Cheer for Your Team

I'm not very good at the preschool athletic mentality. 
1.  Every kid is not the Most Valuable Player.
2.  Each game should have a winner and a loser.

That's life. 

Don't get me wrong. Winning isn't everything, but losing doesn't mean hanging up your sneakers, either.  When you fall, brush yourself off, quit your crying, and get back in the game. It's important to always do your personal best because your only real competition is yourself.

I was a cheerleader--the kind that believed more in the job than the uniform.  I disdain the "spirit leaders" who leave when rain or sleet falls from the sky. If the team can still play, then they can still cheer.

12th grade: front and center in a parka in the pouring rain

After a few adult beverages, I'm willing to dance my high school's fight song.

Go Bulldogs!

 

Last month,  I put my dormant cheer skills to use and cheered myself on through my own special version of March Madness.

Here are the rules: If a writing opportunity presented itself, I must enter the competition.

Even if I doubted my abilities--especially so--I must take action. With failure comes wisdom. With wisdom comes success.

Want to know how the brackets turned out?

I submitted my essays to two Listen to Your Mother shows.  Instead of submitting to one show, I embraced March Madness and submitted to two.

Two! Two! We want two!

And, well, you know how that turned out. Read about it here and here.

Gooooo team!

Then, I tried Brenda Drake's agent contest.  My cheerleader was still asleep when I dragged myself out of bed to submit early in the morning.  Right before I pushed send on my carefully written entry of my novel's first 250 words and 35-word pitch, I doubted myself.  I changed the pitch.

I did not make the next round.

That's all right. That's okay. We're gonna win another day!

Then another opportunity presented itself. Mini Vaughn, one of the slush zombies for the contest, volunteered to critique the pitches on her blog Dirty Silly Things.  I thought, "Oh my. I can't put myself out there and face rejection again. It's so public. She even says something about spanking us and making it hurt."  *Blushes* 

My cheerleader gave me a high-kick in the butt.  

Be aggressive! B-E Aggressive! B-E- A-G-G-R-E-S-S-I-V-E! Be aggressive! B-E aggressive!

Because she was an obnoxiously perky, insistent little inner cheerleader, I not only sent the rejected logline, but I also submitted the one I'd planned to send. If I was going to get a smackdown, I might as well really feel the pain, right?

The critique wasn't painful at all. She thought the original pitch was "fantastic." Lesson learned.  My biggest opponent is self-doubt. 

Defense! (clap, clap) Defense! (clap, clap)

Over the month, I had a couple of contest triumphs and forfeited one opportunity. The point is that I put myself in the game.

I'm gearing up for submitting my freshly revised novel to agents. I've listened to agents who seemed excited about the story but rejected it. I've rewritten the novel and improved my game. 

First (clap) and ten! Go! Fight! Win!

Why compete? Because someone has to win.  Why can't it be me?  Or you?

  Dribble it! Pass it! (clap) We want a basket!

Have you stepped outside your comfort zone lately? What would you like to achieve?  

Go for it!

Listen to your personal cheerleader and take the challenge. Let me know what it is.

I'm already waggling my spirit fingers for you.

Jingle Jangle

I'm not athletic or crafty, but that doesn't keep me from trying.  On the way to a 5k, I sewed ribbons on shirts.

See that ribbon? I sewed it. My son was impressed.

My friends Ange and Shannon invited us to join them at the Jingle Bell Run.  Well, they knew I wouldn't actually run, so Ange volunteered to walk with me.

But I did run--three times--during the 5K.  That's a personal record that provides bragging rights.

My pals still make fun of my attempt in high school to run a 5k for extra credit. OH MY GOODNESS. And no witness can forget the hilarious ONE DAY in the spring I went out for track. (In my defense, the boys and girls were both state champions, runners-up, gods straight from Mt. Olympus or something that year).

I don't have a good track record.

So, I'd planned to train for this event, but...I didn't.

My training buddy and I still have not met and my treadmill is used by my hubby, who WON a 5k last week, by the way.

That's Ange, Shannon, and Garrett holding me up before the race (and mimosas).

I may not be cardio-fit, but at least I'm festive.

Shirts personalized at Society Shirts. Proceeds provide birthday parties for children in emergency foster care.

Our shirts supposedly say Super Cutie or Awesome Hottie or something similar in Cherokee.  Garrett suspects Ange and Shannon tricked us and they really say World's Greatest Grandpa.
 
 

Writer's Wednesday: Literary Boyfriends

Long before I wanted a real boyfriend, I juggled several from literature. And what's better than a literary boyfriend? A literary love triangle!

No matter who the main character chooses, I always choose one similar to my first love: Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind.  That other guy Ashley Wilkes? Ew! Rhett may have been no "gentleman," but at least he stood up for what he believed and fought for it. My eleven-year-old brain read between the lines and wanted Ashley to stop being such a wimp about life and man up already.

How about you? Who are your favorite literary boyfriends?

To get the conversation started, let's talk about famous young adult titles that are already movies or will be soon.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Edward vs. Jacob
No contest! Edward is just too polished (like cold marble, I know)--and whiny--for my tastes. (Get it? Vampire pun there.) I prefer the warmth and personality of Jacob. He's a fighter.

The Selection by Kiera Cass
 Prince Maxon vs. Aspen
This one throws a wrench in the whole bad boy thing.  I prefer Maxon over Aspen.  Is it because he's a prince? Nope. I think it's because he really wants what is best for her, is willing to stand up to his father for his own beliefs, and doesn't whine about circumstances.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Peta vs. Gale
It's always been you, Gale.  Always. You're a rebel. A fighter.  Peeta...okay, in the book, you are not the wimp the movie makes you. You are your own kind of hero. You know how to use your brain and teach me, I mean Katniss, a thing or two. You save the heroine a few times yourself. Without you, she wouldn't have survived. But, Peeta, I'd rather be friends. Let's have dinner. You bring the bread.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Four vs. ???
So, there's no love triangle here, but I still wanted to mention my most recent literary boyfriend. 

Who is your literary boyfriend?  Do you prefer books with love triangles or not?

Bedlam, Baby!

If you are a college football fan, you may have heard of a little game we Okies call Bedlam.

Garrett and I rarely get a date, so the fact that we had an entire day together was an exciting prospect. Spending it on the campus where we met almost nineteen years ago was rather romantic.  The stadium was packed, the game was tremendous, and the University of Oklahoma won in overtime. Bonus fun!

Don't let me mislead you. I am not what you'd call a football fan. People stopped inviting us to Superbowl parties years ago. This weekend I had a revelation. I realized when the love was lost.

In high school I was a cheerleader. The news stations came to our games and recorded our pep assemblies.  Red and black was everywhere because school spirit was contagious.  It was easy to be a fan then. Our teams won. All the time.  My little high school had impressive athletes. Games were a blast. I grew up thinking that sports were always like Switzer's Sooners and my hometown Bulldogs. If my school didn't win the championship each year in basketball, football, track or whatever, we held our own in the finals.

As a little girl, I thought that being a Dallas Cowboy Cheerleader was a reasonable and attainable career choice.

After attending OU, of course.  I'd heard you could learn things besides football there.

Then I went to OU...during the early nineties.  Football fans, you may recall this as the dark ages.  Coach Schnellenberger. Coach Blake. Just thinking about it makes me frown.

After one of the first home games, I remember refusing to leave the student section when everyone else had gone home.  Hot sun reflected off the empty bleachers surrounding me. I was going to be a real fan and stand by my team. Sweat poured down my face and back, but no one was around to see it.  I stuck it out until the fourth quarter, then I left, too. It's not like anyone was there to see me leave.  It was like our team had never shown up in the first place. The score was demoralizing.

It was that moment when I defected.

College can be confusing for many reasons. It's a time people reinvent themselves, lose themselves, renew themselves, etc.  But if this small town Oklahoma girl didn't even have a football team that was good, what was I to hold onto? How could I have school spirit?

After that, the madness that hit campus every game day surprised me.  What was the big deal? Didn't these people realize it was just football? College campuses were supposed to house smart people. Didn't they realize in a few hours they were going to be upset at their "victory" parties because our team was awful? What was with all the pomp and circumstance? How long could a team--no, an entire school--live on their laurels?

For some reason, yesterday gave me perspective and made me get it.

My son has attended several games with his dad and papa.

at his first OU game holding his first football

 He wanted to go yesterday, too, but nobly told me I would have a good time in his place. He filled me in on details an experienced OU fan could impart to his mother.

"The guns are loud. I don't like that," he said.

Then he told me what he did enjoy. "I like it when the whores run on the field."

I'm pretty sure he meant the horses and the Sooner Schooner.

He also told me "tailgating is the best part."

Tailgating. When friends--old and new--gather together over food and drinks and share a common bond. Everyone is drenched in crimson and creme. The air is electric with excitement. Generations of people fill the campus.

As The Pride's baton twirler artfully tossed flaming sticks into the air, I thought about my Max and his wise words.
Maybe game day isn't about football after all. Maybe it's about being a part of a community. Sharing fun. Reliving memories and creating new ones.

This must be what the Grinch felt like when his heart grew three sizes in one day. With the help of his dog Max, the Grinch took their Christmas presents, but the Whos celebrated anyway.

Even in the dark ages of football, OU fans gathered together for a common purpose.

Wow. I get it.

Of course, it didn't hurt that we won the game.  Boomer Sooner!  

Writers Wednesday: Kid Lit Community Auction

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Kate Messner organized the KidLit community and created an online auction to benefit the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

Whether you are a children's literature fan, an aspiring author, or a published author, there's something available at this auction that might interest you.

Check it out.

Donate.

Do good.

Friday Favorite: Just Smile and Wave

 

Armadillos jump when they're scared--and hit the oncoming car as a result. 

What do I do? Smile and wave.

 I'm not tough. I've never been very big.  If I can infuriate someone with a smile, I win.  

Warning:  A couple of times this philosophy backfired in a big way.

1.  After a basketball game, one of the opposing team members decided she didn't like a certain cheerleader (yeah...me) in the stands talking to a player (the friend who gave me this tile). She talked smack.  At first, I acted like I didn't know she was talking to me. Then I did the "who me?" and just smiled and waved.  It's a good thing I have athletic friends.  That girl pounced fast, but she never touched me because it was like I had body guards who scrambled to intercept her.  Go team! 

2. The day before I got married, I pulled up to the edge of parking lot as a girl in a green sports car almost collided with me.  Then she had the audacity to flip me off. Shocked, I smiled and waved. She backed up her car and leaped out.  She beat on my window and used all of the cuss words she knew.  Again, I smiled and waved. Instead of smiling in return, she jumped on my car and called me a "stupid, white trash b****." I fluttered my eyelashes and pointed to me (sitting calmly in my car as my mother nervously jotted down the psycho's license plate) and shook my head before pointing to her ON THE HOOD OF MY CAR BEATING ON MY WINDSHIELD.

Hey, if life is a parade, I'm not going to watch it pass by. I'm climbing on top of the biggest float.

Just smile and wave, ya'll.

What's your coping mechanism?

March Madness Inklings Book Giveaway: Beyond the Farthest Star

Sometimes a girl needs a guardian angel.

This week's giveaway is Dee Dee Chumley's Beyond the Farthest Star.

If you'd like to win a copy, simply make a comment on this entry (so I can keep track). If you'd like two entries, follow my blog and leave a comment. Contest ends Sunday. Winner will be announced next Wednesday.

Once I've read a book, I always have questions. Here are a few Dee Dee answered for me. 

Dee Dee,  how did you come up with the idea for this book? 

I once read you're not supposed to say you got an idea for a book from a dream, but that's where I got the idea. Hey, it worked for Stephenie Meyer! 

What books do you recommend for people who are interested in guardian angels? 

Not all the books I read were Christian-based, but I tried to use only information that wasn't contradictory to Christian beliefs. However, the book is not meant to be a theological treatise on angels and I did apply some artistic license. For what I feel are the most accurate, Christian-based explanations of angels, I would recommend Angels Among Us by Ron Rhodes and Angels by Billy Graham.

What other research did you do?
For such an apparently simple little book, it actually took quite a bit of research. I read several books on angels and also did online research and reading on steroid use and dating violence. In addition, I did research on cars and trucks and even on bicycles!

What has been the most surprising part of your publication journey? 

I think it would be actually getting published! Beyond the Farthest Star was the first novel I ever wrote, and after sending it to about fifteen agents or publishers, I stored it away as a good learning experience and moved on to my next project. Then when I least expected it, I learned (thanks to you!) of a Christian publishing company in California that was accepting new material. I took the chance and submitted my manuscript and hooray! they accepted it.    

What is the part of the writing process you enjoy most? The actual writing! I've always been a kind of a nerd this way. I love taking an idea and experimenting with how many ways it can be expressed and discovering the absolute best way. I love finding the perfect rhythm. And in creative writing, I love coming up with the descriptions--the imagery and metaphors. I haven't perfected the process by any means, but I think it's great fun to think of original ways to get the reader to see, hear, or feel something. 

As a former English teacher, you taught lots of rules.  Since you are now a professional writer, do you break any of those rules? What's the rule you'll never break? 

Ha! You must have been talking to some of my former students! Actually, in his book On Writing, Stephen King offers good advice about grammar rules. He says learn them so you'll know why you're breaking them. There's a huge difference between breaking rules to achieve the effect you want and breaking them because you don't know any better. The first situation makes you look creative; the second makes you look stupid.   

A rule I'd never break? Well, I would never intentionally break a spelling rule...unless it was to acquire a certain effect. For example, in my newest novel, I have a sign written by a shadetree mechanic and instructing customers to Honk for Survice. I really do know how to spell service! Also, it confuses me to read a book in which the author saw no need for quotation marks. So I'd never break that one.

Did you write with a particular audience in mind? 

I began this book while I was still teaching, so I thought teens would be my best audience since I had a connection there. (Also, I didn't want to write explicit sex scenes and thought I could get away with it in YA literature! Ha!) What has come as a surprise to me, though, is that I'm getting a lot of positive feedback from women of all ages. Of course, many of these are my friends, and so I'm thinking, they have to say something nice. But many of them have gone beyond what I feel is the appropriate "friend" response. I think, regardless of age, most women can remember and identify with many of the situations both Darcy and Tiffin face in the novel. Not everything changes with time.  

What do you want people to think or feel when they finish reading your book? 

Regardless of their age, I want them to walk away with the same message Mike gave Darcy: Always remember who you are and Whose you are. This statement has been used time again but I don't think it's cliche. It's an important message that God lays claim to each and every one of us and as His children we are of immeasurable worth. 

In your book, they talk about going "beyond the farthest star."  If you could go anywhere, where would it be? To visit? Any tropical island that hasn't been overrun with tourists! I'm a beach bum at heart. How did I end up in landlocked Oklahoma?

Hmmm.... a beach. Sounds like the perfect place to kick back and read a copy of Dee Dee Chumley's debut novel Beyond the Farthest Star.

March Madness Inklings Book Giveaway: Glamour

With all the great writers I know--especially in my own writing group--I'd be "mad" not to share their words with the world.  I can tell you about their books all day long, but I figured, hey, why not give you a book so you can read it? Seeing is believing.

This month I'm giving away an autographed book each week.

Mefirstmefirstmefirst!

How far are you willing to go to look beautiful? Glamour is not your ordinary fairy tale.

To enter to win my young adult novel  Glamour, follow my blog (click the word "follow" at the top of your screen and do whatever else it says) and leave a comment on this entry (so I can keep track).  If you're already a follower, simply comment below.

You can enter until Sunday. I'll announce the winner on Wednesday...and start a new giveaway.

Let's get this party started!

Novel Idea Beyond the Farthest Star

In June, I asked, "Who will be the next guest of honor at a Novel Idea party?"  

We have our answer!

Last Friday my writing group The Inklings hosted a Novel Idea party to celebrate the release of Dee Dee Chumley's young adult novel Beyond the Farthest Star.

"There are times a girl needs a guardian angel."

Once again, the Marottas opened their lovely home to a bunch of rowdy writers.

The Inklings

The Marottas

In keeping with the book, angel hair pasta was served...

Lisa and Dee Dee, the guest of honor

...as well as angel food cupcakes with fondant angels and stars.

A taste sensation creation from Gigi's Cupcakes

We showered Dee Dee with gifts, good times,

...and sentimental moments.

The table was decorated with blue tulle, candles, flowers, Willow Tree angels, and a cloth printed with silver stars. Little glass (plastic?) stars were sprinkled around the table for depth. The table matched the invitation and party favor bags beautifully.

My mom and I contributed party favors and invitations.  Party favors were Ding Dongs (read the book and you'll know why), star earrings, and coasters.  So many restaurants were mentioned in the novel, I thought it would be cute to have coasters representing them.  Well...Dee Dee received a stack of individualized coasters, but everyone else received one with a constellation.

 

I love the planning and idea stage of things, but it's always hard for me to say something is finished. That's where my mom excels. I'm pretty sure she was finished long before I was! If it weren't for her, the coasters would have been tacky to the touch and in appearance.

Some of the swag from Beyond the Farthest Star Novel Idea party

 We are so proud for our Dee Dee. Congratulations!

These shindigs inspire us all to speed the process on our current works in progress. Who will be our next guest of honor?

Toddler Tuesday: Lessons From My Dragon

Max: Dragons eat stars. That's why they breathe fire.

Interesting.

Max: I'm a dragon. You're my princess.
Me: What's Daddy?
Max: He's an ogre.


Thought so.

Max: (adjusting my plastic headband so that it fits like a circlet) Mommy, do you have a real crown?
Me: (pausing) Yes, I do.
Max: Thought so. Go get it.

I rummage through the closet to find an eighteen year old tiara and present it to my son.

Max: Let me put it on you. (He crowns me.) That's better.  I love you, Princess Mommy.
Me: I love you, too, my little dragon.

Who says being Prom Queen doesn't have real life applications?

Writer's Wednesday: The Traveling Jewelry Returns

A few months ago I wrote about how two of my life-long friends and I decided to give a grown-up nod to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Katie had the necklace first.  Her husband was awaiting orders from the Army to tell them where they would be stationed, so we thought she needed it.

The idea always seemed like a good one, but I had no idea what an experience it would be to receive the package in the mail.  Reading the journal was like having Katie right there in the room with me--except I couldn't interrupt or ask questions! Wearing the necklace reminds me my friends have chosen to stay with me even though they aren't bound by blood or contract.  I confess: I feel braver wearing it.

Pretty cool.

Although Ange is visiting China and Japan right now, they wanted me to have it when Baby Alexandra arrived. I'm thinking Ange's journal entries about hiking and camping on the Great Wall of China would have been more interesting than me dealing with "nesting" and behaving in a freakish nature to get all the closets cleaned while hoping baby girl didn't arrive before I threw my son's third birthday party and had her nursery prepared.

Then again, Ange is always having adventures.  Baby Girl arrives only once.

See? Friends do know best.

Is our jewelry as magical as the traveling pants? I think so. Katie and her family are being stationed at their top choice.   Max's birthday party was a success, the ladies of the office surprised me with a sweet shower, my home is getting tidier, and I have an obedient daughter who is hanging out in the womb until we have everything prepared for her.

Magic.

Writer's Wednesday: Sisterhood of the Traveling Jewelry

Ange, Katie (wearing necklace), Brandi in James Avery

I've been a big fan of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants over the years.  The story speaks to me.

Enduring friendship is something I understand. Throughout life I've been blessed with many unique women who are truly friends.  I am fortunate to have so many amazing ladies in my life.

However, I have a certain trio of friends who, as a unit, have been close for almost a quarter of a century. Katie and I met when we were three.  Ange entered our lives in middle school. (Katie and I are on the left. I'm in the polka dot disaster.  Ange is in the center wearing the green.)

Middle School Graduation

We've celebrated and suffered the wins and losses of life.  Even when none of us resided in the same state, we maintained our bond. Many young friendships end once that high school diploma is delivered. Not ours.

10 Year Class Reunion

Throughout the undergrad years, we visited each other at college. (They actually met my husband at a party. Pointing to him in his bright blue sweatshirt, they asked, "Why haven't you dated him?") We celebrate milestones. (When Katie had her firstborn, Ange and I drove thirteen hours to see that little miracle.) We offer suggestions. (They both think Baby Girl should be named after them, and Ange informed me it doesn't matter what I call her, she'll still call her "Junior.")

Technology is readily available, but we think what kept our bond strong in college and into adulthood is simple.  The written word.  We kept in touch the old fashioned way--letters. Who doesn't like to get a real card or letter in the mail--especially in college?  I remember scanning their penmanship to see if what they were writing matched the emotions conveyed in their scrawls. Unlike email that needs to be deleted, those letters were kept and reread.  It was nice to know that somewhere in the world, two girls had known me a long time, understood my major flaws, and still loved and supported me in spite of them.

So, last week when we met up in person for the first time in almost two years, we did a very girly thing to celebrate our friendship. 

We shopped.

At James Avery we found a simple, free-form infinity pendant and three chains.

At Barnes and Noble we found the accompanying journal.

Instead of inked up pants that can't be washed or cuffed, we plan to mail the pendant and the stories that go with it on a rotating basis.

Stolen from the rules of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, we inscribed instructions in the front of our first journal:

 Write the most important thing that happened to you while wearing the necklace. 

Write the most exciting place you visited while wearing the necklace.

Remember: Jewelry=Love. Love your pals. Love yourself.

Many journals and pendant exchanges from now, I imagine we'll gather and recall our lives together.  It's probably a good thing it will be in writing, since we probably won't be able to hear too well by then!

Does anyone else have a special way to celebrate enduring friendships? Do you and your high school plans have a way of staying close? Have you gathered inspiration from a book and used it in real life?