As promised, it's time to nominate those people you think would do a good job serving as members of the first ever Authors Incognito Executive Committee. As you make your nominations, please keep a few things in mind.
These positions will require a great deal of dedication and, yes, work. There will be planning, sub-committees, and some moderation involved, so please consider carefully those who you believe are willing to step up and commit to serving the members of Authors Incognito for the next two years. We are dividing the workload into three separate positions, which will then be outfitted with further committee assistance (as in sub-committees) as needed. These are the people who will handle the newsletter, the planning of the conference parties as well as other AI activities, and also the next fall writer's retreat, among a great many other things.
Who may be nominated?
Any active member of Authors Incognito who has been enrolled in our Yahoo group for at least two consecutive years, and who is not currently serving in a position of leadership for the Storymakers (meaning the Storymakers board of directors or EC, or a conference committee position--presenters don't count as leaders in this case). We hope this will ensure that our elected committee members are solidly dedicated, and that serving us won't conflict with them serving our sister group.
To be considered for the committee each nominee will need at least two nominations, after which they will be contacted and given the opportunity to say yes, they are willing, or no, they are not. (Nichole and Darvell are both abstaining from the election, so please don't nominate us!)
Our genius technical moderator, John Ferguson (the neutral party and only person who will know all the gory nomination and election details), will be accepting nominations from Wednesday, Feb 23 until Wednesday, Mar 2.
Yes, you may nominate more than one person, and yes, you may nominate them by email address if you don't know their full name. However, if they aren't willing to serve or don't have at least two nominations, their name will not show up on the final ballot. People who are not members of Authors Incognito may not nominate or vote (although those who are lurkers or have not been active for a while can). And when it comes time to vote, everyone on this list will get exactly ONE opportunity to vote for ONE person.
Lastly, choose your nominees wisely. I cannot stress enough that this job is not all fun and games. It's not even recognition. But it is rewarding, and I believe many blessings will come to those who step up and serve here. Many, many indeed.
To nominate someone, go to the following webpage:
http://www.jndservices.com/authorsincognito/nominations/
Good luck to all!
Nichole and Darvell
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Join The Romance Blogfest
We're Having a Blogfest!
Created & Organized by Jordan McCollum
How to participate (and rules)
1. The theme is Love at first sight . . . or not so much. Post a first meeting between two characters who will fall for each other (even if it doesn't look like they will at the time!).
2. You may write a new scene on the topic, or you may post a scene from your WIP.
3. This should be a given, but all scenes should be clean (i.e. no sex [what kind of first meet is this?], limited violence and language [again, what kind of first meet is this?]).
4. Post your scene on February 14, 2011, and add it to the Mr. Linky (on the post on Jordan McCollum's blog that day, though you're free to sign up on her blog now, too). Link your post back to the blogfest on JordanMcCollum.com so your readers can read other entries, too.
5. Read, enjoy, and comment on other entries!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
February 2011 Newsletter
February 2011 Newsletter
February's Theme:
Writing Romance:
Keeping it Clean Without Losing the Sizzle
What greater thing is there for two human souls than to feel that they are joined together to strengthen each other in all labour, to minister to each other in all sorrow, to share with each other in all gladness, to be one with each other in the silent unspoken memories?
-- George Eliot
From the Moderator
~by Nichole Giles
The Simple Details
Ah February, the month of love and romance. I’m not going to lie. I love a good romance. But I’m picky. It has to be well written enough to evoke an emotional response. And what’s a romance without a good kissing scene? Or a few.
But how do we find the words to stir the hearts of readers, while keeping within our personal parameters of what is acceptable? I think it’s all a matter of details. Small, specific details that give the reader a definite visual. For instance, which of the following passages would you rather read?
1. He put his arms around her and kissed her.
2. He drew her into his arms, heart pounding in anticipation of this long awaited moment, the scent of her apple shampoo engulfing him as he crushed his lips to hers.
Personally, I’d choose number two every time, because it gives me the desire to know more. To read more about these people. I feel something for them.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I think the same is true with life. It’s very often the small and simple things that we most appreciate, that give us the most joy. A compliment from a friend, smile from a stranger, a hug from someone we love that reminds us why we work so hard to please that particular person. Drink in the details of the most simple moments, and you’ll be surprised at how much sweeter your life, and your writing, will be.
Happy February!
Quote on Writing
~Submitted by Gail Zuniga
~Submitted by Gail Zuniga
"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use." ~Earl Nightingale
Writing Tip
By Michael Knudsen
Why Adverbs are Evil
We’ve been told a hundred times to clear those dreaded “ly” words out of our writing and to use more concrete language with strong verbs. But those pesky little modifiers are usually the first words that come to mind, because they are the course of least resistance when we’re drafting. That’s okay, because the time to get rid of them is when you are revising.
Take this passage, for example:
She badly needed a smoke. Slowly she peeked around the wall of her cubicle. Seeing no one, she quietly left the room.
Okay for a draft, but we can do better than that by the time we’re ready to submit our work:
She craved a smoke. Standing on her toes, she peeked over the edge of the cubicle and saw the corridor was empty. Carltons in hand, she slid off her high-heels and padded to the exit.
Let’s catalog the improvements we’ve made: The verb “crave” is much stronger than “needed” modified by “badly”. Rather than “slowly” peeking, we have our character rise up on her toes and see the “empty corridor” instead of the non-visual “no one”. We give her a little character by specifying her cigarette brand, and we emphasize her sneakiness by having her remove her shoes to make her getaway, rather than simply leaving “quietly”.
Read the two passages again. See how the first is merely “telling” what happened, while the second has become more of a cinematic showing? There’s much more to visualize in the second passage.
Not to say that every use of an adverb is bad. There may be times where it is the best word for the situation, but that would be the exception to the rule. In most cases, you will benefit from replacing commonplace adverbial phrases with more interesting verbs (e.g., “he ran quickly” with “he sprinted”).
The modern word processor makes combing through your rampant adverbs easier than ever. In most programs, you can use the keys Ctrl + F to bring up a search field. Simply enter “ly” and the computer will take you, one by one, to each occurrence of those two letters in your manuscript. You can then evaluate on a case-by-case basis, while you’re in editing mode, each adverb and replace it with stronger phraseology. Yes, this is tedious and could take hours if not days on a novel, but it is time well-invested. Any editor worth his or her salt will tag you within five pages as an adverb-abuser, and will be disinclined to read further. If you REALLY want to be published, you will take the time and effort to ditch the dastardly El-Whys. As a side benefit, after putting in a few hours in this process, your brain is much more likely to come up with better verbiage in the drafting phase of your next novel! This is what learning to write better is all about-- Trial and error, followed by not repeating the same errors. Try this process on your current WIP and see if it doesn’t jazz up your story!
To find out more about Michael, go here: http://michaelknudsenauthor.com/
Author’s Incognito Bulletin Board
(We heard it through the grape vine: A place to post warm-fuzzies on the cyber-fridge.)
~by Wendy Swore
We're Having a Blogfest!
Rebecca Shelley, @rebeccatshelley on Twitter, reports that her Smartboys Club series is doing really well on Barnes & Noble. The first book, Bees in My Butt, is now second in ranking on the Nook Kid's Books list. Her spy thriller, Heroin Guns is now out in print!
Jennifer Clark had a lovely surprise when she received a box full of her new books straight from Fed Ex. She explains, “…it wasn't the poster at all. I opened the box and TA DA! There was a stack of my books! I didn't know they had been printed yet.”
On a somber note, Jane Still’s father passed away this month. You can perk her spirits by stopping be her blog.
Don Carey says writers can soar to new heights with this awesome volunteer opportunity. Angel Flight West is a group of pilots who volunteer their time and the use of their airplane to provide free transportation for people to and from medical treatment, as well as filling other compelling human needs. They are looking for writers to fly along and write about the experience. How cool is that? Check out the recent Santa Flight this past December. Or contact Don for more information.
And finally, Jordan McCollum shared some sites with some excellent tips for pitching your book to publishers and for posting Tweets that are successful. If you have a pitch coming up in May, be sure to check them out.
We're Having a Blogfest!
Created & Organized by Jordan McCollum
Go HERE for more details, to sign up and to snag Mr. Linky.
How to participate (and rules)
1. The theme is Love at first sight . . . or not so much. Post a first meeting between two characters who will fall for each other (even if it doesn't look like they will at the time!).
2. You may write a new scene on the topic, or you may post a scene from your WIP.
3. This should be a given, but all scenes should be clean (i.e. no sex [what kind of first meet is this?], limited violence and language [again, what kind of first meet is this?]).
4. Post your scene on February 14, 2011, and add it to the Mr. Linky (on the post on Jordan McCollum's blog that day, though you're free to sign up on her blog now, too). Link your post back to the blogfest on JordanMcCollum.com so your readers can read other entries, too.
5. Read, enjoy, and comment on other entries!
Want the badge? Copy this and paste it in the HTML of a blog post or your sidebar:
<a href="http://jordanmccollum.com/romance-blogfest/" title="Romance Blogfest. Photo by José Carlos Norte" style="text-decoration: none;"><img src="http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z41/MamaBlogga/airomance.png" width="300" alt="romance blogfest badge" /></a>
Want it bigger or smaller? Change the number at width="300" accordingly.
Go HERE for more details, to sign up and to snag Mr. Linky.
From the LDStorymakers
~Submitted by Jamie Theler
Hello wonderful members of Authors Incognito! We want to share some of the exciting things happening with the 2011 LDStorymakers Writers Conference.
First of all, we hope you’re excited to learn from our keynote speaker, Larry Brooks. His writing tips website, http://www.storyfix.com/, has been named the #1 writing blog and website (out of over 500 nominations) in a major nationwide judging hosted by Writetodone.com. Brooks will be speaking on Friday night, and then giving a two-hour master class on Saturday. This master class does not cost extra, but attendance is by reserved seating only, since seating is limited. Make sure to register for your spot when you register for the conference.
February is a big month, so get out your calendars. On Feb. 1 we will begin our “Show Your Love for the Storymakers” contest. We have some great prizes for the winners, like reserved seats with guests for Friday dinner, and this year we’re adding an incredible grand prize. (Make sure you’re sitting down for this.)
Drum roll…
Grand Prize: A 30 page manuscript critique by agent Sara Megibow
Ladies and gentlemen, you DO NOT want to miss out on the opportunity to get personalized feedback from a literary agent. Visit ldstorymakerauthors.blogspot.
We hope you’re polishing up your awesome first chapters, because the deadline for entering the LDStorymakers First Chapter Contest is quickly approaching. You must enter by Feb. 17, 6:00 p.m. MST. No entries, regardless of extenuating circumstances, will be accepted after the deadline. We suggest you enter early to give yourself time to recover should Murphy’s Law target you at 5:55 p.m. on Feb. 17. Guidelines, rules, and other contest-type light reading can be found at http://www.ldstorymakers.com/
A little housekeeping: for those who have already registered for the conference, please make sure that we have a good email address for you. If you paid with Paypal with your cousin’s business paypal account, then your cousin will get all conference communication, because that’s the email address we have. Please email smconference@yahoo.com if you need to switch email addresses, have any questions/problems, or just want to gush about how epic the conference will be.
Writing the Sweet-Sizzling Kiss
by Joyce DiPastena
The most important rule for creating any successful scene is: detail, detail, detail. When it comes to kissing scenes, you don’t want so much detail that you embarrass yourself or the reader, of course. But go for close-ups, not wide shots. “He kissed her” is a wide shot. “He kissed her and her knees went weak” is another wide shot. Both are perfectly fine for a sweet-sweet romance. But for a sweet-sizzling romance, you need to zero in using emotion, intellect, and at least a few of the five senses.
Here’s a close-up shot, employing the senses mingled with intellectual and emotional reactions.
Then she felt his mouth on hers, gentle, warm, strong, yet somehow cautious, as if weighing something in her, as if waiting…for what? Outrage on her part? Resistance? Oh, heavens! If she had felt dizzy before, her senses now swam in earnest, and she wound her arms around his neck and let her body melt like fresh butter against him and kissed him back as if all her future hung on this one moment. He did not smell of fresh air and green wood as she had dreamed, but of the smoke of her father’s hall and a faint, fresh hint of mint. Ah! This was better than any daydream, this flurry of snatching kisses he suddenly pressed against her mouth, this quivering little flame inside her.
And here is the same scene deconstructed into its sensory/intellectual/emotional parts:
Then she felt his mouth on hers [physical/touch], gentle, warm, strong [physical/touch], yet somehow cautious, as if weighing something in her, as if waiting…for what? [intellectual awareness] Outrage on her part? Resistance? [intellectual wondering] Oh, heavens! If she had felt dizzy before, her senses now swam in earnest, and she wound her arms around his neck and let her body melt like fresh butter against him [physical] and kissed him back as if all her future hung on this one moment [emotional]. He did not smell of fresh air and green wood as she had dreamed, but of the smoke of her father’s hall and a faint, fresh hint of mint. [physical/smell] Ah! This was better than any daydream, this flurry of snatching kisses he suddenly pressed against her mouth, this quivering little flame inside her [physical/emotional reaction].
Yes, this is a lot wordier than simply typing “he kissed her”. But that’s another important aspect to writing a sizzling kiss: don’t rush it. Your readers want to savor the moment along with the heroine. Let them live and breathe that moment with her.
To find out more about Joyce, visit her here:Blog: JDP NEWS http://jdp-news.blogspot.com/
Website: http://www.joyce-dipastena.com/
Book News
~Danyelle Ferguson
Have You Heard?
February Book Releases:
Mark of Royalty by Jennifer K. Clark & Stephonie K. Williams
At a time when royal infants were marked at birth, a royal advisor makes a terrible misstep--and an infant princess must be secreted away to save her life. Named Sarah by Miranda, the woman who agrees to raise the child as her own, the girls is unaware of her royal heritage--even though Miranda has done all she can to pair Sarah with the king's nephew, Lord Chad. But unexpected events prevent the expected betrothal.
Determined to fulfill her devoted mother's wishes, Sarah reserves her heart for Chad despite her growing affections for another man. But as plots against the crown unfold, someone accidentally discovers Sarah's mark of royalty--setting the stage for discoveries that will shake the kingdom to its core.
Black Dragon by Rebecca Shelley
Twelve-year-old Weldon is a gifted artist, but when his drawings of fairies and dragons come to life, he finds himself caught between some deadly criminals and the jewels they want. Only his dedication and imagination can save him and his friends.
Anyone who enjoyed Shelley's Dragon Codex book series, will enjoy her new ebook, Black Dragon.
*This ebook is available for purchase here.
Hide allMark of Royalty by Jennifer K. Clark & Stephonie K. Williams
Determined to fulfill her devoted mother's wishes, Sarah reserves her heart for Chad despite her growing affections for another man. But as plots against the crown unfold, someone accidentally discovers Sarah's mark of royalty--setting the stage for discoveries that will shake the kingdom to its core.
Black Dragon by Rebecca ShelleyTwelve-year-old Weldon is a gifted artist, but when his drawings of fairies and dragons come to life, he finds himself caught between some deadly criminals and the jewels they want. Only his dedication and imagination can save him and his friends.
Anyone who enjoyed Shelley's Dragon Codex book series, will enjoy her new ebook, Black Dragon.
*This ebook is available for purchase here.
Book Signings:
Authorpalooza Signing Event
*This event includes 45 authors signing their books at one time, one location. Several authors are from our Authors Incognito group!
February 5th from 1-4 pm
Barnes & Nobles
10180 S. State Street, Sandy, UT
Mark of Royalty Book Launch and Book Tour Schedule
Feb. 12 - Book launch party for Mark of Royalty, combined with Sarah Eden and her book, The Kiss of a Stranger. Provo Deseret Bookstore, 11a.m. - 1 p.m. 989 South University Avenue, Provo, Utah.
Book Tour Signings
Feb. 17th San Juan Record, Monticello, UT 5pm-7pm
Feb. 18th - Spanish Fork Seagull Book Store, 11-12:30pm
Feb. 18th - Orem South Seagull Book Store (University Pkwy), 1:30-3pm
Feb. 19 - Redwood Road Seagull Book Store (SLC), 10am-Noon
Feb. 19th - Family Center Seagull Book Store (Taylorsville), 1-2:30pm
Book Tour Signings
Feb. 17th San Juan Record, Monticello, UT 5pm-7pm
Feb. 18th - Spanish Fork Seagull Book Store, 11-12:30pm
Feb. 18th - Orem South Seagull Book Store (University Pkwy), 1:30-3pm
Feb. 19 - Redwood Road Seagull Book Store (SLC), 10am-Noon
Feb. 19th - Family Center Seagull Book Store (Taylorsville), 1-2:30pm
Black Dragon by Rebecca Shelley
Reading & book signing at Life, The Universe, and Everything Writers Conference.
February 17th - 19th.
She will also be participating in several author panels. Specific signing times announced at the conference.
Member Spotlights
~Danyelle Ferguson
Lynn has wanted to be a writer since the second grade. She wanted to write a Nancy Drew mystery, but couldn't get past the second chapter. She learned to write quickly and accurately in the newsroom of KBYU-TV. One of her assignments led her to the BYU rifle team. After watching the story on television, her roomate, Anne, wanted to join the rifle team. Ann was worried about being the only girl and the worst shot on the team. Lynn joined with her, graciously taking over the position of bottom of the barrel. Lynn got the last laugh and best trophy by marrying the captain, Earl.
Lynn Parsons
Lynn has wanted to be a writer since the second grade. She wanted to write a Nancy Drew mystery, but couldn't get past the second chapter. She learned to write quickly and accurately in the newsroom of KBYU-TV. One of her assignments led her to the BYU rifle team. After watching the story on television, her roomate, Anne, wanted to join the rifle team. Ann was worried about being the only girl and the worst shot on the team. Lynn joined with her, graciously taking over the position of bottom of the barrel. Lynn got the last laugh and best trophy by marrying the captain, Earl. Lynn spent the next 20 years as a Texan domestic goddess. She lassoed four children, providing love and instruction so they could become responsible citizens who would get out of the house and get a job. Since she may write a book about boomerang children, you can guess how well that's going.....
Lynn graduated from BYU Independent Studies and became a special education teacher. A parent told her about a Yahoo chat room for LDS parents of children with autism. She posted a comment about a book to help people with disabilities at church, was answered by Danyelle Ferguson, and the rest is history. After several years of hard work, (dis)Abilities and the Gospel (DAG) will be published in June! Lynn hopes this book will help many families and leaders as they deal with cognitive disabilities at church. Lynn is also very excited to travel to places where the hills are larger than freeway overpasses to promote DAG this summer.
Lynn is now an educational diagnostician living in Texas. She divides her time between working and finishing up DAG. Her writing is now confined to papers for her PhD, but she has many project plans for the future. After graduation, she wants to learn to play the piano and write fiction. Maybe she'll write fictional pieces for the piano.....
Writer's Conferences/Workshops/Contests
~Tobyn DeGraw
19th Annual ANWA Writers Conference "Writing at the Speed of Life"
American Night Writers Association will hold its 19th Annual Writers Conference
in Phoenix, Arizona on February 25 & 26, 2011, with keynote speaker Chris Stewart.
David Farland's Million Dollar Outlines
March 7-12, 2011
Ramada Inn
Saint George, UT
Life, the Universe & Everything
Science fiction and fantasy conference
Open to the public
$20 advance registration, $25 at the door
BYU Conference Center
February 17 - 19, 2011
CONduit XXI
Radisson Hotel - Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah
May 27-29, 2011
Author Guest of Honor - Tamora Pierce
will be hosting a multi-day writers workshopStarting Feb 23, 26, and March 5, 12, 19,23
Cost $35 for attendance and $15 extra for SUU credit
Topics may vary and or change dates.
Registration will be available soon. Please save the dates.
April 22-23, 2011
Week-long workshop with breakout sessions
June 13-17, 2011Waterford School, Sandy, UT
You can find a long list of contests at the Poets and Writers Magazine website:
When Mars and Venus Collide.
Romance for Romance Sake?
By Keith N Fisher
I started writing contemporary fiction and graduated toward romance. I thought I knew the reasons then, but I’m not sure now. I believe it’s one of the most popular genres. Perhaps that’s it. Whatever the reason, its been a wild ride.Being asked to write about romance from a man’s perspective is hard. I want to express a testosterone filled opinion, (one you might expect), but there really isn’t one.
Men fall in love and get all googley eyed too. They get chills down their spines, goose bumps, and their knees grow weak. Flower, the skunk in Bambi, called it getting twitterpated. Most men, however, can’t describe it in ways that make women sigh.
Many men cry in movies and feel elated when boy gets girl in the end. So, when I set out to write romance I was confident. That’s when the confusion set in.
When I started down the road of writing romance, I discovered many conflicts. And came to some conclusions. As the only male member in my critique group, I’ve been lucky to get women’s opinions of my love scenes. I took my work to them and was told I’m writing women’s fiction, not romance. I wrote about that experience on LDS Writer’s Blogck,
I asked them to tell me what romance is. To subsidize my lessons, I consulted a book called How to Write Romance, published by Writer’s Digest and edited by Romance Writers of America.
I found many answers, but my group said it has to follow the formula.
1. Boy meets girl.
2. Boy gets girl.
3. Boy loses girl
4. Boy gets girl back.
5. They live happily ever after.
“But what about Nicholas Sparks?” I said.
“He doesn’t write romance,” They said.
Now, I’ve seen, Nights in Rodanthe, and I consider, The Notebook, to be one of the most romantic movies of our time. They said, since Sparks mostly ends his stories with tragedy, they’re not considered romance.
I found many answers, but my group said it has to follow the formula.
1. Boy meets girl.
2. Boy gets girl.
3. Boy loses girl
4. Boy gets girl back.
5. They live happily ever after.
“But what about Nicholas Sparks?” I said.
“He doesn’t write romance,” They said.
Now, I’ve seen, Nights in Rodanthe, and I consider, The Notebook, to be one of the most romantic movies of our time. They said, since Sparks mostly ends his stories with tragedy, they’re not considered romance.
I shook my head. Okay, I admit it’s a guy thing, but I always assumed that when two people meet and fall in love, it’s romance. I learned that even though a story could have romantic overtones, it has to follow the formula.
Through reading old books and watching old movies, however, I’ve learned the formula is subjective. No two love affairs are the same and opinions vary. One woman’s perfect match might be repulsive to another woman. Stories are like that. Some writers touch your heartstrings, some don’t. It doesn’t make one story any less a romance than another.
So, I can follow the formula and write romance for romance sake. Or I can write stories that, hopefully, touch your heart. If they also, touch your romantic side, it’s icing on the cake. If that happens, you might think of me as a sensitive guy, but in the long run, I’m just a writer who’s listening to his characters.
Tech Corner
~James Blevins
Hard Drive Defragmenting and Optimization: Keeping your computer in tip-top shape
Imagine you have a lazy housekeeper named Gerta who has a photographic memory. Whenever Gerta cleans your house, she leaves things wherever is most convenient for her in the moment. She may leave a shoe in the living room, a sock and the other shoe in the refrigerator, and the other sock on the back of the toilet. When you ask Gerta for your socks and shoes, since she remembers where everything is, she goes to the bathroom, the refrigerator, and the living room, picking up your socks and shoes.
While it's true that eventually Gerta will be able to get you everything you need, she would be a lot more efficient if she kept things together and put them where they belonged. For instance, your socks and shoes should be together in your closet, or perhaps sitting by your front door so you can pull them on just before you head out the door (BTW, I don't keep my socks and shoes together--this is just a hypothetical example).
Well, Windows is a lot like Gerta. A hard drive is made up of sectors. Ideally, each file on your computer would start in one sector and keep filling up contiguous sectors until the end of the file is reached. Windows, however, tends to put chunks of files wherever is most convenient at the moment. To its credit, Windows does remember where each piece of a file is located on your hard drive.
Having files split up and scattered like this is called "fragmentation". The more fragmented files you have, and the more fragments of these files there are, the longer it takes Windows to find and open your files. "Defragmentation", then, is the process by which these files which have been scattered all over your hard drive are placed together in one contiguous section of hard drive space.
Hard drives exhibit an interesting characteristic, in that any data located at the beginning of the hard drive can be accessed significantly faster than if it were located at the end of the hard drive. That's where disk optimization comes in.
A good disk optimizer will take important system files and other commonly used files and place them toward the beginning of the hard drive. Infrequently accessed files will be relocated toward the end of the hard drive. The end result is that your hard drive will work as fast as it can possibly be expected to run.
Now, wouldn't it be awesome if there were a program that would both defragment and optimize your hard drive for you? Wouldn't it be even more awesome if this program would automatically set up a schedule to defragment and optimize your hard drive at regular intervals? Would it be asking too much to be able to obtain this software for free?
Absolutely not! As it turns out, if you go to www.mydefrag.com, you will find an incredible piece of software known as (surprise!) MyDefrag. It does everything I just mentioned. Furthermore, it does it as well as or better than any commercial software out there. I use it at home on my Windows machines, and I make sure we use it on all our computers at work. If you have a Windows-based computer, do yourself a huge favor and download and install MyDefrag right now. You will be amazed at the difference it makes!
RECIPE
~ Karen Dupaix
Submitted by Becki Clayson
~ Karen Dupaix
Submitted by Becki Clayson
Celestial Carmel Brownies.
1 small can evaporated milk
1 package caramels or caramel apple wraps [I prefer these because it's easier than unwrapping 60 caramels]
1 cube butter [must be butter] melted
1 pkg German chocolate cake mix
optional: chocolate chips, nuts
Mix 1/4 cup evaporated milk, 1/4 cup melted butter and all of cake mix together. put 2/3 of it in the bottom of a 9x13 pan and bake for 8 min@ 350.
unwrap carmels or wraps. melt carmel with 1/4 cup butter over double boiler OR melt in the microwave without butter. [this is what I do] Stir every minute until creamy. [usually only 2-3 minutes]
Drizzle over baked mix then crumble the rest of the cake mix on top. Add chocolate chips or nuts if desired. Bake for 12-15 minutes@ 350 depending on preference for crispy or soft brownies.
Enjoy warm or cooled. Yummy!
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