Happy New Year

Almost 2006. Did you all have a good year? What are your goals for next year? Writing-wise, my goals are outlined, the first few months' worth of writing time scheduled, and I can't wait to get started on Tuesday when the kids go back to school. My newsletter and website updates are going to be a day or two late this month due to the holidays, but after that they'll be back to the end of the month again. Congrats to Cathie, the winner of last month's contest for a download of Nothing Personal. The contest for January will be announced in my newsletter and posted to my website in the next couple of days, so be sure to watch for it. I have a bunch of prizes planned to celebrate the new year.

Ack!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted. Things are always crazy around here this time of year. I'll have some more to post later, but I just wanted to touch base for now. I'm headed out the door in a few minutes to take my son to his tap class. Oh, some quick and exciting news (for me at least *g*) I was shopping in Borders the other day and I found a copy of Dirty Pictures on the shelf! It's the first time I've seen any of my print books in the store, and it was a pretty cool moment. Of course, I had to pry the copy out of the SO's hands before he made a big deal out of it. lol Have a great holiday, everyone! I'll be back to my regular schedule on Monday.

Same Time Next Year is now available

From Changeling Press. This one was so much fun to write. It's a paranormal, and very short. Just enough for an hour or two of reading. Here's the blurb: A love stronger than time... Something draws Cayden back to the same place every year on Christmas Eve. That something is Lilith -- the woman he's always wanted -- the woman he could never keep. Lilith can't live with seeing Cayden for a fleeting time each year, but she doesn't have a choice. It's a cycle that was set in motion long ago -- a cycle dictated by a past that can't be changed. Still, no amount of time or distance can keep them apart forever.

Baking cookies...

The next few weeks might be a little quiet around here. *g* This time of year I bake and sell Christmas cookies, so I'll be spending most of my daytime hours baking and icing while I have the house to myself. I love baking and cooking, so I'm looking forward to it.

Snow Day

I haven't gotten much accomplished today, though it's technically a work day. The storm that was supposed to leave us with 6 inches of snow has now dumped about 14 and it's still going. lol The kids are home, and I've been trying to keep up with them and all the shoveling. At least I know I'm getting a good workout. What is everyone up to this weekend? Have anything fun planned?

Website

I started out making a banner, and it all snowballed from there. lol I've revised my website, and my blog to match. If you get a chance, stop by and take a look and let me know what you think. I'm really anxious for opinions on the new design.

A Christmas Story

One of my editors recently told me he was really surprised that I'd never seen It's A Wonderful Life. Growing up, we didn't watch that movie every year like a lot of families do. We watched A Christmas Story. I still love that movie. *g* I've you've ever seen the movie, check this out. It's hilarious.

Almost finished

The novella I've been working on is almost done. 9060 words out of a projected 10k, though I have a feeling I might run over by 1-2k. Now I just have to come up with a title. I guess I'm not really a title person. *g* For the writers, when do you title your wips? Do you give them a title before you start? Somewhere during the writing process or at the end? Do you have a title in mind before you even start writing?

I have a cover...

And it's awesome. *g* Thanks to Scott Carpenter for doing such a great job with it.

Variety in fiction

I was going to title this post Narrow-Minded Literary Snobs, but I decided that would be a tiny bit too snarky. *g* And this really isn't a rant, just a small observation about an article that made me laugh. Not every writer wants to be the next Jane Austen. *g* Some of us write just for the sake of writing, and some of us read just for the sake of reading an enjoyable story. And what makes a story enjoyable is different for all of us. That's the beauty of having so many books and authors to choose from. There are good books in every genre. There are bad books in every genre. Get over it already. :) Everything in moderation, ladies.

Half day off

I'd planned on writing all day to finish my novella, but the SO, who was supposed to work, took the afternoon off and we took the kids to see Harry Potter. It was good--though I have to admit I'm a fan of the books and usually would prefer not to see a movie if I've read the book. I did enjoy it, though, and the kids loved it, so all in all it was a fun afternoon. I'm going to write for a little while now, before they go to bed and I settle in for one of my 3 hours of TV a week. *g* But I don't plan on getting much done. I have a sex scene to write, and those always seem to take me a while to get right. Have a great night, everyone!

Newsletter

The new edition of my newsletter is available online. There's a new contest this month, and an excerpt from a holiday story, SAME TIME NEXT YEAR. Be sure to take a look.

Holiday shopping (AKA why I like the Internet)

So I set off on my shopping trip this morning, along with the SO. Silly me thought we'd be able to get everything on the kids' lists, plus buy for everyone else, too. It did not go as easily as planned. First, let me say that I'm not really much of a shopper. I don't care for big crowds. I like to go in with a list, get what I need, and get out as quickly as possible. *g* The SO, for some strange reason, seems to thrive on the chaos of holiday shopping. When we left the stores--in 2 cars because of the ton (literally) of stove pellets we had to pick up to heat the house for the winter--he got into his car with a big smile on his face. So I guess you could say our shopping personalities really don't mesh. LOL We did get most of the kids' stuff, and I will be sitting in my nice warm house this weekend ordering everything else online. That's my kind of shopping. And it's usually done the week before Christmas.*g*

It's all good...

LOL...The goals are set--and number 1 on my list is to make sure, each month as I write out my schedule, that the goals are realistic. I love writing. I think I have the best job in the world. But every once in a while I tend to get a little ahead of myself. Tonight I'm caught up. Well, almost. I have one more short crit to do for a crit partner, but that won't take long. Then I can sit down, watch TV for a little while, and go to bed knowing I've finished all I set out to do today. Tomorrow I start Christmas shopping for the kids. I have all day while they're in school, and I'm hoping to get it all done. Being someone who's generally still shopping on Christmas Eve, this would be a major accomplishment. *g*