Monday Mayhem – I get by with a little help from…

…my friends.

I am blessed with tremendous friends. Old friends, newer friends, work friends, reader friends, and writer friends. Friends that have been with me for years, some I’ve never met, and a few who still seem to like me even when I morph into Extra Bitchy Recipe Mags.

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This week, I’ve had opportunity to appreciate all of then above. The fact that my old friends and I sometimes have to schedule a hook-up eighteen months out (next year will be 30 years!) doesn’t seem to put a damper on our enthusiasm.

I get to see some of my Super Cool Party People in just 24 days. And if you think the official countdown isn’t honed to hours, minutes and seconds, you’d be sadly mistaken.

We don’t often think about our work friends, but we really ought to give them more credit. We spend more of our waking hours with them than with our significant others. The best ones are those you keep even after career paths diverge.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet a handful of readers who fell in love with my characters, then blessed me with their friendship as well.

But lately I’ve been relying pretty heavily in my writer friends. The publishing game is a lot like playing round after round of Cards Against Humanity. Sometimes it’s so harsh you have to laugh or you’ll spend all your time crying. Trust me, it’s tough to revise a manuscript when you’re fighting back tears. But my writer friends always seem to know just what I need–whether it’s encouragement, a kick in the ass, or a little pastry and sympathy.

Friends are fabulous, and I am so lucky to count you as one of mine. Thank you. Thank you so much.

 

 

Monday Mayhem – Home again!

We had a fabulous time on our trip to New Orleans and Vicksburg. Here is the story of our trip in photographs:

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I’m back to work in every way this week. Be sure to look for Paramour in the upcoming Enchanted Lover paranormal boxed set! You can pre-order your copy now at:

Amazon ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Smashwords

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In other news, I just typed ‘The End’ on another Maggie story and will be revising and adding to it in the coming weeks. I have an idea for a new series (fired by our trip down the Mississippi) that I’ll be fleshing out, and some edits coming from Kensington/Lyrical.

So yeah, I’m ready to hunker down and get to work.

How about you? What are you up to now that they days are getting cooler and the nights growing longer?

 

 

Monday Mayhem – My favorite word – YES!

Today marks the four year anniversary of the first time a publisher used my favorite word — yes.

Four years ago today, Kim Jacobs from Turquoise Morning Press sent me an email that included the following magical sentences, “I would like to offer you a contract for your book, Paramour. I love your writing style and the story is priceless.”

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Since that day, I’ve contracted six novels, sixteen novellas, and more than a dozen short stories. Let me tell you, having someone tell you they love your story never gets old.

This writing thing has been a hell of a roller coaster ride so far, and I can’t wait to see what’s around the next bend. Thanks so much for coming on this ride with me. Your support and enthusiasm makes every moment of it a thrill!

Monday Mayhem – Best Laid Plans blah blah blah

So I was supposed to have Christmas with my family this past weekend, but influenza and winter storm Gemini thwarted those plans. Stupid flu. Stupid weather.

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This pic was taken a couple of years ago, but you get the idea. Total mayhem. But instead of partying with the howling hoard, I was home this weekend. With as crazy as this year as been, you’d think I’d be excited to have this weekend to get a lot done.

You would be wrong.

I spent the weekend pouting. And doing nothing. This has been the laziest weekend I’ve had in a long time.

And you know what?

I have no regrets.

How about you? Were you kicked back this weekend, or were you one of the many running around in a last minute frenzy? I’m hoping you were lazy like me. I don’t want to be the only slug in the crowd.

Hope your holidays are shaping up to be all you wish them to be.

Peace.