/benCH mark/

/benCH mark/

Noun
A standard of excellence, achievement, etc, against which similar things must be measured or judged.

6-23-13
Today is the Day Before a Benchmark for Courtney and her writing career. It is the day that way back in 2007 she only hoped would become a reality.

Tomorrow is the first, the one by which all others to come will be measured and experienced and compared. Because tomorrow her debut novel, Faking Normal, becomes Real to the writing world; not just for Courtney and her family and her friends and her editors at Harper Collins. 

Ta Da - drumroll, please ~
June 24, 2013 is the cover reveal for Faking Normal. There will be a celebration among friends, there will be blogs and giveaways and surely, many congratulatory tweets.

It was barely one year ago that Harper Collins bought Courtney's books, giving her the means to become a full time writer, as she wanted and dreamed.  Eight months from now, on February 25, 2014, her book will be in the hands of people who have supported and encouraged her in the writing community ... and on bookstore shelves and in libraries and blogs.

I always believed it would happen ~ on that nebulous someday. And now, as Twitterdom would say, ALL THE FEELS!

I pray there will be many more cover reveals in the future, but this one is the first and special;  there can never be another first. As a wise editor in NYC once asked her about a different manuscript, "Is this the book you want to become your debut? Go home and write the book you are meant to write."

The answer and the action to that question resulted in Faking Normal!
And tomorrow, you all get to SEE.

I'm so excited (oh, yeah), so pleased and happy for Courtney, and I can't wait until tomorrow! Congratulations, my sweet baby girl! I love you.

Cheap Thrills

I read an article recently where the author advised folks to take advantage of the simple and beautiful things that are all around but perhaps ignored. It was about appreciation, satisfaction, and the act of finding joy without the trappings of hype or great expense. I liked many of the things on the author’s list, and it made me think of starting my own list of things I think about, but don’t do enough. This may be an on-going post that I’ll add to as things occur to me.

The other author labeled her list as “cheap thrills.” And for the most part, they are. At least they start that way … some of us may be tempted to tweak a “thrill” a little and actually buy something. But that’s up to the individual!

1. Ride a bike or take a walk on a beautiful spring day (or summer or fall).

I live in the country. Riding my bike, I pass a few homes, and then there’s only a straight stretch of country road lined with budding trees and wild flowers growing along the ditches and fields, a few antique barns, and various silos. And a bridge. Sometimes, I stop on the bridge to see what I can see. There’s a creek that actually acts as a drainage ditch for the farmer, but it’s still a creek with rounded stones and little ripples and living things. Frogs chirp, birds sing, minnows swim, and once, I saw a water snake. I have no idea what kind it was – I don’t like snakes – but it lay in the shallow water basking in the sun. And probably watching for something to bite (and this is why I wouldn’t swim in a creek). Once along the way, after a heavy rain that filled the ditches with run-off water, I passed a snapping turtle that had ventured onto the road. It’s shell was about the size of a small garbage can, and it was my first “up close and personal” view of this type of turtle. I’ve always thought of turtles as fairly cute and harmless. Snapping turtles are not cute. Or harmless. They LUNGE at you!

2. Make a list of the thrift stores or consignment stores in the area, prime the GPS, and check them out.

It’s true that this might not turn out to be exactly cheap (but at least, it starts off that way). I like the idea of recycling, of repurposing, of not wasting what we have. When we no longer need something, perhaps someone else will, and that’s a good thing. And it makes for a leisurely day. Go with a like-minded friend, have coffee somewhere, and that makes it even better. (Notice I said “like-minded” friend – the hubs is not like-minded, in my case).

3. Along the same theme, peruse the classifieds one Saturday in the spring or summer, and head out to yard sales in an unfamiliar neighborhood or town.

Again, love the GPS! Yard sales are a hoot, and there are two varieties.  I avoid the ones that are practically all clothes – mostly that no one wants. (The exception is a yard sale that advertises clothes for children or babies. There are gems hidden among the racks and tables, because often these clothes are still in good condition and style. Children outgrow things so quickly, so there are bargains.) The other type of yard sale is more interesting to me. There will be odd pieces of furniture, vases, decorative items, picture frames and old stuff from someone’s attic or basement and exercise equipment. People buy exercise equipment with good intentions, but there is nothing worse than a room made crowded because of unused equipment. It sits there, taking up space, while it practically glares at you, accusing you of sloth and fatness! (Get rid of it, they think, and recoup a little of the wasted money spent on it!). I am a sometimes crafter. Crafters can find inexpensive jewels to repurpose at yard sales. If nothing else, the imagination takes a wild ride and nourishes itself with possibilities.

4. Check out a flea market, antique store or antique consignment store.

This is one of my favorite things to do; unfortunately, it’s one of my husband’s least favorite things to do. He takes a book and finds a seat (and he’s *mostly* very nice about it). I love grubbing along at these places. You never know what you’ll find, and many things are interesting because you have no idea what they are. I like talking to the vendors and hearing them explain some gadget’s former use. I have a country home, so I collect things. I usually have a list of current things to watch for. Many years ago, I collected crocks of all sizes, and now they decorate my home. I also searched for children’s vintage building blocks with the intention of lining them up on a shelf to spell our names. I have my husband’s, the children’s, and mine on display. Since then I’ve acquired a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren. Oh, darn (factiously written), I’ll have to start searching again. I have a collection of tiny glass or crockery cream jars – the kind that restaurants gave you when you ordered a cup of coffee long before the days of powdered or packaged creamer. I love old things, the way they look, and the way they make me feel. I like looking through the small, locked glass cases – they hold the little things, jewelry, cards, medals, spoons, tiny little toys and dolls, all fascinating things from bygone days. My home is full of antiques and primitive pieces of nostalgia. Some are family pieces, stored away in the barn and rescued to live again; a spinning wheel, a churn, quilts, front porch posts from the home place made into candle and plant stands. There is a blanket chest, an old school desk and a child’s rocker, a doll bed, a ladder made by my grandfather, baskets woven by my grandmother, doll clothes and dolls sewn by another grandmother. And so much more, all mingling with sweet memories and precious thoughts of family. I’ve bought things at antique stores ranging from a dollar to eight hundred dollars! It doesn’t matter – if it calls out to you, a “cheap thrill” may suddenly turn into an expensive (but satisfying) day!

5. Go downtown to window shop.

Downtowns are not malls and each downtown has its own variety of fun. My downtown has many unique stores, museums, coffee shops, art studios and antique places. There are comic books, chocolate, vintage clothing, and books. Enjoy the period architecture. Enjoy the stroll. Support these small but interesting establishments.

6. Attend a high school baseball or softball game.

Pick a warm, sunny day and take your own lawn chair. You may not know the kids on the field, but you can enjoy the competition, the pride on the face of parents, and a child’s triumph after a good play. Also the sunshine. It might take you back to the days when you watched your own children play, and that’s a neat thing.

7. Attend one of those themed “festival” days at a nearby city.

You know the type – there’s a parade and lots of outdoor booths filled with totally unnecessary (but fun) things and a lot of unhealthy food. There are crowds of people and the atmosphere spells ENJOY. There’s probably nothing otherwise redeeming in this kind of day - not in terms of the very valuable - but people watching is free and easy. And Fun, especially when you spend it with someone you love.

2. Go Sky-diving.

Okay. NOT! (This is a “tip my hat” at the fact that this is April Fools Day.) Because never in my wildest dreams have I EVAH thought about jumping out of an airplane … with anything less than horror, that is. Not happening.

 

    

There's Nothing a Good Book Won't Fix

There's Nothing a Good Book Won't Fix

I woke up this morning with a book on my mind. There’s a good reason for that. I went to sleep last night with a book on my mind, and it lived in my dreams.

I LOVE books. I love reading. I adore being transported to other worlds, living the life of a main character for a little bit of time, thrilling in the magnificent imagery stuck in my brain by a creative wordsmith; and equally, I love knowing it isn’t real. I can leave it at any chosen moment if it makes me cry, if it creeps me out, if it makes me feel deeper than I have the capacity, at that moment, to bear.  I love these things about books.

Victoria Schwab wrote in her book The Archived, “There’s nothing that a hot shower won’t fix.” I’d add to that thought ~ There’s also nothing a good book can’t fix. (Hold that thought – that’s another topic).

And so, I need to read every day, in almost the way I need to breathe. Reading is an addiction, and a good book is the cure. I made the remark, once, that my “dream job” in a “dream world” would be working in a library. (Hey, surrounded by books, but with no need to make change or have impatient customers standing over me as I learn to use a computerized cash register – easy peasy). But I have often wondered how librarians truly feel about their work – are they frustrated by the hours they spend handling books without being able to open one and read it? Or does the anticipation thrill them? Does even the smell of books, their dusty, musty scent, make a librarian’s brain swell and burst open with buds of happiness? Sort of a “librarian, start your engines” kind of thing.

Which brings on another thought: I frequently see that continuing argument in Twitter-land and elsewhere about e-readers vs. paper and ink books (notice I didn't say "real" books). The groups weighing in on the “I’d rather hold a real book in my hands” side cite the smell and feel of books as a reason to support their argument. The group, generally, who have e-readers don’t spend much time arguing about the upside or the downside; they just read. I represent both sides and feel they are but one side. I have a dusty, musty library in my home, and it is filled with books I have read, some of them over and over. There are famous people who vow that any book worth reading the first time is worth at least a second read. I agree, and I love my home library. I am a keeper of books, never able to give away or get rid of the ones that touched my heart the first time I read them. Having said all that, I love my e-readers. I have a Kindle, a Nook and a Nook Tablet, each serving a different purpose in my reading life. An e-reader is like carrying a library in your purse, and its shelves are crammed with books for any mood or fantasy or place (and no need to worry about running out of shelf space). The convenience is amazing, as is the ease of turning pages when you need a second hand to do something else (feed a baby, hold a coffee mug, eat a cupcake, the possibilities are endless). I say that reading is reading … reading is about words forming pictures in your head, the transportation to another planet, the escape to peace or the bold daring of adventure … not the manner of serving them up.

We are a family of readers and writers. My dad came home from WW2 with the desire to write a book about his Pacific Theatre war experiences. Though he never wrote the book, the local historical society published his lengthy memoir in one of their collections. My mother tells of making up stories and illustrating them with a friend when she was young. She wrote her biography for her children, grandchildren and greats in 2007 when she was 85. My sister journals and will one day write the story of her first husband’s courage in the face of cancer. I wrote and illustrated stories my whole life and enjoyed the one class I took in writing, which resulted in short stories. My son grew up reading comics and graphic novels and illustrating story ideas; he’d love to co-author/illustrate a graphic novel one day. My cousin Matt is a published author of essays and non-fiction. When Courtney began writing for teens, I entered the world of writing and publishing with her and find it a delight every step of the way. It is the ultimate joy for this reader who would really write if only she could. The author community is a close-knit one; it is filled with people united in their love of words, who are always encouraging each other, who nudge other writers to raise their own personal bar, to move from one level of achievement to the next and who genuinely appreciate each other. I get to live my dream, vicariously, through my daughter’s ready imagination and creativity! I am very blessed and thankful.

A new pleasure ~ reading an author’s acknowledgement page and knowing some of the writers mentioned!

And now, let me get back to that book, the one I woke up with this morning!