Happy Holidays!

I'm visiting family in the mountains right now -- hoping for snow... :), but it's uncommonly nice outside. Figures. The warm southern weather has followed us this year.

And with my yearly holiday meltdown over and done with (don't we all have those, or is it just me?), the holiday spirit is upon me - I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy inside - I wanted to say a big thanks to you all - you've been such wonderful, supportive friends. A gal couldn't ask for more! Here's wishing you all a happy holiday and a fantastic 2006!

Signing off -

Kelly

Rejection City and An Incredible Set of Pipes

I got three rejections this past week, two of which were 'good' ones. You know the kind I mean - regretful tone, high praise for your work, but, alas, can't fit you into their line or already have a similar author... My agent was very encouraged by the response and we've still got both my books out there, but sometimes the 'good' ones hurt the most. It's feels like I'm so close, yet just can't catch a break. YET. :)

On the home front...my daughter took her Tae Kwon Do exam and passed to 'white belt'. She's five, and while she loves make-up and all the girl stuff, when she gets into her uniform, the child is FIERCE! At the graduation ceremony, the instructor had a yelling contest with her age group, and I was sitting there thinking, "Oh, Master Lee, you know not what you do." She blew them all out of the water. Here's this tiny little girl (the only girl among six boys), standing in the line facing the audience. I hear people behind me saying "Aw, isn't she cute", and then she gives me this knowing look and quick thumbs up, then opens her mouth... I was so proud!

Clutter...

HATE it. You see, there is clutter in my living room - furniture, clothes, pretty much everything that was in my daughter's room. Don't ask me why I decided to paint her room ten days before Christmas. Insanity. Pure insanity. But, I'm happy to say, the paint is now dry (a beautiful smoky lavender color with white on the crown molding and doors). Her furniture is a dark maple color, her bed is a sleigh bed. I bought a quilt with lavender, dark purple, white, and sage green accents. It's so pretty. I want to live in there. The clutter, however, stares at me from my open office door, like some King Kong-sized pile of doo-doo. *sigh*

On the writing front, I've decided to write long-hand in a notebook. For some reason (the insanity thing again), I can't seem to write in my office (blogging and emails aside). I've gone from room to room with my laptop with some success, but now that's not working. So, thus the notebook. I plot all my books in notebooks, but I've never written a complete ms in this manner. I'm sure it depends on the size of your handwriting, but I've always wondered about authors who write their books long-hand and how many notebooks/pages they fill up for one book. I believe Gena Showalter (one of my favorite authors - if you haven't read her books, you need to!), writes her books this way. I may try it. :) I think it'll be a nice change for me. The last four books have all been done on the computer. Anyone else write long-hand?

Oops, I Did It Again

Hee. I told you all that I was addicted to web design. See what happens when Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets is on TV for, like, the gazillionth time. *sigh* Probably should've been writing, but...well, I have no good excuse. :) Hope you all like it, and I promise not to change it for a long, long time.

Fun Article

There's a really cute article called, The Proper Care and Feeding of Romance Writers by Brenda Coulter over at Romancing the Blog. It's the Nov. 30th entry. You'll enjoy it.

Reality Check

Ah, I dream of the day when my book sells, I go on tour, and am interviewed by the Today Show...yes, I know that is a dream. But, hey, a girl's got a right to dream. Right? For instance, the other night I had a dream that Donald Trump gave me a condo on his golf course and a whole closet full of canned spaghetti. (Not that I even like that stuff!)

No, seriously, after you sell, the work you do is just as stressful as trying to sell, and if you're serious about your writing career, you know this, you've done your research. (And often, becoming a published author can be extremely stressful, more so than all those years of pounding on doors and rejections. It all depends on who you talk to). But I'm prepared. I want it -- a career as an author. A career means work. I'm not doing this as a hobby. I consider all the things I've gone through so far to be like training camp, preparation for the 'after the sale' workload. I'm not disillusioned by what it means to become published. I have many friends who are published. I hear their stories. I've been there to offer support when editors leave, and they don't know what will happen with a line or where their next contract will come from. I've been around the block. I have an agent (two agents, one for film, one for fiction). I've optioned my screenplays, and I've dealt with some pretty harsh personalities in the biz, and still came out with my confidence in tact. I've attended conferences, pitched my butt off, finaled and won contests, etc., etc.

I promise, there is a point to all this....which is, don't let discouraging people get you down. You know the types I mean. The ones who dismiss your commitment to become published, tell you you can't, or you won't make it. Or, something that happened to me -- a person in the industry who (after knowing my background and responding to my desire to be published) telling me with a sarcastic snort, "you don't know what you're getting into". She rolled her eyes as she said it, and then turned back to her friends with a sarcastic chuckle. Therefore, dismmissing me completely. As though I'm walking around with bon-bons floating around in my head and a starstruck look in my eyes. I think those words, put that way, are so discouraging, meant to put you in your place or to let you know you'll never measure up. I've had people say this before, but not in a dismissive and negative manner (and the statement itself is somewhat true -- there are things I won't know about when I get published, but on the other hand, I'm aware that it won't be all champagne and roses, so I do know what I'm getting into, just not all the specifics.) Will this discourage me? Of course not. But it's one of those little things that bugs the hell out of me.

So, if any of you have dealt with the discouragement or the negatives folks out there. Chin up, young person! Persistence, courage, belief, and you will get there.

Writers and those who know us

One of the things I enjoy most about writing is creating character names and thinking of cool titles. I have a bunch of baby name books and a synonym/phrase finder that is awesome. Sherrilyn Kenyon's character naming source book is equally awesome.

I was at my daughters gymnastics the other day, talking to a fellow writer. I had out my baby name book, and she knew exactly why. To all the other non-writer moms there, it was assumed I was prego and was looking for a name for my child. Sometimes, we writers are in a class by ourselves (okay, probably most of the time). And it's funny how those closest to us come to understand our idiosyncrasies, rituals, and the way we work. Our husbands (or family) don't freak out when they see the baby name book come out - we're writers, they understand.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving

Hope everyone had a great holiday. I'm starting to get back on track after my oral surgery, trying to get off the pain meds and starting to eat chewier foods. Thanksgiving was odd for this very reason. This was the first time since I was a baby and couldn't chew that I did not eat turkey on Turkey Day. I was only able to eat mash potatoes, stuffing and the inside of the pumpkin pie...and still managed to stuff myself!

I sent in my final entry for the Golden Hearts, so I hope it makes it there before Friday. I'm really looking forward to Atlanta this year since it's on my side of the country and I won't have to fly, which, for those who don't know, I'm TERRIFIED of flying, so the 2006 RWA national conference will be stress free all the way around -- can't wait!

And great thing, now that I'm through revising the GH manuscript, I can finally return to writing my book! Things are looking up, people! :)

A New Low

You know you've sunk to a new dietary low when (after five days of soup, smoothies and things mashed in gravy) sucking on a cheese curl just to get your junk food fix. Pathetic, I know, but there you have it. :)

Ugh. I'm in Pain. :(

Hi All,

Boy, it's been a while hasn't it? I had all four wisdom teeth pulled this week. Not a pleasant experience. But I was under general anethesia, so that helped a great deal. My mouth is so sore, and I haven't eaten food since Wed. night. It's all been smoothies and juice, which I'm really starting to hate. Oh, and I woke up in the middle of the operation, couldn't feel anything or see anyone just this great white light above me. For a split second the thought that ran through my head was , "Oh, no, you cannot be dead..." That was kind of scary. I panicked and I remember opening my eyes wide and saying over and over again, "I'm awake, I'm awake!". Then, someone said not to worry, I'd be going right back to sleep. And I did.

I have one more week to finish my ms for the Golden Heart. (About 50 pages or so). I forgot if I asked, but did anyone else enter this year?

Well, that's all for now. Hope everyone is doing good!

What Would You Be?

If I wasn't a writer/stay-at-home mom, what would I be?

All the time spent looking at stock photos, web templates, backgrounds, layouts, I'd say a wed designer, OR I'd be an archeaologist. But, if I had to choose just one it would be the latter. I've done enough research and reading through the years just for fun that I probably have sufficient knowledge to be a third or fourth year archaeology major. How awesome would it be to go into the field or work in the basement of the British Museum restoring and caring for ancient relics. OMG! I'd be in heaven. Although, it'd be hard deciding between Egyptian/Assyrian, Medieval and Greek/Roman antiquities.

So, what would you be?

Obssessions

Why can't I stop fiddling with templates? Didn't I say that on Tuesday, I was going to start writing bigtime? Gah. I've become a website/blog design-addict. I can't stop! There's just so many pretty templates, colors, images...

I did, however, write an entire chapter yesterday. Though, I'm not so sure I'm going to make the Golden Heart deadline since it's coming up and I've got, oh, about 120 more pages to write.

I think the red part of the background is too bright... Damn! Stop, Design-Muse!

Okay, I'm signing off now before I start changing things again - gotta go write another chapter.

The Ill-Fated Halloween Party

Ever have a two day hangover? Not fun.

So, I went to the Halloween party intent on having a few drinks and socializing with my good friends, and then someone had to go and break out tequila shots (I had 3), and after this majorly poor judgement of mine (I already drank a six-pack of beer at this point), somebody said they had Rumplemintz -- and it was all downhill from there. I had three shots of those, too. SO NOT GOOD! And why, I ask you, why did my husband, someone, anyone, not warn me of impending doom? Because I certainly wasn't thinking straight, that's for sure!

SO NOT GOOD! I still can't figure out what the heck I was thinking, because I haven't done that in, oh, a decade at least. I mean, I'm just a casual drinker -- hardly drink at all...you know, wine with dinner sometimes, or a beer here and there. Anyway, bad mistake. It took me two days to get over it. And if I even think about or smell mint -- ugh! Flashback!

So that was my Halloween Party. Gah.

Trick-or-Treating, was fun last night. Audrey was a pink fairy with hot pink wig down to her waist, which reminded me of those troll dolls that have the wild hair that sticks straight up. She was cute, though. :)

Procrastination

I should call every post by that title. Heh. So, in the spirit of the word, I have re-designed my website. Okay so maybe it's a little procrastination, and a little necessity. It really needed an updated, cleaner, smoother look. That, and I like red. A lot. I did three pages so far, so if anyone has a moment, please stop by and take a gander. Let me know what you think, or if any pics or what-not didn't turn out right.

Off to a Halloween partay tonight. Woo-hoo. :D

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Come Tuesday, I'm getting back on the writing-wagon bigtime. (Monday I have a dentist appt. -- ugh!, and the child is home from school for a teacher workday.)

Part Two & Think You Know Potter? Think Again.

Question # 2 - Do you believe in the reincarnation of the soul? Thoughts?

I just read Kelley Armstrong's book, Haunted. The heroine is a ghost, and much of the story takes place in the Afterlife - very interesting, and what an imagination! She's created this entire world, one that can support the whole book, but also one that is able to interplay with our world as we know it.

Okay, on to Harry Potter... I thought I knew a good bit of facts, but, man, I totally bombed with these HP quizzes from Fun Trivia.com. (I did great on the 'easy' ones, though :D)

What Do You Believe?

In the name of reasearch for the book I'm working on right now, today kicks off a brand new segment entitled, "What Do You Believe?" In the next few days, I'll be asking one question (a loaded one, so please feel free to elabortae on your answers!), which focuses on, more-or-less, the supernatural. :) First up:

Do you believe in life after death? And if so, what kind of 'life' is it?

Late Tag

Trish tagged me days ago, and I forgot to post my answers. Shame on me! :D Anyway here's the tag:

1) Delve into your blog archive.

2) Find your 23rd Post (or closest to it).

3) Find the fifth sentence (or the closest to it).

4) Post the text of the sentence in your blog. Ponder it for meaning, subtextor hidden agendas.

'This led to my fascination of all things mythological as well as human nature.' The 23rd post, fifth sentence happens to be part of my very first blog post, and explains a little about what motivated me to write, and what inspires me still today. Mythology is a big part of that. Love it. I have a library full of books on myths from nearly every early civilization on the planet. What really interests me is the common themes among them, and how, despite the outlandish tales, the bare bones of these myths are always about human nature; the mistakes made, the emotions that rule us - love, hate, greed, jealousy, ambition, self fulfillment...

5) Tag three people to do the same.

Will Power

I have none. :D

It's a train wreck. Dieting, writing, posting, cleaning the house... These last two weeks have been horrible! I can't seem to get anything accomplished. But, I did go to my daughter's first kindergarten field trip. Imagine 120 five-year-olds in a two acre corn maze. Sounds like a recipe for disaster. But it wasn't. I chaperoned Audrey and three of her classmates. We did the maze, rode on the hay ride and picked out pumpkins.

The Hub is out of town this week (again).

I'm trying to cook more. Bleh.

And my house is finally finished being painted! Woo-hoo! It's now a beautiful slate gray-ish green with white trim and black shutters and doors -- looks very colonial/classy. Far better that the coral doors and light tan (which looked pink to me).

And, lastly, I'm going on a new diet -- right after I finish the chocolate cookies I baked yesterday. :) All the other junk food is already gone. Hmm, wonder where it went... Anyone else dieting or going to? I'm going low carb b/c that seems to be the only thing that has worked for me in the past.

What have you done with my husband?

And thus, I asked my man that very question this morning. He was not acting his usual self, rather he was playful, wrote me an "I Love You" note, and taped it to my PC, and *gasp*, here it comes people, brace yourselves -- he made me coffee this morning. Our relationship is now complete. :D You see, he hates the smell of coffee and for many months now I've been trying to get him to make me a pot since he gets up before I do. I mean how wonderful is it to wake up to coffee already made? Heaven, I tell you. Heaven. And why don't I just get an automatic one? Hmm, good question, but it tasted so much better when he made it. :)

Persistence. Patience. Two things, I ponder (as I sip my delicious coffee), I possess in abundance.

The puppy, too, shall be mine! Bwah, bwah, bwahahaha.....

The Devil in Me

Every year I dress up for Halloween. I LOVE this holiday -- by far my favorite. Last year, I was a witch with green and black striped stockings, black wig and giant black hat. (If I can ever figure out the picture thing, I'll put one up). This year I'm going to be a devil. Hee. Got my red glitter horns (or hornays as Simi would say :D) and red glitter trident. Now, I'm on the hunt for a red outfit...

"Surface" was very good last night -- I'm totally hooked on that show now. It's like a fictional National Geographic special, or something.

And here's a little peek into the mind of a five-year-old:

My daughter said she dreamed about God the other night, that he said he loved her and then gave her a gift card to Target...

Beautiful Rain

Anyone see Nightstalker last night? Pretty creepy...

For all the writer's out there - are you ever gripped with this sudden panic that you can't write, that you totally suck at it, and you've been deluding yourself this whole time? Well, that would be me this week. :D

It's raining here, very dark and dreary - my kind of day. Puts me in the mood to write, but since I don't know how (see paragraph above), I'm not going to. Heh. But, I will say this - my cat runs on the treadmill. It's damn funny.

Writing Update

Originally, my blog was supposed to focus on writing. Ha! Not so, apparently. But, here's what's been happening lately:

I've entered the Golden Heart again with two manuscripts I haven't entered before (paranormal and novel with romantic elements). I'm also entering the book I finaled with last year, but I've done some re-working and am entering it in a different category this time. Of course, I would LOVE to sell before then. I'm trying to have a good outlook, but man it's hard sometimes.

TV

I'm really liking 'Gray's Anatomy'. Last year got me hooked, and this season seems like it will be even better.

Two new TV shows that look promising:

'Nightstalker' - Stuart Townsend is a HOTTIE, people! :D The show is X-files meets journalism. The first show with the rabid wolves or coyotes was so-so, but the mystery behind how Carl's (Stuart T.) wife died and all the other deaths could turn out to be interesting, and I like how the episode ended with him having the mark on his wrist, the same mark as the others who had died -- I want to know why...so I'll be tuning in this week.

'Surface' - okay, so I have a thing for monster movies, ala' Godzilla, and this is like the television equivalent, only updated. The monster is cool-looking, and I like the characters.

________

'The Great Puppy War' update:

The enemy shot me down cold yesterday, but I counter-attacked with puppy desktop pics, and a new puppy calendar sure to draw attention. My strategy is to lure the enemy in...to slowly chip away at his resolve. :D

A WEIRD night event

I really don't know why these things happen to me, but late last night - I'm talking the dead of night, the witching hour, prime-time for weird occurences - I'm out cold, and a freaking balloon bursts in my bedroom. A balloon! A big one, too. Talk about major panic, confusion... My heart was pounding so fast I could hardly catch my breath. I didn't know what was going on. Gunshot. Someone breaking the window. And, of course, the Hub is out of town, so it was just me and my daughter.

Anyway, after I mustered the courage to get out of the bed, grabbing the iron from the ironing board in my room (b/c I never put it away :D), I crept with my weapon through the house checking to see what the hell had happened. Couldn't find anything amiss, and then when I went back into the bedroom I saw the skin of the balloon in the middle of the floor - ah, the culprit, I deduced.

Strange thing about it was that the balloon (one of many my daughter had blown up and tied a few days ago) had no reason to pop. It wasn't helium, so it didn't rise to ceiling and hit something. There was no air movement in the room, so it couldn't have drifted around and bumped something. The bedroom door was closed, meaning the cats were not in the room, so they couldn't have done it.

Needless to say, it took me a while to get back to sleep.

Never one to let an experience I can use go to waste, I'm going to present this to the Hub as yet another reason (among many) to get a puppy - one that will grow into a big, strong guard dog - something a bit more intimidating than an iron! Did I mention I want a dog? :D

Return from the Land of Sickness

Thank God that's over with!

Things to report:

The Hub is in Korea, and I miss him. Waah. Maybe he'll bring me back something shiny and pretty - I love me some sparklies... :)

And, in typical do-it-yourself style, got my hair stuck down the bathtub drain while rinsing out dye (didn't realize how long it had gotten - well, that's my excuse - but it was probably more like I wasn't paying attention). Lots of tugging, cursing, yelling for the child to bring scissors, which didn't work b/c she was downstairs watching toons and couldn't hear me. Finally managed to get it free. Then cut a good two inches off the length b/c it looked a tad traumatized by being stuck down the gooey drain. Bleh.

So, how's everyone else been? Do tell.

Gah

The child is sick. I am sick...and I'm a basket case this week.

Ophelia

A couple folks have asked me about or mentioned Hurricane Ophelia, which is churning along the coast of my state, and looks to be making landfall near Wilmington and Southport, then is forecasted to go up the coastline, and then out into the Atlantic. As of this morning, it's hot, windy and very dark outside. It looks like we'll get some rain and wind, but thankfully nothing major. :)

Sherrilyn Kenyon's Post

I just finished reading Sherrilyn's Kenyon's post concerning Katrina. As many of you probably know, I'm a huge SK fan. Her Dark-Hunter series is set mostly in New Orleans. She talks about the impact on her personally (she lived in Mississippi and NOLA for many years), as well as the impact on the series and her DH convention. As always she is eloquent and inspiring...

Also, there's a really cool site called Do Something, which is organizing "We Got Your Back" donations. It's a great way for kids to help other kids affected by Katrina. They buy backpacks and fill them with school supplies and other personal items. It's a large campaign, sponsored by Nickelodeon and many others. It's yet another wonderful way to contribute.

Incidentals and typical embarrassing stuff...

I'm hooked on fiery hot Pringles right now. Man, they're tasty... (And while i'm hooked on these, I've been drinking this weight loss shake to shed some pounds. Go figure.)

Well, Audrey is on her fourth day of Kindergarten. She LOVES it. I even have to remind her for a quick hug and kiss; she sees that bus coming and it's so long Mommy, hello new world!

I had a schedule all worked out, but hell no. I've been wandering around the house, doing a little bit of this, a little bit of that. Yesterday was better. I actually got 13 pages done. Nowhere near my daily wad - 20 pages per day, which is what I did on my last book.

Yesterday's embarrassing tidbits:

The landscaping guy came to do some work. His named is Clint. I called him Clit. I may park the car around the corner and pretend I'm not home today when he comes back...

And then I flashed my butt crack to the neighbors -- brand new neighbors across the street. How was I to know they'd be sitting on their front porch while I decided to pull some weeds from the front flower bed? The old neighbors never sat on the front porch. My little peek-a-boo act was only b/c all my clothes were dirty and I wore a pair of low rider jeans a size too big, and was talking on the phone while bending over and not really paying attention to the nice breeze on my backside. If the houses were level, I don't think they would've seen a thing, but their side sits higher than my side -- I'm sure they had a fantastic view.

The Fate of New Orleans Landmarks

I'm sure most of you have been watching the news for days as I have. It's just a horrible situation, and my heart goes out to all those in the Gulf Coast area.

I love New Orleans - it's culture, history and architecture. It's mystery, and the setting it's become for so many wonderful novels and stories. While watching the news, I've wondered how some of NOLA's famous landmarks (especially the literary landmarks/settings) have fared through all this turmoil, and this is what I've heard from news reports on TV and online:

The French Quarter (including Bourbon Street,Pat O'Brien's, Jean Laffite's Blacksmith Shop, Cafe du Monde): These places have escaped flooding and are still standing.

The Garden District (including Anne Rice's former home on Prytania and setting for the Witching Hour and Vampire books): Several trees are down or splintered by high winds in the district. Some structural damage to properties, again because of high winds.

St. Louis Cathedral: Still standing.

If any more info becomes available, I'll post it here on my blog.

A Brand New World

It's coming y'all. And no, I'm not talking the second coming. I'm talking the Big K.

Kindergarten.

The word gives me shivers of excitement, immense pride in my child and feelings of sudden loss. What am I going to do after five years of having my child CONSTANTLY with me? Write for most of the day, workout and make minor repairs to the house. And even though I have my day planned, I think for the first few days, I won't know what to do with myself, with this sudden onslaught of individual freedom.

The big day is Thursday...

Public Displays of Affection

Now, now...minds out of the gutter! :) This isn't about anything I may (or may not) have done. Ha!

I finished Susan Donovan's 'Public Displays of Affection' the other night. Man, was it good. Susan writes sexy, fun contemporary romance. Her heroines are everyday women, usually single moms and so easy to relate to - they're like mirror images of most any woman I know (myself included) and are just so damn real. And then she does these heros, guys who could live down the street or in your town, but they're so incredibly hot and complex. It makes you want to put down the book and go driving around town to find one of your own! 'Take a Chance on Me' is another one of her books that I loved...

Give her a try -- I think you'll like her! Her bio on her website is really funny, too.

Corn chips, Bryan Ferry, and The Cure

Barbeque corn chips to be exact - a strange, weekend long craving for the spicy, orange chips. Haven't had them in years.

And what do I hear yesterday, but the oh so sexy sound of Brian Ferry coming from the closet - where the child found a box of old cassette tapes, which she's been playing on her karaoke player ever since. Brings back memories - not that I ever had any heavy make-out sessions to 'Slave to Love' or 'More than This'. :) Listened to The Cure last night; 'Pictures of You', Fascination Street', 'Just Like Heaven' - I'd forgotten how much I loved those songs, and amazing the way I remembered every single word.

Had a retro weekend, which coincidentally has coincided with an invite to my fifteen year high school reunion. Part of me wants to go, part of me doesn't. Anyone else here ever go to theirs? What's it like? It's not until October. Plenty of time to decide, I suppose. And to lose a few pounds, but with this corn chip craving, I may just gain a few!

Cool Stuff

The writing is still going fast and easy right now, so I haven't been spending too much time online. But a few contests I thought were cool and wanted to mention:

Trish Millburn is giving away a pile of books. Contest ends this Sunday, so get on over there and enter! Click on the link to Trish's blog (in my sidebar) to enter.

Gena Showalter is running a "Become a Character in my Book" contest. You can visit Gena's site or click on her blog link in my sidebar to enter.

Found!

I am writing.

I have found my muse -- that little devil. My characters are speaking, the story is flowing, and life is good. Yee-haw. :)

Writing is only part of the equation

There comes a point in your writing endeavors where the actual writing becomes just part of the writer's life. There's promotion, networking, and business related duties, such as bookeeping. Today's the last day to file with our extension, so we're doing the mad dash to get things filed out and in the mail. If you are actively pursuing a career in writing, and fit the criteria to deduct expenses, it's in your best interest to keep a record. It's never too late to start, whether it be a spreadsheet on your PC or jotted down in a ledger. And don't forget to keep those receipts!

There also comes a time where you must delegate part of your day/week/month to these other duties, which inevitably cuts into writing time. If you're like me, you can lose yourself in hours and hours of web surfing, anything from promotional stuff, to networking on line with writer friends - or which many of us like to call, "research". I need structure here in a bad way, so my goal this week to to come up with a schedule that allows me my writing time as well as a certain amount of web time. I've heard a 'timer' works well for this. What do you do to help structure your writing time?

Writing Progress: zilch. Hoping to write today, after we cruch numbers...

A Good Morning

St. Martin's Press requested the full manuscript of Darkness Breaking, the first book in my Wardsmen series! I love St. Martin's, they publish some of my favorite paranormal authors, and I was so hopeful that this book would appeal to them. Funny thing is; I sent them a query almost nine months ago, and figured it was a pass, or lost, or that I never got beyond the gate-keepers. So, when I signed with my agent, we decided to send the book in. And then I get this full request in the mail! At least we know that there's interest in the book to begin with!

What I'm reading: Tiger Eye by Marjorie M. Lui

Writing Progress: edited 80 pages yesterday

Ghosts Anyone?

I watched that ghost invesitgation show, TAPPS, on Sci-fi last night. Interesting program.

I thought I saw the ghost of a young girl before, peering down at me by the side of my bed as I slept (very close to my face) - at which time, I shot out of the bed and flailed around for the light. Was this a sighting? I can't say b/c it may have been some sort of 'waking' dream.

So, my question this morning: Has anyone here ever experienced their own ghostly encounter?

Aliens are people too...

Many years ago, a good friend of mine mentioned this phrase when talking about a sci-fi story he was writing, and the relationships that existed between the human and alien characters. It was said so naturally - "because, you know, aliens are people, too, and.." And the conversation kept on going. I think this is one of the funniest things I've ever heard, and this very well may be my warped sense of humor coming out here, but think about it. Repeat it in your head. It's damn funny.

Okay, so maybe I'm the only one who thinks so. Moving on...

I keep finding a million other things to do instead of writing my book. The lure of the web is strong! I even cleaned house yesterday instead of writing. My muse is playing coy with me this week. Must regain control. Soon. As soon as I check email, fix something on my website, and check in on my favorite sites. :)

Oh, an awesome book I finished last night - Elphame's Choice by P.C. Cast. http://www.pccast.net/pages/main.html It's a fantasy/romance series. If you love Celtic and Greek mythology, you'll love P.C. Cast!

Welcome to my Life...

I love early morning thunderstorms - makes me all reflective and creative. And instead of putting that creativity to good use on my latest book, I've decided to write my first post. So, a little about me: I'm a wife, mother to a 5yr old, and aspiring writer of mainstream, romance and film. I adore books of all types and genres, and as a young girl (around ten or eleven) I had a peculair obsession with works by Homer and Herodotus, and TimeLife book series of any subject...strange, I know. This led to my fascination of all things mythological as well as human nature. And then I read 'Interview with a Vampire' at sixteen, and I knew what I wanted to do -- write my own dark, sweeping, funny, fantastical tales. So here I am in pursuit of the publishing dream, but more than that; to evoke emotion in my readers, to inspire them as I was inspired.

And on the flipside of that -- my darling child has just colored half the kittie's face with pink marker.... Welcome to my life!

Kelly