Wading Along a Flooded Memory Lane

I'm supposed to be getting ready for our trip.  There are a lot of things to think about when you prepare to leave the country for three weeks.  Wardrobes and shoes need to be appraised, bills need to be scheduled for payment, camera and video memory sticks need to be purchased, airline guidelines need to be reviewed so we don't arrive at the airport and learn we have too many, too heavy bags.

But, I'm a procrastinator.

I do a little something each day, so I can hold my head high in the evening when hubby asks what I accomplished.  Yesterday though, when the kids wanted to spend time with me doing "something NOT boring," I decided to embark on  a project that's been long overdue -- and admittedly one I don't have time for right now.

For the fourteen years hubby and I have been married, we've taken photographs to archive our lives together.  Everyone does, right?  Our problem is we've always printed out the photos from film (until two years ago when we scored our first digital camera), enjoyed flipping through the pictures for a week or so, and then tossed the envelop into a royal blue footlocker that once served as a coffee table when we were newly weds, and now occupies a stretch of wall in my writing studio.  It barely closes.

The kids and I started in Target, where we optimistically purchased two photo binders holding a total of 600 pictures.  By late afternoon, it was clear to us that we'd need to make a return trip.

We looked through hundreds and hundreds of pictures, laughing at forgotten memories, oohing and ahhing over the glossy images of the kids' baby years, telling and retelling the stories of our lives.

Each photo is one significant moment in time.  Oh, the stories.

The pic at the top of this post was taken one month after Sidney was born.  She's snuggled in the carrier strapped to my chest.  Cody was a month shy of two years old.  We spent that day roaming the ruins of the chateau, dating from the 10th century, of Foix, which is a wonderful little city in the department of Ariège.  At the time, we lived outside Toulouse, and Foix was just a forty-five minute drive away.  It is considered the gateway to the beautiful Pyrenées Mountains, the natural southern border between France and Spain.  (Learn more about Foix HERE.)

This is a beautiful photo of Foix (thanks, Source).  In the photo of us, above, we were making our way down the cobblestoned path from the chateau to the city below.

Now that we have a digital camera, we're terrible about printing out pictures.  But once I have all these memories stored in their binders, I'm turning my sights on the memory sticks and computer hard drive.  Call me old-fashioned, but I like to hold books of photos in my hands, in a comfy chair looking out a sunny window, with a cup of fresh brewed coffee.  Memory lane loses some of its charm when I'm staring at a computer screen.

What about you?  Do you print photos or prefer storing them online?  Glass protected paper photo or digital frame?  Paper of plastic?

Used Books verses New -- A Dilemma?

I happened into a used bookstore recently.  Across the threshold, I stepped away from sun-baked concrete and automobile exhaust, and into a cool world of aged dust and nostalgia.  Bookshelves ran along the perimeter walls from carpeted floor to stamped tin ceiling, and free-standing shelves created narrow aisles from the plate glass windows to the stockroom, presumably at the back.  A glance at my watch assured me I had time before the sitter would need relief, and into the shelves I wandered.

I left the store with only three purchases: a literary fiction novel, a romance novel, and a compilation of strange ghost-hunting cases.  I paid $6.70 (TOTAL!) plus tax.  The very next day, I read a post by Vicky Rocho at Rambles & Randomness in which she discussed secondhand book sales and their impact on authors and publishers.

She got me thinking.  Is it wrong to buy used books?  Should I spend my money on full price new books, thus supporting the publishing industry I so badly want to be a part of?  Just how much does the secondhand book business cut into profit margins for authors and publishers?

So I did a little investigating.

The newest of the books I bought that day was The Mistress, by Phillipe Tapon.  On the back cover is the publisher's price of $12.95.  A yellow price sticker next to it displayed the bookstore's selling price of $3.50.

The Mistress is not a recent book.  Its copyright date is 1999.  At BarnesandNoble.com, you can only purchase the digital, MP3 book for $14.95.  The story was the same at Borders.com, with audio cassette and CD available starting at $39.95.   At Amazon.com, there are 15 new, traditional book copies available, starting at $1.90 and 76 used copies, starting at $.01.

I don't know if Barnes and Noble or Borders would be able to order the paperback of The Mistress, but next time I'm in their stores I'll ask.  In any case, I don't think my purchase of this book has hurt Mr. Tapon or Penguin Books.  But what about if I'd bought a newer title, one still available on chain bookstore shelves?

I found an interesting New York Times article entitled, "Reading Between the Lines of Used Book Sales."  It ran July 28, 2005, so may be somewhat dated now.  However, author Hal R. Varian made the argument that, economically speaking, the secondhand book business did not significantly impact publishing industry sales.  His article explored Amazon.com and its new and used book sales statistics, and often waded into economic waters I couldn't easily follow.  In the end, though, he says, "...there are two distinct types of buyers: some purchase only new books, while others are quite happy to buy used books. As a result, the used market does not have a big impact in terms of lost sales in the new market."  He goes on to say, "Moreover, the presence of lower-priced books on the Amazon Web site, Mr. Bezos [the chief executive of Amazon.com, at the time] has noted, may lead customers to 'visit our site more frequently, which in turn leads to higher sales of new books.'"  (Read the whole article HERE.)

What do you think?  In an age where the traditional paper book is facing the possibility of extinction evolution, does buying used books feel wrong to you?  Should we be supporting the publishing houses, or building our libraries before the good stuff goes away?  

A Literary Nod

I wrote a Tuesday Teaser post a while back, highlighting an excerpt from a creative nonfiction story about my brief kidnapping by Central African rebels.  The story has been entered in a contest since the end of January.  I would link the excerpt here, but I removed it from the post because judging was still underway.

I learned yesterday that In the Face of Danger received an Honorable Mention in the 29th New Millennium Writings Contests, which had a deadline of January 31, 2010.

Whoo-hoo!

Edited and published by Don Williams, here's how the literary magazine introduces itself on its website:  Welcome to New Millennium Writings, a journal filled with vibrant imagery, word-craft and pure story-telling talent. NMW is a Winner of a Golden Press Card Award for Excellence.

And here are some accolades by industry insiders:

“I found this to be one of the most powerful literary experiences I've ever had. For anyone who gives a whit about writing or the human condition,New Millennium Writings should be required reading.” —Kane S. Latranz, Alibi


“Fiction, poetry, and nonfiction that will feed your soul.”—New Pages

“Best Reading for Spring, 2010.”—The Montserrat Review

“The works of the best new authors in fiction, non-fiction and poetry are stunningly presented in each volume.”—Direct Communications

“Highly recommended. NMW is one of our favorite journals.”—Winning Writers

New Millennium Writings has published regularly since 1996, in both the online format and in literary magazine-style bound "book," but in the past years their issues have gone down from biannual to one issue per year.  The first place award winners from the two contests this year will be published in the 2011 issue due out this winter, as well as some honorable mentions.

In the most recent issue, No. 19 (the cover graces this post), only three Nonfiction stories were published.
Going back to issue No. 18 (2008-9), there were six Nonfiction stories published.

Keep your fingers crossed that In the Face of Danger will be published in issue No. 20, coming in Winter 2011!

It's good to feel encouraged; this nod has certainly stoked my fires again.

What's fanned your writing flames lately?

Ba-Zinga

* derisive snort*  "Four o'clock is not afternoon, it's prevening...It's my invented word for the ambiguous period between afternoon and evening."

Hope your weekends are off to a grand start!

Enjoy!

I.Can't.Breathe

Artwork source

The kids have been out of school for a week now, but so far summer has been no vacation!  On the heels of the craziest last-week-of-school to date, the past seven days have been an extension of that frenzy, that race against the clock to get everything done that needs accomplishing.  I'm exhausted, and I'm not enjoying it!

Thankfully, after my husband's minor big-toe procedure today, my calendar looks clearer.  Actual whole days are ahead of me when I'm not forced to slice the day into two hour chunks.  Breathe.  I'll get there.

However, I will have to get us ready for our trip to France.  With only three weeks to go, now's the time to start appraising the kids' wardrobe and shopping for needed shorts, tee shirts and dresses suitable for public exposure.  We haven't thought about shoes yet, either.  The kids kicked off their ratty sneakers on the last day of school and have only slipped on plastic flip-flops if faced with entering a store with a no shoes, no shirt policy.  Trips to Target and the mall are definitely in our near future.

I'd also like to get some blog posts scheduled to post while I'm away.  It won't be the same as interacting with all you awesome bloggers and reading what you have to say, but I'll have the peace of mind there's more than dead air coming from my corner of the blogosphere.

So, in an effort to slow down this crazy ride I'm on, and enjoy life a little more -- and write a little more! -- I've decided to reduce my daily posts down to three a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  I'm making Tuesdays and Thursdays my WiP days.  On writing breaks, I'll also read and comment on as many blogs as I can.

Life should be peaceful.  I know there are times it can't be, but overall, shouldn't we be able to live gracefully, finishing projects with enough time to sit back and share a laugh with our kids or friends?  Wake in the morning and face the day with a smile of gratitude that adventures, not anguish, are about to unfold?  I don't like the feeling I'm drowning in my life, a feeling I haven't been able to shake for weeks.  It's time to be proactive, to re-organize, and to enjoy each precious day.   

How about you?  What do you do when a hectic schedule squeezes the fun out of life?  And, what's your favorite way to recharge?

Italics How-to

Creative writers use Italics to draw attention to certain words or phrases in the text, often implying emphasis.  How familiar are you with correct italics usage?  Most style guides agree with the following list of guidelines for when italics should be used.  (Except the "Associated Press Stylebook," the go-to reference guide for journalism, which states never to use italics. Following the AP Stylebook guideline for book titles, I put their title in quotation marks instead of italics. *grin*)

1. Italics draws emphasis to a word or phrase.  Consider how the following sentence changes each time I put a different word in italics:

Example:
How did she do that?
How did she do that?
How did she do that?
How did she do that?
How did she do that?

By changing the emphasized word, the implicated question is altered.  Also, did you notice the question mark in the last sentence was not italicized?  Neither line-ending punctuation marks nor quotation marks are ever italicized.

2. Put into italics the titles of complete works, including books, films, television shows, movies, paintings, sculptures, plays, very long poems, short stories (although some style books state shorts stories belong in quotation marks), newspapers, magazines.

But, shorter works are not italicized and are instead surrounded by quotation marks:  book chapters, articles, poems, and song titles.

And, very long religious works, such as the Holy Bible and the Koran are not italicized.

Example:
I once wrote a poem called "The Empty Fish Tank," and believe me, it was no Iliad.
I've read The Grapes of Wrath in English and in French.

3.  When you use a foreign word in your text, put it in italics.  However, if the foreign word has been so used in English that we no longer think of it as foreign and sort of claim it as our own, it doesn't need to be in italics.

Example:
There's something magical and energetic about her, a joie de vivre you seldom see these days.
He respects her, and vice versa.

4.  Words as words are in italics.  (Wait, what?)  Here are some examples to illustrate:

Examples:
I cringe every time I see an author confuse there and their.
The word flabbergast flows most delightfully right off my tongue.

5.  Proper names of vehicles are italicized, including names of ships, airplanes, missiles, and trains.  You don't italicize modifiers such as the.

Examples:
The survivors of Oceanic 815 were indeed lost.
I'll never forget how I felt watching the Challenger explode on live television.
The U.S.S. Cole was the target of terrorism.

6.  Use italics for legal citations and certain terms in scientific fields such as biology.

Examples:
Roe vs Wade will be debated until the end of time.
Homosapiens emerged as the dominant species.

7.  Examples of onomatopoeia are italicized.

Example:
The bang at the door woke me from my reverie.

8.  This last one may not be in style guides, at least not stated as a guideline for italics usage.  However, I use it in my own writing and feel it is recognized as a useful and legitimate usage for italics:

Use italics to denote internal dialog.  I don't suggest putting every sentence of the character's voice in italics.  But sometimes the character silently speaks directly to herself, and in those cases I use italics:

Example:
The crowd on the Florida beach was growing as the evening sky darkened. Murph’s bare feet slid back a little with each step in the powdery sand so different from the coarse grains of Iraq’s barren landscape. Iraqi sand stung the soles of bare feet like walking across hundreds of tiny horseflies. Just one more comfort of home, he thought dryly.
- Excerpt taken from my short story Homage.


So there's the skinny on italics usage.  I think the best way to ensure you have your edits correct is to invest in a style guide for quick and frequent referrals.  The most widely used style books in the United States for literature are:


The Chicago Manual of Style
The Elements of Style
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association

And, of course, the AP Stylebook, is the reference guide for journalists and article writers.

Do you own a style book?  I'm in the market to purchase one, so any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

A Very Vampire May Giveaway

The lovely Sara McClung over at Babbling Flow is having a fantastic contest you won't want to miss!

A Very Vampire May Giveaway is underway and your chance to enter for some amazing prizes expires on June 2nd, so hop on over there today!  Otherwise, you won't be in the running for:


1.  A signed, hardcover copy of Twilight, plus four keepsake journals and a collectible tin.
2.  A hardcover, signed, first edition copy of Anne Rice's The Vampire Armand.
3.  The first three of Chalaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse Series -- all signed!
4.  Christopher Moore's Vampire Trilogy -- all three signed!
5.  Bram Stoker's Dracula AND The Vampire Book: Encyclopedia of the Undead

For full details and Mr. Linky sign up sheet, CLICK HERE!


And don't forget!  The League of Extraordinary Writers is a fab new website formed by debut dystopian and sci fi authors.  They're hosting a wonderful giveaway that ends May 31st.  Click HERE for details!