Wow, where is 2015 going?!

So, I've been crazy inactive here on the blog, because I've been so active with so many other crazy things.  Life gets like that some times.  40 Practicum hours, full-time work fun, participating in winter fest with the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood, and just plain participating in winter! 

Technically today is Moto-Monday and I do want to honor that by posting this:

Glittering RUBY Writing Wednesday!

Step into 2015 right, AND in style!

This is a great day - it follows last night's Marvel's Agent Carter premiere with her very red hat!

So, I keep saying that I don't really write any romance or erotica or anything so blood pumping - well, in those ways. I'm more of a run faster, punch harder, pedal to the metal kind of gal - yea, like Peggy Carter. :D  But I have a lot of friends and acquaintances who do.  Some of the best, most effective and supportive writing groups out there seem to be romancing type writers.  They even welcome men-folk into their midst and help them along with open arms.

Happy New Year! It's 2015!

Waiting for the Spring Thaw (Photo Credit: MorgueFile)

 Moto-Monday - Holiday Late.

Well, I am reporting back. 
I did not get a ride in on Jan 1st, however I did get a short ride in on Jan 2nd. On Jan 1st it was single digits and there were plentiful slick ice-spots out and around.  On Jan 2nd, there were fewer icy bits and the temperature was in the 20s.  I was able to get my Valkyrie fully warmed up, ridden and the tank topped off.  I went out early the next morning (Jan 3rd) while it was snowing, and pulled the battery out.  It was great timing all the way around as we are now in the single digits (sub-zero with wind chill) and far too cold for my poor battery.

My Joe Rocket jacket, quite frankly, ROCKS!  It keeps my core warm and comfy.  My legs weren't bad.  My favorite trick for down and dirty leg warmth is - rain pants.  They block the wind and help hold your heat in far better than leather chaps (plus, unlike chaps, they don't leave your crotch out to freeze in the breeze).  On really cold longer rides, you can also layer some long underwear under your pants as well.  Me being special, am allergic to most non-natural materials - so I have to not go with the quick-dry dry-silque type materials.   One of many reasons that rain pants are always a top ten carried item for me.

Even my feet and toes weren't too bad.  The worst two places for the cold are still the worst two places for me - my face and my hands.  I have yet to find a decent pair of gloves for cold weather.  I have purchased big, gauntlet-style winter gloves.  They still didn't keep my fingers warm and they have the distinct disadvantage of being so big and bulky that it makes handling controls very difficult and uncomfortable.  Bulky gloves plus frozen fingers have lead to dropped bikes before.  Argggggh.  My best bet has been to triple layer - a silk glove, inside a wool glove, that's inside a leather glove.  Still some bulk issues and still not half as warm as you need or would like in sub-40 F weather.  Perhaps I'll have to do some new looking - it has been awhile and there are new materials and methods available.  Gloves are the hardest thing for me to get and like.  If you don't get them sized right and they didn't really think through where they put the seams - you end up paying a pretty penny for something that not only doesn't work, but can make your hands miserable (right up through blistering, which is NOT fun).

So, how was your winter ride?  Are you a polar bear this new year, or not?  Do you have tips on any great winter gear or winter gear hacks?  Please share!

For fun- Here is a quick article and video on Motorcycle.com called "Car vs. Bike, In the Snow + video".

Derbyshire

One of the blogs I subscribe to is Eight Ladies Writing and they issued a 500-word story challenge earlier this week.  I decided - why not, let's exercise those creative juices. So, here we go - At a slim 431 words.  So this is a squeeze in between Writing Wednesday and Flash Fiction Friday.  Hope you're having a most excellent and good Christmas holiday season!

Photo Credit:  MorgueFile

Derbyshire

By PR Henriksen

"Derbyshire."

"It's not Derby-shy-er, it's Der-beh-sure."

"What'evs. Why'd you drag me here?"

"Mom always said if we got into real trouble, we needed to come home."

Moto-Monday: Classics

Photo Credit: June 1971 – Steve McQueen by Heinz Kluetmeier/Sports Illustrated/Getty Images

As the weather is not currently very nice up here in Michigan (the riding season does NOT go into December for us),  you have seen that moto-mondays have been very skinny lately. The exceptions for riding at this time of the year here are: a really desperate need to ride, a road dry and clear of ice, a nice warm coat with winter riding gloves, and you were able to put the battery back in for a "quickie" (ride that is).  They also have a "polar bear" club up here for such individuals.  The idea is that we go out for such a ride on New Year's Day.  Amazingly, I have been able to do this about 65% of the time over the last decade plus.

Consequently, I saw this picture of Steve McQueen pop up on my Facebook feed today, and was reminded of the great article it was attached to.  A few years back I found some photos of an old 1971 Sport's Illustrated article about Steve McQueen.  He always saw himself as a rider and a racer first (both motorcycles and cars) and then other things fell in line later.  The pictures I saw of the article were good enough to read and it was neat to see and hear from Steve in that fashion - a rider, mechanic, tweaker of mechanical goodness.

Well, I found that someone had posted that same article - much more readable (especially on an iPad or phone) than looking at pictures of the original article.  So without further ado - I'm going to send you to another blog, The Selvedge Yard, to enjoy this classic article.

Let's check back in a couple of weeks and see if any of us were able to be polar bears this year.  :D

Dear Santa

photo credit - morguefile.com

Dear Santa-

I know you're not a dog, but I figured if you like reindeer, you probably like dogs too.

I've had a few accidents. I got a little scared when I was left alone. I got out of the puppy mill, but I lost my family. They got sick.

Now I'm with a new family. I have a mom, puppy sisters, and grandparents. I want to stay. You can give all my treats to my sisters. Just put in a good word with mom. It was supposed to be temporary, but we love each other.

Thanks, Tawny 

************************************
Feel free to write and add a 1-100 word "Dear Santa" post of your own.

PS.... If you can - Senior Pets make great companions.  They are pre-stuffed with so much personality and love that you just can't believe it, until you experience it for yourself.

The above picture is a "stock" picture of an awesome senior yorkie....

Here are my girls (toy schnauzers) and my current foster fluff yorkie - Ms Tawny (she's been with us for 6 months now):

Miss Daisy, Ms Tawny, Miss Pepper

Some Favorite Writing Things

Writing Wednesdays

photo credit: MorgueFile.com

It is the season of sharing.  Many of you may also be exhausted from NaNoWriMo.  And some of you may be struggling with writing issues or finding a place to recharge.  So, here are some of my favorite places to hang out.

I think I've mentioned that romance, as a genre, is not really my writing forte, but amazingly many of the following list are full of romance writers (and others).  Don't be put off if you don't write, breathe, or strip for romance, these are all GREAT resources for story, how story works, why it does and doesn't work, and everything writerly - not just romancey (although you'll find that too).

Savvy Authors

This site is a great place to hang out as an author.  Although there are a lot of romance writers here - that is not all there is.  If you want to discuss craft or bone up on your craft, this is a great hang-out with many resources - free and premium.

StoryWonk

Basically a "wonk" is an over-zealous nerd - in this case for "story".  This is a great writer spot with Lani (romance/paranormal romance) and her husband Alistair (sci-fi/fantasy) - where they wonk out over story - in writing, in film, on tv... Whereever great (or not so great) story is found, they will be there, sharing it with you.  They have classes, resources, and much writerly goodness.  Best of all check out their multiple Podcasts of pure StoryWonk goodness.

Arg Ink

Jennifer Cruise (romance and more) writer. Also a genuine story wonk kind of gal.  Discuss story and all things writing with Jennifer. (And absolutely check out her over-the-top "story boards".  She is like the Bob Villa of story boards!)

Eight Ladies Writing

Jennifer Cruise was teaching a college course in writing and these gals were in the course together.  Again, there is a lot of "love" here, but better, there is a lot of writing goodness here.

Hemingway Editor

New cool "toy" of the week.  How about being able check the readability and grade-level of your article or page?  You can do it here.  Neat toy/tool to check out.

Masks

Photo Credit:  MorgueFile.com

Flash Fiction Friday

Masks

By PR Henriksen


"Hey Aunt Jill, why don't I get to wear a mask like them?" Patrick said as a loud 9-year old would, while pointing to three people in masks across the office.  A whole family sat alone, to the side, of a nearly "at capacity" clinic.

We'd waited patiently for more than an hour.  I tried not to breath in too deep.  I didn't want to catch anything and my nephew wasn't sick either.  Patrick was just a superhero-playing boy, with a goose egg the size of jawbreaker on his head.

"The sign at the desk says if you've come in from a foreign country or have a cough, please grab a mask."

Building Author Steam Part Deux

Angela Quarles- Author / Photo credit: Keyhole Photography

Building Author Steam Part Deux
(Yeah, I’m working with my “Cool” angel this morning)



We writers are often a solitary breed, who create worlds and people them in their heads.  Getting out into social media and self-promoting can be more than a big deal it can be almost overwhelming for some.  Then we are constantly told that not only do we have to have brilliantly written, perfect prose (aka our job as a writer), but we also have to have professional covers, captivating head shots (the photo kind not the killing kind – we can handle that!), a “web presence”, and a “solid fan base”….. BEFORE we are even published!  No one asks these things of an actor or a musician, of a PhD or a doctor.  No one asks a chef for head shots and his fan base stats.  Ok, logic and fairness aside, this is the digital age and people want easy access and cheap thrills now.  As authors, we can accept this as a creative challenge and I suggest strongly that we do.  I’ll have to ask Angela sometime how long it took her to get to this point.  Did she have it all together before her first book, or is it just all coming to its shining glory now that she is ready to release book three?  Now that I’ve vented, let’s get back to a writer’s website.

Moto-Tech-Geekery, with Love from Triumph - mostly.

 

I found this in a Twitter feed from Triumph - I say "Who needs a direction? I just need a bike and a clear sky to steer her by".

Ok, I promised some tech geekery. Then I found someone who did it better and faster in my e-mail. I was going to link to the article or the newsletter, but could find neither posted on their website. I also found a great mini write-up on their Facebook page which I will put at the end (some things I want to remember to try.) Hence the Triumph picture on top. The Detroit Dealership/showroom was just down the street from us (literally 2 minutes), until they moved to their current location which is now about 45 min away. I get their newsletters and often drool over others, in warmer locations, riding their iconic-cool Triumph motorbikes.

No I don't have a Triumph motorcycle currently, yes I have ridden a few including the Rocket 3 (the first year that it came out - I still have the t-shirt and was the first girl to take it out around here - all I can say is Vruuuooooom baby!)

So, let's talk a bit about winterizing and maintaining your bike (for us poor saps who can't ride year round).

"Steam Me Up, Rawley" and How to Build Your Own Author Steam!

 "Geek Girl Romance Writer" Angela Quarles

I hope she forgives my lateness. I was going to do and post this article last week for Writer Wednesday, but I ended up in the hospital for the day instead. So, here it goes- the new and quite steamy cover for "Steam Me Up, Rawley" by my critique partner this year, Angela Quarles.

Now I will be honest, Steampunk Adult Romance is not my specialty (I'm more of an action-thriller, sci-fi, urban fantasy, killer sort, with a side of heavy horsepower.) I do however, love a good story and I do love to write.  Angela, for who knows what perfectly good, sane-sounding reason, chose to be critique partners with me earlier this year at Savvy Authors.  She didn't even bat an eyelash when I said things like "Couldn't you just land the ballon in the middle of the party and start with the action first?"  Her skirts never got frumpled when I said things like "What's with the eyes, why do they keep staring at each other?"  And her brass never got tarnished when I said - "Jack the Ripper?!!!! Awesome! Bonus points if you can make the new guy, the dad, and the frien-enemy's husband (the main's ex-fiance), and her boss all suspects!"  I think she smiled quietly and sweetly, just like her picture, and stuck the occasional brass hair-pin in a southern, steampunk, voodoo doll (my hip still hurts!).

Moto-Tuesday, because Mondays Just aren't Enough!

I think Steve would be ok with even tweaking this to say- "Riding is life. Anything before or after is just waiting."

Quick Catch-up

No, I haven't forgotten you dear blog or blogmates, life just took a few unexpected turns over the last month.  Fall has been something else this year!  There have been multiple hospital trips for kidney stones (not mine thankfully), and most of a week off for zero lower back cooperation (yep, this one is me).

I've been gathering a bunch of thoughts and info, it will probably be best to split this into two articles.  So, I'll do this one as the fun one and then next one as the "mechanical stuff".

Over the last month, I'm pleased to say I have been able to ride in to work on two of the four Mondays.  My bike is currently in the garage shivering and together we are deciding if I'll get to ride on my birthday (this Friday), which I was able to do last year - it was cold, but clear, or If I need to pull the battery, and wrap her up for the season.  (I honestly don't feel that a snow blower is in ANY WAY a reasonable substitute for my bike!)

So, let's ride!
Quite appropriately I started with that picture of Steve McQueen. Now, I've always loved Steve McQueen - what's not to like, he loved fast motorcycles and fast cars.  He was even kicked out of art college at one point for driving his motorcycle through the student union or admin building.