A Bright Light Gone - Tony Hillerman

One of my favorite authors is no longer with us. Tony Hillerman died Sunday at the age of 83. As a huge fan of Hillerman's, I have read, more than once, all of his Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels, own DVD's of three of the books, and have either purchased or checked out from the library, several other books of various topics.

Two table top books that Tony and his brother, a photographer, compiled of the Navaho lands were breathtaking in their colorful photographs and insightful comments.

I spent several weeks in 2006 driving all around Navajo country. I will never forget the experience, the thrill of seeing the actual locations I had previously only read about in his books, and the feeling that a higher power was involved in allowing me to spend time in that area. Of all the places I have ever been, the Four Corners area of the U.S. remains in my heart.

As someone said, no more books will come from this wonderful writer. Many readers anxiously awaited his next story, but we are all blessed for the many books we now have in our libraries. Books we can return to again and again.

Rest in peace, Tony Hillerman. You will be missed!

Where Did The Time Go?

Another Friday and another wrap-up. I intended to post more on this blog this week, but other writing, and reading, ate up the time.

Signed up for NaNoWriMo 2008. Already have the story plan and am almost mentally ready to go. After a successful run last year, my first time, I am excited to get back on that particular horse and ride out the month.

On Squidoo, I started an Edith meme. The first of many is a lens about Edith Piaf. Learned a lot about her, listened to her music, and am glad I am working on this project. As long as it takes me to do one lens, perfectionist that I am, I decided to just work on one a week. That way I don't take too much time away from my money writing ops.

Checked out Constant Content and Helium, as well as rethought Ezines.com. So many places to try and so little time and original ideas. I do not want to spread myself too thin, but want to make sure I am optimizing my time.

Again published on AC. Also, for NOR, finished one book review and just read another book yesterday. Will write the review and post today.

All told, a busy week as we also had a couple of appointments for Dad. Blogged on several sites and narrowing down my favorites. Not sure where the rest will end up, but I love blogging and hope to continue for some time.

Also, I am reading Duma Key by Stephen King. Fascinating book!

What did you write this week? Where is it located - so we can check it out? Read any good books lately?

A Writing Week in Review

This has been a busy writing week. With more blogs than is probably practical, plus a website to get ready to sell, this early morning writer has a lot on her hands, so to speak. Time for a brief break in one of my favorite Adirondack chairs. (I sense another Squid lens in the making.)

Two articles were published this week at Associated Content. One on space heater safety and the other on fireplace safety. Both important articles with winter on the horizon.

Also, submitted an article on holiday baking for diabetics, and have two to write today about decorating nursing home rooms, one about holiday decorations.

Numerous blog posts at Elder Care and Potpourri, as well as entries on the Elder Care Cafe dot net.

Also applied for an editor position on a women's website. Hopefully I will receive good news in the coming week.

And then there is Squidoo - what can I say! My new favorite love. I have a number of ideas for more lenses. So much to do, so little...

How is your writing going? What were you able to accomplish this week? Please feel free to share in the comment section, and thanks for visiting.

Monday Morning Writer

As an avid fan of new beginnings, I love Mondays. I always feel like I get a fresh start at the beginning of every day, week, month, and year. As an early morning riser, with coffee at hand, some of my best ideas are able to surface.

This week looks very promising as I venture into new waters. More details to follow, but I am applying for an online editor spot on a huge website.

Also, completed another successful BIW, this time with a total of 59 pages. I have gone over the 100 mark, but with my current Squidoo addiction and caregiver duties, I will settle for over 50 pages.

If you are a writer, check out Book-in-a-Week. Join Moe and the gang once a month as they write like crazy to reach their predetermined goal. Much is accomplished when writing within an active and encouraging group.

Do you have a favorite online writing group? Let us know in the comment section and we will check it out. Thanks for stopping by!

The Best of the Best Bloggers

There are some wonderful blogging sites on the internet. So many topics, so much to read, so little time. I would love to read the best of the best, if not daily, than at least weekly. Unfortunately, I find I run out of time by the end of the week.

One very good blog to follow is ProBlogger. Darren Rowse developed this blog to help other bloggers add income streams to their blogs. He always has great tips and goes deeply into the blogosphere to garner news and information.

Another blog that has meant a lot to me is Entrepreneurs-Journey which was developed by Yaro Starak. I am in the process of taking his BlogMastermind course and really tons about setting up a profitable website.

Yaro is a great guy and excellent teacher. His instructions are clear and to the point, he doesn't beat around the bush or present shallow information like some do, and you know when the course is finished, he has given his best.

There are many other bloggers who are great at what they do. Just wanted to offer up a couple of the very best, in my humble opinion.

Do you agree or disagree? Who would you add to the list of great bloggers? What makes them stand out?