Holy hell! It’s the last day of January and not only is that payday (woohoo!! only get paid once a month), but it means a month of 2006 is already over. How did that happen?
It seems that we spend a lot of time wishing away the day. I know I do… can’t wait for the weekends! But then, like now, suddenly 31 days are gone.
What that means is that I have 3 1/2 months to get my shit together for RT. :blink_tb:
I’m going to start making lists of what I have, what I need to get, and how I can afford it. Geez Louise! It seems like yesterday that I signed up to stay at the haunted beach house (I’ll let you know if it was true or not) in August. I remember thinking, I’ve got like 9 months until the convention! :shock_tb:
Well, here I am! And I don’t have that much time. Must review finances and come up plan for promo items.
Here’s what I’m thinking – all you readers out there, please let me know what you like to get as goodies.
- Sampler CD – a chapter or two from my current works, and those coming soon
- Pens – with my name and webby
- Bookmarks – paper and thong (making those myself)
- Prizes – I have a gift basket I’m doing with my partner in Vixen Virgins, Robin Danner. She’s doing a vixen basket and I’m doing a virgin basket (no snickering). I’ve got lots of little goodies I’ve collected that I may use to make a second basket
- Tea bags – I’ve gotten a donation of 1000 tea bags (Celestial Seasonings) for the muses that we’re going to put in the goodie room with a sticker on them.
Also, I need to buy stuff to decorate my table at the Book Fair. Luckily I have a friend who is a fashion maven to help me make the most of my space. Think purple and spurs. :wink1_tb:
I’m starting to get nervous! I “speak” to readers and others all the time online, but not in real life. I hope I don’t make a fool of myself. _tb:
I guess I’ve rambled enough today, eh? Let me know what you think of giveaways, k?

Yeeeehaw!!! :clappingcowboy_tb:
The game face worked! The Clio story is complete and ready to submit. Whew! It came in at just over 21,000 words and with my marvelous CP’s help (Sasha White), it was edited and complete by 7 pm last night. :clap_tb:
I was going to try and finish Clio this weekend, but I just got in the groove on Sunday and wrote over 7500 words! It was flowing like water so I just climbed on and went with it. (I won’t mention that the house didn’t get cleaned, but I did do the laundry :wink1_tb: )
Then, very, very cool happenings! I received not one, but TWO 5 Angel reviews from Fallen Angel Reviews yesterday! Wooooohooo!!!
The first one is for The Harder They Fall, my first contemporary from Loose Id.
The second one is for Vixen Virgins, my anthology with the incredible Robin Danner, from Liquid Silver Books. This is our first official review, and 5 Angels is incredible!
So Sunday started off my week with a big ass grin! :cheese1_ee:
What’s next? Hmmmm… why The Perfect Score series of course! Onto bowling and pushing the limits of my writing space!

I’m trying to keep my game face in place :grin2_ee: – but sometimes it slips. So I needed some inspiration.
My WIP is about Clio, the muse of history who is catapulted through space and time by her father’s bitch of a wife, Hera. Clio lands in 1875 Texas and straight into the arms of Ace Nevada.
Meet Ace…

Don’t let the white vest fool you. Ace is the sheriff of Peyote, Texas only because he was tricked into it. The last thing he wants to do is stay here. The first thing he wants to do is get Clio underneath him. Clio’s experience with actual humans, not through books, is limited. Ace is hard to like, but easy to lust after.
When Clio lands in trouble, Ace has to decide if his “I don’t give a shit” attitude is real, or if he really does care for something or someone besides himself.
Stay tuned… and wish me luck keeping my game face on. :hmm2_ee:

Saturday mornings are like hot cinnamon buns and good coffee. Delicious and amazingly satisfying. I love Saturday mornings, especially sunny ones like today here in NC. I’ve got a lot of writing to do this weekend to hit my goal of finishing Clio’s story by next weekend, but I also have life things to do.
Grocery store, birthday shopping, cleaning :dry_tb: , paying bills, and so on. Sigh… I’ve decided to devote the morning to errands and stuff and the afternoon (until 4:30 anyway) to writing. I have to go to my BIL’s birthday party for 5 so I don’t have the entire afternoon, but a nice block of it.
I’ve got to whip out the game face again. :grin2_ee:
Oh, and a reminder y’all! Four more days to vote for The Reward as Cover of the Month at Erin Aislinn’s website.
Hope y’all have a grrrreat Saturday!

It’s Friday and my brain is fried. :surrender_tb:
So, I picked a quiz to post. It’s got pretty cool pictures….

Reflections of the Spirit

You reflect the journey of the spirit. The journey of life as we grow, learn, face our everyday trials. You strive to accomplish tasks and rise above. This is where your spirit finds its strengths. Your journey is sure to have a happy ending, in whatever small form it may come.

Reflections of the Spirit?
brought to you by Quizilla

Look what the wonderful Sasha White had the talented Nix Winter make for me:

I absolutely love it! :clap_tb:
This is going to be used on my column in the Secret Thoughts eZine from now on. If you’re not signed up for Secret Thoughts, now is your chance!
February’s issue is gonna be rockin’ the house, including a piece by yours truly about the quest for the perfect male ass (with pictures). :cool1_tb:

Okay, this was sent to me by my peep, Janice.

The following is a clip from a 1950’s Home Economics textbook intended for high school girls, teaching them how to prepare for married life. (Get ready, y’all, but don’t have any sharp objects handy.)

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Have dinner ready: Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal- on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed.
On time? What does that mean? Sometime tonight? Cause that’s what dinner is in my house. We have a full meal maybe three times a week, the rest of the time, it’s fend for yourself or pizza or leftovers. :smile1_tb:

Prepare yourself: Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair, and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift.
*snicker* My hair hasn’t seen a ribbon in thirty years, and touch up my make-up? Are you kidding me? I’m rubbing it off by then. I don’t think I can be gay either – scientifically anyway. And as far as his boring day goes, that’s not my problem. :huh_tb:

Clear away the clutter: Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up school books, toys, paper, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift, too.
I think I hurt myself laughing about this one. Woo-boy, that was a good laugh! My DH is the king of clutter and if he wants to clear it away, he can damn well do it himself. :dry_tb:

Prepare the children: Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
Okay, I’ll concede that my children are little treasures (or big PITAs depending on the day). BUT change their clothes to greet Daddy? Right. I’ll get right on that. :laugh_tb:

Minimize all noise: At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer, dishwasher, or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him.
Like a museum? Or a library? I don’t get it… :blink_tb:

Greet him with a warm smile and be glad to see him.
I admit, I do smile and kiss him (generally) when he gets home… unless I’m in a piss-poor mood. :wink1_tb:

Some don’ts: Don’t greet him with problems or complaints. Don’t complain if he’s late for dinner. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
What he went through? I’m sorry, but I think we could compete for the most stressful days and come out even. If I’ve got a problem or a complaint, he’s gonna hear it. (Why do I feel like Queen Latifah?) :happy_tb:

Make him comfortable: Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft, soothing, and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax–unwind.
I’m not even going to go here. I might choke on my own spit. :lol_tb:

Listen to him: You may have a dozen things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time Let him talk first.
I’m not sure why you let him talk first… my DH rarely talks at all. If I didn’t start a conversation, it wouldn’t get past “howdy”. :confused_ee:

Make the evening his: Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner or to other places of entertainment. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure, his need to be home and relax.
He doesn’t need to take me out to dinner. I’ll go without him. :rolleyes_tb:

The goal: Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
Does my house look like a spa? :doh_tb:

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Okay, now how many of you out there laughed when you read this? Be honest now, because for some of us, this was the way we did it. For others, it was the way our mothers or grandmothers did it. It’s absolutely amazing how we’ve changed in 50 years, isn’t it?
Now pardon me while I go and hunt down this textbook and use it for scrap paper. :tongue_laugh_ee:

Remember it? :grin2_ee:
It’s time to kick it into high gear and pull out the game face again. I’m giving myself exactly 9 days to finish my muse story for Clio.
What is the muse story? Well, the fabulous goddesses at Behind the Muses are writing a series of novellas based on the nine original muses. I am, of course, Clio, muse of history and writing and am writing my own story. These nine stories are rumored to be picked up by Triskelion Publishing to be published in the spring. :wink1_tb:
Soooo, how long have I had to write this novella? Oh, four months. Unfortunately I was finishing other WIPs and didn’t get to it until December. Then I hated what I wrote and started over last week. :surrender_tb:
Exactly how far am I into the story? Actually, pretty far. I’ve gotten over 9000 words written with a goal of somewhere between 20000 and 25000, so almost halfway.
My daily writing goal is 1500 words, but I wrote over 2500 on Saturday. :grin2_ee: Game face.
If I write 1500 words a day, I will hit 20000 Tuesday of next week. However, DH is gone all weekend so I will likely finish it then.
Look out, when I put my game face on, no word is safe. :grin2_ee:

Ta-da! :clap_tb: It’s official! The Secret Thoughts website is up and running!
What’s Secret Thoughts? It’s Sasha White’s eZine creation that is fast becoming a huge hit with tons of content from lots of contributors!
The Naughty Scribes have columns each month. Who are the Naughty Scribes? Sasha White, Nix Winter, J.J. Massa, and me. :bye_tb:
The February issue will be jampacked with great reads, hot stuff, funny stuff, and so much I can’t put it all in one sentence. :laugh_tb:
Please sign up if you haven’t – you won’t be disappointed!

Sign up for the SECRET THOUGHTS eZine

I screwed up my blog today and it took me hours to fix it. :guns_tb: I’m tired and cranky so forgive me if I just say, WHEW!!!
I’m going to go relax!!
:smokingcowboy_tb: