Looks like a responsible dude, right? (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
TKZ Casting Call!
What was your first *real* job? Tell us how old you were and how you snagged it . . .
She looks committed, I guess! (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
Looks like me on my first job–totally determined to get it done, and get it done right. Never mind the scare factor.
Now, think back a bit:
How did your first job experience play into your life now as an author? Inquiring minds want to know.
Today we discuss . . . yep, you got it . . . bugs!
Some of my favorites: Here we have a box elder bug, an earwig, a grasshopper, a four-eyed spidery guy, and a praying mantis.
By far, my absolute favorite is the praying mantis–known sometimes as the most fearsome killer in the insect world. A black widow spider is scary, but it has to sit on its prey to kill it. A mantis can reach out and grab its lunch. And sometimes mantids even work together to bring down, say, a hummingbird! Each season we have lots of the little green guys in our yard, and they will even let me hand feed them.
Another favorite of mine is the Monarch butterfly. In my novel, No Tomorrows, one of the thematic elements is a Monarch. The main character, Annie, has a collection of Monarch pictures and nick-knacks because . . . oh, can’t tell you. You’ll have to read it!
Now, we’d like to hear about your favorite buggos. And why in the wide world are they your favorites? Do you ever include bugs in your writing?
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Available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ThriftBooks, bookstores and libraries.
Doing just a cursory search on the internet of the word nickname yielded some doozies–especially those from the middle ages. It might be worth a laugh or two for you to take a look.
Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel (Image courtesy of Wikipedia)
I came across Benjamin Siegel, AKA Bugsy. I tried to discover why he acquired that moniker, but couldn’t find the origin. I did find out that his killer was never brought to justice.
I guess a cool nickname doesn’t mean much when you’re a bad guy.
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I had a couple when I was a wee lass. My siblings called me Debo (pronounced Dee-bo), and my dad called me Housemouse–because I preferred being in the house reading instead of out of the house playing. My dad and brother still call me those names on occasion.
Or, just these . . .
And this one from a way long time ago!
How about you, TKZers? Did you ever have a nickname growing up, cool or otherwise? Does anyone still call you by that name? And, do you give your characters nicknames?
Do tell . . .
This is Hoka, keeping company with me in my office. The head tilt says it all . . .
We’ve had cats and dogs over the years, but dogs are our favorites. Oreo, the black lab. Dok-dogi, the malamute. His name means “Smart Dog” in Korean. Bear, the Chow & Samoyed mix. And Hoka, the Smartest Dog in the Universe. So smart, she should go get a job and support us . . .
My blog post publishing June 11 on my website features all of these canine pals who’ve graciously shared our cave over the years. Go there on the 11th to see more pictures and read about their antics.
So, the questions for TKZ pet parents today are:
1) Do you presently have a pet; 2) Do you give your characters pets; and 3) Reaching back into your pet memory banks–what is or was your favorite pet of all time?
Image courtesy of Pixabay
First observed as Decoration Day on May 30, 1868, Memorial Day is observed in every state on the last Monday in May.
There is a plethora of information available regarding its origins and which state(s) claim to have celebrated it first.
Barbecues, first camping trips of the year, parades, and flags are locked into my memories about past Memorial Day celebrations. I have many service vets in my family who lost comrades and buddies in various wars through the decades. For me, that’s who it’s about.
TKZers, what does Memorial Day mean to you, and how does your family celebrate it?
My husband’s 30+ year career as an in-home electronics repairman yielded some amazingly funny stories.
Like the one about the folks who kept a bathtub filled with water. Why? Well, it seems they had a horse whose pasture was right outside the bathroom wall.
A horse who would sidle over to the hole they cut in that wall so he could drink out of the bathtub. Who would’ve thought?
My human lets me drink *in* the house! 🙂 (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
And this one he told me just the other day. Seems a lady called and reported her TV would change channels all on its own. Do I hear Twilight Zone music . . .?
Collection of antique remotes
Now this was back in the day before infrared/Bluetooth remotes–instead, they worked with ultrasonic sound to talk to your TV and switch channels when the button was pressed.
My husband reported for duty in her living room, but could find nothing wrong. He said, “Have a nice day,” and left.
What’s your cat’s superpower?
And went back a second time when she called. While there, he observed the channel-switching phenomenon for himself. At the same time the channel magically changed, the lady’s cat jumped off the couch. The cat with a bell on its collar–which rang when he jumped.
My husband jokes that he told the lady to “remove the bell, and that’ll be a hundred dollars, please.”
Okay, it’s your turn, TKZers.
What’s the funniest story you’ve ever heard or told, and have you used it in your writing?
You said to do what?? (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
We’ve discussed in these halls the best/worst advice ever given to us, particularly in the realm of writing.
Today, let’s flip that around.
What’s the worst advice or counsel you’ve ever given to someone else–come on, we’re all friends here–‘fess up!
I’ll start: Decades ago at my (first) wedding, I advised my Mom to not go looking for my little brother, age 10, who was the junior groomsman. She wanted to make sure he was properly kitted up in his miniature tux. I told her he knew how to dress himself, and to please stay with me.
Boy howdy, was I wrong!
He was given black socks to wear with his tux and spit-polished black dress shoes, but instead, he chose to wear his bright orange fuzzy tube socks. (Remember those?) They shone like a beacon under his too-short by two inches slacks.
I didn’t notice, being a very nervous bride, and family and guests were given strict instructions not to tell me. The professional photos were a sight to behold.
Not exactly a tuxedo, but the socks are orange! (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
Okay, your turn . . . worst advice you’ve ever dished out to someone else. We’re all ears–
I thought this would be a fun discussion, since we writers are a bit . . . shall we say, quirky?
Drawings have been around since our great-great-greats a thousand generations ago. It was the preferred method of messaging, probably even predated language. Now we have cell phones, texting, emails, satellite communications, even watches–and who could forget Get Smart and his shoe phone?
But back in the day, if Mom and Pop cave dweller needed to communicate, maybe it looked something like this:
Translation: Honey, I’ve invited the Johnsons over for dinner Saturday night . . . is that okay? (Image courtesy of Pixabay.)
Hmm . . . I see conflict and chaos in the short story above. Maybe a body buried out back of the cave?
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From the dictionary: First recorded in 1665-75; from Italian cartone “pasteboard, stout paper, a drawing on such paper,” equivalent to cart(a) “paper” . . .
And this from Wikipedia: The concept originated in the Middle Ages, and first described a preparatory drawing for a piece of art, such as a painting, fresco, tapestry, or stained glass window. In the 19th century, beginning in Punch magazine in 1843, cartoon came to refer – ironically at first – to humorous artworks in magazines and newspapers. Then it also was used for political cartoons and comic strips. When the medium developed, in the early 20th century, it began to refer to animated films that resembled print cartoons.[2]
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Modern cartoons are illustrated short, short stories. Inside of five to ten minutes, the story has tension, conflict, cliffhangers, MC in danger, rescue, and resolution–all of the story structure that we use in our stories and novels.
Don’t I know you from someplace? (Image courtesy of Pixabay.)
And they made us laugh. I still hear my dad’s guffaw at Wile E. trying yet again to catch that dang Roadrunner with the shadow of the A.C.M.E. crate hanging over his head.
All we ever needed to know about life was learned on Saturday mornings, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the TV with a bowl of Cheerios in the lap.
That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.
My favorite, of course, was Roadrunner. Just watching my Dad laugh was a treat.
My new fave, watched a few years back with my Texas grandkids, is Zootopia.
Flash, the Sloth (Image courtesy of Pixabay)
I hadn’t laughed so hard in ages, and the youngest little guy had to watch it at least twice a day during the week I stayed with them.
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Okay, TKZers, over to you. What was (or is) your favorite cartoon?
(And, as usual for me on Fridays, I’ll be in and out, but will respond to comments.)
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Will there be a tomorrow for Annie Lee?
Follow her as she navigates what she is convinced is her last day on earth. As she takes her kids to school, visits her neighbor, plays in the park with her youngest.
Trying not to believe that her tomorrows are over.