Mini Vaca

Heading out with several friends for a long weekend of music, water, camping and all that goes with it. :) won't be writing, but I'll be ready to post a new chapter of TWC when I get back Monday. Plus I'm working on a new plot bunny...ex-Army Edward living on a farm in Tennessee. Yeah...it's coming along slowly but I'm loving it so far. Don't forget to check out the Taste of the Forbidden contest!! Kare and I have a taboo entry...that's all I can say about that. I've added a picture of my campsite at sunset. Ahhhh. Relaxing. Have a great weekend!!

TWC update off to Betaland and the Taste of the Forbidden contest

Evening all! Just an update to let my readers know that chapter 12 of TWC has been sent to the lovey twimom817, kare831 and darcysmom for the sparkly red pen treatment. Hope to post it soon! Thanks to the readers for their patience.
Also, in a bit of shocking, but exciting news, Kare and I have collaborated for the first time ever on a fic that has been entered in the Taste of the Forbidden contest. I'm going to add the link again so you can go read and review your favorites. It's anonymous so I can't tell you which one is ours, but we loved writing it and we're pleased with the end result in Kare's words...@kare831: Have you checked out the Taste of the Forbidden contest? http://t.co/CYxkurD @Lakermom37 and I have an entry!
Talk to you soon!

LDTW has been nominated for Fic of the Week at the Lemonade Stand

Wow!! Thank you to whomever nominated LDTW. What an honor!! Voting only lasts a few more days and I'd love your votes!! Here's the link. http://www.tehlemonadestand.net/?zx=4ce4b0abd7dd1706

Taste of the Forbidden link

Thank you, Jill for letting me know my link was wrong!! Sorry about that. This one should be the correct one. :)
http://m.fanfiction.net/u/4076435/?a=s

Taste of the Forbidden contest/TWC

It's probably a shocker for you guys, but I've collaborated with my good friend, kare831 and we've entered a fic in the Taste of the Forbidden contest. It's an anonymous contest, so you'll have to read the entries and try to figure ours out. :) please vote and here is the link. http://bit.ly/QDvbPP
Hopefully we'll do well. We will announce our fic the first part of September.
I know TWC is due an update. The weather is going to be mild and pretty this weekend so hubs and I will probably take the boat to the lake and camp again. Two of my beta/pre-readers will be out of town too, so it looks like the update will be a few more days away than I'd planned. Sorry. I'm not abandoning TWC...just on hiatus for a few weeks so I can have some much needed R&R. I'll see you soon!!

Letting Down the Walls nom'd for Top Ten Fic Recs ~July 2012

Wow!! I may never know who rec'd LDTW, but thank you!! :) LDTW has been nominated for TwiFanfictionRecs Top Ten Fic Recs for July 2012. Voting has begun and I'd appreciate yours. There are many fics on the list, so please give your favorite writers some love. Thanks in advance! Here's the link.
http://twifanfictionrecs.com/category/top-ten-fics/top-ten-favourite-fics-jul-2012/

Story reviews and constructive criticism

Good Friday to everyone! I'm going to climb all 4'11 of me onto my soapbox and make a comment about reviews.
Recently I've had my first experience with negative reviews. Now, with that said, I know I'm not a perfect writer. My chosen profession is as a real estate appraiser and I worked hard for my degree. I haven't had any writing classes since high school and I graduated nearly 25 years ago. If it weren't for my pre-readers and betas I'd be ashamed to post a chapter of anything I write now. LDTW was my first attempt at writing since 1987. Some of you weren't even born yet. I didn't know about betas so I wrote and posted the first 5-6 chapters of LDTW strictly using spell check. Yep. True. I know those chapters are a mess, BUT I chose to leave them be for now so I can look back and gauge my improvement.
Which brings me to my reason for being here today.
I don't agree with the Guest Review option in Fan Fiction. It gives the reader a forum, but the writer doesn't have equal opportunity to comment or defend, as it were, their actions. I think all readers have the right to voice their opinion, but in order to do that, I think they should be required to log in. Fan Fiction dropped the ball on this feature...especially when anonymous review option is turned off on my account.
And now my rant begins...
Readers, you have the option to flounce. No one makes you read a certain story. If I insult you, your Mother or your dog, by name, by all means, call me out on it. I'd do the same thing. However, flaming up about the writer's choice in how they depict the characters in their stories is not up to you or is it in your rights to come apart about it publicly. Reviews are meant or praises and constructive criticism. Constructive criticism should be said in a non-degrading fashion and there needs to be a strong reasoning behind them. Not "I hate when writers make Bella wimpy" or "I can't read a story that has so many stretches on the truth. Have you tried Googling your facts?"
Um, these comments are not likely to make the writer want to fall over their feet to please you. These stories are fictional, not autobiographies or history books. The writer has the right to bend the story as they see fit. Thats the beauty of Fan Fiction. Do you remember the book that began all this craze? It was a story about an insecure teenage girl and a teenage vampire that fall in love...oh, and there was that crazy part with the teenage Native Americans that shape shift into huge wolves designed to kill vampires. Totally happens where I live daily. What? That's fictional? Oh, yeah! That's right! It was written for entertainment!!
I guess the old adage "If you can't say something nice, say nothing" fits. Try and remember that and all the hard work and spare time amateur writers put into their stories. Okay?
Thanks!!