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

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