Arriving in Glasgow

This morning our plane touched down on Scottish soil. I can only imagine how excited (and possibly exhausted after hours in a plane) we're going to be. From this moment on our feet are pretty much flying. We've only given ourselves 10 days in the country and we're packing everything possible second.

Today we're picking up our rental car, visiting the Kelvingrove Museum in Glasgow and then heading for our B&B in Portabello. If we can still function once we get there we're planning a nice dinner and a walk along the beach. We'll see :-)

Please pray that all five of us - including our luggage - can fit into the rental car. PC has become the luggage nazi (although I secretly admit I need one). I have been instructed no more than 3 pairs of shoes. You know, to look at me you probably wouldn't expect I'd be a luggage hog but...looks can be deceiving I suppose.

I've been looking forward to this trip for months. I can only imagine how amazing it's going to be to finally get there.

Tell me your favorite trip story. Is there someplace you always dreamed of visiting and finally got to? Or is there someplace special you're dying to go?

After I get back I'll pick one post to win some books from my stash.

Instigator

P.S. from the Playground Monitor

Congrats to ChristyJan for winning my "Favorite Word" contest from yesterday. Okay, so I know that Anais Anais isn't really a word, but I laughed all day over that one. Email me at playgroundmonitor@writingplayground.com and let me know which of the three books you'd like. Include your snail mail address too.

P.P.S. from PM

I started a new story today and y'all need to help keep me writing. I'll be posting a wordcount meter so you can track my progress.


More Than Enough Woman

750 / 6,000 (12.5%)

Fifty Cent Words

The Playfriends left today for their great Scotland adventure and I'm here by myself wondering what to blog about. I can't talk about planning a trip or the wild days preceding it. Next month maybe -- when we're getting ready for RWA in Dallas. Heck, I have already started "The Hunt for the Perfect Rita Dress."

So I decided to talk about the Playfriends behind their backs. Hehe. That'll teach 'em to go off and leave me alone and in charge.




Isn't it amazing how we have this group of letters -- 26 in all -- called the alphabet and we can take those letters, arrange them in a multitude of ways and come up with all sorts of different words.





Words are what we writers use to tell stories, pass along facts and just communicate in general. Today we're going to have a vocabulary lesson with three words I think are really cool. And I'm going to tell you how they apply to the Playground and Playfriends.





Synergy is defined this way: The effect of two or more agents working together to produce an effect that is greater than the sum of the parts. The combination of factors which each multiply the effects of the other(s) rather than merely addingto them. In the regular world 1 + 1 = 2. When synergy is in effect, A + I + PC + SP + PM = The Writing Playground, a group more powerful than each individual alone. Each of the Playfriends has strengths, which are pretty useful in and of themself. But combine our strengths and there's not much we can't accomplish.



Syzygy is the astrological condition of alignment or straight line configuration of three celestial bodies such as the earth, moon and sun. You hear us mention astrology from time to time and we've ranted about Mercury in retrograde (and this will happen again between June 15 and July 9), but syzygy is an astronomical term. The key word is alignment. For a group of five very different women, we have an amazing alignment of the minds. Sure, we have differences of opinion, we write different things and we read genres of all varieties, but when it comes to the Playground, we are in amazing agreement. Sometimes it's kinda scary how much we think alike. But lest you think we're like lemmings who mindlessly follow one another over a cliff, fear not. We're equally as independent as we are in agreement.



The last word is serendipity. Serendipity is finding something unexpected, special and/or useful while searching for something else entirely. Sir Alexander Fleming was just cleaning his lab when he discovered that penicillium mold had contaminated one of his old experiments. Thanks to this unexpected find, countless lives have been saved.

When I joined RWA and then Heart of Dixie, I expected to learn about writing. I figured I'd meet new people along the way. But never, ever in my wildest dreams did I expect to find four such great friends who wouldn't just come bail me out of jail should the need arise; they'd be right there beside me in the cell (well, maybe Angel wouldn't) slapping me on the back and saying "Damn that was fun!" And no how, no way did I ever think I'd be on a first name basis with the Mavens. Every once in a while I have to pinch myself and make sure I'm not dreaming that I know these awesome women who have sold so many books and topped so many bestselling lists.

What's your favorite word? Give me the definition. Use it in a sentence. Tell me if or how it applies to your life. The best word today gets a copy of CRAZY COOL by Tara Janzen or SEDUCED BY MAGIC by Cheyenne McCray or THE KILLING HOUR by Lisa Gardner -- your choice.

Wild Days

I’ve heard people say God never gives us more than we can handle. I think God also tends to throw lots of stuff at you at once so you can’t obsess over any one thing too much.

Case in point: The last 7 days of PC’s life:

In no particular order…:

Kira sells—while Fabulous, things had to kick into high gear in order for us to get a celebration together in time for Saturday’s HOD meeting. Cakes, cookies, flowers, touching gifties…

Good friend goes in for major surgery. She’s seven hours away, and I don’t know any of her family, so all I can do is sit and bite nails.

Grandmother is admitted to hospital in Tennessee. Mother decides this is serious enough to warrant trip home. Much shuffling ensues as cars, the children mom cares for, and the things she needs done while she’s gone get sorted out. Many long phone calls to various family members...

The giant hole in my ceiling gets fixed incorrectly, guys cancel on return trip to fix, rearrange schedule to be here on different day for fixing. Guys sand sheet rock in my bedroom. Must vacuum and wet dust every inch of bedroom because DG has asthma and could die from the dust.

Have every Event Committee Head have something else to do on Saturday instead of the HOD meeting. Prepare to present multiple reports. Stay longer than planned at meeting talking to Instigator and SP (because who knows when I'll see them again :-))

Get request for FULL manuscript!! Squeee! Said manuscript needs another run-through as names and such have been changed. Needs to be corrected, proofed, and printed before Wednesday a.m.

Scotland trip: Let the countdown begin. Packing, shopping organizing, cleaning, last-minute rescheduling as we decide to add horseback riding. Coordinate child care with in-laws. Pay bills due while I’m gone. Make to-do list for DG.

Ant invasion!

Sigh…I’ve run non-stop, pillar to post, my to-do list flapping in the wind behind me like a cape. But Wednesday is almost here, and everything has gotten done. Friend is home and recovering nicely. Grandmother is home and doing well. Giant hole in ceiling is fixed. Assorted children were cared for. Manuscript is proofed, printed, and in an envelope. Bags are packed, schedules are coordinated. Life is set to run in my absence. Ants are dead.

Damn, I need a vacation. Wait! I’m getting one! Cool!

Seven days of non-stop action, yet I never had time to obsess over any one thing. And, with me, you know that’s an amazing thing.

Angel, Instigator, Smarty Pants, and I are headed off to Scotland tomorrow with Amazing Child in tow. The role of the Playground Monitor will be played by Honorary Playfriend Rhonda Nelson for this trip. Remember to keep our beloved PM company while we’re gone, and you’ll be entered to win some great prizes. Plus, you’ll get to follow along on our Scotland trip as there will be daily installments of “Where are We?”

And a Happy Birthday to our Angel (who has elected to wait to party until we're overseas...)

See ya!!

Step by Step

Well, parties are over, celebrations done (for the moment!) and it's back to run-of-the-mill, mundane life around here.

HEY! No it isn't. Because 1. Life is never dull here on the Playground! There's always some drama going down. And 2. We're preparing for our Scotland adventure, or as I like to call it, the Trip of a Lifetime (No pressure, PC!). :)

So how do you prepare for something like this? In my case, it has seriously resembled pre-writing a book:

1. The Idea Forms.

I actually wasn't around for this part. Apparently, it was decided on the way home from RWA's Reno conference in 2005. And I believe Rhonda Nelson had something to do with it (thanks, Rhonda!!!).

2. Preliminary Research and Brainstorming.

Is this idea even feasible? Within the realm of possibilities? We weren't sure, so we sent the canary, I mean Problem Child, to find out. Poor Problem Child, she's done a whole lot of work for this trip!!!

We looked into lodging costs, car rentals, and places we'd like to see. We ruled out some, got excited about most, while the idea grew and grew.

3. Commitment to the Idea.

With a book, you usually decide this before you've invested too much time in the book. Once you've decided to commit, that this is the book you want to dedicate the coming months, maybe even years to, it's the launch pad for everything.

With this trip, commitment came in a more tangible form. Can you say, "Time to buy the plane tickets"? There's nothing like investing $800 on a non-refundable item to make you seriously consider whether this is the right move for you. But 5 of us decided it was, and the idea transformed into a reality.

4. Working Out the Details.

This is the plot point of the book, where you brainstorm the twists and turns, the troubles you'll lay in store for your characters.

Whereas before we were just talking ideas, now we were talking details. Thus a Scotland Trip Yahoo group was formed, so we could easily throw suggestions back and forth, report on what we found, and tie down a schedule.

Problem Child even gave us homework, like the good teacher she is. We were each given a day and a place and told to research items of interest and report back to the group. Names of historical castles and cathedrals were bandied about, then chosen once everyone had voiced an opinion. Thus we now have an intricately details itinerary that we may throw out at any moment upon seeing something more interesting along the path.

5. Deep Research.

There are always parts of a book that will give you trouble and require you to dig deeper. Whether it's a location, occupation, or activity that you've never done before, writers must research things they don't know. (Okay, I'll admit it. I don't know everything. *gasp*) Actually, learning about new places, people, and things is one of the really cool parts of being a writer.

When it comes to places, I love to dig deeper. Knowing how exciting this was for me, and my desire to be prepared, a close friend of mine bought me some books on Scotland for Christmas. She bought me one of those huge picture books on castles. And a travel guide with history, place descriptions, and lots of lodging, restaurant, etc., info I won't need because we have Problem Child. :)

Besides pouring over these two volumes, I've also explored all the links we've passed around to the specific places we're visiting. Looking at the pictures, reading the history, just made me even more excited. Besides, when I get there, I actually want to understand the significance of what I'm looking at.

6. Last Minute.

This is the mode I'm in now. With a book, you prep all those last minute details. Make sure you have writing utensils (in my case, a pack of paper and pens, for some people it's their computer). Gather your notes together in some order that makes sense. And make sure the kids are occupied for a good length of time. :)

For this trip, I've got a list that is slowly getting smaller, so I'm grateful for that. Two days ago it felt like it was a mile long. I've got to pack, take care of household things like bills and groceries in the house (just to make it easier on the babysitters, my husband is delightfully self-sufficient), print all the info I want to take with me, and then....

7. Enjoy the Ride!

Writing my first, second, and third books were each incredible journeys where I learned so much. I know each of my subsequent books will be the same. I certainly hope so!!!

Now I get to go on a fun, inspiring, exciting trip with four wonderful women. This is a journey I'm going to enjoy every moment of....


Angel

Goodies galore to be given away...

As Angel, Instigator, Smarty Pants, and I rush around with last minute packing, here's a reminder to our faithful blog readers that there's goodies to be had...

Keep Marilyn Company: With the four of us gone for ten days, poor Marilyn will have no one to monitor. We need you to keep her in tip-top whistle-blowing condition. We'll be giving away presents from our trip (and, of course, there are books to be had!) to Honorary Playfriends who step up to the plate and keep Marilyn from missing us too badly. Comment on the blog. Send fun emails to playgroundmonitor@writingplayground.com. Keep her busy for us. Winners will be chosen when we return.

Ask Us (Almost) Anything: Don't forget to send your burning questions about the personal lives of the Playfriends to me at problemchild@writingplayground.dom. We'll choose our favorites to answer and post those answers while we're away at the RWA National Conference in July. If we chose your question to answer, you'll win a prize! Keep those questions coming!

Something to Look Forward To

What a party yesterday! You know, when we all came together as writers struggling to achieve our goals of publication it seemed like this far off dream. “One day...” It’s hard to believe that “one day” is here. Instigator has sold a book to Blaze. PM has sold nearly 20 (I’ve lost track, she’s done so well) short stories to the Trues... All the things we talked about doing when one of us did the near impossible – parties, gifts, announcements, celebrations of all kinds...we’re actually doing them. It’s surreal and it’s not even my achievement.

Almost feels like it, though. Almost. Nothing feels like it actually happening to you, of that I’m sure, but I anticipate this being the closest I’ll get in the next year. Long before Instigator’s sale, we all discussed how we would handle it when one of us got the call. In some circles, a major achievement of one out of many might cause a group to split in jealousy over time. I don’t think that will happen with us. We’re all realistic, balanced people. We are fully aware of how this business works. Even if the wicked bug of jealousy creeps into our ears for just a moment, we’ll shoo him away because we know how wonderful this is, for everyone, not just Instigator. Several reasons for this...

First, Instigator is such a wonderful, sweet, caring person. She has worked sooo hard on this – years - people! She deserves this glory. You can’t help but be excited and thrilled that she’s finally made it.

Second, whenever a new author sells, it gives us all hope that one day, we too might get here. This isn’t a zero-sum game. One author selling does not take away a slot that would’ve been mine. Every new author that breaks the ceiling to publication is just blazing a trail of inspiration for those of us still climbing the ladder.

Third, it sets a good example for the rest of us. Her sale wasn’t dumb luck or good timing – it was hard work and months of revisions. Myself, I’ve spent the last few days in-between “SQUEEEE” moments thinking about my WIP that I’m not writing. All this partying is fun. Don’t I wish I could have a party, too? Yep, but I’m never going to if I don’t finish this dumb book. I can’t let myself get discouraged by setbacks. You just have to keep chugging along. Once I'm done partying and siteseeing - back to BICHOK.

Finally, for once PC doesn't have to be the canary sent down into the coal mine. We're pushing Instigator ahead of us to figure all this publication stuff out. Then, when we sell (and we WILL), she'll be our expert guide on the business. Yeah, that's it - we LET her sell first just for this reason. Yeah, yeah, that is our dastardly plan... :)

All this has definitely inspired me to get back to work on my book. What has inspired you lately?

SP

The Call

I've been dreaming about making this post since we started this blog...since before that actually. And frankly, now that it's time, I'm not sure where to start :-) I know, sacrilege for a writer. The beginning is so important. So maybe I'll start at the end and work my way back.

Tuesday night we had just finished dinner and DH had taken the girls outside for a walk. I was looking at the paperwork that came with our new cat, enjoying the peace and quiet I hadn't gotten all day... a fairly mundane existence - until my cell phone rang. From there the rest of the night is a bit of a blur. I distinctly remember Brenda Chin saying she was going to buy my book for the Blaze line (although I'll admit that later in the night I allowed doubt to creep in and checked my caller ID to ensure I hadn't hallucinated the whole thing). I'm pretty sure I yelled directly in her ear (sorry, Brenda!) and most definitely made a complete idiot of myself (because there is no telling WHAT I said). I made numerous phone calls despite the fact that almost NO ONE would answer their phone. Not PC, PM, SP, my mother, my sister... I riled the girls, the dog and both the cats up so much that no one settled down until after ten o'clock. Needless to say, I got very little sleep. Not that I'm complaining! :-)

Everyone I've shared the news with over the last few days has asked for details on my journey to this point so, I'm going to share them here. This book began in August 2005 with an editor appointment at a Southern Magic meeting. I had written a query letter detailing the book I wanted to pitch but I never got that far. It turned out that Brenda had recently purchased a similar book and couldn't look at it. She asked if I had anything else to pitch. Thank God I did! It was just a bare bones idea that I had thrown a pitch together for right before Reno. I literally had nothing more than what was on those few note cards. But she liked the concept and after discussing a few things she asked for the partial.

I went home and furiously wrote the first chapter and submitted it to the Blaze contest. While I was waiting on the results, I finished the partial and submitted it as well. The end of October I received a phone call saying I'd placed 2nd in the contest with Curing Dr. Desire.

The next March I received another phone call from Brenda (while I was on vacation) requesting a few changes to the partial but with the go ahead to complete and submit the full. Over the next year I worked through two sets of major revisions which required me to completely rewrite half of the book. No small task.

But I'll tell you, I learned more about writing during those months than I had in the years before. There is no doubt in my mind that this book is leaps and bounds above where is started because of Brenda's input and her willingness to let me work through the issues to get the story just right.

I've heard it over and over again, perseverance is the key to this business. And it is. I don't doubt that luck also plays a small role. But I'll tell you, even more than those two things, I think finding someone who believes in you as a writer is the lynch pin to success. Surrounding yourself with people who not only tell you what you've done right, but also point out what you've done wrong and help you find a way to fix it...that's what's important.

I've been lucky to find those people in my life. And now I owe them a huge thank you!

Brenda, of course :-) Thank you so much for not giving up on me, Chris or Karyn.
The Playfriends for brainstorming, Rumors, teeter-totters and being there for late night calls and panicked email sessions.
The Mavens for setting such a wonderful example to live by. I want to be all three of you when I grow up!
Rhonda Nelson for that last puzzle piece :-)
Lori Borrill and Leeanne Kennedy for reading...and reading...and reading again.
and Shelley Visconte for the invaluable information.

There's no way I'd be living my dream (or writing this post) without y'all. Thank you!

Instigator
*fans eyes* World Peace

Now who has the teeter-totters?

P.S. Yesterday's winners in the Treasure Hunt are Stacy Schooler and LeeAnn Pelkey. Please email Michelle with your snail mail particulars to claim your prize. Congrats!

P.P.S. Tuesday's winners from Maven LJ's guest blog are cheriej and Lady Vampire. Please email Problem Child with your snail mail address to claim your prize.

Advice from a Pro(crastinator)

Once again the Playground welcomes our favorite Bella -- last fall we coined the nickname School Bella just for for her -- from Romance: By the Blog . And because she's great about sharing her toys, the Playfriends are on her blog today. Y'all give a great big howdy to Michelle Buonfiglio.





I hate writing.

Yeah, I know that sounds totally bizarre coming from a woman who has the coolest job ever, reading and writing about romance fiction. But I do, indeed, hate everything about writing: the planning, the process, the editing.

Actually, I don’t mind the editing all that much, because I write “short.” Writing short, as those of you who do it know, requires lots of editing, and allows very little falling in love with one’s work. In fact, my rule of thumb is that when I’m certain I’ve turned a particularly nice bit of phrase, I know I should cut it, because I’m generally not as clever as I think I am.

Harsh? Yeah, that’s probably why writing bugs me so much, cause, like, really, why would I enjoy finding yet another reason to angst over my shortcomings?

Now, I once took a class on “getting into the habit of writing” with a pretty remarkable woman named Roseanne Bane who’s got a philosophy that really speaks to my hatred of writing.

Roseanne says that in order to create, one must destroy. Dancers destroy the placement of the air molecules through which they move, and musicians, pretty much the same, while fine artists destroy canvas, marble, various mediums.


What does the writer destroy? When a writer chooses a word or phrase or topic and commits it to paper, she simply destroys every other possibility.

And, holy God, how daunting is that? I mean, no wonder I put off writing; I’m simply afraid of making the wrong choice, missing out on the ideal word that would have made the piece I’m writing the most perfect I could produce.






So learning this, I know I have two choices: suck it up and toss some crap on paper to see what I can work out, or, my favorite, avoid writing altogether till I’m nailed to the Great Wall of Deadline.


Every time I do the latter – every stinkin time – I tell myself that next time will be different; I won’t spend most of the week reading books for fun, surfing the Inet for hot guy pix (like some of my faves here), or doing administrative stuff.

But then this blog came due, and…I’m guessin’ you can figure out how the theme developed from there, no?


What about you: What’s your favorite means of avoiding writing? What’s the piece of advice that gets you putting pencil to paper more often than not?


Thanks so much, Playfriends, for inviting me to share the day here at the WP! For my part in our Scavenger Hunt, here are my two questions:

1. At Romance: By the Blog: Name the 2 lead characters in the excerpt from Suz Brockmann’s “Force of Nature?” Click the link in the blog sidebar.

2. At RomanceBuyTheBook.com : Where are Michelle and RBtheBook moving in late June?

Please email your answers to all four questions (the other two are at Michelle's blog site), with the word HUNT in the subject line, to the Playground Monitor. Two winners will be chosen to each receive a 12-pack of romances and a beaded paperback thong.

Guest Blogger Linda Winstead Jones

Go buy this book. I'm serious. I read it through in one sitting--it was so good I couldn't put it down. Do not order online--you'll have to wait on shipping. Go to the store now and get this book. You won't regret it.

(I know we've gushed about Maven LJ's books before, but, good dog, the woman can write! If I can write a book half this good before I die, I'll be a happy, happy puppy.)

Linda is here this month to tell us her side of the Raintree backstory...

Lightning Strikes

You know how it is. Some stories come together slowly, with frequent and necessary modifications and pulling of the hair and ranting to friends, and others come together as if they’re a gift, falling into place with characters so immediately real you have no question about how they talk, think, feel. Though Linda, Beverly and I did have our infrequent hair pulling moments (See Linda’s blog about the sword – and yes, Kitty is in my current wip) this trilogy began as a gift. One minute we were talking about maybe one day doing a series together, and the next we had names, the beginnings of the overall plot, and traits like Raintree green eyes.

You know by now, I imagine, that this all started more than five years ago. I said it was a gift, not an express train. Not only did the story get complicated along the way, planning around three busy schedules – professional and personal – was NOT easy. But we persisted. In addition to the trips Linda mentioned in her blog last month (trips with much plotting and shopping), Raintree discussions took up part of every conference and retreat we attended, for a while.

I made one trip without Linda and Beverly. My husband and I went to Wilmington, North Carolina, where we walked the downtown streets and drove along the beach (where I picked out Gideon’s house) and – most important – I got a tour from a retired homicide detective. I’m always leery of giving the names of professionals who help me, mainly because while I do take and use little bits of information they pass along, I also sometimes take liberties, and I don’t want readers out there thinking it’s a true to life police procedural, and whoever told me one thing or another is SO wrong. No, I take and use the tidbits which suit me, and make up the rest. You never know what’s going to stick. He did point out a small place and said, “Best soul food in town.” Who knew that would make it? We drove past the police station, and down Wilmington streets, and most importantly he talked. About old cases, about crime statistics, about knowing someone’s guilty and not being able to prove it. (No, he does not talk to ghosts.) This was all incredibly helpful when it came to pulling Gideon together professionally, even though, as I said, I took many liberties.

I remember that somewhere along the way Linda and Beverly asked me about Hope’s magical talents. I told them she didn’t have any. Not sure why, but that’s just the way it is. She’s the lonely little petunia in an onion patch, the only “normal” person in a sea of paranormal. That’s her challenge, to accept that which is beyond her own experience. Not only to accept, but to jump right in and test the waters.

Writing the Raintree trilogy with Linda and Beverly was so much fun, even when we painted ourselves into the occasional corner. Like the moment when we realized all three stories would have to take place at the same time, or when Linda looked at me and said, “Hey, Gideon can’t fly!” (Okay, Linda never says “hey” and she does not speak in exclamation marks, but you get the idea. Call it poetic license.) Give a guy electrical powers and then try to give him a cell phone and a microwave. Make him play hell with all things electric, and then give his brother slot machines. What was I thinking? And yet, that’s who he was from the very beginning, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

Detail, detail. I spent one long afternoon checking flight times and driving times (thank you Google Maps) so that the characters could all arrive at Sanctuary at the same time. I did tarot readings for all our characters, and they were oddly spot on. For most of my books I have a nice thin folder of notes. For Raintree I have a box.

Raintree: Haunted was a large part of my life for the past five years. I’m going to miss all the plotting and planning. I’m going to miss Gideon and Hope and Emma. Even though they aren’t my characters, I’m also going to miss Dante and Lorna, and Mercy and Judah.

Work isn’t supposed to be this much fun. When it happens take it as the gift it is, and enjoy.

LJ

Breaking news!! Haunted is #1 on the Waldenbooks list this week!

SQUEEEEE!

One lucky blog commentor will win an autographed copy of Haunted, so she, too, can develop a major crush on Gideon. You know how it works: comment to enter. Winner will be posted Thursday!

***Remember, tomorrow the Playfriends take over Romance: By the Blog in our second Blog Swap and Scavenger Hunt with Michelle Buonfiglio.

Announcements

I forgot to announce that tomorrow our wonderful Maven, Linda Winstead Jones, will be blogging with us.

And on Wednesday we'll be swapping blog space with Romance by the Blog. Michelle will be dropping in here and we'll invade her blog. A contest that day will include a treasure hunt and some awesome prizes!!!

So join us the next two days for lots of fun!

Angel

The Little Picture

I've been writing this weekend, but not in the way you might think. Instead of a book, I've been working on a booklet. I've been creating a booklet about Scotland to leave with my daughter.

It details what we'll be doing each day, has instructions for some Scottish kids crafts, and includes pictures, some of which she helped me find on the Internet. She really enjoyed cruising websites of interactive castles and searching for pictures of Nessie. I had fun talking with her about my trip, and hopefully making her feel more comfortable with where Mommy will be when she goes away. I've found it rewarding, relaxing and inspiring to create this little thing that wouldn't amount to a hill of beans in the publishing world, but will mean a great deal to my child. I hope it will create almost as many memories for her as I'll have from the actual trip, and something for us to talk about when I return home.

Many of us tend to think of writing in the book format, but we use writing in all kinds of ways. And writers love to use their skills with variety and creativity. Trust me, the many different ways this group can put together To Do lists is astounding. Just scanning the various formats of our packing lists for Scotland has been eye-opening. :)

Other than novels, we write lots of different things. Playground Monitor and I are published in short fiction (she's the queen of this!). All of us have published non-fiction articles. On June 6, when we visit Romance by the Blog, we'll talk about how we each utilize writing in our day jobs.

And don't get me started on journaling... Those of you who have heard me talk about it before know I consider it to be a sort of therapy.

So what is the most favorite thing you've ever written? Not for publication, but just from the heart. A short story in school? A letter to your loved one? A poem? A journal? Inspire me today with your tales...


Angel

You Bad Boy, You!

So now that my social calendar has cleared for a few weeks, I find myself thinking more about my WIP - Ghost of a Chance (thank you, Pat). I stopped writing several weeks ago because I’d hit a problem that I knew I needed to go back and fix before I got any further. I added another character (which, for those of you counting, makes one hero, one heroine, 3 plucky female sidekicks, 3 ghosts, 4 villians and a partridge in a pear tree.) All the characters are jumping off the page at me, their personalities and voices are all distinct, they all respond differently. All is well, except for the hero. The hero! He’s the most important guy in the whole book and he isn’t working.

I guess part of my struggle is that I don’t write alpha heroes. My guys tend to be the more brooding, sensitive or funny types. They’re not wussies, but they aren’t the big, macho types either. My hero could be either – he’s in construction, owns his own company. Serial dater, totally non-commital. He’s funny in his own way, but really plays the role of the straight man to the heroine's antagonistic sarcasm. He’s slightly anal in that he likes things to go just so. Of course, that means I spend them entire book making his life hell. He could very easily be a controlling ass, although my heroine wouldn’t take that for a second. I find more that he’s going with the flow, something I never anticipated him to do. He should be more type A, but there’s something else wrong too.

He’s missing something. He isn’t larger than life, which apparently is a requirement for my readers to fall in love with him. He isn’t a Greek tycoon billionaire. He isn’t a bachelor playboy heir to a Fortune 500 company. He isn’t a cop or a firefighter or a cowboy. He’s the biggest sexiest version of the Brawny man you can imagine. Tall, broad, rough hands, an intoxicating mix of sawdust and...where was I? Oh yeah - he’s just a guy trying to live his life and everything is going wrong.

What I haven’t mentioned is that he lives with the belief that he can and will die at any moment. He already feels he’s on borrowed time. It was suggested that giving him a reckless, adrenaline junkie side would help him “pop.” A skydiver or something crazy that could potentially kill him any time he did it. An ‘if I’m going to die, I’m gonna do it my way’ sort of attitude. It has some merit, but I can’t figure out what he would do or how to weave it into the existing 200 pages.

My mother suggested that I should think about him this way – how would he live his life if he wasn’t worried about the future? He’d eat too much, drink too much, drive too fast, just live in the type of excess that someone looking to stay healthy well into their 80s would never do. Live like you were dying. Be spontaneous. Be in the moment.

I need some help to work all this out. What do y’all think? Should he have a specific passion, like skydiving or driving 200 mph on a crotch rocket (motorcycle)? Should he be an all around risk taker – do whatever, whenever? Should he live in excess without overtly trying to kill himself? Is there anything wrong with a hero that isn’t a larger than life bad boy? Your thoughts, please. I need to get him fixed and start moving forward with this book.

SP

And Kitten Makes Three

Well, tomorrow we will be the proud owners of a kitten. We lost Garrett on Monday (after a $200 trip to the vet's office. I don't mind the money to get rid of the wolf worm he had but half of that went to neuter him. Sigh.)

It is quickly becoming dangerous for pets at our house. Along with Ming and Garrett, we lost 4 baby bunnies last week (she was a new momma and didn't take care of them. By the time we realized it was too late to foster them with another bunny). Yes, we live on a farm. No, this isn't the first time we've lost animals. But before they were goats or chickens, things that lived in the barn. Not things that curled up with me in bed at night. PC has pissed off the water gods, apparently, I've pissed off Saint Francis of Assisi.

So, we're getting a kitten. Garrett was actually Sweet Pea's cat. And when DH called to tell me, letting her have another kitten was the only thing I could do. I was standing in the Old Navy dressing room, one jean leg on, half naked. Sweet Pea was sobbing in the background and I couldn't get to her to hold her and make it alright. I told her she could have another kitten instead.

My family thinks I'm crazy. And I'd have to agree with them. But my girls have dealt with enough death over the past month. At the moment, Sweet Pea is focusing on that new kitten and that's the way I want to keep it.

So, any advice on kittens? I'm hoping they come litter box trained *laughs hysterically*

Instigator

And what do YOU do?

I’m blogging remotely from a campground about two hours from home where the DH and I have a little getaway trailer. It’s a reward to ourselves for the years of raising two boys, all the parent-teacher conferences, Little League games, scout meeting, braces, ungodly auto insurance premiums that go along with two boys, college tuition and all the other expenses parents face. Now that we no longer have those expenses, we have some extra money to (1) dote on the grandbaby and (2) dote on ourselves. The campground falls under number 2. And this week I’m doting on me. I decided if I had internet access I could take care of business from here and well… here I am.

There’s a regular gang that visits this campground along with folks who happen upon it in their travels. We have standing Friday and Saturday night card games, shuffleboard tournaments, darts, volleyball, tennis and my favorite, the pool. My husband is a die-hard volleyball player and frequently captains competitive teams. I, on the other hand, tell folks that I’m captain of the suntanning team, a position I take quite seriously including my bottle of SPF30 face block and SPF15 body block.

In the course of conversations with both regulars and new folks, the topic of occupation regularly arises. And when asked, I tell folks that I’m a writer.

Them: Oh. What do you write?

Me: I write romance.

Them: Oh. Are you published?

Me: Not in book length, but I’ve sold some short stories to magazines.

Them: How do you know what to write about?

Me: I get ideas from all around me. I read newspaper articles or articles online and an idea will spark. I hear a snippet of conversation or see something on a blog and I ask myself, “What if?”

Them: *snicker and a sidelong glance at my husband* Do you use him for ideas?

Me: No, he’s too boring. But his wacky family is a hotbed of ideas.

Husband shoots me a dirty look at this point, but he knows it’s true. About his family, that is.

Them: How much money do you make?

Me: None of your damned business.

Actually, I don’t say that last part but I’d like to. I don’t ask them how much they make. They don’t ask any of the other people how much money they make, but my income is apparently intriguing and open for discussion.

Me: You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.

Them: Do you know Stephen King?

Me: No.

Them: Do you know the guy who wrote the book… you know, the one that was a movie with Matt Damon? He played a spy or something. Uh, something about identity.

Me: The Bourne Identity?

Them: Yeah. Do you know that guy?

Me: No, I don’t know him.

Them: Well do you know Jackie Collins?

Me: No.

Them: Do you know Danielle Steele?

At this point, I begin to sense a pattern and decide to stop it in its tracks.

Me: No, but I met Nora Roberts once.

Them: REALLY?????????

Me: Yes. We attend the same writers’ conference each summer.

Them: I’d like to write a book. It doesn’t look like it could be that hard.

By this time I’ve pasted a smile on my face that’s as fake as Pamela Anderson’s bosom.

Them: I feel like I have a book inside me just waiting to get out. If I tell you my idea can you help me write it and get it published.

Me: *sigh* You really should write it yourself because it’s YOUR story to tell and it should reflect your voice.

Them: Voice? But this is a book, not a tape.

Me: *deeper sigh* Voice is how your personality comes across in your writing. Everyone’s is different..

Them: Oh. Well, if I write it in my voice can you help me get it published?

Me: I’m sorry, but I don’t have an inside track to publishing. You just have to submit and wait with the rest.

Them: Oh. And what do YOU do? they ask the next person.

Him: I’m a doctor.

Them: Oh. I have this place on my foot that’s been bothering me…

It’s different being a writer, isn’t it? And I suppose I ought to get back to being a writer and write since I don’t have a phone ringing and the usual household distractions.



Image by Free-StockPhotos.com

The voices in my head

Sunday, 3 pm

Opens WIP file.

Let’s see, where was I? Oh, yeah, dinner. Okay, so he’s playing footsie with her under the table…

Pssst. Hey. My name’s Kayla. Wanna write my story? Get this—Chapter One opens with me waking up naked in the hero’s bed and I’m not totally sure how I got there. Cool, huh?

Gee, that’s great. I’m kinda busy with these two right now. Just take a number and I’ll get to you later.

These two are boring. They wouldn’t know conflict if it bit them in the ass. Me? I’ve got oooodles of confict. Internal, External—I’m just rolling in conflict. Add in my hero and it’s practically an emotional train wreck waiting to happen.

They’re not boring, and they do too have conflict. It’s just more subtle. Now, shoo. I’m busy here.

You call that conflict? Snore. Plus, I have angst. Lots of angst. I could handle more if you want. You can even give me an alcoholic mother and an emotionally distant father. I can work with that.

Really? Ooh, Angel would be so pleased. Tell me more about this angsty internal conflict of yours… Can you be funny too? NO. Wait. Don’t answer that. I’m working on THIS book right now. Go stew in your angst some and come back after these two are living happily ever after.

But they’re being difficult. I would be so easy to write. I promise. Just let me and my hero—his name’s Jake, by the way, and he has those broad shoulders you love so much and big brown eyes—rip and you’ll have us finished in no time. Those two are going to be fighting over dinner for the next six freakin’ months at this rate and I’ll never get written.

(Fingers in ears) La, La, La, I’m not listening to you.

Oh, that’s mature. I’m not going anywhere. Just hit Save—not that you’ve written anything worth saving recently—and open up a fresh, new file. Come on. Just type Chapter One. You know you want to.

(Louder) They’re playing footsie under the table and he says…

Oh for the love of Mike. Fine. I’ll tell you what. Just type out my first couple of pages. Try me out. You can always come back to these deadweights later. Just a couple of quick pages. You know all the NYT bestsellers do it. What have you got to lose?

GO AWAY.

Nope.

How about I write down your vitals and promise to get back to you in a month?

A month? You think you can whip this book into shape in a month? Please.

One month. I’ll give myself a deadline. You can come bug me endlessly after that until I write your story.

Seriously? Okay, then. But one month is all you’ve got, sister. My friend Helen is over here working up her own Inner Conflict and I’ve told her she has to wait until I’m on paper. And she’s really impatient.

Thank you. (Closes eyes to think and picture scene.)

What are you wating for? Clock’s ticking, sweetie. You’d better move quickly from footsie to something far more interesting or we’ll all be asleep by the end of this chapter. Type, Wannabe, type! Tick, tock!

If you don’t go away, I’ll give you bad skin or jiggly thighs.

My hero would love me anyway.

AND saggy boobs.

Sigh. Fine. Go write your non-conflict filled book. It’ll never sell. I’m far more marketable, you know. Editors love spunky heroines like me.

I’ll give your hero—Jake, was it?—a small penis.

You wouldn’t. You couldn’t. Romance heroes are never lacking in that department. But, okay, you’ve made your point. I’m outta here. For now.

(Waits. Hears only silence. Sighs.) Now, where was I? Oh, yeah, dinner.

/a pause/

I wonder how Kayla ended up in Jake's bed...

Hel-lo? Remember us? Gwen and Will? We've been sitting here playing footsie for, like ever. Focus, lady, focus. Could you please figure out what happens next and just get us finished?

Okay, Okay, I'm working on it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I am, really, working on it.

PC

Ooopppssss!!!

Oh dear, I'm in trouble now!!! I totally forgot that this was Monday, my day to blog. This weekend was filled with dance rehearsal and recital for Drama Queen, then Sunday at home organizing more of the house. I'm grateful that our recital went more smoothly than Problem Child's and also that it is over. The downside is that now DQ has decided she wants to take another year of dance.

Today, Instigator, Smarty Pants and I are embarking on a little shopping excursion before seeing the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie. We're all very excited! There's just something about Johnny Depp in eyeliner... and Orlando Bloom is nothing to sneeze at either. I didn't care for him as much before the Pirate series, I think because he was a little too young for me. But now that he's full-grown, all out male... yum!

Anyway, that's my ramblings for this Monday. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and tune in tomorrow for Problem Child, who I'm sure will be much more prepared than I was today. :)

Angel

Closing a Chapter

Well, it’s done. I turned over the keys and picked up my check at closing. I ran from the building like it was on fire and went straight to the bank (by way of Arby’s) to deposit it before they changed their mind. So far, so good. I am no longer a home owner, much less a dual home owner, which was my biggest fear.

It was kinda sad to walk through my empty house – a house I had built and picked out every detail from the colors to the flooring. It was my baby, my first house ever. Now it belongs to a nice couple from Massachusetts. It’s their first house too, so there’s some poetic justice to it all. I laid in bed all last night worrying about closing and something going wrong. Of course, in my dreams, the problems were absurd dream-type problems like unwanted monkeys in the attic. All this time, since I got the initial offer, I never really believed that all of this would actually happen – something was bound to go wrong. The inspection would be a mess or the appraisal would come in below the offer, their credit would tank and they’d lose their loan, termites...something. But everything turned out fine. What a relief. I feel like the weight of the entire house has been taken off my shoulders.

In other good news, the builder is scheduling my closing on the new house for after my return from Scotland. Although I’d like to be settled in the house and out of my apartment before I go, this allows me the time to relax and enjoy my time in between, including the trip to Scotland. DB is mightily excited to be so close to Chick Fil A and the world in general, after being 30 minutes from anything for so long. He might not even miss me the two weeks I’m gone with so many culinary options nearby – Subway, Chinese, Pizza Hut, McD’s, Checkers, Wendy’s, Arbys...who needs me anymore?

The question I have now is...now what? This move has been occupying my brain for months. I’ve been preparing to sell, preparing to move, etc. since January. Now it’s done. If I moved straight into the new house, I’d probably be able to start obsessing about decorating or whatever, but I’m a solid month away from that. Almost two weeks out of those four will be in Scotland, but the rest of the time, what am I going to do?

Write the dumb book? Is that what I heard you say? Perhaps. I need to jump on the literary bandwagon and get the rough draft of this book cranked out ASAP. Maybe for once my mind will be uncluttered enough to actually focus on the story and the characters.

But I think for a few days, I’m going to revel in nothingness. Nothingness! How wonderful. Calls for champagne and non-WW approved goodies. What have you celebrated lately? Lets all celebrate together!

SP

Animal Saga Continues

Everyone probably already knows that we got a new dog last week, Friday specifically. Jack is fitting in wonderfully with our family. He's the most loving, obedient dog I think I've ever seen. By the second day with us we were letting him run our yard without a leash. Call his name and he immediately comes to your side.



He even gets along with the goats and actually herds the chickens away from the girls when they're all in the pastures together.



What he isn't doing is getting along with our cats. Neither Alex nor Garrett are thrilled with the new addition to our family. It's taken several days, but at the moment Alex and Jack have reached a truce of sorts - Alex stays higher than Jack can reach and hisses and Jack barks incessantly. Whatever. It works.



Garrett on the other hand...well, we couldn't find him for two days. It was so bad that Tuesday after work DH, the girls, and I spent quite a bit of time canvasing the neighborhood and yelling for him. I was in the bedroom putting together a teacher gift when I heard a very, very faint meow. I thought I was hearing things at first but it kept coming as I continued to call for Garrett. I dropped what I was doing and ran outside because I figured as faint as it was it had to be coming from there.



I circled the house and called again and again. Every once and a while I'd hear the meow but it was still very faint and I just couldn't figure out where it was coming from - although I usually heard it from the front of the house. I asked DH if the cat could be stuck under the house. He looked at me rather skeptically but grabbed a flashlight and crawled into the dark, spiderweb-infested space - grumbling the entire time. At one point he yelled that he'd found him only to realize it was Alex (they look so much alike our neighbors didn't realize we had two cats).



Finally giving up, we all headed back inside. I was really worried. We'd already lost a dog this month, I really didn't want to deal with losing Sweet Pea's cat too. It would not have been pretty.



I was giving the girls a bath when DH came up behind me and whispered, "come here." We found Garrett, crouched in a corner between a book case and the computer desk. There is no telling how long the poor boy had been back there, probably two solid days. DH was not pleased and groused about crawling under the house for nothing (well, not nothing as I got a good laugh out of it but don't tell him that).



At the moment, Garrett is still lodged in the corner and will not, under any circumstances come out. I figure he will when he gets hungry enough. Until then, at least we know where he is now.

Since I wrote this blog, Garrett is still refusing to come out of the corner and Jack has torn the arm off my sofa. I think the honeymoon stage is over :-) Although I can't seem to stay mad. Not when Jack looks up at me with his brown/blue droopy eyes. It's almost as bad as when Baby Girl pouts. I just can't stay mad at him.

Instigator

Gender Bender

I spent the better part of last Saturday in two airports as I made my way back home from a week of playing nursemaid. I had several hours in the Charlotte airport between flights. After I ate lunch in one of their overpriced restaurants, I roamed through the overpriced gift shops, grabbed a latte at Starbucks, successfully resisted the enticing aroma of Cinnabon and browsed through a newsstand/bookstore.

Maven Linda will be glad to know that Cover of Night and Raintree: Inferno are all over the airports like white on rice.

That, however, isn't the point of this blog. The point is gender. More specifically, author gender.

As I browsed I watched a very well-dressed and very handsome man (hey, I'm married, not dead) peruse the paperbacks, which were basically the NY Times top titles plus some others. He would look at the title and cover, turn to the back and read the blurb. After picking up and putting back several books, he pulled Born in Death by J.D. Robb from the shelf.

When he flipped it over and saw J.D.'s photo on the back, he dropped it like a hot potato. He looked way too old to still be a member of the "Girls Have Cooties" club so I can only surmise that he didn't want the book simply because it was written by a woman. He didn't look at the back long enough to read the blurb. So his action had to have been because of the picture on the back cover.




On her website, La Nora looks all gorgeous and girly with a big smile on her face. How she wears those heels is beyond me (unless they were just a photo prop). But she looks quite feminine.





Pick up a J.D. Robb book and there's another photo entirely. She's got the whole denim and leather thing going with an urban background and a stop-them-dead-in-their-tracks look on her face. I really like the J.D. photo. Should I ever need cover photos, I'm going to show the photographer this photo and say "Make me look like this. Please."


I've read plenty of male authors over the years -- Sidney Sheldon, Stephen King, Robert Ludlum, Homer Hickam, Clive Cussler, Robin Cook, Michael Crichton, Ian Fleming, Nicholas Sparks, Robert James Waller, Scott Turow, Tom Tryon and even a little Erle Stanley Gardner. And Mr. Brown, if you're reading this blog (yeah right!) I was enthralled by both The DaVinci Code and Demons & Angels.



It didn't matter to me that the above named authors have a Y chromosome. What mattered was a good story that hooked me from the start and kept me reading.

So I'm wondering if Mr. Hottie had a Y chromosome requirement for his reading material. It sure looked that way to me.

I realize that now I read mostly romance and romance is mostly written by women. But I've read some romance by male authors (we had one blog with us on Valentine's Day) and as long as it was a good story with a HEA, I didn't care if the author was male, female or Martian.

Answer me this: Does it matter to you?

Where were you people raised?!?!

I thought I lived in a suburban community of middle-class folks in middle-class houses.

Alas, it has come to my attention that this city is simply full of barns.

"Barns?" you say. "PC, you live in a bedroom community of Huntsville. Y’all aren’t allowed to keep livestock within the city limits."

Yeah, well, I’m now convinced that the 500+ people I spent Saturday morning with were all raised in barns. They may be pretty-looking and expensive barns, but for all intents and purposes, this is Barn City and everyone acts like it.

My rant stems from AC’s dance recital, held Saturday morning. Several hundred children and their parents, siblings, grandparents, and extended ‘come-here’ family members gathered to watch the little angels dance. I thought I was going to your basic dance recital—tutus, tap shoes—but I was sadly mistaken.

There were cell phone issues of course, which I will refrain from ranting about beyond saying that unless you are awaiting a liver transplant and must be reachable at any second, turn the damn thing off. There were the parents with their video cameras blocking the aisles and everyone’s view as they jockeyed for position. (You know, the dance studio is selling DVDs of the recital for a reasonable price. Buy one of those instead.) There were the parents who roped off ROWS of 15-20 seats for their families—families who couldn’t be bothered to show up on time and waited until the house lights went down to try to come in. This, of course, prompted MORE cell phone usage, with the lovely addition of those sitting in the seats standing up and waving their arms so they could be found. That’s okay, I didn’t want to see that part of the show anyway. There was the lady behind us that kept whacking DG in the head with the ENORMOUS bouquet of flowers she brought for her lil’ punkin (who you would have thought was dancing the Black Swan solo instead of being third from the left in “Wheels on the Bus”).

Spare me from the etiquette problems of others.

But that’s not what had me questioning the zoning laws of my fair city. Somehow, these Barn Dwellers mistook a dance recital for a soccer game. Or a NASCAR race. Some sporting event instead of the dance recital it was advertised to be.

Picture this—seventeen little girls in pink tutus file on to stage. The stage lights come up, and the darlings are blinking in shock at the size of the stage and the brightness of the lights. Then, from the darkness of the audience comes: “GO SARAH!!!” “WHOOO HOOOO!!! YAY MADDIE!!!” "YOU GO GRACIE!!! YEAH!!" This continues until the music starts.

First of all, the kids can’t see into the audience. This is noise coming out of a black hole. Of course, they’re trying to figure out where Daddy is, and end up missing their music cue. Or, better yet, it scares the bejeesus out of them and they burst into tears.

But that aside, am I the only person left who sees the inappropriateness of hootin’ and hollerin’ during a dance performance? That kind of carrying on is appropriate in certain places—the ball field comes to mind—but this isn’t a sporting event. There are finer rules of etiquette in place for events that take place in the theater. Appreciation for the dancers is shown by sitting quietly and attentively while they are dancing and applauding nicely (even enthusiastically) when they are finished.

What’s next? Cow bells and air horns? Rabid mom-fans rushing the stage and flinging flowers? Turning the orchestra pit into a mosh pit?

I’m all for encouraging children and showing how proud you are of their accomplishments. I’m also for teaching them that there’s a time and a place for everything. I’m for teaching them that different situations have different standards of expected and acceptable behavior. I’m for teaching them about inside and outside voices—and outside voices only belong inside during basketball games, rock concerts, and when someone is on fire.

I know DG and Mom are with me on this one. How about you? Are we in a minority here?

PC