Wednesday, March 31, 2010

WIP Wednesday - Fun Time

I am by far not a fan of the ebook. It hurts my eyes to read page after page on a computer screen. Doesn't even feel like reading. Too mechanical for my taste. However, I now have three ebooks to read and review for Ghost Stories. How fun that will be. If that's not enough, I also have a CD to review as well. Will be doing it all while I should be writing and editing. I don't handle stress well. If anyone finds me passed out in my Cheerios, just shove a ton of caffeine down and my throat, will ya?

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Monday, March 29, 2010

Rejection - Niteblade

Dear Ms. Allison,

Thank you for submitting to Niteblade. I'm sorry to tell you I will be passing on "Blood Diary" but I wish you the best of luck placing it with another market.

Sincerely,
Rhonda Parrish
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Writer: http://www.rhondaparrish.com
Editor: http://www.niteblade.com


One of these days I'll actually have good news to share. In the meantime, I'm thinking about retiring Blood Diary to my website. It's been published a few times. I don't think it'll make another appearance. I guess its just time. At least I have some SAMOAS to drown my sorrows with.

Any Silence Will Do

This is a lot coming from me but I would thoroughly enjoy a nanosecond of silence. I can't write without some kind of entertaining noise in the background, but the constant visits from the "intruders" is starting to be stressful. They supposedly got a new place to live. Yet they aren't living in it. How can they be? They're over here all the time. I'm at the stressing point where hair is about to be pulled out.

If you haven't already noticed, my mood is partying in purgatory. I think I'm on the verge of having one of those crisis that writers talk about. The kind you feel like you've worked so hard for so many years but will virtually have nothing to show for it. Technically, I have Ghost Stories to show for my hard work, but a successful blog is not enough. It's not the only thing I want to accomplish. I'm glad a couple hundred people enjoy reading it every day. Don't plan to shut it down any time soon. But it feels like a One-Hit-Wonder Blogger Style, you know? It's not like any of my other writing aspirations are mounting to anything.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

WIP Wednesday - Hell Week

I have one long list of why I chose not to write this week. However, I think I'll let you guys decide which one fits best.

For all of those who have expressed well wishes and sympathy concerning our little dog Roscoe, I thank you. And for those of you who are unaware of the outcome of the situation, our little guy is in doggy heaven now. He got worse over night and the vet strongly felt he wasn't going to recover. So, he was put to sleep. RIP Roscoe.

If having one dog ill wasn't bad enough, one of our other dogs, Buddy, is also not feeling 100%. Shortly after Roscoe, we noticed his ear was a bit swollen. We called the vet and she believed it was just an ear infection. We had some kind of creme she told us to keep using on it. However, today he is going to make an appearance in her office. She's going to sedate him and lance his ear. I'm sure he'll just enjoy that. $600 worth of vet bills in less than a week. I guess it could be worse.

Last week, I needed the use of my brand new printer. Pushed the power button and guess what happened? Nothing. Pushed it a couple of times. Nothing. I unplugged and plugged cords back in. Restarted my computer. Troubleshooted the hell out of the situation. The results.....absolutely nothing. I was forced to turn the situation over to my techie step-father. He was going to open it up and see what the problem was but realized it was still under warranty. Thus, a call was made to the lovely people at HP. They deduced the problem was mostly likely with the power supply. A new one is in route and should be here by today or tomorrow. I have a process. A process which works well with my wonky inspiration. A working printer is part of that process. When a link is broken in this chain, the diva side of me tends to surface. It's not pretty.

I saved the best for last. First day of Spring we get snow. Why did Mother Nature flip the wrong switch? Two days with nothing but snow. The high blizzard winds even knocked over one of our little cedar trees. The second tree to fall over since I moved to Oklahoma. I'm not having high hopes for the rather large pine sitting directly behind my section of the house. It mocks me. Keeps giving me the death waves. I don't like it.

This concludes my overview of Hell week. Pick a bad day and enjoy....

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Prayer for Puppy

We've had Roscoe for a few years now. My brother bought him from a breeder and we ended up taking care of him. We've lived through the days of him peeing and pooping on the floor, barking at anyone who walked through door, and the constant nagging to play all the time. Now is the moment of truth.

Last few days, Roscoe hasn't been feeling too good. We weren't sure what was wrong, but he wasn't moving around much and not eating a whole lot. We took him to the veterinarian today and the verdict is in. Somehow he managed to crush his vertebrae. No clue how he did it, but I guess it doesn't really matter. His condition is serious. The Vet pinched one of his back toes to see how much feeling he had. Pretty much none. Didn't move an inch.

She told my mom any other time she would refer us to the nearby animal hospital. So, he can have $2,000 worth of surgery. Even with that there are no guarantees his quality of life will improve and we don't have the money to pay for it. Right now, Roscoe is still at the vet's. They are putting him on steroids. We'll find out tomorrow if feeling returns to his back legs and make a decision from there.

In all seriousness, this dog is a momma's dog. He follows my mother around everywhere. He loves her more than anyone in this house despite the fact my step-dad and myself played with him more. My mom is trying to be brave but I'm sure she will be upset if she has to put him down. Pray for him to whatever God(s) you worship. Please and thank you.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

WIP Wednesday - Happy St. Patrick's Day

So, I haven't totally given up my naughty ways. Haven't exactly sat down and wrote anything. Although, I did spend the day getting organized yesterday. It's better than sitting on my tail and doing nothing.

I can't say I'm a big celebrator of St. Patrick's Day. I don't drink. No crazy drunk chick dancing on the bar moments for me. And somehow I leave the day with a ton of bruises on each arm. What's the point of wearing green if people are going to pinch me anyways? I swear anyone comes near me with their devilish fingers and they're gonna get it (a stern look and few harsh words. I'm not a psycho).

I hope you like the little St. Paddy's graphic I chose for this post. I'm so a closet South Park viewer (well I guess not anymore). Poor Kenny can't catch a break. If I were him, I would coat myself in lucky charms or look in to the nearest padded room.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

No Answer Policy

I don't understand magazines who have this policy to not notify writers unless it is an acceptance. Its like someone is telling you a story. The plot is building and building until reaching the climax. Then, nothing. They walk away and you never hear the end of the story.

I was browsing through all the listings on Duotrope and came across one of these markets. If your story doesn't get accepted, you never hear from them. You're left wondering if your submission was lost in cyberland or just wasn't good enough to make the cut. I prefer a form letter over nothing at all. Limbo can be more frustrating than rejections...

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

WIP Wednesday - No News is Good News

I swear to God. I'm putting ink to paper. Forming words. Painting pretty literary pictures. You believe me, right? Right? *crickets* *crickets* *more crickets* Okay Okay. So, I lied. I've been sitting on my tail watching reruns of Supernatural. I'm so ashamed of myself. I have an idea. Though I doubt that means much since its stuck in my head and not on paper. I'm fooling myself with the post title.

Since I really don't have anything to report this week, I'll clue you in on a contest I learned about from Cate Gardner. She was nice enough to pass along details of the Campaign for Real Fear contest hosted by Christopher Fowler and Maura McHugh teaming up with Black Static magazine and Action Audio to her loyal zombie followers (I swear I tasted something funny in the Kool-aid at the last luncheon).

Each story can be no longer than 500 words. Deadline is April 16th. Ten stories will be published in Black Static Magazine and broadcast on Action Audio. For more contest details: http://campaignforrealfear.wordpress.com/.

Monday, March 08, 2010

R.I.P. Charles B. Pierce

Charles B. Pierce was a film director, screenwriter, producer, set decorator, cinematographer and actor and was most known for directing The Legend of Boggy Creek who died on Friday at the age of 71. This man was quite near and dear to my hometown. He was once an advertising salesman on the Arkansas side of Texarkana. He also acted, directed and produced a little movie in 1970s called The Town that Dreaded Sundown. For those of you who don't know the importance of this movie, take a moment and think about the urban legends tied to lover lane spots. It is believed these legends are linked to the actual serial killer case that took place in my hometown of Texarkana.

In the 1940s, a man was stalking the local lovers lane spot. During a four month span, he killed like five people and his first two victims luckily survived the attack. People were terrified. Began bolting their doors at night. Texas Rangers even came in to the investigation. At the end of the day, the murders suddenly stopped, but the killer was never arrested. After a while, people began to breathe again. The Town that Dreaded Sundown brought the fear of those four months back to the surface. Made it fresh in everyone's mind again. However, the case still remains unsolved.

Today, the former lover lane spot was converted in to Spring Lake Park. I went there numerous times to play, have parties, fly kites, etc. They definitely turned the negative in to a very good positive even though some people are still trying to keep it tainted. Recently, the authorities searched the pond for guns that may have been dumped there.

Pierce will be missed. For more information on the Phantom murders - http://paranormalstories.blogspot.com/2005/01/lovers-lane.html

Thursday, March 04, 2010

National Grammar Day

Today is National Grammar Day hosted by GrammarGirl and the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. This day is set aside for people like me to brush up on all the grammar rules. The ones I probably break without even realizing: dangling participles, ending sentences with prepositions, and split infinitives. I'm a total grammar slob.

In the spirit of the day, I've put together a little grammar quiz. I'm sure I'm not the only one in the universe who has been grammar procrastinating. There are only five questions, all multiple choice. Leave a comment with your answers. (below are the answers to the Write Anything quiz).

1. You do not always use "a" before consonants.

a) Yes (Correct) (3 pts)
b) No (2 pts)
c) I don't know (1pt)

2. The subject and verb must agree.

a) Yes (correct) (3pts)
b) No (2pts)
c) I don't know (1pt)

3. Is this sentence correct: At six years old, my mom taught me to cook.

a) Yes (2pts)
b) No (correct) (3pts)
c) I don't know (1pt)

4.You should always split infinitives.

a) Yes (2pts)
b) No (correct) (3pts)
c) I don't know (1pt)

5. Choose the correct pronouns to fill in the blanks: There is a strong bond between __ and __.

a) he/I (2pts)
b) him/me (correct) (3pts)
c) I don't know (1pt)

15pts - You're a grammar whiz. Give yourself a pat on the back and a little treat.
10pts to 14pts - You did well, but could have done better. Never settle for okay.
9pts or less - Has your head been stuck in a hole? Start cracking open those grammar books. Don't have any? Buy some.

Wednesday, March 03, 2010

WIP Wednesday - Bad News

I had planned on going in to some detail of my next horror satire project. But I received some bad news.

I opened my inbox to find an email from a representative of BlogBurst, the online company I was waiting for a nice size monetary reward from. This money would have gone towards my new computer. The email was in regards to a clerical error. Turns out I wasn't qualified for the reward they notified me about. But to remedy the situation, they are still going to send me $50.

I swear when I saw that email, I nearly started crying. I knew it wouldn't be an error in my favor. Truth is I've been a member of the website for going on three years. Never had a problem with them before. A mistake is a mistake. They could have said, "Sorry we screwed up and you're not getting anything at all."

I have to be honest. I'm a bit broken up about it. I was so close to having a brand new computer. Something I could rely on. No more computer problems or down times where I'm waiting for weeks not being able to do anything. I'll wallow about it for a few days and move on. It's not like its the first time the rug has been ripped out from under me. Just hoped something would go good in my life without any strings.

Don't take this as me giving up. I'm going to keep saving and hopefully I'll be able to afford one sooner rather than later.

Awards No More

A couple of weeks ago, I reported on the Bloody Blogger Awards. It was strictly limited to horror blogs. I took the step to offer up Ghost Stories as a possible nominee. Received confirmation of its inclusion. Was a bit prepared for the voting to begin this month. Unfortunately, they have been canceled.

Visit Jim Cozzoli's website for complete details. There was some kind of dispute. This led to Jim realizing it just wasn't worth it. I guess I commend the guy for recognizing what is really important and stopping something from getting out of hand. On my end, it's no big deal. Keep moving forward.

Monday, March 01, 2010

Baby Jessica's Replacement

I swear my luck is trapped in a well somewhere. It'll be on the news and everything. Though the tragedy in Chile trumps everything right now for good reason.

In the last few days, I have received two rejections. One from Shock Totem and the other courtesy of Pandora's Nightmare: Horror Unleashed. The second one was kind of expected. Been trying to go cold turkey on the whole procrastination addiction thing but hasn't been working too well. *Note to self - find support group. Then, I also have this problem where it sounds good in my head but doesn't translate on to paper. Add the two together and you get a big mess.

Of course the writing bad luck has poured in to personal. My brother and his girlfriend have been spending a lot of quality time here as of late. That usually means they want something. This translate to "We've been kicked out yet again and need some place to live". And they are not afraid to use the baby card either. Claimed the girlfriend was pregnant last time which she wasn't and is now making the same claims. Their definition of time is much different from ours. The scale is one week equals three months. Of course, my mom is a big softy and will eventually let them back in. It wouldn't be a big deal if they were at least trying to support themselves. Gotta love moochers.

And to round out the weekend, the laptop I want has become a bit too rich for my blood. While I'm waiting for the money that is owed to me, I've been on laptop watch, making sure it's still in stock and I can still afford it. It was still in my price range until a few days ago when it jumped up $50. I've searched other electronic retail stores. The ones who have it in stock put a nice hefty price tag on it. One I can't afford. Unless a miracle happens, I think I'll be looking for a different one which stinks. I really like this one and it has all the features I could ever dream of in my first new computer. I just knew it was too good to be true.

Excuse me while I go wallow....