unleash your story

For all you writers out there who need a little more motivation to get your word goals in, I suggest participating in Unleash Your Story for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. For the month of September you set a word count goal (or book goal, if you'd just like to read) and if possible, put down some money for a good cause. There are also prizes, like critiques from agents and editors! So not only are you getting your story written, you've got incentive once you reach your goal! I see it as a win win situation here.

Debbie Macomber is the pace-setter at 30K words for the month and I'm going to join her in that goal. It's starts tomorrow, so click on the link and register right away. You can join a team or do it individually. I'm going solo on this one, but I hope some of you decide to write right along with me! If you don't want to register, donate to my cause through the same link below. Every little bit helps!




Support my efforts!

grand total: 61244

Quote of the Day: A writer is someone who can make a riddle out of an answer. ~Karl Kraus

we have a winner

May I have the envelope please?..And the winner is ::::drumroll:::::

John Corbett (insert conglomeration of sighs and shivers)

If you recall from my last post when I revealed my idea for a CR with a down on her luck finance exec and her childhood friend turned sexy mechanic, I hoped to find a more accurate depiction of my hero.

Not saying that the man below, in all his grease laden nakedness, isn't the stuff dreams are made of, male or female dreams that is, but he wasn't exactly what I picture in my head.

John Corbett is.

Prompted by catching John on My Big Fat Greek Wedding the other night, my hero materialized before my eyes. Mr. Corbett appears down to earth, rugged and easy-going with the ability to clean up, throw on a suit or tux, and still ooze sexiness.

He's cute, with a hint of mischievousness in his eyes and smile. He's not overly (or underly) built, and well, I'm a sucker for a guy with longer, shaggy locks.

So enjoy these images. And know he's the one I have in mind as I write my next novel.

grand total: 59089

Quote of the Day: Proofread carefully to see if you any words out. ~Author Unknown

back in business

Turning 31 wasn't nearly as bad as 30, but aging still sucks in my book. So I took this week to re-group and re-energize; get myself prepped and ready to head back out into the world and "git r done."

I took a free online workshop entitled "How to Write 50 Books in a Year." I know it sounds absolutely insane and a little unbelievable, but its not really the number that's important here, it's how you go about it. What these two sisters, Elle James and Delilah Devlin, (both romance novelists), teach is mostly organization, time management, and motivation. And really, everyone needs some of that, while I need a lot of it. And not just once. I need to kick myself into gear at least four times a year, with mini-kicks in between. One of the big lessons taught was to make clear and detailed goals for yourself, starting huge and funneling down into specifics. That's what I did.

My main goal is to have 10 books written by the end of 2009, five single-title novels of roughly 100,000 words each, and five category romance novels of roughly 50,000 words each. I'm sure it sounds like a massive goal, but it's doable. I planned it all out, even giving myself some leeway in between. And the trick is, even if I only get 9 books by the end of 2009. That's still 9 more than I have now!

For my current novel, I'm back to the 1000 words a day goal until I reach 100,000 words. And I began the planning stages for my first category romance as well. I've already began fleshing out the characters with Holly Lisle's Create a Character Clinic. She's absolutely amazing. Check her out through the link on my Favorite Shops link on the right. I bought her Clinic bundle which includes, Create a Language, Create a Character, Create a Culture, and Create a Plot. They really are detailed and inexpensive for all you get.

Do you remember I mentioned that when I went home last weekend, I had an idea for a new novel? Well, I decided to formulate this idea as a category romance that I'd like to push toward the Harlequin Blaze line (though I've heard rumors that Blaze may be on the chopping block soon). Blaze is basically contemporary with more steamy love scenes than a typical category.

The gist of my CR (category romance) pertains to a woman who has it all; a successful career in finance; a wealthy and respected fiance; a beautiful home; and a busy social calendar. That is until she turns down a scandalous proposition from a sought after investor, and is promptly fired. Her fiance is mortified by the news of her unemployment and dumps her, leaving her without a place to live, or any real friends. Blacklisted by her former company, she has no choice but to go back to her home town and stay with her parents until she can figure out what she wants to do. But going home means she's thrust back into the neighborhood where everyone knows your name...and your business. And then there's the boy next door, who's all grown up and more man than she ever hoped to handle. Soon, she begins to wonder why she ever left at all.

Whatcha think? The picture is the best I could find of a sexy mechanic, which is the profession of my hero, but he doesn't really resemble the dude in the picture at all. If any of my readers can find a nice hot mechanic pic, I'd be grateful.

Have a wonderful weekend and catch you next time.

grand total: 56029

Quote of the Day: The story I am writing exists, written in absolutely perfect fashion, some place, in the air. All I must do is find it, and copy it. ~Jules Renard, "Diary," February 1895

home coming

I spent this last weekend in California; attending a 50th birthday party for one of my cousins. Since it was held at my parents' place and my birthday is - ack - in a day, they did a lot of celebrating for all involved.

Now this is my Dad's side of the family - definitely the more crazy of the two sides. Which is why I like them so much. Even though they all claim I'm not related to them because I'm tall and thin - while they are short and stocky - they still have the ability to remind me why family rocks.

1) They can drink like fishes, or at least they used to. Being of Scottish decent, we have no choice but to drink. But unfortunately, they ended up letting the drinking get the better of them and now more than half are in AA. Sigh.

2) They are natural comedians. This is where I get the bulk of my sense of humor. I've never met such a group of wise guys and smart asses in my life. And I've hung out backstage at comedy clubs!

3) They are mostly liberal and opinionated. I'm used to hearing the conservative side from the curmudgeons at work that blast Fox news and talk about their church functions. It's refreshing to hear educated people talk smack about the right-wingers.

4) They like to eat. A lot.

5) Half are homosexual. I can live any of my burgeoning alternative lifestyles vicariously through them if need be.

6) They're huggers. There is just something to be said about people who gotta hug. It's warm. It's cuddly. It's nice.

I had a great time seeing them all and I hope we can get together again soon. I even got an idea for a story out of it, but I'll save that for next time.

grand total: 55080

Quote of the Day: The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~Mark Twain

muse online writers conference and more....

Meandering through my list of online groups I came across something I thought I'd share with all the writers out there.

The Muse Online Writers Conference will be the one of the first of its kind: an online conference for writers that is absolutely free! I want to say upfront that I have no affiliation with this conference, I just stumbled upon it and thought it was a wonderful idea, especially for writers who cannot attend the rather expensive and distant conferences around the U.S.

Beginning October 13 and running through October 19, participants will have access to a whole slew of workshops, lectures and information, from a ton of presenters. The presenters range from authors of all genres, to specialists, motivational speakers and people from the publishing industry. Even Las Vegas' own Lynn Crain, member of our local RWA Chapter, Cactus Rose, is presenting. Her lectures on erotic romance are loads of fun and helpful.

I recommend registering for this conference, even if there is just ONE piece of information you get from it. I mean, it's free. I wandered through their site and was really impressed with everything they have there. Registration ends September 1, so get moving to the link provided.

With that said, I also wanted to give you a glimpse of a dream I had that turned into a novel idea. I was watching Fear Itself the other day (kind of a neat show, a combination of Amazing Stories & Twilight Zone, with a little Stephen King thrown in), and the protagonist was a young dark haired guy that looked somewhat familiar. He had a very Christopher Reeves-esque look. Then I thought, "Hey maybe he played Superman in one of the series?" Come to find out he played Superman in Superman Returns.

That night I had a dream about Superman, aka Brandon Routh. The details of the dream were sketchy, but let me just say, it was a romance novella in itself. Heh Heh... Upon waking, I began tweaking the dream into a workable idea for a novel.

What if a young man meets the woman of his dreams, sharing an amazing, fun-filled evening with her and finds out the next day that she died three days prior?

I'm sure something similar has been done before, but I am anything if not unique when it comes to twisting the norm. That's a different story for a different time. It's early enough that I can do some writing on my wip today.

grand total: 51587

Quote of the Day: A metaphor is like a simile. ~Author Unknown

an evening with suzanne enoch and teresa medeiros

Yestereve, I had the pleasure of listening to two remarkable and amazingly down to earth writers share some advice and insight about the maddening world of authorship. The small, intimate event took place at the Clark County Library…a rather huge place closer to the East side of Vegas, an area I rarely venture out to. Just so you all know, locals hardly ever cross the Strip…except when you have out of town guests. Suzanne and Teresa have written loads of books, including historical, contemporary, paranormal and one western thrown in. I’d actually never read anything by either of them until fellow writer and blogger, Shae, invited me to the event a few weeks prior. I immediately picked up Suzanne Enoch’s After the Kiss and took it on vacation with me. So far it’s great. It’s a historical done in the Regency period and very well written; tons of detail and fun dialogue. I’m almost finished with it as we speak. I wanted to get Teresa Medeiros' most current novel, Some Like It Wicked, but it wasn’t coming out until July 29, so I just waited to purchase it at the event. I can’t wait to get started on that one, too.

These ladies were extremely polite and funny to boot. They began with their reasons for becoming writers and staying writers, then progressed into chit chat about their traveling adventures, most notably their time in Las Vegas. The floor was then opened for questions from the fans. They were gracious enough to answer everything we could think of, from their research and writing habits, to the specifics of certain books. It was an interesting, informational and enjoyable night. We were all invited to chat one on one with each author and get our books signed. I’m proud to say my books are now signed and that much more special!

It gives me support in my own writing to hear these women talk openly about their writing experiences, especially when they jokingly offered their rough drafts for perusal to make us feel better about ours. That makes me feel good. It gives me hope, that even seasoned writers rough drafts are, as Nora Roberts so eloquently put it, basically vomit on paper. I want to thank Suzanne Enoch and Theresa Medeiros for sharing their time with us and Clark County Library for putting them on their schedule.

And a special thanks to Shae for the invite!

grand total: 50653

Quote of the Day: Metaphors have a way of holding the most truth in the least space. ~Orson Scott Card

rhodey for a week

I’d like to say I’m glad to be back in the city of desert and debauchery….but I can’t. If you’ve been a loyal follower of my blog you might have noticed my absence, if not, I’ve been away….frolicking in a far, foreign land..called Rhode Island. My best friend, Ariana, moved there a while ago (maybe 7 years?) to go to law school at Roger Williams. Not only is it a great school, but she got a scholarship. You simply cannot refuse free money for education.

So I spent roughly 7 days enjoying a couple of the finest parts of the East coast. Ariana lives in Newport, RI, an island of lush greenery and beautiful harbors. She's an attorney for the state's legal services devision and can literally walk to work. If she has a case, she hops next door to the court. Isn't that amazing!? As a guest there in mid-summer, I was part of a larger crowd of tourists who flock from all over to enjoy the warmth and sunshine amidst the salty ocean air. Of course, my first couple of days there it rained cats and dogs, but I didn't mind. Living in a desert, I hadn't felt rain in ages.

Ariana and I packed in a hell of a lot of stuff in my seven days, despite her working in the mornings. Most of my days began waking up late, getting dressed and sauntering along the main street, Thames. Here were a throng of shops selling everything from souvenirs to ship parts. Admiring the colonial architecture and the homey feel of the beach town, I'd eventually hit the corner Starbucks for a soy latte before I'd meet Ariana at her office in Washington Square. How quaint.

Then we'd plan our day depending on the weather. We were able to drive through along the ostentatious Ocean Drive, breath in the sea air along Cliff Walk, tour two historic and magnificent mansions along Bellevue, visit the informational Newport Historical Museum, explore Rose Island and its cute lighthouse, go boating with friends at dusk in the harbor, take a road trip to Cape Cod's city of glass, Sandwich, watch the fireworks at Mashpee, ponder at Edward Gorey's house, and tromp around General Nathaniel Greene's homestead in Coventry. Are you tired yet?

It was beyond fun and I realized how much I missed my best friend! I love the area and am seriously thinking of moving there next year. I could live there for a year and then go for my Master's Degree in History at the University of Rhode Island. Then, I could study for a couple months at a time in England, since my concentration would be Regency England.

Anyway, that's one dream. The other is finishing my novel ASAP! I'm getting there and plan to kick it into gear this month. I'm officially aging this month and I hate it. Finishing my novel would be a great birthday gift to myself. It's back to business as usual.

I also started an online class this month through the KOD, RWA's suspense/thriller chapter that I joined. The class is taught by Angela Knight (a great writer) and is how to put the heat into your romantic suspense. It's a subject I'd like to know more about and I think Angela is just the person to help me out.

Still to come this month is the continuation of my gothic reviews and some reviews on romance websites.

Yay! It's great to be back blogging!

grand total: 50653

Quote of the Day: Ink and paper are sometimes passionate lovers, oftentimes brother and sister, and occasionally mortal enemies. ~Emme Woodhull-Bäche