes when he walks into a room! Five more days until this nightmare is over...unless the incision hasn't healed enough. If that happens, I may need to be sent to a home for some mental recovery time.

SCBWI Conference

The SCBWI conference will be held next weekend in Tulsa. There are still openings and you don't have to be a member to attend. If you are interested in writing or illustrating children's books, I highly recommend you attend this conference. It will do nothing but benefit you in many ways. For details, check out the state chapter's website:   www.scbwiok.org    Hope to see many authors and illustrators there.

P.S. One of the benefits is listening to editors and agents from New York City.  That's a huge plus, especially if you are attempting to have something published.

Gotta love dogs!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge dog lover. (Not necessarily a lover of huge dogs!) I'm sure, if you have dogs, you will have to admit that you like your dogs more than you like some people. Yep, that's me. I lost my precious Corkie the Yorkie several months ago and my heart was broken. My daughter had just rescued a dog from the shelter and he is young and energetic. He helped to fill the void in my heart. Of course, we still have Bandit, our 7 year old lab/blue heeler mix. I've shifted all my affections to him, trying to win him over. We've always had a good relationship, but Corkie was my dog and Bandit belonged to Tony.  Bandit is more spoiled than ever. He has learned to love rides in the car, daily walks, and many treats. He's still Tony's dog, but I can tell he loves me more than

before. I have been struggling with hearing loss over the past year and a half and Bandit is training to be a hearing dog for me. It's nice to watch the progression of training. He's done pretty well so far, but recently we've discovered that he may have some arthritis in his hind legs. He's on rest (how do you get a dog to rest?) for 3 weeks and then back to the doctor for a check. Hopefully, all will be fine and he will finally graduate from school.

Sleepless in Oklahoma

All of you writers out there, I'm sure you have done this as often as I. I went to bed last night a little later than usual. Watched my nightly episode of the Matlock rerun. Yawning, I turned out the light and then BINGO! A great idea hit me. Writers of stories, songs, etc. have made comments about such an occurrence. You should get up immediately and make notes or get to writing or risk losing the idea by morning. Never being a conformist, I spent the night on the edge of sleep. I wrote and entire YA novel AND a picture book (in my head). This morning, I am wondering what exactly those books were about.  I remember one thing...they were good, very good. Tonight, I hope Mr. Sandman brings me a revealing dream and tomorrow those books become a reality.

2013

The holidays are over (sad face) and the new year has begun.  I've taken down the decorations, not to include the Christmas tree. I haven't brought myself to do it yet. Yes, I may be the crazy lady that has a Christmas tree in July. What can I say? I love it! In all reality, I will probably take it down in the next week. Everytime I think about taking down the tree, I think of my favorite character, Linus and his quote when asked about his blanket..."maybe I'll make it into a sport coat." What does that have to do with my tree? Hmmm? How to repurpose that tree and keep it all year? My husband suggested having a holiday tree and decorating it for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Halloween, etc. My answer? A firm, "no!" It's a Christmas tree and that's what it will continue to be. I hate to see Easter eggs hanging from a tree. Wouldn't be prudent! And so, if you hear taps playing next week, it's my poor Christmas tree retiring to the attic for a long rest. 

Writing News

I had a booksigning at The Learning Tree in Oklahoma City 2 weeks ago. Wow! Where does the time go? The best part about it was that also having a signing, was award-winning Oklahoma Children's Author, Tammi Sauer.  She has 3 (yes, three) new books out this fall for a total of 13 books! She is obviously doing something right and it was the perfect time to pick her brain since I had her as a captive  audience! She was so sweet and gave me lots of tips as well as telling me about her journey to become an author.  She visits lots of schools and writing conferences and would be a great act to follow! I am trudging on and taking everything she said to heart. Thank you, Tammi. You can check out Tammi on her website:  www.tammisauer.com

Book Signing

I will be at The Learning Tree, 7638 N. Western, OKC tomorrow from 11-2.   If you are in the area, please stop by and say hello!

Salem Elementary-Russell County, KY

I am a little late in posting this, because I had ear surgery and cannot seem to get back on track, but I had to write about a wonderful group of students.

 A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of visiting 2nd - 4th grades at Salem Elementary in Kentucky. The children were delightful and made my feel very welcome. I was amazed at some of the questions that came from the 3rd graders. The teachers are doing an awesome job!  A couple of the questions were: "What is the theme of the story?" and "What is the plot?" Wow!  OK guys, I couldn't let you get off that easy, so I did not give those answers. I hope you discussed it in class and figured it out. There were a lot of other questions about my personal life, how I wrote the book, future books, etc.  

Thank you to everyone at Salem Elementary especially the custodian who helped get the lights ready, the computer guy that got the flash drive to work, Ms Shalonda for organizing the event, and 3rd grade student, Dawson.

Dawson made me smile when he said he was going to take my book on vacation with him and when he found out the book included an audio download, he said he would put it on his iPod. Just before I left, he told me to let him know when I have another book because he wants to buy one!  From the mouths of babes! Oh, how sweet those words!

                                       Thank you, Salem Elementary. You are a special group.

Plug for SCBWI

Last night, our local chapter of SCBWI met. (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators)  Every month, I go to the meetings and gain so much insight! The group is an amazing and talented bunch! Without a doubt, it is one of the best organizations I have ever been affiliated with. If you have the desire to write or illustrate for children (this is young adult novels, as well) you must check it out. It is an international organization with regional groups so wherever you are, SCBWI should be readily available.  That's all. Now back to your regularly scheduled blog!

Book Event

I will be at Best of Books in Edmond, Oklahoma this Thursday from 5:30- 7:00. If you have children, like children's books or love baking, I hope you will stop by!