Hot New YA

I just finished reading this hot new YA by mother/daughter team PC & Kristin Cast. I devoured it. No pun intended. It's a completely new and interesting take on vamps. The voice is fresh and engaging and impossible to put down. Something tells me this is going to create a real buzz among readers. Don't wait until everyone's telling you it's a "must read" - READ IT NOW! So fabulous!

If you've already read it, I'd love to know what you thought.

Home Again, Home Again

Hey all, I'm back from RT and slightly wiped out. Stories and pics to come.

No word on the dead hard drive yet. Sigh.

Listen Up

BACK UP YOUR WORK.

Right now. I'll wait. Done? Good. Why am I harping on this? On Wednesday, my main computer flashed the blue screen of death. Even technical genius Hotrod couldn't save it. See, my computer decided it no longer wished to recognize my hard drive. You know, the place where all my files are stored? Including the nearly complete first draft of Date With The Devil (all 374 pages). Actually, every book I've ever written is on that hard drive, but only DWTD matters to me at the moment.

Sigh.

I took it to our local computer guys and long story short, they couldn't retrieve the info but they have a lab they can send it to. This lab has a medical grade clean room, where they'll strip the hard drive, put the important bits into another hard drive and save off the info. They're 98% sure the lab will be able to get all my files.

Cost of this process? Are you sitting down? $600 to $2000. I'll wait while your heart rate slows to normal. Dear, sweet Hotrod didn't blink an eye. Well, he might have blinked once. Regardless, he knows I need these files back.

I guess this means I won't be buying any new shoes for a long time.

Sigh.

The real kicker is, I know I'm supposed to be backing up my stuff to disk or flash drive or emailing my self copies. So I could have prevented this, but my laziness won. This is the most expensive lesson I've learned so far in my life. Don't make the same mistake, okay? BACK UP YOUR WORK.

Adventures in Spray Tanning

I'm back from being spray tanned! Here's how it went down.

I showed up, sans make-up, lotion, deodorant, etc. wearing loose clothes. The woman doing the spraying took me back to the room, told me to wear whatever I wanted (I went with an old pair of bikini bottoms), put my hair up in the shower cap that she gave me and that she'd be right back.

A few minutes later she returned, had me stand on a towl in the middle of the floor, flipped on the machine and started spraying me. I think I screamed a little. It was SO much colder than I thought it would be! After a thorough spraying in various postions to get a nice even cover, she had me take a deep breath, close my eyes and mouth with my lips kind of rolled in and she sprayed my face. She repeated that, did a few touch ups, then handed me a hair dryer to blow dry myself until I was as dry as I was comfortable with. (The tanning solution contains sugar and aloe, so there's a perpetual stickiness that doesn't go away until you shower.)

I dried off, gingerly put my clothes back on, then it was Lara's turn. She handled the cold much better than I did. Apparently, I'm a wuss.

So, here I sit in my sarong (worn as a strapless dress) and little else. I have to wait a minimum of 8 hours before I shower, but I'm probably going to wait until tomorrow morning. There's a bronzer in the spray, so you see immediate results, but supposedly I'll continue getting darker all day.

So far, so good. Would I do it again? As of this moment, yes.

Scooter Has An Opponent

Sam has decided to run against Scooter. I think he looks rather imposing don't you? Amazing he was able to come out from under the bed long enough to have his picture taken. I don't know that I can recommend voting for Sam any more than Scooter. Sam tends to be bossy, whiny and clingy. Not what you'd call "presidential" by any means. He does have a very cute spotted tummy, though.

(Thanks to Lara's talented son for whipping this silliness up.)

New Candidate Announces His Intentions!

Props to one of Lara Santiago's sons for whipping this up. Isn't it a riot? Unfortunately, I will not be voting for Scooter since I can't agree with him on his domestic short hair policy or his push for a second daily feeding. Plus, it's not very presidential to bite someone when they're trying to trim your nails.

Monday, Monday...

Today is the calm before the storm. This is going to be one of the busiest weeks ever. I leave for the Romantic Times Convention next Monday and between now and then I have MUCH to do.

To Do:
* Finish first draft of Date With The Devil
* Get hair highlighted
* Get spray tan (don't worry, I plan to blog about this)
* Sew fairy costume
* Finalize vampire cowboy costume & Moulin Rouge costume (which may be nothing more than a fancy hat)
* Prepare brief handouts for the topics I'll be talking about at RT (Dialogue, Plotting & Rejection)
* Pack for RT
* Prepare some frozen meals for Hotrod so he doesn't eat Steak-n-Shake seven nights in a row while I'm gone
* Send out last batch of review books to the Romance Divas reviewers
* Attend the Volusia County Romance Writer's one day conference on Saturday (I'm a glutton for punishment, aren't I? I'm going because my super marvelous agent, Elaine Spencer is speaking.)

I'm sure there's more, but those are the highlights. It's enough, don't you think? On a rather triumphant personal note, I wrote 21 1/2 pages on DWTD yesterday! That's an all time personal best, my previous record being 18 pages in one day. Considering I had a cold over the weekend and was doped up on meds, this is even more impressive. Clap for me. After all those pages, I realized there is still more story to be told. So, once again I've extended my estimate on the final word count, this time to 98k words. Will it be done then? I don't know. DWTD may go to 100k. I'll know when I type The End.

Shout Out: My fabulous friend, Lara Santiago has had a book final in the Passionate Plume - The Lawman's Wife!

So...what do you have planned for the week?

And The Winner Is...

"What box? I'm not sitting in a box." by Lara Santiago

More than anything, this caption captures Scooter's true attitude. Granted, Lara actually knows Scooter so she probably had a bit of an advantage. Therefore, she will NOT be eligible for the next caption contest, although I will still force her to enter it. (Next caption contest will be Monday, the 23rd as I will be headed to the Romantic Times Convention.)

Congrats, Lara, you big cheat! lol

Some Crazy Stuff...

Don't believe in signing a Pre-Nup before you get married? This site's for you.

Does your cat have fangs? You might want to double check.

Dig hairy men? Get your tickets now!

Dog gone bald? Here's your answer.

Ever wanted your own Scottish title? Your dream has just come true!

Caption Contest!

I haven't done a caption contest in forever, so I thought it was time. The best caption for this photo will win this book:

Contest ends Saturday, April 14th at 10am, so get your captions in!

Bah.

Today is one of those gloomy, overcast, slightly chilly days when all I feel like doing is curling up in bed with a good book and hot cup of coffee near by. Not to mention we're having gutters put on today, so the noise from the men walking on the roof is rather bothersome (and making the cats run around the house like mad beetles.) But I need to write. So today becomes one of those days when I must force myself to suck it up and get the work done.

Do you have days like this? Do you force yourself to do the work? Any tricks for getting yourself motivated?

Progress

I wrote 8 1/2 pages yesterday! To celebrate, I cleaned out the fridge and did some laundry.

Ah, the glamorous life of a writer.

Shout Out To My Peeps

It happens every year. People come down decisively on both sides of the issue. Families are split over it, friends mock each other, children find themselves going without because adults have removed the articles in question for their own use.

The question remains without any black or white answer.

Peeps - fresh or stale, which is better?

Chocolate and Losing Weight

Chocolate and losing weight rarely go hand in hand. However, I'm down 2 pounds this morning and craving chocolate like it's going out of style. Maybe I should stop googling chocolate Easter bunnies, but I can't help myself.

I wish I was getting an Easter basket. Mmm...chocolate...

I'm an ear biter. You?

Sex Bomb

No, I'm not channeling Tom Jones, I'm just in a good mood since I got my hair cut yesterday. It's good stuff - back to being swingy and flirty and fun. Long straight hair really only works when it's got layers to give it movement and life. (Yes, I know the profile pic of me shows curly hair - that was strictly hot roller induced madness.)

I feel good. And all because of a haircut. Amazing, isn't it?

Thanks to Lara Santiago for sharing her stylist with me and for chopping five inches off her own hair to inspire me. Now we're both sex bombs.

What makes you feel sexy?

Writers & Confidence

A writer friend of mine is going through a spell of lack of confidence. What's your best advice on regaining your confidence or dealing with this when it happens?

So Much To Do, So Little Time

I'm crunched for time. At least, I have been lately. See, spring is conference season for most writers - which isn't to say there aren't great conferences that happen in the fall and winter, but spring really kicks the whole conference season into high gear. I've been planning a fabulous Super Saturday for my chapter (think mini one-day conference) and now that the bulk of that planning is done, I can breath a small sigh of relief.

Still, there is much ahead of me. Romantic Times is coming up (and I've yet to start on my fairy costume even though I've had the fabric since Dec.). Before that is a one day conference in Volusia County. Then, before you know it, RWA Nationals will be here. I've been hard at work finalizing plans for the Romance Divas 3rd Annual Diva Dinner. No small task, I assure you. But, at last, that too is coming together.

So far today, I've written up some promo stuff, written and/or edited three reviews for RD, posted a book for review at RD, chatted with authors about upcoming events at RD, had a pedicure, gotten my legs waxed, done some laundry and dishes, and given serious thought to my diet. Or lack thereof.

I think it's time for a dip in the pool. Just as soon as the A/C guy leaves. Then maybe I can squeeze in a few pages on the book I'm supposed to be finishing. What do you think? Sounds like a plan to me.