Kate Warren

When you get a call from the school on Friday because one of your kids is having trouble breathing, you know it's not going to be a great weekend.

When you get a call from your husband because he got rear-ended when he stopped for a school bus, you know it's not even going to be a good weekend.

All parties are fine.  Kid is breathing fine and has not had a recurrence.  Husband is likewise uninjured by the accident.  Can't say as much for the vehicle he was driving.  I don't really remember much of the weekend as it was spent consoling my husband and hovering over our youngest son to monitor his breathing, while planning for a birthday for the next boy up in the family.  At least the cake was good.

Someday these things may end up in one of my novels.  Right now they're just troubling. 

I've been reading Jennifer Chiaverini's Elm Creek Quilts novels and I'm hooked, not only on the books but also on the quilting.  Quilting is something I've wanted to do in the past, something I associate with my grandmother.  I've never gotten around to it.  It seems like there isn't time or space.  The sense of creating something I can see, working with the different patterns and colors, appeals to my visual creativity in a way that writing doesn't.  The practical nature of the art is another consideration.  There's also history in quilting.

Patchwork quilts as we know them are a uniquely American creation.  Women in early America wasted nothing, and scraps of fabric were sewn together into beautiful bed coverings.  Different patterns and settings emerged over time, some named for the visual effect (Ocean Waves), some for a geographic area or trail (Road to Oklahoma).  The beauty of the work was equal to the utilitarian nature of it.  In addition to brightening the home, quilts kept Pioneer families warm through cold winter nights.  Girls started sewing nine patch squares early and would complete several quilts before marrying.  One tradition states that a girl could not marry until she had completed twelve quilt tops, a bee would be organized to quilt all twelve before the wedding.  Like an early American bridal shower, with a practical as well as a social aspect.

After my kids are asleep I'm going to get out the quilt Grandma made for my wedding.  It's in storage right now to keep the kids from damaging it.  Lovely as it is, I know Grandma would want it to be well-used rather than having it perfectly preserved but never admired or snuggled under on a cold night.  After reading about quilting and quilters so much in the last weeks, I will look at my wedding quilt with new eyes, seeing the effort in every tiny stitch, the love in the selection of a design picked especially for me.  A quilt, like firewood, can truly warm you twice.

Hello readers.  As you can see my site is not blacked out in protest of SOPA and/or PIPA.  This does not mean I lack concerns regarding the pending legislation (I've already contacted some Congress persons) just that I don't see a need to black out my site over it; also I don't know how.  I don't like the potential for abuse, or the idea that fans of my own work would be hesitant to share their enjoyment out of fear of what might happen.  I'm lucky to have a great deal of control over my work but many writers and musicians are not so fortunate.  Hopefully if enough people contact their Congressional representatives to express their very reasonable concerns, the entire issue will slow down and be given the consideration it deserves.

Moving on to a more pleasant topic...my daughter has been saying some cute things lately.  I share them for any of my fellow writers who might need help writing dialogue for toddlers.  Among her latest gems are: 

"Mama, leave me alone.  I can't play with you." - when I was trying to get her to stay with me rather than follow her father to the upper floor of the library.

"You Mama!"-  when I was gently chiding her for her behavior in the library.  (It was her choice to go there, yet she decided not to behave.  Go figure.)

"Mom?  Dad?  I think I'm tired."  - around bedtime.

"Ooh, banana!  Share with Emily." - seeing her brother with a banana (yes, she did get one of her own).

She regularly says cute things.  These are the only ones I can remember at present.  I keep a file on the family computer of adorable things she's said so that I won't forget all of them.  I figure it's the least I can do considering that, as the fourth child in the family, her baby book is practically barren of information. 

That is all for right now.  I'm thinking of posting a bit more often.  Headaches are still plaguing me (though they are improving, and boy am I using plenty of parentheses today!).

Happy reading and writing.

Kate

It's a bird!  It's a plane!  No, it's a post about character development.  I believe this is the first time I've posted something like this.  I'm generally not much for giving writing advice, mainly because I'm not sure anyone really wants to know what I think about such things, and also because I know that not every idea will work for every writer.  But...(yes, I began a sentence with the word "but," you can throw tomatoes if you wish)...a few days ago my son asked me about peeling oranges, as I was peeling one and it occurred to me that different people--and thus different characters--have varying methods of peeling an orange.

This probably isn't a groundbreaking or revolutionary thought but have you ever considered how your character might peel an orange?  Does your character even like oranges?  Are oranges available where your character lives?  Would John Q. Hero start the peel by using his ever present pocket knife or dagger?  Would Emma Heroine use her teeth to get started?  If you're writing a contemporary story your character could do what I do: use the tip of a vegetable peeler. 

I'm not saying orange peeling will make or break anything in life or fiction, but little things like this can give you some insight into your character even if such fruity habits never make it onto the page.

Before I go, I must apologize if anyone finds this post lacking.  I'm currently starring in a drama called "Return of the Migraines" and being on the computer for any length of time (as well as cohesive thought) is difficult for me at the moment.  By next week I should be right as rain.  These things hit me in cycles but they usually don't last long.

Happy reading, and writing.

Kate

He's cute!  He's furry!  He leaps toy buildings in a single bound!  Assuming they're reasonably sized toy buildings, of course.  And with a running start he can actually get a good foot up into the air.  He'll never play basketball but really with a face like that, who cares?

He's been our dog for a little over a month and Milo is on a constant adventure filled with cuddles and unexplored rooms.  Actually he's explored all the rooms in the house but he seems to think he might have missed something. 

Milo's ancestral background is an interesting one.  He's 1/2 Shih Tzu, 1/4 Bichon Frise, and 1/4 Toy Poodle.  I can see all three breeds in various aspects of his behavior.  His look is overall one of Shih Tzu with some Poodle influence on his coat.  I often see him resting with just the tip of his tongue out, which I've seen on countless Shih Tzus (though it could belong to other breeds and I just didn't notice).  He can be very delicate with his paws, and seems like he will easily learn some cute tricks, and I attribute those things to the Poodle.  His Bichon Frise heritage comes out once or twice a day when he does what is known as the "Bichon racetrack."  I don't know if all Bichons do this or just the ones who are stuck indoors most of the day during the winter, but it's hilarious.  It's a dead run at top speed through a predetermined circuit of the house.  It's during this performance that we see his aerial skills.  He's been known to jump up on furniture he normally can't reach during this, and I've seen him on the back of our couch once or twice.  It's amazing how fast this little guy can go!  If I knew a cop I might try to borrow a radar gun and clock him.  I've seen terrified people (on TV of course) who can't top Milo's speed.

The best thing about Milo though is not his entertainment value (which is high) or even his super intelligence (this morning he went looking for the kid I was calling to come downstairs, who was presumably still in bed, nothing like a cold nose to wake you up).  Milo's heart is the best part of him.  He is loyal and affectionate and patient.  He loves my daughter even though she tends to use him as a pillow (she's tiny, so she doesn't hurt him at all).  He will calmly approach one of the boys when they're on the floor and see if they want a snuggle.  Our youngest son actually asks for Milo at bedtime and asked for him when we dropped him off at school today.  Milo is always happy to see us, even if we've been gone for 20 minutes, putting kids on school buses.  He is happy and his tail is wagging as soon as he sees his favorite people.  He'll follow us up the stairs even though he can't get back down on his own.  He will growl at strange noises, and bark at new people.  Not sure he knows that he isn't threatening, but there's no question about his devotion.

Milo is part of our family and we love every soft, squiggly, chewy inch of him.