* Also posted over at my author website.
My 3 1/2 year-old is on Spring Break from preschool this week.
I am 35 weeks pregnant.
My husband works from home.
It’s raining.
I think I may have to give PBS Kids one of my kidneys.
Moving on …
Some great things to share!
1.) Porch Dogs by Nell Dickerson
The other day my husband and I had a conversation with friends from Michigan about the car games we used to play as kids, including the cow game–you know the one, where you count your cows on each side, and you lose them if you pass a cemetery? And one of my favorites: “dog on a porch.” My wonderful friends looked at us like we were crazy. My husband says only my family must’ve played “dog on a porch,” but I think not.
Ah, those days were magic. Now, take any major highway and all you’ll see are SUVs and minivans lit from the inside by the bright little rectangles of glowing portable DVD players. There’s no “I Spy” going on in those cars; no listing the states on license plates or counting cows, and certainly no dog on a porch. Sigh.
So, Porch Dogs is book of photographs chronicling that best of Southern traditions: porch sitting. Only these days, with air conditioning and busy lives and gentrification and the loss of so much good old culture, only our dogs seem to be keeping the tradition alive. I’m thinking every photo will make me (and any dog lover) smile.
2.) Writers, especially those with other jobs and families, should check out Wednesday’s blog post at novelist Julianna Baggot’s blog, Baggot Asher Bode: “Efficient Creativity.” I struggle constantly with trying to manage my creative life alongside my work and family life, and Baggot has some interesting thoughts on the topic.
3.) Where Clothes.
An eco-friendly clothing line designed and crafted by my incredibly talented artist-friend, Amy Wild. Located in Richmond, Vermont. Here’s her mission statement:
Where Clothes is an earth friendly clothing line handmade in Richmond, VT. Everything is designed and constructed by Amy Wild, who uses vintage, antique, and recycled materials. Where Clothes was created in 2009 on the belief that buying clothing made from vintage and upcycled materials protects the environment and humanity. When you buy Where, you are not supporting fabric mill pollution or unfair labor. Not only do vintage fabrics last longer than a lot of the materials made today, but when reconstructed they become one of a kind, making each outfit completely unique.
I’m loving her new summer line! Check out Where on Facebook and Blogger, too.
4.) I don’t know what it feels like where you are, but here in Western North Carolina it still feels a bit like winter. (Cough. The winter we didn’t have.) So, in anticipation for the warmth to come, some Spring quotes:
“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” ~ Margaret Atwood
“Spring is the time of plans and projects.” ~ Leo Tolstoy
“April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go.” ~ Christopher Morley
“In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours.” ~ Mark Twain
After a 5-day family bout with the stomach flu–which put me in the hospital for fluids and meds–I’m happy to report that things in my house are headed back to normal.
Whatever “normal” means in a house where the mama is 35 weeks pregnant, the daddy works from home (poor guy), there’s a 3 1/2 year-old on Spring Break from preschool, and an athletic but severely exercised-deprived (and therefore incredibly bored) black lab.
Today, though, a light!
The lauded Historical Novel Review has posted a new review of Keowee Valley! Check it out here.
I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend, and you’re all healthy and happy as we head into Spring.
Apologies for the lateness of this post: my family has been hit with a case of the stomach bug, and I've been away from the computer for the past two days. Ugh.
And a Good Friday to you all.
A few fun things to share today before we head into the Easter Weekend:
1.) Here in Western North Carolina, we’re lucky to be plugged into a radio station called WNCW88.7: Listener-Powered Radio. I was introduced to this NPR-affiliate station by my husband (then just a maybe-boyfriend … our relationship was complicated) the summer after I graduated from college. We’d head into work together at a camp in the NC mountains, winding our way up to the camp entrance and listening to awesome little shows like “The Writer’s Alamanac” (hosted by Garrison Keillor, and my personal favorite) and “Star Date” (I took astronomy classes in college and to this day have a fascination with the stars).
WNCW hosts and plays some of the best music–old and new–to come out of the Southern Appalachians. Today, after dropping my daughter at preschool, I tuned in just in time to hear “The Fall” by The Black Lillies, a band out of Tennessee I’d not heard of before. The song made my morning–and it made me want to write a novel, set only to it.
Check out “The Fall” here at Paste Magazine.
2.) I don’t watch reality TV. (Yes, I know I’m a snob. Sorry. But I think it’s the work of the Devil.) However, one of my fellow Clemson Tigers, alumna Danni Allen, recently won the title of “The Biggest Loser.” She looks fabulous and glowing. And I can’t imagine the amount of work it took to make it happen. Congrats, Danni!
Check her out here.
3.) Fans of author Carl Hiassen (Double Whammy, Strip Tease, Skinny Dip) have got to check out the April/May 2013 issue of Garden & Gun magazine and the article “The Last Great Howler,” by Monte Burke. Burke joined a Florida fly fishing trip with Hiasson and guide Steve Huff, and was privy to all kinds of Hiassen witticisms and anecdotes. The photos are cool, too–and so is the rest of the issue.
4.) It’s time, folks. Time for the great Reese’s Easter Eggs to return to CVSs and Walgreens and grocery stores everywhere. Go ahead. Buy one, or two, or three. Just give in. It’s worth it.
In fact, I’m eating one now. Coffee and a Reese’s Egg are a perfectly acceptable mid-morning snack for a 34-weeks pregnant woman.
I hope you all have a wonderful Easter, full of Light and family!
This new review of Keowee Valley by writer and blogger Hallie Sawyer has made my month. Normally, I try not to read too many reviews (I’m sensitive. Ha.), but my husband saw this one and made me. Check it out here.
In other news, I have joined Twitter. I will soon be Tweeting @WritingScott. (Do you capitalize “Tweeting”?)
At first, what comes from me may be more like a chirp until I figure this thing out. Stay tuned.
Friday was a great day for Keowee Valley! Thanks so much to everyone who checked out the blog tour, visited with me on Goodreads, and bought the novel. The blog posts are still up, of course, so if you’d like to read them, check out Friday’s post here.
FYI: Today is the last day Keowee Valley will be available at the Amazon Kindle Store and Apple for the special promotion price of $1.99. I hope you’ll pass the word.
This week, I’m Skype-ing with two different book clubs–something I love doing. Here’s to a week of great reading for all of us! Stay warm out there.
It’s a big day for Keowee Valley and me!
First, I’m doing a blog tour!
This means I, and Keowee Valley, will be featured on several different blogs–each of them different (and all the things I talk about different, too).
Check them out:
Keowee Valley Blog Tour:
Blog 1: Bell Bridge Books – “Writing as a Mom”
Blog 2: Riding With the Top Down – “The Beauty of Book Clubs”
Blog 3: Michelle Ziegler Author - “Fun Fact Friday: Katherine Scott Crawford & Her Path to Publication”
Blog 4: Goodreads - "Mining for Gold"
Second, Keowee Valley is available for a special promotion price of only $1.99, today (Mar. 22) through Monday (Mar. 25) at the Amazon Kindle Store and Apple.
Third, today ONLY, I’m doing an Author Q & A on Goodreads. At my Goodreads Author Page, I’ll be answering any questions Goodreads readers, writers, and bloggers may have about my novel, history, literary agents, publishing, the writing life–basically anything and everything under the sun! I do hope you’ll take part. (If you haven’t signed up for Goodreads, it’s FREE and fun.) In addition, Goodreads is offering a free book giveaway to lucky folks who participate!
I figure this is a fun way to get through your Friday, and to get ready for the weekend. I hope to see you somewhere on “the Web” today!
Hi, all!
I’m excited to announce that Keowee Valley will be on sale for only $1.99 at the Amazon Kindle Store, this Friday, March 22 through 7 p.m. Monday, March 25th! If you’ve got reader-friends or family looking for a new read, I hope you’ll share the news.
In addition, tomorrow (Friday, Mar. 22), my publisher is running a Goodreads campaign for Keowee Valley. This means that there’ll be a Q & A with me that any Goodreads user can log into, to ask any questions you want. Goodreads will also feature two book giveaways.
If you’re not a Goodreads user, it’s free to sign up. Goodreads is basically the world’s largest online book club, and a great place to chat, list, and learn about books.
I really hope you’ll take part!
