Winner of the Freakin' Fantastic Garden Gnome!

First of all, I'd like to thank all of you who donated to Skip a Starbucks Day. I was moved and brought to tears by the overwhelming kindness. The internet community is truly amazing!

On to the winner of the Freakin' Fantastic Garden Gnome!

: : drumroll : :

Congratulations to nfmgirl!


I'll be contacting you today for your mailing address.

Again, thanks to everyone who donated! You all mean so much to me. Words can't express.

Skip a Starbucks Day!

Today is Skip A Starbucks Day, where we ask you to give up one, small personal indulgence (i.e. a Starbucks coffee) and use that money to help rescue an orphaned child from China.

CJ Redwine is quite possibly one of the best friends a girl can have. She's my query ninja, my friend ninja, and she's been with me through tears and laughter and panic attacks. She's helped me strive to become a better writer, a better person, even a better wife. That's why I didn't bat an eye when she asked me to help bring her daughter, Johanna, home from an orphanage in China.

I hope after you read her story, you feel led to give up an iced frap and help out this deserving mother.

CJ's story:

We had three biological boys in four years and then I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. I had a hysterectomy and while I mourned the fact that I couldn't have any more biological children, I was certain our family wasn't finished. My husband wasn't so sure. 

I'd talked about adopting and I always saw us with a little girl from China. He came up with a ton of reasons why now wasn't the right time to adopt. Then, on Mother's Day of 2005, he leaned over to me in church and said, "We have a daughter in China. We need to start the adoption proceedings to bring her home." I adjusted to this unexpected news (we hadn't discussed adoption for months) in about 15 seconds. :)

The next day, we began researching adoption and we picked out her name: Johanna Faith. Johanna means God's Gracious Gift and Faith is what it is taking to bring her home. We signed up with Chinese Children Adoption International agency based out of Colorado. We completed our stateside paperwork and homestudy within a few months, sent off our dossier to China with the understanding that it would be a 6-8 month wait, and eagerly planned to bring our daughter home. Soon, though, we began to hear rumors that the wait time was extending. Then we heard that the government had cracked down on orphanages who were receiving money from the state but who weren't keeping all of their beds full and the wait slowed to a crawl. Our dreams of having her home for Christmas were dashed. And then our dreams for having her home in time for summer were dashed as well. Before we knew it, another Christmas had passed and we were still waiting. Meanwhile, the Olympics were coming to Beijing, and the word was most adoption processes would stop altogether because China didn't want unfavorable international attention on their orphanages.

As the wait stretched from 8 months to three years, I struggled with depression. I could hardly bear Christmas, because she wasn't yet there. I shut the door of her bedroom and left it closed because I couldn't bear to walk past it in the hall. It hurt to think about having a child out there whom I couldn't protect. Couldn't love. Couldn't save. Three years became four with no real change. Our homestudy expired. Our immigration petition expired. Three times. Our fingerprints expired. Four times. And China raised the orphanage and court fees by thousands while we waited. Suddenly, the cushion of money we'd fundraised at the start of this process was almost gone and China was picking up speed in their child match program.

In September, it will be five years since we officially started our adoption process to bring Johanna home. We expect to receive her picture, information, and permission to travel sometime by the middle of September.

I opened her bedroom door for the first time in 3 1/2 years.

And went a little crazy ordering cute little hand-made hats and headbands on Etsy because I still don't know her size so can't buy her any clothes.

We're so excited to be able to travel soon to bring her home! But we still need to raise $8,000 to ransom her life from the orphanage. And that's where you come in!

*sniff*

Now, in honor of Skip A Starbucks Day, we're giving away some AMAZING prizes. (Signed books, several book box sets, homemade soap, gift cards, Voldemort's wand, an ARC  OF THE LOST SAINT!!!, and so much more.

All you have to do is donate to CJ's adoption fund to be eligible to enter the giveaways. Easy peasy!

So, what am I giving away?

Your very own Freakin' Fantastic Garden Gnome, straight from the Secret Gnome Writers Coalition! He's brand new, cast iron, and so very handsome. Notice the handsomeness from the photo:

Here's how it works:

1) Click on the pretty button to the right ---->
and donate via CJ's donation link on the top right of her blog. We're asking for a minimum of $5, but please feel free to give whatever you can. Every little bit helps.

2) Come back here and enter to win your very own garden gnome.

3) Enter as many of the other Skip a Starbucks giveaways as you like. (If you donated, you get to enter them all! There is a list on CJ's blog with links to all the giveaways.)

4) Spread the word. Let all of Facebook and Twitter know you've donated to bring home CJ's beautiful baby girl and encourage your friends to do the same. We need all the donations we can get!

You have until August 26th at midnight to donate and enter the giveaways. Winners will be announced after all necessary connections are made! Contest is for US/Canada residents only.

Thank you so much for helping C.J. bring Johanna home from China!

What's His Story? You Tell Me -- Drunk Camper Dude Edition

We've been camping at a state park just minutes from our house this week because the weather has been gorgeous and we wanted to sleep under the stars. Why else?

Every time we go back to our campsite in the evening, some other camper has popped a tent right next to us. RIGHT. Next. to. us. I know I can cook a mean stir fry over the fire, but come on people.
Give us some s p a c e.

The first time it happened we dragged our tent to another location. Last night, some dude had put up his tent right across from us. And he had a pit bull chained up to the picnic table, who promptly barked at us and sent my little Cockapoo into a frenzy. We never saw the dude, he must have been in his tent when we arrived (at 7pm) but he promptly brought his dog in with him to save us all from the barking that was bound to ensue all night from both camps.

We didn't hear a peep out of him or his dog for the rest of the evening.

Until we turned in.

At first I hear a moan. A loooooong drawn out moan like when you try to wake a teenage boy up from a nap.

Then a loud slurred threat that sounded something like, "I'm gonna effing kill youuuuuuu."

Yeah, now I'm awake. It's not the sort of thing you want to hear when you're camping and you can't see anything. Not to mention that the volume made it sound like he was right outside our tent.

Moooooooaaaaannnnnnnnn

Nooooooooooo

I said stay on your side!

I'm gonna effing shoot you up!

Then everything's quiet for an hour or so. Until...

Nooooooooo

I said stay on your side!

I'm gonna put you outside and let you effing fend for yourself! I'm gonna effing kill youuuuuuu!

Over and over this occurs, all throughout the night. I didn't sleep very well, to say the least. At some point I realize he's talking to his dog and I desperately wanted to inform him that dogs don't understand threats. I guess the dog was cold and kept trying to snuggle up next to him. Me? I'd throw an arm around my pup and be thankful for the warmth. Him? Threaten and moan. That's his solution.

Now, I'm not positive he was drunk, but he sure sounded like it. Like a drunk version of Dug from UP. You know when Dug says, "I can smell youuuuuuuu." ?? Yeah. That's what this guy sounded like. Only strip away all the adorable innocence and lace his words with profanity.

This morning I took in his campsite. Small tent, beat-up truck, lots of canvas bags in the back. Just him. Camping alone. With his dog. Possibly raving drunk.

So you tell me. What's his story? Why did he camp 3 feet away from us? Is he running from the law? Did his old lady toss him out? And what's he got against a little puppy snuggle? Or maybe he wasn't talking to his dog at all. If not, who?

Have some fun with this. I want to hear some awesome stories. :)

Carving Out Time For Writing

Currently, all of my computer time is spent managing two major websites, two not-so-major websites, five blogs, five Twitter accounts, and three Facebook fan pages. Plus all the advertising that comes with each. There's always something to work on, so if I don't carve out time to write, it doesn't get done.

I haven't found a method that works for me yet. I'm Mrs. RandomPants. I don't work well with monotony. I like to shake things up, do something different all the time. I suffer from burnout quicker than most, but I always rekindle my excitement for projects I've set aside. Thankfully. The problem is, you can't set aside answering customer emails for a week or two while you work on the latest project that snatches your fancy. So I try to chip away at my corporate to-do list everyday, but it ends up taking me all day and I find myself too tired and grumpy to write a single line of prose.

Of course, I'm plotting and world-building all day long. I've got hundreds of great storylines in my noggin. They just aren't on paper.

So...how do I get them on paper?

We hear so often that if you're passionate enough, if you want it badly enough, you'll make time to write. But I can't schedule my creative time in a date book. Maybe some of you can. Maybe you're able to approach it like just another corporate task and fit it in between lunch with a client and reconciling your bank statements in Quickbooks. I'm not there yet, and honestly, I don't think I ever will be. 

There are so many different ways to write well -- so many great writers out there, all with different techniques. You've got to find out what works for you and hone it.

I've realized I need    s    p    a    c    e     

free of distraction

I can't write when the television is on. I can't write when my husband is home because I'm either distracted by his presence or feeling guilty that I'm writing instead of spending time with him. (Even though he's wonderful and would give me all the time I wanted.) I can't write when I constantly see the little red dots in my dock signaling I have a new email or tweet. I can't write when I get a text message -- whatever it says will throw my brain in another direction. Hair appt Sat 2pm. Okay, says I. Better mark that on my calendar before I forget. Oh, what's this? I forgot to post that article on eco-friendly diapers for pluggedinparents? Better do that right now! *opens email to grab the article's Word file* *sees a dozen emails from advertising customers who want pricing info* Better get back to them. Time is money!

And so forth.

I guess you can say I'm easily distracted. *ooo, shiny!* So, the first step to making writing happen? Lose the distractions.

That's the easy part.

The hard part? Not feeling guilty about it. 

When I write, it takes a lot to silence the constant guilt-track on repeat in my brain. You didn't email that guy back. You said you were going to go for a walk today. Those pounds aren't going to just evaporate! You haven't paid that bill. You haven't checked your PO box for several days. You didn't reply to that person who made that nice comment on your Facebook wall. You haven't made a menu and shopping list for this week yet. I know you're craving sugar, but you swore you'd get a grip on that sugar addiction. Where's your blog post for this week? You haven't worked on the website redesigns in five days. How do you expect to get it done by January? And you know what? People think you suck. 

I have to find a way to carve out time each week, dedicate it to writing, and NOT feel guilty.
If you've been in the same sinking boat but made it safely to dry land, I could really use some advice/encouragement/tips in the comments. I'm sure a lot of other writers would benefit! 

Perseids 2010! Who's With Me?

Tonight we venture out into the black in search of the Perseids Meteor Shower. Who's with me?

And I get to hang with this little guy. A great semi-ending to this otherwise brain-dead week.

Hello, My Name is MG, and I'm a Sugarholic.

I've made the leap to go "off sugar."

Mainly because I'm 99.9% sure my body is 99.9% sugar. I'm positive I fit into that group of average Americans who consume 5 pounds of sugar a month and that horrifies me. So I'm allowing myself a bit of real sugar here and there, like in my coffee or in the form of a tortilla, but other than that, zilch. No sugar substitutes either.

Since I've gone cold turkey, I've felt my energy level drop. Brain activity? Zero. I just assumed it was due to my lack of sugar, but as I recently discovered, sugar has no impact whatsoever on hyperactivity.

Isn't that nuts?

There are health risks associated with a sugar addiction, obviously, but if your kid is hanging from the rafters, it apparently has nothing to do with the 80 Pixy Stix he just consumed.

Going "off sugar" means I'm rekindling my love of vegetables and legumes. Especially homegrown. Since I don't have a yard, I planted a few tomato plants in 5-gallon buckets, then placed those buckets in a wagon. You know, so I can wheel the wagon across my parking lot to the water spigot.

Let me tell ya, when people see you pulling a wagon full of tomato plants through the center of town, you get some interesting looks. Like I'm taking my tomatoes for a walk.

But I'm not. Really. 

After a month of TLC, I now have four baby green tomatoes sprouting forth. Two heirloom, two cherry. To that guy who laughed at me the other day, the joke's on him. I'll be the only Michigander around with fresh tomatoes at Christmas.

I suppose it's not the best time to curb my sugar addiction. I've been working on two website redesigns -- one for pluggedinparents.com and one for yabookscentral.com. I'm precariously close to finishing both, but last night I hit a major snag. A stick-my-head-in-an-oven snag. A throw-my-laptop-out-the-window snag.

Now would be the time I'd call the hubs, asking him to bring home chocolate cake. STAT.

But I'm not going to.

I'm going to light some candles, take a bubble bath, and continue reading BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. (Which is terrific so far, by the way.) Because I don't need sugar to feel better.

Isn't that what books are for?

Monday's Muse ~ The Week After

So I've been "agented" now for a whole week. Do I feel any different? Do I feel taller? Older?

No.

But I am more excited than ever to dive back into THE RISE OF THE PRINCE and make a few revisions. God, I love that story. I've been thinking about/plotting the sequels at all hours lately, which makes me giddy (and somewhat difficult company to keep). I can't wait to pull on the skin of those characters again and see where they take me. They have much more up their sleeves. I can feel it.

We took my brother-in-law and sister-in-law to experience the chocolate piadina on Saturday at Tomatoes a Pizza. I knew something was up with the cooks when we got our salad and the croutons were charred nuggets of black ash. Our 18-month-old nephew put one in his mouth and started crying. That's how burnt they were. And you don't want to see anything burnt at a pizza place. Especially one where they take pride in making the croutons themselves. It's just bad form.

We told our waiter the croutons were burnt so he could replace them with fresh ones on the salad bar. First he lectured us on the fact that they weren't "croutons," they were made from a special dough, boiled, then baked. We said we didn't care. They're burnt. He then proceeded to tell us that's how they're supposed to be and maybe they just aren't our thing. "To each his own," he said.

Um.

Raise your hand if you like adding the tantalizing flavor of coal to your salads!

After that I was worried. I knew my piadina wouldn't be baked with care. It didn't help when we waited for almost an hour and were finally told that the cook missed our pizza. Hey, they gave it to us for free, but still. Someone wasn't paying attention back there. And the piadina's life was at stake.

We took the piadina to go so we could enjoy it at home with coffee. I opened the box in the car and sure enough, the edges were gray -- not quite black, but definitely overcooked. That meant when I warmed it in the oven, it came out tough and the edges were too crispy. Like the croutons.

I wanted to weep for the piadina. Something so delicious shouldn't be treated with such carelessness. But I didn't shed a tear -- how could I when the gnome handed me this to read?

And the weekend got better when I figured out how to make cameo silhouettes in Photoshop. Always wanted to learn how. Here's my first attempt with the husband:

I'll sign off by directing your attention to the great book giveaways we have this month over at Young Adult Books Central. Yay! Free books!