NANO STATUS: 35,306

Okay. So. I wrote my ASS off tonight and got about 5,000 words in. WOOHOO! Go me! Tomorrow, I want to write at least another 5,000 words and be at 40K by the end of Sunday. A tall order, but I’m sure going to try to get it done.

We didn’t do much today. We just mostly hung around the house. We stayed in our jammies until nearly noon. We were lazy bums. LOL I did a lot of work on the computer to get caught up on stuff that was Non-NaNo related. Then we finally got dressed, had lunch and headed to the book store. I got four more Christmas presents. I’ve decided it’s a Book Christmas this year. I want to not only support writers but book stores and publishing in general. I’m doing my part to fuel the economy, believe me! LOL I did get two gift cards because I couldn’t find something I wanted for two of my friends.

When I got home, I assembled some of the gifts I had to see what exactly I DID have. I have all my friend’s accounted for except for one and I need to figure out something to get her. Plus I have $200 left in my Christmas budget. WOOHOO! I’m going to get the kiddo a few more little things and then I am officially DONE. I should be all done by Thanksgiving or shortly thereafter.

Yes, I am an over-achiever.

The kiddo and I made a gingerbread house, then he played Wii and I wrote. Then he watched Star Wars Episode III and Journey to the Center of the Earth.

And now it’s bedtime! Yay! Actually, he’s been a super great kid… well, most of the day. LOL

On Friday, I stopped by the liquor store to pick up a few things for two gift baskets we’re giving away at my company’s awards banquet. I bought two kinds of tequila and four bottles of wine. The lady at the counter actually carded me. I was so happy about that! She said she’d figured me for at least 10 years younger than I am. I told her I loved her. LOL I was kind of nice to get that compliment, though, especially since 40 is not that far off for me (EW. It sucks to get old… ).

Anyhow… gotta get the kiddo ready for bed and then I’m going to wrap up this chapter I’m working on, so hopefully that word meter will move just a bit more before I shut down for the night.

Happy weekend.

Hey I blogged at RomErotica yesterday about NaNo. Stop by if you can!

NANO STATUS: 18,176

This weekend, Man and I did some home repairs. As it turned out, it was fairly simple. He had already fixed my shower head by replacing it. Together, we replaced the faucet washers. The shower no longer drips! YAY! AND it shuts off like it’s supposed to. I’m no longer wasting money down the drain (literally). I’m so happy.

I also talked him into getting on the roof and cleaning out the dryer vent - it was clogged (and I HATE that it vents to the roof but oh well - it’s an old house). My dryer is back in business again, too.

What else did I do this weekend? Well, Saturday we went to Toys R Us and made our shopping wish list for our kids for Christmas. I can’t wait to start shopping. I figured out a way to buy presents without going broke AND paying cash for them all so I’m super excited.

I was so in the spirit of Christmas, I went to Garden Ridge and bought $75 worth of decorations. I got lights for the house and Man is going to put them up for me. They’re blue. Blue is really hard to find so I snatched them up. Next year, I’ll get more to outline the roof. And every year I’m just going to add more to the outside decor. I also got a 38 inch weath for the front of the house (not lit). I’m feeling like Christmas…

I DID write, too! WOO! I got my daily quota in so I’m all caught up. Tonight I should hit 20K provided I can get my fingers flying. The story is starting to take off now. I’ve got my hero and heroine in place to start conspiring against Caesar. Now. What’s going to happen after THAT? I can’t kill him off right away.. can I? Else there’d be no story…

Anyway, it’s Monday. And back to the regular old grind. That’s the way it goes, I guess! Happy Monday.

NANO STATUS: 11,457 WOO!

This morning, my damn shower wouldn’t shut off at all. It’s steadily pouring water. And it’s the hot water side so not only am I wasting water, I’m wasting electricity.

I love pouring money down the drain, literally.

I told Man that we have to get this fixed TODAY. I’m sick of struggling with the POS.

My toilet has been leaking too. I investigated last night and discovered it was leaking around the screw under the tank. I got my handy caulk gun out and caulked the crap out of it. (Hm, that sounds bad…). The drip stopped!

Now if I can get the POS shower fixed all will be well…

Got lots of words in yesterday. I had sort of an epiphany and realized I needed to torture my hero a little more. I’m still somewhat following the synopsis but the story has taken on a life of it’s own. The synopsis was a little vague anyway. It was just something to get the writing wheels going and to go by.

I’m glad it’s Friday.  I hope to get in lots of words this weekend.

NANO STATUS: 8039

So. Yesterday I came home to over 1000 email messages. Some jackass had stolen my email address and helped themself to sending spam with it. Lots and lots of it from the looks of it. I had to delete the email address and set up a new one. I know this is the case because I never give that email address out.

I was TICKED. Mostly becuase there’s not a damn thing I can do about it. So here’s a note to whoever you are: You are a MFer. I hope some asshole does the same thing to you someday.

I did get writing in last night. I’m just short of my goal but I’m still on track so that’s good. I find it tends to get harder the longer I write. I did get stuck at one point and wrote this: [INSERT MORE STUFF HERE ABOUT GETTING TO THE SECRET CHAMBER|. LOL

And not much else to report. It’s Thursday though…getting closer to the weekend…

It’s the Celtic new year so Happy Samhain! Always good to have new beginnings.

Here’s my little Stormtrooper Rex. I have to admit, that costume did look pretty sharp on him. He didn’t wear the big mask when we were out - I was afraid it would be too dark with the tint. So he went mask-less. We were out for an hour and hit three streets. He made sure to tell me along the way it was good exercise for us. LOL

We got back and I went through his candy to make sure all was well. Then we passed out candy for the next couple of ours. The first kid we got was dressed up as Darth Vader! LOL! The boys sized each other up; I think they were about the same age. Darth said, “HEY! You’re a Stormtrooper!” Too bad they couldn’t have gone together. That would have been cool.

Kiddo helped hand out candy and greeted them with, “Hello, sir,” at the door which cracked me up. He’s a funny kid, really. And super hyper. I let him indulge in candy and finally got him wound down.

Man came over, too, and we hung out. After I got the kiddo in bed, I stole a quick nap with the instructions to wake me up at midnight so I could start NaNo. He’s a good boyfriend; he let me sleep and got me up to start writing. I told him my goal was 2,000. I made it to 1400. This morning he told me I have 600 more words to go and I have to check in with him when I get them done. LOL He’s cracking the whip on me. It’s all good - I need that!

Today it was off to pick up Kiddo’s new glasses and then a hair cut. He looks so handsome! I was going to take him to see City of Ember but there’s no theater near us showing it. In fact, the closest one is in Frisco (HELLO) so we’ll be skipping that. Instead, I’m going to buy him Journey to the Center of the Earth on DVD. I think we’ll get more enjoyment out of that anyway.

Gotta grocery shop. I’m cooking dinner for my friend and her new beau tomorrow. I’m doing a roasted pork loin and roasted veggies. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Once the kiddo gets in bed tonight, I’ll be back to NaNoing. Today is still Day 1 as far as I’m concerned and I’m going to get more words in tonight. I’m determined!

Hope everyone has a great Halloween and all the ghosts and goblins stay safe on the street tonight.

As for us, we’ll be Trick or Treating as soon as it gets dark. Kiddo can’t wait. He’s SUPER excited and decided he’d go as the stormtrooper (whew…thank goodness I didn’t have to find an Indy costume…). When we get home, we’ll pass out candy until I run out. I only bought four bags this year so I fully expect to run out before the night is over.

Halloween always spooks me out (no pun intended). There’s just something about when it nears midnight and you have to shut the porch light off yet you can still hear folks walking around out on the street… creepy.

And it’s been so nice outside, I’ve had the windows open. I expect tomorrow will be more of the same. At least we won’t be freezing to death on Halloween or sweating our bums off.

And my poor pumpkin didn’t make it until Halloween. It rotted. Isn’t there some way to keep it “fresh”? Or maybe I’m just carving it too soon…

The handyman came and told me the washers were bad in the stems of my handles in the shower. Well, THAT was an easy fix. He told me what to get and how to fix it so the cost was minimal. Looks like I’ll be fixing that this weekend to keep the dripping down. Wish I had the $2000 to get the entire nasty thing replaced but, alas, I do not. That’s okay. I can live with it for a little while longer. Next year I’m going to buckle down to get my bills paid off. I’ve already put a plan into action for buying Christmas presents and paying cash for them all. It’s going to be a slim year, sadly.

Anyhoo…tomorrow is the offical start of NaNo! My friend, Lara, and I have decided to start at midnight (we’re also in the same time zone). We’ll be IMing and I’ll be chugging coffee to stay awake. We did some brainstorming on the beginning of my story (since I still had none) and I think I’ve got a good start to it now. I’m really looking forward to getting started!

PLUS I’m official! I got my official NaNo shirt in the mail yesterday. It will be my “uniform” for the next 30 days. You, too, can get your NaNo shirt at their website. Just go to the store and get your shirt on. I just figured I better hurry up and buy it before they run out of my size.

SO. Look for some movement on the word meter sometime Saturday… and cross your fingers I can write for at least one hour. I wish I could nap today! Think anyone will notice if I crawl under my desk at work?

I have started the official countdown to the Estimated Time of Departure for the Big Weekend. At the time of this writing, there will be less than 24 hours to go. WAHOO!

I’m SO looking forward to getting out of down and blowing off some steam for a while. It’s going to be greatness.

I actually have to work all day today. After I pick up the kiddo, we’re going to the book fair at the school so he can get his books on his wish list. I have to admit I’m really looking forward to that! And speaking of the book fair… I volunteered yesterday with the kiddo’s class to help them out on their wish list. It was great fun. The librarian thought I was nuts because I said it was great fun. hehe

There was the cutest little girl who reminded me a lot of my niece. She asked me to help her find books on horses so we scoured all the shelves for horsie books. She was so cute. The boys were cute too. All of them found the Star Wars and Indiana Jones books in a matter of seconds.

I chatted with the librarian after his class left to go back to work. Then I headed to the office.

I’m so happy to report a cold front came through and it was in the 40s last night. Talk about COLD! I also froze my bum off at soccer practice last night, too. Another mom and I chatted and shivered the entire time. That was the longest, coldest hour of my life. Well, so far.

I got some critiquing done yesterday as well as getting in some words on the Magic story. I can’t stop thinking about the NaNo book, though, and I’m trying to decide where to start it.

Oh, and I’m very excited to report I’ve managed to get my niece interested in the Young Writer’s Program through NaNoWriMo. I think that’s just fabulous. My sis-in-law told me she’s started outlining her book. I hope she keeps that up. Working without a synopsis is mucho difficult.

Okay that’s it for me. Time to take the kiddo to school and get me to work. Happy Thursday!

Okay I spaced and forgot I was doing this today. Well, I didn’t really forget, I just misplaced the reminder in my head that I was doing this today. LOL

ANYWAY… I’m doing an interview over at Book Talk and giving away books. Come on over! Click here.

Yesterday, I was trying to figure out what my NaNo project was going to be. I was perusing my documents to see what I had that I could work on from scratch…and then it hit me! I ran across my three page synopsis of what I’m calling the Rome book. That’s what I’m going to do! I’m very excited about it and I can’t wait to get it started. And the great thing is I’ve really already fleshed out the story via the synopsis.

Tonight I’m going to work on my scene cards and start putting pieces together.

And now… Lara did this on her blog last week, so I decided to give it a try. I couldn’t stop laughing! You, too, can Yearbook Yourself by clicking here.

This is the original picture I used:

And here I am in 1952:

1960:

(I totally look like my mom in this one! hehe)

1966:

1968:

1974:

(I look like my sisters here! haha)

1990:

And that’s it! I couldn’t get any of the 1980s ones to look right, sadly. I had so much fun doing this and it totally cracked me up. NOW. I challenge YOU - go Yearbook Yourself.

It amazes me that when cartoons are on and the kiddo is around, time seems to tick by slowly.

But when I’m home alone with the TV off, all of a sudden it’s 9 pm and I’m yawning uncontrollably. What is UP with that?

The weekend was good. It flew by. I barely remember Friday, though I think I did some grocery shopping that day. Saturday was soccer game, which they lost. And Sunday we went to church and then had lunch out and shopped around the book store. We didn’t get home until after 2 pm. I had Monday off as well. Kiddo and I went to the mall and did some walking around. I bought him some more clothes because he seemed to need some more jeans. Plus I got him a really cool jacket.

He asked in the car on the way home if I had playing cards. I didn’t; so it was off to Target to get some. After we got home, we had a rousing game or two of Go Fish and then he played on the Wii while I did some other things.

That evening, after he’d gone with his dad, Man and I went to chow down on some Mexican food. Then it was back to the book store because we could both spend hours in there and I didn’t get to browse when I had the kiddo the day before.

I stood in the Romance section and you know what I discovered? I good portion of the books on the shelf are Historical and Vampire… two of the genres that have the lowest interest level for me. Talk about disgusting. I couldn’t find ONE thing on the shelves that I wanted to read.

So I wondered over to Science Fiction/Fantasy. I found some things but nothing seems to be suiting me. I’m looking for urban fantasy - but please, no werewolves or vampires. Any one have any suggestions or recommendations?

I worked on the WIP last night. This rewrite I’m working on has proven difficult to construct, especially since I’m really trying to avoid this flashback scene. I want it to be in real time so I’m really taking my time on it and trying to get it just right. I just can’t barf out the words because whatever I write now, affects the rest of the story big time. It’s a long, slow, painful process. Even though I haven’t blogged about it, I have been writing. I might reach that November 1 deadline after all.

That’s it for me…I’m off to work. At least once good thing…it’s Hump Day.

Unlike the previous two books, I took my time with Faefever. I didn’t devour it in one sitting as I did Darkfever and Bloodfever. I wanted to savor it because I knew it’d be a long time before I got the fourth.

The book starts off slow and annoyed me a little with the “what’s happened until now” stuff. But I understood that was necessary for folks just tuning into the series (which is nuts - you simply have to read them in order!). Throughout most of the book, Mac is on her own and really - isn’t this her story anyway? I did like the interaction she had with Christian and really wanted to see more of that. I loved that Moning wove the MacKeltar’s into this story as well. I also loved the birthday cake scene with Barrons and Mac. And yes, like other fans, I keep waiting for them to “get together.”

I think Mac’s character has developed really well and Moning does it with a fine hand. She continues to show us the Mac we knew at the beginning of Darkfever is indeed gone and probably lost forever to the Mac we know at the end of Faefever.

This is NOT a traditional romance, by any means, and you have to go into the series knowing that right up front. It’s dark urban fantasy at its finest. As a writer, it takes a lot of guts to tell the story the way you want and not bow to convention. I LOVE that Moning does just this with her characters, with the quasi-romance between Barrons (who, incidentally, is smoke) and Mac, with the flirtation with V’Lane, and even the controversial ending. I applaud her for continuing to be true to her story and her characters and willing to tick off fans with the ending. Sure, I’m ticked off–not becuase of what happened to Mac, but because we’re left in such a cliff-hanger.

If you’re thinking of reading this book, start at the beginning with Darkfever and then Bloodfever. This is a series and NOT stand-alone books. The character development continues with this book, as well as the relationship development. (I would like to see Mac end up with Barrons, but I’m thinking that may not happen…)

I will be salivating to get my hands on Dreamfever next year. Write fast, KMM. Write fast.

There’s this really cool book called Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six-Word Memoirs by Famous & Obscure Writers. It’s quotes from people who tell their life story in six words. Only six words. Hemingway’s was probaby the most famous:

For Sale: Baby Shoes, Never Worn

So powerful - those six little words. So sad, too.

Recently, my boss brought this cool book to my attention and I got to thinking about what my six words would be. My life in six words? Hm.

I came up with:

Writes books, loves shoes, drinks coffee.

Kinda weak, I admit. But it was all I could come up with on the fly.

So now I’m going to tag YOU. What would your six words be to describe your life? Post them here. I’ll draw a name at the end of the day and the winner will get a free download of TALK DIRTY TO ME or NICE GIRLS DO. I’m feeling like I need a contest today.

Gimme your best six words.

Today - swing by the Samhain blog at 9 am to catch my post! I post a fun interview with one of my favorite characters. Just click here.

As per ya’ll’s request - here’s the recipe for the meatloaf.

The secret to keeping it moist is - wax paper, a little water, and ketchup. Enjoy!

1.5 lb ground meat
1/2 c. dry bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
1 pkg onion soup mix
1/2 c. water
1/2 c. ketchup

Mix ground bee with bread crumbs, egg, soup mix, water. Pack lightly into a 2 quart glass loaf dish. Cover with wax paper. Cook in microwave 5 minutes at Medium-High. Top with ketchup, cover with waxed paper. Rotate dish 1/2 turn. Cook 15 minutes at High or until done. Remove and let stand 5 mins.

And that’s it! Easy, huh?

Last night was very frustrating for me. I had truble with everything. Couldn’t find things… had a hard time plugging stuff in. It was annoying. So I gave up. I will get back to writing tonight for sure, though.

But now - off to work and school!

This pretty much sums up how Sampson and I spent Sunday…laying around on the couch. I figured we both earned the day off after getting so much done on Saturday.

I started the next major section of MAGIC on Sunday, too. I’m going to have to rethink somethings regarding the Big Secret becuase I totally reveal it. I’m not sure how it’s all going to go down yet but the next section will be crucial in setting upt he backstory with Eirhan’s parents. I have to get it right.

I was very pleased, however, with the progress I made on Saturday. You’ll note the word meter moved by at least 10,000 words. It’s been a while since I updated it, so I was happy to see I’m nearly at the half-way point. I got about 2,000 words in on Satuday and just a handful on Sunday while I plot in my head. I did come up with some interesting backstory for a very pivotal character. He’ll play a larger role in Book 2.

Anyway, so it was all good. I also went to church. They’re doing a production of The Music Man next October. I can’t believe I did this - but I signed up for auditions (which aren’t until May). At least that gives me plenty of time to change my mind.

Part of me thinks it’ll be so much fun to get back into a musical production but the other part of me is terrified I won’t remember had to dance. It’s only been, oh…20 years! I guess I better start working out now.

Sunday was such a GORGEOUS day I had to share it. Below are two pictures I took of the early morning. The first is from the back door, the second from the front door.

 

Every was so green and lush. And the sky was so blue. We had some wind but other than that the day was just perfect. I love this weather! I hope it sticks around for a while and we don’t go back to the hot and yucky humidity.

For dinner, I roasted a pork loin and vegetables. It smelled so good and was quite tasty. I love those kind of meals that you cook for a couple of hours. The anticipation is almost as good as the meal itself.

This is the fourth week of school - already! I can’t believe how fast time is flying by. The holidays will be here before we know it and that’s a very scary thought.

TIme for school and work… Happy Tuesday!

I’m pleased today to interview suspense author, Misty Evans. She’s here to talk about her new super awesome release, Operation Sheba.

You can get her new book and read an excerpt by clicking here!

1. When did you know you wanted to be a writer? And how did you get your start?

The writing bug bit in fourth grade. I entered an essay contest with a story about my dad and won second place. My essay appeared in our local paper and I saw my name in print. All through school, I wrote bad poetry, dorky song lyrics and horrible short stories, sure I was destined to become a writer, actor or rock star. In college, reality came calling and I majored in business, sneaking in a minor in English lit. Every job I had, I ended up writing and editing newsletters, press releases, you name it. I wrote my boss’s memos on many occasions.

After the birth of my twin sons, I left the business world behind. The writing itch, however, was impossible for me to shake. I started writing short nonfiction stories about my kids, finances and being a stay-at-home mother. Several were published. Then September eleventh happened.

My closest friends were mothers of young children like myself and we were all worried and scared about what the future held for our kids. One day I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned off CNN and started typing a humorous mystery with my friends as the characters. That story gave me back a sense of control over my world. I served up a big heap of justice to the bad guys and could sleep again at night. My friends loved it, btw, and I wrote a couple more stories with them in the spotlight.

2. Where do you find your inspiration?

Music, movies, people walking down the street, annoying neighbors, you name it. Anyone who ticks me off should beware. I know a hundred ways to put you in a story and torture you. <insert maniacal laughter here>

3. What is the one writer’s tool you can’t live without?

Besides caffeine? Wow, hard to name just one. Can I have two? First, my sources. I can’t write accurate agent characters without them. Second, my Flip Dictionary. I have a tendency to write “that” and a few other words a thousand times in every story. The dictionary gives me choices my editor prefers!

4. How many words/pages do you do in a day/week/month? And how do you keep yourself motivated to do them?

I track progress by scenes and chapters. Once a scene gets in my head, I have to get it down on paper. As I write through the story, bits and pieces of plot or characterization pop up and I go back and edit. I often write the first draft in four months, but spend another couple of months editing and polishing to get my characters and plot just right.

Motivation isn’t a problem for me, actually. It’s lack of time. With my twins and my other commitments, I have to be very creative and flexible with my writing schedule. I often get up at five a.m. or take my laptop on road trips.

5. Whose work has influenced you the most?

I read everything from historical fiction to comics and it all influences me. Overall, though, my mother’s storytelling had the greatest influence on me as far as my writing. She’s from the South, and let me tell you, the woman knows how to tell the best ghost stories! They still keep me awake at night!

6. This month is the release of your novel, OPERATION SHEBA. Where did you get the idea for that?

All those hours in front of CNN after the planes crashed. I started reading about terrorists, which led me to the CIA. The organization is so misunderstood and undervalued. I wanted to join, seriously, but my age - ahem - was an issue. Also, my total lack of foreign language skills. I’ve got a handle on French and am now tackling Italian. Hehehe.

7. Tell us a little about the book.

Action, adventure, intrigue, sex, a good dose of humor and a romantic triangle. I nicknamed it Calgon…like the bath stuff. It will take you away…

Here’s the blurb:

Julia Torrison - codename Sheba - is keeping secrets. Seventeen months ago she was a CIA superagent, tracking down dangerous terrorists with her partner and lover, Conrad Flynn. A mission was blown, literally, when a bomb Julia built exploded early and Conrad died. Yanked back to Langley and given a new identity, she is now the Counterterrorism Center’s top analyst, spending her days at CIA headquarters and her nights in the bed of her boss. Her former life as a secret agent has been sealed off.

Conrad Flynn - codename Solomon - has his own secrets. For starters, he’s not dead. Going under the deepest cover possible, he faked his death to save Sheba’s life. Now he must tear that new life apart and ask her to help him hunt down a traitor-her new love.

Is Con a rogue operator or just a jealous ex-lover intent on revenge? Julia must risk everything personal and professional in order to decide. Drawn into a web of seduction and betrayal, she is forced to play the spy game of her life, flushing out an Agency mole and stopping a hostage situation using nothing more than her iPod and her intuition.

8. What are you working on now?

More super agent stories. The second in this series in my editor’s hands and I’m writing the third book. I’m also working on edits for a paranormal comedy that won Samhain’s Tickle My Fantasy Contest. That novella will be in an anthology with three other fabulous stories in 2010.

Thanks so much for the interview!

It was my pleasure! I’ll close with information about my contest for readers. In honor of my character, Julia (who uses an iPod to stop a dangerous hostage situation), I’m giving away an iPod to one winner. Contest details are on my website at www.readmistyevans.com.

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