To Esme

just finished a book titled the vanishing act of esme lennox and found it such a coincidence, although i don't really believe in coincidences, that i had chose one of my favorite short stories from college to read aloud at my "friday night art group" and that very story is sited in the reading guide to the vanishing act of esme lennox. i didn't know that they were connected on paper but it my mind, they were because i had chose to share the short story "the yellow wallpaper" by charlotte perkins gilman before i picked the book up. what attracted me to the book was the similar theme of the mistreatment of women. how if they didn't comply with the current social mores, they were put away, into an asylum or worse burned at the stake. this is a scary theme to me as i was brought up by a strong, independent artist mother that would have been burned had she been born back then. she was often called "joan of ark of the 60s" by her friends due to her rebelliosness and independent thinking. the book was a nice read, the pace was quick and i was anxious to find out what happened next. the characters were deep. it sometimes confused me because they went back and forth in time and between charactes without really explaining who was thinking or talking etc. but i figured it out eventually. i found esme's character interesting but iris, the young woman discovering her families history, was a little weak in regards to her behavior and relationships. she seemed to be floating along without any real intent as to where she wanted to go. kind of shame considering she came from such a strong lineage of women. i would recommend it for the sake of learning about how things were back then for women. it will make one appreciate our freedom today, to read what we want, write what we want, live with whom we want....

Lost

feeling a little lost this morning. sad. lonely. so much inside but nowhere to put it. no one i want to share it with. no one i feel truly wants to listen, to share in return, to take this feeling to the next level. so i'll sit with it. i'll feel it myself. i'll cry. i'll dream. i'll fantasize. i'll regret. i'll wish. i'll create a space i can survive in for now. until it comes back again.i am reading a book titled - the seven stairs: an adventure of the heart by stuart brent. it is about a man with a dream and an obsession with books. it is about his opening a book store in chicago and striving to make it what he envisions as an intellectual, creative meeting place for authors, readers, publishers and everything in between. he shares his struggles and his success and we meet many characters that come into his life, some to buy books, some to write books, some to fund his endeavors, some to try to control him, others to give him a means to flourish and others to ignite the fire within him to keep pursuing his dream.i'm enjoying it. some parts a little slower than others but overall, i love books about books and the book industry so i can't complain. i find that i love reading most things written from a book lover like myself as we are a little weird and have a slightly different way of looking at the world. our priorities are a little skewed towards buying a book versus paying a utility bill.

Booking Through Thursday

Live and In-Person October 11, 2007
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:01 am

I said in August, when we talked about fan mail, that I planned on expanding that to live meetings when the time was right. Well, that time is now!

Have you ever met one of your favorite authors? Gotten their autograph?
Yes, Hollis Gillespie and yes more than once and yes she signed the books. My favorite signing with her was at a small coffee shop in Midtown where she signed my book "To a fellow writer slut, good luck with your writing". The title of that book of course was "Confessions of a Recovering Slut and Other Love Stories" so it was apropos.

How about an author you felt only so-so about, but got their autograph anyway? Like, say, at a book-signing a friend dragged you to?

I bought Alice Hoffman's book "Skylight Confessions" at a book signing and talk at The Margaret Mitchell House because she was such an interesting speaker, she talked a lot about her writing process instead of just the book. I like to hear about any artist's process of creation. I can read the book on my own but I can't get inside the author's or artist's head without them allowing it. I had read another of her books years before "Here on Earth" which was subsequently made into a movie. It wasn't all that great and at the event, that title seemed to be the least liked by everyone so I do eventually plan to read "Incantation" as I would like to read more of her mystical writing that the audience seemed to really love about her stuff.

How about stumbling across a book signing or reading and being so captivated, you bought the book?

I've never stumbled across a book signing but did buy a book by an author I'd never heard of at a literary festival because he was so interesting. It was called "The Every Boy" and the author is Dane Adams Shapiro. He was just so darned likeable I had to support his craft.

Another Manic Monday Theme: Track
Rules for Manic Monday: use the word track or tracksin a post. Anyway you want. Just have FUN with it!

Growing up in New Mexico in the foothills of the mountains, I loved to wander through the desert searching for animal tracks. I was never sure what had been there before me. I recognized the slithering trail left by a snake. I always noticed my cat's paw prints. He, like me, loved to wander about looking for life. Scorpions, lizards, tarantulas, wild rabbits and many more critters were all part of my life in the desert. Some were dangerous and I was repeatedly told to stay away from for fear of getting stung or bitten with venemous results. This didn't stop me from being curious and wanting to see these dangerous things up close. I think it made it more exciting to know they could kill and would with the slightest bit of provocation.
Animal tracks to this day bring a feeling of gratitude. I'm grateful that they are still here on earth, that they haven't been totally destroyed. I am honored we are allowed in their space, their home, they certainly aren't honored to be in ours.

Weekend Wordsmith

Mountains
MOUNTAINS ~ Do you live in the mountains? Or perhaps you have a mountain of laundry? This twilight photo shows Lookout Mountain and the southern part of Chattanooga.

I was born in New Mexico with several mountain towns surrounding my hometown, Cloudcroft, Highrolls, & Ruidosa. As I get older, the memories of driving up to the Apple or Cherry festivals, taking hayrides through the pine trees, chopping wood for the fireplace, building a campfire and so many more, mean the world to me. I miss the view of the mountains and the feeling of safety being surrounded by their looming presence. I miss the smell of a campfire, of pine needles and fresh, crisp mountain air. I have family in Denver and plan on living in Colorado at some point in my life. Its the only place that I can say brings tears to my eyes the minute I get out of the airport and see the Rockies.

Sunday Scribblings

sorry -- no scribble this week!



no scribble

no dribble on the end of a pen

no sighs

no cries from deep in my chest

no second

guessing which direction to take

the freedom

of permission to stop

to listen

to watch

to be

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Sixty Three

Appetizer: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how much do you look forward to your birthday?
5ish -this year I turned 40 which I was dreading all year long but once it came, it wasn't so bad. Over the years, I have started to dislike celebrating holidays of any sort and I'm trying to figure out why. One reason is that I hate consumerism and buying things just because its a holiday or for no apparent need. Another reason might be that when a big deal is made leading up to anything, it usually doesn't live up to my expectations so I'm a little disappointed. Wow, I sound like such a scrooge but just trying to be honest and evaluate my intentions....

Soup: What is one word you don’t like the sound, spelling, or meaning of?
Liar

Salad: Do you wear sunglasses when you’re outside? If so, what does your current pair look like?
Ocasionally, they are brown with a little bit of a leapord print that is barely noticeable.

Main Course: If you were to write a book, to whom would you dedicate it?
My mother, Junanne Peck

Dessert: Name a beverage that you enjoy.
A tall Breve Vanilla Latte

Booking Thru Thursday

Do you have “issues” with too much profanity or overly explicit (ahem) “romantic” scenes in books? Or do you take them in stride? Have issues like these ever caused you to close a book? Or do you go looking for more exactly like them? (grin)

I don't have an issue with "romantic" scenes or profanity but when it comes to acts of violence, rape or torture, I have a hard time with reading it especially before going to sleep as I will have nightmares. I put the "Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini down when it came to a brutal sexual scene that wasn't really explicit but you knew what was happening. Eventually I picked it back up and finished it. I felt that if a book could make me feel like I was there and have that strong of an emotional response, it was worth completing. I'm glad I did as it redeemed itself by the end. I guess if there is profanity and sex just to provide shock value, I can live without it.

Ten on Tuesday

10 Television Shows You'd Like to Have (or Have already) on DVD
1. Weeds
2. The L Word
3. Six Feet Under
4. Thirty Something
5. Once & Again
6. My So Called Life
7. Sex in the City
8. House
9. Cold Case
10. Ally McBeal

[Next week: 10 Things that Worry You]

My Authentic Self

# 79 - Powerful
I wrote a post recently about the feeling of power that children have, up to a certain age, when they believe they can do/be anything. It made me think about when I felt most powerful in my own life. So that's the prompt this week:When in your life did you feel the most powerful? Was it childhood? College? Now? What is that feeling like; what does it mean? Do you have power over your own life, or are you not feeling that so much these days? If you don't want to get serious, you might imagine superhero powers, and what you would do with them.Curious to hear what you'll say!

I feel like when I'm in between relationships or jobs or decisions, there is a sense of freedom and power to create the life I want. The world is whatever I want it to be. My life is whatever I choose to create. It's not that being in a relationship or having a job is a bad thing obviously but I honestly feel that I sometimes feel "stuck" or "obligated". I know this to be my own perception and that I still have the freedom to make my own choices. It's just that other people are effected by my choices and this in itself limits the choices I have. I just had a birthday, the big 40 and with a 23 year old son, an 18 year old daughter, I now feel the sky is the limit in regards to how I choose to live my life. My authentic life is just beginning and I am sooooo excited.

NAMES
We name our children, we name our pets, we hate our names, we love our names, we get nicknames. What's your name story? If you want to explore puppy names, click HERE.


My name was chosen by a doctor/friend of my mothers. My mother asked her if she had any ideas of what my name should be and Carla was what she chose. I wasn't given a middle name because my mother didn't have one and I guess she thought I didn't need one. I hated it all through childhood that I didn't have a middle name so when I got divorced from my highschool sweetheart of 15 years, I took my maiden name back and added a middle name to my liking. Therefore I am now Carla Nikol Wilson. Remarried now but never changed my name, I worked hard to get that back and customize it. ha ha

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Sixty Two
September 28th, 2007 Category: The Feasts, 2007

Appetizer: How are you today?
Groovy

Soup: Name 3 television shows you watch on a regular basis.
Tell me you love me
Weeds
Californication

Salad: What’s the scariest weather situation you’ve experienced?
A hurricane when I was a baby but I don't remember it. My mother told me my crib was sliding across the room.

Main Course: If you could wake up tomorrow morning in another country, where would you want to be?
Paris, France

Dessert: What do you usually wear to sleep?
T-Shirt and boxers

Booking Through Thursday

Suggested by Marsha:
Buy a Friend a Book Week is October 1-7 (as well as the first weeks of January, April, and July). During this week, you’re encouraged to buy a friend a book for no good reason. Not for their birthday, not because it’s a holiday, not to cheer them up–just because it’s a book.
What book would you choose to give to a friend and why?
And, if you’re feeling generous enough–head on over to Amazon and actually send one on its way!

I would buy my friend at work

We Dare You: Scrapbook Challenges About Real Life (Paperback) by Kristina Contes (Author), Meghan Dymock (Author), Nisa Fiin (Author), Genevieve Simmonds (Author)

because this is a book we've been looking at for art project ideas. We just started a "Creative Group" with three of us from work and we assign a project each week to present to the group on Friday nights. Neither one of us has the money to splurge right now but we both love what it has to say. I've heard her mention how much she wants this book over and over.

Ten on Tuesday: 10 Things You've Been Putting Off

Ten Things I've been putting off....

1. Getting a car wash.
2. Taking the GRE to apply for graduate school.
3. Going for my yearly check up at the OB/GYN.
4. Going to the gym.
5. Dropping off clothes at the dry cleaners.
6. Writing.
7. Doing my weekly art project 2 other friends and I assigning eachother weekly.
8. Coloring my hair.
9. Paying my Ad Valorem Tax on my car.
10. Looking for another apartment to move to at the end of our lease.

Wow, now I feel like a loser....

Invent an Opposite

What is the opposite of a kiss?
What is the Opposite of green?
What is the opposite of a train?
What is the opposite of cake?
What is the opposite of a fence?
Now, use both the thing and its opposite in a story, poem or essay.

She could see the train coming up the track from a distance. She parked her bicycle against the pole and put the lock on it. He rode up on his bike and she couldn't look him in the eye, if she did, she knew she'd cry. He reached out to pull her face near his and she turned away to avoid a kiss. How could she share such intimacy in the last moments before she left him forever? She conisidered instigating a fight the day before. Maybe an argument would spark a rage and she could slap his face, pound her fists in his chest, scream and spit words of terror. Maybe this would make her leaving easier. No it wouldn't in the end. Nothing makes seperation easy. Not from someone you've allowed into your heart completely. She felt evil when she turned away. She knew he must feel rejected by her lack of eye contact and aloofness. As much as she hated to be that way, she had to protect herself from the shooting pain down her chest at the thought of this being the last time he'd see her, know where she was, what she was doing, how she was feeling. They would be strangers. To think he had no idea this was the end made it hard for her to breath. The night before, in that little Italian restaurant with candlelight and anniversary cake, she made a wish that he'd move on quickly once she was gone. That he wouldn't think of her everytime he ate cake at a birthday party or celebration, that he'd say, "No thank you, I'll take pie instead, I never was much of a cake lover." She looked at his dark green wool sweater, the one they used to fight over when it got really cold outside. She'd miss those little things they shared like clothes, coffee, music and books. She wrapped her brown scarf around her neck as the wind from the train picked up. She turned to say goodbye and he wasn't there. After settling down into a window seat, her tears began to fall as she looked out the window, she noticed him on the other side of a chain link fence. His arms stretched out wide open, grasping the metal tight enough to cut off his circulation. When their eyes met, they both knew it would be the last time.

OREO

OREO ~ Tell us about your favorite cookie. If you aren't a fan of this kind of cookie, choose another as your subject. If you have a favorite way to eat an oreo (or any cookie), tell us about it. Did you help your grandmother make cookies?Instructions are in the sidebar to the right

My favorite Cookies are all Girl Scout Cookies. I remember when I was growing up, I couldn't wait until Girl Scout Cookies went on sale. I always asked my mom why they didn't sell them in the grocery stores year round. Maybe their strategy is to build up anticipation to increase sales during that shortest of seasons.

My very favorite is the Samoa. I love the chewy carmel with the chocolate coating and coconut sprinkles. It almost reminds me of a candy bar but better. Someone once told me if I put them in the microwave for a few seconds, they get all warm and melted like a real Samoa. I have yet to try that since I like them just the way they are.

A close second would be the Thin Mints. I think I can eat an entire roll in one sitting with a big glass of cold milk.

Third would have to be Tagalongs with all of that peanut buttery flavor.

Wow, I'm getting hungry just thinking about all of these cookies, does anyone know when they start taking orders again?

Book Giveaway

Found a book giveaway to share with you. If you would like to win a personalized, signed copy of Veil of Roses, please leave a comment at

http://thewrittenword.wordpress.com/2007/09/13/one-year-at-the-written-word-and-a-giveaway/#comment-6493

by midnight EST time September 22nd to be automaticaly entered into the drawing.

Good luck!

Friday's Feast

Feast One Hundred & Sixty One
September 21st, 2007 Category: The Feasts, 2007
{Featured Flickr Feast by tclement}

Appetizer: What is your favorite type of art?

Writing first and foremost, music is next, collages are after that at the present moment with photography a millisecond behind. Of course as soon as I see art of another medium that touches my soul, my favorites can change. I reserve the right to change my mind right?

Soup: When was the last time you got a free lunch (or breakfast or dinner)? Who paid for it?

Dinner at Joey D's - a rack of ribs, fries and a salad last night with my husband before going to see a free sneak preview of "Heartbreak Kid".

Salad: On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how emotional are you?

Easily an 8 but if pmsing, a 12.

Main Course: Approximately how long do you spend each day responding to emails?

Maybe if I were to condense all of the minutes into one cluster instead of interspersed throughout the day, an hour.

Dessert: To what temperature do you usually set your home’s thermostat?

70 degrees usually but sometimes at night I'll drop it to 68 and curl up under the covers.

need some daily inspiration

i love the writing accountability through - memes? not sure what meme stands for, call me a little slow ha ha but would love to find more in order to do at least one per day. can anyone suggest more memes possibly for monday, tuesday, wednesday, friday, saturday, sunday? they really get me thinking and start my day off creatively. thanks for the input…

Sunshine and Roses

Sunshine and Roses September 20, 2007
Filed under: Wordpress — --Deb @ 1:02 am

The reverse of last week’s question:
Imagine that everything is going just swimmingly. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all’s right with the world. You’re practically bouncing from health and have money in your pocket. The kids are playing and laughing, the puppy is chewing in the cutest possible manner on an officially-sanctioned chew toy, and in between moments of laughter for pure joy, you pick up a book to read . . .
What is it?

Most likely I will have three books in progress (one non-fiction (usually a memoir), one fiction and usually one self improvement like motivational or new agey (The Power of Now)) and will pick one of those up. Nothing different than what I'd be reading in general. I find that the music I listen to changes depending on my mood rather than the reading. Currently I'm reading The House of Giants by Elizabeth McCracken and that is what I'd reach for today.