August is National Read-A-Romance Month
I was a reader of romances long before I started writing them. I remember plowing through the stacks of Harlequin and Silhouette books Mom would bring home from the library, secured with a rubber band. (Apparently, the library thought bundles were more appealing.) My couch potato self spent many...
Desert Dreamin’
My first Desert Dreams Conference won’t be my last. It’s over now, and I just settled into my favorite spot at the Starbucks in Camp Verde (near the outlet, naturally). The plan is to sneak in a little writing time before I crash. Am I nuts? Why not skip the...
Why today of all days?
My cell phone doesn’t get that many calls. Aside from calls from the Boyfriend, and occasional calls from the roommate, it mostly remains silent. That’s fine 364 days of the year. But there’s one day that I want the phone to ring: Golden Heart finalist call day. In 2011,...
The power of persistence
Had you asked me last week whether I was going to win NaNoWriMo this year, I’d have laughed — most likely right in your face. With two entries for the 2012 Golden Heart competition to polish, I’d pretty much written off finishing NaNo. When I popped my last GH...
Hard truth
What do you do when one trusted friend tells you to scrap the first chapter of one of the stories you plan on entering in the 2012 GH? If it’s a chapter you love, chock-full of hilarious lines and you’re not ready to hear the fateful directive to “chop...
Reassessing my goals
Longtime readers of my weight-loss blog know that when I go AWOL from the blog, it’s because I’m not doing so well at the whole diet and exercise thing. That’s not the case here. I’ve been writing up a storm — I just haven’t had any time to blog about...
An honor just to be nominated
We’ve all heard someone say it, usually in connection with the Oscars … And if you’re like me, you probably snicker. “It’s an honor just to be nominated?” Yeah. R-i-i-ght. Well, I’m here to tell you, in the case of the RWA Golden Heart® award, it really is true. I’m...
Story ADD
I have a confession to make: I have story ADD. Raise your hand if, like me, you have trouble concentrating on one story at a time. … If characters start talking to you, demanding you tell their story now — even when you’re in the middle of another one....
Shopping success
Too bad it’s not this easy to win the lottery. Wait a minute. Did I just say easy? I’d hardly call three shopping trips in search of the perfect awards ceremony dress easy. On two separate Friday mornings, I hit six stores in Flagstaff. Unfortunately, I didn’t find much...
Distraction 8, Arlene 2
That’s right: Distraction is whupping my rear in a big way these days. If there’s a down side to being a Golden Heart® finalist, that would be it. Until recently, I had a routine: A little writing/blogging before and/or after work. Now, with all the new and ramped-up tasks...