Hometown Heroes

The Dean family summer theme is Hometown Heroes. As we explore our heritage and learn about different famous people who pique the kids interest. Planned events are summer film fests, trips to the museums and libraries, and city exploration. The summer will culminate with a short film Cloudya and Kaiden want to prepare about their personal favorite heroes and why they are important to each of them. Be prepared as we share our adventures! Happy summer blogsters!

Requested!!!

Congratulations to Thomas who got a request today to submit a partial manuscript. Thanks to everyone that helped critique his query letter!

If you haven't been reading agent's blogs recently, several of them have said they are taking new projects again! Are we finally out of the publishing slump?

Coming in June...

Coming in June...my favorite vampires of course. Is anyone else planning to or in the process of rereading Eclipse? How about watching all of the episodes from last season's True Blood? Let's just say in my house, June will be a busy month trying to catch up on those crazy vamps.

Why is that vamps are so appealing to all of us anyway?

Sweet Summer

So, I'm on lunch right now and for my first night back from vacation I thought I would spend it out in lawn and garden. What a beautiful night for it! Sure it is humid in Nebraska already, but its not bothering me a bit! I've been thinking the last several days about my year so far...time does that to you when I'm about to round my foot reinjury milestone. Its got me thinking about everything that I've made myself go back to doing and how much happier I am because of it. This time last year I wasn't listening to my doctor properly and broke the 5 inch titanium pin in my right ankle. How does one do that? Well my mom will tell you that is because I was wasting my talent and as soon as we found out another surgery was in the works she reminded me of it.

Well she was right. I was wasting it and as the anniversary rolls around I am thankful for being able to do so many things that I couldn't accomplish last year. I finished a long going project that inspired something very new fresh and quite frankly is probably the best thing I've ever written. It allowed me to share things with others out there and to learn I am not alone in the publishing process. It may sound silly to most, but I absolutely LOVE that I can finally ice skate again!!! I look weird and my old control isn't there, but to a person who has played hockey since they were four, this milestone is important.

Thank you everyone who has supported me past and present as for the reminder of this year and many years to come I will work to become the best author I know how to be!

Taking mobile blogging for a test spin!

Strange Breed

These are my children...my beautiful talented children. They are the product of a strange breed of people. See I started playing the sport of hockey when I was only four years old. This was directly a result of my grandfather's influence. However, he made sure I was a well rounded young lady and made me spend time in the dance world as well. Let me add to this list as I majored in theater in college and choose to write novels and screenplays. So I'm a strange breed and what happens I have two children who are exactly the same way!




Kaiden is the best five year old hockey trash talker you will ever meet. This kid knows all the crowd cheers and when to say them. he can tell you what team to root for and why he does it. On the other hand he is also the best behaved young man at the ballet studio on Saturday. He has crashed many of his sister's classes by flashing his baby blues at the teacher. They respond by letting him take the class with her. In fact this Saturday, the school's accompianist brought donuts for the girls and made sure she brought him one as well.



Than of course there's Cloudya. My acting and modeling ten year old. She's an active dancer, plays guitar and loves to film her own movies. During this last round of Kaiden's hockey classes she decides she wants to learn as well. Mind you I tried this with her when she was the same age as Kaiden and she hated it. So off to the hockey shop we went to buy her equipment as well. When this set was over my little prima donna has decided she wants to join a team.

My children have grown up around hockey and hockey players, but they've also spent just as much time in a theater and on a stage. My grandpa had it right when he said I'd be well rounded:)

Finish Strong

My absence in the blogsphere has been directly related to my mad obsession to finish my latest WIP. As its characters continue to haunt me, I'm forced to push them continously to their pages where they belong.

I was doing perfectly fine until this week. For example, tonight I sit here attempting to write a portion of the great reveal, but instead find my brain feeling like mush. That's a simile I know and I would get busted for it in writing school. Nothing seems to work right now to get me out of this funk. I've looked through my research. I've glanced through the pictures of the two goaltenders that inspired the story to begin with. Maybe my subconsious doesn't want me to finish, because I'm too attached to the characters. Whatever the reason, I sat at my work space frustrated with myself.

My son's hockey stick and puck sat beside me, so I picked it up for a bit of frustration relief. My grandfather taught me how to play hockey when I was only four years old. I'm a proud mother of five year old that likes to be on the ice as much as I did. Today at the rink I found myself saying the very words that my granddad had said to me so many years ago, "Finish strong." At my young age I didn't understand the words and I'm sure my son doesn't either, but in a moment like this I comprehend them completely.

As a writer I need to push through this mental block and finish my story strong. My question is what helps all of you as your winding down with your piece, but get stuck?