The Road Less Traveled...

The calendar I bought for 2012 has a year's worth of pictures like the one above. I'm not sure why, but I've always been drawn to images of roads, paths, anything that infers there's something just around the bend. Even my computer desktop pic is of a corridor created by two columns of trees in full autumn golds. At the end is a shadowy building with all kinds of mysterious potential.



Maybe it's the writer, the creator in me, but I think I'm intrigued with the potential of that mystery. What's coming? What's around that corner? Imagining all those possible scenarios is like a jolt of creative caffeine.

So what kind of calendars do you tend to get? (Drama Queen has always gotten horses, but this year requested wolves in honor of our new husky dog.) Do you go with whatever business calendar is given to you for free? Is one featuring your favorite characters a must-have? (We have Phineas and Ferb for our family calendar.) Do you like inspirational pictures or quotes?

Valentine's Day Special:




Angel

New Book Excitement

Something wonderful happened this week: I fell in love!

No, I’m not cheating on my husband… well, maybe in my mind. You see, I’ve fallen in love with the hero and heroine of my new book. Since I’m always on here whining and complaining, I figured I’d share the good news with y’all. Let’s just keep it between us, okay? Wouldn't want to lose my reputation as a pessimist.

I’ve had the idea for this series in the back of my mind for a while, but I knew up front it was single title and different from what I’d done before. It’s darker, edgier. I’m traveling in a new direction, which is fun, freaky, and frankly terrifying. At first, I was simply nervous I couldn’t pull it off. But I just finished my novella and knew I had to start writing something else. This was the only idea that called to me, and I decided it was time to take the plunge. I’ve been toying with the plot and characters for the last few weeks, and decided that since I had plenty of time to focus on my writing while the kids were out of the house, I’d finally start Chapter One.

And I did, but I only have 10 pages so far. Instead, I delved deep into the characters (so far I have 12 that populate this particular world, including H/h’s from books 2 and 3—a far cry from the 3 or 4 in my category books) and plot (the plots for books 2 and 3 started showing up in large hunks-both scary and wonderful, let me tell ya). I’ve discussed possibilities for mystery and an overarching scandal (meaning it runs through all 3 books) with critique partners, until they are probably tired of hearing from me. I’ve pulled pictures off the internet for characters, clothes, furniture, and décor.

Finally one day I realized something—every time I thought about my characters or my book, I got an odd feeling in the pit of my stomach. That twitchy cross between nervous anticipation and excitement that comes with the thought of someone you’re falling in love with. The one you can’t wait to see again. The one you want to get to know better. The one you come to crave in your life.

I’ve fallen in love with my book. Yay!

So even though I was completely freaked out and scared I would screw up, I made myself start the first scene on Thursday. To psyche myself out of the jitters, I hand wrote the first few pages instead of typing. It seemed less “permanent” that way, so if I messed up I could just chunk it and forget about it. Saturday, I started typing those words into a computer file. Guess what? They don’t completely suck. Yay, me! :) And I can’t wait to write some more (a big difference from dreading the page a few months ago).

You can keep track of my progress in the blog sidebar, which I’m going to try to update weekly.

So tell me, what’s going right in your life? Let’s have a gratitude day! (I heard that—stop your grumbling!) I’m grateful that I love my story and am once again excited about writing. AND I’m grateful to have my kids home. I never thought I’d say this, but I missed the little boogers. :) What about you?

Angel

Happy Belated Father's Day to all those supportive husbands out there! For all the times you've listened to our plots until your eyes glazed over, for all the times you've kept the kids so we could escape into our books, and for all the times you've eaten take out for dinner--we love you. You're the best!

How Do I Get There From Here?

This past weekend, we had our monthly chapter meeting at the local mental health center. (Yeah, I know...) No therapy, actually. We attended a workshop on labyrinths. They have one built there that is used theraputically. She discussed how some people use a mantra as they walk and how some leave items representative of their burdens in the center to walk out free. At our workshop we also talked about how we could use it for creativity. Some great ideas come while we're in the shower or driving our car. Walking the labyrinth is supposed to be a similar situation. The experience, good, bad or indifferent, is supposed to be like a metaphor for life. How you approach the labyrinth will be a lot like how you approach everything. I had no idea how true this would be until we walked out there to give it a try.

The one at the center looks like this. In reality, it was actually smaller than I anticipated. Just one person wide. There's only one way in and one way out. There was a whole group of us, so a big bunch of them headed straight in. I did not. I didn't want all those people ruining my zen experience. They might represent the 'noise' in my life, but I was willing to hang back until I could walk freely most of the time. Angel and her sister did the same. Instigator and PM jumped right in, no problem.

Personally, I found walking the labyrinth to be a challenge to focus. I chanted a mantra to myself with each step, but it was hard. There were still people coming out as I went in, so I had to step aside a few times. No one was directly ahead of me, but they were all around. I had to force myself to just stare at the ground immediately in front of me. When I reached the center, I sat, let go of my burden and stayed long enough that when I left, I was alone and free on my path. All this says a lot about my life and my writing. Here's what I learned:

1 - If you don't pay attention to where you're going, you'll get off track.
2 - I don't need to worry about what everyone else around me is doing.
3 - I am allergic to grass, yet I walked it barefoot as recommended. Most of the time, my feet were irritatingly itchy and distracting. Just like the rest of my life when I'm trying to write.
4 - Looking over at the center (my goal) and who's already reached it is not helpful.
5 - Its a long and ridiculously winding journey, but I'll never get there if I stop. I might be close, but there's no close in publishing. The only way to get there is to focus on where I am and keep taking one step after the other. That's the only way to make progress.
6 - Achieving your goal is just the beginning of the journey. You've still got a long way to go from there.

Others had good insights. PM found herself stuck in traffic and couldn't move as quickly as she wanted to because of other people. She'd think she was close to being done, then found she still had a long way to go. She ended up hurting herself while trying to accomodate others. Says more than you would ever believe about her life journey, but she learned that you just have to put one foot in front of the other because sometimes any progress is progress. PC said she realized that sometimes you do stuff, even though you don’t fully understand why, and eventually the understanding will come. Instigator learned she doesn't like having a path set out for her. She preferred walking on the stone barriers instead of the grass.

Watching the others walk was certainly educational. I saw some people practically race through it and others jump over to another row in an attempt to get done faster. (Something that could seriously backfire depending on where you are. You could set yourself backward just by being impatient. Another lesson.) What's the point of rushing through it, I ask? I heard a few of them say they realized that they have to work at their own speed, even if its different from everyone else, and without the restrictions of a pre-set course. Pantsters. :)

I heard someone else say that they were surrounded by people, yet utterly alone. Wow. Some people got frustrated and quit. Other people were a distraction to some, but welcome noise to others. Some reached their goal and walked straight out, skipping the winding path to the end. Patience is apparently not a virtue of a writer. Angel mentioned that she saw the others 'cheating' and really wanted to, but couldn't make herself bend the rules and stayed on path. Who knew you could learn so much about people just from watching them walk on grass?

Here's the five of us, having reached the center and achieved our goal! :)

Have you ever walked a labyrinth? What did you get out of it?

SP

The Road I Travel

This past weekend I met with my writing accountability partners. We all know we want 2010 to be an awesome year for writing and I, for one, need all the help I could get.

2009 was a tough writing year for me, despite my Golden Heart final. I had periods where I wrote a lot and submitted, but I also had long times of drought where no words would come. My characters were utterly silent. There was no joy in what had once been one of the biggest sources of happiness in my life.

Why? Coming out of this "dark night of the soul” required me to ask myself this very question. I’ll be honest, I seriously considered giving up writing twice last year. I say this not to garner sympathy, but so you can understand that the writing journey isn’t all hilltops of flowing words and finished manuscripts. It can be a tough road to travel, as well.

But in asking myself “Why?”, I had to face the depths of fear and confusion hidden behind those silent periods. The fear that I’ll never publish a book. The fear that I’m not talented enough to be more than mediocre. The confusion over high contest placements and low editor interest. But in the end, all that matters is the story and my love for it. I decided that I was ready and eager to recommit to my writing. My accountability partners are ready to help me see that commitment through, for which I cannot thank them enough.

I knew that one of my Big Goals this year would be to establish a daily writing habit and to raise my writing time to a higher daily priority. So I decided to initiate a 30 Days of Writing Challenge. I’m committing myself to writing something, anything, every day in an attempt to form a daily writing habit. Whether it is one paragraph or ten pages, I must write or revise each day. This goes hand-in-hand with making my writing a priority in my daily life. I want it to be the first thing I do, not the last. I don’t want to get to the end of the day and realize that the one thing I wanted so very much to do – Write – I didn’t even touch. This isn’t going to be easy, but in recommitting myself to my characters, books, and talent, I’m willing to face this tough assignment.

For those of you who are writers, I’d love for you to join me in this experiment. I’ll be posting my progress on FaceBook (you can friend me under Danniele Worsham) and weekly checking in here on Mondays. Hearing about your progress would help inspire mine! For you readers out there, I know you can understand the emotions behind this struggle, even if writing isn’t your thing. We all have that one dream in life that both challenges and rewards us. Writing just happens to be mine.

What are your dreams and goals for 2010? What are you recommitting to this year – your writing, healthy living, relationships? What is the one thing that would really benefit from your focus for 30 full days?

Angel

Launch Party!

Oooh, I’ve been waiting for this day, and now the giddiness is practically paralyzing me as all I can do is squee at the oddest moments.

THE SECRET MISTRESS ARRANGEMENT is finally on a bookstore shelf near you!

While it’s been exciting to know the book was out in the UK and Australia, NOTHING beats going to your local bookstore and seeing your name on a real book.

I love this book, of course. It’s my first-born. But it seems a few other folks liked it as well, and that is really exciting! Romantic Times gave it 4-stars and said, “This enjoyable tale … treats readers to all the emotions, and all the highs and lows, that love entails." The fab Marilyn Shoemaker of Marilyn’s Romance Reviews made my day when she called it “magnificent” and said I crafted a “beautiful and romantic love story” (and gave me five stars on Amazon!). Then, when I debuted at #9 on the Waldenbooks Bestseller list for my first week, the giddiness knew no bounds at all. (Now it's #8! Squee!)

So let’s launch this baby properly!

And, my overseas friends, we’re launching my second book, THE MILLIONAIRE’S MISBEHAVING MISTRESS, today as well! I’m out in two countries at once.If I were any more excited, I’d have to split into two pieces to hold it. (TMMM will be an October release in the US.)

Cue the cabana boys! Rev up the chocolate fountain and jump right in!I’m giving away copies of both books today (although the winner of THE MILLIONAIRE’S MISBEHAVING MISTRESS will have to wait for a copy until I get my author copies in.)

Grab a drink and cut a rug, then be sure to head over to the Soapbox Queens where I’m reigning as Queen For A Day (and get another chance to win)! (Edited to add -- I'm also up on the I (Heart) Presents blog today. Please stop by!)

SQUEEE!!!

PC

**And in case you haven't ordered your copy already (grin), here are the links: THE SECRET MISTRESS ARRANGEMENT and THE MILLIONAIRE'S MISBEHAVING MISTRESS.

The right words...

Sure, my mom thinks I’m a great writer. So do the Playfriends (or at least that’s what they tell me). DG and AC fill the stands in my cheering section as well. But these are people who love me. They have to say the nice things (or else deal with the horrible depression and witchiness that follows.)

But second only to my editor, there’s one person whose opinion really makes me think. That’s my Fabu CP. Sure, we’re friends now and I love her like my luggage, but that’s not how our relationship started. It was a business relationship –one built around saying not nice things to each other when the situation called for it. She had my respect long before she had my love.

My CP has to read through some rough stuff. She’s the first set of eyes on everything I write. If it’s wrong, it’s her job to tell me. If I go too far – or not far enough – she has to be the one to redirect me. She read at least four complete drafts of The Secret Mistress Arrangement before it sold – that’s commitment to the cause. She’s had a hand in the plot of every book I’ve written (and been the reason at least one has been archived on the hard drive because she finally had to tell me that it just wasn’t working at all. That takes guts and a long view of the situation as a whole.). Trust me, I’m a much better writer thanks to her guidance over the years. I owe her a lot.

So I trust her, but more importantly, I respect her. I’m often awed by her – and not just her incisive critting skills, either. She’s an amazing writer who often leaves me gaping at the way she strings words together. For the record, Pamela Hearon ROCKS.

I’ve been struggling with the current WIP. It’s been hard to find my groove with this one. And Pam’s been handholding me through it, dog love her. But in her notes from the most recent chapter she critted was exactly the thing my ego needed to hear, even if she didn’t know it at the time.

I remember writing the paragraph her comment referenced. It was getting close to time for AC to come home, so I was winding down my writing for the day. I like to end in the middle of something or on a strong note so I’ll have something cooking until I can get back to it. This paragraph was that stopping point. And I was kinda pleased with the image and the wording.

And when it came back from Pam, she’d written in red next to it “Man, I wish I’d written that.”

That got my attention. Yeah, it’s great when someone points out a nice phrase or some clever wording, but to have another writer – a writer you respect – wish they’d written it? Wow. That’s pretty damn cool. That’s high praise. That made my whole day. Made me think I’d finally gotten a hold of these characters, and that we all might get a happy ending after all. Made me feel the hair-pulling and teeth-gnashing might have been worth it. Six words, probably just off the cuff to let me know the image worked, made me feel like Nora Freakin’ Roberts.

And that my friends, is why good CPs are worth their weight in gold. Not only because they can tell you what’s going wrong, they let you know when it’s going right.

What’s the best compliment you’ve gotten recently?

PC

Are editors evil?

I haven’t been on the published side of the fence long enough to forget what it’s like to be subbing and waiting and waiting… I still have all my unpubbed haunts bookmarked. All those blogs and boards I read trying to educate myself about this business. And yes, those include the places where the rejected, disillusioned, and frustrated vent.

The one thing I saw a lot of on those boards/blogs was editor bashing. Not necessarily a specific editor, but editors in general. Yes, publishing can often move at a glacial pace, and waiting six months to hear from an editor can seem like an eternity – even worse is if after six months you get the dreaded form rejection.

Hey, I can relate. Really. Been there, done that, and I have the extra ten pounds on my thighs from all the chocolate I ate in my misery to prove it.

But what disturbs me are the people who seem to think editors are evil beings, only here to make a writer’s life hell. Interestingly enough, the vitriol seems to come most from people who have been asked by an editor to make changes to their book.

Gasp! Horrors! How dare some editor think your book needs changing! Dog forbid you should be told your characters don’t have enough emotional conflict to sustain your story or that your pacing is dragging. (Trust me, they’re right 99.9% of the time. If the editor says it isn’t there, it’s not there. This isn’t a graduate seminar where you’re supposed to sit around a table and second-guess whether the bird on page 23 is a symbol of the Resurrection or not. You don’t get to explain stuff to your readers outside the words on the page. It has to be there. We wouldn’t be arguing about that bird if there wasn’t something in the story already to suggest that it might. )

These are often the same people who turn to vanity or self-publishing because they don’t want one of those evil editors “messing” with their story. (But that’s a whole ‘nother rant for another day…)

I’m reminded of this recently, because I really, really (heart) my editor right now. She’s fab, and I (heart) her every day anyway, but especially now. See, even with all the fun of field trips and plotting sessions with the Fabu CP (and everyone else who made the mistake of having coffee with me), I was really struggling with this book. And by struggling, I mean I was being sucked into the Giant Black Hole of Crap (tm) from I was sure which my book (and my career) would never return.

These are the times, my friends, when your editor becomes your Most Favorite Person Evah. Editors can make your book better – that’s the purpose of revision letters. They see the thread in your plot that didn’t get tied off, the motivations that seem crystal clear to you because you know your characters but aren’t actually clear to anyone else on the planet, the part that just doesn’t ring true, or the part that you left out. By pointing these things out to you so you can fix them, they help you make your book stronger, more interesting, and well, better.

And you’re the one that gets to fix them, so it’s still your story.

Most importantly, though, editors know the line and they know you. Thirty-something minutes of brainstorming with my editor solved weeks of angst and worry and crap-production. What we came up with is different from my original vision of the book, but hey, that vision wasn’t working real well for me anyway. Plus, it was producing large amounts of stress (as those who live with me can tell you). The new vision of the book fits me better, fits my voice better, and I’m pretty sure will produce a much better book in the end.

I’m going to be rewriting a lot. Many of those golden drops of brilliant prose (snort) will be sent to the deleted scenes file. And that synopsis thing? Gone. You know what, though? I’m looking forward to it. Simply because my editor can look at the line, the book, and me and see the place where they intersect. When they don’t intersect, she’s able to point me in a different direction – probably one I couldn’t see before – and that pulls me out of the Giant Black Hole of Crap (tm). I’m happy, she’s happy, my readers are happy. There’s no bad there.

So, no, editors are not evil. No one likes to hear there’s something not working in a book, but the fact someone pointed it out to you doesn’t make that person evil. If I told you that you had spinach in your teeth, you wouldn’t think I was evil, would you? I hope not. I’m just trying to help.

I’m a much happier camper this week. I’ve got a lot of work ahead of me, but it should be easier because I’m not fighting my own voice and style and comfort level to try to write the *other* book.

How well do you handle constructive criticism?

Welcome Words of Wisdom

Yesterday, at our local chapter meeting, I got to hear our wonderful Mavens (Linda Howard, Linda Winstead Jones, and Beverly Barton) answer questions on anything and everything we wanted to know about writing and publishing.

Being the generous women and professionals they are, they answered over fifty questions about this crazy pursuit of passion called Being an Author. But at the end of the day, I came away with only 2 words written on my notepad. I can’t remember which one even said it, maybe Beverly, but the 2 words I took home with me were:

KEEP WRITING

There were many other lessons that I soaked up like a sponge, but this is what resonated with me in that moment, mostly because the ticking clock in my head has turned up its volume exponentially. I’m not sure why, but I think it is because:

1. I turn 35 this year. Though I’ve never had any qualms about birthdays before this, for some reason 35 is bothering me, making me realize there are several things in my life I had wanted to accomplish by now that don’t seem any closer than they did 2 or 3 years ago. Establishing a career writing romance is one of those things. I seem no closer now than I have in the past, despite years of hard work.
2. All those “years” of hard work are adding up. I started my first book when Drama Queen was almost 3. Soon, she’ll be 9. I’ve been submitting for publication for 4 years and have completed 5 books. Less time than some people had to put in, but more than others.

I’m admitting here that I’ve been discouraged. After all, writing is hard, no matter how much you love it. It takes time away from my family and money out of pocket for dues, submissions, and conferences. But after listening to the discussions going on around me at our meeting, I know I’m where I belong. Despite the seeming lack of forward progress lately, I can’t imagine doing anything else with my spare time but creating stories. Okay, on the occasional bad day, even cleaning house tempts me to walk away from the book, but…

So no more wallowing in discouragement! Let’s talk today about perseverance and keeping the motivation high. What are your secrets to going the distance, whether your goal is publishing your first book, losing those last ten pounds, or getting that dream job?

Angel

P.S. When author Susan Gable visited us on the blog, she graciously chose me as the winner of her book. Upon receiving it, I realized I’d already read (and loved) it. So today I’m going to pass it along to introduce someone else to this wonderful story, The Pregnancy Test. Simply comment to enter!

I have a cover!!

In case you missed the addition to the sidebar, I now have a cover!!

Isn't it pretty?

Honestly, it wouldn't matter what it looked like. It's my first cover and that's my name on it so it's the bestest cover ever.

I will love it always.

So let's talk covers today. Does a cool cover make you pick up the book? Have you ever not bought a book because of the cover? Do "clinch" covers make you embarrassed to read the book in public? Does it bother you if the people on the cover don't look like the characters you imagined? Do you think my cover is pretty? (If the answer to the last question is no, feel free to keep that to yourself, 'kay?)

PC

**The Secret Mistress Arrangement will be a Modern Heat (UK) Jan 09 release. We'll go through this again when I get my US cover (for April 09).

P.S. Finally, my Facebook page is active. Please come friend me! Or tell me how to find you and I'll come friend you!

(I'm still working on the MySpace one...)

I'm Back!

After being gone for over two weeks, I can’t tell you how great it is to be home—my bed, my pillow, my shower. Email access whenever I want it. The sounds of crickets in the evening instead of sirens (cities are noisy!). The piles of laundry. The empty cupboards. The mail that’s been stacking up.

Hello, my life.

Yes, I had a fabulous trip with the Darling Geek and the Amazing Child—saw great things, ate good food, had quality bonding time. AC even lost a tooth in San Francisco. (The Tooth Fairy brings extra money for ones lost on vacation—after all, cost of living in SF is much higher!)

But the conference, of course, is what you want to hear about. And let me say it was FABULOUS. I’m exhausted, my voice is gone, and I attended very few workshops, but it was the bestest RWA conference I’ve ever been to. I think the cause was this:



Yep, there’s my name tag with the lovely PAN notation across the bottom and the even lovelier pink First Sale ribbon beneath. I got to revisit that feeling I had back in May when I announced I’d sold and all the congratulatory emails came in. Strangers stopped me in the elevator to say congratulations, and that warm, glowy feeling came back. The occasional “squee” escaped.

That ribbon also means that conference is a totally different animal than it was before. My schedule filled up quickly with meetings, lunches, drinks and the like. And while it meant I didn’t go to many workshops (and there were some very interesting ones on the schedule), the only ones I got to be at from beginning to end were the one I moderated and the one where I was on the panel.

But it was a GREAT time! And since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll save the ones I need for my book and just post some pictures.

My wonderful (and just disgustingly young and beautiful) editor, Lucy Gilmor

Smarty Pants, me, and my Fabu CP with some pomegranate margaritas.

Lynn Raye Harris and us dancing at the Harlequin party

My beautiful, fabulous (but slightly uncomfortable) First Sale Shoes

The whole HOD gang at the RITA ceremony

I'm sure once everyone else gets home there will be more pictures to come. I know I need copies of the ones on other folks' cameras (like our workshop, our breakfast with Barbara Vey, and so many more.)

PC

And I'd like to thank everyone for keeping Angel company so wonderfully last week. All the comments were great! I think she still missed us though!

Another step...

Since Kira brought it up…

No, Kira didn’t really mention much about what went on between The Call and the issue of Whispers in the Dark (aside from the really important stuff—title, release date, cover). No discussion on the blog about edits or galleys or art fact sheets. Don’t feel bad or left out, Honorary Playfriends, she barely mentioned any of that to us! I often wondered if Kira was trying to be sensitive—not rubbing our un-published noses in the “Nyah-nyah, I have a book contract! Isn’t it cool what I’m doing and you’re not!”

I imagine many of the Honorary Playfriends wanted to hear all that minutiae between sale and store—after all, many of you are aspiring authors too, and I know I found all of that to be terribly fascinating when she did talk about it (still do, by the way.). At the same time, it can be rather depressing to have a good friend do what you’re wanting to do—even if you do get to live vicariously through her. It’s a double-edged sword. Of course, then there’s also the fact that a lot of our Honorary Playfriends aren’t writers, and it’s hard to guess how much or how little information readers want to know about the behind the scenes stuff.

I, however, am the Problem Child and, therefore, won’t worry about any of that. :-)

I got my galleys last week!

I’d heard of galleys before—the last chance to look over the book for typos and such before they become immortalized in a book for folks to email you about. I was eagerly awaiting mine, and I must say, they arrived long before I expected them. (And, yes, I’m still in Rejected-far-too-many-times Mode and cringed when a big envelope arrived from Harlequin. Never mind that I had to sign for them and no one sends rejection letters by courier service. Old habits die hard, people.)

I held my breath as I opened the package. These are Galleys-with-a-capital-G! They are Important! They are Special!

I don’t know what I was expecting—thicker, fancier paper, maybe? Some kind of binding—even just a 3-ring notebook? Bells? Sparkles? Fireworks that went off when I opened the package?

I was sorta disappointed.

They look remarkably like any other manuscript on my office floor.

Really. Just unbound paper with a rubber band around it. Courier New 12-point font, double-spaced with one-inch margins on 8 ½ x 11 paper. Pretty much exactly what I sent in, only this time the header is different and the lines are numbered. I was afraid to put it in my office in fear I wouldn’t be able to tell it from the other manuscripts in there. (Okay, so that’s a slight exaggeration. It has a title page with important-looking numbers on it and a cover letter telling me when I have to have them back to my editor. Important distinction from all that other junk in my office.)

And, trust me, going through this book with a sharp eye on every comma and preposition (because, after all, I don’t want folks emailing me to point out mistakes in the book) isn’t half as glamorous as it sounded either.

But it’s still pretty freakin’ neat. It puts me one step closer to that really cool picture Kira posted of books with her name on them.

Hmm, I wonder if they put the fireworks and sparkles and stuff in that box? (Maybe Kira just didn’t mention it…)


PC

Adventures in PC Land

Last Wednesday I went to check the mail. The only thing in there was a large, brown, 8 ½ x 11 envelope, about the thickness of a partial. I pulled it out, saw the Harlequin return address, and my first thought was, “Well, damn.”

(For you non-writers, I’ll just remind you that rejections come by mail.)

But wait. It’s from Canada. I don’t have anything in Canada, do I? (Brain starts mentally searching the submission lists frantically while I open the envelope and try to make sense of the papers in my hand.) It’s about BEST LAID PLANS? Huh?

It was my contract.

Sigh. Old habits are hard to break.

Okay, so this is real. I have a contract with advances and royalty percentages and clauses and the like. They really are going to publish my book! Squee!

Um, make that yikes! Let me just say that a twenty-page contract is quite daunting in and of itself. I don’t speak legalese, and my eyeballs were crossing after the first paragraph.

But I’ve read it carefully, looked some things up in the dictionary, made a few phone calls, and brushed up on my jargon. Nowhere does it mention the words “Immortal Soul” or “First Born Child,” so I think I’m safe there.

We’ll go back to Squee! I have a book contract!

(But there’s still a Yikes! And that’s the book my contract refers to as “Work #2,” which I am now contractually obligated to produce by October 1. Yikes, indeed.)

So things are starting to become real—a contract, a website (with a link from the RWA site), a title, a release date… My PAN membership even came through last week. I’m still stumbling over telling people “I’m a writer,” but maybe that just takes more practice.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news, I survived a weekend at camp. I slept in a cabin, with no air conditioning and five adults and four other children I’d never met before. It was hot, there were bugs, I was expected to go hiking, and they served that strange-tasting red Kool-Aid I remember from my days at camp twenty years ago. We won’t even talk about the canoeing incident… But I had a good time, and while I had hoped to bond with my child over the weekend, she far preferred to spend time with our cabin counselor and her new friends. So much for Spending Quality Time With My Child.

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Anything new and exciting happening in your world?

PC

Don’t forget—Christie Ridgway will be here tomorrow!

One week later...

Has the glow faded? Nope.

Does it still seem unreal? Yep.

Has it been an awesome week? Oh, yeah, bay-bee.

Has it been a crazy week? Omigodyes.

Not that my life is ever what you’d call boring—at least in the “sit around and do nothing way” (doesn’t that sound like bliss?)-- but I’ve been running non-stop lately. Take the general stuff—dance recitals, luncheon, a Tea, Parent-Teacher conference, PTA meetings, field day, field trips, SP’s birthday celebrations, doctor appointments, laundry and the fact my family likes to eat—and add in all the I JUST SOLD!!!! excitement, and I’m a flurry of activity this week. (Yes, we’re just talking about *this* week. I can’t even think about next week yet without crying…)

But who am I to complain? Like I’m going to whine about having to get headshots done or getting my website up and live. Oh, poor me--another congratulatory email just came in. Pfft! I’ll take this over the PTA meeting any day.

I am in a bit of a panic about that whole “next book” thing, though. I’m auditioning heroes and herioines and some plots in my head right now and none of them are exciting me yet. I’m just holding on to the faith that one of them will spark and I’ll have a new book idea ready to go…once I make it through the next two weeks (what *is* it with May anyway?).

(But, yeah, little “squees” do escape from time-to-time without warning, and that really does make everything else tolerable. )

So, I’m afraid this blog will be short, sweet, and not too pithy, because I have to plan the end-of-the-year party for the first grade.

Since Rhonda Nelson has given up her personal blog and "Whine About It Wednesday" is no more, I'll dub this "Tantrum Tuesday." Let it all out. We'll sympathize.

PC

****I'm guest blogging tomorrow at the Pink Heart Society (www.pinkheartsociety.blogspot.com) . Please come by and say Hi!***