Marcy Singer

New Home

2009-07-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

Follow my blog posts now at Gayle Trent's new site. I look forward to seeing you there!

Way Cool Mural!

2009-06-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

http://thenewsguard.com/main.asp?SectionID=25&TM=46407.55

Click on the above link to read The News Guard article about Tracy Lee Stum, a world famous chalk artist--yes, I said chalk--who created this masterpiece for the Art Sea Festival.

Check it out!

2009-05-30T05:53:00.001-07:00

Gayle's friend Alex Long, a sophomore in college in Southwest Virginia studying Graphic Design & Advertising, drew this picture of Angus and me in anticipation of the launch of The Quick and The Thread. We don't have cover art yet, but we couldn't wait to let people know about the book. So Alex drew the picture and Gayle (a/k/a Amanda Lee) had it put on postcards.

If you'd like Alex to do some freelance design or illustration work for you, get in touch with him at disney_caribbean_pirates@yahoo.com.

Finally!

2009-05-22T16:54:00.001-07:00

Wow, has it been forever? It seems like it. That's one reason I put "finally" in the post. The other reason is that Amanda Lee a/k/a Gayle Trent finished my story and submitted it to the publisher (NAL/Penguin)! I'm excited. Also a little nervous.

How do you like the pic? I was fooling around with Blake and Sadie with my fave--lowfat vanilla latte with a hint of cinnamon!

Anyway, now that the first book is finished--except for edits and stuff like that--Amanda/Gayle plans to get to work on another tale of my adventures. This time, she's telling about the time I met Elvis. Not not the Elvis, but an Elvis impersonator. "Thank you. Thank you very much." That book is tentatively titled Don't Be Crewel. [eyeroll] I know, I know. :-) But we're having fun, right?

I do hope you'll look forward to my first book, The Quick and The Thread. I'll keep you posted on its progress, publication date, and whatever else I find out, okay?!

Okay!

"A Place for Pets"

2009-05-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

This week, The News Guard has another story near to both my and Angus' heart. Check it out here.

K9 crime-fighters

2009-04-29T19:50:00.000-07:00

Click here for a story from today's The News Guard which was of special interest to Angus.

The News Guard also spoke about the killer whales that started showing up off the central Oregon Coast around April 15. A group of seven orcas were spotted by the Depoe Bay Whale Watch Center on April 16. They'll be around for only a few more weeks; so if you're a whale watcher, you'll want to take a day when the ocean is flat and look for those orcas.

The article spoke about Depoe Bay Whale Watch Center officials seeing the whales "gobble up" baby gray whales, sea lions and seals. That would break my heart! I'd like to see the whales but certainly not during feeding time. I know, I know...everything has to eat. But can't Purina make some Killer Whale Chow or something?

So much going on!

2009-04-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

Hi, there!

First of all, I want to alert any budding writers reading my blog that from May 19-22, 2009, Gayle Trent is hosting a Virtual Writers' Conference. There is an impressive list of authors, publishers, marketers and publicists participating in the conference. For more information, see http://virtualwritersconference.blogspot.com/.

There are also some exciting things underway on Devil's Lake here in Oregon. The Coast Guard is conducting marine rescue training exercises. Take a look at the article from The News Guard along with an impressive photograph of a rescue swimmer dangling from a helicopter.

If any of you have read Gayle's book Murder Takes the Cake, then surely you recognize Guinevere, the guinea pig! Gayle's daughter made this life-sized replica of Guinevere in Teen Living. Isn't it adorable? If you haven't read Murder Takes the Cake, you can read an excerpt at Gayle's site, order the book or check it out at your local library. Then you'll know all about Guinevere, the pampered guinea pig. :-)

Are you a Twitterer? Gayle is. And if you are, too, you can follow her at http://twitter.com/GayleTrent. Gayle is posting her now out-of-print book Between A Clutch and A Hard Place on her blog. She's posting the book a chapter at a time, and Chapters 1-4 have already been posted at the blog.
Posting the book a chapter at a time began as a Twitter experiment to see if she could gain more followers. Well, guess what? Her number of followers has quadrupled in the four weeks she has been posting chapters to her blog. Gayle is offering anyone who wants it the entire PDF of Between A Clutch and A Hard Place. Another plus? Two publishers have recently expressed a renewed interest in the book. One is an audio publisher, and the other is a print publisher.

As for me, I just got the May 2009 issue of Cross-Stitch & Needlework in the mail. Angus and I haven't had an opportunity to pour through it yet, but just from the cover, we can see it's going to be a great issue. It promises mother's day gifts, Kats by Kelly and projects for newlyweds. Hmm...maybe I should keep this issue hidden from Sadie, the matchmaker. What do you think?

Do you enjoy garage sales?

2009-04-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

If you do, and if you live in Oregon, check out The Great Oregon Coast Garage Sale. The News Guard has pages and pages of garage sales scheduled for Friday, April 17 through Sunday, April 19, 2009. Wow! Angus (at right) and I would go if we could!

Terrific Easter summary in The News Guard

2009-04-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

The Rev. Ruth Miller, Ph.D., provides Oregon Coast readers a summary of the traditions of Easter. Read it here.

Indoor kite flying?

2009-04-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

I didn't even know you could DO that! Check it out here.

Art deco dog and Eeyore

2009-03-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

At right are two recent projects completed by Gayle Trent. The "red one" is an art deco chihuahua, and the other is Eeyore of Winnie the Pooh. The Eeyore cross-stitch pic includes the caption, "Thanks for noticing" and has been placed inside a card.

Today's news from The News Guard

2009-03-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

First, the good news: A new children's store in Depoe Bay is leaving local children "spoiled silly." And that's a good thing.

Now, the bad news: Oregon brewery owners are upset about a proposed 1,900 percent tax increase on Oregon beer. This is really bad news for craft brewers. There are more craft brewers in Oregon than in any other state, per capita. (This, of course, includes Tallulah Falls' own Todd Crowell of The Brew Crew.) Let's hope legislators can come up with a plan that will be less...well, taxing...to craft breweries.

2009-03-22T12:31:00.001-07:00

Siddharth Dalal discusses his website Internet Book Database (iBookDB.net) http://ping.fm/NCQdo #vabook

2009-03-22T12:30:00.001-07:00

Young adult fiction author Martin Bartloff discusses his upcoming release. http://ping.fm/N9y6K #vabook

2009-03-22T12:28:00.001-07:00

Karen Syed speaks about writing and what Echelon Press is seeking from authors. http://ping.fm/8L2Uw #vabook

2009-03-16T04:23:00.001-07:00

Take a look at this gorgeous, life-sized Barbie cake!
http://ping.fm/xGXR6

2009-03-13T08:11:00.001-07:00

http://ping.fm/cxoB4 Cool! Thanks, VHCC. :-)

2009-03-11T13:04:00.001-07:00

Have you ever found any DVD "Easter Eggs"?

According to Inverne's Stage & Screen Trivia by James Inverne, the following "easter eggs" are available on these DVDs:

Moulin Rouge - contains a hidden joke reel. To access: On disc 2's main menu, select "more." At the next screen, highlight "back" and press the "down" arrow. A fairy will be highlighted. Press enter.

Pirates of the Carribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl - contains a hidden interview with Keith Richards talking about how Johnny Depp based his characterization on him. To access, go to disc 2's main menu, select the "Moonlight Serenade" scene progression. Then highlight the "Main Menu" option and press the "down" arrow twice. One of the skeleton's teeth will be highlighted. Press enter.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (extended edition) - contains Gollum's speech at the MTV Movie Awards. To access from disc 1, choose "Select A Scene" from the main menu. Go to the last page. Highlight "Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit" and press the "down" arrow. The ring appears. Press enter.

If you have success with any of these, let me know!

2009-03-08T14:59:00.001-07:00

I just signed up for Ping.fm and am testing it out to see how it works.

March kicks off Oregon flower season

2009-03-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of some of Oregon's garden and flower festivals. Wouldn't those tulips be lovely done in crewelwork on a pillow?

What's happening in Oregon this month?

2009-03-04T15:48:00.000-08:00

According to Travel Oregon, "This month, we’ve got the skinny on migrating whales and exotic birds, nature hikes that are close to the city and step-by-step instructions on Morel Mushroom and Asparagus Soup." Check out their blog at http://blog.traveloregon.com/.

In part one of a two-part series, The News Guard discusses a Lincoln City, Oregon, doctor's medical mission to Ethiopia.

Sea Otter Spotted off Oregon Coast

2009-02-25T10:41:00.000-08:00

See this article from The News Guard to get a peek at this precious little sea otter who has been spotted in Depoe Bay. The article says sea otters were eradicated from Oregon in 1906, but don't tell this adorable guy!

Hello from Tallulah Falls!

2009-02-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

Hi, there!

I'm Marcy Singer, the "fictional" heroine of The Quick and The Thread, the first book in the Seven Year Stitch Mystery Series. I migrated from San Francisco to beautiful Tallulah Falls on the coast of Oregon to open an embroidery specialty store. (In San Francisco, I was an accountant. It was a good job, but I so prefer being my own boss.) The name of my shop is the Seven Year Stitch. It's called that for three reasons: One, it’s an embroidery specialty shop so I thought Seven Year Stitch was a really cute play on words. Two, I’m a huge fan of classic movies. And, three, it actually took me seven years to turn my dream of owning an embroidery shop into a reality.

I have an adorable Irish Wolfhound named Angus O'Ruff. He's a year old, and he is terrific. He loves being indoors; but since I have a fenced backyard, he also enjoys spending time outdoors. He especially likes sprawling on the swing.

My friends Sadie and Blake own the shop next to mine. Theirs is a coffee shop named MacKenzie's Mochas. They're terrific. Sadie was my college roommate, and she is--in large part--responsible for my being here in Tallulah Falls.

That's enough about me for now. Tell me about you!