Good day...

Today was a bit relaxing even though I accomplished alot. I think I'm just happy that I'm not having to drive anywhere. Tomorrow will be another busy day because I'll be pulling out all of my candle, soap and lotion supplies to do an inventory. We're thinking that the restaurant is too risky to try right now with the economy in the toilet.

Anyhoo... My family has agreed that the safest way to start a business right now is to finish the website and start out small. As soon as we see things that work or don't work, we can tweak our product line and not have a high overhead. I need to start making products and figure out what we'll start with. The website has to be designed/programmed and products packaged so I can take pictures. Our plan is to have the website up and running by the end of April. My handmade bars of soap need at least 30 days to cure.

The problem is that I can envision a brick and mortar shop. I can see the building and how I think it should look. It's not really a problem I guess because if the website does well we can start funneling the money into renovating the building and not borrow money. The whole point is that we DO NOT want to borrow money. We have made it our personal mission to pay off ALL of our loans and credit cards. No more debt. This way our overhead will be at a minimum and if we have a slow week or month, we won't be freaking out and worried about making ends meet. But if I can't have my southern comfort food...I can see a little sweet shop with goodies and shelves filled with pretty bling things.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I'll be thinking about you when I'm playing scientist and mixing my potions;)

I'm baaaaack!

*huge sigh* Feels good to be home and not planning on what needs to be packed for the next trip. At least not in the immediate future. We'll join hubby in Louisiana on the 30th with the new travel trailer. I'll have to buy dishes and linens to stock it but at least those are things that won't have to be packed and moved with every new jobsite. I had a nice relaxing lunch with a friend today and he unloaded some work stress. His job is pretty fascinating to me so it was really interesting just hearing him vent. Grey's Anatomy was good tonight, and next week's episode looks just as promising.

Right now? I'm working on catching up with my crit partners. Hopefully by Monday I'll be ready to work on my WIP without wanting to peek at everyone else's story. That's definitely an issue when I get sucked into the creative world of my writing buddies.

Hope everyone has been productive?!

Happy weekend, guys!

I hope everyone had a productive week. I didn't. *sigh* I found out that I didn't win Donna Alward's contest but she gave me some wonderful advice. Basically...she suggested I do a small amount of emotional layering in a few places. Easy-peasy. We were at the cabin and I didn't even feel like opening my laptop. Been feeling kinda crappy the last couple of days with a little chest cold. No biggie but enough to drag down my energy and motivation. Especially since I didn't have a deadline looming.

So...what's up for the weekend? Any big plans? I think we're going out to eat breakfast in a few minutes and then home to take care of a few small chores. We have to leave out again tomorrow to take Mr. Chelle back to the cabin/jobsite. This afternoon and evening I'll try to work on crits and upload everything. Maybe grill some ribs and smoked sausage when it warms up. Which of course means I have to make my famous potato salad and guacamole dip.

Enjoy your weekend!

Gooooooood Monday morning, beautiful people!

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Ours was uneventful. Saturday I had my OKRWA writer's bootcamp meeting and Sunday we had a birthday party here at the building for my cousin's daughter. She needed the room because it was sort of like a miniature carnival. They had a bouncy jump thingy (which I couldn't keep little man out of;) and a bunch of different game stations where the kids won tickets for prizes. They also played games and the kids just had a blast. I even caught a few parents playing along. The cake was screwed up so I ran down to the local market and found a cute American Idol cake that replaced it perfectly. My cousin had a karaoke machine set up for the kids. Overall...chaos but fun.

My bootcamp was great. Drill Sarge read from a current Nocturne to point out how backstory can slow pacing. Amazing how easy it is to see from an objective perspective. One minute the woman was on the verge of having a villain capture her and the next she's discussing why they were picking on her and she was trying to put on her seatbelt. I don't know about you guys...but if an evil psycho was after me--I wouldn't be looking for my seatbelt. It sounded like a great read though.

Off to take teen to school. Have a productive day!

Finally Friday!

Wow. What a week. Lots of ups and downs. I've been home since Wednesday but feel as if I just walked in the door. I don't think I've accomplished anything this week. Left hubby behind in Arkansas and miss him terribly for some reason. I mean...I usually miss him...just ALOT this time. At least I'll see him next week instead of 2-3 weeks or even 4 months. The weather has been cooperating with us and he's been able to work a full week. Looks good for next week, too. Maybe this will be a recurring trend and he won't reconsider going back to Iraq.

Maybe I can get a few things done this weekend. Teen kiddo will be gone until Sunday and with hubby gone...just me and little man. We bought a new US map kit yesterday and will probably set up the computer program so he can start playing with the puzzles. He's so excited to learn which is a refreshing change from the teen.

Just wanted to share a couple of things with you guys before I call it the weekend. A writing friend from eHarlequin has lost her sister tragically this week. It's a heartbreaking story because she lost her brother not too long ago, and when the sister died this week she left behind four beautiful children. Dee has seven kids to care for now. The family is in need of burial assistance and I'm sure a little help for the kids as well. If anyone is interested in hearing their story, here's the link...

Dee Tenorio and Family

Hope you guys had a productive week and enjoy your weekend. Here's a little something that might leave you with a smile...

A Day In The Life Of A Romance Writer (aka) My Cup Runneth Over...With Cat Vomit

Technology SUCKS!!

I know what I said yesterday. And I take it back. The stupid piece of crap charger worked great yesterday. This morning...not so much. The charger tip is loose and keeps losing connection so my battery kicks in. So does my power saver. I'm reading through my chapter, making sure my changes flow well, and every time I get going good--the screen fades. *sigh* $100.

My week has been going ok. Yours? My hubby's...not so much. His job is sucking about now because of the weather. They work outside and it's a little dangerous. And up high. Anytime there is precipitation or wind, they can't work. Which means no pay. So now he's talking with his old boss about going back to Iraq. Please send good vibes for the weather to even out and stay nice. I'm headed back to his job site to bring him home for the weekend. And for Valentine's Day.





See you guys in a couple of days!!

Technology ROCKS!!

Seriously. Ya know...I had a couple of minor issues when I turned 40 last October, but never really felt as if I was getting up there in age. I saw a few commercials with women my age or a little younger doing wrinkle and anti-aging infomercials. OMG. That set me off a little. My eye doctor is younger and it felt a little funny when I had my last check-up and he said it was probably time for people "our" age to start thinking about reading glasses. No, I didn't smack him or pop off about them young'uns that had no respect for their elders. But after yesterday...I feel old.

*sigh*

The power cord on my laptop is already going out. I switched over to the teen boy's laptop (my old Dell) and tried to work on my chapter. The power cord is going out on that one, too. Ugh. I went to Walmart and of course...they were ALL out. Radio Shack is right next door. I hate going there because they're usually quite a bit more expensive. I didn't see what I was looking for and had to ask the sales "girl". She walked me back over to the computer accessory section and handed me an iGo. Apparently it's the new cool gadget. A young guy behind us started raving about how he has one for cell phones. It apparently has a main power cord that goes into the power source. Home or car. Then the attachments vary according to your needs. The system I bought yesterday is for most laptops. I was a little lost as all the techno stuff and explanation flew by me. But the worst part -- they were explaining it to me as if I were a child. Or older. I just wanted to get home and work. I freaked out a little when she rang it up...$100. But then again I knew two power cords for two laptops wouldn't be cheap.

Wow. This gadget is pretty cool. It has a cord that plugs into the powerstrip but has a plastic end which sort of reminds me of a phone cord. That is so you can plug in whatever tip you need to fit whichever laptop you use.

Back to work!! At least for as long as we have power. We're under a severe weather alert for this afternoon. It's freaking February! They're already telling us to use our tornado precautions today. *sigh* It's going to be a long tornado season.

Good Monday morning!

Not that I like Monday's. I do...but I don't. LOL. It means I've got to get the kiddos up early and back to school. And it's raining this morning so I have to trick the dogs into going outside.

But I also get tired of laying around. We didn't have much to do this weekend. I worked on my chapter, a few crits, and started reading a new book. I NEEDED to finish painting the bathroom and trim it out. It was hard to get motivated without hubby here to help. I'll definitely have to finish it this week though, he's issued a challenge. He thinks I'm saving it for him to do. This could go two ways. He could be trying to use reverse pyschology on me. Probably not. He's just feeling his manly need to take charge.

I worked on my chapter this weekend. Hopefully I'll convince myself to quit messing with it and just hit send. But as I get each new crit, new points are being brought up. *sigh* I'm trying to stay true to the Superromance line and it's hard when there are so many different ways I could spin this. She needs to look ineffectual against her teen monster. It'll be part of her character arc. But I don't want her coming off as an idiot that doesn't care that he's drinking and driving. Argh! Back to work...if I can keep the laptop charged enough. I may have to work on the dreaded desktop. Or just give in and buy a new powercord.

Grey's Anatomy

I loved last nights episode! I've always liked the show but have been disappointed recently with the direction they went on a couple of characters. Definitely not a deal breaker though. Last nights episode really struck a cord with me because of my desire to be the best writer I can be.

What makes a love story stand out?

One of the female characters (Yang) went on a bit of a personal journey. She was reading an old journal for Meredith and talked about a love connection that read like a Victorian Era novel. The writer had Yang experience it first hand with her new love interest. Chaste. Sensual torture by eye contact and a soft touch as they pass in the corridor. Awareness.

Dr. McDreamy is trying to find the perfect way to propose to Meredith. Of course people start to discover his intentions and have loads of advice. Does he listen to her best friend? Her actions in the past have been to run when things start getting serious between them. Does he go grand gesture or simple and elegant? Romantic? Symbolic? As more people find out he has difficulty keeping it from her, which sends her in panic mode with worst case scenarios. She's afraid he wants kids...and is scared of her dysfunctional.

Next week is a must watch show. In the meantime. I think I'll go through my chapter and see how I can make my characters more aware of each other.

Contest Finalist

WooHoo! I'm soooo excited right now!! In January, Harlequin Romance author - Donna Alward, presented an incredible opportunity to unpubbed writers. She was accepting pitches for a contest in which the prize was -- she would donate her time and expertise for a three chapter critique and be a mentor for an entire year. I didn't think I had a chance. Especially after she posted that she'd received 48 entires.

Well...you guessed it. I'm one of the five finalists. I've talked with her a few times on the eHarlequin forum, but hadn't had a chance to really know her. She's so sweet and sincerely offers her support and encouragement to other writers on the HQ threads. I had the chance to chat with her when she notified me about the finalist notification...she's so cool. I love her writing style so this is an incredible honor for me. The next phase of the contest is for the five finalists to submit their first chapter.

WooHoo.

See ya! Have a great day!! I've got a little tweaking to do on my chapter before I submit.

One of those days...

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like everything you're writing is crap? Well...I had one of those weeks. I just love my poor critique partners. They are so good for me. Sometimes I wonder if I'm where I need to be and some how they always manage to straighten me back out.

I'm at the cabin today but will head home tomorrow. My short term goal is to fix my chapter one and finish revising chapter two before I leave in the morning. It'll be nice to be home more so I can connect with the world again. My oldest is needing more mommy time. It's nice to feel needed by him again.

Dreaming Spring

*sigh* I am so ready for spring. The only thing I've hated about spending time with hubby on his jobsite is that I didn't have internet. Well...I'm not liking the northern mountains of Arkansas very much right now. We were slammed with an ice storm and lost power last Monday. The guys couldn't work all week. So not only could I not use the laptop for long without having to charge the battery in the truck, but I had hubby and little man needing to be entertained. And it was cold. Really cold.

We went ahead and slept in the cabin Monday and Tuesday night but ended up in the boss's travel trailer Wednesday night. We came home Thursday. Still no power. Lots of bonding time with family and friends. I used to believe I was born 100 years too late and could've been a pioneer. LOL. Yeah, ok. I'm spoiled. I want heat and air. I want tv, laptop and cooking appliances without having to chop wood.

It took two 4-wheel drive trucks to pull our truck up the hill. That was after the guys spent the morning clearing downed trees off of the road. Now it's time to go back. Hubby has to be back at work tomorrow morning. Waaaah! One positive note...I'm leaving little man home with grandma. I'll have a couple of days alone with hubby and tomorrow I can have all day to write. Maybe we'll luck out and the power is back on.

Hope you guys are keeping your writing goals and plugging right along. I started getting crits back on my chapter and realized it's crap. I was overthinking. LOL. That doesn't happen often. Back to work. Maybe I can fix it. That's what I'll focus on tonight and tomorrow. I need to work on the pacing and take out more backstory.

Hopefully it'll work out and I'll be a happy camper when I come home Tuesday. I'll miss hubby but my oldest needs some family time. Don't want him to turn out like the belligerent brat in my story.

Have a great week!!

Happy Monday!

Hope you guys had a productive day! Did you get anything accomplished toward your goals? Me? Why, yes I did. My immediate goal is to have a chapter uploaded to both crit groups for review while we're gone this week. As long as the weather holds up...I'll go into town for coffee and check email by Friday.

A fellow OKRWA author has recently been asked to participate in a group blog. I was trying to cut back on my blog visits, so the ones I do check out need to be writing relevant. This one looks very promising, great authors and an interesting topic. Check it out for yourselves...

Deadline Dames

Good news?

I accomplished part of my goal to get healthy this year...on top of the 10 lb weight loss. I finally decided to go see a doctor about my back. I've had a bad back for years and several doc's told me to take Motrin and be more careful about how I lifted heavy objects. Nowadays I'm having many more bad days than good and am getting tired of living with the pain. Hubby got tired of seeing me hurt and insisted we go see a doctor. So I did.

You just can't imagine my relief when the doc told me to stand and pushed on the exact spot that gives me trouble. He had me bend in several different angles and asked so many questions that gave me confidence he actually knew what he was talking about. I almost cried when he said he understood and will refer me to an orthopedic specialist. He's not sure of the exact problem but said he could feel some "gnarly spasms" going on and it's most likely a disc issue. He prescribed four different medications which I frowned on...but he asked me to trust him. I took them and within 15 mintues...I wanted to go back and kiss the man. Hubby agreed. ;) Doc said he wanted to keep me comfortable while waiting to see the specialist. And I am. The first time I took the muscle relaxant...saying I was loopy is an understatement, but the pain went away. For the first time in years I was able to sleep through the night.

We're home!

Well, we got home Thursday night and spent some time with a family friend who has just returned from Iraq. Got to hear some stories, some of which I probably didn't need to hear. He also showed us footage of when their convoy was hit with an I.E.D. How his wife was able to sit and watch it over and over again is beyond me. So the guys got to share war stories and got a military family perspective on the upcoming administration changes and how it'll affect them. It's amazing to hear real life perspective compared to a vote bartering politician's or biased media reports.

Anyhoo...nine days is too long to go without cyber connections. We leave out for the cabin again on Tuesday and I think I'll have to make a point of going into town several times. Little man was able to play in the snow and thinks it'll still be there when we get back.

Amazing. It's the middle of January, a new year, and I still feel good about my simple resolutions. I've lost 10 pounds from just cutting out pop and crappy snacks. I haven't caught up with everyone on crits...but I'm keeping up at least and actually working with one person at a time. So I feel good about seeing progress. I'm keeping my resolution to 'just do it'.

My WIP is coming along. Not as fast as I would like, speed will come as the words flow. At least I feel confident about the new changes though. I'd like to have the partial revised and subbed by the end of January. We'll see. Looking forward to a productive week!

Good Monday morning!

I hope everyone had a great holiday break. I know several of you have set aside today to get back on a writing schedule. Alot of kiddos are going back to school and spouses back to work. Yay! Don't get me wrong...I love my cowboy. But it will be nice to get back into our routine.

I'm proud of myself because I've actually worked on my WIP everyday. I've been going through and taking out as much backstory as I can. The hard part though is changing the beginning to start with more conflict. I downloaded everyone's chapters that I need to crit. We're headed back to the cabin and hopefully I'll keep get a ton of work done. I would LOVE to get my partial revised and subbed. I'm "determined" to finish this story and move on.

I'm "determined" to get published this year.

Determination

So how was everyone's New Years celebrations? We actually made it to midnight...had our sip of champagne and went straight to bed. LOL. But what was important...? I did what I set out to do. Easy-peasy you say? Not for me. But it started out my new year exactly like I wanted. I followed through with my first goal of the year. We had a variety of appetizers and sat around with little man and played games with him. Our oldest went to a church lock-in with friends and had a great time.

I love this time of year. Fresh and full of motivation. My writing buddies are all focused and determined which fuels my fire. I'm hearing the word determination alot. I was able to catch up on some of my crits, but not all. At least I put forth a valiant effort and didn't just give up. I even worked yesterday while everyone was laying around being lazy.

With that said...I'm off to butcher and rebuild my chapter. Have a productive day!!

Happy New Year!!

New Years @ Bopmyspace.com

A new year...

I can't believe this year is almost gone. I think I say that every year though. LOL. And as usual...I don't feel like I've accomplished much. We've had some MAJOR family chaos...but then--who hasn't?! I think I'll skip on making an itemized resolution list. Not even going to waste my time. This year I think I'll make it simple.

Just do it.

I'm tired of feeling crappy all of the time. My weight is at it's highest. My youngest is tall for his age but is starting to look pudgy. The last thing I want to do is screw up his eating habits. So my weight resolution is simple...do something healthy everyday. I need to get better about making a grocery list and sticking to it. I won't take hubby or kids with me. I need to try to cook healthier meals more often and add a daily effort for some type of exercise.

Writing...everyday effort. I'm working today and tomorrow to catch up on crits before the end of the year. It'll help when we go back to the cabin if I get in a routine. Hubby gets up at 5 am and is out the door by 6 am. I can have coffee and breakfast with him before little man wakes up. I can write until he gets up and around. It'll be difficult to blog and network without internet, but the campsite is looking into wireless. I told George (the head camp dude) if he could get us internet service that I'd be a very happy camper. That'll also help with little man's homeschooling.

Something everyday.

Black Wednesday?

I guess I've been in a black hole without internet service. I was surfing my favorite blogs and catching up yesterday when I came across literary agent Lori Perkin's blog. She posted an article from the New York Times about major changes within the publishing industry. I knew things were bad with the economy and the trickle down effects would cause some negative issues within the industry, but the articles and blog post brought up some valid points about e-publishing.

I've got a few friends and crit partners that are e-pubbed and I've been thinking lately about changing my submission target. I started out targeting Harlequin because I enjoy reading several of the lines they publish. It also helps that they pay advances. But I've been buying e-books to support my friends and crit partners, so I've been surfing a few of the e-pubs and looking through their submission guidelines. At this point though...I need to just sit down and write. See what you think about the articles...

http://agentinthemiddle.blogspot.com/

New Release...

Congrats to one of my lovely critique partners...Debora Dennis! She's a very talented author...check out her new release.

ISBN Number: 978-1-897560-10-5
Genre: Time Travel RomanceLength: Novella
Heat Index: Hot with Explicit Language

Read excerpts or buy it here!

Dreaming of the past.

Hannah Falcon loves her job cataloging medieval artifacts and setting up the displays at the Natural History Museum in New York. What she doesn’t love is her father’s steadfast refusal to let her go on any of his archeological digs, or her friends insisting she date more. When a man dressed as a medieval knight shows up in the museum, Hannah mistakes him for her friend’s latest attempt at a blind date.

Sent into the future:

Sir Gavin of Rogueforth is a battle-hardened twelfth century knight, having seen and caused his share of death in the crusades. He expects nothing more from life than to live and die by his sword. After Gavin rescues a woman and her daughter from a band of highway thieves, she sends him through time to protect another Hannah, claim her as his own and fulfill his destiny. He doesn’t expect a woman who refuses to be protected.

Timeless passion:

Can a man in chain maille convince a twenty-first century woman to follow her heart? Can a modern day woman show a medieval knight there’s more to life than being a protector? When two people from two different times explore Manhattan during the holiday season will time be an obstacle or will they find the magic to span centuries under the mistletoe?