Open Mic Wednesday 1/19/11
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
It’s Open Mic Wednesday. What’s on your mind?
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Books by Kaye Dacus
Novel in Progress
Follow the Heart*
Book 1 of The Great Exhibition Series
Due May 1, 2012
first draft completion goal date: 01/31/12
*working title
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Middle Tennessee Christian Writers
Hawaii Five-0
Bwahahahahaha! So many good LOL moments in this past week’s show. Steve is definitely Ponch—because he was the cute one.
Next week’s show—on after football on Sunday evening—was stolen straight from an episode of CSI: Miami.
It was a great ep!
I just watched Hawaii Five-O last night, and I loved it! I am developing a real obsession with Danno…
See, this is why we make such good friends. Unlike Steve and Danno, we don’t fight over which one we want. Er . . . want to be.
LOL! Good point. I certainly didn’t expect this when I started watching H5O but I’m not complaining.
Downton Abbey
I knew this would happen . . . the DVDs had arrived when I got back to my house on Thursday evening. I’d planned to just watch as it aired on PBS—but then we ended up going out Sunday night and not getting back in until after 9 p.m. So I brought the DVDs back to Hot Springs with me. And, as I fully expected I would do, once I started watching, I couldn’t stop. So I finished watching the complete set yesterday.
SOOOOOOOOO good! I think my favorite part about it is the developing relationship between housemaid Anna and valet Bates, though.
I’ve heard alot of good things about Downton Abbey, but they are mostly from secular viewpoints. Coming from a Christian standpoint what would you say is the moral factor of this series? I personally don’t watch s*x scenes in films/series or alot of swearing and violence.
I have a high tolerance for those things, so I’m probably not the best person to answer (I feel like it’s very tame, in the best tradition of Masterpiece). But you may want to read Ruth’s posts/reviews about it here:
http://booktalkandmore.blogspot.com/search/label/Downton%20Abbey
Restaurant Impossible
Chef Robert Irvine’s new show on Food Network. I’m planning to watch tonight, even though I had to remove him from my “Future Mr. Kaye Dacus” list when I found out last year that he is, indeed, married. Who else plans to watch?
I’m curious how this is different from Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares, which my husband got addicted to a couple of years ago.
I loved the BBC version of Kitchen Nightmares (not so much the American translation of it—which focused more on the arguments/drama than on what he was doing to fix up the place); however, the bombastic nature of many of those episodes bothered me. I’m sure that DI is a complete ripoff of RKN, however, because of Robert, and the fact it’s on Food Network, it won’t be quite so “dramatic.”
Colin Firth won the Golden Globe for The King’s Speech. I really want to see this movie, and hope it’s still playing when I get back to Nashville and can go to the movies.
But, people, come on. Blog-post titles like: “Mr. Darcy Wins Golden Globe”? Seriously? He’s not Mr. Darcy. He played Mr. Darcy once—one of many actors who have also filled the role (and at least one having done it better, in my opinion). Let the man have a life outside of one role that he played almost twenty years ago!
I want to see his new movie, too. I can’t believe people do that. I mean, he was amazing as Mr. Darcy, but honestly.
I so agree. I’d like to see his new movie, too. He’s a great actor. I loved him in Girl with a Pearl Earring as well.
Snowpocalypse . . . Snowprah Winfrey . . . Snowmageddon
Was afraid we weren’t going to be able to get back to Nashville last weekend for my author event due to the massive amounts of snow that fell the week before. Nashville is already out of school days—they’ve lost President’s Day and two or three days of summer vacation to make up for those they’ve already used—and now it’s supposed to snow again on Thursday night.
Have you had more snow this winter than usual?
A lot more. Yuck!
Expecting more snow tomorrow. Fortunately, after the ice storm a few years ago, our school system built in about 8 days by lengthening the school day and building in planning days they can take out. I think we still have about 3 before they start altering the calendar.
I feel like I’m back at Fort Drum. Well, except for the fact that snow fell in feet there. Even though I’m a born and bred Southern girl, it cracks me up every time they say we are going to get “significant snowfall” and then say it will be two inches… Wow. My definition of “significant” definitely changed while I was living in the North Country.
What are you reading right now?
23 Minutes in Hell
I’m reading DiAnn Mills’ “Breach of Trust,” and love it. I’ve been in a real suspense mood lately. But really, how can I NOT read on when the first lines of the book go something like this:
“Librarian Paige Rogers had survived more exciting days dodging bullets to protect her country. Given a choice, she’d rather be battling assassins than collecting overdue fines.”
I’m currently reading Catherine Coulter’s The Valcourt Heiress and have Jenny B. Jones’s Save the Date waiting in the wings.
Just saw “Save the Date” on the shelf. After I finish this series, I’ll grab it!
David Platt’s “Radical”. A lot of friends recommended it. I’m not very impressed so far.
Patrick’s manuscript and another friend’s manuscript. Just finished Rachel Hauck’s new one and am totally unsure what is next because my Kindle is full of waiting reads…
“Rut, Rot, or Revival?” by A.W. Tozer
Maverick Heart by Loree Lough. I have never read any of her books before but I’m lovin’ this one. (Historical, western).
Beyond This Moment by Tamera Alexander.
Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen
Your new cover by the way is splendid!
Competition in the Christian publishing world
I’ve never considered myself to be an overly competitive person. I just don’t like the feeling of being left out, picked last, or overlooked. So the end of the year/beginning of the year was hard for me this year with all of the bloggers making their lists of their favorite authors and/or books from 2010 . . . and none of my books appearing on anyone’s lists. It felt like high school again—me, the loser loner with no fashion sense and sorely underdeveloped social skills, on the outside just watching as the popular girls got all the attention and accolades.
But then, the words of Jesus ran through my head: “The first shall be last.”
No, seriously, I didn’t get into this line of work because I expected to show up on people’s top ten lists (though, I’d hoped…). I got into this line of work because I felt like God was calling me into this line of work. And as long as I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing, that should be reward enough for me. And I’ll just keep reminding myself of that every time that feeling of inadequacy or of being overlooked/forgotten comes up. Because I know it will.
That’s tough. I had an evaluation, and there was ONE thing that was less than stellar, and I focused on THAT until it nearly drove me nuts. But then I realized that the ones evaluating me don’t WORK here, and don’t see that this particular thing actually keeps morale up, and they’re not going to fire me over it. Just so you know, you’re on MY top ten list, and on our blog, you’re one of our very favorites!
Thanks! XOXOXO
Your books are in my top ten. I wonder if some of these lists are made of the books that they have read the most recently. Didn’t your books come out in spring/early summer?
You are #1 on my list of Authors I’ve Met Named Kaye. Also #1 on the list of Authors I’ve Met Named Dacus.
I’ve made people’s list this year, but sadly it wasn’t their book or favorite list.
You are for sure in my top 10. I should have made a list, huh?
I listed your books in a blog post. Though it wasn’t a top ten list
. I have more of your books in my kindle than any author 
You’re on my list!
I just read this article on Novel Journey. It’s great advice even for those of us who are not writers.
http://noveljourney.blogspot.com/2011/01/taming-time-by-guest-blogger-sarah.html