No pitch for me :(

The results are in, and I did not get chosen for the online SSE editor pitch. Although I am sad, I can still route for my lovely CP Judy Jarvie who did make the cut. Go Jude!

I'm also trying to see the bright side of the situation....I can still sub. And I will. But I think I need to spend some more time with this ms making sure everything is perfect before I do. Everything happens for a reason--now it won't be a big rush to get this out the door. So really, it's a good thing I didn't get chosen.

There. Did that sound convincing? LOL.

Eeek!

I just pressed send on my SSE Editor Pitch contest entry! Cue lots of nail biting and edge of the seat sitting for the next week until the winners are announced. There may only be one day between the announcement of the winners and the actual online pitch, so I think I'd better prepare something for the pitch in advance...just in case. If I don't get chosen, no harm done. If I do get chosen, I won't have to scramble.

That being said, I better get to work. I have a short window of quiet time. Must make the most of it.

Cheers!

Saying Goodbye

It's never easy saying goodbye.

This week we had to say goodbye to a furry friend who's been with us for over 14 years.

Nearly 3 years ago, our cat Jazz was diagnosed with Diabetes. But we didn't let that get us down. We did our best to manage it with twice daily insulin shots. We loved him and cared for him,

and he lived a happy life with us. Until this week when the combination of an infection and his Diabetes got the better of him.

In my heart, I know that he lived a good long life. But it still hurts. I'm sure it'll feel like there's a hole in our family for a little while, but we'll keep his memory alive with the stories of the toughest cat I've ever met.

Like the time he caught a bird off a second story balcony, or the time he jumped from that same balcony and was returned unscathed by our downstairs neighbour. And best yet is the story of him swinging from our bird's cage like Sylvester the cat trying to catch Tweetie bird. The tales are endless.

Our lives were richer because of him.

We'll miss you, Jazz.

I'm at 50,000 words!!!

I've been working on my little ASUS for a while and the word processor uses a different word counter than what MS Word uses, so I tend not to look at it. Imagine my surprise when I loaded my ms onto my PC today and discovered that I'm over 50,000 words!

When did that happen?

I've been revising/'add'iting for the last 2 weeks, but I had no idea I was that far along. The revisions are coming along really well, and I can tell that the story is a lot stronger than it was. Motivations are stronger, threads are stronger...I'm on my way.

Good thing, too, since I only have until April 12th to get ready for the SSE editor pitch.

Anyone else out there entering the pitch contest?

Busy, busy, busy

I just found out that the Harlequin pitch for SSE line will be in April...which means I need to get crackin' on finishing up this ms! I only have about 1 chapter left to write but LOADS of editing. And I do mean loads. I've been trying to shut off my internal editor, but the time to let her free is coming soon.

I've also enrolled in two online classes since January. The first was the Susan Meier class I mentioned a few posts ago. This class was very useful and helped me see why published authors do the things that they do. The other one is still going on--Plotting and Motivation with Laurie Schnebly. I am lovin' this class. Already I've had a lightbulb moment with my wip. Laurie pushes you to boil your character's motivations down to one word. And you know what--it really helped to clarify things in my mind. Now I can see on which motivations I should put the focus in order to create the biggest conflict. It's all so clear now. Yay! So I'd definitely recommend the class to all you writers out there.

So on top of the house-messing bathroom reno going on in our home right now, I'll be busy for the next few months. But it's a good kind of busy and is ensuring that the weeks until Spring arrive pass by in a blur.

Hope you're all enjoying the last few weeks of Winter!

Knock on Wood

Have you ever, in a moment of weakness, wished for a non life-threatening injury that would knock you off your feet, just for a little while, so you could have some time to yourself to write?

Take it from me...DON'T!

I verbalized that very wish to a colleague at work the other day, only half-kidding. That same night I had a gall bladder attack--a first for me. Wow, was it painful. And after some research I found that the most effective cure for gall stones...have them surgically removed. I'll have to go to the doctor to determine if that is required, but the thought of that scares the stuffing out of me, even if it would net me some quiet time.

Was someone listening up above and decided to either a) grant me my wish or b) show me that wishing for injury is a very bad thing? Who knows. But one thing is for sure...I'll never forget to knock wood after such a statement again.

Pitching Away

Yesterday I emailed my pitch off to Donna Alward's Perfect Pitch contest over at eHarlequin. The winner will be lucky enough to have Donna as a mentor for a year. What a great opportunity!

I quickly discovered that writing a good pitch is not as easy as I'd imagined. But Winnie Grigg's eHarlequin workshop was such a big help (for anyone struggling, I'd highly suggest heading over and reading the workshop notes). With so few words to get across the main characters and conflicts, every word is precious. So I agonized over each one. Endlessly. Needless to say, I was very happy to get it to a place in which I was happy with it and finally hit the send button. Yay!

Donna, being the incredibly thoughtful author that she is, is not going to keep us in suspense for long. She'll be announcing the winner by Monday or Tuesday.

I'm crossing my fingers, toes, legs, arms...

Hope

I had a dream last night that an editor called to tell me how well written my ms was and how much he liked it. Is this a sign??? I'm choosing to take it that way.

I pulled out my dusty ms yesterday (OK it's a computer file that can't get dusty, but you get the idea) and lo and behold, as I started reading what I'd last written, I discovered that it isn't half bad. It's funny because when I was writing it, I was sure it was complete and utter crap. I guess time does heal all wounds.

So with a renewed faith in my writing ability and a dream to give me hope, I carry on.

New Year's Resolutions

I've decided that I need a kick in the butt. That's all there is to it. So I signed up for an online course called "Write That Book" through the Yosemite Romance Writers. It's a work at your own pace course, so it should work fine with my other commitments. And the most important thing...it will force me to write!

I'm very excited about what the new year will bring. The only thing I can control in this crazy business is my writing, and I plan to write the best damn book that I can. I will finish this thing in 2010! You heard it here.

Feel free to remind me in a few months ;)

Time Outs

Last night, my mother took the kiddies so DH and I could have a much needed night out. I can't even begin to describe what a difference it made to have a night out as adults to talk, joke, eat non-kid friendly food. I love motherhood, but every once in a while us mothers (and fathers) need some time to recharge our batteries and remember that aside from being mommies and daddies, we're also people. People that have needs as well.

It reminded me of the writing process. In the past 2 months I haven't felt like writing...at all. But little by little, I'm getting my mojo back--that little voice inside my head that used to tell me that I could do this is becoming vocal once again. And I'm ready to listen. Finally.

Maybe every once in a while we need to step back from this crazy ride that is the pursuit of publication to remember that there is more to life. Only then can we realize that we would miss it if it wasn't in our lives driving us slowly insane.

Am I out in left field on this one? Does any one else feel the same way? Have you had to take a break from writing to rediscover your love?

Christmas Chaos

The Christmas season is upon us and that means shopping, wrapping, baking...all past times that I love (okay, maybe not the wrapping). But what about writing?

With an unexpected vacation day today, I really should have plunked myself in front of my keyboard but instead I did the much needed running around that's been haunting me. And I feel terribly guilty. In the past, a day off work with no kids would have meant seven or eight uninterrupted hours of writing. But I just didn't have it in me today. Am I a slug, or what?

On the upside, in my travels I did pick up Brenda Harlen's newest SSE. Hopefully that will get me in the mood to start writing again.

Would it be wrong to ask Santa to tuck some motivation in my stocking this year?

Hello, Old Friend

Not to say that you're old (LOL), but just that I've been away for far too long.

Where to start on what has transpired since I was last here? Well...sickness for one. I was the first one in the house stricken with the H1N1 flu, and it was nasty. And because I'm a loving wife, I shared it with my DH (aren't I nice?). Lastly, my DD2 (almost 4 years old) got it...and BAD. She was so sick that for the first time in her life, I was truly scared for her. Luckily, I was able to get the magical Tamiflu and after 3 days of pure hell she was feeling better (just in time for Halloween).

But that's not where the excitement stops. Oh no. 6 days after DD2 recovered we were booked to leave on our family trip to Florida. Talk about cutting it close. Not to mention that DD1 had not yet had the dreaded flu and we spent that entire week expecting her to come down with it at any minute.

Fast forward past much fresh orange juice squeezing and so many vitamins that I feared she'd begin to jingle, and everything turned out wonderfully! DD1 never did get sick, we had a wonderful trip and all is well with our world once more.

But all of this excitement means that my writing time has been nil. Nada. Zilch. And so, sadly, I will not be entering the Golden Heart this year. Sigh. But there's always next year, right?

Panic!!!

Panic has set in...

A few months ago, I made a promise to myself that I was going to finish this ms and enter it into the Golden Heart this year. As the beginning of October hit, along with it came a stark reality...I only have 2 months to finish, polish this thing and get it mailed out! Add to that an upcoming trip and birthday for DD2 and I'm in some serious trouble.

I don't have that much left to write before I hit The End. That isn't what scares me. It's the editing. The first draft is pretty rough, so I know there is going to be a LOT of editing. I'm determined not to go back on my target, but I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with the whole thing.

I almost wish I could get up really high and get a bird's eye view of this story so that it could all become crystal clear...like when you're reading someone else's story. Do you ever feel like that? Any tips you could share would be greatly appreciated!

What's your Happily Ever After?

The house is quiet. A rarity for a Sunday morning.

My mom offered to take the kids for a sleep over last night so DH and I could go out and celebrate our wedding anniversay. So we jumped at the chance for a night out.

As of Monday, I will have been married for 13 years. Worthy of a night out, right? The kicker...we've been together for 22 years. Considering that I haven't yet hit the big 4-0, I think it makes us, as a couple, pretty unique. We were high school sweethearts, however we waited 9 years before we got married. In those 9 years I went away to university, coming home only on weekends when my studying schedule would allow. My DH started a career with a schedule that made it difficult for him to come visit. And yet through it all, we managed to stay together. Not because it was easier to stay together. Because it was too hard to stay apart.

So there you go--my own little romance novel. Maybe that's why I've been drawn to this genre. What about you? What's your story?

The drama that is my life

This past week has been filled with bad luck.

It all started during an evening speed walk with my friend. Imagine our surprise when a barking German Shepard emerged from the side of a house and proceeded to CHASE us across across a busy street. An energizing walk turned into a speed-run for our lives (or so it seemed). Very scary. Note to dog's owner: Giving your vicious dog a cute name like Ollie doesn't make him less scary. Just sayin'.

And then in the same evening, not five minutes later, we narrowly missed being spattered with egg thrown from a car full of teenagers. Stupid, to say the least. I mean, really, what's the point?

Then the kicker. This morning, I pulled into the day care to drop off the kiddies, and when I returned to the mommy-mobile, it wouldn't start. Nothin'. Dead as a door nail. So after calling a tow truck, waiting for the nice driver to arrive and start it, I drove promptly to the garage and had a new battery installed. The whole ordeal landed me an hour and a half late for work and a whole lot lighter in the pocket book. What a way to start a Monday.

But bad things happen in threes, right? So that should be the end of my crummy luck. I can hope anyway.

Anyone else out there having crummy luck, or is it just me?

I'm weak...

I did it.

I gave in to the travel itch and booked a family trip to Orlando. I know, I know, all those reasons I gave still have merit, but the kids are only small once, right? Soon they won't want to hang around with us. They'll be too busy with friends and *gulp* boys to want to go see Mickey and Minnie with Mom and Dad. So I'm going to eat it up while I can.

I can rationalize anything.

I'm a writer, after all.

The Travel Itch

What is it about the Fall that makes me want to book a vacation?

Maybe it's the impending Winter and mental flashbacks of digging out from under several feet of snow. Or maybe its the thought of the sun setting at 4 pm and the cold, dark drive home from work. Or the memory of the -20 C temperatures that leave us shivering in our warmest Winter gear. Whatever it is, it almost had me convinced to book a trip to Orlando this week. I came really close. Even had DH convinced. Until reasonable thought returned reminding me of the outstanding bills, car maintenance that needed to be done, my shaky work environment--none of which are conducive to spending thousands of dollars visiting Mickey and friends.

Darn.

So I have no trip booked. I'm dreading the thought of Winter coming. But on the plus side, I have a week of vacation time unaccounted for.

I smell a writing week in my future.

Go Read My Story at Read-a-Romance.com

One of my short stories is going to be posted at http://www.read-a-romance.com/ starting Sunday, Aug 30. If you've got a few spare minutes, please stop by and have a read. It won't take long. And don't forget to rate it so I can see how many people stopped by.

The title is Home is Where His Heart Is. It's a story that was inspired by a time in my life when my husband was traveling a lot for work. I was at home thinking how much fun he must be having traveling all around North America, eating in restaurants every night, sleeping in hotels. Turns out, excitement is all in the eye of the beholder.

If you'd like to drop me a line, I'd love to hear what you think of it.

When I grow up...

...I want to be Jodi Picoult!

I know, I'm a little slow on the uptake, but I just finished my first Jodi Picoult novel, My Sister's Keeper. I had not seen the movie, so I had no idea what to expect in this book other than what I'd seen in the movie trailers. I'm so glad I was clueless.

This book was fabulous. Not just a great story, but great writing. She wrote it in 6 different points of view, and each was executed flawlessly. Each story line held its own and yet she managed to tie them all together beautifully.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the story, but let's just said it's been a LONG time since a book has made me cry...like actually cry. This book had me sobbing. Now that's a good book.

This was the kind of book that makes me want to be a better writer, makes me want to evoke that kind of emotion, to leave people talking about my book long after they're finished it.

If you haven't had a chance yet, definitely put this book in your To Be Read pile.

I'm about to start another of her books, Vanishing Act. I wonder if I'll be raving about this one in a few weeks time?

It's Official...

I didn't final in the Golden Opportunity contest. I did come in 6th out of 17 and got some great feedback, which is worth it's weight in gold. Once I'm finished with the first draft, I'll go back and revise the first chapter keeping those comments in mind. Hopefully it'll make my ms even stronger.

Onward and upward, right? It's all we can do.