It has been an absolutely crazy two weeks. Stress level has been totally through the roof. There were lots of big decisions to make and that left a lot of little decisions up in the air. One big decision down, one to go. I'll write more about that later.
Last night I got to cross one big thing off my to do list. I finished Minnie's story - the novel formerly known as Locations of the Heart and now retitled Hauntings of the Heart. I finished my synopsis and sent it off to the publisher. Now comes the anxiety of waiting to hear back from the publisher. Will they like it? How much editing will I have to do? We shall see.
So this afternoon when I sat down at my computer, I wasn't quite sure what to do. (Not that there weren't things I should be doing, but...) What do you do to celebrate finishing something big?
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Writing. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
New laptop - It's pink!
After the dilemma of deciding between a new laptop or a new iPod, I went with the laptop. I got a Dell in Lotus Pink. I'm very excited about the pink.
I spent most of the weekend getting my files moved over and adjusting the settings to my preferences. I think I'm almost there. One thing I will have to get used to is the mouse pad. It is much larger and much more sensitive than my previous one. It also is able to do gestures similar to my iPod, so you can enlarge or shrink things by touching it with two fingers. This tends to happen when I'm trying to scroll and I don't realize that my left hand is resting on the pad.
Hooking up my printer was a bit of a pain. We have a wireless printer, so I can print without connecting my computer to the printer with a cable. I love it. The setup with my other computers only took a few minutes, except that the easiest way to do it is to connect the printer to the network cable. The printer is upstairs in our bedroom, so that the test print button doesn’t get pressed fifty times a day. The network cable and the wireless router are downstairs in the playroom because the kids’ computer doesn’t have a wireless card. The power strips there are completely full and all the cords are tie-wrapped together. In order to get my computer to print over the wireless network, I had to carry the printer downstairs, unplug a light, and plug in the printer. Then crawl under the table, unplug the network cable from the computer, and realize it is tie-wrapped down there. Move the printer to the floor and plug the cable in. Hoping that the power cord is long enough to reach. Do the installation on my computer. Then disconnect everything and reconnect it in its prior state. Hopefully correctly. Ah, the wonders of technology.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Rearranging my desk
My husband's birthday was a couple weeks ago and I decided to get him an XBox (with the ulterior motive that I can stream Netflix movies - the problem there being that I could actually watch an entire season of 24 in one sitting. There would be no excuse to go to bed. And the kids - they're old enough to scrounge a box of cereal, right? Okay, so this could be problematic.)
Anyway, installation and use of said XBox requires us to move the television. We have a bonus room upstairs with slanting ceilings that houses our television and a good share of the kids' toys. The ceiling slants from 8 feet on one side to 6 feet on the other. In the alcove part, the ceiling slants from 7 feet to 4 feet. Just after my husband built a beautiful shelf with perfectly measured spaces for our dvd player, VCR and the TV he anticipates we will acquire, we rearranged the room with the television in the smaller alcove. The couch was against the 4 foot wall and the TV in the corner (not using the exquisitely designed shelves. My husband loves me very much.)
However, with the XBox acquisition, we will need space to do the motions without smacking our head and hands on the ceiling. So we rearranged everything, using the shelves as they were originally intended. And my writing desk was moved into the alcove. Having the slanting ceiling over my head is a little weird and I can't watch the weather out the window anymore. I'm hoping that my desk will no longer be the crap-catcher of the room, but that is probably a lost cause.
Anyway, installation and use of said XBox requires us to move the television. We have a bonus room upstairs with slanting ceilings that houses our television and a good share of the kids' toys. The ceiling slants from 8 feet on one side to 6 feet on the other. In the alcove part, the ceiling slants from 7 feet to 4 feet. Just after my husband built a beautiful shelf with perfectly measured spaces for our dvd player, VCR and the TV he anticipates we will acquire, we rearranged the room with the television in the smaller alcove. The couch was against the 4 foot wall and the TV in the corner (not using the exquisitely designed shelves. My husband loves me very much.)
However, with the XBox acquisition, we will need space to do the motions without smacking our head and hands on the ceiling. So we rearranged everything, using the shelves as they were originally intended. And my writing desk was moved into the alcove. Having the slanting ceiling over my head is a little weird and I can't watch the weather out the window anymore. I'm hoping that my desk will no longer be the crap-catcher of the room, but that is probably a lost cause.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Sucker for a Hot Rod Cover!
Woohoo! I got the cover art for Sucker for a Hot Rod. It's awesome. Special thanks to Elaina at Astraea Press for her design.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sucker for a Hot Rod
An unbelievable week. I sold my third book!!!
Sucker for a Hot Rod (working title) will be released from Astraea Press on March 15. It will be my first ebook and available on Kindle as well as other formats. It will eventually be available in trade paperback on Amazon.
Everything happened so quickly, my mind is still reeling. To do lists are forming and getting forgotten as I remember something else I will have to do. I need to start writing the lists down.
Other good news, the little one did not have an ear infection.
Sucker for a Hot Rod (working title) will be released from Astraea Press on March 15. It will be my first ebook and available on Kindle as well as other formats. It will eventually be available in trade paperback on Amazon.
Everything happened so quickly, my mind is still reeling. To do lists are forming and getting forgotten as I remember something else I will have to do. I need to start writing the lists down.
Other good news, the little one did not have an ear infection.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Courting Sparks - Available for Pre-order!
More about the book:
Dusting off the ashes of a failed relationship, Daphne Morrow decides she is ready to date again. But when her scorched prom photos are discovered to be the ignition point for a small forest blaze, marking her as the prime suspect for the arson, she finds they're not the only part of her past sparking interest. After a friend's wedding provides a romantic interlude with her longtime friend Noah Banks, Daphne tries to explain away her attraction to him: the atmosphere of the wedding, his resemblance to her ex, his heroic efforts as a volunteer firefighter. Still, their desire just won't sputter out.
When the arsonist strikes much closer to home, Daphne fears she must risk Noah's friendship to find the culprit and clear her name. She'll know their love is real if his interest isn't put out by her need to uncover the truth.
Monday, November 1, 2010
National Authors' Day!
Today is National Authors' Day and the kickoff to NaNoWriMo.
NaNoWriMo stands for 'National Novel Writing Month.' People attempt to write a 50,000 word novel between November 1 and November 30. It averages to about 1500 words a day and some furious typing. It sounds like great fun, but requires a lot of time and dedication.
I have not yet participated in the event, but hope to sometime. Giving birth to children in October isn't conducive to writing a novel in November. Maybe next year.
Is anyone participating in NaNoWriWriMo? And who are you favorite authors?
NaNoWriMo stands for 'National Novel Writing Month.' People attempt to write a 50,000 word novel between November 1 and November 30. It averages to about 1500 words a day and some furious typing. It sounds like great fun, but requires a lot of time and dedication.
I have not yet participated in the event, but hope to sometime. Giving birth to children in October isn't conducive to writing a novel in November. Maybe next year.
Is anyone participating in NaNoWriWriMo? And who are you favorite authors?
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
USA Book News Best Books 2010
CEOs Don't Cry is a finalist it the USA Book News Best Books 2010 Contest for Romance. WooHoo!
http://www.usabooknews.com/bestbooks2010.html
http://www.usabooknews.com/bestbooks2010.html
Monday, October 25, 2010
Retreat Weekend
I spent Saturday at a writing retreat with a local writers group. There was lots of yummy food and fun people. I actually got to sit down for an entire meal. I can't remember the last time that happened. The retreat was at the Gerber Guest House. A cool bed and breakfast, not far from home.
I also had 10 straight hours to write which may be more cumulative time than I've had in a month. It was great. I wrote close to 20 pages and finished the rough draft for my book about Minnie. (If you've read CEOs Don't Cry, Minnie is the owner of the Lilac Bower Bed and Breakfast.) The story involves ghost-hunting, plumbing leaks, and a chicken. The ghost-hunting research has kept me up at night and makes going downstairs to retrieve the little one's bottles in the middle of the night a heart-pounding experience. Who knows what could be lurking in the shadows? It doesn't help that I recently learned that a building I can see from my writing desk has a history of strange phenomenon (no doubt made stranger by the inebriated re-tellings of the regulars at its underground bar.) The plumbing research has been a little more mundane. My husband is fielding questions about how long it would take for water to soak through a wall, ceiling or floor and how much copper pipe costs.
I spent most of yesterday reading, a rare treat.
It's great to be done with a major stage of the project, now I have to find a title for the story and figure out what to work on next. Do you do anything to celebrate finishing a project?
I also had 10 straight hours to write which may be more cumulative time than I've had in a month. It was great. I wrote close to 20 pages and finished the rough draft for my book about Minnie. (If you've read CEOs Don't Cry, Minnie is the owner of the Lilac Bower Bed and Breakfast.) The story involves ghost-hunting, plumbing leaks, and a chicken. The ghost-hunting research has kept me up at night and makes going downstairs to retrieve the little one's bottles in the middle of the night a heart-pounding experience. Who knows what could be lurking in the shadows? It doesn't help that I recently learned that a building I can see from my writing desk has a history of strange phenomenon (no doubt made stranger by the inebriated re-tellings of the regulars at its underground bar.) The plumbing research has been a little more mundane. My husband is fielding questions about how long it would take for water to soak through a wall, ceiling or floor and how much copper pipe costs.
I spent most of yesterday reading, a rare treat.
It's great to be done with a major stage of the project, now I have to find a title for the story and figure out what to work on next. Do you do anything to celebrate finishing a project?
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Book Review for CEOs Don't Cry
I got a great review from Romance Junkies on CEOs Don't Cry. I'm really excited. You can check it out here:
http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/contemporary/CEO_s_Don_t_Cry_JV.shtml
http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artman/publish/contemporary/CEO_s_Don_t_Cry_JV.shtml
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Guest Blogging at Classic Romance Revival
I'm guest blogging at Classic Romance Revival (http://classicromancerevival.blogspot.com/) about my writing space. Stop by and say hi!
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Local Author Jamboree at the Book Nook in Montague
Last Saturday, I went to a Local Author Jamboree at the Book Nook in Montague. It was great fun. I met some great authors and heard about some exciting books and added two more to my To Be Read List. Oh dear.
It was a beautiful day and an excellent afternoon for a drive. Unfortunately, my drive took somewhat longer than I had planned. Yes, I got lost. I looked at the map and thought I was looking at one road and wasn't. I ended up making a wrong turn while on my wrong route and was going south and east when I should have been going north and west. I drove around for about twenty minutes, at first thinking I would hit the road soon, then realized I was going in the complete opposite direction. I pulled over and called my husband. I told him I was lost.
He asked, "Where are you?"
If I knew that I wouldn't be lost, would I? I explained that I was near the highway and knew I should get on the highway, but didn't know which direction to go. We eventually figured it out and I made it to the Jamboree only fifteen minutes late.
Next time I'll bring a map.
It was a beautiful day and an excellent afternoon for a drive. Unfortunately, my drive took somewhat longer than I had planned. Yes, I got lost. I looked at the map and thought I was looking at one road and wasn't. I ended up making a wrong turn while on my wrong route and was going south and east when I should have been going north and west. I drove around for about twenty minutes, at first thinking I would hit the road soon, then realized I was going in the complete opposite direction. I pulled over and called my husband. I told him I was lost.
He asked, "Where are you?"
If I knew that I wouldn't be lost, would I? I explained that I was near the highway and knew I should get on the highway, but didn't know which direction to go. We eventually figured it out and I made it to the Jamboree only fifteen minutes late.
Next time I'll bring a map.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Guest Blogging at Autumn Dawn
I'm guest blogging at AutumnDawn.blogspot.com today about developing secondary characters. Hop over there and say Hi.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Maidens Who Don't Float
As a writer, I'm always thinking about new ways a story could be told. What new techniques could be used? What if it was in a different perspective? His? Hers? The cat's? How could I relate a story that would be attention-grabbing for the reader?
Novels have grasped new types of communication and been written in emails and text messages. I've wondered if a novel could be written using FaceBook posts.
Someone has already beaten me to it. Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook by Sarah Schmelling revisits a variety of the classics as FaceBook profiles and groups. Interspersed are wall posts and quizzes featuring our favorite authors. Jane Austen takes a quiz about which Jane Austen heroine she would be. Ernest Hemingway takes a quiz comparing his manliness to others. It's awesome. My friend loaned the book to me and I barely had it an hour before I added it to my Amazon cart.
What are some books that you can't live without?
Novels have grasped new types of communication and been written in emails and text messages. I've wondered if a novel could be written using FaceBook posts.
Someone has already beaten me to it. Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook by Sarah Schmelling revisits a variety of the classics as FaceBook profiles and groups. Interspersed are wall posts and quizzes featuring our favorite authors. Jane Austen takes a quiz about which Jane Austen heroine she would be. Ernest Hemingway takes a quiz comparing his manliness to others. It's awesome. My friend loaned the book to me and I barely had it an hour before I added it to my Amazon cart.
What are some books that you can't live without?
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