I was battling a migraine and trying to get things done, like some guest blogs I owe, plus adding to a scene for my newest proposal that agent suggested, plus working on one of those, just for me projects.  The day went surprisingly well, because I just took it all slowly.

I decided to put the last of my copy editing off until tomorrow, when I was sharper.  I can’t do those when I’m foggy.  I can write while foggy – written some of my best scenes that way.

I was also playing around on Facebook, asking people to suggest some of their favorite music and I got some great suggestions.  The first thing I do when I get a lead on a new song is play the sample on iTunes while I look up the lyrics.  Several of the songs suggested to me today are actually really perfect for the proposal book (It’s Mace’s book – I’m calling it In the Air Tonight, but I doubt that title will stick. Working titles rarely do.)

I also have RITA books to read – it’s my first year judging. Oh, for those of you not familiar with the RITA, it’s the RWA’s (Romance Writers of America) awards, announced yearly at their conference – there are different categories, like Romantic Suspense, Paranormal, Best series romance, etc.  There’s also a Golden Heart contest for unpublished manuscripts too, and I know lots of the Golden Heart winners went on to have their manuscripts published, so it’s a cool contest.

So yeah, that was my day?  Yours?

By the way, there was entirely too much football on today.  Seriously.

A happy and healthy new year to all!

I’m home and writing tonight.  And pretty much tied to the computer until I’m done with Zane’s book, but we had a yummy dinner of empanadas and spinach and feta cheese filo and brownies!  Appetizers and desserts – the only way to go!  

Of course, now I’m tired from all the food.  However, Lillie’s lovely picture from Twitter perked me up:

She says,  Look who I found hanging around Walmart – He looked lonely, so I had to bring him home.

He looks good, doesn’t he?  All shiny and proud.

So keep an eye out for TOO HOT TO HOLD, cause it might be hitting shelves a little early!  Technically, it won’t ship from Amazon and the like until 1/5, and it won’t be available on eReaders till then either.

Also, please visit me over at RomCon!!!  I’m talking, well, books.

I don’t really have writing superstitions, per se, but I definitely have rituals.  For instance, I write about half my book longhand and half on the computer.  For the longhand part, I use Clairefontaine notebooks, because the paper quality is amazing, and since I like to use more of a marker-like pen, I can write on the front and back of the page without it bleeding through at all.

I go through a notebook every couple of months – and I don’t use a new / separate one for each project.  For instance, the one I’m finishing now has some notes about Cam’s book, most of Zane’s book, rewritten scenes for Sydney’s Tempting the Fire and a few Stryker scenes.

If you look through the completed notebooks, you’ll find what my life was about at that time as well.  Phone numbers are scattered at the top or in the margins.  Lily’s surgery dates are often there, as well as word count, quotes I’ve come across that I like, lists of things I needed to do by a certain date.

When I start a new one, I have to pick the color of the cover, even though once I start, I never actual close the thing.  But I have to go with the feeling of where I am – and to me, colors represent mood.

For instance, I chose red for the new one because I don’t really like the color at all, and I’m having a tough time finishing up my book, and the last time I used a red notebook when I was having a tough time, things worked out well.

Then, I have certain things I put on the first page.  To start, I go with quotes that describe best where I am / what I’m thinking at that particular time.  And then I list what’s happening in my writing life at the time – what book I’ve handed in, what I’m starting, etc.  And I date it, so I know when I started the notebook.

Here’s one of the quotes in my current notebook:

“The true measure of a man is how he treats someone who can do him absolutely no good.” – Samuel Johnson

Do you have any rituals for when you start something new?  (This could be non-writing related, of course!)

Dear November -

It is November, as you should know.  Hence, that means nice, chilly fall weather.  I do not like needing the air conditioning this time of year, as I live no where near Florida.  Also, I’m tired of finding ticks crawling around the bed via Gus’s unsuspecting body.  Please bring the frost on now.

Thank you.

***

Dear People who appear to be freaked out when they see Gus as if he’s the most giant dog ever –

He is large, yes.  But he is certainly smaller than Great Danes and even some Labs and Goldens.  Surely, the best thing to do when you see a large dog on a leash, waiting patiently and not snarling, growling or barking at at all shouldn’t be to scream, jump, point a finger and look at me as though I’ve brought a HellHound into your midst.  Perhaps note the small, random child with his arm around Gus and know that this dog means you no harm.

Oh, and to the woman who told me I should not have a horse-like dog out while trick or treating, it’s Gus’s street, so get over yourself.

Thank you.

As an aside, all in all, quite a nice Halloween, despite the heat and the rain, which I think cut a lot of trick or treater’s nights short, which sucks.  I like seeing the costumes.  Lily was Batgirl, Gus was himself, and Zoo…well, at one point he was wearing an 80′s mullet and mustache and my AC/DC T-Shirt (which was insulted to be part of a costume as that is a favorite shirt of mine.)  I went as the wife who had no idea why her husband was wearing a mullet and I did a good job of it.

***

Dear Zane -

We have one month left in which to tell your story.  I’m tired and pissy and I’ve come down from the sugar-high.  The WIP is now open, so perhaps the writing no longer needs to be at your convenience?

Thank you.

***

I feel better now.  NaNoWriMo, anyone?  Any progress?  I have exactly…no words.  That needs to change.

I guess at one point I used the expression, damn straight, skippy, around my mother.  A conversation ensued in which my mother asked who this skippy was.

I tried to explain that it was just an expression (trust me, this took a while) and then she said, I’m going to start using it.

Except she couldn’t remember it.  At least not correctly.  So she’s been walking around, saying, suck it, smitty.

*shrugs* Maybe she’ll start a new trend.

1. I wanted to order this cool pumpkin cake for Halloween, except Zoo told me I was insane (his point?) and besides, no one was coming here for Halloween.  Except now, we’re having lots of friends here for dinner and Williams Sonoma is out of the cake.  Or it was yesterday.  Which was the last day to order to get it in time for Halloween.  Today, back in stock.  Someone somewhere does not want me to have this cake.

2. I was interviewed for Romantic Times Magazine’s Clubhouse Feature in their December issue!  Very cool to be asked.  Zoo likes that the article is about him – he’s thinking of having it framed for his office.

3. Sons of Anarchy tonight!  Someone dies.  *notTignotTignotTig*  Instead, I would like to offer up my character, Zane.  *looks over shoulder at digruntled SEAL* What?  If you’re not going to talk to me, what else do you expect me to do?

Damned pumpkin cake.  Damned SEAL.

*sighs and pours Diet Coke*  It’s going to be a long, cake-less night.

So Zoo comes home the other night and says, I think I really freaked out this woman on the train.

Now, Zoo always has train stories.  A couple of weeks ago he IM’d me to let me know a pregnant woman almost threw up on him. Last week, it was sparks and fire coming out of the heat vent.  So this could be anything.

Me: What did you do?

Zoo:  Well, the woman sitting next to me was reading a romance.  And so I said to her, oh, do you like to read romance and she was kind of like, sometimes.  But I didn’t believe her – I think she thought I would make fun of her.

Me: (thinks that this is going downhill fast)

Zoo: So yeah, so I’m like, oh, my wife writes romance novels.  And I gave her a bookmark.

Me:  That old ratty one you keep reusing in whatever book you’re reading?

Zoo: No, I carry some of your new ones.

Me: Oh.  What did she say?

Zoo: She just kind of took it.  Looked freaked.  Basically, I either made you a sale or lost you a sale.

Me: I don’t know if you should be my promo person.  At least maybe not say that I’m related to you?

Zoo:  Hey, at least I didn’t pass them out a Wake, like your mother did.

Me: You’ve got a point there.

So I’m between the iPhone and the new Palm Pre.  Although Sprint annoyed me, because, even though I’ve been a loyal Sprint customer for 9 years, I have to wait until August 1st to get the Pre at the discount price.  

When I said to Sprint Customer service, so basically, any idiot can walk into the sprint store now and get the discounted price but I have to wait until August 1st, he said, no ma’am, any idiot who isn’t a Sprint customer.

*snorts*

Anyway, Zoo and I went to buy a new mattress and a bed on Sunday – we end up in Sleepy’s trying out all the beds (which, to be honest, always grosses me out because, you know how many other people were also lying on those beds trying them out?)

This connects to the first part of the blog really.  

See, the sales guy had an iPhone.  So I got to try it out and look at it.  And the other sales guy had a Palm Pre, and I got to try it out.  I told them they should sell phones and mattresses, because they were each so knowledgable about the different phones.

Of course, I’m still not sure which one I want.  They’re both pretty cool.  But I adore my new mattress – it’s so comfortable.

I’ve done lots of writing the past few weeks – my editor liked Cam’s book (yay!) and the revisions are very do-able.  Along with the revision, I’m working up a proposal for the connected book and  I’m also revising a Sydney book.  And still, I’ve managed to get in lots of reading over the past few weeks too.  I finally read the first Sookie Stackhouse, Dead Until Dark, because I want to start watching the True Blood series.  And although I’m not a huge first person fan, I really liked the book.  I bought the next books but I’m thinking about not reading them all at once, because I tend to glom and then OD on a series.

First, I’m behind on life and behind on announcing my contest winner for April!  The winner of a signed copy of Coming Undone is Anne Muller, so congrats, and thanks so much for entering!  The next winner will be drawn at the end of this month to be announced the first week in June.  Really.

And speaking of giveaways, the wonderful Emily from Waxcreative has a great blog post up featuring my new site and there’s also a cool giveaway there, so head over, answer her questions and you’ll be eligible to win a copy of Risking It All.

OMG – and can we please discuss the ending of Grey’s Anatomy?!  Because no, I did not see the 007 thing coming at all – it was one of those gasp moments except there was no one to gasp with because Zoo was sleeping and he doesn’t like the show anyway.

Okay, the book is calling.  Well, it’s more like my editor is expecting it, because my hero and heroine are firmly planted with their backs facing me, refusing to talk.  They don’t like me much and at this point, the feeling is mutual.