Mission Accomplished :: 2009

released -

short story in New Love Stories Magazine : Culinary Magic
Dreams & Desires: A Collection of Romance Tales, Vol. 3 : Perfect Stranger
Par For The Course (print)
Compromising Positions (e)
Starting Over by Jenna Allen

contracted -
novel to Samhain : Pride & Passion

submitted -
2 novels
2 partials

written -
1 novel (almost)
2 partials

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
OK...so I planned on writing much more this year. You can't sell what you don't write and all. But, the house hustle ate up all my time and motivation. And then there was some other stuff I'm more than happy to leave in 2009. So bring on 2010...and more writing!

Goals for 2009

• Finish 3 novels
  
• Write 1 novella length story
  

Plan for 2009

JANUARY
Margie Lawson workshop
finish Shattered Expectations
finish Drinking It In partial
submit to contests

FEBRUARY
Bob Mayer workshop
Michael Hague workshop
finish One Last Fling
submit novel

MARCH
write The Marriage Promise
Pride & Passion - ebook pimpage
RCRW elections

In 2009 I read 55 books ...

...and I learned that when I have less time to read, I seem to gravitate more towards category romance, and authors I trust to help me lose myself in a story. (3 Intrigue, 6 Blaze, 1 Supers, 6 Presents, 3 Romance, 5 Desire)

1. Belle weather : mostly sunny with a chance of scattered hissy fits by Celia Rivenbark
2. Able Bodied by Karen Foley (Blaze)
3. Body Clutter by Marla Cilley & Leanne Ely
4. Sink Reflections by Marla Cilley - The Fly Lady
5. If You Give A Mom a Martini... by Lyss Stern & Julie Klappas
6. Someone Like Her by Janice Kay Johnson (SuperRomance)
7. She Did a Bad, Bad Thing by Stephanie Bond (Blaze)
8. The One Night Wife by Sandra Marton (Presents)
9. The Holiday Inn by Farrah Rochon, Phyllis Bourne Williams, Stefanie Worth
10. Tall, Dark and Lethal by Dana Marton (Intrigue)
11. Manhunt in the Wild West by Jessica Andersen (Intrigue)
12. Around The Clock Protector by Jan Hambright (Intrigue)
13. Easy-to-use Feng Shui by Lillian Too
14. Hard and Fast by Erin McCarthy
15. Love Stories in This Town by Amance Eyre Ward
16. The Big Skinny by Carol Lay
17. The Magnate's Indecent Proposal by Ally Blake (Presents)
18. The Ultimate Sex Diet by Kerry McCloskey
19. Hungry Monkey by Matthew Amster-Burton
20. The Greek's Bridal Bargain by Melanie Milburne (Presents)
21. Bedroom Feng Shui by Clear Englebert
22. The Italian's Rags-To-Riches Wife by Julia James (Presents)
23. Add new commentRead moreJingle All The Way by Fern Michaels, Theresa Alan, Jane Blackwood, Linda Lael Miller
24. Feng shui step by step : arranging your home for health and happiness-- with personalized astrological charts
25. Boys Should Be Boys by Meg Meeker
26. Mission : Make - Over by Penny Jordan (Presents)
27. Burning Up by Sarah Mayberry (Blaze)
28. His Cousin's Keeper by Miriam MacGregor (Romance)
29. The Best American Erotica 2007 edited by Susie Bright
30. Think Yourself Thin by Darcy Buehler
31. Up Close and Dangerously Sexy by Karen Anders (Blaze)
32. Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly (Blaze)
33. Baby Bonanza by Maureen Child (Desire)
34. The Secretary's Secret by Michelle Celmer (Desire)
35. Good Night, Sleep Tight : The Sleeplady's gentle guide to helping your child go to sleep, stay asleep, and wake up happy
36. Making The Cut by Jillian Michaels
37. Hooked by Les Edgerton
38. Snowbound with Mr. Right by Judy Christenberry (Romance)
39. Make This Your Lucky Dayby Ellen Whitehurst
40. The Writing Diet : Write yourself right size by Julia Cameron
41. The 3am Epiphany by Brian Kiteley
42. Better Sleep for your Baby & Child by Dr. Shelly K Weiss
43. The Sleepeasy Solutionby Jennifer Waldburger
44. THE BRIDE’S BABY by Liz Fielding (Romance)
45. The M.D.'s Mistress by Joan Hohl (Desire)
46. Baby Bequest by Robyn Grady (Desire)
47. Tame Me by Caroline Cross (Desire)
48. Are You Ready by Bob Harper
49. Winning By Losing by Jillian Michaels
50. Healing Anxiety and Depression by Daniel Amen & Lisa Routh
51. His Mistress, His Terms by Trish Wylie (Presents)
52. Eat This Not That by David Zinczenko
53. Between The Covers by Margo Hammond & Ellen Heltzel
54. A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle
55. Love's Encore by Rachel Ryan aka Sandra Brown

Romantic Times Review

Compromising Positions was reviewed in the February edition of Romantic Times. Here's what they had to say ::


This thoroughly enjoyable romantic comedy has likable characters and a smart, spitfire heroine...Bayley-Burke delivers a really fun read.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

I'm blogging at the Pink Heart Society today...trying to shed some light on the idea that it is easier to publish once you've been published (hint, it's not), and that it's supposed to be fun to write. Y'all can probably guess why.

Follow me...

To the Pink Heart Society where I'm talking about going home...and embracing gumdrop gawdiness.

More than you ever wanted to know...

The Long and Short of It has an interview with me up, talking about NaNoWriMo. Since I'm so behind, it seems a bit fraudulent - or the kick in the buttoosk I need to get moving!

I forgot to post that I did one earlier this month with Emmy at Authors Toolbox.

And I'm at The Pink Heart Society today talking about the temptation of having a Wii.

I am still making forward progress on Shattered Expectations, but I'm about 5K behind where I need to be to finish by the 30th. Since I usually finish a NaNo before Thanksgiving, it doubles that behind the eight ball feeling. But, I have to keep telling myself it's okay, it will all work out.

Fingers crossed I write more than 3 pages today. It seems to be my new norm since BabyGirl has decided Divas Don't Nap!

Behind

So...I'm behind my wordcount goal for the NaNoWriMo book...which means far less internet time than I'd like. A few things to keep y'all busy while I'm gone...

*if you belong to Librarything, I'm giving away 5 copies of Compromising Positions. Request it for a chance to win. (It's 1/3 of the way down, and don't ask me why it doesn't have a cover!)

*SingleTitles put up an excerpt of Compromising Positions

NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 11

DELICIOUS. Every book has a word that gets repeated far too often in the rough draft. I'm only 1/3 of the way there, and already I know this book is delicious. Funny, because I've barely fed either of them!

I have lots of excuses for why my wordcount sucks today. Want to hear them? Yeah, I didn't think so.

SHATTERED EXPECTATIONS

17312 / 50000 words. 35% done!

NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 10

I almost don't want to record my writing results today, but it's part of the process I suppose. There wasn't any writing time to be had today. The baby didn't nap - all day - and BigBoy had Scouts...all I had was my bedtime write and...I was tired. TIRED. But, since it is NaNo I forced myself to write something. Hey, it's a page more than I had yesterday. Babysteps are forward motion...

SHATTERED EXPECTATIONS

16603 / 50000 words. 33% done!

NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 9

I had a fantastic morning write where I did something I never do...I went back. I try to always write forward when I'm drafting a story. Going back usually stalls out my momentum. Well, it did, but the scene was completely necessary...well, not all of the scene. But I didn't know that until I was done with it, and the rule of NaNo is no deleting. So it adds to my word count, though most of it will wind up in a different book. But then, most of this draft won't see the light of day in its present incarnation. Tomorrow I'll be writing forward again, so hopefully I'll find a groove and post some serious numbers!

SHATTERED EXPECTATIONS

16213 / 50000 words. 32% done!

NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 8

I always have such high hopes for the weekends, but I don't seem to accomplish as much as it seems I should. The baby didn't nap today, and Hubba Bubba had the boy children at a history museum...so I didn't write until bedtime. My daily output isn't bad considering I only wrote for an hour and a half, but it's not what I was hoping for. Hopefully this week brings better writes.

SHATTERED EXPECTATIONS

14473 / 50000 words. 29% done!

NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 7

Today started off promising - I had a great write at Starbucks while my big kiddo was in a safety class...but my afternoon write was thwarted by a naptime debacle woth the tiny kiddo and the realization that my small kiddo is probably only two games away from being able to beat me at chess. Thankfully, my bedtime write saved the day. I didn't get ahead, but I didn't fall behind.

SHATTERED EXPECTATIONS

13128 / 50000 words. 26% done!

NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 6

It felt like I got a lot more done than my word count shows. Thank goodness the weekend is here! I need to get a jump on this book before it gets away from me!

In other news, there is an interview of moi up on Authors Toolbox and I'm gushing about NaNoWriMo on The Pink Heart Society tomorrow.

NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 5

I still haven't managed to get them out of the restaurant (the goal was to be in Malibu today). Tomorrow is another day...

SHATTERED EXPECTATIONS

9532 / 50000 words. 19% done!

NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 4

So...I thought I was done for the day because I...um...put my character to sleep. Hey, it happens and can be fixed later according to the WriMo gods. Anywho, I loohed onto http://www.nanowrimo.org/ and saw that too many of my so-called buddies were 'beating' me...and decided to write 200 more words. Peer pressure can be a good thing.

SHATTERED EXPECTATIONS

7338 / 50000 words. 15% done!

NaNoWriMo Adventures - Day 3

My favorite advice from the NaNoWriMo site today is ::

If you write a paragraph or chapter you don't like, just put it in italics (or change the font color to white). Do not delete! After you write your way across the 50,000-word finish line, you can double back and clip out all the parts of your book that make you cringe (I think you'll surprise yourself with what you decide to keep). For now, just keep moving forward! There's an old folk saying that goes: Whenever you delete a sentence in your NaNoWriMo novel, a NaNoWriMo angel loses its wings and plummets, screaming, to the ground.

Day The Second

I barely got 700 words today and only just managed to get my hero to stand up. Tomorrow has to be better.

Day the first

I am such a groover writer. I dumped all I know about this story out and then...um...yeah. Tomorrow's numbers won't be nearly so impressive.

Shattered Expectations

3558 / 50000 words. 7% done!
Brandon & Megan

100 Shots of Short -- COMPLETE

100 Shots of Shorts - a reading challenge designed to encourage the reading of short stories. I'm going to try and see how many of them I can do with free reads.

1. The Eyes have It by Debbie Mumford
2. Texas Waltz by Nancy O'Berry
3. Swept off her Feet by Amanda Brice
4. Puppy Love by Zinnia Hope
5. Of Bikes and Valleys by J. H. Bográn
6. Human Perfect by Kayelle Allen
7. Dublin Dreaming by Sela Carson
8. Ten Years Older by Caroline Witt
9. Lady Kate’s Scoundrel by Anna Campbell
10. The Return by Anna Campbell
11. Lingering Doubts by Shobhan Bantwel
12. The Cure by Jo Barrett
13. Marry Me, Cowboy by Stacy Dawn
14. Cinderella Dreams by Cate Masters
15. Mistletoe And Folly by Debra St. John
16. Merry Christmas, Victoria by Celia Yeary
17. Seduced By The Season by Merline Lovelace
18. The Boys' Club by Amanda McIntyre
19. Millionaire Dollar Mistressby Trish Wylie
20. Finders Keepersby Susan Lyons
21. "Russia" by Tilly Greene
22. "Keeping The World At Bay" by Stevie Woods
23. The Valentine's Wedding Dress by Sherryl Woods
24. Just Five Minutes by Karen Myers
25. Distance by Kate Sheckler
26. Men I Accidentally Married by Wendi Anne Stewart
27. Disappearing Act by Leslie Vryenhoek
28. The Waiting Place by Sharron Arksey
29. A Mother Pucker Meets the Ankle-Biters by Jane Campana
30. Chocoholic by D. Musgrave
31. Red Hot Fantasy by Sage Burnett
32. A Valentine's Proposal by Christine London
33. Full Board by Frank Roger
34. Love Never Dies by Rita Herron (Intrigue)
35. The Road Taken by Megan Hart (Spice)
36. My Great Brit Book Tour by Adriana Trigani
37. Five by Julianna Baggon
38. Leaving a Light On by Claire LaZebnik
39. Moving Day by Cindy Chupack
40. Yoga Babe by Lauren Henderson
41. On The Eighth Day by Vanesa Baggott
42. Dangerous Games with Competent People by Kim Wright
43. Entry Point by Shanna Germain
44. Blackberries by Nalo Hopkinson
45. Blue Star by Sera Gamble
46. If You Love Sometghing, Set it Free by PS Haven
47. Comeback by Nicholas Kaufmann
48. The Rock Wall by Alicia Erian
49. Best Friendster Date Ever by Alexander Chee
50. What Happened to That Girl by Marie Lyn Bernard
51. Heads-Up Poker by Susan DiPlacido
52. Taste by Susan St. Aubin
53. The Sex Box by Nikki Sinclair
54. The Razor by Tsaurah Litzky
55. Dream Machine by Lauraleigh Farrell
56. Wish Girls by Matthew Addison
57. Beyond the Curve by Gay Degani
58. Mommy’s Here by Theresa Mae Leitch
59. Elements by Kimberly A. Zook
60. Windows of Change by Cindy Haynes
61. Ten the Hard Way by Vera Constantineau
62. The Sad Affair of Maxwell Weedon by Dianna Graveman
63. Jackpot by Sarah Hina
64. Book By Its Cover by Katie Noah Gibson
65. Mama’s Wish Comes True by Julie C. Eger
66. When My Grandmother Made Perogies by Tricia Bowering
67. Going Forth and Coming Home by Natalie Wendt
68. Dust Bunnies by Abby Everett Tignor
69. Enchanted Cottage by Linda Rhinehart Neas
70. How the Universe Moved My Sofa and Changed My Life by Jen Payne
71. The Desert Was In My Closet by Holly Helscher
72. Weight-Bearing Walls by Julie Hoerth
73. The Price of a Room by Nancy A. Jackson
74. A Place of My Own by Pamela Allison
75. Lady of the House? by Julie Donner Andersen
76. Recreating Home by Shona Snowden
77. English as a Second Language by Sarah Mian
78. Jenny by Emily Howson
79. Ueno by Amy Perry
80. Should I Be Scared by Amanda Eyre Ward
81. Butte as in Beautiful by Amanda Eyre Ward
82. The Stars Are Bright In Texas by Amanda Eyre Ward
83. On Messalonskee Lake by Amanda Eyre Ward
84. Shakespeare.com by Amanda Eyre Ward
85. The Way The Sky Changed by Amanda Eyre Ward
86. Miss Montana's Wedding Day by Amanda Eyre Ward
87. Nan and Claude by Amanda Eyre Ward
88. She Almost Wrote Love by Amanda Eyre Ward
89. Motherhood and Terrorism by Amanda Eyre Ward
90. The Blue Flame by Amanda Eyre Ward
91. Grandpa Fred In Love by Amanda Eyre Ward
92. Reunion by Pam Champagne
93. Immortal Blush - Lanette Curington
94. Mad About Meg - Mari Carr
95. Not For Me - L.K. Campbell
96. Seeking a Six Foot Bride by Shobhan Bantwal
97. Madison's Doubts by Camy Tang
98. Idiot by Camy Tang
99. Ultimatum by Anne Carrole
100. The Wise Woman by Christina Cole

Things I Learned in the Emerald City

I actually learned a few things at the Emerald City Writing Conference...and now that I've found the cable for my AlphaSmart, I can share ::

Robert Dugoni – Power Editing

When you write your opening chapter, rewriting the opening sentence 100 times…evaluate the first sentence of every scene. Make sure it is interesting and raises a question, not a throw away sentence you put in to move the writing forward. The do it with the last sentence of each scene. It is natural to sum things up, but this stops a story. Sometimes you can remove the last paragraph of a scene…or all your scenes. Leave things unresolved to keep a story rolling.

Megan Chance – 1st 50 pages

A story moves forward by constantly increasing conflict. How a character overcomes conflict – or doesn’t – is your story. A characters behavior creates the conflict and makes it worse. A characters own actions should make everything worse. You need to make it so scene 2 could not happen without scene 1.

Linda Wisdom – My Bunny Slippers Ate My Homework – Creating memorable creatures

They do need to have their own set of rules they live by – and a history. It makes them more real to you, and therefore a rounder character.

Parachute Packing 101 – Survival Tips for a Volatile Market with Debra Cooke

1. Sheer single-mindedness. Stubborness can serve you well in publishing. Quitting is the only guarantee that your career will end. The only way to be published is to write.
2. Follow your passion – write what you love. Success is rooted in following your bliss. Write the book of yourheart every single time. Tell the stories you want to sell, not what you think will sell. Publishing careers are built not on one book, but on 6+…so don’t sell yourself to a market you don’t want to stay in.
3. Start with the work. Good enough is a tactical career error. The only think you can control is the work. If you don’t respect a house, don’t align yourself with them. Ideas are magic – whe you use them up, you get 10 more. Don’t hold on to an idea – ideas are the currency of choice. Impressions come not from what you save, but from what you send out into the universe. Enthusiasm makes things happen. Never discount passion, it’s infectious. Always aim high – polish, hone, stretch. There is no good enough in a volatile market.
4. Recocgnize the role of luck – authors that want to control everything will be disappointed. Covers are out of your control. You are not a victim. Crappy covers happen. Acknowledge what you can’t change and act accordingly. You are the creative party at the table. Good luck comes to those who feel lucky, and people feel lucky when they feel they have some control over their situation. Tell your editor you have ideas about the marketing package.
5. Take the initiative and make your own luck. Research what others are doing, know what you like and what you don’t, think of scenes that would transmit graphically…get it down to 100 words (the more you write, the less they read) and send it off. I fyou like a cover, tell your editor who’ll pass the positive reinforcement to the art director who’ll do more for you next time. Help luck along.
6. Cultivate objectivity. Writers tend tobe dramatic about their books, but it is exhausting and unproductive. Think of your book as a product and your agent/editor as a business partner, and turst everyone to do the best job they can, you’ll be more successful. Acting the victim gets you nowhere. No matter how much you read – they know more about what readers are reading and why. Be a good business partner
7. Be an active protagonist in your own writing career. Actively engage in the world and make sure your goals are attained. Create the reality you want. Define your work – genre, temperature, setting, hero type, heroine type, similar authors, what makes your work distinctive. One thing withwriting to market, is that the stories already exist. New and fresh things come from authors, not from marketing departments.
8. Careers are not built on one book. The 2nd book should be in the same niche to build audience effectively.
9. Strategize. What do you really want? Is fame more important than money? Do you like a steady paycheck or high spikes? What do you see yourself writing in 5 years? Make sure your agents area of expertise encompasses what you want now and in the future. Never slam a door. Editors play musical chairs. Publisher is a small pond with the same fishies swimming around in it.
10. Carpe Diem. Take advantage of opportunities. When switching subgenres and repositioning yourself, write the complete to prove yourself. Publishing is risk averse, so eliminate the risk by delivering. Less risk = more money.
11. Take charge of your self-promotion. Blog, website, teaching, booksignings, press releases, book store mailings…Protect your writing time first. What you do maintains continuity between houses.
12. Keep something simmering on the backburner as creative insurance. Play with it, a creative game, no stake in selling it. Writing teaches you, regardless of the success of the project. Writing with no risk teaches us more than writing to deadline because you aren’t safe with it.
13. Insure Your Financial Stability. Writers are freelance employed individuals and money in publishing flows slowly.
14. Keep an eye on changing trends. Types of fiction come in and out of fashion. What is being rapidly acquired is about to plateau. Romance is a niche that lags behind popular culture.
15. Feed Your Soul. Have fun with your writing, it shows. Your work will lose its spark when it is a job.

MILITARY FOR WRITERS with Bob Mayer

• Special Forces work with their brains, Seals work with their bodies.
• 2 types of soldiers the steely eyed killer and the beedy eyed minion and they are hard to tell apart.
• Women are better pilots then men – they handle g-forces better because they have a higher percentage of body fat
• Nothing is impossible to the man who doesn’t have to do it

I'm talking TV

Samhain Blog

I'm at the Samhain Weblog today, talking about writing 'normal'

FLYing!

Housework is not my bag. I embrace my lack of scrubbing talent ...usually. Friends want to see the new house, and I'm scrambling to keep it presentable. A friend (online, so it was no comment on my cleaning aptitude) suggested FLYlady. Basically, it breaks things down to managable segments so it's not so daunting.

Today is Errand Day. Grocery shopping is the suggestion, but I did a Target run and the boys haircuts (picture day is next week)

FLYSpot - Bathrooms...I do think I need to do a toothbrush check! Great idea!! The boys have 2 each and really, they don't need 2.

October Habit -- Paper Clutter Oh! I so need to go through my magazines. I'm not sure about only having a week with them...but I know I have September issues that must go! In fact, I think I'll Zone Super Fling Boogie them and see how much I'm tossing in the recycle bin.

Couple things, though...I cannot dress to shoes, which is what FLYlady suggests to start the day. I have a shoe free house. And I can't weekly vaccuum...I have a black lab with a shedding issue and a baby who'll eat off the floor. She also suggests doing a load of laundry a day, but I need the push of 3-4 to get me to...you know...take the laundry from the washer to the dryer. I'm not the most domestic of godesses.

Let's see what excuses I can come up with next!

Salvaging Your Rejected Manuscript

I'm giving a workshop on resurecting rejected work...at 8 am on a Sunday. The irony is not lost on me.

Short & To the Point

Today MG Braden and I are giving a workshop :: Short & To the Point - Writing Short Stories & Why You’d Want To

We missed the deadline for having the handouts printed, so I'm posting the stuff here...might not make the most sense to everyone...

CHARACTERS

Two by two, the church filled up like the loading of the Ark. Karen Finn turned in her church pew and stared at the wedding program. Just where was her matching zebra, hmm? Someone who’d made it past thirty without finding that other half. (THE PERFECT STRANGER, Dreams & Desires 3)

We know where she is (church), why she’s there (wedding), how she feels about it (yearning), and that she’s young (relatively) and funny. And we know it in 40 words.

MARKETS

e-pub ::

Mundania Press – at least 2K, all genres
http://www.mundania.com

The Wild Rose Press – at least 7.5K, all genres of romance

Red Sage Presents – 10K
http://eredsage.com

Ellora’s Cave Quickies http://www.ellorascave.com

Harlequin http://eharlequin.com
Historicals Undone – 10K
Nocturne Bites – 10K
Spice Briefs – 5K

Red Rose Publishing -1K

Cobblestone Press – 10K

Freya’s Bower Bites – 6K

Magazines ::

Woman’s World (US)
(For WW inside info, Kate Willoughby discusses that week’s Woman’s World story each Monday ::http://womansworldstyle.blogspot.com/ )
Woman’s Weekly (UK)
Woman’s Day (Aus)
My Weekly (UK), The People’s Friend (UK)
Bella (UK), Best (UK)
True Love (US), True Confessions (US)
Cincinnati Woman
Country Woman
New Love Stories Magazine
http://grassrootsmag.com/wrgu.html

Free Reads ::

Hosted by –
Coffee Time Romance - http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/freereads.html
Romance At Heart - http://romanceatheart.com/fos.html
Night Owl Romance - http://www.nightowlromance.com/nightowlromance/FreeReads/FreeReads.aspx
Romance Junkies - http://www.romancejunkies.com/links/free-reads.html
Romance Divas eBook Challenge - http://romancedivas.com/

Off To See The Wizard

I'm heading to Emerald City...not for the great and powerful Oz, but for something even more powerful than that - the Emerald City Writers Conference.

I haven't been to a conference since before I was pregnant with Grace. Long before the 'block'. At this point, my muse needs an enema, and I think this conference - with the vibrant energy of fellow writers, a dynamic booksigning, and juicy tidbits from editors and agents - I'll be writing again in no time.

I'm still keeping my fingers crossed, just in case.

I WOULD RATHER

I would rather sleep than write. It didn't used to be this way.

Luckily, I do know that my 'block' can be worked through. I did it for one day at the beach retreat. I can do it again...provided the baby sleeps for more than 30 minutes while the boys are at school.

I can. I just haven't yet.

Excuse Me...

I mean to write today, but the closest I came was registering for NaNoWriMo. Blast it all...time to head to bed and read No More Excuses.

Shirts Optional

I'm taking over the Male on Monday post at The Pink Heart Society today :)

Excuses

I have so many excuses for not writing - home improvement projects, grocery shopping, and those three kiddos - that I sometimes feel justified in not getting anything done.

And then I find a book on banishing excuses and learn...there is no justification. You either do something or you don't. And so today...I didn't write. I wanted to, I never found a time slot for it.

Bring on Monday.

Book Reports

I loved writing book reports. It meant I was done with the book. A page of writing and I would never have to crack the cover again.

A synopsis is a glorified book report. And boy howdy, do I loathe writing them. I know if I ever managed to bang out a good one, I'd feel differently. But each time I turn one in I think - this is what my book is about, only better. And that does not help an editor. Not at all...

Blunt Writing Tips

So I'm trying to write...

...and I tried this technique another writer swears by. She stops writing mid-scene so that she just has to go on.

I did it...and I have no clue what happens next. Jetskis are involved...but that is all I know.

Yeah. That tip is not so sharp...or maybe you just have to be sharper to use it.

I do know that need to start writing. When I don't write, I shop. For furniture. I bought an ottoman today.

I'm back...and I brought pictures

OK, so they are of the Romance Booksigning last month, not my writing retreat at the beach. But I actually WROTE. Me. Words on the page.

Now if I can just keep writing, I might actually have a new story to tell!

Writeminded E-Book Extravaganza

Compromising Positions is one of the 5 giveaways today! Check it out.

Writeminded

PIRATES

I'm talking about pirates at the Pink Heart Society today!

Romance Writing Conferences

I was looking for a yearly breakdown of conferences and couldn't find one. So I made my own :)



January & February - NONE I could find anyway

March

The Indiana Write Business Conference
Written in the Stars *
Central New York Writers Conference (Bob Mayer's Warrior Writer in 2010)
Southern Lights
Fire Up Your Fiction
Let Your Imagination Take Flight *
EPICon

April

Dreamin in Dallas Conference Info



May

Romancing The Rockies Conference (Colorado, biennial)
Connecticut Fiction Fest
Write On Vancouver
Cleveland Rocks Romance Conference
Write Touch Conference

June

Capital Region RWA Conference
Murder In The Grove (Idaho)


July

RWA National Conference
PNWA Summer Writers Conference

August - NONE I could find anyway


September
Harvest Workshop (MN)
Fall Workshop (Victoria BC)



October
Moonlight & Magnolias (Georgia)
Emerald City Writers Conference (Seattle)
Put Your Heart In A Book (New Jersey)
Lone Star Writers Conference (Texas)



November & December - NONE I could find anyway

Free Books

Samhain is giving away three free books! And they're doing it in multiple formats. Got to love it!

Last Chance, My Love by Lynne Connolly

Seeing Eye Mate by Annmarie McKenna

Truth and Consequences by Linda Winfree

Thursday 13 - Why Some Men Have Dogs

Got this in an email and it made me smile :)


Why some men have dogs and not wives:-

1. The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.
2. Dogs don't notice if you call them by another dog's name.
3. Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.
4. A dog's parents never visit.
5. Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.
6. You never have to wait for a dog; they're ready to go 24 hours a day.
7. Dogs find you amusing when you're drunk.
8. Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.
9. A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, “If I died, would you get another dog??”
10. If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.
11. A dog will let you put a studded collar on it without calling you a pervert.
12. If a dog smells another dog on you, they don't get mad. They just think it's interesting.
13. Dogs like to ride in the back of a pickup truck.
14. And last, but not least: if a dog leaves, it won't take half of your stuff.
    

What Are You Reading On?

I'm at The Pink Heart Society today...talking about my new lust for ebook readers.

Website Updates

Jenna

Bayley-Burke

Writing outside the lines..

I'm back...almost. Starting tomorrow I'm back on my writing schedule even if I'm only writing lists of things I need to do now that we've moved in. Words on the page, people! To help get myself in the groove, I updated my website.

The Trouble With Tuesday...

I'm at The Pink Heart Society today, talking about The Trouble With Tuesday...

Reccommended Read!!

Reviews have been few and far between for me this year, but THIS makes up for it! A wonderfully written review, 5 angels, plus a recommended read! Couldn't ask for better!

"Compromising Positions would have to be one of the best contemporary romance novels I have read in a long time. Jenna Bayley-Burke delivers it all, romance, humor, and great chemistry between her hero and heroine. It is so well written. The pace is great, and the story line fantastic."

"Ms. Bayley-Burke’s ability to get the balance between her main and secondary characters right is a testament to her writing skills and one of the reasons I’m looking forward to reading more of her novels. This is a curl up on the lounge and lose yourself in the story kind of read."

But MY favorite line? I fell in love with David from the start, tall, dark and handsome with the body of a Greek God and a heart of gold. Because even years after writing this story, I am STILL a little in love with David.

FALLEN ANGEL REVIEWS

Bookworm's Romance Reading Challenge - Done!

The Bookworm is hosting the Romance Reading Challenge for 2009. The goal is to read a minimum of five (5) Romance novels.

1. THE BRIDE’S BABY by Liz Fielding

2. Baby Bequest by Robyn Grady

3. Tame Me by Caroline Cross

4. The M.D.'s Mistress by Joan Hohl

5. His Mistress, His Terms by Trish Wylie

Not Going To Conference...Conference

So, you can't go to the RWA conference this year? Well, don't fret for long. Romance Divas is hosting their annual NGTCC (Not Going To Conference Conference) and it's going to be fun-filled. Already they've got great guest spots lined up, including: Josh Lanyon, Rowan Mcbride, Jet Mykles and Shayla Kersten, Carrie Jones, Marley Gibson, Linnea Sinclair, Patti O'Shea, Ona Russel, Steve Hockingsmith, Joey W. Hill and Sasha White.

There will be workshops for just about every genre, from Young Adult to Erotic to Historical. Plus, a workshop on Deep POV, one on going from e-publishing to NY, and a Q&A on how avoid and deal with burnout. And there's bound to be a few surprises, too.

The NGTCC kicks off July 14th and runs until July 18th. If you're not already a member of Romance Divas, all you have to do is go to the website and register! Best of all--it's FREE!"

I CAN'T CONCENTRATE!!

Where we'll be living is still up in the air. Instead of shopping for furniture I'm still panicking about floorplans and school districts. and since I'm so consumed with how to help the kids and the dogs through the transition - not to mention freaking out about how long we'll be without a home - I can't seem to write.

Which makes me a little crazy. And since I was knee deep in crazy when this started, and have been swimming in lunacy ever since, it feels a bit like drowning.

The Price of Promotion

That's what I'm talking about at the Rose City Romance Authors blog today.

2009 Audiobook Challenge

The boys and I are trying to read all of Beverly Cleary's books. She was a fave of mine as a kid, and they're enjoying it too.

2009 Audiobook Challenge -- COMPLETED!

1.Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary

2.Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary

3.Henry and the Paper Route by Beverly Cleary

4.Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary

5.Ribsy by Beverly Cleary

6.Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary

7.Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary

8.Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary

9.Henry and Beezus by Beverly Cleary

10.Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary

11.Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary

12.Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary

Disney Messed Me Up!!

I'm talking about exactly how at The Pink Heart Society today...

This will never happen again.

At five minutes and six seconds after 4 AM on the 8th of July this year,the time and date will be 04:05:06 07/08/09.

Now, don't you feel happier having this invaluable bit of information

A little to the left...

I think there is only so much free space in my mind, much like an outdated laptop. I have all the programming I need to write a story, but I'll be darned if I can get the words to come out when I'm preoccupied with the house buying drama.

I want to buy a house and move into it before we're forced to leave our home. It's not going to happen. Option 4 (ya heard me, we're on our 4th try) might have a mold. We're working on back-ups, one of which was option 1 and is now back on the market, but I could use a break here.

I'm stressed so much I'm actually exercising, and I loathe to sweat. Sweating is gross, lets face it. But I need to do something to avoid homicide. Aerobics it is!

Reviews!

Compromising Positions collected a couple great reviews!

"The sexual tension between Sophie and David will leave you biting your nails in frustration and wanting to yell at them to get on with it already, but once the two finally get together the sparks between the two fly off the pages. With sensual love scenes, flirty repartee, and a man and woman clearly meant to be together, you get everything you could ever want in a romance novel. Overall, I have to say that Compromising Positions is a must read for 2009!"

Long and Short Reviews




"I loved this story right from page one. It's fun, it's sexy, but it's never smarmy or overblown. Bayley-Burke gives us a heroine who is innocent, but knows her own mind, and a hero who is sophisticated without being the usual romance jerk. Sparks fly between them because sparks should fly between them. I rooted for this couple all the way. Now if I could just find one of those Kama Sutra yoga classes..."

Editor Jennifer

Best Book Of The Week

Compromising Positions is up for Best Book Of The Week at Long & Short Reviews. I'd appreciate all the votes I can get!

http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/recentrev.htm

E-Book Sale

Phaze is having a 30% off sale! My stories there are cheap anyway, but this makes them quite the deal! For Saturday through Monday, July 4-6, the 30% off code on everything is FIREWORKS09