Pics, Booksigning, and Vacation

I did it! I put four of my pictures into a slideshow and it's up on my webpage. You can find it at www.carolannerhardt.com and choose the "About Me" link to view.

Cincinnati anyone? I'll be in Cincinnati, actually West Chester, OH, on June 7th for the "Readers and Writers Get Together." It's going to be a great time! Proceeds for raffled baskets full of books will go to benefit a great charity. So far there are about 250 people signed up to attend the event. I'll be signing books at a table with my fellow Wild Rose Press authors, so if you haven't signed up yet, go to www.lorifoster.com and click on the "communities" link to learn more!

My blog will be silent until next Tuesday. We are heading to southern Illinois to visit my mother for the holiday. Wishing you all a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Thanks for stopping by!

A Fun Photo Shoot....

I've been trying to get some photos of myself for my website, but I'm the one who takes all the pictures in my family. Yep, I'm the Mom who runs around with a camera taking candid shots of everyone.

I've asked hubby to take pictures of me, but they turn out looking...um, well, kind of weird. I've tried setting up the tripod and taking pictures of the two of us...not too bad, but not what I want to relfect on my website. I'm a jeans and sweatshirt kind of gal. I love camping, hanging around outside and enjoying the weather and floral displays, and cute cats running around. That's the real me.

So, last night I decided to take pictures of myself. I had on my favorite soft and well work Sports Illustrated sweatshirt, jeans, and my sock-clad feet. I tipped over a small trash can, set up my camera, and timer and snapped away. Not too bad. The biggest problem was fighting off the cats, enticed by the beeping sound, and the flashing red light. Just before the camera flashed, one would inevitably stick his or her nose on the lens. Voila! A great nose shot of a cat. LOL!

Now, I just have to figure out how to put those together in a cool slideshow and upload to my website.

Stay tuned...

Thanks for stoppping by!

What is "Voice?"

I've talked to several writing friends lately who have been discouraged, some to the point of giving up, with all the feedback flooding in from different directions. It's so easy to get discouraged when you are pursuing a publishing dream. Contests, editors, critique partners...everyone has an opinion of what your work should look like. Craft books can help, and they can hinder as well. One of my friends had an agent tell her to "rewrite" the book with specific guidelines. Another had an agent tell her to change her book so it was a "thriller."

So what happens if you want to be published so bad that you actually try to please an agent? By the time you rewrite it, their window of opportunity for selling the book "they had envisioned" has passed. So they pass on your rewrite. What now?

It is so easy to get sucked into the whirlpool and find yourself not knowing what to do. So self doubt creeps in and you find yourself never writing a word. Trust me, if this happens, you've lost your voice. Back away from all of that. Think about why you began to write in the first place. If the passion to tell a story in your own words is still there, then forget all the negativity. It's hard not to take it personally, especially when you've beed rejected over and over again, but shove everything aside and start writing. Get your spark back. In doing so, you'll find your voice again, and don't let anyone try to change that.

Thanks for stopping by!

The Last Three - Foxy, Sammy, & Oreo

Meet Foxy. She's the cat who didn't show up until her kittens were nearly weaned. She's Molly's mom. Foxy never strays from the yard, but she's elusive. She likes to sleep on this bale of hay (housed in a large green plastic bag). Every night she sleeps in the shelter house we built for the cats. She has the prettiest amber eyes. I don't think she'll ever let us touch her, but she does trust us.
This is Sammy and Oreo. Sammy is a short-haired orange and white tabby and Oreo is a black and white long hair. Sammy was in between the mother cats and their litters, so as an adolescent he loved to play with the kittens. He never strays far. He likes to climb on the arbor over our backyard swing. From there he is able to look into our bedroom where our indoor cats sit in the window to converse with him. Oreo was the last cat to be captured. He gave us a run for our money. We finally had to snag him with an oversized fish net and dump him into the trap, and then cut off the netting. He's another one who keeps his distance. He won't even come to the feeding area unless I leave the yard.

These were the last two of our feral cats. I hope you enjoyed meeting them!

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Please spay and neuter your cats and dogs!
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