Recovering from Thanksgiving

We are still recovering from Thanksgiving and it's not what you think. Yes, we had an exceptionally good time-- the food was great, my relatives were on their best behavior and I polished off a bottle of wine while cooking, but it was the aftermath that did us in.

My daughter came home from a friends house feeling queasy which soon turned into uncontrollable spewing. She was so sick Friday night that I almost took her to the docotrs. If it wasn't for the fact that she is possibly the most whiniest person on the face of the earth (she faints over hangnails) I would have. Then my dh got sick Friday night. The second whiniest person on the face of the earth. Seriously.

Then my son came home Saturday after staying the night at a friends... sick as a dog. Turns out some of my relatives brought their sick baby with them as a little Thanksgiving hostess gift. I spent Saturday cleaning up after three sick people. Sharing the bathroom was interesting.

I came down with a mild case on Sunday night. Spent Sunday and part of Monday sick. Feel much better, though my stomach is still sensitive. Daughter is back to throwing up after feeling fine on Monday and Tuesday and son is relapsing too. Sigh.

The bad thing is that none of us ever want to see another Thanksgiving turkey dinner again. Just thinking about it makes me shudder.

So we may have ham next year. LOL

Winner Announced!

The Winner Announced!


Hi all,

I had some great names entered in the Name My Newsletter contest. My minions and I chose the one that best describes me and the newsletter. The winner of the newsletter contest is...

(imagine drumroll here)

Melissa Walker!

The name of my newsletter is...

(more drum roll please)

So Very Teri!

This describes me to a T as my aim in life is to be as authentically me as I can, always.

You can sign up for the newsletter by sending an email to:

soveryteri-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Thanks to all the entrants!

Time Management

I think I pretty much suck at time management. I'm horrible for putting things off. I'll think about doing something and then won't do it. Does that make me lazy? I'm really bad about keeping my prescriptions updated, my MRI appointments current and getting in for my blood tests when I need them. I'm really bad about making sure things go on the calendar, but I don't check the calendar every morning, so what does it matter? I've been putting off exercising so long my Nike's have spiderwebs across the top.

So how on earth am I going to learn how to manage a busy career? I have an article due today that I could have done yesterday, but I was having so much fun working on Spell and playing with the new Yahoo group that I just put it off. I have to fill in the gaps in my marketing plan and... well, you all know. It never ends, which is fine and what I signed on for, but still... I would like to be somewhat organized.

I generally make a weekly to do list that I keep on the desk, as well as my articles to do list and my tracking list to track when I invoice and get paid for articles. I would love to have a fiction list to track how many pages I write in an hour, but I don't have Excel and haven't made one in Works yet.

Does anyone have any tips? Do you work on email for so long and then close the program and write? Do you devote so long to promotions before or after writing?
How do you stay sane?

New Yahoo Group!

Title: Fiction Writers Discuss Publicity
Description: This group is for contracted or published novelists to discuss publicity tips on promoting their books. Included will be branding, methods, how to create successful events, cross promotion and other publicity tips. This is not for spamming the list with book advertisements, but rather a place to brainstorm and get tips on promoting your book.

Sound good? Then join us! Send an email to: fictionwritersdiscusspublicity-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

See you there!

New Website!

This is my very own website! I am using this one for my YA and MG books... I figure my romance site will be under another name and won't need to have all the flashy stuff:)

Check it out at www.teribrownwrites.com

YAY!

Let me know what you think!

Name Game

Okay, I have a CP. My most beloved of CP's who really makes me work for it, says the reason people are having trouble differentiating the voices of my two tween main characters is because their names are too similar. I don't think they are at all, but she is INSISTING.

So in spite of the deep regard I hold this CP in, I have to get more opinions. After all, she is asking me to change the names of one of my own children, halfway through their life!!!!

Their names are Cady and Addison.

Your thoughts?

Happy Eighteenth to my Son

Yes, you have to go to class today. Welcome to adulthood, sport.

The following video is long, but worth it.







I love you, buddy. You have been a joy to raise and to know. I love the way you make everyone laugh. I love the way you think deep thoughts. I love the way you say out of the blue, "I love you, Mama." while sitting and watching TV. I love the way you love to read and write. I am excited to see what you do with the rest of your life.

A Productive Weekend

I wrote 14 pages in Spell over the weekend! Am so excited as I have passed the halfway mark and am closing in on the end. Well sorta. But still enough to get excited over! It's coming very easy right now. Not that it always will, but hey, I'll take what I can get!

I have a couple of articles to do this week and have to finish the marketing plan for LIPS, but other than that will be working mostly on Spell. I need to put this one away.

My son and I have also been working on our book. Talked to my agent about it on Friday and she's really excited about the idea. Great concept:)It's kind of fun working on a project with my son... let's see how I feel about it halfway through the actual writing part.

Not sure when we are going to get that far though... am thinking of doing the proposal for my next Pulse book first. And then I have a HQ romance to write... sigh.

BUT... I am hoping that 2008 marks the last year of having to write nonfiction articles! Wish me luck!

Short YAYS!

Hey, all. I'm blogging over at teen fiction cafe today... check me out:)
www.teenfictioncafe.blogspot.com. YAY teen fiction cafe!

I have written about 14 pages so far this week, cleaned up my bedroom (which means organizing my books) finished two nonfic articles, did a lot of fall yardwork, cooked both breakfast and dinner for my family all week, and took care of a lot of errands. YAY everyone being gone during the day!

I actually got the first advance check. YAY paying off bills!

My 17-year-old son and I are thinking of writing a book together. YAY family togetherness!

For the First Time Ever...

I'm going to be alone every day on a regular basis. To work. To write.

Because the dh and I made the decision to homeschool our kids till they were ruined beyond belief (You should hear my teen daughter rail against have to ask to go to the bathroom. My son, who chose college over highschool, is much happier with the transition:) I never really had that old fashioned, stick them on the bus relief. Then in the past year that they have been going to school, My dh was home cause he worked swing. So I was ready to seriously get down to work at 9:00 and he was up about 10:30-11:00. To say that my dh is noisy and disruptive is an understatment. He would leave for work at 2:40 and I picked up my daughter from the high school at 3:00.

But today, he starts days. From about 8:30, when DS catches a bus up to the college, to 3:00, I am on my own, working, writing. Everyday.

Since they all leave at different times, the morning crunch isn't really that bad.

So I have high expectations of myself to really get some writing done.

NO NAPS!