rhiannasamuels.com Blog

April 7, 2008

I love it when a story comes together

Filed under: ER nurse, The writer — Administrator @ 12:34 am

I love it when a plan comes together.  That was one of my favorite lines from the A team TV series, in the way back when. It works for the writing process also. I love it when you decide on the threads that will intertwine through out your plot. Then you begin to weave with all the threads to create something unique and perhaps poignant.  I have two stories that have now reached that point in my mind and on the page.

 

When I start a story, it generally begins as a simple beginning and ending. There is one event that defines the middle. I lean towards being a panster for dialogue, but I usually have the image for action and characteration. As I consider the story and often before I actually start to write, I have to build the mythology, the details that color the world. I like the imagery of a tapestry. The first step is the story in outline form, or the simple design.

 

The mythology/details are when I decide on the colors. Do I want vivid or murky for this section, should I choose forest browns and greens or bright yellows, pale greens or reds. Will there be birds and angels in the sky or an austere church. It has to be read enough to fall into.

 

More then the skies, the back round of the characters are for texture, bringing them to the forefront, so our eyes are drawn to them. Should this story be made from a hand made loom or manufactured. My preference is hand made with yarn and thread of many thicknesses. There are so many choices to make.

 

I realized yesterday as I wrote on my current wip, that it was suddenly forming a picture that I had not fully realized. Threads that I believed were there for their bulky texture would now become more prominent and extend further, even beyond this story. I love it when a story comes together.

 

On a completely different topic, this last week we had a toddler come in to the ED, who was resuscitated on the scene and survived long enough to spend a day or two in the hospital before his death.  It was child abuse and neglect. The other children had already been removed from this family. The last custody hearing for this child, the judge was recommended to not return him by the social worker and child protective services, but the child was placed back into this home.  HIs death is now on that judge, who I suspect will now carry the burden of his judgement upon his soul.

 

We see child abuse from neglect, physical to sexual abuse come through our doors. Not every day, but enough to have very strong opinions about people who preform cruel acts upon the innocent. I don’t think there is a person male or female, amoung our staff that would consider the death penalty too extreme for any one who kills a child through abuse. The two nurses that performed his SANE came away in tears.  

 

This topic is a well developed discussion among the nurses, doctors and law enforcement officers. I can recall some years ago the 18 month old who came to us with a cervical 2 fracture. One that made her a quadraplegic for life. I was all for the death sentence for that, breaking the neck of a baby. Perhaps it is why in my writing I found some justice along the way for those who could not demand it or make it happen. If you have read Shaking Off the Dust, then you’ll know exactly what I am referring to.

 

Perhpas the oddest thing that you might not know about me is that I still tend to trust people, despite the unsafe world we live in, I still want to believe there are good people, willing to make our lives better.

 

Rhianna

 

 

April 2, 2008

April Fools and all the Foolish Things We Do

Filed under: My Life — Administrator @ 1:46 am

 

 

Were I to make a list of all the foolish things I’ve ever done, it would be impressive and that does not include the great majority which are forgotten. My foolishness began with my first breath and I suspect will only end upon the last gasp as I leave this world. 

 

 

In youth, we are taught right from wrong and safe from hazardous, but are genetically programmed to tempt fate in reckless attempts to prove we are smarter, faster or more stubborn than those around us. We thrill to the idea of cheating death. I, for one, have the scars of my adolescence upon my body, heart and conscious. What a fool I was, with no concept of mortality, not yet aware of how precious live was. 

 

I offer advice to my youngest family members as they weave through the emotional mind fields of two faced friends and unrequited love, searching for the words to lessen their confusion and pain. But mostly, I remember how I was thrown onto those rocky shores in a time gone, with no wish to ever relive that portion of my life. Which is more foolish in youth, that we offer out hearts to the boys who haven’t a care for how they handle them: or to survive bruised and sometimes broken and then hide our love away, afraid of reliving that pain. 

 

As each decade come we are offered new and unique ways to make fools of ourselves. There are the times we squander our time on silly games, instead of learning a lesson that you will need to survive intact in the far off future. There are the times we should have played with our friends and neighbors to establish the bonds that link us for a lifetime. 

 

Love and fools are inexplicably tied together. It doesn’t matter your age, gender or race; our hearts make decisions independently of the brain. As a consequence we are always made to look the fool. Did we learn nothing in our youth? 

 

The pragmatic will submit that any dream that is not substantiated with the sure knowledge of success is foolish. I need to believe that your dreams can come true, much like Pinocchio. My dream to become a published author came true because I put in the time and wrote a novel that was considered good enough to be published. That was not foolish, that was work. It was only part of the dream though, I want to be a writer able to live comfortable off the proceeds of my novels and devote myself to writing full time. What makes this a foolish dream is that I have tied my heart and ego into the mix and it requires luck and good fortune as much as the work I put forth. 

 

I believe that in old age we should be allowed to be foolish, to act out and do things that are bad for us. I will have paid all my dues to the next generation and the one that just past. I worked to make the world a better place. I want everyone to say, “what a foolish old woman, with her fan collection and Lord of the Rings chess sets. She’s so odd, but damn, she can make me laugh.” 

 

Tell me about foolish you. 

 

Rhianna 

March 23, 2008

An Idea

Filed under: The writer — Administrator @ 10:05 pm

I have to admit I have been sitting here trying to think of metaphors for my existence in the world. The over used ripple in the ocean, or the innocuous fart on the wind.  I consider myself something more than the by product of human bio chemistry exchange.  And when I think of a ripple in the ocean it reminds me of all the saline tears of my life, in the end, neither suite. Don’t worry, I’m not all depressed or unworthy, but the writers mind was kicking it around for a moment and trying to sort through how best to begin today.

It’s Easter and I was thinking about the impact of one mans birth, death and resurrection.  Whatever your religious beliefs, that one life had a profound effect on the world, changing it in a dramatic and positive way.  He preached to treat your fellow man as you would wish to be treated. Honestly, all the doctrine and regulations came after his death and based on others perceptions of his words. He was not the author of the bible, but the subject.

Don’t start with the argument that the bible is his word. It shares his words, through others eyes and ears.  It is not an argument that I wish to engage in at all. I was raised Catholic and have their doctrine engrained in my psyche. So much so, that when I built the ghost mythology in my novel, Shaking Off the Dust, it was important to me to follow the doctrine of free choice. The ghost had the option of stepping into the light every day at sunrise, it was their choice to stay and a choice they made each day.

In what way can an individual affect this world? I’m reminded of the movie in which the accidently crushing of a butterfly’s wings in prehistoric times, change the entire time line. Don’t we do that in a very measured way, every mother and father creates the future in how well they do their job. Our world changes for the better when we raise a child to relate to others in a positive way. Each of us has the potential to affect everyone we touch in our lives. But do we see that role as righting some of the wrongs of our generation, or do we simply pass on our negative views and wonder why the world has become such a violent place. Positive change takes place when we all step forward as individuals, but speak with one voice.

Have you noticed that it only takes one vicious rumor to ruin someone’s career or life. But then again, it takes one man to voice an idea so profound that it can change the way we see the world. Not really, because it is a chain of affirmation as individual then pass it along, until the world has grasp the idea. And don’t start me on the internet.

What’s my point?  Words and ideas move us to action. There are great men and woman, who have changed the world with an idea.  Not always good ideas. We allow them to be our pied piper, or lead us down a path, because something resonates to our souls or hearts and minds. I think we are being swayed by hype and unrealistic expectations many times. But we evolve and the world changes and our children will live different lives than we ever understood.

The words of one man, a very long time ago, are celebrated by Christianity. All the religions of the world have found ritual and celebration as a way to hand down the words of individuals they believe made the world a better place.
We all have that power, to change the world. What are you doing to change the world?
Rhianna Samuels

 

March 15, 2008

Wearing the nurses scrubs

Filed under: ER nurse — Administrator @ 11:24 pm

This week seemed extraordinarily long to me. It’s a work thing. I usually have my Wednesday’s off and in the last month I’ve worked three out of four of them. Being the supreme candy ass that I am, I start dragging my fanny around, much like the old dog who you forced to go for a walk after years of sleeping at your feet.

 
 I enjoy my day job, for the most part. It is primarily as an educator for my ER, but I do a day at the patient care side every couple of weeks. It keeps me cognizant of the many issues that the bedside nurse must deal with and this year our ER has been exceptionally busy.  Monday is one of those days. My ritual is to wait until I get to the premises to take the 800mg or ibuprofen. If I take it when I get up at 5am, then it wears off half through the shift. I would recommend it for all our nurses, because you work your fanny off. (That’s metaphorically speaking, though I would wish it were literally speaking, because my fanny needs it.)

 
 The last day I worked was quite busy and I had an orientee. I schedule them, so when I’m on the floor it is a good time for me to see how they are progressing. In this instance he was spanking brand new to the floor and supposed to be with someone else who called in sick, so he tagged along with me. I won’t say his head was spinning, but it did get twisted around once or twice as the day progressed.

 

The usual came in for the morning, a diabetic with a blood sugar of over 600, bless her heart she’s been diabetic since she was a child; An abdominal pain; a chest pain; and a couple of flu patients. Then the unusual came into our trauma/critical care room.  It was a woman, who was limp and fairly out of it. She’d been sick with the flu for a week, and had a significant history so she was not brought in until she was bad. Her blood pressure was 51/palp.  Any thing under 90/ is a concern. This was of great concern, but even with this BP she mumbled and followed some commands. Oh, I didn’t mention her significant history. She had some level of amputation on all four of her extremities. Her right arm above the wrist, the left at the knuckles, both legs below the knee. That made finding an IV site extremely difficult. Our life flight nurse was helping with that, but in the end our physician put in a femoral line.  So, my new ER nurse was holding on to his head, to stop it from spinning.

 
 After a liter or two of fluid her BP boomed up to the seventies (Yes, that’s a joke. I wanted 90’s) But she perked right up. And her companion told us her story and how in ’92 she became ill and that is when she had her original problems. I realized that I had taken care of her when she came in back then.

 
I tell people that I can walk through the mall and feel like I recognize most of the faces, and yet I cannot remember them. What does that say about me?

 
I read an article, nursing of course, that within the next 12 years the nursing shortage will increase by 33%.  In my job I am trying to teach the future and what I have discovered the last five years or so, is that the young men and woman coming out of colleges and universities are not willing to work as hard as those before them.  That is not a bad thing. I wish my generation had felt the same way. Nursing is one job that is hard work. The average time that a nurse spends in critical care areas, like the ER or ICU is three to four years because of the stress level of those jobs.  Things will change or we are all in for a very scary time. Who will be taking care of you and me?  Not me, I hope.
 Okay, rambling again.

Rhianna

March 9, 2008

Ramblings on weather

Filed under: My Life — Administrator @ 1:31 am

The weather has been playing catch me if you can. One week it’s ice, then it turns pretty just long enough to tease your senses, followed by the snow. Didn’t Roland Emerick do a movie on this, Day After Tomorrow? 

 

Nature has been playing tag since man started hunting for food. I’m not declaring that global warming hasn’t had an impact on our world, but long before industrialization it was snowing, monsoons were hitting and sand storms ravaged. It’s the reason the concept of only strongest survive became so popular. Think dust bowls and the time before electric air conditioners and heaters. We build houses that encroach along unsettled ocean and are outraged when the ocean invades what we decided to claim for ourselves. 

 

And I’ll admit I’m one of those people that keep thinking it would be great to live on the ocean or in the mountains. Instead, I live in tornado alley. I have a job where when it snows 24 inches, like it did four years ago, they send someone to my home to pick me up and bring me into work. Only, they don’t guarantee a ride home, only lodging at the hospital. Everyone else can be ticketed for being out, but as nurses and doctors we are told it is our duty. I was picked up by a rackety jeep and a fearless driver and we swung by to pick up a physician. I had to laugh and wondered seriously what qualified the driver to take my life in his hands on the steering wheel. 

 

At heart, I am a candy ass. My preference is to look at the snow from the inside of a warm house. When the rain is lashing out, I like to hear it on the roof and watch the trees sway. In the midst of it all, I will drink hot chocolate or tea, curl up and read a good book. I may take my handy pad of paper and pen to write. As I’ve gotten older, I feel less inclined to brave the weather. On the survivor scale, I’m avoiding the Eskimos, cause I don’t want to be put on an ice float. If you see me floating by, throw some marshmallows my way for my hot chocolate. 

 

I promised rambling, didn’t I. 

And on the theme of wacky weather, tell me your thoughts on the subject and your favorite weather or disaster movie. 

 

Rhianna 

March 1, 2008

Blogging

Filed under: My Life, The writer — Administrator @ 10:45 pm

I received a lovely note today in the email reminding me that I should blog. I don’t feel that I do a particularly fascinating blog, but I do, at irregular period’s blog. I need the discipline of being more frequent, so here is my lame attempt to be interesting. I’m not.  But, I will try with a tongue drilling in cheek to appear to be someone having an amazing life. (Allow me a moment to stop rolling on the floor laughing.)


  Let me think about this last week. I normally have Wednesdays off at work and this week I had to attend a four hour class on nursing research and evidenced based practice. (Doesn’t sound exciting, does it?)  Wednesdays are for my writing career, writing, promoting or Dr. appointments for my mother or me.  This week was a bust for that. The four hour class turned into an additional two hours writing up an interview with a nurse that was being seen later that day, and yes, they were so glad I happened to come in for something else, so I could take care of that. *shaking head*


 Lately, I’ve been trying to decide on a couple of things. First of all, I am trying to consider what I can do to keep Shaking Off the Dust out there for the reader to trip over as often as possible until they finally say… “well, darn, I should read that book!”  It’s the principle of …if all else fails read the directions…read the book.  I’d like to think that once they read it the rest is easy peasey, now they will remember the author for the next book they write.  This is my theory; based on evidence based practice…I did learn something.
I am going to the Lori Foster Readers and Writers weekend June 6th and I’m trying to figure out what things I can

give out as promo material. I’m hoping you have suggestions. Oh, I’ll bring the usual things, bookmarks and

postcards, but what do people want and will keep that will constantly remind them of the book that doesn’t hit the circular file *trash* after a matter of hours. And consider that it must be something that won’t bankrupt the writer before her book actually goes into print.
You see how fascinating my life is.
 

I started working this week on  “Spilling words”, is about a female that can’t seem to stop form putting her thoughts into other people’s mouths, especially, old sixties and seventies songs. I’m trying to come up with some funny and poignant songs from that era that would burst from coffee house patrons. Send along some fun ones…I’ve got the Supremes covered. I’m thinking of listing a music selection at the end of the story.  It’s one of two ideas I’m toying with right now. The more song selections the better, and if you send me a song, make sure they were popular, no obscure ones the reader won’t have ever heard before.


 I have been bored with TV since the writers strike. Writers do make the world go round. I’m so loving Torchwood, it’s a british import on BBC America, so it’s unaffected by the strike, since it was filmed last year. I kept talking it up to my niece, she’s 21 and in college and she finally started watching this year and is in love with it too. I told her that I wouldn’t steer her wrong. I got them hooked on Dexter last year, so I have a good track record.


 I’m still anxiously awaiting the Sookie Stakehouse (HBO) series from Charlaine Harris books to start. It got postpones by the strike, I think it’s called Blood Ties. I love those books and am particularly fond of the Eric Northman character.  I am at that stage where I am tired of all the ploys to keep them apart, although I understand why.


 I had American idol on the other night with the boys and so I was privileged when that young one did his John Lennon, Imagine song to hear it. Goosebumps chilled along my arms. He is just spectacular. What’s the point in continuing? Even if he was thrown out tomorrow, he will outsell any other person there.
 

Now for the important list of questions I must address. These were sent by one of you. Need to know information.
1.      Toilet paper- do you use white or colors? White says you are a practical, no frills girl. Pink or blue, you are a frilly girly girl and maybe even a wuss. We need to know. :)
They make colored toilet paper?   Not in my town. W H I T E.  Despite the rainbow coalition, my bottom must remain unstained, figuratively and literally. 
 2.      Toilet paper- do you leave the end hanging from the backside or over the top? I must say, from my experience, those that like it hanging from the back side are…weird. They march to their own drum beat. Actually, they are all the way in the back in the Triangle section, really. If you are one of them though, just disregard what I just said. You’re all lovely, lovely people. : )
I don’t even pay attention to how it is hanging on the roller. As long as I can unroll it when it is needed I’m a happy camper. As I have said before, I learned to compromise and take life as it comes. If it matters to me, then it is the way I want it, what matters is having the paper available. I’m so easy sometimes
 
3.      If you would write “he then whipped out his lightsaber” would you be talking about Han Solo’s, Luke Skywalker’s, or… something…else? Me, my mind would go straight to the gutter and I would be thinking Darth Vader’s. Yum.
In the dark, I like glow in the dark stuff, though I’m very tactile. I’m not really a sword collector, so conversing about such things usually means it’s a euphemism for something naughty. I did see the original Star Wars at it’s very first showing in Houston, Texas. I’d read a piece on it in Time magazine and was an original fanatic. I am sanguine about it now. I didn’t not care for  the last three as much as the originals three. My very favorite trilogy is Lord Of the Rings. I was a fan of it since reading the books at thirteen.
  The image I think Angels rather than insects or birds, or two dogs facing away from their arguing masters.  Does that make me a freak?
4. When you look at this, what do you see? If you see just an ink blot, which is what this is, you’re boringly normal, and you won’t be able to write all that imaginative stuff I’m afraid. If you see a woman in a dress with no head, with two weird looking elephant birds with legs dancing off the side of her shaking their bums, I do believe you could write a masterpiece!  Me, I always see a pelvic bone. I think it means that I’m practical and down to earth, but I’m sure that some head shrinker would find me a totally whacked psychotic for seeing that though.
 
5.      Do you make your bed in the AM, after you get home, or never? We have to know if you’re a neat freak, a slob, or just plain old normal. These are very important details. LOL
Slob about my bedroom, unless I’m sharing it with someone.
 
6.      Pepsi or Coke? Wait, I know, it’s Mt. Dew. You just have to be different, don’t you!  : )
Diet Coke, or Diet Dr. Pepper or Dew
 
7.      Do you talk to your characters? Or even more interesting, do they talk back to you? It’s OK, you can admit it. We won’t tell anyone. *sealed lips*
I have them talking to each other, or back to me in mirrors. Freakish
 
8.      If you’re walking down the street and you notice people looking at you, do you assume it’s because you’re gorgeous and exude self confidence? Or, do you automatically get paranoid and start checking for a bugger in the nose, smeared lipstick, a smudge on your face, an open blouse/zipper, or toilet paper hanging off your pants or shoes?
I’m older now, so it’s the automatic check for buggies, crumbs on shirt and toilet paper dragging on shoes. In the day, it was …Oh yea… I’m styling.
 
9.      Chocolate or Vanilla? Or maybe you’re just some crazy wild chick who goes for Chunky Monkey topped with Cherry Garcia?  Or even more interesting, maybe you prefer vanilla/chocolate in public, but Chunky Monkey in private? I’m kind of guessing the last option. Don’t ask me why.  : )
It’s vanilla with a thick ribbon of chocolate. Or chocolate with a decent Merlo or Cabernet.
 
10.  A. Leather, B. hemp, C. silk, D.a car seat cover, or E. All of the above? You can think of your own question for your answer. I’m not even going to go there.
Leather with climate control
I’d love for each of you to answer those questions too on the comments. I need some assurance, that I am not that weird.

 

Rhianna

February 28, 2008

And the winners are!!

Filed under: The writer — Administrator @ 1:28 am

I wanted to announce the winners for the Ten Things About You blog contest I had this last week. The winners are…

Laura J. first prize

Robin second prize

Escondita third prize

I have emailed each of you. If you have not recieved my email contact me at

marie@rhiannasamuels.com

 

I have some a few tee shirts with the cover art from Shaking Off the Dust in sizes M,L, XL that I will send out to the next three people who email me at the above address with thier address and size preference. It’s first come first serve on the sizes.

 

Rhianna Samuels

 

February 20, 2008

Ten Things About You!

Filed under: The writer — Administrator @ 1:21 pm

I thought it might be fun to get to know my wonderful readers. Just because it’s my blog, doesn’t mean I have to be the one chatting all the time. I know there are some amazing people in my Shaking Off the Dust group and I’d love to know more about you. Or any one that happens to come along, spill. It doesn’t have to be 10 things…you can stop at five or seven.

Here is your chance to tell all of us everyday things about you. Or fun and fascinating things you’ve seen or done. So here you go!!

 

Rhianna Samuels

February 16, 2008

I got tagged by Monica Burns – The amazing writer of Mirage

Filed under: My Life — Administrator @ 6:46 am

Monica Burns …at http://www.monicaburns.com/ 

 

Ten Things about Me

 

1.        I often forget how old I am. Some days it feels like I’m still in high school, I’m crushing on a movie star or can’t wait to learn the most current slang words, (see how that dates me). I have to depend on my nephews and nieces for that. I’ve said it before that behaving immature tends convince the people around me that I can’t possibly be as old as I really am. Even my coworkers, that I have worked beside for the last five or six years, are surprised when I mention my age. (not telling)

2.       I am the third child out of six. Two sisters and three brothers. My youngest brother died in a motorcycle accident when he was twenty-eight. He was a good friend to me. He made me laugh. I was nine years nine years older than him, but when he got his engineering degree he moved up where I was and we had some really great times. Our friends still talk about him and it’s been sixteen years since he died. I still smile at some of his pranks. All my family are funny people.

3.       In my twenties I used to sing. One particular job was at a Dixie land Jazz club in Corpus Christie, Texas. Eons ago, when the beaches were white. One of my numbers was “A Good Man Is Hard To Find.” Still love that song. It’s one I can still sing decently.

4.       I had ear surgery about five years ago and went completely deaf in my right ear. I used that in my book. After a lifetime of turning in the right direction of where a voice or noise is coming from, I now always turn to the left. For the first year or two at work they’d laugh when I did that. It is weird not to have some sense of which direction a sound it coming from.

5.       My family helps me in so many ways. My brother Cliff is my web-mister and designer. He has a very dry sense of humor and when I posted a contest on my blog about naming a character based on the picture posted. My first suggestion was from him, Klyph, god of all men. He’s played more seven letter words in scrabble than any other player I’ve been up against.

     My older sister is my go to girl when I want to bounce ideas; she’s one of those Mensa people who can take a test on anything and score high. My nieces help with ideas to. My older brother is a dear, and I can throw any animal question at him, he’s a veterinarian. And my younger sisters is a medical librarian, I bother her a lot with my day job antics. She’s one of those people who doesn’t read romance, but prefers self help books and non fiction. We a so very different from each other and yet we shared a bedroom for too many years.

6.       My favorite meat is medium rare filet. My favorite seafood is lobster. My favorite deserts are New York style cheesecake and Boston Cream Pie…I guess I’m a fan of east coast food.

7.       My first Star Trek convention was in 1979 in Houston Texas. I was working as a waitress at a hotel and I looked across the lobby and there was a man holding a chain that was wrapped around a planet of the ape’s guy. It was a blast. Since that time I’m only been to about 10, but I love fantasy, science fiction conventions. My last one was Dragon*Con two years ago.

8.       I have found from personal experience that it is easier to be rejected my some one you believe you are in love with, than it is to reject someone who is love with you. 

9.       I tend to be a voyeur when I am with people I don’t know. I am bothered when a group is not inclusive. For instance when you get two are three people with a private joke, who don’t include you in the story behind it or tell you what it means. And truthfully, I don’t know whether that makes me the snob or them.

 

10.   I had a son who was stillborn at full term. His father had his masters in Pottery, so I named him Samuel Clay. I used his name for the main character in my first books, a science fiction series that I may or may not go back to revise and rewrite. I used his first name as part of my pen name. He was my only child. Oddly, I don’t think about him when his birthday comes around, but I do every mother’s day.

February 9, 2008

Humor and Light

Filed under: ER nurse, My Life, The writer — Administrator @ 6:05 pm

For some reason I can’t seem to be one of those daily bloggers. I’m really not that interesting. My life has required so many compromises along that way, that I don’t often get bent over the small stuff, so there’s no hot tempered or snarky response rolling off my tongue every time I read the paper or watch the tv.  Now, that’s not to say that I’m never that way. I have my moments.

 
I can’t resist the pun or humorous comeback. It’s really an illness. Mary, the wonderful woman I share an office with, has to deal with my PUNishing wit and just shakes her head. I know, don’t bother to insult me with the famous quote that puns are the lowest form of humor. That was written by someone who had no talent for it.

 
Puns are only funny when they are a spontaneous part of a conversation and instantly given. If you have that pause to think about it, then it is a groaner. I find humor so attractive. I love the hero’s especially if they are funny, but most of the time, I want the side kick, who has all the best lines in the movies or books. When I write I try to infuse humor where ever possible. And we all know that the funny heroines are in.

 
Where I have worked the day job for the last 16 years, the humor can be dark. To often the situations we deal with are tragedies. You can be overwhelmed by the bad and having a cockeyed view of things makes it better. I did an entire blog on my face last year, because my niece tells me I can have a scary face. It’s the one that is weary and bland, the one you wear to not show your emotions. I’ve tried hard, now that I work in the office more, to relearn how to wear my face.

 
I want to wear a mischievous face that I had as a child. The one when they are bound to get in trouble. I want that face on this old mug. Since, I know all the terrible things that happen to people when they are being naughty, I wear my humor armor. It shields me from the worst of life’s drama, breaks it up and makes it bearable. Reality is just that way. It’s not a joy ride with no consequences. It’s a little bit of joy, a lot of boring and large patches of drama. It’s PUNishing, hence my reaction to most of it is filled with a knowing smile, not a tear.

 
My favorite books have some funny in them. I used to read Georgette Heyer’s historical books in my teens. I would recommend them to anyone, my favorites are Devils Cub, The Unknown Ajax, Reluctant Widow (love this, but it’s hard to find) and Toll Gate. What I loved about her books- she wrote them from the fifties to the seventies- was the slow build up of learning about the characters and describing the clothes and times. Yea, all that was great, but no that wasn’t what I loved so much as the set pieces. At some point in her books, she builds to a scene that is so funny. It’s like she’s playing a chess game and has built everything to that moment of sheer excitement or humor.

 
As a writer in today’s market we’ve all been brought up with instant gratification from TV and movies. We’ve cut out the character building to a degree that it’s difficult to believe a character could be found in reality. We like them because they are alpha’s, larger than life and over the top. As adults we come as we are, but the building of the relationship between the characters is what grounds the reader to fall into the world they are reading.
I’ve been doing another stream of consciousness blog, sorry. It’s like a long dinner conversation that starts on being late and ends with you favorite recipes.

 
I like to always end with a question, hoping for comments and suggestions from those poor wondering souls that have found their way to my blog. How important is humor in your life? What percentage of your life is filled with amusement and joy? I think a strong 15-19% of my daily life ends in a smile or a laugh. It’s one of the reasons my tag line, such as it is reads…”Let your laughter be bright and you love incandescent.”  Laughter is a close second to love, they both LIGHTen our lives burdens.

Rhianna

January 30, 2008

Weaving our own stories

Filed under: Uncategorized — Administrator @ 4:51 am

Well I finished the rewrites and revisions on The Replacement Lists, (the sequel to SOTD) and have submitted. I will not hear for a while. I have my fingers crossed, but I try not to count on anything. The hardest part of being a writer is learning to live with rejection. I’m tough though. And this week I move on too concentrate on one of the other WIPs.

My older sister is my idea bouncer off-er. You know what I’m trying to say. She has one of those 150 or higher IQ’s, so she’s literate and funny as hell. I tell her what my idea’s are and then she helps me tweak details on characters or the mythology of the world I am creating. As I was letting SOTD percolate in my head for many months before I sat down and it poured out of me like fresh coffee, I was working on the mythology of the ghosts in my story. Did they have rules and what were those rules? If you have read the book, then you know that there were rules for them.

My family is very spiritual. And my sister insisted that when they died they had to make a choice to stay. The light to the next place in their spiritual journey was there for them to take and the light appeared every day at sunrise. The ghosts all have different reasons for remaining. Some to assure their children were safe, some to try and ease the pain of the living and some because they were young and afraid. But the sun will rise and a new choice is made each day.

That is our life anyway, we didn’t make one decision as a child and move on. We make a decision every day on how we see our world and lives. We wake to the new day and decide… Que Sera, Sera…Will I be happy, will I be sad. I’ve always thought of life’s journey as a tapestry, we pull the threads, change the colors, weave the good and bad together into our own design and once in a while we look back at the big picture. I try to live in the moment, but it ‘s more than that. I try to enjoy the moment. Ol James Taylor sings about it in the Secret of Life, The secret of love is in loving. The secret of life is enjoying the moment you are in.

I’ll admit, I’ve been all over the place with this blog tonight. It may be lack of sleep, but I have to tell you…I’m enjoying it.

Rhianna Samuels

January 21, 2008

that authors ego whispering…” If you write it they will read it. They will love it. Millions will want to read it. You can quit your day job…”

Filed under: The writer — Administrator @ 1:06 am

Last week I was down with a sinus infection. After the doctor’s visit and a couple of weeks where I exhibited non patience, I scolded myself and set out to get some order back in my life. The talking to was made up of the metaphorical ‘kick in the butt,’ that we all require when we are languishing from the “now what syndrome?”

What now? SOTD is out and a few good souls have read it and sent me lovely fan mail or encouragement, but the world was not taken by storm.  Steven Spielberg has yet to call for the movie rights or even lifetime TV.

 The climax was on a level of teenage foreplay, rather than the big O. The big publicity machine is now sitting in front of my laptop wishing I could afford to blitz every romance magazine and online site with my wondrous achievement.  Okay, so it’s not like the cure for…anything!  Except maybe a few hours of boredom, but SOTD is the biggest thing in my ordinary life. *chagrin…grin*

I managed to find a philosophical perspective and roll up my sleeves for a bit to get the last hundred pages on the sequel through (my) revisions.  Hoping to woo my editor with this story, I am trying to tell an action suspense tale that has the reader in more than a few heads. Please, don’t say it. Damn, you just had to bring up head hopping. So, I’m chopping some heads along the way, but finding it difficult to shut out those sometimes amusing POV’s.  Soon, very soon I will finish and the others stories are vying for attention.

Why, you might ask, are you bringing all this to our attention?  Well, I was being so good about pretending I didn’t care that SOTD had already seemed to have quietly disappeared from reader awareness and then my Google alert leads me to an amazing review for the book.  (I already did the standing up and cheering.)  Then I read the last paragraph of the review so many times that it is now burned into my retina.

And now it’s there again, that authors ego whispering…”If you write it they will read it. They will love it. Millions will want to read it. You can quit your day job…”

(Okay, you may already know this song. The words are the same, but my drummer is playing slow jazz on it’s ass.)  I spent the weekend dreaming again, instead of writing. Shame on me!

 

Here is the link to review and I must quote the last paragraph, because I like seeing the words so much.

Rating: 5 Nymphs
Your Literary Nymph: Midnight Minx  Recommended Read Award
 ”This is one of the best books I’ve read in awhile. All I can think of when I describe this book is it’s so much more. More humorous, more sexy, more emotional gripping, more action packed, I can’t recommend it enough. The author was so good I felt like the story was real; I had to keep reminding myself that this was not a true story but fiction.”
http://literarynymphsreviewsonly.blogspot.com/2008/01/shaking-off-dust.html

 

Rhianna Samuels

« Newer Posts — Older Posts »

Powered by WordPress