I is for...YOU!

Today is not about me. Or you. Or those who woke up this morning and whose biggest complaint is that they didn't get enough sleep.

Today is about someone else's child who is still asleep and whose family is hopeful that he'll wake up.

On Wednesday April 3, two boys were long boarding on a path alongside State Route 18, in St. George, one of which subsequently suffered life-threatening injuries from a terrible fall.

From his father, David Farland/Wolverton, Bestselling author, writer mentor, and friend:

About Ben's accident: Ben went long-boarding with a friend up near Snow Canyon, a scenic place with lots of rolling hills. They had never been there before, and Ben's friend, Tyler, went down a steep hill and thought that it was too difficult for Ben's board. He turned around to warn Ben, but by then Ben had already been thrown from his board. 

Apparently, Ben was thrown forward and rolled head-over-heels several times. That's why he crushed his skull (down near the hind brain), and then hit his back hard enough to bruise his lungs, then broke his pelvis/crushed his vertebrae, and so on. Beyond that, he has bad "road burn" on his knees, shoulder, back, hips, and so on, and a split lip. With the concussion, his ear drum broke, and he lost a lot of blood through his left ear and again through his nose.

An ambulance reached him quickly, and stayed with him until a helicopter got there to evacuate him at about 45 minutes. It flew him to the hospital in Saint George, but they don't have the equipment/staff to handle severe head trauma cases, so they administered meds and flew him to Las Vegas.

Ben is still in a coma, but his vitals are stable. They tried feeding him some solids through a tube yesterday, and he held it down well, so they're now starting him on more food. However, he hasn't moved since about 4 hours after the accident. We'll just have to hang on and see if he wakes up. 

And on top of their pain they have been uninsurable. So now his family needs our help.

Aside of the joy David's books have brought to others, his Daily Kick in the Pants has been an inspiration to writers everywhere, his pay it forward mentality in much need of some payback. Today. :)  A book bomb is making it's way around through the social-sphere today. Nightingale and Million Dollar Outlines are the two main books being focused on. Nightingale is an award winning YA Fantasy and Million Dollar Outlines is for writers everywhere who want to improve their craft.

Consider donating. Consider purchasing a copy (or two). Consider how fortunate you are to have rolled out of bed this morning. :) David is well-deserving of your caring today, as is his son Ben.

You can follow Ben's story and find all the donation links on the website here or on just about any writer's Facebook page that has a connection to Ben or his Dad, David Farland/Wolverton.

Thank you!!

Hootsuite vs Tweetdeck

Um...both.

Seriously. I have to use both to keep up with the twittering world. On occasion, I even need the Twitter site itself.  Why?

I have a Mac.

I love my Mac, don't get me wrong. But the difference in programming can cause the user some mild frustrations. Like with Twitter. It goes something like this:

• Twitter? How fun!!! Look at all the cool people I've found!! Now how can I follow everyone easily without always logging on? Hmmmm...
• Hurray for Tweetdeck! And it works on my iPad!
• Uh...what's with the changes to the functions guys, and what happened to the app on my iPad?!
• Forget it, I'm going with Hootsuite. It works on both.
• Or not. Gah! So confusing! Hello Twitter site...uh...why can't I edit my retweets? *sigh*
• Oh, look! Tweetdeck fixed its mistakes. Let's give it another try. What, still no app for the iPad?
• Hurray! Hootsuite works on the iPad!  But...uh...not on my new Mac.  PEOPLE!!!!
• So I guess it's Tweetdeck for my Mac laptop. Hootsuite for my iPad. Hurray?? And oh, I need the Twitter site when I have to borrow hubby's computer. Or add the twitter feed to my blog. (Yup, it's down there on the right a little ways.)

This is what it boils down to for me. I need multiple apps and duplicative networking sites in order to stay in touch. But hey, I guess that's life. :) It's like having multiple children, where there's a different approach I have to take depending on which one I'm interacting with. The message is the same no matter where I go. But getting it across? Well, it's just going to take a little extra patience on my part. :)

How about you? Do you tweet?  Which program suits you best and why? Are you on Twitter? Can I stalk--I mean, can we be friends?

Genres

Sci-fi
Fantasy
Science Fiction Fantasy
Horror
Romance
Women's Fiction
Non Fiction
Children's
Adult
Contemporary
Young Adult

*breathe*

My goodness there are a lot of genres out there.  And I didn't even name them all. But I did have to think about them a lot when I started writing seriously. Asking myself, "What kind of writing was I interested in?"

As a reader, it's pretty much all of the above. Except for horror. Sorry, Mr. King. Just not interested.  Monsters under the bed and all that...

I found my preferred genre by the stories I wrote. I didn't know what or who I was writing for at first.  I merely got an idea and ran with it.  Literally.  I think A LOT when I'm running. My legs already know what to do, so it frees my mind up for brainstorming. :)

After a few stories I realized that I loved my years of being a teenager.  *gasp*  I know...I know...I'm weird.  But it wasn't all the awkwardness of being a teen that I love to remember.  It was the victories.  Coming into your own. Making decisions. Finding the courage and strength and experience to stand on your own two feet.  Because some day every teen will have to do it.

As parents, educators and concerned adults, we long to have the teens act like adults.  Only I think we often forget something important. We were like them once...maybe twice.  :)  We learn the most as teens when we made mistakes, tried to do as we were told, and mucked our way through the conflicting signals and messages we got from adults.  "Be outgoing. Stop interrupting. Speak up! Be quiet. Be more responsible. Do what I say."

It's a wonder anyone ever makes it out of the teen years alive. By all accounts my body did...but according to my writing my head's still in the game.  Maybe because I have a house full of teens right now.  Maybe because I can personally sympathize with them and the pains of growing up. Maybe because deep down inside I think we all still resemble teenagers but don't want to admit it.

Well, I'm here to admit it.  Rock on, teens!  It's a beautiful time for you right now. A fantastic life ahead of you.  The entire world is at your doorstep!!!  Make the most of it! Learn! Have fun! And yeah...try and be a little responsible so you'll live to enjoy many more years of the same.  Even if it means being called an adult. :)

Do you have a favorite genre to read or write in? Are they the same genre?

Friends, Followers, and Fans

I took a break one day and came back to this. Pure joy.

I'm a Mom. A writer. A friend. A follower. A fan.

In the vast world of social media we wear all sorts of hats.  We're bloggers. We're friends. We connect with other writers; offer valuable insights, critiques, and support for their writing. We friend writers we've never met in hopes of meeting, greeting, and networking with them. Then we squeal or fist bump someone when we score their signature or meet them in person. Or when they comment on our status. Right? Uh...maybe that's just me. :)

Or maybe your fan club is related to you.  I am so blessed to have such darling children that are not only my best friends, but followers of my writing career. They cheer me on. Give me a reason to write (or fodder, whether they realize it or not). And they proofread my chapters and squeal in delight.  *sigh* They leave messages on my computer (like the one up above) so that despite my working a lot I know that they're thinking of me. *double sigh*

In the vast world of social media we wear all sorts of hats.  We're friends. We connect with other writers. Offer valuable insights, critiques, and support for their writing. We friend writers we've never met in hopes of meeting, greeting, and networking with them. Then we squeal or fist bump someone when we score their signature or meet them in person. Or when they comment on our status. Right? Uh...maybe that's just me again. :)

I'm wondering what will become of the followers section on blogs, now that the Reader feed is going away. Will we still see/need the visual support? I think it's cool. I like seeing who I'm talking to. Like the little icons by people's comments. *waves at everyone*

I've been so blessed to meet other writers through social media, watch their imaginations take shape, then query, then publish.  It's exciting to watch. Makes me happy for them.  And I feel sort of proud that I was their friend. Before they were famous. Of course I'm still going to get their signature, cause you know. They're FAMOUS. :)

In all, I'm grateful for those who follow my writing journey. The love and support is invaluable.

Thank you. Thank you all!

E is for Entertainment and Ebert

Roger Joseph Ebert (1942-2013)

• Journalist, film critic and screenwriter.

• Co-hosted Sneak Preview (PBS) with Gene Siskel. 

• Entertaining viewers while critiquing entertainment.

I was still pretty young when I came across "Siskel and Ebert" (as they were fondly referred to in our house). I remember a lot of arguing. They never seemed to agree on anything. It was like watching a political debate over an issue I didn't even know I needed to worry about. I was transfixed, trying to find out how their words affected me.

I can only remember being concerned with shows like E.T., Star Wars, and Goonies (to name a few). I don't remember if they argued over those or not. Or how my parents condoned the time I spent watching two grown men argue on television. Maybe they thought it was educational. Maybe they didn't know I was watching it. :) Of course this was back before the internet, so Siskel and Ebert were one of the few sources for entertainment reviews. And it was PBS, so you know...it was legit. :)

I remember liking Ebert's face. He seemed kind, even when he was debating an issue. I felt bad that I hadn't kept up with his life or the challenges he'd faced. I went in search here, and here to see what else I had missed. It was a lot, I'm sad to say.  I even heard on the radio this morning that he had suffered the loss of his voice some years back. How tragic not to be able to speak for yourself. And yet, with all the new mediums today I know that his voice was still being heard. Still is.

You will be missed Mr. Ebert. You're an icon. A leader in the world of reasoning and talking things out. Educating viewers through your movies and reviews. Opening our eyes to what we might not have otherwise seen.

Thank you, Roger Ebert.