A real live chapter!

I feel sort of like Pinocchio jumping around saying he's a real boy, but the analogy is pretty similar. I'm going to have a real live RWA chapter to belong to!

Not that I don't adore my online chapter, RWA Online. It's an awesome community of writers and I'm grateful to have them 24/7. But I've always yearned for some real -live-on-face time with other writers. It's one of the reasons I love going to conferences. Nothing beats the high you get talking about writing with other people who also love talking about writing.

Here's the link to the new chapter: Florida Panhandle Romance Writers.

Best News Evah!!!

This was announced on Publisher's Weekly today:

Rose Hilliard at St. Martin's Press preempted world rights to four books by editor-turned-author Louisa Edwards via Deidre Knight. Set amid the New York restaurant scene, the first book in the series is called Can't Stand the Heat and is slated to launch in fall 2009, with subsequent titles to appear every six months. Knight is a romance author as well as agent, and Edwards was her first editor at NAL. When Edwards left New York publishing, Knight briefly worked with Hilliard, who subsequently left for SMP.

I am so thrilled and excited for Louisa that I can't stand it!!

Writing, Motherhood and Volunteering

Ever since my kids were little, I've always volunteered at whatever function/school event/sports gig they were into. There was probably even a time when I could be considered a professional volunteer. You know the ones- the class mother, etc...

Now that my kids are older and my youngest 2 are in high school, the volunteer days are sparse. A part of me misses the old days, but a bigger part of me is probably relieved. My life is busier now than ever- 2 jobs (nursing and writing) plus helping take care of a house and family. But on the days I do do my volunteer thing, I think I enjoy it more than I did when the kids were little. Probably because it's the only time you can really be around your teenagers when they're doing their thing and they don't seem resentful.

Today, I'm helping with costumes on "Beauty and the Beast". It's an all out high school summer production and it should be awesome. The costumes are being rented from an off Broadway company. I used to be pretty handy with a needle and thread, although it's been awhile since I've sewn. Hopefully, I'll be more help than hindrance:)

Our Town Mondays

My group blog, Title Wave, is undergoing some plastic surgery.

The blog look hasn't changed yet (but it will). What's different right now is the content. We've decided to go with the Our Town Mondays theme created by blogger Travis Erwin.

This Monday is our debut and Gina is blogging about her hometown, LA. Go check it out here.

Live Chat at TKA!

Jessica Andersen & J.R. Ward Chat It Up with TKA this Thursday @ 8pm EST!

JESSICA ANDERSEN, recently picked as one of the “hottest” authors in romance by Publisher’s Weekly, and fellow critique partner, New York Times Bestselling Author, J.R. WARD, will chat with TKA this Thursday. As a special bonus, J.R. will announce the winners of the PURPLE PROSE CONTEST, conducted on her message board last month.

Known for their dynamic characters and mind-bending plot twists, these ladies are forerunners in the field of paranormal romance. Jessica’s latest novel, NIGHTKEEPERS, Book One in THE FINAL PROPHECY SERIES, is based on an ancient Mayan doomsday prophecy, and Book Six of J.R. Ward’s enormously popular, THE BLACK DAGGER BROTHERHOOD SERIES, LOVER ENSHRINED, hit bookshelves this month to worldwide acclaim.

Don’t miss the opportunity to talk with these amazing writers and get the inside scoop on their novels and upcoming projects! Leave a comment in the “Jessica and J.R. Chat It Up” post on the TKA Blog to win a copy of NIGHTKEEPERS and LOVER ENSHRINED. Check back on Thursday to see if you are the lucky winner and read special guest blogger Jess Andersen's views on picking the perfect critique partner.

WHO: Jessica Andersen & J.R. Ward

WHAT: CHATTING LIVE!

WHEN: THURSDAY, JUNE 12th @ 8PM EST

WHERE: TKA CHAT ROOM

HOW TO CHAT: Follow this link TKA CHAT ROOM. Enter a screen name and select “log in.”

Those 2 dirty words: High Concept

It's my turn to blog over at Title Wave today. I blogged on "high concept" a phrase that just a couple of years ago made me cringe. Today, not so much, because I finally think I'm getting it!

On another note, I just finished my second round of revisions for "Church of Bunco". My editor asked me to put in another sex scene, something I was more than happy to do;)

I also sent off the proposal for Bunco book 2, which I'm calling "Bunco Babes Gone Wild". Hopefully, she'll love it. Keep your fingers crossed for me:)

Holy Bull Durham!

Baseball players wearing thongs? Talk about superstitions.

Jason Giambi , a first baseman for the NY Yankees (boo!) admitted last week that he sometimes wears a gold thong under his uniform to help him out of a batting slump.

The ever delicious Derek Jeter ("lazy" eye or not) also admitted to trying it. Man, I'd love to be a fly on the wall in the locker room for that one!

The whole thing reminds of that hysterical scene in Bull Durham when Crash (the Kevin Costner character) persuades Ebby Calvin "Nuke" LaLoosh (Tim Robbins) to wear a garter belt under his uniform to help his "concentrate" while he's pitching.

I've always loved baseball, but it's taken on a whole new meaning for me now:)

Happy Memorial Day

Mike Geraci and I finished re-doing the hall bathroom last night. Like really late last night:) At least my part is done. Today, he's going to finish off the job by putting a coat of clear varnish over the tiles. It was a big job, but the results are fantastic. Will have to post a pic when it's all done.

Will also have to get him to put out the flag today as a reminder to the kids that today is the day they need to be especially thankful for all the freedoms we enjoy as Americans.

Stephanie (oldest daughter) is taking my mother-in-law out to the Florida National Cemetery where my father-in-law is buried. A retired army colonel and veteran of both the Korean and Vietnam wars, John Geraci is only one of thousands of veterans buried there. It's extremely humbling to drive through the miles and miles and headstones.

On a lighter note, tonight's The Bachelorette, and of course, I have to work. But never fear, my trusty DVR will tape all. My rose game predictions for going home tonight:

Chris (nice guy but definitely a filler)

Eric (big nosed and all he and Deanna have in common is that they're Greek. Plus, he's creepy)

Ryan (self-proclaimed virgin)

I know Mel thought I was crazy for liking Sean, but other than the little mullet (which can easily be fixed with a pair of scissors) I really like him for DeAnna. He's cute (has beautiful eyes!), has a great personality (he and Jesse need to go on the road with their lemon act) and I love his Kentucky accent. I predict Sean will go far.

I'd also like to see Jeremy open his mouth. I'm sure he and Deanna had some one on one time during the cocktail party last week that they didn't let us see. Also looking forward to seeing more of Graham, Jason, Jesse and that yummy Brian!

There will be Blood all right

Mine. Because I almost tore my hair out watching this movie. In my quest to catch up on watching the "best" movies of last year, I ordered There Will Be Blood on pay-per-view yesterday. What a waste of $4.99.

I didn't get it. I mean, I got it. But really, 8 Academy Award nominations?? I don't have a problem with Daniel Day Lewis winning Best Actor. As far as I'm concerned Daniel Day Lewis could recite the yellow pages and it would be Oscar worthy. And he deserves it for this film, because his performance is the only good thing about it. But honestly, Best Picture of the Year?

I've never read the Upton Sinclair novel Oil! that the film is based on. Nor do I have any wish to after watching the screen version. It's not only depressing and overly long, but there's something about it that didn't gel for me. Part of it was the lack of dialogue in a lot of the film. And then there was the very distracting sound track. Mike Geraci commented that the music was weird, and I had to agree with him. To be fair, the cinematography was beautiful, but I have no desire to ever see another set of badly stained teeth or another head of greasy hair. Ever.

The best part of the flick, was that both Mike Geraci and I got to sit down for 2 and some hours (we're remodeling our hall bathroom), but then anything would have been a nice break after stripping wallpaper all morning. And... I have to say that after almost 23 years of marriage, it's nice to discover something new about your husband. I had absolutely NO idea that Mike Geraci knew so much about drilling oil. He had this very scientific explanation for everything that happened on screen. At first, I was suspicious, like ,"C'mon, you've seen this movie before!" and he was like, "No, I haven't. I would have killed myself if I'd seen this twice."

LOL. Who knew? My husband, the oil expert.

So far, I've seen Juno, Atonement, and now this crap. 2 more Academy Award flicks to go:)

Chat with Gena Showalter

New York Times Best Selling author (God, I just love writing that!) Gena Showalter is going to be chatting live at the TKA chatroom tomorrow night. Here's the link.

The first book in Gena's Lords of the Underworld series, THE DARKEST NIGHT is climbing its way up the charts. The book is absolutely FANTASTIC and not to be missed. Gena is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet and I'm absolutely thrilled for her.

Catching up

I just came back from a fantastic trip to Boston (first time there) where I attended my friend Marley Gibson's Launch party. You can read all about it here on the Title Wave blog. It got me thinking about my own launch party next year. I'm definitely going to plan some sort of Bunco theme ( of course ). I'm thinking frozen margarita machine, beer, and since it will probably be in early May, maybe some sort of Cinco-de-Mayo theme. Of course, I still have to finish the revisions on the book! I tried to get it in by May 1 but I've made so many changes to the second half of the book that it's taken me longer than I originally thought. My editor at Berkley has been very patient. I'm hoping that the full will be in her inbox by next Monday:)

And since all work and no play makes Maria a dull girl, I did surface from revision land to run out to play Bunco last night with my group, the Bunco Broads of Tallahassee. I won most games (I seem to be on some sort of lucky winning streak lately). Hopefully, that will continue...

Unfortunately for Jason Castro, his lucky streak came to an end last night on American Idol. I've loved Jason from the start, but even I was ready for him to go. The past few weeks he's steadily gone downhill. Not sure what Jason's problem is (well, maybe I do- proving the point that you really can get tooo mellow), but he proved to be own worst enemy. Hopefully though, some smart label co. will pick Jason up. As much as I enjoy David Cook, Jason is probably the only artist this season I'd buy a CD from.

Lords of the Underworld

Even the title is breathtakingly sexy, isn't it?

I finished the first book in Gena Showalter's newest series, Lords of the Underworld and it was fantastic! THE DARKEST NIGHT comes out in May, followed in June and July with 2 more books in the series. Best of all, there will be more!

For an excerpt go to Gena's website here: The Darkest Night.

TETL

I had a TETL moment (Too Embarrassed to Live) at work last night. This one directly involved my new Dansko Professional clogs.

About half my unit is wearing these now and everyone raves about them. This clog has been credited with the elimination of aching feet and legs, sore backs, tired muscles, etc. So after I left work Sunday morning feeling like a mule who had been kicked around for 12 hours (don't ever let anyone tell you delivering babies isn't hard work), I decided to bite the bullet (they cost $115) and drink the Dansko Kool-aid.

The girl at the Walk-About store told me it takes a few weeks to "break" them in. My first night wearing them I felt like a Geisha walking on thick wooden slats. My feet are completely flat (no natural arch at all) and there was something poking into the side of my foot. So by the end of the night I was practically limping. But that's okay. I can suffer temporarily if the pay off is worth it in the end.

When I woke up Tuesday, my feet felt fine and I wore them to work again. So there I was, standing by the desk in Triage talking, and I pivoted to turn and leave. I must have turned my ankle because the next thing I knew, I was went down. But just like a movie, I went down in my mind in slo-mo. There was a huge Ultrasound machine stationed on the wall next to me and I can remember thinking I was going to hit my head on it. All I could think was "No! Not the head! Broken bones can be fixed, but I need my brain to finish my revisions!!" Everyone said I went down screaming "I'm fine!!" but I don't remember that. Of course, everyone came running to my aid. I jumped up as fast as anyone wearing 5lb wooden clogs can, my face so hot I could fry an egg off it, saying, "Everyone go back to work!"

Tonight is night 3 of the Dansko Clog. Hopefully, I will master the art of wearing them. I just pray I don't have to run in them anytime soon:)

I'm Back... and Free Books!

I'm back from the beach, where we had an incredibly relaxing week. The weather was crummy (only 1 day of sunshine) but I hear it was like that all over north Florida, so better to be at the beach with crummy weather than at home, right?

Meanwhile, I spoke to my fabulous editor at Berkley, Wendy McCurdy, who gave me some great suggestions for revising my manuscript. Like "up the tension in the last half of the book". Now why didn't I think of that? LOL. She's absolutely right of course. I've been brainstorming with myself, not a sin in the eyes of the Church:) and I think I've come up with a few ideas. Now I just have to put them on paper and see if they work out.

Besides sleeping and shopping and playing lots of Scrabble and Monopoly at the beach, I also got to read an advanced copy of Gena Showalter's fabulous new book The Darkest Night. It's absolutely fabulous and incredibly sexy! A must read for everyone. Kristen Painter is giving away an ARC. Go to her blog and check out the details!




And talk about free books... my friend Marley Gibson's first book comes out in less than a month. Leave a comment on her blog and if she gets more than 50, you'll be eligible for a free copy of Sorority 101- Zeta or Omega? Isn't the cover fabulous? I plan to scoop up a bunch of these at her launch party next month!

Off on Mini-break!

I'm nearly finished packing for my vacation (which starts in about 3 hours!). The family is headed off to Seagrove Beach for a week of sun and fun, which I desperately need. Lately, work has been super hectic and as much as I love it, I need a break from birthin' babies.

On another fun note, I mailed in my contract to Berkley. Very exciting! When the guy at the mail store (who is a big talker and loves to see what you're mailing) asked what I was sending, I couldn't help but practically shout, "It's a publishing contract!". He was duly impressed and helped me double check that I had, indeed, signed everything in the right place. I told him years from now (when I'm rich and famous, of course) he could brag that he had helped me start my career:)

Thanks to Mel, I've been turned on to HBO's new miniseries, John Adams. Based on David McCullough's Pulitzer-winning biography, it stars one of my favorite actors, Paul Giamatti.

It also stars Laura Linney, who I've had trouble connecting with since she played in that really disturbing movie, The Life of David Gale, which is probably a testament to what a good actress she is since I can't quite forget her in that role. However, I'm really loving her as Abigail Adams. I remember one of my girls did a report once on First Ladies and picked AA so I knew she was a remarkable woman and I'm really loving how Laura Linney is playing her. Coincidentally, she and Paul Giamatti have played a married couple before in The Nanny Diaries. We all sort of snickered at my house when we made that connection:)

The series is being hailed as true to McCullough's book and the Colonial times look gruesomely authentic (as shown by a very nasty Inoculation scene). But so far the only scene that's disturbed me is the Tar and Feathering scene from Part I. I really had no idea how nasty the process was. I mean, it almost sounds mild (tar and feathers) as opposed to say, Drawn and Quartered. But watching that scene I cannot believe that the victim could have survived having all that hot tar poured over his body. Ugh. Very nasty stuff that was.

The series continues on next Sunday for a total of 7 episodes. And even though I know how it ends :) I'll be eagerly watching.

Make it Work!

Today was my turn to post on the Title Wave Blog. Go check it out. And Happy Easter, everyone!

AI Update

Kristy Lee Cook has not been kind to The Beatles.

I have nothing against the girl. She has a nice voice, is pretty, and seems very sweet in her interviews with Ryan. But for the second week in a row she's managed to butcher a Beatles song and that's just unpardonable in my book.

Last week, she country-fried steak'd "Eight Days a Week", sounding more like a chipmunk on crack than Dolly Parton on crack (as Simon described). But this week, she admitted to the camera she really isn't familiar with the Beatles (So I know that's probably an age thing , but if you're going to call yourself a musician, then you really need to know the superstar classics. It's like a writer saying she's never heard of Shakespeare).

Since Kristy doesn't know any of the songs, she picked one based on the title. Okay. I can live with that it. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" is a great song, sung in a beautiful throaty style by Lennon. But I don't think Kristy got it (Lennon wrote the song in homage to the Beatles manager, Brian Epstein, who for a long time had to hide his homosexuality). While you can certainly interpret the song any way you want, Kristy chose not to interpret it, I guess, since she sang it with all the emotion of a wooden puppet on stage.

As sentimental and entertaining as Beatle fest has been the past two weeks on Idol, I say it's time to move on. Same with Kristy Lee.

American Idol: My top 2

Jason Castro.

He's so deliciously cute and sweet, I could eat him up. My kids snickered as I spent the first night of the competition punching my redial button to vote for him over and over, but there's just something about him that I totally love. I guess it's called "it" or "star appeal". Not sure. But I do know that right now, he's my number #1 pick to win this competition.

This week, he did a beautiful rendition of "Hallelujah", which totally worked. He also went guitar-less, which was a risk, because let's face it, who doesn't love a guy with a guitar? I think that totally sealed the deal for me. He doesn't need the guitar to look good. Plus, he doesn't have some of the weird mannerisms that some of the other singers do. Like Michael Johns. While I find Michael cute and his singing very good, there's something distracting about the way he moves and the way he holds the mic.

And there's my other top 2 pick. David Cook. I wasn't so impressed with him initially, but each week I like him more and more. And this week, he totally sold me. He sang "Hello" by Lionel Richie. Which, normally would have been the kiss of death. I didn't like Lionel's music in the 80's and I certainly don't like his music now, but David managed to take a sappy song and actually make me like it. Plus, he's so damn cute.

Seeing a pattern here? Yep. Cute is in.

Speaking of cute, I guess I need to mention David Archuleta, who is beyond cute and has a fantastic voice on top. While I really like David and I loved his version of "Imagine" last week, this week's "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins left me cold. Although I'm sure the rest of America loved it as he seems to be the AI Poster boy this year. I just have the feeling that I could tired of David A's cuteness. Fast.

Unfortunately, due to it being Bunco night, I missed watching the girls perform last night. For some reason, my DVR didn't record it (although I think it was really Mike Geraci messing with the TV that screwed it up). I'm not broken-hearted over it though. The girls are a snooze fest for me. Other than Carly Smithson, who I think has a good chance to make it to the top, I'm just not that impressed with them.

Megan's Confirmation