tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91853242000166000712024-02-07T12:37:08.183-05:00This Mom is OverdunnePosts on writing, motherhood, military families and life on the farm.Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-2990026734354501662012-07-16T18:05:00.000-04:002012-07-16T18:05:01.576-04:00New Blog!With the increase in activity in my writerly life, I've decided to start a new 'Brenda-the-writer' blog. Anything writing related will be found in this fabulous new site. :) But don't worry, This Mom is still Overdunne. I'll still be here when I can. Life just ain't dull and I've always got something to spew about!<br />
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So if you're looking for my writing-related drivel, check it out!<br />
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<a href="http://www.brendacoreydunne.blogspot.ca/">www.brendacoreydunne.blogspot.ca</a>Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-64700476748235809242012-06-15T10:08:00.000-04:002012-06-15T10:08:02.875-04:00Where's the map?Okay, so I've spent the past three days researching the 'Road to Self-publication'. I've googled, stalked self-pubber's blogs, talked to self-pubber's and emailed publication companies. Holy cow is there alot out there! Createspace, Smashwords, BookBaby, Lulu...there are so many options for those (like me) who aren't quite ready to go it alone and are willing to cough up a few dollars for the help. There are also many, many self-help for self-publishers websites and even a 'Self-publishing for Dummies' book! Wow. And the end result of all of my research is that I'm more indecisive than I was before I started. I need a map that says GO HERE NOW. I'm a great map reader. I really suck at decisions.<br />
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In the meantime, I've penned (or I guess I should say typed) a few thousand words on my current work-in-progress and prepared agent submissions for my other, more marketable manuscript. I've also worked two days at my job that FINANCES all of my crazy ideas, spent 8 hours watching over hyper little ballerinas and saucy teenagers at my daughter's evening dance rehearsals, built cross country jumps for my other daughter and her horse and somehow managed to feed, clothe and taxi everyone to where they needed to go. <br />
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I guess you can say I'm a writer now. Who else would live this wacky life? There really should be a map.<br />
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Brenda <br />
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<br />Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-44623894598970805142012-06-12T10:14:00.000-04:002012-06-12T16:57:14.818-04:00The Self-Publication Road...first steps.I am going to self-publish a book. <br />
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There. I said it. <br />
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After years and years of writing, editing, hand-wringing, submitting, editing, hand-wringing, waiting and editing some more, I have decided to self-publish a manuscript. Note I say 'A' manuscript, because I have decided that self-publication is the route to go for this manuscript, and this manuscript alone. Well, so far, anyways. If you've been following along with my drivel, you'll know that I have three complete, edited manuscripts in various piles around my messy house, and at least two in various stages of completion (35k, 9k). The manuscript I've decided to publish on my own is a fun YA historical fiction story with a hint of magic set in late 18th C New Brunswick. It's a quick romantic read, written as my 2010 NaNoWriMo project. Yah, I've submitted it to a few agents, even gotten some great, personal and encouraging rejection letters, but my heart isn't in it. It's just not a mass-market book. Don't get me wrong, it's a great story! But it doesn't fit the mould, nor does it run with today's popular YA dystopian, paranormal or other genres. It's different...and I like it that way.<br />
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For these reasons (and a few others) I've tossed around the idea of self-pubbing this manuscript for almost a year. I've REALLY tossed it around. My poor husband is sick of hearing about it. I've stared at my computer screen for HOURS, wondering and thinking and stressing. I've read and searched, and stalked my favourite indie authors' sites and I've come to the conclusion that it makes sense. I still am working toward traditional publishing with my other manuscripts (for reasons individual to the stories), but for this one, self-publication is the way to go. <br />
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And now that I've admitted it publicly...I'm going to do it. <br />
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I am slowly, with the help of my family and friends, coming to terms with the fact that I am, indeed, a writer. My husband has been a ROCK of support. He lets me wail and moan and gnash my teeth, and then tells me what I need to hear...it's my decision. I love him dearly. One particular friend of mine has also been struggling with am-I-a-writer-or-not-itis (and she's been PAID for her services) and we've been leaning on each other for support. She may or may not have even written a blog about it (check it out <a href="http://morrisonminutes.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">here</a>). Every writer needs reams of back-patting and kick-in-the-butt-ing, and she's done both. Thanks V.<br />
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So...over the next few weeks/months/years, I'll be taking my first steps to self-publication. Cover art, formatting, final copy-editing...these are just a few things I'll be banging my head repeatedly over. My impatience to get moving will no doubt be an issue, but so be it. I've read some pretty AWFUL self published stuff, and I've read some FABULOUS self published stuff (check out <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tammara-Webber/e/B004YRQ8BA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1" target="_blank">Tammara Webber on Amazon.</a> I LOVE her 'Between the Lines' series.). I aspire to be like the latter, and I know that good indie publishing takes lots and lots of time and hard work. I'll do my best. <br />
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Self-publication here we come.<br />
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Brenda<br />
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<br />Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-12698912943119616172012-06-08T12:33:00.002-04:002012-06-08T13:28:00.935-04:00ImpatienceWriters need to be patient. It's a fact. Crafting a manuscript takes time. Time to plan the story, time to write the story, time to edit the story, and then...(gasp!)...time to release the story to the world. Every step of the process takes hours, days, weeks, even years of waiting and wondering. We've all heard of authors who recognized the first inklings of a story in childhood and published the finished products in the sunset of their lives. It's a wonderful, full-circle idea. Really, it is.<br />
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Of course we've also heard of the geophysicist who scribbled his or her ideas down at afternoon tea, sent them off to a friend that night and, voila! Story published and on the NY Times Bestsellers list mere months later.<br />
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If you've done just that, I hope you know how lucky you are. Perhaps your mother rubbed a rabbit's foot on your cradle and fed you four-leaf clovers in your soup. I'm trying very hard to be happy for you. Seriously, I am. Okay, not really. I'm just doing my best not to hate your stinking guts. <br />
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I am a complete failure in the patience department. Well, at least in the writing patience department. I can wait for <em>ages</em> for some things (I'm the type that never peeks at Christmas presents, and never reads the ending first). But when I'm writing a story I want it to be done and done <em>now</em>. The words come flying out of my brain too fast for my fingers to keep up. I can't wait to send it off to the editor, and then I check my email hourly (okay maybe every five seconds), until it's back. I zip through the edits and then I want to send it out on an express train the next day. Sadly, it doesn't work this way. I know this...and I'm sure just about every newbie mistake I've made has stemmed from my lack of patience. <br />
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However...the manuscript I'm working on now has been almost <em>eight years</em> in the making. EIGHT YEARS! That's like a hundred in dog years, isn't it? And this manuscript is slowly shaping, forming, aging...like fine red wine (Merlot, anyone?). I'm excited about it. It's taken time because it's real, honest, and true. How does impatient little me end up writing something like that? I have no idea. Lots of cleansing breaths and buckets of coffee I guess. <br />
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How 'bout you? Do you suffer from impatientitis? Or are you cool and calm about the whole thing? I'd love to hear how you cope with the long spaces of time in between the magic. I'll share a coffee with you while we wait.<br />
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Brenda<br />
<br />Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-24644523555741807312012-05-22T09:53:00.003-04:002012-05-22T14:19:33.209-04:00Conferences, Vacations and a SNEAK PEEK!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJcpY8NDDiXmS2Qw7lCBQxW_IUw2j5ITOOHRiM4V6GAyPUK0R1KWITc0W4B5T_KK34_8AL7aT8YVJvqzsRl_DqdDh6hJnFOsmuQ72VRMv1tAMvaMWNcGuuDehKtPjGg3qMXFHD7L0Vpi7/s1600/vegas+2012+041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJcpY8NDDiXmS2Qw7lCBQxW_IUw2j5ITOOHRiM4V6GAyPUK0R1KWITc0W4B5T_KK34_8AL7aT8YVJvqzsRl_DqdDh6hJnFOsmuQ72VRMv1tAMvaMWNcGuuDehKtPjGg3qMXFHD7L0Vpi7/s320/vegas+2012+041.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Visiting the Grand Canyon</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
May has been an awesome month. In fact, it's been 'Spoil Brenda Month'. Started out with a three day trip/one day writing conference with my BFF (where I won a door prize and a Kindle!), continued with Mother's Day, and then a 5 night vacation to Las Vegas with my hubby was just the icing on the cake. Not only that, but my latest YA not-so-urban fantasy manuscript "SKIN" is polished, and ready to go, and now in the hands of a couple of fabulous agents for review. Yay! Let the obsessive email checking begin...<br />
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I've also gotten back to writing an adult contemporary manuscript I'm working on...thanks to the inspirational workshops at the Ontario Writers Conference, and the ongoing writerly banter I've had with several writer friends. I'm about 21,000 words in. Hoping to at least have the first draft completed by the end of July, in anticipation of WriteOnCon a wonderful online conference that happens in August. If you've not heard of it, check out the conference details out <a href="http://www.writeoncon.com/">here. </a>This will be my third year at WriteOnCon...can't wait! Last year I even got a couple unexpected of partial/full requests by agents, just by posting in the forums.<br />
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Vegas and the Grand Canyon were AMAZING. Cannot believe we actually went there. So worth it to have a little anniversary getaway by ourselves! Hubby and I had an awesome time. Pic above is me trying not to look nervous by the 2000 foot cliff.<br />
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I'm really excited about my new manuscript (SKIN)! Selkies and secrets on the red sands of PEI...sound interesting? I thought I'd leave you with a little taste. :) Enjoy!<br />
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<em>The roads are
red. I know everyone said that they would be red, but I just didn’t think they
would look like this. Pinkish, orange-ish red, like sunsets. They’re weird in a
pretty kind of way.<o:p></o:p></em></div>
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</em><br />
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<em>I’m sitting in
the back seat of the van, mushed between five million suitcases and my very annoying little brother somewhere
on Prince Edward Island. I seriously want this trip to be over, but unlike the hundreds
of thousands of tourists who’ve crossed that awful bridge this summer, I don’t
want to be on this island at all. <o:p></o:p></em></div>
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</em><br />
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<em>We’re moving
here. It’s August and we are crammed into this crappy van and we’ve been
driving for three freakin’ days to get here. It’s hot. Our air conditioning is dying
a slow and painful death, and I can’t wait to get out on those long stretches
of red beach just to get away from the van from hell.</em></div>
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<br /></div>Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-8319852740720746652012-04-19T17:24:00.001-04:002012-04-19T17:24:24.015-04:00So behind...Hello, April...! Oh. My. <br />
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The last time I wrote the snow was falling, and now the daffodils are blooming. How does that happen? The good news is, LOTS of great things are happening in my life right now, and I've got some wonderful things to write about...soon! So stay tuned. <br />
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Good to see you!Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-11006833286119399632011-11-09T15:46:00.000-05:002011-11-09T22:49:36.824-05:00Reflection on Remembrance<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
I had the amazing opportunity on Sunday to take a break from my mad NaNo writing-fest and attend a Remembrance Day ceremony with my daughter. She's an Army cadet (much to the chagrin of her Air-Force father) and her unit was marching in support of their sponsor, a local Legion.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhyx14FsVKgJcSIRb4EMes08SNyR8Ez5eh5Z65AF-b_hwG5F-csmx4sB3UkboAcQ8ssC93U_WKoe415YH2fdINd61hh56L7-ma40Tw3ZhAROzTuZ7b7QQ8gjebg1jQ4ShpL5ikOJUnT9A/s1600/delaneymarch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUhyx14FsVKgJcSIRb4EMes08SNyR8Ez5eh5Z65AF-b_hwG5F-csmx4sB3UkboAcQ8ssC93U_WKoe415YH2fdINd61hh56L7-ma40Tw3ZhAROzTuZ7b7QQ8gjebg1jQ4ShpL5ikOJUnT9A/s320/delaneymarch.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Veterans, Legion Members and Cadets stand at attention.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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It was a bizarre little ceremony, as the memorial gates they were marching to are located on a main street in a busy city. There was a police escort, several bicycle cops and two police cars with flashing lights. The cadets (age 12-18) looked sharp, marched well, and came to a halt in the middle of the intersection, the police officers directing traffic around them and the few war vets healthy enough to stand with them. In spite of the setting, and the low attendance, the Legion members led us through the National Anthem and played (via recording) the Last Post. We had a moment of silence. Like every ceremony of this nature, I struggled with the tears that inevitably well up when I think of the lives lost. Perhaps it's survivors guilt, perhaps it's the memory of so many friends and neighbours who have lost their lives in the service of our country, or perhaps it's fear that some day I could hear that bugle call someone I love dearly home. Whatever the cause, the moment of silence, to me, is sacred. And on that busy street with police officers directing traffic Sunday morning, it was no different.</div>
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As the moment of silence ended, I was shocked to hear a middle-aged woman start to yell. "You ruined the last post! You ruined the moment of silence! You should be ashamed!" she screamed at a poor unsuspecting police officer just behind my daughter. I'm sure I wasn't the only one confused. My poor daughter, standing there protected by the police officer helping the traffic through (which, by the way, was now backed up at least 6 blocks in each direction), looked like she was about to bolt. </div>
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I think (but I'm not sure) that this woman was mad at the police officer for letting the traffic through during the moment of silence. In her ignorance though, she not only insulted someone who was bravely doing his job, but those in front of her, who were doing what was important...remembering. I can't tell you how furious I was at this loud, angry woman who for some reason thought she had the duty to blast someone for ruining a ceremony that she herself was ruining. I wanted to run into the street and scream at her. Had she worn a uniform for her country? Did she watch the father of her children get on a plane for a 6 month tour in the desert? Had she held her son as he cried silently for the father he knows is in danger? Had she seen the rows, upon rows of gravestones in a lonely French field? Had she sat up late at night waiting for her husband to come home from a rescue mission in the middle of a blinding storm?</div>
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
I have.</div>
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And as much as I wanted to give this sad woman a piece of my mind, I didn't. The men and women who die every day so that we can stand and pray freely in a city street deserve better than that. </div>
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To his credit, the police officer listened to her quietly, attempted to placate her, and continued doing his job. The cadets, legion members and veterans ignored her. The ceremony finished and we walked away. I'm sure there are better ways to hold a ceremony than with a few straggly spectators in the middle of a busy street. But our discomfort was minimal. The act of remembrance is what counts. </div>
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To the men and women who have died so that I can sit here, writing my unedited thoughts...thank you. </div>
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<em>They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old:</em></div>
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<em>Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.</em></div>
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<em>At the going down of the sun, and in the morning,</em></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<em>We will remember them.</em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Laurence Binyon</span></em></div>
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<br /></div>Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-1796970994471935082011-10-25T09:29:00.002-04:002011-10-25T09:44:34.079-04:00NaNo CountdownIf I was really cool, and really techno-savvy and had all kinds of time to spend figuring things out, I'd put a NaNoWriMo widget on my Blog right here<br /><br />----------><br /><br />But sadly, this is not the case. Well, not today anyway. I have an hour before I have to take off for my real job, and would really like to spend a few minutes actually preparing for NaNoWriMo.<br /><br />National Novel Writing Month starts in just<br /><br /><span style="font-family:lucida grande;font-size:180%;color:#ff0000;"><strong>6 days</strong></span><br /><br />Have I prepared at all? Nope. Well, I guess I have a bit, as my plan for this year's NaNo is to redo (ie from the beginning) a manuscript that I fiddled with this summer. I've got the basic plotline in my head, the main characters, setting (more or less) and a title. But the conflict is a bit iffy. Will the story become a 50,000 + word manuscript? Who knows?<br /><br />Last year I started NaNo with just about as much info, had a week long visit with my parents and welcomed my hubby home after a 5 month deployment in the Middle East. And I won! Not only that, but my little manuscript has been sent off, edited by the fabulous Jesse Steele of The Editorial Department, and as far as I can see, it's ready to go. Which I think is pretty darned cool. It took my 14 months to write my first manuscript, and it's still not ready 4 years later! I LOVE that at the end of NaNo, if all goes well, I'll have something else finished.<br /><br />I'm looking forward to it. How 'bout you?<br /><br />BOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-8138453182097680952011-10-18T07:02:00.002-04:002011-10-18T07:15:18.432-04:00Time FliesYes. <br /><br />It's October.<br /><br />I am officially sucking at keeping my blog up to date.<br /><br />Seriously, though, I have a mental block when it comes to imputting (I never know how to spell that one...are there two t's or just one??) my email and password, so as to write a simple blog post. Why is that so difficult? It just took me two seconds to do, and here I am. <br /><br />There is, of course, the slight life-upheaval thing that comes from packing your entire family's material existance into a tractor trailer, driving for hours, and then inserting said family into a newly built hobby farm. We have been working non-stop for weeks planting grass, building fences, making gardens, and (ugh) putting away box upon box upon box upon box of stuff. We win in the 'stuff' department. Thank God we move every few years or we'd be overcome with stuff.<br /><br />Anyway, so now we're here, the horsies are happy in their little paddocks, kidlets are in school, and I'm finally able to concentrate on some writing-related stuff.<br /><br />Lets hope I can input that little email address more often.<br /><br /><br />BrendaOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-948472012450636582011-06-22T08:13:00.002-04:002011-06-22T08:20:29.195-04:00It's baaa-ack...*cue drumroll *<br /><br />My manuscript has returned from the editors. Yup. It's back. The wonderful people at The Editorial Department even returned it on time. Now that's professionalism. <br /><br />I'm not sure if I'm nervous, scared, excited, stressed or depressed. Probably a mix of all of the above. And I haven't even opened the file yet!<br /><br />Today I'm allowing myself an hour to read over the editor's notes and skim through the side comments. And after that, I'm off to a funeral. Let's hope there is no connection. (Rest in peace, Mr. Hamilton.)<br /><br />Will let you know how it goes!Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-37637036860732328822011-06-18T08:11:00.003-04:002011-06-18T08:52:55.074-04:00Editing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DNySXuoJ-HX1TsmB51fGOmMbub5bsi2ZFH1kDBoJxSnlgvqV8jFayW-Ahej68CXGU_9h9gN1kpLPRmcPIMPbETJlqSFSuyKPZO551onjKnQ4Lsq8ETETvPd5wWKGMs1FI7FDB1QwcTuj/s1600/038.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619541246333625746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3DNySXuoJ-HX1TsmB51fGOmMbub5bsi2ZFH1kDBoJxSnlgvqV8jFayW-Ahej68CXGU_9h9gN1kpLPRmcPIMPbETJlqSFSuyKPZO551onjKnQ4Lsq8ETETvPd5wWKGMs1FI7FDB1QwcTuj/s320/038.JPG" /></a> If you've been following along on my rants (God help you), you know that I currently have two completed first drafts sitting on my desk waiting for something exciting to happen to them. The problem is, they are just that - drafts.<br /><br /><div>The first manuscript was completed in 2008. I "edited" it, queried it, submitted it for contests, and quickly realized that although the story was good, the writing needed a little work. </div><br /><br /><div>Here's where things get a bit sketchy.<br /></div><br /><div>You see, I LOVE to write. Putting my words on the 15" screen in front of me gives me a high I never realized until I started taking it more seriously. But when I try to alter those words, make them flow better, correct grammatical mistakes, remove those nasty words with -ly at the end of them, I lose my focus. I second guess myself. I change things that should be left alone, and leave the things that should be changed. And when I think of someone else critiquing my work I hyperventilate.<br /><br />Enter my new friends from Twitter. My four wonderful crit group members, in our varying states of busy-ness, have introduced me to the real world of critique. And my other friends at #WritersRoad have made me realize that editing doesn't have to be painful. When I discovered that some people actually like editing BETTER than writing, I was shocked. Seriously?? You LIKE to do this? </div><br /><br /><div>And then it hit me. If I'm ever going to get my completed manuscripts into print and my assorted works in progress there as well, I need help. Professional help. The kind that's worth paying for. Talk about scary. It's like the next step in the 12 steps..."Hi my name is Brenda and I suck at editing."<br /><br />Thanks to a friend from my critique group, I've discovered the wonderful people at<a href="http://www.editorialdepartment.com/"> "The Editorial Department"</a>. And, no kidding, they've been wonderful. Jane has even sent me her virtual vodka-valium-latte to help with my pre-editing jitters. In a few days I should get back my edited draft from the amazing Jesse Steele. I feel like I do when the kids are at camp. My baby is off in the big world, and I'm waiting to go pick it up--cuts, bruises, and alterations included. </div><br /><br /><div>So...wish me luck. I'll let you know how it goes. Who knows? Maybe something exciting will happen.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-48631979979581903492011-05-30T08:38:00.006-04:002011-05-30T09:07:31.950-04:00Bad Blogger. Bad.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsfMBIHJBlPQYq0vedp7cMREhjNAn11UoT7MvhFZLPhYQyJlO2fvu0kozJQvvpKSGDsDd6YWxQz3Qzm_uCktc23OnANd-l3miW0ReEpSQJbOkFmy5Pu0hCSmk4js1pMGcd1_9Et8kWFtu/s1600/zeus%252Bash.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612492161231711298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsfMBIHJBlPQYq0vedp7cMREhjNAn11UoT7MvhFZLPhYQyJlO2fvu0kozJQvvpKSGDsDd6YWxQz3Qzm_uCktc23OnANd-l3miW0ReEpSQJbOkFmy5Pu0hCSmk4js1pMGcd1_9Et8kWFtu/s320/zeus%252Bash.jpg" /></a><br />Yah, so somehow it's May 30th. That would make it a month and a half since my last post. Somewhat failing in the content department, no? The excuses are many, but time is short, so I won't bother. Let's just say I've wanted to post, but haven't.<br /><br />The problem with leaving something like this for too long is that the topic possibilities pile up and start staring you down. "Cummon, Brenda. I <strong>DARE</strong> you to post on me!" they scream from within my brain.<br /><br />Oh yes, I've read all of the advice. Posting regularly is important. Weekly, daily, hourly...you <strong>MUST</strong> post. Post in your sleep if you have to! The pressure!<br /><br />I suck at prompt posting. I am the queen of bloggy procrastination. Procrastinating Poster's Anonymous Chairperson: That's me.<br /><br />Bad blogger. BAD.<br /><br />Today the sun is shining. It's Monday and I don't have to work at my 'real' job. The kids are at school. Hubby is off saving the world. The dog is walked. The house is relatively clean. The lawn is mown and the gardens are weeded. And I feel like writing.<br /><br />I could write about the new house that we are building. I could write about sending my manuscript to a professional editor (scary prospect, that). I could write about kids, rain, sunshine, horses, work, blahbity blah-blah-blah.<br /><br />But today I just feel like saying hi.<br /><br />Hello all you friendly follower peeps! What's new with you?Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-7110193470358984132011-04-03T20:54:00.004-04:002011-04-03T21:02:28.718-04:00OttoAs if life isn't crazy enough, what with showing our house, getting ready to move, searching for a new place to live...we've been testing out a new pony this week. His name is Otto. Currently owned by good friends of ours who've bought a larger horse to suit their growing daughter, Otto is a 14.2hh gelding. Delaney loves him. He's 7 years old, has two white socks and a very cute white blaze. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeDxEOhtJkiLoDP-sLXhM0Hj22CYqIskPhrIXOqctb7ntWeyt-X44bw5Ae8mhUe0hyBj7LgbyZnJare8ICmoDShp3Rcfvp1idzvK0k4Hq9HclhQQwOpeu7uEs7uTg2Z_XfI7YN2oQ8Ksw/s1600/009.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeDxEOhtJkiLoDP-sLXhM0Hj22CYqIskPhrIXOqctb7ntWeyt-X44bw5Ae8mhUe0hyBj7LgbyZnJare8ICmoDShp3Rcfvp1idzvK0k4Hq9HclhQQwOpeu7uEs7uTg2Z_XfI7YN2oQ8Ksw/s400/009.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5591526657172481298" /></a><br /><br />So? What do you think? Cute, huh?<br /><br />BrendaOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-81577801190123046612011-03-14T15:11:00.003-04:002011-03-14T15:15:43.668-04:00And So It Begins...Finally! Our posting message is in!<br /><br />After over a year of waiting, we know where we are going. And I’m exhausted already.<br /><br />Last Wednesday (five days ago) the message came in. Thursday we contacted real estate agents both here and in our next location. Friday night we filled out the listing paperwork. Saturday and Sunday we cleaned like MAD. This morning (Monday) the photographer came to take pictures for our virtual tour. This afternoon the relocation company’s appraiser came to do his paperwork. Tonight the sign goes up on our driveway. Tomorrow morning the listing goes live on the internet and the REAL fun begins. <br /><br />The posting process slowly builds as you wait to find out where, and begin the general process of cleaning out and getting ready. Then the bubbling frenzy of the pre-listing period hits. You scrub, paint, tidy, chuck, hide, dust and primp your house into looking like something from a magazine cover. In the past two days I’ve made curtains, flower arrangements and lovely clean piles of firewood. We started at 7 am and went until 11 pm. Last night I swear I dreamed of dust rhinos taking over the world. Our house has not been this clean in the two and a half years we’ve lived here. Sadly, military family organizational nirvana only happens in the brief period between listing and sale.<br /><br />As a military family, we’re not new to this craziness. This will be our 8th move in 14 years. I’ve moved once with a toddler and a 4 week old baby who screamed every minute of our four day drive. And once with two toddlers and a 3 month old baby. Not fun. But, wonder of all wonders, this time our kids are actually HELPING in the process. It’s an odd development. Our twelve year old is a whiz at cleaning windows. Our ten year old can sweep and shovel like a pro. Even the eight year old is discovering the wonders of the home staging world. Very cool! And last night, after working hard ALL DAY, they were actually playing with one another! HAPPILY! And without making a mess! What’s with that? Who’d a thunk it? <br /><br />There’s still work to do, but the preparations are almost finished. Now comes the annoying ‘keep-the-house-clean-because-showings-only-come-when-two-kids-are-barfing-and-the-dog-decides-to-eat-the-laundry-room-door’ phase. It’s a whole new category of Murphy’s Laws. The kid that forgets to flush his poo-poo before we leave. The dirty sock that doesn’t quite make it to the laundry basket. The (don’t laugh because it’s happened) boogers rubbed on the entryway wall. This momma’s got hawk eyes, but I know that something will be missed. And I also know that someone will come along and love this much just as much as we have. <br /><br />Please God, just make it quick.Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-52268160175985822752011-02-16T11:20:00.003-05:002011-02-16T11:28:51.695-05:00Re-Readable Books - A Top Ten List<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelviUuK9_YwQmdRtRQhWAc8p8-xo0W53lCoeiIUES49uLpZ46JBfYjkfcAC8YdtJkpT4Bmw6gGMskYMM4VFydjTfqIJ4HKVoyoND0xgkHZzuQOaMUvXC2Z5EtRIRTFwViXKCkG1eR-0cO/s1600/cropreading.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 194px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjelviUuK9_YwQmdRtRQhWAc8p8-xo0W53lCoeiIUES49uLpZ46JBfYjkfcAC8YdtJkpT4Bmw6gGMskYMM4VFydjTfqIJ4HKVoyoND0xgkHZzuQOaMUvXC2Z5EtRIRTFwViXKCkG1eR-0cO/s320/cropreading.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574325086179854002" /></a><br />I love to re-read books. There’s nothing better than picking up a book for the second, (or third, or fifteenth) time and entering the author’s world afresh. I read quickly, and sometimes I miss things. Or I’ll forget something in between readings. And depending on what’s going on in my life, I may discover entirely new meaning in the story. <br /><br />I remember reading C.S. Lewis’ <em>The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe </em>when I was eight. I LOVED it. Escaping to a world where animals can talk? And magic is real? Just by hiding in a closet? Perfect. I read the whole series at least ten times. There was absolutely no part of my mind that searched for Christian references. <br /><br />When the movie came out a few years ago, I bought the series and read it again. It amazed me to see what Lewis had hidden in the pages. And this time thinking all the while of how my children will enjoy the story, not just enjoying the story for itself.<br /><br />I read for entertainment. If a part of a book doesn’t catch my interest, I’ll (*gasp*) skip whole pages to get onto the good parts. Sure there are millions of really good books out there. But only books that entertain me (or speak to me in some way) qualify as re-readable.<br /><br />I recently picked up a book (let’s just say it’s from an insanely popular vampire series) for the second time. My daughter is reading the series, and I wanted to refresh the story in my mind. Sadly, this book (and series) does not qualify for re-reading status. It’s killing me. Too much mooning. The heroine is driving me insane. Not to mention the fact that I don’t like the casting of the movie, and all I can see are the movie characters when I read it. I don’t have a lot of time to read anyway, so it’s being shelved.<br /><br />The fact that a book I enjoyed so much the first time (and yes, I REALLY loved it the first time) could be so un-entertaining the second time got me thinking. What are my favourite re-reads? And why are some books re-readable? Hence the list. <br /><br />So—Ta da! Here are my top ten favourite re-reads of all time (in no particular order):<br /><br />1. <em>Harry Potter </em>(1-7) by J.K. Rowling—Do I need to expand on this? Fantasy, excitement, brilliant entertainment. Sure there are a few parts I skip through, but for the most part I could re-read these books twenty times and not get bored.<br /><br />2. <em>Pride and Prejudice </em>by Jane Austen—I love, love, love the snippy, barbed dialogue in this book. Who wouldn’t want a Mr. Darcy to rescue them? So romantic. And to top it off I really like both movie versions (BBC and Hollywood). Sigh.<br /><br />3. <em>Jane Eyre </em>by Charlotte Bronte—Again, romance at it’s best. A few parts are skippable, and I want to shake Jane when she’s hanging out with St. John. Or slap him. But still, I could re-read it yearly.<br /><br />4. <em>The Narnia Series </em>(1-7) by C.S. Lewis. I’m proud to admit how many times I climbed into my closet as a child, hoping to be greeted by a faun.<br /><br />5. <em>Hush, Hush </em>by Becca Fitzpatrick—This book gets me in the gut. Very entertaining. Even the third time. I’m eagerly awaiting book three.<br /><br />6. <em>Are We Having Fun Yet? (16 Secrets to Happy Parenting) </em>by Kay Willis and Maryann Bucknum Brinley—This one you may not have heard of. It is an AMAZING guide to parenting. My copy is dog-eared and well worn. Kay Willis, may she rest in peace, is my hero.<br /><br />7. <em>Dragonsong</em> by Anne MacCaffery—Another escapist’s dream series. I love Menolly. And dragons.<br /><br />8. <em>Anne of Green Gables </em>by Lucy M Montgomery—I have to admit, I tried to read Anne when I was ten, and had to put it down. I think Anne’s dialogue was just too much for me then. Now, it’s charming.<br /><br />9. <em>The Hunger Games </em>by Suzanne Collins—Seriously. This book is so incredible on so many levels. Ethics, romance, drama and entertainment. I love it. Cover to cover.<br /><br />10. <em>The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants </em>by Ann Brashares. I can’t remember who recommended this book to me the first time. I know I begged my book club at the time to discuss it. And I’m looking forward to discussing it with my daughters in a few years. A feel-good series for teens and up. <br /><br />So there you have it. I’m sure I’ve missed some. And don’t think me shallow for the lack of classics or deep philosophical books. If you agree, disagree, or think me a wacko, feel free to comment. I may come up with more and do a revised list later. I’d put the Bible down as one but I’ve never read it cover to cover. And my own manuscripts? Well they’ve been read a million times, but I can’t recommend them to you, as they’re not published. Yet. <br /><br />BrendaOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-90694615068361684022011-02-05T08:50:00.007-05:002011-02-05T09:09:22.444-05:00New Post on HorseFamily<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJAYVQTtb8DuNqCxvmAR6ouYhXah6ss01XyH14Exnoy-AgkkkO_n9OAZJMssSB8849TLuJejWGYQBE60ue6MJnuVHbmJ48YUDg1XrTsOWtxuuWamQUnnTF_BqghCzFvjiTkF5NOJ-VHQG/s1600/horsycrop.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 218px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWJAYVQTtb8DuNqCxvmAR6ouYhXah6ss01XyH14Exnoy-AgkkkO_n9OAZJMssSB8849TLuJejWGYQBE60ue6MJnuVHbmJ48YUDg1XrTsOWtxuuWamQUnnTF_BqghCzFvjiTkF5NOJ-VHQG/s320/horsycrop.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570205938486586146" /></a><br />I've branched out! I'm now a guest blogger on Horse Family Magazine, an online magazine for horse lovers. My first post is just an intro of sorts.In future I'll be posting on more physiotherapy related posts, diabetes in riding...and (cross your fingers) the trials and tribulations involved in buying a farm. You can find my post here:<br /><br />http://horsefamilymagazine.com/the-view-from-the-fence-line-a-newbies-tale <a href="http://horsefamilymagazine.com/the-view-from-the-fence-line-a-newbies-tale"></a><br /><br />Enjoy!<br /><br />BrendaOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-53993456487636200312011-02-01T20:28:00.003-05:002011-02-01T20:46:33.571-05:00My Life. In Six Words.On Monday evening I was dropping my daughter off for an extra-curricular activity at a local school. While standing with her, my eyes drifted to the bulletin board in the hall. There was a double page spread from a national paper stapled there, and a whole bunch of white paper sheets with what looked like mini-poems on them. <br /><br />Intrigued, I walked over and checked it out. The article was on ‘Six-Word Memoirs’. Basically, boiling your existence into a short, six-word blurb. <br /><br />The memoirs on the bulletin board were amazing…<br /><br />I am a sneaking ninja. Stealthy.<br /><br />Six Siblings Make a Girl Tough!<br /><br />Father died young. Grew Up Fast.<br /><br />Working Janitor. My ambition lacks ignition.<br /><br /><br />And on, and on. Some of them were just lists of traits…Loving, Working, Sleeping… things like that. Some of them were full sentences. <br /><br />I’ve since searched the internet—turns out this is quite a phenomenon. Magazines, newspapers, and news channels across the world have done articles on the six-word memoir. There are even books on the subject. So I'm a bit behind the times.<br /><br />Anyway, as I was driving home Monday night, daughter safely ensconced in her activity, my mind whirled. Could I do it? How could I turn all of the things I do into a six word bio? My life is a neverending series of hats—I wear a different one every hour. <br /><br />I couldn’t get it out of my head. Even while I was falling asleep that night the words were rolling through my mind. I help. I heal. I work, play, laugh, cry, push, hold, write… I’m a mother, a wife, a physio, a horse-holder, a diabetes nurse, and a shoulder to lean on.<br /><br />And then it hit me. Everything I do involves building someone else up. My success is their success. My triumph is a good A1C. An A+ on a test. A patient rolling in to the clinic in a wheel chair and walking out his own feet weeks later. A military man standing at the front of the parade. Even in writing, I just want to share. I want to make you, the reader happy.<br /><br />My six-word memoir?<br /><br /><em>Success doesn’t always mean coming first.</em><br /><br />For me anyway. My success is standing in the wings. It makes my heart sing. Yah, I might have cheated a bit with the contraction. But I think that’s me in a nutshell. I haven’t been ‘first’ at anything since high school. But I’m content with where I am right now.<br /><br />What’s yours? I’d love to hear it. Leave it in the comments. Or maybe make one up for someone else you know. Give it a try.Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-22283906491256713362011-01-24T18:56:00.004-05:002011-01-26T15:15:53.749-05:00Managing<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8kyVwTymXDbWtuk4teKtyZ7szFwhHKb7nJbNRlTXpiQJYR4IEI_VQPY1QvusZZ7xGtMlFce_h6DwYN2iHd_XJJ_K1Y7GSg8iB7NZykCcbLA9CebIi9sI-jcU-SSxJwAN9gDHi0yWW8yR/s1600/DSC00633.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8kyVwTymXDbWtuk4teKtyZ7szFwhHKb7nJbNRlTXpiQJYR4IEI_VQPY1QvusZZ7xGtMlFce_h6DwYN2iHd_XJJ_K1Y7GSg8iB7NZykCcbLA9CebIi9sI-jcU-SSxJwAN9gDHi0yWW8yR/s320/DSC00633.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566589667473287746" /></a><br /><br /><em>My girl and I...overlooking the Caldera in Santorini, Greece</em><br /><br />A few months ago I took part in an online Twitter chat with others who have/care for someone who has diabetes. I can't remember the exact topic, but it had to do with 'controlling' diabetes. The discussion was fast and furious, and in my not-so-tech-savvy way I followed along, and even commented a few times when the urge struck. <br /><br />What absolutely amazed me about the discussion was how wide the disease varied. There were the Type 2 diabetics who just watched what they ate, and the 'brittle' type 1's, who were just hanging in there. How do you 'control' something that affects people so differently? How can you keep your thumb down on something affected by so many variables?<br /><br />In our house, we 'manage' diabetes. There's no controlling. <br /><br />It's a delicate balance. My daughter does EVERYTHING a normal 8 year old does, from summer camp to somersaults. She eats sugary foods (sparingly, but no different than our other children). She swims, she dances, she rides horses...she flies across time zones and she canoes in the back-country. <br /><br />Only sometimes in 'Dunnes vs Diabetes' the balance swings against us. Thursday, for example. Cell phone rings at work. It's the school calling...daughter's sugar levels are so high the test kit won't even register them (For those who aren't familiar with test levels, that's almost 5 times normal levels). A few suggestions, and I get back to work. An hour later, another phone call. During a recess martial arts lesson, another child accidentally ripped out daughter's catheter site. No catheter = no insulin. She's already super-crazy high, so this is an emergency. Thankfully my co-workers and patients are very understanding. I drop everything at work, tear off to the school at mach 5 to remove the rest of the old site, clean and insert a new catheter. Forty minutes later I'm back at my job, and it's business as usual. <br /><br />Make no mistake. Diabetes never sleeps. Some nights I don't either. No matter how perfectly we measure carbs and calculate ratios, we cannot control it. And sometimes life gets so hectic we forget something. Insulin. Site changes. A test kit. Extra juice. A hug. <br /><br />So we manage. <br /><br />And hope. And pray. And test, and test, and test again. <br /><br />Tomorrow is another day.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em></em><em></em><em></em>Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-21189460489141501632011-01-19T08:16:00.002-05:002014-03-27T10:47:27.593-04:00The Waiting GameToday is January 19th. In about 5 months the Dunne clan are going to pack up all of their worldly possessions and haul their little behinds to somewhere else. Possibly somewhere in this province. Possibly somewhere on this continent. Possibly somewhere on this planet. <br />
<br />
Where, you ask? Heck knows! Your guess is as good as mine. We've known this posting was going to happen for more than a year. We kinda know where we are going. And we kinda know when. But other than prepping our house to sell (which, by the way, I'm avoiding right now by writing this blog...) there's not much we can do to prepare until we have our magical piece of paper..aka (deep reverberating theatrical voice) 'The Posting Message'. Dunh, dunh, dunh!<br />
<br />
Patience is NOT my virtue.<br />
<br />
I suck at waiting. Really. You'd think after 13 years as a military spouse, and seven family moves I'd have gotten used to this madness. If anything it's getting worse. I'm on the real estate websites every day. I'm searching the properties for sale in our local area. I'm researching schools. I'm cleaning out closets, going through books, weeding out the unnecessary crap that builds up in a house after a few years. I've warned, rewarned and warned again my work, kids teachers, extra-curricular activity organizers and friends. I'm sure they are sick to death of the endless mind-numbing babble. They humour me and ask socially appropriate questions--all the while questioning my sanity.<br />
<br />
I think I could coin a syndrome here. 'Moving Madness'. "Pre-posting Parapsychosis". "Radical Relocation Radiculopathy". Or how about..<br />
<br />
Pre-move<br />
SYstemic<br />
Condition of<br />
Housing <br />
Over-preparation<br />
<br />
PSYCHO?<br />
<br />
My husband is afraid to come home because he knows I'll pounce on him. "Any news?" "Any emails?" "Did you talk to anyone?" "Come look at the house I found in (insert city here)!" He has this slightly terrified, cautious grin when he comes through the door. I try hard. Really I do. But I HAVE TO KNOW! NOW!<br />
<br />
The good news is, that when that glorious (or awful-depending on where it says we are going) piece of paper comes, I'll be ready! Pre-printed info sheets abound! The house will be ready to show! The application forms will be ready to send! I'll have the hotels selected for our house hunting trip, the houses to look at, and the restaurant for the third day's supper selected! Life will be good! We'll be moving forward!<br />
<br />
And two years later I'll be doing it all over again!<br />
<br />
There's no life like it.<br />
<br />
BrendaOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-49056807860521675662011-01-11T20:54:00.004-05:002011-01-11T21:25:03.854-05:00Blogshead RevisitedDays hubby was gone.....151<br /><br />Days til he returns.....NONE!<br /><br />Current Work In Progress... Editing 48,000 wd manuscript from NaNoWriMo<br /><br /><br />Well, so much for November and December. Ummm...I lost them somewhere in the snow. How is it that when life is complicated and crappy I find lots of time to blog, but when it's busy but good...? Not so much. <br /><br />I could bore you with tons of details about how my wonderful hubby came home(my kids had absolutely NO IDEA until he was standing in front of them), I took part in and won NaNoWriMo (along with my three children), and had a great Christmas with family and friends locally and in my home town...but there were no major catastrophes, blood sugars stayed relatively normal (well, except for the emergency roadside site change in Montreal), and people were happy in my house. <strong>I</strong> was happy in my house. November and December were good.<br /><br />Enter January. <br /><br />Snow. Cold. Dark. Editing. <br /><br />As much as I dislike the snowy, dark, frigid days of late January. Editing really makes me shiver. <br /><br />I've been a really good girl. I put away my NaNo manuscript for almost six weeks. And now, for the first time since I did my final NaNo update on Nov 29th, I've taken it out and am reading it. <br /><br />It's always a bit shocking the first time I read something I've written. I wrote that?? Me?? Cool. It's not bad! Seriously! Sure, it's not publishable material yet, but the feeling is there. My problem is taking that feeling and expanding it to something vortexy. Something that sucks you in and spits you out panting on the last page. The bones are there, but my editing skills are not. Help!!<br /><br />So....instead of editing (my plan for the evening), I'm blogging. Hmmm...avoidance is the best policy. And as a working, writing, miltary spouse and mom of three kids, there's always something else to do than edit!! Laundry! Dishes! Vacuuming! Cleaning the kitty litter! Scraping boogies off the wall! The list is endless. <br /><br />But those all sound too much like work.<br /><br />I'd rather just sit here and talk to you.<br /><br />BrendaOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-85219985580345298092010-10-20T10:43:00.005-04:002010-10-20T12:16:27.342-04:00A Community Based on Trust.<strong>Days since hubby deployed</strong>: 134<br /><br /><strong>Days 'til he returns</strong>: currently unknown<br /><br /><strong>Work In Progress</strong>: shelved for a bit, preparing for NaNoWriMo<br /><br /><br /><br />As I write this, a sick, sick man is being tried for horrible, unthinkable crimes. Crimes committed here. Where I live, where I work. He was my husband's boss. In fact, he was the boss of thousands. And thousands more trusted him with their lives, their careers...their families. He abused that trust, using information he gathered through his power at work to stalk, steal, rape and murder. Where I live. Where I work. Where my children play. I thought he was a friend.<br /><br />It's thrown me for a bit of a loop. You can't avoid the shocking testimony. It's on the cover of every local paper. On the television. On the internet. It's talked about in the grocery store. On Twitter. On Facebook. It's terrifying, sickening and it's very real, because it's right here. I keep my dog close. I triple check the doors and windows at night. Leave lights on outside. I hug my kids. I pray the time will go quickly and my husband will be home soon.<br /><br />Miltary families are regularly thrown into situations where they have to trust complete strangers. We move. We rarely have extended family to depend on. Our spouses go away. Our commanders have access to information no civilian boss would. It is a system based on trust. Honor. Integrity. Respect. These are words that we live by. And this one man has threatened it all.<br /><br />There are so many people I have had to trust in the past. Neighbours, babysitters, workmates, book club friends...people I've met through my husbands work, through military family resource centres, standing at kids' schools, waiting outside kids' activities. Some are miltary, some are civilian. My 'military family' includes people from across the globe. People I've had to depend upon. Wonderful, wonderful people that have listened to me when I needed a friend. Supported me. I am so thankful for each and every one of them. It's quite overwhelming to think of the wonderful friendships I've built over the years with people who started out as strangers. I hope I have been as valuable to them as they have been to me.<br /><br />I debated a long time before discussing the fact that my husband was away on the internet. I didn't want to advertise the fact that he was away. Especially as his ex-boss was awaiting trial for preying on women who were home alone. But I want to share my experiences, maybe to help another deployed spouse, maybe to help others understand life in the military community. <br /><br />I know this will pass. He'll be sentenced. The news will find something else new and shocking to cover. But my military family will endure. I won't stop trusting people just because of one man's hideous crimes. In fact, I will trust them more. Trust that we will keep each other safe. <br /><br />BrendaOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-53146144417000544312010-10-10T09:29:00.005-04:002010-10-10T19:16:26.999-04:00A Vacation in the Clouds<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrVvuaknaNR9QOdFjpxFmtwSWbJjfklwsJDDJUgaR5YdF8CC7A4O-dcni-A-7MgFPriGjcaoG9n1fDnLod2Sa0zAUuXxy4to7h7hOTXBE0dLtlpOoUhgEwLhN4XKcbjs6IoegouCTCB9K/s1600/DSC00433.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZrVvuaknaNR9QOdFjpxFmtwSWbJjfklwsJDDJUgaR5YdF8CC7A4O-dcni-A-7MgFPriGjcaoG9n1fDnLod2Sa0zAUuXxy4to7h7hOTXBE0dLtlpOoUhgEwLhN4XKcbjs6IoegouCTCB9K/s320/DSC00433.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526547901384727026" /></a><br /><strong>Days since hubby deployed</strong>: 122 That's four full months.<br /> <br /><strong>On my reading list</strong>: Actually, I'm not reading anything right now. Just finished all of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments, and <em>Clockwork Angel</em> <br /> <br /><strong>Eagerly Awaiting</strong>: <em>Crescendo</em>. What's going to happen with Patch and Nora??<br /><br /><strong>Current Work In Progress</strong>: About 17,000 wds. Sadly, I've not been at my computer much.<br /><br /><br /><br />I am a lucky lady. <br /><br />Seriously. I just got back from the absolute BEST vacation ever. 14 days of perfection. Five nights in Tuscany, two nights in Venice and seven nights cruising the Greek Islands on the Norwegian Gem. Bliss. And the best part? I got to spend the whole time with my wonderful husband! Sure, crossing the Atlantic (sans help)with my three children was a bit daunting. And the preparations required for two weeks of travel with a diabetic daughter were a little more than average...but so worth it. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1chQQ03gDl9KBAEwnPLWGinLBj7GUhUAyKP19p-sh6aM_Yt5Fu8Arev7yZPFkXvDCJuzPnp1LaElxVgwGp8nEeAWZ6xynG0D9Qtw_F5cjDiT3mc829tZVSwtHTnvkztUYHUCSCHwa2LC/s1600/DSC00218.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ1chQQ03gDl9KBAEwnPLWGinLBj7GUhUAyKP19p-sh6aM_Yt5Fu8Arev7yZPFkXvDCJuzPnp1LaElxVgwGp8nEeAWZ6xynG0D9Qtw_F5cjDiT3mc829tZVSwtHTnvkztUYHUCSCHwa2LC/s320/DSC00218.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526552157414589314" /></a>We got to climb to the top of the Tower of Pisa. We crossed the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. We went horseback riding and drank locally produced wine in Tuscany(me sitting at our Tuscan villa at left) . We took a gondola ride through the canals of Venice(photo at top right), and a donkey ride up the cliffs of Santorini. And we were spoiled rotten on a beautiful cruiseship in the Aegean. <br /><br />Travelling with kids may not be for everyone, but those who have read through my Dunnesinuk posts know that we are HUGE fans of it. While sitting in our apartment in Venice we were reading <em>The Thief Lord </em>by Cornelia Funke to the kids- and realized we'd had lunch in the very Piazza that Prosper and Bo were in. So Cool. And then we revisited many of the same places Tom and I had visited on our honeymoon thirteen years before- the kids got to see it first hand.<br /><br />Unfortunately, at the end of all of this bliss my husband had to board a plane going one way, and we had to board our squishy-tight and very delayed transatlantic flight going the other way. All good things must come to an end. I'm not complaining-just stating a fact. I am very blessed to have had the opportunity. My kids were OUTSTANDING travellers. Even the stewardess on the flight stopped to tell me how impressed she was with their manners and behaviour (shameless brag). I was very proud of them. And I actually returned feeling refreshed- both physically and emotionally. I loved just about every minute of our trip, but I'm glad to be home. In two and a half months we'll all be together again, and family life can restart. Well, that is until we get the posting message that's due...<br /><br />Hope you all had a great Canadian Thanksgiving. <br /><br />BrendaOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-63488245485893493152010-09-08T09:37:00.004-04:002010-09-08T10:05:59.928-04:00An Ode to SeptemberSeptember. Oh how I love thee. Fresh apples, blazing red leaves, sweaters and wood fires... <br /><br />And let us not forget...BACK TO SCHOOL! Yippee! Today I walked three children to the end of the driveway and waved goodbye. Have fun kids! See ya later! And then, joy of joys, I was alone! And even better, today is my day off! Heaven. Oh, how I love September. <br /><br />I took the dog for a run, came back into my (incredibly disasterous) house, lit a candle (to cover the reek of unwashed laundry) and sat down with a cup of lukewarm coffee. The sun came out. The humid air freshened to that early-fall crispness. And now I hear the leaves rustling in the breeze. Oh, how I love September.<br /><br />September is the month where I finally get to take a breather. Kids in school, summer activities are gearing down, winter activities not quite geared up yet...the heat of August is over. The bitter, hateful January cold is still far away. There are still 3 months until I realize Christmas is two days away and I'm not finished shopping/wrapping/baking. Oh, how I love September.<br /><br />And this September, there is something better. A break from deploymentland. In less than two weeks the kids and I will be on a plane. To Venice. Italy. Where we will be met, at the airport, by my wonderful husband. We'll drink wine in Tuscany, walk the narrow alleyways of Venice, then hop on a cruise ship for seven days of cruising the Greek islands. Does it get any better than that? <br /><br />Oh, how I love September.Overdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-32611709725964053052010-08-23T20:15:00.004-04:002010-08-24T11:00:58.205-04:00Limbo, Laundry, and Paddington BearDays since hubby deployed:75-not quite half way<br />On my reading list: <br /><em>On Writing </em>by Stephen King (I'm savouring this one, reading bits at a time and loving it)<br /><em>My Name is Memory </em>by Ann Brashares<br />Eagerly awaiting: <em>Mockingjay</em> by Suzanne Collins (<strong>Really </strong>eagerly awaiting)<br />Current Work in Progress- Adult fiction (something different!)- 15,000 wds and counting.<br /><br />The evening's silence has descended(well, sorta- the dog is whining to go out and the cat is crying to come in), and I do believe my blood pressure has come down...so I'm taking the time to sit and write a few thoughts. The kids have been home from camp for all of about fifty hours and I'm already starting to feel frazzled. And really, it has nothing to do with the kids. Well, it has something to do with the kids, but it has everything to do with the dog. And hubby being gone now for over two and a half months. And being a physiotherapist at a busy clinic. And being a writer who hasn't enough time to write. And kids being kids- mess-making, sibling-picking, chore-grumbling, taxi-needing, money-gobbling kids.<br /><br />As most of you know by now, my youngest has type one diabetes (ie.Jeuvenile diabetes-insulin dependent), so sending her to a non-diabetes camp was a bit of a leap of faith on my part. We have tried to give her a normal life since diagnosis two and half years ago. However, anything more than a sleepover requires alot of work, and a wholelotta trust. There are blood tests, carb counts, and pump site changes to be considered. But...if brother and sister were going to camp, so was she. And the best part about this camp--it was free to kids of deployed personnel. Yup. F-R-E-E. Well, except the medication that they gave my kid <strong>without</strong> my permission..but that's another story and I don't want this to be a camp-bashing blog.<br /><br />So. Seven days without kids, without blood tests and the immediacy of diabetes, without fighting siblings, and constant taxiing...was pure bliss. I <strong>needed</strong> it. I'd like to say I cleaned the house from top to bottom, but NOPE. I didn't. I wrote. I read. I ate brie and rosemary foccacia. I hung out with my sister. And I slept. True respite.<br /><br />All good things must come to an end.<br /><br />I could suck it up, and act all happy and gushy, saying this is "sooo easy!"(said in an annoying high pitched voice)...but I want to be honest here. It's not. Two and half months of living in the limbo of deploymentland is getting to me. Things are starting to break down around the house. The pool vacuum started to spew sand instead of picking it up. My new laptop has not returned from the Geek squad guys, and the old one is painfully slow. Our prehistoric PC refuses to accept the internet stick. Our stockpiled lawntractor gas is gone. We're out of garbage tags, the bathroom sink is plugged, we have ants, and wasps, and a squirrel nesting somewhere our vents. The cat ran away for 5 days. And then the kids came back from camp with seven days worth of filthy laundry. Individually, these things would not bother me. Together, and combined with my partner/love/best friend being 8000km away...not so much.<br /><br />I know, everyone wants to hear the socially acceptable: "Oh, I KNOW! I can't believe it's been almost three months!!!! Time is going so FAST!!!! We're all doing so well! :) We're almost halfway!!!" (complete with extra exclamation points and smiley faces) And really, the statements minus the expressions are true. But the glass can be half full or half empty- and the context in which you look at that glass determines the description. <br /><br />I remember sitting with my friend, a few years ago, talking about what it means to be a military family. She was employed by the Military Family Resource Centre, and I was the Chairperson of the Board of Directors. We were working on deployment programming, I think; trying to help the younger members and their families cope with deployment stress. Somewhere in the conversation one of us used the phrase "Suck it up, princess!" God, I hate that phrase now. I HATE that I used it. I am ashamed that it even came up in our conversation. Deployed spouses should not be told to suck it up. Deployed spouses should be championed. They should be supported. They should be loved.<br /><br />Anway, today was one of the days when the glass was half empty. It rained. The dog ate the butter out of the dish on the table. He ripped up his LLBean dog bed. Dirty laundry is still piled everywhere. The kids bickered. My daughter's post-camp blood sugars are completely out of whack. And I was a less than stellar mom through it all. <br /><br />But tonight as the kids went to bed, they asked if mom would read them a book. Book reading used to be part of the bedtime ritual...but the kids read so much now (8 year old is reading HP and the Half Blood Prince), that I find it's hard to keep up with them. They chose tonight's book: The Paddington Bear story. It was wonderful. Snuggles, and memories of our visit to Paddington Station, what a great end to the day. <br /><br />I came down and joined in on a little online chat with WriteOnCon organizers. More happy thoughts. And now I'm doing the thing that seems to be keeping me sane these days...writing for you.<br /><br />Only three and a half months to go.<br /><br />BrendaOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9185324200016600071.post-7343002498742850522010-08-13T23:08:00.003-04:002010-08-14T00:45:52.785-04:00Humble Pie and Hard Drive ErrorsDays since hubby deployed: 67<br />Days til return: 138 (approx)<br />Status of Completed manuscrip: um...well... (more later)<br />Reading: On Writing by Stephen King, Black Powder war by Naomi Novik (book 3 of the series)<br />Hours worked (paying job):6<br />Hours taxiing:2<br /><br />So. I don't know about you, but I am SO GLAD IT IS FRIDAY. Insanity has reigned in the Dunne household this week. I cannot tell you how good it feels to be sitting in my comfy chair with my feet up and my laptop on my lap. And tomorrow I do NOT have to get up at 6:00. Nope. Maybe 7...but definately not 6. <br /><br />It has been one freakin' crazy week. F- factor was WAY up there. It all started when I got this crazy idea that it was high time this momma did something for herself. It didn't look that busy at work, we had minimal time commitments (or so I thought), and there was this wonderful little online conference for writers of children's fiction going on. And, amazingly enough, it was free! I like free. I like writers even better. So I signed up.<br /><br />It was to start at 6 a.m. on Tuesday morning. I had to work, but no biggie, I could bring my superfast brand-new laptop to work, and peek in when things were quiet. <br /><br />When the first lull hit...I whipped open my laptop and typed those wonderful letters... <a href="http://www.writeoncon.com">www.writeoncon.com </a>and voila! FORBIDDEN Error 403. Well friggity-jig! Tried again. No luck. Checked twitter, my favorite news source. Elana's tweet reassured me that yes, they were working on it (God bless 'em), and yes, it would be up soon. <br /><br />Treat a few more patients...check again...and YES! I got on! <br /><br />But then...my laptop froze. I shut it down and restarted it. Hard Drive Error. Restart. Hard Drive error. Missing hard drive. Restart. Hard drive error. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!!!<br /><br />Yup. She was dead. Done like dinner. With my recently revised query, my recently edited manuscript, and all of my recently started works in progress. GONE. I could have cried. <br /><br />And so began the emotional roller-coaster that was my week. Point form:<br /><br />*laptop dies (utter depression)<br />*get old laptop running (slight elevation)<br />*kids orthodontist appointment- in which I discover orthod. wants to pull 12 more teeth from 2 kids mouths, and add a $500 appliance to 11 year old's mouth (extreme agitation)<br />*visit with mother in law/step-father in law (even keel)<br />*discover daughter left blood testing kit in MIL's car (Are you SERIOUS?)<br />*log in to writeoncon and find queries and honest critiques(moment of weightlessness)<br />*Mark McVeigh's amazing live video workshop (happy rush)<br /><br /> ~ 6 hours sleep~<br /><br />*read/watch/listen to amazing panelists/presenters (giggle like a school child)<br />*tune in to Elana Roth's live blogging event (anticipation at the top of the big drop off)<br />*have query completely skipped due to word count not being appropriate (250 foot drop to the darkest tunnel)<br />*spend 6 hours taking kids to riding lessons and walmart-one of my least favorite stores in the world-(scraping fingers in the dark tunnel of doom)<br />*catch the last live event of the day- a live video presentation with the amazing and up-beat Daisy Whitney (start to see the light again)<br /><br /> ~5.5 hours sleep~<br /><br />*check in quickly before work to see how my posts are doing, and find some honest, good critiques, but none of those magical PMs (private messages, not prime-ministers)(go around turn and down short drop)<br />*work 6 hours, rush home to pick up kids, and drive 1 hour plus to youngest's doctor's appt-get good report-head to mall for retail therapy (exit tunnel start long hard climb again)<br />*get home, find out dog has peed on carpet, yell at dog (small downhill)<br />*put kids in bed and log on to conference just in time for super-wonderful Regina Brook's live video presentation and Q&A (with out-of-this world closing offer to remove attendees from slushpile? seriously?) (See sunset from the top of the biggest hill :) )<br /><br />There's a lot more filler, but that's the essence of my week. Up, down, up, down. Phone calls from hubby-up. Conference ends and no PMs-down. Hugs from kids-up. Late for meeting-down.<br /><br />As this was my first ever writers' conference, I had very little idea of what to expect. I got lots of kind, honest critiquing from people I'd never met, and that was good. I gave critiques too- which is something I found incredibly hard to do-and in doing so recognized some of my own faults. I met lots of new 'friends' some of whom are even following me now- on twitter and on this blog (yay! Hi! Lisa, Elana(you are truly amazing) and Melissa too! Eleven! 11 maaarvelous followers...ah-ah-ah-ah...). And I've still got time to meet more, critique more, and learn more before the site closes. <br /><br />So on the whole it's been a positive experience. Humbling...probably at a time when I wasn't hungry for humble pie...but I'm not perfect and neither is my query letter. Yet. <br /><br />Back to the editing screen. That is-IF I can recover my manuscript. Where did I put that memory stick?<br /><br />Have a great night, <br />BrendaOverdunnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11182123910081050259noreply@blogger.com2