Update

Considering that I've been MIA for more than a couple of weeks, I'll try to do some catching up.

My oldest daughter and next to youngest daughter are busy with details on their upcoming November cruise. They'll fly from here to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, stay overnight, then take a one-day cruise, compliments of Royal Caribbean. If only I could go along...

We've been busy getting youngest daughter up to par with dental visits (4 times in just over a week, and the last visit today) and a vision check up for new glasses. She is SO looking forward to getting it all over with!

The reason for my absence can be blamed on the above and working toward the deadline on Taming Kate, the second book set in the fictional town of Desperation, Oklahoma. This has been a day and night effort and has taxed my brain to the max, as we decided to make some changes throughout the book. But it's finally done and put aside for a few days before a final "polish" and trip to my editor via USPS. Hooray!

On the Book News front, Tanner's Prize, the first book set in Desperation, will be released in September 2009. As time goes by, I'll post some information about both. Taming Kate is currently expected to be released in early 2010. If all goes well, there will be more stories from Desperation. The town, not the emotion. ::grin::

More tomorrow!

Everyone Needs a Laugh

I've been a Saturday Night Live fan since the very first show, which aired on October 11, 1975 with special host George Carlin. That first show is still funny enough to make me laugh when I watch it on DVD.

No matter what your political persuasion, a major campaign season means trying to maintain a sense of humor in the midst of insanity. Over the past 30 years, SNL has given us some of the best Presidential skits ever done. But with the latest, they may have outdone themselves. Everyone, right, left, and in the middle laughed and chuckled and praised the opening sketch with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton. If you saw the sketch then or have seen it since online, enjoy it again. If you haven't seen it, now you'll know what everyone has been talking about for the past three days. Enjoy!

Keeping an Eye on the Sky...

...and on the weather channel.

It was, by far, not the best weekend for our friends along the east coast of Texas. Because I was away from home for the weekend, I wasn't able to keep track of Hurricane Ike, but I did hear and read some accounts, and my heart goes out to everyone, including those who left their homes and those who stayed behind. But not only did Ike wreak havoc and devastation on many parts of Texas, "he" left his mark along a path that left people in other states to deal with rain and flooding, terribly high winds, and loss of power. When I returned home yesterday, I checked the national radar and discovered Ike had made it all the way to the Great Lakes area. I heard Cincinatti and Columbus, Ohio were both without power, and included other areas of the state.

We were lucky here in Kansas. Our 10 inches of rain came before Ike reached land, causing flooding and taking lives. By Saturday morning, when Ike was moving on from Texas and we had been warned of high winds and more rain, I awoke to sunny skies and a beautiful autumn day. We were lucky, but so many others weren't.

For those in Texas who left their homes and belongings behind, I pray their return won't be as horrible as they may think it might be. I also pray this will be the last of the hurricanes to touch our country and all others for a long, long time.

Two Weeks

Two-time Acadeny Award winner Sally Field delivers a "flawless performance" (TV Guide's Movie Guide) in this bittersweet dramatic comedy about one family's determination to stay together till the very end.

Four grown siblings return home to their terminally ill mother's house for what they think are her final few days. When she hangs on, they find themselves stuck uner the same roof for two difficult weeks. But as the children come to terms with their grief, they discover laughter in the midst of sorrow, love in the face of anger, and an opportunity to gain new perspective of their own lives.

The above summary is from the back of the DVD case. It's all I had to go on when I noticed the movie in the "dump bin" ($5 rack) at a local store. I've always like Sally Field. From TV's Gidget and The Flying Nun to Places in the Heart, Norma Rae (both Oscar winners for Best Actress), Sybil and countless others, she has never failed to give an outstanding performance. One of her most memorable scenes was in Steel Magnolias where her character M'Lynn strikes out against the injustice of her daughter's death.

I should have known this movie would have me in tears. The story is interspersed with scenes of Keith, played by Ben Chaplin, ( Sam Kennedy - Murder by Numbers and Brian - The Truth About Cats & Dogs) video taping interviews with his mother (Sally Field), prior to the arrival of hospice. We get a peek into a mother's love for her children, her hopes for them, her disappointments in even herself. One scene, when her best friend since childhood comes to visit was especially touching and emotional.

But the movie also has touches of comedy, lightening the mood as the siblings work through their mother's coming death and their own lives. Julianne Nicholson as Emily (Detective Megan Wheeler - "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and Christina Finn - "Conviction"), Tom Cavanagh as Barry (How to Eat Fried Worms - Dad and "Scrubs" - Dan Dorian), and Glenn Howerton as Matthew ("It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" - Dennis Reynolds (also writer, producer), Must Love Dogs - Michael, "ER" - Dr. Nick Cooper, and "That '80's Show" - Corey Howard) were all superb as the sons and daughter.

I won't say that Two Weeks is a must see for everyone. There are some who may not handle the subject well. But for me, it was an outstanding movie that made me cry and laugh, but also made me think about end of life issues. It was a wonderful, thoughtful movie, and I'm glad I bought it and watched it.

Where am I?

What with Labor Day falling so early in the month and grandkids out of school for it and the next day, finding the few minutes to blog last week was impossible. This week hasn't been much better. Therefore, I am lost.

Should I add that I've been "polishing" the second of two books that I hope will be coming out next year? Taming Kate has been a joy to write, and the time is near to package it and send to my editor. But before that can be done, it must have a complete read-through. That means looking for any and all typos, wrong words used, and funky (it's the only correct word in this case) continuity. There have been plenty of each. It's amazing how much the mind can skip over mistakes, after being "inside" the story for months. It takes stepping back into the real world for a few weeks, so the story can be read with a fresher eye. Sometimes that fresher look can be eye-opening. In the end, it will be well worth the time spent, both for me and for the reader.

So excuse me for missing so many days. I plan to be back on schedule tomorrow and ready to share.