Straight No Chaser
Aren't they GREAT?!
Hello world!
5 years ago
Friday, December 25, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Holiday Madness
It's ten days before Christmas and I haven't done any shopping, decorating, baking, or anything Christmasy. What I have done is write, so it isn't as if I'm lolling on a beach somewhere in Barbados, although that would be my wish, with the temps well below freezing here.
So far, one book finished, one in the process of being completed, and copy edits on that first. Not all will be finished before Christmas, but it's definitely time to take a break. I had a wonderful time at the Wichita Area Romance Authors Christmas party on Sunday with the super ladies of WARA, so at least a bit of Christmas is creeping slowly into my little space.
But it's only the beginning of the holiday season, right? No? Well, I'm just beginning! Tomorrow night will really set things in motion, and you're all invited!
Would you like to chat with some of your favorite authors? Have a chance to win free books? Then the place to be on the evening of December 16 is at Harlequin's Holiday Open House chat! This is an annual event, and this year there will be nearly 100 authors attending the festivities. The fun starts at 7 p.m. EST at eHarlequin and will encompass 3 hours of chat, followed by Post Parties on the message boards.
I'll be joining many of the Home and Hearth authors during the first hour (7-8 p.m. EST) and giving away 3 copies each of THE RODEO RIDER and BACHELOR COWBOY, the first two of my series set in the fictional town of Desperation, Oklahoma.
I'll be joining many of the Home and Hearth authors during the first hour (7-8 p.m. EST) and giving away 3 copies each of THE RODEO RIDER and BACHELOR COWBOY, the first two of my series set in the fictional town of Desperation, Oklahoma.
Come celebrate the holiday season with us (and help kick off mine!)
Harlequin's Holiday Open House
Would you like to chat with some of your favorite authors? Have a chance to win free books? Then the place to be on the evening of December 16 is at Harlequin's Holiday Open House chat! Nearly 100 authors will be attending the festivities. The fun starts at 7 p.m. EST at eHarlequin and will encompass 3 hours of chat, followed by Post Parties on the message boards.
I'll be chatting with the Home and Hearth authors during the first hour (7-8 p.m. EST) and giving away 3 copies each of THE RODEO RIDER (Harlequin American Romance, August 2009) and BACHELOR COWBOY (Harlequin American Romance, January 2010), the first two of my series set in the fictional town of Desperation, Oklahoma.
Come celebrate the holiday season with us!
I'll be chatting with the Home and Hearth authors during the first hour (7-8 p.m. EST) and giving away 3 copies each of THE RODEO RIDER (Harlequin American Romance, August 2009) and BACHELOR COWBOY (Harlequin American Romance, January 2010), the first two of my series set in the fictional town of Desperation, Oklahoma.
Come celebrate the holiday season with us!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Confessions of a Night Owl
Yes, I'm a night owl and have been since the beginning. The story goes that during the first 7 weeks of my life, before I was adopted, the nuns at the hospital would put all the other babies to bed, then save me for last so I could play before I was put to bed for the night. After I was adopted, my dad worked second shift, and I was kept up late so he'd have a chance to spend time with me. It wasn't my fault!
I also don't wake up in the morning well. It takes at least an hour for my brain to kick in. Amount of caffeine intake doesn't apply. I'm just a slow starter. I was up late last night working on revisions, so this morning when my daughter dropped off her three kids, I was asleep. If the g-kids had asked me for a beer in that first 30 minutes, I'd have given it to them. Not that I could find a beer in my fridge, but you get the picture. An hour later, when I drove the two oldest to school, I was just gaining true consciousness. Full, raging consciousness kicked in almost immediately. Three drivers cut me off by turning left into the drive-thru in front of the school, keeping me from turning right, and then they ended up blocking the crosswalk and half the street.
I'm working on a new web design...for me! I'm still not sure I love it, so we'll see if it makes it to the point of being "live." Not that there's a lot of time to do it. Revisions notes on The Lawman's Little Surprise (July 2010) arrived, so I'm in the midst of tackling them--at night.
Two days until Wicked! Yes, I'm going to see the touring Broadway production of the musical, currently in our fair city. I'm excited! Saturday night can't come too soon. (And note that it's night, so I'll be fully awake.) No, I haven't read the book. I've read only one book since summer, and that was Linda Wisdom's 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover, the first in her Hex series. It was great! Love the characters! Winning a copy of the newest in the series, Hex in High Heels, was a delightful surprise! Thank you Linda, and thanks, too, to Cindy Procter-King for hosting Linda on her blog.
I also don't wake up in the morning well. It takes at least an hour for my brain to kick in. Amount of caffeine intake doesn't apply. I'm just a slow starter. I was up late last night working on revisions, so this morning when my daughter dropped off her three kids, I was asleep. If the g-kids had asked me for a beer in that first 30 minutes, I'd have given it to them. Not that I could find a beer in my fridge, but you get the picture. An hour later, when I drove the two oldest to school, I was just gaining true consciousness. Full, raging consciousness kicked in almost immediately. Three drivers cut me off by turning left into the drive-thru in front of the school, keeping me from turning right, and then they ended up blocking the crosswalk and half the street.
I'm working on a new web design...for me! I'm still not sure I love it, so we'll see if it makes it to the point of being "live." Not that there's a lot of time to do it. Revisions notes on The Lawman's Little Surprise (July 2010) arrived, so I'm in the midst of tackling them--at night.
Two days until Wicked! Yes, I'm going to see the touring Broadway production of the musical, currently in our fair city. I'm excited! Saturday night can't come too soon. (And note that it's night, so I'll be fully awake.) No, I haven't read the book. I've read only one book since summer, and that was Linda Wisdom's 50 Ways to Hex Your Lover, the first in her Hex series. It was great! Love the characters! Winning a copy of the newest in the series, Hex in High Heels, was a delightful surprise! Thank you Linda, and thanks, too, to Cindy Procter-King for hosting Linda on her blog.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Update on Payton
Life has been busy and a bit topsy-turvy lately, so news on Payton hasn't been updated recently.
She's home! Even after a second trip to Children's Mercy for nearly a week, because of feeding problems. But the feeding tube she came home with to supplement her bottles has been removed. She's eating, keeping it down most of the time, and gaining weight. In 12 days, she'll be 3 months old. It's been a fast 3 months at times, while at others, it's dragged. We're all so glad to have everyone home and getting back into a routine.
Her first Halloween will not be spent trick or treating. Being out in public and especially on cold nights, is out of the question. With viruses of all kinds around these days, precautions are being taken with her. We want to keep her heatlhy and happy!
Thanks to everyone for the prayers and wonderful notes of encouragement!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
The Real Meaning of Fall
Whether you call it fall or autumn, it's the same. The air is brisk, leaves crackle and crunch beneath feet, the shouts of children coming out of school can be heard, and there's a scent in the air that's impossible to describe. Those are the first things I think of when the change of seasons from summer to fall comes around.
So why am I surrounded by piles of clothes in all sizes, shapes and colors? How did the simple task of putting away the laundry done last night turn everything into a disaster area?
Let's see. There were 7 loads of laundry last night, a mix of my daughter's clothes and mine, for both hot weather and cold weather. All those clean, fresh clothes needed to be put away. Winter clothes to drawers and closets, warm weather clothes to plastic bins until spring rolls around again. Easy enough. Take the wrong season clothes out of the drawer and put the right season in. That's pretty much a done deal now and didn't take a lot of time.
With not enough drawer space for the bulky items, the obvious task was to hang some in the closet. Easy, right? Uh, no. The closet was full. The few summer clothes were pulled out, only to discover formal wear, some of which hasn't been worn since, oh, 2002. Yikes! All await a new home and are resting on chairs and any other flat surface. Oh, and that formal wear of another daughter who had, I thought, bought a bin to store them in? She'll be taking care of those as soon as she gets home. Why? Because I said so. But I still have to deal with the blankets and who knows what the other daughter left behind in the closet when she moved into a different bedroom. Does it ever end? Maybe.
By tomorrow I hope to have it all sorted, put in proper places, and not have to worry until spring rolls around again. With luck, it won't be so bad. I wouldn't bet on that, though.
Such is fall.
So why am I surrounded by piles of clothes in all sizes, shapes and colors? How did the simple task of putting away the laundry done last night turn everything into a disaster area?
Let's see. There were 7 loads of laundry last night, a mix of my daughter's clothes and mine, for both hot weather and cold weather. All those clean, fresh clothes needed to be put away. Winter clothes to drawers and closets, warm weather clothes to plastic bins until spring rolls around again. Easy enough. Take the wrong season clothes out of the drawer and put the right season in. That's pretty much a done deal now and didn't take a lot of time.
With not enough drawer space for the bulky items, the obvious task was to hang some in the closet. Easy, right? Uh, no. The closet was full. The few summer clothes were pulled out, only to discover formal wear, some of which hasn't been worn since, oh, 2002. Yikes! All await a new home and are resting on chairs and any other flat surface. Oh, and that formal wear of another daughter who had, I thought, bought a bin to store them in? She'll be taking care of those as soon as she gets home. Why? Because I said so. But I still have to deal with the blankets and who knows what the other daughter left behind in the closet when she moved into a different bedroom. Does it ever end? Maybe.
By tomorrow I hope to have it all sorted, put in proper places, and not have to worry until spring rolls around again. With luck, it won't be so bad. I wouldn't bet on that, though.
Such is fall.
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