This has been a hectic week so far. I have a proposal to edit and revise, a book that should be coming back to me soon for revisions, promo to begin planning for the December release of By Magic Alone, and I’ve been brainstorming a few new projects. And all of this is combined with other work, kids, getting son number one ready for college (so much to buy and do), and preparing for a visit from family members we haven’t seen in a while.

But I’m finally feeling capable of getting everything done. I was exhausted after finishing By Magic Alone, and it’s taken me a bit longer than normal to bounce back. I’m finally there, though, so it feels great to be productive again. Instead of, you know, spinning my wheels trying to be productive.

As I’ve said before, I am a little odd in that I enjoy the process of editing and revising. Many authors I know have a difficult time with the revision process, but I love this portion of getting a book finalized. I think because I can finally see the entire, big picture, so making changes that will ultimately push the book to another level is rewarding. Also, I just really enjoy that one, last chance to make the book the best it can be at that particular time in my life.

Brainstorming is something I don’t enjoy all that much. You think coming up with new ideas would be fun, and sometimes I suppose it is. But because I’m not a plotter, brainstorming is often frustrating for me. In fact, it’s often best for me to just jump in and start writing…but I have so much going on right now, that I really want to have some solid pre-work done before I write “Chapter One.” We’ll see how it goes. <G>

My mail-order furniture arrived, and I have to say I’m mostly happy with it. And when I consider what I need it to do: hold up to four kids who are not easy on furniture, well…it should do okay. But the pieces we chose are not exactly my style: they’re very sleek and modern, which my daughter loves…and seeing this will likely be her furniture some day, that works well, too. I’m more of a natural wood, big comfy pieces of furniture, type of gal. You know..that couch you sink into and can completely unwind and relax? Yep, that’s what I like.

But the living room is attractive once again, even if it isn’t “my” perfect vision. But for now, I’m happy enough.

That’s about all that’s going on here. How’s your summer going???

On Friday last week, I received a phone call from a lovely woman at Georgia Romance Writers informing me that A STROKE OF MAGIC is a finalist in the paranormal category of their Maggie awards. I am beyond thrilled! The official finalist list hasn’t been posted yet, but once it has, I’ll put a link here.

I truly am honored and excited.

Beyond that great news, we’ve been slowly getting ready for number one son to leave for college next month. I’m awash with emotion. I’m so proud of him for everything he has already accomplished and for the goals he has for his future, but I’m also ridiculously sad. He’s not going that far away…less than an hour’s drive…but the fact is he won’t be living here. He is the first child to officially leave the nest. It’s a very strange mix of feelings.

In other news, we went on a mini-shopping spree and bought new furniture for the living room. Everything. New sofa and loveseat, new lamps, new coffee table and end tables, and even a couple of throw rugs for the floor. Furniture doesn’t last long in my house, so we didn’t go overboard on cost, and frankly–I’m not even that thrilled with what we ended up purchasing (appearance wise), but my daughter loves it, and I’m thinking this will be her starter furniture when she moves out in a couple of years into her first apartment. So…I can live it with it until then. I think. <G>

Also, I need to mention that while I planned on attending the RWA conference this year, I have cancelled my registration. It’s just not in the cards this year with everything else that is going on. So if you planned on seeing me at the literacy booksigning, I’m so sorry that I won’t be there. BUT–if you are going to be there, be sure to check out the goodie room. Some of my books might show up there.

I think that’s about it for this week. Until next week: be safe.

So, I missed last week. The holiday on Monday made me think Tuesday was Monday, but I still never got around to posting. Sorry about that!

I wanted to share with you a video that has actually made me want to own an iPad. Check out artist David Kassan painting on the iPad using the fingerpaint function, along with the brush app. While the video is around 7 minutes long, it’s completely worth watching. In fact, it’s rather compelling. Check it out:

Pretty awesome, huh? Like I said, watching this made me want to run out and buy an iPad. I’ve resisted, though. <G>

However, I did buy another cool contraption that I am completely in love with. Anyone who has read this blog for any amount of time should already know about my addiction to coffee. I love coffee. I’m also somewhat of a coffee snob. The week of my birthday, I took the family out to see a movie (Toy Story 3 — which made me cry like a baby), and then we window-shopped at the mall. I had zero intentions of buying anything. I swear. But we walked past Williams-Sonoma, and I decided to browse. LOL, my browsing didn’t get very far because the first display I saw when we walked in was a display of espresso makers.

I drooled for a few minutes, but still had absolutely no intentions of buying anything. A sales woman approached (LOL, can you see where this is headed?) and talked about the different machines they had for sale. She raved about one specific brand (Nespresso) that uses espresso pods/capsules. This is where my ill-founded coffee snobbery jumped in. I couldn’t imagine using a machine that 1) you had to mail order the coffee capsules (they’re not available to purchase any other way), and 2) that even used coffee capsules. I mean, I buy good coffee. Freshly roasted beans that I grind fresh for every pot. How could a capsule of already ground coffee be good? I couldn’t see it.

The sales lady talked a great talk, though. Showed how easy the machines were to use (pretty much idiot proof), and how the aerocino (love that name) will steam or froth milk with a push of a button. Seriously. It’s this awesome canister that sits on the base of the machine. You put milk in it, put the lid on, and press a freaking button–and one minute later, you have perfectly steamed or frothed milk. Oh, it also will froth milk cold for cold coffee drinks.

But I was still hung up on the coffee capsule thing, but wouldn’t you know it–they had a machine all set up to give out samples. My older son and I tried an espresso and, as they say, the rest is history. The espresso was easily as good as, if not better, than any other espresso I’ve ever had at any of the local coffee shops. I had to buy this machine. Yes, HAD to.

It didn’t hurt that it was my birthday. <G>

So for the last week and a half, we’ve been enjoying having the best espresso and cappucino that I’ve ever made at home. And honestly, it rivals what I’ve had anywhere else, too. Even mail ordering the coffee isn’t difficult or expensive. Our order came within two business days. I can live with that.

Basically, I’m in heaven.

Tomorrow is my birthday, but I almost forgot about it. Yes, I’m completely serious. I think I might have completely forgotten, except for the fact that my parents brought a birthday cake over on Saturday. That’s when I remembered.

So now that I have remembered, I’m trying to think of something to do tomorrow to…you know…celebrate. But I’m at a loss. Maybe I’ll take the day off from work, which is always nice…but all that does is put me one day behind in my to-do list. I hate that. Maybe I’ll take the kids out to dinner, but that sort of sounds like more work for me than just ordering in. But we order in fairly regularly.

Sigh. I just don’t know.

How about you? What did you do to celebrate your last birthday? If your birthday is almost here, what are your plans?

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was as restful and relaxing as mine was. Other than basic chores, I read. And read. And read. It was awesome!

But I also spent some time planning my work calendar for the rest of the summer, and I have a lot on my plate. So, for that reason and another, I’ve decided to take a mini-break from blogging for a few months.

Not completely, though! I’ll be sure to post at least once per week, and I’m thinking that day will be on Monday. If that changes, I’ll let you know, but Monday is the beginning of the week so it seems like the best day.

In addition to my busy work schedule this summer, I need some time to reassess how successful this blog is, and to (hopefully) come up with ways to make it more successful when/if I start blogging full-time again in the fall. My number one goal for blogging is not to promote my books, but to engage in conversation with my readers. Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be working all that well, so I need to re-think how much time this blog takes and if there is anything I can do to make that time more worthwhile–for me and for you.

Besides which, I’m running out of air on topics, so I need to rethink that, as well. At any rate, I’ll check in each week with news, fresh topics (hopefully!), and anything else I can think of.

Have a great week!

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

I’ve been spending the past few days getting caught up on work, cleaning house (so not fun), and everything else that went by the wayside while I was finishing By Magic Alone. It’s been kind of nice, actually. My house is fairly quiet for once, which makes it easier to get everything done, and I finally feel as if I’m ready for summer. Well, as ready as I can ever be for humidity and scorching temperatures. <G>

Last week, my younger two started a summer Karate program. I signed them up so they had something other than video games and our backyard to keep them occupied until school starts again in the fall. I’m so glad I did! The class is terrific, they’re loving it, and if things go well, I might keep them enrolled through the school year. We’ll see.

What else have I been doing? Playing Sims 3 again, which has been mega relaxing. It also fills the game geek side of my personality perfectly. I’ve started reading entries for several writing contests I’m helping to judge, trying to get back into the swing of critiquing for my awesome critique partners, and catching up on some of my favorite TV shows. Oh, and cleaning…but I mentioned that already.

But the best, exciting news that I referred to on Monday–news I can now share because everything is official–is that I have sold three new books in a brand new series to Harlequin, for their Silhouette Special Edition line! I am so thrilled to become part of the Harlequin family and these three books will be a joy to write. The first of the three will be released in November or December 2011, the second in February 2012, and the third in July 2012. I know, it’s a bit away, but the time will fly. Promise! Besides, I have to write them yet.

So what is this new series about? Well, they’re straight contemporary romances (meaning not paranormal), for one thing. Also, in this series, the connecting characters are the heroes–they’re brothers–and each brother has to find a way to win the heart of his heroine, and each hero is determined to do just that. Oh, and each book takes place during a holiday: Book 1 is Christmas, Book 2 is Valentine’s Day, and Book 3 is Fourth of July. The great thing about these stories is how different they are, even with these base similarities. And the heroes? Sexy, dangerous, and hot.

Book 1 (I have no idea if Harlequin will keep my titles) is about a married couple. Grady and Olivia Foster had the fairytale life until they lost their son in a car accident–in a car that Grady was driving. While Olivia and Grady both rationally know the accident wasn’t Grady’s fault, emotions aren’t always rational, and the fallout of losing their son has pushed them apart. Olivia blames Grady, even though she knows that isn’t fair. And Grady has his own share of blame that he’s fighting with. But he still loves his wife, and after two years of separation, he wants her–and their life–back. Olivia has other ideas. She still loves Grady, but doesn’t believe she’ll ever be able to come to grips with what has happened, so she asks for a divorce. Now, Grady has no choice but to put everything on the line. Somehow, he has to convince Olivia that their love can survive this tradgedy, and that together, they can forge a new life.

Book 2 is Jace (the middle Foster brother) and Melanie’s story. Melanie Prentiss has never been a hopeless romantic. After all, she’s seen too many men stomping on her mother’s heart to believe that love will ever find her. Even so, she can’t stop fantasizing about her sexier-than-sin co-worker, Jace. Unfortunately, Jace is a playboy, and the last thing Melanie needs is a man who doesn’t know how to stick. While Jace has certainly dated plenty of women over the years, he doesn’t describe himself as a playboy. He’s searching for Miss Right–the one woman he’ll spend the rest of his days with–so why bother dating Miss Wrong? Once Jace realizes that Melanie just might be the woman he’s been searching for, he’ll do anything he can to prove to her that he’s serious, and that he definitely knows how to stick.

Book 3 is Seth (the youngest Foster brother) and Rebecca’s story. Rebecca Carmichael fell hopelessly in love in college, only to lose him to “friendly fire” during his first tour with the army. The pain and loss was crippling. Care packages and personal letters to other fighting soldiers have brought her comfort and kept her sane, even if one particular soldier’s letters have melted her heart and ignited a fire she’s never before felt. A two week leave brought Seth and Rebecca together, but shortly after his return to duty, Rebecca discovered she was pregnant. Now, she is determined to raise her child on her own, because loving a military man, a man who is already committed to his country, is far too dangerous–to her and her unborn daughter. But Seth refuses to give up on the woman he loves. His mission is nothing short of marriage.

So, there you have it! I’ll share more information as I have it, but for now, I’m just so pleased and excited that I’ve been grinning ear-to-ear for over a week. I’m also still hoping to write book five in my magic series for Dorchester Publishing. And remember, book 4 – By Magic Alone – will hit the shelves in December 2010!

In fact, here is the cover and cover copy for By Magic Alone:

Something is drawing Julia Collins to Magical Matchups. The Chicago-based dating service is a direct competitor to her own, and it’s winning. It even converted her two best friends, despite the fact that it’s run by a crackpot—if sweet—old woman named Verda who gives personality tests that rate men like fruit! She also espouses everything Julia distrusts: magic, lust, and romantic love rather than logical partnerships. 

Five minutes after they’ve met, Verda introduces “the man Julia will marry”—her best friend’s ex. The old woman had better be a witch, because although Scot’s kiss ignites a fire in her soul, there’s only one way Julia can see them finding a happily ever after. By magic alone.

Okay, that’s it for today. I’ll be back on Friday!

Well, some semblance of normal, anyway. The past eight weeks have been crazy, fun, and (I’ll admit it) a little overwhelming. I had a book deadline in the midst of the release of A Breath of Magic, a son graduating from high school (and yes, Jessica, he has his ring back!), and a whole bunch of other time-consuming details that needed my attention. So, it is with great relief that my hectic life is calming down–at least for a few weeks.

I finally turned in By Magic Alone last Monday, and that alone is reason to celebrate. However, on Tuesday, I recieved a call from my agent…with news. Book news. Unfortunately, I can’t share all of the specifics just yet, but I should be able to soon. Hopefully this week, but if not, certainly within the next couple of weeks. I am very excited, though, and can’t wait to share this fantastic news with everyone. Yay!

Also, with the craziness of the past several weeks, there are a few contest winners still waiting for their prizes. Yes, I was horribly late sending some of them out, but they have all been mailed as of this past Saturday. I apologize for the delay.

And I think that’s it for this Monday morning. I’ll be back on Wednesday this week with, hopefully, an actual topic that might prove interesting. <G> And sometime soon, I’ll post the remaining Q&A with Dakota Lawrence. Promise!

Have a terrific Monday and I’ll see you all on Wednesday!