Where is the Sun?

I haven't seen it for a week. This weather reminds me of the one spring, about ten years ago, where it literally rained for three weeks straight. Awful. By the time the sun finally came out, my townhouse was lakefront property and I was ready to kill someone.

I don't mind the rain at night. Actually, I kind of like it. I like to fall asleep to the sound of it pattering on the roof, and I love the way it smells on the air. But during the day? No. When it stretches into many days? Absolutely not.

The last few weeks, though, the weather's kind of been fitting for my mood. This time of the year is never a good one, since you've got that post-holiday let down (and I have to confess, I like Christmas music - well, most of it - and it just stops so abruptly that it makes the post-holiday let down that much stronger.) And it's cold (except for this year. It got real cold for a few days, but then warmed up a little.) I don't mind the cold if there's snow, but when it's just cold? Forget it. Bring on spring.

This holiday season was a little rougher than most for me. My mom's been sick for a few years and now she's beginning the rapid decline. She doesn't recognize me or my brother any longer. So going to see her is draining. Very draining. It's very difficult to talk to someone who has no idea who you are - on so many different levels.

So I'm trying to focus on the new year, and being able to kind of start over. If only the weather would cooperate. I heard a vicious rumor that the sun might come out today, or maybe tomorrow, but I'm not so sure I believe it.

And on that note, it's time to curl up with a hot cup of coffee and the latest WIP.

Looking Ahead

Three posts in a row - holy carp, maybe the planets are aligning and the world is coming to an end. What other explanation can there be?

Normally I don't make many New Year's Resolutions (aside from the one I make EVERY year, to get to the gym, blah blah blah. I really do love the gym, it's psyching myself up to get there that's usually the problem. Sigh) but yesterday's post got me to thinking about what I want from myself on a professional level this year. There aren't many, and I may add to the list as the year progresses, but for now, here they are:

1. Blog at least three times a week.

2. Start commenting on other blogs on a more regular basis.

3. Get better at promo. This one is going to be tough, as I'm more of a lurker than a joiner on all of the loops I'm on (does that sentence even make sense??) But this year, I'm going to try to be more active on said loops.

4. Try to write a minimum of five pages at least five days a week. Even if the idea really does suck. Sometimes, I manage to salvage the trainwreck of a storyline. Sometimes.

5. Not be as distracted by the internet. Lately, I've been keeping away from all things internet. It wasn't a conscious choice, it just sort of happened. But I found I didn't miss it nearly as much as I thought I would. So if I can just keep that up, I might be able to write those five pages at least five days of the week.

Okay, so those a few of my goals for the coming year. Let's see how many I can cross off my list - or how many more I can add and reach - before December 31st?

Ringing in 2011!

For the life of me, I can't remember if I did a New Year's post last Jan. 1 and, truth be told, I don't feel like looking for it. I try not to make too many resolutions, simply because I tend to forget them and really, who needs more fail?

Of course, 2010 wasn't all fail. So maybe I'll try again with the list of goals for 2011.

Ahem...

1.) Read more. I don't keep track of the number of books I read. Sadly, I can count the total number of books I finished on one hand. It was an off year for me reading-wise last year. This year, I'd like to do a book a week. Maybe I'll keep a running total here, so I can be reminded at how badly I'm slacking.

2.) Work on getting an agent. I say this almost every year. Then it goes by the wayside. I got very close last year, when an agent contacted me, but sad to say, it just didn't work out. Rats. This was someone I would have liked to work with as well.

3.) Be more on top of the blog/website thing. I've been a total blog-slacker and not quite as up-to-date with the website as I'd like to be. Maybe 2011 will see more posts. Let's all keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

4.) Take time out for me. This one's probably the most important one on my list, because I let myself get totally run down and burned out last year and I don't want that to happen again. So I'm going to make sure I make time to just sit and veg if I need to, or go for a long drive, or whatever it takes to keep my sanity intact. It's too easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day garbage. I don't want to do it again.

and last, but certainly not least -

5.) Sell my next few projects. That kinda says it all, doesn't it?

What about you, what are your resolutions/goals/hopes for the coming year?

Goodbye, 2010!

And really, if ever I was glad to see a year end, 2010 must be it.

As many of you know, 2010 has been a mixed year for me. Professionally, it's been wonderful (hectic, but wonderful.) I sold five books, four of them have come out already. The next one is due on January 21st. I've made some terrific cyber-friends who've become trusted beta readers, and discovered a bunch of new writers as well.

Personally, though, it's been a tough year. While the Boy is doing fantastic and is almost caught up to where kids his age should be, my husband was diagnosed with diabetes in September and my mom was diagnosed with Stage IV lung cancer in July, so I've been spending more time than I care to in doctors' offices, ERs, hospitals, and rehab facilities. The economy has hit my family hard as well and who knows how long it will take for us to get back to where we were before 2008. I got so burned out from writing that I took a two-month break, which was so desperately needed that I didn't even miss writing for the first six weeks. The itch to tell a story is coming back though, so I'll be at the keyboard soon enough.

But that's not to say I've been a total slacker. :D I'm finishing up the final draft of The King's Bride and that will be going out on sub sometime in January. I also have two other books that are thisclose to being ready. And now that my batteries are recharged, I'm ready to get back to writing on a regular basis.

Hopefully, 2011 will offer up a little more reading time as well. I've been woefully remiss in my reading. Once upon a time, I'd read 2-3 books a week. This year? I think I've read two books in total.  I bought the newest Stephanie Plum back at the beginning of the summer. I'm on page 10, I think. I've been reading Lisa Kleypas' Tempt Me at Twilight since July. It's sad, really.

I'm not a big New Year's Eve person, so I'll ring in 2011 curled up with The Twilight Zone and The Honeymooners, and wonder what the new year has in store. I normally get very reflective at this time of the year but now, I'm really looking forward to the calendar changing over.

Bring on 2011!

Happy New Year!

Thank God - 2010 us here at last and may it be a damn sight better than 2009...

Happy New Year to everyone!

Playing Catch-Up

That's the only problem with this time of the year. Okay, well, it's not the only problem, I guess, but it's a pretty big one. For me, anyway.

Things get so crazy around this time of the year and there just isn't enough time for everything. Then, when there is time for things like blogging, I'm all out of sync. Sigh.

And it isn't just blogging, either. It's reading blogs, staying on top of emails, writing. Everything gets pushed aside for Real Life (unless, of course, I'm under deadline, which I wasn't this year. Sad)

So, I'm trying to get back into the swing of everything from getting up early to get the Girl to school, to tackling the ever-growing mountain of WIPs I seem to be collecting. Oh, and on top of that, my web guy's gone MIA again - and yes, I am totally surprised by that. I'm done with him. I'm sick of chasing him down and hounding him for answers to simple questions (two weeks on the latest. I was nice, considering the holidays, but now, he'll get an email a day this week and then one every hour next week if I don't hear from him.) I've got a few requests for web site quotes out there, but this is really waaaay down at the bottom of to-do list for now, unfortunately.

On a happier note, the WIPs are going well - and I should have several manuscripts going out to my editor(s) within the next few weeks, so that's a positive. And what I thought was going to be a major rewrite is turning into a new book in itself, so that's a good thing.

Next week, my husband and I have a meeting with the preschool people for the Boy. Our caseworker called before Christmas to tell us the Boy had gotten into the program and she would be sending out the paperwork we needed. Well, we're still waiting for it, and hopefully we'll have it before this meeting. So we get that settled and the Boy will start school. And that means a little more free time for me. Which means more writing time.

So, the new year's beginning with a crunch of everything. And with any luck, I'll be caught up with most of it in a week or so. I guess I'll go through my blog post list and see if there are any topics there that I want to do, and I know that list was getting a little short, so maybe it's time to write up a new one. New year, new topics. Eh, why not?

A New Beginning

That's how I see each January 1st. It's the time to sit down and think about what I wanted to accomplish the year before and just couldn't quite get to it, for whatever reason.

So, as my first post of the year 2009, I give you my updated resolutions...

1. Write more - this one seems like a no brainer, doesn't it? But I really need to quit with the revising (for the most part) and get to steppin' on writing new words. I find that I've so many more ideas when I'm writing more. So, I am going to do my best to stick to a schedule of at least 2 hours of writing per day.

2. Try for an agent (again) - this is kind of my yearly resolution. And so far, I've gotten thisclose, but no cigar. Maybe 2009 will be the year. We'll see.

3. Submit - another no brainer, right? But submitting is even more difficult than writing. Submitting means putting yourself out there for rejection and no one likes to be rejected. And being published now is no guarantee that you won't be rejected tomorrow. Writing's kind of fun that way - in the Lucy and Charlie Brown with the football kind of way.

4. Not take it all so seriously - it isn't the end of the world if I don't get an agent, or an acceptance (it will suck, sure, but it's soooo not the end) and there's no need to panic. The sun comes up every morning and today's "no" can be tomorrow's "yes." And if I never sold another book (god forbid) I would still write. That's just how it is, and that's how it should be. For me, anyway.

5. To take the time to enjoy the real world - Writing isn't the end all of my life and it will hopefully never become that. It's very easy to become submersed in whatever I'm writing, but I have to remember that there's more to life than butt-in-chair (BIC) and fingers-on-keyboard (FOK). A lot more.

So there you have it, the top five - to be revised and edited as needed, but hopefully simple enough to actually be achieved.

What about you? What are your resolutions or did you decide not to make any this year?

Goodbye, 2008!

It's so hard to believe but the end of the year is here already. Yikes - the time went by fast, didn't it?

I hope it was a good year for you - I really can't complain. As I look back, I find it really wasn't so bad, despite some of my ranting at the time.

The Highlights -

1. We learned that the Boy is most likely not autistic. This is a biggie. This time last year, he wasn't speaking at all. He had horrible temper tantrums and screaming fits. We had him evaluated by NJ's Early Intervention Program, and he qualified for therapy. He began in March and I am beyond overjoyed to announce that the Boy who wouldn't even babble a year ago is now not only speaking, but speaking clearly (for the most part) and speaks in complete sentences. His therapy ended in October, and autism has been 99% ruled out. They don't know what caused his delay, but all are in agreement that, by the time he finishes the special preschool program he was recently accepted into, it will be almost impossible to tell he ever had any sort of developmental delays. Hearing him say "Mommy" for the first time was THE high point of 2008. And hearing him wish everyone a "Merry Christmas" is the second. Since this time last year, I've learned so much about autism and so much about my son and myself, it's been a rollercoaster ride for us, but so worth it. And it would have been worth it if the result had been different. I learned that no matter what, I wouldn't trade my son for anything in the world and I learned that I wouldn't change him for anything, either. He's my Boy and that's all there is to it.

2. I had two releases this year, with two different publishers. Each book did rather well, and I'm pretty proud of them. Hopefully, next year will hold more of the same!

3. I quit smoking - and this time, I think I can say I'm officially an ex-smoker. I quit back in June and haven't had so much as puff since. It's been tempting at times to chuck it all, but I think this time, I just might make it. Whew.

So even though these aren't the only ups, they were the best of the best. It's been a busy year, a productive year, and all around a pretty good year. I look forward to 2009 and all that it will hold for me and my family, and for everyone out there. Hopefully it will be even better than 2008!

Happy New Year and see you in '09!