Hydrant Flushing

While taking our dog on our morning walk we discovered the city was doing a bit of hydrant flushing. Two things were clarified for me: 1) my son is a madman and 2) my dog is a diva.

The hydrant at the corner of our street was opened on the side, forcing the water straight out and down the hill. While my son really, really wanted to run into that hydrant, all my mind could see was him being lifted off the ground and thrown down the street like nothing more than the water. So, being the mommy that I am, I had to say NO. Instead of turning around and heading up the hill, we continued down and waded in the cool water.

Well, my son and I waded. Hollyberry on the other hand.... Let's just say my dog does not like the water. She walked in it but it was like watching a dog walk on tip-toes. As we turned the corner, my son screamed "Puddle Jumping" and proceeded to splash in every puddle. Hollyberry proceeded to jump OVER or around every puddle.

We continued our normal path which leads us down to the elementary school and what did we find? Another hydrant open. This one was open on the top and gave a huge spray upward. My son's eyes widened and I couldn't resist. For the next 10 minutes, I watched as he ran, jumped, screamed, giggled through the water. I did not join in, not because I didn't think it would be fun, but Diva Dog had plopped herself behind a rock and was not budging. Now, I don't know if it has to do with the water itself or the roar of sound these hydrants made (or maybe it stems from when my son was out in the sprinkler in the front yard, picked up the dog and held her in the water of the sprikler?) but she was in full Shiba Attitude mode.

When it was time to head back, Hollyberry gladly headed up the path away from the hydrant at the school, but once we reached the street and the rushing water of the other hydrant, she planted her feet. The only way I was getting home was if I carried her.

Of course, I didn't take my camera out walking the dog, but it was too fun not to get pictures. With the dog safely back at home, I grabbed the camera and headed back out with my son, who of course did not mind getting a second chance to have fun.

Official Release of A Lesson In Love

Woo Hoo! Today is the official release date of A Lesson In Love. What a ride it has been for me to get to this place. I am beyond excited right now. I wanted to take this moment to extend my thank you to several people.

I received my advance copies on Saturday, just in time for Mother's Day. I immediately headed to my parents to give them the first signed copy. I dedicated this first book to them because they have always believed I could accomplish this dream and have been supportive (and even kicked my butt into gear when I faltered) and have been my biggest cheerleaders. I also dedicated the book to my Nana, who was very proud of me when I got my contract. I know she is with me in spirit today as I celebrate. Thank you is too small for what I feel for them.

Thank you to my husband, who was understanding when I was writing and sometime didn't manage to do anything around the house. He would come home from work, cook dinner, do laundry and dishes and look after our son while I typed away at the computer. My son has also been a trooper. I'll admit there were times I was thankful for "ON DEMAND" that kept him busy while I worked. But he's also a big cheerleader for me. We'll be driving and he'll roll down his window and yell out, "Gina Leuci dot com. Gina Leuci dot com" because he's getting me customers.

Whenever anyone tells me they want to write and what advice can I give them, I immediately tell them to join a writer's group like RWA. Many, many thanks go to the women I have met at the NH chapter of RWA. I have learned and continue to learn so much from them. Whether they are published or not, as writers we have all walked this journey together and I have been blessed to count these women as friends. I know I would not have made it to the published stage of my career without their critiques and guidance. So thank you.

I also have to thank Lisa and Linda of L&L Dreamspell. Lisa saw the potential of my manuscript and took the time to advise me on what I needed to change to make the story work. Linda gave me an incredible, beautiful cover that captures the essence of my story.

To you, my friends and family, you have supported and cheered me on as I have counted down to this amazing day. I could have been a pain in the behind with my enthusiasm and continued talk about my book --and if I was, you have all been wonderfuly silent about that but equally loud in your support and encouragement. I know I have amazing friends out there and I want to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to all of you.

So, in honor of my friends and in celebration of this momentous occassion, I will raffle off a signed copy of my book. If you would like to enter this raffle, all you need to do is comment on this blog between now and Sunday evening. I will choose a winner on Monday morning.

I wish you all a wonderful weekend. Thank you.

Gina Leuci
author of A Lesson In Love
(yeah, that sounds nice)

Red Sox Nation

My parents took me, my husband, my sister and her husband to a Red Sox game yesterday. If you've never experienced game day in Boston, it is quite the experience. We decided to take public transportation into Boston and the fun started the moment we stepped into the subway parking lot.

We were all adorned with our Red Sox hats, shirts, sweatshirts and immediately met two men also dressed for the game. Instant commaraderie. But there is always that ONE. Getting onto the T, we met the fair-weather fan. "Who's going to win the world series this year?" Our answer: "We are." And that 's when it started. "Nope, it'll be the Yankees." And so our ride began. Now this gentleman knew his Red Sox history and he regaled us with trivia fact after trivia fact, but as one of our new commerades said later, "Being a Red Sox fan isn't about trivia. It isn't about how much you know about them. Being a Red Sox fan is in the heart." If it's in the heart, you don't fall in and out of love with them based on whether they are winning or losing.

Off the subway, we headed to Yawkey Way and Landsdown Street where we had to partake in the food from the outside vendors. Had to. It's tradition. Plus there is something about the smell of sausage, peppers and onions at the park.

Then it was time to go inside Fenway Park where everyone is an instant friend. We were located in left field ... right near the Green Monster. Wow, what a view. There is something magical about watching a Red Sox game from inside the park. From the moment we put our hands over our hearts and sang the national anthem, the air was filled with tangible energy. Let the game begin.

Now, I'll talk about the game in a moment, but first, I must mention the fans. Watching the people is as much of a show as the game itself. First, as a woman, I have to say, Ladies, if you are attending a baseball game, it is not a DATE, it is an event. Fenway park at night is not the place to be wearing spikey heels or dresses that barely cover your arse. Even my husband commente on how inappropriate it was. Jeans and your Red Sox sweatshirt with comfortable shoes, aka sneakers are fine. Don't worry about your man. He's a guy. Guys are pigs. If you've got a pulse, and you are cheering for their team, you're already in.

Then there is the effects of beer on the fans. The drunk guys that put their beer on our table while they struggled to open a peanut. "Oh, we just needed a place to put our beer for a moment. Our friend, he's dating a new girl and she's aweful. Oh, the drama." And off they went. Then we had a loud, foul-mouthed gentleman standing near us. Now, if you were going to use the F word in every sentance I wouldn't announce to the world around you that you are a cop and in what city you worked 'cause you never know who is going to be offended by your language. There was the drunk woman who hit on my brother-in-law by pulling on his hoodie sweatshirt and chatting him up ... while her boyfriend was beside her. Then there was the girl who spilled her beer all over the back of my mother's legs. Now, accidents happen, but when you ignore it and refuse to offer an apology ... Well, let's just say security was alerted and they stood and watched her for a while especially as she didn't look to be of an age where she should be drinking. A simple apology would have gove a long way in not getting my Irish up.

Another part of the whole experience was the fact that we had a brand new babysitter for our son. A fifteen year old from the neighborhood and this was going to be a nine hour babysitting day for her. My cell rang at 8:40. I missed the actual call and listened to the message. It was my son talking in quite the most forlorn voice ever. "Mommy, I miss you. Come home right now. I miss you. I love you. Bye." I did call right back, but only to reassure my little boy, but I had no intention of rushing back home. Instead, I replayed the message for everyone to hear while I laughed at my son's hysterics. The babysitter got a little extra for the drama.

Now for the game itself. Oh, the fun. The excitement. Baltimore scored first but it was early and the fans had faith. We were behind 3-0. Then came the 7th inning. That's when the Red Sox became red hot. Varitek. Youk. Lowell. Lackey pitched a good game and our boys were on fire. Until the 9th. That's when Baltimore came back. Okay, fans, I don't know how you can leave Fenway before the game is over. Baltimore brought the score up to within one. It was 7-6, Sox with 2 out, 2 on bottom of the ninth. Paplebon breathed. Paplebon focused. Paplebon struck them out. Red Sox won. Fenway was electric.

Back onto the T where it was so crowded we were pressed together like sardines. As Bill Cosby once said, There is a nut in every car. And sure enough, we met another. There were 3 couples that got somewhat separated because of the amount of people ... and they were also a bit drunk. Now these people were not at the game. (we found that out later) but they were loud and very funny to watch. And then my dad recognized the loudest as someone he knows from one of the stops he makes at work. Mark. Once Mark recognized my dad, he pushed his way through the crowd. "Jack. Jack. Oh, man, it's great to see you. Oh, these are your daughters. Let me tell you, I work with a lot of jerks, but your dad is one of the nicest guys I've ever met because I work with a lot of jerks. : And yes, it went on from there. That's how we found out it was Mark's birthday. We told our dad later that he'll have to remind Mark about seeing him on the subway because we highly doubt he'll remember any of it.

Yes, going to Boston on game day is an adventure. It's an experience that never gets old. And next month, my parents are going again... this time they are bringing the grandchildren. And I am so looking forward to hearing the stories the kids (and my parents) will be sharing then.

The advantages to owning a dog

Top 5 Advantages to owning a new dog:

1) Your son is the most popular kid on the playground..
2) The dog is a great conversation starter.
3) Puppy kisses are the greatest.
4) You always know when someone arrives at your house... no doorbell necessary (good thing because mine needs batteries and the batteries have been dead for at least 6 mos)

And last but not least....

5) My fat jeans are now falling off my butt... from all the walks up and down the hill I live on. (okay, my skinny jeans are still too tight, but something's working.)

The fine line of parental advice

My son is the most outgoing person I know. From an early age, he would walk into a room and say, "Does anyone want to be my friend?" We lovingly refer to him as the Mayor because when we take walks he has to say hello to everyone we meet. He knows everyone and no one is a stranger for long.

That is why it is so hard as a parent to hear him say that he has no friends at school. There is one boy that is his best friend, but he is not in my son's class. When I drop my son off at school, is immediately runs to the playground and there is a girl who is older that allows him to chase her around. They have fun, but again, she is not in his class. Which makes recess lonely for my outgoing little man.

So what do we do as a parent? The first instict is to protect and to right the wrongs... not what is really needed here, though. So I let my son talk. And then I have to tell him that not everyone is going to be his friend even though he wants to be theirs. People are different with different interests and that is okay. If those kids don't want to include him then he needs to find other kids to play with. They won't let him in his club, start his own club.

Still I now watch the clock and when my son is out at recess, I pray that he is not feeling lonely because that is the last thing a mom wants and listening, reassuring, and giving hugs is the best thing I can do for him. This will not be the last time he will go through this, and I have to learn to sit back and gently encourage him from afar.

Then there is the child who was the rules breaker from day one. The child who despite what you said made the wrong choices over and over breaking your heart on a daily basis. Now he is an adult. Finally, we are seeing him make choices that put a glimmer of hope back in us. Choices that make us say, "Yes. He was listening after all." But now that son is learning a very hard lesson with these choices.

Sometimes the RIGHT choice is not the easiest, nor is it always the most popular. Making the right choice sometimes puts you on the outside looking in with those that you love. Again, as a parent you want to rush in, defend your child. While a small part of you also wants to gloat, just a tiny bit and say, "see, this is what you used to do to us," that was not the first emotion to hit or even to prevail.

Our role as parents is to guide. We talk with our children. We set the example. Then we have to sit back and hope they get it. So what do you do when they finally DO get it and it blows up in their face?

We tell them we are proud of them. We tell them to stand by their convictions, hold their head up high, and never compromise from what they know is right.

Being a parent can bring us many, many moments of joy, but it can also be a struggle when our emotions get in our way. So every night I pray that the way we have chosen to be parents, the choices we make as parents, that in the end helps our children in a positive way.


Now, on a completely different note, I want to send a BIG THANK YOU to Rachel Dawson for my beautiful new title header for my blog. I love it, Rachel.

My journey to being a published author.

For the first time since starting my blog, I want to jump into my author mode. Today is April 13, 2010 which means I have 1 month and 1 day (31 days) until the release of my very first book. It's titled A LESSON IN LOVE and it is being published by L&L Dreamspell, a small publishing house out of Texas.

I have always loved reading. When my sister and I were young, my mother would read a chapter a night of books such as The Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew, and many others. I was the type of child too impatient to wait until the next night to hear what would happen next. I would take the books and read ahead to the point where my sister would never get to hear the end of the stories because I was already on to something else. (Yes, she blames me that she hates to read even now).

When I was thirteen, I discovered romance books. I still remember the first one I ever read: A Stormy Affair by Margaret Mayo. I was hooked.

I'm not sure when I started writing, but I remember in a high school English class, my teacher handed me one of my creative writing assignments and told me she wasn't going to correct it because she felt I would get more if I learned to edit it myself. While my assignments were to be around 3 pages, I wrote 6, 10, or even 20 pages per week.

At one point, I thought I wanted to write children's books, but that wasn't what I was reading, and I found myself leaning more towards love, romance, and happy ever afters. I put the children's book aside and wrote what made me happy. I started many stories but none were completed. When I was in my twenties, I wrote a poem called The Success Theorum, that was published in an anthology. I got to say that I was published before the age of 30. But I still wanted to finish a novel.

When I had my son, I picked up my pen, grabbed a notebook, and started writing and writing. The pad of paper went with me everywhere. Within 6 months my first draft was finished. Then I typed it and edited for the first time. Then I joined RWA and the NH chapter. WHOA! Now it was time to learn about the true ins and outs of writing and the publishing world.

When I joined NHRWA, they were just about to have their 1st Editor Retreat and since my book was "done" I jumped right in and decided to pitch to an editor. I knew nothing at the time about how to pitch or even how to classify my book. I knew it was a romance, but I didn't know if it was geared toward category or single title. I didn't know who Kate Duffy was or her reputation of telling it exactly how she saw it. Yet I leaped.

Pitching my book, which had seen no form of editing or critiquing at that point, to Kate Duffy, was an eye opener. She didn't care for the book, and with all the point of view changes I can certainly understand why, but she said something to me that made me confident that I would succeed. She told me "With a little education and work, I could be a star in the industry."

So I continued. That first book was put under my bed for a while and I started something else that didn't seem to work at all for me, but that first story kept calling out to me. So eventually it was pulled out, dusted off, and the edits began.

I had rejections, but I also started getting requests for the first three chapters, requests for the full. Requests for more changes. Then L&L Dreamspell www.lldreamspell requested my full. The difference with them is they saw the potential of the story and took the time to guide me in how I needed to edit my manuscript to get it published.

With the help of author Denise Robbins www.deniserobbins.com I began to understand how to make the necessary changes and finally I had a contract in hand.

Thirty one days to go until I hold the fruits of my labor in my hand. Thrilling. Exciting. Unbelieveable at times. The countdown begins.

What was I thinking

When we decided to get a Shiba Inu puppy, we did our research. We bought a book about Shibas. We talked to owners of Shibas. We went to a puppy potty training class. One thing we heard over and over was that Shibas like to be clean and practically housebreak themselves.

Yeah, right.

From day one we have had a challenge with little miss Hollyberry. We take her outside and stand by "the tree" and get NOTHING. Then we would walk her around the yard and were thrilled if she went anywhere outside (rare). It's been over 2 weeks and I feel its worse than ever.

Holly is not one to be vocal about needing to go outside, but we have tried to be pro-active and take her out often. Still, we'll spend 15 min outside, come in, follow her around and the minute our back is turned is when she squats. While we are picking up that mess, she leaves a deposit down the hall.

I've read the books on crate training, and I'm probably doing this wrong. If I read correctly, she should be spending the bulk of the day inside her crate, and I'm not doing this. What I am doing is keeping all the doors shut on the main floor and the stairs are gated so she is forced to be near me while I work at the kitchen table. I am trying to watch for her cues that she needs to go out, but I'm not seeing them.

This afternoon, Holly was bouncing from the stairs to the door to the living room and back. I thought maybe she needed to go out, so I got the leash and "rang the bell" and she plopped down and just looked at me like, "are you kidding me? I was just out a half hour ago." So then I thought maybe she was looking for my son. I stopped working and spent a few minutes playing with her. The moment I sat down, I smelt it. Yep, she left me a gift in the hallway.

So what am I doing wrong? I take her out as soon as we get up in the morning and she does nothing. I feed her and then I stand over her, waiting for her to squat so I can grab her and take her outside. Nothing. But if I turn my back....

When we first brought her home, her food and water bowl were in the dining room, but when we watched her drink and take one step back to piddle, we moved the bowls next to the back door. For a week it seemed she would only go potty out in the mudroom. We thought, okay, maybe we're getting closer (although, pee loves to run down the grout on tile floor and expands quickly.) Staying in one room didn't last.

We've tried the training pads to no avail, either. Once in a great while she actually uses the pad, and we applaud her for that (it's a heck of a lot better than the floor), but more often than not, she skips the pad and pees a foot away from it. I've even watched Holly drink and pee at the same time. Yuck!

BUT THE ABSOLUTE WORSE THING.... is that she eats her poop. Yep. Since she waits until our back is turned to do the deed, its tough for us to get to her fast enough to get her away so we can clean.

Other than house breaking our new pup, Hollyberry is a wonderful girl. She LOVES kids. I take her down to the elementary school almost every day and the kids surround her and she sits quietly letting them pet her. I've introduced her to several dogs in the neighborhood and to my sister's dog, almost all with good results.

Saturday, Hollyberry found her voice. Other than 1 little bark on day 3, she's been very quiet. On Saturday, I brought her outside and she saw a girl playing on her swingset 2 houses up from hers. Holly went crazy. She barked for over 10 min. I didn't get it. Then it dawned on me later. The girl playing was not paying attention to Holly. Could Holly been calling her over? "Come play with me? Come adore me? Come pay attention to the princess?"

We are thrilled to have such a good puppy in our midst. Now, if only she will learn to go potty OUTSIDE so my house can stop smelling like poo, I would appreciate it.