The Day the Music Died/ RIP Michael Jackson

I was visiting with my in-laws when my cousin Michelle sent me a text asking if I'd heard Michael Jackson died. I thought maybe it was a lame joke or something so I quickly turned the TV station to Headline News and sure enough....

Aside from losing an important part of our history, it's like losing a piece of your childhood. So many grew up with Michael and the Jackson Five. Even today children are singing his songs and imitating his dance moves. The world is mourning his loss.

Now, normally I wouldn't blog on my feelings about this because dying is a part of life, even the sudden, unexplainable deaths. What I'm blogging about is the callous reaction to Michael's death by certain people. They didn't care. Wait, that's being kind...they didn't just not care that he died, they celebrated it. One women in a forum I frequent said the reaction by a group of teenagers at her home actually laughed at the news. My sister-in-law's stepson smiled and pumped the air like it was a victory for the world. It not only pissed me off, it saddened me. Of course I let the kid know it was an inappropriate reaction....the man was an indelible part of history and regardless of what you think he did or became, no one will ever touch him as an artist and performer and he deserved the respect he once had.

The world has lost a lot with his death. He is a true Icon and will be missed.

Life without Limits

It's summertime and you know what that means? Lazy days of sitting by the pool or at the beach (or in my case the baseball field) working to even out the tan and catch up on reading.

I started my new TBR list last weekend with a trip to Borders. I ordered two books (because they were no longer in stock) and picked up four more. My family and I are going on vacation in June (16th) and we have a seven hour flight--two hours are a layover so I'm going to need some books to help pass the time. I'll likely bring all four books with me, if I haven't read them already by then. Of course I added to my list last night when I went to see Lee Child at the Scottsdale library. In case you don't know, I met Lee four years ago in Houston when he was doing a joint tour with an online friend of mine Cornelia Read...I went to the signing to support her because it was her debut novel. I got the book for my aunt for her birthday (she was supposed to pass me the book and never did...grr). Anyway, I'd never read any of Lee's books and only knew of him through another friend Karen Dionne (she's a big fan). So, I figured I'd better do the polite thing and pick up one of his books. Since he was touring for his ninth book (I think...maybe tenth) and his books are a recurring character--Jack Reacher--I thought I should start with book one, The Killing Floor. Suffice it to say, I now own eleven of Lee's books...don't know how I missed the other two but I'll grab them soon enough.
Anyway...I think I had a point...but I lost it. I have a house full of teenage girls...6 to be exact...so my brain is warbled right now.
So anyway, another thing we'll be doing this summer is preparing my daughter for her final year of highschool. Yep...she's a senior and she is seriously counting down the day when she graduates and can move back to Texas (wishful thinking on her part, but I'm going to do what I can to help.) In fact, she's decided she wants to go to cooking school. And this weekend we're going to go to an open house at The Arizona Culinary Institute in Scottsdale. Sounds like a plan, eh? Well, what you should know about my daughter is that she has cerebral palsy. It's a mild form but she's still physically limited with what she can do, and using cutting tools is one of the limits. But....Manda is a Life Without Limits kinda gal and believes she can do it (she cooks at home often but the cutting and dicing is usually done for her.) So, I'm going to take her to the open house and see what they have to offer and what she'd be required to do. If being a culinary chef isn't in the cards she can be a pastry chef...the kid makes some killer brownies. And, as a diabetic, she'll learn a lot about nutrition and maybe even make her own cookbook. Life without limits!

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

It's Baseball Season! Yay! I love baseball, always have, always will. I don't have a favorite team as I did when I was a kid...way back then it was the Cincinnati Reds....I totally LOVED Johnny Bench!! Yeah I know...I was born in Texas and by all accounts should have been an Astro or Ranger's fan. Well...I prefer the National League and I'm more of a closet Astro Fan...I only come out if they're winning but stay hidden when they're losing...which is often. The Astro's are the "choke" team of the NBL. A n y w a y...

The season also kicks off for my son, who's playing on his 8th grade middle school team. Jeremy has been playing baseball his whole life...I think he's even a ballplayer reincarnated. Even as an infant you could sit him in front of a game and he'd sit quietly and watch. He especially loved watching his older brother play little league. When he was old enough to stand he'd entertain himself by practicing his batting stance using a plunger as his bat.

By age 3 he'd started calling himself Jeremy Bell after his favorite Astro Derek Bell. He finally started playing t-ball at age 5 and has only missed one season in the last eight years (and that was because he decided to forgo fall ball for football.) He even used to be superstitious about batting...up until third grade he wouldn't go up to bat unless I blew him a kiss first. ha ha

Jeremy's dream is to play infield for the Houston Astros, he's even learning how to pitch and has a very hard fastball! He can actually and has actually played every position on the field including pitcher and catcher. I think this year they have him infield at 3rd base.

So, today is the first game for the Pueblo Bulldogs. I'm really looking forward to it. Sadly, my husband has to go out of town this week so he can't make it. But I'll have plenty of pictures I think.

Okay, this has become my brag about Jeremy blog. Ha! What can I say....as they get older I find myself thinking about how little time I have left with them before they go off and live their own lives. Of course, should Jeremy make it to the majors you'll find me front and center at the games...ready to blow him a kiss should he need it. =)

Long Time no Blog

Wow. Has it actually been four months since my last blog?? To all you (four or five) readers who stop by....so sorry.
Let's see if I can catch you up on what's happened since I blogged last. I'll try to condense so as not to bore. Well...I guess this won't be so hard after all since nothing much has been happening. Although the new year started out pretty crappy. My daughter, Manda, was diagnosed with Type One diabetes...it's the insulin dependant one. Totally came out of the blue! She spent three days in the hospital and they basically gave us a crash course on the illness and how to care for her. The hopsital staff at Banner Desert in Mesa were so wonderful! We couldn't have asked for better. Anyway her numbers are still up and down and for a while there the doctor thought she might be atypical and insulin resistant...she takes nearly 100 units a day plus a pill. Over the past week she's been having trouble with her feet, they're swelling like crazy. She's also put on about 25 pounds, which on a normal person would be overkill...on Manda, because she was only 83 pounds of bone, it looks very good....and she's very happy to be over 100 pounds now!! Goofy kid!

So, as for my writing....I'm actually working on another book. It's a stand alone sequel to my second book Dark Obsession. DO was Ray's story, the second book, which is currently called Body & Soul is Sylvia's story. Ray and Sylvia are siblings...for those who don't know. =) Both books are romantic suspense with paranormal elements and take place in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. I'm also still working on book three House of Cards---off and on---more off than on. I've had a few people ask me how I can work on two books at the same time and...well...it's just easier for me. Both books have the same theme which is ritual murders...although both go in two totally different directions. So, for me, it makes it easier to work on one or the other. When one stalls I move to the other. I did the same thing when I wrote my first two books Dark Obsession and Forget Me Not. Those two books also had a similar theme--stalkers. I'm hoping to have the books completed by summer....but that's a big HOPE because my laptop died on me. I guess that's what I get for ordering from Tiger Direct. *sigh* I have to use the kid's computer which has the most uncomfortable chair possible. And I use my husband's laptop on the weekends (unless he has to go to work). I would try to write in longhand, but it doesn't work out well...my handwriting gets to messy because I don't write as fast as I can type or think and when I try to read it back I can't figure out what I wrote. haha
Anyway.....I think I'm babbling. I should probably try to get some work done before I have to get the girls in an hour. Then it's run here, run there, run here again, run there again. I'm getting tired just thinking about it.

So...thanks for stopping by. Hope I didn't bore you too much. I'll try to blog something a little more interesting next time...with in the next four months at least.

I've Been Tagged

And no, I don't mean as in a microchip implanted in my head.

I'm sure you've all seen those "get to know you" questionaires that go around. A list of questions you answer then choose to send to someone else. They're supposed to be a way to sort of get to know the person. I don't know how accurate they are unless you're a profiler with the FBI. Hmmm.....maybe I should be careful how I answer. hah

Anyway...I was tagged by Jane Taylor , who was kind enough to ask first. Me...I'm just gonna tag someone randomly, cuz when I was a kid (long before computers were invented...can you imagine???)....when you played tag outside until the mosquitos chased you in...you tagged the first person you reached. So, first, I'll post my Q&A then I'll post my Tagees.

And, uh, don't read too much into my answers Mr Profiler.

• If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?

We have a dog, Lizzie. I’m not the big dog person I was as a kid, but I guess I consider her part of the family. My kids certainly do.

• If you could have a dream come true, what would it be?

That my children have wonderful fulfilling lives when they move into adulthood.

• What is the one thing most hated by you?

Ignorance

• What would you do with a billion dollars?

First of all....who really needs that much money?? But, if I had it to burn, I’d first give every member of my family (but just the ones I know, not the ones who claim to be of my blood) and my husband’s immediate family one million dollars....cuz if you can’t live on that, you don’t deserve the money. Then, I take the rest and rebuild all the smaller, unknown towns along the gulf coast that were hit by Hurricane Rita and Hurricane Ike.

• What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

Spending the day out with my kids....they still make me laugh.

• Choose one letter from your name and come up with a word to describe yourself.

TERRI–I=Intuitive

• How do you unwind?

I watch TV...it’s the best way I can think of to stop my brain from over thinking. Haha

• What is your bedtime routine?

I don’t have one. When I’m tired I go to bed.

• If you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?

I don’t know. I'm more of a doer than a watcher.

• What kinds of books do you buy?

Since becoming a writer I’ve met a wide variety of authors. So, their books are what I now buy.

• Where do you want to be in ten years?

Alive, hopefully. And, living back in Texas with my books on the NYT Bestseller list for the tenth straight year.

• What’s your fear?

That I’ll die before I have a chance to see my children start their own families (yeah I know...morbid). Oh, and bugs. I really hate bugs!!

• What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?

I only know Jane online, but she’s one of the sweetest online friends I could ever make. She’s very encouraging and supportive and always knows the right thing to say. I’m proud to call her a friend.

• What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?

Wake my daughter’s for school then go downstairs and grab a mug of coffee!

• What’s your favorite food?

Southern Fried Chicken!!!

• Formal wear or casual wear?

Casual...I’m a jeans and t-shirt kinda gal

• Sports: football or baseball?

Most definitely Baseball. I’m a Cincinnati Red’s fan....when I was younger I thought Johnny Bench was a hottie!! lol (in case you don’t know who he is, he was the catcher back in the 70's)

• What do you consider your guilty pleasure?

Mmmm....Oreos. I could eat a whole package in one sitting....which is why I had to stop buying them.

Now....who can I tag next? Hmmm.....I think I'll tag Brenda Birch . Sorry hun. If I can find more to tag I will...if you want me to tag you....I can do that too. =)

Oh, and one more thing. This is a Mutation Tag, so if there are questions you'd like to add or delete, feel free to do so. But, try to keep under 20 questions.

Thanks for stopping by.

National Hispanic Heritage Month--and Reminiscing

From September 15 to October 15 the nation will celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. I'm not sure when the holiday started or rather, when the nation decided to acknowledge it, but for as long as I can remember, there was always a celebration in my hometown, Port Arthur.

Every third weekend in September my family (and I mean everyone in my family) would attend a three day "Mexican Fiesta" held by the Mexican Heritage Society in Port Arthur. At that time, was held in the parking lot of the local strip mall (can't remember what the name was, but there was a Woolco there...Geez, how old does that make me?)

Anyway, the festivities would start on Friday evening and consist of mostly food booths....what better reason to go to a fiesta I ask?? The food was so totally awesome! made by local families and the money raised for the Heritage Society and the Hispanic community. They also had a pagent to crown a queen (done on Saturday evening), mariachi players, Calpuli dancers, tamale eating contests (which my brother Dave won once) and a street dance (literally since we were in a parking lot) by bands from Victoria Texas or Corpus Christie and other towns. Most of the people attending either sat on the gates of their pickup trucks or brought lawn chairs to sit in, circling around an area designated the 'dance floor'. My brothers and sisters and cousins and I used to jump in when the band played The Cotton-eyed Joe....one of the few dances we could do without a partner. Occasionally we were allowed to work a food booth or drink cart...always fun when you're a kid. (and on a side note, I had my first kiss at the fiesta, but I won't say who he was or my age at the time.)

Nowadays the fiesta is held at the Port Arthur Civic Center and (imo) isn't the celebration it used to be. It's lost a lot in it's transition (mostly the tradition). Sadly though, because of Hurricane Ike, the fiesta was canceled this year.
Anyway, if you've never been to an actual Mexican Fiesta, you should go. Aside from the one in Port Arthur, Brownsville also holds a week long celebration called Charro Days. It's held yearly at the end of February to celebrate the sister cities of Brownsville, Texas and Matamoras, Mexico. I've never had the opportunity to attend this party, but one of these days I will. Especially since I've introduced it in my current WIP, House of Cards (soon to be sold...uh...once I finish it. )

So, how do you plan to celebrate Mexican Independence Day and National Hispanic Heritage Month? I know....why not curl up with a hot Latina Romance? Set in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas Her Will His Way is a lovestory you won't want to put down with characters you won't want to let go. Available now at Cobblestone Press for only $3.99

(oh, come on, you knew I was going to pitch my book)

Here we go again--Hurricane Gustav

For those of you who don't know, I'm originally from SE Texas, my family and friends are still in Port Arthur. With the threat of Hurricane Gustav in the Gulf, all of my attention will be trained on the news channels.

When Hurricane Rita hit three years ago, I lived in West Houston. My family and I chose not to evacuate because we were so far west I knew we wouldn't get any of the storm (and we didn't. Just 60/70 mph winds and a few hours of lost power). Plus, with the problems on the roads...no way was I going to suffer that with four kids and a dog! Just a five minute drive to the grocery store took 45 minutes to get home!

Anyway, my family (in the Port Arthur area) left a few days before the storm hit and were safely in Dallas when it pounded through...however, my brother, who's a CCU/ICU nurse supervisor couldn't leave until just hours before the storm hit because he was still evacuating patients. Of course he said by the time he hit the road, they were empty so his drive to Austin was short.

The day after the hurricane my husband was able to go into town (because of his job, he was in charge of the communication towers and had to inspect their damage) and took a side tour of the neighborhoods to see what damage was done to our family's homes. (Thankfully, not much on the outside). But, a week later, when residents were allowed to go back to assess damages, I went with my cousin (who had come down to stay with us so we could get the kids back in school) to Nederland to drop her husband home...he had to be back to work (at Dupont). The outside damage from the storm wasn't too bad. Her trampoline was now twisted metal leaning up against the neighbor's fence. Someone's metal roof was laying in the front yard along with a lot of branches (her husband quipped now he didn't have to hire someone to trim off the dead branches---humor is a great stress breaker). The woodslat privacy fence in the back yard was gone (most of the neighhorhoods lost their fences...in fact, that was the only damage my brother had at his house about ten miles away). But the worst damage to my cousin's house was the inside. Though they didn't have any major flooding in her neighborhood, what little there was got into the house. The 90 degree weather and loss of power....well, you can imagine what the carpet looked like. (I think one of those mold spores even moved! But the worst was the smell!! The grouper fish in the tank died, the freezer full of meat rotted (don't even get me started on why there was meat in the freezer!--I don't let her live that one down!) It smelled like a hundred people died in there! It was awful!

Anyway, with Hurricane Gustav possibly on a collision course with the area, no one is taking the evacuation order for granted. I really hate that I'm not still in Houston to offer refuse for my family especially since no one has really recouped financially from the Rita damage and therefore are going to really struggle with where they can afford to go. I'll be keeping a close eye on this storm via The Weather Channel and The PA News online edition. I'll also keep in touch via cell to my family to make sure they're okay.

So....where were you when the lights went out? And, if you're in the path, how are you preparing for this storm?

Godspeed everyone!