AAAACCCCKKKK - Law of Averages is OUT OF MY HANDS

I just hit 'send'. Law of Averages is shooting through cyberspace towards my uber-awesome editor Kelli. (Hmm... will she still be uber-awesome if she rejects it?)

OF COURSE! :)

Now the waiting begins. The gut-gnawing, nail-biting, little-ball-of-panic-in-the-bottom-of -your-belly that flips over everytime you see your email inbox with a (1) beside it. Will it be her? Will they accept? Reject? Love? Hate? Want to change?
AAAHHH
You know I'm going to totally crack under this pressure. Especially since it'll be a good eight to twelve weeks (on the early end!) before I find out.
Oh valium, where are'st thou?

Over THERE!

I'm over at Six Degrees of Sexy today and YOUR opinions are needed. Please come on over and leave your two cents!

The End

Last night I finally got to type the two sweetest words a writer knows. Six little letters that when strung together produce a satisfied smile of accomplishment, a sigh of relief, or if you're like my buddy Christine, a snoopy dance.

THE END.
(translated into writer's speak - WOO HOO!)

Law of Averages is DONE.
I'm going to put it away for a day and then go back for a final polish, a spit and shine, then send it off to my editor by Halloween.
I feel particularly good about this story because I've never produced a piece so fast, approximately 6 weeks for 35,000 words. Of course, my housework went undone, my laundry piled up to new heights and I've barely seen my children, but we all make sacrifices, right?
And I really LIKE this story and the characters. I hope you will to, if my editor accepts it for publication ;D (feel free to cross you fingers on my behalf)

* * *
I blogged over at Six Degrees of Sexy today -- SEX and FOOD. Please pop by and prepare to lick your lips.

Thursday Thirteen #33 - Movies

I don't often watch movies twice. If I do, it's because it's got one of the following qualities:

• is an exceptional film


• speaks to me on some personal level


• is a musical (it's a feel-good thing)


• stars Brad Pitt

Not a complicated matter. Here are 13 movies I've watched multiple times.

1. The Red Violin - the story is wonderful and the music is brilliant. Joshua Bell does the music and he will blow you away.


2. Legends of the Fall - one word: Tristan *sigh*


3. Moulin Rouge - the colors, the music, the tragic love story!


4. Chicago - the music, the dancing, and all that jazz...


5. Citizen Kane - This movie was released in 1941 and can still hold it's own. The story telling and filming was fabulous. If you haven't seen it yet, please, do yourself a favor.
   
6. Rocky Horror Picture Show - I probably saw this one about 30 times in my youth. Don't scoff! In what other movie can you throw toast and dance in the aisles?


7. Something About Mary - something about it just cracked me up,... about 3 times.


8. Gone With the Wind - I actually have seen many of the old classics many times, but this is one of my faves. And Bette Davis in Now, Voyageur.


9. The Wizard of Oz - reminds me of my childhood. My mother would let me and my big sis eat our dinner in the living room on t.v. trays when it came on every year at Easter time


10. Fight Club - that ending!! I started from the beginning as soon as it ended, just to see all the hidden images and clues. Hmmm... and wasn't Brad in this one? ;)


11. Phantom of the Opera - Gerard Butler + tragic love story + great music = perfection


12. The Bourne Identity - I was a HUGE Ludlum fan and was delighted that they made this movie ROCK, despite the fact that it strayed so far from the book. I never saw Matt as an 'action hero' until this, and he was the perfect combo of intense, tough and troubled.


13. Casino Royale - Daniel Craig's 007 was worth seeing a second time. Maybe even a third.

There are many more, but this is a pretty fair representation.

What movie do your find worthy of rewatching? Leave you answer in comments...

Blog Roundup

Where've I been, what've I seen...

Red Garnier received a stellar review for her latest, Bona Fide Liar, from JERR. In this blogger's humble opinion, those 5 stars are very well deserved! It's available now from Ellora's Cave and if you haven't read it yet, Go. Now. And while you're there, pick up Divine Assistant.

Writers - Check out Leah Braemel's blog for a helpful MS WORD tool that I had NO idea existed (but wish I had) that will save you time, time and more time.

Thomma Lyn wrote a heart-warming short story about her kitty Marilyn Monreow. If you love animals, get a tissue...

Sparky Duck has kindly reminded me of my age, with a post about one of my all time fave albums, U2's The Joshua Tree, which is almost 20 years old. I shan't say how old I was when I purchased it... suffice to say I didn't have to ask my Mom for the money ;)
Go see the Sparkster and click his links to the YouTube U2 videos. (say that fast)

Terra Kent had me in giggles. Click HERE.

To make a short story long...

I have a knack of underestimating. And that's and understatement.

On October 12th, when my WIP was 12,000 words, I announced that I could see the proverbial light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. I was oh so close to my 15,000 goal.

Twenty days later (and an additional 20,000 words) and I still haven't written 'The End'.

I'd like to say that I've only got the end scene to write, but I don't want to jinx myself. LOL
Seriously, true. I just need to come up with a sex-bomb ending and this puppy is done, fini, complete.

But can I, as a romantica writer, admit to being sexed-out? I'm getting 'Tab A' into 'Slot B' burn-out (and yes, we've already covered 'Slot C'...)

Or perhaps I just need a few days away from this manuscript, away from these characters that have kept me awake for the past month. This is the fastest I've ever written --yet still shamefully slow next to my Six Degree Sisters!
I don't know how you NaNo Sweaters do it! My hat's off...

Thursday Thirteen

I defer to the imagination of Six Degree of Sexy gal Christine d'Abo. Please pop over and see 13 alternative places to get your wild thing on. Your gonna love it!

Nocturnal Sabotage baby!

I stole this from Leah Braemel's blog. And since I'm reading Eve Kenin's Driven, a raucious urban fantasy, it was apropos!!

Get Your Cyborg Name

I used my last name instead of my first because it was infinitely more imaginative.
Go on, try it! You know you want to...

Grammar Lessons

I had a bad day yesterday.
Well, technically, it was my 3 year old, Sourpuss (previously known as Sweetness), that had a bad day therefore, by association, so did I.
He was a terror. Just would not listen. At all. Naughty, naughty, naughty...

My 7 yr old, Light, came home from school with grammar homework, 'Place the proper punctuation at the end of each sentence - question mark, exclamation or period.'
While he's busy scribbling away, I'm at my wits end with Sourpuss who had just put the cat in the garbage can.

Light: "Hey mom. How come everything you say ends with an exclamation point?"

Grrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I found my voice

Quick recap to catch you up:
Last year, about this time, I began a pirate historical. I shot out of the gate like a racehorse, galloped along until, about 6000 words in, I stalled.
Never having done a historical, AND being as anal as I am, I got all caught up in details, spent hours upon hours of researching bits about time periods, pirates, etc until writing wasn't fun anymore.

I happily 'postponed' it to start a new story - a dark paranormal! Galloped out of the gate, got over 25,000 words in and stalled. The horse up and died.
It just wasn't fun anymore...
My writing sessions turned into web-surfing marathons, blog hopping, chatting, solitaire, etc.
Again, I've never done a paranormal and couldn't decide how to build my world, how to make things work, how to NOT overcomplicate. It distracted me until I lost sight of the story.

In mid-September my editor at EC, the uber-awesome Kelli, sent out an appeal for submissions to next years Jewel of the Nile series. I read it and dismissed it. Oddly, I didn't delete it. Normally I would have. I HATE a messy IN BOX.
A week later I opened back up and thought, what the hell - Let's see if I can pop out a Quickie length.

Fastforward to present:
I'm absolutely delighted to announce that writing this story has been the most fun I've had since Destiny by Design. It's been flowing out my brain, I'm connected to my characters (I wasn't with the last two book attempts) and I'm having a blast.
Once I got started I couldn't stop. It's not been submitted or sold yet, but for the first time in a LONG time, I'm reading it back and thinking - Yes. This is good.

What have I learned?
I think light contemporaries are my forte.
I may eventually go back to the others, but I think I have to learn more about my craft. Learn how to use my contemporary voice in a historical or paranormal, not try an entirely different voice (I just don't have the dark tormented thing down).

As a newbie, I don't kid myself into thinking that I'm poised on the brink of creating the next best seller, but if I ever want to get there, someday, I've got to take babysteps, learn, listen, practice. And what better way than by having fun with a sub-genre I enjoy.

I found my voice!

Informal poll: How do you go from a dark voice to light, a spooky paranormal to a sexy romp? Have you even tried or plan on stepping outside your comfort zone?
Please share your experience!!

Saturday Cartoons: Career Day

My friend sent this to me by email with the caption:
Why you should always check your child's homework.
ya think?

Have a great weekend y'all!


Note to self: Stop wearing maribou slippers and devil horns during writing sessions and for God's sakes, clear assortment of 'research' toys off desk...

Confessions of a Thoughtless Blogger

Oh beloved blog o' mine, how I've neglected you...
And all my blog-buddies, whom I've tried to visit on a semi-regular basis, but haven't been a very good commenter, I'm sorry! But it's been for a good reason.
Two, in fact:

1. Sleep. Desperately trying to catch up, which means in bed by midnight, not 2am. To be honest, this isn't a voluntary stance... I had to give up caffeine as a result of the gallbladder attack and dang y'all, it's a bitch. I can barely make it through the morning and daren't sit down between 3pm-5pm or I can't stop my head from bobbing.

2. I'm on the homestretch for my current wip. I know, I said that last time, but I finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe by Monday or Tuesday, if I can catch a few hours over the weekend.

This weekend is the Toronto Romance Writers meeting and I look forward to meeting fellow blogger Julia from the Atlantic chapter. (Hi Julia *waving* - looking forward to our lunch!)

Eve Silver will be giving the lecture - and you know I writer-crush on Eve. Man that woman writes sexual tension like no other. I'm currently reading her new urban fantasy Driven (Eve Kenin), from Dorchester's new SHOMI line. But more on that when I'm finished.

What on your calendar?

Tidbits

If you haven't yet, go check out Red's latest post at Six Degrees of Sexy. These three, very simple tips can make your writing stronger: http://sixdegreesofsexy.blogspot.com/2007/10/writers-craft-few-easy-tips-from-red.html

I've always wanted to read Lani Diane Rich (great name, eh?) but still haven't got around to her, yet. Perhaps I'll save her for the 2008 50 book challenge! If you want to know more about her, if the books she pens are your cup o' tea, check out this post by M the Apprentice Writer: http://apprentice-writer.blogspot.com/2007/09/new-release.html

Rhian has a terrific post up called Balancing Act. If you're in a relationship, married, partners, etc., go check it out. It's funny (of course it is, it's Rhi!) personal and oh so wise: http://creativegoddesses.blogspot.com/2007/10/balancing-act.html

Tomorrow I'll be participating in my first ever list-mom day over at Ellora's Cave, along with other authors who share the greatest editor in the world - Kelli!!
Please stop in and say hello!
Here's the dirty:

Thursday, Oct. 11th -- Chat with Kelli's Kittens at EC!
Come chat with Kelli's Kittens on Thursday, Oct. 11th for a full dayof fun, mayhem, prizes and excerpts at the Ellora's Cave chat loop!Featuring excerpts from Ellora's Cave and Cerridwen Press authors Red Garnier, Mary Winter, Sierra Dafoe, Wylie Kinson, Ann Bruce, MarianneLaCroix, and more!Starting at 10 a.m. eastern -- come join us!
http://groups. yahoo.com/group/ellorascav echat/

One HOT Thanksgiving, Law of Averages

Hope all of my Canadian friends had a terrific Thanksgiving.
I had to be so careful with the food this year (see post re ATTACK), and sadly had to pass up the gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and just about everything else that had taste! But the turkey and oven-baked unseasoned squash was delightful.
No really...

The weather in my neck of the woods was unseasonably HOT. Thanksgiving Day had us in shorts. SHORTS! The temps hit the 80's and the humidity was almost unbearable. Felt more like August then October. But I'm not complaining because winter will be on us soon...

And despite being very tied up with family-type activities, I managed to get a few thousand words done on my latest novella, Law of Averages, bringing the word count to over 15,000. (insert Woo Hoo!) If the Gods smile on me, I should be finished by Saturday.
(insert laughter here) Course, that means skipping another TT, but it's the name of productivity, so it's a must!

ATTACK!!

Whew - it's been awhile!

I've been avoided my blogging duties in order to write and am happy to report I've had a very productive week. In 10 days, I've managed to get 11,000 words done - which is really pretty good for me considering the kids/extra-curricular activities/family stuff... AND the fact that I edit as I go and I'm a ridiculously slow writer.

I never really considered what a time-suck Thursday Thirteen is, but really -- it's hours! First coming up with a post then visiting all the fun and informative TTers. By foregoing it last night, I managed to add 600 words to my story. I've done about 30 TT's (I lost track at some point!), which would suggest that I could have written 18,000 words in that time. A novella. A quarter of a novel.
I'm not giving up on TT, but will skip it if the muse is especially strong. It's a matter of priorities, right Christine? :)

And in other exciting TMI news, I had my first experience with an excruciating little issue commonly known as a gallbladder attack. It's not generally called a gallbladder upset, or a gallbladder malfunction. Not a gallbladder cramp or a gallbladder strain. No, it's specifically called a gallbladder ATTACK, and for very good reason. It hurts like a whole freaking mortar attack is taking place in your innards.

I've birthed two large babies (one with no meds, the other with partial) and managed to keep my dignity in tact (wait, I'd better just confirm that with Mr. Wylie... ... ... Yes, he assures me that no significant dignity was lost) and for the record, I'd rather go through that again than have another ATTACK. I writhed on the floor of the emergency room. WRITHED. ON THE FLOOR. FOR FIVE HOURS.
No dignity.

Except for the part where I live in mortal fear of it happening again, I'm good now. Pain's all gone.