When Old Becomes New

Years ago (in 1997), I sold my first book.  That book, DESERT FIRE, was published by Kensington Publishing under their Precious Gems line.  All told, from 1997 until 2000, I sold five contemporary romances to them.

Today, I sent those books off to be scanned.  Once I get the files back, I'll read them over, tweak them, design covers, and e-publish them for a new generation of readers.  It's very exciting to me, yet daunting too.  My writing skills have changed and improved in the years (and number of books) since I wrote them.  I'm aware I'll have to do some major editing and rewriting before they're ready for the world to read.  And, with my personal life crazy and having back to back book deadlines for Harlequin, my time is limited. 

Still, I've taken the first step.  It took me two years to decide to do this.  Hopefully it won't take another two before they're ready to be put online.

That said, I headed back to the gym yesterday.  I did ten minutes of cardio to warm up, then twenty working my legs (I do miss those squats and lunges that I can't do because of my ankle!).  After that, I did fifteen minutes of cardio - would have done more, but my ankle tendon was really hurting, even after I switched from treadmill to bike. 

Today I'll be going back and working arms, chest, and back.  And abs.  I always tack on some ab workout to whatever body part I'm working. 

Amazing how much better working out makes me feel!

Another Monday - February 20, 2012

Yes, it's Monday again.  Despite various vague promises to myself, I didn't write over the weekend.  And today was weigh day and my weight stayed exactly the same.  Of course, I'm actually lucky I didn't gain weight.  I didn't go to the gym at all last week - between running to court and my mom's and the attorney's, I'm lucky I even had time to write.  Plus I ate out a lot last week - and not always healthy. 

So this week, I'm getting back on track.  That's a promise.  I feel better when I work out and my muscles have missed it.  Hell, my entire body has missed it. 

Lonnie went to our lake place on Sunday to check on things.  There were weeds as tall as his waist.  He had to mow and weed-eat and edge.  He texted me pictures on the phone and there is water in the cove, but not enough to even reach our retaining wall.  The lake level stops about six inches before.  We need a few more soaking rains in that area, because I plan on spending some serious time there camping, fishing from our boat, and just loving life. 

Here's some pics from another summer.

Sigh.  I so miss that.  Now I need to go and write.

Impressed?

I read doctor blogs, nurse blogs, and vet blogs (vet as in DVM).  If I knew of a good attorney blog, I'd probably read that too.  I read Dr. Grumpy and Nurse K, and The Homeless Parrot, to name a few.  (And there are more.  MUCH more.)

I'm in awe of these people.  Doctors and nurses and vets and lawyers.  I imagine all the education they've had, and the way vets can look at your dog and immediately know what's wrong with him/her, or a doctor can diagnose various illnesses almost instantaneously.  And how a nurse knows exactly who is really sick and who is just trying to get drugs.  I could go on and on. 

But I won't.  Mostly because I don't want to bore you. 

But if you're a DVM or an MD or RN and you're burned out, sick of your job or feel it's become routine, know that there are people out there (like me) who are in awe of you.  Who respect you and feel gratitude because you make a difference. 

Writing Through the Bad Times

Sometimes, writing is my salvation.  Other times, I can barely make my mind focus enough to concentrate on the work in progress.

When your personal life is in turmoil, as mine has been since mid-October, finding the right words and motivations for a bunch of imaginary people could be theraputic.    It should be, right?  And it was, until I got detailed, intensive revisions on another book. 

I lost myself in those revisions.  Dove in, lived and breathed those characters.  Rewrote, cut, wrote new, until the book sparkled and shone (I hope).  And then, once I'd turned that book back in, I returned my attention to the book I was now quite a bit behind on writing. 

I cannot focus.  The story, once so intriguing and fun, no longer holds my interest.  So I started at the beginning, just as if I was doing revisions.  I cut 20 pages, rewrote, and wrote new.  And now I'm on Chapter 3 (of 9 written so far) and have to force myself to open the book file every day.  I'm typing this right now as a sort of avoidance technique. 

Yikes.

On the wake of dealing with more stuff with my elderly father and even more stuff with my terminally ill mother, I feel spent.  Exhausted.  Without a single creative bone left in my nerveless body.  I've tried listening to music, watching good movies and TV shows, and reading.  Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.

So maybe I need to try praying?  I just asked my agent to ask for an extension, as there is no way this book is getting done on time. 

Speaking of which, I'd better get back to it.  Wish me luck.

Tarrant County Courthouse

Recently I had to go to downtown Fort Worth and visit the Tarrant County Courthouse.  It's an amazing building, full of history and beauty.

The outside

Inside, it's even more amazing.  The woodwork!  The marble!  The round stairwells!

Just visiting is like taking a trip back in time!



Happy Valentine's Day 2012

Happy Valentine's Day!  I adore this holiday, mainly because it involves things I love - flowers, chocolate, and jewelry (sometimes).  Oh, and dinner out.  Always dinner out. 

As much as I adore chocolate, it's not good when you're trying to lose weight.  So I'll be rationing these truffles - one a day, two at most.

And I can smell the beautiful roses.

I also got a stuffed dog for my collection. 



He's very cute!  I'm very thankful that I have such a thoughtful husband!

Here's a shot of everything.

Happy Heart Day!

Monday, February 13, 2012

It's a chilly, rainy Monday.  I've got a ton of things to do, many of which have nothing to do with writing.  One, I can't get out of.  But once that is done, I have an AFS to do for my October book, then it's back to writing The Wolf Prince.  I'm revamping chapter 3 now.

Oh, and I lost - drum roll - 2 pounds!  Yay!  That Lose It app on the phone is freakin' amazing! 

I was sort of depressed yesterday.  Whitney Houston passing away made me sad, especially since she was younger.  She was so beautiful and so talented and it's sad that she lost her life most likely due to drugs and alcohol. 

Watching the Grammys last night, I enjoyed the Jennifer Hudson tribute to Whitney and loved that LL Cool J led the audience in a moment of prayer. 

Well, it's nearly time for me to go.  I'll be back.