You ever wonder what authors feel like when they get “The Call” or “The Email” that they’re going to be published? Or even wonder what we feel like when we finish a book or wrap up a particularly tough scene and know deep in our guts that we nailed it? Well, for me, it’s sort of like the lyrics of this song and the way the girl in this video likely feels.

And a little insight into a song that motivates me when I’m lagging or feeling down or whatever…

For three years I have attended Lora Leigh’s Reader Appreciation Weekend as a reader, as a fan. I’ve made some awesome friends and every year we have a blast dancing the night away at the PJ party and the costume party. This year will be a little different for me though. This year I will officially be a signing author at the event, and I am so super excited about it!

For those of you, who haven’t heard of RAW, here’s a bit about it. RAW is a laid-back weekend where authors and readers mix and mingle. There are two catered parties that run from 7:00 until midnight – a Pajama Party on Friday and a Costume Party on Saturday. Each year we have the same DJ to keep the place rocking and rolling! (And trust me we love every rockin’ minute!)

I will be signing SOUNDS TO DIE BY at 2 signing events. One for ‘guests only’ on Saturday from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. And another “open to the public” event that also runs from 1:00 to 5:00 pm. Books can be bought on site. ALL proceeds from the books sold at the event go to charity – this year they will be split between a local orphanage in Huntington and a Wildlife Park located in the beautiful hills of Northeast Tennessee.

So, if you’re looking for something fun and well-priced to do, check out Lora’s site for more information. It’s a promised good time with super fun people. I am counting the days already.

And I really need to get to work on my costume. Do you have any suggestions on what/who I should be?

Yesterday I got together with my new critique group and worked out some more of the plot for my next Sensory Ops book. It’s strange for me to have an official critique group as I’m a bit of a loner, but we’ll see how I do with this. I’m looking forward to it.

After yesterday I am ready to start on this story, but it occurs to me that I’m missing something I will likely need. Jokes. My heroine is a smart mouthed, sometimes dirty minded, gal. I guess I sort of see her as Kit De Luca from Pretty Woman. She doesn’t dress like a hooker, but she’s bold and likes to push the envelope. She’s a bit brash and says what’s on her mind. The fun part of this will be that she is going to be paired with a conservative scientist sort of guy, and I think she’s going to have to work to draw out his fun side. To top it off, this man has a name that he…well, hates. In fact, no one uses his name. Few even know it. Ava will however not only know his name, but she will torment him by dropping hints about his name until he pins her down to stop. I’m looking for fun and creative ways to pick on him. If you missed the blog where I first talked about him, this man’s name is Hermes (after the Greek god.)

So, if you come up with anything you think I can use, I would love to hear from you. I know you guys have some wicked minds, so don’t be shy.

I IM’d my friend Heather at 4am when I know she typically gets up to let her know that I FINISHED! Eden and Andrew have a new story, and I’m very pleased with it. I need to allow my CPs time to read through as much as they can get through and I need to go through it once more to look for typos and points to fine tune before sending it off to my editor, but I love how this story turned out. Well, what I can remember of it as I was up all night.

In addition to a lack of sleep and not watching any of the shows I love with CIS, I discovered another side effect of this story. I’m not sure if I was just in “that” place or if it really is the story, but I bawled like a baby several times in this book. I cried so much last night that my allergies/sinuses are now a huge wad of nastiness. LOL

So, while I catch up on other work today and sleep tonight cross your fingers for me that those emotions that messed me up, messes up my test readers too.

Now before I go, here’s a taste of why I love Andrew so much:

Andrew stood and looked around. He spotted a little boy no older than two, maybe a small three, coming toward them. Brown, almost black, hair covered his head in a tousled mess.

“Mommy lost.”

Andrew walked to the boy and kneeled down. “I’m Andrew. What’s your name?”

“J-Josiah.” Tears filled his bright blue eyes and streaked down his chubby face. Hiccups shook his chest.

“Well, Josiah.” Andrew offered his hand and smiled. “How about I help you find your mom?”

“’K-kay.”

He wiped Josiah’s tears away and swallowed the chunk of emotion at the thought of what a child of Eden’s might look like. He’d wanted kids with her, but the time had never seemed right. “Can you show me where you saw her last?”

Josiah nodded.

“How about you ride on my shoulders? That way you’ll be up high and maybe your mom will see you easier.”

The boy swiped at more tears and smiled timidly. “’Kay.”

Andrew led Josiah to Eden. “This is Eden. Let’s have her help you up.”

“’Kay.”

“E?” He grinned at her. “Can you help Josiah on my shoulders? We’re going to go find his mom.”

She sat her papers aside and brushed a tear off Josiah’s cheek. Smiling warmly, the wattage zapping the core of Andrew’s heart, she lifted the boy onto his shoulders. “I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

“Josiah, don’t choke Mr. Andrew.” She moved Josiah’s hands from Andrew’s throat to his forehead. “And stay with your mom when you find her. Hold her hand.”

“Yes, Miss Eden.”

Andrew brushed his thumb across her cheek, wishing he could banish the sadness and concern clouding her azure gaze, and walked away with a heavy heart. If circumstances had been different, Josiah could have been their child. She could have been helping their son onto his shoulders and making sure he wasn’t strangled and telling them to be safe.

My friend Candace Havens has released her first Harlequin Blaze, TAKE ME IF YOU DARE. It’s a bit different from anything I’ve written to date, but it’s so deliciously steamy you’ll see a whole new side of me! Be sure to pick up your copy today, it’s only available for a limited time.

The Blurb:

For Mariska Stonegate, the gorgeous guy she’s now met is everything she’s looking for in a man - hot, hot and…oh, right. Hot. And just because every pore of his body screams danger and sex doesn’t mean she’s getting herself into too much trouble…. But Mr. Thomas isn’t who he says he is. In fact, his real name is Jackson-no last names, please-and he’s a burned CIA agent on the run. And he’ll do just about anything to stay alive…including seducing Mariska one hot, steamy night at a time!

Purchase online at: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, or Books-A-Million.

Interested in getting a SIGNED copy of TAKE ME IF YOU DARE to give away to a friend? Stop by Fresh Fiction and enter Candy’s Valentine’s Day contest! She’s not only giving away a brand new, signed copy of her first Harlequin Blaze book, she’s also giving away a $25 Amazon gift card! Don’t you love your friends as much as you love yourself? Share the Valentine’ s Day love!

If you are in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area on February 6, please come by the Shops of North East Mall Barnes & Noble between 2 PM and 4 PM! Candy will be signing TAKE ME IF YOU DARE, as well as chatting up a storm! Click here for directions.

I’ll admit it. I’m one of those writers who researches stuff for her books and then fictionizes it to suit my stories. I am proud to say however that while I did some of that in the story I am currently revising, I also stayed true to some of the history.

The revisions are going well and Eden and Andrew are getting deeper into the hunt that currently has them cruising Pilgrim Hall Museum in Massachusetts. At the museum, they are seeing many artifacts from the Mayflower and Pilgrims. I’ve never been a history buff, and I’m horrible with remembering dates, but I’ve enjoyed the process of looking through the information I’ve used for this section of the book. And I can’t help but think how fun it would be to go on a real life hunt like the one Eden and Andrew are on. Well, maybe not just like theirs because it’s not all fun for them.

Here’s a small tidbit from the chapter I’m currently working on to entertain you while I head back to work.

They watched Gertrude amble off with the speed of a retiring tortoise. “She’s sweet.”

“Yes. Reminds me of my great grandmother.” Andrew shook his head and moved on to look at more artifacts and pictures.

Eden wandered toward the Bradford’s Bible and thought about the symbols. She shuffled the different number combinations in her head and tried to grasp any commonalities between the artifacts the carvings had been placed on. “Does the Sparrow-Hawk somehow relate to Bradford, Andrew?”

“It didn’t wreck until after the Mayflower landed, but he wrote about it.”

A small connection, but it was there. Then there was Bradford’s bible and chair and a picture from Washington. The only thing connecting the picture to anything of Bradford’s was the symbol, unless she considered the convenience of the passage that Washington had used in 1789. It wouldn’t have come from Bradford’s exact bible, but it was the same version.

If she’d learned one thing in her years as a hunter, it was that so many connections in one spot weren’t coincidences. The mysteries lie in solving the puzzle of the connections.

Nodding absently to a passing couple, Eden stepped up to the pedestal holding the Geneva Bible. They’d traveled all this way to see if it held clues. She had to check it out for nothing more than to satisfy her interest in all things ancient and Biblical.

She glanced over her shoulder to see that Andrew had positioned himself near the entrance to the room as a look out. Pulling on a pair of cloth gloves she habitually carried, she stepped over the rope barrier and carefully leafed through the fragile pages. That the tome wasn’t encased in some sort of box surprised her, but she wouldn’t complain as it made her job easier.

Profound knowledge impacted her as fundamentally as the passages of this antique book had impacted men, helped them decide their course and guide their actions and inspire their lives. She flipped the pages, listening to the soft crinkle of the pages and absorbing the papery scent unique to old documents. Beneath her hands was one of the first mass-produced translations of the Bible.

In the margin of the Genesis page that Washington had recited from, was a handwritten note.

Upon despair, God granted strength in have and security. The light of eternal life begins with His honor. GWB

Governor William Bradford.

Tears clogged Eden’s throat and clouded her visions. The God spoken of on the pages loved his followers and never gave them more than they could handle. Appreciation and understanding washed through her in a rush of understanding and nostalgic awe.

My friend Candace Havens has this new book coming out, it may already be in some stores. If you haven’t seen it, you should definitely add it to your list. I had the privilege of reading this early and LOVED it. Her hero Jackson is a super sexy spy that reminded me straight off of Michael Westin from Burn Notice.

Candace also has a YahooGroup for writers that I’ve been a member of for a long time. And currently, as motivation for her members, Jackson is issuing writing missions. How am I supposed to turn down a mission from a sexy spy? I can’t, so I just remind myself that this will help me wrap up my next goal item, so this afternoon I will be diving back into the revisions for Eden and Andrew’s story.

In the meantime, check out Candace’s book. You’ll love it!

It’s been a blurry few days, but very productive. Since Monday I have set my goals for the rest of the year, even a few for next year, and I’ve assigned them all dates to be completed by. At least the goals I can control have due dates. I will admit that some of those goals were things that I had already started on, but hey I needed the deadline to push myself. And it feels good to be getting things accomplished.

One thing I marked off was the writing of my next Samhain Freebie A KILLING CUPID. It’s a Valentine short story that gives you more of a taste of Aidan and Lana, characters you met in SOUNDS TO DIE BY. I’m not certain which day in February it will be available, but as soon as I know I will post the link here. Early feedback from my critique partners is that it’s very good.

It’s a sexy, romantic suspense. Here’s a quick blurb: Lana Quinn’s a driven journalist, but when she positions herself as the bait for a Valentine serial killer, she wonders if she’s gotten in too deep. Having Aidan Burgess, as sexy FBI agent who awakens her senses by simply speaking, as her backup she feels physically safe enough. It’s her emotional safety that worries her.

Watch for the cover to show up in the sidebar where A HALLOWED WARNING is, and if you haven’t checked that one out, you should. It’s FREE so what’s stopping you?

Also this week I received an email with my print galley for SOUNDS TO DIE BY. No. That was last week. Anyway, I finished reading that for any typos or changes before it’s “immortalized in print” as the email said. No pressure there to make it stellar. Then again, I could only look for typos so… The changes as well as review quotes have been sent back in. The official print release date is August 3, 2010.

I’ve also reached the halfway point of my revision for Eden and Andrew’s story. I wish I had an official title, but until my editor vetoes it I’m working under RANSOMED HEARTS. The revision is going well and I am falling in love with the story all over again. That’s been exciting for me. I’ll be getting back to those revisions tomorrow after I tackle some annual bookkeeping and number reporting. Have I ever mentioned here how much I detest the task of manipulating numbers? It’s normally headache inducing, so keep your fingers crossed for me. Tomorrow should be interesting. Then again, it will allow me to mark another two items off my To Do list - which isn’t the same as my goal sheet.

And interestingly enough with all these tasks I’m knocking off my to do list, I have an abundance of plot ideas for other books coming to me. Fortunately they’ve been for my Sensory Ops team so far. How many people can one woman have in her head and still be sane? Hmm, maybe I don’t want to know. No. I don’t want that question answered. See, I have this date set for Sunday the 31st to get together with my critique/accountability group to talk about my next book, Sensory Ops Book 2 that I must begin writing no later than Feb 1. To catch them up on things, I’ve promised them a series cheat sheet that lines out who the characters are and what I know about each one and a brief run down of what’s happened in the books so far. Guys, I created these people and stories and my head has been spinning trying to get it all straight. LOL I have been making notes as things come to me and intend to type them up later. I am at 6 pages handwritten right now. I added a lot as I went through the galley for SOUNDS TO DIE BY. Great timing on that one. Though darned if that one didn’t jar another character loose for me who will likely want her own story. Hopefully she’ll be content to wait awhile as she’s not been “on screen” yet. She will be though in probably two books.

Oh, and I’m also working on getting my newsletter set back up and ready. If you haven’t subscribed to that you should. I like to give goodies away and being a subscriber automatically enters you in the drawing for goodies. You like goodies, right?

I hope you all are doing well, and when it seems like you’re working too hard allow yourself to take time to relax. Even if it’s 10 minutes a day. That’s a new thing that I’m doing. Of course, having a new puppy in the house helps with that.