Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween





Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Are your ready for Halloween?

*cues witchy laughter*

We are. Carved the last two pumpkins tonight for a total of four.

The girls have decided they want to go trick or treating with their best friends, so we won't be trick or treating in our neighborhood. Will be wierd.

I'm working on the the last Curses story, tentatively titled, the Six Curses of Halloween. I know it will change but haven't decided what to. I'm having a lot of fun with it and is nice to be writing it in the season LOL.




And I'm participating in Romance Junkies Halloween Contest. Lots of spooooky prizes and fun.

May the muses have Halloween fun.
Mechele

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Taking the plunge

Two plunges were taken this week.

I started a new story, The Six Curses of Halloween (subject to change LOL as the Spring one did). It will be the third in the Curses Trilogy.



And my youngest daughter got her ears pierced today.

May the muses plunge
Mechele

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Thursday Thirteen


Thirteen Scary Things in Honor of Halloween by Mechele


1. The boogeman story in Stephen King's Night shift. I read it as a teen, and I still don't want to shut the closet doors. Cause the boogeyman might be in there. King will be a frequent listee on this list.

2. Weeping Angels or Blink episode of Dr. Who. This is the freakiest show EVER. It is so intense. "Don't blink," said in a haunting whisper.

3. It by King. I never looked at clowns the same way. It had so many killings that are spooky. Like the refridgerator scene.

4. The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen. A friend lent this book to me by saying when he read it, he had to get up and go check his closets before he could sleep after starting it. The rest of the books by Gerritsen are good, probably not quite as scary as this one. I think the most frightening thing is that there are no monsters in her books. Only humans.

5. Scream. The first time I saw it in the theater, I jumped out of my chair. LOL the hubby thought it was cute. I've watched it late at night, heard noises and had to run to bed.

6. Alien. *shudder* I still cannot watch this movie. It's so suspenseful and frightening. *shudder*

7. Pitch Black. I love this movie (even with the non-HEA), but those things on that planet are scary as can be. When they first start coming out, it makes my skin crawl.

8. Children of the Corn from Nightshift by Stephen King. The idea of something in the corn gives me the willies.

9. The beast by Peter Benchley and anything dealing with Giant Squid. For some reason, the idea of them terrifies me. I used to have nightmares about giant squid attacking a bridge while I was on it.

10. The Raft by Stephen King in Skeleton Crew. This time there's something in the water. It's a creepy story. It can come up through holes in the raft. And it never tires. I had a lot of nightmares about this story.

11. A Hobbit movie. It's a cartoon. I watched it as a kid with my brother. Spiders wrap them up in webbing to eat them later. I hate big man eating spiders *blinks*

12. The Mist by Stephen King in Skeleton Crew. There's a scene with huge freaking spiders. And an squid like thing. Enough said.

13. I have no idea the name of the book but it had scary stories. I read it as a pre-teen. There was one about a boy(girl?) locked in a room and the Druids were coming for them. It ends in the middle of a sentence. Funny, I don't remember the name or anything else but the main idea of the story has stayed with me since I read it.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!




Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Doing the finished dance of joy



The Sixth Curse of Spring is done! Whoot whoot. I'm sure it will grow a little bit when I go back through.

I think I'm going to start next story in the trilogy. I had thought about calling it the Six Curses of Halloween but as this story title changed, I may wait and develop the story first before naming it.

May the muses have dances of joy
Mechele

Monday, October 22, 2007

I'm sweating

and not just from the 70 days of Sweat Challenge.

Why is it 85 degrees in October???!! I want fall weather, darn it. It keeps teasing me with a day or so of crisp, then it gets hot again.



The Six Curses of Spring.

Which I haven't decided if it's going past 12 K. And there might be a name change to the Sixth Curse of Spring.

May the muses have FALL
Mechele

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Thursday Thirteen


Thirteen Reasons I'm happy today by Mechele Armstrong




1. The sick kidlet is better. She’s back at school but best of all she’s nearly well. I don’t like it when she’s sickie and doesn’t have her usual fire.

2. The tweaking on the house is almost finished. I love what we’ve done with it.

3. The writing is going well. The six curses of Spring now stands at 5500 out of 12 K. I’m thinking this might be longer than 12 K. Maybe 15 or so. We will see.

4. My other author ego, Melany Logen, has some very good new to announce soon. Very very good news.

5. My publisher, Loose Id, has announced plans to try and buy out the authors’ contracts in the Triskelion bankruptcy. Their list of reasons is so solid. I’m always proud to be a part of Loose Id and never more so now.

6. I’m hopefully going to see a good friend of mine this weekend. I’m looking forward to it. I think we’ll have a girl’s night out.

7. I got to chat with Mari from Marissa Alwin last night. We had fun getting caught up. I need to go see her again soon.

8. I have edits on the Six Curses of Christmas. We are getting close to it being released! And Veterans: Nothing to Lose *cough* comes out even before that. Both stories have very interesting characters *G*.

9. Dinah’s Dark Desire was number 48 in Erotica Adult Fiction last night and 37 this morning on Amazon. It makes me jump around when I see it ranked. *G* I’m easily amused.

10. The hubby just shook his head at me when I broke his picture hanging gadget. *grumbles* the youngest told on me.

11. It might rain today. We haven’t had a rainy day in so long. And we need it desperately.

12. The weather has been much cooler lately. I want Fall to stay!

13. I have Broken by Megan Hart to read and also Angela Knight’s Passionate Ink: A guide to writing Erotic romance.

BONUS because I am so happy. I signed up for a Thriller class in November. I'm looking forward to it.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!





Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Chat tonight

The 17th crept up on me. There is a chat tonight at 9 PM EST at the MSpot, with pals Melissa Lopez (aka Mel of Melany Logen and Rissa of Marissa Alwin) and Mari of Marissa Alwin.

Best Laid Plans Day 3

It is hopefully my youngest's last day with me. She's boooored out of her skull because she feels better but still couldn't go back to school yet. (LOL and 10 to 1, the oldest starts with this tomorrow).

I did manage to write 1000 words today. The Six Curses of Spring is taking off in ways I didn't expect, which is nice.

I'm also officially going to participate in 70 days of sweat. I signed up yesterday. I still want to do NaNoWriMo but I'm worried I may need to work on more than one thing the month of November.

I'm off to read to the sick kidlet.

May the muses have sweat
Mechele

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The best laid plans Day 2

Yep the kidlet is still sickie. I tried to work in the office for an hour. All I heard was a half dozen "Mommmmmmmmmm"'s and worse yet, the movie stopping and the kidlet roaming.

I did manage to squeeze in a scene. LOL not a lot of wordage but I'm taking what I can get.

The Six Curses of Spring:



May the muses have words
Mechele

Monday, October 15, 2007

The best laid plans

Today was to be the launch day of working, officially in the new office because it's almost done. Just a few more tweaks. But whenever you make plans...well, you know what happens.

So here I sit on the couch beside the sickie kidlet, working.

When I do make it into the office to start officially, I'll take pictures.

May the muses have plans
Mechele

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Thursday Thirteen


Thirteen Things Mechele loves about her new
furniture and office space

(We bought several pieces of furniture over the weekend and I have been rearranging ever since)

1. I polyed it myself. So, it is very satisfying to know I did it.

2. Was less expensive than other furniture. It already is and it was on sale!

3. Will last a long time. We have tables that we bought not long after we got married along with a bed. One table I have not been kind to and it's very durable.

4. Not falling apart. The old desk I haven't used in a long time is falling apart. So was my hubby's chest of drawers. Course the chest was older than our marriage LOL.

5. My hubby likes it. He never cared for my college bedroom furniture.

6. The pieces are HUGE. I feel like I have tons of space to put things, both in my dresser and in my desk.

7. It puts my stuff out of the bat cave LOL. The room I was supposed to work in was too dark for me. That was why I ended up at the kitchen table for a lot.

8. It's forcing me to go through things and continue the decluttering I started back in the summer. Just don't let the kids see me giving ANYTHING away.

9. The cat loves change LOL. She's been utterly fascinated by what we are doing.

10. It's a recommittment to my writing. Am I any more a writer than I was last week? No. But I feel like setting up an office is a seriousness I didn't have before.

11. Not going between three rooms when I have to mail things out will hopefully cut down on the time suck. I'm trying to organize things so I can get to things quickly.

12. I'm going to have pictures above my desk *squee*. I'm thinking my print of New York City and my signed Sherrilyn Kenyon poster. I hung a black and white print from New Orleans last night above my dresser.

13. I'm going to move my favorite plant in the room with me. I have a nice view right near a window.



Links to other Thursday Thirteens!





Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Wednesday, October 10, 2007

Pssst

I have a new desk for my writing area. Yes, MY writing area. So I share the entire room with the kids and cat, it's my little corner. Pass it on.

Now if I can only get the &;%^^$$ thing organized. I'm bringing in stuff from two other rooms plus what was already in that room. When I'm a little more settled, I'll post a picture. *preens* I did the polyurathaning myself.

Not only am I starting that new project, but I'm going to start working again on the Six Curses of Spring. I had forgotten how much I'd already gotten done!!



Think the dentist will understand that I can't come in because I have to write and work on organizing my desk? *sigh* I don't either.

May the muses have a new office
Mechele

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Banned Books week Sept 29-Oct 6th


Free people read freely.

Go forth and read. Today and every day.

May the muses have reading
Mechele

PS Tigress Euphrates--Done

Friday, October 05, 2007

Banned Books week Sept 29-Oct 6th--Salem's Lot

When I was a senior (I think, either that or a junior) in high school, a complaint was lodged against a book in our school library. Salem’s Lot by Stephen King. And it was pulled.

Now, in a prior year, on a free pick book report, I did a report on this very book. So, it seemed silly to me to pull the book out the library, when I had read it at a younger age than I was when they banned it.

There were protests by students. A local book store gave away free copies of Salem’s Lot to anyone who wanted them from my hometown. But the book stayed out of the school library. I don’t know if Salem's Lot was ever put back.

It bothered me greatly then, and it bothers me greatly now. Our understanding was that one parent objected to it being available to their child. So a whole host of other children, who might have derived some enjoyment from reading it, were not allowed to do so. And several of us had read the book years before so it wasn't age inappropriate.

My hubby and I had a rousing discussion on challenged books Wednesday night because of all my blogging this week.

He asked me, “So if the oldest kidlet wants to read It (also by King) in 8th grade, are you going to let her?”

I thought about it a minute and then said, “Yes.”

LOL I think I surprised him. I followed it with, “I was in 9th grade when I read It.” And I read a whole host of Stephen King books earlier than that.

Yes, I still think of her as my little girl (same with the youngest), and it’s odd to think about what she’s ready to read and what she’s not, only to realize…there aren’t that many years between her age now and when I read things. I was reading Sydney Sheldon, Kathleen Woodiwiss, and Stephen King when I was in junior high school and maybe even before then.

She and I have many bridges to cross with books. Some I may wait on (like I did with Blubber by Judy Blume last year). Some I'm going to give her the go ahead, like the next Harry Potter book, which is now resting on her shelves, waiting for her to pick it up.

But just because I feel something isn’t appropriate for my child yet, it doesn’t mean I have to pull the book off a library shelf, whether school or public. It means I do my job as a parent, talk to my child about it, and figure out things with her.


May books never be banned
Mechele

Thursday, October 04, 2007

Thursday Thirteen


Thirteen Challenged books I’ve read by Mechele



1. The Harry Potter series. I’ve read them all. It still amazes me that people are trying to have them removed from libraries. Kids and adults love to read them and hey, reading is great.

2. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle I can’t believe this book is on the list! This book is one my favorites from childhood and I credit it with being a very early influence on my writing. I cannot wait until my girls show interest in reading it. I own my very own copy.

3. The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon & Beloved by Toni Morrison I read a lot of Toni Morrison in college. I remember her books at being poetic and wonderful, especially Beloved.

4. My Brother Sam is dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier I am very puzzled as to why this book. LOL to show you what a GEEK I am, I went on a field trip to Williamsburg, I think it was, and came back with this as a souvenir.

5 Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson I am not a big fan of this one, just read it actually. But the oldest kidlet really enjoyed it.

6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Not a Steinbeck fan but we had to read this in Honors English. Rather sad tragedy bound friendship.

7. In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak this is a picture book. *blinks* I read it to the oldest kidlet a few years ago. The author also wrote “Where the Wild things are.”

8. anything by Judy Blume. Deenie, Are you there God it’s me, Margaret? Blubber, Tiger Eyes I was a huge Judy Blume fan. And I think she’s indispensable reading for kids growing up.

9. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This is the great American novel! I know many people cite it as their all time favorite.

10. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. This just blows me away. I still have the first copy I ever received. I reread this so many times, it’s falling apart. Cried at the end, too.

11. Anything by Stephen King. Cujo, Carrie, The Dead Zone. I am a Stephen King fan! And I read these three in middle school and early high school.

12. Lord of the Flies by William Golding I had to read this in 10th grade Honors English I think it was. Didn’t much like the book, but it’s quite the parable.

13. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. Sad sad sad book.

Bonuses: Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan. Sort of a pubescent horror author. I remember this book in particular.

A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck, I read this in elementary school.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker Read this in high school. What a moving story.

All of these books are from the list of the most challenged books of 1990-2000. People are trying to ensure…no one reads these books from a library.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!



Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!



Wednesday, October 03, 2007

Banned Books week Sept 29-Oct 6th--Why does it matter?

Why does book challenging or book banning matter?

From the ALA: "Seventy-one percent of the challenges were to material in schools or school libraries. Another twenty-four percent were to material in public libraries (down two percent since 1999)."

The most popular reason, sexual explicitness. Oddly enough, of the challenges, the number challenging violence is less than half of the number challenging based on sex. Which is a rant for another day on how people twiddle their thumbs complaining about sex in media and look the other way when it comes to violence.

As a romance author, I can't help but look at this as a slippery slope. One day they challenge erotic romances or Sex by Madonna in the public library, the next they challenge Nora Roberts and Sherrilyn Kenyon, and then finally, Judy Blume and Toni Morrison in the middle and high school library.

Here's why this matters to every single individual:

We are a free society with freedom of speech.

Don't like something someone says? Don't listen. Don't like something someone wrote? Don't read it. Don't want your child to read book X? DON'T LET THEM READ IT. But don't pull the book out of the library, school or public, so that other children who might want to read Book X, can't.

There are books in my daughters's school library, I'm sure that they aren't ready for. But other kids in that school are ready to read them. Why am I going to pull those books out simply to appease me and my thinking?

Every time a book is challenged or banned, I believe we lose a little bit of our freedom. That's why this matters.

Tomorrow, I plan to blog about challenged books that I've read and on Friday, I want to share a personal experience. Yes, I've experienced book banning at the school library level. And the experience has stayed with me to this day.

May the muses have freedom
Mechele

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Not a "Challenged" book but a newly released one!


Oh yes, it's out!! *does a snoopy dance*
To read an excerpt.


Don't walk, run to Loose Id and pick up your copy today.


May the muses have new releases

Mechele


PS Tigress Euphrates

Monday, October 01, 2007

The 10 most challenged books of 2006

"And Tango Makes Three” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, for homosexuality, anti-family, and unsuited to age group;

“Gossip Girls” series by Cecily Von Ziegesar for homosexuality, sexual content, drugs, unsuited to age group, and offensive language;

“Alice” series by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor for sexual content and offensive language;

“The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things” by Carolyn Mackler for sexual content, anti-family, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;

“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison for sexual content, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;

“Scary Stories” series by Alvin Schwartz for occult/Satanism, unsuited to age group, violence, and insensitivity;

“Athletic Shorts” by Chris Crutcher for homosexuality and offensive language;

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky for homosexuality, sexually explicit, offensive language, and unsuited to age group;

“Beloved” by Toni Morrison for offensive language, sexual content, and unsuited to age group;

“The Chocolate War” by Robert Cormier for sexual content, offensive language, and violence.


Go out and read a BANNED BOOK today.

Mechele