PROCRASTINATION - WHAT'S THAT? by Rita Karnopp

Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week. What a great line for all those people who say, “I’ll do it tomorrow.” And as we know, most times tomorrow never comes.

     Why is it there are so many things we need to do or get done and we just don’t have the time to do it all?  Or are we just procrastinating? 

 

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   We are busy – yes! But we also delay . . . put-off . . . dawdle . . . and just plain feel lazy sometimes. It seems easier to get busy and so something else because the project we are facing just seems too mammoth to tackle.

     Let’s be honest – whatever the project –we all could use some helpful tips on how to stop making excuses – and get those tasks done today!

1.      Stop for a moment and ask - Why are you putting this project off?  You know there has to be a reason. Is it boring? Is it too big a job and just the thought of starting is enough to make you run in the other direction? Maybe the project will surface emotions you don’t wish to face?  People procrastinate for various reasons. Do you know your reasons?  Understanding why – just might create the solution and stop you from procrastinating.

2.      Some people never tackle a project because it’s truly not that big of a deal. Maybe you really don’t need to tackle a project – because it’s not import to finish. Then you might ask yourself, instead of stressing over the incomplete project – should it be done in the first place. Get rid of it and cross it off your to-do list.

3.      Did you ever think of asking for help?  You love helping others when they need help – right? Don’t you think others might like to help you, too?  If a project on your list is just too big to handle alone ask a family member or a good friend to help. It’ll be a lot of fun to share the time with someone – and you’re making good memories. A comment here and there and you’ll be laughing up a storm together - plus the project will be done before you know it.

4.      I call it baby steps. When a large project needs just your attention – starting can be daunting . . . or let’s face it downright frightening. Consider this, begin using baby steps. Don’t think you have to tackle every part of your project all at once.  Heck I’d be running in the other direction, too. Give yourself thirty minutes at the end of Monday through Friday. (Reward yourself with the weekend off.)

     Give yourself a good direction what you will want to finish in that thirty minutes. Getting started is the hardest decision of any to-do project. There will be days when you’ll feel like doing even more than the thirty minutes because it’s going so well. It’s getting started and committing the time to do it that counts.

5.      Now comes the hard part for so many of us. Focus that commitment to the end. Visualize what it will look like when you’re done. How will you feel? Think of a reward to give yourself when the project is completed – that will motivate you! Just know that when you are done – you’ll be so proud of yourself.

6.      We’re done talking about it. You have a plan. You’ve made the commitment. Remember, getting started will take will take the most effort.

a.       Ask why you are putting the project off – and decide if your project needs doing.

b.      Schedule your starting time.

c.       Make a commitment.

d.      Start with baby steps.

e.       Visualize the completed project

f.       Ask for help if you need it.

g.      Focus until the end.

h.      Reward yourself for a job well done!

There’s nothing to it. After you tackle the first item on your ‘to-do list’ . . . head straight to the list and enjoy a rewarding check-mark in the ‘completed’ box.  Now you’re ready to start all over and tackle the next item on the list.  Procrastination?  What’s that??

4 REASONS FOR MAKING TIME TO READ by Rita Karnopp

I think all of us on this blog love to read. I’ve often heard people say, “I absolutely love to read, but I just don’t have time.”  WHAT?

     Even if you read while in line at a restaurant . . . or a page every night before bed… you'll finish reading a book. When I had three jobs and kids to handle . . . I still ‘found’ time to write.

1-Reading Nourishes Your Writing – I don’t think I’d have written a single book if I hadn’t been a reader. There were times while reading I’d tell myself, “Now why didn’t that author do this or that?” Or I’d ask, “Really?” to the ending.”  Now it’s a given, if I’m writing Native American – be sure I’m reading my favorite Indian historical or documents on Native Americans. I go as far as to watch movies and documentaries about the genre’ I’m writing. Same goes for when I’m writing suspense; I’m reading suspense books, I’m watching suspense movies, and I read books on killers and why they kill.  You get my point.

     I also find reading novels and documentaries inspire my creativity. I have more ideas come to me when I’m reading historical facts than any other place. When does inspiration strike you? Once you figure that out – there is an endless source of book fodder for you to cultivate!

     Reading opens a world of new styles of writing, and although one wouldn’t ‘copy’ another author’s ‘style’ it will inspire you to ‘create’ your own style with the information.

     I recently read an article where an author said, “You should read something from every genre to ensure you haven’t missed a tool from another novel style.”  That’s great advice – one I’m working on for sure.

2-Reading Builds Confidence – When I first started writing – I studied my favorite author’s style; was pacing even and pulling me through the book? Did characterization make me fall in love with the hero/heroine and hate the protagonist? Was setting written so I felt I was right there with the characters? Did the plot make me turn those pages?  etc. NO, I didn’t copy the writing, but I learned a lot from writers such as Stella Cameron, Roseanne Bittner, and Dee Brown. I knew there were great writers right in Montana; such as Kat Martin and BJ Daniels, whom I might add were great inspiration to me when I first started writing, and still are.

     A spanking new author carries so many insecurities, that it’s frightening to share even one sentence – for fear of it being torn apart.  At the beginning the thought of sharing a completed manuscript with a friend or stranger was scary enough to send me running hysterically into a closet, slamming the door, trembling – manuscript gripped tightly in-hand.

     Once I got over the fear of having my manuscript critiqued, then came the heart-pounding fear of reading what was said about my ‘baby.’ I have to be honest here; the first critique I received was from a contest. The person who marked in red all over my manuscript was not kind. She was honest – brutally so – and not concerned with my feelings. She said, “Learn to write before wasting time creating such a disaster.” I was devastated! I was going to throw my Selectric IBM typewriter out my front bay window. I cried for days. I ranted and raved to my friends. I secretly called the author (whom I truly admired and liked – until the critique) just about every name I had in my ‘bad name’ arsenal (I’m not much for swearing – so there weren’t many … but I was angry and hurt!).

     Two weeks (or more) later, I decided I would read through the comments again – just in case one or two of them made sense, and perhaps I could learn from them. With a new attitude about reading those comments, I found there were a lot of them I could learn from.

     I went through the entire manuscript and rewrote … rewrote… and rewrote. I asked this ‘author/critique guru’ if she was willing to review it again – and see if it was better. She suggested I learn on my own.

     Hmmmm that was not a good beginning. So I got angry and when I get angry – I get determined and stubborn! That was good for me.  I started reading ‘how to’ books, and from there I pushed myself to apply what I learned into book after book.

     Then I stopped. I could read and re-write until I’m blue in the face. What I needed to do was WRITE. From that point on I started my writing career and wrote Whispering Sun, my first Indian historical romance.  Ask me how proud of that novel I am!

3-Reading Enables Revision –  My point here is that after years of confusion and frustration, what I learned is there is a time when you just need to write and learn how to improve each novel as you go. I believe it’s important to study books you totally enjoy and become a better writer for it by learning what worked in someone else’s writing. That helps you become a better writer in your own work.

     When I find things that don’t work in a book I’m reading, I learn it won’t work in my writing either. You want honest feedback?  This can only happen when you’re ‘honest’ with yourself. Evaluate your work as though it were someone else’s work. You’d be surprised how many things glare back at you then.

     What this consequently does for you is builds confidence and helps you improve the quality of your writing. Good writers are always learning and improving their craft. You need to be a ruthless editor of your own work. You are only as good as your next novel.

4-Reading Helps You Sell – There is one added-plus if you're well-read. If you're discussing your work with other writers, authors, or even editors, you will be prepared if they ask, “Where do your books fit in today’s market?”  You'ill know, with confidence, where to pitch your work and how it will fit into the universe of existing books..

     My advice is to never stop reading . . . always find time to read. Life is too short not to be enjoying a good book. It’s my goal to read a book every week. When I was so busy that I didn’t have time to think – my goal still was to read at least one book a month. I couldn’t bring myself to stop reading.

     My ultimate goal is to have readers out there wanting to ‘fit my book’ into their busy schedule. I want to be the author of the book . . . that took them away from it all.

LET YOUR CHARACTERS LIVE THROUGH YOU BY RITA KARNOPP

To create exciting strong scenes – make sure they vary from quiet to loud.  Lackluster to exciting.  Emotional to in-control.  Highs to lows.  Happy to sad.  Yet, they all must fit together like pieces of a puzzle.  Everything should snap into place and fit – nothing should stick out at odd angles.  Every part of the story should contribute and move the story forward, making it complete.

I don’t know about you, but I like to put myself in my character’s body, living the scene with his/her baggage, experience, flaws, and attributes.  Do the situations or challenges feel ‘real’?  What doesn’t feel believable?  You will know what needs changing by running your scenes through your mind like a movie – you are the character – living, breathing, and experiencing each scene you’ve created. 

You’ll find yourself rewriting - adding spontaneity from the character you’ve become.  You’ll make changes that transition the story better.  Step-by-step, you’ll feel, hear, touch, taste, and see yourself in the scenes of your character.  Do you believe them?  Did you miss any of the senses?  Add them in and you’ll be surprised how this will improve your story. 

If a scene feels confusing or uncomfortable – fix them.  Never leave them in hopes the reader won’t notice – believe me, they will.  Add deep internal emotion and allow your characters to have flaws that hinder their goals . . . making them realize they must change to have what they need or want by the end of the book.

You should laugh, cry, and get angry if that’s what the character experiences.  If the words don’t evoke this . . . rewrite . . . rewrite . . . and rewrite until you find yourself crying . . . laughing . . . and ticked with the world if need be.  If you don’t feel it when you write it – the reader won’t feel it when they read it.  It’s as simple as that.

Grab your reader right from the beginning . . . and don’t let go until you type ‘the end.’  

Who inspires you? By Rita Karnopp

Recently I read through some interviews I did way back when – and I found these three questions and answers worth sharing.

If you were to start your writing career over tomorrow, what would you do differently?  Wow… I would have taken my first book to two published writers, or paid an editor, to go through it and tell me what needed to be changed.  I would have learned from those mistakes rewritten that first book, before starting my second book.  Then I would have repeated the process.  Why?  I wrote ten books before an editor touched my work.  I could have saved myself a lot of work had I learned early on what mistakes I was making, so I didn’t repeat them in each book.

What authors -you know personally- have inspired your writing? I must say Kat Martin has been and incredible inspiration and support.  She believed in me and my writing.  Stella Cameron has given me sound advice as well as been a great source of inspiration and support.  Also writer BJ Daniels is very inspirational, a Montana author who exudes confidence and a direction in her writing career.

What authors - you don’t know personally - have inspired your writing? I drew great inspiration from Cassie Edwards and Sheryl Henke, Dean Koontz and Lisa Jackson.

STRUCTURES OF A NOVEL BY RITA KARNOPP

What story structure dominates your novel?  The choice is yours, the writer.  Every novel contains four elements that determine structure; setting, idea, character, and event.  You decide which matters most to you and that structure will drive your story.

Setting – We know many stories that are setting driven.  How about Gulliver’s Travels or Into the West?  These stories always evolve around the setting.  Into the West is structured around Indian country and compared to the tame East and the people striving for a better life.  The focus or whole point of the story is for the reader to see the differences between the land and the people.  How do they handle these differences?  What conflicts and resolutions occur from beginning to end? How does this change or transform the characters?  The story begins with the arrival and ends when the character(s) decides to stay or leave.

Idea – This structure is simple; it begins by asking a question and ends when the question is answered.  We know this structure well.  Mysteries are a great example of the idea structure.  The story begins when a crime takes place.  Everyone wants to know who did it and why.  The story is over when we discover the killer and his/her motive.

Character – With character you need to focus on the internal growth of your character(s) throughout the story.  The story most likely isn’t about the growth, it’s about the plot, but character growth is important – it makes us care about him/her.  Character driven stories start the moment your main character(s) find themselves in a situation or crisis they aren’t sure how to deal with.  They are miserable or angry and know they need to make some changes in their life.  The story is about how they handle the situation and their process of change.  At the end either they make changes or settle into accepting their unhappy situation.

Structure – We all love ‘the sky is falling’ story.  You know the earthquake that can potentially destroy the world, or create enough havoc that it is apocalyptic.  Perhaps it’s the death of a king or queen, or even the Vikings conquering new lands.  In all cases the world our characters exist in is being disrupted or turned upside down.

The story begins when the character’s world is threatening chaos or has already begun.  Note that it’s the viewpoint character, not the narrator that guides the reader into the state of circumstance.  

At the beginning you don’t need a long, dragging-on prologue to describe the state of the world.  Why?  To be honest the reader isn’t emotionally invested in the characters at the beginning and they won’t care.  I hate prologues – and I never read them.  Personally, I think they’re useless.

Begin in the midst of action . . . and draw your reader in slowly . . . carefully . . . make them feel, make them care, make them pull for the character(s) – and you’ve got them until ‘the end.’

 Rita Karnopp
Author ~ Romancing the West

ritakarnopp@bresnan.net

http://ritakarnopp.com

http://mizging.blogspot.com

DRAMA IS ALL AROUND YOU BY RITA KARNOPP

Have you ever noticed there is drama all around you?  Pay attention!  There are always people who wear their problems on their sleeves – as the old cliché goes!  But that’s great for us . . . listen to their passions, their dramas, their dilemmas, their successes and failures, and even their sorrows.  You can even pick up drama in newspapers, magazines, and the news.  It’s all around us . . . start jotting down notes of inspiration.

You might see an interview on TV – the guy is a sole survivor in a war-torn country.   Don’t you really want to know how he survived when no one else did?  How about a mother who takes her life . . . and that of her daughter – why?  Aren’t your story-telling feelers asking you ‘what would make her do that?  If you see a guy that is trying to survive in the desert, no modern help-just him and the elements – don’t you wonder what on earth brought him to make that decision?

You hear about a priest who leaves his devotion and suddenly marries.  Wow – doesn’t that spark your creative spirit and make you wonder why?  What would bring him to this decision?  How difficult was it?  What does his family and friends think about this?  How does this affect his life now?  Does he regret it? 

There are the numerous, horrendous killings and sad disappearances in real life . . . that could spawn hundreds of books. 

So why don’t we write about them?  Well . . . we do!  There's drama all around us and if you’re one of those smart authors – you’re finding material for your stories every time you listen to the world around you or you open your eyes – drama unfolds at every turn. 

What sets one writer out from another is their passion to write the story.  They take the ardent fervor for life and fill in the blanks that take the reader on a journey.  Sometimes it’s uplifting and other times it’s nitty-gritty and even devastating.

The drama all around us results in the birth of innumerable ideas that becomes the basis – the drama – for yet another wonderful read.  Key here is to tell your story with passion.  Your reader will believe every word as though they heard it on the news or read it in a paper or online. 

 Rita Karnopp
Author ~ Romancing the West

ritakarnopp@bresnan.net

http://ritakarnopp.com

http://mizging.blogspot.com

REVIEW WITH CLASS by Rita Karnopp

There’s no reason you can’t review a book with class and professionalism.  A book review is a description, judicious analysis, and an evaluation of the quality, gist, and impact of a book.  It’s so important to realize . . . a book review is not a retelling. It’s not a book report or a summary.

A book review should focus on the book's purpose and content. How did the book affect you – the reader?  You should evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the how well the author told his/her story.  Your review should include a statement of what the author has tried to do, evaluate how well he/she has succeeded, and present evidence to support your appraisal.

There’s no right or wrong way to write a book review. Face it, book reviews are highly personal and reflect the opinion(s) of the reviewer. Your review can be as short as 50-100 words, or as long as 1500 words, depending on the purpose of the review.

I might add a personal note here – “If you can’t say something nice, maybe it’s best left unsaid in public.”  If you truly dislike a book, that’s okay, not every book we read will be our favorite.  But chastising a book in a review could make or break an author.  Is that your intent?  I would hope not.  If I don’t care for a book I’ve read, I let it go.  It’s not necessary to berate or trash the book or the author.

The following is a simple guide for writing a book review that works. 

1.   Write a statement including basic information about the book: title, author, type of book.

2.   Write a sentence indicating point of view and genre.

3.   Evaluate the quality of the writing style by using some of the following standards: consistency, clarity, creativity, strength, pithiness, development, and even fluidity.

4.   Ask yourself does the story reach the intended audience?

5.   To me the most important question to ask yourself – then review from your heart – “how did this book affect me?” Did you have preconceived notions about the subject matter and now they’ve changed or perhaps they’re reinforced due to this book?

6.   Did the book realize its goal(s)?

7.   End your review with the oh-so-important, ‘would you recommend this book to others’? Why?

Remember, your review should include a brief summary, analysis, and comment on the book’s content.  Include your general conclusions. If you feel strongly to make a statement, use specific references and quotations to support them. And always end with a comment of support and referral.

Rita Karnopp
Author ~ Romancing the West

ritakarnopp@bresnan.net
http://ritakarnopp.com

http://mizging.blogspot.com

GRIPPING SUSPENSE BY RITA KARNOPP

Today’s reader is savvy and knowledgeable.  I believe this is the reason for the rise in the suspense genre.  Complex characters and shocking plots grab the reader tight, unwilling to let go until the very end.  Conflict advances and drives the plot into an unpredictable story that leaves us exhausted – yet satisfied.

Suspense is the aphrodisiac that keeps readers turning those pages.  So how do you create a gripping suspenseful story that leaves everyone talking?  By creating characters the reader cares about while giving conflict, tension, pacing and clever foreshadowing.  

Create situations where your reader is curious about what’s coming next.  This curiosity builds suspense and a good writer will make it flow naturally.  There are many ways to create suspense:

·         By withholding information from the reader

·         By withholding information from the main characters

·         By telling the story from the villain’s POV – withholding from main characters

·         By the main character knowing who the killer is – but he/she has to prove it

·         Maybe there’s more than one killer

·         The options are endless as are plots.

Most writers know who the killer is . . . oh, we may be surprised now and then, but most likely we have a good idea who we believe did the dead.  You could let the reader know right away – but if you’re like me – I love guessing.

Keeping the killer a mystery to the main characters works so well, it’s the most common plot.  Like I just said, we love guessing.  I want to dissect all the evidence, evaluate the characters, apply common sense, and finally draw my own conclusion and hope I guessed who dun it!

Writing the suspense can be tricky . . . you need to foreshadow along the way just enough so the reader realizes they could have figured it out – but failed to take that vital bit of information seriously. 

So what should you avoid when writing suspense?  I think a prolog is a killer.  I hate them to be honest.  Whatever you need your reader to learn about a character should be fed in small doses.  Make sure it’s important and ameliorates the plot so the reader will understand the character’s motive and why he reacts/behaves in certain conditions or anxious situations.

Intensity is the key to gripping your reader and not letting go.  It speeds up the momentum and the writer must increase the awareness with each new chapter until it climaxes at the end.  Never let this suspenseful action slow . . . or your reader will lose interest.

Suspenseful stories also revolve around relationships, usually love interests, but that can’t realistically interrupt the flow of the intensity.  Don’t have your hero and heroine chasing down a possible killer in an old mine shaft, then have them suddenly rolling on the ground in a passionate interlude, then get back to the chase.  I know – we’ve read it before and doesn’t it just annoy the crap out of you?  It does me.

 

Keep in mind if your characters are in danger and dealing with a killer – then we have to be realistic.  Think it through and ask yourself, “Would a couple really stop in the middle of a chase, have a quickie, then resume the chase?”  This might be their only chance to catch the killer.  Your reader would probably scream, “What are you doing?  You’ve almost caught him!  Put your pants back on and be real.”  You must create believable scenes so your readers don’t question what’s happening. 

In writing suspense, emotion is what gets your reader invested in the story.  In knowing the characters, the reader will either pull for them or become anxious for them to get their due castigations.  

Keep the emotion high so the reader understands the importance of the situation.   It’s the emotion that motivates us, what dictates how we react, and controls our decisions.  And, I’ll say it again, “Suspense is the aphrodisiac that keeps readers turning those pages.”  

Also find Rita at:

Website: http://ritakarnopp.com
Facebook: rita.karnopp@facebook.comBlog: http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Contact her at  ritakarnopp@bresnan.net

LET YOUR CHARACTERS LIVE THROUGH YOU ~ BY RITA KARNOPP

To create exciting strong scenes – make sure they vary from quiet to loud.  Lackluster to exciting.  Emotional to in-control.  Highs to lows.  Happy to sad.  Yet, they all must fit together like pieces of a puzzle.  Everything should snap into place and fit – nothing should stick out at odd angles.  Every part of the story should contribute and move the story forward, making it complete.

I don’t know about you, but I like to put myself in my character’s body, living the scene with his/her baggage, experience, flaws, and attributes.  Do the situations or challenges feel ‘real’?  What doesn’t feel believable?  You will know what needs changing by running your scenes through your mind like a movie – you are the character – living, breathing, and experiencing each scene you’ve created. 

You’ll find yourself rewriting - adding spontaneity from the character you’ve become.  You’ll make changes that transition the story better.  Step-by-step, you’ll feel, hear, touch, taste, and see yourself in the scenes of your character.  Do you believe them?  Did you miss any of the senses?  Add them in and you’ll be surprised how this will improve your story. 

If a scene feels confusing or uncomfortable – fix them.  Never leave them in hopes the reader won’t notice – believe me, they will.  Add deep internal emotion and allow your characters to have flaws that hinder their goals . . . making them realize they must change to have what they need or want by the end of the book.

You should laugh, cry, and get angry if that’s what the character experiences.  If the words you’ve written don’t evoke the emotion or reaction you want . . . rewrite . . . rewrite . . . and rewrite until you find yourself crying . . . laughing . . . and ticked with the world if need be.  If you don’t feel it when you write it – the reader won’t feel it when they read it.  It’s as simple as that.

Grab your reader right from the beginning . . . and don’t let go until you type ‘the end.’ 

 

Whispering Wind ~ Montana Territory 1865 – Pregnant and alone, Tsopo, Wind, leaves her Blackfoot people to save her lifelong friend, Kom-zit-api, An Honest Man, from untrue accusations.

Kom-zit-api finds Wind and asks her to be his sits-beside-him wife.  Before she can give him an answer, he dies saving her from Crow warriors.  Trapper, Jake McKinney hears her cries and finds her down on a ledge, birthing a child that has arrived too soon.  Now Wind finds herself at a crossroads. 

Ashamed and confused, she accepts McKinney’s offer to go with him to the Big Belt Mountains, where his Confederate war buddies are prospecting for gold.

They meet brothers, Tucker and Alexander Walsh on the trail.  McKinney, with his valuable bales of furs and buffalo robes, and the Walsh brothers, with their four wagons of supplies, strike a partnership.  They’ll start up a general store for miners on the east side of the Missouri River near Diamond City. 

Wind reveals possession of a gold nugget the size of her thumb. Her father gave it to her, and she knows where in Confederate Gulch it was found.  The men make her an equal partner in their business they are now calling Whispering Wind.

Nothing like her peaceful village, Wind finds herself among ramshackle clusters of tents, lean-tos, and crude log cabins.  The main street is a knee-deep mud trail mixed with horse manure, lined with make-shift stores, hotels, rowdy saloons, and a single assayer’s office.  Wind aspires to find love and happiness where greed rules actions above common sense.  Dressed like a white woman, hiding her part Blackfeet blood, she faces being one of a few women in a wild, lawless mining territory.  Who can she trust? Can she survive where so many men have failed?

Watch for Rita Karnopp’s next book ~ Whispering Spirits

Summer Timber Wolf, Nii’ówa Ómahkapi'si, is disenchanted with life in general.  Ashamed of being Blackfeet, yet broke and alone, she goes to Browning, the Blackfeet Reservation in Montana she swore she’d never return to or call home.    

Angry with her decision to quit college, her parents give her the task of caring for her eighty-year-old grandmother, Kimi’Aki, Secret Woman.  It sounds like an easy alternative to getting a job. 

By the time Summer realizes this means she’ll be living in the mountains in the ways of the old ones, in a tipi, with no more modern support greater than a boiling pot, it’s too late to go back.

In this primitive setting she realizes there’s more to being Blackfeet than just being called Indian.  Although she fights anything to do with her ancestry, she is quickly caught up in a world of whispering spirits and a journey that teaches we must understand and find pride in where we’ve come from . . . in order to know where we’re going. 

Multi-published author Rita Karnopp knew at a very young age she wanted to be a writer – and penned her first story at age sixteen. She is drawn to the history of the Native American and strives to bring alive the authenticity of a time past. Whether writing suspense, Indian historicals, or contemporary romance, Rita enjoys bringing excitement and the enduring power of love to her stories.

Rita currently resides in Montana with her husband and their loveable Cockapoo named Gema. When she isn’t reading, writing or doing research, Rita enjoys making dream catchers, gold panning, crystal or sapphire digging, rafting, fishing, canoeing, and spending time with her children and grandchildren.

Also find Rita at:
Website: http://ritakarnopp.com
Facebook: rita.karnopp@facebook.comBlog: http://mizging.blogspot.com/
Contact her at:    ritakarnopp@bresnan.net