Star Wars Dogs

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It's no secret that I'm a huge Star Wars fan so it'll come as no surprise to anyone who is a regular reader of this blog to understand why I think this link is the height of awesomeness.

What will you find if you click on the link? 50 dogs dressed in Star Wars costumes.

Even if you're not a big fan of Star Wars and/or dogs you should check it out. The Ewok doggies are the cutest things! And I think a couple are wearing the same Yoda costume Rose wore when she was two.

And just so you think I wouldn't dress up the kidlets the same way I might my cats and dog, think again. These thumbnails are from 2005 when we had Darth Vader/Anakin, Padme and Yoda as trick or treaters. And yes, the animals have worn the Yoda costume in subsequent years. Well, at least until they shook off the head piece.

Hope you have a fun-force-filled Friday!

Faces of Fear

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This cat's expression fits right in with these people. A camera was hidden inside a haunted house in Niagra Falls, Canada. The pictures are funny and so are the captions on this blog post at sfgate.com. I wonder what they were looking at that was so scary!

I'll be spending my day revising. Hope you have a nice Thursday!

Fashion Fun with Scarves

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My friend Tiffany posted this YouTube video on her Facebook Wall. It caught my eye when I saw it on my newsfeed. Fashion is something I research for books, not for myself. But this was cool. I have a couple scarves and will definitely try wearing them differently after watching this. The video is a quick (approx. 4 minutes) showing 25 different ways to wear a scarf.



If you're like me and need more instruction than what's above, you can check out the companion videos that go with each of the 25 ways of wearing a scarf. She tells you the best kind of scarf to use and then tells you how to tie them.

Here's Companion Video #1:



Here's Companion Video #2:



Here's Companion Video #3:



Here's Companion Video #4:



Have fun scarf tying! And possibly buying!

Not a Fire Hydrant

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When my cats want to piss me off, watch out! All bets are off as to whether they'll use the litter box or destroy something. But it's easy to find the motivation behind their actions. Reasons can range from no food in their bowl, dirty litterbox, lack of attention, jealousy, etc.

A cat, however, would never pee on someone's leg. But a dog, pissed or not, would.

I know this because it happened to me last night.

My Norwegian Elkhound Chaos is too smart and good mannered to do something like that. But I can't say the same thing about a male dog named Milo.

A little backstory first. Rose joined 4-H this year. We won't be doing hell week aka dog days at the county fair. (That was my one caveat to allowing them to continue with the Clark County program rather than switching to a nearby county where the fair commitment is a reasonable amount of time.) But they'll go to meetings, attend fun matches and enter fair events that require only a couple of hours of herdmenship duty. (I get only a couple weeks off from writing a year and seven days at the dog barn at fair is not where I want to spend my vacation days. I've learned the last two years trying to write during fair does not really work.)

Last night was the first 4-H working meeting of the year (i.e. kids and dogs doing obedience training.) Rose will be borrowing a dog to use, (Mackenna uses our Chaos) but last night she practiced with Chaos to gain some confidence and figure out the routine before she tries it with a new-to-4H dog. When it was just Mackenna in 4-H, I usually sat in the car and wrote during practice, but Rose is too young to be left alone with a dog who is over half her size so I stayed.

One of the 4-H teen leaders brought two dogs to the meeting. As I was standing there, she asked if I'd hold the leash of one of them. I did. A few minutes later, she switched animals. As I chatted with another mom, Milo, the dog who's leash I held, lifted his leg and peed on my leg.

I jumped back as soon as I realized what he was doing, but not quite in time to miss both my pant leg and shoe from getting wet. None of the parents could believe it. Neither could I.

Maybe he sensed I'm a crazy cat lady and not the canine equivalent. Maybe he thought my khaki pant leg was a fire hydrant or tree. Maybe this is what male dogs do. Maybe he's just a rude dog.

Practice hadn't even begun yet, and I didn't want Rose to have to leave, so I cleaned up as best with a paper towel. There wasn't much I could do about the shoe, however. Needless to say, over an hour later, I was so happy when I arrived home and could change!

That was my evening. How was yours?

Best Part

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I'm waiting to hear the best parts. Read them, that is. I'm in the middle of revisions on my soccer book. The part where I'm having to dissect everything that's on the page. It's a lot of work, but I'm hoping it'll pay off at the end. That's why reader feedback is so nice. It lets authors know that all this writing and rewriting is worth it!

Hope you have a nice day! I've got to run one errand, attend a 4-H meeting tonight and the rest of the time will be spent revising. I'm looking forward to it. I usually can't say that on Mondays!

Sunday Soccer

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The above picture reminded me of Yoda last night. He wasn't making a mess, but both of his toys made a lot of noise. It sounded like he played all night long. And yes, I'm tried this morning.

We had to be at the soccer field a little after eight. It was wet and cold, but Finn had a fun time. The team won!

Now it's time for more soccer. My soccer book that is. I'm working on revisions. It's coming slowly, but that's okay. I want to get it right and that takes time.

Hope you have a nice day!

Soccer Day

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It's a soccer Saturday. Two games today. In between I have revisions to do on the soccer book. In the book, my heroine's brother and sister-in-law are reservists deployed overseas. The LOLcat above made me think of them this morning. There is a cat in the book, too, inspired by my Rocket!

For your viewing pleasure...even non-cat lovers might get a smile from the latest Simon's Cat!

One of those weeks...

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I wish I was calm like the little tiger, but unfortunately I feel exactly like this kitten. I want Hubby! He's on his way home from another business trip, and it's been another long week.

How long?

On Wednesday, I told hubby if the travel (his third trip in as many weeks) wasn't going to let up then to ask his boss if they would move us closer. It was one of those weeks where I wondered if I should have stuck to having furbabies, not kidlets. But even the cats and the dog were misbehaving. Not fun. Especially when I started the week refreshed, not on deadline and ready to have fun.

Now I'm getting rid of the cable TV, back on deadline with revisions that arrived a few days ago and wondering how many more books I'd have to write a year to afford boarding school.

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the weekend. Are you?

RIP Steve Jobs

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I'm still half-asleep. But the dog and cats wanted to be fed so I'm up. Also needed to make sure the trash got put out. My son didn't want to do it in the dark last night so he's doing it in the dark this morning. Who knows what goes through an eleven year old boy's mind?

When I finished the classes at church last night, I had a text from hubby saying that Steve Jobs had died. I wasn't surprised but it's sad. I've used Macs since they were introduced in 1984. Stanford put them in the Engineering Library where I worked. One of my dormmates, Tod, purchased one. I've been using Macs ever since with only a few thankfully brief periods on PCs during my engineering career.

I still have every Mac I've ever owned and they all work. The Cube is set-up in the play room and makes for a fun-non-internet computer for the kids to use. I think the Power Mac might still be there too. Hubby doesn't get my love of the machine and operating system (he's PC to the core), but he's indulged my all things Apple mentality.

I lived in Palo Alto and around the surroundings for many years. After I left my engineering job to write full-time, I also helped a friend and his partner start a venture capital firm. Silicon Valley hi-tech was my world for many months which is where my first book, Fiance For the Night, came from.

I never met Steve Jobs, (a good thing since I would have been a total fangirl) but knew others who did. A few friends attended business school with his wife at Stanford and told me, an aspiring romance writer back then, about their meeting for the first time. The story inspired a "cute meet" between a hero and heroine in one of my unsold books.


My condolences to his wife, children and friends. Steve Jobs was a visionary. "That vision thing" of his changed the world. RIP, Steve.

Here Kitty, Kitty...

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I'm sure my cats think I'm an idiot. But yesterday, we visited some cats who may have thought the same thing, but were so happy we stopped. Where were we? The humane society where Yoda came from.

Yoda was too young to physically live there. He'd come from a foster home when we saw him at the Black Cat Adoption day at a local PetSmart. But yesterday when I mentioned we'd adopted him from them, the manager of the cat shelter remembered him. She pulled up his record on the computer.

We couldn't believe how little and scrawny he'd been. I showed her a picture of him now. She was amazed how big and healthy he was now.

This no-kill shelter keeps healthy cats loose. They are free to roam in their assigned rooms. No cages, just lots of cat trees, boxes, open kennels with blankets, etc. There are low places for them as well as high ones. There are big windows to let in natural light, but also darker places for them to go if needed.

The first room we visited contained full-grown cats. Some stayed where they were and let us come to them. Others wanted attention and made sure we knew it. Finn had a blast playing with a black cat. Two jumped onto Mackenna's lap when she sat down. Rose kept going from one to another. I made sure those staying in place got love, too.

Then we went to a smaller room for younger cats. There were a couple of mature ones to teach them manners. One little guy wanted attention so badly. He was not going to be ignored. He pretty much forced me to hold him. He closed his eyes and just purred loudly. It was so sweet. A different one pushed another cat away so he could get attention from Mackenna. He settled in to her arms and was quite comfy.

It was so hard to leave, but we're looking into volunteering there so will be back!

Hope you have a nice Wednesday! My day will even crazier than usual because my co-teacher is sick. In approximately thirteen hours I'm looking forward to getting in my jammies and relaxing. Just have to make it until then!

Tuesday love

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This kitty mommy carries her kitten around in her mouth. This human mom carts her kidlets around in a minivan. Though not until later this afternoon. Yes, I have almost an entire "day" at home.

I love Tuesdays. I don't have to be anywhere until the afternoon. Some parts of my scheduling actual worked out the way I planned! Is there a day of the week that you love?

My revisions on the soccer book arrived in my inbox yesterday. I've printed things out to look at then figure out. In the meanwhile, I'm finishing up a chapter on the continuity so I'm at a logical stopping point.

Contest Time!

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I meant to post the September contest winner last night when I got home from the coast, but I had family who wanted my undivided attention. The furbabies were not happy when an hour after I walked through the door we headed out again to Mass. Sometimes this means we come home to a mess, but thankfully not last night!

The winner (#43 selected by random.org) of the $10 gift card is Sarita who commented on my post Big Cats and Laser Pointers. Sarita, please use the contact link on the menu bar above to send me your email address and whether you want an Amazon or B&N gift card. You have seven days to contact me, or I'll pick another winner.

Thanks to everyone who entered. I'll be giving another $10 gift card away this month. Same deal: comment on blog gets you an entry. I'll post the winner on November 1 (or as close to that date as I can.) The winner has seven days to contact me.

As for our writing retreat, we wrote in the morning, took a walk on the beach, had lunch at McMenamins, then drove home. I really needed the weekend away and can't wait to do it again!

Where do you like to getaway to?

Beach House

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Instead of a beach in a box like this cat, my friends and I have a real beach complete with sand and waves. We're a couple blocks from the water. What more could we want? Well, except more chocolate. And more pages. And more time here...

If you want to know more about what we've been up to, Jenna wrote a great recap of your first day of the writing retreat here. And here is her recap of day two. She has more pics than I do!

So yesterday afternoon we took a little excursion from our writing. A break, so to speak. We drove to the Chinook Winds Casino and attended the tryout for Wheel of Fortune. This was not my idea. I'm sure if you read this blog you know I only watch about an hour of TV or less a week, but Jenna wanted to do it.

I'm so glad we did!

Imagine a casino bingo parlor filled with Wheel of Fortune fans (minus the few like me who went along just because.) It was freaking hilarious. I'm not kidding. Much better than any of the shows I've ever seen.

The host, Marty, and the Vanna White wannabe whose name escapes me were very funny. But the best part were the people from the audience who were selected to "try out." As soon as their names were called they ran to the stage ala "Price is Right." They were taken backstage then led to the front where they sat in chairs. Then, in groups of five, they stood and individually interviewed by Marty.

Not funny, right? Except something happened to these people. It was as if the disembodied personality of a game show contestant was floating above the stage. As soon as the person stood next to Marty with a microphone in front of their face, this "game show persona" erupted. All but a handful had the exact same personality. I wondered if they'd practiced this at home.

I don't watch game shows so maybe they all do and just knew this was what it takes to be selected to be a contestant. But it was both bizarre and fascinating and utterly hilarious. I had to wonder what Marty, the host, thought of all this. He was very quick with the comebacks. In fact they were zinging back and forth at lightning speed.

We also got to see a belly dancer, an air guitarist and two men who danced. Not exactly pee-your-pants funny, but definitely laugh-out-loud-this-would-have-been-worth-paying-a-couple-of-bucks-for funny.

Alas, Terri, Jenna and I were not called to tryout. We weren't alone. But unlike the hundreds who left after the last five contestants were called to get in line again for the next tryout, we opted for a late lunch at the casino. We sat in the seafood restaurant in a window seat, enjoying the view and eating. Jenna called it "lunner" since it was to be our lunch and dinner.

Back home we wrote for a few more hours before pulling out another set of DVDs to watch about writing craft. I fell alseep during part of one. It was just too dry and a bit out there for me. I wanted something more concrete and readily adaptable to romances without much fiddling or tweaking, but that's just the engineer in me.

Unfortunately that meant my external journey (i.e. the Outer Conflict) of my story remained a mess. So even though it was late, I put on one of the workshops from RWA NYC and we listened to that. That helped, but I still wasn't there. (Remember, I'm working on a continuity so this isn't my story or characters.) Jenna and Terri, being the great friends and writers they are, helped me figure out a few things. Yay team!

This morning I'm going to see how it all fits together as I jump back into writing the new proposal.

Not that we'll have that much time. Our weekend writers retreat is almost over. (Insert tears and sniffles here.) We have to check out of the beach house at noon today.

I will be happy to see hubby, kidlets, cats and dog. Mackenna sent me a text saying the cats really missed me, especially Yoda. I miss the family, but I've gotten so much out of this time away. I feel recharged and refresh. The well is no longer empty! I just hope I can get away like this again!

What are you up to today?

No Kitty

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I'm not sure who this No Kitty is more like—my cat Spirit or my dog Yoda—but it fits both to a T! Except it would become a No Doggy instead.

I'm on my writing retreat on the Oregon Coast with two romance writer friends.We met yesterday in Oregon where we piled all of the stuff into my minivan. It amazed me how much stuff three writers need for a couple of days of writing! We arrived in on the coast around lunch time. We ate a Thai restaurant, then headed to the outlet mall to walk around until we could check into our house. Of course, we all ended up buying something!

The beach house is bigger than we thought it would be. 4 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths. Lots of places to write as well as an ocean view from both levels. We're already planning to come back!

We wrote for a while (I started the continuity!) then headed to Mo's (famous on the coast) for dinner. Afterward, we returned to the house where we watched the Michael Hauge DVD on writing Romantic Comedies and Love Stories.

We all had our laptops and would stop the DVD to fill in our characters' internal conflict charts and discuss what we were typing. It was great to brainstorm and figure out the various parts of our characters' internal make-up! By the end of the DVD we had both the hero and heroines of our new projects figured out! Yay!

Today will be writing, a walk on the beach and perhaps a little fun if we can squeeze it in. (More about that if we go through with our plan!) Tonight we plan on plotting our stories using a Michael Hauge/Christopher Vogler DVD! I can't wait.

Update: I just realized it's October 1st. I will announce the winner of my September contest on Sunday night, October 2nd, when I get home. So sorry about that, but I totally forgot with the writing retreat. And a new contest for October starts today so enter by commenting. More on that one Monday!

Hope you are having a great Saturday! What are you up to?

Writer Retreat

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This little kitty cat knows exactly how it should work! Though if you're going to have breakfast in bed, you might as well sleep in a little later than 8 o'clock. Not that I ever get that opportunity!

This weekend will be the perfect time though to sleep in a little. I'm heading to the Oregon Coast with two writer friends. We've rented a house two blocks from the beach. It has ocean views from both levels. To say I'm excited is putting it mildly.

We're leaving in less than two hours. Time to drive over there, have lunch, visit, maybe hit the outlet mall before check-in time.

We're all bringing snacks. Surprise, surprise, but my biggest contribution is chocolate! Though I'm also purchased other stuff. We decided to eat our meals out. All of us are moms. We don't want to have to cook and clean this weekend.

I'm bringing the Michael Hauge DVD I purchased in New York. Another writer is has another one. On the drive, we'll be listening to workshops from the conference in New York! So we're going to try to get some writing craft during the weekend. I'm sure we'll be brainstorming ideas and plots, too.

Well, I still need to clean the minivan so I'd better get busy! Hope you have a great Friday!

Star Wars: Retold

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This video came across my Facebook newsfeed yesterday. I shared there and I'll share here today. It's Star Wars related. A woman who has never seen parts 4, 5 and 6 gives her take on the plots based on the parts she has seen. It's funny.

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Hope you have a nice Thursday!

What was I thinking?

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I thought this pic was the perfect way to visualize how I hope my day will be. All warm and fuzzy and cuddly. It's Wednesday though which means my day will most likely be more like this...



Yes, I imagine I'll feel like hiding at least twice today. And my Wednesday schedule is not even at its worst yet. The kids' Homeschool band starts next week which will add one more thing to the day.

But I suppose one super busy day is better than seven of them. At least that was thinking behind planning things this way!

How's your day look?

Never gets old

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A new box arrived at our house yesterday! The cats were eying it, but it's mine, all mine!

I spent over six hours volunteering at the kids' school. A fun time, but I was tired when I got home. Of course, I only had a few minutes there before I had to drive across town for my son's soccer practice. But waiting for me on the kitchen table was a familiar looking box.

A thrill raced through me. I knew exactly what was inside and couldn't wait to open the box.

No matter how many books I publish, receiving the box of them from Harlequin is so exciting. It's one of the best parts of being an author. (Typing "THE END" is pretty cool, too!)

I held one of books in my hand, admired the cover art (kudos to Harlequin's Art Department) and read the back cover. Seeing my words in book form makes the sleepless nights, moments of freaking out, days of endless revision and polishing so worth it for me.

Have a great Tuesday! I'm looking forward to mine!

Hello Monday!

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I'd love to hang around in a hammock surrounded by kittens. Sounds like a perfect Monday morning to me. But instead of lounging and napping, I'll be at the kidlet's school. Today is my first volunteer shift of the year.

In the 7/8 class, I hope to spend a few minutes talking to them about writing. I'd done something a little more formal last year. This would be a more casual chat. I noticed a couple things in Mackenna's narrative writing homework assignment last week so I wrote up a one page worksheet this weekend on Show, Don't Tell! It should take about 5-10 minutes to review and do. If it goes over well, I'll see if the teacher wants me to do one on whatever topic their studying writing-wise each time I volunteer in the class.

I've been going over the notes for my new story. It's part of an eight book continuity story. The characters and storyline are provided. I have been doing lots of author-generated continuities since coming to Harlequin Romance in 2005. This is my first editorial generated continuity since I wrote Santa Brought a Son (part of the Marrying the Boss' Daughter series) for Silhouette Romance. I'm looking forward to the change of pace.

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but this weekend I'll be going away with two other romance writers for a writing retreat on the Oregon Coast. We planned it back in August. I can't believe it's already here, but I'm so excited.

I want to have everything figured out with my new story so I can just write, write, write. Unless I hear back from my editor on the soccer book, then I'll revise, revise, revise.

How is your week looking?

Boxes

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The above pic is Yoda's idea of heaven. We have empty boxes all over the house. Some like in the LOLcat photo, others on their sides so they're like caves for him.

No soccer today! I spent Friday night at my parents' house with the two older kids so we'd be only a few minutes away from where Finn's team was playing on Saturday morning. I just didn't feel up to an early morning to make that long drive and arrive by 8:20 am.

It was great to visit with my parents. My niece's cat, Cupcake, is staying there. I didn't get much sleep because Cupcake was lonely and wanted my attention. She left the kidlets alone. How do these cats know who to go to?

Today is a quiet, relaxing kind of day. I'm looking forward to it!

Single

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This picture cracked me up this morning. I was not a crazy cat lady when I was single. I had a kitten (Smokey) for a couple of weeks in my early twenties (an old boyfriend's brother had found it in his dog's mouth in the backyard) so I took it home, but my roommate was allergic and pets weren't allowed in the apartment so a new home was found for him. But it's safe to assume had Smokey remained mine, I might still be single!

I'm very happy the weekend is here. I'll be seeing my parents tomorrow. Finn has a soccer game not too far from where they live. I'll also be reviewing notes for the story I'll be starting on Monday. It's a continuity so the editors have provided me the basic storyline and characters. Eight other authors are involved. I haven't done one of these in a while so am looking forward to it!

What will you be up to this weekend?

Hate

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If you're on Facebook, what do you think of the new changes?

I don't like them. In fact, I hate them. That's not a word I like to use a lot. But if ever Facebook needed a hate button, it was the nanosecond after they rolled out this new version. What is up with the Newfeed or all the clutter on the right hand side? I want the old Facebook back!

Some people think this is no big deal, but for others it is. I don't get a lot of real life interaction except for my family and pets. Facebook has been my watercooler, the place I go when I take a break and want some social interaction while writing. They change the site enough as it is, but something this big is really bad. Well, I think it is.

I don't play games on Facebook (thankfully learned how to block all those from appearing on my newsfeed), but I like to see what people are up to, to read the articles, see the pics or watch the videos they post. Facebook always seemed easier to do that with than Twitter, where I'm hit or miss. It's not as easy to follow what's going on with people on Twitter if you're not on a lot. Which I'm not. I just don't have that much time to tweet!

But these Facebook changes really drive me nuts. I don't want a computer algorithm telling me who or what's most important to me. I'd rather decide that. I feel like I'm missing posts from many people. And I don't want to have (or have time) to use so-called fixes (that seem to change daily) to fix what wasn't broken in the first place.

My publisher recommends using a Facebook "page" over a personal profile. I set one up and I have been using it to discuss writing, book and some life stuff. It's where I post all new info first. But this latest move by Facebook may be what drives me 100% over to my books/author page (where people like it.) "Page" feeds aren't as messy/complicated to use as Newsfeeds. At least not yet.

People say this is a move by Facebook to compete with Google+. I have no idea what the google thing is, but if it's more like the old Facebook or easier than the new one has turned out to be, I may check it out!

Ever wonder...

...what it feels like to submit a manuscript or revisions to your editor and then wait to hear back. This pic sums it up well:


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I don't watch much TV (usually an hour a week) but since it's premiere week for many shows I did check out the first hour of Sing-Off on Monday and New Girl last night. Still haven't found a must-see each week show like The Event last season, but I haven't been searching too hard with the book being due.

Of course, I don't get much time off. Very shortly I'll be jumping into a new story. It's due in early January so if I don't get busy with it I won't be able to take off a few days around Christmastime!

But today's the full return of crazy Wednesdays (both the classes I teach at church start today) plus all the kidlet stuff. It figures this is the one day that hubby has to go west of Portland for business meetings. That means the kidlets will have to miss stuff tonight (i.e. soccer) because I can't be in two places at once. I just hope this isn't a sign of things to come!

Have a great day! I hope your Wednesday is relaxing, not crazy!

Jedi Kittens Strike Back

To celebrate my book being finished, I give you this...



I'm a total fangirl, but add in cute kitties with lightsabers and this crazy cat lady is in total Star Wars Heaven.

Have a great Tuesday! I think I'm going to spend the day be doing what the kitty below is doing!

Almost done!

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Still working on the book. But I'm almost finished! A good thing since it's due today.

Of course I have a brand new one to start as soon as this one goes off. Nothing like job security! The cats and dog are happy about that. So is hubby.

Better get to work!

Hope you have a nice Monday.

Boxed in

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I wish I could say I did it like the cat above! But I'm still working on the book.

It's due tomorrow and last night I got stuck. Boxed myself in, you could say. This morning, after some much needed sleep and Mass, I know what I need to do to unbox myself! I'll work a little on that then watch my son's soccer match then come home and write until I can no longer see straight.

What have you got going on?

Losing Hope

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I have not yet abandoned all hope, but it's touch and go at this point. Deadline crunch time is here. Even the cats and dog have figured that out.

I woke up with all four nearby, waiting to be fed so they can join me on another day long marathon writing and revising session. Yes, my three cats and one dog love when I'm on deadline. They much prefer to have me stuck in one place where they can sleep by or on me and come for love whenever they like.

Or treats. Yes, I keep treats handy for all of us during deadline time. Works wonders for motivation!

Speaking of kitties and food, I'm switching Spirit's food over to a different one the vet recommended. If that doesn't work, I may attempt making my own. I tried a raw food diet years ago, but she wouldn't touch the stuff. She's a dry cat food eater only. But she will eat baby food turkey and regular human baked/boiled/grilled chicken so as soon as this book is off on Monday, I'll be scouring the Internet and my own files for ideas.

Before I begin my writing for the day, I wanted to share a link with you. It came across my Facebook Newsfeed last night. It's so funny. I don't know if it's Photoshopped or real, but it cracked me up. I'm Catholic so maybe that's why it tickled my funny bone so much.

Take a look at the signs out front of two churches across the street from each other here.

Have a great day! Are you doing anything fun? If so, please share. I have fun writing, but the pressure is mounting.

New Cover!

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I can so relate to the little guy above. My manuscript is due on Monday and I'm clinging to my keyboard trying to get it ready.

Not much to say except I'm writing. Pretty boring, huh?

But I did receive something in my inbox yesterday. The hi-res copy of my cover for my upcoming November release, Firefighter Under the Mistletoe. I posted a low-res, snagged from Amazon on on my Facebook author/book page (where I post all news first!) a couple of weeks ago, but this one is better.

This is the third book in my unofficial Hood Hamlet series. The heroine, Leanne Thomas, has been in the first two books as well as the eHarlequin free on-line read, Snow-Kissed Reunion. She's a paramedic and volunteer mountain rescuer. The hero, Christian, is a Hood Hamlet firefighter. I really enjoyed writing this story. I can't wait to hear what people think.

The working title was Christmas Magic in Hood Hamlet to go with the first two books in the series: Rescued by the Magic of Christmas and Christmas Magic on the Mountain. They picked the new title to play up the firefighter angle. The cover is also different than the sleigh rides on the first two books, again focusing on the firefighter. I hope that means firefighters are popular with romance readers!

Happy Friday! I'll be honest though I with it were Tuesday so I'd have more time to write!

Pain

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This LOLcat is so perfect for this morning. One of my furbabies was a total pain in the ass last night. Rocket, my big kitty, wouldn't let me sleep and I'll be paying the price today. Something I can't afford while on deadline.

At first I thought it was cute how Rocket woke me up in the middle of the night head butting me and pawing at me. He hadn't done that in a long while. That was Smalls' job.

I gave him lots of love and was rewarded with purring. He even curled around my head the way Smalls used to so I kept rubbing him. I could tell Spirit was asleep on my legs so figured it was time for everyone to close their eyes again. Except when I stopped touching him, he didn't go to sleep himself.

Instead of doing what any good kitty would do and sleeping, he wouldn't leave me alone. At first I wondered if he wasn't feeling well. But he kept purring and didn't mind me touching him all over. I figured maybe he was lonely so gave him more rubs.

This went on for a long time. I'd rub, stop, be told to start again. I finally couldn't keep going. I was so tired. I rolled away from him.

Rocket meowed, not the sweet sound that melts your heart, but that awful I'm hurting/upset/help-me-now one that sends a chill down your spine.

I finally realized something else was going on so I got up, disturbing a sound asleep Spirit in the process. A quick glance at the clock told me it was 4:35 am. So not good.

Rocket darted into the bathroom toward the community food bowl kept in the bathtub so the dog can't get any. The bowl was empty.

Rocket and Yoda get wet food at certain times a day, but Spirit doesn't eat canned food and doesn't eat much at all so I keep a bowl of food out for her. I offered Rocket his dry food, but he would touch it. He kept looking at Spirit's bowl.

I needed sleep so I took it downstairs and filled it. As soon as I placed the bowl back in the tub, Rocket disappeared. He wasn't hungry. He just wanted to make sure there was food for his not-feeling-well sister.

A pain in the ass, yes. But a really sweet one.

Here

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This LOLcat describes Yoda to a T! Everyday he disappears for his nap. I know he's in the house, but the question is where. Sometimes we can find him. Other times, we have no idea where he sleeps.

We did, however, discover one of his newest hiding spots on Monday. The kids' curriculum from K12 comes in these perfect cat sized boxes.

My son tripped over one of them. A blur of black fur shot out of it. None of us had any idea Yoda had been in there. But he wasn't that scared. He ended up back in his box a few minutes later and hubby took this picture.

We managed our first full day of homeschooling. The kidlets got everything completed, but it took until 3:30. I hope today goes not only smoother, but quicker. I have so many words to write it's a bit overwhelming. But this is par for the course right before a book is due. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Speaking of the manuscript, I found another song for the book soundtrack. I heard this last week on the radio. It's perfect for my professional soccer player hero! No video, but you can hear it:



Time to write! I really don't want my panic to turn into complete freaking out with Monday's deadline ahead. Oh, and thanks for all the well wishes for Spirit. She's feeling better, just wish she'd get better!

Random Tuesday

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So cute and very true! This LOLcat reminds me so much of Smalls. She purred so loudly. It's what I went to sleep and woke up hearing. And I can actually type that without crying so progress there!

The kidlets love the new facility where the school moved to. The classrooms are big, everything is on one level in one building. Nice and new equipment, too. An excellent first day. Today we add more subjects to our home schedule. Wish me luck!

I'm plugging along on the book. Still behind, but trying to get caught up.

We may have turned a corner with Spirit. She is acting more like herself, but still sick. I spoke with the vet yesterday. Fingers crossed things are starting to act more like they showed!

I've been trying to figure out what new shows I want to watch. Sing-Off is top on the list. Others I may try: Terra Nova and Person of Interest. Any you plan on watching or think I should check out?

Time to get writing! Have a great day.

First Day

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You'd think the kids had a big party to go to this morning. They are so excited!

Today is the first day of their school. They only attend two days a week, but those are their favorite days. Of course, to complicate matter, today is also picture day. There have been a few outfit changes to make sure it's picture-worthy attire.

I've managed to find two other families who want to carpool, but we aren't starting this first week. That means an hour round trip for me at drop-off and pick-up. Well, unless I can convince hubby to take one of those for me.

This is my crunch week. The book is due in exactly one week. And yes, I'm panicked.

Hope you have a nice Monday. It's overcast. I hope that means the temperature won't be in the nineties again!

Never Forget

September 11, 2001. Just the date brings back memories. The images and details are so clear, even after ten years. I remember from the phone calls I made to friends I worried were there to the salty taste of my tears. But of all the moments that day, these had the biggest impact on me.

• Waking up to the newscaster on the radio saying a plane hit the World Trade Center and turning on the television downstairs to see smoke coming from the North Tower.

• Watching the second plane hit the South Tower. I felt as if I'd been physically punched in the stomach.

• The collapse of the Towers. Again, it physically hurt.

• Finding out United Airlines planes, ones that I'd worked on while employed there, were involved.

• The phone call from my brother-in-law's roommate that afternoon. She was in tears asking if we'd heard from him because no one had all day and he'd been down in that area. She asked if I could get in touch with their middle brother. So I did.

• The phone call that arrived late that night, around eleven or midnight west coast time, from my brother-in-law saying he wasn't missing. He'd been down there all day doing what he could, but was finally getting out of there.

Some families never got to experience the moment of relief when the call arrived. But it still didn't erase the pain and the heartache of so many lives taken much too soon and the attack against our country.

As I was driving this past Friday, I heard a song on the radio. The tears flowed then and once again when I found the music video on YouTube.



One of the things I'll remember most about my trip to New York in June was the visit to Ground Zero with my brother-in-law, who became a 9-11 responder by chance. He worked in Central Park as a Mounted Park Ranger, but that September morning he happened to be near Battery Park in a training class. They were pulled out and put to work, helping with evacuations and whatever else needed to be done.

He took us through that day. Well, his day. From where he stood when the second plane hit to where he was when the Twin Towers came down to what happened afterward.

The kids were too young in 2001 to remember anything. Mackenna had been three at the time. Finn one. Rose wouldn't be born for another year and half.

But the three knew what 9/11 was. We've attended Memorial Services at a local fire station. They also knew for a very long and difficult time that day their uncle had been missing. But they hadn't heard what had happened from someone who had been there. And whose 9/11 story didn't end that day, but continued through the clean-up.

At one point during our visit, we sat near the Winter Garden and listened to how he helped evacuate people from the complex. The kids asked questions, ones that showed their youth, innocence and pure heart. Questions I worried might upset my brother-in-law. But if they did, he never mentioned it.

September 11, 2001...Never forget.

More Puppy Pics

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I haven't had time to drive out to see the Norwegian Elkhound puppies in the last two weeks. I'm kind of bummed about that because they are growing so fast. But things have just been too busy to make the drive out there. But the breeder has kept me updated on them and even sent pictures.

These were emailed to me two days ago. I can't believe how much the puppies have grown since our first visit back in early August.

I'm not sure which color puppy this on is (they were colored collars to tell them apart), but the pup reminds me of Grand Finale the first time we saw her(the breeder also received a pup who is approximately 5-6 weeks older than the seven puppies Cassie gave birth to.) 

One thing is certain, the pup now looks like a Norwegian Elkhound with the coloring and markings. When they were little they were mostly dark fur and resembled little bears. (Search on Norwegian Elkhound Puppies in the Blogspot Nav Bar if you want to see them when they were younger.)

And I can't believe how much Grand Finale has grown!  She's lost so much of her dark fur! She used to be the same color as this pup.

Looks like she's found a playmate. Bet she's having fun with the seven puppies!

I'm definitely going to have to work extra hard this weekend so I can get down there to see them this coming week. It won't be too long before the puppies go to their new homes. We'd all like to see them before that happens!

You know what I'll be doing this weekend. Writing is pretty much my life right now. What do you have going on?

Big Cats and Laser Pointers

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My cats love paper. Their favorite time is deadline time because I never through any sheet out until I turn in the book just in case I might need to go back through my revision copies. The sheets pile up on the floor next to where I write much to the cats' delight!

I saw this video on my You Tube news feed last night. Yoda, my Ninja kitty, loves to chase his "pen light" as we call it around here. Looks like some of the Big Kitties like to do the same thing and others, well, they aren't that impressed. Take a look...



Hope you have a great Friday!

Pet Not Type

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This is my furbabies mantra! Hard to write though when petting 24/7.

We took Spirit to the vet again. They put her on steroids to see if that helps, but the vet is concerned. He thinks it's very serious, but until we know for sure that he's correct I'm not ready to say more about it.

I'm off to register the kids for their 2 day a week classes. This is for the program I slept outside in line for back in April!

And when I get hope I'll be typing...I mean petting until I get my words in for the day!

Hope you have a nice day.

Behind...

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I stayed up late to get my word count in. Finally had to call it about 500 words short, but it was almost 2 am and I needed to sleep! But that means there's no buffer (I try to be ahead of goal) which means I need to get busy.

I added contest info for October under the contest tab above. Prize is a $10 gift card. Comment to enter.

I also need to remember to close the windows. It's been very hot here, and we don't have a/c so each morning I open the house to cool it down. I was so busy with the kids yesterday morning I forgot to close them. Needless to say the house was uncomfortable yesterday.

With this deadline, a sick cat and trying to get back into a school routine, I don't have a lot of time. I really hope I can squeeze some fun into my week somewhere. I really needed it.

Are you having any fun?

Oops!

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That kitty's expression cracks me up. So I totally forgot to blog this morning. It just completely slipped my mind.

One reason is I'm worried about Spirit. We ended up at the animal hospital yesterday again. They took her off one of her medications, put her on probiotics and gave her subcutaneous fluids. I hope that helps. She's lost a lot of weight since we were there last, but they'd misplaced her records. I double checked with our actual vet who had seen her the week before and I was right about the weight loss.

Another reason is the kids decided they wanted to start school. They attend a program two days a week for certain subjects (that starts next week) and I teach them the others. Needless to say I had to run around to get some things together for them. We didn't do every subject today, but what they did went well.

Anyway, hope you're having a great day. I need to get writing. My week is messed up with yesterday's holiday (keep thinking it's Monday) and now my day with starting school.

Happy Labor Day

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While most people will be taking today off, I'll be working. But I'm at a fun part of the story so the writing won't be that laborious. At least I hope not!

Last night I slept through the night. That hasn't happened a lot in the last couple of weeks. I even remembered my dream. I was on vacation at this camp/resort place with my family. There was water, sun and fun. Not to mention food! Maybe next Labor Day, that can happen!

Have fun today!

Do Over

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I feel like there are some weekends when I could just paste the same blog over and over again. This is one of them. No sports, but dogs. Mackenna is competing at a dog show again with Chaos and Astra (who belongs to another family) and I'm at home writing.

I'm really trying to get the book finished. It's due the 19th, but I want a decent complete by the 10th. Something I'm doing a little differently this time is polishing more as I go. I'm a draft writer, but needed to switch it up a little bit due to still missing Smalls. Not sure it's working, but at least I'm getting words on the page. Which is more than I could say a few days ago. It's hard to believe it'll be two weeks tonight.

Jack the Cat who I wrote about earlier in the week is still missing. It looks like he's out of the baggage claim area and roaming the JFK vicinity. If you live around there, keep your eyes peeled for this gorgeous boy. I'm sure his mommy is frantic with worry.

Also if you live in the area and have time to help, they put out a call for volunteers. They are searching the area and passing out flyers. And if you're too far away, but would still like to help, they could use assistance emailing and faxing flyers to businesses. Just check the link which if Jack's Facebook page.  You'll need to click on the "Jack the Cat is Missing ..."  rather than seeing everyone's post so you can find the callout for help.  Thanks!

From Jack's Facebook page, I found another page that has just broken my heart. It's called Pets on Death Row (PODR).  Just the title probably tells you this is not a page I should visit, right? Hubby told me not to go there again after I got so upset over one kitty.

Here's how it works. Each night (leaving very little time for rescues to find foster and adoptive homes) an e-list is released and posted of cats who will be destroyed the next day at New York City's Animal Care & Control (ACC). They  have sites in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island.  PODR posts pictures and a little info about each of the cats who will be put to sleep the next day. From what I hear, they start the killing early so you really have to be on top of things and have it all set by early that morning if you want to save a cat.

If you read my author/books page on Facebook, you've heard about this already. I fell hard for one of the cats on Thursday night's list. His name was Ty and his owner had given him up for adoption.

Poor Ty was only in the ACC a couple of days before he was put on the To Be Destroyed list. They said he had behavior issues, but if you read what the owner wrote, he said it takes the cat time to warm up to someone. The picture of Ty in his collar with his toy mouse just breaks my heart. I just wanted to hold him tight and not let go.

A guy named Jim, who'd just adopted three death row cats the day before, made a valiant effort, but it was a day too late. He rode his bike to Brooklyn on Saturday to try to adopt him,  but he didn't even know if Ty was even alive then. The ACC told him that Ty wasn't available, but wouldn't give a reason. Yesterday a NYC cat rescue group person confirmed what we all feared. Ty had been put to sleep.

It's so sad.  I pledged money toward his rescue as did others.  If you go to Ty's thread on PODR, you can see how many people he touched. It's too bad we failed and couldn't save him. We'd raised enough to cover his fees, but we had no where for him to go.

I thought about adopting him myself, but I didn't know whether I could find a rescue group who would send him to me out west. I should have at least tried to see if it was possible. If I could go back to Thursday evening, exhausted as I was, I would stay up all night and figure out a way to get him and his mousy to me no matter what it cost. I just hope now he's no longer so frightened and he's playing with my Smalls at the Rainbow Bridge.

Please, for Ty and all the other furbabies out there, if you know people in NYC who need to surrender their cats for whatever reason, please tell them to find a rescue group or other pet sanctuary/shelter and avoid the ACC.  There are other options out there, especially if they don't want their pets to end up dead like Ty.

Not much going on

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Today would be a perfect sunny and warm day to do a little yard work or attend a dog show with the family. Instead, I'll be inside. Typing as fast as my fingers and creativity can work together. I'll also be here to give Spirit her medication. Fun times ahead!

It's supposed to be hot so I've got windows open to cool down the house. I'm setting an alarm to remind me to close them. If I get writing, I may forget and don't want to pay the price this afternoon and tonight!

Hope you are having a Happy Labor Day Weekend!