Got Suh-lad?

I'm all into salads right now. Considering all the junk food I love, I guess that's not such a bad thing. I can't hear the word salad anymore without thinking of SpongeBob. There's an episode when Mr. Krab's daughter, Pearl starts working at the Krusty Krab. She gets rid of the burgers and puts "salad" on the menu. SpongeBob has no idea what it is and pronounces it "suh-lad". I don't know. I guess you had to be there. I just hear the word as suh-lad now.

Costco has some really good suh-lad stuff right now. Yesterday I bought a big mixture of lettuce greens. It's that really funky looking stuff. Seriously, some of it looks like the stuff Rick cusses at when he's mowing the lawn. But I like all those weeds and twiggy things, so it works. Costco also has mini cucumbers. Have you tried those? I never had until recently. They look like pickles, but taste like regular cucumbers. They're perfect to munch on all by themselves. So today my sah-lad featured a variety of funny looking weeds, some grape tomatoes, cukes, a fresh pepperonchini from our garden, a few croutons, a piece of string cheese cut up, some leftover peas, and some hunks of leftover turkey breast. I topped it off with a calorie-free bacon-ranch dressing. Maybe I'm a freak, but I love that kind of stuff.

I'm sure you'll all sleep better now that you know what I ate for lunch. I seriously came here to post a simple recipe for turkey breast. See what happens when you try to eat healthier? You're brain gets fried! There's no way I could be a full-time health food person. I'd go insane for sure. Anyway, the other night I cooked a boneless Butterball turkey breast in my crock-pot and it came out really, really good -- really! All I did was put it in my 6-quart pot, sprinkle a packet of onion soup mix over it, and top it with one thinly sliced onion. I cooked it for exactly 4-hours and it came out perfect. It's so easy, it's ridiculous. So, if you're looking for something easy, give it a try. After all, you can always use the leftovers in your suh-lad!

Contest Results ...

First of all, I want to thank everyone who took the time to enter my contest for The Marshmallow Man. I've really enjoyed reading everyone's marshmallow stories. They were all so fun and I was happy to see there are a few people like me who love charred marshmallows. The blacker, the better! As a kid, marshmallows were just one of those fun foods. I loved them just about anyway possible. I still do. My family goes camping a lot, so making S'mores is something fun we do together.

There were 36 people who entered the drawing for the autographed copy of The Marshmallow Man. I wish it were possible to pick every one of you, but until I write that bestseller, that's not going to happen. However, I put everyone's name in my trusty Obermeyer ski cap (I should stay dusty Obermeyer cap because I never wear it, despite paying and arm & leg for it) and drew one name from the lot. And, the winning name is ...

SYBIL LANE

Congratulations, Sybil! I hope your boys enjoy the book. Please email me a mailing address and I'll get it out to you right away. Also, please let me know if there is a particular way you'd like it signed. Thanks again to EVERYONE who entered. I was happy to see so many people participating. The Marshmallow Man is special to me because it's something my boys and I thought up one day after doing a themed week studying The Gingerbread Man. If you'd like to get a copy of the book, it's available through 4RV Publishing, Amazon, Barnes & Noble Online, Book-A-Million, or can be ordered through any bookstore. All you need are the numbers (ISBN-10: 0984070893 ISBN-13: 978-0984070893) and any bookseller can get it.

Don't forget about The Marshmallow Man Activity Pages, which are found on my website. It has fun projects for kids to do after reading the book, or even before. I'll be adding new things to the pages too, so check back every now and then. And don't forget to watch The Marshmallow Man Trailer! Again, thank you all so much! It's been fun and you've totally made me crave marshmallows for the past 2 weeks. Last night I was munching on mini-marshmallows, but today I'm heading up to town. I'm gonna find those huge marshmallows if it's the last thing I do!

So, tell me writers ...

Isn't this tee shirt great? I need one of these, but I'd like mine to say, "Don't piss me off or you'll end up in my next picture book!" Now that could get ugly! Some of you know I'm working on a story right now. Most of what I write are picture books geared towards kids ages 4-8, but have written a few middle grade novels. None have been published yet, but I'm still working on that. I was in the middle of writing a MG story recently when I had a new idea come to mind. So, I put the other on hold to begin the new one. I started on July 30th and I've been working on it about a week. At my last check, I was around 19,532-words and it's been coming along great. However, I have a few questions for those of you who write ...

1. Do you concentrate more on getting a rough draft down first, or do you edit along the way?

I have a habit of editing along the way and I know that slows me down a lot. I'll sit down to write, only to spend a couple of hours editing the last chapter. Of course, I add stuff along the way, so it's technically writing. I'm not sure if editing as I go is good or bad. The thought of having an entire manuscript written in a rush terrifies me when I think of having to go back and edit it all at once. It's really hard for me not to edit as I write because I keep changing stuff or come up with something new to add.

2. Do you try to keep your chapters around the same length, or does that not matter just as long as you finish the scene or get your point across?

Writing novels is still new for me, so I don't know if how I do them is good, bad, helpful, or what. For the two I've completed, I set out a certain word count as my initial goal. Then after creating an outline and deciding how many chapters I needed, I divided the numbers. That gives me a goal to work towards. Of course, after editing and coming up with new things to add (or take out), the word counts aren't exact. However, I've found it's helpful to have that as a goal. Does anyone else do that? Or am I just weird?

3. Do you base your characters on specific people you know?

A lot of my characters are based on people I know, often more than one person within the same character. What's frightening is how much *I* am in some of them. Again, I don't know if that's good or bad. Part of me sees it as good -- like a bizarre fantasy of someday being interviewed about my book. Silly, I know. But another part of me finds it terrifying -- like opening myself up and exposing all my secrets. When I read back some of the stuff I've written, I see a lot of myself in the characters. I honestly can't tell if that's a bad thing, or if it's just my voice coming out. It's scary, that's all I know!

4. How do you organize your time in between work, family, home, etc.?

I'm terrible at this when it comes to both writing AND reading. If I get a book that really interests me, I won't do anything until it's finished. That's good and bad. Good because it's obviously a really good book. Bad because I don't accomplish anything else. I might as well add sad too because I usually read books in one (or two, maybe) sittings and I'm always bummed when I finish. It's like chocolate -- it never lasts long enough. I find I do this with writing too, whether it be a picture book or a novel. It consumes my time and everything gets pushed to the back burner. Of course, it's still summer and I am technically on vacation, so I guess that's okay. Once school starts up, things will be different. What do you do? Do you give yourself a certain amount of time, or simply write when you can?

5. And finally, how do you keep your back from hurting when you're spending so much time BIC (butt-in-chair) writing?

Most of you know I have problems with my back. It's caused from sitting too long at one time. Every few months I'll wake up in the middle of the night with horrible back spasms. I have to take a combo of 3 medications just to help me relax enough to sleep. I'm usually okay the next day. I thought for awhile it was caused from poor posture while using my laptop. I don't sit at a traditional desk much and I move around from various chairs, to the bed, to the table, etc. But right now, this story is so fresh in my mind and I want to get it all down. It's really playing havoc with my back. I know I need to get up and move around more. I've been exercising on my TreadClimber, but that doesn't work back muscles. I also have a Shiatsu massage pad that I put in my chair when it gets real bad. It makes me cuckoo though because now is the time I have to write before school starts, but if I write too long, I pay for it dearly with back pain. Do you stretch, do yoga, cuss at the cat, or what?

Anyway, I'm going to get working on my story now. Thanks for taking the time to read this very long post, if you made it down all this way. Don't forget about the contest for The Marshmallow Man below. I won't pick a winner until tomorrow's blog, so there's still time to enter! Thanks, again!

One S'more Day!

Hey everyone. I just wanted to remind you that there's one more day for my Marshmallow Man Contest. All you have to do is leave a comment about marshmallows on the link to be entered in a drawing. I'll keep it running through tomorrow night and pick a winner from a hat on Saturday. Well, I'm not a hat person, so I might use a bowl, if that's okay.

I've really enjoyed all of the comments so far. I've been craving S'mores something awful from reading them all too. Last night I had a Moon Pie, but it wasn't the same. It was probably the first one I'd eaten in something like 10 years. It was good, but I'll probably be able to go another 10 years before needing another. I'm still looking for those huge marshmallows too. One of our stores here carries them, but was out when I looked. I'd like to get a bag and see if I can come up with something to do for The Marshmallow Man Activities pages. Please check them out, if you haven't done so already.

Anyway, thanks to everyone who's entered. If you haven't, there's still time!

Mr. Buggy

Sorry I haven't been around in blogland lately. I'm really behind reading everyone's blogs. I hope to catch up tomorrow sometime. I'm all engrossed in writing a story right now. It's a middle grade story and I haven't had this much fun writing in a long time, if ever. I've been working on it for about 3 days and am at 13,353-words so far. I know it sounds like a McDonalds commercial, but ... I'm lovin' it!

How do you like my bug? I can't remember when I took this picture, but I think it was about a year ago. We get the weirdest looking moths at night, especially if I leave my porch light on. Some of them are so big that they make a bunch of noise when they whack into the window. I'm not sure what kind this is, but if you click on the pic, it gets bigger. It's pretty creepy, especially the way the eyes glow and he's looking at you.

Don't forget about my contest for a chance to win an autographed copy of The Marshmallow Man. It's just a few posts down. All you have to do to be entered is leave a comment and say something about marshmallows. It's that simple. I still haven't found any of those huge marshmallows, but I'm looking. The store that carries them was out the other night. Today I saw some strawberry and coconut ones. Now I love coconut, but it doesn't sound good on a marshmallow. I'd like a S'more ... okay, back to writing!

Are you a thumper?

I'm not talking about little critters from Bambi here, but watermelons. Do you thump yours to see if they're ripe? Earlier this month when my in-laws came to visit, I bought a small, seedless watermelon. I've never thumped them, mind you, and I've rarely ever gotten a bad melon. This one wasn't bad, but it just wasn't sweet. We ended up tossing it out. Well, my mother-in-law wouldn't let me hear the end of it -- "Did you thump it?" and "You have to thump it!" and "I always thump mine." As I said, I'm not a melon thumper, so I didn't know how to respond. Rick wasn't as reserved, since it's his mom, and told her she was crazy. Later I found out from Nichelle, who works at the market I bought the melon at, that others weren't sweet either. I don't know what to think and maybe the whole lot was just a bad batch.

The other day I was looking up chili peppers in a book we have on produce. I came across the melon section and it said thumping watermelons doesn't do any good. Now, you might be a thumper, and by no means am I trying to make anyone mad here. Maybe it works for you. However, this book said it wasn't an effective way to tell if a melon is ripe. It says the best way is to press on the bottom, or the opposite side that the stem grew on. There's usually a little round area. If the melon is ripe, pushing on that should give in just a tiny bit. It also says to smell it, but I've never been able to pick up on much that way. The skin is so thick and I don't have the nose of a bloodhound, so I don't know what I'm sniffing for. But anyway, since I didn't know if my mother-in-law knew what she was talking about (which she usually doesn't), I felt a little vindicated on being such an idiot for not thumping my watermelon like she always does. Of course, when I looked online, there are tons of articles written on watermelon thumping. Some go into detail about the thump duration, whether its deep or shallow, etc ...

A few nights ago Rick and I were at the market in the produce section. I saw a man wearing what looked like medical scrubs by the watermelons. He picked one up, placed it gently on his shoulder, and then proceeded to thump it a few times. He was very intent on listening and obviously took his watermelon thumping seriously. He finally picked two of them and went about his business. I honestly don't know. Maybe thumping works, but then again, maybe it doesn't. I stood there watching this guy, not knowing whether to laugh or take him seriously. In the process of me standing there like a goon, I bumped into a coconut and it dropped onto the floor, splashing coconut milk on my toes. Serves me right, I guess. I think I'll try the pushing method next time, but who is to say that's effective. As I said, I've bought hundreds of melons in my life and very rarely had a bad one. Some have been better than others, obviously, but I don't know if any amount of thumping, pushing, or sniffing really matters. For all I know, that last watermelon I bought could have been unsweetend from a hundred people thumping the hell out of it!

What do you think?

Beary scary ...

It's 2:50am and I can't sleep. Not sure why -- maybe it's too hot. One thing that's on my mind are bears. There's been a lot of bear stories going around these past few days, especially here in Montana. Last Saturday, Jack Hannah, who has a home just down the road from me, was hiking with his family in Glacier National Park when he had a bear encounter. They were on a trail when they came across a grizzly sow and her two cubs. They weren't attacked, but one of the cubs approached Hannah and his family. Jack had to use bear spray to repel the bear cub. He's carried spray for 15 years and this was the first time he's ever had to use it. It took him three sprays before the cub backed off. He was lucky.

Some campers in Cooke City, MT, just outside of Yellowstone, weren't so lucky last night. One person was killed and two others were injured. Officials investigated the campsites and came to the conclusion that they were clean and that everything had been stored properly. They weren't sure why the bear attacked. They've evacuated the campsite and have traps out, hoping to catch the bear if he returns. At my last check, they weren't sure if there was more than one bear or if they were black or grizzly. Most people think grizzlies attack more, but that's not true. I'm pretty sure there are more black bear attacks than grizzlies, simply because there are more black bears.

I've been following some of the pages on Facebook for Yellowstone and Jack Hannah. I probably shouldn't. People make me cuckoo with their stupid comments. Some are ranting about bringing guns into the parks, others are freaking out that people would do that. Others say you should never tent camp in Montana and just stay in hotels. Others simply believe people shouldn't be out in the wilderness at all and they basically get what they deserve if something bad happens. It's true that humans have encroached on the bear's habitat. No one is denying that. But for someone to say people shouldn't be outside enjoying the trails is stupid. At least I think it is. Jack Hannah is actually encouraging people to go out and hike. It's beautiful country. The chance of seeing a bear is far less than people think. Just because there are stories in the news today doesn't mean everyone gets attacked. And, there's a huge difference between a bear sighting, a bear encounter, and a bear attack -- huge difference between all three.

Reading their comments makes my head hurt. One guy posted something about it being a risk you take when camping in the backcountry with bears. Another guy slammed him saying it wasn't backcountry, but a developed campsite. It's that kind of stuff that makes me want to bash my head on the wall. First of all, have any of those people even been to Cooke City, MT? It's like stepping back in time. It's one of those towns you drive through in amazement that people even live there. Last time I was there, I saw a sheriff's car parked on someone's lawn with grass growing up around the tires. The injured campers were taken to a MOTEL to get medical treatment before they could be transferred to a real town. It might not be considered backcountry, as in way back in the wilderness, but it's about as backwards as you can get. It's a very primitive town and I'm sure the campsites are no better. And regarding that guy's comment about the attack being in a developed campsite -- HELLO! Where else would a bear go for an easy meal other than a campsite? Once a bear gets a taste of human food, they'll return to the source. So for that guy to ridicule the other guy for calling the area backcountry was idiotic. This is Montana. Not everywhere is considered backcounty, but it's all considered bear country. There's really no difference, not when it comes to these animals.

People make me crazy sometimes. I'm no bear expert, but I'm learning. I have to with having bears so close. My house is on a mountain in the middle of a forest. We have both black and grizzly bears here. Yes, we've encroached on their habitat, but I personally didn't develop this neighborhood. A native Montanan did. Everyone has simply learned to live with the bears. We don't freak out everytime we see one. We don't run outside with shotguns, nor do we blast them with bear spray. We give them their space and they usually move on. This is their neighborhood too. I'm not anti-gun and I would use one if someone was being attacked and spray wasn't an option. But like I said, there's a huge difference between a bear sighting, a bear encounter, and a bear attack. I prefer to shoot bears with my 400mm camera lens.

Maybe I see things different than others since I live here. I don't think people shouldn't hike or camp in bear country. I personally wouldn't tent camp, but that's just me. I'm thinking more of my kids than myself. It's too risky. I've been within an arms reach of 400+ pound bears, separated only by a glass door, and I've seen how powerful they are. Bearzilla, as I call her, makes my heart skip a few beats at a time. I do think people who hike in bear country should learn what to do and be prepared. Bad things could happen and sometimes there's nothing you can do about that. Jack Hannah was lucky because he was prepared and he knew what to do. If you're asleep in a tent and don't hear a bear coming, there's not much you can do. The bear has the advantage. But with these stories so close to each other, everyone's going to start freaking out. Sightings are rare, encounters are rare, and attacks are even more rare. I mean, think about how many people go hiking or camping who don't have problems. Maybe people should actually take a few minutes to READ all those brochures and signs they get when in bear country. Now there's novel idea, huh? It's like swimming in the ocean. How many people have done that and had a shark attack them? Should we not swim in the ocean because we're encroaching on a shark's habitat? I don't think so. I lived in southern California 40+ years and never once saw a shark in the wild. People just need to use common sense.

Gosh, talk about a rant ... sorry about that. I'll go back to bed now.