NEW SUPERNATURAL TONIGHT, Teaching While It's Hot and My Cover

5:07 AM Edit This 3 Comments »
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All new Supernatural on tonight, about witches! The ds wanted to go to a friend's to watch LOST, but we vetoed it - the kid lives 20 minutes away, which means we wouldn't get back home till nearly 10. I feel bad, because the kid's in mourning over John Edwards dropping out of the race, but man! I am worthless on Thursday nights.

Yesterday was chilly, in the 50s. I noticed the heater was on. I was okay, but a little irritated.

Then I started teaching division for the first time and apparently the heater kicked on full blast. I felt like I was in one of those experiments to gauge how temperature affects a teacher's mood when she's teaching a subject for the first time to kids who don't know their facts....and to top it off, the special ed teacher was just standing around not helping. Grrr. He's in there to give me a hand and he didn't help one kid.

By the afternoon, it was 84 degrees in my class. We'd called maintenance and been ignored. See, this "fancy" AC/heating unit cannot be turned on and off by mere school personnel. SUPPOSEDLY it monitors itself. Ha. When it doesn't, they have to call maintenance. I think it's just an effort to keep those guys employed.

I got my Hot Shot cover last night, and it's great, perfect pose, perfect background, perfect heroine....except my hero is follicly challenged. Trish says he looks like Daniel Day Lewis. My son said Dresden. I'm fine with both those guys, but this is GABE. He's been in my head for 8 years. I don't know if it's something that can be fixed. I'm thinking of Waterworld, where Kevin Costner had artists add hair to each frame of the movie so he wouldn't look old.

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4 AM and Cold and Love Scenes

4:55 AM Posted In Edit This 3 Comments »
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Today it's 36 but feels like 33. Glad I got the clothes from the dry cleaners last night! And I'll wear one of my new tops from Academy.

This getting up at 4 AM is taking its toll. I'm so tired! But after 2 days, I'm waking up automatically! I stayed in bed a little longer this AM because, you know, cold, but I'll be glad to hand this book in.

Have you guys been watching Jane Austen on Masterpiece Theater? I've seen Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park and both were excellent.

I think I'm going to start physically rewriting StTA from the beginning. Some stuff I can keep, but I'm a little more focused now, and I think it needs to be done that way. I'm not sure of my priorities, other than Hot Shot, though. I want to get another book into Samhain, and it needs editing, if not revision, and I want to get a story into Wayback, before the town gets too built up, and there's too much stuff to worry about including. Maybe once I get Hot Shot turned in, we could do a writing challenge.

Honestly, I don't see how people work on more than one book at a time. It's making me a little crazy.

Okay, crazier.

Yesterday on the way to the dry cleaners, I was listening to Agnes and the Hitman by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer. End of the third disc, and a sizzling love scene. I'd forgotten she could write them like that, then I remembered Welcome to Temptation. Anyway, it's very hard to concentrate on driving when you're listening to that. The reader presented it in breathless run-on sentences, and DANG. Dang. I wish I could have held onto some of that energy for my own writing last night, 'cause that's where I'm at in StTA. Actually, it's where I am in Hot Shot edits, too.

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Books and Lamps and Storage and Temperatures and Writing

4:44 AM Edit This 4 Comments »
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It is 66 degrees at 4:30 in the AM in JANUARY. Bleh! A cool front is coming, but now - bleh!

I've read 7 books in January and started number 8. Good start! I was right about the end of PS I LOVE YOU - didn't like it as well as the movie ;)

Trish is coming to visit at the end of February and I'm cleaning up the guest room, which gets dumped on a lot. I needed some storage so I went to Lowe's and got this cool fabric covered box that makes an ottoman! I may go get another...it was only $10. We also looked at floor lamps and saw one we liked, but the box was all messed up, so may try another Lowe's. Also, I have a $30 gift card from Home Depot, so may try there.

Lowe's had a BUNCH of geraniums and the weather was so nice I was tempted. But again, JANUARY.

I wrote a little on my rodeo story and started to fix my small town story and edited 25 pages of Hot Shot yesterday. Waking up at 4 makes me productive, but cranky along about 6 PM ;)

Tutoring today, first time since 2 weeks before Christmas. BLEH!

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Country Music

4:13 AM Posted In , Edit This 5 Comments »
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So I'm up at 4 after not sleeping well...I'll get some work done on Hot Shot since I'm up. I'm a day ahead of schedule on that, and on the Vanished revisions. At about 8 last night, at Baby Brother's bday, I started jonesing to write on StTA, but was too tired when I finally got home. I haven't worked on it in DAYS.

I should have gone to the grocery store yesterday but I didn't want to so now I have to stop this AM. I did go to Academy to get the boy new shoes and found 3 new blouses. The most expensive one was $13! So my last SIX tops have come from Academy, because that's the only clothing store I go to!

I'm almost done with PS I LOVE YOU and it's REALLY good, more like the movie than I thought, though Daniel and William seem to be the same person in the book. I have a feeling I won't like the end as well, though.

Okay, the dh is in a country/punk band, which means they take country drinking songs and play them like punk songs. So the dh is listening to Outlaw Radio for "homework." Now that I'm going to write a rodeo story, I need to start doing "homework," too. Sadly, I don't have much reference for country music. (SAD for a girl who grew up in San Antonio!) I've heard the Third Coast radio show is good, but the dh suggested my hero might be more of a Red Dirt music fan, which is more country/rock. Neither of these things mean anything to me.

I'm thinking my 25-26 year old hero might be into more modern country music and maybe my heroine, a kindergarten teacher, isn't into country music at all. She's older than him by about 10 years (maybe 8). But they will be going dancing, and I need some good dance music. I should just hang out a day at YouTube, see what pops. Got any names for me to try?

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Goals

6:18 AM Posted In Edit This 2 Comments »
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Wow, I got a lot done yesterday – cleaned the showers, straightened the back patio, cleaned the bedroom, did 3 loads of laundry, went to the cleaners, the post office, the library, took the dh’s jeans back, got Baby Brother’s bday present (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BABY BROTHER!) and took the ds to UIL.

I got my second round of edits for Hot Shot. I have 2 weeks. That’s 25 pages a day. So, my goals for this week:

1) 25 pages a day on Hot Shot edits (you have NO idea how happy I'll be not to look at this one again)
2) fix Something to Talk About
3) Vanished revisions
4) Dinner with Baby Brother and family
5) Resume tutoring
6) Get ready for critique on Saturday
7) Keep up house

That’s PLENTY.

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Motivation, Motivation, Motivation

8:27 AM Posted In Edit This 5 Comments »
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So, like I said, when I was writing the synopsis, I found a serious flaw in my heroine. I have her breaking up with her boyfriend at the beginning to find herself, then she doesn't do anything else about that throughout the book. And it seems that her main issue is presenting a good face to the town.

Maybe if I change that to her allowing the town opinion influence her decisions....no, still sounds wimpy.

Part of her issue is that she's in love with her deceased best friend's husband, my hero. And she worries the town will think she has always loved him, when she hasn't.

Trish says she needs good motivation to be caring so much what the town thinks. I was thinking perhaps she did something in her youth, with her HS boyfriend, that humiliated her and she never got past it. What would be something really good? Would anything be good ENOUGH to motivate her? Am I going with the wrong conflict here, and why didn't I think this through 200 pages ago????

Okay, gotta do some errands, then maybe work in the back yard. I'm still scared to go outside after I fell, isn't that weird?

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Hmph

5:43 AM Posted In , Edit This 5 Comments »
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My printer isn't working. The computer tells me it's offline. I don't know what that means, but it DOESN'T make me happy. And the dh hasn't been around to fix it. He got in from his gig last night at 1, and has another tonight.

I was working on the synopsis for Something to Talk About Last night, looking for that missed step. I have a bigger problem than I thought (which will be fixable, but for now, a problem.) I started off with the heroine breaking off with her boyfriend because she wanted her own identity, other than coach's girlfriend. Well, she hasn't done anything about finding her own way at all. She's still bullied by her parents to work in their diner every morning (which isn't too much of a hardship, because my hero's there to see her every morning) and she's still bullied by what the town thinks of her. I need to find SOME way for this girl to assert herself. But I did find the missing step, I think.

And...it's time to shop for my charm for this story.

I could be obvious and get this charm.

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He has a dog, so I could get this charm.

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They go on a camping trip that leads to the discovery of their relationship, so I could get this charm. Isn't it cute?

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She works in a diner, where he comes in for breakfast every morning, so I could get one of these. I'm partial to the pancakes.

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I saw a kissing booth one, and though there's a church festival, there's no kissing booth. Still, how cute is this?

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And you should see the choices I have once I finish my rodeo story!!!! For that matter, you should see the pictures I have waiting for you when I start my rodeo story!!

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Last Night I Dreamed of Gerry Again....

6:04 AM Edit This 3 Comments »
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I dreamed Gerry was my boyfriend. I was still married and my dh knew, but Gerry was my boyfriend. He'd come over to the house early in the AM, we'd meet for dinner....weird. I also dreamed the dh's band was two girls. Hmmmm....

Man, I snoozed the alarm TWICE today! I woke up at 3, started worrying, but wouldn't let myself get out of bed till 4, and was asleep by then.

I realized last night I've missed a step with my WIP. I need to synopsize it and rearrange a few things (one of the downsides of working in spirals.)

Elizabeth tagged me last week with 7 things you don't know about me. This is getting harder every time ;)

1) I'm very cheap. I don't mind spending money initially, but I'm going to use every smidgen of whatever it is I buy.

2) I'm 2 degrees away from JDM. The dh met Kyle Chandler, and Kyle and JDM worked together on Grey's.

3) I love to work in my backyard but don't like to work in my front.

4) I have a very sensitive sense of smell. Last night, all night, there was an unpleasant scent, and I couldn't rest till I figured out it was the dog's bed. P-U! Couldn't exactly wash it last night, either, because it's too cold!

5) Of the 8 cars I've owned, only 2 have been new.

6) I'm one of the few teachers at school who wears skirts. (Not today, though! COLD!)

7) I used to love to cross stitch. I even have my Baby Brother's baby announcement half done, but my eyes got so bad.

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Writing Schedule

5:45 AM Edit This 3 Comments »
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More weird dreams last night, including that it was the last day of school, my aunt and uncle had a mansion and my VP came over to the mansion and brought grapes. Who knows.

Last year I said I wouldn't do a writing schedule. This year I'm feeling overwhelmed, and I'd made one, but yesterday I revised it AGAIN. (Actually, this can be more fun than actually writing, ya know?)

See, I want to get something else to Samhain, because my editor says she has only a few fall dates open. So I'm revising a romantic suspense for that.

And I'm working on the story that I love. Though I'm stumped right now. And I have writer's cramp.

And I want to get my Wayback story written because the earlier I get it accepted, the less I have to worry about all the other people added in the town by the other books that are contracted, see? The series doesn't have a bible to start out, they're building it as they go.

So my plan is to have Vanished revisions finished by the end of February, Something to Talk About finished by mid-February and Wayback finished by the end of March (only 100 pages.)

Do you give yourself deadlines?

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Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, and Heath Ledger

7:35 PM Edit This 1 Comment »
Elizabeth Mahon and Maureen McGowan are semi finalists in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. Go vote!

How sad is the news about Heath Ledger? He was only 28 and had a 2 year old daughter!

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Fastest Weekend EVER

6:10 AM Edit This 5 Comments »
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Back to work today, with no more holidays till Spring Break. At least today is a workday, if people will leave me alone. I don't know if I mentioned we got a coffee/cappuccino machine at work and I bought a bunch of coffee accessories to take to work. We've been having the most fun with that thing!

It's warm this AM but will get cold again tonight. Yesterday was cool and wet, and neither the boy nor I got out of our PJs all day. I did do laundry and straighten the living room, as well as finished up one notebook of my story, put up my MJ Fredrick website, designed bookmarks, printed out TAKS practice sheets for my class and watched White Noise 2 (Nathan Fillion and Starbuck, but still not so good) and Metropolis.

Today I'm blogging at Wet Noodle Posse about ideas, again. If only I would stop getting them!

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The Final Four, JDM, Cloverfield and 10 Things You Won't Find in My Books

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Trish is in the FINAL FOUR of the American Title contest! Go vote now!

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Michele was right - PARADE had a 2 page spread with JDM, including a picture I don't have!!! Of course, the ds and dh thought it odd I was buying a paper.....

We went to breakfast, went to the grocery store and raced to unload so we could go see Cloverfield.

I've never been so sick watching anything. All of it is done with a handheld camera, which is Never Still. I didn't realize what was making me sick at first, but the constant motion.....ugh. I ended up only seeing about 1/4 of the movie. I can't watch video games, either, and I think it didn't help that we sat so close. Thankfully the movie is Very Short, less than 90 minutes.

Today I should have my website up and should get my bookmarks ordered.

I've been wanting to do this post since I saw it on Jill's blog, but honestly had trouble coming up with ten things I've never written about. I mean, after twenty books, I've written about single moms, single dads, love triangles, explosions, shoot outs, diving, firefighting, May-December, you name it.

So, ten things you WON'T find in my books:

1) historical settings
2) teenage offspring of the hero or heroine - way to leech out the romance
3) death of any of the following - the hero or heroine, a child, a grandmother or a pet
4) a toilet scene (I can't STAND bathroom scenes in TV shows or movies, and there ALWAYS seems to be one)
5) talky love scenes
6) a hero with a full beard
7) hm, how to put this...love scenes that are...hm....out of the ordinary, like, say, you'd find in EC books
8) a waif heroine
9) the wedding of the main characters, and I don't know why
10) angels (though I've loved the 2 angel books I've read)

What don't you write about?

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Goals

7:33 AM Posted In Edit This 3 Comments »
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Wow, it is COLD! I don't usually wear a robe, but I sure wish I had one right now!

Yesterday was not quite as uneventful as I hoped. By the time we got done running to the boy's 2 gigs, I was too tired to write. Sigh.

I dreamed I went to a plotting retreat at Jennifer Crusie's house and it was SO COOL.

This week I NEED to:

1) get my website up
2) get my new email working
3) get my bookmarks ordered
4) work on Something to Talk About
5) do a blog for the WNP
6) work on revisions for Vanished, so I can have a second book for Samhain
7) go see CLOVERFIELD before someone ruins it for me
8) get to the grocery store, post office and Academy
9) get Baby Brother's bday present
10) keep up house/yard

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THREE DAY WEEKEND!!!! And Story Inspiration

8:15 AM Posted In , Edit This 7 Comments »
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Today I am going to read and write and that is all, till the boy has his TWO gigs tonight!

Hot Shot is back with my editor. Fingers crossed she likes it.

My Wayback story hit a snag in that I was making my cowboy a foster kid, and I realized the hero in the first book in the series is a foster kid. Hmph.

I watched 3:10 to Yuma the other night. Good movie. I didn't think I'd like it as much as I did.

I was thinking last weekend that a LOT of my stories come from dreams. A LOT. Just this week I had 2 more!

Beneath the Surface was a dream about archaeologists getting kidnapped by a group of rebels in South America. I kept the archaeologist part.

My very first book, with a title too dumb to name here, was a dream about 2 cops, divorced, who were kidnapped and their kids had to try to rescue them (this was way before Spy Kids, too.) I kept the 2 divorced cops part.

The story I sent to SHOMI, Eden's Promise, was a dream about these man-like creatures taking over the world and capturing humans. (Okay, maybe I had seen Planet of the Apes before I went to sleep that time....)

Ghost Hunters was a dream about Dean Winchester running a ghost tour.

Spy Girl was a dream about Sydney Bristow having quit, having a kid and having to go back into the spy game to rescue her husband, and having to work with a man in love with her. I added the bad guy she falls in love with.

I have three more dream ideas I'm playing with....the one I dreamed this week, one I dreamed a couple of weeks ago, and an assassin story I dreamed probably a year ago.

Do you ever dream story ideas?

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If I Only Had Some Plans....

5:42 AM Edit This 5 Comments »
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I'd call in today, but I didn't plan anything.

I'm ALMOST done with Hot Shot. I wanted to finish last night, but by the time I got home from taking the boy to Borders (twice, because as soon as we exited the highway, he realized he'd forgotten his coupon and Borders bucks so I turned around to get them), eating dinner (Firehouse Subs...mmmm), nearly getting creamed on the way home by a kid in a Bronco talking on the phone and changing lanes without looking, and talking to my mom on the phone, it was almost 8. Then the boy decided to plink on his mandolin while watching Stephen Colbert. I put on headphones but they were wonky. So I decided to wake up early to finish. Behold my success.

And I dreamed the GREATEST line last night....but have no time to write a story around it!!!

Oh, and my Supernatural magazine came Tuesday, FINALLY. I opened it yesterday and it has an interview with JDM and a POSTER!!!! Where I'll put it, I don't know.....

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Random Kitty

5:45 AM Edit This 6 Comments »
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So yesterday, during testing, one of my students had to leave the classroom. He comes back in and says, "Miss, there's a cat." Sure I misunderstood him, I asked him to repeat, and then followed him into the hall. Sure enough, a little orange tabby was stretched out in front of my door!

Okay, my classroom is in a long hallway, separate from the main building. There are 12 other classrooms and the library besides. WHY did this cat know that I am a cat person? Why did it choose MY door?

The kids freaked like they'd never seen a cat before. When I scolded them, they said, "But we've never seen a cat in SCHOOL." Clearly they have not been my students long enough.

Anyway, the coaches took it and fed it and made it a little bed. Another kid took it home, which is good, because when I called the dh to tell him, he groaned and said, "So we have another *expletive deleted* cat?"

No, we don't. But I still want to know how it knew where to find me.

One major plot point remaining. I think I have an idea. And I wrote 4 pages on the Wayback story yesterday.

No more testing - I actually have to teach today ;) We're doing Social Studies all day because I need GRADES!

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I have an ISBN!!!

5:30 AM Posted In Edit This 7 Comments »
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I have an ISBN!!!

Three more plot points to get through. I should be able to get one this AM, maybe two, if the ds doesn't wake up early to finish his physics review.

Oh, and my cps were tossing around the idea of writing for The Wild Rose Press's Wayback series and I may have come up with an idea. Will try to flesh it out while the kids are taking the writing test today.

My dh's cousin found my email through The Wet Noodle Posse and emailed. Cool, huh?

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Revisions

5:55 AM Posted In , Edit This 0 Comments »
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I spent ALL DAY yesterday on revisions. I did searches for overused words, I fixed eight plot points, most minor, but one the timeline question. I made him a former smokejumper. I still need to smooth that one out today. I need to fix 6 more things, some harder than others, like the fire shelter thing. Thankfully, I found an instruction manual for the burrito shelter. I was freaking because I didn't see how two people could fit in it, but the manual does say they can, though it's not recommended.

Anyway, I was going to steal Jill's excellent post idea about ten things you won't see in my books, but by the time I was done editing it was 8:30. I showered, watched some TV and CRASHED. Thank goodness today's testing!

I should find out soon when Smoke is coming out!

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Goals

7:01 AM Posted In Edit This 0 Comments »
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I was at critique SIX HOURS yesterday! Not counting taking the boy to UIL, then waiting an hour at Starbucks between that and the time I was supposed to be at my CP's house, and the half hour drive both ways - I was gone almost all day. And when I got home, I was in no shape to work on Hot Shot. We had fun, though, mapping out our scenes because the visuals weren't clear, even blocking some. We laughed a lot.

So this week I need to:

1) Finish Hot Shot revisions.
2) work on Something to Talk About
3) get website UP
4) get pseudonym email working
5) order bookmarks
6) finish grades at school
7) keep up at home (yeah, RIGHT)

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Fire Shelters and TV

7:10 AM Edit This 5 Comments »
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Apparently I’m in a Disney mood this week.

So, what I did to stop the freak out – I finished the minor stuff, word substitutions and all that. Then I got out a notebook and wrote down all the plot questions she had. I discovered some of my research was outdated. My editor insisted a fire shelter would have a floor, and in my previous research, no, they’re just big sheets of shiny flame-retardant fabric.

Well, thanks to new technology, I have to rewrite the fire shelter scene because, yes, they now are little tents. So my characters are going to be burritos. Yeesh.

I have critique today, though, so…

I think the JDM MySpace is not him. All his “friends” are from Grey’s Anatomy, and the bios all read the same. Sigh. BUT my favorite JDM website is back. Yay!

LOST is coming back January 31, a Thursday. Why? Does anyone know? Because guess what? SUPERNATURAL is coming back January 31, too. I tried to find out when other stuff is coming on, but can’t. Looks like Moonlight is new next week, though. When is Men in Trees coming back? And is Bones staying on Friday nights? What about House?

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Having a Bit of a Freak Out, Actually

5:36 AM Posted In Edit This 7 Comments »
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(The quote is from Disney's Aladdin, in case you're racking your brain as I was.)

My revisions have me in a tizzy. For the most part, my edits have been easy, repeated words, tiny story questions. But when I was doing yesterday's pages (before school, and before picking up the ds from school AGAIN), her notes were more about the story. And there's one I just don't know how to fix. I'd never realized it. My agent never realized it. The two Silhouette editors who read it never said anything about it.

My timeline is off. I have part of Gabe's conflict as people trying to mold him to be who they think he is, and part of that was his ex-eife pushing him to be a smokejumper. Only he met and married her when he was in his 30s, and I doubt he'd go to smokejumping school at that age. So I'm trying to wrap my mind around it, and trying to think how I'm going to expand the ending (she says it's too rushed.) I was going to send it to my chapter's online critique last night but fell asleep on the couch!

So thinking about revisions is making me queasy.

I did dream I got my cover, and they had this old guy on the cover. Ew.

No tests today, but we're going to review like crazy.

Grey's Anatomy was new last night and GOOOOOOOOD. I cried so much!

Oh, and my FAVORITE JDM website is GONE!! WAH!!!

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Looonnnnnnnnng Week, NOT LOLCats, Image Searches and Edits

5:52 AM Edit This 2 Comments »
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WOW, has this been a long week. At one point during the test yesterday, I think the clock was going BACKWARDS. The kids tested till 2:30. Ugh. And today, math.

I came home and my baby kitty Skippy brought a dead bird into the house. EWWW. And SOMEONE - I'm not naming names, but I suspect Skippy - knocked over my amaryllis, which FINALLY had 4 big beautiful flowers on it. Now, it doesn't.

I did an image search on JDM and this blog came up on the 5th page! It's a pic of Jensen, though.

I did 40 pages of edits this AM. Most are repeated words and stuff, but some is timeline-related and I have to go back and reread the story for that. My WRP editor and my Samhain editor have definite different styles. My Samhain editor is very conscious of repeated words and phrases, and dialogue tags. My WRP editor was very conscious of pronouns (and other stuff, too, I'm sure, but I can't remember.) All I know is, when I sat on the couch with my gel pen and my small town story last night, I was too tired to write!

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43 Degrees, Edits and Pet Peeves

6:09 AM Edit This 2 Comments »
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Yes, it is almost 30 degrees colder this AM than yesterday. I even snoozed the alarm, which is okay because we're testing today and I can wear jeans and don't really have to plan my day.

Yesterday I was supposed to take the boy to another HS for a band try-out. I worried all day how I would get there in time. I left school early to come home to load his gear myself, thinking it would save time when I picked him up from his HS.

I walked into the house and he was here. He'd stayed home sick, but neither he nor his father thought to call me. GRRR. Needless to say, he didn't go to the band try-out.

I also got my first round of edits for Hot Shot. Gulp. I got through 66 pages of minor stuff in 2 hours yesterday before my eyes started crossing. Only, what, 190 pages to go.

I lost one of my best students yesterday, and I'm getting a new student today, a boy. I do not like getting new students. It never fails to upset the class balance.

Grouchy Mary here, with pet peeves.

1) gated communities
a) gated communities where the code pads aren’t lit except for a street light that doesn’t give off any more light than the most distant star
i. lack of streetlights. What is UP with that? We hardly have any streetlights anymore, even on highways!
b) gated communities that don’t have street signs
2) online shops that charge outrageous shipping fees
3) online shops that don’t allow you to deduct a gift card (to a store you do not have in your STATE) and pay the rest another way, so you get gypped out of the full amount of the gift card.
4) Cleaning house, since it just gets dirty again the minute you turn your back.
5) Being the only one in the family who knows
a) where the recycle bin is
b) where the dishwasher is
c) where the hamper is
d) where the washing machine is
e) where the empty garbage bags are
f) where the phone charger is
6) having to sign into MySpace EVERY TIME, even if it’s been less than an hour since my last visit.
7) People talking in movie theaters the WHOLE TIME. Both times I saw PS I LOVE YOU by myself, the women behind me talked the WHOLE time.
8) Inservice where the speaker makes you move around and sit with people you don’t normally sit with. What is WRONG with being comfortable?
9) People who don’t do their job. These people have been working on the walkways at school since JULY. Covered walkways. Yes, they laid down new cement, but since JULY, people. They’ve built a new Freddy’s Steakburger across the highway in less time than it’s taken them to make COVERED WALKWAYS. Which means that I have to park at the opposite end of the school from my classroom. God forbid I have more than two armfuls of things to carry. Seriously, FINISH YOUR JOB.
10) Construction
11) People who see the sign that says “Right Lane Closed” and still drive up to the VERY edge and push in in front of everyone else who can, you know, READ.


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71 Degrees and the ASUS EEE PC

4:57 AM Edit This 5 Comments »
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I had to turn the AC on this AM! It's 71 and HUMID this morning. A front is supposed to blow in later, but now - yuck.

Today's the first day with the kids. We're reviewing for the district benchmarks, which we'll be taking the rest of the week. Joy. Then I have to race home, get the boy, race to another HS where he has tryouts for another battle of the bands. Oy. I think I won't cook today.

On Saturday, the dh told my son, “I’m thinking of getting your mom a laptop.” What he was talking about was an ASUS EEE PC, a Linux based operating system, which runs $300-$400. It’s got Wi-Fi and Open Office, which is pretty much all I’d need. It seems to boot pretty quickly. The reviews I’ve read have all been pretty positive. It has a 7 inch screen, but what I’m worried about is the keyboard. I don’t like my Alphasmart keyboard because the keys are too stiff. I worry this will be too narrow, and I don’t have small hands. Best Buy carries them online but not in the store, and I sure would like to see one or hear of another writer who’s used it over a period of time before I take the plunge.

Has anyone heard of these? Has anyone seen one? Bought one?



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I Hate Alarm Clocks.

5:57 AM Posted In Edit This 3 Comments »
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Yesterday the ds had a gig downtown. He had to be there at 2:30 but wasn’t to go on till 4. The dh took him, then came back for me. We got down there shortly after 4, found the place (the dh SWEARS he saw a hooker flashing a guy – that’s the kind of neighborhood it was). The ds called. They weren’t going on yet. We went to the Starbucks by the hospital to wait. The ds called again. They weren’t going on till 7:30. The dh and I decided to go eat at Chipotle’s, then we came home for a bit, and I decided to color my roots.

My hair was still in the towel when the ds called back and said they were going on NEXT (before 6). I yanked the towel off my head, changed my blouse and we bolted, got there for the second of five songs. The place was pretty nice, though, had lights and a sound system and everything. Then the ds loaded his gear in the car, the dh and I came home, then the dh went back to get the boy at 8.

I had almost half a tank of gas when we started. Yeesh.

Okay, back to work today. I kept dreaming it was the first day of school. All I can say is, thank God for Tylenol PM. I thought about stopping for Starbucks, but it's warm today and the coffee really overheats me.

1) get back into a work schedule (it’s testing this week, so shouldn’t be too bad)
2) get ready for critique
3) write at least 25 words on StTA
4) type in revisions on Eden’s Promise and submit to SHOMI contest – what do I have to lose?
5) Start revisions on Vanished
6) publish website
7) figure out best way to make bookmarks
8) pick up ds from UIL practice 2 times
9) pick up ds to take to another HS for Battle of the Bands tryouts tomorrow (glad I cancelled tutoring!)
10) keep up with grades
11) keep up house

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What I Did Over Christmas Vacation

8:18 AM Edit This 3 Comments »
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What I did over Christmas vacation:

Movies seen: PS I LOVE YOU (2x), I AM LEGEND, BLOOD DIAMOND, ENCHANTED, THE LAST LEGION, RUSH HOUR 3, RATATOUILLE, THE KINGDOM, WHAT’S UP DOC AND ZODIAC

Books read: 5 - ALASKAN FANTASY, DESERT GUARDIAN, ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT, WATCHMEN and UNFORGETTABLE

Pages written: at least 75

Pages revised: 112 before I decided I don’t think that story’s worth the effort

GH entries judged: 6

Gigs attended: 2

Anniversaries celebrated: 21 (though we only actually celebrated once)

Houses visited: 3 – Mom, Healing Brother and Lucinda

Latest I stayed up: 3 AM on NYE, 2 AM on Friday

Latest I slept: 8:30

Days I stayed in my pajamas all day: 3

Dinners cooked: 5

Christmas goodies baked: 6

Hamburgers eaten: 5

Chick Fil A visits: 2

Taco Garage meals: 3

Bags of Mint M&Ms eaten: 2

Bags of Mint M&Ms bought: 6

Trips to Borders: 3

Phone conversations: 7

Discs of Grey’s Anatomy watched: 3

Also:

1) did my art sheet for Hot Shot
2) made a website
3) made bookmarks – need to take them to Kinko’s, though
4) babysat a dog
5) hurt the hell out of my leg
6) went to lunch with JoAnn and Stacy
7) went to Macy’s the day after Christmas

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Movie Day

8:23 AM Posted In Edit This 3 Comments »
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Yesterday I walked out to put out the mail and found this on my porch.

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Mom bought them for me for watching her dog. WOOT! So many colors....

Yesterday I watched movies all day, and still managed to write 6 pages. I watched The Good German, and had to strain to hear Cate Blanchette in her soft German accent. Clooney got his butt kicked a lot and Tobey Maguire cussed like a sailor.

I watched the first two episodes of Dexter and decided it is not for me.

I watched Zodiac, which is dang long and has everybody in it. Interesting, and more or a resolution than I expected an unsolved case to have. Plus, Robert Downey Jr.

Then I watched What's Up, Doc, the old comedy with a GORGEOUS Barbara Streisand and Ryan O'Neal. We had fun picking out familiar faces in the cast. I really like that movie.

Today is Reading Day. I'm ahead of schedule on my small town story, so I'm taking the day off. Well, I'll probably write tonight, but today, I'm going to finish Karen's book and read The Watchmen, at least.

How come I have written Every Day and still feel like I'm not working toward publication. Is it because this book is FUN?

Obsession update: I requested JDM to be my friend on MySpace, then changed my layout so he wouldn't think I was a total nut.

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Obsession

7:29 AM Posted In Edit This 1 Comment »
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This is the verse on the card the dh gave me for our anniversary. He reminds me he didn’t write it, but I thought it was Very Romantic.

“You’re still the one I love to catch myself dreaming about,
Still the one I love to talk things over with,
Still the one I love to cuddle next to until we are as close as we can be.
I hope you’re as happy as you make me feel because you’re everything I could ever hope for – the one I love with all my heart and soul.”

Then, romantic fools that we are, after our anniversary dinner at PF Changs (henceforth to be known as Pei-Wei plus 30%), the dh and I went to the library because I had some DVDs and my first graphic novel, The Watchmen (JDM’s next movie), on hold. I ended up checking out 5 CDs – Phantom of the Opera (because I can’t find mine), Rent, Mamma Mia, Van Morrison and Down from the Mountain (the second O Brother Where Art Thou CD). I checked out What’s Up Doc?, The Big Easy and The Commitments, too. Today's not looking very pretty, so it may just be a movie kind of day. Plus I have the first three discs of Dexter.

I’ve gone a little nuts on iTunes the past few weeks. I bought the PS I LOVE YOU soundtrack, “How Do You Know?” from ENCHANTED, “Galway Girl” from Ellis Island, because it was in PS I LOVE YOU, “Gett Off” by Prince, the song Hilary Swank sang during the karaoke scene, “Breathe” by Michelle Branch, from the previews of PS I LOVE You, and “Something to Talk About” by Bonnie Raitt, which I thought I already had but I needed for my small town soundtrack (which is the best soundtrack EVER, lemme tell you.)


Here’s ONE of the clips I found yesterday, with Gerry. I can’t figure out how to save the others.









My 21st Anniversary, 10 pages and GH Judging

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Today is my 21st anniversary. I've been married over half my life! Wow. And they said it wouldn't last....I still wish I had a scanner so I could show you how young and skinny we were!

I wrote 10 pages yesterday, despite my mini-Grey's Anatomy marathon (guess which episodes?) I haven't watched nearly as much TV as I thought because we've had just beautiful weather, so I sit in my club chair in the sun room and write. That's better anyway, yes?

I'm done with my GH judging, but one entry really stumped me. It was GOOD....the story, anyway. The grammar - not so much. Yes, my pet peeve is apostrophe abuse, but this one also switched from present tense to past tense more than once. And the synopsis had the cast of....well, some show that has a lot of people in it. But the story was GOOD. Different, complex, interesting....so unsure of the score I'm going to give it.

I have trolled the net for clips of my movie (which I almost went to see again last night because both guys were supposed to have band practice but then only the ds had band practice, so I stayed home.) I found several, including Gerry singing "Galway Girl" but I can't figure out how to save/upload them!

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The Wet Noodle Posse Rides Again

9:41 PM Posted In Edit This 2 Comments »
You can enter to win Barnes and Noble.com gift certificates by posting this news release on your blog or forwarding to a chapter/group e-mail loop or newsletter. To be eligible, e-mail the particulars of your forward/post to jillmonroe @ cox.net (no spaces) and post no later than January 20, 2008. A random drawing will determine the winner(s) of the gift certificates.

The Wet Noodle Posse had such a great time with our month of Golden Heart prep that we're giving away writing tips...one month at a time. In addition to book and critique giveaways, join Q&A sessions and read guest blogs from bestselling writers like Sherrilyn Kenyon and Gena Showalter.

Check out our line-up of topics!
January-Getting Started (goals, choosing story idea, focus, etc.)
February-Character Development (names, physical descriptions, backstory, etc.)
March-Plotting
April - Conflict
May-Research
June-Business side of Writing (market, marketing, promotion, etiquette)
July-Prepping for Conference (both for national and smaller conferences)
August-Inspiration (for stories and for keeping yourself going)
September-Writer Health (physical and mental)
October-GH Preparation
November-Writing Challenges (NaNo, BIAW, turning off the internal editor, etc.)
December-Editing/Revisions

Get great information in a fun community! Visit http://wetnoodleposse.blogspot.com

You Are 40% Left Brained, 60% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.
Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.
If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.
Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.
Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.
If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.
Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Funny

12:53 AM Posted In Edit This 3 Comments »
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I did my cover art sheet for Hot Shot yesterday. I begged for Clooney….I wonder what I’ll get.

Saw Ratatouille and The Kingdom yesterday. I’m having the worst movie luck! Bleh.

I woke up with the BEST story idea. I don’t think I can be funny enough to pull it off, though. And my beloved book is giving me fits. Only managed 4 pages yesterday, but I’m done with my GH entries.


One of my friends sent me this – too funny not to share!

Unwritten rules of Hollywood aka Hollywood cliches



1. If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St Patrick's Day parade - at any time of the year.

2. All beds have special L-shaped top sheets that reach up to armpit level on a woman but only waist level on the man lying beside her.

3. All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.

4. Once applied, lipstick will never rub off - even while scuba diving.

5. The ventilation system of any building is a perfect hiding place. No one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building without difficulty.

6. Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German officer, it will not be necessary to speak the language. A German accent will do.

7. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window of any building in Paris.

8. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.

9a. When hailing a taxi, merely hold up an arm and one will be a few feet away. Especially in a busy city.

9b. When paying for the taxi, never look at your wallet as you take out a note - just grab one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.

10. If you lose a hand, it will cause the stump of your arm to grow by 15cm.

11. Mothers routinely cook eggs, bacon and waffles for their family every morning, even though the husband and children never have time to eat them.

12a. Cars and trucks that crash will almost always burst into flames.

12b. In a high speed chase, all vehicles shall have the same screeching sound - that of a race car. Even a souped up Pinto.

13. A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the size of a football stadium.

14. Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.

15. All single women have a cat.

16. Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright and pant.

17. One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20 men firing at one - especially if said group is "The A-Team".

18. Creepy music coming from a graveyard should always be closely investigated.

19. Most people keep a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings - especially if any of their family or friends has died in a strange boating accident.

20. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involved martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessor.

21. During a very emotional confrontation, instead of facing the person you are speaking to, it is customary to stand behind them and talk to their back.

22. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your room will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.

23. Dogs always know who's bad and will naturally bark at them.

24. When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.

25. Rather than wasting bullets, megalomaniacs prefer to kill their arch-enemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gases, lasers and man eating sharks that will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.

26. Having a job of any kind will make all fathers forget their son's eighth birthday.

27. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.

28. It is always possible to park directly outside the building you are visiting.

29. A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.

30. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you bump into will know all the steps.

31. All cell phone calls will be crystal clear - no matter the surroundings.

32. The cops will always ask for "one more thing" after the suspect says that magical phrase "I want a lawyer".

33. A computer expert will be able to read binary and assembly language like a book.

34. The above expert can also be able to access any computer from any computer, no matter the security, in minutes.

35. In any haunted house, the ghost will be of a murdered victim. Only murdered people can have supernatural beings.

36, Good guys can get shot multiple times and live while bad guys need merely one shot to die.

37. Two single professional characters of both genders shall offer UST,

38. If the hero is a male cop, he shall be partnered with an equally attractive female of similar age.

39. No character shall EVER be seen paying a monthly bill- rent, electricity, insurance, etc.

40. All ransom notes shall be constructed of letters cut out of various magazine adverts.

41. No man shall go to bed wearing a shirt.

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Happy New Year!!!!!

1:13 AM Posted In Edit This 2 Comments »
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The boy’s friend called at 6:30 and wanted the ds to spend the night. I was fine with it at first, then I thought…my friend Lucinda lives 4 blocks away from the boy’s friend, and she has a NYE party every year. So I dropped the boy off, went to see PS I LOVE YOU again (still love it) and went to Lucinda’s and hung out for about 3 hours. It was a blast. We missed the countdown because Lucinda was pouring champagne, so her daughter REWOUND it so we could count down, too! Then we rewound it again to hear the dh’s name touted as director. He’ll be home in a couple of hours, I guess.

Here are my goals for the new year…I didn’t do any last year and floundered the first half of the year.


1) Books needing minor revisions: Something to Talk About, Breaking Daylight, Ghost Hunters, Vanished
2) Books needing major revisions: Eden’s Promise, Beneath the Surface, Spy Girl, Vampire Hunters
3) New book: Midnight Sun for Nano – I’ve been wanting to write this book for YEARS.
4) Learn how to promote my books.
5) Always have something out for submission – the way I have my revisions scheduled, I should be submitting every other month.
6) Look into contests for pubbed books, as well as for unpubbed manuscripts of pubbed authors.
7) Limit time online – I’ve been better about this until this month.
8) Work on flexibility.
9) Work on house keeping.
10) Read a book a week.
11) Learn how to relax!!!
12) Lose 20 pounds and take better care of myself – my skin and everything. Stop leaving the house without make-up!
13) Pay off 2 bills.
14) Be better about holiday prep and birthdays – no more last minute stuff.

Are you doing goals this year? What are they?

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