Retreat: Day 3 - PM - Feel Good Friday

Here we go!
1. Finishing my edits on ItF and submitting! Whoot!
2. Finishing my short and sending for critique. Whoot!
3. Brainstorming with Misty and finding my next story! Whoot! (3 whoots in a row!)
4. Feeling like my writer self again!
5. Having one more full day here!
6. The last of our posse arriving safe and sound!
7. Finding out how great my kid did at her performance last night!
8. Talking to her school and hearing good news.
9. The lovely weather here. It was raining, then sunny, then big black clouds. The big storm never came, though I wished for it. I'll take the sun, white puffy clouds, and wonderful breeze though!
10. Napping.
11. Knowing that I will make my writing group goal for the first time in months.
12. Tonight's gathering plans, which will include laughter and possible game playing.

Things that were not so awesome about today:
1. Today is the one year anniversary of my mom's death. It's weighed heavily on me all day, well since last night when her brother called. Well, for a long time. It's been a really rough year. I miss my momma so much, but I also know that she's watching over me and telling me to write the damn books and be happy like she is now that she's with Dad. Love you, Mom.
2. Waking up with a ginormous zit on my chin.
3. The extremely LOUD group that has joined us. No kidding. This woman just ran down the hall screaming "Yoo Hoo", while looking into our rooms. It was made well known to them that we're writers who are working here, and this particular lady is quick to tell the other guests that we're authors, but not so quick to shut her mouth.
4. The poor hummingbird that crashed into the dining room window.
5. The rude goose right outside my window and his incessant honking. lol

Obviously more good than bad. Number one aside, the bad can suck it. (especially #3)
I'm off to our gathering!
Behave!

Retreat: Day 1

Yay! Retreat! Finally!

I cannot tell you how happy I am to be here! I've already made some significant progress editing my short story. All but three people are here - two due to arrive in an hour or so and one on Friday.
We've had our dinner and have retired to our rooms for a little while (I'm sure we'll end up either in our meeting room or someone's room to take a break).

I have my very own room this year, which I'm stoked about. (not that I minded my roomie at all, but for me, for this year, this is what I need)

Our day started out a little crazy.
As we were pulling through a drive through, we saw a car back into an elderly gentleman. The whole thing happened in slow motion, until two of us jumped out of the car to help. The older man was knocked to the ground, hitting his head and scraping up his arm. He also said his ribs on the one side hurt pretty bad. We made the call to get an ambulance and the police and then waited with him until they arrived. Once we'd given our statements, we were able to hit the road. It was a total accident. The guy who was driving felt horrible.

We drove through some crazy fog. Had a fantastic lunch and finally arrived. Whoot!

Oh and another super cool thing! Prelude of Lies is now available in print! Woo Hoo! (Click the link)
I'm super excited to get my copies and be able to hold this book in my hands!

So that's pretty much the extent of Day 1. More later...
Behave!

Tuesday Tidbits...

1. I knew Ghost Hunters was back, but I hadn't had time to actually watch. Thank goodness for "on demand". I am now pretty much caught up and have not lost my love for this show! Awesome!
2. Mostly quiet night around here. (see above) Laundry working.
3. I wrote a whole bunch tonight! Yay! I'm at the "official"  halfway mark on my short, thought it will need some serious editing. It feels good!
4. I ordered my swag for Prelude. It should be here by Thursday. Yay!
5. The weather is gorgeous!
6. OT sucks. The day job is sucky right now, but what are you going to do?
7. My house is slowly getting back on track. Yay.
8. Weekend non-plans. We have a bunch of stuff to do, but no "commitments", which means we'll be spending the weekend getting much needed stuff done! Yay!
9. Thank goodness for finding a beer in my fridge! It was much needed after today!
10. It's almost time to take the air conditioners out! I can't wait to have a fresh air breeze again! Just not quite yet...
That is all...
Behave!

New Kitchen, Snow, Chaos...

 So this is what my mom's new kitchen looks like! Gorgeous! There are still a few things to be done - outlet covers, the appliance garage, shelves in the lower cabinets, an in-cabinet trash & recycle center, new bar stools. We spent the day cleaning the dry wall dust out of the new fridge (long story), cleaning the cupboards out and wiping them down, putting away things in the upper cabinets, cleaning the dust out of the pantry. We got a lot done, but there's still a lot to do. Everything has to be washed due to the dust and we can't find a lot of things. Okay. That's not true. We know where they are, but we can't get to them because there is construction stuff piled in front and on top of it. But we'll get there... And now I have serious kitchen envy! Ha!
***
It snowed and did some freezing rain. School is already delayed for tomorrow. That Man is plowing. Homework is done. Laundry is almost done. The house has been picked up, vacuumed, and dishes are done. K3 is watching videos on the computer and K4 is researching water polo teams because she thinks she might want to play. Elsa is sleeping on the couch and the kitties are running rampant. It's crazy time for them.
I wrote this morning and am heading back to do more now. I don't know how long That Man will be out, but I highly doubt I'll be able to stay up and wait for him.
That is all!
Behave!

Lame Tuesday...

I know I suck...
So Saturday was a lot of fun! The crowd was small - maybe because it was 400* below zero and there was snow in the forecast. Dinner after was a lot of fun, too. After that we did a quick shopping trip and ran home to hang out with K1 & J. We had a blast.
Sunday was cleaning and getting ready for our day with K5. Only... Due to the weather, they ended up cancelling. The family still came over to hang out though. We made stromboli's, watched SNL, and had a really great time. It was good for Mom to get out of her under construction house for a little while. It was also good to hang out with K2 & J for a while. Baby is coming soon! We're in the homestretch!! I can't wait to meet my new baby girl and find out her name!!!
Now we're into the new week... Doc appointment to find out what's going on with K3's hip, OT at work, writing, new title search (Illusions won't be Illusions soon), writing, concerts, house stuff, and a really really early morning tomorrow. I have to be at the day job before 7am. Which means I have to get up at an unholy hour. Not looking forward to that, but my clothes are laid out and I'm heading off to bed very soon.
I am still working on my year in review... I'm sorry it's so late. It's a hard one to get through...
Behave!

Well..

I just made an ass out of myself...
Someone sent a "pirate site" link. I checked it out, and my books were on there. I immediately sent an email to my publisher and an email to the site to take my books down... and then dug into it more. Totally not a pirate site, but a legitimate site that links you to true ways to buy books. I feel like a jerk... I did sent an email back to the site apologizing and to my publisher, but... yeah... Not cool and way to look like an ass...
Lesson learned, I guess, though it'll take me a while to not feel like a total beyotch...Ugh!
****
We had a really good Christmas! It was so much fun to stay at Mom's Christmas Eve and Christmas night. K4 had a spectacular birthday. It was a lot of fun. We had a lot of tears and reflection, but we expected that and we endured. My sister made Mom a really awesome picture - the actual photograph that was taken by my niece the morning Dad died and she added words to it. It made us all cry. We did cry a lot. It was so weird to not have Dad with us, but we managed. We made new memories and will continue to do so. And we'll continue to miss Dad. In some ways, it seems to get easier and in some ways, it seems to get harder.
****
I had to work Friday. That sucked a lot. That Man had to take me because the brakes went out on the van and the headlight switch on the 'burban started smoking. Rude! Brakes are fixed, but now we need to deal with the headlights! Mom's house got cleaned up. (What an absolute mess!! Oy!) We ate leftover chicken rice soup for dinner (That soup is a Christmas Eve tradition.) and came home. I woke up feeling like a truck ran over me this morning. So did That Man, though he went into work for a few hours this morning. He then picked me up so we could go grocery shopping... OY! I hate grocery shopping.
Changed into my new jammie pants as soon as we got home and haven't been off the couch much since. I am working on revisions on a book I want to send to my publisher. It's going okay, though today was the first day I've written in more than a week. ugh! I've made decent progress today, but there will need to be another pass and potentially a critique eye. We'll see how I feel when I get to the end.
****
Next up is the year in review... It's probably going to be boring... Just sayin'
Behave!

Random Stuff and I'm Sorry...

The suckage is getting annoying, isn't it? My apologies...
I will say that things are kind of getting more even around here. So, I should be able to at least try to post more often. No promises, but I'll do my best...
Lots of stuff going on around here...
1. We spent last weekend in Cleveland. K3 had an audition at a college for a scholarship. We dropped him off on Friday and That Man and I had a weekend to ourselves. K3 had a blast. So did we. We ate a ton of really good food. Hung out. Laughed. Slept. Visited A Christmas Story House (super cool). Walked around the city and just had fun being with each other.
2. Thanksgiving is the day after tomorrow. We'll be with family and friends. It'll be chaos, but I think good. Definitely won't be the same without Dad, but we'll do the best we can. The holidays are going to be different, but we have a plan and we're going to have a blast while honoring Dad. Despite Dad no longer being with us, our family does have a lot to be thankful for - each other, for example, and the relationship that has gotten us through this horrible time.
3. The days are crazy any more, but I just got word that I'm moving shifts. I'll be getting home a little early in a few weeks, which is nice. It'll be a while until I manage to get on the shift that's perfect for me, but it's progress.
4. I found my writing mojo again. My head is swimming with ideas and I'm making really good progress on a story I've been waiting to write for a really long time. I probably have six other stories in my head at the moment. And I'm so excited!
And... One of the coolest things...
5. I just signed a contract with Soul Mate Publishing for my haunted campground story. So very excited! This book will eventually be in print, which is super exciting! I am very happy to work with Soul Mate. I still absolutely adore Liquid Silver and am working on something for them as well, but I'm thrilled to have both publishers.
That is all for now!
More later... Hopefully!
Behave!

Today's Stuff...

Today was pretty awesome!
There was an author event at one of our local greenhouses / farm stores today with many members from my local writing chapter, and another author (unfortunately I didn't get to talk to her much, though I wanted to!.). We had a blast! It was so busy! Lot's of folks coming through! My release buddy and I maned the door for a while. I had chocolate, and some swag to give away. I did come home with way less chocolate and swag than I left with. I got to talk to a whole bunch of awesome people. I got to show off my grandson and introduce my family to my writing friends. That was awesome! It was so much fun!
A lot of my friends and chapter mates came out to see us! That was awesome! And they brought friends, which was also awesome! I met so many great people today, including my mother-in-law's neighbor, which is truly hysterical... her daughter is Vicky - married to Bob. I am Vicki - married to Bob. Vicky and Bob have four kids. Vicki (me) and Bob have four kids. We're friends. It's awesome! Our mothers live next door to each other! Also, one of my very bestest friends ever brought me flowers. It was so very awesome! I was so surprised and touched that she made the time to come and see me! She's always supported me, even if she doesn't really read what I write! I find that so awesome and I love her! (I also love the fact that her husband and my husband were shoveling, wait...  hacking ice today...)
I had to leave early though!(and I missed the after signing lunch craziness!! Dang!) Today is my baby sister's milestone birthday!! Her mother-in-law planned this awesome tea party lunch. It was so cool! From the special dishes to the fantastic teas to the phenomenal food - we had such a good time. (The place even had that "poo-pourri spray" in the bathroom. If you  haven't seen it, google it, and don't close your screen because what looks like an annoying commercial is really the ad for the product and is so very funny!) None of us "really" tried it, (as far as anyone would admit! LOL) though we all sprayed it just to see what it was all about! LOL! We had soup, salad, sandwiches, cookies, cupcakes, three different kinds of awesome tea! I am not normally a tea drinker, but... Man, that was awesome!! And the scones! Oy! I need to learn how to make those!!
I came home to a clean house - dishes done, laundry almost done, parking spaces shoveled...  :) A very good thing. I also came home to a very tired puppy. There's only one teenager in my house tonight and he's already in bed, which means that man and I are... alone? Or kind of?
I think it's time for an adult beverage...
Okay. I'm leaving now...
Behave!!

The Author Photo...

Here it is... like it or hate it...
My sister did the best she could with what she had to work with. That's saying a lot.

But it is what it is...
Behave!

So Then...

Here are the answers, though no one guessed....
1. K4 changed her costume at the very last minute, then was frantic that we didn't have everything she needed. Yes. And we made an awesome angle knife. She was awesome. It was stressful.  
2. My niece's boyfriend wore a sign that said "Nudist on Strike".  Also, yes. It was fantastic!
3. K3 dressed like a mermaid. No. But he did go out barefoot (which I had no idea until he came home!!)
4. K2 &J were both Spiderman. Technically, yes. They both had Spiderman T-shirts on. 
5. Some kid threw an egg at my truck. Not that I know of. 
6. K3 ate so much candy that he puked. Also no. He can't have anything with milk, so he's very careful. And he's never been a candy eater! 
7. Baby B was a smurf. Yes. And he was so adorable!
8. My folks dressed up like pirates. Nope. Not this time. 
That's about it. We had fun. 
Saturday was also fantastic. Writers meeting and lunch and being with "my people". 
That is all. 
Behave!

There Is Good News!!

So... We leave Thursday morning for the writing conference. The road trip is a blast. We arrive, check in, have some lunch, then some dinner, blah blah blah...

We're in the middle of our 50/50 challenge, so my roomie and I open our room to our chapter mate (her roomie was in bed early) for writing time. We do our thing. Simon says she's going to bed.

As she's heading out the door, I check my email... and time stops for a few seconds while I read and hyperventilate!

I'll give you more details as I have them.

Behave!!

Going to Conference...

I'm getting ready to go to a writing conference! I'm so very excited, and also, kind of nervous. And anxious.
I'm nervous because I haven't been to a conference in years, but I'm so very excited! (And I have to write pitches - which I haven't done in forever!)
I'm anxious because I have absolutely freaking nothing to wear. And because I spent hours tonight looking for black pants. (I did find some, but nothing else I need.) I have no dressy clothes. I don't have to dress up for work, so... And I'm anxious because I've only packed a little bit. I have to figure out what shirt goes with which pants, but the pants are in the dryer and it's getting late. So, I'll be doing that tomorrow night (along with finishing my pitches). And I thought I had a bad stress dream last night! Ha!
I also need to make sure this house is organized for a very busy weekend. They can all handle it, so my input is really not necessary, except for a few things - and I'm not making food, shopping, or cleaning before I leave. They can all handle that, too.
Like I said, it's been a lot time since I've been to a conference. I'm so very excited to spend the weekend with other writers and to feel the connection to my career.
Two more days at the day job!
I need to check the dryer.
Behave!

Thursday Tidbits...

Come on, Friday!!
We really need you around this place! We have big plans for the weekend (big plans which will be totally screwed up by this constant rain!), but we're not giving up yet! But let's move on to the tidbits....

Writing:
It's going really well. I'm making progress and loving the new story. Loving the edits I'm currently doing, too, but that's not for the new story.

Home:
Today, K3 met his sister at the bus stop to have a discussion with K4's nemesis. This kid has bugged her since kindergarten, but lately, he's been really rude and offensive on the bus. K3 knows the kid. So they had a "conversation" today. I don't know everything that was said, except that K3 told him if he didn't stop, there would be consequences. The kid said he didn't mean to be offensive (ha ha). We'll see what happens next.
I love, love, love that K3 stood up for his sister like he did. I love that she went to him with the problem. (No one told me anything until after! Of course!) I'm proud of both of them and we left the situation that if there's further issues, That Man and I will be involved. Sometimes, it's really better if the kids handle things themselves. There is nothing more awesome than siblings as a united force.

Day Job:
(I need a nickname for the day job.)
Still harrowing. Crazy week.

Grandkids:
Baby B is pulling himself up now. I love that he gets a huge smile on his face when he sees me! He's so adorable!
K5 is so smart and funny! She starts dance classes in the fall and asks me constantly if I'm going to come and see her dance!

More Kid Stuff:
K1 is having major vehicle issues. Major - like the transmission is broken. It sucks.
K2 is loving being married! Those two are so stinking cute together! I was showing off wedding pictures tonight and I'm still amazed at how awesome the day was.

That is all! It's late and I have crap to do!
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Sunday Edition

Gah! The weekend is nearly over. Again! Why does this keep happening?
What a crazy weekend! I'm exhausted!
Here's the list:
1. Shopping with That Man and K4 Friday night - which included a trip to the mega warehouse store for That Man's volunteer job, seeing a 5 car pile up and a overturned tractor trailer full of olives, a quick stop in to see the newlyweds, and having pizza very late.
2. Saturday was my writing group meeting, which is always very good and much needed. I skipped lunch because we were having friends over for dinner and we had a lot to do, but then...
3. Came home to an already clean house! Nice! But then...
4. Get a call from K1. He's stranded. The clutch went out in his truck on his way to a friend's to replace the clutch. The town he's broken down in has a huge car show going on. Traffic is nasty. There's absolutely no clutch in the truck, so it has to be started in gear and immediately starts moving. A harrowing trip up the mountain to stow the truck at my sister's since it was the closest and easiest place to go. Take K1 home, then hit the store.
5. Cooking and preparing for our dinner. We made very awesome bruschetta, marinated london broil, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, corn, grilled mushrooms, and apple pockets (and ice cream for on top). Everything turned out well, though we forgot steak sauce.
6. Company to help us eat the awesome dinner! We talked and laughed and played games. They left later than they'd planned, which was fine by us. We had a really good time!
7. Had to get up early this morning to pick up K1, J, and Baby B. We then went to pick up his mechanic friend who is helping him with his truck. 3.5 hours behind the wheel and I finally arrived back home, intent on taking a nap. Never happened.
8. Seeing my grandson. He is so cute and doing so many adorable things!
9. K3 returning home after having a fantastic time at Barbershop competition. They didn't place well, but he had such a blast! It was his first competition ever and he was so excited.
10. Writing time. Today was the first day of my writing group's 50/50 challenge. 50 words a day for 50 days. I stomped those 50 words (I managed a heck of a whole lot more than 50) into the ground!! Booyah!
Sadly, no sleeping in (or naps) for me this weekend, but next weekend should be different. And... tomorrow is Monday. Oy! I'm so done with Monday!
That is all.
Behave!

Summer Survival: Year Five: Entry Three

Whoa! The warm season has passed so quickly! 
The educational camps begin in just a few days. The youngest female will begin as the top of her particular educational system. The youngest male will begin a brand new adventure with his specialized art's school, but he can still participate in his home school's programs. Very very cool and we didn't know that until yesterday!
The Man who shares this camp with me and I are stunned at the changes of this season. We have successfully managed a ceremony to pass one of the natives off, leaving us with two. How odd. And how cool, too!
Adjusting to the oldest native female having a different camp and a different schedule is weird. We go with the flow because no matter how many years it's been since our own ceremony, we remember... it's sad and it's not... and it's weird!
Now we look to the cooler season. Whoo!
Many good things are on the horizon. Many good things.
I will discuss when I can.
Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The Ummm... Monday? Edition

Well that's just conflict of interests right there! Who writes a Feel Good Friday blog on Monday? Weird! But.. it's what I got at the moment....So let's go with it...
1. Living through last week. This week is already shaping up to be the same... Oy! But tomorrow is Tuesday and it has to be better. Right?
2. Writing meeting Saturday!! It was very good and I made some good goals. (We won't talk about the rejection that rocked my foundation!)
3. Cleaning house... though I really didn't get much done. It looked presentable, but didn't feel like it.
4. Flash mobs! Very cool and so proud of K3!
5. Make up parties for the wedding! We had a blast!
6. Dress pick up. :)
7. Knowing the bridesmaids had a blast at their dinner! I love that they're bonding!
8. Bridal shower planning with my sister! The internets are amazing....
9. Making my writing goals work and kicking butt and taking names! Whoot progress!!
10. Snow in the forecast!
That's it! It's bedtime. Sleep is rare here and I need some!
Behave!!

Welcome, Cera duBois!

Join me in welcoming friend and amazing writer, Cera duBois!
Cera, thanks for stopping by. My blog is yours...
***

Thank you, Vicki for letting come on your blog today.

Recently while answering interview questions for the release of my debut contemporary western romance, I came across one that had me revisiting one of the hardest scenes I’d ever written.

I think the question was probably asking which scene was the hardest to write because of writer’s block or for technical reasons. But I chose the scene from my latest release, A Hunter’s Blade, as one of the toughest to write for emotional reasons.

The scene is one of the turning points in the story and it involves the heroine’s cabin being set on fire and the hero having to save her life. Brigit is a 365 year old Lykan (she was born a werewolf) and  the hero is a yearling vampire. Both of them have one thing in common—fire is one of the very few things that will kill them.

What made this scene so hard for me wasn’t writing the technical ins and outs of the fire or the action of the hero trying to find a way into the inferno before it totally engulfed the cabin. This scene had me in tears and had me seriously trying to come up with an alternative scene because I wrote it literally days after my younger brother’s funeral.

In September 2011, my 36 year old brother sustained fatal burns from a fire that had destroyed his home. We hadn’t been close for years, but I loved him and by writing this scene it had me reliving what he may have experienced. Needless to say, it was tough and hopefully I never write another scene that as emotionally drained me as that one did.

Have you ever written or read a scene that emotionally exhausted you?

~*~*~

Blurb:

Brigit Wolfe, a born werewolf, hasn’t killed a human in over a hundred years, although now, she wonders if the animal attacking people in Silver Creek, Colorado, isn’t her. But she might have bigger problems when her cowboy neighbor, Austin Calhoun, ambles into her bar. Austin hasn’t been a vampire for long, but he is determined to prove to himself that he’s worthy of his hunter’s dagger. Brigit’s rare beauty and blade-sharp tongue enchants him. She ignites a passion he thought was dead, but is she the killer his master sent him to destroy? During Austin’s investigation regarding Brigit’s involvement in the deaths, an old crime surfaces connected to her human best friend. These two immortal enemies have to join forces to solve the mystery before someone else dies. But can they survive the heat of their own desire?

Excerpt:

She stopped in front of him and growled, “Let’s get something established about werewolves. There are two kinds. The lesser wolves who are made. And the Lykan who are born. I’m not one of the degenerates. I was born a Lykan in 1647. The first child of Valeriu and Elena. I’m an alpha and you are nothing more than a fledgling just hatched.”

He broke free of her power by drawing on his own. When he moved toward her, Austin held his hands to his side, ready to grab the hunter’s dagger sheathed inside his jacket. His fangs had long ago descended ready for a fight. “I don’t really give a flying fuck whether you were made, born, or hatched.”

When the energy of Brigit’s power touched him again, he pulled the silver blade. “I want to know if you’re the one preying on these people.”

Her eyes widened and she backed up a step as he approached. “I told you I didn’t attack those humans. I haven’t killed a mortal in over a hundred years. How many innocents have you snacked on tonight? How many of them did you want to kill?”

“I don’t hurt my prey,” he said through clenched teeth. He’d never let her know battling the beast within every feeding was the hardest thing he’d ever done. “If you didn’t kill those people then you have nothing to worry about. Best way to figure out who did is by working together.” He put the sliver blade away, and his fangs retracted.

“What do you have planned?”

Austin didn’t miss the slight quiver in her voice. “We begin with you telling me everything you remember from those nights you became the big, bad wolf.”

Buy Links:

Amazon | The Wild Rose Press | Barnes and Noble

~*~*~

Bio:

Cera duBois has a strong belief in never giving up on your dreams…

Although Cera was unable to read due to dyslexia and a learning disability until she was in the fourth grade, she always had a story to tell. She wrote her first novel in eleventh grade when she had to keep a journal for her academic English class. Since her life was far from exciting growing up as a farm girl in West Central Pennsylvania, she decided to rely on her imagination to give her something to write about. Over the course of the school year, she wrote a tangled romance set in the Deep South during the Civil War.  Becoming an author was her ultimate dream. Despite holding a BS in secondary social studies education from Penn State University, she currently works full-time as a medical secretary. A mother of a teenage son and pre-teen daughter, she lives near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with her husband of nearly 20 years. If she isn’t sitting in a quiet corner with her laptop, warm days will find her in the English garden surrounding her house. Cera loves to read and is interested in history, romance, science fiction and the paranormal. She also writes contemporary Westerns under her real name of Sara Walter Ellwood.

Website Links:

Website/Blog | Facebook | Twitter

***

Thanks, Cera! I can't wait to read A Hunter's Blade! 

Behave!

The Next Big Thing

I was tagged by Misty Simon to do this... so here goes...

1. What is the working title of your book? Tattered
2. Where did the idea come from for the book? I am totally fascinated by what would happen if the world as we know it comes crashing down - whether it's zombies, a nuclear holocaust, or some other world-changing event. 
3. What genre is your book? Urban Fantasy with Romance
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Jensen Ackles, Jeremy Renner... For Ada - Not quite sure yet. 
5. What is the one sentence synopsis for your book? Ummm... It's about surviving in world gone haywire while trying to figure out what went wrong... See? That's not a one sentence synopsis. It's crap!
6. Will your book be self published or represented by an agent? I'll let you know...
7. How long did it take you  to write the first draft of the manuscript? I'm not that far into it.
8. With what other books would you compare this story to in your genre? I don't know yet, but I will say I hope this book stands on its own and can't be compared to anyone else's.
9. What inspired you to write this book? Lots of things - zombie shows & movies, a constant litany of "what if", a certain television show with a post nuclear storyline... and more.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest? Zombie-like hordes, love (not with or between zombies), justice being served, and some awesome post destruction... 

Here's where I'm supposed to tag three people, but everyone's already done it... so...

Behave!

Sometimes...

Sometimes - a brief gathering of thoughts...
Sometimes when things don't go the way you planned them, the end result is better than what it would have originally been.
Sometimes you have to stop talking about it, stop thinking about it, and just do it.
Sometimes you want to drive your car like you can in video games. But don't do that because you will either get arrested or die. (especially if you drive like me in those games)
Sometimes the people you wish would reach out to you can't because they're struggling, too, and might need you to reach for them.
Sometimes I wish I could move to Alaska.
Sometimes it would be good if people actually listened when you explained things to them, especially when you explained it in writing - several times.
Sometimes its best to listen and not say anything.
Sometimes its hard to remember there are several sides to every story. The biggest question would be to ask yourself is it worth making yourself another side, or is it best to stay out of it?
Sometimes you have to be angry, or sad, or hurt. And Sometimes you don't.
Sometimes hope is the only thing you have left. And Sometimes hope starts to fail you and you have to run off of another strong emotion until hope comes back. Sometimes that strong emotion is just hope in disguise.
All very cryptic, huh? Not intentional. As I reread the list I realized most things could be applied to many different situations, but it's heavily influenced by my feelings on my writing career at this particular moment.
And you should still never drive in real-life like you can in video games...
Behave!

What Am I Doing?

Well, lots of stuff...
1. Writing - My new books is set in a world without green. No living trees. No grass. Nothing grows, or has grown for a long time. The water is full of toxins. The food stores are running out. The heroine is a ranger and she doesn't even have a name yet. At this point, the hero is kind of a jackass. He is nameless, too. I'm still feeling my way around and not sure yet if it's going to be in first or third person. I'm digging it.
2. Organizing. I'm so sick of my house. I want to rip the side off and kick everything into the yard. Rooms need to be cleaned, painted, things disposed of.
3. Helping. My kid bought a place that's in need of some serious repair. Serious repair. We spent some time this weekend ripping out drywall and pulling nails. There is so much more to be done.
4. Getting in Nana time. I got to see K5 twice this weekend. She is so smart and cute.
5. Planning. Birthday parties, baby showers, weddings, other things... There's a lot in a short amount of time.
That's some of it. Most of it's good stuff, though tiring.
Behave!