985 and other things

IN THE NEWS: An inebriated moose trying to get more fermenting apples apparently lost its balance and ended up stuck in an apple tree in Sweden. Read more HERE.

Why 985?

It's a nice number.

Well, that and...I'm on blog post 985!!!!
Thank you, thank you. Hold the applause.
(Actually, now that I think about it, this is blog post 986. But I digress...)

Wow, so many blog posts, so many rambles, so close to 1,000. Hmm...I feel as if I should do some sort of blog post celebration giveaway--ya know, due to my prolificness. Will need to think on this...

On another note, I wanted to give a big shout-out to fellow author Adelle Laudan, who put together a sweet (literally and figuratively) cookbook called Sweet Sunshine: Baking Sweet Memories.

This is a Charity Cookbook, with all proceeds going to the Sunshine Foundation of Canada http://www.sunshine.ca/ Within these pages, several featured authors (including ME) have shared a childhood memory, some pictures of us as little kids, recipes, and a few have written a story, complete with artwork and coloring pages. Recipes include; Cookies, Cakes, Pies, Desserts, Fudge & Smoothies!

It's really a nice cook book. So much so that I plan on doing a giveaway of this around the holidays because I think it'll make a great Christmas gift. So stay tuned!

Before I close out this week, I have to ask, what is your favorite thing to win on blogs? Books, gift certificates, food items, jewelery, or fun gift baskets? Have you won anything on a blog?

For Fun Friday

IN THE NEWS: Man hit by lightning dies 48 years after his father died the same way. Read more HERE. (What are the odds?)

Well, the hubby is playing hooky from work this afternoon (he can do that since he's the boss) and we're heading to the beach!

I deserve the break too. I've been really working hard on my edits this week. Really hard. So hard I feel like my eyes are going crossed.

So if you haven't seen me around much on the blogosphere... um, that's why. :-)

Before I go back to my edits this morning, I'll leave you with a funny I saw in our local paper this week:



Have a great weekend!

More This and That

IN THE NEWS: Wife Chops Off Husband's Penis, Throws in Garbage Disposal. Read more HERE. (Oh. My. Gosh. Crazy nuts.)

Hey, all!
I found another summer drink in addition to my pineapple chili margaritas I usually make. It's called a Stoli Doli.

(Yes, I apparently like pineapple drinks)

Well, I took a fresh pineapple and sliced it up, layered it in my ice tea jug and then poured vodka over the pineapple pieces. You need to let it sit for at least a few days but no more than a week to let the pineapple infuse into the vodka. Then take a shaker and fill it with ice, put some pineapple vodka in it, and a just a little bit of actual pineapple juice and a splash of orange juice. Shake it up and serve in a martini glass. They are SO good!

You're welcome. :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In other this and thats...
I forgot to mention what my kiddo said to me the first time I called home when I was in NYC for RWA Nationals.

Me: "Hi, sweetie!"
Kiddo: "Mommy, all I hear is party party party! When are you going to workshops?!"
Me: (laughing) "The parties are at night. All day I'm in workshops. Honest."
Kiddo: (still sounding petulant) "Oh."

I have to admit I had to wonder just what my hubby was telling our daughter while I was away. LOL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And lastly, my author friend, Melissa McClone will be on my blog this Monday for her blog tour. Melissa writes for Harlequin Romance and has a new book out:
Not So Perfect Princess.

Melissa will be giving way a $20 Amazon gift certificate to one commenter at the end of the tour. She will also be giving away, at each stop, a set of three trading cards from this book to one commenter. So stop by if you have the chance!!

**FYI: I picked up her trading cards at RWA Nationals and they are lovely! I use them as bookmarks.

Whew! That's it for me.

Have a great weekend!!

Marathon Results!

IN THE NEWS:Pet alligator seized from liquor store in NY. Read more HERE.


Well, the hubby didn't stroke out. In fact, he did FANTASTIC in his first half marathon! Especially when you consider he was facing 30 mile/hour winds for the last 3 mile stretch. (brutal! I could barely walk let alone run in those conditions)

He paced himself with one of our friends and they both ended up finishing in 1:58: 43. So they definitely met their goal and finished in under two hours!!

PS. He was number 149 out 327 runners. So I thought that was great too!

They didn't know I was going to show up in the middle of their run to cheer them on and I managed to catch them before they went over the bridge and on their way back (which was about the 4 mile mark of their run). I brought a spoon and pot lid and was yelling and banging on it, which totally embarrassed the kidlet. But hey, she'll live. :)

I even brought my lid and spoon to the finish line too. One of the women doing the timing turned to me and said, "Wow, this is great! I love a cowbell at the end!" I held up my spoon and lid and she started cracking up.
She really thought I had a cowbell. LOL

It was a totally fun day (for me not the runners). Then we ended up hosting an after party at our house, which is the reason for the short post. The house is trashed.

But it was worth it. :)

Did you do anything exciting this weekend?

The Little Things and other Things

IN THE NEWS:Nebraska's 'toilet-paper bandit' pleads guilty. Read more HERE.
RECENT IPOD DOWNLOAD: "More than This" by Roxy Music.

Hey, all! Right now I'm in the writer's cave so if I've been a little MIA, you know why.
But I am around...

In fact, I'm around in my local library to be exact! I went online to my library to see if a book I ordered was in and then --since I was there at my computer already, mind you--decided to see if MY book was there. And it is! In fact, my lovely library ordered two copies, which was a nice surprise. One is out (thank you for reading!) and one was listed as "displayed".

Hmmm...displayed?

I was intrigued so needless to say. So I hightailed it on over there. And this is what I saw:

(FYI mine is the lime green cover on the right)






Two books away from Sophie Kinsella!

How cool is that?








Keep in mind it was not easy to whip out my camera phone and take these pictures, especially since this table is smack dab in the middle of the library.

By the circulation desk.

By the front doors.

With tons of people passing by giving me strange and somewhat pitying looks.

But it was worth the embarrassment for this fun blog fodder. :)

(Sometimes it's the little things.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, enough of that. Onto other sundry things...


Like the Harlequin/Mills & Boon NEW VOICES contest. Alas, the contest is now closed. But if you are a romance writer and ever thought about writing for Mills & Boon, I suggest you take a look at the entries and READ. On September 27 the TOP TEN list will be decided by expert judges. So I think it is worthwhile to take a look and see what entries are drawing their attention.

It's almost like a reality show where they're picking the NEXT ROMANCE AUTHOR. Pretty cool, so check it out!


That's it for me.

Did you enter the New Voices contest?
Have you entered any other contests lately?

Old Manuscripts: Hidden Gems Within?

IN THE NEWS:Man listed dog as dependent in lunch scam. Read more HERE.

I remember having a discussion with a friend about first manuscripts. Needless to say, we had both shuddered when we thought about our own hidden away in our computer files. We put so much work and effort into what we had written then. And it would never see the light of day. Was it all a waste of time?

Well, deep down inside I know it's not. If you don't write, you don't grow as a writer. We all know that. So anything you've written builds onto your writing base and you learn from it.

But have you ever considered going back and really digging through it again?

Now, I'm not talking about trying to save your manuscript. (That's another topic) Not rewriting them to make them publishable. I'm talking about just looking for golden little gems in your writing that may have been missed in your mishandled plot or eighty-two pages of backstory.

I admit, I once thought there is NOTHING good in what I had written. But that changed.

My very first manuscript was aimed for one of the Harlequin lines. Unfortunately, it was like four or so years ago, so I really forget which line I was aiming for. But anyhow, I'll be honest when I say I had no idea what I was doing. Obviously the editors must have thought so too because what I received was not your standard rejection letter. It was more like a definite "we cannot use this", and they very kindly gave me a two page list describing all their different lines to me.

The manuscript was set in a pharmacy because somebody gave me the awful advice of "write what you know". Thus, the title was called DISPENSING WITH LOVE. (Because she was a pharmacist who dispensed medication but she also wasn't looking for love. Get it? Yeah, I know. It's terrible.)

Once I got the rejection, I tossed the mailed manuscript into the recycle bin and I thought, "Good riddance". Well, fast forward four years later, I decide to give it another go at writing a romance centered around a pharmacy. (I must be a glutton for punishment) About two chapters into writing my new romance I get a funny little idea of opening up my old manuscript to see if there was anything salvageable I could use for my new work in progress--or maybe I was just in the mood to laugh.

Well, I read it and--horror of all horrors-- still liked my opening. Only I decided to use that scene as part of my new second chapter. So I copied it and tweaked it and low and behold, I was happy with how it fit into the story. The new story was my recent release GEORGIE ON HIS MIND.

I can't tell you how satisfying it was to find and use a hidden gem of a scene from a prior work that I thought was dead and buried. But now I'm encouraged to go back to that manuscript and go digging again!

Have you ever decided to use parts of old manuscripts in your NEW work in progress? Was it successful?

This, a Winner, and That Part 6

IN THE NEWS: Mo. diners flee without paying, but forget purses.
Read more HERE.

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about Patti's writing routine! Isn't Patti a sweetheart?

But, yes, now the important part: the book winner. :)

The winner of one of Patti Lacy's books is...

Piedmont Writer!


CONGRATS!!!

Please go to Patti's contact page HERE and let her know you are the WRW winner and tell her which book you would like her to send to you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the this and that...

Bummed out you're not going to RWA Nationals this year?

Me too! But fear not! Romance Divas is hosting the
Not Going to Conference Conference...

The Conference You Don't Have to Get Out of Bed For!

From July 28-31, come hang out with some terrific, savvy authors -- and you don't even have to brush your teeth (although, seriously, good dental hygiene gets you extra points.)

We'll be hosting panels on:

The Power of Three: A crit group tell-all (Paranormal)

Crystal Jordan

Patti O'Shea

Dayna Hart/Rowan Larke

The Lolitas of STEAMED! Present Writing the Steampunk Romance -more than leather corsets and brass goggles!

Marie-Claude Bourque

Theresa Meyers

Whips, Chains, Slings, Oh My: It Really Isn’t About the Toys (BDSM Erotica)

James Buchanan

Joey Hill

The Great Big YA Panel

Rhonda Stapleton

Shannon Delany

Kiersten White

Carrie Ryan

Linda Gerber

Saundra Mitchell

Lara Zielin

Brenna Yovanoff

Register for free at Romance Divas, then come join us on the forums for the discussions, as well as some terrific prizes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also, looking for another forum dedicated to answering your questions on romance writing? Check out: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/wrqforum/

All day Thursday, July 29, 2010, come and spend the day with Harlequin Mills and Boon author, Nicola Marsh.

Grab the opportunity to ask her everything you wanted to know about cracking the HMB Modern Heat and Romance market!

Whew! A lot going on, huh?

Well, that's all for me. But be sure to stop by next Writer Routine Wednesday where Harlequin and Avalon author Holly Jacobs will be sharing her writing routine with us!

Have a GREAT weekend!

This, a Winner, and That part 4

MOOD STATUS: "Tired". The heat has finally gotten to me...

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about Kristen's writing routine!

But, yes, now the important part: the book winner. :)

The winner of Kristen Painter's book ALL FIRED UP is...


CrystalGB!!

Congrats!!

Please e-mail me the address you'd like the book sent to and I'll let Kristen know.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for a little of this and that...

I meant to blog about this last week but forgot. Have you seen the winners of the 2010 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest? It's a contest for BAD writing that San Jose State University has sponsored since 1982. Yes, bad writing.

Check out what won top prize:

"For the first month of Ricardo and Felicity's affair, they greeted one another at every stolen rendezvous with a kiss--a lengthy, ravenous kiss, Ricardo lapping and sucking at Felicity's mouth as if she were a giant cage-mounted water bottle and he were the world's thirstiest gerbil."
--Molly Ringle

The literary competition honors the memory of writer Edward George Earl Bulwer-Lytton, who famously opened his 1830 novel "Paul Clifford, with the much-quoted, "It was a dark and stormy night." Entrants were asked to submit bad opening sentences to imaginary novels in various categories.

This won the detective category:

"She walked into my office wearing a body that would make a man write bad checks, but in this paperless age you would first have to obtain her ABA Routing Transit Number and Account Number and then disable your own Overdraft Protection in order to do so."
~Steve Lynch

(That one cracked me up!)

This won the western category:

"He walked into the bar and bristled when all eyes fell upon him - perhaps because his build was so short and so wide, or maybe it was the odor that lingered about him from so many days and nights spent in the wilds, but it may just have been because no one had ever seen a porcupine in a bar before."
~Linda Boatright



See? Don't you feel better about your own opening sentence now? :)



Have a great weekend!

This, a Winner, and That Part 2

IN THE NEWS: Missouri pooper scooper finds $58 in doggie doo. Read more HERE.

Thank you to ALL of those who stopped by here for my Wednesday Writing Routine special.
Author Nicola Marsh was really feeling the love. :)

And now for the BEST part: the winner.

Thanks to random number generator, the lucky commenter who will receive Nicola's sweet romance Three Times a Bridesmaid is...

KELLIE

Congrats!!

Please e-mail me the address you want the book sent to and I'll let Nicola know!

As for the this and the that, my new blogger buddy Ezmirelda was kind enough to bestow an award on me:

This blog award is called The Versatile Blogger, and has a few rules that come with it:

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award. check

2. Share 7 things about yourself.

1) I just painted my toenails in Purple Pizazz--which actually sounds more bold than it looks
2) My favorite ice cream is Moosetracks
3) I'm thinking about taking surfing lessons this summer although I've never been on a surfboard in my life
4) I once had high level of anxiety (and was really close to going to a doctor) because we had ants in the kitchen
5) My best feature is my skin (I know this because I've been told enough times) :)
6) My dad had blue eyes and my mom has hazel eyes, yet me and my brothers all have green eyes. Hmm...
7)I love to cook and try at least one new recipe a week

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other "thats", I've started a new writing challenge. It's called a book in three months. It started over at the Harlequin eboards, but my crit partners and I have a little accountability going on privately. I wrote 5 pages Wednesday and 4 pages Thursday.

Woo-hoo! So far I'm on a roll!

That's all for me. But don't forget to check out the next Writing Routine Wednesday.
I'm going to host YA author Rhonda Stapleton and she's generously offered to giveaway a partial critique to some lucky commenter!

Have a great weekend!

I Have a Cover!

IN THE NEWS: Florida beekeeper stole bees from rivals. Read more HERE.

I'm excited because I finally--yes FINALLY--have a cover for my October Avalon release: Georgie on His Mind!

You know most publishers will ask for an author's input on their cover. And Avalon Books was no exception. So here's what I submitted to them as far as my idea for a cover:

I was thinking since the story primarily takes place in a pharmacy (where they both work), it might be cute to have the title written in a handwriting font on a prescription pad. Maybe even put some “heart” doodle drawings on the pad, too.

Also since a prescription pad is just black and white, if the color background of the book could be a bright or contrasting color, it would make it pop out more.

Thank you.

I know. But that's the best I could come up with!

But obviously that's the best Avalon could come up with too--or I'm really great at designing covers--because here's my cover:

Maybe I'm missing my calling. :)

So word to the wise: Give careful thought when a publisher asks you for cover art advice. They just might listen to you! LOL

But isn't it a cute cover?

Wed Work in Progress #9

IN THE NEWS: Fla. teen bets to wear same shoes until graduation. Read more HERE.

RECENT IPOD DOWNLOAD: "I can only imagine" by Mercy Me.

Slow and steady wins the race. That's my motto.
(Slow and steady seems to be my writing style, too!) *sigh* But it's getting there.

I'm working myself up into a little bit of a panic now because summer is approaching fast and that means my writing time gets squeezed. But that's okay. Not complaining--much. I just need to start getting creative. Or waking up earlier. (Eew)

Anyhew... here's my progress thus far: (That's me running on the beach) :)

Anyhew... in other news, I still haven't received my cover art yet for my new book. Not that I'm complaining again--much.

And in more upbeat FUN news, I'm planning a new Wednesday blog series for the summer. So stayed tuned for more info on that coming up.

That's it for me. Going to write all morning (after spin class) and then if I meet my goal, I'm actually going to whip out the last manuscript I had started earlier this year and see if I can apply some plotting techniques to it that I learned in my writing class. Whew!

What's on your writing agenda today?

You Have a Book Trailer. Now What?

IN THE NEWS: Frail boy-king Tut died from malaria, broken leg. Read more HERE.

Happy Monday!


You're probably all wondering--(or maybe not)--after my previous posts on "Why do a book trailer" and "How to do a book trailer", "Now what do I do with my book trailer?"

First and foremost, you tell your mom. (Unless your mom is like my mom and has dial-up internet connection, because then it'll take forever for her to see the video)

Then all your friends.
Some co-workers, neighbors, your enemies--basically, anyone who'll listen. :)

But if you don't have anyone's ear at the moment of unveiling,
you can upload online to these places:

your Facebook page

your Web site

your Blog

Create an author page on Amazon and upload it there.

YouTube.

Yahoo Video

Google Video

Link to it on AuthorsDen.com

mySpaceTV

The Romance Studio (must be a member)

Manic Readers (create an author page and put it there)


Announce it on any writer's forums you belong to, too. If someone is excited about their video and announces it for me to watch, I WILL check it out. (But maybe that's just me) :)


There are a few other places to put your trailer, too. All the ones listed below are free.

Trailer Spy
Book Trailers.net
Daily Motion
New Covey Trailer Awards
Backspace the Writer's Place

Whew!

Have you used any of those sites for your book trailer?
Did I miss a site?

Wednesday Work in Progress #7

IN THE NEWS: Colorado man loses part of finger in iPad theft. Read more here.

Well, it's that time again. Progress is "meh", but I have some good news to report about my wip anyway.

It's moving slowly but surely. I tinkered with my partial and was able to write about 1/3 of my chapter 4, and it really looks pretty good.

My characters are much more solid. I think a large amount of that is attributed to the characterization class that I'm taking.

I think I can write a synopsis now even though I only have three chapters. Again, thanks to the characterization class I'm taking. :)

Anyhew, here's my progress: (Boy, it's been a while since I posted one if these.)

(Don't ask me why I picked an elephant on a pencil. The absurdity of it clicked with me this week--for whatever reason.)




My goal the rest of this week is to correct half my homework for class and finish my chapter 4. I had a good writing day yesterday, so I hope it continues!

What's your writing goal this week?

Back to the Drawing Board...

IN THE NEWS: Cases of beer left at landfill too hard to resist. Read more HERE.

Well, as I mentioned earlier this week, I'm taking a characterization class. All is going to pretty except for one character.

I knew I had my heroine down pat. No doubt. I had her goal, motivation, conflict, internal flaws--everything. Perfecto!

But unfortunately my hero has become my..."problem child".

I thought I had his goal and motivation pretty well drawn out, but since this class (and the homework assignments) I'm realizing that I have to dig just a little bit deeper into his character.

I have a partial written so far. And it works for the most part. But then I got a recent critique from a critique partner and I had to laugh. Why? The questions she rose to me were all centered on my hero. My "problem child".

So obviously I haven't quite nailed his character yet. He just needs the slightest bit of tweaking. But I'm so close I can almost taste it.

So here's what I plan on working on today: (courtesy of Camy's class)

Today I'm going to try to uncover his internal flaw.

How?

By doing this: I'm going to play devil's advocate with my hero. I'm going to keep asking him the question WHY until he reaches a point where he has no more answers and he has to unveil an ugly truth about himself.

That's all I'm going to do this morning. Should be interesting. But I am determined to figure him out. Or else. :)

Have a great weekend!

Growing in Your Craft

IN THE NEWS: Guinea pig touted as solution to Congo food crisis. Read more HERE.


Hey, all! I had a fantastic spring break! Very busy, though. I planned and hosted a birthday tea party for an eight year old, did a few day trips with the family, and started an online writing class.

Whoa, let's look at that last one again. Yes, I started an online writing class. In fact, I'm doing A MONTH LONG one hosted by author Camy Tang on Characterization.

So far, it's been really great for me!

I'm a firm believer that every writer--aside from maybe the Nora Roberts and Stephen Kings of the world--should look to grow in their craft.

How?

1) Well, there are many books to read on the subject of writing. (My favorites are by James Scott Bell and Noah Lukeman) .When I read a great writing book, I try to absorb as much as possible. The only problem is once the book is put down, I don't always remember to utilize what I just read.

(Unless I read it more than once or I blog about it, which then crams it in my head again) :)

2)Many writers also go to conferences and take workshops. When I take a workshop that I enjoy, I take tons of notes. I'm all excited until I get home and I look at my notes. That's when it all looks foreign to me and I have to try and remember what I was so excited about.

3)Now with the Internet, there are many more options available like webinars and online conferences. In fact, one is the Muse Online Conference. Webinars and online conferences are much the same as actual conferences--minus the face to face networking and schmoozing. :) You can go in with very specific questions at any time during the day and from the comfort of your own home.

4)All those are wonderful resources that I DO take advantage of, but I have to say there is something just a little bit different about doing an actual writing class--online or in person. I'm thinking it's the homework accountability and the actual application of what is being taught that makes it just a little bit better than the other options mentioned. It's perfect for the well-intentioned writer (AKA me) who has writing workbooks on my nightstand that are still untouched.

I am actually being "forced" to apply homework lessons to my work-in-progress and post for the author and others. I can then see what I need to work on and what I totally have a handle on. So far, I'm finding I'm really liking this kind of hands-on approach. (Although right now, I'm behind in the homework!) :)

Do you have another way that you use to grow in your writing craft?

What do you find most useful for you?

From TBB to TBR

IN THE NEWS:Man fleeing Ohio police jumps fence--into prison. Read more HERE.

Hey, all!
Yes, I know it's WIP Wednesday, but considering this will be my last post until after Easter... I thought I'd change it up a bit.

I don't know about you, but I like to a lot of birthday/Christmas shopping online because of convenience and time. However, when I do this I end up ordering books for myself. (Especially if I need to have at least $25 for free shipping on Amazon) :)

These aren't random books that I buy, however. They are titles taken from a section of my computer that I have compiled in a carefully thought over TBB (TO BE BOUGHT) list.

Do you have a TBB list, too?

No? Oh, well, here's how and why I make mine.

When I read about a book that interests me on a blog or website or facebook, etc... I don't want to forget it, so I look it up and save the link in a "new books" folder in my "favorites" section of my computer. **I guess you could call me an online promo author's best friend. Because it works in my case**
Then...when I'm ready for some new reading material, I go to Amazon or MyBookStore and More or Harlequin (the three online places I like to order paper and electronic books from), and I have my shopping list already made out and handy.

I rarely go in "cold' to a book store. I know what I'm looking for and snatch it up. Now a library on the other hand, I tend to browse more and become much more adventurous in what I'll pick up and try.

Once I'm in buy-mode, though, I'll order anywhere from 3 to5 books at a shot from my TBB list. And what I order will totally depend on my mood or how long it's been on my list.

Then the day arrives.
The books come! (or, if I order ebooks, they're already here!!) And I officially have a TBR (TO BE READ) pile.

So how do I decide what to read first?

Well, it depends. But I usually like to start off with one or two books that are in my genre first--just to keep up with what is being published. Personal preference, luck of the draw, but sometimes if it got a good RT review, I'll go with that one first. After that, it really depends on my mood and if I need a genre sorbet or not. (You know, a totally different book to cleanse my reading palate) :)

And basically, THAT, my friends, is how a book goes from a TBB thought to a TBR pile to actually being read. (In my house, anyway)

What's your method of buying books?
Actual book store or online?
Are you a person who buys a book here and there on a whim, or are you like me and attack a book store with a plan and definitive action?

Quick Meal for Writers on the Go #1

IN THE NEWS: Would-be teen robber asks clerk not to tell mom. Read more HERE.

I haven't posted a recipe here in AGES, which is a shame because I've been trying a lot of good ones lately.
But I figured it was about time to find some really good quick ones here. Because if you're like me, you like to eat. But again, if you're like me, you don't want to waste a lot of time cooking when you'd rather be writing.

(or reading blogs)

Anyhew... My family and I LOVED this one and it only took 20 minutes. Yes.

20 minutes!!! If you can't spare 20 minutes to whip up a nice meal, you need to loosen up your schedule a bit. :) And it only takes 4 ingredients.
Okay, 9 ingredients, but 4 main ones. :)

Here it is:

Cajun Shrimp and Rice (courtesy of the Food Network Magazine)

1 tBsp butter
2 tBsp olive oil
3 gloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Cajun seasoning (I actually used Tony Chachere's creole seasoning).
1 pound large shrimp, peeled & deveined
salt & pepper
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2 bunches scallions, chopped
3 cups cooked rice
few tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Heat the butter, olive oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 1 minute. Add the Cajun seasoning and shrimp and cook, stirring, until the shrimp begin to curl, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomatoes and scallions to the skillet and cook, stirring, about 1 minute. Add the rice and 1/4 cup water and continue to cook until the rice is warmed through and the shrimp are opaque, about 3 more minutes. Stir in the parsley.

Voila! Makes 4 servings.

My seven year-old gobbled it, clean up was a piece of cake since it was only one skillet, I was adored by my hubby, and in the end I had more time to write.

Don't you just love a happy ending? :)

Getting into Character

IN THE NEWS: Burglar logs into MySpace on store computer. Read more HERE.

Hi, everyone! It's so good to be back from my bloggin break!
But I have to say I did have a very productive writing week. Yee-haw.(More on that Wednesday)

It took me a while to find my groove, though. Kind of weird as to why. I mean, I had my story. I had my characters. I had their Goal-Motivation-and Conflicts all in place. But something was still...off.

I wasn't completely feeling my characters.

So I did what I did the last time this happened to me: I went picture hunting. :)





It took me a while but this is my new HERO, Tom.
Believe it or not, it wasn't easy finding a man with dark hair and blue eyes, who had the right look.



Then I went searching for my HEROINE. I usually gravitate toward redheaded heroines (don't ask me why) but lately they've all been blond.









This is my HEROINE, Celia.


I now have quite a few shots of both of them. I find having pictures of my characters and then placing them out before me as I write really helps me see them more as "real" people.


Once I had them, my writing clicked so much better and I was even able to tighten up their motivations.

As a result, I had THE BEST writing week!!

I know that some writers conduct character 'interviews" to get to know their characters better. In fact, my critique partner has a great list she's posted HERE. I've personally never tried that. I even wonder if it would work for me. Right now, I'm all about the visual aspect.

Anyhew, it's a whole new word goal this week and I'm ready to kick some writing butt now that I'm into my characters.

How do you get to know your characters better?
Have you ever used pictures or character interviews?

Oh, what the heck. Here's one more picture of Tom.

Just because. :)

Cupid Shot Me :)

IN THE NEWS: 3-legged dog wins 1st place in NYC shelter contest. Read more here.

Fellow blogging bud, Diane Estrella is hosting a little post Valentine's Day fun.

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Diane thought it would be fun to share personal stories on when and how Cupid Shot Me! This could be a first date, how you met your spouse, a worst date ever or maybe what your dream date will be when you finally meet Prince Charming.

If you feel like participating, too. Check out her blog here for more details.

So without further ado, I will briefly describe how I met my Prince Charming--er, hubby.

I was in college (in my fourth year of a five year degree) on winter break. I wasn't dating anyone-- or interested in dating anyone-- since I had just suffered a bad break up of a long relationship. So I'm home when the phone rings.
Me: Hello?
My aunt: Jennifer? It's Aunt Helen. Would you like to meet a nice young man?
Me: (frowning because I had no idea what my aunt deems as "nice young man") Um...I don't know...
My aunt: He travels all over with his job, so he's very busy. I won't give him your number if you're not interested...
Me: (grudgingly) Ok. I guess that's---
My Aunt: Great! (hangs up)

Ugh. I have to tell you, I wasn't holding out hope for this to be a love match. I mean it was my aunt and his mother who was doing the matchmaking. (A yikes)
He ended up calling me 2 weeks later, my last weekend before I had to go back to school.

As soon as I heard his voice, I was HOOKED. In fact, the hubby has had many people tell him that he has a voice for radio. (He likes to joke he has a face for radio, too. LOL)
He made me laugh and laugh on the phone. So when he asked me if I'd like to go out that night, I said, "YES!!"

When he picked me up I, I thought he looked very young (his voice sounds older). I guess I expected him to look more "worldly", too, since he was out of college and a few years older. :) But we were both pretty young. We went out to dinner in Philadelphia and then to the Copa 2 for margaritas (my first date in a big city, so I was impressed!). We call it our marathon date since he picked me up at 6PM and I got in around 3AM! Surprisingly, I did NOT get in trouble with my parents.

Anyhew, he used a credit card to pay for dinner and after he signed the receipt he held it up and said, "For the scrapbook?" --which made me laugh.
Little did I know he ended up saving it (as well as several other souvenirs from our dates).
(That old softie) :)

We both knew that it was IT right away for both of us. We even said the "i love yous" not long after that first date and seventeen years later we're still together and very much in love. :)

So that's our story--a successful blind date.

Are you doing Diane's posting?

How did you meet your honey bunny?

Wednesday Work in Progress #2

IN THE NEWS: Man accused of stealing coins at mall fountain. Read more HERE.

Ok, it's Wednesday and well, I have good news, bad news, and good news as far as my work in progress report goes.

Good News: My critique partners really liked my sample chapter. Whew!! What a relief, because I was SO NERVOUS to try something new.

Bad News: I didn't like my sample chapter.

Well, it's not like I didn't like it, but something kept nagging at me, and I couldn't write any further. I felt like the princess in the Princess and the Pea story. Something wasn't right... Then I saw it. My MC's goal would be achieved about halfway through the book. Um, not good. No wonder it wasn't working.

Good News: Well, the good news I realized the blunder of my story before I wrote too much of it. And after working on a new blurb all yesterday, I finally feel happy with the new direction of my story.

The rest of this week I'm going to spend tweaking my plot and then I plan to change a few things in my opening chapter. That's all I hope to get to--which actually is a lot when you think about it. :)

How's your work-in-progress coming?