The past six weeks have been an absolute train wreck, so when I say I’m ready for the New Year, I seriously mean – I’M READY FOR THE NEW YEAR!

Although 2008 has been great!

Thanksgiving was a rush, Christmas came right after the snowy mush, and the lush outdoor Wedding turned into an indoor crush. More on the beautiful (wonderful regardless of the rain) wedding once I have some pictures to post. And Did I mention I’d like to post this and climb into bed until 2009? I’m so tired I need toothpicks for my eyelids, which might account for some of the silliness of this post.

I didn’t read nearly as much as I would have liked to – otherwise I would be doing a complete list of my favorite books of 2008. I did manage to ‘catch up’ on book buying. I know a good many people in this business and I’m a huge fan girl of more. I love to read almost as much as I enjoy writing (sometimes even more ;p). As the year comes to an end I have to say the 2008 Release I was happiest to see hit the shelves was: Run Among Thorns, by Anna Louise Lucia, see this post to read some of the reasons why. Also I have to mention Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione, because it truly pulled me out of my reading comfort zone and into something I didn’t quite expect and now totally respect. Larissa rocks, I can’t wait for her other books in this series. I have a whole huge load of books to be read many 2006, 2007 and 2008 releases I have finally caught up with purchasing. I look forward to reading these over the next months as time allows and my mood lightens, because honestly I haven’t been in the reading mood for the past couple of months.

In closing I have to add that 2008 I said was going to be a year of determination for me where writing is concerned. I feel like I kept that ‘goal’. I entered some contest and doing really well in them. The novella that was a finalist in Red Sage’s Alpha Male Contest, 2008 is still under consideration at Red Sage. I had one mss lost in the mail and just recently re-submitted it to the same publisher. I will continue with my agent search in the New Year. I ‘bought’ (Jo Leigh Auction) myself a critique from a best selling author of erotic romance which I will look into ‘getting done’ early next year. I know she will be honest and hard hitting and I think I need the straight forward information she can provide to make sure I am aiming my work in the right direction.

I am very lucky to have happy, healthy kids. A wonderful husband I don’t know what I’d do without. A mother I can depend on always. And of course my newly married brother and wonderful new sister in law. I wish each of them the best for the New Year.

Happy New Year everyone, may your dreams come true in 2009.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone has a very happy and relaxing holiday. I am going to hibernate until after my brother's wedding, 12-28 and we might *might* take a mini-New Year's week trip.

This is the family Christmas card this year, since I'm always running late some were mailed last week, others yesterday and the rest are being handed out with gifts. I have not been able to find my address book since I pulled it out for address for the wedding. I have no idea where I put and it's pretty frightening to think of having to get a new one and start from strach!

May you have a Merry Christmas!

Writing? My wip is coming along nicely though I sort of dropped out of the Sweating with Sven challenge dealing with first sick kid, then sick mom (me, lol) – love how that works! I’ve written a Christmas short I plan to submit to specific place, but I’m sitting on it a few days before I send it in, deadline is 12/24. I made it to round 2 in Karin Tabke’s first line contest. Will have to see how far my lines make it, I happened to be online when it was starting, omg did the 100 entries fill up fast, I had debated entering but I’ve loved contest this year so I wanted to finish up the year with one J I’ve made a couple of follow ups on submissions this week and that’s it for writing.

On to Christmas!

I’ve been under the weather the past few days and while Christmas Day never changes it always slips up on me. We have in-law Christmas Sat, which I’m totally excited to report I finished shopping for on my way in to work this morning! Woot!

The kids shopping sort of finished, the dh? Lol, he bought himself one gift already, don’t you just hate that? Others, lets just hope Amazon delivers when expected, shopped online while sick. Not sure when I will blog again since I can only access the blog from my work computer at the moment! Must work on that!

Happy Birthday to my SOON TO BE SISTER IN LAW - Tina! I hope you have a wonderful birthday and I can't wait to officially welcome you to the family in 10 days!

Yes, we are having a SNOW DAY in southern Louisiana. Not that I've seen much snow, but this is the most I've seen at home!

The still un-cut tree from the hurricane.

AND because I am sooo late this year I got to take the kids picture for the Chirstmas Card in the SNOW!

16 days and counting...

Seriously I need focus. I’m not a huge holiday fan as I’m sure I’ve mentioned, but jeez -  I’ve got to get in gear. Just made a short list – and it’s pretty frightening. Add in writing and polishing and submitting and I’m seriously considering hibernating.

I think this week the focus will be on basic must do items as far as family and holidays go, writing? Eh, I’m writing a short holiday story (of all things, lol) and I want to finish and submit that. Short list. Focus.

I guess it is time I face the music and admit life has been interrupted by the season.

The holidays, the school breaks, the shorten school days, the slow work at the day job, the short days (I could go on and on about how much I really hate early darkness), the lack of focus, the need to shop, the need to shop, the need to shop. Christmas decorations are in the attic, not sure on the schedule for that.

Oh and my new pretty roof? It leaks still. That is my newest nightmare.

I’m considering crawling under a rock and coming out in January. Bears hibernate? I might start that too :0

It felt like a good day for rambling...

Sunday night I was really looking forward to Monday morning. I love routines - they make me happy. I like getting up and getting going in the mornings, especially Monday thru Friday. I do enjoy my weekends even though it is rare I sleep in.

Back to yesterday. It was back to school for the oldest and I thought back to routine for the rest of us, well… Dh fell back asleep (which he never does) the oldest had set her alarm incorrectly so it didn’t get off. Then the whole house gets going nearly an hour late, next the bus for the oldest doesn’t show up, the little one was a grouch and I didn’t hit the treadmill or get my writing in so I was pretty grouchy too. We were finally assembled and ready to rush out the door (daycare is totally opposite direction as middle school) and wow, freezing cold for Louisiana so I start the van and load some work files and uh, notice the back tire (that the tire dealer didn’t have in stock before Thanksgiving) was F-L-A-T and looked frightening. Kiddos back inside then I air up the tire and we are off slower than usual because of said tire.

Three hours later I arrived at day job with new tires and piled up work to do.

Today wasn’t much better, the little one was up and down all night with a stuffy nose and then the bus was thirty minutes late. Sigh.

Is it Friday yet? It’s been one of those weeks and I just haven’t been able to get many words out this week and Sven is breathing down my neck! I’ve got some prewriting to do for my next few scenes, being a panster who is pre-plotting this wip I know enough to realize it’s time to stop and help my characters made a few hard hitting decisions before I move too far along.

Oh and Amazon delivered a nice big box to my front door today! Lots of goodies I’m itching to dive into and a few Christmas prezzies too J 

Great contest through the holiday season. Great Publisher - Samhain Publishing - they are giving away tons of prizes including 2 KINDLES! Wonderful authors (38 total) and excellent opportunities to win! Go forth and enter!

12,750 / 60,000 (21.2%)

I wrote whole 500 words since last week. I blame the holidays :) I should be back on tract tomorrow!

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Personally I'm really glad one holiday is done, two more holidays, numerous birthdays and a wedding within the next month!

I work in a building that houses a warehouse. Our offices are in the front of the building and we have very little interaction with the people in the back most days. There’s only two people who work back there, one is a cankerous elderly man who I get total hoot out of, he’s very old school in some of his ways but in others he’s just downright male. Then there is a young guy, maybe out of high school a year or two, he’s new, replacing the last one a month ago. That job never carries someone more than a year or two at most.

Well this new guy I didn’t even know his name until I had to write his cheek a week ago. He doesn’t speak unless he has too and I’ve discovered he has another strange compulsion. He replaces the bags in the trashcans every time there is something in them. Seriously. I mean yesterday we ate Subway in the front office and no sooner had we finished eating, he was there changing the bags. Today? I had a sandwich from home I ate it on a paper plate with some fruit, tossed it in the garbage can and next time I went to get water the bag had been changed. He eats his lunch outside, so he must toss his ‘food garbage’ into the dumpster. I had to make copies last week and some didn’t come out right, so I chucked the crumpled pages in the trashcan, same thing, it was changed immediately, so it’s not just food he’s getting rid of oh and he’s always fooling with the coffee pot and he always talks with his cell phone on speaker and it makes me nuts because it carries all over the warehouse.

Okay, I feel better now J

12,250 / 60,000 (20.4%)

Seems like the blog has turned into a counter thread for now. But I guess that’s not such a bad thing. I’m focused on my WIP completely. I really like where it’s going and where it’s been. I’m having fun with this one, letting the characters have their way – for now.

My friend Shannon posted a question that basically boiled down to give an original, one line piece of writing advice.

Mine was… Finish what you start and fix what you finish. I guess that pretty much sums up where I am writing wise right now J

You can find the other’s words of wisdom here.

10,250 / 60,000 (17.1%)

Sunday Sven check in.... so far so good :)

8,750 / 60,000 (14.6%)

Saturday Sven check in - I acutally skipped Friday, because I have a horrible headcold, but I did include todays pages. So If I get a good burst of energy later I might make up for Friday this weekend anyway!

4,750 / 60,000 (7.9%)

Quick post for progess! Have a Happy Wednesday!