What Are You Reading?

I have piles of books scattered all over the family room.

Really.

Piles.

As if it's not bad enough I continue to buy – I gotta have the latest from my favorite authors – I also have my daughter's library to contend with.

First there was Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. Not a fan of first person point of view, but I like these books. I'm waiting for my daughter to read the last two (three?), then she'll give them to me to read.

Next was Kerrelyn Sparks' Love at Stake series. I went through those faster (when is the next one coming out???). I just LOVE that series.

Now it's JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

I'm not even finished with the first book and I'm hooked (and my daughter is super excited, too).

I keep looking at my piles of books and wonder when I'm going to ever get back to them. I have a feeling I'll be reading JR Ward for awhile.

And who are my favorite authors – books I buy and read as soon as they come out? Let's see:

Lynsay Sands (Argeneau Vampire series)
Meg Gardiner
Tess Gerritsen
Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse series)

So, do you have piles of books, too? How do you decide what to read next?

Canada - Part II

I can't believe we're doing it again. We're actually going to Canada.

The first and last time we ventured into that country, we visited Montreal and learned they don't like English much. Which was a disaster since we also learned our Garmin didn't have Canadian maps. Yes, we got lost. Major lost!

This time we'll be armed with a new Garmin, and I've been told Toronto isn't part of France. Yes, I know Montreal isn't part of France, either, but try telling them that!

Our reason for this trip (on a weekend where we'll actually be spending the night in Detroit to and from) is to attend my daughter's Footy game (that would be Australian Rules Football). A long drive for one game, but my baby's worth it.

I hope the weather is great. I hope we can drive with the top down (yes, we have a convertible). I hope I take lots of pictures. Who knows when I'll make it to the country again? Who knows when I'll want to?

A Joke

JOKE OF THE WEEK - courtsey of suddenvalues.com

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well was dry and needed to be covered up anyway, so it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then to everyone's surprise, he quieted down. A few shovels later, the farmer looked down the well and saw something amazing! That with each shovel of dirt that hit the donkey's back, he simply shook it off and took a step up! As the neighbors continued to shovel dirt down the well, the donkey continued to shake and climb!

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

The Moral: Life is going to shovel all kinds of dirt on you. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping! Never give up! Shake it off and take a step up!

Enough of that crap. The donkey later came back and bit the s_ _ _ out of the farmer that tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected and the farmer eventually died in agony from the infection.

Moral 2: When you do something wrong and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you.

Couldn't resist posting this. Sometimes I get some good ones in my e-mails. Most of the time, not so much. Hope I put a smile on your face!

ADOS

First off, I have to say – Happy Birthday to ME!! Yes, it's my birthday. And I'm trying to enjoy it. Even if I do feel like crap. Guess my body isn't enjoying getting another year older. But what can I do? It's better than the alternative!

Now on to my blog…

In a conversation with my offspring and a dear friend, we got to talking about funny things and sayings, i.e. "You know you have ADHD – oh look, a chicken!" That prompted my son to tell us his friend told him she had ADOS. So of course, we had to ask.

ADOS = Attention Deficit Oooh Shiny

Insert laughter here.

Now, don't get me wrong. I feel for those who truly have ADHD, but don't we all suffer from it to some extent? Maybe that's why we can joke about it.

I never really thought much about ADHD, but now that I've opened the door to the voices in my head (in other words – wrote a book), I can see how a lot of writers can be labeled as such.

Sometimes that great idea will grab ahold of you and whatever you were saying or whoever you were listening to, go by the wayside. Your mind is on that idea and you must write it down!

So I can say I, too, have ADOS. And I jump at the chance to catch that shiny new idea.

And I still think ADOS is funny. Sorry!

I'm Back At It

I thought the second time around I was immune. Ha! Fooled me.

What am I talking about? Querying – and constantly checking my e-mail – that's what!

I laugh at myself. How pathetic can I be? I mean, I just sent out the queries. I know how busy agents are. I know it will take several weeks before they get back to me (if they respond at all, that is). Yet, as soon as I hit "send", all reason flies out the door.

I know it's unrealistic to think every agent will love my story, but I hope it anyway. And I know it only takes one "yes", so am I wrong in wishing for more than one? Am I greedy? Or just normal?

I so much want this book to be the one for me. The one that starts the ball rolling. So I'll post my query here and you tell me – would you want to read it?

When Committee Member Jack VanAllen wakes up in a snow bank with no recollection of how he got there, he's a little concerned. Vampires don't black out and they don't forget anything. When he discovers the woman who resembles his late wife lying beside him in the midst of turning, he's outraged. Unauthorized turnings are punishable by death.

Sunshine Petersen's New Year's resolution did not include immortality, but that's what she gets whether she likes it or not. She could come to love her new life if it included Jack. If only she hadn't accused him of turning her. It was an honest mistake. How was she supposed to know the difference between a bite for feeding and a bite for turning? Unfortunately, she doesn't remember who turned her.

While Jack is almost certain he didn't turn Sunshine, his lack of memory, her resemblance to his late wife, and his growing attraction to her isn't helping his case any. Could he have turned her or is someone setting him up? Should he do the honorable thing and turn himself in, hoping for leniency or take Sunshine and run, ensuring the death penalty if he's caught?

MY SUNNY VAMPIRE is a paranormal romance of 98,000 words.

I welcome all honest opinions!