Getting Down To Business. Again.

So, I begin another semester of community college in two weeks. TWO WEEKS!! Holy crap, this summer went by fast. As did all of my goals...that is, they went quickly by the wayside. :( I seriously got nothing done this summer. Nothing. Oh, wait... I did write 11K of a new novel over a weeks time, but I lost interest in that just as quickly as I'd gained it. But, I digress...

I have my stack of new books sitting right beside me and, strangely enough, I'm anxious to dig in already. One might think that I'm so excited because the end is nearing for me. But... I changed my major AGAIN and I have no idea how long it's going to take me to finish now. I'm waiting to hear about my 'graduation audit', which will tell me what I still need. Fingers crossed that I won't lose a whole semester's worth of electives because they don't meet my new major requirements. My husband will have a shitfit if that's the case, because he's more than ready for me to get a job. Which I'm still looking for, BTW, but without much luck.

So, because I have this sneaky suspicious that I'm going to be an unemployed student (and mother and wife) for awhile, I'm guessing I might have some time to write. Hahahahaha. I know. I'm forever saying that, but I never get anything done. But seriously. If all I'm doing is school work and my normal houseslave stuff, I should be able to get something done writing-wise. If I don't, well, then something is just wrong.

Since I don't really want to start reading my new textbooks yet (because that'd be really lame and also because I'll probably forget what I've read in two weeks time), I'm going to pull out my craft books and CDs again to 'refresh' my memory. And that's probably what I'm going to be blogging about for the next couple of weeks, so bear with me. :)

Anyhoo, I must be off. My Monday morning cleaning awaits...

That Damn Indecision Again

So I've changed my layout yet again. That makes about twelve times in the past two days. :( I can never be happy with anything for more than two minutes. Frankly, my husband is lucky to have held my interest as long as he has. ;)

Back to the layout, though... I know it's not all pretty and girlie like one might expect from me, but something about it...calls...to me. The outdoor images remind me of scenes I've seen around here in the fall. And the chair seems very "readerly" to me. And I am a reader as well as a writer (wannabe anyhow). So...we'll give this one a whirl for a bit. See if it wears out its welcome before the day is through...

BTW, I'm trying to come up with a more interesting way of blogging. It may or may not include a schedule of some sort (I know...haha. Me on a schedule. What a joke.). Change is making its way into my life, slowly but surely and I hope that it allows me some more time to play around with things here. I'll keep ya posted...

Tell Me I'm Beautiful...

:) I stole that directly from Moira McTark's Samhain release Nothing Stays in Vegas, which was great, BTW. I mean, you know you've read a good story when you recall bits and pieces of it and think, "What movie was that from? Man, I've gotta see that again." Er...and it wasn't even a movie. ;)

Anyhow...I have a new blog layout as I'm sure you can see. Way down at the bottom of the page is a link to the fabulous Lena's blog (or you can just click here). She does some great work, but the trick to downloading is having Firefox and doing all of your copying, pasting, etc. in it, as well. As with any free template, there are some glitches. I can change fonts and colors and whatnot as I wish, but I have to log in repeatedly in order to see my 'New Post/Customize/Log Out" bar at the top of the screen. Otherwise...I love it.

And now I'm off to cut the lawn. I'll be back to fix my sidebar later tonight. :)

Christmas in July

Yep, it's Christmas at my desk right now. I'm writing a short story that I'm hoping will find a home this year, but I realize I'm a little late getting into the game with the holiday season being only 5 months away (gasp! Isn't that nuts?). It doesn't really matter to me if it is too late (which I won't know until I sub it), because, holy whah, is listening to Xmas music therapeutic! I had a whopper of a headache not that long ago and I was anxious to the point of squirming in my seat. But a little Faith Hill and Where Are You, Christmas? later, I feel like I've had a few glasses of hot, spiked apple cider. Heck, this is some pretty cheap emotional therapy. I'm disappointed I didn't think to do this before!

Anyhow...this story is calling me, so back at it I go. If I finish before I leave this weekend (hubby's cousin is getting married and Middle Kid is the ringbearer), I'll post an excerpt. My very first excerpt! :) Until then...hope you're having a great week! If not, I swear...dig out the holiday tunes and all will be well in no time! :P

I Need...

ONE OF THESE!!

Or all three. Whatever.

Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of a gourmet coffee shop within the next 25 or so miles, so I'm going to try to make my own. I found this recipe online here.

ICED MOCHA LATTE

1 1/2 cups strong hot brewed coffee
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chocolate syrup, such as Hershey’s
1 cup ice cold milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Handful or so crushed ice
Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for garnish
1 small piece semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, for garnish

I'm not sure about the brown sugar. Think that's really necessary? I don't. I'm gonna skip it. I'll let you know how it turns out. :)

Do you have any fabulous at-home coffee recipes you're willing to share? I've only gotten into the coffee thing over the past couple of years or so and even then I only allowed myself to indulge when I'd be out and about shopping with my mom and little sis. So, I'm kinda wet behind the ears, so to speak, about all the fancy schmancy kinds of drinks out there. Throw a few at me. I'll give 'em a try and maybe, just maybe I'll be able to blame YOU for my next addiction. Wouldn't that be fun? :P

Still Waiting

For news as to whether I'll be getting a job or not. :(

I'm kinda bummed. Especially after dealing with the zoo animals (aka the kids) this morning. Realistically, I couldn't start until the end of August anyhow--and they (being my prospective new bosses) know this. So...there really isn't any hurry on them calling me back. But...I'd really like to know. So I can make a really funky countdown calendar (I'm thinking like an Advent calendar with chocolate :) ) and celebrate the hell out of every day I get through. But, alas, I'll just have to be patient. Good things come to those who wait, right? :)

Oh a positive note, I'm writing again. Okay, so I haven't written for a couple of days, but I wrote a ton on Sunday (more than 6k!! Go me!!). It's been virtually impossible considering the monkeys swinging off the chandeliers and what not. :( I'm hoping for a super productive weekend again and my ultimate goal is to have the rough draft finished by the middle of August so I can let it sit and simmer a bit while I settle into another semester of school. Then maybe have it edited and off to CPs by mid-October so I can start something new for NaNo (OMG, can you believe I'm talking about NaNo already? Wasn't the last one, like, just yesterday?).

Anyhow, that's all that's new in my neck of the woods. What's going on in yours?

The Scoop on NGTCC...

The Romance Divas annual Not Going to Conference Conference will make you feel a bit less deprived! Amazing workshops, a star-studded guest list and awesome giveaways, all on the Diva forum! Don't miss it!

Coordinated by Seeley deBorn!

Here's a bit of a schedule update for the Q&As and Workshops...

Wednesday, July 30

Paula Guran, Editor, Juno Books
Q&A on Creating Kick a** Heroines

Laurie Rauch, Editor, Samhain Publishing
Workshop on What Happens After the Contract (aka Editors are People Too!)*


Thursday July 31

Joyce Hart, Hartline Literary
Q&A on Inspirational Romance Stories and the Inspy Market

Sandra Schwab, Historical Romance Author
Workshop on Historical Accuracy and Anachronisms

Friday, August 1

Yolanda Sfetsos, Author of Guarded by Stone
Q&A on Paranormal and Urban Fantasy World Building

Katie MacIver, KatieDidDesign
Workshop on Website Design and Color Selection

Saturday, August 2

Joey W. Hill, Erotica Author
Workshop on Plotting Erotica and Erotic Romance

Rhonda Stapleton, Editor and Author
Workshop on Style and Voice

Excited yet?

How about if I list some door prizes?

• What Gwen said" mug donated by Gwen Hayes
• 3-chapter critique of a YA by Simon Pulse author Rhonda Stapleton
• 3-chapter critique of a YA, chick lit, or rom com by Golden Heart Finalist Amanda Brice
• An ebook of your choice from Nell Dixon's backlist
• An ebook of either Second Sight (paranormal romance) or Dragons' Choice (fantasy romance - dragon-shifters) from Debbie Mumford
• Ten dollar Amazon gift certificate from Jodi Henley
• Lush stuff from Seeley deBorne
• e-book copy of Chasing Shadows from Erin Richards
• Paperback copy of Iron Horse Rider OR Smiling Eyes from Adelle Laudan
• Book thongs from Angeleque Ford
• 3 chapter critique from Sela Carsen
• winner's choice of ebook copy of "Not Quite Dead" or "Heart of the Sea" by Sela Carson
• e-book copy of HEATWAVE by Eden Bradley
• e-book copy of BREAKING SKYE by Eden Bradley
• a box of goodies, trade and paperbacks, bath products candles, etc... All for a fun and relaxing home spa day treat. courtesy of The Midnight Moon Cafe
• 1 download each of Natasha Moore's Samhain books, The Ride of Her LIfe and The Passion-Minded Professor
• a copy of "Painted Soul" by Mary Quast
• e-book copy of HER CINDERELLA COMPLEX by Jenna Bayley-Burke - Samhain
• e-book copy of PAR FOR THE COURSE by Jenna Bayley-Burke - Samhain
• e-book copy of FOUND by Jenna Bayley-Burke - Wild Rose Press
• e-book copy of NIGHT OF INSPIRATION by Jenna Allen - Phaze
• e-book copy of ON AGAIN by Jenna Allen - Phaze
• $10 gc to Amazon from Kendal Corbitt
• ebook Vampire Oracle: Harmony by MG Braden

Plus a lovely bar of wonderful Chagrin Valley hand made soap, Caramel Pralines jar candle, handmade jewelry, Tarot readings, a Lush box for European Divas/Dudes, a $10 fictionwise gc and much more!