My Day to Piss Off Other Authors? Bwahahaha

Her Royal Redness has a new book out today in the Spin Devil series (altogether now: SQUEEEEEEEEE!)

Spin Some More is Jason's story - his turn with the plush little devil. You can read all about it and buy it by clicking HERE.
You won't want to miss this piece of the series. Trust.

And if I can be so blatantly braggy and tease your need-to-read-Red, I just finished reading the yet-unfinished fourth Spin Devil book and it's the best one yet. Sebastian the ultra-alpha is back, need I say more?
SO H-H-HAWT!

Hmmm... I probably shouldn't have said anything. Telling author secrets and all. Red might kill me now. Or not let me beta read for her anymore. Which would be devastating...
(Too bad - it's so freaking hot I had to change my underwear...)

----

Found this cool 'thingy' on Carrie Lofty's blog.
Gee - I hope she's not going to be pissed 'cause she got an elementary school reading level on hers...
Well heck, just to make her feel at home... "Hey Carrie! Neerer, neerer, neerer" :P

bwahahahahaha

No TT, just an FJ

That's Funny Joke!
I'm writing tonight (or TRYING to...) so I'll leave you with this funny joke that was sent to me by my friend Shelagh.

The Perfect Husband
Mike wakes up with a huge hangover after attending his company's Christmas Party. Mike is not normally a drinker, but the drinks didn't taste like alcohol at all. He didn't even remember how he got home from the party. As bad as he was feeling, he wondered if he did something wrong. Mike had to force himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins next to a glass of water on the side table. And, next to them, a single red rose!! Mike sits up and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed. He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotlessly clean. So is the rest of the house.
He takes the aspirins,cringes when he sees a huge black eye staring back at him in the bathroom mirror. Then he notices a note hanging on the corner ofthe mirror written in red with little hearts on it and a kiss mark from his wife in lipstick:
"Darling, breakfast is on the stove, I left early to get groceries to make you your favorite dinner tonight. I love you, darling!
Love, Marg"

He stumbles to the kitchen and sure enough, there is hot breakfast, steaming hot coffee and the morning newspaper. His 16 year old son is also at the table, eating.

Mike asks, "Son...what happened last night?"

"Well, you came home after 3 A.M.., drunk and out of your mind. You fell over the coffee table and broke it, and then you puked in the hallway, and got that black eye when you ran into the door.

Confused, he asked his son, "So, why is everything in such perfect order and so clean? I have a rose, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me??"

His son replies, "Oh THAT... Mum dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your trousers and pants off, you screamed, "Leave me alone, I'm married!!"

Broken Coffee Table $439.99
Hot Breakfast $6.75
Two Aspirins $0.50

Saying the right thing, at the right time ..........

PRICELE$$!!!

From a UK newspaper. *ahem* Excuse me while I pop out to Toys R Us...

Smile Award

I'm giving my 2 cents on Zannie Adams' latest release, Hold, over at Six Degrees of Sexy, so head over after you read this:

My good friend and critique partner extraordinaire Thomma Lyn has gifted me with an award.

Thanks TL! It made my day. My week. My MONTH!

I'd like to pass this wonderful little gem of an award on to two ladies who never fail to make me smile, giggle and laugh out loud on a regular basis, Red Garnier and Amy Ruttan.

Lest We Forget

I listened to my 7 year old son recite the first verse of this poem and next thing I knew, my vision blurred with tears.
Let's pray that our youth never know the experience of a battlefield.
Let's hope our children do a better job with tolerance, knowledge and understanding that we have done.




In Flanders field the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Doctor Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) John McCrae (b. Guelph, Ontario) of the 1st Field Artillery Brigade wrote this poem on May 3, 1915 after the battle at Ypres.




Oh! You who sleep in Flanders’ fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew,
We caught the torch you threw,
And holding high we kept
The faith with those who died.
We cherish too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valour led.

It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies,
But lends a lustre to the red
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
In Flanders’ fields.

And now the torch and poppy red
Wear in honour of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught
We’ve learned the lesson that ye taught
In Flanders’ fields.

Written by Miss Moina Belle Michael, an American, on Nov 9, 1918, the Saturday before the Armistice was signed. She read John McCrae's poem, In Flanders Fields and it made such an impression on her that she wrote this in reply.

PEACE.

Blog Roundup - it's good stuff people!

Busy week. Busy busy week. Haven't had much of a chance to get out and visit you all, but I've compiled a quick (if incomplete) list of the more interesting things I came across:

The Esteemed Editors of Ellora's Cave have a blog (I know! Totally cool!) and have put together the funniest, 'EW'-inducing Thursday Thirteen I've seen in awhile. If you're a writer, or a reader of romance (or any book where sex may be a factor), check out these hilarious-icky euphemisms. CLICK HERE for Redlines & Deadlines.

If you haven't heard,... Amy Ruttan sold ANOTHER novel to EC/CP (YAY Amy!) so go show her some love HERE.

Leah Braemel did another great community-service post to help you find those nasty ECHO words in your manuscript. You know, the ones you use ALL THE TIME, over and over, without realizing? The ones that make you look like The Dreaded Amateur!
Leah's intimate knowledge with MS Word can help you. GO HERE for her uber-informative lesson.

SHG from West of Mars is looking for bookmarks. A great promo-op authors!! GO HERE for details. (And thanks, SHG!)

Nicholas has a scary-factual commentary on child-care HERE. I warn you - it will make you want to yank your head out of the sands of ignorance (where mine has been firmly planted), but it's important to read. You'll be astounded.

Sparky FINALLY got off his ass and got a job *wink*. Go wish him luck or give a "neerer neener neener - I'm at home in my pajamas at 11am" chant at the very least!

Have a great weekend all. My in-laws are visiting so I won't be around. See you Monday and happy writing to all you NaNo-ers :D

Sexies Flirt with the Naughties??

The Six Degrees of Sexies have joined the Deliciously Naughty Writers for a

Holiday Scavenger Hunt

There will be lots of great prizes, so please see the ad below and enter!

And to launch this little party, we've got the Naughties chatting with us at the Sexies blog.
GO HERE NOW!

On November 18th - they've invited us to Club Naughty from noon until six and on December 16th we'll all be chatting on the Ellora's Cave loop. Think you can get a word in edgewise? I dare you :D
I'll post the chat links closer to the date.

CONTEST: CLICK HERE!

Hometown Meme: BERMUDA

This Hometown Meme comes to you compliments of Rhian's tag (thanks Rhi! :P Sparky)

The Rules: Answer the questions, tag 5 people and then go off on your travels to there hometowns. ONLY ONE answer for each of the questions. No ties!

My dilemma? Which 'hometown' to choose? I've only lived 'north of Toronto' for a couple of years so don't feel like an expert (yet), spent 18 years in Thunder Bay, ON (not much fodder there), another 18 in Bermuda and an odd year here and there. Hmmmm... I'm going out on a limb here and guessing that Bermuda probably has the most appeal.

Best Place to Eat:
This is really tough because Bermuda has so many good restaurants - SO MANY! Lovely, gourmet, world-class yummeries.
But I'm going to choose one that is uniquely Bermudian, a restaurant that tourists rarely venture to because of its location and decor (colloquial would be a compliment). The Black Horse Tavern in St. David's serves the best fresh wahoo ever. EVER. They're known for their shark hash and fish chowder.
The service is shaky, the decor minimally 'diner', though I always chose to sit outside next to the water at the long wooden picnic tables, yet it's the one restaurant I miss and the first I'll go back to on future visits.

Best Shopping Mall:
There are none! That's why so many Bermudians can be found in the King of Prussia Mall on any given day. And why they charter planes for shopping excursions to Atlanta just prior to Christmas. There are a fair number of shops in both Hamilton and St. Georges, if you're into boutique shopping, buying china, crystal, perfume or Louis Vuitton luggage :)

Famous Landmark:
No, not technically a 'landmark' but y'all could care less about Spanish Rock, so I'm going with something that Bermuda is famous for. No, not the Triangle - but good guess :D
Gotta say its pink sand beaches. The sand is made of crushed coral and gets the pink hue from the skeleton of a little animal called a formaniferan (foram for short). And the color/texture of the beach sand changes subtely from beach to beach: world famous Horseshoe Beach is soft, fine and light pink but Church Bay, just a few miles down the coast, is coarse and purplish.

Best Tourism Attraction:
Tourism used to be it's prime source of income (recently taken over by international business) so this is very hard to whittle down to one. But I'm going to say the Olde Towne of St. George. Yeah - it's kind of cheating because within the town there are many lovely attractions :D
It's been continuously colonized since 1612, has narrow cobbled streets, original architecture and historical landmarks a plenty.

Place for the Kids:
The Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, and it's really not just for kids. I worked at this fabulous world-class facility for five years and let me assure you, it may be small, but it's award winning from it's education programs to it's successful breeding of endangered species and exhibitry.

Popular Outdoor Activity:
Again, the most obvious answer is golf (most courses per square mile in the world) but I'm not a golfer so I'm so not going there! I'd have to say snorkeling and scuba diving. Bermuda has reefs that are accessible from shore teeming with colorful fish, and a huge number of shipwrecks to dive.

Breathtaking Views:
From the top of Gibbs Hill Lighthouse in Southampton, you have a marvelous 360 degree view around the island. It's only 21 miles long and a mile wide, so it's easy to take in from one end to the other.

Only found in BERMUDA:
Horton's Rum Cakes. Mmmmm.

Who to tag... So many of my cohorts are up to their eyeballs in Nano! What the heck:

Thomma Lyn - there are mountains in her midst so maybe she'll grace us with pictures.

Tempest Knight - because she lives someplace totally cool that I hope to someday visit.

Shelley Munro - same reason.

Nicholas - because he needs something else to discuss besides socks ;)
But seriously - N actually hails from across the pond so I'm kind of hoping he'll share his hometown secrets rather than those of his adopted city.

Julia - because eastern Canada is a beautiful place to visit, even though Christine isn't there any longer ;)

Thanks for playing along!

The Steaming Sexies

Three of the Sexies have new books out, and their releases just happen to coincide with my 3-day break from writing. Well timed, ladies ;)

Here's the blurb for Red Garnier's Stroke of Midnight (LSB):

Some wounds take a long time to heal…

A summer in their family Aspen cottage sounds just like the thing to help Elena Wolverton get over a tragic accident. Her body needs to recover, and so does her soul.

Elena’s sister Vivian brings a friend along for the week, and Porter Rowe is the stuff of dreams. The stuff of Elena’s dreams; awakening her to longings she hasn’t felt before.

Elena knows a man like Porter could finish with what’s left of her, break all that remains. Or he could help her forgive, forget, and have a second chance at happiness.

Contains: multiple partner sex F/M/F, oral sex, graphic language.
---

God I love the disclaimer! The ones on my books say: "Contains: SEX, but nothing daring or envelope-pushing by any stretch of the imagination." :D

I read this scorcher last night and I have one complaint -- It's TOO SHORT! Elena is an endearing woman and Porter Rowe is fantasy-material. Well done, Ms Garnier. The outside temps in my area may have dropped, but the thermostat in my bedroom went WAY up!!

BUY IT HERE and then pop over to Six Degrees of Sexy to enter Red's contest.

Tonight I shall lay me down to sleep with Renee Field and Christine d'Abo's release Sweet and Spicy Spells (EC). Here's the blurb (I'm closing my eyes to cut and paste 'cause I love reading a book when I having absolutely NO idea who's who or what's what):

Two sisters, two brothers — and a whole lot of sexy spells.

Kisha hasn't been able to cast a single correct spell. Not a good thing when you're a witch. Kisha has two days to master her powers and Foster is the wizard who's been sent to help. To kick-start her system, Kisha has to discover the uninhibited joys of orgasms, and Foster is more than happy to use his "wand" for the task.

Priscilla is perfect — tall, busty and beautiful. All Hallow's Eve coincides with the annual Cauldron Cup where Priscilla has to defend her title. What she isn't expecting is Zack Kane to zap back into her life after five years. Passion flares as spells and clothing fly.

When the siblings uncover a plot to assassinate the members of the witch council, they must put their differences aside to save the council…and themselves.

---

I don't think its premature of me to say it's HOT, cause it's coming from Ellora's Cave, or that I love it already because Renee and Christine are very talented ladies, so

BUY IT HERE!

Thursday Thirteen #34 - 13 Evacuation Essentials

THURSDAY THIRTEEN #34

Chatting with a friend from CA, discussing the fires, etc. She told me that some people had all of ten minutes to evacuate. Not to make light of the situation, but it got me thinking....

What would I grab if I only had time to choose 13 items?

(besides my kids, because that's rather obvious).

1. my laptop


2. photo albums


3. important papers folder (passports, insurance, etc) - but I'd leave the bills to burn :)


4. snacks for the road


5. toothbrush


6. t-shirts, socks, undies (grab a bag, shove em in, who cares about coordinating)


7. jewelery box


8. the kittens


9. kitten food/litter


10. Kidlet essentials: a few toys, books, DVD's


11. kid's time capsules


12. cell phone


13. credit cards

Have I missed anything? What would you choose?

** Thoughts & prayers to those affected by the fires **

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.

Counting the days 'til Lover Un-something-or-other

Just finished BOOK 50!! *Lover Unbound.

JR Ward - how do I love the, let me count the ways...
1. Wrath
2. Rhage
3. Zsadist
4. Butch
5. Vishous

*sigh*

No spoilers, but I must say - Ms Ward really pushed a few mainstream boundries this time, eh? Wonder if it shouldn't be shelved elsewhere in the bookstore (chuckle chuckle)
My only complaint? (just because, like so many reviewers I just HAVE to say something *g*)WTF was with all the ACRONYMS!
Became annoying. Especially when I couldn't figure a few of them...
And did anyone else pick up the spelling mistake on 212? Okay, now I'm being silly (but there is one!) and picky (it bothered me!) and I should just LET.IT.GO.
Right Robin?

Lover Unbound. Go ye of the humble masses and purchase this book. Then light a candle for Ms Ward to write faster. MUCH FASTER!!

I look forward to reading the new releases by RED GARNIER, AMY RUTTAN (her debut book with Ellora's Cave), and RENEE FIELD, my fellow SIX DEGREES OF SEXY babes. I'm so proud of you gals *hugs and kudos!* (but can't post the hyperlinks or cover pics on my dang laptop so shall leave the plugs until another day - forgive me :)

*Technically it was book 51, but I read Zannie Adams Complicated in the middle of it.

Blogging With the Sexies

I'm over at Six Degrees of Sexy today. Please stop by and see what I think about joining the club ;)

Poetry Train Monday

Wine in a box.

Supposed to eco-friendly but experts in the environmental field have speculated that the paper-plastic-metal combination tetra paks are too costly to recycle.

Wine in a box.

Eco-friendly or not, I don't think I can bring myself to do it.

Wine in a box.
Call me a snob but give me a bottle with a cork.

My poem for the Train:

Roses are red and so is my wine
the pop of a cork makes me feel fine

but wine in a box is a terrible sin

give me a bottle or I'm switchin' to gin

Wine in a box.

Discuss.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter, Book 49 in the 50 Book Challenge

Despite having an extremely active week with my house guests (and kids!), I did manage to get a bit of late-night reading done.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter probably won't make my top ten best books of all time, but I'm confident in recommending it as a VERY GOOD READ.
Author Kim Edwards does an amazing job with her characters, letting us into the very depths of their damaged souls, set between the story of parallel lives.

I'm going to attempt to give a brief summary - but you know this isn't my forte!

It's 1964 and Dr. David Henry and his wife Norah -- young and passionately in love -- are about to have their first child. A snowstorm prevents them from making it to the hospital on time, so they divert to David's clinic.

Norah gives birth to twins, but is told her daughter has died. Except she didn't.

Phoebe is born with Down's Syndrome and it being 1964, is not expected to live. David gives the infant to his nurse, Caroline Gill, - a singe woman who happens to be in love with the good doctor, -to take to an institution, an acceptable choice for someone back then. Except she doesn't.

Caroline, upon seeing the horrible institution, takes Phoebe herself and moves to another city.

Norah can't get over the loss of Phoebe, and she doesn't understand David's unwillingness to talk about her. The emotional husband-wife bond seems to have been replaced with a wall. She doesn't realize that he husband is burdened by guilt and secrets.

David lost his sister to a heart condition when they were children and the damage it did to his parents was unbearable. He was trying to spare Norah the horrible future that was inevitable with a Down's child. Always the protector, trying to save the world, David's decision to give up Phoebe turns out to the thread the unravels his marriage, his happiness and his dreams.

Meanwhile, Caroline gives high-functioning Phoebe a life of love and opportunity, though she too bears the secrets of Phoebe's birth, always worried that David will appear and take Phoebe away.

This book squeezed my heart from the beginning and didn't let go. There were no bad guys or good guys, just beautifully drawn human characters that were entirely relatable, making choices that they honestly thought were the right ones at the time.
I felt their pain, their regret and empathized with their situations.

Cop Out Friday and Overheard...

This is why you should never allow your husband to take telephone messages:


Overheard in the Kinson car ~ me, mother-in-law and Sweetness (aka 3 yr old)

Me: When we get home, Mommy's got to do some housework. You'll help me, won't you Sweetness?
Sweetness: (silent comtemplation)
Me: You will help Mommy clean up, won't you?
Sweetness: Why? Who's coming for a visit?
Me: (blushing madly)
M-I-L: (ROTFLHAO)

Thursday Thirteen #31 - Sexy Voices

Doing the Humpday Hunkday on Six Degrees of Sexy last week got me thinking about SEXY VOICES. I came up with about 6 on my own, but then threw the floor open for suggestions to my blog buddies (their names appear next to the sexy voices they nominated) asking who they'd like to have whisper in their ear after dark.
To make this work, you've got to completely ignore the physical - no looks, age or sex can be considered. The only qualification is voice.

THIRTEEN SEXY
"Whisper in my ear, baby"
VOICES

1. Chad Kroeger, lead singer of Nickelback. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I feel like this guy is kissing my neck when he sings...
2. Chris Daughtry, singer
3. Michael Wincott, actor who played Sir Guy or Gisborne in Robin Hood (nominated by Carry Lofty "but why a spoon, cousin?")
4. Colin Firth (nominated by Amy, whom I'm not speaking to and she knows why)
   
5. Barry White (nominated by M.)
6. Sean Connery (nominated by Tempest Knight, Amy, Thomma Lyn, Red - he's a popular one! )
7. Rupert Everett (nominated by Red)
8. James Earl Jones (nominated by Leah)
9. Clive Owen (nominated by Julia)
10. Demi Moore
11. Gina Gershon (nominated by Sparky, who likes her smoky growl, and any [hot] woman with an Aussie accent. Rebecca James - are you listening?)
12. Kathleen Turner a la Joan Wilder (Amy's dad picked this one)
13. Brad Pitt - this was all me, but did you think I'd leave him of an anything sexy list? His best line: "I highly recommend fucking" Tristan, Legends of the Fall. And besides, I needed an excuse to post his pic ;)
    

Who did I miss? Leave your SEXY VOICE nomination in comments!

Just when I thought... And and informal poll.

With Sweetness (aka 3 yr old) now going to preschool 3 mornings per week, I seriously thought, "WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Mamma has some writin' time!!"
Boy was I wrong!

Four mornings, at 500 words per session, SHOULD have added up to at least 2000 words, right?
So how many have I written? Two. That's correct, TWO. The one and only morning I had free of other obligations, I ended up scratching and rewriting a scene I wasn't happy with, which gained a net total of TWO words to the story. Not even worth updating my progress bar.

Can I get a collective "Oh, Wylie! *groan*"? Or you can simply shake your head in disgust along with me...

Informal poll:
My in-laws are visiting for the week so in the interest of time (very little of it) I'm trying to prepare my Thursday Thirteen in advance. My topic this week is SEXY VOICES.
I have a few on my list already, but could really use some suggestions. Whose voice would you like to hear whispering in your ear in the dark. Please disregard looks/age/sex. Focus simply on VOICE. (Robin - I've already got Chad on the list, and Amy - of course Gerard Butler is there too!) Again, it can be male or female (Sparky - got any??).
Appreciate your help!

Christmas in September :o

TL tagged me for a Christmas meme and me being the Christmas lovin' fool that I am, I said "HO HO HO, I'll get right on it!"

What is your favorite Christmas gift? Giving someone else The Perfect Gift.

What is your best memory of Christmas? Hard to narrow down just one... The first with my husband (he gave me a beautiful ruby ring) and the first with my newborn son, who was all of 12 days old on the 25th of December.

Depending upon where you live, do you have a hot or cold Christmas? At present, it's a cold one. Having spent 18 years in the green, I do appreciate a White Christmas more.

Would you prefer to try the opposite weather at least just once? Been there, done that!

What do you prefer in a tree? Fake or real? REAL! Gotta be real.

What is your favorite carol? O Holy Night

What is your favorite Christmas dinner? Traditional roast turkey, lots of stuffing, mashed potatoes, cabbage rolls (that from the Ukrainian part of the family!) and cassava pie (from the Bermudian side).

Do you wear a Santa hat at Christmas? Absolutely. So does my son.

Have you ever seen Santa delivering gifts? Other than tracking him on the internet, no. It's all a big mystery!

I tag Leah, Red and SHG.

Sending you elsewhere.

If you read this blog, you'll know that one of my favorite new authors is Robin L. Rotham (Alien Overnight, Ellora's Cave 2007), so when Robin recommends a book, Wylie listens!

Robin's review of Complicated by Zannie Adams can be seen over at Six Degrees of Sexy. I've already bought my copy. What are you waiting for? Go!

Kathryn Krezonoski Knudsen 1966-2007

I had a sleepless night due to the fact that an old high-school chum of mine died under very bizarre 'it only happens to other people' circumstances.

Kathy Krezonoski and I were best buddies in junior high and a good part of high school. You know how it goes - we eventually drifted apart - but not before shaking up the all-boy gun-club at Westgate High by kicking some clay-pidgeon ass. The last time I saw her was about 14 years ago(gah! could it be that long?), standing outside the Safeway store in our old hometown having a smoke. We exchanged email addresses, but neither of us followed-up.

Anyway... long story short, Kathy was shot and killed by her boyfriend, who then turned the gun upon himself in a murder-suicide. I just can't believe it...

I had no idea that Kathryn had a blog (had I known...). And eerily prophetic, her tagline read: I Live My Life Hurting No One, I Wish No One Would Hurt Me.

Rest in peace, my friend.

POST #300

THIS IS MY 300th POST! I feel compelled to make it a long one, so y'all might want to grab a coffee...

I feel like an obsessed 13 year old girl for even bringing this up, but ding-dang world, just leave the wretched Brit Brit alone already. It's insulting that her VMA debacle, which took place FIVE freaking days ago, should still be in the top news stories. Please, Paris, Lyndsay, do something stupid so the spotlight can continue to arc through the moral wasteland of Hollywood junior celebs. Columnist TV Stevie sums it up best: http://yahoo.rogers.com/yahoo/spotlight/tv_stevie.jsp?id=20070912
That's it. No more. Not wasting a single 'nother moment of my life on feeling sorry for stupid girl.

Red Garnier posted a link to alpha heroes that's worth a read.

Congrats to Amy for making it past the 50 mark in the 50 Book Challenge! Woot!!
I ALMOST made it, but I chose last week to reread a book that's already on the 50 book list, so didn't think it would qualify.
I'm sure you're asking, WHY? and WHAT BOOK? :O)
I reread Robin L Rotham's Alien Overnight because after taking the Margie Lawson writing workshop last week, I wanted to use Robin's book as a study; to try and understand WHY I liked it so much. (Robin, my autographed copy of AO now has five different colored highlighters and lots of sidebar notes. Oh, and some kitten poop, but that's a whole 'nuther story!)
Oh sure, the sex was hot, that's a given, but I liked it because her character development was excellent, the dialogue was brilliant, and she wove in the perfect amount of emotional depth without muddying the waters with an overload of backstory or narrative.
AND, I picked up so many little subtleties that I missed the first time around.
I can probably count on one hand the books I've actually REread. Once is usually enough for me. That's a compliment, Ms Rotham! If you haven't read Alien Overnight yet, DO IT. That's an order :)

And confession time...
I'm reading a Kathleen Woodiwiss and am having one hell of a time trying to stay awake. I haven't read her in about 15 years (maybe longer) and I LOVED her books. LOVED THEM! But left her behind when I started to move away from the romance genre.
So with great eagerness, I stole The Reluctant Suitor from my sister's bookshelf and dove in.
To know me is to know that I DEVOUR books. A full-length novel is easily a 2 evening read. But holy watching paint dry, Batman, The Reluctant Suitor's chapter one has taken me 3 evenings to get through. That's 38 pages, people! I keep falling asleep, and that NEVER happens. I'm usually reluctant to close a book and only do it if my clock is chiming 2am!!
Let me summarize what happens in those 38 pages: 3 couples, fresh from riding, race into the house and find a stranger standing there, expect it's really the brother who's been off fighting Napolean.
That's it! Nothing more. There are pages of dialogue (complete with inner thoughts that provide endless backstory) between two people while the other 5 people (and the butler and two dogs) are what? Standing around? Groping each other?? On pause???
I feel wretched bashing the writing of someone recently deceased, and wretcheder about bashing a writer who practically defined 'the modern romance novel' but um, Margie Lawson really opened my eyes about a few things... Or perhaps I'm just jaded now.

So, Amy, at this rate, my 50th book could quite possibly take me all the way through December!

Unrelated to anything: When I posted my TT last week, the one about what I did about my sister's visit, a few people asked why I mentioned the purchase of a tv and what did that have to do with sister.
Well,... that's because the tv was a surprise for my dh and I needed my brother-in-law's advice on what to get cause he's into all that techie big-screen-for-watching-sporting-events stuff.

Attendance will be spotty over the next week as I have house guests arriving tomorrow for the week. Hubby is taking father-in-law hot-air ballooning! Something I'd love to do myself one day, but oh yeah - I suffer from panic attacks and would probably jump out of the dang basket as soon as we were 3 feet in the air. Damn I've got issues...

Hope y'all have a GRRRRREAT weekend!

Thursday Thirteen

I spent a ridiculous amount of time working on my HUNKS post for Six Degrees of Sexy today, so I'm foregoing my TT to do some 'real work'.

But I'll come visit yours if you leave your link - and hey, since you're here - why not go click HERE and check out Gerard Butler & co in kilts!

Men in Skirts, Fave summer read, Red goes from Blue to Pink

I'm blogging at Six Degrees of Sexy today - and it's hunks in kilts!
Men in skirts - hot or not? Discuss.

Ciar Cullen is looking for nominations for FAVE Summer Book. Go to her blog here, and show an author some love. You can only nominate one (big bummer, I know).

Red Garnier, who is known for her uber-alpha heroes, got an interesting comment on her story Spin It Again. It did score a 3.5 out of 5, which according to the review site legend means 'an excellent read' (of course it is!!), the reviewer challenged Red to write a more sensitive man, one who treats women with respect:

"This series focuses on male bad behavior in both stories and the first one comes close to rape. Spin It Again has a similar course, but in the end both stories have a love conquers all theme. There’s not a lot of dialogue but the third person writing is full of explanation and description. Red Garnier, I’m looking forward to you writing a story where a man respects all women. I would like to see the flip side of the coin."
Read full review HERE.

In response, a wonderfully supportive Red-Fan mocked up a short video that's absolutely hilarious and definitely turned our Red from blue to tickled pink!!

Brit Rant, Time Management, Movies (TIFF), Margie Lawson

Poor Britney. I was actually rooting for her -- she's had such a time of it lately and come on, she spent those horrible teen years practically developing before our very eyes which can't be easy -- so my fingers were crossed that her performance on the VMA's would be her moment to shine, to make people forget those awful crotch shots, to make people forget the hanger-on husband, to make people forget her questionable mothering skills.
Sad. Did you see it?
I was happily watching Test the Nation: Watch Your Language and turned the channel precisely at 9pm to see her do her thang...
Shouldn't have bothered. Girl lip-synched and went through the dance steps as though she'd only learned them 10 minutes prior. Apparently, her big act with Cris Angel was nixed by the Palms Casino for insurance purposes, which I suppose would throw a spanner in the works if that's what she'd been rehersing for the past week. Then again, you'd think something as critical as insurance would have been taken care of by the VMA people...

And though I don't want to go on and on about something I care very little about, I MUST speak to the 'she's fat' headlines that inundated the web yesterday. BLOODY HELL! That girl is NOT fat. NOT FAT! Toned and 'healthy', she has a bod that 99.9% of Americans WISH they had. But we're so used to seeing skeletal bobble-heads who faint at the mere thought of physical exertion, we don't know a realistic example of sexy when we see it.
Her wardrobe choice? Not so good... but that's not a weight issue, but one of class.

If you're like me and can never seem to find enough hours in the day/week to get even a portion of your TO-DO list accomplished, you should go check out Christine's time management post at Six Degrees of Sexy. Very useful stuff people! I, for one, am going to try this easy to use system in hopes I can somehow get what needs to be done, done.

Do you like movies?? Fellow writer Maureen McGowan is posting excellent coverage of her experiences with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). I'll be heading to theatres when some of her top recommends hit the big screens. She gave big love to 'Into the Wild', which is directed by Sean Penn, based on the book by Jon Krakauer, who also wrote 'Into Thin Air'. If you like movies - Maureen's blog is the place to be.

This past Saturday I had the opportunity to take a fabulous workshop entitled Empowering Your Characters' Emotions by Margie Lawson. If you're looking to improve your writing, I STRONGLY URGE you to consider one of her online courses. It was fantastic, and absolutely NOT directed at the romance genre - in fact, I can't think of one example she used that could be classified as romance. I'm just sayin', incase y'all think her courses are directed at romance writers only...
But I digress --
Much of my writing is instinctual, like making soup. You know the main ingredients, plot = broth, characters = meat, emotions = veggies, etc... put it in a pot and simmer. Every pot of soup I've ever made is unique. Sometimes it's delicious, sometimes bland, the odd occassion, too spicy.
After participating in Margie's workshop I feel like I've been handed a recipe. If not an EXACT how-to guide, then certainly an excellent guide to trouble shooting. Her unique editing system helps you how identify missing ingredients.

Sluggish Sunday

Taking it easy with the family today.
I leave you with this (yes, it's been around for a while, but it STILL cracks me right up!)

Bits and Bobs...

Bad bad Wylie...I completely forgot to mention that I read Divine Assistant by our own darling Red Garnier during my blogatus (blog + hiatus). The novella is part of the Torrid Tarot series at Ellora's Cave and I give it a very high recommend. I say with genuine honesty, that it's my favorite of hers to date.
*Note to self: come up with a more imaginative ratings system!!*
It's a delightful read-in-one-sitting romp with great lead characters, a lot of laughs, and, well it's a Red Garnier for heaven's sake, so you KNOW there's a lot of spicy hot passion packed in!
You can get your very own copy HERE.
Bravo amiga!

And fellow TRWer (Toronto Romance Writers) Amy Ruttan's book has hit the coming soon page at EC! Exciting times... I'll post a link once she gets a cover :) In the meantime - I've linked this entire paragraph to her brand new - just launched website. GO!

If you live in Canada, please don't forget to tune in to Test the Nation: Watch Your Language on Sunday, September 9th at 8:00pm on CBC television. Root for your fave team - the Romance Writers, of course!!
(I'm that empty chair in the front row. Well, someone had to take the pictures!)

You can now purchase Six Degrees of Sexy merchandise! Check out our lovely cover model wearing our designer tee. (Thanks Christine!)
Go to our store HERE - how 'bout that coffee mug? It's sure to keep your coffee HOT!
And speaking of Six Degrees - Christine did a fab interview with Cathryn Fox today, so please go check it out.

Sweetness starts preschool on Monday morning. I ADORE spending time with my little ones -- Lord knows, they make me laugh -- but people, three mornings per week translates to approximately 7 hours of free time for mother Wylie. Can I hear a WOOT?

Have a terrific weekend!

Thursday Thirteen #28 - A visit from my sister

My sister (let's call her *Karen) and brother-in-law (we'll call him *Stephen) spent a week with us recently, so I thought I'd share ~

13 Things I Did With My Sister

1. Indulged in pedicures. "You wan flowa? Fie dolla"
2. Shopped at IKEA (perhaps a better word would be frenzy)
3. Shopped at COSTCO (and spent hundreds of dollars on black licorice and fiber-licious cereal for my constipated sister)
4. Visited a petting zoo and got our hands slimed by llamas, goats, sheep, deer and a very friendly donkey. And yes, we did the Shrek "DonKey!" before each slice of apple was handed over.
5. Ate lots of Chinese food (and fiber cereal)
6. Bought an LCD HDTV (squeee!)
7. Played mini-golf, at which my 3 yr old boasted "I got a holy-one!"
8. Visited Tim Hortons approximately 18 times (in effort to help along my still-constipated sister by flushing her system with copious amounts of black coffee)
9. Spent a day at Ontario Place where we ~
-rode paddle boats
-enjoyed the Chinese Lantern exhibit
-played more mini-golf
-rode the BIG SLIDE
(and by 'spent the day' I really mean, 'half the day' because we had to wait so long for my sister to get out of the bathroom)
10. Played ENDLESSLY with the kittens (and by 'played' I really mean got grossed out by their smelly kitten farts and spent hours cleaning bits of litter from the floor)
11. Hung a new light in my dining room (and by 'new' I really mean old. It was my mother's, from the 1950's, and came to me via my sister's bedroom. Apparently her husband doesn't appreciate vintage)
12. Ordered dining room furniture
13. Aired out the house. Oops! That was after they left...
:)

My wonderful big sister. Always a pleasure, always a laugh, and did I mention that she folds my laundry, sweeps my floors and spoils my children :)

*Names may have been changed to protect the innocent.

Leave your name!

Exit Strategy

While on blog hiatus last week, I had the pleasure of reading Kelley Armstrong's Exit Strategy.
First, my standard disclaimer:
I'm not a book reviewer, just a reader. Go read Mrs. Giggles or Smart Bitches if you want the low-down on a book, blah blah blah...

Back to the topic. I've never read anything by Kelley before, but have brushed shoulders with her at Toronto Romance Writer meetings (she rocks, btw - smart, funny, confident and generous with her knowledge/experiences) so was eager to see what this New York Times Best Selling Author (squee, Kelley!) could produce. I purposely didn't start with her paranormal Otherworld series (saving those up), but with her 'try something new' book in which the heroine is a hit-man. Or would that be hit woman?

I loved it. I was expecting romance (she is a member of the TRW afterall!) but alas, aside from some serious electrical currents running between the heroine and two of the male characters, there were no nekkid mambos. Not that I was disappointed. Frankly, I would have been more disappointed had Nadia/Dee (her name/her alias) let down her guard by letting down her panties.
I'm not good at sum-ups, so I'll direct you HERE for the blurb and just give this book a very strong recommend. Now I'm off to email Kelley and BEG her to hurry up with the sequel...

Attention Writers!

Attention fellow writers --
Robin L. Rotham (Alien Overnight) has a brilliant piece on writer's craft today at 6 Degrees of Sexy. I urge you to spend a moment and absorb some of her fantastic insight on the writing process!

Me? A Blog Star?! Well Golly...

My most excellent buddy, critique partner and fellow cat-mom, Thomma Lyn of Tennessee Text Wrestling did me the honor of passing along a Blogging Star award.
Thanks, TL - I'm all a twitter!

This award is for bloggers who shine their light throughout the Blogosphere. Some do it with humor, others with creativity, and others with their kind and thoughtful natures. We all know more than a few of them so why not give them some recognition?

Here's what to do if you receive this:

• Proudly display it on your blog along with a link to who gave it to you.
• Mention that it originated here at Skittles' Place so I can follow its journey.
• Pass it on to any blogger(s) you think should have it.

I'd like to pass this shining star on to
1. Red Garnier - I met Red through Ellora's Cave (we shared the release date of our debut EC books) and I felt like I had an instant BFF. She's warm, funny, a very talented. I can't wait to meet her in person at next years RWA Nationals.
Her new website and blog will look perfect with a blogging star award!
2. Rhian - her humor, creativity and love of books and authors keeps me checking her site daily. If you haven't joined Rhi's tribe yet, what are you waiting for? Go!!
3. Amy & Christine - yes, I'm cheating and putting two people in spot 3, but honestly, these two amazing sister-friends totally rock. I had the pleasure of meeting both and competing along side them in Test the Nation: Know Your Language (which airs Sept 9th at 8pm on CBC!). They're two of the brightest stars in the blogosphere, so put your sunglasses on and check them out.

15 Hours and Counting, and Oh Nuts!

It just dawned on me that school starts tomorrow...
*guffaw*
Seriously, I've been counting down since July 3rd or thereabouts. Now that we're down to less than 15 hours, I'm practically vibrating with anticipation. My oldest son will begin grade 3 and my baby boy, who's not such a baby anymore *sniff*, will begin Montessori preschool 3 precious mornings per week. But young Sweetness doesn't begin until next week...
WAHOO!!
If I seem a tad excited it's because I'll have roughly 7 hours per week of dedicated writing time. SEVEN! That might not seem like much to you, but to me -- every minute of that will be golden. And quiet. And productive (hopefully).

My sister and brother-in-law left yesterday. We had such a lovely visit -- I was a very sad bear when they left, knowing that I probably won't see them again until next summer :(
I shall dedicate this week's TT to things we did on our visit.

Here's the latest conversation overheard in the Kinson household:

Sweetness (aka 3 yr old boy): My nuts hurt.
Light (aka 7 yr old boy): Do you have to go pee?
Sweetness: No. There's no pee in my nuts. They just got stuck in my willie.
Light: Pee doesn't come from your nuts.
Sweetness: ye-es!
Light: No it doesn't! Pee comes from inside your tummy. Nuts just hold the ingredients for when you and your wife want to have your own kid. When she goes to the hospital, your nuts crack open.
Me: (trying to quell my silent but hysterical laughter) Honey, I don't think they crack open exactly...
Light: Well of course not. They're not really nuts like peanuts. They're made of soft stuff, like boogers...

Welcome to my life.
I wonder what it would be like to have girls *takes a moment to imagine a quiet game of Barbie-dress-up...*