Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! If you know a vet, please say thank you. Spending months on end in the desert or jungle or even in training away from their families is a thankless job, but they do it anyway.


If you have the day off, I really hope you're enjoying it! I'd planned to get up and jog early but sadly it's raining like crazy here so I'm indoors until it clears up. Hmm, maybe it's nature telling me I need to be writing instead, lol.


If you're stuck indoors like me and want something hot to read, my alter ego, Savannah Stuart, has a release today from Ellora's Cave and it's FREE. That's right, free. Better Late Than Never is my first free read with EC so I hope y'all enjoy it! Click here for full details.

Ah, edits

I've been a slacker about blogging but I have a good reason. Edits. And I'm finally finished! I just hit the send button and now the manuscript is in my wonderful agent's inbox. Normally when revisiting character's too much I get to the point where I'm sick of them, and I sort of felt like that when working on this story, but I rewrote so many scenes and the 'black moment' it was a little fresher this time around because so much of it was new. I'm just so relieved to be done and now I can take care of stuff that needs to be done. Like laundry, and emptying the dishwasher...and getting a pedicure. Hmm, maybe I'll even cook dinner for the man tonight. Or maybe I'll just order out. That sounds like more fun!


I think I'm gonna take a breather tomorrow and actually read. What have you read lately that you'd recommend? I still have $ left on my B&N gift card that is begging to be used!

Happy Friday!

I’m so thankful for the towing option on our car insurance. At least once a year we need it and it’s so worth the additional $$. Yesterday the man’s truck broke down on the way to work (ahem, at 4:30 in the morning!) so in a daze I had to go get him, take him to work then wait for the tow truck guy. But at least I didn’t have to deal with finding someone that early or even paying them.

Anyway, I’m knee deep in edits right now but my alter ego is blogging at Naughty Author Chicks today. I’m talking about the day I knew I loved my husband. Stop by and check it out if you get a chance. And have a great weekend!

Writers Gone Wild

Today I'm at Writers Gone Wild talking about moving and writing. What do they have in common?

I'm alive!

And well :) I'm still getting settled into the new place but so far love this house. We got here late Friday night and instead of staying at his parents place decided to unpack half the truck so we could get our mattresses and couches out. I think his family thought we were crazy for wanting to unpack so late but I was determined to sleep in this house Friday! On Saturday morning I woke up uber early and unpacked the rest of the moving truck. We didn't get much done though b/c half his family stopped by and we went to some sort of festival downtown (near where we're living). Not sure what it was for but we had a lot of fun. There was a Caribbean band, drinks, and dancing. Can't go wrong with that. Got most of my office set up today and for now I'm storing all the extra boxes in the guestroom (pictured above) :). My mom is coming to visit in five weeks so I've still got plenty of time to clean it up.


I've met two of our neighbors and they both seem nice. I'll update more later and get back into blogging. Just wanted to let y'all know that I'm here and have Internet access!

Until Next Week...

Today's my last day at work and probably my last day blogging for about a bit. I think I've mentioned that I work w/ my family and today my sister tried to pick a fight with me. I should preface this by say we rarely fight or argue. Growing up she was teeny tiny (like double zero, yikes!) so there was no way we could share clothes and we had (have) wildly different tastes in men so there was never that typical sibling rivalry I know is common. I knew what she was doing though. Apparently so did she. She started crying and told me how much she was going to miss me and felt like she was five b/c she was angry that I'm leaving. Of course I cried then. A lot. I've been pretty together about this move, mainly b/c I have so much crap on my mind I don't have time for a breakdown but seeing my little sister tear up brought out the waterworks. :( Anyway, Mother's Day was wonderful. Spent it w/ my mom and sister and there was a little crying then too. I know there will be more on Thursday so I'm trying to get myself ready for it.


There's so much stuff I still need to get done and they won't be installing Internet at our new place til next Monday, which will probably be a good thing. Less time for me to mess around and more time to unpack. All I know is, my hubby better be impressed that I've packed up the entire house pretty much by myself (except for the help of my sis and mom). Actually I know he will be and I'm so excited to see him!


The next time I blog I'll be in a new state and in a new home! Have a great week/weekend everyone! Chat with you soon! :)

One More Week

So, I'm officially moving next Friday! The rental agreement is signed and everything is pretty much taken care of. The only thing left to do is find an Internet provider at the new place. The service where we're moving is very limited and I just don't think I can switch to DSL after having cable Internet speeds. Now that everything is official I can finally rave about our soon to be house! Without naming the exact location, it's smack dab in the middle of historic downtown and only a few blocks from the beach. Maybe not exactly within comfortable walking distance (it is summer after all) but I can ride my bike there. And the house itself is soooo cute. It reminds me of our house here which is probably why I like it so much. It's got all hardwood floors, a screened in front and back porch and a huge yard. And it's got a dishwasher. I know that doesn't seem like a big deal but the house we own doesn't. It'll be a nice change!


In writing news I'm over the halfway hump in my current manuscript and this thing looks like it's going to be longer than I expected (a good thing). I'm running late for an appointment so I've gotta run, but just an FYI, author Maree Anderson is guest blogging at Naughty Author Chicks today. If you want a chance to win a copy of her recent Red Sage release, Let Sleeping Demons Lie, check it out.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I'm over at Writers Gone Wild today with a very brief history lesson of this holiday. Stop on over if ya feel like it.

A New Month

Since next weekend is Mother's Day and the weekend after, I'll be moving, this past weekend was my going away party. It was another reminder of why I love being a writer so much. Some of the women there I met through my local chapter a couple years ago (it doesn't seem that long ago!). I likely wouldn't have met them otherwise and I feel so blessed that they're part of my life. I'm more excited than nervous about this next step in my life, but it was a bittersweet feeling over the weekend. My whole family lives here and even though I've moved away twice before, I always knew I was coming back. This time it's different and that knowledge is finally setting in. My husband is my best friend, but I've always maintained friendships with my girlfriends and while I know they won't go away, it's a little scary at the prospect of moving somewhere where I won't have any friends. There is a local chapter pretty close to where I'll be living and I've already talked to two women who are members so about three weeks after I've settled in, I'll be attending my first meeting and hopefully forging some friendships :)


On Saturday Roxanne St. Claire spoke at my local chapter meeting and gave a presentation called 'Breathing Life Into a Dying Scene'. She's also giving it at Nationals (which I won't be going to) so if you're going to Nationals, try and attend hers. It was one of the best writer presentations I've been to in a while and the examples she gave really made a difference in explaining how to revive a scene and what needs to be in each scene regardless of if you write straight contemporary or romantic suspense.


In writing news, my editor with Ellora's Cave offered for one of my short stories, Tempting Alibi. The title is still tentative, but it was a nice way to finish the weekend! And now, on to a new week! What did everyone else do over the weekend?

Bob Mayer Workshop

May 3-13, 2010 The Original Idea – The Heart of Your Story and Key to Selling Your Book Workshop by Bob Mayer

Can you say what your book is about in 25 words of less? This is essential to both writing a tight book and then selling it. We’ll discuss ways to find and state your original idea so that you stay on course while writing the book and with which you can excite those you tell it to when trying to sell it.

Bob Mayer Bio:
Bio – NY Times bestselling author Bob Mayer has 40 books published. He has over three million books in print and is in demand as a team-building, life-change, and leadership speaker and consultant. Bob graduated from West Point and served in the military as a Special Forces A-Team leader and a teacher at the JFK Special Warfare Center & School. His latest book is Who Dares Wins: The Green Beret Way to Conquer Fear & Succeed. He teaches novel writing and improving the author via his Warrior-Writer program. He lives on an island off Seattle. For more information see www.bobmayer.org

For more information on the workshop, please visit ESPAN here. The course is $10 for ESPAN members, $15 for non ESPAN RWA members, and $25 for all others.