Restart!

Well, it's a new year, and as usual, I'm making goals.  My typical pattern is to promise that this year will be different from last year... well, I'm not making that promise this year.   Instead, I'm just going to forge ahead and forget predictions and apologies!

Goals for this year:

1.  Get "The Jerk List" OUT!
2.  Start the Army book.
3.  Finish the divorce book
4.  Finish the article I'm writing with Aimee

I've also cleared commitments so I can reach all of these goals.  Yes, I'll pat myself on the back for that one. 

I'm really excited about the article.  Just to give you a little background, Aimee and I both started dating again after a long absence from the dating world.  One thing became blatantly obvious to us very quickly...There are a lot of writers that have no idea what it's like to date anymore!!!

It was very disappointing when we'd read a book and could actually tell when an author had been married for years.  Now, this didn't happen all the time, but it happened frequently enough that we decided that we did need to write an article about it, especially since a lot of the readers we want to target are dating.  How can we capture their interests if we are out of touch with their world?  I know we write fiction, but come on...if readers can't related to our fantasy world, why keep reading.

We've started the first draft and it will be out soon in the MRW newsletter.  I can't wait to hear your thoughts.  And as hard as it maybe to hear, as authors, we do need to keep up with the current market and our readers in ALL ASPECTS! 

Curveballs

My friends are telling me they are wondering how I've managed not to have a nervous break down.  I'm just glad I'm not the only one wondering.  All I can say is that the ostrich approach seems to work right now and my friends are my life line.  I've also decided to take one day a week for me, to do whatever I want.  And guess what that will be tomorrow??? 

Writing.

Yup, not dealing with pool removal (or flood).  I'm not dealing with the move.  Or thinking about work.  I'm going to write.  That's it...well, I might attack a few loads of laundry here and there.  Right now, I've got so much material, I need to get it down before I forget it all!

Chaos is my best friend!

What has happened lately?  Alot!

1.  Came home from a business trip to a my shower running thanks to the maintence man who did not close the shower curtain. Result: ruined scale and had to wait until my hot water heater caught up so I could take a shower.

2.  Got a call from my boyfriends neighbor and ran over to his house to find 21 inches of water in his basement while he's out of town.  Result: A lot of ruined crap, tons of hours disposing of ruined crap, and the insurance company can't fit us in until the end of the month because this doesn't qualify as an emergency.

3.  Aired up a tire and got hit by a car...yes, a car tire litterally came in contact with my ass.  Result: luckily, the dumbass driving was only going about 1 mph and I just had a scrapped knee from being sprawled over the sidewalk.

Since bad things come in 3's, I figure I'm done...or at least I hope I'm done. 

So, preperations for the move begin, as well as writing since I very little if, any destractions will exist for the next year.  I still have the move and work, but that is all relative.  I've got two different stories begging to get out of my head a the moment. 

The first is the divorce story, which is proving to be just as funny as The Jerk List. 

The second is going to be about a woman who sends her man off to a war zone - yes, I know, I'm writing about my life again.  However, while I will be incorporating some of the things I'll be going through the next year, most of it will NOT be something I experience.  Instead, it will be about what a woman goes through at home.  It will be a fine line showing this since I write humor and I don't want to make a joke out of it.  But let's face it - women are funny!  There has to be a way to show our soldiers the respect they desearve and to show what a woman really goes through at home in a humorous light - and I've got time to find it!

There are times you love being called a bitch

Writing has kicked in, and no, I'm not working on my thief book.  Instead, the divorce book is talking to me.  Yes, I'm starting a romance off in divorce court.  Call me weird, but it is something I've always wanted to do. 

I took the first chapter to my writers retreat for open critique.  I warned them it was a rough draft, that I really just wanted a clue if the concept was going to work - and I got called a bitch - because not only did they love the idea, but I didn't make a single grammar mistake (I'm still beaming). 

Chapter four made it to the page today.  Not bad since I just started it two weeks ago.  I know there will be some editing, and I'm still searching for zany things my heroine can do to run off her soon to be ex-husband...but they will come to me.  They always do.  However, if you have anything you want to share, I'm open to ideas.

Go, go, go...

As usual, life never slows down here.  I'd love to tell you all the crazy things I've done since conference, but they happen so much in my life, it's hard to keep track.  Some of you know that the military is sending my boyfriend overseas in less than 3 weeks which means our schedule is packed.  Not only is he trying to get everything ready, but his friends and family want to see him as much as possible.  Which means event after event.  I love it, love him, but it had been difficult to get my requested submission ready - ALTHOUGH I'm proud to say that I finally have the damn thing completely spell checked (thanks to a day of vacation).  So yes, off it goes today!  Less than two weeks after it was requested.  

After that, the boyfriend is my priority until he leaves and then I'm spending the next year glued to my computer so I can get some of these stories out of my head, which will both of us VERY happy.  Not only will that mean I'm going after my dream, which he fully supports, but it reduces the chances of other men hitting on me when he's not here, something I've assured him I am more than capable of handling.  I'm more than capable of running off men - after all, I've had years of practice.

The next project I'm working on is the thief book.  You'll see a little blurb about it on my website since I already know how it's going to go.  I just don't have a title for it yet.

And now what you've all been waiting for:  my latest fiasco - if you can call it that.  On the fourth of July, we went to a friends house in the country to watch fireworks.  Apparently their neighbors kid is a Class A fireworks guy and does shows all over the the world.  It all started when he blew up their basement before he hit puberty...anyway, we get their early and being in the country, the men want to do a little target practice.  Fine, no big deal.  I've grown up around guns and am use to this.  However, even though most of my family lives in the country, I am not used to finding snakes near the shooting area, especially with a huge frog in their mouth.  When the guys find it, they are excited.  They have a moving target.  Well, I'm excited too.  So excited that I leap on top of a chair and refuse to get down until the damn thing stops moving. 

Did you know a snake will still move for a while even after it's head is blown off with a shot gun?  I didn't.  Then the 2 minute walk to the house turned out being more like 10 because I'm staring at the ground before I take a single step looking for his buddies because of course I'm wearing flip flops.  If I would have known about the snakes, I would have had my cowboy boots!

Well, that's all for now.  I'll post more soon.  Until then, you'll have to find your own laughs.

Back from the Big Apple

I just got back from the RWA conference and I'm happy to say that I've made a lot of new friends, have a request for a full from an agent, and am more siked than ever to write.  The problem?  I'm exhausted.  Yup, completely and utterly exhausted.  But that is nothing that a nap with my favorite pillow won't fix.  After that, all bets are off.

I'm also happy to say that I didn't do anything completely 'Jackie' style like usual.  So no klutzy, embarrassing moments; however, my mouth was in full Jackie mode.  Several women cracked up when was waiting in line at a book signing and I made the comment that I hoped no one tried to shove a box of books up my ass like they had at the last one.  So yes, no censorship, or filter, or anything.

So to the sum up the trip:

Monday:  Bobbie and I arrived.  Jade Lee was in our shuttle and we ended up having lunch with her after Bobbie told her get her skinny butt in the van.

Tuesday:  We did the site seeing thing.  Went to the Statue of Liberty and then had lunch in China Town.  It was a lot of fun.  After that, the literary signing was going on so I volunteered with that.  I got a picture with Kenyon and Love, two of my absolute favorite authors.  I also met Janet Chapman, another all time fav.

Wednesday:  The conference was in full swing and I went mainly to the PRO events after sleeping in a bit.  I met a lot of wonderful women who I talked to throughout the conference.  Even with everything that goes on at the conference, this is one of the most valuable things.  I learned a lot about houses, agents, editors, market trends, etc., from women who are dealing with the personally.  If you were ever debating about going - the networking and friends you meet are worth it alone.

Thursday:  Free books everywhere you looked (and everyone who knows me knows I love free - especially books) and programs.  I pitched to an agent and she asked for the full.  I was so excited, I ended up with a bottle of Beam after the Irish Pub.

Friday:  Again, more free books and programs.  I met a lot of people I hope I stay in contact with this time (I wasn't too good about that after DC).  I even put on a dress and heals for the RITA and GH awards.  The shoes didn't stay on long, but I did my best.

Saturday:  Came home to my honey, who met me at the airport with a kiss and a Dr. Pepper.  Who wouldn't love a man like that?

Now, I just have to get my book off to the agent and keep my fingers crossed. 

A chotic thing I didn't do!

I'm having a horrible time on a job - contractors trying to take advantage of me.  Unfortunately, they aren't my contractors, so I can't fire their asses, but anyway, it's hot, I'm miserable and pissy, and all of a sudden I start smiling.  Why?  Because I'm remembering my boyfriend giving me another woman's underwear.

Yes everyone, I said that right.  Here is what happened:

My boyfriend is cleaning his house and as I pass my bag on the floor, I see this pair of black panties with pink hearts on the top.  Now, I would never buy underwear like this, so I pick them up (with one finger of course) and call my boyfriends name at the top of my lungs.  He comes in, and here is the conversation.

Me:  What are these?
Him: Your underwear (accompanied by a weird look)
Me: No, they aren't.
Him:  Yes they are
Me: No they aren't
He looks at me, looks at the underwear, and looks back at me and asks:  Are you sure?

As if I don't know what my own underwear looks like? 

When he realizes his mistake, the 'Oh Shit' look on his face was priceless.  Now, what I have left out of this story is that my boyfriend does his laundry at a laundry mat.  I don't know how many times I'd come home with someone elses cloths because I didn't look carefully enough in the washer or dryer.  Plus, I know he isn't cheating 100%.  So I wasn't pissed.  Still, remembering at look makes me smile. 

It's definitely going into a book someday.