jerry springer here I come!

Isn't it funny how just when your life begins to get into a nice groove, something comes along and throws it right off track? Actually, it's only funny if you have the ability to stand back and look at it from behind. For those knee deep in it, it's a whole different story.

Here's the deal. My boyfriend's ex-wife and daughter are moving in with us. Yes, they will be living in our small two bedroom home. This situation may have worked on TV shows like Friends, but for me it just screams Jerry Springer. Granted, we all still have our teeth, none of us are strippers, and my boyfriend's daughter (who's 12) isn't pregnant, but who knows what could happen in the three months we gave his ex to stay here. My boyfriend is extremely generous at times, and in this case, he is a saint. But mostly, he's concerned about his daughter living in a dangerous environment back in CA with his ex and her pyschotic mother, so I understand his decision.

And I'm proud of myself. Because the first thing that came to mind when I was informed of this was not "Holy Crap, this is absolute insanity and I'm going to kill myself," but "Where will I write?" I'm used to coming home after work to an empty, quiet house with three hours to rest, relax, and write like a fiend. A recent RWA Chapter meeting at a local library got me thinkin' if there is one thing I've come to admire about Las Vegas it's the fantastic library system. There are at least ten libraries here that are amazing. After some research, I was able to locate one right on my route home from work. So, I know where I'll be with my laptop when the work day is over. I think it will be good for, too. Sure, there will be tons of books to distract me, but at least I won't be lured by TV, food, or heaven forbid....chores.

Anyway, I'm kinda looking forward to this new writing environment. And I'm glad I immediately looked for ways to get around this curve-ball that life threw at me in order to keep writing. It's proof that I'm committed and that I'm not letting go of my dreams no matter how many twists and turns life chooses to send me on.

I'm holding on tight, baby!

grand total: 80007

Quote of the Day: When once the itch of literature comes over a man, nothing can cure it but the scratching of a pen. But if you have not a pen, I suppose you must scratch any way you can. ~Samuel Lover, Handy Andy, 1842

layin' down some phat words

For those of you who are my Facebook buddies, this title will resonate, for those of you who aren't, I've been writing like a fiend for the last two weeks, trying to keep up with my goal of 30,000 words by the end of September. This goal is for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the Unleash Your Story project from my last post. Also, I've been plotting a category romance that I relayed to you all in an earlier post as well (the one with the sexy mechanic). I've been keeping busy to say the least.

So far, I'm keepin' it real with 72243 words (my total words for my main wip), just shy of the mark I should be by this Monday. I'm proud of that and of the fact that I'm rounding the corner to the last stretch of my first draft. I mean, this is where it gets exciting, because I know exactly what is going to happen and what I need to do and write to make it to the end.

I've definitely had some help along the way, thanks to the support of Maura and Shae, and some great workshops and books. Most recently, I'm in the midst of another KOD (Kiss of Death) chapter class on plotting a romantic suspense with Tracy Montoya. It's been great, and Tracy is awesome.

Plus, one of the books on my current reading list is Page After Page by Heather Sellers. Heather is wonderful with motivation and has really helped me whenever I'm just not in the mood to write. She's witty, unique and refreshingly down to earth for an English professor. Some of my favorite chapters are titled: Sleeping With Books; Butt in Chair; Blank and Cranky; and the best one of them all - Dare to Suck. I can't wait to finish this novel and begin Chapter After Chapter, her second book in this series.

And what better way to end this than with some humor. What kind of romance novelists are we if we can't make fun of ourselves and what we write about. PLEASE, check out this link and click on "Who's Sebastian" on the left of the site it takes you to laugh out loud at the Airborne commercial. You won't regret it!

grand total: 72243

Quote of the Day: A prose writer gets tired of writing prose, and wants to be a poet. So he begins every line with a capital letter, and keeps on writing prose. ~Samuel McChord Crothers, "Every Man's Natural Desire to Be Somebody Else," The Dame School of Experience, 1920