I'm Sorta Mortified

I say sorta and it's true, but I really should be incredibly mortified. It's my garden. The front garden. The one everyone sees when they drive past my house. The first thing they see when they walk up to my door. It's bad. Really, really bad.

Notice the weeds. Well, how could you not? I'm not much of a gardener, but I can't even fall back on that excuse. It doesn't take great skill or knowledge to pull up some weeds or shoot them with weed killer. Nope. This is pure laziness. In my defense--and I will go to bat for myself over and over again--the weather has not been great. It's been chilly, rainy and/or windy on most of my days off. And the days when it's not those things? I've been busy. (See. Still defending myself.) But isn't my garden pretty? Be nice!

I have today off. My plan is to at least pull up one weed. I'll let you know how much of a fight it puts up. But seriously, I'm ordering dirt and mulch. It should be delivered later this week. That means I'll have huge piles in my driveway. The question is: How long will they sit there before I start to spread them around? It better not be long. I'm laying down the law. The entire family, including the 5 year old, will be working their tales off to get this into shape. My goal is to show you the after photos next Monday!!!

Other things I've been up to: I attended the writing conference this past weekend. Tons of fun, learned a lot and had 2 requests to send in a partial manuscript. Woo-hoo. I'm going to read over those first 3 chaps again and then whip up a synopsis!

I've been reading Blood of the Demon by Diana Rowland. It's the follow up to Mark of the Demon. They're dark, fun and sexy. A great combination.

I'll have a new website soon. I plan to build most of it myself with a MAC program. I'll let you know when it's up and ready.

Busy, busy, busy and still sorta mortified. How about you? Anything you're a little embarrassed about these days? If you have pictures, send them to us and we'll be happy to share in your mortification! sis.bbb@gmail.com

SIS Barb aka Elle J Rossi

Heavens Above

For as long as I can remember, the night sky has always held a fascination for me. As a young child, I can remember looking up at the inky blackness, the twinkling pinpoints of light, and the slowly changing night-light known as the moon, and just wondering. Nothing specific, just that all-inclusive sense of wonder when you see something you don't fully comprehend.

I remember being a little older and being allowed to be outside after sunset. I would sit or lie somewhere looking up and let my mind wander, imagining what was out there and what it all meant. Such deep thoughts for such a young man! When I discovered the concept of UFO's they became part of my sky watching routine and although I saw a ton of airplanes, the little green men eluded me all those years.

Another favorite thing for me were the annual meteor showers that would grace the heavens at certain times of the year. The place where I grew up had a lot of street lights so the visibility wasn't great, but it was better than it is now and I saw my fair share of spectacular shooting stars. I also endured chilly nights in the winter, mosquitoes in the summer and the occasional nocturnal wild animal. And I wouldn't have changed a thing.

In my early teens I began having regular nighttime campfires in my backyard with friends, complete with marshmallows, hot dogs, ghost stories and kids being stupid (Flinging flaming marshmallows over your neighbor's fence at night is not a good idea). Those campfires were my favorite night time related memory. My family lived in a residential area so there wasn't much wilderness around and the campfires made it feel like we were out in the woods.

Other memories that come to mind are trick-or-treating on Halloween night and seeing the whole neighborhood lit up at night during Christmas. Do you have any fond memories relating to the night sky? Does it have any sort of effect on you? When was the last time you went outside after dark and just looked up?

Wall of Fame

So here's the thing. I wanted to write an educational and entertaining post pertaining to rolling with the punches in your career. I have a lot of thoughts, what I think is good advice, and also a few examples per my experiences. The problem is my week was jammed and I do me JAMMED. I worked my butt off and I'm happy to say fulfilled all my obligations. However, it left me brain dead. Can't put together coherent thoughts for the life of me this morning. So... I'm copping out and borrowing a question a friend of mine posed on Facebook. I actually had fun reading people's comments. Thought I'd see what you had to say. Here it comes....

I'll go first. As a kid I had posters of Bobby Sherman and David Cassidy hanging on my bedroom wall. Stop laughing. They were really cute and sang fun songs. And I was a goody-two-shoes. What can I say?

As a teenager... I ordered a blow-up poster of the Cosmo centerfold of Burt Reynolds posing nekkid on a bearskin rug. Stop laughing. He was really hot back in his 'Smokey and the Bandit' days. We were living with my grandma at the time. She thought he was hot too. Then again she had a thing for the Gunsmoke dude. By the way, Burt posed due to being 'dared' on late night TV by the magazine's owner. Having a great sense of humor, he accepted the challenge. I think he's the first naked man I ever saw!

Okay. Your turn. Question of the day...

What poster was hanging on your wall as a kid? As a teenager? (sharing the name of the first nekkid man you saw... optional)

SIS Beth

A Trip to The Zoo

On Tuesday, I went to the Indianapolis Zoo with my daughters Kindergarten class. What started out as a wet and soggy day, turned into a beautiful, sunny day full of children's laughter. We got to see elephants, giraffes, rhinos, monkeys and apes, sea horses, sharks and dolphins, and many more animals. By far, the favorite for the children was petting the sharks and watching the dolphin show. My favorite was the butterfly exhibit. The exotic flowers, the Zen like music and of course all the beautiful butterflies fluttering about was breathtaking.

While the day was exciting and fun, there were times when I felt sad. Sad for the animals having to live in cages. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to see animals that I would never be able to see if it wasn't for the zoo. I just feel sorry for those who don't get to roam or fly free. Take the large bird exhibit for example. The most they get to fly is from tree to tree or to the ground. If I had wings, I would certainly want to soar through the sky's. Of course I did enjoy the fact that I got to see a raven up close. They are my favorite bird. The tigers and lions aren't able to go on their mighty hunts. The monkeys can't swing from tree to tree throughout the whole forest. Most of all, the dolphins can't swim the majestic sea. At least at Sea World and other places in California and Florida, the dolphins are able to enjoy the outdoors. I know some places use dolphins for therapy with children. That is a good thing, because I feel both child and dolphin enjoy it. At the zoo, they are just there for our entertainment.

The trip to zoo brought me both happiness and sadness. For the most part, it was happiness. Seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter of all those little Kindergartner's was well worth the trip. I will definitely be going back with my family.

Do you like going to the zoo? Have you ever felt sad while observing the animals? What is your favorite exhibit at the zoo?

SIS BJ aka Aleena Ravenwood

Florida

I am fortunate enough to live in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. At least I think so. I guess Florida's not for everyone, but it's definitely home for me. I love it here.

Yesterday, my mom asked if I would drive her to the beach to watch the sunset. Boy am I glad I remembered to take my camera. It was a gorgeous, breezy evening and as we sipped our sodas and listened to a great duo, I snapped some beautiful pictures of an amazing Florida sunset.

I love taking pictures, and viewing the pics from last night inspired me to share some photos I've taken here in Florida. I hope you'll enjoy them.

Near our home is a cemetery where a great number of peacocks roam free. You can get pretty close to them as you can see.

I snapped this picture of a sunrise over Tampa Bay. It was pretty tricky since I was driving.

Although pelicans are funny looking, they're amazing to watch as the soar close to the water and then dive in to make their catch. This one is taking a break from fishing.

These last pictures of from the sunset last night. The colors were so vibrant!

I hope your day is filled with beautiful sunrises and sunsets!

SIS Bren

Lack of Experience(s)

There are many things that I have not experienced in my life. I'm not talking about big grand things. The experiences I am talking about are things that probably most people have done. My friends and co-workers always just laugh when I tell them "nope haven't done that either." They've heard me say it a million times.

I have never been to a concert. As much as I love music, I have never had the experience of watching someone famous on the stage. It is something I would really love to do. I guess the opportunity will arise someday... maybe.

I've never been on a boat. Yep you heard me right. No boats of any kind. Not a speedboat, a cruise ship, a fishing boat, a ferry... none of them. I am not scared to, just haven't had the chance to.

I've never been out of the U.S. I've been to many places in the states just nowhere else. Up until a year ago, I had never even been west of Texas. I would love to go to the Caribbean or Italy or Australia. I am sure someday my time will come.

There are many other things I've never done. Lots of small but "normal" things. Things most people take for granted. Like skiing or ice skating. Never experienced either of those as well. I could go on and on with my list.

I've had plenty of great experiences in my life. I am not whining by any means. I just know I need to figure out ways to fit new things in my life. Life is about experiencing all that you can... I'm just a little behind pace.

What things have you not had the chance to do yet? What's on your to do list?

SIS Brandy

The Final Countdown

At the end of this week I'll be attending my first writer's conference. I'd love to say I'm flying off to Rome or even Vegas, but I'm not. This conference is actually being held about 30 minutes from my home. Actually, this is a good thing. It saves me air fare. WisRWA is Wisconsin's Romance Writers of America and through this organization I have met many, many wonderful people. This weekend I'll be surrounded by even more.

During the conference I plan to attend most, if not all of the workshops, have my first (2) editor and agent pitch appointments, and network my butt off. I've been signed up for at least 3 months, yet still the time got away from me and I am now cramming to get ready.

Ready? What could I possibly have to do to get ready. I'm so glad you asked. Let me tell you. Last night I designed and ordered business cards. They are simple and mysterious. I think they're perfect. I'm also reworking my first 3 chapters. I've been told that editors and agents rarely ask for full manuscripts. Normally it is just the first 3 chapters, plus, Beth just told me that I'll also need to send a synopsis. Ack! I've never written one and every single writer I've ever met calls them dreaded and agonizing and downright painful. Thanks for keeping it positive, peeps!

If--and that's a BIG IF--I have time, I will start writing the synopsis. Any hints/tricks are welcome.

What I'm really looking forward to, and I know this may sound corny, but it's being a writer amongst writers. I still find it hard to believe how everyone within the same community, with the same goals, can be so helpful, friendly and truly happy to and for other writers. One would think the competition would be cut throat and ugly. It's the complete opposite. Everyone is happy to share their experiences, their knowledge, their shoulders and their hugs. It is definitely a great place to be.

So if I'm a little invisible this week, you'll know why. My head is in the game. I want to make a good impression and I want them to love my story as much as I do.

How about you? Where is your head these days? What goals have you set?

SIS Barb aka Elle J Rossi