The Power of Water

I've started swimming laps. I figure, we have a pool, why not use it? (I know, I know, my genius astounds you.) So for the last week or so, I've been faithfully jumping in and swimming laps, throwing in some extra leg-kicking by holding on to one of the underwater benches. Some days twice a day! Not only am I hoping to tone up a bit with this non-icky exercise, but I'm also hoping to get a little bit of color so I don't look like I live underground. It's tough living in FL. People expect you to be tan. Whatever. I'm a writer. You're lucky I'm wearing a bra, don't push it.

Now I know tanning isn't good for you. Blah, blah, blah. I'm not really tanning (unless you count the 20 minutes per side when I'm just drying off in the sun while slathered with the brown-sugary, coffee-scented glaze that is Maui Babe), I'm just getting some residual sun while swimming. And floating. Which brings me to the point of this post.

Floating is fabulous. I get the best ideas while floating. The sound of the waterfall, the gentle breeze, birds calling as they skim the canal we live on, the buzz of the landscapers next door (okay, not that part), all of it combines to put my brain into overdrive. Not that I need more ideas, but sometimes I'll get a thought on taking my current manuscript in a different direction, or think of a way to twist the action to lead somewhere else. Which is probably why I haven't finished it yet...

Limping Toward The End

I'm so close to finishing my fifth book, Date With The Devil, and yet the more I write, the farther away it seems. I know what happens in the rest of the book, it's just a matter of putting it down on paper (or word doc, as the case may be). Sounds easy enough, right? Except little things keep happening between the hero and heroine. Things that move me toward the end much more slowly. In fact, I came up with an interesting plot twist yesterday. But it would probably add 100 pages to the book and I don't think a 460 page semi-light-hearted paranormal romance would fly.

Do you ever have this problem? Of having too much story to tell? It's never happened to me before so I'm not sure what to do with it. Any advice? Do I just need to grab these characters and tell them I'm the law or do I let them go and see what happens like I am now?

Help?!

Now That's Comedy

This made me laugh so hard yesterday that I nearly stopped breathing. Enjoy!

Thank You!

Thank you to all you wonderful people who stopped by yesterday to offer congratulations on my Golden Heart final! I really appreciate it, especially since Hotrod is off on business at the moment and it's hard to get the kittens to wear party hats. I did bake myself a chocolate-coconut cake, then ate a slice with ice cream and whipped cream. Of course, I felt sick immediately afterwards but I think it was worth it.

I want to give public congrats to two of my CP's who also had a good day Sunday: Gina Welborn, Golden Heart finalist in the Inspirational category and Gemma Halliday, DOUBLE RITA finalist for Best First Book and Best Novel with Strong Romantic Elements. You go, girls! (As an aside, all of my CP's have either won or finaled in contests. It's a fab group.)

My agency, The Knight Agency, had a pretty good showing too. I'm hoping they post a list of all the finalists. Way to go, Sistahs!

Now, you know how they say it's just a thrill to be nominated? Well it is. And just like in '05 there's a part of me that is so okay with not winning, it's sad. See, I suffer from severe stage fright. I know, I know, you're cocking one eyebrow and looking at me askance, but it's true. If I win and have to go onstage, I'll most likely become a blubbering, stuttering idiot. Fainting isn't out of the realm of possibility. Oh joy.

Still...maybe if I won a lot, it would lessen the fear...

Golden Heart Finalist!

I guess this proves 2005 wasn't a fluke. I've finaled in the paranormal category of the Golden Heart with my manuscript, All Fired Up!

Party in Dallas!!!

Tomorrow's The Day!

Please help spread the word by passing this on to any relevant loops you're on:

Once again, Melynda Beth Skinner will be hosting her Unofficial List of Golden Heart® and RITA® Award Finalists at http://www.melyndabethskinner.com/finalists.htm on notification day, March 25th, 2007. She updates the list every few minutes throughout the day. There's also a bulletinboard/chat room, and great fun is had by all. If you'd like to help, send names of finalists, their entries' titles, & the category(ies) entered to melynda (at) melyndabethskinner.com.

Permission is hereby granted by Melynda Beth Skinner to forward this paragraph.

Good News

I sold another writing article! I'll be rolling in it now. So long as they pay me in dimes. But hey, I'm just thrilled to have sold the article and to have sold it to a magazine that pays. My article on attending the RWA National conference will be published in the June issue of the RWR (Romance Writer's Report)!

What's your good news?

Dear Reader...

I'd like to talk to you as readers, not writers today. I'm imagining that's the bulk of who reads this blog - my fellow writers - and that won't change until I've got an actual published book to pimp, so I'm okay with that. I love my fellow writers. No one understands me better. But I digress.

Recently on Romancing the Blog, Barbara Samuel posted about the RITAS (the romance novel world's Oscar equivilent basically, for those of you who might not know) and asked if readers should care about them. (Personally, I think not so much. It's more of an interior award, writer to writer, as opposed to something awarded by readers who are solely readers.) In the comments section of that post, a great discussion arose about the judging and how romance writers are overly taken with craft - more so than writers of other genres.

So, my questions to you are these - as a reader, what really pulls you out of story? What would make you put the book down? What are willing to overlook if the story is compelling? Are there things an author does that make you cringe? Have you ever given up on an author completely because of something that he/she did in a book? If so, what?

Way Too Freakin' Much

To do, that is. So I'll just leave you with this and get back to work...

Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day

Yeah, I know I missed it. (See the use of the word belated?) But I'm also not a even a tiny smidge Irish, so deal.

Why is St. Patrick's Day such a big to-do anyway? It's not like people of any nationality in this country need another excuse to drink.

I did get a kick out of seeing tons of people (whole families in some cases) dressed in green. Talk about funny!

On a side note, Hotrod and I went to see 300 last night. Bloody, not much story, but oh those abs!

I Know What You're Thinking

You're thinking, why is she posting after winning that fabulous Nigerian lottery?

Well, the shameful truth is... I've already blown the money.

Apparently my shopping addiction/ability far outweighs any of my other superpowers, and lo, the cash is gone. What did I buy you might ask? (So glad you did.) First of all, I bought a fabulous little island in the Pacific where I and all my minions (bought some of those, too) will be wiling away the leisure hours sipping Dr. Pepper floats and eating Godiva truffles (okay, we both know I'm not really going to share my Dr. Pepper floats or Godiva truffles with my minions, don't we?) and inviting all my friends to come and wile too.

The guestrooms are stocked and ready, the personal chef is planning some fabulous menus and the day spa is about to open its doors. Just two questions remain...what are you bringing to the party and what should I name this little irregularly shaped piece of heaven?

PS. The charter planes leave sharply at 4:59pm and only has room for two pieces of luggage each. Unless it's Louis Vuitton, and then inferior luggage will be tossed aside to provide extra space. Bring your sarong!

You've Just Won The Nigerian Lottery!

Woohoo! Thanks to a very interesting piece of email this morning, it seems I am about to become too wealthy to continue blogging. I'll be spending my days soaking up the sun and indulging in frozen grape foot massages instead. And all thanks to the people of Nigeria who have apparently chosen me as the winner of their lottery!

I'd like to thank all the little people who made this possible.

Of course, I know you're all going to come begging for funds to support some sick relative or some such nonsense. If you really want some of this loot, you'd better come up with something better than grandma's got the tsetse fly sleeping sickness.

Now, if you'll excuse me, the elephant I ordered is here and I must go sign.

Islands of Expenditure

Yesterday, Hotrod and I took his college-age visiting cousins to Universal and Islands of Adventure. It had been a while since he and I had gone, something we used to do quite frequently being as we live under an hour away. We decided to buy annual passes, thinking it would motivate us to go more - plus they give us discounts on stuff within the Universal realm and concert tickets. (We saved $16 on parking almost immediately.)

That things had changed became obvious right away. The Express pass system we'd used before (kind of like making a reservation to ride an attraction at a certain time - gets you through the line in usually less than half the time) was no longer free. To have that option available for both parks was an additional $35. Keep in mind a two park, one day ticket is already costing you $77 (I believe that's right, we already had tickets for the cousin purchased on the military base with Hotrod's ID). So that's $112 for ONE person for ONE day. Add 1/4 share of parking ($11 for standard, $16 for preferred), food (two meals, minimum $9 each just for junk off a cart - hotdog, chips, drink, $20 if you're eating anything nicer), a slushie ($3.49 for the SMALL), and one random souvenier (Spiderman coffee mug - $10 - probably the bargain of the day) and you're in for another $35 bucks.

Holy crap! When did fun get to be so expensive?

Now, after that diatribe let me just state that we did manage to ride everything they wanted to ride and had a nice sit down meal at Fisherman's Wharf (my favorite Universal restaurant, Mythos is my favorite Islands of Adventure restaurant), got some photos with Spiderman, Captain America and so on, then finished the day with dinner at Margaritaville in Universal Citiwalk - all in all a great day. I'm just shocked at what a vacation must cost a family of four.

Dreams of Prada

I dreamed well last night. Bargain priced Prada platform sandals. And in the dream, I was a little unsure if I should get them or not, but (Diva) Lisa insisted I should. Always good to have a little fashion back-up, even in your dreams.

Not sure why I had this dream, other than Hotrod offered to buy me a car for my upcoming birthday. Very sweet of you, I said, but I'd rather have these:

Yep, that's me - a simple girl with simple tastes...

Woohoo!

Yesterday was a FABULOUS writing day. 12 pages. TWELVE, people!

Of course, days like that leave me brain weary, but I still love them. Knowing I can produce like that really encourages me.

I don't expect that sort of result today as I have a board meeting (for my chapter) and unless I get Hotrod to go golfing, he'll be hanging around the house most of the day.

Not that there aren't things I can do with him, too...

Nah. Who am I kidding? I'm too worn out.

Why Aren't Fangs Everyday Wear?

I love my Halloween fangs. Shame I can only legitimately pull off wearing them twice a year. (Halloween and the *insert theme here* Vampire Ball at Romantic Times)

I mean, c'mon. This is a good look for me, doncha think? (Ignore the horns. The last operation made them virtually unnoticeable.)

Mybe you can help me out with some reasons to wear them more often? What I'm looking for are some good excuses for wearing them on ordinary days. Great lines that explain them away.

So...whatcha got?

Hello Gorgeous...

What brings you to my blog today? Could it be the passion fruit body spray I spritzed on this morning? Or perhaps my sparkling personality? My undeniable charm? Or are you just avoiding work?

Whatever the reason, thanks for stopping by. I thought I'd share one of my old modeling photos with you. Hope you like it.

Yesterday was a good day! Lots of fabulous pages got written and I accepted an invitation to contribute a novella to an anthology headed up by a published author friend of mine. Also, the Pussycat Dolls called and asked if I could join them. Oh wait...that last one is a big fat fib. Who cares? Life is good, even without becoming an internationally known hoochie.

Any good news of your own to report? Please share in the comments. I'd love to hear it!

For All Those Wet Ideas

Shower Slate

Ever have an idea in the shower and have no way to record it...and then it's lost forever? I use a "Dive Slate", a small (4"x6" ) sheet of sturdy white plastic with a plain old fashioned golf pencil attached. They're cheap (around $5--$6), available on the net at various dive shops, fit nicely behind the soap holder or hung in the shower and work well; they're meant to be written on underwater by divers, so unless you shower under Niagara Falls, your thought will be captured until you erase it.
-- Vincent Crisci

Medium Dive Slate3.5 " x 5.5"$4.18 Scuba Centralor try Amazon for an extra large thought (8" x 10"), $10

Feel free to buy me one too.

What Inspires You?

Seems like every little thing brings forth new story ideas in me lately. A random snippet of a song, a bit of overhead conversation (I am a major eavesdropper, you just never know where a golden line might come from), an evocative picture in a magazine.

Odd thing is, I wasn't exactly short on ideas as it was. I have at least three books ready to write at any given time. Currently, that number is hovering closer to eight. I'm sure this is just another symptom of OBS.

As an aside, my best ideas usually come to me in the shower or right before I drift to sleep. I write some of the best lines then! Just wish I could remember them the next day.

So where do your ideas come from? Where did the idea for your last written book come from?

I survived

Yesterday was a loooooooooooooong day. But I survived and looked cute doing it.

More later. After another pot of coffee.

Off To *gag* Golf

We're headed to the Honda Classic. I'm sure it'll be a lovely day.

Somewhere.

So It's March. Whatever.

I know you're wondering about the golf pic, but hold your horses and I'll get there.

I didn't accomplish all my February goals. I'm still 96 pages from finishing Date With The Devil. I blame my family's two week stay for about 70 pages of that not getting written. Then I decided to redecorate the master bath. That was good for another 20 - 30 pages, so you can see the goal was achievable, just didn't happen.

I did sell a short story, which was not one of my goals, so that goes under little surprises. Also, instead of developing the YA idea I had, I ended up getting two more potentially great YA ideas and playing around with them. So far though, none is as complete as the first.

March is going to be a busy, busy month.

1. Finish DWTD

2. Expand ONE YA idea, pitch to agent

3. Write article for RWR (due April 5th)

4. Design and sew at least part of dress for Faery costume ball at RT.

Besides that, there are chapter tasks to accomplish and, lo and behold, another family visit. This time on Hotrod's side. And on Friday, joy of joys, we're headed to the Honda Classic to watch a round of PGA golf. I'm all aquiver. Actually, if it weren't for the fact that I get to buy a new golf-watching-appropriate outfit, I'd be digging my heels in. I have stuff to do, for pete's sake!

Gotta keep Hotrod happy, though, you know? He is the reason I get to write full-time after all. I do love a man who lets me spend his money.