Friday, June 15, 2012

The Fellowship of the ... ?

I wanted to come up with a clever and creative title for this post, which I would also like to be clever and creative, but the truth is I'm still feeling a bit dry these days. Not even Debbie's excellent post on Wednesday, nor the great questions you all came up with on Monday seemed able to inspire me. But I'm in the middle of an editing project (Volume 2) for a friend who used to skate with Ice Capades, and I'm soon to release a new novel, so that's where my clever and creative juices are flowing these days. So instead of writing about writing topics that you probably know as well as I do -- if not better -- I thought I'd write about the fellowship of the, hmm, bats? Doesn't have the same ring to it as, well, Ring, but you'll get my point before long.
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One of the truly great things about being a part of Novel Matters is the fellowship or camaraderie that has developed amongst those of us who meet here. It began with the six of us, who only came together in the fellowship of blogging at the suggestion of our agents. And what a suggestion it was! Divinely inspired if you ask me. We have become close, close friends, even though we've only all been together one time, and that was three years ago(!) But distance means nothing in our brand of fellowship as you're soon to discover. Because you too have joined our fellowship, and you mean more to us than you realize. We love the friendships that have sprung up between you and us, and between you and you. It's fun to "listen" to your interaction between each other, apart from us. We're like proud mamas -- not to be confused with Proud Marys ala Credence Clearwater. Uh, see what I mean about clever and creative?
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Anyway, I thought it would be fun to share a conversation I had yesterday with Megan Sayer, who lives about as far away from California as she possibly can, in Australia, mate, and that's what I mean about distance being insignificant in our fellowship. This conversation began on Facebook between Megan and me, and expanded to include Lynn Baker Worley. So here it is.
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(Megan:) Guess what? I was just doing some channel-flicking for my early-riser, and discovered BASEBALL on some obscure channel. Yay! I got very excited, and just watched the Yankees win against some people in white shirts. I didn't understand any of it, and I only got to watch one ball before it finished, but it made me terribly happy. Thought you'd be pleased : ) (She thought this because I am an avid baseball fan -- Go, Dodgers!!)

(Sharon:) You have me laughing, Megan. But it would be like me trying to understand Rugby. The Yankees are an American League team. The Dodgers are a National League team. We are National League team fans. The National League plays the American League in the World Series. And the team in white is always the home team. The visiting team wears gray, so I assume the Yankees beat some team on their home turf. Bummer. But I am pleased that you tuned in.

Okay, just spent 15 minutes on Wikipedia trying to get to the bottom of all this. Which I haven't. But I know enough for it to make sense, and I won't ask the big question of WHY. BUT ... I did read the other day something between you and Lynn Baker Worley where the Dodgers (National League) were playing the Mariners, who I've just discovered are American League. And if it's August, and the World Series doesn't happen until October (I like research), why are they playing each other now? That bit doesn't make sense.

I actually have a whole new respect for America after this. Between the complexity of major league baseball and having to keep track of 52 states, there's a lot to know.

(Lynn:) Some years ago the powers that be decided there should be interleague play during the middle of the season, which is why Sharon's Dodgers played my Mariners.

(My answer and Lynn's crossed in the mail.) Very good question, Megan. I'm impressed! Actually, the past few years MLB has added some extra inter-league games throughout the season. I think most fans aren't crazy about it -- I know we aren't. It used to be that the leagues didn't play each other until the World Series. That was in the good ol' days. Oh, and there are 50 states unless something happened this week that I don't know about : )

The Yankee game (and Sharon and I both hate the Yankees) must have been an old one. They haven't played yet today.

I'm sure it was. Lynn, do you like the inter-league play?

You didn't catch the last thing I wrote on Mindy's cake page I guess ... not really a fan of it at all. Not sure why they did it in the first place. I think it takes away from the World Series. Not sure I like the All Star Game deciding "home field advantage" either.

No, you're correct. I didn't see what you wrote on Mindy's absolutely YUMMY cake page. (Mindy is my daughter.) I'm so with you. Don't like the inter-league play at all. I also think it takes away from the World Series. But I DO like the All Star Game deciding home field advantage. I guess the only alternative to that is alternating from year to year -- and that would be fine with me.

Oh, 50 states, eh? Oh dear. Oops. I've added Milwaukee again, haven't I?

And ... dare I say it ... I like the Yankees. The Yankees are the reason I like baseball. Sorry.

Or the twin cities, St. Paul and Minneapolis. You're so funny, Megan.

Oh, no! Oh, NO!! Swoon. There goes a great friendship. Sigh.

Minne -- sota is the state, but you have to say it with a Swedish accent to make it count.

Swedish, eh? Susie says it with a silly accent too. I know a little about this from watching The Big Bang Theory and subsequent research (because I'm weird like that). I wonder if anyone's ever written a book called "A Short History of America for Dummies." I'd read it.

And the next time I fall in love with an entire country I'll have to try to pick a smaller one ...

I'd read it too. I still couldn't fill in a map with all 50 states in the right place. But if you're going to fall in love with a smaller country, make it California : )

No, actually, I'm pretty sure California IS a STATE. Well ... I was sure ...

Hmm. Really?

You two are really cracking me up. And there has been talk through the years of splitting the country of California in two! So it would even be smaller, Megan!

My husband, who travels the world for missions, always says he's from the proud state of North California. Says he'd like the dividing line to be just south of Lodi : )

Just so you know ... The Yankees are losing right now. Weather looks really bad in Atlanta so don't know if the game will continue or not! Go Braves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KNEW I shouldn't have posted that! Yanks are winning now and I'm heading on a walk!

So, while the Yankees won and the Dodgers lost, the pitcher for the Giants, our arch nemesis, pitched a perfect game for only the 22nd time in MLB history. Well, I take my hat off to Matt Cain. Debbie, are you getting this? Just glad it wasn't Lincecum!

So tell us, what brought you to Novel Matters in the first place, and what keeps you coming back? Whatever it is, we're so glad you're a part of our fellowship.

16 comments:

Megan Sayer said...

Shaaaron!!! (Megan shakes head with slightly embarrassed laughter) I can't believe you published that!!

In my defence (HA!) I've had it in my head that there were 50 states but then you got Hawaii and Alaska. By that logic though in ten year's time I'll probably be claiming you've got 54...

And...I realised later yesterday afternoon that the Yankees are actually the reason I ever started taking America seriously in the first place, and not just thinking of it as some enormous starry-and-stripy TV production facility.

Gosh, and you thought it was Novel Matters that was the reason we're friends. I blame the Yankees! : )

Megan Sayer said...

Oh dear.
Katy was that offensive? : )

Susie Finkbeiner said...

I made it into the baseball thread? So funny, we were just talking about Minnesota on our Skype date, Megan and me. I say a whole lot of things funny. I blame my nasally Michigan accent.

Okay. I keep coming back to Novel Matters because it's family. You all understand me. It's hard to find a whole group of people who know that my quirks are part of my occupation. :)

Much love to all of you!

Anonymous said...

O goodness me that was HISTERICAL! Sweet Miss Patti Hill is the reason I started coming here...I contacted her via e-mail through her website and she actually responded...which made me feel all like a celebrity had up and noticed me :D. She pointed me toward Novel Matters...and I subscribed to the e-mail feed...so you lovely ladies brighten up many a day for me with posts like the one above that have me rolling...or posts that make me dig deep and think or ones that teach me something I didn't know before. I love the camaraderie(I totally just used spell check in WORD to spell that word) found in this "room." A lovely place dear ladies. Thank you for keeping at it. Beautiful ways God's people connect :).

Marian said...

I came to this blog because I met the very talented Bonnie Grove and I stayed because it's fun and I'm getting an education cheap.

Patti Hill said...

On so many levels, this is a perfect post for today. This is my last full day in Minn-uh-so-tah. In fact, we're going to see Minnehaha Falls, made famous in Hiawatha. No baseball, though, although I've been a Dodger fan forever. My real sports passion has been the Broncos, but I'm brokenhearted over losing Tebow. Sigh.

Sharon thanks for the giggle-ha-has this morning.

And let me just say that I love having you all drop by. The world is smaller and more friendly knowing you all.

Anonymous said...

p.s. When I first read fellowship of the bats at the top...I thought you were going to elaborate more story about the "bump in the night" in your attic that you wrote about a while back Sharon :).

Henrietta Frankensee said...

Yup, I agree with Marion and Susie. Cheap education among people who understand quirks, who have more interesting quirks than mine....
You are so incredibly gracious! I come for a dose of gentleness and acceptance. The love is addictive.
And Canada will never be the 51st state, just so's you know. Go Blue Jays!

Cherry Odelberg said...

I come here for the community. To know that I am not alone. To reassure myself that even published authors are bats - so I am not too far off from being published.

BTW, you two were so lucky no Texans were listening in on your fb conversation. Texas actually still has the right to be an independent country...and its borders once reached all the way to Breckenridge CO, which frankly, as a mountain loving Coloradoan, I find threatening.

I was flabbergasted for a moment, thinking someone had actually pushed through Guam and Puerto Rico as states whilst I was going about my happy isolation as a non TV viewing writer.

Thanks for providing great homestyle fellowship this morning!

Anonymous said...

You guys are amazing! And, Cherry, my mom was from Texas, so I know just what you mean!

Karen @ a house full of sunshine said...

So funny. Love this conversation. Love being a part of this community. Grateful for all of you!! <3

Nicole said...

Yay for our pathetic of late Mariners! Sigh.

Hate inter-league play. Hate the Yankees.

Heart. You ladies have heart.

Lynn said...

A Mariner fan on here! It's just such a hard thing to be these days!
Anyway, Megan told me I was on here...so I started reading it and when you said fellowship of bats...I thought you were referring to my mental state! Which works, too...
So now I'm famous! My name is mentioned in the preface of a book and now I'm included in one of your posts on here! Let me bask in the glory!!!!!!!! As one of the bats!

Anonymous said...

Karen, we're grateful for you too!

Nicole, two big high-fives. And yes, we do have heart--thanks to all of you!

Lynn, you never know who's listening ; )

S. F. Foxfire said...

I found this site while my mother and I were looking for an example of show vs. tell online. That was about September of last year. We found a post about being bold in writing (probably by Latayne :] ) and I found the blog again when I google searched novelmatters.

I love being on here with you guys. It makes me realize that as a writer, I'm not alone when it comes to blocks and creative leakage and wondering which idea to go with next. I'm not the only one who suffers droughts due to the onslaught of life, and I'm not the only one looking for a gem of a book and finding it in the one-out-of-twenty scenario. I'm not the only writer looking for support and feedback, and the fact that there's published novelists willing to talk to unpublished me . . . that's huge to me.

I'm not alone. And that's a huge deal for me at this point in life.

Latayne C Scott said...

S. F. -- kind of you to think of me as bold, but I'm kinda like the apostle Paul -- only bold in print :) So glad you are sharing in this koinoia fellowship.