Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about me,because I'm new to Thursday Thirteen 1. I'm a purple person. That's why I chose this code color. I'm also a green person. Meaning I love the color green. Dark green, moss green, just about every color of green. 2. I am a new blogger since . . . April 10, 2007. I'm still learning how to put my site together. My daughter as been helping but she lives in the Midwest and I live in the Pacific Northwest. 3. I am a writer. I've completed 3 novels and 1 novella and currently making the rounds of publishers with two of them. Since I've started blogging I've not been working on my 4th novel as much as I should. I haven't learned yet how to balance things in the blogsphere with my real life. 4. I started Scrungyscreator because of daughter #3's pleadings. She told me it would be a good way to meet other writers. I'm looking forward to that. 5. I'm a cat person. I have very vivid imaginings of what a cat thinks. Two of my novels are about cats, a third is planned to continue the story. Scrungy is a real cat who crossed my path some seventeen years, or so, ago. His likeness as a kitten is what I chose for my banner. But Gretchen, the one I write a lot about, is my real cat. Or rather, should I say, I'm her real person . . . human . . . being? I've spoiled her rotten and she knows it. She turned three May 1st, but we didn't adopt her until June 13, 2004. 6. I wanted to a be an illustrator of children's books when I grew up. When my children were grown, and I thought life had settled down some, I was ready to start, but then I found myself liking the writing process better than illustrating. I'm older now but still not grown up, so there's still a chance I could do that . . . starting with my own books, of course. 7. A writing instructor I once had told me not to be shy about saying I was a writer just because I hadn't been published. I've always held to those words, especially when non-writers look at me kind of strange when I say that, after having asked what books I'd had published. I still hear him say, "You write--you're a writer," or something like that. He also told me to remember RUE. "Resist the urge to explain." Which I have a hard time trying not to do. 8. I love writing. I love the process, the thought pattern, the planning, the research. I just haven't figured out how to keep "life stuff" from getting in the way. But then I remember that without all that "life stuff" I'm sure there really wouldn't be for much writing material. 9. I'm basically a very shy, behind the scenes person, and frankly, I find that putting myself out there a bit hard to do. It's really a chore sometimes. But each time I prepare a package for a publisher or pitch a book, I find it a little less daunting. But I've also not pushed that hard. I like writing for the sake of writing, or for my posterity. My family and friends seem to want me to be published. Yeah, I'll admit, that does kind of sound nice, too. 10. You might as well know right off the bat that I'm a two time breast cancer survivor. That's some of the "life stuff" that's slowed me down lately. But I'm three years out from my bilateral mastectomy and I'm feeling pretty good. If I hadn't have lived through all that nonsense I wouldn't have discovered the blogsphere, now would I? I love it. It's quite challenging, but at least I've found something to keep me from playing computer games when I'm in a lot of pain or can't sleep because of it. One thing chemo-therapy does, besides making one brain dead is making one an insomniac. Thank goodness for Ambien and a doctor who has finally seen the light. 11. I love the blue sky, the clouds, the wind, the rain, the storms. I love the beach, the salt air, the misty fog over the Pacific coastline. I love trees. I love birds, flowers, gardens, and all of nature. I'm a kid at heart with tons of imagination. I see things in pictures and that could explain my wanting to be an illustrator for so long. Now I'm trying to use words as my palette now instead of paint. 12. I love reading and listening to classical and good music. I'm an artist, an organist, or was. I haven't played much or as well since the boobs got cut off. For a while there I couldn't type, or write, or draw, or do anything that required fingers. Only in the last eight or nine months have I started getting my fine motor skills back in my hands. That's one of the reasons I played a lot of computer games, all that was required of my right hand was hold a mouse and push down with one finger, over and over, and over. 13. I'm a wife (nearly 40 years with this man), a mother of four daughters, all with lives and families of their own (five grandchildren) and in July I will become a great grandmother for the first time. P.S. . . in a whisper. . .writing without spell check is down right scary! I got my information about TT from Thomma Lyn and I signed up on the main page earlier but as yet I haven't heard back from them, so I hope it's okay to proceed with this post. It may take a bit more for me to get the link for this sight on my sidebar. That's an area I haven't been yet. Like I said my daughter had helped me get started and put a lot of stuff on it without me knowing how she did it. So bear with me.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!