Friday, April 27, 2012

Going On the Road

At the beginning of May, we're going to saddle up and drive to Fort Sill, Lawton, OK, to attend my nephew's graduation from the Army basic training program. He will by then have spent twelve or so weeks learning all those cool Army things, like why you never want to forget your gas mask! We'll take the opportunity to visit some family and do a little sight-seeing long the way, with stops in Newark, OH, Cawker, KS (the home of the Biggest Ball of Twine) and Nashville, TN on our way to a family wedding in Chesapeake, VA about the middle of the month.

After that (whew - it's a lot of driving, about 4200 miles), we'll arrive home in Boston for some relaxation. Well, I'll relax, sort of, since another stop is in Kansas City, where I'm setting a scene for Freedom No Matter, and I'll have to write the darn thing. My wife will return to work, which pays bills, unlike my writing, so far at least.

I'm not expecting to be out of pocket very much, except while I'm in the 70 hours of actually driving, so I won't be able to use it as an excuse for not responding to any questions or comments made then, although it may delay responses a little. Like, till I get down to Panera!

If you're interested, you can follow the trip here, where we'll try to update with comments and pix as we go. And, no, that good looking couple on horseback is my brother and his bride.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

This Post Brought to You by the Letter 'H' and...

From Amy Rose Davis - her writing is wonderful, check it out here.

How to Play: Comment below and I’ll reply wait a letter. Then, list ten things that you love that begin with that letter and post the list on your journal.

My List: Sharing Ten Things I Love That Begin With The Letter H
Not as easy as it looks, hehe.

1.  Home, cause that's where your loves are.
2.  Health, "If you haven't got your health..." Wm. Goldman
3.  Harpies, they add spice to the brew - no one said they had to be real...
4.  Heroes, we all need them. Mine is my lovely wife.
5.  Halley's Comet, without which Mary Chapin Carpenter wouldn't have written "Halley Came to Jackson"
6.  The Great Blue Hill, wonderful view without a wonderful trip
7.  Louis Hamilton, making the Formula 1 seasons exciting!
8.  How-It's-Made, for entertainment.
9.  Ham, smoked, baked, imported boiled, so good!
10. Habit, to do things without thinking - sometimes correctly

So there's my list.
If you need another way to share a little about myself, it's your turn! Comment and I’ll give you a letter for your blog, journal, Facebook page, whatever.

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Guest Post at Alchemy of Scrawl!

Coral Russell, who blogs at Alchemy of Scrawl, very graciously allowed me a guest post slot, which has come up today. The post deals with making better use of 'dead' time:

Write your next WIP anywhere! by Tony Lavely

I’m sitting at Boston’s Logan International Airport waiting for my wife to arrive. I’ve been thinking about Coral’s offer to guest host posts on topics that might interest people, and I thought, first, it’s really nice of her, and second, I could use more exposure, and maybe I have a couple of ideas that might be helpful to people. So, with great thanks to Coral, here are some thoughts I put together, mostly just now at the airport.
I arrived an hour and a half early (never can predict Boston traffic – or USAir’s schedule) and spent the first forty-five minutes writing. Before beginning to map out this post, I sent those 400 new words to myself, to add to my current WIP. I thought some of you might like to convert lost time at airports, doctor’s or dentist’s offices into at least somewhat productive writing time, and you might not have considered this.

Read the rest of the post.


Thanks, Coral, and I hope readers benefit also.


On the topic of making even better use of our smartphones, The Passive Voice has a post, new today, suggesting ten free apps that can "supercharge" your writing. Read it here, you may get an idea that's new to you.