Status Update

I got my edits done last week and the book out to some readers, my daughter being one of those readers. She finished today (yay!) and will give me her notes (I gave her a paper copy of the book). It'll give me something to do in the car, on my way to NYC. And then MAYBE I'll be able to e-mail the book to the publisher within the next few days.

My synopsis is sort of done. I think I still need to polish it some, but I'm in no real rush. The book is more important. I hate that I had to wait this long before sending it out, but that's my fault for pitching the darn thing to begin with (Ahh, but how could I not? There were only three people pitching).

Tomorrow morning I'll be car-pooling to NYC with two others (heading to the Romance Writers of America National Convention). I'm almost all packed. Almost. I have this problem packing early. At least the clothes are picked out and ready to be squished into the suitcase. And all the non-clothing portion is packed into a separate suitcase (like food – which I expect I won't have to bring back, but the space will be replaced with books).

I hope I have enough nerve to take pictures. I hope I have enough nerve to talk to some of my favorite authors (Lynsay Sands will be there!). I hope I have enough nerve to socialize. I hope I don't screw up my agent appointment. We'll see how that all works out.

If I can get the internet for free, I may blog. If not, nada. Most Marriott Hotels offer free wi-fi, but this is NYC (on Times Square, no less), so I'm sure there's no such thing as free anything. So, if you don't hear from me, you'll know why. Have a good week!

Excuse Me While I Work

Do you know the worst thing about editing? Not being able to blog.

It's not like I'm a daily blogger to begin with, but I have been absent and will continue to be absent until I finish this last round of edits. I went and pitched my book to an editor and was asked for the full!!! Talk about motiviation.

I certainly don't want to keep them waiting any longer than I should. So please excuse me while I work. I'll be back when I'm finished (or work doesn't keep me so tied up that I have time to blog!!). If you're interested, you can track my progress on the side.

Oh, and by the way, MEMORIES has changed to MY SUNNY VAMPIRE. I think I like that title a whole bunch better!

Later!!

My Brand

I've been reading a lot about branding and tag lines. I write paranormal romance. My first three books are of vampires, but my latest is about a ghost. So what kind of brand would that make me? I nearly hurt my brain thinking about it and was about to give up when it hit me.

Paranormal romance in an everyday world.

That's what I write. Not just about vampires and ghosts. But vampires and ghosts in an everyday world, in real cities (for the most part), and they stay hidden. They live among the humans - and in the case of my vampires, they blend in - but are unknown, except to a few.

So... What do you think?

What Happened To Spring?

I think we went from 60 degree weather to 90 degree weather, from drenching downpours to hot sticky air, all within a week.

What happened to spring?

What happened to those days where I could just open the window – air the house out – and sleep in comfort? Do you think it might still happen? It's looking doubtful.

I should be thankful that I can finally get to sit outside in my car during lunch to read (because it's not cold), but instead I gripe because I nearly fall asleep from the heat. It drains you quicker than anything, doesn't it? Or am I just getting OLD?

Why or why didn't we retire in California? And in retire, I mean from the military (since at the time 38 was way too early to actually "retire" retire). And in California, I mean Santa Barbara (I just love the weather there, but then I'm biased). Because we're not rich, that's why. Maybe it'll happen eventually. I could still win the lottery (snicker).

So, how's the weather in your neck of the woods? Have you melted yet?

The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

I've been blessed with TWO people bestowing me The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award. Does that make me doubly sweet?

The rules of this award are as follows:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.
2. Share 7 random facts about yourself.
3. Pass the Award on to deserving blog buddies (One stated 10, the other stated 15 – I'll probably do less than that!!).
4. Contact those buddies and let them know.

First off: my thanks to The Viking Princess and Todd Moody for this award. You've given me something to blog about! Ha ha!

Now, seven random facts about myself:

1. I play with my hair. Doesn't matter if it's long or short (and it's usually long), I twirl my hair around my finger. And I use the index finger on my left hand even though I'm right handed. Go figure!

2. I collect magnets from every Hard Rock Café and Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurtants I can find. Doesn't matter if I eat there or not (except I usually do if I find a Bubba Gump Shrimp - YUM), I just want the magnet to show I was in that city.

3. I've got a dated Christmas ornament for every Christmas since I've been married (the first one being 1979). And yes, they go up on the tree every year. I think I'll cry if any of them are destroyed!

4. I’m an early arrival. If I have an appointment at 8:00, I’ll be there before 7:45. Sometimes I over-calculate my drive and will arrive even earlier than that! In that case, I sit in my car and read until it’s time to show up – still early, but maybe only 5-10 minutes. My Dad always told me it’s better to be early than late, and it’s been ingrained in my brain ever since. Unfortunately, I married someone who waits until the last minute to get ready to leave. So if I’m with him – we’re usually late. That drives me nuts! But at least I can blame him (and I usually do!).

5. I love sports. Well, most sports. Can't stand basketball (except for March Madness) or soccer. Once I started watching hockey, I got hooked (Go Penguins!). I've loved baseball for as long as I can remember and I love playing softball, too. My Dad introduced me to golf when I was 14. If our high school had a women's team, I would have been on it. Now, if I only had an athlete's body… Oh well…

6. If I'm in a room full of people, I'll be the quiet one. Unless you pose a question directly to me, I just sit and listen. That is, until I get to know everyone. Of course, that could take a year (or more). Yes, I am THAT shy (or introverted – I haven't decided).

7. I wrote my first short story when I was 14. It was titled "It Was One of Those Weeks" (and my teacher liked it). I wrote my second short story when I was 52. Quite a gap, huh? It took me awhile to find my way back, but I'm sure glad I did.

Now to pass on the award. This is where I break the rules (I'm a rebel, what can I say?).

Journal of a Midnight Writer. She's one of my critique partners and I enjoy reading her blogs.

Hold On To Your Bloomers. Erin's blog is always entertaining (to me, anyway).
Unearthly Musings. If you only visit Danica's blog on one day, make it Friday. It's how she hooked me!!
Piedmont Writer. I should visit her blog more often (heck I should visit everyone's blog more often), but when I am there, I find I usually have a comment to make. I like interactive blogs.

If you haven't visited them before, now's your chance!

Nashville – Part III (Touring)

When you visit a city, do you look to take a tour? See all the city has to offer (or show off)?

We took two tours of Nashville - one on a bus and one on the Segway. If we had known we were going to do the Segway, we wouldn't have bothered taking the bus. And that might have been a bad thing, since we did see some things from the bus tour we wouldn't have seen from just the Segway tour.

The bus tour only skimmed over some of the sites and stopped once for pictures. But it was interesting to drive down a street that looks like a regular neighborhood, but in fact is one recording studio after another. I never knew so many resided in Nashville.

Segways are a more personal way to tour the city. It's like walking, but faster. However, if you don't like standing on your feet for more than a couple of hours at a time, then the Segway isn't for you.

We are considered "experienced" because we've taken two other Segway tours (Nassau and Chicago), and the group was small (just the four of us), so we got to see more than a normal tour would (since normally time is spent on learning how to use the machine). We saw some of the same sights as the bus, but more up close and personal. But for the most part, the two tours were completely different. We traveled along the river, got to go over the pedestrian bridge (or at least to the top), and could easily stop and take photos.

We noticed one thing about the Nashville area: It's clean. I guess that's to be expected for the state capital. Then again, maybe not. Overall, our visit there was nice (aside from the bugs, that is). I'm glad we had a chance to visit.