Happy Halloween!

DONE DONE DONE AND DONE!

Pantpantpantpant....

Today was one of those "Let's see how hard I can trot" days. The new washing machine/dryer was delivered half an hour early (and works, which gives it a leg up on the last pair); I almost forgot to make M's lunch for his field trip today; I had to finish the artwork paperwork for Mating Games and Animal Attraction; I finished the Meat Grinding of Bear Necessities; and I did final line edits on Shadow of the Wolf.

Guh. Brain death imminent, but I got it all done. I'm not sure how, either. I think I may have subconsciously cloned myself and passed off the housework to the poor confused fool who's still wondering what to make for dinner tonight and why her new washing machine plays a jaunty tune every time the cycle is done.

I'm going to enjoy myself this weekend, glut myself on leftover Snickers bars and get myself ready for NaNoWriMo (by glutting myself on leftover Snickers bars, of course). Next stop: Noble Blood!

Lots of Words

Alex (because no way am I having a character moan "Bunny" during the kinds of sex scenes he's instigating) and Tabby (who is a very happy woman, thank you) are officially in the Meat Grinder. The rain has let up, my body isn't giving me fits and I feel like I can sit at my desk again without whimpering like a baby. I'm going to do the first of three full read-through's on Bear Necessities today, tightening stuff up, removing things that don't make sense, beefing up the descriptions of people/places and things, that sort of thing. This is the part where I try to make sure I've written something readable rather than just put a fantasy on paper.

This is the part that's work.

Today, tomorrow and probably part of Saturday will be spent on it. On Sunday (or Saturday, depending on how things go) I'll be sending it to the Betas. Once I hear back from them I'll be able to do the final polish, write the synopsis and send it to my editor.

Have I mentioned I love Bunny?

***

“Ohmigod, ohmigod.” Tabby pulled her hair, staring into her closet. It was six forty-five and her mate would be here any minute, she didn’t know his name and she had nothing to wear.

“Little black dress.” Cyn stuck her head in Tabby’s bedroom, grinning at the pile of clothing around Tabby’s feet. “Can’t go wrong with a little black dress.”

“Guh.” The panic was threatening to tear Tabby apart. She stared at the three black dresses hanging in her closet, her hand moving between them like a demented butterfly.

Glory’s head peeked in from the other side of the doorway. “The sleeveless one.”

“Uh?” She held up her sleeveless black dress, the one with the red belt and matching shoes.

Two heads bobbed in agreement.

Tabby stripped, more than used to being naked in front of her roommates. Hell, when she’d first moved in with them they’d been shocked at how easy she felt being nude. Glory had actually asked her if she was gay and trying to tempt them to “the dark side”. She’d then giggled and said that she might be susceptible to temptation if the dark side had chocolate. Tabby had just shaken her head and put some clothes on. She’d spent so long as a Wolf she’d forgotten some of the basic parts of being human, like pants. The first time she’d used a toilet after so many years had been an interesting experience, something Mrs. Anderson still chuckled about.

When Cyn and Glory found out what she was, they’d realized why she was so comfortable with nudity. They’d freaked a little. They hadn’t accepted her immediately. In fact, there’d been another girl, Brit, who’d worked at Living Arts. Brit had left, refusing to believe what she’d seen the night Tabby, drunk off her ass for the first time in her life, let her Wolf loose in the middle of the apartment. But Glory and Cyn, after the initial shock had passed (and after, they claimed, they wiped up the dog drool) had accepted her without reservations. Hell, they’d mocked her once the hangover had passed.

If she thought they’d take it she’d make them Pack in a heartbeat. She missed having that connection, the knowledge that there were others for her to rely on without a shadow of a doubt. Part of her wondered if her dipshit ex had ever told his father the truth, or if he’d shrugged and let it go. Let her go.

Tabby shook her head and reached for her hairbrush, smoothing down her hair. That didn’t matter now. Her mate would be here any minute. She slicked on some berry gloss and stared at herself in the mirror. Then she stuck out her tongue and made a face. She was so nervous her Wolf was whining. She slipped her feet into the red high heels, grabbed her favorite purse, and headed for the living room. “Well?”

Cyn circled her finger. “Twirl.”

Tabby twirled.

Glory wolf-whistled. “See you at work tomorrow.”

Cyn snickered and threw a pack of condoms at her. “You’ll need these.”

Tabby swallowed. “I’m gonna throw up.” Nausea roiled in her belly. She bent and picked up the condoms just as the doorbell rang.

Glory had the door open before Tabby could drop the packets. “C’mon in!”

In stepped the hottie from the store. He wore a green shirt that really emphasized his hazel eyes, dark wash jeans that looked painted onto his thighs, and thick soled black boots. Now that she was upright she could see how tall he was. He towered over her, the top of her head barely reaching his upper lip. She’d hit his chin in her bare feet. His bald head gleamed, his jaw clean-shaven. She could see the tattoo that circled his biceps and her fingers itched to trace the design. In his hand he held a daffodil.

My favorite flower. How did he know? Tabby smiled, knowing it was trembling. “For me?”

He held it out, a smile on his full lips. “Hello, Tabby.”

“Thank you.” She reached for the daffodil.

He coughed. “I’ll take those.” He reached over and removed the condoms from her hand, grinning at her embarrassed squawk. “It’s okay, honey. I’m just glad one of us is, um, prepared.” He eyed the condoms. “Very prepared.” He unrolled them, one eyebrow rising in disbelief. “And optimistic.”

Glory was practically doubled over with laughter. Tabby’s face was beet red. She snatched the condoms back with her free hand, snarling as one got left behind in his big paw. She could hear Cyn snuffling and snorting behind her and just knew they were practically choking on their laughter.

She turned to her two roommates with a smile. “Don’t make me forget I’m housebroken.” They stopped, but from the way they were clinging together Tabby figured it was only a matter of time before one of them broke again. She turned back to her new mate. “And you, whose name I don’t even know.” She smiled at Mr. Chocolate. “Thank you for the flower. My name’s Tabitha Garwood.”

Mr. Sin held out his paw, the condom miraculously gone. “Bunny.” She wondered if he’d dropped it or shoved it into his pocket for later.
Wait. “Bunny,” she repeated carefully.

“Alexander Bunsun, but everyone calls me Bunny.” He grinned.

She sniffed. Nope, his scent is definitely Bear.

“Are you laughing at my name?” Bunny’s hands went to his hips but she could tell he wasn’t pissed by the way his lips quirked up.

She blinked. “Yes.”

He coughed but she could tell he was trying not to laugh. “Dinner?” He held out his arm.

She gave him her sweetest smile and took it. “Yes.”

“Hold on.” Glory stopped them by placing her hand on Bunny’s arm, her expression worried. For all that Glory liked to flirt like mad when it came down to actual dating she could be a real worry-wart.

Bunny chucked her under the chin. “I’ll take care of her. My word on it.”

Glory studied him, and Bunny stood still, allowing her intense scrutiny. Glory relaxed and nodded, looking relieved. Tabby wasn’t sure she felt the same.

***

Something tells me Bunny is going to the top five on my Favorite Hero list just for that scene alone.


No word yet on Shadow of the Wolf's release date, but I'm expecting final line edits any day now. Liquid Silver Books sets the release date after final editing is done, so I should have something for you by Thanksgiving.

Only In My Dreams is out November 10th! The last Halle Puma book! Muahaha! (Okay, maybe not the last of the shifter novellas. Ben and Dave look like they might be a novella rather than full length, but I've had stories fool me before so I'm not holding my breath.) Also during November is NaNoWriMo, which I signed up for. I'll be working on Noble Blood, Book 2 of The Gray Court and a M/M/F menage. I think. So far it's leaning that way, but Duncan and Jaden might surprise me and refuse to touch bits. We'll have to see.

So that's it for my updates for now. You'll see this silly little bean like cartoon at the top of my blog that has my NaNo word count on it. Right now he's sleeping, since I'm not working on that project yet. And if you're not signed up for my newsletter that will be coming on Sunday, November first. I'll talk about my on-line appearances for November, give you the Hottie of the Month and any further news I've got like what I'm going to be doing at RT in April.

Now off to grind the meat...

It Wasn't Supposed To Rain Today!

ARGH! I got up this morning barely able to walk thanks to the sudden rain. I check the forecast every night before I go to bed, and last night? No rain mentioned until Wednesday. I get up this morning and BAM! Arthritis is killing me. So all the stuff I needed to do today is on hold while I try and get a handle on this. Grr.

Luckily I finished Bunny's rough draft yesterday. If taking today off means I have to do some editing this weekend so be it. The medicine I take for bad days like today can sometimes make me sleepy, and editing with your nose on the keyboard and fuzzy vision isn't such a great way to make a good story. What's most annoying is I JUST got over a head cold. It's frustrating when the mind wants to go but the body won't cooperate. Blech.

Anyway, hopefully the rain will ease up and so will my body. If not, I'll be playing hide and seek for the rest of the day. So for those of you who miss me, remember two things: Today is release day for a lot of publishers out there and rainy days are great days to read a book; and TA Chase's blog story should be updating today. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with his work he writes M/M, so if that's not your thing I suggest skipping it. If it IS something you enjoy... what are you waiting for?)

Bunny Is Done!

And in the Meat Grinder. I hit the 66k mark today when I finished the rough draft, so I'm pretty sure it will hit the 70k mark once finished. I plan on polishing it for the next four days and then sending it off to my beta readers for a final finish. So everyone who has been waiting for Bunny and Tabby, we're finally at first base! (Home plate being release day, of course!)

Then... NOBLE BLOOD! Menage time! Duncan, Moira and Jaden, here I come! Here's the quickie blurb I came up with for Noble Blood:

Duncan Malmayne has found his future wife, the lovely half-leprechaun, half-sidhe Moira Dunne. He whisks her away from her family, ready to claim the woman who will make his life complete. There's only one small problem: she's been blood-bonded to his vampire.

Jaden Blackthorne loves Duncan Malmayne more than almost anyone. The only person who touches his heart even more is Moira. Her strength impresses him even as her loyalty humbles him. He'd do anything to see the two people he loves most happy. Even leave, knowing it will slowly tear him apart.

And Moira? She's not having any of it. Her two men are sulking, hiding from each other. The lovely leprechaun is going to put her foot down. And when an earth sprite puts her foot down, it really shakes things up...

This will be my NaNoWriMo project!

Honey, I'm Dead.

Okay, not really. But it seems I picked up a little bug out there in the tropics, possibly because the tropics weren't very tropical. I have the head cold from hell, and I've had it since Wednesday. My word count has pretty much sucked ass this whole week, but I've made myself get in front of the computer and put at least a thousand words to paper everyday.

The result? The rough draft of Bear Necessities has crossed the 60k mark and there are at least two more scenes to write before the meat grinder next week. The Big Fight Scene is done, and all that's left are the Questions/Explanations and Lovin' Aftermath scenes. That should put me just over 65k before the Meat Grinder, in which I fully expect to add another two to five thousand words. This might hit 70k before I'm done, but I'm not going to hold my breath. I need every one I can suck in through my stuffed nose right now, thank you very much.

If you don't hear from me this weekend it means I'm in a Nyquil-induced coma, happily dreaming of Bears in love.

Honey, I'm HO-OME!

Yup. I got Dusty to wear the t-shirt in the Bahamas. He got stopped so many times. People wanted to know how he benefited. For those who can't quite read what it says: My wife writes romance novels. I benefit. Big time. (P.S.: The lady in the picture is his mom, but I forgot to ask if it was okay to post her picture. Hence the blue sunshine smiley over her face.)

The first thing we noticed about the cruise ship was how beautiful it was.


The second thing we noticed was the size of our cabin.


Yup. Four people, two under the age of eighteen, in that room for three nights. We spent very little time in there, thank God. I won't even go into the size of the "bathroom", or how I had to sit sideways on the bed to do my makeup in the "bedside" mirror. But it was clean, and quiet, so I can't complain too much. I just wish we'd known exactly how small the rooms would be. We might have upgraded rather than going with this. Getting the scooter in and out was an exercise all by itself.

So we left our tiny cabin and went exploring. Guess what the first thing my family found was?


Yup. The video arcade. Le sigh. M wanted the pool, R wanted the video games. R won, and M had to wait to go swimming. M was not happy. M took it out on the poor, defenseless dirt bike riders in the virtual world. Poor virtual people. How many times can you be run over by a five year old before you give up and cry like a little girl?

But we eventually made M happy.


Night-time swims will do that to you. He collapsed soon after into an exhausted little heap, wet, happy and clutching his stuffed puppy. R on the other hand had to have his PSP taken away before HE'D go to sleep.

That let us know we needed to try harder. Heh.

Day two of the cruise: NASSAU!

Yup, sunny, hot Nassau. Which, by the way, was NOT designed with mobility scooters in mind. I didn't take a picture of the "handicapped-accessible" curbs. I was too busy cursing the fact that I couldn't get up them. That kind of curtailed our enjoyment of Nassau. But what I saw was beautiful. A tip for those of you like me who are mobility challenged? Try some of the tours where you ride a boat or a bus for most of it. Don't try and sight-see on your own unless you're in a wheelchair with tall wheels and a nice burly guy to help you on and off the sidewalks.

We skipped the beach in Nassau thinking we'd hit it in Cocoa Cay the following day. After all, it was the Bahamas, right? Beautiful sunny and hot are like synonyms for the tropics. So we hit the pool for a little while before I left to get my hair done for the formal dinner with the family. Which, unfortunately, I don't have a picture of yet. I need to scan it in after I unpack. We had a lot of fun, met family Dusty hadn't seen in a while and I'd never met, and afterwards took the kids back to the pool. Once again the PSP had to be removed from ten year old hands before sleep took place.

Maybe he'd sleep after a day on the beach, right?

Last day of the cruise! We head to breakfast, eager to bury ourselves in warm sand and swim in turquoise oceans. This image didn't bother us too much.*



After all, sunny, Bahamas, beach. Then the couple next to us told us that the trip to Cocoa Cay was canceled due to the weather. Apparently they use a ferry to get you on and off the island and the seas were too choppy to allow the ferry to safely meet the cruise ship. We were handed a modified "ship compass", a sort of what's-happening-today outline. The boys were disappointed. As R pointed out he really wanted to bury M in the sand. And M really wanted to be buried. We quickly headed off a meltdown by offering a day by the pool. The boys agreed and we hit the pool deck, ready to enjoy our day.

And the pool deck hit back.

Sunny my very large tushie. I thought I left October behind but, damn it, it found me. I'm pretty sure it was between fifty and sixty degrees after wind chill, and the wind was fierce. If not for a quick grab my new red hat would have become a dolphin's latest fashion accessory. But the kids wanted to swim. Insisted on it, in fact. So we compromised. We'd allow them one hour, then back to the cabin for warm, dry clothes. So I parked my behind in a lounge chair, covered my bathing-suit clad self in a long towel and tried not to shiver too much. People in jackets and long pants walked by and stared at the crazy people in the pool, two of which were my children.

The beach picture I promised you? This is pretty much it.

After five minutes M decided it was too damn cold and hit the hot tub for the remainder of the hour. Much more stubborn, R pretended he was a polar bear until his tummy started to hurt. Then he, too, hit the hot tub. Of course, after five minutes he decided he felt better and got back in the freezing water. Gah. We dragged them out as soon as the hour was up. We then forced them to go to the children's play area of the ship, where we dropped them off for a few hours of supervised fun while we hit the casino (I still can't win at slots, damn it) and Dusty headed off for a relaxing massage. Dinner that evening was fairly informal. I somehow wound up at a table full of men. Not that I'm complaining, but most of them were either jail-bait or just past jail-bait. It wasn't a big deal, since I have nephews who range from eighteen to two years old. I know how to talk to boys. ;D

Unfortunately my back was beginning to make its presence felt. Forcing the scooter up and down ramps with my legs and my back, plus standing around in heels for family pictures during the formal dinner was taking its toll. I took a Tylenol with Codeine because I realized I might not be able to walk back to the cabin without it. Then I ordered the tiramisu for dessert without reading all the ingredients.

Did you know they soak the ladyfingers in Kahlua on that ship? I didn't. I had to be dragged back to the cabin. I still couldn't walk but really? I didn't care. Dusty took the kids back to the kids' area where they did some kind of pirate thing. He went to visit his family once they were signed in.

I went to sleep. It was a happy sleep, until The Dread Pirate M got back to the cabin and landed on my butt.

The next morning arrived way to early. We were told the night before that our call number is Lavendar Two, and we have the luggage tags to prove it. After breakfast (which is from six a.m. to eight a.m. this time) we are to go to a lounge and wait for our call.

We missed breakfast. We got there at eight fifteen, by which time they'd already called our number. The crew sighed and shook their heads at us when we told them we hadn't heard any announcement in our cabin. "That's because we don't do ship-wide announcements anymore," explained one crew member. Apparently everyone would respond rather than just the ones they wanted and that created chaos. So instead they wander through the lounges holding up a card that has the different colors on it and yell for you.

Yeah. That works. Not.

Off the ship, through customs, on the dock and damn it's cold out! Florida isn't supposed to go below seventy, damn it! I'm shivering in a maxi-dress and a shawl, and my kids are huddling together for warmth. Off to the airport earlier than we'd planned since they pretty much boot your ass off the ship with a smile and a fond farewell, and did you know you can't check your luggage in more than four hours before your flight? Home sweet home, order pizza because no way in hell am I cooking, and sleepy-bye for this tired, sore writer.

And we didn't give R the PSP either. He slept like a baby.


*P.S.: Ignore the date/time stamp. I didn't realize it was screwed up until I looked at the pictures. Some have the right day and time, some don't.

Last Call Before Boarding!

Tomorrow I leave for sunny Florida. I leave behind my Bunny, knowing he's in good hands. The big confrontation scene is coming up next, followed by some luvin' and some reveals. I'm thinking Bunny may shatter the 60k mark by the end of the Meat Grinder. I'm not sure how close he'll come to 70k, I just know I'm nearly at 60k and his story isn't over yet. But he WILL be done before NaNoWriMo hits, I know that for sure.

I'll be without internet, computer or phone for (Friday, Saturday, Sun... gah!) FOUR DAYS. All I'll have is my PDA and my camera (the phone part of my PDA won't really work at sea unless I sign over any future grandchildren to the tenth generation or pay a really hefty fee).

So if anyone needs anything now is the time to get a hold of me.

To tide you over while I'm gone, here's a sneak peek at Bear Necessities:

(Inspiration photo for Tabitha Garwood, heroine of Bear Necessities)

Oh shit. Oh, fucking shit. Tabby waited as Glory rinsed her hair out. My mate is out there. My mate. What’s even weirder? My mate is a Bear. And I have orange roots.

She was damn near hyperventilating. When she’d called dibs on the dude little did she know she’d actually get him! And now she was going to wind up meeting him for the first time with orange roots. She was going to look like a half melted Skittle. She grabbed Glory’s arm. “Y’all tell him I’m dead. Please?”

Glory grinned. “What is wrong with you?”

“Remember the whole woof woof thing?”

“Yeah.”

“That guy out there?”

Glory’s eyes widened. “He’s a woof woof too?”

“Er, no. More like grrr grrr.”

Glory blinked.

Tabby shook her head. “Never mind. That whole werewolf mate thing in romance novels?”

Glory’s mouth did that really wide “O” thing. “Really? He’s your mate?”

“Yes! And I am having serious hair issues.” She put on her best pleading look. “So, tell him I’ve been killed in a horrible vegetable dye accident.”

“Tabby!”

She held up her hands in mock-prayer. “Pleeeease?” She blinked, trying to look desperate. Hell, she probably did look desperate.

“Excuse me.”

Tabby quivered. That deep, rich voice rolled over her, making her think of wicked things involving dark melted chocolate and lit candles. “No customers allowed in the back room!”

Glory, bless her heart, threw a towel over her face, hiding her hair. “Sorry, you’ll have to wait out front.” Of course, now the towel was soaking up the still running water. She was going to be drowned by a towel.

“Is everything all right in here?” The man’s voice was pure sin, deep and slightly gravelly. “Why is her head covered in a towel?”

“Please. Tabby will… be a while.” She could hear Glory clap her hands and tugged on her shirt, desperate to have the water turned off. “Why don’t you hit one of the diners in the area for lunch? Maybe do a little shopping? Um, oh! Frank’s Diner has the best burgers in town!” Finally someone turned the faucet off saving her from a watery grave. She could just see the obituary: Woman Drowns In Towel.

There was a deep, happy sigh. “All right, if… Tabby, was it? Will be more comfortable. When can I return?”

“Uh…” Glory was obviously at a loss. Cyn was the one who usually took care of Tabby’s hair.

“Try around seven.” Cyn sounded amused, the bitch. “You can take her out to dinner. In fact, Tabby has the rest of the night off.”

I do?

“But she has to be back in to work by two tomorrow afternoon. Oh, and the lady loves steak.” Tabby groaned behind her towel. That’s an understatement. “Glory, see to it he has our address, okay?”

“But–”

“Trust me, just do it.”

“Okay, boss.” The curtain swished, but the scent of Bear remained. Glory must have stepped through the curtain.

“Ladies, it was a pleasure meeting you.” The curtain swished again. The Bear was gone.

“Oh honey. You are so screwed. Literally.”

“Cyn.”

The towel was whisked off her head. Glory bunched it up, wringing the water out over Tabby’s face. “You always were a greedy bitch. I should get Cyn to leave you with orange roots.”

Tabby sputtered and wiped the water away from her eyes. “Don’t worry, Glory. Some day your prince will come.”

Glory blinked her big blue eyes, trying to look innocent. Tabby had seen that look more than once just before something outrageous came out of Glory’s mouth. “God, I hope so. What would be the point otherwise?”

Cyn started laughing.

Tabby shook her head. “You are so bad.”

Glory smiled her sweet, happy smile. “I know.”


Have a good weekend and I'll talk to you all on Tuesday!

Bunny Watch

I'm getting close to finishing the rough draft of Bear Necessities. I have roughly 11k to go before it should be complete. I know the next three scenes, and I'll be working on them a little tomorrow and Wednesday.

Thursday I'll be at the airport no later than eight a.m. We leave for Florida that day, ready to spend some time with Dusty's family. When we get back I'll finish the rough draft, send it through the Meat Grinder and fire it off to my beta readers. We're approaching the finish line on the first full length Halle novel! WOOT!

P.S.: I found out today that my free Halloween read, Little Red, will be available the day I leave. *headdesk* I won't have access to my computer the entire time I'm gone so I won't be able to leave you a link to it. Look for it at The Samhellion, and I promise I'll post a link the day I get back!

New Video! Only In My Dreams!

All Romance eBooks and the Aldiko Application

This is for those of you who use an Android smartphone (which isn't me, btw; my smartphone is Windows Mobile based):

All Romance eBooks (ARe) has partnered with Aldiko to make their eBook catalog available to Google's Android-powered mobile phones.

Palm Harbor, FL (PRWEB) Octobe r 8, 2009 – Readers will now be able to browse, search and seamlessly download more than 10,000 http://www.allromanceebooks.com [eBooks], including free reads, to their Android phones directly from ARe without a computer, cable or subscription using the Aldiko application.

With the Aldiko app readers can easily browse ARe's extensive online book catalog, read detailed descriptions and book reviews, and quickly find the books they are looking for using a powerful search tool right on their Smartphone. They can organize their purchases by criteria such as title, author, or subject, edit detail information, tag, bookmark and search—all on a fully customizable display. New features include a full text search that allows readers to find words g! lobally within the book, and a look up feature, which lets users search for a word in the dictionary, Wikipedia, or on Google.

"Readers love the convenience of being able to download ARe's eBooks anytime, anywhere," said Julie Cummings, ARe's manager of Publicity and Marketing. "Earlier this year we launched an iPhone compatible catalog and it's been hugely popular with our consumers who use ATT. We're really excited to now bring that same service to customers who use other cellular carriers," Cummings added.

"Our mission at Aldiko is to provide an open platform where users can discover, access, read and manage a wide variety of digital publications instantly and seamlessly" said Tiffany Wong, co-founder of Aldiko. "The partnership with ARe will help us offer the best and broadest selection of titles to our users."

Aldiko is available worldwide and is free on the Android Market as well as available as a paid premium app for Android open platform phones. To learn more visit Aldiko at http://www.aldiko.com and Android at http://www.android.com.

All Romance eBooks, LLC was founded in 2006, is privately held in partne! rship, and headquartered in Palm Harbor, Florida. The company owns All Romance, which specializes in the sale of romance eBooks and OmniLit, which sells both fiction and non-fiction eBooks.

Aldiko Limited was founded in 2009. The company has developed an ebook reader application, "Aldiko Book Reader" for use on Android-powered devices. . With Aldiko, users can build and organize their digital library, read on the go and wirelessly browse and download from a broad range of digital publications right on their Android-powered devices.

I love smartphones because of their versatility. My PDA, calendar, phone and ebook reader all on one palm-sized device. How can you go wrong with that? I even make notes on possible book titles. I jot down story ideas I get when I'm in the grocery store. Heck, the entire plot of Only In My Dreams was written down on my smartphone's Notepad at five-thirty in the morning because I didn't want to wake the household by going down to my computer. So yeah, I love smartphones and am always happy to see more apps and more ways to make them even better, especially for those of us who use them as our ebook readers. So enjoy!

Who Knew?

That getting ready for a cruise could be such a pain in the hiney?

I spent most of yesterday doing the "pre-boarding" check-in that has to be done prior to three days before the cruise, picking drink and food packages, double-checking that, no, my scooter will NOT be a problem for the cruise line and making sure that any land-sea excursions, which cost more than the birth of my firstborn by the way, are all lined up and accessible by wheelchair.

Pantpantpantpant.

I think I did more paperwork for a four day vacation than I did for the mortgage on my house.

The cruise we're taking is a family reunion on Dusty's side, so we're also making sure that we don't forget to meet and greet there as well. And thank God I bought a back-up dress for the formal reunion dinner. The one I originally planned to wear needs some alterations and I just don't have time to go get them done. (I can't sew. I'm about as crafty as a doberman pinscher.) Suits had to be bought for little boy bodies and one man body, causing much moaning and groaning in the Bell household. But the major indignity the poor males in the house had to suffer through?

Shoe shopping. Yup, none of them had dress shoes. I've heard less complaining at my local Pathmark ("What do you mean you only have on cashier on a Saturday?"). At this point I'd happily trade the paperwork for the shoe shopping.

Whaddya say, sweetheart? Want to trade?

Anyway, I'll be without internet from October 15 through the 19th. Despite my grumbling about the paperwork I'm really looking forward to this. It's two firsts for me: I've never been on a cruise and I've never been to the Bahamas. I'll make sure I take lots of pictures to post so you can see my pasty self under a palm tree. I figure with my pale skin I'll be bright red in about .3 seconds!

Win an ARC of Only In My Dreams!

Want to win an ARC of Only In My Dreams, Halle Pumas Book 5? Simply click here, fill out the form with your email address and the electronic format you'd like to receive the book in and you'll be entered to win! The contest ends November 9th, when I'll post the winner here on my blog, my MySpace blog and on my website.

Good luck!