Snow!

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This has been a swim meet weekend, and the meet was a bit of a drive away. Both mornings we left home at 6 am. Today on our way home, we had rain the entire drive. Until we got off the freeway at our exit.

The rain had turned to snow! It's really falling hard and sticking. Hubby pulled out the bucket with all the ski gear and clothing. The kidlets are outside having a blast as is Chaos!

Hard to believe they were swimming this morning! They say this will be a really bad winter. Yesterday, when hubby went to buy chains for the new minivan, he got a quote on studded tires. If this keeps up, we're going to need them.

I'm so excited! I just love snow!

How's the weather where you are? Oh, and today is the last day to enter this week's contest. Just post a comment. Check back tomorrow to see if you won!

So true!

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Yes, this LOLcat pretty much sums it up. I've said it before, but I'll say it again. It's a good thing cats don't have opposable thumbs or we'd really be in trouble.

My days of relaxing are over as I try to sort through revisions. I sent off some notes in reply to the revision letter last night and received a reply back from my editor this morning. Sometimes the time difference between here in the PNW and London is an advantage! Now to get revising. The more work I can get done this week, the more I'll be able to enjoy the holiday next week!

Are you getting ready or thinking about Thanksgiving yet?

A new spin on my day

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Revisions for the manuscript I sent off on Sunday arrived in my inbox. The proposal I've been researching goes on hold while I dive back into the Sleeping Beauty book!

I'm printing out the Not-So-Perfect Princess manuscript and the revision letter now. What are you up to?

Ever felt like this?

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I sure have! Happy Wednesday!

A link, a lolcat and a song

I'm taking a little bit of a break after working so hard to get Not-So-Perfect Princess written so blogs will be brief or nonexistent the next few days. I thought I'd leave you with a couple of things in the meantime.

1) A link: A very nice review of my book Wedding Date with the Best Man is here on The Good, the Bad and the Unread. I don't send out review copies (due to lack of time and my general avoidance of PR) so it's always a special treat when I can read a review of one of my books. I'd never heard of this site before, but it came across my google alerts. It's a good one!

2) A LOLcat: What can I say? I have to have a daily LOLcat dose to make it through my day. This one fits my kitties to a T. And I have to admit, lately Chaos has been living up to her name. Yesterday she tore into a garbage bag and made a mess! Not a good dog!


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3) A Song: I love this! This clip is from last week's Glee and features Darren Criss, who is a great new addition to the show. The arrangement of Katy Perry's Teenage Dream and background vocals are done by these guys. Remember the Beelzebubs from that Sing Off! show? I sure do!

Weekly Winner!

The manuscript is off. Of course, this would be the one night I can't sleep. I blame it on the iced tea I had. It had caffeine in it. I really should have known better.

Here's the winner of the Amazon gift certificate.

Here are your random numbers:

4

Timestamp: 2010-11-15 12:46:59 UTC

The winner is Kelley who commented on my post Daylight Savings Time. Kelly, please use the contact link above to send me your email address so I can send you your prize.

A new contest starts today! To enter just post a comment. For more details see the contest tab above.

I really hope I can fall asleep soon. I'm soooo tired!

Final day!

Today's my final crunch day. I'll be emailing the manuscript to my editor at Mills & Boon tonight.

First up though is a soccer game. I missed two yesterday and I'll miss another this afternoon, but I wanted to catch at least one which is why we went to Mass last night. I've been at most of the games so my son doesn't mind, but I do! I love to watch him and the team play. Even if it means standing in the rain. Again!

I came across this article on cats drinking in The Washington Post. Thought if there were any other cat lovers out there, they might enjoy the read.

Don't forget today is the final day to enter the weekly giveaway for an Amazon contest. Check the contest tab above for more info.

Have a great Sunday!

Happy Saturday!

Here's something that brought a smile to my face. Enjoy!



It's going to be a busy day for me as I finish up the current manuscript. My parents took my two daughters for the weekend. Hubby is taking care of soccer tourney duty with my son. It's just me and the cats and writing! My kind of weekend!

Hope you have a Happy Saturday!

A New Title

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I feel like this kitten, who looks like he's being swallowed by a giant cup of hot chocolate. But what a way to go! Only a couple of more days left of this manuscript. I have the word count. Just need to get through the rough draft of the last couple of chapters then do a polish pass.

My working title was While the Princess was Sleeping. Editorial thought that was too long so it's now titled Not-So-Perfect-Princess.

Okay better get to it!

Hope you have a great day!

Four days to go!

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If you're noticing a theme with the LOLcat pics the last two days, just remember I'm on deadline! But it's not all panic and freak out time. Last night was so fun.

My youngest made her First Reconciliation. She was the first kid to do it, too. After wards she showed up at the class I teach in church skipping and jumping around. Her eyes just sparkled. She kept saying, "I'm so happy!" It was very sweet.

We went out to our fave Mexican restaurant to celebrate. A very happy time and nice break after a long day of teaching that set me up for a few hours of writing before bedtime.

Better get writing now. So are you happy today? Or a little stressed like me?

Waiting

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Call me paranoid, but with the deadline looming, I keep waiting for something to happen. Something to throw a wrench into my writing plans for the next five days. And I wouldn't be surprised to find out one of the cats was plotting something just like this LOLcat pic above.

One already tried. Spirit swiped at my right hand the other day. Maybe she didn't like the fact I was rubbing her and another cat at the same time. Or maybe she wasn't jealous and just didn't want me to pet her. Who knows what goes on inside the mind of a cat?

Her claw managed to get under a fingernail on my right hand. Ouch. I never realized how hard it was to get dried blood out from under a fingernail. The bandage made typing a challenge. But at least it's healing now.

Hmmm, I wonder if that's why I finally made my NaNoWriMo word count goal yesterday. Today is a typical crazy Wednesday. I teach three different sessions at church. Plus, it's a special day for my youngest. She makes her First Reconciliation today. She's very nervous about going to confession. If you could say a prayer or send good thoughts her way, it would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Better get writing. I'd love to hit my word count goal two days in a row!

Daylight Savings Time

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It's been a couple days now since we switched our clocks back. I long for the days when I lived in Arizona. I hated the heat in the summertime, but we never had to mess with the time.

I don't know about you, but I hate this spring forward, fall back. It's just not worth that one our of sleep once a year. Okay, I know there are supposed to be more benefits, but still...

I'm having no trouble waking up in the morning which is good especially while on deadline. But neither is my seven year old which is bad. She's been up at least an hour early the past two mornings. And it doesn't matter what time she goes to bed. At least it hasn't the last two nights.

Not really a kid, unless you count fur-covered ones, but Chaos adjusted fine the first morning. It's been hard come feeding time ever since then. The cats...well, their cats and pretty much do and eat when they want to.

What do you think? Are you for the time changes or would you rather we not touch our clocks ever again?

A week to go!

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My Sleeping Beauty manuscript is due in one week.  That means buckling down even more and getting it done.  Fortunately, my two older kidlets are feeling better. Hubby is the sole sicky right now.

The final chapter of Snow-Kissed Reunion is now up.  If you like reading a story all at once, all eight chapters are here for your reading pleasure!

Now for the weekly giveaway.  Here are your random numbers:

1 

Timestamp: 2010-11-08 13:59:56 UTC

This week's winner is Dru. She commented on my post, Happy Halloween!  She was also the first person to comment on November 1. Early bird gets the Amazon gift cart!  Dru, please send me your email address via the contact link above.

All the entries have been deleted.  A new contest starts now so comment away!  I'll announce a new winner next Monday. 

Good news!

I'm so happy. Christmas Magic on the Mountain is a Romantic Times Top Pick for November! The book received a 4 1/2 star review, too!

Here's what the review says:

CHRISTMAS MAGIC ON THE MOUNTAIN (4 1/2) by Melissa McClone: When Sean Hughes picks up hitchhiker Zoe Flynn to give her a ride up the mountain for a day of skiing and ends up inviting her to a family Thanksgiving dinner, he never dreams he¹ll be passing her off as his girlfriend for a few weeks. Former wild child Zoe has been exiled by her politically powerful family after one too many tabloid headlines. When Sean is hospitalized after a fall from the mountain, Zoe is conscripted to be his nurse and she hopes it will prove to her own family that she's grown up. On the other hand, her close confinement with sexy Sean is liable to produce a few new headlines - especially when he finds out who she really is. An inept free-spirit hooks up with a down-to-earth rescue ranger in this sweetly romantic and sexy holiday romance that readers will find the perfect fit for their Christmas stocking reading.


Reviewed By: Pat Cooper

 Don't forget today is the last day to enter this week's drawing for an amazon gift card. Just post a comment to get an entry in the giveaway. The winner will be announced tomorrow!

Guest blogging at Pink Heart Society

I'm the guest blogger for the Pink Heart Society's Wildcard Weekend. You can check out my blog about my newest release, Christmas Magic on the Mountain here.

Don't forget, every comment gets you one entry in my giveaway. Winner will be announced on Monday. More details under the contest tab!

I'll leave you with this picture.


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I am definitely my fur babies "staff." It's kind of pathetic really. But as I look at the three lying on my bed right now with me, I don't mind so much!

Have a great weekend!

Words

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It's all about words right now with NaNoWriMo and my first deadline this month breathing down my neck like a hungry tiger. So I'll leave you with something I'm sure you have read before, but is funny enough to read again!


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Have a great Friday!

Firework

This weekend I found the second song in the book soundtrack for the Sleeping Beauty story I'm writing right now. The song Firework by Katy Perry fits my heroine, Princess Julianna perfectly.



Now to get my princess to ignite! She's much more subdued than that. Well, at least until she meets Prince Alejandro.

Have a great Thursday!

That time of the year...

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I'm on day three of the NaNoWriMo challenge. Writers write 50K in one month. Just for reference, my books are approx. 50K words. It's something I sign up for every year, but usually I'll be on deadline the whole month of November and just never really get going past the first few days.

Surprise, surprise, I'm on deadline again. I actually have two deadlines this month. My Sleeping Beauty story is due November 15th. A new Mount Hood proposal is due November 30th. Between the two, I think I can do 50K words. So far I'm on track. I've set an ambitious goal of 3000 words a day, mainly due to the first deadline. I'm a bit behind with that story do to all the things that have been going on (sicknesses, injuries, etc.) at home.

Oh, my attempt to reach 50K won't be in the true spirit of NaNoWriMo with the first project since I already had a rough draft (mind you, a very short one.) But the proposal will be all new words. I'm still mulling over who the hero should be on that one.

I'm in that part of the manuscripts that gets a little murky. Or muddled. If the two are so into each other, I wonder why I can't just end the story now. (see above LOLcat.) That means I must really focus on the conflict. Unfortunately that can kill all the romance. It's a dance, one I have to do each story. It's one I'd rather sit out, actually.

Are you doing NaNoWriMo? My user name is melmcclone if you're looking for buddies.

Okay, today is my crazy day. I'd better get writing. I won't have much time later.

RIP Joe Puryear

Back in this blog post from 2009, I mentioned two alpinists whose blogs I read. One of these climbers Joe Puryear was killed last week in the Himalayas.

Joe was a very close friend of Mark Westman, who came to my rescue when I was writing Rescued by the Magic of Christmas. If you've been a long-time reader of my blog, you might remember me meeting Mark at the Portland Ice Festival in 2007 where I asked him if he'd mind answering a few questions for a book. A few questions turned into a lot, and I will be forever grateful to Mark for sharing his views and insights with me. He is interviewed in the following NBC clip about Joe:



Joe's family and friends are trying to raise money to bring him home. If you're interested in donating to the effort or just want to read more about the expedition he was on, go here. There's a touching entry titled Final Post written by Joe's wife, Michelle, I suggest you read.

I didn't know Joe, but I wish I had. I'd thank him for sharing his adventures and giving us a peek into what being one of America's top climbers is all about. His blog, trip reports and photography really inspired me, both as a climber and romance writer. I still dream about Alpine climbing, and you know I'm always on the lookout for potential hero occupations/models.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all who knew and loved Joe.

New Contest!

To celebrate the release of Christmas Magic on the Mountain, I'm starting a new contest today. Each week there will be a new winner picked from those who leave comments on this blog. The prize is a $7.50 amazon gift card. For more info see the contest tab on the menu bar above.

As for the photos of Yoda, the photo session yesterday did not go well. He freaked out with hubby and daughter's attempts to put him in the pumpkin bucket. Yoda had good reason, too. He's way too big. I'll try to get a pic of him next to it today. I just don't want to scare him. He may be bigger than our other cats now, but he's still acts like a tiny little kitten.

Happy All Saints Day!