Wylie's Wild World

It's a jungle out here. Literally!

Hubby walked son to schoolbus the other day and on the way home spotted a little raccoon climing the stone pillar of our front porch.

Bandit (as he was so named) took up residence on a little ledge, high above our front door, and settled in for the day (technically, his night).

We came and went throughout the day but other than looking down at us, giving the occassional scratch or licky-bath to his gorgeous fur coat, Bandid didn't budge until the sun went back down.

We were all fascinated, especially my cats, who chattered to Bandit through the window for a good portion of the morning.

It took everything in my power not to offer it up a meal! I'm a hostess at heart, but I know it would be very bad form to encourage further visits.

And my neighbors would have shot me ;)

Jumping Rope for the Heart Bounce Station

I've had a cold from HELL over the last week. It turned into a sinus and ear infection that made my life a bit miserable.
All that head/chest drama was in addition to the sprained ribs (but really, trampolining is FUN!) and the twisted knee (nothing to do with trampolining) made Wylie a grumpy little beast who spent 20 hours a day in bed since last Sunday.

In case you're wondering if I'm exagerating my illness... not only did my computer hold no interest for me (point of evidence!), but I felt too icky to read.
That's sick-sick.
And no attention span for movies, either. Thank goodness for Corner Gas, the 22 minute Canadian prarie-comedy, which I'd never seen before, but thanks to Apple TV, now own seasons 1-4. It's such a hoot! The downside? Laughter induced coughing fits.

In other news - I have short hair. Yup. After years and years of sporting longish locks, I gave my stylist carte blanche with the scissors. It's okay... takes some getting used to, but much easier to manage. And I'm honestly not sorry to see the French braid go. I think.

And finally, a long overdue episode of Overheard at the Kinsons:
My son is taking part in the Jump Rope for Heart fundraiser at school so they had a representative for the Heart & Stroke Foundation come to their class to give a talk. How did this go down? My four year old boy greeted me at pick-up time with: Mom, I need to fill this envelope with money for the Heart & Bounce Station.
Later that day (and after being gently corrected): Dad! You have to give me money for the Found Heart Dalmation.

Honestly... I could NOT make this stuff up.

Ouch. Trampolining is harder than it looks...

Three friends and I enrolled in a trampoline fitness class.
Bouncing up and down... How hard can it be, right?
Yeah... big misconception. It's exhausting! BUT FUN. What other form of exercise prompts spontaneous outbursts of giggles?

The pain. Now that's a not so much fun. I expected the knees and lower back to give me trouble, but no... it's my trunk that's in serious trouble. I seemed to have pulled/strained/shredded (pick your verb) the group of muscles (and I use that term loosely) around my midsection, from my mid-spine around my rib cage. Hurts to breathe.
Then yesterday, after trampoling, while at the grocery store, I twisted my knee. Heard the joint click as I swivelled to exit my car and, much to the disgust of the mom-of-2-toddlers getting into the car next to mine, swore loudly at the accompanying pain.
So the question is, was I weak from jumping, or was that just a flukey coincidence? Either way, I am limping and stiff and entirely unable to take deep breathes. And popping Advil. And wondering why my 42 year old body hates me so.

In Movies:

Adventureland - it was just okay. A nice flashback to my youth in the 80's. They should have given Kristin Wiig (SNL) more than 4 lines. She's way too funny to waste. This one can wait until DVD.

I Love You, Man - so so funny. This is a hilarioius must-see. Paul Rudd is a charming beta-hero and Jason Segal is beyond great. Don't wait for DVD. Get a sitter and go.

Yes Man (DVD) - Jim Carrey is hit or miss with me. This one was a hit. Fun PG movie that I thought would be fun to watch with my 9 yr old son. Luckily - LUCKILY, I quickly realized my judgement in error, just moments before the old-lady-blow-job scene. Whew... that was close.
But yeah... worth the rental price.

Take THAT, Susan Boyle :)

We've all, by now, seen the phenom of Susan Boyle on Britain's Got Talent (and if you haven't, please Google it -- so worth seeing!)

I give you something equally as pleasing, Stavros Flately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4fPHt0FjEU&feature=related

Please empty your bladder and sit down to watch this one.

I LOVE BOOKS!!

I went away the week before Easter without my computer. Must admit, I felt totally lost the first few days, but miraculously, I survived ;)

Turned out to be a terrific opportunity to make a dent in the TBR (print book) pile. Remember how a couple of posts back I wanted to bulk up the summer reading list? I'm happy to report that I've made an impressive start.

Beginning with... The Kama Sutra (not the picture version). Very interesting 'literature'. Contrary to my belief, it wasn't exclusively about sex/positions/physical pleasures, but concerned more with social graces, acceptable courting behaviour, etc.

I tried... TRIED!!... to read Jane Austin's Pride and Predjudice, but couldn't seem to get into it. Why?? I so wanted to love.

Perhaps because I'd seen the movie (both versions) and felt like I already knew what was coming? Or maybe I simply wasn't in the mood for a period piece?

The latter is certainly a possibility as I haven't had much luck getting into any of the historicals I've got lying around lately. It's a mood thing, right? I've had Lisa Kleypas's Mine 'til Midnight on my nightstand for about 2 months and can't bring myself to crack it. And I KNOW it'll be good once I begin but I can't get over the hesitation.

Moved on to more Kelley Armstrong. To this point I'd only read her non-paranormal Nadia Stafford books (hit woman extraordinaire), so with much eagerness, dove into Bitten, which is about Elena Michaels, werewolf.

Rocked.

Rocked so much I followed up with Stolen the very next day. Have to hold back from Dime Store Magic for a few more days/weeks, though it's killing me.

Tried another Canadian author by the name of Linwood Barclay. If you enjoy Harlan Coben (Hold Tight was amazing. Go forth and read!), give this guy a try. His style is similar (though not quite as polished as Coben - but Coben has how many books out? ... which gives him an experiencial edge) and his plot/pacing is terrific. 'No Time for Goodbye' is now out in paperback and I'm highly recommending it. Just make sure you have a clear calendar for you won't want to put it down. I couldn't.... and ended up reading it into the wee hours, but it was worth it.

Interesting note - Barclay used to be a regular columnist for the Toronto Star. His pieces were so engaging that I felt like I knew him and his oft mentioned family. So naturally, I'm totally rooting for him in his writing career and hope he rockets to international fame. Like he cares what I think... LOL

If you haven't seen it yet, TL has a book cover! Her Mirror Blue is due for release on May 1st (squee)

As for my own writing, as of yesterday (Tuesday), my writing break is over. I'm kinda scared to jump back in (oh the neurosis lurking in the writer's mind!) but it's now or never. But I've chosen to shelf Jump Zone indefinitely. I may work on something short and light for Ellora's Cave just to regain my courage, before dusting off the paranormal from hell that gave me nightmares last year. ;)

Tomorrow (and by that I mean next week, maybe the week after...) I'll talk about the movies I've been catching up on.

Happy writing, happy reading!

Life on Mars

I'm currently on holiday... if you can call visiting family up north a 'holiday'. It's cold here. Pity me.

And thank goodness for autoposting :)

Watched the final ep of Life on Mars and WOW - very cool ending. Despite the title, I confess... I totally didn't see that coming. D'oh.

Have you been watching? Thoughts on ending?? I'm really going to miss that show, especially the music. And No-Nuts. Think of the lawsuits that nickname would launch today!

Did you know...

Uncle Mike sent me this You Tube link -- a very interesting compilation of facts of life in the age of technology.
If you have 4 minutes and 55 seconds to spare, this is really worth watching.

Books and Movies and NO WRITING

Has it REALLY been this long since I blogged last?
See what Twitter has done to me? shame shame... I now have the attention span of a gnat.

So, after a bit of a writing/publishing wake-up call a few weeks ago, I pretty much shut down my computer, going DAYS without so much as hitting the power button. I felt a wee bit of guilt in those first hours, but I gotta say - overall, it's been like shedding shackles. And I do not intend to write again for another few weeks. Maybe after Easter.
(Important note: my iPhone is still my life-line, in case you thought I was shunning technology completely.)

What have I been doing during those writing hours? Aside from entertaining kiddo who had 2 weeks off for March Break (he goes back this afternoon - YAY!), I've been reading. READING. READING!!!
And not feeling guilty for not writing.
What a terrific way to recharge my creative batteries.

In romance: First up was a free Harlequin ebook that I downloaded onto my iPhone. This way I could pull it out for a few minutes while the kids were bowling, or whatever... It was a Blaze by Lesley Kelley and I think the title was Slow Hands. Enjoyable.
Then a Kresley Cole I picked up last year at Nationals. It was the third or fourth in a series so although I enjoyed it, I felt like I was late to the party.
This also happened with the next book (another Nationals freebee) a Kerrilyn Sparks book, The Undead Next Door. Lots of characters that I felt I should have already known...

Next was Kelley Armstrong's 2nd Nadia Stafford (hit woman) book called Made to Be Broken. I thoroughly enjoyed this strong heroine with a damaged past, a hidden life and who still maintains a 'normal' facade as lodge-owner in a touristy area of Ontario. I really must pick up K.A.'s paranormal books... one of these days... because I love her writing style. It's tight and flows beautifully, without the high, OTT drama that makes you feel like you're on a mind-blowing coaster. She has a great way of keeping the suspense up without making the reader exhausted.
And the characters are so interesting that you wish you knew them in real life.

Then I read Harlan Coben's Hold Tight. Coben never disappoints me. Like Armstrong, his style flows beatifully and he hooks you in the first chapter - ALWAYS. His characters are amazingly introspective and I find myself reading certain passages multiple times because his philosophies are enlightening and/or thought provoking. HIGHLY recommend.

Movies - another great way to creatively recharge.
Like many others, I succumbed to the Twilight DVD. Gotta say, it held up better on the small screen than it did on the big. Then I watched it again and it confirmed that yes, indeed, it was shit.
Duplicity, with Clive Owen and Julia Roberts, had so much potential... but alas, it was long and convoluted and the sparkling chemistry I expected just wasn't really there. It wasn't a bad movie, just not as good as I had hoped.
But Monsters vs Aliens didn't disappoint! It was in 3D so that in itself was a trip, but it had some amusing lines and subtext. The kids loved it, therefore, so did I.

If this is the future, I want it!

A friend sent me this clip about a developing invention that can give us a 'sixth sense'. Watch and be amazed...
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/pattie_maes_demos_the_sixth_sense.html

(it starts off slow, but stick with it cause it's soooo cool!)

Thoughts: Too invasive, creepy, or uber-cool?
I admit, I wasn't sold until Mistry went into the grocery store. Then the book bit blew me away. And how cool is the taking-pictures feature? Does it come with a built in flash? *hee*

Why have I lost my blogging spark?

I used to love blogging...
Somewhere along the way, I lost my spark, lost my verve for the blogworld. And I think I know why. I'm not just a writer, but a reader, and I used to talk about books. A lot. Remember? #1 Ladies Detective Agency, Middlesex, anything by Eve Silver... and this past year, I've basically stopped reading.
(anything less than 3 books/month is a very dry spell)

Not altogether stopped... just stopped reading the kind of books I used to be drawn to. Nothing against Stephenie Meyer or JR Ward, but I haven't had a fix of Harlen Coben, Ridley Pearson, Minette Walters, Dennis Lehane, Sarah Dunant, etc. in ages.
I have an Ondaatje on my night stand with an in-tact spine and a thick layer of dust. Heck, I've got a Nelson DeMille HARDCOVER sitting under the tv remote and I've not even read the jacket blurb. So not like me...

This happened for a couple of reasons (I think)

• My TBR pile is so big I'm scared of it. Yes. True. Totally intimidated. What if I pick the wrong book??
• I have very prolific friends. I LOVE reading what my friends write, not just because I want to be supportive, but because I really like their stuff. But trying to keep up with them... omg, it just is impossible AND to maintain my own writing. I'm behind on my Kimber Chin, my Christine d'Abo's, waaay behind on my Amy Ruttan's and my JK Coi's, Molly O'Keefe's, and and and... the Toronto Romance Writers are too successful for my own good.
• I have a hard time reading romance and writing romance (clouds my brain, my storyline and I lose the character voices in my head).
• I've been watching more television - eek. Mindless drivel stuff that I shouldn't even bother with, but I feel like I have to keep my brain cells relatively uncluttered because my own novel has all these threads and bits I need to hang on to.

The solution for my blogging woes? READ MORE.
Sounds easy but sadly, I must stay away from the genres/sub-genres I dabble in (just while I'm finishing my novel - not forever!)
I think I'll turn to literary... or maybe CLASSICS!! Yes, I'm sure there are tons of classics I've never read. Like Austen. I have NEVER read an Austen (insert gasp). I know... I hate myself.

My immediate 'to read' list includes:

1. One Hundred Years of Solitude by GGM (just started)
2. Divisidero by Ondaatje
3. As the Crow Flies by Ann Marie MacDonald
4. *Pride and Predjudice (Amy's suggestion)
5. *Emma (Amy's suggestion)
6. *Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery (M.)
7. *Possession by A.S. Byatt (TL)
8. ?
9. ?
10. The Gatehouse by Nelson DeMille (saving this one 'til last)

The floor is hereby open for suggestions. Please help me fill in my spring/summer reading list.

Are you brave enough to DELETE?

I'm finally getting comfortable with the delete key. Not just comfortable... it's quickly becoming my best friend.
There used to be a time when I wouldn't DARE delete sentences or paragraphs, at least not without saving every variation of document 'just in case'. But as I grow as a writer, my hesitation diminishes. It's relative, I suppose.
In the past year I've kissed entire chapters goodbye.
Completely trashed a short story (it sucked).
In the case of that paranormal I began last January, (which is currently sitting on a back burner until I'm good enough to finish it -- it's bigger than my talent at the moment), I probably wrote-deleted-rewrote (rinse, repeat) about 40-50 K. That's practically an entire novel!! *GAH*

How does one get from the Each Word is Precious stage to the Be Gone Damn Ink! stage? I found someone who summed it beautifully. Check out this post by Elana of the Johnson Literary Agency:
http://johnsonlitagency.wordpress.com/2009/03/09/not-crafty-or-crafting-but-craft/#comments

Delete? Yes. Because I can do better.

Sweetness: The Interview

Well THIS WAS FUN!!
I saw this on Amy's blog. She interviewed her little girl Boo. So I thought I would interview my youngest, four year old Sweetness. None of the answers were prompted and I have no idea where he came up with the answer for #5. Nothing could be further from the truth!! LOL

1. WHAT IS SOMETHING MOM ALWAYS SAYS TO YOU? I love you.
2. WHAT MAKES MOM HAPPY? My hugs and kisses.
3. WHAT MAKES MOM SAD? When my willy hurts.
4. HOW DOES YOUR MOM MAKE YOU LAUGH? Tickles me.
5. WHAT WAS YOUR MOM LIKE AS A CHILD? Soccer player. (??)
6. HOW OLD IS YOUR MOM? Fifteen.
7. HOW TALL IS YOUR MOM? Fifteen feet
8. WHAT IS YOUR MOM’S FAVORITE THING TO DO? Work
9. WHAT DOES YOUR MOM DO WHEN YOU’RE NOT AROUND? Read.
10. IF YOUR MOM BECOMES FAMOUS, WHAT WILL IT BE FOR? Writing and working.
11. WHAT is YOUR MOM REALLY GOOD AT? Hugging me and kissing me.
12. WHAT IS YOUR MOM NOT VERY GOOD AT? You're good at everything!
13. WHAT DOES YOUR MOM DO FOR HER JOB? Writing
14. WHAT IS YOUR MOM’S FAVORITE FOOD? Coffee.
15. WHAT MAKES YOUR MOM PROUD OF YOU? Karate ... Hi-YA!
16. IF YOUR MOM WERE A CARTOON CHARACTER, WHO WOULD SHE BE? Wall-E (wtf?)
17. WHAT DO YOU AND YOUR MOM DO TOGETHER? hugging, playing Wii
18. HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR MOM THE SAME? Well... we have fish and petting our pussy cats.
19. HOW ARE YOU AND YOUR MOM DIFFERENT? I like KinderSurprise eggs and you don't. I have a DS and you dont' and I have different clothes.
20. HOW DO YOU KNOW YOUR MOM LOVES YOU? Because you hug me and kiss me.
21. WHERE IS YOUR MOM’S FAVORITE PLACE TO GO? To me.
22. HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE YOUR MOM? A hundred percent.

The Blood, OMG, THE BLOOD and Stephen King goes 'e'

Thursdays are usually good writing days for me because my littlest has a gym/craft program in the morning, then school in the afternoon.

Not today.

Today I spent 5 hours in the ER with Sweetness (aka the 4 yr old), or as he shall now be known, Harry Headwound*
On our way to gym (not at gym, not in the gym, but in the lobby of the rec centre), Sweetness - who was walking (not running, not skipping, not cartwheeling, just simple one-foot-in-front-of-the-other walking) tripped, stumbled forward and fell.
As he went down, he slid...
under a bench.
A metal bench.
With unforgiving metal legs.

Gashed head... way too much blood... mother getting dizzy... trying to remain calm... no paper towels in ladies room (damn hand blowers!!)... mother calling out to another Dad-friend... he bringing napkins from coffee shop...

FF 5 hours...
Sweetness home, all smiles, sporting 4 stitches and what he hopes will be a Harry Potter scar.

But oh... the blood. THE FREAKING BLOOD. Poor kid looked like an extra on the set of My Bloody Valentine (now in 3D!) ...

I'm going to petition our govenment for a new rule in Health Care that states that: when/if a mother brings a child to the ER, said mother should automatically, no questions asked, be given a valium.

*remember? Dana Carvey in SNL??

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Now how's this for a perfect segue? Blood to.... Stephen King.
Interesting article...

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090303/entertainment/books_stephen_king_kindle

I've been curious about the Kindle. I think I want one. Then again, there isn't much I don't want!! :D I only just set my eyes on an e-reader for the very first time the other day, compliments of Leah Braemel who owns a Sony eReader -- very cool. Especially since she had my book on it!! *grin*

Do you have one? Thinking about one? Thoughts??

Pulling the Curtain Back

Long time no see! Here's a peek at what's been going on in Wylie's World:

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with fellow writers Leah Braemel, Christine D'Abo & Amy Ruttan and though there was chatting, we got an awful lot accomplished.

Personally, I was able to write 'The End' on Jump Zone, and though I've got a few segues to fill in, I can basically call Draft One done. Now the REAL work begins... getting it in some sort of condition suitable to pitch/sell!

And while I have my writing friends on the brain, I must give a shout out to Leah Braemel on her recent release of Private Property. I haven't read it yet but did get a chance to read the second book of her series (Personal Protection - coming soon!!) and must say that I look VERY forward to reading more about the fine men of Hauberk Security. Leah writes at a pretty high heat level which only serve to enhance her richly drawn characters and solid plotlines. During our weekend retreat, she shared some of the upcoming story lines and we're in for a treat :)
And Amy... well, she's cranking them out so fast I can't keep up!!! Not as a writer or reader - LOL!! The first book of Amy's Enchantress series, The Fey, is available now from Linden Bay and she also has a new release with Ellora's Cave, Hard Candy. As soon as i can catch my breath (how long until my kids are in college? ha ha) I'll be diving into these.

* * *
The kids were sick so I spent a few afternoons with them watching movies.

George of the Jungle: Brendan Fraser has the most gorgeous lips I've ever seen on a man. Lush, ripe, made for kissing. Yes, sick as that sounds, while he was entertaining my children with chest pounding, jungle calls and vine-swinging antics, I was staring at his mouth. Wow.
And he was pretty cut back then, too. Double wow.

Penelope: A movie about a girl cursed with a pig's nose. I didn't go into it with much hope of liking and suprised myself by LOVING! It's a great story about acceptance -- and an added bonus -- James McAvoy was in it, which I didn't even realize until his sad-eyed moppy haired character appeared on screen. *Squee!*


* * *
During my little hiatus I enjoyed the whole award-show experience. And I did watch the all... got to hear every f-bomb Mickey Rourke dropped during his many acceptance speeches.
I was happy for him... a great come back and all, but was a bit relieved when he lost to Sean Penn at the Oscars. As acidic and opinionated as Mr. Penn can be, he truly deserved the award, if not for this particular role, then for the cummulative career roles.
I thought this was one of the best Academy Awards shows I've seen (even with the cheesy song and dance bit in the middle). Hugh Jackman did an awesome job as host, everyone looked stunning in their black ties and gowns, and there were solid, first-class performances to celebrate. I'll sum it up with a few math equations:

The Brange = Royalty

Steve Martin + Tina Fey = LMAO

Ben Stiller doing Joaquin Phoenix > Joaquin Phoenix

Rob Pattinson channeling Edward Cullen while presenting = wee squee!


* * *
Random thoughts:

Does anyone else think POSH looks totally and ridiculously out of proportion? Why do they let her NEAR fashion?
Ghost Town with Ricky Gervais. See it.
Can Conan keep Jay's loyal fans happy? Hmmm...
George Cloony is short.
Lost ROCKS.
Today's date is interesting - 03/03/09 Don't you think?

What scarf?

Scarf? Huh?
I have no idea what you're talking about.
Around my neck? Wha--?
Oh, this old thing? Oh no, no no... it's not what you think.
My Aunt Mabel gave it to me. Like, um... 10 years ago. At least.

Now bugger off!

(don't know what I'm talking about? click the hyperlink)

It's so dark in here...

I'm such a bad blogger lately, eh? What can I say.... all my brain juice is being used on the current wip-from-hell, Jump Zone, that was supposed to end about 20k words ago... but is just NOT.
The good news: I finally figured out how to end the sucker.
The bad news: I still have many thousands of words to write.

The other bad news (or good news, depending on your pov...) I'm taking a blogaday (blog+holiday) for a month or two. I'm going deeper into the cave taking only a candle, match and my laptop. And maybe a bag of chips (or twelve).

Before I go...
I must give a big shout out to Leah Braemel who not only had her first book released from Samhain -- but also remained #1 on their best seller list for two weeks!! You can learn more about Private Property HERE.

Another shout out to Christine d'Abo for her recent release All Bottled Up from Samhain AND her uber-hot Ellora's Cave book The Bond that Ties Us (a must-read) is coming out in print. Double WOOTS!

Whew, I'm getting hoarse from these, but there's just much good news!
Another WOOT WOOT goes to Amy Ruttan who's first book of a five book series, Enchanted: The Fey just came out from Linden Bay. I haven't read it yet, but if it's got Amy's name on it, you can be sure it'll contain some hot stuff ;)

AND - last but certainly not least, the talented Thomma Lyn sold her novel Mirror Blue to Black Lyon Publishing!! Let me tell you... I've read the book and it's amazing. It's about damn time someone recognized her awesome literary talent. Keep your eyes on this one... it'll be a late spring release and you will NOT want to miss it. Trust.


Happy writing, happy reading and bye for awhile!

Ricky Gervais in blogland

If you like Ricky Gervais, you must check out his blog (but don't go there if you're easily offended!).
He wrote a hilarious open letter to President Obama regarding paparazzi loving Paris Hilton and her British counterpart, Posh. You have to scroll down a bit to get to it...

http://www.rickygervais.com/thissideofthetruth.php

And if you haven't seen the romantic comedy Ghost Town yet, I highly recommend. It was very underrated!!

Feeling Invisible

I'm thrilled to welcome a special guest, novelist Kimber Chin.
I met Kimber through the Toronto Romance Writers and was immediately drawn to humor, charm and warmth. I should have guessed that those qualities were only the shiny surface to a much deeper soul...
Kimber has a new book coming out this month and I for one, can't wait to dive into it. You can buy INVISIBLE by clicking the link.

Kimber, catch! *throws mic*

The Book Of My Heart

A Guest Post From Kimber Chin

First off, a big thank you to Wylie for letting me squat here. I adore Wylie. She is one of the most supportive writers I know. She answers my junior jammer questions cheerfully (and often with a straight face) and is always ready to participate in my mad schemes. She is also a brilliant writer. Wowsers, wasn’t Law Of Averages hot? My only complaint about Wylie is that I’ve been impatiently waiting forever for her next novel. Write it already, girl! [ed note: *blush*]

Anyhoo…

A buddy once told me she had written the ‘book of her heart.’ I smiled, said ‘that’s great' and then privately thought this book of your heart business was, as Maeve in Invisible would say, ‘a load of hooey.’ Book of her heart? What the he—did that mean? Was it autobiographical? Then I wrote Invisible, the book of my heart.

Invisible, a contemporary scavenger hunt through a world of hidden identities, isn’t autobiographical. Lord no. Although I know skip tracers and forensic accountants (as well as Russian ‘mafia’ members – long story), I don’t play in these elite levels. I’ve never had my identity stolen (my dear, sweet mom has though). I've never been a victim of financial abuse to the extent that Maeve has (my dear, sweet mom has though – she is a saint, I tell you, a brownie making saint). I might have drawn upon personal experience for my first novel Breach Of Trust, but I used observation for Invisible.

Except for the emotion.

I dug deep into a dark corner of my heart for that. The loss, the pain, the anger, and eventually the hope are all mine. I poured my feelings into this book, and not just the nice feelings, the ugly ones, the ones we all pretend we don't have.

It made for a great story (or so says my pre-editor and editors) but it wasn’t a prudent thing to do. It certainly wasn’t safe. With the book now out in the world, I feel naked (oh, bad visual), exposed (better?). I know some people are going to hate Invisible (it is that type of book). That'll hurt because I'll feel what they are hating is this emotion, this piece of me.

Oh, well. (Shrugging)

There is nothing I can do about it now. The genie is out of the bottle (and he's holding onto his three wishes, stingy blasted man). I figure I might as well go all in (mix metaphors much?). Although I have a light, fluffy novella releasing in between (because frankly, I frightened myself), my next full length novel is as raw (and demented).

About Kimber Chin:
Kimber Chin is a nutbar. What? You want more than that? Okay, she writes sexy contemporary romances set in the world of business. Yeah, I know, proof of her craziness. Want more proof? Visit http://businessromance.com/ where every week, she shares a photo of a hot guy in a good looking suit, and a short story her editor won't let her publish. Every month, she gives away a great romance eBook. Not her own because that would make too much sense.

Jump Zone angst

I just passed the 75K mark in my latest wip, Jump Zone. A very small part of me is pleased because I've never written anything this long before. *yay*
But I'm groaning because I should be typing 'the end', except it's no where in sight :( therefore, I am a terrible judge of plot and/or pacing, take your pick. And I may eventually have to chop very large chunks of it out because if I continue to ramble along at my current pace, I've easily got another 10-15 K before finishing.
And people... it's just not THAT kind of book. It's not supposed to be all introspective and deep. It's supposed to be a futuristic adventure with bit of fun and action.

But... I don't feel like I should hurry it along at this point or it will seem just that... hurried along. Don't you hate books like that? Where you sense that the author just wanted it DONE ALREADY?
*looks to heaven* Please don't let that be me. sigh.

500th post - I give you... eye candy

I got nuthin' people. NUTHIN!!

I planned on doing something special for this, my 500th blogpost... wracked my brains all night, but all I could think of was trees -- or the lack thereof in my latest WIP. No, I don't expect you to follow that...

So in lieu of a writing update, inspirational words, a rant or a meme, I leave you with this:

Enjoy ;)