Recently...

#1: I watched every episode of the BBC series Bleak House on Netflix. I know I should have been writing instead. But it was usually when I was putting the wee babe to sleep or while I tried to make some headway in cleaning my Craft Room Pit of Doom or when I should have been sleeping.

Dear Charles Dickens,

Bravo, my good fellow! That was one crazy amazing story full of fascinating characters, unexpected plot twists and as for how you intertwined the character's lives? I am in awe. And all that sorrow and depression! You really had it out for the justice system, eh? Pretty great way to get your point across.

Now I'd actually like to read the book. Sorry I watched the film version first.

Sincerely,
A lazy fan

#2: I read a stellar article on Writers Unboxed by author Julianna Baggot entitled The Trick is to Breathe. She shared this Houdini quote...

"There is no invention to it, there is no trick, there is no fake; you simply 

lie down in a coffin and breathe quietly."

Alright, now that is just an awesome quote. But she also goes on to show what this has to do with writing. And what a writer she is! Brilliant. Brilliant. Brilliant. Did I say it enough times? No? Okay...I think she's absolutely brilliant. I loved her book, The Anybodies (which she published under the pen name N.O. Bode) and her latest book, Pure, sounds amazing, too.

#3: I've been thinking and reading a lot about magic. Ethereal planes, etheric magic, different planes of existence, ritual magic, the principle of contagion magic....yep. Weird and wonderful thoughts. And all in an effort to make my magic system realistic. And not because I think I'm a witch (although I can be pretty witchy sometimes....)

#4: I made these Texas Roadhouse copycat rolls. In the recipe she suggests you spray two long spoons with cooking spray because the dough is really sticky.  This is what I tried to do. And then I noticed the strong smell of lemons in the air and saw that my son had left the spray can of furniture polish on the kitchen island.

And look! I'm not the only one! This lady almost
killed her family making pancakes! 

Out of the corner of my eye  I thought it was the cooking spray (hey! I was in a hurry...and they look really similar!) and once I realized what I'd done and since I didn't want to possibly poison my family, I had to throw it all out. What a waste of carbs! However, I whipped up another batch. They didn't have as much time to rise. So, they were just okay. I'll have to give the recipe another shot. I will also make sure there are no cleaning products nearby when I do.

#5: I heard about this book Unwind by Neal Shusterman. My oldest son came home from school and told me about it. He'd wanted to check it out from his teacher's library, but another kid beat him to it. So, I looked it up and....ack! I have got to get my hands on a copy. The premise is chilling. Anyone read it?