LeBlog--The Blog about life…writing, raising kids, chasing dogs, handling life and all its bit parts.

September 29, 2008

 

Fever

Yep, I have it. Puppy fever. I'm not sure what happened or how I caught it but it hit me hard this weekend. I haven't even been around a puppy. Could I have caught it on the plane last week? My mother thinks I'm beyond a cure. After all, we have a lab, a llasa and a persnickety cat. Maybe it's that I lost my dog Muffet almost three years ago and our cat Hershey this summer. I guess I like living in a barnyard environment. We're trying to figure out the right kind of puppy to adopt. We do want a puppy, as we think that would be the best way to introduce a new animal to the ones we already have. We'd like a dog big enough to play with our lab. The only thing holding us back from getting another lab (because we adore ours!) is that they just shed so much. I already vaccuum up a whole dog each week. Anyway, any suggestions out there?

September 26, 2008

 

More questions

My son asked yesterday, "What's your favorite day of the week?" I wasn't sure. Probably depends on what is happening that day. Trip to the dentist? Not so much. Spending time with my family? Definitely! My daughter answered, "Saturday! 'Cause I can spend time with ALL my family." She always misses Daddy having to go to that pesky job. My son answered, "Every day!" And shouldn't it be that way? Every day is the Lord's day. Even going to the dentist.

So, what's your favorite day?

September 25, 2008

 

Yada, yada, yada

We went on a walk this morning. The weather is beautiful. Fall is my favorite time of the year. So, my son was riding his bike, my daughter was walking, and I was walking the big goofy lab. My son (age 10) started telling me about his book that he's writing, talking non-stop without taking a breath. Or so it seemed. I have to confess I wasn't paying attention as I should have. I was trying to keep the leash from getting tangled up in my son's bike as he was going extra slow so he could tell me all about aliens and battles and such. When he rode off ahead of us, I just chuckled because he was still talking. I looked up at the beautiful blue sky and just shook my head. I imagined how God must smile down at us some days when we're talking non-stop, praying about some problem or crisis, going on and on and on. Maybe he wants to say, "Stop. Take a breath. Now, you can hear me." Oh, yeah, he already did ... "Be still and know I am God."

September 24, 2008

 

On the Big Screen


This past weekend when I was in Minneapolis for the ACFW Conference, we had a huge book signing at Mall of America. Barnes and Noble hosted over 100 authors. On the jumbotron overhead, book covers and trailers flashed on the screens. Here's a picture a friend (thanks, Deb!) sent me of Lookin' Back, Texas making its appearance in Mall of America.

September 23, 2008

 

What would you do ...?

...if your husband invited company over for dinner the night you arrived back in town from a long conference? Well, this happened to me. Friends told me they would have strangled their husbands. But ...

What if he cleaned the entire house?

What if he bought all the groceries?

What if he made the entire dinner?

Mine did. And we had a lovely evening.

However, just so you don't think my husband is perfect, I opened up the dryer this morning and pulled out a load of laundry he did. A dark red table cloth was wrapped around our big, white fluffy towels. Make that pink. Lovely.

September 22, 2008

 

Barefoot!

I'm home from conference and I'm going barefoot for the next few days. My toesies are tired. Writers spend so much time alone at the computer in their jammies that we often don't wear shoes. Then we pack our bags and head off to conference. There we have to get dressed every day, put on makeup, wear shoes and talk nonstop. So back from the culture shock of all of that, I'm guessing it'll take me a few days without shoes and without talking to get my equilibrium back.

The ACFW conference was great! I met a lot of great, new friends! I enjoyed the time I spent with my agent and editor. The devotion I gave seemed to go well. But how much fun can one writer take? It's good to be home.

I'll post pictures in the next couple of days ... after I catch up on sleep.

September 16, 2008

 

On your mark, get set ...

Go! I'm off tomorrow for the ACFW conference. I'm really looking forward to concentrating on writing, hanging out with friends, meeting with my agent and new editor. So I won't be back till next week. In the mean time, I wanted to remind you about the contest I'm running. Wouldn't you like a chance to win $50?

To celebrate Lookin’ Back, Texas coming out, I’m running a contest! You have the chance to win a $50 prepaid card that could be used at most grocery stores, book stores or even gas stations! (Man, we could all use a little relief in that area, couldn’t we?) Here’s the lowdown:

For bloggers: Post information on your blog about Lookin’ Back, Texas. I can email you the cover. Below you’ll find a catchy blurb. You can even link to the trailer on youtube.com.

For non-bloggers (and those of you wondering what a blog is): Send an email to ten friends about Lookin’ Back, Texas. You can use the blurb below and also refer them to my website (www.leannaellis.com).

Then let me know (leanna@leannaellis.com) you’ve posted the information on your blog or sent out 10 emails and I’ll put your name in a drawing for the possibility to win a $50 prepaid card. Please provide your snail mail address. The drawing will be held Oct. 24th (my birthday!). The winner will be notified via email.

If you want to enter more than once, that’s okay! Just send out 10 more emails. If your friends want to enter, that’s okay too! Odds of winning depend on the number of entries. No purchase is necessary. And buying my book won’t increase your odds of winning (but will give me a happy smile and you some enjoyment).

Lookin’ Back, Texas
by Leanna Ellis
September 2008
A devoted wife and mother must return to her hometown of Luckenbach, Texas to help her mother plan her father’s funeral. Trouble is – he isn’t dead! And neither are the secrets she buried there years ago.

Email me at leanna@leannaellis.com to let me know you’ve posted/emailed or if you want a .pdf file of the cover. Thanks so much!

September 15, 2008

 

Viva ...

We were driving in the minivan to school last week. My son (age 10) starts singing, "Viva Viagra!"

"Uh, son ..." I had to explain why it might not be appropriate to sing that commercial's song around his friends or teacher.

"Whoa! Don't tell me anymore!" he said.

I don't think I'll hear that song again.

September 13, 2008

 

Elvis and Tacos

A friend emailed me the other day that she was at a stoplight near a Taco Bell. Her daughter said, "Look, Mommy! That lady is reading your friend's book." Sure enough, a woman was reading Elvis Takes a Back Seat and eating a taco. Sounds like something The King would have liked. What other foods do you think would go with Elvis Takes a Back Seat? Biscuits and gravy? Peanut butter and banana sandwiches?

September 11, 2008

 

Have you forgotten?

It's easy to do in the day to day rushing around that all of us do. I don't know about you, but I'm busy driving kids to activities, helping them with homework, writing, cleaning ... you know, the usual. But it's all a juggle.

But I remember the day when things changed. It was a morning like any other, except I had two sick kids. I was waiting for the doctor's office to open so I could make an appointment. I was fixing breakfast, feeding the animals (the dogs, not the kids). My children were only 3 and almost 2. So they needed a lot of attention. Finally, I was on hold at the doctor's office. Music was playing in the background, and I was making an omelet for the kids, spatula in hand. I wasn't really paying attention to the radio announcer talking in my ear. I just wanted the receptionist to get back on the line so I'd know if I needed to jump in the car for our appointment or if it would be later in the day. Finally, I got the appointment and called my husband to tell him our plans. He said, "Did you hear what happened?"

Suddenly, what the radio announcer said clicked into place. "Something about fire at the World Trade Center?" My husband told me they thought a plane had flown into the building. Well, I thought that was horrific. But I only had fifteen minutes to get in the car and head toward the doctor's office.

After the kids were strapped in their carseats, I headed toward the airport, which was near the doctor's office. I turned on the radio. As I listened, I heard another plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. Now they knew it was a terrorist act. And the Pentagon had been hit. Shocked, I kept driving but looked around at the other cars around me. Drivers had intense faces, as if they too were listening. Then came the announcement that officials were worried more planes had been hijacked. All planes had been recalled. We were driving toward the airport.

I didn't know anyone who died that day. But my life changed. I remember my husband going to the mailbox and running back inside with our two year old because a plane was flying overhead. For days no planes took flight. It was a surreal time. It was a frightening time. With small children, I had to limit turning on the television or radio, so I only gathered pieces of information. But I grieved with our nation.

One of the most powerful memories to me was seeing a hospital in New York City. Nurses were waiting outside for ambulances to arrive. But no ambulances were arriving with casualties.

We've come a long way as a nation since that day. We've learned that there are people out there who hate us just because we live, because we believe differently, because we have freedom. For a few days, we pulled together as a nation despite differences. We flocked to churches. We prayed together. We grieved for those who had lost much -- a father, mother, daughter, son, brother, sister, friend. May we never forget the impact those planes had on our nation. Please take a moment today to remember and to pray for our nation.

September 10, 2008

 

Lipstick Power

Did you ever think lipstick would get so much attention in the media? Well, here we go. It started with Gov. Sarah Palin saying during her speech at the RNC, "What's the difference between a pit bull and a hockey mom?" Pause. "Lipstick." It received a huge laugh. It was a funny line. But here are a few lines that aren't quite so funny. A blog recently wrote "What's the difference between Sarah Palin and a Muslim fundamentalist? Lipstick." Not so funny. And how about Sen. Obama's comment yesterday: "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig." Did you ever think lipstick would be come such a hot topic in this election? This election has been full of surprises, hasn't it?

The most amazing thing to me, as we just celebrated a huge anniversary of when women gained the right to vote, this election could be decided by the women's vote. And the result could be that glass ceiling could be broken forever.

Sometimes we forget ... or maybe we didn’t know the sacrifices of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers. It wasn’t until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote. My grandmother was 20 years old. Women were jailed for picketing the White House. They were only carrying signs asking for the right to vote. The warden ordered the guards to teach the suffragists a lesson. The 33 women were convicted of obstructing sidewalk traffic. The guards beat Lucy Burns. They chained her hands to the cell bars above her head. They let her stay like that all night. They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed. They beat, choked, slammed and kicked the women. Their food was infested with worms. They endured all of this so that you and I can have the right to vote.

No matter where your beliefs fall, use your lipstick power this fall and vote. Never take that right for granted.

September 9, 2008

 

Unforgettable?

Or have you become forgetful? I sure have! This weekend, driving from church to meet my family for dinner, I took a highway and as I passed the first exit, I reminded myself that the next exit was the one I wanted. But then by the time I reached the exit, I forgot and drove right past it! Now, I could blame the sun which was glaring right in my eyes. But I know it's not that. I forget alot these days. What about you? Do you find yourself walking into a room, wondering what you were looking for or why you're there? Do you think of someone you need to write an email to and then forget by the time you sit down at the computer? A friend of mine that I ran into this past weekend when I gave a talk to Mystery Writers has come up with a fabulous solution. Memo-pause. Check it out here.

September 6, 2008

 

The Big O

Oprahgate is in the news apparently. Drudge reported her staff was divided about having Sarah Palin on her show. Oprah came out and said that was untrue. She would not have Sarah Palin on before the election because she didn't want to make her show political since she'd already stated how she felt in this election. She said Sarah Palin would be an interesting interview but after the election.

Now, I don't watch Oprah very often, but only occasionally if she has an interesting guest and if I happen to know about it. So what do you think? Should she interview this momma, gun-totin', VP pick?

By the way, just as an aside, she did have Senator Obama on her show.

Now tell me what you think!

September 5, 2008

 

Finally!

The conventions are over. The Olympics are over. Maybe now I can go to bed at a decent hour, so I can get up and work! I have been so undisciplined over the last four weeks, distracted by if Michael Phelps was going to win, what Obama's speech was going to be like, the announcement of Sarah Palin as McCain's running mate. So have y'all been distracted too?

Uh-oh, just realized Dancing with the Stars starts soon. Oh, man. But at least the show ends before 10pm.

By the way, if you haven't seen my blog on the contest I'm running where you have a chance to win $50, then please check out my previous blog or website. If you're in the DFW area tomorrow, I'll be speaking at the Mystery Writers group. Hope you'll come!

September 2, 2008

 

Contest -- chance to win $50!

If it’s as hot where you are as it is here in Texas, then you need something to lift those spirits. So I hope this contest will.

Lookin’ Back, Texas arrived in stores yesterday! I’ve heard from lots of folks that they’ve already seen it on bookshelves across the country. To celebrate, I’m running a contest to get the word out! You have the chance to win a $50 prepaid card that could be used at most grocery stores, book stores or even gas stations! (Man, we could all use a little relief in that area, couldn’t we?) Here’s the lowdown:

For bloggers: Post information on your blog about Lookin’ Back, Texas. I can email you the cover. Below you’ll find a catchy blurb. You can even link to the trailer on youtube.com.

For non-bloggers: Send an email to ten friends about Lookin’ Back, Texas. You can use the blurb below and also refer them to my website.

Then let me know (leanna@leannaellis.com) you’ve posted the information on your blog or sent out 10 emails and I’ll put your name in a drawing for the possibility to win a $50 prepaid card. Please provide your snail mail address. The drawing will be held Oct. 24th (my birthday!). The winner will be notified via email.

If you want to enter more than once, that’s okay! Just send out 10 more emails. If your friends want to enter, that’s okay too! Odds of winning depend on the number of entries. No purchase is necessary. And buying my book won’t increase your odds of winning (but will give me a happy smile and you some enjoyment).

Lookin’ Back, Texas
By Leanna Ellis
September 2008
A devoted wife and mother must return to her hometown of Luckenbach, Texas to help her mother plan her father’s funeral. Trouble is – he isn’t dead! And neither are the secrets she buried there years ago.

Email me at leanna@leannaellis.com to let me know you’ve posted/emailed or if you want a .pdf file of the cover.

Thanks so much and best wishes!

Blessings,


Leanna

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