Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Wednesday Reads and Headed Toward Dragon*Con

I’m behind on my reading, but should get caught up somewhat since my daughter is doing all the driving to Atlanta (yay!). Should arrive sometime this afternoon (double yay!). Tomorrow I get my badge and programs and then the fun of Dragon*Con starts on Friday. Can't wait! Anyway, here’s what I read during the week:

cover to shadowlight by lynn viehl
Aug 25: “Shadowlight” by Lynn Viehl, a paranormal romance. Blurb from cover: With just one touch, Jessa Bellamy can see anyone’s darkest secrets, thanks to whoever tampered with her genes. What she doesn’t know is that a biotech company called GenHance has discovered her talent, and intends to kill her and harvest her priceless DNA. When GenHance is poised to strike, Gaven Matthias is forced to take action. After months of tracking Jessa, he abducts her himself so he can protect her in his underground fortress. Matthias tries to explain what she is and how she can protect others like her, but Jessa has a hard time believing the one man whose secrets she can’t read. She senses he’s hiding a terrible truth, and yet his touch ignites a passion she’s never known. As a monstrous assassin closes in and forces them on the run, Jessa will have to find another way to discover whether Matthias is her greatest ally…or her deadliest enemy. It was an interesting story, but way more description and characters than I could keep up with. Also, this states #1 in a series, but seems to include people (and events) from another series, so that confused me as well. I did like Jessa and Gavin (Matthias), but not so sure I'll read the rest of the series. It's not that it's a bad book, it's just not the kind I enjoy reading (way too much detail for my taste). I gave this book 4 stars on Goodreads.
 
By the way, I submitted BLIND TEMPTATION. So glad I have Dragon*Con to keep me distracted. That, and my next project--whenever I get around to working on it again! But that's because I'm distracted with Dragon*Con. Yep, vicious cycle, huh? And no, I'm not looking forward to the end of the convention. That would be CRAZY! J
 
I’d like to say I’ll continue posting while I’m at Dragon*Con, but I’ve said that before and never have. But hey, I’ve got a smart phone now. Anything is possible, right? Haha! J
 
So… What have you been watching on TV this summer? I watched the last season of True Blood (boo hoo!) and I’m still watching Extant (2 epidsodes behind). That’s an interesting show. I just hope it doesn’t do what Under the Dome did last year—decide NOT to end. Yeah, I’m not watching Under the Dome this year. Besides, that was NOTHING like the book (as if I thought it might).

Happy reading!

Stacy

Monday, August 25, 2014

The Monday Before Dragon*Con

Can’t believe it’s almost time to drive on down to Atlanta for Dragon*Con. This will be my fifth trip to the convention. And the first time I plan on getting my picture taken with a celebrity. I’m either getting more stupid or more brave. Haven’t figured it out just yet.

Why stupid? Because in the past I never would have paid to have my picture taken with anyone. Sure, this was a birthday present, but I was going to do it anyway (which made my friend’s present all the more easier for her to buy!). But hey, I’m not getting any younger, so why not have some fun? And yeah, I’m going to try my best to have fun getting my picture taken with Karl Urban!

Why brave? Because I’m not feeling all that nervous about it. In the past I’d be shaking already. I think being a writer has tons to do with that. Or maybe the amount of conventions I’ve attended. Let me just say, I never thought I’d get the nerve to do anything like this.

Last week I was planning on organizing my paperwork. I was able to clean up the guest room and the bookcases in there, but never made it to my desk. Doubt I do, too. I have a synopsis to polish (hoping to submit Blind Temptation before I leave on Wednesday), laundry to wash, and bags to pack. Oh yeah, snacks to buy, too. Gotta have food at Dragon*Con, since I tend to miss some meals there (because I’m usually standing in line for a panel).

So… Have you recently found yourself braver than you thought possible? Or maybe more stupid?

Have a great Monday!

Stacy

Friday, August 22, 2014

Pictures of My New Floor

Because I wasn't at the house when the family room was emptied, I didn't get any pictures of the room with the old carpet. Probably just as well. Who wants to see old, dirty carpet anyway?

But what do you do with all the furniture that was in the family room? Well, you stick it whereever it can fit. Most of it went into my dining room (a lovely mess, don't you think?).


And some larger pieces ended up in the kitchen. Yeah, I wasn't using the dishwasher or microwave for awhile (not that I was using it all that much anyway).


Here's what it looked like before the workers arrived. Kind of took me back 18 years, when we had the house built. It echoed! Kind of made me afraid that might happen when the flooring was put down. Hmmm...


Here's the family room after the quarter-inch plywood was put down. My husband didn't do this part when he laid the wood flooring for the living room and dining room. So I guess we won't be surprised if it ends up squeaking. So far, so good, though.


Here's the beginning of the flooring on top of the roofing felt (which we ALSO didn't put down on our previous project--were we slackers or what?).


Up close and personal.


All done! Ain't it pretty? Now we just have to put everything back. Ugh!


While not everything has been returned (not sure I want everything returned, I'm still going through the stuff!), putting the DVDs back was more work than I thought. It's all alphabetized, though! Oh, and the room does NOT echo. Whew!


Next up: getting the area rug for the room. We already ordered it -- 8x10 Steelers Logo! Figured why not? The room is full of Steelers stuff anyway (and it makes the hubby soooo happy).

We still have to replace the couch with two chairs, but I'm in no hurry to go shopping. My goal right now is Dragon*Con. Can't believe I'll be in Atlanta in less than a week. Squeee!!!

A dear author-friend of mine is having a giveaway and I thought I would share the details with you. I've read all her books and loved them all! Even the sweet romance ones (which are the ones she's giving away--so if you haven't read her, now's your chance to try and win her books!).

"Be An Angel" Day is coming this Friday (August 22nd) and in celebration of this day, Renee Vincent is hosting a giveaway at Romance Books 4 Us where she will donate $100 to St. Jude's Hospital AND give away an autographed set of her Jamett & Joseph series to one luck winner!
***Contest ends August 23rd***
 
See here for complete details and enter today: http://romancebooks4us.blogspot.com/2014/08/be-angel-giveaway.html

So... Has summer finally decided to visit you? We're due for some 90-degree temps for the next several days. HEAT WAVE! Not looking forward to that. Better than snow, though. So I guess I won't complain TOO much! :)

Have a good weekend!
  
Stacy

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Wednesday Reads

The floor in our family room is in and really looks good. Should have pictures to post on Friday (once I get off my duff and download them to my computer!). But the job took longer than they expected (2 days instead of 1), so it put a crimp in my non-writing project. I did finish a book yesterday, though, so it wasn’t all bad.

I expect to do some book organizing upstairs today, after I run some errands and after I put the DVDs back in the bookcases in the family room. Hmmm… Maybe I won’t get to my organizing project upstairs today. We’ll see.

Here’s what I read during the week:

cover to disappearing nightly by laura resnick
Aug 13: “Disappearing Nightly” by Laura Resnick, a humorous paranormal mystery. Blurb from cover: “I’m not a heroine; I just play heroines. Also psychotics, orphans, vamps, hookers, and housewives…” Thus begins the first fantastical misadventure of Esther Diamond, a struggling actress who seems destined to attract supernatural mayhem. When bizarre magical disappearances disrupt performances in the Big Apple, Esther receives a mysterious warning not to go on with her off-Broadway show. Desperate to stay on stage rather than resort to waiting tables, Esther turns to her new BFF, Dr. Maximillian Zadok, a 350-year-old mage whose day job is protecting New York from Evil. Determined to get to the bottom of this mystery without losing her job, Esther and Max team up with a conjuring cowboy, a banker with stage aspirations, and a flock of fearless drag queens. Also on the case is Detective Connor Lopez, a sexy cop who has a thing for Esther, but who fears that she and Max may be a bigger problem than the vanishing performers. Since the show must go on—and the astronomical rent must be paid—Esther, Max, and their friends pursue Evil to its lair in their fearless determination to find the missing performers and restore harmony to the city that never sleeps. This book wasn’t anything like I expected. I kind of expected a humorous paranormal romance (in which there really wasn’t any romance, just some attraction between Esther and Lopez), but got a humorous mystery instead. I’m not a lover of mysteries since they’re usually in first person (as this one was), but this story was pretty good and I was able to forget it was in first person (as I do with well written ones). If I were really into mysteries (or I had more time to read), I’d give the rest of the series a chance. I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads.

cover of wolf tales vii by kate douglas
Aug 19: “Wolf Tales VII” by Kate Douglas, the seventh book in the Wolf Tales series, an erotic paranormal romance. Blurb from book: Powerfully sensual and potently erotic, the Chanku are an exotic race of shapeshifters. Their intent is never to harm, only to delight in one another’s sexual passion and pleasure. But someone or something is out to hurt them, and after attacks against all three packs across the country, all targeted at women and children, Anton Cheval calls the Chanku home to find out who is orchestrating these assaults—and to stop them. But as the Chanku come together to defend themselves, something even more unexpected happens. The combined sexual energy of so many libidinous shapeshifters creates an orgy of uncontrollable desire. Now Anton wonders if the Chanku’s powers of seduction have merely increased in the presence of som many of their own kind, or whether they have discovered an important and unexpected legacy from their mystical and mysterious past… It had been awhile since I read Book #6, but with practically everyone in this book, it helped remind me who was who (and who was with who). There were a couple of really good hot scenes, but nothing like I’ve read in past books. Probably because the newness had worn off between all these characters? Hmmm… Something to ponder. I do own the rest of this series, so I will eventually finish. Just not right away. I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads.

So… If you had the funds to buy ANY car you wanted (and maintain), what would you buy? I used to have an answer ready for this question, but I’m so happy with my Xterra, that I’m not obsessing over any. It’s like the cars just aren’t interesting anymore. Do you believe that or am I just getting old?

Happy reading!

Stacy

 

Monday, August 18, 2014

Blind Temptation is Finished! What’s Next?

Besides doing another read-through, I basically finished adding the “meat” to Blind Temptation. Five months, a new-ish ending (doesn’t that usually happen in revisions?), and 20,000 extra words later, I now have a novel at over 97,000 words! One I’m very happy with, too. I just hope my beta reader feels the same. J

So… what’s next? Well, eventually I’ll get to work on Ghostly Interlude, but before I delve into that, I have some projects in the house I need to work on.

Today the family room is getting its’ new flooring, so that will keep me occupied (watching the men work, that is). Then there’s the actual job of re-reading my novel, but I should be finished with that by tomorrow (I hope).

Then, after the flooring is all done, we’ll have to put the furniture BACK inside the family room. I kind of want that done as soon as possible. The place is a mess right now!

Next, I NEED to organize my bookcases. They’re in the guest room upstairs and the books are kind of just…everywhere. If anyone was to actually USE the guest room, well, it shouldn’t look the way it does. This week will be a good time get that all organized, since I’m between writing projects.

Also, I want to make sure those books are all logged into Goodreads as being READ. See… more organization. I love things I can use to help me stay organized. It’s just sometimes a pain to get started (keeping them up-to-date is so much easier for me).

I should probably also clean my “office.” This isn’t my writing space, but my bill-writing space. The filing cabinet is more than over-flowed with paid statements. Who knows how many years’ worth is in there? I need to pull out the oldest statement and take them downstairs (basement). Heck, I probably have stuff in the basement that can probably be shredded! I don’t do this activity very often, that’s for sure.

Once I get all that crap done, then I’ll be ready to write. Unless I cheat, and start early (I’ve been known to do that). Because I also have a short story I want to get ready as a freebie (if my daughter ever gets around to actually editing the thing!), and a novella that’s itching to be completed (most of the story will come from a book that will never see the light of day). Don’t know what I’ll start on next, but I’m sure I’ll start on something this week! How can I not? It’s writing related!

So… Which room in your house do you rarely use? For me, that would be the living room. Until this weekend, that is. So glad to have a back-up to the family room! J

Happy Monday!

Stacy

 

Friday, August 15, 2014

I’m a Guest Poster and There’s This Liebster Award

When the word LINK is highlighted, the URL to the post I wrote for Romance University will be linked (since I did not receive the link prior to posting this—although you could just check their SITE and see if it’s there!). If you’re interested in seeing how I organize my writing via spreadsheets, come check it out. And if you’re not interested, come say hi. ESPECIALLY if there aren’t any comments. Because I just don’t know what’s more depressing than not getting any comments. Do you agree?

liebster award logo
Blogger buddy (and Lyrical sister) Sandra Cox of Sandra’s Blog has nominated me for a Liebster Award. Now, I don’t normally play along, but I needed something to blog about (besides my guest post).

Here’s the lowdown on the award (in blue): The Liebster Award is given to bloggers with less than 200 followers. The goal of this grand gesture is to help find blogs which are worthy of a bigger following... sort of like finding diamonds scattered amongst tiny grains of sparkling, white, distant sands. You imagine they are there but you have to look hard enough to pick up their beauty and inspiration against the decadence of a jealous sun. (Gee… does that even sound like me? I mean, besides the having less than 200 followers part?)

In German, Liebster means kindest, beloved, valued and welcome.

The rules for accepting this award are as follows:

  • List 11 random facts about myself.
  • Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated me.
  • Nominate 11 other blogs who have less than 200 followers and let them know they have been nominated.
  • Post 11 new questions for those bloggers to answer (If they wish to accept the award, it’s completely optional).

I’m not playing the complete game since I refuse to nominate other bloggers. That’s just too much darn work for me and you all know how lazy I am. Besides, I don’t think I know 11 blogs that have less than 200 followers. And if I do, they haven’t blogged in a good, long time! But I can do the first and second (of which Sandra only gave me six questions, so she cheated, too).

Eleven random facts about me, that maybe I haven’t mentioned before:

  1. I’m a name-dropper.
  2. I went to high school (and graduated in the same class) as Meg Gardiner. In fact, we lived only a couple of blocks away from each other (even though we weren’t friends at school, our sisters were). And if you don’t know who she is, that means you didn’t read last Wednesday’s POST. L
  3. I’m a character in Brett Battles’ book, “The Silenced.” Yeah, I’m a dead character, but a character is a character, and I was mentioned SEVERAL times!
  4. I hate filling out forms.
  5. I hate pickles. Especially the pickle juice. Keep them away from my sandwiches!
  6. I love Diet Dr. Pepper with Cherry.
  7. I joined the Army instead of the Air Force because I weighed too much for the Air Force.
  8. I hate walking barefoot.
  9. I love wearing bright yellow.
  10. I hate wearing bright yellow OUTSIDE. It just seems to call to every flying bug out there!
  11. I’m so glad this list is over. J

Here are the six questions Sandra gave to me:

  1. If you were an animal what would you be? I AM an animal, aren’t I? Hmmm… Other than human? A guess a cat. A big cat. Like a panther, maybe.
  2. What's your favorite genre? Paranormal romance
  3. When reading, do you prefer paper or a hand held device? Paper! Although, isn’t paper ALSO a hand held device? Hmmm…
  4. What's your favorite vacation spot? A cruise
  5. What's your favorite charity? I guess Disabled Vets. They keep sending me a calendar, so I keep sending them money.
  6. If given the choice, where would you live? Wait, I’m always given a choice, aren’t I? And I chose Dayton, Ohio. But if money didn’t matter? Santa Barbara, California!!!

Yeah, I can’t even answer questions easily, can I? Maybe I should have put THAT down as a random fact. Haha! J

So… Did you check out the guest post? What did you think?

Have a great weekend!

Stacy

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Wednesday Reads and Boy, Am I Embarrassed

After I woke up yesterday and got dressed for the gym, I checked my e-mail on my iPhone to see if anything good popped up. I found a new e-mail from my publisher mentioning the cover to Ghostly Liaison. Ecstatic, I ran to the computer in the living room (because it’s always on), only to find out that it’s not connected to the network, thus not connected to the Internet (of course, that’s because I wanted to use it!), so I turned on my laptop. Ten minutes later, I was able to access my e-mail, but wait! There’s no cover attached. I e-mailed my publisher to let her know only to get an e-mail back saying it was the final cover COPY. In other words, the blurb. Oops. I’m thinking I should wait to check my e-mail until AFTER my first cup of coffee. What do you think?

Here’s what I read during the week:

cover to Phantom Instinct by Meg Gardiner
Aug 6: “Phantom Instinct” by Meg Gardiner, a suspense/thriller. Blurb from cover: When shots ring out in a crowded L.A. club, bartender Harper Flynn watches helplessly as her boyfriend, Drew, is gunned down in the cross fire. Then someone throws a Molotov cocktail, and the club is quickly engulfed in flames. L.A. Sheriff Deputy Aiden Garrison sees a gunman in a hoodie and gas mask taking aim at Harper; but before he can help her, a wall collapses, bringing the building down and badly injuring him. A year later, Harper is trying to rebuild her life. She has quit her job and gone back to college. Meanwhile, the investigation into the shoot-out has been closed; the two gunmen were killed when the building collapsed. Certain that a third gunman escaped and is targeting the survivors, Harper enlists the help of Aiden Garrison, the only person willing to listen. But the traumatic brain injury he suffered has cut his career short and left him with Fregoli syndrome, a rare type of face blindness that causes the delusion that random people are actually a single person changing disguises. As Harper and Aiden delve into the case, Harper realizes that her presence during the attack was no coincidence—and that her only ally is unstable, mistrustful of her, and seeing the same enemy everywhere he looks. Man, this book grabbed me from the get-go and held on tight. Super suspenseful—my kind of book! I had trouble putting it down—really had trouble—and kept turning the pages even when my eyes were too tired to focus. I love these kinds of books and gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.

So… What embarrassing thing have you done lately? J

Happy reading!

Stacy

Monday, August 11, 2014

Spiffying up the Place

My hubby and I have been living in our house for over 17 years now. Seventeen years!!! When we had this house built, our kids were still in high school (actually, our daughter wasn't even there yet). Man, I really feel old.

Four years ago we replaced the carpeting in the living room and the vinyl in the dining room with wood flooring. My hubby and our friend did all the work, and it was hard work, too.

Well, now we’re going to replace the carpeting in the family room with the same wood floor. My husband is getting smarter and has decided to pay someone to install it. Figured it wasn’t worth the wear and tear of his body.

We’re in the process of moving all the furniture out of the family room so we can start removing the carpet (since we decided we could do THAT much). We have a LOT of stuff in the family room: bookcases of DVDs, books lying around (basically part of my TBR pile), and general junk. Yeah, junk (we’ll see if that gets returned!). And most of this stuff is dusty (hmmm… maybe I should dust more often? Nah…).

I’ll be glad when it’s all done. By then I’ll be packing for my trip to Atlanta and Dragon*Con. At least, my husband HOPES it will all be finished BEFORE I leave.

But laying down a hardwood floor is not the only project in the books. All the trim outside hasn’t been painted since we moved in and the deck in the back needs cleaned and stained (which we DID do once, but man, what a mess we made). Because we’re basically lazy people (and maybe a little incompetent), we’re also hiring someone to do all that work. We found someone, too, but I have no idea when they’ll get to us. The rainy weather kind of put them behind schedule, but it’s been dry for the past week, so maybe they’re getting all caught up. I look forward to seeing the place get spiffyed up. And if I remember, I’ll take before and after pics.

Eventually, we’ll replace the upstairs carpeting, but I’m thinking the couch (in the family room) will be replaced first. My hubby kind of broke his end of it, although he seems fine with sitting there. I suggested we each get a huge chair instead of another couch and he likes the idea. And with the new flooring (and a new area rug), we’ll probably want something that looks better (newer).

Hey, in case any of you are interested, this Friday I’ll be a guest poster on Romance University. I’m writing about how to organize your writing using spreadsheets. Not sure if it’s useful for anyone (I’m anal when it comes to spreadsheets), but I was asked to post something. Pretty neat, huh? That I was ASKED. Anyway, I’ll post the link on Friday (when I get it).

By the way, I did end up going to the Englewood Festival on Saturday and Boy Scout Troop 268 was still there, still selling their grilled corn on the cob, and it was still a buck an ear! The hubby and I each had two ears and man, were they gooooooooood!

So… Got any plans for the week? I expect to finish revisions of Blind Temptation AND the line edits for Ghostly Liaison. Fun, fun, fun! (And I mean it, too! J).

Happy Monday!

Stacy

 

Friday, August 8, 2014

Loving My Ice Cream

Ever since my husband saw the advertisement, we’ve been going to McDonald’s almost every night for a 49 cent ice cream cone. It really is a good deal and the ice cream (while not really the real kind) isn’t too bad, either. I think it’s low fat, too. Anyway, we get our cones and my husband tends to finish his first. How much quicker does he finish it? Well, I found this short video on Facebook that demonstrates the difference between how I eat ice cream and how he eats ice cream. Let’s just say I’m Daisy and my husband is Cooper (by the way, my husband agrees!).



Ain't that just the cutest thing? I cracked up when I first saw it. And if you couldn’t get it to play, here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHvExOg4NI0

It’s looking to be a great weekend. We plan on going to the Englewood Festival on Saturday, where I might do a little early Christmas shopping (lots of crafts for sale). I just hope Boy Scout Troop 268 (that's my son's old troop) is still selling grilled corn on the cob. I LOVE that stuff.

So…Do you enjoy craft festivals? Do you have a favorite? Or does any festival that has food make it your favorite?

Have a great weekend! And don’t eat too much ice cream! J

Stacy

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Wednesday Reads and Movie Night

Would you believe a movie came out that I wanted to see? “Guardians of the Galaxy” became our latest Tuesday movie night at the Rave Theatre ($5.50/person). How was it? Funny! I actually laughed out loud. Thoroughly fun, which I believe most movies should be. I’m so glad I saw it (oh, and if you do go see it, stay for after the credits).

I’m starting to get caught up in my reading. I may fall behind until my project is finished (which is coming along nicely—finally!) Of course, with the book I’m currently reading, maybe not—I just do NOT want to put that sucker down! Anyway, here’s what I read during the week:

cover to Her Favorite Mistake
Aug 1: “Her Perfect Mistake” by Barbara Lohr, a contemporary romance. Blurb from Goodreads: Sometimes you make a mistake. Sometimes he's hard to forget. When Vanessa Randall appears on "Eye of the Tiger," a popular reality TV show, she isn't prepared to see her Vegas Hunky Hottie from four years earlier. She needs the Chicago Internet mogul's help, but he's the last man she wants back in her life. Oh, Alex recognizes her all right. The long-legged brunette had called herself Vivien Leigh before slipping out before dawn. More than a little ticked off, he becomes Vanessa's mentor to help her ramp up Randall's Whipped Cream Cakes. Revenge can be sweet. When business becomes personal, things get complicated. He wasn't counting on her toddler stealing his heart. His beach house on Lake Michigan doesn't impress her. Will sand castles and cinnamon toast win her trust? No way in hell does he want to be her favorite mistake. Subtle, sexy love scenes. I would have preferred this to be a bit hotter than it was, but the romance was good. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

cover of Captured Heat
Aug 4: “Captured Heat” by Karida Clarke, the first book in the Phoenix Warriors series, a paranormal romance. Blurb form Goodreads: The Phoenix Warriors, a group of immortals bound by the gods to protect the integrity of the human realm from otherworldly races, have been led for centuries by Cole, a guarded alpha male. When Cole learns that an ancient demon has discovered the location of a tool that will enable him to escape from the prison realm, Cole vows to find and safeguard it before the demon's vampire minions. Rebecca Powell is a high school guidance counselor who is everyone's "lucky charm." She's just not so lucky herself. After being used a time too many, she's through with men...until she runs right into the one she can't resist. Cole and Rebecca have both been burned before, but can they put aside their misgivings to protect the human realm and learn to love again? This was a fun book and a nice change from the normal paranormal fare (doesn't mean I don't love the normal paranormal fare—I do!!). Lots of sexy scenes, too. I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

So… Have you seen “Guardians of the Galaxy”? If not, do you want to? If so, did you like it?

Happy reading!

Stacy

Monday, August 4, 2014

I Can't Believe I Ate...Well, You Know

This is what I did on Saturday...



And all the food was gooooood.

Now I get to work it allllll off.

Have a good Monday!


Stacy

Friday, August 1, 2014

On the Road Again

I love traveling. The driving kind, that is. And today I’m headed (along with my hubby) to NJ to attend a family reunion. This is a fun reunion and one I didn’t go to last year because, well, there wasn’t one. That’s because there was a wedding (which, unfortunately, I couldn’t attend), so it’s been awhile since I’ve seen these people.

Now, they probably all think I don’t have fun at these things. But they’d be wrong. Just because I usually plant my butt in one spot and only talk with whoever sits near me, only means I’m not a social butterfly. I have a hard time flittering and fluttering.

But I am getting better. Conventions have helped a lot. Maybe it will be different this time.

Of course, I said that the last time about taking pictures and then didn’t take any. Me bad!!

Anyway, if I don’t comment right away, you’ll at least know why. And no, I don’t plan on commenting from my iPhone. I’m sure I’ll screw something up. Heck, I still don’t have access to my voice mail on that thing. You’d think the sales rep would have TOLD me what the password was before I walked out of the store, but NOOOOO.

I noticed on Goodreads that I’m two books behind schedule. Yikes! Ahhh, but I have these two long drives ahead of me, where I should at least get ONE book finished. Still have to work on Blind Temptation, too. Not sure I’ll do it in the car though. Why is it I get car sick when I try to work on the computer but NOT when I’m reading a book? Is it all mental? Yeah, I know. I’m mental!

I did set a goal for myself, though: to finish my revisions by August 16. That averages out to a little over 5 pages a day. Since I tend to ADD words to my WIP, I have to make sure to average 6-7 a day, and so far I’ve been doing that. Of course, I haven’t tried this on a weekend yet. We’ll see how I do, since I most likely will not be doing ANY revising on Saturday (the day of the reunion). Ah heck, who am I kidding? I’ll be lucky to get any pages revised on Friday and Sunday, too! Might need to bump up that number, huh? Because I WILL finish by August 16. I will, I will, I will!

So… What’s your favorite food at a reunion? I love my potato salad and my deviled eggs, but they don’t travel well so I’m not bringing them. I’m sure I’ll find something yummy to eat, though. There will definitely be plenty of food to choose from!

Have a great weekend!

Stacy