Thursday, May 14, 2009 | By: Slacker Mom

Latest Twilight News

Okay, if you're a hard core Twilighter than this probably is really old news to you, but for the rest of the world, this is for you. I was stoked to find out that Michael Sheen is set to be a vampire in New Moon. He played a vampire in the Underworld movies and he was one of the best things in the series. He has to be playing one of the Volturi. Aro, to be specific.

If you've never heard of Michael Sheen, let me give you some background on him. If you look him up on IMDB, you'll see a bunch of pics of a somewhat nerdy looking British actor. If this is all you know of him, you'll be at a loss as to why I'm so excited. But look at his resume. He was "Frost" in last year's Frost/Nixon. He played Tony Blair in The Queen. I can't wait to see what he will do with the creepy, sinister leader of the Volturi.
Monday, May 11, 2009 | By: Slacker Mom

Voices In My Head

My dear friends, let me start by apologizing for abandoning my blog lately. I haven't forgotten all three of you, I've just been a little distracted lately. Nothing major has happened, no crisis to deal with. Life just continues as always, busy but nothing unusual.

The problem is all these voices in my head. They have been consuming my every waking moment and I'm afraid I've been inclined to give in to them.

Let me explain. When CJ went to TX over Christmas, I didn't do much sleeping. I read a new book every day and stayed up all hours in an effort to not have to go to bed alone. During this time, an idea starting forming in my head. If I was to write a book, what would I write about? Characters started to take shape, plots began to form, and I tried to keep up with all of it. I started writing a book. Honestly, it's more like five books.

You see, my characters are a family of five siblings. Each one is given their own book in which to tell their story of finding the love of their life. I would love to be able to say that I'm writing some deep, motivational guide or an educational children's story, but alas, it is merely romantic fluff. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

But since they've been created, each character has been competing for space in my head and time at my keyboard. If my brain is not actively involved in my current activity, then it is filled with their voices. They're telling me what they want to do, how they act, what they like and don't like. They're revealing their personalities and shedding light on their individual plots.

Currently, I'm working on my fourth (or fifth) draft of my first novel. It's so close to being complete I can almost taste it. But darn it if life doesn't keep getting in the way. There are children that need to be fed and taught, a house that needs to be cleaned, a garden to be cared for, family, friends, church, chores and errands. Each one can be an unwelcome intrusion to my obsessive mind.

I want nothing more than to finish with this first book because the second one is already writing itself out in my head. I have outlined my story but when I sit down to write, it sometimes takes a different turn. The words flow out of my head faster than I can keep up and I have no choice but to hang on and enjoy the ride, anxious to see how it will turn out. It feels like the book is already written and I'm just struggling to match up the right words.

Even now, as I write this, my characters are yelling at me, demanding to be heard. How dare I spend a few minutes on my blog when that is precious time I could be using to bring them to life. Forget eating, just write. Kids don't really need clean underwear, write instead of doing laundry. Standing in line somewhere? Grab a notepad and write. Sleep is overrated, write instead. When I'm washing dishes, mowing the lawn, working in the garden, walking around the track, taking a shower, driving the car--all of these activities only serve to give free reign to my imagination and the people living there.

So please forgive me for neglecting you. I'm afraid there are others who have been more insistent in commanding my attention.