Home again

This past weekend in the Bay Area was just what I needed. An escape from packing, To Do lists and family. I even got some writing done. Did I mention my new editor gave me the go ahead on one of my ideas? Of course, it wasn't the one I had almost completed the proposal for, so now I'm writing like crazy trying to get three chapters and a synopsis together before the movers come. Good thing I've already fallen head-over-heels for my hero. Now to figure out exactly what makes my heroine tick.

My best bud, Deb, loved her 40th birthday. We did typical girly things. Shopping, movie (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-I want to read the book now), dinner, stayed up way too late talking and watching DVDs, brunch (Hobee's still makes the best coffee cake) and walked around Stanford.

Her present (besides my visit) was a book, Summerhouse by Jude Devereaux. It's about three women who are celebrating their 40th birthday and get the chance to change something in their past. The back cover alone led to some great late night discussions.

Leaving on a jet plane

Tomorrow, I'm flying to San Jose, CA. I was just there last weekend. Actually I was there for 16 hours to attend a surprise birthday party for my best friend since college. Both she and I were certain her husband would blow off-or simply blow it-making plans for her 40th, but he amazed us, everyone really. Catered dinner, birthday cake from the same bakery who had made their wedding cake, invites to a variety of friends and family who flew in from New York, Boston, Atlanta and Portland (moi!). The guy put many husbands, mine included, to shame.

You see, my big 4-0 was a bust. The highlight of the day was a call from my best friend who was on a business trip in Manila. Thank goodness for satellite cellphones and Kleenex. It wasn't the age bothering me. It was the fact my husband hadn't planned anything even though my friend had been on him for months. Me, too. He didn't even have the common sense to buy me something really nice to make up for it. Needless to say, it wasn't a good day or week until my best friend extraordinaire flew up from the Bay Area and surprised me by knocking on the door. She wanted to celebrate and salvage my turning 40. She had less than 24 hours to spend in Oregon, but it was fantastic and included lots of fun girly stuff and presents -a gorgeous freshwater pearl necklace from Manila and a DVD of Drumline (we were in band together).

So when she asked if I would spend her birthday weekend with her, I didn't hesitate, even though I'd just purchased a plane ticket for the weekend before. But I figured this ticket could be a 40th birthday present for both of us!

Out of my cave once again

Yes, I've been living in a cave. Okay, it's actually my house, a house that is now sold! For those wanting to sell their homes (we did ours as a FSBO), I have one word of advice-hire a stager. She was worth every penny. Of course, I realized just how much we hadn't done to our house in the almost eight years we've lived here, but I spent over two months doing everything she suggested (except I borrowed stuff from my wonderfully generous friends instead of buying it) and we had multiple offers the first weekend we held our open house.

So now I'm in packing mode. Our new house is still a lot of dirt. We'll be moving into temporary housing (an apartment, actually) and the kidlets couldn't be more excited. Me? I'm imagining four months of hissing fights. Between our cats, not the kids.

In between packing and trying to turn an outdoor kitty into an inside one, I'm also writing. Unfortunately Silhouette Romance will be ceasing publication in August 2006. (Harlequin Romance will be, too.) That means I won't have another Silhouette Romance out ever again. I was finally writing a sequel to my first Silhouette Romance, IF THE RING FITS, too. Oh, well.... at least we know how it would have ended-happily every after. I will be submitting to a new Harlequin/M&B line that will be starting publication in September 2006. I have a new editor in London and am waiting to hear back on some ideas I sent her.