Lake Retreat

Each year, The Inklings go on a writing retreat to my parents' trabin on Lake Tenkiller. We call it a trabin because I fantasize it's a cozy log cabin, but it's just a trailer. At the end of the day, though, no one cares if it were built of toothpicks and fiberglass because it has views like this one:

This year, Sonia gave a fabulous presentation on websites that helped her get into the business. She'll provide links on her website soon, so you should check it out. Next, Martha (aka Mama) gave writing prompts inspired from a book of essays.
Dee Dee is intent, isn't she? Either I snapped this while we were sharing our journal entries or during the prompt. I like how the trees framed her.After the workshop, we ate. Lisa, Sonia and I tried to eat on the deck, but the flies attempted to steal our food so we joined everyone else inside.
Karuna and Karen arrived wearing the most adorable hats. Don't they look perfect for a day at the lake?After lunch, most of us took a stroll. Kelly and I are always willing to pause for a photo.
Even though my leg is covered in greenish-yellow bruises from an unfortunate Seadoo incident, I had a great time. The Inklings provide invaluable critiques and the retreat workshop inspires me to write something with a fresh perspective. Plus, even though many may disagree, I got a little tan!

Really. I did.

Sonia's Tour

My friend Sonia Gensler and fellow Inklings' member recently acquired a book deal with Knopf. Our writing group is so happy for her we feel like we each received a deal, too.

Sonia writes historical fiction, so we asked her to take us on a tour of her novel. I've been lucky enough to read it and was giddy to see where the story took place and hear Sonia explain hidden details not included in the book.

I've heard of Twilight tours and Harry Potter tours. Maybe we'll have The Revenant tours after the book is released in 2011.

Can anyone guess where we are?


Here is the same location years and years ago.

For some reason, no one came around when we wanted a group picture--maybe a bunch of giggly grown girls scared them away--so Kelly took this photo of the rest of us sitting on the stairs inside.

Girls of '93

Friends are valuable. Especially ones you've known most of your life. Especially ones who know you. I was with Katie when she met her hubby. I guess we need to pick someone out for Ange--not that she'd let us! If not for these girls, Garrett and I may have never dated. It was they who arrived at a New Year's Eve party back in '93, scoped it out, and pointed to Garrett. "Why haven't you dated him?" Good question. And the rest is history.

I was so excited to see my girls on Friday. Katie met Max for the first time. Max adored her. As on previous visits, he proved he adored Ange, too. After visiting Max and my mom and brother, we went to the lake where we had a fun filled day of playing on the jet skis planned.

Fate, on the other hand, had something else in mind.

When we arrived, I'd left my keys to the trabin at the house. After many expletives, I called home. Luckily, Garrett was there for lunch and brought them out to us. After that minor setback, we gals went down to the boat slip where G and I had stowed the jet skis the night before. Of course, we couldn't get them to work. Either of them!

Oh well. We floated around in the lake and snacked and visited, which was so nice. We just didn't have enough time. We never do. I think we should plan a spa visit next time.

Here we are five years ago at a class reunion:

Lots of other pics exist of us together, but I haven't scanned them. Katie and I've been friends since we were three. Ange, Katie and I have been friends since we were eleven. As Ange's niece says, we're definitely "best friends for freakin' life."

Harwelden Mansion Book Signing

On November 20, I joined about 20 other Oklahoma authors at Harwelden Mansion in Tulsa for Oklahoma Ink's fourth annual book fair. Not only was the location beautiful, but also some proceeds went to a good cause. The money benefited the Tulsa Press Club's Scholarship Fund.

The evening was lovely. Friends came I'd not seen in ages, plus I got to make new friends. Lots of pictures were taken, but I've not seen them. (I've decided I'm not very photogenic and my pals just didn't want me to know.) The picture above was sent to me, and I had to post it. Aren't these girls beautiful...or should I say glamorous?

As I mentioned, other Oklahoma authors were there. Billie Letts, William Bernhardt, Teresa Miller and more sat at tables and signed books. I was honored to be in their midst.

But I felt COOL to be at the same event as Ally Carter. You know Ally Carter. She's the one who wrote I Could Tell You I Love You, but Then I'd Have to Kill You. I've mentioned her books before as Hogwarts for spies. The National Spy Museum in Washington D.C. sells her books in the gift shop. Why? Because they're that cool.

And I got to meet her. And she bought Glamour. The latter, of course, completely increased her cool factor in my opinion. Most of all, she's a really nice lady. She seems like one of her characters you could pal around with...even though she just might know 120 ways to maim you with a paperback.

All in all, the Tulsa event was better than I expected.

Release Party

Upon entering the library, people encountered this beautiful table filled with books about fairies. Since EMHS is the home of the bulldogs, even the dogs on the table had wings! It couldn't have been any cuter. Beside the table are my friends Brenda and Carole.
As soon as we arrived, Max's fans mobbed him. Below are some of my dear friends from book club and the teaching days: Carol, Mary Jo, Brenda, and Cheryl. For weeks I'd been quizzing Garrett about what he was supposed to do that night. His instructions were clear. He was expected to stand guard beside Max and not let anyone touch him without slathering hands with sanitizer. His mission totally failed. Before I'd even handed Max over to Carol, Garrett was mingling...far away from his appointed position. The ladies pictured below knew their business, though. I saw them ordering Max's admirers to rid themselves of germs before sharing him. Ah, I love these women.

This angle doesn't do justice to the treats prepared by the book club. I mentioned on my website what great cooks the members are. Do I even need to mention that these were no ordinary cookies? When I told my parents that they were all homemade, they couldn't believe it. I swear, the table looked like something out of Martha Stewart Living or Family Circle. It was beautiful. An adorable frog hid out below the centerpiece and tiny frogs were sprinkled like confetti all over the table. Even the impressive floral arrangement was created by Sandra, who is a college professor, not a florist. These women have skills. Below, Elizabeth is checking out the goodies while Cheryl supervises.
After catching up with people and reading the first chapter of Glamour to my captive audience, I signed books. It was so fun. Best of Books sold books...until they ran out. (I heard they ordered more, though, so you can still get your copy in Edmond.) I loved seeing so many people I care about in one room...and they were buying my book! The experience was surreal. I was blown away with kindness. How cute are the girls in the picture below? The visable adults in the pic are Cheryl, Debbie, Sandra, Amy, Christy, Cheryl, and Susan.
Here's a picture of Garrett mingling with our friends Derek, Jenni and their kiddos--instead of guarding Max from germs. Jenni was one of my first readers for Glamour.
Over Garrett's shoulder is my dad. Unfortunately, this is the only photo of him that I have from the evening. I don't have one of my mom--even with the writing group! How did I not get a picture with my family?

Below are part of The Inklings: Lisa, Kelly, and Sonia. Not pictured are Martha, Dee Dee, Shel, and moi. Kelly and Brenda helped put together the whole release shebang and did a great job. Doesn't Kelly look relieved that it's almost over? By the way, study the faces of the ladies below. Each are talented writers who will be famous one day.

Dee Dee is another talented Inkling. She's the lady in the middle of the picture below. Sandy and Sharee are sandwiching her. They are two of the hardest working ladies I know. And funny. Oh, yeah. If you need a good laugh, wander the halls until you run into one of them.
Let me first say that I'm not as fat as this picture makes me look. However, I had to include the picture because Amy Tebow is in it. When I lived in Oklahoma, she was responsible for making me feel pretty. I miss her so much. But there's no reason you should have to. She's at 33rd Street Salon in Edmond. Amy is the fastest cut this side of the Mississippi...and amazing. So, go to her. You won't regret it.
Hey! I just noticed my dad is in the background of this picture, too! It's kind of like playing Where's Waldo?, isn't it?

This picture showed me that another party was going on outside the library. Max is being held by Garrett's mom Mary. The other little boys in the picture are Johnny and Jennifer's twins who were born on the same day as Max. Aren't they adorable? It only makes sense that they were wanting to hang out and get started on their friendship.
To all of you who made this night one of the best in my life: Thank you!

To all of you who have photos: Please email me!

"Two" cute!

Our friends Johnny and Jennifer welcomed twin boys on the same day Max was born, and Max can't wait to meet his new pals. I just had to share this picture of them in their first Halloween costume. Two peas in a pod. How fitting!
I think they must be sweet peas.

I should know better

I'm about as tough as The Jonas Brothers.

Is that why people want to kick my butt?

My friend Ange likes to share a story of us back in school. After a basketball game when the girls had cleaned the floor with the home team, one of the especially violent and outspoken players from McAlister was a tad miffed. (She talked smack to our girls all night, so I suspect she had anger management issues to begin with.) We were waiting around for the boys to finish up in the locker room so that we could get on the bus and go home. For some reason, she picked Ange--the superstar basketball player--and me--a not-very-tough girl in a cheerleader uniform--to voice her rage. When Ange asked if she was talking to her, the girl made it clear she wanted to kick my butt.

?!

I could dance the fight song, throw some high kicks, and wiggle my spirit fingers, but I was no fighter. Since she had no other motivation for singling me out, she must have known this. This bully simply wanted to fight.

So I did the only thing I could do: I smiled and waved.

Although Ange remembers all the details, I just remember being thankful we had a lot of bleachers between us and that we got on the bus without anyone getting hurt.

Geez. Some people are so touchy. All I did was wave.

Years later, my mother and I were finishing up some last minute details for my wedding. We pulled out of a parking lot onto Northwest Expressway in Oklahoma City when a sporty green car turned and almost rammed into us. Mind you, I was totally in my lane. A bleach blonde with the expensive manicure whizzed by us and flipped me off.

So I did the only thing I could do: I smiled and waved.

I guess she saw me. Immediately, she backed up her car, leapt out of it and pounced on mine. Yes, that's right. She was on my car. Her palms whacked the glass so hard I thought she might break it. I was in shock. Who does this sort of thing? Well, she wasn't through with merely attacking my car. She also attacked me by beating the car to the rhythm of her words: "You stupid white trash b****!"

Really. She did.

I laughed in response. The situation was ridiculous. As she repeated this attack like a mantra, I figured she really didn't have a clue as to what she was doing, so I pulled a serious face and pointed my finger at me and mouthed, "Me? I'm the white trash?" then I pointed at her pounding on my car on one of the busiest streets in Oklahoma City and shook my head at her as if I felt sorry for her--which, for the record, I did. This enraged her even though I'm pretty sure she couldn't hear my tsk,tsk, tsk-ing. My mom tried to get her license plate as she drove away, but I hope the crazy girl learned her lesson--because all I really needed to do was tap my brake and she would have eaten pavement in heavy traffic.

Very dangerous.

So I should have known better yesterday. Max was officially four weeks old, and I officially had severe cabin fever. When Garrett got home, I kissed my hubby and baby before hopping in the car. Running errands had never seemed so decadent.

On the way there I put on my turn signal to switch lanes. A white SUV that was a considerable distance away actually sped up instead of slowing down. Then the driver had the audacity to honk at me as she cut me off. And then we were at a stop light. I flung my hands up and yelled at her. (Yes, I admit this was not appropriate road behavior, but I hadn't been out of the house in days and she was ruining my happy vibe by almost killing me.) Anyway, I yelled, "What? Didn't you see my signal? Was it so hard not to run me over?"

Um. Apparently.

She rolled down the window and flung her hands up in mockery. My first thought was Oh no she didn't. My next was Okay. I deserve it because I behaved just as stupidly as she.

So I did the only thing I could do: I smiled and started laughing.

No waving. I'd learned my lesson.

The back window rolled down and a head popped out giving me a glare. I laughed harder because, really, how ridiculous was it for everyone to be so riled up? Another head popped out to scowl at the crazy lady, and the window rolled down more to reveal the SUV was filled with females with attitude. A group of tough looking men wouldn't have made me think about going elsewhere the way this realization did because everyone knows a group of mean girls are the worst things on the planet. The light couldn't change quickly enough. I grinned and shrugged, hoping they wouldn't smell my fear.

Unfortunately, we all had plans to go to Target. When I realized they thought I was following them--the speeding up and then quick braking clued me in--I veered off to another store first.

What would I have done if I'd met them in the aisle at Target somewhere between Halloween candy and cereal?

Yeah, you're right. I probably would have smiled and waved.

Thanks!

Thank you for all the emails and comments online. We haven't had time to get back to you each personally, but we really appreciate the good wishes. Thanks for sending the love Max's direction.

Visitors

On the day Max was born, some friends in the area came to visit. It was so nice to introduce our son.

Paul and Alison came from West Point. Little Ellery entertained the nurses in the hallway. I heard the phrase "Gerber baby" mentioned more than once.

Alison:
Paul:
Stephanie hopped a train from NYC to Ridgewood. She thought she could catch a cab from the station, but couldn't find one. Undeterred, she walked to Valley Hospital!

How cool do I feel?

Sonia Gensler, my friend and critique group member, told me about this fascinating blog she learned about while at SCBWI in LA this summer. She's now a contributor.

Kidlit Central News provides all sorts of useful and interesting information regarding children's publishing--especially by or about those in the central United States.

Yesterday, August 21, Sonia was the contributing blogger. She offered an idea that was useful for her about how to critique online. Guess where she says she got it?

No, really, guess.

Moi!

She's so sweet and provides a plug for Glamour (coming to a store near you November 18), my website, and my author blog--which has weekly journal prompts and slightly different material than this site.

Learn more about Sonia by going to her website and her blog. You'll be glad you did. When her novels get published, you'll be able to say that you knew she'd make it big.
The above is a picture of Sonia from the OWFI conference this year. For the last two years, she's won 1st place with two different novels in two different categories. Yeah, she's one to watch!

Flips Flop

After seeing a photo on this blog, my friend Katie cautioned me against wearing flip flops because they're not good for sciatica. Since she does physical therapy on patients with the ailment, I figured she knew what she was talking about and heeded her warning--mostly. Sometimes flip flops just look better with an outfit, and I've never been one to cast off a cute pair of shoes for mere comfort.

Until now.

Yesterday, I decided to don the worst kind of flip flop and go shopping. The fact that my toes started going numb should have indicated what sort of hell I was in for during the night. At one point I thought I was in labor. Nope. Just stupid.

To all my pregnant pals out there: Flip flops are of the devil.

The queen is dead. Long live her memory.

Connie Shillingburg died this weekend. She was a red-headed spitfire who taught history and English in several schools. We met at Edmond Memorial High School when I was a student teacher. I was fortunate enough to work with her and share the same book club, but I was most fortunate to call her a friend.

She inspired me. I loved that she loved traveling, reading, and laughing. Before she retired I asked her what she wanted to do post-high school. Aside from spending time with her grandchildren and traveling, I don't remember any other solid plans. She had always had fun in the classroom and dressed up in costume. I suggested she come to my English classes as Queen Elizabeth I. After all, she knew the history and shared a lot in common with the matriarch. Both ladies were witty, bullheaded, and highly intelligent. For several years, she visited my classroom and others. Among other tales, she regaled us with nursery rhymes about Queen Elizabeth and phrases we use today that originated in Elizabethan times. She made the queen real and made the people of her time--including Shakespeare--that much more attainable. For a couple of years I ran a Renaissance Festival for the ninth grade with the help of Creative Writing Club and Shakespeare classes. The queen reigned at the event. My ninth graders always seemed to be a little in awe of her. Even the representative sent to determine if our school was a Blue Ribbon School was enchanted by her. The woman had a list of classes to observe, but when she came to mine Connie was there, so she stayed for most of the hour!

Connie added to her repertoire and traveled around the country as Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, and most recently Lydie Marland. (I think she impersonated another great lady or two as well.) In 2006 I had the pleasure of co-writing and performing a short play with her. I played the ghost of Mary Queen of Scots, and she played an Elizabeth I on her deathbed. Not only were our costumes spectacular, but also it was a good time. For Oklahoma's Centennial celebration, she conjured Lydie Marland. I wrote a feature article for Distinctly Oklahoma. Working with Connie was always a pleasure.

She is missed.

Old Friends

The end of my two week stay in eastern Oklahoma was capped off with dinner at PF Chang's in Tulsa with three of my oldest friends. At one point or another, we've all lived in different states. Now, Ange and Amanda (the ones on the ends) live in Oklahoma, Katie lives in Minnesota, and I live in New Jersey. We haven't all been together in five years, but the stars aligned and we got to visit for an evening--in between knock-knock jokes from Katie's eldest little girl! (Hey, some of them were even funny.) It was a nice way to end my visit.