I Love Routine

Sounds awfully boring, doesn't it? But my kids have gone back to school and the days have again taken on a regular routine. The good news is, with them out of the house each day, I've gotten back to my writing schedule. In the past few days, I've completed more than 7k words on my new novella, a steamy contemporary with a little mystery set in Savannah, where I recently vacationed.
I was barely chugging along on my previous WIP when I realized it wasn't going where I wanted it to. So, I abandoned it - maybe for a while, maybe for good, who knows. What it came down to was my lack of enthusiasm. And heaven knows if I have no enthusiasm for a story, neither will an editor!
Have you ever just walked away from a manuscript in progress? Or a book you were reading, for that matter? My take on it is - why should I waste my time?
On another note, a NYT bestselling author who purchased The Kitten Club several months ago at a book signing, dropped me a note last night. She said she found the book poignant, a lovely story and even gave me a quote to use on brag pages for future books. I was honored to have such high praise from an author of her caliber.

Building an Ark

Heading into the third day under the nearly-stationary Tropical Storm Fay has me ready to start gathering animals two by two! I think enough tree limbs have fallen onto my roof to start a decent sized boat, judging from the overhead clunks I hear at least once every hour. It's amazing how depressing endless days of rainy gloom can be. But the weather has me thinking of mood and atmosphere in my writing. Weather is something many writers tend to overlook on occasion, myself included. But atmospheric conditions can add a lot to your story by setting a certain mood, creating obstacles for your characters and bringing the reader into the scene more. Movies are good at using the weather to create mood and feeling. When I think of a few dark movies, they often were set in rainy places like Seattle or foggy cities like London. Cold, snowy settings lend themselves to scary stories.

What about you? What sort of weather pictures do you paint?

Disasters of the Head Kind

Yesterday was a rollercoaster of day! First, DD decides she wants to highlight her beautiful dark blonde hair and make it closer to platinum. Now, I've highlighted it before (I worked in salons for many years and knew how to do this - sort of). But she complained it wasn't blonde enough last time and didn't last nearly long enough. So, we buy a kit and then she says she doesn't want it done the same way. So I agree (foolishly) to paint it on in layers without the cap. She leaves it on too long and lo and behold, she's platinum (mostly) blond. Problem - her coloring doesn't work with it and she burst into tears, pronouncing, "I hate it!" On the advice of my hairdresser (who does know what she's doing) we go to Walgreens and get a no peroxide box of dark blond/light brown color and apply that. Well, the hair is back to it's original color, but it feels like burnt straw. Lesson learned.
Now this whole thing was traumatic enough, but no, the day wasn't over. DH takes her to her high school orientation and sits beside a woman who farts all night as they listen to the entire staff give advice and proclaim the superiority of the football team. While they're gone, I eat a stuffed olive and feel something really hard in it. I take it out of my mouth and discover I've lost about a third of one of my molars! So unfair since I am neurotic about my dental hygiene.
Now if I haven't mentioned it before, I'm the world's biggest chicken when it comes to seeing the dentist. But he gets me in this morning and before I leave my house, I take a nerve pill (I save them for special occasions like this) When I arrive, I tell every person I encounter in the parking lot, waiting room and in the office that I want all the Novocaine they have in the place. The dentist laughs, but I tell him I'm serious. He gives me 4 shots and then drills for what seemed like hours. When the temporary crown was finally in place, I breathed a sigh of relief. Until I get the bill.
Can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to my book signing at my home base mall tomorrow. I can't take any more unexpected disasters of the head!

Falling Star Released!

I'm so excited to announce the release of my latest book from The Wild Rose Press,
Falling Star.
Nearly broke and unable to find work, Hollywood has-been Jolie Farnsworth is desperate to feel loved and appreciated. Her husband, a former rock star hopes to ride Jolie's star back to the top--even if it means destroying her in the process.Producer Dante Ebersol is under the gun to create a top-rated reality show and portray Jolie as a train wreck. When he starts falling in love with her, his plans crumble, threatening to end the career he's worked for his entire life.
Get it today at The Wild Rose Press

Do You Hear the Banjo?

Hello from Tennessee! I'm on vacation now - visiting DH's sister and nephew at their new home in the freaking sticks. Let me share what the adventure has consisted of so far: sitting on the porch shooting the stop sign with a beebee gun, feeding the sheep, trudging through a "haunted" cave on a private farm where the overall-clad owner gave a dissertation on canning peaches and making rabbit, dove and deer stew!!!, eating lunch at the old school cafeteria (now a down home style restaurant), which had pretty good food and a shlocky junk store attached, sitting on the porch and shooting paper cups and plates with the beebee gun, shooting the wooden wind chimes with the beebee gun, going the "Second Amendment Gun Shop." This evening we go bowling, then back home for guess what - more target practice - YAY! Tomorrow, we'll probably tour Vanderbilt University's campus (which will actually be interesting) - DH's sis works there now. The nearest neighbors are about half a mile away - past the soybean field and the tobacco field. In all seriousness, it's nice to see where my SIL lives and to visit, although DS and I decided if we ever had to live here. we'd have to hang ourselves. The town (population 300) has 7 churches and a post office - nothing else. SIL bought this giant house built in the 1920's with loads of space and lots of charm. Oh - did I mention the graveyard on the property, which dates from the 1820's? Many of the neighbors also have similar graveyards for their ancestors. I think they died of boredom! Or overindulging in soybeans, corn and tobacco (pronouced tub ak uh here). The natives need subtitles to be understood.
Sunday morning we take our leave and head to Savannah, one of my favorite cities for a Ghost Tour, lots of sightseeing and some good old Southern charm. Thank God it's an actual city and that we're leaving the beebee gun here!