Reading tastes

I was actually going to write a serious blog on animals but when I sat down to start, the subject of reading tastes came to mind.

My daughters are 7 and 9. One discovered reading in 2nd grade and began inhaling books. And I do mean inhale. The other has discovered reading this summer and as she says, "Reading's pretty cool."

But I already see they are going to have very different tastes.

The oldest had read the Fudge books by Judy Blume so I thought nothing of getting her Blubber from the library. She wouldn't read it. Wouldn't crack open the cover. She said, "I mostly like fantasy and mysteries." Which is true. She's read all the Harry Potter series, all the Secrets of Droon to date, is three books away from finishing Animorphs, read all the Nancy Drew books in her school library, etc, etc. I could go on and on about the serieses she reads.

The youngest has discovered Mr. Putter and Tabby. She LOVES those books. She's also reading Amelia Bedelia, Froggy, and Dr. Seuss. Animals and humor seem to be her reading of choice. It will be interesting to see if that changes. But I have hopes maybe she'll enjoy The Black Stallion and Misty of Chincoteague.

As for me, I do have genres I prefer but I read outside of them, too. I read a lot of paranormal and erotic romance. But I read animal books out the whazoo when I was a kid, still do, and read a lot of mysteries. Stephen King, thrillers, and romance rounded out my teen years. I think I have a fairly ecletic mixed bag of what I like to read and always did.

I was just wondering if everyone preferred certain genres like my daughters or was more ecletic like me. Did your tastes change with age? What genres do you read in?

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com/
http://www.melanylogen.com/

Don't Talk to Strangers

On Monday, I stepped into the elevator at work and a man was already inside. He was dressed in “corporate cowboy” attire: button-down shirt, jeans so new they’re actually blue and the crease is sharp enough to cut something, cowboy hat, and cowboy boots that desperately need to be broken in. He looked me up and down and said, “You’re not dressed for Stampede.”

I shook my head, smiled, looked him up and down, and remarked, “All you’re missing is the belt buckle that can deflect bullets.”

He reached down, lifted his overhanging belly, and said, “No, I’m not.”

Oy-vey. Why me?

A confession

I admit it. I’m an overpacker. *sigh*.

I’m getting ready to go to RT. I leave tomorrow. I have packed everything but the kitchen sink. Hmmm maybe I should…

No, just kidding.

But I keep thinking, “I need to take this. What if I need this?”

I’ve looked at suggestions for packing lightly. It never works with me. I try and combine outfits. As I’m actually dressing up for a few balls, that didn’t work this time.

As I struggle to fit all this in my car tomorrow and into the hotel, I’m sure I’ll wish I’d have left some things at home.

Any other overpackers out there? Or am I a lonely breed?

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen

PAN, SCHMAN

So, I finally got around to applying for RWA PAN (Published Authors Network) status last week and received the congratulatory email yesterday. And I felt completely blah about it. Champagne didn't fall from the heavens. Doors didn't open. Velvet ropes didn't part. (I'm a Nicolas Cage fan.) Why? I don't see the tangible benefits of PAN. Seriously, what does the following statement mean:

The purpose of PAN is to establish within the RWA framework a network of communication and support to effectively promote and protect the interests of published romance authors; to open channels of communication between those romance authors and other publishing industry professionals; and to encourage professionalism on all levels and in all relationships within the publishing industry.

Very vague, isn't it? And, um, shouldn't RWA being doing this for ALL members?

The only thing I've heard about PAN is you get first pick at editors and agents at conferences. Unfortunately, I don't attend conferences. My Clark Kent-job schedule is hectic and even though I have 4 weeks of vacation, I have to schedule them around monthly closes, quarterly closes, and plan time, which stretches from May to September. My local RWA chapter organizes a conference every two years, but I've been snubbed by these people. (I contacted them three times about joining and they never replied. Since their 6 published authors are NY-pubbed, they might not want an e-pubbed author in their midst.)

And...um...I think that's the only benefit.

Oh, wait! I now get a link on the RWA Authors page. Woopee. Somehow, I don't think that's going to bring me the same amount of traffic as an ad on the Smart Bitches site.

Anyone care to correct me?

EDITED TO ADD: Coincidentally, JA Konrath is discussing writing organizations and their relevance.

Come vs. Cum

To me, cum (pronounced 'kūm) is a Latin conjunction meaning "with" or "and." For instance, magna cum laude means "with high praise" and office cum library is another way of saying "office/library."

Cum used as another word for orgasm or semen was something I only saw in poorly written free fiction. In my opinion, come is the correct spelling for both verb and noun. However, this topic was brought up in an on-line author group and apparently cum as both verb and noun is acceptable for some publishing houses.

Color me scandalized!

I had published authors telling me they used cum and cumming in their writings ALL THE TIME! And their editors accepted it!

Now, I can go on and on about why I believe this is wrong, but I have insufficient time to rant properly.

So, here's the question I posed to these authors: What's the past tense of cum?

Their answer: came.

Not cumed or cummed but came.

So, uh, shouldn't the present tense be come?

(Yes, I'm anal retentive. Did you catch my rant about ménage? How about the rant about poor research? And the one about TSTL heroines?)

Things I have learned over the last few days

Tweaking a novel takes longer than a novella. Yes, that should have been a given... I realized the reason it's taking me so long to tweak this new story is because this novel is about double what the last couple I've written were.

When your head is all stuffed up, and you can't hear, it makes you less likely to hear whiney children.

On the flip side, when your spouse's throat hurts, and you can't hear, he gets irritated about having to raise his voice.

Strong winds can blow a little Honda out of its lane.

Not everyone loves your writing and your worlds. Accept it and move on past.

Mechele aka Lany of Melany Logen
www.mechelearmstrong.com
www.melanylogen.com

I Am a Hobosexual

No, I don’t have a fetish for hobos.

With that out of the way…

You’ve heard the term “metrosexual.” You probably have a few of them in your life. You know the type. Urbanite, yuppie, well-dressed, well-groomed, keeps the economy going with outrageous spending on brand name items. Might give off a misleading gay vibe.

Well, now there’s “hobosexual.”

And that’s me: I couldn’t care less about my appearance.

That’s not to say if you see me on the sidewalk you’ll cross the street to get away from me. I shower daily (twice if I work out that day), keep my hair neat, and my clothes are clean. But I don’t have a single hair product in my home and I only wear enough makeup to keep from scaring strangers. My favorite outfit: jeans, a tank top, a hoodie, and sneakers. For work, I swap the jeans out for cords or slacks that don’t have to be dry cleaned. (My mom still doesn’t know why I’m not fired from the Clark Kent job. I tell her it’s because I was hired for my brains and not my looks.)

And everyone’s favorite hobosexual:

Isn't It Ironic?

For some reason, I keep hearing ABBA in my head. Anyway...

A had a long post all set up to go for today... Then I deleted everything and did something rather ironic and it all has to do with my New Year's resolution. Y'all can check it out here.

Another Reason Why Diet Foods Are Wrong

For years I avoided anything with aspartame in it because the sugar substitute left me with headaches and a weird taste in my mouth. A number of people laughed and told me it didn't do anything negative to them. Well, they're so wrong! Check out the ugly truth about aspartame, folks.

And say no to low-calorie, low-fat food this holiday!

All I Want for Christmas...

...is the Toshiba Portégé R500 notebook.

Just joking!

Well, not really. I do want one of those notebooks. C'mon, people. It's a 12.1" notebook that's an inch thick and weighs only 2.2 lbs! My current one is the same dimensions, but it's closer to 4 lbs. And the R500 has an LED screen! *sigh* The geek in me so wants to upgrade.

Moving onto the real list now...

To These 13 Authors: Please Come Back...I'll Buy Your Romance Books A list compiled by Ann Bruce Laura Kinsale. It's over three years since the last release...can I expect something in 2008? Suzanne Robinson. No one does Elizabethan historicals like she did. Meagan McKinney. Michelle Martin. Theresa Weir. Jan Freed. Karyn Monk. Unfortunately, her website says she's busy with her young children. Who knows when she'll turn on her computer again? Iris Johansen. Her thrillers just aren't nearly as satisfying (in fact, some are downright awful) as her romances, both category and historical. Julie Garwood. She's going back to historicals in 2008. There is a God! Tami Hoag. I love the mainstream thrillers, but I loved the romantic suspense so much, much more. Teresa Medeiros. After two paranormals, it's time to go back to straight historicals. PLEASE. Linda Francis Lee. Why, oh, why did she have to go to chick lit? Christina Skye. Hasn't the Navy Seals series dragged on long enough?

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Learning curves

I've been a bit reflective (no, I'm not shiny) lately. Almost exactly a year ago, I had just signed my third book contract. That made me stop and think ... in the summer of 2006 I had no book published and not a hope of having any published.

Here we are, a year+ later, and I have three out, one coming soon, and three more next year.

What little Gems of Wisdom have I learned?

Lots. Let's list them:

1. There is no magic bullet. You still have to write the best book you can. This doesn't mean you have to write Your Absolutely Best Book and put your soul into it. I've discovered that I can write a good book and know it's not my breakout book. There is a difference between the two. I can feel it. I just am not to the point where I want to write that Big Book ... yet. Or maybe I'm fooling myself and all I can write are Good Books. I'll figure that out later. For now, I'm going to continue writing what I enjoy and worry about best-sellerdom some other day.

2. Just because you've sold X number of books to a publisher, doesn't mean you'll continue to sell to that publisher. You can change editors and the new one doesn't love your work, the publisher can change what they're looking for, etc. Case in point: I had an editor at Publisher A who loved my work and was happy that my books were all similar (small town themes, older heroes and heroines, quirky plot lines). That editor is now no longer my editor and I have a new one. She only bought one of the three offered books "because they were too much alike".

Go figure.

You will always be looking for publisher even when you're happy with your publisher. It's just the nature of the beast.

3. There are good reviews and bad reviews. One key to sanity is to evaluate the reviewers. If you tend to agree with their assessments on other books, then consider what they say. I've read some reviews that made me cringe not because they were bad reviews -- they weren't, they were very positive. But the reviewer was inarticulate, or had terrible grammatical mistakes or spelling mistakes, or mis-used words. Yikes. A good review from that person is a mixed blessing at best. So take it ALL with a big grain of salt.

4. Just because you have a contract it doesn't mean you'll necessarily be treated fairly. Witness the whole Trisk debacle and authors who had their rights returned to them long before the bankruptcy was filed. Those authors STILL appeared on court papers.

5. As in all businesses, there are good people, there are snarky people, there are 'who let that person in here?' people. There are those authors who have had some modest success and are bitter because their success hasn't been greater. There are those who are generous and willing to share. And there are those who are simply clueless. Learn from them all because there's something to be learned from everyone.

More than anything, though, this has been an enlightening experience for me to find out about myself. I occasionally feel the inevitable jealousy when a friend or critique partner attracts positive interest and I think 'why not me?' There are times when I think I deserve more recognition than I've gotten, until I step back and realize I'm not actively promoting myself the way others do. I'm getting a sense of where writing fits into my life and who I am.

Check back with me in a year. I suspect there'll be even more learning experiences and changes down the road.

The Man In The Relationship?

Hey ladies, have you ever felt like you were the "man" in a relationship. And men, have you ever felt like you're the "woman" in the relationship? It's something I've really been thinking about and thought I'd get ya'lls (yes, it's a word ;D) on this.

The stereotypical "man" is one who wants sex all the time, tunes out his woman when she nags about trivial things (like a cup in the sink, or a piece of lint on the floor), while the stereotypical "woman" is the one with the headache (so, er, no sex except on special occasions, like the return of Christ or something), who nags her man about chores and the honey-do list, and is constantly demanding that he talk to her.

Well, what if the roles are reversed? What if it's the woman who's always chasing her man down to get some, and he's the one with the damned headache all the time? Or the woman who just doesn't see the point about trying to keep a perfect house and couldn't care less about a cup in the sink? Or the woman is the one who deals with her man being always stuck up under her and he's the one that complains if she doesn't give him her undivided attention when he wants it, whenever he wants it, regardless of what else she has going on?

Yes, it does happen! Been there, done that!

Men, do you want a woman with more balls than you? Probably not. So I wonder what it is about this current generation of females (according to my college age daughter who thinks they're all crazy) who believe they want someone who is sooooo sensitive and less manly?

Me, I want a hunky, male man, not a sorta-woman man.

So, whatcha think?

TJ

13 Pet Peeves of a Cranky Bibliophile and 1 Contest

13 Pet Peeves of a Cranky Bibliophile
Compiled by Ann Bruce

I'm about to break one of the cardinal rules of authors and blogging: Do not bash other authors' books. Generally, authors who do this come across as bitter and envious. Or so that's what I assume. And you always have the other authors' rabid fan girls come out and call you names and challenge you to write something better.

First and foremost, I'm a reader and an avid one at that. I read about five to ten books at a time and I finish about three a week. More if they're comic books. When I buy a book, I think of it as a tacit agreement between myself and the author that he or she has put in a great deal of effort to spin a tale to entertain me.

There's no guarantee that I'll enjoy the book, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. That being said, if a book comes across as being written by someone who couldn't be bothered to put in a decent effort, then the agreement is in breach and I get ticked off.

Unfortunately,in the last few weeks, I came across a bad batch of books. Many of them ended up flying across the room and slamming into a much-abused wall. A couple even went back to the bookstore because I wanted my money back for time I'll never be able to recoup.

So, what drove me to violate an author's cardinal rule? Oh, so many things...

The Cranky Canadian

1. Not everyone from Canada says "a boot"; the majority of us say "about." That's the equivalent of a non-American assuming all Americans say "y'all."

"A boot" is pretty much confined to a tiny part of Eastern Canada. So, if your hero is from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, which is in Western Canada, he will not speak with an accent and say "a boot." In fact, he'll sound more like a New Yorker because he probably watched too much Seinfeld.


2. Canadians do not say "ice hockey." There is no such thing as "ice hockey" for us. It is simply "hockey." It is the NHL, not the NIHL. An NHL player will not say "ice hockey," especially if he's a Canadian from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.



The Cranky Francophone

3. Accents in written French are NOT optional. "Bien sûr" means "of course." "Bien sur" is literally "good on" and that's gibberish. Anyone with a passing knowledge of French reading "Chere, desolee. Entrez, s'il vous plait" will find it as painful as an Anglophone reading "Its okay. It wouldve been easier if itd been hers."


4. French nouns have gender. If your hero says to the heroine, "Cher, merci bien," I'm going to think your heroine is actually a man and maybe had a sex change. Really, I will and I will laugh.


5. The free translation services offered in the Internet are not perfect, so please do not rely on them. For instance, "Look at me" should be "regardez-moi" or "regardes-moi," not "me regardes." The latter is very awkward and wouldn't be used.



The Cranky Martial Artist

6. Kick-ass heroes and heroines are not so kick-ass when they mix up martial arts styles.

You cannot practice kung-fu moves with a katana. Kung-fu is Chinese and a katana is a Japanese sword.

You would not address your kung-fu instructor as "sensai," but as "sifu." Once again, kung-fu and "sifu" are Chinese and "sensai" is Japanese.

You cannot be a second degree black belt in a Korean karate. Karate is Japanese. Korean martial arts include tae kwon do, hap ki do, etc.


7. You will not become a martial arts master in one season, despite what you saw in The Last Samurai.



The Cranky Geek

8. Anachronisms. *sigh* I'm not a stickler for historical accuracy, but if your Regency heroine travels to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower…well, I know you and your editor both need a refresher junior high history lesson.


9. If your villain keeps his password right next to the computer and stores all his incriminating files in a folder called "Laundering" or "Private," he is so not a criminal mastermind.

To access my computer, you must have the hard drive password. Without it, you cannot even get to the initial login screen and the hard drive will lock after too many failed attempts, at which point only the manufacturer will be able to unlock it. After you get past the hard drive password, you need a login ID and password. And after that, you will have to navigate through my folder system, which I named using the names of Greek and Roman deities. Good luck trying to find my bank account spreadsheets. If you persevered to this point and have found the file, you need a password to open it.

Really, so if I'm just the average computer user, imagine what a real criminal mastermind's security system is like.


10. When your computer system is being attacked, don't stand there and watch a pretty visual representation of it on a really big screen. Go pull your network cable or your power cord. Really, it is that simple. And no, your servers won't explode and you won't lose data.


11. 128-bit encryption is not double the encryption of 64-bit.


12. RAM is not where your save all your files and it does not crash. That's your hard disk drive.


13. Black is not all colours combined. White is. A rainbow is light that has been refracted, usually by water, which is why rainbows normally appear when it rains. Black is the absence of colour.

Every item on the list could've been avoided with research that involves more than just watching the telly (sorry, I spent some time living in Europe and haven't gotten either "dodgy" or "telly" out of my vocabulary, yet). The Internet is an author's best friend. Please use it because if you can't be bothered to do the basic research, I can't be bothered to buy your books.

Now, if anyone feels like flaming me, go right ahead. I'm wearing my big girl pants; I can take it.

If you read something I wrote and it's completely wrong, feel free to email me. I'll be the first to admit I'm far from perfect.

The Contest!

So, what ruins your reading experience?

One cranky commenter will win a print copy of Fall Dead. Winner will be announced Monday, September 17, 2007.

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Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

1. Shofar, So Good


2. Alasandra


3. No-Nonsense girl


4. Buck Naked Politics


5. Working At Home Mom


6. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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Trixy Lion Publishing

Trixy Lion Publishing, the publisher with heart, is open for business! I simply do not have the words to do justice to this new publisher, so I just shamelessly copied their "About Us" page:

WE ARE PUBLISHERS WITH HEART. WE ARE NICE PPL. DO YOU KNOW THAT PUBLISHERS IN NEW YOK WILL ONLY PUBBLISH BOOKS BY PEOPLE THEY KNOW ALREADY? this iS WHY WE ARE HERE TO HELP YOU.

AT TRISKY LOIN WE WILL PUBLISH ALL THE BOOKS THE WAY U WANT. WE DON'T BELIEVE IN EDITING YOUR BOOKS BCOS NOW EVEN MOVIES ARE RELEASED IN DIRECKTOR'SCUT VERSIONS SO ALL YOUR BOOKS WITH US ARE AUTHORS' CUT N THEREFORE MORE VALUBLE. READERS WILL READ STORIES FROM UR HEART THE WAY U WANT THE STORY TO BE LIKE WITHOUT INTERFRERING FROM GRAMAR NAZIS AND RUDE ENGLISH TEACHERS. ,P>OUR BOSS IS MRS KRISTI THERESA. SHE LIKES TO GO TO CHURCH AND PLAY WITH HER GRANDCHILDREN. SHE HAS LOTS OF EXPERIENCING IN THE BUSINESS BCOS HER GRANDSON SET UP THIS WEBSITE ON HIS SUNMER SCHOOL VACATION AND MRS KRISTI WILL NOT HESITATE 2 CONTACT LITTLE SAMMY JO IF ANYTHING GOES WRONG. SHE ALSO DOES HER CHURCH ACCOUNTING AND SHE IS A BIG LAURA K HAMILLTON FAN SO SHE KNOWS HER ENGLISH AND STUFF AND UR BOOKS WILL BE IN GOOD ARNMS. SAMMY JO'S SISTER LAURA JANE HELP WITH THE COVER DESIGN SHE IS A GENOIUS FOR AN 8 YEAR OLD. SEE THE COVERS HERE 4 EXAMPLE.

HELPING HER IS CHIEF EDITORIAL MISS PATRICIA MICKELL WHO HAS SPENT SIXTEEN YEARS READING JOHANNA LINDSEY AND KATHLEEN E WOODISWIISS BOOKS SO SHE KNOWS HOW TO MARKET UR BOOKS RITE.

PLEASE BE A PART OF THE TRISKIE LION FAMILY TODAY

Now I'm sure I have a threesome between a hunchback, a troll, and a fairy princess sitting somewhere on my hard drive that I can submit...

Thirteen Reasons for the Attraction between Tall Men and Short Petite Women

Thirteen Reasons for the Attraction between Tall Men and Short Petite Women unscientifically compiled by Ann Bruce Since high school, every guy I dated is six feet and over. The tallest is six-four. I'm five-foot-nothing. It was an interesting eleven months with six-four. Anyway, I noticed that a lot of short (actually, we prefer the term “petite”) women date tall men. Now, is this because the average height of North American men increased? Or is it more psychological? Well, after a few glasses of wine, my significant other, who's six-two (he's says I left out a half inch, but I think he made it up) and will henceforth be referred to as “the SO,” and I got on this topic and came up with the following thirteen reasons why we're together. 1. Kitchen counters are not made for tall people. The SO says that it hurts his back to bend over the counter to prepare food. That's where I come in handy. Or so he claims. With the SO around, I no longer require a step stool because he can reach everything in the top cabinets and the top of my bookshelves with a Swiffer. He's also useful in that regard in grocery stores. When *ahem* I have overindulged, he can easily carry me home. Or at least to his car. Or piggyback me, as has happened on one occasion. I've always wanted to be four inches taller (without the aid of high heels) and he's always wanted to be three inches shorter. We figure any future offspring from our combined DNA will be the ideal height. When we fly together, even the seats in economy class are quite roomy for me (my feet don't touch the floor when I'm sitting unless I point my toes). The SO is not so fortunate. Luckily for him, I allow him to stow his carryon underneath the seat in front of me so he can stretch out those long legs underneath the seat in front of him. He travels light; I don't understand the concept. Good thing he’s okay with lugging my suitcases around as well as his. I remember going to shopping malls and grocery stores with my parents when I was younger. I inevitably got separated from them. My parents are short people and, thus, are hard to find in a crowd. I don't have the same problem with the SO. I occasionally get hit on by other guys when we socialize. I discourage wannabe-Lotharios by pointing out the SO, who looks suitably intimidating without having to try too hard. When I get hit on by women, however, the SO's not as helpful. When will he ever understand that I've been there, done that, and I’m never drinking that much again? When I get cold and there's not a jacket or blanket handy, I use him as my portable heater. He holds me and, not only does his body heat keep me warm, his tall frame blocks any wind coming my way. With him, I don’t have to push my way through a crowd. He can cut a path through a crowd better than I ever will. It's like the parting of the Red Sea. We are an endless source of amusement for our friends. One saw us standing together one day and commented that I didn't need to bend down very far if the SO and I ever get bored and need a...distraction. The SO was amused; me, not so much. There are couples who share clothes and think it’s cute when it’s actually kind of creepy because they end up looking like siblings. The SO and I will never enter that murky territory because he can’t even get one of my T-shirts over his head and I swim in his. And, well, there's oh-so-obvious benefit of tall men dating petite women, but there's no need for me to spell it out. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. An Island Life

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Cowboys and Firefighters and Mini-donuts... Oh, my!

Every year in July, my beloved city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada demonstrates why it’s nicknamed “Cowtown.” (My buddies in Houston like to call Calgary “Little Houston,” but I don’t think we’re at that level.) The Calgary Stampede bills itself as “The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth” and is ten days of the world’s largest outdoor rodeo competition, midway rides, stage shows, concerts, agricultural competitions, chuck wagon races, First Nations exhibitions, and FREE pancake breakfasts around the city. Last year, 1.2 million people attended the Calgary Stampede, which is pretty impressive since Calgary’s population is just shy of 1 million. I have a love/hate relationship with the Calgary Stampede. On the one hand, work grinds to a halt because everyone’s out Stampeding…on company time, no less. On the other hand, out come the Western shirts, Wranglers, cowboy boots, 10-gallon hats, and belt buckles that can deflect bullets. Really, I kid you not. And not to mention the fringe. Fringe, fringe, fringe…everywhere fringe! Ugh! So, the thirteen reasons for my love/hate relationship: Cowboys. Long, lean, and they work with their hands. *sigh* Hy’s Steakhouse hosts a barbeque lunch with AAA beef tenderloin as the feature to benefit the Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Centre. Naturally, a fire truck loaded with firefighters, some of whom pose for the Hotstuff calendar, drops by the event. Yeah, I occasionally drool. Jeans at work. Actually, it’s supposed to be Western wear, but I loosely translate that into blue jeans all week. Oh, the money I save on dry cleaning. Mini-donuts. They’re small, they’re deep-fried right in front of your eyes, they’re sugar-powdered, and there’s a reason why 2 million mini-donuts are consumed every Stampede. Deep-fried sweet potato fries. Better than regular fries. I guarantee it. Fazackerley’s Fudge & Candy Inc. The first time I saw this, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Free food! For the entire ten days, there are free pancake (and bacon and eggs and sausage) breakfasts throughout the city. No brown bagging for this gal during Stampede. Vendor lunches. Open bar, ribs, wings, corn on the cob, steak. I have at least two of these every Stampede. With all this food, I say to hell with the exercise regime because it’s only for ten days out of the year. Thus, by the end of Stampede, I have to wear dresses because the jeans can no longer button up. The bands: Finger Eleven, Three Days Grace, Jann Arden, Keisha Chanté, Hinder, Good Charlotte, Live, Sloan, Tom Cochrane with Red Rider, Blue October. And it’s all FREE with admission to the fair grounds. I get an extra day off in July because of the Stampede Parade. (Not that I go and watch it, but I do enjoy that extra day to sleep in.) And most bosses will look the other way if your lunch stretches into two, three, sometimes four hours…if you come back at all. Fireworks. Every night. Who doesn’t love fireworks? The MBAs come out in droves during Stampede because the unofficial motto is “Drink triple, see double, think single.” Another Trivia Contest! The trivia question for this post: According to my usage, what does MBA stand for? I'll pull a name from all the correct entries and send a prize package consisting of a print copy of my current release, bookmarks, and an Ellora's Cave RT cowboy card deck. Once again, you can post the answer in the Comments section or email me directly. Good luck! The winner will be announced at my next regularly scheduled blog day, Thursday, August 9, 2007. Regards, Ann Bruce

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The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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