Memories...No, Not Cats!

It's rather amazing to me how fickle memory is. The mind shies from memories that it associates with unpleasantness or danger, sometimes leaving a panic or unease without context to taunt one...or it obsesses over those same memories, torturing one with things better left forgotten. It stores snips of happy memories. Why are there only snips that can be drawn out and savored? Why not keep snips of the bad and access to volumes of the good? Had I designed the system, that would have been my programming...or at least something coequal.

So the question of the day is about our earliest memories. Mine is of sitting on a porch that has a railing, looking down at a yard in what appears to be late spring/early summer, based on the flowers. My parents have dated this memory for me as somewhere between when I was 8 months and 10 months old. No kidding. They base that on it being warm enough for me to sit outside and the fact that such a porch and yard only existed at the house we lived in until I turned 10 months old. Seems like an odd thing to remember snips of, but I'll assume I was happy at the time, so it got stored away in the back of the mind.

Some things I remember are better forgotten. I won't shy from that idea. There's a reason I write dark fiction. At times, the idea of ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND sounds pretty good to me. Not to get rid of little things like the ex-boyfriend, but to eradicate years of abuse and neglect. Then again, those experiences are part of who I am. If I eradicated them, would I still be me? Or would I be some smiling poppet that didn't have my drive and heart? Would I lay myself open to further pain, if I didn't remember the old? Would I forget to protect myself? On second thought, the movie had the right idea. It's better to leave the good and the bad.

Things I wish I could claim to remember, I can't. I'd love to remember the first story I created. Sadly, that is not saved among the snips...at least as far as I've been able to access. I have writing saved from the age of 7 up, sporadically. I know I was writing then, but the earliest memories I have of practicing my craft come around the age of 10.

Memory may be inconstant, but it's worth a trip down the lane, once in a while. Who knows what side paths you might stumble upon and recover those precious snips?

NEW BLOG EVENT! Friday Five

Every week on Friday, I'm going to ask a question, and people can give their top five list in answer to it.

This week's question...

What are the top five things you use to procrastinate when you should be writing?

Mine would be...

1. eMail! I tend to obsess over email when I'm dragging feet on a writing project...opening it a couple times an hour. I do it so badly that I sometimes turn off my network to make it a less appealing option. Instead of a two-button action, it takes me minutes to get back online, so it's no longer worth it as often.

2. Facebook! See the description above.

3. The kids. When I'm hot on a writing project, being involved in every facet of their days seems less pressing than when I don't really want to be typing or writing in a notebook. I love my kids and spend time with them every day, but I also usually take my work time as well. On days when I don't want to work, that is a very convenient reason for me not to do it. "We haven't had a family game day in a while. Break out the games. Let's take an outing."

4. The house. Seriously? Me? I loathe housework (love cooking!), but when I don't want to be writing for some reason, I am Mrs. Cleaver. My husband will come home to freshly scrubbed floors, dusting done, three loads of laundry done in a day when I typically do one or two...or -- Heavens forbid! -- an actual trip to the laundrymat to do all of it at once, fold, and put away.

5. Any other writing project in existence but the one I should be finishing.

CONTEST FOR THE DAY!

My web site is at 24,989 visitors, and I really want to see it over 25,000. Here's the contest. Go to my site, go through the gateway, and note the number on the counter at the bottom of the page while you're there. Send it to me by tomorrow night, and I'll enter you to win PDF of choice from me. Whichever book you want... from whichever publisher.

LEGALESE: By entering, you are verifying that you are adult in your country of origin and allowed to receive erotic romance content.

Come on out and help me get those last 11 visits today!

EPICon 2011 Classes and Panels Call

EPICon™ 2011 – Instructors, Panellists, and Class Proposals Needed

EPIC™ (Electronically Published Internet Connection) needs classes and panels for EPICon™ 2011.

• Do you have a subject you’re knowledgeable about?
• Have a desire to teach but don’t have time for long-term commitment?
• Do you have an idea for a class that you'd like to see offered?
• Is there a topic that you want more information about but don't know where to find it?
• Want to learn more about publishing, writing, or just be around interesting people talking about interesting things?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, join us in beautiful Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia on March 10th-13th, 2011 and volunteer to teach a class.

Uncomfortable with teaching a class? Then volunteer to sit on a panel or request a class, and we’ll see what we can do about fulfilling that request.

Submit your suggestions, class proposals, ideas for panel discussions and for potential speakers to Ashley and Elizabeth at EpiConClassCoordinator(at)gmail(dot)com. Be sure to include what you’re interested in (top 3 choices for classes or panels) and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

For more information on the conference, please visit this link.

Elizabeth Schechter
Ashley Christman
EPICon™ 2011 Class Track Coordinators
EpiConClassCoordinator(at)gmail(dot)com
http://www.epicon-conference.com/

# # #
EPIC – Electronically Published Internet Connection™ was established in 1997 as a professional organization for published and contracted eBook and print authors. EPIC™’s goal is to provide a strong voice for electronic publishing—the major publishing marketplace of the future. EPIC™ is non-profit and tax-exempt under 501(c)6.

Another new review!

"Tygers is a real whodunit. It took everything I had to keep from cheating by turning to the back to see who won. Goodness, Brenna Lyons certainly knows how to put a reader on the edge wondering if they would rather jump or keep reading to experience the full impact of such a wonderfully written suspense novel. The one aspect that made the experience truly unique are the pictures scattered throughout the book to make for a one of kind romance story rarely experienced outside of manga novels. I would encourage you to pick up Tygers, and I challenge anyone to read the whole book; every page; no skipping allowed." Reviewed by Delane for Coffee Time Romance & More 5 Cups!

Grumbling at blatant misrepresentation...

Not about me, but that doesn't make it any better.

Background... We all know that EPIC's eBook Awards (formerly called the EPPIE) have been around for 12 years now. They are the longest-standing eBook awards in existence. There were some before EPPIE, like Frankfurt, but they are no longer in existence. We all know that the Dream Realm Awards are only a year younger.

A new award (this is their INAUGURAL year) is now claiming they are the "a brand new awards program and the only one of its kind" and "the only awards program in the world committed to illuminating and honoring the very best of English language digital publishing."

You might believe they are simply clueless, which still would turn me off from entering their contest. If they don't know the industry, why would I trust them to judge an award in it?

But that can't be said. I know that I've sent them a note about it, and I know at least a half dozen others that have as well. They aren't ignorant of the fact that they are making false claims, but they persist in it.

As if that's not bad enough, they cost almost three times as much as the EPIC contests do and more than three times what DRA does. What a deal. Sarcasm intended.

Brenna