tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84813665970963943182024-03-12T17:05:51.239-06:00Falling In Love With RomanceSuzie Quint's blog about, life, love, and writing romanceSuzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.comBlogger575125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-39324315291727259622020-11-23T12:57:00.000-07:002020-11-23T12:57:02.238-07:00The wait is over! Dive Babe is here!I know. It’s been a while since I released anything new. Life happens. And it really happened in 2020. I could have done with a little less of that.
So back to the good news.
My new release Dive Babe is available for pre-order on <a href="http://suziequint.com/zonDB" target="_blank">Amazon</a>.
If you’re not a kindle reader, don’t worry. It will be on the other major sites as well but, to the best of my knowledge, none of those sites have a pre-order program.<br />
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Strictly speaking, Dive Babe isn’t part of the McKnight series, but it is set in that world, so you’ll recognize a number of the characters. Dive Babe is the first of a new series that I’m calling The McKnight Friends and Extended Family and focuses on Rachel McKnight’s best friend and sister-in-law, Claudia MacAllister.<br />
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An interesting tidbit about this story. My original intent was to write a longish short story, but there was more story in the story and it became a novelette. And I was having so much fun writing it that before I knew it, it was a novella. Then things got really out of hand, and it turned into a full-length novel.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoxijhT26awJJ9ZsO7S9JHjQ0ssbFKNl4_PSbEVAOOyC9lQVct9AIzs0Ea89tc9bO0EXYxgAcmPRDEZwQ27Mv6UgYBBcsG2DPt-xU02QGiV2-qJzkJzWbXgqaxn3n6Gi0_NqkOjA_G4E/s2048/Dive+Babe+500kb.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdoxijhT26awJJ9ZsO7S9JHjQ0ssbFKNl4_PSbEVAOOyC9lQVct9AIzs0Ea89tc9bO0EXYxgAcmPRDEZwQ27Mv6UgYBBcsG2DPt-xU02QGiV2-qJzkJzWbXgqaxn3n6Gi0_NqkOjA_G4E/s320/Dive+Babe+500kb.jpg"/></a></div>
<i>As far as marriage goes, Claudia MacAllister has been there, done that, has vowed never to do it again. But she’s having trouble convincing the stalker with a diamond ring in his pocket. What she needs is someone who looks like he’s her fella but who doesn’t make her heart go pitter-patter. Ex-navy SEAL Joe Sweeney is the man for the job. So what if her heart pitter-pats a little—okay, so it pitter-pats a lot—but that’s manageable because he’s both gay and taken.<br/>
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Or is he?</i><br />
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Intrigued?<br />
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I hope so.<br />
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I do like to give my regular readers a break as a way of thanking them for being fans, so if you pre-order or buy within the first seven days after the release, the price will be $2.99. After that, it will go up to $3.99.<br />
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So when will the book you actually be able to read Dive Babe? I wish I had a solid answer for that question. It’s currently scheduled for release on January 24, 2021. The reason for the long lead time is that the last major step in the process is to have my line editor look at the manuscript. Normally, I could anticipate how long that would take, but 2020 has been a year of upheaval for my editor too. She just moved from Washington state to upstate New York. When I contacted her, she’d literally been at her new home for an hour and a half and was still waiting for her household goods to arrive. Given all that, I decided it was better to push the release date out further than I’d like to because I figure it’s better to give my readers the happy surprise of an earlier than anticipated release than the to disappoint them with a longer than expected delay. (Presuming any one will invest that much emotionally in one of my books.) So that’s the long answer. The short answer is January 24th, t the latest. I don’t like to be a nag, but because the release date isn’t firm, when it does release on Amazon (and the other major sites), I’ll send a nudge to remind to you.<br />
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I do hope you’ll like reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-58759321111686313322016-12-01T01:00:00.000-07:002016-12-01T01:00:03.201-07:00Thursday Writing Quote ~ King<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Memoir-Craft-Stephen-King-ebook/dp/B000FC0SIM/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1478109551&sr=1-1&keywords=king+on+writing&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=d256a78ab0bf1ac128e8bf1752bc0344" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000FC0SIM&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><b>The most important things to remember about back story are that (a) everyone has a history and (b) most of it isn’t very interesting. Stick to the parts that are, and don’t get carried away with the rest. Long life stories are best received in bars, and only then an hour or so before closing time, and if you are buying ~ Stephen King</b><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B000FC0SIM" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-83467549883488317142016-11-27T01:00:00.000-07:002016-11-27T01:00:03.726-07:00Nuggets for NovemberLooking for slang or jargon? Or maybe alternatives for cuss words? This is a very useful post for the "wordy" in all writers.<br />
<a href="http://annerallen.com/slang-jargon-insider-lingo-11-ways-to-find/">http://annerallen.com/slang-jargon-insider-lingo-11-ways-to-find/</a><br />
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A great post about blurb writing<br />
<a href="http://www.adazing.com/the-perfect-blurb/">http://www.adazing.com/the-perfect-blurb/</a><br />
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Do you need an editor? And what kind of editor?<br />
<a href="http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2016/11/no-you-dont-need-to-pay-for-a-copy-edit-except-when-you-do.html">http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2016/11/no-you-dont-need-to-pay-for-a-copy-edit-except-when-you-do.html</a><br />
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A thought provoking article about how to make the unexpected twist believable<br />
<a href="http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/write-unexpected-story-events/">http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/write-unexpected-story-events/</a><br />
<br />
In defense of to-be verbs<br />
<a href="http://annerallen.com/should-you-eliminate-was-from-your/">http://annerallen.com/should-you-eliminate-was-from-your/</a> <br />
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marketing for the holidays<br />
<a href="https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/2016/10/25/book-promotion-for-holiday/">https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/2016/10/25/book-promotion-for-holiday/</a> Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-79882275730119996252016-11-24T14:16:00.004-07:002016-11-24T14:16:59.198-07:00Music for Thanksgiving Dinner<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zPx2t7xoF1k" width="459"></iframe>Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-67311020667044565122016-11-20T01:00:00.000-07:002016-11-20T01:00:00.231-07:00Shopping for that Impossible-to-Buy-For Friend - the movie editionBlack Friday is just around the corner, so I figure this isn't a bad time to do another installment of shopping for that hard to buy for friend. This time, I'm focusing on movies and TV.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Game-Thrones-Season-Peter-Dinklage/dp/B008CLI4N4/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1474905625&sr=1-6&keywords=game+of+thrones&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=a9fd365d5271d3830a416e8913831d2f" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B008CLI4N4&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
Do you know someone who's a fan of fantasy? I'll be they'd love <a href="http://amzn.to/2cwxXCv" target="_blank">Game of Thrones. </a><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B008CLI4N4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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This is the hot series in fandom at the moment. It's very well done, though seriously, adults only.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Outlander-Season-One-Caitriona-Balfe/dp/B00RGQ4674/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1474905782&sr=1-4&keywords=outlander&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=a4f16faf4beb75de4838cb836ff8335c" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00RGQ4674&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
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Any one who is a Diana Gabaldon fan or who loves time travel or Scottish romance will love <a href="http://amzn.to/2ddvJZv" target="_blank">Outlander.</a><br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B00RGQ4674" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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Really books to premium cable networks, that's the way to go for quality adaptation.<br />
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Not everything has to be the latest, hottest series. You can find some real bargains in older series. Some have stood up well. And did I mention you can find some real bargains?<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/SOAP-Complete-Billy-Crystal/dp/B00VX21VR0/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1474904828&sr=1-1&keywords=soap+tv+series&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=7083a7a3d02e243daf9a03dee07601a9" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00VX21VR0&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
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One of my favorites is <a href="http://amzn.to/2cX90mJ" target="_blank">Soap.</a><br />
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And incredible ensemble cast, and you can pick up all four seasons for under $20.<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B00VX21VR0" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/WKRP-Cincinnati-Complete-Gary-Sandy/dp/B00KYCA4QY/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1474904930&sr=1-1&keywords=wkrp+in+cincinnati+complete+series+dvd&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=bea761f1c61dd74c8b1801dcddda50ec" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00KYCA4QY&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2dtRcPm" target="_blank">WKRP in Cincinatti</a> is on my personal wish list now that all the seasons are out. It's sad that they weren't able to get rights to all the great music they used on the original show, but I've seen the first season and it's still incredibly funny. How can it not be with Dr. Johnny Fever?<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B00KYCA4QY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/3rd-Rock-Sun-John-Lithgow/dp/B00BM2JVAA/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1474907377&sr=1-1&keywords=third+rock+from+the+sun+complete+series&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=349ef5460db9504b99428c5bd5e64b2a" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00BM2JVAA&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
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Another comedy that's aged well is <a href="http://amzn.to/2cXhDOb" target="_blank">Third Rock from the Sun</a> <br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B00BM2JVAA" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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John Lithgow will do anything for a laugh and so will the rest of the cast. Aliens are never as funny as Tom, Dick and Harry... and of course Sally.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hamish-MacBeth-Collection-Robert-Carlyle/dp/B000SINSYO/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1479621706&sr=8-1&keywords=hamish+macbeth+dvd&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=966ceb50fd7e6a433cb35ea7fc64452e" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000SINSYO&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
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As ensemble casts go, it's hard to beat <a href="http://amzn.to/2g7zOUs" target="_blank">Hamish MacBeth</a>. This BBC America series is insanely funny. The only thing wrong with it was that it only lasted three seasons.<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B000SINSYO" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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If you have a friend who's a fan of <a href="http://amzn.to/2d0FsIm" target="_blank">Star Trek</a> or <a href="http://amzn.to/2ddEeUi" target="_blank">Star Wars</a>, you can always check to see if their collection is complete or...<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Babylon-5-Complete-Seasons-1-5/dp/B002DUJ9Q6/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1479620983&sr=8-1&keywords=babylon+5&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=43d7d2fd9cee850424e85402a1e667bc" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B002DUJ9Q6&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
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You can go with my favorite and introduce them to <br />
<a href="http://amzn.to/2fg0CRb" target="_blank">Babylon 5</a> <br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B002DUJ9Q6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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If this was being made today, it would be on a premium cable network. It has a stellar cast and a great story arc that spans five seasons.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-Science-Theater-3000-Anniversary/dp/B00H3JJCQE/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1474906256&sr=1-4&keywords=mystery+science+theater&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=7188c54d148432e77b4780050525a270" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00H3JJCQE&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
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I have a friend who LOVES bad science fiction movies. (Hey, it's not my place to judge.) Understandably, she also loves <a href="http://amzn.to/2d0Dyax" target="_blank">Mystery Science Theater</a>.<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B00H3JJCQE" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Monty-Python-Grail-Graham-Chapman/dp/B013P0X0E4/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1474905076&sr=1-5&keywords=monte+python&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=22dd4d0e287c3b05b2b9601c8856ad98" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B013P0X0E4&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
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And of course, one shouldn't forget Monte Python. I'm inclined to recommend starting with <a href="http://amzn.to/2ddtSnG" target="_blank">Monte Python and the Holy Grail</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B013P0X0E4" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> but if you're a fan, really any of them will work.<br />
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<a href="http://amzn.to/2cwwmws" target="_blank">The Mel Brooks Collection</a> is a real steal at $30, especially since it gets you nine movies. Come on. That's less than $5 a movie.<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mel-Brooks-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B007LNBS2I/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1474905434&sr=1-1&keywords=mel+brooks&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=f62902c956f3bc87102bd612a08bb8d9" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B007LNBS2I&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a>Disc 1: The Twelve Chairs<br />
Disc 2: Blazing Saddles<br />
Disc 3: Young Frankenstein<br />
Disc 4: Silent Movie<br />
Disc 5: High Anxiety<br />
Disc 6: History of the World - Part 1<br />
Disc 7: To Be or Not to Be<br />
Disc 8: Spaceballs<br />
Disc 9: Robin Hood: Men in Tights<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B007LNBS2I" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
So those are my top choices.Other series that had large followings include <a href="http://amzn.to/2dtU7rb" target="_blank">Friends</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2dwwC3y" target="_blank">Sex in the City</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2dwwC3y" target="_blank">The Walking Dead</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2dtZWEX" target="_blank">Beauty and the Beast</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2ddDte8" target="_blank">Mash</a>, <a href="http://amzn.to/2d3P2Yn" target="_blank">The Big Bang Theory</a>, <br />
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One word of caution. If a series was made on a premium cable network like HBO, some of the content may not be appropriate for households with minors (I'm looking at you, Game of Thrones), so take that into consideration.<br />
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You'll probably have a hard time not picking something up for yourself. Go for it. Some of these are incredible deals.<br />
<br />Happy shopping. <br />
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<br />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-34971106388588841612016-11-03T01:00:00.000-06:002016-11-03T01:00:10.767-06:00Thursday Writing Quote ~ King<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Memoir-Craft-Stephen-King-ebook/dp/B000FC0SIM/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1478109551&sr=1-1&keywords=king+on+writing&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=d256a78ab0bf1ac128e8bf1752bc0344" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000FC0SIM&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><b>Where do I get my ideas? The more pertinent question is…how do I make them stop? ~ Stephen King</b><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B000FC0SIM" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-84147876183174699992016-10-30T13:43:00.000-06:002016-10-30T13:43:02.580-06:00Nuggets for OctoberThis is the very best analysis of how to write subtext that I've ever read.<br />
<a href="http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/5-ingredients-need-story-subtext/" target="_new">www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/5-ingredients-need-story-subtext/</a><br />
<br />
Another one from KM Weiland. She's on fire with this post about how to pick the right antagonist.<br />
<a href="http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-choose-the-right-antagonist/">http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-choose-the-right-antagonist/</a><br />
<br />
Janice Hardy has a post on Anne R. Allen's blog about how to fix that unfinished novel. Good thoughts to help you analyze what wrong.<br />
<a href="http://annerallen.com/finish-novel-fix-fatal-flaws/">http://annerallen.com/finish-novel-fix-fatal-flaws/</a><br />
<br />
Thoughts on how get from one scene to the next<br />
<a href="http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2015/01/getting-from-one-scene-to-the-next.html">http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2015/01/getting-from-one-scene-to-the-next.html</a><br />
<br />
Coming up with a title can be hard. This may help.<br />
<a href="http://annerallen.com/book-titles-10-tips-choose-right-title/">http://annerallen.com/book-titles-10-tips-choose-right-title/</a> <br />
<br />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-72251557878933436592016-10-27T01:00:00.000-06:002016-10-27T01:00:24.178-06:00Thursday Writing Quote ~ Snyder<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Save-Cat-Blake-Snyder-ebook/dp/B00340ESIS/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1464227642&sr=1-1&keywords=blake+snyder&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=fb783763870dd4c3e81a267cab486563" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00340ESIS&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><b>But here’s my little trade secret that I put into every All Is Lost moment just for added spice, and it’s something that many hit movies have. I call it the whiff of death. I started to notice how many great movies use the All Is Lost point to kill someone. Obi Wan in Star Wars is the best example — what will Luke do now?? All Is Lost is the place where mentors go to die, presumably so their students can discover “they had it in them all along.” The mentor’s death clears the way to prove that. But what if you don’t have an Obi Wan character? What if death isn’t anywhere near your story? Doesn’t matter. At the All Is Lost moment, stick in something, anything that involves a death. It works every time. Whether it’s integral to the story or just something symbolic, hint at something dead here. It could be anything. A flower in a flower pot. A goldfish. News that a beloved aunt has passed away. It’s all the same. ~ Blake Snyder</b><br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00340ESIS" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-9648398519246580362016-10-25T00:58:00.000-06:002016-10-25T00:58:30.290-06:00Tuesday ~ The Haunting of Hill HouseI first became aware of <a href="http://amzn.to/1VcdyqW" target="_blank">The Haunting of Hill House</a> by Shirley Jackson when I was about ten and saw the movie (the original 1963 version, not the remake which is total crap.) This is, in my opinion, the best of the best when one is talking about ghost stories and haunted houses. A true classic.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00INIXLRK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Haunting-Hill-House-Penguin-Horror-ebook/dp/B00INIXLRK/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1460174485&sr=8-1&keywords=the+haunting+of+hill+house&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=f4915fcfd7ef32fadf2d4eecb8aa4c30" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00INIXLRK&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><u>Blurb:</u><br />
First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's <i>The Haunting of Hill House</i>
has been hailed as a perfect work of unnerving terror. It is the story
of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill
House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a
"haunting"; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless,
fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the
future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be
merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is
gathering its powers—and soon it will choose one of them to make its
own.<br />
<br />
<br />
<u>Opening:</u><br />
No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.<br />
<br />
<u>Teaser:</u><br />
Hill House has an impressive list of tragedies connected with it, but
then, most old houses have. People have to live and die somewhere, after
all, and a house can hardly stand for eighty years without seeing some
of its inhabitants dies within its walls.<br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhyphenhyphenoq5w4dCJOOKGD5aTHkY-cAJN74nbEPXjHVNlZrzhVIbajmY6LCN-LGrVWhxOwmGv6SO6mCepKTiOzUsenYg85MB5o-51zDZnq2lL16VkEsm9t5TJsKIUkfAU3CZM_smB8a7_7OZIY/s1600/teaser+tuesdays+button.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhyphenhyphenoq5w4dCJOOKGD5aTHkY-cAJN74nbEPXjHVNlZrzhVIbajmY6LCN-LGrVWhxOwmGv6SO6mCepKTiOzUsenYg85MB5o-51zDZnq2lL16VkEsm9t5TJsKIUkfAU3CZM_smB8a7_7OZIY/s200/teaser+tuesdays+button.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! <span style="font-family: inherit;">To see what others are sharing on the Teaser Tuesdays, check the comments at: <a href="http://adailyrhythm.com//" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://adailyrhythm.com/</span></a></span></span></b><br />
<b><br />
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</b> <b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt8IXlP6KE9CNwcEM__8gZon3SkBMbNSTf3T8bkVOmJf80b_pPG_DopIyfxJSH53lInLmvmjSishTRBBbzDThztesKA82QDin4P0e7snz3G7edx4esdXDnWXDV63eS40-dUMbvT2b9Sg/s1600/fistchap.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt8IXlP6KE9CNwcEM__8gZon3SkBMbNSTf3T8bkVOmJf80b_pPG_DopIyfxJSH53lInLmvmjSishTRBBbzDThztesKA82QDin4P0e7snz3G7edx4esdXDnWXDV63eS40-dUMbvT2b9Sg/s1600/fistchap.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></b> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></b> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you are reading. Here's the link:</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><a href="http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Bibliophile By The Sea</span></a></span></span></b><br />
<b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00OM9OKEC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b>Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-8086288779601826172016-10-20T01:00:00.001-06:002016-10-20T01:00:15.111-06:00Thursday Writing Quote ~ McKee<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Story-Structure-Substance-Principles-Screenwriting-ebook/dp/B0042FZVOY/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471479574&sr=1-1&keywords=robert+mckee&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=6f83382b819b1d08f3d5d859fe121bca" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0042FZVOY&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><b>You must do it this way.” A principle says, “This works … and has through all remembered time. ~ Robert McKee</b><br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B0042FZVOY" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-22740783588145700342016-10-18T01:00:00.000-06:002016-10-18T01:00:07.139-06:00Tuesday Teaser ~ Anna Dressed in BloodThough I'm a few years behind the curve in reading <a href="http://amzn.to/2b2oYbQ" target="_blank">Anna Dressed in Blood</a> by Kendare Blake, I love finding something new in the horror field.<br />
<div id="iframeContent">
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B004V9O52U" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Anna-Dressed-Blood-Book-ebook/dp/B004V9O52U/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1459037504&sr=1-1&keywords=anna+dressed+in+blood&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=f73503331572052bb8cb2634c112319f" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004V9O52U&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><u>Blurb:</u><br />
Cas Lowood has inherited an unusual vocation: He kills the dead.<br />
<br />
So did his father before him, until he was gruesomely murdered by a ghost he sought to kill. Now, armed with his father's mysterious and deadly athame, Cas travels the country with his kitchen-witch mother and their spirit-sniffing cat. Together they follow legends and local lore, trying to keep up with the murderous dead—keeping pesky things like the future and friends at bay.<br />
<br />
When they arrive in a new town in search of a ghost the locals call Anna Dressed in Blood, Cas doesn't expect anything outside of the ordinary: track, hunt, kill. What he finds instead is a girl entangled in curses and rage, a ghost like he's never faced before. She still wears the dress she wore on the day of her brutal murder in 1958: once white, now stained red and dripping with blood. Since her death, Anna has killed any and every person who has dared to step into the deserted Victorian she used to call home.<br />
<br />
But she, for whatever reason, spares Cas's life. <br />
<br />
<i>Anna Dressed in Blood</i> is a 2011 <i>Kirkus</i> Best Teen Books of the Year title. <br />
One of NPR's Top 5 Young Adult Novels of 2011.<br />
<br />
<u>Opening: </u></div>
The grease-slicked hair is a dead giveaway--no pun intended.<br />
So is the loose and faded leather coat. though not as much as the sideburns. And the way he keeps nodding and flicking his Zippo open and closed in rhythm with his head. He belongs in a chorus line of dancing Jets and Sharks.<br />
<br />
<u>Teaser:</u><br />
I jerk my head toward Thomas and immediately curse myself for trying to be a smartass. My head is not healthy enough for smartassery.<br />
<br />
<b><br />
</b> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhyphenhyphenoq5w4dCJOOKGD5aTHkY-cAJN74nbEPXjHVNlZrzhVIbajmY6LCN-LGrVWhxOwmGv6SO6mCepKTiOzUsenYg85MB5o-51zDZnq2lL16VkEsm9t5TJsKIUkfAU3CZM_smB8a7_7OZIY/s1600/teaser+tuesdays+button.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhyphenhyphenoq5w4dCJOOKGD5aTHkY-cAJN74nbEPXjHVNlZrzhVIbajmY6LCN-LGrVWhxOwmGv6SO6mCepKTiOzUsenYg85MB5o-51zDZnq2lL16VkEsm9t5TJsKIUkfAU3CZM_smB8a7_7OZIY/s200/teaser+tuesdays+button.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: small;">Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! <span style="font-family: inherit;">To see what others are sharing on the Teaser Tuesdays, check the comments at: <a href="http://adailyrhythm.com//" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://adailyrhythm.com/</span></a></span></span></b><br />
<b><br />
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</b> <b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt8IXlP6KE9CNwcEM__8gZon3SkBMbNSTf3T8bkVOmJf80b_pPG_DopIyfxJSH53lInLmvmjSishTRBBbzDThztesKA82QDin4P0e7snz3G7edx4esdXDnWXDV63eS40-dUMbvT2b9Sg/s1600/fistchap.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt8IXlP6KE9CNwcEM__8gZon3SkBMbNSTf3T8bkVOmJf80b_pPG_DopIyfxJSH53lInLmvmjSishTRBBbzDThztesKA82QDin4P0e7snz3G7edx4esdXDnWXDV63eS40-dUMbvT2b9Sg/s1600/fistchap.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></b> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></b> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you are reading. Here's the link:</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><a href="http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Bibliophile By The Sea</span></a></span></span></b><br />
<b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00OM9OKEC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b>Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-53081055731671178912016-10-16T01:00:00.000-06:002016-10-16T01:00:14.551-06:00Shopping for that Impossible-to-Buy-for Friend - the cat lover's editionSo last month, I posted about finding the perfect gift for hard-to-buy for people (like me), and I promised more posts on the subject. This month, I'm going to focus on the cat lover because I know a little something about the subject (being one myself.)<br />
<br />
First comes my disclaimer: I've never seen any one product work for all cats. No, not even a spray bottle. (I think my cat thinks it's a game.)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Go-Pet-Club-Tree-Beige/dp/B003WGGWQA/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1472165449&sr=1-7&keywords=cat+tree&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=e46c349b53ea6c30431775a67a9975f5" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B003WGGWQA&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><a href="http://amzn.to/2bmR3uj" target="_blank">Cat trees</a> are always interesting for cats. They can range from quite simple to very elaborate. Amazon even has some for under $25. You should definitely read reviews when buying one, with an eye for something solid. You don't want one that wobbles when your cat jumps from level to level. <br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B003WGGWQA" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Soft-Claws-Cats-System-Medium/dp/B00074W45I/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1474757012&sr=8-6&keywords=nail+cover+for+cats&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=c94d105c359cd18dbc3c959fb3d085ca" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00074W45I&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00074W45I" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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I only recently became aware of <a href="http://amzn.to/2dfnWPZ" target="_blank">nail caps</a> for cats, so I don't have first hand experience with it yet, but it's an interesting idea. The friend of a friend who has used them said she had her vet put them on her cat, and so far, she likes them. I don't know how often they'd have to be replaced. And I suspect they wouldn't work for my cat (he's a chewer. I can't imagine him leaving them alone.)<br />
<br />
They come in all kinds of colors and are also available for dogs. Best of all they're inexpensive, so it's not a huge risk to try them. If you do, please let me know how your experience went.<br />
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Cat-Scratch-FURNITURE-PROTECTOR-Furniture/dp/B005C4JZXM/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1472163029&sr=1-7&keywords=cat+tree&refinements=p_36:2661612011&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=305222cefe0c49cd95ad31791145beac" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B005C4JZXM&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><a href="http://amzn.to/2bSN4qV" target="_blank">Cat Scratch Guards</a> furniture protector - I don't have experience with this particular product, but I want to. Cats have a need to sharpen their claws. The only sure fire cure is getting them declawed, but even though my cat is a strictly indoor cat who seems to have no interest in going outdoors, I can't convince myself to do it. That means I have to look for other ways to defend my furniture. This product has good reviews, so it looks promising. Even if it's not exactly what you want, you can check out the related products on Amazon's page.<br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B005C4JZXM" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/PetSafe-ScatMat-Training-Medium-inches/dp/B0007NWNM8/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1472163994&sr=1-4&keywords=scat+cat&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=1c31bff5ff711f5e3de191f736c05d73" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0007NWNM8&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a>The <a href="http://amzn.to/2bSO3Yh" target="_blank">Scat Cat Mat</a> is a product I have experience with and I love it. My cat thinks a spray bottle is a game, a race to see who's faster, him or me with the bottle. I couldn't keep him off the counters or the table. And even if I could when I was around, cats understand they can get away with things "when she isn't looking." This can be run off a 9-volt battery and has three settings (the highest will deter even large dogs) or you can buy an AC adapter. It delivers a little zing intermittently and cats don't like it. And in the training stages, it even provides entertainment.<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B0007NWNM8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wNnQoVKtbFI" width="480"></iframe><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Omega-Paw-Self-Cleaning-Litter-Regular/dp/B0002DK2A8/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1472165763&sr=1-12&keywords=cat+box&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=2c65b7c0d53736d5500b9e9ec77e7bd2" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0002DK2A8&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
<br />
Litter boxes aren't something I usually get excited about, but I have one of <a href="http://amzn.to/2bK2kJw" target="_blank">these</a> and, as litter boxes go, I love it. You simply roll the box to the right and all the dirty litter goes into the drawer you then remove and empty. Yes, there are electric ones out there that scrape the litter every time the cat uses it, but I have a friend who bought one of those early on and it kept breaking. It was on warranty, so she got several replacement ones until she finally gave up on it. Maybe they've gotten better. I haven't felt the need to check because this is so easy to use. They also come in a larger size.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B0002DK2A8" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Pureness-25-Pound-Food-Container-Wheels/dp/B0017JHZVA/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1472166249&sr=1-12&keywords=cat+food+bin&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=d31abba6c1d244031b4353165fe06011" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B0017JHZVA&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a>I have a <a href="http://amzn.to/2bK34ym" target="_blank">food bin</a> for my cat's dry food. Why? you might wonder. Because my cat will chew through the bag to get at the Iams. Yes, I have a chewer. Amazon delivery boxes cannot sit around my house because my cat will turn them into confetti. So I got this. It was actually a birthday present. Something I asked for because... you know... I'm that hard-to-buy-for friend.<br />
<br />
I love that it has wheels, so I can roll it forward to fill it.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B0017JHZVA" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/SmartyKat-Fish-Catnip-Crinkle-package/dp/B009YQ5IQC/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1474757636&sr=1-7&keywords=crinkle+cat+toy&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=d00dea0bcc58dfe6e8bde6f3b5c9c4bf" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B009YQ5IQC&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><a href="http://amzn.to/2diCbPV" target="_blank">Crinkle Fish</a> are one of those toys that I can personally attest that your cat will love. Or not. I cat-sat a cat named Walter for the better part of year who absolutely adored these things. He would effectively elbow my cat out of the way to get to them and he would carry them all over the house to play with them. Somewhere in my house, there is a pile of these, but I can't find them. Once I left the drawer where I stashed these just a little bit open and the next thing I knew, the fish, card and all, was on the living room floor because Walter had to have them. Sadly, Puss is more take-it-or-leave-it about these. Maybe because Walter never gave him a chance at them. Or probably because there really is no universal cat toy. In any case, they're cheap, so it's not going to create a financial hardship to try them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Priscillas-Organic-Catnip-Pet-Kitty/dp/B00PHM49H6/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1474758261&sr=1-12&keywords=catnip&linkCode=li2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=7468c70d15884c18a611b7b0f7e3a2bf" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00PHM49H6&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
If there IS a universal cat toy, it's <a href="http://amzn.to/2dsx4jd" target="_blank">catnip</a>. I've been told that a small percentage of cats don't show an interest in it, but frankly, I've never met one. <br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B009YQ5IQC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li2&o=1&a=B00PHM49H6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
And a clip of a catnip overdose seems like a great way to end this post.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fuvQ1KQeHDM" width="480"></iframe><br />
<br />
Would love to hear from anyone who has a cat toy that's popular with your cat. Or your dog.<br />
<br />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-3214344518619635402016-10-13T01:00:00.000-06:002016-10-13T01:00:04.806-06:00Thursday Writing Quote ~ Farrell<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Write-Your-Own-Adventure-Story/dp/0756516382/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1464228488&sr=1-7&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=7f6c0291914b961929db425680d1fb97" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0756516382&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><b>All adventure stories need antagonists to challenge the heroes. These can be natural enemies – sea storms, breaking dams, great white sharks – human enemies, or both. To add as much excitement as possible, you need to show why these opponents are so dangerous. ~ Tish Farrell</b><br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=0756516382" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-70927294389014184532016-10-11T00:16:00.000-06:002016-10-11T00:21:14.640-06:00Tuesday Teaser/Opening ~ Heart-Shaped Box<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Shaped-Box-Joe-Hill-ebook/dp/B004O0UTVM/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&keywords=joe%20hill&qid=1460174570&ref_=sr_1_5&s=digital-text&sr=1-5&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=f5742b8985c6e62e7210e90262cf0fa3" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004O0UTVM&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><b>There's little I like better than a good ghost story, and </b><b><b>with Halloween on the horizon, it's the perfect time for me to re-read</b>. <a href="http://amzn.to/1THhmP9" target="_blank">Heart Shaped Box</a> by Joe Hill.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B004O0UTVM" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b><br />
<b><u>Blurb:</u></b><br />
<div id="iframeContent">
<b>Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals . . . a used hangman's noose . . . a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.</b><br />
<blockquote>
<b><i>I will "sell" my stepfather's ghost to the highest bidder. . . .</i></b></blockquote>
<b>For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts—of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>And suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door . . . seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang . . . standing outside his window . . . staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting—with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand. . . .</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<b><u>Opening:</u></b><br />
<b>Jude had a private collection.</b><br />
<b>He had framed sketches of the Seven Dwarfs on the walls of his studio, in between his platinum records. John Wayne Gacy had drawn them while he was in jail and sent them to him. Gacy liked golden-age Disney almost as much as he liked molesting little kids; almost as much as he liked Jude's albums.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><u>Teaser:</u></b><br />
<b>He understood that the ghost existed first and foremost within his own
head. That maybe ghosts always haunted minds, not places.</b> <br />
<br />
<b><br />
</b> <b></b><br />
<b>How about it? Are you ready for a good Halloween read?<br />
</b> <b></b><br />
<b><br />
</b> <b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt8IXlP6KE9CNwcEM__8gZon3SkBMbNSTf3T8bkVOmJf80b_pPG_DopIyfxJSH53lInLmvmjSishTRBBbzDThztesKA82QDin4P0e7snz3G7edx4esdXDnWXDV63eS40-dUMbvT2b9Sg/s1600/fistchap.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt8IXlP6KE9CNwcEM__8gZon3SkBMbNSTf3T8bkVOmJf80b_pPG_DopIyfxJSH53lInLmvmjSishTRBBbzDThztesKA82QDin4P0e7snz3G7edx4esdXDnWXDV63eS40-dUMbvT2b9Sg/s1600/fistchap.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></b> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></b> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you are reading. Here's the link:</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><a href="http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Bibliophile By The Sea</span></a></span></span></b><br />
<b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00OM9OKEC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b><br />
<b></b> </div>
Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-76877259845382238802016-10-06T01:00:00.000-06:002016-10-06T01:00:11.747-06:00Thursday Writing Quote ~ Snyder<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Save-Goes-Movies-Blake-Snyder-ebook/dp/B002TKFEZ0/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471478897&sr=1-3&keywords=blake+snyder&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=d6fd05ba27dc4f485dd5871ff0e42761" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B002TKFEZ0&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><b>To be a screenwriter is to deal with an ongoing tug of war between breathtaking megalomania and insecurity so deep it takes years of therapy just to be able to say “I’m a writer” out loud. ~ Blake Snyder</b><br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B002TKFEZ0" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-14036612671984543742016-10-04T01:00:00.000-06:002016-10-04T01:00:14.082-06:00Tuesday Teaser/Opening ~ The HarrowingIt's that time of year--the run up to Halloween--when my thoughts turn to horror. I'm rather picky with horror, so I'm mostly rereading some of my favorite scary reads. I'm especially fond of ghost stories, so that's likely to dominate my reading for the coming weeks.<br />
<br />
I'm starting with <a href="http://amzn.to/25QtMJi" target="_blank">The Harrowing</a> byAlexandra Sokoloff. It's got a creepy eerie vibe through most of the book. I recall being less enthusiastic about the ending that I was about the rest of the book, but it has a lovely creepy vibe through most of it, and the ending wasn't all that bad (as I recall). Horror is perhaps the hardest genre to get the ending right, so I'm willing to revisit this because I really liked the eerie sensation that present through most of the book.<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B006K5RVXI" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Harrowing-Ghost-Story-Alexandra-Sokoloff-ebook/dp/B006K5RVXI/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1460176814&sr=8-1&keywords=the+harrowing&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=51b1dae8ef1c5cbb46798f7530f3124d" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B006K5RVXI&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><u>Blurb:</u><br />
Baird College's Mendenhall echoes with the footsteps of the last home-bound students heading off for Thanksgiving break, and Robin Stone swears she can feel the creepy, hundred-year-old residence hall breathe a sigh of relief for its long-awaited solitude. Or perhaps it's only gathering itself for the coming weekend. <br />
<br />
As a massive storm dumps rain on the isolated campus, four other lonely students reveal themselves: Patrick, a handsome jock; Lisa, a manipulative tease; Cain, a brooding musician; and finally Martin, a scholarly eccentric. Each has forsaken a long weekend at home for their own secret reasons. <br />
<br />
The five unlikely companions establish a tentative rapport, but they soon become aware of a sixth presence disturbing the ominous silence that pervades the building. Are they the victims of a simple college prank taken way too far, or is the unusual energy evidence of something genuine---and intent on using the five students for its own terrifying ends? It's only Thursday afternoon, and they have three long days and dark nights before the rest of the world returns to find out what's become of them. But for now it's just the darkness keeping company with five students nobody wants and no one will miss.<br />
<br />
---- Nominated for the Bram Stoker and Anthony Award for Best First Novel ---- <br />
<br />
<u>Opening:</u><br />
It had been raining since possibly the beginning of time.<br />
In the top tier of the cavernous psychology hall Robin Stone had long since given up on the lecture. She sat hunched in her seat, staring out arched windows at the downpour, feeling dreamily disconnected from the elemental violence outside, despite the fact that every few minutes the wind shook the building hard enough to rattle the glass of the windowpanes.<br />
<b><br />
</b> <b><br />
</b> <b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt8IXlP6KE9CNwcEM__8gZon3SkBMbNSTf3T8bkVOmJf80b_pPG_DopIyfxJSH53lInLmvmjSishTRBBbzDThztesKA82QDin4P0e7snz3G7edx4esdXDnWXDV63eS40-dUMbvT2b9Sg/s1600/fistchap.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt8IXlP6KE9CNwcEM__8gZon3SkBMbNSTf3T8bkVOmJf80b_pPG_DopIyfxJSH53lInLmvmjSishTRBBbzDThztesKA82QDin4P0e7snz3G7edx4esdXDnWXDV63eS40-dUMbvT2b9Sg/s1600/fistchap.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></b> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span></b> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you are reading. Here's the link:</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><a href="http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Bibliophile By The Sea</span></a></span></span></b><br />
<b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00OM9OKEC" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b>Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-3176600109618355892016-10-02T01:00:00.000-06:002016-10-02T01:00:02.091-06:00Real-Life Plot Holes and Fake NarrativeI have a policy that my politics and religious beliefs should not be part of my platform as a writer, but with the fuss Donald Trump's comments on immigration created when he first threw his hat in the ring, it got me thinking about the issue of illegal immigration again. I've always felt there was something a little dicey about the entire issue, but this time, I must have had my writer's hat on because I realized that there's a plot hole in the narrative.<br />
<br />
So before I really dig into this, let me make a couple of things clear. I am by training, a cynic. (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for making me a critical thinker.) I don't trust either political party. I don't trust individual politician. Too often, they say one thing in public but their votes say something else. The Democratic party gets heat from me because for most of the last sixty years or so, they've been the dominant party in congress and the country is a mess. The Republican party gets heat from me because, when they do come to power, they mill around like idiots who never expected to win and have no game plan, and then when they do settle in, they're no better at solving problems than the democrats. At the voting booth, it makes me feel as though I'm picking between Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee.<br />
<br />
I'm also a contrarian, which means I tend to lean away from popular explanations. <br />
<br />
So don't think I'm coming down on the Democrats here because of party affiliation. I'm coming down on them because they've had the power to fix this problem (hey, they passed the Affordable Health Care Act [aka Obamacare] without a single Republican vote). So why couldn't they fix the immigration problem? The obvious answer is: they didn't want to.<br />
<br />
So how does this become a plot hole?<br />
<br />
Well, that boils down to the word "illegal."<br />
<br />
What makes something illegal? That's simple. It's against the law. Who makes the laws? Congress.<br />
<br />
For as long as this has been an issue, I've heard a number of argument for these people being here. The big one seems to be that they do work Americans won't. That farmers need the migrant workers to pick their crops. There are probably others, but I stopped listening to them ages ago. I'm not going to argue whether the reasons are legitimate because it's a complex issue and it has nothing to do with plot holes. But my logic says if Congress believes there are good reasons to allow these people into the country, they should hammer out an immigration policy that allows them to come here LEGALLY. (Remember, they're the ones who have the power of defining what's legal and what isn't.)<br />
<br />
So the second question becomes <i>WHY</i> haven't they?<br />
<br />
Again, the obvious answer is: because they don't want to.<br />
<br />
So Congress wants the people here, and they want them here as illegals.<br />
<br />
If I read that in a book, their motives would be suspect.<br />
<br />
Here's another plot hole.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WM3IBW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007WM3IBW&linkCode=as2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=AIXGCDWPQKELWWMG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B007WM3IBW&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a>I recently read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007WM3IBW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007WM3IBW&linkCode=as2&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=AIXGCDWPQKELWWMG">The Demon You Know: A Demon Hunting Soccer Mom Short Story (Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom)</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007WM3IBW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
by Julie Kenner<br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007WM3IBW" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Here's a summary of the book:<br />
<br />
The Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series features Kate Connor, a retired demon hunter and mom of two forced back into business when a demon crashes through her kitchen window. <br />
<br />
Now Mom has been retired for several years and is out of practice, so she signs up for a self-defense course to sharpen her skills. She also signs up her fourteen year old daughter, but it's almost an afterthought. Really? This is a woman who knows there are demons out there and didn't put her daughter in some kind of self-defense course long ago?<br />
<br />
Now there aren't demons in our world, but according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 23% of women who have "experienced rape, physical
violence, or stalking by an intimate partner, first experienced some
form of partner violence between 11 and 17 years of age." (http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teen_dating_violence.html) And that's statistic doesn't even count violence from a stranger.<br />
<br />
And yet girls aren't routinely taught self defense.<br />
<br />
What does that tell us about how deeply we as a society really believe "our children are our future."<br />
<br />
Lip service is what I call it.<br />
<br />
It would be so easy to integrate self defense into PE classes and it would certainly be more useful than playing girls' basketball which is what I remember from eight grade PE.<br />
<br />
Trust me. The youngest generation in my immediate family is going to be better prepared. I've already looked into it and you can enroll four year olds in Tai Kwan Do.<br />
<br />
Which brings up what our farce of a justice system does with offenders.<br />
<br />
I have a friend in Washington whose second husband molested her eleven year old daughter. Bless her, the moment my friend found out, she booted him. And then she pressed charges. His sentence? Probation. And he was told to stay away from minors. Yeah, that should teach him. But then he started dating a woman with a young daughter. They did catch him and haul him back to court, but all they did was scold him. Yes, our children are our future. And if you believe that, I have a lovely bridge in Brooklyn you can buy cheap.Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-52897090984083615792016-09-29T01:00:00.000-06:002016-09-29T01:00:23.101-06:00Thursday Writing Quotes ~ Hemingway<b><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Old-Man-Sea-Ernest-Hemingway/dp/0684801221/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1471478063&sr=8-2&keywords=hemingway&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=5f40dd8d304f8be00f0d5991fddabe08" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0684801221&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a>As a writer you should not judge. You should understand. ~ Ernest Hemingway</b><br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=0684801221" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-61868207322962796012016-09-25T01:00:00.000-06:002016-09-25T03:17:34.305-06:00Shopping for that Impossible-to-Buy-For Friend<b>Originally, this post was titled <i>Christmas Shopping for that Impossible-to-Buy-For Friend</i>. Yes, I know. It's not even Halloween yet, let alone Thanksgiving, but I started putting this post together months ago, thinking it would be a fun pre-Christmas post. What I didn't expect was that the post would grow the way it has. I already have enough stuff for at least four blog posts and there's no sign of stopping. And then I got to thinking, well, birthdays happen year round and there's wedding and graduations that come up. So maybe I'll try posting one of these every month or two and see how it goes.</b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSXe3s1uDKTa0tCGoV9js3Xsrzalb5eMfqPu5YF0dC6IAfbFhZm_DN8gAzFMLOVfUO6jjwYf9qSVhpFcES5JNGHdiHoaRziakDu8AzTJzfg9ADnRB80KqnNl48Qqj_W4r9u2ji7RWfCw/s1600/blog+nightmare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivSXe3s1uDKTa0tCGoV9js3Xsrzalb5eMfqPu5YF0dC6IAfbFhZm_DN8gAzFMLOVfUO6jjwYf9qSVhpFcES5JNGHdiHoaRziakDu8AzTJzfg9ADnRB80KqnNl48Qqj_W4r9u2ji7RWfCw/s200/blog+nightmare.jpg" width="172" /></a>So what qualifies me to write about gift giving for hard-to-buy-for </b><br />
<b>people? Well, in my circle, I'm that hard-to-buy-for person. Frankly, I'm your basic Nightmare Before Christmas. But if I do say so myself, I'm really good at buying the right gift for others, so I thought I'd give you some insight on how I do it.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>The most important thing about getting the right gift for someone is simple.</b><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: large;">PAY ATTENTION</span></b></div>
<b><br /></b>
<b>Listen for clues all year long. Back when my Christmas list was longer, it was normal that all my shopping would be done before Thanksgiving simply because, in the back of my mind, I listened for that voice in my head that said, "So-and-so would love this." If that voice spoke in February, I bought that gift in February. Strike through one name on the list.</b><br />
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<b>So how do you know the gift will be perfect. Again, you listen. You're friends will often give you ideas. The clue may come in a
conversation you have in May, two weeks after their birthday *sigh* but
it will come. And Christmas always rolls around. Once you master this
skill, you <i>might</i> remember in December what they said in May, but
until you reach that level of proficiency, make a note somewhere. Build a
wishlist on Amazon if you have to, so you'll remember. And there's an
advantage to having that list. If you check it regularly, you're more
likely to see when something goes on sale. Imagine that. The perfect
gift AND a bargain! </b><br />
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cg7Ez7yLNaupzLo_Xm_8f71iJcu2GEE4vaC9UJWozQ-euEK-s3lttjUOI07Xmt5sIvh2pbGTdoNyF86bnUR6z40EOYi-UPl9ip5S8qRpDYa0SXs5oXuD0S-8dhThjCtZ2wsyuk1Mw4Q/s1600/blog+socks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Cg7Ez7yLNaupzLo_Xm_8f71iJcu2GEE4vaC9UJWozQ-euEK-s3lttjUOI07Xmt5sIvh2pbGTdoNyF86bnUR6z40EOYi-UPl9ip5S8qRpDYa0SXs5oXuD0S-8dhThjCtZ2wsyuk1Mw4Q/s200/blog+socks.jpg" width="200" /></a></b><br />
<b>The hardest part about shopping this way, I found, is that I can get so excited about having the perfect gift, it's hard to keep my mouth shut about it. That usually passes in a couple of weeks. Once, I nearly blabbed about "the great gift I got you" but at the last second, I changed my script to "Socks. I got you socks."</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>I've even helped friends find the perfect gift. Once, a friend mentioned that her daughter wanted a cameo broach. I was big into consignment store shopping at the time (Seattle has THE BEST consignment shops I've ever seen.) A couple of weeks later, I was in one of those shops and saw they had a couple of very nice broaches. I alerted my friend and she went down and bought one. Turned out to be worth far more than she paid for it because it was an antique. You can really find some treasures in places like that.</b><br />
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<b>Some of my best coups have been things that weren't under the tree.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>I have a friend who loves to entertain. That includes making dinner. I hadn't figured out what to get her that year and it was a month before Christmas. Then I opened a <a href="https://www.groupon.com/" target="_blank">Groupon</a> email and they had a deal on French cooking lessons. Now being able to surprise the recipient is nice, but in my book, it's secondary to getting the perfect gift. I called her and asked, "Would you like this?" She said yes, so I bought it. She didn't redeem it until February, but she said she had a ball at the class. And I got dinner--Chicken Cordon Bleu (one of my favorite foods)--out of the deal. I'd call that a win-win.</b><br />
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<b>Then there's the "event" present. Last year, I took my niece and her husband to see Star Wars. Not the premiere. None of us felt the need to see it the night it came out. But we did see it in 3D at the local IMAX. </b><br />
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<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrmrAsh1ruzWr1iCSFw4bW38QLnFie-09YBr3MZtswIlAiH1Cc6uslBS0clFLwdqCyWvaHw-9ly1ShAkbSKPx3COsSyVLxSTBZ4Y3IlZdkgNHzg3wvmH6UunJZNibilywa9iLR9LLN4E/s1600/phantom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="126" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrmrAsh1ruzWr1iCSFw4bW38QLnFie-09YBr3MZtswIlAiH1Cc6uslBS0clFLwdqCyWvaHw-9ly1ShAkbSKPx3COsSyVLxSTBZ4Y3IlZdkgNHzg3wvmH6UunJZNibilywa9iLR9LLN4E/s200/phantom.jpg" width="200" /></a>And one year, I took my best friend to see <i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> when the Broadway show came to town conveniently near her birthday. That was fun for both of us. She's one of my few friends who was actually good at getting me gifts because she does a lot of "event" gifts too. Things like Neil Diamond or Stevie Nicks concerts.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Event or activity gifts have the bonus of a memory that will last long after a physical present has lost it's luster, but they do work best when you know the recipient well enough to pick the right event.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>For those you don't know well enough, there's always movies or music or books, and I may explore this more thoroughly in the future.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>If all inspiration fails, the one thing that works well is to simply ASK that hard-to-buy-for person what they want. Trust me. As someone who has received a lot of gifts I wouldn't have bought for myself (Really. Not even if I had a million dollars.) it's better to get your family and friends something they're excited about even if it's not a surprise than to give them a surprise dud.</b><br />
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<b>So now that I've warmed you up to this idea, what do you think? Good idea?</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>How do you shop for difficult people? Any coups you'd like to share? </b><br />
<b><br /></b>Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-50943967567522664242016-09-22T01:00:00.000-06:002016-09-22T01:00:28.862-06:00Thursday Writing Quote ~ Hesse<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fairy-Tales-Hermann-Hesse-ebook/dp/B01FIEOT0E/ref=as_li_ss_il?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471478334&sr=1-10&keywords=hermann+hesse&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=b15d162f2c1aea8cd7cb28aa7030c569" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B01FIEOT0E&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><b>Among the many worlds that man did not receive as a gift from nature but created out of his own mind, the world of books is the greatest… Without the word, without the writing of books, there is no history, there is no concept of humanity. And if anyone wants to try to enclose in a small space, in a single house or a single room, the history of the human spirit and to make it his own, he can only do this in the form of a collection of books. ~ Hermann Hesse</b><br />
<br />
<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B01FIEOT0E" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-45995453424823548202016-09-15T01:00:00.000-06:002016-09-15T01:00:23.493-06:00Thursday Writing Quote ~ Parker<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Laguna-Heat-T-Jefferson-Parker-ebook/dp/B00G4IT73I/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1464228325&ref_=la_B000AQ4ULE_1_5&s=books&sr=1-5&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=99ff0ea6265930b4a5657619590b5666" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00G4IT73I&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><b>When my story stalls on me, I’ve played my hand too soon. ~ T. Jefferson Parker</b><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00G4IT73I" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-46172082386152224162016-09-08T01:00:00.000-06:002016-09-08T01:00:01.891-06:00Thursday Writing Quote ~ King<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Writing-10th-Anniversary-Memoir-Craft/dp/1439156816/ref=as_li_ss_il?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1460921797&sr=1-1&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=439cf5348437ec412e9c2a6786ec5b9e" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1439156816&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a>One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you're maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones. This is like dressing up a household pet in evening clothes. The pet is embarrassed and the person who committed this act of premeditated cuteness should be even more embarrassed. ~ Stephen King</b><br />
<b><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=1439156816" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></b>Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-19147712393796036182016-09-06T00:30:00.000-06:002016-09-06T00:30:07.687-06:00Tuesday Teaser/Opening ~ Agent Zigzag<span style="font-size: large;">There's not much I like better than a good spy story except for a good, true spy story. <a href="http://amzn.to/1OjzN6n" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="a-size-extra-large" id="ebooksProductTitle">Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal</span></span></span></a><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> by Ben Macintyre is a true spy story, so it's right up my alley.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B000VSW7SO" style="border: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Agent-Zigzag-Story-Espionage-Betrayal-ebook/dp/B000VSW7SO/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2&redirect=true&ref_=x_gr_w_glide_bb&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=bfe0c3aa63251c6b7f56050212b24bee" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B000VSW7SO&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><u>Blurb:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Eddie Chapman was a charming criminal, a con man, and a philanderer. He was also one of the most remarkable double agents Britain has ever produced. Inside the traitor was a man of loyalty; inside the villain was a hero. The problem for Chapman, his spymasters, and his lovers was to know where one persona ended and the other began. Based on recently declassified files, <i>Agent Zigzag</i> tells Chapman’s full story for the first time. It’s a gripping tale of loyalty, love, treachery, espionage, and the thin and shifting line between fidelity and betrayal.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><u>Opening:</u></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The policemen agreed they were living with a most peculiar fellow. One moment he was reading classical literature in the original French and quoting Tennyson, and the next he would be discussing the best way to blow up a train. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">What do you think? </span><br />
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</b> <b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt8IXlP6KE9CNwcEM__8gZon3SkBMbNSTf3T8bkVOmJf80b_pPG_DopIyfxJSH53lInLmvmjSishTRBBbzDThztesKA82QDin4P0e7snz3G7edx4esdXDnWXDV63eS40-dUMbvT2b9Sg/s1600/fistchap.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLt8IXlP6KE9CNwcEM__8gZon3SkBMbNSTf3T8bkVOmJf80b_pPG_DopIyfxJSH53lInLmvmjSishTRBBbzDThztesKA82QDin4P0e7snz3G7edx4esdXDnWXDV63eS40-dUMbvT2b9Sg/s1600/fistchap.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
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</span></span></b> <br />
<b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Share the first paragraph (or a few) from a book you are reading. Here's the link:</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #222222;"> </span><a href="http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #674ea7;">Bibliophile By The Sea</span></a></span></span></b>Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-31725448193728140272016-09-04T01:00:00.000-06:002016-09-04T01:00:16.739-06:00Research odds and ends and one pet peeveIt's really fun to share these, but posting them here also has the added benefit of giving me somewhere to look when I vaguely remember reading something useful "somewhere." So here's what struck me as interesting in the last month or so.<br />
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"A human female skeleton has a more rounded pelvis, more rounded shoulder blades, and thinner bones than male skeletons. Women tend to have narrower rib cages, smaller teeth, less angular jaws, less pronounced brow ridges, and a small protuberance at the back of the skull; the carrying angle of the forearm is more pronounced in females than in males." (from <a href="http://amzn.to/2aXJjir" target="_blank">The Skeleton Crew</a> by Deborah Halber)<br />
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The most common phrase in suicide notes is "I'm so tired."<br />
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A thirty-second earthquake generally has a magnitude in the mid-sevens. A
minute-long quake is in the high sevens, a two-minute quake has entered
the eights, and a three-minute quake is in the high eights. By four
minutes, an earthquake has hit magnitude 9.0. (<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one">http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/07/20/the-really-big-one</a>)<br />
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If you ever have to write battles but you're not a tactician, two books that might spark ideas (or work as models) are <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mis%C3%A9rables-Centaur-Classics-greatest-novels-ebook/dp/B01A7XU6XU/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471360886&sr=1-4&keywords=victor+hugo+les+miserables" target="_blank"><i>Les Miserables</i></a> by Victor Hugo and <a href="http://amzn.to/2aXKbUl" target="_blank"><i>Texas</i></a> by James Michener. <i>Les Mis</i> has way more information about the battle of Waterloo than I ever desired to know and section VI of <i>Texas</i> explains clearly not just how the Alamo was taken but how Mexico won subsequent battles, and the remarkable battle at San Jacinto where Sam Houston's 900-man army outfoxed Santa Ana and his army of 1,200 in a battle that lasted a mere eighteen minutes, ending the war with Mexico.<br />
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Moose, unlike other members of the deer family, can kick in all directions, including sideways. <br />
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Due to postmortem fermentation when a body is not kept cool after death,
there can be “false positive” blood alcohol reports up to 0.20 grams/% (http://www.atlantainjurylawblog.com/uncategorized/blood-alcohol-scores-after-death-can-be-false-positive-up-to-0-20.html)<br />
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And as promised, one pet peeve.<br />
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Hazel eyes are not some shade of light brown. They are not brown with green flecks. They are either brown with green around the iris or green with brown around the iris (true hazel.) I know this because hazel eyes run in my family. My dad had them, I have them, and my youngest niece has them. Also, green eye shadow does not make them look green; it makes them look brown. And visa versa. And when you're pupils dilate, they look whatever color the outside of the iris is (in my family, that's green.) Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8481366597096394318.post-74272456419119977722016-09-01T01:00:00.000-06:002016-09-01T01:00:16.975-06:00Thursday Writing Quote ~ Cherryh<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Morgaine-Cycle-ebook/dp/B00SI02BAG/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&qid=1464227984&ref_=la_B000APR80U_1_3&s=books&sr=1-3&linkCode=li3&tag=fallinlovew01-20&linkId=7f91ffe9a4cb76dc450da563929a123f" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B00SI02BAG&Format=_SL250_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=fallinlovew01-20" /></a><b>It is perfectly okay to write garbage-as long as you edit brilliantly.” ~ C. J. Cherryh</b><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="//ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=fallinlovew01-20&l=li3&o=1&a=B00SI02BAG" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><br />
<br />Suzie Quinthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03111067679903509683noreply@blogger.com1