CNY Romance Writers Mini-Con feat. Anne Stuart, March 9-10, 2012

Central New York Romance Writers proudly announces their annual Mini-Conference! Join us March 9-10 at the Comfort Suites Hotel Syracuse/Cicero in Cicero, NY for an exciting weekend with bestselling author Anne Stuart. Anne will present a two-part workshop covering writing craft and industry. Visit http://www.cnyromancewriters.com for details and registration!

Excuse Me, But Your Attitude Is Showing

I notice as I get older that my personal mindset for the day has a lot to do with what sort of karma the world sends back to me. Even stranger is the fact that this mindset is a choice, not a foregone conclusion.

Let's face it: life is tough. It's hectic, and messy, and sometimes downright frustrating. But it is a choice to let that drag you down, and it can just as easily be a choice to take your lot with good humor.

I have a tendency to take myself and others too seriously. Sometimes another person's negativity sets me off on a bad tangent. But good cheer can be just as infectious, and it's certainly more fun when it is. I love when I meet someone who's so cheerful that it lifts my spirits just talking to them. And even if I have a rough day, that's the part I try to remember when it's all over. That determination not to let the world's tough breaks get to me is often the reason I keep getting out of bed in the morning. I gotta know what'll happen next.

Good karma finds people who are determined to find it. I made up my mind to have a full, productive day, in spite of how I felt when I rolled out of bed this morning. This afternoon, when I got home, I got an E-mail full of good karma. That put an awesome spin on my day. As they say ... Ooh-rah.

Chin up, fellow humans! Good karma is looking for you.

Workshop: "The Standout Scribbler: Catching an Editor's Eye"

I love the editing stage as a writer, and I love it even more as a teacher. One of my favorite things is helping authors fine-tune their craft. On March 3, I'll be presenting a workshop at the CNY Romance Writers on how to make your manuscript memorable to an editor. This workshop focuses on the five elements that make a terrific story, and where and how to apply them to your story.

The workshop is open to new and existing members of the CNY Romance Writers. If you're not a member, don't worry - you can still join us. Your first two meetings of the CNY Romance Writers are free. Come join us March 3 from 2:00-3:00 PM, and learn how to make your writing stand out! For more information, visit the CNY Romance Writers website. Hope to see you there!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Just a short post today to wish you and your loved ones a Happy Valentine's Day! Celebrate with a nice dinner with your sweetie, or a cup of hot cocoa and a great romance novel or mushy movie for yourself!

Houdini Cat (And How I Learned To Lose Gracefully)

It must be because spring's coming. My old cat, Skyler, now age ten ... ish ... has turned spry, and learned new tricks.

We got her from the pound, and she is by far one of the most affectionate cats who's ever owned me. She was always quite the butterball, but she's losing weight now that she's getting older. But with that weight loss, I seem to have gained an escape artist.

She zips outside when we open the door, and forget trying to get her back in until she's good and ready. She gets into cupboards. She gets into grocery bags. And she has figured out how to open our locking baby gate that separates the downstairs from the upstairs. (I think she even snickers at the clueless dog while she does it.)

Short of a lock-and-key system (and I'm pretty sure she'll figure that out, too), there's no keeping Skyler out of where she wants to be. Which is usually right next to me, so I don't have the heart to scold her. Now, I just reach down and scratch her behind the ears, and listen to her purring. And she's still one of the best cats I've ever owned. :)

Dreaming of Spring

Those seed supply centers are dumb like a fox. A few weeks ago, they started sending me their catalogs for the 2012 growing season. In the midst of ice and snow and cold temperatures (more or less; we've been lucky so far), who can resist the photos of blooming flowers and fresh produce?

Now is a great time to start planning what you want to grow in warmer seasons. This is when you have the time to map out what (and where) you want to plant. There's no rush, because you can't even plant until the last frost is over. It's a good time to look over what's available for your climate, light conditions, and growing zone. You can choose, realistically, what plants you can afford to buy or trade with others, and those edibles your family will actually use. No sense growing broccoli, if no one in your family's going to eat it! Alternatively, you can choose new vegetables your family might want to "kitchen test."



This will be the second year for my butterfly garden, and I expect everything's going to come back fuller and more vigorous. I'm hoping the milkweed will have gotten a nice foothold, and that it attracts many monarch butterflies. I have a couple varieties of butterfly bush, which is quite the magnet for many species. In addition, there are some empty spaces where I can put some new types of flowers to attract butterflies (and hopefully a hummingbird or two). I also have a shed to landscape. Hooray for blank canvases!

Finally, we have a raised-bed garden awaiting its spring planting. This year, we'll plant more of the really successful stuff. Last growing season, we ate leaf lettuce, baby spinach, and beet greens right up until frost. Definitely going to pack the box with those. I want to try more tomatoes and beans, too. I think we'll grow some sunflowers for the birds, out by the bird feeders. We get a couple volunteer sunflowers every year, from seeds that drop from the feeder and manage to take root, but seeing a cheerful patch of them out there every morning over my coffee will be a great way to start the day.

If you're in a cold climate, I hope you're dreaming of spring, too!