Last week I could not think of anything to post about. This week I get to post about the moon. Well, okay, not the moon, but a little statue called RITA®.
First, let me explain about the title of this blog: pregta or Rinant. I'm combining the word pregnant with the word RITA®. Four years ago, I was carrying my son Mikey. Truly, there is no way to compare the joy of being pregnant with the joy of getting a RITA® call, but there is a little bit of similarity afterwards.
Like, I'm driving to work and dodging traffic, coming to a standstill (I live in Phoenix, third largest city in the U.S.A) and suddenly I remember... I'm a RITA® finalist.
Like, I'm eating dinner, talking to my husband, trying to get my three-year-old to behave (Yes, I have an active child), and suddenly I remember... I should have ordered a salad. I have to buy a dress - hopefully in a smaller size - because I'm a RITA® finalist.
Like, I'm standing with friends, all of whom know I'm a writer but none of whom really understand the world (think church or work friends, seems all other friends ARE writers) and they ask what's new. I mention the Children's Bible Time that's starting next week, I mention only five more weeks of school, I mention our second go-round trying to get Mikey interested in Pottytraining, and I mention (and have to explain what it is) the RITA®. And, I remember... I am a RITA® finalist.
To me, being pregnant with Mikey was so amazing. I'd be driving to work and suddenly joy would just fill me. I'd put my hand on my stomach and look around at the other drivers. How could they not notice the REALLY happy motorist in their midst? I'd do the same in stores, restaurants, and in the middle of teaching a class. Each time I thought about the pregnancy, I was amazed and thankful to God all over again.
Finaling in the RITA® is affecting a bit the same way. I keep remembering and I'm amazed all over again. Of all my friends who entered, I think I expected it the least. Lisa Mondello mentioned to me that Tuesday morning that "Calls are going out." I promptly forgot. When my cell phone rang at 10:25, I was in my office five minutes away from teaching a comp class. When Jill St. John said, "I'm calling from RWA..." My first thought was, "Oh, the Desert Rose chapter is having a contest next weekend. They must have a question." Then, she said, "Your book, Pursuit of Justice, is a RITA® finalist."
I about fell over. I did make a lot of noise (apparently, according to my coworkers, a lot of noise). And, promptly I made three quick phone calls: best friend, editor, and agent.
Then I went off to teach a class to 24 students who'd never heard of the RITA®.
I am humbled by the nomination. I've always called Pursuit of Justice my lucky book. I started it about six years ago. And, every time I tried to work on it, I sold something (a novella, a prayer book, etc). Finally, when I got Steve Laube as my agent, he took the first three chapters and sold it, and I finally got to finish the thing!
So, above is what finaling for the RITA® means to me. How I feel about it.
When looking at the flow of the story, make sure that your opening pulls the reader into the story. Your first sentence and paragraph are very important. Many readers will judge whether to buy a book or not by reading the first page or so.
Not every story will start out with a dynamite first sentence, often having to do with the suspense or mystery. Some will set the scene. It could be a peaceful scene that quickly turns bad.
Using words like shaded, darkness and creep begins to set the scene begins to be set. By the next page Emma witnesses her brother being murdered and she must run for her life.
What are some of your favorite opening lines in books?
Writing is a solitary profession. Writers spend hours upon hours alone at our computers crafting stories of romance and intrigue hoping to one day share our stories with others. Given the nature of writing, it's difficult to see how others perceive our work. Some things that help give validation to our writing is getting reader mail and doing well in a writing contest.
This week Pamela Tracy finaled in the Romance Writer's of America's RITA Contest with her book Pursuit of Justice. I remember when Pam was writing this book many years ago. I'd read the first 3 chapters and she asked if I wanted to read the rest. I said I did...when it was published. See, I knew it would be published I loved the story, loved the characters and knew it would be a book I couldn't put down. I wanted to read it like I do all my favorite books, curled up on my living room chair under a blanket, reading until the wee hours of the morning. When Pursuit of Justice came out, I know I was the first in line at my local Walmart to pull it off the shelf and buy it. It was as enjoyable as I knew it would be and I'm not surprised that it finaled in the RITAs. I'm thrilled for Pam that it did.
I have a bit of news of my own. Cradle of Secrets is a finalist in the Inspirational Category of the Colorado Award of Excellence contest. I'm in good company as Margaret Daley's book Once Upon A Family also finaled in the Award of Excellence contest.
Congratulations to both Pam and Margaret and all the other Rita Finalists!
On a beautiful Saturday morning the nationally read "Scenes and Beans" bloggers gather at Java Joint for a special celebration. Chaos erupts when three gunmen burst in and take them all hostage. One person is shot and dumped outside. Police Chief Vince Edwards must negotiate with the desperate trio…What they demand, he can't possibly provide. But if he doesn't, over a dozen Kanner Lake citizens will die.
Brandilyn Collins has done it again. Amber Morn rocks from the first page to the end. The pacing is tight with short chapters that pull you through – it's so easy to think "I'll read just one more." And the chapters alternate between the bad guys and Scenes and Beans crew at the beginning, adding to that sense of momentum.
This book, while the fourth in the series, stands on its own. If you've read the other books, you'll enjoy seeing all the characters back in action. If it's your first foray to Kanner Lake, you haven't missed anything that would make this book a challenge to read. And the book flows between the perspectives of all of the characters in a way that isn't jarring.
Vince Edwards, the police chief, is placed in a horrible position throughout the book because of the notoriety he and the town have gained through the first three books. I agonized through every decision he had to make, every sentence he had to speak as if I were the one talking to the gunmen. The writing is vivid, pulling you into the emotions and thoughts of the characters to the point you can smell the stale air in the café and feel the sweat trickle down your face.
In classic Collins' style there is a twist at the end which turns the book on its head, yet works.
This book is a keeper. And one I'll read again. And again. And again. If you love suspense, too, go buy this book!
Yesterday the Internet was abuzz as calls when out from Romance Writers of America to the RITA and Golden Heart finalists! Congrats to all those whose work was selected for recognition. Our own Craftie Lady Pamela Tracy finaled in the RITA with her first book, PURSUIT OF JUSTICE! Pamela, we're so proud of you!
All of us who write for Steeple Hill are thrilled with the number of writers from our house who finaled. Congrats to Linda Goodnight, Irene Hannon, Pamela Tracy, Susan May Warren for a Tyndale House release, and Cheryl St. John in the novella category. Those of you who are members of American Fiction Writers may recognize Amy Wallace and Cindy Woodsmall who also finaled. They're both Georgia writers and wonderful ladies. It's thrilling to see so many fantastic writers recognized for their work!
Two of my Georgia Romance Writer friends finaled in the Novel with Strong Romantic Elements category. Karen White and Deb Smith are outstanding authors whose books are must reads! Congrats to both of them!
Another dear friend and GRW member, Connie Gillam, finaled in the Strong Romantic Elements category for the Golden Heart! Connie writes with a unique, haunting voice that always transports me to another place. Hopefully, a savvy editor will spot Connie's writing gift and offer a contract for TO DANCE WITH MY FATHER.
The National Romance Writers Conference will be held in San Francisco this July. The gala awards ceremony ends the conference and will be extra exciting with the awesome lineup of finalists! I'll be cheering for all of them!
I'm heading back to my computer to work on my next books from Steeple Hill. COUNTDOWN TO DEATH is an October 2008 release and LEGACY OF DEATH will follow in early 2009! Using many of the techniques we've previously talked about from Donald Maass' WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK, I'll try to up the stakes and make the stories better than ever. Of course, I'll enter them in the RITA! As we know, sometimes dreams do come true!
It's 9:30. I'm braindead. I probably won't dazzle you with tales of craftieness [sic]. I probably won't entice you with promises of HEA. And, I definitely won't impress you with my wittiness. Mr. Witty took off with Miss Craftie about 6:00, about the time I got home from work.
Best moment with a book: Roxanne's Vendetta. I read it while camping over the weekend.
Best moment with my son: All of them, but this morning's cuddle while watching The Wiggles was pretty cool.
Best moment for a friend: Our Lisa Mondello finaling in the Colorado contest!
Best moment wiht God: Saturday morning devotional in front of a camper window with only the hills and cacti and God as company.
Just a quick note to wish everyone a happy and blessed Easter!
I've started a new murder mystery/suspense series. I can't write strictly suspense nor can I write strictly a mystery. I have to mingle both of them together. I love a good puzzle, but I love the feel of a suspense so when I write I try to combine the two.
I love the creation of the book--the brainstorming, the working through the problems of the plot and characters. This is my favorite part of writing. What is your favorite part of writing?
Or as a reader what is your favorite part of a story? My favorite part of a story when I'm reading is being carrying away with a story that I don't want to put the book down to even go to bed. That is accomplished by creating a character I want to spend my time with and a plot that intrigues me. I want to see how the story unfolds and I'm sad when it ends. Have you ever closed a book and continued the characters' lives in your mind?
Everyone has their favorite heroes, both in books and in real life. Mine just happen to be the same. I love writing about cops and military men, which is what I'm doing for Steeple Hill Love Inspired Suspense right now. There's something about honor, duty, justice and standing up for what is right that is wildly appealing to me. I also happen to be married to a former marine who is now a police officer. I have a lot of inspiration in that regard.
But I also LOVE reading and writing about cowboys. Absolutely love them. My Texas Hearts series from Avalon Books featured a bunch of cowboys in all shapes, sizes and temperments. One was rough around the edges, one did the right thing even though it broke his heart and the woman he loved, one followed his dreams, and one overcame a difficult childhood to become the daddy he never had.
My heroes tend to be a little gruff, so I work hard to bring in other qualities that round them out. I like the hero who is rough around the edges but can melt like butter when he sees a baby smile and the woman who can bring him to his knees.
What is YOUR favorite hero like, both in fiction and in real life? Post here and we'll compare.
It is so exciting to hold Deadly Judgment and see the fruit of all the writing, learning, rewriting, and editing. But now -- gulp -- it's on its way out there. People can read it and love it or hate it.
I've got one friend who won't read what she calls hystericals -- known to the rest of us as historicals. So Deadly Judgment is the first book of mine she'll read. I'm glad. But I'm also a wee bit paranoid. See, she'll tell me exactly what she thinks. And that's a good thing. I need honest feedback on what works and doesn't work.
But as each book releases, I get this jolt of nerves. I feel like Sally Field at the Oscars..."They like me, they really like me." Or -- gulp -- they hate me, they really hate me.
Writing a book is very vulnerable. I know that with each book I pour a piece of me, my experience, my life, into its pages. No, none of my books are autobiographical. Thank goodness, my life is way too boring for that. But there are still bits of me there.
What God is teaching me.
So as you read a book, be gentle. You can hate it -- be my guest. I know that my books will not appeal to every reader. That's why it's great to have such variety available. But my hope is you'll love my baby!
Remember Ashley and Melanie in GONE WITH THE WIND? They were both secondary characters that played major roles in the classic Southern epic. As we've previously discussed, Donald Maass, in his WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK, challenges writers to create characters that stand out from the crowd. That challenge applies to secondary characters as well.
What about walk-on roles? They're the bit parts in a movie, such as the bellboy, receptionist or the waitress. Usually they remain unnamed in books and are given little or no dialogue. We don't have to worry about them for this discussion.
The next rung of characters has a slightly larger position within the story. They are usually named and briefly described. They help to move the story forward either by shedding light on the hero/heroine's motivation, goals, conflict or character arc. Sometimes they act as a reflection of the character or perhaps the opposite of who the character truly is.
The third rung belongs to the significant secondary characters that may carry their own subplot. They are more involved in the story with their own goals, motivation and both internal and external conflict.
Second and third rung characters should be unique—never stereotypical—and well formed, at least in the writer's mind. While not all the information will be included in the text of the story, the writer who fully understands his secondary characters can pick and choose snippets of information, dialogue and introspection that are essential to the plot. As always, Maass wants us to step outside the box to create bigger-than-life characters who will engage the reader throughout the story.
Wishing you a joyous Easter and abundant blessings!
One of the greatest tools I've learned along my writing journey has been scene and sequel from Dwight Swain's informative book Techniques of the Selling Writer.
Swain writes: Scene and Sequel: the search for a goal...the struggle to attain it. These are fictions two basic units.
When I study books that have really grabbed my attention and made me read frantically toward the end, the one thing these books all have in common are scene and sequel.
If you, as a writer haven't bought this book and devoured it, you must! I have read my copy at least five times and have highlighted something new every time. Each time I read the book I realize another important aspect of fiction writing that I need to work on. I don't think any writer can ever say they've learned all they need to. I certainly can't. With every book, I learn something new and grow more as a writer. I hope that never stops.
Last week was Spring Break for me: a time to relax, get things done, and write. Not sure I did 'enough' of any of my three categories. Let's see. I did relax on Thursday night, Friday, and all of Saturday. Why? Well, I had surgury on Thursday morning. Make that, I almost had surgury on Thursday morning. During an out-patient 45 minute surgury, I had a reaction to a medication twenty minutes in and wound up spending between four and five hours in the emergency room getting introduced to morphine (No more pain, and hey, I can fly) and getting a cat scan (research for next book?). Needless to say, I slept a lot for the next few days. As for getting things done. Let's see. I did go to work on Monday to catch up. Didn't quite catch up. Brought work home and finished it last night at about 10 p.m. I would have finished it about five, but spent the evening in the emergency room with my son because - being three - he swallowed something he shouldn't. I did tally my writing for last week. A page and a half. But, since I'm not on contract, writing was not a priority.
There were some positives last week. I had two full days, just me and Mikey. We went and visited my aunt, we went for walks, we played. I'm always amazed that I can fill a day with three-year-old adventures. I read the biography of Gunther Gebel-Williams. My next book has an animal trainer in it so I'm really hitting the research.
The Fab Four, those Craftie Ladies who had LIS's out this month, did a contest, and I'm thrilled thrilled thrilled with the response. We'll be posting the winner either today or tomorrow.
Speaking of which, I hear the three year old talking to himself :) It's the best sound in the world.
In previous blog posts, I've talked about a variety of tools and processes that make it easier to set up a whole book. Today, I'd like to talk about bookkeeping!
No...nothing with numbers. Simple tools for making sure your time line works, and so that you don't let your subplots fade into oblivion. Editors and contest judges and readers will notice! But how on earth can you keep juggling your subplots, and make sure you stay on track?
Maybe some writers have that kind of memory, but I simply can't do it without help.
And what if you sell your manuscript, and are suddenly faced with revisions--and need to find out exactly what you had where in your huge, complete manuscript?! If the editor starts questioning time line problems, you're going to have a challenge on your hands!
Even lighter revisions are a real challenge. Just think about it....if you change something about a subplot or character---that element may have octopus tentacles throughout your entire book! So... consider using a calendar--either a hard copy, or a computer file. Jot down every chapter, every scene number in the appropriate date square, and add a very brief note about the biggest action in that scene. You would not believe how much this simple tool can help make sure that you keep your ducks in a row.
I also print off an "ARC" copy (Advanced Reader copy) of every chapter, as soon as I finish it. This goes in a three-ring notebook by my keyboard, for instant reference. What does an ARC look like? Just open a novel and look at the two facing pages. I go one step further, and create this in a vertical alignment instead (portrait instead of landscape) because so many lines of dialogue are quite short, and thus I can fit even more on a single page--approximately four pages of Courier New/double space 12 point font!
The benefit? I can see those four pages at a glance, and easily catch repetitions. I can check the flow of the scene easier. I will use this to go back and write myself all sorts of notes in the margins--things to remember when I get to The End and want to start revising. I'll cross out paragraphs, circle sections and sketch in arrows--it becomes a wonderful worksheet, so I can keep plowing ahead to the end of the story and not get sidetracked with all the "fixits". I may even go through and use color-coded highlighters to track the progression of the suspense, or romance, or a subplot that isn't quite working.
2. Change to single space Times New Roman, 10 or 11 point.
4. Turn off Widows and Orphans.
5. Set columns to two, with a center gutter of .2 and click the box for a center dividing line.
There's still plenty of room to write notes in the margins, and you can plaster your pages with sticky notes, too!
It would be fun to hear about some of the handy tools you use when you write! Until next week...here's wishing you great success with your writing!
I'm finished with my Love Inspired Suspense for the next continuity in 2009!!!! My book is the first one in January 2009. It's called What Sarah Saw. Let me give you a hint. She saw too much. There is nothing better than finishing a book and sending it off. I had a huge smile on my face when I mailed it yesterday. You would have thought I won the lottery which would be impossible because I don't buy tickets.
But I'm already delving into my next Love Inspired Suspense called Poisoned Secrets which will be out in March 2009. It is the first in a new series about murder and mayhem. This is the best part of writing--plotting and putting together a new book. My mind is swirling with ideas and thoughts of what I'm gonna do with these characters. I find my ideas come at the oddest times. Yesterday I was driving to mail my other proposal and one popped into my mind. It was perfect for the opening. I can't wait to put it down on paper or rather up on the computer screen.
What are some scenes in suspense novels that have stuck in your mind? Or in a movie? One that has always stuck in mine was the scene from a movie with Audrey Hepburn. She was blind and someone was after her in her apartment. I knew the person was going to scare her, and I still jumped when it happened. Very suspenseful movie and I can't remember the name at the moment but I remember where I saw it--in a movie theater near campus. Wait! I think it may have been titled Wait Until Dark or something like that.
The other ladies who have a March Love Inspired Suspense book (Roxanne Rustand, Pamela Tracy, and Debby Giusti) out along with me are having a drawing for those books and a few extra goodies. The drawing is tomorrow, Sunday, so if you want to be entered in the drawing, leave your name and email in a comment on the blog.
Cara spoke about revisions yesterday. Today I'm going to talk about Author Alteration, mostly because I'm deep into mine for Her Only Protector, my August 2008 release.
Author Alterations are that last peek at your novel before it goes to press. The editor has already given you their guidance, the copyeditors have already made their changes and now it's time to proof your novel for errors. Personally, nothing bugs me more than finding mistakes in a book. Why? Because it pulls me out of the story when I find them. If it's a great story, all is forgiven when I keep reading. If not, I may put the book down for the night. That's why going through the manuscript with a fine tooth comb to make sure that everything that is in the book is what it needs to be to tell my story.
You'd think I'd be sick of my book at this stage. Let's be honest, by the time I get my AAs I've probably read the book more times than I can even count. But in truth, I find it exciting. Aside from the few changes I make, the story is in the closest form it will be before it becomes a book. I love reading through the story as the reader will. I'll read the story one more time when the book is actually in print, too. Just because.
This has been quite a week. On Monday I got to hold Deadly Exposure -- Yeehaw! And I got my cover for Sandhill Dreams...it is gorgeous! And I got my rewrite letter from my editor for Captive Dreams.
Also this week, writers on an eloop I'm on have been moaning about and rejoicing in rewrites. Seems writers fall into two groups: those who dance for joy when they get their rewrite letter and those who sulk, balk, and dread the same missive.
I'm not sure where I fall yet.
The letter I got for Captive Dreams is my shortest to date. I'm taking that as a sign that maybe, just maybe, I'm improving with each book. At the same time, I'm finding an interesting thing. Because the letter was so short, I'm really combing the book as I go through it. Maybe subconsciously I'm convinced the editor missed something -- though one of the comments was to look for places to smooth the transitions.
This book was pure work for me. Canteen Dreams was a breeze to write...merging of passions. Sandhill Dreams was work but a I loved the story. Deadly Exposure was nothing short of tons of work, but I really wanted to see this story through. Captive Dreams I hated. Until about one week before I turned it in. Then I thought there might be something worth redeeming in the book.
Now as I read it with some distance...I'm enjoying it. Even as I find ways to improve it.
MIA: MISSING IN ATLANTA hit the bookstores yesterday! I was working on pages that needed to get to my editor so I didn't have a chance to check the shelves in my local area. Today I'll do a little shopping. It's always a thrill to see my book displayed on the racks. Inevitably I get a "pinch me I must be dreaming" feeling!
My debut Love Inspired Suspense, NOWHERE TO HIDE, was released last April. I'm a month short of my first year of publication and my third book is out—maybe I'm doing something right! Usually I think of all the things I haven't been able to accomplish so, in this case, it's nice to focus on the positive.
God has blessed my writing, and I continue to be filled with gratitude. I pray everyday for my readers and all the members of my Cross My Heart Prayer Team (go to my Website, www.debbygiusti.com to learn more), which means I'm praying for YOU. If you're also a writer working hard to be published, my prayer is that you, too, will know the joy of seeing your book in print.
Working through Donald Maass' WRITING THE BREAKOUT NOVEL WORKBOOK is an excellent tool for all of us to use to hone our craft. I just wrote the first three chapters for a new book that will be out in early 2009, currently titled, LEGACY OF DEATH. Keeping Maass' tips in mind helped me tighten my writing and create a fast-paced beginning for the new manuscript.
This week's lesson focuses on our characters' internal thoughts, which should reveal who they are on a deeper level. As writers, we need to ensure our heroes and heroines grapple with pertinent issues that strike a cord with those who read our work. So cut the fluff and zone in on core principles, universal truths and moral dilemmas that engage readers, whether contest judges, editors looking to buy a manuscript or customers in the bookstore.
I'm knee deep in writing the fourth book of The McClain's: Bound by Honor, Faith and Love. And I realized that I hadn't done a time line for the book. So I got out paper and pencil, drew a straight line and marked off the days starting with the Tuesday that the story begins and then wrote under each day what events would take place. I realized I had a couple of events out of order, so I rearranged those. Good thing I hadn't gotten to them in the writing yet.
Keeping track of all the pesky details can drive a person crazy. Each writer has different ways of organizing their details. I've heard some use sticky notes or index cards. There's a new phenomena, or maybe not so new but new to me, called storyboarding. I just can't seem to get motivated to get that organized.
I do a penciled flow charts and a penciled timeline and write in the margins on my synopsis. I like the flexibility of using a pencil because I can erase anything that doesn't work or move things around. Even though I plot my books as much as possible upfront, I can still maintain some room for new scenes or new directions and using the flowchart helps me see what choices my characters can make.
My next book will be book 6 of the Without A Trace continuity, titled Her Last Chance. Talk about trying to keep track of details! Continuities are rife with all sorts of tidbits that need to be interwoven through each story and keeping them all straight takes all of the authors working together, which is what makes continuities so much fun and challenging. And I like a challenge. That's probably why I write.
This morning I was a guest on Steve Bonenberger's radio program. What fun. This is my third radio experience. I was a guest on Bookchat about seven years ago. Then, I actually did the voice on a radio commercial. Then, today, another author opportunity. First, Cara (waving at Thursday's Craftie Lady)alerted us to the opportunity. Then, I sent an email letting Steve know I was willing. He wrote back with a date (today) and time (10 a.m.). Date: good. Time: not so good. Steve is Pacific time: Pam is Mountain time, and not just any Mountain time. Arizona is the only state (Indiana used to help out but no more) that never changes its time. My first thought was that when it was 8 a.m. here, it would be 10 a.m. there. Steve, then, offered his opinion using guy speak. Finally, we figured out when it's 10 there; it's 10 here. :) Go figure. Steve also sent questions. I called this morning - got through - and we began. I received a minute to tell about me. Guess I'm not boring; I wanted more than a minute. We did defining moment: Think Montgomery Wards, computer area, promise to mother. We did developing ideas (Yikes, I'm a SOTPs writer - developing really isn't a word I'm comfortable with). We did my current book (Yeah! It releases tomorrow). We did ACFW, my next project, and finally a message to America (I really don't have a message except have fun and be real while you're writing). All in all, Steve made it really easy and enjoyable. He has the kind of voice and manner that puts a guest at ease.
And, yes! Broken Lullaby hits the shelves tomorrow. The four Craftie ladies would love to do a giveaway. Simple respond to our posts this week (Pam, Roxanne, Margaret, and Debby), we'll keep track of names. Then, we'll announce a winner. The winner will not only receive a book from each of us, but probably a bonus or two (think earlier books, think trinket that goes along with the book).
So, read, write, post to our blog, and think about YOUR radio interview.
March...how did it get here so soon? And now we are well into the month, and I can hardly believe that, either. One good thing is that there's hope of seeing spring soon, after having one snow storm or ice storm after another. Three more inches and we'll set an all-time record for snow here, I've heard.
Cara mentioned the ACFW conference, and I just wanted to add my "Amen!" to all of the positive things she said. I attended my first ACFW national conference last fall, and even before it started, the hum of excitement was palpable on the ACFW loop. I soon found out why. It was a beautifully run conference with fabulous speakers, and there were many opportunities to chat with the various editors and agents throughout the conference--not just at special appointments. Even better, there was such a positive, Christian sense of fellowship and caring throughout every single day! I'm already counting the days until this year's conference begins.
Many thanks to Cara and all of the ACFW members who are working so hard to make this year's conference a fantastic experience for everyone who attends!
That's the title of my March Love Inspired Suspense on the shelves right now, but truthfully you could take the title of this blog two different ways. One you could say don't let the past rule your present and future in your life. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we have done that we don't look toward what we can do. We let past mistakes hamper what we do. In Don't Look Back this happens to my hero who has allowed his guilt to interfere in really living. Jameson King has shut himself off from the delights of what it means to be alive. Cassie Winters gets under his skin and forces him to reassess his life--not an easy task for anyone.
Whereas for Cassie, she needs to look back into the past to find answers to what happened to her brother. The past is where she can learn the truth of his murder. However, the journey isn't a pleasant one and it stirs up a lot of buried secrets, putting hers and Jameson's lives in danger.
his present--and quite possibly his future."
So have you ever had moments when you HAD to look back to come up with a solution to a present problem? Or, have you ever HAD to forget the past in order to move on in your life?
I read a story the other day about a couple in their mid 90s. They'd been high school sweethearts and were married for over 75 years. In later years the husband had been put in a nursing home because he was sickly and his now elderly children couldn't care for him the way he needed. The wife lived with one of the children and every day, without fail, they brought her to the nursing home to visit her sweetheart. She was active and in good health for a woman in her 90s. Then one morning she just didn't wake up.
The couples children knew that their father would know immediately if they showed up at the nursing home without their mother. They talked about it and all decided to go to tell their father together that their mother had passed. Surprisingly, he took the news well. They visited for an hour and then went home. An hour or two later, they got a call from the nursing home that their father had passed. The same day as the mother.
Why am I telling you this story? Well, in truth, I've read this story in the paper several times. While I'm always a little sad when reading it, I always end up feeling uplifted by what this couple represents. They lived a lifetime together completely in love and committed to one another. That's what I write about. Or at least, I try to write about, love and commitment. We all know that eventually God will take us when he is ready. But for this couple, two people who probably didn't know which fingers were whose when they held hands because their life was so entwined, He took them on the same day after a sharing a lifetime together. Sure, they probably had weathered many storms, but in the end they were as one.
I'll admit I'm a bit of a sap. After all I do write romance because I believe in the power of love. And every time I see my father's aunt and uncle who, like the people in this story, have been married over 75 years and still dance cheek to cheek on the dance floor like sweethearts, I'm reminded that true love and commitment really happens to those who believe.
I'm in Minneapolis today for pre-conference meetings for the balance of the week. As a board member of ACFW, I get to see the previews of what the September conference will look like. Hold on to your hats, folks, it's going to be another great one!
1) You get to meet people (editors, agents, published authors, other writers) who can mentor you, encourage you, challenge you, etc. Writing can be very solitary, so spending time with others who are on the same journey is priceless.
2) You'll learn craft from pros. These same editors, authors, and published authors will share their tips and craft with you. I have learned so much that pushes me to be a better writer at each conference.
3) Fellowship with other writers. They'll get you. They'll understand about characters talking to you. Plots that won't let go. The pain and joy of putting a story on paper.
4) You'll meet God. The praise & worship times are like water to a thirsty soul. I have encountered God in ways I never expected during the ACFW conferences. And now I go expecting to meet Him. He never disappoints.
I've only attended the ACFW conference, but hear good things about other conferences, too. So as you consider how to build your writing, look seriously at attending a conference this year. It can make a huge difference in your journey.
MIA: MISSING IN ATLANTA will hit bookstores next week! The photo was taken to announce a booksigning in my local area, on March 13th. Karen Duncan, standing on the right, owns Omega Books and always hosts events that are fun for customers and writers alike.
MIA is the story of a U.S. Army Captain's search for a missing girlfriend he met while on R&R in Atlanta. I wrote the novel when my son was deployed for his second tour in Iraq and dedicated the book to the brave men and women in uniform.
To support our troops, I'm donating free copies of my book to military personnel in the name of each customer who buys MIA at the March 13th signing. The books will be distributed to soldiers traveling through Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta, and the customers will be invited to inscribe personal messages to the soldiers.
When I talked to the major who works at the airport, he was thrilled with the idea and said hundreds of soldiers—often as many as 700--pass through Hartsfield-Jackson each day. Many of them have hours to kill between flights. Hopefully, they'll enjoy having a book to read along with the good wishes of people who appreciate the sacrifices they make so our country can remain free.
God bless our military and God bless the USA!
One of the parts of writing that I find interesting is researching the setting of a book. I'm currently working on next December's release Double Threat Christmas and one of the places in my story is a NYPD Precinct. Well, after much cruising through cyberspace, I found the most amazing pictures of the outside of a real precinct on the upper Eastside of Manhattan that I'm going to pattern my setting after. And then amazingly enough I found and bought a book about this same precinct titled Behind the scenes of NYC's most high powered police station. I'm so excited. Now when I write scenes in this setting I can actually 'see' what I'm describing. I love it!
Well, it's March, and Broken Lullaby should be hitting the shelves any day now. It represents quite a few milestones for me. One, it's the first book I consider to be editor heavy. I rewrote this puppy twice. And, it's the first book to be a Top Pick from Romantic Times. Romantic Times is the only review I really look at. Oh, I google, and giggles, and do search for my name and book, but the only review I consider as 'big time' is the Romantic Time's one. I wonder if this is because Romantic Times has been around the longest? I wonder if this is because Harlequin sends my book to them? Being a Top Pick was a goal of mine. Gee, now I get to make a new goal. So, hmmm, what should be my next goal? And, btw, who (or who else?) gives the review that you consider the most important?
What is it you like about a suspense? What makes you keeping turning the pages? I would love to get readers input in on this.
Pacing is important to any story but even more so for a suspense. Fast pacing keeps the reader turning the page. A short time line is usually best in a suspense. When you have long descriptive sections, that will slow the pacing. Short sentences will speed up the pacing.
Another aspect of pacing and keeping the reader turning the pages is using cliffhangers at the end of scenes and especially at the end of chapters. You don't want a person putting your book down if possible. One of the nicest compliments I can receive is when someone says they stayed up all night reading my book or didn't do anything all day because they couldn't put my book down.
One of the ways I create a cliffhanger is to stop the scene in the middle of the action or at a pivotal place, possibly right before a crucial decision is made.
"After taking her key out of her purse, she had started to fit it into the lock when she noticed her door was slightly ajar. Her hand reaching forward, trembling as she snatched it back.
As you can see with the cliffhangers I shared with you, you stop in the middle of a pivotal part of the suspense scene. It's hard not to read the next page to see what happened if you do a cliffhanger right. Before your reader knows it, she has read the whole book and has stayed up too late. Now that is pacing!


Review of Fairhaven Health's Pregnancy tea for Two.
I was hesitant to try yet another pregnancy tea as I had yet to find one I enjoyed the taste of. Also, being a high risk pregnancy, many teas are filled with ingredients I'm not supposed to have, such as nettle and red raspberry leaf. After reviewing the list of herbs in Fairhaven's Tea-for-Two, I decided to give it a try as I really do love a good cup of tea.
The mix organic and wild crafted herbs could not be better balanced. The lemon verbena really leaves such a pleasant taste in your mouth. I enjoyed the taste so much that I did not need to add anything to the tea- such as honey, sugar or agave, to make it more palatable. The benefits of all the herbs, such as alfalfa for vitamins and minerals, strawberry leaf for nourishing the uterus and oat straw to help relieve stress, make it not only delicious, but perfect for preparing the body for labour and delivery. I was most pleasantly surprised at how it relieved mild morning sickness, but I did not experience the overwhelming taste of ginger like in other anti-nausea teas.
I would certainly recommend this tea to anyone that is pregnant, as well as those who are not. In fact, a couple of my non-pregnant friends also really enjoyed a cup. I think this tea would also have excellent benefits for women postpartum, and during menstruation.
Some quick facts- Tea-for-Two is the all-natural, baby-safe herbal tea designed to support a healthy pregnancy, tone the uterus, and relieve morning sickness discomfort. This delicious and healthy tea will also help comfort and energize during labor and childbirth. Made from a select blend of wildcrafted and organic ingredients, Tea-for-Two brings together proven herbs that have been used for centuries to tone and relax the uterine muscles, strengthen the womb throughout the pregnancy, and prepare the body for labor and childbirth. Tea-for-Two may also help prevent or reduce pregnancy complications.
Are you pregnant or trying to conceive? Feel free to join our Pregnancy group or Trying To conceive group on Facebook!


Peugeot are pushing the boat out – or should we say 'pushing the race forward' – as they reveal the most powerful road-going car the brand has ever sold – the Peugeot RCZ R, chock full of mechanical upgrades set to blow the socks off anyone who drives, with a guarantee of a thrilling ride for anyone who gets behind the wheel inside a car that looks as good as it drives.
It's no surprise really, considering that it was inspired by the Peugeot RCZ Racing Cup track car, even down to it sitting 10mm lower to the ground (look out for those speed bumps then!) And if further proof were needed that this is one beautiful beast, this new range-topping two-seater sports coupé is powered by a 1.6-litre THP turbocharged petrol engine developing 270bhp that will help the car sprint from 0-62mph in just 5.9 seconds and accelerate on to an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.
Why create the Peugeot RCZ R? Because they can!
They started with the engine and the big call to downsize the engine to 1.6-litre capacity against all other performance cars and their 2.0-litre units. This makes the road car almost identical to the Racing Cup car in output and actually sets a record for specific power in the category. Under the bonnet, this new performance-oriented unit – given the code name of EP6CDTR to keep it from the ears and eyes of those who would copy– has many parts created and evolved just to fit in with and exploit the full potential of the car. Amazingly enough it still meets the stringent Euro 6 emissions standard whilst exhibiting maximum power of 6,000rpm and maximum torque of 330Nm at 1,900rpm to 5,500rpm.
Under the demanding conditions of the road, durability would normally be called into question; but the whole block has been reinforced by a specific heat treatment prior to machining, including new forged pistons with a compression ratio of 9.2:1 and a grade of aluminium usually only found in Formula One, and the con rods and uprated bearings have also been produced and treated so that they can accommodate higher cylinder pressures.
Add in a new specially strengthened six-speed manual transmission, uprated clutch, larger intercooler and new twin-scroll turbocharger and we are talking, to borrow phrase from "Charlotte's Web"; 'SOME CAR'. And pedestrians and other road users will know it's coming because the exhaust has also been modified and linked into the draw of the engine's air intake, to create an enhanced 'sound system' that will be used to let the world know that the new RCZ R is not only on its way but is also a sporting character par excellence.
If it were a racing car on a normal road, we all know that traction would be a problem; so the engineers at Peugeot have added a Torsen® differential to provide some extra grip, along with wider front and rear tracks so that traction is enhanced. Worriers of the world need to know that revised dampers settings, increased stiffness in the springs, a new fixed boot spoiler and anti-roll bar have all been included as standard to make sure that aerodynamic efficiency is not compromised and nor is high-speed stability – in fact both have been improved with these additions and tinkering.
Wheels are almost as important as the car itself when it comes to the higher performance models, and the Peugeot RCZ R does not scrimp on these either, sporting two-tone 19-inch alloys which accommodate new larger four-piston brakes bearing red calipers at the front displaying the Peugeot Sport name. Brake discs of 380mm diameter and 32mm thickness are mounted on an aluminium hub (thus saving on weight and cooling time) and carry Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 235/40 R19 tyres for to grip the road in outstanding fashion.
And with environmental concerns to the fore in any member of the public, despite these performance promises, CO2 emissions of only 145g/km and fuel economy of 44.8mpg on the Combined Drive Cycle show that the RCZ R leaves class rivals trailing in its wake in all ways.
Having been originally debuted at the Goodwood Festival of Speed last July and was formally revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, the RCZ R will be seen on these shores in January 2014, in Moroccan Red, Nera Black, Mercury Grey and Opal White.
But you'll need to be quick – just like the car itself.


Shop Lux Gifts and Goods for boxes and home storage solutions.
Please also consider Lux Gifts and Goods has a number of unique offerings for the home. Magisso has a line of cooling ceramics and kitchen accessories that are truly unique in the world. Circa Home 55 has a line of kitchen accessories and serving dishes to make home entertaining a delight.
Carlyle Box See our Olivia Riegel Carlyle Box with our fine jewelry, jewelry boxes and ..
Olivia Riegel Crown Spice Box See our Olivia Riegel Crown Spice Box at Lux Gifts and Go..
Olivia Riegel Crystal Heart Box See our Olivia Riegel Crystal Heart Box at Lux Gifts an..
Olivia Riegel Crystal Pave' Gift Box See our Olivia Riegel Crystal Pave' Gift B..
Olivia Riegel Dominique Box See our Olivia Riegel Dominique Box at Lux Gifts and Goods ..
Olivia Riegel Duchess Box Olivia Riegel supplies fantastic frames in a variety of style..
Emerald Pave' Gift Box See our Olivia Riegel Emerald Pave' Gift Box from Lux Gi..
Gold Crystal Heart Box See our Olivia Riegel Gold Crystal Heart Box from Lux Gifts and ..
Gold Windsor Large Box See our Olivia Riegel Gold Windsor Large Box at Lux Gifts and Go..
Large Windsor Box See our Olivia Riegel Large Windsor Box at Lux Gifts and Goods with o..
Roxy Box See our Roxy Box at Lux Gifts and Goods with our fine jewelry, jewelry boxes a..
Ruby Pave' Gift Box See our Olivia Riegel Ruby Pave' Gift Box at Lux Gifts and ..


There are numerous limo business out there, but only one like us. Our tailored offerings, extensive variety of limousine services, and customer-first approach are what set us apart as the best Canberra limo hire. Our expert assurance to provide you with the most prominent luxury travel experience in Carwoola everything we do and is the cornerstone of our brand.
When it concerns your wedding day, do not go for anything less than the very best. A wedding vehicle hire for your wedding event is the first step in the best direction! Schedule your wedding limousine in Carwoola with us.
We handle all wedding event transport services in Canberra with a level of professionalism, reliability, and beauty that you will not discover anywhere else. Committed wedding coordinators are at your service throughout the week, while problem-free application forms and flexible payment structure eliminate any unneeded tension from the experience. Our distinct combination of modern cars and conventional, yet sophisticated car hire service ensures that your wedding in Carwoola 2620 is one you will not quickly forget.
Our wedding vehicle hire services include a red carpet grand entrance, full wedding decors for the automobile, complimentary champagne (with all stretch limousine packages), and tyre covers to keep the bride-to-be's gorgeous dress in pristine condition. Limousine chauffeurs show up on-time and photo ready in full suit and tie! Service is versatile to include photo places for the bridal celebration, reception locations, and specific paths you may want to follow. At the end of the night, we can even set up a car to deliver the pleased couple to the hotel or home, putting you in complete control of your entrances and exits throughout the day.
Any lingering issues you might have regarding your big day will be put to rest once you start working with our friendly and experienced wedding event team. We are more than happy to liaise with you and tailor every element of our wedding automobile hire to fit your spending plan and preferences. Our fleet of brand new Chrysler 300C sedans and stretch limousines in Canberra are at your disposal, or pick from among our wide variety of Audi, Holden, or Mercedes cars to experience the height of high-end travel. Coaches and buses are likewise available as well for wedding group transportation! From coaches to Canberra wedding limos, we have your every requirement covered.
We have actually customized some packages for you to select from concerning your big day application form for your wedding transfers. They are listed below for your perusal and we even have given the chance for you to personalise your day if the tailored alternatives do not cover all the stops your wedding day require.
Air travel can be difficult– let us take a few of the pressure off! Our Carwoola airport transfers give you some much needed peace of mind throughout the course of your trip. We guarantee prompt arrival at both your collection address and your location, leaving space for anything and whatever that might occur before your flight departs. Canberra airport transfers can make your limousine hire or car hire to the airport safe, easy, and stress-free.
Chauffeured limousine works to Canberra Airport means you do not need to handle the hassles of driving or car leasings once again. We offers vehicle hire services all over Canberra to or from Canberra Airport, and we provide drop-offs and pickups to all Canberra location hotels.
Whether you're traveling for organisation or pleasure, you will experience unequaled comfort and elegance when you book with us. Select from any of our sedans, limos, coaches and more, whatever works best for you!
We pride ourselves on the professionalism, reliability, and status we give the transport market. Our dedication to extraordinary executive service in Canberra differs from other, and is enabled by our large fleet of corporate sedans, limousines and coaches. No matter your travel needs, our cars will be there to help you.
We are Australia's premier one-stop shop when it comes to corporate travel. We specialise in handling individual and executive assistants, and our billing center assists make booking transport services in Carwoola as easy, structured and trouble-free as possible. Whether you need a business automobile hire for Canberra or more, we are capable of accommodating all your service's travel requirements.
We expect our clients to hold us to a greater requirement. That's why we offer a free-of-charge assurance on business car hire services that show up more than 5 minutes late for an airport transfer, in addition to well-informed and knowledgeable chauffeurs, and luggage retrieval/delivery per your request.
Make Your Graduation, Formal, Or Year 12 Occasion In Carwoola One To Remember!
Leave a lasting impression on your good friends and produce the ideal picture backdrop with one of our stylish and luxurious limousines or formal vehicles in Canberra. With options ranging from Mercedes to Audi, Holden, and Chrysler 300C, your choices are relatively unlimited. No matter what automobile you choose, our drivers will carry you to the event in style, class, and glam and guarantee that your official experience is one you will not quickly forget.


text:
Building Bridges at Eurovision (Op-Ed)
By Tinatin Japaridze
"Eurovision is truly an event that builds bridges between nations and encapsulates the values of Public Service Media. In this [60th] anniversary year, it is with pride that we look back at how the contest has influenced the public sphere in Europe." — Ingrid Deltenre, European Broadcast Union director general.
On the first day of 2010, I got a phone call from the Georgian Public Broadcaster (GPB), the official organizers of Eurovision's Georgian chapter. The previous year, I co-wrote the 2009 Icelandic Eurovision entry, "Is It True?," a runner-up that received a silver prize at the finals held in Moscow.
Impressed with the work I had done for Iceland, GPB officials invited me to compose a song for my homeland. I was flattered until I heard their caveat to the attractive offer. The chorus had to contain the following message: "We will never give in." This, the GPB representative informed me, was a direct message aimed at the Russian Federation following the 2008 war between our two countries.
More than write a song to effectively represent Georgian culture in all its glory, the GPB wanted me to send a political message to then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Deeply conflicted, I struggled to determine which side I was on, wary of burning any bridges. Was my loyalty to my native Georgia or my surrogate motherland, Russia? This struck me as absurd as the notion of asking a child: "Who do you love more, Mommy or Daddy?"
While nowhere near as widely known in the United States as it is in Europe, Eurovision is more than just a popular television show. The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual event that attracts some 800 million worldwide viewers (that's more than the Super Bowl!)
This month, the ESC celebrates its 60th anniversary with a symbolic theme of "Building Bridges" — the embodiment of cross-cultural diplomacy with a showbiz twist. Eurovision is an unprecedented platform, offering a unique opportunity for smaller nations — which otherwise remain largely unnoticed by the Western world — to have their voice heard and to spread their socio-political messages on a global level.
Even though Eurovision's peacemaking mission remains as relevant as ever, given the modern political climate and socio-economic dynamics in global politics, can political expression within the framework of a cultural event still serve as an effective vehicle for "building bridges"?
In May 1993, my family migrated from our hometown of Tbilisi to Moscow when civil war broke out in Georgia shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. As a 14-year-old high school student in Russia, I made my musical debut singing at the opening gala of the first Russian Film Festival in Cannes, France.
After graduation, I enrolled in Moscow State University where I studied for just over a year until emigrating (yet again) to the United States. These milestones, having taken place in the country that years later would invade my homeland, gave me a unique view of global culture and also placed me in an awkward position.
The year before I was invited to write a Eurovision song, Georgia made the headlines that quickly spread beyond the song contest with their pun-tastic 2009 entry, "We Don't Wanna Put In," an anti-Putin message that Georgia hoped to perform at the ESC finals held, ironically, in Moscow.
The European Broadcast Union banned the entry, as it violated the spirit of the ESC to foster peace and dialogue through music, urging the Georgian composers to either rewrite the lyrics or drop out completely. The Georgian delegation chose the latter.
After careful consideration, I proposed to the Georgian Public Broadcaster to use a double entendre technique; that is, to embed and relay the same message but in the form of a love song, which would have had been more in the spirit of the pop song contest. Following my submission of "Never Give In," which was included in the pre-selection concert and performed on the GPB's Channel 1 by a Georgian artist, Sofia Nizharadze, the Georgian officials voiced their verdict: the lyrical content of the song was considered "insufficiently political for the cause."
Though undeniably disappointed, deep down I was also secretly relieved. Had "Never Give In" reached the finals in its semi-political form, I, as the guilt-ridden creator of its content, may have found myself on the receiving end of repercussions from my surrogate home, Russia.
Instead, the GPB picked a power ballad, "Shine," devoid of any political undertones composed by a Norwegian songwriter, Hanne Sorvaag (the 2010 ESC was being hosted in Norway). Though seemingly more in line with the Eurovision format, viewers of Georgian Channel 1 complained that picking the Norwegian song was an unpatriotic misrepresentation of Georgian culture.
Ultimately, we cannot ignore the founding mission of Eurovision to showcase the importance of bringing countries together — not breaking them apart — to celebrate diversity, music and culture, instead of criticizing each other's political leaders and burning bridges with next-door neighbors.
Tinatin Japaridze is a Georgian-born, Russian-bred Columbia University student currently studying Cultural Psychology and Russian Studies, and workshopping an off-Broadway show, "Matryoshka: the Musical" in New York.
The views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the position of The Moscow Times.
opinion Neil Hauer
Will Turkey and Armenia Reach a Compromise?
The impossibility of discerning true intentions, and the genuine willingness to reach compromise, leaves outsiders guessing.
opinion Michele A. Berdy
How Don't I Care? Let Me Count The Ways
It turns out you can say you don't care in dozens of ways in Russian - some even in polite company.
opinion Nigel Gould-Davies
Western Diplomacy on Russia Must Serve Deterrence
The U.S. and Europe need to maintain the agreed negotiating format while planning for the worst case to show Russia it will face a severe response to aggression...
opinion Mark Galeotti
Russia and West Continue to Talk, But Not Necessarily in the Same Language
For Moscow, talks with the U.S. on NATO and Ukraine are like divorce proceedings at the end of a long, increasingly bitter marriage.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Long Island Grown Focuses On Local Food And Beverage Artisans At Work
Anastasia Lennon
alennon@hamptons.com
Earlier this month, the fifth installment of the Peconic Land Trust's Long Island Grown Series began. This year's series, titled "Food and Beverage Artisans at Work," was created with a focus on innovative products that showcase how the East End's locally made and grown products have evolved to meet "changing consumer tastes." Laura Donnelly, pastry chef and food editor at the East Hampton Star, returns as panel moderator for the conversations with local farmers and chefs.
The first conversation took place on March 4 with Sean Magnuson of Greenport Oyster Company, Erik Bilka, a production winemaker at Premium Wine group and Pindar Vineyards, and Chef George Hirsch, host of the PBS show, George Hirsch Lifestyle. The next event in the series is scheduled for Sunday, March 18 at Peconic Land Trust's Southampton offices. The sold out event will feature Marcos Ribeiro of Craft Master Hops, Chef Stephan Bogardus of North Fork Table and Inn, and Robin Epperson-McCarthy from Salt Bird Cellars.
The series continues on Sunday, April 15 at Bridge Gardens with Peter Treiber, Sr. of Treiber Farms, Anthony Sannino of Sannino Bella Vita Vineyards, and Chef Justin Finney of Highway Restaurant. The last event of the 2018 series is scheduled for Sunday, April 29 at Bridge Gardens. The sold out event's panel includes Stephen Skrenta of Acabonac Farms, Melissa Daniels of Jamesport Farm Brewery, and Stephany Sacks, a culinary Nutritionist, author, and founder of REBOOT FOOD™.
"We are so pleased to introduce the community to the women and men who are growing, crafting and creating wonderful food and beverages in our communities. There are so many amazing stories to tell, and each year we feel privileged to share them," said Kathy Kennedy, Outreach Manager at Peconic Land Trust.
All of the conversations are videotaped and will be shared online, along with videos from past year's series. By sharing these important conversations, the Peconic Land Trust hopes that the community will be inspired to "look and explore our region's diverse agriculture products," said Kennedy.
The Peconic Land Trust is a nonprofit established in 1983 with the mission of protecting Long Island's working farms, natural lands, and heritage.
March dates of the series will take place at the Peconic Land Trust's main office at 296 Hampton Road in Southampton. The remaining dates for April will be at Peconic Land Trust's Bridge Gardens, located at 36 Mitchell Lane in Bridgehampton.
Admission is $30 per person and $25 for Bridge Gardens Members.
For more information, please visit peconiclandtrust.org.
Hamptons-Based Arts Center Launching Year-Round Friday Night Film Series
Hamptons-Based Arts Center To Screen Documentary About Affordable Farmland On Long Island
$7 Million East Hampton Home Tops Real Estate Transfers


text:
Stay Inside Guide
Dining & Drink
Top Nurses 2020: Rachel Ruhland helped transform the ICU by finding home again
Rachel Ruhland of William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital is a recipient of the practice award.
Maggie Ginsberg
Posted: December 17, 2020 8:06 AM
Updated: December 17, 2020 12:03 PM
by Maggie Ginsberg
Photo by Paulius Musteikis
Just as the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning, Rachel Ruhland lost her father to Parkinson's disease. Then came the statewide shutdown, pushing the funeral to July. But Ruhland had been gifted two weeks off with him in his final days on hospice, a luxury soon denied to many due to visitor restrictions. Back at work at William S. Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital, she asked to be transferred to the intensive care unit. They were preparing for a surge, and she wanted to bring bedside comfort to the ICU setting. "After my dad passed, I felt even a stronger calling. I guess I was looking for home again," says Ruhland, who began her career in the VA's ICU 14 years ago but became a nurse practitioner in a less acute unit. Ruhland didn't just return "home," according to Chief of Inpatient Nursing Carole Borland. With the support of her colleagues, she transformed it.
"Rachel is competent, caring and willing to do whatever needs to be done," Borland says. Ruhland was asked to develop a position for nurse practitioners in the ICU, a setting they weren't historically utilizing. She dove in, developing a tiered staffing model and mentoring other nurses. She worked with the pulmonologist to take responsibility for admission, daily orders and discharge plans, and collaborated with the ICU intensivist on treatments like "proning" — a practice borrowed from non-pandemic times in which COVID-19 patients on ventilators are strategically turned onto their stomachs to increase lung expansion. Most profoundly, she worked with the palliative care team to develop a safe procedure that allowed contact between family and end-of-life patients. This included iPads for FaceTime, education on PPE protocols, making sure all COVID-19-positive veterans completed life-sustaining treatment plans and connecting loved ones with grief support after their goodbyes.
"Going through what I went through with my dad, that empathy swells up inside you," Ruhland says. "You can really understand how somebody else feels."
At the end of March, Ruhland and two nursing colleagues — with 72 hours notice — volunteered to transfer to Chicago's Jesse Brown VA Medical Center. For four weeks during Chicago's shutdown she worked 12-hour ICU shifts while living at a Marriott hotel, joining more than 60 other VA nurses from around the Midwest who'd come to help during the surge. "It was tough, because they didn't have time to prepare the way we had," she says. They were short-staffed and they'd been hit hard.
But here again, Borland says, Ruhland was "instrumental," implementing many of the practices she'd helped develop back home: "She provided education and mentoring to the ICU RN staff and made a huge, lasting impact on critical care nursing in Chicago."
For Ruhland, the care goes both ways. Her colleagues are passionate and supportive, and veterans are the most inspiring, grateful patients she's ever served.
"There's a lot of bad days in nursing, but you can find joy in the connections you're making. There's pain, but there's a level of love," Ruhland says. "Even at the worst, you can find the best."
Read more on Top Nurses 2020 here.
This article appears in the January 2021 issue of Madison Magazine.
madison-magazine
A Madison woman found the RNC pipe bomb in D.C.
Crumbl Cookies opening two locations in the Madison area
Two businesses to open at Middleton's Greenway Station
The Nitty Gritty launches new virtual restaurant concept
Madison Magazine Events
Join the Birthday Club!
Receive a FREE Nitty Gritty burger on your b-day!
Get Madison Magazine delivered to your office or home.
Gift subscriptions now available!


text:
A gem to fetch a random fact about cats and fetch an image url of an adorable cat. Everytime you make a method call, you get a new fact about cats and a new image of a cat.

See live here:
http://adorable-cat.herokuapp.com/

## Installation

Add this line to your application's Gemfile:

    gem 'adorable_cat'

And then execute:

    $ bundle

Or install it yourself as:

    $ gem install adorable_cat

## Usage

To fetch data about cat, just do this in your ruby code:

    fact, url = AdorableCat.get_cat_data

## Contributing

1. Fork it ( http://github.com/rishijain/adorable_cat/fork )
2. Create your feature branch (`git checkout -b my-new-feature`)
3. Commit your changes (`git commit -am 'Add some feature'`)
4. Push to the branch (`git push origin my-new-feature`)
5. Create new Pull Request
=======

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
February 9, 2020 Noise Pollution
Beastwars live, Crowbar, Brisbane, 8/2/20
With the inclement weather conditions in Brisbane, we have recently enjoyed a much needed soaking. We braved these welcome showers and rain, storming the revamped and relocated Crowbar, keen to have some magnificent music rain down upon us.
The musical storm began with this band, comprised of three members – drums, guitar and the vocalist on bass. They had a sublime sound that was rock with soul.
With songs like "Witch Doctor" they soon had us under their spell. Their sound often included a clever use of distortion, with the intros to the songs like frantic beasts with pointy teeth. Each song typically built emotion throughout it and their set did the same, showing that they really know how to build atmosphere. The music ebbed and flowed, from the calm to the driving – it was an absorbing groove that was impossible to stand still to. It was rampaging one moment, soulful the next.
The guitarist really rocked our souls, as his performance was passionate and effortless. The songs also used baselines that reverberated throughout the room. The vocalist had a strong voice that lasted the set and he quickly established and maintained a great rapport with the crowd. There was a sublime level of musicianship, combined with appropriate showmanship. They had a 70s feel and appearance that caught my eye as a point of difference.
Stoker obviously dug what they did and we did too! I enjoyed their style and stage presence and some of the songs seemed like a jam, where the members fed off each other. These folks were not frightened to unleash the beast.
This was a great way to open this evening.
(Some time later one of the band members wandered over to watch Beastwars near us. I gave him a thumbs up and complimented him on their set. He gave me a beer! This enhanced my opinion of these folks as genuine in what they do.)
The Black Swamp
The Black Swamp inundated us with their particularly impressive sound – it was a visceral, but welcome, assault on our senses.
It always interests me how events are put together, particularly the order in which the bands perform. It was impossible to compare the first two bands, as they were different in intent and style, but they were an enriching counterpoint, adding to the gathering gale of sound.
By this time the crowd had swelled and the intensity was much more apparent. It seemed that the temperature was rising and a tempest was brewing…
The Black Swamp comprised 5 members – 2 guitars, bass, drums and vocals.
The abundant energy of the vocalist was supremely impressive, as he really knew how to engage the crowd.
The songs seamlessly blended into each other, melding and morphing with an often anthemic quality. It was head nod inducing song after song. I wondered if this band was sponsored by chiropractors, as I reckon they would generate business for them…
The songs shifted in tempo to keep us on our toes and the passion and intensity was obvious in each band member. The vocals were strong and cogent and the quality of them lasted the set. The guitarists shared time in the sun and both had consummate technical skill. The drummer anchored the set and at times came to the fore, displaying great skill. I also loved his attire – a Blood Nut shirt and a hat that said "Beer". The bassist wove his magic through the songs, adding depth and style.
I had a look around the crowd and it showed enormous, but subtle, engagement. Not everyone present was dancing, but EVERYONE was nodding, toe tapping or moving. To capture the room like this was a credit to The Black Swamp.
This was music to lift your soul. These folks really rocked my world and my beautiful wife and daughter also were hooked.
Later on I chatted to the vocalist, who was polite and generous with his time. He really impressed me with his authenticity.
Black Rheno
These 3 folks have guitar, drums and vocals on stage. They constructed a squall of sound that was both urgent and confronting, grabbing our attention immediately.
The vocalist was like a squirrel with ADHD on crack. His appearance and dance moves reminded me of Peter Garrett, but it was like the Venom (Spiderman reference) version of Peter. He moved and capered and jumped and radiated energy. In fact, all of the band members were never still. Their energy was more contagious than the coronavirus. Ironically, the vocalist even referenced that later in the set!
These folks thrashed with the best of them and the crowd soon got a circle going. Each song was an exaggeration and an elaboration on what came before, with the set developing abundant depth as it progressed.
The music was high intensity, but the skill on instruments remained. The guitar work was fast and tasty and the drummer gave the skins an absolute flogging.
All too soon this deluge subsided, leaving us appreciating some calm before the final weather event.
Beastwars
I reviewed Beastwars's album last year and enjoyed it immensely. I then saw them at the Dead of Winter Festival and was blown away by that set. The sound, the stage presence of the vocalist as he got lost in the moment and the reaction of the crowd…
I had VERY high expectations. All day, I thought, "Please don't suck. Please don't suck.
Please don't suck."
From the first note, we were submerged in an atmosphere of passionate professionalism.
It's a deceptive sound – simple, thick and intricate. There was also a variety of sound and complexity. The crowd immediately responded, with some folks dancing, many singing, many standing with their eyes closed, swaying, surrendering to the sound. I did all of those at some point. I challenge anyone to remain motionless at one of their gigs.
The 4 band members are like pillars on stage. They steadfastly support the sound and aren't particularly engaging towards the audience, concentrating on the moment and the task at hand. They let the music engage the punters and it does so amazingly.
The vocalist often performs with his eyes closed, arms outstretched, the centre of the sound, present in the here and now. The guitarist is abundantly clever, wringing every emotional nuance from each note. The drumming was tailored to augment each moment, at times subtle, at others inspirational. The bass playing was the spice in the recipe, serving to compliment the sound time and again. There was a complexly compartmentalised togetherness of the band.
I understand that the last sentence was contradictory and somewhat difficult to quantify, but so is this band. This was groove and metal on a whole other level – a primal one: I've written so many things, but probably fail to capture the sound of these mammals.
This was another set that built in intensity the longer it went. The songs and the atmosphere seemed to become more driving with each passing moment. There were a number of folks from local bands in the crowd who also seemed connected to the music. This was testament to the impact of Beastwars.
I also had a few tangible moments of the impact of Beastwars. I had wandered down to get some photos and on my way back a bloke grabbed me and gave me an enormous bear hug. No words, he was just so happy. Another person came over and spoke to me about the band, telling me that the vocalist was his cousin. It seemed that the music of Beastwars encouraged connectedness!
As the last note rang out, I was relieved and disappointed.
Relieved that Beastwars didn't suck and disappointed that this was the end of the evening.
Beastwars brought everything that I expected.
About the venue:
This was our first visit to the revamped Crowbar, relocated to the venue formally called The Brightside. It was different and the same, with the pews from the old Crowbar added for some additional seating and some different lighting and posters on the walls. The sound was still of a high standard and the staff continued to be awesome.
Greg Noble.
Previous Birds of Prey (2020)
Next Playing With Fire (2019)


# What Is an ARK Address?
How to determine the origin and legitimacy of a transaction is a fundamental problem of having a trustless, distributed monetary system without supervision. Blockchains use asymmetric cryptography to solve this problem. Even if you have never used cryptocurrencies, or programmed a single line of code in your life, you will have used asymmetric cryptography. It is the technology behind the HTTPS protocol, used in banking, downloading software, sending and receiving WhatsApp messages and much more.
In blockchain, a private key is generated using a common secret, a passphrase. This private key can then be used to create a public key, together called a key pair. Using the private key, you can encrypt a piece of data, such that only the public key can decrypt it. The other way around is possible as well; you can encrypt data using the public key such that only the private key can decrypt it.
Using this principle, you can create signatures. Since we know only the private key can encrypt data so that the public key can decrypt it, if I were to send you the text "hello", but encrypted, you could use my public key to decrypt the data back to the text "hello", and thus proving the message originated from me. In the same manner, a blockchain network will validate transactions, using the public key to authenticate the origin of the signed transaction.
You should now realize why it is so important to keep your private key and passphrase hidden, with them anyone can create valid transactions.
An address on the blockchain is derived from a public key. We could use the public keys directly, but they are quite long and thus take up more storage, and using addresses improves privacy, as someone does not need to expose their public key to receive currencies. Transmitting currencies always requires sharing your public key with the network. Cold wallets are just normal wallets, but ones that haven't yet exposed their public key.
It is possible to compute the private key from the public key, doing so would merely take a very long time , think one-hundred-trillion-times-the-lifespan-of- earth long. Because of this, public keys can be freely shared, allowing anyone to encrypt content and verify digital signatures, while private keys can be kept secret, ensuring only the owners of the private keys can decrypt the content and create digital signatures .
ARK uses the SECP256k1 curve from the elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (ECDSA). ECDSA generates the private key and the public key pair from a 32-bytes-size seed. As the seeds are not very human readable, we have the option to generate the seed from something more convenient: a passphrase.
The passphrase generated by the ARK Desktop wallet is a 12-word sentence, according to BIP39 . The usage of the protocol is not mandatory as a seed can be generated from any kind text, but is recommended. A passphrase needs enough complexity and has to be random enough to be considered secure.
Here we generated a full wallet using simple secret as our passphrase. As long as we have access to simple secret, we can always regenerate the seed, private and public key, and address.
An ARK address is like a bank account where only the owner of the private key can validate and broadcast transactions.
On ARK mainnet modifier = 0x17 so ARK address starts with A.
On ARK devnet modifier = 0x1e so DARK address starts with D.
On KAPU mainnet modifier = 0x2d so KAPU address starts with K.
Here is a table giving the address start character according to hexadecimal modifier value.
The best way to secure ARK address is to use a device that can sign transactions securely. The ARK team developed an application running on Ledger Nano S hardware wallet. Even if your computer has been infected with malware, you can still use it with your hardware wallet securely.
yields 5.271.537.971.301.488.476.000.309.317.528.200.000.000 combinations, that is an enormous amount!


text:
"The World's End": One more round with the "Shaun of the Dead" boys
"The World's End" opens Friday at Point, Eastgate and Star Cinema. R, 1:49, three stars out of four.
Edgar Wright's three films with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost has been called his "Cornetto Trilogy," named after a popular brand of ice cream in Britain. It's an apt title for films that are meant to be pure, sugary entertainment, whether a zombie movie parody ("Shaun of the Dead") or action movie pastiche ("Hot Fuzz").
But there's a bittersweet ripple in "The World's End," the third and supposedly final of the films, that gives it an extra poignancy. First off, Wright holds off the fantastical elements of the movie as long as he possibly can, instead focusing on the flailing attempts of five middle-aged friends to reconnect with their younger, happier selves.
In particular, Gary King (Pegg) is a train wreck — he was the coolest guy in high school back in the boys' hometown of Newton Haven, sporting sunglasses, a black trenchcoat and a Sisters of Mercy T-shirt. Twenty years later, he's a middle-aged man, still wearing those sunglasses, trench coat and T-shirt. Not as cool.
Life has passed Gary by — his friends (Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan and Frost) all have careers, families, lives. Gary has hazy memories of better days. They look at Gary with a disdainful pity, which is why, when Gary cajoles them into returning to Newton Haven for an epic 12-pub pub crawl nicknamed the Golden Mile, they reluctantly agree.
This all isn't just prologue — it's nearly the first half of the movie, and it's tremendous fun to watch five top British actors ping-ponging witty lines off each other, as the pathetic depths of Gary's life is revealed to the other four. He wants to go back to those heady teenage days, but Newton Haven has changed since they all left — nobody remembers them, and the town feels cleaner, nicer, "Starbucked." If you've ever gone back to your hometown, and tried to reconcile that street map in your head with the one in front of you, you'll know the feeling.
"World's End" makes a canny move in flipping the usual Pegg-Frost dynamic — this time Frost is the level-headed straight man, and Pegg the manic screw-up. Add in Considine, Marsan and Freeman as middle-aged men who slowly reveal their own regrets, and Rosamund Pike as the girl at least two of them were pining for, and you already have enough for a good movie.
And then the fantastical elements kick in, which I won't reveal even though the trailer pretty clearly does. Suffice to say that what was a mordant comedy about getting old turns into an action romp, complete with frenetic fight scenes, explosions and lots of blue goo flying about. The hilarious thing is that in the midst of all the mayhem, Gary doggedly insists on seeing the pub crawl through to the end, so as the threat grows larger and larger, the lads get drunker and drunker. Maybe not the worst plan.
LIkewise, Wright and Pegg's screenplay never loses that emotional thread they started with. If "Shaun" was about the aimlessness of misspent youth, and "Fuzz" was about rebelling against the stuffiness of small-town life, "End" is about the fragility of friendship over time, and the dangers of living entirely in the past. Between these films and "Scott Pilgrim Versus the World," Wright has become very deft at using genre conventions to illustrate the human comedy while still giving his audience a ripping good time.
"World's End" is decidedly less bloody and more sentimental than its predecessors, suggesting a certain mellowing with age. It's not perfect — its denouement tries to hastily cram about an hour's worth of exposition into the last five minutes — but it never loses its cheeky charm. If this the last of the "Cornetto trilogy", time to hoist a pint to a fun, fruitful collaboration. Cheers.
Tagged: edgar wright, nick frost, simon pegg, world's end
← "Blue Jasmine": A streetcar named Desire meets a train wreck named Cate
What's playing in Madison theaters, Aug. 23-29, 2013 →
3 thoughts on ""The World's End": One more round with the "Shaun of the Dead" boys"
Pingback: What's playing in Madison theaters, Aug. 23-29, 2013 | Madison Movie
Pingback: What's playing in Madison theaters, September 13-19, 2013 | Madison Movie
Pingback: What's playing in Madison theaters, Sept. 20-26, 2013 | Madison Movie
@AisleSeat Covering for the @CapTimes. Thanks! 20 hours ago


This is great dude! Gonna add this to a bundle for a whoop giveaway! Perfect little tool! Will make sure to credit you and send folks your way!
Say thanks by giving CousinLarry a tip and help them continue to share amazing Things with the Thingiverse community.
Tiny Whoop prop puller by CousinLarry is licensed under the Creative Commons - Attribution license.
We're sure CousinLarry would love a Tip, but unfortunately they have not setup their accounts to receive them yet.


text:
Q: Testing callback passing in nodejs function With the following example of code, I'd like to know.

function testMe( input, callback ) {

    callback = callback || function () {};  /* 1 */

    // process input ...
    process( input, function (err, result ) {
        if( err ) {
            return callback( new Error('fail processing input') ); /* 2 */
        }

        return callback( null, result ); /* 3 */
    });
}

*

*How can I test above 3 positions of callback with SinonJS?

*Is it a good practice that I reset callback at position 1?
Appreciate your comments.

A:
Is it a good practice that I reset callback at position 1?

In your case, no, it is an anti-pattern. Looking at the semantics of your testMe function, it is designed to take input and call back with either the output or an error. Making the callback optional will just mask the error, delaying bug detection and making debugging that much more of a mystery to solve. If the caller does not need the output at all, why bother calling the function in the first place? Defaulting the callback function does not actually help as good program flow and semantics cannot be done with "fire and forget"/"side effects only" behavior that you get with no callback.
Aside: your sample does not actually have any asynchronous behavior. If your real code is actually like this, it can just return synchronously and throw errors synchronously - a callback is not necessary or correct in that case. But I suspect you have "simplified" your example but your real code is in fact asynchronous.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Black Friday isn't just for deals on gifts, clothes, and electronics. The day after Thanksgiving is also a great time to book hotels at a discount.
Black Friday isn't just for deals on gifts, clothes, and electronics. The day after Thanksgiving is also a great time to book that winter vacation you so desperately need right now—and for a great price. So while you're lounging off that tryptophan coma, browse the resorts and hotels eager to knock hundreds off your next stay. But be warned: Even more great deals are on their way come Monday at midnight.
Book a two-night stay in suite accommodations and save 20% off standard rates; valid on stays Nov 28, 2013–Feb 7, 2014. Request rate code CYBER when booking online.
Rates $97–$160 per night. Travel must take place Dec 15, 2013–Feb 13, 2014. Use booking code BAR when booking online or by phone (800-228-9290).
Get a special room rate of $149 per night; travel Dec 15, 2013—Feb 13, 2014. Use booking code BAR when booking online or by phone (800-228-9290).
Guests booking one or two nights will receive 20% off their stay; book three nights or more for 30% off. Stay select dates between Dec 1, 2013—July 10, 2014.
30% savings on all bookings; stay Nov 29, 2013 –March 1, 2014. Deal must be booked online.
Book on Atlantis.com or at 1-800-Atlantis.
"Click Quick!" promotion offers 40% off, at more than 50 properties across North America.
Looking for even more great holiday travel values?
•Wendy Perrin shares her own picks for great winter getaways that are still available.
•And don't miss our Holidy Gift Guide, with smart and affordable gift ideas, including presents for techie travelers, travel essentials, and stocking stuffers under $50.


text:
Montfort Funds
Swiss Representation For Alternative Investment Funds
Montfort Funds – a Swiss investment fund management firm – approached CreativeAdviser to redesign their company website in early 2018. The overall aim was to communicate quickly, and clearly, the value of investing in alternative funds in Switzerland via a bespoke, one-page scrolling website.
Create a prestigious, high-quality website design which projects credibility, conveys an established firm and nurtures trust in the brand from the international target audience.
Provide a clear set of calls-to-action (CTA) to drive user engagement and encourage conversions, particularly in the form of qualified enquiries from prospective investors.
Bring out the Swiss character of the firm, particularly through the use of imagery on the website, whilst putting a "human face" on the brand by including a strong set of team photographs.
Ensure full website responsiveness on all major platforms used by the target audience including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphone devices.
"Fund Representation, done right"
The design team at CreativeAdviser collaborated to create a seamless, scrolling one-page website for Montfort Funds, ideally suited for tablet and mobile devices. Working with the Montfort team, the content was broken down into clear, easily-digestible sections in order to clearly and concisely convey the brand values, services and USPs.
The website needed to bring out the Swiss character of the firm, so high-resolution and top quality imagery of the Swiss countryside was selected for the sliders, background images and iconography to utilise across the content.
The end result is a balanced, user-friendly website which communicates effectively with the target audience. There is powerful use of colour and brand assets throughout the site, with a smooth navigation to direct visitors to the appropriate, desired website sections.
The website has brought Montfort Funds' image more up to date in the digital sphere. This has given advisers and staff more confident in showing it to prospects and current clients.
Ready to transform your firm?
Get in touch for a free quote and project proposal. Start a friendly, no-obligation conversation with one of our graphic design team, today.
Start Your ProjectContact Us


theclockonline students can sell Great Speeches by Native Americans (ISBN# 0486411222) written by Robert Blaisdell, Bob Blaisdell and receive a check, along with a free pre-paid shipping label. Once you have sent in Great Speeches by Native Americans (ISBN# 0486411222), your Plymouth State University textbook will be processed and your check will be sent out to you within a matter days. You can also sell other theclockonline textbooks, published by Dover Publications, Incorporated and written by Robert Blaisdell, Bob Blaisdell and receive checks.