obsolete?

I was struck today by a moment from the past and a realization of how quickly things have changed in our society. I’ve seen the YouTube videos about encyclopedias and how kids now a days (dear god I am aging myself here but I digress) how kids don’t know how to use them.

Today I had a phone book delivered. I don’t remember the last time I used an actual phone book. If I need a number I Google it or for businesses I will often use Facebook to search them out.

Twenty five years ago the internet didn’t even exist. And for the first ten years it was mostly local chat rooms and only the most geeky accessed it on a regular basis. Who remembers the sound of dial up internet? (You’re now hearing it in your head aren’t you?) Google is only seventeen. (And yes, I used Google to look up those numbers)

I got my first computer as a wedding gift twenty years ago. And boy was it pretty awesome. I was totally up on all the newest tech. I had used computers in high school and college but this was one IN my house! Crazy.

In a mere twenty years we as a society have changed so drastically to now having multiple lap tops, ereaders, Xboxes, PlayStations, GPS's and smart phones (even children – my niece has a classmate who has an iPhone – she’s in grade one) I’m not intending to get into any discussion on whether this is a good or bad thing for our society in general. It’s just such a stark change.

Things that have disappeared or are slowly fading into obscurity in the last 25 years

-maps (that trusty folded sheet that never went back to its original format and your location was ALWAYS on the crease)

-classified ads in your local paper. (Need a job? Workopolis or going direct to the job bank. Need to buy or sell and item? Kijiji or garage sale groups on Facebook)

-rotary phones (the ones where you would screw up the LAST number and have to start over)

-Door to door salesman who sold ACTUAL products and weren’t a scam artist trying to get you to switch your hydro, phone etc. These were actual professional men who sold vacuums, pots and pans, encyclopedias, knife sets, or Watkins (cleaning products)

-VCR’s those trusty machines that we RENTED videos to watch on.

-paying for things with cheques. Writing a cheque to pay rent or the phone bill before you put it in the mail to send it off. Now it’s all instant with online or telebanking or even paying at the bank. I don’t remember the last time I used a cheque for personal use.

-Pen pals and letter writing in general. I think this is one of the saddest things. I still love getting an actual letter in the mail. Some of my greatest moments are lying on the couch writing letters to my pen pal. My confidant. And getting a letter from her was amazing.

-not knowing who was on the phone (no call display back in the day) we had to take the risk of it being a salesman

-Tape decks, CD’s, records etc. Who needs them when you can download the newest music from iTunes? Digital music so convenient that it ate up the competition.

-Dictionaries (along the same vein as the encyclopedia) we can use Google as a thesaurus and to look up spelling or meaning.

-Floppy drives (now we use the cloud for all our backups)



So now that I am feeling incredibly old and obsolete I shall go cry in the basement.

Happy Endings...

Happy endings. I’ve had a few comments made to me lately that people don’t “like romance”. I have a hard time with this. I read a lot (a book a day) and I read everything from romance to fantasy to true stories to post-apocalyptic, dystopian books. I love to read. I also love a happy ending. Who doesn’t want a happy ending? Our lives are so crazy and upside down that a moment, an hour of smiling and happiness should come as a relief. I know for me it does.

I debated what style of books to write and it comes down to the fact that I want people to read my books and be happy. To enjoy without worry for a little while. To let their real lives drift away and escape into my book. And it is an escape – a welcome escape. I don’t want them to have to take months to read what I’ve written because it is so deep and life altering. Not that there is anything wrong with that – just not all the time. It’s like I really like ice cream. But would I want to eat ice cream for every meal over the next twenty years? No, sometimes I will want a cake or pie (because pie rocks). The point I am trying to make is that there is nothing wrong with diversifying in the styles that you read.

The other thing I want to say to the dissenter who doesn’t like romance is to ask if they’ve read any romance books in the last twenty or thirty years? Romance now has so many sub genres with plot lines like you wouldn’t believe. Romance can come in suspense, fantasy, horror, contemporary, historical even dystopian and so many more. Every genre that lives outside of romance now lives inside romance. Also these aren’t your mother’s romance books. Typically you won’t find bodice ripping virgins who swoon at her first kiss. They can be some of the highest quality well-written books you’ve experienced.

That being said with the advent of self-publishing you will find some…not so well-written, not so well thought out or plotted books. But I believe that is true for all genres now. You may want to take the time to read the samples and reviews before purchasing. But honestly I have found some new favourite authors who are self-published so don’t let that throw you off.

So give a happy ending a chance, you may find yourself surprised by how it makes you feel.

Another post...

Wow, it has been way too long since I last wrote a post. I could give a lot of excuses about life getting in the way, or about how busy I've been, or even that I've been too lazy. All would be true to an extent but the honest truth is that I haven't been inspired to write any posts. I've tried - had the page open and ready to go and no words came out. So instead of writing something not real, not me, I held off.

But here I am again words flowing and ready to be heard.

At this point I've been working on marketing Supernaturally Yours. Doing book signings and trying to build an online presense via facebook and twitter. The book signings have went well and I intend on continuing them while the online presense is a bit more difficult. I keep trying and will continue my efforts to see what effect they have.

The response from readers has been great, I really love the feedback it puts a fire under my ass to keep working on my current WIP (work in progress) And what is it I am working on? Well, I finished up my second novel, tentatively titled "Liquid Fire" and it is currently at publishers waiting on a yeah or nay. Liquid Fire is a stand alone novel but is intended as part of a trilogy. With the second novel in the series "North Wind" about 1/4 of the way written right now...

For those who might be interested here's the rough copy of the blurb for Liquid Fire -


Everyone remembers their childhood as being magical. Lee just found out hers really was.

After suffering a run of bad luck, Lee wants nothing more than to lick the wounds of her past and bury herself away from reality, but she discovers a world of magic, a history she never realized existed. Her destined elementals are being held against their will and the only way to find them is to align with the incredibly delectable, unbelievably stubborn Jeremy. They wind down pathways that will take their undeniable chemistry even higher as they move closer to the sinister plot that has stolen her birthright. Together they will find the villian and learn that sometimes fire and water can mix with steamy, hot results.

A spark of flame glows. A sprinkle of rain slows.


Besides slaving away at my computer I've been coming to terms with the fact that my son (aka Thing 1) is turning eighteen next month and we are now in talks with colleges and plans for the future. While on one hand I am so incredibly proud of him, on the other I am terrified. I have a year before he moves out (he is doing a victory lap at high school to get some additional credits) and already I am a mess. I am going to be that mother that is freaking out and calling constantly and crying on a daily basis. (I also can't believe I am now old enough to have a college aged son but that is another post) Without a doubt I love having kids old enough to converse with and both my children are intelligent thoughtful creatures. We can now talk politics (Thing 1 is more versed and wants to talk politics a lot more than I do) about books, movies and life in general. I love that part. I hate the part that says my kids will move away from me. ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE COUNTRY AWAY FROM ME!!! I hate that I won't be able to see and talk to them, that we may drift apart.

I have issues. My closest sibling moved across the country and we went from being closer than anyone could believe possible(even sharing a house as adults and partying together all the time) he was my best friend. Now I see him for a day or two once every year or two. One measly day. And talking on the phone three times a year tops. I lost something so important to me and I can never get it back and it feels like it could happen again with Thing 1.

Then there's the fact that I have no one I can talk to. My kids are older than all my friends children and no one is at this stage in their lives yet. My mother (who experienced me moving away from home at the same age - only a three hour drive - but at the time it was the farthest any of our family had lived from home) well she passed away eleven years ago. It doesn't seem to ever get easier. There are always questions I want to ask "how do I deal with..." "What would you do...." and so on.

Then there's Mr Gloria who is the quintessential duck (nothing sticks to his back) and all he does is smile and tell me it will all be okay. He doesn't worry. He doesn't panic. He just lets things go. With an easy going smile and a laugh. It's enough to make me want to throat punch him with a brick, or maybe a cadillac.

So I've been struggling with the fact that Thing 1 is growing up. In some ways I want to applaud him and hug him and hold him tight. I want time to reverse so I can wrap him in bubble wrap and protect him from the big bad world. Maybe I could lock him in the basement and refuse to let him leave...but no that's an episode of Criminal Minds waiting to happen. I guess I will do what mothers have done for time immemorial: suck it up.

Let him go. Support him. Love him and let him live his own life.

Damn. I hate it when common sense prevails over my emotional state.