Cover Reveal: Death Howls Twice

I always love this time of the year. Yes, I love Spring, but I'm talking about........COVER REVEAL! Woohoo! I love seeing what my cover designer comes up with for each new Liz Baker book. She never fails to amaze me. I <3 you, Kelly!  :D

So here you go, Death Howls Twice (Liz Baker, book 5):

Expected Release: 7/30/2013

Soooo? What do you guys think of the new cover?

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way for readers to discover authors new to them.  I hope you'll find new-to-you authors whose works you enjoy.  On this stop on the blog hop, you'll find a bit of information on me and one of my books and links to four other authors you can explore!

My gratitude to fellow author P.M. Terrell for inviting me to participate in this event.  You can click the following link to learn more about her work.  Website:   http://www.pmterrell.com/

In this blog hop, I and my fellow authors, in their respective blogs, have answered ten questions about our book or work-in--progress (giving you a sneak peek).  We've also included some behind-the-scenes information about how and why we write what we write--the characters, inspirations, plotting and other choices we make. I hope you enjoy it!

Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!

1: What is the title of your book?   Haunted by Death (Liz Baker, book 4)

2: Where did the idea come from for the book? Well, it's a series, so book 4 had to come about at some time or another. ;)

3. What genre does your book come under? Urban Fantasy (with a touch of naughtiness)!

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?  Hmm... that's a tough one. Gosh, I don't know...  I'll have to think on that one.

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Liz is screwed over once again by her paranormal heritage.  ;)

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? I'm an indie author all the way, baby!

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? First draft was nine months. However, during those months I was also dealing with major family issues such as my FIL's illness and subsequent passing, holidays, and birthdays. All of which slowed me down tremendously.

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  The other three Liz Baker books. LOL!  :D

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? I don't know about inspiration. I just really felt the need to tell the next chapter in Liz's life. Maybe that means Liz was my inspiration. :D

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? This time Liz isn't just dealing with vampires and werewolves, but also with a haunted landmark, power-filled flashbacks, a new addition to her army, and the betrayal of an ex-lover.

11: Why are you so much better-looking in person than in your photo? LMAO! I'm not sure that's true, but it is an interesting question. Maybe it's my sparkling personality? Yeah, let's go with that one!

***NOTE: While I was planning to do this blog hop about the 5th Liz Baker book, I simply don't have about answers about it to fill out the questions. There's no working title yet, and I don't know where the characters will take me. Maybe I can talk about it at the next blog hop. :) ***

Who’s next on the NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP?

So glad you asked!

Below you will find authors who will be joining me by blog, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on Works in Progress and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!

RaeAnne Hadley's blog: http://raeannehadleyromance.wordpress.com/ 

Langley Watts Cornwell's blog: http://langley-writes.blogspot.com/ 

Angel Sharum's blog: http://www.angelsharum.com/apps/blog/

Last chance to enter...

Good morning my dearies!  I hope you're having a great week.  :)

The last few weeks have been fun, what with the blog tour, the kids out of school, and a few pieces of news that rock my world.

First off, the blog tour has been a great success.  I've had a lot of fun doing interviews, writing guest posts, and sharing the details of my life, writing, and books with readers.  I hope you've been enjoying it, as well.

Now that the tour is over, I wanted to make sure you all have the chance to enter the giveaway.  We're giving you a few more days to enter before announcing the winners.

Prizes:

1 winner will receive all three Liz Baker books in paperback and autographed
2 winners will received Time for Death (Liz Baker, book 1) in e-book form

Use the Rafflecopter below to join in on the fun.

Tomorrow I'll post about my other exciting news.  :)





a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour coming in June.

Coming June 1st I'll be on a 21-day blog tour.  I don't have all the details yet, but it should be a whole lotta fun for everyone.  I'll post lots more the tour when I have more details.

In the meantime, I'm working on ideas for the upcoming guest blog posts and would love to hear your thoughts.

What would you like to read about from me?  Is there something you've always wanted to know about me but never asked?  About the books?  Characters?  Etc.

If you have an idea for one of my upcoming blog tour posts feel free to post them here, on Facebook, or e-mail me.

Oh, and if you'd like to be one of the blog tour hosts, sign up at http://www.temptingbooktours.com/ .

I hope you're having a lovely Thursday.  We've almost made it to the weekend!  Keep going; you can do it!

It's that day already?!

Today is a big day in my household.  It's only Thursday to most of you out there, but for us it's Kindergarten Sign-Up Day!  Our youngest is so excited for today to finally be here.  She turned 5 in January and is in such a rush to start school like her sisters.  I, on the other hand, simply can't believe my baby is old enough for kindergarten already.  Yet, I'm finding myself a bit giddy about her going to school as well.

When she starts school, and with fate's good graces in Tim's job department, I'll be home all alone during the day!  Six hours of uninterrupted writing!  Ahhh, imagine all the work I'll be able to get completed each day.  I'll actually be ready to end the work day when school pick-up time rolls around.  I'm quite a bit excited for that prospect.

Now I just gotta wait 'til September gets here.  :-)

Anyway, I have to take her to school at noon, with a folder full of papers to prove who we are and where we live (even though 95% of the school employees know who I am and who my kids are, lol) to fill out page after page of paperwork while she takes her kindergarten assessment test.  The last time I did this was five years ago, right after she was born, with daughter #2.  At least this time I won't have a baby in a sling strapped to me while juggling everything else.

By the time the youngest is out of this school, I'll have been a parent of a student there for 13 years!  Wow!

Okay, that's enough rambling this morning.  I hear Tim pulling up from taking the big kids to school, and the little one will be awake soon toocount down the next few hours.  You have a fantastic Thursday and remember that the weekend is just around the corner.  I'll be daydreaming about five months from now.  ;-)

The love of books started early.

Yes, I'm a writer so, technically, I'm suppose to have a love of books.  But you'd be surprised at how many writers don't read.  I'd assume it'd be quite difficult to enjoy the written word if you don't actually read it.  Nonetheless, my love of books started at a very young age.  Even further back than I can remember.

I always had a book on hand when I was a child.  There are even old school teachers who remember me as "the girl who was always reading."  I kid you not!  I remember specifically in middle school when I got the "privilege" of being office runner for the day (a boring privilege to say the least) and one of the teachers came in and said, "Every time I see you you have a book in your hands." 

It wasn't a bad thing at all.  Goodness no!  I always took it as a compliment.  Don't know why, but I did.

When I was a bit older, I'd save my babysitting money for a trip to the mall.  Back then that was where the only bookstore in town was.  I'd save and save until I have enough money to buy several new books at once.  We didn't go to the mall often and I wanted to make sure I'd have enough books to last a while.  Of course they never lasted long enough.

By the time I got a job I was splitting my earnings between music, books, and gas for my car. LOL.  Even then, I had quite the list of books to read, but I'd also been able to go to the library as often as I liked (since I drove myself then).  I remember the day I got my library card...  Awww!

As I said, my love of books started very early.  I just didn't realize exactly how early until I came across the very first book I'd written.  No, it didn't have to do with toddlers or vampires.  It was written in crayon; bound and covered with green construction paper and yarn; and had a title page that said, "Written by Author Christie Grant."

It had been packed away for years in a stack of old school papers my mom kept.  She'd given me the papers years ago, but they got pushed to the back of my closet and ignored.  That is, until the other week when I decided to start organizing my paper clutter.  That's when I found the story about a little Indian girl whose parents gave her all sorts of gifts and goodies.

I suppose I was in the 3rd or 4th grade when this "book" was written, but the discovery of that little project proves that my love of books started much younger than I remember.  And I'm so glad it did! :-)

Luckily, my own children are following on the same track, however, I can tell them exactly when their love of books started...  At birth!  I've read to them since they were born.  All three love going to the library; they devour new books; and I only have one left that even requires my reading services any longer (and she starts school in the fall).
So there!  I love books!  And I'm happy to say that my children do as well.  Life is more exciting when you have a good book to fall into.  :-)

Have a great Wednesday, and go pick up something new to read.

Tuesday: A continuation of a good week.

Morning, morning, morning!  Yes, I'm up and chipper on this lovely Tuesday morning.  I told you yesterday that I am determined to have a good week, and therefore will have a good week.

Yesterday was great. I finished everything on my daily to-do list and more.  The day turned out beautiful and we even spent several hours outside, and ended up having a late dinner because of it.  Today is suppose to be just is nice (though rain is in the forecast fo the rest of the week).

Okay, so it is Tuesday, and some of you may be lagging this morning.  If so, pop over to author Paige Tyler's blog for a weekly pick-me-up on her Tasty Tuesday entry!  She'll definitely perk your mood right up with her weekly show-n-tell moment.  ;-)  And if you think her blog is steamy, you should really pick up one of her e-books.  Oohhhh-La-La!  I've read Librarian By Day and it's HOT!

So, this morning I have to head out for some grocery buying and to pick up a new filing cabinet.  You know all of those papers you're suppose to keep for like 7 years... Forever!  Well, I've decided to get out of the cardboard box that annoys me anytime I need to search through it for something and organize everything into a new filing cabinet.  I separated everything by year on Sunday, and now I have stacks of papers all over the dining room table, just waiting for a new home.  LOL.  This will make it much easier & help me on my household organization path (like we're ever off that path).

After I get home it'll be back to book work.  I finished editing 9 chapters yesterday and plan for just as many today.  I've gained a newfound excitement toward this story and I'm so looking forward to finally saying it's complete and moving onto finishing book 2.  Determination is key!  Be determined to get something done and it will get done.  At least it does for me.  LOL.

Now that I've shared a half-naked man, my disorganized paper box secret, and a bit of chipper-ness with you, it's time for me to head out.  Have a fabulous Tuesday and I'll see you back here tomorrow.  :-)

Thursday morning around here.

Good morning all you lovely people.  It's nearly the weekend, again.  The week has been a busy one, yet going by very quickly.

This week my time has been occupied with book work, discussions about book cover designs, formatting, and numerous other tasks that involve a book's release.  Plans are moving along slowly, but steadily.  It takes time, and persistence, but hopefully in the next few months I'll have another story for you to enjoy!  *Fingers Crossed*

This new series of books is a bit different from my Alex & Fiona books.  Sure, there are the supernatural aspects of the story (i.e. vampires), yet this time our main character is a sullen, smart ass, southern girl while won't take shit off no one.  She knows what she likes, knows what she doesn't, and even the best, most mind-blowing sex she's ever had can't relinquish her hold on her senses.  She'll ultimately do what's right--what's expected of her--even if she hates every minute of it.

Within the next few weeks I'm hoping to share a cover design with everyone.  From there, it's just a matter of time 'til the release.  :-)

In the meantime, those of you who received my newsletter yesterday morning already know about this...  The rest of you, here's the fun announcement I promised.  Just for those of you who haven't yet found your way into Alex & Fiona's life together.  :-)

Anniversary Celebration in April

Next month Tim and I will be celebrating our 16th wedding anniversary. To commemorate our special day, I will be holding a special e-book sale on April 9th. My e-book prices will be cut in half for 12 hours.


You'll be able to pick up A Midnight Infatuation, A Birth at Dawn & A Twilight Abduction for only $2.50 each. You'll be able to get all three for a grand total of $7.50!

This sale will only be through the e-book links on my website and will only be for 12 hours... April 9, 2010, 9am-9pm.

I will, of course, post about this on my blog and send out a reminder in my April newsletter so no one will miss the big day. I wanted you wonderful newsletter subscribers to know about it first.
I hope you'll take advantage of this opportunity to own all three Alex & Fiona books.

Well, that's it from me today.  I have to go out for groceries, and then back home to make some phone calls.  After that it'll be more book work until pick-up time at school.  My other "worlds" must be interrupted and put on hold when the children need me.  That's the suffering of a mommy who just happens to be a writer.

As much as I'd like to lock myself away and write all day, I'll happily wait until the youngest has gone to school to enjoy that privilege.  They're only small for so long, you know.  :-)

I wasn't expecting that today.

Good afternoon everyone.  I've had one busy day so far, and I wasn't really expecting it to turn out that way.

First off, the oldest had an orthodontist appointment this morning. Tim took the big girls off to school with a light rain falling. As soon as daylight arrived the rain started mixing with snow. Within the next hour it was a full blown heavy snow falling, with flakes about the size of half dollars. They were huge!

By 9am the ground was covered.My phone started ringing... family members wondering about school, the oldest asking if she could go home with great-grandmother because said great-grandmother was there picking up a cousin, and others asking if I knew how much snow we were suppose to get. Then I got the call that schools were closing.

We were already dressed due to the upcoming orthodontist appointment, so we rushed off to pick up the middle daughter from elementary school and the oldest from great-grandmother's house. It was still an hour and a half until the ortho appointment though. We stopped by the pediatrician's office for my youngest daughter's vaccination records (their computers were down when we were there last week) for kindie sign up in a few weeks; went to the bank to make a deposit; and then with 45 minutes left we took the kids to spend 30 mins in the library.

Finally,we made it to the orthodontist's office and the oldest had her check-up.

After all that, everyone had grumbling tummies and we decided to eat lunch out.

NOW, we're home.  Whew!  I was planning on the ortho appointment, but not the rest.  The day certainly got away from me when snow showed up.  Of course, now the snow has stopped and everything that was on the ground has melted away.  And school wouldn't even be out yet if they hadn't called it off.  LOL.

Anyway, that's my craziness for the day.  Time for me to attempt to get some book work done (yeah right, with everyone home). Before I go, remember that my monthly newsletter goes out tomorrow. It has a fun announcement in it, especially for anyone who has been wanting to order any of my Alex & Fiona books but hasn't gotten around to it.  Be sure to sign up today so you don't miss it.  :-)

Happy Tuesday!

Welcome to March.

Good morning!  Here we are entering yet another new month that happens to line up on a Monday.  I've always thought of that as a great way to start a month.  Get the first Monday out of the way and move on.  Of course, it could be that I like months beginning on Mondays because payday on the second Wednesday of the month comes even quicker.  LOL.

I spent the weekend working and spending time with the family.  Tim & I had Friday night to ourselves with the girls at my mom's house.  We spent it at home making dinner, watching movies, drinking, and having a great time together.  We even slept until 9am the next morning.  Talk about nice!

Saturday we cleaned house, did laundry, cleaned the car, and spent the day with the kids.

Sunday, boy, Sunday was interesting.  The in-laws were out of town for the weekend, meaning we didn't have to go anywhere.  I spent most of the day working on formatting Time For Death.  Decisions have been made, plans are being worked through, and I'm feeling quite optimistic about this new book series.  I know Liz will be glad that I'm moving forward with her life.  LOL.

Speaking of good new.  My March newsletter will go out to al subscribers on Wednesday morning.  I'll be making a fun announcement in it that I hope may people will take advantage of. Don't miss it! (Click here to sign up)

As a way to prepare for new things, I did a little updating to the website over the weekend.  Mainly just some organization and moving things around.  During the work, I was thinking about moving this blog over to the website.  What do you think?  It would take me some time to get it set up, but at least then the blog would be right where everything else is at.  Let me know what you think ---->  (Survey link)

All right, time for me to get going.  Tim took the kids to school, I've already fed the youngest and folded two loads of laundry, and it's time for my breakfast before getting back to work for Liz.  She's quite demanding at times, and now that I'm ready to finish her first story she's even more demanding.  LOL!

Have a great Monday!

Thursdays are good days.

How can a Thursday be anything but a good day?  The worst of the week is over and the weekend starts tomorrow.  Thursdays have to be good days; they don't know how to be anything else!

Yesterday turned out to be one hectic day around here.  I had a lot to do to start with, and then life threw in more curve balls than I'm normally use to.  I survived though.  Looks like I'll be stuck in Tim's car longer than expected... indefinitely, as a matter of fact.  The van's going to cost more money than expected to fix and, well, I've put it up for sale.  Maybe someone else will be able to put the money into it, or part it out for a profit.  Either way, I suppose I'm van-less for good right now.

On the upside, I'm loving my new Kindle.  I didn't have as much time to play with it yesterday, but I did manage to finish going over the owners manual.  The operations are easy peasy, but I'm a thorough girl and like to read the owner's manual on things like this.  I have 6 or 7 books already on there and will be a happy reader all the time now.  :-)

We managed to get the youngest to her doctor's office yesterday for that last vaccination.  Remember how she swore she wasn't going to throw a hissy fit this time?  Remember how I knew better and was prepared for the worse?  Welllllllll....

She threw a hissy fit and we had to hold her down for that last shot in the leg.  LOL!  Poor thing.  At least this time she's not limping around claiming her leg is broke.  Taking the band-aid off today will be just as bad.

I must be off now.  I have three loads of laundry to do (just the kids' hamper), a shower to take, an older story to dig up, dust off, and submit to an anthology contest, and then other writing work to do.  We'll see just how much of that actually gets done before Tim decides he's bored and wants my attention.  *Slaps forehead*

Oh, before I go, here's a little poll for you. 

What's your favorite book format? 

Click here to take survey 

All righty, that's it for today.  I'm off to work on next week's newsletter.  I have some exciting news to share with all of my subscribers, so if you're not already, now is definitely the time to subscribe.  :-)

Wonderful Wednesday

Morning everyone!  I've decided that today will be one wonderful Wednesday.  Yesterday was a good day, but today will be wonderful.

I got my Kindle yesterday!  The UPS man decided to draw my day out and not show up until 5 p.m.  I was pacing the floors.  LOL.  Tim kept teasing me by saying, "He's not coming.  No Kindle for you!"  I'd just stick out my bottom lip and give him the pouty face. 

I had ordered a few books for the Kindle before it even arrived.  What?  I needed to have some on there the first time I turned it on.  Sheesh!  Can't a girl enjoy a new book on her new Kindle the moment she pulls it out of the cardboard box that she shredded like a wild animal trying to get at a raw slab of beef?  Is that so much to ask?  Geez.

Anyway, I'm loving it and can't wait to see how long it takes me to fill it up.  Yes, that'll be my goal... fill my Kindle up with as any books as possible in the shortest amount of time.  Oh, wait!  Maybe my goal should be to also read all of those books.  LOL! 

Today I need to run a few errands.  Then, this afternoon I have to take the 5yr old for that one little vaccination that the pediatrician's office was out of when the girls had their check-ups last month.  Here's hoping I won't have to hold her down this time (but knowing I'll have to anyway).

Okay, I'm off.  Tim's back from taking the older girls to school, and the youngest wants breakfast.  I have some e-book files to transfer from the laptop to my new "Precious".  I'll be having a wonderful Wednesday, and hope you will too.  :-)

Don't steal entries.

It has come to my attention that one of my blog entries has been stolen, copied and then pasted in its entirety on another blog.  Don't do this people.  It's stealing, copyright infringement and simply WRONG.  If you want to share my entries with your friends, or on your blog, please do so correctly.

Don't know the correct way?  Well, it's easy... Don't share the whole thing!  The best way is to simply link to my blog.  That's a great way to do it!  If you need to intrigue your readers, choose a small portion (no more than a paragraph or two) to post on your blog and then include my name and the entry link for people to follow and read the rest.

If you really MUST share my entire entry, ASK PERMISSION FIRST!  I don't turn down much, so more than likely you would get my permission.  But if I find that you've stolen my words without asking, well, let me just say that there is legal action to be taken when it comes to plagiarism.

My book excerpts are fine to share however you'd like, but the personal stuff at the beginning and end of my blog entries should not be included.

It's really not that difficult, and I'm hoping that the person who has committed this crime just doesn't know any better.  Just because it's a blog doesn't mean that you can take it.  The same rules apply with photography and artwork.  Just because it's online doesn't means it's free for you to use however you want without permission.

Now, I'll get back to my vacation.

It's going to be a good week.

Time for another Monday.  I did not want to get up this morning.  My eyes seemed to be rejecting my contacts for the first 20 minutes. "Noooo, go back to sleep," they shouted.  As much as I would've enjoyed going back to bed, it is a school day and that wasn't a possibility.

So up I came, bounding through the house to share my unbridled joy of a new week with the kids.  I was greeted with grunts and groans, as well as a sentiment of, "I don't want to" from the teenager when told to wake up.  I did ultimately manage to wake everyone from their slumber and send Tim off with two of them for a day of education.

Just four more days of school and the kids will be out for mid-winter break next week.  Didn't they just go back from Christmas holidays?  Nonetheless, they will be out of school all next week, and we're planning a camping trip for that week.  Should be fun as long.  :-)

However, we're just beginning this week.  I have phone calls to make, errands to run, writing to do, attention to give, an Open House at the elementary school to attend, and the teenager has a Quiz Bowl meet on Wednesday.  It'll be a busy week, but I have a feeling that it will be a good one.  At least there aren't any doctor/dentist appointments. LOL.

Well, I better go.  The youngest is begging for breakfast and declaring that she'll just get the eggs down out of the fridge then.  Sheesh!  Such impatience.  I'm off to make toast and eggs.  Have a wonderful Monday, and don't forget about Excerpt Tuesday tomorrow.  It's time for A Birth at Dawn!

Thursday Thoughts #15: Once a year.

Good morning everyone.  It's Thursday; almost time for the weekend!  It's been a busy week, but at least everyone is healthy this time.  It was last Thursday that I rushed Tim to the emergency room.  Eek!  This week is definitely better than last. 

It's just after 8am here and I've already gotten the older kids up and off to school, fed the youngest breakfast, did my workout, and cleared out my morning e-mails.  I'm going to attempt to get some writing work done over the next couple of hours and then it's appointment time.

Today's the day that the kids have their yearly pediatrician check-up.  Every year I call to make the appointment and every year the receptionist tries to make three different appointments on three different days.  And every year I refuse and request all three at one time, on the same day.  There's really no reason to have three different appointments for this.  I'd have to go three different times, waste gas on three different days, and interrupt all of our schedules for three different appointments.

I suppose it would be different if I had a boy thrown into the mix, but it's all girls.  And it's only once a year.  I'm so glad the girls are healthy.  Most years go by with nothing more than a head cold or stomach bug, without ever bothering with visiting the pediatrician.  Therefore, we only go once a year for an over all check-up, finger prick, vaccinations, etc.

This year, our youngest will have to get her 5 year old, neccessary for school entry, vaccinations.  She's so excited about being 5, and being old enough for kindergarten (we don't believe in pre-k) that she's not even complaining about having to get shots.  She's actually announcing to everyone that Thursday is her doctor's appointment.  LOL!  I'm sure that tune will change once we get there.

Thankfully this only happens once a year.  A lot of things only happen once a year, but we tend to dread them more than unpleasant events that occur on a regular basis.  Why do we put off those check-ups, dental cleanings, tax time (not me, but people I know), and numerous other events?  Why not just do it, get it over with, and move on to something more enjoyable?

Well?  Oh, you want me to answer that?  No, really, I'm asking you.  Seriously, I have no idea either.  LOL!  Oh well, maybe someone else will know the answer.  *Shrug*

Okay then, my stomach is growling like a grizzly bear, so it must be time for my breakfast.  Afterwards I'll get some writing work done, spend some time with Tim, play with the youngest, and get ready for the pedi appointment.  Wish me luck!  Hopefully there will be less tears crying than I'm expecting... and that's just from the 13 year old.  LOL!

Have a great day.  :-)

Online Christmas Party!

Who wants to party with me?  Technically, there aren't many of you who could physically party with me, but we can certainly party together online! 

On Thursday December 17, 2009, from 8pm - 10pm EST, I'll be hosting my very first online Christmas party.  Come, eat (your own food), and be merry with me!  Settle down in your comfy computer chair, have a glass of wine, and snack on some cheese and crackers while we chat, joke around, and just have a good time.  We might even sing some Christmas carols!!

At the end of the night, I'll give a Christmas gift to one lucky guest.  I'll post all the details close to time (where the chat is, log-in info, etc.).

Speaking of Christmas gifts, don't forget about my December-Twitter GiveAway that's going right now.  All the contest details are here, so pop by and tell me what your Christmas gift wish is for this year.  :-)

All righty!  Today's Monday, the start of a brand new week, and I get to go back to my writing work.  I'm very excited to pull out my manuscript of Time For Death, go over it once again and get it all ready to send out into the world.  I'm planning to have it sent off to several people by the end of the week.  Then it'll be time to jump back into Time for Battle to get it finished up.  I'm sure Liz'll be happy that I'm back to giving her the time of day.  LOL.

Speaking of Liz, one of my lovely beta readers informed me last week that she was going through "Liz withdrawls".  LOL!  Looks like I better hurry up with book 2 before she starts having seizures from the withdrawls.  ;-)

I'm of now.  I hope you all have a fantastic Monday.  I'm going to work until I have to pick the oldest up for her orthodontics appointment this afternoon.

*Smooches*

Tuesday! It'll be a good day.

Good morning!  We have been blessed with the ability to wake up to yet another Tuesday.  Be happy!

It's cloudy and rainy here in north Georgia, but I'm feeling frisky and energetic this morning.  It's just past 8 am and I've washed two loads of laundry, fed the youngest and took a shower.  I still need to eat something myself, but not sure what I want yet.  Tim took the big girls to school for me, so that was nice.  :-)

Yesterday turned out to be a good writing day, even though it felt like I was running the roads all day.  So many things to do in one little day just make it feel rushed and overwhelming.  Luckily I'm a stubborn Capricorn that knows how to get things done.  ;-)

Today will be a smoother day, with less running around.  I'll be able to have another good writing day.  The story is finally picking up speed for me.  Took three chapters, but hey, that's what edits and rewrites are for AFTER the story is on my virtual paper.  LOL.  Right now it's all about just getting the story, from beginning to end, written down and out of my head.  Later I'll come back to add scenes, change scenes, delete scenes, rewrite those things Liz said to Chad when they were rolling around on the ground, delete what Cole said about Hamish, and numerous/millions of other things that'll need to be done and un-done.

Yeah, edits will be a bitch on this one, but it'll be well worth it in the end.  I hate edits!  Nonetheless, they improve any story one hundred fold from its first daft state.  No one but the writer should ever, EVER lay eyes on a first draft of anything... much less a story.  Nooooo!!  Never do that!  It's death to any story when you show the first draft to someone.  You know it's bad, all first drafts are bad, there can be no exception to this rule.  Just don't do it.  And certainly don't ask to see mine 'cause I'll adamantly refuse your request.

Well, I guess I better change out of my shorts and tank top and into something appropriate for November.  Tim wants to go buy Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 when the game store opens.  He's been talking about it for a couple of weeks, so it has been planned. 

I doubted he'd get it since it's $60, but he made some extra cash helping his dad and I always make him trade in an old game when he wants a new one.  So he should have plenty of money to get it without asking me for more.  LOL.  Gotta train those husbands like you do the kids sometimes.  We'll hit our 16th anniversary after the first of the year, so no, the training never ends.

But at least that'll keep him busy while I'm working today.  Woohoo!!

Have a wonderful Tuesday!  Make the best of it and you'll be a happier person.

National Bookstore Day!

Welcome to the first annual Publishers Weekly's National Bookstore Day!  What a great day to let your favorite bookstore/seller know how much you appreciate them.  Publishers Weekly calls it, "a day devoted to celebrating bookselling and the vibrant culture of bookstores."  What better day to get your holiday shopping done for all the book lovers on your list?

Stop by the Publishers Weekly website to find a participating store near you.  Go out, buy books, let your favorite sellers know how much you love them and how they help to change the world with each book they provide. 

I love bookstores.  The smell of books, the silky texture of new pages, the "read" look of used books.  I don't care if they are old or new, I love books!  From the moment my children understood what a book was I've taught them that books are to be cherished and loved, not tossed aside, drawn in, or ripped apart. 

I must have done a good job with these teachings because my oldest came home from school one day, simply horrified at a task one of her teachers had asked her to help with.  When she told me what it was, I was horrified right along with her.  One of her teachers had been going through a book that the class was reading and marking out words she'd deemed inppropriate for the class.  OMG!  Are you serious? 

These kids are in middle school.  Anything in a school approved book can't be any worse than the things they see on tv, in the movies, or even hear in their own homes.  I was not a happy camper when I heard about this.  I can't believe that someone would destroy an author's hard work by going through the book with a black marker and censoring the story.  Ugh!

Okay, now I'm on a ranting rampage.  I'll stop right there for today.  I'm just glad my daughter told me about it so that we could discuss censorship in more detail than we had in the past.  Respect for books is something I take very seriously and luckily my daughters have picked up on that.

Have a happy National Bookstore Day!  Go read something!

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.  ;-)

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!  :-)