I've Been off the Continent

But I'm back in the land of sunshine now (and heat waves...ugh).

The 65 degree, somewhat cloudy and drizzly, climate in England suited me perfectly! Fantastic walking weather, especially when we're talking about 5-6 miles a day around London. We stayed in the old hotel turned Ministry of Defense (MoD) building turned hotel: The Grand at Trafalgar Square. And the location truly couldn't be beat--steps from the happening Trafalgar Square in one direction and steps from the scenic Victoria Embankment in the other. Wonderful.

Anyway, I'm just checking in, as I'd planned to post a few blogs from the hotel, but we spent every waking moment out in the city or on a tour; so, now will have to do. :-)

I do need to catch-up on a few things around here, so this is a short post...But, I've posted a few pictures of Picadilly Circus. There's a function on my point-and-shoot camera that allows me to choose a color to isolate when I take photos (e.g. I can focus on just the reds, blues, greens, yellows, ect.) and everything else will be black and white. So, I've experimented throughout the trip with this function and will post some of the photos here. Below are two of my favorites from Picadilly Circus, and obviously, I chose red as my focus (red was my favorite in London: buses, guards, telephone booths). I love the moodiness it lends the scene. This was taken around 9:30 at night.

Hope you all are well and the writing is going smoothly for you! I hope to visit your blogs soon.

Michele

P.S. The camera I use is a Canon PowerShot SD 750 Digital Elph

Online Class: Innovative Publicity Basics for Authors (New and Hopeful)

Hi All,

Just passing on more information for a 2-week online class. This one looks like a fantastic PR program! For more info, be sure to check out Heart of Dixie's website.

Good luck with your writing!

Michele

***Permission to Forward***

Innovative Publicity Basics for Authors (New and Hopeful)

Sponsor: Heart of Dixie (http://www.heartofdixie.org)
Instructor: Lauren Cerand
Cost: $20
Dates: July 1-14, 2008
Deadline to register: June 25

CLASS DESCRIPTION:

New York-based independent publicist Lauren Cerand walks you through the fundamentals of literary publicity right up to the cutting-edge. This course consists of six instructor-led lectures, three open "Q & A" sessions dedicated to your topics, and three small but significant homework assignments. Content will be useful to authors in any genre and at any level of expertise.

INSTRUCTOR BIO:

Lauren Cerand (www.laurencerand.com) is an independent public relations representative and consultant in New York. Her clients are a purposefully eclectic mix of creative professionals, and she specializes in generating initial buzz and building sustained attention for individuals and projects such as Barnes & Noble's "Upstairs at the Square" series ( www.bn.com/upstairs). She is often asked to share her innovative perspective on publicity and has spoken to audiences at the at the 20th Annual Independent and Small Press Book Fair, Book Promotion 101, Mystery Writers of America, NYU's Center for Publishing, The (Downtown) Omaha Lit Fest, Penguin UK (video clip), Virginia Festival of the Book, Word of Mouth, Women's National Book Association, and next at the Nebraska Summer Writers' Conference (June 14-15, 2008). The Village Voice included her in its "Best of New York" (2004) issue. She is the vice chair of the board of directors of Girls Write Now, "a nonprofit volunteer mentoring organization that has been matching bright, creative teenage girls from New York City's public high schools with professional women writers in the community since 1998." A Cornell University graduate, Lauren compiles "The Smart Set," a weekly round-up of cultural happenings for www.MaudNewton.com,, and writes about art, politics and style at www.LuxLotus.com.

Register at _www.heartofdixie.org_ (http://www.heartofdixie.org/)
Questions? Email _online@heartofdixie.org_ (mailto:online@heartofdixie.org)

• Cost: $20 -
• All payments for a workshop must be received by the registration deadline - June 25th.
• Please email the Online Class Coordinator with questions.

A Little Place Called "Happy"

Over on A Slice of Orange today, I'm talking about what I do to stay in a positive state of mind, especially during tough and scary times--like what my family and I are going through with my 23-year old brother-in-law's health right now. It's not easy, and I'm certainly not alone because every family has their share of emotional upheaval.

On the other blog, I've listed a couple of things I like to do that helps put me in my "happy" place...And in turn, they've put me in a positive state of mind pretty much on a daily basis.

Basically, laughing helps me throw back my shoulders a bit and feel lighter. And these boys, Bret and Jemaine, definitely know their way around a punch line (subtly, I might add).


Also, listening to music has helped send me to Happyville for a few minutes a day. You already know that I'm obsessed with MUSE, right? Well, on the other blog, I posted a live version of their cover of "Feeling Good" from their concert at Wembley Stadium in 2007, which MUSE posted on YouTube (they also post a lot of their videos on their MySpace page for fans to embed to their own sites).

Here's another song of theirs that's a favorite of mine called "Starlight" (you may have heard this on the radio).



So, what about you guys? What do you do to stay positive? Listen to music? Read? Watch movies? Hang out with friends? Write?

I'd love to know and you can answer here or join in the discussion over at A Slice of Orange, if you prefer.

Take Care,

Michele

UPDATED AT 8:45: I had forgotten to add the link to MUSE's site and now it's good to go.

Because I need to laugh

This is purely for fun.

Laughing always helps to put things back in a positive light, right? Right. (Don't you love it when I answer my own questions? Sure, you do.) Who doesn't love to smile or laugh? C'mon, I dare you to tell me you don't partake of the occasional chuckle.

Anyway, I found this a few years ago and it cracks me up. By the way, it's for men and women alike...

Wanna know if you're pregnant? Here's a website that offers an ONLINE PREGNANCY TEST. Yes, that's right, folks. It'll tell you through your computer whether to expect a bundle of joy. ;-)

And guess what? It'll tell you the sex of the baby and who the father is as well! But what if you don't like which father it picks? Well, just tell it to pick another one! It's as easy as clicking the button.

I'd like to announce that I'm expecting a baby boy and the father is Dick Cheney. And even better...My husband is expecting a baby girl and the father is the Mailman. Isn't that sweet?

Don't forget the birth certificate...

Click the link to get your Free Online Pregnancy Test

So, try it and let me know if you're expecting a little bundle of joy of your own.
Watch out, though, you never know who the father might be...

Have fun!

Michele

Online Class: FROM AUSTEN TO ALIENS: HOW TO CREATE CLASSIC TOUGH CHICKS

Here's the information for a June online class. The workshop details and links to sign up for this four-week class are pasted below, and feel free to pass the info along to interested parties.

Hope this is of some help to your writing! :-)

Take care,

Michele


********** permission to forward **********

FROM AUSTEN TO ALIENS: HOW TO CREATE CLASSIC TOUGH CHICKS
with Jacqui Jacoby
June 16, 2008 - July 13, 2008

Enrollment Information: _http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassJune08.html_

COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members
Enrollment deadline: June 14, 2008
If you have specific questions, email _occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com_
(mailto:occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com)

ABOUT THE CLASS:

As a martial artist, Jacqui Jacoby is interested in self-defense and
how women are portrayed in the media. At first, it seemed as if it
was only Hollywood showing women in a tough light. With heroines such
as Sarah Conner of the Terminator movies, and Ellen Ripley in the
Alien films, women were the ones saving the day when men were being
blown up or eaten. This workshop covers such topics as how to portray
tough chick heroines. We will discuss different types of self-defense
techniques and how to build a tough chick heroine from the inside
out. What kind of women make up the tough chicks and what are they
like in their everyday lives? What drives them to become tough? What
kind of hero must stand beside her and what kind of villains will she
face?

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Award winning author, Jacqui Wilson lives and writes in the mountains
of Northern Arizona. A self proclaimed self-defense hobbyist, she is
currently studying for her black belt in tae kwon do along with her
husband and three kids. She can be reached via her website at http://
_www.jacquijacoby.com/_ (http://www.jacquijacoby.com/)

Enrollment Information: _http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassJune08.html_

COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members
Enrollment deadline: June 14, 2008

********** permission to forward **********