Molly's Musings

Flashback Friday and Karaoke Update

2012-03-09T11:13:00.001-08:00

Sigh....I had fully intended to blog every day this week, but it ended up being another one of those weeks where I barely even got on Face Book!

March 1972: Since I have no idea what was going on, I won't bore you with any speculation! I'll be going to my mom's again in two weeks; I'll look at the photo albums and see if anything 'clicks':)

Present Day:
A Very Good Time was had by all last night at Karaoke:) I was able to eliminate two more songs from my list:

Brass In Pocket (Pretenders): I think I did this well, but it's not one of my favorite songs, so yes, sang it once, and will move on:)

Best Of Times (Styx): I love this song, and I still want to try it one more time, where I can HEAR myself singing it. Otherwise...it's going also!

Build Me Up Buttercup (The Foundations): I think I sang this one okay also, but again, not one of my favorites. Moving on....

Behind These Hazel Eyes (Kelly Clarkson): The first time I attempted this, it was awful. Last night, people cheered:) So think I'll keep it, even though someone yelled, "Where's the high note?" I answered, "I think it left for the night."

Bleeding Love (Leona Lewis): Another song I do well. When I took the microphone, I asked, 'Who was asking about the high note? It might be in this one....":)

I was hoping Darrell would have more new ones on my list, but I was happy with the ones he chose:)

Have a good weekend; I'm off to a booksigning in Urbana, Ill tomorrow. Hopefully I'll have good news to report on Monday:)

New Cover Art:)

2012-03-05T06:32:00.001-08:00

Isn't it pretty? Here's the blurb:
Gretchen McLaren has her life mapped out. A tour of duty with the Peace Corps, then working as a social worker for the elderly. But her boyfriend Joe Walker doesn’t agree with her plan, and tries everything in his power to change her mind. But will he succeed? Or will his efforts drive her into the arms of another man?

Troy Anderson finds himself hearing the words no man wants to hear, “I just want to be friends.” But when a skilled manipulator tries to tear down the woman he loves, will he fight for her? Find out what happens when jealousy upsets the balance of love and ambition. Has Gretchen been blind to true love the entire time?

And for a sneak peek, here's an unedited deleted scene from Forbidden Love:

"I have a good feelingabout this year," Keri told Caitlyn after the holidays were over. Caty had already unpacked and was waiting fora phone call from her boyfriend. "Even though I got a late start."

"What took so long?" she wanted to know.

"You know the back roads I usually take to avoid thetraffic in Indy? Well, both Dad and Ericwarned me to stick to the interstate, due to the ice and snow, but there was amajor accident by the airport, so I jumped off at State Road 37, and boy wasthat a mistake." Keri pulled out apeach satin robe. "Look atthis: Isn't it glamorous? I can't wait to show it to Kyle. Anyway, there was a five car pile-up in Martinsville, so after Igot through that mess, I slid over to 67, and was fine until Spencer, where Idid a doughnut in the Burger King parking lot..."

"You didn't," Caty laughed.

Keri nodded. "Ever go through a drive-up backwards?"

That scenario made Caitlyn laugh even harder. "I have learned my lesson: No matter how bad the back up is after a teninch snowfall, I'm staying on the interstate. People in small towns forget how to drive, I swear!"

"The snow freezes the common sense," Catychuckled, wiping her eyes.

"No doubt," Keri said. "Has Kyle called?" Caty shook her head. "Damn. Something's really weird. I wasalways missing him over break; he never called back; I'm two hours late, andstill no call! What is with men thatthey don't like to return phone calls?"

"Speaking of men, Joe gave Gretchen a First Promisering."

"You're kidding me!" Keri stopped putting away her clothes. "After six months?"

"I guess he's serious."

"What about the mind games? Is she happy about it?"

"She said he was behaving himself. They haven't set any dates or anything. Personally, I think she'd be better off withTroy Anderson."

"Hedefiantly has my vote!"

Forbidden Love now available at Secret Cravings, Kindle, Nook, and ARE:)

Cover Art Decision Time....

2012-02-29T06:35:00.003-08:00

Sorry I've been AWOL the past two days; Monday I had a dental appointment in the morning, followed by a trip to Evansville for the SU's disability hearing, then a mad dash back for the youngling's wrestling tournament.

Dental: No cavaties, which THRILLED me! I was concerned about one tooth, and then another as she was poking around with her instruments, but nada. Just two sensitive areas, so we're good and he'll see me back in six months:)

Hearing: We did not get an instant ruling, but the judge seemed to be leaning in our favor. For whatever reason, the eye doctor refused to release the newer records, so we could not present them into evidence. However, we DO have thirty days before the judge will make an official ruling, so there's time for the Medical Records person to release them to our lawyer, who will then give them to the judge. So we wait.

Wrestling: Youngling got a buy the first round, then lost the 2nd round to a pin. And then to top off a disappointing day, his jacket came up missing. I spotted a kid wearing one that looked like it, but before I could inquire, the fire alarm went off. I notified the coach and the concession lady and told them I'd be back tonight, in the hopes it was a mistake, and the mom brings it back. Otherwise, my child has lost his favorite jacket. And as we were driving home, my cell phone came up missing. We turned around and went back; fortunately someone HAD turned it in to the concession stand! At least that crisis was averted!

Now to my dilemma for the day: Which of these covers do you think best expresses book #4, Balancing Act? Here's the blurb:

Gretchen McLaren has her life mapped out. A tour of duty with the Peace Corps, then working as a social worker for the elderly. But her boyfriend Joe Walker doesn’t agree with her plan, and tries everything in his power to change her mind. But will he succeed? Or will his efforts drive her into the arms of another man?

Troy Anderson finds himself hearing the words no man wants to hear, “I just want to be friends.” But when a skilled manipulator tries to tear down the woman he loves, will he fight for her? Find out what happens when jealousy upsets the balance of love and ambition. Has Gretchen been blind to true love the entire time?

I posted this on Face Book and instantly opinions came in. The male appears too casual, by having his eyes open while hers are closed.

I like this one better; however, I sort of wanted more of the 'love triangle' to be represented. But my cover artist said she doesn't like covers with more than two people; it creates a 'busy' cover.

So if you saw this cover, would it entice you to click on the link and go 'Hmmmm....sounds interesting!'??

Yesterday was another busy day. The daughter had an appointment before school; we discovered our tax refund (federal) had been deposited; I went to Writer's Guild for thirty minutes, then went to the Community Pool meeting. And discovered I still have expensive taste, even when it comes to concepts for a new pool or water park! There was even a picture on the news of the crowd, and yes, there I was in my red snowflake sweater, listening intently to the presentation. Going to buy a paper today to see if I'm in any of those pictures.

And then the spouse treated us to our favorite Mexican restaurant for dinner. I indulged and drank a Pina Colada-flavored margarita, and for dessert ate a slice a cheesecake with chocolate sauce. It was heavenly!

No karaoke tonight; BC and I are going tomorrow. This is my compromise; I'll only go one day a week, no matter how badly I want to get through my list of songs!

Let me know which cover you like, or if you like neither, can you make a suggestion? Thanks! I'm off to go grocery shopping, but I'll be back later.

Happy Leap Year, and a special Happy '5th' Anniversary to my friends Ted and Susan! They married on this date back in 1992:)

Flashback Friday: Reluctant Coach

2012-02-24T07:23:00.003-08:00

Feb 2002:
I walked into the preliminary Coach's meeting with trepidation. I really didn't want to be known as an assistant coach, and I was also unsure of my feelings toward H and L. After harboring resentment, and not seeing either of them all fall (with the exception of L; I saw her occasionally at school), what would my reaction be? Would seeing them bring back all the anger, or was I capable of putting my hurt feelings aside? After all, it would be a new season, with a new President, new Board, and new coaches and players.

The spouse objected to my attending the meeting, but then agreed I needed to go. And thankfully Amy was already there, saving me a seat. But the first thing I saw when I opened the door was the eyes of H, glaring at me in a 'what the hell are you doing here' look.

I slid into my seat and greeted Amy, and then kept my mouth shut while H and other coaches explained the new rules, fundraising events, and signup dates. Rob, the Girls' Rep, greeted me and asked if I would at least consider being the concession rep for his daughter's team. I told him I was still considering it; the community was still divided over my rude 'ousting', and some were encouraging me to boycott the stand, while others were begging me to stay involved, so that it would run smoothly. L didn't even acknowledge my existence that evening, even though I forced a smile and waved at her. She looked away; Amy was one of those who asked if I'd consider helping parents provide our own snacks for the games. I replied I was still torn as to what to do.

On the work front, things were stressful. One of the bus monitors suffered a heart attack, so I moved into his place. A kid had moved into our community and would be on our bus, and was a 'high risk' kid. My boss was unsure if I could handle his behavior issues; I told him I had a history of taking tough kids and making them 'agreeable'. But the first two days with this kid nearly wore me out. And even when I met his parents, I was baffled.

Normally, when I meet new people, I can usually find common ground within at least five minutes. Not the case with this couple. Not exactly rude, but also not that friendly. I was definitely going to have to draw on every rusty skill I possessed. And ended up writing him up several times. Which broke my heart, since he was the same age as my oldest, only here was a prime example of bad parenting.

I reported to my boss, and to the kid's counselor at school, and began to keep a behavior diary, to document every thing I was observing. His counselor appreciated it; my boss just rolled his eyes, but agreed it needed to be done, concerning this kid.

And then the issue of changing our routes was raised. And suddenly my driver rebelled. But that's next month's story:)

Present Day:
We're getting ready for our Blue and Gold Banquet tonight, for Scouts. We're also having the Cake competition, so today I'm baking the cake. When the youngling and S get home from school, their job will be to decorate it. Youngling wants to make it a car, so S will carve it and then they will attempt to decorate it accordingly. I hope three cans of icing and one tube of food coloring will turn it into something good! I'll post pics next week.

Have a good weekend:) And don't forget to check out Kenzie's post on The Writer's Evo on Sunday:) Topic? The Most Romantic Proposal:)

Re-Thinking My Heat Level

2012-02-23T06:37:00.000-08:00

Recent discussions and comments have prompted me to think maybe my thinking is a little off. When I first began writing my Arbor U series, I thought what I was writing was pushing the proverbial envelope during my sex scenes, since I actually described The Act, with part A sliding into part B, and the shower scene in book #3. Twenty-five years later, I find what I've written is more the mainstream, since I don't use any terms other maybe 'cock'. The penis is described as a 'shaft', 'male member', or even 'dick'. But nowadays, you hear 'cock' being used in R movies and even TV after 10pm.

And since my early beta readers were kids around age twelve, plus my own thirty-something self, and the occasional senior citizen, so naturally I thought this was my target audience. My own mother voiced her opinion that my books be required reading for all HS seniors....'If only you would take out all those bad words!'

And indeed, in the past nine years I've been doing the craft fair circuit, I've only had the occasional teenage bookworm stop by my booth. The majority are women my age, or even twenty-somethings, wanting anything from Fantasy to Christian Inspy.

So maybe it's time to kick the heat level up a notch? After all, my 1st agent called Forbidden Love 'erotic romance'. And its heat level doesn't even compare with Teacher's Pet. On the heat scale, Keri and Kyle check in at about a slow-burning candle, while Tammy and Kevin are maybe a campfire hot? Harlie, feel free to voice your opinion here, lol!

I noticed when I was rereading book #4, Balancing Act, that the final sex scene takes its time; describing everything they are feeling and experiencing (nope, not gonna tell you who!), and that with a small amount of rewriting, I can make that scene come alive a bit more.

So anyone who read the love scenes I posted between Elicia and Eric; Amy and Matt; and most recently, Keri and Kyle, let me know if you think I need to kick the sex into high gear? I can always make a tame version for the more reserved readers; I've already done that for Kenzie's books.

Karaoke Update:
For the first time since I began going to karaoke, none of the songs I sang last night will be repeated. Why? Too low. I only sang four songs: Bye Bye Bye (although at times I was okay, overall, yuck!); Bye Bye Love (again, I was okay on the chorus, but not the verses, so 'Bye Bye'!); Beds Are Burning (awful!); and Being With You (sounded okay while singing to YouTube, but on my own....nah.).

And because B and I caught a train on the way home (a train!), the spouse griped because I was home at 2:30am. I nearly got up and slept in the other room. I'm rapidly losing my patience with his snide comments.

But On A Good Note....
Balancing Act is formatted! All I have to do today is double check a few areas and send it back:) Then my editor can start hacking my scenes to pieces. I hope she'll be kind to Gretchen....the poor girl just fell down the slippery slope of trying to please everyone. But more about it as we get closer to publication!

Come back tomorrow for more of the 2002 saga of the Youth League Baseball:)

Psst! Did You Know It's February?

2012-02-22T06:41:00.000-08:00

We're nearly to the end of February and I wanted to do a recap: On Groundhog's Day, Phil saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter. I think Phil's lost his touch....but no, I'm not complaining about it!

Why?

Our temps have hovered in the 40's, high 30's, and even some 50's scattered around. And any snow we get has been gone by the next day. In fact, today it's predicted to be in the 60's, and I'm loving this weather! Other people have complained, because everyone is suffering colds, nasal congestion, or other illness 'due to the fact we haven't had any significant cold weather to kill the viruses/bugs'.

But this is Indiana people.....and correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we get snow in April the last time we had a nice winter? Cold weather lasting into May, in fact?

I wish I could remember what our winter had been like the year we suffered 33 degrees at the Indy 500 in 1992. That was the most miserable race of my life....but you'll hear more about it in May:)

So for now, I'm enjoying the warmer weather, drinking cough syrup every day, taking my decongestants, and buying lots of Kleenex. Yes, it's annoying, but this is my 'normal'. Yes, with small exceptions, I suffer year round with this. I'm a human barometer: drop the barometric pressure and my sinuses drain. Drop the temps and I catch colds. Welcome to my world.

Now the right scientist needs to suffer a little of this and maybe he (or she!) will invent the perfect cure? Invent that suction device I've needed for my vocal cords so I'm not constantly clearing my throat? Or my other malady: Getting the fluid out of my right eustation tube, so I can hear. I've had this for the past two months, and it's beginning to get really annoying at night, hearing a constant 'whine' in my ear.

And It's Wednesday! And That Means....Karaoke Night:)
Here are the songs I plan to sing tonight:
-Bye Bye Bye (N'Synch): Yes, I sang it last week. But I want to HEAR myself.

-Bye Bye Love (Everly Bros): Darrell didn't have this, but Cheryl does:)

-Beautiful Goodbye (Amanda Marshall): Again, Darrell didn't have this last week.

-Beds Are Burning (Midnight Oil): The lead singer's voice isn't that great, so after midnight, I might even sound okay! I will most likely only sing this once, lol:)

-Being With You (Smokey Robinson): I think this will be a good one:)

-Best of Times (Styx): Did this a few weeks back with Darrell's equipment; I couldn't hear myself and his microphone shorted out, so want to hear what I sound like.

And if there's time....Born To Be My Baby (Bon Jovi): Can't go wrong with channeling Jon!

I'll report back tomorrow and let you know how it went:)

Formatting Update:
I got the bright idea to uninstall Word Starter, and it messed up every single document on my laptop. So my daughter converted my files and now I can format Balancing Act from here:) I'm up to Ch 5, and with my schedule becoming busy tonight at 6pm, I should have a good day ahead of me:) After all, yesterday I accomplished more in two hours at Zanders than I had all afternoon yesterday! Here's hoping the spouse leaves me alone today.

New Books I've Discovered

2012-02-21T07:03:00.000-08:00

I'm recovered from my 'tantrum' yesterday:)

If you'll remember, I lost my Granny Christmas Day, and was able to bring home most of her books (there were several I, quite frankly, did not want) from her bookshelves. Over the past several weeks, I've reread Eight Cousins, skimmed an original Prince and the Pauper; and devoured some tame, older romance books (Susan Wiggs comes to mind, but can't remember the title). But the next three caught my eye because of the titles, and I liked the back cover of the first one, so I loaded the other two in that series into my 'take home' box. I've just spent the past four days reading the first book, and I'm disappointed to learn Granny didn't have the second. I began the 3rd book yesterday, and now want to own the entire series. So here are the covers and a brief description; check them out for yourselves:)

This is the first in the series. It tells the story of how Precious Ramotswe from Botswana, Africa, came to open her detective agency and solved several complicated cases, including twin 'doctors'. It's available on Amazon

This is #3 in the series; as I said, I'd love to read the 2nd, Tears of the Giraffe. I'm currently on Ch 7 of this book and am enjoying it! Precious becomes engaged at the end of book #1, so I didn't miss much there, but in this one, her fiance' is depressed, so she's taken on management of his office as well. It's humorous in places, and I'm up to where an important Government Man has asked her to investigate his sister-in-law. This book can be found here.

Number #4 is intriguing by the title alone, isn't it? And while finding these books on Amazon, I discovered there are about 13 in the entire series:) So I will be putting the rest on my print TBB list, or at least seeing if these are available at our library.

The African names are hard to pronounce, but after a while I found myself compensating for them. Sort of the same way I had to for one character's name in Marian Keys' Sushi For Beginners.

So there's my Recommended Read for the month. Any new series (or books) you've discovered you'd care to share?

Have a great day!

Catching Up

2012-02-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

My kids are enjoying their 2nd day off from school, a scheduled 'make up day', in case of a snow day. I'm thinking, why not just add these 'extra' days at the end of the school year, or tack them on to Spring Break? Currently, if school isn't cancelled for any reason, they do not have to attend any Fridays in the month of May. Why not let them out of school a week early? Makes no sense.

And right now, with only two computers in the house, and four people who like to use them, this creates a schedule issue. Technically, only 3 people argue over the usage, since the spouse really doesn't use it as much as S, youngling, and myself. And right now S is still asleep; youngling is happily watching cartoons, so I get to work. But in four hours, there's going to be an issue.

My new editor is trying to walk me through the formatting process. I have two versions of Word on my laptop, but everything opens in Word Starter, which a friend inadvertantly installed the same time he put Photo Shop on my laptop. The formatting symbols don't show up, and when I tried to do as she wanted the 1st time, it wasn't right. The 2nd time added a line between paragraphs. So I went to the desktop and tried her instructions there. The first two paragraphs 'behaved', but the subsequent paragraphs added another extra line!

So my 4th attempt will be to add an extra backspace, in order to 'mimic' what I saw the 1st two lines do. And since my editor had to leave at the exact moment my desktop came to life, it's going to be 3:30 this afternoon before we can communicate again. And to make things easier on myself, I'll talk to her through face book on the laptop, while working on the document on the desk top! Can you hear the howls of indignation yet? Yes; I'll be using both computers....when the daughter will want to be checking HER face book; the spouse wanting to watch TV and the youngling wanting to get on Math Circus. Someone's not going to be happy, unless maybe the youngling is outside with friends or the daughter with her friends.

And the spouse is grouchy, due to a broken tooth which can't be repaired until next week. I think this is beginning to be a 'Calgon, take me away' week, and it's only Monday!

We did get our taxes filed, and the refund should leave us enough to fully stock the pantry and freezer, plus pay off the dentist. I'm also hoping I'll be able to buy a substantial number of e-books, as well as purchasing promo items.

And I'm also going to upset the spouse on Wednesday, since B can only go Thursday, and I want to go Wednesday for an hour, so I can sing a few songs and hear myself through the speakers.

He's currently in 'clean up' mode, so I need to wrap up my online stuff and go help him out, rather than suffer his passive-aggressive snide comments about my 'job'. See you tomorrow; hopefully I'll be in a better mood!

Flashback Friday: Sleep Deprivation

2012-02-17T07:36:00.000-08:00

1992:
Baby K had his days and nights mixed up. Daddy worked 2nd shift, so I fell into a habit of fixing him a hot meal at midnight, then watching reruns of Hill Street Blues. K would be ready for a bottle by 12:30, so after we'd eaten and the table cleared, Daddy would do the dishes while I fed K (He'd refused to breastfeed after two weeks; don't know if I mentioned that or not. Enfamil had sent me a free case of formula, which was a godsend!). We'd watch HSB, then Daddy would go to bed while I would turn the channel to VH1 and rock K to sleep. And soon noticed a funny thing.

One of the popular songs at the time was a remake of Elton John's 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me', sung duet-style between George Michael and Sir Elton. If K heard it at 1am, he went right to sleep for the next several hours. If he didn't hear it, he stayed awake until 3am, when VH1 played it again, with the same results. I really wished we'd had a VCR at the time; I could have gotten him to sleep soooo much sooner than 3AM!

I was also going through an identity crisis: I'd been raised in a 2-income home my entire life, and that's what I'd expected of my own marriage. D and I sat down to crunch the numbers as I approached the 12th week, and realized if I returned to the workforce, day care would take my entire paycheck, plus $20 from his. So what was the point of me working?

I saw his point, and while I enjoyed being with my little guy every day, and doing what I wanted, I felt as if I wasn't contributing anything to the household. I'd meet people, and when the dreaded question arose "What do you do?", I'd respond, "Stay-at-home mom."

Crickets chirping. Blank stares. That moment of panic as the other person realizes you have nothing in common and don't know how to make a graceful end to the conversation.

"Oh....that's nice....Oh look, I see someone I must speak to...."

This really became apparent at a friend's wedding on Feb 29, 1992 (yes, they married on Leap Year; this will be their 6th anniversary, lol!). I was looking forward to showing off K to old friends, but once they oohed and aaahed over the baby, they drifted away. And I was cranky, because D was no longer working 2nd shift, but had returned to 1st. I was now expected to get up and pack his lunch at 7am, when I'd only had maybe four hours of sleep. But that's what a good wife did, right? At least that's what I'd been told. My mom had gotten up every morning at six am to shower, do her Quiet Time, pack Dad's lunch, then wake us kids up. And after he left, I'd try to go back to bed, only to have K wake up. So I'd nap with him, but it was so hard when I seemed to get more cleaning done while he was asleep, only to have a tired spouse come home to a dirty house and the complaint, "What the hell did you DO today? The apartment's a MESS!"

I wanted to scream, "You try being tired all the time and feeling as if you have no friends anymore!", but we'd already had that conversation. I felt washed up at 25. No life; just taking care of a colicky baby and crabby husband. Something had to change.

And thankfully it did....but that's next month story:)

Present Day:
Great time at karaoke last night! Friends J and M joined us, and Darrell dubbed us the 'karaoke bombshells':) Warmed up with 'Baby One More Time' and the nearest table cheered when they heard the opening notes:)

Afterward, my lineup was this:
-Bye Bye Bye (N'Synch): Going to do this next week at Cheryl's karaoke, as I couldn't hear myself very well.

-Behind Closed Doors (Charlie Rich): Ugh. Taking this off my list!

-Alone (Heart): Received a hearty round of applause:)

-Blaze of Glory (Bon Jovi): This one ended with cheers from the nearest table:)

-Black Velvet (Allaynnah Miles): My power was back! Received high-5's from the other 'bombshells'!

-New Divide (Linkin Park): M didn't know I knew this one, so she congratulated me afterward.

By then, it was 2am; the smoke was bothering my asthma, and the spouse had grouched 'Be home at a reasonable time; no more of the 3am sh*t.' So I told Darrell goodbye; I was turning into a pumpkin. He told me I sounded really good that night, then B brought me home.

My edits arrived for Balancing Act yesterday, and I'm a bit confused. First of all, T's not editing this one, and she'd told me she was looking forward to reading it. Is she too busy? Or is she no longer editing? And secondly, I have to format my MS before the editor will begin editing. HUH? Thankfully, Kenzie's edits for Class Reunion came first, so I'll do those first.

Have a good weekend! Sunday I'll be doing double duty so check out my posts over at RBRU and The Writer's Evo. Cheers:)

Have Some Schools Lost Their Minds?

2012-02-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

First there was the story of the self-proclaimed 'Lunch Police' in North Carolina. If you missed it, it was reported a cafeteria worker though this was not a 'healthy' lunch:
-Turkey and cheese sandwich
-Banana
-Potato chips
-Apple Juice

And so the child ate the school lunch, consisting of
-Chicken nuggets
-French fries
-Vegetable/fruit
-Milk

HUH?

And now the school is back-pedaling, saying the child 'misunderstood; we wanted her to have milk.'

Not sure if this is true or not, but I've also heard the school now wants the mother to PAY for the lunch her child ate. NO WAY!

I'll agree; if the kid came to school with a handful of cookies, some chips, and a soda in her lunch box, by all means; get the kid a nutritious meal. But there is nothing wrong with the meal the child brought to school.

I used to take Spaghetti-O's in my thermos. Mom made it boiling hot, and by the time lunch arrived, it had cooled enough so it wouldn't burn my tongue. And when I did purchase a school lunch, I only ate what I liked. And usually bought on Tuesday or Thursday, because that was when Chocolate milk was available. I can't stand white milk, and am (was) a picky eater. If you ask my spouse, he still can't understand how I survived childhood because I don't eat fish, beans, chili, or even canned veggies. I also dislike fruit, unless it's in the form of an apple, banana, or grapes.

I digress.

The other jaw-dropping news item this morning was a HS in Ohio is now passing out Visa Gift Cards for students who show up for class. Again, WHAT? The teenager I happened to be taking to school said she'd attend regularly if our school did this.

I guess we know what motivates HER! And no, this was not my daughter.

I agree with one caller; she said there was enough incentives in place: Attendance awards; class parties; and other prizes. I remember working hard to keep up with my class, because I didn't want to be seen as 'dumb'.

However, now I'm a mom and am watching my youngest closely, because of undiagnosed health issues. He's making progress, but the big question is, will it be enough? I might have to retain him this year, just for Math and Reading test scores. I have a 3rd grade neighbor; I'm not sure my child would be able to do the work next year, unless the work he's doing right now suddenly improves in the next four months. And if I DO have to retain him, I want him to have the same teacher. She's been excellent with him!

Karaoke Thursday:
My partner has tonight off, so I skipped last night. And the songs are not chiseled in stone; Darrell doesn't have the same list as Cheryl. But if the following songs are available, I'll sing 'em tonight:
-Bye Bye Bye (N'Synch)
-Bye Bye Love (Everly Brothers)
-Beautiful Goodbye (Amanda Marshall)
-Beds Are Burning (Midnight Oil)
-Behind Closed Doors (Charlie Pride)

Ode To My Valentine

2012-02-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

Since coming across my notebook of poems last year, I thought I'd post a poem I wrote in 1997. Enjoy:)

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sugar is sweet
And so are you

After the tax check arrives
Let's plan a nice meal
Steaks, wine, and me....
What a hell of a deal!

I don't need flowers or jewelry
To know you love me
I see what you've fixed
To know you're the world to me.

For my part I could do better
And not be such a bitch
Until the weather improves
And we'll find our niche

In the meantime
We patiently wait
Happy Valentine's Day....
Later we'll have our date.
(Feb 13, 1997)

(Bad, yes; but this came a year after he announced he was thinking of leaving me. Obviously, we worked through our differences! And after the tax check arrived, he took me to St. Elmo's restaurant, a fancy place downtown Indianapolis, where the steaks melted in your mouth! I would LOVE to go back someday!)

Introducing Kyle Sampson

2012-02-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

I sat down with Kyle Sampson, leading man of Fobidden Love. He's fresh from his shift at the hospital, and decked out in green scrubs. His vivid blue eyes are tired, but they light up whenever Keri's name is spoken.

M: Welcome Kyle:) It's been a long time.

K (nodding his head): Yes it has. How've you been?

M: Doing well. Inquiring minds want to know: What possessed you to get involved with a college coed eleven years younger that you?

K: Ever walk into a room and just know you're meant to be with someone? That's what I felt when I looked into her eyes.

M: Wow....that's romantic! But another question I've been getting is why did you try to keep Keri a secret? I spoke to her the other day and even she doesn't fully understand.

K: At the time I thought I was doing the right thing. Lisa, my ex-wife, has a nasty streak in her, and I didn't want Keri to be the target of her wrath. And with my son Rusty to consider...I just did what I could to protect Keri from all that. She had enough to worry about, with school, her job, and working at the 500. She didn't need any extra baggage; not when she needs to concentrate on the team. What I regret is not meeting her before Lisa and I married....but she would have only been fourteen, so that would have been a definite no-no.

M: Yeah....let's not go there.

K: I appreciate you giving me a voice in this book; it shows I have a heart instead of just wanting her for her body.

M: I decided it wasn't fair to you, to only show her side of the story. I hope I got it right.

K: I just wish you'd left in the early parts. Couldn't you have squeezed it in somewhere?

M: When I wrote Elicia's story, I didn't know I'd be cutting the first six chapters of yours and Keri's. And then I had to cut the last few chapters because it bled into Gretchen and Caty's, so I felt it didn't need to be told three times.

K: 'Bled into'....I'm assuming you mean our story does continue?

M: Oh yes. Anyone who reads books 4 and 5 will read more. She doesn't graduate until book #6...I think. I might have graduated her in #5. If she is in #6, she only plays a minor role. Moving on...so her age didn't bother you?

K: Not in the least. She doesn't act young; she's focused on her studies and future career; and I'm thrilled she chose me to be her first lover. You have to remember; I grew up during the 70's, when sex was synonamous with 'Hello'. It was actually refreshing to meet someone who had never even had a serious boyfriend before. I was able to show her- teach her, if you will- how to live with a member of the opposite sex, and encourage her to explore her sexuality. I borrowed the Kama Sutra from Sid's girlfriend Carole and-

M (holding up hand): I get the picture! Thank you for sitting down with me today, Kyle.

K: Thanks for giving me another chance to explain my side of things!

Forbidden Love is available now:
http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=250&zenid=ae77243ed38d36de41f9b528dfd1dd33

Flashback Friday: What Not To Do On Valentine's Day....

2012-02-10T09:23:00.000-08:00

1982:
I have to preface this post with something I forgot to mention last month: My youth group planned a skiing trip, and my parents let me go. We drove up to Timber Ridge near the Kalamazoo area, and checked in. Six of us shared a motel room, and I was surprised the next morning at how many girls put on makeup just to 'play in the snow'! We met up with the rest of the group and headed to the lodge. Five of us had never skied before, so after paying for our equipment rental, we followed an instructor to the Bunny Slope, where he taught us the basics. I learned how to fall down, snowplow to a stop, and more importantly, how to put my skis back on my boots!

One of my good friends, DH, spent the better part of the afternoon with me, trying to improve my skill level. But it soon became clear downhill skiing was not going to be my forte, so I went inside to warm up with hot chocolate and sit by the fire and let him get back to the more challenging courses.

My best friend J was about to undergo knee surgery, but had come along to cheer on her boyfriend and the rest of us. I joined her upstairs after thawing out, and watched my other best friend, K, who was decked out in purple from her hat to her ski pants.

Woke up Sunday morning with my right arm extremely sore from the rope tow of the Bunny Slope, so didn't ski again, but enjoyed hanging out with K and everyone else in the chalet until it was time to load up and return home.

Now before the trip, B had learned of the trip and warned me not to break my leg, 'because the Valentine's Dance is coming up.' I had told him I had no intention of breaking any bones, and when I related this conversation to BFFs K and J, they soon convinced me this meant he was going to ask me to the dance.

But before the trip and the conversation with B, the fact I saw ex-boyfriend K every day soon had me longing for male companionship again, so I screwed up my courage and asked him out. He'd agreed, and then made me a silver ring in one of his shop classes. I hadn't told B of the new development....and left for the weekend.

When I got back, B met me at my locker, wanting details of the ski trip, and seemed happy I was still on two feet. I then revealed I was back with K, and he acted upset. Later, one of B's friends indicated B had been thinking about asking me to the upcoming dance. And in my turmoil, I did something rather stupid.

One week before the dance, I broke things off with K....only to discover B three days later B wasn't attending the dance. And through a friend, I learned he hadn't been thinking of upgrading our friendship to dating status. I was crushed....and spent the next six weeks campaigning for K to take me back again. I was also slightly jealous of BFF's J and K's relationships with their men, and often felt like a 5th wheel every Wednesday and Sunday night. And since my parents' Bible Study now met the same night of the week as mine, I could no longer group date, since I already had a ride home every Wednesday. I began to resent the fact we lived so far out of town.

So Valentine's Day that year was a huge disappointment, other than the chocolate heart my mother had given me. Would I ever know the joys of spending Valentine's Day in the company of a boyfriend?

Present Day:
Youngling is now in wrestling, so no more getting up early on Saturday to attend ball games:) However, if you're on Face Book tomorrow, please feel free to join myself and other Secret Cravings authors in an all weekend chat on our face book page. Contests, fun, trivia, or just hanging out with us:) And don't forget to stop by The Writer's Evo on Sunday for Kenzie's post!

Have a great weekend! And if you missed it, scroll down for two excerpts from Forbidden Love:)

Karaoke Update

2012-02-09T07:11:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who helped make yesterday a good release day!

Last night at karaoke, there were only three of us, so was able to sing eight songs:
-Barbie Girl (Aqua): Had fun with this one, but probably won't sing it again:)
-Back To You (B. Adams): Thought I'd practiced it, but bombed. Am skipping this one.
-Baby I Lied (Debra Allen): LOVE this song, and have ever since I first heard while in HS! This one's a keeper on my list!
-Bad Day (D. Powter): Did an okay job, but probably won't do it again. A little low in spots.
-Barely Breathing (Duncan Sheik): Ugh...waaaayyyy too low!
-Be Good To Yourself (Journey): Did okay, but not my best....
-Blue Bayou (L. Ronstadt): I wanted Cheryl to hear me sing this one; one couple even got up and danced:)
-Smile (Uncle Kracker): This is what I get for asking C to pick out one. I can't sing this; it's too low, so C helped me out, and I asked her to erase this from my song list!

Plus, handed out one of my business cards, and two others congratulated me:)

Here's another excerpt for you, this time from Kyle's POV:

"What'staking so long, anyway?" Sid joined him at the table and asked for acigarette.

"Lisa."Kyle handed over the pack and lit his own. "She still wants more money forchild support so she can save enough money to get her own place, plus enoughfor baby-sitters, and her 'extras'."

"Extras?"

"Yeah."Kyle blew a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling. "Her nights out after work,going to the bar with her co-workers to wind down, her makeup every threemonths, her trips to Walmart…God! She spends around one hundred dollars everyweek in Walmart alone."

"Whatthe hell does she buy?" Sid choked and stood to pull a beer from therefrigerator.

"Clothes,toys, music…You name it; we had it. Hey, toss me one, will you?" Sidhanded him a can, and Kyle popped it open, shaking his head. "She'sfinding out her salary won't support her habits, so she's dragging her feet,hoping we'll reconcile."

"Whichmakes it hard for you and Keri." Sid's steady brown eyes gazed at hiscousin. "Whatever happened to cooling things off?"

"Idon't know, I left her alone for a while, but when we got back together it waslike fireworks going off. I feel as if I can't get enough of her." Hepuffed on his cigarette. "It's like being on drugs…the more you take, themore you want? Well, Keri's my drug."

"Maybeyou need to o.d., man, then go to detox." Sid saluted with his can."But what happens next?"

"Ican't just dump her after that. She wasn't exposed to the happy-go-lucky sex wewere. She'll see it as a deeper level."

"Christ!Whatever happened to one-nighters? No commitments, no feelings to consider, nopromises, no relationships. That's the difference between you and me, Caroleand I don't make any promises. We get together when we can. She has her lifeand doesn't bug me about mine." Sid got up and crushed his empty beer can,throwing it into the trash. "What, are you 'in love' with her orsomething?" He pulled another beer from the fridge.

Kyleshrugged and took another drink. "What if I told you the feeling wasmutual?"

Buy Forbidden Love here:)

Forbidden Love Releases Today!!!

2012-02-08T08:20:00.000-08:00

Book #3 in the Arbor University Tales:
Meet Keri Patterson, a sophomore at Arbor University, pursuing a dream to one day be a part of an Indy car racing team. Along the way, she meets and falls for an older man. With the innocence of her first love, Keri tries to balance her ambition to be the first female member of a racing pit crew and her awakening femininity. Will Keri and Kyle's romance survive the hairpin twists and turns, or is disaster looming?

Kyle is not without problems of his own. He wasn't expecting to meet the girl of his dreams before the ink is dry on the divorce petition. Trying to keep the two facets of his life separate, he discovers there is a fine line between love and hate, as well as deception and protection. But life doesn't always get wrapped up in neat packages. Sometimes it blows up in your face.

http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=250&zenid=ae77243ed38d36de41f9b528dfd1dd33

Excerpt: (Birthday scene Keri mentioned yesterday)

"Birthday girls get theirpleasure first." Kyle dipped his head lower.

Keri closed her eyes and relaxed,smiling to herself. If I am ready for the next step, how do I let himknow? Soon, the now-familiar ache in her stomach began to grow, and Kerilet go of Kyle's head, grabbing her pillow as she moaned and whispered hisname. Minutes later, he had made his way back up her body.

"Oh, Kyle…" She panted,wanting more. "Don't stop, please?"

"Baby…you mean…?”

Keri nodded. "Be gentle?"

"I'll try to make it good foryou," he promised, rolling on top of her. She felt his fingers inside heragain as she reached for the growing sensation. All of a sudden, he stopped andscrambled out of bed.

"What's wrong?" Why did he stop? What’s he looking for?

"Nothing, sweetheart." Hesearched through a dresser drawer. "Ah, here they are."

"What?"

He came back to the bed and took herin his arms. "For your protection.” He waved the blue square package ather.

"Oh." Thank God one of usremembered; birth control wasn’t on my mind! Brilliant, Keri…just brilliant.You’re acting juvenile again.

He caressed her body again thenpulled on the condom and start probing. "Honey, this may hurt a little atfirst," he warned. "But it's got to be done. I'll be as easy as Ican. Just say the word, and I'll stop right now."

Keri shook her head. "No. I loveyou, and I want you."

Available NOW:) What are you waiting for? Go buy yourself an early Valentine's Day gift!

http://store.secretcravingspublishing.com/index.php?main_page=book_info&cPath=4&products_id=250&zenid=ae77243ed38d36de41f9b528dfd1dd33

Meet Keri Patterson:)

2012-02-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

It took some ~~bribery~~ ~~begging~~ heavy cajoling on my part, but I was finally able to ~~hogtie~~ ~~wrangle~~ get Keri Patterson to agree to an interview. You met her in book #1 as the quiet, determined, studious girl who held her own in a verbal argument with Elicia over fashion choices; spent long hours in her Auto Tech lab; and ended up capturing the attentions of an older man. Keri's also not too happy with me; I cut out the early chapters of how she and Kyle met and began dating, and then later cut out the final six chapters of her original story.

K: Yes, and I'm still upset about it. Right now, you leave us hanging with the ending! Will they be all right? Am I stupid enough to believe Kyle's story about still having to sneak around? Geez, Molly; lots of people get divorced every day and don't give a damn about how their kids or ex-wives feel!

M: Yes, but you've got to remember; you're still 21 in this book, and you're choosing to believe in your man. You come from a broken home yourself, so you know all about blind faith and trust....

K: You've got a point. But why cut out the early parts? I thought it was sweet, the way you showed his patience with me, although I admit it was a little embarrassing at times.

M: You're right; I wanted to show how it was possible for someone to go slowly in a relationship. Too often I've seen young girls take their clothes off without inhibitions, so I wanted to show how someone more reserved would act. You were raised with the belief you should save yourself for The One, the man you would marry one day, and Stephanie and Elicia's antics baffle you.

K: You got that right! I don't get the whole casual sex thing. I mean, I do now, but back then? Hell no. Jon and I were talking about this the other night, when I told him-

M: Jon's one of your coworkers on the racing team....and be careful about giving certain details away...

K: Oh, so we can talk about the past, but not what happens later? And for the record, he's thrilled about the 'Jonny Joyride' line you left in.

M: It perfectly reflects his attitude toward the opposite sex. Your story bled into Gretchen's, and even Caty's, so that's why I had to find a nice HEAFN ending in your book.

K: Huh? HEAFN? What the hell is that?

M: Happily Ever After For Now. And I'm sure there are people who will question your naivete.

K: The ones who do are the ones who have a cynical view of life.

M: Okay. Put yourself back into that girl and tell me what you were thinking. I know it's been twenty five years, but can you recall any emotions?

K: Oh yes. You forget what happened in 2003....when will that story be published?

M: At the current rate of publication....probably 2017.

K: I have to wait five more years? Geez....but I guess that's job stability for you....or whatever you call it in the publishing world. (sigh) Okay; I love that man, and I know he loves me. I don't understand why Lisa's trying to hang onto a dead relationship...Lisa's his ex and Rusty's mom....but I do understand a father who doesn't want to lose touch with his child. Kyle has two little girls who live with their mom in Texas, and he hasn't been able to see them in two years, other than pictures. He's tried to go see them, but Melinda won't let him. And since I've been lucky to have parents who made sure their divorce was easy on me and my brother, I just don't understand parents who keep their kids away from each other. I mean, I see it if there's abuse or something, but just to be vindictive toward the other parent....grow up already. Put your kids first.

M: Well said. So are you ready for the Big Day tomorrow?

K: I guess. Elicia managed to have her sex life exposed for all to see and she's doing okay, and I love that you showed Amy's stubbornness to stand by her man too, though I still think she should have taken up with Jason or Troy. Love just isn't rational, is it?

M: Not when you're barely out of high school.

K: I know; we all do a bit of growing up in the pages of your books. When does Gretchen's book come out?

M: It should be released sometime this summer.

K: Good; I can't wait to read it. I mean, I witnessed it firsthand, but it should be fun to see how you portrayed it.

M: I'll be posting an excerpt of Forbidden Love tomorrow; do you have a favorite scene?

K: I know it's embarrassing as hell, but I love the scene when Kyle and I make love for the first time. He was so sweet, and so caring. And I also love the scene at time trials, when he came up to see me. Or the cake scene (blushes and looks down) after taking me out for an early birthday celebration....

M: Okay, I'll pick one. Thanks for being with me today Keri.

K: You know I don't like personal interviews. Oh, Donald Davidson said to tell you hello. No guarantees about the Celebrity Caravan though. You know, they haven't even invited me! And I was the first female wrench of an Indy racing team.

M: Did you see that Michael Andretti is going to be on Celebrity Apprentice?

K: I absolutely love that man; I hope he does well!

Book #3, Forbidden Love, releases tomorrow, at Secret Cravings Publishing!

Blurb:

Meet Keri Patterson, a sophomore at Arbor University, pursuing a dream to one day be a part of an Indy car racing team. Along the way, she meets and falls for an older man. With the innocence of her first love, Keri tries to balance her ambition to be the first female member of a racing pit crew and her awakening femininity. Will Keri and Kyle’s romance survive the hairpin twists and turns, or is disaster looming?

Kyle is not without problems of his own. He wasn’t expecting to meet the girl of his dreams before the ink is dry on the divorce petition. Trying to keep the two facets of his life separate, he discovers there is a fine line between love and hate, as well as deception and protection. But life doesn’t always get wrapped up in neat packages. Sometimes it blows up in your face.

Giants Win!

2012-02-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

Enjoyed the Super Bowl yesterday, along with several of the ads: M&M; 'Man's Best Friend' Doritos; Star Wars Bar Scene for Volkswagon; and The Voice with Betty White:) What were yours?

Have a ton of food left over; the friends we invited came down with the stomach flu. The spouse even watched the game with me.

Saturday, the youngling had a 9am ball game, and his team even led at the end of the 1st quarter. But the other team 'woke up' and took it away, winning 25-11. And that evening, we went back to the high school so youngling's team could be the half-time entertainment for the JV game, and then all the tournament winners were honored before the Varsity game. So this was a rare sports weekend for us; youngling and I attended Friday night's game; we all went to Saturday night's game; and then yesterday's Super Bowl viewing.

I'll be back tomorrow with more news; I've got to 'find' my kitchen.

Flashback Friday

2012-02-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day 1972:
I don't particularly remember it, but I'm assuming Mom and I spent an evening filling out my cartoon valentines to take to school! Mom always made sure we had chocolate hearts, or the filled chocolates in the heart-shaped box, plus a special card, when we woke up on Feb 14th. There would also be cards in the mail from grandparents and aunts and uncles; some with money, sometimes just a signature or a special note.

My favorite candy is still solid milk chocolates, or the vanilla cream kind. I can't stand the coconut; the strawberry-filled; chocolate covered cherries; and especially dislike the ones where you can't tell if you're about to bite into something your taste buds are going to reject or enjoy. I know there's a site out there which tells you what the little swirls mean; however, would it be too much to ask to simply print out a CHART on the inside cover of the box?

Present Day:
OMG....saw a 'blast from the past' last night. This obnoxious guy, MW, came up to me, insisting he knew me. I kept shaking my head no....and Billie even told me he asked her 'Please tell me she's single?' Thank god I'm not!

After several attempts to keep his hands from my shoulder, something he said clicked.

"Wait...wait....you know N....("Yes!")....Fall of '85....("Yes!")....You loved that song 'We Built This City' by Starship'...("Oh Lord! You remember THAT?")...I thought your name was Wes...("See there? I told you I knew you!")....OMG!"

He finally left me alone, somewhat, after that, but I noticed his hands kept getting draped lower around my shoulders, and I wondered if I needed to make it even more clear I was NOT interested. But thankfully, he sat at his own table after that and would only 'check in' with me every half hour.

My wicked sense of humor set in during the last rotation, and sang 'We Built This City', dedicating it to MW. He laughed, shook his head, and cracked up when I sang 'his' line: "We built this city on LOVE!"

Thankfully, he was so drunk last night, he won't remember any of it....

I did attract the attention of three other (better looking!) guys! One I dance with twice (to avoid MW); one I sang 'Paradise By The Dashboard Light' with; and the third hugged me after I sang 'Bed of Roses'. Harmless fun, and it was a night I really needed! I'm paying for it this morning; got in at 3am; Roxie insisted on being let outside at 4 (just as I was finally drifting off to sleep!); I woke up at 7:15. Probably going to need a nap this afternoon, or at least go to bed early!

But after a week or two with an irate spouse, it's nice to know I can still attract my share of attention from the opposite sex, no matter if they are old enough to be my son, lol!

Just keep the obnoxious ones away from me? I like a guy who can take a hint and knows when I'm not interested!

Karaoke Update

2012-02-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

There were three birthdays last night, so we had a good rotation for karaoke! And surprise surprise...I sounded pretty good through the speakers, and was even applauded!

Bed of Roses-Jon Bon Jovi: I loved this song when it first appeared, and even though it was a bit low in places, a bar patron came up to me and told me how much he enjoyed hearing me sing it:) He then went on to tell me he was having issues with his girlfriend....I managed to work 'I'm married' into the conversation, then suggested communication pointers. He thanked me for listening, then returned to his table.

Back in My Arms Again-Supremes: I practiced this beforehand, and did a passable job:) Was tripped up by a few lyrics/rhythmn, but I think with more practice, this song will be a good one for me.

Breakaway-Kelly Clarkson: I nailed this one! I'm thrilled to find a Kelly C one I can sing! I'll try Behind These Hazel Eyes again, and maybe with practice I'll be able to sing it as well?

Breathe-Breaking Benjamin: Two girls cheered and gave their thumbs up when they saw the title on the screen, but as much as I love this song, I just don't think it's a good 'fit' for me. This is the only song I sang which did not garner applause.

The SU leaves for Indianapolis tonight:) He has an early morning cardio appointment tomorrow, and will stay with his sister tonight. After his appointment, he's heading up to Purdue to spend time with K before heading back home. I'm picking up a rental car tonight; there are no full-size cars available, due to being Super Bowl weekend, so I'll be driving an economy car which will be enough for myself and two kids.

I might even be going to the other karaoke place tonight with BC Brown:) She might not have to work tonight, and will let me know if she's available. Haven't seen her at all the past month, so this will be nice:)

Traditional Vs 'New and Improved'

2012-02-01T11:58:00.000-08:00

Does anyone remember when McDonald's restaurant looked like this? We had one in our town when I was growing up, but the majority of them looked like this:

And now the Powers That Be have decided to 'modernize' the one in town:

I don't know about you, but I hate it. Why mess with ~~perfection~~ tradition? I want my old McD's back!

And yes, I've been a bad blogger again. In my defense, I've been busy writing and doing other stuff. Yeah, my time management has sucked this week. I get up, get the youngling off to school, watch the news until 9am, then get online. By 10:30-11am, I'm done with facebook and checking my emails....I might even read a blog or two (usually click the link from FB or email). Then it's get off; get dressed, make the bed, eat lunch,take the daughter to school, and then do the dishes. By 1pm I'm back online to check FB and email again, and then write for an hour or two. The SU has been sick, so I've been picking up the kids in the afternoon. I might write for another hour, and then it's time to get dinner ready; the youngling to whatever practice or Cub Scouts; and then the nightly TV show. Daughter has been taking over my laptop, so I'll check my email and FB again around 10pm, right before bedtime. So yes, this site has taken a back seat again this week. But things are slowing down, so I should be back on the regular schedule once more.

I actually planned this post two weeks ago, but didn't get around to taking a picture of our local Mack Shack until Monday! Couldn't find any pics on photo bucket.

What's your take? Which one is 'your' McDonald's?

Flashback Friday

2012-01-27T06:23:00.000-08:00

Jan 2002:
Recap: I'd been forced out of my position in the Youth Baseball League concession stand; my son excelled on the football team, causing a jealous reaction from a neighbor; and I was now working at the school as a substitute bus monitor.

I received a phone call from one of the baseball moms, wanting to know if I'd agree to be her assistant softball coach. I really didn't want the job, but my daughter was going to be on the team, and the spouse said he'd be willing to do all the work; he just didn't want to attend the coaches meeting. He was still furious at H and L for the way they'd treated me. I also received a phone call from the Girls' Representative: Due to my excellent management of the concession stand during the tournaments, we'd be hosting three tournaments next summer, and did I see any issues with L's management?

"She worked with me closely for two years; she saw everything I did, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"Are you going to help out? I'd feel better if I knew you were going to be there."

Honestly, I was torn. Part of me wanted nothing to do with the stand; the other half wanted to graciously accept my 'demotion' and help out 'for the kids'. But my spouse was adamant I keep my distance.

"We'll see what happens next summer. I'll see you at the coaches meeting next month."

Present Day:
I've caught another cold and am sneezing my head off. Also got some good news yesterday: My ARC of Forbidden Love will be arriving soon; I hope it arrives today, along with a release date! So look for good news next week, and I'll get some excerpts posted. I know I've been a bad blogger this week.

Wednesday night at karaoke, I was able to sing seven songs:
-Bop by Dan Seals (this was too low, but Cheryl said she had it in another key, so I'll try it again next week!)
-Black and White by 3 Dog Night (was high-fived by a bar patron:)
-Breaking Up Is Hard To Do by Neil Sedaka (nailed it:)
-Breathe by Breaking Benjamin (was high-fived by another patron, but I need more practice!)
-Baby Love by Supremes (nailed it)
-Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day (botched it horribly. Sounded better when I had crowd participation several weeks back, lol!)
-Back in My Arms Again by Supremes (botched it; I only knew the chorus! Will try again next week.)

Youngling has a fever this morning, so not sure if he'll attend his final basketball game tomorrow. And next week he starts wrestling practice, which thankfully does NOT interfere with cub scouts or my weekly writer's meeting!

Have a good weekend, and don't forget to check out Kenzie's Sunday post on The Writer's Evo.

Under The Weather

2012-01-25T08:33:00.000-08:00

I know; I posted all five days last week. So what happened?

Monday we enrolled the daughter in the Academy, our alternative school. She'll now go every afternoon for three hours, and can access her schoolwork from any computer and internet access. Which has greatly relieved my morning stress....somewhat.

Instead of nagging her to get out of bed, the youngling has now caught on to the 'let's-see-how-far-we-can-push-Mom-and-stay-in-bed' routine. Only this time, I'm not so nice. I can still pick him up out of bed and carry him into the kitchen! And this morning, he found out how nice it is when we're actually on time. Mom will sing with him in the car, ha ha! And he gets 'curbside service', what I call being able to drop him off at the door and giving him a kiss goodbye, instead of yelling at him to hurry up and RUN to his classroom!

Yesterday, I woke up in a mood.

You know the one; where you feel snarly toward everything? And it was also our BSA Pinewood Derby, so I had to go and be sociable. Not an easy task when you're feeling upset with the world...every little thing upsets you.

I wasn't able to take pictures of youngling's races, because I was doing some behind-the-scenes work, and feeling stressed when we realized a critical error and some kids were in tears afterward. Partly my fault; partly others. But hopefully it will be corrected next month, and we chalk it up to a learning experience for next year.

Today, I woke up feeling as if I had someone else's nose. You know the feeling; if you could cut off your nose, your head would feel better? So out came my sudafed and opened my last box of kleenex. I've now gone through NINE boxes of Puffs, and am now working my way through a roll of soft Charmin.

On the good side, I'm hoping to make it to karaoke tonight and sing
-Bop
-Black and White (3 Dog Night)
-Breakfast At Tiffany's
-Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
-Breathe (if there's time)

Here's hoping tomorrow will be better!

Baby K Meets Gramma Jeanne:)

2012-01-20T05:58:00.000-08:00

New Year's 1992:
The weather cooperated and let us travel two hours south so our little guy could meet his other relatives. In the past three weeks, he'd shown his preference for the rubber nipples instead of breastfeeding; he had his days and nights mixed up; and his 'comfort zone' was like his father's when it came to bundling up. This 'comfort zone' proved to become a battle of wills in the coming years, beginning with 10pm on Jan 1, 1992.

He'd been charming his grandmother with his cuddly ways, and tolerating being passed around, even taking a nap on Grandma's bed with her two cats. Picture this: I'd dressed him in a red reindeer sleeper; his little bald head atop Grandma's while chenille bedspread covered lightly with a blue blanket from his shoulders down. One black and white cat curled up by his feet; another black one curled up on one of the pillows I'd 'barricaded' around him.

Anyway, after his last bottle of the evening, he began to fuss. Grandma decided to swaddle him tight, causing his cries to grow more vocal. I told her she had him wrapped too tight; Grandma snorted.

"I've never seen a child yet who can't be comforted by wrapping them up. This house is drafty and you didn't pack enough warm clothes for him."

The SU joined the conversation. "Mom, he doesn't like to be hot. He's happier when he's not all wrapped up or bundled."

She paid no attention, and the more she tried to cuddle him, wrap him, or rock him, the more he fussed. Forty-five minutes later, she finally grew tired and unwrapped him.

"There....you want to get sick? Fine; I'll take these off and we'll see how soon you'll be wanting your blankie."

K promptly threw out his arms, heaved a big sigh, and fell asleep.

Grandma's mouth fell open. "Well I never!"

"Told you, Mom...you can't wrap him up!"

Twenty years later, this child still prefers to walk around the house in shorts and T-shirt, no matter what the weather!

Present Day:
Having another 'battle of wills' with the daughter. She's bound and determined to make a very bad choice, and I'm doing everything in my power to get her back on track. So please keep us in your prayers?

Have a good weekend; we're currently under a winter weather advisory, and sleet/freezing rain is supposed to arrive later today, then be back in the 50's for the weekend. Welcome to winter in Indiana....

Thursday Rant

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Forgive me; I'm not in the best of moods today. For a more cheerful post, go visit my RBRU post today.

First of all, the Paula Deen announcement. If you don't know what I'm talking about, the 'Butter Queen' has recently disclosed she has Type II diabetes, and 'everyone' is in an uproar.

Why? I love her show; I'm also a fan of butter and sugar. A chef went on the morning news and basically accused her of misleading her followers for the past 3 years, and contributing to obesity, along with buffets, sports bars, and athletes who endorse fast food chains. If Paula and Food Network decided to follow 'his advice' and start cooking healthy meals, I guarantee her ratings will drop. Want to see a chef cooking healthy? Try someone else's show. And if that's the case, what about Man vs Food on the Travel Channel? If Adam suddenly announces he has heart disease, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, will this mean an end to our fascination with seeing someone consuming great quantities of food in under an hour?

I hardly think so.

I think people are smarter than that. Just because I watch a show on southern cooking doesn't mean I cook that way all the time! Right now, a lot of 'healthier foods' cost more than my budget allows, but I do the best with what I can.

If you BAN something, don't you know you just made it more APPEALING to others? I personally miss the cereal cartoons. And granted, some of then are still continuing. The daughter and I had a discussion yesterday concerning Lucky Charms.

Remember this?

'Pink Hearts
Yellow Moons
Orange Stars
Green Clovers
Blue Diamonds (I remember when these were added, lol!)
Purple Horseshoes' (These also!)

'Silly rabbit; Trix are for kids!'

'Snap crackle pop Rice Krispies!'

Cookie Crisp

Count Chocula, FrankenBerry, BooBerry Ghost.

And another personal favorite, all those 'treasure hunts' of Cap'n Crunch.

What's made us overweight isn't the foods available; it's our own lifestyle choices. Yes, my family went through a period of time where we ate out three times a week; my sister and I had activities and it was more practical to go get pizza or sandwiches instead of making a mad dash home. When my spouse worked nights, I took the kids to town where they could spend an hour in a playscape to run around and shriek all they wanted.

But just because someone's health went downhill doesn't mean it applies to everyone.

Wednesday Happenings:)

2012-01-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

First of all, it looks as if we'll be welcoming Miss Alexandria Nicole into our family June 11th:) The SU is already planning to get the little pink 'beginner' rifle for her, much to the daughter's disgust....she would prefer if the color pink disappear from the color wheel, having shunned anything in that hue since the tender age of three.

I know these tests aren't always accurate; a friend's sister has a sonogram picture of her daughter's 'penis' circled. So there's always a chance 'Alex' will pop out 'Anthony'. Feel free to place any bets/cast your vote, etc:)

Ever wonder how Arbor U got its name? Ever wonder how one tiny story can evolve into a 14-book series? I'm guest posting over at Tina Donahue's blog today, so come over, say hi, and get a sneak peek at book #3, Forbidden Love, which is due out in a few weeks.

No karaoke tonight; we have a basketball game at 8pm, plus the weather is supposed to be nasty after midnight. Snow, wind, and dropping temps....I think I'll stay home, be warm, and sleep.

Youngling came through his second dental appointment with flying colors, and I returned him to school just in time for lunch. I managed 400 words on that zombie story yesterday and doubled that amount today, so hopefully this means I'm back on track:)

That's all the news at the moment, so check back tomorrow. And stay warm, if temps are dipping below freezing!

Oops! Forgot One!

2012-01-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

How on earth did I forget to include this one yesterday?

This another DEFINITE Recommended Read! I loved Everything Lovers Can Know the first time I read it; I enjoyed it the 2nd, 3rd, 5th....you get the picture. I love Anny Cook's Mystic Valley series, and have from the first time I read Dancer's Delight. I was thrilled to also read the others in the series, and even more thrilled when ELCK and TR was combined into one book. I like e-books, but I've realized some of the details don't stick well....or maybe it's because the first time I read the first four books in this series, I was doomed to reading them at the computer.

At any rate, having the first three books in print has hammered some of the details home, and I hope that the next three books will soon be in print, even though I've recently reread them on my Sony e-reader:)

Today's Agenda:
Took youngling to the dentist this morning. For whatever reason, I looked in his mouth last Thursday and noticed one of his permanent teeth was coming up on the wrong side of his spacer. The dentist removed the bilateral spacer and is replacing it with one on each side of his lower mouth.

Taking the daughter for an ultrasound today; we'll find out if we're having an Alexandria Nicole or Anthony Edward. I'm torn; I just want the baby to be healthy, and that the baby daddy's mental issues skip this generation all together.

Then it's off to Cub Scouts. I won't be going to Guild tonight, because we learned we're losing out Assistant Scout Master, who's our Scout Master's right arm....literally. J's the one who plans everything and oversees the awards; T simply shows up and manages the kids. Our Pinewood Derby is next week, and so this week is working on the cars and seeing who's qualified (or able) to step into J's shoes. I found out at our planning meeting last week that we will be hosting the District PWD again, but J's the one who made everything run smoothly; all I did was rearrange the concession stand she set up, and took charge of it so she could coordinate elsewhere.

And on top of everything, we have weather issues today: We started with a temp of 55, but a tornado warning; severe Thunderstorm warning, and dropping temps will make today tricky. I don't mind rain, but if it switches to snow, then getting everyone to their appointments today is going to be dicey. We're down to one car, so might have to take the youngling out of school early, so he and his dad don't have to walk home from school in a squall. So right now, we're in a 'wait and see' mode.

Reading Update

2012-01-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

I'v e had some time on my hands the past two weeks, being unable to get near a computer or even some days to even sit up:) That's what a bad cold-turned-bronchitis will do to a person. So here's a list of books I've read lately.

Print Books:
Playing The Game by Barbara Taylor Bradshaw: Really enjoyed this one! Left me guessing, though I figured out part of it. And since I'm a BTB fan, giving this one a Definite Recommended Read:)

Holly by Jude Deveraux: This was good, but I felt she was slightly condescending and snobby toward 'a certain class of people'. Otherwise, good suspense toward the end:) If you're a fan of Jude's contemporary novels, pick it up.

That Boy From Trash Town by Billie Green: I had to keep reminding myself this was copy written 1992 and a Silhouette Special Edition. I was frustrated by the lack of seemingly sexual tension, but the story was good and I did learn that Nora Roberts once wrote for this company. At the back was an ad for a trilogy of books I'd like to find by her, if they are still available. If you liked Silhouette romances in the early '90's, go get this one if you can find it. It has a really sweet ending:)

E-Books:
Feral Lust by Mia Watts: Excellent book! An M/M Regency, and very enjoyable:) Definite Recommended Read, esp if you like the M/M genre.

Twelve Nights by Katie Blu: I'm going to have to check; I think I finished reading this one before my e-reader crashed on me....Really enjoyed it, especially the interactions between the two main characters, when the hero didn't realize whom he was actually dealing with for romance advice! Very well done and another Definite Recommended Read:)

Found On Granny's Bookshelf:

What Everyone Should Know: A fascinating encyclopedia/dictionary/reference book for everything from treating an Abscess to how to drive away Rats; from Visiting the Sick to how to make potato Yeast. Copyright 1884. (No, I did NOT read this; just flipped through it!)

A 1st Edition Children's Literary version of Little Women. I've spotted several things left out, and I'm up to where the Marches have befriended Laurie and now Beth is screwing up her courage to go try out the piano. And since this version is in much better shape than my original copy (which is -ahem- buried in a box somewhere downstairs), I'm rereading my favorite book.

Joshua and the City: I was bored with this two chapters in, so might pick it up again later.

So what about you? Read any good books over the holidays? And go vote for your faves over at the LRC Best of Awards.

Flashback Friday

2012-01-13T17:31:00.000-08:00

Jan 1982:
I took my first ever end-of-the-semester finals and waited anxiously for the verdict: Would I make the grades and be able to stay at JHS? Or would my parents decide not to pay my tuition and send me back to the county schools?

Fortunately, my grades were good, and I was allowed to stay. Friday and Saturday nights were spent in the cheer block and watching Brian play in the JV game, wincing whenever they lost.

B invited me to go to the gym after school to watch his practice, so I did. The first time I showed up, he tried to make an impossible shot and I heard the coach say, "Quit trying to impress whoever's in the balcony and focus."

Ouch.

Class-wise, I was disappointed I didn't have any more classes with B. Thanks to my mother's job, I was able to snoop and look up his schedule. We had Biology and Health at the same time, but different teachers. And I was alarmed when I discovered my Biology partner was one of B's friends! But it turned out to be a blessing, because we would be dissecting animals this semester. When the teacher asked if anyone HADN'T dissected the frog as a freshman, nobody raised their hands, so I kept mine down. I didn't want to dissect anything if I could get away with it! T happily did all the work, and I labelled everything.

I still had Algebra 4th period, and boring English composition 5th. I hated doing English homework, and the one time I didn't get a story finished in class, the teacher refused to let me turn it in the next day. I still have that story; one of these days I'll finish it.

6th period class was my favorite, next to working in the school library. I was in a beginning band class, and our band director soon realized I was more advanced than the others. For example, he'd let us pick what songs to practice, then study on our own before performing at the end of class. Everyone else began at the front of the book; I always flipped to the harder ones at the back. And this class was hard on me, emotionally, since ex-boyfriend K was in that class, and sneered about my friendship with B. I also learned later the band director tried to move me into Concert Band, but my schedule wouldn't allow it. So the rest of the semester, he gave me harder percussion pieces to try, and due to the IHSAA rules, I wasn't allowed to compete in the State Concert Band contest. I would have to wait until the following year. So in the meantime, I spent the semester familiarizing myself with the various percussion equipment. I think K was jealous of the fact I was a better musician.

Present Day:
Sorry for posting this so late; I've managed to contract bronchitis again.

And go over to Kenzie's Place; she's got some fantastic news! Also, don't forget to stop by The Writer's Evo on Sunday for a look at the four-legged family members:)

Another Sign Of Economic Times

2012-01-10T07:03:00.000-08:00

Have you had a cold lately? Notice anything different about your cold remedies or needs during this time?

-Bottles have shrunk. I remember being able to buy this HUGE bottle of Tussin....and now all I can find are the little ones. Yeah, this is probably due to the meth problem also...

-Certain products no longer seem as effective. Bring back my pseudoephedrine! Yes, admittedly, it puts me to sleep, but it worked, damn it! Let's see....36 tablets times twice a day....that should last me well past that 8 or 14 day break between having to buy another box....and yes, this also due to the meth problem...bite me. I can't breathe.

-Puffs boxes have gotten smaller. Okay; so now you can buy them in 3-packs. But they only contain 125 tissues! Remember the JUMBO pack? That one could last at least a week, with my nasal issues....I bought 6 boxes on the 2nd, and had to buy another 3-pack over the weekend. And yes, there are only two half-boxes of the original six; one in my bedroom and one in the daughter's room, so technically I've only gone through four boxes.

-Puffs Plus is lacking something....The last time I bought the lotion kind, I regretted it, because I used one to clean my glasses. MISTAKE! So I've not bought any, unless my nose was really, really sore. Such was the case over the weekend: I broke down and bought the Plus. And thought, WTH? Okay; it smells nice....and maybe it is a tiny bit softer....but there's no obvious LOTION on any of the tissues, the way there was several years back.

Seriously, the greatest thing I've got at the moment is a prescription of anti-cough meds, given to me by an ER doc last summer when I had bronchitis and couldn't wait two more days for my appointment; my head was going to explode from all the coughing and headaches. I've held onto them and they kill the cough better than my inhaler and tussin combined:)

And to placate my hubby, who swears by Zicam, I pop one three times a day. I haven't seen any change in the length of my cold, but it keeps him happy. I'll stop taking it when my symptoms get better

So right now, we're paying more for smaller bottles of OTC meds, which may or may not be helping; have to buy more Puffs because my head won't stop producing excess moisture which makes breathing miserable (gives me a nice husky voice, but so far that's the ONLY benefit, lol!); and somewhere, I'm probably on a 'meth-watch' list, because I buy so much cold medicine and have an albuterol inhaler!

15 years ago last week, we went to meet my new BIL at the airport (remember when we could meet them at the gate? Oh happy times....) and as the diaper bag was going through the X-Ray machine, the tech looked up at me.

"Do you have an inhaler?"

"Yes....why, does 'illegal substance' appear on your screen?" (I was joking)

"Actually, yes."

"You're kidding me! It might be in there; sometimes that's where I keep it, so I've got it in an emergency."

Later, I related that to my sis and BIL, who nodded.

"The stuff in your inhaler is one thing used to make meth."

Who knew?

No meth-maker here; strictly for cold and asthma issues:)

Anything else you've noticed you're paying more for, but getting less of?

Want Some Humor?

2012-01-09T08:35:00.000-08:00

Go over to Carol's blog and read my latest interview with Elicia Keller and Amy Callahan from Arbor University. I ended up trying to explain Social Media and E-book marketing to them, who've never heard of the internet, much less Face Book!

I'm taking down the Christmas decorations today, and reclaiming my living room. Thanks to all who commented yesterday, and it would be awesome if you'd come back again:)

I'm probably going to find socks and other items my College Kid left behind, so see you tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Secret Cravings:)

2012-01-07T03:30:00.000-08:00

First Prize: Kindle Fire

Second Prize: $50 Amazon Gift Card

Third Prize: $25 SCP Gift Card

More details can be found here

Visit the following author's sites:

SCP

AvrilAshton

Tabby Shay

DaisyDunn

Marie DuFour

Jennifer LaBelle

Carol Preflatish

Sable Hunter

Mindi Ferrari

Topaz Jordyn

Brandi Quick

GiselleRenard

CathyGreenfeder

JeanJoachim

LaylaHunter

Leave a comment on all blogs for a 25% off coupon from the SCP website. All order placed between December 16, 2011-January 19, 2012 will receive 10% purchase from the website.

Do you remember the Daughtry song "Home"? The bridge of the song says, "Be careful what you wish for; you just might get it all; and some that you don't want..."

Since 1985, I've dreamed of being published. And it came true first in 2003, then again in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011, and it looks as if I'll have four more released this year.

Since joining a local crit group, I've lamented the need for a laptop, and was finally rewarded one last year.

And since experiencing wifi, we purchased a router but it was several months until we figured out why it wasn't working properly. And now three people can be online at the same time, in different rooms of the house.

So why am I complaining? Maybe it's online overload. I find myself getting stressed if I realize it's 10am and I still haven't checked my twitter account. Or that it's noon and I'm still in my jammies, catching up on face book. The SU asked me the other day who were all these people I was telling him about, and suddenly I couldn't remember where I'd actually 'met' some of them. Was it on an author loop? Face book? Or through another Face Book friend? In other words, they are people he's never 'met'. And rolls his eyes. Just like when I 'forget' he's not as invested in my characters as I am.

Ever have conversations like this?

Spouse: What are you thinking about?

Me: Wondering if Gretchen's hair is shoulder-length or longer....and if she's got a perm.

Spouse: Who the hell is Gretchen and why do you care about her hair?

Me: Well, I'm about to write the dance scene and wonder if she'd want her hair up in bun or loose-

Spouse: Oh, you're talking about the damn book again. I thought it was a real person!

Remember when the only thing you had to do when you sat down at the computer was check your email, then bring up your document and write? Now it's check email, social media, chat digests, chat loops, blogs, email account again (or even a different one!), then get up and stretch or force yourself to eat lunch or even close down the computer for a while. But then later you're back....and go through the list again...and suddenly it's two hours later and you STILL haven't opened your document.

Or maybe my current disillusionment is because I've been swamped with edits the past six months, and have barely been able to put down new words? Yes; the thrill of having a new release is still with me; I'm not so jaded that it's 'just another day'. No; I celebrate; I make the family take me out to lunch or dinner; I drink wine; I give treats to my crit group and karaoke peeps.

But something's going to have to give, if I want this to continue. I'm either going to have to not be so nosy about my 300+ friends statuses, or only clean out my spam twice a day instead of every other hour (lol!) and get back to the business of writing; else I'm going to have a very long dry spell between books, considering five of them are still swirling around in my brain and due to be released around the year 2014, if I can buckle down. I really prefer not to keep you hanging any longer than necessary!

Anyway, Happy Birthday/Anniversary Secret Cravings:) And good luck to whomever wins that Kindle Fire!

Flashback Friday and Winner Announced:)

2012-01-06T08:12:00.000-08:00

Congratulations

Kathryn Merkel:)

Your prize is on the way:)

Flashback to Jan 1972:
Actually, I'm not sure what month this memory takes place; all I know is it was cold outside.

I car-pooled to afternoon kindergarten with two boys and sometimes another girl, but I really only remember driving to her house once. One day, T's dad drove, and I was somehow placed in the middle between T and C. We were in a pickup truck, and the boys for whatever reason, began a slapping game over my lap. I reached out, took T's right hand in my left, and C's left hand in my right, and firmly placed each boys' hand on their legs.

"Stop it!"

T's dad laughed. "That's it, Molly; keep those boys in line for me!"

I don't think T came over to play after school...

Present Day:
I think the adrenaline rush of Release Day is over:) Time to get back to work and send in my contract for Balancing Act. I sent Forbidden Love off to my editor the other day, so hope she likes the changes. This weekend we will be taking down the tree and reclaiming the living room, since the CK returns to Purdue on Sunday. I've enjoyed having him home; it's always nice to have another driver around!

Be sure to check Kenzie's over-indulgence post on Sunday over at The Writer's Evo blog, and have a great weekend!

KarAoke WednEsday

2012-01-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

No; that wasn't a typo; it was merely an attempt to explain my voice last night!

BC and I showed up around midnight, with me bringing some of my chocolate-covered pretzels. BC was greeted by former co-workers, and it would be another half hour or so (forgot to look at my watch!) until the dart game was over and the karaoke screens changed.

And since Cheryl knew we were celebrating, I was first up. Here's what I sang and my personal take.

-Borderline: Sounded okay last week when my voice was good, so decided to try it again. Ugh. I'll do this one one more time w/o that crap clinging to my vocal cords!

-Battlefield (Jordin Sparks): I YouTubed it earlier in the day and thought I sounded okay. I didn't get a chance to refresh my memory about some of the synchopation, so at times I floundered. Leaving this on my list for next week; I think all I need is practice.

-Blue Bayou: I LOVED this Linda Ronstadt song as a teenager, and would belt it out while doing the dishes. And since my vocal cords were clogged, thought I could manage the low tones. Did an okay job, and surprised Renee the DJ (Cheryl had to bug out early last night....I asked her if her ears couldn't take anymore of our bad singing, lol!) about holding the last note until the end! I also discovered-ahem-I've been singing the wrong words to my favorite part: 'Find that boy of mine...by my side...the silver moon and the evenin' tide...' I've been singing 'I'll have that boy of mine...' Guess it didn't hurt!

-Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Started out a little croaky, but the table full of enthusiastic drunk singers joined in and helped drown me out:) I'll do this one again next week also, so I can hear myself through the speakers!

What did BC sing?
-Criminal (excellent as always!)
-Youth of the Nation (Nailed it)
-Youth Gone Wild (Skid Row) (Good job; I've not heard this one before, but she sounded good!)
-Like A Virgin (Again, nailed it:)

A good night of blowing off steam and very comical around 2am when the drunk party belted out Journey's Don't Stop Believin'!

There's still time to enter for your chance to win a copy of Love Finds A Way:) Answer this easy question in the comments: Where does the entire series take place?

Have a good day and I'll announce the winner on Friday!

Release Day Mania...

2012-01-03T06:57:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, long ago on a university campus in Indiana, nineteen-year-old Molly was bored. When one of her roommates burst into the room and announced, "I need someone to be a blind date; Todd's AF buddy is in town...", Molly said she'd go, even after the roommate who usually partied with roommate #1 turned up her nose at the invite.

Two weeks and four dates later, plus three yelling matches, the AF officer left and Molly didn't think she'd ever see him again. In July, her family took their annual three week vacation in Florida. Before the flight, the attendants announced the flight was overbooked, and anyone willing to take a later flight would be rewarded with a free round-trip plane ticket to anywhere in the Continental US.

Three days later, while sitting by Tampa Bay, Molly reflected on those two weeks and wondered what would happen if her mother had agreed to let her get off the plane, and what the young officer's reaction would be if she showed up. And if she was capable of writing something longer than a 20-page term paper! Plus, she had been unable to find any romance books which dealt around the current college scene (she'd loved the Tobey Hayden series and the Pam and Penny series, but they were set in the 1950's!), so basically she decided to write the story she wanted to read.

The result is this fictional account. She finished writing it in 1990, writing in spurts here and there....and along the way came up with an idea to make it a series, because....everyone has a story to tell. And with permission from her friends, she kept writing.

By now, you've hopefully read Love On The Rocks, Elicia's story. Here is Amy's story, with Stephanie and Gretchen making a cameo appearance. You'll meet Matt, the commitment-shy AF officer; his good friends Geoff, Jason, Troy, and Kelly; and Amy's roommate Caitlyn.

"But wait....this story is already out!"

You're right! This is the electronic re-release, with a better cover and better edited. Enjoy!

Buy link: Available today from Secret Cravings

Excerpt:

"I'm not changing my life. If they don't like it, they can stuff it." Matt moved his arm from her shoulders and reached for his cigarettes.

"Sshhh, I'm not asking you to change." Amy tried to be tactful. "All I’m asking is that you not, er, curse so much."

"Amy..."

"Please?" She lifted her head to look him in the eye. "All I ask is that you clean up your vocabulary for a few hours while we're with my parents."

"You want me to kiss ass." He lit the end of the cigarette and blew smoke toward the ceiling.

"Not quite..., I just want you to make a good impression." Tears welled unexpectedly in her eyes. "This is important to me."

"Oh, all right, I'll watch what I say next weekend. Can I smoke and drink beer, or is that also taboo?"

"Stop it!" Amy sat up to escape the smoke.

"What?" Matt gestured, waving the smoke toward his side of the bed.

"You know what I mean. I'd rather you not smoke, but a few beers won't hurt. I'm not asking you to bend over backwards; all I want is for you to be civil with them."

"I'm always civil."

"I didn't mean it like that." Amy shifted onto her side. "I meant that sometimes, well, you have a tendency to act antisocial, as a know-it-all."

"I do what?"

Feeling herself losing ground, Amy groaned. The conversation wasn't going the way she'd hoped.
"I would feel better if you and my parents were to start off on the right foot." She chose her words with care. "They have the stereotypical, California, military officer in their minds, and I don't want them judging you in that way."

"Just out of curiosity, what exactly is the 'stereotypical, California, military officer'?" Matt sounded amused.

Amy thought for a moment. "Promise you won't get upset? He's the dedicated officer, but loud, rude, and disrespectful when off duty. He's lazy, a womanizer, an alcoholic, and not someone to bring home."

"So that's what your parents are expecting me to be." Matt crushed out his cigarette.
'
"Not entirely. I've told them your good points, so they're not expecting Godzilla. Now, can we drop the subject and get some sleep?"

"No, we can't."

"Why not?"

"Because." His voice lowered as he turned to her, his hand sliding down to cup her breast. "This military officer has a naked, sexy woman in his bed and wants to take advantage of the situation."

I'll be chatting tonight in two places tonight from 7-10pm:

Talking Two Lips Review (SCP author chat)

and with the awesome Ms Anny Cook over at Love Romance Cafe:)

Now, for a super easy contest....Where does this series take place?

Leave me a comment and one lucky winner will receive their own copy of LFAW. How painless was that? I'll select a random entry by Thursday or Friday. I'm fighting a stupid cold, plus cleaning up the house from the holidays. Yeah, I lead SUCH a glamorous life!

Catching Up

2012-01-02T06:46:00.000-08:00

Where did the past week go? I'm so disoriented about time/day/dates it's a good thing we have one of those daily calendar things in the bathroom! Forget the actual calendar; if I don't know what day it is, what good will that tell me?

Sigh....it's hard to believe this time last week I was packing in a fog, not knowing what clothing to take or even knowing how long we were staying at my parents' house. I think I cried every day last week.

But now it's a new year; a new week, and new challenges to face. If you stopped by Kenzie's post yesterday (today IS Monday, right?) over at The Writer's Evo blog, you saw my goals for the coming year. Some are rather ambitious (de-clutter my house? Move us into a better house?), while other are dependent on outside forces (IF my spouse is awarded his disability, and IF it comes in time for that trip in August and IF the spouse agrees to either take us or let me go down there) and sales (did you notice both Love Finds A Way and Forbidden Love release this month? Spread the word; I need a nice fat royalty check in April, lol!).

I'm also catching up on stuff which happened while I was busy baking/editing/celebrating/grieving. For instance, my publisher's 1st anniversary Blog Hop. I'm due to post on the 7th and am just now getting around to posting the details. Why is it everything in my life happens at once? I guess it keeps me on my toes, lol!

Anyway, go here for the blog hop details and good luck! I'd like to win a Kindle Fire also; I think my Sony bit the dust the other day. I'll find out when I charge it back up.

Have a good week, everyone; I'll be back tomorrow with good news. I promise:)

2011: Year In Review

2011-12-31T07:56:00.000-08:00

This past year was a challenging one. Finances strained; tempers flared; lies told; heartache suffered; tough decisions were made. And yet we survived as a family unit and are still going strong, despite early predictions of falling apart.

Jan: One deliberate lie designed to hurt was hurled at the tail end of 2010 and rudely interrupted our New Year's Eve party. The SU and daughter's relationship was never quite the same, and in fact, grew worse. We did get our internet and TV back, but not the phone. My cell phone became our primary source of communication with the outside world who was not connected by facebook or email. An ice storm hit and I don't think the bookstore had any customers this month. In fact, I quit dressing up and dressed for the weather, not caring what I looked like.

Feb: A deliberate act of defiance caused us to fear we would have a runaway on our hands, or maybe retaliation from a rebellious person who has no respect for authority, parental or otherwise. Thankfully, the daughter agreed to follow our rules, though we did have to make it perfectly clear to the 'rebel without a conscience' we were in charge of her, not him. Received the heartbreaking news the bookstore would be closing the next month, as the community was just not as supportive as they claimed to be. Our tax refund allowed me to buy a laptop and wireless router, which has brought peace to our house, as there are no more complaints over who's spending too much time online!

March: I spent this month boxing up what books I wanted to keep. The SU wasn't happy with boxes of books I lugged to the basement, but too bad. The kids and I took a three day vacation to Lafayette and had a wonderful visit with friends and the college kid. We said farewell to the Mockingbird Book Emporium on the 31st and handed over the keys. We discovered my laptop had Skype on it, so was able to celebrate the youngling's 7th birthday with his brother face to face:) Same with the spouse's birthday.

April: With me back on After School Homework Detail, I discovered my now-7-year-old 1st grader still couldn't read. I went to the school with the suspicions he was dyslexic and could we have him tested? And why hadn't the Reading Lab noticed anything? They shrugged their shoulders and told me it was too late to have him tested. We'd have to wait until September, and oh, the budget had been cut, so summer school was out of the question. We now had a decision to make: retain him; hope he was placed with a teacher capable of working with him to bring him up to 2nd grade level; or see if the proposed program would be accepted: He would be allowed to attend 1st grade reading class, but for the rest of the time be in the 2nd grade. The SU decided to take early retirement and filed the papers. This would double our current income and make life a little easier.

May: I met with both the principal and his teacher, and decided to put my summer promotion plans on hold so I could work with my baby and get him tutored. We also decided not to retain him. The first retirement check arrived, and it allowed me to have the funds to spend a day at the zoo with my sister and her her family, who were in town for two weeks. I also made the heartbreaking decision to end a friendship, but the next day received the news my Arbor U series was being given a home with Secret Cravings Publishing. Coincidence or Divine Guidance? All I know is my writing career was suddenly on the fast track after being towed by dogged determination and a few wrong choices. The rest of this month's retirement money arrived, which allowed us to spend one more night at the hotel with the water park and enjoy the company of MDQ and ME, who wanted to spend a week with us. I also reconnected with an old classmate I'd not seen in 30 years.

June: I launched Aunt Molly's Summer Reading Program for the three kids after the stepdaughter informed us she no longer had a place to live. I decided we'd keep hers for the summer and if need be, we'd shuffle things around and put them in school down here until she got her act together. I arranged for a tutor, but a series of issues arrived, and it would be weeks before anyone received tutoring. I dragged the kids to the library twice a week; we took 'field trips' around town and read signs. I had them read me labels at the store. And at the end of June, I discovered my 3rd Kenzie title had been moved up and had to do a massive 5 day edit-proofread-write the dedication-upload book-promote it schedule. I think the kids were thrilled to have Aunt Molly otherwise occupied for a while, lol! I also reconnected with a dear friend from high school, and we spent two weeks emailing each other and catching up. I also set up at one festival, but rain kept everyone away. The kids were able to Skype with their mother several times a week, which both helped and hurt. Helped, because they missed her; hurt, because then they realized how much they missed her and wanted to go home.

July: Daughter turned 17; Kenzie's Appetite For Desire was launched; MDQ and ME went off with another set of grandparents for a week with them. The temperature soared; we spent time at the pool plus took them to see the movie Cars 2 in order to escape the heat. I also kept the Skyping to once a week, to cut down on the homesickness. One of my adoptees stopped coming around; it would be two more months until we saw him again. Met relatives on my SU's side and had a good picnic, only to be saddened by a death two weeks later. Relatives were thrilled I'd taken his picture before he left on what would be a fatal vacation. My SIL decided to move her daughter and kids into her home if their mother's job offer fell through again. We discussed it, along with our offer to keep them, but since she's their true grandmother (strange family dynamic....if you're confused, email me and I'll explain it!), we agreed to pack them up and return them on their collective birthday (yes, they were born one year apart and on the same day!) I also had to rewrite large chunks of Kenzie's Teacher's Pet.

Aug: This was a busy month. I had a min-class reunion planned on the 5th, and the SU didn't like my plans, so I called my father, who agreed to come get me. I spent an enjoyable evening with old friends, then on the 6th met my family at my SIL's for the kids' birthday party. Stepdaughter was doing well in her first week at an amazon.com warehouse, so things were looking up. A week later, we returned to Lafayette to move our oldest into his new fraternity apartment and had a nice picnic with my parents and two other families. Two weeks later, I was back in Lafayette because the friend I'd reconnected with in June had suddenly passed away. Mom and I attended the funeral, and his parents were thrilled to see me and to learn their son had sent me several of his songs he'd composed. My kids returned to school, and my youngling's new 2nd grade teacher pulled me aside with her suspicions our baby was NOT dyslexic, but ADD, and recommended we have him tested for that instead. I looked it up online and discovered I think my elementary issues stemmed from the fact I was an undiagnosed ADD myself! WOW....I also began walking 3 miles a day, at least 4 days a week. And a friend and I decided to karaoke every Wednesday night, and to go through the song title book to get some variety. I began with the A's while she went to the other end of the alphabet. And even picked up some drunken fans, lol! Writing-wise, I was self-editing Love On The Rocks. The daughter broke up with the boyfriend for four hours.

Sept: With my kids finally on medicaid, I took them both to the dentist and doctor. Youngling was tested and an appointment was made. I received an email from my editor, asking if I would modernize my series. I went into panic mode; asked for advice online, and received terrific feedback! Emailed her back with a polite 'no' and spelled out the reasons. She and publisher conferred, then agreed to keep my setting in the 1980's. Huge sigh of relief! I began revisions for Love Finds A Way, then put them on hold when edits began arriving for LOTR, plus was thrilled with both covers! My neighbor's blood pressure spiked and was put in the hospital; I looked after her kids for an entire week while she was recovering. Received word the stepdaughter was doing well in her job and they were considering hiring her full-time.

Oct: Began to have a suspicion when I noticed certain supplies in the bathroom were not being used. Since I myself am entering another phase of life, I decided to pray about it and give my family member the benefit of the doubt. But after two weeks, I decided to confront her, and was heartbroken to learn the truth. But, someone has to be the adult in the family, since I knew more fireworks would be arriving, so I've become the Head Advocate around here. And as for the youngling, we started him on ADD meds and saw a 180 in his behavior two days later. No more three hour homework issues and even his teacher is thrilled with his progress! Love On The Rocks debuted the same week my world fell apart; plus my right foot was having pain issues and I twisted my left ankle on Release Day. Three days later, I went to the doctor; had both feet X-rayed; left ankle was put in an air cast; I was told to stay off my feet for a week and to do exercises on my right foot. A week later, I was good:) My neighbor's health went downhill again; I joked about there being some sort of end-of-the-month special! This month was also particularly hard on my oldest: He'd lost his best friend suddenly in a freak health care accident. She'd gone to the dentist on Monday for a gum infection and given meds. Tuesday, was in the ER because she could hardly stand; Wednesday was life-lined to Indianapolis in renal failure; Thursday was pronounced brain dead. The family held off on pulling the life support until friends could arrive to say goodbye. K was heartbroken beyond belief. The SU and daughter went up to be with him at the hospital, since S had also worked with the girl. Stepdaughter reported they were considering her for Safety Officer and she now had the funds to have her own apartment again. She'd ditched the deadbeat boyfriend and was doing well. The kids were very happy in their new school and my efforts over the summer had paid off:) The daughter broke up with the boyfriend again, this time for three days.

Nov: Busy with appointments for both my daughter and youngling. Began to notice the youngling's appetite was slightly affected, and he was having problems going to sleep at night. Thanksgiving was good, but received word my grandmother had fallen and cracked her pelvis. We hoped Granny would recover in time for Christmas. I finished edits for LFAW and the self-edits for Forbidden Love, which was good, since final edits for Teacher's Pet arrived! Also received the heartbreaking news an old boyfriend had passed away, and met his widow, who joined us for karoke a few times. J had been one of my first serious relationships, but wasn't meant to be. I also breathed life into a potential zombie story, so I hope to continue writing it soon. Finished self-editing book #4, Balancing Act, and submitted it. And surprise surprise...after a three year campaign to join The Writer's Evo blog, I was finally asked to contribute:) I just hope this means the current contributors aren't getting ready to jump ship....(crosses fingers no!)

Dec: The daughter finally had enough of the boyfriend and broke it off, even taking back her class ring. We celebrated K's 20th birthday via Skype. I reconnected with my #2 adoptee, who started coming around again when he realized I was baking cookies, lol! We also attended his 9th birthday party and found out what the heck some of the items were on my youngling's Christmas Wish List! I celebrated the release of Teacher's Pet with cupcakes and karaoke. Granny took a turn for the worse on the 16th, and my mother wasn't doing well, so I went up to spend five days with her. I ran errands; did her last-minute Christmas shopping; and helped her clean the house. Granny passed away peacefully on Christmas Day, and this past week spent an emotional week between my aunt's house; my parents' house; and the funeral home. We also cleaned out Granny's apartment yesterday and I'll be writing another 'Treasures Found' post in a week or so. Celebrated my birthday away from my kids, and then with my karaoke friends as I did a 'Best of' night. Daughter's resolve lasted 3 weeks this time, but two days ago was already beginning to regret her decision to take him back. We'll see what 2012 brings for those two as they prepare to bring another life into our family. Yes, you read that correctly. Our first real grandchild will be born June 11, 2012. And yes, my daughter will finish high school if I have to chain her to her desk(s). Got word Love Finds A Way will be released Jan 3rd, 2012. Which is good; I wouldn't have been able to promote it very well the past week! Edited half of Forbidden Love, and will continue once everything settles down. I also received a contract for Balancing Act, book #4.

Present Day:
I'm tackling a mountain of laundry today. I've not been home, nor have done any laundry since last Saturday. While I was gone yesterday, the only thing the kids and spouse did was clean up the kitchen. So today will be Operation Laundry and Clean Up. Hopefully, we will also be going to the store so I can make some appetizers for everyone to eat while we watch the ball drop....and I've been invited to join three friends for a drink tonight at eleven. There shouldn't be any fireworks, since S's boyfriend has moved an hour south of us. Here's hoping 2012 will be less turbulent for us all!

Best Christmas Present Ever:)

2011-12-30T06:20:00.000-08:00

1991:
At 6:30pm. on Dec 7th, the crib my MIL ordered arrived.

Thirty minutes later, I felt my first honest-to-God contraction, and called my mom to see if that's what it was. She was heading out to a friend's 50th birthday party and told me to walk around; if they continued, then to call my spouse and doctor and go to the hospital.

They came roughly ten minutes apart, so I called the hubby at work and had him come home. We drove to the hospital where they checked; I was only dilated at 3cm. We began walking until I got nauseated two hours later. At 11pm, nothing more had progressed, so they gave me a sedative and sent us home.

At midnight, the spouse decided to watch Predator 2 with Danny Glover. I lay on the couch and dozed, and did my breathing exercises. After the movie, D got in the shower. At 1:30, I rolled over just as he was drying off.

"My body just told me to push; I think it's time."

He threw his clothes on and we got in the car. I was in pain; I couldn't fasten my seat belt, and the hospital was thirty minutes away. I think we made it in 20! I felt as if the baby was going to be born on the sidewalk, but D got me inside and they whisked me back into the LDR room. I was dilated at 8cm and was begging for an epidural, but it was too late.

When I was fully dilated, we began pushing. But the baby apparently wasn't progressing, so Dr. Mark looked at the nurse with a devilish grin.

"She's not had any meds; we can have her squat."

"WHAT???"

So they helped me to my feet in the bed and we pushed that way for a while, then they let me lay down again. And at 3:41, son K was born. He was 8 lbs, 7 oz and 20.5 inches long. He reached up and took the measuring tape away from the nurse who was trying to measure his tiny head; I laughed and told him to behave himself.

And after they cleaned him up, I got to hold him for the first time. And burst into tears of happiness. Mom and Dad arrived and were thrilled with their first grandson. And twenty years later, he's still a blessing to them:)

His 1st outing was up to my parents' house for my birthday. I wasn't sure I wanted to take an 11-day old baby to a restaurant, so we had a quiet celebration. And a few days later, he charmed his great-grandmother Jean and great-grandfather Norman at our Christmas party with my dad's side of the family.

He'd made us late to the party because first he hosed down his bed as I was changing his diaper; then he deposited another 'present' in my hand as I was carrying him to his bath; and just as we were ready to walk out the door, he proclaimed loudly he was hungry, and after eating, promptly spit up on my shirt!

And now, twenty years later as we said goodbye to Granny Jean, he was a pallbearer at her funeral yesterday. So both 1991 and 2011 will be forever special Christmases in our hearts.

Present Day:
I'm heading north again to help clean out Granny's apartment. The facility 1st told my aunt to take her time, and then told her on Tuesday 'the end of the month'. Hello.....it's tomorrow! Thanks a lot....

Yesterday the sun was shining; it was in the 40's and no rain or snow. A little chilly yes, but otherwise a beautiful day to say goodbye to a beautiful woman.

RIP Granny.
April 8, 1922-Dec 25, 2011

Quick Update

2011-12-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

I'm still out of town, but my mother decided to check us all into a motel for the night in Indianapolis, so we don't have to worry about getting up early tomorrow. Plus, I have access to wireless, DSL internet!!!!

Granny's viewing is tonight from 4-8pm, and we're going to eat at Damon's tonight:)

The funeral is tomorrow at 10am, and after the bereavement lunch, we will be going to Granny's apartment to see if there is anything we want to take home with us. I already know we're taking one of her chairs; I want to check out the love seat; bed; and any books she had. Blogging will resume on Friday:)

Just checked my proof of Love Finds A Way and sent it back. It will release next Tuesday, Jan 3rd:)

Thank you everyone for the private condolence messages:) They are greatly appreciated.

God's Newest Angel

2011-12-26T05:59:00.000-08:00

RIP M. Jean Dilly McIntire April 1922- Christmas Day 2011.

We always called her Granny; she hosted Christmas parties at her house and also celebrated my birthday the same day. Beginning in 1985 or 6, we also spent 4th of July celebrations with her and Grandpa, as it was also his birthday.

I have happy memories of her reading books to me; she had my dad and aunt's children's books in her back room and would head for the bookshelf as soon as I could. When I learned to read them myself, I still asked her to read a few to me, but could always be found curled up somewhere in the house with a stack of them.

One year, my cousin and I coaxed her up to the attic so we could dress up in my aunt's old prom dresses. Mom has a wonderful picture of us and my younger sister all decked out in satin and sequins.

When my oldest K was born, she was thrilled; he was the first male child born into the family since my dad. The two formed a special bond when he was five; Granny often went on vacations with us and since both were early risers, they went to breakfast together. On our Colorado trip in 2002, he tried to block his younger sister from joining them one day.

"This is me and Grandma's special time. No, you can't come!"

I reminded him S didn't often get up early and that once wasn't going to ruin his and Grandma's breakfast. So he took her along, and sure enough, she slept late the remaining mornings!

The year prior, we'd taken the Amtrak from Seattle to Vancouver, so we ALL had breakfast with Granny! But K sat beside her.

Granny was a rare woman; one of my aunts was born with a rare birth defect, and instead of having her institutionalized, she kept her at home and drove her daily to the Noble Center, always calling it 'her work'. She also took care of my grandfather, who suffered his first heart attack at age 36 and had to retire early. Granny worked as a lunch lady in my cousin's school cafeteria, and I used to be jealous of the fact she saw Grandma every day. I only saw her a few times a year, but I think it made my sister and I appreciate her more. And it always amazed me when I'd go to church with her that everyone knew who I was, even if I was only with my cousin.

Granny attended my high school and college graduations; she was there for my wedding and even came to a few of our fall parties when we lived in Martinsville. Right after we moved to our current home, Granny moved into an assisted living facility, and I inherited more of her book collection. (I've tried to locate my post 'Treasures in Grandma's Attic' but can't seem to find it! I'll keep looking later...)

Anyway, earlier this month, Granny fell and cracked her pelvis. She'd insisted her furniture be rearranged for her Christmas tree, and apparently had gotten up in the night and tripped over something. She was doing well until she was moved to a rehab unit last week, and when Dad went down to check on her, he discovered her sitting in a wheelchair; barely conscious, and demanded answers.

Turned out a) she'd had a piece of pineapple stuck in her mouth; b) she wasn't receiving her breathing treatments; and c) they tried to give her 8 hours of physical therapy! She'd developed pneumonia and my dad wanted her taken back to the hospital. But after speaking with my aunt and a couple of the better nurses, Dad felt okay leaving her there.

Apparently, Grandma's been talking about 'being tired and ready to go Home', though the rest of the family hoped she'd recover and enjoy her 90th birthday party we were thinking of throwing her.

But yesterday, God called her home. At least she got to spend Christmas in heaven with Grandpa, who passed in 1995 and Aunt Julie, who died in 1993, coincidentally, two days before MY birthday.

And as my spouse says, we did have an answered prayer: She's well again; she's with family members who have been gone the last 10-20 years; and best of all, she celebrated Jesus' birthday with him.

Merry Christmas Granny:) We love and miss you.

Countdown To Christmas Pt 2....

2011-12-23T07:09:00.000-08:00

Off to make chocolate-covered pretzels:) Next Friday I'll write about my MOST memorable month of December: 1991:)

O holy night the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new glorious morn
Fall on your knees
O hear the angels' voices
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine, O night
O night divine

Countdown To Christmas Pt 1

2011-12-22T06:58:00.000-08:00

Home again! Arrived back in town just in time for youngling's basketball game; they lost 30-15. Afterward, youngling fell down the stairs of the gym, but he's okay. Nothing broken; no blood; no missing teeth:) Just scared. Maybe this will teach him to slow down when going down a busy flight of stairs?

Also learned a dear friend of mine lost her husband yesterday. He'd been battling Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma, and a week or so ago, his doctors had given him 3-4 weeks. He passed peacefully, surrounded by his family. RIP Danny; you will be missed.

Granny's health is stable. She's no better, but no worse. I'll hopefully get to see her on the 26th.

Good night at karaoke! I took Cheryl a slice of my 'birthday pie', a Marie Callendar's Chocolate Cream Pie. The freezer in Mom's garage stopped working, so I brought home two pies. The other one is Apple; the SU is enjoying it:)

Since I was celebrating my birthday, I decided to do a 'Best of' series. I sang 'Invincible'; 'Alone'; 'Because You Loved Me'; 'Baby One More Time'; and 'Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now' (with Billie). Bartender even gave me a free rum and coke:)

Afterward, B took me downtown and showed me the rubble from the fire which took out four buildings on Saturday, around the time I was arriving in Lafayette. The old Gimbal store, one of the oldest in our town, was a total loss. The cause is still unknown, and one of my friends lost her apartment. The miracle here is there were no injuries. No firemen were hurt; no lives lost. And the beautiful mural which graced the back of the building is being recommissioned.

Received my proof copy of LFAW! It needed three minor changes; I made them and sent it back. Hopefully I'll be writing that dedication today or tomorrow and getting word of a definite release date.

Today, I am finishing up the laundry and wrapping presents. And making some chocolate covered pretzels. I also need to inspect the cookie supplies and see which ones need replenished.

Have a safe and happy Christmas and I'll be back tomorrow with Christmas 2001 memories:)

Terrific Tuesday with Carol Preflatish:)

2011-12-20T03:30:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of meeting Carol last year at one of my signings:) She's a fellow Hoosier and I was ~~mad~~ thrilled when I learned she was headed to Louisville to a conference where I knew my publisher was attending. So I emailed her and ~~yelled at her~~ told her to look up Sandy Sullivan and hear more about this awesome publishing company, Secret Cravings. The rest, as they say, is history.

Welcome! Pleaseintroduce yourself and tell us about your latest release.

Hi, Molly. Thank you for hosting me here today. I'm CarolPreflatish and I write romantic suspense. My newest release is "Saved bythe Sheriff" with Secret Cravings Publishing. It's about magazine writerJaime Wilson who visits Indiana to investigate an unsolved mystery about amissing family and finds herself becoming the next target. Sheriff Ben Hunterhas to come to her rescue and together they work to solve the mystery as well aswho is trying to kill her. She didn't count on falling in love with the sheriffand he didn't think he would have to work so hard to keep her safe.

Have you ever had an idea for a story which scared you afteryou began writing it?

I write suspense, but I don't believe I've ever had an ideathat scared me.

Have you incorporated actual events from your own life intoyour books?

"Saved by the Sheriff" is very loosely based on areal mystery that happened near where I live. It's something I was always interestedin and I think that made writing the book a little easier. The real mystery wasnever solved, unlike my fictional story which does come to a conclusion at theend of the book.

How much research do you do? Do you research first and then write, or do you write first, thenresearch as needed?

I research a lot, doing much of it before I start writing.But, I'm always checking facts and things while I am in the writing process,too. It's an on-going thing for me. I love to research so I can make mostthings as accurate as possible.

Is there any message you want readers to take from readingyour work?

I always hope that when someone reads my books, they can betaken away from real life for a while. I read to relax and hope that my readerscan experience the same thing.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? And have you ever had a story take on a lifeof its own?

I'm sort of a little of both. I usually work from a veryvague outline sort of like a synopsis, but when I start writing I go with it.Sometimes it follows the original outline and sometimes it doesn't. I think allstories take on a life of it's own. Your characters will eventually starttalking to you and they will take the story its own direction. For instance,I'm working on a contemporary mystery series right now and the main malecharacter just told me that he and his former girlfriend have a son together.Wow, that just came out of nowhere, but I really like how it can play into thestory.

How long did it take for you to be published?

I started writing seriously in 2000 and my first novel waspublished in 2009. That was the second novel I completed. I still have thefirst and am going to do a revision and rewrite and hoping to get it publishedalso.

If you could go back and tell yourself anything when youfirst began your writing career, what would you say?

I would say that besides learning to write a book, I shouldalso learn about the business side of writing. I was clueless as to what to doonce my book came out. I realized that I had a lot more learning to do.

Laptop or pen and ink? What are your ‘must-haves’ when writing?

Laptop and pencil. I sometimes find that I can be morecreative when I sit and write with pencil and paper. Lately, I have beensticking to the laptop a little more though. My main "must-have" issweet tea. I can go through a huge pitcher of tea during a Sunday afternoon ofwriting. I'm trying not to snack too much, but I do like to take a break with abig bowl of popcorn. That's by far my favorite snack.

Who are your favorite authors? Who would you say influenced you the most?

My favorite authors are James Patterson, the late Robert B.Parker, and Lisa Gardner. I can't really think of any one author that hasinfluenced me the most, but I find myself inspired by new authors that havereally made it in the business, whether that be through self-publishing or withone of the big New York publishers.

What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

I love the outdoors and camping. We have a tent and try tocamp as much as possible in all four seasons. Winter can be a little tricky,but if you're prepared, it can be a lot of fun and there are no bugs to worryabout in the winter. Several years ago, I remember us driving home from acamping trip and it snowed on us all the way home.

Thanks again for having me here today, Molly. My latestrelease, Saved by the Sheriff, is now available at Secret CravingsPublishing as an e-book, with the print version to follow in a few months. Youcan purchase it here and you can learn more about me at myblog.

Excerpt:

Jaime carefully walked up to the old house that stood near a newer home with a barn between the two. She took a few pictures through the windows. The inside of the house looked like no one had been there in years. Perhaps left just the way it was when the Murdock's had last been there. She stood at the front door and couldn't resist trying the knob. The door opened.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he warned.

"I'll just take one picture of the inside and then we'll go." She took one step into the house.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he related again.

"You should listen to the boy," a deep voice echoed from behind them.

She knew that voice.

"Come on out."

Jaime turned to see Ben standing at the corner of the old house, handcuffing Bobby behind his back. "What are you doing?" she asked, walking over to them.

"Arresting him for trespassing. You're next."

"What!"

"Didn't you see the No Trespassing sign?" Ben asked.

"Yes, but..."

"Then you should have turned back. Now, turn around."

Jaime put her camera on the porch and turned around for Ben to handcuff her. "This isn't exactly what I in mind when I thought of you handcuffing me," she mumbled to him.

He didn't answer, but instead picked up her camera and led them through the trees to his police car that was parked in front of the other house. She assumed it belonged to the Cook family. A woman in a housedress stood on the front porch.

"They won't be back out here again, Mrs. Cook," Ben called to the lady.

"Thanks, Sheriff."

He opened the back door of his car and Bobby got in. Before Jaime got in, she looked up at Ben. "I'm sorry."

He didn't answer, but put his hand on top of her head so she wouldn't bump it as he guided her into the car.

Birthday Greetings:)

2011-12-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

First of all, it's my day to post over at RBRU, so won't you stop by and say hi? It's my birthday, but I've posted a gift for you.

Secondly, I'm enjoying another mini-vacation: My grandmother fell two weeks ago and has been moved to a rehab facility for her cracked pelvis. Saturday, we got word she'd developed pneumonia, so my dad had gone down to help out my aunt. Mom was feeling overwhelmed because she wasn't feeling well herself, so I came up to help her out for a few days.

I've already cleaned up her house and today we're wrapping gifts and I'm doing some of her last-minute shopping. Dad came home; Granny's doing a LOT better. I'm going to stay here until Wednesday, just in case anything changes, and we're going out to Mountain Jacks for dinner tonight.

Internet is slow at my parents' house, so I'm limiting myself to twice a day. My friend Carol Preflatish has a new release today; come back tomorrow for her interview:)

Flashback Friday

2011-12-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

December 2001:
The only memorable thing I cam come up with was I had my hair permed during my three hours between shifts on the bus....and then my boss called us in for a meeting. I was NOT expecting to have my hairdresser rush through the final steps so I could arrive an hour earlier at school! And our 'office' was a tiny trailer at the back of the school property. And if anyone as anyone who has ever had their hair permed can tell you....a strong chemical aroma accompanied me back to the office.

In short, Mike had to open the door to the trailer as the fumes were choking all six of us. But that was the only day my hairdresser could schedule me, and I wanted my hair done before the holidays began. I promised him it would be another year before getting my hair professionally curled again, and would NOT squeeze it in between shifts!

Present Day:
There's a lot going on beginning today!

First of all, over at Coffee Beans & Love Scenes, Kenzie's giving away a copy of Teacher's Pet. Go over and show her some love?

Secondly, I'm participating in the Secret Cravings Anniversary Blog Hop (my day is Jan 7th), and we're giving away a Kindle Fire and other goodies:)

Stop by the Secret Cravings Blog for details:)

Last, on Sunday, join myself and several others over at Cassandra Carr's Facebook page! There will be excerpts, prizes, blurbs, and fun all day long.

Have a good weekend:) And don't forget to stop by The Writer's Evo on Sunday to find out what made Kenzie proud in the past year:)

Told you there was a lot going on!

Edit Update, Karaoke, and Candy:)

2011-12-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

Whew! I finished LFAW edits; fixed all those !@##$%^ quotation marks (note to self: double check next MS as you're going through it!!!) and sent it back. Editor says it might re-release next week! Yay:)

Also received edits for book #3, Forbidden Love. Took a glance through it; these won't be too painful! If I accomplish my baking goals the next two days, I'll work on it over the weekend. Keri's story is slated to be released in January, so there's plenty of time.

Karaoke:
There was a definite 'theme' to my songs last night! It wasn't planned; I just went in the order they were listed on my song title sheet. As a result, I think the majority of the male patrons thought I had issues with the opposite sex!

-Band of Gold: I wanted the Belinda Carlisle version; there was none. So I tried Kim Locke's; no way. Botched it on the first two lines, trying to find what octave to be in. So we switched to another version and did slightly better. I still crossed this one off my list forever.

-Birmingham: Nailed this one on the first try! I love my Amanda Marshall cassette, and would LOVE to have the CD. I'll definitely be singing this one again!

-Bleeding Love: I did fine until the end! Leona Lewis deviates on the last few rounds of the chorus, and I'd only practiced the backup singers! I'll be singing this one again too, with more practice:)

-Because You Loved Me: I got a standing ovation after I finished this one, and no, not because they were glad it was over! One couple got up and danced; Cheryl even activated the applause track. Another one I'll keep doing:)

-Bitch: I didn't have nearly enough attitude for this song. Maybe if I get a few too many drinks in me I'll attempt it again....or sing it with someone else!

-Beauty and the Beast: I love this song, but it sounds better when Celine is singing along with me! Maybe I just need more practice?

Next week, I'm planning to go back and sing a few of the ones I KNOW I sing well:
-Invincible
-Alone
-Baby One More Time
-As Long As You Love Me
-Because You Loved Me

That's if there is time. The bar might be busy, due to the holidays! So check back next Thursday:)

Baking Update:

I showed you the cookies on Monday; here are the candy pictures:)

I made blue raspberry and strawberry gummies using three molds: Christmas figures (Santa, lower right), dinosaurs (T-Rex and stegasaurus at the top); and animals (hippo, bottom left). The white stuff is cornstarch, so they don't stick to each other!

This may look like a mess, but it is the entire gummy collection.

Oops...I should have flipped this one before I uploaded it. These are the chocolates; Squares with holly; drummer boy; tree; Santa; wreath; star; bell; snowman. The reindeer bombed; we ended up eating them. Some of the antlers or legs didn't come out well.

And finally, the dinos:) My T-Rexes did better in the second batch (top two have no tails!), but didn't get a picture.

What do I plan to do with these?

In the two bags for the crossing guard and youngling's teacher, I'll put 6 of each kind of cookie, and I'll make a little sack out of cling wrap for the candy and tie it with red and green yarn. It's not much, but I've discovered they like these gifts better than knick-knacks!

Tomorrow's blog:
Christmas 2001. Merry Christmas!

Making Candy and Edits

2011-12-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

First of all, Kenzie has a release tomorrow:) Want to know the story behind the story? Check out Kenzie's Place:)

The last thing I have to do for Round #2 edits on LFAW is double-check my quotation marks. Some are curly; others are straight. I'm up to page 59/121. Tedious, yes, but it must be done.

And yes, this week I tackle the candy:) Haven't decided what to start with first.

Since I promised pictures, here are the cookies I baked last week. Enjoy!

Here are 12 dozen chocolate chip cookies; I think the total was closer to 16 dozen.

Made 6 dozen M&M cookies; I thought I'd bought more than one bag of M&Ms. These will be closely rationed.

8 dozen Oatmeal-raisin, with more to be made at a later date.

Hungry yet?

Flashback Friday: Jr. High Vow Returns To Bite Me In The Butt!

2011-12-09T07:37:00.001-08:00

Dec 1981:
Recap: I'd been dating a trumpet player for the past six weeks, and recently sparked the unwanted attentions of a guy in my PE class, who made fun of my boyfriend K. However, K was none too thrilled B continued to walk with me from the gym to the double-doors of the academic wing, where he and I would meet before his next class and my lunch hour.

K and I continued to argue over B's sudden need to talk to me every day in the two short minutes it took me to meet him after class. I tried lagging behind; I tried walking ahead. No matter what I did, B was there, waiting to ask me about my knees, discuss our PE class, or hassle me about K. And he laughed when I told him it was making K angry.

Finally, December 5th, the day of the Christmas parade arrived. I was thrilled to discover my spot in line beside the trumpet players....until we got on the bus to head downtown.

K: This isn't working for me. I'm tired of seeing you with HIM every day.

M: There's nothing going on! He won't leave me alone....and besides, the semester's nearly over; I probably won't have him in any more of my classes....can't you wait one more month?

K: No. It's over; we're done.

And so I marched in the parade, slamming my flag around and nailing the routine. K managed to switch his position around so he was not in my line, as originally planned. Mom has a picture of me during the routine; I have a very angry look on my face!

Monday morning, after PE, I walked ahead of B, but then turned around and ran right into him.

B: Whoa.....where are you going?

M: I forgot; I don't need to go this way anymore.

B: What happened? Are you mad at No-Neck? (One of his friends laughed.

M: Didn't you hear? We broke up over the weekend. Thought your radar was working better than this. (I couldn't help being a little sarcastic and snide)

B (drapes an arm over my shoulder and pulls me beside him): Tell me all about it.

Friend: Are you going to take his place, B? Good man!

At this point, the only thing I can think is how much this is going to piss K off. But serves him right, yes? I know there's nothing going on; and I'm not usually the type handsome boys put their arms around in the hallway. So I didn't object and we kept walking.

We passed K, whose jaw promptly hits the floor. And as soon as we passed through the double doors, B dropped his arm, but accompanied me to my locker. By that time, we were still talking, so I followed him to his locker and back down the stairs (our lockers were on the 3rd floor). When we reached the main floor, he went one way and I went on to the cafeteria.

Good Gossip Travels Fast!
I stood in line to go through the food line and to meet my friend Kathy for lunch. A girl in front of me turns around and asks me if I'd just walked down the hall with B. I said yes.

"Oh wow..."

I shrugged it off and went to sit with Kathy. As I'm eating, another girl pauses beside our table.

"Is it true B walked you all the way to your locker?"

I swallowed and said yes.

"Oh man...." She sounded disgusted and walked off. I looked at Kathy and we both shrugged.

Half an hour later, walking into my Algebra class, one of the girls who was in the band with me asked, "So is B your new boyfriend now?"

I exploded. "What is the big deal about B? He's a jerk in my PE class; he helped me get back at K for breaking up with me....who cares if he walked me to my locker?"

She nearly swooned. "He walked you to your locker? Ooooohhhhh, what did you talk about?"

"Does it really matter?" I stomped off to my seat.

Two Weeks Later:
I had joined our Pep Block, and we had to be there a half an hour before the varsity game began. I always arrived an hour early, since my mom always sat with the Pep Band. I noticed my friend Gwen up in the stands, and went to talk to her. Neither one of us was paying any attention to our (lousy) JV team, until I heard "Cross in for Jeff."

I looked up and saw B heading out onto the floor. I yanked the program out of Gwen's hands. "Let me see that!"

I flipped to the team photo....and sure enough, there was B!

"Holy crap....THAT'S why I've been getting strange comments from random girls! B's on the freaking BASKETBALL team!"

"Oh heck yes! He was Mr. Popular in junior high. I thought you knew!"

I handed her program back to her. "I do now!"

Monday morning, I made a beeline for B's locker before school.

"Cross, you didn't tell me you were on the JV basketball team."

"I thought you knew. How'd you find out?"

I explained what had happened.

"This explains those crazy comments I've been getting. I'm officially ending this 'friendship' with you. See you in class."

"Hey, wait a minute!" He slammed his locker shut and caught up with me. "Why can't we still be friends?"

"Because I grew up two doors down from Mr. All-Around Popular Jock and do not intend to go through that association ever again. I vowed in the 7th grade to never be friends with a jock, never date a jock, and certainly never be seen in the company of a jock!"

"But that's crazy....what does my basketball status have to do with anything? And what comments?"

"Go ask your fan club." And I ran down the stairs and went to my first hour class.

He continued to try to be friendly with me, and after a week, I relented. Maybe he'd prove me wrong? And for my birthday, he bought me a Snickers bar and even called me during Christmas Break.

Next month: Second Semester Mishaps.

Happy Birthday Kyle!!!

2011-12-08T13:39:00.001-08:00

I can't believe my 1st baby is twenty today....the big 2-0. How can this be? Wasn't it just yesterday he was trotting off to kindergarten? Playing pee-wee football? Playing football? Graduating high school? Going off to college...oh wait.

That would be two years ago.

How time flies.....

I can still see him at age 18 months, chasing my 6 year old cousin around my grandmother's townhouse, yelling at him for singing the wrong Barney lyrics.

Billy: "I hate you, you hate me, let's tie Barney to a tree...."

Kyle: "No, no! I wove 'ou, 'ou wove me, we're a happy family....!"

Age 5: "I can walk up to my classroom by myself, Mommy!"

Age 10: "Check out my bruises! I'm one mean tackling machine!"

Age 14: "But WHY does it have to be X? Why can't it be R? And WHY do I have to show my work when I already know the answer?"

Age 18: "I got into Purdue!"

Age 19: "Mom, I've joined a fraternity..."

Welcome to your twenties, Kyle....and next year, you can go to karaoke with your mama!

I Can Breathe Again!

2011-12-07T06:54:00.001-08:00

No, not suffering from asthma attack....I'm finally emerging from a four-day excursion of being locked inside my editing cave. Saturday, I barely got through the first chapter before just staring at the document, not knowing how to fix it. Sunday, I burrowed in with a bag of Hershey Bliss and got halfway through the MS.

Monday, I made it to page 96 before hitting another creative wall. And then yesterday, I burrowed in again (along with the rest of the bag of milk chocolate Bliss, lol!) and finished it. Then did a search for 'then', which apparently was my favorite word in the MS! Replaced what I could, then sent it off. I rewarded myself with The Amazing Race, and when it was over, fixed dinner for the family.

I did NOT make it to crit group last night, due to no transportation (youngling had b-ball practice @6 and scouts after that), but will definitely make it next week, when Kenzie's Teacher's Pet is released. I'll make my own cupcakes and take them to share with the rest of the group and whoever else happens to wander in. Why I can't seem to have a release and a royalty check at the same time dumbfounds me, ha ha ha! Maybe I'm not there yet? At any rate, I have to have faith that one day I'll have money again to throw myself a decent party....or that my friends will:)

And I hope Round #2 doesn't kick my butt the way this one did, and I can get back to business at hand....Baking!

Yes, today I'm about to start my annual sugar high. Chocolate chip cookies, iced sugar cookies, and oatmeal-raisin cookies are planned. I have until the 16th to make enough for the family, one teacher, one crossing guard, and a couple of friends. I also plan to make gummy bears, peanut butter cups, chocolate-covered pretzels (both white and chocolate), and solid character chocolates. I'm heading to the candy store today to make out my wish list, then haggle it down with the hubby before returning with cash. Wish me luck!

And yes, I'll post pictures, so everyone can share in the goodies:)

Friday Flashback

2011-12-02T11:33:00.001-08:00

December 1971:
I need to back up a moment; I forgot about school picture time. Earlier, my two best friends and I had been playing, and my mom took our pictures. For whatever reason, T curled his top lip over his teeth and when I saw it, I decided to try to copy his expression....the day school pictures were taken. My first ever school picture shows me looking like the Grinch...I'd even worn a green dress to school that day. I remember the photographer trying to get me to smile, but I was certain I had the same cute expression as T had in my mom's picture. And of course, I was 'horrified' to see the end result! I think this was before retakes; or maybe my mom didn't insist on one. Who knows?

Back to December: For my 6th birthday, I had a party and I think the entire neighborhood kids showed up, plus one set of grandparents. We are all posing in front of the cake, and some kids are even blowing party horns. A week later for Christmas, I had another party with my other set of grandparents, as well as opening up gifts. Christmas Day, we opened our gifts, then crowded into the car and went to my maternal grandmother's house and opened more presents and ate Christmas dinner.

I don't remember any specific presents; there are no photos of me with any 'special' items.

Have a great weekend and don't forget to check out Kenzie's post Sunday over at The Writer's Evo:)

It's December Already???

2011-12-01T06:39:00.001-08:00

ACK! Where did November go? Oh wait; I spent the first two weeks in the editing cave....one week in relax mode...the last ten days working on two different wips. And anticipating PAYDAY. That's where it went.

NaNo Word Count: 7789. But add to it the editing I did....51,337; or, to be more exact, 667. So add the editing total to the WC and I get 8456. So I was slightly off by 2k from that estimate yesterday. But hey; it's a start! Or, I can be totally cheating if I add the entire thing: 59,126:) Hey; not bad at all! LOL!

No; Final NaNo Word Count: 8,456. I'll keep writing through the weekend, then beginning next Tuesday, Dec 6th, I start my holiday baking. Look for details next Monday, and don't forget to come back tomorrow for memories of my 6th birthday/Christmas and the link to Kenzie's Favorite Holiday Recipe:)

Stay warm; our temps dipped into the mid-20's last night, though they are expected to rise into the high 40's.

Payday agenda:
-Pay rent and utilities
-Buy needed food supplies and household items
-Write
-Take daughter to appointment
-Take youngling to basketball practice
-Dinner out or I'll throw something together while spouse and W are at b-ball:)

Karaoke Wednesday

2011-11-30T08:36:00.001-08:00

Tonight, at the Billie and Molly Show Spectacular, along with Vickers, Steve, Cheryl, and whoever else decided to join in, I will be attempting the following songs:
-Back at One-Brian McKnight
-Band of God-Belinda Carlisle
-Because of You-Kelly Clarkson
-Before He Cheats-Carrie Underwood
-Because You Loved Me-Celine Dion
-Bad Company (maybe...I'm still undecided)
-Beauty and the Beast (if I can find someone willing to duet with me!)

Yes, I hear you...I posted these same ones last week. BUT, being the night before a holiday, the bar was packed; we didn't have our usual table; and the rotation was an hour long. We're hoping for a smaller crowd tonight. I'm finally on page #2 of my selected songs; I've been doing this now for what, two or three months? And just now got to the 2nd page?

I think the week of my birthday, I'm going to select a few of the new ones and sing those. Or maybe devote that week to Christmas tunes. Who knows; I still have three weeks to decide:)

Anyway, I'm off to the writing cave. Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo, and I think my combined word count is roughly 10K. So I'm doing fine:)

NaNo Update: Diving Into New Territory....

2011-11-29T05:27:00.001-08:00

Normally by now, I'm either hyperventilating or bemoaning the fact my muse is exhausted from trying to pound out 1600 words every day. In 2007, my family was ready to have me committed to the mental ward, as I pretty much neglected the housework. In 2008, I didn't put so much pressure on myself, but was mad at myself for not doing more. 2009 and 10, I relaxed. And this year, while I didn't sign up for NaNo, I spent the first two weeks editing a 50K manuscript and my 2007 NaNo project, now whittled to 41K.

Last week, I spent two days typing up the 4K handwritten paranormal I'd begun in 2002 or 3 after reading my first EC books. And kept going, adding another thousand words. Took a break for Thanksgiving and to spend time with my kids.

On Sunday, something unusual happened around here. The youngling found Gnomeo and Juliet on his brother's NetFlix account, so I watched it with him. Meanwhile, the daughter hijacks my laptop for homework. After reading everything on my e-reader, and after the college kid left to return to Purdue, I wandered into the living room where the SU was watching The Walking Dead marathon. I'm not into zombies, so after a while I wandered out of the room again.

The youngling was watching Toy Story 3 on the desktop by this time, so after watching a little bit with him, I was restless. Puttered around, doing minor chores, and then finally wandered back to the living room. And ended up watching three complete episodes and pissing off the SU by asking questions during the commercial breaks.

Ended up sticking around at midnight to watch the rerun of the finale, since I had been putting the youngling to bed, and watching The Talking Dead, where the host interviewed the creator, producer, and one of the actors.

Fell into bed at 1am.....and woke up yesterday morning with an idea.

If you've been a loyal reader of this blog, you'll remember one Saturday morning when I woke up with a Very Angry Person in my head. I wrote down his story, then wondered what to do with it. I sent it to a friend, who sent it to another friend, who emailed me.

"I sooo see zombies in the next scene!"

I told him to write it, and it was decided the three of us would collaborate.

But the boys never held up their end, and it's just been sitting there on my hard drive, collecting dust.

Until yesterday.

It took me a while to find it; I'd forgotten what I'd named the file. But after I re-read the original 3 pages, I flexed my fingers and began writing. Three hours later, I had another three pages written (among various interruptions!), and another thousand words added.

And then I hit the creative wall.

I'm going to try punching my way through it today. I don't know if I'll succeed or not, but thankfully tonight at Crit Group, I can get input on where it needs improvement or more ideas on where to take it. This is soooo far out of my comfort zone!

But every now and then you just have to step out, right?

Wish me luck:)

Saturday Book Review (And Stupid Saying)

2011-11-26T06:35:00.001-08:00

First of all, today's stupid saying:
In the future, I plan on taking more of an active role in the decisions I make.
-socialite Paris Hilton

Duh! (head slap) I would certainly hope so!

And now for the books I've read lately:

This book contains both Woman On Fire and Jillian's Job. I'd read Woman On Fire before in e-format, so I eagerly devoured Jillian's Job. I loved it and had a hard time putting it down:)

This was my first Linda Kage book, and it took me back to my own high school years of finding out the 'popular basketball player' was actually interested in (gasp!) ME! Very enjoyable read and one I definitely recommend:) I look forward to Ms Kage's other work!

I think this is the one I had to finish reading on my laptop; for whatever reason, only pages 1-8 showed up on my laptop. I really enjoyed the story, and watching Sara's ex-husband taken down a notch. I'm going to download it again so I can read at my leisure, rather than scrolling rapidly to avoid underage eyes from seeing anything inappropriate, lol!

I really enjoyed this one! I wanted to grab Colin and go with him back to Scotland, lol!

This is my first Allie Standiffer book, and it won't be my last! I thoroughly enjoyed the interaction between Petra and Roman, and loved how she included Duchess the dog near the end! Great job Allie!

Next up:
I'm currently reading A Long Time Coming, soon to be followed by Wet Ride, then Whiz Bang. I somehow managed to skip Bound and Determined, so need to go back and read it. Desiree Holt never fails to entertain me, as does Rita Carlysle.

Happy Saturday:) Today on the agenda is putting up the tree and decorating the house for Christmas. My College Kid returns to Purdue tomorrow, so I'm enjoying the time we spend together.

Kenzie will be posting a short story tomorrow on The Writer's Evo blog, so stop by and say hi?

Flashback Friday: My New Job

2011-11-25T08:04:00.001-08:00

November 2001:
A friend of mine was now a monitor on the preschool bus at the school corporation and mentioned they were in a bind: One of the drivers had an emergency coming up and they needed another driver/monitor.

"Didn't you tell me you used to drive for somebody to and from school?"

"Yes; Crossroads in Indianapolis."

"You really need to talk to Mike, and put your application in."

I thought about it; talked it over with the spouse, and as the deadline drew nearer and they still hadn't found the right person, I put my application in. A phone call later that day, and I was heading in to talk to Mike, the head of the Transportation Department.

He asked me about my driving experience and education background, then hired me on the spot.

"You've got the best resume of all the ones I've seen. Can you be here at 6am tomorrow?"

"S-sure."

6am? OMG...suddenly I was going to have to wake everyone up at 5:30am; make sure my kids got on the bus at 7am, and have the teenage neighbor watch them after school. Thankfully, this would only last three days, and then I'd be on call. I could handle that, right?

And it was fun, at first. I got to know all the kids and both drivers, and after dropping the kids at school, we met at a coffee shop in Clayton for breakfast. I was home by 10:15 and collapsed into bed for a nap.

At noon, I took a shower and was back at the school by 1, then arrived home around 5.

Thanksgiving arrived, and we traveled south to the MIL's house. And received a shock two hours later: Nephew D and his girlfriend arrived....and announced they were expecting. "Andrew" would be born in the spring.

I don't think Niece J and little MDQ (age 3 months) were there that day; I don't think I met MDQ until Easter 2002.

Present Day:
I made chocolate chip muffins this morning. I'd started watching The Social Network last night when company arrived, so finished it the morning. It nearly made me want to delete my FB account. MZ came off extremely arrogant, but after I thought about it, I think he was snowed over by SP, and it was a case of bad decision-making. Slow-rise vs meteoric rise and not caring who gets hurt in the process? Everything worked out in the end, but the mom in me wanted to storm in and knock some heads around, plus deliver a loyalty and friendship lecture.

I am not a Black Friday shopper. I don't have the desire to fight the crowds, nor do I have the finances to shop. If we do ever get fiscally solvent again, I plan to shop online or at least get the majority bought by October. I heard a woman pepper-sprayed her 'competition' in L.A. over an X-Box. Seriously?

I plan to take down my Thanksgiving decorations and start hauling up the Christmas ones. And that means rallying the troops to clean up some of the mess from yesterday. Yes, my spouse and the teenagers left sticky plates in the living room, and crumbs on the floor.

Have a good weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving:)

2011-11-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

I love this song:)

Happy Thanksgiving:)

Happy Wednesday:)

2011-11-23T07:07:00.001-08:00

The winner of the free download is......

Liz Crowe!

Congratulations!

My College Kid arrived home safely yesterday and surprised his little brother at his class's Thanksgiving Feast:) He also rescued me last night when the tire blew on my car, and was able to put the doughnut on it. Thankfully, I was only going 25 mph and never lost control of the vehicle.

Today we will be cleaning up the house in preparation for tomorrow. I have no idea if anyone else will be here, but we've got a turkey, ham, stuffing, noodles, mashed potatoes, veggies, and rolls planned for tomorrow, as well as whatever desserts we decide to whip up.

And tonight at karaoke, I plan to sing:
-99 Times (Kate Vogel)
-Angels Will Fall (I plan to practice this BEFORE I leave, lol!)
-Back At One
-Band of Gold
-Beauty and the Beast (if I can find a duet partner)
-Because of You
-Because You Loved Me
-Before He Cheats

I finally started my NaNo project! (Hey, better late than never!) I began typing up the paranormal romance I began back in 2002 or 3. It is 26 handwritten pages and when I quit at 1am, I'd typed 13 pages of it and was over the 2K mark.

So have a Happy Thanksgiving and if you're in the mood to laugh, check back tomorrow. But if you don't like Adam Sandler, stay away. Just giving you a head's up!

New Cover Art!

2011-11-22T08:07:00.001-08:00

Blurb:

Meet Keri Patterson, asophomore at Arbor University, pursuing a dream to one day be a part of an Indy car racingteam. Along the way, she meets and fallsfor an older man. With the innocence ofher first love, Keri tries to balance her ambition to be the first femalemember of a racing pit crew and her awakening femininity. Will Keri and Kyle’s romance survive thehairpin twists and turns, or is disaster looming?

Kyle is not withoutproblems of his own. He wasn’t expectingto meet the girl of his dreams before the ink is dry on the divorcepetition. Trying to keep the two facetsof his life separate, he discovers there is a fine line between love and hate,as well as deception and protection. Butlife doesn’t always get wrapped up in neat packages. Sometimes it blows up in your face.

Releasing Jan 2012:)

I've also been interviewed on Drea Becraft's blog, so come over and say hi? Leave a comment and you just might win a free download:)

Kenzie's Good News!

2011-11-21T05:17:00.001-08:00

Teacher's Pet has a release date! This book will finally be released on Dec 13th at Freya's Bower:)

For those of you who have been patiently waiting and thinking, "Gee, you've been talking about this book forever!", you're not alone. Here's the timeline (life line?) of this book:

Sept 2007: Was challenged by another author to see if I could increase my heat level from sensual to hot. Wrote out a three page scene and sent it to her. Reaction: "Yeah! That's exactly what I mean. Now stay with it!"

Nov 2007: Decided to sign up for NaNo and work on this story.

Nov 30th 2007: After the story tried to end itself twice, I finally put enough BS scenes to get to the 50K word length and happily downloaded my 'winner' certificate.

March 2008: Decided to open the document and reread it, having been so sick of the characters and the story on Dec. 1st, 2007, lol! Discovered I have a pretty good story....

Summer 2008- May 2009: Worked with a crit partner to clean up any issues and tried to work up the nerve to submit it. All She Ever Wanted had been published, so decided to send TP off.

Dec 2009: Received contract.

January 2010: Received cover art.

May 2010: While in the middle of Graduation Hell, my new editor introduced herself. She mentioned she was working on nine other MS's, so I wrote her back and told her to take her time with mine; my oldest child was graduating from HS and I was more than willing to wait a few weeks.

June 2010: Said editor dropped me and four others, due to overwork and other issues.

Fall 2010: Another editor introduced herself.

Spring 2011: Two editors decided to swap MS's.

June 2011: 1st round edits finally arrive.

Nov 2011: 2nd, third, and final edits arrive and finished.

Nov 18, 2011: Release date is revealed and TP joins the 'coming soon' page on the site.

Now, all I have to do is write my dedication once I get the galley and promote the hell out of this book! And yes, make a PG version for my mom....

Wow! Can we get a blurb and the link?

Sure:)

What happens when you discover the man you had mind-blowing sex with three months ago is your son's teacher? Tammy Saunders is horrified when she realizes the man who set her heart racing is her son's favorite teacher. With one bad relationship behind her, will she trust her heart again, or will she continue to deny her feminine side?

And is this particular teacher popular only with his students? Kevin has made some bad choices in his life, but sleeping with not only one, but now two, of his students' mothers, has got to be the worst mistake he ever made. Especially when he realizes he's lost his heart to one of them...

Excerpt:

“Mr. Taylor?” She hesitated in the doorway. “You wanted to speak to me about Danny?”

He shoved himself off the desk, his erection growing stiffer by the moment. “Call me Kevin.” He took her hand and closed the door. “I’ve been out of my mind, wondering who you were these past few months.” He brought her hand up to his mouth, lips grazing the backside.

She jerked her hand away. “That was a mistake.” She put some space between them. Color flooded her face. “I can’t believe we…that I allowed…you know,” she sputtered.

“To fuck you brainless?” He arched an eyebrow.

Her complexion was now darker than her t-shirt. “Could we please talk about my son?” she asked, teeth clenched. She cleared her throat. “I mean, that is why you called.”

“I lied. You’ve haunted me for months, Tammy. I go to sleep at night, and you’re in my dreams. I catch sight of a woman whose hair flows down her back and try to see of her face, hoping it’s you.” He noted her startled expression and stepped back. “Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of me these past months…”

* * * *

Oh the arrogance of a good looking man! I may have let Bruce steamroll over me in our marriage, but I’ve grown up in the past three years; I know how to handle men like you.

Her eyebrows arched. “Thought of you?” Time to take him down a notch. “Oh, right. Let me see if I have this correctly. We have mind-blowing sex, I run off to collect my kids, and you’re telling me that you, Mr. Obviously Popular, can’t sleep at night because the poor sex-starved widow never bothered to tell you her name? Is your ego that fragile?” She laughed. “Believe me,me; I’ve lost no sleep over it.” She crossed her arms over her chest. That ought to cool him off.

He closed the distance between them. “Then let me refresh your memory.” Kevin cupped her face in his hands and angled his mouth over hers. His tongue prodded between her lips; with a quiet moan, she opened them.

Link:

http://www.freyasbower.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=273

So what was your other news?

My first official post is up on The Writer's Evolution:) Go over, say hi, and let me know if the same demons are stalking you?

Thanks for having me on here today Molly!

Flashback Friday: Baby Shower!

2011-11-18T10:51:00.001-08:00

Nov 1991:
As I entered the last month of pregnancy, two baby showers were held for me. Among the gifts were a baby book; Mickey Mouse bumper pad and quilt set; onezies; sleepers; crib sheets; a baby's 1st Piggy Bank (complete with plenty of coins inside); Mickey Mouse mobile; and a bear which played 'Jesus Loves Me' when you wound him up.

I was now seeing Dr. Mark every two weeks and was still in good health.

At my weekend job, I was excused from the mandantory Thanksgiving Day shift and my belly was so huge, I literally could not see my feet. One Sunday morning, I was struggling to cram my swelling feet into my work shoes when the country club manager saw me and asked how I was doing.

"I can't get my shoes on!"

"You know what? Just wear your tennis shoes and be comfortable."

I almost kissed him!

Kathy, the other waitress who'd come up pregnant, went into labor. She'd previously told me she'd planned to have her sister come over when her labor pains began, in order to French-braid her hair. Well, as luck would have it, Kathy went into labor in the middle of the night. The first thing she told me when I went to see her?

"Cut your hair! I was miserable with all this hair hanging in my face!"

I'd already made an appointment to get my hair cut:) The spouse wasn't happy about it, but I didn't want hot, wet, stringy hair hanging in MY face either! Yeah, I'm all about comfort:)

One of the lenses to my glasses popped out; I drove myself to Dr. Tavel and found a set of replacement frames. It turned out my frames had broken in two; thank God for prescription sunglasses!

Funny Cravings:
Winter had officially 'hit'; a blizzard had arrived and all of a sudden, every night at 10pm, I wanted a Hardee's chocolate Frozen Yogurt cone. There were three Hardees within a mile's range of us, and the spouse received some funny looks the nights it was 10 degrees, snow blowing, and we pull up to the drive-through and order ice cream. Usually I got a nice tall cone, but one memorable evening the spouse was thankful the pregnancy was nearly over.

We had gone to the closest Hardee's, but the cone was so small, I had it consumed by the time we'd left the parking lot. I asked him to get me another one. Instead of turning around, he drove to the one across the highway, who still had their light on. But as soon as we pulled up to the drive-through, their lights went out. We sat there for a few minutes, but no one took our order. So we drove to the one closer to town, and my cone was about five inches high! I happily licked it all the way back to the turn off to our apartment. The spouse decided to go to the airport to watch the planes and asked if I minded. But my bladder was getting full, so I asked him to stop so I could use the facilities. Burger King happened to be open, so we pulled in and I ran inside. We continued on to the airport and watched the planes taking off and landing a while, then returned home.

Next month: The Big Day arrives!

SERIOUSLY?????

2011-11-16T05:29:00.001-08:00

First of all, Kenzie's guest blogging over at Tina Donahue's place, so drop in for a sneak peek at Teacher's Pet and say hi?

One my daughter's friends informed us she was going to Walmart at 9pm on Thanksgiving Day in order to be in line for a 40" television ($250).

I asked, "You're going at 9pm just so you can be first in line at 4am?"

"No; Walmart is opening at 10pm Thanksgiving night."

O.M.G.

And then I heard this morning on the radio some stores are opening at midnight, which means some workers have to leave their families in the middle of Thanksgiving festivities in order to have everything ready for the INSANE shoppers who 'just can't wait'.

When did we get so greedy?

I think I complained the week of Halloween because I was seeing Christmas decorations go up Oct 31st. And Christmas carols being played on Nov 1st. Seriously? I know there are only two T-day songs (Adam Sandler's Turkey Song and Over The River And Through The Woods), but good gravy....at the rate we're going, Christmas will be an all-year event and it won't be special anymore! Think about it: Some places already do 'Christmas in July' specials, so is Easter/Christmas really that far behind? 'Black Monday' the day after Easter? Give me a break!

I heard the workers of Target and some other stores (forgive me; I was in shock that people actually had to DO this) have started an online petition for retail workers to be able to enjoy Thanksgiving with their families. I'll admit; not everyone has the luxury of being at home on holidays. Heath care, travel industry, food service/hospitality/entertainment and any service-oriented career workers have to work. Plus gas stations need to be open, and a few convenience stores....hey, I once ran out of diapers or baby wipes, or forgot we needed milk. But I digress. Where was I? Oh yes. I remember a few years back when a family friend got up super early on Black Friday to take advantage of the $25 DVD/VCR combo player. Guess what? Two weeks later that very same item was STILL only $25!

Or if you have that money to burn, stay home and shop online! My favorite Black Friday as an adult was a few years ago when I did most of my shopping on Amazon.com in my pj's. I ventured out around 2pm and went to a local store and missed the crowds entirely. The store was a mess, but I found what I wanted and didn't have to wait in a long line OR get trampled by people shoving.

I used to love it when I had the majority of my Christmas shopping in layaway by the end of September. But those days are now behind us, due to financial reasons. So this Christmas, I'm having to use some creativity, and besides the cookies I normally make, I'm taking a stab at making my own homemade chocolates. I still have to buy a few candy molds, but wish me luck! While the rest of you are fighting the crowds, I'll be in my kitchen, up to my elbows in flour and sugar. Any local friends reading this: Stop in from your frenzied shopping and you'll get a hot cup of coffee or cocoa and a fresh-baked treat. My gifts are made with love and besides, everyone likes stocking gifts, right?

Remember: It's the thought behind the gift which means the most, not the amount of money spent (until you're old enough to appreciate that statement!)

New Cover Art!

2011-11-14T05:32:00.001-08:00

Isn't it pretty? I think he exudes Matt's personality perfectly! A little full of himself and cocky, but you can see in his eyes he loves Amy. And for her part, that faraway look in her eye tells you she wishes she could see him more than twice a year:)

Blurb:

Can a blind date turn into a romance? Amy Callahan wants to find out, so when she flies to California to spend a week with Matt Slagal, she discovers the ups and downs of a long distance relationship. Which one prevails..."Absence makes the heart grow fonder" or, "Out of sight, out of mind"?

In other news:
Kenzie has been asked to join The Writer's Evolution:) She'll be posting on Sundays, so I'll try to make a point of reminding you, at least on Friday!

I also finished self-editing book #4, Balancing Act, over the weekend. Now I just need to double check the file; I discovered early last week I'd renamed it 'Gretchen 3', but have been editing 'LTSTA 2'. So I need to check both files to see where I stopped editing G3. Very annoying! Note to self: Please remember which file is the one to be edited?

Over the weekend, I had hoped to veg out and enjoy a mini-vacation, but when 1am early Saturday hit, and I was still eleven pages from the end of BA, I called it a night and decided to sleep in. I was mildly shocked when I woke up at ten-thirty! And discovered Kenzie's Teacher's Pet edits waiting for me also! So I did TP first, and got stuck on a minor issue. Finished editing the rest and sent the issue to a friend for input. Then I tackled BA and finished it. The SU and daughter had asked me earlier what movie I wanted from the video store, and brought me 'Love And Other Drugs'. But by the time I was finished with the edits, all I wanted to do was crawl in bed and sleep.

Yesterday after church, I tackled the scene and sent it off. Then settled in front of the DVR and watched 2 Broke Girls, The Good Wife, L&O SVU, and CBS Sunday Morning. Then followed it with 60 Minutes (I only wanted to see one segment), and Amazing Race. Still haven't watched last night's Good Wife or LAOD, but that's on tap for today. Yes, I am putting off my NaNo project for one more day. I have some blog posts to write and laundry, then I'm exercising my right to watch TV and one movie today.

I also have to make arrangements for Tuesday night or Wednesday: My BFF called at 8am and told me her dad had suddenly passed away last night. So I need to make a trip to Anderson, IN either Tuesday night or at least Wednesday morning. Now I think I know why I kept forgetting to cash my royalty checks last week: That's going to be my gas money! See? Everything happens for a reason. Not how I'd envisioned spending my money, and I'll probably miss out on karaoke this week, but hey...it's my BFF.

Flashback Friday: Strange Way Of Making A New Friend!

2011-11-11T07:52:00.001-08:00

November 1981:
I'd managed to get good grades during the 1st nine weeks of the semester, plus had a new boyfriend. I began to relax and notice other kids in my classes.

One guy in my 3rd hour P.E. class looked like a guy in my 4th hour Algebra class. I took a second look; no, they were two different people. In P.E., we began a weight-lifting unit, and the good-looking one I'd noticed was paired with me, courtesy of our teacher.

Since I had no idea what I was doing, and Mr. Good-Looking did, I followed him around and copied his movements (often too heavy for me, lol!) We reached the machine where you hook your feet under the bars to raise the weights, and I guess he decided to take pity on me.

"You want me to change the weights?"

My pride rose. "No; if you can do it, so can I." I went on to successfully lift the 100lb weights; got up and said, "See? What's so hard about that?"

The next day, I could not get out of bed. Further inspection showed I'd probably torn or at least pulled the muscles in my legs. Mom wrapped both knees and sent me off to P.E. with a note. I limped into class; the teacher told me to only run one lap instead of two. So after our warm up exercises, I followed along at a much slower pace, sort a wounded horse gallop.

Mr. Good-Looking lapped me, dragging one leg behind him. "Oh, my leg. Oh, my leg!"

"Shut up Cross!" (his last name was on his T-shirt.)

"I offered to reset the weights!"

This went on for two more days. He and I badgered each other during our one and only class, and when the swimming until began, I proved to be the only female swimmer who could almost out-swim the boys. And one fatal day, B (yes, I finally asked him his first name!) and I were on opposite sides of the pool (we swam the width, not the length, and in the deep end). I dove in; surfaced, and began my crawl stroke. All of a sudden, my right hand landed on a bare shoulder at the same time one landed on mine. Next thing I know, we're hugging each other and heading for the bottom of the pool. We let go of each other, surfaced, apologized, then went on our merry way. And took some ribbing from other classmates about making out, lol!

That was also the day my boyfriend K had asked me to meet him after class, so instead of going out the doors I usually did, I joined B and a few others at the other exit to the gym.

"I hear you're dating K. Why him?"

"Why not him? We're both in band, and we spent a lot of time together last month."

"He has no neck. How can you date a guy like that?"

I was beginning to fume. "He does too have a neck. Why don't you mind your own business?"

By this time, we'd reached my meeting spot. I saw K and stopped walking. B grinned, shook his head, and continued on.

The next day, B again questioned my reasons behind dating K. And then when I turned around to walk with him, K was upset.

"Why are you walking down the hall with HIM? He's an ass."

"He's in my class, and just a jerk. He caught up with ME, not the other way around."

But by the end of the month, B and I were on friendly terms, while my relationship with K was strained, since I lived six miles out of town and neither of us had our drivers licenses yet. And Marching Band contests were over, so we only saw each other in the hallway before lunch, or after school. And none of our other classes 'meshed', so we didn't even see each other during the passing periods.

Next Month: Good Gossip Travels Fast and The Curse of My Neighbor Haunts Me! (Yes, it's funny!)

Terrific Tuesday with Mahalia Levey:)

2011-11-08T10:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome! Please introduce yourself and tell us about your latest release.

Good Morning,

I'm Mahalia Levey aka Hales. I'm a multipublished author digitally for now. The Price of Defiance just released. I've been excited because it was released previously but only as a very short story less than three thousand words. It's now forty-eight thousand words and some change :) As you can tell that's quite an expansion.

Have you ever had an idea for a story which scared you after you began writing it?

No. I get an idea and just roll with it! I have had stories hit difficult patches but that happens a lot to everyone.

Have you incorporated actual events from your own life into your books?

Yes. I was adopted and had some emtional trauma and issues in my adoptive family that have made me the person I am today. I have a lot of darkness in me that no one sees. I'm generally really happy but sometimes when triggered the crap comes rushing back and I have to wade through the bad memories. I use my demon world build to unleash all the angst and hurt. It's very theraputic and free lol.

How much research do you do? Do you research first and then write, or do you write first, then research as needed?

Sometimes I research. I generally set the settings at places I've been to. I don't do many time pieces so if needed I'll just search up a topic or an area I have never been to.

Is there any message you want readers to take from reading your work?

I think it depends on the story. I write a lot of Inter racial and there's always a learning lesson. The unique part of being three different races is that I know the cultural norms of all of them, the bad sides and the good sides of each one. I've also lived in the high mid class neighborhoods and then you could say near poverty ones. I've been in the culture pot of the world and lived in the hood an seen an entire different life than the one I was born into. Experiences help make us who we are. So I have a ton of life lessons to offer and share. I sometimes do that in a story.

I think one of the crucial moments in my life was the first time someone pointed out I wasn't white. I was adopted by a caucasion family. I'd assumed I was tan. I wasn't a color growing up I was a daughter and that fist fight in second grade with a little mean boy set the stage for me to lose my innocence very early. After that I understood the whisperings and ways people would look at my mother.

Are you a plotter or a pantser? And have you ever had a story take on a life of its own?

I am a panslotter. I have a premise and a title before I begin. I search out names I'd like to use and then put down the beginning, soft middle and possible ending. From there I write until the story is done and I don't write the characters they write me :P I find if I force something I have to backtrack and fix it.

How long did it take for you to be published?

Um. I was asked to challenge myself in end of 08 with no experience. I sent something in a month later. Got a rejection but revise and resubmit and a handful of months later had a contract. My first book didn't release til May 2010

If you could go back and tell yourself anything when you first began your writing career, what would you say?

If you don't remember basic technique and grammar lessons to brush up. I went in blind and had to do a lot of catching up. I took as many classes as I could find on line for whatever interested me to hone quickly. I'm still working on my craft it's an on going learning process but if I'd have thought to take classes earlier it'd been a lot easier for me.

Laptop or pen and ink? What are your ‘must-haves’ when writing?

Laptop. My writing is atrocious. I have to have music, noise, snacks and coffee. Used to be chocolate and coffee now it's healthy snacks and decaf coffee.

Who are your favorite authors? Who would you say influenced you the most?

I have so many. Sherrilyn Kenyon of course. Joey W Hill, LKH,Anne Rice, C Feehan, Johanna Lindsay, Madeline Hunter, Galen Foley, Karin Tabke, Virna DePaul, Sandy Sullivan, Andrew Grey, Laurann Dohner, KoKo Brown, Debra Glass and there are so many more. SK influenced me the most and the rest are constant inspirations.

What would your readers be surprised to learn about you?

I don't know. Probably that I didn't grow up in a Christian home.

For Fun:

Favorite Thanksgiving memory?

Hmm. I don't have a childhood one. My mother was an absent parent more into her patients than her children. We usually went to The Holiday Inn Buffet rather than her cooking on holidays.

After I left home I learned how to cook from my children's father and his family. It was my first time sitting at a table with people there and not alone. It was nice. Thanksgiving is now one of my fav holidays. I love to make sweet potato muffins.

Any special Thanksgiving traditions?

Cooking :P

Pumpkin Pie or cake?

Sweet Potato Pie. I made pumpkin pie for the family and was looked at like i was crazy. African American families don't gen do Pumpkin pie lol. Needless to say learning dif cousine for the dif sides of me has been an education.

Thank you for being here today! Please tell us where we can find your books.

You can find me at

www.mahalialevey.com

www.mahalia2010.wordpress.com

www.twitter.com/hales3000

fb search Mahalia Levey

Blurb

America Patterson loves living on the edge. Car model by day, illegal street racer by night, she’s known as the best. Except underneath her flawless façade lies a young woman filled with turmoil. When her hobby lands her in hot water, she finds herself handcuffed and bailed out by the one person who’d abandoned her….

MMA Fighter Alejandro Escovedo is summoned home after a tournament that had left him sore and questioning his career. Expecting a nice welcome home, he instead finds himself rescuing his best friend’s sister out of jail. This time he’s had enough.

Their explosive past gives him all the rights where America is concerned, and he is more than ready to take her on. By ending her daredevil ways and finding the trigger to her self-destructive behavior, will he convince her he’s back to stay or drive her further away?

Genre: Erotic romance, BDSM, contemporary

~Excerpt~

“America, where are you?”

“Saint, I’m in big trouble.” Amy gripped the cell tightly to her ear. “I’m at Truman Memorial Hospital, about to be taken to jail.” She started to sob when reality dawned on her.

“Thank God, you’re alive. I’ve been going out of my mind since the link to the wreck was sent to my cell phone. Sit tight. We’ve been fielding police and the media, trying to protect your professional name. Sis, Alejandro demanded to be the one to handle the situation.”

“I’m sorry for scaring you.” Her brother and his team of misfits were all she had while growing up. Being named after their country of conception and proved just how zany her family was. Saint Vincent got his name chopped in half to Saint. “Is this going to hurt your business?”

“No. Alejandro will make sure you have a smooth transaction. I’m forwarding him your info now. Sit still and relax. Can’t have the baby of the family locked up and forgotten.”

She winced at the thought of seeing Alejandro again after so long. Her voice dropped an octave. “Can’t you come? I haven’t seen him since—”

“Miss, we’re ready to transport you to the police department,” Officer Blake interrupted.

“I gotta go.” Amy snapped the phone shut and handed it back to the officer. He was kind enough to leave, allowing her to change into the scrubs they’d sent for. She rapped and opened the door after toeing into the slip-on canvas shoes. “I’m ready.” Head dropped low, she allowed them to escort her to the jailhouse that was a ten-minute ride away.

Being booked took longer than she’d expected, and it mortified her. A nifty machine imprinted her fingerprints electronically after they took her mug shot. The issue with her identification became clear once she had a chance to speak and separate her professional identity from her personal one. When they finished processing her fingerprints and mug shot, she followed them through general population and looked at all the criminals on the way to her holding cell. The door buzzed and opened, and she was ushered in. She cast a glance at the officer, who shook his head, locked the door, and turned his back.

I’m not a criminal.

Recharging The Batteries

2011-11-07T06:33:00.000-08:00

You have to do something for yourself every once in a while, right? I chose to indulge in some mild 'shopping therapy' the past several days.

-I bought a beautiful, gray-and-black striped shirt for either wearing to karaoke; New Year's Eve; or even to a signing next year.

-I also convinced the SU to let me get a sleeveless white sweater, to wear over any long-sleeved tee or even a turtleneck this winter. And, I think it will look even better on me if I cut off the belt loops; the belt is too small for my waist, but that was the largest size they had.

-Saturday, I grabbed friend BC Brown and we went off to the VendorFest Craft Show. Neither of us bought anything; I've set up at this particular craft show the last 2 years just to get the word out that I do indeed exist. It was not a rewarding experience, and the organizers hiked the booth rental fee, so I chose not to participate. And judging from those vendors I spoke with, I'm not the only one who was discouraged. But it did have an upside: Several vendors remembered me and asked how my books were selling. So I passed out a few cards and introduced BC, who had brought some of her cards as well.

And then I took a wrong turn, so we 'wandered' Washington until we found our way back to the main road!

-After returning to 'civilization', we grabbed something to drink and headed over to Fantastic Sam's and indulged in a wash and style. BC's turned out great; mine looked like Nigel from Spinal Tap. But what the hell; it's not like I needed to look awesome or anything! Came home, fixed hamburgers for the family, and got sucked into watching Storage Wars all evening.

-Yesterday, I went to across the river and watched a hilarious production of The Birdcage. I had never seen the movie, and BC was working backstage as one of the lead's dressers, so she told me the story. I laughed from the time the curtain went up! I'm sorry I'd forgotten my camera batteries had died; otherwise I'd have pictures of HS football players in drag. And it was a toss-up who upstaged whom: The 'butler/houseboy' or 'Albert'!

Now today, it's back to reality. After suffering through a fifteen minute tirade of 'don't you dare complain about me not letting you have any money; I let you go here and here and there..' as well as complaints about how he let me have unlimited access in the past and 'how you f***ed it up', he shut up and is now letting me type in peace. Why can't he let one tiny mistake (which happened over fifteen YEARS ago) disappear into the forgotten realm of memory?

But no; he's angry and bitter about his situation and health. One the one hand, I wonder if my life had been better if I'd divorced him back in 1993, or if he'd died in 2005. Now, I just want him to hang on until after he gets his disability and my books start earning me a living.

And I've got a secret: That mistake he constantly holds over my head? I was helping out a relative w/o his knowledge, and tried to pay off a bunch of medical bills. If he'd kept his damn hands off the credit card, things would have worked out a lot better. But he suffers from his family's mentality: Someone else is always to blame. And in this case, my signature happened to be on the rubber check. Never mind his quick trip to KFC, Taco Bell, or even Menards or Lowes.

Flashback Friday 1971

2011-11-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

During my whirlwind trip home over the weekend, I looked through the old photo albums and discovered that while, yes I deed I had worn the witch costume for Halloween, my sister was NOT scared; in the photo, quite the opposite; she appeared to be laughing hysterically at me.

There were no Thanksgiving pictures from 1971, but I have to assume we went to relatives for Turkey Day. I know my 8th grade year was the first time I remembered NOT going to someone's house, but that memory will be arriving in nine more years. So check back next month for the 1971 memories of my birthday and Christmas, because there were PLENTY of photos! Or even next week, as I recant an important social event in 1981. Trust me; you will NOT want to miss next week's memory!

Happy Wednesday!

2011-11-02T06:40:00.000-07:00

Life is slowly returning to 'normal', or whatever you care to call 'normal' anymore. The shock of what happened last week is wearing off, and though reality hasn't quite set in for those involved, we're beginning to work through the issue as a family. And no, I'm still not ready for full disclosure yet. Give me a couple more weeks, and I promise I'll stop being so vague.

NaNo is in full swing with my writer's group. One person has already attained nearly 6K; I edited 24 pages yesterday, so I count it rather productive. There are only 85 pages left in that MS, so if things go well, I should finish by the end of the week.

Went shopping this morning for a few needed items like laundry detergent. We'd been low since last week, and I rationed it carefully, only washing underwear, socks, and jeans. I know several loads will be washed today; that really bothers me when it piles up like that.

Disgusted with the whole 'K' clan....if she filed for divorce, then YES, she SHOULD give the ring back! (I'm not giving her the satisfaction of my blog popping up on any references to her last name.) And I heard her whole snit is because she doesn't want to move? Give me a break! What part of 'for better or for worse' did she NOT understand?

Tonight on the karaoke singing list:
-Smile (Uncle Kracker)
-Babe (Styx)
-Best of Times (Styx)
-Baby One More Time (B. Spears)
-Bad Company (Same name)
-Bad Girls (D. Summer)
and Baby I Love Your Way, if she has it.

I'm also taking another shot at Melissa Etheridge's Angels Would Fall. I bombed on it last week, because I forgot the melody! Note to self: Refresh memory with YouTube vids before attempting songs not heard in a while????

I've got a busy day ahead:
-Clean up kitchen (hubby griped, but hey, what's stopping HIM from doing it? Oh wait....that's usually my job....)
-Start laundry (fun, fun, fun.....at least I can edit in between loads)
-Edit some more (hoping for another 24 pages)
-Stop by newspaper office for copies of last Thursday's paper; JF's obit was in it.
-Bank, if other royalty check arrives.
-Take daughter to appointment after school
-Remind the SU to take youngling to dentist; spacers are in for his missing teeth.
-SU said something about a trip to Denny's for b-fast; I want Applebee's for lunch!
-Karaoke tonight! (Hey, I can spring for a round of drinks tonight!)

I also realized I need to write my November newsletter! Oops.....

What's on YOUR agenda for today?

Life, NaNo, Etc.....

2011-10-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

I went home over the weekend to get away from the stress and to attend a 50th anniversary party for friends of the family. My mom wasn't feeling up to going, so thankfully I was able to fill in.

I'm still not ready to talk about the upheaval in our lives; I'm beginning to calm down and make decisions for all involved. I've opened up to only a handful of close friends, and I thank you for your continued prayers. I promise in a month or so I'll disclose everything. I just need time.

On top of everything, I discovered one of my first serious boyfriends passed away last week. JF was the man who taught me about how to live with the opposite sex. During my 3rd year of college, I practically lived with him every weekend. He was ten years my senior, and I was working weekends, so on Friday I'd pack a bag and he'd pick me up after work. I wouldn't return to the dorm until Monday morning, as J had to be at work at 8am and my first class wasn't until 9am.

I'd made a huge mistake on Halloween that year, and as a result we didn't see each other for several weeks. A girl in my 9am class shared an evening class twice a week with J, who carried messages back and forth, as well as telling us how miserable the other was. When I received word of my pending graduation date, I swallowed my pride and called him. He picked me up; we talked; I ended up sleeping over that night. We decided to continue seeing each other, and I even told him I'd stay with him if he asked; I didn't know if I was ready to be separated from him for two months until continuing on with college.

Month #1 went well; we reunited on his birthday. Month #2 depressed me, and my clingy-ness drove him into the arms of another woman. I was devastated, and it was eight months until I even considered dating again.

Mutual friends kept me in touch with him over the years. He married three more times in the past 25 years, and passed away quietly at home with wife #6. There will be no funeral; no showing, per his wishes. I expressed my condolences to his widow, and we had a several-hour dialogue on Face Book last week. She invited me to stop by any time and share memories of him; I may do that after giving her some time. And another good thing has come of this: For years I've often wondered what happened to mutual friends of JF and myself; now I'm 'caught up'.

I regret not going to see him in the past 6 years I've been back in town; I last saw him in 1992, when a friend and I came down to show off our new babies. I thought I'd run into him eventually; it's a small town. But no....and I extended an invitation back in 2008 for him to come to Evansville, where I was signing books. His no-show left me with the feeling he'd moved on and wasn't interested in seeing me. Now I learn he either never received it or the invitation was misplaced.

But I have happy memories of him; the book loosely based on him will be out in January, and I located the pictures I'd taken of him 25 years ago.

NaNoWriMo
NaNo begins tomorrow and I'd planned to carve out some writing time, in order to either drag Lynn and Nick back from vacation and talk to me, or else concentrate on either Brock and Trisha or Rick and Thalia, two paranormal romances which are clamoring for attention. But the way today has gone, I may just have to commit one hour a day to writing. Every time I settle in, someone wants my attention, be it email, D griping about the housework, or kids needing homework help or needing rides here and there. I still have two interviews to finish for next month, plus my blog post on the 19th. I'll try to be here on a semi-weekly basis, so bear with me!

Tonight, S will be taking the youngling around. I'm going to attempt Mummy Dogs (hot dogs wrapped in crescent roll strips ala mummy) and Mac-n-Cheese since it's an easy, non-complicated meal.

Tomorrow, both S and youngling have dr. appointments; S for her gastritis and youngling for possible ADD. And it's payday, so it means I get to put food in this house. And buy some books. Yes, the SU has agreed to let me spend $10 on new books:)

Flashback Friday: My Football Star

2011-10-28T03:30:00.000-07:00

2001:
During the Youth League Football playoffs, K forgot his helmet. I dropped him off and returned home as fast as I dared. Forty minutes later, I arrived; a coach was waiting for me. As I parked, I saw him sprint to the other side of the football field.

I walked to the bleachers; our defense stood on our 30-yd line. A time out was called; K ran out onto the field, still fastening his chin strap. Play resumed.

All of a sudden, the ball was fumbled. One of our guys picked it up and ran to the other end of the field. Three plays later, we had scored a touch down.

The other team didn't even get close to our end of the field after that. During one of the games, my SU overheard one of the opposing team coaches say, "What are we going to do about #72? He's spending more time in our backfield than our own guys!"

That was the day I learned how valuable my child was to his football team. Not only could he tackle, but he assisted on offense.

His team won the Super Bowl, effectively shutting out the defending champs, who had been undefeated for several years until my child joined the Monrovia Youth Football League.

K went on to be chosen for the All-Star team, and once again, helped his team go undefeated and win the tournament. Soon afterward, parents asked us if we had any plans to move into the school district, already planning for the junior high and high school years!

Present Day:
We're currently experiencing a family crisis, one I'm not ready to talk about just yet. I just ask for prayers of support and strength as we deal with this sudden upheaval in our lives.

Benefit For Melinda Elmore's Family

2011-10-26T07:07:00.000-07:00

I've got a lot of family stress going on, but nothing which compares to what the Elmore family is dealing with at the moment. Turning my blog over to them for the next two days; please spread the word? Thanks:)

On 10/04/2011 Dancing With Bear Publishing author Melinda Elmore lost her
husband, Tommy, unexpectedly. They have two children, a son, age 23, and a
daughter, 13. There was no insurance to cover final expenses, so DWB
Publishing is hosting a benefit for the Elmore family on 11/01/2011.

Journey To Christmas Creek is a story Tommy used to tell their children, and
Melinda has written this Native American, historical, YA story that will be released on
11/01/2011 at DWD Children's Line

100% of the royalties from the sale of this book for a one-year period will be
donated to Melinda and her family.

Blurb: This historical Native American story takes the reader back to a time when
Indians traveled from one place to another, depending on the time of year. These
moves were made in order to be able to find food, water, and wood for fires.
In Journey To Christmas Creek, the chief’s teenage son, Spotted Buffalo wants to
be thought of as a man, so one night he sneaks off to find the perfect place for the
tribes’ new home. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as quiet as he thought and his younger
sister, Gentle Tears, follows him, insisting he take her along, or she will tell their
parents what he is about to do.

Being blackmailed by a younger sibling is something every big brother or sister can
relate to!

Agreeing to take his sister along, Spotted Buffalo sets her on the horse in front of
him, and heads out beneath a full moon. They don’t get very far before a snowstorm
comes in and they are both very cold. Spotted Buffalo pushes on until he can go no
further but where he stops is at a place called Christmas Creek by the white fur
traders. All does not go well and Gentle Tears must help her brother, and faces great
danger, risking her life to get back to their parents.

When Spotted Buffalo’s father arrives, he is understandably angry but will that
anger keep him from recognizing his son’s efforts to help their tribe and become a
man?

Excerpt:
Spotted Buffalo stepped outside into the radiant sun, and look around the village,
exploding with activity. He walked to the herd of horses, now his responsibility, and
could not wait until he got his very own horse. But first, he would have to become a
man.

He sat on a wooden plank rotting with age, and stared off into the field of flowers
blanketing Mother Earth. Wondering what destiny held for him, Spotted Buffalo
quickly snapped back to reality as his father ap- proached.

“Spotted Buffalo, come, we are preparing to leave.”

Standing proudly, he replied, “Father, this will be best for our people, and I know
Gentle Tears will grow to love our new home.”

Red Sun smiled. “My heart also breaks. I do not wish to move our people from
their home. I also know that it is for the best and sometimes we must make decisions
we do not like.”

Spotted Buffalo walked with his father, as the entire village prepared to leave. It
was a grand sight to see the proud people of the village preparing for the journey
ahead.

www.melindaelmore.webs.com

And The Winner Is......(drum roll)

2011-10-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

Susan!

Congratulations:) Your copy is on its way!

Lots To Do, So Little Time....
The daughter has another dr. appointment this morning, to see about sticking a camera down her throat to determine what the hell is going on inside her tummy. Medicine doesn't seem to be working, and the kid is in agony no matter what she eats.

Also finally have the youngling's parent/teacher conference this afternoon...then a BSA Pack Meeting. And thankfully karaoke's been cancelled tonight; I woke up at 4am and couldn't go back to sleep. So yeah, I'm going to have to either schedule a nap or go to bed early.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the contest, and for all the congratulatory posts:) I'll be going over book #3 again in the coming week before diving back into #4:)

Release Day! I'd Dance, But My Feet Are Killing Me.....

2011-10-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

Seriously; this is a dream come true. One which began in 1985 in a four person suite (Rm 138) of Emison Hall (no longer exists, but there's a nice green park now!) on the campus of Vincennes University. Of course, the story I began writing that year is still locked in my filing cabinet, but the dream sparked 'hey, I CAN write something longer than twenty pages, and entertain people!'

Fast-forward to 1999. I have an agent, and three books written. Unfortunately, they are AU #2,3, and 4. I would send off my three sample chapters, never dreaming it was all a hoax.

In 2000, I had #5 written. Time to get to work on #1, which would prove to be rough: How to write a PREQUEL, and still keep the timeline intact? Somehow in the space of 5 weeks, I managed to pull it off.

June 2002, I discovered a selp-publisher. Six months later, the book was out.....and had problems.

And then I discovered my 'agent' was a fraud.

So now, nine years later, thanks to the kind folks over at Secret Cravings Publishing, my dream has come to fruition. This book is better edited; has a MUCH better cover and title, and Gaddafi has been killed. Yes, the United States issue with this man began in 1986, and is alluded to in this book. Turns out I spelled his name wrong, so please forgive it?

To order your copy, please go here. And remember, book #2, Love Finds A Way releases in December:)

It's not too late to enter my CountDown Contest:) Scroll down for details; winner will be announced tomorrow!

And Why Are My Feet Killing Me?
Simple. Remember my complaints of aching feet and my undignified plop into the mud on Tuesday? Went to the dr on Friday and ended up having both feet X-rayed.

Left foot: Ankle is NOT broken, but they put me into an air cast to keep it stabilized.

Right foot: Planter Fascitis and a hairline fracture below my pinky toe. I have nightly exercises, plus I am not allowed to walk barefoot. And, I'm to stay off my feet as much as possible! Which means the SU is going to have to step up for housework and cooking. Yay! I get to be online all I want:) Plus, I've been icing my ankle every day, and what TV show lasts 15 minutes long? So yeah, I get to watch an hour or so of my DVR'd programs every day with no complaints from the family:)

So today I'll be around the internet, posting excerpts and accepting congratulations. Tomorrow, Wednesday, and maybe even Thursday, fellow author BC Brown and I will be 'Rockin' the Karaoke' in celebration. People are buying the antho Fracas at an incredible rate, so we have plenty to celebrate:)

Flashback Friday and Final Trivia Question:)

2011-10-21T03:30:00.000-07:00

How to play:

-Read each excerpt.

-Answer each question about the previous day's excerpt. Gather the answers and send them to storimom2@aol.com next Monday the 24th and I'll pick a winner:)

Final Question: Where does Eric take Elicia after the Spring Formal?

Oct 1991:

Being two months from delivery, and in an apartment where trick-or-treating was not allowed, I was pleasantly surprised when my upstairs neighbor introduced me to the concept of 'reverse trick-or-treating'.

E handed me a baggie filled with bite sized candy and a gift bag.

"Happy Halloween:) I'm not asking you for candy; I'm giving it to you. The other is a pre-Mommy gift for you."

I think this was also the month we had the boys (Rosey, Tag, and Tiger) neutered! The vet only charged us for two, since we took them in at the same time. Gizmo seemed bewildered to be the only cat in the house for a few hours!

Are You Sick Of Hearing About It Yet?

2011-10-20T03:30:00.000-07:00

How to play:

-Read each excerpt.

-Answer each question about the previous day's excerpt. Gather the answers and send them to storimom2@aol.com next Monday the 24th and I'll pick a winner:)

Final Excerpt:

She turned her attention to her companion, and throughoutthe night, noticed a change in Eric. He had started by holding her ratherstiff, but now, he held her tight against him, and several times placed kisseson her ears, cheeks, and even her lips. His hands skimmed over her hips andeven down her backside. Maybe tonightwill be the night. Elicia shivered with anticipation.

"Cold?" Eric murmured in her ear.

"No, just having a wonderful time."

"So am I, darlin', so am I."

After the last dance played, Eric asked her if she wantedto go somewhere and get dessert. Thinking she knew what he meant, she agreed,but was flabbergasted when he drove, not to his dormitory, but to therestaurant adjoining the Holiday Inn.

"They have the best cheesecake and apple pie." Hepulled into a parking spot.

Confused, and a little let down, she followed him inside, andthey ordered cheesecake.

Over coffee, Eric asked what was wrong.

"Oh, I guess I just read your signals wrong." Shetried not to sound too disappointed. "I thought you had another form of'dessert' in mind."

"The night's not over yet." He took her hand andlooked into her eyes.

"Then..." Maybehe did get a room?

"You'll see." He paid the bill then drove heraround to the back of the motel. After finding a spot to park, he reached inhis pocket and pulled out a key. "Your choice." His voice soundedhusky. "We can go inside and talk; we can go inside and see what develops;or we can go back to campus. Whatever you're comfortable with."

Elicia looked at him, not believing what she was hearing.She unbuckled her seat belt and slid over to him. "Eric, you sweet idiot.A lady doesn't like to be asked inside. She just wants you to take herinside."

**********

Question #3: What's the name of the guest who keeps pestering Elicia?

Bonus Question (Hey, it's my contest!): What are full names of Elicia's roommates? (Hint: check the RBRU post)

5 Days!

2011-10-19T03:30:00.000-07:00

Can you believe this was the original cover back in 2002? I've come a long way since that rush to be published! Granted, it was a learning experience. I learned people liked what I wrote, and that if I smiled and greeted strangers, sometimes they smiled back, and even acted interested in what I had to say. I also learned to fake self-confidence and lo and behold! I think I'm finally comfortable with being ME. And of course, remind me of this should I ever venture to RomantiCon or any other convention by myself....

It's also my day to blog over at RBRU. Plus, there's another excerpt over there:)

How to play:

-Read each excerpt.

-Answer each question about the previous day's excerpt. Gather the answers and send them to storimom2@aol.com next Monday the 24th and I'll pick a winner:)

Excerpt #3:

"Oh, 'scuse me." Hetook a drink from his cup of beer. "Y'know, you're awfully pretty, lady.How'd you like a beer?"

Elicia looked at the shortman, whose greasy hair fell past his shoulders. "No thanks, you'redrunk."

He pulled himself up straight."Am not. I'm jus' getting started. Wha's your name?"

Instead of answering, Eliciamoved past the group to the other side of the flames and joined another group,this time discussing the campus policy on coed dorms. She had voiced heropinion when she was jostled again by the same guy.

"Hey, pretty lady, I'mRon. Wha's your name again?"

"I'm not telling you myname. You're drunk." Elicia sniffed and turned her back on him.

"Now tha's not very nice.I jus' wanna know, can I get you a beer?"

"No thanks." Eliciaexcused herself and moved on.

The third group of people shejoined were gossiping about a couple's sexual activities, and when she saw Ronapproach, she headed for Eric's side and slipped her arm through his.

Eric looked surprised. Eliciawhispered, “I can't get rid of this guy over there...please, just playalong?"

"Sure, whatever." Heslid his arm around her waist. "Which guy?"

Out of the corner of her eye,Elicia saw Ron's obvious disappointment as he came closer.

"Oh, hey, man. Didn'trealize she was your woman. Pretty lady you've got. All I was trying to do wasget her a beer."

*******

Question #2: Where does Wayne take Gretchen for breakfast?

LOTR Trivia Contest:)

2011-10-18T03:30:00.000-07:00

How to play:

-Read each excerpt between now and Thursday.

-Answer each question about the previous day's excerpt. Gather the answers and send them to storimom2@aol.com next Monday the 24th and I'll pick a winner:)

Excerpt #2:

“You know thistown better than I do. The only place I know that’s open this time of night isDenny’s.”

“That soundsbetter than Waffle House.” Waynesteered the car in the right direction.

Once seated,Gretchen with a cup of hot chocolate, and Wayne with coffee, and several baconstrips to share, Wayne revealed his turmoil.

“I can’t believe Ididn’t see the signs.” He shook his head. “Imean, at first, and please don’t take this the wrong way in any shape or form,but the majority of the girls who hang around the House play by the same rules. There’s no getting serious, they arethere strictly for the fun, and if it lasts for a while, it’s great.” Heshrugged. “If it doesn’t last longerthan one night, hey, that’s cool, and they move on. But Elicia...” He paused. “I don’tknow what she’s told you about us, but tonight, she made it clear she’splanning long-term, and I don’t want that.”

“The only thingshe’s said is how wonderful, and sweet, and sexy you are.” Gretchen sipped herhot chocolate. “And she glowswhenever she talks about you, but even I notice she has a tendency to boss youaround sometimes.”

“Yeah.” Wayne smiled. “At first itwas cool, you know, kind of fun, because later, I would boss her around. And she didn’t seem to mind it, but lately, she’s fucking insane. She’s actually making plans for thingsI never dreamed about doing.”

“Suchas...marriage?” Gretchen seemed to hesitate over the word.

“God, has shetalked about marriage?” Wayneset down his coffee cup. “God damn, we’ve only been together six weeks.”

“Calm down."She placed a hand on his arm. “Ithought that’s what you were talking about. Whatplans is she making?”

“Oh, the damnHalloween party, Thanksgiving, and that stupid Christmas Formal."

*****

Question #1: What was Elicia drinking? (From yesterday's excerpt, remember...)

Flash Drive Distress

2011-10-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

Something's up with one of my flash drives. The one I bought to hold all the e-books I'd bought. I think gremlins have invaded, or maybe the pirates.

The first time I noticed anything afoot, I was looking for Tielle St. Clare's Through Shattered Light. But before I got to her title, I noticed Brynn and Bron's folders were missing. Two quick emails between friends, plus a quick trip back to the TEB VIP Lounge and everything was restored.

And in the distress of that mess, forgot all about looking for Tielle's book (sorry!).

Fast-forward to last week: I'm finished with the self-edits on Forbidden Love (book #3, yay!) and want to read a good book. Hmmmm....think I'll try to find Tielle's again....

Nope. Gone. GONE! And so are-hold onto your hats-Barb Huffert's and Dakota Rebel's! Once again, two quick emails between friends, plus another trip back to the TEB VIP Lounge and Molly's a happy lady again. Except, of course, for the book I WANT to read. It's an Ellora's Cave, and my receipt is lost forever in cyber-trash. I did recently become friends with her on Face Book, and sent a polite message to her, with hopefully enough details about the plot to prove I actually DID read it back in 2007 or 8, and would she please send me another copy?

Sigh....no answer yet, and I THINK I have the book saved on a 3.5 floppy. So I guess I'll have to find someone with a computer who still has a disk drive. Or go buy an external.

You know, if every online publisher/bookstore would have something like the VIP lounge at TEB, this whole thing could have been avoided....imho!

And The Countdown Has Begun! One Week From Today....
You can own your own brand-spanking new copy of Love On The Rocks:)

And to tease you even more, I'm going to be posting excerpts. And then we'll play Trivia. But don't worry; it shouldn't be too painful.

Excerpt #1:

Hekissed her again, this time slow and gentle, teasing and nipping the corners ofher mouth. Elicia followed his lead, head spinning from the alcohol and theknowledge that Brent knew what he was doing. None of the guys she’d kissedbefore had his ability, they had all been awkward and sloppy. Here was a guywho knew what to do with his lips, and how long to keep his tongue in her mouthwithout getting gross about it.

Brent ran his tongue over her ear. ”Sweetheart, you want tosee my room?”

His room? All of a sudden, her common sense came floodingback. If she went to his room, there was no telling what might happen, and shewasn’t ready for that. No, it was better to keep him in a semipublic place.

“Why Brent, honey, I haven’t even finished my wine.” Oh my god…are my words slurred? Surely, I’mnot drunk! “And it is a Monday night. I’ve got an early class in themorning, and I need my beauty sleep.” She glanced down and looked at him fromunder her eyelashes.

Brent laughed. “It’s impossible for you to get morebeautiful. But I wouldn’t want you to miss your class.” He eased away from her.“Do you want me to drive you back?”

Elicia downed the rest of the liquid. “It’s only fourblocks; we can walk.” She tried to stand, but the room tilted and she sat backdown. “Oh oh, thas’ no good. I thin’ you will have to drive me, after all.” Shit…this is so not cool! I’m acting likethat goofball Fred, who got drunk at the Prom!

How to play:

-Read each excerpt between now and Thursday.

-Starting tomorrow, I'll post a question about the previous day's excerpt. Gather the answers and send them to storimom2@aol.com next Monday the 24th and I'll pick a winner:)

Good Luck:)

Flashback Friday: Marching Band

2011-10-14T06:42:00.000-07:00

Oct 1981:
The first two Field Shows, I dressed in uniform and placed the rifles on the field (our entire Guard all twirled flags at first), then joined my fellow alternates at Parade Rest on the sidelines. The third week, one of the girls injured herself. I suddenly had to learn her entire field placement, plus her 'count', as some of the flag work was alternating. On Saturday, we headed for Chesterton HS, and it rained. We were NOT looking forward to performing on a muddy field; we gals in the Guard had a dance routine to Tuxedo Junction, and at the end, we all dropped in a hurdle stretch. Yeah, this was not going to be fun.....

Going up, I discovered one of the trumpet players liked me. I was thrilled to have male attention, so we talked the entire way. One of my friends J started teasing us about being 'married', since I helped K with his uniform and he helped me with mine. I also got a secret thrill; I knew K would be watching from the sidelines, and I was now the third flag from the front. Part of our dance routine included turning slowly around and shaking our asses at the audience. I would now be 'dancing' for a potential boyfriend!

Before we took the field, the rain slowed to sprinkles. We marched onto the field; the weather cleared. One moment of humor: At the end of Tuxedo Junction, when our Color Guard dropped into a synchronized hurdle stretch, there was a collective 'PLOP' as we all landed in-you guessed it- MUD!

Ever try to maintain your dignity while marching off the field when your backside is cold, wet, and you can feel mud oozing into your underwear?

( We won Best General Effect that day, on top of other awards! We always won Inspection, Percussion, and sometimes Best Color Guard)

Anyway, after struggling out of uniform and into dry clothes, K and I walked around while we waited for the awards, and got to know each other better. And had a great time joking around. As time grew nearer to leave, I noticed K and J 'in conference' a lot. I asked what was going on; K said he'd tell me later. So I waited. And on the way home, he asked me to be his girlfriend. My sense of humor kicked in after I accepted..."So does this mean we're no longer 'married'?"

Our final competition was State on Halloween that year. We didn't place in the top ten, so we only had to perform once. And this was the first Halloween I didn't dress in costume and go around the neighborhood. But my sister had taken two bags with her and handed me one later that night.

"I told the neighbors you were gone and couldn't trick-or-treat. K and I joked your costume was a realistic Invisible Man'."

What are some of your childhood Halloween memories?

This Season's TV Viewing

2011-10-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

Some seasons I add new shows to my viewing habits; other times I stick with my faves. This year I've only added one, though one of my shows has been moved to a new night and it's both frustrating, yet nice. Why? See below:

Sunday:
CBS Sunday Morning (always DVR'd and sometimes watched later in the week)

60 Minutes (if there's a particular story which catches my attention.)

Amazing Race (I wanted to see how Ethan and Jenna from Survivor would do; sadly, they were eliminated the second episode...bummer! Haven't figured out who I'm rooting for yet....)

The Good Wife (what was wrong with leaving it on Tuesdays?)
This night has its advantages; since football usually runs over, this is the one night of the week I exercise my right to sit in front of the telly and watch my shows. We have two TVs and two DVR's, split between four people. Mine all end up on the DVR, but thanks to whoever moved Good Wife, my Sunday shows get pushed back. So I feel no guilt at sitting in the living room one night a week while the spouse does bedtime duty with the youngling.

Monday:
Two Broke Girls (DVR'd)

Two and a Half Men (DVR'd)

Mike and Molly (DVR'd)
I've not watched all of TBG or M&M, but they are saved on the DVR because the spouse loves the show. And TBG I missed a couple of episodes, but there's always reruns later in the year.

Tuesday:
90210 (DVR'd) Sometimes I'll watch this when I get home from Writer's Guild; other times I'll watch it later in the week. Like when I'm taking a break from writing/edits or spouse wants to use my laptop. I also think this one is about to run its course; Dixon's following in David (original 90210)'s footsteps, only with ADHD meds instead of meth. When they start recycling storylines, isn't that a sure bet it's time to move on?

One Tree Hill (supposed to air as mid-season replacement?) I whole-heartedly HOPE this is the final season of OTH. Last season was rather painful to watch, so I hope the producers call it quits.

Wednesday:
Survivor (DVR'd) I WILL watch this one if youngling doesn't have football practice and dinner is on time. But mostly I end up watching it later. Like last night; settled down at 11pm.

Law and Order: SVU (DVR'd) Sometimes this recording gets stopped, since the SU likes Criminal Minds at the same time. Depending on which DVR records it, either the youngling stops it before he's sent to the tub or the spouse stops it if it's on 'his' television.

Thursday:
Big Bang Theory (DVR'd) I began watching this show about two or three years ago, and sometimes I'll catch reruns on TBS from prior seasons. I love Raj's antics and Sheldon's idiosyncrasies!

Friday:
Nothing.

Saturday:
Nothing, unless there's a movie I want to see, or an unwatched L&O: SVU (see Wednesday).

I'm sorry Eureka is coming to an end after a Christmas episode later, and I still need to watch this summer's Warehouse 13. I only saw the season finale. Also on the DVR: Deadliest Catch (I'm nearly finished with Opilio season); a few Waltons episodes; one Dr Quinn Medicine Woman; last year's Undercover Boss; and yes, even the Royal Wedding. (The family laughs at me for still having it on there; I'll get to it!)

Any shows on your 'don't miss' schedule, or do you DVR them for a later date?

Two More Weeks!

2011-10-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, the Arbor University Tales series was born. And since books #2,3,4, and 5 were written, it was crucial book #1 needed to be finished. Since I wanted 'Love' in the title, and 'Love on the Rocks' was the current working title of #2, I needed something which expressed the drinking/driving issue. And 'Love is Sober' became the working title.

Fast-forward to 2002. I discovered the self-publishing industry, and finished writing LIS in 5 weeks. Ran it past several beta readers who all loved it, and the day after Thanksgiving, uploaded it, paid the $160 fee, and crossed my fingers. The above picture is their interpretation of my cover sheet request, and being a newbie, thought, "Hmmmm....no college depicted; no party scene, no people...but they're the pro's, so maybe this will work?" and accepted it. On New Year's Eve, I received the notice it was live on amazon, and made the spouse take me out to dinner. Ten days later when I received my proof copies, reality set in. What the hell had I done?

Fast-forward to 2011. I've changed the title of book #2, so now 'Love On The Rocks' is free to be the title. An awesome new cover is designed, and a good friend came up with a beautiful logo.

And two weeks from today, you can order the better edited, better titled, better STORY of the fictional life of my first roommate. I'm thinking of doing a trivia contest to celebrate the re-release, so watch for details in the coming weeks.

Flashback to October 1971:
Yes, I was a bad blogger last week. My second Halloween in the neighborhood, I dressed up in a witch costume and went trick-or-treating with Kimmy and Tad (I think). There's a picture of my sister, now age 1, reacting with fear to my costume. I don't know if I went around with my friends or if a parent went with me.

Fall Festival
Saturday went well! I only sold one book, but I did meet a few people interested in Kenzie's work, and a repeat customer was looking for more erotica authors. I pulled out the print copies of Brynn's Tribute For The Goddess and Regina/Cindy/Desiree's Mistlestoe Magic trilogy, and wrote down names, plus Anny's, Mia's, and Bronwyn's books. Hopefully these ladies will soon see an increase in sales:)

I'm off to do laundry and some light housecleaning before diving into more Forbidden Love self-edits. Have a good day!

Finally A Break....Or Not?

2011-10-05T07:34:00.000-07:00

Finished edits for Teacher's Pet (Kenzie's story which has been coming...and coming....and coming.....) and sent it back to editor yesterday!! I had a few questions inserted, so hopefully the next round of edits won't be so time-consuming.

Daughter is STILL sick with acid reflux....and our new insurance says not to go to ER unless contacting the doctor first. Well, there's a problem.
-We just got her insurance last week. Called the doctor assigned to us yesterday; they say they're full. Contacted insurance again. There are NO available doctors in our ENTIRE COUNTY for this (POS??) insurance. Found one 30-40 mins away who will take my kids. Bad news: Can't get her in until next week.

-Yesterday, she seemed to be doing better, so thought she could return to school today. Nope; she had a miserable night. Tummy only settles down when she doesn't eat anything. Liquids don't bother her.

-So this morning, since the new doc is an hour BEHIND us (thank you screwed- up- Indiana- are-we-on-Daylight-Savings-Time-or-not-issue-that-EVERYONE-hates-and-we-don't-know-what-time-it-is-in-Indiana-anymore-did-you-see-that-episode-of-The-West-Wing-where-they-poked-fun-at-it???), I called the 24-hour Nurse line.

-It was a waste of time, in my humble opinion. All she did was ask questions concerning my daughter's health/pain and tell us to call the doctor and see if we can get her in today. Hmmmm.....okay. I'll wait an hour and do that. Or, I can call the doctor's office and MAYBE they'll have an 'after hours' service???

-No, they don't. I left a message. Daughter went back to bed.

-I remember we're still on Charity at the local hospital. I can go ahead and take her to the ER, and if insurance refuses to pay for it, I can contact Financial Aid and give them our case #. And this time, the insurance can pay for her medicine.

I'm sorry; I have tried to go through the proper channels in order to treat my child. Why is it a few people who don't care about their health can f*** it up for those of us who DO?

Back To The Store....
You'd think that with a list, I'd get everything I needed from the store. Nooooooo.....I forgot to put dog food on that list. Plus, I entered from the wrong side and neglected to go the Health and Beauty aisle. I'm starting to stock up on cold meds, plus my spouse is out of his daily dose of baby aspirin. So back we go....oh, and yes. I bought the wrong size jeans for my (growing, it seems!) youngling. The only pair which fit him is a size 8; okay, I bought him three more pairs. Surprise.....they're too tight! I guess I'll get him some size 10's! Shoes, socks, and underwear fit just fine.

I also found two items at Cato I like, and they're both on sale. Hopefully I can get them today and wear one to karaoke tonight and the other to my signing this weekend (or not; I have another outfit planned).

So instead of working on Forbidden Love edits, I'm headed first to the ER with the daughter and then back to the store! See you later.

Monday Mania

2011-10-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

Had a tragedy occur over the weekend; my son K received the heartbreaking news one of his good friends was in the hospital and pronounced brain-dead. The SU and daughter S (who'd known her too) left late Thursday night and drove to Purdue to be with him and drive him to Indianapolis on Friday to say goodbye before they unhooked the life support. An autopsy is scheduled, since everyone wants to know WHY this happened. Here's the timeline of events leading up to it:

9/26 Mon: B complained of toothache and went to dentist. Verdict: Infection in gums; given antibiotics.

9/27 Tues: B can hardly stand up; taken to local hospital, who then transferred her to our hospital. Kidneys were beginning to fail, so they set her up on dialysis.

9/28 Wed: Life-lined to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Given an MRI; told her brain has swelled, then collapsed into the brain stem.

9/29 Thurs: 9pm: Total renal failure. 10pm: No brain activity.

9/30 Fri: Taken off life support around noon. Friends and family in total shock.

K will be home for the funeral sometime this week. Keep B's family in your prayers? Her sisters are 17 and 10; B was only 20. No parent should ever outlive their children.

In other Manic Monday news:
I finished the 1st round of 'Rocks' edits and sent them back. Now I'm back to editing Kenzie's Teacher's Pet again (I'm up to Ch 7).

The festival on Sat was a BUST! I was told it was indoors; it was not. The wind was horrible, so after 5 hours I called it quits and came home. The two bright spots were 1) I was able to inform a past customer book #3 is due to be released in January and 2) I met another author who's written a Christian Inspy trilogy and was wondering what to do with it. I plan to pass his name along to two authors who might be able to help him out. Also, I'm breaking in a new 'assistant' at Office Max, and my order was so messed up Friday night, the manager gave me the promo materials for free. Maybe they need to hire me?

Last Sunday I answered a call for help. My friend J in Bicknell is disabled and has home health care workers two or three times a week in her home. The last one had not done anything, but gripe about how bad HER life was, so they fired her. The laundry had piled up, so I went over and spent Sunday and last Tuesday organizing her laundry room and folding clothes. When I left on Tues, there were only 5 loads of sheets, blankets, and odds and ends left. Yesterday, I returned and finished the last two loads, plus did a catch-up load. And then her granddaughter (age 3) wet the bed....and we discovered an entire laundry basket full of dirty clothes and sheets (plus the mates to all the socks I hadn't matched up, lol!). I'm heading back this afternoon to finish up, and the new health care worker can take over from there or I'll go back every Sunday to help out. I get to visit with my friends and edit to my heart's content:)

Currently Reading: Catching up with more classics....read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and am now reading Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. I also just finished Cindy S Pape's Motor City Wolf and LOVED it! Now I want to get the other two books, MC Fae and MC Witch:) Excellent job Cindy!!!!!!! Next up: Sharon Hamilton's The Stimulus Package:)

Flashback Friday: A Community Divided

2011-09-30T04:30:00.000-07:00

2001:
Recap: I'd returned from vacation to discover a mutiny in progress in our Youth Baseball League. The current VP had decided to take over as President, and appointed one of my 'friends' in my position.

On top of the 9/11 attacks, our tiny community was in an uproar over what had transpired at the banquet. H and L had their supporters; others expressed outrage and loyalty to me. The kids who had helped out all season long saw me and expressed their anger and sorrow, because 'You made it FUN!'

In the meantime, my oldest was playing football for the first time, and excelling. To the chagrin of a neighbor, her child wasn't chosen for a lot of play time, and mine was. Since she was also behind in her babysitting payments, I decided the best way to handle it would be to write out what I thought was owed and see if it 'jived' with her accounting. I approached her very non-threatening; just handed her the piece of paper and asked if she thought it was accurate. The amount owed was just over $100. I told her, "Catch me up by Christmas, and we're good."

She chose to act as if in shock and scoot farther away from me. I pretended not to notice.

Two days later, she called me and said L had agreed to watch her kids for her. I lost my temper.

"Will she watch them when they're sick? Will she watch them during the holidays? Will she be willing to take them here and there?" (I knew from previous conversations L refused to watch kids with a hint of the sniffles, and didn't want to watch other kids during school breaks.)

C snapped back at me, and on Saturday, came storming across the parking lot with a wad of money in her hand. "Here's your @#$$%% money, and WE'RE DONE!'

Two other moms overheard the exchange and asked me what it was about. I simply stated the facts; and during the game, another mom came up to me and told me C was telling another version of the story. Instead of getting angry, I pulled out MY copy of the original 'bill' and showed it. Some of the moms began to cluster around me, rather than C. I regret losing my temper in the first place; but 18 months later would reveal C had a chemical imbalance and needed medication. All would be forgiven in 2002....if I could hang in there.

Next Month: Learning just how valuable my child was to his football team!

Working Hard....

2011-09-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

Kenzie blogged yesterday (finally!) For a cheerful post and a maybe a chuckle or two, go check out her post. Otherwise, I'm hard at work on Ch 6 edits for her book. Yes, she's taken over the brain again....And that reminds me: I have two interviews I need to finish and send off.

Plus, I need to order my promo items so I can pick them up at closing time on Friday. So yes, I've got a busy day planned. How about you?

How's Your Word These Days?

2011-09-26T07:22:00.000-07:00

Do our actions back up our words? Yesterday in church, the sermon centered around another of my favorite parables, the son who said 'No' to his father's bidding, but later went and did it, and the other son who said 'Yes', but didn't do it. Fr. Dave reminded us that our actions need to back up our words; that our word used to be valuable; otherwise others will see us as untrustworthy.

I'm a loyal person, and identify with the first son. A lot of times (growing up), I wouldn't want to do things, and either had to be nagged to death or I'd do my chores 'when I wanted to'. As I entered college and moved out on my own, I earned the respect of my boss at the country club, because I was willing to do 'the dirty work'. In other words, I cleaned up the kitchen wait station every night. And this was thanks to an older waitress who befriended me; she made the job go faster by singing, and naturally, I joined in. And soon it was a nightly habit.

My friends know if I say I'll do something, I'll do my darnedest to get it done/be there for them/whatever.

This was tested in 1998, when we had moved to a new community. Several moms weren't happy with a certain situation, so I, being the 'let's see what we can do to resolve this' person, offered my ideas, and everyone jumped on board with one of them. So I set to work; gathered the necessary info, and set the plan in motion. To my surprise, every single mom in that group balked at taking the next step. After many phone calls, I gave up. I wasn't about to start something w/o support, but I did send a letter to a teacher, voicing my concern. She took the letter to the principal, who in turn took it to the superintendent, who implemented part of my idea, and the moms first grumbled about it, but then congratulated me. WTH? I couldn't fathom why they were upset for being excluded. They would rather gripe about the issue than fix it?

And the issue arose again the next year, and another new mom in the community took the same action I had, with similar results. If the moms had banded together in the first place, this wouldn't have taken two or more years (although by the 4th year, the original complaint had been resolved!), and we'd all been happy. But the DUMB thing was, that group excluded me from then on, 'because we didn't fit in'. One mom later told me my actions 'scared' them. WTH? Just because I'd rather ACT then bitch, whine, and moan about the problem? Come ON!

I will admit, since getting married twenty-plus years ago, that my word has been broken in the financial area. When a payment is due, and since we're on a limited budget, I'm the one who deals with the phone calls or the payment arrangements. My spouse has driven me crazy because I'd promise to pay X amount to ABC, but on payday, he would write checks for XYZ. Or chew me out for making those arrangements or writing the checks myself. So after a while, I stopped making promises. I was tired of getting the phone calls 'You promised you'd pay us...' and me saying, 'I know, but the spouse refused to cooperate.'

I'm the same with my online persona. If I make a comittment to an interview/chat/guest blog, I put it on my yahoo calendar; my family calendar; and my own personal one. Yes, there have been an instance here or there where something's come up and I've been unable to attend, or totally forgotten about, but those are few and far between.

So what's YOUR word worth these days? Mine's slipped to silver status, from a bill collector's POV, ha ha....