I'm directing you over to my publisher's website where I guest blog about guess what?  Procrastination vs Process. 

http://worldweaverpress.com/2012/11/26/process-vs-procrastination/

I've hit a road block with my work in progress and what that ususally means is I've taken a wrong turn and need to back up and move in a new direction.  It's the processing which new direction to take that makes me bonkers with anxiety.  Author Sue Grafton has described the discovery draft process as akin to driving at night--you can only see as far as the headlights.  That's totally my process.  It's nerve wracking.  I hate not knowing where a story is going.  Or rather, I do know, but it's vague.  I don't have the details ahead of time.

Outlining is out of the question because outlining feels wooden to me, like moving a bunch of playing pieces on a game board.  I make connections and discoveries as I go.  It's like the road trip/driving analogy again: I might plan out my route ahead of time deciding to take this street or that interstate to get from point A to point B, but once I get on the road I discover quaint buildings and interesting shops and bridges that have washed out and people wanting to hitchhike.  I would have no clue about these things in the trip-planning process. 

And with that, I'm off to try a different route.

Indiana Jones says, "Snakes?  Why does it have to be snakes?" and it's clear from his tone that he is not a happy camper at the prospect of repelling down into an Egyptian tomb crawling with snakes.   

In contrast, when I hear about snakes or have the chance to see one, I'm giddy with glee.  Snakes!  Where?  I wanna see them!!!!

Which brings us to Denver the ball python.  Denver is part of my personal menagerie.  He's what's known as a morph in the ball python world, which means his coloring is not standard.  Denver is a Mojave morph--he is more brown and tan in coloration rather than the gold and brown of a standard ball python.  And he's a sweetie pie. 

Ball Pythons are relatively small pythons, growing up to six feet in length.  That may sound long, but in the snake world it's not.  My last snake was a speckled Kingsnake and he lived with me for almost seventeen years and was six feet in length.  Snakes tend to stay coiled up most of the time and can manuever themselves into tiny hiding places.  They're wonderful pets for the right people and are quiet, clean, docile, and do not cause allergies.  Nature has designed them to eat only once a week or even every two weeks.  It's actually rather common for many snakes to not feed for months, especially during the winter. 

Some common misconceptions about snakes:

* they're slimy . . . Nope, snakes are not slimy.

* they're venomous . . . some species of snakes ARE venomous, but these are not the ones people breed and keep as pets.  Most snakes are non-venomous.

* a snake doesn't need a special environment in captivity . . . actually, they do.  Snakes are cold-blooded and must warm themselves from an external source to digest food.  They need plenty of space, clean water, external heat, proper lighting, proper cage substrate, a cool area and a warm area, proper humidity levels, and branches to climb and places to hide.  They also need interaction with their humans for mental and physical stimulation.  The photo above is only showing about a third of Denver's habitat. 

* snakes are evil . . . I'm not going to get into a religious debate, but snakes are no more evil than any other animal that is exercising its biological imperative to live and survive.  Really, man is the only animal that has shown himself to be capable of evil. 

And there ya have it.  Everything you wanted to know about Denver the Ball Python in a nutshell. 

As a child of the 60s & 70s, I grew up with a healthy dose of TV watching and going to the movies.  As a reader and writer, I enjoy books that are highly visual, i.e., you feel more like you're in a movie than reading words on the page.

So, when Heidi Ruby Miller asked me who I would cast in a movie or TV version of my debut novel The Haunted Housewives of Allister, Alabama, I had a blast deciding who would play the key parts. 

Click this link to see who I wound up choosing:
http://heidirubymiller.blogspot.com/2012/10/cast-your-characters-haunted-housewives.html  

One character that came to me after I'd submitted this blog post, was Matthew McConaughey as Don Rover, star of the TV show The Dead Speak.

Congratulations to A.F. Stewart and A.J. Brown!  They both won a copy of my short story collection: Fried Zombie Dee-light! for partipating in the Coffin Hop Blog Tour.  And thank you to everyone who participated!






Coffin Hop was a blast and the response was quite positive.  I'm looking forward to participating next year!