Pimping my cousins awesome wearable works of art...

Hey all,

I'm doing something a little different on my blog today. I'm pimping my awesome cousin, Denise O'Connor, and her wearable works of art. The woman is a genius when it comes to metal work. Her works are all unique pieces. Look up her website at www.silverpetalstudio.com. Or like Silver Petal Studios on Facebook. She shows her new works on her Facebook page. Hurry. Run. What are you waiting for?

Below are a couple of pictures of her work:

Have a great week!

Lynn~

Weekends are made for...

Hey all,

I was just sitting here thinking about what activities the weekend would bring the Spangler household. I know it will be spent with my family as all my weekends are. I consider them family time and usually don't write. I do know that there will be shopping involved tonight and possibly tomorrow.

This time of year, there is usually football and hockey on our television, especially now that we live on the west coast. Football on Saturdays starts at 9:00 in the morning and Sunday it starts at 10:00 AM. So the days are usually filled with pigskin and touchdowns.

Now the hockey season has started. Hockey is my favorite sport. So mixed in with football are grown men skating on thin blades hitting a round piece of vulcanized rubber. Love it!

So tell me, what do you have planned for the weekend? Any fun parties or activities? Let me know.

Have a great weekend, whatever you  do.

Lynn~

Sometimes you need to take a step back...

Hey all,

Unfortunately, my contract with Astraea Press has been retracted due to a misunderstanding. Fortunately, I have another story submitted to a publisher that I've been looking to be published with for sometime. The whole debacle with Whiskey Whispers made me realize that sometimes you need to take a step back and wait patiently while you allow your plan to unfurl. If the publisher doesn't bite on my paranormal, then I have a back-up plan and that plan has a back-up. I needed to take a step back and reevaluate my situation and turn a negative into a positive. Well, hopefully a contract with my publisher of choice will help but only time will tell.

For now, I'm doing what I love most, reading. Catching up on my to be read pile.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Lynn~

Leaps of faith...

Hey all,

After reading my friend's blog, www.jeanjoachim.blogspot.com, and responding to a question she posted, it made me realize that without a lot of faith in myself and my writing abilities, I would not have submitted my story, Whiskey Whispers, for publication.

Without taking a leap of faith, I would not live in beautiful Washington state. If I didn't trust in myself and my family, the large undertaking moving across the country have never happened. I wouldn't be sitting at my secretarial writing this blog then moving on to my next story.

Sometimes in life you have to take chances to achieve what you aspire to. If my husband never asked me the question, "Are you going to submit your story?", it may still be sitting on my computer but I took a chance and now I'm on the road to publication.

I'm currently writing my first Young Adult story, uncharted territory for me, but I'm taking a chance, believing in my writing abilities, and going to plow through until I finish the story. Why? I have nothing to lose by taking the chance and can only gain from it. Even if it doesn't get published, it'll help me hone my skills. A win, win situation.

So take a chance at life when opportunities arise. You may be surprised where you end up.

Have a great day!

Lynn~

It's getting to be that time of year again...

Hey all,

My favorite season of the year starts on Friday. AUTUMN! It's soon going to be time for long pants and sweaters. There is just something about a warm sweater cocooning me that brings such a feeling of comfort.

It's the season of color and children's laughter as they trick-or-treat and jump into piles of leaves that their parents had painstakingly raked into neat piles.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays because of the great joy it brings to children. I love all the creative costumes both handmade and store bought. It always brings a smile to my face. My children are too old for trick-or-treating so I get my happiness from all the little ones carrying their bags full of sweet treats.

And you can't forget about decorating for the fall season. All the pumpkins, jack-o-lanterns, Indian corn, and gourds of all shapes and sizes. I love autumnal colors. The reds, yellows, oranges, etc...So beautiful together.

Oh, and don't forget the yummy food and drinks like pumpkin pie, turkey at Thanksgiving, apple cider, and my personal favorite, candy apples.

Everyone have a wonderful day!

Lynn~

What's in a name?

Hey all,

As I was working on the final chapter of book two in my contemporary series, a thought crossed my mind. I thought to the time when I was planning the original story, Whiskey Whispers, and when I decided upon the names of the main characters which were also used in the second story and will be for the third when it gets written.

Usually I use a website like Behind the Name for my characters but for this series, I just used names from my past or pulled them out of thin air. I thought back to my school days the name of the heroine in book one. The hero's name started out as Vance but I later changed it to Chance. That particular name just popped into my head. One name I thought of after sitting out behind my old house and looking at some of my flowers, one of which was salvia or sage. Bam! There was one name. Her sister's name came purely from my imagination though I'm sure it already existed. Sage and Brynne Whitley came to life on the pages of my stories. My paranormal series have slightly more unusual names like Dominic, Gavino, and Aston. All of which came from Behind the Name.

Call me strange but I try not to use names of people I'm close to in reality when I write. It's just one of my unwritten rules.

Naming conventions don't apply only to characters in a book. It applies to real life as well. Some people use familial names while others look for the exotic and unusual. My children's names could be considered common but at the time they were named but the spellings were different which now is no longer the case.

So tell me, how do you come up with the names of your characters? Parents, how did you come up with the names of your children?

Have a great day.

Lynn~

Tenth Anniversary of 9/11

Good morning all,

Just wanted to say a few words about the upcoming anniversary of the day that forever changed the face of the United States.

I've been watching some documentaries on the rebuilding process at Ground Zero. What a magnificent transformation. The two water features, in the footprints of the original towers, with their brass memorial to all those who perished that fateful day is stunning to say the least. Tower One looks like she'll be a beauty when she's finished. The architecture of the new underground subway station looks phenomenal.

The whole sixteen acres are more than just buildings and memorials, though they are important for the city of New York to move on. They will hopefully come to symbolize closure for those who were never able to claim their loved ones in the rubble of the two soaring buildings that stood there ten years ago. For some, the memorial will be like a burial for those they lost. I, personally, couldn't imagine knowing your loved one is gone but also realizing that you'll never be able to give them a proper burial, especially for those who are religious.

You know to this day, I still get goosebumps when I hear the singing of our national anthem or feel my heart swell with pride when I see Old Glory waving in the breeze. September 11, 2001 will forever mar the great history of this country but a tragedy of such magnitude helped bring our country together. We collectively take our hats off and hold our hands over our hearts when The Star Spangled Banner is sang or played, some even sing along. God Bless America and God Bless the U.S.A. by Lee Greenwood took on greater meaning.

For all those who lost loved ones, be it in the towers or on any of the airplanes, my heart go out to you. I hope time will heal and I hope the grand unveiling of the memorials help.

Have a good day.

Lynn~