I don’t know what the deal with me is lately. My dreams have been…interesting to say the least.
In example: So I’m walking through this warehouse wearing my old EMT uniform. I’m walking with a coworker (which is odd because she was never one of my coworkers but here were both are working as EMTs.) I’m crabbing because I’ve locked my damn keys in my house so I had to walk to work and am going to have to walk home. But it won’t do me any good to walk home because I CAN’T GET IN!!!
I walk out of the warehouse and being waling home and I realize I’m walking toward the house we lived in while in Wisconsin! I cross the bridge and enter the subdivision only to discover the subdivision is now my SIL’s mobile home park. I enter her house to see her lying in a large recliner that looks like an adult version of my little Alyx’s car seat…I call my DH to tell him I locked myself out of the house and need him to come home and let me in. He says he’s busy and I need to go get DD from work to which I shout HOW THE FRICK CAN I DO THAT WHEN I’VE LOCKED MY KEYS IN THE HOUSE????
I step outside and find myself in our church parking lot. I walk around the side of my truck climb in, put the key in the ignition and suddenly the truck is not mine but my father’s Hemi-Diesel. I shout “DAMN” because the truck is a stick shift and I can’t drive a stick! (I’ve driven his truck three times—each time has been on an open deserted highway down in Arkansas.)
The truck begins rolling backward into a park car. I’m terrified it’s going to hit and I can’t get the brake to work. The passenger door is suddenly thrown open and this handsome man in dress blues jumps in. I call him by name Sgt…(I can’t remember it. As soon as I woke up it was gone.) “Need help?” he asks with a disarmingly GORGEOUS smile. He stops the truck, saving the day…and I wake up wondering where the heck this dream came from!
Why did I dream that jumble of information? I’m not sure. Usually I can pinpoint elements of my dream to things I’ve done/read/seen during the day. Not this time.
And that’s just one example. Hmmm…sexy man in uniform saving the day…
See ya later!
Hugz
Donica
Howdy y’all! I’m not going to post anything here because today I’ve blogged at both Shades of Suspense and for the first time, I blogged at my new “another” home The Raven Happy Hour.
Here I will be blogging about Native American lore, myths and legends. I’m looking forward to sharing stories andn little known nuggets with y’all!
Please stop by one OR BOTH and say hello. Love to see you there!
Hugz
Donica
I’ve always been a seat of the pants kind of writer. I HATE structure of any kind and plotting is structure. Now some of my books do have a bit of plotting in them–what I mean to say is I did brainstorm and plan where they would go next.
One book I wrote I did NO plotting was Dragon’s Angel. While the situation was similar it isn’t the same. I’ll explain this a little later…
Tuesday I opened Hunting Mickey, fully intending to write it out but I couldn’t focus. It was driving me crazy to try and force it. So I decided it was time to just free write.
Sometimes when I feel blocked I open a blank file put my hands on the keys and let my mind roam. Usually after about 200 words of babbling I’m ready to get back into my current project.
Not this time. So far I’ve written 8100 words–since Tuesday–on a story that I have no idea where it came from, where it’s going or whats coming up. I let myself go, and without conscious thought, type. It’s almost as if I’m asleep, or dreaming, watching someone else sitting here typing. The room gets a little hazy on the fringes of my consciousness, I put my fingers on the keys and then let myself go.
It takes me several hours to get buried deep enough that it just flows on its own. Why? Because the logical side of my brain is having FITS! “You have to know whats coming next!” “Why are they doing that?” “They’re WHAT?!?!?!” Trying to force the story into a box. When I try to put that box around my story the flow instantly stops.
I can’t really tell you much about the story except that it involves mythical beings doing the job they were created to do. Is it a romance? I dont know. So far any romantic elements have been underlying.
I guess its time to get back to it. I’m anxious to see what happens next!
See y’all again soon!
Hugz
Donica
As I’ve told you, when I was a kid I was big into horror novels and movies. I read this one book about carnivals, freakshows and an inhuman killer. I couldn’t tell you the name of it now because I’m afraid I’ll get it wrong.
So one night the group goes to take in this new horror movie and as I’m watching I’m thinking WOW! I JUST READ THIS! The same theme…same character names…DUH! It was MADE from the BOOK (or Vice Versa–not sure I could say any more)
The movie was sufficiently chilling, spine tingling and gory. For ONCE the book and the movie JIVED! The name of the movie (and I’m assuming–yeah, I KNOW what they say about assuming–it’s the same) The FunHouse.
I definitely give this one 2 thumbs up! If you check it out, let me know what you think!
Well, I’m off (no wise cracks from the peanut gallery!) to get into Hunting Mickey. My goal is to have this done by years end!
HUGZ!
Donica
In recent years we’ve seen a shift in the way certain “creatures” are viewed. I mean think about it, it wasn’t so many years ago that vampires were objects of fear and disdain and yet here we are today with people who LOVE vampires. (Take me away Mick St. John!)
Werewolves were another creature that made your flesh crawl. Legends and tales of shapeshifting, blood hungry savage beings that ripped you apart for sport and feed. Yet many authors are making heroes of these same beings. (Yours truly being one of them!)
What is it about these creatures that have shifted our focus from fear to fascination? Morbid curiosity? Lure of the forbidden? Whatever it is I think vampires and weres are here to stay.
But there are a host of other otherworldly creatures to tap into. Witches and warlocks (LOTS of them–again including from yours truly), ghosts…the list is very long.
However there is one that I dont think ANYONE can write as a believeable hero. A creature that is truly unromantic in anyway, shape or form.
The Zombie. How can you make a Zombie a loveable, cheerable hero?
Zombies are, by definition undead, reanimated creatures that while they can carry out remembered actions of their life before, they have no mind of their own. And lets face it, a cannibalistic blood dripping mindless robot isn’t exactly sexy.
Can you have sympathy for a zombie? Can you want the zombie to win? Can you imagine yourself in a zombie’s embrace?
Ummm….yeah I can hear the resounding NO now!
Huh….Interestingly enough now that I’ve said all this I feel a sort of challenge has been issued. How to evoke sympathy for a zombie. Can it be done?
I…wonder…
Halloween is Saturday and I dont know about y’all but I’ve got some great plans. I’m spending the day/afternoon/evening/night watching horror flicks.
One of them on the list I just watched this past weekend. I’m thrilled to say it STILL has the ability to make me jump in spots. Craig T. Nelson and Jo Beth Williams were GREAT and who could forget sweet little Heather Rourke?
The movie of course is Poltergiest. Talk about a creepy flick! I’m so excited to be seeing it again. The sequels were okay but they weren’t anywhere as good as the original.
This one definitely gets three enthusiastic thumbs up!
I dare you to watch it and not get a little chill.
And what was with that clown doll?!?!?!? How could ANYONE give a doll like that to their kids? I hate that thing!
Have a great night. HUGZ
Donica
When this movie first came out, a) it was NOT the 80s (which technically should exclude it from my list) and b)Not an actual horror flick but I immediately fell in love with it. Actually it gave us girls all a kick because the witches were the Sanderson sisters. My Nanny and her two sisters were Sanderson sisters so if you think about, my mom and her three sisters are Sanderson sisters as well.
Anyway the move Hocus Pocus is a great Halloween not-too-scary-for-little-ones move.
(The quality of this video is lower than suckage but…)
Now I’m also a huge movie/trivia fan. While watching this movie the first coupld of times I thought O! How cute is Thackery Binx, (pre-cat mode of course)Well I watched the movie again last night and lo! and behold! I connected some dots I NEVER knew! Thackery Binx was racing across the screen and I went whoa! That looks like…Holy cow is that??? IT IS! Thackery is played by Sean Murray. Sean Murray is Tim McGee in NCIS! Am I the ONLY person on this planet who didnt know that?!?!?
So here is the cat spell scene and you can so see it:
I’ll get back to the 80s flicks tomorrow. But for today enjoy enjoy the Divine Miss M:
hugz!
Donica
was my monthly girl’s night with my best friends Kara and Ronnie. I’m a little behind schedule and I rush to the bathroom to begin the intense, time consuming application of face process of the evening. (Cover Girl does NOT cover all the sags and wrinkles–it requires a nice mix of spackle and flesh tone paint now days.)
So, I step toward the bathroom and Speedbump–I mean Snuggles the cat–is sitting there watching me. She will not move. I backed up and motioned my arms, waving her to leave. What does she do? LAYS DOWN!
I proceed to try and step over her (NOT on her OVER her)…Have you ever seen the movie Pet Cemetary? THe scene where the cat is all whacked out, ears back, teeth bared, hissing like it’s gonna tear you up?
YEAH! THAT scene. Well thats what Speed….Snuggles, put me through.
She would NOT move. So I call for DH to come and rescue me from this demon possessed cat. Unfortunately, he’s answering nature’s call in the other bathroom.
My little Cairn terrier comes to my side, looks at me then turns on the cat–(to preotect myself from animal loving hate mail my, dog did NOT attack the cat. He merely barked at her. Have you ever seen the cartoons where Sylvester is sleeping and the little puppy comes in, barking, sending him–claws up–toward the ceiling? Yeah, that was not Speedbump. Although she did jump about three feet in the air and take off running for the safety of “her” bedroom.
If my little dog hadn’t been around, I’d have been stuck cornered by this demon in rabbit-like fur. I’m just grateful the cat doesn’t have claws. Not after the way she woke me up…but that’s a story for another day.
Stupid Speedbump. But you know what’s even worse? A…plus sized woman intimidated by a 15 pound declawed cat!
One of these days we’re either going to see eye to eye or I’ll see her in my crosshairs…
Speaking of Pet Cemetery…This was one of the utter, complete FREAKOUT movies I’ve ever seen. I was ALWAYS a HUGE Stephen King fan–(My alter-ego actually dreams of being a female version of the glorious Mr. King…) Anyway, njoy this trailer from the 1989 classic… PET CEMETERY (watch it with a dead cat you love!)
Hugz until next time!
Donica
