Monday To Do's

Don't be jealous, but one of the things on my list today is to finish my Christmas shopping. Yep, one trip to Target and I'll be done. The feeling of being done is beyond awesome. It's like Ed McMahon just showed up on my doorstep to tell me I've won the Publisher's Clearinghouse Sweepstakes and I hadn't even entered. (Of course, I haven't wrapped anything yet. And with 3 cats, wrapping presents is a ginormous undertaking of skill and patience.)

I also have to run to the post office. Then I'm done with outside errands and I can dedicate myself to inside stuff. Which means writing (hoping for 8 - 10 pages, but would be happy with 5) and working on the Writing Basics Workshop I've giving to my chapter this Saturday. I'm not sure why I agreed to do that. I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. Or I wanted to see just how far I could push myself before I went postal. I'm close. And I don't need to remind you that I now own a gun.

What's on your Monday To Do list?

Edited to add: A friend's daughter needs votes on her drawing to win a scholarship. Check it out in the link below and vote!

Artist's Choice - Round 1 Brickfish

Caturday!

Mmmm...pie

Friday, November 14th, is National Pickle Day. Get your dill on!

It was 94 here yesterday. Makes it a little tough to get in the holiday spirit, but I'm working on it. We'll be headed to my folks for Thanksgiving and I spoke to my mom yesterday about the shopping list. I told her the things I needed most were pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and corn. Sure I like turkey and cranberry relish and all that other stuff, too, but I'm a pumpkin pie addict. Truly. Hot, cold, with whip, without whip...I'll eat it any way it comes.

And mashed potatoes are one of those foods I almost never eat except at Thanksgiving and Christmas so I want to be sure there is enough. And the corn? I like that on the mashed potatoes. Is that weird?

What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods?

Easy Thursday

Hey, this is my 800th post! I can't believed I blogged that much.

Today I have two goals: vacuum and write. Exciting, huh? Well, the writing is, the vacuuming not so much. I think I should do the vacuuming now and get it out of the way. Oh, I might go out for a walk later, too.

In other news, did you catch Top Chef last night? I don't have any real favorites yet but I like the blond surfer boy from Miami, but mostly because he reminds me of chef John Besh (whom I adore), and I kind of like Eugene, the guy who worked his way up from dishwasher. How can you not like that kind of ambition and drive?

What's on your plate today?

Kristen's Got A Gun

Hotrod and I have been meaning to get handguns for some time now, but the election helped us make that decision sooner, due to the possibility that gun ownership may become more restricted. We are now each the proud owner of a Smith and Wesson 9 mil. (And a pistol grip pump action shotgun, but I digress...)

We'll both be taking a class (Hotrod doesn't need it with his military background, but he's taking it to be with me - sweet how weaponry makes us closer, no?) so that we can qualify for a concealed carry permit.

Unfortunately, the S&W didn't come in a sparkly pink configuration. Me with a gun. Kinda hot, don't you think? lol I'm naming it Jane, after Patrick Jane, the main character on The Mentalist. I figure seeing this gun in my hand will help me figure someone out pretty quick.

Oh, and if you happen to be my ex-husband and you're reading this, you can consider Jane my new restraining order.

Does it surprise you that a girly girl like me would want a gun? Do you have one? What's your thoughts?

Awesome Free Workshop!

Just register in the Romance Diva forum to participate!

Veteran's Day

Who are the veteran's in your life? Come share them with me over at Fictionistas today.

Happy Monday. Yeah, Right.

So it's Monday. Happens once a week, you'd think I'd be used to it, but I'm not. Thanks to Hotrod's snoring and one bothersome black cat *coughScootercough* that woke me up THREE times to be scratched and adored, my sleep was less than blissful last night. Needless to say, I'm dragging.

Besides redesigning my blog (did you think you'd gone to the wrong place?), the weekend was quiet and mostly spent recovering from last week's icky cold. Safe to say I'm over it, except for the occasional scratchiness in the throat.

The coolest thing was that last night as I was falling asleep, I had a Major Idea for my WIP. Huge. And delicious. I love when that happens, don't you? Now I'm psyched to write and see what I can do with it. Of course, there are errands to be run and other stuff to do today first. Ick. I want to write from bed.

What's on your Monday agenda?

Caturday!

Laser destruction in 3...2... Enjoy Caturday while you can!

Things That Will Never Be On My Christmas List

1. The Chicken Purse - Not made out of actual chicken. Not that that is in any way a selling point. Seriously, the very existence of this may be a sign of the apocalypse. The amount of money it would take for me to carry this handbag would not fit into that handbag. Not in $100 bills. Or Krugerrands.

2. Lingerie - This is not a Christmas present I want under my tree. A silk nightgown or robe I'm fine with. A sexy lace babydoll? That's a Valentine's Day present meant to be opened when there are only two people present. The wearee and the undresser. Nuff said.

3. The Guitar Toilet Handle - Even if I played the guitar, I don't think I'd need to express that creative side of myself when flushing. What is the purpose of this? Who owns one? Is this given as some sort of conciliatory prize for those voted off American Idol? I am agog.

4. Toenail clippers - These should never be a gift. Ever. Not under any circumstances. Not if they're gold plated and mother-of-pearl inlaid. Just don't. Ever.

5. Christmas Themed Clothing - See, by the time I get this, Christmas is basically over, so that means I must wear it immediately. Not that I would wear it. I promise you, these items go directly into the Goodwill bin tags attached. If that's the best present you can come up with, save your money and buy yourself a clue.

What won't ever be on your list?

Stock In Tissues Jumps Dramatically

Thanks to Hotrod, I'm now sick too. Of course, he's off to California on a business trip while I'm home alone. Who's going to bring me soup and tea and meds? Me, that's who. *sigh* I will be on the couch watching old movies, reading and napping intermittently if anyone needs me.

What do you think of the slight blog redesign? I'm not sure of it yet. It may change again.

Gumbo Fabulous!

Between Hotrod being under the weather (read sick and in need of constant care) and the actual weather being rather cool, I decided to make gumbo yesterday. At the last minute, I left the shrimp out since we'd had shrimp the night before and just went with chicken and sausage.

This was the first time I'd made it and wow, it was tasty! Now I've got massive quantities of it to keep us going through the week. (The Italian in me doesn't know how to make small batches of anything.)

In other news, I wrote a scene in my WIP yesterday and then realized it didn't accomplish what it needed to do so I think I have to scrap it and start over. I hate deleting words. It's almost painful. But it needs to be done. I'll probably save the scene in a scraps file in case I can use part of it later. Do you do that or do you just send it into the ether?

I'm making a list, checking it twice...

I'm over at Fictionistas today talking about the COOLEST writer gadget thing I've found to put on my Christmas list. Come see!

Please Pass The...WHAT?

I had a great, albeit too short, weekend. Saturday was spent at a booksigning that took place at a local mall. Much fun was had by the five writers/authors in our group, even though we started the day by having lunch at a rather curious place. The restaurant we ate at featured a menu where every plate was 475 calories or less. Great! However, there wasn't a pat of butter to be had in the whole joint. They don't stock it, cook with it or serve it.

My dislike was immediate. I almost don't trust a restaurant that doesn't use butter. Granted, the food was really good. I just couldn't get past the butter thing.

I made up for that on Sunday afternoon when Hotrod and I indulged in the chili and cornbread I'd made for lunch. Mmmm...boys and girls, I can cook. Just saying. I also finished one book and started another. I am pushing really hard to make that 50 book year end total.

My one and only major goal this month? Write "The End" on my WIP. That means approximately 133 pages. Very doable. No NaNo, no fast draft, just regular writing. Any of you doing NaNo? Any other big monthly goals?

This Post Has No Title

WARNING: This is one of those rambling, going nowhere posts.

It just occurred to me that today is Halloween. (Except for carving this pumpkin.) Not such a big deal as there's nothing going on here that's Halloween-related. I didn't even buy candy to hand out - mostly because it's been hit or miss in the past. I buy candy, no one comes. I don't and they show up. I'm leaving the lights off, so it shouldn't matter.

I have a friend coming in for the weekend! She's one of my online CP's from Oregon. I'm sure there will be much writer talk. Tomorrow we're going to a massive book signing at a local mall with two of my other author friends, Lara Santiago and Roxanne St. Claire. Much fun will be had on Saturday, I assure you. (Of course, this means I will be cleaning today.)

In other news, yesterday was a good writing day. Nearly 8 pages. Super happy with that. I think I have roughly 140 pages left to write. I write in TNR 12 and now that most publishers go by actual computer word count, the 250 words per page thing just doesn't work any more. Anyway, my big push is to finish this book by the end of November. I'm feeling like I can do it. That's about 35 pages a week. Totally do-able, right?

Are you doing anything Halloweeny today? What are your weekend plans? Share!

Why Kristen Can't Read

"50 books in a year? No problem! I read that much in my sleep."

Um, actually, I don't. I don't read nearly the amount I thought I did. Consider me woken up and the coffee smelled. Despite the fact that I'm a speed reader (I've read 1000 words/minute with 100% comprehension since tested in 8th grade), life requires a lot of time, too. Plus, there's that whole writing thing I do.

I find it hard to read too much when I'm deep in my writing process. My brain doesn't want any characters but the ones who currently occupy my thinking. I also try not to read anything paranormal/fantasy while writing since my stories always have that bent and I worry about being influenced or unwittingly "borrowing" something.

Still, I've done a good job plowing through the Sookie Stackhouse books, even tho they're squarely in the paranormal category. They're different enough that I don't think there's any chance for crossover into my own work. Do you have these same issues with your writing/reading habits? Or is it just me? Do you pick genres to read that are opposite what you're writing?

I don't know if I'll get my 50 books this year, but I'm certainly going to try. If I can finish writing/polishing my WIP by the end of Novemeber, then December will be a reading-palooza.

I freeze, therefore I clean

It's cold here in FL. COLD. Like, 61 degrees last night. I know that doesn't sound cold but you have to realize that when the normal temp is 80-something, a drop like that makes a house on the equator sound like the perfect vacation spot. My blood is so thin it's trying out for America's Next Top Model.

Anyway, apparently that cold snap had some sort of weird effect on me. Reverse spring cleaning. I know, weird. Although probably not catching. I wish I'd taken pics of my office before I started on it because there are now parts of my desktop visible that were last seen when this desk was originally purchased. It's a reverse spring cleaning miracle, I tell ya!

I cleaned out drawers and cabinets, wiped shelves down, rearranged them, threw TONS of crap out (What purpose is there in keeping score sheets from a contest 3 years ago? That MS has been rewritten five times already!), restacked other crap into neater piles, found stuff I didn't know I had/was missing/needed and vacuumed, even though it has a tendency to give me blisters.

Suffice it to say that my office looks freakin' amazing. If this chilliness holds, Hotrod may not recognize the place when he gets home from his business trip. Actually, he may not recognize me if he comes in late and I'm traipsing around the house in my fur coat and mittens.

Do weather changes make you do anything weird?

Spotty Memories

I'm at Fictionistas today talking about one of my fondest Halloween memories. Come share!

Writing Basics

When you were a new writer starting out, did you ever have one of those epiphany moments when you suddenly realized the proper usage of dialogue tags? Or what staying in one POV really meant? What do you wish you knew then that you know now? What are the key things you think newbie writers should know? Here's what I've come up with so far:

*Basic formatting
*POV
*Deep POV and distancing words
*Dialogue Tags - when to use/when not to use
*Character empathy
*Basic idea of GMC
*Basic idea of Pacing

What else? I know there's a ton of stuff I'm forgetting.

Rainy Day Friday

While the above picture is a fair description of what I really prefer to do on grey, rainy days like today, instead I'll be writing and judging contest entries. I may also clean house a little since Hotrod can't eat chocolate cake without leaving a crumb trail that would make Hansel and Gretel jealous. It's been a busy week and shows no signs of slowing down with a chapter meeting tomorrow and a chapter contest meeting on Sunday. We're almost ready to announce our finalists, so once we get to that point, it's almost over.

What's on your agenda? What's the weather like where you are?

Do you GILGOE?

There are a lot of acronyms in the writing business.

HEA: Happily Ever After
TSTL: Too Stupid To Live
BICHOK: Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard
WIP: Work In Progress
MC: Main Character
BIAW: Book In A Week

I'm sure you could add some more. But what about GILGOE? Have you heard of it? No? I won't keep you in suspense any longer. GILGOE means Get In Late, Get Out Early. It refers to scenes and how the transitions should be handled.

In other words, if you've got a scene where the hero and heroine are headed to a crime scene, don't start the scene with the long drive in the car, start the scene as they walk toward the police tape. And don't end the scene when the clean-up crew comes in to mop up the blood, end it with a good hook, while the reader is still embedded in the action. Get in late in the action, get out early in the action. This will keep your readers wanting more and keep the pace going by avoiding the slow transitions. You'll find this technique in a lot of romantic suspense (Roxanne St. Claire) and some paranormal romance (Kresley Cole) but that doesn't mean it only works for those genres.

So...do you GILGOE?

Goals, Motivation, Conflict

Interesting Tidbit: Researchers say those who start their diet on a Monday only have a 30% chance of succeeding. Start your diet on a Thursday instead and you have a much greater chance of making it stick.

Today's Goals:
1. Write 10 pages.
2. Post some new pieces to my Etsy shop.
3. Workout.

Today's Motivation:
1. I really want to get my WIP finished.
2. New pieces help generate traffic, traffic means more possibility for sales.
3. Losing a few pounds before my HS reunion would be awesome.

Today's Conflict:
1. I have shows on the DVR to catch up on.
2. Downloading pics and writing up the descriptions takes time.
3. I'm inherently lazy.

I'll let you know how it goes. What's on your plate today?

Take the challenge!

I'm over at Fictionistas today. Come take the 80's Sitcom quiz and see if you remember as much as I do. I pity the fool who misses out!

Can You Tell We're Related?

This is Reese, my darling niece who just turned two. Let's see...tiara - check, blackberry - check, dangly earrings - check. Okay, ready to party! lol My brother makes good looking kids, don't you think?

Caturday!

There is a cat in this picture, I promise. He just couldn't be bothered to wake up. My closet seems to be one of his favorite nap spots. Happy Caturday!

Things That Make You Go Vrrrrrrrroooom!

My brother got a new toy. Isn't it spiffy? It's a Ducati Monster, one of the hottest Italian motorcycles on the market. I must admit, I'm a little jealous. I'd look pretty good on that, I think. He's promised me a ride for Thanksgiving.

He started to teach me to ride years ago, but I never really followed through. With the price of gas, riding a bike seems more practical than ever. Have you ever had a motorcycle? What kind? Would you ever get one?

Virtual Ribbon Cutting

I officially opened my jewelry store on Etsy last night! Blondissimo Gems and Jewelry is open and doing business. I've already had a few sales, and I'm thrilled! I've got some new pieces to get up today and some fabulous new pieces in the works.

Come check out the store and remember, Christmas is only 69 days away! (And if you're so moved to give my new venture a shout-out on your blog, I certainly won't stop you...)

At least I didn't eat my pillow

I woke up hungry. Not just hungry, but starving. Like tummy rumbling hungry.

Probably because I didn't eat dinner last night. Hotrod left on an afternoon flight for this week's business trip and to make up for being away, he got us lunch from our favorite Thai place. I ate all of mine, which was like two meals worth. After that, there was no way I could eat dinner. I had a pudding cup and some pumpkin seeds, but no real meal.

Now I'm so hungry I don't know what I want because I want everything. Unfortunately, I need to go grocery shopping.

Guess it's packaged oatmeal for me. What did you have for breakfast? Please tell me pancakes. I really want someone to have had pancakes...

Movies You Can't Live Without

I'm over at Fictionista's today talking about deserted island movie picks. What are yours? Come play!

Wow, it's Monday already?

Where is this month going? Seriously, it's just disappearing before our eyes. Well, mine anyway.

So what's on the schedule for this week? More writing, as always. I've been such a slacker in the writing department, not writing nearly the amount of pages per day I want to. Also, I'm aiming to get my Etsy jewelry store up this week. I need a good sunny day so I can go out and take pics of the jewelry. Oh yeah, and I still need to be working out. Three things. That's not too much. I should be able to get it done.

Lastly, I have a goal of NOT doing something this week. As in, I do not want to watch as much TV as I have been. It's a time suck. I need to cut back. So far, I'm cutting out at least two shows: Private Practice and The Rachel Zoe Project. I'm not even sure why I watch that show, because I hate it. Next time there's nothing on, I need to find something else to do as opposed to watching just to watch. Seriously.

What's on your schedule this week? Or not, as the case may be?

Caturday!

Apparently, some people aren't as excited about Caturday as I am.
(If this doesn't make you laugh, check your pulse, you're dead.)

Lazy Friday

It's Friday, that's reason enough to celebrate, isn't it? But just to make your day more spectacular, here's a picture of rainbow jello. Isn't it fun? It just uses red, yellow and blue jello. The orange and green are illusions created when the other flavors touch. I know, your Friday just got kicked up a notch and you weren't even expecting it.

You're welcome.

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head...

It's been raining a lot here lately. In fact, I thought we might lose power last night because of how stormy it was. Because of that, I was inspired to share some snaps of one of our local dog models, Ms. Pepper St. Claire (you may know her human, the always fashionable author, Roxanne St. Claire), as she shows off what's tres chic in bad weather gear these days. Enjoy!

Would you?

SEATTLE — Washington state officials have banned a procedure that uses tiny fish to nibble dead skin off the feet of customers getting pedicures.

Let's say the carp pedicure wasn't banned in your state - would you try it? They're apparently very popular in other countries like Turkey and places in Asia.

What happens is the fish nibble off all the dead skin. Gross, but seemingly not to the fish, which are a kind of tiny, toothless carp. (Not sure how they nibble without teeth.) Afterwards, a regular pedicure is performed. Obviously, polishing isn't part of the fishes job description. They have no hands, how would they hold the bottle?

These ladies in Virginia seem to be enjoying the nibbling fish. And at something like $30 for the 15 minute experience, it's not so out of reach, like the $1000 brownie.

So, would you try it? Tell me what you think. You can read more about it here.

School Lunch

I'm at Fictionistas today talking about school lunch. Come play!

Also, my friend Roxanne St. Claire is blogging over at www.murdershewrites.com - Stop by and say hi, today is her first day!

Drive By Monday To Do's

This is gonna be a busy week, I can feel it. Here's just a part of what's on my week's agenda:

1. Write 30 pages on the WIP
2. Finish the book I'm reading
3. Read another book I've been dying/meaning to
4. Create 5 new pieces of jewelry to beef up my inventory before opening my Etsy store
5. Come up with a name for the store
6. Workout 4 times
7. Do the floors
8. Dust
9. Laundry

And that leaves out all the errand running I know I'll have to do. Just today I've got to go to the Post Office again and get groceries, later on in the week I've got a Dr.'s appt and a meeting with my chapter critmates.

I should probably schedule time to breath. What are you doing this week?

Caturday!

Please don't bother me. I'm practicing my lounging skills.

Even More Jewelry

So, thanks to Karen, I'm thinking about opening a store at Etsy instead of Ebay. Thanks, Karen! My brother, who makes custom fly rods from reclaimed barn wood, may open a shop there too.

One of the things I need to figure out is what to call my little company. I'm open to ideas! You know I like cats and bling, so feel free to work with those. Also, I'm wondering about pricing. I'm going to show you a few things that will be up for sale along with the prices I'm thinking of. Please let me know if you think the prices are too high, too low or fair. This is new ground for me so any suggestions are welcome.

Winter Dream Set - $30
(necklace & earrings)
Swarovski crystal, aurora glass, silver beads

Bit O' Honey - $65
(necklace, bracelet & earrings)
Bronze freshwater pearls, rose crystal, antique glass, glass drops, Swarovski crystal, metal bees, flowers and hives)

Simple Silver - $12
Bugle beads, silver beads, moss jasper, freshwater pearls, swarovski crytsal

I know my pics aren't the best, I'm going to work on that. Actually, I'm going to take the pics outside in the sun. I think that will show the colors off best. Okay, tell me what you think!

More Jewelry Pics

Here's some more of my jewelry pieces - a necklace and earring set. I made these for my mom. It's multi-colored jasper, golden potato pearls (potato refers to the shape) and gold beads.

Hopefully, my mom doesn't read this blog or it's not going to be much of a surprise when she gets it. lol Since my mom found out I started making jewelry again, she's sent me tons of beads, especially since she and my dad where in Durango, CO at the same time as there was a big bead and gem show going on. I thought it was fitting to make her something with the jasper and pearls, since she sent both of those to me. I hope she likes it!

Today I have an idea for a brown pearl and pink crystal necklace set. I'm working on building some inventory so I can open a little Ebay store. Problem is, I want to keep or give away everything I make!

And of course, I need to do some writing! What are you up to today?

Wednesday Whatevers

It's Wednesday (duh) and the appt I thought I had today got canceled, rearranging my day. I still have to go to the post office, but I'd been waiting because I like to consolidate my chores. Now, I'm still going to have to go to the post office, but it'll be that and that alone. Bummer. I hate using up gas for one thing.

For those of you who asked, there's a photo of a necklace, bracelet and earring set I made recently, to give you an idea of what some of the jewelry I make looks like. I'll try to post some more pics as I make things.

Things I've noticed:

* My 50 books in a year isn't going as fast as I'd thought it would.
* There's never chocolate in the house when you want it, just when you shouldn't be eating it.
* Procrastination is the easiest thing ever.
* My writing goes really well...when I write.
* We have a new gator in the canal. He's a little bitty thing. I had to stop Hotrod from feeding him french fries.

Hopefully today will be one of those writing days where I apply myself and actually write. It will be. I just know it. What are you up to today?