A Working Vacation

I recently spent some time traveling around Georgia and the Carolina's.  It was both a vacation and to do research for my latest book. Past vacations have always been going to one place and staying for the duration, with a short trips to see nearby sights. This vacation had us moving around a lot, and I was afraid I'd made it stressful rather than relaxing, but we had an amazing time! Here are some highlights:

This is why they're called the Smoky Mountains

The Ocoee River, site of the Canoe Slalom for the 1996 Olympics

The Supermoon rising over the Blue Ridge Mountains in Blue Ridge, GA

The Blue Ridge Mountains from our deck in Blue Ridge, GA

Morning coffee on the deck in Blue Ridge, GA

My daughters and I in front of the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC

Chambers Waterfront Park in Beaufort, SC ... how ingenious to use porch swing as park benches!

The picturesque marina in Beaufort, SC

A majestic live oak tree, dripping with Spanish moss, growing in the middle of North Street in Beaufort, SC (Note: It has the right of way!)

Hunting Island Lighthouse (I love lighthouses!)

Shrimpers catching my dinner off Hunting Island, SC

And here's a picture of what's left that dinner. It was undoubtedly THE best shrimp salad I've ever had the privilege to eat

A spectacular sunset over northeastern Georgia

And last, but not least, my daughters hamming it up in front of the incredibly beautiful and awe-inspiring Angel Tree on John's Island, SC (estimated to be 300-400 years old)

The unpaved, dirt road leading to the Angel Tree was impassable due to recent rains, so we had to back down the narrow road about a half a mile (where stunt-worthy backwards driving impressed my daughters!), and hike the a half mile back to the tree. It was thundering and lightening (in the distance), and we were caught in a torrential downpour. I know it is unwise to walk under a canopy of towering trees on the way to a gigantic tree during a thunderstorm, but we had driven an hour and a half to see it. I have wanted to see this tree for years and I just couldn't force myself turn around and leave when we were this close!!

We slogged through the muddy road ... in sandals. We were dirty and soaking wet when we reached the tree ... but we were rewarded for our efforts. Pictures do not do justice to the majesty of this tree. It is truly incredible to behold!

The rain was slowing as we walked back to our car, passing a dozen or so others on their way to see the tree. Each and every one, without exception, asked "Is it worth it?" Meaning, of course, walking a half mile, in the mud, in the rain, just to see a silly tree! 

We answered honestly. "YES!"

One man asked if it was worth it, and we said yes.  His daughters passed, then his wife.  She looked at me and asked skeptically, "Is it really?"  I told her yes, it is absolutely worth it.  

Because it really and truly is worth the walk ... in the rain, through the mud!

We had an amazing time, and like all vacations, it ended too soon. But, I have a good life here at home, so I don't guess I have too much to complain about!

The National Anthem

Last weekend my daughter and I went to the air show at the riverfront. I used to take the kids to the air shows when they were little, and they are now hooked on them! Before the show began, the announcer asked everyone to rise for the National Anthem.

As I stood beside my daughter, both of us holding our hand over our hearts, I looked around and noticed nearly everyone I could see was doing the same.

It made me proud.

For as long as I can remember, I have gotten choked up and fight back tears when The Star Spangled Banner is played. That song means something to me. I can't explain why I get so teary-eyed, but it moves me, deep inside. I guess I just love America  ... with every fiber of my being.

Autographed Pre-Orders and Book Trailer for A Summer in Ocracoke

Pre-orders are now being accepted for an autographed copy of A Summer in Ocracoke, which will be released September 9, 2013 ... (Click here for ordering options.).

The book trailer is made and is available. I think it turned out quite well!

Happy Father's Day

I love my sweet kids. A little heavy-handed? Okay ... I love my kids when they're sweet!! I thought I'd share with you the plant I got for Father's Day, along with a card that said ..

"Happy Father's Day Mama!"

'A Summer in Ocracoke' ... my first proof copy arrived today!

I came home today to find a proof copy of A Summer in Ocracoke waiting for me! The picture for the blog turned out a little blurry ... but the actual copy isn't ... it's crystal clear and sharp!

Now I get to read it and look for errors. If I don't find any, it will go to my "editors" for a once over. I believe I had three proofs of Boomerang before it went to press.

I think the jacket art turned out nicely. My name needs adjusted at the bottom, but the title and picture itself looks good ... and the back cover doesn't need anything changed.

It feels so good to hold a book I've written!!

I wonder if that feeling ever gets old? I hope not. I hope I get excited every time I hold each new book I write ... every ... single ... time :)

And my next book is (drumroll, please)

On the Shores of Carolina

That's the title for now. That could change at any time, but I'm pretty sure that's what I will end up calling it. I've heard of authors changing the working title many times during the writing process, or still struggling to come up with one after the work is finished. Not me. I need a title before I can even begin to write. So far, however, I have yet to change a title once I've made the decision.

After much thought, and countless hours I should have been sleeping, I finally decided on how I thought the book should start. So, first thing this morning, I started writing On the Shores of Carolina in earnest.

The first sentence is always the hardest. The entire book will flow from that one, simple thought.  I consider it as critical as the very last sentence, and perhaps even more so ... the first page or two have to pique the curiosity of the reader enough to care about the characters and the story they have to tell. If you don't hook your reader in the first paragraph or two, chances are that book is going back to the library or given away ... unread ... and they'll never see the last sentence.

Today I wrote the first chapter and part of the second.  So far, I like it. I usually have several false-starts when working on a new novel, and On the Shores of Carolina is no different. I think I wrote the first chapter of A Summer in Ocracoke a couple dozen times before I finally hit on one I liked. Hopefully I won't change my mind, and I won't have to rewrite the first chapter of Carolina a dozen or more times to be satisfied with it.

Speaking of A Summer in Ocracoke, I finished my latest round of edits and the jacket cover design, and have ordered my first proof. I had to order three proofs of Boomerang before I hit the "approved" button. My goal is to have A Summer in Ocracoke available for sale on Tuesday, September 9, 2013. With any luck it will be available before then!

And speaking of Boomerang ... my oldest daughter lent her copy to a co-worker.  According to my daughter, this woman loves to read, and romance novels are her favorite. When she gave the book back to my daughter, she said she loved it. She also asked "Is this a local author?"  My daughter replied "Yes! My mother!" It made me feel good that she said she loved Boomerang before she found out my daughter was related to the author.

My goal is to release On the Shores of Carolina in September of 2014. I'm hoping it will be sooner, but for now, September of 2014 is the goal.

Phones and books

I am still working through some issues on my phone. It's not exactly what I'd design myself, but it's good enough.  I can live with the things I don't like (not that I have a choice), and look for applications to replace the ones I'm not thrilled with.

And ... on a completely unrelated note ... I just finished an excellent book by one of the most prolific writers of our day, whom I shall simply call "Author". Author doesn't generally write the type of books I tend to read, but every great once in a while, Author will write a book that does appeal to me. Regardless of whether or not Author writes "my" kind of book, Author is a master storyteller.

Although the subject of this particular book piqued my curiosity, and I was very interested in reading it, it hinted at political undertones ... and Author and I are polar opposites when it comes to politics. I began reading, hoping Author didn't go off on a rant against everything I believe in, which would completely turn me off and force me to quit reading ... because I really wanted to know how the book turned out ... and to my surprise, Author handled the subjects with more diplomacy than I expected. Author's political views came out loud and clear, but they stopped short of cramming them down my throat ... and there were far fewer than I anticipated. I finished the book in record time, and although I was able to predict most the plot twists ... and the ending ... it was still a very good read. One plot twist, however, was very unexpected. I can't go into detail without revealing the Author and the book, but it made Author's political views looks quite bad! I hadn't expected that. I was certain Author was using this novel as a soapbox for why I'm on the "wrong side". I was wrong ... and I'm glad.

More than that, though, I found two major goofs in the book. One where Author said something about not ever needing something the male protagonist had purchased (hence, the money the protagonist had paid was spent for nothing) ... but the item had been used. An entire paragraph described the difficulty the protagonist had using it.

The second, and the biggest goof, was using the last wrong name when speaking of the female protagonist. That's a pretty big goof!  Regardless, the book was excellent.

I'm ashamed to admit, but it made me feel a little happy inside to find those errors! I know how they occurred ... it's easy to change one tiny thing and forget you referenced it later, so the two parts of the story don't match. That is frighteningly easy to do. Where Author got the name wrong, it was an understandable error ... the protagonists last name was very similar to another last name that came up often. So why did it make me "happy"? I will tell you ... because if someone as famous as Author, and with the kind of staff and resources at Author's disposal, even Author's books can go to print with blazing errors ... and I won't have to feel like a total failure if an error is discovered in one of mine.

I've read a few other books with big errors like that ... one where some people are running away from an explosion and pass a treasured acquaintance running as well, and is relieved to see that so-and-so made it out safely, too. A few paragraphs later, they are watching the resulting fire, mourning the loss of their friend (the one they saw running out) who surely perished in the explosion. Another had an identical paragraph in twice ... word for word ... with one paragraph in between them.  Both of these authors are very well respected, best-selling authors, too.

I may not be perfect, and my novels may contain errors (although I hope not!), but if the big dogs can publish works with errors, perhaps I shouldn't worry myself half-sick that mine will go to print with an error ... and if they do, it's a forgivable offense.

Can you see little hearts floating out of me?

Last evening, I took my Blackberry back and purchased a Samsung Galaxy S4. Before the purchase, I checked to make sure I could do all of the things on the device itself that my old Blackberry Torch could do ... and that my new Blackberry Z10 could not do. It did.

As an Android-based phone, I was under the assumption that I would have to sync it to an online Google calendar. Something I didn't want to do, but had nevertheless resigned myself to having to do. Still, I needed to get my data out of my pc Outlook client and onto a Google client. As I looked around online for a solution, I discovered ... to my sweet and utter delight ... that my new phone CAN sync directly to Outlook on my pc!

I was sooooooooooo happy!

After the tears of joy subsided, I downloaded the programs, configured them, and set about syncing all of my contacts and calendar items to my phone. I have a LOT of data on my calendar, so it took a while to accomplish ... but it worked!!! The only thing left to do was sync my Outlook Memo's to Evernote.  (Note: Evernote appears to be available for every platform except Blackberry.)

It was after midnight before the calendar finished syncing, and my alarm was set for 4:15, so I had to get to bed and get some sleep. However, I do have the Evernote/Outlook Add-in downloaded. I'll install that on my pc this evening, transfer my notes, and then sit back and relax ... finally!

My contacts are synced, each with a category specific ringtone, my calendar is synced all the way back to 2003, and I was able to customize the device and download apps I had wanted but were unavailable to me on my Blackberry! Tonight I will have my memo's at the tip of my fingers, and ... once again ... all will be right with the world :)

I had that horrid Blackberry for almost a week and failed to find anything I was satisfied with on their much-anticipated new operating system. After only a few hours with my Galaxy, I was as giddy as a teenager dating the coolest guy in school!

Bye-bye Blackberry :(

I was willing to wait on Blackberry to come up with the syncing tool I so desperately miss, and I could have lived with some of the other "upgrades" that make my life more difficult ... but I just discovered I cannot search my memo's.

And that's a deal-breaker of the highest magnitude.

I have 405 memo's in my phone, which I search dozens of times a day. I don't have the patience to scroll through hundreds of memo's searching for what I need. I could have lived with it if I could have downloaded the Evernote app, but ... surprise, surprise ... it's not available for Blackberry.

I have a friend with an Android-based phone that he is quite pleased with. I'll find out what he has and switch to that one.

To the geniuses at Blackberry who created the new operating system ... I don't care what the new Blackberry can do as long as it can also do what my old one did ... and it can't ... so I'm bidding adieu to Blackberry.

Soooo, after spending almost a week trying to transfer my data, searching for ways to make my Blackberry work like I assumed it would, of buying third-party apps that suck (fortunately I can get my money back on those), and of beating my head against the wall, I'll get to spend the next week doing the same thing with my new phone ... except I already know someone who has made the switch and can tell me how he made his Android do all the things (and more) that his old Blackberry did.

I feel like the weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders!! With this stupid phone gone ... I will finally have my life back!!!

Why are "upgrades" rarely better?

My Blackberry Torch was on its last leg. The "Back" button was cracked, so it was sometimes difficult to go, well ... back! Then the cover for the buttons fell off, revealing the naked, nameless white buttons underneath. I taped them back on, but it was only a temporary fix until I figured out what phone I wanted to replace it with.

After a trip to the cell phone carrier, then researching online, I bit the bullet and "upgraded" to a Blackberry Z10. I could have gone with an iPhone. I could also have shaved my head or joined a cult. I know people who love their iPhones more than they love their kids. I have an iPad, and while it's handy, I love it about as much as I love my neighbor a block away ... whom I do not know and have never seen! I did love my Blackberry Torch ... almost as much as I loved my Palm Treo. I still miss my Treo (sob!).

When it came time to part ways with my Treo (sob!), I did so reluctantly. I had waited impatiently for well over a year for my cell carrier to carry the Palm Pre Pro so that I could stay with the Palm platform and transfer all my data to my new Palm. What a JOKE that silly phone was! Palm, who started the smartphone craze with their world-class calendaring options, forgot what made them so desirable when they created the Palm Pre. After spending a small fortune on the phone, and another small fortune on third-party programs to transfer all my data to my new Palm, I realized I had put a doctor appointment on the calendar on the wrong day. I went to search the calendar and couldn't figure out how. I ended up calling tech support ... who informed me that you cannot search the calendar. I had to scroll through several months worth of appointments, one day at a time, to find the errant doctor appointment. I then boxed up the phone, took it back, and bought a Blackberry. Palm turned it's back on what made it famous ... it's calendaring ... and now they no longer exist.

With my latest Blackberry "upgrade", I'm wondering how well Blackberry knows it's market. When I have a problem with the phone, I search the internet for a solution (naively thinking it's just something I'm not seeing, not that Blackberry was foolish enough to get rid of a key feature). When I hit a link that has the exact same problem, I read through pages and pages of people complaining about the exact same thing ... trying to figure out a workaround, and praying Blackberry fixes it rather than leaving us hanging.

After five days with this phone, I am still fighting with it to get it to do the things I assumed it would do, because, you know ... it's a smartphone and I assumed it would do all the cool, smart things my Torch could do. I don't know why I thought that, but I did. I've finally managed to get all my data transferred (in many cases, three times ... which I have to delete ... only to have them reappear ... Grrrrrr!), but I can't seem to get it to sync with anything. It's obviously syncing with something if the contacts keep multiplying, but then why isn't it syncing the calendar? If I add an appointment to my calendar on my Blackberry, it shows up on my online calendar ... but no the Blackberry (Grrrrrrrrr!) I'm waiting for the Blackberry to Outlook on the pc snyc to come out. They say it's coming, but they also said the Z10 was coming "soon", and I had to wait well over a year for that. There is no "Go To Date" selection in the calendar. Navigating to a different date, unless it's withing a day or two of the current date, is cumbersome and time consuming.

With each new day, I am growing more and more frustrated. I'm not so sure I'm going to stay a loyal Blackberry customer for much longer. If they had kept the features everyone uses and added new ones, they'd never lose a customer! But, like Palm, they don't seem to have a very firm grasp as to how people use their phones or why they loved (note the past-tense) their old Blackberry so much.

Blackberry has always been considered a "business" phone. Unfortunately, with their new phones, it's easier to post a picture to Facebook or send a Tweet than it is to find an appointment on the calendar. I originally got on Facebook to stalk my kids. I don't post very often. Facebook is not a necessity in my life ... but my calendar and memo's are critically important to me.  I access them many, many, many times a day!!!! I know Blackberry is trying to compete with Apple's iPhone, but screwing up the calendar and syncing options are going to kill their market faster than my daughter can post a selfie on Facebook or send a silly tweet with her iPhone.

There are several key features the Z10 is missing. I NEED to be able to go to a certain date on my calendar. I NEED to be able to sync it with my Outlook on my desktop ... not a web-based calendar. I NEED to be able to categorize contacts and set-up notification profiles for specific categories. I WANT to display only the name of a memo, not the name and the first line (which is often sensitive data!). I WANT to be able to move a picture from one folder to another without attaching to my computer via Blackberry Link and doing it through Windows Explorer. You're supposed to be able to do it on the device with their "File Manager" app, but I can't even find my pictures when I'm on that app! I work in technology, and if I can't figure out this stuff easily, how hard is it for those who are not as technically astute?

At the moment, I am NOT a very happy customer ... and if they don't address these issues in future updates, I won't be a customer ... at all ... for long.