Monday's Musings

Happy Halloween, everyone! While I have to admit, it's never been my favorite holiday, I've been enjoying it much more lately. We have our ghouls and skeletons up, our witches and ghosts that our children made in grammar school dangling from rafters outside, our house is decorated with full fall foliage and soon Frankenstein will be singing and dancing inside our front window. Last night, our kids came over for our traditional pumpkin carving. My hubby does it all, while we watch, supervise and compliment his artistic ability. This time he carved the face of a wolf in shadows. It's very cool! And a more traditonal Casper type ghost holding a pumpkin. My daughter seasoned and baked pumkin seeds and we had them later on in the evening. I do love seeing the children dressed up in costumes coming to my door. But mostly, what I love is the traditions that we've instituted over the years -- and how our out-of-college children, still enjoy coming over to keep those family traditions going strong.

Happy Trick or Treating everyone!

Friday's Finds

Baseball season is over and I'm having withdrawals already. It's funny when you have a passion for something -- it's quite overwhelming and you can't hide it. All of my friends know how much I love baseball. Many of them called to console me when the ANGELS lost in the playoffs to the White Sox. Well, at least they lost to the best team. But we had a great time going to the games all season and watching them on television. We even went to two play-off games and the excitement in the stadium wasn't to be compared. It'll be a long draught until April and I do have enough to keep me busy. I'm just not into basketball, or football or tennis anymore.
And I do get a chance to see my nephew play year round. I'm so proud of him. He received a full baseball scholarship to a UC college. Just one more year of high school baseball for him and then I'll be doing some traveling to watch his games.

Okay, so if you're not a fan, you can't relate. But we all have our passions and I might add, obsessions. And I do have a few more ... I might share those with you at another time. Right now, allow me my mourning time. I'll be happy again ... come April.

Thursday's Thoughts

I'm not complaining really, considering how long it took me to get to this place in my career, but just when I thought I'd have a break for the holidays, I'm getting more and more work. Yesterday, after writing at least 20 pages and the pivotal love scene leading up to the dark moment in my story, (Yes I'm finally nearing the end of Shanghaied Groom) I received my copyedits for my June Desire. It's a cycle I know, once the book is finished, we see it at least three more times for edits. Copyedits need to be done pronto, the turnaround time is just a week usually. So, I'm not going to get to finish my story this week as planned. And I had such great momentum. I'll change gears and go into edit mode. But I do LOVE all that I do having to do with writing. It's just not fitting into my plans. And next I know, I'll receive my Bible for the Fortunes Series and have a month to work up my synopsis -- all before January.
It's the nature of the beast, deadlines! I don't mind them, but hey, I just wanted some free time to enjoy shopping and decorating for the holidays. Maybe, if I work faster -- I'll get there. :)

Wednesday's Words

It's almost Halloween and fall is definitely upon us. I can't say that I love this time of year weather- wise, I'm not a fall/winter person, but I do love decorating the house for Halloween and Thanksgiving. Already up are my fall wreaths and faux pumpkins inside the house. My vases hold fall colors now and there are fall leaf decorations in abundance all over. I've put up our singing Frankenstein and skeletons and the paper mache ghost that my daughter made while in grammar school. Real pumpkins are on the way and we'll be carving those over the weekend. My husband is a master carver - he's done the most amazing things like carving a witch on a broom flying by the big moon and a big black cat arching its back. We've had tricks before treats when the kids come by and played scary music. We've made a "grab" house where the kids don't know what they'll get when they put their hands inside.

Don't even get me started on Thanksgiving! I have it every year and I've collected some great decorations over the years -- it's my favorite holiday. Though it's a ton of work, I still find it more relaxing and less stressful than other holidays. I love the warmth and comraderie and what better way to enjoy the day than spending time with your loved ones ... eating!

Thursday's Thoughts

I just got the news that I'll be working on the Fortunes Continuity for a 2007 series. Now, I have to admit, I didn't read the Fortunes of Texas books and I'm told that these stories will take place in North Dakota, not Texas. Anyway, I'm thrilled to be working on another continuity for next year -- they are always a challenge and fun to network with the five other authors in the series to make our stories gel together. I'll be book four, so the book is temporarily scheduled for April 2007. Wow, doesn't that seem sooo far away? It's interesting to me that I've never had a fall or winter book release. All my books tend to come out in the early or mid part of the year. The latest I've had a book release was way back in 1999, I believe and that was a September book.

Has anybody out there read the Fortune Desire series? If so, can you give me clues, hints or insights. Did you enjoy the books? And if so, why? Just curious -- I think I'll have to do some research!

Monday's Musings

I just received word that my Desire - Caroline's Man Friday has been scheduled for August 2006 and the title has changed to Bunking with the Boss. I like it. It's one I had sent into my editor along with a dozen other titles and it's growing on me. Usually, it's hard for me to give up a title that's been staring me in the face the whole time I'm writing the book. But for me, and I might have mentioned this before, only one of my originial titles have ever stuck.
And that was the very first book I wrote called Chance in a Million. Yep, the hero' s name was Chance so the title fit perfectly! But I'm happy with my new title for the most part and am extremely happy to see that I'll have 2 summer reads out, one in June and one in August as well as a February 2006 Harlequin Historical. Lots of words, lots of work -- but worth it.

Friday's Finds

Wow, it's Friday again. The week flew by and I got a good deal of writing done. Looks like I'm in the home stretch of my story. This is when it gets exciting -- when the story comes to its blackest moment for H/H and then we get to resolve both the internal and external conflicts. This one has a surprise ending that I'm hoping to pull off without too much trouble. Still and all, the story has moved to Virginia City, Nevada, one of my favortie western ghost towns. I'm using research I've done for my last western - The Courting of Widow Shaw, but in a different way for this book. I'm just fascinated with Virginia City and love the lore and history there.

And on a different note, for those who had trouble getting into my website mailing list or contest, everything is in working order again! Please submit for my contest- with great prizes - there's still time! The contest ends in mid November. Good Luck!!

Monday's Musings

My trip to the Hollywood Bowl last Saturday night, brought back some amazing memories of my childhood, when I saw Jim Morrison and the Doors, known then just as the Doors, along with the Rascals, of "It's a Beautiful Morning" fame. I remember sitting in box seats then, true box seats where four seats were boxed into a wooden frame, two in front, two in back. At the time, I don't think we knew how famous Jim Morrison would be, or how long those memories would stick with us. But they did. And on this past Saturday, those memories came rushing forth. At the time, there was no Staples Center or huge outdoor venues. Anyone who was "anyone" would play the Hollywood Bowl. It was "the" arena for rock groups.

But it's a calmer place now and I was amazed how easy it was, traffic wise to get in and out of the facility. Though we showed up 90 minutes early, as you have to do these days to avoid the masses. My friend and I had dinner in our box seat, with waiter service and all. We shared a nice meal and a bottle of wine before the show and I wondered why it had taken me all these years to go back to a true Hollywood icon. Loved every minute of it. Tim McGraw, was great as usual. We don't expect anything less from him or his band. And we even got to see a few stars as Scott Hamilton and Rick Schroeder, strolled right by us.

Fun!

Friday's Finds

It's Friday again and I swear I don't know where the week goes. But TGIF, as they say and the weekend is upon us. I'll be heading to the Tim McGraw concert this weekend and I'm hoping the weather holds up, since it's outdoors. For those of you who know me, you know I'm a huge fan. I've never joined a fan club in my life. Never, not even for Elvis Presley, the KING, but in my middle age, I decided, why not? I love Tim's music and his style. I've even met him once in Pasadena, when he signed his book. I never thought I'd shake his hand, but oh, that was a moment in time I'll never forget. So once a year, he comes to my area in CA to do a concert and I always go with my other "Tim" fan friend and fellow writer, Tanya Hanson. We always have a blast!

So the fires in my area are out, the ANGELS are on their way to the League Championship, I hope, I'm going to see Tim McGraw this weekend and I made my deadline of writing 40 pages this week. All in all, not a bad week for me. Now, if only Faith shows up to sing with her husband, it'll be icing on the cake!

Wednesday's Words

It's been a tumultuous few days and I took a little break from writing. The fires are out in our area, but Mother Nature isn't cooperating and we're having those Santana winds again. For those who don't know they are warm winds that blow at rapid rates and in my neck of the woods that usually means brushfires. Last week's fires are under control now, but there are hot spots up in the hills that the experts are worried about. I saw evidence of this yesterday when I drove out of my neighborhood only to see five fire engines (from other counties) come up our way. It's signiciant to note that these are not our firefighters, because it means that some of the 3000 that had come from all over, are still here, anticipating. So, we sit and wait and hope that the winds die down soon, and that some sicko arsonist, won't be tempted to go up in the hills. With all the firefighters now on the scene, I would hope that we'd only have to worry about what Mother Nature intends.

And on an entirely different note, my hubby and I went to the Angels play-off game last night. We arrived early and enjoyed the stadium goings-on. Lots to see and do there, before the game. And for the first time, I ate Hooters Chicken strips. And yes, they are very GOOD. But, when a guy says he goes there for the food -- I still don't believe that! We had a great time just being in play-off mania, but our team lost. So, we'll be sitting and watching the next few games on TV and hoping the team makes it to the next round. Go ANGELS!!

Friday's Finds

I guess I'm an optimist at heart, because for the past two days and nights, our little community was plaqued with raging fires, but I never thought that we'd actually be involved. There were fires to the west of us, to the east and to the south. Smoke billowed from the mountains just blocks from our house, but no flames. We knew the flames were on the back side of the mountain. For days and nights, helicopters flew above us, making water drops, but our sky remained blue. But yesterday afternoon, that all changed and the sky became an errie black and orange. Soot and ashes fell to the ground as the winds changed. And soon flames erupted on our side of the mountain.

I've never seen anything so frightening in my life. All the neighbors watched, looking up, trying to decide what to do. The night before we'd had voluntary evacuations. No one left, we watched and waited. I didn't want to leave my house. No one did. My optimism was tested though when the flames atop the mountains starting a downward decline towards our homes. It was only then, that we decided to pack up our valuables. Our kitties would be a problem. They don't travel well and that limited us to where we would go. But as all the neighbors watched and waited, the amazing firefighters did their jobs expertly. And we saw those threatening flames diminish in the hours to come.

The fires still rage in other cities surrounding us. It's 20% contained they say, but the firefighters lit backfires and are making sure the flames don't cause damage to any homes and that they don't jump the freeways. This is very good news, but it'll be days before the fires are put out entirely. My optimism is restored and I'm thinking that with no loss of life and only one house down, (I say that with compassion for that one homeowner) it's truly a miracle.

I can't say enough about our firefighters. They worked day and night and tirelessly, to make sure we were all safe. They are truly heroes.

Wednesday's Words

It's been a busy week with life sometimes getting in the way of writing. But at least, this time, it's a measure of good things that's taking me away from my writing. I'm a little off schedule, with hopes of catching up this week to make my 40 pages a week goal! I'd love to finish Shanghaied Groom before the middle of October. But I did have copyedits to go through recently for Heiress Beware, my June 06 Desire and then my Author Alterations for my February historical, Renegade Wife. It's always fun to revisit a story, once you've put the on the final "THE END" and with AA's and Copyedits, you usually see that story months after turning it in. So, I'm going to work doubly hard to achieve my goals this week.

But on another happy note, the ANGELS won the American League Division championship. They clenched it last night against Oakland and though I didn't see the game, I was able to see the champagne celebration afterwards. Thrilled that our team is going on to the playoffs, my hubby and I will take a day off to see one of the games, up close and personal. Sometimes, LIFE gets in the way of writing. And thank goodness for that!

Friday's Finds

Hurricane Rita -- It seems the worst EVER hurricane season. As I'm watching the news and seeing people evacuate their homes and livelihoods, I'm amazed at the power of such natural forces. Being an historical writer as well, I often wonder about the people living back in the day when there were no warnings, no doppler readings, no television. How did they survive? IF they survived such powerful forces of nature. Were whole towns and cities wiped out? With more primitive housing and no walls for protection in the sea, did any of those living on the gulf coast regions survive? Or has our weather changed so much lately (it seems so) that people living in the "olden" days didn't have too much worry about drastic hurricanes hitting the shore? I'm sure if I studied the facts, I find my answers.

But as I tried today to enter the RITA (pardon the pun) but that's the name of the Romance Writer's of America's most prestigious award contest- I realized that they are based in Houston. The site is shutting down for the time being as people there are evacuating. Who knows what might happen to our RWA -based offices? And just this morning I received an email from my web designer whose is on crutches right now and having to either have her parents move in with her or live in their house, until the hurricane passes. She's going offline until all of this is resolved. (My prayers to you, Shelley! I'm keeping good thoughts for you and your family. )

So, though thousands of miles away, the hurricanes hit us all in some way. They affect us and make us worry, and pray and hope for a good outcome. And I certainly do! As I know many of you are feeling the same way. Keep good thoughts coming. Let's not go through the alpha-bet of hurricane names this year. PLEASE !

Thursday's Thoughts

Well - I watched the season premiere of LOST last night. I love that show and it didn't disappoint. It kept me on the edge of my seat. We finally got to see what's down in that "hatch" and what we saw didn't give us answers, but rather more questions. The show is "theme" based which as a writer, I love to see. There's always metaphors, and correlations between the characters present lives on the island and their past lives. The writing on that show is wonderful and it's what originally drew me in. I didn't start watching it when it first premiered last year because I had visions of Gilligan's Island meets Frankenstein. But one night, I caught it and that's the marking of a really good show, it only takes one episode to reel you in because the characters are so interesting and the writing is superb. I cheered when it won the EMMY. I felt it truly deserved that praise. So, now the new season has begun and between watching a few favorites and cheering on the ANGELS baseball team vying for their division lead, I'll have to adjust my writing schedule! I don't watch a whole lot of TV, but certain shows I hate to miss, LOST being one of them. Any fans out there? What's your take on LOST and other shows coming our way?

Tuesday's Tidbits

There are so many charities in need right now, that I'm not sure how to donate, but recently I saw a spot about Habitat for Humanity and how they have built over 200,000 homes across the nation. It's an incredible charity that provides homes for those in need. For the victims of the Gulf coast region, they are building what they call "houses in a box". I think people from all over can build the frames and then they collapse them and send them to be finished in the home town in need. Sounds like a good way to put roofs over people's heads in a hurry, especially with fall almost here and winter just around the corner.

The Today Show this morning talked about the homes being built and if you want to see one of these "houses in a box", they will be building one next week on the show. I think it would be great to find out where else they are doing these. I wouldn't mind taking hammer to nail to help out -- right now, here in California seems all we can do is send money. Money is important, and heaven knows it's going to take a whole lot of cash to see these cities rebuilt, but I think many of us would love to dig in, and actually do something physical to help out.

I keep hearing of these great organizations and decided instead of picking one, I'll donate what I can to each, since all seem to be doing a particular service, from feeding and clothing the victims, rescuing animals and rebuilding homes. All are equally important.

Tuesday's

Friday's Finds

I find it amazing how little things we see and do end up in our books. When they say, "Write what you know", how can you not? Our stories are reflections of our life's experiences and it doesn't matter if your book is about forenics and you know nothing about that topic. You'll do the research and make it all plausible, but it's the little things, the nuances in our stories that seem to mirror our lives and what we know.

For instance, writing for me is very intuitive. I simply know what it takes to make my scenes work and for this one particular scene, I needed my hero and heroine to come together somehow, and for the hero to admire her gumption. As I watched Animal Planet, a show I enjoy about all kinds of animals, they showed a father and son, rescuing a heifer who was having a difficult labor. The two worked together, delivered the calf and saved both their lives. Hmmm, I thought. Wouldn't that scene work for my historical story? The heroine will dive in to help our hero deliver the calf -- a messy job, for sure, but it worked and the hero begins to admire our heroine for all her traits, but mostly because she wasn't afraid to lend a hand. The bonding they share as they care for the new calf is one of those "aw shucks" moments in the story too. Just a little five minute clip on the Animal Planet helped me design that scene.

And I find that a writer is always writing. You take in everything around you, log it away in your memory bank or make yourself a note, to use for another day. This happens to me all the time. I use my life experiences, what I witness, what I read, what I watch on television and it all comes together somehow to give me the inspiration to write my story. I bet many of you are the same. I wonder what we'll learn today that we'll use in one of our stories ... tomorrow?

Thursday's Thoughts

Challenge Your Brain -- I just read a great article on how to improve your memory skills so that you'll be less likely to have memory loss in old age. I'm not old by any means (not yet!) but I do find myself forgetting things I should be remembering. It's usually nothing of great importance, more an annoyance than anything else and I've NEVER had a great memory. But these are some tips for challenging the brain. See if you do any of these things: Work on crossword puzzles and brain teasers. Take a class, learn a foreign language or a new skill. Change your pattern of shopping at the grocery store. Work on a hobby or craft. READ A NOVEL, (I like this one best) or articles or magazines.

And the article goes on to say it's okay to use Memory aids. I do these things all the time. I love making lists. So, mark you calendar of important events, birthdays, appts. Keep a day planner. Use sticky notes. Make up TO DO lists, especially for the husband (wink). It also goes on to say that you should exercise, eat a healthy diet and try to get your allowance in of Vitamin C and Vitamin E. Both are good for the brain.

I guess it's time to work on some crossword puzzles! All these things promise to keep our memories sharp. Hey, I wonder if writing a morning blog, counts?

Tuesday's Tidbits

Do you ever find that some days you simply have to tune out the world? Lately, the stress level from watching the news about the hurricane disaster and all the controversy surrounding it, just gets to be too much. I found myself tuning in for hours in the beginning, to see a disaster of proportions almost to terrifying to imagine and I think most of us watched with open-mouthed stun. We simply couldn't believe the scope of the disaster. Then -- when all of our efforts should be on the rescue, so many found time to point fingers of blame. The political fallout from something that should know no politics, has been hard to watch. I tend to focus on the positive, the people who risk their lives to save others, the incredible generosity of Americans sending aid and money to help the cause.

But sometimes, it's all too much. Sometimes, even an hour a day, is too much, and though I don't like being uninformed, for peace of mind and my own sanity, I tune it all out. I'll watch baseball. My team, the ANGELS are in first place and I'm already having baseball withdrawals that the season is ending soon. Or I'll watch a repeat of LOST or DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, talk about escapism. Or sometimes, I'll simply read. That's the most relaxing of them all.

I think many of us don't realize we need to DE-STRESS the way some need to DE-TOX. We need to allow ourselves time to sit back and relax and enjoy something. We need that "vegging" time. Do yourself a favor and tune it out, once in a while.