Fun Friday – Getting into Character?

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

Let me start by assuring you that I DID NOT duct tape my daughter to the chair. Honest! 


And isn’t Bella a true hero–um, heroine–to try to free her? 


Before I tell you what’s going on at the whacky author’s house, I want to give all of you a chance to guess. Let’s have some creative fun. 

Your turn: What do you think is going on? 


Then…join me tomorrow at Jaunty Quills where the answer will be revealed, and one lucky commenter will receive a signed copy of Deep Cover. 

Also until Sunday, at Margaret Daley’s blog, tell me what undercover cop assignment you would find most intriguing to read about for another chance to win a copy.

Fun Friday – How I’m Making My Pup’s Top 7 “Menu” Items Work For Me

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard

1) Plastic Flower Pots – Don’t ask me where my pup keeps finding these. But I’m thinking that the zigzag chew marks around the top will appeal to eclectic collectors. E-Bay auction here I come!

2) Rubber Boots – Around here rubber boots are worn to muck out the farm animals. Dog eats your boots…Someone else will have to do the mucking out. I’m thinking Win-Win. Dog’s happy. I’m happy.

3 Cucumbers – Yes, fresh from the garden, vine-and-all cucumbers. I must admit this one miffed me at first. After all, I enjoy a good cucumber. But…no half bushel of cukes means no obligation to spend hours canning relish and pickles. It works for me!

4) Sofas – Yes, what pup doesn’t like to gnaw on a good sofa? The thing is old, old, old anyway. What better excuse do we need to replace it? Word of advice: wait until pup outgrows chewing phase.

5) Miscellaneous Tools – Maybe the man in your life will start putting them away instead of leaving them lying about. A cause for celebration…okay, if he doesn’t send the dog packing first!

6) Wood – Sure that cord of wood was supposed to be for cosy fires in the dead of winter, but we can always use the bits of wood for kindling…or garden mulch!

7) Remote Control – Clearly the dog is trying to tell us that the time has come for a new T.V. The analog receiver on that old TV doesn’t work anymore, anyway. And all the shows appear as a narrow band across the middle. The pup did us a favor! Or…maybe she’s telling us we need to spend more time walking than watching!

Fridays are my days for fun posts about the “characters” in my life and at large. Lately, our young pup is the biggest character in our lives and rich fodder for blog posts!

And yes, that is something new she’s found to chew–an eavestrough end cap and down spout strap. Ugh! No wait a minute…I’m thinking scrap aluminum prices are up these days. We’re good.


Moral of this story: Look for the silver lining in the trials of your day. And if all else fails. Laugh about it.

Your turn: Got a story to share?

Fun Friday – Tea Anyone?

Posted on: by Sandra Orchard
I’ve spent the last, oh, three weeks answering (or ignoring) every imaginable question you could think to ask a debut author in a blog interview. At least, that’s what I thought until Kav threw some wildly creative ones at me, to which my turned-to-mush brain couldn’t whip up a single pithy reply.
 
 
For example: If you could host a tea party with four book characters, who would you invite?
 
 
Now, I don’t know about you, but I read so many books that after awhile the characters start losing their identities. Sure I remember Rhett Butler, but I don’t want him for tea. 
 
My kids would probably name Lord of the Rings or Narnia characters, but I don’t read fantasy. Although, having Aslan for tea would be cool. Lots of questions I could ask him.
 
 
Of course, thinking of books that my kids read reminded me of my all-time favorite character—Lovable Furry Old Grover from The Monster at the End of this Book. But…I’m thinking, he’s not a tea drinker.
 
I tried to call up my ever-witty brainstorming buddy, who also happens to be part of a book club. She would’ve been able to give me some eccentric answer that would have been quite impressive, I’m sure.
 
But alas, she was out living it up with real people, while I wracked my brain over make-believe people to invite to my make-believe tea party.
 
So I decided to hold auditions.
 
That’s right you get to convince me who to invite: I’ll even make it a little easier. If you could host a party (any kind of party) with one or more book characters, what kind of party would you host and who would you invite?
 
(And Kav, I know you’re out there…I want to hear your answer, too!)