The Butterfly Effect, part of chaos theory, states that making even one small change can cause a huge ripple effect, drastically changing long-term results.
“The flapping of a single butterfly’s wing today produces a tiny change in the state of the atmosphere. Over a period of time, what the atmosphere actually does diverges from what it would have done. So, in a month’s time, a tornado that would have devastated the Indonesian coast doesn’t happen. Or maybe one that wasn’t going to happen, does.” (Ian Stewart, Does God Play Dice? The Mathematics of Chaos, pg. 141)
My life right now is a great example of the Butterfly Effect. My small change came in the form of a killer deadline. Naturally, I had to let chores slide while I worked on my book. Unfortunately, the shoemaker elves didn’t show up in my hour of need and do my jobs while I (briefly) slept, so the projects I normally would have done this summer haven’t been done.
And now disaster looms. Thanks to an unusually wet summer, the yard has turned into a jungle. Even walking to the front door entails dodging overgrown shrubs. If I look out my (still unwashed) windows, I feel overwhelmed at the vegetation I need to hack through. Also outside, the deck hasn’t been stained or the patio furniture repainted. The driveway remains unsealed.
Inside the house the situation is even more dire. “We” (and yes, that means me) decided to paint our bedroom and bathroom this summer. My husband did his part and painted the walls. The trim (my job) still beckons. In the meantime, we have ladders in the hall, paint cans and brushes everywhere.
The list goes on (and on!), room by depressing room, but I’m sure you get the point. That one small deadline change has thrown my life out of control. My “to do” list has become a tsunami of urgent projects.
And to make matters worse, my brain, apparently anticipating my trip to San Francisco next week for the RWA national conference, has already gone on vacation. It’s fried. So all I feel like doing at the moment is curling up with a good romance novel and ignoring the mounting chores.
So my questions for you are:
- Have you ever felt this overwhelmed? If so, how did you deal with it?
- Have you ever used a machete? Do they even sell them anymore?
- Where are those shoemaker elves, anyhow? Is someone else hogging them? If you have them, send them to me! I need them NOW.
I’ll send a copy of HEART OF A THIEF to someone who commiserates. (And if you have everything together and are ahead of schedule, I really don’t want to know 
)
Recent comments from: · Gail Barrett · Karin · Caffey · Eva S · Linda F
I was part of a booksigning and author panel yesterday with Fronnie Lewis and Charlene Sands. We are giving the same workshop at the RWA Conference in two weeks. This time, we spoke at the Los Angeles Romance Authors group (LARA) meeting. This was my second time speaking at one of LARA’s monthly get-togethers. It also was one of those days where I was reminded why I love writing and reading romance.
The ladies of LARA are quite friendly and welcoming. They stay engaged and support speakers by buying our books, which is just fabulous. And that’s not even why I enjoyed the day so much. I had one of those gee, I’m really an author now moments. See, three different people came up to me and said that they had read YOUR MOUTH DRIVES ME CRAZY (Brava, July ‘07)- my first single title ever - and loved it. What a fabulous feeling.
I’ve now been on both sides of this conversation. I remember being unpublished, meeting Jayne Ann Krentz and babbling incoherently. After all, what do you say to the woman who wrote one of the first romance novels you ever read and started you on the road to reading, and eventually writing, romance novels? Thank you kind of seems insufficient. So, naturally, I went with something like: “uh, b…duh…” Yeah, that’s all I got out.
Because I’ve been the fangirl, because I’ve met authors and felt a bit tongue-tied, I do whatever I can to let people who tell me they like my books know how much I appreciate the comments. I really do. I’m not the most experienced author out there, but I’m willing to answer whatever questions I can when I speak at different meetings.
So…I thought I’d open up the comments. If you have a question, ask it. If I know the answer, I’ll give you one. If not, I’ll make it up…no, no, no. I’ll be honest. Promise. 
And for added fun, I’ll give away a copy of your choice of one title from my backlist to a person chosen at random from those commenting. I’ll post the winner’s name in the comments by Wednesday.
Recent comments from: · Melis L. · Susan · kh · Colleen · HelenKay Dimon
Things are a little tight right now for everyone…or for most of us real tight.
The cost of gas is out of this world. It takes $55 to fill my little SUV. Holy cow!! Thank heavens it gets 30mpg but even at that it’s $55! That’s insane. And of course this translates into everything going up.
Check your food bill lately? Check the price of milk! I guess because it’s all trucked in from the cows. And bread! I think they must be making my bread in Alaska and trucking it in.
And if you happen to have a 401K or stocks or any kind of investments you probably feel like jumping out the window. Me first! Retirement?? Yeah right.
So, I’m thinking of ways to cut back on expenses. Vacation? I painted my fence. I work at the Snooty Fox. This is an upscale consignment shop and I’ve decided that this is my only place to shop for clothes because they’re a fraction of the cost. No more trips to Coldwater Creek. That place is dangerous for me. I always find something cute.
And as for going out to dinner… I’m having the family over to grill out at home instead of running off to The Cheesecake Factory and it’s hamburgers and not steak on that grill and, boy, do I miss the CCF.
For fun we’re doing more corn hole (those of you in the Midwest know what that is) and not so much running off to movies…though Batman is an exception!
I’m running the AC less and fans more and even turning off my computer when not using it even thought it takes forever for my PC to boot up. Are you still buying books? Trading more books with friends? Going to used book stores more? Rereading your keeper shelf?
Soooo, my question to you all is… Is the present money crunch making you do anything differently? Do you have a fav way to skimp? I’m always looking for ways to save a buck.
Good luck on pinching those pennies!
Hugs,
Dianne Castell
Hot and Bothered
Kensington BRAVA
DianneCastell.com
Recent comments from: · Dina · Dianne Castell · limecello · Jane · Angie-la
Oh, the bittersweet memories. The sweet nothings, the cuddling in corners, that endearing bit of broken binding. Somewhere out there lives the book of your memories, a book you once loved but that escaped your grasp and now exists only in memory as… the Book That Got Away.
I went through scads of books in my youth, many of them with interchangeable titles. You remember some; you forget others. But every now and then, you encounter a book that lingers in your imagination—except for the title. And the author’s name. Little details like that. You may be able to recount the plot point by point, you may be able to describe the cover down to the last bulging thew, but neither of those are searchable on Amazon.
My very own Book That Got Away dates back to seventh grade. Picture it: 1989. Hair is fluffy, stirrup leggings are in, and my best friend has been raiding her big sister’s bookshelf again. Under cover of our desks, she passes the latest over to me while our Latin teacher is singing the lunch menu in the manner of a tenor at the Met (no, seriously, he did that—he also sang out our names when he called on us. I was always “Laur-laur-laur-laur-laur…laur-laur-laur-laur-laur… LAUR!” But I digress.) He’s still on the entrée, so I check out the back. A handicapped American spinster… an Austrian count… a marriage of convenience and assorted Eastern European revolutions. Brilliant! I wasn’t so keen on Eastern European revolutions, which generally ended in burning castles and emigrations, but I adored marriage of convenience plots and Austrian noblemen (in my head, they all looked a lot like Christopher Plummer). I dropped my prize into my Chocolate Soup messenger bag, nudging it occasionally with my toe so I could check out the cover and gloat. The hero, Nancy assured me as we made our way to English class, was exceptionally dashing, very Judith McNaught. I gave a little bounce up and down in token of my anticipation and wondered, a trifle uneasily, why the contents of my stomach seemed to keep on bouncing even after I had stopped.
And that’s when I threw up right across the threshold of the seventh grade English classroom.
I gather they didn’t have English class in that room that day. I couldn’t vouch for that, since I wasn’t there. I was at home, in bed, hiding from my seventh grade shame in a pre-World War I world of hunting lodges, heiresses, and tormented heroes with mysterious first marriages. Queasy but contented, I lay propped against my pillows, imagining myself in a bustled gown, whisking across the garden of an Austrian estate, while a golden-haired count hurried in my wake. Woozy with flu, I finished the entire book in one go and fell into a medicated sleep peopled with limping Austrian noblemen who summoned me across the waters for marriages of convenience.
Both I and the book went back to school the next day, and the book, no worse for wear (although the same couldn’t be said for the carpet in the English classroom) went back to Nancy’s sister. And that was that. Until years later when the memories of the book that got away nagged at me and nagged at me until I had to track it down. Fortunately, I remembered that the heroine’s name was Eliza and that the title had “Night” in the cover. An afternoon of concerted googling finally revealed my Book That Got Away as Surrender the Night by Christine Monson. Within the hour a used copy was wending its way Cambridge-wards. And we all lived happily ever after.
Do you have a Book That Got Away?
[N.B. For anyone pining after a hard-to-track-down book, Smart Bitches Trashy Books has a marvelous feature where you can write in a description of a plot and they’ll post it for the readership to identify. Huzzah for SBTB!]
Recent comments from: · Jessica · Lauren Willig · Karin · Jennybrat · azteclady
Morning!
Have y’all ever wondered how they came up with calling the middle of the week hump day? All sorts of things spring to mind, but I don’t think I’d better go there. I’ll just let your imaginations run wild.
I bought Karl a Wii for his birthday last month. We’re addicted to it. I love tennis and occasionally, I even win a match. We never had games like this when we were kids. Karl was working after school and on weekends when he was really young, and when I was growing up if I ever mentioned the word bored, I was given something to do that guaranteed I would no longer be bored. I learned to look busy. But now we can play.
So, what are all of y’all doing this summer? Any big plans? I’m the person who actually loves to watch home movies. I’m also addicted to the travel Channel…and HGTV.
Hey, did y’all watch the video on Alison Kent’s blog—Christian the Lion. I watch that at least twice a day. It’s wonderful! Have the sound up and tissues ready.
Karl will post a contest this morning for my newsletter group. This is besides my monthly book give away. We figured up the cost and I think it’s around $90. I have some pretty cool stuff so if you get a chance run sign up www.authorkarenkelley.com
I feel the need for a game of tennis so I’m outta here. Have a great day!
Karen
Recent comments from: · kh · Pat L · Karen Kelley · fedora · Estella
In honor of Wild, Wild Women of the West and the summer season, I’m dedicating this blog to Wild, Wild Summer Fun! Besides the swimming, boating, hiking, camping and usual fun you have in the summer, what wild and crazy things have you done this summer or summers past?
When I was seventeen, I recall an early summer outing with my sister, Delilah Devlin, and some friends of ours. We loaded up Delilah’s ancient 1967 dark green Impala (that couldn’t go over 45 mph without shaking the snot out of you) with a tent, sleeping bags, food items and beer (beer being the key ingredient). We hopped on the road (okay chugged. Remember? The car had issues) and headed 6 hours north to Fayetteville, Arkansas, home of theUniversity of Arkansas and a friend of a friend who was along for the ride. We picked up said friend and crossed the lovely state for the next 3 hours to Blanchard Springs Campground and Caverns. I think I slept most of the trip, thankfully.To say we had a blast is just the beginning. The weather was cool at night and gorgeous during the day. My sister brought a guitar, the friend of a friend we picked up in Fayetteville brought a banjo and we spent our evenings sitting on a concrete bridge pickin’ tunes and singing out loud to the crickets.
One evening, a van from Iowa drove up and a bunch of barefoot young people piled out. We were thinking hillbillys (like us Arkansans weren’t closer to that truth). “Want to pick a tune?” one of the Iowa guys asked.
We were all for performing, not that we had much of a repertoire, but an audience is an audience afterall. So while Delilah and the banjo picker (can’t even remember his name) strummed a tune, the barefoot Iowa gang pulled out another banjo and two fiddles!
We had a hoe-down right there in that north Arkansas park! It was the wildest, most spontaneous thing I can remember from my teen years and will always be a special memory for me.
What about you? What is the wildest summer fun you’ve ever had?
Recent comments from: · Becky · Karin · Estella · Lisa Evans · Dina
I’ve had a lot of cause to think about quotes recently. My son’s English teacher asked him to write a credo essay in which he explained why a famous quote could be adopted in his own life. My husband was asked for his favorite quote at his workplace for a project they were doing.
I was happy to help them both think through some quotes as I keep lists of the ones I like best. When I taught English Composition at a handful of universities, I always liked to put a quote on the board every day to give students a little something extra to think about. Every now and then we’d discuss the quote of the day for a critical thinking exercise and sometimes the students would respond to the quote in their journals. But most of the time, the quotes were simply in the background—tiny learning snippets that might resonate for someone.
I don’t know what attracts me to quotes, but a copy of John Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations ends up on my desk fairly often. I like thumbing through now and again for a little inspiration or a mini history lesson. A perennial favorite is Theodore Roethke’s “In a dark time, the eye begins to see.” I’m also a big fan of Eleanor Roosevelt’s “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” (How’s that for a bit of personal “ooh-rah” on a tough day?) I also like Zora Neale Hurston’s “Some people can look at a mud puddle and see an ocean with ships.” That’s from one of my favorite books Their Eyes Were Watching God. Zora may have meant that one as a bit of a put-down for fanciful thinkers, but I preferred to embrace it as the optimist’s guide to life. If we can’t see the possibilities in a situation—the glorious inside the simple—then we aren’t using enough imagination.
So what about you? Did you have to put a favorite quote on your yearbook page? Have you come across some favorite sayings since then that embody your point of view or inspire you? Share a favorite or two on the boards this week and I’d be happy to share a copy of my new release, SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT (Special Edition 7/08) with a random poster.
Recent comments from: · Colleen · azteclady · Joanne Rock · tasha t · catslady
