Buckling Down Is Here!

When two hearts are on the line, it’s double or nothing.

A Wild Ride story.

Levi McKenna heads to Las Vegas with one simple goal: win the rodeo and cement his place in rodeo history. Then Lady Luck throws a wild card into the deck—Sydney Hart. Time and distance haven’t dulled the sharp edge of their attraction, but thanks to a long-ago promise, she will always be forbidden fruit dangling just out of reach.

Sydney wants to believe in fairy tales and happily ever after, but her past relationships leave her doubting such things exist. She’s ready to give up on love…until Levi walks into her bar. The man who’s always held the missing piece of her heart. Love may not be in the cards, but that doesn’t mean a girl can’t flirt.

Neither expected passion this hot, this fast. Yet once the cards are dealt, the only thing left to do is play them out—and see if they have a winning hand.

Warning: this book contains a sassy heroine, a scrumptious hero, blood, sweat, tears, not to mention…sex laced with Vegas heat.

Available from Samhain Publishing

Check It Out!

The fabulous Blaze author Lori Borrill is the Author of the Month at the Girls on Books in May! We have lots of fun planned, starting with an interview tomorrow. Oh, and rumor has it there might be a prize or two involved, so stop on by in May and show Lori some love!

(December...I'm talking to YOU here. LOL )

May NaNoWriMo

Word on the street is that May is the new November. Or rather...May is trying to copy November. Whatever. Point is...writers everywhere will be "BICHOK" for the entire month, plunking out gobs of wordage at ridiculous speed. Or at least in the range of roughly just under 1700ish works a day. Which isn't so ridiculous when you really think about it. :D Right? LOL

Anyhow, I've set a goal for myself--to finish a 50K rough draft on my current WIP by June 7th. So...I'm gonna take the May NaNoWriMo challenge and I'm gonna kick ass all over town.

Wish me luck! :)

Up and At 'Em Music

Needed a little Heart fix this morning. Thought I'd share. :D

Hmm...

I started writing again last night. I only managed 300 words before I was competely wiped out, which I know is partly because I'm sick, but I'm guessing it also has something to do with using parts of my brain that have collected dust and God knows what else over the past several months. Nonetheless, like a good workout after some time off, it felt good to stretch those muscles, too. :)

Only problem is...I resurrected a story I'd started awhile ago (albeit it very minimally...like ten pages worth) for a pitch contest, since, woohoo, the editors are running another contest in the upcoming months. But...after plotting and pinning down the conflict some, I'm not so sure that I have the voice for what these editors are looking for. I *could* write what they want, but it isn't natural to me. I write more...relaxed? More quirky? More playful? Not sure exactly what it is, but it's just different.

Now, that's not to say that I don't believe in writing beyond your boundaries or out of your comfort zone--hello, that's a given! I just done know that I can be authentic enough with the particular line to do the story(ies) justice. If that makes any sense...

Then again...I hate to pass up an opportunity to get a story (any story!) in front of an editor. So, at the moment, I'm kinda torn. Push myself toward something different that really stretches the scope of my writing or forget the contest and just write what feels good? I guess I know the answer already, but I'm not thrilled with the thought of letting a potential opportunity pass me by either. I mean, I'm just starting to write again. Why not up my game right from the get-go?

Hmm...

What do you think? Do you stick to your comfort zone? Or have you pushed yourself toward something else? Has it paid off for you?

*M, I already know your answer to this one, seeing as the evidence of your boundary pushing is in a cover at the top right of this post. :D*

ETA: I have to say that there is something about the line I'm contemplating that really fits some of my story ideas, too. So while my voice may need some tweaking, I think I'm on the right page with the plotting. Gah. So many things to weigh...

Funny Thing Happened Today...

I was taking a nap and got to dreaming about writing again. My heart started racing so hard I woke up. I had butterflies in my stomach that only fluttered harder when I remembered that, in a week, I'll finally be able to do it again. How flippin' crazy am I, huh? LOL

2 Weeks 'til Freedom!

Yep, that's right...only two weeks of school left for me. :P I so sick of it that I can barely bring myself to open a book, let alone actually do any homework right now. And now's really not the time to be slacking, you know? Gah. Oh, well. It'll come to an end just the same, but I can't promise my grades will be anything to brag about.

Unfortunately, I've also done some rescheduling of things, including my summer internship. While I'd love to go right to it and be done with school once and for all in August, a nonpaying summer job just isn't going to be feasible for my family and I, considering I'd have three kids in daycare to pay for. So...next fall it is. Two kidlets will be in school and I'll only have one to worry about. Also, my mother-in-law should be feeling better then and there's also a chance my mom will be living in the area...both or either of them I'm sure will be willing to take the littlest demon spawn off my hands, because for some reason, she's as sweet as pie for them.

So, back to this two weeks 'til freedom business... I've already decided that my plan is to sleep for the first few days. I've been so flippin' tired lately and I know you can't really "catch up", but I'm sure as heck gonna try. Then I'm gonna read a bit, because I feel like I haven't really had a chance to do so in months (gotta love those audiobooks!). Then I'm gonna write my epic novel. Because, really, all I have left for school is to complete my internship to get my required credits and that's not technically "school". No homework, etc. So...that means that in two weeks, I will no longer have any excuses not to write. You could say that the "rest of my life" begins in two weeks. And writing is what I want to do for the rest of my life. *happy sigh* More on that later...

Hope y'all had a great Easter...

Potpourri

I've got a hodgepodge of things to chat about today, so I'm just gonna blip them all, 'kay? :)

First, my son did not make the Little League team. Not sure what I think about it. I mean, he has a lot to learn and is just barely old enough. Most kids his age (around here anyhow) don't make the team on their first attempt. I'm perfectly cool with that. However, I am not cool with the fact that two boys who are related to the coach, from another district, and also only showed up to one of the two tryout days made the team over local kids who were there for both days. Also, even worse...the coach put a kid on the team who never even tried out, is from freaking Florida, and won't be here until the summer. He's apparently a cousin of another player. Tell me how that's fair, eh?

Second, Jeannie Ruesch is Author of the Month at the Girls on Books. You can check her out on Fridays for the next few weeks. Oh, and her website is beautiful. Go check it out.

If you haven't seen the new Blaze authors blog, you should. Of course, you might not be as tickled as I am, but it's pretty cool nonetheless. And they have a really awesome contest to kick things off. Books, books, and more books.

As I'm sure y'all know, Easter's this weekend and, grrrr, I'm really pissed at myself. I vowed to not get too carried away this year, because we just go too overboard on the whole bunny/baskets thing (as we pretty much do with every holiday). Well, suffice to say, I'll have to try again next year, because we spent a ridiculous amount of money on crap tonight. Yes, I could have said 'no' to a lot of the things the hubster threw into the cart, but alas I did not. Whatever happen to a package of jacks or a jumprope and a handful or two of candy? Gah.

We are now the proud owners of a new camper. Go us. Not so sure what I think of this either. Yep, I'm gonna love the convenience and, yep, I'm gonna love all the space (we upgraded from a tiny pop-up that the five of us fit into like sardines), but I'm not gonna love the monthly payment to the in-laws (we're buying it from them as they just bought a new one and my savings is pretty much frozen until all the house-buying shenanigans are over).

And I think that's all, folks. Nothing exciting for you, but lots of drama for me. I just love this time of the year... :D

Temporary Redirection

So much to say, so little time this week because of work, some minor home repairs, Little League tryouts, a mountain of homework, a wonky computer, a broken windshield, a lingering cold, etc. Sigh. Just go check out the Girls on Books this week instead, 'kay? We have a new reviewer (debuted yesterday) and I have a feeling she's gonna fit in swimmingly. :P

You Gotta See This!!

Here's my girl! Mark your calendars...May 5th!! Go buy Buckling Down!!!

Things Still Work!

After months of succumbing to an overgrowth of cobwebs, the creative, writerly part of my brain is beginning to stretch and bat away the dust and arachnids. Three times yesterday, while reading an awful chapter about GDP and MPC/S (economic terms that make my head spin), I got story ideas. Granted I don't remember the full scope of them now because I foolishly did not write them down, but not only am I happy that things still work, I'm really happy that I'm coming up with different ideas. I really feel like this time off and exposure to new subjects has helped me grow (up) as a writer. I'm contemplating stories and genres I hadn't before and maybe...just maybe, I'll finally find the right kind of story to write when I start up again. Can't wait to find out!

I LOVE this song!

I kinda watched Can You Duet? (the show these two won and from which they landed a record deal) and I remember Caitlin and Will from the early rounds. I never imagined the two of them would pair up so well together. Seriously, this song gives me goosebumps. Caitlin's voice is just phenomenal and who would have ever thought a burly guy like Will would have such a great voice too? Only criticism I have for these guys: Get a new name. 'Caitlin & Will' is pretty generic and they're so much better than that!

The Count Is On...

32 days until sweet freedom is mine. Sigh. I so cannot wait to come home from work and have my time be my own. No chapters to read. No papers to write. No deadlines to worry about meeting. Double sigh. Of course, I'll still have to clean the house and cook and all that, but only having that on my plate is going to be heavenly. I'm getting all giddy thinking about it. To be able to read when I want. Write when I want. Watch HGTV without guilt... Gawd, I can't wait. :P

'Tis all... :D

I'm Back!

Holy geez, it's been awhile, hasn't it? I completely spaced the fact that I even had a blog... My apologies to anyone who's been patiently waiting for me to return. :D Yeah, that's not likely, is it? LOL

Anyhow, not much really going on here. Just anxiously awaiting the end of my (sorta) final semester of school and the beginning of my summer internship. Once I'm finished with that, I will officially be done with college and the search begins for a "real" job. I'm excited, but also kinda scared considering how miserable the job market is right now. Fingers crossed that something interesting and high paying comes up, okay? ;)

And with only a month or so of classes left, I'm looking very much forward to writing again. I played around a little last night and, yikes, I'm rusty. I feel like I need to dig out all of my craft books to refresh my memory on how to actually do it. LOL Okay, not really--writing is kinda like riding a bike, to a certain degree. And, hopefully, if anything, beneath the rust and squeaks is a better, more mature writer who'll actually get something done now. :)

Hmm, let's see what else...

Oh, the fam and I are in the early stages of buying a house. Kinda running into some snags already though, because the house is a fixer-upper and that's not so cool with the lending program we're most interested in (low downpayment and fab, fixed interest rate!). Bigger problem is that my brother-in-law owns the house and suffice to say that despite doing construction/contracting for a living he isn't really ambitious about fixing the house up to sell it. Especially not to us, because God forbid we actually have anything nice (sibling jealousy is HUGE among the hubster and his bros). Sigh. Fingers crossed on that, too, okay? :) Thanks!

And, and, and...I'm typing this post on my new baby!! Isn't she doing a great job? ;) I just lurve her. She's pretty and fast and warm (hello, bonus! No cooling pad needed here!) and I love that I can take her with me while I make dinner or when I'm hiding from the kids. I can already tell she's one of the best investments I've ever made. :D

And I think that's all, folks. More from Loofah Land later...

My New Toy...

She'll be here maybe by the end of next week, but for sure by the beginning of the next. I'm gonna name her Ruby, I think. :P I have big plans for her and I--I think we'll go far together. At least to the couch or the front yard. :P LOL Seriously, though, I think she'll be an incredible asset and I can't wait to get my hands on her! Yay!!

Lost the Big V

My audiobook virginity, that is. :)

Hmm, well, actually, now that I think about it, I did listen to something awhile back, but that was *shudder* to learn something. This time it's all for fun, thus feels like the first time. :D

Anyhow, I'm listening to my first fiction audiobook and I am simply awestruck at the awesomeness of the whole thing. I wasn't sure it'd be for me, because, as a writer I kinda like to actually see the words and how sentences are formed, etc. But I think I could quickly get over that and fall in love with just listening instead. I mean, I can completely multitask while doing it and, God knows, I need all the time I can get these days. I can also just lay on the couch with my blankie, take the lazy reader's route, and do absolutely nothing else. ;)

I like this so much that I really wish I'd pushed harder for an iPod for Valentine's Day. Instead, I decided to join RWA. Though I haven't actually mailed the application yet... It's supposed to go in the mail today... Hmm. Maybe I could really get my butt moving and start-- I mean, keep up with walking if I could listen to books while I exercised.

What do you think? Do you dig audiobooks? Does listening to them motivate you while working out? Or should I just stick with RWA? :)

Big Smiles!

Who says money doesn't buy happiness??

ROFLMAO at that nonsense!

I got my tax refund this past week. Granted, this influx of fundage is only a temporary means to a better mood...but I'm gonna ride it for all it's worth, because I'm suddenly feeling like I haven't in, hmm, well, about a year. Since last year's refund, actually.

Anyhow, I have money in my pocket, the sun is shining (OMG, it's a miracle!), I am well stocked up on caffeinated beverages, my husband is making dinner when he gets home from being gone all day (double bonus!), and I have a beautiful, sunny bouquet of tulips on the corner of my desk from the kids yesterday.

Life doesn't get a whole lot better than this. I am so freaking happy!

That's all. Thought I'd share some sunshine instead of pouting for a change. :)

I have Spring Fever!

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous day here in Cheesehead Country. We hit something like 35 degrees and the snow was melting and there were puddles and it was complete and utter fabulousness. The sun was shining and everything. My little heart sang and my hopes lifted...

And then I woke up this morning. Granted it's still in the low 30s temp-wise...but it's gloomy and blah and OMG, I am so sick of this! The funny thing is...I'd normally be a little depressed about this. I'm not a winter kind of gal, as I'm sure you guessed from my last post. But this year, however...I AM PISSED! I'm ready to claw someone's eyes out.

I'm not going to give up on the 'high' I had going on yesterday. Today I'm gonna do some cleaning...with lemonade and pineapple candles burning...with the radio cranked...in a pair of shorts even if that means I freeze my butt off... I'm gonna kick winter's ass one fingerprinted window and one dusty shelf at a time! GO ME!!! :P

All I'm Sayin'

I Wanna Be SuperWoman

So, I realize I haven't exactly been working on the 'new and improved me' as much as I should be lately. In fact, my intention was to keep this blog all about that, but I've been slipping up. A lot. Then I was reading for school yesterday when I came upon this sentence, which really struck a chord with me...

"The jack-of-all-trades may be a very colorful individual but is certainly not an efficient producer."

Have you, by chance, read my profile? I listed my occupation as a jack-of-all-trades. And that's completely true--I wear many hats. But I don't exactly excel in any area of my life. Perhaps I need to work harder. Perhaps I'm actually trying too hard. Who knows.

As I sit here, thinking about all the things I want to accomplish this year (writing, finishing school, becoming healthier, reading all those books, etc.)...I can't honestly say, without hesitation or reluctance, that any one is more important than the other other to me. I want--need--to write because it's just who I am. It's in me. Without it, life's just not right. I want to finish school, because I really want to get a 'real job'. I want to lose weight and feel better about myself, because I'm sick to death of feeling like crap. I also want to read anything I can get my hands on because I know it'll help me be a better writer and also because I've gotta feed the soul, you know? Life can't be all work.

So, here's the question: How the hell do I do it all and still be efficient?

Okay, that made me laugh. 'Still' probably isn't the best word, because that implies I have been efficient, which is not the case. It's also funny because, while I love that quote above and know it applies to me, I still can't accept that fact that I've probably stacked too many big challenges on my plate.

You know what I need? A cape. And superpowers.

Sigh.

And after all of that dribble-drabble, now I'll tell you the good news... I worked out this morning. Thought that maybe if I got my energy level up maybe I wouldn't be so overwhelmed. It felt great. I even ran, if you can believe it. Granted, it was only for three minutes, but it didn't kill me. And I didn't break the treadmill. :) Oh, and I shave my legs. Probably more than you needed to know, but that's quite an achievement for lazy ol' me. :)

Tsk Tsk

Shame on me. I am a baaaad, baaaad blogger. You can feel free to stick your foot through cyberspace and kick my ass. I know I deserve it...

Three weeks in and I've already dropped the ball on my Sunday goal posts, but, honestly, it wasn't that I forgot or anything. I just didn't do it. Ha! Bet you didn't expect me to admit it, did you? :P And I haven't been blogging about anything else either and really that's more of a public service than anything, because I would have just babbled about nonsense like I am right now, completely wasting your time. My mind has been so preoccupied with writing (I'm actually doing it!!! And not on just one MS, but two!!! Go me!!) and the start of my LAST SEMESTER OF SCHOOL!! Did you know that? That this was my LAST SEMESTER? Because it is. :D

Anyhoo...here's another probably futile attempt (yikes, that's that nasty negativity again, isn't it?) at some goals for the week. I truly promise to be better this week. Time waits for no (wo)man and all that jazz.

• Write 1650 a day. (I only need about 33K by the end of the month, so the numbers work out something like that.)


• Read and complete all the first chapters/units/assignments for school by next Saturday PM, so I can spend the weekend writing again (trying this weekend, too).


• Finish my GOB review by mid-week.


• Exercise 3 times!! I did ask if I could work out at the gym thingy in town here and I got the go-ahead, but then I also got more hours at work and yada, yada...I don't know how it'll all fit into place).


• Cut back on soda and drink more water.


• Color my hair and paint my toe nails (don't laugh...I need to get the sexy back in '09!).

Oh, by the way, I don't think I've mentioned here yet that my bestest I-friend and CP, Moira, recently sold to Samhain. You should go check out her blog and give her kudos. :P