Our Senate has betrayed us

Elfi Hornby and I (I'm on the left) at the Steilacoom 4th of July Street Fair, 2008.

Elfi (a fellow author) and I like to go out and meet our readers, and eat some hot dogs and ice cream at the Steilacoom Street Fair on the 4th. It's a beautiful historic town right on the water, and it's our favorite way to spend the holiday. In between the fair and the fireworks they have a charming, old-fashioned parade with marching bands, kids, and old cars, sprinkled with military men who get lots of cheers from the crowd. Our military men are the best. It's just our government that is so screwed up.

Yesterday, our Senate voted for the FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act), that takes away more of our constitutional freedoms. My little old aunt better watch her mouth when she's on the phone now. It's very sad, and our sorry president has taken away the joy in doing a blog.

Well, like the traffic cop says, "Let's move on..."

Lately, I think my brain that has been frazzled by politics and tortured by the dangerous precedents our government is setting has struggled to stay sane (move on!). I have thrown myself into my new novel (Bears in Hibiscus), increased my recording schedule for Free Pecan Pie and Other Chick Stories, and have taken a film-making class online so that I can more easily promote my books.

My Custer and His Naked Ladies book was reviewed by The Oklahoman (the state's largest and best newspaper) http://newsok.com/entertainment/books/

Are you bored to tears yet? If some of my European readers see this rant on our politics, they'll wonder what on earth I'm talking about. Ignorance is bliss. Trust me.

Have a great summer, ya'll. Hopefully, on the next 4th we'll have a better president who will have more sense and integrity than this one. If we do, I plan to party hearty.

Quote du jour:

"Even if you are on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." Will Rogers

Michelle Obama

Michelle for First Lady!

Ohhhhhh, Hillary!

2008

Ohhhhhhhh, Hillary! You're not ready for prime time. You never, never, touch the third rail. Go home!

Mr. Sadman

Rudy Ramos on set for Mr. Sadman

http://mrsadman.com/trailer.html

http://myspace.com/mrsadman

The above photo is of my cousin, Rudy Ramos, and the links are to a trailer to his new movie, Mr. Sadman. Check it out!

Politics- I've been so disgusted by Hillary Clinton's lies that I've thrown myself into my new book, Bears in Hibiscus, a humorous romance about a Montana Park Ranger who falls in love with his ex-sister-in-law on a beach in Hawaii. I've spent so many hours avoiding the reality of the state of politics in this country that I'm already into rewrites. This may be the fastest book I've ever written. Thanks, Hillary (I don't mean it, I'm just being polite).

A friend saw a post I made to The New Haven Advocate in Connecticut about Bill and Hillary being Tater Tots when what this country needs is Idaho Bakers. It was a version of a post I'd made on this site referring to all of the candidates (except Obama). The comment was longer, but they went for the humor and just printed the last line. That was fine, but my friends, not accustomed to editing, were surprised because they were used to me being a lot more long-winded.

But let's not talk about politics, the subject is really beginning to sicken me.

On my TV-I hope you all got a chance to watch HBO's special (8 parts?) about John Adams. It was excellent. Also: the debates (cringe) and baseball (another cringe, if you're a Mariner fan, as I am).

On my bed table-I've been reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen, a wonderfully written book that is set at a circus (so far). Unfortunately, I've discovered I'm really not into circus people, or their history. But that's just me. I think you'd love it. Since I last posted, I've read The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith (loved it), and Dirty Martini by J. A. Konrath (a great summer read). I've also been re-reading a couple of the classics to refresh my memory. Did you know that the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland (E. B. White) never actually said, "I'm late, I'm late for a very important date"? While we're on the subject, Scarlett's maid* (Gone With the Wind) never said, "I doan know nothin' about birthin' no babies, Miz Scarlett," ? What she said was, "I doan know nothun' about bringin' no babies, Miz Scarlett." Thank you, Hollywood. I don't have the books here to check details, but you get the idea. *I can't remember her name and can't reach the book to check it.

Custer and His Naked Ladies-It's making the rounds. Have ya read it yet? Read sample chapters of all of my books: http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/

Author's green project-I'm thinking of making one of my new novels into an eBook that would be marketed on my www.JanelleMerazHooper.com site. All of my books are in print format and in eBook, but this one would never go to print. It would be sort of a valentine to Planet Earth. I'm researching it...

quote du jour-

"You can't see the window from under your bed." (song, Ryan Adams, The Cardinals)

Need Manuscript Makeover?

http://www.manuscriptmakeover.com/

My friend, Elizabeth Lyon's new book on doing a manuscript makeover is out. Elizabeth helped me with my first novel, A Three-Turtle Summer. Working with Elizabeth is like taking a four-year course in fiction writing from an ivy-league school. If you're a writer, and Elizabeth doesn't live next door to you, get this book and devour it. I did. Oh, and she has other wonderful books on nonfiction writing, book proposals, and marketing.

Still no word from Tom Hanks. I told David Southwell, an author from the United Kingdom, that I joined Facebook so Tom would discover my stories. I figure I'm a You've Got Mail kind of writer.

Many writers nowadays would be delighted if their books jumped straight from keyboard to film. A lot of us feel that there is more talking about books than the actual reading of them going on. After all, we're storytellers. We began telling stories around a smokey fire in a cave somewhere, so why should we resist the new technology? I'd never want to see books go away entirely, but there's something very appealing about the medium of film.

I have some readers who are just now reading my second novel, As Brown As I Want: The Indianhead Diaries. That's more than partly my fault because the book was mis-labled. The catalog says it is fiction, but it is really a (hilarious) fictional autobiography. This is the kind of mistake that happens when an author moonlights as her own agent.

Custer thank yous:
Tantara Records (http://www.tantararecords.com/, email:info@tantararecords.com ) for permission to use the lyrics to Go My Son. They have a beautiful website with music to suit every taste (well, I haven't seen any headbanger music there, but they have everything else.).
The Comanche Nation (http://www.comanchenation.com/ ) for their help with the Comanche language.

Quote du jour:

"A mob is no less a mob just because it's with you." John Adams, John Adams, HBO special production

The pressure is on

Statues in Fremont, Washington, 2007

The townspeople have a lot of fun with the statues in Fremont. Their attire changes with the mood and the season. I love the town of Fremont. It's full of creative people; ya'll go visit.

Years ago, during an illness, I learned to appreciate the small things I could have (chocolate, popcorn, friends, books), as opposed to the big things (bigger houses, cars, and bank accounts) that everyone else in this country seemed to be clamoring for. I understand this urge to have everything super-sized because most everyone in this country is working so hard they are ruining their health. Might as well die happy. To an outsider, it may seem like an easy fix. Just work less. I wish it were so, but for every person working himself to death in this country there are at least a few hundred standing in line behind him, willing to work the same hours for less. The pressure is on. I have no where to go with this, but I just remembered a French woman in a news interview criticizing Americans for working so hard. I wish I could transport her to this country for a while. She'd soon learn that this is the land of milk and honey, but it comes at a very high price, and she might find herself with the choice of being over-employed or unemployed*. It's a tough balance. *Please don't email me about this run-on sentence. I'm still on my first cup of coffee.

David Southwell- At last, a blog post from fellow writer David Southwell. I was beginning to fear the Londoner had been trampled by a kangaroo on his recent book promotion trip to Australia. I'm gathering the trip was not without peril, but I'm so relieved to hear he survived. I'm a lousy traveler, so I empathize with his experience.

Custer and His Naked Ladies- Have ya read it yet? It would make a great beach read.

Go My Son-for those who have asked, the song really does exist, and information on it can be found from: email: info@TantaraRecords.com or www.TantaraRecords.com

I'm glad my readers are enjoying the Comanche words I've added. I handpicked words I thought you'd have a use for in your daily life. More info can be found at: www.ComancheNation.com

Quote du jour:

"It has been a bad year. The next one will be even worse." The Raisuli (Sean Connery) in The Wind and the Lion. I thought this was a good quote for an election year.

Anti-French redneck hate mail

©JMH, cross country skiing, Alaska

I had another picture to post from when we lived in Alaska, but my photo files are being reorganized and I misplaced it. A lot of my short stories in Free Pecan Pie and Other Chick Stories were inspired by our time in Alaska. It's a kind of frozen Africa to me--animals everywhere! My husband and I used to travel a lot and we enjoyed it immensely...well, maybe that trip he took to Viet Nam wasn't so much fun. although he has never complained.

On my CD player- Rod Stewart's If We Fall In Love Tonight. It's old, but still one of my favorites.

On my TV- The History Channel. Their shows on UFOs are so bad it should be called The Lying Channel. But still I watch because a future book I've got planned has UFOs in it.

Email- I got one of those African scam letters. It said I'd won a lottery sponsored by Yahoo! and Microsoft and that I had won over $300,000 dollars...unfortunately, the money had been sent to Africa. There would be a fee to get it back. I've had a lot of fun with it, telling my family that I'd pay for dinner, but unfortunately, all of my money has been sent to Africa.

I also got one of those anti-French redneck hate mails. These guys need a history lesson. It was the French who saved our patooties in our war against the British during our War of Independence. Without them, there would have been no United States of America. When we went to help the French fight the Germans in World War I, General Persching visited the gravesite of Layfayette and said, "Lafayette, we are here!" It was a debt we were honored to repay.

Allow me to add that the last thing we need in this world is more division. So, Yanks, drink that French wine, eat those French fries, heat up that brie, and warm up the French bread.

Now, all of this doesn't mean I have any grudge against the English. How could I dislike a nation that has sent us such wonderful music, like The Beatles, Rod Stewart, Elton John, and more? It may seem strange that a writer is applauding English music instead of English authors, but I am a poet at heart, and some of the most beautiful lines in the world's languages have been put to music.

Custer and His Naked Ladies-I'm about out of books and shipping envelopes, and my office feels bigger. I really hate the clutter of stacks of books, packing supplies. I said I hate the clutter--not the books! There's four of them now, and another well on the way.

This last book reminds me of that song I Did It My Way. Being a small niche, pod writer does have its perks. There was no one to stop me from writing the story the way I thought it should be written. It's full of Comanche words, a few Spanish phrases, and a Navaho song. A traditional publisher would have never allowed so much material that was so specific to location. To them, a book set in Southwest Oklahoma would never sell as many books as a book with wider appeal (read: New York City--publishers love books about New York City--it's in their comfort zone). Of course, having said that, I'm reminded of exceptions to the rule, like Barbara Kingsolver. But anyway, my point about doing the book my way still stands. An author who can be true to her story is truly blessed. Maybe not with money, though!

Custer thank yous:

Tantara Records (http://www.tantararecords.com/, email:info@tantararecords.com ) for permission to use the lyrics to Go My Son. They have a beautiful website with music to suit every taste (well, I haven't seen any headbanger music there).

The Comanche Nation (http://www.comanchenation.com/ ) for their help with the Comanche language.

I'd better get to work so I can watch the primary results in a few hours. Ya'll vote! It's never been so important.

Quote du jour:

"He that lives upon hope will die fasting." Benjamin Franklin (VOTE!)

No time to edit, it's primary day! JMH

Custer and the Fremont Troll

© 2008 Janelle Meraz Hooper, The Fremont Troll under the Aurora Bridge

Out and about- Recently, I took Custer to visit the Fremont Troll that lives under the Aurora Bridge in Fremont, Washington. Fremont is north of Seattle and has a huge pocket of creative people who have moved there to avoid all the suits in Seattle. It's a great place to spend the day!

Today, I'm just hanging around, waiting for the last Democratic Presidential Debate. To keep busy, I'm packing books and getting them ready to mail. I'm too distracted to work on my newest novel. Maybe I could at least figure out a title.

At the same time, I've been thinkin': Why is it our new presidents go in looking like Matthew McConaughey and come out four years later looking like Yoda? The job gets tougher every year. I've mentioned this before and have been told that no president would give up any of his power to a vice-president. It's just too politically dangerous. But maybe its time we made better and more use of the vice-president. Of course, none of this applies to Cheney. The less of him, the better (I don't mean it, I'm just kidding around). Seriously, with the mess the new president is going to be stuck with, maybe they should give double-teaming some thought.

Custer and His Naked Ladies- It's doing well. There are several links to order your copy from the publisher or Internet book sites on my http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/ website. You can also read sample chapters of my novels there. I'm grateful for the support I've had in the research and permissions departments that have made Custer and His Naked Ladies so special to me:

Tantara Records (http://www.tantararecords.com/ ; email: info@TantaraRecords.com ) for permission to use the beautiful song, Go My Son.

The Comanche Nation (http://www.comanchenation.com/ ) for their help with the Comanche Language.

The Terrapin Institute (http://www.terrapininstitute.org/ ), for information on turtles.

Quote du jour:

"An artist is never poor." Babette's Feast

Valentine's Day is not over yet!

© 2008 Janelle Meraz Hooper

I need an excuse for ignoring this blog since Valentine's Day, so I'm going to say Valentine's isn't over until the flowers are wilted and the chocolates are all gone (that should be sometime tonight, even though I received two boxes this year).

On my TV-Those ads! 50 may be the new 60, but 65 is the new 50 only if you've had several nips and tucks, 2 or 3 facelifts, expensive dental work, and several husbands that you've divorced and managed to get huge divorce settlements out of. At least that's the way it is in this country, where most of us work 60 hours a week to keep up with other people's expectations of us. And I'm still puzzling over that Cialis ad that has a couple in two separate tubs drinking wine, gazing at the sunset, and waiting for the magic to start. But I don't mind the ads, they pay for the shows I watch.

On my bed table-Sustenance of Courage-JR Reynold's fictional/historical tale of her family's trip in a covered wagon in a wagon train on the Oregon Trail. It's all in there: the cholera; the deaths from ill health, childbirth; starvation; the Indians; the commode bucket; the sour beans; the treacherous river crossings; and on and on. When I'd finished it. I felt I had been on the wagon with them. By the way, have you ever thought about how couples got their sex? Read the book to find out!

On my TV- Politics. On any channel but Fox. Ya'll vote, ya hear?

Custer and His Naked Ladies:

See my http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/ website for sample chapters.

Thank you to the following for their support:

Info on the beautiful Navajo song in Custer and His Naked Ladies.
Tantara Records
Or email them: info@TantaraRecords.com

For help with the Comanche language: http://www.comanchenation.com/

The Terripin Institute, one of the organizations working to save our turtles:

http://www.terrapininstitute.org/

Quote du jour:

"The odds are good," (on finding a man in Alaska), "but the goods are odd." Overheard at a dinner party recently.

Valentine's Day Book!

Order Today! www.JanelleMerazHooper.com

I found the Valentine card last night in my childhood scrapbook. My mother saved everything--even the little cards that came on the gifts for my baby shower.

I know she would cringe at the photo in my last post because she was very sick and her hair wasn't done--I'll have to make it up to her by posting some better ones. The picture I posted was the only one I had that showed the missing jewelry.

Tantara Records (http://www.tantararecords.com/ ) has the rights to Go My Son, the beautiful Navajo song in Custer and His Naked Ladies. I first heard it years ago at a Kiowa powwow. To buy the sheet music, contact them at info@TantaraRecords.com

Quote du jour:

“I’ve lived at the end of what used to be a great country.” Merle Haggard in Esquire Magazine, courtesy of Bill Mahrer.

Surprise, a romance!

My mother at a Kiowa powwow, about 1984

Check out the jewelry! I have no idea what happened to my mother's turquoise jewelry collection. She had Comanche and Navajo pieces. I know she looks like a Comanche, but actually, she was Hispanic. We just loved the powwows. I think it was because the only part of our culture that we kept was our rosary and our tortillas, so we latched onto the Indian customs of our friends. You know, of course, that the Oklahoma Territories became the end of the Trail of Tears. The state is steeped in the culture of many Indian Nations, almost too many to count. That was why I added so many Comanche words to my novel. To leave the Comanche words out would be like having a teapot with no tea--just water.

This was the powwow where I first heard the beautiful Navajo song, Go My Son, that I wrote about in Custer and His Naked Ladies. Sheet music for the song can be purchased from Tantara Records (http://www.tantararecords.com/). Their email is info@tantaraRecords.com

Custer and His Naked Ladies-Is doing well. You can read sample chapters of all of my books before you buy on my main website: http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/ or order from my publisher at http://www.iuniverse.com/ I still can't believe I wrote a romance. My publisher calls it literary, but all of my emails call it a romance. Go figure. No one was more surprised than I ("Think Valentine's Day!" she quickly said upon hearing the news...")

Facebook- STILL no friends on Facebook. Maybe I should get out more...

Quote du jour: "To whom much is given, much is expected." Hillary Rodham Clinton (No, I am not a Hillary supporter, but it is almost election time...)

Happy Birthday, Elvis!

Happy Birthday, Elvis!

The sign above was in our movie theatre's window in Lawton, Oklahoma when I was a kid. A friend worked there as a ticket taker, and she got it for me. I treasured it for years, and it's got a permanent home in my scrapbook.

As a tribute to Elvis, I'm posting a short story from my Free Pecan Pie and Other Chick Stories book. The story has been posted all over the Internet, and was even read once on an Irish radio station (with my permission):

Elvis Has Left the Building–And Is Living In My Computer
by Janelle Meraz Hooper

Elvis is still alive. I know it. I have proof. And I don’t mean the kind of proof where some guy who’s had too much beer stops at a local filling station and sees Elvis filling up his Eldorado with regular gas. What a joke. Everyone knows that Elvis uses super.
And I don’t mean like that guy outside of the basketball arena waving a sign that says, “Elvis parks here.” Everyone knows that Elvis is way too cool for basketball.
No, I’m talking about tangible down to earth evidence that the King of Rock n’ Roll is alive and well—and living in my computer.
Yep. That’s what I said. Right here in my outdated computer that I call Ole Trigger because it doesn’t have enough guts to boot up all of my fancy printers and scanners on the same day, much less at the same time.
Whenever I want to do anything more complicated than word-processing, I have to delete the non-color printer and drivers, load the color printer, print, and let Ole Trigger rest for a day or so. Then I can load the color scanner, do my scanning, delete the color printer and scanner from my hard drive, re-load the black and white printer and its drivers, and let Trigger rest again for a couple of days until it feels up to fetching my E-mails. Sometimes, if my preacher cousin sends me a long message, it just gets all tuckered out and has to be rebooted. I keep a special pair of cowboy boots next to my PC just for this purpose.
As far as I can tell, Elvis moved into my computer a few days before the Fourth of July. That’s when I sent a color poster of The King to my editor, who’s an Elvis fan, wishing her Happy Fourth! It was a photo that showed Elvis in all his glory: gold metallic suit, slick pompadour hair, and white buck shoes.
Of course he had that special look of his on his face, like he’d just jammed a guitar pick up his nose and was wondering if he wanted to get it out or just leave it there because it felt good. It was pure, vintage Elvis, and I blew it up full size before I sent it to her via e-mail. I should have known something had gone wrong when she said she never got it—that was because he never left.
He took up 486 bits or bytes or whatever that stuff is called, but he was kind of cool, so I didn’t delete him right away as I should have. A few days later, I began to find strange messages on my computer when I brought up my screen in the morning. Messages like, “Warning! Your memory system is running dangerously low. Norton antivirus system may not be working correctly.” Oh, happy 99! Oh, Melissa!
I went into Trigger’s guts and started deleting everything that wouldn’t make me stop breathing if I didn’t have it. I even deleted—augh!—Elvis, but the messages kept coming: “Warning, warning! Danger! Danger!”
The next time I used my graphics software, I noticed that Elvis was still on the menu. I deleted him. He came back. I deleted him again. He came back again. By that time, his lips were starting to move, and his suit was beginning to shimmer. I don’t know why he doesn’t leave, except that maybe he’s finally found someplace to hide out where people have to leave him alone—sort of like having that hotel he sings about all to himself.
For myself, I’ve given up and just deleted Norton. I know when I’m beat. Sometimes, in the middle of the night, I wake up and hear the lonesome sound of Elvis humming and strumming a guitar in my computer.
Sure beats anything I ever heard from Norton.

Read more about my Free Pecan Pie and Other Chick Stories book and others on my main website:

www.JanelleMerazHooper.com

While you're there, check out the sample chapters on my new novel, Custer and His Naked Ladies...

Janny joins Facebook

Janelle , 2005

Facebook- so my writer friends said I should join Facebook, and it's been trouble from the getgo. The first thing you do is add a photo. I assumed it should be one of me, and that was where the trouble began. I have about four photos of me, and all of them look just like me. That's a problem. Each one has their own particular flaw. The one on this post is called Bad Hair Day. I have another one that I call Ten Pounds Too Heavy. The third one is Janelle Celebrates Paul Bunyan Day (I'm wearing a flannel shirt), and the fourth one is Some People Should Never, NEVER wear a hat. That's it. Four photos. I'm the one who takes the photos in this family. Seemingly, for good reason.

The next parts had blanks to fill in on my political and religious views. And there was probably the obligatory question about my favorite pet, but I skipped all of those. I have a short attention span (she said after she'd written and published 4 books).

I was anxious to get onto the next parts--sort of like plowing through a taco salad to get to the good stuff (the cheese). The next sections were about my books so I breezed through those. The last part was the killer. I was supposed to list my favorite pets and my friends. What friends? I'm a writer, am I supposed to have friends? I thought I'd search the site and find some writer friends to list. None of them were there. Not one. So why did I sweat through two hours of figuring out the program when they haven't joined themselves? How gullible am I?

If you're in facebook, please be my friend. And if not, can I borrow your cat? If not, please read my sample chapters of my new novel, Custer and His Naked Ladies on my web:

http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/

Read something different this year!

My first books:

A Three-Turtle Summer

As Brown As I Want: The Indianhead Diaries

Free Pecan Pie and Other Chick Stories (mixed genre)

That front table- Casual readers may not have noticed, but most of the books on the front tables of the glitzy bookstores are only there for 2-4 weeks, and competition for a table spot is fierce. After that, they're stashed away on the book shelves and your chance of finding them is just about nil--unless the book falls off and hits you on the toe.

My A Three-Turtle Summer was like that. It was on a front table of some bookstores for about three weeks, then it was shoved onto a top shelf that only a basketball player could reach without a ladder.

This is where traditional publishers come in. With large advertizing budgets, they try to make sure their books are not ignored by the reader. The funny thing is, often, even they can't save their own books. If a traditional publisher can't get their own books read by the public, what chance does a small niche writer, with no advertising budget have? Not much.

Most of my novels have won literary awards, but they are still unknown by almost everybody. If you go to my website, http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/ , you can read sample chapters of my books before you buy.

New in 2007!

Custer and His Naked Ladies

Don't miss it...it's a hoot!

Read something different this year! I think you'll be glad you did.

It's a hoot!

©2007 Janelle Meraz Hooper

My daughter at a soccer game-Love the purple stripes on the field. It must have something to do with the school's colors. I use my camera a lot to record ideas, spaces, and people. I have a huge file of ideas to draw from.

Custer and His Naked Ladies- Please email me if you're having trouble getting my book. Sometimes, the distribution channels get messed up. It should be available from most distributors. My email: JanelleMHooper@comcast.net . If you're having trouble, you might just want to go to the publisher, http://www.iuniverse.com/ . Despite the distribution problems, sales are going well. I guess the word is spreading that it's a hoot!

Looking back at Christmas, 2007

Christmas, 2007

Christmas- This was the year my husband finally got enough lights on the tree to suit me. Lush, Northwest trees are very dark in the middle. Just the normal amount of tree lights won't do the job. Normally, we wrap the trunk of the tree in white lights, but this was a busy year, so my husband wrapped the lights around and around the outside of the tree until their brilliance blinded us. You know you have enough lights on the tree when you have to squint to look at it. The neighbor's cat hasn't been by to visit since we plugged the lights in. The tree gets better every year because the number of ornaments increases with my age. This year's tree was a stunner--some of the ornaments are close to sixty years old. I'm going to be sorry to see it go tomorrow, but a live tree needs to go as soon as it starts to dry out, unless you want to remodel.

All during Christmas, I've marveled at how easily the decorations went up. This morning I realized why: there are two more boxes of holiday trinkets on the top shelf of my office closet that I forgot about. Maybe I'll put them out for Easter...

Eagles-The lights didn't phase the eagles in the area. My neighbors tell me that two of the big birds perched in a tree near our yard and casually picked out their Christmas dinner from their chicken yard. My neighbor's clapping and shooing scared them away just as they sank their talons into a fat hen--making me think they must have been very young. I'm sorry I missed that, but I'm pretty sure that eagles and I don't keep the same schedule. If I'm up before eight it's because the stag deer in the neighborhood is whistling right under my window. I love that. He must be the world's best alarm clock, even if he is unreliable. I should mention that I don't live in the country. It's just that the increased housing has left the wilder creatures with no place to go. That's wrong. Just plain wrong, but it's too big of a subject for today.

Custer and His Naked Ladies- Read sample chapters of my new novel (and others) on my main website: http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/

Spring is on the way!

Belle & Bud, Christmas, © Joyce Stevens, 2007

Poor Belle! I couldn't get out to find her a Christmas sweater. My buddy since childhood, Joyce Stevens, made her for me when my husband was out of town one time. The doll has a growing wardrobe, including red cowgirl boots, but no red sweater. She's a size two, so everything I put on her of mine just hangs. Bud is easier to dress because he's bigger. In the summer, Bud sports a red Hawaiian shirt. Bud was the first to arrive. Joyce brought him over to keep me company once when my husband was away for a month. He is always a big help when I'm stuck on a chapter!

It was a wonderful Christmas here, and I hope yours was too. I think my daughter has outdone me, as she is still celebrating and opening presents with her friends--giving a whole new meaning to The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Winter Solstice has come and gone, and I have to admit that I forgot about it after our tree was up. I keep checking the sunrise and sunset times and we seem to be going backwards so far. The process must be more complicated than I understand. For now, I have to console myself with my calendar that clearly states that the solstice has come and gone. Spring is on the way!

Speaking of calendars, I have a free day, thanks to my husband's insistence that I buy my 2008 calendar early this year. About now is when I usually start racing from store to store looking in vain for the style I prefer--usually ending up with a calendar with an awkward shape, unworkable format, and covered all over with some dorky design. One time, I even came home with a calendar that was designed for teachers--the year started in September! Good grief.

Custer and His Naked Ladies is doing nicely, even though there have been some snafus in distribution. If you want a copy, please order directly from iUniverse at http://www.iuniverse.com/bookstore/qsearchresults.asp?choice=title&inputstr=custer+and+his+naked+ladies (this link will take you directly to my page), or http://www.amazon.com/ until the problem is resolved. Don't miss it. It's a hoot! iUniverse, $15.95.

Oh! You can also read sample chapters and order my novels on my main website:

http://www.janellemerazhooper.com/

3 days until Winter Solstice!

copyright 2007, JMH

3 days until Winter Solstice!

The photo above is my book Christmas card without the Merry Christmas copy on it. Just this part took me all day--I needed to get on a ladder for some height and I just couldn't get my wheelchair up those rungs!

Custer and His Naked Ladies- There's still time to order some copies for Christmas and Hanukkah gifts. Ya'll jump on it! $15.95, iUniverse.

http://www.iuniverse.com/

http://www.amazon.com/

5 days until Winter Solstice!

2003 (?) copyright, JMH

We got our tree today, but it is still too wet to decorate. Tomorrow. The last few years, I've been threatening to cut down on the decorations, but if I don't put up everything, the rest of the family digs until there's nothing at the bottom of the Christmas trunk except old newspaper, and they spread it all over the house like peanut butter on crackers. Joy to the world. At least someone has some sense.

But this year, it's going to be tough. I'm so far behind I can see my own back pockets. Whose idea was it to put out a new novel at Christmas, anyway? How crazy was that? I'm sure everyone has dropped everything to sit on the pile of their own Christmas rubble and read Custer and His Naked Ladies--not!

There's only one way to gain back some control. The writing offices of JMH are closed until the refrigerator is restocked with eggnog, and every string of lights is glittering on the tree. Of course, if anyone wants a book signed...

Seven days until Winter Solstice!

copyright 2006, JMH

7 days until Winter Solstice!

It's all coming back to me now. I think I got my winter blues from my mother, who was born and raised in the Southwest. Once, in the dread of winter, she wandered into our Tacoma living room and moaned, "I haven't seen the moon for 28 days!" It wasn't just the sun she missed.

Anyway, it's all down hill from here. Christmas is finally kicking in, and we plan to put up our tree tomorrow. By the time the 21st gets here, I may have forgotten all about the doom and gloom of a rainy winter in the Great Northwest...until next year.

Custer and His Naked Ladies- Mom was killed in a car accident before she ever got to read any of my stories about her and her sisters. I'll always regret that...

There's still plenty of time to order your copy of Custer. It makes a good gift for the women on your list!

Wow! I just heard a cuckoo bird. No lie! We're not even supposed to have them here, but they think a winter storm blew some in years ago, and they survived. I can't remember where they came from...maybe Japan?