SPRING FLING BLOG HOP

Life has interrupted the blog, but we're roaring back with a great blog hop. Many thanks to Kathy at I'M A READER, NOT A WRITER, for co-sponsoring this one with "Eve's Fan Garden."

I'm about to catch a plane for a meeting with an agent in the hopes of having her represent me and my new manuscript, "The Dragons of Alsace Farm," so the entry requirements for this hop revolve around getting the word out about this book.

First--the prize. I'm giving away a three-book prize package--a new, autographed copy of my 2010 summer women's novel, "Awakening Avery," and two previously-read copies of  acclaimed novels written by a few of my friends. I loved them both.

You can enter multiple times, but each entry MUST be posted separately. To enter:

1. You must be or become a fan of this blog
2.  Visit the trailer for "The Dragons of Alsace Farm," and leave a comment.
3. Be or become my friend on Facebook.
4. Post the link for the trailer on your Facebook page.
5. Be or become my friend on Goodreads.

That's it. Thanks for stopping by, and please visit all these other great blogs.

Laurie

RESEARCH FOR FUTURE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, OR A FEW THINGS I'VE JUST DECIDED TO TRY FOR THE FIRST TIME

I'm fifty-six, fairly frugal, and generally disinterested in change for change's sake, and therefore, not prone to following gimmicks, but I have to admit, a few things have intrigued me over the years, and I've decided to give them a try . . .  for the sake of research.

Quirky characters need a little schtick, some idiosyncratic tendencies to define them and establish their personality. In my current WIP, (work in progress), I have a lady with a manic attachment to her wigs and make-up. We immediately know a lot about her appearance as well as her personality.

Who knows? I may create a character with a fetish for having their face waxed, or their bunion straightened, or I may have a character who simply can't resist walking past that "You Saw It On TV" rack near the Wal Mart checkout. So what must I do to accurately portray such situations? Conduct a little personal research. . . Of course.

(Are you buying any of this pseudo-logic?)

Today was my experimental day. Well, my face-waxing yesterday actually kicked off the trend. I mean, if I can remove my unsightly miss-tache and bride-burns, what other improvements could I, (I mean a future character), make?

Today I headed off to conduct some research. My test products? The bunion corrector, the home-waxing kit, and the eyelash curler. (I know, I know. You're wondering how I have gotten through life without one of those.)

The truth is, this torturous-looking eyelash curler is actually quite practical for glass-wearers. I gave that squeezy thing a try, and after nearly puncturing my eyelid, I managed to curl my extra-long lashes into a lovely up-do, and for the first time, I can actually wear my glasses properly without the annoying swish of lashes on the lenses. Long-overdue success number one!

Item two--the home-waxing strips. In years past I asked for, and sadly was the unfortunate recipient of, several hair-removal tools, including the hair-ripping "Epi-Lady." That thing could double as a blood draw tool. I watched a dozen replays of an infomercial with smiling users applying this delicate product to their legs, then sliding a nylon stocking over their clean gams to prove the absence of stubble. Well, I'm woman enough to admit I cried when I revved that puppy up. All I can say is this. Those models must have either been masochists, or they received advanced pain management prior to the shoot. Today I'm going to give the pre-waxed strips a try. We'll see.

The home bunion corrector. This little marvel looks like it may have been designed by alien abductors bent on restructuring humanoid bodies, but alas, after fifteen minutes I managed to get the contraption on and must admit I was pretty impressed with how straight my incredibly crooked toe looked when strapped into this harness. Will it make my toe straighter? We'll see. But if it saves me a reportedly painful surgery and recovery, I'll count myself blessed.

I'm two-for-two with crazy new products. Let's see which of these items shows up in the next story I write.

THE RABBIT HOLE DIARIES

Do you have a loved one sliding into the rabbit hole of dementia?

Welcome.

This is a place to share.

 Forgive me for letting this blog slip for the past few weeks. I've been busy focusing on family matters, and completing a manuscript for a book about people dealing with a loved one who suffers from dementia. (The trailer is viewable in the post below.) The new blog and the book are very personal. This is now my mother's world.

We didn't recognize the early signs. Our ailing father had recently passed away. He was our mother's world, and his care had occupied her every hour, so we assumed the depression, the bouts of anxiety, the confusion, and the uncharacteristic emotional swings from silly to sobbing was a result of the dramatic changes she had experienced.

Mom had been estranged from her family most of her life with only a few visits home in forty years. She returned from her last visit to see her mother with reports of the changes she had seen in this once lively parent. We all assumed it was the result of a tragedy her mother had experienced. Now we know better.

I was doing genealogy and I contacted a relative to ask for information. She sent a family tree home with my mother on that visit. I never saw it, but my sister found it a few years ago. It listed my mother's thirteen aunts and uncles--nine of whom suffered from some form of dementia. In all honesty, the news scared us. We could see what we were dealing with, that it wasn't going to get better, and that we were utterly unprepared.

I've begun a new blog titles, "The Rabbit Hole Diaries,"  that's attached to my website. I hope this blog will attract others who are dealing with dementia in a loved one. I'll share what we're learning from doctors and research, I'll post links and articles, ideas on respite and long term care, but what I've found most helpful so far is sharing with others staring into that rabbit hole.

So if you have something to share, please do. If you have questions or need a place to vent and cry, click the link, visit the blog, and share. I hope we'll build a community of support, and a network that can empower us to give our loved ones the best life possible.

Thanks,

Laurie (L.C.) Lewis