House-cleaning...

Today my poetry post is preempted for a little house cleaning. Lately I've been tagged with a few memes and they're gathering dust on my shelves.  This one seems most pressing because three authors hit me with it. Two on twitter, and one on Facebook. So, first, to thank them.

Thank you, Gennifer Albin, Jessica Khoury, and Jessica Nelson!

And without further adieu, the Lucky 7 Meme...

Here are the rules:

1. Go to the seventh or 77th page of the WIP or latest book
2. Count down seven lines.
3. Copy the 7 sentences that follow and post them.
4. Tag 7 other authors.

Here are my 7 lines from page 77 in my Word doc of Splintered:

The girl—who looks to be five—wears a frilly red pajama top with long, puffy sleeves and matching pants that cover her ankles. She sits on a grassy knoll beside the boy, who can’t be more than eight. They both have their backs to me.

Black wings drape behind the boy like a cloak, matching his velvet pants and silky shirt. He tilts sideways, so I catch his profile, but his face stays hidden beneath a curtain of glowing blue hair as he uses a needle to thread dead moths along a string—making the gruesome equivalent of a popcorn garland.

His feet—snug inside black hiking boots—are propped on a set of sketches, the same ones glued inside Alison’s Wonderland book.

“There.” His young, soft voice rustles like feathers on the wind.

Since I've always been a slow runner, I'm not even going to attempt tagging you. If you'd like to play along and give me a glimpse of your latest WIP, snag that Lucky 7 icon, post your lines on your blog, and leave a comment below. I'd love to hop over and see it!

Have a great Monday, everyone!

Fun for Me-me = Free Books for You-you!

First, a quick promo for all of my zombunny loving compatriots: If you enjoyed Clive the Bloodsucking Pygmy Goat...

And his silent adventures on my blog over a week ago, please hop over to Michelle’s poll and check out the other entries for the zombunny prize. No matter who you vote for, just please vote! Plus, while you’re there, explore Michelle’s awesome blog. She’s not only crafty, but also has a green thumb and writes beautifully. Her blog has something for everyone!

Onto the meme/book give-away contest. My cake-worshipping blogster Carissa tagged me with a fabulous meme, and then my pal Colin from twitter did the same. So, twice tagged is twice blessed. :)

But the blessings don't stop there my book-loving friends, because this meme will take a very lucrative turn for you in the end…

Off we go (and disregard the strange highlighted letters for the moment, you'll understand their purpose later)!

  

1.      If you were a vampire, which celebrity would you first sink your teeth into?

 Kristen Stewart, of course. All the cool vampires want to sample Bella’s fragrant blood. ;)

2.      What’s your middle name? No, not your real middle name, your MIDDLE name.

Jelly Bean. And I refuse to explain, so have fun conjecturing. Heh.

3.      You’re stranded on an island. There’s a monkey with you there, but he’s not too chatty. You also have a ball at your disposal. A ship passes by, but it’s daylight. How will you attract their attention?

Who said anything about attracting attention? Why would I want to escape? I have a Monkey who’s useless for company and a big bouncy ball. I have everything I need to stay occupied and in shape for the rest of my castaway life.

 4.      What are you secretly afraid of? And what are you REALLY afraid of?

Never having my books in print.

Waking up one day to realize I’ve been kidding myself and I CAN’T write AT ALL. EEPS.

5.      Describe your best friend in five words.

I have two besties, so this is both of them combined: Effervescent, Irreverent, Cheerleader, Mobster, Funny.

6.      What’s your current favorite song? What about the annoying one stuck in your head?

Fave: Every Car You Chase – A remix of Sting’s Every Breath You Take and Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars. One of the best mash-ups I’ve ever heard.

Most annoying ear worm: That irritating opening song from The Nanny.

7.      What’s the last movie you watched? Was it good? (Fishing for recommendations.)

Battle: Los Angeles. (It was hubbie’s night to pick--heh.) It was okay. Wreaked a little of Independence Day, which I thought was much better. For an excellent movie, I’d recommend The Fall. Beautiful cinematography, unique and emotional storyline, and superb acting.

*** CONTEST TIME ***

Here’s where I cheat. Instead of tagging anyone, I’m turning this into a CONTEST!! Each of you will have an opportunity to win one of these three books:

And I’ll even stick in some fancy brand spankin’ new bookmarks from my crit partners’ newest releases:

Here’s how you get into the drawing: I’ve spelled out a four-word movie/play title in the above answers. You can find it by looking for the highlighted letters then unscrambling them.

 Here are the clues:

 I’m giving the first word of the title away since it’s only one letter: A

Second word can be found in both the question and answer part of #3.

Third word is in the answer of #4.

And fourth word is in the answer of #5.

Want another hint? Here’s the premise of the story:

A wacky tale where everyone is besotted with each other, but the wrong way around. They live happily ever after once they're paired off correctly.

And here’s a little known tidbit about the author. He wrote his own epitaph:

Good friend for Jesus' sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here:
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones.

Anyone who figures out the title of the movie/play can either DM me on twitter or email me here: anita(at)aghoward(dot)com. Good luck!

*PLEASE don’t leave your answer in the comments.* We want to give everyone a fair shake at figuring this out. All of the right answers will go into a drawing.

The contest will run until Thursday (August 4), 11:59pm central. I’ll announce the three winners on Friday.

Until then, have a great rest of the week!

Personally, I like panties.

So I'm glad I got tagged. Thanks Michelle!

Without further adieu, I give you Greenwoman's Diabolical Panty Meme to end all memes (about underclothes)!

Disclaimer: The following answers may or may not be true. Some fake answers may have been used to tickle the funny bones of innocent readers.

What do you call your panties / underwear / undergarments? Do you have any commonly used nicknames for them?

Yes! Optional.

Have you ever had that supposedly common dream of being in a crowded place in only your underwear?

Sigh. It pains me to relive this ... but ... my panties were at my ankles, and well, no one would pull them up for me! *shivers*

What is the worst thing you can think of to make panties out of?

Cornmeal.

If you were a pair of panties, what color would you be, and WHY?

Every-color-of-the-rainbow-striped. Because I’m pc. Plus, they would look like Fruity Striped gum. ;)

Have you ever thrown your panties/underwear at a rock star or other celebrity? If so, which one(s)? If not, which one(s) WOULD you throw your panties/underwear at, given the opportunity?

Cap’n Jack Sparrow. But only on the high seas.

You’re out of clean panties. What do you do?

Two words: saran wrap.

Are you old enough to remember Underoos? If so, did you have any? Which ones?

Do I remember them? I still wear them, yo! Check it OUT.

If you could have any message printed on your panties, what would it be?
Here’s the line up for my proposed Latin Days of the Week panties:

Monday: Nullo modo = No way.

Tuesday: Parve leves capiunt animos = Small things affect light minds.
Wednesday: Laborare non amo = I do not like to work.
Thursday: Semper ubi sub ubi = Always wear underwear.
Friday: Quisque comodeus est = Everybody is a comedian.
Saturday: Estne volumen in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre? = Is that a scroll in your toga, or are you just happy to see me?
Sunday: Lege atque lacrima = Read'em and weep.

How many bloggers does it take to put panties on a goat?

That depends, are the bloggers from Texas? Cuz it’s not looking too hopeful for these two cowboys. My odds are on the goat. He's looking a little mad...

Tag Four People and tell them why you are being so cruel to them.
1. Taryn because I like you almost as much as I like panties! And that's saying A LOT.
2. A.M. Supinger because I'm jealous of your rose tattoo.
3. Riley because you're one of the newest members of the #goatposse. Welcome to #goathazing101!
4. Aryn, because you don't have enough to do with all that moving and fighting off gnomes, etc...
Default 5. Any member of the #goatposse who reads this and hasn't been tagged is now tagged by default. You know who you are!

Congratulations and condolences to all of the nominees! Oh, and have a super fantastic weekend. :)

Meme of Maniacal MADNESS

This is the BEST Meme I've ever come across. Why? Because my little madling, Miss Jenny Phresh, conjured it up in the dark recesses of her mind after I tagged her with a more traditional meme. Jenny's version is so heinously imaginative, it brought me out of my usual blogging haitus just to post it! The questions in peach are her brainchildren. Now sit back and enjoy the brilliant madness that is Jenny. :)

Are you a rutabaga?
Nope. I’m the illegitimate love child of a cabbage and a turnip. Oh, wait…

When was the last time you ate lion meat?

Does lion blood count? In my previous life I was a tick in Africa.

Upload a heartwarming picture of something that makes you smile.

 

(The last known sighting of Hoops and Yoyo.) Yes, their disappearance was tragic and suspicious. But doesn’t Humpty’s goofy grin make you forget all those ugly accusations and negative press releases?

C’mon! He’s a happy pill incarnate.

If you could go back in time and kick the crap out of someone, who would it be?

That bully who messed with my pony girl in 9th grade, Jujyfruit Assbat! In fact, I’m thinking the goat posse needs to band up and hunt down that sucker. Cloven feet unite!!

Name one habit that makes other people plot your demise.

My obsession with Hoops and Yoyo. I rain down e-cards on inboxes almost daily—for no apparent reason.

What song would you like to be playing while you are kicking the crap out of someone?

The Verve – Bittersweet Symphony. Kicking the crap out of peeps slow-mo-movie-style ROX.

Where da muffin top at?

Just below Humpty’s necktie.

How many goats, stacked atop one another like Yertle's Turtles, would it take to reach the moon?

That depends. Are the goats wearing platform shoes with their pants?

Describe yourself using obscure Latin words.

I only know Pig Latin. So: Illigitimateway egetablevay ithway away enchantpay orfay andomlyray ailingmay unnecessaryway ardscay.

Why does evil exist?

Erm. I think I’d rather answer the chicken meat question again.

What the chiz are you thinking right now?

That I need all of your email addresses.

As the rules state, I can tag as many or few peeps as I want.  I'm tagging five of my cool blogger pals, in hopes they'll play along and pass on the lunacy. Let's make this puppy go viral!

1. Keriann Greaney Martin

2. Sophia Richardson
3. KV Taylor
4. Huntress
5. Kerri Maniscalco

Pick a funny nickname for number 1.
Fried Butter Gert.

Make up a rhyme about number 2.
She has a fine cottage on fantasy lane
With goblins to tend to the plumbing and drains.
She grows many fruits of the succulent kind,
And weaves lovely stories in her dazzling mind.

Where would number 3 hide in the event of the apocalypse?
In the trunk of Neil Gaiman's car. 

Where does number 4 purchase her pants?
At the Disney store on the Winnie the Pooh aisle.

What would number 5's favorite dance move be?
The twinkie tumble.

A little Meme and a lot of You-you.

As I mentioned last week, I've been tagged by my fleet-footed Goblin Market sister, Miss Sophia Richardson. One of the things I like about this particular meme, is it's only partly about me. The last half of the questions made me spill the beans on what I think about my blogging pals. So if you're one of the names listed below, today's your day of reckoning, yo! Heh.

And we're off!

Do you think you're hot?

Ever heard of body dysmorphic disorder? I’m almost 100 percent convinced Michael Jackson suffered from this condition. My husband insists I have a touch of it. Not to the extreme that I do harmful or surgical things to my body to fix myself, but enough that I can never measure up to what I consider beautiful. I’ve been known to obsess about my nose, toes, or tushie for weeks on end before letting it fall by the wayside for a new bodily / facial obsession. Fact is, the person whose opinion matters most is my significant other, and he seems happy enough with his lot in life, so let’s leave it at that and move on to a less humiliating question.  ;)

When was the last time you ate chicken meat?

Erm, what a random and strange question. LOL. Okay, last Friday while on vacation I had chicken sliders from Dave and Busters in Kansas City, MO.

List the songs you listened to recently.

Right now, I'm listening to the playlist for my WIP. There are over 50 titles, but here's the first ten. Lots of mood pieces to reflect the gothic and melancholy tone of the story.

The Crow & The Butterfly - Shinedown
Serenity - Lisa Gerrard
Scary Fragile - Butterfly Boucher
Sigh of Relief - Arcana
Familiar Taste of Poison - Halestorm
Gothic Winter - Nox Arcana
Stronger - 30 Seconds to Mars
Libera Me - Elliot Goldenthal
The Lonely - Christina Perri
Lullaby - Christian Henson

Do you have nicknames?

Husband calls me Wif. I’m Kumquat to the gals in my crit group due to a comment an angel-reader made when she came to one of our sessions upon our request. That was an interesting experience and a post for another time…

Father-in-law calls me Blondie. And I’ll always be my Dad’s butter gert, because I used to LOVE butter (back when I had a kid’s metabolism—heh). 

Tag eight Blogger friends.

(And just so no one reads anything into the listing order, they’re alphabetical. Ha. No partiality here, folks.)

1. Angela
2. Ashley Nixon
3. Bethany
4. Cherie
5. Jenny Phresh
6. Marewolf
7. Mary
8. Mindy


Who's listed at number 1?

Angela. One of the things that drew me to her blog is her honesty, positivity, and adorable profile picture. Hee. I’m not a creeper, I swear. She just looks so sweet and approachable, and that’s exactly how her posts are written and why she’s one of my fave blogger pals. Check out this post if you don't believe me.

Say something about number 5.

Jenny, my pony of many hats (aka Phresh, Pony Girl, Grocery Cart Activist, Goat Herder Extraordinaire and the list goes on…). What can I say about someone so unique and wonderful? When I found her blog from Query Tracker, all it took was reading this one post and I was hooked. Jenny doesn’t see the world through rose colored glasses; she sees it through a kaleidoscope: a dazzling and dithyrambic landscape of emotion, from sardonic and silly to heartrending and poignant. Just when you think you can’t laugh any harder without busting a gut, she’ll flip the same post around to something so beautiful and thought-provoking your eyes fill with tears and your heart melts. That is pure talent and honesty. Okay, so I’m gushing. I can’t help it. I want her to remember this post one day when she’s too rich and famous to remember me. ;)

How did you get to know number 3?

Bethany is my Sound of Music soul sistah. In fact, when she first hopped onto twitter, she sported a Maria profile pic. But now she's gone and got all professional because she's AGENTED (Woot!!) so she's showing off her Shakira locks to the world. Oh, but I digress. I'm supposed to say how we met. Bethany actually found my website from Query Tracker and emailed me, thanking me for the encouragement and support I gave to the other writers there in the threads. Yes folks, she is THAT nice and awesome! I emailed her back, visited her blog, laughed at her delightful wit, and a beautiful friendship was born. :) So, thanks for reaching out, Bethany girl.

How about number 4?

I met the effervescent and sparkly Cherie when she played the first contest I had on this blog.  I hopped over to her profile page (as I’m prone to do when someone I’ve never met comments on mine) and was so impressed by who she is as a person. This post here is only a taste of her giving and generous heart, which is what keeps me following her to this day. She is a giver: writing tips, funny comics to make us smile, twitter tips, and glimpses of her amazing prose and positive outlook on life, just to name a few. Cherie is a classy and elegant lady who blesses everyone she meets. BTW, loving the soundtrack on your blog of late, my dear.

Leave a message for number 6.

Marewolf, my witty and candid friend. Thank you for always making me smile with your sarcastic yet informative posts. Also, I’ll never look at foreplay the same again because of you. And anyone reading this with your mind in the gutter and making naughty assumptions, have a look at this post. Now that I’ve cleared that up, it’s safe for me to say that I love you, blog sister.

Leave a lovey-dovey message for number 2.

You mean, even mushier than the one I left above for Mare? Jeeps … this is about to get really embarrassing. Ashley, you’re beautiful, sweet, and radiant! If I had eight legs and a set of spinnerets, I’d write it in web all across your blog! Also, reading your posts makes me feel young again and your pirate heroes are VERY hawt. Hee. Lastly, I envy you your new car even though you deserve it because of the aforementioned attributes. Is that mushy enough?

Do number 7 and number 8 have any similarities?

They are both aces with rolling out the writer interviews and networking. Their blogs are always fun and informative. And they’re also two of my fave twitter pals (which honestly could be said about all of my tagees -- er, except Ashley. Ashley, get your bootie over to twitter!). ;)


Woohoo! I survived, hopefully unscathed though I’m blushing from all of my confessions and gushings. Good luck to everyone I tagged. If you've already been tagged for this meme, no probs. I can’t wait to see your answers either way. Oh, and if you don't feel like doing the meme, that's fine too. I'll still like you all the same.

If I didn’t get you this time around, be on your toes! I’ve been tagged w/another meme recently by the brilliant Carissa -- our resident bathing daredevil -- which I will be posting within the next few weeks or so. For now, happy Wednesday everyone!

Writing is like a rose...

Happy Wednesday, everyone! First off, I'm very excited to announce that I'm being interviewed today over at Jessica LeSaicherre's fabulous blog: The Closet Writer. Hop over to find out a secret about me that no one knows... ;)

Now, onto my post. Last week, I was tagged by our sparkly Miss Cherie for the meme: "Writing is Not Like a Box of Chocolates," started by the ingenious Greenwoman. The rules state I'm supposed to come up with my own metaphor for what writing is in fact like.

Several of my talented blogger pals have already been tagged with said meme, and put me to shame with their eloquence (Jenny P and Carissa), inspiring irreverence (Marewolf), and creative brilliance (Kalen and Cherie). And I'm sure there's more to come that I have yet to read.

So, I decided to be a little sneaky and make something with music and pictures, because I can never compete word-wise with these amazing posts. ;)

But first, according to Meme Etiquette, I also have to tag three of my blogger friends (and hope no one else has tagged them yet; if you've already been tagged, consider yourself twice blessed).

I choose:

• Sophie Li, the queen of awesomesauce, who I expect will come up with something both charming and profound and might possibly even involve a stuffed animal.
• Ashley Nixon, who will no doubt weave a web of thought-provoking and effervescent insights.
• Mindy, whose sarcasm and wit can put a funny spin on even the most painful of subjects.

Just a reminder that I won't have a QueryTracker interview this Friday. I'm taking a few weeks off of interviewing to hang with family and work on my revisions and home renovations.

Everyone have a wonderful week and I'll see you back here next Wednesday!

Writing Wednesday-meme and award COMBO

I'd been planning to partake in Lori M. Lee's brilliant Writing Wednesday-meme for several weeks now, and since I've been bestowed The Versatile Blogger award again, along with The Irresistably Sweet Blog award, I've decided to incorporate an improvised version of the meme into this post. 

Yes, I'm changing the rules of these particular blog awards, folks! Or, at least giving the recipients the choices between ye ol' rules, and some shiny new ones. I'm a rebel, what can I say? ;)

So, off we go!

Thank you, Caitlin Vincent

Bequeathed to:

Lea Zeqiri

Liesl

Taryn Tyler

Brenda St. John Brown

Marigold Lott

The original rules:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
2. Share seven random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 5 deserving blogging buddies.
4. Contact those buddies to congratulate them

OR

My new rules...

Replace #2 above with this improvised meme from Lori's post: List the first and last lines of the first five chapters from one of your manuscripts. Can you see a story taking shape? Does it intrigue and intensify, making you want to read what's between?

I chose chapter snippets taken from my historical literary love story, Forgotten Silences (think Jane Eyre meets A Certain Slant of Light) with a unique love triangle between a deaf woman, the ghost that only she can see and hear, and a dark and mysterious viscount tied to the ghost's death.

Chap 1:

Melancholy ... melody; separate words, separate meanings, united by a memory pressed upon my heart.

Taking a breath of cold air, I opened the door and crossed the threshold, alone.

Chap 2:

In my youth, a spot of hot chocolate savored in tandem with a cranberry crumpet could evaporate the rain from the soggiest afternoon.

Then, using the grosgrain ribbon for protection, I picked up the flower, grabbed my lantern, and scrambled along the path and into my home, locking the door behind me.

Chap 3:

It took me half of the hour to plant the blossom, as I wore thick gloves to avoid getting pricked by its stem or touching the poisonous pollen within the raised cone.

“Either I am having a vivid hallucination, Sir, or you are a ghost.”

Chap 4:

I did not have to be a lip-reader to analyze the skepticism within his expression.

Then, as I clasped the chain around my neck and the locket fell between my breasts beneath the throw, my ghostly companion reappeared … this time to stay.

Chap 5:

Morning broke with a reluctant sunrise.

How could anyone withstand the vision of their own grave, knowing what lay beneath the dirt?


 Next:

Thank you, Cherie and Lisa Ann

Bequeathed to:

Lani Woodland

 Stephanie Alexander

Jamie Handling

 Sylvia Ney

 Rene Nightingale

And along with the strawberry goodness comes these original rules:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated me.
2. Share seven random facts about myself.
3. Pass the award to 15 blogging friends.
4. Contact the winners to congratulate them.

OR

The new rules...

Replace #2 with: List three of your favorite sentences from a WIP or finished MS. 

And, in the interest of time, you can be creative with #3 and pass the award to as few as five friends.


My favorite three lines (from the same MS as above):

1. Winter had settled in her heart, and was freezing her from the inside out.

2. Yet I could not shake the foreboding sense that each page turned would be another ribbon snipped away from Pandora’s box of beautiful misery.

3. Flames of fear have crisped the memory to a nightmare, which snows like ash over my dreams.

 ~~~

Congrats, nominees! By now I've contacted you. I hope you enjoy the award. You earned it!**

On Friday, my QueryTrackers successful author interview will be with Kaylie Austen. Kaylie's story is atypical in that she's found a trade publisher sans an agent. She has several new books coming out in the near future, so be sure to drop by and congratulate her!

**Award winners: Please don't feel obligated to post the award or partake in the rules unless you're so inclined. The gesture on my part is like a thank you card, and I don't expect everyone to save their cards unless they want to. We all have our own decorating tastes and expectations for our "online home." But, if you choose to post it, here are some helpful hints:

Right click on the picture here and "save picture as." From your dashboard go into 'design' and 'add a gadget' and download the picture.