Merry, Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to one and all.

I hope you're all drinking hot chocolate or your traditional Christmas drink and having fun opening presents. But most of all, I hope you're with family and friends.

This is a time for family, love and friends. I am happy to say my two kids (who are no longer kids) are both home. And today I give thanks for my family and for all my friends, both those I see or interact with pretty much every day and those I know only via the Internet.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

Let the Sun Shine

Patricia Stoltey gave me the Sunshine Award. Patricia is a sweetie and her blog is informative, conversational, and fun to read. She’s also the author of the Desert Hedge Murders series.

If I understand it right, this award is passed on to followers who bring a ray of sunshine to your blog. That would include everyone who follows and/or comments here on Straight From Hel! I thought I’d pass it on to five new followers of Straight From Hel.

1. Julie Musil - Julie is the author of both fiction and nonfiction and her blog is informative, encouraging and sometimes quite funny.

2. Nancy Julien Kopp - Nancy’s blog is called Writer Granny’s World. She blogs about things in her life, as well as writing and books.

3. Yvonne Osborne - In Yvonne’s blog, The Organic Writer, she posts poetry, pieces about writing and even tells us about her garden.

4. Cheryl Eklund - Cheryl signs each post on her blog, A Writer’s Journey, with the name Saira Cee. She’s a new blogger so stop by and read her words about writing and what inspires her.

5. Inside the Shrink is the blog of a psychologist who posts on a variety of subjects from writing to religion to emotions and what she calls Psychobabble.

So, check out these five bloggers and say hi to them. I hope you’ll find one or two or five you want to follow.

Facebooking

Facebooking may not be an actual word, but it’s what I’m trying to do. Remember yesterday’s post when the literary agent advised that authors should be on “Facebook, Twitter, Red Room, Ning, etc”?

I’m on Twitter, but not the others. (Never even heard of Red Room.) So, I signed up for Facebook. The next morning I couldn’t even find myself (have since figure it out). But others somehow found me. Some I asked to befriend. Some have not befriended me - like my own kids (which is understandable). Some just found me and requested I befriend them. How did I know that? The next morning I opened my email and found two pages of emails from Facebook.

Clearly, I’m a total newbie and have only a few friends - unlike the published author whom I requested to befriend and who emailed back that he couldn’t friend me because he’d reached his limit of 5,000 friends.

I still need to figure out the pages thing and maybe upload some pictures (need to crop them down before that). It seems I also need to create lists, whatever that is.

I’m also working to update the look of this blog and my website. I’m satisfied with the new look of Straight From Hel, but not with my website. I tried to match the colors to those in the new header, but it feels too stark or glaring to me. This is my second attempt at the colors. I think I’ll try softer colors or reverse the bright blue and the green…or something.

If you’re on Facebook, you can find me, hopefully, under my name: Helen Ginger. If there’s a direct link to my home page, I don’t know it. Yet.

What are you doing to promote yourself online? Are you twittering? Red Rooming? Ninging? Facebooking?

Howdy! Wanna Go With?

Howdy is the Texan’s way of saying “hello.” If you can guess where “Wanna go with?” is from, then you know where I’m heading today.

As you read this, there’s a good chance I’m on a plane headed north. Up to cooler temps. To the land where people end sentences with a preposition. To visit a sister who, when she asks, “Wanna go with?”, I ask, “With what?”

Some of you may be wondering who’s taking care of Ruffles, my 15-year old dog. Never fear. She’s not alone. She has her personal assistant with her -- otherwise known as son, house-sitter and dog-petter.

Figured out where I’m headed? No cheese curds involved.

And for that author (you know who you are) reading this and thinking, “Wait a minute. She’s supposed to be editing my manuscript,” no worries, I have it with me. As a matter of fact, right now (depending on when you’re reading this) I have my laptop open, manuscript on the screen, ear plugs in my ears, and I’m reading while swaying to the music and eating airplane peanuts.

Guesses? Nope, I’m not leaving the States.

Speaking of music, I figured out how to put the iTunes on my computer onto my iPhone. All you techhies are hrmmphing now, but this took me a while to figure out. I even left my laptop running all night ‘cause it said it was syncing. The next morning it was still synching, but it lied. It wasn’t syncing at all. I was not deterred. My perseverance paid off and now my 186 songs are on my iPhone and I am currently bopping to the music as I slash and cut…uh… leave supportive and soothing comments… on said manuscript.

I’m also leaving DH to finish resetting our alarm system. The other day, while DH was out of town, we had a lightning strike so close that it set off the alarm in ear-piercing screeches. Would not quit. I had to call him and scream over the squawks to find out how to unplug the system.

Adios Texas.

Okay….wait for it…I’m enroute to….Minnesota.

Wanna go with?

Doing It Write

Doing It Write is the name of the weekly e-newsletter I’ve been sending out for ten years. I’m not trying to sell you on DIW - for one thing, it’s free so there’s no selling. I mention it because I wanted to tell you about the column I wrote for it last week. In it, I urged subscribers to form Writers Groups. And I’d like to urge you here to do that as well.

When I say “writers groups,” I’m not talking about critique groups. I mean a group of friends who are writers. A critique group is good if that's what you're in need of, but a fun writers group is good for the soul and for any occasion.

Recently I got together with a group of fellow writers for lunch. We meet irregularly, usually whenever one of us emails and wants to set up a date for a get-together. Then we keep tossing around dates until we find a time we can all or most agree on. We occasionally meet at a restaurant but most often convene at someone's house. A house is best since our lunches tend to stretch to around three hours long.

Considering we're all writers, we rarely talk about writing unless someone has a recent publication to share. We talk about everything else, from families, to vacations, to shows, to books we've read, to ... you name it.

Gather friends who are writers and friends of friends who are writers. There's a special feeling to meeting up with like-minded people. You're away from your computer, away from your manuscript, yet you're still in the writing world and you never know what will happen. You may get a lead on a magazine or agent. But most likely, you'll just have fun and relax and make long-lasting relationships. And those are important to writers who tend to be soloist playing notes on their computers.

It doesn't have to be often. We meet maybe four times a year. We happen to be all women, but your group can be a mix of sexes. We have different kinds of writers, from fiction to magazines to nonfiction to humor to travel. We're at different stages or levels of writing.

Gather a group of folks you like. It may take a lot of effort to find times when everyone can meet. Keep working at it. Find people whom you could support and who will support you - and keep them in your circle.

Friendship Blog Award

Lisa Logan of Writing In My Wildest Dreams awarded me the Friendship Blog Award. Lisa has a great blog. When you click over, you’re taken to a warning of Adult Content. For a long time, I stopped and didn’t go any further. When I finally clicked to enter, I found it not at all “adult.” Rarely is there anything deserving of the warning, so don’t let it stop you from visiting. She’s an expert on Feng Shui and dream analysis. I’ve adopted her as my therapist (=;-O)

About the award:

Blogs that receive the Let’s Be Friends Award are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers.

I'd hereby like to deliver this award to the following exceedingly charming, friendly bloggers:

Karen Walker of Karen…following the whispers
Karen is open and always willing to share herself with those of us who stop by.

Stacy S. Jensen of Stacy Writes
Stacy speaks her mind and always entertains.

Lauri Kubuitsile of Thoughts from Botswana
With each post, Lauri takes me to her world which is quite different from mine.

Marvin Wilson of The Old Silly’s Free Spirit Blog
Marvin has probably received about every award there is, but he still deserves an award for friendship, plus he’s still smiling even though his blog got eaten and he had to start over.

Hagelrat of Unbound
Not only is Hagelrat not a rat, she’s a great friend of writers. Check out her blog which is full of book reviews!

Angie Ledbetter of Gumbo Writer
Angie does the unexpected. One day she’s talking about Dr. Phil then the next she’s giving out a recipe for Peach Cobble, complete with pictures, and somehow relating it to writing.

Jane Kennedy Sutton of Jane’s Ride
What’s not to love about someone who, in the same post, can blog about a horror book written entirely on toilet paper and a spray fragrance called Smell of Books that comes in New Book Smell, Scents of Sensibility, Classic Musty, Crunchy Bacon and Eau You Have Cats?

Julie Lomoe of Julie Lomoe’s Musings Mysterioso
If you’re having a bad day, just click over and look at the picture at the top of her blog. It’ll calm you down. Then read a post or two, maybe the one titled, “Norman Mailer Admired My Chest…”

I leave it up to each of these great bloggers to pass on the Let’s Be Friends Award - or not. But I do hope that every person who stops by Straight From Hel today will visit these wonderful people and make some new friends.

Name this Meme

I’ve been meme-tagged by Dana Fredsti. Sometimes memes can be too long and take a lot of thinking to answer (hey! that’s difficult if you’re not a morning person). But this one was short, fun, and interesting. So, here are my answers. And I’ve tagged two people (clicking away real fast won’t get you off the hook!), so read to the end to find out if you’re a victim…er, chosen one.

1. Your real name: Helen

2. Your Gangsta name:(first 3 letters of real name plus izzle) Helizzle (Gansta Helizzle duza fizzle)

3. Your Detective name:(fave color and fave animal) Blue Guinea Pig (Does this really sound like a detective’s name? He’d probably shorten it to Blue Guinea.)

4. Your Soap Opera name:(your middle name and street you live on) Ilene Elizabeth (I opted for a street I used to live on. I sort of like this. Maybe I’ll use it when I decide to write Romance.)

5. Your Star Wars name:(the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name) Ginhe (This could actually be a Star Wars character.)

6. Your Superhero name:(your 2ND favorite color, and favorite drink) Green Chai (Faster than an elephant, more organic than a garden tomato, spicier than a Chihuahua, it’s Green Chai!)

7. Your Iraqi name:(2ND letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, 1st letter of your middle name, 2ND letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of your dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, and last letter of your moms middle name) – Eniormr (Maybe if I’m an Iraqi Star Wars character.)

8. Your Witness Protection name:(parents middle names) Esther Gordon (Ah, come on, with a name like that, what could I possibly have done to be in the witness protection program?)

9. Your Goth name:(black, and the name of one of your pets) Black Ruffles (Which is scarier – Helizzle or Black Ruffles?)

Okay, this was fun and not difficult. I want to know the Goth name for:
Sylvia Dickey Smith
Lillie Ammann

You’re tagged.

No Poet and I Know It

I used to write poetry. Way back in the emotional days of college. I was actually pretty good at it. Or so I tell myself.

But not anymore.

Last week, I went to lunch with a group of writer friends. We all get together five or six times a year. But one member is leaving the group and moving back to her hometown. So for the lunch, we were to each bring her a present to remind her of Austin and to write something for her.

I decided to write a poem. I even made it rhyme – more or less. It had no form, no structure, no flow. It really wasn’t good. But it rhymed … sometimes.

Okay, I admit it. It sucked. I’m no poet. I know it.

Two Observations About Writers

A lot of my friends are writers, as I’m sure is the case with most writers. We’re no different from people of other occupations. Lawyers tend to have friends who are also lawyers. Firefighters hang with other firefighters. And we all have friends outside of the circle of work or calling.

I am very thankful for my writer friends. They are the best in the world. Yesterday, I got together with five of those friends. Our lunch ended around five p.m. About three a.m., I woke up, thinking about that gathering. We had a good time, laughing and talking. It renews your soul to hang with good friends who, in this case, are all strong, accomplished women. As I started my second cup of coffee around four, I thought about two things I noticed during our get-together.

One is that, although we’re all writers, we didn’t really talk about writing.

I’ve thought back through the four hours we were together, from the time we gathered at the restaurant until we got into our cars to make the trek back to our homes -- and I can’t really remember talking about what we were working on, or plotting, or researching. No one asked for help on a plot twist. No one described a character. No one discussed an interview for an article. We caught up on what was going on in each other’s lives, outside of writing.

I don’t know if this is true of people in other professions. Do doctors gather for drinks and not discuss patients or cases? Can travel agents meet for coffee and not talk about cruises or exciting locations that have just come onto their radars? Possibly. But this non-discussion of writing seems to happen whenever I gather with these friends. There just seems to be so much to talk about other than our work that the time flies by until we reluctantly have to part.

And that brings me to my second observation. This group of friends, and there are three more who couldn’t make the lunch, are amazing women. Strong, funny, smart, opinionated, loving, giving, loyal … my list of adjectives could go on and on. And sometimes that makes me stop and wonder, how did I end up in this group? How could I have been so fortunate to find myself surrounded by such wonderful women? However it happened, I am thankful.

Perhaps you belong to such a group, be they men or women or a mix, be they writers or some other profession. If so, I’m so glad for you. If not, then I hope you find or begin such a group. A belated New Year’s wish. Everyone should have a support group of wonderful friends.

Reason to Buy a Book

What makes you choose a book to read? Hype? A friend’s recommendation? Meeting the author? The back cover blurb?

I’ve chosen books based on all those reasons. Probably the reason most likely to yield great results is the recommendation of a friend. But I’ve definitely found both good and not so good reads via other options.

Whenever I’m in a bookstore, I always browse the aisles, looking at book covers and titles, reading the back cover, then checking out the opening page. I often find books that way. Sometimes I like them; sometimes I don’t. I have to admit, though, I mostly roam the mystery/suspense aisles – or the writing/publishing aisle. I rarely venture into the romance, sci-fi/fantasy, YA or even non-fiction sections. I am trying to branch out, though, and recently have read romance, books heavy with fantasy/paranormal aspects and Young Adult.

I’ve also bought books because I met the author at a book signing. I don’t always buy the book just because I went to a book signing though (see my post called A Different Kind of Book Signing). Years ago I went to a talk/book signing with Sandra Brown. It was an intimate affair, with only about five of us invited. I really loved her talk and was impressed by her, but I didn’t buy the book. At the time, I didn’t read any romance and didn’t want to spend the money on a book I didn’t think I’d ever read. I’ve since read her and wish I’d bought the book and gotten it signed. Ah well. If I go to a book signing of a big name author, I may or may not buy the book. If I go to a signing for a local author, I’m much more likely to get their book and autograph. Supporting local authors, for me, plays a big role in my book buying.

Now, I hate to admit it, but I’m also influenced by hype. I bought the whole Young Adult/paranormal romance series by Stephenie Meyer just because I caught her on network TV and they said her books were hot with teen girls (and because they dealt with a fantasy world). That turned out to be a good decision because I enjoyed them. Often times, the less-than-accurate hype around a well-known author is what I shouldn’t listen to. There are some big authors who are churning out too many books either alone or with help. They often turn out to be less stellar than all the publicity surrounding their debut.

Recommendations from friends, though, rarely yield bummers. The non-fiction book I’m reading now, Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach, would never have come across my radar if Jo Virgil hadn’t recommended it. She was right, it’s very interesting and in some areas downright funny. I started reading The Miss Julia series by Ann B. Ross on the advice of my cousin Rhonda. Wonderful Southern series. I’m reading the WaterLillies series by Deborah Smith because Pam Headrick of the bookstore A Thirsty Mind recommended it.

Always listen to your friends. They’re right more often than not.

Celebrate for Authors

Some people have asked why I’m always happy when a friend gets published or has a new book coming out.

I don’t think any writer should be jealous of another’s success. When a new writer makes their first deal it’s exciting. They’ve worked hard to achieve that step. It’s also good news for every other unpublished writer. It means it’s still possible to get published. If they can achieve their dream, so can you.

And, believe it or not, getting your first book published doesn’t mean you’ll get a second, third or forth book published. So when someone does get more books in the pipeline, it’s cause for celebration -- for them, of course, but also for all other writers. It’s hope for all writers. Plus, it means books are still being published and bought. There are a lot of naysayers out there who say the book business is on the way out, especially print books.

I’ve got quite a few author friends – some whose books I’ve edited or consulted on, some not. But for every one of them, I’m happy when they have a book coming out or when they email or call to say they’ve made a deal or gotten an agent. How can you not want to jump up and down and yell when someone tells you they’ve achieved a step in their dream?

Stop and think of the authors you know. How many of them have books coming out this year? I couldn’t even name all my friends’ books due out this year. That means I know a lot of happy people. It also means that local authors are getting picked up. Not just the big name celebrities. Not just the major names already known around the world. There are some people outside of Hollywood coming out with books.

That’s another reason why I believe in supporting the authors in your area. Go to their events, buy their books, read the reviews in your local paper and write the reviewer to say thanks for reviewing a local author, let your bookstore know you want to see more local authors, give their books as presents, read their blogs, go to their websites, visit their My Spaces, do whatever you can to support them. Not only do they need your support a whole lot more than Paris Hilton or John Grisham, but some day you may be that new local author.

For every author, even the big names, be happy. For those you know, celebrate, whether it’s their first book or the ninth. And when your first book or you next book comes out, email me. I’ll do my Yippee Dance.

Friends

It is so wonderful to have close friends. Had lunch today with a couple of good friends. What fun. The older I get, the more appreciative I am of friends.

One is an ESL teacher. ESL stands for English as a Second Language. She hasn’t told any “stories” about students, but it’s easy to imagine an ESL teacher as a lead character in a novel. I could see how such a protagonist could get into funny situations, thus a romping comedy. Or you could write a mystery with an ESL lead. Perhaps a romance.

The other friend is a freelance writer. She’s definitely into the writing scene. It was fun to hear about an article she’s working on now and the research she’s doing for it. There’s such a quick turnaround on articles. Quite different from working on a novel. I would think that would be rewarding, being able to see your words in print within a relatively short time after you’ve gotten the assignment or after you’ve finished writing the piece.

I would advocate for a Be Thankful for Friends Day, but I’ve decided that will be an everyday occasion for me. Thank you to all my friends, those close, those far, those new, and those who’ve stuck with me all these years.