Some Family Time And A Hero

I'm taking some time off from blogging to focus on family right now. As a lot of you know, my youngest brother-in-law, Matt, is critically ill with EBV-HLH and T-Gamma Lymphoma and is in dire need of a bone marrow transplant. Fortunately, he has a match...Yay! Thank you so much to the anonymous, international donor--WE LOVE YOU!!

Unfortunately, our battle remains in keeping Matt in remission long enough to get him to the transplant stage. This has been the struggle since June.

So, it's a little crazy over here, and we're doing everything we can to keep our heads up and to stay positive. Most of all, we need to encourage Matty to fight, fight, fight. :)

He's a strong one and he's going to win. He's a Hero in every sense of the word.

Thank you so much for all your good thoughts and comments over the past several months! Your support means everything to me and my family. Everything.

Take Care,

Michele

NaNo Update: Day 1

I didn't start until 7PM today, so I've only written 915 words tonight and I stopped at midnight.

Tomorrow will be another late start... well, heck, all week I will be starting late. But I'll make up the difference later in the month. Right?

Right.


Hope everyone is doing well!

M.

Nooooooo! He's Leaving the Show?!

I. Am. So. Bummed. I think I'm officially in mourning.

I just happened to have seen this Reuters article (October 30): "Actor David Tennant to leave 'Doctor Who.'"

I had a feeling something like this would be dropped on us, though. Remember this post?


Now that I think about it, I cannot think of another show on television that I'd really care whether the lead talent left, but with this show... I do. Tennant just naturally seems to bring out the energy, compassion, humor, love, as well as a hint of darkness to this character (of course, the writers make certain those elements are in the stories).

Sigh.

Michele

Image of "The Doctor" courtesy of BBC.com

Certainly a Treat

Thought I'd pass along the offer of this free paranormal novella written by award winning, Silhouette Nocturne author Caridad Piñeiro. You can find the novella on Harlequin's Paranormal Romance blog, just click here to download the PDF. The offer is available through the end of October! Pretty cool, eh?

If you're not familiar with Nocturne, it's Silhouette's line dedicated fully to Paranormal Romance, and I know I've read quite a few compelling Nocturne stories. Maureen Child writes fantastic paranormals for Nocturne, an Immortal Guardian series and a Vampire novella, and is one of my all-time favorite authors, and Erica Orloff also wrote a Vampire novel and I enjoy her stories, as well. Both authors write for other imprints and/or publishing houses, too. :)

Happy Halloween!

Take Care,

Michele

NaNoWriMo 2008

Can it already be the middle of October? Sheesh.

Well, NaNoWriMo begins in two weeks...Anyone else participating this year? I have a new story of which I'm going to finish working on the synopsis this month, and then I plan to start writing the novel during NaNo. That way, I should have a bare-bones, first draft finished.

It'll be an interesting test of my focusing skills with all crazy stuff going on around here, especially with what's on the calendar for next month, but I'm determined to meet the goal and be a NaNoWriMo Winner! (I love the Viking helmet on the widget, by the way. Perfect.)

So how's your writing going? How have you been?

Take Care,

Michele

Doctor Who Scripts and TWO Book Releases

A huge THANK YOU to Stevyn Colgan for posting the information and the link to this site last week! I just haven't had a chance to share it with you guys until today. Six full shooting scripts from series four of "Doctor Who" are available there for free as a PDF: "Voyage of the Damned", "Partners in Crime," "Midnight," "Turn Left," "The Stolen Earth," and "Journey's End." The last three are the final ones of the season. Did I mention these scripts are available for FREE?

All six scripts were written by Head Writer Russell T Davies and are part of a promotion for a new book by Davies and journalist Benjamin Cook about a "year in the life of a hit television series," entitled Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale.

Also, more Fantastic News...

Joined-up Thinking: How to Connect Everything to Everything Else by Stevyn Colgan
hit the bookshelves on October 3rd! Woo-hoo!! (You may have seen my comment in the previous post.) However, as of right now this book of how everything connects is currently only available in the UK, as well as pretty much every other country--except the US. BUT! We can still order it online through Amazon UK. And since the price is quoted in British pounds, those of us in the US can pretend we're actually paying half price! (Even though we're not.)

Joined-Up Thinking (Macmillan) features cover quotes from Stephen Fry and John Mitchinson and it also contains a foreword from John Lloyd, the man behind the brilliance of many popular BBC shows, including QI and Blackadder.

From the Amazon Product Description:

What is the link between the Sex Pistols and crude oil; between Isaac Newton, Pink Floyd and a suicidal dwarf on the set of "The Wizard of Oz"? What is Scooby-Doo's real name, and why should you make a point of avoiding armadillos? You'll find out the answers to these questions and a whole lot more in "Joined-Up Thinking". Each chapter of the book begins with a fascinating piece of information, spins a dizzying web of connected facts and, with a spine-tingling final flourish, brings the loop full circle. So open up the book, begin at the beginning - and end at the beginning...

'I found myself fascinated and, like a child who thinks it's fun to go round and round in circles, somewhat dizzy. Most impressive' - Stephen Fry.

'The book that nails that odd, slightly unnerving feeling that everything really is connected' - John Mitchinson, co-author of "QI: The Book of General Ignorance".

That sounds so cool! Can't wait until my copy arrives. :-)

Michele

It's Banned Books Week

Which means... The American Library Association is "Celebrating the Freedom to Read." On their website, you'll find Banned Books Week events, the top books that have been banned or challenged, how to deal with those challenges, and how to support Banned Books Week.

I've had this button in my sidebar for awhile now, the one that reads: "Everything I need to know about life, I learned by reading banned books." One of my friends, a school librarian who has been battling narrow-minded parents for the past couple of years, has a button with those words written on it pinned to her cork board in her library. I love that.

We cannot ban books. No, no, no. No one should be able to control what other children read, what my child reads. I'll take responsibility for what he's reading (or not, as the case may be).

So, do you have a favorite banned book? There are so many on the most frequently challenged list of 100 from 1990-2000. I think you'll be surprised by the older books STILL on the list.

I loved reading #22 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle when I was a kid, and seriously... #88 Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford? What? Why? Sigh.

Take Care,

Michele

Another Fantastic Author Interview and Contest!

If you haven't been checking out the author interviews over on Shauna Roberts' For Love of Words blog, then may I suggest you hop on over there? Seriously. They're fascinating and informative. And Shauna has pointed me in the direction of several authors I'd never considered before I'd read about them on her site...now I'm definitely curious enough to pick up their novels. Her authors have presented different cultures and settings that I've found particularly intriguing--from the backdrop of the Appalachians to the traditions and beliefs of China.

Recently, I won one of Shauna's contests (thanks again, Shauna!) and had the opportunity to pick a novel from one of the authors she's interviewed. I chose debut author Amy MacKinnon's novel, Tethered.

According to Shauna's interview with MacKinnon, Tethered was a September pick for Borders' Original Voice program. The loner heroine, Clara Marsh, works as an undertaker in Massachusetts and befriends a young girl, Trecie, as she helps the police solve the murder of "Precious Doe."

I haven't had a chance to dive into the book yet, but I'll let you know as soon as I do. Can't wait!

If you get a chance, check out some of Shauna's past interviews.

Today, Shauna has posted a fascinating interview with historical romance and fantasy author Jade Lee. And BONUS... Jade Lee has offered to give away one of her books to someone who leaves a comment (picked randomly, of course) on Shauna's blog. So head on over there and check it out. :-)

Good Luck!

Michele

Contest Week at Murder She Writes!

Okay, so the title of this post pretty much says it all. BUT wait a minute, turns out I do have more... Murder She Writes is having a Contest Week (9/29-10/3) because they're adding new bloggers to their staff, so they're giving away a lot of books! Lucky us!

It's Monday, so good friend Jennifer Apodaca is the first one to post the news and the hints with whom she'll be sharing every other Monday.

Go forth and comment! Win stuff! Spread the word!

Good Luck!

Michele

Here With You

On Saturday, September 20th, my family and I participated in a cause close to our hearts... the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's "Light the Night Walk" at Angels Stadium in Anaheim.

We walked in honor of my youngest brother-in-law who is battling a rare form of lymphoma that has been induced by an extremely rare auto-immune disorder. He told me it was cool to post some of the photos from the walk, so this will give me a chance to show you all what we've been up to since May 11th...the day he went into the hospital for the 3rd time and stayed until the end of June (he's been in and out numerous times since then).

My sister-in-law found out about the walk and rallied the family (and it's a huge family). She also discovered that Andrew McMahon, the frontman of the band Jack's Mannequin, had a team for the walk. McMahon founded the Dear Jack Foundation, which benefits the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Pediatric Cancer Research Center, and the UCLA stem cell transplant program. In 2005 and 2006, when Andrew was 22, he fought his own battle with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia and underwent a stem cell transplant that was donated by his sister. It's a pure coincidence that this happens to be one of my brother-in-law's favorite bands and that the similarities between he and Andrew are truly uncanny.

Spearheaded by Christine, my hardworking sister-in-law, Team Jack's Mannequin Angels Stadium raised over $16,000... and we're still going. Not only that, but we were the top fundraising "Friends and Family Team" at that location, so we were given the prime location of under the big red baseball cap near the entrance to the stadium!

Here are a few photos from the night:

Rod Carew and Angels Baseball President Dennis Kuhl, co-chairs of "Light the Night"


Our banner under one of the big Angels caps!


You know what was really cool? Andrew and his family showed up and walked with us, a show of support. And other than our family, friends of our family walked, as well as few others who had signed up on their own.


5000 people walked around the parking lot and inside the stadium, a total of 2 miles. We shuffled our way toward the finish line.


I think Matt and Andrew are commenting on the crush of people ahead of us... And we're telling them that we'll hang out in the back.


And we're walking... :-)


The banner for those whom we're walking In Honor of and In Memory of...




But we're not finished YET! The goal of Team Jack's Mannequin, nationwide, is to reach $100,000 and we have until December 31st to continue our efforts. If you know of any corporations, businesses, friends...anyone who would like to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, please feel free to pass along this link (please copy and paste--if it doesn't work):

http://www.active.com/donate/ltnSanta/2284_ccwiertny

Thank you so much! And, of course, all of your good thoughts, prayers, and emotional support are always welcome. :-)

This is the trailer for the Dear Jack Movie: The Journey of Andrew McMahon. If you have/had a family member go through this, it's a little difficult to watch, as he chronicles his struggles with a hand held camera. It's eerie how similar it is to what my brother-in-law is going through. The trailer's only a few minutes, but I do encourage you to watch it... Keep an eye out for this full length movie in 2009.


And this is the video for Jack's Mannequin's "Dark Blue," which they posted on their YouTube site. I LOVE this song!


Photo Credits: Eric Cwiertny, 2008