Online Class: Mauled Men, Drowned Dames, and Crispy Critters: A Body Disposal Primer for Writers

Hey, need help disposing of a body? (Ahem. In your story, of course.) Then, this just might be the class for you! Jeanne P. Adams, a postmortem expert, will be teaching OCC/RWA's July online class, Mauled Men, Drowned Dames, and Crispy Critters: A Body Disposal Primer for Writers.

It sounds like a really informative and interesting class! Okaaaay...I know. I sounded a little twisted there, didn't I? But aren't most writers...just a little? Yeah, I know you know I'm not alone. It's all in the name of fiction, folks. LOL.

Here's the information for the online class so you can sign up, too!

Happy Writing,

Michele

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Mauled Men, Drown Dames and Crispy Critters: A Body Disposal Primer for Writers
A four-week online class featuring:
Jeanne P. Adams
July 16, 2007 to Aug. 12, 2007

Dead bodies piling up in your books? Learn how to dispose of them the right way in this four-week online class featuring writer and postmortem expert Jeanne P. Adams. You’ll learn what happens to bodies after various causes of death, what really happens inside the morgue, information about real autopsies and all the facts about different kinds of funerals and the laws regarding body disposal.

Jeanne P. Adams is a multi-published non-fiction writer and marketing consultant with credits in magazines such as Forbes and Nature. She worked in the funeral business, both for a cemetery and several funeral homes, for 12 years. In her reading, she’s winced over a variety of mistakes dealing with the story’s dead guy (or gal.) An RWA Pro member and a 2006 Golden Heart Finalist, she’s actively seeking a home for both romantic suspense and paranormal manuscripts.

Enrollment Information: http://www.occrwa.com/classes_July.htm

COST: $20 for OCC members $30 for non-members

Enrollment deadline: July 14, 2007

For more information about this class, please click http://www.occrwa.com/classes_July.htm or e-mail moderator Lori Pyne at luv2write@gmail.com with any questions.

For those of us who've always wanted to live in a 1940s movie...

About once a week, I receive updates from the Lively Arts History Association, which lists social events ranging from An Evening in the Colonies to learning the dances of English Regency period to finding antiques and vintage clothing at the Rose Bowl Swap Meet. These events are a great way to get some "hands on" research! Oh, and by the way, if you're a history buff and live in the SoCal area, then I highly recommend subscribing to this fantastic list http://lahacal.org ; however, I'm sure other areas and states have similar associations as well.

This week, though, I found something I hadn't expected on the list of Upcoming Events...

It is an announcement for this Sunday, July 1, from 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM at Maxwell DeMille's Cicada Club.

From the June 26th, 2007 e-mail of LAHA/Social Daunce Irregulars:

"An elegant 1940s night club evening featuring Dean Mora and his orchestra."

I LOVE Big Band music! But here's the really cool part: Check out the website for the Cicada Club!

The club has retained many of the original art deco fixtures, and the atmosphere inside the building, including the music and clothing of the guests, is period as well. How cool is that?

I hadn't heard of this place before today, but I've always wanted to be in a 1930s or 1940s movie and this is probably about as close as I will ever get...Unless I write an early 1940s-style movie and get a bit part, or something! Hey, I better get busy working on that.

Have fun,

Michele


UPDATED TO ADD: From what I can gather on the Cicada Club website, the Cicada Restaurant is a permanent fixture in the Art Deco Oviatt Building, but Maxwell DeMille's Cicada Club is considered a special event. At least, that's the way I keep reading it. I only hope it's not every 17 years like the real cicadas! :-)

MC

Pumping up Your Creative Energy

What do you do to keep your creative energy pumping?

My husband and I are both in creative fields. In fact, he's a Creative Director in an advertising and design firm. See? "Creative" is in his title! No pressure there. LOL.

If any of you work or know someone who works in advertising and design, then you know the incredible amount of hours and stress that goes into each day/week, with meetings, brainstorm sessions, designing ads, deadlines, presentations, more deadlines, photo and commercial shoots, and post-production sessions. And that's just the creative team, not the accounting, media, traffic, and management teams. It can get crazy.

So with the amount of stress and workload they carry, how do the teams keep up their creative energy and blow off a little steam? By taking an hour or so a week (usually at lunch time) to do something fun, something that bonds the entire company, like going to a Go Kart track...or pretending to be human robots at work (see video below set to music).

Gimme Some Robot...on Vimeo


Which brings me back to my question: What do you do to keep up your creative energy?

I happen to go for a walk when I find I'm stuck on a scene. Getting that blood moving, clearing my head, certainly helps my thinking process. I also love to watch films in which their unique storytelling techniques sweep me away and drive me to be a better writer, a film like The Illusionist (NOT the Hugh Jackman one).

What do you do?

Michele

Blog Contest at A Slice of Orange

Hey everyone,

Thought some of you might be interested in this blog contest over at A Slice of Orange.
The contest starts today, so get your stories about your "Last First Date" in quickly. Below is all the information for you...

Happy Writing and Good Luck!

Michele

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Announcing a new blog contest on A Slice of Orange!!!

Tell us about your "Last First Date"!

OCC member and USA Today Bestselling author Susan Mallery wants to
hear the stories of your last first date for the latest contest on our
blog, A Slice of Orange.

She's looking for stories of the first time you went on a date with
your spouse or main squeeze. We want it all! The good, the bad, the
funny, the romantic!

Contest runs from June 4 until June 15. Blogs will be posted every
day, including weekends. Susan will judge all entries and announce
the top three on June 22.

The first place winner will receive a signed copy of Susan's June
release, "Her Last First Date," and a Starbucks gift card.

Send your submissions to Louise Knott Ahern at louise@theworkingwriter.com. Please include your full name, address and phone number so we may contact you if you win. (Address and contact info will not be posted on the blog.)

*A Slice of Orange editors reserve the right to edit or reject submissions.