Thank You, Dana Marton

I read CAMOUFLAGE HEART over the weekend. Lovely action/adventure/romance set in the Malaysian jungle. I love that kind of story, but I've been hesitant to try something quite like that myself.

Then it occurred to me that the urban jungle is fraught with its own dangers and beauties, and that navigating that urban jungle is just what I needed my heroine to do to become more proactive (and endangered) in my beleaguered WIP.

So thanks, Dana, for a great read and the inspiration.

Cat Bloggy Goodness

IMAO, a very funny blog (with a conservative bent, for those sensitive to such) is hosting this week's Carnival of the Cats. If you like catblogging, check it out. This particular post is politics free.

Unless you're a cat.

The Wench Won

My internal editor: winner and still champion!

I'm about 142 pages into my WIP when it suddenly occurs to me that I'm off course. I've got too many characters, my heroine (who's supposed to be the woman in jeopardy) is practically sitting in the backseat of this story, and my hero's big, dark back story secret is being eclipsed by another big, dark back story secret that was supposed to be just a passing thing.

So okay. I surrender. I've got to go back about three chapters, excise two characters (who I really liked, dang it!), move up a murder that I didn't have happening quite so soon, create a secondary character to be a stronger red herring suspect in the crimes at the heart of the story, and oh yeah, gotta put my heroine in escalating danger.

NaNoWriMo, I hardly knew ye...

The Internal Editor . . .

She's a harsh mistress.

::sigh::

118 pages. Fourteen scheduled for today. I hope.

Is it my imagination or did writing used to come more easily? I remember racing home to write, plotting every second of my drive to and from work, daydreaming about my books in the middle of the work day. I don't seem to do that anymore. But why?

I still love to write. I still think I'm pretty good at it. And now that I've sold my first book, I really need to be able to produce good stuff quickly in the future. But the ideas don't seem to flow like they used to. The stories don't come together in my mind as easily.

Is it the pressure of having sold? Am I just going through a dry spell? Am I not disciplined enough? Or am I afraid of success? (Calling Dr. Phil . . .)

Or maybe writing was a lot easier when I didn't actually know how to write, how to plot a story with enough conflict to sustain it. Maybe it was easier to write when the stories just weren't up to par.

I'll let you know if I ever figure it out.

Be Prepared, Redux

As I wrote in a previous entry around the time of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, we all need to take responsibility for our own preparedness in a time of crisis. To that end, a bright and motivated kid named Austin (who just happens to be actress Sela Ward's son) has created preparedpak.com, a site where you can purchase disaster preparedness kits, with the profits going to foster kids displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

It's a good idea benefiting a good cause.

Progress on the Quasi NaNoWriMo

I'm on page 94 of my current WIP, shooting for 270 pages total, and while I haven't really hit a block yet, my internal editor is being a real pain in the keister. "That paragraph stinks!" "Is that really the word you want to use?" "What a cliche!"

But even with obstacles in my way (got to put the leg up; oops, my six-year-old niece tripped on the power cord and broke the adapter, and now I have to order the replacement part and have it overnighted; and oh by the way, my ex-bro-in-law who I let borrow my car out of the kindness of my heart managed to have a wreck that was his fault and totally screwed up my perfect driving record with my insurance company—thanks SO much), I've managed to write a little bit each day. I don't know that I'll meet my 270 page deadline by November 30th, but I do think I should definitely be able to have the NaNoWriMo total of 50,000 words done by then.

I had worked out the plot using index cards, jotting down basic story events, before I started writing, but the story has already started surprising me. Like, who knew the hero and heroine were going to kiss a full two or three chapters before I originally imagined it? And already, some of the crime victims' identities have changed, and I'm only on chapter six.

I do like writing this way, though, hurtling through the story at breakneck speed. I've learned over the years that while I'd love to be a pantser, I'm really a plotter at heart, and the sooner I come to terms with that fact, the more prolific a writer I'll be. And now that I have an actual editor I work with who's given me wonderful insight into what Harlequin Intrigue is looking for, I know how to shape my book to better fit the line as I'm writing it.

Mega Update

Well, it's been quite a while since I blogged, and in my defense, I've spent most of that time out of work with a bad case of cellulitis in my right leg. I'm nicely on the mend now, however, and I go back to work tomorrow, much to the relief of my boss.

Cellulitis is a deep tissue infection that can be a real bugger to beat, and it's dangerous because it can spread from your leg or wherever to organs, becoming life-threatening. My doctor wanted me to be hospitalized but the E.R. doctors at the hospital where I went decided to send me home with antibiotics. When I went back to my doctor a little over a week later, he was not pleased, but the first round of antibiotics had lowered my white blood count quite a bit, so he just gave me a new round of two different antibiotics to finally kick this thing. My white blood count is back to the normal range now, and my leg is getting back to normal, so I go back to work tomorrow.

Unfortunately, I missed my local RWA chapter's Reader's Luncheon, which was going to be my first one as a published author. (Well, to-be-published, but you know what I mean). I was really bummed about that. On the upside, the need to do some office work here at home (with my leg propped up to fight the swelling) spurred me to finally get a wireless router so that I could get online using my laptop. Yay! I got a wireless adapter for my sister's computer, too, which means I can drop one of our two cable broadband connections, which will save me some money. Double yay!

And I started a new manuscript! Inspired to unofficially participate in National Novel Writing Month, I had prepped the basic plot points of my new story idea before I got sick. It was touch and go as to whether I'd be able to get started on November 1st, since I was pretty much sick as a dog from Wednesday to Saturday of the week before, but by Sunday I was starting to feel a good bit better, and by Tuesday, I was well enough to not only work on my new book but also start doing some office work at home.

It's now November 13th, and I have 75 pages written. I'm figuring on getting extra pages written during the long Thanksgiving holiday as well, so I'm hoping to have the first draft of my book finished by December 1st. We'll see how it goes.

October

It's finally autumn in Alabama, with chilly breezes and cloudy skies. We turned the heat on at work for the first time yesterday, and I gave into the inevitable and put away my sandals until spring or the next warm day, whichever comes first.

October has always been one of my favorite months. September in Alabama is still summer with all its heat and humidity, but October brings cold snaps and changing leaves. Alabama versus Tennessee on a mild October Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Little kids in costumes knocking on your door and asking for candy, bringing back a thousand childhood memories.

October is pumpkins and haunted hayrides, growing shadows in the afternoon and condensation on your windshield in the morning. October smells different, like fallen leaves and the first hint of woodsmoke. The color of the day is different, the light cooler and more distant, the sun a lover who has not yet abandoned you for the delights of the other side of the world—but his eyes are starting to wander.

I fell in love for the first time in October, on a cold, crisp night in late October. Some friends and I had gone out to the boondocks to a "haunted" barn and talked the folks running the show to let us dress up and play monsters in the exhibit. Afterwards, the boy I really liked held my hand as cheesy eighties love songs played on the radio. It never went anywhere, much, but you never forget your first love.

I think I'm going to set my new book in October, this brief, golden time between hellish heat and relentless chill.

Bloggy Goodness

Since I'm waiting to hear from my editor on my revisions and a second project, and I'm only in the planning stages of my next manuscript, and nothing else is going on much with me, I'm having trouble coming up with anything to blog about. So I think I'll direct you over to The Bandwagon, where Mary got good news. Or to Booksquare, which always has something interesting going on. The Knight Agency Blog is chock full 'o good stuff for writers, and there's always Romancing the Blog.

Or you could check out my website and sign up for my newsletter. Once every month or so I'll send out an update of what's going on with me. No obligation and you can quit anytime! Can't beat that deal!

That'n Makes Me Cry

Stealing shamelessly from Mary at The Bandwagon, who linked to this jewel of an anecdote.

It takes a lot to make me cry. That story did it--and in such a good way.

My hero is a heroine--my mother, who withstood my oh-so-pragmatic father's attempts to squelch my dreams of being a writer and never lost faith in my talents and my drive. She's the one who tirelessly took my contest entries to the post office over the past couple of years because the hours at our little local post office clashed with my work hours. The postal clerks know her by name! And she was the first person I tried to call when I found out I sold.

Who's your writing hero?

Update-O-Rama

Catching up on stuff I've posted about before...

Mom Update - She's doing really well. She even got up this morning and cooked breakfast, which she never used to do much of before the surgery. Honestly, she did better after the surgery than I did, and I was only 29 years old at the time. Mom's almost 72. Tough lady, my mom. I aspire to be more like her.

Vegetable Garden Update: Well, of the long-frozen seed packets I planted, three survived and thrived. The Tommy Toes and the crookneck squash didn't make it, although the squash gave it a good try. But the Atkinson tomatoes, the eggplant and the bell peppers all thrived and all three are still putting out fruit. I think my mom plans to pick the eggplants today to make a casserole or something. The bell peppers and tomatoes we've already been eating.

Book Update: No word yet from my editor about the FORBIDDEN TERRITORY revisions I sent about a month ago, and no word on the second manuscript she's considering (WILD CARD). I'm currently working on writing a working synopsis for my WIP, DANGEROUS PURSUITS, which is a sequel to FORBIDDEN TERRITORY.

LOST Update: I think the tough girl's gonna give Freckles a run for her money where Sawyer's concerned. Although, based on all the gaggy cute Jack/Kate moments last night, maybe I'm in the minority of those who like Sawyer/Kate better. Why do I do this to myself? Mulder and Scully should have cured me...

Who You Gonna Call?

Let me preface what I'm about to say by admitting that I'm a skeptic about all things paranormal. I believe in God, but not so much in ghosts, psychics, or the like. (Don't get me started on "orbs" and "vortices"). Most of the so-called paranormal activity people talk about has a perfectly logical, scientific explanation.

Still, to quote Fox Mulder, I want to believe. I like the idea that there's a whole world outside our physical world that most people just can't see, and that there are a few rare, blessed/cursed people who can see what the rest of us can't. It's why I made Lily, the heroine of my book FORBIDDEN TERRITORY, a psychic. It's why I loved THE X-FILES, why I like LOST and MEDIUM, why I love to watch shows like MOST HAUNTED on the Travel Channel.

And it's why GHOST HUNTERS is one of my favorite "reality" shows. Airing on Sci Fi, GHOST HUNTERS features two mild-mannered plumbers named Jason and Grant, who head TAPS, The Atlantic Paranormal Society. They and their band of merry men and women go out on ghost hunts, armed with cameras, sensors and a decent amount of skepticism. They approach every "haunting" as if to debunk it, their theory being that if they do the skeptic's work for him, they're a lot closer to proving the paranormal exists than if they claimed every dust speck and chilly draft is evidence of ghostly activity.

The downside of their approach is that they rarely find any evidence on their investigations. But what they do find gives you a nice little chill down your spine, and the drama of their interpersonal relationships keeps fans interested even when the ghosties don't show up.

Another downside is that it airs opposite LOST. However, it replays at 11 pm Central, and also at 7 pm Central a week later, before the new ep airs at 8 pm Central. If you're like me, and you get a kick from things that go bump in the night, give it a look.

What if I Run Out of Ideas?

I've heard a million times that writers never run out of ideas, they just run out of time to write.

Has the opposite ever been true? I know I used to be full of ideas for books, but as I've been seriously trying to structure my writing time more, in order to better meet self-imposed (and externally imposed) deadlines, I find myself curiously bereft of ideas that really get me excited. Am I causing my own mental block by focusing on writing for publication? But if I don't focus on that aspect of the business, will I ever produce books quickly enough in quantity enough to be successful?

Am I just overthinking this???

Monday Catch-up

Well, my mother is safely home from the hospital, although it took until Saturday to get her home. She's not having too much trouble from the surgery herself, but all the bed rest seemed to have messed up her arthritic knee, so that walking around is painful and difficult, at least for now. She'll be getting an orthopedic referral soon and, we hope, they'll be able to figure out how to fix the knee.

Over the weekend I received the first installment of my advance for FORBIDDEN TERRITORY and a copy of the signed contract. It all feels a little more official now! Still waiting to hear from my editor about the revisions I sent--once they're accepted, I get the second installment of the advance.

She's also looking at WILD CARD, but I don't think there's any way she'll be able to buy it as an Intrigue. It was conceived as an Intimate Moments, and it would be very hard to revise it to fit the requirements of an Intrigue, I think. I know she can buy for Intimate Moments, but will she want my second book out to be in a completely different line? I have my doubts. I guess I'll find out soon enough.

So...

Lost viewers...would you have pushed the button or not?

After careful thought, I think I would, because of the ticking clock. But you'd better be sure I'd put my best tech guy on figuring out in the next 108 minutes what the heck that button actually does.

How about you?

And by the way, Lost showrunners? MORE SAWYER. Sooner rather than later. In copious quantities.

Mom Update

My mother's endoscopy successfully removed the remaining gallstone and she's back in her hospital room, awake and relatively alert. Barring complications, she's on track to be home from the hospital tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who kept my mom in your thoughts and prayers.

Update to the update:

Well, it's going to be Friday before my mom comes home. She failed her first solid food test this morning (promptly threw up), so they want to let her have the rest of today to get her stomach used to eating again. However, other than that, she's doing well, and when she's not drugged up on the anti-pain/anti-nausea stuff, she sounds more and more like her old self.

So I Had This Dream . . .

Had another vivid dream last night. I, along with probably about two hundred other people, ended up stranded in a deserted city. No cars, trains, boats or any other form of transportation, and there was a sea around our little island city. Sort of like a civilized Lost—power grid was working, clean, running water, etc. (Apparently even in my dream world, I'm a soft, pampered urbanite without much stomach for hiking the wilderness). So we had all the basic civilized amenities except transportation off the island and communication with the outside world.

And in keeping with the Lost theme, Sayid (Naveen Andrews) was on the island city, and we had a sort of tense "will they or won't they?" sexual tension going on. He was in among the three or four people in charge, doling out responsibilities. And for some reason (I think just to put distance between us because he was disturbed by his passion for me) he assigned me on a scout team to go explore the rest of the island city while he and the others set about figuring out how to keep the island's resources going as long as possible.

I protested loudly, pointing out that in my "real" life, I was a thinker, not a trekker, and that my talents were better used there with them than trekking about the island city. But he would have none of it. His eyes were saying yes, but his mouth was saying no.

And then I woke up.

Of course, I'm still trying to figure out why my dream starred Sayid instead of Sawyer (Josh Holloway)...

Writing Through Stressful Times

I apparently can't, if the last few days are any indication. Maybe if I were in the middle of a WIP it would be different, but I'm still in the plotting process on my newest WIP, so I'm getting nowhere while I wait to hear if my mom's surgery went okay.

Maybe once it's over, the creative bug will bite again.

Update:

Mom made it through surgery just fine, but there's a gall stone stuck in her bile duct, so they're going to have to go in and get it endoscopically. That means it'll probably be Thursday or Friday before she comes home.

She's lucky they caught it; I had a stone floating around in my system after surgery that finally blocked a pancreatic duct and had one last, nasty bout of post-surgery pancreatitis before it was all over with. Hopefully, Mom will avoid that unpleasant surprise.

Owie Ow Ow

My mother had to go to the hospital last night with severe abdominal pain that has turned out to be gallstones. Ouch—been there, done that, got the laparoscopy scars. Gallstones is one of those ailments that make you willing to undergo surgery without anesthetic just to get the blasted thing out of you.

Looks like they're going to try to do a laparoscopic gall bladder removal tomorrow if everything goes well. Assuming they can do the laparoscopy, which isn't a given, she should be able to go home Wednesday. In a week or so she'll be back to her old self, it my experience is anything to go by.

As surgeries go, gall bladder removal isn't the most dangerous, but any surgery is dangerous, so I hope you'll keep my mom in your thoughts and prayers.

And owie ow ow #2: anybody watch the Alabama/Florida game Saturday on CBS? Roll Tide and all that, but daaaaaang, did they have to show the slow-mo replay of Tyrone Prothro's tibia and fibula breaking??? Nearly tossed my lunch. The good news is that it wasn't his ankle, which can be a much tougher injury to recover from, but that's about all the good news you can find in that kind of an injury.

(For those who didn't watch the game Saturday, search your memories for Joe Theissman's leg break a few years back. Ewwww—see what I mean?)

Be Prepared

With another massive hurricane bearing down on the U.S. mainland, and with other disasters, natural and man-made, always looming as a possibility, now is as good a time as any to start preparing yourself and your family to survive a disaster.

First--you need a survivor's mindset. The core of this mindset is knowing that you are responsible for your own survival. Know that if the hurricane hits or the earthquake strikes or another terrorist attack takes place, YOU are your own first responder. For situations that you can predict, like a hurricane, get out of the way. Inconvenience versus death--I know which one I'd choose. But some disasters can't be predicted, and that's why it's important to be prepared ahead of time. This isn't an indictment of any level of government (although it's not a bad idea that you hold your local and state governments accountable first, since they're already on the scene). But nobody can be fully prepared for every eventuality. That's why it's ultimately up to you.

Know that you are on your own for at least the first five days of a disaster, and prepare for it. Stockpile non-perishable food and water in water-proof containers. If you can keep the food lightweight (foil packets instead of cans, for instance), do so. Keep a large plastic jar of peanut butter on hand--it's a great source of nutrition, isn't particularly expensive and keeps well. Buy tuna in foil packets. Buy cereal bars. Buy instant oatmeal--it can be mixed with a small amount of water to make a hearty breakfast. Have some plastic bowls and cups on hand. Plastic utensils. And plenty of bottle water--a gallon per day per person is the recommended amount.

Have a couple of changes of clothing available. Hygiene isn't your primary focus in matters like these, but as the flooding in New Orleans showed, you don't know what condition your clothes will be in when you reach safety. If you have a change of clothing where you can reach it, you're ahead of the game.

Stockpile at least five days worth of your prescription medications. I have asthma, and I've already set aside a full 200-dose rescue inhaler for such purposes. I also have a five day supply of my other inhaler, and a three day supply of my two other prescription medications. (I'm working up to stockpiling five days' worth). Also, have a first aid kit with the basic supplies, plus extra pain reliever, anti-biotic ointment or cream, sunscreen, bug repellent and any hygiene items you may need.

Have some basic tools available—manual can opener, bottle opener, hammer, duct tape, plastic sheeting, matches or a lighter, candles, flashlights, etc. You know the drill, and if you don't, there are plenty of places to find a good working list.

Learn first aid and CPR. Keep your car in good working condition and full of gas if you can. Keep your cell phone charged up. Have an evacuation plan—do you have relatives or friends who can take you in? Have a plan for your pets—check with motels in the area to which you plan to evacuate to find out if they'll allow pets. Some do. Most don't. After Katrina, it seems like some of the public shelters are relaxing rules about pets. Check into what's available in your area. Or, if you evacuate ahead of time, you can find a veterinarian in the place to which you plan to evacuate who can board the animals for a few days until the crisis is over. Be sure you have enough carriers for all your animals. Stockpile some pet food along with your food in case you have to shelter in place together.

If you evacuate ahead of time, be sure to take copies of important records, such as birth certificates, social security cards, drivers' licenses, prescriptions, insurance, etc. You'll need those numbers if something happens to your home or property. Go ahead and make copies now and keep them in a zip lock bag or something similarly waterproof and easy to carry.

Everyone in the family should have a contact number to call in case you get separated. One of my contact numbers for my family is my friend Jenn, who lives in New Jersey, several states away. She can act as our clearing house so we can let each other know we got out safely and where we are.

Finally, be a good neighbor. If you know that a neighbor or friend doesn't have a car, for instance, or has health problems, see if you can help your neighbor or friend get to safety while you're getting to safety yourself. Help that neighbor or friend stockpile his or her own disaster kit--pick up some extra peanut butter or an extra pouch of tuna when you go to the grocery store, an extra six-pack of bottled water.

And not to go all Mad Max on you, it's not a bad idea to be prepared to defend yourself and your neighbors from people who will try to take advantage of the crisis. I don't personally own a weapon, but I'm all for personal firearm ownership if you're responsible, careful and well-trained. A group of neighbors banding together with just a few personal weapons among them can keep a whole neighborhood safe from criminals.

I haven't covered everything you'll need for everything that might happen—it's impossible to prepare perfectly for any eventuality. But if you'll do the basics and, most importantly, if you'll maintain a survivor state of mind, you'll have a good chance of being the one still standing when the dust settles.