Free Book

I just received my free book from Harlequin for being chosen as a Honourable Mention for the Ultimate Secret Contest. It's a yummy Debbie Macomber. Can't wait to dig in to it.

I love getting things for free...especially books!

Next Best Thing.

I may not have been one of the three winners of the Ultimate Secret contest, but I did win an Honourable Mention...yay! I had no idea, so it was a nice surprise when I logged on to read the winning entries. And to top it off, I win a free book!

A great way to start the day.

To read the winning entries (which were great BTW), click here.

Sorry...I didn't have a chance to put together a TT list for today.

*hangs head in shame*

But I did submit a romantic short story to a woman's magazine today. They say that their wait times are between 1 and 6 months. So I can add it to my list of reasons to run to the mailbox everyday.

Darn!

Darn--I didn't win the Ultimate Secret contest.

The winners received emails yesterday and my inbox is filled only with ads for Cialis and stock tips. I definitely would have noticed an email from Harlequin.

Oh well. Back to our regularly scheduled program--focusing on my WIP. I think I might also try a short story for a woman's magazine to mix things up. Gotta keep it interesting, you know.

Thursday Thirteen #2

The winners of the Ultimate Secret contest were due to be notified yesterday, but I didn't hear anything :-( So I'm going to distract myself with TT. Thirteen reasons that I looove writing (regardless of whether I win anything): 1. Creating characters and making them do what I want. Hmm...does that mean I'm a control freak? My husband would say 'yes'. 2. The different ways the written words can used in many different ways to express the same thing. 3. It's an escape to an exciting world where everyone is attractive, glamorous, and witty. Not that that isn't around me all the time in real life... *snicker* 4. There's something satisfying about seeing the words on paper (or computer screen). It gives me a sense of accomplishment. 5. I love seeing the look on people's faces when they realize I can write. I'm not just a pretty face, you know. LOL! 6. The endless possibilities for stories. 7. Using something I see or hear in real life in my stories. 8. Polishing something I've written until it's so good it positively shines. 9. Talking with other writers about writing. It's something only another writer can understand. 10. Watching someone I love read my work. 11. Being recognized for my writing (pleeease let me win the Ultimate Secret contest...pleeease). 12. Learning from other writers. Reading is research, you know. So I don't need to feel guilty about it. 13. Blogging about writing. I really love it! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen #1

I'm jumping on the Thursday Thirteen band wagon...better late than never. One of my Face Book friends recently posted some pictures taken of her in the 80's, and it got me thinking about all of the groan worthy 80's fashion trends. Which ones do you remember? Are you too embarrassed to admit the ones that you followed? 1. Big Hair - Lots of hairspray and teased up high! Gotta love it! 2. Banana clips - I have to admit that I wore these...in my big hair. But the funniest thing is that I saw a woman wearing one this week! Who says the 80's are dead? 3. Colored Mascara/Eyeliner - Always extra thick! Blue, purple were the popular colors used. Guilty! 4. Torn Workout Top - Those maniac chicks, gotta love 'em! Some workout tops were also cut on the bottom to expose the stomach area. Most were worn off the shoulder. I was never brave enough. 5. Skinny Ties - Those leather ones were soooooo cool! 6. Lace crop tops - With bra underneath. If a white lace - white bra. If black lace - black bra. Again--never brave enough. Or maybe it was that my mom would never have let me out the door. 7. T-Shirt Clips - They looked like a ring with a bar through the middle and you threaded the bottom of your shirt through them. 8. Shaker Knit Sweaters - Shaker Knit refers to the type of stitch used to make these sweaters. The longer the better. Yup, I had a bunch. 9. Polo shirts - Shirts with collars (collars usually worn pulled up). Plenty of colors to choose from - pastels were a favorite preppy color. 10. Peter Pan Boots - Short, suede boots that all girls wore with their pin stripe jeans tucked into. Loved these. 11. Reebok high-tops - With no or untied laces. Mostly for the boys--or Tom boys. 12. Penny Loafers - My best friend had these. 13. Legwarmers - Flashdance made these even more popular than they already were! I admit, my mother knitted me a pair. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Love this feeling.

I had the best writing session tonight. Thanks to some advice from a very talented Harlequin Romance author (you know who you are, Trish Wylie), I was able to work through a scene that has been causing me headaches. It's a crucial scene, and it just wasn't working for me--until Trish helped my to tighten up my conflict and now...ta da...it all makes sense.

I love it when that happens. Maybe this isn't hopeless after all.

Fingers crossed.

Done!

I sent in my entry for the Ultimate Secret contest through eHarlequin. Yay! I still have another week before it's due, but I wanted to get it out of my hands so that I could turn my attention back to my WIP.

Winners will be notified by September 5th, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. The prize is great...a year's subscription to the Harlequin line of your choice. My current subscription will expire in December, so that would be nice.

But for now, I've got to put it out of my head and get back to Her Client's Wishes.

Check it out!

Check out this video for my new favourite song...

http://music.aol.com:80/video/online/brad-paisley/1933391

Even if you don't like country music, you'll appreciate the cast. It's hilarious!

Back in the Contest Circuit

I've been debating as to whether I was going to enter the Ultimate Secret contest on eHarlequin. With no story ideas banging down my door, I wasn't sure that I wanted to divert my attention from my WIP... until last night.

It hit me like a bolt of lightening. I started typing and typing and typing until I almost had the maximum 1000 words. The only problem...I hadn't yet incorporated the secret (kind of a key element, huh?). So on my lunch hour today I revised, added some more, cut a lot, and now I'm only about 80 words over the limit. I figure I'll let it simmer for a few more days before I do the final chop and polish and then submit.

But I have to say that I'm very excited about my entry. I'm not sure if I'll win, but at least I can say that I gave it my all. What more can I ask for?

Is anyone else out there entering? If so, how is your entry coming along?

Back to work.

Well, my vacation is now officially over. It's back to work tomorrow (groan).

I've been on vacation for two weeks, so you'd think I'd get a lot of writing done, right? Wrong. Having two kids home with me had something to do with that. But that's OK; we had a great time together, and I know it'll be hard for them to go back to daycare tomorrow--about as hard as it will be for me to face the mountain of work that will be awaiting my return (groan again).

But there is a silver lining...I'll have my uninterrupted lunch hours to write again. Yay!

Focus on the positive. Focus on the positive.

Feeling Sunflowery

It's a beautiful August day, and I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy. DH and I are both on vacation this week, and I'm hoping the entire week is as beautiful as it is today.

Thought I'd share a photo of the sunflowers my kids and I grew in our garden (I had to dodge untold numbers of bees to get this photo). They're huge--the plants are about 7 feet tall. It's the first time I've attempted sunflowers and I'm looking forward to harvesting the seeds.

Hope you're having a great summer day!

The moment has passed.

Have you ever had one of those moments when you think, "What the hell am I doing? I can't write! No one is ever going to buy this." I recently had one of those moments... a moment that lasted two days. The result--I got nothing done. Nada. Zilch. No writing.

Well now, avoiding writing is bound to fix the problem--not.

So what changed? I had some awesome feedback from a HR author. She gave me that little confidence boost by saying some very nice things about my writing (*blushes*) and also by telling me that all authors feel that way sometimes. Even published authors. Yay! I'm not a loser destined never to get published.

So I'm back on the wagon polishing away at my ms.

Have you ever had a momentary (or not so momentary) lack of writing confidence? How did you get over it? Please share since I doubt I'll have another's kind words to get me through next time.

My Chocolate Flirtations chapter

Remember a while back I mentioned that I participated in a writing round robin? The story is called Chocolate Flirtations, and this week my chapter was introduced.

It's a quick read--less than 1,000 words--so feel free to stop by the site and check it out. It'll give you a taste for my writing style. And if you do, please pop back and let me know what you think. I never pass up an opportunity for feedback.

Hope you enjoy it!

My baby has landed!

I received a letter from Harlequin M&B today telling me that my partial arrived safely and would be reviewed "in due course." So very British--I love it!

I'm beyond relieved that I don't have to wonder if it got lost in the mail somewhere. I guess the only issue now will be if it gets lost in the slush pile.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that that doesn't happen.

"I'm so excited....

...and I just can't hide it."
Strange but that was the first tune that popped into my head *g*.

I am very excited. After reading my first three chapters, my editor (aka my sister) got so excited about reading the rest of my book that she gave me deadlines for getting the rest polished up and ready for someone other than myself to read.

You know what...I love it! I love having a goal to work towards, and I like being accountable to someone else (makes it harder to take a break just because). And I am so motivated that I'm actually ahead of my one chapter a week deadline. At this pace I'll definitely have my full all polished up and ready to send to Richmond just in case they ask for it (the power of positive thinking ;-)

Tagged!

I've been tagged by Sri...

So, here are the rules:
A. Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves.
B. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed.
C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

So here we go. Here's more than you ever wanted to know about me...

1. I was a band geek. Yes, I played trumpet in my high school band. I was pretty good too. But don't ask me to play it now. My lips are out of practice. LOL!

2. I'm hooked on Facebook. My husband says I need an intervention (LOL). But it's so much fun to find people I haven't seen in years. Like a high school reunion without having to get all dressed up. So if you're on Facebook, stop by and say 'Hi'.

3. I HATE cleaning. It's just one of those things that I get absolutely no satisfaction from doing. I get so little free time; why would I want to spend it polishing and scrubbing? We've had a service coming in to do it, but we're going to have to let them go and I'm dreading having to start spending my weekends cleaning the house again. I know, I know: poor me.

4. Apart from my University days, I have always lived in the Niagara Region of Ontario and have no plans to move. I love it here. We have all the amenities of a large city and yet I can drive two minutes and see horses and farms. What more could I ask for?

5. I spend almost every one of my at work lunch hours writing. It's one of the few times that I can get uninterrupted writing time when I'm not too tired to form a complete thought.

6. I'm determined to be a published author. Even if my current ms gets rejected, I know that I'll keep writing. I have to. It's in my blood.

7. I love to travel. I haven't been able to do much of it since we had our kids, but as soon as they are old enough to travel easily, I intend to take them to see the world. OK, maybe not the whole world, but at least the warm parts. We're planning our first family plane trip right now...to Disney! I can't wait!

8. I have a degree in Psychology and an MBA in Marketing. When I talk about making a career as a romance writer, my mother often says "But what about your education?" I try to explain that education is never wasted, and that the discipline I learned will help me to be a better writer, but I don't think she gets it.

Okay, now it's your turn to reveal your inner-most secrets. If you read this, consider yourself TAGGED!

So Sad...

Two years ago at this time, I was getting ready to board a plane to Reno...to go to the RWA national conference. Last year I was too busy with a 7 month old baby to be nostalgic, but this year...I'm really wishing I was going too.

I have to say that the whole experience, if a little overwhelming, was sooo motivating. One speaker in particular sticks in my mind: Debbie Macomber. She told the story of how hard it was financially for her family when she decided to stay home and write. So hard in fact that she almost gave up. But her husband encouraged her to give it a bit longer. And now look where she is. Best Seller. Internationally renown. Ahh. We can all dream.

She also said something that really hit me. Every time she felt guilty for spending time writing instead of spending all of her time with her children, she thought about what it taught them to see their mother trying so hard to do something that she loved. That, my friends, was when I broke into tears. It was like she read my mind. Whenever my husband says he'll take the kids out so I can have time to write, my heart tightens a little at the thought of the fun that they'll have without me. So what keeps me going? The dream of my daughters one day stepping up to the front of their classroom on career day and proudly introducing me as " My Mom, the Romance author."

Sniff, sniff.

Does anyone have a tissue?

I Did It!

I finally mailed my partial to Richmond! I can't believe it's in the mail winging it's way to the UK. I even paid extra to have it get there within 3-5 days. Silly, I know, but I've worked on this manuscript for so long that I can't wait to find out if they want to see more.

If they do, I'll be over the moon...whether or not they end up buying it. Remind me of that in a few months.

My stomach is in knots...already.

Can someone pass the silver bucket? I have a feeling I'm going to need it.

On Track

Thanks to everyone who's offered their support and encouragement. I'm still on track to submit this week. The plan is to put it in the mail on Friday. OMG...that's tomorrow!

Breathe, breathe.

I'm still toying with my synopsis. But at this point, I don't think the changes that I'm making are that significant. Mostly just changing a word here and there. I know that a single word isn't going to make or break the ms, so I need to just get over it and send it in.

I'll keep you posted. I'll need some serious hand holding once I put this sucker in the mail. I'm a submitting virgin (tee hee), so I'm very nervous.