Lynn Raye Harris

MOVED

2009-04-17T17:17:00.002-05:00

Please come visit my new site! Point your browsers to www.lynnrayeharris.com or www.lynnrayeharris.com/blog to go straight to the blog.

I have seen the new design

2009-04-16T19:22:00.002-05:00

Y'all cannot possibly imagine my excitement right about now. I have been let into the inner sanctum (aka the admin login) and allowed to view my site in progress. I can't wait to share it with you! You will notice, if you try to go to my website now, there's going to be something that tells you the site is being redesigned. No website at the moment, but we're very close to the new launch.

I'm thinking about what to give away when it launches. We must have a contest. We must have prizes. It's a requirement! I don't want to say anything about what it looks like just yet. But I was surprised by something completely coincidental that I'll explain on my new blog when the time comes.

Keep checking back!

Moving soon!

2009-04-14T10:09:00.002-05:00

Start preparing yourselves, dear friends, for the relocation of this blog! My new website will be going live soon, and you'll want to update your links. I'm giving you the blog link now, but be aware it is not live yet.

http://www.lynnrayeharris.com/blog/

All the posts that are here will be moved. Nothing will be different except the link you use to get to me, and the look of the site. I can't wait to share my new design!!

When the new site is up, I will change the header of this blog to reflect that (and hopefully link to the new one).

Letter to Amazon

2009-04-13T14:55:00.004-05:00

Unless you live in a cave, you've probably heard about Amazon and the unranking of books they deem unsuitable. To say I'm horrified is an understatement. To say I'm mad and disappointed is another understatement. I buy most of my books from Amazon. I love that I can browse online and then they show up at my house two days later. Unfortunately, I can't in good conscience buy from them anymore. Not until they fix this mess.

It's not just books with gay and lesbian content, but some of the hotter romances getting caught in the fray.

Here is a letter to Amazon. Took me a while to find where to send it, but I did.

I have ordered many, many items from Amazon over the years. But as an American, as an independent person, as a writer, and as a reader, I have to express my utter disappointment at Amazon's recent high-handed actions regarding delisting books YOU deem unsuitable. Who are YOU to determine this? Why is Mein Kampf suitable, but an erotic romance is not? We do not live in a dictatorship, and until you fix this policy, I've just received my last order from you. Man, I wanted that Kindle too. Not happening now. Your behavior is un-American in spirit, not to mention unbelievable for a company engaged in SELLING books. What's next, a bonfire? Ever hear of Fahrenheit-451 by Ray Bradbury? Suggest you give it a read.

One of the hallmarks of a free society is open discourse. You may not like erotic books, or gay books, but you have no right to unrank them. And, if you check my long history with you, you'll see that I probably haven't bought any of these books (with the exception of romance novels you might now find too tawdry for your tastes) -- but I want the right to buy them, and the right to see how well they are selling without regard to their content. Shame on you!

Lynn R. Harris, a disappointed (and now former) Amazon customer

What we already knew

2009-04-10T00:00:00.001-05:00

This certainly isn't news to die-hard romance readers, but it seems as if people like happy endings when times are bad. Duh.

At a time when booksellers are struggling to lure readers, sales of romance novels are outstripping most other categories of books and giving some buoyancy to an otherwise sluggish market.
Harlequin Enterprises, the queen of the romance world, reported that fourth-quarter earnings were up 32 percent over the same period a year earlier, and Donna Hayes, Harlequin’s chief executive, said that sales in the first quarter of this year remained very strong. While sales of adult fiction overall were basically flat last year, according to Nielsen Bookscan, which tracks about 70 percent of retail sales, the romance category was up 7 percent after holding fairly steady for the previous four years.

I'm not surprised. Are you? I pretty much always want a feel-good read, but maybe I was inoculated to human suffering and angst-ridden unhappy endings during my years spent getting first a BA and then an MA -- years in which I read tons of "classic literature." Been there, done that. I still like a good literary story, don't get me wrong. Ann Patchett and Audrey Niffenegger amaze me, for instance. Wonderful writers.

By and large, give me that happy ending though. You can read the full article here. For once, the NYT wasn't in the least snooty -- unlike the LA Times columnist this week who reported on this phenomenon, put down romance, and then admitted she'd never read one. Ludicrous. Would you let someone tell you what your opinion should be, and then espouse it as your own? I wouldn't, but she sure doesn't have a problem with it. Someone told her romance was dumb at some point -- so she jumped on the snotty bandwagon and starting beating the drums. Thank God for individuality, right?

Inspiration

2009-04-07T00:00:00.001-05:00

I'm working on Book 3, getting deep into character and motivation, and generally having fun exploring the relationship between these two volatile people. And when I ran across this picture, the light bulb went off -- this is my hero. Cristiano is strong, sexy, and tortured by the past. And he's absolutely determined to get what he wants from the heroine -- and to leave her with nothing when he's done.

Oh be still my heart! Wounded heroes are so sexy to write.

Yeah, I love this job. :)

In other news, the website is inching closer to reveal day! I'm so excited about it, and can't wait to share it with you all! There will be a new website, blog, and newsletter. And when it goes live, I'll give away some goodies. :)

One last thing -- my book is up for pre-order on Amazon, but now it has a cover -- and that makes me delighted to share the link with you!

2009-04-06T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today's post is at Romance Magicians. We're talking about creative breaks. Please come by and say hi!

Friday round up

2009-04-03T00:00:00.001-05:00

1. Is there a rule that says once you hit a certain age, you must cut your hair short? Because I attended a function the other day where every single woman there, with the exception of me and one other lady, was upwards of 50. And they ALL had short hair. Short. Gray, white, brown and blonde -- didn't matter, every lady had short hair. Nearly gave me a panic, I tell you. I've already made the switch from long to layered, but I'm holding the line on that above-the-shoulder stuff. If it looked good on me, I wouldn't be so worried. But it doesn't. Trust me.

2. I am a horrible, horrible gadget-loving person! It's all my hubby's fault! I want a new MacBook Pro. I love my 13.3" white MacBook, but I want a bigger screen. I've fallen in love with the sleek look of the new Macs.

3. By the same token, I want a new iPod shuffle. Why? Heck if I know! I already have an iPhone and a 32 GB Touch. I also have a first generation 4 GB Nano that I never use anymore. So why would I need a shuffle? Don't know, but it's so cool and little! And it talks!

4. I have already mentioned the Kindle. Still want.

5. Hubby is a shoe ho. He rivals me, though he swears he does not. The man made an *impulse* shoe buy the other day that rather surprised me. I am still recovering from the sticker shock. I could have bought a Kindle! (Well, I'd have needed to add some money, but still!) The man is insane.

6. We're having bad weather. Tornadoes possible. I really hate this time of year. :(

7. I *love* the person who copy-edited my last book. My voice is intact, and she barely touched my words. Love that!!

8. Love the ideas I brainstormed with my editor for book 3. Need to get busy rewriting and moving forward.

9. Taxes. Holy cow, it's time!

10. Dinner out with parents tonight! Dinner with friends tomorrow! Diet on Sunday!

What's up with you?

Got angst?

2009-04-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'm working on Book 3 and I could tell something was missing. As much as I loved the characters, and the situation I'd gotten them into (oh it is delicious, but I cannot tell you!), there was some niggling little thing bugging me. Something wasn't right.

Fortunately, my editor saw it too. And after a conversation with her yesterday, I now have new direction. What I was missing, apparently, was some deeper angst. In a short category novel, those backgrounds are key. What happened to these people in the past to make them who they are now? What about their pasts prevents them from being together or from seeing they are right for each other? What must they help each other to realize before they can live happily ever after?

It seems straightforward enough, but it rarely is. My characters are real to me, and until I know what their problems truly are, it's impossible to just make a bunch of stuff up that doesn't fit. Seriously. I guess that sounds silly, but it's true.

My editor hit on something perfect that fit the hero so well I wondered how I hadn't realized it about him before. Combine that with some other things I learned about him, and with the heroine's background, and we've got one dark book. But I'm up for the challenge! I'm looking forward to the revisions to the first three chapters, and what will happen as I move forward from there. I'm excited about it again, and not worried that something is missing. It's a great feeling.

And, once again, there's a deadline staring me in the face. So time to get busy!

How do you know when you have all your elements in place? Do character backgrounds take you a while to learn? Or do you know everything right away?

Pesky characters

2009-03-30T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'll be wrestling the characters of the newest book this week, so may not be around too much. I've got them in a pickle, but the trouble is they are still hiding information from me so I don't quite know what they're going to do. This situation cannot continue. I, as the writer, MUST know what's what. Until I do, they aren't getting out of the difficult place I've stuck them in. I'm pretty sure I'm going to win, though not sure how long it'll take....

Proofing the proofs

2009-03-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

Not in my book! Or at least I don't think so, which is why I'm carefully reading my proofs that came on Wednesday for CAVELLI'S LOST HEIR and making sure everything still says what I want it to say. Which is also why I failed to write a blog post for Thursday, and why this one is so short. :)

The best news that happened around here in the last two days was finding out about all my friends who finaled in the Golden Heart and RITA contests! Thirteen of my 2008 Pixie sisters went on to the class of 2009 in the GH, and my dear friend and chapter mate from Heart of Dixie, Danniele Worsham, also finaled in the Short Contemporary category. Yay!!!!

You can read about Danniele's call at the Writing Playground. The party was yesterday, but I'm sure she won't get tired of reading all the congratulatory notes flowing in. :)

Hope you have a great weekend! Any big plans? Mine involve the wine bar tonight, something to do with yachts tomorrow (not on a Presents scale, alas), and maybe a movie at the fancy theater where they serve alcohol and food during the flick. :)

The big day: Golden Heart calls

2009-03-25T00:00:00.002-05:00

Today, RITA and Golden Heart calls go out. I am almost as excited as I was last year when I was hoping to get that call for the GH. Except this year, there's no pressure for me! I'm in transition. Not eligible for the GH because I sold, and not RITA eligible because I didn't have a book in print in 2008.

But I'm so excited and hopeful for friends, both published and unpublished. I'll be following the news on the various loops and screaming for excitement when someone I know gets the call.

However, there are inevitably going to be disappointments. And, speaking solely about the Golden Heart, please remember there is always next year, another book, etc. Or, you may sell and be ineligible. You do NOT have to final in the GH to sell. And many finalists are still waiting for their first sale. So don't put all your hopes in this one contest, please.

I've said it before, but it bears repeating. I entered 4 times before I finaled. And the book I sold to Harlequin was not my finalist. So don't get depressed, and don't give up. You can indulge in a few tears, eat some chocolate, and kick the couch. But only for a day, okay? On Thursday, get back to work. :)

And if you DO final? Honey, get busy making sure that manuscript is revised and ready in case you get a request from a finals judge. And enjoy the pageantry of it all. You're gonna have a lot of fun, and you're going to bond with your fellow finalists in ways you won't believe. They'll be with you forever. :)

Good luck!

A rant, and then winners :)

2009-03-24T06:00:00.002-05:00

Nothing frosts me more than watching someone who looks perfectly healthy, and who does NOT have a handicapped sticker, pull into a reserved parking spot. I know that people can look fine and yet have a legitimate reason to use that parking -- typically, they have a sticker or something to hang from their rearview mirror. I don't automatically assume that someone who looks healthy is taking advantage. I know better because I've had family in that position.

But I still think it happens. And I think the lady who pulled into the handicapped spot at Starbucks the other day was doing just that. She had no sticker, no plate, and no placard.

She sat there for twenty minutes and talked on the phone the entire time. Not only did she talk on the phone, gesticulating and yelling, but she popped her visor down and proceeded to squeeze pimples on her face. No, I am not kidding. Unfortunately, my table was facing that spot, and each time I looked up, there she was, hollering into her phone and picking her face. It was awful.

And what did she do after she'd sat there for twenty minutes while other people had to drive around to find parking? She left and used the drive-thru. Never even came into Starbucks.

People like that give me ideas for characters, so I guess I shouldn't complain too much. But I was angry for anyone who legitimately needed that spot while she hogged it (there is only one). And absolutely stunned that someone would sit in full view of a cafe in which they could see people sitting and pick their skin. Hell, I think at one point she pulled out some tweezers and plucked hair. I'm not certain, but I think so. All while talking on her phone. Amazing, huh?

And now for much more pleasant tidings! I've employed a scientific method (scrambling names and taking mine from the mix) to arrive at my two winners: Rachael Johns and Patricia!! Please email me at contact @ lynnrayeharris dot com with addresses and your choice of prize.

$10 gift card to bookstore (Amazon, BAM, B&N),
OR
Presents trio, selected by moi from my stash,
OR
My debut book when it comes out, signed, along with two other Presents novels (unfortunately, you will have to wait until mid-July or so, but I'm good with that if you are!)

Congratulations to the winners! Keep checking back, because I plan to have more giveaways, especially as we get closer to my new site launch!

Is it Monday already?!

2009-03-23T00:00:00.001-05:00

Don't forget to comment on the one year anniversary post below for a chance to win a prize!

Okay, so I can't believe it's Monday already. Probably because I blogged on Saturday (see post immediately beneath this one for link). And I have nothing new to talk about! I'm still so excited about my fab cover, and yes I will be putting it in the sidebar very soon and on my website.

I could just stare at it all day! I love my Alejandro. So sexy. Ahem, where was I? Oh yes, nothing to talk about. The weekend raced by. Hubby and I went out to do errands on Saturday, then went to my parents' house for dinner yesterday. Suddenly, it's Monday. Hubby is back at work and I'm staring at the WIP. Characters are stuck in a house together, alone, and sparks are flying. I suppose I should really be listening in and typing, come to think of it.

One of my friends went to Costa Rica to finish her book before deadline. I'm wishing I could do that. Instead, I'll have to pretend. *sigh* Time to whip out the tropical poster and play island music, I guess.....

If you could go anywhere to finish your book, where would it be? Or where have you gone that was good for the muse? (When I lived in Hawaii, I didn't write nearly as much as I should have -- found the beaches and lifestyle distracting, in fact. LOL!)

2009-03-21T00:00:00.000-05:00

I have a rare Saturday post at Romance Magicians today. But keep commenting on the previous post from yesterday to get a chance for a prize!!! Pop over to RM for some thoughts about contests and persevering.....

One year anniversary party!

2009-03-20T00:00:00.003-05:00

Today is the one year anniversary of the call that I'd won the Harlequin Presents Instant Seduction contest. Much has changed in the past year! Come on one over to I Heart Presents and see what I have to say about the journey. :) (And get the inside scoop on the genesis of my second book.)

Leave me a comment here and I'll put you in for a drawing. Not sure what I'm giving away yet, but I promise it will be good! Perhaps I will let the winner choose.... $10 gift card to bookstore of choice? Scrumptious bath set? A trio of brand new Harlequin Presents? What would you like? (No, not a winning lottery ticket!) ;-)

You have until Monday at midnight CDT to enter. :)

Breaking News: my RED-HOT cover is up over at IHP!!!! In celebration, I'll pick TWO winners instead of one. :)

Lemonade Award Winner!

2009-03-19T00:00:00.001-05:00

It's amazing how forgetful I can be sometimes! A couple of weeks ago or so, the lovely writers over at Petit Fours and Hot Tamales gave me a blog award. And I promptly forgot to post it! So, without further ado, here it is:

The Lemonade Award

This is for sites that show great attitude and/or gratitude! Rules for the award:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

And then they were nice enough to include THIS blog along with the likes of Paperback Writer and Murder She Writes. Wow, I am definitely honored!

So, I will nominate, in no particular order:

1. Lucy King

2. The Writing Playground

3. The Soapbox Queens

4. C.J. Redwine

5. Romance Writers on the Journey

6. Courtney Milan

7. Romance Bandits

8. Wet Noodle Posse

9. Tess Gerritsen

10. The Family Letter (not a writer, but a friend with a great attitude)

****

Tomorrow, I'm blogging at I Heart Presents about my one year anniversary of the winning Instant Seduction call! And Saturday I'll be blogging at the Romance Magicians site where I will begin to blog approximately every two weeks or so for the next few months. Hey, it gets lonely here all alone!

And please go check out the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog. My friend Carol Burnside is a member, and I'll be a Guest Chef at the end of July right before my book comes out. It's a great blog!

Games

2009-03-18T00:00:00.001-05:00

Because I can't think of anything intelligent to post today, I give you this picture that totally cracked me up. I laughed so hard that Hubby stared at me and asked what the heck was so funny about it. I dunno, guess it was all those hours and hours of Clue when I was a kid. It was my favorite game for a while.

There was also this one:

I looooved my Bionic Woman game. Can't remember the point, or how you played, but I played it a lot as well. And it had a kitty on the cover, which I loved. :) Jamie is about to throw a big net over the cat. Hmm, okay. Why is Jamie Sommers, a woman with a million or so dollars worth of bionics implanted in her, battling big cats and not bad guys?

**Too bad they screwed up the new Jamie Sommers series last year. I thought it was HORRIBLE. So horrible in fact that I did something I have never ever done in the history of television: I wrote to the network and complained about a specific episode that irritated me.**

Do you like board games? I never play anymore, but I used to love Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble too. What vintage games do you recall? There was a Charlie's Angels game in the late 70s as well, but I didn't have that one. If you play games now, what are some good ones? Sometimes I think it'd be fun, but there are so many now it's hard to know where to start.

Promo stuff

2009-03-17T00:00:00.001-05:00

One of the things I've had to begin considering as my book gets closer to publication is promo. Specifically, I mean those items that one gives away -- bookmarks, notepads, potholders, etc. And I am NOT having fun. I don't like these kinds of decisions.

Order 500 pens with my name and web addy? Or go for the sticky notes? What about the potholders? Lip gloss? Personalized mugs? Drink holders? Backpacks? Notebooks?

ARGH!

Obviously, cost is a factor. So is space and tote-ability. And, after visiting the Goody Room at the National Conference, I have very specific ideas about what I like and what I don't. Truthfully, I wonder how much of that stuff makes a difference or an impact. I get bags full of stuff at the Reader's Luncheons I've attended, and I toss most of it. Except for bookmarks. I figure you can never have too many bookmarks. :)

What kind of stuff do you like to get in your goody bags? Do you keep potholders and luggage tags? Or do you prefer bookmarks (I know there are TONS at these things, and yet I keep nearly all of them I get). Or do you consider all of it a waste of time and money?

P.S. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

Beware

2009-03-16T00:00:00.001-05:00

A recent incident shocked me enough to realize that I need to remind any aspiring authors reading this to make SURE you vet the information you're getting before launching into a plan of action for conferences and/or submissions. Sometimes we accept the advice of well-meaning but misinformed people without knowing they are misinformed. It always pays to check for yourself.

While you'd think it wouldn't need to be said, here are some things you do NOT want to do:

1. Do NOT stalk editors and/or agents. Planning your time so you can "bump" into someone, and then refusing to go away, is not the correct course of action. Of course you need to be prepared, because there will be those elevator meetings sometimes, but don't haunt the restroom door in the hopes of running into someone. Or the buffet line.

2. Do NOT misspell names on your query. Names are kind of unforgivable since you should be able to check and double check the correct spelling -- especially if you've gotten a business card from the individual. I once got a letter from a utility company that referred to me as Mrs. Barris. Jarring. And if you want to compare yourself to another author, use caution -- don't say J.R. Rawling when you mean J.K. Rowling.

(Seriously, this should be obvious, but you'd be surprised.)

3. Do NOT take as gospel every word said by the woman sitting next to you at your RWA chapter meeting -- even if she does seem to know a lot. If you're a PRO member, download those PRO booklets and read, read, read. Then ask questions of published authors (or experienced PROs) you TRUST to give you good advice. Check and double check, because if someone tells you to stand outside the restroom door or linger in the buffet line looking for a publishing professional, it's probably not the best advice.

(I did once listen to something someone told me when I was very green, even though my gut told me otherwise. The result was a rejection, of course. This was a long time ago, and believe me I learned.)

4. Do NOT send the same query for the same book to the same agent who just rejected it. Rework the query or submit somewhere else. Wish I could find the link, but I read a post last week about someone who kept submitting a query for an adult novel (not that kind of adult!) to a children's book agent. She finally got frustrated and wrote back telling him to stop because she didn't represent that type of book, which she had politely tried to tell him over the last several months. His reply? That she was an agent and therefore he would keep querying her because it was his job to query agents about his book. Talk about clueless! And, oh yeah, agents know each other. You can bet his name is now making a viral loop through Agentland as we speak. And not in a positive way.

5. Do NOT think you know it all. I've met these people and it's frustrating as heck. I know I don't know everything, but I'm pretty sure this stuff I just said is true. But you be sure and double check it before listening to me, you hear?

What kind of crazy advice have you ever gotten? Good advice? What sort of horrible hi-jinks have you seen at conferences? We've all heard the manuscript under the door story, but have you ever seen its equivalent? Thankfully, I haven't, but I know at least one person who I think would do it. Sadly, some people don't listen.

Interesting news about ebooks

2009-03-13T00:00:00.000-05:00

From Publisher's Lunch:

Reporting that ebook sales in the US rose 5.5 times during 2008, the company [Lagardere] declared revenues--yes, actual revenues--of $4.7 million. Based on our rough estimate of Hachette Book Group's total US sales for the year, that means that even with the exponential growth, ebooks comprised less than 0.75 percent of sales.

[...]

We appreciate having an actual fact to reaffirm our continuing contention that mainstream media and Wall Street analysts alike have vastly overcovered and over-responded to the near-term impact of the Kindle and other consumer ereading devices and platforms. The growth rates are quite high and clearly the expansion of players and consumer options will fuel this market further, but it is currently tiny.

And yet I still want a Kindle. :) But, yes, I'm not an ebook connoisseur at all. I don't like reading on my computer. I have to read my drafts that way, and friends' drafts that way, so I don't want to read a book for leisure. The Kindle, OTOH, I thought might help me branch into ebooks a bit. Hmm, still very interesting that this technology isn't spreading the way people once declared it would. As I saw on a Tweet from Stephen Fry recently, (paraphrasing) Kindles and ebooks won't replace real books any more than elevators replaced stairs. It's simply another tool to use, that's all.

What are your thoughts?

Pressure versus leisure

2009-03-12T00:00:00.001-05:00

I can't think of a single thing to post today. I've not been doing much, just reading for friends, thinking about where my story is going, cleaning out the refrigerator, grocery shopping -- you know, mundane stuff. I think I need to be going 90 miles a minute to have any focus, you know? Isn't that weird?

But I think it's true. I always do my best work under the metaphorical gun. Give me pressure, and I'm off to the races. Tell me I have all the time in the world, and I'm lollygagging along on a pleasure cruise. I need deadlines and structure to succeed. I think many of us do.

So, yeah, I have some tasks that need done, but I also need to set myself a deadline while I wait for my editor to tell me if my latest proposal would be better served as firestarter. Best to work forward steadily and maybe get more accomplished than all this thumb twiddling is doing.

But, good news, my chapter meeting is the weekend! That always motivates me.

What motivates you? Do you need pressure? Or do you accomplish just as much when you have a lot of leisure time?

The exotic life of writers

2009-03-10T10:50:00.003-05:00

So did you watch Castle last night? It's about a best-selling bad boy mystery writer who ends up partnering with a female detective to solve a case. Someone is murdering people based on his books, so this is how he gets involved. And when they solve that case, he gets himself a position accompanying the detective for research purposes because he killed off his fictional detective and she's the inspiration for a new one (so the series can continue, of course). (If you missed the episode and want to watch, you can do so for free here.)

Frankly, though it was over the top, I liked it. And I think it has potential. But what's totally hilarious to me, and to all the writers I know, is the portrayal of the writing life. Nathan Fillion, aka Richard Castle, is a bad boy rock star kind of writer. He's got book launch parties in swanky places, lots of money, a pen with which he signs bimbos' chests (do they really read?), and a bad attitude about his fame. He's friends with the mayor, and he sits around playing cards with Stephen J. Cannell and James Patterson. (And someone said the woman at the table was Faye Kellerman.)

He's so well connected he can get anything done, even leapfrog the slow and frustrating process of getting CSI results from the lab. Which of course pisses off the detective. He has money to burn and enough self-love to make him charming in spite of himself. (And, we suspect, a core of misery.) Somehow, in between all this partying and fun, he's managed to write a whole lot of bestselling mysteries that are known for their attention to detail. Even the medical examiner is a fan.

But what I really love is the writing = glamour aspect. The portrayal of Castle's life just reinforces what the public already believes about writers. Rich, connected, got it made. I ROFL, of course, because I am none of these things. People at my husband's work actually thought he was going to retire now that I've sold a book. Excuse me while I roll around on the floor in hysterics.

MOST writers don't live this charming, exotic life. We are ordinary people with ordinary incomes. Being a published writer doesn't make you rich. It makes you like everyone else out there, worrying about expenses and hoping to make enough to cover them. Or, in my case since I have a wonderfully supportive hubby with a good job, making enough to cover my writing expenses, save for our retirement, and take some lovely vacations.

Even if I had Castle's money and connections, I doubt I'd want to do any of that stuff he does. I'd much rather be holed up in my office, working on my next book, than chasing criminals or attending ritzy parties.

Did you watch Castle? What did you think? Do you like shows about writers? My mom loves Murder She Wrote. Jessica seems to have a more ordinary life by contrast, and yet everyone the poor woman knows always gets killed. The shows are campy, but fun. Castle was a bit campy too, but I think it can get better. (My first choice, of course, would be to have Fillion back on the set of Firefly, but I don't think that will ever happen now. Darn TV execs. They'll probably cancel this one too, just as soon as people fall in love with it.)

Four things

2009-03-06T00:00:00.001-06:00

I'm still feeling at loose ends, and in spite of the good advice to relax and fill the well, I find it difficult to do so. So is it any wonder I'm working on Chapter 4 even before I hear from my editor? *g*

In honor of the number four, I'm sharing four things with you. :)

1) A FABULOUS post from Presents author Penny Jordan on an article she read that validated many of her feelings about the stories she writes. And all I can say, having read the article and her post, is YES. This is exactly what I feel about my heroes and the stories I create (and it's as true for the romantic suspense I was writing as it is for my Presents stories).

2) Agent Nathan Bransford had a wonderful post on Thursday about the Ten Commandments for a Happy Writer. I really loved this and wanted to share!

3) The Guess the Bookshelf contest is still going on! My shelves are there, so come on over and see if you can figure it out. There are prizes!

4) Presents author Trish Morey has a free read on eHarlequin! Come read The Italian Billionaire's Bride.

Now what?

2009-03-04T00:00:00.001-06:00

I just finished the proposal for Book 3 and sent it to my agent. And now I'm at loose ends. Not entirely at loose ends, since I need to write the rest of the book, but loose enough for a couple of days while I think about what comes next. It's an odd and happy feeling. Odd because I've been non-stop for awhile now. Happy because I have some time to breathe. I told the hubby last night that I could actually cook a real dinner for us now!

We've been having expedient things, like crock pot items, Lean Cuisines, and soup. I could make something -- spaghetti and meatballs? Jambalaya? Meatloaf? The possibilities are endless.

I can also go to the store and buy groceries. I've been putting that off for a while. And then there are the dreaded taxes that still need to be done, and doctors appointments I need to make. There's also that little matter of weight loss I was working on and got side-tracked with when I had to plant my butt in the chair day after day. It's seriously time to get back onto the treadmill.

Oh, and television! I haven't watched anything in forever, it seems. But I feel guilty, really, because I feel like I'm supposed to be working. And I know I will be again very soon, so I guess I should try and enjoy myself while I have a few moments.

Do you feel lost at the end of projects? When you finish a writing project, do you dive into the next one or take a break?

PS I'm participating in another eHarlequin guessing game! Guess the Bookshelf is going on right now! Pop over and see if you can figure out which bookshelves belongs to which author....(it's kind of hard, I think!).

Things I hate

2009-03-03T00:00:00.002-06:00

1. Synopsis writing. Seriously, it sucks.

2. Why? Because I don't KNOW what happens yet, darn it!

3. Wrote a synopsis for new book. Hate it. Book will not even remotely resemble synopsis. I know this from two books written for an editor now. Thankfully, she didn't freak out either time.

4. Writing a synopsis, even when I won't follow it, crushes down on my enthusiasm for the story like Dorothy's house on the wicked witch.

5. Must get over this and write story anyway.

6. Proposal nearly done, in spite of traumatic encounter with evil synopsisaurus.

Got any tricks for the synopsis? Any tricks for tricking yourself while writing it? Do you follow it once you've slaved over it? I used to try, but that only made things worse, so now I figure it's kind of like Captain Barbossa and the pirate code -- guidelines to be followed when convenient or expedient. Or to be tossed aside when something better comes along. :)

New books and proposals

2009-03-02T00:00:00.001-06:00

I got the news on Friday that my second book was accepted! CAVELLI'S LOST HEIR will be a Dec 09 release in the UK; US still to be determined. I'm so thrilled! The first book is the most special, of course, but to get past those sophomore fears and actually turn in something coherent and decent -- and have my editor like it -- is amazingly gratifying. I really thought I'd written the worst book ever when I sent that baby off. I'd been trying so hard and staring at it forever that I couldn't see the forest for the trees anymore.

(Though part of me optimistically kept insisting that it was good. And, while writing it, I DID love it. It was after, when I thought that what I saw in my head and what I got on paper were two different things that I went a little nutty.)

Writers, this is a lesson. It really is true that you are often a poor judge of your work -- or a harsh judge, perhaps. We are harder on ourselves than anyone else is. We'll take praise, be happy over it, and brush it off while remembering every single word of a rejection or a contest judge's negative comments. You simply must get past those and press on if you are to get anywhere in this business. (Remind me I said this when I get my first negative review.)

Now, I'm working on a proposal for Book 3, and hoping to get that done today or tomorrow and off to my agent. CAVELLI'S LOST HEIR had a princess as a secondary character who I just fell in love with. She is the heroine in the proposal, so hopefully I'll get to tell her story. Naturally, she's getting her very own prince -- and he is delicious! Prince Nico Cavelli was a bad boy -- but I think my new prince is even badder. I do love a bad boy, especially when he's being reformed. ;-)

Do you like bad boys? Princes? What are your favorite kind of themes or plots when reading?

PS Soon, my new website should be launching! I'm so excited about it! Keep visiting me because I'll start giving away goodies soon to celebrate. And thanks for sticking with me thus far. :)

Sleep is overrated

2009-02-27T00:00:00.003-06:00

1. So I finished the revisions, sent them off around 2AM, and collapsed in bed. Except sleep wouldn't come. Sometime after 4, I fell asleep.

2. Got up to have lunch with a friend (though it was really breakfast for me). Spicy beef salad, yum.

3. Came home to answer Interview questions sent by my editor for UK M&B magazine.

4. Hope I don't sound like an idiot since I'm a bit sleep deprived.

5. Uh, one of these questions is suspiciously like having to write a synopsis. I'll do it anyway.

6. Proposal needs to be finished. What is the hero's deep, driving problem? I don't know yet!

7. Lunch with writer friends is fun. Especially when we get into a discussion about the words we can use to describe certain, ahem, things.

8. I hate euphemism after a while.

9. Looking forward to the weekend. Mother cooking dinner for us. This is always nice.

10. Soon, it'll be time for yard work again. I don't look forward to that. *sigh*

11. I LOVE my job. Even if I'm sleep deprived from time to time.

What's on your mind?

Book music

2009-02-25T00:00:00.001-06:00

I'm hitting the video heavy on the blog lately since I'm finishing revisions. :) No time for much else!

But I think I've mentioned that I always listen to specific music for different books. I don't necessarily pick it; it picks me. And I've discovered that the next book is an Amy Winehouse book. Don't know why, but that's the music that moves me most when I'm working on it.

I hope I can write with half as much emotion as she conveys in this version of Love is a Losing Game. What do you think? Is she talented or what? I hope she gets it together. It's a shame to see someone squander such immense gifts with self-destructive behavior.

Do you have favorite writing music? Or, if you can't write with music playing, do you have something you like to listen to before or after writing in order to get you in the right frame of mind?

Oops

2009-02-23T13:37:00.004-06:00

It's no longer Friday, is it? Lots of busyness here, including some revisions and a new proposal.

How did you like the Oscars? Wasn't Hugh just to die for? Oh that man is gorgeous! And he can sing and dance. Gracious. I haven't watched the Oscars in years -- but, well, it was Hugh. And he didn't disappoint.

Here's Hugh preparing for the big night. OMG, look at those ARMS! Big, big sigh. :)

Friday randomness

2009-02-20T00:01:00.001-06:00

So I finally aggregated all my blogs to Google Reader. I like it, but it actually takes me more time to read than less, I think, because instead of needing to remember a link, it's there. *sigh*

Anyway, I was reading a post about how to blog. Yeah, I've been doing this for 4 years now and apparently still don't know how to do it. This dude says to blog list style. 'Kay.

1. I like lists. It's easy to remember and more effective to get information in bites, I think.

2. Two weeks with iPhone. LOVE it.

3. The App Store really makes something cool into something super functional.

4. I have a Facebook app. MySpace. Twitter.

5. Shazam will help you figure out the name of a song simply from hearing a snippet.

6. Bejeweled 2 rocks. There's even a wormhole.

7. The Dinner Spinner is amazing. How did I live without this cool app? If I'm standing in the grocery store, I can pick a food item, whether I want a main, side, or appetizer, and how long I want to spend prepping. A list of recipes crops up. I can choose one and shop for the ingredients. How, I say again, did I live without this?

8. Let's not forget Stanza, the e-book reader. So far, I've read some Emily Dickinson, T.S. Eliot, and a couple of Wodehouse short stories. And I have my free Harlequin downloads on there ready to go. You can even get War and Peace for heaven's sake! I simply cannot imagine reading W&P on my phone, though.

9. I also have a Bible app that will allow me to read any version I want. I choose KJV because I'm fussy that way. (Hel-loooo, language of Shakespeare. English major.)

10. Going to see Spamalot this weekend with friends. Richard Chamberlain is in it. I remember sighing over him as Father Ralph in The Thornbirds eons ago. Who knew he was gay back then, hmm?

11. I wanted to write a Thornbirds-like saga when I was young and impressionable and reading all about Father Ralph and Meggie.

12. I doubt I could even read the book again these days, though I read it two or three times in the 80s. Too long for my life now.

13. What happened to all those family sagas anyway? You never see them published anymore. Think it's because of all the quick things we have in our lives? Internet, television, cell phones, etc. Information happens fast and furious now. Thirty years ago, not so much.

14. That's enough randomness for one day.

What do you think? About sagas, lists, Spamalot, or iPhones? Or whatever?

Oooh, a book contract I didn't know about!

2009-02-19T00:00:00.001-06:00

Do you Google yourself? I do. I never know what I'll find. I have Google alerts, but they don't always work quite as thoroughly as a search will.

Imagine my surprise to find myself listed as a Simon and Schuster author! And I do mean ME, not the other Lynn Harrises out there. The page is cached, of course, because someone realized the mistake. But look at this link.

(My name was linked too, but that is long gone, sigh. Wish I knew what they'd attributed to me.)

Seriously, dear, dear Simon and Schuster, if you would like me to write a book or two (or three or four) for you, I'd be happy to entertain the idea! And then you could put the link back. Pretty please? ;-)

If you Google yourself, what's the oddest or most surprising thing you've ever found?

Procrastination much?

2009-02-18T00:02:00.002-06:00

Then you MUST read this post. It's like he's talking to me.....

Nothing to say, friends. Busy writing new book, waiting to hear on Book 2, worrying about taxes and housecleaning. You know, all that glamorous stuff romance authors do. :)

Fun Heroines

2009-02-16T00:00:00.000-06:00

Last night, I wanted to watch Romancing the Stone. I haven't seen it in years, so I was good and ready to watch it again. Plus, the hubby has a movie screen and I'd never seen RTS at the movies.

OMG, was it fun. And I realized something while watching it, something that's obvious but that I'd forgotten because I hadn't seen it in so long. The heroines save themselves. First, when Joan Wilder is typing her masterpiece in the beginning, her heroine knifes the bad guy before the hero ever shows up.

And then, though Jack saves Joan from Zolo when they first meet, Joan is quite capable of saving herself and does so in the movie's climactic scene when Zolo is trying to kill her. RTS was released in 1984, so kick ass heroines aren't just a current fad.

Seems as if Hollywood is planning a remake, too. It has the potential to be good -- but only if they don't go crazy with the special effects and spend too much time concentrating on those to the detriment of characterization.

Here's the original movie trailer. If you're a fan, what's your favorite scene? (I'm torn between her finishing the book in the beginning and "Joan Wilder? The Joan Wilder? I read your books!") If you've never seen it, what are you waiting for? :)

Retro Friday

2009-02-13T00:00:00.000-06:00

Remember this guy? I'm admitting my age here, but I remember him on General Hospital (Dr. Noah Drake). And I saw him in concert. Yeah, I really did.

I still enjoy the song, though I'm thinking that Jessie's girl isn't all that hot after all. Rick could do better. :)

I didn't have MTV when it premiered (1981 for you youngsters), but I got it a couple of years later when my family moved to town. My brother and I would stay up all night watching videos. There were so many cheesy ones, now that I think back on it, but you know I didn't think so then. They were mini-stories, and I just ate them up.

What songs do you remember from your teenage years? Any favorite videos you can remember?

High Concept

2009-02-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

Want to know what high concept is? Then read this post by agent Holly Root at Waxman Literary. I rather liked it. Now if only I could think of one.

I still haven't read Twilight (will eventually) but I started Charlaine Harris's Dead Until Dark (pub 2001) and there it was -- a glowing vampire. Apparently, glowing vampires didn't start with Meyers. It takes more than a glowing vampire to make a high concept, of course, and Meyers managed it. I think, from the periphery, that Twilight is Wuthering Heights with vampires directed at teens. Will have to read to know for sure, of course.

What do you think about high concept? Does it come easy to you? Make sense? I'm still mulling it.

The Big M

2009-02-11T00:00:00.001-06:00

I don't usually talk about books much here but I just read one that irritated me so bad I had to rant about it. I thought the Big M was history. What's the Big M?

The Big Misunderstanding

Characters are kept apart by something that could be resolved with a conversation. Kept apart for a brief while over such a thing isn't unbelievable -- not all of us suddenly jump up and demand to know the truth. We might labor under a delusion for a little while because we're still trying to figure it out in our heads and making sure we aren't jumping to the wrong conclusions.

But a misunderstanding that goes on for an entire book? Something that could have been solved with a conversation instead of the pages and pages of angsting over the past? I was seriously surprised at this book.

And I wonder if maybe I just didn't get it, if the fault is with me as a reader because the Big M didn't work for me or I wasn't able to see how deeply this misunderstanding would affect the characters' ability to discuss the truth. I'm just not sure.

I must say, however, that I've read other books by this author that were just fab, so I'm not put off entirely. I was just a little disappointed in this one.

I'm pretty positive I'm going to write things that don't resonate with all readers. Of course that bothers me because I am a perfectionist. Realistically, I know there will be those who dislike my work. I don't look forward to that, but I know it's going to happen.

What do you do when a book fails to meet expectations? Do you write the author off? Do you give him or her another try? What plots drive you crazy?

Yea or nay?

2009-02-10T00:00:00.001-06:00

So the Kindle 2.0 is a reality now. And I want one. Why, I ask myself? I love real books. The size, feel, smell, etc. But, as I look at my groaning shelves, the neverending supply train of books that pours into my house on a regular basis -- I'm wondering if the Kindle isn't the way to go for me. I could still buy my keepers in paperback. But, oh, to have that Whispernet technology! (Can you say a spending nightmare waiting to happen?) To have instant access to a huge library of books that I can read the instant I want to read them. Oh, it is to dream.

It's taken me a long time to get on the e-reader bandwagon. Because, quite frankly, the books once offered in e-format weren't what I wanted to read. Now that the major publishers have jumped on the bandwagon, I'm so there.

But, I am also aware that I'm a gadget junkie. Do I want this thing because it's sexy and looks awesome? Will it be yet another gadget I could have done without? (Yes, I speak to you T-Mobile Dash and you Alphasmart Neo -- love Neo, but don't use as often as I thought I would since I no longer have a need to write on the beach.) I just don't know.

And, since I just got the iPhone (love it!), I'm out of gadget buying points for a while. I have to wait until at least my birthday, and maybe even Christmas (sigh). Though, I must admit, my hubby pretty much lets me have whatever my heart desires -- so if I were to say I really, really, really wanted it, he would tell me to get it. Oh the temptation to abuse my power!

But, I will be good. For as long as possible. What do you think of e-readers? Do you covet the Kindle like I do? Have one already? Love it or hate it? Can't ever imagine reading anything besides a paper and ink book?

PS: Had an interview yesterday in the Decatur Daily and will post a link just as soon as one is available. Unfortunately, the Daily won't let you view their articles online unless you are a subscriber. So I must wait for it to appear elsewhere....

New toys

2009-02-09T00:00:00.001-06:00

The hubby and I couldn't wait two more weeks (the date our current mobile phone contract ends). We decided to go ahead and get our iPhones. This means we have new phone numbers, but we discussed it back and forth and agreed that it wasn't much of a hassle to let everyone know the new numbers. Plus our old numbers were from a town we don't live in -- and some of the wrong calls were getting irritating (bill collectors, principals discussing naughty children, etc). Neither of us uses our cell phones exclusively, or talk a lot, so the handful of people we had to inform wasn't really a big deal.

And, oh wow, I can't believe I had to wait this long to get my iPhone. To say I love it would be a massive understatement. The App Store (on iTunes) is incredible. I'm such a geek I've downloaded my very own copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. Want to know what the 13th amendment says? I can whip that baby out in no time and tell you. Both these apps are free. In fact, all the apps I've downloaded are free with the exception of one. I bought (for about $5) an expense application that will allow me to track expenses at the time they occur and take a picture of the receipt to store with it. This should help me organize the actual receipts and expenses at home. (Believe me, I need this kind of thing because I'm not too organized. I stuff the receipts in a box.)

But one of the coolest things I downloaded was an app called Stanza. It's an e-reader. Now, I'm not going to be reading books on my iPhone a lot -- but when stuck in lines, or waiting rooms, or airports, it could come in handy. And Harlequin is currently giving away 16 e-books. They've also formatted them for Stanza. I clicked on the handy bookstore link in Stanza and it took me to a list of choices. I went to Harlequin and within moments had books on my phone. Too cool.

You can also download anything on Project Gutenberg. If you want to pay, you could read Twilight or countless other books on your phone. (I'm thinking I'm not going to pay for books that way. I'll save that for the other toy I covet: the Kindle, about which there should be a major announcement today by Jeff Bezos and crew).

The other app I love is Pandora. Streaming radio on my phone? Oh heck yes. I have NYT headlines, a movie app that lets me know what's currently showing in my area, the times, theaters, and trailers if I want to watch them. I have the Weather Channel; Facebook; Twitter. And yes, even the I Can Haz Cheezburger site, which is how I saw the cute reading kitty.

There are so many things I still need to learn, I'm sure, but I love this phone and all these cool things that go with it. I am such a geek. And it's all my husband's fault! I'd probably be clueless about techno gadgets if he hadn't started wrapping me in his evil web years ago. Now, I'm almost as bad as he is.

Would you read books on your phone if you could? Do you like gadgets? Want a Kindle? (And I still do love real books, btw. Just think it would be neat to have a way to store a lot more books than my shelves will hold.)

Saturday Special

2009-02-07T00:00:00.000-06:00

This post should be required reading for any and everyone setting out to write a novel for the first time. It WILL get better. But first, the long and winding road. Embrace it, live it, emerge a new writer.

Miscellany

2009-02-06T00:00:00.004-06:00

My author page is up at Mills & Boon. You can also click on biography and interview links once there.

As for my reprieve -- it lasted a day. New proposal to finish for (hopefully) the next book...

And because you can NEVER have enough Hugh:

Happy Friday!!

Reprieve

2009-02-05T00:00:00.001-06:00

But who knows for how long? Book 2 is sitting in my editor's inbox. So I get to breathe for a few days -- until I get back the revisions. *sigh* After my last book, I'm trying to prepare myself.

So what does a neurotic writer do with herself in the days between shipping off the book and waiting to hear back? She might catch up on household tasks. Might consider going grocery shopping and adding variety to the diet -- chicken, chicken, and chicken gets a little tiring night after night.

She might read. She might start working on the next book because she hopes they will want another one. She might go shoe shopping. She might watch a movie or catch up on the hours and hours of DVR programs she has.

Truthfully, I feel like someone who has been going 100 miles an hour and suddenly comes to a full stop. I still feel the motion and still feel like I need to be moving. So, who knows what I'll do? I sure don't.

Except for lucky lunch. That's a must. What do you do when you finish a project?

Inspiration

2009-02-03T00:00:00.001-06:00

You still have time to guess the desks! And no one popped up with names for an Italian hero, so I'm still thinking about that. How about some eye candy for inspiration? He could be a prince, don't you think? Works for me. DEFINITELY works for me....

Feeling inspired? Or just a bit warm? ;-)

Guess the desk, name the hero!

2009-02-02T00:00:00.001-06:00

Can you guess which desk belongs to which author? Come on over to eHarlequin and give it a try: http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/cafe-social/whos-desk-belongs

My desk is on there, along with the desks of Kate Walker, Holly Jacobs, Carly Phillips and Maria V. Snyder -- just to name a few.

There are prizes!

Also, I finally typed The End! Except it's not done yet, of course. :) But I'm always happy when I write the story to the finish. Makes it easier to go back and see what I need to revise to keep the story arcing. So, today, I'll be doing a reread and hoping I didn't take a detour somewhere along the way.

But you know, for just a little bit there, I felt like Joan Wilder. I love that scene at the beginning of Romancing the Stone when she's crying and typing and then she can't find tissue. Love the celebration with the cat. I tried to find that clip on You Tube -- but they don't have it. I think some techno geeky person needs to upload it! That is the best romance writer movie ever. :)

Oh, provided my editor lets me get away with it, there'll be another Italian hero in the next book I write. And while I have a heroine already, I don't have him. I know who he is, but I don't have a name. Suggestions?

TGIF

2009-01-30T00:33:00.003-06:00

Well I'm pretty much just wore out. Tomorrow night is a birthday party for a friend and I am SO looking forward to getting out of my cave, putting on my new leopard print boots, and whooping it up with a bunch of the gals. I cannot WAIT.

I didn't realize, when I accepted the invitation, that I'd be in deadline mode. Oh I should've, considering how I practically had the date stamped on my forehead, but it just slipped my mind. And you know what, I'm glad I accepted, because I have about 5k maximum to wrap this book up -- and over a week until it's due. I hope to finish it today, but who knows. Or maybe tomorrow morning. And then I'll be partying guilt free.

Until I have to reread and make revisions on Sunday, LOL. Yeah, I could take the whole weekend off and still safely get the book in on time. But did I mention I'm an overachiever? A perfectionist?

So, got any great weekend plans? (I think Hubby is doing a SuperBowl thing -- but I am NOT involved in that. Going to Starbucks to write if necessary....)

Wacko Jacko

2009-01-29T00:00:00.006-06:00

In between marathon sessions at the keyboard, I noticed that Michael Jackson is once again being sued. Director John Landis is suing the former King of Pop over profits from the Thriller video.

Remember the Thriller video? See, if you're younger than, oh, 35, you may not remember that Michael Jackson was once a super-cool, even GOOD-LOOKING guy who made what is still considered one of the most amazing videos of all time (if not THE most amazing).

Twenty-five years ago, "Thriller" debuted on MTV. It was fourteen minutes long, it was directed by John Landis (a renowned movie director), and it features zombies, a voice-over by Vincent Price, and a kick-butt song by the then undisputed King of Pop.

Jacko was not wacko back then. He was damn cool, and he did something no one else had done to that point. He made a mini-movie out of a video and people tuned in by the millions. I was in high school, and my whole family tuned into MTV that night (though my dad often griped at me about my MTV viewing habits -- yeah, they used to actually SHOW videos around the clock, go figure, and I could watch for hours and hours...but I digress). We were, like most people, stunned at the production.

So fast forward all these years. The guy is a major joke now. He's creepy. He had too much plastic surgery, too much bleaching, too MUCH. He's just a sick and frightening joke now, and the allegations about the kids don't help. He reminds me of Thomas Mann's protagonist in Death in Venice, a man desperate to look youthful because he's in "love" with a boy. Ick, right?

What's Jacko got to do with anything? Well, it makes me think of characters. Because no one stays the same, do they? We all change over time. Our background and experiences color us, as they should our characters. Hopefully, we aren't as wacky as this. He had the world at his feet, the adoration of millions, and now he's a joke. Seriously, who wouldn't be wacked out by that? But did it need to turn out this way? If he hadn't gone all nutty at the surgeon's, would we even be talking about this? I don't know, but every time I see him in the news, I remember what he used to look like, how awesome he used to be. Sad.

If you've been living in a cave, here's the link to Thriller. (You Tube doesn't allow embedding of this video.)

Finally, take a look at this performance from 1983. Michael Jackson sang Billie Jean at the Motown 25 celebrations. I remember watching this on television too; it was the first time many of us ever saw the moonwalk, and everyone went nuts. (This performance, btw, is credited with making the moonwalk an international sensation practically overnight.) The glove was new as well. THIS was MJ at his height, the consummate performer. Remember, this was 1983 -- every bit of this was innovative at that time.

Are we doomed to get ridiculous as we age, do you think? (Man, I hope not.) Wasn't he just adorable in the Motown video? That's a man with star quality. What the hell happened, right?

Can you stand another post about process?

2009-01-28T00:02:00.000-06:00

I'll often get ideas about blog topics, then by the time I sit down to write one, I've forgotten all the interesting things I wanted to write about. Just yesterday, as I was working to finish this book, something struck me as a good blog topic (and it was unrelated to writing). By the time I got around to starting a new post, I'd forgotten it.

But something that has been on my mind with this book is that ever-evolving mysterious thing known as Process. When I was unpublished, I wrote when I pleased. I tried to do it everyday. But I didn't always. And I wrote and rewrote books two or three times. Spent 3 years on the book that ended up being my GH finalist last year. Gah, that's too long!

But now that I'm writing for an editor, I've realized a couple of things.

1) Procrastination and perfectionism are not my friends.
2) I have always known I can write fast when I put my mind to it -- but I can in fact produce a whole book in a matter of weeks if I respect my process.
3) My process, which is probably still evolving, goes like this:

a. Write one chapter.
b. Rewrite chapter.
c. Write second chapter.
d. Rewrite first and second chapter.
e. Write third chapter.
f. Rewrite first, second, and third chapter.
g. Write fourth chapter.
h. Cry about how bad the whole thing is.
i. Revise four chapters.
j. Write chapters 5 and 6.
k. Tweak first several chapters along with 5 & 6.
l. Stall on chapter 7.
m. Finally write chapter 7.
n. Tweak all chapters.
o. Write rest of book in varying degrees of speed -- sometimes slow and easy, other times breakneck.
p. Reread all the above. Add, subtract, or revise as needed.
q. Send to editor.

It takes me twice as long to write the first half as it does the second. It's been that way through two contracted books now, so I can only hope I will evolve further and not need so much gnashing of teeth on the setup. But that setup is so crucial that it just twists me into knots and takes me forever to get it worked out.

And now, back to the mad dash.... What's your process like?

Crazy

2009-01-27T00:00:00.002-06:00

That would be me at the moment. No, not crazy enough to take on a million cats (Hubby would kill me), but crazy from brain overload. Not much happening in the Harris household except eating, sleeping, and writing. Laundry & grocery shopping managed to occur over the weekend, but I had help. If I was right up against my deadline, even that wouldn't get done.

So, nothing intelligible from me today. I'm closing in on the end of the book. Saw it all very clearly while torturing myself with a 2 mile jog on the treadmill. Now, if only it works out that way in truth. Because if I have to think of something else, I may really go crazy.

Feeling crazy lately?

Last day to bid!

2009-01-26T00:00:00.000-06:00

Today is your last chance to bid for some great things up for auction, including a critique from me! I give good critique, I swear. :)

Click here to see my donation or here for general info. The auction ends at midnight eastern time!

Song not for sale

2009-01-23T00:00:00.002-06:00

I love this song, love the video, and love the movie. But you can't buy the song, darn it. iTunes doesn't sell it, and you can't get the soundtrack anymore. But isn't it fabulous? *sigh* Sting is the man. (And so is Hugh! Wowsa!)

Once more, don't forget the auction to help a homeless teen! Click here for what I've contributed. Click here for general information. Happy bidding, and happy Friday! Now if only I can dream of Hugh Jackman in that outfit tonight..... :)

Another day

2009-01-22T00:00:00.001-06:00

Is it Thursday already? I've been a bit, um, mired in the writing lately. The good news is that the mountain is being scaled. The bad is that I haven't reached the top yet. *sigh*

So, not a lot of coherent thoughts today. Just working like a dawg and trying to get to the magical end of the book. There comes a point in every book for me where I think I just can't pull it off, can't manage to make the whole thing into a coherent tale, and that I'm just writing a series of unconnected scenes that I make up as I go along. That's where I am now.

But it usually works out, so I can only hope for the same result this time around. What are you working on?

Don't forget about the auction to help a homeless teen and her mother! You can bid on a one chapter + synopsis critique from me. Or many other cool things! Click here. Information about the auction in general is here.

Thoughts

2009-01-21T00:00:00.001-06:00

My academic minor is history (naturally, English is my major!) so I tend to get a little caught up in the historicity of events. And there is no doubt, no matter where you land on the political scale, that yesterday was an amazingly historical event. I watched far more of it than I should considering how my deadline is approaching at light speed (I like science, but that's not my specialty so don't analyze that analogy).

What struck me: the crowds. I attended Clinton's first inauguration because I was living in DC at the time and wanted to see it. Um, it was so darn cold I went home again before the parade and watched that from the warmth of my living room. I remember walking over half the Mall that day -- and the crowd wasn't *anything* like the one yesterday. I also don't remember jumbotrons anywhere. There were loudspeakers, and we could hear everything, but no television screens that I remember (I could be wrong).

But you know what I remember most about that day? Maya Angelou. Yep, the English major in me remembers her poem above all else. Of course! :)

I also remember buying a button that had Clinton on it and a little saxophone hanging from it. I'm sure I still have it somewhere. :)

I did not attend the second Clinton inauguration (by the time Bush was inaugurated, I no longer lived in DC). And while I understood why all those people would want to be in DC for Obama's, I highly doubt I'd ever attend another one. Too cold! I see more in my house than I do in the audience. And I get to stay warm while I do so.

Historically, what a day. I love being witness to history. My father-in-law drove a Greyhound bus to Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a dream" speech. He brought a group from Buffalo. But he said he didn't hear the speech. I think that's a shame. Still, to have been there on that day -- wow. Can you imagine?

What's the coolest historical event you've attended? I can't think of a specific event, but I did once stand on the front row during a speech Reagan gave at the Vietnam Memorial. I have pictures of him and Nancy. It was cool, but OMG, it was 21 years ago.....

Don't forget about the auction to help a homeless teen and her mother! You can bid on a one chapter + synopsis critique from me. Or many other cool things! Click here.

Auction is Live!

2009-01-19T00:00:00.003-06:00

See the post below. The auction is live today!! You can bid on some terrific things, including a critique by moi. :)

AUCTION!

2009-01-16T15:30:00.005-06:00

Hey, everyone! I'm participating in this auction which begins on Monday. You can check out the site here. The links for the items up for bid aren't finished yet, so don't panic if you can't see what's there. Just keep checking back to see what will be sold.

I'm offering a critique of a first chapter and synopsis (synopsis no longer than 5 pages), so if you'd like me to have a look at your work and give you suggestions, go bid for me. The proceeds go to help a homeless girl and her mother. Here's the quick story:

Katy is a sixteen year old avid reader and aspiring author and illustrator who has won local awards for her artwork. Just before Christmas, Katy and her mother became homeless. They were evicted from their apartment and have been living in hotel rooms (when they've been lucky) or their car (when they've not been so lucky) since then. Katy has been blogging about life on the streets, and you can read all about how this incredibly sweet mother and daughter ended up in this situation here: http://destinationanywherebuthere.blogspot.com/ As Katy states on her blog, "Homelessness has many faces. And sometimes it happens to have a computer." Both Katy and her mother seem to have very positive outlooks, but it's clear they're in some real trouble.

That's where this auction comes in. All proceeds will go toward helping Katy and her mother get back on their feet. This is a pair that are actively looking for ways to improve their situation, and just need a little push to help them get there. So, please bid generously and know that you're doing a wonderful thing to help two wonderful people.

Words you never want to hear when flying

2009-01-16T00:00:00.001-06:00

A US Airways plane with 155 people on board went into a chilly Hudson River, apparently after striking at least one bird upon takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport, according to officials and passengers.

No doubt you've heard of this. I was so into my WIP yesterday that I didn't know until the hubby came home and told me. And then I had to go read about it. When I read that the captain came on the intercom and said, "We're going down, brace for impact," it made me cry. How terrifying must that have been for everyone?

Thank GOD they all survived, thank God the pilot was so well trained, and thank God it wasn't any worse. I'm just amazed. Talk about the right man at the right time. He is truly a hero.

I already don't care for flying, though I will still do it. But I wonder about people who are in accidents like this. When my car got hit in Hawaii, I was terrified to drive in traffic for the longest time. I can't imagine what something like this must feel like. I'm just so happy it didn't turn out the way these things usually do.

I worked well

2009-01-15T00:00:00.001-06:00

This is a short post because I'm pretty worn out, but I actually accomplished almost as much in front of my home computer yesterday as I did at Starbucks the day before. I think it was *knowing* that I'd successfully worked through my WIP problems while NOT clicking over to email/Facebook/MySpace/etc that forced me to acknowledge the problem lies within me.

And so I was disciplined. Not much choice really. The Deadline of Doom approacheth.

But I may head out to SB today as a way to shake up the routine. Or not. Now that I've taken the time to register for Pandora Radio, I'm loving it as I write. So much easier than trying to find stuff in my iTunes library.

In other news, my diet/exercise program is going fairly well. Jogged nearly 2 miles. It's only my 2nd week back, so that's not too bad. Soon, I'll be able to hop up the pace and get my miles done quicker.

Okay, to work. What are you up to? How's your New Year's diet/exercise program going (come on, we all have them!)?

The Starbucks Effect

2009-01-14T00:03:00.001-06:00

Here in this small town where I live, we have one Starbucks. When I lived in Hawaii, there was an SB on every corner. I could easily get to one without much effort, and I did perform the SB experiment there: could I write more if I were in SB, without internet connection (because I won't pay for day surfing)? The answer in Hawaii was yes.

And I guess my blonde self didn't quite internalize the facts. Because, just yesterday, I performed the experiment again. After such a sucky Monday, I thought I'd try something different. When facing a problem with the WIP, it's veerrry easy to say, "I'll just click over to email or Facebook, etc, while I think about this." An hour later you realize you've forgotten the problem and you've been checking out Parsons chairs at Target.com for twenty minutes.

So, after lunch with a friend, I headed for SB. I'd forgotten my iPod, which almost made me decide against the experiment, but I gave it a try anyway.

And I got work done. Duh. When you HAVE to stare at the WIP, and you can't click over to Target, your brain tends to work on the problem. I made it through one of the roughest patches of the story thus far -- and though I actually lost closer to 3K words on Monday (didn't realize it until I counted it up yesterday), I made up a lot of ground. I wrote 2K sitting in SB, without an iPod, while at least one little girl threw a huge mini-diva tantrum (seriously, foot stamping and hollering that it wasn't fair and she wouldn't eat it, etc, and all because her dad bought her a different cookie than the one she wanted).

I may have to go back to Starbucks a lot before this book is due. I wonder if the IRS will accept latte deductions?

Does the Starbucks Effect work for you? Or do you have the discipline to shut off the internet access at home? I wonder if telecommuters have these issues. What do you think? I bet they get a certain amount done because they'd obviously get fired if they didn't -- but do you think they check out websites more often than they would in an office? Hmm....

Bad day

2009-01-13T00:00:00.002-06:00

Sometimes they happen, yeah? So, yesterday, I cut more words than I wrote. Or maybe I wrote enough words, but I cut so many I kind of lost count of what I had. One minute I had X many -- the next I was down 1000. Same thing happened again.

This is, unfortunately, the way it goes sometimes. But, OMG, how freaking depressing!! I kind of understood how Hemingway became a lush because I suddenly, desperately, needed a drink. And, because I have a will as solid as a slice of Swiss cheese, I caved. A glass of wine takes the sting off.

And I really couldn't face the WIP any longer. Sometimes you need to go away and return with fresh eyes. Sitting in front of the computer and staring at the screen with the same words on it won't necessarily spark a new idea. I think, at times like this, it's okay to go away.

I also think it's very normal to get twisted up and worry about what you're doing. Yes, I have a contract and a book coming out -- and I STILL think I'm terrible sometimes, that it's a fluke, that they're going to catch me and kick me off of Mount Olympus. Yesterday was a bad day. I hope today will be better.

I'm leaving you with the song that ran through my head after my battle with the WIP. Do you like this one? I sure do; it's catchy, even when the day isn't so bad.

Tell me what you do when the WIP isn't working, or you have to cut a couple of scenes....

You gotta have friends

2009-01-12T00:00:00.000-06:00

Saturday was my RWA chapter meeting, and even though I have a deadline rapidly approaching, I wouldn't miss my Heart of Dixie day for anything (I have another chapter too, Southern Magic, but it's a bit farther away and I don't get to the meetings like I'd like to).

Just the camaraderie of meeting with other writers, laughing and talking about things that concern us (and often only make sense to us) is worth losing a day of writing for. I head out around 10am, drive about 40 minutes, and stop for lunch at a local deli where a lot of the members gather beforehand. Then, after an hour of laughing and fun, we head to the museum that hosts our meetings. There, who knows what'll happen. We start at noon and often don't finish until between 2 and 3. After that, I can talk for hours with friends, sometimes even heading to a restaurant or bookstore to chat. It's a great time, and it's the kind of socializing that I definitely need.

I have other friends, of course, but so many times they don't understand what it is I do and how it works. I can't tell you the number of people who have asked my husband if he's retiring when my book comes out. Other writers know how funny this is.

Publishing is a strange and hopeful business. You can make enough to live on; you can become very popular and make a lot of money; or you can barely get by and need to work a day job to make ends meet. You never know where on that scale you'll end up, but we all hope we get option #2. Friends -- writing friends -- help keep you sane!

Okay, so I have some changes coming up in the next month or two! For one, I'm getting a new website and blog. I've found the perfect person to do my design work, and I'm so excited to be working with her. I'll also be retooling the newsletter, and hopefully start sending out some regular news.

There will be contests; not sure what or when, but stay tuned so you don't miss out on the goodies! I won't stop talking about writing, but I need to talk more about reading. If you're on MySpace, come friend me. Same with Facebook. I can be found on both -- just type in Lynn Raye Harris. I'm also on Twitter (been there for a couple of months, but still haven't figured out how to get my feed on the sidebar here). Follow me, and I'll follow you. :)

Finally -- what are you reading right now? I'm reading a delicious Harlequin Presents by Jennie Lucas and enjoying it very much. I love an arrogant Italian prince -- in fact, I'm writing about one for the next book!

Writing = rewriting

2009-01-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

As I write this book, I'm always working on scenes that might not feel quite right and I'm always rewriting them. I rewrite the book as I go these days; I tried the fast draft before, and then the revision, but that's hard.

Heck, it was damn hard to rewrite half a book at my editor's direction twice, especially when I thought it was fine both times. But writing is rewriting, so there you are. As much as we might like to turn the book in and say it's done, perfect, send it to print, the reality is there will probably be changes.

You have to be prepared to make them. But, at the same time, don't get so bogged down in rewriting scenes that you don't move forward. Because if you don't finish the book, you can't sell the book and you can't have a career as a published author.

Simple advice, but my brain is completely drained from the marathon writing sessions I've been putting in. Oh, and today it's official: one month to deadline. What are you up to?

Giddiness

2009-01-08T10:47:00.003-06:00

I'm giddy today because I'm up on Amazon for pre-order! But only in a hardback library version at the moment. Still, it's me! It's MY book!

Here's the UK link. The US link is here. But they haven't corrected my name yet, sigh. Amazon UK corrected it right away when I sent the update, but the US is being stubborn.....

Scenes

2009-01-07T00:00:00.002-06:00

As I work like a mad woman on finishing this book, I'm faced with choices that sometimes stop me in my tracks. Which POV to write the scene in? Which way to take the scene? Sometimes I highlight all the wrong things; I summarize what should be explored and explore what could be summarized. I don't know why I do this. This may only be my second contracted book, but it's not the second book I've written.

They (the anonymous they) say you should write about a million words before you're ready to publish a book. I imagine that's pretty close to correct. My first novel was more than 150k, and that doesn't include all the rewriting I did. I probably wrote close to half a million on that sucker alone.

But I digress. Which is typical for me, LOL.

In SPANISH MAGNATE, RED-HOT REVENGE (Presents, August 2009), I specifically wrote one scene from the heroine's POV that is now, in the final version that will be in print (ahem, Aug 2009), in the hero's POV. I'm not sure why I decided it would work better that way. My editor didn't tell me to do it (not that she hasn't told me to do other things), but somehow in the rewrite that's what happened. And I liked it far better.

What I want to know, however, is HOW to figure out which POV to write the scene in in the first place. Common wisdom says to write it in the POV of the character with the most to lose; I've also written it in the POV of the character observing high emotion. Sometimes it's easier to show anguish through another's eyes than to live in the pivotal POV at that moment.

But man, I wish it was easier to figure out. Right now, I'm working on a scene that could be in either POV just as easily. It's highly charged emotionally no matter which character I'm with. So, I'm thinking about it. And I'll probably end up with two versions as I try them both. I hate doing that because it's writing the same thing twice. *sigh*

Thoughts?

New Year, new plans

2009-01-05T00:00:00.001-06:00

I always feel a sense of anticipation as the new year approaches. I just know that all the things I planned to do will suddenly become achievable when the calendar turns from one year to another. It doesn't matter if I somehow got stymied on my goals in 2008 because 2009 will be THE year.

Except I didn't get stymied for once. Oh sure, I may have regained 5 of the 10 pounds I lost, I may have failed to jog 6 miles a week, and maybe I didn't organize my office and files -- but I SOLD my book. I still get a thrill when I think of it.

So as I move into 2009, I have to make plans that have to do with sustaining a writing career. It's no longer just enough to say I'm going to finish a book or query editors and agents. No, I have an editor and an agent now. It's time to consider the next step in my goals.

In order to be more productive and move forward in my career, I have resolved to spend less time surfing. That's a hard one, and I know you're laughing. Heck, I'm laughing too. But I'm determined.

I'm also resolving to work smarter, not harder. By that I mean I have to waste less time and focus more. I have a tendency to scatter my attention among projects, or to put off focusing on one thing because I have lots of time to get it done (hello, I'm the girl who wrote the paper the night before it was due all throughout college). I'm of the opinion you can't force the muse, but I do believe you can coax her. Regular work habits will help.

And yeah, I also have the usual resolutions to lose weight and get more exercise. Nothing wrong with a little ambition, right? :)

So what are your resolutions this year? What do you plan to change or do differently in order to reach the goals you've set for yourself?

Interview in India

2009-01-02T08:40:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm back on Monday, but in the meantime wanted to share this link with you all:

Nights in White Satin in The Statesman, India's largest English-language newspaper. Little ol' me is interviewed, along with Liz Fielding and Jennie Adams.

Let me know what you think! :)

UPDATE: The page is cached now. Here's a link to the cached article.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

2008-12-22T00:00:00.000-06:00

The blog is most likely on hiatus until after the new year. :) If I think of something I must say, I'll post -- otherwise, rejoin me on Jan 5 and we'll begin a new year of talking all things writing. Enjoy this little video!

What is wrong with people?

2008-12-19T00:00:00.001-06:00

I can't tell you the number of stores I've gone to the past few days and found shopping carts all over the parking lot. What is wrong with people that they can't walk the darn thing the few feet it takes to get to the cart corral? I'm so fed up with lazy people unloading their carts and pushing the things between the vehicles and leaving them. I couldn't even park in one spot yesterday because it had become a de facto corral -- and the corral wasn't full and wasn't far away.

Do people really not care if their cars get dinged with these runaway carts? Or do they feel that since they are leaving, their car isn't in danger? Of course there are legitimate excuses not to take the cart back -- sometimes a person is sick or hurt and just wants to get in the car and go. It happens -- but not to every blessed person at the store on the same day!

I always walk the cart to where it's supposed to be. I even walk carts into the store when I get out of my car and there's a stray cart perilously close by. I still have a huge dent in my door where some lovely person in Hawaii shoved a car door or a cart into it and then skedaddled. It's just a dent, not missing paint or anything, so I still haven't had it fixed (2 years later). But I think about it every time I see stray carts all over the parking lot. Irritates me.

So, it's the holiday season and I'm ranting. :) But in this season of giving and goodwill toward others, why are people so rude about shopping carts? Why can't they return it? For most of us, there is no excuse.

What bugs you about shopping this time of year? Is the rampant outbreak of homeless carts merely an Alabama phenomenon, or is it happening in your corner of the world too?

Par-TAY

2008-12-17T00:00:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I made a snap decision. I decided to throw my hubby a birthday party. Not a big blow-out or extravaganza, just a simple cocktail party with finger food and friends. He's never had a birthday party because the day is so close to Christmas. This year, I hemmed and hawed about having a holiday party. And then it hit me (late, admittedly): why not have a quick and easy get-together for his birthday?

So that's what I did. Before I could change my mind, I sent the invite. So now I'm thinking about party essentials, planning a menu, and worrying about if people can make it on such short notice. But I'm sure it'll work out. Sometimes snap decisions are the best.

What kind of snap decisions have you made? How did it turn out?

Favorite lines redux

2008-12-16T00:00:00.001-06:00

Today, it's off to see my stylist for highlights and a trim, then off to do a little bit of last minute shopping, and then perhaps a trip to the antique store (I hear my hubby scream).

Nothing new or interesting to report. We watched more holiday fare on the movie screen last night. Very fun. A CHRISTMAS STORY, which I love. How about these favorite lines:

"Dadgummit, blob!"

"Ohhhh, fuuuuudge." Only I didn't say "Fudge." I said THE word, the big one, the queen-mother of dirty words, the "F-dash-dash-dash" word!

"Naddafinga!"

Only one thing in the world could've dragged me away from the soft glow of electric sex gleaming in the window.

In the heat of battle my father wove a tapestry of obscenities that as far as we know is still hanging in space over Lake Michigan.

I don't ever remember wanting one specific thing so badly that I was obsessed with it like little Ralphie is with that Red Ryder BB gun. Well, maybe a pony. I got one of those when I was six, but I don't remember it being for Christmas. I remember I wanted a black pony; I got a red pony with a blond mane and tail. And she wasn't nearly as cooperative as my imaginary pony, that's for sure!

What was your best gift ever? Did you ever obsess about something like Ralphie does in the movie? If you got it, was it every thing you'd dreamed?

Weekend recap - the list

2008-12-15T00:00:00.002-06:00

It was a busy weekend. I don't know where the time went, but it flew. Things I've realized:

1. I need to stick to a diet. I feel like cheeseburger cat.

2. I need to reacquaint myself with the treadmill. And the weight bench.

3. I need to paint my house. Went on a holiday tour of homes in the historic district and came away feeling like my house is crap. Crap, I say.

4. I need more than paint, but at least it's a start. Tired of builder paint on my walls.

5. Ate a Whopper. Still don't like Burger King all that much. Or many fast food burger joints, in fact. (Though this burger place we went to in San Fran was pretty good! I was surprised.)

6. Never let a store employee get the best of you when it's your money. Got my $30 additional discount by threatening to bring the whole darn thing back.

7. I love my RWA chapter. And my friends there. I don't feel like an outsider, like I did nearly 2 years ago when I first arrived in this state.

8. I have the coolest job in the world.

9. My hubby cracks me up. It takes some doing, since I know him pretty well, but he's still funny when he's just being him.

10. Thank heavens for Spanx!!

Holiday traditions

2008-12-11T09:00:00.005-06:00

Hubby and I don't have children, so we aren't tied to a certain set of holiday traditions. Ours have morphed over the years, that's for sure. But one thing we seem to always need to do is watch Christmas Vacation. I'm not sure how that one evolved, but it's become necessary each holiday season.

So, last night, we popped it into the DVD player and watched it on the big screen. Yes, it's certainly unrealistic in its over-the-top depictions of Christmas craziness. And it's dated with the 80s era clothes and hair (especially on Julia Louis-Dreyfus's character). But I think the movie says something about the holiday experience that's universal.

Don't we all have these huge expectations, like Clark Griswold, that never quite get fulfilled? I know what my friend Mark would say about that, but he's a priest. :) (I still think it's possible to be somehow disappointed with the hype and expectations of the holiday as a regular churchgoer, but that's a different topic.) It's possible to build the seasonal expectations up so much that nothing quite fulfills the vision you may have had for it.

But back to the movie. :) Hubby and I have even incorporated some of the lines into our lexicon. Driving to Florida, for example, we get behind a slow poke and Hubby says, "I'm gonna get around this egg timer." Then there's the famous, "Eat my road grit, liver lips!"

We even say to each other sometimes, jokingly of course, "Don't piss me off, Art." And who can see a squirrel without yelling, "Squirrrrreeeellllll!"?

So that's one of our traditions, quite by accident. We watch other movies too, and of course we tend to quote lines from A Christmas Story as well. We don't always get around to that one every year, but this year we will. I want to watch it on Hubby's movie theater screen.

We don't always have a tree (for various reasons), but we do this year. No traditions when it comes to decorating. My mom used to fix hot chocolate and we'd decorate with Christmas music on. Hubby and I listened to an audiobook (his choice) and drank wine (no, the decorations aren't crooked). I don't bake for the holidays, and we don't usually have any parties at our home.

Nope, watching Chevy Chase go overboard seems to be the most enduring tradition we have.

What are some of your traditions? Doesn't have to be television or movies. Do you bake? Sing certain songs or do something special each year? Have a big party?

2008-12-10T00:00:00.001-06:00

Um, yeah, absolutely! Except my beverage of choice is red wine. ;)

Okay, going list style today, because the thoughts are random:

1. Finished the corrections and sent them to editor.

2. Yay!

3. No lights up on the house yet. Knew it!

4. Wow, where'd that wind come from? At least it's not freezing or snowing!

5. RWA chapter Christmas party on Saturday.

6. What a difference a year makes!

7. Last year, I trotted off to the party having only squeaked my GH entry in under the deadline.

8. This year, I was ineligible to enter. Not upset about that!

9. Emote, people! I need forward motion *yesterday* on the WIP.

10. Need to watch my favorite holiday movies. Christmas Vacation is a must every year. Need me some Grinch and Rudolph too.

11. Remember when you were a kid and could only watch Rudolph once a year?

12. Eat, Santa, eat!

13. Watched The Polar Express in 3-D on Hubby's movie screen. Wow. I mean WOW.

14. Sometimes it's pretty cool to have a techno geek husband. :)

15. What are your favorite must-watch holiday movies?

2008-12-09T00:00:00.002-06:00

I'm almost finished making my line edit corrections. At the same time, I'm thinking about the book I'm supposed to be writing. Wondering if I'll ever get into that groove where I know what my characters want and what they will do. Where every scene flows logically and I'm not sitting there going, "Uh, now what?" Man, I can't wait for that to happen.

Hasn't happened yet. *sigh* Partially, I'm distracted by the holidays and the preparations. My tree is decorated, my mantel is done, and my dining room table is mostly there. I have the poinsettias out, Sam the Snowman is in the front yard, and all that's really left are the lights on the house. Hopefully, that'll get done this week. Because if it doesn't, we're running out of time. We'll get them up in time to take them down. Not too much fun, really.

So, I'm staring at the WIP and trying to use the Force on the characters. Get busy, you two! Emote for me! We need some interesting, compelling, and amazing things going on. Isn't a forced marriage and a secret baby enough?! You'd think.

It makes me think of something Jane Porter said over on her blog. I'm paraphrasing, but she said that writing was like trying to wring water out of a mostly dry dishtowel. That's where I am at the moment. *sigh*

What's on your mind? Any interesting tricks or tips for getting the words flowing again?

So much to learn

2008-12-05T00:00:00.000-06:00

I finished reading my line edits. It was harder than I thought. First, there were the changes made by the copy editor -- some subtle and good for the story, others jarring and not my voice at all -- and then there was the knowledge that what I was reading was the finished product, for the most part. I couldn't delete scenes or rewrite them or shift them around. What is there, is there.

And I'm not sure how I feel about it. I cringed in parts. Not always because of jarring CE changes, but simply because of the characters and what they were up to. Wow, I wrote that? Sometimes I was happy about it. Sometimes I was surprised -- and not necessarily in a good way.

Every dream has a trade off. I would not trade this dream of being a published author for anything, but sometimes I'm surprised at how it has its negatives too. Once that baby is in print, it's out there. I'll have to learn to be tougher about it, I think.

Today, I begin inputting the corrections for my editor. And I still have my current WIP to get busy on again. Going away for the holiday threw me off. *sigh* What's on your plate this month, in addition to all the holiday craziness? December is always sooo busy, isn't it? It sure is for me, whether I mean it to be or not....

So true, so true...

2008-12-03T00:00:00.002-06:00

I have a cat that looks almost exactly like this one. And this caption *so* describes her.

Still working on the line edits. Not much to say right now....

A first

2008-12-02T00:00:00.000-06:00

I got line edits of my book!! I kept calling them copy edits, but realized we don't get copy edits from London -- we get line edits. These are a print out of the entire book with all the lines numbered. It's your last chance to make corrections to the text. Some people see copy edits, which is the marked up manuscript. I got confused because I was expecting that.

But no, these are line edits. Contractually, I have two weeks to read them and communicate any changes to my editor. And there is one major, humongous, gigantic, freak-out worthy change that needs to be made: they spelled my name wrong.

For some reason, people see my name and gloss over the Y in Raye. They leave it out. They have also been known to give me an E on the end of Lynn. But there's no E, only a missing Y. *sigh* Perhaps I should have considered more carefully about taking a pen name. I did not because I'd had publicity already, and I wanted to build on it. Maybe it would have been easier anyway.

Too late now. I have already emailed my editor a panicked note telling her about this major, major mistake. I'm not a fan of my name in the first place, but I am not a Rae. No way, no how.

Aside from that, the line edits look pretty neat. I'm diving in today and seeing what's been done. I did peek a little and everything looks normal on the first few pages. Except one of my scene endings has been changed. I'll be thinking about that, I assure you. It's going to be weird reading this book and seeing those little changes here and there. It feels oddly like someone broke into your house and rearranged your furniture. You might like the arrangement, or you might be absolutely horrified. Guess I'll find out as I read. :)

As for the holiday, it was great and Florida was much warmer than Alabama is at the moment. Still, I am SO happy to be home. It was a long drive (10 hours each way), but we listened to audiobooks. We finished up Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential and started Eragon -- which, surprisingly, is extremely engaging.

How was your holiday? Did you finish your Christmas shopping and/or decorating yet? I thought Hubby and I would decorate yesterday since we were home -- but no, he didn't want to do it. With line edits to do, and a deadline getting closer, I'm a bit worried about getting it done. :(

Christmas shopping

2008-11-25T00:02:00.001-06:00

Are you one of those people who get up in the middle of the night and head out shopping on Black Friday? I have to admit I've never done it. I used to work retail, though thankfully we didn't open until 8am on Black Friday. It was a chain jewelry store, and we all had to be there at 7:30 to put the jewelry in the cases. And then we all, every last one of us, worked from open to close (which was 10PM). That's MORE than 12 hours. When you factor in getting dressed, driving to work, driving home, and unwinding before hitting the sack, it was a very, very long day.

My boss, who wasn't all that much older than I was, would get these huge swollen ankles as the day went on. And then he worked open to close every single day from Black Friday to Christmas Eve. His kids cried because Daddy wasn't home. His wife had to keep the home fires burning alone -- she had to do all the decorating, the shopping, the socializing, the kids' parties, etc. It's a wonder the man never had a heart attack. But he had to do it. It was his job, he was the breadwinner, and retail jobs aren't exactly known for their humanitarianism. Retailers don't care how hard they work you, or how many employees they go through. By and large.

My store didn't, nor did the one I worked for before them. I'm soooo glad I gave that life up and did other things. I may consider getting up early on Friday to go to the mall (though I've always been reluctant because I know what it looks like from the opposite side of the counter), but I'd never again want to have to be there.

So please remember, if you go and the lines are huge, try to have some sympathy for the sales people. It's not the most wonderful job in the world, and it most certainly isn't friendly to anyone over thirty. The person waiting on you may just be more weary than you can imagine, and yet he or she has to smile and be polite anyway. And will probably have to do it for days on end without a day off.

Do you go shopping on Black Friday? Are the lines bad? Are the deals really worth it? What's parking like? (Can you tell I'm thinking about it?) What's the best deal you ever got?

Thanksgiving Prep

2008-11-24T09:23:00.003-06:00

In just a few days, it'll be time for turkey and stuffing and all the good things about a holiday dedicated to eating! I'm looking forward to it. This year, I'm not cooking (much as I enjoy cooking). We're going to the in-laws. For years now, I've made a particular stuffing that everyone always asks for. My MIL did not ask me to make it, and my hubby is kind of beside himself at the prospect of not having it I think. (There's always Christmas, honey.)

I'm pretty sure, now that I think about it, that this is only the second Thanksgiving we will have ever spent with the in-laws. So many years of military moves and living in vastly different places meant we never got together before. We had a couple of unofficial Thanksgivings, where we celebrated a week or two early because we happened to be together. Last year, they came here. This year, we're going to their place, though it's about a 9 hour drive. Since I've never actually spent the holiday with them in their home, I don't really know what their traditions are.

We always had the Macy's parade on, but I'm pretty sure they don't do this because Hubby frowns every year when I want to listen to it while I cook. Maybe they watch football -- which will, I must admit, not thrill me. But I'll have books and my laptop, so I'll find something to do if the MIL doesn't need help in the kitchen.

What are your traditions? Do you like being the one who cooks? (I do -- see the Food Snob post about Velveeta and you'll know I like being in control of the ingredients.) Or do you prefer to let someone else do the cooking? Ever gone to a restaurant instead? (We did once; it was okay, but I like the smells in my house and the leftovers.)

Friday Fun for Cat Lovers

2008-11-21T00:05:00.001-06:00

I have a cat who would most certainly do this if I had a Roomba. OMG, I laughed so hard. Hope you enjoy too!

Hard at work

2008-11-20T00:00:00.005-06:00

This one is for the hubby. Thank goodness he has a hobby while I write!

I'm slogging along in the WIP, so unfortunately can't think of a single thing to talk about today. I have to get this proposal done ASAP. And I'm second guessing myself, of course. I always do this. You'd think I'd know this is the tough part, and to soldier through, but I don't want to face the rewrites later. I'm such a baby.

How's your day going?

Wednesday already?!

2008-11-19T00:00:00.001-06:00

Well, I got nothing interesting today. Yesterday, I went to Costco. How's that for fascinating? No overly perfumed people this time. But I did cut myself on a Christmas display. And had to go searching through the store for a napkin to stop the bleeding. I was looking at a mantel display thingie, and trying to see what the bottom was, when one of the blasted ornaments sliced the back of my finger.

Aside from that, I meandered the aisles. Of course I was supposed to be home writing! But I'd had to go to the Post Office to mail my contracts, so I decided I needed to make a wine run. Which turned into a meander through the aisles run.

I love the food section. I can spend a lot of time looking at cheese and various other nifty gourmet things. And yes, going back to Monday's Velveeta blog, you CAN buy imported French cheese for what you pay for Velveeta. Is that wrong or what?! :) I rarely buy these things though because you have to buy in bulk most of the time. Do I really need a 3 pound hunk of imported parmesiano-reggiano? What about those 30 lb sacks of potatoes?!

Anyway, after Costco, I came home. Hubby arrived shortly thereafter and I talked him into taking me for dinner. We went to a local restaurant that serves Cajun food. And the owner remembered me as an author and said that the waiter who served us last time has been asking if I'd come back yet. Who knew that being a romance novelist could be so exciting? He wants to do a book launch party in the restaurant. Why not? Jambalaya is a take off on paella, so perhaps I can tie the Spanish theme in somewhere. :)

That was my seriously exciting day. How did yours go? What do you think of book launch parties? Ever been to one? I hadn't actually planned one since Harlequin does such fabulous promo for the lines, but maybe it'd be fun....

No, you CANNOT kill your spouse

2008-11-18T00:00:00.000-06:00

To the people who keep typing some variation of "how to kill my spouse" into their search engines and clicking over here, there is NO WAY to kill your spouse and get away with it. It's wrong, it's immoral and illegal. Get a divorce. Go to counseling. But do NOT think you're going to kill your spouse and get away with it.

This is the post that's popping up in the search engines. It was a tongue in cheek statement that a writer can put anyone she is mad at in a book (as a character, duh) and then do what she wants to them. It's not a treatise on how to get away with murder.

What's on your mind today? If you blog, what's the top search phrase (or the weirdest) that brings people visiting?

Funky Food

2008-11-17T00:00:00.001-06:00

Some people think I'm a food snob. I don't know why that is. I just like food without mystery ingredients. What's so wrong with that? The fresher, the better.

But then, on Friday, I was shopping and realized something. Something that indicated to me that I might just be a teensy bit of a food snob after all. I had NO clue where to find Velveeta cheese. I wanted to make that cheese dip that's so popular at parties, you see, because I was hosting a chapter board meeting at my house on Sunday. And I like that dip, but I've never made it, so there I was searching.

Not. A. Clue.

And I was too stubborn to stop and ask. (Or maybe I didn't want anyone to know what I was looking for. I had visions of Tony Bourdain going all Invasion of the Body Snatchers on me if he saw the stuff in my cart.) I figured out pretty quick that it wasn't refrigerated. And that's just wrong! What's in that stuff anyway?

So I wandered down to the chips. Nope, not there. I wandered back to the canned tomatoes (you know, because you pair it with Rotel). Nope, not there either.

I wandered past the macaroni and cheese. I never look at this stuff because I don't eat it. But before you think I'm an unrepetant snoot, the first meal I ever learned to cook, when I was about eight yrs old, was boxed macaroni and cheese. Loved the stuff! And I've made plenty of Hamburger Helper back in the day. Oh yes, used to go to Sam's Club and buy the stuff in bulk.

But somewhere along the way, I changed my stripes.

While I was searching for Velveeta, I remembered Government Cheese. Remember that? I think it was the gov't version of Velveeta, and they used to give it away. My parents used to get it, and we put it on crackers and who knows what else. Probably made grilled cheese sandwiches with it.

Finally, I arrived at the Velveeta. It sort of has it's own place in the store! It was down the aisle from the mac & cheese, and it comes in varieties now. Pepper Jack? That looked kind of good.

But then I saw the price. Seriously, cheese* that the gov't used to give away for free costs as much as gourmet cheese from France?! Mon Dieu! Somewhere, Julia Child is rolling in her grave. After deliberating, I chose the smaller package, 2% milk version. And forked over enough money for it to buy a hunk of brie.

What food do you consider funky? Do you use Velveeta? Remember free gov't cheese? And yes, I made the dip -- and it was good! But now that I've gone searching for how the stuff is made, I don't think I'll be buying it very often...

*Actually, it's a "cheese product." Kraft was sued for calling it cheese because real cheese has 51% cheese or more. Velveeta does not. They cook it with a lot of whey, and then it congeals into the stuff we know as Velveeta. And it did look like a shiny congealed mass of something yellow to me.

Special Saturday Guest Post

2008-11-15T00:00:00.001-06:00

Join me over at Romance Writers on the Journey! Keli Gwyn asks me about The Call, how my life has changed since, and what my advice to writers is for how to prepare for being published. Come on over and ask me a question or make a comment! You'll be entered for a chance to win a seriously cool bookmark!

Come keep me company. :)

Friday Fun for Matrix Geeks

2008-11-14T00:00:00.008-06:00

Hey, all I can say is I'm glad I've got a Mac. :) What would happen if The Matrix ran on Windows....? Here's the answer.

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Tomorrow, guest blog over at Romance Writers on the Journey -- it's a special Saturday edition! Come see what Keli asked me, and what I said!

Beginnings

2008-11-13T00:00:00.002-06:00

I have more trouble with beginnings than anything else. I can rewrite the beginning of a book ten times. I'm on the third rewrite of the beginning of the current WIP. I'm actually happy with it (unless my editor tells me otherwise). But I realized that chapter 2 was having a problem. I knew this because I was finding excuses to do other things -- anything but look at this chapter!

Finally, as I forced myself to reread in order to get to where I'd left off, the solution hit me. Bear in mind I'd reread this stuff every day before slogging forward and getting stuck again. The solution doesn't always hit you the first time. Or the fiftieth. :) Sometimes, you just have to wait for that aha moment to hit. You can't force it.

What was the problem? The heroine was too passive. Yes, Presents heroes are alpha males and they like to do a lot of commanding. But my heroine was accepting the commands just a little too easily. She was fighting inside, but she wasn't challenging the hero on the outside. Not cool. Once I realized how she needed to respond, the chapter started to fall together.

It could change again, but now I know my heroine needs to step up to the plate. That was the major problem.

How do you approach writing challenges? Do you have trouble with beginnings? Middles? Ends? Or something different? Let's discuss writing!

To perfume or not to perfume

2008-11-12T00:02:00.003-06:00

Let's talk fragrance! I had occasion to think about perfume the other day. I was in a store, shopping with the hubby, when we turned down an aisle and got blasted by the heavy odor of a woman's cologne. We weren't in a department store, so it wasn't like we were walking past the fragrance department. We were in Costco.

I had to turn around. I couldn't stomach it. There was a time when an overly perfumed person simply was annoying. Now, the danger is a migraine. I can't handle it and I go elsewhere. It makes me sympathetic for people with allergies. I had no idea perfume could be so offensive until it started giving me migraines.

And then I got to thinking about my own perfume preferences. Ten years ago, I had a selection. Obsession, Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Opium, Sunflowers, Shalimar, Passion, J'Adore -- I had mood perfume, and I often had the lotions and gels that went with each fragrance.

The only fragrance I wear now is the Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush body mist. It's not really perfume, and it isn't offensive to my senses. It occurred to me as I flipped through one of my favorite fashion magazines recently that I was saving a lot of money by not buying perfume anymore. I remember Opium costing around $70 for a small bottle; I have no idea what it costs now.

What's your favorite perfume? Has your ability to tolerate perfume changed over the years? Do overly perfumed people annoy you? What was your favorite perfume when you were a teen? In your twenties? Older? Do you still wear perfume?

Black and White and Read All Over

2008-11-11T00:00:00.002-06:00

My official contract came yesterday. And I realized that I'd never actually seen a book contract before. It's not what I expected. I sort of expected this thing that looked like a mortgage contract -- legal size and unreadable.

But no, it's not legal size. It's regular size. It's not as fat as I thought it would be. And it's readable, if a bit boring. Lots of it is regular contract language stuff. And then there's the specific stuff that applies to me and my books. That was more interesting.

It's kind of strange to see it in black and white -- someone is really, truly, honest to goodness going to PAY me for my work. ME. It still makes me giggle. My words are worth that much? Too cool.

It's hard sometimes when you dream of being published to hear that money flows TO the writer, not the other direction. It's hard because you want to see your story between the covers of a book. You want to hold it and show it to your friends and family. And there are certain presses out there that know that.

But try to hold out, okay? Money flows TO the writer, not the other way around. I have it in black and white. If someone wants to publish your book, but wants you to pay them to do so, be patient and keep trying. You may have to write another book, or another few books, but you can get there with persistence and an open mind to what you need to do to grow as a writer. It didn't happen for me overnight. And it wouldn't have happened at all had I not kept trying. (If you've already paid someone to publish your book, enjoy the product -- but write another book and don't give up on having someone pay you for your work. It can happen.)

I was looking forward to this contract, and now it's here and I'm reading it with awe and determination. What have you been looking forward to lately? Have you gotten something that wasn't quite what you expected? Was that good or bad for you?

Decorating for the Holidays

2008-11-10T00:00:00.002-06:00

I know it's too early, but walking into stores and seeing all the Christmas decorations has me thinking about decorating. I'm going away for Thanksgiving, so must think of these things now. Plus, it's the first time hubby and I will have a tree in years. There were reasons we never put one up -- a terminally ill cat, a new kitten, spending every Christmas with my parents, going away over the holidays, etc -- but this year there is NO excuse. My parents live 17 miles away, and I'm sure we'll get together, but this year I'm decorating.

I've already hauled the hubby to the store and pointed out decorations. He didn't frown or grumble too much. I want to put lights on the house too (make that I want him to put lights on the house), but I'm not sure we'll get to that part. But oh yes, my tree is going up, cats be darned. And I have a mantle for the first time in years, so that's getting decorated too.

Once we return from our Thanksgiving trip, the fun begins. I plan to buy some things in the next couple of weeks so I don't have to worry about it. But come December 1, decorations are going up. And the Christmas music will be playing too. It's odd to walk into stores and hear it now, but after Thanksgiving, I'm going to enjoy tuning my radio to the local station that plays Christmas music 24/7.

Do you like to decorate for the holidays? When do you start your Christmas decorating? What's your favorite holiday tradition at your home? Does it annoy you to see all the stuff in the stores now? Would you prefer they wait until after Thanksgiving? Real tree or faux?

Friday Fun for Star Wars Geeks

2008-11-07T00:00:00.001-06:00

I don't know about you, but Star Wars has always been a marathon movie session in my house. I mean the first three (or the last three depending on if you accept George Lucas's funky reordering of the saga). The hubby and I haven't watched them back to back in years, but we may have to plan it (especially now that we have a 106" screen to watch them on!).

In the meantime, this cracked me up. This guy has made an a capella tribute to John Williams, composer of the Star Wars music (as well as many other famous movies) using lines from the Star Wars movies. OMG, I giggled myself silly.

Enjoy! And let me know if it cracks you up too. :)

Change

2008-11-06T00:00:00.003-06:00

On Tuesday, something momentous happened. Yes, I cut my hair. (And, oh yeah, some guy won an election or something. *g*)

I have not changed my hair in about fifteen years. It's always been long and straight (once I grew out that spiral perm). But I felt like making a change finally. My stylist was actually worried I'd get upset after he made the first cut - but I didn't, and I haven't yet. In fact, it's not really all that different to me. I have layers now, which I haven't had in years, and I have to relearn how to use a curling iron and hairspray. But it's still long. It just feels more versatile now. If my hair wasn't so fine, and would hold a curl better, I could have kept the weight of the longer hair forever. But I'm not sorry I made the change.

Indeed, November seems to be a time for changes. Leaves change colors, the nation changes leaders, and I changed my hair. What about you? Made any changes lately? Planning any changes? Worried about change? Thinking about change, but not sure if you're ready? What's the biggest change you've ever made to your appearance?

Vote!

2008-11-04T00:00:00.005-06:00

Today, for the first time in my life, I will be voting in person. Since the very first election in which I was eligible to vote, I have always voted absentee. My ballot came in the mail, an official looking document wrapped in several layers of brown envelopes. I checked the boxes and sent the ballot back. After a lifetime of military absentee voting, today I will be standing in line (and I will stand there no matter how long it takes) and finding out whether I pull a lever or punch a button or whatever. I truly have no idea. And I'm looking forward to it!

Voting is an amazing right we have in this country. Exercising it should be a top priority. It's easy to think your vote doesn't count, but it does. One way or another, it does. And remember, if you don't vote, you really shouldn't complain about how things turn out if you don't like the result. So go make sure your voice is heard!

Unscheduled trips

2008-11-03T00:01:00.001-06:00

I had a blog post written, but an unscheduled trip made me change my mind. See, my post was a bit cryptic and slightly whiny. Something happened last week that made me stop and think about a few things. And I was feeling hurt and irritated and wanted to whine. Without divulging the issue, of course. It wasn't really a big deal, but it bugged me.

And then on Sunday, we took an unplanned trip to Nashville.

See, Saturday was an author event, a reader's luncheon in Birmingham that was simply fabulous. I got to hear the wonderful and inspiring Christina Dodd speak, and I got to visit with fellow Pixie Chick Louisa Cornell. I received an engraved heart box, balloons, and a cake from my Southern Magic chapter mates for my first sale. More awesomeness. And I got to hang out with two of my friends and fab authors, Kira Sinclair and Kimberly Lang. (They forced me to overeat in a restaurant called Brio's.)

But as fun as all that was, I was still feeling whiny. Until Nashville. Why? I think because the Nashville trip had nothing to do with writing, publishing, reading, etc. Nothing to do with my JOB. It was a spontaneous trip with my hubby and parents. So spontaneous we didn't leave until 1:30 on Sunday.

We were at the Bass Pro Shop (yeah, the men wanted to go) by 3. Mom and I headed into the mall and had a blast going through the stores. I tried on a pair of Christian Louboutins that were on sale for the RIDICULOUS price of $118. Too bad they didn't fit because I have never, ever seen Louboutins that low.

We hit Ann Taylor, Liz Claiborne, and several shoe stores. I bought nothing. When the men finished picking out lures, baits, and whatever other kind of weird things men love to shop for, we went to a restaurant called Aquarium and had dinner while watching fish swim around in a 200K gallon tank. Too cool.

It was soothing, it was spontaneous, and I didn't think of writing or publishing for hours. I loved it. On the way home, I blew $25 on lottery tickets. I came home feeling much better than I did when this weekend began. Sometimes, it's the unscheduled trips that give you a new perspective, or give you exactly what you need to recharge.

Where's your favorite place to go when you need a recharge? Or what's your favorite thing to do? Shopping? Dinner with friends or family? Long walks or drives?

US release date!

2008-10-31T11:50:00.001-05:00

I have just learned that SPANISH MAGNATE, RED-HOT REVENGE will be an August 2009 release in the US as well as the UK!! Yay!!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T00:00:00.001-05:00

Did you decorate for Halloween? I have two pumpkins, uncarved. I bought candy. I think that's good enough. :) What about this place, hmm? It's in West Virginia. There are over 3000 pumpkins, and a group of volunteers carves them (ya think?). You can read more about it here.

When I was a kid, I used to look forward to Halloween so much. I didn't live in a suburb, but in the country. My mom had to pile us into the car and take us driving around the countryside for candy. These days, kids have such safe choices -- neighborhoods banding together, malls, churches, etc, that hold Trick or Treat for kids. I think that's great.

Indeed, Halloween has turned into its own season now. The decorations, parties, greeting cards, etc. It goes on and on. When I was a kid, costumes were chintzy -- K-Mart or Wal-Mart things with those horrible plastic masks that you couldn't see through or breathe out of. I can't remember any of the costumes I had. I do remember one I threw together though.

I wanted to be Samantha from Bewitched so much. My mother had this flowing black coat that made me think of Samantha's coat. I borrowed the coat, and a blonde wig (not that I wasn't blonde already, but my hair didn't look like Sam's). I think I wore a pair of my mother's shoes (they were too big, naturally). That was my costume, LOL. I imagine I looked seriously odd, but I was happy.

What was your best costume ever? Will you be dressing up for Halloween today? What was your favorite Halloween candy? I loved candy corn, though I can't stand the stuff now. :)

A fabulous book

2008-10-30T00:00:00.001-05:00

I read a lot of books I love, and I don't usually talk about them because there are review blogs that do a much better job than I can. But last night I started a book I could NOT put down. Marjorie M. Liu's Tiger Eye. It's the first book in her Dirk & Steele series. I'd been hearing about this series for a long time, and I finally decided to give it a try. OMG. Could. Not. Stop. Reading.

I didn't finish. Alas, sleep became a necessity, but tonight -- must finish. This book is different than anything I've read lately. Not a vampire in sight! And this was a debut novel back in 2005. Holy sheesh, the woman's power with words! I saw her at RWA in San Francisco a few times, but I hadn't yet read any of her work. Good thing, because I might have stammered in awe. :)

What gives this book the page turning quality? The words, yes. But also the style. There's a question on every page that you want the answer to, often quite desperately. (This wouldn't work if you didn't care about the characters.) That's what I hope to do with my writing. To make the reader care and to ask questions to which she simply must know the answers. It's a continual learning process, but I do hope I've succeeded.

Have you read any really fabulous books lately that knocked your socks off? Or do you have a favorite author who always delivers? (I have those too, but I love branching out. I also have Kresley Cole on the TBR pile. I've never tried her, so I look forward to it.) What's the best book you've read lately? The most unusual book?

What's a Twitter?

2008-10-29T00:02:00.002-05:00

I discovered Twitter recently. It's a site where you write these short little blurbs about what you're doing. And you follow other people doing the same. They follow you. You communicate. It's cool because you aren't necessarily communicating directly with anyone. I am, of course, following other writers, some publishers, a few reviewers. Some people are more prolific than others, that's for sure.

eHarlequin uses Twitter to update what's going on -- I like this because I know when there's a blog I need to read. They also announced my Call on Twitter, and my guest blogs. Totally cool.

The posts are short, no more than 140 characters, and easy to do in the course of your day. A post is called a "tweet." The setup is easy, and it's easy to get going. Finding people is more difficult, or was for me anyway, because I refused to let Twitter access my email for addresses. Still, I've managed to find plenty of people, and they've found me.

If you decide to give Twitter a try, look for me. My user name is LynnRayeHarris. Follow me, and I'll follow you. :) So far, it's interesting. I don't spend much time at it; I think the nature of the short tweets helps keep it manageable.

Do you use Twitter? Do you think all these networking sites are a waste of time? Did I mention you can send Tweets using your phone? And that an American graduate student Twittered his way out of a Middle Eastern jail this past spring? What's next, hmm? :)

Congratulations again to Tami Brothers! She won the $25 Gift Card and will soon be shopping for books! Stay tuned for other giveaways in the future.....

We have a winner!

2008-10-28T15:42:00.004-05:00

Tami Brothers is the winner of my $25 B&N Gift Card giveaway!! Yay, Tami! Thanks to everyone who participated, and to my hubby who did the random blind pick for a winner. :)

Catching up

2008-10-28T08:38:00.001-05:00

The MNF party was a success, and I was up too late (yes, watching football) and cleaning up. Therefore, no brilliant post at the moment.

Besides, you probably want to know who wins the B&N Gift Card. :) I'll announce that sometime today. In the meantime, you still have time to sign up (see Yahoo Group in the sidebar). Last chance!

Mars versus Venus

2008-10-27T00:00:00.001-05:00

As expected, my plan to talk about Twitter just sort of evaporated. Events of the weekend overtook me. Namely, my hubby's obsession with the World Series. May I just say I do not care? Oh, I do actually enjoy it a teeny bit when it's the LAST game. But this was game three. Not pivotal so far as I'm concerned.

And yet the man had to watch it. The game was rain delayed, which meant it started late. And then it finished really late. Probably 1 AM Central. I don't know because I went to bed. Hubby stayed up for the whole thing. (Though tonight he decided to go play on the computer instead of finishing Game 4 -- odd, hmm?)

I have to admit, however, that I do find an almost 46 yr old pitcher too cool for words. Jamie Moyer of the Philadelphia Phillies. This is his first World Series, which I find fascinating given his record with the Majors, and he's a lefty. THAT'S what interests me about baseball. Human drama.

That's probably why I love baseball movies but don't much care for baseball itself. Baseball movies have so much drama, don't they? Bull Durham is my favorite, probably followed by The Rookie. I also love For the Love of the Game and The Natural. A League of Their Own is pretty cool too. I am not so much a Field of Dreams fan, however.

Is it just me, or is this World Series stuff mostly a Mars thing? Because, aside from Jamie Moyer, I just don't get it. I'd rather watch paint dry. I'd rather watch paint dry than watch most sports, come to think of it. I get excited when the stakes are HIGH. Last year's Superbowl? Too cool. Loved it. I suppose, knowing me, if the Phillies get within true striking distance, I'll get excited because I want the ancient (by sports standards) guy to win.

So, opinions about sports? About the World Series? Football? (Please take a moment to think of me tonight; Hubby is having a Monday Night Football party. I'm sure I'll eat the food, say "rah rah" and disappear.)

Tomorrow is the drawing for the Gift Card!! Don't forget to signup for my newsletter for a chance to win! (See sidebar.)

Unplugging

2008-10-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

Today, I feel the need to unplug from the computer for a while. Oh, I do not kid myself this will be a total unplug from sun up to sun down. I know me.

But I'm feeling a bit too much like I've got too many plugs draining power, you know? And I need to write this book.

So I'm going to make a very concerted effort to be somewhere else with my Alphie, or the laptop in a place where I have to pay for Internet (and therefore won't). Once I reach my goal, I'll be back to see what y'all have been up to!

Do you ever feel the need to unplug? Are you successful at it, or do you still manage to let the energy be drained away as you try to keep too many things going at once?

Monday: The beauties of Twitter. Unless I change my mind. :)