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That Time Again.......
They're coming. You know who. The Girl Scouts!!! Yes, Cookie Time is here! And thank God!Yes, I know all about the good things the Scouting organization does and it's a fabulous organization for girls and young women. But let's be honest here, I love 'em for those cookies!Every kid in my neighborhood comes to my house first when they've got something to sell. You name it, we've bought it. Wrapping paper, peanuts, popcorn, cookies, car wash tickets, even a jersey or two for the softball teams.But with the COOKIES, I'm waiting for 'em on the porch. And usually, we plow through them so fast, I'm out driving around the city trying to find rogue Girl Scouts in front of grocery stores!! T here's not much I wouldn't do for a Samoa!! And mostly, I'm forced to hide the little beauties from my family............So how about you?? What's YOUR favorite??
Say it ain't so........
Sticking with what seems to be my paranormal theme in my last few posts....Have any of you started worrying about Harry Potter? JK Rowling's given us plenty of forewarning...teasing us, taunting us, saying some characters she thought were going to die, survived--and others, not so much.She's even said in interviews that she may kill Harry off so no one else can ever write about him again. Well, I hope she rethinks that. Because, come on. Harry lives in a wisardry world. Dumbledore could reanimate him, right?? RIGHT???I don't want to worry about Harry. I want him to defeat Voldemort, marry Ginny Weasley and be best friends with Hermione and Ron for the rest of his extremely successful life!But then, that's why I write romance. I love a happy ending.............
Gotta love a vampire...
Can you ever have too many vampires? Interesting question since paranormal romances (particularly DARK paranormals) are so amazingly popular. Most people claim that the dark paranormal is the new historical.And maybe so. God knows publishing is a big cycle. Historicals are huge for years, then contemporaries kill 'em off. Then contemporaries take a dive for chick-lit. Then chick-lit fall to paranormals. So what's next? What's the trend headed our way? Who knows. You just can't predict those sorts of things! But for now anyway, dark paranormals are here to stay and King of the Dark, is the Vampire--(Hence the picture of my favorite vamp, Spike). What is it about these guys that is so compelling? Is it the dark and broody nature of the beast? Or is it that they do what they want when they want and make no apologies for it? From Christine Feehan's crabby Carpathians to Mary Janice Davidson's long suffering Sinclair, the vampire is more popular than ever. And it looks like there's no end in sight. So do you hate them as much as my mom does? Or do you have a dark yen for a pretty vamp all your own??
And speaking of books...........
And when am I NOT speaking of books??? Rhetorical question, never mind.The thing is, I'm in the last chapter of the book I'm writing. I'm headed into the big finale, where the hero and heroine sort everything out and find their Happily Ever After. And I keep getting distracted. You guessed it. By BOOKS. Other people's books. I'm a reading machine here lately. I've re-read the whole JD Robb series--(new one out next month). Re-read all of Harry Potter...good times. And I've done the latest Mary Janice Davidson and a couple of cozy mysteries by Jill Churchill and Don of the Dead by my pal, Casey Daniels and now I'm into The Carriage House by Carla Neggers and it's fabulous. I've got books stacked up, waiting for my attention and I can't wait to get to them! But then, there's the whole ending of my book thing, too. What's a reader/writer to do?
I remember now........
Sometimes in the crush of deadlines and schedules and plot holes and character crunches, you can forget why you wanted to be a writer.Then you go to an RWA meeting and you remember. At least, I do. Saturday, at my local chapter meeting, I spent a few hours with some fabulous women. (Yes, there are a few guys too, but mostly, it's Women Power). We laughed and talked and compared notes on current projects, agent hunts, editor crises and publishing houses. We moaned about how hard writing can be and how amazing it is when it's clicking. And we talked BOOKS. Books we've read. Books we love. Books we're waiting to buy. Books that are no more than a promise from a favorite author.And I remembered why I wanted to be a writer.It's all about the books.
Plotting in Vegas
Plot group was great. Let me say that first. We were really clicking this time and plotted some fabulous books!! Including two for ME! So yay. Now all I have to do is transcribe my notes, the tapes of my sessions and write proposals. But that's another story.Today, it's the downside of plotting in Vegas.....Yep. The picture over there tells the whole story. We plot two books in the morning, then break for lunch....that's 90 minutes for each book--sometimes longer if it's not working--. Then, after lunch, we split up for a couple of hours. Some of us go to our rooms to work--(making the rest of us look bad, Chris, not that I'm naming names!!)--and the rest of us wander the casino.Hotel rooms in Vegas are cheap. Flights to Vegas are plentiful and also fairly cheap. Which is why we meet there, twice a year. But it's the 'break' times that'll kill you. Let it only be said that while we were fabulous in work sessions---the casino decided to make us pay in other ways. Guess that's Karma though, right? Balance in the Universe? Great in plot group, crappy in the casino. And really, I'd rather have the great book!
JetBlue to Vegas....
I hate flying. I mean, I really HATE flying. Well, not so much the actualy flying part, the take off part. Oh and the security nets designed to catch master spies and any fool trying to smuggle water on board.But, plot group meets this weekend in Vegas. So that means flying. I usually fly JetBlue (and no, this is not a picture of our plot group in their showgirl costumes) of course we COULD have posed for this picture, but we'll be busy working.See, we'll plot eight books in three days and trust me, that's a lot of work. We have our tape recorders ready, our notes (or lack thereof) and we're ready to rock. But first, we have to gather. One of us is coming in from Seattle, one from Oklahoma, me from California and one of us already lives in Vegas!! That's why she's in charge of water and snacks...Writing is a pretty solitary occupation. So when we all get together and the ideas start popping, it's like magic. So when I get back, I'll tell you all about that magic. And about JetBlue. My favorite airline. (Unless of course, my flight's delayed again.)
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