Okey dokey. For kicks and grins, I added a comment feature.
 

Read books in your email at DearReader.com I just discovered this neat little program! Actually, I discovered it through my local library, which is subscribed to several of the clubs. I poked around and found the club's main site. Pretty neat. Right now, I'm doing fiction and mystery. Have read 2 installments of the fiction book, and am really enjoying it. So anyone who's looking to try books they might otherwise miss, this is a pretty neat thing! (And, yes, I'm still working on my synopsis. Really. No, REALLY....)
 

Started a post last night, and then my computer ate it (sigh), so here are a few random ramblings. I'm this close to finishing my Blaze synopsis, and I'm totally loving this story. The whole synopsis premise is pretty interesting, actually. The Blaze was sold blind (which means I hadn't turned a story idea into my editor; she just bought two books for me, stories to come) and so I had to come up with an idea that I love (because, trust me on this, writing a book that isn't a story you love is really, really hard. I've done it once, and it makes the process so much longer. By the time I got to the end of the story, I'd "made it my own" and really did love the set up and the characters. But it didn't start out as my baby, and it took waaaaay longer to get into the story than usual, which threw off my entire schedule, which wreaked havoc on my life ... well, you get the picture.)

But I've managed to get off track. Ahem. As I was saying, I sold the Blaze blind. Actually, I sold the Temptations blind, but since Temptation has gone the way of the dinosaur, the stories were moved to Blaze. Great. Good. No problem. Except for the nagging lack of a story.

My editor put the book in a "mini series" with two other authors. The books aren't connected, but they each take place during the same blackout. OK. Fine. I can work with that. I called my editor from McDonalds the other day (I was waiting for my car at the Toyota dealership. Note to car dealerships: Have some sort of waiting room for those of us who want to WORK and not listen to really bad television at top volume. It was either McDonalds or open one of the showroom Camry's and work in the backseat!). Anyway, pitched an idea to my editor (she later called me back when I was at Barnes & Noble; I seem to do so much work away from home ...) and she loved the idea. I, however, did not. The characters seemed flat and the situation forced. I pondered and plotted and came up with a story I could live with ... but I didn't love it. But then, as I was in the shower the other day (don't ya just love the way your subconscious works?) I came up with characters I love, a situation I love, and a fabulous conflict. And, as an added bonus, I get to pull in the Victorian erotic romance that I used in Silent Confessions and Silent Desires (so, for those readers who've asked if there will be any more similar books, look for this one in Augut of '05; I'm calling it Truth or Dare, but I bet that changes). Anyway, I'm totally rocking on the synopsis and am heading off right now to finish it up. Wheeeeeeeeeee! After that, I've got two more synops on my plate, and then I'm free, free, free from the Land Of Synopses. Thank goodness.

No word yet from my editor on her comments/revisions to The Givenchy Code. This is The Waiting Part. It sucks.

Finished Cirque du Freak the other night. It's a kids' book, but a really good one. A vampire story. Really enjoyed it. And I moved from that to a book not on my actual pile: Maggie Needs An Alibi. Only read one chapter last night, but am totally loving it. Assuming I get all my work done during the day today, I'm going to dive back in after C goes to bed. Unfortunately, that's a big assumption. The closing on our old house is today (YAY!) but it got bumped from the morning to the afternoon, which means the trip down to the title company in Austin will take longer, as I'll hit traffic. Ugh. More info than you want to know, I'm sure, and I'm REALLY not complaining. The first buyer defaulted (evil eye! evil eye!) and so I'm just thrilled we found another buyer so quickly.

Oh, and I read The Rule of Four recently. Awesome! Kathleen and I are doing it next in Coffee Klatch, so keep an eye out.

And, in a wrap up, we went and saw Dora the Explorer Live! on Sunday and Oh. My. God. C just went nuts. She LOVED it!!! I'm hoping this is a sign that she'll love musical theater (D just tolerates much of what I like; he's more an opera kinda guy). Just think, in another decade, I'll have a companion to drag to various shows. Whoo hoo!

Off to work ....

Happy reading!!
 

(Hmmm. The "publish" feature in blogger was down, so this is coming up late. More blogginess to come this weekend...). Not a banner writing day, though in my defense, I really didn't expect it to be. When you're living in the land of synopses, pretty much everything looks better than writing. (Bamboo shoots under my fingernails? Yes, please ...)

OK, it's not *that* bad, but the truth (or at least my truth) is that synopsizing requires sitting and thinking and writing and walking and thinking and walking and thinking and on and on and on. For a former lawyer trained to bill hours and write something more specific than "thought a lot" on the daily time sheets, this part of the writing process has always driven me nuts. ("thought a lot" actually is a fair thing even for lawyers. I mean, trust me. You want your lawyer thinking. It just looks so yuck on a bill ...)

And yet it's a real process and it works. After the requisite amount of walking and thinking and doodling and other things that look remarkably like goofing off, you sit back down in front of the computer and ... wow. What do you know?! A story comes out. And the character's voice is fresh. And how the heck did that happen anyway????

Bottom line today:

Two phone calls with agent (both excellent news! For fear of jinxing, no specifics here yet, though).

Read synopsis of one of the bridesmaid's books for the NAL series (GREAT fun!)

Worked on Bride synopsis. (Loving her voice! The character's name is Julia. Must confess that I'm finding that just a *teeny* bit strange. Maybe I should write her as Drusilla and then search and replace ...) Bought a ton of wedding magazines from Barnes & Noble for research. Was congratulated on impending nuptuals by clerk; decided not to correct her (did a stealth signing of Aph. Flame while there.... also did the happy dance b/c I'd signed all the stock not even one week ago, and they had six unsigned copies. You know what that means??? REORDERS! Gotta love those reorders ...)

Talked with Brenda Chin, my fab HQ editor, about the upcoming Blaze book. She's on board, so started that synop, too. So far, I have written "Story Synopsis and Proposal Chapter." I've dropped down five lines and set my computer for italics. (I start all my synopses w/ a TV Guide type blurb. It's just my thing). That's it. Yeah. Got a ways to go on that synop, huh??

Talked with Kathleen O'Reilly on the phone several times. All work related. Really. Not even a minute wasted with trivial things. REALLY.

Trip to Sam's.
Trip to Walmart (can you *believe* Sam's doesn't carry overnight pullups????)
Trip to dance studio to sign C up for classes.
Attend to tantrum induced by the fact that C thought classes started today and didn't want to leave without dancing.
Wrote beginning of new Coffee Klatch and sent to Kathleen.
Wrote this blog entry. (Clearly avoiding writing on those synopses. But, hey, it's okay because my subconscious is working hard. right?)
Planned a bit for Fredericksburg trip tomorrow. (Research, shopping AND wine. I love my job.)
Hung around house while dishwasher repair guy did his thing.
Bank: deposited check for Hope Chest novella (whee!)
Made dinner (well, heated leftovers if you must know).
Stared at the mess that is my office, wondering why the elves have not finished unpacking and filing. Stupid elves....

OK. I'm off to do synopsis type things. Really. No, REALLY.

 

Another commentary on the changes at Harlequin and what it portends ...
 

And Seaworld Wins!!!!

Thanks to everyone who participated in my mini-poll. Seaworld didn't actually win (that honor went to the neighborhood pool, which we've also frequented) but it won the Kenner household contest, and so off we went. We took the munchkin on Saturday, and she had a fabulous time. I spent today recovering and reading The Rule of Four (a fabulous book that Kathleen and I will soon be klatching about. My sneak preview? I give it two thumbs up.

As for Sea World itself, it was a big hit, as we knew it would be. We didn't see the "sea horses, mommy!" that C wanted, but we did see fish and the Anheiser-Busch (sp?) Clydesdales, so that's something. And we saw both the Shamu show and "Fools with Tools," which was a very cute little show w/ sea lions, an otter and a VERY large Walrus. My daughter, who's been wondering about Mr. Otter ever since he was a no-show at the Dallas aquarium, was thrilled beyond belief. (She was also pretty excited about popcorn, so that gives you some perspective.)

During the drive back, I came up with some fabulous plot fodder and some one liners. Alas, exhaustion and the drive erased them from my brain. I'm currently wondering if hypnotism is an option. (This is one of those job hazards. Not only can I not dictate well -- couldn't even do that as a lawyer; my fingers need a keyboard -- even if I could, I don't think I could do it in front of D. So no matter what, unless my brain grabs hold, I'm guaranteed to lose driving-thoughts. It sucks. And Alphie can't even help me out here, b/c I always drive (as a result of car sickness which, I think, C has inherited. Bummer)). How was THAT for a convoluted sentence???

Pulling over every 5 seconds to jot down notes would not go over well with the family.

Actually, I'm probably making more of it just for dramatic license. I remember a few key things (one very funny bit of business for the bride book with Signet next summer!) and I'm sure once I start getting the thoughts on paper, it will all flow. We'll see.

Right now, my writing is in a weird place. I emailed a novella to my editor on Saturday, and that means that I'm currently working on story outlines and synopses. No actual books. Not yet. This is both a dreaded part of the process and a favorite part. Dreaded because I have to sit down and come up with the entire story. Favorite because I get to sit down and write a whole story in a few days (instead of a few months). And you thought writers weren't neurotic???? But outlining the story is NOT the same, and has its own unique set of frustrations (a key one being the absence of critique partners at absolutely critical moments in the plot structure. Don't they know they must be at my beck and call?????!!!!!) And, of course, there are the flashes of absolute brilliance (I think) that are completely contrary to the one sentence blurbie turned into the editor over a year ago. And now, of course, you can't catch said editor on the phone if your life depended on it (which, of course, it does b/c it's all about me, right???). And, yeah, I really do have a cool new twist -- I think -- on the next book after The Givenchy Code, and I'm DYING to run it by my editor and critique partner and, of course, it's the weekend and I must wait until tomorrow. Alas.

What else?

Ah, novellas. Some come so easy, and some so hard. Though even the hard ones turn out okay (or at least, I will tell myself it turned out great until I hear otherwise from my editor!) And my recently published novella (warning! Warning! Shameless self-promotion approaching! Just got a GREAT review at AAR . Click on the review page and look for Essence of Midnight. (I loved writing that story. It was like "the dark side" of The Cat's Fancy. Very fun. Very moody. Very sexy.)

Well, that's it for tonight. Tomorrow I settle in for more synopsizing (and editor phone tag!). Signing off ...

 

Booksquare-In Which We Offer Our Unsolicited Opinion My LA buddy made it to town today and we bummed around and took C to feed the ducks. And, though I did manage to write quite a bit, I'm still catching up. Thus, I'm posting someone else's fascinating and well-thought-out (imho) blog. Just in case you missed it ....
 

It's a miracle!!! Kathleen and I have updated our Coffee Klatch page! Curious? Check it out here: Coffee Klatch

 

Yay!!! It's off, off, off to my editor!!!! I read through the whole thing again yesterday (harder than that might sound w/ a 2 year old to entertain) and was really, really pleased with it. Now, of course, the nail biting begins but fortunately I have 8 billion other things to do in the meantime, so hopefully I won't stress too much waiting for my editors comments and revisions.

Here's a blurbie thing if you're curious (it'll end up on the webpage when I update, but for now, a sneak preview!): As if bad hair days, scrounging for rent money, and lusting after designer shoes wasn’t enough to make Melanie Prescott’s life interesting, suddenly she’s practically living The DaVinci Code, chasing after obscure clues tossed her way by a madman. Clues she has to solve in order to stay alive. With stakes like that, her dissertation is looking a little less important. Forget worrying about choosing a career, right now she’s just worrying about making it to tomorrow. The only bright spot in the whole freakish nightmare is the six-foot tall dark and handsome stranger who’s determined to protect her. Well, that and the millions of dollars that will be her reward. If she survives. And she’d better survive. Because Prada clashes horribly when you’re dead...


And in other news, some significant progress in the potty training arena (for those of you keeping score). I have resorted to blatant bribery...and it seems to be working well, thank you very much.

Today is The Novella That Ate Cincinatti day. I've already finished it once, wasn't happy with the characters, and completely re-drew these people. Fortunately, my editor is fab and didn't think I was too insane (and offered me more time). Don't you wish you could redraw people? Gee, honey, that habit you have of picking your teeth with chicken wire is so blech. Here. About an independently wealthy/raised in English boarding schools/totally gentlemanly manner ...

Yeah. That's the ticket ...

And, finally, my best friend from forever is in town doing family-related stuff. Our schedules keep not meshing, but hopefully I'll get the chance to see him before he heads back to LA. He hasn't seen C in a year!
 

I've been filling out the Author Questionnaire for Berkley to send back to The Powers That Be for Carpe Demon. And, um, I'm not reallly sure to say to some of these questions. "What are my qualifications for writing the book?" Um? I dunno? Anyone who's worked as a lawyer is qualified to write about fighting demons? That seems a reasonable response (and why do I think the questionnaire was really intended for an author who's just written a book about high blood pressure?) And if anyone out there knows why I should be on a talk show aimed mostly at women (other than the obvious I photograph terribly and would make the hosts look even better in comparison) please let me know. My keen fashion sense? I'm at a loss.

Big news at Harlequin. Have I already posted about the Temptation line folding (I'm too lazy to go look). If so, bear with me, it's late and this will be sort. If not, here's the thing. I'm bummed. Totally, totally, totally bummed. I love Temptation. I sold my first book to Temptation. My voice fits perfectly in Temptation. Sigh. (And in case you're wondering, Julie? No Temptation? Where will you now be in the HQ lineup? The answer is Blaze. A perfectly fine home and one I've lived in for a while (2-timing with Temptation and 3 & 4 timing with other publishers). But, hey, it ain't Temptation. Boo hoo.

More on the RWA conference later (well, if I think of something witty and pithy to say) but let me just note that there was a Mary Kay conference at the hotel at the same time RWA was there. Women, women everywhere. D went with me to the conference for the first couple of days. I think it was just a TAD overwhelming ...

My laptop crashed the other day. Ugh. I lost 106 emails. ONE HUNDRED AND SIX. I dont' think I lost any documents, but who knows. I now have a new hard drive (the repair guy held the old one up and shook it. It rattled. Even w/ my limited technical expertise, I know that is Not A Good Thing). Now I get to undertake the ultimate joy: reinstalling my software. Gee. I can hardly wait....
 

I'm being frugal.

Really. I am. And it's quite a lovely feeling. Before I quit the dayjob, we paid off all our debt except for our mortgage and one of our cars.

The thing is, though, that I LOVE to shop. And window shopping just isn't the same. And in the book that I'm finishing editing right now, the heroine has a shoe fetish, and the other day in Dillards there were all these DARLING shoes. And now that I don't have a day job, really, what excuse do I have to buy fun new clothes? I mean, the UPS guy doesn't even hang around until you answer the front door. He just rings the bell and heads out. And I don't think that anyone at my daughter's day care gives a hoot what I look like (at least, I HOPE they don't, since I've so far thrown on shorts a t-shirt and tied my hair back, then showered after I got back home and answered a few email).

All of which is to say that I'm in a bit of w/drawal, the kind that was NOT satisfied by buying C a new pair of shoes this w.e. (ahem. we had her in a and 8 1/2. According to the lady in the kid dept, she should be in a TEN. Yikes!)

And, of course, in the midst of all this frugality, I'm reading Confessions of a Shopaholic. Grand fun. Makes me want to go shopping.

Sigh.

 

Well, I'm not feeling the laptop love tonight. Full crash. Completely kaput. Won't get past the startup screen. Sigh. So, if you're one of the 104 emails on that machine that I can no longer access ... sorry!!!!!

What IS it these days w/ me and technology????????
 

So, I decide I've had enough with the crap cell phone service I had at my house with the Previous Cell Phone Provider. I switch today to T-Mobile. All is well in cell-phone land. We have signal in the kitchen, the yard, the living room and, yes, my study!! Yay, We Have A Winner.

Until about an hour ago.

No signal. None. Kaput. Zilch.

Tech support thinks maybe routine maintenance or a tower down or something (it *is* 1:30 in the morning, and no, I wasn't trying to call anyone...). But still ....

Personally, I think it's some sort of weird cosmic plot to keep me off the phone and working on my books. So, in a fit of rebellion, I'm taking 1/2 of tomorrow off and going to go see Spiderman 2. Take that, karmic cell phones!!!

And, lest you think I'm still on vacation, I spent the morning working with Karen Kendall on a fabulous series we're doing for NAL along with Kylie Adams. We worked at the Borders Cafe, made much progress (yay!) and then I signed about a bazillion books (kudos to Borders for stocking the current release along with the backlist titles in the series!). Picked C up from the first day of her new day care (she did great, thanks for asking) and then came home. We took her to Gattiland for a day one celebration where she ate pizza and played "Stomp the Spiders" (about the only game geared for a 2.75 year old. After bedtime (a painful experience since she hasn't been napping, but she napped at day care and, thus, is NOT tired at 9:15) I got busy on more stuff for the NAL book, and then did a bit more on this fun novella I'm working on for Harlequin.

I also worked on the updated website (no, it's not uploaded yet) and answered a ton of email.

All in all a pretty productive day for the first day back from vacation. Yay me.

 

Ah, August. Another house. Another deadline. Another school year. And, so, without further ado, I'm making a new "year's" resolution ... more blogginess and more web updates!!!! (lame, I know, but my husband and daughter have both been home all July!! D started back to work today and C starts a new day care tomorrow. And I, refreshed and rejuvenated -- and mildly exhausted -- have returned from the RWA conference ready to conquer the cyberworld! Well, sort of.) At any rate, more tomorrow ...