Finished!

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read and all the friends I want to see. ~John Burroughs

I wrote 968 words yesterday and have finished my short story, "Kitchen Matches". Phew!! I was so worried, and I didn't know how I wanted it to end. I hope it's believable that the H/H fell madly in love so fast, as I'm not a big fan of that particular plot point, but it seemed to be what the characters wanted.

So... 12,658 words long. And I'm sending it off to my wonderful writing buddy shortly to tear apart. If it doesn't work, she'll let me know.

Just wanted to celebrate.

Note to Dru: You asked me, "After you've finished with the two writing challenges, what do you do with the stories? Do you send it out to publishers?

My answer? Sometimes.

My 2005 NaNoWriMo novel is the one recently contracted by Samhain. It needed much editing prior to submission, but NaNo helped me get down the bones -- a sh***y first draft (to quote Anne Lamott). My 2006 NaNo novel was finished, but just didn't work for me. I didn't like the heroine. And if I didn't like her, it's doubtful a reader would. BUT, I loved my hero, his roommate and a few other secondary characters. I even loved the town I created. So I'm giving him a new lady (A cat lady, to be precise) and he will once again star in my 2007 NaNo novel, with a working title of "The Cartoonist and the Cat Lady".

This short story I just finished will be submitted to The Wild Rose Press. I think it's a good story, and I want to share it. Do I submit them all? No. But I don't ever completely abandon something. There was a reason I liked it, so I just have to dig around until I find it and then use that particular thing in another piece of writing.

And that was probably far more than you wanted to know!!

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I just got my second round of edits for Liv, so I'll be working to get those out by the end of October (pre-NaNo... my editor **waves to Eve** is very understanding about my desire to NaNo, so is helping to work around that. I owe her flowers and chocolate--deep, dark chocolate). Don't know what I'm going to work on for Sven today -- instead of one of my novels (I've been away from them for a bit, so would really have to reaquaint myself, and I don't know that I want to do that for only 8 days of work), I may pull out one of my many unfinished short stories and see what happens. 8000 words on a short or two could be a big deal!

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There's a new contest starting today at LASR Romance Reviews -- the author we are interviewing tomorrow has donated THREE things for the weekly giveway! What a lovely lady. And, psssttt.... one of them is an AUTOGRAPHED book!

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What Your Halloween Habits Say About You

The scariest thing on Halloween is you! You definitely don't want any kids in costumes crossing your path - and you're willing to scare away any who do. You like to think of yourself as naughty. But compared to most people, you're actually quite mild. Your inner child is open minded, playful, and adventurous. You truly fear the dark side of humanity. You are a true misanthrope. You're prone to be quite emotional and over dramatic. Deep down, you enjoy being scared out of your mind... even if you don't admit it. You are picky and high maintenance. If you wear a Halloween costume, it's only when you really feel like it. And it has to be perfect.

What's Your Halloween Personality?

Okay, some of this is true. I DO fear the dark side of humanity -- deeply. I do tend to be emotional and dramatic, lol. I don't think I'm naughty, tho. And high maintenance? Ha. Not even. My DH tells me regularly that he's glad he's married to me and not to most other women because I'm easy to deal with.

You?

A Funny...

Above all else: go out with a sense of humor. It is needed armor. Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life. ~Hugh Sidey

Despite an unbelievable number of distractions, not the least of which was doing three days of work on the website (!!) because I can finally access the blasted thing again, I still managed to eke out 756 (750 words being my minimum daily goal). DH is planning to be gone a good part of the day today, so I have high hopes -- even though DD will still be here. Still, I have a grand total of 5,008 words since I started Sweating on Monday, so I'm not complaining.

Now that I've nearly completed "Kitchen Matches" (our heroine is no longer pinned against the side of the tow truck, she is collapsed in a heap at the hero's feet instead!), I need to work on something else until NaNo. I have two novels that are currently incomplete: "Return to Stiller Creek" (my mystery) and "The Possibility of Forever" (Formerly "Camilla's Critters"). Hmmm... eight days left of Sven. That's 8000 words. Not enough to finish either one, but it sure wouldn't hurt to add that much to either either (funny -- "EYE-ther" "EEE-ther" -- I almost didn't put it there, but it's what was in my head, so I had to do it *G*). The mystery is at about 45,000 (I need 65,000) and TPOF is at 41,000 (I need at least 55,000, but would prefer 65,000 words). Decisions, decisions....

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Did you vote for LASR -- our romance reviews site yet? If not, go to this blog and see the poll on their sidebar -- we'd appreciate your support!

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A funny for Sunday (from one of my TWRP message boards):

How many online messageboard/forum posters does it take to change a light bulb?

1 to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed.

14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently.

7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs.

27 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs.

53 to flame the spell checkers.

41 to correct spelling/grammar flames.

6 to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb."

Another 6 to condemn those 6 as anal-retentive.

2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp."

15 know-it-alls who claim *they* were in the industry, and that "light bulb" is perfectly correct.

156 to email the participant's ISPs complaining that they are in violation of their "acceptable use policy."

109 to post that this forum is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a light bulb forum.

203 to demand that cross posting to hardware forum, off-topic forum, and light bulb forum about changing light bulbs be stopped.

111 to defend the posting to this forum saying that we all use light bulbs and therefore the posts *are* relevant
to this forum.

306 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this technique and what brands are faulty.

27 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs.

14 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and to then post the corrected URL's.

3 to post about links they found from the URL's that are relevant to this group which makes light bulbs relevant to this group.

33 to link all posts to date, quote them in their entirety including all headers and signatures, and add "Me too."

12 to post to the group that they will no longer post because they cannot handle the light bulb controversy.

19 to quote the "Me too's" to say "Me three."

4 to suggest that posters request the light bulb FAQ.

44 to ask what a "FAQ" is.

4 to say "Didn't we go through this already a short time ago?"

143 to say "Do a Google search on light bulbs before posting questions about light bulbs."

10 posters to claim the light bulb failed because of George Bush's policies.

20 to denounce those 10 and blame Hillary.

1 to say that if you were any damn good at all you wouldn't need the freaking light bulb.

3 to say that those of you talking about light bulbs aren't working and should get back to work.

1 forum lurker to respond to the original post 6 months from now and start it all over again.

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Your Beauty Element is Earth

You are the epitome of a natural beauty. Your look is definitely effortless. And while you shy away from a lot of make-up and accessories, you're no granola girl either!

What's Your Beauty Element?

That's very, very true.

Tow Trucks, Webhosts and Five Things

There are three kinds of death in this world. There's heart death, there's brain death, and there's being off the network. ~Guy Almes

To those of you who wonder just why the hero in "Kitchen Matches" (Micah) has the heroine (Cori) pinned to the side of her tow truck... well... you'll just have to wait. That's a secret between me, Judy (who will crit it for me) and my editor. Muh-ha-ha....

Unfortunately, poor Cori is still there as I only wrote 138 words yesterday. I place the blame squarely on the hosting company for the reviews site. First I spent almost 20 minutes waiting for help in their live chat, only to be told to send an email to support. I did so, and rec'd a request back from them for my user ID, password and screenshot of the error screen. I sent it. Waited, waited -- for SIX hours, I waited. Nothing. So I emailed them again and asked if they had a status, and got a request for my user ID, password and screenshot.

Color me unhappy.

Unfortunately, this happened about two minutes before I had to leave for the field trip. So I shot them the info and asked them to confirm they had rec'd it.

I got back back four hours later. Checked. Nothing.

So I called. I got a fairly reasonable and literate human being on the phone, who spoke clearly (for a change). I told him my story, he apologized, looked in to it and actually came back with a reason and an ETA! Woot! The reason, one I had seen in an email: they are changing the control panel. Apparently all the bugs haven't been worked out and it crashed the server and database for my website (lucky me). ETA? 24 - 48 hours. Thank heavens it's the weekend.

So. 138 words.

I'm going for 1862 today. Wish me luck!

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BTW, if you like LASR -- our romance reviews site, then go to this blog and see the poll on their sidebar -- feel free to vote for us!

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Avery tagged me! So, yay, I don't have to think about what to blog. Of course, this meme requires a different kind of thinking. Which makes me think this: does blogging count toward words in 70 Days of Sweat??

What were you doing ten years ago?
1) Living out west (yay!).
2) Raising a puppy.
3) Commuting an hour one way.
4) Country Dancing regularly.
5) Trying to get pregnant.

What were you doing one year ago?
1) Celebrating the release of my first published story!
2) Writing like a fiend.
3) Being active in my writing group.
4) Teaching my DD third grade.
5) Watching "Heroes".

Five snacks you enjoy:
1) Fire Roasted Tomato Triscuits
2) with salsa *G*
3) Dry roasted peanuts
4) cheese and crackers
5) chips and guacamole

NOTE: Actually I'll eat almost anything with salsa and guacamole.

Five Songs you know the lyrics to:
1) "Renegade" by Styx
2) "Music of the Night" from Phantom
3) "God Blessed the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts
4) "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood
5) "Purple People Eater" by Sheb Wooley

NOTE: Huh. I'm a little eclectic in my tastes.

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1) Laser all the hair off my legs, pits and *ahem* bikini area.
2) Pay off my house.
3) MOVE back out west.
4) Take a week at a ritzy health spa.
5) Get regular massages and chiropractic care.

**NOTE: Yes, it's all about ME! Now, if I was a billionaire? Because, yanno, a million doesn't go so far anymore...okay, truthfully, one of the thing I love to do is shop for gifts for other people and to give money to every single Salvation Army bell ringer I see. THAT would be a hoot with a million dollars!

Five bad habits:
1) Losing my temper.
2) Waiting 'til the last minute to plan dinner.
3) Eating too much and not exercising.
4) Getting impatient with my DD.
5) Needing to check my email constantly throughout the day.

Five things you like to do:
1) Write
2) Watch good movies
3) Sing
4) Talk with friends (usually via IM -- HI Judy & Michele!)
5) Laugh

Five things you will never wear again:
1) Gauchos
2) A bikini
3) Nylons (yay!)
4) Pumps with lacy, turn down socks.
5) Bell-bottoms (yes, I HATE the current trend)

NOTE: I admit, I copied some of Avery's. It would appear we are from the same general generation...

Five favorite toys:
1) My computer
2) My DVR
3) My digital camera
4) Balloons
5) My dog

NOTE: I do play with my dog. That counts, right?

Five things you hate to do:
1) Cook dinner
2) Shave my legs
3) Iron
4) Pooper scoop
5) File

NOTE: I haven't filed anything in an entire year. You should see the stack... but, tax time is coming. I'm going to have to break down and do it soon. It's all in a neat, chronological stack, but not filed.

Five people to tag:
1) You
2) And you, too.
3) And you, if you can find the time.
4) Maybe you?
5) and Judy.

*G*

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You're sweet (but not too sweet) and you fill other people's lives with tasty bits of awesomeness. You're no perfectionist – in fact, you're a bit disorganized – but your friends find your easygoing personality irresistible. You're so popular and loveable that even when you're having a bad day, people still like having you around.

Uh, no.

Must as I'd like to be a chocolate chip cookie, I AM a perfectionist at heart (it may not reflect on this blog, since I tend to ramble...), I'm NOT disorganized (I live for organization), and I'm NOT easy-going. And me on a bad day? NOT fun to be around.

Oh well... You?

Release Date and Dripping Sweat

"The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed." - Eminem

I know. I can't believe I'm quoting Eminem, either!

First off... congrats to the folks who guessed the song yesterday! It was, indeed, the theme from Rawhide. And, just for grins, I give you the Blues Brothers version:



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I got the official release date for my Christmas story "The Christmas Curse"... after a bit of wrangling by my editor (you're a peach, Nancy!), I got the release date I'd hoped for -- November 19th. Mark your calendars, folks!



For Molly Scott, everything bad in her life has happened during the Christmas season, from training bras in her stocking to being jilted by her fiancé. This year is no exception.

Ten days before Christmas, she arrives at work to find her department closed down and everyone laid off. Desperate, she takes a job for a singing telegram service and, dressed as Mrs. Claus, meets the man of her dreams--who turns out to be a nightmare--in a broken down elevator. The Christmas Curse is right on track.

And, to whet your appetite, here's an excerpt:

Late as usual, Molly jogged toward the elevators. The one on the left was just closing, so she hollered, "Hold the door!" and leaped forward, slipping her arm inside the crack. She took a step and jammed the stiletto heel of her boot right into the crack where the elevator car met the floor. She teetered unsteadily, praying she wouldn't break a bone.

The doors lurched open and she lost any hope of staying upright when they did. She tumbled inside, heard the snap of her boot heel breaking and then tumbled onto another occupant, knocking them both to the barely padded floor.

"Oh no, I am so sorry!" She rolled to one side before sitting up to see who had cushioned her fall. The best looking man she'd ever seen lay on the floor, grinning up at her, and making no effort whatsoever to get to his feet.

"My pleasure." He propped his arms under his head. "Truly."

She jumped to her feet, forgetting she'd lost a heel in the door, lost her balance and fell again. At least she managed to land on her hands and knees above him like a bridge and didn't squash him.

"Sorry." She crawled to the door and wiggled the broken heel back and forth until it came out, wondering why the doors hadn't tried closing on her fingers. She glanced over her shoulder to find the man sitting up with his finger on the "Door Open" button.

"Thanks."

"No problem. What floor?"

"I need the penthouse, please."

"That's where I'm heading, too."

She pivoted away from his lopsided grin and nearly stepped on a rather small, ashen-faced man leaning in the corner. His body shuddered when the doors closed and the car started to move.

"Oh-kay…" She was stuck between drop-dead-handsome man and pasty-face man and had to figure out how to do her routine with a broken-heeled boot. She tucked said heel into one of the many pockets in her slicker lining and left the coat hanging open. She hoped the boot could be repaired. But because it was only a week before Christmas, she doubted she'd have any luck with that.

It was a little like the time, eight years before, when she'd performed an aria for the school Christmas program, unaware that two buttons on her dress were undone, thereby flashing the front of her ancient white bra, complete with holes and safety pins.

"So, you were invited to the party upstairs?" Handsome man broke into her thoughts. He climbed to his feet and moved beside her.

Molly nodded.

"I wasn't aware it was a costume party."

She crinkled her nose and shook her head. "I wouldn't know. I'm only the entertainment."

"Ahhh." He reached out a hand and flipped the bells on her collar. "So, Mrs. Claus, is the mister showing up tonight? Because, to be honest, I haven't been very good this year."

She had just opened her mouth to speak when the lights cut off and the elevator ground to a halt. Oh, dear heavens, she'd done it again.
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I sweated successfully again yesterday! My daily goal is at least 1,000 words, and I managed 1,058!

My favorite line from yesterday's writing? It's this:

With one last, long look, he turned and left her sitting in the gutter with nothing but a lump on her skull and a broken heart.

Though this was a close second:

She burned for him—moth to flame. Part of her knew she should fly away from this inferno that would devour her, but she couldn’t do more than hold on tight.

Have I mentioned that I'm having a BLAST?

An interesting note: I went through the document and searched for "it". I then replaced about 85% of them with better nouns and descriptors. You know what? I gained almost 200 words! I was shocked. Happy, but shocked.

Woo!

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Your Karaoke Theme Song is "Margaritaville"

You are a true party animal, but your style is mild and chill. Kicking back with a few friends and a few drinks is all you need to be happy. You certainly don't feel pressured to be a part of any party scene. In fact, you avoid trendier spots. You've been known to kick loose anywhere and everywhere. All you need is a cooler. You might also sing: "Gin and Juice," "Love Shack," and "Red Red Wine" Stay away from people who sing: "Wind Beneath My Wings"

What's Your Karaoke Theme Song?

Hey... I like Buffet! I DO NOT LIKE Red, Red Wine... GAH. Bores me to tears.

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This looks pretty sharp, yes?

Rollin', Rolllin', Rollin'

It is impossible to discourage the real writers - they don't give a damn what you say, they're going to write. ~Sinclair Lewis

Can YOU name that tune? Go ahead, give it a go...

I am rolling. My getting-to-be-not-so-short-story, Kitchen Matches, is at nearly 9000 words thanks to Sven making me sweat!! Today we should hit 10,000 -- but I think it's almost done. Maybe not.

You know what's weird? I know, I know, you could probably make a list a mile long. But you know what's weird with me and my writing that I'm going to talk about right now?

When I write a novel, I always know the ending. In fact, I typically write the ending before I've gotten very far -- sometimes I write the ending immediately following chapter one. This is a nifty trick I learned from a romance writing class I took many moons ago (F102 for all you WVUers). In the third or fourth lesson we had to write the ending and I hadn't even written the first couple chapters. I found it so beneficial (like knowing where you're going when you get into the car), that I do it all the time now.

No, that's not what's weird (is it?). This is:

When I write a short story I never have the slightest clue how it will end. Ever. I have never known the ending on one one of my short stories. Never, huh-uh, not no how.

That's weird. Isn't it? You'd think a short story would be WAY easier to figure out. They aren't. In fact, IMHO, a short story is harder to write than a novel. So there you are. I know they're harder for ME to write. But I do love me a good short story.

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I'm feeling good, really good, about doing 70 days. I've managed over 1000 words the last two days, and should be able to do it again today. I'm moving right along and having a blast. It's a good warm up for NaNo, when I'll have to write 1657 words a day. Yahoo!

Seriously. I can't wait for it to start. If you've never done it, you should give it a try -- it's like the worlds best legal drug for writers. I'm so glad I decided to do it again this year. Now, if I could just decide which story to use.

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We're gabbing about romance in here. You should come on in and join the fun! We're some wild and crazy gals and the more, the merrier!

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Did you know you are eligible to win the LASR weekly contest AND an Amazon.com gift certificate just by signing up for our monthly newsletter? Have you done that yet? The link is right on our front door in bright blue! You can't miss it.

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Busy!

Baseball is a game where a curve is an optical illusion, a screwball can be a pitch or a person, stealing is legal and you can spit anywhere you like except in the umpire's eye or on the ball. ~Jim Murray

Not much to say... I'm busy!


borrowed from Writertopia

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This is very cool: ROCKIES WIN THEIR LEAGUE!!



The Colorado Rockies are the ONLY team in Wild Card history to win their first seven playoff games. They've won 21 of their last 22 games and are now headed to the World Series. Un-freakin'-believable.

And for Allie: Go Indians!

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There's another ARC being given away at our romance reviews blog. Head on over and comment to enter. Also, you have another chance today to enter to win a free eBook from Marcia James and a free eBook from Liana Laverentz. Whatcha waiting for?

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You Are a Werewolf

You're unpredictable, moody, and downright freaky. You seem sweet and harmless, until you snap. Then you're a total monster. Very few people can predict if you're going to be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. But for you, all your transformations seem perfectly natural. Your greatest power: Your ability to tap into nature Your greatest weakness: Lack of self control You play well with: Vampires

What Kind of Monster Are You?

That's all for now, really. Sorry -- busy, busy, busy!!

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First Day of Sweating

See, the human mind is kind of like... a piñata. When it breaks open, there's a lot of surprises inside. Once you get the piñata perspective, you see that losing your mind can be a peak experience. ~Jane Wagner



And when Sven talks, I listen. Keep an eye on the word counter on the sidebar to see what I've done on my short story, "Kitchen Matches". I also plan to do some more brainstorming on my fantasy, though the more I do, the more I think it's unsuitable for NaNo, so I may end up back with "The Cartoonist and the Cat Lady". NOT that I'm shelving the fantasy... I just think it might be tough to write it for NaNo. We'll see. I have fourteen more days to decide.

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It's a big week full of giveaways at LASR! First, we are spotlighting Liana Laverentz who recently won the Golden Leaf Award for best long contemporary novel. We'll be giving away one of her books this week (including the one that won the contest) in conjunction with the spotlight -- go take a look.

We're also giving away a HOT (rated "R" for risque) eBook from the lovely lady in our weekly interview, Marcia James. She also donated some great thumbcuff keychains, so we'll have not ONE but FIVE winners for our weekly contest this week.

And, as if that wasn't enough, we have TWO print books that we've reviewed for Sourcebooks and we're giving them away in conjunction with the reviews on our blog. One will be posted today, and one tomorrow -- but the contest lasts ALL WEEK! Go see.

AND, if you post a link to any or all of these contests, I'll give you an extra entry into each contest you posted!! Just let me know in the comments here.

Phew. I'm breathless. I love to give stuff away.

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Well, DH didn't quite get my new office flooring done yet, but it's close. By next weekend, everything should be done: flooring, paint, etc. Then I get to move. I don't have all the furniture I'll need (LOTS of bookcases!!*G*) but I have some. I want to get a DVR for up there as well, so I don't have to worry about DH cancelling one of MY programs because there's a hockey game and American Chopper on at the same time, LOL.

I can't wait to set up the schoolroom either. Finally room to put up my maps, and the math charts and so much more. Yay!!

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