Happy Halloween!

It's that day of the year again.  The day that we all dress up like ghouls and goblins, witches and wizards, princesses and fairies, oh and let's not forget the wenches, nurses, and of course, Dorothy!  ;-)  Then we head out to forage (beg) for chocolately morsels--and no, tootsie rolls don't count.  Blech!

It's Halloween!

I've always enjoyed this day.  I get to dress up (not always publicly), paint my nails black (like I wait for Halloween for that), and enjoy the darkness of All Hallows' Eve.  The girls have so much fun and rack up on so much candy that I end up having throw some out or give it away around Thanksgiving. 

Here in the last few years, Halloween also marks the last day of wild abandon before I dedicate the entire month of November to my next novel.  Yesterday I spent an hour just brainstorming and working on character descriptions and names.  Those of you on my Facebook page may have seen my request for older Scottish men names.  Thanks a bundle to those who offered up suggestions and/or links to aid in my quest. 

I really am excited for the new project, and the rush to get the first draft onto "virtual" paper is something that I can't resist.  I like having a deadline, it focuses my attention and pushes me.  Tim hates it, but he's come to accept my time spent.  Now if I could just get him to quit tempting me away from my work every time I get into a good flow.  LOL.

Well, I'm off to do laundry and get things ready for trick-or-treating tonight.  The girls will be dressed as a butterfly, devil, and demon hunter.  I'll share a pic when I get time tomorrow.  :-)

Happy Haunting!



P.S.  The background will go back to normal tomorrow.  ;-)

Rex the Super Pup

Yes, I caved.  Meet our newest family member...  Rex!  He's an adorable 12 week old chihuahua pup.  The girls are absolutely enamored with this little guy, an he seems like a very happy puppy.

Wednesday I made arrangements to go see him, and his brothers, on Thursday.  We took the girls to my sister's house so that Tim & I cold run an "errand" which ended with us surprising them with Rex when w returned.  LOL.  The 4 yr old has been asking for a "gushuwawa" for a while now so she's claimed him as hers and hers alone.  LOL.

This morning we took Rex for a trip to the pet store and bought a few supplies to make his life with us complete.  He got a new collar, bed, crate, toy, chew bone, etc.  All in all he's set for a while.

Now I'm off to make some homemade pizzas for dinner.  Have a good evening.

Thursday Thoughts #4: Sleep is overrated.

Good morning to all of you out there in cyber-land.  Before I begin I want to share that this is entry #500 for Christie's Thoughts.  Woohoo!  Not too bad, if you ask me.  :-)

I went out this morning and ran errands, bought groceries, had a nice breakfast at the local IHOP, and just had a good time while performing the mundane tasks everyone deals with.  Of course that doesn't prevent the four year old from being a whiny complainer all morning.  Yep, she's being difficult, but I just send her off to cool off in her bed and go about my day.  She is my third after all; I'm fairly use to whiny little girls.  LOL.

Oh yes, sleep is overrated.  Yes, that's due to my youngest child as well.  One of these days I'll get to sleep through the night on a regular basis again.  One of these days...

It all started 13 years ago.  After two years of marriage, we welcomed our first daughter into the world and I was thrown, pushed, shoved into the world of the sleepless.  Nights of nursing, diaper changes, babies that would only sleep curled up against me, bad dreams, potty trips, lost blankies, dolls that had fallen into the floor, colds, flus, stomach bugs, and the millions of other reasons that we mothers never get to sleep through an entire night in silence and bliss.

Yes, I've been running on sleepless nights for over a decade now.  Why does no one ever tell us about this before we have kids?  Sure we know about the first year, but why don't people share that it lasts long into the years after #1?

My oldest (nearly 13 yrs old) no long wakes me for any reason at night.  The 9 year old does it fairly rarely at night, but always does on weekend mornings.  The 4 year old, well, let me just say that she's the bane of my sleep existence.  She's up every single night, for some off the wall reason or another.  If she's not up to go potty (which is right next to her room, and she has to walk past in order to get to my room), then she's lost hr doll, or her covers are messed up, or she just wanted to see what I was doing (sleeping dear, always trying to sleep).  It never fails.  On the rare occasion that she does sleep through the night, I still wake up around the same time that she wouldn't woke me.  LOL. 

It's all a lose-lose situation when it comes to MY sleep.  Tim on the other hand could sleep through a freight train crashing into the house.  Either that or he's gotten very good at pretending to be asleep over the years.  LOL.

All of this is to say that I know one of these days a regular sleep schedule will again return to my world.  One of these days everyone will sleep through the night and I'll wake up refreshed and, well... awake!  Until then, if you see me and I look as though I could pass out while standing up, you'll know that I slept terribly the night before and just give me my space.  Oh, and don't do like Tim and tell me that I LOOK tired.  I may very well look that way, I know I look that way, and yet it feels like an insult to be told that I look that way.  LOL!

Okay, there are my Thursday Thoughts for this week.  I didn't even know what this entry would be about until I sat down to write it while the youngest was screaming on her bed.  Ahhhh, the joys of parenthood.  People keep saying I'll miss this when they're grown, but I haven't missed any of their younger stages, so I doubt I'll miss not sleeping for years and years and years.  Yeah, I doubt it...

Have a great Thursday and I'll see you back here tomorrow.  *Smooches*

Wanna Know Wednesday #38

Good morning readers.  I hope that this morning finds you happy and healthy.  There are a lot of germs floating around this area right now.  Kids are out sick left and right at the girls' schools.  Luckily (fingers crossed), my kids haven't caught anything since that one cold right after school started.  I hope it stays that way.

The rain has stopped today.  It was very foggy when I took the kids to school, but that should burn off when the sun comes up bright and shiny.  Once I see how the day is going to be, I'll decide if today's the day for fall photos.  I just love the colors of the trees around here.  Bright yellows, oranges, & reds on fire all around.  It's quite lovely, but only lasts for such a short amount of time.

Yesterday I shared the logic behind my two week wait between writing one book and the next.  Today I'm going to share some insights into my newest leading lady, Liz Baker.  Liz is a cocky, self-aware, confident, knows what she wants (for the most part) kind of gal.  She's fun and I really enjoyed getting to know her.  This week's Wanna Know Wednesday is....

What Liz Would Do

1. Liz would tell someone to get out of her damn bar just for sitting on her expensive pool table.
2. Liz would have sex in a graveyard in the middle of the night.
3. Liz would wear a sexy Halloween costume out in public without caring what others thought.
4. Liz would be able to pull off that sexy Halloween costume because she doesn't give a damn what other people think.
5. Liz would tell someone to fuck off if they looked at her with even a hint of disrespect.
6. Liz would sacrifice her entire world for the people she loves.
7. Liz would happily stare at a sexy, shirtless man, letting her mind wander to naughtier things, even in the most inappropriate of moments.
8. Liz would call her cat a spoiled brat while still rubbing its tummy & enjoying its purring.
9. Liz would buy everyone in her a bar a round of drinks just because she's having a good day.
10. Liz would happily rule the world with a gentle touch, but an iron attitude when needed.

If you'd like to read what readers are saying about my new book & series starter, Time for Death, be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter that goes out next Wednesday.  I've shared comments from my readers and I just love how they've expressed their enjoyment of the story.  One has demanded that I get right to work on book 2 so she can read it, too.  LOL.  Just a few more days!  *Smooches*

Okay, that's it from me for today.  Be sure to sign up for the newsletter (I love getting new subscribers) so that you can read all the good stuff the readers are saying. 

Have a fabulous Hump Day!

Pumpkin Carving Lessons & My Two Week Wait

Happy Tuesday!  How was your Monday?  Anything exciting?

As I promised yesterday, here are the pictures from my kiddos carving their Halloween pumpkin on Sunday.  They did a great job, and all I did was lay out the design for them and set them to it.  I had a lot of fun watching them scoop it out, especially the 4 year old.  I made them wait until I could grab the camera, and  actually got the "Ewwww" picture that I wanted from her.  LOL.

Left: Scooping with a scooper.  Right: Ewww!

I think it turned out really good for a 12, 9, & 4 yr old cutting it all out. 

So today's Tuesday, and another "off" day for me.  I only have a few more days to enjoy the non-working days.  I always give myself two weeks between books, but it turns out being more of a hassle.  I do it in order to refresh myself; to clear my mind of the previous story in order to focus solely on the new one.  Two weeks is a good amount time (for me) no matter if the books are about two different groups of characters, or even the same characters but in a different setting and new problems.

However, I feel lost during those two weeks.  I have no characters to spend my time with.  No vampires to admire, or lust after.  No dangerously sexy men to thrust upon my heroines one last time.  No smokin' hot fantasy sexual encounters to direct and unfold...  Well, that may not be entirely true.  ;-)

But these two weeks make me feel like someone who is suddenly unemployed and don't know what to do with their time. 

So why do I commit myself to two weeks off, you may ask.  Don't go thinking that I've never tried jumping from one book straight into another one--I have!  It didn't work out well.  I couldn't get my new character to act the way they were suppose to.  They kept reverting back to the one(s) in the previous story.  No matter how much I tried.  The storylines would run together and things just wouldn't work out the way they were suppose to.

This is why I admire the authors who can work on multiple novels at once.  I have to focus solely on one project at a time.  I have to get it finished from beginning to end before I can take my two weeks off and jump into the next one.

Why not one week?  What about three? 

One week has been tried and it's not long enough.  Three weeks are too long and I start to lose that urgency I feel in starting the next one.  I've tried both.

So, even though the two week wait drives me crazy and leaves me feeling so anxious about jumping on the next one, it's the best way for me to transition from one story to the next.  I know this, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.  LOL.

Okay, now that I've shared a little insight into my writing insanity, I'll leave you with...

Have a fabulous Tuesday!  :-)

Mondays can be fun days.

Yes, really, they can...  Well, if you try really hard to make them fun days.  LOL.  Good morning all.  Welcome to another brand new week.  Each one really is full of all sorts of potential.  You never know what'll happen or where you'll end up when Friday rolls around.  You can choose to make the best of it, or you can choose to grumble and find disappointment in the world.  Me, well I'm normally a very optimistic kind of gal, so I like to see the best in the world around me.  So, YAY, it's a new week!  ;-)

It's just after 8 a.m. here right now and I've already taken the kids to school, started the dishwasher, washed two loads of laundry, fixed the 4 year old a bowl of strawberries, and ate a banana myself.  Oh, and I also applied online for a new job for Tim.  And yes, even though he's still in bed, he knew I was going to do it for him.  LOL. 

Next week will mark him being without a job for three months.  And, well, it seems that three months is my limit for him being home 24/7, underfoot all the time, and interrupting my daily work routine.  He's slowly "getting" it, and realizing that my day life doesn't revolve around him.  I have much too much to do each day to worry about him--a grown man--and whether or not he's bored or hungry or anything.  LOL.  He's learning, but I'd still like to get him back to work... or at least outside for a while each day. 

So anyway, it's the last week of October!  I have this last week before starting the first draft of my next book.  I'm super excited about this next story and can't wait to jump into it.  I've been mentally trying out opening scenes and trying to decide where I'd like to begin the story.  I think I've decided that Liz will open the story in Atlanta.  Should be a nice spot to start book two (beta readers of book one will agree).

Once November is over--and I have book 2's first draft complete--I'll go back to book 1, make a few changes, go over it a few more times, and then finally work on getting the proposal written up and sent off to agents.  Once that's out of the way, I can go back to book 2 or revisions, rewrites, and all that jazz.  Hopefully by the time I'm done with book 2 the first one will be accepted and I'll have acquired a lovely new agent.  *Fingers Crossed*

Then it'll be time for book 3.  LOL!  It never stops...  But then again, why would I want it to?  It's so much fun!  :-D

Okay, before I go for today, I want to ask my lovely readers to do one little thing for me.  Would you be so kind as to stop by and become a member of the website?  It only takes a moment, and it'll be well worth the trouble in the future when I get everything (including the blog) moved over to the website.  I'll eventually only be posting everything--news, contests, blog entries, etc.--over there and would hate for anyone to miss out.

So come on by and become a member of ChristieSilvers.com.  Just click the link & click the button "Join Site" on the members page.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing photos of the girls carving their Halloween pumpkin yesterday.  It turned out very good!

Have a great Monday.  *Smooches*

Only 1 Week Away

Morning folks.  How has your weekend been?  It has been a peaceful, quiet weekend around here.  The sun keeps fluttering in and out of the clouds.  We'll get glimpses of bright loveliness and then it's gone again.

Yesterday was spent here at home.  Mom brought the kids home around 11 a.m. that day.  Then the girls and I spent the day baking, cleaning, watching movies, playing outside, and just hanging out. 

Tim's been dealing with some sort of stomach issue for the last couple of days.  I had him piled up in bed yesterday.  He's as bad (or worse) than the children when it comes to being sick.  He whines and pouts and complains.  That's mainly why I shoved him into the bedroom and out of my way.  LOL!

I received more good words about Time For Death yesterday.  "...you drive the reader in a tense manner in a huge way..."  I absoutely LOVE hearing things like that.  She went on about certain book details that she likes (that I won't post here), and then I got this, "You are an amazing novelist!!!"  Awwwwww!  I love you too!

I have no real plans for today.  Tim's still not feeling well, so it'll be another at-home day.  That's okay though, I may just go get some pumpkins and let the kids carve them.  I'm actually enjoying these peaceful days before the storm of November arrives.  Today marks exactly 1 week until NaNoWriMo begins.  I'm definitely ready to get started on book 2 of my Liz Baker series.  Hell, I already have notes for book 3, too.

Once the contest starts I'll add a word count graphic to the blog.  You'll be able to see how many words I have done and how much closer I am to the 50,000 word goal.  This is my third year doing the contest, and I reached goal early for both previous years.  Hopefully I can again this year.

A Birth at Dawn was the book I wrote during NaNoWriMo 2007.  Then in 2008, I wrote the first draft of Time For Death.  This year's book will be Time For Battle (unless I change the title). 

Okay, I'm off.  Have a good Sunday!




*Photo: Taken by me Oct. 2008.*

A rainy Friday for me today.

Good afternoon!  It's Friday, woohoo!  Time for the weekend to begin.  What do you have planned for the weekend?  Anything fun and/or exciting?

Since next weekend is Halloween, and the kids will be having a party on Friday and our trick-or-treating on Saturday, and it's suppose to be the weekend my mom takes the kids, they all decided they'd rather do it today.  So, for 2 weeks in a row, the kids are going to Mom's for the night.  Tim & I will get an alone night tonight, and we won't even ahve to drive 12 hrs for it.  LOL!

Today started out as a cloudy & windy morning.  Leaves were flying off the trees and the temperature was just enough that we opened three windows in the house.  Then around 10am the rain finally started coming down.  Now it's wet, windy, and dreary.  However, I am extremely grateful for all the sunshine we had this week.  I hope it comes back for next week.

I don't have anything planned for this evening like we usually do on kid-free nights.  We've planned our in-door dinner (no grilling in the rain) and will probably watch a Netflix movie, but other than that I've got nothing planned.  Should be nice & quiet, so we'll just see where it leads.  ;-)

On another note, the pup we were thinking about adopting won't be happening.  It was a chihuaha pup, about 6 weeks old, from an unwanted, un-papered litter.  Unfortunately, the owners were just letting the pups run around outside and the one we wanted simply disappeared.  I'm hoping that the little one was at least taken in by a loving family who will enjoy and pamper it. 

Tim and the 4 year old are completely disappointed.  They'd finally gotten me to agree to bring the pup home, got their hopes up, contemplated names, and then I had to break it to them that the pup was no more.  :-(  I actually think Tim is taking it harder than the 4 year old too.  He keeps telling me to go buy one from a seller (this one was a freebie), but I'm not buying one when our money is better spent elsewhere.  He'll get over it, eventually.

On a completely unrelated subject:

Congratulations to my friend Jami!!!  She's now expecting baby #5 in June 2010.  I hope all goes well and she has a happy & healthy pregnancy and baby.  Now we wait to see if it's a boy or girl and which side will be outnumbered--she currently has 2 girls & 2 boys.

That's it from me for now.  Off to finish up my laundry and listen to the rain.  Have a good Friday and a fabulous weekend. 



*Tag Above: Another Mis-Made product*

Thursday Thoughts #3: I need a money tree.

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen.  How's it going?  I'm a bit later than usual today.  Lots of errands, bill paying, house cleaning, etc. going on today.

Funny how a week without "work" can be more work than if I'd worked.  LOL!

So today's Thursday Thoughts issue is about schools, and money.

I expect it when school first starts, and it always happens.  All sorts of papers set home asking for money for this, or that, or some future field trip, paper towels, hand sanitizer, etc.  I usually do good at gathering a nice bag of classroom supplies for each of the kids to take the first day.  But then you get the not-so-random letters or $2, $5, $15, week after week after week.  If it's not one of the girls, it's the other, or both!

Not only that but I don't carry a lot of cash around.  All of my purchases and bills are paid with my bank card or the random handwritten check (doesn't happen too often).  I pay most of the bills online too.  So when the kids come home asking for cash, it's a huge ordeal.

Next time I'll just go out back and pick some off of my imaginary money tree.  Oh wait, I don't have one!  Sheesh!

I really don't mind giving money to the school for supplies, trips, etc., but it gets really old when it happens continously throughout the entire year.  Just ask for it all upfront so I can get it over with and not deal with it the rest of the year.

I'm done for today.  I'm in a frustrated, annoyed mood today, and even though I bought myself a new pair of jeans today, I'm feeling a little neglected.  Plus I haven't written anything (aside from the blog, facebook, twitter) lately and it alway throws my mood off.

Anyway, have a good day and I'll hope for a lift in my mood.  :-)

Wanna Know Wednesday #37

Morning, morning.  How's it going?  It's Hump Day!  Not that I need a day for humping, but anyway...

Well, I survived the busy-ness of yesterday.  The van was fixed, the oldest's daughter's orthodontist appointment went well (she got new, longer rubber bands), the open house for middle daughter went fairly smoothly, and lastly, we went out for dinner with the kids.  It was busy, but quite successful.

Today I have nothing special planned.  I may curl up with Tim and watch movies all day.  Then again, we may go outside and work around the house.  Who knows?  Basically, it's an unplanned day; the calm before the storm (the month of November).  Ooohh, I know, I'll do more Christmas shopping too.

Oh yes, I still need to make a decision that Tim & the girls are hounding me about.  Tim has been wanting an indoor dog.  The youngest wants "a little puppy that stays little."  I've sworn off anymore indoor pets because I end up being the only person who takes care of them.

However, we've been offered the opportunity to adopt a chihuahua puppy.  My mom has a chihuahua that the girls adore and love to bits and pieces every time they're over there. 

Soooooo....

They are leaving it up to me to decide yes or no to this cute, forever little, absolutely perfectly sized puppy.  Tim keeps asking, "So, have you decided yet?"  He asked me more than a dozen times yesterday.  LOL.  I think he wants it.  LOL.  If I decided that we need another child in the house, I'll let you know.  I'm just completely undecided.  I'm sure that the moment I see the pup I'll be bringing him right home though.  I'm a sucker for babies.  ;-)

Okay, it's time to get to this week's Wanna Know Wednesday.

Last 10 Movies I've Watched

1. The Proposal
2. Land of the Lost
3. 17 Again
4. Bug  -- Don't watch this one. It's a complete waste of time.  Ugh!
5. Impact
6. Love Actually
7. About a Boy
8. X-Men Origins: Wolverine
9. Gattaca
10. Chaos

I still have Drag Me To Hell, Pandemic, & Monsters vs Aliens sitting here waiting for us to watch.  I love Netflix!  Now if I could find the time to work through some of my instant play queue as well. 

Okay, that's it from me today.  I hope you have a fantastic Wednesday.  Stop back by tomorrow for the 3rd installment of Thursday Thoughts.  :-)

Happy Tuesday morning.

Good morning all.  How is this new week treating you?  It's not too bad at all here.  We have beautiful, glorious sunshine for the second day in a row.  Yay!  You know how much of a sunshine whore I am.  LOL.

Today is a busy one for me.  We discovered yesterday that there was something wrong with the heater/ac blower in my van.  You know how on the speed dial there'll be like 5 or 6 different speeds.  Well, about a year ago one of them went out.  It just so happen to be the one we used the most.  But we left it be and just used the numerous others until the time came that we'd have to do more.  Well, that day came yesterday when all stopped working except for the highest one.  LOL.  It was a cold morning, but the heat gets to you after a while on high.

Tim figured out the problem yesterday and this morning we went out to find the necessary replacement part.  Once we got home, Tim had it all changed out in about 10 minutes and now ALL of my fan speeds work perfectly.  Oh, and the best part... it was only $13.80!  Woohoo!  Now that's a fix I don't mind paying for.  Hahaha!

Yes, yes, I know.  I really should buy something newer, but I like my van, and I hate to spend money on something I don't really need.  As long as it keeps taking us where we need to go, then I'll hang onto it.

Now, I have a few hours to spend at home before we need to head out again.  This afternoon, the oldest has an orthodontist appointment, but it's scheduled at the time where I'll have to pick up both the girls early instead of just her.  After her appointment we'll have to rush back home to get changed for the middle daughter's school open house (we did the oldest's last Tuesday).

I have no idea when we'll squeeze dinner in.  LOL.

Before I forget, here are the pictures from our Nascar trip to Charlotte over the weekend.  There aren't many, but Tim actually took more than I thought he did.  LOL.  The picture above is one I took of him.  Yes, he's a Jr. fan.  ;-)  I wish he would've smiled.  LOL.

Nascar 2009 Pics

One last thing before I go:  I received more great reviews from my test readers this morning for Time For Death.  I'm loving what they have to say about the story and how much they're enjoying it.  I still have that I'm waiting to hear from, so hopefully they're enjoying it as well.

Here's something I loved hearing from my author friend Robin.  "And damn do you have a way of pulling the reader into their world."   *Love*
Okay, I'm out for the day. I have carpet to vacuum and a 4 year old to play with.  :-)

Have a great Tuesday!

Time to start a new week.

Morning all.  *Yawn*  I'm tired this morning; would have definitely preferred a few more hours when that alarm clock went off.

Well, we made it back from Charlotte yesterday afternoon.  It was soooooo cold up there this year.  Usually when  go it's warm in the day and cool once the sun goes down and the race begins.  Not this year.  It was downright COLD during the daylight hours and freezing when the sun went down and the race began.

I was a frozen Christie-Pop!

I was shivering so hard and for so long that my entire body hurt when we left (which was before the race ended cause Tim couldn't take the cold anymore either).  We went back to the hotel and I took a 20 minute scalding hot shower... took that long for my legs to not feel cold to the touch.  When we got up the next morning both of us just ached.  We're both super sore.

Today I'm working on cleaning house and getting things in order for when November 1st rolls around and I need to focus all of my attention to NaNoWriMo.  I do this every year; lots of marathon cleaning, decluttering, holiday preparations, Christmas shopping, etc. just so that I don't have to worry about it in November.

I haven't uploaded our trip pictures just yet, but when I do I'll post them for you to see.  There aren't many since the camera battery died and the camera on my phone sucks on zoom.  Oh, and there's only one of me and it won't be seen.  I was freezing, pale, and it's an all around unflattering photo.  LOL.  Nope, it'll be deleted as soon as I get around to messing with the camera.  ;-)

Okay, I'm out for now.  More cleaning to do.  I started Christmas shopping a few weeks ago, but I still have lots to do.  Thank goodness for online shopping!  It's the only way to go.  :-)

Have a great week!

On our way to Charlotte, NC.

Good morning ladies & gents.  How is your weekend going?

Yesterday turned out to be a great day.  I had absolutely no plans for the day, and yet it turned out to be a busy day.  Tim and I spent the morning together and had a "nap" while the 4 year old enjoyed a showing of Dora & Diego.  LOL.

Afterwards I had a shower and then we went out for lunch.  Tim and the youngest wanted to hit the lunch buffet at Pizza Hut.  Luckily, they had a buy 1, get 1 free deal on it because I never come close to eating enough to justify the cost of a buffet.  I had a salad & 2 slices of pizza with a glass of ice water.  LOL.  Definitely not enough food to justify it.  I think the 4 year old ate more than I did... and her's was child's price.  LOL!

Oh, and I got bombarded by questions about my books.  This was the first time that I've been eating and had someone come to my table to ask me about my work.  I was chewing on a carrot stick from my salad at the time.  Not too sure I liked that, but at least an entire restaurant of people were introduced to me when the manager shouted to her employees that she was right and, "She IS an author!"  I seriously hope that I don't have to start going out in full make-up all the time now.  LOL!

I gave her my card and wrote the titles to my Alex & Fiona books on the back for her.  You never know when you'll discover a new reader (or when they discover you!).  ;-)

After that we went to a feed store to pick up cedar chips for the dog's house, since cooler temps are on the way for this weekend.  We also picked up a new chew bone for her.  That dog loves her chew bones.

The rest of yesterday went fairly routine:  pick-up time, dinner, laundry, packing for today!

In about an hour we'll be on the road and heading north to Charlotte, NC.  Tim wanted to go up yesterday, but that wasn't possible.  He wished the week, days, nights away until we finally arrived to this morning.  We'll be on the road for 6 hours, then we'll check into our hotel, rest for about half an hour, and then head to the track for all the pre-race stuff, shops, attractions, etc.

I won't be taking the laptop with me this trip, so I'll "see" you wonderful blog readers on Monday.  We'll be home Sunday evening (just in time to feed, bath, and send the kids off to bed), but I won't be posting a new entry until Monday.

For my Facebook friends, I'll turn my phone notifications back on for the weekend, so you'll be able to get in touch with me if you need to.  :-)

Oh, one last thing before I go:  I've heard from two out of my five beta readers and the response has been great!  So far Time for Death is a hit (on this small level, LOL).  It makes me so happy that they're enjoying the story.  I'm looking forward to starting the next story on November 1st, and going more in-depth into the life and times of Liz Baker.  :-)

Okay, I'm out.  I need to feed the brats a quick breakfast and get everyone loaded into the van before Tim goes into cardiac arrest because we haven't left yet.  LOL.  Poor boy.

Have a great weekend!



*Image: Taken by me; October 2007; Our first trip to Charlotte.*

Thursday Thoughts #2:Cover your mouth please.

Good morning all.  The weekend is nearly here.  You're almost at the finish line... for this week anyway.  :-)

I'm happy to announce that Time for Death has been sent off to my five wonderful beta readers.  I'm both excited and nervous that it's out there and others are looking at it.  Hopefully they'll like it.  :-)

Today is an off day for me.  I battled that headache all day yesterday, yet worked right through and didn't slow down.  Tim suggested that it was from staring at the computer screen so much this week.  It could very well, but work had to be done and I was determined to get it done.  Soooo, today I'm taking the day off from working.

We're going to go do our weekly grocery shopping trip after we take the kids to school this morning.  Then back home, and maybe I can get a neck massage from the man.  ;-)  I might claim a few articles to write about next week, but I haven't decided yet.

One more day until we head up to Charlotte, NC.  Tim's so excited.  We'll get our bag (1 bag, 1 bag!  Only 1 bag when it's the two of us!) packed tomorrow and then we're heading out at 8am Saturday.  My mom will have the kids all day Saturday and most of Sunday, until we get home.

Oh yes, it's time for Thursday Thoughts.

Cover Your Mouth Please

So I was sitting in my van, in the pick-up line at our middle daughter's school the other day.  I was working on book pages, but the car in front of me caught my attention.  Well, it's really hard not to notice someone hacking up a lung.

This woman in front of me was sitting in her car just coughing and coughing and coughing.  At first I just waved it off and went back to my work.  However, after constant coughing, it was becoming an annoyance. 

I put the papers down and just watched.  Cough, cough, cough.  No, I couldn't have just seen that.  Cough, cough, cough.  OMG! I did just see that!

The woman didn't cover her mouth at one single cough.  Not only that, but she had a small child climbing around the car and in her lap.  Germs, anyone?

Fine.  If you want to spread your germs throughout your vehicle and spray your own kids down with them, so be it.  But in this day of H1N1 panic, and the fact that she was technically in a public place (all of our car windows were open), for goodness sake cover your mouth! 

I don't want your germs.  I don't want my kids to get your germs.  I certainly don't want my kids picking up your germs from your kids and bringing them home to my 4 yr old. 

Please people, cover your mouth and wash your hands.  It only takes a moment to do either/both.

That's it for me this morning.  I'm off to get dressed for the day.  Have a good one, and keep an eye out for the weekend.  :-)

Wanna Know Wednesday #36

Good morning everyone.  I woke up with a touch of a headache this morning, but I'm not letting that stop me.  I tookthe kids to school, made oatmeal for breakfast, washed 2 more loads of laundry, swept & mopped the kitchen & diningroom, and after this entry I'll be getting to work on the book's printing and reading.  Woohoo!

Last night's event at the oldest daughter's school went well.  We got there before the crowds and were in and out in about 30 minutes.  It was nice meeting her teachers and hearing about how great a student she is (which I knew already, but it's always nice to hear).  I enjoyed talking to her Language Arts teacher and watching the girls play with her active board.

I have a lot to do today, so let me get right to this week's Wanna Know Wednesday.

10 Foods I Don't Like

1. Tomatoes.  I will not eat raw tomatoes, or chunks of cooked ones.  Tomatoes have to be pureed if they're in my food.
2. Cucumbers.  I hate cucumbers, but absolutely love pickles.
3. Squash.  Nope, not gonna happen.
4. Buttermilk.  The smell is horrid, but I do like buttermilk biscuits.  ;-)
5. Jalapenos.  Yuck!
6. Caviar.  Seriously?
7. Snails.  Really?  Nope!
8. Pickled pig feet.
9. Pickled eggs.
10. Tootsie Rolls.  Ugh, I've never liked them.

That's it for today.  I need to get busy and start reading once the printer stops churning out pages.  Have a great day!  :-)

Harder than I expected.

Good morning everyone.  Well, the rain has stopped, but it's still dreary here.  That's okay though.  I don't plan on playing outside today. 

Last night, just an hour before bedtime, I finished putting all of those red ink edits into the book's computer file.  I ended up doing eighteen chapters yesterday.  My behind, hip, and legs were aching from having to sit for so long.  I'm a mover, and even though I absolutely love this writing gig, I need to move throughout the day.  I feel better today though.

So a little while ago I was reading on of my favorite writers' newsletter and came across a contest to pitch the first five pages of your current novel project.  Like with all contests, you have rules that must be followed and requirements for entry.  On this one, aside from the first five pages (duh), you have to include a 20-word sentence pitching the story.  Do you know how hard it is to write a 20-word sentence that tells about an entire book?  Ack!

I don't usually enter contests, but thought I'd see if I could come up with the 20 words for Time for Death.  Well, my first sentence was 27 words.  The next one was 25.  A few changes later and I ended up at 23.  Almost there!  Then, I made one more change and it now sits at 21 words.  LOL.  One word over.  That won't work for a contest that states a maximum of 20 words.  Eek!

Well that was harder than I expected.  LOL.  I'll go back later and see if I can't change it and shave that one word off.  If so, I think I'll be entering this contest.  Might be fun to see the results, and even better to be one of the winners.  ;-)
Today, aside from playing with a sentence, I'll be finishing off the last chapter of the story and printing it all out for just reading tomorrow.  Once more through the entire thing and then off to the beta readers.  :-)

This evening I have to go to a school thing for the oldest.  Hopefully it goes smoothly, and doesn't last too long.  As I've said before, I hate crowds.

Speaking of crowds, Tim & I only have a few more days until our trip up to Charlotte.  He's so excited and keeps asking for Saturday to hurry up and get here.  I'm perfectly fine with it coming at the normal daily speed.  LOL.  I still have a lot of work to get done before then.  I do enjoy our trip though. 

Before I go, I want to congratulate Anastasia Cassella-Young for being the chosen person to enter Robin Renee Ray's Halloween goodie giveaway.  Good luck, Anastasia!  And thank you to all who left me comments.  :-)

That's it for now.  Have a great Tuesday!  Ohhh, I see the sun peeking out! 

Want to win Halloween goodies?

Good rainy Monday morning to you all.  It's a wet one here, and doesn't look like it'll be drying out anytime soon.  Yucky.

The kids are out of school today; a student holiday.  It's actually the first day they've had out since school started.  I don't mind the occasional day off; it gives me another day to sleep late.  It's those times when they're home for weeks at a time that thin my hair out a bit.  LOL!

Most of you loyal blog readers will remember my author friend, Robin Renee Ray.  She's such a wonderful lady, and friend.  All through October she's taking names from her previous contest winners and one lucky person will win a big bunch of Halloween goodies... including an autographed mini-poster of A Twilight Abduction from lil ole me!

Yesterday she chose friend #900 on her MySpace page.  Today she is taking a name from comments on any of my sites!  However, to keep it easy, I'm making it for comments on my Facebook page, here on the blog, on my Twitter, my website, and lastly, on my MySpace page.  If you comment on any one of these, at some point throughout today, you could be entered into her Halloween Giveaway.

At the end of today, I'll compile all of the comments, and we'll choose one name to be entered into Robin's contest.  How easy is that?  It only takes you a moment to leave me a comment and you could be the lucky winner because of it.  :-)

Okay, I'm off to dig up some breakfast and then get back to putting those red ink book edits into the book's computer file.  I'll be done today!  Woohoo!

Have a great week!

Just don't...

Good morning ladies & gents.  It's Sunday once again.  We're going down to visit Tim's parents in about an hour since we're going to be out of town next weekend.  Other than that, I have no other plans aside from book work once we return.  I did all that terrible laundry yesterday, and the house is nicely clean.  Yay!

Over the years that I've been a writer, I've discovered that there's a code of conduct that many people don't understand when they contact a writer.  I receive large amounts of emails on a daily basis from people who like my work or want something from me because they know I'm a writer.  This morning, one finally struck a nerve with me.

1. -- Don't ask an author if they're making money from their books.  It's rude.  Would you walk up to a random person and ask, "So, how much do you make a year?"  There are some things that are none of your business, no matter how well you know someone--or don't.  Do you really expect them to tell you?

2. -- Don't contact a writer to ask them if they'd like to read your manuscript and offer advice.  We don't.  We have our own work to read & edit.  We have our own lives to live and most of us barely have as much time with our friends and family as we'd like to have.  Do your own work; we do.

3. -- Don't contact a writer to say that you have this awesome idea and thought they'd like to write it for you.  No, we don't.  We have enough of our own ideas, and not enough time to work on them like we want.  Again, do your own work.

4. -- If you haven't seen the writer review products on their blog, don't ask them to review yours.  This is what set me off this morning.  I received an email from a "company" wanting me to review their photo software on my blog.  Does this look like a review blog?  Have I ever reviewed a product like that?  If they've read the blog they'd know the answers are NO.

Now keep in mind that this list is my personal preference, but many writers have shared the same thoughts on this subject.  Some actually do editing work on the side, so ghost write (writing a book for someone else to claim as their own), and some don't mind telling you how much they make a year.  However, if you don't know the writer, haven't seen them advertise their editing and/or ghost writing service, then please, don't ask them this kind of stuff.  It's annoying and it takes our time away from our own work and family just to respond to your emails and questions.

Anyway, there are my rants for today.  Now I have to go get dressed for the day.  I'm looking forward to getting back home and finishing off my book edit inputting.  Watch out test readers, it'll be on the way soon!  Woohoo!

Book edits & laundry.

Good afternoon everyone.  I hope your Saturday looks better than ours.  It's rainy and dreary here in north Georgia.  I'm always hoping for sunshine, but sometimes you just gotta deal with what arrives.

With all the rain, I've been spending the day working on Time for Death and doing numerous loads of laundry.  I remember the days when I could do laundry once or twice a week instead of every day...

Well, anyway.  This morning we went through all the girls' clothes and did the seasonal switching from summer to fall and winter.  Tank tops were put away and long sleeves were pulled out.  Thin nightgowns were replaced with fleece footie pajamas.  They're ready for anything now.  LOL.

I discovered yesterday that I actually have three levels of book editing in my process.  First is a paper copy and a red ink pen.  Second is the process of taking those red ink changes and adding them to the book's computer file; making more changes as I go.  Third is another paper copy (usually on the back of the first copy just to save paper) and just reading it from beginning to end.

The first edit takes the longest.  There are numerous rewrites, changes, and fixes required.  The second takes less time, but still takes a couple of days.  The third is the fastest as there are less things I want to change by the time I get to this point.

Right now I'm in the second stage.  I sit here with the stack of manuscript pages to the left of my laptop, each page gets moved to the right side when I make the necessary changes, and when the left stack disappears I'm all done.  Right now the left stack is still bigger than the right.  Phooey!  But I'll get there.  :-)

Oh yeah, yesterday my 4th test reader let me know that she'd love to read Time for Death.  Woohoo! I was aiming to have 4-5 readers and now I have a guaranteed 4.  Yay!  I'll be sending out pdf copies within the next week.  I'm hoping to have them to the readers before we go out of town next Saturday.

Speaking of next Saturday, I hope the weather is better than this weekend.  I'll not be sitting at a race track in the rain.  Nope, not I.  I've already warned Tim about that too.  He better find me a rain coat or umbrella.  LOL!  Either that or I'll be heading back to the hotel room.  LOL.
Well, I better get going.  I have more edits to input and the dryer just stopped.  Time to change out the laundry loads.  :-)  Have a nice rest of your Saturday!

Friday Run Around

Good Friday morning!  I'm so glad it's Friday.  I've been looking forward to the weekend.  Next Monday the kids are even out of school, so we get to sleep late for 3 days this weekend.  Yay!

Today Tim and I have to do our Friday run around.  We have errands (read: groceries, groceries, groceries) to run.  I've finally convinced Tim that my weekly errand day works out so much better than him wanting to go to town 4x a week.  My way has been working (and saving gas) for all these years.  I must be doing something right.  LOL!

Today I have only 2 more chapters to edit.  Woohoo!!  Then this evening I'll start finishing off the ending and then VOILA!  I'll print it all out again so I can just sit back and read it.  Yay me!!  I love it!  I think Tim's even happy for me to get this one finished, and not complaining about having time to finish it.  LOL.

Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll have some good reviews from my test readers to share with you.  Then it'll be time for NaNoWriMo... and the next book.  I'm calling this series the Liz Baker saga.  We'll see how that goes.  LOL.

Okay, I'm off for the day.  I hope you enjoy your Friday and have a fantastic weekend.


*Image:  MisMade*

Thursday Thoughts #1: It's just a game!

Good morning everyone.  I hope you're having a good morning so far.  It's still too early for me to decide if I'm having a good morning.  ;-)

Well, Tim's race tickets arrived in yesterday's mail.  He's so very excited and ready for our trip.  We have it all set to go.  I have Mom taking that night instead of Friday night, we now have the tickets, we have hotel reservations, and I have plenty of extra spending money to pay for it all and not have to take a bit from the main checking account (that's the best way to take a trip!). 

Today I'll be finishing up the last of the chapter edits (for this round).  Tomorrow will be used for finishing the last chapter.  Woohoo!  I'm excited to be at this point.  I've had 2 tester readers confirm their desire to be the firsts to get a copy of Time for Death.  Waiting on 2 more to contact me.  And I still need to choose 1 more.  Soooooo close...

Okay, so it's Thursday and I'm starting a new weekly topic called Thursday Thoughts.  This is going to be my thoughts on a random topic I've encountered within the last week.  I'll most likely use unsavory words, so cover your virgin eyes if need be.  Here's this week's...

It's Just a Game!

Why do people get so pissy on Xbox Live?  Seriously, isn't it suppose to be for fun?  Aren't you there to play games and enjoy your time?  So why is it that so many people take their games so seriously and become quite the sore losers?

The other evening, Tim was playing a driving/racing game called Dirt 2.  He plays online through the Xbox quite often and there's always one person on there who's very unsportsmanlike.  Then, then, then... It's bad enough when someone plays too aggressively, but then when they don't like you doing it back to them, they get all snippy and start sending nasty private messages.

Insults fly back and forth, people you don't even know disrespect your wife or mother, names are called, and then you end up having to block/report someone.

It's just a damn game people!  Suck it up and stop acting like the little whiny bitch you are!  Play right or don't play at all.  And if you're gonna insult someone, be prepared to get one right back.  Tim as called a "chick with a dick" the other night, so I told him to respond with "At least I have a chick AND a dick!"

This shit is why I don't play online when I play games on the Xbox (unless it's with my sister).  I have enough to deal with in my day without worrying about some pissy-ass punk needing to show off his manhood through the controller of his Xbox.
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Okay, that's it for today.  I need to get the kids to school and then get back here to do the book edits for today.  Sooooo close!

Have a great day.  :-)

Wanna Know Wednesday #35

Good Hump Day morning to you all out there.  We're smack dab in the middle of the week, with the weekend on its way.  Are you having a good week so far?  Accomplishing a lot, or even a little?  If not, you still have plenty of time to turn your week around and end it with a bang.  :-)

I've been hitting the book hard this week.  I finished editing two more chapters yesterday and will do four, or more today (I don't write articles on Wednesdays).  That'll leave two for me to do tomorrow and Friday will be for focusing completely on the ending; I know I have major rewrites for it.  Then Saturday I'll print it all out again and just read.  Ahhhh...

I'm tired this morning so I'll get right into this week's Wanna Know Wednesday.  :-)

10 Things I Do When I Write a Book

1. Write/Type out a main character description--likes, dislikes, favorite foods, tv shows, friends, family, etc.
2. Create a general idea of the book's storyline.  The "idea" could be 1 page or 6, depending on how hard the plot hit me in the face when it came to me.  :-)
3. Check my book of ideas to make sure this one isn't duplicated anywhere in there (hasn't happened yet, but you never know).
4. Next up is a character list.  Time to pick out everyone who'll be in the story, give them names, appearances, how are they linked to the main.
5. When I edit, I always do it on a printed paper copy and with a red ink pen.
6. I listen to music when I write books.  Not so much with articles, but always with books.
7. My first three novels took six months each to complete.
8. I like to have a solid stretch of time alone to work.  I can't think and stay "in the zone" when the kids are running around & needing my attention at numerous times.  I think that's why this book hasn't gotten finished in 6 months.  LOL.
9. Test readers always make me nervous.  I love hearing the good things, but dread hearing the bad.  Even reviews on already released books give me butterflies (though I've never hear anything bad... yet).
10. I feel such a wav of relief wash over me when I'm able to finally declare that a book is done.  Well, a book is never really done.  There will be more edits when the editors get ahold of it, but the major stuff is generally DONE.  :-)

That's it for this morning.  I need to go get dressed and take the punks to school.  Have a great day!

You turn around & then it's Tuesday!

Goooooooood morning all you fabulous readers out there!  Up and at 'em!  You have a busy, full day ahead of you!  You don't?  Well, I do.  However, isn't that simply the 'norm' around here?  ;-)

Yesterday turned out to be a good day.  I wrote and submitted two DS articles, with three more to write today.  I also edited two chapters in Time for Death during pick-up time at school yesterday.  What better way to waste an hour of sitting in the van than to edit the story I'm so very determined to get finished?  And I'm very excited to get it done.

Today I'll be doing the article work and then editing in the school parking lot again.  The insertion of the new chapter went smoother than I expect when it came to tying it in with the existing chapters.  Usually I have to do major rewrites throughout the rest of the story to tie a new chapter in just right.  Not this time though.  So far they've been moderate edits.  However, I do know that I'll be adding more material to the ending when I get there because of this new chapter.  No problem though, as I already have that part planned.  Yay me!

Anyway, that's a little update on the book.  I know that some of you have been asking me when it'll be reader-ready.  Just a little longer!  I'll be contacting test readers within the next 2 weeks, or so.  I already have 2 people in mind, but I'll need 2-3 more to go with them.  If you'd like to add your name to the list just leave me a message, or email me at Christie@ChristieSilvers.com .  :-)

Before I get out of here, I've decided that in addition to my Wanna Know Wednesdays, this week I'll be adding Thursday Thoughts to the blog.  Each week I'll spout off my opinion on some random thing in the world.  This coming Thursday will be titled:  It's Just a Game!  :-)

Here's a random Christie fact for you:
98% of the time I run around with absolutely no makeup and sporting a ponytail.

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

Another Monday Morning

Morning everyone.  Wake up!  Wake up!  It's the start to another brand new week!  Well hey, that's better than hearing *beep, beep, beep, beep* from the alarm clock.  Don't ya think? 

So, this weekend was a good one--just like I thought it would be--and I'm determined that this new week will be as well.  I finished my new chapter addition/rewrite for Time For Death, and now I'm back to just edits until the end of the book.  I should have those done by the end of the week.  Yay me!

I also solidly decided that I will be doing NaNoWriMo in November, I made sure my profile and information was still correct on the site, and I even chose a title for book 2 in the Liz Baker series... Time For Battle!  This will be my NaNo 2009 story.  Woohoo!  I spent Friday during pick-up time at school writing 3 pages of ideas, storyline, and outline for this new book.  I'm set to begin on November 1st.  Yay!  If you're signed up, stop by and be a writing buddy http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/200398

I couldn't really decide completely on Time For Battle.  I thought about Time To Battle and Time To Fight...  I'm still not 100%, but for right now it's Time For Battle.  LOL.  You never know when I'll change a title to something different.  I bet you didn't know that A Midnight Infatuation started out as Vamps & Weres & Lust, Oh My!  Yep, but I figured that might be a tad too long.  LOL.
With writers you just never know.  :-)

This morning I'll be working on my article writing.  Gotta make that money for our trip in 2 wks.  Tim's so excited that he's been bouncing off the walls since Friday night.  I've heard a lot of "2 more weeks!" being chanted.  He's extremely giddy.  And this afternoon I'll work on book edits.

I plan on being able to print out the entire book (again) and just reading it by Saturday.  Then it'll be time for one last round of edits--which is usually much, much faster than this current one--and the story will be ready for a few readers.  I haven't chosen readers yet, and won't take more than 4, and the readers will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement beforehand, but it'll be ready for that soon.  :-)  If you want to be a reader, feel free to let me know.  It won't guarantee you a spot, but at least I'll know you're interested.
Well, that's it for this morning.  I need to take the kids to school and then come home and start working.  Have a great Monday!



*Image: Another Mis-made taggy.*

Sunday Morning

Morning everyone.  How has your weekend been?  It's been gorgeous here in north Georgia, but it's cloudy this morning.

Yesterday Tim & I got to sleep late since the kids went to Mom's Friday night.  We got up at 9:30, but I probably could've gone back to sleep for at least another hour.  I really needed the rest it seems.  I did wake up quite refreshed though.  :-)

When the girls came home we spent several hours outside cleaning up around the house and enjoying the sunshine.  We cleared out the pool and put it away.  Straightened up the outside furniture and focused them around the rock firepit Tim & I built a few years ago.  We don't use it much during the summer but it gets used a lot in the autumn.  Then we confisgated the dog's stick collection.  That dog picks them up all over the year and piles them in one spot.  It gets bad if we don't clear them out from time to time.  LOL.

After that we spent the evening just hanging out and enjoying our time.  Tim watched some Nascar and football.  The kids played games together.  I watched some missed shows on the dvr & Hulu.  Just stuff like that.

Ooohh, I did find out that I finally reached 1 million pageviews on Associated Content on Friday.  Woohoo!!  It was actually 1,000,006 pageviews.  ;-)  A big thank you to all of you who have read my articles from time to time!  It makes me happy.  :-)

In about an hour we'll be going to visit the in-laws.  After that we'll come home, I'll do laundry, Tim'll watch Nascar, the kids will play outside, and then I'll lock myself away to finish up my chapter writing.  It has to be done today as tomorrow and Tuesday will be dedicated to article writing.  I'm planning to make enough $$$ from the article writing over the next 2 weeks to cover all the expenses for our race trip on the 17th.  It won't be too difficult, but it does take 2 full days per week of article writing focus.

It'll be a fun trip though.  And it makes my man happy.  That's what matters in the end.  :-)

Okay, time for me to get going.  I need to go change clothes and make sure the kids are dressed.  Have a fabulous Sunday.  Go out and enjoy the sunshine, if you have some. 


*Image: Another lovely tag from my friend Mis*

The start of a wonderful weekend.

Yep, that's right.  The day hasn't even really begun, but I know that it's just the start to a wonderfully fantastic weekend.  I don't care what happens, I'm determined to have a great weekend, and that's that.  Determination and a positive outlook can accomplish anything!  And I definitely have tons of both.  :-)

Yesterday I made something I haven't tried before... homemade bread bowls.  They were super yummy, and since I made a beef stew in the Crock-Pot, just the perfect thing to set off a super yummy dinner.  Our middle daughter doesn't eat a lot of meat, so she passed on the beef stew.  Well, the 4yr old told her, "Sara, you missed a yummy dinner!"  It was funny, and super cute.

I had a productive day yesterday.  We did grocery shopping, I washed 4 loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen, cut up and through everything together for beef stew, and made those bread bowls.  Tim cleaned up a bit and did some weed eating.

Speaking of the man, he did manage to find some race tickets in the monetary limit I'd set for him.  LOL.  I knew he would if he wanted to go bad enough.  Now I have to go and order the tickets for him.  ;-)

Oh, and I did some book writing too.  It was a good day.

Today we don't have to go out for anything other than school drop-off and pick-up.  I've sworn off article work this weekend until I'm done with the new chapter writing.  I've decided that I will do NaNoWriMo after all this year, so I'm determined to get this one finished so I can write book 2 in this series during November.  Should be lots of fun... yeah, fun, that's it!  50,000 words in 30 days.  Why do I torture myself so.  Oh yes, I'm a writer and that's what I do.  LOL.

Nonetheless, today will be another work day.  I'm thinking that I'll lock myself away in the bedroom and let Tim & the youngest fend for themselves together.  Surely they'd survive a few hours without me.  Um, yeah, wishful thinking, I know, but I may try it anyway. 

Mom is suppose to take the kids tonight.  Tim & I are planning a peaceful night at home with cheddar turkey hotdogs, potato salad, grown up drinks, and Netflix dvds.  I enjoy our nights alone... and the morning after when we get to sleep until 10am.

I'm off for today.  I hope you have a fabulous Friday and a glorious weekend.  :-)


*Image: Taken by me on our first trip to the Bank of America 500 in Charlotte, NC. Oct. 2007*

Welcome to October!

I love the month of October!  I can't believe it's finally here.  October has always been a magical, fun, exciting month for me.  As children, it's the month we get to plan out our Halloween costumes, think about all the yummy goodies we'll receive, and maybe even throw a Halloween party of our own.

As an adult, I still enjoy costume decisions, parties, and the excitement the children share with me.  When else can you buy arm loads of costumes, make-up, decorations, and candies without being looked at sideways.  LOL!  Oh, and I can't forget about apple-picking and making all sorts of yummy things with those apples.

However, I also find that October is a happy month around here.  I like the milder temperatures, the changing leaves, playing outside as much as possible before cold weather hits.  Tim & I also like to plan a get-away for just the 2 of us in October.  For the last 2 years we've been going to Charlotte, NC for a Nascar race.  I doubted that we'd get to go this year, but Tim's determined to find tickets in my pre-assigned ticket price range.  LOL.  We'll see if he manages to do it before the race.  ;-)

Yes, yes, I know.  I spoil that man far too much.  Sex anytime, anywhere he wants, a nice library of Xbox games, meals he loves, attention whenever he wants it... yep, he's quite spoiled.  Oh well, I have fun, and he does anything I ask him to do. 

Anyway, back to October.  This is a fun month for me, and I know it'll go by too quckly.  Nonetheless, I still have a lot of work to do, too.  My goal is to completely finish the rewrites and edits for Time For Death before we go to the race (if we go).  Then I'll have about 2 weeks left in October before I have to worry about NaNoWriMo starting on November 1st.  I already know what story I'll write that month, but if I don't get done with this one I won't even bother starting another in November.  Soooo, I'm determined!

I did start the new chapter 13 today, and tomorrow I'll get more done on it after we run some errands.  Well, if Tim leaves my laptop alone long enough for me to work.  He likes my laptop for ticket searching over the desktop.  I might have to buy him his own after the new year so he'll leave mine alone and stop whining about using a purple one.  LOL.

Okay, since today is October 1st, it's time to announce that my September e-Book giveaway is over.  The winner of an Alex & Fiona book in e-Book form is Shannon S.!  Congrats and I hope you enjoy it!  I've already contacted the winner and hope to hear from her soon.  :-)
Thank you to all of my new blog followers, and be on the lookout for future goodies.  I love giving away goodies.  :-)  My next contest will probably be in December, so keep an eye out for announcements. 

That's it for me this morning.  I've got big, busy plans for today... and I need to keep Tim on his toes begging for race tickets.  It's always a lot of fun to see how much extra attention I get from him when he wants something big.  *giggle*  I got a foot rub last night!  Woohoo!

Have a great Thursday.  :-)



*Image: Taken by my oldest daughter back in Feb. Tim & I were getting ready to head off to that bed & breakfast we visited.*