Susan's Thoughts and Queries

If I Won The Big One....

2008-08-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a couple in the province who, along with another family, recently won $43 million, I got to thinking... what would I do if I won the "big one?"

I guess my very first reaction would be to keep the win secret. I have heard so much about people's lives being ruined by big lotto wins - NOT, mind you, by the money itself - but by the way family, friends and anyone you ever knew, no matter how fleetingly, come out of the woodwork with their hands out.

Now I know the whole secrecy thing would be very difficult if not impossible as the lotto people would be shouting your name (and your winnings!) from the rooftops, so complete confidence would never occur. But put it this way... I personally wouldn't volunteer the information to anyone - and I mean ANYONE.

From there, I would pay off my mortgage and, if at all possible, become a kind of Secret Santa by anonymously paying off the mortgages of all my family. (As they don't access my site or blog, I am safe to declare this without giving away my identity if and when this happens :)

Next, I would pick a couple of charities close to my heart and make a very healthy donation to each one.

From there, I think I would finally allow myself some fun money - setting aside a few hundred thousand for travel, clothing and other items that routinely get bumped to the bottom of my priority list.

Finding a reputable investor and investing well over half of my winnings would be the next step. They say that a person can live on the interest of a million dollars on a yearly basis - just think what you could do with five or ten or twenty times that amount? Obviously getting the ball rolling ASAP in that department would be part of the plan too.

But the one question that arises most frequently in regards to this topic is: would you keep working?

Well, as at at-home editor and writer, my answer, of course, would be "yes!" Why give up something I love doing in the comfort of my home just because I've suddenly become independently wealthy?

So now over to you...what would YOU do if you won the big one?

10 Things I Liked About You

2008-01-25T09:43:00.000-08:00

Shocked, saddened and still teetering on the edge of disbelief, I join so many people around the world in mourning the death of Heath Ledger.

While I never knew him personally, for all intents and purposes, he appeared to be a honest, sincere and down to earth person whose primary goals in life were progressing in and perfecting his role as an actor and father.

Echoing the sentiments of countless others, I extend my deepest sympathies to his family and friends, especially his parents and sister and of course, ex-fiancee Michelle Williams and their daughter Matilda.

As an affectionate nod to the first film I ever saw Heath in - the teen romance 10 Things I Hate About You - I'd like to offer the following tribute of sorts to him entitled 10 THINGS I LIKED ABOUT YOU, written in the style of the poem read in the movie.

10 THINGS I LIKED ABOUT YOU

I liked the way your sunny smile always made me smile too.

I liked the way your intense gaze burned bright with brown not blue.

I liked the way you shunned the glitz and glamour of your work.

I liked the way despite hard times you seldom played the jerk.

I liked the way you spoke of what's important in your life.

I liked the way you chose those roles that caused you the most strife.

I liked the way you looked each time you talked about your "girls."

I liked the way your hair when long turned into tousled curls.

I liked the way you stayed on track and danced to your own drum.

But most of all I liked you 'cause the best was yet to come.

Making Time to Write

2008-01-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

In reference to, not only, my last blog entry but also my "sub" profession as a writer, I would like to address one of the most common questions I am asked: when do you get time to write?

The short answer is I don't GET time... I MAKE time.

Most writers, with the exception of bestsellers and those married to rich spouses, have to work at a job other than writing on a full-time basis to pay bills.

As full-time generally refers to a 7.5-hour shift somewhere within a 24-hour cycle, five days a week, on top of other responsibilities and necessities including travel time, eating, housecleaning, familial commitments and sleeping, to name a few, 'time for writing' is routinely shuffled onto the back burner or off the stove altogether.

That having been said, I am of the mind that setting aside even a modicum of time on a regular basis is important. While I DETEST routine strictly on principle, I have to admit I am generally more productive if I write daily at a set time.

But when is the best time?

That's a very individual question. If you're a morning person, hop up even 40 minutes earlier, grab a java and squeeze in a half hour every day before you go in. By the end of the week, you will have written three and a half hours more than if you rely on the old "I'll do it when I have time" plan of attack.

I know some writers who jot down notes throughout the day, on their coffee breaks and even during their lunch hour employing a kind of accumulative strategy... by the time they get home, they have written for an hour every day. This one would never work for me personally as I hate the stop-and-start manic feel of it, but hey, to each their own.

Post-supper pennings are common amongst many authors who view the time after dinner when the kids are either in bed or firmly anchored in front of the tube for a few hours their sacred scribbling time. While this is not too bad from an energy standpoint, I find the act of writing hypes me up too much and therefore doing so that late in the day interferes with my sleep. But if it works for you, more power to ya!

If I had my druthers, I would go with the early afternoon. By then, I would have gotten all the morning mental and physical cobwebs out of my system. After a light lunch, a brisk walk and a strong cup of tea, I'd be ready to give 'er pretty solid for a good three to four hours.

That's if I wasn't working full-time. :)

Given that consideration, I have pretty much settled into jumping onto the computer as soon as I get home - PRE supper. While the dog is running around outside and supper is simmering on the stove, I furiously try to get down as much as I possibly can within my standard 1.5 hour span. Going this route, I work until 7:00, before tossing in the towel for the night. From there I can have supper, play with my furry kids and thoroughly unwind before bed.

In the end, and I'm sure you've all heard it before, choose a time that makes the most sense with your existing schedule and true personality but write EVERY DAY.

And while it's not a bad idea to set a goal, be it a certain word or page count for the day, don't get too focused on that... on those "bad" days when your creative wordsmithing is limited to the likes of "See Spot run", you'll just end up filling the page with crap to meet your quota, only to delete it all the next day.

Oh and one last thing... write down your REALISTIC writing goals i.e. I'm going to write 1,000 words today (NOT I'm going to write 25,000 words today!)

Why?

'Cause there really is power in the written word.

Happy writing,

Susan

New Year, "New" Direction

2008-01-03T10:55:00.000-08:00

Every January people struggle with what to declare as their New Year's resolution. Maybe you yourself have announced that you will quit smoking, exercise more, love more, eat better... you know the drill. I do too as, for so many previous December 31sts, I have likewise resolved to do one or all of the above.

But not this year.

This year I have only one goal... to move in a new direction; or more accurately, move more agressively in the direction that I have been baby-stepping towards for the past couple of years.

Sound mysterious? It's not really.

Needless to say, I am a published writer who has enjoyed some success - a miracle in itself given the challenges and constraints of the past couple of years. Like most if not all writers, I have dreamed of writing "full-time" as opposed to squeezing in paragraphs and if lucky, chapters here and there in the evenings and on weekends. But I have to admit that my writing is routinely sacrificed in the name of work and other obligations.

Well ... "not no more." (dig that groovy grammar! ;)

From here on in, I intend to make my writing and career a priority in my life. In fact I began this "new" and assertive approach prior to the holidays by contacting and sending off a package for one of my as-yet-to-be-published books to a New York literary agent. I hope they will be pleased with my work and offer to represent me, but if not, I will not be deterred. I will try elsewhere until I succeed. The good Lord willing, 2008 will have me embark on a mutually satisfying and lucrative relationship with an established agent who, in turn, will secure a couple of new book deals for us with a major publishing house, as well as sell the film rights to my existing novels to a major production company.

That's the ultimate aspiration but for now, it starts with one 'new direction'... making my writing and my career as a writer a top priority. It's my firm belief that tiny but vastly important shift in perception will accelerate the success I have enjoyed to date and propel me forward.

So here's to moving ahead. Hope all your resolutions and new directions materialize for you this year!

Have a great 2008,

Susan

What did you like best?

2007-12-30T12:09:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone!

Having survived yet another Christmas, I'm borrowing the line featured in this entry's title from the movie City of Angels to appropriately redirect it to all of you and ask "What did you like best" about the holiday season, now nearly completed for another year? As for me,I'm finding it quite hard to narrow it down to just one thing.

Right off the bat, I have to say that I LOVE (yes, love) the copious amount of fluffy white stuff that has been falling, pretty much non-stop, for the past several weeks. Yes, I know it's a pain in the neck to do all that shovelling (well, I don't actually do it - I have a fella who does) but for those who do, it would be a pain. And true, the driving can be a bit challenging over all the ice and snow but as far as I'm concerned, nothing says Christmas like a White Christmas. So I'm happy - never more so than yesterday when this winter's first frost turned all the trees and bushes in the city into lacy beautiful white works of art. It's just gorgeous.

Another thing that I liked best was the time and energy I was able to devote to my family during the season - in particular my parents. With both of my brothers not in attendance this Christmas, I went all out to plan extra events, little special touches like securing our long-lost family wine from France, chauffeur them around to their various social functions and in general, work hard to ensure they had a very nice Christmas.

Like many others, I REALLY liked having some time off. Taking eleven glorious days away from the office - a chunk of time that I haven't had off in over two and a half years - enabled me to get some things done, celebrate Christmas with family as mentioned and the biggie, get some desperately needed down time for myself. I even managed to get a couple of "junk" drawers cleaned out!

But perhaps most of all, I liked my reflections on the past year as well as my aspirations for the one that lies ahead. Reviewing 2007 and looking ahead to 2008 has given me strong senses of accomplishment, gratitude, joy and hope. After some thought and relaxation, I now feel I can begin a new year on a better, more resolved foot, and despite all the great food, gifts, good times and great scenery that came my way during the holidays, acquiring enthusiasm over the future is what I liked best.

Holiday Reflections for us 'Grownups'

2007-12-18T15:43:00.000-08:00

Only seven more sleeps until you know when!

Actually I'm faking it.

As much as I like the lights,the snow, of course the food and the holiday music, I haven't really been enthused about Christmas for a few years - certainly not like when I was a kid - and that fact/realization got me thinking... what exactly is it that morphs one's childhood excited anticipation for the big day into one of resigned dread?

Is it simply the fact that we know there's no Santa Claus (oh-oh... should I have put a spoiler heading on this?); that we're overwhelmed with adult responsibilities and obligations including seasonal bills, or is it something more?

I have often wondered about this late-breaking change in perspection. Maybe it is simply that as children our take on the magic of Christmas is primarily a selfish albeit innocent one - what is Santa going to bring me? How many gifts will I get? Will that Lite Brite be in there? Conversely as adults, we think of (or should think of) the real meaning and magic of Christmas and New Years Eve, reach out to others, be thankful for what we have, and use the season as an excuse to mend fences and start again.

I mentioned earlier that I enjoy the holiday music - and I do - right from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Jingle Bells to such beloved classics as White Christmas and The Christmas Song. But I find as I've gotten older, I am especially touched by those Christmas songs that remind us of something beyond the frost and mistletoe and gift-giving. Tunes like So This Is Christmas by John Lennon has been a longtime favorite of mine for this very reason. More recently, I have fallen in love with a tune that has been done by several different artists including Amy Grant. It's called simply My Grownup Christmas List. Like John Lennon's song of the season, I adore what this song says and how it delicately works to remind us of what's really important. Below are the lyrics. If you get a chance, find it and give it a listen.

Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee;
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies.

Well, I'm all grown-up now,
And still need help somehow.
I'm not a child,
But my heart still can dream.

So here's my lifelong wish,
My grown-up Christmas list.
Not for myself,
But for a world in need.

No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end.
This is my grown-up Christmas list.

As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree.

Well Heaven surely knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul.

No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end.
This is my grown-up Christmas list.

What is this illusion called the innocence of youth?
Maybe only in our blind belief can we ever find the truth.

No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end, oh.
This is my grown-up Christmas list.
This is my grown-up Christmas list.

MERRY CHRISTMAS everybody and all the best in 2008!

Viva Las Vegas

2007-11-22T18:32:00.000-08:00

Today marks the one-week-away-from date of my upcoming trip to Las Vegas.
It's been close to 10 years since I was last there so I am certain there are plenty of new things to see.
One thing that is different is the Bellagio. I saw it showcased in Ocean's Eleven the other night (yeah, I had seen the movie before but had forgotten about which casinos were featured) and now am eager to see the dancing waters for myself.
Got any recommendations for what to see and do in the big LV?
Susan

Music as Muse

2007-11-15T15:56:00.000-08:00

I'm often asked what kind of music I listen to while writing, or less frequently, does music ever inspire a work.

To address the first question, I generally like instrumental music as my ear tends to follow the lyrics and pull me away from the thought/storytelling process. Dependent on the scene, time period and mood of the tale, I will choose a certain soundtrack, a bit of jazz or often plug into one of the many ambient stations on the Net that offer a steady but sensual accompaniment to the written word.

The latter however is the more pertinent question for yours truly. From time to time a piece of music will touch me to such an extent that the wheels are put in motion and a storyline will emerge strictly from my emotional reaction to the song.
One such case occurred recently with a song I became familiar with a couple of years ago.

I was and am a big fan of the now defunct series Queer As Folk - not only for its superior razor-sharp writing, acting, and let's face it, plenty of voyeuristic peeps at some of the hottest guys on the tube (BTW - Where is Gale Harold these days??? :( - but also for the terrific way the closing credits each week were accompanied by just the right (albeit uncredited) song to sum up that particular episode. I own all of the season soundtracks, but collectively they only contain maybe half of the music used and the majority of the cuts are the uptempo tunes used in Babylon (the nightclub the guys in the show frequent).

However one show (for QAF fans - the one where post-bashing, Justin's Mom pleas with Brian to stay out of her son's life)a slow, haunting and sad song really caught my attention. My own plea to my disc-jockeying niece Katie produced the songtitle and name of the group that recorded it.

I listened to it over and over again on my computer at work, just relishing the sound and unbeknownst to me at the time, a story was starting to percolate. When my computer crashed, I lost the download of the song but the seed was already planted.

A few weeks back I started thinking about a new book. As I was formulating some very loose and potential plot points in my mind, the story took a turn and poof! the song came into my mind. Without rhyme or reason, it perfectly embodied the mood of my new work.

All I had to do was find it again.

Locating it on the Net was easy but I wanted to own it. Who knows? Maybe the music on the rest of the album would be great too. After some initial research however, I unfortunately discovered that the group broke up back in the 90s and the album in question is discontinued.

But refusing to take no for an answer, I have since located the CD in question at both my local library and through Amazon and Ebay. Long story short? It will be mine one day soon!

Until then, I play it over and over and over again on YouTube as I work on my current novel.

See? Where there's a will, there's a way. ;)

If you have ever been really moved by a piece of music, do tell...

Birthday Memories

2007-11-12T08:48:00.000-08:00

Today is my Mom's 74th birthday; we did a celebratory thingey over the weekend that, she told me this morning, turned out to be her favorite birthday get-together of them all. That got me thinking...which birthday, if any, do I recall as being particularly memorable?

Right off the bat, I have to say going to the Dominican Republic for my 40th with my best friend and brother was, in a word, FABULOUS. I am a beach person, loving the ocean, the warmth and the pure unadulterated sense of having ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do and ALL DAY to do it in! I can still vividly remember arriving at the Sosua Bay hotel - a lovely multi-tiered Spanish-hacienda-type complex that cascades down the hill to the alcoved beach below; the latter spy-able through the open-air columned lobby. I literally gave a scream at the incredible beauty of the view. Even though I've never been, it made me think of Greece. The days were filled with lounging, laughing and partaking of the many local delights including a Jamaican Rum-laden treat called a Bahama Mama or the goods from a plethora of fantastic food 'stations' in the main restaurant that would cook you anything from an omelet to steak and lobster any time of the day or night.
And the nights. OMG. Romantics would be in seventh heaven with the starlit skies, the glow of lamps and the soft strains of a sax playing The Girl From Ipanema drifting up from the main level. Everywhere you went, people looked wonderful with their bronzed skins, sparse summer attire and relaxed happy expressions.
We did wander away from the resort a couple of times and enjoyed our adventures "beyond paradise" as well! Trust me on this...I could really go on forever about the pluses of the place so let's just say, yeah, that birthday was a biggie.

A very funny one was five years earlier when my group of single girlfriends and I made my love of tropical getaways the theme for the night. We went to a Malaysian restaurant and then spent the night in the "Polynesian Room" at the Fantasyland Hotel - a local hotel that decorates its rooms in different themes. Equipped with a volcano, waterfall, boats and plenty of palm trees, we made took to our bathing suits and leis, drank homemade Mai Tais (someone brought a blender), and had an absolute blast. Our plan to go down to the hotel's World Waterpark and do some body surfing was 'turfed' in light of sipping our tropical, umbrella-ed drinks in the waterfall/hot tub.

So now it's your turn... what was your most memorable birthday and why?

TTYS,
Susan

Remembrance Day and my Dad

2007-11-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

Good Sunday evening everyone!

Whatcha'll (new word!) get up to on the weekend?

Here in Canada, today - November 11th - is Remembrance Day; a day set aside each year to recall the many sacrifices - sometimes of the ultimate variety - made by our military men and women both in the past and the present.

I'm very happy to say that I still have my father with me - an 83-year-old veteran of the Second World War. One of ten children, he has outlived all of his family, a great many of his friends and to the best of his knowledge, most if not all of the infantry platoon he served with overseas nearly 70 years ago (he was 17 when he enlisted).
He's had a very rich life in so much as he has loved and been loved, given everything to his wife of 55 years and family of four children, and up until a few years ago, enjoyed exceptionally good health.

It was then that things started to change when he first underwent a triple bypass and then a couple years later endured not one but two brain surgeries and then just a few weeks ago, suffered a mini-stroke. Physically he always bounces back but I think he is growing weary and depressed, which is often difficult to see given how incredibly active,vibrant and fun-loving he was as recent as three years ago.

And yet, just like the Energizer Bunny, he just keeps going and going and going...maybe his tenacity is due in part to his time spent in the army. I'd like to think it played some role, no matter how small, in making him the incredible man he is.

So on this special day in Canada reserved for remembering those who risk their lives and those who have lost their lives in the name of keeping our country safe, I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

And thank you too Dad. For everything. I love you.

Susan

This is the first day of the rest of my [blogging] life!

2007-11-08T17:17:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone and welcome to my very first blog message!

Fellow authors and friends have been absolutely freaking out that I haven't taken this oh-so-hip and necessary step sooner, but those same colleagues and buddies know how UN-savvy I am technically speaking, so it's a miracle that I have managed to do it at all, be it overdue.

SOooooooo. What to say? Well, again, those that know me, know I have PLENTY to say about TONS of things but for this inaugural entry (doesn't that sound official!) I will keep it "relatively" short and hopefully sweet.:)

Shooting straight from the hip and telling "y'all" what's on my mind at any given time will be both fun and easy! So what's in there RIGHT NOW? Well, I can't tell a lie... being a paranormal i.e. vampire author, I am always on the lookout for a good movie or TV series. After a very lengthy search, I have found one.

I'm talking about the very addictive and sexy Moonlight that airs on CBC on Friday nights. Oovay! Mick St. John played by newcomer to my eyes Alex O'Loughlin is truly a vampire to die for. The premise behind this hour-long weekly show is 85-year-old (but he doesn't look a day over 30) Mick works as a private eye
who has a soft spot for a reporter named Beth. Why? Because their history goes back to when Beth was a child and ever since then, Mick has watched out for her, albeit it from a distance. But now that she's all grown up, is in his life AND knows what he is, the stakes (pardon the pun) are raised - as will your pulse be after checking this sexy new series out. Together they fight crime along with their mutual impulses to tear the clothes off one another. Tres nummy.

If anyone is game to share their favorite vampire TV shows - current or past - drop me a line.

Well that's it for now! It's been a fabulous first time.

TTYS,
Susan