Just when you think all is right with the world… WRONG. I came home yesterday to a puddle of water in the middle of the kitchen floor. Coming from the refrigerator. Instead of kicking off my shoes and figure out dinner, I had a mess to clean up. Of which I was not happy about.

I should note here Man had to work late and wasn’t expected home until…LATE.

I managed to get the fridge moved so I could see behind it. Yep, there was a puddle all right and the floor was gross. I mean, who really cleans behind their refrigerator? I had to mop and then I had the cleanest floor in all the land. The puddle was gone. I checked the ice maker line and there was nary a drip. I couldn’t figure it out. I got the fridge back in place and cooked dinner. Kiddo and I watched Clone Wars on DVD and played a rousing game of Lego Minotauris. Then I cleaned up the kitchen…and slipped in another puddle of water!

sigh

I called Man. He and I both wondered why this stuff happens when he can’t be there to fix it. He walked me through things to figure out what was leaking. I couldn’t find the damn drip tray. I couldn’t figure out how to turn the water off to the ice maker line. So I moved the fridge AGAIN (it’s not like it’s lightweight either!) and found the puddle directly under it. No dripping on the line either. Anyway.

Man thinks the compressor is going out. It’s currently still working (I hope) but it looks like this weekend we’ll be shopping for a new refrigerator. Joy of joys. The only consolation in that is: I hate this fridge anything; I can get one with a bottom drawer freezer! YAY! Hopefully there will be good sales with no interest for a certain period of time. Two years would be good. Ya hear that Finance Gods?

Anyway, that was my entire evening down the tubes. Tonight I have a thing at the school. Tomorrow is the kid’s birthday party. I’m so glad this is going to be a long weekend… I’ll need the rest.

Hard to believe today is September 1. The year is flying by. But then, I think it just speeds up after August anyway. We have all these holidays to look forward to after all.

I hand edited the first three chapters of the revision this week and finally sat down long enough last night to incorporate all the changes. I’m printing one chapter at a time, reading, editing, then revising. So far, it’s a good systme that’s working. I’ve found there’s a different systems for each book, though.

I actually had something else to blog about but at the moment I’m blank so I’m just going to say HAPPY WEDNESDAY and September and call it good.

Hey all – I’m over at the TRS Blue today if you want to stop by and say hi! Just click here!

My baby boy turns 9 today. It seems like yesterday when he was born! I hope he has a fabulous day at school. Happy birthday, sweetie-boy! LOVE YOU!

This weekend was very busy. We started early Saturday and didn’t stop until late afternoon Sunday. Went car shopping with Man and he finally found a car for his daughter. We spent the morning and early afternoon doing car business on Saturday and then ran a ton of errands the rest of the day. Sunday was about grocery shopping and more grocery shopping. I swear we spent at least two hours doing that. Got everything home, unloaded, ate lunch, ran more errands. Did laundry, cleaned litter box, cooked a full meal (made the BEST chicken friend steak and black eyed peas ever!), did dishes, cleaned fruit, prepared lunches for today, wrapped birthday gifts…

…yeah, I’m exhausted. I needed to come back to work to rest.

Oh. And – I submitted my short novella to the publisher a few days ago. Waiting to hear back now. I’m onto the fantasy and working on rewriting the story. I’m trying to do a chapter a day and finding time to get it all done is certainly a challenge. Never mind FrontierVille is causing all sorts of distraction.

I had a huge turnout at my book-a-day giveaway on The Romance Studio on Friday. Thanks everyone who participated! I’ll be over at the TRS Blue blog tomorrow talking about my latest release, Sex Lust & Martinis. Hope you’ll stop by to check it out! I’ll post the link in the morning.

Happy Monday!

Hey gang! Hop on over to The Romance Studio and look for me there under Book-A-Day by clicking here. I’m giving away a copy of Sex Lust & Martinis! It’s really simple to enter, too. Not sure what time it’ll be up, but today is the day!

I’ve been busy, busy, busy. We had our first soccer practice last night. Thankfully, we finally got a cool front and the temp was only in the upper 70s. Glorious! We even got some much needed rain. The weather is a lot more tolerable than it was on Monday. We literally went from the hottest day of summer to the coolest. That’s the thing about Texas. If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.

I’m working on final edits for my short story this weekend and then I’m going to submit it. Plus I have edits for the fantasy story underway. I just don’t seem to have enough time in my day to get everything done.

Oh and we’ve had to complete our first project for school. Make a 3D sea creature. I’m convinced teachers assign these things to see how creative parents are.

Happy weekend, ya’ll!

Yesterday we finally got some much needed rain! And the temp didn’t reach 100. First time in about 15 days or something like that.

I have lots of admin stuff to do so that’s been my evenings lately. I have blog posts coming up and interviews and release parties and all sorts of stuff. Just you wait. I’ll keep you posted on where I’ll be and when! Just FYI: Friday I’m doing a Book-A-Day Giveaway over at The Romance Studio if you’re interested in winning a copy of Sex Lust & Martinis. I’ll post the info come Friday.

I also did some tweaking on my Fan Page over at Facebook. I customized my URL so now to get me there, just go to: http://www.facebook.come/MichelleMilesRomance. Cool, huh? Of course, I still have a regular profile which you can get to by clicking here but I’m trying to really use Facebook as a tool to reach out instead of letting it sit there and collect dust.

On the writing front…I’m waiting on comments back from my CP on my short story and in the meantime, I’ve started the rewrite of the fantasy book. The process is revise one chapter; print pages; read chapter; revise chapter; go to next chapter; start over. Okay, granted, I’ve only done one chapter but I’m in stage 2 of that.

Tonight is the first soccer practice so I’ll be taking pages with me to read while I’m waiting. And so the official school/soccer season begins!

First – congrats to Valerie! She won the copy of TAKE ME I’M YOURS!

Yesterday it was 106. Yes, one-hundred-and-six. It felt like walking into a 350 degree oven when stepping outside. Awful. Just awful. I usally have my thermostat on day mode, letting it go up to 84 but yesterday it was just too hot and I worried about the cat and the house and the AC. So I left it set at 78 while we were away. I think the cat was very pleased with this turn of events as he greeted me with a yawn and stretch.

It was also the first day of school. I have a 4th grader now! Kiddo seemed happy to be back in the halls of learning though sometimes it’s hard to get a read on him. He mostly had no comment on the subject. I had a busy day at work but I thought about the kiddo all day and wondered how his first day was going. He said it was good and that it was mostly a day of prep for when “the real school” starts. It cracked me up.

I did some promo/admin stuff last night and finally started the revisions of the gladiator book. We’re off and running. I revised the first chapter and am currently about 13 pages in so far. I’m going to shoot for a chapter a day with an end goal of November 1 to have it completed. I have a feeling this one is going to be hard.

Hope everyone has a spectacular Tuesday! And thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday with congrats. Much appreciated.

Hi! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. I can’t believe it’s over and done with already but I always feel like that on Monday.

I’m happy to announce my cover for Take Me I’m Yours won first place in the You Gotta Read Cover Contest! The cover will be featured at their website for the next month. I love that. Tuesday Dube was the artist (isn’t this guy just a total hottie? I love him!) and I was very pleased to email her and let her know. You can check out her other covers by clicking her name below. She’s an awesome artist. Really. 

I’m totally excited about winning, especially since most of YOU made that possible. So to celebrate this awesome event, I’ve decided to give away a copy of the book to someone today! All you have to do to win is post a comment here in the comments section and that’s it. Then I’ll draw a winner and announce it tomorrow morning.

Now, a little about the book.

Available now from Cobblestone Press!
Cover Art by Tuesday Dube
ISBN: 978-1-60088-414-6
Length: Novel
Price: $5.99
Genre: Contemporary
Content: Erotic Romance
This title contains explicit language and graphic sex.

Click here to read an exceprt at Cobblestone Press’s website!

A sexy painter and a deceitful ex-fiancé…who will win Marion’s love?

Marion is mending a broken heart. When her fiancé leaves her at the altar, she picks up the pieces and tries to get on with her life. She finds solace in her work at the gym and art lessons.

Graeme has never fallen in love. As a celebrity in the art world, he can have any woman he chooses. Yet the one he really wants has eluded him for years…until a chance encounter brings Marion and Graeme together, giving him his shot at having the woman of his dreams…and drawings.

Can Graeme’s love mend her shattered heart?

The reviews are in!

4 stars from CataRomance:
“This is a romance that is passionate and lusty while being sweet and sassy.  The characters can be a contradiction of terms but they never deviate from their goals and desires.  This is a love story that one will happily fall for.”
Review by Kimberley Spinner
Read the entire review here.

Happy Reading!

The kid goes back to school on Monday! I can’t believe summer is already over. It sure went fast! We have a few last minute things to get this weekend, which I dread because it’s “tax free” weekend and that means the stores are going to be a nightmare. I think it’s dumb because, really, all you’re saving is 8 percent. I would much rather wait for a real sale and save 20-25 percent. I don’t mind paying the tax.

I started edits last night on the short story but was so exhausted thanks to the neighbors two doors down playing their dumb music so loud the night before (until 12:15!) I fell asleep with the pen in my hand. I feel all rested and much better today. I’ve been taking the Claritin every day so I think it’s been helping.

Tonight – more work on the short story and then this weekend I have some blog tour material to prepare. Promotion is a pain.

That’s all I got today – really quick blog post, eh? Hope everyone has a super Friday and an awesome weekend!

Wednesday was not a good day for me. I was very tired and not feeling well at all. The throat still hurt on one side, I had a sinus headache all day and congestion and then I sounded like I’d smoked cigarettes all night! (Which I hadn’t of course…) My voice was raspy and just awful all day.

I didn’t get any words in on Tuesday as I was still feeling a bit under the weather. So that was my day off for the week, which means I don’t get one this weekend. Tis okay. I made up my words Wednesday night by writing well over 2k and – TADA – I finished the story! Now it’s a quick read-through before sending it off to the CP and getting her final approval on it and then I’m ready to submit.

Next in the queue: the gladiator resubmission. I figure I’ll be ready to start on it this weekend if all goes well. Monday at the latest.

I feel somewhat better today. It’s alleriges – not a cold – but they’re annoyed. OH and it’s so frigging hot I want to die. Here’s a picture of an example of the heat here in Texas (my mom sent me this):

Yeah. It’s that bad.

Almost the weekend. YAY!

Hi all – my monthly post is up at Pop Culture Divas. If you get a chance, stop by! Click here.

The Man is out of town currently so last night I had the house to myself. I watched a little TV but then I decided the best use of my time was to sit down at the computer and do some writing. I struggled off and on with my nightly duties and finally figured out what the problem was. It was so quiet in the house, the ticking clock in the office sounded really loud. And it got on my last nerves. Then, I found I was allowing myself to be distracted by the Internet. Specifically Facebook, email, TweetDeck. I finally had to shut it all down and go boot up the mini. That’s where I do my best writing, I think. Because the screen is so small and I hate the touchpad with a red passion, I refuse to back up and make corrections. I have no choice but to plunge forward. It works.

Plus, I’ve learned my best writing time is between 10 and 11 pm. That seems to be my hour for hammering out the words.

So now that I’ve been doing this writing thing consistently for the last few days, I’m starting to get my process. Forcing myself to write and doing it in a place that makes me concentrate is definitely what works. Oh, and in case you’re wondering – I did write but I fell short by 200 words of the 1000 word goal. :/ Still, I busted the 10k mark and I should be done with the short story in a few days. WOO!

My throat is hurting on the left side. I hope it’s just allergies and I’m not trying to get sick. Ack.

Hey all – my cover is up for Best Cover over at You Gotta Read Covers. It’s #12, Take Me I’m Yours. If you’re so inclined, I would LOVE IT if you voted for me! Just click here.

This weekend went by way too fast and it was full of things that needed to be done. Saturday was my chapter meeting followed by a hair appointment. I’d been growing the bangs long for the last 18 months and I’d had it with them. I think it looked like crap and I was sick of trying to figure out a way to style them that didn’t look dumb. So I’m back to having bangs again which makes me sigh with relief. Plus I look like my old self again. That makes me feel much better.

Saturday night was spent playing Maya Pyramid (my new favorite game) and Baking Life. Yes, I totally wasted time on Facebook play these stupid, silly games. But I needed some downtime. Man and I were feeling very unmotivated to do anything and so we didn’t. Sunday morning came and I got up early to start laundry, do dishes, pick up the clutter, and then it was off to the store. While he worked, so did I. Since I gave myself Saturday off from writing, I made myself start back up again on Sunday. Another 1k in the bucket and I’ve reached the 9200 mark. I’m close to finish the story. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. I’m trying not to let the characters get carried away with the story. I’m trying to keep it very short and sweet. This is not easy for me.

We had a pretty low-key weekend which is always nice. But today he’s off to work out of town for a few days. Tonight will be about sittin down at the keyboard to write some more plus I have a blog post due Tuesday and, um, I have no topic yet. I usually don’t procrastinate so much but my usual day came about a week early this month. Ack! I kind of-sort of have an idea.

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

I met my 1000 word goal last night! I’m almost to 7k on the new short story. That makes FIVE full days I’ve written. YES!

And that’s about all I got – other than I’m really happy it’s Friday. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

(And yes – I will be writing at least one day this weekend…)

I only managed 866 last night but I did bust the 5k mark, so more progress. That will make four days in a row I’ve written. I just have to give myself a pat on the back for that. As tired as I was last night–and it wasn’t until 10 that I sat down to write–I still managed to get some words in. I was 200 words shy of my goal for the evening but I’m still glad I wrote.

I’m looking at the calendar and seeing that today is August 12. I have two weeks to finish this story, polish it and send it off. Plus I need to get it to my critique partner once I finish the draft. I’m trying to keep the story simple with no real subplots so I can wrap it up in a short word count. This is a new experience for me–writing short. Especially writing romance.

I’ve had a lot of stress over the last two weeks and things seemed really out of control. I’ve been making some hard decisions on the future. I starting to really get focused on some things and know what my direction is. One of the workshops I took at conference was a career planning workshop. It was very eye-opening for me. I need to go back over my notes, type them up, and then write my career plan, set major and minor goals. I *know* I’ve said this before but I really mean it this time. I’m feeling more determined than ever.

Tonight will be about getting ready for the meeting Saturday as I have lots of things to print out and prepare. And of course I’ll need my regular writing session. I didn’t really answer any emails last night which was good because I wanted to focus on writing (and have some family time, too). If I can do another 1000 words, then I’ll really be in good shape for the weekend. I’m going to try really hard to get at least 2-4k in this weekend.

Don’t Stop Believin’

That’s what I keep telling myself.

I had my 9 year old draw the name for the Martini-Fest and that is…

*drum roll*

Liz Pelletier!

And because I’m feeling generous… I had him draw a second name and that is…

Mary Preston!

WOOHOO! Congrats ladies! I’ll be contacting you shortly with your winnings!