Okay, probably shouldn’t have taken a week off. Um, yeah, cause I’ve got a bit of writer’s block. I was determined to write Monday. I was determined to write Tuesday. I think I wrote about 100 words. :wallbash_tb:
So I need to kick start my ass. Literally. Perhaps kick it hard. No major damage, maybe minor.
What do you do when you get writer’s, reader’s, gardener’s or whatever’s block?
Suggestions anyone? :help_tb:

In the publishing world, when you are first offered a contract, there can be no greater joy. :king_tb:
The second contract is just as exciting, and generally speaking, you sign that after a brief read. By then you probably have some sales figures from the first book (or maybe not).
By the third book, you are a bit more wary of the contracts and review all your options carefully. With each subsequent contract, the scrutiny gets more and more pronounced.
I have just contracted my sixth book and it’s with Loose Id, a publishing company I have a great respect for.
Recently I submitted to another publisher, Venus Press, which also is deserving of my respect. They are professional, responsive, and they have some fabulous authors on their crew. Tracey West is their Editorial Director and I can’t say enough good things about her. :smile1_tb:
I have some wise decisions to make and they are hard ones. I am looking to make a career out of writing so I am stepping carefully and really taking my time to consider my choices.
I’m waiting to hear back from St. Martin’s on a submission before I can make the next choice. Here’s hoping I make the right one. :ponder_tb:

Maggie Nash posted this Sexy Name Decoder on her Yahoo group… so I tried it. Here is my result:


Hmmmm… :dry_tb: I thought that was a little boring so I tried my first name (Beth is my middle).


Now that is more like it! I like being lustful, erotic, and enticing. :smoke_tb:
What does your name mean?

Damn, no matter how long you go away from home, it always feels sooooo wonderful to get back. :clap_tb:
I didn’t write a damn thing for the last five days and I spent most of it feeding my face. So I’m back on track starting tomorrow although I do plan on writing tonight. :cheese1_ee:
My reunion was better than I thought – many of the women looked exactly the same (including the most gorgeous of us all, head cheerleader, salutatorian who looks like a fashion plate with a teeny ass). The men all looked very different – there were only a few I actually recognized without looking at their nametag. It was fun – met up with some girls that I was friends with. Unfortunately my best friends from high school didn’t come. :down_tb: Oh well. Maybe next time eh?
My pillow is probably going to actually induce an orgasm tonight when my head actually hits it. Lord above, it feels so good to be home! :jittery_tb:

Yup, hard to believe but I’ve been out of high school 20 years. Tonight is my 20th reunion. Doesn’t look like it will be heavily attended which is too bad, but I paid for it so we’re going. I will fill y’all in on it tomorrow.
It does make me feel a bit old… seems like it just happened, ya know? Suddenly my son is going to be in high school in about eight months. Man alive, time flies so quickly. Carpe diem folks! For real!
The other news is our flight tomorrow morning is at 6:04 – that’s a.m. As in before the sun rises. We have to get up at 3 a.m. drive to the airport, return the rental car, then get to the airport to check in. Yikes! I am going to be one tired puppy tomorrow. Can anybody say nap? :blink_tb:
Hope everyone has a good Saturday!

It’s the day after Thanksgiving and it’s colder today than it was the last time I blogged. And hell, it snowed six inches yesterday! :blink_tb:
My husband’s family is as they always are, loud and lots. Kids running around, screeching and playing, he and his brothers and brother-in-law talking with his dad and getting louder and louder, mother-in-law in the kitchen washing dishes for an hour while she chats with her daughter and daughters-in-law.
And me, trying to stay out of the way but help at the same time. My MIL has OCD big time and she likes things done a certain way. She also makes some of the oddest food (IMHO) for Thanksgiving. :ponder_tb: Like sweet potato casserole – what’s odd about it? How about orange juice, pineapple, butter, canned yams, and two granny smith apples? Ick. Talk about a sugar coma.
And what she called “scalloped corn” – creamed corn, canned corn, squashed ritz crackers, raw eggs, cooked with unsalted saltines smashed on top.
Um, how about just a sweet potato? Or a plain old dish of corn? :surrender_tb:
I tried to insert a bit of me so I made some homemade rolls, which came out pretty damn good if I say so myself. :innocent1_tb:
Anyhoo, finally wrestled my laptop away from DH so I could blog and check e-mail. Looking forward to some hot turkey for lunch and my brother-in-law scrumptious cheesecake – OMG it’s better than anything you can buy.
Miss everyone online and I promise to be back to normal in a couple of days. :bye_tb:

My blogging will be spotty for the next five days as I’m in CT for the holiday. It’s pretty frigging cold, especially for a girl used to warm North Carolina. It’s supposed to get up to 35 today. Brrrrrr. :gulp_ee:
I’m enjoying sitting around and doing nothing. Life is slow when you’re in your late sixties (as my in-laws are), which is just what I need now. Slow and easy.
I swear I’m going to try to write, and work on Maddie, but it feels so good to do NOTHING. :smile2_ee:
Off to do some more… nothing.

I was completely shocked to discover that I won a review award for The Reward. (Whew, try saying that five times fast.)
In the JERR (Just Erotic Romance Reviews) newsletter November 20, the reviewer gave it their Gold Star Award.

In an amazing review by Suni Farrar, she said this about The Reward:
“This story is so close to real life that I easily forgot I was reading about fictional characters. This book was a masterpiece in my opinion.”
Wow. To have someone, a total stranger in fact, tell me that my book was that memorable and call it a masterpiece touches me beyond words. I literally had tears in my eyes. I thought “Yes, yes!!! This is what I was meant to do!”
It’s motivation to continue, even though I’m exhausted half the time from working a full time job, being a full time wife, mother, homeowner, and struggling to be an author.
My mother was excited because in the review, Suni mentioned my “flawless grammar” – :laugh_tb: – which is true, a lot of times, it isn’t mentioned. She’s proud of me, not only for getting the award, but for being a published author. That’s how she introduces me to her friends too. “This is my daughter. She’s a published author.” :king_tb:
Anyway, top of the world Ma! I am leaving tomorrow for a trip up North (look out!) for Thanksgiving and my 20th high school reunion. It will be cold, but fun. I’ll probably be scarce online, but I’ll check in at least once a day.

Most of the time when I write, I set my own deadlines. You know, like “I am going to finish the first draft by this date” or “I will finish editing by the end of the weekend.”
Sometimes I meet that date, sometimes I push it out a bit, but I keep myself on track (at least 85% of the time anyway :wink_ee: ).
So, here I am under contract for a new book with Loose Id :thumbup_tb: for The Education of Madeline. And I have an actual deadline to send the complete manuscript to them. It’s the first time I’ve ever sold on spec and I have to say, it feels grrrreat!
I think I will complete the MS before that date, but it’s so exciting to work with a deadline. I know, I know. Geek. :dunce_tb: I can’t help it though – it’s part of the path I’m traveling and each new experience is so different and exciting!
I was trying to finish a rewrite on something else, but Maddie is calling me today… must work on it – and race with Sasha to get more written.
By the way, it’s the lovely Sasha’s birthday today! Be sure to stop by her blog and say happy birthday!

Today was a busy day. I am leaving for a trip on Tuesday so I’m trying to get all my errands done today. Then the boys and I went to a library book sale and spent hours browing. Who can resist 50 cents for a paperback and $2.00 for a hardcover. I could have spent all day there. Geez, didn’t even get to look at the romance section. Never made it there!
Anyway, now I’m packing, or trying to, and making sure I get all my stuff done. I’m off! :bye_tb: