Why is it we don’t see our own writing errors as easily as we pick up on mistakes in the others’ writings? I mean silly, stupid stuff. Obvious mistakes! I am working on a novel of suspense, and the other day was reading a part with my critique group, and I didn’t even hear, much less catch, my goof. Thank heaven for critique groups! Here is what I wrote. “Guilty—by reason of insanity.” Duh! A member of the group asked me if I meant not guilty. Oh, heck yes! It should have been, “Not guilty—by reason of insanity.” What a jackass! I suppose my brain decided to take a stroll. Maybe it even left town.
True Angel Story
This is a true angel story taken from my life that ended up in a modified version in my first thriller, coauthored with Joe Moore, THE GRAIL CONSPIRACY.
When my daughter, my little angel, Alexis, was a wee one, she had an imaginary playmate, or so we thought. Ever since she could speak, she talked about Motnees, her friend who would fly into her room at night. She pointed to a corner in the ceiling and told us that’s where Motnees would stay. We thought her stories were adorable. One day we were driving with her grandparents and her grandmother asked what Motnees looked like. Alexis spun her hand in circles above her head and said, “She has hair like this.” We thought maybe she meant her “playmate” had curly hair or bed head hair. We didn’t pay much attention.——
Gloomy Day. Time to Flip it!
It was a gloomy day. Drizzling on and off. No sunshine. At first I moped about it because I had things I wanted to do outside. Then I kicked myself. Come on, Lynn, flip this around. We’ve been in a drought. The grass is burning, my garden needs water, my flowers are thirsty. We need the water. Gloomy was a good thing. A nice drizzle of rain to relieve the drought and make the plants and trees happy. Okay, not so bad. The gloomy wasn’t doomy. It was a good thing.
Dead Battery-Find the Bright Side
Find the bright side! Here’s a new flip. Not mine—but it’s a true story. Someone (not naming) was all ready to go somewhere today, and when she got in the car, the battery was dead. She posted that on Facebook and a friend replied—”I’d rather have a dead battery and have money to buy a new one than not have enough money to buy a car in the first place.” This was followed by a smiley face and then another comment. “There’s always a bright side.”
99 Scorpions Preferred Beer in THE TOMB
When writing THE TOMB, we wanted Maxine and Kenny to have a special beer—something different and memorable. I did some research on craft beers and came up with this one from The Unknown Brewery in Charlotte, NC. They actually sent me a bottle to sample! The full name of the beer is “La Jordana del Escorpion en Fuego Hacia la Casa del Chupacabra Muerto,” which roughly translates to “The Path of the Fiery Scorpion through the House of the Dead Chupacabra.” Quite a mouthful and makes me wonder what kind of mind could make this up? So crazy that I loved it! This unique beer is a 10.1 percent ABV Mexican imperial lager brewed with agave nectar, serrano peppers and 99 REAL scorpions—Honest! How they ended up using scorpions is a story in itself. This wild brew was perfect for our characters. Max and Kenny have that kind of fiery relationship. Passionate, estranged, tender, forceful, trusting, angry—an intriguing mix. What else then would be their choice of beer? 99 Scorpions. I want to take a road trip for a visit to this brewery! If you want to read more about the beer, why the scorpions, how it was brewed, and the brewery here is a link: http://www.charlottebeer.com/2014/09/08/the-unknown-brewing-co-brews-beer-with-99-scorpions/
The Deadly Scale
Here’s a flip. Hope I can hold onto it! Got on the scale this morning, like I always do. Like I expect the Fat Fairy to come overnight and devour the flab. Anyway, I looked at the number on the scale, not higher, not lower, same old, same old. And down in the dumps I went. Then I took my own advice and flipped it. I could be starving, that’s good. If I was stranded with a group of people who had nothing to eat, I’d be the last to die!
And of course, the one that makes the best sense, I can control that number, so get with the program, girl.
Close Encounter of the Sea Kind—Up Close and Personal!
We had a lovely 4-day getaway with friends in a little Florida coastal town called, Steinhatchee (pronounced steenchatchee). We love being on the water and fishing, so we were thoroughly enjoying ourselves. Remember my motto—salt air cures everything! I’d had a miserable sinus infection, and the salt air was just the thing (plus an antibiotic) to make me feel better. Good thing I didn’t know what was about to happen.
FLIP IT
Playing in the rain
(click to see the video) I have decided to make an attitude adjustment. We had two of our precious little grandbabes visiting (NeeNee and Abuelo’s summer camp) for the week. I’d forgotten just how fun it is to be a kid—run, play, imagine, run some more just because you can, find wonder in the smallest thing, be curious, and look at the world as an awesome place to be. I thought to myself, yep, you need their attitude. I made up my mind to be like a kid again and started to FLIP IT. Just like when we told the boys we couldn’t go out in the boat because it was raining, they didn’t let that news slow them down. They played in the rain, stomped in mud puddles, raced their little bikes through standing water and squealed with laughter at the splash. They imagined they were in a Jurassic world and had their own dinosaurs bounding through the trees and palmettos. What a great way to live. They flipped something around—bad news was it was raining, and we weren’t going out in the boat—they turned it into good news. They could do a lot of things playing in the rain.
Ya’ll Come on Down
Top 5 Florida State Park Springs. Many of these springs are near me. They are stunning. I love our little piece of paradise tucked away from all the hustle and bustle! Click the link below for a look at some of the beautiful springs. If you have visited, which was your favorite? Do you have other favorite state parks?
Here’s a peek at some of the gorgeous springs.
What if an Alligator Attacks? What to do.
Since alligator mating season is here, thought some of you might be interested in this. Or maybe you are just curious. I had an alligator attack on my character in one of my historical books.