Madeline Turnipseed - Author

How cute is that?!?  If you're my Facebook friend, you probably saw the plate of cookies that our Realtor gave us at our closing.  I've been nibbling away at them all week, and I saved the prettiest (and biggest) for last.  I wish I knew who made these so I could give them a shout out, these are the best Royal iced sugar cookies I've ever had!  They've been exposed to air all week and haven't dried out at all.  And, unlike most store-bought sugar cookies, these actually had flavor that wasn't preservatives or plastic packaging. This week, as promised, I'm posting my writing goals for the remainder of the year.  I'm doing this to ask you guys to keep me accountable, and so I can't just say, "Oh, I've been meaning to, but..."  Deadlines are a big motivator for me, so here goes. 1) I will finish all committed critiques by June 15th, and any forthcoming critique requests will be scheduled according to my availability and the author...

I've been bad, friends.  I've let excuses keep me from writing. Some were legitimate at the time I made them (I have to study for a test), but then they gave me an opening for more excuses (I've been working really hard for class, so now that it's over I can take a break and go on an anime binge). The point is, I haven't been writing.  So I'm done with excuses.  I'm making goals and reporting to you guys to keep myself accountable.  Here's what I have on my plate in the writing department: 1) I have critiquing that I've already committed to complete.  This spring I've done way more critiquing than writing, and it's been one of my excuses.  I'm going to cut down on the amount of critiques I'll be doing in the future.  If you're a writing friend I know in real life, (or that I took an online class with)  I'll still be happy to critique manuscripts. However,  I'm cutting down on my Scribophile critiques. 2) I need to finis...

Hello friends!  Tuesday I had the great pleasure of attending a joint signing of Mary Robinette Kowal and Marie Brennan in Houston.  Marie was fascinating, Mary delightful.  My plan was to not only get some new books, but to also report back to you with many pictures and witty observations.  Unfortunately, my inner fan had other ideas, but I think you will still enjoy the results. First off, I arrived at the signing way too early.  The event was held at Murder By the Book in the museum/university district of Houston.  This part of H-town is lovely if you have time to drive around and can find a bathroom that you don't have to pay some sort of admission or parking pass to use, and I ended up having some time to explore.  Initially, I had figured that both these authors had won awards for their work, there would be a huge crowd of fans for me to compete with, so I should get there two and a half hours early, just in case.  Nope.  I was the...

First off, this post is not an argument for or against the death penalty.  This post is not arguing that criminals are products of society.  This post is not making any sort of statement about the incarceration systems in this country.  This post is not holding up death-row inmates as martyrs.  This post is not denying or glossing over the heinous things that have been done to innocent victims.  I just want to make all of those things clear before I begin. If you have any inkling of current events you know that earlier this week a convicted felon, scheduled for execution, died in unintended circumstances.  These circumstances are currently under investigation, so I will not dwell on them.  Suffice it to say, witnesses to the execution report that it was uncomfortable and unsettling to watch, and that this felon was not sedated when he should have been, resulting in an inhumane death. That is still not what this post is about.  This post is a ...