A to Z Blog Challenge 2011

Thank you to everyone who visited my blog, left comments, gave encouragement and/or helped implement the 2011 A to Z Blog Challenge. It tapped my creativity. It became a mental obstacle course. I loved every minute of it and I've already been pondering how I'll approach it this year.

The A to Z Challenge is a great way to make connections across the web. And my first year of participation resulted in a book: ABC Book of Literary Devices. The Kindle version is up and running. The print version is in the proofing process.

For a very affordable price ($0.99 for the digital version, $5.95 for the print version, which provides workbook space), it guides users to becoming a better writer in 26 days. Not only that, but they also have a short story to show for their efforts at the end. For each letter of the alphabet, a literary device is presented with a definition in simple terms, an example from published literature and an author example. Plus space is provided for the reader/writer to practice.

The ABC Book of Literary Devices is an excellent tool for individual writers looking to improve their craft or for classroom language arts/English teachers to use with students.

Thank you to all of the 2011 A to Zers. I couldn't have done it without you.

The Meat Department

Have you ever visited the meat department in a rural grocery store? In this video from a recent speaking engagement, I share a story from my book, If Mama Don't Laugh, It Ain't Funny, about my husband and his fascination with the IGA meat selection.



It Lives!

She exhales her last warm breath and alas I am alone in the cold. Lost. Shivering. Unable to type due to the stiffness fearlessly arresting my fingers. It's hard being the one left behind.

Rest in peace, dear friend. I shall never know a constant companion more faithful than thee my sweet space heater.

Lo, what is this? My eldest child, finding her prostrate on the floor, hath restored warm breath to her lungs and by all accounts resuscitated her. Were he not of my own flesh, I would cry sorcery. But I know he hath no knowledge of potions and spells; otherwise he would have a better grade in Spanish. Thus, it can only be said that he performeth a miracle today.

Wouldst thou, dear child, feel free to perform a miracle in Spanish?

Can You Solve the Riddle?

The link below is to today's newspaper column. I got creative and posed a riddle to my readers. Can you solve the riddle? The first person to email me with the correct answer wins a signed copy of Tuck Your Skirt in Your Panties and Run.

Every word of this is true, but the story is not McDuffie Mirror

To Cougar or Not to Cougar

Some have decided not to.

The cougar - a large, wild cat, with a tawny grayish coat, native to North America - though once revered as an animal worthy of mascotting teams to victory, has fallen from grace. Rejected. No longer accepting it as a representation of power and pride, Schools like Draper Corner Canyon High in Utah forgo the cougar for more benign, vague symbols like a "charger."

What is a charger? Is that like a battery charger? Is it a Dodge? A credit card, maybe? How exactly would I doodle a charger on my notebook while daydreaming in physics class?

The school board, after serious consideration of the matter and surely an entertaining discussion, concluded that they risked offending middle-aged women if they approved the cougar mascot. And for that I say to the school board, "For heaven's sake, offend me!"

I'm married with four children. If someone should even remotely refer to me as cougar-ish I take it as a compliment. It means I could if I wanted to; that I'd actually have a chance at ripping out the heart of a younger man. Cougar, when used in reference to felines or forty-something females is a compliment, people.

If they'd wanted to name the team the Escort Service or the Dirty Old Men, I could possibly see things differently. If they had even approached the issue from a morality standpoint and argued that the moniker might imply inappropriate relationships between teachers and students, I at least would award some credit for deeper, creative thinking. If they were planning to allow students' mothers to try-out for the girls' basketball team, they might have a point. Might.

But y'all, get a grip. The word "cougar" has no derogatory connotations whatsoever, and if I sat in a stadium surrounded by a crowd chanting, "Cougars, cougars, cougars," it would be a real moment of bonding in the sisterhood of women; a lightheaded experience in which I might make a huge donation to the school to be used at the administration's discretion.

Oh well. Now fans will just shout, "Chargers, chargers, chargers," and folks won't be able to think of donations for thinking of dead batteries.

A REAL LIVE Author

My next speaking engagement is quickly approaching and I haven't gathered the umph needed to put together my talk. Motivation, where are you? Why hath thou forsaken me?

Wait. What's that tapping noise? Could it be? Yes! Motivation has returned with all new stories to share. If you live in the CSRA, I'd love to meet and greet you. For those who don't, I'll probably post a couple of videos and/or podcasts in the near future. Stay tuned.

The details (the coordinator wrote this, not me):

Sunday, January 22, 2012 at 3 PM.

Come and meet the author, Lucy Adams

465 North Belair Road, Suite 2E

Evans University Healthcare Building

Lili Bogdanova, Bulgarian teenage piano guest of the Columbia County Orchestra Association, will play some piano music for early arrivals and afterwards. Lucy will share about her latest book, "Tuck Your Skirt in your Panties and Run" and previous books. Fun afternoon and get to meet a REAL LIVE local author.

Naming the House - Update

Thank you to everyone who has made suggestions. The quest to name my house continues. These things take time. Meanwhile, I have lent myself to research on the subject of naming a house. It's hard to find a clear set of guidelines, but I have discerned the following house naming rules from my Internet travels:

1) One must act as a responsible citizen when naming his or her house/property. In other words, if the name is to be posted or used on mail, avoid tawdry, racy, suggestive titles, as well as expletives, even though you may not be able to talk about your old bag of nails without including them.

2) A house name makes a statement about the property or the occupants.

3) Make sure no other properties/homes in the local vicinity already have the name with which you want to christen your house.

4) House/property names can be historic, sentimental, descriptive, humorous or simple. Distinguishing features of the house, plants and/or animals within the bounds of the property, or the view from the property/house can be included in the name.

5) Choose a distinctive moniker, something memorable that sets the house apart from others nearby.

6) Remember, your house will be there far longer than you. Make the name about the house/property and not about the people.

Though I don't know what I will eventually name my house, I have eliminated all of the Top 50 House Names in the UK:

1. The Cottage

2. Rose Cottage
3. The Bungalow
4. The Coach House
5. Orchard House
6. The Lodge
7. Woodlands
8. The Old School House
9. Ivy Cottage
10. The Willows
11. The Barn
12. The Old Rectory
13. Hillside
14. Hillcrest
15. The Croft
16. The Old Vicarage
17. Sunnyside

18. Orchard Cottage

19. Yew Tree Cottage

20. The Laurels

21. The Old Post Office

22. The Gables

23. The Hollies

24. The Beeches

25. The Firs

26. Woodside

27. Meadow View

28. The Stables

29. The White House

30. Holly Cottage

31. Willow Cottage

32. Highfield

33. The Haven

34. Springfield

35. Fairview

36. White Cottage

37. Mill House

38 The Orchard

39. Treetops

40. Primrose Cottage

41. The Granary

42. The Nook

43. Corner Cottage

44. School House

45. Greenacres

46. The Old School

47. Honeysuckle Cottage

48. Lilac Cottage

49. Wayside

50. Oaklands

If you can think of any other names I should NOT use, do tell. Maybe I'll arrive at just the right thing by the back door.