What's Happening in October...

Here are some events on the web and elsewhere...

eHarlequin...
October 1 - 5th Queen for a Day? –Alice Sharpe wonders what you’d do if you inherited a small kingdom, a royal baby and a whole lot of trouble…
October 7 - 12th Dark Lies–Nocturne author Vivi Anna leads this month’s master class on creating otherworldly settings in the Write Stuff.

Romance Divas
12-14th: In the Classroom-workshop/Q&A on Sci-Fi/Futuristic Romance

oh...and time for some shameless self promotion

October 13
Writing To Deadline: How to write a book in 30 days or less
Multi-published author Jenna Bayley-Burke explains the reality of deadlines and publishing schedules and showcases three methods to draft a book in less than a month. With real life examples of books now on the shelves, Jenna shares the secrets of First Draft in 30 Days, NaNoWriMo, and Fast Draft. Whether you’re a plotter, a pantster or a puzzler, this workshop will show you how to write faster and become comfortable and confident writing to tight deadlines.

October 15
Central Oregon Regional Library Conference - Eagle Crest, ORRomance panel with Terri Reed, Su Lute, Paty Jager, & Jenna Bayley-Burke

So...what have you found for us to learn about this month?

You know you like free books...and stuff!

You know I am all about the free...but unfortunately I am out of the running for these two contests...so, quick! Someone win them for me will you?

Pink Heart Society BIRTHDAY TREASURE HUNT
Collect a list of the Lil Pink Dancing Guys's birthday presents, email it to thepinkheartsociety@hotmail.com and win BIG! Books, chocolate, trinkets, more books...

Pink Heart Society SEPTEMBER HAMPER
Head on over to the blog and tell us 'What's your favourite way to celebrate your birthday?' for a chance to win TONS of books!

Come on...get to it!

OK, OK...I'll give you some Treasure Hunt Hints...
9/28 - India Grey - a pink i-pod (I want one!)
9/27 - Anne McAllister - tickets to the next Green Bay Packers home game! (Oh, she would!)
9/26 - Jennie Adams - 'Bert's Creaming Soda'(I am so not touching that one!)
9/25 - Kate Walker - a perfect heart shaped pink diamond
9/24 - Ally Blake - a pair of super soft pink bedsocks
9/22 - Natasha Oakley - A Hot Pink Cocktail
9/21 - Jenna Bayley-Burke....oh, just scroll down will you lazy bones? Gather the rest of the pressies and WIN WIN WIN!

Dancing or Fighting....hmmm

Can you believe it? Dancing With the Stars is on at the same time as my beloved The Unit. Who planned this?

Of course I watched The Unit...though, with reruns it is better to watch a live show...still, I've been wondering all summer how the writers were going to rebound from the series finale.

Thank goodness I got to watch the first show yesterday and the first hour today :)

So...whatcha watching this new TV season?

Deadline coming up to apply for Linda Lael Miller scholarship, Oct 1

http://www.lindalaelmiller.com/scholarships/apply.asp

Linda donates the honoraria from her speaking engagements to her scholarship fund. The scholarship is for women over the age of 25 who are non-traditional students who typically have a difficult time qualifying for scholarships.

If you are going back to school, it's worth it to apply! She'll be donating a total of $10,000 for this school year.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

It's birthday month for the little pink jumping man...and it's my turn to give him a gift. (For more on the celebrations and how checking out his swag can win you TONS of books click here.)

UNDERWEAR! Am I the only one who is bothered that he is nude? (No, Jenna...you are just he onely one who'll post pics of underwear models...hence my homage to Channing Tatum.)

Now tell me...what would you bring to the Pink Heart Society mascot for his 1st birthday?

Thursday 13 :: Vocaubulary Building

I love those word-a-day calendars...I love using words as writing prompts...but lately I've been looking up more and more words...so let's do a little vocabulary building

1. MANSCAPING :: Man grooming. Cleaning up the superfluous fur above and below the belt.


2. BACKSEAT BUYER :: A person who gets excited over other people's future or current purchases


3. REMASCULATE :: Growing a pair after breaking up with the girlfriend who whipped you.


4. DINNER BADGE :: Stains on your shirt that act as a menu of what you had for dinner.


5. PUMA :: The pre-cougar. No longer a kitten (18-25)...not yet a cougar (35+)


6. DESIGNATED DRUNK :: Opposite of designated driver, the designated drunk has the responsibility of being entertaining.


7. TYPERACTIVE :: People who can IM at the speed of light.


8. PREGRET :: Knowing you'll hate yourself later, and doing it anyway.


9. CRUNK :: Crazy drunk. Now I know what Lil John was rapping about.


10. INTERNUTS :: People who are badasses only on message boards. In person, they'd likely wet their pants if someone slammed them.


11. TECHNOLUST :: What everyone had for iPhone.


12. LOCATIONSHIP :: The real-life version of a SHOWMANCE. Dating someone because they are there that you normally would never look twice at.


13. TEXTUAL INTERCOURSE :: Phone sex for the IM crowd....

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Jennifer McK -- typeractive
2. Michelle (MG) -- locationship
3. Heather
4. Morgan St. John -- pregretting
5. Shelley Munro -- dinner badge
6. Jennifer Shirk -- technolust
7. Adelle
8. Tempest Knight
9. Ann Aguirre
10. Debbie Mumford
11. Savannah Chase
12. Marie -- textual intercourse
13. Robin L. Rotham
14. Esmerelda Bishop -- designated drunk
15. Moondancer
16. Paige Tyler
17. Lorelei James
18. Kaige
19. Amelia June
20. Gina Ardito -- backseat buyer

(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Happy NATIONAL PIRATE'S DAY!!

In honor of Wednesday's International Talk Like a Pirate Day...my favorite pirate phrases...

1. Avast, me proud beauty! Wanna know why my Roger is so Jolly?
2. He was conceived on the wrong side of the hammock
3. Let that be a lesson to ye, lad, give drinks with umbrellas in 'em a wide berth.
4. Before an hour's out, I'll stove in your old block house like a rum puncheon.
5. Gar, Where can I find a bottle o'rum?
6. My parrot concurs

I've always wanted to go to Italy

And now...by book has!

This is a double feature, with both Cooking Up A Storm & Just One Spark...

The big fun is the title translations....

Cotti a Fuoco Lento means Cooked to Slow Fire...so here's hoping that isn't literal! Solo un Equivoco means Alone a Misunderstanding. Maybe they mean the titles. I must say, they did a GREAT job with the title of the combined books :: INTIME CONFESSIONI...Intimate Confessions! Love it!

Today is International Disturbed People's Day

Please send an encouraging message to a disturbed friend ... like me!

I don't care if you lick windows, take the special bus or occasionally pee on yourself ... you hang in there, Sunshine. You're special.

La Shanah Tova...or Happy Rosh Hashana

It's the Jewish New Year...a time to be thankful for the year that has passed, to celebrate the one to come, and to ask forgiveness from those you wronged...hey, if you pissed off a Jew this year, ask forgiveness now. They HAVE to forgive you. Seriously bad mo-jo if they don't!

We did a Rosh Hashanah seder for the boys last night to help them learn a bit about the holiday...they weren't interested...

Thirteen Things Jenna served at her seder 1…. Apples - for a sweet new year... plus the boys will eat them. On a plate draw a Hebrew letter and have the kid trace it with the apple for a yummy treat...unless your kid hates honey. 2…. Apple Pie - eat sweet things for a sweet new year...go ahead, indulge! 3…. Pumpkin Pie - for happiness... I thought of doing pumpkin bread...but picking these up at the store was so much easier! 4…. Dates - for a peaceful new year...split a date in half, fill with gorgonzola, top with a candied walnut...thank me later. 5…. Pomegranate - for blessings...for the seeds, many seeds mean you get a lot of blessings... some use figs... still, I served pomegranate juice. 6…. Green beans - for prosperity... when I told BigBoy prosperity meant wealth, money, even his vegetable hating self took a nibble. Next time you make buttered green beans, add some pine nuts. So choice! 7…. Leeks, scallions, chives - for friendship...this isn't really child friendly. They both freaked out. 8…. A HEAD of lttuce...or the head of a fish...or...yes, go with lettuce. 9…. Spinach - for freedom! 10…. Turkey cutlets - no reason other than HubbaBubb doesn't think it's dinner without meat, and I knew I couldn't cow...so here is hoping turkey was OK. 11…. Cherry tomatoes...because my garden is exploding 12…. Cream -- whipped for the pumpkin pie...iced cream for the apple pie. 13…. Crescent Rolls...the boys needed something to eat while I explained the other foods!

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Free Legal Help...Kinda

I got a good email forward about day-to-day things we can do to keep out identity theft...

1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put "PHOTO ID REQUIRED."

2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit cards, DO NOT put the complete account number on the "For" line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.

3. Before you leave on any trip, photocopy the contents of your wallet. Just empty it out on the machine, copy it, flip them over, copy it, and you are done. You'll have both sides of licenses and credit cardsthat way. You'll know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel if it is lost or stolen. Keep the photocopy in a safe place. Carry a Photocopy of your passport when traveling abroad. -- my brother emailed himself this information before heading to Micronesia...it saved him so much hassel when the tsunami hit. Getting to the embassy is a whole other story...

IF YOUR WALLET IS EVER STOLEN ::

1. Call the 800 numbers on the backs of the cards ASAP to put them on alert. If you think you simply lost it, they'll freeze the accounts. If you know it was stolen, they'll close them. This is when having the photocopy really comes in handy.
2. File a police report in the jusisdiction of the theft. This will help if the credit card companies ever hassle you
3. Call the 3 major credit reporting agencies and inform them. They'll put an alert on your name - in case the information in your wallet is used to obtain new cards. (equafax, experian, trans union)
4. Call Social Security's fraud line.

By doing these things you can deter theives from obtaining new credit in your name.

What was on the radio...when you were 18?

April had this idea to find the songs popular when you were 18 and wax romantic about them...well...

We've Got It Goin' On - Backstreet Boys :: Ah yes, the boy band phenomenon. I loved it!

I Like It, I Love It - Tim McGraw :: This song was HUGE in Southern Oregon...but then, anything Tim McGraw still is.

You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette :: This was a song we could not just play. You had to try to break the speakers. Which, would make the boy people quite annoyed. They'd rather we blast something with bass.

Good Intentions - Toad The Wet Sprocket :: I do not recall this song, but do remember that HubbaBubba had a Toad The Wet Sprocket CD and it was nearly a deal breaker for me.




And... to show how far people can come...Justin Timberlake won an Emmy! For his skit on Saturday Night Live. You know the one.

Busy on Saturday?

If not...you should check this out...

Saturday, September 8, 8:30-5:30
Mary Buckham presents two half-day seminars!

8:30am - 12:30pm SEX ON THE PAGE: UNDERSTANDING AND CRAFTING SEXUAL TENSION

How do you write great sexual tension whether you write Regencies or Erotica or somewhere in between? Why is it some authors can make you cheer and commiserate and ache as their characters take their perilous journeys toward intimacy and others leave you feeling ho hum? Mary Buckham combines examples from outstanding Romance authors with an in depth analysis of the 12 stages of intimacy, findings in behavioral science and the power of biology to better understand and incorporate sexual tension in your own writing.

12:30pm -1:30pm LUNCH - Box Lunches Brought In (see information below)

1:30pm-5:30pm PACING: HOW TO CREATE PAGE-TURNING MANUSCRIPTS

What keeps a book intriguing enough to have fans turn the pages and not set it down? How can one author's books have you riveted and another's leave you feeling ho-hum? Ever wondered if there are key craft tips and techniques to balance fast-paced conflict, tension, suspense or mystery, action and emotion? In this course you will learn:

The ingredients of a page-turner

What hooks are and how to maximize them

The power of effective scenes

Common pacing pitfalls to avoid

The ten elements of strong pacing

How to use subplots and secondary characters

How to avoid a sagging middle

Learn what a beat is and how to use it

Great beginnings and endings that have your readers wanting more!

There are 100 spots available. Room 107 of the ST building at PCC. Park in lots P5 or P7. See map at http://www.pcc.edu/about/locations/sylvania/documents/sy-campus-map.pdf.
RCRW member-only registration until August 25. RCRW members go for free, but must pay for their lunch or bring a lunch. Non-members pay a $30 fee and must also pay for their lunch or bring a lunch. You may pay for lunches and non-member registration with PayPal below, or bring a check to the meeting.

Non-member Registration Payment $30 by check made out to Rose City Romance Writers or $32 if using PayPal.

Email Darcy Burke to reserve a spot!

http://www.rosecityromancewriters.com/sept2007-mtg.html

I'm on the Samhain blog!

Hey all...I'm on the Samhain blog! It's my first time, so come by and say 'hi'.

Thursday 13...Take 13

For my 13th Thursday 13 I thought I'd do the classic...

13 Things In My Purse Cell phone...hey, it's actually on! Massive wallet/checkbook/picture collection/receipt catchall Pull Up? Oh...yes, that was in there for emergencies. That can go. Keys. I love Foghorn Leghorn Sally Hansen compact - this thing has everything but mascara and is the size of a credit card One hoop earing. Hmmm. My cards - bothe business and playdate Emergency phone numbers. Wow. Those need updating. Broken pen. Helpful. Coupon organizer. I am obsessed with double coupons. Notebook. Tiny, I rip out the pages with notes on them. Camera. I really need to go to Costco and get photos printed. Rubber spider. Clown nose. Dinosaur. Car....the kids need to stay out of my purse! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. kimberly 2. Savannah Chase 3. Jennifer McKenzie 4. Jane 5. Gina Ardito 6. Morgan St. John 7. Christine d'Abo 8. Debbie Mumford 9. Moondancer 10. Adelle 11. Paige Tyler (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

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False Starts

Life got in the way of my last attempt to write SMOKE. I am such a linear writer I seem to keep starting over, reworking the first chapter so much I can recite it! It's starting to remind me of those anecdotes about romance writers who polish the first chapter for contests and never write the book!

So, starting tomorrow...no more first chapter. I need to get these two out of the fire and into the...shower? Here's hoping!

What about you? Do you write linearly or in scenes? Do you polish chapter one until it sparkles without giving it anything else?

Writer Mama

The Writer Mama, Christina Katz, is giving away a writing tool a day through her blog, The Writer Mama Riffs, every day for thirty days during the month of September. In addition to over thirty prizes such as Writer's Digest 2008 Market books, she's giving away ten signed copies of her book, Writer Mama, How to Raise a Writing Career Alongside Your Kids and a one-hour writing career phone consult.

Moms and Dads who write are especially encouraged to participate in celebration of this hectic yet wonderful back-to-school time of year. However, anyone who participates is eligible to win daily prizes.

AND

It's Hugh Jackman Day on the Pink Heart Society...so...

Online Writing Contests

I love a free contest. Starting out, writing can be such an expensive career. Memberships and contests and postage for submissions...to say nothing of exploding your computer and making your printer start to smoke...I know we are all pressed for time, but I do try to stop in the two contests running now each week and see what is on the boards. Sometimes for a great read, sometimes to give whatever advice I can. Romance Junkies Writing Contest is easier to offer comments, IMHO...they are kept private. I can't bring myself to say anything too...constructive on Gather. Still...worth checking out.

Limping Back

Life is stranger than fiction. Truly, my August violates every 'suspension of disbelief' I've ever come across. My grandmother was in the hospital, so my cousin and I journeyed south to hold her hand for a bit...when things started looking up we came home. Two days later my Grandpa died.

I packed up the family and we trekked to California for the services. It's an eleven hour drive, so we break it up by over-nighting with my parents. While there, we got a call that my Grandmother had taken a turn. She passed that night. Luckily, I got to be there.

Really, that was enough...but then on the way home the waterpump quit and we were stranded halfway to our kiddos. We're home now, and I am ready to get back to my real life. As soon as I get some energy.