Now that's Love...

So, not only did my wonderful husband read the 4 chapters I sent to him, but he offered some really insightful suggestions & let me bounce ideas off of him.  (And I am in no way saying this in a derogatory manner b/c my man is very intelligent, but he went above & beyond what I thought which was wonderful)  It's wonderful having someone so supportive in my corner.  Love my honey!! <3

Playlist for 1/22:

You're My Best Friend: Queen
I Lost It: Kenny Chesney
Stupify: Disturbed
Alright: Darius Rucker
What About Now: Daughtry
You're The Only One: Keith Urban

Evil Genius

So, I stayed up and edited for 2 hours last night.  By the time my eyes were starting to cross, my poor husband comes downstairs and asks when/if I'm coming to bed.  I told him as soon as I emailed him the first 4 edited chapters...but of course that put me back to finishing the 4th chapter before I could copy him with it.  So, another half hour later & I finally finish and hit send.  I shut everything down (after saving of course) and head upstairs.  I am lying there for maybe 5 minutes when a great idea pops into my head for one of my main characters.  It's so good and so funny, I had to get up and go back downstairs to write it down.  At this point, my sister is on the computer and looking at me like I'm crazy, so my explanation to her is that "I am an evil genius"  LOL  Mwah ha ha...

Playlist for 1/21:

Must Get Out: Maroon 5
Frequency: Tantric
Never Going Back Again: Fleetwood Mac
Slummin in Paradise: Mandy Moore
Wrong Again: Martina McBride
The More I See You: Michael Buble

18 months

I can't believe my little guy is 18 months old today!  I feel like I just brought him home :(  Love my little guy so much!! 

So I found a book to take some of the guesswork out of converting my book into the templates required for Amazon, B&N, etc.  Now I'm trying to think of some cover artwork....at this point, this is the least of my worries, but I want it to be a great cover as I think that is what will initially attract potential readers.  Getting lots of support from friends & family and just wanted to say thank you!  Now I am off to do something creative ;)

Play List 1/20:

Lookin for a Good Time: Lady Antebellum
It's Gonna be Love: Mandy Moore
It Will Be Me: Faith Hill
Never Say Never: The Fray
When You Kiss Me: Shania Twain    :)  <3  For those that don't know, this was my 1st dance w/ my hubby
Nightblindness: David Gray

When the Going Gets Tough...

I am finding it difficult to get things done this week.  No real clear cut reason, just lots of stuff going through my mind.  I think I need a vacation LOL  I just need a laptop, a warm tropical climate, and a stiff drink ;)  Is that asking too much??  No worries, I will get things done...I just need to get focused.  Hopefully this afternoon I will gain some creative perspective.  Still kicking the setting around.  I think maybe what I need is a beta...someone to bounce my ideas off of & to tell me when I'm being absolutely insane ;)  My poor husband just got volunteered for the job & he doesn't even know it yet ;) 

Playlist for 1/12:

Knock You Down: Keri Hilson
Mary Jane: Silvertide
Another One Bites the Dust: Queen
Goodbye Girl: Hootie & The Blowfish
Devil's Swing: Godsmack

Musically Speaking...

So, I am really trying to focus on getting some of the musical aspects of my book tightened up a bit.  As I said, music is a huge part of this story and I want it to really shine (God does that ever sound cheesy...).  I'm getting some help on background info & for that, I am eternally grateful!!!  Hopefully this week will let me have some more breakthroughs as well.  Whoever said weekends were restful clearly did not have children ;)  As I am typing, my 5 year old is standing over my shoulder asking to play on the computer & asking who I am writing a message to ;)  Until next time...

Play List for 1/9:

2 The Sky: Robin Thicke
Forever my Lady: Jodeci
Picture: Sheryl Crow
This Year's Love: David Gray
Dare You to Move: Switchfoot

Setting

So yesterday was actually a pretty productive day.  I got some minor editing done and even got another half page added to give some more description to the house.  Granted, this took me a good 2-1/2 hours, but at least my son got in a good nap while Mommy wrote and cursed the computer ;)  And I'm getting lots of ideas, so I just keep making random notes all over the place...should probably add them to the folder I specifically started for my notes, but hey, what can you do?  LOL  Hopefully today will be as productive.  I keep going back to the setting of my story.  I've never thought it wise to set a story somewhere you've never been, so I'm kicking around the idea of moving the central setting, but we'll see as I get deeper into things.  I may just make up a place if it gets to be too ridiculous ;)  Now I am off to work on cleaning/getting ready for my daughter's 5th birthday party...OMG...all I keep thinking is that she's gonna be a whole hand :'o(  They grow up so fast...wouldn't trade a second of it though!

Playlist for 1/7:

It's a Love Thing: Keith Urban
Sky: Joshua Radin
Please Forgive Me: David Gray
Whole Lotta Love: Led Zeppelin
Serenity: Godsmack
Something Better: Tantric

Overwhelming...

I've started going through the first couple of chapters & my first thoughts are "Holy Hell, what have I gotten myself into?"  and "Run away, run away now!"  But after calming down and listening to some great music, I just remind myself that I knew that this is what I was getting into and to take it one day at a time.  It seems so daunting to have to break apart this entire story--it's almost like starting all over again, but I've got the bones--I just need to get to adding the flesh and muscle to my story before it'll be ready.  I guess I should explain a bit more too...when I say I'm going to publish this year, I did mean e-publish, but if it does well enough, I'm sure it could be published in paperback eventually.  You know, even if it bombs, I think I'd still be happy b/c I'll know that I did it and that's good enough for me :)  This has always been my dream--ever since I was 8 years old and first started writing about a Parrot Private Eye ;)  So, somehow in between planning for my baby girl's birthday this weekend, I plan on getting a lot accomplished over the next few days.  So, here's to birthdays, blogging, & blah blah blah ;)

OH & on a completely random note, I found a CD yesterday that was the very last CD I ever bought from Tower Records (great memories there) & it is a KICKASS CD, so I'm quite happy :)  Just wanted to share that...I warned ya'll this would get random!

Playlist for 1/6/11:

Hey Jealousy: Gin Blossoms
Look After You: The Fray
Better Than Me: Hinder
Blank Sheet of Paper: Tim McGraw
I'm Yours: Jason Mraz
Ain't Coming Home: Silvertide

Play List

So, yesterday afternoon & so far this morning, I've been working on a playlist for my writing.  Now, you may be thinking I'm totally crazy & that may be true, but I'm doing this for two reasons.  One: Music is a HUGE part of my book & Two: It helps put me into the right place mentally for writing/creativity.  So, don't be surprised if I add in my playlists to these wonderful little updates.  So, besides that, I'm kicking around a couple of ideas to add some twists to the plot and some depth to my central characters.  I asked a select number of people about adding a pretty big twist and it was an overwhelming yes.  And I had one person say you can never have too many twists/surprises in a book, but that got me thinking...at what point is it considered too much? 

1/5 Playlist:

Just Haven't Met You Yet:  Michael Buble
Settlin: Sugarland
Shameless: Billy Joel
Gardenia: Mandy Moore (If you haven't heard this song, you need to)
What If You: Joshua Radin (see above comment, this guy is amazing!)

My First attempt...

Okay, so go easy on a newcomer.  I figured my life is constantly chaotic and disorganized, so what better way to feel better about things than sharing it with all of the world?!  So, here we are on our 4th day of 2011 and I came to the realization that I really want to set a goal for myself.  Not one of those "Oh I'm going to lose weight this year"  because, come on...really?!  But I really do want to get my book published.  Now, I've contacted editors and while they are great and deserve every penny they earn, it's just not a realistic option for me, so I've decided to start on the overwhelming (and slightly terrifying) journey of self-editing.  *shudders*  Now, how I am going to get this done in between taking care of the kids, working, and everything else in between...well, I can't tell you because then I'll be revealing to you my secret super powers ;)  But it should be an interesting journey...follow along if you dare :)  And don't be surprised if I go off subject...a LOT.  If nothing else, it should be humorous :)