Apr 30, 2009 | Uncategorized |
This has been one of those weeks! And I do believe I have ‘more' of those weeks coming. Finally got my contracts, signed them, and slipped them in the mail to my agent. Seeing those dates in black ink is a great motivator, especially when surrounded by legal language. I have to finish a book and write a proposal before conference. Eeek! Better get busy, right?
It's funny, but before I sold a book, I really wanted to be just like my favorite authors — writing books in my jammies, hobnobbing with agents and editors, chatting with my best writer friends about our books and which lists we were on, etc. And though it's seriously cool to have a book coming out, and to have books that someone is waiting to publish, it's also a JOB. More of a job than it was when I wasn't published. Because if I got stuck then, I could just nip out to the mall and engage in some retail therapy. Or drop everything and go to lunch with a friend. Or garden, rearrange my furniture, read blogs all day, etc.
I've realized that though I LOVE my job, it's not just fun and games. There will be good days and bad, there will be pressure, and sometimes you have to sit at that keyboard no matter how sunny it is outside and how much you want to frolic through the grass. Life does not magically change the instant someone wants to buy your book. No, it's cool, and you will be very happy — but it's still work. My favorite authors are sitting at their desks, doing the same things I'm doing. They aren't indulging in margarita lunches everyday, or flitting through Neiman-Marcus looking at designer clothes.
Darn. Something else to add to the misconceptions list, right? If you aren't a writer, what's your dream job? And if you are a writer, what's your dream writing life like?
(If I wasn't a writer, I'd want to be an interior designer. You would laugh if you saw my home's interior, but hey, it's a DREAM.)
Monday's winner: M.V. Freeman! M.V. wins a copy of Jessica Anderson's Nightkeepers for her very own. Yay!
Apr 28, 2009 | Blogging |
I had a busy day yesterday — not writing, unfortunately — and by the time I got settled in and ready to write a blog post for today, I had nothing left in the brain. Total blank.
So I asked Hubby for a topic.
“Why don't you write about where you get your ideas?”
Um, I did that already. It's somewhere on this blog, in fact. (Not sure where at the moment.) Even though I can't remember where it is, I hate to be repetitive. *g*
Then he said I should write about the cat.
The cat?
See, one of our cats is a bathroom cat. You go in there, she's with you. So when Hubby goes in for a shower in the morning, she's there, rolling on the floor and meowing. And he, knowing I can hear, tells her silly things. Like “Are you gonna help Mommy write today?” Lots of meowing, lots of silliness. It's hilarious, but you'd have to be here.
His next idea was something about why he could never write a romance novel. How am I supposed to know why he could never write a romance novel?! Next!
Then he got serious. Several more ideas, none of which I can remember, flowed forth. He was trying to help, bless his heart, but I was starting to suffer from idea ADD — I couldn't take another one.
And that's how today's post happened. I had no ideas, Hubby had plenty, and I didn't like any of them. 🙂 Marriage is like that sometimes.
How's your day? (Tuesday is supposed to be a giveaway day, but due to the overwhelming response yesterday – snort – and my lack of preparation today, the giveaway is postponed until my brain returns.) How about something hilarious instead?
see more Lolcats and funny pictures
Apr 27, 2009 | Contests, Fun, General, Shopping |
Friday, I mentioned doing some things this weekend that included shopping and the Farmer's Market. I also said something about relaxing.
Huh.
Apparently, I failed to realize that all these things I wanted to do entailed going places, walking, lugging, doing things, etc. The upshot is that there was very little relaxing involved.
Though it WAS fun.
Weekend itinerary went something like this:
1. Meet friends and family at winebar Friday night. Laugh, talk, drink wine for a couple of hours.
2. Sat: wake up early, go to Starbucks for coffee and a breakfast sandwich.
3. Farmer's Market. Where Hubby proceeded to gag on goat cheese while I explained to the artisan that though his cheese was indeed excellent, my Darling Hubby just can't stand goat cheese — no matter how many herbs and spices are mixed in. I bought some, of course, and not just out of sympathy. I thought it was excellent.
4. Yard sale. It was impromptu, and no one was more surprised than I when Hubby pulled over. Unfortunately, there was nothing interesting. Except a typewriter. An actual typewriter! (Kids, see Google.)
5. Costco. Where Hubby proceeded to look grouchier and grouchier as I piled stuff into the cart. Apparently, “we need a few things” and “I haven't been shopping in a while” mean something different to him than to me. Although he perked up when we bought two whole chickens for him to put in the smoker.
6. Drop Hubby and groceries at home. Go to mall. Walk around for 3 hours, looking for things for my readers' luncheon giveaways, but only find stuff for me. Spend a very long time trying on clothes and shoes. Leave with a big shopping bag or two (in my defense, it was a SALE).
7. Back home. Grill out with Hubby.
8. Watch Blade Runner — never saw it before, very good, but I had weird dreams afterward.
10. We're up to Sunday now. (Exhausted yet?) Wake up, have breakfast and coffee at home. Play on computer for a bit.
11. We've invited my parents over for smoked chicken. This means the house, otherwise known as an official disaster area, must be cleaned and tidied. This takes a very long time, entails scrubbing and decluttering, and makes my back hurt.
12. Prepare side dishes while Hubby smokes chicken.
13. Did I mention laundry?
14. Crap, have to go to the store and get a couple of things. Most important: some live flowers to replace the dying ones on the mantel.
15. I. Am. So. Tired.
16. Dinner is practically done, parents arrive, we eat and talk and have a good time.
17. More laundry. Some wine. Bed.
Apparently, having fun is a lot of work! I'm exhausted from this weekend. Did you relax this weekend? Or did you find out, like me, that weekends can be a workout? What's your favorite thing to do to relax, or your favorite activity, during the weekend?
Monday Giveaway: Leave a comment to be entered for a copy of Jessica Anderson's Nightkeepers!
Apr 24, 2009 | Blogging, Celebrations, General |
Okay, so how silly is it to celebrate the one week anniversary of my new site launch? I can't believe it's been a week, in fact. One week ago today, I was sitting here at my computer doing a Yahoo chat with my web designer while she instructed me how to do some basic things (like blog posts). And then the moment came when she told me to click a particular button — and voila, the whole site went live. It was a champagne moment for me. 🙂
See, I built my first website myself, using some freebie tools that Yahoo had. I wanted to know how it worked, and of course it was very rudimentary. I had Front Page, but couldn't figure out how to use it. Dreamweaver was way out of the question. Nope, I used what is commonly called WYSIWYG — what you see is what you get. I could drag elements around the page and hotlink like crazy.
But it was still homemade and still didn't look the way I envisioned my website would look. So I made a promise to myself that when I sold a book, I was hiring a professional to design my site. And I couldn't be happier.
So what are you up to this weekend? I think I'm dragging Hubby to the Farmer's Market. He will protest, but it's better to do it now, in April, because the summer months are so hot I can't get his Yankee butt out of the house. And there might be some shopping. Next weekend is the Heart of Dixie 12th Annual Readers' Luncheon and I want to look fabulous. There will also be writing, because June is approaching and I have a book to finish before the craziness that comes with preparing for RWA Nationals in July begins. There might also be some time outdoors, grilling on the patio, and relaxing with my favorite man.
Wow, think my weekend is full already! How about yours? Any favorite weekend activities when Spring arrives and the warm weather decides to stick around?
Apr 23, 2009 | Uncategorized |
Now that I'm a published romance author, with two books accepted and hard at work on the third, there seem to be a few misconceptions I need to clear up. Mostly, these are misconceptions of acquaintances, neighbors, and various assorted other folk. List style because it's easier:
1. No, I am not rich. No, my husband won't be retiring from his job. No, we aren't moving to a mansion. I know Castle (on ABC) is fun, and that he's a wealthy writer type following the PI around, and I know that Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling probably never have to lift a hand to do dishes again a day in their lives. My reality is a bit different.
2. Okay, now go to the bookstore and tell me what you see. I'll wait……..yes, TONS of books. Do you know who any of those authors are, or do you just know Meyer, Rowling, and Stephen King? Most writers are not wealthy. Please drop this misconception NOW.
3. Yes, I write romance. No, this does not mean I wear a feather boa, or crank up the whips and chains when I want to do a little research. I have written romantic suspense too — do you think I researched murders by committing them?
4. I love my husband. I am not thinking about trading him in on a cabana boy, no matter how much I might joke about it.
5. I am not famous.
6. Yes, I have a literary agent. No, I can't ask her to read your work just because you know my second cousin.
7. Same goes for my editor. I'll tell you what I know, I'll tell you how I got to this point, but I can't give you the secret handshake because there isn't one. Or, if there is, nobody bothered to tell me.
Why do people believe these things? Wish I knew. And I'm sure I'll have to deal with a few more misconceptions as time goes by…..
What misconceptions have you encountered as a writer? Or even as a reader of romance novels? You know the ones — those books are fluff, that's not literature, how can you read that junk, etc… And what would YOU tell those clueless folks if you could?
