Lisa Nowak to Speak at Young Willamette Writers

  Lisa Nowak Speaks to Young Willamette Writers

     Lisa Nowak will be the speaker for the February meeting. In addition to being a YA author, Lisa is a retired amateur stock car racer, an accomplished cat whisperer, and a professional smart-aleck. She writes coming-of-age books about kids in hard luck situations who learn to appreciate their own value after finding mentors who love them for who they are.

Lisa says that there are many important aspects to writing a great story, but the bottom line is, if the reader doesn't care about your characters, all your clever plotting and amazing prose will lose its impact. Lisa plans to show the YWW's how to use collages, interviews, and their own experience to create characters who come across as real people.

The Young Willamette Writers meet at the same time as the adults, from 7-8pm at the Old Church in downtown Portland. 

Movie Review Monday - Hansel & Gretel

Hansel and Gretel was a fun Van Helsing sort of movie. The sets were great and the costumes wonderful and it was a way over-the-top action-packed movie.

Now, the believability was out the window way more than a James Bond sort of film but, come on, it's a fairytale...right?

So, if you're looking for a fun fantasy getaway kind of film and you don't mind a little blood (or maybe a lot of blood), then this might be a good film for you.

I wouldn't say it's a great dramatic film but you wouldn't expect that from Hansel and Gretel, now would you?

It's like reading a dark Grimm's Fairytale and seeing it put to motion in a Van Helsing sort of film.

I don't know if I'd go so far as to recommend seeing it on the big screen because those tickets are expensive but I'd definitely see it when it comes to the little screen - at home - just for the costumes and sets, if nothing more.

So there you have it, Hansel & Gretel comes to life on the big screen :D

OREGON WILD

On Wednesday night I went out to help support Oregon Wild. Oregon Wild was founded in 1974 and it's mission is to protect and restore Oregon’s wildlands, wildlife and waters as an enduring legacy for all Oregonians.

The guest speakers were from Uncage the Soul Video Production. This is the group that did Finding Oregon, Ascending the Giants and Finding Portland.

Finding Portland from Uncage the Soul Productions on Vimeo.

It was fun to see the projects they've been working on and to see the helicopter they use for filming time-lapsed video.

PITCH WARS AGENT ROUND

WHOO-HOO! It's finally time to see the pitches we've been working on during The Pitch Wars.

Thanks to the wonderful Brenda Drake for putting this entire contest and experience together for all of us writerly wannabes. And thanks to my wonderful mentor Heather Marie! She is a true Wizardress of Wordly Wisdom and has willingly shared her talents with me.

If you want to pop over to YA Misfits to check out the pitches, click this link.

And be sure to check out my Ghost House pitch.

The Ghost House is a story inspired by actual events. My manuscript includes articles, ads and pages out of historical directories. But there is so much more than that. And, if you enjoy stories that weave history together into a modern manuscript, read on. 

I hope you'll look forward to reading a pitch about a story that will send chills running up your spine:

The Ghost House pitch.

Then after reading my pitch, keep your fingers crossed for me so that Literary Agents will request the manuscript. 

Pineapple Right-Side-Up Cake - Cupcake

This is a super simple way to make a pineapple upside down cake, I mean, a pineapple right-side-up cupcake. And this cupcake will be moist and delicious - thanks to the pineapple.

There is one main trick to making this pineapple cupcake.

TIP: You can't put the pineapple at the bottom of the cupcake paper. It will be sticky and wet and will not work out well.

TRICK: What you need to do is simply put a little piece of pineapple directly into the batter.

Then put a 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar on top of the pineapple and a tiny dab of butter on top of that.

Then bake your cupcake as usual.

After the cupcake is baked, frost with whipped cream and decorate with a maraschino cherry.

Wah-Lah! Pineapple Right-side-up Cupcake :D

MLK Day

Hope you all have a wonderful peaceful day honoring the Reverend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLK Day - Giving Back

In honor of MLK Day we can all do something to give back to our communities. There is even an organization that helps people do just that. It's called the MLK Day of Service and it helps people find volunteer programs in their community.

If you live in Portland, check out this link to see if there's something that fits your schedule and ability. If you're on Twitter, you can follow the input using the hashtag @MLKDay. 

If you aren't able to volunteer, you can donate money to your favorite cause or charity.

But whatever you do, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.