The drive was harsh to Book 'Em NC.

Most of you know that I spent this past weekend in Lumberton, North Carolina at the Book 'Em authors' conference and book fair. And boy, what a weekend it was! It was such a crazy weekend that it has taken me this long to get started on my blog posts about it. Yes, posts. . .plural. Hell, I didn't even unpack until this afternoon.

The event wasn't until Saturday morning, but considering how long the drive would be we left Friday morning. I had everything arranged so that we could drop the kids at school and head straight out of town. We were heading on down the highway at 7:15am.

All was well and dandy until just below Atlanta. Rain started slowly, sprinkles, drizzles here and there. Then we exited to the second (of three) Interstate and the heavens opened up with the intent of drowning everyone below. We stopped three times in an attempt to simply take a breath. Once under a bridge as trees whipped around throwing stuff at the vehicles driving by. Traffic had slowed to 30 MPH in whiteout conditions at that point, the radio stations were blaring their emergency broadcasts with warnings/watches of tornadoes in the are, and all you could see was the single yellow line on the left side road.

*This was before it got too rough to see*

Needless to say, we were behind schedule by the time we made it to the Country Inn Suites in Lumberton, NC. I was just glad we'd made it safe & sound considering we'd seen 5 different cars off the road in the process of getting there. Eek!

Luckily, the drive home Sunday was much more pleasant, with sunshine and no rain. Instead of being half an hour behind schedule, we were 1 hour ahead on Sunday. Much better than expected.

Stay tuned tomorrow when I talk about the Author Meet-n-Greet dinner. Later in the week I'll post about becoming a candy pusher. Yeah, it happened before I knew what was going on. :D

Stay tuned!

Tuesday. More rain?

Morning all!  So how did you enjoy the snippet of Time For Death yesterday?  The comments I did receive were all great, and I appreciate them tremendously.  I didn't get any editing done on it yesterday because I discovered a place where I want to add an entirely new chapter. Therefore, editing is on hold until I get that chapter written and can adjust the storyline accordingly.  It'll work out though, as I always do this.  I always write the story, go through edits and discover a new chapter (or two), and then have to work on that before edits can proceed.  That's okay though.

I did however get two articles written and off to DS, even though the 4 year old wanted to talk my ears off most of the day.  I now know more about dental implants than I ever wanted to know.  LOL! 

Before I forget again... my oldest made it onto the Quiz Bowl team last week.  Yay!  She's so excited.  We don't know anything yet about after school practices or meetings, but we do know she's on the team.  I hope she has a great time with it.

Today I have 1 more DS article to work on for this week, and then I'll start outlining the new Time For Death chapter.  The sooner I get it written, the sooner I can get back to editing, and ultimately finish it!  Go me!  Oh, and I was asked if it is erotica.  Nope, it's not.  I don't even consider it paranormal romance (though some classify it as that).  There is definitely some sex scenes in all of my books, but the storyline isn't focused solely on the romance/love/sex of the story.  I simply classify my work as paranormal fiction and leave it at that.

As for erotica, well, I'll show you some true erotica (in my mind) when I'm finished with Promise of Darkness.  ;-)

Okay, the picture above is of my driveway trying to run away with the rain we had yesterday.  It was soooo messy, and looks like today'll be the same way.  Thank goodness I live up on a hill.  LOL!  Click here to see the full size image.

Have a great day!

Wanna Know Wednesday #16

Good morning all. It's the last day of school here, and we woke up to rain drizzling outside. Not only that, but the youngest has caught whatever the middle one ad over the weekend. Oh joy!

I was suppose to be dropping the big girls off at school, coming back home for breakfast, and then going back to school for a play and award ceremonies. However, in the life of being a mom things can change in the blink of an eye. The older girls understand that I will not be attending any of the school activities this morning with a puking, feverish 4 year old by my side. I did makeplans to pick them up early after all of the events have been concluded.

Life with children never has a dull moment, that's for sure. LOL!

So anyway, it's raining, it's the last day of school, and I have a sick little one. That's not how my Hump Days have been going, so I'm not too distraught over one ruined Wednesday. LOL.

I was planning on doing some excerpts from my Alex & Fiona books for this week's Wanna Know Wednesday, but with everything going on I just haven't had time to gather them together for you. Sooooo, today's topic list is simply 10 random facts.

Wanna Know Wednesday
10 Random Facts

1. My vegetable garden is growing wonderfully! I can't wait for fresh veggies.
2. I get several versions of my daily horoscope in my email every morning.
3. I'm highy intrigued by all things Wiccan. Though I can never find the time to research much of it.
4. There is a Wiccan-like wedding ceremony in my second Alex & Fiona book, A Birth at Dawn.
5. I'm very picky about who I add as a friend on my Facebook account. I have to either know you, or we have to have several mutual friends. Unless of course you send me a message letting me know who you are. LOL.
6. When it comes to my MySpace account the rule is: No picture, No add! And I always check the page to make sure it's not a spammer/porn account.
7. I am sooooo excited for July 24th to get here. That's analysis day for Tim's vasectomy!! Woohoo!
8. Second to that, I'm loving making all the plans for our vow renewal in Key West. It's very exciting and something I've always wanted to do since our wedding was so small the first time.
9. I'm looking forward to sleeping late tomorrow after being up so many times with the youngest last night. Cleaning up puke in the middle of the night without my contacts in is not something I enjoy.
10. Lastly, I hope the sun comes out at some point today. The pool will never warm up without sunshine. :-(

That's it for those this week. Maybe next week I'll have time to share some book excerpts like I wanted to do. Oh, and next Wednesday will also be the day my monthly newsletter goes out. So if you aren't already a subscriber, now would be the perfect time to do that. :-) The link is at the top of the page, above the countdown tickers.

I guess I better get to work now. I have some laundry to do, a dishwasher to start, and writing to contemplate doing. LOL. Have a great day!

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A rainy Saturday.

Today has been one rainy, dreary day. However, it's been a very nice day for me. Tim and I woke up to a peacefully quiet house because my mom had the girls last night. Even though no one was here, we still woke up at 7am. We ended up just laying in bed and chatting/laughing/joking/teasing for two hours. Didn't climb out of the bed until 9am. LOL!

Tim is feeling much better today. He doesn't have any swelling or bruising at all. His soreness is at a minimal level as well. He even went to town with me and walked around a bit.

Since I usually buy groceries and do errands on Fridays, and we didn't get to do them yesterday, I went out this afternoon to get groceries. Tim happily tagged along. He wanted to drive (it was storming pretty badly), but I refused and made him ride instead of drive. LOL! He's none too happy about me not letting him do anything yesterday and today. Nevertheless, I don't care! LOL! He'll just have to suck it up and be happy. ;-)

After we returned home from shopping, he and I curled up on the couch with the laptop straddling our laps and did some window shopping for a motorcycle. He's been wanting one for quite some time, and he wants us to take it when it's just the two of us going on a trip, so we did some pretend shopping for the future. Yes, eventually we will buy one (when we have the extra money), and it sure is fun to window shop, look at different styles, and try to pick out just the right one that would suit the two of us perfectly. He thinks he has it narrowed down to a particular few, but who knows when the time actually comes. LOL!

We are daydreamers at times. It's fun to dream about the future. We enjoy the present as much as we can, but we like to think of the things we will do and the places we will go when we're able to. I have so many plans for the two of us, and I'm the type of person who will make sure that those plans do happen when the time comes. LOL.

Okay, now I'm just rambling here. :-) Today has been nice, even though it's so nasty outside. Right now the youngest is in bed, the older girls are watching a tv show in their room, and Tim is waiting on the Nascar race to begin. I'll be doing some story outlining here in a bit while the house is quiet. Maybe I'll get a little work done before Tim starts vying for my attention. LOL. ;-)

Have a great Saturday night!

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It's Saturday already?

This week has gone by fairly quickly for me. I can't believe it's already Saturday. Of course, the days do roll into one another when it's rainy day, after rainy day, after rainy day. I'll be so glad when the sun decides to grace us with its presence again.

Today has been a lazy day around the house. Tim's watching his Iron Man dvd at the moment. Now that doesn't mean I have been able to be lazy. I've cleaned the kitchen, done three loads of laundry, swept and vacuumed the floors, and stripped down my giant bed to wash the sheets.

Plus I have homemade pizza crust rising in the kitchen right now for when the oldest daughter's friends arrive and they can make pizzas tonight. Tim and I will be having a Mexican dinner that we'll make ourselves. He's not in a pizza mood.

I also worked on the Character Dictionary for the website. It's almost complete! I'm working on the section for A Twilight Abduction at the moment. I never realized that I'd written so many more characters into that book than I did in the previous two. It is fun to go back and recap my previous characters. I like that it refreshes my memory of how much I loved them while I was writing them.

I currently have 12, yes TWELVE, book projects in the works. Most are in the form of a few paragraphs in my notebook so that when I get time to write them I'll know what my idea was and how passionate I felt about writing that story when I made the notes. Others are already started in their own computer files here on the laptop. Then, I have notes about linking one story with another in my cell phone. I use to carry around a digital voice recorder to make notes anytime, but found that it wasn't as conducive to how I work as a good notebook and ink pen.

With so much work ahead of me, it's no wonder that I go through phases of disinterest. I write, and write, and write until I just can't write anymore. Then I go into hiding for a couple of weeks before the urge to write strikes me hard and fast. Writing is definitely my passion, but sometimes passion takes a break as the world around us interrupts it.

This is how it is for me anyway. Every writer is unique and therefore has his/her own techniques and style for getting work completed.

Well, I better stop rambling and get back to work. The dryer stopped, so it's time to put my warm, soft, Egyptian Cotton sheets back on the bed so Tim & I can mess them up later tonight. LOL!

Have a fantastic day!

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Friday Morning

Good morning all. It's finally Friday. Yay for the weekend!

Today is my errand day. However, I didn't have a lot to do and we were finished and back home by 8:30am this morning. Of course we also didn't go to the next town over for a bank visit and a trip to Wal-mart. LOL! We just stayed ver here and hit the local Bi-Lo and CVS, then back home. Now I have the rest of the day to laze around with Tim and wish for sunshine.

It's another rainy, gloomy day here. I'd like some sunshine, but this does make for a good lazy day. Gloomy days are only good for curling up in bed with the one you love. Or possibly for getting some writing done. LOL! Nonetheless, right now I'm chilly and am preferring the bed option.

It looks like this weekend will be filled with days inside as well. Even if the rain stops it'll just be too wet to do anything out there. Things are flooding and the ground is so sloppy. Yuck!

Our oldest daughter is having a sleepover here tomorrow night. That's always fun (NOT). I already have a house full of screaming girls and then she goes and adds more. LOL! Blah! I'll let them make some homemade pizzas and then send them off to do preteen girlie stuff in her bedroom. She has movie watching and nail painting planned.... nothing that'll require my attention. Yay!

I'm planning to finish the Character Dictionary on my website for the Alex & Fiona series this weekend. And my monthly newsletter goes out next Wednesday, so I have to make sure it's ready. I have several articles that are requiring my attention, and Liz is bugging me about doing to edits for Time For Death. Come on Liz, give a girl a break! Sheesh, she's such a bossy bitch! LOL.

Okay, I'm cold, so I'm headed to the bedroom. I hope you're all having a much drier day than I am!

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A Wet Monday.

Good morning to all of you lovely friends. I hope that you're in a good mood and welcoming this new week with open arms. Yes, Mondays usually suck, but just think of them as the start of something new and of all the possibilities that could show up. Each new week presents the opportunity for something great. You just have to be open to it!

This morning I was welcomed by an email containing the award banner for the Most Eye-Catching Cover. Yay! It makes me smile everytime I see that attached to MY book. It was a great way to start a Monday morning.

It's rainy and gross outside again this morning. Looks like a major chance of rain until the end of the week. Hopefully it will make for a beautiful, sunny weekend to come though.

This is Tim's first week of three days. It's a ten hour cut in his pay. Fingers crossed that it doesn't last long. Though, if it does, we'll get by. Just gotta convince Tim to stop begging for $60 video games. LOL!

I have my weekly "to-do" list staring at me, so I better get started. My little sister will be here in an hour because we're going to the gym together this morning. It's definitely more fun when you have someone to go with. Tim has been missing going to the gym with me. Looks like he'll be able to go with me two times a week now. LOL!

Have a great day! Hopefully your day isn't as wet as mine. :-)

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Update about yesterday

Well, you all know that I had a hell of a day yesterday. Luckily, even though it's still pouring down ran here, today seems to be a bit better.

I talked to Dell tech support yesterday, did all the tests they asked me to, and it was determined that the laptop's motherboard has gone bad and needs to be replaced. Sooooo, they are sending me a box to ship the laptop to them in and then it'll be 5-8 buisness days after they receive it to fix and return it to me. So basically, I'm looking about 2 weeks without my baby. *Sniff, Sniff*

I'm hoping that all of my files will return in perfect condition since the problem is just the motherboard and not the harddrive. My computer savvy friends (or their husands) have said that my information *should* be safe. We'll see in 2 weeks.

In the past 6 months with my laptop--who we'll call Annie--I've been more productive, more accessible, happier, busier, and all around a better writer. Yes, you guessed it, I'm addicted to Annie and HATE having to sit at the desktop computer now. Annie makes working in bed much easier than the old, slow, 6 year old HP sitting in front of me right now. Blah!

Farewell Annie! Hopefully you'll return happier and healthier than you are now. And fingers crossed that all of my files will still be intact when you return to my lap. :-)

As for the van, Tim came home from work and fixed it for me. The stupid belt use to slip off anytime I hit a puddle of water, but Tim replaced the tensioner and that hadn't happened in about 3 years... until yesterday. UGH! It's a '97 Dodge Grand Caravan that's about to hit 180K miles. I'm thinking it's about time for a new one. It's been a good one, but I'm tired of it and it keeps needing more and more work over the year. Yep, time for something else so poor Sally (the van) can rest. LOL!

Okay, that's it for today. I'm off to watch a Mickey Mouse Christmas Carol with the 3 year old on this rainy, dreary day, and wait for the FedEx guy to show up with my Dell shipping box. *Sniff, Sniff*

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Having a bad day

Yes, it's only 8:30 in the morning, but I've already had a day's worth of crap all around me! I'm so mad, so disappointed, and so upset that I could cry. Well, actually I've already done that.

Last night my brand new, six month old, Dell laptop--the one that contains my whole life--shut down without warning and will not come back on. I've done everything I know to do, and even everything the Dell website says to do. Nothing has worked.

And yes, for those of you wondering, the entire manuscript for Time For Death is trapped in there. Family pictures, hundreds of favorite links, all my friends' email addresses, music, two e-books I've been waiting to find the time to read... all of it in there with no way to access it.

I'm just devastated at the moment. On the upside, Time For Death is so fresh in my mind that I can rewrite it with little difficulty. It won't be word for word, of course, but if the need arises then that's what I'll do. That's just a lot of work.

Anyway, I have a ticket into Dell Tech Suppot, but if have to send it in to be serviced who knows when I'll get it back. :-(

And as if all that wasn't bad enough, it's been storming so bad all night that the road in front of the girls' school was flooded just enough to knock the belt off my van this morning. I had to send the girls off across the school's parking lot with a umbrella while I attempted to make it home with no power steering and the van running solely off the battery. Thank goodness for a great battery and living only 5 minutes away from school.

You really find out just how strong you are when you have to steer a van with no power steering.

I'm having a bad day. Tim is on his way home from work to save me from it, but I doubt even he can help with more than just the van. I'm now in the most sour mood I've been in in a long time. Heaven help anyone who crosses me today.

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