Photo Thursday: Naomi's Shoes

I don't claim to be a great photographer, but Naomi wanted to show off her new fancy footwear for all my blogging friends.

Butterfly slippers from Aunt Sandi

Handmade pearl slippers from one of the nurses at Grandpa's clinic, Connie

Chinese New Year slippers from Aunt Michelle in Hong Kong



(I can't believe I'm posting this.)
This is what I look like most of the time, which is why the blog has been a little quiet lately.
Taking care of all my babies + More sleep = Survival

 We'll all get adjusted someday. Until then, thank goodness for cute baby shoes and other completely frivolous accessories that keep life fun!

We have a WINNER!

Thanks to Random.org, we have winner for last week's contest. This winner will receive a signed copy of Sara J. Henry's debut LEARNING TO SWIM.

And the winner is ...

commenter #2

Jackee

over at Winded Words!

Congratulations, Jackee! Please contact me by email, a2sonnichsen (at) gmail (dot) com, to collect your prize.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated. And congratulations, again, to Sara. (I can't wait to get my preordered copy of LEARNING TO SWIM in the mail!!)

My Critique Partner is Getting Published!

I hope you don't mind me gushing all over the place for a sec.

A critique partner of mine, S.J. Kincaid, (her blog is here) signed a three book deal with HarperCollins! Her debut novel, INSIGNIA, is due out in 2012.

You can read about her publication journey here.

S.J. is my first critique partner to sign a contract with a publisher. Yippee! Makes me wish I were spry enough to do about fifty cartwheels, but unfortunately I had to limit myself to a happy dance and a bottle of wine. I am so very happy for her. She is a plot-genius and an excellent writer. You will not want to miss this debut, my friends!

Congratulations, S.J.!
Now, the big question remains ... which of you will be next? *grin*

Today

Today is an exciting day because:

(1) My baby is one month old

edible, yes?

(2) I just mopped my kitchen floor

(3) I am getting my hair cut

Considering it's been about two months since I last mopped my kitchen floor (I know, ew...) and one and a half years since I last got a hair cut, all three points are definitely reasons to celebrate!

Go celebrate with me by entering my LEARNING TO SWIM CONTEST here, if you haven't already. You could win a hard cover copy or a Kindle of Sara J. Henry's debut wonder novel. Contest closes tomorrow!

A Tale of Two Valentine's Days

Today's post was supposed to be about the Dashingly Handsome Sidekick's and my first date, which  happened to be on Valentine's Day.

It was supposed to be about how he asked me to go kayaking with him and a group of friends on Capitol Lake in Olympia, WA.

About how I told him I was planning to go out to a movie with my friends, but that I'd think about it.

About how I agreed to go, but then, when he came to pick me up, how I sat in the back seat of the car and let him chauffeur me to our destination.

How I ignored him at first.

How I'd never been in a kayak before and didn't have a clue how to steer it.

How he stayed behind to help me and to keep me company on the gruelling voyage across the lake.

How, when we got out of our kayaks to rest on an island, I promptly sat in goose poop.

No, this post is about a different kind of Valentine's Day ... fast forward fourteen years.

It's about how I forgot it was Valentine's Day until I woke up to find tulips on the counter with a card and a chocolate bar from the DHS.

How I forgot to get him anything.

How we all have bad colds.

How Sophie keeps trying to climb on the baby and kiss her with snot dripping from her nose.

How Sophie threw up on my bed, narrowly missing the baby whose head ended up two inches from the puke puddle.

How our toilet is clogged.

How our minivan is having engine trouble.

How I had a dream about buying my dad a $526 vase with fake flowers in it and woke up in a cold sweat.

How my four-year-old and two-year-old girls were so busy tormenting each other this morning that I had to ban them from TV.

How these same girls threw temper tantrums about not being allowed to watch TV, and how, at one point, I had all three little girls screaming simultaneously for ten minutes, in which period I considered whether or not I should apply for early retirement from motherhood.

How I'm wondering if this is the best, or possibly the worst, day of my life. Strangely, I can see it from both angles.

I'll choose the better angle:

I am blessed.

With five beautiful, lively children. (Specifically with two little girls who are finally playing nicely together. And a baby who is finally sleeping.)

A house to live in, clogged toilets and all.

And a persistent husband, who is as handsome and wonderful as he is dashing, and who loves me despite my occasional close encounters with snot, vomit and goose poop.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Don't forget to follow this link and enter to win a signed copy of Sara J. Henry's debut LEARNING TO SWIM. It's super easy to enter. Don't miss it!

LEARNING TO SWIM Contest & Interview with Sara J. Henry

It's contest time!

I'm thrilled to announce that my talented blog-friend Sara J. Henry's debut novel, LEARNING TO SWIM (Crown), will be splashing into bookstores on Feb 22, 2011.

What better way to celebrate than by giving away an autographed copy of her book?

Below is a World's Quickest Interview with Sara, followed by the World's Easiest Contest guidelines.

Please describe your book.
A woman dives into a lake to rescue a small boy, who turns out to speak only French –and who no one seems to be missing.

How long have you been writing?
Since I could first form words on paper – I wrote my first short story (less than a page – I guess you could call it flash fiction) when I was 5.

Who or what was your inspiration?

A house filled with books.

How long did it take you to write this book?
About seven months – the first time. Then I had to learn to rewrite, which at first involved a lot of staring at the pages.

Besides writing, what is your favorite thing to do?
Reading. Many other things run a close second, but books are always there, and can fit any mood.

All-expenses-paid vacation: where would you go?
Australia, this time without broken foot and book to be rewritten (during a five-week house swap) and New Zealand. Or the south of France.

What’s your favorite color and why?
Black, because it goes with everything – I’m shopping impaired.

Lunch with anyone: who would you choose?
My dad, if he could come back from the Great Beyond. I’d show him this book, and thank him for letting me read his Travis McGees.

Cat or dog?
Dog. Without a doubt. They seem to find me. Although I’ve become fond of a friend’s two cats.

Any advice for aspiring writers?
Read a lot. Don’t be afraid to rewrite and cut. Read your work aloud – preferably to someone else. And keep working at it until it’s really good.

Sara J. Henry has been a soil scientist, sports writer, corresponding writing school instructor, book editor, freelance writer, magazine editor, bicycle mechanic, and webmaster. Her first novel, Learning to Swim, has been called “emotional, intense, and engrossing” by Lisa Unger and “an auspicious debut” by Daniel Woodrell. It’s available for pre-order and will be in stores Feb. 22 –you can read the first chapter here.

 
 
Contest Guidelines for an Autographed Copy of LEARNING TO SWIM:
 
(1) Comment on this post. (Easy, right? You're entered!)
 
(2) If you choose to spread the word through your blog, Twitter or Facebook, leave a separate comment for each.  (ie. If you blog about the contest, leave an additional comment: "I blogged." This will give you a total of two entries. If you blogged, tweeted and facebooked, leave three additional, separate comments: "I blogged," "I tweeted," "I facebooked." This will give you a total of four entries. Got it?)
 

The contest will run for a full week: Friday, Feb 11 to Friday, Feb 18 at 11:59p.m. PST.  

 
 

Good News, Bad News



The good news is: I'm hosting a contest tomorrow! You could win an autographed copy of an amazing new book.

My beautiful mother with Naomi

The bad news is: My mother, who has been here for almost three weeks, is leaving tomorrow. Since she's been doing all my laundry and housework, not to mention providing unparalleled moral support, you could say I'm about ready to hit the panic button at the thought of her leaving.

So come back tomorrow and enter my contest. You'll not only get a chance to win a great book, but you'll cheer me up as well.

More tomorrow....

Blogfest Debriefing

My biggest fear about participating in Brenda Drake's blogfest was that I'd be a FLAKY participant.

I knew there was no way I could get around to all 100+ participants' blogs, but I planned on at least commenting on the people's first lines who commented on mine. I did my best, but I didn't get around to everyone who commented and I'm so sorry about that! (My big excuse is that my mother- and sister-in-laws threw me and baby Naomi a shower last night, so I was out late partying.)

To add to my flakiness I also got my entry in LATE (ahh, but aren't I perpetually late these days?). Thankfully Brenda extended the deadline (thank you, Brenda!). I guess I wasn't the only late one.

Thank you to everyone who took time to comment on my first line. I honestly struggled with what to do with the feedback. A lot of people seemed to like it the way it was -- short and sweet. But others thought I should expand on it. I wished I had followed the example of other wise bloggers (like Sharon Mayhew) who posted the first line and then the first paragraph to get the ultimate first-line critique.

Oh well. Maybe next time.

The funny thing about these first-line contests is that in real life you pick up a book, you open it, you read the first line and usually the second and third line, too. Most of the time (at least for me) the author has an entire first paragraph, and probably a first page, to hook me. (Not to mention the cover and the back copy.) I worried that by trying to cram too much information into my first line, I'd muck it up.

So, I ended up not changing anything. I went with the majority vote. But I assure you that I carefully considered everyone's feedback, and I sincerely appreciate you all taking the time to give it.

Plus, it was fun to spend fragments of the day (between diaper-changing and milk-wagon duties) blog-hopping. I found some wonderful blogs and I wish everyone who participated the very best of luck in the contest!

Blogfest Time: First Line

How can it be February 7 already!?

February 7 is the first day of  the It was a Dark and Stormy Blogfest Contest. Yippee!

And to participate, I am obediently posting the first line from my YA WiP, working title Seagull Rising.

Give me a well-sharpened knife.

That's it. That's my first line.

Comments? Suggestions? Thoughts? All constructive criticism is welcome in the comments below.

Thanks in advance - and good luck to all!