THAT is a word that can be eliminated.

Today is one of those days where nothing seems settled for some reason.  I feel antsy.  Tropical Storm Debbie is not even going to make it to my house, so I don't know what the problem can be.

 I am working very hard on Tiny bones and trying to make it good enough to publish.  Over the weekend I noticed  I was using the word "that" a lot on one page so I got curious and did a word search to see how many time I had used THAT in the manuscript!  EGADS!!!  Over 900 THAT s........That means......ahem!.....there's the word again...I have to review every single sentence in the book to see if the word  THAT is needed or can be eliminated.  Now, the good news is that the sentences smoothed out and became easier to read and  it improved the "flow" of the story.  Obviously I will have a big job.  I am sometimes glad my books are not 150,000 words long.  This WIP  ( WORK IN PROGRESS) is only about 40,000 right now, so I think I can manage to get it done and  get back to my main job of  editing.  But, it is an important issue.  there are a lot of other words we tend to overuse.   It is probably a good idea to search for the ones you know have a problem with......such as:

THAT
JUST
ACTUALLY
THEN
WHEN
SO
 and any others you might find as you look through the manuscript.  I was amazed.  Now, I need to get back to work.  WRITE........it is a good thing. 

I have made a lot  big decisions today.  I am going to seek out and follow every agent and editor and publisher I can find on FB and twitter. .....Why?  Because those guys tweet and write constantly about what they like and don't like to see in query letters and books.  They are just like the rest of us...work oriented and that is what they talk about. So, it only makes sense to listen in and learn as much as I possibly can from the ones that can actually help me grow as a writer.  or........I will get totally bogged down in all their BS and stop doing it.  lol.....


I am also rewriting my next novella, Tiny Bones. I have made it grow to over 40,000 words and hope to reach 50,000 by the time it is done. Every time I let it rest and then go back to it, I find ways to make it better. One day I guess I will read it and decide it is done.   I need a new title. I used to love that one but have decided that it does not have the hook I want it to have.  I will let my subconscious  mind deal with it and eventually the right title will pop into my head.  I hope.  


I made another  serious decision today too. The pix for Lizzie Goes to Tea are costing me an arm and a leg.  My illustrator for the Lizard Tales books has gotten VERY expensive.  I talked with a woman today who looks as though she might be more reasonable and is local..or at least within driving distance.  She is living in Slidell, LA so it is easy to imagine us driving halfway and meeting for lunch to go over illustrations or something .  I kind of like that idea.....it feels good....actually it feels very professional and cool.   I love KJ with Kalpart who did the Lizzie stories but she lives in India.  We can't do lunch.  I have some cat stories and I think Paige would be able to handle that.  Picture a big orange Maine Coon Cat with a very loveable personality.  His name is Marmalade Jones and his best friend is a purple hippopotamus.   I can't wait to see what she comes up with.  


Ok....time to go skulking around on FB and find more friends.  I may find that perfect idea that will help me sell a million books this year.  We shall see...til then...love a Lizard today....buy a copy of Lizzie or Woody and read it to a child.  it will make you both happy.  I promise.......

Happy Father's Day to every father out there.....wonder if anyone thinks to thank our Heavenly Father....he has been pretty good to me..so I want to thank him too.

Alvin was very pleased today when our son Christopher called to say the magic words.  Now.we wait to see if the other one remembers......

 Today's Topic........Interview with the Detective who met the Vampires......Detective Frank Hebert


 me:   I am interviewing Detective Frank Hebert of the New Orleans Police Department today. 
Welcome to my blog, Detective Hebert. Thank you so much for spending some of your time with us. I know that you are a very busy man. 

Det. Hebert : Thank you, Mrs. Smith, I am not sure exactly what you want me to say here today.  I am usually the one asking the questions. 

me:   Don't worry, Detective, We are not here to get involved any  active case.  I just want to know how it felt to be working with Aaron Grayson recently and to see if you had any comments on his being a Vampire.  Were you surprised  to find out that Vampires really do exist?  Were you afraid?  Did you feel threatened?

Det. Hebert:  Well,  no, I was not really afraid.....but..... I  was surprised  when he told me about his true nature but  there are still a lot of people that don't believe in Vampires.  I mean, New Orleans is a freaky kind of place ...in a good way....On any given night, I am liable to meet people that tell me they are vampires.  I have hauled in people that told me they were everybody from Jesus Christ to Lady Gaga.....You just never know what you will find  in NOLA.  That is just the way it is. 

me:  Are you saying that you don't believe that Mr. Grayson is a REAL Vampire? 

  Personal note.....Detective Hebert looks uncomfortable and was  running his hands over his buzz cut hair and back again in a nervous way.  

Det. Hebert:  No, now I didn't say that.  Mr. Grayson and his friends are good folks.  I would not want to cause them any problems, if you know what I mean.  They helped me with a  bad situation with that tall blond  red-eyed dude that was killing  people and I am grateful. Ya, know?  There is no way I could have done what they were able to do and  they  probably saved half our police force.  That guy was mean and was stronger than any human I ever saw before. 

me:  Did you tell your wife and your collegues at work about  your experiences?  I mean, it had to be a pretty exciting adventure.  You not only met several of our local vampires, but you got to watch as they  took down a Rogue Vampire  as a group.  That just had to be scary.... How could you not tell someone?

Det. Hebert:    ummmm....no....I didn't mention my "adventure" as you called it to anyone.  I really don't want  Mr. Grayson to  have to deal with that.  He and his friends just want to live and let live.  they all have their jobs and I  don't want to bring any undue attention to them, ya know?  In  fact.......I am thinking that I don't want to talk about that anymore.   Okay?  

I asked if he would like a cup of coffee and he nodded his head.  My assistant, brought in a tray and poured him a cup of coffee and watched as he  took the first sip.   He smiled and nodded his head.  That makes my assistant happy.  She is quite proud of her coffee. 

me:   Well,  now, that is better......How is your family?  You have a wife and son, if I remember correctly?

Det. Hebert.  Yes, my wife Yolanda and I are doing fine.  We  bought a little house of our own and  we are expecting a  baby soon.  The doctor says it is gonna be a girl  I am real excited about being a daddy again.  Frank Junior is excited about his new little sister coming too. 

me:   Well then I am very happy for all of you too.  It sounds like things are going well.   Do you ever drop by to see Mr. Grayson and his friends since the " incident"? 

Det. Hebert:  Yes,  I do.  I enjoy having a cup of coffee with Aaron  once in a while and sometimes his friends do drop by at the same time.  They are good people.   Look, I thank you for the coffee and now I need to get back to the office.  I have a ton of paperwork to fill out, ya know?  

me: Okay then......I do thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.  I wish you and your family well. 

personal note........after the mic was off, Detective Hebert told me that he didn't want me making an issue out of the Vampire thing.  I tried to play dumb.  He raised one eybrow and did that thing with running his hand over his head again.  He said that if I were to make a big deal out of Mr. Grayson and his friends being Vampires, it could end up like the old movies.  He does not want  those good folks being run out of town  because of their nature.  He said they have done nothing  to cause trouble and  I should  do the same.  I guess that means I can't  use his interview on the air.  well, Damn!    Maybe I can get hold of that guy from Butte La Rose and see what kind of stories he will tell me........I understand he met a man from another world......That might be interesting too..........HMPH!........


If you would like to know more about Aaron Grayson and his vampire friends in New Orleans.....you can find them at http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Redemption-ebook/dp/B00712WZYE/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1339533198&sr=1-2&keywords=Blood+Redemption#reader_B00712WZYE

                                                 ZOMBIE LOVE

I looked carefully at my new husband and thanked heaven above that I had been so blessed. His strong hands gripped the steering wheel and his keen eyes watched the road ahead.  He was so handsome. I could hardly wait to feel his arms around me tonight when we finally got to make love.  No more frustration and having to stop when things started to feel good. Our strong moral values had led us to making a pact to not have sex before we married and now the wait was over.  I was now Mrs. Warren McBride.  Our lives would be perfect.  I just knew it.  We were  spending the  first night of our married life in New Orleans and boarding  the ship for a two week  honeymoon cruise the next morning.  Two beautiful weeks of sun and shopping and making love any time we wanted to.  I could hardly wait.  If it had been left up to me, we’d have driven straight from the church to the No-tell Motel, but my sensible hubby  wanted the lovely dinner and the right setting.  He would do everything in his power to make it perfect for me.  I loved him for his thoughtfulness and didn’t want to shock him with my wanton behavior so soon in our new life together.

 It had been a very busy week with all the wedding activities and visiting with friends and relatives.  My  eyes closed and I let the hum of the tires lull me right to sleep.  That is probably the reason I never remembered the eighteen-wheeler that hit us head on.  I imagine that my dear husband fell asleep too and crossed over to the wrong lane.     There was no way that truck-driver could  stop fast enough or move far enough to avoid hitting us in our new hybrid vehicle although I am sure he must have tried. The chemicals he carried were strong and flammable.  He went up in flames and we were smashed into a tiny hybrid accordion.   I somehow knew it took the rescue unit several hours to pry the little car open enough to get us out.  Maybe  we should have heeded mom’s advice about keeping the SUV, but we were adults and wanted to think for ourselves.

                                       __________________________

I was awake.  I couldn’t move but my mind was awake and curious. I opened my eyes and saw a white cloth over my entire body including my face.  I didn’t feel anything but I heard the elevator music on the radio and I smelled formaldehyde.  I know that odor from biology lab when we had to dissect a cat. I hated the smell.  I hated the idea of the cats being dead.  I was in what I assumed was a morgue and I was the one on the table.  Someone, a masculine voice,  said that it was a shame.  Someone else agreed. They said the car we were in looked like a squashed beer can.  That was annoying.  That car got over forty miles to a gallon of fuel and had cost us more than the luxury car we had been considering.  We wanted to be kind to Mother Earth and so we had done the responsible thing.  How dare that person compare it to a beer can.  Anything that collided head-on  with a big truck would look the same.  Wouldn’t it?  They said that  our relatives had been notified and would make arrangements for us to be picked up and delivered back to Lafayette.  Then it hit me.  We were dead.  We never got to have sex and now we were dead.  We waited all that time  and denied ourselves the pleasure and now we’d never get to do it.  If I had been able to, I would have cried.

The lights stayed on all night.  I lay there wondering if Warren was in the same predicament as me. Just about the time I was convinced that the elevator music was making me crazy,  I heard  the shuffle of steps coming in the door and walking  and stopping in front of me.  My table was moved until it bumped into something else.  My sheet was pulled down, leaving me naked and exposed on the table.  My sense of modesty was offended.  It was eerie and I began to be afraid. I opened my eyes and was able to see.  A tall black man in dreadlocks was chanting and waving his arms around.  He pointed to another  man who began to dust Warren’s body with  some kind of powder and poured some of it into his mouth.  Warren opened his eyes and looked straight at me.  The love in his expression made me very sad.   I saw a movie once about Zombies and these guys were behaving exactly like the Bokars or Sorcerers in the movie. They moved over to my table and began the chants again and then poured the gritty powder into my mouth. It felt like sand and had a bitter taste.  Warren and I both sat up to look around.  The bokar spoke.  He looked at us both.

          “My children.  You now belong to me.  I have a job for you to do and you careful. You are not immortal.” Then he told us the awful things he actually expected us to do for him.

          Warren and I listened. I knew there was no way that we could do the things that we were ordered to do.  They were vile things.  They were sinful things. He wanted us to kill and steal.

          The bokar sent us on our mission but did not follow. We walked. Our legs did not work as well as they did when we were truly alive so we were slow and awkward.  We stopped to ask a policeman what to do about our situation but he began screaming and running to his car and then slammed the door and locked himself inside. We tried to tell him that we needed his help but he would not listen. Our reflections in the window of the squad car showed a pair of pale faces with messy hair and dark bruises under our eyes. We didn’t look our best, for sure, but I didn’t think he should be afraid. Surely a policeman had seen accident victims before.  He got on his radio and spoke to someone and then quickly drove away, leaving us standing there.  Although it was difficult, we limped to a convenience store and tried to get the man behind the counter to call the police for us, but he screamed and pulled out a shotgun and fired at us both with bird shot. A customer pulled out a concealed weapon and shot us both with large caliber bullets. It didn’t hurt at all, but it did a lot of damage . Warren almost lost an arm and my left hip was not working as well as before. It might have helped our cause if we were dressed. Being naked seemed to work against us but neither had thought about that before we left the morgue. We tried again to explain and the counter man  and the customer ran from the store.  Nobody was able to understand us.  Nobody tried. 

          As we progressed down the street we saw the people come out to stare and then run away as we got closer. Several whacked at us with brooms and another man shot at us but missed. A Butcher chased Warren with a big knife and we barely managed to get away by going down an alley. We huddled together in the darkness and listened as the crowd went past the opening. The sounds grew faint and we relaxed a bit. 

                   My sweet husband touched my cheek and the tears began to flow. It was our wedding day and instead of making love on crisp clean sheets in a lovely hotel, we were dead  and sent on a mission of unspeakable horrors. The bokar said we had no choice but obey, but neither of us wanted to kill the doctor who pronounced us dead or to bring his brain to the bokar as a tribute.  Doctors help people.  Bokars, well, I didn’t know what they were supposed to do.

              Warren tried to kiss me but our skin was quickly drying out and when his nose brushed mine, it cracked and bent to one side. Mine cracked and bent in the opposite direction and fell off to the concrete below. It left a gaping hole.   He ran his fingers through my hair and brought away a handful of dull blond tresses. We were falling apart  and the dawn was beginning to paint the sky with streaks of color. We had to get away or go back and do the deed.  We didn’t want to kill the doctor but the longer we waited the more our bodies deteriorated. We also wanted to hold together for a little while longer for another reason. We couldn’t go on to whatever comes next without making love.  That just wasn’t right.

          We managed to sneak back to the morgue and even caught the door when a cleaning person took out the bags of trash,.  The elevator music was still playing and the good doctor was gathering up his laptop computer and shedding his white coat. He was ready to go home.  He passed our hiding place on his way out and neither of us had the courage to whack him with the big stick we’d found outside the door. I knew we’d failed in our mission and wondered what punishment the bokar would dish out that could be worse than what we’d experienced already.                                 -----------------------------------------------------

                   Warren pulled under the canopy of the hotel in New Orleans and  reached over to touch my hand. 

“Wake up, sleeping Beauty, he crooned.  I shook myself awake and looked into his big blue eyes and smiled.

“We’re here.  You just get your purse and I will take care of the car and have our luggage brought up.  I will meet you at the front desk, Ok?”

“Warren, you are alive?”  I reached out to touch him and was glad to see his handsome nose was just as straight as I remembered.

“Well, I am not dead yet… but I am pretty tired.  The sooner we get to our room the sooner we can get some rest.  Ok, sugar?  Let’s go. We have a honeymoon to start. ”

 While checking in, we ordered some dinner to be sent up to the room and kissed in the elevator on the way up. The annoying elevator music playing in the hallway was hauntingly familiar to me but I was so glad to be alive that I ignored it as much as possible.

After our showers we sat on the bed eating pizza and drinking red wine and kissing a lot.  We looked at the TV guide for a movie to watch and  found the only one we hadn’t seen was The Night Of the Zombies.  I tried to explain that I had dreamed about zombies while I was napping in the car, but Warren wasn’t really interested.  He  finished his pizza slices and then said he was interested in dessert. Somehow I got the impression that he was not referring to the raspberry swirl cheesecake we’d ordered.  I found that I liked dessert even more than the pizza and even asked for seconds.   After waiting so long, I was happy to finally know what all the fuss was about.  For years, I had read romantic stories and wondered if it would really be that good.  Now I know.  It was better.  Warren seemed to be glad that I enjoyed the physical part of marriage and I thought about the three years we had wasted. 

 We watched the Zombie movie or at least a part of it. I told him again about my dream of us becoming zombies and he invented a game that we still play to this day.  He comes out of the bathroom waving his arms and moaning and I can’t help but giggle.   For our first anniversary, he gave me a set of zombie salt and pepper shakers that he found in a thrift shop. The next year he gave me a framed sketch of a zombie that was done by a local artist. Every year brought a new piece of zombie memorabilia. I have a growing collection of Zombies. Our children think it is weird.  We think it is cool and are always looking for new pieces.  

The Writer's Mind...A Dark Gift

 Today on Facebook some of my  writer friends and I were discussing the way our minds work.  Writers do think differently....no doubt about it... Our minds are not wired like everyone else's.......I can tell my Book friends about the strange thoughts that enter my mind while I am sitting at a red light.....but...If I told my local friends about those thoughts they would call the cops.  I know a certain cop story writer who tells people that he kills people for a living....LOL......I know another who refers to this mind wiring thing as " The Dark Gift".  We stand in the super market check-out line and imagine a truck barreling through the window and killing  3 people.....then we try to figure out which of  the ones there would be the ones killed or which would only be maimed.....LOL.....
No, of course I do not want it to happen......but.......our writer's brain is always on the prowl for a story....that is just the way it is.....

I had some successes this week...

.I found a restaurant  website that has "LIZARD" in it's name and sent a note suggesting that my Lizzie books would be perfect to sell in their restaurant.....I heard back and spoke to the marketing director at their corporate office. ( hmmmm....does that mean there is more than one?) she said that they were not interested at this time and I thanked her nicely and then she said........".OK.....send me the books and let me look at them.".......heheheh....gotcha!......Lizzie is so sweet that I am sure that she can win them over. And I mean nothing bad by that....If my books appeal to the families who eat there then it certainly can't hurt them.....and I am always looking for new markets for the books...... to me it sounds perfect.........let us hope that it sounds perfect to them too.........

I have a wonderful lady who does editing for me.....but....the one thing I am learning quickly is that there is no such thing as too many eyes on your book......and today I met a nice lady online in Book Junkies....and she lives close by.....so hey.......maybe another pair of eyes can be a good thing....the objective is to have a great book....so.....I hope that her prices are reasonable enough that I can afford  to hire her. 

I also got the opportunity to read a nice story from another BJ member.  It  was obvious that English was not his first language but the story was sweet.  He asked for help with the English , so I plugged his story into Microsoft Word and turned on the tracking and set to work.  He was pleased....gave me great compliments....lol....built up my ego if nothing else......but again......I made a nice new friend and will enjoy watching him grow and learn.........I do love these book people......