About

Hi ~ My name is JD.

One day a friend asked me to join Weight Watchers with her.  I wanted to lose the fifteen pounds I’d gained when I couldn’t stop eating after a vacation in Florida and thought why not?  I also couldn’t seem to stop getting up from my desk when I was supposed to be writing (you’d think that would’ve helped me lose weight, but it didn’t…).

As I tracked my weight loss progress, I had an idea.  I could track my commitment to write five (or more) pages per day on my current fiction project.

To do that, I needed to sit at my desk and write.  Writing a blog and “putting it out there” would be a way to pin me down.

Once I began to post, I found the original concept a bit restrictive; I like to share lots of stuff; hence, “Unchained–sometimes Unhinged–Observations.”  Because of this new passion for blogging, I  discovered some wonderful places reading other blogs, so on selected Tuesdays I try to offer one of my favorites; all are found under “Picked Apples”.

More info about me; I’m a former insurance claims investigator who’s still plagued by worst-case scenarios.  After twenty-two years in the business, my husband and I made a deal, and I went back to school, taking two years of metalworking for jewelry-making, plus a creative writing course.

I’ve always loved to write and there’s a bunch more information under “My Written Works” and “Freelance”.  The creative writing class I took was to see if I had the discipline to walk the walk.  I wrote a 750 page monstrosity and sent it out to agents and waited to be discovered.  Nada.

When I delved into soldering, hammering, forming, fusing, sanding, and sawing metals (please see “Silver Charmer Jewelry“), I explored the world of juried art fairs, retail sales, home events, teaching classes, and more.  Along the way, I spent a year as the executive director of our local arts center.  Loved it, but still wasn’t putting in the time to write.

So, back to focusing on writing.  I discovered screenplays and fell in love with the form.  I reported for a local newspaper and undertook volunteer and freelance projects.  I also began working part-time for my veterinarian.

Fast forward to now.

I’ve stepped up my writing productivity, am seeking an agent for my middle grade novel about a blind boy and a mysterious cat, am working on a romantic comedy screenplay, and am probably driving my husband crazy with all my posts.  He thinks the whole blog thing is, well… his words aren’t complimentary.

Even though he is often at the forefront of many of my posts, my husband doesn’t enjoy limelight, so I’m working on a name to accurately portray him.  Marlboro Man (the non-smoking type) has already been taken.  We’ve been married seventeen years (after dating for five), and have two cats and a dog.  My husband’s a great guy who is one hundred percent supportive, but he keeps it real, and let’s face it; he’d like to see me bring in a higher income.  I’m working on that.

I’d love to post everyday of the week, but don’t want to drive people crazy.  So, I try for three or four times per week; sometimes it’s two.  There’s so much to learn about blogs; I’m always tinkering with these pages.

I haven’t tried to figure Twitter out yet and don’t look forward to explaining that to my husband.   As for the picture in my header, he took it; sunset over Lake Michigan from South Haven, MI.

If you want to see a quick example of one of my posts, this one has been the most popular by far:  What Happens When Your Guy Might Not Be As Brilliant As You Thought?

Second to that would be my own personal fiasco:  You Don’t Need Bangs If You Look Like Halle Berry.  I, of course, do not look like Halle Berry.

I’m thrilled to receive your feedback and have met lots of cool people via this blog.  If you want to receive my blog without looking  for it, there’s an RSS feed available or  receiving direct e-mail is an option.  Both are listed on my home page.

Thanks for stopping by!

If you want to contact me, here are a few ways:

This blog:    www.sitdeskwrite.com

My e-mail:  gjdbetts@yahoo.com

Facebook:   http://www.facebook.com/sitdeskwrite

And for my jewelry:  www.silvercharmerjewelry.com

Facebook again:  http://www.facebook.com/silvercharmerjewelry

Thanks again ~ JD here.