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I know we've talked about this before, bad boys versus good boys. It's been brought home to me this week as I've been watching ER reruns with Clooney - I love bad boys.















But the question today is WHY? What is it in ME that draws me to bad boys? Is it a nurturing thing, a need to take care of these damaged guys? But that can't be it, either, can it, since, say, Sam Winchester is just as damaged as his brother but is NOT a Bad Boy.

Is it a need to change the bad boy into a good man?

Is it a need for corruption? I'm essentially a Good Girl - do I need a balance of wildness?

Is it envy for the freedom Bad Boys have, the disregard for social mores?

What is it in women that draws them to bad boys?

(Let me tell you, I wish I had some pictures of the dh scanned - he was a Bad Boy. Mmmm.)

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A few weeks ago I wrote the synopsis for Something to Talk About, thinking I'd enter the PASIC contest. Well, I didn't enter, but I liked the way I'd worked out the story in the synopsis. The grand gesture at the end is PERFECT.

It's not coming out that way at all in the story.

The hero is a widower who worries that falling in love again makes him too vulnerable. He's already had two crises of faith with my heroine, and after the second, something happened to realize he doesn't really want to live without her.

In my synopsis I have him making another mistake, then making up for it with a grand gesture, but I think three crises might be too much.

Also, he seems pretty determined to have her at this point.

So I'm thinking the heroine is going to have to have the crisis. After all, this is her best friend's widower, and the town already thinks she is trying to step into her friend's shoes. Still, that doesn't seem big enough. Initially I was going to have her mother, who ran off 14 years ago, return here, shake things up, make my heroine wonder if she really ISN'T good enough for the hero, but I'm afraid that makes her seem too weak. Plus, I'm already at almost 350 pages...is that conflict strong enough for a book this big?

Honestly, I had this all figured out Thursday morning, but by the time I started writing Thursday evening, everything shifted.

I just love this book and I want it to be GREAT. I have another grand gesture in mind, but I have to give them another crisis to overcome first.

I sent Trish a gift but forgot a card, so here ya go, Trish! Happy birthday!

















Happy birthday!!!

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As the season winds down, there are fewer options on the Tivo. We're almost down to just one screen, no scrolling necessary. Just in time for summer, and I cut back to one DVD at a time from Blockbuster. Time to break out those bought DVDs, I guess.

What's left?

1) Lost
2) Battlestar Galactica
3) NCIS rereuns
4) The Unit reruns
5) The Office reruns
6) ER reruns (from Clooney days, because, well, it's Clooney.)

I'm looking forward to:

1) the new USA series about the US Marshall, In Plain Sight
2) the new season of Army Wives
3) the new season of Burn Notice
4) the new season of Psych

What's on your DVR?

I saw a pic of JDM yesterday shooting the finger. I was...disillusioned. Hate when that happens.

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The dog next door is a Weimaraner and she keeps climbing up on their trampoline - very funny.

I have to get gas today, and the last time I drove by the gas station by my house, the gas was up ten cents from the LAST time I got gas there. No telling what it is now, four days later. At least I only have to drive to school 8 more days (7 with kids, 1 workday). Even though I don't go far from home during the summer, I'm thinking of how to save money because of gas, and the home electric bill is supposed to go up at least 30%.

I already combine errands - I never go out just for one thing. I have a bike, but honestly, I do not see myself riding it where people could SEE me (even though it's pink!) I could walk to the library and the barbecue restaurant by my house. There will be days I don't leave the house (hopefully lots of those, depending on the boy, who STILL doesn't have his permit.) I've turned the thermostat 4 degrees warmer than last year.

I cooked at home more last week, and since the dh is home this week, he'll cook (YAY!)

We're unlikely to go anywhere except maybe a state park this summer. I told my guys it's a good thing we enjoy our house.

My mom's RV is now a very expensive potty on their land.

My mom and I are seriously considering carpooling next year (hers is the school across the highway from mine.) If not, I'll carpool with 2 teachers in my grade level. (For someone who values alone time, this is a Big Step.)

Have you made adjustments because of rising costs? Any hints to share?

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These are a few of my favorite things, summer style:

1) Fresh lemonade candle from Bath and Body...smells sooooo good.



2) White Tea with Raspberry from Lipton - I drink more water this way!



3) Keebler Waffle Bowls - they're tiny but tasty!

4) My Adirodack chairs



5) My outdoor cooler



6) blooming hibiscus



7) staying up as late as I want/no alarm clock

8) My pink laptop



9) Sour Cotton Candy



What are some of your favorite summer comforts?

Oh, just found out Taylor Kitsch is playing Gambit in the Wolverine movie! Sawyer would have been spectacular, but I like Taylor.



We didn't go see Indiana Jones yesterday - I wasn't feeling well and went back to bed at 10 AM. Bummer.

I wrote 11 new pages yesterday and the book woke me up again! Glad I'm off today to write, though the roofing estimate guy is coming in a couple of hours.

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I caught up with my writing goals this week! And STTA woke me up this morning, and I know how to fix BD. YAY!

Goals this week:

1) see Indiana Jones
2) go to grocery store
3) getting roofing estimate (CRINGE!)
4) get last set of grades turned in (YAY!)
5) keep class occupied
6) write 35 pages of STTA
7) revise 35 pages of BD
8) get to Blockbuster
9) keep up house

The dh is on vacation - should be a good week!

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Yesterday was a TERRIBLE day, including a shouting match in the drive-thru of Starbucks (I NEVER do that, but he almost hit my car!!!), whiny students and NO BREAK, Field Day in 90+ degree weather and Problem Child at full PC mode (and then he didn't get picked up till late because he's been kicked off the bus). I had thought a 3 day weekend at this time of year was ridiculous, but now I'm grateful for it.

I came home, had a glass of wine, which knocked me OUT, and I still went to bed at 10! Today is writing, writing, writing....and watching National Treasure 2 again.

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I really liked Grey's Anatomy's season finale. I liked Izzie and Bailey and Meredith's sister. I loved how Meredith gave Cristina the sparkle pager to get her mojo back. I knew when Alex was being so gentle with Rebecca that he must have done something like that before. Poor Alex. I wish they hadn't made Rebecca disturbed, though. I liked George and what the sister told him in the observation room. I LOVED the ending. I would have ended it like that. But you know, you KNOW how they're going to begin season five. You just have to know.

Field day today, from 12 to 2. Argh. I'm heading to the grocery store for sunscreen and popsicles, then going to get my mom since she needs a ride.

We're getting a roofing estimate Monday and I'm skeered.

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Another great review for Where There's Smoke! Where There’s Smoke Review

We got the TAKS results back yesterday and my kids did NOT do well in math. Over half of them failed. I'm so discouraged. We were working on Math like three hours a day. Only one failed the writing, though, and he's SPED and ESL.

It's been awhile since I blogged about TV, mostly because I spent last week watching the first season of Veronica Mars. WOW, what an addictive show. Seasons 2 and 3 are next on the queue. I loved the overarching mystery of Lily Kane, I loved VM's attitude and friendship with Wallace, I loved her belief her mom would come back, I loved her relationship with her dad, but I was absolutely intrigued by Logan Echolls. What a terrific character. I kind of see him and Alex Karev from Grey's having similar lives (though Alex wasn't wealthy, I don't think.) Very compelling stuff.

So I've only seen the last two episodes of Supernatural once. I'm not sure what I thought would happen, but every time they talk about a big battle, and then it's one demon against our boys...just different than I envisioned. I can't believe what happened to Dean, and while I was pleased Sam was able to fend off Lilith's attack, I keep thinking about the episode in Season One where he was locked in the closet and forced his way out with his mind to save Dean. And why didn't they ever pursue the story about Mary knowing the demon and her friends dying (which is actually being addressed in the Rising Son comics.)

I guess Men in Trees is done. Really, once Marin and Jack got together and the agent and Plow Guy moved to New York, what else was there to tell (though I loved Patrick working for the agent and making the office do things the friendly way). Still, will miss that gang.

NCIS has been saying for weeks one of their main characters would die and that happened last night during the two hour finale. That didn't shock or bother me as much as the very very end, which was similar to The Unit season finale last year. I wonder what will happen next year.

Grey's Anatomy is getting good again. Their season finale is tomorrow night.

Lost is good, but not as compelling as it used to be for me. Maybe when I don't have as much competition for my attention I can enjoy the season finale.

What TV shows have you been watching? Which season finales surprised you most?

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Where There's Smoke got another good review today. I've been pretty lucky. Where There’s Smoke review

Also, I got a Resolution from the State of Texas, recognizing me and my first two novels. Pretty cool and official looking.

I went to bed last night at 8:30 and got up at 5:30. 11 more days....

One of my pet peeves in romance is when you get to the end, the big "I love you" and one of the main characters says to the other, "I knew I loved you the minute I saw you," or something like that. I tried to figure out if I'm just grouchy, or why this bothers me so much. I think the reason it bothers me is that you've just had this story full of doubts and tribulations and worries, and dang it, if he loved her from the minute he saw her, what does all that middle stuff matter? Why did they have to go through those steps, why did they have a black moment? See, I think the journey they travel together is what makes them fall in love. My characters fall in love pretty quickly, because my books usually happen over a short amount of time. But they learn each other's strengths and weaknesses, and learn to accept each. The "I loved you the minute I saw you" line smacks too much of predestination, I guess, and while there is that in romance novels, it seems to weaken the lessons they learned on their journey together.

Thoughts?

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First of all, I got another gushing review for Hot Shot: Hot Shot Review

I'm caught up on my BD goal but not STTA. I know what I want to write next, but it's just not coming out well.

Okay, so I'm listening to High Noon on my iPod and reading The Hollow, both Nora books. I have to say High Noon is AWESOME, one of her best stand-alones in a long time. There was this one scene...I couldn't believe she did what she did. I was in awe. BUT I've also been able to predict when some bad stuff is going to happen when she starts a scene in the POV of a person whose POV she hasn't used before. Big fat clue. I don't know if I pick up on it because I write, but immediately I knew that couldn't end well.

And then ending, well, it seems a bit of a coincidence, but I'm not done yet.

As for The Hollow, I LOVED Blood Brothers. LOVED it. As soon as I got The Hollow, I started reading it. But I'm having kind of the same issue with it that I had with the Morrigan's Cross trilogy. You've got 3 men and 3 women working together, 2 couples have already hooked up and you know that last guy and gal are thinking, "Uh-oh," or, "That's what's left?" I dunno. Fox is pretty beta, though he's got some dark spots in his past. And Layla's a waif, for want of a better word. Not my favorite combination. Still, I'm about 80 pages from the end.

What have you been reading lately? Or picking apart?

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I don't know if it's being sick, or taking the medicine, or being the end of the year...I'm just really slow right now. I can't get anything done in a reasonable amount of time. The only accomplishment last week was watching the entire first season of Veronica Mars and getting to Bath and Body Works twice. And depositing my royalty check along with my last tutoring check.

This week:

1) manuscript paper back to WRP
2) newsletter
3) Something to Talk about to p. 270
4) BD revised to p. 110
5) SARA?
6) turn in grades
7) Field day
8) Grey's Anatomy Season Finale (I'm sure the ds will find a project to work on like he did during the last episode...grrr)
9) keep up house (I'm getting better about this)

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Boy, I perked right up when I remembered that tonight is the season finale of SPN! I'd better nap when I come home, because I'll have to wait to watch it till after Lost....

I survived the field trip - the glass blowing museum was cool, but they had a glass turtle that cost MORE THAN MY CAR.

I don't have much going on for my monthly newsletter. Maybe I should skip it? Last month I had reviews and guest blogging. This month, just the Wayback news.

I'm still not very hungry. This can only be good. I actually was getting hungry last night at about 7:30, for the first time in almost a week.

14 more days of school....

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I'm going back today. Field trip. Joy.

I had a burger, some fries and a taco yesterday. Am a little hungrier today.

Found out we won't get our rebate check till June because through Turbo Tax, you don't have direct deposit so much as a refund anticipation loan. So we'll get a paper check mid-June. Sigh.

Got my first royalty check, only...it's made to my pen name. I don't have any id in my pen name!

Decided not to enter PASIC. Too much work. Did write my synopsis, though - yay.

I'm blogging at Allie Boniface’s blog today. Come say hey!