Susan Fields

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Suggestions?

As I've mentioned before, I like to read to my three kids before they go to bed. I'm surprised they still allow me to do this, but I plan to keep it going as long as I have a willing audience! The problem is finding a book that all three of them will enjoy.

My fifteen-year-old daughter's criteria is that a book must have a "hot fifteen-year-old guy" (she's a romantic, just like her mother).

My thirteen-year-old son doesn't want anything too girlie - no romance or chick lit, please. A little bit of romance is okay, though. He survived reading Hunger Games with us.

My eleven-year-old daughter is too young for most YA, though she did read Hunger Games and loved those books probably as much as I did - which is saying a lot!

Books we've enjoyed in the past are the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull, The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, Dogsled Dreams by Terry Lynn Johnson, and The Penderwicks series by Jeanne Birdsall.

So, any suggestions?

I wish you all a happy and blessed Easter!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Second Ever Interview!

J.C. Martin, Fighter Writer, is hosting my second ever interview today! I hope you'll go check it out here!

So, it's Tuesday. I'm going to watch my daughter's very rainy track meet (if they don't call it off for thunderstorms). Thanks for everyone's well wishes for her track season. She had a great meet last week, so all your positive thoughts are working! What are your Tuesday plans?

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Love Triangles

(Caution: Twilight and Hunger Games spoilers ahead!)

Okay, I admit it, I'm a huge fan of love triangles. I know not everybody is, but nothing keeps me turning pages faster than wondering which guy a female mc will choose. I stayed up half the night reading Mockingjay because I absolutely had to know whether Katniss would end up with Peeta or Gale or neither. And I think I might have hunted down Stephenie Meyer and given her a piece of my mind if Bella had chosen Jacob over Edward.

The hard part of a love triangle is that eventually the mc will have to choose just one. And if she truly does love both of them, that's a difficult if not impossible decision to make. As writers, our job is to make that decision believable, which is nearly as impossible. Collins certainly made me believe Katniss could never choose Gale after Prim was killed. And sorry, Jacob, but I always believed Bella loved Edward more.

I'm working out my own mc's resolution to her love triangle right now, and I'm fascinated by how other authors have handled this tricky situation. What do you think of love triangles? And can you think of other examples of love triangles and how the protagonist made his/her decision?

Monday, April 11, 2011

Getting to Know Michelle Merrill

Today I'm pleased to introduce you to another participant in Rachael Harrie's Second Platform-Building Crusade: Michelle Merrill. Hello Michelle, thanks for stopping by! I can't wait to learn more about you, so let's get started:

How long have you been writing?

I’d like to say that I’ve dreamt of being a writer my whole life…but that would be a lie. I started writing on January 3, 2010.

What made you want to write?

I blame it entirely on the character’s that took over my mind. The only way to make them stop was to write out what they had to say. More than once my mind was occupied by the ‘fake’ conversation going on in my head while spacing out on the real life one in front of my face. Oh, my poor family and friends.

Do you have any pet peeves while writing?

My pet peeves change but my biggest one right now is if someone touches me. My kids like to sit next me and lean on my arms. It just doesn’t work.

What are your favorite genres to write?

My all time favorite is fantasy. Paranormal takes a close second, though, with contemporary thriller’s just behind.

Quick, you only have five minutes to check one or two writing blogs, which ones would you go to?

Life, the Universe, and Writing by Shallee McArthur.

My Writing Bug by Chantele Sedgwick.

If you could pick the setting of one book to live in, which would it be?

The Copper Isles from Trickster’s Choice.

What's your favorite:

Book-Pride and Prejudice.

Author-Tamora Pierce.

Character- Enna from Enna Burning.

Thing about writing- The ability to create.

Time of the day- When the kids are all asleep in their beds.

And last, but not least, do you prefer fruity candy or chocolate?

Fruity. Sour fruity is even better!

Thanks for hanging out with us today, Michelle! And if you haven't met Michelle yet, be sure to stop by her blog and say hello!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Follow-Up

Image: xedos4 / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Wow, I'm just blown away by all the great healthy eating tips you guys gave me on my last post. I know a lot of people didn't get a chance to read the tips given in the comments, so I decided to do a follow-up post. I really wish I could share them all here, but I'll try to keep this short by only passing on the highlights.

* Instead of ice cream, try fruit smoothies made with yogurt, milk, and fruit. (yummy!)

* Freeze low-fat yogurt in popsicle molds for yogurt pops. (This will be especially helpful for me this summer since my kids are popsicle fiends!)

* simplehealthytasty.com and skinnyrecipes.com offer yummy, healthy recipes.

* Make your own fresh-squeezed juice. Use honey to sweeten it instead of sugar.

* Make green tea with honey and lemon.

* To cut down on sodium, make your own salsa.

* Hummus on pita chips or baby carrots is a tasty snack.

* Make banana whips by whipping frozen bananas in the food processer.

* Instead of refined sugar, use raw agave nectar or stevia for sweetener.

* Put the fruits and/or vegetables out first at mealtime, so kids will eat more of the healthy stuff.

Thanks for all the awesome tips! My daughter has a track meet this weekend. Hopefully our new healthy eating habits will start paying off! I'll have to miss her meet because I'll be with my younger daughter at her Destination Imagination state tournament in Joplin, Missouri, but my husband will be at the track meet to cheer her on.

What have you got going on this weekend?

Monday, April 4, 2011

Small Changes

Image: Suat Eman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

This is my daughter's first year running high school track, and with the track season just getting started, I'm trying to have healthier foods around the house. I talked to a friend who's also a runner and quite knowledgeable about nutrition. Here are some tips she gave me for eating healthy without necessarily dieting:

I wondered what healthy snacks I could have around in addition to fruits and vegetables. She suggested chips and salsa. Go easy on the chips, of course, but salsa is full of healthy vegetables. Another friend suggested carrots and celery with salsa.

I want to get the cookies and ice cream out of the house, but my kids are used to something sweet after dinner. She suggested trail mix with chocolate chips or M&Ms. They still get a taste of something sweet, but they're also getting healthy nuts and seeds. Of course, there's also a lot of fat, so don't overdo. I'm not sure how this one's going to go over with the kids, but I'm hoping the promise of a weekly family visit to the frozen yogurt place will encourage them.

We like to drink juice, but I was concerned about the high sugar. She suggested buying 100% juice and putting it in pitchers with water mixed in to cut down on the sugar.

After a workout, your body needs carbs and protein. She said chocolate milk is a great way to get both.

I'm hoping with these small changes, the whole family can eat healthier without it being all that different from what the kids are used to. Do you have any tips to add?