Where is Kali?

I love letters in the mail and boxes of books ... but nothing beats getting complimentary copies ...

My rebus: Where is Kali? beautifully illustrated by Kristin Kwan is in the October issue of Ladybug. Of course, it is based upon the real Kali (who is a tortie) but the illustrator chose to depict her as a tuxedo cat (like our kitten Finn) so it is doubly sweet.

I love the rebuses in Ladybug because the surprise comes after the page turn. It never fails to bring a little "ah" of satisfaction.

My magazine work has dwindled considerably, but still those ideas keep popping into my head. Kali alone has inspired several stories and we have two homemade books with photographs and text by yours truly. These were my kids' favorite books, right along with those by Rosemary Wells and Leo Lionni!

I don't think I'll even stop writing short stories. They're a great testing ground, and it supports the novel-writing bug. Just think of all the toner, paper, Internet ... 

We went to the aquarium this weekend and the highlight was the exhibit from Madagascar. Here are some lemurs, one of my all-time favorite critters. Did you know they purr, just like cats? I learned quite a bit about their habits while doing research for my cat purring article ...

Here's a plug for magazine writing. Some of my favorite children's magazines: Highlights for Children, Cricket Group, Clubhouse, Pockets, Ranger Rick, National Geographic Kids. Many are tough nuts to crack, but they all provide great content for children.

I'll be speaking about this very topic at the next Write 2 Ignite conference!

Ready? Set ... Write!

Happy writing all. And don't discount those little ideas that pop up in your head. Write!

Finis ... for now

Sometimes novel revisions look like this, especially when you're doing in-depth revisions. Sometimes I shave off too much. There are pieces that seem out of place, the transitions get all messed up when adding new scenes or deleting others. You don't really want to go out in public.

I don't know about you, but it takes time to re-vision and re-write so that the manuscript looks like this ... and of course, the hard work (just do it).

Well, after several years, and with much help from my furry friends, I am finally ready to submit my first novel manuscript!

It is not the first novel I've written ... 

Here's the stash of papers from the various revisions. I tried to save paper, but I guess I'll just have to plant a tree ... a tea bush will be more likely.

Ummm, I am not only the cook, housekeeper, writer, and teacher, but the family hair-cut-giver. This little *accident* happened on my husband's watch ... for which I'm eternally grateful. It came pretty soon after the hack-job I did on my daughter's head, which had to be fixed by a professional hair-dresser.

I am so proud of my son ... he went to school as usual and told the truth. That his parents make mistakes. Nothing that a little time and prayer can't fix.

Tragedy and Grace

It’s strange to think how a tragedy of immense proportions, like that of 9/11 can have anything good come out of it, but my husband confessed years later it was the turning point for him, when he started reading more conservative columnists and began to consider the possibility of God. When our older child began school a few years later and we felt overwhelmed with all the outside influences we didn’t want him to have, I naturally turned towards God. That was my childhood, but I wasn’t sure how open my husband would be. See, I’ve seen marriages fall apart when one spouse wants to talk about God and the other is vehemently opposed, and I loved my husband more than anything and didn’t want to cause a rift in our marriage. I loved him far more than an invisible God.


Imagine my delight and surprise when I bought a beautiful children’s Bible with pictures and historical tidbits, and my husband offered to read it to the children. I didn’t appreciate then what I do now. He held the Word is his hands and began to fall in love with Jesus… “How is it that I do not know this?” he asked. We became hungry for more.

A couple of years later, when the pull towards God became stronger and I could no longer deny my desire to return to church, it was easy to broach the subject to my husband. We didn’t have to debate much which church … there was one at the bottom of our hill, but it had a slogan “No weird stuff” that turned me off. It implied that other churches had weird stuff. I thought about going back to my Anglican roots, but when I looked at all the changes, we thought, no. We must go farther back, before the Reformation, before all the heresies (and there were plenty), and seven years after 9/11 we stepped into the nearest Catholic Church. During football season. The rest is history …

The seeds of our conversion were planted 9/11 in my husband! I see how grace flows from the head of the family to all its members. I might have had the religious background, but without my husband, I would never have stepped into that church. From a tragedy, this one good thing has happened in our family. We turned towards God. We recognized how much we need Him. And He used that crack to burrow Himself into our hearts. And so we pray for those who died; may they rest in the loving arms of our Lord Jesus Christ for all eternity.




We entered the digital age fairly late (in fact, my husband won this camera at some engineering conference) ... so this picture is the closest one I have to 9/11. As you can see, we're preparing for Thanksgiving at Chez Bodach.

My grace is sufficient for thee ~ 2 Cor. 12:9

ICL Writing Contest

ICL is sponsoring a YA short-story contest (any sub-genre: adventure, historical, Sci/Fi). Read the specifications. In brief, it's for 13-14 yr-olds, under 1,500 words, due by Halloween. So put on your thinking cap. Maybe a new story is coming to the surface, or maybe an excerpt of a novel can be reshaped into a short story. Perhaps you already have a story in the works that just needs a polish ... so what are you waiting for? Spit-shine it and send it off.

If you already subscribe to the Children's Writer newsletter you don't need to pay an entry fee. If you don't, the small entry fee is worth it because you will also get a subscription. This is one of the few contests that I feel is worth the fee (they actually give you something for it).

The prize is nice: $500 and publication in CW. You can then re-sell the story to another magazine. Years ago, my short story, Driving Lessons, won first prize in the YA contemporary category. It was such a thrill and the check that arrived in the mail even more so. I was so happy, I wrote about it here.

Contests are a great way to hone your writing skills, and some have excellent prizes. Some unusual ones are your story on a soup can, gift cards to writing supplies shops, kitchenware, etc. If you've not done this before, I encourage you to do so. Even if you do not win, you might get an honorable mention.

I wish I could enter ... but I teach for ICL so I do not have this privilege anymore.

Good luck to all who enter.

September Means School

A little girl inspired me to post this picture. I came across this alligator-turtle on my morning walk. He obviously had to get to the other pond.

We are now in the new school/work routine (doesn't my family look great in their uniforms?), which means I'm writing a whole lot more (in my nightie). Well, revising madly, actually. The last round before I send this puppy out ...  Please tell me I will not turn into a neurotic mess when I enter Queryland.

Here I am reading Faith's manuscript! As I recall, I could not go to bed. It is soooo GOOD!

Here's wishing you all a great September of reading, writing, and arithmetic.

On Speaking Truth

Today we remember the martyrdom of St. John the Baptist. Read the Gospel reading for an account. He died because he preached the truth about Herodias’s adultery and she couldn’t stand it. Yes, he was judgmental. But he called her to repent. She wanted him silenced, and so used not her own womanly wiles but the charms of her daughter, Salome. You all know the story. Herod is so pleased by the sultry, sexy dance, he offers her anything, and she demands the head of the Baptist at her mother’s request.

Although we have nothing so dramatic today silencing the prophets of today, I notice that those who speak against abortion or gay marriage are labeled bigots. The people who want to sin are intolerant of the people who speak against it, in the name of freedom. Yes, we have free will. But as I tell my children, you are better off when you choose to do the *right* thing. It may be harder to be chaste, but it comes with great blessings. Even married couples are called to be chaste, for example, when a spouse is ill.

Sometimes it can look as though the religious are overly concerned over sexual misdemeanors. I think these are some of the easiest sins to conquer. They form the lower level of Dante’s Inferno. Much more difficult sins to conquer are the sins of pride. The father of lies – satan – lets us believe that we are like God. We should decide what’s good and bad. That’s pride. Much harder to conquer than any habitual sin.

I love the line: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. It is very perceptive because hope in the Lord Jesus Christ is what saves us.

I came across something wonderful a couple of years ago: Divine Mercy. I’ll direct you to a brief biography of St. Faustina here, but the essence of Divine Mercy is that even if you have a smidgen of goodwill towards God, a speck of hope, God will allow His mercy to work. If the soul rejects this last grace, then God allows eternal separation. In St. Faustina’s Diary: Divine Mercy in My Soul, she describes the interaction of a despairing soul, falling farther into the abyss and how the Divine Mercy saves this soul. We pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy often for those who are sick, suffering, and dying.

Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. In His name, My God, have mercy.

So, do not despair. Always have hope.

And speaking of hope, did anybody watch the Republican National Convention? I do not watch TV, but this was too good to pass up. So instead of finishing a new chapter, I was glued to the TV with my family for a couple of hours. Oy. I was struck by the humble beginnings of so many of the leaders, their accomplishments, and their drive to succeed. I can’t wait for Mitt Romney to lead this country to prosperity in a prudent manner. He has a balanced budget in MA. Whoa! That alone impresses me. Historically, governors make good presidents, for the simple fact they know how to govern! I especially loved listening to Chris Christie (governor of VA) and Nikki Haley (governor of SC, yeah!). I waited for Bobby Jindal (governor of LA), but I think he had more pressing matters, like dealing with Isaac.

So, there you go. A post in which I talk about religion and politics. Can you feel the heat?
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Confessions

Converts to Christianity might especially enjoy reading St. Augustine's Confessions. Oh, how he speaks to my heart.

“Too late have I loved you, O Beauty of ancient days, yet ever new! Too late I loved you! And behold, you were within, and I abroad, and there I searched for you; I was deformed, plunging amid those fair forms, which you had made. You were with me, but I was not with you. Things held me far from you—things which, if they were not in you, were not at all. You called, and shouted, and burst my deafness. You flashed and shone, and scattered my blindness. You breathed odors and I drew in breath—and I pant for you. I tasted, and I hunger and thirst. You touched me, and I burned for your peace” (St. Augustine, Confessions).

Today is his memorial day, and yesterday was his devout mother's (St. Monica). Sometimes they feel inseparable to me, and biologically speaking, they were one flesh for nine months, just as Jesus was inseparably one Flesh with His mother. St. Augustine reminds me what a great role mothers have in bringing their children to Christ. St. Monica prayed unceasingly, pleaded, and even nagged Augustine to lead a life of holiness. God answered her prayers. He is one of the greatest fathers of the church.

Pray for us, St. Monica, that we may bring our children to Christ.
Pray for us, St. Augustine, that we may bring all those whose lives we touch to Christ.

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Two Hard Readings in One Day

Today's Bible readings are difficult for us with our modern sensibilities ... but I urge you to read Msgr. Pope's reflection on them. He speaks with clarity.

Wishing you all a very blessed Lord's day.

Cypress Gardens and the Swamp

I have visited several butterfly gardens, and I especially enjoyed this one at Cypress Gardens because they had all the stages on the plants -- eggs, caterpillars, chrysalids, and butterflies. So pretty. They also had these fluffy quail. I dearly wanted to cradle them in my hands.

There was also an indoor swamparium with alligators, snakes, frogs, and various other critters, including this enormous catfish.

We got into a small flat-bottom boat and paddled around in the swamp. It was so much fun, we've got to do this again. It'd be scary at Halloween.

My husband did most of the steering, so we wouldn't crash into the trees, but of course, he was looking up at the sky ...

We do love our flying creatures, both natural and man-made. Here's a dragonfly resting on my salty leg.

We took a walk later and I could've sat on that bench for a long time ... alas a storm was brewing ... so we wanted to get home before then ... but simply had to stop to stick our heads in the alligator's mouth!

We waited out the storm in the car ... but look! A double rainbow. So beautiful. I have my son to thank for taking all these pictures. He's got a great eye and I love being able to share them with all of you.

Have a great weekend!

Back to School

The kids started school today ... and it was hard getting up early this morning. But everyone got out the door on time, and we even had time to pray all together as a family. We usually do this in the evenings, but I like this new schedule with my husband bringing the children to school, and me doing the afternoon pick-up.

As befits a school post, I had my son write out his thoughts about a couple of books we've been reading.

A Whole Lot of Lucky by Danette Howarth is an interesting book about how a relatively poor girl named Hailee wins the lottery and her family suddenly becomes very rich. She gets lots of stuff like computers, smartphones, and new clothes, things she's never had before. However, her parents transfer her to a private school and suddenly she realizes how much she liked her old public school. She has to learn that not all luck is good and that not all change is bad. It is a very good book because it shows how you can be happy without having the latest toys. Hailee has to learn that her best friend is better than her new friends, even though her new friends are a lot richer and have more stuff. The ending is happy.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein is about a spy who gets caught by the Nazis in France during WWII. She bargains with them so that she may live. The interrogator agrees, provided she tells them confidential information on paper. Meanwhile resistance fighters rescue her pilot, Maddie. As Verity weaves her tale on paper, which is funny and heartbreaking, we learn about her and Maddie. I liked the writing because Verity never really dwells on her capture. She just tells the story of how she came to be here because of the Nazis or "idiot fascists." The book has many twists and turns and the ending is sadly surprising. It made me laugh and cry.

Both kids have been reading a lot and I've had to confiscate books from them so that they got their chores done in a timely manner. You'd think I wouldn't have to do this anymore, but we are all a bookish bunch. My thanks go to Danette for writing A Whole Lot of Lucky and to Christina for sending me her book. When we pray the rosary, we often pray that God will protect us from the worship of material things, and this book is spot on for showing this. Relationships are far more important.

Code Name Verity has got to be the BEST fiction I've read this year. Hands down! I love historical fiction, but to have a book where I have to revise everything I thought I knew as I read the second half is brilliant. I was never once confused, but the sense of adventure and mystery remained, not to mention the deep friendship between these two brave young women. I've read a few WWII books, but never one that features female pilots or their contributions. This is a book I will read again. Thank you, Ms. Wein for writing this book.

Other things I've been reading Word Among Us. A friend prompted me to get a subscription, and after reading some of their reflections online for a month, I did. The little magazine is perfect to have at home when I don't make it to daily Mass. It has all the Scripture readings as well.

Another friend gave us a subscription to Latin Mass Magazine, and I am floored by the in-depth articles. We shall definitely resubscribe. I also like the FSSP newsletter.

For those of you gearing up for school, don't you just love the smell of new notebooks and pens and pencils? I'm looking forward to having more time to write during the day, making some submissions, and having some acceptances. I have a lovely little Bear Card from Highlights (they ask to bear with them as they review a story). They are a class act, through and through. If any of you get a chance to go to any of their writing workshops, do it. It's a great investment.

Here's wishing you all a great school year, and I hope we grow not only in knowledge but also virtue and holiness.