Took the gremlins to see Zorro last night. I won't bore you with a crit of the movie, but I will share one thing. *sigh* Antonio. It's just so not fair that men get better and better looking as they age. I could sit and listen to his accent all day and never tire of it. Of course, Gremlin #1 (who is 6) said, "Ew! Mommy has a crush on Zorro!" *sigh, again* Yes, dear. She does. The DH just rolled his eyes and shook his head. (And didn't say a thing because he got to watch Catherine Zeta-Jones in all her busting-out glory.)

However, for all the action of the movie (and the gremlins both thought all that icky kissing was just too gross to even watch), the highlight had to be when Gremlin #2 (who is 3) leaned close to my ear during the climax of the movie and said, "Mommy. Mommy. Smell my shoe," and then proceeded to shove his smelly-ass tennis shoe in my face. Let me tell you, it pulled me right out of that sensual haze I'd drifted into watching Antonio save the world on the big screen. What is with boys?????? I just couldn't watch when Gremlin #2 sat back in his seat and stuck his own nose in his shoe and smiled.

Ew. I'm afraid Antonio might forever be ruined by the memory of that shoe.

(I really need to get a life.)

Your Monster Profile

Merciless Darkness You Feast On: Peanut Butter You Lurk Around In: Sewers You Especially Like to Torment: Hippies

What's" Your Monster Name?

Agents must be pushing through their submissions in anticipation of the holiday down time. After not hearing anything for months, I've received three rejections in as many days (on queries and partials). Still no word on the plethora of fulls I have out circulating, but there's always tomorrow *wink, wink*. And I never got around to checking my mail today, so there still could be a R waiting out there for me as I type.

I have this little rule that when I get a R, I should send out 5 more queries. Hmmm...that's 15 queries that *technically* should go out. Probably not gonna happen.

You Are a Mai Tai

You aren't a big drinker, but you'll drink if the atmosphere is festive.And when you're drunk, watch out! You're easily carried away.

What Mixed Drink Are You?

Yes, it's me. And I'm on the lam.

I've been slack the past few days, and now that my secret's out, I must confess. I've (apparantly) been hiking through the cold and frosty mountains of Tibet with one uber-sexy goat herder, Lhak-mi (and boy does he. Whew!). Last I was told though, his very pregnant wife, Lhak-u, has discovered our secret affair and is now on the war path. Alas, I must disappear again before she discovers our whereabouts.

I suppose a wise choice would be to slip back into the Keys and find out what my heroine has in store for my very bad hero...

I am just a crazy-blogging fool tonight.

My fabulously talented friend has launched her own company. If you have young kids (like me), check out Growables. Great clothes that last forever.

And dang, those models are cute! Strike a pose, T and H!

If you haven't listened to Eric Clapton's latest album, Back Home, you MUST. It's fantastic.

And wow, I can sooo relate!

"Well?" Coffee mug halfway to her lips, Maren Hudson pauses and looks up as the petite redhead slides into a chair across the table.

Lisa Maxwell frowns and pins her with a look. "You aren't supposed to be drinking coffee."

"It's half regular, half decaf. I'm allowed one per day. And stop nagging. Just tell me how it's going. I'm on pins and needles here."

"You're supposed to be off charming agents and editors."

"I am. Now get on with it."

Lisa glances around the busy coffee house. A cute blond at the counter flashes her an alluring grin. Now he looks enticing. Maybe she could talk that author chick into letting her have a little fun before things get too intense.

"Lisa?"

Maren's voice drags at her attention, and she looks back at her friend. "The first chapter was all action. Very cool. I am a kick-ass heroine, that's for sure." She signals the waitress and orders a cup of java.

Maren laughs and sips her coffee.

"I'm serious. All I need is a whip and I could give that Dr. Jones a run for his money."

"Cute. Get to the point."

Lisa lets out a long-suffering sigh. "She's got that SOB in chapter two. And it's all starting off in his POV."

"He's the hero. He gets a POV."

Lisa grimaces. "Well, I don't like it."

Grinning, Maren lifts a brow. "You just don't like to be out of control. I hate to tell you this, but you're stuck. Just go with the flow."

"Like you?" Lisa grabs the mug from the waitress and takes a long swallow. "I don't think so."

Maren rolls her eyes and looks longingly toward the waitress as she crosses the restaurant refilling mugs. "Oh, stop your whining. You're going to get your HEA. It's a given."

"I don't want an HEA. I never asked for one."

Maren smiles. "You have too many issues, Maxwell."

"Exactly." Lisa stands. "And right now my issue is that sexy blond over there with the piercing blue eyes. I'm going to go have some fun before my life turns to hell."

"You do that." Maren lifts her mug and swallows the last sip. "I hear he has a thing for redheads."

"Then it's my lucky day."

"Your last." Maren chuckles as Lisa walks away.

I blame Linda for the quizzes.

However, this is oddly appropriate because of the WIP:


Nemesis

?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??

The Twilight Zone strikes again.

I took this quiz several times and it kept coming up the same. (Okay, that's a lie. The first time it said Horror. EGAD! I had to reexamine my answers). I guess I should be relieved since I write RS, but here's the kicker: I don't write mysteries. I write suspense, and nine times out of ten, the reader "knows" who the bad guy is. So I'm guessing this doesn't work. And besides, where's the romance?

From Linda:



What Kind of Novel Should I Write?

Happy Birthday to the DH!!!!

Just Released! PHANTOMS AND FANTASIES

by Annie Rayburn

Genre(s): Paranormal, Contemporary, Erotic Romance
Theme(s):Halloween
Length: Novella

PHANTOMS AND FANTASIES...will capture the readers attention and keep them turning the pages until the end. Turk is dark and sexy and very determined to get the woman he wants. Zeenie is just as determined to resist Turk's advances... The love scenes are passionate and sure to please readers. Annie Rayburn has penned a wonderful book and interesting characters, which will have readers looking for more of her books.
--AngelBrewer, Romance Junkies (4 ribbons)

Eight years ago, Crainesian teenager Zeenie LaShey was drugged and violated by a man wearing a hideous Halloween mask. She's worked hard to rebuild her life and is ready to re-enter the world of dating. But Turk Fontaine, with his good looks, charm and endless one-night stands, isn't anywhere close to the gentle, kind man she's looking for in a life mate--even if his very presence does make her so hot and bothered she can't concentrate..

For five long years, Turk has remained on the periphery of Zeenie's life, distant and aloof, waiting for her to claim him as her life mate. Now it seems the playboy lifestyle he cultivated to keep his dates casual is backfiring. Believing him incapable of commitment and fidelity, Zeenie can't envision them performing the tender, sensual joining ritual that would entwine their hearts and minds for a lifetime of love.

To Zeenie's surprise, there's more than meets the eye with the patient and determined Turk. She finds herself deeply attracted on many levels to the man who's teaching her to embrace her sensual side. But the custom of their people is for the woman to claim the male. Her inability to do so years earlier caused Turk a great deal of embarrassment. In order to make amends, Zeenie must reach deep inside herself and let love provide the courage she needs to become the aggressor and, in a grand and public display, claim Turk as her life mate.

Excerpt & Purchase at: http://www.heatwaveromance.com/NOVELS1/p-and-f.php

I have a housekeeper.

Um...well, I wish. Actually, I have a cleaning service that comes in once a month. And let me tell you, it isn't enough. The DH, in his infinite wisdom, realized after we had gremlin #3 that the odds of having a clean house and a sane-writing-wife were pretty slim if he didn't hire me some help. Hence, the cleaning service. And they're fabulous. They just aren't here enough. Twice a month would be wonderful. Four times a month would be heaven. But until I make some sales, I live with once a month.

So...today was my day for the cleaning service to overhaul my house. Which meant - voila - it was also a writing day since I'd be stuck at home anyway. I spent the morning running around cleaning up and straightening all the crap left over by the kids. By eleven thirty, I was almost done.

And then the phone rang.

And I answered it.

And I wish I hadn't.

It was the cleaning lady. Calling to say her daughter was ill and she had to reschedule me. For next Wednesday. Which means...no clean house today.

ARGH!!!

Now, for some, this wouldn't be a big issue. But for me...uh...it's been four weeks since my house was cleaned. It's in DIRE need of a good cleaning!!!

That's not to say we live in filth. We don't. I do light cleaning - I vacuum, sweep, clean counters, straighten up, wash windows . . . I'll even clean the bathrooms. But there are certain things I hate to do - like clean the shower, or mop the hardwood floors, or dust (my personal cleaning aversion) - so I don't do those things anymore. I let the house keeper do them. But the week I know my cleaning lady is coming, I slack off on those other things as well. My floors haven't been swept all week. The bathrooms are getting pretty gross, and there's a nice thick layer of dust on just about everything.

So when she called today, my first response was...."Uh...No! I need you! Forget the sick kid! You have to clean my house!!!!"

And then reality smacked me in the side of the head. And I sucked it up and acted like a grown up. Although inside I was cursing every sick child on the planet.

So on top of still having a dirty house, I didn't get any writing done today because I felt guilty for the state of the house and did other things that needed to be done - like the checkbook and the bills (Joy) - in an attempt to avoid cleaning what the cleaning lady was supposed to clean. And now I'm looking at my dirty house thinking, "Well, I could go clean those filthy bathrooms, but what's the point? The service is coming on Wed. Cleaning them now is like wasting my time and energy."

Isn't it?

You know what I love most about writing? You get to go places you never expected to go. I spent the afternoon researching the new book while waiting for my slooooow printer to kick out pages. And if you haven't already figured it out, let me fill you in on a little secret: The internet is a writer's best friend. You can go anywhere on the net, and I don't just mean from site to site, I mean from one exotic location to another. Forget the high cost of fuel. You don't need that airline ticket anymore. With a quick click, you can go virtually anywhere you want, learn about anything that interests you.

Where did I go today? Well, I started my journey in the Andes of Peru, but in all honesty, it was pretty cold there, and the terrain was a bit rough for my taste. Liking a warmer climate, I crossed the vast continent of South America and made my way to Brazil, where I partied for a bit in Sao Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, then slipped into a few caves in Minas Gerais. I could probably go on and on about cave formations - since that was the target of my research this afternoon - but I'll spare you the technical terms and save it for the book. Suffice it to say, the fact that I probably wouldn't ever get into a tight-fitting cave because I'm claustrophobic doesn't mean I can't go there via the world wide web and experience the beauty from the comfort of my couch.

After leaving South America behind, I crossed the Caribbean for a quick stop in Jamaica where I was (again) looking at cave information when I got distracted by this way cool resort called (appropriately) The Caves. They're little bungalos set over caves in Negril. How cool is that? I've been to Negril, and I don't remember those. Maybe because our beach looked more like this. So I stayed and played and when I'd had my fill of fun and sun, decided to hightail it out of the Caribbean and head for Europe.

That brought me to Greece, of course. I mean, how can you research archaeology without going to Athens? And since a big chunk of the WIP is rooted in Greek Mythology, it only made sense.

When I was in Reno I sat in on a question and answer session with Nora Roberts. Someone asked her if she'd ever been to Alaska because in her recent release, Northern Lights, she wrote so eloquently about the great state. No, she said, she hadn't been there, and after all the research she'd done on that book, she didn't need to physically go there anymore - she'd lived it in her mind. That's a pretty amazing thing when you think about it, especially since most of us will never get to travel to the exotic locations we write about. I want to go to Europe, I'd love to visit Brazil. I'm pretty sure I'll never make it to the Andes, and I have a strong hunch I won't ever slip into a cave near Sao Paulo. But I can go there anytime I want via the web. And that's a rather cool thing, because it means my characters can go there anytime I want to send them.

Awesome

Proof that God really does love the Beavers best. (And their new stadium) :) Pics courtesy of my uber-cool friend Tonia who never forgets her camera (unlike some people I know. LOL).

What a picture. And the best part is the Beavs won. Can't beat that.