Rejections Wanted

"The writing shows a lot of promise, but I'm afraid the story ultimately rests on too many misunderstandings to move the plot and romance forward."

"I really enjoyed the fast pace and the fresh storyline, but I'm sorry to report that I didn't fall head over heels for the novel as a whole."

These are just a couple of excerpts from my own little pile of rejection letters. And being the Queen of "I know there's some hidden meaning in there somewhere", I've often wondered if those phrases mean exactly what they say. As a writer who adores the concept of subtext, I could drive myself crazy thinking about it.

But ultimately, when I receive a rejection, I just have to content myself with the fact that the editor just didn't love my story enough to buy it. Or that I'm just not quite there yet. Either way, it means the same thing. Keep writing and keep submitting.

Starting today, Louisa is dedicating her Wednesday blogs to decoding rejection letters. Working as an editor at Berkley for 4 years has given her a bit of experience with the matter. If you want her to decode your rejection letter, just send it to her at: mledwards@mac.com. Oh, and make sure you put the word "Rejection" in the subject line.

Stephanie in DC

Daughter #1 just came home last night from a trip to DC. She flew out of Ronald Reagan airport where security is now once again at an all time high. After being searched and "poofed" (her words, not mine) she discovered that her flight had been overbooked. This caused a delay leaving Washington that caused her to miss her connecting flight from Charlotte. So after rerouting to Atlanta, where she waited a couple of hours, she finally caught a flight home. It was her first airline mishap, and she handled it great.

This is a pic of her on one of those cool scooters. Apparently, this is the newest way to see the city. You hop on these scooters and get a tour of the sights. I remember seeing DC as a kid in the middle of summer and walking and sweating, and walking and sweating. Unfortunately, I think you have to be at least 15 to ride the scooters.

Press Secretary of the Future?

Here's a pic of Stephanie in front of the Pentagon press podium (fun and a little scary, too!)

Frances McDormand Syndrome

Frances McDormand Syndrome is my new name for what happens when your secondary characters steal the show. Whenever she's on the screen, I just can't take my eyes off her. I've always been a huge movie buff and I like to use movies to learn about story telling. That's one of the reasons I was so psyched to go to Michael Hauge's workshop at Nationals this year. His workshop was the best singular ws I've ever attended at an RWA conference, so if you didn't go, buy the tape!

Now I know Mel is going to pelt me with rotten fruit for saying this, but I just found out last night she didn't like the movie, Chicken Run (!?!) so I don't feel a bit bad saying that Frances McDormand Syndrome is one of the reasons that Failure to Launch just didn't do it for me as a love story. The secondary characters overshadowed the primary ones and made them seem sort of dull. Yes, even a shirtless Matthew McCounaghy, who I think is hot hot hot, just plain took second fiddle to Kathy Bates and a naked Terry Bradshaw. Now that is one love story I would have loved to see! But I'm digressing here. I think the point I'm trying to make is that your secondary characters can either make or break a story and the line between the two is precariously thin.

I was talking to Stephanie (daughter #1) the other day about the film, Something's Gotta to Give, a movie I really love. There was no Frances McDormand Syndrome going on there.The secondary characters (and Frances being one of them) added beautifully to that film. They totally did what they were supposed to do without taking away from the primary characters. But we both agreed that once the story left the beach house, the film seemed to drag a bit. The second half just didn't seem to have the "oomph" that the first half did. There was very little Frances McDormand, very little Keanu Reeves, and a little too much emphasis on the stale "dancing naked Harrys" joke. The movie still works for me, and I know that the second half of the film is all about the decline of the romance, but I've always wondered if beefing up the secondary characters in the second half would have made it better.

How writing is like housework

I've tried it before, but I've failed miserably. But this time, I'm determined to just write through the rough draft. You know, the vomit draft? The one you just spew on paper and not look back at? You one you don't edit as you write?

Let me tell you, it's a lot harder than I thought. I SO want to go back and edit. For me, that's the fun part of writing. Making the story better. Polishing it up until it shines. But intellectually, I know that it's a big waste of time, because it's not until I finish the story, that I really know my story and my characters. And it's at that point, that the edits really make the most impact. And since one of my goals is to write faster, then editing right now for me is just a waste of time. Sort of like setting out to clean the whole house, but never getting out of the kitchen because you keep finding a new crumb on the floor to sweep. So I'm trying to ignore the crumbs and just move on to the next room... or rather the next chapter.

On Blogging

I decided it was finally time to hijack Mel's blog. I have to admit, it was so much fun, I might just do it again...

On Writing- Sexier

Stephen King might have cornered the market On Writing, but I'm determined to corner the market On Writing-Sexier. One day, when I'm a famous novelist and millions of fledglings hang on my every word, I'm going to write a how-to-book with that title.

There was one buzz phrase I kept hearing over and over again in Atlanta. Sex is in.

Well, hell, I never knew it had gone out.

But seriously, stories in every genre are getting steamier and steamier. And erotica is one of the fastest growing markets in women's fiction. Just ask the waiters at the Georgia Aquarium. They got an earful during the Passionate Ink Luncheon (but that's another blog altogether)

To paraphrase my lovely agent, "What's selling in today's historical market is sexier than it used to be." And I can definitely see what she's talking about. Our entire culture has gotten sexier. Sex sells everything from cars to household products, so it's natural that it should be reflected in our stories.

My cp's write great sex. Hot Demon Sex written a la Louisa or Bitchin Fiction a la Mel.

Can I write sexier? You betcha. After all, a little bondage never anyone, right?

Now I just need to come up with my own little brand...

What Maria did at Nationals...

In the infamous words of Jack Nicholson, "I'm back". Or was it Stephen King who should get credit for that?

No matter. Atlanta was absolutely fabulous. I reconnected with old friends and made new ones. I'm rejuvenated and ready to pound out the Great American Love Story. Notice I didn't say the Great American Novel. I'll let loftier souls work on that one. Call me shallow, but I'd be thrilled to write the next hot beach read and whore myself out to Kelly Ripa, if she'll have me.

Sunday- Day One... Since I only live 4 hours from Atlanta, I decided, being the clever girl I am, that I would drive. I could bring all the luggage I wanted, including a cooler, and there would be no mean airport people to tell me otherwise. I could even prove indispensable to my cps and pick them up at the airport. Somehow, that plan didn't work out and Mel and Louisa ended up taking a cab to the hotel. Not only did I leave just a tad bit late from Tallahassee, but all the trunk room in my little Suzuki Forenza was taken up with the suitcase, cooler, water bottles, beer, diet sodas, and all the essential munchies needed for the week. A girl has to have her priorities, right?

So I got to the hotel, excited to see Mel again and meet Louisa for the first time. As I handed over my car keys to the parking attendant, he asked for my name for the claim ticket.

"Maria Geraci", I answered, spelling it out for him.

"That sounds Italian," he said.

"It is," I responded. (Although there isn't a drop of Italian blood in me.)

"It also sounds very romantic," he said with a sly grin.

I laughed. "It is," I assured him.

And thus began the beginning of a beautiful relationship. The staff at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis actually seemed excited to have 2000 plus romance writers invading their turf. This was my fourth RWA National conference, and I think this was by far, the friendliest staff yet.

To read my Nationals "synopsis" go here.

More to come tomorrow...

30 days and Counting...

In exactly 24 hours, I 'll be leaving for Atlanta! But there's still so much to do.

Beginning with dropping off the nephew. Keeping with our annual summer ritual, my sister and I keep each other's boys for a week. This was my week to keep Jonathan and it's been great. I love him to death--even though he and Kevin have stayed up every night playing XBox and sleeping during the day like a couple of video game vampires. They did, however, see enough sunlight to get in 3 rounds of golf. Other than that, it's mainly been a orgy of round-the-clock eating and playing. 15 year olds. You gotta love em.

So I'll start off my day by doing some laundry, then meeting my sister halfway to Orlando which means a 2 hour drive to Gainesville (or home to the University of Florida Gators) yuck.

After I drive the 2 hour trek back, I'll do some more laundry. Then I'll pick up groceries for a week.

Then maybe get in a couple more loads of laundry.

Then comes the hard part. Figuring out what to wear for Nationals. Or rather, finding what fits to wear for Nationals. Unfortunately, I haven't been as good a girl as Mel has been. Then once I do that, I have to pack. And somewhere in between all this, I'm on call at the hospital from 7pm-11pm tonight. Not so bad considering it's only 4 hours, but it's been so damn busy I can only hope I escape my call without having to go into work. Not that I don't love birthin babies, but I'm on vacation, for freaks sake! How did I get stuck taking call during my vacation???

The good news is this: In order to pack for Atlanta, I am now forced to unpack the suitcase that has been sitting in the corner of my bedroom for approximately 30 days since our Acapulco trip.

My husband is absolutely thrilled.

Of course, the suitcase countdown will begin all over again when I get back from Atlanta. He he.

Countdown to Atlanta

Gina and I in Reno last year.



In one week, I'll be in Atlanta, attending RWA's national conference. I can't wait! If you want to see what it takes to get ready for Nationals, go check out my post on the Title Wave blog.

Here's a few more pics from last year's conference in Reno.

Mel and I in front of the Mex-Tex Restaurant. How come she looks taller than me??

Kate and I. From the look on our faces, we must be talking about her books. whew!

Yeah, I wish!

Why labels are so important

If you bought a Snickers Bar and unwrapped it to find a Milky Way, would it really make a difference? They're both candy bars and they both contain chocolate.

I, for one, would be pissed. I love Snickers. But Milky Way bars leave me cold. And candy bars are only the beginning. Most people want what they want, and they want it now. There's nothing more frustrating to me to expect one thing and end up with another.

Point in case: The Family Stone. Loved the previews. Diane Keaton, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Luke Wilson. What's not to love about that? All the clips were hilarious. I even blogged about how stoked I was to see the movie. So I went expecting a comedy. The movie has been out long enough on DVD now, that I don't think I'm spoiling anything to say that all the funny parts are in the previews and ultimately, it's more a family drama than comedy. Boy, was I not happy. Not that I don't like family drama. When I'm in the mood for it. But it was the holidays and I wanted what I was promised in the packaging-- a comedy. Not family melodrama that makes me feel guilty for not keeping my appointment to have my boobs squashed (a la mammogram).

Another example: Adam Sandler's Click. I went to see that last weekend. Again, all the funny bits are in the previews. Except the bit about the kid getting hit in the head with a baseball. Am I like, the only person in America that doesn't think that's funny? Yeah, the kid is a complete shit, but we're talking possible head trauma here. Okay, I know that's the mother and the nurse in me coming out, but I just don't think a kid getting whacked in the head with a baseball is funny. Sorry.

Click is basically a modern rip off of Dicken's A Christmas Carol. Done very badly. When the highlight of the film is the family dog humping an oversized stuffed animal, you know the writers were desperate.

So, what's the point of my blog? I guess it's Don't Piss off the Consumer (that would be me). Not that Hollywood really cares about my $8. Both films made millions. But I feel better just griping it about it.

Talk about Firecrackers...

Woo hoo! Two of my friends had new book releases this 4th of July. W riting YA (Young Adult) as Caridad Ferrer, my friend Barbara Ferrer saw her very first book come out on Independence Day! It's a smart, funny book about a Cuban American teenager who enters a Latin style American Idol contest causing her to come to grips with her identity, titled Adios to My Old Life. Isn't it a gorgeous cover?

(Hey, I'm am a Cuban-American... now why didn't I think of that?)

Probably because I have no musical ability whatsoever, and Barb has tons. She was actually a Marching Chief (he he, gotta love those Seminoles!) I'm getting copies for my mom, my daughters and anyone else that I can think of. It's guaranteed to be a great read!



And speaking of great reads, just one look at the cover to Planet Mail and you know you're in for something hot hot hot. I actually had the privilege of reading this in its first draft, and let me tell you, you won't be able to put it down! This is Kate Pearce's 2nd book for Ellora's Cave and it's a real page turner. Think intergalactic Vikings and lots of sex.

(Hey, I've seen Star Trek and I've had sex before... now why didn't I think of that?)

Okay, well all I can say in my defense is that I don't have half the imagination that Kate does! And no, I won't be giving this book to my daughters. Not yet, anyway. But I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a fast, funny, ultra sexy read. This book will not disappoint!

Finding the time to write... or Day 8 and counting

I still haven't unpacked the vacation suitcase. I told you. It's a mental block. I did, however, reorganize my entire kitchen and clean my garage over the holiday weekend. Which left me little or no time to write. It seems that the suitcase and the writing are both in limbo.

That will be taken care of tomorrow, thank you. I've gone 4 whole days without writing and it just feels wrong. Like I haven't brushed my teeth or something. Recently, on the RWA PRO loops, a question was asked: If you knew that you would never, ever sell, would you continue to write? Several people answered no. They wouldn't. Some said they would continue to write, but without the fervor they put into it now. I didn't formally answer on the loop, but I will here. My answer isn't simply a yes, it's a Hell, yes! Even if it's only for 30 minutes, I have to keep on going forward. Keep writing until the story that's taken over my head is down on paper.

And speaking of stories that take over your head, I just finished Welcome to Temptation. It's Mel's favorite Crusie book and I can see why. Wow. I love the characters. Especially that yummy Phin. He's going to be in my head for a long, long time.

Pistols at Dawn

Fellow American Title II Finalist, Michele Ann Young's first book is now out! Pistols at Dawn is a Regency set historical full of danger, romance and intrigue. Read all about it here on the Title Wave blog.

Cat Crap Part II (or Day 4 and counting...)

Yup, the suitcase is still unpacked. Thank God I have company in this rather little bizarre habit of mine. Hellloooo Erin and Ellen! Actually, Everybody Loves Raymond (a really funny sitcom that is no more) had an episode about just this (the wife leaving her suitcase out for a bit after the vacation was long over) But I promised MG (Mike Geraci) I'd unpack it this weekend.

Now, on to Cap crap part 2. For those of you that read my blog about Cap crap part 1, you know that I sort of smashed my 2 cars together after being distracted by Lucky the cat's crap in the garage. Well, Lucky has struck again.

I came home from work Friday morning, totally exhausted after 12 hours of birthin' babies, only to discover a really bad smell when I walked in the house. (MG swears it wasn't there when he left for work.) Now, MG leaves for work about 6:30-7:00 am. I came home about 7:30-7:45, so Lucky only had about a 3o-60 minute window to do the deed. I followed my rather spectacular olfactory talent (the one that apparently you have to be female to have) directly to the source within seconds. Lucky had crapped all over my beautiful Ralph Lauren queen sized bed comforter. The one I bought just a few months ago.

I almost killed that cat.

Thank God that he was no where in sight.

So, I did the best I could to scrape the stuff off, heaved the 100 lb ( I swear, it weighs a ton) comforter off the bed and dragged it to the laundry room, which of course, is on the other side of the house. This is where things started to go wrong. If I had been thinking, I would have stuffed the comforter in the my car and driven to the nearest Dry Cleaners. Now, in my defense, I did read the laundry tag on the comforter. I SWEAR it reads, "May wash in delicate cycle in Extra Capacity Washer--yes, Maria, this means your Super Duper Kenmore Washing Machine".

I swear, that's exactly what the tag says.

Thus, I load up the washing machine with cold water and Woolite, and begin to stuff it in my machine.

Maybe, just maybe, I get about a fourth of it in, before I admit to myself that the tag must be wrong. My Super Duper X-tra capacity Kenmore just isn't going to do the trick. So I leave the the section of the comforter that Lucky liked best in the washing machine to soak and go off to have a bowl of ice cream . Somehow, the ice cream makes me feel much better and I go off to sleep because I have to work again that evening.

I wake up at 2 pm with that awful feeling that something just isn't right. Oh, yeah, I think to myself, I have about half my comforter stuffed in my washing machine full of water. What to do next? I come up with a most brilliant plan. At least, it seemed brilliant at the time. I decided to drag the comforter out of the washing machine and toss into the kid's bathtub. This seems rather logical to me. Doesn't it? I mean, surely, the bathtub is large enough to hold the comforter and it's just down the hall from the laundry room. Yes, perfectly brilliant. I can hand wash the comforter in the tub. A most excellent plan.

Now, of course, suffice it to say, that if while dry, the comforter weighs a ton, it weighs nearly 2 tons wet. It takes me and my 15 year old son to pull the comforter out and drag it down to the bathtub, where I discover that, yes, my bathtub is too small to hold the comforter to wash. Sigh...

This is where the story gets too long to blog about. Let me just end with this.

End Result:

Comforter is now washed and drying in a rigged up apparatus that MG set up in the garage (because you know that my Super Duper X-tra capacity Kenmore Dryer isn't big enough to hold it.)

And... somehow, in all my gyrations (although I'm still sticking to my story-- I NEVER tried to actually wash the damn thing) the spin cycle in my washing machine is now broken. The little black belt that does something beneath the machine burned out. This is a most bizarre coincidence, in my opinion...

Cat crap tally for June:
2 dented up cars
1 broken washing machine

It's a good thing I love that cat.

Day 1 and counting...

Okay, Mel, I'm back. Thanks for the blog patrol duty!

So I go back to work today. This means that vacation is officially over and the battle of the suitcase begins. For some odd reason, I have a mental block that involves unpacking my suitcase after vacation. This drives Mike Geraci crazy.

It's not like I'm messy or anything. We've been back from Acapulco since Sunday and I've cleaned, done laundry, bought groceries, etc... but for some reason the idea of unpacking my vacation suitcase completely wears me out. I think this is definitely one for Freud.

Speaking of vacations, I had a fabulous one! Acapulco is absolutely breathtaking, although the heat and humidity was a killer (and this coming from a Florida girl!) So hot was it? It was so hot, that within 2 minutes of getting a soda with a glass of ice, the ice would be completely melted and you'd be looking at drinking that "Coca Cola light" lukewarm. The first thing I did when we got to Atlanta was get an ice cold soda.

I did manage not to get sunburned this year (Thank God) Although I do have this mysterious little red burn next to my collar bone on the left side. You know, right next to where the bathing suit top strap is? How is it that one teeny tiny section where you don't get the sunscreen on well enough can burn like that? Kinda shows you just how well the sunscreen actually does work. I would hate to be that red all over.

Let's see, reading done on vacation:

Much Ado about You -- Fabulous! Next trip to the bookstore, I'm getting the next book in the series--Kiss Me, Annabel.

Macbeth-- Yes, I actually reread Macbeth while on vacation by the poolside. My current wip has a bit of a Macbeth theme in it and thanks to some inspiration from Louisa, I decided to read it again. And am I glad I did! I had forgotten just how much I really loved the play.

More vacation stuff to come...

Hurry up.

I know you're home now...so you may as well get back into the groove of the blog-o-sphere.

We need pictures and details.

Now.

Out of the Closet Reply

If you're looking for Maria....You'll have to search here:


She's busy right now soaking up the sun and flirting with the pool boys. I'm jealous. I tried to convince her to let me go as her oldest daughter, but that didn't fly. Humph.

Anyway, she'll be back sometime next week.

TTFN

Cat Crap

It almost ruined my day. Ruined and almost being key words here.

Yesterday was just another day in the Geraci household. Mike was out of town again, on business, and I was running Kevin (14 year old son) to a tennis tournament. Lucky, our beloved family cat, had apparently gotten trapped in the garage and did what he normally does when he gets nervous. He crapped. Not pretty little hard turds, like Lizzy, our not-so-beloved family cat does. No. It was a runny mess. He not only crapped all over the garage, he also did a nice little pile right on the my son's tennis bag. After a few expletives and disenfecting the tennis bag, we piled into the Expedition where then, in my haste, I promptly ran smack into the other family car.

Yep. I ran right into my own car.

Now, this probably wouldn't be so bad, except that when I realized I had done this, I tried to go forward, and God only knows how, ending up "hooking" both cars together. The right rear end of the Expedition was now linked to the left rear end of our little Suzuki Forenza.

After freaking out for a few seconds and cursing Mike Geraci (afer all, if he wasn't out of the country, he would have been the one taking Kevin to tennis, so none of this would have happened. Right?)I called AAA to come help.

"Your car is what?"

"It's hooked to my other car."

"Uhm... ma'am, how did that happen?"

"I ran into it."

"Oh. Well, so , do you need a tow truck?"

"I need something."

"Hmmm... there's a 2 hour wait on tow trucks. But I can get you a guy with a wench within the hour."

"Yeah! A wench, whatever that is, it sounds good!"

About an hour later, this kid (he looks about 18) shows up with the wench. "Wow. I've never seen anything like this before!" (insert excited voice)

"Want to take a picture?" I ask.

"Uh, no, ma'am."

One hour later (in 90 plus degree Florida heat and humidity) poor wench boy still can't get my cars unhooked. So he calls for one of the popular tow trucks. Another hour later, tow truck guy comes.

Tow Truck guy, whistling under his breath, "Wow. I thought I'd seen it all!"

"Can you get the cars apart?" I ask, praying he'll say yes.

"Uhm, we can try. But first, we need you to sign this waiver."

So I sign the waiver that basically says that in trying to get the cars apart, I understand that they could do mega damage to both cars.

After about 30 minutes of pulling and tugging, my cars are free!

Both guys and their AAA approved trucks head off. "Have a nice day, ma'am!"

The good news:
1. both cars are driveable.
2. Only the little Suzuki needs body work.
3. With hubby out of the country, I think I can get it fixed before he gets home and discovers it.

So no one was hurt and I provided an entertaining story for the AAA people to laugh over. All in all, it could be a lot worse.

Woo Hoo!

Okay, so I'm not such a blog dummy after all. I finally did it! I was able to upload an image to my sidebar. This might not seem like a big accomplishment to most people, but believe me, for me, it's big.

I have my wonderful RWA Online friends, Lucy and Kait to thank for that. Lucy for suggesting Kait, and Kait for talking me through the process. Thanks!!

Speaking of blogs, here's a fabulous one hosted by the editors at Avon Publishing.

What I'm reading

Isn't this a gorgeous cover? Since I'm computer addled and can't quite figure out yet how to do this on my sidebar I thought I'd put the picture up here. So far, I'm really loving this book!

Madame Mirabou's School of Love
by Barbara Samuel

Sometimes real passion means living the life you’ve always wanted.

Nicole Bridges still can’t believe she’s taken up residence in a Colorado apartment complex nicknamed “Splitsville.” She’s still reeling from her husband’s affair, a divorce she never saw coming, and having to leave the upscale, comfortable world she helped make for her ex and their teenage daughter. With little money, even less work experience, and no idea what to do next, she takes tentative steps–if only to keep her head above water.

Along the way, Nikki unexpectedly finds herself falling in with eccentric new neighbors–and being seduced out of her funk by a charming, elusive ex-Londoner. And through her delight in the sensual elements of perfume, she will discover the courage to form bonds she never imagined. When a discarded flyer printed with the name “Madame Mirabou” provides the spark of inspiration, Nikki dares to blend the fragments of her life into a fragrance that’s uniquely and passionately her own.

Writing Snappy Dialogue

My friend Gina blogged the other day about the film Casablanca. It was a great post. One of the things she talked about was the wonderful dialogue in the film.

So here I was, writing a crucial scene (aren't they all?) between the hero and heroine in my new historical wip, and I thought, what better timing is this? It really got me rethinking about how to write good dialogue.

I'm a firm believer that no matter what genre you're writing in, audiences of today want to read dialogue that they can identify with. So even though I'm writing about a man and a woman who are living in 1815, and I have to make their dialogue sound realistic for the time period, I also have to write dialogue that rings a cord in my reader's psyche.

I heard once that if you want to learn how to write good dialogue then you should read screenplays. Which has always made a lot of sense to me. But I think you can probably learn just as much (and have a lot more fun while you're at it) by watching those old movie classics from the forties.

If you want to learn about writing snappy dialogue, there's no better movie in my opinion than the 1940 screwball comedy, His Girl Friday. I watched the movie again the other night after reading Gina's post (it just so happened that I had it on my Netflix list and it was at the house--talk about timing!)

The plot is simple: Cary Grant plays a suave, but tough newspaper editor who finds out in the opening scene that his ex-wife and star reporter (Rosalind Russell) is going to get remarried and is quitting the paper. Well, with just one sophisticated cock of his eyebrow, we know Cary Grant isn't about to let this happen. What follows is 90 minutes of the most delicious romantic comedy you'll ever watch.

One of the most fascinating parts of the film is the breakneck speed of the dialogue. My netflix cover says this: One archivist actually timed the hurricane delivery of the actors at 240 words per minute, about 100-140 wpm faster than the average speaking rate! But as a writer, what fascinates me the most isn't so much the fast delivery, but the fact that it's funny, smart and filled with sexual innuendo. So even though this movie came out a couple of decades before I was born, and the references are outdated, I can still find lots to identify with. And that's what I want to do with my own characters in my own stories. I want their dialogue to resonate with my readers. And what better way to do research, than sit in front of the tv with a bowl of popcorn and a great old flick?

American Title II Winner Announced!

Now that the Romantic Times Convention has come and gone, I can finally announce who won the American Title II contest. It was Gerri Russell with her wonderful Scottish medieval manuscript, The Warrior Trainer.

It's been a long six months and while a part of me is sad the contest is over, I'm thrilled that Gerri's dream of publication is going to come true in January of 2007!

Friday morning at the convention, the finalists had a breakfast that I had hoped to attend, but unfortunately, work and family obligations kept me away. But I plan to make up for it by partying in Atlanta this July when I meet up with the finalists who will be attending the RWA National convention.

Reading about Gerri's experience brought a big ole fat lump to my throat.

Oh, and check out the beautiful cover Dorchester designed for her book!

Felt like being sneaky

I haven't hijacked Maria's blog since she unveiled her new look, so I thought today would be a good day to pop that cherry.

Here's another picture of Clive, courtesy of our CP Louisa. (who still doesn't have a blog so I STILL can't link to her) Clive is currently Maria's inspiration for her latest Regency Set Hero. MMMMMM and what an inspiration he is...

And let me tell you, this is a story you won't want to miss.

Louisa (from here on known as "the blogless one" or TBO) is writing a story about a Big Demon who is also a hunka-hunka-burnin' love. Anyone familiar with All My Children will recognize this sexy actor :
and since I just finished reading her love scene, I can honestly say, I want myself a demon lover, too. TBO is a helluva writer.

My current hero is a combination of two men: Jude Law and Heath Ledger. Who wouldn't want some of that?

My new Look!

Thank you Gemmak Designs!

MI 3

On Mel's recommendation, I went to see Mission Impossible 3 on Mother's Day with Mike and the little kids (ages 13 and 14-so I guess not so little)

It was great. Lots of action. And I mean, lots of action. My favorite part of these movies is when they do the mask bit. You know what I'm talking about. When they "create" a perfect image of someone with a rubber mask (but you actually know it's the actor playing himself)

Phillip Seymour Hoffman was a great bad guy. And Tom Cruise, well, he was Tom Cruise. I'm convinced the guy must have found the Fountain of Youth. He's like 42 and still looks 12. Although a very hot 12.

I give MI 3 a big thumbs up. But, I must warn you. There's lots of explosions. My friend Cindy from work is convinced that Tom has put subliminal messages promoting Scientology into the explosion scenes. If I start acting weird in the next few weeks, then we'll know she was right...

Wrong!

Mel has said she will never again watch American Idol after Chris got the boot last week. And we both said we wouldn't watch Survivor again if Danielle won the million. She didn't. Which means we'll still be watching the show, but it was close. Danielle and Aras in the final 2 was just wrong. It so should have been Terry and Cirie. They were by far, the best players out there. But as usual, those who fly under the radar get rewarded. At least both Terry and Cirie won cars, which is a bit of a consolation. And at least we got to hear Shane one last time. No matter what anyone else says about it, I still like him.

Internet Junkies Anonymous

You know you are hooked to the internet, when...

You get in the car with your laptop, drive to the nearest hotel, then hang out in the parking lot just to use their wireless internet connection. Yup. That's what I've had to resort to in the past couple of days just to get my fix (said hotel was the one we stayed at recently when we were remodeling our floors) Yes, I know, I could probably go to Starbucks and have a cup of java while legitimately using their wireless internet, but somehow, this hotel parking lot thing seems a lot more fun.

For someone who spent most of their life without the internet, you'd think a few days without it would be a piece of cake.

Wrong.

I'm dying out here. For some reason, Tuesday morning (My God... has it only been 3 days?) I woke up to no internet access. I think it has something to do with that pesky modem/router thing set up in the den. After figuring out that the cable wasn't out and playing with said modem/router for half a day, I finally gave up and let Mike Geraci take over. A new router and modem later, it's still not working. Hubby promises he'll have it all taken care of this weekend, or early next week at the latest. Let's hope he's right, because I'm beginning to scare myself.

That said, I'm expecting a new "look" for my blog. I wanted something fun, something that said a little bit about my personality and what I write, so I requested a blog makeover from Gemmak Designs. If you go down to the lower right hand corner, you'll see her In Process column. I'm currently in process! Marcia--that's me. Sigh. I'm not sure why Maria looks like Marcia to so many people, but I'm used to it. I gave her a few ideas, color schemes, etc and I'm anxious to see what she comes up with.

NO!!!

God Lord. What the hell is that ???

That's just one of the reasons that I screamed NO! when Shane's flame was snuffed tonight. Love em, hate em, or think he's ready to be Baker Acted, it doesn't matter. He's one of the most entertaining Survivors ever and I'm going to miss him.

Tonight, in some sort of weird power play, Aras and Cirie turned against Shane. I'm still not sure why, except I guess they think that whiney, spoiled Danielle will be easier to beat in the final 2. But for Aras to say that he can back out of his alliance with Shane because Shane wanted to take Courtney to the final 2 is just bull. Aras really disappointed me tonight. He was a total ass.

I really hope the final 2 are Terry and Cirie. Both of them have beat the odds and deserve to be there.

Lucky Break

My friend Jan Conwell's new book just came out today! I had the privilege of reading the first couple of chapters last year while she was working on it and it was fantastic! It's available through Triskelion Publishing.

Here's the blurb:

Fiona Wright has no money and no job, but plenty of unpaid bills. When she’s offered a lucrative job teaching aircraft maintenance, she takes it—qualified or not. Will McCrae, assigned to train her, is her perfect idea of Mr. Wrong.

TSgt Will McCrae's job is to turn a flighty, overdressed, neo-hippy into an Aircraft Maintenance instructor. Despite his misgivings, when duty calls, he answers, strictly by the regs. But how exactly are the regulations going to help him, when she walks through his classroom door—and into his heart?

A little Inspiration can't hurt

Especially not when it comes in the form of Clive Owen.

So I'm trying to write 2 things at once. My new historical, In Love and War, and keep up with my contemporary, The Chruch of Bunco. In order to get my mind going in the right direction I really need a strong visual picture to keep me on track. Since my hero in In Love and War is physically modeled after Clive, what better way to keep things straight than this picture over my computer?

WOW

Terry is this season's Survivor super stud. No doubt about it. I think the man pees testosterone.

But last night proved that Cirie is mentally in control of the game. She single handedly got Courtney's flame torched. Did you see the look on Shane's face? Huh? He was totally stunned. Go back to your blackberry, Shane, Cirie will tell you who to vote out next week, cuz I have news for you. She's planning to take you to the final 2. That is, if she's smart. Which the woman has definitely proved she is (and she can catch fish, too)

With the annoying Courtney gone, the most logical person to take into the finals will be Shane. Anyone, even Shane's imaginary blackberry can beat Shane.

The question is now, what will win out: Terry's brawn or Cirie's brain? Stay tuned till next week...

Would I do it again?

Gina announced on the American Title 2 loop the other day that Dorchester Publishing is now calling for entries for the American Title 3 contest, which really brings home the fact that American Title 2 is over. Almost, that is (The winner of AT 2 is still to be announced during the Romantic Times Convention in May taking place in Daytona Beach).

The news made me a little melancholy. Has a whole year gone by already? And why does time seem to move faster as I get older? And more importantly, knowing what I know now, would I enter AT 2 again?

I can answer that last question with an enthusiastic YES.

Now, I admit, there are times when I went a little wacko with this contest, which my wonderful friend and cp, Mel can attest to . Remember Mel, on pain of death you can never repeat anything I said during the time period I now jokingly refer to as "those crazy 48 hours". But other than that, I can absolutely, positively say the contest was one of the most positive experiences of my life.

Some of what I learned:

I received validation as a writer. I thought I had a pretty good story, and I thought I was getting "there", but having a publishing company think my ms was good enough to publish feels pretty damn good.

I learned all about deadlines. When people at RT say ASAP, they mean yesterday :))

I REALLY got to know my story. Having to write character sketchs on your hero and heroine in less than 75 words can make you get awful cozy with your own characters. Oh, and can you send that to NY ASAP, please?

I had a great excuse to tell people that I'm a writer. A lot of people already knew, but a lot didn't.

I learned tons about self-promotion. This was painful for me at first, and it's still not my cup of tea, but I'm getting there...

I got this great blog :))

I got to know 10 of the nicest, most supportive writers ever--my fellow American Title 2 finalists.

And last but certainly not least, I learned that my friends rock, which I knew, but I truly didn't expect the level of support I received from friends and family. And that, made even "those crazy 48 hours" worth it.

So for those of you thinking about entering AT 3, I say go for it! You never know what great things just might be in store for you.

My Publix Love Scene

This one's for you, Keely...

I have a standing joke at work--before going home I'm hitting Publix. Since I work at night and get off at 7am, it's the perfect time to grocery shop. It's still cool (relatively so, being that I live in Florida) and there's no one at the store. I can zip in, and zip out. I say this at least once a week. Do I actually go to Publix? Sometimes, but more often, by the time 7am rolls around, I'm just way too tired after 12 hours of birthin babies and all I can think about is bed.

But the other morning I was determined. I had to get dog food. So I made my usual announcement at work, "I'm off to Publix!" Keely just laughed. She knew for sure that when I came into work that night, I'd say I had skipped out. Well, in retrospect, that's would I should have done. But then, maybe not. I actually got some good writing time in...

Once I got in the store, I not only got dog food, I was on a roll. I got an entire cart full of groceries (Must be those subliminal messages they put in the Muzak) By the time I was finished, I was exhausted and completely ready to hit my bed. So instead of taking my groceries out to the car myself, I let Bobby (the sweetest bag boy in the world) take them out. Now, since I was in my hospital scrubs, I had my keys in one pocket and my debit card in another. I guess I must have used my keys at some point to open the car trunk. Right? All I know is when Bobby slammed down the trunk to the car, I had that eerie creepy feeling that something wasn't quite right. But it was too late. The car was shut down, and yup... you guessed it. I had no keys. Poor Bobby. You should have seen the look on his face when he realized we had just locked the keys in my trunk.

Now, if I was thinking (as opposed to whatever was going through my head) I would have called AAA and that would be the end of it. But I forgot all about AAA. Instead, I called Mike Geraci to come save me. Unfortunately, Mike Geraci works on the other side of town and was already in his first meeting of the day. But he promised he'd get there asap.

So I found an empty bench in front of the Bone Fish Grill (conveniently located right next door to Publix- I only wish they were open at 8am so I could have gone in for a stiff drink) and did what all serious writers do. I wrote. Now, I had no paper with me. But I did find a pen on the floor and I had a grocery receipt longer than I want to think about, so I improvised. I wrote (in my own convulted shorthand) the love scene to my new historical on the back of the grocery receipt. Originally, I had titled that scene the Yes/No love scene (I give all my scenes little titles) but now, of course, it can only be referred to as My Publix Love scene. Of course, it needs some serious layering, but hey, it's a pretty good scene!

One hour later, as I was dozing on the bench, my hero arrived and I was saved. By this time, the parking lot was full and the temperature was already in the mid 80's and climbing. You should have seen me scramble to grab that grocery receipt. No way did I want to leave that behind. I can only imagine the look on some senior's face if they had found it and read the back!

Psychotic Bunnies

Remember Bunnicula? That great childrens book in which the dog and the cat (Chester and Harold) thought the family pet bunny was really a vampire in disguise? Well, apparently they aren't the only ones who should be leery of Bugs and his relatives. My friend Kitty's sister-in-law, Erin, was attacked last Saturday by the Easter Bunny.

Pretty creepy thinking about who might be under those suits, huh?

Maybe one day I'll work this into a story. But then, no one would probably believe it!

Diana's Diversions: Julie Elizabeth Leto on Getting it Written

OOOPS!
Sorry, Maria. I didn't mean to hijack your blog today. I linked to Diana's post and I guess you had blogged last so it linked to your blog instead of mine. LOL



Diana's Diversions: Julie Elizabeth Leto on Getting it Written

This is a great post.

I'd like to add my thoughts to it...

I've been writing almost 4 years exactly. In that time I've finished one manuscript and I have 2 more half complete and a 3rd in proposal form. (about 75 pages and fully plotted out)

I worked on my complete manuscript for 2 years. I kept going back and revising the first few chapters and not going forward. It really hurt my writing. I became stagnant because I stopped learning the craft. I can't tell you what a feeling it was to finally finish the manuscript!

Finishing was a big deal...but I think the most important thing is to just write. Don't get stuck in trying to make your first few chapters perfect. Just write. It makes a difference. Your voice gets stronger with every new scene you write.

Your style develops with every new idea you start.

Your passion for the craft of writing increases with every breakthrough you have!

By the end of this year, I will have 2 more completed novels. I've already started playing with another 2 ideas. These ideas didn't come to me until after I finally finished the first manuscript.

You have to write forward, otherwise you're just treading water.

The Displaced Person

Remember reading this in high school? Okay, well, maybe not. But work with me here. I went to Catholic school and O'Connor was high up on the reading list. Lately, I've been facing my own displacement issues. For the past 2 weeks my family and I have been living in a state of constant interruption while the floors in the house have been torn out and replaced (How Mel did this for months and months I'm not quite sure)

Not that I'm complaining. I hardly even recognize my own house. It's like it's had plastic surgery. The floor magician, Dave (aka Hollywood) and his little dog Sherwood have become regular fixtures at casa Geraci. I'm almost going to be sad to see them go. Almost being the operative word here. I don't mind admitting that I'm counting the days when I can go back to hanging around in my pj's eating bon bons and writing all day long. Ha! (in my dreams!)

Speaking of writing... I decided to give The Church of Bunco a short hiatus while I polish up the opening to my follow up historical to The War Bride. It's tentatively called In Love and War. I've pretty much gotten the first 3 chapters down, but I now need a synopsis. Sigh... I'll let you know how that goes.

I just got my copy of Deidre Knight's new book Parallel Attraction. Not only does it have a great cover, it promises to be a great story. Here's the set up:

It has been years since exiled alien king Jared Bennett thought of anything other than his people’s fight for freedom. Now his rebel force has the one weapon that can turn the tide against their enemy: the key to the secrets of time. Victory has never been closer—but one woman has the power to change everything.Kelsey Wells can’t deny that there is something unearthly about her fierce attraction to Jared Bennett. His revelations about alien wars and time travel can’t possibly be fact—yet with every seductive touch, every searing kiss, Kelsey circles closer to the truth: that although Jared is exactly what he says, he hasn’t told her everything. And when the future crashes into the present, Kelsey must decide if his deception will cost them the love that should have been their destiny.

For more info go here. I can't wait to start reading!

I have an agent!

Last night, my husband and I, along with our youngest, went out to Food, Glorious, Food a wonderful Tallahassee restaurant that serves some of the best food in town. Little did I know that it was really a premature celebration dinner. I got home to an email from the lovely, smart, talented, insightful (did I say smart?) Deidre Knight of the The Knight Agency. She wants to rep me! I was so excited I could have screamed, but I'm one of those strange people that when she receives really good news gets really quiet (maybe the Cuban in me thinks I'll put a jinx on the whole thing if I say it out loud) So after smiling at my computer like an idiot for about ten minutes, I ran to the living room where my husband was watching basketball. His response: "Well of course, you're very talented."

Humph....

So there was no question as to who I was calling first--my lovely, smart, talented, insightful (did I say smart?) cp Mel who did all the shreiking for me. Deidre is Mel's agent and Mel is the one who introduced us. Thank you, Mel!

Going back to the premature celebration that went on yesterday, I discovered (thanks to my 13 year old daughter) a new shoe store opening in Tallahassee. It's called Polka Dot Shoes Isn't that a great name? In honor of my yet-to-be-good news I bought 2 new pairs of shoes (actually they are really revved up flipflops, but that's okay, cuz this is Florida)

I'm really looking forward to working with Deidre. She's smart, savvy, talented (did I say smart?) and thinks that my historical The War Bride has what it takes to get published.

***THIS IS MEL. I HAVE HIJACKED MARIA'S BLOG FOR A MOMENT***

I am so excited for Maria, but I have to address one tiny thing. I introduced D and Maria, but that's it. Maria's talent got her the representation offer. She has written a fantastic Regency-set historical that will catch eyes and turn heads because she's a helluva writer.

***WE RETURN YOU BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOG***

Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys?

That's the central theme question behind the newest Spike Lee joint Inside Man. I took the kids to see it yesterday (while Mike was playing golf...ahem, you missed a great flick, Mike--but don't worry, I'll go see it again just for you) The film is rated R, and while my kids aren't little (I have 3 teenagers) I was a little hesitant about my youngest seeing it. And while there was some really strong language in the film (yup, they use the c*** word) I'm really gald I took them. It stars Denzel Washington (yum), Jodie Foster (love her!) and the deliciously yummy Clive Owen, who should be the next 007, damn it, but I digress...

After the movie (which is about a bank robbery in Manhattan) the 2 youngest kids and I talked about it in the car. I was really surprised (but I shouldn't be, cuz I have really smart kids) that they actually GOT it. Yes, it was a thriller, an action packed movie with guns and excitement and even a few laughs, but beyond that, they actually got the message behind the movie (because you know that being a Spike Lee film, there's lots of those)

I give this one a big thumbs up!

Oh, and speaking of good guys, my friend, Terri Garey whose book Dead Girls are Easy (isn't that an awesome title--it's coming out some time this year!) is related to one of the super good guys. Her brother in law is a Federal officer who works on the FBI's Innocent Images task force, tracking down Internet predators and pedophiles. (Anyone see the recent Dateline report, 'To Catch A Predator'?) In addition to devoting the last 21 years of his life to making other people's lives safer, Phil's an all-around great guy, and he's just been nominated as an America's Most Wanted All-Star.The grand prize is $10,000 and a trip. Like most contests these days, it's based on votes. Please take a second to go vote for Phil Dubord at America's Most Wanted All-Star.
Thanks for your vote!

The Easiest Way to buy a Book

You know the old saying: Don't judge a book by it's cover. But in this case, I certainly hope the saying is wrong. Yowza! This anthology features a fellow RWA Online chapter mate of mine, Teresa Bodwell. I just bought the book through RWA Online's Cybersignings program.

The program features different books each month, all personally signed by the authors themselves. You purchase them online and voila! A few days later you get the books in the mail. It's that simple.

I just bought 6 new books sitting in front of the computer with my jammies on. It doesn't get much easier than that!

Round 5 Begins!

Yesterday was the beginning of Round 5 of the American Title 2 contest. It's hard to believe that we're finally to the end! It seems like just yesterday (and also like forever) that the contest started. I'd like to congratulate all my fellow finalists. We've become a close little group and it was incredibly difficult for me to vote for just one of them yesterday. If I had my way, we'd all get publishing contracts (and one day, we will!)

I was so sad to see my friend Gina eliminated in this last round. The Raven's Revenge made it almost all the way to the end and Gina deserves a huge round of applause. She was the founder of our American Title 2 loop and is such an inspiration for me. I know that only great things are in store for Gina.

Another RWA Online chaptermate of mine Michele Young was also eliminated in the last round. Michele's manuscript is set in the Regency time period just like mine, so I was very sad to see Michele eliminated. But the good news is that another of her novels, Pistols at Dawn is coming out this June from Five Star Expression. You can bet that I'll be buying a copy of that!

This leaves 2 really talented ladies left in the competition:

Gerri Russell

and

Ruth Kaufmann


One of them will win a publishing contract from Dorhester and your vote can make it happen!
Go to www.americantitle2.com and vote by April 2 for the best Romantic scene.

Sexy Ugly

I first heard the term used in the movie Kissing Jessica Stein, one of my favorite romantic comedies (If you haven't seen it, run to the video store!) As you can see from the pics, Jessica is sort of torn between 2 lovers. And while I love Helen (in a strictly straight girl platonic sort of way) I absolutely adore Josh (played by the very yummy Scott Cohen) who I think is one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood.

But I digress...

In the flick, Helen uses the term sexy ugly to describe Harvey Keitel, who, I don't necessarily find sexy, but apparently there are lots of women who do. And in my current wip, The Church of Bunco, Carmen (my heroine's sassy Cuban best friend) uses it to describe her husband, Mick.

I asked a few of my friends and co-workers who they thought was sexy ugly. This is what we came up with:

Nicholas Cage
Sarah Jessica Parker
Helen Hunt
Harrison Ford (Harrison Ford??? Judi are you hosing me?)
Heath Ledger (Mel thought I was crazy--she thinks Heath is just sexy, period, but I'm sticking to this one)
Mick Jagger
Adrien Brody
James Woods
Ed Harris

There were some more, but you get my drift. Interestingly, I fould that sexy ugly is just like sexy beautiful.

It's all in the eye of the beholder, baby.

My new favorite player

No. I'm not fickle. I never said Shane was my favorite. Not really. He's just so entertaining. But I don't necessarily want Shane to win the million. I just want him to keep me laughing.

Austin (as seen on left) has definitely emerged as my favorite Survivor this season. He's smart, not too bad to look at and a writer to boot. What else can you ask for?

Last night Austin proved his power over Terry when he got Terry to vote out his pal Dan. I loved Dan. He was a great guy, but the handwriting was on the wall for him. Austin also got Terry to keep Sally over Ruthmarie 2 weeks ago. Although Terry seems like the leader of the tribe, I think it's definitely Austin who's running the show.

Good.

I'd love to see Austin win this whole thing. Ethan from Africa is the only young guy to actually win the game. It's high time for it to happen again.

My new favorite player?

I wouldn't exactly go that far, but I have to say if Shane leaves Survivor next week, I'll be disappointed.

No doubt that his nicotine deprived skinny ass is annoying. WAY annoying. But the guy really impressed me last night. And I never thought I'd say that. I mean, here's a guy who begged his fellow survivors to send him home on day 3 because he needed a cigarette and has his tribemates swearing loyalty on his son's life (yuck!)

But I can't deny that he's been performing really well in the challenges. He's emerged as one of the strongest players out there.

After his tribe lost the Immunity challenge, Shane told his alliance they needed to vote out Bobby. Even though Bobby was a strong player, Shane felt like he would flip sides once they merged. Pretty intuitive of ole Smokey (my new nickname for Shane) considering that Bobby had just told Bruce that exact same thing in the outhouse the night before (uh...yeah, Bobby and Bruce actually spent the night together in the outhouse after Bobby had stolen the team's only bottle of wine)

But when his alliance wouldn't listen, Shane caved in and made a deal with Bobby, shaking hands on his son's life.

Then... of course, came the switcheroo. Yes! said the girls. You're right. We need to vote out Bobby. He's crude and not a gentleman. Which of course, is the perfect reason to vote out someone in Survivor (What the hell are these girls thinking?!)

So Shane blew a casket. Why didn't you tell me this an hour ago?! I just shook hands with the dude!

Now Shane faces a dilemna. Go with his alliance and his gut and vote out Bobby which would mean breaking his word, or stick to his word and screw up his game plan.

I wondered what ole Smokey would do. Well, the dude surprised me. He voted for Aras. It was a throw away vote because he knew Bobby had enough votes to kick him off. Thus, he kept his word and he still got what he wanted. I was impressed. Apparently Shane's word is his bond and the 3 packs of ciggies a day haven't completely killed all his brain cells.

In the previews for next week, we see the girls plotting to vote out Shane. To this I say, No! Please don't vote him out. He's just too damn entertaining!

My Last Bachelor

Yup. That's it. Kaput. Done. The End.

This was by far, the worst season of The Bachelor ever. Ironically, Travis is probably the best bachelor the show has ever had. In real life. But as a tv reality show bachelor, he sucks.

Rumor has it that the producers found him and had to convince him to be on the show. Let that be a lesson for them. ABC, find people who actually want to be there. It's the only way you're going to get a show that is halfway entertaining. I think poor Travis thought 6 weeks in Paris would be fun and a great escape from his harried schedule as an ER resident. But the joke was on him. It only took 2 shows before he began to look uncomfortable and sound stilted. It was like watching an animal stuck in a trap that he couldn't even chew his way out of.

And shame on ABC for using Moana as a ratings tool. Sure, no one forced the girl to be there and her self-inflicted victim routine got old, but she's a real live person with real feelings. Watching her crash and burn last night was beyond unpleasant. It was painful.

In the end, it did work out for Travis. He narrowed his selection down to 2 women who couldn't be more different. Sarah was the sun and Moana was the moon. Sarah was peace and joy, laughter and comfort. Moana was excitement and danger and drama. And Travis is definitely not a drama kind of guy, so he picked Sarah.

And speaking of drama, could the producers not have prepped Travis a little better with his final speech to Sarah? Not only wasn't it romantic, it was choppy and awkward. Sort of like his "Are you a sexual person?" speech. But I'm afraid what we saw last night was the real Travis. A gorgeous, intelligent, super nice guy who can't string 3 words together. In real life, a super catch. In TV reality world, a boring dud.


I wish the producers didn't feel the need to give us "high drama" or to fool us with their crappy editing. I don't want to see people hurt or made fun of. I want to see a romance. Which is why from now on, I'll just stick to reading them.

Okay, I give up. I'm hooked!

Poor George. Was there anything more painful to watch than that awful love scene (if you could call it that) between him and Meredith on Grey's Anatomy tonight?

What was Meredith- or as I like to call her- Lizard Face (because, sorry, she's looks like a reptile with weird eyes to me) thinking??? Did she not know she was going to break George's heart? Of course she did! Her "I didn't know I didn't want to sleep wih you until we did it" crap was the lamest excuse I've ever heard. She and Dr. McDreamy deserve each other. He's another one that makes me reach for the blue emesis bag (that's vomit bag for those of you not in the profession) He needs to shit or get off the pot. His "let's meet by accident every morning and be friends" thing is almost as bad as her idea of sleeping with George. Wrong, People!!

Okay, now that I've vented a bit, I will take my crow with a little salt and ketchup please. I've been avoiding this show like the plague. I really don't like medical shows. But Mel (all knowing and wise one) and Erin (all knowing and wise one II) are huge fans of the show, along with just about everyone else I know. So I figure, hey, if you can't beat em, join em.

And they are absolutely right. Grey's Anatomy is one of the best new shows on TV.

Now, if we can just get George and that spunky Dr. Torres together...

Napoleon had his Waterloo...and so did I

Unfortunately, it came in the form of Round 3 of the American Title II Contest. But there are still 4 fantastic writers battling it out to be this year's winner. Two of them, Gina Black and Michele Young are RWA Online chapter mates of mine. All 4 ladies have great dialogue scenes featured in this round, so don't forget to vote. Go to www.americantitle2.com by March 5. This round is crucial and every vote is important!

As I've said before, this contest has been a wonderful learning tool for me. I'd like to thank everyone who voted and lent me such unconditional support--my fellow RWA Online chapter mates, my family, friends and especially all the wonderful people who work in Labor and Delivery at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital. You rock!

Two Weddings and a Funeral

No, it's not the name of a new Hugh Grant movie. Although I wish he'd make another flic soon. I need my Hugh fix!

On Sunday, my aunt died. She will be sorely missed, but she lived a long, full life. The last time I was in Miami was for a wedding. We've had 2 family weddings in the past 2 years and last Wednesday we had a funeral. As sad as a funeral is, there is also an upside to them. They reconnect us with family and friends. They bring us back to our roots. They remind us how precious life is and that we have to savor every minute we have with those we love.

So, now I'm barely back from Miami (an 8 hour trip from Tallahassee-- Florida is a very long state) and I'm headed back on the road again. I was supposed to be in Gatlinburg yesterday with my writing buddies, aka- Mel, Pam, Angie and Lisa. We've rented a cabin in the Smoky Mountains and we're going to write our butts off (ha!) . As much as I hate the thought of getting back in that car for another long drive, I'm also excited. I need to see my friends again and I need to refocus on my writing.

I won't have internet access till I get back, but don't forget that Round 4 of the American Title Contest starts Monday, Feb 20. The 4 remaining finalists are all awesome and I can't wait to read all the dialogue scenes. Go to www.americantitle2 to vote!

The SuperBowl commercial that never was

Any one else disappointed in the commercials during the SuperBowl? For me at least, the commercials are the best part. Now, don't get me wrong. I love football. College football, that is. But professional football, outside of the Tampa Bay Bucs, leaves me cold. By halftime I was convinced there wasn't any more creativity left in NY advertising. I mean, is a revolving fridge full of beer the best they can come up with? Then I found out about the banned Xbox commercial. My son showed it to me. Here it is:

http://microsoft.blognewschannel.com/index.php/archives/2005/11/22/banned-xbox-360-ad-best-ad-ever/

Is it violent? Well, yes, I guess it is. But there's no weapons (that you can see), no blood shed, and no one is injured or dies. But it's also fun, innovative and one of the best commercials I've seen in a long time.

I just don't get it. Maybe I'm jaded or maybe my idea of violence is off. I mean, one of my favorite movies of all time is Unforgiven, yet Silence of the Lambs makes me physically ill. Maybe the reason I don't get it is because this commercial reminds me of the way little boys used to play on the playground while I was growing up... before little boys started bringing automatic weapons to school. Maybe this new generation is just too impressionable for make believe. In which case, I guess Micorsoft's call not to air the commercial was a good one and a responsible one from a legal standpoint. But it still makes me sad.

Round 3 Voting is over

and I can't tell if I made it to the next round of the American Title II contest until February 20th, so stay tuned.

But doesn't my book look nice? LOL! This is from a fun website that my fellow RWA Online chaptermate Terri Garey recommended. Terri has her first book coming out this year titled "Dead Girls are Easy". It promises to be a fantastic book and I can't wait to read it.

Thank you to my friends and family for all the wonderful support you've given me through this contest. It means a lot to me!

Only 2 more days left to vote!

Voting for Round 3 of the American Title II Contest ends tomorrow. If you haven't voted yet, then please do so! Go to www.americantitle2.com or you can go to webmaster@romantictimes.com and place my title THE WAR BRIDE in the subject line.

Thanks to everyone for their wonderful support!

Looking back on January 2006

Wow. This month has really whizzed by and the scary thing is I don't feel like I've accomplished much. I started out with all these great writing goals. Following Stephen King's advice (not to me personally, he he, but to aspiring authors in general ) I planned to write 3 hours a day. That maybe lasted, oh, one or two days. And not in a row.

Then I decided not to be so hard on myself and write only on my days off work. I only work 3 days a week (or nights to be exact) but they are 12 hour shifts and sometimes I end up "losing" a day just catching up on sleep. And then something would come up on the weekend, and before you knew it, I had maybe only written one day that week.

So, thouroughly disgusted with myself, I sat back and tried to analyze what's holding me back. And because I love to analyze, I finally found something I could sink my teeth into. I'm not writing as much as I would like because I'm not writing the way I started out a few years ago. I've always been a natural born story teller. But now that I've become "educated" in the art of writing the story, some of my umph seems to be missing. I'm worrying too much about all the "parts" that need to be in my story. You know what I'm talking about. GMC, internal conflict, external conflict, black moment, etc. etc...

I'm not saying that you shouldn't have those things in your story. And God knows, I have to start with a plan. But I think I've just been overthinking things lately. As my pal Mel says, I have to go with my instincts. And since she always gives the best advice, I know she's right. Now, if she'd only believe me when I say my instincts tell me that Sarah Tennessee is gonna win The Bachelor...

And the Final Rose goes to...

Sarah from Tennessee. Yup. You heard it here first.

I'm going out on a limb and making my Bachelor prediction a little early, but I have almost no doubt in my mind that Sarah from Tennessee will get Travis's final rose. Even though there's only been 3 episodes so far of The Bachelor-Paris, careful examination of all the facts show that all roads lead to Sarah. Which is ironic, really, because Sarah and Travis both live in same town--Nashville. Nice twist, eh? The Bachelor had to go all the way to Paris to fall in love with the girl next door. It's a great tagline for the final episode. ABC execs must be eating it up.

Here's why I think Sarah will be the one to win Dr. McHunky's heart. It's pretty much a given that the final four will be Sarah Canada, Susan, Moana and Sarah Tennesse. Next week, that annoying twit Tara will get the axe, and something dramatic is going to happen with Jehan. Either she leaves the show, doesn't take Travis's rose or Travis doesn't offer her one. My money is on #3. I think ABC is building up next week's Jehan drama into something bigger than it really is.

He isn't going to pick Moana. She's this season's Trish. The Bachelor "bad girl" that we've come to expect and love to hate. Moana makes it to the final 3, though. This will create plenty of angst for Sarah Tennessee who has called Moana a bitch to the cameras and has deemed both Moana and Susan "totally wrong" for Travis.

He also isn't going to pick Sarah Canada. She was the lead horse out of the gate but she's already losing ground. He initially loved her laid back attitude but with each show she's getting more and more possessive. She won't make it to the fantasy dates. At least I hope not. The girl gets on my nerves.

This leads the final show down to Susan, the sex kitten vs. Sarah, the kindergarten teacher/girl next door. Travis was practically drooling over Susan on their one on one date last week. Susan is "ridiculousy beautiful" as Travis puts it. But so far, all they've shown between them is a glassy-eyed Travis and Susan proclaiming that's she's one "smitten kitten" over him.

I think Susan will definitely give Sarah a run for her money, but in the end, hometown girl will win. I just didn't get it until last Monday's show, but all the signs are there.Sarah Tennessee is the only girl on the show that's gotten a hard time from Travis. He's constantly probing her, testing her out. And that's because he's interested.

Episode 1: Sarah tells Travis that she was nervous about meeting the other girls. He immediately gets a serious look on his face. Don't you get along with other girls? Sarah gets nervous and is afraid she's given Travis the wrong impression. She's worried she won't get a rose. But she does...

Episode 2: Sarah tells Travis that she's been friends first with every guy she's ever dated seriously. Again, Travis calls her out on that, implying that Sarah isn't impulsive enough to go for love/attraction at first sight. Again, we listen to Sarah in the interviews saying that she thinks she blew it and is worried about getting a rose. But she gets one...

Finally, Episode 3: Travis and Sarah have the only real conversation we've seen this season on the deck of the boat. This time, he goes in for the kill. He says to Sarah: "I'm thinking, this girl never dates. This girl likes to hang out with the other girls. Is she passionate?" And the look on his face when he asks her this is serious, engaged. Sarah gets flustered, they share another look that makes Travis seem a kid on his first date. And then bimbo Tara interupts them and Sarah looks ready to kill her. Sigh. I was ready to kill her!

And finally, there's the fact that I'm now of the opinion that Sarah is really the most attractive girl left. She's not obvious beautiful, like Susan. But she's girl next door beautiful. She's not afraid to let the cameras catch her in glasses and no makeup. And I have to say, that on Casino Night she was by far the classiest one there. The top picture doesn't do her justice, but the gold dress was out of this world. Ultimately, Sarah is the one that fits Travis best. I can see her getting down and dirty while camping, or looking glamorous in the ballroom. Now, I just want to see some sparks between them. And I think we will. Starting next week.

Labor and Delivery Nurse writes Romance in the Closet

Isn't that a great title for a newspaper story? My friend Rosanne came up with that idea. The local paper didn't buy it, at least not yet. But I'm ready for the day they come knocking on my door.

When I started writing 3 years ago I wrote on the family computer in the den. But the distractions were just too much. And since I'm a plotter who needs absolute solitude and quiet (see my friend Mel's blog to take the Writing quiz) it didn't take me long to realize I needed a space of my own. Trouble was, with 3 kids, we didn't have the extra room. So when my husband offered me his closet (yes, his closet) I jumped on it.

It's not a big space, but it's big enough to house my desk, chair, a small filing cabinet, a CD player and still let me walk a few steps in each direction. This weekend I made the space truly my own by painting it Sherwin Williams Ivorie, recommended by my sister Carmen, the Interior Designer. The color, btw, is not really ivory. To me, ivory implies white. Instead, its a cream color with gold undertones. Very warm. I think Sherwin Williams and the crayola people need to get a grip. In their quest for original sounding names almost half of the names given don't even come close to matching the color.

I also got a new desk and lamp. The lamp, which you probably can't see too well cuz the picture came out sort of dark, has this cool sort of African design on it.

So, this is where I write. The space might be small, but my ideas and dreams are not.

Round Three

I'm happy to announce that The War Bride has made it to Round 3 of the American Title II Contest. While this is exciting for me, I'm very sad to see Theresa Meyers, Lois Templin and my fellow RWA Online chaptermate Debra Parmley eliminated. They've all written wonderful books that I hope to be able to see in print soon.

Round Three features Best Story Summary.

THE WAR BRIDE

As a British spy during the Napoleonic wars, Miles Mountkeefe thrives on danger and excitement. When his partner is murdered during a routine mission, Miles suspects they were double-crossed. Hell-bent on discovering who betrayed them, he travels to London with a coded letter he is convinced will help him solve the murder -- a letter that only his partner's widow, Tess Beauchamp, can decipher.

While the letter contains nothing that will help Miles, it reveals to Tess that her illegitimate daughter, whom she believed dead, is alive somewhere in Spain. With Miles' help, Tess knows she can save her daughter; but this spoiled son of nobility, infamous for his rakish reputation, is the last man on earth Tess wants to trust. Determined to seize the opportunity to right the wrongs of her past, Tess persuades Miles to escort her to Spain, supposedly to search for her husband's killer.

Miles is accustomed to dealing with ladies who instantly fall for his charm, but Tess is a different kind of woman; her tenacity and lively spirit irritate and fascinate him. And Tess is shocked to find that Miles' bravery and sense of loyalty make him a different man than she once imagined.

Together, they reluctantly join forces. But opposing agendas, dangerous secrets, double agents and a burning attraction they can't deny make their journey more perilous than either of them bargained for.

Come check out the voting website to read the rest of the summaries at www.americantitle2.com. Remember to cast your vote by February 5!

To Bunco or not to Bunco...and about that DVR

Last night, I unBunco'd. That's what you do when you set out to play Bunco, but you don't. We meant to play. We really did. The Bunco Broads (the best damn Bunco group in Tallahassee... take that back, the world) met at my house for our monthly session of the most exciting dice game there is (at least outside of Vegas). But we got sidetracked. Instead of rolling dice, gossiping and screaming with laughter, we sat around the fire, gossiped and screamed with laughter. Oh, and I got tons of great advice on my writing career and since my current wip, The Church of Bunco, is centered around a heroine whose main passion in life includes among other things, Bunco and the film Bull Durham, I thought it was quite apropo. The funny thing is, I never missed the Bunco. Which of course, is the main point of my post. It's not what you do, it's who you do it with.

Now, on to that *******DVR of mine. What's the point of having a smart techno machine automatically tape all your favorite programs if it keeps cutting off?? After I had unBunco'd and then brainstormed for a couple of hours on the phone with my wonderful cp Mel (who came up with my fab title The Church of Bunco, btw) I sat down on the couch to watch 2 programs I had taped. Love Monkey and Lost. Don't ask me why both these programs ran over their scheduled hour, but they did and my machine cut off the ending. So, I now I have no idea if Jack and Ana Lisa bonded on the beach or if Tom ever signed Wayne or if the evil Eli got his at the end. GRRR!!!! Me and that DVR are going to have words today. Very strong ones.

(You may have noticed I 've decided that Bunco needs to capitalized. If James Frey can do it, then why can't I?)

On Writing

So, I'm not exactly Stephen King, but I do have a few things to say about writing. Number one being, if you're too busy answering posts and playing on the Internet, then you're NOT WRITING. I complained to my husband the other day that I haven't had enough time to write lately. His response: "Really? You were on the computer all day yesterday. What were you doing?"

I couldn't answer him. I know what I was doing. But I didn't want to admit that I've become an internet junkie. I went to my Yahoo! loops directory and discovered that I'm on 23 loops. Yes. 23. Now some of these loops are inactive and some I have to receive individual emails to keep me current on my RWA Online duties. And then of course, there's my Bunco loop. Can't miss any of those messages! And my American Title loop. Gotta have that one. But the majority of those 23 loops are writing related. And while they offer wonderful advice and keep me current, I've decided to go No Mail on them. Keeping current on the latest in the industry is great, but if you're not producing anything to GET you in the industry, then it's time to prioritize.

Of course, this No Internet thing does not apply to blogging :)) I'll still check out all my favorite blogs, but I'm going to limit it to one sweep daily. That's it.

Okay, now on to some writing.

PS. If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it. I promise, it's not scary!

My Eggs are Rotting!

Yes. She actually said this on National TV. Sigh. When will people learn that alcohol and reality TV just don't mix? And this from a female physician! Is it any wonder that Dr. McHunky tossed her out on her ear? And if that wasn't enough, she came back for more: "Am I too short? Are my boobs too small?" (yes, she actually asked him all that) I have to say Dr. McHunky handled her very well.

Last night, The Bachelor started up again. Since I'm a reality TV ho, of course, I was glued in front of my televison. Dr. McHunky (real name: Travis) picked an interesting array of women. My personal faves so far are Sarah (from Canada) and Susan. On the surface, they appear complete opposites, but he seemed to really like them both.

Personally, I find Dr. McHunky to be all that and a bit more. I just hope he doesn't disappoint!

Jane Millionaire and The Bachelor

I just started reading Jane Millionaire by Janice Lynn. This is the book that won last year's American Title Contest. The book is funny and fast paced and very sexy! I can't wait to finish it!

Speaking of reality TV and romance... Now that Survivor is in hiatus, I have another show to look forward to. The Bachelor starts this Monday night! Yes, I know, it's corny and all, but who cares? I already have my trusty DVR (Tivo to some of you) programmed. This season's show was filmed in Paris. The Producers hope this will bring the "original" sense of romance back to the show that suffered such a hit after last year's "Jen" disaster.

This time our hunky guy who can't get a girl in real life is an ER resident. Ha! I can't wait to see this "Dr. McDreamy" in action!

American Title 2 Contest Marches On

Round 2 of the American Title II Contest is now over. This was a particularly grueling round. Not only did it take place during the busy holiday season, but this time, 3 finalists were eliminated. Plus, we didn't find out the results of the votes on the scheduled day due to a glitch in the holiday calendar, adding to the already extensive nail biting going on by all the finalists. I can't post the results , but I can truly say it was a sad day for all of us.

Although there are definitely some negatives to this contest, there are a whole lot more positives. One of us will definitely get published by Dorchester. Perhaps even more than one of us. I've learned a lot about self-promotion. I've made new writing friends that I hope to cheer on as we all get published one day. But the best part of this contest is the enormous support my family and friends have shown me. Their belief in me, and in my writing has touched me in ways I can never express.

Round 3 begins January 23 and will feature Best Story Summary. You'll have to wait till then to see if The War Bride made it.

I'm looking forward to reading all the summaries. I'm betting the competition will be awesome!