Monday, July 30, 2007

I' ve been Mama-jacked!

Weirdest thing happened: I'm trying to create a blog in the "voice'' of my mystery novel character, Rosalee Deveraux, AKA "Mama'' of the Mama Mysteries.
Everything is going swimmingly. I've given her a little Web home, Ask Mama.

I've gotten a couple of letters that "Mama'' can answer in her down-home, plain-talkin' style.
I'm feeling quite proud of myself. Until I suddenly realize that the fake profile I created for this fictional character's site has superseded MY profile on my real blog, Mystery Gal.
http://mysterygal-mysterygal.blogspot.com/

The profiles for BOTH sites have the fake stuff I created for Mama: We both live in Himmarshee, Fla., we've been married four times, we have three daughters ... none of which, of course, is true in my case.
Uhmmmm . . . talk about my character taking over my life!
I keep remembering that old Twilight Zone episode where a ventriloquist gets into trouble because his dummy keeps telling him to kill people .... hmmmm.
The only saving grace: Mama isn't the least bit murderous. She does, however, have an unnatural attraction to butterscotch-dipped cones at the Dairy Queen.
Today, I stopped at the Dairy Queen ....

Monday, July 23, 2007

It's ALL good. (Oh, yeah?)

Is there a better feeling than having a productive day, knowing the writing is really singing? (As opposed to stuttering, which happens--occasionally).

I'm about to finish Chapter 20 of Mama Rides Shotgun, out of some 40 chapters. Not exactly the home stretch, but at least I can spot The End in the distance.

I'm back into the minds of my characters, which is a good thing. And, no, it doesn't mean I'm a scary schizophrenic, hearing voices. Well, I DO hear voices, but they're the voices I've created.

"No, they aren't!''

Yes, they are!

"No!''

Yes!

. . Anyway . . .

The characters had been shutting me out for a while, which wasn't very nice of them. They weren't there when I needed them, weren't behaving like I wanted them to. And they had a lot of nerve, seeing as how I'm the one who breathed life into them in the first place.

"No you didn't!''

Okay, whatever. Today was all good, though. The characters behaved . . .

"No, we didn't!''

. . . mostly, anyway. And since this is my computer and my blog, that will be my ("Our!'') final word.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Independence Day

This is how unmotivated I am: The city of Fort Lauderdale's holiday fireworks are blasting off along the New River downtown, less than a half-mile away.
Pop! Bam! Whiz!
Not only did I not ride the bike down there, I didn't even get up, open the door, and walk outside where I could look up in the sky and watch them.
Of course, a long afternoon of lightning storms and torrential rains have kind of put a damper on the holiday here. I've been moping around the house, reading some old books by Lewis Grizzard and Roy Blount Jr. (I'm in such a pissy mood, not even reading funny books by great humorists is making me feel better).
My TV reporter husband is off on an extended adventure to the North Pole (!) While he's off cavorting in the ice, it's SWELTERING in South Florida, as usual for the summer. I'm feeling lonely and forgotten on the Fourth of July.
Independence Day? More like Quit-Being-So-Dependent Day.