Soon!

We don't have a definite date yet, but The Shape of Love is going to print within the next few days! It's very exciting! I don't even know how I'll react when I get to hold the book in my hands!
Now it's promotion time, which is a totally new experience for me. And if the books come in time, I'll get to participate in my very first book signing. I already said how excited I am, but there's a part of me that's a little bit nervous too.
According to my horoscope February is supposed to be a wonderful month for me in love, money, and career. (except for when Mercury goes retrograde again) Ha! I don't know why I continue to check it, but I do. I'll let you know how it all works out at the end of the month. Might be fun.
Now I'm waiting for the dudes to show up and switch my stuff around. I'm trying to get all my Internet work done before they get here. Which is kind of funny since I never seem to be done on the 'net. And I just realized, as I went down to switch one of the million and a half loads of laundry to be done, that they'll probably need to go into the basement to do their thing. Uh. Not good. Currently, our basement is worse than the depths of hell. No, that's not an exaggeration. Plus, I never did get around to pulling out my desk and cleaning behind it. Oh well...it is what it is.
Don't forget...New Supernatural tonight!
Sam and Dean and spooky stuff and Sam and Dean and cars and Sam and Dean...oh, I can't wait!! There's only 4 more episdoes left because of the writer's strike. All I can say is, I hope the writers get what they deserve soon so they can write more episodes! A world without Supernatural is not a good world. At all.
Tomorrow I'll probably gush more about Supernatural.
Consider yourselves warned!
Behave!

Windy Wednesday

Well, howdy!
It's so windy here - and it's blowing a cutting wind right into your bones. Brrr...
The Shape of Love is coming! More details as they become available, but it won't be long now. Whoot!
Tomorrow I sit and wait for the new Internet and phone hook up. Most likely I'll be without phone and the 'net for hours. I have no idea what I'm going to do with myself during that time. Scratch that. I know what I'll be doing. The outage is probably for the best. I might actually get some work done. Of course, there will be strange people working on and in my house as they hook up stuff. Kind of weird. Oh, and maybe I should clean behind my desk before they get here. I should, but am pretty sure that's not going to happen since I have errands to run before they get here.
I'm trying not to watch American Idol right now, but it's not working. Man, some of the people auditioning make me cringe in embarassment for them. And it makes me crazy when contestants trash the show after the judges have passed.
That's your Wednesday update. Nothing special, I admit, but...
The most important thing is...New Supernatural tomorrow! Whoot!
Behave!

Let's See...

Today was one of those days where I ran from the second I got out of bed until...well, now I guess. Or maybe still. I might not be careening around like a chicken with my head cut off (a cliche for you) since I'm finally sitting down, but I'm still very busy, so I don't know exactly what that means.
Doing some computer maintenance - okay, I didn't do it because I'm too impatient and I wasn't quite sure where to go to achieve what needed done - but thanks to some help from a friend, the desktop is most likely ready to handle the new Internet service that's coming.
And yes, it's my own fault for running around like a spaz all day. If I would have prepared for tonight in smaller increments instead of waiting until the last minute, I wouldn't have been checking homework, running the vacuum, and dragging mattresses around ten minutes before our guests were due to arrive.
What's up with the mattresses, you ask? Okay, so it was only one. I decided not to touch the box springs after what the mattress did to me. Anyway, when we helped our friend move, she gave us her very rarely used double bed set up for K3. It sat in my kitchen overnight, then in my dining room. (I did tell you time has been short around here) Even though I knew our guests wouldn't care, I cared. So K2 and I shoved, strained, and finagled the danged thing up to the third floor. It wasn't easy since there was nothing to hold onto, but I've very proud of myself for not letting out the expletives I was thinking. I highly doubt the box spring is going to fit up the narrow stairway to the third floor. We'll see what happens with that.
Anyway (again). Where was I?
Oh. And no, I didn't have to make the dinner that required a little more preparation than tossing some chicken into a pan. But I wanted to. It was worth it. Besides my computer getting all spiffy and happy, we had a good time - which is all that matters. And my house is in pretty decent shape now, so I can spend the rest of the week doing what I need to do without tripping over something stupid that shouldn't have been left on the floor to begin with...but that's another post entirely.
Did any of that make sense?
Oh well...
Behave!

A Whole Bunch O' Nothin'

There isn't much to report.
Oh, except that...The Shape of Love will most likely be released in both paper and ebook sometime in February. I'll let you know once we get a definite date.
On the writing front...
I'm back into the swing of Out of the Shadows. I'll put the word meter back up soon. If you'll notice, I updated my blog a little bit. I'm still playing with that and trying to get the links back up - so if you were there before and aren't now... no worries. I'm working on it.
On the home front...
Not much. We continue to run around like crazy people. No end to that in sight.
The younger K's appear to have hit growth spurt central just in the past 2 weeks. We just did new shoes, and now it's pants. The jeans from Christmas are too short already. K3 is soon going to be as tall as me, (which is good because he needs to grow into his feet) and I don't think K4 will be too far behind.
New Supernatural on Thursday! I can't tell you how happy that makes me. I miss the boys.
That's all I have for now.
I hope your weekend was fantastic.
Behave!

Cover Art

We have the cover for "The Shape of Love".
Yay!!
Unfortunately, we're not allowed to share. Not yet.
Soon!
Seeing my name on the front of the cover was a thrill I hope I never get used to. It's very exciting.

In other stuff, I'm racing around the house like a crazy woman trying to find the list of the things K3 needs for his "basic aid" class at school. The items are due tomorrow, and all I know is that he needs a magazine and a sheet cut into 2 different sized bundles. Ack! I'm driving myself nuts because I never lose stuff like this. The list was just here on my desk and now it's gone. Did I say this is due tomorrow? Yeah.
Off to search some more!
Behave!

Dull Tuesday

It just is.
I can't explain, except that it's the middle of January and don't we all usually feel a little "meh" this time of year?
Around here, it's not the lack of activity. Most of the stuff going on now is cub scout related. Dinners, derby's, the preparation for bridging into boy scouts - and a bunch of other stuff that will be taking up our weekends for a little while. It's hard to believe that we'll soon walk away from the cub scout world that we've been a part of for the last 13 years. I can't think too hard about that or I'll get all nostalgic. (You should be used to that by now)
What else? Hmm...not much. I told you it's been a dull day. Still bitterly, horribly cold out there. I spent my day freezing. I swear my leg bone actually froze. You could have lit my pants on fire and I would have said it felt good. I got a little excited when some flakes started falling, but my thrill was short lived. Dang it.
That's all.
Behave!

A Day Off...Not

You'd think there'd be a little more time to get everything done since the kids were off school today, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Sleeping in was wonderful, though considering the poor quality sleep I had last night, it was more necessary than an indulgence. Our water bed was freezing. I finally got up, using the light on my pen and checked the thermostat to find it turned down to 70*. Did I mention it's pretty much single-digit temps around here? I'm not sure how the dial got moved, but finding B's hand hovering above kind of gives me a clue, plus it moves very easy. We'll have to come up with a way to stop that from happening. Last time it was the opposite, the bed was so hot you couldn't even get under the covers.
Anyway.
Today has been anything than a casual, relaxing day. Errands, shoe buying, unpleasant attitudes from several of the K's, and laundry...'nuff said.
My edits are finished thanks to staying up until 1 a.m. last night. Whoot! Now I have a critique to do, and then I'll decide what's next.
Man, it's taken me a long time to write this. Between the printer malfunctioning, the younger K's bickering, and K2 leaving to go to the mall with her cousins, this should be pages long with the time it's taken.
That is all.
Behave!

Sunday, Sunday

Man, it's cold outside.
The temps around 18* and the wind chill puts it down to 3*. The dog doesn't seem to get that it's too cold for her to stay outside any longer than it takes to do her business. I don't know how long this cold snaps supposed to last, let's just hope it's not too long.
Moving day went okay yesterday. Luckily, it wasn't quite this cold. Our friend was well prepared and had plenty of help, so we were done at a fairly decent time. After we got her bed put together, we went ahead and made it for her, and of course, couldn't just be nice and make it the right way. She hasn't called to yell about that yet. I need to get the picture my brother in law took of my "redneck skiing". Picture a moving cart - one of those four wheel deals with a hole in the middle - and a pair of crutches. Everyone was yelling at me to stop before I fell and hurt myself.
Today I'm writing - well, working on edits - and trying to stay warm.
Hope your weekend is going well.
Behave!

Snow, Music, and Rambling

So...
We had snow, but not enough to mess plans up or delay school. I'm not sure how I feel about that. The extra few hours of sleep would have been sweet.
Today's been busy so far. The usual Friday madness - bills, grocery shopping, taking care of family business. Friday is supposed to be my day off from writing, but not this week. I'm moving back to the edits shortly now that the urgent household chores are taken care of. The family is even having leftovers for dinner so I can work. They don't know that yet.
Anyway.
Sometimes I'm lucky enough to find a song, or a few songs, that suits my work in progress well. The funny thing is, this time I didn't find that song until I hit the editing stage. I know it sounds weird, but the focus I gain from listening really helps. I think I need to pay more attention to the music when I'm working. I used to, but have gotten away from it with the loss of my headphones. I've borrowed K2's for now, and we'll see if I move any faster on the edits now.
That's about it for today. More snow is expected overnight, but since we're helping a friend move tomorrow it would not be a good thing. We'll see.
Behave!

Snow!

Yes, it's snowing here. Yay! It started coming down about an hour and a half ago, and already it's laying on the sidewalks and trees. It's the perfect topper on what's been a pretty decent two days around here.
Our cover for "The Shape of Love" is nearly finished. As soon as I get the okay to share, I'll post it. Things are moving along, and hopefully we'll know the release date soon.
I'm holed up in my "spot", doing my thing (taking a short break right now). K2 is home already due to mid-term exams and is currently working on my last nerve with random loud noises and constant talking though she knows I'm trying to concentrate. (Every time I give her "the look", she apologizes profusely. Except it only lasts less then a minute before the noise starts again.) She's talking to me, the dog, the cat, and the computer while commenting on my choice of music. Oh, and making up new words to the songs. Yeah.
On another front, there's a spectacular chance one of her new hamsters is with child. We'll see, but the critter is very round and grumpy, and has made a nest. Apparently, the pregnancy only lasts about 21 days. She's had the thing 14 days. Oh, and they go into heat about every 4 days. I can't help but see every available container filled with little furry things as they continue to excessively reproduce.
Back to work.
Behave!

Updating...

As you can see I've finally updated the links to the left. The first new one is my my space page, click on over and friend me if you want to (and you have a my space). The second link is the link to my publisher. Head over and check out the coming soon page. "The Shape of Love" is on there, though we're still waiting on our cover art, and if you get a chance go to the blog section and see what's being said about the book. Our back cover blurbs are up.
The desktop computer is feeling a bit better, though still running slow since I haven't removed the pictures or music yet. That's coming once I get some discs and convince the older two to take care of the stuff on their screen names. I spend quite a bit of time yesterday trying to heal it, and feel pretty good about at least helping it run faster.
On the writing front, I'm still working on edits. This is the final stage of rearranging a thread, upping some tension, and making sure everything makes sense. After that, I have a few other projects to make decisions on and I need to get back to OotS. I'm feeling it though - organized, hopeful, sharper, and ready to rock and roll. Oh, and there's our annual writer's retreat planning going on. I'm the committee chair this year, and though it doesn't require a lot of work, there are still things to take care of. I'm excited, but it's not until May. Except I have a suspicion May will be here before we know it - especially since it's already the middle of January.
That's about it. I'm off to the editing cave.
Behave!

And Then...

Still working on the new My Space.
I also need to update around here. I'll get to it, right now I'm doing little bits at a time.
And dealing with computer woes. The desktop (the computer the family uses) is insanely slow right now. When you try to get on the Internet, it's as slow as dial up. Yeah. Lots of fun. I've cleared out the junk, ran the clean up tools, and defragmented, and while it's better...still slow and irritating. Slow Internet is almost as bad as no Internet in my opinion. I'm still working on it. I think the problem is all the "stuff" that's on it - probably thousands of pictures and hundreds of hours of music. Sharing the computer with two teenagers has many pitfalls. Oh, then there are the infected cookies. Obviously, this is my fault for not doing machine maintenance more often.
We didn't get snow. I'm a little bummed by that, though not.
Oh, and the calendar I thought would slow down now that the holidays are over? Ha!
I need a catchy title...I think Tuesdays are going to be for whining on the blog. Hmm...
Behave!!

Branching Out

Don't ask me why. Maybe I didn't think I had enough to do already, but I've made my own my space page. Go here to check it out and if you have a my space, friend me! (Remember I'm still working on it!)
There's nothing wrong with the my space I share with Vicky B at all. I just wanted a page that was all about me, and obviously the blog wasn't a big enough drain on my time. ha!
I've been working on it pretty much all afternoon, trying to get more than "Tom" on my friends list.
There is no other news this weekend. I've been deep into edits while dealing with a crushing, near-migraine strength headache that sleep, medication, and my glasses (and a lot of other remedies)won't cure.
Snow's in our forecast. We'll see. I'm not believing it, though I would like to see some of the white stuff come down.
That is all for now.
Behave!

Random Odd

Things to do in a restaurant while you're waiting for the food to come.

When my cousin and her fiance were here, we braved an eatery with 20 people in our party. That's pretty normal for us, especially when we go to the beach, though the crowd is a little bigger then. There's a lot of wait time and it gets tedious for me, so I can't imagine how the younger ones cope.

Well, yes, I can.

It's like that. I'm not sure what exactly they were building here, but we've had little villages of sugar packets stacked together like tents, straw creations, and other random activities that usually make whoever waits on us roll their eyes. And yes, we always clean it up before we leave.

You can see I have absolutely nothing to say today. Besides a trip to the grocery store, I plan to spend the day working on edits. I keep thinking we have something planned for this evening, but so far it hasn't surfaced yet. We'll see...

Behave!

Check it out...

Go here, or here, or here to check out this:

Fellow My Space cohort, Vicky B's new release!

Available today from Cerridwen Press!

Blurb:

Danger on Xy-One
Vicky E. Burkholder
Book 3 in the Hunters for Hire series
Cerridwen Press – coming January 10th
Aleksia Matthews is an asteroid assayer who would like nothing better than to be left alone. Her life is soon turned upside down when a band of ruthless pirates attack her ship. She manages to escape, but fears the worst for her brother. Ali swears revenge. Although well-trained by Fleet Security, she knows she can't do the job alone. When she literally runs into Jason Cole, a blue-eyed, raven-haired stranger, she knows she has met the perfect partner—in more ways than one.
Special agent and Bounty Hunter, Jason Cole has spent the past year tracking the pirates that killed his brother Zack and Zack's family. He's always one step behind; too late to help the victims. There are never any survivors—until now. It is up to him to keep the golden-eyed, auburn-haired beauty alive and out of trouble until the gang can be captured, and maybe longer.

Check it out!

You won't be sorry!

Behave!

Daily Peeves

1. This stupid DVR thing.
I figured out how to record stuff, but now I can't figure out how to watch what I recorded.
2. It's cold.
Cold in my house. Cold outside. Where's the snow?
3. No new Supernatural.
I miss the boys. Apparently, we have to wait until the end of January for a new episode. I am sad.
4. People hanging over my shoulder when I'm working/writing email/on the computer.
5. The fact that no one knows how to hang up their coat.
Okay. So it's a small list for today. I've been working hard all day. Making progress and feeling pretty good about what I've accomplished so far. There's still more to do, so I'm outta here.
Behave!

Holiday Over

Yeah, I know it's been over for a week now, but I finally got my Christmas tree and decorations stored away. Usually, the tree comes down the day after Christmas for various reasons - deadness being the main one. This year that didn't happen because of time, and because we'd done so much running around we didn't feel like we had much chance to enjoy it.
It was time though. The tree was done. Dry, with the branches turning brown. Not a lot of needle loss though, which means we'll definitely be getting this same type of tree again. I even got the stuff from the front porch put away. The only thing I left out was this old, cool sled. Maybe I shouldn't have put the snowman away...maybe I'll get him back out. I wouldn't want to jinx any possible snow like I think I did last year.
That's all I have.
What a lame post.
Behave!

Spring?

This weather is not cool.
I mean, it is. It's wonderful. Beautiful. Amazing. Nearly 70* in January.
I love it.
And I hate it.
Because we all know this is a temporary abberation. By this time next week we're going to be back to freezing our tails off and complaining about how cold it is. This warmth is not going to help us get through that. I'm a firm believer in snow, but if it's not snowing it should be warm. Oh well...not much to be done about the weather.
In other stuff, this new digital cable thing is pretty darned cool. We got a pretty sweet promotional package, so we've got a few premium channels for free. B and I have been watching "The Stand" each evening and being able to pause and rewind is nifty. No commercials is also pretty nifty.
I'm getting back into my swing with writing. Slowly. I have some editing to do, some other editing to do, more editing to do, and some short stories to work on. Pay no attention to the word meter - its not entirely accurate at the moment.
That's all the Tuesday ramblings I have.
Behave!

Finally the Funny

Okay. Where do I begin?

B prefers to shave his head, especially in the summer months. During the winter, he'll let it grow out some, but will shave when he has to dress up. (No, that is not really what his hair looks like when he grows it. Yes, he's showing a few "thin" spots, but nothing like this). So...He went up to shave in preparation for one of the 55 gazillion Christmas-type obligations we had when he came downstairs with the hood of his sweatshirt up and says: "How much do you love me?" To which my answer always is: "What did you do?" Then he says: "Will you love me when I'm old?" And, of course, I said: "You are old. What did you do?" He proceeds to drop the hood and I thought I was going to die from laughter. I wish we would have had somewhere to go where people would have appreciated what he'd done because it's way funnier than this picture, or my story. He shaved not long after, leaving only the photographic memory behind, which is funny enough. Or not. Maybe you have to know him for it to be funny. I don't know.

Anyway. On this same night, he'd stopped for champagne to toast the signing of The Shape of Love contract. As he popped the cork, it hit the ceiling and then ricocheted back onto his head. Which brought more hysterical laughter from me - so much so I couldn't even croak out enough words to ask if he was okay. Heck. I couldn't even breathe. (My sister did a very similar thing before a wedding, only the cork caught her right between the eyes and left a bloody mark. It's a long story that I don't think she appreciates me spreading around, besides, it's much funnier told in person)

And that's all I have for this unseasonably warm Monday.

Behave!

Getting Lost Inside My Head

Yeah. That's me.
I had all these blog topics I wanted to write about, except now that I'm ready to actually use them I can't think of a single one, except the funny picture I promised, but the photo file is on the house computer and I'm not.
I was going to blog about what I'm looking forward to this year, but I've decided I don't want to jinx myself too much (not that I'm superstitious - but with the luck we had last year...that probably makes no sense, but oh well.). About the only thing I'm going to say is how much I'm looking forward to The Shape of Love coming out. More details soon. I'll keep you posted.
I'd forgotten my writer's group decided not to set annual goals any longer. Instead we'll do the yearly goals prize drawing from the monthly goals. (I won the yearly goals prize this year! First time ever and now I have a very cool bag of goodies!) So I hurt myself trying to decide what I wanted my yearly goal to be for nothing. Not that I'd decided anything concrete before the meeting. Still, knowing what I want to get done this year is a good thing and I at least know that much. I've decided above all else, I need to be a little more flexible so I don't stress myself out too much.
That's about it for today.
Behave!

Saturday

Today was my monthly writers group meeting. I love my chapter. I always leave the meeting feeling recharged and full of hope. Today was no different even though we were crammed into a small space because our regular room wasn't available. We were almost sitting on top of each other, but it was still a blast.
Then we went pet shopping. K2 wanted another small pet and since she had a cage, and her own money, all she needed from us was transportation and advice. After seeing the coolest Great Dane (that's the dog I want), we finally found them. Two Russian Dwarf hamsters. They're very, very cute. I can't remember what she named them, only that she didn't take my suggestion of Franks & Beans. They're all settled into their new home now. I'll post pictures soon. K3 has decided he wants a snake. Sigh.
So yesterday we finally got our digital cable installed. When the ice storm took down our lines, the cable company rep offered us a package that's cheaper than what we were paying per month. Of course I jumped on that, and since by next year everyone will have to convert to digital, I'm ahead of the game a little bit. Which is a rare and unusual thing in this house. Anyway. What a cool thing. I'm digging the music channels and the free movies. We're still learning how to work it, though I did manage to set the parental controls already. And I can't believe how awesome the picture quality is, even on our nearly 20 year old floor model television.
Well, that's about it for me. Our weekend is much more relaxed than what it was this time last week and I think we're still in a state of shock without so much going on.
Behave!

What a Bunch of Crazies!

This is where we rang in the new year.

Around this fire in the freezing cold. See the snow? And my sister went in her slippers and no socks. The guys had been working on the fire for quite some time before the rest of us left the warmth of my sisters house and traveled down icy, slippery trails to gather by the fire. I don't think the thing started burning right until those offended by the cold headed back to the warm house. Yes, it was dark - pitch black dark - and you had to watch your step due to standing frozen water, but you know it's an experience none of us will ever forget. I'm not sure who will remember the fire fondly, and who will grit their teeth and curse, but we were all together toasting in the new year, hugging, and being thankful for each other, for friends who are family, and wishing those that couldn't make it could have been there.

I still have some funny pics to post. I'll get them up soon. Right now, I'm busy organizing myself for the new year. I need to solidify my yearly writing goals before morning. Tomorrow is the first meeting of CPRW for the year, and I get the honor of presenting our chapter service award. Which means I have to give a speech...I don't do so hot with speeches. The mere thought of standing up in front of my peers has my stomach tightening. And these are people I've known for years - my friends and fellow writers. Yes, it's something I need to work on. The funny thing is, I can stand with these same people, repeat the exact same words from my speech and not start talking too fast, or tripping over my words, or turning red, or stammering like a fool, but make me stand up while everyone watched expectantly...shiver, shiver. I'll let you know how it goes.

In the meantime, enjoy your Friday and the weekend and...

Behave!

We are NOT getting a puppy!

Isn't she cute?

Her name is Cleo and she's a four-week old dachshund. She belongs to K1's girlfriend, along with another younger litter of many (I can't remember the number).

They brought the puppy over yesterday and I haven't heard the end of it yet. As I tucked K4 in last night, she called me back into the room and said, in a really sad voice, "I really think we need another puppy". Ack! They're all bugging.

Who's supposed to take care of the puppy when they're all off doing their own thing? Potty training? Cleaning up messes? Yeah.

Don't get me wrong, she's adorable. I know eventually we'll end up with another dog. I'm not ready yet, and neither is our dog. Or the cat, who was rather irritated this black and tan creature was in his domain sucking up all the attention.

There's not much chance of me backing down on this one, but just in case, no one is allowed to say "I knew it", okay?

Behave!

Happy New Year!

And whew!
I hope your new year celebrating went well. We had a blast. I think this new years eve ranks as one of the best yet, even though we didn't get to bed until three in the morning. There were 23 of us spending the night in my sisters house. Yeah. Think major chaos and you have it. Oh and my sisters macaw was along as well - I know I've told you about him. Three dogs and lots of craziness. We played games, laughed, talked, and ended up down at the creek around a big campfire at the stroke of midnight. I'm still processing how I feel about the campfire. It was cool, dark, cold, stressful, and one of those things we'll never forget. I'm not sure if any of my pictures will turn out.
This morning, after breakfast, cleaning up, and discussing the snoring going on in the house during the night, we headed to the movies to see the new National Treasure with 25 people. Very cool movie.
Now...whew...we're home - completely done with the insane craziness that's consumed us for the past few weeks. Life back to normal. Thank goodness. And I'm ready to crash for the night already.
There you have it.
Behave!