Grrrr.

It's one of those days. I just want to growl at everyone. Hubby has been home alot due to the fact that their current job is located in town and he hasn't had to travel. The weather has been rainy and wet the last couple of days and too dangerous for the guys to work. I love him being home, but he's worse than the kids sometimes and I can't focus on my to-do list. I finally finished critting a beta read for a crit partner and I'm trying to get through the chapters I'm judging for a contest. I've had two doctors appointments in a week and driving in to the city has severely limited my writing time. Grrrr.

The teen man/child is on Fall Break and I let a friend spend the night. They wanted to go over to the girlfriend's house to hang out. No problem. Of course...boys will be boys and they woke us up around 1 am. Hubby wasn't happy because he had to be up for work at 5 am. So being a grouchy butt today, I decided to check out the man/child's grades online. Not good. His grades have dropped. I'm sure he'll be surprised and have issues with being on restriction for the rest of the break. Which means he will be under my feet, and just as grouchy. Grrrr.

Our local writers conference is coming up in November. I found a couple of workshops and registered, but overall was disappointed with the selections this year. At least I can get together with some of my OKRWA sisters and spend quality adult time away from the house. Maybe some of their pubbed creative dust will rub off and I can refill my well. ;)

How do you motivate yourself when chaos reigns around you? Maybe...if I growl loud enough the family will back off and let me spill my guts on paper. Maybe...if I unload some of this emotion...it won't be a grrrr day.

I am woman. Hear me grrrrrrrrrrr.

Bad Blogger

Sorry I've been neglecting you guys lately. Things have been pretty hectic around here as usual. Hubby is home working on a local job for a couple of months, which means I can't get away with simple meals. Fortunately he helps with preparation and clean-up, but it still means more elaborate meal planning, shopping and cooking.

The restaurant plans are on hold until we can get our architectural plans back and approved by the city inspector. I've ordered an update for my website software so I can finish the shopping cart for my bath & body products. I've ordered new fragrances and will hopefully start making the soaps and lotions. I'm looking forward to putting on my scientist coat and experimenting. Mwahaha.

As for my passion?! I submitted the first chapter of my WIP to OKRWA's Finally A Bride contest. I'm thinking we might know something by the end of the month. This week...I'm working on finishing up a beta read for one of my crit partners and judging 6 entries for a contest.

AND....a HUGE shout out for my crit partner, Ami Weaver!!! Girlfriend won the Georgia RWA Maggie award for the Unpublished Contemporary Series Romance category!!! You rock, honey!! She'll definitely be busy polishing her ms because they've requested the full manuscript. Congrats!

Sourdough Starter Pancakes

Hey guys! Happy Monday. :) I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Hubby is due home this week so I am super swamped trying to get my to-do list whittled down. I thought I'd give ya a link to a recipe I found for So
urdough Pancakes. You can make these from the recipe I gave you for the sourdough starter. Have fun!

Sourdough Pancakes

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

1 c sourdough starter
2 Tb vegetable oil
1 egg
2 Tb sugar
3/4 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

Step 1
Pour one cup of sourdough starter, or sponge, into a clean mixing bowl.

Step 2
Stir in two tablespoons of vegetable cooking oil.

Step 3
Add one egg and two tablespoons of sugar. Mix well.

Step 4
Stir in ¾ cup of flour. If you want pancakes that are more “sour”, see the tip below.

Step 5
Dissolve one teaspoon of baking soda and ¼ teaspoon of salt into a tablespoon of warm water.

Step 6
Right before you are ready to cook the pancakes, add the baking soda mixture to your sourdough pancake batter. Gently fold it in.

Step 7
Let your sourdough pancake batter sit for a few minutes, while it foams and rises in the bowl. This is a good time to prepare any bacon or sausage you are having with your pancakes.

Step 8
Heat your griddle or pan until it is fairly hot, grease it, and pour ¼ to ½ cup of batter onto the skillet for each pancake. Cook on each side for 1-2 minutes. Serve hot.

State Fair = Rain

It's that time of year. I've always loved the beginning of the school year because it means the start of college football!! Go Sooners!! I can sigh with relief when the kiddos are occupied more often with homework, activities, and renewed friendships. But it also signals the start of the Oklahoma State Fair. We used to take the boys when they were little but we're old and grouchy now. The boys stopped enjoying the looooooong lines. It stops being fun when they figure out the rides last 2 minutes and we have to stand in line for 20. And it rains. Every year. It has become a standing joke that you know when the fair is in town because we have rain. Every day. And this year is no different.

Normally I would LOVE the rain. I hate driving in it because of the way people drive, but I love the smell. The cool air it brings with it. I enjoy spending time out on the patio because everything seems refreshed and clean. But this year...hubby has to monkey around on the top of water towers. They can't climb and weld when it rains. No work - no pay. At this point the rain is causing delays in the crew completing a tank. They plan to be home by next Tuesday. Oh well. So life goes on. We often have to make adjustments in our lives for the unexpected.

Which makes me think of my writing. How many times have you had a story idea play out in your head...but when you began putting it on paper, it doesn't work for whatever reason. Maybe the conflict can't be sustained to the end. Maybe one of your characters doesn't have believable motivation. Do you roll with the punches and revise? Or make adjustments?

I haven't had the misfortune of having to scrap a story yet. I have had a crit partner who has. Sometimes it's easier to just move on. You can't submit an unwritten story. I do have two manuscripts that I've put away. I love the storyline, the characters, but for various reasons I'm at a standstill on them. But we push on. Do we need a good kick in the buttocks for inspiration? I often do.

I got one the other day. Awhile back I was clicking around the blogosphere within my writing buddies circle and was fortunate to find Jody Hedlund. She usually has such informative and interesting posts, and I was thrilled for her recently when she announced she'd signed with an agent. But wow. WOW. She can now add published author to her name!! Congrats to Jody for being offered a three book contract with Bethany House Publishers. Doing the Snoopy dance for ya girl!!

What wonderful inspiration to those of us on the journey with her. And a good kick in the hiney to get busy. I've got two WIP's as we speak. My first manuscript was a series contemporary targeting Harlequin Superromance. I received a rejection on a partial with some really great editorial suggestions on how to strengthen the heroine's internal conflict. I had placed third in a contest and was recently encouraged to send the revised first chapter to another contest for feedback. The assistant editor suggested I resubmit...we'll see if I can fix it. The other WIP is a historical, and a huge challenge for me. I'm having "issues" as to how to begin the story. But that's another blog post. ;) The trouble is finding time to work on them.

I thought I would post my recipe for the Sourdough Starter. Erin...I forgot that I have your old email addy and it kicked it back to me. So here ya go...

Sourdough Starter

1 ½ ounces fresh compressed yeast
3 cups warm water
1 ounce granulated sugar
1 pound 8 ounces unbleached flour (I use bread flour)

In a plastic container with a large opening so your starter can expand with each feeding, dissolve yeast in the water and add sugar. Stir in the flour using a wooden spoon, until you have a smooth paste. Make sure the container is pretty large. I use a gallon size freezer bag and put it inside of a plastic bowl to keep it from falling over. After I add ingredients I can pull the bag out and squeeze the bag to mix the contents.

Cover loosely to allow gases to escape (I leave a corner of the plastic bag open) and place in a warm spot in your kitchen for 2 to 3 days. The mixture should bubble and give off a sour odor. Stir down the starter once a day during this time and make sure to stir in any crust that’s formed. After this point, store the starter in the fridge.

The starter needs to be fed every 10 days, otherwise it will die. Add half as much flour and water as the original recipe if you aren’t using the starter regularly. Use less if you’re actually using your started regularly. Stir in the flour and water and keep refrigerated.

And he's gone...

The hubster is officially out of the building. The first item on my to-do list was to try out several new recipes for bread. I put together a sour dough starter for future loaves, and have dough rising for a loaf of foccacia. I've also pulled out the ingredients for chocolate gooey butter cookies. The turtle brownies for hubby's birthday didn't last long. I think for dinner tonight we'll have beef and rice. I usually make 1/2 pound burgers and cook until medium. In the same pan, I add butter and sautee finely chopped sweet onions, garlic, and italian seasonings. Add flour until the butter/oil makes a paste and add heavy cream until it becomes a gravy. I make a cilantro rice and lay the beef patties on the rice and cover with the gravy.

I guess I'll have to quit playing on the computer so I can clean the carpets in the kitchen. Hopefully it won't wipe me out because I need to get little man's schoolwork done and try to make some headway with the restaurant business plan. It doesn't look like I'll have the time to work on my chapter until tonight. Maybe since hubster is gone...I can get little man in bed early. Keep your fingers crossed. ;)

Back to Chaos

If I've learned one thing from traveling with hubby to his jobsites, it's that I was on VACATION. I hate the driving and living out of a suitcase, but I have to actually work at home.

I am glad to be home though and sleeping in my big bed. The weekend was spent getting things back to our normal, chaotic schedule. And...little man had a running virus. We had to run back and forth with him to the bathroom all weekend. *sigh* Sorry if that was TMI. LOL...He's getting really cranky with me today because I'm forcing liquids down him. No other symptoms...just an upset stomach. My hands are raw from the constant washing. I do not want his running virus. ;)

I found the architectural drawings my mom originally had drawn up for the building that we're wanting to use for the restaurant. And it doesn't look good. My mom and aunt had some incredible ideas for what they wanted to do...but we won't need a back lobby because I can't handle patio seating right now. And they wanted to add a drop ceiling. Not only is it expensive and complicated...but I LOVE the high, old tin ceilings. I think we can live with the kitchen set up. It's larger than what we need or planned on having. But at least we won't need to expand when we blow up the town and become a huge overnight success. :)

I haven't had a chance to work out my actual logline yet for my historical. Hubby leaves out again in the morning to go back to work. His boss is thinking that they'll be back in Oklahoma by next week. Hopefully I can get little man busy working on schoolwork tomorrow and spend a little time on my logline. I need to also finish my chapter for my series contemporary romance. Ready...set...work!

Going home!

I could hardly sleep last night for some reason. Maybe I'm excited about going home today? That's a given. I may have to come back to Memphis in a couple of weeks to help hubby get the 5th wheel home, and that'll be for one night only. But I think I'm nervous about taking a class on cake decorating. It begins on the 17th and I received an email reminder last night. I actually got butterflies. Wow. I've been cooking, baking, and experimenting with food since I was 13 years old. Maybe it's because I'll have someone grading me this time. Eh...I face the crowd everytime I cook.

Thank you so much for your well wishes for my husband. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick in soon because the swelling is getting alot worse. Since we're going home, he'll go see our family doc tomorrow.

Loglines. *sigh* I feel like doing a dramatic swoon at just hearing the stupid word. But I am sooo glad I am not alone in my angst. Man, give me a chance with a one page synopsis and I can kick some word booty. One or two sentences. Ouch. So what I worked on last night? I looked at the loglines for two of my favorite movies. Here's what I found.

Tombstone: Wyatt Earp tries to live a normal life with his family but is forced to fight outlaws, leading to the infamous showdown at the OK Corral.

Steel Magnolias: Story of female friends in a small town and the hardships and happiness they endure together.

Now, I can see the Tombstone logline working because you've got strong key words and historical facts. Wyatt Earp. Forced to fight. And the infamous showdown at the OK Corral. But when I look at Steel Magnolias...I'm thinking it probably wouldn't have pulled me in if I hadn't already seen the movie.

So I made a list of the elements in my Native American historical romance. It can also be considered a paranormal because of the dreamwalking. My goal today is to look at the list and start trying to put sentences together.

Loglines

Well, hubby had an interesting birthday. Considering he spent three hours in an AM/PM clinic. He's had a bump on his arm steadily swelling the last few days. It began with what we thought was a mosquito bite. It's not. He's a welder and often goes without wearing his leather welding shirt when the temperatures are extremely hot outside.

Have you ever had a small burn...like you accidently touch yourself with a curling iron or grease pop on you while cooking? They hurt like all get out. I know his job requires him to work in extreme temperatures, but it's not as bad as when he was in Iraq. So why not endure the leather shirt to keep from having small burns all over his upper body?

One of his burns has apparently gotten a staph infection. The swelling has tripled in size and his forearm is extremely painful and hot to the touch. They've started him on antibiotics and something for pain. I doubt he'll take the pain meds because he needs clarity when climbing up a hundred feet in the air to dangle from a harness, or to walk on a 6 inch wide platform.

So last night as we're falling asleep. I teased him with a line from one of our favorite movies, Tombstone. If you've ever watched it, it's where Sam Elliot's character, Virgil Earp, has been shot in the arm and is told he'll lose the use of it. He tells his wife something like, "I've still got one good arm to hold you with Ellie."

At least I got a goofy grin. Maybe it wasn't such a great birthday, but he still got a warm, gooey turtle brownie.

Okay...back to business. Loglines. If you were having a conversation with someone, how many of you can just toss out a decent one or two line description of your book. Several editor or agent pitches rely on a high concept logline to hook immediate interest.

I personally suck at it. So it peaked my interest when I received an email from one of my Yahoo groups, it was a virtual class on loglines from Rosemary Clement-Moore. It's the Four Elements of a Winning Pitch through the Candy Havens Writer's Workshop. And just what I needed. So I thought I would share my process as I go through the motions.

The first thing she has us doing is looking at the movie descriptions in TV Guide, or the online guide for your cable/satellite service will work. Also...look online for your favorite movie descriptions. Study the strength of the verbs to create a mental image. She also has us look at how the irony in a logline or title can add strength to your hook.

After I work on crits today, I'll start listing the unique elements of my story and strong verbs to tie it together. Interested in playing along? If not...sit back and enjoy my pain. ;)

Happy Birthday to the Man

Today is my hubby's birthday. Of course it's just a reminder that I'm old. He whines about turning 32 and the grey hairs taking over. I whine because...well, let's just say I'm a "few" years older than my husband. Little man and I went shopping today and bought hubby a new watch. And I made million calorie turtle brownies. Just oozing with caramel. Yeah, there goes what pounds I had managed to shave off my "voluptuous" figure. And mom called from home today to tell me we needed to hurry home because an 8th grader died of the Swine Flu here in Memphis. Does she not realize how big this city is. We're not even within city limits. Hubby's work crew is staying in Southhaven, just south of Memphis.

I didn't have a chance to work on crits or my chapter today. But while we were out shopping, I looked for Linda Howard's new book, Burn. No luck. I wonder if that's a good sign that it'll be a great read. That's our first selection for the Book End Babes book club. I've conned, um, convinced a few friends to join with me.

Nothing exciting to share or pass on today. Just hope you guys had a productive day!

Fear

I want to share an interesting industry blog I ran across when I got a recommendation from a friend. The Warriorwriter's Blog has a wonderful post today about fear. I think it's something every writer has dealt with at some point in their career. It really hit home with me this morning because I've been struggling...and not sure why. I thought maybe it was because my life is so chaotic with the different directions I'm being pulled in right now. That may play a big part of my issues with not writing, but I think fear could be a part of it.

If you've ever had writer's block, she urges you to dig into your brain for the reason why. She talks about writers avoiding rewrites, and I can tell you that I am definitely NOT guilty of that. If anything I can't turn off my anal internal editor. But I think the one thing that struck me as interesting was she mentioned changing genres as a symptom of fear. Do I agree? I wonder. I've wanted to change genres a couple of times. I thought that came from the unknown though, not knowing where my voice fits and wanting to experiment. Is it fear of pushing through my issues on a current ms?

Good question. What do you do when you're blocked? Have you ever wanted to change genre? If you get a chance...read her post for today.

Boo!

Yesterday was a good day...and a bad day. It started out with soooo much excitement. College football is one of the only sports I love to spend time watching. I get so excited this time of year. The heat of summer is sliding away, and it's time for my Oklahoma Sooners to play some football! We really get into our game days. Always a cookout or muchies available and our family and friends know where they can come to watch the games.

That wasn't going to change just because we're in Memphis with hubby's job. The guys are feeling down because of some big problems that arrived with the roof they were supposed to put on the water tank. Which means a delay in going home and takes away the possibility for bonus. So hubby and I thought we'd cook for our second family here on the jobsite. I smoked a pork roast so we could have pulled pork sandwiches with cole slaw and hubby's favorite cheese dip. He put together my favorite jalapeno poppers. He cuts them in half, scrapes out the inside veins and seeds, fills with cream cheese, wraps them in bacon and grills until bacon is crispy. I think I was able to swipe three of them. LOL. They go pretty fast in this crowd of big ol' manly-men. One of the wives made baked beans and corn-on-the-cob. So we had an awesome meal!

But the game is another story. My Sooners not only lost their game, but our quarterback was taken out with a shoulder injury. We probably won't know how serious it is until next week. *sigh* The back up played well. But this season is looking a little rough at this point. Oh well, ya win some-ya lose some. I'm a diehard fan and will cheer my guys on regardless. Plus...I think everyone will still show up for chow. I'll have to have something ready for the guys to eat while they play armchair quarterbacks. LOL.

So I guess...it wasn't so bad. Good food, good friends. The guys also had a good talk last night and decided to work today on their day off. For free. They won't get paid, but they wanted to go in to the jobsite to see if they can figure out how to fix the problems on this job. Their Foreman is a great boss and they want to help him out. This crew is our second family. We take care of each other. That my friends...is what it's all about.

Hope you guys had a great weekend!! Anything fun or exciting?

Busy, busy, busy...

*deep breath....release*

Summer is officially over for me. My oldest is a sophomore in high school and has decided to let us know that he's not going to college. He's determined to enlist as soon as he turns eighteen. He knows I'm not happy with his decision and I'm sure I'll continue to voice my opinion, but it's a family thing. He's following quite a few family members into serving our country. He's keeping college in mind because he says he'll be able to go on the GI bill if he decides to go later. I won't go all political because this post would become a very angry rant. And I personally hate when people cram or politely hint their politics down my throat. Anyhoo...my little one has also started his homeschooling. He's in the first grade this year. WOW. Time sure flies.

Ta-Da...here's our logo!

The restaurant planning goes well. I've got our logo and marketing plan developed. The business has been incorporated and we received our federal ID number. I'm in the process of filing our Oklahoma business registration form, and we're waiting on the architectural drawings to be completed before we can begin construction. I'm also working on finalizing the menu. We've got a basic idea of what we'll serve, but I've got to put together a full menu with descriptions for the food service company.

Well...we're back in Memphis as this job is closing out. Hubby thinks they'll be finished with this water tank by the 16th. I am so ready to be home for good. After this hitch...the traveling has to be over for me. Their next tank is within 30 miles of home and the tank after that is in California. Too far for me and little man to tag along. And the restaurant will need my full attention as soon as contruction begins. At least the oldest kiddo is getting excited and seeing his role in the family business.

As for my writing...I'm polishing a contest entry for my RWA chapter FAB contest. It has to be sent by midnight tomorrow. I'm also heading over to pull files and crit for my peeps. Like I said...summer is over and I don't have anymore excuses for being a bad critter. LOL.

*deep breath...and release*

Weekend Warriors?

How did your weekend go? Peaceful, busy, lazy? I finally finished texturing the walls in the kitchen. I did such a good job...I kinda screwed myself. LOL. Now I've been nominated to do the rest of the building. *sigh* I guess I'll try to work on the pantry today. The laundry room will be next. We can't finish one of the walls in the kitchen with the beadboard because we realized the 3rd floor window is leaking down the back wall.

And more progress...I found the images I want to use as our restaurant logo.

I talked with the talented artist and he's going to replace the pig with the cowboy. I can put the restaurant name on the wooden board. Hubby hasn't been home to approve it but says he trusts me. Even our teen said he would be ok with wearing it as a uniform shirt. And that's gold coming from that kid.

And...as of today...we are legal, girls!! I filed the corporation papers and trademark this morning. It's a done deal. As soon as I receive the certification in the mail I'll file for a federal employer id number. Then the state tax commission is next for a resale certificate.

I didn't get any writing done this weekend...I took a break to read a western historical. I'm halfway finished and not real excited about reading more. *sigh* Makes me regret not working on my own. But today I need to shave off another two pages from my synopsis for my contemporary category romance. My OKRWA weekend retreat is coming up in September and I have to submit my chapter, synopsis, and query letter to the guest speaker. She's a reader for an agent and she'll work with each one of the members attending the workshop.

Hope everyone has a productive day with whatever you're working on!!

Finally a Bride Contest

****Eighth Annual Finally a Bride Contest****

Get your manuscript in front of TWO EDITORS!!!

Fantastic news!!! Jennifer Morey, the Finally a Bride 2006 Romantic Suspense winner SOLD as a result of the FAB contest. This year, she is a 2009 Double RITA Finalist for Best First Book and Contemporary Series Romance: Suspense/Adventure.

Breaking news!!! Ruth Logan Herne, Inspirational Winner of last year's FAB, sold to Steeple Hill as a result of her contest win.

Congratulations to both these ladies!

***1/3 of the Finalists in last year's contest received Editor Requests***

Sponsor: Oklahoma Romance Writers of America

***NEW - Young Adult CATEGORY***

Fee: $25 (RWA Members) - $30 (All non RWA Members)
Deadline: September 4, 2009
Eligibility: not contracted/published

Entry: First pages of MS (30 pages max) that has finaled, but not won, in a previous RWA or RWA chapter-sponsored contest. NOTE: Finalists ONLY must provide a no more than 5 page synopsis for the final editor round. Manuscripts finishing in the top quarter of GH also qualify.

Judges: First round: experienced, pubbed, and/or RWA trained judges.

Final Judges: Two Editors and/or agents judge each category.

Inspirational/Traditional: Melissa Endlich with Steeple Hill and Nicola Martinez with White Rose Publishing.
Series Contemporary: Patience Smith with Silhouette and Wanda Ottewell with Harlequin.
Paranormal/Time Travel/Futuristic: Margo Lipschultz with HQN and Leah Hultenschmidt with Dorchester.
Romantic Suspense: Charles Griemsman with Silhouette and Alex Logan with Grand Central Publishing.
Historical/Regency: Deb Werksman with Casablanca Sourcebooks and Chris Keeslar with Dorchester
Mainstream: Keyren Gerlach with HQN and Megan McKeever with Pocket Books
Young Adult: Anne Bensson with St. Martin's and Leah Wilson with BenBella Books

FMI, entry form and rules, go to http://www.okrwa.com/ or send SASE to OKRWA FAB contest, 9805 Red Oak Lane, Parkville, MO 64152, okrwabride@aol.com,

Alice Clary
2009 Finally a Bride
Coordinator

Progress

WooHoo!!!! I actually made progress today and pushed through 19 pages of revisions on an old ms. My OKRWA chapter has a contest that I qualify for. It's the FAB...I'll make it my post for tomorrow. It's a wonderful opportunity for unpubbed authors to get that revised ms back in front of an editor. It definitely feels good to accomplish something though. My goal today is to finish contest revisions by getting the 8 pg sucknopsis down to 5 pages.

Business wise...I'm frustrated because I've been trying to find an image to use for our logo. The restaurant name we decided on is...drumroll please... The Hungry Cowboy. Ta-daaaaaa. Please tell me it doesn't suck. I did a trademark/business search in Oklahoma and we're safe. But there is a restaurant with that name in Texas. Hopefully it won't cause any issues in the future. But I'm slowly pushing forward with the little details that go along with setting up a business.

Back to work...

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone is well! Hubby has left the building. LOL. His company is finishing up the job in Memphis and should head to Oklahoma in a few weeks. Cool beans. We've made a little progress in the family business department. We've settled on a restaurant name and theme. I'm in the planning and organizing process of setting the business up and trying to finalize a menu. I'm soooo excited that we've all come to an agreement as to what we'll do and now it's time to start the actual process. Finally!! Mom and I ate at a place today and my mind was going crazy as to how we could make it better.

On the writing front...I was able to make my monthly OKRWA meeting and came home energized!! Several of us made a promise to recommit ourselves to our writing. The incredibly talented Merline Lovelace encouraged us to submit something...and soon. My issue is more time management than NOT wanting to write or being blocked. School starts soon for my teenager and homeschool will begin at the same time for my 6 yo. Hopefully I can get up before the kiddos and set aside a block of time every morning to write. It's nice having Mom downstairs and she's offered to help in any way she can.

Okay...I think I'll sneak away and try to scratch out some words toward my crit group daily challenge.

Put Up or Shut Up...

Deep breath. OK. You guys know that I've been going back and forth with my family about opening a restaurant or shop...or both. Well. We've been having work done around the building upgrading the electrical and gas so we can at least have utilities while living there. We keep playing a stop and go thing with the restaurant business idea because I'm not sure I can do this by myself. My husband works out of town 9 days at a time and only home for 5. My mom is still battling exhaustion and plagued with health problems from cancer treatments. I'm not sure how much help I'd have unless we hired full time people.

We have a decision to make. We ran up against a major obstacle which is forcing a final decision. The city code enforcement dude came by to inspect the gas line work we had done so we can have heat this winter. The plumber was able to pull a permit and do the work. But our building is zoned commercial. Which means...the work passed inspection but we can't have the gas turned on unless we go ahead with our business and have complete architectural drawings for both buildings. We just spent over $10k to have the utilities upgraded but it's worthless unless we go ahead with the business. We'd have to sell the building and move if we don't push forward.

I guess I'd better start exercising to build up my stamina. Ugh. I can do this. Other writers have full-time jobs and families. I've enjoyed a couple of years off from working outside of the home. At least this way...I won't have to drive to work...I'll be right next door or downstairs.

Now the decision is which business do I do first?! The restaurant or the shop? I wonder where my writing fits into the big picture...

Proud Moment

Guys...I'm a little teary-eyed right now. I'm so proud of one of my crit partners and have to share something with you. Several years ago when I began my journey to become a published author, I was fortunate enough to become a member of a great crit group and met some talented women. Several of us moved on into a smaller, more intimate group. I also joined a second group of dedicated, creative women and there was one common factor, my friendship with Jennifer Shirk. I was so proud and excited for her when she published The Role of a Lifetime with Samhain Publishing. But the girl is on a roll!! She's just heard from Avalon Books and she will soon join their ranks as published author.

She is a true testament to perseverance. She's got a hectic schedule like many of us do...and she hits those days like we all do...where she'd rather just toss the computer out of the window than fight with the words needed to finish the book. But she pushed on and kept her butt in the chair, hands on keyboard.

Proud of you girlfriend. Just sayin'. Congrats!!!

Road Trip

Well guys...I'm back in Memphis with the hubster and little man. I had a brilliant idea and had to follow through. School for the man child begins on the 26th and I knew this would be my last chance to do anything sightseeing worthy in this area. Of course we'll have to visit a few of the more famous BBQ joints.

But...

Sunday the hubster will have a day off and we're planning a road trip. I've traced my family's Native American history back to the 1700's and some of it is actually documented in the history books. This is also where I got the idea for my historical. My 4th g-grandfather was a Chickasaw Chief and lived the last days of his life with his married daughter...the woman I am modeling my heroine after. Unfortunately I don't have story details to work with, but something in my writer's brain clicked when I read the genealogy comments about this particular daughter. The history is documented along the Natchez Trace Parkway along the Mississippi-Alabama border. It's just a two hour drive from here, so off we go with a picnic loaded ice chest, full tank of gas, and a camera. I'm pretty excited. Not so sure about little man. He asked if they had an amusement park. *sigh*

Let's get it on...

I have a crap load of stuff on my plate right now and worked this weekend on getting mentally prepared. So...game on. I did take a little break though, knowing chaos would be the norm for awhile. Mom and I went to see a movie, The Ugly Truth. I love Gerald Butler. It was good...but not a movie I would've gone to see with my mom. I was a bit embarrassed because the 'F' word was used quite frequently. And ALOT of sexual references. It was a little too sexual for me and not one I'll be waiting for to come out on DVD.

I've been a good girl this weekend and made a game plan for this week. The only thing I didn't get done was a beta read for a crit partner. I hate not being able to concentrate and put my full attention on my crits, so I kept having to stop every other page. Finishing the beta read is first on my list.

Okay. I DO NOT want to put my writing on the backburner just because the family restaurant and website is back on my plate, front and center. School will be starting soon and I'll have to take the oldest to and from until he gets his license, and I homeschool our 6 yo. Let's see how far I can get before I have a mental breakdown. ;) We keep going back and forth on what type of restaurant we should do. We LOVE burgers and barbeque, but there are quite a few in town. We thought maybe a specialty burger joint could compete if we looked around us and tried to shake things up a bit. But...there are only two specialty sweet shops. And I KNOW we can more than compete with them.

So with hubster gone all week, mom and I were able to hook up the stove. We still have to pull the sheetrock off and replace the wall in the kitchen...but I'm so sick of living without a way to cook. There's only so many things you can bake in a roaster oven. This next week we'll work on remodeling and recipes. I'll also work more on developing the website. As soon as I can get more pages built, I'll upload it and see what you guys think so far.

I also have to finalize a name for the sweet shop. The website name is The Velvet Cowgirl. We'll use that name if we ever decide to open a brick and mortar store in the building. At least now I can slowly build a product line. So what about...

Cowgirl Cupcakes (I thought of this because we could also sell my candles and bath products, The Velvet Cowgirl, in the store.) or.... The Main Cupcake. Our building is on Main Street and I thought The Main Cupcake was a simple play on words. I've got to finalize a menu and name so I can incorporate the business, apply for federal id number and an Oklahoma resale certificate. We'll offer a HUGE variety of homemade cupcakes, sweets and breads. We'll have sandwiches, a hot potato bar and a salad bar.

My writing?! I can't give up my passion. Not even among all this organized chaos. I'm trying to get away from the research heaven hole I've been sucked into and get into writing mode. So today I'll take an hour to begin my prep plotting work. I've got a notebook started and will work on the central conflict. My heroine has a GMC and I've gotten an idea about my hero. They both want the same thing, but for different reasons. Someone will have to lose. Maybe they'll both learn something along the way as they work toward a resolution. I've even had a thought about the black moment which will put my heroine in danger.

I've moved my printer upstairs and will have to wait until hubster gets home to get my desk up here. It's massive and impossible to move!! Poor hubster. He gets to come home from work to finish out the sheetrock, put in two windows and help me move furniture so we can tape and texture. I should've taken a before picture. People are really amazed at what we've accomplished so far. We've carved an apartment out of a space that was 6736 sq. ft down to about 2500 sq. feet. So we have a TON of storage. *sigh* Which is another task for another day. We'll have to sort through all of our crap on the 3rd floor and repack the stuff we'll keep. Hopefully by Christmas we can have the 3rd floor cleared out and start remodeling it. Our long term goal is to have mom up on the 4th floor in her own little apartment of 3368 sq. ft. Then the staircase down to our apartment on the 3rd floor will have 3368 sq. ft for a family living room, game room and kitchen. Then the other side of the 3rd floor will be 3368 sq. ft of bedrooms and bathrooms. What I love the most about the 3rd floor...old wood floors, high ceilings and brick walls. When my oldest is ready to move out...the 2nd floor will be ready for him and he'll have his own apartment. The good thing....the restaurant and shop will be down on the 1rst floor and in the building next door that is connected. We won't even have to drive to work. And my oldest is at the right age to start working. He's not excited about working in a "cupcake" shop. But he'll be good about the baking and prep work.

Sorry. Didn't mean to barrage you with my chaos. LOL. ;) Off to work I go...

Excuses, Excuses

Let's see how many I can come up with...


I've been swamped with life. LOL. Seriously. I've been sucked completely into historical research heaven. Facebook. Sickness. Remodeling. Children actually wanting me to take care of them. Nephews needing adult supervision. A retail website needing to be designed for my bath and body products. A restaurant business plan to be written. Hmmmm. Give me a minute. I'm sure I can come up with plenty more. I thought I'd check in with yous guys and get some human interaction. Did I tell you that we've decided to add a sweet shop to the retail website? Meaning I've got to come up with recipes and ideas as to what we'll sell online.

*sigh*


Where does my writing come into the picture? It hasn't. Not one word. But please...do NOT tell my novel bootcamp instructor. She'll make me do pushups. LOL. I've got my nephews for two days a week until school starts. OMG. It seriously needs to hurry. I'm pretty thankful at this point that we stopped at 2 kids. LOL. Right now I've got two 6 yo's and a 4 yo running around in circles having Star Wars battles with action figures. My 15 yo is pretty independent except for the taxi duties. My mom is pretty good about helping me in that regard.

Hubby left yesterday to go back to work and if I can get the kiddos to bed early....bwahaha, like that'll happen...I'm hoping to get some words on paper. My crit group is working on a July challenge and in cahoots with Candace Havens Writing Game challenge. I think todays required word count was 1142. Can I do that tonight....????

Good Monday!

Hope you all had a fun but safe holiday weekend?! We had a cookout and let the little one do a few of the safer fireworks. Nothing exciting but we were all together, healthy and happy, and so very thankful for the men and women who fight for our country.

Hubby is home and has been trying to get some remodeling done before he has to go back to work on Tuesday. The new airconditioner works like a dream. *sigh* We'll get the rest of our belongings moved back upstairs and get settled in before I try to start putting texture on the walls and painting. Of course this means we need a new bedspread for our bedroom. Darn. LOL.

Hopefully when hubby leaves tomorrow I can get back to my writing. I'm getting pretty anxious and really want to start the chapter. I've had a few days away from it and think I may know where I want the story to begin. I had so much fun looking up tribal records from 1818 and finally settled on the main character's names. I think I'll use today to start character charts. I'd love to visit the historical society this week and check out a few books from the library for reference. My short term goal is to start the rough draft.

Shiny Excitement

I feel like a little kid in a toy store. I've been researching timelines for my new historical ms and haven't hit any road blocks so far, everything is at that bright and shiny stage. Oooooh....awwwww. Cool beans. I do have to admit though...I'm a little nervous about venturing out of my comfort zone. This project will definitely be a challenge. I think if I try to stay organized and plot this out it'll make the writing flow easier. Hopefully. My next step is to sit down and interview my characters. I wonder if a bottle of sweet Oklahoma wine would help? Big thanks to Chicki for sharing the wonderful articles!!

Hubby will be home on Thursday and we've got a big cookout planned for the 4th of July. Mom and I went this morning to Sams Club to stock up on meats that hubby will put in the smoker early Saturday morning. His brisket and baby back ribs are soooo tender and to die for. Our secret spice rub...we add cinnamon and brown sugar to common bbq seasonings. Of course I'll have to make baked beans (add onion flakes, hickory bbq sauce and brown sugar to several cans of Bush's baked beans), macaroni salad and potato salad. I can't give out my secret sauce on those two salad's or I won't get invited to bbq's anymore if someone else can make it. LOL.

Does anyone else have big plans for this weekend?

I'm still alive...

Kinda. LOL. Mom has had her first surgery and did very well. Thanks so much for all of the prayers and support. Also...my cowboy story was passed up again by my target editor. Which had me doing some soul searching and talking with writer friends/crit partners.

I have several friends who will shoot straight with me and tell it like it is. One in particular, Rae, really held my feet to the fire. She asked me if I was writing what I love or merely to target a particular publisher with hopes to publish. As we talked, I realized that I've been chasing editors and lines that I "enjoy" reading. And to be honest...that's not saying alot. I absolutely love to read. And I can read just about any genre. Except academics. Something in my brain rebels and shuts down into sleep mode. But I wasn't targeting Harlequin/Silhouette simply because I'd expected it to be easy, it was because I grew up reading Harlequin.

When I first decided to seriously write geared toward becoming published, I searched the different publishers and came across eHarlequin Online Community. They were the only publisher at the time with an active online outreach to their authors, unpubbed writers, and their readers. I read alot about their "formula" for the different lines and thought that by keeping my word count short, and targeting a publisher who accepts unagented material and supposedly is always looking for new talent, that I might actually have a better shot. Not that I thought I was a better writer than the thousands of others sending in submissions, just that with so much information available...I had an idea as to what the editors wanted and it wasn't as much of a crap shoot. It also helped that the lines I wanted to target published at least four books a month and may be more apt to take on fresh voices.

And I still believe that. Sorta. I'm just wondering if my writing fits in that category. Is that where I really want to be? So instead of babying me and letting me feel sorry for myself, my friend asked if I had a particular story that I kept going back to. Why, yes. Yes I do. When I was in college, I wrote a paper over my Native American family history. (Brag alert! Be warned!) The history professor was known for his snide comments and not being generous with A's. I was completely shocked when I received an A-. He even went on to discuss it with my literature professor and they both nominated my paper to be presented at an upcoming symposium. I thought I would vomit. I'm not really sure how I made it through the presentation but finally relaxed after it was over when I had several people ask questions and seem interested in what I had found. People actually clapped when I finished.

Little did they know that they'd created a monster. But life happened. I married and immediately had a baby and had to put off the college dream for a full-time mom job and a full-time day job working for a law firm. Writing didn't seem to fit into that schedule until much, much later. Actually another husband and another baby later. I was put on bed rest during the pregnancy and my hubby got tired of me whining about how bored I was. A laptop seemed to quench that thirst, on top of lots and lots of books to read. Put the two together...and there ya go. My writing dream smacked me in the face.

Anywho...didn't mean to ramble and bore you guys. So now I'm back to square one...just with a little more experience. What do I want to write? REALLY write? I think I'll take that giant leap off the cliff...I'm going to challenge myself and work on a historical. So there ya go. Ya had to wade through all that crap to hear that I'm going in another direction. *sigh*

Happy Monday!!

O Monday, Monday...wherefore art thou Tuesday?

Not a bad day. Just not a productive one. I got up with great intentions of getting something accomplished today. Little man easily distracted me by insisting he NEEDED to go swimming this morning. And then it was like I had water on the brain and just kinda lost track after that. At least we had a great sandwich at McAlister's Deli and their sweet tea is to die for. The weather was a little warm but we enjoyed running our errands. And Jennifer tempted me by changing her blog design...so of course it inspired me to play around with mine;)

Thanks for all of your well wishes for mom. She's still feeling under the weather but we go tomorrow to talk with the doc's about the surgery on her neck. Hopefully everything will go as planned and we can proceed on with doing something about her stomach.

Hubby comes home Thursday night for 5 days so I'll try to get as many pages down as possible. Good thing is that he'll take little man on Sunday and go fishing with his dad, so they'll both be out of my hair for the day and I can crank out some pages. I went to the Southern Cross SoCNoC challenge page to update my measly word count and was blown away by how many people had logged close to or over 30k words already! One of my crit partners included. WOW!! Kickin' some major word count booty guys. Rock on!! One person already had 42k...in 15 days!! Wish I could channel Speedy Gonzales...

Happy Friday :)

It's so nice to feel like we're getting back to an organized life. Bwahaha. Those that know me can quit laughing now. I don't think we'll ever actually BE organized...but a semi-scheduled day is a wonderful thing. At least I was able to press the send button for my pitch submission. I've officially entered the online pitch for Silhouette Desires. There were a ton of entries last time so I'm not expecting to final this time either. But I'm back to subbing. That's the most important thing of all.

But...I definitely came home at the right time. My mom's health is worse than what I was being told. It's hard to see a parent getting older and becoming frail and dependent. She really scared me when she went through her cancer ordeal. It was a very eye-opening time for me. Well now...I'm seeing her frustration with her failing strength. She's also started getting really grouchy and forgetful. We saw this happen when she was first diagnosed with cancer. But they've done blood work and CAT scans...and nothing new. She's so weak now though that she can hardly walk through a store without having to sit down.

Sucks to get old. For me anyways....Can't imagine what it's like for our parents. *sigh* Sorry to be a Debbie Downer...just hug someone you love today.

Hugging you guys! Have a great weekend.

Home, Sweet Home

I'm not quite settled in, but I've made a good dent in getting a little more organized. Hubby has gone back to work...sad and lonely...he understands why we need a little more stability and is willing to sacrifice for the greater good. I'm sure I'll have some major pampering duties ahead on his next break. LOL. Little man is happy to be home with his jungle gym and swimming pool, but really misses the alligators.

I worked last night on my pitch ideas for the 15th. Why am I so nervous this time around? I really, really, really....really want this. Maybe that's it. Friends helped me today with my pitch submission and I think it's just about ready to go. Which means a serious writing marathon in my very near future...like tomorrow. LOL. I have some serious pages to crank out to get this thing finished.

I hope everyone is well and having a great week?!

Bittersweet

A week ago I was counting the days until we left for home. Now? I'm wishing we lived closer to New Orleans and the beaches. This past weekend we were able to visit Nottoway Plantation, New Orleans and the famous historic cemeteries. I hated to spend $20 bucks per person to participate in the many tours walking around, but we paid $5 for a little two page guide that listed a few of the more famous burial sites. Even my little guy and big ol' corn fed cowboy seemed to be interested in my morbid fascination with history.

Today is the first day of my writer's challenge so I'm not going to be able to go into full poetic detail...I'll leave you with a few pictures. I've also found a cool link to share about the different tomb descriptions.

New Orleans Cemeteries

Down in the bayou...

Hope everyone had a peaceful or decent holiday weekend. Nothing accomplished here except maybe a few additional pounds. I made a deal with Mr. Chelle and bet him if I could lose a certain amount of weight he'd have to quit smoking. Well...of course he's trying to feed my face at every opportunity he has. *sigh* We had several cookouts with his friends/co-workers and took little man on a swamp tour.


The tour was alot of fun and little man got to hold a baby alligator and feed them marshmallows. It rained on us for a bit and even though the boat was covered...my back and butt was fair game. So yes...I walked around a bit looking as if I'd peed my pants. Oh well, the things we do for love. I also got 6 inches chopped off my hair when we were back home last week. It was nice not to have my mop laying on my neck as we toured through the humid bayou. Our tour guide had been raised in the back bayou and was a hoot.

What I loved the most though wasn't the staged bayou cabin or corny cajun jokes...or little man's huge grin as he watched the alligators jump up to devour the chicken legs the guide hand fed to them. It was the scenery. The majestic moss draped cypress trees.


My piddly little digital camera can't do them justice though. But my writer's brain wandered along the slow ride through the swamp. I thought of history and what it would've been like to slide among the moss and mosquitos over two hundred years ago, listening to a man's deep cajun accent as he told me his family history.



What a wonderful ride...


Back to the real world and my manuscript. My well was refilled this weekend and I'm so ready to dig deep into my main character's motivation for being a bad boy.

Challenge

I'm throwing down the gauntlet. One of my crit partners has encouraged our group to join in a fun challenge put together by a writers group. It's pretty similar to NaNoWriMo where you write a novel in a month. KiWi Writers has made their challenge a little more flexible. 50,000 words written in a month. Doesn't matter if it's one book or three. It's the Southern Cross Novel Challenge 2009, or SoCNoC for short. What matters is that you've got a 50,000 word goal from June 1 until the 30th of June.


Southern Cross Novel Challenge




I'm signed up...are you game? Let's do it!!

Fork in the Road

I'm back in Louisiana safe and sound. Tired as all get out...but back on a schedule. Kinda. As much of one as I can seem to stick to anyways. I was working on my chapter yesterday and realized I was a little lost. Once upon a time, I had a four book series outlined and a basic plot down for each book. When I decided to put the first book I was working on to the side because of the similiar plot in a current pubbed book, I chose book number three as my next work-in-progress. For some odd reason I changed the plot. *sigh* But knowing what I do about the line I'm targeting and what the editors have been buying...I'm a little lost as to which direction I should go.

I guess today will be spent going over both plots with my critique partner. She targets the same line and might have more clarity and distance from what's in my head. She needs to WAKE UP so I can pick her brain!!!!! LOL. I'll use this "free" time to get my thoughts together so I can figure out how to present both options without confusing the crap out of her. Maybe I should FedEx her some super strong coffee.

How is everyone?! I hate missing in action and wondering what everyone is up to. Hope you guys are having a productive week so far;)

Should be sleeping...

I've got a long drive coming up today. I should be sleeping in this morning. But nooooo. I'm wide awake. *sigh* I finished mapping out where I want to go with this first chapter. I just need to go in and do the dirty work. Layering in the dialogue and details. I know alot of us struggle with our beginnings. Hopefully mine will be original and the perfect hook. Yeah, ok. I WILL be optimistic. At least until it's time to send to my crit partners. LOL.

How do you write? Huh? Well...when you attack a blank page, do you outline your chapter? Do you start with dialogue first? Or do you write a clean first draft without having to do much layering? My approach varies. This chapter was a little harder for me for some reason. I had to outline what I had in my mind as to what I wanted to happen. I'll start out this morning with layering in dialogue, setting, action and emotion tags. I've had chapters that just flowed right and was a decent first draft. But this time it seems I had to do more on the plotting before it flowed. Are you pretty consistent?

OMG! I just thought of something...I'll be driving until about midnight tonight. Which means I'll miss the Grey's Anatomy season finale show tonight. I need to call and have someone at home set the DVR for me so I can watch it when we get up in the morning.

Ok. Off to do laundry and start packing. Hope you guys have a great day!

I told ya so!

We're leaving to take a trip home this weekend to Oklahoma. They've been having a cool spell making the start of summer a little easier to slide into. I was actually looking forward to going home to escape this muggy, oppressive heat in Louisiana. No such luck. Oklahoma is predicted to get into the high 80's this weekend. And this area of Louisiana is getting a cold front and rain. *sigh* Figures. I jinxed myself by whining about it. At least Mr. Chelle's job here is almost finished and we're moving on in a couple of weeks. My teen is almost out of school for the summer and I'll be having to find things to entertain the boys. I'm sure we can find some fun to get into in Tennessee;) Watch out...here we come!

Ok. Deep breath. Focus. No more whining because it's time to get back to work. I was working on my chapter yesterday and hero whispered in my ear again and distracted me. How could I not listen? He revealed something else that happened when he was a wild child and gives me more insight as to why he hates his father. So I just kept typing the entire time he spilled his guts. Today...I get to cut and paste his rambling into my rough synopsis file and try to figure out where I was at in the chapter.

Coffee made...first cup down...go!

Have a productive day guys;)

Hot and sultry...

Whoever it was that said summertime in the South was sexy and sultry needs to be shot. Seriously. It is hot as hades here. Good gracious people. 91 degrees with 94% humidity. I'm melting. Wilting...whatever. I may be a Southern girl, but enough is enough. I used to say I was born a 100 years too late and would have loved being a Southern Belle. Not. Can you imagine...summer in Louisiana or Alabama...yards and yards of cloth, petticoats, stockings. Forget the dainty umbrella and fan...get this spoiled brat an electric airconditioner. And I want my sweet tea with LOTS of ice. I'd definitely be one of those girls in the romance novel that is caught skinny dipping in the lake or river. Add my mouth and independent streak to the mix...and I'd be a spinster at 40 for sure.

It sounds like everyone's short term goals are doable. Keep at it!! Can you hear me cracking that whip? We're headed back home on Thursday so I'm pushing to do what I can by the time hubby gets off work Thursday afternoon. Next week when we come back to Louisiana, we're taking little man to see the alligators. I definitely need to make sure I'm getting up at 5am with Mr. Chelle so I can get my words down for the day.

Okay guys...back to work!! Have a good one;)

I'm baaaack...

...to torment and tease! I've truly missed you guys. I got my computer cord back on Thursday but spent that time catching up with little man's homework. I also had to finish up a beta read for a very talented YA author from my OKRWA chapter. *sigh* But I'm more than ready to get back into the swing of things.

My short term goal is to finish my rough synopsis for my new story. I've had some really cool chats lately with my heroine. Her character will hopefully inspire my hero to get his mojo back and get out of the pit he'd dug for himself. And I need to work on showing some love to a few of my crit partners.

Did everyone have a great weekend? My guys spoiled me rotten. The only decision I had to make this weekend was what I wanted to eat. I didn't have to lift a finger...no cooking or cleaning up...all weekend!! Woohoo!! We swam with little man yesterday and hubby grilled some of the best chicken he's ever made. He's pretty handy when it comes to cooking. Nothing exciting but plenty of down town...my favorite thing to do.

But it's time to crack the whip. Back to work;) Now that the work week has rolled back around...what are your short term goals?

Ack!!

I am officially stuck in no computer land. Little man destroyed my laptop charger and the battery died. Hubby's boss man asked me to help fix his email program and I thought I'd give it a try. I almost killed HIS poor computer. So we were almost stuck without any computers or internet access. I tried to download a new anti-virus program but the operating system was too old. I updated his version of XP and installed the new software and the computer crashed. And yeah...I panicked! But fortunately I was able restore his system...about the time he decided to buy a new computer. Hopefully I won't screw it up tomorrow when I install the software. *sigh* I also went online and bought a new charger for my laptop. Hopefully I'll be back online by Wednesday or Thursday. Try not to miss me too much. Haha. :)

So no new progress on the chapter. Nothing to report. I'm not one to write down thoughts and it almost seems as if I've shut my writer's brain off. I might need a bit of a kick start to get it going again. I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Brenda Novak's Online Auction for Diabetes Research!

Yes, ma'm! It's my favorite time of year!! It's time to shop for a very worthy cause. Starting in 2005, Brenda Novak created an online auction to benefit diabetes research. It's a personal vendetta for her...to help fund research for a disease that struck close to her heart. Her son. I began following the auction a couple of years ago through word of mouth at eHarlequin.com. We were so tight with our budget in order for me to stay home and write, that I was unable to bid. I so wanted to though. Last year...I took the plunge and actually set a budget and bid as much as possible on some incredible opportunities. There were quite a few editor and author critique and ms evaluations offered for auction. I was quickly outbid above my budget. I slunk away disappointed but made a local donation in my father's name because of his medical history with diabetes.

This year...while surfing through the awesome offerings, I found several auction buttons strictly for donations only. I have my wish list set and plan to bid, and bid often;) But this year...if I'm outbid, I won't slink off in disappointment...because it means that someone cares just as much as I do about her cause and the auction is still making money. Even more than what I can offer. So I'll proudly donate what I can, even without a reward. After all, the money could actually help someones child.

Brenda Novak's Auction for Diabetes Research

Have a great weekend!!

What?! You're kidding me, right?

Today is Thursday? Then why does it feel so much like Friday. *sigh* Crud. That means today is laundry day. I could put it off until this weekend so hubby could help. Can't do that though, all of our beach clothes are starting to smell. Ugh. I got off easy for dinner last night cause the guys wanted my homemade pizza which is super easy and quick. But I didn't even get a chance to open any files to work...played on Facebook talking with an old friend for a bit. Then I was soooo sleepy that we were in bed by 9:00. Do I feel rested this morning....noooooo. Why can't it just be Friday. *insert whiny voice*

I thought todays blog might be a good time to talk about character development. When I first started writing I had the basic concept down. I usually had a specific character and situation in mind. Got the looks and personality traits down on paper. Then I found a romance writing tips website that had link to a psychology site describing certain types and how it showed through behavior. I went back recently and the MSN group was closed. I've heard some people use astrology and signs. Using the traits normal for a certain sign.

My next step is to sit down and interview my main character. I usually have a certain conflict in mind and most of the time it's tweaked throughout the ms due to problems presented. Maybe the conflict isn't strong enough to keep the plot going to the end of the book. But I will try to find out what made my character interesting. Their childhood and environment. And I start asking why. Why is he/she angry? Why is he/she so down on marriage? What kind of woman/man does he/she despise?

That usually leads to more questions. And it also helps me form my next character. What kind of woman would cause the main character the most angst. And why. Alot of times he/she will be the exact opposite of what the MC wants. What kind of personality would compliment my MC to bring about the happily-ever-after. We often seem to be drawn to our opposite which can make life quite interesting.

Character charts can be great to keep track of details. I'm not that organized. I'll do research like I'm doing now. I'll look up a certain occupation and see what types of personalitites usually fall within that group. Then I just open a file and start typing a really rough synopsis, which comes in handy later. And I'll add to it as I develop my characters. How do you develop your characters? Do you keep detailed notes?

Moving forward:)

Rise and shine. I'm doing much, much better at this blogging thing. I LOVE blog hopping in the mornings when I wake up to see what everyone is up to. I feel good with what I accomplished yesterday. And my support staff deserves a bow. Little man did his schoolwork and played quietly (well not really so quiet as much as out of my focus) in his room after I bribed him with a game of soccer later. I took a break as promised and ran his little tush off outside to wear him out. It worked and allowed me more time with my research. Hubby was so supportive when he came home last night and dinner was cold...well...raw. He offered to help but I felt so bad I jumped up and pushed him toward the shower so I could fry up some chicken for him. I threw together some corn and garlic-chive mashed potatoes. Honey went to bed with a full tummy and was happy.

I actually had a good talk with my hero yesterday. He revealed a few things, but to tell the truth...it was what he DIDN'T say that spoke the loudest. He's very angry. Like...needs therapy angry. He was robbed as a child. Neither one of his parents showed any type of emotion. His family life was non-existent. The housekeeper raised him and thank God for that. She's a sassy, southern woman (think Paula Deen) and he developed a dry southern sense of humor because of her. She'll also play a pivotal role in smacking him on the back of his head when it comes to making nice with the heroine. *sigh* I'll try to dig a little deeper today and then start on HER. Heroine is a southern good girl that reminds him of the mouthy housekeeper. So he'll try to keep his distance because the last thing he wants is another loud woman telling him what to do. But he won't be able to resist that sexy, swinging walk and slow, southern drawl.

Back to being nosy...hope you guys have a happy, productive day!!

Going on a date;)

If I can keep my 6 yo holed up in his room for a bit. LOL. I'm trying to flesh out my characters for my new story and really need to interview my hero. I need to know why he's so lost. He doesn't want to care about anything and hasn't for a long time. Until SHE walks into his life bringing a baby that he doesn't want, and feelings for living a life he never thought he could have. So maybe I can entice him to spill his thoughts with a warm strawberry cake, fresh from the oven. And a sassy blonde southern girl as the heroine can be a bit tempting.

Today will be a good day. I love creating characters and figuring out what makes them tick. Because the conflict has to be strong enough to make it to the end. On the other hand...you don't want it to be so complicated that it confuses the reader. It's the perfect balance I'm working to find. *sigh* I love my job.

I wonder if I can bribe little man to take a nap so I can be alone with Cash;)

Ahhhh...

It felt so good to shower and get into my own bed last night. Not that I've been getting into anyone's elses...I just love coming home from vacation. We made triple sure little man had plenty of sunscreen and only his cheeks got a wee bit pink. Which is REALLY good for a strawberry blonde kiddo with fair skin. Hubby and I are crispy fried. I even reapplied sunscreen 3 times. *sigh* I definitely didn't get the Native American skin from my family. The beaches aren't nearly as pretty as they are in Florida and hopefully we'll be able to go there next time. Little man had fun so that's what matters the most. The concerts made the entire trip worth it. Super crowded, hot and muggy...but we loved every sweaty minute!! My tummy is a little mad at me because of all the crap I shoveled into it. But I promised I would be good this week and started my morning out with All Bran cereal and yogurt. *Ugh*


And although the weekend was fabulous...I am soooooo ready to get back to work. I've talked with crit partners and I've decided to put my current WIP aside and work on another story I have outlined. they believe that I would have a better chance with my ms at a later date due to the current release that is similar to my plot. A friend/crit partner has read the published book and agreed that the plot is too similar to mine. At this point if I were going to submit within a few months...it would be easy for the editor to have the pubbed book fresh in mind and reject mine.


So this brings up a good question. Do you write the story of your heart or do you write geared toward the market? I love writing, but I also look at this as a career. A job. If the boss wants a particular story...then I'll do my best to give her what she wants. I've talked with several author friends who have editors request a certain story or twist in the plot. I hate shifting gears away from current characters I've grown to love...but my fun begins with creating another conflict filled story. Call me crazy. My favorite exercise in school was when the professor wrote a paragraph on the board and we had to write a story based off of the blurb. eHarlequin has done this several times and it's called Pass the Plot. I'd love to participate but I feel guilty enough taking time away from my work to blog;)



Have a very productive day!

Good Night

Yep. We had a pretty nice evening. We grilled steaks out on the patio and talked with a few long distance friends we hadn't heard from in awhile. A new baby in the works for dear ol' Auntie Chelle.

And to top it all off....my favorite shows came on and did not disappoint me. I was able to catch the tail end of last weeks Grey's Anatomy that the network ran again before the new episode. I need to go to the network website and watch them both again. It was another night that proved why I love the writers so much. I wondered how they would have McDreamy propose in Meredith style. It was perfect.

I was drifting off to sleep tonight and my hero started whispering in my ear. I'm sure hubby would've been a little upset if he knew, but it meant a breakthrough for my chapter. I should've gotten up and put it down on paper. But I'm up and about and ready to work on it today. Then we're off to the beach again.

Hope everyone has a beautiful weekend!!

No plot is a new plot.

I wanted to touch on something that several of us have faced recently. I've heard this said before and even offered the advice. But there's a sickening gut reaction that can't be explained when you come across a book that has a familiar plot or elements to the manuscript you are pouring your heart into.

I was looking at the new releases in the category romance line I am currently targeting. I saw a western book which immediately caught my eye because most of the books tend to be about CEO's and often have international settings. But after reading the blurb on the back...my face got hot and I thought I was going to be sick. Every single element of her book matched my plot. It's easy to see how a few elements might be similiar because...get this...no plot is new. But I've had this book outlined for TWO years and put it aside when I didn't get a response for an editor pitch contest the line had offered online. I mean...it was like my book twisted to fit her characters. My first thought was I'm wasting my time. Now it will look as if I took her idea after reading her book and twisted it with my voice and characters. Why would an editor take my ms seriously when she published one with the EXACT same plot? I've often heard of ed's passing on a ms because they'd recently pubbed one similiar to the submission.

*sigh*

So I started reading. I could barely get through the first chapter. It starts out with three cousins meeting on an airport tarmac...all three have private jets...and they're making a bet as to who can increase their net worth the most within a certain time limit... My book does include a bet in the beginning, but my character has a competitive quirk.

I didn't like it. Not because I was upset at the similiarities...but I genuinely did not like the heroine. She supposedly hates the hero, yet she agrees to having dinner with him just so she can tell him no. She would NEVER even consider selling her ranch to him. But she shows up...to a private dinner on a ranch...in a designer gown. She's hiding a secret...the man is her baby's daddy and she doesn't want him to find out...yet she gives in to have dinner with the man the first time he asks.

*sigh*

I can do this. If the editor turns it down...I'll try to send it somewhere else. I LOVE my story. It's easy to see the differences but with the plot being almost exactly the same, I'm afraid that even with the different voices it will be too similiar. Maybe if I wait awhile before submitting it'll put enough distance between books. At least I know the ed likes the plot premise;) Voices are different which can make our characters and reactions unique. So I'm off to work on my next chapter.

Summertime...

I am sooo loving this weather!! I am definitely not a winter baby. Give me a mild 80's temperature and a light breeze...I'm all set. I'm getting so excited about our weekend. The weather is supposed to be beautiful. We've decided to take little man back down to the beach in Biloxi and made our hotel reservations. They told us we were lucky that we made them in advance...because...because...

JASON ALDEAN will be in concert at the arena two blocks away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It'll be an outdoor concert and the cheap tickets are only $23 for all three of us. Little man is so excited. A very sweet added bonus? Blake Shelton is another country singer that we love, and he'll be in concert Saturday night. We love his music...and not just because he's a fellow Okie. In fact, he's from a small town just South of where we live. But he has a great sense of humor and it shows in his music. He's also very giving and active in promoting hometown concerts to benefit Oklahoma wildfire victims.

Anyhew...I'm working on my chapter today. Hopefully I can at least get the basic outline done and go back to layer in action/reactions. But first I'm reading a partial for one of my crit partners. She's had a request on this thing for awhile but life got in the way. It's a very promising situation so hopefully she'll get it in the mail today and get the rest of the story down on paper.

Have a warm and sunny day!!

Inspiration...

Hmmmm. My inspiration for today was an early morning drive. The weather is absolutely beautiful and warm. Little man and I had to run out to get the 5th wheel trailer propane tanks filled. I thought the guys might want to eat tonight. LOL. Anyhew...

I waited until around 10ish so we'd miss most of the morning commuters. Traffic was light and we didn't really have far to go, maybe 15 miles. I turned our new Jason Aldean CD on and watched little man rock out. I loved how JA sang about wanting to be a better man. I know that's where my hero needs to be by the time I wind up typing The End. It's the journey there that I need to pound out and polish. Right now...it's torture time. Bwahaha.

Have you listened to music today?

TGIM

Thank God it's Monday. *sigh* I don't know about you, but I'm ready to start the week out buried in my story. We had an uneventful weekend. Just glad it's over. We splurged and bought the new Jason Aldean CD. We've been waiting for it because we love just about everything he sings. It's VERY rare that I've been able to sit/drive and listen to an entire CD without skipping to the next song. Jason Aldean is just one of those artists that I can listen to over and over again. The last time I felt this way about a singer...George Strait. I love Tim McGraw and several other artists...but too many times we've bought a CD and was disappointed because we really only listened to a couple of songs. It's been too easy to just buy a favorite song off of iTunes and burn a CD. But George Strait and Jason Aldean have turned out to be musthaves for our household.

So I was browsing the new book releases this weekend and was determined to buy just one. I was looking at the back cover blurbs...and I came across a book that sounded almost exactly like the plot in my current WIP. I was a little upset. Even worse...she's an Oklahoma writer. *sigh* I know that no plot is a new plot. It's VERY hard to write something somebody hasn't already used in some manner. But I'm talking the same exact plot outline. So I bought the book. As much as it pained me to spend my hard earned money on a book that could possibly be what keeps an editor from taking my story seriously...I had to see how she twisted the storyline. I can happily say I didn't like it. So back to work. Hopefully the editors or independent reader will have had time to distance themselves between plots and will see enough in my storyline to see promise.

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you had a great weekend.

Brain fried...

After the week I've had...my brain is in fried mode. So I'll leave you guys with something to think about from my favorite life guru.

The wisdom of Larry the Cable Guy......

1. A day without sunshine is like night.

2. On the other hand, you have different fingers.

3. 42.7 percent of all statistics are made up on the spot.

4. 99 percent of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

5. Remember, half the people you know are below average.

6. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.

7. Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.

8. The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese in the trap.

9. Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.

10. A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

11. Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.

12. If you think nobody cares, try missing a couple of payments.

13. OK, so what's the speed of dark?

14. When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

15. Hard work pays off in the future. Laziness pays off now.

16. How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges?

17. Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

18. What happens if you get scared half to death, twice?

19. Why do psychics have to ask you your name?

20. Inside every older person is a younger person wondering, 'What the heck happened?'

21. Just remember -- if the world didn't suck, we would all fall off.

22. Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

23. Life isn't like a box of chocolates. It's more like a jar of jalapenos.. What you do today, might burn your butt tomorrow.

Good Monday morning my friends!!

Hope everyone had a beautiful and very blessed Easter weekend. Ours was different but nice. Little man got to hunt Easter eggs on the beach this year. Weather wasn't what he hoped for...the important thing was that he had a blast. I missed the big family get together and didn't miss having to cook a big meal.

Back to reality. Today is going to be a productive one if I have to pull teeth to do it. Well...not mine anyways...little man still has a few he can afford to lose. Anyhoo. I am determined to finish revising my chapter today. I need to finish and get it sent off to a few contests next month. I think I'll actually try the Golden Hearts this year. My short term goal is to finish making the changes and complete the manuscript.

Have you ever heard a song that inspired you? Not necessarily as a writer, maybe just on some personal level. I've had struggles, as I'm sure many of you have had, in my personal life when it comes to letting go. I heard a song this morning by LeAnn Rimes that made me tear up. What I Cannot Change was beautifully written from her heart. She tells the song history about how she was venting with a songwriting friend and he took notes. She thought it was strange at first...but understood as the song emerged from her words. It struck a chord with me this morning as I work on layering internal emotion with my heroine. But the words went far deeper for me on a personal level. Not that I needed anymore emotional layering of my own right now, thank you very much.

Okay...back to work. Have a productive day everyone!!!

Hello.

Hello. My name is Chelle, and I'm a stress addict.

I had a long drawn out post griping about my life. But I will spare you guys the whining. Long story short...I'm logging off and will work on some crits and then finish editing my chapter. I'm going to shut up and put up.

We're finally settled in Louisiana...part of that long story. Here are some pictures of our ventures from this last weekend while walking the streets in the French Quarter. We got some great shots of the interesting people we came across...but the pictures and details are hard to see in these smaller images. I absolutely loved the unique atmosphere and architecture. The walled courtyards and iron balconies were so intimate and incredibly romantic. We're definitely going back for the annual Jazz Festival. Little man loved eating alligator and even got to have his picture taken with the famous pirate...Captain Jack Sparrow.

Do something!

I want to dedicate todays post to an issue weighing heavily on my mind. I have a teenage boy who has been dealing with relationship issues for a couple of years now. I can look at it only from where I stand...and it seems he has been on the receiving end so far. He's had to deal with several little girls who want to play emotional games and he ends up getting hurt because he's the "nice" guy. I try to listen carefully and read between the lines because I want to make sure he's as healthy emotionally as we can possibly influence. I want to make sure he's not doing the hurting...if he has to break up with someone I don't want him to do it in an abusive way. I've tried to teach him that words can have a profound effect on people, young or old, for his sake and the people he will come across in his relationships. We can't always help or fix things for our kids...but we can make sure they have the tools to deal with issues whenever we can. I've always tried to teach my boys and nephews to use words and not their fists. But I also refuse to allow them to become verbal sparring partners or punching bags for some. My babies also have a right to defend themselves. My oldest had early lessons with a bully in third grade. A big kid kept picking on my scrawny baby with glasses. The bully was constantly making fun of him and we talked with the teacher and principal, which only angered the kid. The issue escalated and the kid started pushing and tripping my son at every chance he found. One day the kid was pushing my son on the playground, behind the slide and out of sight of the "group" of playground monitors that should've been individuals walking around so there weren't "blind spots". Kiddo had enough and punched the boy in the mouth. Guess who got sent home for fighting. I insisted on a meeting with the teacher, parents and principal. During the meeting it came out that this was far from the first time that this little boy was in trouble for being a bully. The parents were very defensive and I could see where the kid got his attitude. Short story...we pulled kiddo out of the school and homeschooled him until they did something about the bully. Several months later the superintendent called and asked if we'd bring kiddo back. The family had moved and bully was no longer in kiddo's class. But he's still out there somewhere.

I had a story idea about six months ago for a young adult/teen book about domestic violence. But my current WIP's are front and center at the moment and I haven't had the time or desire to start something new. Teenage domestic violence has been a talked about issue recently and tragically brought into the spotlight with the news reports about the Chris Brown/Rhianna altercation. The Today Show on NBC had a short segment on the issue this morning so I want to send out the link in case anyone is interested. Dosomething.org galvanizes teens/tweens to take action. There is a section on violence and bullying but it also just encourages teens to become active at a young age with issues we all deal with.

I was devastated to hear that one in three teens will be abused in peer relationships whether it's physical, mental or online. It's easy to say they've learned this through environment but that's not always the case. I remember how emotional I was in high school when it came to my first real love. I thought I would DIE when we broke up. Don't ask me the specifics because I can't remember all the drama behind it...I was the one that did the heartbreaking but wanted him back the second he started dating someone else. But between hormones and teenage angst...I'm sure it was made out to be more than it should've been. I even had a boy slap me once. ONCE. Little did he know that my mama raised me to be strong and independent and I had had enough crap in my young life to deal with for some silly little boy trying to put his hands on me. He left my house with the thought that I was a star player on my softball team and knew how to use my bat. Looking back...it could've turned out really bad.

Education is the key. We've got to remember that regardless of age, color or financial status...we all have the right to live our lives without the fear of someone hurting us, emotionally or physically.