Starbucks and disgruntled dogs . . . Crazy momma say wha??

I interrupt this writerly rut for a creative moment: (dot, dot, dot, dot-de-dot, dot, dot.)

I normally go to the gym for an hour, after I drop the kids off at school. Today, however, was a perfect fall day. Sun: warm, but not hot, the leaves drifting aslant in the wind, at my favorite park. A prefect calm lake surrounded by calico leaves, dancing in the sky as well as dotting the path.

I passed up my usual water bottle for a Starbucks Vanilla Latte. Walking around a calm lake on a perfect autumn day . . . sipping my favorite latte . . . bliss! A surreal moment. A time to remember that life can be beautiful, despite the destruction all around us.

On to my point . . .

I was walking behind a woman who was walking a pure white yorkie. A beautiful dog. So cute. But he was looking at me, standing on his hind legs like a mini grizzly bear, and making a . . . I don't know what kind of sound. Half growl/ have whine. I'm not sure. I looked behind me, thinking another dog-walking person was behind me, attracting the attention of this yorkie. There was no one. Just me. The yorkie, hind-legging and unknown-noise-making at me. But why? I was just walking. Other dogs walked by the Yorkie. He just sniffed . . . and walked by. Regular dog stuff.

So, then the dog walker stepped by the wayside so that I could pass. As I did, she said (in th most fabulous British accent.), "It's the coffee cup."

All I could respond was, "Oh, is that what it was?" And laughed.

I wish I could have asked more. Why the coffee cup? But that would have been cruel to keep the dog in his over-active/alert state. So I moved on. Leaving me to ponder why a dog would care about a coffee cup. Was he angered? Amused? I had no idea. I spent the rest of my 2 mile hike wondering about the psyche of this dog. What caused him to react to my coffee cup?

If you know a reasonable answer.. . . I'd love to know. I'm perplexed.

However .. . I"m a writer at heart and I'd love to hear some creative answers. Why would a dog react to a coffee cup in such an animated way?

Had he once tasted the spilled spoils at a local Starbucks hangout . . . only to become addicted?

Was he raised in a poor litter . . . where they only chewed empty coffee cups instead of bones?

Does a coffee cup resemble an alien space phone and he's dying to call back to his canine race?

Are there zones in this park where animals go wonky when they enter it, leaving them crazed and delirious?

You tell me. Real life, or pure imagination. . . . what could cause a dog to act this way?

hmmmm . . . . . .

Critter is going to Korea!!! Plus, a Shout out for PJ!

I've got to give a bug "hurrah" to Beth Revis. When I started this Critter in Blogland thing, I had small hopes that Critter would go international. If he did, I thought the furthest would be Canada. But Beth is willing to flip the bill for Critter's trip to to Korea. Gam-sa Ham-nee-da, Beth. That will be Critter's new way of saying "Thank-you" when he gets home from his oversea's travels. This is so cool! His host is Korea is Christina Farley. I can't wait to see where he'll get to go!

I also want to give a great big shout out to PJ Hoover. Her latest book, The Navel of The World, is now out! Go out and buy a copy! I'm sure you'll be glad you did. I can't wait to get mine!

It's time for Critter to find a new vacation spot

Head on over to Beth's blog. See some great pictures of Critter at the Biltmore Castle and tell Beth where you would take Critter if he came to see you.

Critter Siting!

There's some great pictures of Critter over at Beth blog! You've got to go see what he's been up to!

And the Winners are . . . . .

Congratulations to 3 lucky winners!

The winner for th copy of The Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Promdress is . . . . . Solvang Sherrie!

The winner of the 1st copy of The ABC's of Kissing Boys is . . . . Terry Lynn Johnson!!!

And the 2nd copy of The ABC's of Kissing Boys goes to . . . . Janelle!!!!

YaY!

Congratulations folks! Just e-mail me at christyevers (at) ATT (dot) net with your mailing address.

Thanks for playing along everyone! I hope to have another give away soon.

Author, Tina Ferraro Talks about "Voice": Plus, a 3 book giveaway!

Today's Special guest blogger is Tina Ferraro. Not only is she talented at creating a strong character "voice", she's also generous. When I told her that I was going to give away a copy of The ABC's of Kissing Boys along with her interview, she offered to give away two books as well; another copy of The ABC's of Kissing Boys and one copy of The Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Promdress. So, if you leave a comment below there will be 3 winners drawn on Wednesday. You can also have extra chances to win if you post this giveaway on your blog, Twitter or Facebook and if you follow this blog. You receive an extra entry for each thing that you do. Make sure you let me know in the comments so that I can give you the correct amount of chances to win in my tupper-ware-bowl of winningness.

The thing that I love so much about Tina's characters is that they are relatable, strong and funny. So, I asked Tina a few questions about "Voice." Here's what she has to say:

1) How do you define "voice"?

Well, let me start by saying I often have two streams of thought running in my head. What I say and what I think. For instance, a lady is holding up the supermarket line, trying to find all her coupons. She turns and apologizes. I would smile and say, "No problem, I love using coupons, too," while I am thinking, "Lady, for crying out loud, get organized! I've been standing here for so long I think I celebrated a birthday."

Voice, to me, is what I'd think--not what I'd say. Doesn't have to be funny, but it generally hits higher highs and lower lows than a person's normal life.

2) How and why is "voice" crucial in a manuscript?

I think it's make-or-break critical to have voice. For instance, anyone could tell the story of a southern plantation on the verge of the Civil War, but only Margaret Mitchell delivered Scarlett O'Hara and her "fiddle-de-de" that was at once irritating and oddly endearing.

3) What have you done that has attributed to your strong sense of voice? (Classes? Advice? Workshops, etc.)

The most important thing that I found in establishing voice is letting go of my natural inhibitions. When I was writing TOP TEN USES FOR AN UNWORN PROM DRESS and got to the first scene where Nicolette was dancing alone in her bedroom in her dress, I was so embarrassed for us (Nic and me) that I about dove under the desk. I felt like I'd just exposed our rawest side to the world. Later, I got more compliments on that scene than any other.

4) When writing The ABC's of Kissing Boys, how were you able to maintain a consistent voice through out the entire book?

Well, whenever I felt unsure of the story or voice (which was often), I went back and re-read earlier scenes. Then I then grabbed Parker's hand and we jumped back in...

5) What advice would you give to aspiring authors so that they can improve their literary voice?

Take a good look at yourself and see what pushes your buttons, what is going to take you and your readers to entertaining places. While you don't have to write your life (I surely don't), try to twist fiction with fantasy. For instance, in THE ABC'S OF KISSING BOYS, Parker worried that she was a bad kisser...and while it's been a long time since I've had that concern, I continue to be a queen of performance doubt, so I could easily relate to that fear.

6) What is your favorite "voice" book(s)?

Oh, so many! But here's few that I recently read include THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN by Sherman Alexie, GOOD ENOUGH by Paula Yoo, and SOPHOMORE UNDERCOVER by Ben Esch.


Thank you, Tina, for thoughts on VOICE!

Now, go ahead and
*leave a comment
*tweet this contest
*mention this contest on your blog and/or Facebook
*Become a follower of this blog.

And then I'll choose 3 winners on Wednesday.
Thanks for stopping by.

Something Fabtabulous Planned for Monday!!!!

Just want to give you a heads up for what is coming up on Monday. I don't want you to miss it. I'm going to post an interview with Author, Tina Ferraro and what she has to say about what literary "voice" is and its importance in a manuscript.

But that's not all. There's going to be a 3 book giveaway for those of you who leave a comment. That right! count'em 1 . . . 2 . . . 3!

So that improves your chances of winning.
Be sure to come back on Monday!