Monday, January 31, 2011

It's Monday again!

dunno about you, but i can't stand when i find something completely mind-blowing online only to forget to bookmark it and then lose it because i can't remember how i found it originally. i then waste an embarrassingly large amount of time trying to search it out again...

no more, people!

no. more.

enter Pinterest

this is a very cool website that keeps all those neat ideas and interesting things organized.

when i find something i'm pretty sure i need to make or buy in the future, i can pin it on one of my boards. i'm also in the midst of making boards of all my book characters! when i see a photo of a model that encompasses what they look like in my head, or a scene from a story, i'm pinning it.

someday, i'll share. promise!

big love

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

Wordcount (Fail)

Forgiveness - 12,600 13,140/85,000?

I was challenged this week by: even more snow removal, cleaning the house for a guest, and having said guest (which was a complete joy so not complaining!)

Sunday, January 30, 2011

must. buy

I had the privilege of beta-reading Inez Kelley's newest release.

go buy it. now. it's fabulous!


SWEET AS SIN by Inez Kelley

She was made for sin. Sin was something he knew intimately.

John Murphy is tormented by nightmares. A bestselling young-adult author, he writes the ultimate fantasy: stories where good always triumphs. He knows better. His past has shown him the worst in people—and in himself. When he moves next door to the sexy, vibrant Livvy—a woman completely unlike his usual one-night stands—he’s driven to explore every curve of her delicious body.

Pastry chef Livvy knows that giving in to the temptation that is John Murphy won’t lead to anything permanent, but she deserves a passionate summer fling. John discovers she’s as sweet as the confections she bakes while Livvy slowly unravels his secrets. But what will happen when she uncovers them all?

Carina Press or Amazon or All Romance ebooks

"The story is hyper intense, hyper complex, its what romance, new romance is supposed to be. Its NEW its fresh, it expands, its so beyond new, its freaking shiny. In the package wonderful. I loved it, I loved it I loved it. " -Romance Book Forums

Monday, January 24, 2011

Manic Mondays!

Wow! It was a busy a busy week - there was snow falling which meant extra travel time needed to get places and errands to run and work was ca-raaazy.

But, I survived.

And now it's Monday and I didn't get a blog-post done last week! So that means TWO this week :D

Since Mondays are traditionally the busiest day for people, I'm dedicating myself to finding helpful ways to make your life easier.

Every Monday, I'll post a site or time-saving tip.

This week, a personal favourite of mine:

FlyLady

This is a website that's all about getting organized. The founding principle? Shine your Sink.

If you take the time to shine your sink before bed every night, this (in theory) means that you've done your dishes and tidied up your kitchen.

It's a fabulous resource on organization and if you sign up, they'll send daily emails with a schedule on what you should accomplish for the day. For example, today is the Great Closet Clean Out!

It really does help develop the GOOD kind of habits and the stuff you've been putting off because you're a champion procrastinator (like me) gets done in practically no time at all.

Give it a try!

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

Wordcount (Fail)

Forgiveness - 11,915 12,600/85,000?

I was challenged this week by: work being busy, snow removal, lack of inspiration, Karen Marie Moning's newest release that I couldn't stop listening to.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Cent Cinquante

cientos cincuenta

εκατό πενήντα

hundert fünfzig

cem cinqüênta

sto padesát


It doesn't matter what language it's written in, my writing goal doesn't change: One Hundred and Fifty words a day.

Piece of cake, right?

Well, take into consideration that the quality of these words matters a great deal to me. I very rarely turn off my internal editor, preferring to write a clean draft and avoid a lot of editing rather than a dirty draft and angst over the phrasing later.

The time to write those primo words may be a little as twenty minutes, or, if I'm having a hard time concentrating or it's a tough part of a scene, it make take me an hour and a half. Carving out that kind of time is the real challenge for me.


So far, though, I've made count 6 out of 7 days this past week. and I skipped yesterday only because it was a crazy-busy day and I knew I'd be hitting RD chat tonight to make up for it.

I'm rather happy with my progress. It's a realistic, achievable goal and I'M DOING IT!!

Because I plan on keeping up with the one post a week commitment I made to myself (did I forget to mention that to you?) I am going to add an accountability line every time I blog. You'll be able to make sure I'm maintaining that 150/day resolution :)

Voila!

Forgiveness - 11,000 11,915/85,000?

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Squirrel!

With my new position, I'm in front of people all day long.

I'm not sure if you have any idea how exhausting it can be to have to be "on" all the time. Before, I could just plug in my earphones if I was feeling unsociable or needed to concentrate. Since most of the others around me were doing the same, it was pretty easy to get my job done plus spend (quite) a bit of time letting my current work in progress simmer in my mind.

Now, I'm the source of information and entertainment for a group of people who rely on me to set them up for success at their new job. Yikes.

Needless to say, although I work the same hours and same amount of days each week as I did before this position, I don't feel like I have quite as much time to think about writing.

When I get home, I may not be physically tired, but my mind certainly is. And as a result, I can't seem to concentrate on any one thing for more than 15 or 20 minutes. I'll be happily doing something, and SQUIRREL! something else distracts me.

Facebook is a HUGE culprit of this.

I am right now, as I type this, on RD chat getting some actual writing done for the first time since August 2010. I've been on for about two and a half hours and while I have no numbers to brag about, I'm really pleased with what I'm putting out.

As a personal challenge to myself, I've logged out of Facebook. It's actually both harder and easier than I thought it would be. Easier in the sense that I'm not sitting here distracted by all my friend's updates. Harder in the fact that it's absolutely a habit to check it every fifteen minutes or so, just to make sure I'm not missing anything.


So far, though, it's working on keeping me on track. This will now be part of my writing routine.

Now, if only I could keep the cats from going crazy when I'm trying to concentrate...

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Release!

Yah, i know. i haven't been on here in foreva.

i've resolved to blog once a week, so keep your eye out for new posts!

in the meantime, an acquaintance from RD has a release today :D

http://www.stephaniedray.com/books/lily-of-the-nile/





With her parents dead, the daughter of Cleopatra and Mark Antony is left at the mercy of her Roman captors. Heir to one empire and prisoner of another, it falls to Princess Selene to save her brothers and reclaim what is rightfully hers…

In the aftermath of Alexandria’s tragic fall, Princess Selene is taken from Egypt, the only home she’s ever known. Along with her two surviving brothers, she’s put on display as a war trophy in Rome. Selene’s captors mock her royalty and drag her through the streets in chains, but on the brink of death, the children are spared as a favor to the emperor’s sister, who takes them to live as hostages in the so-called lamentable embassy of royal orphans…

Now trapped in a Roman court of intrigue that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene can’t hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her flesh. Nor can she stop the emperor from using her for his own political ends. But faced with a new and ruthless Caesar who is obsessed with having a Cleopatra of his very own, Selene is determined honor her mother’s lost legacy. The magic of Egypt and Isis remain within her. But can she succeed where her mother failed? And what will it cost her in a political game where the only rule is win or die?



Sounds awesome, eh?