Author Autumn Dawn

Closing in on Western ending

2012-02-16T09:38:00.000-08:00

I'm a hundred pages in and close to wrapping up my urban fantasy Western. Orignially I was going to make it novel length, but realized that's unnecessary. Self pubbing gives me the flexibility to publish shorter works, so I don't have to spend time in one universe.

I Suvived Seattle with my Mother

2012-02-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

Went to Seattle where I not only met up with my proofreader, but visited my mom and aunt, who were following up on my aunt's breast cancer stuff (she's well, thanks).

Mom's idea of fun is definitely "shop 'til you drop", and she's addicted to Ross. Did you know there's a "high end Ross"? Me, neither. They managed to visit every Ross in Seattle, and no, I'm not messing with you. They have their favorites.

After a full day of the Garden Show (awesome), we then went to the mall. My daughter now has more clothes than she can wear in a year. Mom would fill her cart, buy half and tell me that I was buying the other half. I successfully balked at a few purchases, but in the end there was no escape. My 13 year old loved it, of course.

We ate at the Crab Pot, where my girl managed to squirt crab in my eye (the flesh, not the shell) as she learned how to eat the armoured delicacy, then explored Pike's Place until the crazies came out. The GPS (now dubbed Lulu), got us to the hotel despite dark, rain and a wrong turn or two. My daughter and I promptly crashed, but to my dismay, I soon discovered that both my mom and aunt snore.

Snore, snore.
Me: okay, I can get over this.
Daughter scratches me with her toenails.
Snore, snore.
Me: Suck it up, roll over.
Daughter knees me in the shin.
Me: Argh! Focus, sleep.
Snore, snore.
Kid steals covers.
Me: Whimper.
Wash, rinse, repeat. Not sure what time I passed out, but was grateful.

CPA & W9: oh, how my brain is melting

2012-02-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

Spent 1.5 hrs with a CPA yesterday. Apparently the Feds are cracking down and we must now issue W9's to anyone we pay more than $600, such as cover artists, proofreaders, etc. Yay.

Either I or my accountant converts these docs in more docs (W10?) and sends them to the feds. Oh, and I'm behind the deadline.

My beloved color-coded tax spreadsheet is also not quite right, so she's sending me a new one to tweak.

On the bright side, It'll be easier next year.

My son made me laugh, though. I was putting blueberries in my oatmeal. He saw the berries, said, "Ooo!" and snatched them out of my hands to add to the pancakes he was making. This from a boy who'd turn up his nose at anything I'd try to add to pancakes for years. Teaching him to cook has been magical.

His latest attempt at cake didn't turn out quite as well, though. The cake stuck to the pan and the cream cheese frosting was lumpy (he didn't soften the cheese enough). It looks like Frankencake, but he learned something new.

Snippet: Of course he's mean; he's a cow pony.

2012-02-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

Charlene stood awkwardly in the corral, looking at a horse who regarded her with contempt. His four eyes squinted as his ears pinned back, and he snorted as if she smelled bad. They wanted no part of each other.

“I don’t know, Harmon. This horse looks awfully mean.”

She’d been balking ever since they came back from town, and Harmon was loosing patience with her. “Of course he’s mean; he’s a cow pony. Now get on!” Charlene hesitated a moment too long, feeling awkward in her new pants. Harmon booted her rear, using the momentum to boost her into the saddle.

The rangy buckskin sidled, his six legs dancing agilely. Charlene clung to the saddle horn and prayed.

“Hold him steady, Charlie!” Harmon groused as he threw her the reins. She obeyed as best she could, and the ornery beast subsided…until he suddenly shied and sent her flying. Stunned, she lay in the dirt and blinked away stars.

“Well? Don’t just lie there! Get up and show him who’s boss,” Harmon barked.

Hours later she wished she’d never heard of horses. She, Alexis and Maxine were all limping. Charlene felt as if the seams of her pants were permanently impressed into her inner thighs. Her bottom felt as if someone had doused it with chili sauce, and it throbbed to the rhythm of her heartbeat.

Max had been allowed to slip away for a while and direct Gabrielle’s cooking, but Harmon had bellowed for her when he felt she was dallying, so lunch consisted of half burnt, half raw potatoes and onions. Since Max was hardly a culinary authority, the results might have been the same if she’d actually supervised the preparation.

I'm a Christian, and I don't hate you

2012-02-06T08:35:00.000-08:00

I'm a conservative Christian. Yes, I write fantasy romance, and yes, they have sex scenes, which is why I haven't joined the Christian segment of RWA; I don't fit in with the cozy romances. This doesn't mean that I don't appreciate them and what they do. I love Dee Henderson and C.S. Lewis's Narnia.

I mentioned I'm a Christian, right? Faith, hope love... Hold that thought. Not surprisingly, I don't support Obama's policies, abortion and I believe in one woman, one man. I don't think that swingers have a valid alternative lifestyle and I believe that being gay is a choice. I support Focus on the Family who have a chapter called Love Won Out (recently taken over by Exodus International).

The problem is, the minute I say I don't support gay rights, I hear shrieks. It's not the same as hating someone if I don't agree with their choices. I don't like Obama's policies, but I don't hate him. Huge difference. He's probably a personable guy, certainly better than Clinton, but I'll vote Republican, thank you.

I get along fine with my gay neighbors. We're not BFF's, but I'm not about to post hate signs on my lawn or burn down their house. I expect my children to be polite and my husband rescues them from the occasional mechanical problem. I'm not a better person than they are.

Hate me if you like; I don't have to hate you back.

Find link here: James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family and a preeminent evangelical, has stressed that Love Won Out conferences are not about hate or rejection.
"Regardless of what the media might say, Focus on the Family has no interest in promoting hatred toward homosexuals or anyone else," he last year as the ministry marked the 10th anniversary of Love Won Out. "We also don't wish to deprive them of their basic constitutional rights. The Constitution applies to all of us."

While the conservative family group opposes redefining marriage, Dobson said they are committed to loving homosexuals and reaching out to them.

Officially uploaded. The relief is huge.

2012-02-02T18:09:00.000-08:00

Just uploaded I.Lover, the very last edited book. The relief is almost crushing. I need to curl up and read now.

Dorchester circling the drain

2012-02-02T13:42:00.000-08:00

The web is alive with the news that Dorchester's last editor, Chris Keeslar (my editor), has left. I liked him, but Dorchester is no one's friend right now. I'm watching closely to see what happens to my rights. Given the chance, I'll grab them and put No Words Alone and When Sparks Fly up for print and possibly audio.

As for my books, I'm officially done editing my back list. DONE. You can't imagine what a huge thing that is unless you've lived it. It took my proofreader Judy and I a year to accomplish. Granted, I still have to upload the last book, but the worst is over. I can finally focus exclusively on fresh stuff.

I can't even process that yet, it's so huge.

A kid's priorities & update on rollermouse

2012-01-28T14:39:00.000-08:00

My oldest left for winter camp for two days. His big concern? Making sure he took "soft" toilet paper. Apparently the quality of TP in the boonies is of more concern than making sure he has snow pants.

I caught a snatch of my daughter's conversation today. She was saying as she headed for the bathroom, "I can't go outside! Think of me as a cat--a house cat. I can't just go "bombs away" any old where!"

Uh, huh.

I'm still getting used to it, but I admit the rollermouse is helping with my shoulder pain, so I'll probably keep it, despite the inflated price tag.

Medical deductions

2012-01-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

According to the IRS website under "self-employed", I get to deduct family medical expenses that aren't covered by insurance. Ye-ha! I can also deduct all sales tax (8.7%), which means I need to become a receipt junkie. I also need to add a couple of categories to my spreadsheet, but that's okay. The enthusiasm of legally vexing Uncle Sam will see me through the pain of these math related challenges.

If I hire a tutor for my special needs kids it's deductible under "medical", too. Good to know.

Rollar mouse, Dragon

2012-01-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

Test driving a rollermouse. So far, I'm liking it for editing, but not sure how it'll do for long stints of typing. My arms are short and I have to stretch a bit more to reach the keys, so that may be an issue. I may have to switch between the two, but so far, it's great for edits where there's a lot of point, click and highlight.

Of course, if I got in the habit of using Dragon Naturally Speaking more, it might not matter. The newest Dragon is very helpful for my kids, esp. my autistic son who's not a great typer. Trouble is, Dragon works great on my new HP laptop, but my desktop has a loud fan that messes with Dragon. I'll have to do something about that eventually.

Of course, if I wait until school's out, I can just glom onto the laptop and be done with it.

Dark Warriors is free on Amazon

2012-01-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

Ah hah! It wasn't raising the price that boosted sales, it's that DW is free on Amazon right now.

Going to watch Underworld today. I think I'm coming out of my stress, but a little more R&R won't help.

Speaking of, I can hardly sit through a TV show or movie anymore. The plots suck and there are commercials; not a good recipe for holding my attention. My proof reader, Judy Stone (who needs a website/blog so the world can see how wonderful she is with verbs and dinosaurs), tells me she has the same problem, so I'm not alone.

John said about this: "So now there are two of you in the world."

Ha! There's got to be others who feel the same way. I bet some of you out there can hardly stand the Hollywood offerings. With the occasional exception of a great movie in a darkened theater, there's got to better things to do.

YouTube has opened up the movie industry in a small way, but I'd love to see a movie revolution; something like Amazon & B&N have done for authors. I wonder if advances in computer tech will ever make that possible? Combine a great plot with a talented director and imaging software and who knows what could happen? Add freelance sound dudes and editors and many things become possible.

I know a movie is a much larger undertaking than a book, but this has got to be possible.

I'm going to look back on this.$5.99 price point

2012-01-19T10:43:00.000-08:00

A year from now, I'll look back and say, "I did the right thing, but I never want to do it again." Home schooling, housekeeping and writing don't mix gracefully for me. I haven't used a housekeeper this month and that's a mistake. I think I'll call her to come out next week, because the stress of trying to do things the old way is a killer.

I'm trying to prioritize, but I just can't let any of the balls I'm juggling drop. It's anti-nature, and I'm going to have to bow to the inevitable. I'm a perfectionist; so be it.

In book news:

Interestingly, my experiment with pricing Dark Warriors at $5.99 on Amazon has made it my best seller, which is opposite of what I thought would happen. Is it a backlash from people rebelling at the $.99 self-pubbed glut of under-edited, poorly conceived books? Dunno. When I can find the time I'm going to up all my novels to that price and see what happens; except for The Charmer, that is. It will remain at $.99 as a form of advertising.

Edits for Ride the Stars are going really slowly, thanks to my overloaded task list. It's getting there, though. I can't wait to shake a victory fist. Only one more book to edit after that! I need to plan a celebration. A family lunch out and a movie sounds great.

Calming down

2012-01-17T11:25:00.000-08:00

Finally got the info I need regarding taxes and am calmer. Ugh! At least I'll know for next year.

On the bright side, I haven't taken any cruises lately. After watching the disaster on the news, I don't think I will be, either.

Soc Sec bites.Hello, taxes

2012-01-16T11:44:00.000-08:00

Horribly stressed. Just found out I now have to pay soc sec, to the tune of $8,000+. I'd been sending in my quarterly taxes, which should cover it, but grrr. My accountant could have given me a heads up, and I'm pretty grouchy about it. In addition, I have to call WA's DOR and chat about what I might owe in local taxes (est. $5,000, but not sure yet). I don't like surprises like that.

As a result I'm pretty jittery and on edge. I have tons of appointments this week and a kid to home school, so not sure how much work I'll get done. Fine. Whatever it takes to avoid a meltdown.

Exercise ball office chair is working great

2012-01-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

I got an exercise ball to use as an office chair to help my hip. Not only has it helped that, but my stomach is shrinking and I'm more alert, less cramped from sitting at the computer. When I think of all the time I spent on a treadmill trying to achieve that... Snort. It's nice to know I can achieve my goal just by sitting and getting some work done.

Business licence.Angry Birds strike again

2012-01-09T14:22:00.000-08:00

I was feeling pretty good about (mostly) finishing my taxes and was discussing them with a friend. Somehow we got onto the subject of business licences. I assured her I'd never needed one before and Googled it just for grins. Apparently, the law varies by state. Several calls to the tax guys here in WA assured me that yes, I needed one because I made more than $12,000. They told me how to fill it out (because some of that stuff isn't supper obvious) and I paid my $20. Now I need to find out how much I owe the local tax guys. Ugh. Still, better to know now than get fined later.

Now I'm more tired than triumphant and my neck hurts, thanks to a session of Sally's Salon I played hunched over my Nook. It's been three days and still bothers me.

On the bright side, my husband has been complaining for months that our new mattress wasn't curing his shoulder pain. My discomfort made me realize that his iPhone could be to blame. More mayhem to lay at Angry Birds door, perhaps? Glad I figured it out, because he'd just about had me grudgingly convinced that we should go mattress shopping.

Snippet: I’m not going to be a cowboy

2012-01-07T09:33:00.000-08:00

You know what? I don't feel like doing taxes today. I'm going to have some fun and write.
..........................................................................................................

Snippet:

He shook his head in disgust. “I could have done something with you then. Could have rounded up my cows and made a decent living instead watching that boy of mine muck up his life.”

As he looked at Charlene, a speculative look came into his eyes. He rubbed his bristled chin, staring at her as if she were a player in a poker game and he was about to call her bluff.

She dropped her eyes and swished her spoon in her soup. Whatever wheels were squeaking in Harmon’s head, she didn’t want to add grease.

“Why not a Charlie?” he muttered. “I’ve taught enough limp-wristed boys to be wranglers. I always said even a girl could do better then some of ‘em.”

Charlene stared at him, wondering if perhaps Harmon’s age had finally caught up to him. “Girls can’t be cowboys, Harmon.”

He eyed her like an uncertain tempered mule he was thinking of buying. “Not much to you, and you can’t ride worth jack. A good cow pony could make the difference, though.”

Alexis exchanged a panicked look with Charlene. “We don’t have split skirts, and we’d have to ride astride.”

“So long as you could get ‘em going in the right direction.…”

“I don’t like cows.” Maxine wrinkled her nose. “They smell.”

“Doesn’t take much muscle to fire a gun.”

“I like Bossy,” Sydney observed. “She’s nice.”

“Dairy cows are completely different,” Charlene snapped. “Longhorns are mean and nasty. Mama would have whipped us if we’d thought of herding them.” Western cows were a different breed from the chubby, gentle dairy cow. Six zebra striped legs that could twist on a dime supported a half ton of menacing, twisted horns and tusks. The four eyes made it hard to sneak up on, and a single twist of its head could hook a rider off a horse. The cowboys who worked with them were a breed apart.

Harmon was still mussing aloud. “Branding shouldn’t be a problem, though roping.…” Harmon shook his balding head. “We’ll see.”

“No, Harmon!”

Harmon looked at Charlene calmly. “You’ll have to wear pants.”

She grit her teeth. “I will not wear pants, Harmon, and I’m not going to be a cowboy.”

Food related laughs

2012-01-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

Me: "Hey, don't eat until we say grace."
Daughter with an unhappy look as she stirs her food: "I'm not. I'm just separating it."
Me: "It's soup."

Oldest son: "Mom, did you find these chicken breests in the pantry?"
Me: "It's pronounced breasts." Argument ensues.
Finally oldest says, "Look, I'm making food with this. I'm calling them breests."

Still plugging away at taxes. I will never be an accountant. Shiver.

Thou shalt make printouts

2012-01-05T11:52:00.000-08:00

New Years resolution: I will print out my receipts from Amazon and software purchases the moment I get them. I will not shove them in a file in the inbox to deal with later. When looking at the lumped together mess titled, "Business", I will not accidentally hit the delete key and spend an hour sorting through my deleted folder.

2. I will print out my PayPal notices, because they only track three months at a time, thus saving me from having to cross reference my inbox and bank statements.

I'm on day three of taxes, sorta. I took a break to pull out my stove and clean under it. I'm happy to report that the sides are now grease-free and the knobs have been pulled off and cleaned. The glass top is scrubbed and my hands are raw. Apparently, it wasn't enough to do the stove, since I pulled the boxes off my bookshelf and dusted the thick layer on top, then dusted the books. I think I'm avoiding the computer.

Speaking of which, I'm rethinking paperbacks. It's really nice to pull out the Nook and have my library with me. No dusting, no lugging. I can't just ditch books, though, can I? What if we have a nuclear apocalypse and I'm stuck in a bomb shelter? What if I'm broke again?

That didn't stop me from buying a paperback Monster High book for my daughter, though I promptly bought book 2 on Nook (she has an iTouch now). She hasn't finished book one and I'm considering buying book 3. It's an evening's read and amusing to revisit the teen mindset.

The tax man cometh

2012-01-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

I'm sitting on the floor, sorting taxes receipts, which I will diligently load into spreadsheets. It's not a bad way to spend the day. I've got my eye on prize: tax returns. Though we might be rolling it right back into taxes for the new year, I'm looking forward to the final analysis. Thank God for my accountant, because I can sort the numbers, just not figure out what to do on an actual return. Math isn't my thing.

The kids are back in school--yay! Between my youngest and me, the two household Nooks are always drained. I'm rested and ready to go...hopefully, at a saner pace than last year.

When raising shrimp means you need to need to work

2012-01-02T09:35:00.000-08:00

John finally agreed it was okay if I got off vacation. I happened to be surfing the net while he was watching football and saw this thing on aquaculture. "You know, we could set up a pond in the back yard and raise fish. I could grow plants on top of it in these foam rafts. It'd be cool. A duck or two would help aerate the water and stuff. We could also raise shrimp."

I looked at him. He had his brows raised. "You think it's time for me to go back to work?"

"That's what I was thinking," he said.

So it's official: I'm back to work.

Like many creative types, I get a little dangerous when left to my own devices. I've been known to experiment with odd things, from food to livestock. It's in the best interest of family harmony if I channel that creativity into something productive.

Channeling.

I had to kill a horse tonight

2011-12-30T18:02:00.000-08:00

A fictional horse died tonight. Don't worry, I made it quick. It involved couple of phone calls to my husband (he was bowling with the kids--bowling, ew) and some research on elk anatomy (few hunters shoot horses). Originally I was going to shoot the horse with an arrow to the neck, but I wanted a fast kill and research showed that wouldn't work. We've settled on a gunshot just behind the shoulder and ahead of the rider's boot where there's lots of stuff to shred.

I'm mostly done with murder for the night.

Ages 6-12

2011-12-30T16:22:00.000-08:00

My ADHD daughter bought a Monster High thingie. She was reading the package:

Her: Oh, it says 6-12. Is that the tax?

Me: It's the recommended age.

Her: Oh. That's okay, then. I'm pretty sure I won't stick it up my nose.

Earlier in the day:

Her: Mom, who's winning the war? Us or the tourists?

Me: Um, I'm pretty sure it's a lose-lose situation.

My Christmas pies

2011-12-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

The left one is a maple pecan with real maple syrup and the right is a blueberry-granny smith. The pecan is a Cook's Illustrated recipe that John always begs me to make the and the blueberry is a Cook's Ill. that's new to me. I was so obsessed with making the color turn out right that I sat on a stool and watched it brown for ten minutes, making John laugh. Hey, you can't be too careful.

I don't like Facebook

2011-12-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

I'm not a fan a Facebook. Too many people, too many messages. I use it to advertise, but other than that, it's a time sink. I'd rather be writing.

Christmas was nice. The Xbox keeps the boys in one room, the girls in the other, for the most part. We can keep tabs on everyone, but they're not crammed into one room like pickles in a jar, fighting.

We got our daughter an iTouch. Hopefully she doesn't lose it. By the time you buy an mp3 or a DS like her brothers, you may as well go the extra mile. She gets a book and ears pierced for her birthday, which is next week.

I'm officially off vacation. It's nice and all, but boring. I like my job; it helps me to ignore the grey skies outside. I'm going to stick with mostly creative writing this week and save the edits for when the kids go back to school and I'm homeschooling again.

Christmas Gift: Magic Gifts

2011-12-25T09:57:00.000-08:00

Did you get your copy yet?

Almost done weeding

2011-12-23T12:42:00.000-08:00

I'm nearly finished going through the usable scenes from the old version of Women, Whiskey & Gold. From here on out things should go much faster as the creative writing flows. I'll also be testing Dragon Naturally Speaking 11 to see if it can save my hands some wear and tear. It might help my kids with speech, too. The oldest especially has somewhat halting speech. You're not supposed to have to spend much time training the latest Dragon.

Might be wise for me to get a pro massage, too. Massaging the triceps takes care of the tingle in my wrists and tension in my hands. A couple of sessions I'm good as new.

We were going to go to town to check out an oil and vinegar shop today, but then I realized what a nightmare town will be today. Christmas is this weekend and the mall will be full of frantic shoppers. Maybe we'll have a quiet local lunch.

I also have an eye appointment. Hoping they'll have a solution for computer glare and night driving. Regardless, it's been years since I had a checkup and it's just smart.

The dog is hiding in my room to escape the evil flying helicopters. John and the kids won't let him chase the toys :)

Finishing up the year

2011-12-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

I'm on the second to last edits for my series, and so very happy about it. It's been a long year, but a lot of great stuff has happened. I don't know what the new year will bring, but I'm hoping it will bring many more original books. I'm looking into beginning an audio books series and wondering how accurate my translation software is on Word 2010.

All that will take a backseat to to finishing new novels, however. That's my primary thing, my happy place. I've cleared the board, set up shop and polished my merchandise. I'm looking forward to being just an author most of the time.

I'll make the $100,000 mark this year. Uncle Sam's already been paid his 33% and 10% has gone to tithe, with another 10% to charity. It was very satisfying to write checks to Convent House, Focus on the Family and KLOVE Christian radio. So good, in fact, that if I make $200,000 in 2010 (which seems crazy, but hey), I'll give $20,000 to charity. After all, I never dreamed I'd do as well as I did this year. I was excited when I brought in a hundred dollars extra a month. This success has been a God thing, and it wouldn't have been possible without my husband's love and support. The man brought home the bacon for years, encouraged me and saved my life in ER runs for asthma. I'm so happy to contribute to the family financially and remove some burden from him. Best of all, I can work at home and the family life doesn't suffer.

I'm blessed in my job, blessed in my readers and blessed in my family. Thank you all, and merry Christmas.

The youngest thinks he's an expert on women

2011-12-18T18:50:00.000-08:00

At dinner just now, the youngest said, "Mom, why are you wearing black eyeliner?"

Me: It's brown. Dad likes it.

Kid: I don't like it. It makes you look like you're about to fall asleep. You should ask men what they like before you do something.

My husband, silently horrified.

I look at John. "You're supposed to be teaching him how not to do this sort of thing."

Kid: Are you mad?

Me: Come closer, little boy...

Snippet: There’s the Eagle boys…

2011-12-15T10:25:00.000-08:00

Vacation is overrated, and I've been remiss in posting a snippet, so:

Charlene snorted softly and toyed with her soup. Helpful. That certainly solved the problem.

“If the garden doesn’t start doing better, we’re going to be awfully hungry this winter,” Alexis persisted.

Harmon grunted, doggedly chewing on one of the brick-like biscuits. Maxine aspired to be a ‘real lady’ but her skills at the cook stove suffered from their mother’s lack of patience. She’d always preferred to do it herself rather than have her daughters underfoot, although she had been forced to show Charlene enough to keep them from starving during her difficult pregnancy.

Maxine could build a mighty fine fire, though. The black biscuits attested to that.

“Is there any money for cloth?” Maxine asked hopefully, looking up from her examination of her sleeves. She was growing again and her wrists stuck out. Her hand-me-down dress wasn’t fit to shine boots with, let alone pass down to Gabe.

Anger made Charlene stab at the chunks in her watery soup. If her worthless stepfather had stuck around, if the raiders hadn’t come... “Unless we’re all willing to wear hankies, no, there’s not enough for all of us, not if we want to eat.” Her sister’s face fell, twisting the rusty screw in Charlene’s belly.

“Are you going to marry to put food on the table like Mama?” Sydney suddenly piped up.

“No! Why would you ask that?” Charlene’s tone was sharp with surprise.

Sydney’s lip trembled.

Charlene shifted uncomfortably. “Surely things aren’t that bad.”

“You ain’t marrying no two-bit looser to keep holding on to this worthless hunk of land,” Harmon said, breaking his customary silence. “Isn’t anything worth marrying within fifty miles of the place anyway, unless you fancy rattlesnakes and cattle rustlers.”

“There’s the Eagle boys…” Max said defensively, trailing off at Harmon’s withering look.

“Old man Eagle is a land hungry boot-licker, and his boys aren’t any better. If I catch them within twenty miles of here I’ll send them home with their nuts in a sack.” The shifter clan was had earned his everlasting disgust when they’d bought up the land he’d been using to graze his herd.

Satisfied he had their attention, he tilted his chair back and crossed his arms. Warming to his favorite subject, he went on, “This ain’t farming land, it’s cattle country. I tried to get it through that boy’s thick skull that he’d never make a living plowing dirt here, but he never listened. Just stubbornly lost money year after year, proving me right. Then he had to up and leave me with the bunch of you.”

He glared at them, pinned them one by one with his fierce, pale blue eyes. “You should have been named Sid,” he grouched at the big-eyed Sydney. His eyes narrowed on the others. “Gabe. Max.”

Maxine gasped. She’d fought for years to avoid that boyish nickname.

“Alex. And you…” he pointed accusingly at Charlene, who shrank back in surprise, “You should have been a Charlie.”

Stomach bug strikes again

2011-12-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

Argh! Die, stomach bug. Dizzy, stomach aches. At least the house is clean.

Survived daughter's band concert last night. Actually, it was pretty good. The oldest sat there with his headphones on and the youngest sat there not doing his spelling words and then pouted when he got home and missed out on ice cream. Surrendering his DS caused more pouting, but he behaved pretty darn well this morning, which is a nice result. As he was rubbing my back this morning I told him I was on to his evil plan to keep the DS out of his sister's hands. Still, he's fulfilling his part of the "get the DS back" bargain.

Ordered a printed proof for Dark Warriors. We'll see how much tweaking it requires.

Restless. Was going to sneak in some work today, but feel awful so will read and concentrate on home school instead. Virus enforced vacation; is someone sending me a message?

Vacation

2011-12-12T14:03:00.000-08:00

John and I both agreed that I need to take a couple of weeks off and just be a mom. It's surprisingly satisfying to clean and...well, I haven't cooked yet today, but I'm sure I'll remember how. After a year and a half of constant work, I'm fried.

I worked out, washed the dog, cleaned windows, cleared my desk, dusted, did laundry, changed the sheets, filled out paperwork and taught school so far, so it's been a pretty light day for me. Later I'll do some other stuff, but I think I've earned the chance to read a bit. Just finished Fate's Edge, in fact. Liked it.

Wrung out, but the end is in sight. Christmas shopping done!

2011-12-10T11:56:00.000-08:00

I know that Christmas is coming the same time every year, and see no reason to procrastinate on shopping. It's done, and I'm tired now. On the bright side, I won't be going to the mall with my dad on Christmas Eve, speed shopping through the jewelry store. Ick, ick. Had I realized that he was a procrastinator, I would have been guiding him the nine other times we'd gone to town that week.

I hear they're buying themselves a flat screen TV this year, thank God. I sent their gifts home with them when they visited. Good thing I gave Dad the digital camcorder when he was here, too; he spent days figuring it out...with guidance.

That's okay. When I was a teen, he used a paint pen to write the directions for fluid inspection and refills under the hood of my Buick, complete with arrows and highlighted handles. I thought it was a great idea, and my brother loved it too. When his friends came over, he popped the hood of my car and they all howled in amusement.

Anyway, the lights are up, the tree is lit and the presents code named. My kids especially love that tradition and ask about the code names months in advance. This year I wrapped some of the packages in plain paper and drew cartoon coffee shops to go with the coffee flavor theme. Not only are they supposed to decide which code name is theirs, they get to color the packages, too. We'll see how that goes, but it keeps them focused on the mystery and cuts down on package squeezing.

Hope this Christmas season sees you enjoying your family and friends.

Microsoft Word 2010 does translation!

2011-12-08T13:18:00.000-08:00

I don't know how well, but Mircrosoft Word 2010 (which I'm still figuring out) translates documents into other languages. German Amazon shop? Covered. French? Done. It'd be a big project, but maybe after I get done with converting my stuff into print...

Yeah, in my spare time. Creating new content has to figure highly in the new year; my sanity depends on it.

Fixed some stuff

2011-12-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

Found a couple of small mistakes and fixed them in DW, uploaded to the usual suspects again. I've had 140 people download from Smashwords already, which is cool.

I'm experimenting with the price on Amazon and B&N, seeing how that translates to sales vs. profit. We'll see what happens.

Dark Warriors is up at Smashwords!

2011-12-07T12:16:00.000-08:00

Dark Warriors is live. Run, go get it! It's free for a limited time. Find it here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/112146

Amazon may price match, but nothing is guaranteed. If you have the time, posting a review or blogging about my book is always of great help.

Final, final cover

2011-12-06T14:53:00.000-08:00

Claudia said I must have a cover quote, and she knows what she's talking about. She did a bang up job. I look like a real boy (er, author) now!

My wonderful new housekeeper cleaned today. With her help, I got edits done for CreateSpace, including the pesky page numbers that just wouldn't behave. I'm hoping to get it formatted for Smashwords, etc. tomorrow, maybe upload to CreateSpace if I'm lucky. Either way, progress!

Ugh, stomach bug

2011-12-06T07:34:00.001-08:00

Don't know what I've got, but it's kicking my butt. Some kind of stomach bug, with a side helping of dizzy. Regardless, edits must go on.

New art for Dark Warriors

2011-12-05T15:44:00.000-08:00

Thank you, Claudia of Phat Puppy. The ebook should be released soon. Since it has so many edits, I'll make the ebook free for a limited time for my loyal readers.

Need to create a new cover

2011-12-04T18:06:00.000-08:00

Dark Warriors, the print version of GHIHH and Beast Wars will need a cover as soon as I'm done with edits. Not sure what I'll do yet, but Angkor Wat comes to mind.

CreateSpace paid me $49 this month, which I forgot to add to my total earnings. Income slowly coming in from Amazon's various e-stores. I'm by no means a bestseller in France, for instance, but every bit adds up. Every new store is an opportunity.

According to Romance Writer's of America, I'm in the top 2% for ebook earners. Cool. Backlist is a wonderful thing, and edits...I'll be good and get back to them now. There's a lot of continuity errors, which is one reason why I don't like writing too many books in a series. Keeping the timeline and details straight is a challenge. Thankfully, my proofreader has a knack for catching errors.

Payday

2011-12-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

$6540

Won't break it down, but that's all of Amazon branches and B&N combined.

I had someone help me clean house this week. It was glorious. For a few glorious hours, my house was very clean. I zenned out and wrote happily.

What do I want for Christmas, the husband asks. More of the same. Somehow, he doesn't feel that's romantic; the man just doesn't get it.

I am working, dang it!

2011-12-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

I'll get work done if it kills me. Had early morning meeting with daughter's teachers, (oh, pause to call optometrist...'kay, done). John's off, but he has to run around, but I have help coming, so if I squeeze edits around home school, stuff will happen.

Daughter is having difficulty in school (hence, optometrist, who can help with special vision problems like dyslexia, seesaw vision, etc.) and she wants to do drama. Four nights a week she'd come home at 6:30, and this kid has vision problems. She'd be a natural at drama, but she's got low grades (four F's). Drama may be the key to this particular child, but... I don't know! What would you do? Try it, cross fingers it'll help? Of course, the new session doesn't start until January, so that'll give us time to see if vision therapy helps.

Oh, and oldest got braces yesterday. He didn't want them before Christmas, so he was grumpy at me. His attitude miraculously turned around after we got Fro Yo frozen yogurt, though. Do I suck for bribing my kid? (I wouldn't have stopped if I didn't want yogurt, too.)

They had willpower

2011-11-30T11:43:00.000-08:00

I think I know one (of the many) reasons why Twilight was so popular. The hero had will power. I'm not talking about the popular theme of torturing the hero beyond reason, because modern heroes so often can do that, but have no control when it comes to the heroine. Edward wouldn't hurt Bella for the world, not when his family urged him to, his instincts demanded it or when Bella herself pressured him. He didn't give in, not until she'd agreed to marry him.

Commitment and monogamy take character. I'd like to see our society recognize that instead of glorifying easy sex and lurid lifestyles.

So why do I like Iron Man? I wouldn't want to be in a relationship with him, but there are some admirable qualities there. Not much scares him, and his recklessness makes me want to be more daring. He's clever and amusing, and then there's that cool suit...

Besides, he grows during the movie, matures. He's still a lunatic, but a better man. I can see him having a happy ending with his honey at the end.

Holidays

2011-11-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

We've eaten too much and run around town entertaining our guests, and now I'm ready to get back to work. As with all visits, I'm both rested and mildly stressed; it'll be good to get back to the routine.

Mom enjoys antiquing and I don't have the heart to tell her the musty old stuff bothers my asthma. I enjoy seeing the old Victorian couches, though; they actually made furniture for short people back then. I'd buy some, but then you have to get them refinished, etc. I'll hold out for leather, which is easy to dust.

Finished the 4th Paolini and saw the most recent Twilight. Have dined at Olive Garden and introduced Dad to the delights of their house dressing. His 40 year habit of Thousand Island has been upset, and we bought two bottles of dressing to take home.

Bonding in the kitchen

2011-11-23T10:15:00.000-08:00

My parents are visiting, and Mom has found a new hobby; bonding with our oldest in the kitchen. Suddenly the two of them are thick as thieves, planning out the menu, slicing and dicing. I've pretty much become second fiddle, which is all right with me. The kids are eating things they'd whine about otherwise, because the oldest is so excited. Heh.

My friend complains that there's nothing to eat when her family leaves; with Mom, the pantry and fridge are bursting. It's like the pantry fairy visited, because all we do is run to the grocery store. I'm enjoying it while it lasts :)

She's making eggrolls and hotwing chicken dip. Mm!

Maybe it's something else

2011-11-22T07:29:00.000-08:00

As I work on WW&G, I begin to wonder if it's destined to be Steam after all. I'm starting to think it'll be Old West meets Urban Fantasy. Huh.

Kids are weird. I'd mail mine back to their grandparents, but they'd return the package.

Outline for WW&G Steampunk

2011-11-19T12:21:00.000-08:00

This is turning out to be a complex project. I started it years ago and my writing has come a long way, so I'm cutting and pasting, color coding blocks of text and outlining, which is unusual for me. I'm also going to block sections of possible scenes. It's the only way to keep all this info straight until I get past the middle and can proceed on a "fresh" slate.

Thankfully my proofreader is up to the task of making sure changed names and sequences stay straight. Like a painting, I'll also have to go over it and "brush" in a few elements when I'm done, like steampunk tech.

Since it was originally written as a Western and I'm adding fantasy elements, it's easier to stick w those two genres until I iron out the confusing bits. Thankfully, the Old West already had trains and telegraphs, so they make a good springboard for deeper SP elements.

I'm writing! Who's doing the laundry?

2011-11-19T10:58:00.000-08:00

Wanted: The Brady Bunch's housekeeper. Will settle for someone who isn't an axe murder and will show up on time. Good personal hygiene is a plus. Grandmothers welcome. Cooking skills don't have to equal Iron Chef (we don't like squid ice cream), but must extend beyond Hamburger Helper.

Wait, if we become nudists, we don't have to do laundry. It's risky in November, though...

Angry Birds will be his downfall.

2011-11-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

Trying to keep my hands off my new Nook Tablet until it finished its first charge, but supper jazzed. Might have to fight husband for it, as he has evil plans of Nook domination; he wants the Angry Birds app. No, honey, Nook is for reading.

Angry Birds will be his downfall.

I went to a Sassy party last weekend. You know, the party with all the crazy sex toys and sex wax? No, I didn't buy anything, but I had a great time texting my husband about the butterfly...er, anyway. In the midst of all this, I get a text back. Apparently John had let our youngest play Angry Birds on his iPhone. A text comes through. John yells, "That's for me!" Yank. Not quick enough, though. Tommy asked in puzzlement, "Dad? What's a G-spot stimulator?" Meanwhile, his buddy obviously got it, because he had his face in his hands laughing. ROL!

Woman Inside in print on the 4th try.

2011-11-17T12:57:00.000-08:00

Four tries and $80 later, the Other Woman is available on CreateSpace. Imagine my joy when I saw that all the italics had behaved in the latest proof. Whew!

$13.99 is the upper threshold I charge for my paperbacks, because I'd like to at least earn a dollar from the "expanded distribution" option, aka "non-Amazon" sales. I figure the ebooks are way more affordable, so if anyone wants an inexpensive copy they can go with the ebook. Besides, the paperbacks are a specialty item.

I now have a total of six novels paper published, with three to go. At least I'm getting tech work done, even if homeschooling is eating up my creative energy. This too shall pass, and I'll be back to flinging ink in no time.

Okay, Wii was fun.

2011-11-16T09:58:00.000-08:00

I'll stop being snooty about the Wii now. Especially liked the Stomp-A-Mole and the sword slicing fruit games. We might have to leave the Wii in the living room for a while...

Housekeeping as a workout

2011-11-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

So, no housekeeper. She has rescheduled 3xs for initial meeting and once for actually coming out. We have someone else scheduled for interview later this week. Gusty sigh.

On the bright side, cleaning house all day yesterday was a good workout. Speaking of which, I promised my son that I'd do Wii Sports today with him for PE (because I just don't feel like driving to the gym). I've stalled him for an hour and a half, so time to get to it, I guess. Soonest started...

It's good for me, darn it.

Had a great weekend! Wrote, too.

2011-11-14T07:38:00.000-08:00

I had the best mental vacation this weekend, right here at home. John made the grocery list and all the decisions and my eldest has decided to capitalize on learning to cook. We're giving him a dollar per meal incentive, and he thinks that's a good deal. Best of all, I found a lady on Care.com who'll come in and clean AND cook!!! No more fast food fatness. I'm so jazzed.

I haven't felt so relaxed in weeks, if not months. This is so great! Best of all, I got some writing done, which is the best therapy of all. I'll post a snippet soon in celebration. Moving forward!

Rejection letter, cross posted.

2011-11-11T18:25:00.000-08:00

I got a rejection letter recently from a NY publisher I queried a year and a half ago. The editor informed me that he was sorry that it too so long to review my manuscript. Apparently it had gone up for a second reading. “Two members on our staff have added second readings to their other responsibilities, and I am acting as their secretary.”

This letter told me several things. First, I don’t suck. Whew! Second, things in NY are every bit as bad as rumor has it if the editors are now acting as secretaries, trying to do less with more.

I’m very thankful they rejected me, since I’ve had the book in question epubbed for a year and have happily been earning money on it. In fact, I’ve gone from being a starving artist to one who just had a $20,000 payday. This month. Self-pubbing.

I’m not submitting to NY anymore. If they come to me I’ll certainly consider their offer, but right now I’m making money doing what I love. I don’t have to spend the emotional energy waiting a year and a half for a rejection. I don’t have to hear that the like my writing style, but they’re not sure how they would market my book.

These days I’m doing very well with my Dark Lands series especially. The Charmer hit #1 on Barnes and Noble and was ranked in the top ten on Amazon UK and US. It’s been a long road, but I can honestly say I’m grateful for the rejections, for they were definitely blessings in disguise.

Okay, I get it. Word 2010 is waay better.

2011-11-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

Finally got a clean PDF in Word 2010. I'm stubborn, but I'll admit when I need to update software...or I could just use my laptop for PDFs. Yes, I'm frugal, but that's served me well so far, so I'm running with it. Now we wait for the proof and pray. Please, God. I need a break here.

Line break...grr. I'll break something, all right.

2011-11-09T13:23:00.000-08:00

I can't figure out how to insert section breaks in Open Office. I'm going to try my new laptop and updated software to see if I can get a clean PDF for the Other Woman. Grr.

On the bright side, my husband grilled steak, asparagus and crispy fried potatoes for dinner. I have little idea what to do with a grill, so I'm doubly thankful. My eldest also made fondue, which he's very proud of. He also learned to make crispy fried potatoes (the spiral apple corer/potato peeler is hit). I offered to pay him a dollar every time he cooked a meal, and we're both excited about it.

I'm meeting with a lady tomorrow about helping around the house a couple days a week. She cooks! Please, God, let this work out. I'm drowning here.

My poor husband bought me a new computer monitor and installed it for me to come home to. I walked in that night after taking the kids to an appointment and stared. I wasn't nice. I complained. ARGH! In fact, I had a mini-meltdown on my birthday. One of those, "I tried but I can't do it all," things. The poor man. Thankfully I'd regained my equilibrium by that evening. It helped that a neighbor had a bigger crisis than I did and I could comfort her. Nothing like a good deed to make me feel better.

My neighbor also pointed out that I was injecting needed income into the economy by hiring someone, and it's a tax write off. So I'm doing a good deed by saving my own sanity...

Argh! It came back with errors.

2011-11-07T07:36:00.000-08:00

My third proof of The Other Woman came back with errors. The chapters headings aren't properly lined up. Now I have to fiddle with it again. If I say "argh" one more time, I'm going to be mistaken for a pirate. Why does it have to be this complicated to switch between programs? Will I finally update my software? Can I loose 20 pounds? Stay tuned...

Ugh! Formatting fun

2011-11-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

Got my second proof back from CreateSpace and still had formatting issues with italics. After uploading it 3x's to Nevia online document converter (which normally works) and stripping formatting, finally loaded into Open Office and converted it to PDF from there. Finally got a clean PDF. Ugh! From now on I'm using Open Office for all my PDFs, because I have Word 2000 on main computer. It works fine for generating most documents, just not PDF.

I'm going to go nurse my sinuses now. The oldest and I have some kind of flu bug. It's a good thing I work at home, because a boss would not care for my frequent illness, though I'm much, much better than I had been. Mostly I'm just tired this time.

Money, a cautionary tale

2011-11-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

He blew it: http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201111/nfl-quarterback-will-have-work-9-5-after-18-year-career

Just read about another sports star who blew millions and is babankrupt, with a crappy job looming. I like to read these things, as well as business articles. I don't want to be like these people. I don't want gold teeth or diamonds or stupid $2000 stilt shoes. I want comfortable shoes, a house that's paid for and something for retirement. I want to help my kids with the down payments on their first houses. I want to be able to afford it if I have to fly to Alaska for a family emergency.

My idea of a party is a nice family affair with home cooking and lots of kids. It's not glamorous, and that's the way I like it.

My sense of humor

2011-11-01T09:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know the origin of this quote, but I read it here: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ThePassiveVoice/~3/osuqJwz8rOo/.

Dear Self Pubbers:

Face it. Your work probably sucks.

I’ll give you a minute to contemplate that.

You’re work is most likely unreadable and a waste of money… I don’t care how low you sell it for. You are bordering on the edge of being a junk car salesman.

I think it's funny, because obviously I'm making a killing and I'm in a position to laugh. I also think it's funny because I agree that lots of writers are rushing to self-pub without proper editing, and frankly, their work sucks. Of course, there are lots of NY authors I don't read because they bore me or they aren't a good fit. That's fine. Authors aren't gods; we can't please everyone. We shouldn't try.

But we should, at the very least, edit.

Zombie Days

2011-10-31T07:43:00.000-07:00

I've spent most of 2011 as a zombie, I think. Everything's a blur of edits and work. I've put in some long hours making this business take off, but I find I have guilt. I want to have a maid come in once a week to get to what we only clean on the weekend. There's that mid-week drag when the house looks ok, but not up to my standard. You know, the one I had before I had a full time job. My house looked great when we were scraping by.

I have the feeling I should be doing it all. I know that's a myth, but it's a struggle for me to let someone help. I don't cook like I used to, don't have the energy. Part of that's homeschooling. Boxing is over until March, so that's a break, but there's so much to do. I'm trying to take time for myself, with decent success.

I have the feeling Mom would chew me out if I hired help. I could buy an expensive car and that would be cool, but to not keep up with the house!! I need to get over it. I'm turning 37, for Pete's sake. Mom doesn't live here.

Things I've gotten done: Ordered second proof for The Other Woman, hoping the italics all come through this time. If it looks good, it'll be available in paperback shortly. That leaves three books to edit and then I'm done with the edit odyssey, this time for good, I hope. I want fresh stuff.

Things in the works: possible audio book collaboration with my brother-in-law. We'll see how that pans out. The important thing is that it's as hands off for me as possible, as I don't have time to deal with the details other than uploading and distributing. That's a learning curve as it is.

I'm a busy lady these days, but on the bright side, I'm not bored. I'm looking forward to see what Christmas brings. This hard work is going to pay off, and sales should be interesting.

$22,000 Payday!

2011-10-28T20:50:00.000-07:00

I'm getting weirdly used to big numbers, but this is something. I'm not giddy, but I'm...something. Very something. Happy, definitely.

We're like, is this real? We don't want to get too used to it. Granted, half of my income is going to taxes, tithe and charity this year, but still, that's banking some serious cash.

AMZN US....................$3515.62
AMZN UK...................$2347.70
AMZN GERMANY.....$17.39
B&N.....................$1689.70
Smashwords.................$14,196.70

Total.............................$21,766.50

New painting good for the soul

2011-10-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

Finished my latest painting and now we have our dinner table back. I was going to give it to John for Christmas but couldn't wait. Typical. He loves it. Feel more peaceful now.

Also have a plan. I'd like to pay off our house and build another one behind us for our son. We'll see about the other two, but meanwhile, they can live here after they're 18 as long as they aren't knotheads.

Touch of stomach flu going around.

Birthday gift: a maid

2011-10-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Seriously. I'm actually thinking about hiring a maid. They come in and clean your house 2x's a week for $100 a month. Right now, that sounds dead reasonable. I'm so burnt out.

On the bright side, it's going to be a huge payday, with around six expected from Amazon and B&N combined, and 14 in Smashwords. Thousand, that is. Will post numbers when I'm paid, but it's looking as if it'll be my second $20,000 payday.

The challenges of being self-pubbed: tech support (cross posted)

2011-10-21T13:17:00.000-07:00

I love the freedom of being self-pubbed. My deadlines are my own and I make my own schedule. I’m self-driven, so it’s not a problem for me to stay on task. If anything, I have to schedule breaks to avoid burnout. I like doing covers and I’m good with formatting, uploading and managing my various ebook accounts. I can budget and hire proofreading and the occasional cover artist, and I’m capable of doing my own website.

There are some cons. Edits aren’t fun and they take time, as does blogging. Also, if someone has to deal with tech support or troubleshoot, it’s me.

Yesterday I spent an hour and twenty-five minutes on line with tech support about my new cell phone. I was prepared for the difficult to understand accent, but I was also hit with a bad connection and elevator music during the numerous times I was on hold. By the time I had to repeat my address for the third time and was told not only that I’d get my new phone in 5 business days and that I only had 200 minutes left (that morning I’d had over 1000), I was steamed. I handed the phone to my husband for the last few minutes so I wouldn’t explode. This was my second phone call that day to tech, and while this is an extreme example, I’ve had similar fun dealing with website and computer related issues.

Please, US companies, stop outsourcing your tech support. Have mercy.

Thankfully, the pleasures and rewards of self-pubbing outweigh the occasional frustration. My book, The Charmer, is a good example. Rejected numerous times by NY, it hit #1 on Barnes and Noble and was ranked in the top ten on Amazon UK and US. It just goes to show that sometimes persistence and self-publishing pays off.

CreateSpace, or 3 paperbacks left to format

2011-10-17T12:54:00.000-07:00

I will go over the proof for The Other Woman shortly and it should be available for purchase next month. Once it goes on sale, there will be six paperbacks available for print on demand, with three more to go.

Of the five already available, I've sold 12 this month for a total profit of $31.66. I sold 6 last month for a total profit of $7.09. Since CreateSpace only cuts a check if you've reached $20 in sales for the month, I'll get $49 if I don't sell anymore paperbacks this month. Compared to ebooks, it's a step down in royalties, so why do it?

1. Every revenue stream counts. Once set up, these books will earn me money with no sweat for years.
2. When I go over the final proof, I always catch more errors, which I fix in my ebooks.
3. I like to give readers a choice. Shockingly, not everyone reads ebooks (yet).
4. It gives me something to lend the neighbors, though last time my neighbor downloaded the next book in the Dark Lands series on her iPhone. Apparently it's cheap, easy and portable. Can't argue with that.
5. It gives me something to send my parents to clutter up their shelves.

That did it! Sugar Fairy ebook is up and running.

2011-10-14T20:25:00.000-07:00

Ugh. Don't want to do that again for a while.

Of course it's not that easy...

2011-10-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

Figured out how to do the ebook for Sugar Fairy, but the pictures need to be sharper. Tracing them with a sharpie, letting dry, erasing pencil marks, scanning, touching up, embedding in Word doc, uploading to Smashwords, downloading ebook to view on Nook... So far the sharpie seems to be doing the trick, and the drawing is therapeutic.

I'd have my daughter do the tracing, but she wants to rework the whole business and I don't want to wait forever.

I know, type A, but the kids are totally impressed that I turned her book into an ebook. I rock...until I make them do the chores. I'll enjoy the moment, anyway.

Figured out how to put book cover as first page in ebook, SF Adventure ebook

2011-10-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

After much muttering, I figured out how to make my book covers come up as the first page on ebooks...except for Scent of Danger. I don't know why it's being difficult.

Buy it at Smashwords

Feeling sentimental about my family, so reworked the Sugar Fairy Adventure into a proper ebook for my daughter. I'll load it onto my Nook and surprise her tonight. She had a rough day yesterday, so hopefully it'll make her smile. Working on books also improves her spelling.

Took me a while to figure out how to do it, but I've got enough ebook experience under my belt that I pulled it off. Hey, B&N! We need more graphic novels for our Nooks.

Speaking of which, I'm getting a new one for my birthday (or Christmas). My kids are reading more, and I don't want to fight with the youngest over Nook time.

My son is Autistic

2011-10-11T08:46:00.000-07:00

Got the official phyc report last night. My oldest son is high-functioning autistic. I knew it was coming, but still couldn't sleep last night. He'll have a certificate, not a diploma, and he's eligible to go to school until 21, part of that schooling being tech school. At 18 he qualifies for soc sec, and I'm supposed to see about other paperwork.

There's grief. His IQ is quite a bit lower than average (which is 100) for reading and retention, that sort of thing, but 175 for visual-spatial (putting together complicated Lego's w/o instructions). With that kind of score, the the phyc says the IQ average score is meaningless. On the bright side, we can forget about word problems and essays.

There's worry. What to do about the future? What about driving? What kind of job will he have? Will people be kind to him? Will he marry? I don't know.

There's love. He's my son. If I have to buy him a house next door to mine when he's older, okay. We'll work this out.

Meanwhile, I need sleep. I'm just not tracking today.

Erotica: no thanks

2011-10-11T08:09:00.000-07:00

If you're not sure what erotica is, look it up. It varies from traditional romance by including multiple partners, bestiality (shapeshifters becoming an animal in the midst of sex), anal sex, etc.

I would like warning labels on books that contain those things, because I want to know what to avoid. I'm not thankful when it gets snuck in a book I was hoping would be a relaxing read. I've tossed more than one book because of this.

I'm all for love scenes, but I like 'em clean. I wish Amazon and B&N would make it easier to find the books I (and others like me), like to read by clearly separating the categories. I get turned off when I'm looking for romance and run into a bunch of erotica/gay covers.

Write what you like, read what you like, but booksellers, respect those of us with traditional tastes; we buy a lot of books.

Autumn Dawn

Movie, book, pie & edits

2011-10-08T16:05:00.000-07:00

Saw Real Steel last night with John and it was just what I needed. He kept an eye on the kids while I finished the edits to The Other Woman and uploaded to CreateSpace. Also figured out how to make the cover pic show up in my ebooks as the first page, so that's cool.

Reading a book called Diaries of an Urban Panther by HarperCollins with horrified fascination. The premise is good, has a lot of potential, but the I think the editor dialed that one in. That poor author.

Made a lemon meringue pie with my eldest; I let him pick. Sure it was complicated, but it was a good teaching moment and kind of nice to do something that didn't require me choosing. I've had to make too many choices lately, and it was nice to coast. Plus we have pie! That's got to be good.

New dishwasher is actually getting the dishes clean. It's a Kitchenaid with a garbage disposal in the bottom and we love it.

Good books=better mood

2011-10-06T06:38:00.000-07:00

Good books always improve my mood and relax me. Honestly, I need to nurture my reading time. I recommend the Sexiest Vampire Alive if you need to relax and rejuv. It has a touch of humor that lifts the grey clouds and is a light, quick read. I've been enjoying her series.

Time management and the harried writer, updated.

2011-10-04T10:57:00.000-07:00

Cross posted:
I love to cook. It’s one of my passions, and I like it even better if I can make something tasty healthy, too. Substituting Greek yogurt for part of the mayonnaise in potato salad and hiding zucchini in chocolate cake makes my day. My kids don’t see it coming and I can eat in peace, knowing there won’t be fussing at the dinner table.

Update: Cooking? Who cooks? My son made Monkey Bread last night, so I guess that counts. Time to stare at the pantry again; no hyperventilating allowed.

Recently, this passion has been on the back burner. My books sales started taking off and I’ve spent long hours at the computer doing edits of my backlist and revamping covers. Last summer my kids left for Alaska for a month to visit with relatives and I spent the whole time furiously working. I got a lot done, but the quiet house was depressing. At one point my husband was gone for ten days as well, so it sucked even worse.

Update: I had two hours of quiet yesterday afternoon. It was bliss. I got some edits done this weekend and seriously stressed and burned out. Need to read a book and chill before I self-combust. I have no time for writing, and when I manage it, I'm too tired for other stuff. I tell myself this WILL get better.

Now that everyone’s home, they’re eating as only teenagers can. We have horseback riding lessons and boxing three days a week. School is starting soon and there’ll be homework to deal with, plus I have one child in WA’s online school. It’s time to get organized so I can have time to write, too.

Update: Homework, feeding the walking stomachs, mountains of laundry, boxing 3x's, horseback riding, AWANA and Youth Group one time each, every week (though I'm not the driver, TG). We canceled cable and are happier without the distraction. It feels homier in here, and it's been good for all of us. There's plenty on free TV, and I never watch it anyway.

Some things that help include: throwing laundry in first thing in the morning and folding it together at night.

Update: This would work if we were all home and feed at the same time. I sorted the kid's laundry into baskets for them to fold and dealt with towels and stuff myself. Still took forever.

My kids are old enough to do dishes and load the dishwasher, sweep and vacuum, so Saturdays are for housecleaning.

Update: Which means I don't have a Saturday off, and I try to work then, too.

I need to get back in the habit of prepping dinner first thing in the morning or loading up the crockpot. Leftovers take care of night two, so that helps.

Update: Yes! I need to do that...

That leaves snacks and breakfast, but the kids are helpful there, able to cook eggs and pancakes.

Update: Cereal is good, too.

I need to start checking my email at night and looking at the Yahoo news in the afternoon when I’m done writing. Even blog posts can be done after the creative writing if I’m disciplined, and when I’m too sick to work on something new it’s always a good time to edit. When I’m in a funk it helps to work on cover art. There’s always something to do!

Update: Still true. I'm just really tired. Maybe after some down time I'll rejuv. Meanwhile, The Sexiest Vampire Alive is calling my name...

It’s well worth it, though. My book, The Charmer became a bestseller on Amazon and B&N this spring, a huge accomplishment for a self-pubbed author. Part divine intervention and part hard work, it wouldn’t have happened without a lot of hours at my desk.

Update: Yeah, I've been getting things done. One day, one sock, one dinner at a time.

Dark Lovers: A Dark Lands Anthology

2011-10-01T12:16:00.000-07:00

Dark Lands: Homecoming & The Golden Bell

This should be available by next week. I got it edited and uploaded as an ebook and am ready for a break. Shocked I got as much as I did done with the various distractions around here.

By the way, remember this cover? I just saw someone else using it on B&N. Goes to show that custom cover art pays off. Stock photography is okay, but only if you can change it up.

Are you duschen?

2011-09-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

My troll speaks German, so to get in the spirit, I signed up for German Word of the Day in My Yahoo. Apparently in Germany, to take a show is duschen.

Duschen. verb. Example sentence: Ich dusche jeden Morgen bevor ich zur Arbeit gehe. Translation: I take a shower every morning before going to work.

The Woman Inside is now in print!

2011-09-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

https://www.createspace.com/3646411

One look at Uric's mother and his fiancées run screaming. Known as the Ogress, her fearsome reputation is almost scarier than Uric's own. So when his queen sends him on a quest to bring back a healer rumored to be a witch, he can't resist taking the beauty home. Surely a witch is more than a match for an ogre....

Duty bound to serve her queen, Ceylon is still not happy to travel with Lord Uric, the queen's berserker. His prowess in battle is legend, and then there are the rumors about his mother....

Determined to elude his romantic pursuit, she accepts his escort to Queenstown, unknowingly riding straight into an intrigue that will rock her nation.

.................................................................................................................
I have to go hunt up a new dishwasher now.

Do you know where your kids are?

2011-09-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

If you live in the neighborhood and don't know where your kids are, check my house. Half a dozen of them set up shop in front of my garage with their brand new band instruments and proceeded to jam. We had snare drum, alto sax, tenor sax, two clarinets and a kid with two fly swatters banging on a stool (the others didn't want her to feel left out). Another kid was turning cart wheels, and they had a sax case open for donations.

I was outside in my bathrobe and PJs, snapping pictures as the neighbor dogs howled. LOL!

On work: The proof looks good, so The Woman Inside will be available for print shortly.

So stressed

2011-09-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

I think I might take it easier today, maybe cut back a little. I'm super stressed, having just run non-stop for the last two days. I need to read a book that's not mine and requires no edits. Last night we fell into bed and slept like zombies. John was up yesterday since 3:30 am, thanks to the coyotes fighting in the back yard. We're in a suburb, but there are big fields around us.

I wonder about the people who let their cats run loose at night...

Let's see, my scaled back day will include home school, boxing and something for dinner. Please, we have leftovers in the fridge; there are never leftovers anymore. My oldest is officially as tall as his dad and eats like a Viking on furlong. We just bought him pants and he'll need them (and shoes) again in a month. Whimper. At least he's easier than shopping for our tween girl.

Hate Mail

2011-09-24T07:23:00.000-07:00

Illona Andrews has a great post about hate mail: http://www.ilona-andrews.com/2011/09/23/hatemail/

Illona: The other reason is that I don’t react and when I do, I hit back hard. It’s a lesson I’ve learned very early on. I was five and an older boy was walking around the beach taking other kids’ toys. When it was my turn, I apparently latched on to his hair and it took two grown men to separate us. When I finally was pulled away, I had two hand fulls of hair that wasn’t mine. I have never outgrown that.

Women are more likely to be the target of this sort of nonsense. But we don’t really have to take it.

In my experience, senders of hatemail tend to go for soft targets and try to elicit emotional reaction. Once in a while I slip and respond, but mostly I either ignore the comments or send a form email, which leads to hilarity.

“I hate your books, I wish you were dead.”

“Thank you so much for writing to us. We appreciate your support!”

It’s a lesson that I hope to have taught to our kids: when met with Internet hate, either disengage and ignore or hit back so hard, they taste their own blood and go away.

Life is peppered with assholes, but we don’t have to let them poison our fun. I hate to sound like an antibullying promo, but if you see this sort of nonsense, do stop it. Let’s not put up with that.

Autumn: I've got a special hatred for bullying; I'm currently homeschooling my special needs 14 year old and taking him to boxing 3 times a week to deal with it. He's a sweetheart, but he's going to be a big man, and one who knows how to defend both himself and others. He wants to go to high school next year, and I will rest easier knowing that my kid knows how to use those huge hands of his, and hopefully, when not to. We've worked on coaching him through an encounter with a bully, what to say, how to warn him.

His teacher is a former Golden Glove and a great guy, reminds me a little of my grandpa but very personable. He has a cautionary tale about a former student who (was punched first) threw a combination and broke a bully's jaw. He told his coach that he hadn't even thought, which is what you train for. The poor coach doesn't want to be sued, of course, so he's careful about warning his students about using what they learn responsibly.

I'm considering taking my kids to Judo or Hapkido to practice non-devastating restraining techniques at some point. For now, my kid picked boxing, so we'll stick with it.

The Woman Inside edits done

2011-09-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

Finally, finally got the proof edited for the paperback version of The Woman Inside. I hope it'll be available by next week. I also had to remove a bunch of pesky em dashes that were turning into weird symbols in the ebooks, which means I'll be converting the doc into an ebook and uploading at the various sites, hopefully by tomorrow. Next up are edits for the paperback Dark Lovers, an anthology of Dark Lands: Homecoming and The Golden Bell.

Maybe I'll get lucky and manage to work on my steampunk Western tomorrow, too. Let's see, if I buy groceries when the kids are in boxing, edit in between school work and cook three massive meals a week so we have leftovers....

Sleep? Who needs sleep?

Mysterious sales jump

2011-09-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Sales for Scent of Danger just jumped over a thousand units overnight on Amazon. No idea why. Must be running a sale or something.

I've sold 3 books in the German store since it opened.

So far there's $10,000 in the Smashwords account, to be paid on the quarter. Very soothing, since I've been lucky to get any work done, playing teacher. It almost killed me, but got some edits in yesterday.

I swore I would never...

2011-09-20T10:06:00.000-07:00

After I graduated high school I swore I'd never do word problems again...and then I had kids. Arrgh! I HATE MATH! I made it to trig, but promptly ram-dumped the useless junk. Really, do we need to know that Bill rode a duck to the train station at 15 miles per hour, and Randy drank a latte while bouncing a hacky sack at 6 miles per hour while talking on his cell phone, rounded to the greater ten? Oh, and they're not teaching cursive at school anymore. Are the insane? Lose the word problems, teach the kids to sign their name.

On the bright side, I reconnected with my inner cook yesterday and made chocolate chip, banana-pear bread. We were shy on bananas so I diced two small pears and microwaved 'em, then mashed with bananas. Worked great. Made yellow curry and rice, too. It's soothing to be just mom sometimes.

Now to sneak in some edits.

Weekend relaxation...sorta

2011-09-18T10:40:00.000-07:00

I've managed to read a couple of books lately. My library had a copy of the Iron Duke for my Nook, so I tried it out. I give it a five star for great writing, but it's not a keeper for me; too much heartache. Worth reading, definitely.

I bought this one and read it in a day (I was sick, and now, ouch, my neck!). More heartache, but I love the sylph world she's created. She'd better make it up to Claw, though, poor thing. He deserves a break.

I was relieved to hear how the queen conceived, though. I was heartbroken when I read Midwinter Fantasy and thought she's slept with two other guys to conceive kids. Whew! Way to go, Heyou.

Snippet: winter's coming

2011-09-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

Began 1200 cal diet with great results so far, though I'm a little tired. Might bump it up a few cal. Still plugging away on my steampunk when I get a free moment. Here's a chunk:

Their mother had died in a raid when she’d been Max’s age. It had been an ordinary Tuesday, and they’d been dressed in their frayed Sunday best, lined up on the grassy knoll behind their house. Harmon leaned stoically on his shovel as the circuit preacher finished saying the last words over her mother’s grave.

It hadn’t shaken her so badly when her step-daddy had taken off to search for gold; she’d hardly known him. How could she when he was forever off in the hills prospecting? Her mother had been the only one shocked when he’d announced he was leaving for “a few months” to search for a mine. He’d promised his wife the moon when he struck it rich, seemingly unable to hear her gentle protests that all she needed was him. The siren call of gold had been too loud.

The months had stretched into years, yet still her mother spent her sunrises and sunsets leaning in the open doorway, a hot cup of coffee or tea in one hand as she watched for a man who never returned.

The few neighbors who’d come to the funeral murmured condolences and regrets, gifted them with baked goods and left to get on with their own lives. Charlene wrapped her arms around her two littlest sisters, Gabrielle and Sydney. The eleven and eight year old clung to her and sobbed, hair the color of rusty nails and beer mingling against Charlene’s chest.

Sydney rubbed her running nose on Charlene’s skirt, making her grimace. She handed Sydney a handkerchief, trying to forget about the wet streak on the worn muslin of her dress.

Wiping her blue eyes with her own handkerchief, the thirteen year old Maxine still tried to act grown up even as she sniffled. Covetous of all things elegant, she would have been infuriated to know that her glossy black braids made her look more like an Cheyenne princess than a southern belle.

At fifteen, Alexandra, the second born, handled their mother’s death with quiet grief. Tears fell, but silently. Whatever thoughts went on in her heart remained private. Only when they were alone would she share her mind with Charlene.

Charlie’s gaze met Harmon’s. He never cried. He was as tough as old boot leather and cranky as a starving coyote. If he’d been there the day the raiders came they’d have never lost their mother.

His eyes swept over her face, seeming to mark the absence of moisture.

She couldn’t cry. The pain ran so deep, tears wouldn’t have been enough.

He nodded gruffly and left them to grieve in peace.

Two days later, she sat at the dinner table in their one room cabin and poked at Maxine’s mystery soup. An odd chunk of something purplish floated to the top. She considered retiring to the loft and skipping dinner.

“What are we going to do about the corn, Harmon?” Alexis asked. “It’s not doing any better this year than last.”

“Texas wasn’t made for corn.” He glowered at Alexis as if she were personally at fault.

Charlene snorted softly and toyed with her soup. Helpful. That certainly solved the problem.

“If the garden doesn’t start doing better, we’re going to be awfully hungry this winter,” Alexis persisted.

Saturday is chaos

2011-09-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

I was hoping to write, so I got up early and optimistically turned on the computer. I had a long list of chores to keep the kids busy...

They fought, argued and balked. The lawnmower wouldn't start (they don't when you over-prime them), the oldest squirted his sister in the eye with vinegar water, and the youngest took eons to do the smallest thing, and kept bringing up his favorite subject, the Titanic, until I banned him from speaking. In four hours I managed to check my email and read My Yahoo. In the end I had to work with them as we folded a mountain of laundry, threatening anyone and everyone with death if they spoke (which they did, repeatedly, and then had the gall to ask if I was mad). Steam. Lots of steam.

I'm trying to take deep breaths and work now.

On the bright side, I ordered a new cookbook from Cook's Illustrated that promises to streamline my life with such tricks as making stir fry on a sheet pan while simultaneously shrinking me into a size 6. I know, I'm a sucker, but I'll have fun reading the cookbook anyway.

Boys will be boys

2011-09-09T07:41:00.000-07:00

The boys were squirreling around today and John told them to get ready for school, that the older could beat up the younger when they got home. The younger said, "Yeah, and then...wait. What?" They are both in boxing together until the younger starts the after school program, and the little guy is kinda cute, but overwhelmed around the hulking other guys.

Now the youngest is chasing his bigger brother around with a finger he stuck up his nose and the older is yelling in panic. Revenge of the little brother.

Might get some editing done today.

2 tone garage

2011-09-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

Four months ago I told my husband he could have a new motorcycle if he finished the garage. This weekend it finally got finished...in two colors.

It's not his fault. Last week he started using a can of paint on the garage that he thought was base coat. Turns out it was the leftover interior paint for the house. I liked it, said let's paint it that color. We had the paint matched at Lowe's and went from there. Soon we found we needed more and ran back to town to get it. He painted the garage, I did other things.

When I checked on him later, I found that the paint was a very different shade of pale tan. Half the ceiling was painted and a patch on the wall.

John: "They gave me the wrong paint. I could choke them, but I'm almost done and I don't care.

Me: O.O

John: "I've been at this for six hours. I wanted to leave it naked sheetrock."

I begin to smile. Last week I'd joked with my neighbor that I didn't care if it was two shades of tan, as long as it was done. I sent my tired, frustrated husband into the house to chill and started rolling the garage ceiling, laughing to myself. We finished it together.

Two walls are fleshy tan and one is desert tan. Really, you can't tell it's different unless you know to look.

Homeschooling business

2011-09-02T18:46:00.000-07:00

My son's homeschooling doesn't officially start until the 6th, but I have upcoming stuff, so I'm trying to do all we can now. Most of the Lit/English classes are offline, so until science, math and maybe history go live, we're jamming out the classics and going over commas. Between boxing (which is also time consuming, but well worth it), homeschooling and the youth group at church he's started attending, he's gone from a rather solitary, unhappy teen to suddenly thriving. Amazing what taking a kid out of a unproductive environment can do.

I'm happy for him and convinced we're on the right path, but it's a very busy time in my life. When I sleep, I sleep hard. My post-its have post-its, my laptop chose now to crash, and husband isn't sure he likes my choice of replacement...sigh. I barely have time to check email, let alone work, but I'm hoping that things will let up as we get into the swing of the new routine.

Thank God for the crockpot and my new freezer, because now that summer vacation is over, I actually have to cook. O_o

Cop cars at the neighbors? Time to walk the dog

2011-08-28T10:00:00.000-07:00

Ever notice how when cop cars show up at your house, the neighbors decide it's a good time to walk the dog? Even the ones who never walk their pet are suddenly out in force.

We had a neighbor child in jeopardy run to our house last night. He was crying and hysterical, asking us to call 911. Thankfully, my neighbor is a social worker and was able to advise us on this unfamiliar situation. After determining that he had cause, we called CPS and the cops for him. As we're making our report, the neighbors suddenly come out in force, trying to see what's going on.

Of course, I have good neighbors in a nice, heavily military suburb, so I wasn't worried about it, but I made a point of holding a glass of iced tea in my hand and looking relaxed. Nope, nothing to worry about here; no crimes have been committed in my house. I was most worried about the kid and made certain I was as reassuring as I could be. Even though he was the one who requested the cops, I told him several times that he wasn't in trouble. He ended up leaving with the officers.

I didn't get much sleep last night, but at least the kid was safe. I'm glad the neighbors know there's a place they can run to in emergencies, especially the kids.

Now, do I take that class my social worker neighbor keeps bringing up to make us an emergency foster kid house? Because I don't have enough worries... Ugh.

Edits at the dentist

2011-08-25T09:31:00.000-07:00

My family has a mass appointment for dental cleanings today, so I'll get to edit my proof for The Woman Inside a little more while I'm waiting for my turn. Work never sleeps. At this rate I'll be done with it sometime next month...

School starts next week, but I'm not counting on it getting easier to get things done. Thankfully, I'm a master at fitting work into sound bites.

Starving for a good book

2011-08-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

I've had no time lately, or rather, every minute has been scheduled. Last week was boxing 3x's, doc appointments, base picnic, part one of school shopping and opening an account for my 14 year old's new debit card so he can learn that plastic is not magical. Every moment not spent directing kids/momming was spent at the computer.

I'm becoming intimately familiar with my new phone's calender & alarm feature. I know why we all want smart phones; they are like telepathy, only better. I am a texting convert; how else can you have a conversation in 2 min without getting sidetracked from work?

Yesterday I got to read somebody else's work for the first time in forever. Audio books while working out don't count; while I'm grateful for them, I need the written word. Because I've been on the go so much, as soon as I slow down I get shaky and emotional (classic signs of adrenaline withdrawal). It's unpleasant, but necessary to let the body recoup at least one day a week.

Today I have sinus issues, and I'm fighting to get something done at the computer. Dark Secret by C. Feehan is calling my name. Half-read, it promises a distraction from the constant work. Will I have the willpower to do a little more work before it claims me? I think I'm losing the battle today.

Out, out, ugly cover!

2011-08-20T11:58:00.000-07:00

Every time I looked at the cover for Homecoming, I hated it more, so I broke down and asked Phatpuppy to save me. It pays to know when to hire an expert, and I'm very happy with the results.

What was it like in the old days, Mom?

2011-08-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

Last night at dinner the boys asked, "What was it like in the old days, Mom? You know, what did you do before you had microwaves and computers?"

Me: "What, like before the wheel? We chewed rocks a lot."

Give me a break, guys, I'm over thirty. I can remember the days before the Nook and iPhone, but it's all fuzzy before that. It was so long ago...

Just because I'm still using Word 2000, doesn't mean I need to enter a nursing home.

Cowboys and Aliens

2011-08-15T09:20:00.000-07:00

Saw Cowboys and Aliens last night. Cool movie, but didn't apreciate John poking me everytime I screamed and jumped. It was bad enough that ugly aliens kept leaping out when I didn't expect it.

In honor of the movie, here's a snippet from my steampunk Western:

An hour after dusk, they rode to the ranch house. There wasn’t much to see; just a small, tightly built cabin with a privy around back and Harmon’s place not one hundred yards away. Chickens ran free over the dirt yard, keeping down the ticks and bugs. A rough coral held their mule and horses, and in the distance the goats and dairy cow worked on the tough prairie grass and scrub.

Her step-daddy had promised her mother a good life when he’d married the southern belle and brought her from Bluegrass to New Texas. Her mother had often said she’d been so in love she hadn’t even noticed the heat and desolation.

Charlie snorted as she dismounted in front of the house. She’d have noticed.

They rubbed their horses down and turned them out in a pen already set up with hay and water, bless Harmon. Hefting their saddles and gear, they put it away in the breezeway, using the dishpan of clean water their sister Max had set out.

Max poked her head into the breezeway and looked them over with critical blue eyes. “Don’t forget to—”

“—take your boots off,” Alex finished sardonically, already doing just that.

Max blew a lock of black hair out of her eye and ducked back in the house, muttering, “Dinner’s ready.”

Sixteen and the defacto housekeeper, she had a penchant for mothering that especially got on Alex’s nerves, but they couldn’t run the place without her.

“You’re late,” Harmon said as they entered the kitchen and sat on benches at the long table. “I was getting ready to look for you.” Tough and cranky, he was in his seventies and still fit enough to ride all day. His lined, pale blue eyes demanded an explanation.

The table was set and they were starved, so Charlie waited until after grace to comment. “Had to shoot a razor cat. It scattered the herd.”

He scowled over his mashed potatoes. “Damn cats. I swear the Mexicans breed them.” The Kingdom of Mexico was known for sicking tech abominations its neighbors. Ever since the Aztecs had conquered the Incan Republic in ’47, they’d done what they could to weaken the New Frontier. Raiders were a common hazard, and razor cats had appeared in the last few years. If it wasn’t for the wealthy and powerful Native American shifters, they might have already invaded.

guest blogger, author Charlene Sands

2011-08-11T09:45:00.000-07:00

Top Five Ways to a Man’s Heart

I like food, I really do and I rank among those women who enjoy putting a balanced meal on the table, five days a week, for her family. Yep, that’s right, Monday through Friday. (I make great reservations on the weekend!) I have cooked my heart out over the years, when my children were young and growing and needed to eat the right amount of nutrients from the basic food groups. I was determined that the kids were going to eat healthy, even if it killed me! Now that the kids are grown, I still put a great meal on the table, for my hubby.

And for the past twenty-odd years, I’ve taught CPR for local residents. A good deal of my training went into teaching others about prevention and trying to eliminate the need for breathing air into a victim and pounding their chest with compressions after they’ve had a heart attack. It’s called living a heart-healthy lifestyle. You know the drill, keep the stress level down, exercise regularly and eat well.

Some say that the TRUE and UNEQUIVOCAL way to a man’s heart, is through his stomach.

I know, none of this sounds remotely romantic… but trust me, Smooth-Talking the Hometown Girl is! Here a sneak peek at the story in a nutshell.

Wealthy and successful, Kyle Warren never backs down from a challenge—in business or in pleasure. Marriage-minded now, he’s returned to his hometown and set his sights on blonde-haired, blue-eyed Christy Evans, the one girl he couldn’t win over in high school. This time, Kyle won’t take no for an answer from the pretty girl next door.

Running a catering business and writing a heart-healthy cookbook, doesn't leave Christy much time for romance. All she has to do is keep her distance from her seriously sexy, temporary neighbor. Yet, Kyle needs a friend now and Christy has always been a sucker for a man in need. She vows not to fall for Kyle’s good looks, broad shoulders and dark bedroom eyes. She’d seen the damage he’d left in his wake in high school. But how long can a girl resist his seductive smiles and smooth-talking ways?

Now, given that Christy Evans landed herself the most eligible bachelor in Bentley, Arizona, without even trying, let me share the secret of her success with these

Top Five Ways to a Man’s Heart:

1. Make sure the man is home alone when you bring over just-baked-and-out-of-the-oven gourmet muffins.

2. Invite him over to your house, to taste-test your latest culinary creation. Tell him you want to experiment on him, with an innocent expression… because you’re actually telling the truth. You value his opinion.

3. Make him a meal fit for royalty and never let on that you may have just discovered your own personal Prince Charming.

4. Watch him die little deaths of ecstasy with each bite he takes, then rake you over with admiration and a hunger in his eyes that you’ve never seen before.

5. Write a heart-healthy cookbook and dedicate it to the hunk’s late father, because he was your dear friend and neighbor, a man you greatly admired.

There, that should do it! If the man doesn’t melt over your sweet buns, you know you’ve done something wrong!

All joking aside, has anyone won you over with their gourmet cooking or vice versa? Do you enjoy cooking or you great at making reservations? Are you a fan of cooking shows like Cupcake Wars, Iron Chef or The Food Challenge?

Charlene Sands is a USA Today Bestselling author of thirty romance novels, writing sexy contemporaries and stories set in the Old West. Her stories have been honored with the National Readers Choice Award, the Cataromance Reviewer’s Choice Award and she’s a double recipient of the Booksellers’ Best Award. She’s a member of the Orange County Chapter of RWA as well as the PAN liaison for the Los Angeles Chapter of RWA.

When not writing, she enjoys great coffee, bowling in a woman’s league, country music, reading books from her favorite authors and going on movie dates with her “hero” husband. She loves holding contests and giveaways via www.charlenesands.com . Twitter and Facebook her!!

Bold, strong, heart-stopping heroes... always real good men.

Find out more about her at: http://www.charlenesands.com/

Guest blog with author Michele Stegman

2011-08-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

Did a blog on a rejection letter I got recently: http://michelestegman.com/interview/guest-blogger-autumn-dawn

Note to self: Stress to youngest that we don't cook our grilled cheese sandwiches on high...ever.

I'm guest blogging with Bella Street today

2011-08-09T09:08:00.000-07:00

Here's the link to a guest blog I did on the challenges of self-pubbing: http://bellastreetwrites.blogspot.com/

We've been planning to go to Silverwood. My kids were supposed to earn their tickets to the amusement park through the school reading program. I made sure the forms were filled out and sent off to school. I know they came home with tickets/said they earned them. Who can find their ticket now? The oldest. Who won't be bribed into skipping the trip? The oldest. ARGH! It's not the tickets, it's that John and I aren't keen to go. Sigh.

Drooling at the furnature store.computer chair wars

2011-08-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

I met my husband at the base furniture store yesterday to look at mattresses. My oldest son is 14 and is going to be the size of a Clydesdale, so the thin little mattress on his bunk bed is no longer good enough. Even I get can feel the wood through it. Unfortunately, we let him try the mattresses to see which one felt good. $600 for a twin size mattress, on sale...yikes. (Okay, I admit the pillow top felt the best. I tell myself we'll save in chiropractic bills.)

*Update, found a good one at a mattress store for $190. I feel much better now.

While I was there I looked at the desks, because he'll need one when he starts homeschooling. By the time I was done I'd picked out one I'd like for myself, a nice glass top for $99 and an office chair that actually supported my back.

Once I had office chairs that did that. I've had several, in fact. My husband killed them. Sniff. He likes to lean back in the chair like it's a recliner, even though I point out gently that it ruins them for me. Now he wants me to get a new chair, and I'm scared. Will this one be left in peace? Will the chair monster return and break its back? Stay tuned.

Guest blogger, author Michele Stegman

2011-08-06T20:36:00.000-07:00

Richard Rohr, a Franciscan theologian said in his book, EVERTHING BELONGS, “…we humans beings do not naturally see; we have to be taught how to see. That’s what religion is for.”

I would take this a step further and say that just about anything, music, art, new discoveries in science, writing, is a matter of “seeing.”

In art, you can’t draw or paint or sculpt unless you can really see your subject. The better you can see, or the more differently you see things, the better your art. For instance can you see the pink and blue in a tree trunk that Van Gogh saw? Do you see the many shades of green, as well as yellow, brown, and bits of purple and red in grass? Those are just two examples of seeing in art.

When you take a walk and see a “bug” is it just a bug or do you really “see” it? Do you notice how it eats, what it eats, its special characteristics?

Have you ever noticed that when you learn a new word you suddenly see it everywhere? It was always there before. You just finally noticed it. That’s why when we learn something new, we say, “I see.” Suddenly, your world is forever changed. Your paradigm shifts. Nothing is ever the same, you have changed, grown.

In writing, the closer we observe the world, the more we learn, the more aware we are of the many idiosyncrasies in people, the more alive our writing becomes.

As a writer, I am interested in everything. I love to sit back, observe, take it all in, let it stew, then use it all somehow in my writing. Every detail is interesting, but as a writer it is part of my job to point out the defining details, those few points that help the reader understand one of my characters.

It’s your job as a reader to let a writer know how well they do their job by either buying or not buying their next book!

Michele Stegman would love for you to buy her next book—or her last one. For blurbs and excerpts from her books, go to her website at: www.michelestegman.com.