Well, this week the holiday festivities begin--tomorrow night is my first party of the season, and I don't feel ready for it, at all. Though we DID finally have some snow in the past few days, I've officially started my shopping (meaning I've bought ONE present) and we actually managed to get half the outside lights up yesterday. In other words, December has barely begun, and I'm already running behind.
Now, normally, I'm a big geek about the holidays. Though I'm not religious at all, I've always been totally into the fun and excitement of the season. I love the decorations, the music, even the cheesy television specials. Even more, I love buying presents and yeah, getting a few in return. I'm also a sucker for holiday books and movies. Which does explain why almost every year since I started writing, I've had a Christmas story out. The one year I missed, I covered Halloween, Thanksgiving, and New Year's instead.
But this year, I just can't seem to get motivated. Oh, the holiday story is up and running, and comes out Wednesday from Ellora's Cave. I'm sure I'll run out today and buy the goodies for my RWA chapter party tomorrow night, and I'll probably even get the rest of the decorations done sometime this week. But the spark just isn't there yet. Meanwhile, I suppose I can fill the time writing...or maybe it's time to dig out the holiday videotapes and have a cartoon Christmas special marathon. I know I saw that Pinky and the Brain tape somewhere...
First REAL snow last night. Went to bed about 10:30 with a book and it wasn't snowing, but when I got up at 1 to let the dogs out, there was about a half inch on the ground. Tyr had never seen snow before and was most intrigued--didn't want to come in. Nothing like watching a 100-lb puppy romping in the white stuff to make you smile.
We rearranged the living room tonight to make room for the new, bigger dog crate. I had to send my beloved 1929 typewriter to the basement, alas, but it was either that or Spot, the gargoyle, and frankly the typewriter is more durable and likely to survive in that hellhole. Sore as all get-out after moving furniture around, and we're STILL not sure there's anywhere to put a Christmas tree, but at least the crate is no longer in the middle of the living room floor.
Oh--and I'm a featured author this month at TRS Blue! I'd love it if you stopped by to check out the interview, and take a sneak peek at Yuletide Enchantment, which is coming out on Dec. 9!
Well, no new contracts or other good news, but I DID finally wrestle a recalcitrant scene into shape, so it was a good day overall. Started a little bit of Christmas shopping. Still trying to figure out where to put the tree, since the puppy crate fills most of the living room. The moose puppy, as my cousin the vet calls him, is now bigger than the older dog--who's a St. Bernard/German shepherd cross, and he's still only 5 months old. But he's still adorable, and he still makes me smile.
Anyway, it's nose to the grindstone today! Wanna get some serious writing in before the holiday insanity kicks in. Have a good one!
Well, I asked for some good reviews--and guess what showed up in my in-box? Five out of Five from Romance Junkies for Finding Their Way Back. The reviewer love the whole anthology, said it flowed seamlessly, and she also had nice things to say about my story in particular: "Cindy Spencer Pape pens a story sure to captivate readers from the very first paragraph." Not bad, huh? You can click here for the complete review.
While I was there, I looked around and lo and behold, I found a handful of others I'd somehow missed. All good! So here's a tidbit from each. Click the book title for the complete review.
Marry Me, Marietta:"This story brought a smile to my face and left me feeling good about life in general." 4.5/5 Blue Ribbons.
Whispers of Magic: (now available in print in the Mistletoe Magic anthology!): 4.5/5 Blue Ribbons: "The very talented author Cindy Spencer Pape finishes off the Mistletoe Magic series...The scorching hot chemistry between the two of them sizzled throughout the story, and the amazing love that Mitch feels for Jenna is enough to melt the heart of every reader." Trapped in the Flavors of Ecstasy Vol. I anthology: 4.5/5 Blue Ribbons: "TRAPPED was amazing! ...so hot together that they almost throw sparks...Great work!"
Okay, can't argue with any of those. Now, about those contracts I mentioned...
Well, now that Monday is over, the sagging feeling of not having accomplished anything for the last week sets in. Add in a lousy month of sales, a couple of mediocre reviews, and friends who are being spectacularly successful at one thing and another while I seem to just drift along below the radar, and you have a good case of the early-winter blues. Did I mention we had sleet last night? Honest to goodness freezing rain. Yuck!
So my cure for the blues? Ideally, it would be to actually accomplish something. A sale or two and a glowing review wouldn't hurt, but there's not much I can do about those right this minute. What I can do is sit my butt down today and WRITE. Oh yeah, and I can play with the puppy (who now weighs nearly 100 pounds at 5 months old) and when he licks my face, I remember that life isn't so bad after all.
The Thanksgiving holiday is over, and lo, the Christmas shopping season has begun. Bleh! Several of our neighbors already have their outside lights and decorations up, which is wayyyy more ambitious than we are. Usually the decorations don't get started in my household until the first weekend in December. Shopping? Well, have picked up some gifts to the dh and myself from our parents, but have done none of our own shopping yet. Anyway, had a great Thanksgiving weekend, got to see some out-of-state relatives, and prefer to relax and enjoy that before moving on to the next holiday.
But, one way or another, it's time to get back to work. There's writing to be done and (bleh!) promo to be dealt with. Today marks the individual release of one of my earlier anthology stories, Georgie and the Dragon. Originally part of the Brits in Time anthology, Georgie is available today as a solo novella, and by the way, is also available as a way-cool MP3 audio-book file. Yes, it's very weird to hear someone read your own writing--but in a wicked-cook British accent.
Blurb:Who’d believe that in the enlightened year of 1815, Georgie Burn’s Welsh village still felt the need to make a sacrifice to the local dragon lord?But since being the dragon sacrifice will save her younger siblings from the poor house, Georgie agrees. When Caddoc sees the buxom, flame-haired beauty waiting for him on the rocks, he can’t resist flying in for a closer look. Then the little minx stabs him with an enchanted sword. He takes her back to his lair, shapeshifts to human form, and teaches her what it means to satisfy all the cravings of a dragon.
Excerpt :
“The law of the village states that if no volunteer comes forth, a general lottery is to be held…” The mayor broke off as someone interrupted.
“I think one of the Burns girls should go,” offered a familiar voice.
Thank you Mrs. Jones, Georgie thought bitterly as she saw her supposed housekeeper’s pinched face look coldly around the room. “They’ve nowhere to go, and no money. Nothing but a burden on the village, otherwise.”
“These would be the daughters of the late vicar?” his lordship inquired.
Georgie stood, refusing to be talked about as if she wasn’t there. “Yes, my lord.”
“Good day, Miss Burns.” A smile flitted momentarily across his lips. “And what say you?”
“While it is true that we find ourselves in somewhat desperate straits, I can assure you—all of you—” She glared at Mrs. Jones. “That neither of my sisters is presently for sale.”
Lord Weir’s intense grey eyes flashed with what might have been humour. “Very well, then. Does anyone have any other suggestions?”
There were more murmurs and head-shaking until the mayor cleared his throat and spoke from the pulpit. “In that case, I shall require that every maiden above the age of sixteen be present in the village square tomorrow for the lottery. If anyone is not present, she will be chosen by default. Miss Burns, that includes yourself and Miss Henrietta. Now if there is no further discussion…”
Georgie gulped. A lottery? At fifteen, Willa would be safe, but both Georgie and seventeen-year-old Hetty would be subject to it.
“Aye, like there are any maidens left in the village,” one old woman near Georgie chortled. “Every girl in town knew the sacrifice was coming, and jumped the fire with her beau last Beltane. Going to be a bevy of infants come February.”
That bit of information dramatically changed the probable outcome of tomorrow’s lottery. Georgie and Hetty hadn’t known. Could they be the only virgins left in Draigmor? Even if they weren’t, she didn’t trust anyone in this town not to manipulate the outcome so that she or Hetty was chosen. She couldn’t lose Hetty, and if she herself was taken, there’d be no one to care for the children. Lord Weir had a sister, or so she’d heard through village gossip. Surely he’d understand that her siblings needed her. Although…
“Wait.” She barely heard herself call out. An idea began to form in her mind, but it was so improbable, she could hardly bring herself to articulate it.
“Miss Burns?” Lord Weir raised one dark eyebrow.
“You’re really going to allow this—this—travesty?” He seemed like such a rational man.
He shrugged, those broad shoulders rippling beneath his superfine coat. “It is part of the village charter—an agreement one of my ancestors signed centuries ago. If the villagers insist, then all I can do is offer my assistance to the family of the girl.”
Unbelievable. Georgie’s plan was a tenuous one at best, but it was the only road she could see out of a bad situation. So much of it would depend on his lordship. She sensed, somehow, that he was a man of honour. That honour might well be her family’s only chance. She swallowed hard, then stood and looked up at his lordship, gazing straight into his remarkable eyes. “I will volunteer to be the sacrifice—under certain conditions.”
Well, today will be spent mostly cleaning and doing prep work for dinner tomorrow. May spend a little time with the relatives in from California. Probably not to much writing, darn it. And just when Spot had the plot gremlins whipped into shape. Won't be blogging tomorrow, so everyone have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
Not getting much done these last few days, so I'm turning things over to my ghostwriter, Spot. Maybe he'll have better luck defeating the literary gremlins than I have lately. I'm officially over the idea that I'll get 60K in this month. Now I'm just looking for a plot.
What do you do when you just can't sleep? I've always had issues with insomnia, so over the last 40-plus years, I've had plenty of nights to ponder this question. Sometimes you're exhausted, but you simply can't get your brain to shut down and shut up long enough to fall asleep. Even worse are the nights you finally doze off and something or someone wakes you up, gets the adrenalin flowing, and you have to start all over again! If I find the person who rang my doorbell at 3 am this morning, well...
In a perfect world, I'd lie there plotting out my next book, fall asleep thinking about it, and come up with all the answers in my sleep. Believe it or not, sometimes, that actually works. In fact, well before I realized I was supposed to be a writer, one of my tricks was to lie in bed and mentally write episodes of my favorite TV shows, or re-write endings to books or movies. This was way before there was such a phrase as fan-fic!
Other nights, I lull my brain into a stupor by making mental lists. Numerical or alphabetical lists of this, that, or the other thing. Singing to myself in my head can help too, and sometimes I'll combine the two. Did you know I can come up with a Disney song that starts with every letter of the alphabet except Q and X? Seriously. I have names for potential heroes, heroines, and villains starting with every possible letter as well. And I can rattle off ten songs about trains, or flowers, or ten songs with the word "goodbye" in the title in just a few minutes.
Other nights, no matter what I do, just lying there isn't going to cut it. I'll get up and drink some sleepy-time tea, have a few crackers or a piece of toast, or yes, even take a Tylenol pm. My husband reccommends whiskey, but that doesn't work for me. Sure, it sometimes helps me sleep, but the headache I get the next day, even from just a little bit, is rarely worth it. I have been known to play many games of solitaire, with actual cards before I had a laptop I lived on. Now I sometimes go on-line and see who else is up, or post fun things on facebook.
Oh--and sometimes, I'll even get my blog posted for the morning, LOL.
Well, yesterday I finally managed to get some writing done--about 3K, which is a good, though not great day for me. Also managed to NOT trip over dogs and hurt my ankles or bang my forehead into furniture corners, which is a plus, though both ankles and the bruise on my forehead are still tender. DID forget about a chat I was supposed to be at, but managed to make it for the last half, feeling like a huge idiot. Must write more today. As Thanksgiving approaches--less than a week now--time will get tighter and tighter. My nephew and his wife will be visiting from California that week, so I'll definitely be taking some time off to spend with them, as well as hosting the holiday dinner. Not cooking of course--don't want to poison anybody.
As for my weekend? Housework and writing--hmm sounds a lot like my week but with more distractions as everyone else will be home. However you spend your weekend, hope it's a good one!
First Review for Nailed is a good one: Night Owl Romance gives it 4 out off 5 hearts and says, "This was a delightful little tale of an overdue happily ever after. We all feel mature in our early twenties, but we aren’t. It takes life and experience to reveal our true selves. When Warner reaches a place where he likes himself he goes after the one woman he couldn’t forget. And fortunately, even though she’s skittish, she’s willing to be caught. A hot quick read." You can click here for the rest of the review.
Well, managed not to take my baseball bat to the heads of any of my menfolk, so all in all, that was about the best that could be hoped for yesterday. They seemed to mostly have their heads out of their backsides by the end of the night. :)
This morning I woke up to find a contract from my Ellora's Cave editor. This is for Awakening Augusta, the first book in a new series of Regency erotic romances--my very first story with NO trace of paranormal in it whatsoever, but I hope my readers will love it anyway. So yep, today is off to a much better start. Now to get back to work on book two of the regency series, since I know book one has a home. After getting NO writing done Monday or Tuesday, I'm kind of raring to go today to get back on track.
It was a busy weekend, but a good one overall. My migraine finally went away.
On Friday I finished Dani's Demons, the vampire/demon menage that is a follow-up to Exploring Ari, and sent it off to my editor. I also got some work done this weekend on my Steampunk stories, and some progress on the second book of my Regency series. Hoping to hear from them this week about a contract for the first book, so it's time to get going on the second. I am actually on track for this month's word-count goals, believe it or not.
In other news, we have signed the first set of paperwork for my son's Marine enlistment. This week he goes to take his aptitude tests and get his physical and such. Life is never dull!
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