Showing posts with label fun and games. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun and games. Show all posts

Friday, December 21, 2012

Wrap up of the 12 Books of Christmas and Friday Funnies

Well, I'm a few days overdue, but here is the final list of winners in the 12 Books of Christmas giveaway. CONGRATS to all the winners...THANK YOU to all the authors who generously provided a copy of their book...and THANK YOU to all of those who took the time to comment. Like I mentioned before, if you didn't win this time, your turn is surely coming. Watch for more giveaways in 2013!
 
1. Rebecca Painter - Thyme for Love
 
2. Rose McCauley - Pineapples in Peril
 
3. KarenK - The Road to Mercy
 
4. Stephanie Craig - That Summer
 
5. Ladijo - Winds of Wyoming
 
6. Linda Glaz - Christmas Stalking
 
7. Diana - Postmark: Christmas
 
8. Bonnie - Hailee
 
9. Katie J - The Woodcutter's Revival
 
10. Susan - Falling in Love with You
 
11. Merry - Rockapocolypse
 
12. Katie N - A Merry Little Christmas


And now I leave you with a few Christmas funnies that I found amusing.

Can anyone relate to this one besides me?
http://www.funnypica.com/funny-christmas-cartoons-35-pics/funny-christmas-cartoons-01/  


http://www.dumpaday.com/random-pictures/funny-pictures/funny-christmas-pictures-30-pics/attachment/funny-christmas-pictures-20/  
http://www.lifeonavenuez.com/2007/12/my-favorite-christmas-card-ever/ 

Saturday, December 15, 2012

The 12 Books of Christmas Day 11

And the 11th book choice belongs to...

MERRY

Congratulations, Merry! I will be in touch for your choice.


There is one book left in the 12 Books of Christmas! If you'd like to toss your name in the hat (again or for the first time), leave a comment on this post. The final winner will be announced tomorrow, and I'll post a list of all the winners and the books they've chosen on Monday.

For fun, here's a Christmas cartoon I spotted on Facebook yesterday. Just for you writers out there...



Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Everything you ever wanted to know about me and a few things you probably didn't



I'm in the mood to do something fun today so I am forgetting that this is a "Writing blog" and pretending it's a personal blog. Hope you don't mind. If you do, too bad. It's my blog and I'll do what I want with it. ;-)

So I came across this post from a few years ago and thought it was worth a re-post. I was tagged on Facebook to play a fun and rather insightful game that I think many of you might also enjoy. Once you've read this post, you are obligated (yes, obligated - it's my blog, I can make any rules I want, remember?) to post your own random facts, either in the comments here or on your own blog. But if you choose to create your own blog post, you are obligated (yes, obligated!) to leave me a link so I can check it out. It's always fun learning more about our friends! For those of you who don't know me, hopefully this will give you a glimpse into who I am.

MY RANDOM FACTS:

1. I am 44 but I only look 30.
2. I share a birthday with Sugar Ray Leonard.
3. My parents divorced when I was 12.
4. I was VERY naughty as a teenager - I won't expand on that and for those who know me today and can't believe it, just ask my mom.
5. My first job was working at KFC and I got fired for not doing the dishes fast enough (it's true!)
6. Other jobs I've had include pumping gas, hostessing, elderly home care, receptionist, and factory work - and I was never fired again!
7. I had braces twice and I need them again (wear that retainer, people!)
8. I was born-again nineteen years ago and was baptized five years later.
9. I met my husband at 7-11.
10. My husband and I celebrated our 24th anniversary last August.
11. I used to smoke a pack+ of cigarettes a day.
12. I quit smoking 16 years ago.
13. My favorite food is ice cream.
14. Ice cream and quitting smoking caused me to gain 40 pounds.
15. I started Weight Watchers last week.
16. I once had my picture taken with Mr. T and didn't go blind from looking directly at all that bling.
17. The first story I remember writing was called, "The Summer I went to Honolulu."
18. I've never been to Honolulu.
19. FaithWriters.com re-jumpstarted my writing career.
20. I quit my part-time job in January of 2008 to work from home as a freelance writer.
21. I now have two published books, with another one contracted.
22. As far as I know, even thought my maiden name is Vermeer, I am not related to the famous painter, although I like to tell people I am.
23. I know lying is wrong.
24. On that note, I'll come clean and admit I am addicted to coffee, reality television, and the Internet.
25. My biggest fear in the world is spiders.
26. I hate gardening.
27. My oldest child is almost nineteen. People often mistake me for his sister (see #1).

28. I am humbled every day by what God has done for me! 

YOUR TURN! Remember to leave a link so I can read your random facts. Or posting all 28 in the comments works for me, too.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

More Crazy English

 
 
You may remember my post from a couple of weeks ago, titled, "Crazy English." Well, here's another one for you. This was sent to me by a fellow author and I knew I had to share it with you guys. Let me know if you can think of any more.
  
You think English is easy??

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
 
 2) The farm was used to produce produce.
 
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
 
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
 
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
 
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
 
 7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
 
 8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
 
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
 
10) I did not object to the object.
 
 11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
 
 12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
 
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
 
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
 
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
 
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
 
 17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
 
18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
 
 19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
 
20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

 

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and that is
'UP.'
 
It's easy to understand UP , meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP ?

At a meeting, why does a topic come UP ?

Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends.

And we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver; we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen.

We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has real special meaning.

People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses.

To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed UP is special.

A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP.

We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed
UP about UP !

To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP , look the word UP in the dictionary.
In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used.
It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP , you may wind UP with a hundred or more

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP.

When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP.

When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.

When it doesn't rain for awhile, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP.
 
for now my time is UP,

so.......it is time to shut UP !

Friday, September 28, 2012

Crazy English

Congrats to STEPHANIE CRAIG, 
the winner of 101 Ways to Celebrate the Ordinary! 
I know this book will be a blessing to you, Stephanie!

Now I leave you with proof that The English language is truly crazy!

Have any to add?

Monday, August 23, 2010

For Writers: A Fun Monday Meme

You may or may not know that I am the writer behind the FaithWriters blog. On Friday, I posted a fun Friday meme, where visitors were encouraged to pass it along on their own blogs. Well, that's what I'm doing today, only instead of a Fun Friday Meme, I'm titling it a Fun Monday Meme (makes sense, right?).

Here's how it works:

1. Copy and paste the following questions to the comments and replace my answers with your own.

2. If you have a blog, copy and paste these questions and your answers to your blog.

3. Challenge your readers to do the same on their blog.

If you don’t have a blog, skip #’s 2 & 3!

All of this week’s questions have to do with writing (hence, the title of this post: A Writer’s Meme)


What’s your favorite genre of writing? Mystery/Suspense


How often do you get writer’s block? Hmmm…usually around chapter 4 or 5 of my novels, but never on articles. Always have a plethora of ideas.

How do you fix it? Going to the movies with my refillable bucket of popcorn and a large Diet Coke.

Do you type or write by hand? 60 seconds of writing by hand = major writer’s cramp. I love my laptop!

Do you save everything you write? Losing an entire book taught me a valuable lesson. Now I use Mozy.com to backup everything.

Do you ever go back to an old idea long after you abandoned it? Sure!

Do you have a constructive critic? My fabulous crit partner, Susan, who sings my praises and kicks me in the pants at the same time.

Did you ever write a novel? Yep, it’s with an agent now.

What genre would you love to write but haven’t? I really don’t think there’s a genre I haven’t tried at one time or another.

What’s one genre you have never written, and probably never will? Except fantasy. Not my bag.

How many writing projects are you working on right now? 4, I think.

Do you write for a living? Do you want to? I want to and I do!

Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper? Yes and No, respectively.

Have you ever won an award for your writing? A few…

Do you ever write based on your dreams? Not yet.

Do you favor happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers? Depends on the story. And my mood.

YOUR TURN!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Fun & Random Facts about your Favorite Authors

Many of you told me you enjoyed the Journey to Publication links I left last week. Well, I decided to also list the links to the Fiction Author Fun Facts posted so far on Examiner.com. Basically, I sent each of these authors a list of 10 fun questions that will give you a glimpse at who they are. These facts may or may not have to do with writing but you're sure to learn something new about your favorite authors. Cool, right?

37 authors have participated so far, and I have several more scheduled, so be sure to subscribe to the Examiner.com page in order to receive notices when more are posted.

Without further ado, here is the extensive list of Fiction Author Fun Facts. Enjoy!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Whatever Websites for Writers


I thought I'd do something fun today (not that my other posts aren't FUN, mind you) and post several links to some unique websites for writers. Some are helpful, some fun and some just plain wacky. So during that coffee break, click away. Have fun!

www.translate.reference.com. Need to translate a passage or phrase of your story into another language? No problem! This translation site can do it for you.

Cafe Press. Looking for cool stuff for writers? Cafe Press offers novelties, t-shirts, calendars you can give as gifts or pick up for yourself. I'm thinking of buying the mug that says "Will write for coffee." Because most of the time, it's true!

Noodle Tools. Funny name, cool site! If you have a young writer in your life, point them to Noodle Tools, where there are lots of great links to sites just for them. And many of them pay!

Predators & Editors. Wondering if a writing contest is a scam? Looking to find out whether a potential agent or publisher is on the up-and-up? Look no further than Predators & Editors.

Refdesk.com. This is a fun and informative site that provides news and a hefty dose of facts, trivia, and tidbits. Great for a brain boost when your creativity hits a lull.

The Eighteen Questions. Either answer the questions or learn from the experience of dozens of writers/authors who have taken the 18-Question Quiz.

The Rejector. Why do almost all query letters get rejected? Just ask The Rejector- she (or he?) will tell you. Tough skin required.

Story Starter. Experiencing a bit of writer's block? Just want some fresh ideas to get you going? Try Story Starter. Millions of creative ideas await you.

Googlefight.com. I had to add this one. One of my critique partners, Nicole O'Dell, introduced me to Google Fight last night and it's so cool! Just enter two words or phrases and see how they duke it out online. The one with the most hits, wins. Oh...and I beat Nicole. Not to brag or anything.

Know of any more fun websites for writers? Post them here!

Have a wild and wacky weekend!

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Fun Friday Meme

Today I'm doing a Fun Friday Meme for all of you writers out there. Take a moment to copy and paste these questions onto your own blog. Leave a message here when you've done it so I can hop on over and check it out. I love learning stuff about my fellow writers.


What's the last thing you wrote? From start to finish, it was a review on the DVD, Hollywood on Fire. I've submitted it to a particular publication but haven't heard back yet. The last thing I wrote at all was in my current novel. Trying to get the first fifteen pages polished up for the ACFW Genesis contest.

Was it any good? I think so!

What's the first thing you ever wrote that you still have? A story I wrote in 6th grade called, The Summer I Went to Honolulu. It's not complete but I love it. It even includes characature drawings. LoL

Write poetry? Not as much as I used to. I've been meaning to put together a batch of greeting card verse (which is pretty much poetry) to submit to Blue Mountain Arts and to DaySpring. Gotta get on that.


Do you type or write by hand? Almost always type. But with poetry, I need my pencil and paper.

Do you save everything you write? Since losing an entire manuscript, YES!

Does music help you write? Sometimes I put music on and sometimes I like it quiet. Depends on my mood. Right now, I've got a Christian radio station playing.


Do you even show people your work? Hmmm. Yes and no. I have no problem sending my work to a crit buddy or two but rarely show my family or friends. Published work is different. I guess I need to know something is publishable before sharing with those close to me.


Do you want to write for a living? I want to and I DO!


Have you ever written something for a magazine or newspaper? Yes, both. Well, the newspaper thing was just a letter to the editor but, hey, it was printed. I've had a couple of magazine articles published (the most recognizable magazine is Christian Home & School) and I also have a short story being held by Mature Living that I'm hopeful will be published someday soon. My goal is to start submitting more to print magazines.

The last thing you've had published for pay? Not sure. Either an article on WahCheck or a FaithReaders interview. Both were published this week but not sure which one was published first.


Fiction Writers...

Where do you get ideas for your characters? Probably bits and pieces of people I know. I tend to look for (and love discovering) the quirky and bizarre things people do. Incorporating them into my characters is fun.

Are you a Pantser or a Plotter? Totally a Pantser. Taking time to plot takes the fun out of it for me. I basically spend a bit of time mulling over the story in my head until I have a good idea of where I'm going with it. Then I start with gusto and like to see where my characters and the story take me. Once I'm in a few dozen pages, I stop to semi-plot, just to get things straight in my mind and brainstorm new twists.

Have you ever written sci-fi, fantasy, or horror? Nope. Never have and probably never will. Not my thing.

Ever written romance or teen angsty drama? My finished novel is Mom Lit and that has a little romance in it. I've also written several romantic flash fiction pieces. The first novel I ever started (and LOST - see question 6, above) was a YA, although it wouldn't exactly quality as teen angsty drama.

Genre of choice? Contemporary anything - mystery, romance, drama. Mystery would be the genre I most like to read.

Do you favor happy endings, sad endings, or cliff-hangers? I would say it depends on the story, but I really don't like to write cliff-hangers unless, of course, the book is part of a series. Otherwise, closure is always the goal.


Quote something you've written. The first thing to pop into your mind.

All men cheat.

At least, that’s what my mother’s told me—a gazillion times. Okay, so Mom has valid reasons for her opinion. Let’s look at the facts: my father cheated on her. The three men she’s dated since she and my father divorced twenty-eight years ago cheated on her. And she’s positive her married boss is having an affair with a cashier at the convenience store where she works.

“A much younger cashier,” she keeps stressing.

This is the opening of Mind over Madi, the novel I recently finished. I am thinking of reworking the beginning, but it's probably the thing I've written that I remember most clearly.


YOUR TURN! I'm tagging all of you to copy and paste this FUN FRIDAY MEME onto your blog. Don't forget to come back and let me know. I've love to check it out.

Monday, January 12, 2009

T.M.I. about Me...

I'm in the mood to do something fun today so I am forgetting that this is a "Writing blog" and pretending it's a personal blog. Hope you don't mind. If you do, too bad. It's my blog and I'll do what I want with it. ;-)

So I got "tagged" on Facebook by my friend, Cheri Hardaway, to play a fun and rather insightful game that I thought many of you would also enjoy. Once you've read this post, you are obligated (yes, obligated - it's my blog, I can make any rules I want, remember?) to post your own random facts, either in the comments here or on your own blog. But if you choose to create your own blog post, you are obligated (yes, obligated!) to leave me a link so I can check it out. It's always fun learning more about our friends! For those of you who don't know me, hopefully this will give you a glimpse into who I am.

Rules:
1. Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 28 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.
2. At the end, choose people you want to be tagged.
3. You have to tag the person who tagged you.
4. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.

MY RANDOM FACTS:

1. I am 40 but I only look 28.
2. I share a birthday with Sugar Ray Leonard.
3. My parents divorced when I was 12.
4. I was VERY naughty as a teenager - I won't expand on that and for those who know me today and can't believe it, just ask my mom.
5. My first job was working at KFC and I got fired for not doing the dishes fast enough (it's true!)
6. Other jobs I've had include pumping gas, hostessing, elderly home care, receptionist, and factory work - and I was never fired again!
7. I had braces twice and I need them again (wear that retainer, people!)
8. I was born-again sixteen years ago and was baptized five years later.
9. I met my husband at 7-11.
10. My husband and I celebrated our 20th anniversary last August.
11. I used to smoke a pack+ of cigarettes a day.
12. I quit smoking 13 years ago.
13. My favorite food is ice cream.
14. Ice cream and quitting smoking caused me to gain 40 pounds.
15. I started Weight Watchers last week.
16. I once had my picture taken with Mr. T and didn't go blind from looking directly at all that bling.
17. The first story I remember writing was called, "The Summer I went to Honolulu."
18. I've never been to Honolulu.
19. FaithWriters.com re-jumpstarted my writing career.
20. I quit my part-time job in January of 2008 to work from home as a freelance writer.
21. The first several pages of my first novel has finalled in three separate contests.
22. As far as I know, even thought my maiden name is Vermeer, I am not related to the famous painter, although I like to tell people I am.
23. I know lying is wrong.
24. On that note, I'll come clean and admit I am addicted to coffee, reality television, and the Internet.
25. My biggest fear in the world is spiders.
26. I hate gardening.
27. My oldest child just turned fifteen. I had him when I was 13 (see number 1)
28. I am humbled every day by what God has done for me!