A quickie

Blog that is. Shame on you!

Went to the mall yesterday. DD went bathingsuit shopping while I ran over to the fragrences and searched for a new fragrance. My Amarige is almost gone and I needed a new one asap. It was funny, I would have the perfume sales woman spray some on testing paper and run them over to my daughter. I think she was getting tired of me. "That smells like Raid, you know, the bug spray," I told her once. Another one smelled like a mixed drink. I'd be hauled in if I ever got stopped in a car wearing that one. After sniffing dozens of perfumes and clearing my nose with coffee beans, I narrowed it down to three. Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely, Escada's Magnetism and Ralph Lauren's Hot. Honestly, I didn't like any of the other Givenchys besides Amarige. Escada's Magnetism smelled too much like my daughter as she wears Esacada's Pacific Paradise. PP is more tropical and Magnetism is more fruity (lots of plum and vanilla) but I don't want to smell like my daughter! So I sprayed Lovely on one arm and Hot on the other and finished my shopping. I chose Hot. Lovely was wonderful and I will no doubt get it someday, but Hot is a very warm perfume with Maple notes. LOL! I like perfume with food scents. One of my all time favorites was Givenchy's Haute Couture that was raspberry and black pepper. Too bad it was only a seasonal.

Among other weekend purchases was a cocktail shaker and some cosmo fixings. Damn, I can make a good cosmo. Yes, I have been stirring my mixed drinks for years. No more! I can now make a mixed drink with the best of them:)

Today

I would love, love, love to get my last two articles done today. Actually, I have another one I can do that isn't due until June third. But if I can get three articles done today, I can concentrate on fiction the rest of the week. I would love to get the rest of LIPS done in the next couple of weeks. Then I can start on Smoking Hot. Yeah, that is the working title of my next work.

Went and celebrated the advent of summer last night. Fisherguy and I went to Mcminimins for nummy ale and pool with a friend. Had a really good time. I lurve their Hammerhead ale. We bought a pitcher of that and a pitcher of Working Man's Red. Went down so smooth. Then after I got home and Fisherguy left to jam on his Les Paul with friend, I watched the last four episodes of Sex and the City. Didn't get up until 9:00 this morning... and that is sleeping in. Felt decadent, I did!

Didn't get much plotting done yesterday, but I did jot down some ideas. Will run it past my Cp's later today. If I am going to pack it into 50,000 to 65,000 word I am going to have to have a very tight plot. That way I can work on emotion. Have decided to do it in 3rd person, which isn't hard because most cats are in 3rd person. Haven't decided on a local yet, but am working on it. I would love to use Portland, but Portland isn't very romantic. Maybe Seattle? Seattle is a bigger, more international city and I have been there it several times, so I know it's ambiance. Plus it has the Space needle and the Seahawks so it is more well known.

I always have the heroines internal and external conflict down. Have the hero's external conflict down. Still working on his internal conflict. I think it will be fun to write:) Definitely different from what I have been doing:)

Thinking about new books

I am thinking about my next book. I'm thinking about doing a short cat book. I know I have waxed on about this before, but I really like the idea of trying to pack a big love story in a little book. But now I have a concept. And it's not really that bad. It really might work. Unfortunately, I don't know how unique it is. And that's frustrating.

HA! Everything about the business is frustrating.

I think I am going to take a little time for myself today and plot out my new book. I really, really want an alphasmart so I can write when I am out and about. I need a coffee and some silence.

Rants of various sizes

Just feeling pissy.

Rant number 1. Little old women with walkers should not drive five hundred gazillion pound cars. SHOULD NOT. EVER. I'm just saying.

Rant number 2. SUV's should be banned. I could pretend that I have some big eco concern going but it's not that. I am just sick and tired of walking out of a store to find myself sandwiched in between two small mountains. Backing up out of a parking spot has become a sort of driving russian roulette in which I inch out while my children pray, "Oh my God, Oh my God, Oh my God." I think the price of gas is just desserts. REAP IT! Ahem.

Rant number 3. Most men have a relationship IQ of about minus ten. Even the good ones. My Fisherman said to me the other day. "I have learned that you are always going to be you. You are never going to change. When I was young, I thought if I were just compassionate enough you would become a completely different person." This after seventeeen years of marriage. It boggles the mind. And yes, he has since apologised all over himself, yipping, "I didn't mean that the way it sounded," etc.

Rant Number 4 Teenage girls are mean. When I was a teen, I thought it was me. Now that I have a teen girl who was raised with loving parents and given every advantage imaginable, I have decided that it wasn't me, it was them. THEM, I tell you! Child didn't have a mean bone in her body till she turned fourteen. Or maybe it's the hair color. My darling girl has now perfected the blond toss of hair and evil blue gaze that can drop young men where they stand and make girls the world over shudder.

Rant number 5. Chris Doughtry isn't the American Idol. I thought I was over this till I heard him sing again last night. What were you thinking people???Really!? WTF???

Writing, printers and READ MY LIPS

Finally, finally got a new printer. For the last six months, my printer has been making the most God awful noise while printing. Like something between a cat screaming and nails running down a chalkboard. It finally gave up the ghost and kept giving me an error message. It's sitting on my counter right now, preparing to go to wherever printers go to die. In its place on my desk is a brand new printer waiting for the hard use that only a writer can give it. Lurve XP, by the way, because it now takes me 20 minutes to get a new printer online. Unlike the old days when it took several hours, a call to HP support and a small miracle to get it synched up with my computer. YAY!

Actually got to take a break from nonfiction this evening and was able to work on LIPS. Okay, I only wrote a page and a half, but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do. I am at the point now where I am mostly rewriting because the basic plot has changed so much. I am loving how it's turning out except for a few spots that I will fix later. I am pretty darn sure this is going to be the first one to sell. I sent the revised chapters to my agent this week. Hope she likes it, because I sure do.

I have three nonfiction articles left to write this month. GAH. Next month looks much better. I am hoping for a bit of a break. I want to finish up LIPS and figure out what to do next. Honestly, I would love to write a cat novel. I write tight and short and am seriously considering some of the shorter lines. I also have a NEXT book in me, as well. We shall see. Must talk to my agent about that. See what she thinks.

I don't have to go to the rink until late tomorrow. The ice princess doesn't work until five and doesn't practice on Weds. I think I will sleep in a bit. But, I am still looking for a famous person. I dunno. I just feel like this is a test that I am failing miserably. Okay, should probably hit the hay.

So long Sydney!

Okay, I admit it. I spent a good portion of this decade being an Alias Addict. I also admit the last two years haven't been that great, but I have never watched TV that made your heart pound like the first three seasons of this show! For adreniline rushes, shocks and pure sexy TV, the Alias team had it all. Lurve Sydney, lurve Jack, even lured wacky Marshall. Wasn't that fond of Vaughn, but hey, can't have it all and there is no denying the heat syd and Vaughn generated in those first three seasons was sexy, sexy. I'll miss it. (tear)

American Idol also ends this week. I think. I hope. Great singers this season. And yes, I am one of most of America who whimpered and whined when they kicked off Daughtry. (whimper, whine) Because him was just a hunk of nummy man flesh with a voice. Yum. So now, I really don't care who wins. Taylor probably will, but I'm not sure Taylor's energy can be translated to CD. The guy is a perfomer rather than a great vocalist. Love him though. I also loved kat's rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Cliche, but true. But other than that, eh. Let's put it this way... she's no Kelly Clarkson.

The end of Desperate Housewives was fun, but didn't have the same impact as last year. Will watch again next year though. I just want to see what happens. I just want to see more scenes with the sexy gardener's shirt off.

Gray's Anatomy was the real cliffhanger. My daughter booed and hissed when it ended. What a year though. It basically kept me up way past my bedtime on Sundays. I didn't want to like it cause I have been an ER fan for years(though I rarely watch it now) but I do like it, I do!

Okay, now that I have shown what a TV addict I am (Let's not even get started on my strange, inexplicable 25 year addiction to DOOL!) I will sidle off to do soem real work. Writing an article while leaping mounds of laundry, driving to the rink and meeting a writer friend for coffee. Sydney Bristow has nothing on me!

Gearing up for another one

Last week of the month. I know, technically, we have another part week, but come on, it's Memorial Day weekend. Who's actually going to be around?

Which sucks for me cause I have to do a lot of interviews this week.

My printer isn't working. Need to get that fixed cause I can't actually print out a to do list and writing one in longhand doesn't seem to have the same affect. Nothing is as frustrating as a printer that won't work no matter what you do. Must fix that.

Have four articles to do. Must do them ASAP.

Must find famous person. Please, God let me find famous person.

Must crit cps work.

Must send in LIPS with a note to agent about changes.

Must get prom pics in so I can put them up.

Must take a nap today.

Must get back to work.

What a week

I survived it and even finished, what? Four articles? Five? I dunno, lost count. The one that was due today I didn't even get the interview for until like one or something. Add in four trips back and fourth to the rink, two trips to the bank, the dd's boy trauma and a cranky husband and you have a mess. More like panic attacks all over the place.

Breath, Teri, breath.

But I am having fun counting up my invoices every time I send in another one. More work during the weekend, but hopefully all fiction. Crits for my Cp's and finishing up chapter nine on LIPS. Oh, and the prom is on Sunday so I will probably be running hither and thither for the kids. I hope they have a good time.

Only four more articles this month. June looks pretty sparse, but that is okay, after this month I'll need it. I'm thinking a picnic at the lake is in order. I dearly love a good picnic.

Now I am actually cleaning my poor neglected house. (One of the reasons the dh has been so cranky. That and he has been working for ten days.) Ugh.

Okay, going to go dust and make my last trip to the rink. Of course, I have to do it again in the morning.

A Sad Day

I got some horrible news tonight. One of my lovely neicy girls got herself pregnant. Well, she didn't do it herself... you know. So she was planning on a baby at 15. No one in the family was really joyous about it, because we knew what it would do to her life, but we all knew we would adore that baby.Today, she lost the baby in the most horrible way possible.

She was six months along and complained of a backache last night. This morning her mother rushed her to the hospital and at seven am, during the beginnings of premature labor, she was told that her baby was dead. She had to give birth to a baby she knew was dead. After several hours of labor, she gave birth to a tiny, perfect baby boy. She held him until they took him away from her while she screamed and sobbed. She hates everyone and everything right now and my sis in law is broken hearted. She said there is nothing more horrible than seeing your baby in that much pain and not being able to help. We didn't find out about it until late this evening as no one wanted to leave her. She was depressed before, and are afraid of what neicy girl will do.

So, so sad.

Oh good grief

Doing pretty damn good on the old listy. I interviewed the hockey coach, found a bunch of experts, worked on LIPS and over all kicked some serious writing booty.

Am meeting with a writing friend this morning to talk about writing and writing related topics. So excited. So fun. Would love to get together with a small group of woemn for goal keeping or perhaps plotting sessions. I rarely make it to the chapter meetings cause they are on Saturdays. My Saturdays include running the children around most of the day. Anyway, I have a friend who has a group like that and it sounds like fun. I could use some fun.

More later.

The More Later Part

Loved going out to coffee with writer friend. Loved getting out of the house. Hate having to drive to the rink this afternoon and hate having to go to another bloody board meeting. Am PMSing and hate just about everything about the rink right now.

But I am not whining! No Sirree!

Mondays To do

A couple of items are from last week. Didn't get everything done. Sigh.


Get coach interview for Hockey Hopefuls
Write Hockey Hopefuls and submit
Write up questions for prolapsed uterus, cervix, parents in control, and asthma pregnancy.
Get Anecdotal Sources for Prolapsed Uterus. (If this happened to you, please get in touch with me)
Get anecdotal Sources for Cervix Article (Ever had cervical cancer? I wanna talk to you!)
Get Experts for Parents in Control
Get Experts for Asthma during Pregnancy
Get Sources for Parents in Control
Get Anecdotal Sources for Asthma Pregnancy
Find Source for Celebrity Depends article
Finish rewriting Chapter eight and nine in LIPS
Contact new CP
Crit last to chapter for BBH
Write up some queries and send out.
Write and submit prolapsed uterus
Write and submit all about the cervix

What's on your to do list this week?

When it doesn't come together

I hate when things don't come together. Currently, I am working on an article that isn't coming together. I hate telling my editor things like, "I'm sorry, I wasn't sure what the focus was," or I'm not getting any good responses," or how about, "I know the study says this, so how come everyone is telling me that?"

Especially when it's all about the same article. Things like this have happened before. Sometimes I get the feeling an article is cursed. Anything that can go wrong, does. Experts flake out on me at the last minute. The information points in a completely different direction than the assignment. You can't find an anecdotal source to save your life. That sort of thing.

My editors give me a lot of leeway cause I have proven myself to them over and over, but it's still humiliating. Unprofessional.

Sometimes ideas don't come together. I pitched my great idea to my agent and she hated it. Really hated it. Though it was creepy and not in a good way. Sigh. One example of an idea that didn't come together.

Sometimes scenes don't come together. I wrote a love scene in my book over and over because it wasn't coming out right. (Yes, a love scene in a YA that was hot but not fulfilling, if you know what I mean.) I have trouble with other scenes and have to go back and look at the purpose of the scene. What is the conflict, the goal, the motivation. Usually, when I strip it all down I can figure out what's wrong with it.

I need to finish the article from hell and then I can work on my fiction. Kids are gone for most of the morning and though I should be going to my chapter meeting, I think I will have to skip it.Um yeah, especially since it's in five minutes!

On writers and Whining

Well, slap my face and shut my mouth!

Garrison on the topic of whiny writers. Ahem!

http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_3791084

Art or business?

You know I have always prided myself for looking at my work as a business. I am a freelancer who gets ton of assignments. The editor tells me what to do and I do it. I like the give and take of CP groups. I like an agent who says, let's do this, this and this. So imagine my surprise when I felt myself balking at more rewrites on my wip. I don't mind cutting here and there. Adding this and that. But I am feeling like the first three or four chapters are pretty good. I'll change the synopsis, but there are things in the story that add the heart. My protagonist is a deaf girl, for crying out loud. I don't want to lose the fact that she is deaf and has had more struggles than most of us have ever known or dreamed of. I am not sure if I want her to be slick and packaged.

I hesitate to call my work art. (In fact, I am going through a my work sucks kind of week) But how much should we change our vision to meet market criteria? It would be easier if I were published, I think. More confidence.

So I am going to have to figure out what I am going to do now.

Had a great idea for a new work that I am going to pitch my agent this week. Do some more plotting for it.

Other than that, I am in nonfiction hell with more interviews and outlining than I can possibly mention. Why did I take so many assignments this month, Lord, why? Oh, right, the money.

Better get started.

San Jose!!!

What a wonderful time!

Made three fabulous new friends (Hi Kerensa, Delle and Laurena!) All chapter mates and now best buds. Food was good, beds were soft and there were so many agents and editors I lost count. I will never again belittle the importance of conferences. One of my friends ended up with the last appointment of the day with her dream agent. The agent was so enthralled she bought her a glass of wine and they talked for another hour. My other friend came up with six requests and we ended up practically closing down the bar with my agent and Sara Crowe from Harvey Klinger. (One of my agent's best friends)

Oh, and I LURVED my agent! Jenny and I got on fabulously well and had several private meetings. Hee.

Julia Quinn spoke yesterday morning and it was awesome. Also heard/met Catherine Coulter who is a lovely person. Will have pictures soon.

Also got to chat with Kristen Nelson while we waited in line to get our books signed. How fun is that?

Plus I bumped up to first class on both flights and it was SO worth it. I never rode in first class before so it was a new experience.

Also came up with a fabulous new idea for a book. Am so excited!

But this month have a gazillion things to do. I have eleven articles due. Have to finish revising LIPS and do some plotting on my new book.

I'm not even going to put my to do list on here, because you all would think I was pulling your leg!

Oh, oh, Rachel!!I met Miriam and we talked about you!! She says she's excited to meet you at RT:)

I'm outtie

Got a ton of stuff done and almost ready for tomorrow. Hey, that's optimistic, but I am in a better mood today. DOn't know why. The washer has been fixed so that helps. At least I'll be clean. I sure hope they serve drinks on the plane. I is gonna need them. Will report back when I get home!
Teri

Warning: Bitching, moaning and whining

Why me, Lord? Why now?

Wh-wh-whwhyyyyyyy?????

• Why did both of my children's laptops take a dump on me this week? They do cyber school and no laptops means no school! Why????
• Why did my washing machine blow up on me? I need clean clothes to meet my agent in. I can't introduce myself in dog hair covered, coffee stained clothes with M&Ms stuck to front like happy polka dots.
• Why did my daughter's coach choose right now to bitch about this and that? WHYYYYY?
• Why did Meier and Frank have to lose the jacket I placed on hold for presale? The one that would look so cute with my camis and made me look like I lost weight? Why?
• Why does my agent want me to revise LIPS again? Why??? (Okay, I know why and agree, I am just on a roll here.)
• Why do I have to run four different places tonight? At the same time?

Okay done whining. Have an article to write.

Surviving

Or things I managed to get done yesterday:

Get sources for toy IQ article
Send out questions for IQ article
Get interviews from Nick and a hockey coach
Send out soy questions
Make out new member packet
Write out application for FS club
Pick up Megs prom dress
Make appointment for dog’s hair cut (not only made the appointment, but got her hair cut!)

Okay, so I kicked some serious booty. Gonna have to keep that up all week if I am going to get out of here on time.

Am too excited! This will be my first RWA conference and I get to meet my agent. Am having much trouble finding clothes that will be appropriate and look good. There is a pair of pants I want to get at Chicos... so chic and so comfy. Must have them. Must remember to wrestle credit card from DH.

Must go write or some such thing.

I'm leaving on a jet plane

And my to do list is out of this world.


To Do List

Get sources for toy IQ article
Send out questions for IQ article
Write IQ article
Get interviews from Nick and a hockey coach
Send out soy questions
Make out new articles due list
Get sources for Pull Ups articles
Write Hockey Hopefuls
Get sources for Parents in Control article
Get sources for prolapsed uterus article
Finish shopping for trip
Pack up stuff for trip including numbers and list
Crit two chapters for Dawn
Send Dawn CP hopefuls
Make out new member packet
Write out application for FS club
FS Board meeting Tuesday night
Get hair and eyebrows done
Get info for prom registration and send out
Pick up Megs prom dress
Make appointment for dog’s hair cut
Find weekend rides for kids