A Much Needed Vacation - Slopes of Utah

I was so blessed last week to have escaped the day job and to escape to the mountains. We have been planning this little vacation since before Thanksgiving. We planned on one and a half days of ski lessons and a day and a half of time on the real mountain. I was worried about some aches and pains. But I was really worried on how the kids would do. They did so much better than we did. They got along with their instructor and she took the time to really go one-on-one in teaching them. After two days, they were skiing better than we were.  Take a look at some of our pictures.

What a blast we had. Skiing is such a fun thing to do. Unfortunately - we went during some of the coldest weather Utah has seen in many years. The last picture - the inversion was so bad that the clouds looked like a storm in SLC. In fact, it was pollution. My asthma was loving it up in the fresh air.

Camping Trip to Goblin Valley

It has been a Crazy past few weeks. We've been totally busy with work, family drama, and an awesome campout with friends.

Between the madness, I have been slowly working on another edit of my first manuscript. I went to town on changing the first chapter...again.  I also found some beta readers and they are currently enjoying the work.

I am going to add some photos of our hiking trips.  We were able to go to Goblin Valley in Utah.  It was tons of fun.

 

 

 The Three pictures above are from Goblin Valley. There were hundreds of these cool rock structures all around the park.  If you went searching, like we did, there were a bunch of small caves inside some of the far rock walls.  Two of the three pictures are caves that we found. Some deeper than others.

I wish I had more pictures of this hike that we went on. It was outside of Goblin Valley and the slot caves were simply amazing. Take a look at the next few pictures. It was really a lot of fun. 

What a great time with some great friends. We're already planning our next Camping Trip.

Aren't you glad this isn't your knee

Check out this knee injury from blocking a puck.

You can clearly see the bruising and Inflammation.

This happened as a result of a puck that hit Sami Lepisto during a hockey game a few weeks ago. He plays for the Chicago Blackhawks.

To make things even worse, Chicago was eliminated from the playoffs by the Phoenix Coyotes.

This pictures comes from a tweet that was done by Sami Lepisto himself: "This is why I shouldn't be blocking slap shots!"

Please sure to add a comment if you have had a similar injury!

StoryMakers12 and Jazz Basketball

Just like many of my writing friends - some online friends and a few new friends - I spent the weekend at StoryMakers12. There were a ton of people that I knew that went. It was surprising how different some people look from their online personality. It makes it even more fun.

There was a ton of support from local authors and publishers. There also was a good amount of national editors and agents. We got a little bit of everything. The time and energy spent on the entire conference is astounding. The writing contest, agents, classes, book fair, and a whole bunch of other things was impressive.


I think that everyone goes to a conference with goal in mind. We shoot for the stars hoping to come out with an agent or a better perspective. I've been to a few conferences and I decided to attack this one differently. I wanted to pitch but I felt that I needed to get my editing better under control. Boy was I right.

Editing is a talent that I don't have. I spent a portion of the conference learning more about what to look for and how to become a better technical writer. Better writing means less editing. I also tried to find some contacts that would be helpful. I've come to the realization that I may have to pay someone to edit a few of my manuscripts.

I was also looking for some contacts to set up a writing critique group. This was also highly successful. In addition, I met some authors who are writing very similar stories or categories as myself. We exchanged some contact info. Really, that is the key for me and this conference.

Pitching would have been great, but I am not sure my manuscript is really to that point yet. It's been a process to come to that decision. I think that I've also come to the realization, my first manuscript may be just part of the learning curve. So, this will have to be something I look closer at.

All in all - a pretty good conference.

Later on Saturday - I got a phone call from a good friend.  He had playoff Jazz basketball tickets. What a fantastic way to finish of the night.  Yea me!!

Now...off to some reading from books from the conference

Tearing something down to make it stronger

I am slowly, and I mean slowly learning that its a lot of work to get a book to the stages where someone else will want to look at it.  I've written x 2 manuscripts and in both cases I thought that I was ready to start searching for an agent. And I was. But...not because my manuscripts were ready. But that I needed to learn more about the craft of writing. I need to tear down something and hope it is better in the end.

It took me over 14 months to write my first manuscript. If you didn't know me back then, you'll be surprised to learn that I wrote over 240,000 words. It worked out a funny way that I was sending myself emails and didn't put all the pieces together until the end. I spent the next 12 months editing it down to 148,000.  I thought that I had done a good job. I started querying it. Of course I got rejected like crazy. I kept being told to cut it more.  Ouch.

While I was waiting for those rejections, I started writing my second manuscript. A medical mystery.  This time it took 5 months for around 85,000 words. I worked it, edited, and re-edited it. I am currently querying this masterpiece and am finding out that it isn't such a masterpiece after all. But, the feed back I am receiving is positive. I just need to get a good group of beta readers to trim some pieces.

I've restarted my first manuscript and really went to work on cutting and improving some of the less important things. In the end, I felt most was important, there was just a better way in telling the story. I ended up cutting another 20,000 words and am down to 125,000.  The crazy part is that I changed everything. The title of the book, the names of the character. I tried to get things moving quicker and moved some of the important finds to much sooner in the book. Some parts remained the same. I am completely excited about the changes in the book.

I am about to head off to a couple conference and really get hammered on some of my techniques and especially the first few pages. That is where I really need to get better. I need to get the audience involved much quicker and more efficient.

Writing is far from easy. Well writing well is far from easy. I am just hoping that I am on the right tract.

Besides March Madness...make sure you get a Colonscopy this Month

March is the month where we celebrate for the awareness for colorectal cancer or colon cancer. Colonoscopies are the manner that this cancer is found. Other intestinal problems can also be identified.

More than 55,000 deaths a year are attributed to colorectal cancer. And be sure to remember, this cancer affects women and men. 
Screening


The initial age of screening is 50. More than 85% of colon cancers are found in those above the age of 50. Usually there are no symptoms, at least, no initially. Blood in stool, weight loss, fatigue, and a few other symptoms can be seen.

Screening is the best preventative measure as well as the way to diagnosis cancer. This cancer affects the large bowel.

Cancer in the colon usually begins as a benign polyp. Over time, and were talking years, the polyp could potentially turn into cancer. But it is vitally important to remember that not all polyps will become cancer. That is why routine biopsies or even removal of the polyp is done during the colonoscopy, just to make sure.

The prep is often far worse than the actual procedure. Remember this. You need to avoid food for 24 hours. A medication, in liquid form, helps you get cleaned out.

A special camera is used for the procedure and it examines the colon, large and small intestines. If a polyp is found or there are some tissue that may be concerning, then a biopsy or complete removal of the polyp is easily done.

So, as for the celebration this year, try to schedule a colonoscopy if you over the age of 50 and have never had one before. Or…if it is time for a follow-up procedure.

For any other questions or concerns, contact your medical provider and get it scheduled.

You can also see an InterActive Health look at an actual colonoscopy procedure by clicking - here

Valentine's Day

This year my wife and I decided to do something different for Valentine's Day. And it made it a great day.  Of course we do the usual, cards and candy for the kids. They wake up and see them on the table and get so excited. My wife made pink pancakes and the kids loved those as well.  I was already at work, but there were leftovers and I had some pancakes this morning. They were still fantastic.

The difference this year was that she came up and met me for lunch. We went to GoodWood BBQ and had a fantastic lunch. But afterwards, we drove a block and bought each others gift. They turned out to be the same gift. This year, instead of flowers and too much chocolate, we got each other iphones.

Over the past year, our droids have been outdated and on the blitz. I would miss phone calls, texts, and messages. She was calling friends when her phone was across the room. We've been looking for the last 3 months and finally decided on the iphone.

Last night while she went to a church meeting, I spend almost 3 hours getting to know my iphone and downloading music. Today, I am much happier about our phone situation and valentine's day turned out fantastic for both of us.   Here's to hoping that your day was just as good!

It's Query Time

Well, I'm back from our vacation in Disneyland. More on that later. Two days prior to leaving, I finished another round of Editing for my WIP - Immaculate Conception. The title is growing on me more and more. I do realize, although hesitantly, that I really probably have no control over the title.

I was aiming at around 80,000 words and my final word count ended up being 87,000. The editing process was tricky, but that always seems to be the case with the editing process. Overall, the entire process has been streamlined from my first few experiences at writing and editing.

My work is now out at some beta readers and its growing close to the time to start querying. I've been researching query letters again.  Agent Query or AQ at the webaddress of http://www.agentquery.com/writer_hq.aspx is a really solid resource. I've also been reviewing Query Shark - another great resource.  http://www.queryshark.blogspot.com/.

Query letters appear to be an art form. Traditional letters are typical and safe, but atypical letters can be abstract, genius, or a complete disaster. I am going to go with Traditional.  I've worked and reworked the last 2-3 weeks on the query letter and I hope that I am getting close.

This is an exciting but nervous time.  I'll let you know more as things get going.

Any guesses on this Skin Disease?

Here is a picture of a very difficult skin condition that is often fatal in infants.

It is characterized by diamond shape scales. Infants are at highest risk for infections, dehydration, and breathing difficulties.

Improvements in management and treatment have extended the lives of those with this condition.

The Answer is: Harlequin-type ichthyosis

More about Harlequin-type Ichthyosis:

This is a condition is where the skin of an infant becomes thick and scaly.

The change occurs in the keratin layer of the skin. Large and thick, diamond shaped scales, red in color, can be seen. The scaly nature of the skin causes the infant to have difficulty with movement and respiration.

It is a very rare condition.

Symptoms:

- Severe cranial and facial deformities
- Ears and nose may be absent or poorly developed
- Ectropion [Everted or outward eyelids]
- Dryness of skin
- Thickening of skin
- Large scales
- Scales can be reddish in color
- Arms, feet, fingers can also be deformed
- Polydactyly - more than the usual number of toes or fingers

Cause:

- Mutation in the gene for protein - ABCA12
- This gene helps regulate healthy skin.
- This mutation can be inherited

Areas of skin affected:

1.) Face
2.) Eyes
3.) Ears
4.) Penis
5.) Extremities
6.) Other

Risk Factors

- Increase chance for infection due to cracks in skin
- Cracked Skin
- Dehydration
- Restricted or difficulty breathing
- Difficulty controlling water loss

Treatment

. Isotretinoin [Isotrex]

- Symptomatic treatment
- Treat Dryness
- Treat Infections

Fall in Michigan - wish we could have visited.

My Mom recently sent these photos from Michigan. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to visit them this year. I guess its time to start planning for next year. It would be great to get in some fishing.  Michigan is an interesting place, my parents have retired there. My Dad grew up an hour or more from where they are now living. I could never call it home, but it is a fun place to visit.

Potential New Requirement of Welfare...A Urine Sample

The welfare system may changing - but for better or worse still remains to be seen.


Proposals in almost twenty-five states have shed light on drug testing requirements in order to receive benefits like unemployment assistance, job training, public housing, welfare, food stamps and more.

The concerns by the proponents are that some of the governmental assistance are being misused while others decry this as an attempt at signaling out the poor. States that have already passed such requirements include: Arizona, India, Florida, and Missouri.

At the federal level, Senator David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, has introduced the Drug Free Families Act of 2011, which would require all 50 states to drug-test welfare applicants.

In Florida, those people receiving cash assistance have had to pay for their own drug tests for the last few months. Enrollment in cash assistance has decreased dramatically. Many argue that the poor are being targeted unfairly has lead to such a decrease, while others praise the new tactics as just and fair. The cost of drug testing is around $40 dollars and the state of Florida has insisted that it will reimburse those who pass. If you fail - you're disqualified for a year. Payments already being sent to children can still continue through another person, like a grandparent.

“Working people today work very hard to make ends meet, and it just doesn't seem fair to them that their tax dollars go to support illegal things,” said Ellen Brandom, a Republican state representative in Missouri.

So far, most proposals for change have failed to win the support needed. This is believed to be the result of concerns about the legality of such proposals.

Kimberley Davis, the director of social services for Operation Breakthrough, said the legislation sent a bad message. “All this does is perpetuate the stereotype that low-income people are lazy, shiftless drug addicts and if all they did was pick themselves up from the bootstraps then the country wouldn't be in the mess it’s in,” Ms. Davis said. Operation Breakthrough provides day care services in Kansas City to low-income women.

Several studies that date back a decade or more indicate that drug use is not solely seen in the poor. In 1996, a report from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that there is no significant difference in the rate of illegal-drug use by welfare applicants and other people. Another study found that 70% of illegal-drug users between the age of 18 and 49 are employed full time.

The certainty is that many of these new policies will end up in court to see if indeed they are legal or a constitutional violation. For the time being, a few states will continue to require drug testing for welfare programs. One must ask if this is really a bad thing in the end?

Does this concern you or do you agree. Give us your feedback in the comment section.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2090871,00.html#ixzz1aUKa2mMl

One Person Dies Every Seven Seconds From Diabetes.

It is estimated that one person dies every seven second from diabetes and things continue to get worse. Health officials reported today that an estimated 366 million persons worldwide now suffer from diabetes. The estimated numbers were released in Lisbon, Portugal during the European meeting that had associations with more than 160 countries. Almost 5 million people die each year from this chronic condition.


The International Diabetes Federation have reportedly called for systematic and concrete guidelines to stop this epidemic. In addition, they are signaling a need for this topic to be covered at the United Nations meeting next week.

Type I diabetes largely affect children and young adults. These individuals are unable to make insulin, which is produced from the pancreas pancreas. Type II diabetes is much more common and is often closely affected by obesity. Type II can be described as a decrease in the amount of insulin [Relative Insulin Deficiency] and a difficulty to have the insulin entering the cells [Insulin Resistance].

Complications of Diabetes:

1.) Eye complications

- Retinopathy - a disorder of the retina.
- Loss of eye sight
- Cataracts - 60% more likely to get cataract when diabetic
- Glaucoma - 40% more like to get glaucoma when diabetic

2.) Foot Complications

- Callous, skin changes, Neuropathy, ulcers, and other problems
- Poor circulation and amputations can be seen.

3.) Skin changes

- Increased fungal, bacterial, rashes and other skin changes can be seen.

4.) Heart Disease

- HA1c checks blood sugar - should be monitored and maintained
- Increased Lipids [Cholesterol and Triglycerides need to be maintained.]

5.) Hypertension

6.) Depression and Stress

7.) Ketoacidosis

- Ketones produced when body burns fat instead of glucose
- When a dangerously high levels are seen - can lead to stroke and death.

8.) Hyperosmolar Hyperglycemic Nonketotic Syndrome (HHNS)

- Elevated blood sugar levels rise dangerously - rare but serious condition

9.) Neuropathy (Nerve Damage)

10.) Kidney Disease (Nephropathy)

- High blood sugar can overwork the kidneys, causing them to stop working properly.

11.) Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD)

- Blood vessels in the legs are narrowed or blocked by fatty deposits and blood flow to your feet and legs decreases.

- Increased risk for heart attack and stroke

12.) Stroke

New Help in the Diagnosis of Ovarian Cancer

Research is looking into the distinct possibility that there may be a tumor marker in the blood of those with ovarian cancer . Early diagnosis of this cancer can be very difficult. As it advances it becomes harder and harder to treat. New research hopes the answers are in the blood.

The research is taking place in Chicago at the Rush University Medical Center. Initial research was intriguing though additional studies are required before anything is certain.

Antibodies, found on the surface of ovarian cancer cells, were found in the blood of most of the women with ovarian cancer. These antibodies were also found with women who had previously known ovarian problems - but not necessarily cancer. Women with normal ovarian function and no ovarian cancer were found to not have this antibody.

Typical treatment of ovarian cancer is to removed the uterus completely. This is usually done because the cancer is in an advanced stage. Single ovary removal along with the fallopian tubes can also be seen. Following surgery chemotherapy is a possibility. Radiation is rarely used as a treatment.

If the cancer is diagnosed early - the fiver year survival is very high. If not, the survival rate is far lower.

This post was first seen at:  www.iahealth.net/diagnosis-of-ovarian-cancer-may-get-easier-with-a-blood-test

A must is a must!

I would feel horrible if I didn't talk about the ongoing writeoncon. It is all taking place on line. Some of the topics for today have been really exciting. If you haven't yet taken the time - here is the link - http://writeoncon.com/

There are certainly a few more things tonight and then a full day's schedule tomorrow. The great things are that some of the ideas or concepts dig deep into personal preferences of many of the agents and writers putting on their portion. Some of the classes are live - you can ask your question and get a fast response.
Tonight there is an exciting panel of professionals - this is a live event and worth checking out.

And don't worry - if you can't make it live - just check out some of the things written on the website or forum. It looks fantastic

This would be a bad day!

Some days I get run over and feel exactly like this. What in your day makes you feel this way? What do you do to get past this feeling? Hopefully you literally don't have a horn stabbed into your throat!!!

Writing Two Stories at Once.

I read a myth that you should stay writing in the same genre during your career. This is probably to stop anyone from writing on a topic that they don't understand or aren't familiar with. I understand it to some degree. But, since I haven't found a genre that I am proficient at, I guess that the myth doesn't yet apply to me. I finished writing my first manuscript a year ago or so. I spent several months on edits and rewrites. I am currently querying that manuscript.

Once I started the process of querying, I began writing again. And it has been fantastic. The problem is that I have two stories vying for a spot in my head. The first one is the second book of my first manuscript.  It's genre is fantasy - like the first.  Can I say that I love fantasy.  The other story in my head is more of an amateur sleuth medical story. I also have a huge passion in medical and I currently work in the medical field. Mysteries are always fun to read....so why not try to write one.

The real difficulty is that some days, I feel like writing fantasy and other days, I can't wait to write about my medical mystery. And so rather than fighting the urge, I am embracing it.  The funny thing is that I am not bored with either story.  I am just excited about writing two stories at once.  I plan to continue this practice as long as possible. I do look forward to an agent calling and forcing me back on tract, but until then....write on!

Please comment if you've ever tried this.  Tell me if it worked for you or was too hard to keep the stories and POV separate.

Here's a great look at writing two stories at once by Katie Ganshert - http://katieganshert.blogspot.com/2009/03/two-stories-at-once.html

Needing some Chocolate

I really loved my last visit to Boston. I had a blast. One of the best places that we went was the Lindt chocolate store. I really need some chocolate today.  My wife seems to need chocolate daily.  Who can blame her when it is Lindt chocolate. Chocolate always seems to make writing go a little bit better and a little smoother. Oh well...I will have to find a substitute chocolate bar today.   Too bad I can't make it back to Boston!  SO I will leave you a picture of the store.

C-Section Study Recently Completed

In a recent stdy it was determined that 1/3 of all births are done through a C-Section. An interesting blog post by InterActive Health

Let's take a closer look at the data from the most recent study:
19 out of 50 states were studied
Florida (38.6%), New Jersey (38%) , and Texas (35.9%), had the highest rates.
Utah (22.4%), Wisconsin (25.1%), and Colorado (27.3%)  had the lowest rates.
Study was done by HealthGrades - this website allows a user to search and rate their physician.
From 2002 - 2009 C-section occurrence raised from 27% to 34%
A separate study from the Centers for Disease Control put the number at 32% in 2007

Take a closer look at the original blog post at: 
1/3 of all births are done through a C-Section.

Oh writing how I missed thee.

After finishing my first manuscript I felt a sense of accomplishment. I knew I had an arduous task of editing. I never expected it would be so time consuming and all encompassing.  It took eight months to really get through the editing process. My manuscript isn't perfect but I needed to move to the next step of querying. This process has been so strange almost foreign in comparison to everything else that I have done. I sent out a dozen or more queries and I am unpatiently awaiting the responses.

I have considered sending out another round of queries but I am concerned about my overall effectiveness of my query letter. I am continuously reading and tweaking my query letter. It seems that because this is my first query letter, I am probably thinking that it is better than it really is. That could be a huge problem.

The only thing that I knew, was that I couldn't sit and do nothing. I considered my options and decided to begin book 2 of my series. I am querying the first book and now it is time to start working on the next book. I really struggled in finding the correct spot to restart my story. It took a surprisingly long time to come up with it. I am pretty satisfied with where I am starting. I began writing last week and really forgot how much I love the pure aspect of writing.  It's really blissful.

The area I love most is attempting to put this story that is in my head onto a blank piece of paper. That blank paper was empty and now...just days later, the first chapter of my second book is done. I am 4,000 words finished for the first chapter. I am wondering if I should do things quite differently than the first book.  I decided to edit the first chapter instead of writing and writing and writing. I initially thought that quality would arrive in the editing stage.  During my first draft, that might have hurt me more than I realized.

But I am back to writing and hoping that the first book snags me an agent, but regardless, I love writing!!  So far, book 2 is called SHATTERED.

Goodbye Prologue

After much deliberation and the help of my most recent conference - I am putting to rest my prologue.  As a reader, I love prologues - if done well.  They really can grab my attention and throw me into the story.  The problem as a writer - it has to be perfect.  Mine was far from perfect.

My real problem was that I have two stories wrapped around each other. I was trying to start my manuscript with my secondary story and my prologue introduce that second story.  Therefore, the prologue didn't have anything to do with the story itself.   The prologue often give a back story that helps the story move.  I've heard many editors say that if a prologue is done - they will skip it immediately - read the story and then read the prologue.  If the prologue teaches them something that they had missed in the story - then they would consider keeping it.

My change wasn't hard at all.  If you can imagine - my manuscript has 51 chapters. 41 chapters are devoted to my main story and 10 chapters are devoted to the secondary story.  Truth be told though - the secondary story is really just a single long chapter. My former prologue was the first chapter of 10 I just mentioned. My change consisted of taking the prologue and moving it to chapter 5 of my story.  From there - every 5-7 chapters I would add another piece of the puzzle. It was a fun way of doing it. In the end, I kept the chapter - because it is helpful in the overall story.

What are your feelings, as a reader, about prologues.  If you are a writer...does your idea of a prologue change?

This blog post was originally seen at Earth's Divide - my book blog