Photo Tuesday - Bugs!

Yes, you read that correctly - BUGS!





Now, what on earth do bugs have to do with writing?







Insects comprise the largest portion of the animal kingdom. They are found in nearly every climate and every region. The closer one gets to the equator, the greater the population of bugs. They invade our ground, our air, and our homes.










If bugs exist everywhere, have you remembered to include them in your story?





Believe me, I am just as guilty! (My Southern-based YA series doesn't even have cockroaches.) But insects are truly everywhere, and while they do not factor into every story, if you are going for realism, you'll need some bugs.










Your character steps outside - flies, bees, wasps, gnats...




He's in the house (even clean ones) - ants, cockroaches, spiders...

She's in the garden - butterflies, caterpillars, beetles...





Your character walks through the woods - ticks, moths, millipedes...

He travels to S. American - dear Lord, more bugs than one can imagine!!

So think about that next time your character visits a crime scene in the middle of the night in Savannah, GA...

You better remember the flying cockroaches, a.k.a. "The Palmetto Bug!"

The Humane Award!!!

TexasRed over at TexasRed Books was sweet enough to bestow upon me the Humane Award!

The Humane Award is to honor certain bloggers that I feel are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn't for them, my site would just be an ordinary blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a regular basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendships through the blog world.

And now, let me pass on this wonderful award to five of my Blogger Buddies!

The Old Silly - Marvin
Debbie’s World of Books - Debbie
J Kaye’s Book Blog - J. Kaye
Straight From Hel - Helen
Pets And Their Authors - Amigo!

Thanks again so much, TexasRed!

Gems of Wisdom

Today I welcome a very special post from Angela Breidenbach! Those who know Angie realize she is a woman of faith & spirit.

Angie is on the road (or rather in the air) today, but she will pop in to answer questions.

To let you know what Angie is doing right now, here it is in her words:

"I'm competing this week for Mrs. International (currently Mrs. MT International 2009.) People can follow me through the competition on my facebook page and blog. I've also added a Mrs. Montana International Group page on facebook so people can check in for specific pageant/competition chatter and hopefully, photos too.

"Please keep me in prayer as competition is very energetic and stiff. Folks can go to Mrs. International and see all the contestants.

"I'll be in Chicago July 12-19 with the judges interview on July 16th (5 job interviews in one day!) This is 50% of the score. 25% is fitness and 25% is evening gown/on stage presence.

"The preliminaries are July 17th and the finals are July 18th. I just finished teaching the ACFW course loop on Battle Your Inner Pirates--And Win! this week. What an amazing experience! Totally affirming that what I do helps people and means something. I was overwhelmed with joy on learning how it affected the students. Wonderful adventure!

"And now off to the next, competing to win Mrs. International and the honor to represent Hope's Promise Orphan Ministries, the Jadyn Fred Foundation and the American Heart Association all over the country and world."

An excerpt from Insanity Rules: Gems of Wisdom...

Opalescence

Gemstone: Opal

The most surprising thing about opal, to me, is the water content. I had no comprehension about the significance. At fifteen, I’d been given a precious gift for Christmas. It was a beautiful creamy white opal with flecks of orange, blue, and pink set in a curling gold band. Unaware of the water content and the fragility of opal, I wore my ring everywhere, even in the swimming pool.

One day going from a warm school building into the winter freeze, my most prized possession shattered. Stunned and in tears, I stood on the cement walkway staring at the empty setting.

Years ago it was thought that opal should be oiled to keep it moisturized. Once the stone was replaced, I kept it oiled regularly. But I found out I couldn’t wear my new opal in extreme temperatures. The water inside the gem (usually from 2-6% in gem quality stones) continues to dehydrate, especially when exposed to heat and chemicals regardless of surface oil. The lower the water content of the original stone, the more stability exists. Common white opal is more stable than the more colorful types. Who would consider a rock that feels and looks solid to be full of water and some kind of ancient gel? But it is.

Ponder Point:

I once watched an artist friend of mine build a dream. She shattered precious glass and tiles to rearrange them into a gorgeous bench inlaid with beautiful things. She mixed opal chips into the mortar surrounding the mosaic. The opals had shattered from heat and were not usable in jewelry, but the glisten was unmistakable.

“Why are you breaking all that beautiful stuff?”

“How else would I create the mural on the bench?”

The bench is used for a mundane purpose: to hold up those who need to rest there. But they were drawn to the beauty of the shattered pieces first. The way it held the sun and the opalescent sparkle of something unusual. Those who needed rest were drawn to a beautiful resting place.

I realized that instead of wallowing in the hurt as a daughter of a paranoid schizophrenic, I could help others deal with that same hardship. I could pass on something I’d learned from my pain. I’m offering some of my shattered pieces to help build a resting place for you. What I share in my speaking, writing, and chats when I meet with people one-on-one is now other focused because of what Mom and I had to go through. Maybe something or someone bigger than all of this has some sort of plan for me. I could handle that idea. Then I began to ask the question: How could I make a difference in this world with what I know, from what I’ve survived? I began to see how those bits and pieces of my shattered spirit could be formed into something new and beautiful. How I could glean and translate those helpful lessons from others too. –Angie

Pique Point:

In what way do we offer our hurts as a place for others to rest safely?
Is it possible that the shattered pieces imbedded into our lives might uphold someone else?

Angie

Angela Breidenbach is Mrs. Montana International 2009 working with Hope’s Promise Orphan Ministries, the American Heart Association, the Jadyn Fred Foundation and drawing awareness to Fair Trade practices. She also serves as the American Christian Fiction Writer's Publicity Officer and is a multi-award winning inspirational author, speaker, and life coach. Angela is certified in mentor/peer counseling as a Stephen Minister and Assisting Minister at her church. Not only did she walk the hard line of deciding to donate her mom's brain, but she is also on the brain donation list at the Brain Bank-Harvard McLean Hospital. She is married, has a combined family of six grown children, one grandson. Angela believes: Personal growth = Powerful living!

You can interact or learn more about Angela Breidenbach at these sites:

My Gem of Wisdom
Angela Breidenbach
God Uses Broken Vessels
Twitter
FaceBook
Writing by F.A.I.T.H.

Back on Track...

After a week of dealing with the tragedy at Ocracoke Island, NC, I believe I am ready to function as an author & speaker once more.

We still have one more memorial service (and I've been asked to speak) but all four funerals are behind us now and everyone has really pulled together to get things done.

Thank you everyone for the kind words and prayers. I appreciate your patience and understanding and apologize again that I have not been online very often this week. But it's time to move forward.

I've several guest posts in August for my virtual tour, so I'm working to complete those articles now. Five done, two to go. I'm also planning stops in October and have a guest post then, too.

I had considered putting together a new seminar to offer - and then a college called requesting one on conquering fear. I said sure, I offer one on overcoming fear! And then went to work creating such a seminar. LOL So I need to complete the outline and put together a handout.

I've got several other projects as well.

In a nutshell, I've got my work cut out for me! But now I feel ready to tackle the challenge...