For the love of: The On-line Community of Booklovers

Posted on October 30, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week I post about something I’m loving (tv, movies, books, art, photos, romances, authors, or anything else) that I’ve seen or read about recently. So here’s this week’s For the love of …

I love booklovers — people who read nearly every day. People who love to lose themselves in a good story. I’ve always loved reading, but when I was a kid, I often felt like an oddball. I didn’t read the same books as everyone else I knew. That’s why I love the Internet. I can connect with other readers who have the same interests, no matter how small the market for a particular genre. As an example, I belong to a Yahoo group that discusses just one book series. It’s a lot of fun to share quotes and discuss scenes and characters while we wait for the fourth book in the series.

I joined Goodreads (“the largest social network for readers in the world”) this week, and I’m really liking the site. I haven’t added all the books I’ve read even in the past couple years, but I tried to add as many as I could from the same genre I write in. And I updated my “to read” list with a lot of the books I own but haven’t gotten around to reading yet. I try to read a little every day (it just doesn’t always work out with my writing schedule). As a writer, reading helps my own voice become stronger and helps me write with more clarity and ease. If that makes any sense. Reading fiction has always been such a big part of my life. And on Goodreads, it’s so easy to connect with other readers who also share my love of books.

So is anyone else using Goodreads? Here’s my profile information if you’d like to friend me.

www.goodreads.com/sloanparker

Thanks for stopping. Hopefully, I’ll see you on Goodreads soon.
Sloan Parker

Quote I love: Falling in love

Posted on October 28, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I love …

I’m a romantic. I admit it. I believe in love.

Falling in love is one of the most healthy, wonderful things a person can experience…for the soul, the heart, the body, the mind. It’s the falling out of love that often destroys us. Or never letting ourselves love in the first place (just ask Jonathan Moore, the antagonist from my book More.) And the hardest part for some is when he or she still loves someone and that love isn’t returned. But even though I know too many people who have been burned by love, it’s still something I believe in. I live it every day. It does exist.

Here’s a quote I saw this week that speaks to those beliefs.

“I would prove to men how wrong they are to think that they stop falling in love when they grow old, without knowing you grow old when you stop falling in love.”

Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Novelist, short-story writer, screenwriter and journalist

What do you think? Am I a big ol’ sap? Or do you believe in love? Comment on this post or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sloan Parker

Video I love: A hero named Philip

Posted on October 26, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week, I post a video I’ve seen recently that I’m loving. So here’s this week’s Video I love …

A man named Philip once fought for the country he loves. Now, he fights for equal rights for one of his four sons. It’s a beautiful speech. If you haven’t seen it yet, please take a moment to watch.

<<embedded video below>>

“The woman at my polling place asked me do I believe in equality for gay and lesbian people. I was pretty surprised to be asked a question like that. It made no sense to me. Finally I asked her, ‘What do you think I fought for in Omaha Beach?’”

Philip Spooner, an 86 year old WWII veteran

Now, that’s a hero.

Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,
Sloan Parker

Quote I love: Grey’s Anatomy, when a priest shows up

Posted on October 21, 2009 by SloanParker

I was watching Grey’s Anatomy over the weekend (yeah, I DVR all the TV I watch and I’m usually a week, or two, or three behind) and this line seemed to hit it big at my house. Rosie and I loved it.

“You can’t pray away the gay!”

Callie on Grey’s when her dad brings a priest to counsel her about being a lesbian.

I have been fortunate to have a loving, supportive family. My mom’s not out marching in any PFLAG parades, but she loves me and has told me she wants me to be happy. And most importantly to me, she loves Rosie. My heart goes out to all the real life people like Callie who not only have to live with the knowledge that their parents think there is something wrong with them, but also have to live with these types of attacks aimed at changing who they are — suggesting they’re not good enough.

That’s also a huge theme in my book More. Luke’s father wants his son to be a different man, and he’ll do anything to force Luke to behave the way he wants him to. But Luke doesn’t let his father’s hatred destroy him. He doesn’t deny who he is (not for his dad or anyone), but he does grow and become someone who can fall in love again. It’s a beautiful thing. I’m quite proud of his journey.

Anyone else watch Grey’s? Anyone have a personal story to share? Comment or send me an email.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sloan Parker

Video I love: A Day at the Office

Posted on October 19, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week, I post a video I’ve seen recently that I’m loving. So here’s this week’s Video I love …

This week’s video is a fun one. I could see some of the people I used to work with doing this. Especially when we worked in a small cubicle-filled room that no one ever visited, or even walked by. We had some good times in that room. And that’s all I’m going to say on the subject for fear of incriminating myself.

I do have to wonder if I would have been the woman just sitting there or one of the others actually goofing off? I would like to think I’d be having a ball and not worrying about my work, but I’ve been told I’m a worker bee and I tend to be focused on getting things done. Darn. Well, at least I was pretty wild in my younger days. Now, I sit in front of my laptop most of the time. Good thing I spend a lot of it using my imagination.

I’d love to hear from others. Watch the video and tell me…Would you be one of the singers or the woman answering her phone?

<<embedded video below>>

For the love of: Just when I needed a laugh

Posted on October 17, 2009 by SloanParker

Today was one of those blah days for me. I had a ton of work to catch up and everything took longer than I planned (sort of why my Friday post is coming out early Saturday). Just when I needed it, my cats started chasing each other around the house, acting all crazy like they tend to do. It gave me a good laugh. Xander is a klutz, Cordy has ADD, and Hunter thinks he’s a dog. They can be quite humorous when they all try to play together. So today, I’m posting a couple of my favorite pics of my little guys.

Here’s Cordy, Xan, and Hunter.

Aren’t they cute? Come on, you can admit it. Even non-cat people tend to like my cats. Hunter does this fetch thing that people remember years later.

Thanks for stopping,
Sloan Parker

Quote I love: Better to Dare Greatly Than Not to Try

Posted on October 14, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I love …

Someone mentioned this quote in one of my writing groups last week. It’s from US President Theodore Roosevelt and has always been one of my favorites. It reminds me that even when something seems hard, seems impossible, seems so out of reach that you wonder why you’re even trying it, that it’s better to give your all and try your best than never to have given it a shot to begin with.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt
26th US President (1901-09)

I recently told a friend an idea for a story I was planning to write. She looked at me like I was crazy. She doesn’t read romance so I tried not to give her opinion much weight. She’s not familiar with the genre, after all. But it did make me question my idea. In those moments, I try to go with my instincts and write the best story I can. Quotes like this help me remember that at least I’m taking a chance and daring greatly.

What do you think of this one? Comment on this post or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sloan Parker

Video I love: Boy’s Inspirational Touchdown

Posted on October 12, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week, I post a video I’ve seen recently that I’m loving. So here’s this week’s Video I love …

This video is good stuff. It’s the kind of thing that reinforces that there’s still kindness and love in the world. I must admit I was crying like a baby when I watched it the first time. They gave up the shutout so he could score a touchdown. How cool is that? I’d like to believe the kids on the other team were in on the decision. It’s not always about getting the most points, but rather being the best you can. And in this case, their best was to let this kid have his moment. Anyway, I loved this video.

<<embedded video below>>

Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,
Sloan Parker

Quote I love: Keeping the Reader in Mind

Posted on October 7, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week, I post a quote that I’ve read/heard recently. So here’s this week’s Quote I love …

Last week, I read the following in this blog post aimed at inspiring writers to become masters of their craft:

“As writers, we owe it to our readers, to our editors, to our agents, to ourselves to produce the best possible stories. We owe it to the people who put down good money for our books to make our next story better than the last.”

Christy Lockhart
Bestselling Author
Silhouette Desire, Silhouette Intimate Moments, Ellora’s Cave, and Loose Id

I like statements like this. They remind me to always keep the reader — who has spent hard-earned money on a book — in mind. Readers put faith in an author and a story. As I look forward to my first release, I hope to always remember to honor that trust by doing the best I can with everything I work on. At the end of the day, publication means my stories aren’t just for me anymore. I want others to enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Feel free to comment on this post or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sloan Parker

Video I love: “Screw ‘em” – works for hockey and writing

Posted on October 5, 2009 by SloanParker

Once a week, I post a video I’ve seen recently that I’m loving. So here’s this week’s Video I love …

If you haven’t seen this one yet, you have to watch it. It’s a four-year-old boy’s priceless reenactment of the pivotal speech from Coach Herb Brooks (played by Kurt Russell) in the movie “Miracle” — which is one of my three favorite sports movies of all time, alongside “Rudy” and “We Are Marshall.”

I like movies that inspire people to achieve their dreams. Because dreams do come true. And if you believe anything else, you probably won’t ever see your own dreams happen any time soon. I believe in positive thinking and working hard for what you want most. Writing isn’t easy. A long-term relationship isn’t easy. Hell, love isn’t easy. But, for me, they are worth it. I wrote my first book and entered it into a local writing contest when I was in the second grade. It didn’t win, but it started something for me — it began a dream of writing fiction. And now … my first book is getting published in February.

If I or anyone else doubts my writing abilities, I’ll just say it like the kid … “screw ‘em” and keep on writing. :)

<<embedded video below>>

Be sure to check out this link to watch Russell’s original scene and learn more about how this boy and his father created the video. So tell me, what is your greatest dream? Comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you.

Cheers,
Sloan Parker