Gift for YOU. Free e-book "Christmas Carols for Cats"

Gift for YOU. Free e-book "Christmas Carols for Cats"
A holiday gift for you! A free copy of my latest e-book “Christmas Carols for Cats - Howlingly Good-Sing-a-longs for Cats and Their Owners.” Go to http://www.kidzbookz.vpweb.com/ to download your copy! Feel free to print it, email it to others, distribute, and take it Christmas carolling with you. Like Santa and his sleigh, help “Christmas Carols for Cats” TRAVEL AROUND THE GLOBE BY CHRISTMAS DAY!
Your favorite Christmas carols have been hijacked and rewritten by cats! From “Deck the Halls with Boughs of Catnip,” to “We Wish You a Furry Christmas,” these carols are alternately funny, outrageous, and heartwarming. E-mail it to everyone on your Christmas list, whether they have been naughty or nice! Where will this book travel? The author wants to know! E-mail me at kidzbookzonline@gmail.com And have yourself a furry Christmas and a purry New Year!
Thanks to the photograpers from all over the world and for contributing to my e-book.
My children's book website, KIDZ BOOKZ ONLINE http://www.kidzbookz.vpweb.com/ offers fun and semi-educational tales, sweet and snuggleable stories, and silly, outrageously fun reads for kidz and their families. At Kidz Bookz Online, you and your child (or grandchild) can download e-books right to your computer to read onscreen or print them out to read together at bedtime. Free e-zine and other goodies for adults! Dowloadable full-color pdf format.

Moving to Asheville NC

We have escaped from the looney bin...

We gone and done it! Our family decided to take the big leap. We’d had enough! We packed up our entire house, stuffed it all into an overflowing moving truck and headed South. Aaaah! That’s better! Goodbye, Washington DC. Adios traffic. Au revoir stress! Just me, my husband, my daughter who watched her “Scooby Doo Meets Batman and Robin” DVD 20 times on the way. Yes, we do have it memorized. And our two cats, who had been medicated for the journey. Sorry, cat lovers, it had to be done for their own good.
As we rounded a curve near the Tennessee / North Carolina border, we spied the mountains in the distance - indigo and blue. The very essence of peace. I could suddenly breathe more deeply. We pulled the truck into Asheville NC. We were home!

How to write a novel

I always have to remember that “butt in seat time” is the most valuable tool I have as a writer.
“The jouney of ten thousand miles begins with a single step.” from Tao te Ching.
To get through the hardest journey we need take only one step at a time, but we must keep on stepping.
There are many different kinds of writers. Those who plan, lay the foundation and build up from the ground. Me? I start in the sky and work my way down. I get an idea in my head and take off with it, having absolutely NO idea where it will lead me. Often my writing is a journey that takes me to strange and amazing places, like walking through a dreamscape. My unconsicous mind somehow finds the key to the story's ending that I never would have imagined. The story comes full circle, but reaches a new level.
Other times my writing does not reach a moment of clarity or resolution. It's just a mess.
It always amazes me — the leaps my mind takes. Finding the perfect resolution is like a little miracle: the stream of the unconscious mind winding its way to the sea.
WHat kind of writer are you?

Too much inspiration?

Is there such a thing as too much inspiration? Can you have too much creativity? Too big of an adrenaline rush? For artists, adventurers, and other creative souls, the answer is a resounding NO! For me, a writer and artist, the answer is "sometimes." I often get swept into a tide of overflowing creativity, go manic with hundreds of ideas for new books and projects. My intense passion for art can keep me up half the night. For the sake of my husband and daughter, I have learned to rein it in somewhat. Some days the "creativity hangover" (the payback for staying up all night to write a good article) is worth it. Other times, no. Over strong coffee and a gruesome migraine, I ask myself, "Why, oh, why did I trade 8 hours of delicious sleep for one measly paragraph that, in morning's clear light, completely sucks?" No one makes the best decisions at 3 am.

"As with all things in life, seek balance." The Zen wisdom of a fortune cookie. Balance has evaded me for 45 years. With a half-smile, I admit to being quite "unbalanced." I've told others that my right brain is so overly developed that my head constantly tilts to the right. Why? It weight more. It is difficult for me to perform left-brained activities like math, taxes, remembering to change the oil in the car. I've been known to forget to eat breakfast, lose my keys multiple times in one day. And I have problems understanding the concept of time, much to the annoyance of dinner partners.

Fortunately, I married a wonderful, left-brained man. He remembers everything and is a good model for me to get my act together in the left-brained world. He is a good sounding board, the voice of the people, for my outrageous ideas. Opposites compliment each other. We have taught each other to appreciate life from a different perspective, from the "great divide" of the brain's hemispheres. My husbands's office is pristine, a study in order and simplicity. Mine is crammed to the ceiling with books, art supplies, half-finished craft projects, photos thumb tacked to the wall, post-its with scribbled ideas for a next book. In short, a messy whirlwind of creative energy run amok. In this maelstrom-of-my-own making, I lose things, (like myself) and cannot seem to finish any of my hundreds of projects. Why?

Recently someone breezed through my life at an important moment to help me with my left-right dilemma. There are a few golden moments where a stranger makes a simple statement and it hits you like a brick from the sky. This particular stranger said "If you run your life from sheer emotion, nothing will ever get done." I translated this to, "If you run your life from creativity and inspiration alone, nothing will ever be accomplished." My art may not make it to the gallery. My novel stays half written. The abandoned craft project scattered beads and fabric scraps all over the floor... I get inspired, excited, and jump into a new project. In the midst of that, I get an idea for a book, so I wander off. The next moment, I get distracted by a snippet of song that inspires me to write a poem. I am having a blast, I’m in the zone. I have the attention span of a 5-year old. No wonder I can’t get anything done. I’m having too much fun playing and don’t want to stop to come in for dinner. My inspirations, whims, and flights of fancy lead me dancing and flittering from one thing to another, never stopping long enough to get anything accomplished, let alone finished.

"If you run your life from creativity and inspiration alone, nothing will ever be accomplished." That statement explains a lot about me. I am so in love with my right side that I’m blinded to the left. What, I have another half of a brain? Who knew? I am finally realizing that I need the left side’s help to be whole and complete. I need the practical, the business mind, the realist, as well as the artist, the dreamer, the muse. Hmmmmm. Will the two sides ever meet? Can I even FIND my left brain without getting lost?

Can you have too much of a good thing? Too much creativity and inspiration? Only if you allow it to take over your life.

Out of my artistic comfort zone!

"I should take a writing and marketing course," I thought. It sounded like a good idea at the time. So, being an overachiever, I jumped off the deep end into a crash-course in all things marketing. In 3 weeks I transformed from a stay-at-home mom into "Momtrepreneur." These babies were born: my NC blog, Kidz Bookz website, Facebook & Twitter Accounts, ideas for 20 new children's books, and plans to teach a 4-week course on being an artist. In the midst of this maelstrom-of-my-own-making, I attended a Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators conference (highly recommend). "How did you do all that in 3 weeks?" several people have asked me. The answer is: a challenging mentor, willingness to try something new, being inspired by other writers, imagination, rediscovering my passion for writing and art, and getting 6 hours of sleep a night. "But, how do working moms find time to write?" someone else wanted to know. Here are some post-it-note-worthy ideas that may help: Prioritize the hell out of your schedule. Eliminate the unneccesary. Get help (mental or a maid)! Make sure your family are well cared for, so you don't feel guilty. Let the housework go. Give yourself permission to embrace your artistic passion and take yourself seriously. Get 6 hours of sleep a night.
May you be blessed in your artistic journey. May you find inspiration and joy. May it lead you to new and intriguing places within. And, may you enjoy many a late night writing session at Starbucks!

Inspired by a children's book writers conference!

I was very inspired by my first Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCWBI) conference. It was so nice to connect with people who are doing the same thing I am doing. Writing can be such an isolated activity. What a great support group--I had no idea! And FUN. They were no buttoned-up serious, scowly folks brandishing pens and fighting over comma placement. The best was the opportunity to meet & connect with real-life editors. Hope of being published is born anew!
I have been writing like a crazy woman! Now, instead of 20 unfinished manuscripts on my desk, there are 40! Is that progress? (LOL) All are in various states of completion--some just a title or idea, some 50%, and 4 are done and sent via email to the copyright office. Progress!
May you be inspired this week!

Married, with Cats (but not TO my cats)

Married, with Cats (but not TO my cats)
Our family has two deliciously fluffy Maine Coon cats whom I adore; Sage and Cedar. Sage is black; Cedar is orange; the perfect color combination for Halloween.
Legend has it that these “wee beasties” were transported across the Atlantic when seafaring Europeans made their home in the New World. The cats had an important job to do: catch mice on the boats, so their stores of grain, bread and cheese wouldn’t be depleted by rodents. These cats settled in New England and set up residence. Coon cats evolved through the years to adapt to cold climate and harsh winters around Maine. They have long belly fur to keep them warm, large paws for walking on top of the snow, and a thick coat of fur. They are huge felines. A cross between a mountain lion and a normal mortal housecat. Females are typically 15-20 lbs. Males can top the scale at 25 or more. They are long and lean. Ours is 3 1/3 feet long, tip to tail. My husband likes to drape the female over his shoulders, like a large, living fur wrap. (We like our fur live.) Once a neighbor saw the enormous feline, spread out across my husband’s large shoulders, like one of Siegfried and Roy’s tigers. “What the hell is THAT!!!” he said.
Sage is an only kitten. Her mother, the aptly named jet black Panthera, was bred with only one male. Panthera had a single offspring. Sage got all the nutrition, love, and extra I.Q. points that breast milk (well, er, cat milk) supplies. She is the smartest cat I have ever known.
Cedar is the Forrest Gump of the cat world. If he could speak human he would say, “I may not be a smart cat, but I know what love is.”
Yet, these two are best friends. Opposites attract in marriage. Well, my two Maine Coons are the Batman and Robin of the feline world. Curled in a ball together for a nap, orange and black interlaced, to form a perfect yin and yang symbol.