Thanks Tracy!

Grab the book nearest you. Right now. Turn to page 56. Find the fifth sentence. Post that sentence along with these instructions on your blog. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

"This was one of Pete's older motors, as he built it well before Chevy came out with the ZR1"

Sorry...the closest book at hand was my husband's Street Rodder magazine!

Trying to stay warm today...it is now up to 10 degrees!

Is This Idiot Serious?

Saw on the news that a man who is going through a nasty divorce wants his soon-to-be ex-wife to give back the kidney he gave her.

WHAAAAT??

How stupid is this? It's not like you can just cut it out and give it back!

'She cut out his heart, so now he wants to cut out her kidney," joked the anchoman.

Yes, I believe that if the woman breaks off the engagement, she should give back the ring. But if HE calls it off, she should keep it, unless it was a family heirloom or something.

But a body part?

No way.

Reader Questions and Answers

A few questions were raised on The Deadly Vixens, concerning e-pubs vs print. Specifically, have I ever read a book so badly written it made me want to stop buying e-books?

The answer, of course, is a heartfelt NO; I don't think I'll ever stop reading, either print or e-books!

I have had to question my taste in reading material, however!

Case in point: I read two books by a certain author and actually thought, 'Why the hell did they feel the need to write this?' To me, it would have been a story better suited to Hustler magazine, or some other forum. There was really no romance; no HEA; and no, you're not going to drag the author's name nor the publisher out of me. I will not read any more of this author's work, even while this particular author is gaining popularity. Maybe if I read another couple of excerpts which grab my attention, I'll give them another chance. After all, maybe it was a fluke, and the subsequent books are nothing like the first two?

There's another series I've read two books of, and was not impressed with either the storyline or the plot. However, both books have been nominated for awards. So does this mean my taste in reading material is questionable, that I cannot discern a good book from a bad one? Or it it strictly personal choice? After all, there are Academy Award winning movies which I found extremely boring!

But just because the mass readers and critics love a certain book does not mean I'll necessarily like it. And no, I won't stop reading books just because I stopped reading a particular author or story.

Update on Edits:
Keep your fingers crossed; I just sent the MS back for approval! I'll let you know what happens!

Last Day of Vacation

Returned the 'grandkids' yesterday, and am now involved in 'Operation Reclaim The House', ha ha:)

Time to take down the Christmas tree and outside lights;

Time to put away the new toys and quietly dispose of last year's broken ones;

Time to relax and watch Kung Fu Panda (or any other movies acquired last week) before I return to my writing schedule;

Time to readjust to the spouse being home, as he was officially laid off from the pipeline Friday afternoon.

What are you up to? Did you take any time off during the holidays, or did you work through them?

Condolences to the Travolta family; I cannot imagine losing a child.

2008: A Look Back

Let's see...I was created in February; I've blogged only a couple of times a month, and wrote 2 books this past year. Not bad for a newbie who's not even a year old (grin)!

This coming year I resolve to:
-blog more
-finish at least two or more wips
-get my first e-contract
-submit my other three completed works, making any changes possible.

As far as personal goals go, I'm going to walk more, in order to maintain my current clothing size or even drop one. I do NOT wish to expand anymore than I have to:)

I will also purchase the Revision and Self-Editing books Kelly recommended, in order to help me with the polishing of my wips before I submit them.

Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve, and 'see' you next year!

Edits Are Arriving...

Finally heard back from my beta reader! My meanness factor is okay, but she's spotted some minor problems with some of the words I used. I'll have to go back and reword those sentances.

And toss some romance into my 1st sex scene, which shouldn't be too hard!

Got a wonderful surprise yesterday morning! Remember my temperamental friend? She emailed me; we met for lunch; she opened up and revealed some shocking developments in her life, which explains her off-the-charts stress level! Our friendship is back on track, and all I can do at this point is pray for her every day. This continued stress isn't good for her, although she said her blood pressure is slowly dropping back into the 'normal' range!

I'll try to post again next week, but in case I don't, have a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year! I'll let you know when I do finally send off that polished manuscript, and of course, report back any news I hear on it.

I Did It!!

Wow...I've been averaging 700 words a day since December 1st, and just a few minutes ago, backspaced The End up to the last page of the manuscript!

I'm feeling pretty good about this one.

Now all I need to do is spell-check; run it past a beta reader; resubmit the work and wait.

Happy early birthday!

Now that would be a fantastic birthday gift, my first e-contract??

Keep your fingers crossed they like the additional scenes!