29 and Counting

Happy Birthday to Me! I didn’t realize my birthday fell on my blog day until I sat down to write my post. I’m a little slow on the uptake sometimes. Anyway, so hooray to me for managing to continue aging. Better than the alternative, I suppose.

This year is sort of a non-event for me. DB has to work. My mom is taking me to dinner although LS can’t understand why we’re not having a party at Chuck E. Cheese. I’ll pass, thanks. A Saturday shopping extravaganza with the Playfriends will be the highlight of this year. I didn’t ask for anything and if someone bugged me for ideas, I couldn’t help them. I’m sort of in “just another day” mode.

I guess I’m not too excited because I’m creeping towards a new decade. Not yet, but next year I’ll be 30. (I hear you all laughing, but I'm serious!) I really don’t mind being in my thirties so much as no longer being in my twenties. It isn’t as though I haven’t walked and talked like a 35 year old since I was in kindergarten. I guess it’s just the label. For a while you’re in your early twenties. Then mid twenties. Then late twenties. I guess I should be excited – most women are 29 for decades. It must be the greatest year of your life, right? I keep examining wrinkles in the mirror and watching for gray hairs. My mom's hair started turning gray right around 30. And she started needing reading glasses. And her memory started to slip. Her friends threw her a wake for her 30th birthday. Sweet, huh?

How could I possibly be as old as I remember my mom being??

I hear the sex gets better. Life is supposed to be better – less soul searching and whatnot. I’ve never been much for that anyway. You’re supposed to settle down into life. I don’t know. Aside from marriage, I’m pretty settled. I’m on my second house, almost 10 years with my company, heavily degreed...put a ring on my hand and a baby in my lap and you can’t get much more settled.

Maybe I just feel like I’ve squandered my twenties. I've never done any of the crazy, irresponsible things young people are supposed to do. I haven't gone through jobs and boyfriends like tissue. I never had a junky studio apartment with milk crate furniture. I hardly go out to clubs or bars and if I do, I'm the last one on the dance floor and the first to volunteer as designated driver. I have mortgages and bills and responsibilities. I’ve lived the life of a thirty something the whole time and now, if I try to move backwards, I’ll be one of those pathetic people who dress way too young for their age and use teen slang inappropriately. I’m moving up to the women’s section of the department store, looking back at the Misses and Teens area with longing. Purple hair and plaid Converse sneakers are no longer acceptable for me. Bean bag chairs are not comfortable or appropriate furniture.

I'm an adult. I can't deny it any longer.

What have you been in denial about lately?
SP

Circle of Five:
1 novella pending with Nocturne Bites
2 short stories and 4 short features with the Trues

Add Another Ass

I came home last night to 2 asses in the back pasture - DH and a brand new donkey. DH because he's supposed to be on animal restriction. The donkey because, well, he's a donkey.

Sigh. One more mouth to feed. DH claims he'll just eat the grass. We'll see. He also claims the thing is worth $2000 but he only paid $50. I find that hard to believe (even though the people were selling because they just didn't have the space to keep him healthy). At the moment we're having problems with coyotes which is why DH says he got him in the first place. I think he just wanted a donkey. :-)

The girls have named him Eeyore. We have a cartoon theme going with our animals so I suppose it's appropriate. He doesn't look like an Eeyore to me though. He's too brown. I will tell you that one of the funniest things I've ever seen was Eeyore chasing Jack across the back pasture. Serves the dog right for annoying the snot out of the poor thing while he's getting used to his new home. Boy can both of them run though.

The goats currently won't come out of the barn. I don't think they know what to make of Eeyore. Both Pokey Joe and Billy could take him - they probably weigh the same - but they haven't gone there yet. We'll see how long it takes.

The first thing Sweet Pea said to me was that Eeyore is used to being ridden. I think we'll keep the saddle off him and just let him scare away they coyotes for now.

Instigator - who is scared to find out what will be waiting today when I get home.

P.S. Congratulations to Nicki, the winner from Kelley St. John's blog last Thursday.

What the World Needs Now

Some time ago I read about Cheryl Richardson's Self-Care Cards on someone's blog. They looked neat, and I had an Amazon gift certificate. I bought them and promptly put them up on the shelf in my office and forgot about them.

Yesterday I was pondering my blog for today (how on earth do you follow someone's sale news???) and remembered the cards. Maybe they'd hold the key to a blog topic. I read through the instructions and discovered there are numerous ways to use the cards so I just picked one method. I shuffled the deck and carefully cut it. The card on top of the cut was "Self-Love."

Oh great, I thought. How, well... selfish and self-centered. That's going to come across like smelly socks on the blog.

Then I flipped the card over and read Care for your body. Self-love and self-acceptance are the ultimate acts of self-care.

Uh, how did she know I joined Curves last week? I was flabby before but after three months of post-surgical inactivity, the flab was turning to pure blubber. How did she know I've struggled with self-acceptance all my life? How did karma know I needed this particular card at this particular time in my life?

Turns out it wasn't selfish at all. The card was about taking care of me so I can take care of the people I care for and love.

I did a little Googling about self-love and discovered a few things. You can't give something you don't have. So if you don't have love for yourself, how are you going to love others?

"Because you're worth it" isn't just a slick hair color slogan. You really ARE worth it. If you don't care about yourself, nobody else will either.

Self-love is a real eye opener. When you learn to love yourself and see yourself as the worthy person you are, then you're able to see the goodness and worth in other people.

So here's today's test. Answer these questions:

1. Who are you going to love? You!

2. Why? Because you're worth it!

3. What will the result be? You'll feel better about yourself and everyone around you. And because what you give is returned tenfold, you'll be surrounded with love from others.

Had any self-revelations lately?

Today is a good day...

Hmm, whatever shall I blog about today? Gas prices? The book I’m reading? Oh, wait, I know—I’ll blog about MY CALL!!!

I SOLD!!!!!

Happy Snoopy Dance, Everyone!!

SQUEEEE!!!!!!

(I’m using far too many exclamation points, but I just can’t help it.)

You may remember my earlier posts about revisions, but I can now say that the Beautiful Editor is Bryony Green of Harlequin Mills and Boon (who is now my Most Favorite Person because she saw the promise in this book and challenged me to meet it.). Friday morning, at 10.15 a.m., she called to buy BEST LAID PLANS for the Modern Heat line (thereby solidifying her place as Most. Favorite. Person. Ever.).

(Of course, this is me we are talking about, so there’s a story behind the story: At 8.45 that morning, I was on the phone with Rhonda Nelson, obsessing over my revisions and parsing out the meaning of the work “tweak”—just in case it meant something else in Editor-Land. I’m on my cell phone with her when the house phone rings. I glanced at the number, but didn’t recognize it, so I figured it was a telemarketer. But then the “Telemarketer” left a message. Thinking that odd, I googled the number—still on the phone to Rhonda, mind you. I have no idea what she was saying because the next words out of my mouth aren’t appropriate for the blog. I go storming down the stairs to listen to the message—yep, still on the phone with Rhonda—only to hear that I’d missed a call from Harlequin Mills and Boon. The message said she’d call back in an hour or so, which meant I spent the next 84 minutes staring at the phone, WILLING it to ring with my amazing mental powers. Le sigh.)

The rest of the day is a blur of happy dances, phone calls with much Squeeing going on, and champagne. Congratulatory emails came pouring in (and I’ve saved them all). Flowers arrived. AC made me a pink ribbon to wear to dinner that night (because July is just too far away to wait for the pink “First Sale” ribbon). It was a good day.

And now we get to Par-Tay!! But first, I need to make a small speech (feel free to visit the bar while I do), and send out big thank you’s to the following people:

My Wonderful Playfriends: You ladies are my support, my inspiration, and my compass. I wouldn’t be here without y’all. Your faith and determination bolstered mine when I needed it.

The Marvelous Mavens: For believing in me. (And a special thanks to Beverly for nagging me to finish this book in the first place!)

My fabu CP: For telling me what I needed to hear—even when I didn’t want to hear it. I’m a much stronger writer thanks to you.

Rhonda and Jen: For cheering me up (and on) when things got tough.

Counselor Shelley: For talking me off the ledge more than once.

My Mom: For being my head cheerleader.

My Amazing Child: For understanding “Mommy’s writing” and asking me every night at dinner how many pages I wrote that day (and applauding regardless of the amount).

And, finally, my Darling Geek: Thank you for believing I could do this and all of your support while I did. I’m so lucky to have you in my corner. I love you. (Now get to work on my website!)

~fans eyes~

Crank up the music, cue the nearly-naked dancing men, call Captain Jack, and let’s get this party started. Teeter-totters all around! (And, the lovely Soapbox Queens are also hosting a party at their castle today to celebrate! More men and booze over there!)

Thank you everyone for being here today to celebrate with me!

Kimberly

Preview

The Playfriends have had a weekend full of activities, between getting ready for our chapter's upcoming Luncheon (in which we all play a big part), shopping for Nationals, and well.... um, other stuff. ;)

In between all of the road running, I've been juggling a few writing projects. One novella that needs to be out the door and on its way to anywhere but here. And a proposal that I'd like to get together by this summer. Then I can spend the summer finishing the book.

Oddly enough, this is touched on in my horoscope for this month. I was encouraged to "work joyfully and quietly, mainly alone or with only one or two others in the days that follow the new moon May 5. If you do, the universe will richly reward you with many original ideas and help you refine all you have on your mind. The twelfth house is where all this planetary activity will take place during the first half of May, and it governs thoughts and actions you do in solitude, behind closed doors."

Sounds like a plan. If I could only get two minutes alone between work obligations, children's activities, and those pesky get-togethers with the Playfriends. :)

While writing is a solitary endeavor, I've found myself with a much larger social schedule since joining RWA. And apparently I'm suffering from acute performance anxiety, because I have the itch to send every other page to Instigator, so she can assure me it isn't a pile of, well, pooh.

And working this summer will be far from solitary. I'll be at home with my children. A juggle if ever there was one. But a privilege, all the same. Because I've discovered that I have a harder time juggling work and sitters than I do being home and attempting to carve out writing time. Remind me of these words when I'm whining about this situation come, oh, July or so.

All right. It's time to stop rambling and talk about that "other stuff" I mentioned earlier. That's right! The Playfriends have some special news. Its not my place to make it, but will be announced in all its shining glory (and details) tomorrow. So come back and check it out. Major party time!!!!

In the meantime, we'll just discuss something else and keep ourselves busy. What solitary activity is drawing you at the moment? Are you a person who enjoys being alone, or do you work better surrounded by people and activities?

Angel

PRO-ud to be Rejected

I'll start by apologizing for this blog post being boring. There will be no half naked firemen today. :)

I've been thinking a lot about my RWA PRO status the last few weeks. When I first joined RWA and Heart of Dixie, I didn't know much about it. When someone told me I was eligible, I filled out the paperwork and sent it in so I could get a pin. I still didn't know much about it. As time has gone on, I figured it out. I've never really participated much in the loops or the workshops. I've attended the PRO retreats twice, but have yet to sit through the whole thing. The best thing for me, I guess, is that I can get priority registration for pitch appointments. Editors and agents never really seem to care about PRO, which is a shame, but true.

But it wasn't until now that I really understood how much the pin means. In essense, it means you've been rejected. (Unless you managed to get the pin with a mail confirmation for a project you sold on the first time out, in which case, I don't want to know.) It means you did what so many others haven't done - not only started a book, but finished it and sent it out into the world. You took the shot and yeah, you didn't sell, but you tried. I took it for granted I suppose because I never thought it was that big of a deal.

The Circle of 5 has changed my mind on this topic. Over the last three months or so, I've sent out a slew of queries, partials, contest entries, short stories, etc. It was quite the boost to my ego at first. Then the rejections started raining down on my head like fire and brimstone. I didn't really think about that part when I started. I just thought it would improve my odds of getting interest about my writing. I guess it has done that to a point. But I wasn't mentally ready for the barrage of rejections. You have to be tough in this business and I'm not sure my skin is quite thick enough yet.

But, I'll keep going. Despite the rejections. Despite how much it can hurt. I wallow, dust myself off and get back on the horse. That says a lot, I suppose. There are plenty of people out there who are so afraid of being rejected, they never send anything out at all.

So I'm going to polish up my PRO pin and wear it with pride. I'd gladly trade it for PAN status at a moment's notice, but for now, I'm proud of what I've accomplished. At least until the next rejection comes.

What are you proud of today?

SP


Aw...what the hell...

Circle of Five Status:
1 agent partial pending
1 Nocturne e-bites novella pending
2 short stories and 5 short features pending

Guest Blogger - Kelley St. John

All of the playfriends are very lucky to have known Kelley St. John for several years. She's one of the nicest women you'll ever meet! And the fact that she writes killer books with to die for heros and amazing heroines...well that's just the icing on the cake. Please give Kelley a warm playground welcome as she visits with us today.

Come on, baby, light my fire!

Okay, admit it. You look forward to those emails that feature a sexy hunk and always come at just the right time to make your week…a whole lot better. And inevitably, a large portion of those are men in uniform, or more accurately, men somewhat out of uniform.

Undeniably, there’s one particular uniform that always gets my attention…the fireman. Helllllooooo….

We’ll call this FIREMAN 1 --

Uh, yeah. Need I say more? Oh, you want more? Okay…

FIREMAN 2 --

And then there’s…FIREMAN 3 --

Or how about…FIREMAN 4 --

And one more…FIREMAN 5 --

Whew, is it getting hot in here, or what? One moment. Need water…

Okay. I’m back. And guess the occupation of my latest book’s hero. Here’s a hint – the title…

FIRE IN THE BLOOD

Uh, huh. I’d wanted a firefighter hero for quite a while (and my readers have too, from the emails I’ve received), and now I’ve got one! If you’ve read any of the books in my Sexth Sense series for Harlequin Blaze, you’ve already learned a bit about sexy firefighter Tristan Vicknair. In FIRE IN THE BLOOD, you learn even more, and you see how thoroughly he lights Chantelle Bedeau’s fire.

Here’s the cover…


Want a FREE COPY of my firefighter hero book? Simply comment with your vote for your favorite firefighter from the photos above, and you’re entered. I’ll let the playground select a winner at the end of the day :-) And thanks for letting me hang out at the playground today!

Kelley St. John
http://www.kelleystjohn.com/

Thanks for visiting with us, Kelley! And take it from me, Fire in the Blood is one HOT book!

P.S. Congratulations to Marilyn Shoemaker the winner of our Spoil me Silly contest. Our runner-up is Michelle Rioli. Please contact playground monitor here to claim your prize. Prizes not claimed within 7 days will be reawarded.