Nicki Elson's Not-So-Deep Thoughts

If any holiday is made for not one but TWO blogfests, it's Halloween!  First up is Tara Tyler's Haunted Drabble .  You can enter your own 100 word spooky story by leaving a link to your post in a comment at Tara's . The Dangers of Twilight This wasn’t like the books. He didn’t sparkle in the sunlight. He told her he loved her—that part of the fable was true—but he was lying. All tenderness ended the moment she entered his chamber; her screams weren’t those of the ecstasy she’d anticipated. Her agony pleased him. He chained her to his bed, her throat unblemished, and whispered, “You’re mine.” Hours later, the click of approaching boots indicated his return. She gripped the splintered post in her cuffed, but now free hands, praying Meyers was also wrong about the effect of a stake through a vampire’s heart. ~.~.~.~.~ Today is also the super-exciting launch of Elizabeth Mueller 's novel, Darkspell, and she's hosting a Spookafest , in which we reveal what we...

If you haven't heard, Elliot Grace is on tour all month long talking about his newly released novel, South of Charm . "Many will relate to the book's themes of faith and loyalty, and Danny's frustration that no matter how good he is at baseball, it won't help him save his family."   -Akron Beacon Journal I've got the book and it's next in line on my to-be-read list, but every review I read makes me more anxious to get to it.   It promises to be a modern classic. Also, it's set in the 1980s!  So, for Elliot's stop at my place guess what I asked him about... Thirteen tour stops in all, headed in four directions and across the border into foreign lands, and from the onset, I knew without a doubt that you'd be the one to ask me about my chosen setting for "South of Charm."  (Which of course explains my enthusiasm for being here :) In order to pen an emotional drama, something capable of coaxing tears during one chapter...

This is my entry for Brenda Drake 's " Can You Leave Us Breathless " blogfest.  It's a brief excerpt from chapter 11 of my as-of-yet-untitled WIP.  I hope you like (and critiques are welcome). Excerpt  “It’s true that angels are less prone to temptation,” he said. “But when we give in, the betrayal is at a higher magnitude. It’s nearly unforgivable because it’s not in our nature, so it isn’t weakness we demonstrate.  It’s willfulness, which is much worse. But as with humans, the love of the Lord can save us---if we let it.” His fingertips roved Maggie’s face, tracing her cheekbones, over the bridge of her nose, across her lips.  She closed her eyes as he glided over her eyelids while the sound of his smooth voice rolled over her. “When we overcome the lure to sin,” he continued, “we’re strengthened tenfold by the Holy Spirit and made able to face our temptations more easily.” Maggie thought of how different the calming sensations he now sent into her were...

So many bloggers made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when they hosted me and commented on my posts during my blog blitz last month, and now I'm thrilled to be able to return the love by hosting some amazing blogger/authors who have exciting things to tell us.  Elliot Grace will be here next Monday, Susan Kaye Quinn on Nov. 1, and M. Pax on Nov. 7. To start out the lovefest, I introduce you to an inspiring, wonderful person---Feather Stone.  She's brand new to blogging and has just had her first novel published, The Guardian's Wildchild .  I feel blessed to have been the editor on this visually and spiritually beautiful story.  Honestly, she had me at the first and last paragraphs of her acknowledgments: How does a ship thank the ocean? The relationship is fraught with dangers of sinking or being shredded over a reef. And yet, the ship, if guided by wisdom and dogged determination, discovers its journey exceeds the joy in arriving at the destination. And so...

Just wanted to give you a heads up on two cool blogfests coming up for Halloween.They're easy and fun and give us an opportunity to flex our writing muscle, Halloween style.   This Friday, Brenda Drake is hosting the Can you Leave Us Breathless Blogfest Contest .   On October 21 post an excerpt---up to 300 words---from your novel or other writings to your blog. If you want, you can write something new for the contest. It can be scary, romance, a thrill ride, a twist. It can be any genre. All you have to do is leave readers breathless.     On Halloween, Tara Tyler is hosting the Haunted Drabble .  Write a spooky 100 word story & post on Halloween. Post your link in comments at Tara's on 10/31.  She might be giving out a treat to her favorite Haunted Drabble.  

In my Things to Look Forward to Upon Returning Home, I left out read comments on blog .  I wasn't sure there would be any---but there were!  Thank you, thank you, thank you for adding some sparkle to my transition back to real life.  Now that I'm fairly settled back in, I look forward to bopping around the blogosphere to catch up with y'all.  Yes, Jennifer , it was hot down there---but I much preferred the steamy days to the soggy ones.  We exited the Haunted Mansion Friday evening and were met by ominous skies.  The clouds burst and the rain didn't let up until Sunday afternoon.  Let's see, here's a photo of a wet Caribbean Beach. Still pretty, and I must admit there was something fun about seeing 95% of the mass of humanity at the parks donning their Mickey Mouse ponchos.  My favorite was the guy in his Viking hat with a souvenir beer stein capping each horn. (Gee, thanks, Michael , for informing me of the "breathtaking" weather I left b...

*sigh*  By now I suppose we'll all be tired of living out of a suitcase, but it'll still be sad to say goodbye to this trip we've been dreaming of w/ family for over two years.  Ah, but there's yet one thing to look forward to---when we step into home sweet home, we'll be greeted by this fuzzy little hunk o' burnin' love... He always makes homecomings happy.  What's the one thing you most look forward to when returning home from a trip?

A couple weeks before the trip, American Airlines decided to cancel our originally scheduled direct flight to one w/ a layover in Miami. I said "Nuh uh" and switched to a direct flight the following day, which means...extra day at Disney World! "The plan" is to hit Hollywood Studios with a proper plan of attack.  Therefore, thing #1 that I look most forward to today is...Star Tours!  No worries if I've already ridden it a couple times by now:  "You never know where the Force might take you. Many different Star Tours adventures await you—including multiple storylines and locations. Riding once is not enough!" I imagine by afternoon we'll want to head back to the Magic Kingdom. Can't leave the World without bidding Roy & Minnie adieu.    The Peoplemover seems like a nice way to tie up a visit as it winds throughout Tomorrow Land.  Second best ride ever. (Told you I've got a thing for transportation.)  So, what's your fav...

I think by now we've earned a morning to sleep in, don't you?  So for day five, here are the three things I'm most looking forward to: Grabbing a coffee and digging my toes into the morning sand of the Aruba beach. (Even if that sand is cold, wet & soggy with T-storms raging all around, by God.) If we feel like it, we'll head to Hollywood Studios by early afternoon, if for no other reason than to catch the ferry that runs between there and Epcot.  What excites me about that is that the boat drops us off at the World Showcase entrance. Why go to Epcot again? you ask---to have dinner at Teppan Edo in Japan, where the chefs will prepare our meal on the table in front of us.    So, where's your favorite place to dig your toes into the sand?  

If you haven't seen the prior three posts, here's the deal: I'm at Disney World RIGHT NOW and have pre-scheduled posts each day to chronicle the things I'm most looking forward to.  I suppose when I get home I can compare reality with expectations.  Could be interesting.  Or maybe not.  At any rate, here are the three things I'm most looking forward to today: Our travel agent scored us FREE dining (!) so I giddily made this reservation as soon as we got the news.  Today, assuming God's plans sync with mine, after spending the morning at Animal Kingdom, we'll take a bus to the Animal Kingdom Villas for a late lunch at Sanaa, which has floor to ceiling views of this:   After a possible pitstop back at Caribbean Beach, we'll meet up with my brother & his family and some friends (who's vacation coincidentally overlaps with ours) at Hollywood Studios. Kiddos will once again run rampant for a few hours, during which I plan to gently guide the adul...

Today we plan to hit Epcot.  I do so love the rides in Future World, like Soarin ' and Test Track and yes, even Ellen's Universe of Energy , but I've limited myself to three top picks, and these are what win w/ me: Lunch at the Yakitori House.  I've never been here before, but the location looks serene and it's got teriyaki chicken and sushi rolls, so can't lose. Dinner in Italy at Via Napoli with the whole gang---all 19 of us! (This is the day in which my mum is making us all wear matching T-shirts.  I'm still trying to come to terms with that.) There are no fireworks at the Magic Kingdom on Friday, so Saturday we plan to monorail over from Epcot for the show.  Just to be clear---the monorail is what's made my top three, not the fireworks. I've got a thing for transportation ...and food, apparently.   What's your "thing" when you're traveling? 

I just can't start out the Disney parks visits anywhere but The Magic Kingdom.  After amazing my family with my super-crowd-slithering expertise as I shimmy us all right up to the entry rope, here are the three things I'm most looking forward to today: Getting all vaklempsch at this site as we make our way down Main Street (hoping, hoping, hoping the sky's that blue---rain is in the forecast) After lunch, el kiddos have plans to run rampant through the park with their cousins---sans parents.  Ergo, parents have plans to monorail over to the pool bar at the Grand Floridian.  The best part?  Monkey will be joining us! To be followed by the best ride ever when we reunite with the children.  I can only imagine how fun this is going to be after a couple top shelf Bloody Mary's:   Tell me---what's your drink of choice at a pool bar? 

If all has gone as planned, I'm at Disney World today.  While I was busy pre-living the vacation (planning...daydreaming) I put together a series of short posts on the three things I'm most looking forward to each day.  So if you'd like to do a little Disney dreaming yourself, come on in... Here are the three things I'm most looking forward to on arrival day: Chillaxing at the refurbished pool at Caribbean Beach Resort . If we tire of chillaxing, we'll catch a bus to Hollywood Studios and then a boat to Disney's Boardwalk .  My son and I are intrigued by something called the "Pizza Window."  It's a place along the boardwalk where you order a pizza at one window, pick it up at the next, and then you keep on walkin'. The plan is to be back at Caribbean Beach in time to watch the top of the Epcot fireworks from the Banana Cabana.  How about you---on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being  "Throw a dart in the map and let's go! "...

Thank you Dr. Cavanaugh for facilitating these monthly therapy sessions just for writers.  If you're a writer and you're insecure---a redundancy if I've ever heard one--- join the club!   Here's my sad, sad story for October:  these last couple of months I've been making great progress on my current WIP.  I estimate I'm two-thirds of the way through the first draft at a current count 57,000+ words.  I know it'll need lots of polish and some reworking when I get to draft two, but I'm pleased with how it's coming along.  I'm in a groove.  And tomorrow . . . I leave on vacation. More accurately, it's a quest for fun .  That's right, three generations of blood and in-laws---nineteen of us in all---are gathering at the real life Wally World for what certainly won't be relaxing, but most definitely will be fun. :)  The thing is, with my focus interrupted for seven whole days, not to mention readjustment time once we return home, will ...