Synopsis and snow

Got a couple of inches of fresh snow this a.m. Fortunately, it warmed up enough most all of it melted off. Except for the stuff on top of the ice and snow still on my back patio. I'm beginning to think that won't melt till spring arrives for reals.

Last week, by the end of the week, I wrote 52.5 pages. (YAY!!) Which gave me, for the two week push, 115 pages total. Not bad atall, friends.

But that meant that this week, I had to write a new synopsis to go with all the stuff I wrote and finish the story. I wrote and wrote and wrote. Lots of pages' worth. (You all know my theory--you get to count synopsis pages double because they're twice as hard to write.) Then I scratched out two or four pages' worth because I decided I didn't need the ballpeen hammer murders in this book, and could save them for someone else, because with the Hungarian Inquisition, who needs murders too? So I have a brand new ending--or rather, the same events still happen, but they happen for different reasons, and different bad guys commit the same evil events, and it all works out beautifully and ties everything together, and I probably never would have figured this all out if I hadn't sat down to write as much of the story as I could all at once.

Got to go to town yesterday and paint. I am happy. I got to work on the portrait--it's close to being done. Fortunately, I ordered more canvases. I'm out of things to paint on, unless I paint over something...which I could well do...

I have 9 pages of synopsis written, which will probably type up to 15, and counts as 19 or 20 pages in the "count" because of all the pages I got to X out when I took out the murdered guys.

Oh, and I got to go to the doctor again today. (I went yesterday to let them look at the skin cancer that's being erased with a cream) Now I have a lump on the side of my neck, right on top of the muscle there--a swollen lymph node in a weird place, so I get to take drugs for that too. Lots and lots of pills. I don't feel bad. Except the lump is sore. Oh well.

Community choir starts tomorrow. I will not forget. (And if I do, y'all get to chastise me.)

Nobody Expects the Hungarian Inquisition

Thought I'd be writing a daring escape through the streets of Budapest running from the Hungarian Inquisition...and wound up writing the first kiss...and stopping right when they arrived in Budapest. Oh well. I'll have the escape to write tomorrow...and the heroine's reaction to the kiss...

Took me 9.5 pages to write all that, so...

Fixing to head into town. The streets look pretty melted, and they're predicting upper 40s today (about 8.5 C) in Amarillo, so I should have no problems, as long as I don't stay so long they freeze again before I get home. Okay. I'm gone!

I made the Front Page of the Paper!

Okay, it was only my name, not my picture, and it was for the sledding excursion the fella and I took last Sunday, (they just said we went sledding--I guess it was news 'cause we're grown ups...) but we were in the paper...


The picture is of the jump on the hill to the west (the jump is to the west, not the hill--we were on the same hill) of where we were sledding. This is a big lo-o-oooong (as in wide, not tall) hill, so there was room for lots of people to sled. And we did NOT go over the jump (which you would know if you read my Snow Bunny post).

Anyway, I'm sitting here in my office with the two big windows, with the little space heater running and my new dry socks on, because I ventured forth into "Texas in the Snow Land" to go get mail from the post office, and it was slushy out there!

Fortunately, all the cars that passed me (and there were enough to constitute a rural Texas rush hour--meaning two cars sitting at an intersection, only one of which has a stop sign, and the one without the stop sign is waving for the other one to go through--honest! This happens to me all the time--anyway, there were lots of cars on the street) were kind and considerate enough not to splash me with the slush. Which I appreciated, since just walking splashed up plenty of slush. I got my socks wet, and my pants. Some of it was 'cause it was splashy, and some of it was 'cause it was deep! Over the tops of my tennies deep.

And the parking slots in front of the post office are just Pure-D Ice! The parking area is on the north side of the building, so (like my patio) the ice from the ice storm didn't melt off before the snow from the snow storm hit. Only people have to go to the post office to pick up their mail, because if you live in town, they don't bring the mail to you. You have to go to the post office. (This is why I only have a P.O. Box for my snail mail.) And all those cars parking there packed down all the snow on top of the ice, and turned it into ice, and the sun can't get to it to melt anything, so I had a really slippery time getting up to the part they salted. But I got my newspaper and saw my name in the paper.

Okay, mini-rant here. There was a "guest column" in the paper from some numbnuts who lives in Utah whining about the snow removal on Interstate 40, about how the snow plows were pitiful and nobody salted the road and he slid off the highway three times, and when he got to the New Mexico state line, everything was perfect. He wanted to know if the snow was just too much for Texas. (Failing to observe, of course, that the snow storm that dumped all the snow in the Texas panhandle skirted New Mexico and didn't dump much, if any, snow over there.) My answer:

Well DUH!! OF COURSE IT WAS!!!

This is TEXAS. We don't have mountains here in the northern part of the state, like New Mexico does. We don't get much snow. We do get some, which is why there actually snow plow blades to fit on the fronts of the pickups. Further south in Texas, you don't even get that much. And I'm sorry, I'm not going to advocate spending that much tax money for something we might need maybe every third year. Last year, we didn't get a lick of snow. That's why we had a million acres burn last spring, because we got no snow, no moisture of any kind. (Duh!)

And most of the time, when it does snow, it's usually 40 degrees (about 4.5 C) within a couple of days so everything melts off quickly. (It's above 40 here today.) So all you whiners from Minnesota or Utah--shut up! Wait a coupla days, it'll warm up, and you'll be on your way. Cause we aren't buying a bunch of stuff that's not going to get used. Deal.

Okay, end of rant.

Wrote 9 pages so far today.

Spent too much time looking in my old historical atlas, but I did discover that I can't send my hero and heroine to Bucharest when they run from the mountains. It's way the heck and gone the wrong direction, and over on the Ottoman side of the mountains. So they're going to Temesvar first, before they hit Budapest.

In 1863 (or 1864, depending on how old I decide my heroine is), the Carpathian mountains were part of the Grand Principality of Transylvania, which was in turn part of the Austrian Empire. I knew the bit about the empire, but didn't know it had a fancy name...

Spent a lot of time working out new stuff about how the magic works before I got started, too, but that paid off. It all came out in the story.

I'll shut up now.

The Writing Progresses

Not as much as I'd like for it to, but it progresses.

I wrote 9 pages yesterday, and 8 pages today. I'm going to try to get more written later in the day, but I do have a lot of other stuff to do.

I had to make notes today not to forget Crow's presence. I don't know why this crow is important, but I'm bound to figure it out sooner or later.

I also need to find out:

When did "bleeding" stop being an acceptable medical treatment?

and

When was Europe generally wired for telegraph? I know they had it in 1863 or 4, but how far did it penetrate into various areas?

Yeah, I know I'm cheating by posting my questions here, because I know one of you lovely people will find the answer for me. This way I can spend more time writing the story, right?

(Watching the Methodist preacher shovel out his driveway across the street, and spread salt...)

We may all be in Paris soon--but I think the Paris action will move to London in sections... We shall see...

Snow Bunny

Yesterday, it snowed. Today, the weather was sunshiney and butt-tingling cold, and the fella talked me into going out to go sledding.

The hill from the college gym down to the track is probably the best hill in town--there are other hills at the college, but most of them are either too shallow, or have a street with potential cars passing right smack at the bottom. (I could just see these crazy kids sliding down the hill and shooting all the way across the icy street right in front of cars...There were a couple with their water-ski tube standing out by that hill...)

Anyway, we loaded up the classic wooden toboggan and the purple plastic sled and drove out to the college. Two or three families were already there, but they were at the part of the hill where one of the crazy Carter kids had built a ... ski jump--except since it was a sledding area, it was a sled jump, I guess. The junior high kids were aiming right at the jump. The littler ones were going around it...or sometimes their sleds would poop out before they reached it. We walked back toward the street to a semi-packed area that didn't have too many footprints on it, and I was given the privilege of "first sled."

So I climbed on the purple sled and took off (it was hard to keep the thing from sliding out from under me). And before I'd gone three feet, the silly thing spun around and I went the rest of the way down the hill backward, laughing like an idiot. Then I had to climb back up the hill. It's not a real long hill, but I'm really out of shape. And I'm a Gigi (okay, I'm old). I was huffing and puffing by the time I got to the top. I rode both sleds down the hill a couple of times. We rode the sleds together. (I got snow on my backside because my backside is wider than the sled is. But if you repeat that, I'll deny it.) I did the belly-flop ride down the hill...the plastic sled was less likely to turn around and go down backwards if you did it that way.

And of course, every time we got to the bottom, I had to get up off the ground, which, with my knees, is quite a production. Oh, and I had to wear a pair of the fella's cowboy boots because I don't own a pair of shoes that will keep the snow off my socks...so my feet were slopping around in the boots while I climbed the hill so many times. (Not that much. He has little feet, and I have big feet...probably if I'd put on 3 more pairs of socks, I wouldn't have had a problem.)

Anyway, it was a lot of fun. It was really, really cold--so cold my whole face felt like "coming back from the dentist" on the way home--and I got really winded climbing up the hill so many times, and my knees got to burning a little. Maybe they're getting stronger with all the working out. And us old folks put on quite a show for all the kiddies out there sledding. ;)

Oh, and thanks SO MUCH to all of you who sent answers to my questions. I didn't really expect anybody to go out and hunt the answers on the internet, and I totally, completely appreciate you doing it. (Yes, Catie and Becky and Kathy, this means you!) All y'all (yes, that is an all-encompassing plural indicating everyone who reads this blog) are the bestest!!

Today was Sunday. I didn't write anything. Didn't take a nap either. Played games on the "backup computer" instead. (sigh) And watched The Dresden Files. :)

Things I have to look up.

So. It's snowing like crazy outside, and has been pretty much all day. Snow's probably halfway up my shins--or would be if I were crazy enough to go outside in it, which I'm not, so we'll never know just how deep it is...until somebody tells me, I guess.

Anyway, I actually wrote a little bit this morning, which I don't usualy do on Saturdays. But today I did. And I put so many things in the margins that I need to look up, that I started a separate "Things to Look up" page, so I can just go look them all up at once. I'll have to go back in the MS and note down all the other stuff I need to look up from earlier in the week, but today, I have:

1. The number of bones in the human body?

2. When did Prince Albert die (you know, the guy Queen Victoria was married to)?

3. How long has banking been important in Geneva and/or Switzerland? When did they start the numbered account thing?

4. How long does it take to wash a henna rinse out of hair?

5. What is the Hungarian equivalent of "Mister"?

and

6. What was an important Romanian city in the early 1860s?

Anybody who knows the answers to these burning questions is encouraged to e-mail me the answers or post them as comments (preferably with documentation so I can make sure you're right...not that I don't trust you, but...you know the saying: In God we trust, all others Verify...? Well...)

I did get 6.5 pages today, which with the two pages I wrote last night, and didn't count with yesterday's pages, makes 8.5. At least I'm more or less consistent...

Hey, I got my books to judge in the RITA contest yesterday. I have things to read. Seems the delivery service couldn't find my house, so the guy took it to the Sheriff's office, and one of the deputies brought it by the house. I guess that's what you do these days--if you can't find some place, take it to the cops...

Onward!

Getting Things (Scenes) in Order

Okay, first of all, I am a "beginning to end" writer. I know there are a fair number of people out there who write scenes in whatever order they come, and then put everything together at the end. And that's a perfectly valid way to write a novel. My friend Robin D. Owens writes that way.

I can't, because my scenes don't come in "whatever" order. This happens first. And because that happened, then something else happens and the characters react this way--everything builds on what came before. However, sometimes I do realize while I'm writing away, that I should have written a scene that happened earlier. And most of the time, I will stop and go write that scene before I go on, because I can't really go on until I know what's going on in that scene.

In the Victorian steampunk book I'm currently working on, I realized somewhere in Chapter 5 that I really ought to write a new series of scenes about what's happening in Paris while my hero and heroine are busy in Transylvania. So, twice, I had to pause in the middle of the action and go back and write a scene that I'd forgotten to write when I came to the proper place for it, and write about Paris.

Today (and I'm really proud of myself for it), I switched locales to Paris right when I needed to switch. Mostly it was because things were getting dicey with my hero, and I had no clue what would happen next. Or, I knew what needed to happen, but I wasn't exactly sure how my heroine was going to pull it off. So, I went to Paris and wrote about that. It worked. I kept writing even though I didn't know where I was going.

Of course, I still have to figure out what my heroine is going to do, but... hopefully, when I sit down and write, it will come.

8 pages today, so far.

Annoyance While Reading

I am freezing my ears off!! Because I believed the lying thermometer in the window off the back entrance that looks onto the patio when it said it was 40 degrees out. It may well be 40, but the stupid thermometer doesn't have a clue about a little thing called "Windchill", so when I went out in my windbreaker to walk to the post office, I FROZE!!

Okay, that wasn't what I wanted to blog about. This has been bugging me ever since I finished the book last night, and will continue to bug me till I vent, and you are my vent-ees of choice.

So. As pretty much always, when I went to town yesterday I stopped at Barnes & Noble. And I bought a book off the remainder table. The story--a historical romance--was pretty good even though I skipped all the redundant love scenes, as I usually do with this author, but I paid less than paperback price for the hardback, so that didn't bother me so much. What jerked me right out of the story was something I probably wouldn't have even noticed a few years ago, but really caught my attention now. Basically, it was this:

Oil paints do not dry overnight!!!

A major part of the plot to this book was the painting of a portrait. A full-length painting in oils on canvas in what we would call a "photo-realistic" style. The kind of portrait artists did back before we had photographs, back before the Impressionists came into fashion. One in the style of the Old Masters. And it made me CRAZY. Because the artist decided the painting needed to be done in a hurry, so he was working like mad on it every day.

You cannot do that with oils.

Now, I'm not saying you can't paint an entire painting in one sitting. You can. There's even a special term for it: alla prima. Which is Art-ese for "all at once." But see, if something has a special Italian name, you can bet it's a special sort of technique, and it's a technique that really didn't come into its own until the latter half of the 1800s with the advent of the Impressionists, after this story was to have taken place. And it's something that has to be carefully done, because it can very easily turn into muddy smears. The Old Masters mostly did not paint alla prima, unless they were painting frescos on walls--and that was done with egg tempera or other water-based paint (which dries quickly), not oils.

However, the Old Masters' techniques in oil were based on layering paint, sometimes in transparent glazes where the colors beneath glow through and sometimes using the opacity of certain shades, like white. When one is painting wet into wet, it is almost impossible to get truly bright highlights and truly dark darks, because the paint blends with what's already on the canvas (and often turns into dull, ugly, muddy colors when it does). I like painting in oil because of that ability to blend on the canvas, something that is impossible to do with acrylics because of their almost instant drying time. Oils stay wet for days which means that you can continue to blend the colors, almost as long as you want to. That can be a good thing. However, there usually comes a time when, if you do another thing to the paint, you'll mess up what's already there. You have to just stop and let the paint dry.

See, this is another benefit of painting in oil. Once it dries, you can paint over it and it won't disturb what you've already put down. You can layer in highlights, punch up darks, intensify the brights, and it won't mess anything up. (You can also paint over mistakes.) But if you don't wait for the paint to dry, it will just make a big mess. And oil paint doesn't dry overnight.

Depending on the paint used (white takes the longest to dry), the ambient temperature and the amount of humidity in the air, it can take five (5) to seven (7) days for an oil painting to become dry to the touch. This is why, in my weekly art classes, I usually have two or three paintings going at once, so that when I reach that "time to stop and let the paint dry" point with one painting, I can pull out another and work on it. By the next week, the next class, the paint will be dry enough to put on the next layer. And this is in warm, dry West Texas...

If you touch the paint before it's dry, not only will you get paint all over you, you could smear the paint and ruin the painting. And it really ought to dry for the minimum of a month (in my warm, dry climate) before you frame it, because at only one week, the paint's usually still tacky enough to stick to the frame when you nail it in. Artists won't varnish paintings until they've been drying for a minimum of six months, preferably a year. Yes, it can take that long before an oil painting is really, truly dry.

Which is why it blew my mind when, in this book, not only did the artist have a "great unveiling" of this very important portrait the Very Next Day after it was completed--without ONCE saying "be careful of the paint, it's still wet" (something I say frequently to my spouse and house cleaner when I bring a new painting home, especially if anything more than the highlights are wet)--but they apparently framed the sucker and transported it cross country on a carriage!

Now there are--and have been for the past two hundred years at least, maybe even since Carravagio--specialized shipping boxes for transporting still-wet paintings. But you'd think the author would have mentioned having to take special care with the wet paint, or have the characters worry about the villain smearing the paint and thus destroying the value of the portrait, or something!! But no! Nothing!! It wouldn't have taken a lot of explaining, not much alteration to the story to give the painting time to dry here and there... Really, I'm pretty sure this is the primary reason portraits can take months to paint, because there's so dadgum much Drying Time that has to be built into the process.

Just a sample of the silly little stuff that authors don't realize can cut into a readers' enjoyment of the story. Makes me worry about all the things I haven't researched all that much that could mess somebody up. But really, for such an important part of the plot, don't you think she could have at least interviewed somebody about painting in oils, instead of just reading a book about it? Books don't have space to talk about drying time...

Oh, and I only got 7.5 pages written today. Couldn't get to sleep last night till way, way, WAY too late. Slept late this a.m., then my mom called, so I got started late. But I still got halfway to my 15 page goal. I know. Excuses, excuses... Tomorrow is another day.

Heading to Town

It's above freezing for the first time in a week or so, the ice is melting off the street, I think I can get out of the driveway, so I'm heading to town.

This means I'm stopping for the day at 9 pages. (14 total yesterday)

Wow. This means I've written 53 pages so far this week. No wonder my arm and shoulder hurt. (For some reason, the black ink pens don't flow as smoothly as the blue ink pens (I alternate between black and blue from one day to the next, so I can track how much I write a little easier.) and I find myself gripping them harder--today was a black ink day)

Anyway, off to the "big city."

The main streets are dry, so if I can get off my street, I'm home free, and it's looking really good. So...

Writing Lots

So, I started this writing push yesterday. Before this week, I was satisfied with writing 30 pages in a week. Between yesterday and today, I've written 30 pages. (Okay, 28. But I'll write 2 more after the Fella turns off Boston Legal in the other room...my office has no door...)

The writing is somehow also organizing the rest of my life. Okay, I haven't called Frances yet to tell her I traded months with Elmonette for hosting the Art Club lunch, but today, I watered all my plants and moved the bougainvillea and the Christmas cactus back in front of the window. I baked those really, really ripe bananas into oatmeal cookies, and to be fair to the fella, baked him some of the World's Easiest (and best) Peanut Butter Cookies (gluten free). I even got out of the house for a few minutes.

I had some things that needed to go out in the mail, and after I didn't freeze when I took out the trash, I tested the ice on the driveway. It was pretty slick, and the street looked slick too, so I decided I'd be safer on foot than trying to drive. So I put on my big coat and my gloves and I walked to the post office. (It's only 3 blocks.) If I walked on the grass, I had plenty of traction, so I slipped and slid across the streets, kept to the grass the rest of the time, and did just fine.

And now, I have written through the Ordinary World, the Call to Adventure, the Meeting with the (scary) Mentor, the Threshhold Guardian, and my heroine has answered the call and is off on her quest.

Anyway, 15 pages Monday, 13 pages (so far) today.

Getting the Year Underway

So. I've had my week to recover. Spent some time judging contests. Spent some time thinking about story plots and goals for the year. (Goals sounds so much more do-able than resolutions...)

And next week, I'm going to be doing Candy Havens' Fast Draft. I have a couple of people on my "team" to help encourage each other in writing 20 pages a day. (Ack!) And I spent this a.m. thinking on paper about the plot for New Blood. That's what I'm going to be writing. I am not sure how I'm going to tie all the elements together, but I did think of one way to bring part of it in.

I've never really tried to write that many pages in a day, and since my longhand pages (yes, I'm still going to work in pen and paper) average out to just over one page of standard ms. typed, I'm going to aim for 15 pages rather than 20. That should be a good equivalent. It is going to be a definite challenge. Which means I'm going to have to go to bed at a reasonable hour at night so I don't fall asleep in the afternoon over my paper.

I'll try to report back in on Sunday--I do take time off at least one day on the weekend--and let you know how it's going, if not before.

Hmm. Art class starts this week too, but I'll have to finish my pages before I can go to town to paint. I started a portrait of my youngest and got enough finished to give it to the spouse for Christmas, but I need to finish it, cover up the pencil marks from the drawing, that sort of thing. I need to take pictures of the new paintings, but it's too cold to do it today.

It is COLD outside. And snowy. Not much snow, but the dusting of snow is layered over a thin sheet of ice, so it's very slippery. And very, very cold. With the two windows in my office, it's even colder here, so I'm going to stop and go have lunch and warm up my cold little pinky fingers. (And all the other fingers too.)

Wish me luck in the writing.

Happy New Year

I'm tired.

Wait, let's start over.

I have been told that I need to update my blog. I knew that. But I'm so tired!

The day after my last post, we headed down to the Dallas/Fort Worth metro mess to pick up the daughter and her family at the airport. On the Friday before Christmas, we drove home again with eight people and all their gear in the vehicle, two of them in carseats. (We left the third grandboy's carseat behind because he's 5 and big enough that the law will let him do without, and it wouldn't fit.) And from then on, most of the time, we had nine (9) people--three of them 5 and under--at our house. Can you say chaotic?

It was fabulous. But I'm really tired.

The middle grandboy is on a dairy and gluten-free diet (dairy for his autism, gluten for digestive issues), so we had to cook creatively, and hide the real stuff. All cheese became queso, and he had a special cup so we knew if he was drinking somebody else's milk. But lemon meringue pie fits that menu just fine. He wouldn't eat any of it, but his granddaddy (on a modified version of that same diet) loved it a lot.

We had lemon meringue, buttermilk, apple/pear/apricot and pecan pies. We had marshmallow treats and flourless peanut butter cookies (much tastier than the other sort, and easier to make). We had Chex mix without Wheat Chex or any of that other stuff--cereal and nuts only--which are the parts I like best anyway. We had our Christmas Eve tamales with carne guisada and guacamole. We had Christmas day turkey and cornbread dressing (is there any other kind?) and sweet potatoes with honey and lime glaze and ---well, needless to say, we ate and ate and ate. Er--that is, we dined to an elegant sufficiency.

We had twelve for Christmas eve and Christmas dinner. The son-in-law's parents and sister came to join the fun for a day or two. They're great people. When the two sons left the day after Christmas, one to go to work, the other to go on a Boy Scout Explorer Troop ski trip, my parents drove up from Austin to get to see the Pittsburgh clan before they had to go home, so we still had nine. The older son's boys stayed at Gigi and Grandaddy's house while their daddy went to work.

We went to the park every day the weather was nice. The little boys invented new ways to slide down the slide. (I think the city put in a new slide with sidebars since the little one fell off the top a year or so ago--not because of the fall, but...) The boys got anybody handy to push them on the swings. One of them (the little one, I think) got knocked down when he walked a little to close to his cousin swinging. The playground equipment is seriously old, and scattered around our little town's park, which means the kids run a little more going from one thing to another, which was good. Tired them out so they'd sleep. Fortunately, the 2-year-old still takes naps (though he fights them tooth and toenail) so Gigi got to lie down with him and rest up a little. Then he'd stay up till midnight, the little stink bug.

His big brother would crash out early--and wake up early. He was up Christmas morning before anybody else. Even Granddaddy. We have a rule that we wait till everybody's up before we go in to the tree to see what Santa brought. He waited...but he went in to peek, and was whispering to us that Santa brought him a blue car, and brought baby brother a bike. The other two were so groggy when they finally woke up that they just sat and stared at their goodies for a while.

Our family isn't one of those that rips into the packages to see who can open all their stuff the fastest. The competition is to see who opens the Last Present. Who can hold out the longest? Who can make Christmas morning last the longest?

Well, we have a new winner. The middle grandboy was still opening presents around two in the afternoon. He was a little overwhelmed by all the noise and the paper and new stuff, so he stopped and played with things for a while in between. His cousins were very good about not opening presents for him--I was proud of them for that. But then, they were excited about all their new stuff. And the candy.

In the midst of all this chaos, I got a new computer. The old one turned out to have more wrong with it than I thought--the hard drive had physical damage as well, so they had to do a data retrieval. I had most everything backed up, but I wasn't real sure how much was "most everything" so... And so we didn't get to pick up the new machine till a few days after Christmas. Then things were so crazy, I couldn't really get in to load programs and such. And then it started doing this weird locking up thing whenever it was started or restarted, so now I have to take it back into the shop tomorrow. If it ain't one thing it's another.

Everybody has gone home or back to school now. I need to get to work on the writing--which means I need to clean off this disaster area of a desk. (Did you know stacks of books made pretty good climbing blocks? Of course, the stacks tend to fall over, but hey...little boys need to climb...) At least I can write without actually having the computer present. Maybe they won't keep it very long this time. But I'm so tired!!

Christmas Fun Ahead

Well, the new computer isn't getting picked up today. It's ready, but the roads up on the caprock and into Amarillo are all iced over, and I'm not about to brave them for any reason. Especially since I'm such a chicken about driving in icky weather. So the computer will have to wait till later.

We should have no problems heading south however, to pick up the grandboys (and parents) in Dallas. Originally, we were only going to have the one boy for Christmas, but plans have changed, and our older son's two boys are going to be able to come for Christmas morning as well. Their dad will be flying out to work right after Christmas, but the boys will get to stay till he comes back on the weekend. The house may well be straining at the seams, but we'll have lots and lots of fun.

Wish me luck, and sanity. :)

Dead Computer

Yep, mine finally bit the dust. It's several years old--more than several, actually, but I don't need a lot of bells and whistles. I need internet access. I need to run my word processing programs, etc. I'd like to run games, but I do have the "spare" computer in the boy's room, when he's away at uni with his bells-and-whistles supercomputer. (Not the one he leaves behind.) Anyway, I have a new one ordered, and should be able to go pick it up on Tuesday, I hope. I like the open architecture computers that I can take in and swap stuff out as needed, and have a good local company to build it for me, for a quarter of the price of the boy's supercomputer for his engineering classes.

But, this means I'll be having trouble getting online for the next little while. First, because the available computer is in the boy's room, and he's in it much of the time, and when he's not, he has a tendency to unhook the computer and take it to friends' houses to network all their computers and play vast games of ... something. (I wonder if he brought the folding tables back...) And second, by the time I get the new computer and get it all hooked up, it will be time to go pick up the grandboy at the Dallas airport. Oh, and his mom and dad too. And once the company arrives, it will expand and contract to various amounts--as various parents, in-laws, children, grandchildren, and nephews and Boy Scouts stop in for visits--all the way through New Year's. And when there are curious 2-, 4- and 5-year-olds wanting to help you on the computer...well, it's really best just to leave the poor thing turned off.

It's also really hard to write when one has lots of company and has a broken computer, so I won't be getting much of that done either. However, I did get The Eternal Rose manuscript turned in, so there's not much to be done.

If I don't stop by before next Monday, y'all have a Merry Christmas. (And a Happy Hannukah too!)

Firsts for Me

So, the fella has a meeting in Orlando, Florida. Neither one of us has been to Orlando before, so we decided to come early and play for a few days. So at the age of grandparentness, we both got to go to Disney World for the very first time. (We've never been to any Disney park before, though I did get to watch the fireworks at Disneyland from across the street once...) Anyway, since there was just the two of us, we went to Epcot and Disney/MGM parks and walked my legs off. Don't know if the fella walked his off or not, but I do know mine are gone. Well, okay, they're still attached to the body, but they are sore. Still, we had a great time, riding the rides and watching the shows. We're definitely people who like shows.

We also got to watch the space shuttle launch from the beach over in Cape Canaveral. I'm pretty sure we were in the town of Cape Canaveral and not Cocoa Beach, but it's hard to tell where one starts and the other one leaves off. The fella is a fan of NASA and space stuff, so he really, really wanted to go see it. Enough that we drove over Thursday when it was cancelled, and drove back on Saturday when it finally went up. And we did get to watch. I took pictures, which are still in the camera. Then I called the boy and told him we got to watch the shuttle, and he'd forgotten that we were going to be in Florida and was all trying to figure out how they'd moved the shuttle to west Texas... Then he was really, reallyjealous. Mostly because we got to go to Disney World without him. (neener, neener) Hey, he gets college tuition. He doesn't get Disney.

So, today the meeting starts and there are a bazillion college people running all over this hotel, and there's no room for me to get in anywhere and eat, and there's nowhere else nearby for me to go, and I'm really hungry, so I think I'm going to see if the lunch rush has finally faded, and I will take my manuscript with me to edit while I eat, because I'm not in a mood to read about the history of the Solomon Islands, and none of the novels I brought are speakin to me either. Ooh, but I did find a book I want to get--it's a history of the real Scarlet Pimpernel people (there were apparently a number of them) in the Napoleonic era. I'll have to look...

I'll blog later, if I do anything else interesting... (Aren't y'all lucky I brought my computer glasses with me so I can see the computer screen?)

Sunday Stuff

I just have...stuff...going on. Yesterday, the fella and I put up the Christmas tree. It's always a fun time, even though it was just the two of us--I think we may have waited till the boy came home to put it up last year. Anyway, we found, in a box of package decorations, a big bunch of new ornaments neither one of us remembered buying. There's a lovely "crystal" nativity, and a little boy playing "Indian", and Santa in a canoe fishing, and a bear in a canoe fishing, and Santa ice skating... It was a nice surprise, but we're still accusing each other of buying the ornaments.

Of course, putting up the tree is always preceded by moving furniture, so we have extra tables in the front entry, and chairs in weird places. Had to find places to put away tea sets and dragons and things so we could set out snowmen (they're on top of the piano, and one of them dances whenever the piano is played. He danced himself right off the piano once...) and angels and stocking holders and things. The house looks very festive...as long as no one looks into my office. Hmm. I wonder if that's why he suggested putting the Christmas tree in the corner in front of the doors to my office, instead of in front of the front bay window... Hmmmmmm.

Cute story. Thursday, the fella had to fly to Galveston, but it was snowing and snowing and he wasn't sure whether his flight would get off. He had a 7:00 p.m. flight, and kept checking all day to see if it was on time or canceled or what. Well, about 3:30 Thursday afternoon, when he checked, his flight was canceled. There was a flight at 5:15, or the next one after his was delayed till 10:30 or so. Since our town is at least an hour from Amarillo (where the airport is), he had to hop in the car and drive through the snow right away to get to the airport.

On his way out of the office, he grabbed a can of Coke (diet caffiene free, actually) to drink on the road. But it was such a tense drive, with the blowing snow and the hurry to get there, he never opened the can. The weather guys were predicting temperatures in the teens, and he didn't want the can exploding all over his car, and when he parked in the garage, the snow had blown in and made a drift in front of the parking space. So he took the can of Coke out of the car and dropped it down in the snow drift.

Friday was gorgeous, and snow melted all day. By the time he got home late Friday night, the snow had melted enough that he could see the top of the Coke can in what was left of the drift. So he picked it up and inspected it. Looked fine--no bulges, no leaks. So he popped it open and drank it on the way home. Snow drift ice chest...

So, we have the Christmas tree up. We've started wrapping stuff. Still have grandboys to shop for, and nephews (we have a LOT more nephews than nieces--and the girls are easy to please) but we're ahead of where we were last year.

And next week, I want to go over the second proposal I want to get out and see about getting it in the mail. Onward and upward. Or onward, anyway.

Snow: Can't stop it now...

It has been snowing since midnight or so last night. May have stopped an hour or two ago--it's hard to see outside in the dark. I don't object to the snow too much. I mean, it's moisture. I sure don't want the place to burn like it did last spring. But it sure is cold out there with the high wind and the snow and everything.

The cold makes me want to bundle up in the fella's recliner with my crocheted blankets (even though I haven't actually finished one of them--it's still big enough to cover you up) and read. I sure don't get out to walk to the post office and pick up the mail. So I guess I ought to go back and use the treadmill thing in the back bedroom. Need the exercise. But I'd really rather walk outside. But it's so cold!

Speaking of exercise...it's really sad when even the fortune cookies begin to nag you! Yes, I got a fortune cookie fortune at one of the restaurants where we ate while we were visiting over the holiday that said something to the effect of "Work on upgrading your exercise routine." I mean, come on! I know I need more exercise. But from my Fortune Cookie??!!?! Hmph.

Mostly I read today. Yesterday I read Od Magic by Patricia McKillip, and Rules of Seduction by Madeline Hunter. Today, I've read an old novel--not really fantasy because there's no magic, but it's not set in any world we know--called Swordpoint by Ellen Kushner. And I'm reading the sequel now. Interesting books all of them.

Good News after Thanksgiving

I didn't think I ate that much while I was eating it, but I feel like I'm waddling now that I'm home again. I had turkey and dressing and ham and yams and greenbeans and fruit salad and Brasilian cheese rolls and buttermilk pie and apple-pecan pie and... hmm. No wonder I'm waddling...

So, okay, now the news can be shared, I believe, since I have the contract in my hands.

The Eternal Rose has been picked up by Juno Books and should be published next July in trade paperback format.

Juno Books is the brand new fantasy/paranormal romance imprint of Wildside Press. I tried several times to find the editor at the World Fantasy Con in Austin when we were there earlier this month, but never did connect. However, my good friend and Luna Author C.E. Murphy (an even better friend than ever I knew) pitched the book for me when she connected with the editor. And did several other favors like forwarding e-mails, etc., with the result that the editor tracked me down by cell phone a week ago Saturday to make an offer to buy the book sight unseen.

Harlequin is willing to give me back the rights and that is in process now, so all you wonderful people who read the first two Rose books and loved them (and you are truly wonderful people) should be able to read the third book only a month later than it was originally scheduled by Luna.

Life is good.

Especially when you can add pie to the equation. :)

Done with Tweaking (for now)

Dang, I'm not quite making my "goal" of posting to the blog at least once a week, am I? But I'm trying!

I've been working on re-doing the synopsis to The Eternal Rose to make it fit how the story actually came out, which required re-reading the story again, which had me finding all kinds of new places that needed tweaking. Finished the new synopsis last Friday. Finished the tweaking this a.m. This leaves me time to bake pies and flourless gluten-free cornbread tomorrow before I go paint.

I have to drive back to Amarillo today. Saturday, the fella and I went to town early. I had a Panhandle Professional Writers meeting and he had an auction he wanted to attend. (He's become addicted.) And when we went to load up the stuff he bought into the back of the SUV, the bookcase wouldn't fit along with all the boxes of stuff. (He did get the two tea sets I wanted. One German and one from China--and one of the odd lot boxes had a platter that matched the German set. More teapots (rubbing hands in glee)!) So, anyway, I have to go back to town this afternoon and pick up the bookcase. They won't hold it any longer than today. I'll get the buttermilk for the pies too. After the auction, we ran a few errands, had dinner at our favorite Japanese place and went to the late show of Casino Royale. I like the new Bond. I like the movie--they have James running a lot...

Tomorrow, the pies. And painting class. I'll bring my Boys at the Beach painting back home. And Wednesday, we'll drive 5 hours to pick up the older son and the grandboys, then two more hours to pick up the younger son at his college apartment, then two or three more hours (depending on traffic) to the parents house.

Have a nibble on a publisher for the last Rose book. Cross your fingers that we can get things worked out in time.

And thanks for all your comments. I'm not good about commenting on the comments about the blog, but I do read every one of them.

Been a Long Time

Yeah, I know. It's been a long time. I'm in roller-coaster mode again. One day on top of the world, the next day, convinced I don't have a clue what I'm doing trying to write a book. Typical writer.

So, I went to my very first World Fantasy Conference, which was a bit of a culture shock. It's much more laid back than the romance writer's meetings--largely because it's as much for fans as for writers. Instead of workshops about "How to do it better", there are panels to discuss "Why it is the way it is, and should it be that way?" There aren't near as many people, and they have readings, where authors read from their work.

I got to read. Surprised the heck out of me. Especially since the final decisions weren't made till the last week before it started, while I was out of town in Austin. I had forgotten to bring any of my books (or my bookmarks to hand out, sigh), so I had to borrow the books from my Mom to have anything to show people. And I loaned my copy of Eyes of Crow to Jeri Smith-Ready so she could read it, because she'd forgotten all of her books too. There were four of us reading in a "paranormal romance" session--even though none of us actually write paranormal romance... I suppose I could have broken out an exerpt from Devil in a Red Dress, to give an idea of a "real" paranormal romance, but it's not exceptionally romantic yet, so... Plus, I haven't sold it.

Anyway, Jeri read, I read, Robin Owens read her Luna book, and Shanna Swendsen read her non-Luna Enchanted, Inc. Which is a really cute chick-lit-y fun fantasy. It was good. I had a couple of guys come up to me on Saturday and Sunday and tell me they enjoyed it (probably because I read from the blood, guts and gore part of Compass during the battle where Kallista gets her magic) and would check the books out. So, new readers. Yay!

And I talked to several editors, one of whom might be willing to take on the last Rose book. I hope. No harm in trying, anyway. But I need to do a new synopsis for Eternal Rose so it matches the actual book--which means I need to read the book over again, which means I'm going through and revising again. I put some stuff back in--but I think I'm going to take it out again. I need to finish reading, do my turning points and make sure the story stays on point. I really liked all the sword-fighting, but... it doesn't necessarily move things along. I can always put it on the website.

Most of them probably don't want to do a 3rd book in a series started by another publisher, but all of them seemed interested in other material, and, well--there you have it.

I found several new books and new authors. I finally picked up a Carol Berg, as my daughter has been nagging me to do, since Ms. Berg was at the conference. She told me her favorites of those she has out now, and I picked up Transformation which was a very different sort of story and very good, so now I'm going to read the rest of them.

And I picked up some YAs. The one I liked best was The Queen of Attolia, because it made me want to read the other books in the series. It was very gritty--the main character got his hand chopped off early in the book, so obviously one can write pretty much what one wants to write, especially for older kids. I might like to write YA fantasy (which wouldn't be too far a stretch from the other stuff I'm doing). I was thinking about YA, and realized that I doubt I could write the YA "girl" books, because my girl didn't really like them, I never did, and besides, my boys were the last ones at home in the YA years. So I'd want to write YA "boy" books. And at the YA/juvenile fantasy panel, someone said that YA books for boys were very much in demand. So.

But I have many many places to go with the writing already. Beginning with the revising of Eternal Rose and the writing of a synopsis for it. Then I want to finish the synopsis for Thunder so I can get that sent off--I've got it mostly written, but I'm not sure about the ending. I may not have the details together till I actually write it, but one can't write "So, in the end--somehow he makes her remember everything and they all live happily ever after." But that may be what I end up with. And then after that, I'll get the partial together for Red Dress and send That off, and then, I'll get back to finishing New Blood. Sounds like a plan. Now if I can just get it all done. Especially since it's the holiday season... More traveling, but at least the nest is empty.

OH! And I pulled out a book from my TBR stack that had fallen down amongst the others and read it and loved it, and can't wait till the next one: THE LOST FLEET: Dauntless by Jack Campbell. It's the very first--if you like the Captain Jack Aubrey books, you'll like this. If you like Naomi Novik's Temeraire the dragon books, you'll like this one. It's naval battle in space--the hero has been frozen in an escape pod for about 100 years, and placed in command of a fleet just before all the admirals are assassinated at truce negotiations. It's up to him to get the fleet home. Great story. So, there you have my latest recommendation.

I'll try not to be so long before posting here again. Just couldn't get up the energy. (sigh)

Dreaming in Austin

I've been in Austin since Sunday. Came down from the Dallas/Fort Worth area after moving furniture for the son (who'd better move it out of his grandparents' garage right quick) to a conference downtown for the fella...ate way too good while he was conferencing. Then Tuesday, I drove all the college board members who came to the meeting (and the fella) to the airport to fly back to the panhandle. And I drove across town in the bus to the parents' house.

My Mama is starting to have trouble remembering things. I wouldn't worry if she just forgot names (I've never been able to remember people's names either), but she forgot that Daddy called while he was out yesterday afternoon, and was worrying about where he was even though he'd called to tell her. She's not bad yet, but now I'm worrying. Anyway, we have had a good time. She took me down to "her" shoe store--a "real" shoe store, where they measure your feet and find shoes to fit your peculiarities. Which in my case are a wide square-across-the-toes foot with a very high arch, and a big toe knuckle with arthritis in it. And after only four tries, we found a nice pair of black dress shoes that didn't kill me when I put them on. Paid more for them than I have ever in my life paid for a pair of shoes, but for shoes that don't commit murder, that's important. We did have to hunt for the shoe store for a while because Mama couldn't remember exactly how far down Burnet Road it was, but we did eventually find it. ;)

I'm using Daddy's computer to post this blog. He was in on the very birth of computers, worked on them when they took up the size of a big room and required punch cards to run a program--and the punch cards were an improvement from earlier data input. So he doesn't have a problem working on aged equipment. Actually, Daddy's stuff is newer than my father-in-law's computer. He's still working off Windows 3.1, I think...we keep threatening to get him a new computer, but he resists mightily. If I were at the in-laws, I would not be blogging. And I have a chance to get to the computer, because my brother just gave him a new hand-me-down laptop. It's probably five years old or more, but it's newer than the one he had before, so it's a new toy, and I get to play with the desktop. :)

Anyway, the World Fantasy Con starts this afternoon, and I'm all excited. I've never been to a fantasy conference before, ever, so this will be a really new experience for me. I will be the gray-haired granma wandering around goggle-eyed. And I'll get to read from one of my books in a group reading, so that will be fun.

I doubt I'll have time to blog during the conference, but if I do, I'll be here. Otherwise, I'll report when I get back home on Tuesday. The conference goes through Sunday afternoon some time, and it takes all day (between 9 and 10 hours) to drive home from here (even tho we are on the north side of Austin), so I'm not leaving till Monday a.m., so I can get home before dark. And maybe stop off in Waco to visit the boy. Yeah, I'm staying free at the parents' house--they're only about 10 or 15 minutes from the conference hotel, so I can do this one cheap. :)

Later--

Thursday Thoughts

Hey. I told you I stunk at titling stuff.

Okay, so. Went down to Waco for Baylor Homecoming last weekend. It was our 30th reunion year, but didn't see anybody we know except for one guy who was in the journalism department with me who now teaches there and writes mostly non-fiction books. Had a good talk with him and his wife (who went through the same education school program the fella did so they had stuff to talk about).

Went to see the boy, mostly. He still hasn't gone by to talk to people about changing his major to see if they'll let him into their department. (GRRR!!) But he's doing well, not starving...not cleaning up his apartment either, but hey, that's what college is for. To learn that occasionally you do have to take out the trash and wash the dishes...

We went to the Homecoming Parade Saturday morning--Baylor has the biggest homecoming parade in the nation--and the winning Class A float caught fire just before it got to us. It was one of two "dragon" floats. One (the one that didn't catch fire) was a "St. George and the Dragon" theme float, (only St. George was in a football helmet and pads, rather than shining armor) and the other was a Chinese dragon with a bear-type face. (For those of you poor souls who don't know, the Baylor mascot is a bear.) Anyway, both floats had fire for the dragon's mouth--and the Chinese dragon caught his face on fire. Fortunately, the "float walkers" had fire extinguishers and put it out in a few seconds. Still, it was a rather exciting few seconds. The son thought it was hilarious, since the burning float was built by a "rival" fraternity.

The football game was hot, Hot, HOT. I put on sunscreen and got burnt anyway. It was so bright, I wore--well, a towel, okay? I wore a towel on my head to shade my poor little part (I have sunburnt the part in my hair so many times it isn't funny) and my eyes so I could see the field. I didn't get one of the ball caps in the car before going into the stadium. I probably couldn't have worn it, because I have a giant head--bigger than anyone in the family--but I didn't even think about it. Hence, the towel-head. We stayed through the whole entire game, even though Baylor was behind by 18 points going in to the 4th quarter--and it was worth it, because about 10 minutes into the quarter, the Bears came roaring back and won the game. Very exciting. (I like football when I have something invested in the game. Or when I'm there in person. I get very loud.)(Hey, I'm a Texan. And I live in a small town.)

Then we came home. I'm going to Austin for the World Fantasy Conference next week, so it'll probably be a little while before I manage to get here to blog again.

Oh! Got a phone call from the daughter in grad school. (The only daughter I have.) She made all A's on her mid-terms. (Rather expected, since her brothers' nickname for her is "Girl Genius") And the grandboy who lives there actually condescended to speak to me on the telephone. He didn't say "Hi, GiGi." He sang "The Itsy Spider" to me. The Spider got washed, but wouldn't climb back up the spout. He sang to me twice. Once to say hi, and once to say bye. Boy genius, I tell ya. And that spider never did get back up that spout, but boy did it get washed.

Okay, I've bored you enough. Giving a shout-out to Lindi! Hey girl--and if you get your bachelor's, you tend to be less poor (Okay, I'll give the lectern back to your mom now)...yeah, I need to update the website. I'll get there.

I finished the synopsis for Devil in a Red Dress so things are moving right along in that area... Later.

What A Difference a Day (or Two) Makes

Well, the next day--the day after I wrote that last blog about being insecure and mistrustimg my own judgment--I sat down at my desk, and the words just flowed. It was a great scene, and had great conflict and emotion and sexual tension and I absolutely loved it. I even went "over quota" on the pages.

And then, the day after that--I got maybe 3 pages written. Okay, some of it was because I went to Amarillo on Tuesday as usual (finished a little painting, painted over another sucky one) and bought books. I bought The new Lois McMaster Bujold (which is FABULOUS) and Robin Owens' new HEART QUEST and a couple of others (including, finally ANANSI BOYS which had made it to the remainder table and cost the same as a paperback)--and I stayed up reading Heart Quest (also FABULOUS!) till way too late and when I got up Wednesday morning, I was sleepy and the brain wasn't really perking on all cylinders and I had to head downtown for a Friends of the Library meeting at noon anyway, which meant I needed to stop a little early...Yeah, I know. Excuses, excuses. Still, couldn't get into the story.

And then today, stayed up too late again--this time getting through Nora Robertses new sorcery/vampire series--but I slept late. So I started late. But didn't have anywhere to go, any thing I had to do, except make it to the bank before 3:00 p.m.--so I just kept working. And again, the words flowed and the characters spoke to me. I did have to make myself stick with it until I got my 6 pages (think I got a little more, when I reached the end of it) and barely had time to grab some lunch and walk to the bank. Hmm. Now I think about it, the weather's been about as roller coaster as my writing. The writing has gone better on the pretty days.

I listened to some of the RWA workshops on my iPod while I was out walking, and I think the last couple really helped me focus on what I needed to do with these scenes. Of course, they didn't come out at all like I thought I had planned--but then that's my writing style. I plan the overall plot (which I actually haven't done with this book, except very, very vaguely) and then when I get to the scenes, I line up the characters--whoever needs to be in the scene--tell them "Okay, in this scene, Lilah wants to find out who Will thinks is after her, and Will wants to tell her so there's no conflict in that, but when she finds out, she doesn't like what she hears and has to argue with him about it. Ready? Okay--Go!" And I turn them loose and watch what happens and write it down as fast as I can. And it went in a few directions I did not expect. So I'm both a plotter, and a pantser. I know what the scenes are supposed to be about--but I have no idea how that stuff is going to happen. Which is why I can't write out of order.

Anyway, I think I've gotten my 24 pages for this week. (I hope.) Not writing tomorrow. Heading south to go visit the son at university and go to the Homecoming football game and hang out. Then I'll have a few more days at home and it's off to Austin for some Texas community college board association meeting thing, and then the World fantasy conference at the end of the week. Guess which one's going to be more fun?

I'll blog next week, but probably won't while I'm out of town...

Insecurity

The bad thing about a publishing fiasco like mine is that it can undermine a writer's confidence until there's nothing left but a big sucking sound. I know the decisions made were because of numbers and the "bad" numbers were due to unrealistic expectations...but still, when I sat down to write this morning, I found myself second guessing every word I wrote. Is it good? Is it good enough? Is it emotional enough? Too emotional? Exciting? Too talky? Not talky enough? The questions keep coming, bombarding me until I just want to go GAAACK! and bang my head on the desk.

And here I am working up workshops for RWA National conference again next year. Two of them, this time. Like I think I know what I'm doing.

Maybe I'll just bang my head on the desk, anyway. I'm not quitting mind. I'm just not sure if what I'm plugging away at will be any good. (Yeah, I know. Typical writer...)

Did get 6 more pages done today. I need to find out how to do those little thermometer-esque things, something that will fill up with every page written...

Down in the Flatlands again

It's not that flat in this part of Texas--we're in the "Rolling Plains--but it's a lot flatter than the Rocky Mountains, so yeah. I'm home in the flatlands again.

I had a great time getting the fella to drive me up even higher in the mountains so I could take pictures of bright golden-orange aspens and reflective lakes and rushing Chalk Creek, and Cottonwood Creek--missed the creek that goes with Cripple Creek somehow--but got a bunch of pictures of the Arkansas River too. Over 300 pictures, actually. I ought to print a few of them out and take them to art class with me. Did you know there is still a HUGE gold mine operating in the Cripple Creek gold field (actually, it's closer to Victor, but it's all considered part of the same gold field...)? I didn't know that, till we drove past it.

We went swimming in a hot springs pool--swimming pool-sized, but hot as a really hot hot tub--on the one day it didn't cloud up and rain in the afternoon. The fella went fishing some while I was taking all those pictures--didn't catch any fish. He's not the most patient fisherman in the world, but his philosophy is--if you don't catch anything in the first half hour, standing out there in the cold in the same spot won't get you any more fish...

I listened to a lot of RWA workshops on my iPod (I have very little music on the thing.) and thought about writing, but did almost none of it. Did a lot of crossword puzzles. It was nice having the time off.

This week, I'm trying to get back into the work, and have to pick up food and get ready for a dinner party for all the college administrators on Thursday night. Ack! (It's a small college--still, dinner for 14 is nothing to sneeze at.)

But I did a bunch of Tarot readings for the characters for Devil in a Red Dress--some of them didn't make sense, but I can figure that out later--and printed out the chapters for Thunder so I can really get into revising them. Next I need to do some more character work for Devil, and do that revision stuff--but that's for the rest of the week. (Hmm--maybe I ought to shorten the "devil" book to "Red Dress", in case I write some more books with devils in them...)

Thanks to all y'all for your comments. I appreciate them muchly.

Shadows Fade

Yeah, I suck at titles, but I've been trying to think up a new title for the WWII book, and have been waxing poetic...I'm leaning toward Thunder in a Cloudless Sky for the book...

Anyway, the blues do go away, especially with Hershey's dark chocolate kisses, and with the application of the mind to the Next Thing.

The next thing for me, right now, is a trip to the mountains, leaving tomorrow. I have the iPod plugged in, charging it up so I can listen to all the RWA workshops I didn't get to go to in Atlanta. I need to get the battery out of my camera and charge it up, and load the extra camera memory card. I plan to take lots and lots of pictures of aspens and fall foliage in the Rockies, and hope that the fella will stop along the highway when I want to take pictures. I have to figure out what food to take, because we're staying in a "cabin" (it will sleep around 25 or 26--but the upstairs is closed up now) with a kitchen.

I'm taking the books--the ones I'm writing--though I don't know how much writing I will get done. The fella is the sort who tends to need to be entertained. He's not very good at doing nothing, even when he's on vacation. He likes to go to the pool (there's a hot springs nearby, but we don't know if it will be open out-of-season as it is) or hiking to the top of the mountain, or to museums or... we'll take cards and dominoes and maybe the Trivial Pursuit game. He'll take his Sudoku book (if I have to pack it in my bag) and another book or two--I may take Thermopylae, the history book I bought for research recently, for him. (Of course, I'm taking a big fat bag full of books for me to read--but I read faster than he does.)

He hasn't taken any time off from work at all this year--and he gets three weeks, plus all the time the college is closed down. I have basically told him "You will go on vacation." He can hike to the top of the mountain if he wants, but otherwise, he's vacating, if I have to sit on him. I'll tie him up and toss him in the back of the car with the luggage. But I think he's looking forward to it. I'll charge him with taking pictures for me. (Like I don't already have enough pictures to paint--but one can never have too many...)

And when I get back, I'm digging in... to something. Probably to getting Thunder ready to send out, and on Devil in a Red Dress. I'm going to be doing the pre-writing in the mountains. I think I can do that while we're up there...should be fun. See you in a week, +/- a day or two (since you already know I'm not the steadiest blogger around...)

I Got The Blues

And not the kind from the Kraft macaroni box. Though that sounds like a great idea for lunch, now that I think about it...

Nope, these blues are the icky kind. I have been informed that 1. Luna will not be publishing the 3rd book in the One Rose trilogy, and 2. they don't want to buy New Blood, the option book I sent them. My agent and I are discussing possibilities to find a place where Eternal Rose could see light of day, and places to send New Blood. And lots of other things I have ideas for.

This is part of the publishing world. The part that really sucks. Just like television shows that get yanked after only 3 or 4 episodes, without being given a chance to find an audience, books and authors now have the privilege of having that happen to them too. We might get six months, since it takes at least that long to gather book numbers, but the booksellers are just as ruthless. If the 1st book by a particular author doesn't do spectacularly, they won't order so many of the next one--and if the bookstores don't order the books, the "suits" will pull the plug.

I think I had decent sales--sales that another fantasy publisher would consider solid--but I think Harlequin's expectations might have been greater than they should have been. Who knows.

It's disappointing, but it's not the end of the world. I may have to take another name to publish more fantasy or fantasy romance. But Dayton isn't my real name to start with, so yet another one is no big deal to me.

I've taken this week off to think about directions, new or otherwise, and to walk and read and clean myself through the suckage. (I NEVER clean when I'm upset--but I'm trying really hard not to eat my way through it--I'm about 8 pounds lighter than I was in Atlanta!) I cleaned about 20 years of grease off my venthood. (I've only been in the house 2 years, okay!) Who knew it wasn't supposed to have a matte finish? It's shiny now!

Next week, it's back to the WWII book. And the week after, the fella and I are going to Colorado to do nothing but look at golden aspens, work puzzles of various kinds, read, and maybe shop. Or hike. He's more into hiking than I am. I may take the book--whichever one I'm working on--and if I do, I may or may not open it up.

As Woody Allen said, Ninety-eight percent of success is just showing up. And you have to KEEP showing up even when things go bad. What else can you do?

Last read: DECEIVED by Nicola Cornick
Rate: Good

Trying out a Workshop

I took a flying trip to the DFW area to try out a new workshop on the RWA chapter I belong to down there. North Texas RWA is a great bunch of people and I really enjoy getting to go down and visit, even if it does take me five hours to drive down there. And then five hours to drive back.

I did a workshop on writing the fantasy, futuristic and paranormal novels, and had a lot of fun doing it. I think it came out pretty well. It was fun getting to talk with other writers and pretend to be a fount of knowledge and answer all the questions. I hereby state, I do not know the answer to everything, and often wonder whether I know the answer to anything...especially when I get e-mails from the agent that say "I got your submission. It needs a lot of work." Ugh.

Makes one wonder whether one even knows what one is doing any more. The brain may be going.

I'm going to finish this WWII partial, and then...I'll probably have something or other to work on. Something I need to fix. I did get almost 6 good pages for the story last week, so it's not completely stalled out. I tell ya, this is a soul-eating business to be in, but I can't imagine doing anything else, so I guess I just need to pull the ragged remnants out of the beast's mouth and fluff them up a little and get back to work.

Life goes

And there are many, many days that I wish I knew just where it (life) was going. I think sometimes, it's left me behind long ago.

I am happy today. It's been a good day. I typed in some of the WWII story--I don't have 3 chapters yet, so I probably ought to get back to the writing of it. I did most of the laundry, I walked to the post office and didn't have a bunch of stuff to lug back home again (and I walked all the way to Koogle Street instead of walking around the park, because there were a few more trees down 6th Street that I could walk in the shade of--I am an expert shade-spotter and walker-under-er... Hmm. Better quit there). I also finally paid my RWA dues--I had to do it online because I lost the paper I needed to send back--and had to go wander round the website a while because there wasn't an easy way to find the place to do it--as in "Go Here to Pay For Dues." Instead, it had "My Open Invoices" or something like that. Anyway, that's done and I don't have to worry about that any more.

I still haven't worked on the program I have to present this coming Saturday at the North Texas RWA meeting. Need to do that soon. But I don't want to do it too soon, or I'll be doing it cold. Still haven't added any of the books I read this summer/early fall to the list I keep--they are stacked up on the floor in front of my file cabinet high enough to totally block off the bottom drawer, and the second drawer up is in trouble... Need to do that too--but I'd better go judge the contest entries I said I'd judge for a contest. I've done one. (sigh)

Okay, I'll just quit whining here, and go get busy. The carne guisada I made for supper is done. Food first. Then contest judging or weed pulling or book reviewing--one of those. Or maybe we'll just have some TV watching. :)

Oh, thanks Catie for the birthday wishes. We went to see Hollywoodland--still want to see Crank. Maybe I'll go to town early tomorrow... Got the cutest birthday card from my best bud Belinda (who I forgot to send a birthday card to on her birthday because I think I was out of town--SORRY B!)--usually she sends me a hunk card, but this one has a Ma-and-Pa-Kettle-ish couple on the front, and the inside says "Welcome to Oldville." It made me laugh. :)

Better go turn off the oven. Back later to bore you all...

Happy Birthday to me

Yes, today is the day I was born mumbledy-something years ago. I'm not going to get specific, but I am barely into my second half-century. There. You already know I'm a grandmother several times over, so you know I'm no sweet young thing. I am however still sweet :) and I've always been something of a thing. Actually, a "thang."

There is a difference in the South between a "thing" and a "thang." Things are the dead fish your dog brings home as a souvenir. Thangs are puppies and kitties and pretty girls and handsome boys. I like to think I still qualify as a thang. :)

Anyway, it's my birthday, and I'm trying to decide what movie I want to go see for my birthday. The weather will determine whether we go to the big city today or tomorrow--if it rains tonight, we're not going to the local football game, but if it stays clear, we'll be at the stadium and go to town tomorrow. I'm not going to complain about the rain at all, it's been so long since we had much to speak of. The local lakes are anywhere from 40 to 50 feet below their normal levels, so actually, we really need more rain before this drought can be considered over.

Small-town Texas on Friday night--yeah, everybody goes to the football game, whether you have a kid in school or not. We don't always stay for the whole game now that our youngest has left for college, but we go. Unless, of course, it's raining. :)

Mailing a proposal to the agent today. Wish me luck.

Weekly Post

I've run out of clever titles. I never had that many to begin with, and I have to save the really good ones for the books.

Hmm. Now that I think about it, most of my titles for the blog posts aren't very clever at all. This one is at least apt. It's my weekly post. I'd like to manage to post more often, but--well, basically I'm lazy. And I'm busy. Sort of. Mostly.

Fall activities are starting up again in my little town. The ladies' "Art Club"--which is a "meet once a month for lunch" club--is meeting again. The programs are supposed to be focused on "the arts" and we give a little scholarship to the local junior college, and we meet, talk and have lunch. We had show-and-tell at last Friday's meeting.

Besides that, about all I have done is write. I haven't even read much this past week. I've been working on reading WARRIOR SOUL by Chuck Pfarrer, which is his "My Life as a Navy SEAL" story. That pretty much took me all week to read, since I was also watching the DVDs of the HBO series ROME. We don't get HBO, and I really, really wanted to see ROME (I'm into all that historical stuff), especially since it was supposed to be such a good series--so I bought the DVD set for my birthday, and the fella and I watched two or three episodes every night. He got into it as much as I did. (Except he's not re-watching it with the commentary like I am.)

I mentioned the writing, didn't I? I'm proud of myself. I got 37 pages written last week. That's up from my usual weekly count. It's not going up this week though. I need to get it typed in and the proposal ready to send to the agent.

And I pulled weeds in the front flower beds. The rain has made the grass go berserk, and it's trying to take over. Actually, it HAS taken over in a big chunk of the bed. And I can't keep up with it. We need to get some mulch out. Maybe when the petunias die...

Heading off to Odessa for a few days--I'll try to get back here and blog when we get back.

Thunderstorms and Salsa

I'm not sure what thunderstorms and salsa have in common with each other, except that the last big Tstorm we had (throwing tornados 60 miles up the road, but calmed down some when it reached us), I was making salsa, because the computer had to be turned off. And I wanted to make the salsa before the tomatoes I bought got too soft.

I've been in the habit of making things like salsa--things that are generally made in the summer and need to boil a long time on the stove--at night. I've been known to begin a pot of salsa when the evening news comes on (10 p.m. here in Central Time). It's too dang hot to boil anything any earlier in the day, during most of a Texas summer. But in the thunderstorm, the temps had cooled off enough, I didn't mind setting those tomatoes and peppers and onions and such to simmering. It made a really good batch--maybe because I used Roma tomatoes, or maybe because I let it cook a little longer than I usually do. It's nice and thick. And I didn't cook along with the tomatoes. It was a smaller batch than the last one, but I have hopes that some neighbor or friend will donate some of their excess tomatoes later in the season.

And yes, I'm rhapsodizing about tomatoes because I have absolutely nothing else to write about. I'm not doing anything but writing my current ms., reading books, going to "the big city" to paint on Tuesdays--and I painted out the heads of the little boys in my current painting because they looked totally stupid and I couldn't make them look right by trying to fix them pieceeal. Time to paint them over and start again. One of the three boys did get to keep his head, but the other two? Headless! 19 pages on the ms this week. Next week, I'll print and revise and (if it doesn't seem too totally stupid upon second reading) send it to the agent. Then I think I'll go back to the WWII book till I hear about the option book. Keep your fingers crossed, y'all. Thanks.

Yeah, well...

I've been home a week and haven't blogged. I'm tired, okay? I've been writing and reading books and just generally being incredibly lazy. But guess what?!?

It's been RAINING!!!!

When we got home from dropping the son at his very first apartment in college, it was apparent that it had rained sometime over the weekend. There were puddles! So the fella got busy and mowed the lawn, and about the time he put the mower up, it started raining again. And it rained again the next day. And the next.

Now this may not seem such a fabulous event to you--if so, you probably don't live in west Texas. Rain has been very scarce this year, and if we don't get enough, the plains won't recover from that million acre fire we had back in the spring. All the ash blew away and left nothing but dirt behind--we were beginning to worry that there might be another dust bowl-type occurrence. It's going to take more to get the grass to growing good in those places where the fires were--there's lots of tumbleweeds (aka Russian thistles), broom and other weeds, but no grass. So a few raindances sent out way wouldn't be out of line.

On the other hand, the rain makes the weeds in my front flowerbed REALLY grow big. And I really need to get out there and pull them all up. (sigh)

Still writing the brick-in-the-head book. I've got a proposal, and a bunch more pages too.

Have I mentioned? I love my empty nest...

Ta for now.

Home again, again

Seems like I'm always posting reports these days about how I've managed to survive another trip unscathed. Although I'm feeling excessively scathed this time. I spent the week helping the daughter, son-in-law and grandson move. From a town about 600 miles from me to one 500 miles farther away. I helped pack, unpack and clean, mostly.

Actually, I did a lot of grandson-wrestling during the unloading, because the boy's only 3 (and has developmental delays), and wanted to run around in the truck, sit on the stairs or lie in the entry way, and threw a fit when we wouldn't let him. I spent over 30 minutes just hanging on to him until he wore himself out enough to fall asleep in my lap. He's a big boy--stronger than a lot of 5-year-olds--and he wore me out too. But I didn't get to take a nap, alas. I had to clean nasty bathrooms (the landlord painted & put in a new tub surround but didn't clean up after himself--there were globs of caulk and cement all in the bathtub...) and unpack. But they're all moved in. They've contacted the school people for the groundling's schooling--he gets a few weeks to settle in before going in for an evaluation--and we finally found the silverware.

So I'm really, really tired. I have to move the youngest son back to college and his first apartment on Friday... I've hardly been able to think about the book that smacked me in the head. It's been a nice thing to muse in the few moments before falling asleep at night, and I did work on developing plot while traveling on the airplane, but that's about it. I'm tired.

We shall see if I can even summon up any brainpower to blog again this week. If I spend a lot of time sleeping, we may not have anything to blog about... So...okay then.

Smacked in the Head

I live for those moments when a story comes out of nowhere and smacks me right in the head. Usually, it happens when I haven't been writing for a while and I'm vaguely ruminating about what I want to write, what I might write, who I might write something for but I just can't decide anything.

It happened to me early Saturday morning. Like 4:30 a.m. early. Because my personal thermostat is broken giving me temperature control issues, I have a tendency to wake up several times in the night these days. Saturday morning, I woke up as usual...but when the thermostat finally kicked in, I kept lying there, wide awake, with a story running through my brain. Not just a story idea, but actual sentences. Descriptions. Phrases. Wry narration. I composed whole paragraphs while lying in bed staring at the backs of my eyelids. Eventually, it occurred to me that this was a very good idea, and that I really ought to get up and go write some of it down before I forgot it, since I was awake anyway and apparently not going back to sleep.

I've written 18 of my longhand pages in the day and a half since then (which will type up to somewhere around 24 pages, I think). Not bad for a gimme. It may peter out in the next few days, or turn out to be completely unmarketable, but it's a start, and it might turn out great! Here's hoping.

Quickie Reading list

I've been reading pretty much since I left Atlanta. I've probably left some books off this list, but here is a partial list of the books I've finished this week--I thought y'all might like to see

ON THE WAY TO THE WEDDING by Julia Quinn, (Quinn lives up to her reputation)
GETTING EVEN by Kayla Perrin (a HQ Spice that wasn't particularly spicy but was fun to read),
SEDUCED BY CRIMSON by Jade Lee (fabulous as Lee always is),
HOSTILE MAKEOVER by Wendy Wax (pretty good, though I thought she left the resolution a little late and a little obscure),
DEAD RECKONING by Sandra K. Moore (a very good Bombshell),
THE RED HAT CLUB by Haywood Smith (lots of fun),
TIGER LILY by Kimberly Dean (very erotic erotica),
RESENTING THE HERO by Moira J. Moore (nice fantasy with a touch of romance that doesn't really fit its rather comic cover),
JUST FOR KICKS by Susan Anderson (an auto-buy author that lived up to my expectations),
THE TURNING by Jennifer Armintrout (a vampire book with romantic elements--might be uncomfortable for some because of one of the guys there's romance--or something--with),
CAPTIVE MOON by C.T. Adams & Cathy Clamp (a new shapeshifter book--very good),
WINDOW DRESSING by Nikki Rivers (Hq Next--good read), and
KITTY GOES TO WASHINGTON by Carrie Vaughn (werewolf radio personality--I liked this better than the 1st one. Good read.)

Yeah, I know. I read way too fast...

Saturday--the Grand Finale

We're up to Saturday now. I have to admit, it's all becoming a big blur--even the big bruise is beginning to fade. (Okay, it's turned really ugly reddish purple and black and hasn't made it to the yellow-y green shade yet except in spots, but it is getting better...)

But Saturday. I once again made it down to breakfast and this time ate with some lovely ladies from upstate New York. That's one of the things I really love about RWA National--doesn't matter where you sit down, you're going to meet someone lovely who has something in common with you: writing books. (Oh yeah, almost forgot to share my "wardrobe"--I know you don't really care, but...I wore a white short-sleeved sweater with colored (peach, turquoise, yellow and black) trim around the square neckline and sleeve hem, black slacks and my loafer shoes--I started with the black jacket, but dumped it in the room early on and never missed it.)

I didn't have a workshop I really wanted to go to at 8:30, and I needed to see about getting my big box of books shipped home (plus some of the freebies that I didn't want to lug in my suitcase), and there was a PAN workshop at nine I thought I might like to sit in on, so I went upstairs and loaded the big box. I took out two of my books and put in two freebies, carted the heavy box downstairs to the hotel's UPS location, picked up a box (those boxes they had available really were NOT large enough!), went back upstairs to load it up, came back down and filled out all the shipping paperwork. I still have no idea how much I spent to have those books shipped home. (I'm kind of afraid to look.) Somewhere in here, I went up to the OCC chapter's suite and gave them one of the books for their Chapter Birthday Party. (Remember that "get the books in the hands of readers" thing I've got going on...) Still had a book to give away, but I figured I'd find somebody who'd take it off my hands. Then I went to the workshop on The Numbers.

It was very enlightening. For instance, I didn't know that the New York Times Bestseller List was made up of reports from only 35 stores, (or maybe it was 38--fewer than 40 anyway) all on the East Coast. It may take Wal-Marts into account, but I was still shocked. Of course, it's the New York Times--I've found that to many New Yorkers (and many East Coast-ers), the rest of the country doesn't really exist. Of course to many, it does, but... Then again, I know a lot of Texans to whom anything outside Texas doesn't really exist... we're all provincial in our own little way. And I've really gotten sidetracked from talking about the workshop, which was about sell-through and lay-down and getting on one of the Best-Seller lists, and that it was easier to do in the months when there aren't a lot of releases. Writing fantasy, I don't know that I'll ever make it--but who knows. Dream big, right?

Somewhere in here--or maybe I did it on Friday--I ordered the CD sets for my crit partner and for the Heart of Texas chapter. I think I was the only one of the Waco area ladies (even though I don't live in Waco any more, I'm still one of them in my heart) to make it to Atlanta, so I bought their CDs of the conference workshops for them.

I picked up a cup of tea (real tea with orange & lemon, not herbal) in the PAN lounge and started walking back to the lobby with it--and of course spilled it as I was walking up the little steps outside the Harlequin room, so I stopped walking. Turns out, people were gathering for the SPICE book-signing. The line didn't appear to be too overwhelming, so I joined them and chatted with Stephanie Lynch (aka Arwen, aka half of the Cai Stephans writing team) and another woman who was there whose name has slid into the black hole of my faulty memory. Anyway, we had a fun time talking about erotica publishers and Tarot. Stephanie does Tarot reading professionally--I've been reading for myself and friends for about 10 years and still feel like such a beginner, so it was fun talking to her.

Anyway, I went into the book signing and picked up copies of the books and had them signed, talked for a minute to Kayla Perrin--her Getting Even sounds like such a fun book--kind of like one of the Chick-lit/Women's fiction stories about a group of women who get even with the guys who dump them--only it's erotica. I haven't pulled it out of the TBR stack to read yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

Let's see, then I went to the PAN promo workshop about what kinds of promo works and what doesn't. There were three women who do lots of promo and one who does none whatsoever--except for her website and writing back to the fans who write/e-mail her. And it worked for all of them. It was a great workshop about finding what works for you and what you feel comfortable with, and not worrying about anything else.

I like doing talks and workshops. I like doing this blog (although I'm TERRIBLY erratic about it, as some of you may now). I like sending my books (and bookmarks--though I'm almost out) out to various conferences and events to get them into the hands of readers. (I'm trying to do more fantasy conferences this year.) And that's pretty much it. I'm not wild about booksignings, unless I'm with other people--though I do like to go into bookstores and "sign stock." Hmm--that reminds me--I may not have sold many books at the big signing on Wednesday night, but I signed enough bookplate stickers for people who already had my book (and loved it) to almost run out of them. That makes me feel better. Anyway...that was that workshop.

And then it was time to go meet my editor and two other authors--Judy Duarte and Kelsey Roberts (who has another name, and I was told her other name, but darned if I can remember it now!)--for lunch. We walked over to the Ritz for lunch--very fancy place. Very nice lunch. I had shrimp and sausage gumbo (without a single shrimp in it! but it was still very good) and a crab cake sandwich. Yummy. And I enjoyed talking with the other authors, getting to know them, and hearing about the editor's new baby.

We got back to the hotel just a little bit after 2 p.m. I had wanted to go to the Nocturne booksigning and pick up some books to read and get a feel for what the line was going to be, and by the time we all said goodbye and I got around to the Harlequin suite, every single book was gone and the room had cleared out. I signed up to get copies sent to me and chatted with Lisa Childs who I met several years ago, and who I think might be from Texas, and who was, I swear, EVERYWHERE in Atlanta--every time I turned around, I saw her again.

Anyway, I was talking to Lisa and to Joanne/Sapphire (from the Harlequin boards and the fateful taxi trip) and Eileen Dreyer (aka Kathleen Korbel) stood up with two of her books--she'd found them on the floor where they'd apparently been knocked during the stampede. Joanne and I immediately glommed onto them. The lovely Eileen signed them for us--and then a friend of hers came in and she still had my book in her hand when she hugged her friend--and I was incredibly rude and pushy because I was worried about my book getting away--she handed it to me and went back to greeting her friend, and then I worried about being so rude...but I just got out of her way. Still, I love Eileen Dreyer. And I love her books, but that's another story.

Okay, so by this time, it's pushing 3 p.m. I'd missed the Spotlight on TOR--but I got a set of CDs for myself too, so I can put all the workshops and spotlights on my I-Pod when they come--and I'd put some workshops down for the 3:15 time. I went to the "Google This! Tips & Tricks for Writers" workshop, and it had a LOT of great info on how to find stuff on Google. Virginia Kelly is a librarian who does Google workshops for all kinds of groups, so it was a very well done workshop, and the handouts have almost all the stuff she showed us, except she had the screenshots for us to look at.

Then at 4:30, I went to one last workshop. Stephanie Bond talked about building a Brand. (I think the workshop title was "YOU, New and Improved: Building a Brand.") And I think maybe I finally get it. Her brand is sexy romantic suspense, usually humorous. The brand is as much the type of books one writes as it is the advertising you use for it, and it's as important to work on your brand before you are published as after. Which I have never done.

Except--one does tend to write the sort of things one likes. And even though I have--before publication and after--been all over the map, my stories have always been sexy, and they've always had some adventure in them. So I can say my brand is sexy adventure. But I think I'd like to refine that a bit more and say sexy fantasy/paranormal adventure. Now the question becomes--just how sexy do I want to make it? I don't think I'd have any problem upping the heat to erotica/romantica level, and it would still fit in the brand...but... Hmm. Well, I can ship it off to the swamp and see what the alligators make of it...

Okay, so that was my last workshop. My roomies were ordering pizza to eat in the room and be lazy before we got ready for the Rita/GH celebration, so I ran upstairs and arrived just in time to hang out for a bit before I went back down with Karen to pay for the pizza and help carry it back up. While we were chowing down, Wayne Jordan called about bringing his contribution to the Harlequin/Silhouette e-mail loop, so we invited him to the party. Of course, there wasn't much pizza left by this time, but he had a piece and sat down to talk about Barbados (he's a high school teacher there!) and Kimani Press and such. He's publishing romance under his own name. We thought that was very cool. Very nice guy...

And then it was time to go to the Ritas! I looked pretty spiffy in a black sleeveless sweater with pearl and bead trim around the neckline and my black handkerchief-hem skirt. I could "dress down" a bit, because I wasn't up for an award, though I had lots of friends up for the award--Besides Bronwyn of the three finaling books, there was Jodi Thomas in short historical, Stephanie Feagan in Best First Book, Candace Havens in Paranormal, Alesia Holliday in Best Novella--It was very exciting. I sat between Karen and Juliet right behind the "reserved" section and could see --well, everything. It was great. I was so excited when Jodi won and then was inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame for winning her third Rita in the same category. She is the nicest, sweetest person in the whole UNIVERSE, and totally deserved her win, because she writes fabulous books as well.

The party afterward was great--I gobbled down chocolate/orange cake and strawberry trifle and a peach mousse thingie, then wandered around till I found most of my friends and congratulated and hugged them. It was a while before I found Stephanie because she had to go upstairs and call her fella after winning the Best First Book Rita, and I never did find Alesia, but it was still lots of fun, and yeah, I know I need to post the pictures on the website. I got to rub somebody's Rita for good luck, and I have completely forgotten whose it was. Oh well. The mind goes first, you know.

And then it was time to go back up to the room, peel off the glad rags and try to get everything packed in time to head home on Sunday. It was a great week, but definitely time to go home. I had a good trip home--hung out with the North Texas girls (and a few from Houston and/or San Antonio) at the airport, talking about "what was the best moment of the Conference". I ran across Mary Theresa Hussey (the senior editor for Luna) at the Burger King--which had these weird computerized ordering systems--and talked for a few minutes. Then read most of the Korbel Nocturne on the plane, got to ride around to another terminal at DFW to take off for Amarillo (where I finished Korbel's book waiting for flight time). Got into the "big city' by 6 and was home by 7.

And now it's time to start over again. Whee!!