From my blog

http://mari-thewritersblock.blogspot.com/



Several days ago I blogged about the loss of Roseanne Savo's wonderful groups in Ventura County, and tonight I have wonderful news. Roseanne is going to continue some of the groups as a non-paid volunteer, and while times and meeting locations will change, the groups will continue.

The Monday night group that I attend is going to change times and meet at 2 PM on Fridays, but Barnes & Noble is thrilled to have… Continue

From my blog at:

http://mari-thewritersblock.blogspot.com/



I have a moderately boring life, but, like many people, I'm careful to follow my routine. For a while it was hectic, but with the slowing of the economy, I am finding one thing after another coming to an end. It's almost as if 2009 blasted in, with C H A N G E as its slogan, and nothing IS as it WAS. My schedule changed, eliminating the wonderful Westlake Library book group mid first Wednesday of each month. The same… Continue

It's been a while since I've added a Blog Post--last year, no less, and I'm not sure that I have a lot to say. This last year came apart for almost everyone near its end, and it looks like 2009 is going to be one of metered optimism, more of a year for waiting than a year for action. Good news--everything went on SALE! Bad news--no one has any money. I'm betting that 2009 is going to be more of those seesaw sort of swings and nothing can be taken for granted for a while.



Last year… Continue

"I'm going to keep e-filing it over and over again, until they tell me I HAVE to mail it!"



My Sweet Man and I have one thing in common. Neither one of us has any idea when to give up. Our Federal taxes went through nicely but for some reason the State of California keeps kicking us back. We opted to go with the H & R Block Online package since doing our own taxes and NOT showing up at their door saved us enough money to buy me a new desk, a beautiful, glass piece of furniture… Continue

"Hi! This is Mari. Are my glasses in yet?" Hopefully, I queried Kaiser a third day in a row. When I ordered my glasses I was told "Seven to ten working days." I made my first call at working day six, hoping, against hope, that they might have come in early. On day eight I was told that it would probably be Friday...the tenth day, and THEY would call me. On day nine the receptionist told me "Calling won't get you your glasses ANY faster."



"Yes, it will." I insisted. "If I call you… Continue

The optomitrist had me squint into the machine, peering at letters with my right eye.

"Better or worse?" You know the drill. Soon he had it figured as to how to correct my glasses to give me the best possible view on the world from that angle and had me line up what I thought was my "good" eye for testing. Why did I think this was my good eye? Well, true, I couldn't see anything but a blur out of the eye when I was wearing my glasses but it seemed that I saw better out of that eye…

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The plan was a good one. I would join the Book Club and sneak in quietly, becoming inconspicuously a part of the scenery. Once people knew me, they would read BEAUFORT FALLS and love it for what it is, a funny, satirical look at another part of the country that has a serious message lightly sprinkled in. The store in question is a tiny one but one that attracts the very best talented and new authors from all over the country, or the world, for that matter,and their bookshelves hold books by…

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"Are you sure you want everything?"

"Yes. Everything."

"Anchovies? Jalepenas? Garlic?"

"Well, my husband and I don't like pepperoni very much. You can leave it off."

Winners Pizza in Thousand Oaks is being run by real Italians now and there is nothing else on earth like their deluxe pizza, which has every topping on it that the restaurant puts on pizza. Yep. About fouteen different tastes including fresh tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and even eggplant. I could…

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I just noticed that the blogs turn up on the main page right after having been written. While that surprised me, it is a wonderful thing, unless you are a constant re-writer such as myself. Following my nature, I changed a couple of words in my Dec. 31st blog, and it popped out of order. Chagrinned, I examined my last blog, Bookshine, changed the tense on the verbs in the first paragraph, and voila! Back in order. Also back on the front page. Since that isn't exactly fair, here is a new blog…

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It's raining here in Southern California. Heavy rain here is even more destructive, and welcome, than snow is in Atlanta. When light rain begins it creates an oily surface on the streets that can spin a car out of its lane just as catastrophically as ice or snow does in the world of my former life. Rain in Georgia, even heavy rain, may flood the local river but it doesn't bring the hill sliding down on top of you as happens in the recently…

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It's already New Year's Eve in Australia, so I guess it is legal on this site to start tolling the bell. This year has rocketed by, making the previous 57 look like days on the beach, and hopefully 2008 will be even more eventful, although I really don't see how. Jan, 2007, I signed a contract for my first book. April, 2007, said book was published by a substandard small press, poorly and with almost nonexistent distribution BUT I sold the book in the Sisters in Crime Booth at the Los…

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The recent world as I know has been shattered, comprimised ... destroyed. YouTube is DOWN. My husband is curled up in the corner imitating the fetal position, mumbling something about Freddie and the Dreamers. I have no idea where he can get his "Freddie" fix now.He has to start breathing again soon.It's not that we don't remember the world before youTube. We're old. My MySpace page looks like crap. But YouTube?Okay. Crisis is over. It's…

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The e-mail was simple, a group e-mail to everyone in my husband's family.

"Everyone, Thanksgiving is at Pat's house and contact me to sign up for what you are going to bring. Everyone, that is, except Mari. Mari, you are bringing the sweet potatoes."

Grinning, I posted a reply.

"Yes Ma.am."

There is a story about the sweet potatoes, as there are about most things from my Southern past. If you go to my website and read my Author's page, you will see that I…

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Blogging is something I've never done, but I have been part of an ongoing e-mail group for more than eight years. I imagine this is somewhat like that, only a little more. Although I hate being boring, it might be fun talking a little about what I do IRL (In Real Life). IRL is versus here, cyberspace, virtual reality, whatever the catchword of the moment is.

I've survived a lot in cyberspace the last eight years. I was a regular in the AOL Author's Lounge during it's infancy,.when it…

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