Day Off..........
 Ah, good news to me!! The latest book is finished, polished, and will be on its way into New York tomorrow via email. (A GREAT invention, if you want my opinion). Anyway, no one but me--and probably my editor--cares that I've finished the book and big plus, really like it! But as the title of this blog says, it's Day Off time. Tomorrow, I'll be as free as these pretty balloons. I'll head for the mall, do a little people watching, roam the bookstore and treat myself to a latte. I'll get out of the house and remember that there is a world outside of my computer. I may even like it. I'll talk to people who aren't in my head. I may even do some shopping. The possibilities are endless!! What do you do on your day off? What do you dream about doing? Something special? Or would you rather join me for a latte and some people watching???
Wildfires..........
 My good friend Jen Apodaca and I must be on the same wavelength. Because we're both doing blogs about the wild fires racing through Southern California. But maybe it's just because we've both been watching the 24 hour news coverage and praying for everyone affected. Wildfires here are nothing new. We get them. A lot. Just as, in the first rainy season after the wildfires, we'll have landslides. Californians are tough, though. We don't just quietly take what Mother Nature hands out. We fight back. And in the last few days, we've all seen some amazing acts of courage. (I prefer to focus on the courageousness of our fellow human beings rather than on the handful of lowlifes who use a time of emergency as a chance to loot and pillage! Or on those who had a hand in starting these fires. That's right. At least two of these destructive fires were caused by arson.) My point in this blog though was to say thank you. To the firemen who have gone without sleep, who have stayed on the front line of a fire that blazed so hot, its light could be seen in the sky from twenty miles away. To the police officers who rush into burning neighborhoods to make sure people are getting evacuated. To the animal control officers who spent days rounding up horses, dogs, bunnies and yes, even llamas! To the Red Cross who are always there to help--with clothes, food, and sometimes just an understanding ear. To the many states who rushed to California's aid by sending in their firefighters to give our guys much needed rest time. And to everyone who gave us a thought or a prayer or a wish for safety...we thank you, too.
Celebrating!
 I've been doing some celebrating the last couple of weeks.
First, my good friend Kate Carlisle sold her first book! Yes, I already told you about this, but it's worth mentioning again! She's worked for years toward this moment and I know she's taking the time to do her happy dance as she should!
But there's more cause for jubilation! Another good friend, Jen Apodaca has sold her first paranormal series to Ballantine! (By the way, I read the proposal and it's fabulous. Cannot WAIT for it to be on the shelves!) Yes, this wasn't a first sale, but the celebration is just as fabulous. Because Jen, like every other good writer out there, keeps pushing herself. She tries new things, explores new ways of writing, finds new stories and is continually searching for the next step in her career.
And that's what we celebrate. Not just the sale, but the conviction. The persistence. The stubborn realization that writing isn't what we DO but who we ARE. It doesn't matter if we're rejected. Okay, sure, it hurts. It can even immobilize--temporarily. But it can't stop us.
Because as writers, all we can do is write. As dreamers, all we can do is imagine the next story. And as sisters in the trenches, all we can do is celebrate each other's triumphs!
Roses For Kate!!!!!!!!!!!!
 I'm celebrating this week! My very good friend Kate Carlisle made her first sale this week to NAL publishing house! I happen to love NAL because I write for them too, and now I have even more confidence in their intelligence and vision! Because they read Kate's proposal for her book HOMICIDE IN HARDBACK and said we must have this writer! Kate made a 3 book deal for her first sale and tomorrow at our RWA meeting, she'll receive 3 roses from our chapter presidents as a way to mark the occasion! You know what this says? It says that talent, like cream, will eventually rise to the top. It says that if you believe in yourself and want something badly enough, you will find a way to make it happen. And it says that there really is no substitute for persistence. So don't give up on your dreams. Be like Kate. Keep reaching for the stars and pretty soon, you'll grab a handful for yourself!
THIS is Fall????
 Welcome to Fall in Southern California! Yep, the Santa Ana winds are blowing, it's as hot as July and WalMart has Christmas decorations out in their aisles! I ask you, how do you get enthused about winter and the holidays when faced with summer weather? Yes, I realize a lot of you are cold and wet and miserable, but trust me, an actual Autumn would be a fun thing for those of us in California!
Agent answering questions..............
 Next week, Monday through Friday, my good friends over at Babes in Bookland will have a special guest.
Donna Bagdassarian, an agent with the Maria Carvainis agency will be answering your questions!
So if you've ever wanted a chance to interrogate an agent, here's your chance!
Deadline!!!!!!!!!!!
 Yep, that's me........staring into the computer screen, feeling it suck my girlish spirit into the web of.....well, whatever is inside a computer, I don't know these things because I just want to know how to turn it on and turn it off. I'm on the final polish of one Desire for Silhouette and writing the next Desire! Good times. At least this is a three book series about brothers. It's great when you can write connected books back to back to back. You remember everyone's names without checking. You know what they're doing who their children are and you can keep everything straight much more easily. This series, I absolutely love. It's about The King brothers.......and the three book series is called, The Kings Of California! I came up with the name for that series....feeling absolutely brilliant. And what did I see not two weeks later?? An indy movie with Michael Douglas coming out called, you guessed it. The King of California! So what's the deal? Is the Idea Fairy running around hitting everyone with the same idea? Does she do it deliberately? I think so. I think she enjoys watching us all scramble. Needless to say, my books are going to be FAR different from this movie...but still. It takes the shine of creative brilliance off to know that someone else is talking to my Idea Fairy.
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