Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day to all my U.S. friends!

Today is family day. And my diet plans are in jeopardy. We were just informed that there is a huge buffet at my parents' house this year. MMMMMMMMM...........

Tomorrow I will be one of those crazy people who get up at the crack of dawn to catch a good deal. On the upside, I'm almost finished shopping, so it's fun to stand back and watch everyone else go crazy. If you're like me and love to people-watch, you know this is the best time of year to observe. You have those individuals who are all about spreading good cheer, and then the others who are all about getting that last toy. Some mighty interesting characters have been created during these times, lol.

Actually, it's more about the "sisterhood". Every year the girls get together, have our grown-up pajama party to gab and eat and look over the ads. There's even been a facial or pedicure thrown in. Everyone settles down about midnight, so I'm hoping to write for at least an hour before crashing in the chair for a few hours. We'll get up, grab a granola bar or something, then head out the door. Shop. Snack. Shop. Shop. Snack. Shop. Shop. Eat brunch! I can't begin to tell you how many times this annual tradition has helped us keep our sanity through job tribulations, marital issues, children's angst and more. The sisterhood rules!

Sunday we'll enjoy a second feast--told you my diet was in trouble--with my dh's family.


I wish everyone a happy holiday. Enjoy your loved ones (related or not) and take a bite of pumpkin pie for me!

HUGS!

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A Little Magic

It appears my new tiara is working some magic!

I have managed to get down 5,593 words so far this week and it's only Tuesday morning. I've surpassed my weekly goal and now have 21 new pages of work.

I think I'll up the ante another 5,000 words this week.

Wish me luck. For now I'm off to begin decorating for the holidays and read some of my new book! I'll have to let you know about it soon.

Thanks again, Kathryn!

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Five Things about Me...

Well, it seems everything comes with a price, lol. Word Trix tagged me back to share five interesting things about myself that people don't already know.

Hmmm...this could be good or bad...here goes:

1) I once repelled out a two-story window using sheets tied to a bed leg. Yes, it worked; however, it was so dark that I misjudged the distance and let go too early (about five feet instead of two). I have since repelled off cliffs, but didn't know what I was doing that first time so I clung to the linens for dear life. Good experience for writing. I know how it feels, haha.

2) Famous people (non-romance novelists) I have met include Lee Greenwood and Sammy Davis Jr. And yes, Mr. Davis said, "Baby," when he talked to me. It was a fun moment.

3) I brought a wheeled Samonsonite, a box of Hershey chocolates and a butane curling iron to a survival weekend. Survived spending the night under a little cliff in 0-degree weather (it was February 1st).

4) I laugh when I'm nervous.

and finally....

5) I absolutely love to bake--cookies, cakes, and pies--but I do not care to eat sweets. Go figure!

Tagging Cindy--dish with us!

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Big Week Ahead

Wow, can you believe that it is almost Thanksgiving here in the U.S.? Where has the year gone?

In the hustle and bustle of the upcoming holidays, it will be a tad more difficult to keep goals, but I must press on, so I'll be posting weekly goals here for accountability. Usually I write in chronological progression, beginning with the first page of the first chapter. Last week, I gave in to temptation sketched out scenes as they came to me, be it a moment alone with the hero, the ending or just a splash of punch on an evening gown. While I didn't meet my goals (shy of 1,000 words), it was so much fun I plan to do it again this week.

And soon I'll have a tiara to wear while I write! Yes, you heard me correctly, lol. I won a wonderful tiara and signed book by Kathryn Caskie on her guest blog day at Romance: By the Blog. Big thanks to Kathryn for such a wonderful time and to Michelle for having such a fun guest.

My goals this week are relatively simple. As we do not travel for Thanksgiving, I see no reason not to keep a minimum of 5,000 words for the week. More would be wonderful, but I figure 1,000 a day is a good goal for the next few weeks. Check back later this week and I might have a snippet for you to enjoy, in appreciation of your support.

On that note, I leave you to your dreams. May they always be sweet.

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Goals ~ Extended

Hi all! It seems like it's been weeks since we actually chatted. Between family, writing and baseball it's been nuts around our household. Ah, but it's definitely not boring!

There were a few moments to catch up on some minor reading and I found an interesting tidbit in the November issue of Prevention Magazine. It's about goals and I'd like to share with you.

In the article Your Winter Stay-Healthy Guide, Amanda MacMillan proposes that there are certain things we can do to help keep ourselves germ free (or closer to it) this winter. In the section of the article titled "What to do Every Week," she suggests that setting goals.

"Challenging situations can work to your advantage"

She claims that working toward a goal will help "provide a health boost" to a person's immune system.

"The best prescription is to set your sights on a reachable target, says Fleshner."**

So gang, we've been given yet another reason to set weekly goals.

I'm working on mine. Are you?

Well, back to the grindstone. I've got an extra hour tonight. That reminds me, don't forget to change your clocks and your smoke detector batteries tonight!





SOURCE: Prevention, November 6, 2006 Edition
ARTICLE: Your Winter Stay-Healthy Guide AUTHOR: Amanda MacMillan
**Monica Fleshner. PhD

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World Series Champs!

CONGRATULATIONS to the World Series Champions, the St. Louis Cardinals!

Way to go REDBIRDS!!

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Woohoo! Cards Are Up to Three!

Though the rain put off game four (last night), the St. Louis Cardinals WON tonight!


Go CARDS!

Magic Number: 1


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I've Been Tagged!

What a darling Cindy Miles is. Thanks sweetie!

1) One book that changed your life...
That would have to be the REAL MOTHER GOOSE. You feel like laughing, don't you? Go ahead! I still smile when I think about it. It's one of the first books I owned and as a matter of fact, I still have it. It sits just two shelves down from my romance reference books. It inspired me to be silly, to let my imagination free and to simply enjoy reading.

2) One book that you've read more than once...
CHARMING THE PRINCE by Teresa Medeiros. It's one of my favorite books. I can't explain why other than the fact that it's my "feel good" book. Any time I need inspiration, or need to be brought out of the blahs, this book will do it for me.

3) One book you'd want on a deserted island...
It would be a toss-up between Dummies Guide to Getting off a Deserted Island (why not, they have everything else) or CHARMING THE PRINCE. (See #2)

4) One book that made you laugh...
Oh, Mercy! I shouldn't admit this, but I'd overlooked a book by a favorite author. Anyway, I picked up ONE KISS FROM YOU by Christina Dodd. It was such a wonderful read I devoured it in one sitting, chuckling all the way through it, then laughing until I cried at the end. Ms. Dodd had me in stitches. It was "unexpected" and I am now going to have to purchase this book for my keeper shelf.

5) One book that made you cry...
My high school Geometry textbook. I still have nightmares about this book.

6) One book you wish you'd written...
EMMA by the esteemed Jane Austen. Enough said.

7) One book you wish had never been written...
My high school Geometry textbook. **shrug** At least I'm consistent, lol.

8) One book you're currently reading...
I am currently between books and my TBR list is falling over so it's hit or miss what is next. Tell me what you are reading!

Thanks again for the tag, Cindy! This was fun. Hmm, who's next? Heather? Are you game?

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Magic Number: 2

Woohoo! The Cards just won their second game of the Series.

GO CARDS!

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Just Another Manic Monday

Yes, the Bangles are running through my head today, chasing my characters around.

Why?

"Save As" is a very valuable feature. I'm laughing now, but at 7 a.m. this morning I only wanted to sob.

Let me explain.

As you know, I managed to find some serious writing time this weekend. I wrote 21-1/2 new pages. Well, at 4 a.m. Sunday, things started to get a little fuzzy. I had some ideas for upcoming chapters and wished to key them in before I forgot--thought I had used the "Save As" feature. To my horror (only fitting for October), I discovered that I hit the "save" button instead and erased my entire chapter.

Thanks to a great pal (and some other darling friends) who let me whine in email. The understanding support helped tremendously. I imagined what she'd say if we were having latte's and then I put my big girl panties on and dealt with the situation. Progress so far? Nine pages rewritten from memory. I'm going to work on the next 12 or so pages tonight. Then I need to write two more chapters this week to keep goal. Thank goodness for crockpots and take-out.

So, now you know how my week started. What happened on your Manic Monday?

whoa-oo-ohhh...

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Game One Down!

I had to pop in again to say, "GO CARDS!"
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A day to myself...

It is a rare day indeed that I have time (and the house!) to myself.

So instead of some drawn-out blog about the joys of such blessed events, let me just shout, "YIPPEE!"

Plans? To type until my fingers are numb. That's right. I have an outline and another chapter to finish on my current wip. Thankfully it is a first draft and shouldn't be difficult since I've been noodling it for a couple of days now. The goal I've set is one new chapter per week.

Take care of yourselves while I get lost inside my head.

If it's sunny in your locale, go play. If it's gloomy, find a good book and snuggle down for the afternoon.

Simply enjoy yourselves this weekend!

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What color are your toes?

Er, toenails, to be more precise.

Why?

Besides the fact that this writer is in desperate need of a pedicure, I have wondered what people do when they get a rejection. Even as I chatted with friends, I put forth an idea to help make it easier and now it won't stop running around in my mind. The more I think about this, the more it makes sense (but that could just be me, I am a little warped at times, lol). Wonder what you think about it.

We celebrate like mad when we get a request, very short edits on a draft, and (yippee) that big sale. We break out the dancing shoes, eat that Godiva chocolate or do something really awesome. But what do we do when we get a rejection, or even a poor contest score? We lick our wounds and hide out. It's human nature to throw ourselves a pity party.

I'm not saying to ignore those instincts. Self-preservation is a good thing. And hiding out can give us the time to develop a thicker skin so the next rejection doesn't sting as much.

I am proposing that we set a time limit. Tell ourselves we only have such and such time then we pick ourselves up, drag a brush through the snarls, take a shower and refresh ourselves to do it all over again. Then, I suggest we do something special for ourselves to help the improved writer move on. Make it something we look forward to doing and save it for our treat. The theory being that eventually our pity time will become less and less and we'll be ready for the next round. Who knows, we may even begin to send out more work!

What does this have to do with nail polish? Hang on, the convoluted thought processes that make up my brain are straightening out...

Nail polish. Oh yes.

I choose pedicures for my rejection reward. Even if no one else sees my little tootsies, I know when they are painted and it makes me feel prettier, more confident. They are dressed to the nines and if I need to remove my shoes (never know when someone needs a foot model) they will be ready to face the world--just like the writer in me. And that's what this is all about, right?

Think I'll make up for past rejections and go paint my toes now.

What do you think of "Passionate Plum?"

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"Feel The Touch Of Destiny"

Before I begin, I need to warn you, I am not a film critic and I usually don't like to post/blog about movies. That said, my husband took me to the theatre last Friday to celebrate the 11th anniversary of our first date (isn't he romantic?). What film was it?


One Night With The King
"Feel The Touch Of Destiny"


While the movie might not be everyone's cup of tea, I found it delightful and a fresh change from the bang-bang, shoot-em-up movies--or worse, the just-plain-dumb movies--that have glutted the theatres lately.

It is the story of Esther and how her destiny with the King would save her people.

I will tell you that the scenery and costumes were incredible. As you can see from the image above, the locales were rich and romantic--a definite visual treat.

And while I was disappointed that it did not focus even more on the romance aspect (I'm a romance-writer, what do you want??), I thought scenes between Esther and the King were touching. You also see her passion for her people come through as she discovers the true depth of selfless love.

I thought Tiffany Dupont was excellent in the role of Esther, bringing a charm and liveliness to the role that is unique to her. Other members of this cast include Luke Goss, John Rhys-Davies (you LOTR and Indiana Jones fans will remember him), Tommy Lister, James Callis (you Bridget Jones fans will recognize him), Peter O'Toole, and Omar Sharif.

An interesting little tidbit...
Though this movie was only shown in 909 theatres it broke into the top ten grossing movies its first weekend. Source: Yahoo! Movies (box office charts)

Goals, Schmoals

Another Monday has rolled around and what did you do today? Did you prepare for the week?

Too often we find ourselves twiddling our thumbs, surfing through web, basically doing whatever it takes to avoid setting goals. (Unless you are a born organizer, then you're excused from this post.)

I'm no different from most of you out there. I loathe setting goals!

Why?

Because I get sick and tired of that whiny inner brat who yells "na-nana-na-na" at the end of each week when I realize I haven't completed one gosh-darned thing. And then I start making excuses. You know the ones.

"Little Johnnie had an earrache and needed some love."

"SuperAuctionSite had that vase I've been looking all over for and I had to wait for the auction to end!"

"The dog ate my goals."

Yeah, all those excuses--some real, some not so real--add up. And the pile of excuses burdens you with guilt. And if there is one thing I hate worse than setting goals, it is guilt!

A few months ago, I had a "eureka" moment. I accomplish more when I set goals.

Do you reach your goals each week?

Well, no I don't, and to tell the truth, it doesn't always bother me too much. What matters is I can look back over the week and show actual work. Show new pages, edited pages, contest work, research, whatever needed to be worked on. More often than not, my goals were not realistic to begin with (a chat for another day), and I accomplish a lot more than I thought I would. Most weeks, I'm proud enough of what I did accomplish to shut that inner brat up for what I didn't. (She really hates that, lol)

When I don't set goals each week, guess what? You're right. Nothing gets finshed. Before I know it one day has bled into the next until Sunday rolls around again and I have nothing to show for the week.

So yeah, I still hate goal-setting, but I'm sure as sin going to do it. It's the only way I'll succeed. You too.

Ta-ta for now loves. I'm off to post my goals to my critique group.

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Chocolate Cheesecake Day

Today it was gorgeous out, so mom and I took advantage of the good weather to spend some quality girlie-time together. We started the morning out at a clothing exchange. Yawn. I saw the sun come up this morning. A rare event, indeed. Then we shopped around for new stamping and scrapbooking supplies (my other creative outlets), and even popped into a yard sale or two, sharing chuckles over some very, er, interesting finds. And we talked...oh how we talked, lol. Next to my husband, my mom is my biggest fan and dear friend. I LOVE YOU, MOM!

What did you do today?

Well, since it was a quiet week writing-wise, I thought I'd share one of my favorite chocolate recipes with you instead of agonizing over my lack of output. So, without further ado, here is the link to one of my favorite cheesecake recipes straight from the Godiva Chocolate website! It's easy and oh-so-scrumptious!

Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake

ENJOY!!


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The Vampire Who Loved Me

What have you been reading?


I've just finished another charmer by Teresa Medeiros (website, teresamedeiros.com) titled "The Vampire Who Loved Me." (Published by AVON books)

In this follow up to After Midnight we are reunited with the Kane/Cabot family members who are desperate to determine whether Julian Kane is a monster or a man in search of his soul ~ and his heart. Portia Cabot ~ still in love with Julian after all these years ~ believes in the strength of love and will not easily surrender Julian's heart to the chilling vampiress who owns his soul. Together, Portia and Julian must break the lure of dark desires for if not, Julian will forever belong to the night.

This was a great read, perfect for the month of October. It already has a spot on my keeper shelf. It's fun and easy to read, yet will keep you reading well past the witching hour! I definitely lost track of time reading this one. My sister-in-law, who normally despises paranormal stories, fell in love with the series earlier this year, if that tells you anything.

If you haven't read After Midnight, I suggest you go out and get it first, then sit back and enjoy the ride!

Another Medeiros classic, great for spunky heroines and sexy-as-midnight heroes and adventures to satisfy a lot of reading appetites.

THANKS Teresa for sharing your talent with the rest of us!

A new day dawns...

So it's night and I'm not exactly beginning from scratch; but, hey, it's a new blog!

What is this about?

I am a gonna-be romance novelist (thinking positive here) and would love your company as I take this trip into the wonderful world of publishing. At present, I have several wips going and hope to finish them--with your encouragement. I hope we share a lot of laughs, a few tears and tons of cyber chocolate (no calories!!).

Your thoughts on romance today, books you're reading, chocolate and descriptions of the hunk who moved in down the block are welcomed with open arms. Heck, we might even share a few great tidbits about everyday life.

For now though, a yummy little Godiva is waiting and my hero is yelling from the mental closet I locked him in. Sigh. Better go let him out; he gets touchy about being alone in the dark.

Sweet Dreams,
Nichole