Scribble and Scrambles - Feral Will of The Sharpened Teeth

I was recently inspired to pen a poem.

I think it is up there with "Die, Cricket, Die" with less violence.

Well...maybe not.

This poem rhymes...kind of.

I've entitled it...Feral Will of the Sharpened Teeth

Augh!
I'm being bitten
By a kitten
Wearing taloned mittens.

Gasp!
I'm being gnawed
By a clawed
Beastie-wad.


Yes. It's short, lame and to the point.

And you were expecting...?

In case you don't know the story of Feral Will. Let me share.

Late one recent afternoon the puppies bee-lined toward something fascinating. Their body language prompted us to investigate the reason for much enthusiasm, and there, holding his own, with a Halloween cat pose, stood a teeny kitten.

Of course we saved him, whisking him into the newly formed Klepfer Kitten Foster Care Program. However, over the days of waiting for the few people we asked to adopt him to accept or decline our offer, he began to grow on us. And most importantly, Rob.

Rob didn't care for the name chosen by the household females. Feral Will originally answered to Q-Tip. Full black save for a white-tipped tail, we felt it appropriate.

But with the realization that we could keep him and armed with the goal of a man pleasing name change we struggled through several possibilities. Finally, we decided to use his less than wonderful arrival and add a twist. Acceptance of the truth and a tribute to the Piglet's great-grandfather (Trespassers Will) and an actor appearing in two of our favorite movies.

Now, that dear readers, is creativity through the sieve of twisted minds.

Would now be an appropriate time to tell you that the picture is a body-double? Feral Will was unavailable for a picture at this time.

Scribbles and Scrambles - Let Your Voice Be Heard and Maybe Win a Free Book!

Thought I'd pass this along. Bethany House is offering a chance to win one of several recent book titles for a few minutes of your time. Click above and share your opinions on a new book's cover.

If you are interested in the science and art of book covers, visit Novel Journey.

I'm not sure what tomorrow's blog post will bring. We'll see what shakes loose tonight.

Have a good one.

Serials and Scenarios - Life, Libby and the Pursuit of Happiness

Here's a fun Chick-Lit to curl up with now that days are getting shorter and the air is getting that fallish nip. (This is the best time to live in Iowa where our seasons are changeable, often mixed up, but different.)

Click to visit Hope.

My Review:


There have to be subgenres in Chick-Lit.

If so, Libby would straddle career and dismal love life lit.

Libby is an engaging voice. Angst riddled as are most Chick-Lit heroines. With first person Chick-Lit you get all of it, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Libby is far more likeable than several other characters I've met between the covers of novels. She's sarcastic and has a dry delivery. If you try to avoid snide, she hovers on that edge, so you may not like her. I happen to love sarcasm.

There is tad too much predictibility in Libby's life. But I guess that is somewhat realistic. After all, sometimes I'm the last one to see it because I'm so close to it.

I struggled with a few "yeah right" moments of coincidence. But then again, this is not the mystery genre.

Overall, I can easily recommend this book to those who love clever escapist reads.

Scribbles and Scrambles - You Do Not Want to be a Spider In My House

We've got a bit of a spider problem.

I think the spiders are blissfully unaware of this fact, though.

Rob, being the sensitive pet lover that he is, being protective of the puppies and kitten by not spraying Spider-Be-Gone as per usual this time of year.

In case there is a People for the Ethical Treatment of Spiders...PETS...let me assure you that I know the value of these fine fellows. Without spiders we'd walk around with mosquito welts and our plants would be sad shadows of what they could be (in someone else's yard, my yard is not plant friendly, nor my home. But I digress.)

Spiders are welcome to visit the great outdoors at my home at any time.

However, they aren't content with this scenario.

Because the spiders have realized we are Spider-Be-Gone free, therefore, spider friendly, they are CREEPing in by the droves.

I may be exaggerating when I say droves. When factoring in the icky factor of the spider thing...droves would be around six. Yes. Six spiders.

Encountered spiders. Shudder.

One very brave spider fought back early Friday morning. I stepped out of the shower and there he lurked. I attempted to quickly dispatch him and he resisted, jumping toward me. Twice. Finally, I trapped him and let my brave daughter do the default dirty deed.

Yesterday, I opened one bathroom door wide and something dark caught my attention. Right below the bottom hinge an image, gray but clear.

It was a mark.

Had a super spider left a calling card? A threat? A statement not unlike the horse head?

No. After a little investigation...it turned out not to be a calling card. But simply a poor choice in hiding places.

Scribble and Scrambles - Hitchcock Moment Part 2

I'm sure you'll remember the moment in which I slid back the shower curtain to reveal "the face."

The moment the lights went out in South Dakota...well...let's just say a few things went through my mind.

First. Annoyance. Did someone actually come into this public bathroom, hear running water and shut off the lights? No way!

Second. Realization of utter and complete silence save the running water and my increasingly deep breaths.

Third. Remembrance of moments of movie horror. The monster or sharpened-hook wielding, maniac always strikes directly after or during a moment of complete and utter silence.

Fourth. AUGH! SERIAL KILLER IN THE BATHROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I'm all ALONE!

Fifth. Hey was that lightning? And hail?

Sixth. I've got a wooden door and a nifty little latch. Hatchet man is going to have to make some noise to get through it. And I know some serious self-defense moves.

Seventh. That is lightning, hail, thunder and impressive rain.

Eighth. Ha. No Norman Bates after all.

Ninth. Hope the water holds up so I can rinse.

Hope you enjoyed your visit to my little nightmare.

And yes, it was a storm that took the lights, and no, I didn't run out of water, and no one turned up missing though one of the campers looked suspiciously like Norman's mother.

Serials and Scenarios - Camy Confesses

Camy Tang stopped in for a visit.... I'm mixing things up color-wise -- you'll understand as you read her comments. : )

Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?

Anne Elliot from Persuasion by Jane Austen. I love that book. I read it once every few months. Anne has made mistakes in the past, but she holds firm to her principles and morals, and strives to live correctly despite the new disappointments in her life. She’s never preachy or self-righteous, and she gets her man in the end. And that love letter at the end is so passionate, it always makes me tear up (although, granted, I cry pretty easily).


Some out there in writing land have strange rituals. Share yours.

I am a tactile creator—meaning, when I do right brain creative stuff, I like tactile things as my brain works. Unfortunately, that means I eat when I’m writing.

To prevent the over-the-chair-spillage of my thighs, I picked up knitting. So, I knit a little (get the brain juices flowing), then write a little, then when I hit a roadblock I knit some more until I can put my knitting down and write more. It looks very strange, but it works for me.


What crayon in the box describes you on a good day?

Pink! Bad day? Pink! Which one do you aspire to be? Pink pink pink pink pink!



Pick one…..Pink iguana, purple cow, periwinkle giraffe. Which one and why? Can be negative or positive.

PINK! Because I loooooove pink. It’s a rebellion thing—my mother doesn’t like pink, she associates it with Barbie, so I never wore it when I was living at home. But recently I have come to realize that I love pink, and so now I wear and buy pink with abandon. I am reveling in my pinkness.

The iguana I could do without.


What period of history intrigues you the most?

Regency! I love reading Regency romances. Something about the elegance of the times, the sense of rebellion for a woman who marries for love instead of status or money, the political atmosphere with the Napoleonic War in the background—fodder for great romance!


What would you write if there were no rules or barriers? (epic novels about characters in the Bible, poetry, greeting cards, plays, movies, instruction manuals, etc.)

A six-part fantasy series. I’m totally not kidding—I wrote one book (it really sucks) and have the entire plot for a second (which isn’t as bad).


How does something worm its way into your heart? Through tears, truth, humor or other?

Through romance! My favorite books are romances: novels by Jane Austen, Betty Neels, Grace Livingston Hill, Norma Lee Clark, Mary Ann Gibbs. The happy ending always warms me and inspires me to think positively, to love my husband, to love God most of all.


Book, music, person, food you would take with you on a very long trip.

Book—whatever I happen to have as an ebook on my PDA, since I can’t bring as many books as I’d like in my suitcase. LOL
Music—audiobooks. Jane Austen, naturally, but also whatever strikes my fancy.
Person—preferably my husband, Captain Caffeine, but since I mostly travel to writer events, I’m usually flying solo.
Food—my mom makes these peanut butter rice crispy cranberry energy bars that are FABULOUS. They’re just the right size and I can pack them in my bag for a quick treat when I get hungry while at the airport or on a plane.


Where would you most like to travel ----- moon, north pole, deep seas, deserted island, the holy land or back to a place from your childhood, somewhere else? – and why.

The Holy Land—I want to see the places my Jesus walked. That would be so cool.


What is your favorite word?

NO. LOL I’m a rebel at heart.


Thanks for the colorful visit, Camy! Happy weekend, all.

Scribble and Scrambles - Hitchcock Moment

The family plus a few others went to South Dakota for the weekend. A huge Christian music festival -- LifeLight -- called to us and we answered that call. Leeland, Toby Mac, Tait, Jars of Clay, Chris Tomlin, Casting Pearls, Big Daddy Weave need I go on?

Because we hover around "cheap" on the spendthrift meter, we camped.

The KOA Camp was a nice little place with pool and two shower rooms. Packed full of concert-goers and folks taking advantage of a three day weekend, we had to be creative in slipping in showers.

Sunday morning I woke with the sun, or one of the rumbling semis across the road. Since I was up, I thought I'd try my luck with an empty shower.

The silent campground told me I’d probably not be waiting in line. This was confirmed as I crunched through the gravel under the silvery, cloudy sky and entered the empty shower room.

Now -- I must tell you I'm a fan of Hitchcock -- to a point. Most of his stuff doesn't scare me. I actually laughed during Rear Window when poor Jimmy Stewart takes a tumble. I've seen Vertigo, North by Northwest, The Trouble With Harry, Saboteur, Rebecca, and To Catch A Thief. But I've drawn the line at two of his movies. I saw a portion of The Birds as a child and was never the same. And my mother swears that Psycho kept her out of a shower for months, so I've made it a point to never watch it.

You think I digress...I do not. So, while the sun crept into the shimmery gray sky, I entered the shower. The empty room echoed, but I remained undisturbed.

While lathering my hair, I heard a loud clang. Assuming it was one of the trucks loading or unloading, I rinsed.

And then the lights went out.

To be continued...