Indulge Yourself

Avoiding Insanity: Not So Easy

2012-02-02T17:56:00.000-05:00

Don't forget! I'm revealing the cover to my next romantic adventure, Acceptable Risks, next Tuesday, 2/7, at Everybody Needs a Little Romance. Make sure to come check it out!

I'm struggling to find a way to manage my time better. So I remembered an idea from a long-ago time management program that said to touch everything just once. Handle it immediately, instead of setting it aside. So I tried that yesterday.

It was a DISASTER.

It was the first of the month, therefore the deadline for submission of listings for the column I do for a trade journal. Of course, everyone waits until the day of the deadline to send me their stuff. (I tweeted yesterday with the realization that maybe they do it on purpose. Seriously, people, you can send stuff EARLY. You don't have to wait for the deadline to arrive.) I fired off a frustrated reply to an e-mail, then read the next one—and it would have completely nullified the frustration if I'd read it before replying.

So I went along, not looking at my inbox, just the next e-mail. I did proofing jobs for clients, gathered column info, jumped over to websites and back, filed electronic bills, etc. And every few seconds another e-mail clicked into my box. Let me tell you, this way was NOT more efficient.

Usually I read through all my e-mail, saving the ones I have to handle. Then I do all the column stuff at once, all the promo together, all the client work in a cluster. I've been doing it that way for years. I don't know why I decided trying something else would be better. It wasn't.

So that definition of insanity, trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results? It can go the other way, too. Trying something different and expecting the same (or better) results.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

I started watching Revenge recently, because it's been getting raves and people with similar taste to mine have been loving it. I've saved it until late evening, when it's inadvisable for me to try to work because out of two dozen words that should have been changed to UK spellings, I'll only spot one. The problem with that is that I do the "just one more episode" thing and stay up late despite my continuous good intentions.

So I'm really enjoying the show, obviously. I've got 2 more eps to watch before new eps return next week. I'm glad Tyler finally got his. I was feeling pretty violent toward him. I just wish Emily would be nicer to Nolan. I don't get her hostility, when he's the reason she has the resources to do this in the first place, AND she's always making him help her. He might actually be the most interesting character on the show, though none of them are without their twisty depth.

The other problem with liking the show so much is that I'm watching on iTunes on my iPod, and the longer I watch, the worse my eyestrain gets.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Speaking of eyestrain, I went to the eye doctor today. It's nice to hear that part of my problem is that my sight is overcorrected, another degree past where it was last time, so my contacts are too strong. I'm not going to get new ones, though, because I think I'm doing LASIK.

o.O

I had an opportunity about 9 years ago, when my mom died and I got a small life insurance payout. I got chicken, though—it's less about the blade slicing open my cornea and more about the hydrating brush sweeping over my exposed eyeball—and bought a laptop and paid some bills instead.

But I'm tired of it. I've had seriously poor vision since I was 6. I may not be able to get full correction because of the degree of my nearsightedness, but anything is better. And I'm approaching the need for reading glasses, and I'm not ready to face bifocals or monovision and all that crap.

So I'm ready. And yet... I wear rigid gas permeable contacts, which reshape the cornea, so I knew I'd have to wear my glasses for a little while before the evaluation and the surgery. But SIX WEEKS?! Seriously, I'm going to be pretty lonely by the end. No one will be able to stand looking at me. I look RIDICULOUS in glasses, again because of the degree of correction. No matter what kind of frames I get, the thick lenses distort my face so it looks narrower behind the glasses than it really is. So I look like a funhouse mirror, but in real life.

The there are the two weeks of drops and not rubbing the eye and wearing goggles at night, not to mention the expense, and it almost sounds like it's not worth it. But being able to tell which bobbing heads in the water are my kids' when we're at the beach? Waking up and being able to see across the room? Not having lint and dust killing my eyeballs? Best of all, not having to deal putting in and taking out contacts? Oh, yeah, it will be worth it.

Have any of you had LASIK? How did it go for you?

My Kids are Backwards

2012-01-27T16:43:00.001-05:00

I'm sure all families are different, but there's an expectation that siblings fight a lot until one of them gets too big. Usually it's when the younger one gets big enough to hurt the older one back. (With me and my brother, it stopped when I tried to hit him with a garlic press, missed and hit my hand instead, and cut myself. I was so shocked at my capacity for violence I made sure it never got physical again.)

My kids have never fought. Two girls, 3 years and 8 months apart, you'd think they would have. Number One should have been overly annoyed by Number Two, who was certainly crafty enough to bug her sister deliberately and then play the bullied baby when Number One retaliated. But they never really went there, back when they were 12 and 8, a time I consider prime fighting age.

But NOW.

I started to leave to go to the bank, realized I didn't have my ID, and went back inside. Where Number Two promptly told me the following:

"She was blocking my view of the pantry so I couldn't get a snack, so I slapped her in the face. Very lightly! And she [insert woe-is-me voice here] grabbed my arms and pulled them behind my back and it HURT."

Number One comes out to the kitchen. "Is she telling you about how she slapped me in the face?"

Number One has reached 5'6" and has the nickname "Brick Wall" from soccer. Number Two is about 5'1" but plenty solid and capable of defending herself. They never fought like this before. WHY did they wait until they're 16 and 12 to start the fisticuffs?

Of course, they laughed at me. "We were laughing the whole time, Mom."

Yeah, that makes me feel better.

~~~~~~~~~~
Note: I sent this to my kids to get their approval before I posted. Number Two said "It's fine. I think it's quite funny." Number One said "yeah, it's fine. i don't know why, but i couldn't stop laughing!"

She doesn't know why?! Guess which kid is my favorite today.

My Daring Escape, Hero Wars, and Okay, Yeah, More Football

2012-01-25T19:51:00.001-05:00

I don't know how much time I have. I've just escaped from the dark, terrifying world of Mary Kay, and I it may be only moments before I am dragged back in, kicking and screaming.

Okay, that's an exaggeration. I did spend last evening, and a previous Tuesday evening, tortured with MK propaganda as a trade-off for a free eye makeup training seminar. Our consultant is one of my coworkers at my day job, and she's cool. We were with cool people. And we got free eyelash curlers. Which I have never in my life used. But that's beside the point. I bought the skin care products and totally fell in love with Satin Hands. What I didn't fall in love with was the "sell sell sell buy buy buy!" agenda at the big event, but hey. Like I said. Tradeoff.

ANYWAY.

Want some news? Here's what's going on.

1. Kira's Best Friend is going Greek! I just signed a licensing agreement with Anubis Publications to translate KBF into Greek for sale in Greece and Cyprus. Isn't that cool?! I think it will be out in April, and I'll post the cover and stuff when I get it. At worst, I'll take a picture of my author copies. The rest of the Brook Hollow trilogy should follow.

2. My April 16 release, Acceptable Risks, has a cover! I'm not going to show it yet. I'm going to reveal it on February 7th at Everybody Needs a Little Romance. Then I'll follow up with a poll about the elements of the very cool cover. Participants will have a chance to win prizes via the poll and my newsletter. Then we'll see how close everyone came when I post the story blurb.

3. Hero Wars on Twitter! Look up the hashtag #herowars for teasers of Entangled Publishing's heroes. I have THREE to throw into the competition. Admittedly, said competition is stiff. (heh heh I said stiff) But I think these guys can handle themselves:

Goddesses Rising Hero Stats

Name — Nick Jarrett, Under the Moon
Build — Big, muscular, intimidating
Height — 6' 2"
Weight — 180ish
Strengths — Protective, watchful, smart
Weaknesses — Likes things done his way
Leading Lady — Quinn Caldwell, top-level goddess
Favorites — beer, his '69 Charger, and his guns
Occupation — Goddess Protector

Name — Sam Remington, Heavy Metal
Build — Kind of lanky, but broad-shouldered and strong
Height — 6' 4"
Weight — 180ish
Strengths — Great with research and organizing/managing things
Weaknesses — Women in need
Leading Lady — Riley Kordek, young goddess who never knew she was one
Favorites — Nothing at the moment, he's floundering a bit
Occupation — Former bar manager and goddess assistant, former protector

Name — Finn Samargo, Sunroper
Build — Lean, pampered
Height — 6'
Weight — 170ish
Strengths — Rich, loyal, focused on his goals
Weaknesses — Rich, and way too focused on HIS goals
Leading Lady — Marley Canton, leeched goddess turned null
Favorites — the small of a woman's back, expensive champagne, and silk sheets
Occupation — Business manager for one of his father's companies, on leave

Katee Robert and Laura Kaye posted their hero stats. Watch Twitter or keep an eye on Entangled in Romance for stats on other heroes.

4. The Patriots are in the Super Bowl! I went on a mini-retreat a couple of weeks ago with some other authors, and the Patriots were playing in the division playoff game against the Broncos while we were there. It was a blast teaching Misty Simon about first and ten and safeties and stuff. :) She impressed her dad while they watched the AFC championship last weekend. So I'm a little scared about the game next weekend. And less then thrilled about the rematch. I mean, yeah, redemption would be nice. (Or atonement, as my brother called it.) But I just didn't want to spend two weeks hearing about Super Bowl XLVII. Should be a great game, regardless!

5. Is All Romance eBooks your preferred retailer? I just learned they're selling Brianna's Navy Seal and Cat's Claw over there now. Check it out!

My iPod is Ruining My Life

2011-12-31T16:48:00.000-05:00

I know. I've been complaining for six months (exactly) about my old iPod (Remington) being stolen, and how awful it is to have to listen to the radio. My long-suffering husband is now reunited with the iPod Classic he let me use for months, and I have a fantastic new iPod Touch.

It's too fantastic.

I can't put the damned thing down! The first night, I just kept checking Twitter. Then Facebook. Then mail. Then playing Angry Birds. When I forced myself away from Angry Birds, I had to do one more check of e-mail. Then Twitter. Then Facebook. Then Twitter again. Okay, maybe I'd play more Angry Birds.

The novelty has not worn off a bit, but it's dulled enough that I'm not turning off the light at 2:00 a.m. Of course, I'm now working until 1:00 a.m. because any time I have a few seconds for a break, I start playing a game (or checking Twitter, etc.). The trek to bed, always slow because I'm a night owl and hate to go to bed, is longer and slower now.

I get an NFL newsletter and check for news on the Patriots app. I add items to my reminders, check the weather, and surf the Internet, which is a challenge, let me tell you, with those tiny links. (I know I can zoom in, it's just more fun to be challenged!)

I work on a computer most of the day, so eyestrain is already a problem. It's reached epic proportions, and our electric bill is going to be huge this month, between my constant recharging of the iPod and my husband's of his own new toy. My only complaint is that it's more complicated to use it for its primary purpose. When I'm doing dishes or laundry or cooking or cleaning and the kids need me, I can't just hit pause. I have to hit home, swipe it unlocked, wait several seconds because for some reason there's a delay when I'm listening to something, then hit pause. Small complaint, though.

My Kindle and the stack of paperbacks on my shelf have been a bit neglected. I've actually been trying to carve through the print books, but a lot of them are ones that were given to me that I wasn't sure I'd like. I've added nearly half a dozen to my "did not finish" list. Not because they were bad, they just weren't my thing. I'm trying really hard to keep going with the one I'm reading now, because it's well written and interesting, if some of the details are off and the characters aren't the type I'd naturally gravitate toward.

Anyway, I have to break this new addiction toute suite, because the "lull" of the holidays is almost over and I won't be able to justify so much leisure time anymore. (My brain is whispering that TV will still be on hellatus and I'll have time to play, but I can't extend the habit. I'm standing firm!)

Speaking of TV, I'm kind of excited. We're getting a new DVR unit. The one we have has been eating chunks of shows. Last season it ate stuff that had been on it for a while, so I was unable to rewatch Supernatural and had to buy some episodes of Doctor Who that I had let collect for a reason I don't remember. The current unit was refurbished in 2007. It's so old they don't want it back. I'm looking forward to seeing if it has any new features.

So tell me. Am I alone in my new addiction? Anyone else stuck on the pretty and the cool and finding it difficult to get back to routine?

Birthday and Christmas Highlights

2011-12-26T21:10:00.000-05:00

I've been meaning to post ever since Friday, but I've been held hostage. By, yes, Angry Birds.

My big birthday gift was an iPod Touch to replace the iPod that was stolen in NY in June and so my husband could have his iPod back. I love the damned thing so much. I keep going back and forth between e-mail and Twitter and Facebook and the Patriots app and Angry Birds. I spent much of Christmas day troubleshooting my in-laws wireless network so we could all connect to it. (And much of the rest of it getting my father-in-law started with the Kindle he didn't want. He likes it, though!)

I did go get adjusted on Friday, because my back was worse when I woke up. It steadily got better until yesterday, and the way I was sitting or the jumping around during Catchphrase. I was teamed with Number Two and my nephew, both of whom preferred the Sports category, and my MIL, who excelled at the Entertainment stuff. We kicked butt in the number of words/phrases we guessed, but the other team (my husband, his sister, his father, and Number One) would drag out their clues/guesses so long that inevitably, we got the buzzer just before it buzzed and never had time to do one more. It was raucous fun.

My big present for Christmas was a new widescreen monitor. I f'd up my computer so I haven't loaded the Windows 7 I bought today, but I can't wait to do that so I can take full advantage of all the wide goodness.

Watched Doctor Who last night, and it was a decent enough Christmas special. It served mainly to make me long for the series to come back already. I'm tempted to go back and rewatch it all, because I have the Netflix app. :)

Some other highlights from Christmas:

Number One got a guitar, and she has barely stopped playing. She's teaching herself "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol and her fingers are purple. She also loves her gift from her sister, which is a soccer ball signed by Abby Wombach. It was an item in a silent auction at her school, and she didn't even think twice, just instantly bid $100 and chewed her nails the rest of the night hoping no one would outbid her.

The Patriots won on Christmas Eve. That was good, especially when they were down 17-0 at halftime. Wes Welker is on Twitter now, and yes, that's a major reason I couldn't put the iPod down on my birthday.

Number One also put together a special present for us all. We had to open her gift from us last. Each of us got a piece of a puzzle, that put together looked like this:

I bet no one else got this gift in 2011! :)

So what was your best gift or best part of the holiday this year?

I Would Take a Breath if it Didn't Hurt So Much

2011-12-22T11:52:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I slept funny, or if it's from all the cleaning and hauling and everything, but my back is killing me.

Luckily, I work for a chiropractor.

Unluckily, I can't get adjusted until Tuesday, and that will be iffy. We're closed on Thursdays, tomorrow I'm off because it's my birthday, then the weekend, we're closed for the holiday on Monday, so Tuesday will be the busiest Tuesday EVAR, and I don't like to ask for an adjustment when the docs are that busy. So it will just have to resolve itself.

Anyway. I have cleaned the entire upstairs (except the bedrooms). I've done the dishes and wrapped all of my husband's gifts. All the other family gifts are done, too, so it's just the kids' to wrap on Saturday night.

BG has claimed a new favorite spot:

She's there all. the. time. She might choose a different present from time to time, but man, does she glare when we laugh at her.

I don't have any client work pending today. I have to eat breakfast (I guess it's lunch now), shower, and go to the grocery store so I can spend $50 and get 30 cents off per gallon of gasoline. Then I can tackle some of the things that have been on my "nonurgent" to-do list. You know, the things you REALLY need to do but always get shuffled. They include:

1. Updating my website
2. Designing a new website
3. Revising Entanglement
4. Sending Keri the updates for my sidebar book covers at Everybody Needs a Little Romance.
5. Taking the Scrivener tutorial so I can actually start using it.
6. Transferring the little bit of Sunroper I've written to Scrivener and work on that book.
7. Researching and planning my contest strategy
8. Writing a novella in the Goddesses Rising series
9. Coming up with a novella idea so I can write it!

As you can see, I still have plenty to do. But no in-my-face deadlines for the next week, so I'm taking a breath.

Gingerly.

Guest Blogger Megan Hart with FREE copy of ALL FALL DOWN

2011-12-15T00:01:00.000-05:00

A lot of people have been asking me why I chose to write about a cult. The short answer is, because they’re scary. The longer answer is, I didn’t write a book about a cult, I wrote a book about a girl who was raised in a cult and is forced to join “normal” society after her mother forces her out. With no place to go, Sunshine takes her three kids to live with the biological father she never knew existed and his wife Liesel, who thinks this ready-made family might be the answer to all her prayers.

I wrote a book about a family trying to learn how to survive and how to make a life together when everything they all ever knew has been turned upside down. I wrote about losing everything you’ve ever believed is true and trying to find a way to move forward instead of being held back.

The cult is just part of the background. A fascinating, scary part, yes. But I also tried to show just why someone would not only want to join a cult, but how someone might genuinely feel like life in the cult is better and more normal than the type of life general society agrees is right.

Sunshine was sort of difficult for me to write, because I’m not sure why people would ever let themselves be brainwashed into following a leader, no matter how charismatic, whose teachings bring them harm. Yet as I researched cults, I discovered something disturbing...I began to understand how something so different, so off-beat, could become appealing and eventually, overwhelming.

I hope readers of ALL FALL DOWN enjoy the story and maybe discover within themselves how it feels to find out that everything you thought you knew about yourself can be turned upside down.

Want a copy of All Fall Down for your very own? Comment here about a time you changed your mind about something you thought you knew. Or just comment, I’m easy that way.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Learn more about Megan here:
www.meganhart.com

www.readinbed.net

www.facebook.com/megan.hart

www.twitter.com/megan_hart

Click for Excerpt

In the midst of a chaotic midnight assembly, Sunshine is forced out into the darkness. Holding a scrap of paper scrawled with a stranger’s name and address, Sunny grasps the hands of her three small children and begins her escape.

Liesel Albright has dreamed of starting a family. She never bargained on inheriting one already in progress…or one so deeply damaged. When nineteen-year-old Sunshine appears on the Albright’s doorstep claiming Liesel’s husband Chris is her father, all they can think to offer is temporary shelter. The next day, they’re stunned by the news that the Family of Superior Bliss, led by a charismatic zealot, has committed mass suicide. Sunny and her children haven’t just left the compound–they’ve been left behind.

Now, instead of a baby of her own, Liesel must play mother to the four survivors while Chris retreats into guilt and denial. For Sunny, however, a lifetime of teachings is not easily unlearned. No matter how hard she tries to forget, an ominous catechism echoes in her mind, urging her to finish what the Family started.

Magnificent Megan

2011-12-14T17:36:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I'm going to host guest blogger Megan Hart about her newest book, All Fall Down, and writing about people connected to a cult. Don't miss it!

Juncos, Middle-Aged Movie Morons, and Imputed Value at Starbucks

2011-12-11T19:31:00.000-05:00

The other day, I heard something rustling outside my window. I couldn't see much, since I have books on my windowsill, but it reminded me that bird migration will be coming soon, and how much I love seeing the juncos in January, especially if they're on snow. Then I stood up, and the bird rooting at the base of my rose bush? A junco.

WTF? I so don't want to know what that means.

The girls and I went to see New Year's Eve Friday night. It was okay. Fun, and funny, with some good kissing and some good cameos and a couple of surprise connections. Not as good as Valentine's Day, which I now want to watch again. The clips (including outtakes) over the end credits were awesome and made the whole thing worth it.

But I gotta tell you, I don't think I've been near such obnoxious people at a movie since Twilight. When we sat down, one of the middle-aged women behind us said, "Oh, I forgot the wine." I knew we were in for it then. This group talked—LOUDLY—over all the previews. At the end of the Hilfiger commercial, the guy said "Happy Holidays from the Hilfigers." One of the women said "Say Merry Christmas, please." Why? Because only YOUR holiday is the only important one? Because you don't consider New Year's a holiday?

That's what's really wrong with the world, you know? That people are being polite and wishing you well. Jerks.

Anyway, when these women kept talking once the movie started, and STILL were talking when the voiceover began, I turned around and opened my mouth to say "Seriously? You're going to act like you're in your living room for the whole movie?" But Number One went "SHHH!" before I could. And they did. There was just the one who had a really loud laugh, but it's not like she can help that.

I was just reading this post about e-book pricing. It talks about imputed value, and uses the example of Starbucks, saying people pay six bucks for coffee because they expect that coffee to be good, and assume everyone else thinks it's good, so they buy it and drink it even if they don't like it.

I don't think that gives people enough credit. I mean, how many people really pay six bucks for coffee they don't like? I don't like coffee at all, but I love Starbucks' mochas (which only costs four bucks, actually). I make some at home, but they're a pain and I don't have time most days. I used to get them at a coffeehouse near my old job, and they were fantastic. When I left there, I got them at Sheetz, but then I started driving past Starbucks (with a drive-thru!) and suddenly, the Sheetz ones tasted horrendous. So I stopped getting them, even though they cost less and I can get one free after I buy 10.

My brother and his wife don't like Starbucks. They're Dunkin' Donuts aficionados. I tried DD's, and really didn't like it. Tried McDonald's, too, because it's a lot less expensive. Gross! (Though their peppermint hot cocoa is really good. Might get one on the way to work tomorrow...)

My point is that we all have our own tastes. Maybe way back in the beginning Starbucks succeeded on imputed value, but I really don't think it would have grown the way it did without having actual value, too. Which, to be fair, is the point the poster linked above eventually got to, with regard to e-book pricing.

I all comes down to my motto up there at the top of this blog. "Read what you want, watch what you want, and live a life that makes you happy." If an expensive cup of coffee tastes good, drink it without guilt or defensiveness.

And go buy some e-books. :)

You're Done Working. No, Seriously. Shut it Down.

2011-12-08T20:56:00.000-05:00

I currently have a love-hate relationship with Thursdays. The chiropractor where I work is closed on Thursday, so it's my day "off." Which means most weeks—like today—I sleep in, come downstairs about 8:00 still in my jammies because I've already wasted an hour and a half, and sit at my desk working until my eyes are so strained I can't see the words on the monitor. That's when I take a lunch break, kind of panicking because it's already 1:00 and I'm only halfway through my to-do list. Yesterday's to-do list. After lunch, I work until the kids come home, do laundry and dishes while they ignore my presence, then go back to work until I'm forced to stop.

Tonight it was Maya doing the forcing. So I left 8 things undone (luckily, they weren't "important" things) and shooed her away long enough to write this post. Now, since my husband is watching the Cleveland Browns play some form of professional football (probably the bad form), I'm going upstairs to watch Tuesday's episode of Covert Affairs. It looks Auggie-centric. *sigh* Love Auggie.

Come on, Maya. My lap is all yours.

Finally Facebook Official

2011-12-05T19:11:00.001-05:00

Thanks to a kick in the pants from a Harlequin-offered webinar, I've finally started an official author page on Facebook. Now I should look all professional-like, and not amateurish for just having a basic profile. Feel free to go like me!

Now I have to update my website (which really needs a full overhaul) and this blog, which I should integrate into the actual website. I just have to find—say it with me now—TIME.

The blog tour for Under the Moon continues. The paperback actually releases tomorrow! Yay!

Tomorrow I'm also starting a giveaway through Goodreads, with TWO copies of Under the Moon in paperback. Check it out!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Under the Moon

by Natalie J. Damschroder

Giveaway ends December 23, 2011.

See the giveaway details
at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Anyway, back to the blog tour! Yesterday I had an interview at Books Books the Magical Fruit (hee!). A copy of Under the Moon is being given away there, too! You have until 12/11 to enter.

Today I was interviewed at Workaday Reads, and tomorrow you can find me at Laura Kaye's blog. I have ANOTHER interview on Thursday at Manga Maniac Cafe. You guys are going to know ALL about me by the time this is over! The cool thing is that there's little overlap in the questions, except those that pertain to the details of the book.

On Thursday I'm also at Attacking the Page, this time with a guest post about my road to romantic adventure, and featuring my other fall release, Behind the Scenes.

I can't believe that by the end of the week, it will be nearly halfway through December. Fphoy! And no, I'm not ready for Christmas. We didn't get the tree yet, or start shopping, or do any decorating. It still feels too early!

I can't finish up this post without mentioning last week's episode of Supernatural. I can't believe I'm saying this... I never thought I could be okay with Bobby dying. (Not that we know what his final status is. Gotta have that midseason cliffhanger, after all.) But the episode was so beautifully done, and so well acted all around, that I was strangely satisfied at the end. No negative feelings from me, no matter what's about to happen.

Okay, I am freaking STARVING, so I'm off to make some dinner before How I Met Your Mother starts. Gotta go find out if Robin has any clue which guy is responsible for her pregnancy. :)

Yay, December!

2011-12-02T19:24:00.000-05:00

Can I tell you how happy I am that it's December?

There's no real reason. Well, okay, there is. But even if there wasn't, December would still be one of my favorite months, along with May and October. (My least favorites are March and November, with April tagging along with them and February maybe joining the group periodically.) I just like those months, the way you like a certain pillow or tree or painting.

Of course, I'm predisposed to December because it holds my birthday as well as Christmas. I don't care if I get any presents, I just love not having to do any chores on my birthday. I get to take the day off from work this year, and I'll sleep in, get a nice breakfast made for me, watch some TV and read and maybe go to a movie and out to dinner. It's always awesome, even the year my husband was sick in bed all day and I was recovering from a mega-migraine from the day before. I just sat in a chair and read all day, napping a little in the late afternoon.

I also love December because I feel like big things are going to happen. Sometimes they do, like a book contract or babies being born. Sometimes big things that aren't good happen, like my mother's terminal cancer diagnosis or a rejection from a publisher I was hopeful about. But it's not really about what will or will not happen, it's about the anticipation of it.

That's what I'm going to focus on. :)

Getting Under the Moon

2011-11-29T17:54:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone is getting back to "normal" after the holiday weekend. My kids are back to school, but struggling with the shift in sleeping patterns again, and of course the calendar is full until January. Not as full as it used to be, and not as full as some other people's, but full enough.

Guess what I did on Saturday? NOTHING. I didn't work (no immediate deadlines), I didn't clean (no guests on Sunday), I didn't cook. Wait, maybe I cooked. Yeah, pasta with garlic and broccoli. Easy stuff. I didn't do yardwork (should have, it was nice out) or put up Christmas decorations (way too early!).

I spent the vast majority of Saturday reading. Yep. I read all of Trinity Faegan's The Mephisto Covenant: The Redemption of Ajax. I was a little apprehensive, because I loved her Bombshells (published under Stephanie Feagan) and I've anticipated this book for so. damned. long. But it actually exceeded my expectations, and my only gripe is, of course, that I have to wait a whole year to get the next one.

You know how my number one thing I'm thankful for last week was that Under the Moon became available on Amazon? Well now it's available all over the place! Look for it on All Romance eBooks, Fresh Fiction, Books on Board, or your favorite e-book retailer. Barnes & Noble doesn't have it up yet, but I guess that's why they're lagging behind in the e-book race. :(

The paperback will be available next week! You can read an excerpt at the book page on Entangled's website.

Today I'm talking about how I decided on character occupations over at The Book Boost.

Tomorrow you can find an interview posted at Jeanz Book Read N Review. Thursday another interview will be posted at Rage, Sex and Teddy Bears. (Man, I love that blog's name!!!) We wrap it up on Friday with a guest appearance at Lucy Felthouse's. The cool thing is that all of these interviewers ask me different questions (there's occasional overlap, but not much!). They are very skilled! :)

Off to take Number One for a haircut, then back to work on copyedits for Acceptable Risks, my romantic adventure with Carina Press coming out next April. (Let me say that title was incredibly difficult to come up with, but oh-so-obvious once I did! Thank you, Carina PTB for choosing it from my list! :) )

I Don't Remember What I Was Going to Call This Post

2011-11-25T19:16:00.000-05:00

This is the life of someone who blogs: Whenever you're doing something worth writing a post about, you think up the post while you do it. Am I right? You have the title and image layouts all planned, and some of the jokes or descriptions.

Unfortunately, if you can't actually write the post for a week, you forget all the details. Was I going to call it "This Would Exhaust Anyone" or "Annual Autumn Satisfaction" or Annual Autumn something cool that is completely irretrievable now.

*sigh*

Anyway.

Last Saturday was yardwork intensive. While Numbers One and Two and their father raked the backyard, I cleaned the gutters.

I love heights, so this is my job a few times a year. It would be safest to go up the ladder, clear what I can reach, go down the ladder, move it... But do you know how many friggin' hours that would take?! So I just sit on the roof, lean over to pull the leaves, maple seeds, and shingle grit mud out, then slide down a few feet and repeat.

The hard part is the trees. See the spruce poking up over the left side? We have those at three corners. They have more tree above the roofline than below it. If I don't take the clippers, hand saw, or chain saw up with me, I get poked all over the face and head by branches I'm ducking to reach the clogged downspouts.

I'm also very out of shape. My shoulders were super sore after I was done. Exacerbated by the raking I followed it with, as we swept 11 piles of leaves onto the tarp and dragged it up the hill to the front of the house four times.

Here's the result:

It's the biggest pile on the street, maybe the biggest we've ever had (there are a few feet to the right you can't see). We got to do all the leaves at once this year, due to the snow and wind and delayed pickup schedule. And we only have three maple trees! I always feel bad for people who have twice as many or even more. But then, those people probably cheat and use leafblowers or riding mowers, anyway. Our neighbor uses a massive riding mower for his 1/8-acre lawn. I have to admit, it looks gorgeous right now, like a carpet. But it's funny.

So that's our rite of passage into winter. Despite mild temps this weekend, we're bracing ourselves for a wet, heavy season. Hopefully, we get a few weeks off before the snow starts. Oh, wait...

My Thankful List

2011-11-24T20:49:00.001-05:00

1. Under the Moon on Amazon!
Just in time for Black Friday shopping! Get yourself a little treat. :) (It should soon be available in other e-book venues like B&N and Books on Board, etc.)

2. My Family
My amazing kids, who went all out for me for the GISHWHES yesterday (post with pics coming soon), and my long-suffering husband, who never fails to support me and make me smile. Not to mention my delightful in-laws, with whom we spent a lovely day, and my great father, stepmother, and brother—our phone calls today made it perfect.

3. My Clients
I'm so lucky to have such professional, smart, easy people to work with, even if they somehow always manage to dump on me at the same time. :)

4. My Editors and Publishers
Elizabeth Bass and Kerri-Leigh Grady are treasures. If I ever take one of them for granted, someone should tie me to a stake, cover me in bird seed, and let loose a herd of squirrels. (Squirrels don't congregate, so you know if they're in a herd, they're crazy.)

I'm also oh-so-thankful to be part of such fantastic publishers as Amber Quill Press, Carina Press, and Entangled Publishing. (In alphabetical order, as well as order of relationship. :) ) In the wild upheaval that is publishing today, I'm lucky to have these partnerships.

5. About 50 Gagillion Hours of TV Recorded
And now I'm going to go relax and watch some. :)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

It May Actually NOT Be a Train!

2011-11-19T11:41:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Though I might have put my editor into a coma. That would be a bad thing.

I actually got to watch some TV last night. OMG! BOBBY! I was in so much shock I couldn't have an emotional reaction to it. The one thing they could never, ever do, and it looked like they did it. Much like at the end of season 2, however, we knew there was one more episode before hiatus (well, those of us who watch Nikita knew that), so I held my breath until the preview for the next ep. As soon as Dean said he was breathing, I could, too. They just CAN'T kill Bobby! Again, I mean. For real.

This weekend will be for catchup. Leaf raking, gutter cleaning, the 44 e-mails I've put off while I focused like a laser. Shopping, which might be a little fun rather than tedious and frustrating. We'll see. School play tonight. Number One wasn't involved this year, but one of her best friends was, so we'll go to see her.

Today I'm also blogging at Fresh Fiction about pets. My mother-in-law had a funny story so I stole it. I also shared some pictures of our cats. Come tell me your pet stories, and enter to win an e-copy of Under the Moon. That second link is directly to the contest page, so you can go directly there if you don't have a comment for the blog page.

Tomorrow I'm interviewed at Flutey Words. Aubrie asks some really great questions!

Okay, that's all for now. I'm off to find a pair of jeans without holes. Wish me luck!

Ubiquitous Me

2011-11-15T21:58:00.000-05:00

My fantastic publicist, Roxanne Rhoads, informed me that her interview is in the new issue of Night Owl Reviews Digital Magazine. If that's not a big draw, read it for the interviews with other urban fantasy authors, an article on Allison Brennan, and much, much more!

I posted a deleted scene from Under the Moon at Everybody Needs a Little Romance today.

I'm also at Castles and Guns talking about quirky traits. Come see what mine is and tell me what yours are.

And if you missed my radio guest spot with the fantabulous BK Walker, you can still hear it on demand right here.

Soccer-Filled Weekend

2011-11-14T00:23:00.001-05:00

The soccer season is usually over the first weekend in November, but thanks to Tropical Storm Lee and the Snowstorm of October, we ended up having two games for each kid this weekend.

Both kids' teams had some pretty big obstacles this year. For Number Two, they had a new coach whose mom died a couple of weeks into the season, so she missed a lot of practices. They'd lost four players and taken on a couple of new ones, and the weather canceled a lot of practices. They had a really hard time meshing. But last week and this week they really came together. They'd gained confidence and comfort with each other, and played hard, coming up with enough wins to finish in second place in their division. The detail Number two is proudest of is Goals Against. She and her co-goalie held 7 opponents to a total of 7 goals.

Number One had different challenges. She had the same coach she's had since fifth grade (he's the best coach in the world, I swear!), but because of a big dropoff in participation at this level, they cobbled together a U19 team that had one senior, a handful of juniors, sophomores, and freshmen, and three 8th graders. Most of the girls hadn't played together, and they faced the same scheduling issues. Number One missed one game due to a groin pull and ankle injury, and was hobbled in others for the same reasons. Yesterday (Saturday), they played with only 7 players against 9 on a field sized for 11 on a side. They didn't win any games, didn't even score more than one goal all season, but they never gave up, never backed down. Today they played fiercely against an overly aggressive team. I'm incredibly proud of them and so glad Number One had the opportunity to play.

Number Two is in fine shape (though she might be sore tomorrow), but Number One is pretty battered. Yesterday she played in goal and was magnificent, but she had a "save" blocking the ball with her abdomen, which now hurts when she sneezes, coughs, or laughs, and tweaked a hamstring. The hamstring wasn't much of an issue today because she got kicked in the kneecap, so that pain overwhelmed the hammy. She can barely walk tonight. But she wears her injuries as badges of honor, so who can complain? She can rest for the next six weeks, until indoor soccer starts. :)

The blog tour continues! Today (Monday!) I'll be at Rosalie Lario's blog, where I talk about why I set my books where I do, and at Rachel Firasek's blog, participating in her month of thanks with a thank-you letter to my mom, who died long before she got to see me reach this level of success.

Tonight (Monday! I'm really messed up writing this post at midnight-ish) I'm doing a radio interview with BK Walker at 6:00 p.m. EST. Tell your friends, and come give a listen!

Now I am off to bed, visions of my Patriots' win over the Jets dancing in my head. :)

Supernatural and Soccer and Scrambling

2011-11-12T08:57:00.001-05:00

What did you think of last night's episode of Supernatural? I did a recap and review over at Supernatural Sisters. Come chat!

This is going to be a super-busy weekend. We have two soccer games today, followed immediately by a managers' dinner for my husband's work. Two more soccer games tomorrow, one of them an hour away, plus family coming over so we have to do housecleaning in the morning. But this is the LAST soccer weekend! We can start sleeping in on weekends again, and I can use them to catch up on all the work I didn't get done during the week.

Actually, things have slowed down a bit. My promotional commitments are spread out so I don't feel so scrambly. (You can find me at Paranormal Romantics tomorrow and Rosalie Lario's blog [check out her gorgeous new cover today!] on Monday. Monday I also have a thank-you letter posted Rachel Firasek's blog on Monday. She's doing a whole month of thank-yous, and some of them have been heart-wrenching. You should go read them.

My client work is steady but I'm not under an outrageous (self-imposed!) deadline. I'm awaiting some edits on one book and a revision letter on another, but while I wait for those, I have to put a pause on writing the third goddess book, just in case they think I went off the rails on book 2. So I actually have some time to hang out! Kind of. I'm at least going to try to check in on the blogosphere and do some catching up there.

Now that I've thoroughly jinxed myself, I'm off to the soccer game!

The 11-11-11 Singularity

2011-11-10T19:09:00.001-05:00

I wondered what to call tomorrow, when the dates all line up, and got caught up in this page. Interesting stuff, that all comes down to essentially nothing. :)

But there is one way 11-11-11 is extremely meaningful to people in my life.

I work at a chiropractor, and the three doctors use bubble forms for each patient. You know, like students use for standardized testing? They are SO EXCITED to be able to just draw one line across for the date bubbles. They'll never be that lucky again.

The even better part is that it's a Friday, when we have the most patients. Maximization! :)

Is 11/11/11 going to be special for you in any way?

I will be blogging at Romance Junkies tomorrow, and then very late in the evening, it will be my turn to post the recap/review of Supernatural at Supernatural Sisters. I've been trying SO HARD to avoid spoilers for this episode, but I opened a Google alert for one of the boys and saw the major detail I didn't want to know. *scowl* I shall endeavor to enjoy it anyway. Come over and chat about the show and let us know what you think!

Poking My Head Out for a Sec

2011-11-08T15:46:00.001-05:00

I've been in self-imposed, work-induced exile for so long, I have no idea what's going on with anyone. I have to change that soon. I don't know when. Last night I dreamed my publicist kept filling up my inbox with commitments. It was empty when I woke up, but that's just an invitation.

Tuesdays kind of suck. I didn't work at the day job as late as I normally do, but even so, I'm behind. But I guess I'd be a lot behinder if I'd worked an hour and a half longer.

My DVR is dying. It's one of the crappy DirecTV refurbished ones they send free, and it was refurbished in 2007, and it gobbles up chunks of recorded shows if you don't watch them in, like, one day. Which pisses me off because I won't be able to watch this season's Supernatural episodes again until the DVDs come out. I have to call to get a replacement DVR, but we're SO behind on recorded shows because I've been working too much. Maybe we can catch up during hiatus.

I have to say, I'm really enjoying Pan Am, a lot more than I expected. We like Unforgettable, too, mainly because of Poppy Montgomery. Her ability is cool, but other than that, it's just like any other cop show. The supporting cast is distinctive, though, and has potential to grow on us like Ryan and Esposito did on Castle. I originally thought them bland.

Bones is back, and I liked the premiere—the new dynamic between Booth and Brennan has made the show fresh again—but I can't stop thinking about how they cheated the audience. I'm a latecomer and a casual fan, so how must the rabid fans feel about never having gotten that first REAL kiss, never being able to see them fall over the edge into real love?

I'm gonna stop there because I could talk TV all day. LOL I have a ton of work to do!

Tomorrow, I'll be a guest at Leah Braemel's blog, talking about... *digs around* ...the kinds of books we read and how we choose what to read next. Come tell me what you've been reading that's good so I can add to my TBR list! :)

Thursday I'll be doing a speed date at Romance Junkies. Each person gets to ask two questions.

Then I have a regular post at Romance Junkies' main blog on Friday!

Year-End Splash Party!

2011-11-04T14:45:00.000-04:00

Just a few quick updates...

The Romance Reviews YES! Party is underway! Today I have a question in the Q&A section, which gives you more clicks to play the game, which enters you into the prize drawings! Have fun! :)

Tomorrow I'll be at Fang-tastic talking about amusing errors or something.

Monday come join me, Lisa Kessler, Sarah Gilman, Darynda Jones, and L. Anne Carrington for a chat at Night Owl Romance.

~~~~
Wow. I was tired last night. I never finished this post! I think I'll just post it now and pretend that was my intent...

Yesterday's Near-Death Experiences

2011-11-02T16:38:00.000-04:00

Today I am nowhere but here. Tomorrow I will be at The Qwillery, so come join us! I'm giving away a gift certificate to the online bookstore of your choice.

So yesterday morning, I arrived at work and hit the bottom step to the employee entrance. In a split second, that foot shot sideways, and I came down on my shin (dented, bruised) and knee (scraped, bruised, still achy). The knee slam aggravated my right hip, too.

On the way home last night, I'm driving along, slowing as I near a busy intersection. Now, I'm on a major road that has no stop signs or stop lights for at least 5 miles. There were cars ahead of me and behind me, and stopped on either side, exiting side roads. I locked on the guy on my right for some reason, maybe his car was inching out. He was watching to his right. You know how you just KNOW something is going to happen, even if you don't think it in so many words?

Yeah, he pulled out, still not looking in my direction, making a left turn across my lane. I did the slam-and-swerve, as his rear fender filled my vision. I had two seconds of resignation, sure I was going to spin him around, but I swear I missed his bumper by just a couple of inches. I thought he bumped me on the way by because my car lurched, but it was either my car settling after the violent stop, or the car behind me bumped me. I actually have no idea if there was a car behind me, because I was too busy watching the jackass in my rearview mirror, continuing on down the road without even a flash of brakes.

Guess I jammed my right wrist and the seatbelt had fun with my left shoulder and neck. Those are better than they were last night, but still twingy. And I'm still pissed at the MFer who can't look both ways.

And THEN! This is the best one. I was sitting at the dining room table, using my laptop. Frisbee jumped up behind me, as she is wont to do, and stretched up to put her paws on my shoulders. Then she tried to sit back down, but her claws got caught in my sweater. I gagged and choked a "help!" until Number Two came out to unhook those claws I couldn't reach.

*glares at needy cat*

What? I wanted petting.

So far, today has been a much safer day.

What's your most memorable near-death experience?

Do You NaNo?

2011-11-01T07:15:00.000-04:00

Today is one day after release day, and I hit #2 on the Carina most popular chart! Woo hoo!

I'll be featured by Carina Press this afternoon, with a post on their blog and some stuff on Twitter and Facebook.

I'm also participating this month in The Romance Reviews YES! Party (Year End Splash party). My Q&A days are Nov. 4 and 23, but there are a ton of authors participating, with bigger tons of prizes available.

So who's doing NaNoWriMo this year?

In 2006, I did my first NaNo with Under the Moon. That book got me an agent and lots of good responses from publishers, but we were submitting a genre-fence-riding book when the bottom fell out of the market, so I didn't find a publisher for it until Entangled, who was willing to offer a contract and then get me off the fence. (It's now planted on the "romance" side, though still leaning on the "urban fantasy" fence. :) )

I participated in and won NaNo for the next five years. One year, both my kids did it with me. After Number Two decided she didn't like writing after all, it was just Number Two, who ALWAYS finished before me, the stinker. I think she's doing it this year, but I'm not.

It makes me sad, in a way. Five years with a certain atmosphere in my house, an excited urgency driving us. There's a fantastic camaraderie with other NaNo participants, and always people whose word counts challenge me (and, occasionally, vice versa!). I'll really miss it!

But I'm not complaining about why I'm missing it. Promotion for two book releases, a double deadline with two publishers...triple if you count book 3 of Goddesses Rising, which isn't due for a few months but I'm working on it every day. I didn't wait until today to start it, or I'd be doing THAT for NaNo. :)

So how many of you are participating? Have you done it before? What's your record? Let us cheer you on!

Behind the Scenes Release Day!

2011-10-31T07:07:00.000-04:00

It's release day!

You can buy it at
Carina Press
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
All Romance eBooks

and anywhere e-books are sold!

Kennedy Smyth's firm provides security for companies and charities in seriously dangerous countries. She doesn't usually take on "frivolous" jobs, but when an old friend asks her to protect his son's movie shoot, she finds it hard to refuse. Also hard to resist is the film's charismatic star, Rogan St. James. The handsome actor piques her interest, while the strange actions of the terrorist threatening the set raise her suspicions.

Even though he's a successful actor, Rogan wants more—a real woman to love, the type he doesn't think exists...until he meets Kennedy. She intrigues him with her confidence and passion for her work, and frustrates him with her refusal to let him get close.

But Kennedy finds herself in a vulnerable position when she discovers that the terrorist isn't actually out to derail the film. She's the real target—and if he finds out how much Rogan means to her, he could be next...

I'm still answering questions through the end of today at the Goodreads Ask an Author, Win a Book thread.

The Romance Studio's Spookapalooza is still going on! You can vote for your favorite author and register to win prizes. It runs through today.

And I'm blogging today at Isn't it Romance. I don't remember what I said. So come be surprised with me! LOL

Back to the Genius of Borax

2011-10-29T18:17:00.000-04:00

Today has turned into quite a different day than I'd planned.

I've spent a lot of time at the Goodreads Q&A, and doing other promotion. There's an intense discussion going on one of my publisher e-mail loops, and I helped a friend with a query.

When I made lunch, I ended up watching two episodes of The Mentalist. (The last one had the police chief from "Dead on the Water" AND Henry Thomas from ET!) Those took longer than normal because the power kept flicking off, then back on. Thank goodness my computer is on a power supply!

Oh, and I posted a lot on Twitter and Facebook.

So even though I got up early and didn't have to spend 160 minutes on soccer, I've only crossed 4 out of 11 things of my to-do list. But I've had a heckuva lot of fun. :)

So let's get on to Supernatural!!!

I so loved "Slash Fiction." I mean, it was awful to spend every minute thinking Sheriff Jody was really a Leviathan. (I'm still not convinced she was Jody, even though I really, really hope she was!) But the way she looked at Bobby, and the way he interacted with her, was delightful.

And I didn't like that Sam found out about Dean's lie about Amy, and that he took off. But I'm strangely less bothered than I should be. I mean, in past years, I HATED the secrets and lies. And this year they've been trying hard not to do that. But Sam's reaction was so appropriate, and Dean's response just as much so, that I couldn't be annoyed. Dean accepted Sam's anger as his due, but not in the crushed, defensive, despairing way, because he believed in what he did.

In fact, I think Dean has a new level of confidence. Not just the "good at my job" confidence and "sugar for every woman's tea" cockiness, but a deeper acceptance of himself. It's partly in the writing, but mostly in Jensen's oh-so-awesome acting.

(I could be full of it, projecting, seeing ridiculous subtext that's not there. I'd love to know if anyone agrees with me. Even if you don't, I get silly-happy imagining Jensen hearing my thoughts and being thrilled that I saw what he was trying to do. LOL)

I loved the way they handled the Leviathans. There's no story breakdown here. No holes or convenient leaps of logic. These beings are natural, powerful, ancient, there's no lore on them because they haven't been part of our world since we started creating lore. But 800-year-old witches are extremely powerful, so we can buy that they have a spell that would paralyze any enemy and lock down its powers. You don't live to be 800 without serious defensive magic, right?

Bobby pointed out, "You can bleed...you can die." All living creatures can die, and even ones who aren't truly "living" can die, too. It's part of God's creation signature. :) And everything has a weakness, usually one that occurs naturally (not counting holy water). Salt defeats demons and ghosts, silver gets shapeshifters and werewolves, iron harms ghosts and fairies. In real life, there is PLENTY that occurs naturally that poisons humans and animals and even plants. It's part of the circle of life, right?

So I got really excited when Bobby told Dean to use sodium borate. It's naturally occurring (from, according to Wikipedia, the repeated evaporation of seasonal lakes), just like salt. But not as common and low-brow as salt, just like the Leviathans are not common and low-brow.

The Big-Mouth Bobby experimented on was awesome. I love that these guys are smart. "Mensa Monsters," Bobby called them. They're smart-mouth, too, but not in the sneering, derisive way demons are, which showcases their insecurities and envy. No, the Leviathans are confident in their ability to take care of any potential threat. Even once that threat stepped up their game and took heads.

How funny was Bobby, slicing that guy's head off? "It's a start."

We got to meet the leader of the Levs. He was slick and in charge, as you'd expect, but slick and in charge as a human, too, which is not so much as I expected. Which makes me wonder how long he's been out there. I mean, sure, the other Levs gained knowledge and ability with each body they emulated, but I find it a little hard to believe this guy could just slide into the body of a...what? Respected politician? Billionaire businessman (my guess)?...without anyone being suspicious. There'd have to be SOME inconsistencies. So I suspect he may have been out of purgatory for a long time.

By the time a show reaches season 7, clip shows are inevitable. Most sitcoms and dramas do either a non-fiction retrospective, where they separate the episode into themes and include clips to illustrate those themes, or do, like, 5 minutes of new material that's essentially "remember when" intros of the clips. Supernatural is flawlessly integrating clips—teeny, tiny pieces you almost have to work to place, sometimes—into all-new episodes. It marries nostalgia with story progression, and I love it!

Which brings me to the other nostalgia factor in "Slash Fiction." Number One mentioned it first. I'd noticed it, but on a more subconscious level. Consciously, I was just thinking, "Jericho, that's significant because it's prominent on the bank wall, but why is it familiar?" I was thinking of the short-lived TV show, of course. But Number One immediately said "I just flashed to Ron and the laser eyes!" And sure enough, that whole scene was reminiscent of "Nightshifter."

How clever is that? They were in Jericho, where "Pilot" took place, but evoked "Nightshifter" in Milwaukee. Conor's Diner in St. Louis reminded me of the diner in "Mystery Spot," as well as the one in "Mommy Dearest." And once they were arrested in Ankeny, Iowa (I had to get my DVDs to look that one up—"Hookman," for anyone else who couldn't remember), it was eerily similar to "Jus in Bello" while also bringing to mind "The Usual Suspects." Just small, subtle touches that gave the whole episode a comfy feel. :)

I'll finish up with the best part of all: Dean singing "I'm All Out of Love" so passionately! The look on his face when he sang, and when he tried not to let Sam see, and when Sam did see, and the look on Sam's face, so confused and disgusted. We laughed so hard! Man, I love these guys.

Okay, I think I've exhausted my supply of gushiness. Any comments on the episode? What do you think of the season so far?

WTF Weather, Ask an Author, and BORAX, BABY!

2011-10-29T11:03:00.000-04:00

SO much to talk about today!

As many of you know, the northeast is experiencing or anticipating a massive snowstorm today. This isn't the earliest I've had one, but the early October three-footer was in upstate (Albany area) New York in 1987. So this is significant.

We got notice last night that Number Two's soccer game was probably going to be canceled. It was a 9:00 game, 40 minutes away, so we had to leave by 7:40 a.m. I got up at 6 to see if they'd officially canceled, and there was no word. So we went.

Number One bundled up in sweats over jeans, three pairs of socks in my waterproof construction boots, a long-sleeved shirt under her sweatshirt under her father's sweatshirt that he's never going to see again. Number Two caved and wore her under-armour-style leggings. We headed out.

And got about 4 miles before we got the phone call. Really? Come on, people!

The battery for our camera is completely dead, and I'm not sure where the charger is, so here are some crappy cell phone pictures of the view through my office window (in the basement):

Taken at 9:28 a.m., just as it started snowing big, fat flakes that you can't see at all.

Taken at 10:08 a.m.

Taken at 10:52 a.m., already over an inch of fluffy snow on the ground

I do believe we may get that 6–10 inches after all! So much for my scoffing on Tuesday, when it was a 50% chance of happening at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~
I am having a GREAT time today in the Ask an Author, Win a Book Corner at Goodreads today! This lasts October 29–31, so come on over, read the great questions and my hopefully not lame answers, and maybe ask a couple of questions of your own.

Tomorrow I'll be at the Coffee Thoughts blog at Coffee Time Romance, with posts throughout the day. Regular posts, excerpts, blurbs, and books I've recently loved.

~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm dying to talk about last night's Supernatural, but it will be looong, so I'll do a new post. Look for it later today! (Preview: OMG Borax is ingenious!)

And the Blogging Explosion Begins...

2011-10-27T00:01:00.003-04:00

First, let me remind people that if you'd like to receive my (very occasional) announcement newsletter, you can sign up here. If my subscription base reaches 150 by 10/31, I'll give away a paperback copy of Brianna's Navy SEAL to one of you. (It's brutal trying to rebuild a subscriber base when you change systems! :( )

Okay, now. The touring stuff. I mean blogging stuff. I mean, the total insanity that comes with having two books released at the same time, and having a publicist who is really good at her job.

Today I start off blogging with the funny, frisky, fabulous Cathy Pegau. Cathy, that's a better 3F, huh? :) (Want to know what I'm talking about? Click the link!)

As an aside, there are very few F adjectives that are not negative. I don't like that. F is a cool letter. :(

Today I'm also featured at Read All Over Reviews as part of the 31 Days of Halloween. (Should be up about 10:00 a.m. EDT)

Tomorrow you can find me in Katie Reus's Monster Mash-Up.

This weekend brings The Romance Studio's 2nd Annual Spookapalooza. I'll post stuff there through the weekend, as will tons of other great authors.

And finally (for now), I'm the featured author at Coffee Thoughts, the Coffee Time Romance blog, on Sunday, October 30.

Monday, Behind the Scenes releases, and then the REAL fun begins!

I need a nap.

When Your Car is 13 Years Old...

2011-10-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

...you can expect things like this to happen.

On the way to work this morning, all of a sudden, when I stepped on the gas after slowing down, my car started shuddering. It was sluggish and vibrating until it hit third gear, and then the transmission smoothed out. I was going to try to make it to work, but then the check engine light started flashing. Greaaaat.

Called work. Called dealership. Called AAA. Thought, "Hey, I wanted more reading time. This will give it to me." That cheered me up a bit. (FYI, I was reading Something to Talk About by MJ Fredrick, a wonderful contemporary romance I didn't expect to make me want to play hooky!)

Then I had to go to the bathroom. I was parked in a residential area, no gas stations or fast food restaurants nearby. So I walked up to the elementary school half a block away and played on their sympathies. Luckily, they let me in. While I was in the bathroom, AAA called to say the tow truck would be 20-30 minutes.

When I left, it was raining. THAT made me madder than the car did, because my hair looked great this morning. For about half an hour. Then it frizzed and went limp. Yes, both at the same time.

So I get back to the car and start tweeting about it breaking down. I barely get three words typed out when the tow truck driver calls, looking for me. He's right there! After only 10 minutes! So no reading time. :(

Amazingly, I got to work only an hour late, and the problem was gummed-up spark plugs and failing spark plug wires. I can't get my car back until tomorrow, but at least I don't need a whole new transmission or something.

In the meantime, looky what I got!

I'm at ParaYourNormal Today!

2011-10-17T17:48:00.000-04:00

ParaYourNormal - Where Para is our Normal!: Interview with Natalie Damschroder

Come read about my inspiration, when I knew I was a writer, and some details about my upcoming books...including a question no interviewer has ever asked me before!

Jensen Made Me Cry

2011-10-15T16:13:00.000-04:00

Carina Press is at Comic-Con in NYC this weekend, and to celebrate, you can get 40% off until tomorrow, 10/16! You can pre-order Behind the Scenes! Good idea, go do it! :)

Amber Quill Press, which publishes a great deal of my backlist, is the featured publisher at All Romance eBooks this month. Read about the company, and get discounts on some of the books (click the banner ad at the top of the page)!

~~~~~~~~~~
I'm feeling a little bit lighter today. I have a major client project completed, and submitted Heavy Metal to my editor, two weeks ahead of deadline (I'm so proud). So now I have to dive into promotion for my upcoming releases, and there is always more client work, but I'm taking the rest of the day "off." After grocery shopping and buying ink and toner for my double-dead printers, I'll watch Thor with Number One, and maybe Supernatural again, too, since she missed it last night.

I loved last night's episode. Not necessarily the "hunt" part of it, though I loved Sam trying to be lawyerly (really, Sam? "That's not fair!"? Is that really a good reason for objection in a court ruled by a capricious god?). Jensen Ackles...oh, my god, the talent. He consistently breaks my friggin' heart, and when Dean and Jo confronted each other in the hotel room, and she was being forced to kill him similarly to how she died, it wasn't heartbreak, it was heartsqueezedbymonsterclaws.

I also loved the quick bursts of montage, all the bits of Jo's past episodes (no "Born Under a Bad Sign," though, I was disappointed) and the people whose deaths Dean feels responsible for.

Is it me, or does this season have more weight than past seasons? It's hard to explain, because they've dealt with really bad Big Bads, and had the apocalypse with the fate of the entire world on their shoulders, and that's pretty heavy. But it's more about tone than content, I think. I'm liking it.

I also like that Sam's apparently been purged by the fires of hell, without the angsty guilt that's driven him his whole life. That's a nice new side of Sammy that might be fun to watch. I have a feeling Dean's going to continue in the other direction. Sam's getting impatient with Dean's drinking, and the "third witness" issue won't be going away. That's one thing I'm NOT looking forward to, is the rift when Sam finds out.

Other shows I'm digging right now? Not many, I'm afraid, but mostly because I'm so far behind. Working every night, no TV, DVR is filling up. But I have kept up with Nikita, and I swoon over the Nikki/Mikey/Birkhoff (Birky?) alliance every week.

I liked the first episode of Pan Am, which I wasn't going to try until I heard it compared to Alias. It was sleek and well done, but had a patina of artificiality and a few too many cliches, so we'll see if it holds me.

Person of Interest (saw one episode) didn't separate itself from the pack of crime procedurals. Prime Suspect (one ep) did, but not in a good way. It was pretty jarring to have this huge sexist layer that none of the other CPs have. In comedies, I like New Girl okay, and I'll keep watching, but won't miss it if it goes away. Can't stand Happy Endings anymore, so I quit it, and didn't like Two Broke Girls at all.

I kind of want to try Suburgatory because it has Alan Tudyk. Anyone watching it? It just got a full season pickup.

What's floating your boat this TV season?

Versatile Blogger Award

2011-10-04T23:55:00.001-04:00

A whole long week ago, the very cool Stacy McKitrick of Stacy's Rantings and Whatnot gave me this award.

Thank you, Stacy!

I thing "versatile" is a nice way of saying "unfocused and disorganized," but hey, that's what I'm going for, so yay me! :)

Here are the provisions of the award:

Thank and link to the person who nominates you.
Thanks again, Stacy! I was excited to discover her funny and interesting blog. Go check it out! Note: She's much better at brevity than I am.

Share seven random facts about you.

Hmmmm. That's always so hard! I'm sure I'll end up repeating stuff.

1. When I was around 6 or 7 years old, my best friend David Pleau and I used to pretend to be Steve Austin and Jamie Summers (Somers?). You know, the Six-Million-Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman? We made my little brother Andy be Oscar Goldman. You know the phrase "scarred for life"? Yeah, that's just about the epitome. Thirty-seven years old and he's still not over it.

Speaking of my brother...

2. He and his wife just had a new baby girl! Yeah-huh, that is too about me. I'm an aunt again, for the...thirteenth time. My mother would get a kick out of that number. :)

3. My first boyfriend was in sixth grade. He gave me candy or gum at school every day, and a tarnished necklace that he sent a friend to ask for back when he decided he didn't want to go out with me anymore. I told the friend to tell him to come ask for it himself. Pretty brave of me, considering he probably broke up with me 'cuz I could hardly look at him, I was so shy. We had one "date" at a roller rink.

4. I've owned one new car in my life. My first one. After Number Two was born, husband traded my car in for his company car, and I got his year-old Toyota Corolla, which is now 13 and counting. Because of the company cars, he's on his fourth new one. Number One is going to inherit the Corolla next year, and hopefully I'll finally get a second new car that *I* get to pick out *myself*.

5. I've never lived completely on my own. For a woman as fiercely independent as I am, that kind of galls. I wouldn't trade any of my choices for anything, but it's weird when I think about it. I had roommates in college, of course, and housemates at one summer job. I rented a basement room from a woman during my National Geographic Society internship, then moved straight in with my fiancé when that was over. Ideally, I never will live on my own, but it definitely conjures some "what if" scenarios from time to time.

6. I'm a bit compulsive about my e-mail inbox. I keep things in there if they need my attention, or if I read them on my laptop and they need to be saved on the desktop. As soon as something is addressed, it's gone. So I get intense satisfaction out of that 0 on my e-mail counter. It never lasts, alas, and often I end up putting off important tasks because I just can't take having anything in my inbox anymore.

7. I'm addicted to football podcasts. Specifically, ESPN's Football Today and the podcasts put out by the New England Patriots, mainly PFW in Progress.

(I think I just accidentally typed ALT+P or something, and this published early! Dammit!)

The writers of Patriots Football Weekly are raunchy and juvenile, they fight a lot and go on and on about the stupidest things. But I love them. I get all my New England Patriots news from them, and when I catch up to the podcasts and have nothing to listen to, I pout. Never mind the 1728 songs in my music library. Gimme my talk Internet radio!

Pass this Award along to 15 recently discovered blogs and let them know about it!
Oy. I've been soooooo busy* I haven't even had time to read the blogs I discovered years ago, never mind found new ones. But Stacy has a really long, great-looking blog roll, so head over there and click on a few of those.

Since I can't predict which ones y'all will click on, I can't notify anyone of the award. But I task anyone who is interested with passing it along (or appropriating it!) on my behalf. Consider it a "found blog topic." :)

Happy reading!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*In case anyone was sad that they hadn't heard me whining in a while... I'm near deadline on Heavy Metal, facing the imminent release of TWO books (Behind the Scenes on October 31, Under the Moon on November 1) and all the attendant promotional obligation, working on work for two clients currently, with three more preparing to bury in an avalanche (not complaining, really!) and dealing with all the usual day job and family obligations that never seem to get lighter even when they really should. I'm grateful it's all relatively good stuff, and I'm maintaining the balance so far. But some things I love are suffering...like this blog, and keeping up with my far-away friends. :( I miss you!

Enough with the Skeletons Already!

2011-09-30T00:01:00.001-04:00

It's a situation we've tsked for years—probably decades. Women in show business are constantly being pushed to be thinner, thinner, THINNER!!! Society condemns it, outwardly everyone talks about health and taking the pressure off, but obviously, it has just increased.

Over the last seven years, I've watched it happen with guest stars of Supernatural. They appear on the show the first time, perfectly shaped, curvy and awesome. Then they come back on the show a couple years later, or show up somewhere else, and they're half the woman they used to be. (For viewers of the show, I'm specifically thinking of Tessa and Genevieve's Ruby, but there are others.)

Men aren't excluded from this, and I'll admit to being part of the problem. They don't have to be thin, though, they have to be buff. Anyone watch The Big Bang Theory? In a recent episode, Leonard took his shirt off. These guys are supposed to be scrawny nerds, but even he was pretty buff under there. Now, working out a lot to get nice muscles, and eating more protein and veggies and fewer carbs and fats isn't a bad way to live. It's far healthier than starving yourself to be thin. But the pressure has to still be immense, and I'm sure a lot of these guys go overboard, too.

This fall, though, some actresses have gone way past thin. When Julie Bowen went on stage to accept her Emmy for Modern Family, I almost called an ambulance. How did she even manage to hold that statue with those frail, bony arms? I can't enjoy Castle anymore because I'm totally distracted by Stana Katic's struggle to talk around her massive teeth. She has no facial muscles anymore. She's all skull. It's horrifying. Now, her character almost died, so maybe things will change a little as time goes on, but yikes.

I wish I knew what to do about it. I don't want to contribute to this awful trend, but how can I contribute to reversing it?

Stinky Car Newspaper Trick

2011-09-28T20:23:00.000-04:00

I don't think I drove my car all weekend. When I got in to go to work Monday, it reeked. As if the windows had been left open in the rain, then closed for a time. Except nothing in the car was wet.

I drove with the windows open, parked under a tree at work, got in, and...ugh.

It's gotten worse every day. I checked under the hood and under the car for dead animals, but didn't see anything, and there's absolutely no odor until you open the car door. I delivered all the cardboard recycling to the township bin, hoping it was just an old pizza box. Under the boxes were blankets from last spring's soccer season. Threw those downstairs to wash. Nothing else in the trunk to smell bad.

So of course it smelled worse the next day.

I checked under the seats in case something fell out of a grocery bag. Pulled out the floor mats. Kept removing things that had no chance of being the cause:

And still it reeked.

I thought about taking it to be detailed, which would get the floors shampooed. But I don't have the time or money for that. I thought about shampooing them myself. But I don't have the time or equipment for that.

So I turned to an old remedy I've used for other things. I think it's an old Heloise tip, suggested to get cigarette smoke out of a suitcase or something.

I've...

STUFFED MY CAR WITH NEWSPAPER!

It would probably work even better if I stuffed the whole thing, but...yeah, I don't have time for that.

So I did this around 2:00 this afternoon, and when I took the pictures at 6:00, it was already working! The odor was about half ugly festering evil, half newsprint. I work at home tomorrow, so sometime in the afternoon I'll see if it worked completely. And I'll let you know!

But FYI, it totally works to get cigarette smoke out of fabrics and other items that can't be easily washed.

Anyone have a favorite Hint from Heloise?

Floods, but No Drowning

2011-09-18T15:28:00.000-04:00

I've been dreaming a lot about floods lately. Not surprising, considering Irene inundating the east coast, and more recently, Lee giving Pennsylvania the worst flooding in nearly 40 years.

Still, odd, because we weren't personally affected by the flooding. My old employer was—15 feet of water in the basement—and near my inlaws, Swatara Creek went 20 feet over flood stage (which is 7 feet). But our house/town, and my work/town, were fine. I didn't even get any water in my basement this time. *knocks on wood*

But here it's river and creek flooding. My dreams have been about ocean flooding. Not coastal...well, the first dream was coastal. I was visiting somewhere, maybe Rhode Island, and getting ready to come home, and my car got washed away and stuck on a sand dune in a pile of wreckage. I climbed down the side of the dune/wreckage and pulled it free (with my left hand). At first I thought the rear end was smashed and it was driveable, but when I pulled it free and dropped it to the sidewalk, it had key parts missing. Like wheels. So I thought, "This is stupid. Just wake up." And I did.

Last night, though...

The dream started at work. I was supposed to be working on the schedule going forward for all the new people (5, when we only have 2), but I messed it up. Then it was time to go. One of the new people was riding with me. We waited for my husband, who was driving around from the back lot, and it took too long so I decided he'd left already.

So I was driving pretty fast down the street. I saw a woman on her front lawn take a picture, aiming down the street and kind of up at the sky. I wondered what the heck she was taking. We just had pretty basic cloud cover.

Then a piece of the sky collapsed. It made me jump. I'd only seen it out of my peripheral vision, and then the sky looked whole again, like the clouds had sealed up the hole. But there had been hard matter that broke out of that hole, like snow falling off a roof, and that was weird.

Wait, it gets weirder!

My car was speeding along, and I realized the entire sky was solid. And then the road was in a giant tunnel, and pieces of the roof had broken out, and I could see light through them. The tunnel was getting narrower and narrower, but we were flying, and we were goign tcome out the end before any roof fell on us or the entire tunnel collapsed.

And then we did. We crashed into the ocean. I had time to mentally freak that the ocean was in Pennsylvania. I saw waves and a whale's tail, which told me there was no modifying this situation so we could get out of it, and I had another person in my car. All this happened in an eighth of a second, and then I slammed awake.

But as soon as I closed my eyes, it was there again, in all its detail. I was able to push it away, but the imagery and sensation lingers.

I'm pretty sure I know what it means, but I'm curious to hear other interpretations. Ready...GO! :)

Keeping-Your-Sanity Tip of the Day

2011-09-15T08:34:00.000-04:00

If you have a bottle of dish detergent—the hand-wash-dishes-in-the-sink kind—and it's almost empty, and the top of the bottle is little so you can't set it on the counter upside down, and you decide to set it in a cup so you can efficiently and frugally use every last drop of soap in the bottle—eventually—and finally you do use the last drop and now the cup is dirty...

Well.

Be warned. If you put that cup as is into the dishwasher?

You're gonna wind up with suds all over your kitchen floor.

And it's gonna be on a day your kid's homework won't print on your printer, so you have to finally get around to running to Staples to get new ink for her own printer, while it's raining and putting on a spectacular lightning show.

On the same day that same kid's soccer practice was called halfway through due to that same lightning, throwing off your entire schedule.

If you're lucky, you'll have a husband willing to stand in the kitchen for over an hour, watching the dishwasher while you run another cycle, because the leakage was just so odd, with it being mostly suds, and you found no obvious problem with the door or drain, but the unit is so freaking full of soap...

So just save yourself the trouble and rinse out the damned cup.

Captain Jack (no, the other one), The Doctor, and Other Stuff

2011-09-13T21:24:00.000-04:00

Want 20% of some of my erotic backlist AND off of Fight or Flight? Check out the sidebar for a link and discount code. This new store, eBook Eros, is also promoting marriage equality with a Free Books for Free States Drive. Check it out!

~~~~~~

I finally caught up on Torchwood. I know! I can't believe it took me so long, either. But I was disappointed at first. They got too caught up, I thought, in all the medical repercussions of immortality. That kind of dark, dismal "what-if" isn't my kind of thing in the first place, and it got a bit draggy.

(General discussion, no spoilers ahead)

And then there was the flashback episode. *guh* John Barrowman does intense like nobody's business, and I thought the casting for his lover was fantastic. With a 10-episode arc, though, I'd have preferred they got to the action a little faster, and had more Gwen and Jack and less not-Gwen-and-Jack. And there were a few threads not cleanly tied up, but I think they'll be taking those into the next season, so that's okay.

The ending was kind of brilliant. Not that I couldn't see it coming, but the *way* it happened... And again, I just love Gwen and Jack! The way they deal with everything is awesome.

~~~~~~

Speaking of brilliant... I'm loving Doctor Who this season! Some of the episodes have been haunting, lingering with me long after I watched them. The stand-alones have less impact and intensity, of course, but have still been great.

~~~~~~

I have a new cover! Look over there, to the right. I kind of snuck it on here last week, then didn't post anything new so you had a reason to come see it. My other book cover should be ready soon. Super excited for these releases!

Remember, in order to entice you into my high-stakes worlds, I'm giving away free copies of my books so you can give me a try without risk! You just need to sign up for my newsletter (see the link at the right). I promise not to inundate you with e-mails, just the occasional announcement. But I'll be giving away a book a week for 6 weeks, and right now, the odds of winning are pretty good. :)

~~~~~~

Football is back! I save this one for last so my non-football fans can tune out. New England pretty much started where they left off last year, with the same strengths on offense and weaknesses on defense.

I warned Tony Sparano. During the Dolphins admittedly impressive first drive, when he was celebrating a completed pass like they'd just won the AFC Championship, that if he blew his wad in the first quarter, it would be a really long game. But he did, and it was, and they really couldn't go the distance.

I am going to go into mourning when Wes Welker leaves the team. Bigger than after Superbowl 42. Yeah, I said it.

~~~~~~

Oooh, I lied! Best for last! Entangled Publishing is making a big announcement tomorrow. Don't miss it!

Theme: Stupidity

2011-09-04T12:40:00.000-04:00

Here's a tip: If you put the word "Spam" in the title of a blog post, it will attract spam. Who knew spam-bots were that dumb?

Who knew I was? It took me a whole month to figure out that I should just close comments on that post. *eyeroll*

I don't really like the new Blogger interface. Part of it is just familiarity, and I know I'll get used to it. But before, all the important stuff was right there, one click away. Now it's in multiple drop-down menus and you have to hunt for it. That's not an improvement. Not thrilled with quirks in composing posts, either. Very annoyed, actually.

This morning, I woke up at 6:15ish, and thought (with a long mental groan) "Ohhhh, it's Tuesday, and I have to work a double, and train, and...wait. It's only Sunday, AND I don't have to work tomorrow!" So I went back to sleep for two-and-a-half more hours. Nice!

I used to think I had long, intense, vivid, exhausting dreams when I wasn't writing. But I've BEEN writing, nonstop for weeks and weeks. Okay, revising, but isn't that the same thing? Apparently not, or I broke my brain, or the correlation was never valid in the first place. The dreams have gotten more and more vivid lately, and I wake up physically battered and just as tired as when I went to bed.

On Friday, I told our trainee that when I first started working there, I had dreams that they'd changed the information on the fee slip and I didn't know what I was supposed to be doing anymore, or they'd moved everything around in my work area, and I'd spend hours trying to set up one patient while other patients backed up around me.

That was apparently stupid, because that night, I dreamed they'd rearranged the entire area again, in a manner that was not at all beneficial for either the patients or the staff. The difference in this dream was that I wasn't alone. The regular therapy person and the trainee were both back there with me, just as annoyed and concerned. :)

I also dreamed the other night about Stephen King trying to give me a list of his SF-romance series. I know, right?! He's so pushy. ;)

Okay, that's enough randomness today. I am now off to clean/organize my office in an attempt to unclog my brain. What are YOU up to this holiday weekend?

Winners, Whining, and Whiplash

2011-08-31T20:52:00.000-04:00

Winners!
Cathy Pegau is generously awarding copies of Rulebreaker to both Misty and Jen B. Congratulations! She'll be in touch to make sure you get your prize.

Whining
This week has been so up and down.Monday started off fine, with the kids off to the first day of school. But then...

You know how my iPod got stolen and I replaced the battery in my old iPod Photo? Yeah, well, it died. So I burned a few podcasts to CD. That wouldn't last long, as I don't have that many CDs and they're only CD-Rs, but it would gave me a few days of listening during my commute. Right?

Wrong. The CD player in my car stopped working. Right about the time...

That I hit the road closure on the main road between the town where I live and the town where I work. I was half an hour late looking for a way around, because they didn't set up any detour signs.

Then my eyes went wonky. I had to keep blinking at my monitor at work to shift my contacts, but they kept sliding out of focus.

My work plan failed. Interruptions, problems, stuff I couldn't finish because I had to chase down people to ask questions, and help out in other departments because things got so busy.

Between working late, running the kids to and from the doctor (around the road closure) and soccer practice, followed by client work that had to be done, I was wiped out and couldn't write.

Whiplash
Tuesday was so much better by comparison. First, the CDs worked in my car! We had a decent detour in the morning, and the road was open by evening. Work was much smoother and productive. I had to work the morning shift and the evening shift, so in between I worked on Heavy Metal on my laptop. And Tuesdays are slow, so I got client editing done before I left.

But then I got home, with more soccer-practice-running-around and kids needing me for homework and dinner-making. Then I had half a dozen projects to edit, but lost e-mail access so I couldn't do those until today. Today was a longer day at work than it was supposed to be (due to training a new person), MORE chauffeuring, and more dinner-making. (Why do we have to eat, huh?)

So here I am, nearly 9:00 p.m., with hours of client work ahead of me. I must work on both Heavy Metal and TBWNN tonight, too.

I'm thinking all-nighter.

Come Visit me at Night Owl!

2011-08-30T07:06:00.001-04:00

I'm teasing Under the Moon today over at Night Owl Romance. Come on over, learn how the book was born, and leave a comment to be entered to win a copy!

Random Thoughts on Bees, Age, and Clear Skies

2011-08-28T16:26:00.001-04:00

Age does not automatically make someone worth listening to. Experience can bring wisdom, but it can also reinforce prejudice and rigid thinking. I respect everyone's right to an opinion, but being 94 doesn't turn those opinions to gold.

The horror of nature's destructive forces can't be overstated. But the flip side of a hurricane is incredible clarity and freshness. I'm drunk on the breeze coming through my window.

We have a colony of bumble bees nesting in some old rodent holes in our backyard. If the rains didn't drown them out last night, we'll have to get them taken care of, because apparently—and contrary to what I was told all my life—they not only sting, they can be nasty about it. But wow, are they stupid! We watched them coming and going for a few minutes Saturday, and they had a really hard time finding the holes. They kept landing and trying to burrow into solid ground.

Google "stupid ground bees," and guess what comes up? Government stuff! :)

Last night's episode of Doctor Who was brilliant. I find myself longing to be in the middle of a past season so I can marathon new episodes again. This waiting stuff sucks. But the mind-twisty writing, the acting, the depth of emotion, and the places this storyline can go...delicious.

Drawing is still open for a copy of Cathy Pegau's Rulebreaker! Click here and comment!

Writing is going very well today, so I shall get right back to it. Fill my comments with your random thoughts!

Still Time to Enter!

2011-08-26T19:28:00.000-04:00

Can I just say this has been a super-long week?

Evidence: I told myself I'd worked two whole weeks since I returned from vacation, so I must have gotten adjusted (I work at a chiropractor). In reality, I've been home 5 days. And I hadn't gotten adjusted.

Evidence: I totally stepped all over yesterday's guest. I was actually proud of posting, until I realized about two hours later that it was the same freakin' day. Two days hadn't passed since I welcomed Cathy Pegau, author of Rulebreaker!

So please, scroll down or click the link and comment on Cathy's post to be able to win a copy of her very cool book!

I Swear, I'm Atrophying

2011-08-25T19:57:00.000-04:00

I've been working so hard, yet sitting all week. In my car an hour or two a day. At my work desk for 7 or 8 hours, many of them nonstop. Then, after a brief burst of running around that burns no calories at all, several more hours at my desk in my home office.

If I'm lucky, I lie on a couch or bed for 42 minutes and 37 seconds to watch a TV show with my husband. That happened once this week, I think.

My arms and shoulders ache because their range of motion is about 30 degrees. My hips and legs ache from the pressure of so much sitting. The only thing that doesn't hurt are my feet, except when—

Oh, yeah. I did have 8 hours of frantic activity when I worked therapy on Monday and Wednesday mornings. So my feet hurt then. I guess the aching is more intermittent than it seems.

The phone is ringing, yet it's not here on my desk where it's supposed to be. So I'm not answering it. That'll teach 'em.

I did manage to get a little exercise yesterday. Twenty minutes of walking to and from the City Islanders stadium, with 2 hours of sitting on bleachers in the middle. We went to watch a "friendly" match against our affiliate MLS team, The Philadelphia Union. After a dirty second half and a bench-clearing shoving incident, they called the game with no stoppage time.

There was a very cool element to the game. Since the game was a special, non-league-season game, they had general admission, so the fans were all mixed up, with season ticket holders together with the unwashed masses. One of the defensive captains, Dustin Bixler, has been out most of the season due to a knee injury and surgical repair, and he ended up right next to me!

It was pretty funny. This woman had been holding space in our area for, like, 10 people. Right before kickoff, they finally showed up. This guy in a team jersey starts to step into our row. I glance at him, and he looks familiar. (I just now realized why it took me a few seconds to recognize him—he was clean-shaven!) I glance down at his...knee, and see a brace. My eyes shoot back up. OMG, it's Bixler! One of our favorite players!

I look at Number Two, who's watching the field, not the stands. When I make Significant Eyes at Number One, however, she's making Significant Eyes back at me. He passes us and stands on the bench next to me. I lean and tell Number Two who it is. She looks up and widens her expression into Significant Eyes, then covers her mouth to hide her excited giggle. (She's so going to hate me for saying she giggled.)

A little while later, a fan asks us to pass a beer to Captain Bixler. Number One hands it over to me, and I hand it up. Later, she tells me the whole time she was going, "I'mHoldingHisBeer I'mHoldingHisBeer I'mHoldingHisBeer."

It was fun being near Bixler and his insider friends. They were full of affectionate snark directed at their teammates. My favorite was "Where are you going, Schofield, at 300 miles an hour."

The guys all call each other by nicknames, and the fans have picked up on those. So we call them Schoey (Schofield), Pellie (Pelletier), Callie (Calvano), etc. When one of the players on the field called Hotchkin "Hotchie," I told Number Two I was going to ask Bixler if they call him Bixie. She forbade me, though if he'd ever sat down and brought his ear within six feet of my mouth, I'd have done it.

It's funny, the giddiness of being near a local celebrity. This is a very minor league team, in a very minor city, and it's not like we don't have access to the players if we want it. They hang out on the field after every game to sign autographs, and go to a local pub to mingle with fans afterward. They even coach kids' soccer. But it still added a dimension to the experience that we enjoyed.

Okay, time to get back to work. Yes, sitting at my desk. Maybe tomorrow I'll find time to exercise...

Support Your Local Writer (Guest Post with Giveaway!)

2011-08-25T00:03:00.001-04:00

Please welcome debut author Cathy Pegau, "all the way" from Alaska! (I know where she is isn't relevant, but I'm dying to visit Alaska some day, so I'm jealous that's where she lives. :) )

I remember when I told my husband I was writing a novel. Our first child was about two years old. We were both working, doing well for a young(ish) couple. His response: Sounds great. (That is, by the way, rousing enthusiasm from my laid-back spouse.) He’d ask how it was going from time to time, and I discussed plotting or character issues now and again, but generally he left me alone to do my thing.

Throughout the past dozen or so years, as I told friends and family what I was doing, I received responses from “Oh, that’s nice” and a change of subject to “Oh, cool! What’s the story about? When can I buy it?” All the important people in my life said the thing that kept me going even when the rejection letters came in bunches or the story was giving me fits. They all said, in one way or another, we’re proud of you, and if you’re happy doing this, we’re happy for you.

My best friend, Sharron, who had sold her first novel, also became my first critique partner, offering advice and allowing me to learn from her experience. My husband took over in the evening with the kids while I went to a nearby café for a few hours or met with my weekly writers’ critique group. My in-laws watched the kids when I traveled to my first RWA National Conference. My critique group expanded. I met a writer through a loop who offered to read pages then invited me into her small critique group. The group eventually disbanded, but that writer became a friend who still is one of the first to read my stuff. (Hi, Jody!)

And through the years, both writers and non-writers in my life all said the same thing: We’re happy if you’re happy. They listened when I lamented about yet another rejection. They rejoiced when I did well in a contest or got a request. Not all of them read the sort of fiction I wrote—fantasy with some romance, for the most part—but they shared my enthusiasm.

When I started to write Rulebreaker, however, I worried how my friends and family would take it. This was a story unlike any other I’d written, a coupling that many wouldn’t expect from me. My critique partners got to read it first, of course. I think they were a little surprised, but that didn’t deter them from tearing into the plot and telling me my characterization was off. My husband read the synopsis (I’d learned long ago that having him critique the manuscript was not the way to keep our marriage healthy :). He said nothing of the relationship but suggested killing off one of the secondary characters (See? That’s why he’s not an early reader for me).

I admit I skirted around the f/f aspect of the novel for a long time, getting the feel for how certain people in my life might react. I shouldn’t have worried so much. They may have been surprised at the content in Rulebreaker, but they were no less enthusiastic. And when I announced the sale to Carina Press, they cheered.

Writing is an individual endeavor, a personal journey of getting thought onto page, but we need a support system. People to tell us our efforts are worthwhile, to pat us on the back when things go well or pat us on the hand when we feel like throwing it all in the trash. Someone who’ll take the kids for the afternoon so we can finish a scene or a chapter. Someone to kick us in the pants and tell us to stop acting like a diva and just write. I can’t thank my friends, family and critique partners enough for that. You have made this potentially lonely journey into a group effort, and for that I will always be grateful.

Thanks for having me over, Natalie. I certainly appreciate all of YOUR support : )

Giveaway!
Tell me about your support system, or how you’ve supported writers. Leave a comment and I’ll pick a random winner of a copy of Rulebreaker sometime Monday August 29.

About Rulebreaker
Liv Braxton's Felon Rule #1: Don't get emotionally involved.

Smash-and-grab thieving doesn't lend itself to getting chummy with the victims, and Liv hasn't met anyone on the mining colony of Nevarro worth knowing, anyway. So it's easy to follow her Rules.

Until her ex, Tonio, shows up with an invitation to join him on the job of a lifetime.

Until Zia Talbot, the woman she's supposed to deceive, turns Liv's expectations upside down in a way no woman ever has.

Until corporate secrets turn deadly.

But to make things work with Zia, Liv has to do more than break her Rules, and the stakes are higher than just a broken heart…
*********
Rulebreaker is available at Carina Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other ebook sellers.

Visit Cathy at her blog, her website, on Facebook or on Twitter.

Join Me Tomorrow with Guest Blogger Cathy Pegau!

2011-08-24T17:06:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow my friend and debut author Cathy Pegau will be here talking about...well, I don't know yet, but something really good, because that's how she is.

In the meantime, check out her new release, Rulebreaker!

The Back-from-Vacation Slam

2011-08-21T23:31:00.000-04:00

I don't need to explain it to you, right? Most of you have taken a week-long vacation (mine was in Williamsburg last week, so I had a good excuse for the blog silence—for once :) ) and come back to have all of the tension you've relaxed away hit you harder than ever. If you're lucky, it's only ten-fold. If not, it's a hundred.

I've been cranked up to a thousand.

The good news: I finished line edits on Under the Moon and sent those to my editor, and submitted a requested manuscript elsewhere. I have a cover for Behind the Scenes, and should soon get the final JPGs so I can post it.

The challenge: Juggling writing one manuscript and revising another with working extra hours and keeping up with client work. While handling soccer practices, the start of school in a week, and half a dozen appointments for the kids and myself. Head down, keep going until everything is done, on time. Ready set go.

But you're not here to listen to me whine about good things! Deadlines and client work and extra hours are good things! They sure beat rejections and unemployment, for pete's sake.

Unfortunately, deadlines and extra hours leave me precious little to talk about here. *thinks*

Okay, some of the usual fallbacks:

We saw Captain America on vacation. I was so happy the timing worked out so I didn't have to go to the Glee movie with the kids. I like Glee, but I don't need Gleemersion. The kids liked it more than they expected.

I loved Captain America. Well, I found the overly skinny CGI distracting. Ditto with the overly buff CGI. Once they padded Chris up instead of sticking his head on another body, it all worked a lot better. But other than that, I liked the story a lot, and loved Howard Stark and the Red Skull. The ending wasn't what you'd expect or even want if the movie were stand alone, but knowing it's all setup for The Avengers made it okay.

And hey, if you haven't seen it yet, stay after the credits. We were the only ones in the theater who did. I was all, "seriously?" They were obviously not even semi-dedicated fans. All these movies have a quick scene at the end. Maybe they didn't like those. Maybe they thought finding Thor's hammer at the end of Iron Man 2 was lame, or that Loki being alive at the end of Thor wasn't worth the wait. But this one was so worth it. They had a trailer for The Avengers, and OhMyGod, I don't know if I can actually handle watching that. All those superheroes in one room? Tony Stark and Thor and Captain America? *shiver*

Many of my summer shows are done already. I miss Auggie. Like, a lot. But I'm loving Haven, even though, really, all of my enjoyment is wrapped up in the anticipation of something happening between Nathan and Audrey. I just want to see that look on his face when she touches him. And she's so oblivious! It's not just that, of course, the mystery is intriguing, and the Troubles they come up with are clever. This show will hold me into the fall. Especially since I won't have any time for TV!

I can't say I'm liking Torchwood as much as I have in the past. There's way too little emphasis on Torchwood itself, and too much on the horrors of no one dying. I'm two episodes behind, so I don't know if that changes. I hope so. That's a lot of money for a show we don't like.

So that's pretty much all I've got! What about you? Comments on these things, or other entertainment that's been filling your summer? How was your vacation?

Want to Try Natalie J. Damschroder Risk Free?

2011-08-11T19:22:00.000-04:00

Guess what, everyone?

I've sold another romantic adventure to Carina Press!

So my release schedule looks like this:

October 31, 2011
Behind the Scenes, romantic adventure, Carina Press (digital)

November 1, 2011
Under the Moon , paranormal romance, Entangled Press (digital and print)

Spring 2012
Heavy Metal, sequel to Under the Moon (digital and print)

New Book with a Not-Yet-Determined Title, romantic adventure (digital)

Fall 2012
Third book in Goddesses Rising trilogy, tentatively titled Sunroper

I have become totally fed up with Yahoogroups, so I have a fancy new newsletter list now. I want to encourage people who are interested in VERY infrequent e-mails telling you about my books to sign up on the new list.

So I'm GIVING BOOKS AWAY!

I want you to have a chance to try my romantic adventure voice. (Even the Goddesses Rising trilogy is romantic adventure, it just happens to also be paranormal.)

Starting September 18, 2011, I will give away a digital copy of my romantic adventures every week to a subscriber to my newsletter. There will be:

TWO copies of Brianna's Navy SEAL

TWO copies of Cat's Claw

TWO copies of Fight or Flight

How do you get involved in this action? Go here:

http://eepurl.com/d1cVP

You only need to provide your e-mail address. First and last name are optional.

But wait, there's more!

It's not just a one-time thing. You'll have opportunities to join the Goddess Society (to celebrate Under the Moon) and the Film Crew (to celebrate Behind the Scenes). There will be swag, and more prizes, and exclusive content like short stories, and opportunities to discuss my books with each other.

But I promise, I won't bombard you with posts. They'll still be occasional. So take just a few seconds to go to that link and subscribe! Feel free to pass it along to others, as well.

Thanks!

Drive-By Posting—Spam, Supernatural, and Jason Manns

2011-08-04T15:23:00.000-04:00

I recently read in a blogging advice article to turn off the word verification, because spam isn't really that big of a problem, and it deters commenters. I didn't have a problem with spam, so I turned it off.

And got bombarded with spam. YIKES, have I gotten a lot of spam. Luckily, Blogger has a fantastic spam filter. Every spam comment has ended up there, and no real comments have. So I'll leave it for now, though I don't think it matters much. Comments are rarer and rarer anywhere you go.

~~~~~~~
Supernatural gets 23 episodes this season! That makes me extraordinarily happy. I am so ready for the show to be back. Still way over a month to go, which makes me pout. But the other TV I watch is all finale-ing, so I'll have some time to watch seasons 5 and 6 again before season 7 starts.

In case you missed it, I recently admitted on Twitter and Facebook that I have become a Sam girl. I've always considered myself almost equally in love with Dean and Sam, but slightly tilted toward Dean. But in the last couple of seasons, as Sam's character has done so much, and Jared Padalecki has become close to Jensen Ackles' equal, I've slowly slid over to the other side.

Please don't throw things at me.

~~~~~~
Jason Manns is finally coming back to the east coast this weekend, with a show at The Bitter End in New York on Tuesday night. I am so there! As much as I've missed Supernatural, I've missed Jason. I hope he sings for hours. (He won't. He's third in the lineup, and that usually means he gets shafted and can only sing a few songs. Still totally worth the 8-hour round trip and the three hours of sleep I'll get before working Wednesday.)

~~~~~~
That's all I have time for today. I am working hard on Heavy Metal, book 2 of Goddesses Rising, and eager to get back to it. Please post something random in the comments, to enhance the fun of the drive-by posting concept. :)

New Author Photos!

2011-08-01T22:06:00.000-04:00

Tell me which one you like best, and then I'll tell you my favorite!

Suck It, Apple!

2011-07-30T18:03:00.001-04:00

So you all know about my iPod being stolen, right? And how much I miss it?

I promise, this is the last time I'll post about this! :)

So seven or so years ago, I guess, my husband bought me an iPod photo for my birthday. In 2007ish, the battery died. No Apple stores around here, so I sent it in for a new battery for around $63. They don't actually install a new battery and send it back, they send you a refurbished unit. Which is all nice and shiny and unscratched and everything, but the battery failed again 6 months later, which totally pissed me off.

What pissed me off more was that Apple wouldn't just replace the battery again, because of the icon I was getting. It was the same icon as before, but it could indicate hard drive failure, so they would charge me over $300. Frak that, I could get a new iPod classic for $189. So I did.

And, as you know, it got stolen last week. I hope Vicki is enjoying Pottercast and Jason Manns. Bi***.

Anyway!

I was also pissed at Apple because they never notified me of a recall on my laptop, even though I'd bought it directly from them and registered it. When the logicboard failed, I was lucky that it was one month before the recall expired, and I sent it in to get repaired for free. Guess what? Six months later it failed again, and they charged me an outrageous amount of money to replace it again.

Clearly, I have a love/hate relationship with Apple.

My iPod Classic lasted three years without needing a battery change or any other repair, by the way, even though I dropped it three times on ceramic tile, chipping the plastic front of the case.

ANYway, geez, digress much?

My wonderful husband loaned me his iPod, which was excellent because with the NFL lockout ending, I was withering without my podcasts. Seriously, when I started listening again, I was like an outdoor plant in August being taken inside and doused with water. I am sooooo refreshed.

But it was a temporary solution, and I feel guilty every minute I'm using it, even if he wouldn't be at the time. So I thought of something else. I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier!

I called Batteries Plus about replacing the battery in the iPod photo. I almost hung up when I asked if they could and he scoffed. "No. They won't let us touch 'em." After I pushed a little and explained that the iPod photo *is* an older generation and that I did *not* mean the iPod Touch, we established that he had a battery in stock.

It is now in my iPod! For only $31 and change!

I also got some Apple Cores. I never saw these before. They're awesome! One is wrapped up in the cassette adapter in my car, and another the dock that I will once again be charging my iPod in.

Add the 2,000 words I've already written today, and the fact that I made a new Twitter friend who loves Wes Welker as much as Shannon Stacey and I do, and I'm flying high!

Back to Heavy Metal, followed by City Islanders soccer watched online and reading of Ghost Story, which I have to devour because even only 90 or so pages into it, I MUST KNOW THE END RIGHT NOW OMG.

"Yep. Gooood day."

Man, I Miss My iPod

2011-07-24T13:12:00.000-04:00

I couldn't have picked a worse time to get my iPod stolen. Right in the middle of summer, with lots of expenses like biology prereq, conference, vacation, a new muffler... Why couldn't it have been some time when I could easily justify the expense of a new one? Like...um...okay, there never is a good time. Maybe after Number Two is done with college. In 10 years.

*sob*

I miss my iPod because doing chores and exercising are tedious again. MORE tedious. But worse is the 25-minute drive to and from work. Did you know music on the radio sucks? I did, that's why I listen to my iPod. But I didn't expect it to always suck. I have 12 presets on my radio, and every single morning and every single afternoon, I end up trolling for "Rolling in the Deep" because that's the only decent song* anyone ever plays. I usually catch the last four lines of it.

Commercials actually take up half my commute, because everyone plays them at the same time, for at least 10 minutes.

Once in a while, I hit talk radio, but that usually just aggravates me. The other day, they were reporting a "new" announcement that peroxide is not good to use on cuts and scrapes.

First, that doesn't surprise me. Though I grew up having peroxide poured on my injuries, it always made things worse—yellow and puffy and sore—so I never really used it as an adult.

More importantly, that news isn't new. They were telling us this at least as far back as 16 years ago, because I'd heard it and read all the reasoning for it before Number One got her first boo-boo.

It kind of boggles my mind, how much information we're inundated with, and yet, how much we still miss. I avoid watching or reading the news, for one because it's usually depressing, for another because journalistic style, whether written or performed, drives me insane. For how much still gets through, how much more is out there that I never hear about.

Do you think news and information are important? How do you learn about the things that are going on in the world? How do you feel about it?

~~~~~~
*I'm not an old fuddy-duddy who hates that modern music, honest! Half the stations I troll are oldies stations. They just all never seem to have songs that *I* like, and even the newer ones I do like, they play incessantly until I hate them anyway.

Entangled Launch in T-17 days and counting...

2011-07-20T16:12:00.000-04:00

Under the Moon, my paranormal romance with Entangled Publishing, doesn't come out until November. But you don't have to wait for fantastic stuff!

Entangled is having 2 Spectacular Launch Events! over at Coffee Time Romance on August 2nd and 5th. Click the link for details on the EP blog. See you there!

A Smaller, Better World

2011-07-18T21:54:00.000-04:00

Log on to the Internet on any given day, and you're likely to find an article or blog post about how bad the Internet is. We (and our kids) are spending too much time on our computers, too little time outdoors or interacting with other people, absorbing damaging material, blah blah blah. I sometimes feel bombarded by it, and it sinks into me, leaving a greasy, sick feeling that I'm a bad person.

And then the U.S. women's soccer team loses the World Cup.

"Congrats Japan" trended on Twitter to #2 that I saw, and well over 100 new tweets were loading every minute. Hundreds of thousands (millions?) of people were not only bonding over the experience of watching a tremendous competition, they were being good sports. Obviously, winning a soccer game isn't going to magically fix the challenges Japan has faced and is still facing, or the repercussions worldwide, but the whole thing raises morale, and the positivity seeps into everything else. And without Twitter (and all the other social media and Internet-based tools that make instantaneous communication worthwhile), the ripples wouldn't go nearly as far.

Anyone reading this post knows the power of the Internet. It allows millions of dollars to be raised in a matter of hours, for aid to victims of natural disasters everywhere. Via the Internet, regular people can team up with their favorite celebrities to go to Haiti to build schools. When a woman tragically loses a husband and finds herself a single mother of four kids, her friends thousands of miles away can mobilize to organize an auction, drawing donations and bidders on a scale unheard of when all we could do was put cans on convenience store counters for loose change.

All of that isn't even touching the smaller ways it connects us, like when I got an e-mail from my Hawaiian cousin I'd never met.

Any technology has the power to be used for good or bad, but I would far rather dwell on the ways it changes the world for the better. This weekend, I watched it happen, and it made my day brighter.

Things That Are Making Me Happy Right Now

2011-07-14T10:45:00.001-04:00

But first, I forgot a couple of things that are annoying me. And it's every day, too! I can't believe I forgot.

First is the clumps of hair on the bathroom floor every time I go in there. I eliminate them whenever I see them, even scan the edges for more, and still, every time I go in! More! Maybe we need to shave our heads.

The other thing is the water here. It's town provided, but we border a rural area. I don't want to live in a big city, but when I was in NY, my hair always looked great, and my makeup came off clean with one swipe. Here, my hair looks like it needs brushing two minutes after I brush it, and I have dark smudges under my eyes, even days after I last wore mascara. The skin gets sore from rubbing at it with makeup remover swabs or cloths.

Okay, now the important stuff! What's making me HAPPY right now!

The Kids Being Home All Day
It's really nice to have the dishes always done, and I can assign chores to them every day, taking a couple of items off my shoulders.

I'm sure they aren't so happy about this one. They may even be eager to go back to school by now.

My Loaded TBR Shelf
It was getting very empty before RWA. I had maybe a half dozen books in print and half a dozen on my Kindle. Now I have at least a couple dozen in print, plus the ones I gave Number One to read first and demanded she give back.

Not that I have time to read much right now, but a full shelf makes me happy!

New Jim Butcher Coming
I never have an answer when someone asks my favorite author, but at this time of year, it's easy to say Jim Butcher. It has been way too long since Changes, and I may pull another all-nighter with Ghost Story.

Jason Manns
Jason's finally coming back to the east coast! For a while, he was here quarterly, but it's been over a year since we saw him last. As I mention that every so often, both here and on Twitter/Facebook, you can imagine the glee I feel about being able to see him sing live again. If you've only ever heard his produced albums, or even heard him recorded live, you're missing out. He's amazing in person.

I shouldn't complain that it's been too long since his last gig out here. Every time he announces one, he gets a stream of complaints that he never goes where they live. I'm lucky to live close enough to some major cities!

Captain Jack Harkness
I agonized for months about whether or not to shell out the money for Starz because I didn't want to wait forever for DVDs or streaming. Then my husband sees an ad for Torchwood and says, "This looks interesting." I say, "But it's only on Starz. We'd have to subscribe." He says, "Okay." So I did. And got to watch the premiere live, and it was awesome!

Upcoming Vacation
This has been a work-centric summer, plus the travel for RWA and my chapter retreat. I try to have focused family time, but having a week together in which I will only work when the time becomes organically available will be awesome.

Harry Potter
I guess I should put this on here. The final movie comes out this week, and like my kids, I've grown up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I'm eager to see the final battles portrayed on film. Even if it means three hours of sleep Thursday night, and a houseful of teenage girls, and cleaning, shopping, and chauffeuring. My eagerness to see the movie is tempered by the changes I know they've made and I'm not convinced I'll like. We'll see if the most important line remains, and is attributed to the right person. :)

Each Bit of Work I Finish
Yesterday, I focused on fiction, which felt really good. I'm on track for my deadline, but hadn't touched it since I got back. But my workload is so heavy, progress on Heavy Metal put me behind on editing work. I'll catch up today—at least, that's the plan! But it's been really difficult to balance it all, so I'm happy with every small bit of progress, whether it gives me a praising or scolding note on my tracking spreadsheet. :)

Behind the Scenes in audiobook!
I learned yesterday that my next romantic adventure from Carina Press was picked up by Audible. That will probably come out in October, too.

So what's making you happy this week?

Things That Have Annoyed Me Lately

2011-07-12T19:54:00.000-04:00

My Stolen iPod

Yep, my iPod was stolen out of my room at the Marriott Marquis when I was at the RWA conference in New York City. Of course, the hotel denies any responsibility, which I accept. I knew the policy. But it still burns me that it happened in the most expensive hotel I've ever stayed in.

When I got to the train station on Monday, I wrapped the headphones around the iPod in its leather case and stuck it deep in my laptop bag. I never thought about it again, until Friday night. My roommate was gone, and I decided to listen to the iPod while I did my hair and makeup. But I couldn't find it. I dug and searched and emptied the bag. My headphones were coiled up in the bottom, but the iPod wasn't there. I got on the floor to look under the bed, thinking maybe it had fallen out, and spotted the leather case deeeeep under the bed, up against the baseboard. I guess I could tell just by looking at it, because my heart sank even before I reached in there to get it, and yeah, it was empty.

It had to be housekeeping. Who else could have had the time to do all that? I don't get tossing the case. If they'd taken it with them, it could have generated doubt about how it disappeared. It could have maybe fallen out in the train station or the train itself, or I could have decided I didn't remember using it and storing it somewhere else. But the empty case under the bed, that couldn't have gotten there in any manner except deliberately? Total giveaway. And housekeeping is really the only possible thief. They clean with the doors closed. My roommate was in the room most of Wednesday and Thursday, but not Friday. So the evidence is damning.

I hope you enjoy it, Vicki.

My Killer Foot

I pulled a muscle in my foot on Sunday, and it's been killing me. It's the top of my foot, so it's fine when I walk, but hurts most when I'm driving or sitting at my desk--which I do more than half my day, so by the time I go to bed, it's really throbbing. It also made me yell when I bumped it against my chair last night.

This isn't annoying so much because it's an injury, as the way it was injured. I bet this is a new one for you:

Walking too fast in slippery flip-flops.

Stupid People

I think my biggest pet peeve is stupid people. Number One (not the stupid person) is having a slumber party Thursday, and we're going to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter. One of her friends (also not the stupid person) couldn't give us her RSVP until yesterday, and it was late in the day. I tried to get tickets online, and they said there weren't any more, I'd have to try at the theater. So I headed out. And had this exchange with the guy at the box office:

Me: "Are the tickets for the midnight showing of Harry Potter sold out?"

Him: "Just the 3D."

Me: "Oh, good, then I need 6 tickets for the 2D show of the 12:01 a.m. Friday showing."

Him: "That will be $73.50."

Me: O.O

Him: "The 3D tickets have--"

Me: "You said the 3D tickets were sold out. I don't want 3D tickets."

Him: "I said we only had 3D tickets."

Me: "No, I asked if you were sold out, and you said just the 3D."

Him: "Oh, I thought you asked if tickets were available."

Yeah, because "available" and "sold out" sound exactly the same.

Get On With Your Life Already

I read a lot of paranormal young adult fiction, and there's a commonality in some that just doesn't make sense to me.

Why would immortal beings keep going to high school?

The whole "Edward controlling Bella" issue would never have happened if the 90-year-old vampire had actually graduated, like, 72 years ago. Angels who are millennia old and fighting a war shouldn't have to wind up in reform school. That they look young is irrelevant. They need fake IDs anyway, right? So why not make them fake-legally of age and get a job or something?

A mission or destiny that requires them to be in a certain place temporarily makes sense, but to happen across your reincarnated true love in high school without placing yourself there intentionally is hard to swallow.

So any authors out there writing YA with immortal or ancient characters, please consider the motivation a little more thoroughly. :)

So that's it. Tomorrow I think I'll post the things that are making me happy lately.

Soccer Sunday

2011-07-10T19:54:00.000-04:00

So much soccer going on right now!

Number Two and her father were watching the women's World Cup match today, and kept sucking in me and Number One, though we were trying to get ready to go see the City Islanders play. They were only five minutes into the first overtime (USA down 2-1) when I couldn't stand it anymore. They'd paused the game for a while and were behind, and I couldn't stand not knowing what happened, but I didn't want to miss kickoff of the CI game. Soccer live is so much more fun than soccer on TV!

So I went into Number Two's room, where she had ESPN 3 queued up. I was just going to check the score, but they had a live stream, and when I clicked it, I saw they were at 123+ minutes and tied! So we lingered to watch the penalty kicks. It was so hard to scream and boo silently, especially when it was over and we'd won. I actually hurt my throat a little without making a sound. LOL

The CI game wasn't so exciting, though it was a good game overall. We tied in the first few seconds of stoppage time, but then the weirdest game ending I've ever seen happened. We were driving toward the goal. The referee started to blow his whistle just as we shot, and scored. It sounded like he was whistling a foul, but he was whistling the end of the game.

Which you are NOT supposed to do in the middle of a play on goal. That's like declaring a football game over while a pass is still in the air, or a basketball game as the player shoots the winning basket. Part of what makes soccer exciting is that you never know when the game will be over. Control is fully in the referee's hands.

I've never seen the players react so violently to anything. Half a dozen got in the ref's face, shouting, and the fans were screaming, and yellow and red cards flashed. I have no idea who got the red card. One of the coaches came to lead the ref away from the players, who subsided a little, but were justifiably furious.

I'm sad that there are only four home games left!

So Random it's Got a Pattern

2011-07-05T17:18:00.000-04:00

An article/blog post about building followers/readership/commenters said to remove the word verification from your blog, because people hate it. Doesn't seem like THAT big a deal to me, but I've never had that much problem with spam, so I removed it yesterday.

Today? Only comment was porn spam. *sigh*
~~~~~~
Back from New York! I'll post some pictures soon. Not ones of Lisa, because last time I said I could post it because she doesn't read my blog...and she read my blog. I room with her at RWA National, y'all, I'm not risking it again. :)

But there will be feet. And maybe some pictures with other people I didn't get permission to post. :)
~~~~~~
I could still use input from people who've read my books. Click here to take survey. I'm leaving the survey open indefinitely, so if you've come across this post months later because, say, I mentioned "Harry Potter," and you want to take the survey, feel free! :)
~~~~~~
Picked up tons of books at the conference. I'll be reading print books for a good long while now! :) Won a couple at the YARWA (YA writers group) meeting, and bought some at the Literacy Booksigning (raised over $46,000 in 2 hours!!!), and scored most at the publisher signings. My TBR pile was getting low; now I have so many choices, I can't pick one!
~~~~~~
Firefly was marathoning yesterday. I am DYING to watch the series straight through. Right this moment. But alas, I have copy edits and client edits and client proofing piling up, and too much responsibility.
~~~~~~
So here we are in July. July is Number One's birthday month, and guess what she got this weekend?

Her AAA card.

Ack!

So, yeah, getting her permit will be the big thing. Second only to a weekend at the beach and the last Harry Potter movie. She is very, very sad that it's almost over. I'm not, because I went through it with the last book. THAT was when it was all over for me. :( Anyway, I guess we're doing the midnight show and a sleepover, and she's marathoning the previous movies right before that. So it's a big month.
~~~~~~
Stay tuned for announcements about The Goddess Society and The Film Crew, celebrations of my fall releases, Under the Moon and Behind the Scenes.

Who are my Readers?

2011-06-28T00:01:00.003-04:00

Authors nowadays are being bombarded with the idea of an author brand, and targeting their core readers.

The first part I have no problem with. I write high-stakes romantic adventure and paranormal romance, and with a little help from a professional, I came up with "Love with a Shot of Adrenaline" as a catchy tagline.

But the concept of my core reader is difficult for me. I think I balk at defining my core reader because *I* don't want to be defined. I asked once if identifying my CR means "a 30-something married mother of two with a day job" or more like "someone who loves Suzanne Brockmann, Firefly, and the idea of jumping out of an airplane." The answer I got? Both. *sigh*

I feel like saying "my core readers are X" is exclusionary, even though branding experts insist it's not. I would be annoyed if someone said the most die-hard Suz Brockmann fans are 30-something, because I'm 40. I like Falling Skies and Modern Family, and those are diametrical opposites. Hence my resistance to defining you, my readers.

But in addition to being a rebel, I'm also pretty obedient to the people in authority over me, so I want to try to understand my readership better. (Honest, it's only PARTLY so I can say "neener neener, they're undefinable!")

So yay, fun survey time! :) Completely anonymous, of course. Also of course, you have to have read and liked at least one of my books. Please tweet and post on Facebook or link on your blog or send an e-mail to friends or whatever, so I can get more than, like, three responses. :)

I'm at the RWA National conference this week, probably with no Internet access (expensive hotels mean no free wifi, how dumb is that?), so I'll post about the results in two weeks. The poll will remain open indefinitely, so if you want to go buy one of my books now and THEN take the survey, that would be awesomeness. :)

Thank you!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

On My Way to RWA

2011-06-26T00:01:00.001-04:00

I'm getting ready to go to RWA National next week. (For the non-writers who read this blog, that's the Romance Writers of America conference.) Some of my fellow attendees had a 15-page planning document weeks ago. Some were so overwhelmed with what they needed to do, they just kept buying shoes. I'm somewhere in the middle.

Yes, I have a four-sheet spreadsheet with a color-coded schedule and all my packing planned out. But that only came together this week. I still have to sort through a half-inch-thick folder of papers—untouched because I had a long to-do list of things that I needed off my desk before I leave. I still have to practice my pitch and research my pitchees, and read through the book I'm pitching so I remember all the details they might ask me about.

But I'm close to ready. I bought a dress for the Harlequin Black and White Ball, and borrowed shoes and a purse from Number One. I know, I can't believe it either. She has big feet, but they're the 15-year-old feet of a normal-sized teenager. My big feet are 40 years old and have been through two pregnancies and support a not-normal-sized person. The style of the shoe, though, makes them fit perfectly.

The only problem is that they're kitten heels. Which is excellent, because my other "fancy dress" shoes are nearly three inches, and I don't want my feet to hurt like that for three events (the Carina and Harlequin parties one night and the awards ceremony another night). But I'm prone to turning my ankle while wearing flip-flops, so I'm a little nervous about that possibility on these teeny heels. When it happens, I generally go to the ground, and not very gracefully. So I'll be holding my breath all night for two nights. Especially the one where I have to go out of the hotel.

I think I've bought all the little things I needed, mainly travel stuff for efficient packing. I'm not flying, but I don't want bulky stuff in my suitcase, either. Plans are being finalized, and now I just need to find the train station before I'm in a time crunch, and I'm all set!

My goal for this conference is networking. I'll be meeting authors and editors from Carina and Entangled, members of YARWA, and old friends, some of whom I've never met in person. I have official editor and agent appointments and some opportunities for informal meet-and-greets, as well as multiple volunteering duties. So my plan is to build my professional presence a little.

And to have fun! I've added karaoke one night and hanging in the bar with some people another and I expect a few dinners out. The hotel is on Times Square, so there will be a lot to choose from, dining-wise! And since my TBR pile is dwindling, I'm eager to get my hands on some new books. If you live in NYC, come on over to the Marriott Marquis on Tuesday night from 5:30 to 7:30. There's a gigantic, 500+ author booksigning, with all the proceeds going to literacy. It's open to the public!

I'm finishing writing this at 2:00 a.m. Friday morning, but I'm setting it for Sunday, the day before I leave. I'll be gone for a week, likely with no Internet access. Pray for me. :)

Good for You, New York!

2011-06-25T13:25:00.000-04:00

Last night, I heard Number One pounding through the house. "She has news," I said, and paused the TV. She flew down the stairs, and a prepared myself for a funny celebrity tidbit. But no, her excitement far outstripped normal.

"New York just legalized gay marriage!" she cried.

This morning, I spent some time reading articles, checking out the rainbow-lit Empire State Building, and crying a little. I have few friends or acquaintances who are gay, but this is a cause that I feel fiercely about—so fiercely, it's the only controversial topic I ever blog about.

This feels big. So much bigger than just adding a sixth state with legal gay marriage. I really believe this is going to start a cascade of legality. I think we've turned a corner, one we could only turn by time and pressure. Because honestly, the longer the argument goes on, the more ridiculous it sounds.

Number One said a lot of the talk among her peers was about Tiger Woods and Charlie Sheen, those paragons of traditional marriage. Seriously, when proponents of "family values" are getting flicked off their political pedestals because of infidelity, how on earth can they claim gay marriage threatens the institution? If having sex with prostitutes and posting your junk on Twitter doesn't do it, how will two men or two women getting married do it?

My neighbor's divorce did not undermine my partnership with my husband. Heck my parents' divorce didn't damage my marriage! So how would two guys getting married be any kind of a threat? If two people live together for 15 years, support each other through their careers, and even raise kids together, why would legalizing all of that so they can actually benefit from it instead of getting penalized do any harm to the rest of us?

I have still never heard a satisfactory explanation. Because there isn't one. And the longer the argument goes on, the more apparent that will come, and the more states will realize it doesn't help anyone to keep fighting.

So congratulations, New York and New Yorkers. May your marriages be long and loving.

Summer TV Tryouts

2011-06-25T01:40:00.000-04:00

Hi, my name is Natalie, and I'm a TV addict.

Okay, not really. I only watch TV at night, after all my work is done, although I don't always make sure it's ALL done before I watch TV. If I were an addict, I would never care about getting my work done.

But I admit I really, really hate when there's a long lull in new programming. It makes me happy that summers now have their own seasons, mainly via cable, and there are always new shows to try out. Here are the ones I've tried so far, and my thoughts on them:

Love Bites
This show is short stories containing overlapping characters. I liked it better than I expected. I think I watched it mainly for Becki Newton (Amanda from Ugly Betty), but have so far enjoyed all the vignettes, especially the ones featuring Greg Grunberg. (Between him and Bradley Cooper being all over the movies, I'm really wanting Alias back.) I wouldn't miss the show if it was gone, but it's a nice diversion for an hour a week.

The Nine Lives of Chloe King
Meh. I'm intrigued enough to give the pilot a pass and watch episode 2. Chloe is adopted, her father left them 10 years ago, and she just turned 16 and died. She's a descendant of an ancient race and has partial shapeshifter powers. (If she fully shifts into an animal, I'm done with the show. I haven't read the book(s) so I don't know if she does or not.) Since she was pushed off Coit Tower and "survived," she's apparently marked as some special version of her race, which makes her a target and stuff.

The acting was a little too much of the wide-eyed, exaggerated teenager variety. A little too much Disney Channel, not enough Kyle XY. The best friend is super-annoying, the dialogue was often weak. But I like the other characters, and the father thing is intriguing, so like I said, I'll give it another try.

Franklin & Bash
I am quite shocked to say I love this show. It belongs on the USA Network, with its quirky characters and irreverent storylines. I usually don't go for courtroom dramas, but this is far more comedy than drama, and it has tons of chemistry. Kind of reminds me of Eyes without the edginess. Of course, the best part is the very close friendship between the two main characters. I'm really into those guy relationships for some reason. (Ref. Prison Break and Numb3rs and...oh, yeah, Supernatural! :) )

Falling Skies
We watched the "two-hour premiere" on Sunday. (I hate when they call it a two-hour premiere or finale or special episode, when it's really just two stand-alone episodes aired back to back. That's NOT the same thing as a longer, cohesive storyline.) I really, really liked it. Lots of action, an intriguing overarching storyline, complex characters—some you can only like, some you hate but understand, some you are supposed to hate but are probably going to really like. Of course, I love the father/son relationship already. Tom has a 17-year-old son who's a scout for the military, an 8-year-old son, and one in the middle who's been taken by the aliens as a slave. They're often in three different places, making decisions ultra-hard. This one is already on my "favorites" list, too.

Future tryouts will feature Unnecessary Roughness, Wilfred, and Alphas. UN because it has football, though I'm not convinced I'll like it. W because my husband thinks it will be funny. A because I'm very into the whole super-powered thing. :) We'll see who makes the cut!

Tell me what you think about these or other shows! What else should I be watching?

Super 8 and Ryan Reynolds in his Underwear

2011-06-24T01:39:00.000-04:00

I kind of miss the summers of 4 or 5 years ago, when the kids went to Camp Nana every week and J and I went to a movie the night they were gone. Back then, we couldn't do anything until they were asleep, so it made us giddy to be alone and on a date at 7:00 p.m. with no kids at home and no babysitter. Back then, there were also new movies almost every week that I was dying to see.

Things are so different now! No Camp Nana this year, but the kids can stay home alone, so we can do whatever we want. Unfortunately, while there are movies I really want to see, none of them are at the "OMGgot-to" level. Not even Harry Potter, but that's a post for another day.

Anyway, J and I have seen two movies in the last two weeks, but we saw them on the weekend! At night! On opening weekend, no less!

Super 8 was as good as I expected it to be. I mean, JJ Abrams and Steven Spielberg! Not that they never make duds, but this wasn't one of them. It was like they said "what if ET was captured before Elliott found him, and was held for 20 years?" The story isn't focused on the alien, but on the kids and families in the town where he escapes. The acting was superb, especially from the kids, and with the exception of one unnecessary, heavy-handed symbolic moment, the whole thing was well done.

The other movie we saw was Green Lantern. Call me superficial, but I greatly enjoyed Ryan Reynolds in his underwear. I mean, in this role. He did very well with both the cocky, snarky fighter pilot aspect of his personality, and the side of him that was convinced he wasn't good enough. We had just enough hints at his relationships to see how much he cared. The rest, of course, was all spectacle. The actress from Gossip Girl seemed like she'd had surgery two days before shooting and was trying to act through a haze of morphine. The subvillain was balanced, and the Big Bad as gorgeous as he was frightening. All in all, not the best superhero movie ever, but far from the worst.

Did you see these two yet? What did you think?

Carina Free Book Week

2011-06-20T11:39:00.001-04:00

It's FREE BOOK WEEK at Carina Press!!!
Starting on June 20th, every weekday, all week, Carina is offering a spectacular title for free download. And when they say free, they mean ACTUALLY free. Not "sorta free", or "free with a $50 purchase" free, but actually, totally, no strings attached FREE! So, get thee to Carina press to download a free book every day! Here are the books being offered, and the links and promo codes for your free download:

Monday's FREE BOOK is:
The Debutante's Dilemma by Elyse Mady
Just type in the promo code DEBUTANTEFREE at checkout

Tuesday's FREE BOOK is:
Demon's Fall by Karalynn Lee
Just type in the promo code DEMONFREE at checkout

Wednesday's FREE BOOK is:
The Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell
Just type in the promo code TWISTEDFREE at checkout

Thursday's FREE BOOK is:
Blue Galaxy by Diane Dooley
Just type in the promo code GALAXYFREE at checkout

Friday's FREE BOOK is:
Friendly Fire by Megan Hart
Just type in the promo code FRIENDLYFREE at checkout

But wait, there's more! You can retweet and win! Follow @_ChristineBell and @ElyseMady on Twitter and retweet any of their tweets that mention the hashtag #CarinaFree and you'll be entered to win the following fabulous prize pack:

An autographed print copy of "The Debutante's Dilemma" by Elyse Mady and an e-copy of her latest novel "Learning Curves"
Christine Bell's souped up RWA swag bag including Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale mug, magnet, romance trading cards and Carina Press coupon, and a bag of hershey kisses and any book off her backlist
A $25 Amazon Gift Card

It's Not the Romance Novels...

2011-06-15T20:37:00.000-04:00

Recently, a psychiatrist and life coach declared romance novels addictive and destructive. The Internet exploded with hysterical laughter from sane people, but as always, there was a backlash from people who agreed with the original ridiculousness. Also as usual, it expanded to include such things as the damaging nature of Disney princesses.

Something similar occurred regarding the material in many young adult novels, though I was squashed flat under my workload and refrained from exploring that explosion.

I wish people would stop blaming STUFF for broadly described social ills. You think there's a problem? Target the actual source, please.

My kids loved the Disney princesses, and all the movies of that ilk. You know why they're not subjugating themselves to be-all-end-all relationships, or declaring themselves incomplete without the love of a shiny prince?

Because Disney princesses weren't the only influence in their lives.

Is it so astonishing that the loving, equal partnership her father and I share might have a little more sway than a two-hour bit of fluffy entertainment?

I'm so tired of "experts" blaming third parties for the problems of individuals. For one thing, I have a really hard time believing all the young women in our society think they should be living in castles and married to princes. But even if some do think that, the problem isn't that there are a few movies out there that make them think that way. The problem is just as likely to be a harried, overworked father struggling to keep his pampered wife in their cavernous house while she spends all the money he earns on anything the kids demand.

If a woman reads a romance novel about a guy who is loving and supportive, and is then dissatisfied that her spouse comes home every day and yells at her until bedtime, the problem is not with the romance novel being "unrealistic." It's with the woman being told she needs to settle and work harder at the relationship she has. I call bullshit!

(I apologize, Number Two, for the profanity.)

If my neighbor can't keep herself from mowing her grass four times a week, ripping out my lawn isn't going to fix her. If the guy across town is addicted to pink socks and can't go to work if they're all in the laundry, telling everyone in the world to stop wearing pink socks is not going to solve his problem.

So please, all you supposed experts, stop globalizing all the problems out there. I know you have self-help programs to sell, or practices to fill with patients, or an ego that craves the attention. Some of you are probably also well-meaning people who really believe what you say and want to help others, but this isn't the way to do it.

I'm healthy. Please leave my romances/movies/TV shows/lawn/pink socks alone.

My Favorite Part of Summer

2011-06-15T07:08:00.000-04:00

I blogged yesterday about one of my favorite parts of summer, going to City Islanders games with my kids. Number Two told me to post it here, too, but I'm just linking to it.

The Islanders had a game last night, the first game in the Lamar Hunt Open Cup, and continued their time-honored tradition of losing for 85 minutes, then tying, and winning in stoppage time. So we go back next Tuesday! We've made the quarterfinals for the last two years, getting dumped by DC United, so expectations are high.

What's your favorite part of summer?

Victory, Dammit

2011-06-12T13:50:00.000-04:00

Two years and four months ago, we bought a new front-load washing machine. No matter what machine I looked at in our price range, someone had a bad experience, so I went against my usual habit and bought the extended protection agreement.

The washing machine went wonky a couple of weeks ago. We called the repair number, and the guy told us we were covered, even though the protection agreement says 3 years for Kenmore and 2 years for other brands, and ours is Frigidaire. He said no, the model number was Kenmore. Okay, we said skeptically, and scheduled the first available repair date.

Eight days later.

One of my coworkers told me she'd had the same problem, and save me her grief and expense, told me how to access the drain catcher to get out whatever's clogging it and preventing it from draining. The problem was, our machine doesn't have a front access panel like hers, or an easy-to-open drain catcher. Ours has a back panel and a drain unit attached under the drum, near the front of the machine, with spring clamps facing in the wrong direction.

J did some research, and found tons of people talking about this ridiculously insane design, and how to deal with it. We decided to wait for the repair people. So we did the laundromat thing (GOD, that's gotten expensive), and waited more than a week. I took time off work to be here on time.

And guess what?

You got it. No-show.

I called the repair number. The automaton on the phone line said her next available schedule date was next Thursday. I demanded a supervisor, hung on the line for 20 minutes, and got disconnected. Called back, told him what had happened, he immediately said he'd connect me to his supervisor, and I hung on the line for another 15 minutes before getting put BACK in the freakin' queue. The person I got next tried her best, but she was hamstrung. There was no way to put me in an earlier slot and bump someone else, which infuriated me.

I mean, you don't go to the grocery store, stand in line for half an hour, and have the clerk say "sorry, I can't help you, go to the end of the line and wait again." They said the reason for the no-show was that they were overbooked, and that they called me and the line was busy. LIARS. But besides that, *I* get punished because they're not willing to pay enough contractors to do the work?

She gave me the local number, but I was worn out on confrontation and didn't call them. Instead, I insisted we do it ourselves. It was freakin' HARD. All the clamps and screws were facing the wrong way. We did find there was an access hole on the bottom, so we tipped the machine to its side and managed, after much struggle, to remove the spring clamps from the rubber drain connectors and remove the unit.

I pulled out a couple of hair ties, a barrette, and an underwire that was probably catching in the motor, and cleaned out the foul-smelling rubber box. (I don't think two hair ties and one barrette are too bad for two years and four months of use, actually, but the kids will have stricter orders about checking pockets.) J went to the hardware store for screw-tightened ring clamps, as the spring clamps would have been impossible to get back on. We reattached everything, put the machine back, and started it.

And voila. We are perfecto.

Machine ran just fine, and there's no leakage (the major concern once we were done). Take THAT, crappy Sears repair service!

(I've used Sears appliance repair before, and they were great. That's obviously changed, so I highly recommend avoiding them at all costs!)

Now I shall go celebrate our victory by running a load of darks.

The Real Truth of the Hard Truth

2011-06-10T19:47:00.000-04:00

I read a heartfelt article recently about the difficulties of having a writing career. It talked about the pressure of deadlines, the reality of having to write, even when awful things like spouses dying and mothers with cancer upend your entire existence.

We (those of us who've been "in the business" for a decade or plural), often caution new, excited, hopeful writers about the truth of aspiring for a writing career. The constant rejection, even after success; the sheer enormity of the competition; the ever-more-crowded marketplace, and on and on. We always say that if you can quit, do it. That you have to truly love writing, deep down, if you're going to get through all the hard stuff intact and sane.

But you know what? The real truth is a lot more complicated than that.

My mom was diagnosed with terminal cancer in December of 2002. I was trying very, very hard to break into Silhouette Bombshell. I remember sitting at her kitchen table, working on a partial my agent was going to submit as soon as I could have it ready. Less than two months later, I was cleaning out her apartment all day, sharing fond exasperation and tearful anger with my brother, my aunt, and my cousin while our spouses were rock-like support. At night, I went back to the hotel room and worked on a new proposal for a couple of hours before bed. I didn't have a deadline, but I was desperate to take advantage of the "new line" window of opportunity.

I have a friend whose husband has been laid off for the second time. She has two kids in college, two in elementary school, a new release for one publisher, and a three-book deal with accompanying deadlines with another publisher.

Another friend with a multiple contracts has dealt with losing her day job and starting two new ones, as well as serious, life-threatening medical issues with her kids.

All of which sounds like I'm backing up the original author's point, that you should think twice about embarking on a challenging career that might be difficult to maintain in the face of life's struggles. But that's not the point I want to make.

My point is that those life struggles will occur whether we're authors or not. Does a medical resident have it any easier when they have to take care of a sick parent? How about a single mother working as a customer service representative whose kid is depressed and considering suicide? Will her boss give her a three extra months to do her job, if she asks?

Most people need a job to live. Most people endure extreme hardships of some type or another during the course of their working life. They have to balance the two, and often fail to find that balance. They make sacrifices and have regrets, but quite often—maybe most of the time—they don't have a job that gives them as much joy as it does challenge.

We have it GREAT. If we have to, we can get an extension on deadlines. We don't have to be at work at the hours our bosses demand; we can structure our work time around whatever else we need to do. Of course, it's not always easy, and the logistics are only part of the issue. Writing comedy when you've lost the most important person in your life is damned hard, maybe impossible. But maybe, writing that comedy is the lifeline that gets you through it. How much harder it may be for the person who doesn't have that outlet.

Obviously, those of us who have dual careers, or day jobs that support the writing aspirations, have a bigger struggle and more disruption when a crisis hits. But we're not different from non-writers. It's hard for everyone to weather life's blows. At least in writing we have something to be passionate about, something we love, that can fulfill us utterly, all by itself.

Google Guitar

2011-06-09T22:32:00.002-04:00

Here's Number One's tribute to Les Paul.

Bonus points if you recognize the song. :)

Happy Birthday, Carina Press!

2011-06-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

In celebration of our one year anniversary, I asked as many of our Harlequin team members and Carina Press freelance editors as possible to write a short blog post, talking about what the past year or so has been like for them, working on Carina Press. I deliberately didn't provide any direction other than that, because I wanted to see what people came up with, in the spirit of Carina's 1st anniversary. I was so pleased when I saw what they'd all come up with, and had to say (and some of these posts made me just a little teary)! I hope you enjoy the post, and look for your opportunity to win a Carina Press book at the bottom of this post. ~Angela James

Dana Grimaldi is a member of the Carina Press acquisitions team. She loves to read sci-fi, fantasy, romance, mystery, steampunk, paranormal and any medley of these genres

Sometimes, when you start a new job, you find out that it comes with unfortunate surprises. For instance, sometimes you’re a camp counselor on your first overnight camping trip…in the middle of a thunderstorm. And then, when you wake the campers in the middle of the night so you can move the tents under a shelter, you discover that the shelter you’re trying to use is already occupied…by bats.

But other times, if you’re lucky, those surprises can be amazing. When I started working as the copy editor for Harlequin.com, the company was preparing to launch Harlequin’s digital-first imprint, Carina Press. Even though my job description didn’t say anything about Carina, it wasn’t long before I was copy editing back cover copy, pamphlets and author bios for Carina Press, too. I was lucky enough to find myself at the right place during a very exciting time. Before long, I joined the acquisitions team.

Right from the start, I knew this was an amazing opportunity. Being on the acquisitions team is like being part of the best book club ever. Every week, I get the chance to sit down with some of the smartest, funniest, most interesting women I’ve ever worked with and talk about something I love: books. But the most exciting part is that when I read a book, I get to pass on my thoughts and comments to the book’s editor.

Working on the acquisitions team has even changed the way I read. I’d never really considered getting an eReader. I was perfectly happy reading print books. I didn’t even call them print books; they were just books. But when I joined the acquisitions team, I realized very quickly that I’d need to find myself an eReader—there are no hard copy manuscripts at a digital-first publisher! I asked around—there was no shortage of opinions about eReaders here—and eventually decided to get a Kindle and a lighted case. The Kindle is really easy to use and the reading light doesn’t give me forehead crease marks like the light I use for print books.

Working for Carina Press has also expanded the types of books I read. I’ve always read a pretty wide variety of fiction, but even though I’ve read and loved fantasy books, I’d never read urban fantasy. Even though I love time travel stories, historical books and science fiction, I’d never even heard of steampunk. I found out that I love both these genres.

Looking forward to the upcoming year, I’m excited to continue reading books in new genres by fresh new voices. Hopefully this year will bring more good surprises—involving books—rather than not-so-good surprises—involving bats.

To celebrate Carina's one-year anniversary of publishing books, we're giving away some prizes. Today, on each of the nineteen blogs our team members are featured on, we're giving away a download of a Carina Press book to one random winner (that's nineteen total winners!) All you need to do to be entered to win is comment on this post. You can enter to win on all nineteen posts. In addition, on the Carina Press blog, we're giving away a grand prize of a Kobo ereader and 12 Carina Press books of the winner's choice. Visit the Carina Press blog to enter to win, and to see links to all 19 of today's blog posts.

And a sincere thank you from all of us, to our readers and authors, for making Carina Press's first year a success!

Blogging Fiend

2011-05-31T00:01:00.002-04:00

I am all over the place nowadays.

Friday, I posted some news and stuff at Supernatural Sisters. (Today, Theresa Meyers is a guest blogger there, and you HAVE to see her new book cover. It's DEAN!)

Yesterday I'm posted at The Gab Wagon about keeping out of Number One's college selection process, and how to strike a balance between letting her make her own decision and making sure she does it right.

I don't think I've mentioned that I have joined a new group blog, Everybody Needs a Little Romance. There are some fantastic authors talking about everything under the sun, a slew of book reviews, and now me. :) I blog every other Tuesday, including today, where I discuss how odd it will be not having Number One in the house. Come by and give me your advice. :)

Finale Season, Part II

2011-05-29T15:10:00.000-04:00

The main TV season is officially over, and here are my final thoughts. Brace yourselves...

Glee
I really liked the finale. My kids LOVED it. There was a little bit of everyone, and it was mostly positive and funny with good songs. I loved the kiss and the main production numbers during Nationals, and when Blaine told Kurt he loved him. I know they've exchanged those words before, but it was in response to something that was all Kurt, and it made my heart happy. I thought they were too good to have missed the top 10 in the competition, but of course they couldn't win it. They need to work up to that next year.

Modern Family
Such a perfect finale. Sweet and funny, recalling the most hilarious bits from the season ("baby cheesus!") without sledgehammering us with them. Setting up future storylines (Lily needs a brother!) and adding depth to characters who could easily be caricatures. Loved it!

Bones
Okay, here's the brace yourself part.

I've never been the die-hard Bones fan. I started late, watching the first several seasons on DVD, and was very disappointed with the last couple of seasons compared to the first four or so. Still, it's one of those "better when it's weak than half the other stuff out there" shows, and I'm invested in the Booth/Brennan outcome, of course.

So I can only imagine (because I didn't go looking LOL) the outrage of those die-hard fans at how they handled Seely and Temperance finally getting together. I don't think it could have been handled any worse.

First, no romantic tension. When Brennan first went to Booth's room crying over Vincent, there was a little breath bating. Would it lead to...? Never mind how cliché that would be, it would still be something. But no, they just lie down so he can comfort her.

And then Brennan tells Angela that she climbed into bed with Booth. Not completely accurate, but I'm pretty pedantic about word choice, so we'll let that go. When Angela assumes that means they had sex, Brennan doesn't contradict her. So we're going "so did they or didn't they?!" And feeling cheated because if they did, we didn't get to see any part of it.

The finale was supposed to address it, but 99% of the episode was a weak, basic case. B/B go undercover with bad wigs. Despite Brennan saying repeatedly that she wants to be there when Angela has her baby, she doesn't bother. The baby's birth at least takes all episode/many hours, something uncommon on network television, but I kind of wanted the baby to be blind, because that would be some interesting conflict. Angela and Hodgins are the most awesome couple, I love how they deal with things. But no, they went the easy route.

And THEN. Brennan tells Booth she's pregnant and it's his. I guess Hanson (the showrunner who's always blabbing on about why all the other shows aren't as good as his, and how they're going to keep B and B apart forever) thinks this moves their relationship ahead somehow without eliminating the tension of will-they-or-won't-they. It just made me mad.

There are two possible paths next season can take, and I'm an optimist. Maybe we'll get some slow development and lots of rich, meaty conflict, but frankly, I'm not expecting it. It will be really hard to convince me there's any reason those two shouldn't get together.

What do you think?

Heartmates by Victoria Allen

2011-05-26T08:04:00.000-04:00

Heartmates is Book One in the Stone of Destiny series!

Combine a magic sapphire, a witch and a stubborn hero and you get
double trouble.

As a healer, Selena welcomes all to her home. Then two strangers show
up on her doorstep, one badly injured, but it is the other who draws
her notice. Did her mother's last act of enchanting a beautiful
sapphire bring this handsome man of her desires to her?

Tristan had been against the journey with his godfather, Jacob, but a
promise is a promise. An attack by outlaws sealed his fate. Injured
and on the run, they come upon a secluded cabin and a beautiful woman.
When she displays powers unlike any he's ever seen, he is certain he’s
been bewitched. Yet for some reason, he doesn’t mind as much as he
thought he would.

When treachery uses Selena's compassionate nature against her, can the
two heartmates overcome vast odds to fulfill the future promised to
them by the Stone of Destiny?

Content Warning: Contains graphic scenes of m/f sexuality.

Also check out The Chosen (Book Two in the Stone of Destiny series)

"Let it Bleed" and "The Man Who Knew Too Much"

2011-05-21T06:09:00.002-04:00

Recaps for last night's Supernatural season finale are up at Supernatural Sisters. I did the second half. Whoa!

Finale Season, Part I

2011-05-18T13:53:00.000-04:00

I love May. So much great stuff happens in May. But it's also bittersweet, because all my favorite shows are finishing up. That often means great TV, but it's followed by a month-long desert until the quirky-cool summer shows start.

Here's my reaction to the finales I've seen so far. WARNING: Spoilers abound!

How I Met Your Mother
This season had some spectacular episodes. I think the best one was the one with the countdown to Marshall's father's death. It was so much fun looking for the numbers and calling them out, and there was a lot of humor in the episode, and then there was that moment when you saw the 1 and knew what the countdown was for, a second before Marshall was told, and in that instant, everything changed. It echoed reality so well. Lots and lots of other episodes were far less brilliant, some forgettable or unfunny. The finale wasn't anything spectacular, except for the ending. So we know the end of next season is Barney's wedding, and we get to debate for a year whether the bride is Robin or Nora (or someone completely different).

Castle
An argument could be made that this was the best Castle episode ever. It's come a very long way from "mediocre writing, good chemistry, forgettable supporting cast" to what we got this week. The escalation regarding Beckett's mother's death was tense enough, but to find out Montgomery was the third cop! And the confrontation between Rick and Kate in her apartment, when he finally pulled their dance out of the shadows and shoved it in her face. Castle is so much like Nathan, with the humor and the goofiness and everything, that it's easy to forget what a fantastic actor he is. I loved the ending, too, when he saw the glint and the expectation would be that he'd be shot pushing her out of the way, but instead, he was too late. It avoided the cliche and was very true to their situation--he's not a trained cop, but he's had enough experience with them that he will castigate himself until the end of time for not saving her from the bullet. I was a bit shocked that he went all the way to "I love you," a moment that would have been awesome had I not been yelling "put pressure on it!" at the TV. :)

Chuck
I think it would have been a lovely series finale, had Chuck not gotten a pickup for next year. I love this show. It defies all the tired old assumptions for how to develop relationships, and has kept everything fresh and exciting even while the hero/heroine got the girl/guy (a few times!), and the secrets got uncovered. They've developed a ridiculous spy family saga that nontheless holds itself up with consistency and motivation. (Okay, if we overlook that someone probably can't buy one site of a chain store.) I really like that they're going independent, with a slew of possibilities. My only caution is that the final shot and line was amusing and all, but I really don't want Morgan to be the new Intersect going forward. Season premiere had better be the Intersect getting moved back into Chuck. I love Morgan just as he is and it would feel like a bad sequel for him to move forward that way.

Hawaii Five-0
I don't really have much to say about this one. Happy for Danny, interesting conflict that the reason he came to Hawaii was his family and now Hawaii might hold him back from being with them again. A little surprised that the governor was behind everything, but not overwhelmingly so. Just as with every other episode, the chemistry and pacing held me and make me eager for next season, without having anything in particular to rave about.

Nikita
I love this show so much. Another show that thrilled me by not keeping the couple apart indefinitely. I love Michael's devastation every time someone tells him Nikita is dead. I love that Birkhoff crossed over, and that Amanda is the new big bad. That was a shift that didn't suffer from being seen half a season away. :) I'm intrigued by Alex being a new antagonist for Nikita and hope we get to see how that plays out.

Bones
I know "The Hole in the Heart" wasn't the finale but I had to comment on it anyway. I can't believe how hard I cried when Vincent died, and again when they loaded his coffin. (Though it was odd that no other squinterns were there. They'd be friends, presumably.) The whole sequence was so well done, the best since Hodgins was buried by the Gravedigger. I've been bored a lot of the season. I don't care how often Hanson protests about the Moonlighting curse--when the characters and storylines stagnate, we leave anyway. Finally, we have some tension! Though I wasn't thrilled with the whole "crawling into bed with Booth" thing. Angela interpreted Brennan's look as confirmation that they did more than comfort, but if that's true, I'm going to be annoyed. Sure, do what you can to keep romantic tension by holding the hero and heroine apart, cheat if you must and give us a dream of them in bed, but then have the real thing off screen? A total ripoff. I suppose I should stay calm until this week's actual finale and see how they handle it. :)

Fringe
I love the cleverness of Fringe, the sheer imagination, but way more than that, I love the relationships. Not only have they given us one set of friends, family, and colleagues in our world, they've played the ultimate "what if" game and given us some of those same relationships in the other. So removing Peter for good would upset everything way too much. The final lines of the finale intrigue me, but they upset me even more. "They don't remember him." "Of course not. He never existed. He served his purpose." Or whatever those words were. Never existed? EVERYTHING that occurred over three seasons was because of Peter's existence. Even if they mean, rather, that as far as those people are concerned, he never existed because they don't remember him, I still have trouble seeing any reality that doesn't create a paradox. Which means I'm eager for next season, which means they've done their jobs. :)

So what did you think of these and other finales so far?

Retreat Day 1: Getting the Excitement Out of the Way Early

2011-05-13T12:55:00.000-04:00

What were YOU doing when the fire started?

Kim: I was screwing around on Facebook, but I didn't have time to post anything before I had to go outside!

Fran: I was actually working, and thinking how much better my book is since I started working on it today!

Elizabeth: I was talking with Cindy about my plot, actually.

Vicky: I was reading a book on writing synopses, and taking notes.

Misty: I was listening to Megan talk about her book.

Cindy: Talking to Elizabeth about her plot.

I sense some collaboration going on here. Do we believe all this nobility?

Donna: I was writing! *points emphatically at interviewer* (and having a glass of wine)

Heidi: I was talking.

About what?

Heidi: Shapeshifting multi-partner sex.

Heather: I was listening to Heidi. *shudders*

Elaine: I was writing.

Mandy: I was trying to achieve my retreat goal of painting my nails.

Misty: How far did you get?

Mandy: I got em! *shows off blood red toenails*

Megan: I was discussing writing with Misty.

I won't ask Smith what she was doing, because she and I were outside watching the approaching storm. The alarm went off, and a moment later, writers in comfy pants started coming out, so we ran in to get our laptops. When we got back outside, I saw a couple of purses, several phones, and only, like, two laptops!

Me: What the hell kind of writers are you, anyway?

Half of them went back inside to get their stuff. LOL

Okay, not so funny. Our hall was clear of smoke or any other signs of fire, but a few minutes later, Misty came back to us and said there was a real fire. She'd seen smoke rolling along the hall ceiling from the laundry room.

Luckily, it was only about 9:20 p.m., so no one was asleep or anything. Everyone from both groups present was accounted for and safe outside. The executive on site put out the fire, but after the seven trucks showed up, there was still smoke coming out of the building. We hung out for about half an hour, then they directed us to a building on the other side of the property, so we could sit inside out of the rain.

Well, that didn't last long. The Three Stooges Musketeers (Me, Misty, and Smith) headed back out through the pouring rain to see why we heard more sirens. There were now fifteen trucks, still smoke hanging around despite the rain, and two ladders up to the roof.

We saw the manager driving back to the dining hall, so we ran (yes, RAN) back to beat her here. (Luckily, she stopped to talk to the priests in the other building, first.) They said the fire was out and had been confined to the one room. They were clearing out the building to see how bad the smoke smell was, and we'll have to decide if we're okay with staying. Our hall shouldn't be affected, or at least not badly. I'm now typing this at 10:44. We should know more in half an hour. I wish I had Internet access so I could live blog! :)

Update:
We got back into our rooms just before midnight. All is fine! Check out my Facebook page for crappy cell phone photos, including one of our hero!

Now, back to revisions.

Thor My God

2011-05-11T07:35:00.000-04:00

(I wrote this last Friday but just now getting around to posting it! :( )

I got to see Thor last night, in a special pre-screening hosted by Bobby Rahal Acura. Acura is a movie sponsor--all the S.H.I.E.L.D. cars are Acuras. So it was very cool--free tickets, popcorn, and soda, an early show (instead of midnight or weekend crowds), and a goody bag.

The movie was very good. I thought the casting, acting, and characterization were tops. It was quite spectacular, too, in the visual arena. I didn't like the 3D, because the registration seemed to be off a little at times, making it blurry. But the effects and cinematography were fantastic. Not in the "Oh, wow, look at the effects" kind of way, but so that we were so immersed in the world they'd created, everything seemed very real. Only once did I consciously think "Oh, wow."

The story...I don't want to call it weak, but it wasn't the strongest part of the film. The core conflict was classic family-centered betrayal/redemption, done well enough not to be too tedious or predictable. It was just very focused, and most of it took place on Asgard and the Frost Giants' planet, which made Earth feel like an afterthought. The romance was far too light, and could have been better built to support the sacrifice more strongly.

Still, the movie is well worth seeing for Chris Hemsworth. He broke my heart as George Kirk in Star Trek, but I had a hard time picturing him as Thor because the roles are so different. But man, was he made for Thor.

And I'm not just talking about my "hottest ever" comments on Twitter and Facebook. :) That's a true statement (hint hint, People magazine Sexiest Man Alive editor), but it's not just about muscles and height and low-slung jeans and a bare torso... ... ... Um, where was I? Oh, yeah. Hemsworth carries his body very naturally, so that he projects power. Sometimes his size seemed enhanced in comparison to those around him, but there was no trickery in his grace and strength. Add the hair and those brilliant eyes, and, well, I have a new favorite. :)

Oh, yeah, and his acting was good, too. The best scene was when he thought he'd lost everything. I love an actor who can put that much emotion in his eyes and the lines of his face.

I love the S.H.I.E.L.D. guy, but I felt there was a little too much setup for The Avengers. They could have cut back on the S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff a little and built the romance and Thor's perspective shift, instead. It was cool to have J***** R***** as H****** in an uncredited cameo, though.

Real fans will also recognize Stan Lee in his cameo, catch the reference to Stark, and know to stay through the end of the credits for an additional teaser. This one was pretty good—it made me say "Oh, crap!" and was related to the movie's storyline as well as the Avengers in general.

So, all in all, worth the price of admission. Let me know what you think!

Refreshing Fundraising

2011-05-03T17:30:00.000-04:00

I got an e-mail from Misha Collins today.

Now, Misha is the kind of guy who connects with people (I've met him a couple of times), and who really believes in his cause, so it's possible he actually wrote the e-mail himself. It's enough that I can tell myself he did, anyway, and that makes me smile.

But that's not why the e-mail made me happy.

A while ago, I donated to Random Acts, his charitable organization. Way back last fall, actually, when he ran something like 80 miles nonstop. I got my confirmation and thank you for my donation.

And that was it.

In December, I got a gift for someone, a donation in their name through another organization. Within a day, I had another solicitation from them. Since then, I've gotten mailings every couple of weeks, as well as e-mails (until I unsubscribed). This is what usually happens when you give money somewhere, no matter how legitimate and worthy the organization. They incessantly beg you for more money, in logical and emotional language designed to make you feel guilty. And it drives. me. insane. It makes me want to never give money through them again.

In contrast, you know what Misha's letter said? Thank you. It described the organization's efforts in Haiti and Japan, and their plans for a trip down to physically get involved, and hopes for future endeavors.

And that's it. It's so refreshing, it makes me want to immediately give more money. It makes me want to boost Jason Manns' Crowdrise account and for a few brief moments I think, "Hey, I could join them on the trip!" And then I come to my senses. But in the meantime, it worked.

It's just really refreshing to be appreciated instead of guilt-tripped.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Speaking of fundraising, don't forget about the Brenda Novak auction for a Cure for Diabetes! That link takes you to two of the items I've donated, a one-chapter critique and a partial proofread. Bidding is low, so you could get them for a STEAL. You can also skim the Carina Press category for other stuff (Kindle and Nook loaded with books, and lunch with Carina authors!). And, of course, spend some time looking at all the other fantastic stuff.

The great thing about an auction is that:

1) You're not just being asked to donate money with hints about how awful you are if you don't. You get something out of it!

2) You can help things out by driving up bidding on really popular items. You don't have to spend money then, but you're still participating! :)

3) There may be tax benefits, if you pay more than the value of the item you win. (Consult your tax advisor.)

Have fun!

Novak Auction

2011-05-01T10:06:00.000-04:00

Before I talk about the Really Important stuff, I have to share some serious squee. Joyfully Reviewed just notified me that Fight or Flight is Joyfully Recommended for May! You can find the full review (where Miranda says "Fight or Flight is a phenomenal action-packed story you would expect to find on the silver screen and I loved it!") at the first link.

If you just snapped your fingers and went, "Oh, yeah, I've been meaning to buy that!" then you can find it at Carina Press, via Amazon and Barnes & Noble, and wherever e-books are sold (I link to many popular e-book stores here.

Okay, enough about me! Let's talk about:

Brenda Novak has raised tons of money (=over $1,000,000!) for diabetes research over the last several years, and her efforts draw some amazing items. In addition to the things you can bid on, she has prizes and easy ways to donate without having to spend oodles on expensive items.

This year, I'm doing more than just bidding. I've donated several items, myself.

The first is a proofread and polish of your partial manuscript. Do you have a handle on your story and all the elements of craft, but can't find a typo to save your career? Are there certain grammar mental blocks that you just can't seem to overcome? Let me fix them for you! As of right now, no one has bid on this, so you have a good chance of getting it for a steal.

I've also joined up with many of the Carina Authors for a whole bunch of stuff. Go to the Carina page and browse the list of one-chapter critiques. And check out the BIG items: a Nook and a Kindle fully loaded with Carina books and novellas, and breakfast with the Carina authors attending RWA National, and a mentoring package from Julie Rowe.

None of that tickles your fancy? I guarantee something else will! They have stuff for authors, and stuff for readers, and stuff for everyone! They also have a really amazing prize for the person who makes the most bids, even if they don't win a single thing. Well worth the time it would take to enter all those bids. :)

The auction runs through May 31, but some items expire before that, and some are offered for one day only. There are also a few "buy now" items you can get without enduring the bidding process. Go check it out!

Reasons I am Happy Today

2011-04-30T19:49:00.000-04:00

1. First-pass edits on Behind the Scenes have been turned in to my editor.

2. It was sunny today.

3. I leave for retreat in 12 days.

4. Magnum ice cream bars are awesome, even if they're not dark chocolate.

5. New Doctor Who tonight.

6. Supernatural is living up to my expectations all season, and coming together incredibly.

7. I have a whole week before my crazy work schedule kicks in.

8. The lawn is mowed, and I didn't have to do it.

9. Our concession stand coworker today was Number One's fifth-grade teacher, so the two and a half hours passed far more pleasantly than they would have otherwise.

10. I'm not starting Under the Moon's edit analysis until tomorrow.

Why are YOU happy today? And you're not allowed to say you're not.

All things books: Interview with author Natalie J. Damschroder

2011-04-29T19:37:00.000-04:00

I did an interview at All Things Books today. Come check it out and see what else they've got going on over there!

In the Awards I Don't Deserve Department...

2011-04-23T11:24:00.000-04:00

Wayyyyy back on April 13th, MJ Fredrick gave me this award. Thanks, MJ! I have no idea what "stylish" means in this context. Not that it matters. No one can call me stylish in any context. :)

Anyway, the rules for accepting this award are:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

3. Pass the award on.

So, 7 things about myself that I haven't already said... Probably impossible. But I'll give it a go.

1. When I was growing up in Massachusetts, we spent a lot of time during the summer in Misquamicut, Rhode Island. Day trips to the beach, occasional one-week vacations, usually sharing a house with my cousins or a friend of my mother. So to me, THAT is what a beach is supposed to be like. High rise hotels? *scoffs with derision*

2. My preferred college was Syracuse University, but I didn't get enough financial aid to go there, so I went to Ohio Wesleyan, where my stepmother worked so I got free tuition. I was planning to transfer, but it turned out a smaller school was much better for me, and I met Jim there the first week of classes.

3. I was never an athlete, laboring under the belief that I sucked at sports and my brother got all those good genes. I played one season of U-16 coed soccer as a forward. Never scored, but I don't remember being horrible. :) I loved roller skating most of my youth, and my senior year of high school, I was in the ski club. LOVED it. Major passion.

4. I paid my weekly rental fees in the ski club by cleaning a house in the town where I lived. It was awful. I earned, like, $4.25 an hour, and the couple were horrendous slobs. They never rinsed the toothpaste they spit into the sink, so I had to clean a week's worth every time.

5. When we first moved to that tiny little town (North Chatham, NY, population less than 300), we volunteered at a festival the church held in the summer. Everyone did, even if they didn't attend that church. I was serving sodas, and they were so foamy, I had to secretly stick my finger into it to dissipate the foam or it would be half an hour before I could hand it over. (This was before the sloppy and wasteful habit of pouring the "foam" off the top of the cup.)

6. When I was a kid, and I was alone, I often found myself narrating my life. Like, walking along the edge of a lake and keeping up a running commentary as if I was reading it in a book. I thought it was a sign I read too much. Obviously, it was my writer's soul.

7. The job I most regret not getting was a summer position at Glacier National Park.

Okay, who shall I give this to?

You know what? Number Two is yelling at me to get in the shower because we have to leave soon. Since it's her birthday, I'd better do as she says. So I give this award to everyone who reads this blog, should you choose to accept it! :)

Frontierland

2011-04-22T23:20:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, I never posted the post I was going to post. *sigh* Just...way too busy. Longer hours at day job, more freelance work, Number Two's birthday tomorrow, and I'm on deadline! You DO want a new book from me, right? And you want it to be good?

I'll pretend you all shouted "yes" instead of shrugging. :)

Anyway, I did post my thoughts on tonight's episode of Supernatural over at Supernatural Sisters. Head over and see if you agree with me!

Interview at Word Wranglers

2011-04-20T19:03:00.002-04:00

I plan a real post later tonight, but in the meantime, I did an interview with Word Wranglers today!

Random Catch-Up and Some Big News

2011-04-10T19:00:00.000-04:00

Phew! That Month of the Hero thing takes a lot out of you. All week, I meant to post all kinds of stuff I'd been "collecting," but time just kept slipping...slipping...slipping...

Anyway, MJ and I had a lot of fun with all of you, and we appreciate the visits and the comments and the great suggestions of additional heroes. I hope you all had fun, too!

Wow, so much to talk about. Let's break it down into sections:

Movies

A few weeks ago, watching Modern Family, we saw a preview for Source Code. I'd seen it a few times, but hadn't really thought much about it besides "I want to see that." (Okay, maybe a little "mmmm, Jake" as well.) Number Two pipes up, halfway through the spot, "shes' the bomber." We all stared at her in shock, and a little dismay. I don't want my movie experience ruined like that! But mostly shock, because even though she's nearly 12, she has no interest in movies with tension, never mind people exploding over and over again. Where did she come up with that?

So the weekend Source Code came out, her father and I went to see it. Very good movie. It had some nice twists, and required some fun thinking to understand and fill in some holes that weren't fully explained. But no, she wasn't the bomber. Would have been a much funnier story if she was.

I've watched some older movies lately, too. Finally got around to Inception. LOVED it. Except the end made me scream. I hate endings like that. But I made my own determination, as obviously intended by the filmmaker, and fell even more in love with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I had to add a few older, less appealing movies to my Netflix queue because he only has one movie this year, and it's not until September.

Also saw Zombieland (funny!) and The Switch (it was okay).

Books

Read a whole bunch of really great books lately. Also read the free novella Reaper, of the Soul Screamers series. I wasn't sure I wanted to continue the series, as well written as it is, because I'm not so enamored of Nash anymore. But I need more Tod. :)

Also really enjoyed Shiver of Fear by Roxanne St. Claire (got it free in a Twitter giveaway from Grand Central; cannot WAIT for Vivi's book!), Breaking the Rules by Suzanne Brockmann (her voice permeates every character so there's a lot of similarity, but I love that voice, and I love the core of every one of those characters!), and My One and Only by Kristan Higgins (so glad it wasn't in present tense this time! LOL).

I'm now reading The Iron King and have half a dozen more books that I have to read RIGHT NOW, as well as another dozen more in my TBR collection (it's not a pile when it's on the Kindle) and some on my real-life bookshelf. And, as always, four pages of samples to remind me what else I want to buy, most of them from Carina.

I'd ask what you're reading that's good, but that would just make my to-buy collection longer...

TV

Can I just say how much I hate hiatus season? Luckily, there's only, like, one week where NONE of my favorite shows were on, and there are a couple of decent new shows that started.

We really like Mr. Sunshine, which is fast-paced, well acted, and funny. The characters are pretty over-the-top, but have just enough vulnerability to make them appealing.

We also like Breaking In, mainly because we really like Christian Slater and Brett Harrison (from Reaper—the discontinued CW show, not the free novella mentioned above). The pilot was a little frenetic and had that trying-to-hard element, but I think it will settle in to be fun and interesting.

Watching, but not loving, Mad Love. Mainly hooked because of Tyler Labine (also, coincidentally, from Reaper) and the fantabulous Judy Greer. It's a show I wouldn't miss if it failed.

Of the older shows, bored with Bones (Where's the depth?), annoyed with Castle (Where's the snappy writing? Yeah, we can tell the place is trashed, thanks, Beckett.), oooooh, but so loving Nikita. Since the show's continuation is in question, I'm really happy they moved the Nikita/Michael relationship forward instead of teasing it out. Mmmmm, Michael.

Anyway, we're about at the end of hiatus season, and sliding into the sweet spot of few reruns from now until May. Then we hit June, and there are some summer shows I really miss and can't wait for (Covert Affairs, Haven).

Fight or Flight

In case you missed it, my latest romantic adventure was released two weeks ago. I updated its web page this weekend, including a few more retailer links and the reviews it's gotten. The Long and Short of It Reviewsgave it a great 5-book review, and it won book of the week, and I got this great video by Goddess Fish as a prize:

In Other News...

Release week was fantastic in several ways. I got the release date for my next romantic adventure from Carina Press. Behind the Scenes is scheduled for October 31. That book features a heroine running security on a movie set, which means of course the hero is a movie star. SO not her kind of guy, especially when he could be a target and her job is to keep him alive. I just received the developmental edit letter for this book, so that's what will be keeping me from blogging over the next three weeks.

Let me say again...my editor is brilliant. I am the luckiest author in existence.

Aaaaanddddd...

That week, I also sold a series to Entangled Publishing. The first book, Under the Moon, is tentatively scheduled to be out later this year. The series is paranormal romance (almost bordering on urban fantasy) and features modern-day goddesses. More on this series to come!

~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, really long makeup post, sorry. (You'd think I'd sprinkle it out through several days, wouldn't you? But I'm too lazy for that.) What's going on in YOUR life that you've been patiently waiting to tell me? :)

The Most Important Part of the Book (or, Immunity to Iocane Powder)

2011-04-07T10:35:00.000-04:00

I'm blogging at Magical Musings today!

The Most Important Part of the Book (or, Immunity to Iocane Powder)

And the Winner Is...

2011-04-02T13:30:00.000-04:00

First, thank you so much to everyone who came and voted and had fun with this. I had a great week and adore you all!

Next, the runner up, losing by only 4 votes, is...

Raylan Givens!

Here's a consolation gift for you:

And the winner is...

DEAN WINCHESTER!

Championship Round

2011-03-31T23:34:00.000-04:00

I am totally blown away.

MALCOLM REYNOLDS LOST!!!!!!!!!??????????

Never saw that one coming.

AAAAAAAANNNNDDDD...

Wait for it...

You sitting down?

Dean and Raylan TIED! And they beat Harry Potter!

So we have three entries in the final round. And since this is my blog and I'm doing all this work, I have a case to make. *VBG* Sure, Booth is appealing. And I get that Raylan is the flavor of the month. He's all new and stuff, and that blush of first love is upon us.

But think about this. Which hero has taken on the biggest burden? Which has made the greatest personal sacrifices? Who is determined to save the world, and has died trying? More than once?

Now, have at it. Poll closes at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, and I'll post the winner sometime Saturday, depending on my family schedule. Have fun! :)

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

NOW it Gets Difficult

2011-03-30T23:10:00.002-04:00

Raylan pulled through by only ONE vote!

Harry only won by three!

Mal kicked ass, of course.

But Dean and Seeley TIED.

Therefore...

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Creepiest Supernatural Monsters Evah

2011-03-30T07:28:00.000-04:00

Supernatural Sisters has Lisa Paitz Spindler as a guest today, and she's talking about the creepiest SPN monsters ever. Go check it out! (And don't forget to vote in round three below!)

Hero Showdown Round 3, and Oh Noes!

2011-03-29T19:23:00.005-04:00

Ohhhhhh, yes. It's Nathan Fillion against himself. Mal against Rick. New hotness against old...hotness. (You can decide which is which!).

Same deets as before, but I'm going an hour later tomorrow night for voting. Spread the word!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Hero Showdown Round 2!

2011-03-28T19:30:00.000-04:00

This was TRICKY, y'all! Some very surprising results (at least to me). I'm so sad about the guys I lost, but it's very interesting how 5 of MJ's heroes and 5 of mine both fell off.

So here we go with round two! It gets way more difficult, let me tell you! But I did some finagling so Nathan doesn't have to run against himself. Yet. :) David no longer has to worry about that, alas.

Same deal as yesterday. Vote in each pair, scroll down to get all 7 questions, click "done." Some of you already discovered you're allowed to skip a choice, and you can vote more than once. Astute voters will notice we're missing someone. There was an odd number this round, so I held back Harry Potter, since he's such a juggernaut. :)

Don't forget, you can use the "share" buttons at the bottom of the post to spread the word. Voting closes at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow (Tuesday). Thanks!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

It's Release Day!

2011-03-28T00:01:00.003-04:00

First, before you do anything, please read Monica's post at The Gab Wagon about Fatin's tragedy and how you can help her family. It's easy and there's something in it for you!

Now, on to superficialities. Like the fact that Fight or Flight is finally here!

You can get it from Carina Press, via Amazon and Barnes and Noble, and wherever e-books are sold. It's also available in audiobook! You can find other links on my book page here.

I've been interviewed by Ava Quinn at her blog, Tongue in Cheek, and that should be up today. Ava asks fun questions that inspire crazy answers. :) Check it out!

AND, don't forget, you should vote in The Month of the Hero poll, below. All the heroes pictured below are up against each other. At 7:00 p.m. Eastern, half will fall. Make sure it's not one of your favorites!

Note: As of this writing, Raylan of Justified and Michael of Nikita were tied! NO idea what I'll do if it ends that way, so please vote! :)

Click for full-size image

The Month of the Hero Showdown, Day 1!

2011-03-27T14:43:00.000-04:00

Okay, here we go!

The first 10 questions (first survey) are the heroes MJ and I talked about in our postings all month. The last five questions (second survey) are the heroes YOU mentioned in the comments.

Your job is simple. Pick one guy from each pairing and click "Done" at the end. Please note that both polls scroll separately, and you have to click "Done" twice.

The polls will remain open until 7:00 p.m. Eastern time tomorrow (Monday, 3/28). Then I'll post round 2, pitting the survivors of round 1 against each other!

Have fun, and spread the word! You can click the Twitter, Facebook, and blog buttons at the bottom of the post to share. Thanks!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Hero Showdown!

2011-03-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

Click for full-size image

The showdown will begin Monday! Though I'll probably post the first poll tomorrow. We start with 30 heroes (including Ted Beaudine, not pictured), and will ruthlessly cull them until we get to one...THE ULTIMATE HERO*!

And don't worry, I'm doing a simple poll, no fussing with brackets. Between the NCAA and DABWAHA, I'm so traumatized I shall run screaming from the very image.

Stay tuned!

*Out of these 30, not to imply that he would be ultimate of all possible fictional heroes ever.

Week 4 Winner!

2011-03-26T12:39:00.000-04:00

MJ drew the winner today, and it's Ava Quinn, who commented on my Auggie post! Yay, finally a winner who commented over here! LOL

Tomorrow I'll get the first poll up for our hero showdown. Stay tuned!

Natalie

Real-Life Heroes

2011-03-25T00:01:00.012-04:00

I originally said I was going to write this post, but I wasn't sure I could do it justice. I wrote all my other posts a month ahead of time, but couldn't quite wrap my head around this one. I almost considered writing about another fictional hero, instead. Then two things happened.

Last week, a house very close to mine caught fire. It was the first time I've ever seen real-life firefighters and EMTs at work, the first time a tragedy like this has happened in front of me. The house was fully engulfed before they arrived, and I don't think the person who made it out ever had a chance. So there was no dashing-through-the-flames and triumphant rescue.

But that didn't change the fact that those 30+ firefighters are heroes. They were mostly volunteer, and came with the expectation of putting their lives on the line. All our traits—responsibility, dedication to doing the right thing, leadership, and courage, were on display at that site.

The other event, of course, was the disaster in Japan. Hundreds of stories of heroes come out of a situation like that, but the biggest one is the nuclear reactor. What a horrifying situation. My heart aches for those employees who are willing to give up their lives to make the world a safer place for their families and loved ones, and for all of THEIR families and loved ones, and so on. Their courage is boundless, and I have no doubt that somewhere in there is an incredible leader.

We like to talk about fictional heroes because we can get "close" to them. The medium (film or page) gives us insight into their personalities, their goals and motivations, and gives us room to fantasize about living in their worlds. Real-life heroes are different. Some of them aren't the kinds of people we'd want to spend any time with, while others become heroes with such quiet strength most of us aren't even aware of them. But in The Month of the Hero, they deserve the spot at the top.

MJ and I thank everyone who read our posts this month, and extra thanks go to those who commented. Come back next week to vote in the showdown, pitting all our heroes against each other! We'll have daily polls until we get to a winner.

We'll announce our fourth and final $25 gift card winner this weekend, so be sure to check back.

And don't forget to purchase Fight or Flight on Monday, from Carina Press, Amazon orBarnes & Noble, or wherever e-books are sold. It's also available in audiobook!

Jake from Avatar

2011-03-24T00:01:00.000-04:00

For our final post on fictional heroes, MJ talks about hunky Jake Sully from the movie Avatar. It's almost your last chance to win a $25 gift certificate!

~~~~~~~~~~
I want to talk a little bit about Road Signs, MJ's newest release from Carina Press. I had a chance to read it and planned to talk about it during The Month of the Hero, but all the posts were so structured, I didn't really get a chance to fit it in. Which would have been convenient if I hadn't liked it. :) But I did! So here's a quick review:

Cam and Willow have been friends for a long time, so when she calls him for help, he risks losing a personal dream to be by her side. I love friends-to-lovers stories, but it can be really tricky to avoid having one of the characters appear selfish or clueless, or have one subvert their own needs in a way that makes them look weak instead of heroic. MJ strikes that balance perfectly. I loved watching Willow slowly realize what's between them, and overcome her fears to embrace what they can have. The conflict of Cam's job situation created high tension long past the point where you'd expect it to be resolved.

And, of course, Supernatural fans will have fun picking out all the very subtle homages to the show. :) Go get it now! :)

A Blind Hero: Auggie from Covert Affairs

2011-03-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

I’m a fan of several of the shows on the USA Network. At the top is Covert Affairs. I like Annie, and her romantic entanglement and family complications, and her bosses and their romantic entanglement and family complications. But the character who makes me love the show is Auggie.

Auggie embodies both physical and emotional courage. (Most of the time—more on that later). He was blinded on the job, and now serves as the technical expert in Annie’s division. He’s a former soldier, whip smart, sweet and welcoming—a good friend to Annie in a world where friends are hard to identify. But he’s also much more.

It takes a lot of courage to keep working in a world that incapacitated you, sitting a desk when you want to be in the field, being reminded every day of what was done to you. What you’ve lost.

It takes courage to put yourself out in the field despite both your handicap and the rules you’re required to work under. More courage to be responsible for the safety of your old team when you can’t see, and can’t be there to help them directly.

Auggie has the typical courage of an agent, going undercover as a reporter’s lover to try to determine who her informant is. But that’s where his courage ends. He uses his charm and his talents and his blindness to live a playboy’s life, one-night stands and superficial relationships a shield against true emotional connection. Or so it seems.

We learned late in the season that he guards himself because he still loves a woman from his past. He’s willing to throw away everything to protect her. That kind of courage is catnip for women who go for guys like Auggie. (Except I’d like him to wind up with Annie eventually, though there’s no hint of that possibility so far.)

Auggie’s a pretty rare character, an adventure-hound super-spy with a severe handicap. Who else is out there like Auggie? (I may have to comment on this post myself, as I can think of another one with an even less common handicap. I think MJ might jump in and name him, though… :) ) Remember, commenters can win a $25 gift certificate to the bookstore of their choice.

~~~~~~~~~~
Check out Fight or Flight, my March release from Carina Press. Also available as an audiobook!
Friend me on Facebook.
Follow me on Twitter.

The Courage of Harry Potter

2011-03-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

Today, MJ gets to talk about one of MY favorite heroes, Harry Potter! Go over to help us dissect all the ways he showed why he belongs in Gryffindor. I say "help us" because I don't think I'll stop myself from filling up the comments with my own thoughts. LOL

~~~~~~~~~~
Buy Road Signs, MJ's newest release from Carina Press.
Friend her on Facebook.
Follow her on Twitter.

The Courage of Kurt on Glee

2011-03-21T00:01:00.002-04:00

Everyone knows courage is not the absence of fear, but acting despite fear. It can manifest in physical or emotional ways. Physical courage inspires swooning, but what we really long to witness is emotional courage.

One of the most courageous characters being portrayed today is Kurt on Glee. When the show first started, he was a point of amusement. Resigned to being bullied and tossed in a dumpster every morning, but asking his tormentors to wait while he takes off his designer sweater.

By itself, Kurt’s unconcealed homosexuality is brave. Kurt knows who he is and refuses to hide it, though it would make his life a lot easier. As season one went on, we got to see a little better how hard it really was. Slushies, crushes, and, yes, a desire to belong that led him to the football team.

Kurt came out to his father at a younger age than many kids do. His father is fantastic, but far from perfect, and his inability to understand his son made the decision terrifying. Kurt also let his feelings for Finn show, which was completely disastrous, but still courageous. Like anyone, he wants to be loved.

Dad. I have something that I want to say. I'm glad that you're proud of me. But I don't want to lie anymore. Being a part of the Glee Club and football has really shown me that I can be anything, and what I am, is, I'm gay.

In season 2, the bullying reached terrifying levels. Kurt’s first kiss was abusive, his attempts to reach out to his abuser, to help him, running into a stone wall. Some might say Kurt’s decision to change schools was not courageous, but I think it was. Despite the fear he lived with, Kurt had friends, a group he fit in with. He had to start all over at the new school, and their zero tolerance policy and apparent acceptance of homosexuality among the non-homosexual students doesn’t make him automatically a part of things. This was apparent when he wasn’t immediately embraced by the glee club.

I originally wrote this post several weeks ago, and said, “Romantic heroes don’t have to be big burly men. Love is love, and I hope Glee lasts long enough for Kurt to find someone who truly appreciates who he is and what he has to offer.” In an awesome coincidence, last week’s episode gave us just that! Raise your hand if you absolutely loved Kurt and Blaine’s kiss. And the other kiss!

Glee is the only show of its kind that I watch. So tell me: what other characters out there display the kind of emotional courage Kurt does? Do you consider them heroic?

We’re giving away another $25 gift certificate this week, to the bookstore of YOUR choice! So comment anywhere this full post appears to be entered in the drawing.

~~~~~~~~~~
Check out Fight or Flight, my March release from Carina Press. Also available as an audiobook!
Friend me on Facebook.
Follow me on Twitter.