My Current Project

My husband had to travel to Kentucky for work and asked if I wanted to tag along. I thought, why not? It's not really costing us more than if I had stayed at home (just my meal, if I don't share his, that is). Also, when I'm at home, I feel the need to clean or decorate (you know, for that big holiday that's coming up), not just sit and edit.

Hotel rooms aren't all that great, but now I can work without all that guilt. I could do this more often!

So, what am I editing? My vampire series.

The first book in the series – book 3, MY SUNNY VAMPIRE – is out on submission. I realized that when I sell it (or self-publish), it would help to have the other books in the series all cleaned up. Only problem, the third book in the series – book 2, SARAH'S TURN – is a syrupy piece of crap.

That is the sequel to the second book in the series – book 1, THE UNCOMMON ONE – and it just didn't work. So, I decided to rewrite it for another couple. This created a problem, though. If I was making it someone else's book, then I had to end book 1 with the ending from book 2.

Confused? Yeah, me, too!

Anyway, my current project is cleaning up book 1 (it needs it, but it's nice to know I still love the story, if not the title) and getting immersed once again so I can end it differently. Once I finish that, then I'll completely revise book 2, which I guess when you look at it, will really be book 6, right? Or not? What do you think? Even though I'm using some bits already written, the couple is being written from scratch.

In the end, my series will be as follows: MY SUNNY VAMPIRE (book 3 with Jack and Sunny), MY RELUCTANT VAMPIRE (book 1 with John and Sarah), and MY VAMPIRE HERO (book2/6 with Sam and Janie). I'm perfectly fine with the first title (in fact, I love it), but I'm still playing with the other two. If I get lucky with a small press, hopefully they can come up with better titles. If I'm self-publishing, then I'll have to work on them some more.

I really love working in the hotel room, though. No interruptions. No guilt. No getting up and snacking. Of course, I'm not getting any decorating or shopping done (I'm not about to walk to the store – it's freakin' cold outside), but if my husband doesn't care, then I don't either. He's taking another trip next week. We'll see if he invites me again.

 

What I Read the Last 2 Weeks

Oh my gosh! This is my 400th posting! How crazy is that? Three years ago on Thanksgiving I started doing this thing. Time sure flies, doesn't it?

Last week I was on a ship enjoying a cruise and didn't post anything, so basically the following is what I read in the past two weeks. Most of them read on that cruise, by the way.

 

Nov 24: "Blood Deep" by Sharon Page. This book is a historical paranormal romance, toward the erotic side. Blurb on back: Going to her lover, Miranda Bond speeds through the night, headless of danger. Then her carriage is captured by two daring and mysterious highwaymen – two devastatingly handsome men determined to share her in fantastic games of erotic titillation… Miranda's captors are deadly and dangerous vampires, who have escaped from a hellish prison to seek revenge. She cannot resist as Zayan and Lukos take her to the precipice of surrender – for it may be her innocence that brings them all release… I read the first book of this series and liked it well enough so when I saw the author at a convention, I wanted to buy the next and get her autograph. But she had the third book. I asked her if I needed to read the second to understand the third. She said no. I think she was wrong. I felt confused at times (especially in the beginning) and never really connected with the characters. I enjoyed the first book a whole bunch better and not so sure I want to go back and read the second. I gave it 3 stars on Goodreads.

 

Nov 26: "666 Park Avenue" by Gabriella Pierce. This book is a paranormal, but not a romance. Might even be considered horror (but not in the Stephen King or Dean Koontz kind of way - is there such a thing as light horror?). Blurb on back: Ever since fabulously wealthy Malcolm Doran walked into her life and swept her off her feet, fledgling architect Jane Boyle has been living a fairy tale. When he proposes with a stunning diamond to seal the deal, Jane can't believe her incredible luck and decides to leave her Paris-based job to make a new start with Malcolm in New York. But when Malcolm introduces Jane to the esteemed Doran clan, one of Manhattan's most feared and revered families, Jane's fairy tale takes a darker turn. Soon everything she thought she knew about the world – and herself – is upended. Now Jane must struggle with newfound magical abilities and the threat of those who will stop at nothing to get them. I got this book for free at RT this year. The cover and blurb intrigued me. Wasn't sure what to expect, but it kept my attention. I just wish the ending was a little better, but apparently it's the beginning of a series (one I might look into some more). I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads.

 

Nov 28: "Ghost Walk" by Heather Graham. This book is a paranormal romance. Believe it or not, I've never read any of her books before. I got this one at the 2010 RT for free and finally found a time to read it. Technically, I read it in a day (less than 24 hours), even though I started it on the 27 and finished it at 1 a.m. on the 28. Blurb on back: Nikki DuMonde's newest employee is standing at the end of her bed at four o'clock in the morning begging for help. It's a joke, right? Besides, as manager of a successful New Orleans haunted-tour company, Nikki doesn't scare easily. But in the light of day, harsh reality sets in as a police officer informs her that Andy was brutally murdered – at the exact time Nikki swears the distraught woman was in her room. No one believes her except Brent Blackhawk, a paranormal investigator desperately trying to forget his tragic past. Half Irish, half Lakota – and able to communicate with the dead – Brent is used to living in two worlds. Bur when he realizes the ghost of a slain government agent is also trying to reach out to Nikki, he knows that she, too, must listen to the dead…if she wants to keep living. I really liked the book (which told some New Orleans stories) and connected with the characters very easy. Loved the romance! I'll definitely check out more of her work. I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads.

 

Dec 1: "Virtually His" by Gennita Low. This book is marked as a romantic suspense. It should say "This book will PISS YOU OFF!" Blurb: Chosen to be the ultimate secret operative, Helen Roston has become the most dangerous woman in the world. Two years of training and she's now ready for the final phase – a risky combination of virtual reality and a mind-altering serum. When her mysterious and faceless "trainer" syncs his mind to hers using the program, she's amazed at her sizzling response to his virtual touch. But Helen likes to be in control. She's not going to beg for more. Helen's final test is a challenge mission, picked by the other government agencies whose candidates lost out to her. To succeed, she has to put herself completely in the hands of her trainer, a man she's not sure she can trust. But all of COS Command are counting on her. She cannot fail. I struggled with this book from the beginning, but stuck with it hoping for a payoff I never received. I had no idea this was the first book of a series (no where on the cover does it state anything like that). Even so, it should have had some kind of ending. It did not. Next – If a book is marked as a ROMANTIC anything, it should better have some romance in it. This one had sex – soooo not the same thing. Finally – I had no idea who the trainer was (even in his POV), and it was only assumed at the end. Hated that! I will NOT read the next book, since I no longer trust this author. I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads.

 

So, two hits and two misses. I need to read more hits. I find I read them faster, too. If I can put a book down because I don't want to read it (as opposed to putting it down so I'm not wasting all my time reading instead of writing, like I should be), then I should seriously consider whether or not I should finish the darn thing. Doubt I'll do it, though. I'm stubborn that way, I guess (or would that be hopeful??).

 

Hope you're reading something good!

 

 

My Vacation - Yes, There's Pictures!

Driving down to New Orleans was a lot less tiring than driving back. Probably because we took two days to get down there and only one day to return. That, and the fact my husband was trying to see if he could read a book in one day (he'd never done it before), so my four hour driving stint turned into six and a half (I drove from Tuscaloosa to 30 miles out of Cincinnati). He proudly finished the book at 11:00 pm and drove the rest of the way home (which took all of 90 minutes – Thanks, Tess Gerritsen!).

 

Besides all that driving, the cruise was wonderful. Weather was sunny and warm at both Progreso and Cozumel. Thoroughly enjoyed that!

We had scheduled excursions for both stops, but our kayaking trip in Progreso got cancelled at the last minute (not enough signed up for it), so my husband and I took a $3.00 double-decker bus tour through the little town.

 

Then we walked down to the beach. Our friend wasn't feeling well, so she stayed on ship (so it was probably a good thing the excursion got cancelled or she would have been out some money!). Progreso is a nice, quiet place. The place the Mexicans come to vacation (or so we were told by two Canadians who now call Progreso their home).

 

During the summer, the place gets packed with 150,000 people. As you can tell from the pictures, not so many visit during the off-season. Although, why it's off-season, I have no idea. The weather was TERRIFIC!

We were hit numerous times to purchase massages and the Mayan cell phones (large conk shells!). I cracked up at that.

We'd been in Cozumel before (back in 2007) and didn't sign up for anything then, because nothing really appealed to us. This time we took the XRail excursion. The guide called it the Mexican Lamborghini.

 

This was one rough event (and muddy, too), but a whole lotta fun! I didn't take my camera along – wasn't risking it getting ruined – but the tour guides took lots of pictures. Yeah, they came with a price (and some T-shirts), but it was worth it.

 

This was our second best excursion ever (River Tubing in Belize is still #1) and if we ever go back to Cozumel, we will definitely do it again (of course, next time I will NOT drink anything at the half-way point unless it's hot out and I'm sweating – riding in those things with a full bladder isn't so great).

On our assigned dinner table, my husband had the privilege to be the only man amongst nine women – Mary #1 (our friend), Mary #2, Karen, Passion, Rachel, Danielle, Diane, Ruth, and ME! Sometimes you wonder what kind of dinner mates you'll end up with. So far, we've been lucky. Dinner was enjoyable, although I think the table behind me was having a bit more fun than we were – or maybe they just drank more!

Overall, we had a great time. I don't know when our next cruise will be (since I'm currently not bringing in a paycheck), so I'm glad I have this one as my last to remember for awhile. Hope you enjoyed the pictures. Here are some more (and as always, click on the photo and you'll get a better/larger view):

 

Port hole was a bit on the wet side, but I just
loved the sunrise!

I was looking at taking a picture similar to the Corona
commercial, but I don't think I quite got it!

Not sure what they were building in Progreso, but the
birds appeared to enjoy it!

 

Having Fun!

I'll be incommunicado for awhile. Gee...I wonder why???

Before I go, I have to tell you - because of the Saints 3:30 game yesterday, we never made it down to the French Quarter, so we went to the movies instead (yeah, we're wimps, but we saw the traffic - ugh). We saw "Skyfall", which is a pretty good. And considering I've only seen maybe one James Bond movie before (a hokey one with Roger Moore), well, I can say there wasn't any hokiness in this one! After the movie we found a great restaurant - Copelands. If you ever find yourself in New Orleans (or in my case, Kenner), you should check it out. They have really great food!

Hope you have a great week. I know I will!!!

 

 

 

Best Laid Plans?

You can plan, but that doesn't mean things will go your way.

Our cruise doesn't take off until Monday, but we left today (driving) so we could get to New Orleans a day early and spend some time there to sight-see. If we had thought this through better, we probably wouldn't have bothered. See, today was the OSU game vs. "That Team Up North" (uhhh, Michigan). We wanted to watch that game! How could we be so stupid???

The game started at Noon. The plan? Drive to Louisville and stop at Buffalo Wild Wings to watch the game. What's a four hour layover? We're spending the night in Birmingham, AL anyway. No biggie. We'd still make it there before bedtime.

We planned to leave home at 8:00 am expecting to arrive in Louisville by 11:00 am. Instead, we left around 8:30 am and arrived at 10:40 am. Hmmm…does our friend have a lead foot or was MapQuest totally wrong?

No matter. We wait for BW3 to open, get a seat, and wait for the game. It's on ABC at home. Figured it wouldn't be a problem. They said it wouldn't.

A lot of other OSU fans thought the same thing. By Noon, the place filled up with Buckeye fans. Looked to be a nice rowdy time!!

Only problem: BW3 couldn't get the game. ABC wasn't offering it in that area and it couldn't be found on-line, either. Direct TV SUCKS!!!

Talk about crappy! Oh well, we arrived in Birmingham four hours earlier then planned, and was able to get the game on our friend's XM radio (she's a peach).

Still, would have LOVED to watch OSU BEAT That Team Up North.

Score: OSU 26, Michigan 21. 12-0 season! Yeah, baby!!!