Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Almost there.

I just finished another chapter in my book. With this completed chapter I am now almost finished with the actual writing portion of the book. I will write the last chapter and probably the epilogue tomorrow night and then I'm finished!

Of course, most people will know that that's not the end of it. Writing the actual book is really only the beginning. After its completion, I will quickly move into the editing, revising, rewriting, proofreading, etc, etc, etc. portion of the book. It may take just as long to do all of that as it has taken to write the thing. LOL But, I don't mind!

Anyway, it is just after 1am so I will head to bed now. Only one more late night and I'll be ready to work during the daylight hours. My big girls head back to school next week and I'll again have the peacefulness of having only one child home all day.

Good night!

Monday, July 30, 2007

Something I wrote last night.

This is something that I wrote last night, about my youngest daughter waking up while I was working on chapter 22. :-)

"While I am sitting here, typing away on my laptop - working on my current book project - I was interrupted by the cries of my 2yr old daughter. She was yelling, "Mommy!" so I sat aside my laptop and rushed to her crib-side. She was standing up in her crib, crying for me. I picked her up and those small arms immediately wrapped tightly around my neck and she said, through her tears, "Mommy get hurt at beach! Monster bite you's foot!" (I got stung by a jellyfish on vacation) She was sooo upset that I sat down in the rocking chair and had to reassure her. I said, "Mommy is ok. Don't worry." She proceeded to say, "But you foot still has boo-boos." I told her that yes ,indeed, the foot still looked bad, but it didn't hurt anymore and that mommy was alright.

My sweet daughter hugged my neck tightly, with her little head lying on my shoulder, and slowly calmed down until I was able to put her back to bed. She fell right back to sleep with the knowledge that her mommy was just fine and she had nothing to worry about.

The love of a child is an empowering feeling. They need us more than just for food, clothing and knowledge. They love us and we are their world for a very long time. The thought of my 2yr old being so fearful of my silly foot injury, so much so that it causes her to wake from fright, just brings tears to my eyes. These aren't tears of sadness, but tears from knowing just how much she does love me.

Hug those little ones of your's and know that they do, indeed, love you more than they will ever tell you."

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Still moving along.

Last night I managed to complete chapters 20 and 21. I'm estimating about another 5 chapters before it will be ready to end. I'm trying to find an interesting way to wrap the book up while leaving just enough suspense to keep the readers craving more, which will lead into the second book. I know what the last sentence will be and I have a great idea for the epilogue, but I just have to get from where the characters are right now to where I want them to be by the end of the book. I'm sure that it will all come to me in the end, but I would feel a lot better if I already knew. LOL! That's what happens when a book takes on a life of its own I suppose.

I'm still having troubles with my nasty jellyfish sting from two weeks ago. I thought it was going away, but last Saturday it started flaring up again and it just keeps looking badly, instead of getting better. It's not getting worse, but it's not getting better either. I have to keep it covered in cortizone cream and I have to continuously keep popping Benedryl capsules to keep the itching at bay. Before anyone says it, NO I'm not allowing the husband to urinate on my foot. LOL! I'll just have to suffer if it comes to that. ;-)

Now back to work I go. The house needs cleaning, the laundry needs folding and I have a book to work on. I hope that you all have a good day!

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Still busy.

I thought that this would be a slower week, since vacationing and birthdays were over for a while, but I am still finding myself very busy. Most of it is my own doing, I fully admit. I completed chapter 19 in my book last night and I'm also working on a redesign for my website. It's not really anything major, but I wanted the site to have a cleaner look AND look more appropriate for the creatures that roam the night; vamps and weres and all that jazz. So the new site will have a darker color scheme and feel to it. I hope that my readers like it and if you don't, well, then feel free to blame my groupie and I, because we love it. LOL!

I'll be working on chapter 20 tonight. I'm still hoping to have the writing portion of the book completed by the time the children go back to school, in less than 2 wks. I stay up late to work on my book and that won't be feasible once I have to start getting up at 6am to get them off to school.

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Hump Day!

Monday, July 23, 2007

I've been busy.

It has been a busy last few days for The Silvers Family. My middle daughter turned 7 yrs old on the 19th and then we had her birthday party on the 21st. She requested a SuperGirl party and I happily obliged. We all had a great time and I even surprised her with a gift that she had been begging for since last year. It was very fun to see the excitement in her face. I love watching my children have fun.

I'm also having trouble with my jellyfish sting from vacation. It has been over a week since that nasty jellyfish got me and I thought that it was healing nicely, but for the last 3 days it is having a relapse. My foot is itchy and the marks from the tenticles are swollen and red again. The website that I read about this said that you can have reactions from 1-4 weeks after the inital "sting". So it looks like I'll be enduring this mess for a little while longer. Cortizone and Benedryl are my best friends right now.

On the book front, I just completed chapter 18 of Vampires, Werewolves & Infatuation, Oh My! and I have to say that if this chapter doesn't make a few people tingly in the nether regions then I don't know what will. LOL!! This book is sooooo close to being completed. Well, the writing is. I'll have to proofread and edit before it will "really" be completed, but that's the easy stuff compared to the actual writing part. Of course, I'm not really finding the writing part all that difficult. It's just time consuming and since I only feel comfortable writing my book late at night it feels like it's more work than it really is. I'll be happy when it's completed and published, but then I'll be working on Book 2. LOL!!

Good night everyone! I hope that you all have a peaceful night.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

I'm done!

For tonight that is. I just finished chapter 17 and, since it's almost 1:30am, I am going to bed. I'm too tired to type anything with more substance right now.

Good night!

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Back into the swing of things.

Ah, yes, I am back to my normal self again. Vacation mode is slowly slipping away and the normal, busy, Christie is reappearing. Last night I managed to submit an article to AC......I haven't published anything since July 1st with them.....and tonight I just completed Chapter 16 of my book. I'll be finished before we know it.

My husband is constantly complaining about my late nights, but what he doesn't realize is that with the big girls home from school for summer vacation there isn't one ounce of peace and quiet from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to bed. That's why most of book writing doesn't even begin until the oldest goes to bed at 10pm. Which in turn causes me to stay up until about 1am, depending upon how long the chapter is that I'm working and how well it flows out of my fingertips onto the computer screen.

Tonight I started writing at 10:15pm, wrote for an hour, took a little break for a snack that I shouldn't have eaten and then just finished up the chapter about 5 mins ago. I still have an hour before my "normal" bedtime of 1am. I could start the next chapter, but I have this thing about starting one and not finishing it in the same sitting. Once I begin I MUST see that chapter through to the end before I can stop the process. My snack break was more of a thinking moment. LOL!

I am hoping to have all of the chapters completed by the time the girls go back to school. Otherwise, I will have a VERY hard time getting up early in the mornings to get them ready and drive them to school every day.

I hope that everyone has a nice evening (if you aren't already asleep) and wake up feeling rested and refreshed in the morning. :-)

Monday, July 16, 2007

Back from vacation!

I am officially back from vacation. We made it home Saturday (the 14th) evening, but I've still been in vacation mode since then. Today is the start of a new week and I am now back!

We had a fantastic week on Tybee Island and we all have the tan lines to prove it. LOL! We had rainy weather on the first day, but once that passed there was a gorgeous rainbow over the ocean and the rest of our week was perfect. I drank far too many alcoholic beverages, ate too many pounds of fresh seafood and spent too much money, but it was FUN!

We played in the ocean every single day, except for one. On that day we roamed around nearby Savannah, checked out the big mall, did some shopping and just spent the day out and about. By the time we made it back to the condo we were all too tired to go to the 102 degree beach.

On our very last night there, Tim & I went down to the beach alone (We brough mom with us & she babysat several times for us) to frolick in the waves before heading home the next morning. We were having a great time when suddenly I felt a poke/sting on my left leg. I reached down into the water and sort of swatted/rubbed the area and then I was attacked by a nasty little jellyfish on my hand and all over the top of my left foot.

We rushed back to the shore and then went as fast as we could to the condo, before my foot went completely numb. We made it back in the nick of time. My foot and hand swelled, stung, burned and just downright HURT for about two days and then it was over. I still have red marks on my hand and foot from where the tenticles touched me, but there's no more pain or anything. At least we know that I'm, apparently, not allergic to jellyfish stings. LOL!

Other than the jellyfish, the only problem I had on vacation was that my curly hair did NOT enjoy the island's humidity. Most of the pictures of me will show enormous, frizzy hair sprouting from my head. LOL! My husband wants to move there. I'd never have decent hair if we did. LOL!

Ok I better go for now. My girls are fighting. Only 3 more weeks until school starts, only 3 more weeks until school starts, only 3 more weeks until school starts.

Friday, July 6, 2007

Tomorrow's the day.

Tomorrow morning we will head out for our week long beach vacation. I can't wait to be sitting on the beach soaking up the sun. The van is packed, with everything that can be packed a day in advance, the house is clean, the laundry is done and I will only have to run one loaf of dishes and put them away this evening. We are SET!

I'm taking my laptop, but don't expect me to check in very often since our condo does not have Wi-Fi, or any internet connection at all. I'll have to go to the public library or the local McDonald's if I want to get online. I will have to get online once or twice to check emails, but not much more than that.

Well, I have a 2yr old yelling, "Mommy, mommy, mommy" at me so I better go. I hope that everyone has a fantastic week and I will "see" you all when I return on the 14th.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

I'm in love!

With my book characters, that is. I am absolutely in love with the two main characters in my book. They seem to have developed a life of their own. I just finished up chapter 15 and I'm ecstatic with their progression towards each other. They definitely have a lot of animal magnetisim between the two of them. I can't wait to see how this book ends between the two of them. I mean, I KNOW how it will end, especially since I've had the last sentence of the book planned out since before I started writing it, but this story has taken on a life of its own and I feel like I'm just along for the ride.

Now I understand the sayings about a good story writing itself. This one is certainly doing that. I was just telling my friend, Shannon, that it was like I was just a simple reader, instead of the author, because I can't wait to find out what happens next. LOL!

Good night all. May you have sweet dreams and get to sleep in late tomorrow. :-)

Tuesday, July 3, 2007

An early night.........

I was able to get an early start on my book writing tonight. The girls went to bed early and the husband fell asleep on the couch before 9pm. I had the perfect quiet house before 9pm. YAY! It is now 10:50pm and I have gotten a whole chapter and half of the next completed. I'll be able to go to bed before 1am tonight!! YAY!

On the AC front, I wrote an article today, but never got around to editing it and submitting it. It's sitting on my laptop just waiting for me. I was thrilled to find out that my product review about the Nekkie Blankie was in the Showcase on AC's front page! I'm very excited, especially since I wrote the article for my friend Kayli (who is the owner of Nekkie Blankie). I hope that it heps bring in more sells for her. She's great and totally deserves every ounce of success that has and will come her way.

Ok, I better be off to finish this chapter and head to bed. I hope that everyone has a great 4th of July tomorrow. Please stay safe and don't drink and drive!

Only 4 more days until I leave for vacation!

When do you write?

It's an interesting question that I've been contemplating lately. It's not about just finding time to write, but more about the actual time of day that you write. I've found that I write different types of things at particular times of day.

It seems that I can write my articles for Associated Content any time of day. As long as the children are keeping occupied and I have a good 20 minutes then I can crank out an article for AC. When it comes to my book, Vampires, Werewolves & Infatuation, Oh My! I absolutely MUST do my writing at night.

I think that the reason I am writing the book so much easier at night is because 90% of the book takes place at night. I have found that I have to be sitting in my empty livingroom, while everyone else is sleeping, with pitch blackness outside my windows in order to concentrate on my book. My husband comments often about me staying up until 1am so many nights, but you have to do what you have to do in order to complete a task......especially when it's something that you love doing and are passionate about.

Oh well, at least I know that no one will be bothering me while I'm writing late at night. LOL!

Book Update: Chapter 13 COMPLETED!