Sharon Schulze

What's in a name?

2007-05-30T21:39:00.000-04:00

As you can see, it's been ages since I posted. I seem to be making a habit of that--bad Sharon (slapping myself on the hand here :-)).

But somehow this seems a good time to write. I'm planning a trip, which I thought was all set, but when I called the hotel to confirm, it turns out that somebody spelled my name incorrectly on the reservation they sent the hotel--which meant that no one could find my reservation when I called. Eventually they found it, after much searching. I have to say, as many times as Schulze has been misspelled, no one ever spelled it SCHJULZE! So I'm currently on hold with a well-known online travel company (where I booked my trip), trying to get my name spelled right. It looked like everything was all set, until the woman at the travel agency informed me that, according to the woman at the hotel (I spoke with her first), my name was spelled Schulz, not Schulze (despite the fact that the travel agent has my trip itinerary right there in front of her, where it says Schulze at least five times). So I'm on hold again, while these two ladies (both of whom are nice, fine people just doing their jobs, I know) hash out how to spell Schulze.

(oh, and did I mention my DH chose the precise moment when I wasn't on hold to chip ice out of the freezer, then pitched a couple of wet towels down the hall in the general direction of the laundry room, knocking a commemorative mug off the shelf and smashing it to bits on the tile floor? I was already having a difficult time understanding the travel agent without the extra noise)

According to the travel agent, everything should be all set now. I hope so! I'll be calling the hotel tomorrow, just to make sure . . .

All this is a minor bump in the road of life, but right now it's pretty aggravating! You'd think I'd be used to it by now; everyone always misspelled (and mispronounced) my maiden name, too. At least with Schulze, the mispronounciation is consistent--Shultz (like Sgt. Shultz on "Hogan's Heroes"). I swear, one of these days I'm going to get ID for every possible permutation of my last name. That ought to cover all the bases.

BTW, in case you're interested, Schulze rhymes with tools--but I'll answer to anything that's close.

I'm very glad we're going on vacation; we need it!

Living in a Horizontal World

2006-12-20T15:17:00.000-05:00

All I want for Christmas is . . . to be able to sit up straight, turn my head, and move around without help.

I've been living in a horizontal world. No, I haven't suddenly joined the Flat Earth Society--that's simply been my frame of reference since last Thursday night.

It began after supper, when I felt a little wobbly when I got up off the couch. I figured I got up too quickly. I wasn't concerned; in fact, I barely noticed at that point. By the time my DH got home from his company Christmas party, however, I'd begun to think something was a bit off, and by the time I headed up the stairs for bed I was definitely weaving on my feet and feeling woozy.

It went downhill from there. Couldn't sit up, stand up or move without help. Stomach felt like a spin dryer. Felt like I'd been out on a booze-filled bender, but without any of the fun.

Turns out I have vertigo, probably brought on by a viral inner ear inflammation. Nothing the doctor can do but give me a prescription for anti-nausea meds and send me home to wait it out (try to keep horizontal, they suggested--not a problem when you can't lift your head without the world spinning out of control). By Saturday morning I couldn't even keep my eyes open, and the thought of 7 - 10 days of that--and at this time of year, no less, when there's so much to get done--was not an enticing prospect. Things have improved, so I can keep my eyes open most of the time, and I feel like I'm finally beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel (no, not the bright white light . . . ). My family have been wonderful; it's really too bad I haven't been in any condition to really enjoy being waited on hand and foot :-). At this point I'm just grateful there's someone to fill my water cup, bring me food and help me when I have to get off the couch.

The world looks very different from this perspective, a combination of what it's like to see everything from a shaky two feet off the floor (it's been a long time since I was that short!), coupled with feeling very helpless. I have a new appreciation for mobility and independence, since the times I've tried to do anything myself--like get off the couch--were big mistakes.

I'm sure I've learned valuable life lessons--or should that be Life Lessons, since they're important? Since it's difficult to do much of anything (even typing on a laptop), I've certainly had plenty of time to think.

Maybe it's a good thing; according to info in Thea O'Connor's blog, you can "lie down and get creative." If that's the case, I predict a huge upsurge in my creativity and productivity. Here's hoping she's right :-)

A-webbing we will go . . .

2006-11-30T14:46:00.000-05:00

Is webbing a word? I guess it is--webbing on a chair, perhaps?--but probably not the way I used it in today's title. Somehow "webbing" doesn't conjure up the sort of image "googling" does (and yes, googling is officially a word; it's even in dictionaries); for some reason it makes me think of Elmer Fudd with his rifle and funny hat, out shooting "wabbits."

Unfortunately I'll now have that song running through my mind for the rest of the afternoon :-).

What I was doing while webbing was fiddling with my website (http://sharonschulze.com if you're interested)-- updating it, and playing around with the various templates, palettes and layouts available with the particular website-building program I use. I came up with some interesting--and a few eye-popping--combinations before I settled for pretty much the same template, palette and layout I'd been using. There aren't too many choices for each. That's one of the limitations of this program that I can't overcome, although other than that, it's fairly user-friendly. I enjoy maintaining my own website, and since I'm not planning on teaching myself advanced html anytime soon (basic html is ok), this is the program for me.

I've seen an on-line discussion recently about branding; in book PR (i.e. websites), is it more important to brand your name as an author, or to simply promote the most recent book? I'm guessing the author's name is more important, since books come and go, but since it's difficult to quantify the impact of PR efforts anyway, who knows?

This is where having a marketing degree instead of an engineering one could come in handy. However, since I doubt Fluid Mechanics or Reinforced Concrete Design will do me much good in the PR wars, my best bet is to keep muddling along for now and keep an eye on what's happening in the book-selling biz.

The bottom line--before I head back to 1788 in the work-in-progress--is to remember that websites, PR and branding are all pretty worthless without a book to promote, so I'd better get cracking!

Just call me aqua girl . . .

2006-11-15T07:40:00.000-05:00

Lately I've embarked upon a course of self-improvement--losing a few pounds before my clothes won't fit, taking care of some medical stuff, and trying to whip my out-of-shape bod into shape. Rejoining Weight Watchers has helped with the lbs., visits to the dr. are helping the other stuff, but the exercise part has been a struggle. I usually don't like exercise that looks like exercise, the old "do 8 reps. of this, and 10 of that . . . and don't forget to spend X amount of time warming up and cooling down . . ." I don't think it's that I'm lazy; maybe I just get bored with that kind of work-out.

I have a treadmill, "Walk Away the Pounds" videos, and Pilates videos, and I've been using them, but I needed something new. Recently while perusing my local paper, I found a new possibility: Aqua Aerobics.

Our local Park & Rec Dept. offers various classes at the city pool; the schedule is decent, the cost is very reasonable--I've got no excuse not to give it a shot, so I signed up.

The first class was yesterday. It was great! I enjoyed getting into a heated pool for 45 min. (it felt so good on my aching joints--it's been raining and damp here in CT for the better part of a week, and my bones were feeling it). While I could tell I was getting a good work-out, it was also fun. Lots of variety, a good instructor, and a bunch of nice ladies in the class.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's class. It was a nice change from sitting with a computer in my lap for hours, and it's good to crawl out of my cave and see other people once in a while. And who knows? After 8 weeks of this, I just might be more buff ;-).

Five Things You Might Not Know About Me

2006-11-14T16:34:00.000-05:00

I've been "tagged" by Margaret Moore--it's a kind of chain reaction of links among authors' blogs--and it's giving me a much needed kick in the pants to post something on my own blog (if you check out the Harlequin Historical Authors blog or 2BeRead, the PASIC blog, you'll see that I have been posting on those blogs :-)).

The purpose of being tagged is to blog Five Things You Might Not Know About Me. I've been mulling over what might constitute something about me that might be interesting and/or different. Here's what I've come up with:

1.) Isabella Towle, one of my ancestors, was accused of being a witch in Hampton, NH in 1680.

2.) The first vehicle I ever drove was my dad's bulldozer.

3.) I love green olives.

4.) I've been parasailing twice, and it was great!

5.) I was once a teaching assistant in the Civil Engineering Dept. at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Other than the 2 secretaries, I was the only woman working in the department.

I'm tagging Victoria Bylin and April Kihlstrom. I hope they'll join in, and that you'll check out their lists.

Is an organized closet the sign of an organized mind? :-)

2006-09-07T16:30:00.000-04:00

I certainly hope so!

This week I've cleaned out closets and organized them, straightened out messy junk drawers, and generally done my best to neaten up a number of those places in my home that most people (unless they live here) don't see.

Why would I do such a crazy thing?

I'm trying to organize my mind.

What I mean by that is that I'm heavily involved in plotting at the moment--not only the book I'm currently writing, but also, in general terms, the books that come after it in the series. I feel like I'm juggling big-time--plots, characters, story and series arcs--it's a lot of info to get straight in my mind. For some reason, I'm finding that a good time to think these things through is when I'm doing something mindless (cleaning certainly gives me lots of time to think).

I suppose I could just sit in a comfy chair and think . . . my dog would certainly prefer that I sit and cuddle with her (don't get me wrong--I can sit and veg, too, but I don't generally do anything at that point). Unfortunately that flies in the face of my multi-tasking personality. Besides, when I do that, I don't look like I'm doing anything, so I don't really feel like I'm accomplishing anything, either. If I'm cleaning, I have a neater house to show for it--and a neater mind, too.

By the time I finish my forays into more organized living this week, I ought to have things pretty well worked out for my books.

And if I don't, at least I'll be able to find things again amongst all my stuff!

2006-08-31T17:25:00.000-04:00

I've spent a lot of time this week in the 13th century (Ireland and the Welsh Marches) as I work on a new medieval romance, and it's starting to impinge upon my subconscious, as well as my conscious, mind.

Characters are talking, which is a good thing, except that what they're saying isn't necessarily what I need to hear next. They're jumping ahead of where I am in the story--and since I tend to be a linear writer, I'm finding this a bit disconcerting! I've rarely had this problem before, and hopefully it will go away soon--but in the meantime, I'd better write down what I'm hearing before it flies out of my brain :-)

2006-08-24T09:20:00.000-04:00

There has been a bit of discussion going on about the writing process on several links and blogs of late. I find it very interesting to hear about how other writers approach the craft--it seems there are as many ways to write a book as there are writers.

Hearing about those other approaches can really add to the frustration level, however, when a writer is having a tough time with her own work. It can be all too easy to believe you're going about things the wrong way when your own methods fail you and it sounds like what others are doing must be better. It's easy to jump into someone else's method with nerves flailing and brain in panic mode--something that's likely to fail simply because you're not thinking, you're reacting. It could be that something else would work for you, as long as you calm down long enough to think about what you're doing, or how to employ that new approach.

Writing is a tough job; there's far more involved than just coming up with strings of words (and no, it truly doesn't matter that you can type a gazillion words a minute if you don't have anything to say, or don't know how to say it. If you could see how I type, you would be laughing hysterically right about now . . . I'm a classic one-handed H&P typist, but that's fast enough for how I write, believe me. I'm a pretty fast H&P typist, but still, two hands would be quicker :-)). Thinking up what to say isn't necessarily the problem, either--sometimes the images and words you have in your mind just don't translate easily into words on a page.

The important thing, I guess, is to find what works for you, keep plugging away at it, and don't let outside distractions or influences get in your way. Easier said than done, but I'm willing to bet most of us have some way of overcoming those obstacles.

Mine is my timer, and a series of mini-deadlines of 20 - 30 minutes each. It's looking like it's time to rev up the digital timer . . . . I'll let you know if it helps.

2006-08-21T13:03:00.000-04:00

Tag! I'm it :-)

This weekend's multifamily tag sale was fun--we sent lots of neat items to new homes, got to visit with each other, caught some rays, and made a little $$ in the process. The neatest part--for me, anyway--happened when I was chatting about books with a very nice customer who was about to purchase an armload of old historical romances. In the course of the conversation I mentioned I wrote historical romances, she asked my name . . . and it turned out she recognized my name, had read my books, even had 5 of them at home!

I'm not sure which of us was more excited; she seemed quite pleased to meet a published author, and I was thrilled to meet a reader in such an unexpected way. She certainly made my day (and my weekend :-)).

2006-08-18T08:33:00.000-04:00

A new blog . . . check it out!

I'm a member of a great email loop of Harlequin Historicals authors--past and present--that is, imo, the best group of ladies I can imagine. Thanks to the efforts of the talented and obviously energetic Michelle Styles, the HH authors have a blog http://harlequinhistoricalauthors.blogspot.com/

(btw, if you enjoy the HBO series Rome--or if you're just plain looking for a good read--be sure to check out Michelle's The Gladiator's Honor (Shop eHarlequin: Book Detail))

I hope the blog gets good traffic, since there is a lot of information about some terrific books there. I've always been a fan of the HH books--even before I began writing for them :-)--and I'm glad to see a new venue to spread the word about the books, as well as the great ladies who write them.

Check it out!

2006-08-17T19:10:00.000-04:00

Hey, there--

It's been way too long since I've posted here. I've been so bad, I haven't even had a chance to check out the 2BeRead blog, which I was pretty diligent about. I have excuses--lots of excuses, really good ones (like a really great family wedding, among other things) that partially explain why I've been essentially MIA for so long.

So what have I been up to? Sewing, flower arranging, getting my yard in shape for a big party . . . fun stuff. Oh, I also attended the RWA conference in Atlanta, which was great--one of the best conferences I've been to in a long time.

Summer is drawing to a close soon, however, and I guess if the kids have to go back to school, I also need to get back in the groove and get my head back into the 13th century. I'm looking forward to it, actually, since it's a time period I love and the stories I'm working on are about some really neat characters.

Right now I'd better get back to this evening's task--pulling together assorted things for a group tag sale (aka a yard sale or garage sale if you don't live in Connecticut). I started out thinking I didn't have much stashed away that would be worth putting into the sale, but now that I've been consulting my inner pack rat, more and more stuff is magically appearing.

I'll be back!

2006-04-26T13:21:00.000-04:00

I can spell . . . . Really!

Today it was my turn to post on the 2BRead site; I wrote a post about Jane Austen and posted it, figuring I was all set. In all honesty, as I put together the text I'd written off line with the picture of my book cover, I didn't even think to check over my post again. I was more concerned with getting the picture right--after all, the spell-checker in Word is usually quite eager to tell me right away when I've goofed (and if you ever saw the way I type, you'd think I would goof more often than I actually do . . . When my fellow students were taking typing in high school, I was taking advanced biology. Guess which subject would be more useful now?).

At any rate, I didn't notice the glaring typo sprinkled throughout my post. Jane Austin, when it should have said Austen. Argh! That's what I get for letting the computer do the checking (and the automatic corrections)--according to my computer, Austin is the correct spelling.

And it's my own darned fault, because I'm the one who clicked on "add to dictionary" when I used the name Austin previously.

Of all words to mess up!

I should know better. What's the phrase? "Garbage in, garbage out?"

Someone caught the error right away, too. Of course. When I came back to Blogger to fix it, an anonymous reader had already pointed it out. :-(

I'm really not an idiot--I just play one from time to time.

I'm going back into Word now, to change the spelling in the dictionary. Hopefully that will be the worst mistake I make today; one public humiliation per day ought to be the limit.

2006-03-01T19:47:00.000-05:00

Is that artist, or Artiste?

I’ve been working on several projects lately, most of them writing-related. I’m plotting out a new series, which is always interesting. I love getting to know new characters—it’s so much fun as they reveal themselves—but since when have I needed a flow chart to keep all the plot details straight? Maybe part of the problem is that I’m not only plotting book #1 in the series, but tying in the next 2 projected books to follow. Sometimes it’s tough to work out some of the fine details of the plot until I get to know the characters better; even when I think I know them pretty well, they tend to throw surprises my way (one of the neat things about writing, definitely!).

I’ve also been immersing myself in PR projects. Designing postcards and excerpt booklets lets me indulge my inner artiste. You know—that artsy-crafty person hiding beneath the fact that, though I can create blueprints and copy well-known cartoon characters, any attempt I make to draw is pretty well doomed to failure.

Once I entered the world of computers, however, I realized I do have artistic abilities . . . just not painting or sketching. I like designing a postcard, or doing a layout for a booklet cover. I guess these type of things incorporate design and words—and I don’t have to physically draw any designs I might use (this is a good thing, since my feeble attempts would likely resemble those of a particularly inept 2-year-old).

Much to my surprise, this is fun! A nice change from my usual “art”—knitting (I’m a knitting fool, and a yarn addict). I think I’m going to do more of this kind of thing. Could be therapeutic, and useful, as well.

By the way, my inner artiste has recently discovered scrapbooking. I think I’m going to like it—cool papers, all kinds of neat gadgets . . . I’m already realizing that could be as big an addiction as the knitting.

2006-01-30T09:38:00.000-05:00

Monday, Sunny Monday . . .

There's something about the sun this time of year--we see it so seldom (and feel the effects of it even less :-(), that it's especially noteworthy. After a day of quintessential January gloom yesterday, today's bright sky is especially wonderful!

If you're like me, grey winter days start to get to you after a while. It's not so much the snow and ice of New England winters that get old so fast, it's the lack of light! I can see why light boxes (and tropical vacations :-)) are so popular--it's like crawling out of a cave.

Just call me bat girl.

Unlike a bat, however, once I get past the squinting, I love the sunlight currently streaming through my windows. Even though my frugal Yankee soul recognizes the sense of heavy drapes and shades to cover the windows in cold weather, I just can't make myself do it. I'd rather be able to see outside, to gather up every bit of natural light I can get--even if it does mean I'll pay a little more for oil.

Though actually, it's more likely I'll just go for a sweater . . . some of us hardy New Englanders wouldn't set the thermostat above 68 degrees on a bet :-).

Since the sunlight is also making me feel pretty energetic, I'd better get off the blog and do some work.

If the sun is shining where you are, congratulations! And if it's not, just wait; it's bound to come out sooner or later!

Sharon

2006-01-18T12:17:00.000-05:00

Back in the saddle?

It's been ages since I've posted here--a lot has happened in the past couple of months, and frankly, most of it wasn't anything I wanted to write about. However, things are settling down (fingers crossed :-)), and I'm doing my best to get back in the saddle. I'm aiming to recover my old habits--in writing, exercise, life--and that includes a return to my blog.

I'm writing this from Charley 2, since shortly after I wrote about my computer problems, Charley 1 gave up the ghost. He lives on in my daughter's laptop, since he donated parts that still work to her machine (I'm all for organ donation, whether it be in people or computers!).

Also, as you can see, I've got the cover for my March book, For My Lady's Honor. I love it! The colors are gorgeous, and the scene is from the beginning of the book. The people look like my characters--always a plus!--and it suits the book. Can't ask for more than that :-)

If you're interested in reading an excerpt from the book, check out my website at www.sharonschulze.com

Guess that's all for today! I came back from a lovely tropical vacation with a head cold (hiss boo!); I can't travel too far from the tissue box for long.

Stay warm and safe--

Sharon

2005-10-14T08:05:00.000-04:00

Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em . . . don't want to kill 'em

Computers, that is.

The last couple of weeks I've been nursing along good old Charlie, my laptop. At first I thought the screen was going--it wouldn't display, though I could tell the computer was on. No problem, I figure--we've got an old monitor tucked away in the attic with a bunch of other computer components we no longer need. I could use it if I have to. It would be a pain in the patooty to be tethered to a desk (kind of defeats the purpose of a laptop . . . :-(), but I could deal with it. I really haven't been planning to replace Charlie anytime soon; I upgraded some things about 18 months ago, bringing the machine more up to speed (literally!), and hoped that would last me for quite a bit longer.

But no--technical difficulties come along. Always some kind of new challenge.

Anyway, just to see if the screen was the problem, I connected Charlie to the monitor of our desktop computer--the newer one, the _family_ computer. I've used it on occasion (like when Charlie's keyboard suddenly stopped working, right in the middle of doing revisions--ack), but it's not my cuppa, by any stretch of the imagination (I managed to fix the keyboard problem, btw. I'm not afraid to do minor surgery on Charlie when necessary). Got the display to come up on the monitor. Must be the problem, right?

Wrong.

After a few hours of Charlie resting while I was at critique group, I returned to find I could get no display to appear on the monitor, either. Major bummer, but not quite panic mode yet. I took apart Charlie, cleaned, tightened screws, made certain all the cables were properly connected. Voila--we're in business again! And the screen on the laptop works, too :-)

I shouldn't have been so excited. The past two weeks I've been nursing Charlie along, taking him apart way too often, fighting to get him to function. It seems the only way to get him to work is to take some part apart (the hinge for the cover/display seems to be the best bet), but it's a battle every time I turn the machine on. Leaving him on doesn't solve the problem, either--inevitably there will be an error message I can't get rid of, and I have to start all over again.

Maybe he's trying to tell me something. Maybe he's tired (I can understand that--there are a lot of miles on the old fella). We've been through a lot together, and I'd hate to see him go (not to mention the pain of transferring everything over to a new machine), and I'd hate to switch to using the family machine.

I'll admit it--I've been checking out new Charlies on the Web. There are some good deals out there, and I'm flexible enough to switch to newer versions of programs and operating systems (that's the sound of my DH laughing in the background. Just ignore him :-)). But do I want to go that route? Spend all that $$?

I don't think I'm going to have a choice . . .

2005-10-11T08:31:00.000-04:00

A new week, a new post . . . and the start of my resolution to blog more often.

I've reached a new twist in the path of my life; my hubby and I have our house completely to ourselves (except for my lovely assistant, Samantha the dachshund :-)) for the first time in 27 years. Our dd has her own place now, and our nest is empty.

I miss her (as I missed my ds when he got his own place), but I'm happy for her, too. My kids have always been independent--now she can do things her way. We're a close family, imo, but not clingy. Fortunately neither of them moved far away, so we still get to see them regularly, but they've got their space . . . and now we've got ours :-)

My point (you knew I'd get to it eventually, right?) is that this feels like New Year's--a new start, time to reassess how I do things, rearrange our house to reflect our tastes. It will take a bit of getting used to, but I like it.

So now I'm figuring out just how this new chapter goes.

It's been fun so far!

2005-10-04T19:13:00.000-04:00

I'm slowly getting into the blogging frame of mind; that includes adding things like my photo to my profile. Yep, that's me--my hair is a little bit longer now, but it's a much more "accurate" image than my 10-year-old Glamour Shot that (unfortunately!) is still posted in some places on the Web. My next step (besides posting here on a regular basis) will be to add a link to this blog on my website (http://www.sharonschulze.com/). Seems like I'm learning new things every day . . . writing books is only one aspect of this biz.

2005-09-28T19:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog! I'm not too sure what I'm doing, but I'll learn.