Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Thankful and Sad but Happy at the Same Time.

I know, that sounds like a silly and somber title for a post.

It is.

Over the past year, I've met some great friends, learned A LOT about reading, writing, and editing. I learned what HTML is and that it's not just some strange binary code or something. I felt the joys of editing because I got a contract, and the lows of oh hell, the editor didn't want it, please send again or better yet, never. I've read more ebooks than I ever thought possible. And I managed to drive my family crazy on more than one occasion.

Highlights:

February - I joined LASR/WC. (PS - I love it.)AND I saw Clint Bowyer at the Auto Show!
March - saw Gary Allan in concert where he played Right Where I Need to Be.
April - a whole lot of reviewing went on.
May - I got the contract for my first novel - Right Where I Need to Be through The Wild Rose Press. I also subbed a short story that got shot down at the editor level.
June - went to the Lori Foster Get Together and got a crash course in promotion
July - more reviewing and editing for the novel
August - see July
September - got the contract for my erotic short story Learning How to Bend through Total E Bound
October - worked like a dog on a couple of ideas for novels and short stories and did reviews
November - the craziness of NaNo, but I won!
December - more reviewing, writing, editing, and critting, and writing a short or two for WC (well, five on the year). (Did I mention I have a new CP? Yup and I'm making headway!)

And I have the edits for yet another novel idea done for the moment. I love it when things come together and work out. For a little while I lost a little faith in my writing abilities, but a kick in the pants from a couple of CP's got the ball rolling.

I have some sorrows, but they can wait until later.

Toodles.

Eye Candy Part Thirty-Three

The last and final eye candy of the year... Ben McKenzie from the tv show Southland.
Now I'll be honest, I've never seen the show, but each time I see him I think, gee this guy looks familiar. He's got that guy next door, non-threatening, but still dangerous enough to be sexy look about him. How can you not want to drape yourself on him?






Oh, and it's kinda nice to find one of these guys around my age - not way younger to where I feel like a perv and not too old to where it's just weird.

What do you think? I've love to know.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Ah, the Fun of the Holidays Begins to Wear Off

I love the holidays, I do. But among the plethora of things I detest, snow is one of them.

You may ask, how so? It's pretty, it's soft, it's the stuff of poetry and song.

Oh sure.

Yes, it's all those things, but for a girl who grew up not particulary fond of it, driving in it scares me spitless.

There are these wonderful things called slick spots, black ice, and those crazies who don't know how to drive in snow any better than I do. EEEEEKKKKK!

As Susan Powter would say, Stop the Insanity.

In my case, it stops with me.

No, I haven't taken ant driving in snow courses. (DH keeps trying to teach me since he lives for snow and practically salivates when the first flake of the season falls, but the silly man...at least he tries.) But I do try to not be out in it whenever possible.

My idea of fun in the snow is watching it fall from my living room window.

Grief, I can't wait for April to come around. At least then it's mostly rain.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

More Random Musings

Okay, I really needed to vent.

I love animals. I really do. Cats are my favorite critters. (See my cat-shifter stories if you don't believe me.)

But right now, I'm ready to scream.


My cat Rusty (see the grey tiger picture) has a few issues.
Besides the fact that he's very high strung (like you couldn't tell that from the pic...), he's still sick. We took him to the vet starting three and a half months ago to figure out why he's not eating right, why he's leaving little messages on my furniture and not using the litter box. So, I got some great info from a close friend and started making him cat food. Yup, I'm getting close and personal with my food processor, fresh veggies, and sardines...

You'd think stinky fish would do it. You haven't met the ever headstrong Rusty.

So I'm doing my pre-Christmas cleaning and I find little messages he left under the Christmas tree!!!!

Now I'd like to think I'm an observant person, but you can't see what goes on at night if you're asleep. Still, the puddles under the tree that aren't from the tree stand... oy...

So, that's my venting. Rusty's pouting in the dog kennel for now. He's got a little box to go in and can't get out to puddle on things, so the tree should be safe for now.

As for the orange one, that's Kenny (so named after the NASCAR driver Kenny Wallace). If Garfield was real (well, if he lived in Ohio), then Kenny would be him. No kidding. He loves to sleep, eat, and sleep some more. And yes, he's known for sleeping in strange positions, like with one back leg draped over the couch. Don't ask me why.

Toodles. I need to get some other things done.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Random Thoughts

Well, I actually came to the end of one of my WIPs. Yep, I finished one I had on the back burner for a bit. It's an erotica piece and goes after my erotica piece contracted with Total E Bound. Will they like it? I hope, but it still needs some edits and to see the CP, but hey, it's written and, to me, that's half the battle.

At the same time, I have a contemporary WIP that's with the CP. We're half way through it and I think it's got a good chance of being contracted somewhere, but I'm not tooting my own horn. I just really like the story and have a soft spot for farmers.

So, now it's back to the vampire story. He's been neglected for a while and well, he's not complaining about where he's at... but I'm sure he'd like to get his HEA.

And there's a pesky Ancient Greece story floating around in my head that would love to be told. Ah, but I need time to do that. Someday.

So that's all for now.

Toodles.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

My Favorite Red Hot Reads of the Year

Thought I'd share a handful of my favorite books and the links to find them. You can also go to Amazon, but the publishers are a great place to start as well.

Black Swan - Linda Nightingale
The Wild Rose Press
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

Best of Intentions - Michelle Cary
The Wild Rose Press
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

Damn Good Man - Michelle Witvliet
The Wild Rose Press
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

Dead Sexy - Kimberly Raye
Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd. (Blaze novel)
http://www.eharlequin.com/

Drive Me Crazy - Nancy Warren
Kensington publishing Company
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/

Gamble’s Game - Tara S. Nichols
Siren Publishing Inc.
http://www.sirenpublishing.com/

Cottonwood Place - Sandy Wickersham-McWhorter
The Wild Rose Press
http://www.thewildrosepress.com/

Moving Target - Cheyenne McCray
St. Martin’s Press
http://us.macmillan.com/SMP.aspx

A Kiss of Ashen Twilight – Book One of the Ashen Twilight Series - Rae Lori
Lyrical Press, Inc.
http://lyricalpress.com/

Healing Luke - Beth Cornelison
Sourcebooks - Casablanca
http://www.sourcebooks.com/sourcebooks-community-books-and-solutions.html

Magical Riffs: Rock Hard Seduction 4 - Tonya Ramagos
Siren Publishing, Inc.
http://www.sirenpublishing.com/

Taking Chloe - Anne Rainey
Samhain Publishing
http://samhainpublishing.com/index.php

Man with a Past - Kay Stockham
Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
http://www.eharlequin.com/

One Lucky Cowboy - Carolyn Brown
Sourcebooks, Inc.
http://www.sourcebooks.com/sourcebooks-community-books-and-solutions.html

Lord of Pleasure – Book 2 in the School of Gallantry Series - Delilah Marvelle
Kensington Zebra
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/

Getting Lucky - Carolyn Brown
Casablanca, Sourcebooks, Inc.
http://www.sourcebooks.com/sourcebooks-community-books-and-solutions.html

A Kiss Before Dying - J.A. Saare
Amira Press
http://www.amirapress.com/

Dying Scream - Mary Burton
Zebra (Kensington Publishing Corp.)
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/

Silk and Steel - Lindsay Townsend
Siren Publishing
http://www.sirenpublishing.com/

Dakota’s Cowboy – Dakota Heat Anthology 3 - Leah Brooke
Siren Publishing Inc.
http://www.sirenpublishing.com/


Enjoy and have a Great Holiday!

Monday, December 14, 2009

It's My Turn

Logan and Seth told me this is a great place to stop. Logan claims there are some good looking girls. Seth, well, he doesn't say much unless you want to talk airplanes.

Me? Well, I can't give you many details. Most of what I do is classified. Why? Well, I have this gift. I can shift. Into what? That's classified. (But no, I won't cause bodily harm and, no, I won't tell you.) But I like to talk sometimes. I've seen a lot of the world. I love my family and deal with my fiancee's family. They can't accept what they don't understand. But then there's my Jamie. She gets me when no one else does. She's my rock. And she's a damn fine kisser. But those are a few more details than I should divulge.

I was asked what my ideal woman would be if I didn't have my Jamie. If she left me? Honest? I'd probably immerse myself in my work. If she walked away, then I'd know I was the cause. Sound sappy? Who gives a fuck. If she passed before me? I'd be a lonely man, but I'd never take another. My bond with Jamie is unique to us. She's it for me and I am damned lucky.

I'm sorry if I didn't entertain you like Logan. He's suave, but he's full of himself. I guess I'm more like Seth, but there's nothing wrong with the strong and silent type.

Take it easy, value your freedom, and pray for the troops.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

What I Do When I'm Not Writing

Someone asked me to show my artwork. Yep, I know that sounds like show my math homework. I was asked what does the stuff I do in my spare (if there is such a thing) time.

Here's the drawing for my SIL and Brother for Christmas. It's their dog, Lacey.













And here's a custom order of three softball coat hooks.










So now you know a little bit of what I do when I'm not locked to my laptop.

Oh, and stop by tomorrow. My hero from Jingle Bells will be here!

Toodles!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

So Here's An Update


Not that I have a ton of fabulous news to share, but I have some nice news, some fun news, and well, any news is good news.

First thing: I sent my rewrite to the editor as of the first of the month. This was my Air Force story. It went from being a menage to being a M/F with a little anal play. I think it works better in the second form even though I totally grumped about it before.

Second thing: My Christmas cards are done and in the mail. If I forgot you, well, I'm sorry and if you let me know, I'll write yours, too. In that same vein, my shopping is done, hubby's shopping is done and we can relax.

Last thing (and the most important!!!): I have a free read coming out TODAY at Whipped Cream! Yup, my story, Jingle Bells is the featured free story. If you liked my cat shifter in Do You Want to Know a Secret? then you'll love Dean. Might have him stop by tomorrow. Here's the link or you can click on the cover:

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/WC/story.htm

Enjoy my cover and hopefully I have more exciting news to share soon.

Hugs and toodles.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Had a Bad Day...

I know, that song was voted the number one One Hit Wonder of the Decade. Not surprising. But that's not why I posted it.

And yes, I'm going to complain for a moment, because this is stuff I did that DUH! I know better...

Never take my DH shopping. If you need to look at something, then leave him at home. I needed to buy an eyeliner because mine fell apart (I use the kind that's in the plastic tube instead of in wood like a pencil cause I tend to make a mess when sharpening it). All I wanted was a black/brown. Thank God there was one on the front of the display or I'd still be walking home from Walmart.

Coming home from picking up my DS at school, I got cut off by a combine. Yes, I said a combine. How I didn't see him coming is beyond me.

I juggled dinner (You should've seen it, it was pretty amazing that I didn't drop the ham) and managed to do a load of laundry. That worked fine. It was afterward when I caught not one but BOTH of my cats on the counter eating the cooling ham...

Okay, so that's gross, but not awful.

Here's the awful: I sat down and did my Spongebob imitation. What do I mean? Anyone see the episode "Ripped Pants". Yeah, that was me. Sat down to write and RIIIIPPPPP! And they were my favorite jeans...

So while I am blogging, I'll more than likely end up blowing the circuitry on my laptop or something else bizarre..

Anyone else have one of those days?

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Random Question

So I had this friend... and she sent me an email with one question:

If you could have one piece of clothing forever, what would it be and why?

Loaded question...

I asked, knowing it wasn't probably possible, if Jonathan togo counted as clothing...

Would you believe she said no! The gall! Oh well, I can dream.

My real answer? My hoodie. Yup. Dh swears I'm part lizard or something because I'm always cold. No joke. We went to a race where everyone else wore tees and shorts and I had on my jeans and hoodie. I was comfy and warm. Them? I have no idea. Then again, he also thinks the hoodie is part of my anatomy. (TMI? You'll get used to it. I can be worse.)

So why the hoodie? It keeps you dry in the rain and it's long enough to cover embarrassing situations. Oh, and its warm, but you can shove the sleeves up and cool down.

And since my first choice was taken... it's the hoodie.

What's your answer to the question? I'd love to know.

Toodles.

What'cha Want for Christmas?

I posed this question to my DS last month. Yup, I wanted to know what he wanted for Christmas...and he knows I will go out of my way to...get my shopping done before Thanksgiving (and here you thought I'd say to get whatever he wants... um...no)

Although he looked at each store Toy Book and pointed to everything, there were a few things here and there that stood out each time. He's dying for a Star Wars Ty Fighter (if I spelled that right) with a Darth Vader and a General Greivous.

But asking him what he wanted brought back memories. Yup. I'm getting old, I'm about to use the terms "when I was a kid"...geesh.

Anyway, when I was his age, we didn't ask for much. Remember that big recession in the early '80's? Yup, I remember it. While everyone else asked for Cabbage Patch Kids, I wanted a Barbie and was thrilled that I got a new one. Christmas was lean that year and a bunch more after that.

So yeah, I tend to go all-out at Christmas. Call it the desire to never have my child HAVE to think of Christmas as the time when Mommy and Daddy cry because they "just don't have enough". That's how my folks explained it to us when we got a Chapstick and an orange in our Christmas sock.

Am I complaining? Heck no. The lean years taught me that Christmas isn't an extravaganza. It's a time to show those you love that you love them and to give.

Is my DS spoiled? Not more than any other kid, but he is one of the few who looks forward to Toys for Tots shopping. He LOVES to go to the store and pick out toys for "the boys and girls who don't have a Santa". His words. He also LOVES to shop for the APL. No joke. We go and buy kitty litter, kitten and cat food, and a big bag of dog food and deliver it to the local shelter. He calls it "playing Santa for the puppies and kitties". But then again, he always asks if we can take a few of the puppies and kitties home. Um... with a house full (2 dogs and 2 cats... there's not much more room at the inn...).

But then again, my DS has to get there first.

Toodles.