What are you reading - and why?

For fun, I thought I'd ask other authors and readers to share what they are reading. What drew you to a certain book and why? Was it the genre? The cover art? The author? The cover blurb? Share your thoughts on what grabs your attention as a reader.

I tend to gravitate towards books in two genres, mystery and horror. Cover art does draw me, but it's not a final deciding factor. I'll pick a book if I've read the author before, or if the back cover sounds good and the first page grabs me.

Unfortunately (or fortunately?), I've gotten into the bad habit of reading several books at once. Do you?

I'm now reading:

Fruit of the Poisoned Tree, mystery, Joyce and Jim Lavene










Mayhem in Miniature, mystery, Margaret Grace/Camille Minichino












Devil in the White City, Erik Larson

**Your Turn: Share your books and thoughts.

Kitty's Fashionable Miniatures

My friend Kitty has outdone herself again.

Her new project is a Ladies store, full of all kinds of wonderful accessories. You know, that "girlie" stuff we all love, especially in miniature.

I love the new shoes she's painted. Then there are boxes, and pretty containers, and... a visual feast! (As someone asked, the shoes are metal/pewter that you paint and are in one-inch scale, measuring less than an inch.)

Many of the items are from Lisa's Little Things. You can see more pix at Kitty's blog.

Mystery & Mini Inspiration: Agatha Christie's House

Both miniaturists and mystery writers will find inspiration over the pond with the opening on Feb. 28 of Agatha Christie's summer home, Greenway House, in Devon, Southwest England.

The house opens after a two-year restoration.

Now owned by the National Trust, the charming and "no-fuss Georgian," is where Christie spent her summers from 1938 to 1976. She didn't write here, though, and supposedly just concentrated on writing letters, relaxing, collecting, and entertaining. Some guests were supposedly entertained with readings from her books. The house is the setting in several of Christie's novels and the scene of a couple of her fictional murders. The house is restored to the 1950s and is much as the writer enjoyed it.

* Learn more, get visit details and watch a video here.

Cookbook Challenges in Miniature

This great miniature tart from Stephanie Kilgast of Petit Plat at the The Mini Food Blog is a great example of miniatures imitating life. She made a yummy looking strawberry tart copied from a cookbook picture. (Stephanie also makes the neatest miniature food jewelry).

I had done something similar last summer as part of a challenge with the Miniature Collectors Club with Yahoo Groups. Here, everyone had to duplicate a cookbook picture.



For fun, I thought I'd share those photos again. I duplicated the cover from the Southern Heritage Celebrations Cookbook I found at a yard sale.




Really gets you thinking about warm weather, picnics, summer... ah.

* You can still see the other miniature cookbook challenge entries at Webshots.

New FAB Blog Award!

Katie from Katie's Clay Corner just awarded me with a pretty FAB new award. Thanks, Katie!

So, the rules are:
I list five addictions and pass this on to five other blogs whose owners then do the same.

I'm addicted to: (in no particular order, well, depending on the day!) chocolate, minis, writing, chocolate, color yellow. (Earth shattering huh? ha!)

Hard to pick just five fab blogs - they're all great! So, hoping I don't repeat what others have done, I pick:

* My friend Kitty at Kitty's Minis who always has fantastic mini ideas!

* Tracy at Minis on the Edge who inspires me with her fantastic clay houses!

* Artist Christina Rodriguez who delights with her wonderful, charming illustrations!

* Author Mary Cunningham at Cynthia's Attic, for her fun books, inspiration and is always helpful!

* Author Katie Hines for coming by, commenting, and her insights!

That's it. Now it's their turn. :>) I also thank you, dear reader, for stopping by, reading, and commenting. This award goes to you, too! Better than the Academy Awards, huh? Take that Kate Winslet. ha!

Writing and Talking to Yourself. I do. Do you?

I realized that most of the time I probably look crazy. Why? I talk to myself. A lot.

Hey, you know you get the best answers that way, right? (Or at least the ones you want!)

But talking to myself is not a sign of mental instability. It's more an occupational hazard.

You see, when I'm talking to myself, it's not really me. (Uh-oh) It's really my characters speaking through, and to me.

No, I'm not talking possession or multiple personalities, though I do hear a lot of voices in my head. The voices I hear don't tell me crazy things, though. (Thank goodness I don't write about serial killers).

As I'm writing, my characters tell me what they think. They tell me if what I'm putting on paper sounds like them - or should be attributed to someone else.

Writing is more than just putting words down on paper. It evokes the senses.

If you're in tune with your writing, you should see the action in your head. You should see it unfold in your imagination. You should see a character doing things that only he or she would do.

You should hear the lilt of a character's voice, or the gruffness of a crabby old neighbor, or hear the fear in your character's voice. You should hear the way that character speaks.

You should smell their surroundings, or the musky scent of their sweat, or the slightly cloying smell of an older lady's favorite perfume. You should smell the sweetness of fresh-baked cookies. Your mouth should water as you see those still warm cookies get taken out of the oven.

All it takes is a few words, the right words, for you - and your reader - to experience all those things and get into the story.

All it takes is sitting down and letting your characters talk to you. And don't be afraid to have a conversation with them. Hearing your characters speak, and getting to know them, is what makes them come alive and seem real.

If you can't hear them or know who they are, will they be real enough for anyone else to want to read about them - or really care? If not, you need to start letting them talk - and start talking back.

** Your Turn: How do you get to know your characters?

Miniature Tudor Dollhouse Beds

I've been planning these beds for a while as part of a long-overdue swap that I owe.

The beds were punched out from an old Greenleaf dollhouse furniture kit.

Bonnie Glazier, who's made several fantastic miniature dollhouse dolls for me - (see my Van Gogh on her page? She also made some half-inch scale dolls and mermaids for me) - wanted some beds for her Harry Potter-inspired castle.

Granted, these are not real dark and dreary, but rather elegant. I wanted to use the burgundy velvet and the shiny red fabric to give it some pizzazz.




I glued straight sticks to the sides for posts, then added some scalloped wood trim around the top to make the canopy. I covered the top with a gold mesh. The curtains were pleated, then glued around the sides. The bottom skirt matches the curtains. The top diamond patterns are cut from a tapestry bookmark. Gold ribbon was glued around bedspread edges and used as ties around the curtains. They're kind of hard to photograph, but I'm pretty happy with how they came out. I hope she likes them.

Writing Tip 17: Limit sentences, Says Debbie Macomber

Today's writing tip comes from a dyslexic mother of four who once thought she'd never get published! Her first book, published by Silhouette in 1982, became the first romance reviewed by Publisher's Weekly.

Writing Tip 17: Limit Sentences, says Debbie Macomber

Best-selling author Debbie Macomber offers a simple tip on style that authors can sometimes overlook.

Macomber says, "never allow a sentence to go longer than 23 words. Find a way to break it up." She calls this "simple, easy, and in some ways, profound."

Debbie Macomber, the author of BACK ON BLOSSOM STREET, SUSANNAH'S GARDEN, A GOOD YARN, THE SHOP ON BLOSSOM STREET, BETWEEN FRIENDS and the Cedar Cove series, is a leading author, with books regularly hitting #1 on bestseller lists and translated into 23 languages.

-- Debbie Macomber is author of several series and stand-alone books, including the popular Cedar Cover Series. In 8 Sandpiper Way, (Sept. 08), a wife find a strange earring in her husband's pocket, and begins to wonder…

Emily Flemming can think of only two explanations-an affair or sticky fingers-but neither sounds like the husband she knows and loves. Still, Pastor Dave did regularly visit the elderly woman whose jewelry has been turning up missing, and he does refuse to tell Emily where he's been when he comes home so late. He may be a good man, but he sure looks guilty-even to his wife.

Meanwhile, Sheriff Troy Davis's long-ago love has moved to town, and there's news aplenty from newcomers and old-timers alike in Cedar Cove.

Love Me, LOVE My Characters 4: Cynthia's Attic Meets Starry Night

Sam takes a break from her sleuthing in SEARCHING FOR A STARRY NIGHT, A MINIATURE ART MYSTERY, to talk to her new pal, Gus, from Mary Cunningham's CYNTHIA'S ATTIC series about what's going on in her life.

"Hey, Gus, you know, you and me are a lot alike. You say you're a tomboy? I'd rather go fishing than put on a dress anyway. Well, okay, I'm going to do that once. Me and Lita, my bff, are going to dress up for our friend, Helena Sanchez's wedding to pet shop owner, Mr. G. But just that once! Hey, tell me; how come you're called Gus?”

"Hate my given name, Augusta Lee, so everyone better call me Gus or risk getting a kick in the shins!"

"Okay, okay, sheesh, don't get all riled. I hear ya. Only one that calls me Samantha is my mom, and that's when she's mad! My friend, Lita, was telling me you and your bff, Cynthia, have a magic trunk? Awesome! But I don't know...I, um, am kind of skeptical, I guess. I mean you actually go places in it, like a flying carpet? That sounds kind of cool."

Gus nodded. "All the adventures we've had through the magic trunk have given me a little more self-confidence in being able to solve problems and work on my insecurities. They've also given me a greater sense of family loyalty and an even closer friendship with Cynthia."

Sam thought about it a minute. "When you put it that way, guess I can't doubt you. I'd do anything for my friend, Lita, too. Hey, you have to track down an ancient curse, too? Wow. Lita really got spooked when Petey - that's our friend's Dachshund - dug up an old family curse, too. Another thing we have in common!"

Sam snapped her gum and turned to her new friend. "Hey, I wonder...is there a way you could let Lita take a trip down South with you? You know, in your trunk? She sure misses her brother in Mississippi. Never mind. You're right. What if something went wrong? Maybe she'd end up in some jungle or never come back. You've tried it, but you've still had some scary moments, right?"

"Scary? Wow. We never expected to meet a Cajun guide named Mud Bug in a Louisiana bayou!" Gus said. "New Orleans was pretty wild back in 1914. Then there's the pirates...Don't think I want to go back there again!"

"P-Pirates? Oh, wow, I'd love..." Sam paused and brushed back her auburn hair, which was just a shade lighter than Gus's copper-color. "Oh, I guess you don't mean funny Captain Jack kind of pirates. Hmm. I see what you mean. Maybe time- traveling is pretty scary." Sam smiled. "Okay, let's forget that. What else do you like to do?"

"Now I take piano lessons, but can't seem to learn to read music. So frustrating!"

"You should talk to Lita," Sam said. "She took piano lessons. Maybe she can help. She's pretty talented. Not me."

"I love to swim," Gus said. "I'd rather be outside all summer."

"Me, too. Wouldn't it be fun if you and Cynthia came and visited here in Wisconsin this summer? We'd have a lot of fun!"

"We'd love to do that," Gus said. "You could come by and visit us, too. Do you like to eat?"

"Do I?" Sam asked. "That's my second-favorite thing to do!"

Gus gave a big smile. "Maybe we could get a hot fudge sundae sometime at the drugstore soda fountain. Cynthia won't eat sugar. Says it'll rot her perfect, white teeth. Ha!"

Sam laughed with her. "Your friend sounds just like Lita! She'll pig out on that fake banana candy, but she won't eat chocolate! I think we'd have a lot of fun. I hope we can spend more time together. I'd love to see how your magic trunk works!"

"Cynthia and I'd love to spend more time with you, too. Who knows what adventure we'll be facing next?"

BUY:

-- In THE CURSE OF THE BAYOU, book three of the CYNTHIA'S ATTIC series, adventurous, twelve-year-old best friends Cynthia and Gus find themselves in 1914 New Orleans. There, they search for answers in the disappearance of Cynthia's great-grandfather, Beau Connor, who was on his way down the Mississippi River to sell a flatboat full of produce.

A warning to stay away from the orneriest pirate this side of the Muddy, his gang of misfits and their thieving parrot, falls flat as the duo instead fall straight into his evil clutches! A mysterious treasure and heart-stopping adventure lead to a final confrontation that'll leave you cheering for the girls as they fight to save Great Granddaddy Beau.



--In Searching For A Starry Night, A Miniature Art Mystery, bff’s Sam and Lita, and a mischievous Dachshund named Petey, face a cranky housekeeper, a dog-hating gardener, and an ancient family curse as they search for a missing miniature replica of Van Gogh’s “Starry Night.”

Love Me, LOVE My Characters 3: Guy Talk

Today it's the guys' turn, and it's also a chance for Guy - that is the character Guy in stories by Norm Cowie, featured in the Echelon Press anthologies, THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT, and the new MISSING!,to be interviewed by Alyssa Montgomery's Connor (WHERE ARE YOU?). (Boy, that Connor gets around!)

Check out the interview at Alyssa Montgomery's blog.

BUY:
THE HEAT OF THE MOMENT, stories focusing on fire, proceeds to San Diego fire victims.

MISSING! During 2007, 814,967 missing person records were entered into the National Crime Information Center’s Database.


Seventeen tales of missing persons. Proceeds from all sales benefit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.