Female in Motion

I attended the Kansas Writers Association's Scene Conference at the Airport Hilton in Wichita on Saturday. This was my first chance to attend the biannual event since joining the group last April. There were workshops and lectures on parts of speech, dialogue techniques and revision and editing skills. Why would I spend a whole Saturday listening to that? Because that's all the stuff a writer nerd loves! My favorite sessions were the ones led by Kirt Hickman, science fiction author and writing mechanics whiz. I learned a ton about making dialogue sound natural and not stilted. He also gave a lecture on self-editing that was incredibly helpful and clear. The keynote speaker during lunch was Lt. Ken Landwehr, Wichita Police Department homicide commander, who brought down the BTK Killer. It was fascinating to hear about his work and relationship with the media. (Pictured above left are Janet Bahl, KWA Scene Conference Chair and B.D. Tharp, KWA past president and friend of Blogger ...

About a month ago, a young lady came upon our garage in a snowstorm. She was cold, wet, dirty, homeless and very hungry. Since this young one was alone in the world, The Hubster and I took her in. We gave her a warm place to sleep in our basement and fed her. Soon, it was apparent that this young lady was with child, er...children. You see, this young lady is a partially feral black-and-white cat. We named her Socks. Last Tuesday night, after just a couple of hours of labor, Miss Socks gave birth to four sweet and healthy kittens! Since we had never witnessed a feline birth, The Hubster and I researched the subject on the internet and prepared a birthing spot with supplies in the basement. We wanted a warm, clean and calm place for Socks to give birth. Cats have minds of their own, though, so Socks chose a small dirt crawlspace under wooden shelves with shredded newspapers and a couple of Dillons bags. The kittens seem fine and healthy, no worse for wear. Socks took right to motherhood...

"Just a Little Bump" is the working title of a short story I'm currently writing. The 2010 Kansas Authors Club Contest deadline is June 15 and I want to give myself plenty of leeway. Although this story is fiction, it is based on a life event. I am a cancer survivor of 23 years. On the day I gave birth to our youngest daughter, I found out that I had a malignant melanoma on my right arm. The mole there started to grow and change during my pregnancy. The doctors called it a "hormonally fed cancer." After a small biopsy and confirmed diagnosis, I had surgery to remove a large section of my right bicep. Thanks be to God, I did not have to have chemotherapy or radiation treatment. The real heroes of this story are God, my husband, my daughters and my wonderful mom and dad, who gave me support, love and sacrificed their time to help me heal. Now I have a good-sized scar on my arm. Some days I hide it, and others I show it off. Some days I tell people the real story o...

God gave a beautiful display this evening, after a day of thunderstorms. This double rainbow was complete and placed directly in front of our house. Of course, my photography skills are limited, so I just got a portion of it. Sorry! *** Momala's Book Club Review: It took just five days to read "Feisty Family Values," by B.D. Tharp. This hen-lit novel is a quick read and full of substance. "Feisty" is a real slice-of-life story, not some pretty thing that's tied up in a bow in the end. It is hopeful, though, and full of fun. Annabelle is the poor relation to Regina, and shows up on her doorstep, hankie in hand. She arrives uninvited with just a suitcase and a black eye. Regina, Annabelle's cousin, resides in a lovely historic home with her best friend, Tillie. Although reticent to welcome her cousin in to their grandmother's home, Tillie convinces Regina to do the right thing. As the three 60-something ladies become roommates, they are all dealing wi...

Most women hate birthdays. I revel in them! What better opportunity to grab a lot of attention and get nice gifts? Forgive me, Lord! Really, I want to thank everyone who sent me a card or message on Facebook or phone call on my birthday. Thanks also to my church family, who forced me to stand in front of them on Sunday morning while they sang "Happy Birthday" to me. It's a barbaric form of Baptist fun! I am excited that I was blessed with a new dress and, wait for it...it's a size 14, ladies! That's right, the chick that's been wearing a size 16 for way too long now owns one royal blue dress in size 14. Okay, it's a jersey knit, don't give me a rough time! Is it vain that I'm way too excited about this? *** To celebrate my birthday last week, I invited my family to meet me for lunch in Derby on Saturday. We ate at Good Fortune Chinese Restaurant on K-15. If you haven't tried it, be sure to put it on your list. They have a good lunch buffet and ...