Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

I have so much to thank God for this year.

For His Gift of salvation.
For the family I was born into.  Mom, Dad, Terica and Donna -- love y'all to pieces!
For the family I gathered along the way --for Scott, Nyssa and Natalie, the inlaws and outlaws.  All of 'em!
For my home and other tangible things.
For stargazing with the hubby.
For the chance to do what I love - write!
For my writer's critique group members - both present and past.  The WYSIUR folks rock!
For the BEACH BABES.  You three keep me on my toes and challenge me to do my best, even when it means throwing out chapter 3!
For my editor, Dianne - she pushes me to do more than I knew I could, and she believes in me! Wow!
For the folks at church who love me anyway.
For fuzzy friends who give me a lick to let me know they love me, too.

And in case you didn't catch the pattern, it's the people in my life I'm most thankful for.

I love you, everyone.

The Best Laid Plans....

Sat down to work today -- I'd had my shower, I was dressed in clothes and not pjs, breakfast cooked and eaten, coffee mug by my side.  I got a good hour or so in when

RING

my fearless hunter hubby calls.  His jeep is out of gas. (not his fault, it's a faulty guage)  Could I bring him the jug of gas from the shop?  Oh.  And could I grab the insurance bill? And while I'm at it, could I grab that jury duty check so we can deposit it?

SO

I rescue dear hubby and head down the mountain to cash the check.  I took a different way home and saw a lady pushing her SUV down Hwy 231.  I couldn't have that.  I found a place to park my car and hurried to help.  Within a minute or two there were two guys helping us push, too.  We made it safely to the gas station and all was well.

THEN

got home to find hubby sitting on the porch swing. He didn't have his house key.  I let us in and we had lunch.

Did I get as much done as I had planned?  Not even close.  But hey -- it's not everyday that you get to rescue two people.

Just call me....WANDA WOMAN  (cue theme music)

Edits are done!

Cue the Hallelujah chorus!!!

And in honor of Clara and her quest for a bicycle, I give you a picture of me on my first bike. 

Thursday Update

*Lifts head and looks around.*

I'm still working on edits.  Found out that Reverend and Mrs. Henderson could not stop to admire a clump of day lillies in mid May because in Huntsville the flowers in question are at their best around Father's Day.

Impressed with my researching/editing skills?  Thank the Huntsville Botanical Gardens and the excellent staff there.  They were very patient with my questions.

Onward...

Well, folks, this is it!

I have, on my desk, the galley proof pages for Clara, Huntsville 1892.

What does that mean?  It means that I'm carefully reading my story, word by word, comma by comma, and period by period.  If there are any last minute changes to make, this is the time.

Pressure, much?

I've held different chapters, different versions of chapters, papers marked up by me and my trusty critique partners.  This is something new. Somehow those familiar words have transformed into something else.  I feel like I'm holding a pen above a pan of cement.  Any mark I make will set in that quickly hardening medium.  I have to make sure every mark counts. There are no do-overs.

When I'm finished and the pages are safely off to my editor, I will breathe a sigh of relief.  After that comes the ARCs. And, not too far off into the future, comes the final product.  A genuine copy of my book. 

I can't wait to show you!

Oh Happy Day!!!!!

Today has been a wonderful day! And it's only 4pm!

I am sitting in the Huntsville Public Library where I've just attended a very informative meeting directed by one of the reference librarians.  Mary Moore knows her stuff and she's great at getting that info out!

Snagged the next three Skullduggery Pleasant books.  Hurray! I get to see what he and Valkyrie Cain get up to next.  :)

I am sitting at the library, typing on my brand new laptop!!! No, make that my BRAND NEW LAPTOP!!!  yes, after researching, shopping, sweating and praying -- I have a new laptop.  Scott went with me and we picked it out.  It's sooooo pretty!  I can't wait to fill it with all kinds of funny, wise, sad, happy, hyper words!  (forgive all the exclamation points, but I really am very happy right now)

But even as perfect as my new machine is, I have a bumpy road ahead of me.  I never realized how much I depended on the info that I saved on the old 'puter.  Right now I have one contact in my e-mail program.  It's my hubby's e-mail info.  <3   But the address book is very lonely.  Please e-mail me so that I can add you to my collection.

And remembering all the fun little stops that I made to read up on other authors and editors? No can do.  I'll have to rebuild that list.  And the research sites. And the time wasting.... uh...no.  Maybe it's better that they are gone.  For now.

In the meanwhile, I have a book to write.  Alice, I'll meet you in Birmingham, AL in May of 1933.  Ok?


Keep smiling.  I am.  :)

Laptop stil dying.

I am still sad.


So..... how are you?

Oh No!

My laptop is in pieces on the desk.
Scott, my hubby/laptop mechanic, has to work all weekend.
It rained off and on all day today.
Which made me sleepy.
I am a little less than a thousand words in the hole for my NaNoWriMo novel.
Tomorrow I will be old.

ON THE FLIP SIDE
I have a laptop.
Hubby has a job. He also has a desk top 'puter that I can use.
The trees looked pretty in the rain.
I have a warm, comfy waterbed.
There is always tomorrow to try and catch up with the word count.
I'll still be older tomorrow, but my 44th year looks to be exciting. More on that tomorrow.

Goodnight.

NaNoWriMo Participant

Yep.  I signed up.  And I've met today's word count goal!  Oh yeah!!!

And I've fended off the nefarious plot bunnies today, too.  One tried to sneak up and lay a whole new story on me at lunch today.  I scribbled the story premise down in a small notebook and put it away promptly before it ould breed more madness!

Later!

HAPPY NOVEMBER! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Today is Hubby's birthday.  Congratulations on his 48th trip around the sun!  May he have many, many more!  His request?  German chocolate cake, of course.  I'll be baking it shortly.

Today is also the beginning of NaNoWriMo.  In case you don't know -- that's National Novel Writing Month.  I have participated in that madness for years.  Wondering if I want to jump in this year.

And

if I do....

Will I use it to jump start a slowly moving new Alabama Girls novel?  The whole novel won't meet the 50K required to 'win' NaNoWriMo, but it would be a way to kick myself in the seat and give me a tough goal.

Or

I could use this time to write out an idea that has been niggling my brain lately.

Or

I could write both at the same time and thus double my chances of reaching 50K. 

But that might not even be 'legal'.  Decisions. Decisions.

Any advice?