Friday Read & Write: Some Good Reads For Cold Weather!

New on the library magazine rack!

Also from the library...

 Before Cheryl Strayed's Wild there was Becoming Odyssa by Jennifer Pharr Davis.  I enjoyed Wild but I'm enjoying this book much better. Just as Ms. Strayed made me want to hike the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) Ms. Davis makes me want to head off onto the Appalachian Trail(AT). Someday, someday!

I have read all of the other Duck Dynasty books (all enjoyable and interesting) so I'm about to embark on Si's. He by far is the most eccentric character of the bunch. I think it will be fun to learn what makes him tick.

Also doing some studying on herbs for some blog articles and future herb gardening. Love my local library system!

Anyone reading or writing anything they want to share?

Friday Read and Write

Where do you write? This topic came up in October's issue of Writer's Digest.  Places that famous authors have written...?

1. While walking... yes I have
2. Favorite Chair... always
3. On Horseback... I have never ridden a horse so this one is out for me.
4. Out in nature... always
5. On the train... yes
6. Bathtub... yes, but never with the computer.
7. In the car... yes
8. In Bed... yes, but it isn't very efficient.  I tend to fall asleep.
9. In a Coffin... Call me silly but I just don't have one of those hanging around right now.
10. In your birthday suit... I have three teens and one pre-teen that would be scarred for life if I did this.

Today I'm feeling very J.K. Rowling-ish. I'm sitting in a downtown Grand Rapids Biggby Coffee writing because I have two hours to kill while City daughter is at her drama class at the Civic Theatre.  I also spent time writing in the back of the car today while my son was in his guitar lesson.

 

I do have an "official" writing desk.  It's in the basement.  I rarely use it.  I prefer to settle where I can hear if war erupts with any of the children.  Also if I'm out of sight for too long they come searching for me.  I am loved, or at least needed to find things, serve things, cook things and be shown the latest in Lego creations.

 

Comfy place to sleep... er... write

 

Backyard under the trees so I can see the computer screen

 Picnic table on the back deck if shaded

 

 Husband's fly tying desk in the family room. Shhh.... don't tell him.

 

 My chair when not occupied by teens

 

 Dining room table

 

Kitchen island

 



 

My downstairs "desk"

 

 

I love writing here but not with the computer.   Also it's kinda like the basement, too far away if war erupts.

 

 

Leave me a comment and let me know where you do your writing!

Friday's Read & Write

Last week I tackled Scott Westerfeld's series Uglies, Pretties, and Specials.  Really good reads but I would have preferred a different ending after investing all that time. Still need to get the last book in that world, Extras.

I attempted A Commonwealth of Thieves a book on the history and founding of Australia (I'm a history buff and an Austraphile.) But I found the writing a little too heavy for me at this time.  I think all day and when I sit down to read I want to be carried off on an adventure not have to think more.  This is nothing against the way the author writes but rather my feeble brain rejecting the information.

I also tried the novel Feed but only got a few pages in and decided it was not for me. Too much casual swearing.  I understand swearing in appropriate spots like, say, getting your thumb smashed by a hammer but this was just conversational swearing with no purpose.  I decided if the first few pages were riddled with said words that the rest of the book wasn't bound to be any different.  Great concept though... advertising fed straight into everyone's brains.

This week brings me the new Writer's Digest issue and a new Costco Connection. I also am re-reading Mary Kole's book on writing YA and MG. Good stuff it is!

On the writing end... I've finished the beginning of The Follower and an now headed into the dreaded middle section.  Trying hard not to let it sag.  Good thing my readers (my two teen girls) are around to tell me if it's any good or not.  At least if my book never sees the light of day I will have two fans.  My girls admitted that they had been fan-girling over the book all ready.  That's a compliment!

What are you all reading? Writing?

Friday Read and Write: Baker Book House

Since I had some extra gas in my car today I went and took a trip to a local Christian book store.  I was specifically excited to go there because I had read online that they had an actual Teen/YA section in the store and I wanted to check it out.

I was a little disappointed upon arrival.  The YA (fiction) section was only 4 x 8.  But still it is a young adult section in a Christian book store.  Some of the titles did look good and it was refreshing not to have to look at a bunch of covers with Amish or Pioneer Women on them.  I haven't read a lot of Christian fiction as of late because nothing ever looked interesting... just the same ol', same ol'. But even the Adult fiction looked like it had some options. (Though Amish and 1800's romance abound.) Perhaps Christian publishing is finally maturing like the music scene has.

If I would have had the $$ to purchase a book, I would have chosen Aquifer by Jonathan Friesen. It is dystopian and I think I've mention that is my current reading trend.  The Lost Books series by Ted Dekker also sounded good as well as the River of Time series by Lisa T. Bergren.  It definitely pays to go to a Christian Books store for a bit more variety then the Christian section in Barnes and Noble.

Let's hope the Christian Publishing Industry (and typical reader) is finally branching out and wanting a bit more.

Curious what do you read?  What genres and do you read Christian, secular or a mix?  YA or adult?

Friday's Read & Write

So tired from yesterday's mondo weeding stint so this will be short. I'm still working through some books and mags that I already posted about because I've been writing more than reading.

My daughter also wants me to read Divergent by Veronica Roth so that is my new read for this week. I guess there is a movie based on the book coming out soon.  It was one of many books used for examples in Kidlit so I expect it to be good.  It is also Dystopian which is my favorite genre as of late.

Current favorite writing quotes:

Rick Riordan when asked via twitter, "How are you sure your ideas will come out good?"- "You accept that they won't on the first draft. That's okay. Revise, revise!

"Take out all the parts that suck and make the rest sound natural." - Laurie Halse Anderson

I love these quotes because they remind me that I don't have to be genius just tenacious! Writing well takes work.

Happy reading and writing!

Friday Read & Write

Recently I invested in the most wonderful book on writing.  If you are even thinking of entering the Middle Grade (MG) or Young Adult (YA) market then this is a must read.  I feel like I've gotten a full college course for the $20 price tag.  Writing Irresistible Kidlit by Mary Kole is the real deal.  The subtitle is The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Fiction for Young Adult and Middle Grade Readers and I would say this is not an exaggerated claim.

Ms. Cole is not only an author with a MFA in Creative Writing, but she is also a literary agent at Movable Type Management (MovableTM.com). This positions her to not only teach you how to write but what to write if you're looking for the best chance of publication.  I'm only half-way through the book and I've learned so much.

She gives you a market overview, a MG/YA mindset, story building ideas, storytelling foundations, character development, plot development, advanced kidlit info and career advice.  There are writing exercises throughout the book to give you an opportunity to put what you're learning into action. It is published by Writer's Digest Books which I have found to put out superior products.

Another equally valuable book by Writer's Digest Books is Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids, by Christina Katz.  I originally checked this book out of the library and knew I had to purchase it because it is just that good.  She leads you through; finding the easiest routes to publication, networking, writing cover letters and queries, choosing your writing speciality, creating web presence, setting up office, and making time for everything.  It is all from the viewpoint of a mom for moms.  This book too has lots of practical exercises for you to work on.  It retails for $15.

I've read a lot of books about the craft of writing but these two are tops!

UPDATE: Just found out that as of 7/31/13 Mary Kole has left Moveable Type Management and is no longer a literary agent.  She is however opening her own freelance editing biz and is still blogging at kidlit.com.  You can read about these changes HERE.

Friday Read & Write

I've been feeling pretty darn tired this week.  It's eight at night and I could lay down and go right to sleep.  Still, I have a new pile of books and magazines courtesy of the local library system.

 

 

 

For more writing education I picked up The Everything Get Published Book by Meg Schneider and Barbara Doyen.  It was published in 2006 but the info still seems quite relevant. I'm enjoying it a lot.

 

I also picked up Blogging  All-In-One For Dummies by Susan Gunelius.  I would like to make my blog a little more interesting and noteworthy so I'm hoping to garner some tips and inspiration.  We're talking a platform blog. (Wanna-be published authors will know what I mean.) It was published in 2010 so the info should be pretty up to date but I'm not sure it will have what I'm looking for. 

 

  On the homesteading front... I found Pay Dirt How To Make $10,000 A Year From Your Backyard Garden by John Tullock.  It looks interesting. Published in 2010 it should have lots of good tips for earning some money from homesteading ventures.  $10,000 seems like a feasible number if I could just keep my gardens weeded!

The newest issue of Hobby Farm Home is also out.  I especially liked the article on working goats, the article on pickling and the article on cooking on the hearth.

 

With regards to homeschooling, I picked up The Successful Homeschool Family Handbook by Raymond and Dorothy Moore.  It claims "A creative and stress-free approach to homeschooling".  I found this in what I thought was the library's new section but when I got it home and checked the published date I was disappointed to see it was published in 1994.  That's pretty old and homeschooling has come a long way since then. I could appreciate the content but there is nothing new to me since I've been homeschooling since 2001.  If you have never home-schooled before I would suggest it but remember it is almost 20 years old.

Lastly, if you are in the Grand Rapids area and are looking for an affordable writer's conference to go to check out the Breathe Writer's Conference.  I can't afford to go but have put an essay in to be considered for a scholarship to attend and have a friend who is registered as well.  From all the online info it looks like a really good and fairly priced conference.  It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of bigger conventions but I don't really need bells and whistles.

That's all from the reading front.  I'm still trying to carve out time daily to work on my YA novel and made some good progress this week.  How about you all?

Friday Read & Write

Just a short note for today's read and write.  The new Writer's Digest is out.  I have perused it but have yet to read it in depth. I am looking forward to finding time to sit down with it soon. But probably not tomorrow.  The heat wave we've been having is supposed to break and that means that I have weeding and harvesting and preserving to catch up on.   Lots of beans to "dilly", zukes to shred, kale to blanch, basil to cube and blueberries to pick. 

What are you reading?  Writing? Harvesting? Preserving?

1/2 Duggar For A Day (Friday's Read & Write)

Well, I apologize for not getting Friday's Read & Write up yesterday (on Friday... what a concept!) But I was busy experiencing what it would be like if our family was 1/2 the size of the Duggar Family instead of 1/4.

I had a total of 10 children for 24 hours to celebrate my son's 13th birthday and to help good friends celebrate their 21st anniversary.  Wow... ten kids consume a lot of food and create a lot of dishes.  But it was a lot of fun and the Kooshian family is wonderful.

I had three 16 year-olds, two fifteen year-olds, two thirteen year-olds, two eight year-olds and one four year-old.  Needless to say I crashed out on the couch about 9:30 last night after all was said and done.  I was trying to watch a PBS documentary, Eating Alabama, (about eating locally) and 1/2 way through had to mumble at my son, "Don't delete it when it's done." Then I was out until 11:00 when I moved to my bed.  Sleep is truly a wonderful blessing from the Lord.

So for yesterdays Read & Write...

Two new magazines: The newest issue of The Costco Connection (Free at the warehouse.) and the newest issue of Hobby Farm.  The Connection usually has good info on books that are coming out for release and didn't disappoint.  They had a nice little write up on Carol Rifka Brunt's debut novel Tell The Wolves I'm Home and an interview with journalist/writer Tom Wolfe.

Hobby Farm has a great article on grafting tomatoes but I think I stick with just trying to grow them before I get all fancy.  It also had a blurb (answering a reader's question) about showing chickens.  I think I don't want to get into that either as you have to bathe the chickens and I can't see any of mine submitting to that.  But they had an article on Herbs to sell at farmer's markets that was quite intriguing and I can see myself growing some of the varieties mentioned.  I love herbs!

This week, at the library, I picked up two books: The Duck Commander Family (Duck Dynasty Fare) by Willie & Korie Robertson (with Mark Schlabach).  It is a delightful little read with a look into the inner workings of the Robertson family and some unique recipes- Fried Bologna anyone?  The best part is the pictures of pre-bearded Robertson men!

The second book is The Weekend Homesteader- A Twelve-Month Guide to Self Sufficiency by Anna Hess.  This books contains easy weekend projects for all months of the year for those of us working to provide for ourselves and lead a different type of life than mainstream. Some of the things are for beginners and some are for more advanced practitioners. The July topics are Fall Planting, Freezing Food, Hanging Clothes Out To Dry, and Budget.  I need to start thinking about fall, I have plenty of food to freeze and put up, I desperately want a clothes line and budgeting advice is always welcome. Can't wait for reading time tonight.

Okay, well I have kiddoes that want to be fed, farmer's market shopping to do, weeding, harvesting and two roosters to butcher today as well as dinner out at Red Robin. (My parents are taking the whole family out- yeah!)  I think I must get started!

Have a great weekend!

Friday Read & Write!

This week on the reading list is: The Millionaire Dropout by Vince Stanzione. I would classify it as a motivational or self-help book.  It's full of "love yourself" and other humanistic ideas but there is some good information on priorities and finding time and some good ideas on building a home-based business.  The premise is working from home/having your own business will make you happier, healthier and more financially sound than merely working for someone else.  I found some good ideas to run past farmer John to help us earn a little more income.  It is a fairly new book published sometime earlier this year.  I found it in my library's New Book section.

 

 Also at the library was the newest edition of Country Woman.  I'm particularly interested in the article on Author/illustrator Jan Brett.  She is a lover of chickens and uses her hens for story ideas to write about in her children's books. Hmmm.... Mrs. P and Mrs. Q approve of this idea!

I also picked up the next Cappers.  Great articles this month, especially the article on deep litter management with chickens.

 

Have a great day! Go read and write!

Friday Read & Write: The Budget Is Tight!

This week I picked up a couple of new books at the library because we are kicking the credit card habit and living within our means and our means are pretty small.  One income and seven people is a practice in severe dollar stretching. Yet, it can be done because we are doing it!

The first pick is Making It: Radical Home Ec. For A Post-Consumer World by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen. The book is divided up into sections; daily needs, weekly needs, monthly needs , seasonal needs and infrastructure (solar cookers, dry toliets, honey extractors).  I'm hoping to find ways to reduce expenditures and if an alternative to shampoo does the job then I'm sold.

My next pick is The Key: How To Write Da** Good Fiction Using The Power Of Myth by James N. Frey.  As we need money, I need to start producing writing that provides income. My first love is fiction so why not harness the power of myth in my novel?

My third pick is a book I already own.  The 2013 Writer's Market Guide.  I am using it to find and enter writing contests and to get my articles, poetry and short stories to the right people and hopefully published.

Of course my writing has to come after everything and everyone else on the homestead so it is a challenge.  But of course, one I welcome. Why not throw one more plate up in the air.

On an ending note... my daughter found out that it costs $175 to participate in our local Homeschool Performing Arts play this year.  Our funds are too tight to contribute to this but she has started a fundraising campaign using Go Fund Me.  If you feel led to help her out you can go here and contribute.  Every dollar helps.

Have an awesome day!

Hiding Out With West Side Story and Tips!

It is nearing 90 degrees today.  The first hot hot day of the year and it is muggy to boot!  I am beating the heat by hiding out downstairs and watching West Side Story with my older girls.  Seven, my oldest daughter, just finished a week of "Show Camp".  It was five days of acting, singing and dance training culminating in a stage performance.  For the singing portion of the performance Seven's age group did Something's Coming and Tonight from West Side Story so when I found the movie at the library I checked it out.  She is quite excited to watch it.  I was going to skip it but the basement is so cool and comfortable. I'm considering this my afternoon siesta!

I had thought that perhaps I would have more time this week but you can tell from my lack of posts that I didn't.  We suspended school for the week for Seven to do her camp but between shuttling her back and forth and yard work and strawberries, I went to bed late and tired every night.

I canned two batches of jam.  Strawberry and strawberry-rhubarb!  I forgot how much work goes into jamming.  It certainly isn't hard but it is time consuming.  Hulling the strawberries, washing jars, boiling lids, cooking the fruit, waiting for the hot water bath to boil. One tip I learned... always have all your jars washed and ready to go before hand.  Don't start your batch while you have jars washing.  The timing just doesn't work out.  Luckily for me I wasn't too far apart with times and I managed to keep my remaining jam warm but not burnt until the last of the jars were ready.

Another tip... when your baker daughter has acting camp and you think you'll help her out by buying her a boxed brownie mix from the supermarket instead of having her do it from scratch as usual... don't!  Chocolate cardboard... that is what we ate.  We are certainly spoiled by yummy baked goods from scratch! 

Tip three... Know why real farmers wear boots not flip flops?  I do... chicken poo is not always solid and can be quite messy. Ask me how I know.  My foot and right flip flop have never been sanitized quite as much as after that fiasco.

Tip four... when one of your "free ranging" chickens is no where to be found check the furthest, darkest reaches of the barn underneath a pile of bikes.  That is where she will have gone to make herself comfortable and lay an egg!  That's right... my Mrs. Q has resumed laying.  Actually all my adult hens are laying again except for Mrs. P but Mrs. P is growing all her feathers back and she is looking quite nice.  She is even changed in rank.  Mrs. Q is under her now.  But they get along just fine.

Here's a question for my readers with more chicken experience then I.  Is it possible for the backside of a chicken to cluck when an egg is getting ready to come out? I could have sworn clucks were coming out of both ends when Mrs. Q was in her corner.

Finally, in making up for the days I didn't blog (Friday's read and write) I'm reading the latest issue of Mother Earth News and have two books I found at Costco to add to my list of books to read: Bootstrapper; A Memoir- From Broke to Badass on a Northern Michigan Farm by Mardi Jo Link and Tasting and Touring Michigan's Homegrown Food by Jaye Beeler.  I hope I can find them at the library.

Have a great weekend.

Read and Write Fridays: Herbs, Strawberries and a Book or Two

I had such glorious plans for yesterday. Plan number one was to pick strawberries and make jam.  Well you would have thought I was the wicked witch.  The looks my family gave me when I showed off my bounty of fresh picked gems and told them it was time to be jammin'... you would have thought I was going to make liver and onions.  I was quickly put in my place and told that a better use would be strawberry shortcake.  My daughter even volunteered to bake the angel food cake.  Okay, fine.  The season did just start. 

Plan number two was to harvest some of my plethora of plantain for use in an herbal salve.  But my day ran amuck and I ran out of time.  (Good thing I didn't try to make jam.)  So today I made it a point to make sure to harvest plantain. Which brings me to my read and write subject:  My current reading and reason why I'm learning that what my husband considers a blight on his lawn is indeed a blessing.

The new copy of Mother Earth Living (Natural Home and Healthy Life) hit the shelves of my local library and I quickly snatched it up. It's a good read but by far the best article in the July/August 2013 issue is Backyard Bounty: 8 Healing Weeds. Dandelion, Chickweed, Sheep Sorrel, Yellow Dock, Plantain (not the banana) Chicory, Burdock and Clover are all covered in the article along with pictures.  It was this article that made me realize all of our "fat grass" as my four year-old calls it is actually plantain and plantain is useful! Score! I also realized that a "grass", for lack of a better word, that I and the kids had noticed was sheep sorrel, also useful.  Of course we have dandelions and clover but we also have chicory in the "back 40".  The only things missing, or I haven't found yet, are burdock and yellow dock.

I also obtained the latest issue of Mary Jane's Farm at the library as well as two books.  One on the writing life called Pen on Fire.  And the newly released 1st novel of Bee Ridgway called The River of No Return.

What are you reading?  What are you writing? What is growing wild on your little piece of the planet?

My harvested plantain

 

 One of many plantain plants growing on our property. 

 My plantain drying overnight

 Chickweed

 

Sheep Sorel

Friday Read and Write

High Protector of Books- King George!

Well, it's that time of the month again when our internet time is used up and I have to go to coffee or the library to access the internet.  Unfortunately for me my budget is tight and there is no coffee house $$.  This means the librarians get to see my shiny face almost daily!  It's a good thing that the library is only a  couple of miles away from home. None-the-less I have kids and homeschool and pets and chickens and farming and writing my own book etc., etc., etc. to keep me busy so running to the library to blog every day is a little difficult.   This is to warn you that I may only have a couple of posts until the 11th of June when I receive the next allotment of precious internet time.  But I'm not just being lazy.

While I'm not online I will be perusing: Wild Mind- Living the Writer's Life by Natalie Goldberg, Fresh From the Garden by Sarah Raven, and Stocking up III by Carol Hupping.  (Strawberry season is almost here and I can't wait to replenish my freezer with smoothie berries, make jam - I brought up the last jar from the larder a couple of days ago- and try some other preservation and regular recipes as well as strawberry shortcake galore!)

I'm slowly progressing in my current draft of my book- The Follower.  My girls like it so far.  I will probably put a little blurb of it up one of these days but I am only on first draft.  My problem with writing on my book is I need undisturbed time to get "in the zone" and as a mother of 5... yeah, doesn't happen often.  Even when blogging my mind is never quite all "here" as usually someone needs something or has something to share with me.  It is a blessing, yet a day to myself would be luxurious!

Okay, I've got to get home and contemplate dinner. Burgers and watermelon sound good! Fire up the grill!