Things I'm grateful for today:

1) Having great friends, so many of whom went out of their way yesterday to tell me my Twitter account had been hacked. Ugh. Hackers irritate me no end; it's such an inconvenience (took me almost TWO HOURS to sort out the mess, let people know the Direct Messages with dodgy links were not from me, change all passwords, etc.), but apart from that I just wonder what these people are really trying to achieve with this crap. As I said: ugh. But yes, I am thankful that people like stacia_kane and many others were quick to give me a heads up and sent me links to Twitter's advice page on what to do if your account has been hacked.

2) Talking of friends, I just want to say how grateful I am to them for all their love and support in my life. Right now I'm thankful to many of you so I won't namecheck anyone, but you know who you are. ♥

3) My editor at Flux, Brian Farrey. I had such a great conversation with him last night re. my editorial letter (coming next week!) for THE IRON WITCH. He had some seriously brilliant insights into how we can make the book stronger and, even though there is a lot of work involved, I am onboard with the changes and excited to start working on them. I know that writers often say this, and maybe deep down inside are thinking: Oh noes! I don't really want to change anything about my precious book! But honestly, I am open to any ideas that are going to transform this from a 'good' book into a GREAT book.

4) I'm grateful that when I went for lunch with lilifae on Tuesday and her wallet was stolen from right out of her bag while we were talking, that nothing worse happened. I'm thankful that it was a 'silent' crime where nobody was hurt, even though it was horribly inconvenient for Liz... Even though it now makes her feel jumpy and suspicious of her local Starbucks where she's always felt safe. *hugs Liz* If you want to know more about what happened, you can read about it on her blog.

5) Last, but by no means least, the fabulous Adele from Persnickety Snark forced invited me to post a guest blog about how she converted me to the joys of Friday Night Lights. My post about my feelings after watching the pilot, With a Little Help from My Friends, was great fun to write and I'm looking forward to much more FNL viewing in the future. Thanks, Adele! :)

Yes, I have returned! I think the Cold From Hell(tm) has been defeated and I am now on the mend. Coughing my way through most days and nights, it's true, but still... A big improvement. I hate leaving my blog so quiet, even for just a few days. Though I was on Twitter regularly - it's much easier communicating in 140 characters at a time when you're sick. ;)

I've done lots of reading, so I should do a roundup of all the great books I've consumed. Um... I'll definitely do that later this week. Right now I'm re-reading Justine Musk's brilliant YA novel Uninvited. I am a Justine fangirl and totally unashamed; can't help myself. She's just started a new blog (as well as her LJ), Tribal Writer: Notes From a Novelist's Life in LA so you should check it out. Especially this post To Develop Your Writer's Intuition, You Must First Read Like a Maniac, which is crossposted to various places.

Oh, and talking of great blog posts, I linked to this one on Twitter but it bears repeating: Scott Tracey (fellow future Flux author!) wrote this winner on How to Create Your Own Fake Town. Well worth the read - it appeals to me because I've always liked made up towns and cities in fiction (which is why I created one for THE IRON WITCH).

Once again, I'm really sorry to pull the plug on KazNoWriMo, but for those who are disappointed check this out! My friend Liz (lilifae), along with esssjay, has set up IndyWriMo to keep the idea going. This is so cool as it means the concept of a 30K writing month in November still lives on, but I don't have to organise it! ;) Not sure if I'll be participating as I'm expecting my editorial notes any day now (eeek!), but we'll see. Check it out and sign up if you're feeling too wimpy for NaNo! Heh.

Lots of muttering today...

First of all, thanks to the fabulous lilifae I am reading Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink and am seriously loving it. On the one hand, I am grateful to Liz for lending it to me, but on the other I suppose I should tell her off because I can't put it down and it's stopping me from getting on! ;) Brilliant so far. Love the gothic atomosphere and the beautiful writing.

Talking of Liz, I spent Saturday night at her house and had a great time. Not only have I fallen in love with her little dog (so cute!!), we talked books, she gave me the pick of her overflowing shelves, we watched some episodes of Supernatural and some of The Silence of the Lambs - which is still one of my favourite films of all time. I slept on the couch and her hubby made incredible coffee the next morning, while Liz baked fresh cheese scones. O.o *dies of happiness* I'm trying to figure out some way of getting them to let me move in with them, but there probably isn't really room... What with all the books. Heh.

---

I'm coming down with a cold, though it's one of those stupid ones that takes ages to do anything. My throat is sore and itchy, my body aches and I'm tired, but nothing else is happening yet. I wish it would just hurry up and be a 'real' cold so it can be over with more quickly. In the meantime, I am consoling myself by drinking lots of green tea and eating too many liquorice toffees.

---

I have the go-ahead from Agent M to start working on the sequel to THE IRON WITCH. I'm only going to write a little of THE WOOD QUEEN, just to get back into the voice and tone, but I should be getting my editorial notes on TIW soon so I can't race too far ahead with the sequel. But I am very excited to return to Dona's world. Of course, I'm also excited to write more about the half-fey Xan who is pretty damn hot, if I do say so myself. *g*

---

I am - yet again! - considering turning DAUGHTER OF LIES into an adult book. I love the worldbuilding, but I think some aspects of the story really would work better as an adult Urban Fantasy. I change my mind on this pretty much daily. :) I couldn't stop thinking about it last night, though, as I lay awake in bed feeling sorry for myself re. the sore throat. This has been something of a habit lately, switching off the light and then letting story and character ideas play through my mind before I sleep. I worry that I won't remember what I came up with the next morning, but so far I've always recalled the most important details...

I've been busy in Real Life lately, catching up with some old friends (which has been brilliant!) and running the usual errands. Not to mention keeping my eye on the flat-rental situation. It's looking more and more like I'll have to wait until the New Year to move. So, in lieu of a meaningful update I give you...

3 Things/People I ♥ Right Now:

♥ True Blood, which finally came to Channel 4. Love, love Anna Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse. Yes, I'm aware this might be a controversial opinion, but I'm not afraid of a bit of controversy. ;) I actually think she does a great job with the role, bringing something new to Sookie while still retaining much of the quirkiness that Charlaine Harris gave to the character in the original Southern Vampire Mysteries. Please, no spoilers as I've only just started Season One.



♥ This new book cover (click to view larger version):



How beautiful is that? :) Check out Nicole Peeler's blog for more information about the second book in her brand new series.

♥ Totally lovin' Jordan Summers for sending me an ARC of this:



It's the final book in the Dead World trilogy, and I can't wait to see how it all ends up for Gina, Morgan, and of course Raphael Vega (who I confess is my favourite character *g*). Thanks, Jordan! The book officially releases next month, so there's not long to wait for everyone else...

It's been a while since I just caught up with a general sort of update here. So much has been going on lately that, just as I decided to treat my LJ as more of a Real Journal, we got renewed interest in THE IRON WITCH and then I couldn't concentrate properly. (I forgive myself for this lapse, because it was very exciting. *g*)

So here are the things currently crowding my mind:

Catching up... Right now I feel that I need some time away from things, just to catch up. I keep thinking about all the emails I want to reply to. By the way, it's important to note that I said 'want' to reply to, because it's not a case of: "Oh, I HAVE to reply to these, oh woe is me!" - no, these are all updates and well wishes from friends so they are important. There are just a lot of them! But I will definitely get to them. Every single one. It just might take a while. :)

Moving...I am also worrying about not having done anything that I should be doing re. finding a new place to live. I've got as far as checking out a few different areas, but that's it. I need to move. I have to move, but I can't see this happening now until after Christmas. I'd hoped to be making serious effort in this department around October. Probably not going to happen.

Health and diet... and how those two things are obviously related. I want to cut out coffee and cut down on sugar intake, but I am definitely anaemic (again) and always tired first thing in the morning - even after a good night's sleep - so I end up feeling that what I need first thing is COFFEE! Diet, exercise... these things are a work in progress. They are important things and I should be putting them nearer the top of my 'To Do' list, but at the moment they are hanging on for dear life somewhere at the bottom. ;)

On writing... I am in the early stages of a new project. This is a short story (about 12K) for another YA anthology. Not sure of many details re. the whole project quite yet, but I'll share when I have them and can do so. I am excited because it's a supernatural/paranormal anthology and my contribution will be about a teenage witch called Emily Chance. I created her as a supporting character in DAUGHTER OF LIES, so whatever happens with that manuscript I am happy that one of my favourite 'things' to come out of it will get her own story. Yay!

Okay, that's it for now. Day Job calls...

The weekend flew by, and I realise that I haven't posted here for a few days. Very unusual for me, what with my LJ addiction and all...

But it was a busy weekend. Family stuff (mostly good) and then the Wimbledon final on Sunday (nail-biting!), with an outing today with my mum to top things off. Revisions on BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS have been slow, but I did get some done on Sunday and I intend to get on with it tonight and tomorrow - before the Day Job kicks in again.

So not much to report, really. Except that I bought this:



and this:



[Click on the images for more info. Also, a quick note to say I'm going to link to The Book Depository from now on, rather than Amazon, for the books I mention here. Not saying I won't use Amazon again, but I'm giving TBD a try thanks to their promise of 'Free worldwide delivery' and the fact that you don't have to register to order.]

Although the HUNTRESS anthology has a novella in it by Marjorie M. Liu (who I am currently loving), I mostly bought this for the Caitlin Kittredge (blackaire) novella, 'Down in the Ground Where the Dead Men Go'. It's a Black London story, and I really can't get enough of the dark and delicious mage, Jack Winter. ;)

I can't believe how quickly this year is passing. Does anyone else feel that way, or is it just me? Half the year is gone...

Life is very busy for me right now. The Day Job in particular is taking a lot of time/energy, but at least I managed to start revisions on BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS. I've changed a lot of it from 3rd to 1st-person POV (though I've stuck with the more traditional past tense) and it's working. I really like it. Maybe this book needed to be written in 3rd-person - I think I write best that way - but now I'm seeing how I can drop deeper into Moth's head with the POV switch. It's good. Although I still have a lot of work to do, especially on the ending.

Yesterday I posted a giveaway at the Deadline Dames. It ends on Saturday.

I've been reading a lot of Marjorie M. Liu stuff lately. I'm loving her prose; she writes so beautifully, while still telling kick-ass stories. Looking forward to getting my hands on her new release, Darkness Calls.

Other new releases I can't wait to read? Prey by Rachel Vincent, and City of Souls by Vicki Pettersson. There are many more... July is a great month for fantasy, urban or otherwise.

The Day Job is taking up a lot of time. In fact, so much time (and energy) that I was very tired this weekend and just wanted a break. I didn't start my revisions on BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS as planned.

But! I did start researching and planning my next project. I've decided that while I'm waiting, waiting, waiting to hear news from the distant Land of Publishing, I can at least keep writing. So as well as digging into the revisions on Moth's book as soon as I can, I already know what I'll be working on next. I've done some research and my main character is starting to tell me interesting things.

I think, though, that this book will take longer to write. The first draft may need a more gradual process - I can feel it, somehow. It's going to be the first London novel I attempt, and it's exciting making lists of all the places I have to check out in the name of research. Research trips = the fun part of being a writer! :)

Agent M said that she'd "love to see a London book" from me (huzzah!), so now I just need to find the perfect LJ icon for it. And a title...

1) I am making reasonable progress on BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS, despite Day Job stuff. My new goal is to write 1,000 words on Day Job days, and so far I'm managing to do that by taking my AlphaSmart with me and writing for an hour or so after work in a coffee shop.

2) It's my birthday on Monday. I have mixed feelings about this: I'll be 36, and I can't believe I am going to be the 'wrong' side of 35. I said to someone recently that I always intended to have a book published by the time I was 35, so it looks like I missed that... But not by too much if I count my anthology story. ;) I look in the mirror and see myself getting older, but I honestly still feel anywhere between 5 and 25. I wonder where the time has gone.

3) Did a tarot reading for a dear friend last night. It was an incredible experience - crazy transpersonal stuff came up and I felt that we were sharing a sacred space. I so rarely feel a spiritual connection, but this renewed the little faith in... something that I still have.

4) I have a ton of research books to read, a lot of them focused on London because I really want to write a 'London novel' one day. Maybe next. I don't know; I have so many projects I could write, but London is calling to me. If I do write a novel set in 'my' city, it'll be the first time I've written a longer piece of work set here. I've always wanted to live in the US - specifically Boston/New England - but lately I've been appreciating home a little more.

5) Summer is approaching - finally - and I dream of a publisher buying THE IRON WITCH. My manuscript is still with some amazing editors and I haven't given up hope, even though my creative energies are very much invested in my current project. I feel more settled about things. :)

Have a great weekend - and don't forget to enter my giveaway for an ARC of THE ETERNAL KISS!

I absolutely love my AlphaSmart Neo. I really, really love it with an unhealthy love. You know why? Because today, I WROTE ON THE TRAIN FOR AN HOUR and that made me so happy. I didn't care that people were looking at me and clearly wondering: WHY IS THAT GROWN ADULT PLAYING WITH A SPEAK 'N' SPELL ON THE TUBE?

Who cares, because I wrote words. On the TRAIN! Did I mention that? I don't know how many words because I haven't figured out if there's a word count thingie on here yet (I don't think there is), but never mind. I'll upload it all on Tuesday and then see where I am.


Pic taken from Thinking on the Margin

Apart from the new love of my life, I am supremely envious of all those lucky people at BEA in New York. I wish I lived in the US. *sigh*

I am comforting myself by re-reading this:



In preparation for book 2:



Generation Dead and Kiss of Life by Daniel Waters. Kiss of Life is due out in the UK on 6th July 2009 and I CANNOT WAIT. Srsly(tm), Generation Dead was without doubt one of my top reads of last year. Like there aren't already enough great books to read, now I'm RE-reading the best ones.

While sitting in the sun yesterday afternoon, trying to recover from the Migraine of Doom from Friday night, I had another Super!Shiny! idea for a novel. At least, I think it's a novel. It could be a short story which would be unusual for me. But either way it's one of those ideas that definitely wants to be written. I wrote down a few points and then forced myself to put it aside. It needs some research and I have to focus on the draft of BEAUTIFUL GHOSTS. Nice to know I'm maturing as a writer. ;)

Okay, I'll stop rambling for now and get on with catching up with emails. Then... more writing! On my AlphaSmart. Which I love. *g*

1) Catching up a bit, here is a photo of the view from triciasullivan's doorstep. I mean, srsly (tm), this is what she looks out on when she's at her kitchen sink:



It was so lovely to see Trish after all that time knowing each other in letters (yes, even good old-fashioned handwritten letters!) and emails. It's strange to think that I first became aware of her and her work back in 1999 when she won the Arthur C. Clarke award for her third novel, Dreaming in Smoke. Now, ten years later - and thanks to meeting on LJ over 2 years ago - we're great friends and I'm so grateful to have her in my life. :)

2) I have to post this awesome book trailer. Fellow Deadline Dame and amazing urban fantasy author lilithsaintcrow has her first YA book coming out TODAY (!), Strange Angels (written under the name Lili St. Crow). I absolutely can't wait for this one, and am even more excited since seeing this:


3) I've discovered some cool new blogs recently. This one, for example, is called Tales of a Ravenous Reader and has some great content. It seems to focus mainly on YA and paranormal romance, but has a good variety up there. I might be slightly biased because I discovered this site after they highlighted 'The Eternal Kiss' yesterday. ;)

4) Another blog I've discovered recently is a new project by urban fantasy author Chloe Neill. It's called Write What You See and focuses on visual inspiration for writers/artists. I love it!

Now, back to the Day Job. I really need to concentrate - I had the first Migraine of Doom(tm) in a while yesterday and am still feeling spaced out.

ETA: I keep forgetting to blog about this, so thanks to suzannemcleod for the reminder:

** Monday 18th May, 6.30pm SHOREDITCH, LONDON EC1 **



Murder One Film Club presents an evening with Rachel Caine, author of the bestselling Morganville Vampire series, at HOME (101-106 Leonard Street, Shoreditch EC2) including a book signing and a screening of her favourite vampire film Lost Boys (complete with popcorn!). The 80’s classic starring a very young & cute pre-24 Kiefer Sutherland. This exclusive event is only open to Murder One Film Club members (Not a member? Just order any Rachel Caine title from Murder One, and you are automatically a bonafide, card-carrying member of their Film Club) and asks just for a ridiculously low £1 at the door. Please RSVP to trisha@murderone.co.uk or call them on 0207 739 7796.

As I didn't post a Friday Five yesterday, here are six kinda random things for you.

1) Great quote by agent Jim McCarthy (via azhure):

“If you think you can give up writing, then give it up. If you can’t … if you know that no matter how much stress or rejection or frustration you face, that you can never stop writing? In that case, never give up. Publishing is too hard to face if you aren’t in it for the right reasons. But it’s not too hard to break into if it’s what you need to do.”

I needed to hear this today, and I know a lot of my friends feel the same right now. This is from an interview that Jim did here.

2) It's been a fab week at the Deadline Dames, finishing up with a bonus post today by Dame Jenna. Please check out our donation to romance author Brenda Novak's auction to support diabetes research. The Dames have contributed a basket filled with signed books and other goodies. Yes, it's true... Keri Arthur has even donated Tim Tams - the national biscuit of Australia*. You don't want to miss that! ;)



3) SciFiGuy has a great guest blog by debut author Diana Rowland. I met her at RT and she's awesome - I'm really looking forward to her urban fantasy novel, Mark of the Demon, which is due out next month.

4) I am now working on THREE projects. *sigh* I know, I know, project-hopping isn't always a good thing. But! I justify myself by saying that while I still don't have a book deal, I can play around with various things until I hit on the one that sticks. Right? Right?! BND still needs an outline, OUW (the adult sekrit project) is in its very early stages, and now I am being lured away by the siren call of a book I've wanted to write for...oh, about a year now. I've resisted it this far for what I thought were sensible reasons, but a few things that've happened lately make me want to dive in. I've run it past Agent M so we'll see. I might write it on the side, anyway, just for fun. Those are sometimes the best projects - no pressure, no deadlines, but mad love for the protagonist and concept.

5) I've been reading a LOT of good books. To match my writing works-in-progress I am reading three novels at once. Why yes, I am a Gemini... How did you guess? ;)



6) suzannemcleod has an awesome contest to win a signed proof copy of THE COLD KISS OF DEATH, Spellcrackers.com Book 2! Check it out. And make sure you check back each week, as she's hosting weekly giveaways for 11 weeks until the book is released!

And finally, don't forget there's still plenty of time to enter yesterday's giveaway.

*I made up the "national biscuit of Australia" part, but who knows? It could be true...

1) Dinner with Agent M went brilliantly. I feel supremely blessed. Despite the fact that publishing is slow-going right now, especially for those of us seeking our first deal, I have an agent who believes in me and my work. She seems to be in this with me for long haul, and I'm grateful for that. Lots of interesting talk about the industry and what editors are looking for right now (clue: YA is still smokin' hot, as Randy Jackson might say). Oh, and she is officially as much of a geek as I am... I have great respect for that. ;)

2) I finished reading this:



Wow... All I can say really is: please read this book. I was so moved and just loved Junior's voice throughout this brilliant novel. It made me think (a lot) and it made me laugh - more than I thought I would do, considering there are also some incredibly sad parts. Junior (Arnold Spirit), the main character, was an absolute joy to spend time with. I gave my copy to Agent M for airplane reading on the return journey from London to New York.

3) Writing on SOUL TRADER is underway, but I am also going to send a couple of new blurbs to Agent M. We discussed writing both YA and adult urban fantasy, and I have lots of ideas that are worth considering. I'm still wondering about the YA book I began last year, BLACK NEON DREAMS, which hasn't really ended up as a factor in SOUL TRADER after all... It might be worth pursuing as a completely separate project.

4) Day Job continues to be crazy. I am working overtime and feel very tired. Working all weekend, then one day off (Monday), before getting straight back to it on Tuesday.

5) I have to say it: 16 days until I fly to Orlando! Yay!! :)

That's how I feel... Time is slipping through my fingers and I don't know what to do about it. I've even cut back on internet time (without suffering horrible withdrawal - yay, me! *g*), and yet I'm still not achieving all the things I want to.

Today I:

- Wrote two blurbs.
- Met Editor Trisha for coffee and talked publishing.
- Shopped for something new to wear (believe me when I say: this was not a matter of choice).
- Did more research.
- Rewrote a chapter from 1st-person to 3rd-person POV, to see how it looks/feels.

Now I am going to eat something and watch Lost. I deserve it! ;)

I just wish there was more time, sometimes, yanno? Tomorrow is the start of five days of Day Job work (including Sunday, which is the stocktake - I need the extra cash for Romantic Times).

What did you get done today, despite Time's winged chariot hounding your every step?

*Andrew Marvell

I wasn't going to post again today, but I have good news and bad news. Nothing major, don't sweat it!

Good news = I hit my word goal and wrote just over 2,000 words today. I'm feeling very happy with those words, too.

Bad news = I had major 'technical issues' while attempting to transfer the data from my new WordPress blog to my domain name, and basically screwed everything up. Yeah, and I'm the girl who is supposed to be developing an actual website for a company as my Day Job. Hmm... (Luckily, those peeps don't read my blog! *g*)

So this means that I will probably have to start again with WordPress/the-website-that-was-in-progress, and right now I just don't have the time. Um... yeah. So I'm back on LJ full time. Not that I ever went away, to be honest. I mean, I cross-posted everything in the end anyway! LOL. I think the Universe is trying to tell me something. ;)

Sorry for messing with those lovely people who bothered to change my link...

I'm baaack! :)

I've been super-busy this week, partly with Day Job stuff but also with critiquing (sorry, Brian, I've still not finished!) and actually Doing Things in the Real World. It was Murder One UK's first Bookclub meeting in their new office space last night, and it was a great success. Twelve people there in total and we discussed Maria V. Snyder's POISON STUDY, as well as chatting about all sorts of book things. Okay, and maybe a few non-book things too. *g* Best quote of the evening goes to lilifae (Liz) who explained why she never wears high heels: "Because I always need to be ready to run if there's a zombie apocalypse." Win! :D

I'm working on my next project a little, too, but haven't had much chance for that really. Have done some research and tried to figure out how much of the 40k I already have will need rewriting. Maybe I'll just start from scratch - the writing will go quicker anyway as I'll have some material I can dip into and include where it's still relevant. I spoke to Agent M and we've decided that while I'm out on submission with TIW (and possibly DOL later), I can concentrate on writing the adult urban fantasy I've always wanted to get out of my system. I'm looking forward to it! I'm even wondering if I can combine elements of my old post-apocalyptic idea with SOUL TRADER - sort of a mash-up of the two things. It might work well to flesh out the worldbuilding, so I'll see.

Okay, back to the Day Job...

1) How cool is this? Smart B**** Sarah is guest-blogging at the Deadline Dames today. She cracks me up, and it's a fantastic post. *g* Go check it out!

2) Omg people, I finally got my hands on THIS today:



It's a good thing I've almost finished my DOL revisions...

reneesweet pointed me in the direction of this cool Valentine's article, where various genre authors talk about their favourite fictional love stories.

One of the contributers has also, recently, been blessed by the cover gods:


US edition - released May 2009


UK & US - released August 2009. This is a new book and I love the blurb:
Vidar is a man tormented - by a lost memory and a vampiric jewel that demands the life energy of others. Now, with a killer loose within his home city, Vidar must solve a three thousand year old religious mystery to unlock the terrifying secrets of his own past.

For more information, check out Mark Chadbourn's blog.

Finally, I am reading my ARC of this:


(Mine is the UK ARC which has a plain purple cover, but never mind...)

Wow... This book more than lives up to its early buzz, which doesn't always happen when a book has been hyped as much as this one has. I'll say more when I've finished. I should probably save the second half as a reward for finishing my DOL revisions, but I'm not sure I can put it down. :)

I had my hair cut today. A lot of hair came off... It is above my shoulders. From the back, you can actually see my neck!! *g* (I totally need to dye my roots before I can show you guys what it looks like, just in case anyone asks demands to see it.)

It's the final ever week at Murder One. I'm sad, because I'll be saying goodbye to some great friends/colleagues (though I hope we'll stay in touch), and I'll miss the Romance & Fantasy books so much. *sigh* The following week I begin a new challenge at a familiar place, so it'll be okay... I'm just not great with endings. (Um... hopefully that doesn't apply to my fiction.)

Don't forget that today we start another week of giveaways over at the Deadline Dames. Check out Jenna Black's first post and then (please) head back there tomorrow for my contribution...

Yes, it's a random edition. Again.

1) Would anyone be interested in me doing a thing on my LJ where I offer free mini-Tarot readings? Like, for everyone who wants one. It'll only be 1-3 cards, otherwise it'll get crazy, but still... It's coming up to my 2nd anniversary of blogging over here (sometime in Feb), and I've been thinking of a way to celebrate.

2) The Deadline Dames will be launching on Monday! I'm so excited... There will be two weeks of contests to celebrate the new website once it goes live, so be sure to check it out.

3) I'm back to critiquing for reneesweet. Thank god she loves me and (hopefully) forgives the delay - all the Real Life stuff completely derailed me, so now I have to get back into the story. Not that it's difficult, considering what a cool manuscript she's written. :)

4) I think I'll be getting revisions on DOL soon, so I expect to be busy with those next week. I'm really looking forward to diving back into that world!

5) The floor is barely visible under piles of lovely books, many of which I still have to send out to contest winners. I'm just on my way out the door for yet another trip to the Post Office. I think I'm single-handedly keeping the Royal Mail running at the moment... ;)