Monday Menagerie

1. My EDJ is soooo busy right now. I have a ton of stuff to do, which is nice, because then the day goes by faster.

2. I started going to the chiropractor last week since my insurance now covers it. I’ve always had a ton of back and neck problems. Turns out, my left leg is a half an inch shorter than the right one! Holy crap. So now I have to wear this stupid thing in my shoe, which didn’t seem like a big deal until I really started thinking about it. I’m pretty sure this means no more flip-flops. And my strappy heels…not sure what I’m going to do. =( I’ll just have to figure something out so I can still wear all my cute shoes.

3. It’s 8:45, I’ve been here an hour….Can I go home now? Please?

4. I totally kicked ass on submissions yesterday. I only have a few more in my inbox that I want to read more carefully. I should have a really bare submission spreadsheet after I send my update in this week. =)

5. I’m kicking ass on edits, too. Woo hoo! I’m working to get way ahead and get everything in early, so my authors….beware. =)

Monday Managerie with a Twist

It’s the first monday of the new year, so you know what that means… Time to set goals! I had a very unmotivated year last year, so I’m going to be doubling up on my efforts this year.

1. Pull ahead of schedule in editing. Way ahead. I’m slowly making it, but like I said, I’ve been very unmotivated lately. This HAS to change.’

2. Watch less TV. Yes, I know that one sounds stupid, but at our house, the TV is ALWAYS on. The hubby and I are serious TV junkies. This means I’m going to have to weed through some of the shows I watch and cut them out.

3. Move up into my office to work instead of always working on the couch in front of the TV. My husband did a wondeful job on my office upstairs, and I need to get back into the habit of working up there. Less distractions for me and I get a lot more done.

4. Quit screwing around so much. Yeah, that’s right. No more games on Facebook, which is my #1 distraction. I’maddicted to Cube Crash in the Mindjolt games and I need to stop. I’ll sit there and mindlessly play it while I watch TV…when I should be editing, answering e-mails, reading submissions, doing housework, etc.

5. Read more for pleasure. I started keeping a journal and from now on I’m going to write down every book I read. Yup. I’m going to make little emoticon notations by it to indicate how much I liked it. My goal is to fill the journal with names of books and authors. How long will it take? I have no clue. Years. And more years. But I miss reading for pleasure and I’ve been sooo far behind on current stuff it’s silly.

6. Eat healthier and exercise at least 3 times a week. This is something I’ve always been horrible about, and recently it’s been causing some issues, so I really need to stick to it. I need to weed the junk of out my diet, start cooking “real” food instead of stuff from boxes because it’s quicker and easier. =P

7. Get back into writing. Yes, I write. Well, not really anymore. I’ve been focusing on editing, and I miss writing, so I’m going to take a half hour out of every day and start getting some of the stories in my head out. Editing is still going to be my top priority, but I need to take some time out to do something I enjoy doing and maybe can earn a few bucks at. =P That’s always a bonus.

What are some of your goals for 2010?

Tuesday Randomness

AKA, Monday Menagerie a day late. =)

1. I really looking forward to getting out of work tomorrow, making a white chocolate peppermint cheesecake for Christmas Day, and heading to Mom and Dad’s on Thursday.

2. If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’ve been obsessed with Lady Gaga lately. I adore her, and “Teeth” is my new fave song lately. It’s even my ringtone now. =P

3. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been together, it’s still embarrassing to be caught dancing around in the kitchen while cleaning when you think you’re home alone. =P (And yes, it was to “Teeth”. LMAO)

4. Why is it that I’m always craving sweets, but when I’m surrounded by cookies, chocolate and various other goodies, I want something salty and there’s none of that around?

5. Tonight is the Christmas part at the real estate office where Myles works. At least it’s better than sitting home.

6. On Saturday night, our DVD player pooped out on us so we had no choice but to get something…and because of that something, I will not move from the couch again. I will hire someone to bathe me and feed me rather than get up. I’m a TV whore as it is, but now that we have a Blue Ray player that we have our Netflix fed into…it’s bad. We’ve been watching The A-Team and Knight Rider and I’m in heaven. This is very, very bad. lol

7. Next week our best friends will be in town from Portland. Woo hoo! I get to spend NYE with my bestie. =)

8. I’m really bummed that Lady Gaga will be here at Purdue in a couple of weeks and I couldn’t get tickets. Sniff. And sadly, I can’t use any connections to get any. Blech.

Kindle Winner!!

First off, I want to thank everyone for participating. The amount of responses was overwhelming and it’s taken me hours upon hours of sitting on the couch and eating white chocolate covered Oreos to get them all logged in. No, really. It’s been some back breaking work here, people. =)

I hope everyone who participated got the chance to find a new author they’ll love. That is, after all, one of the biggest reasons for holding the contest.

And, since I know you’re all dying…the winner is…

Lesa Koscielski!!!!

I’ll be sending the Kindle off later this evening! Again, thank you to everyone who participated and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

The last day!

Yup, that’s right. Today is the LAST DAY of the Kindle contest. I will be gathering all of the entries and randomly picking a winner, who will be announced on Wednesday. Once I announce the winner, I’ll be sending the Kindle out to them via USPS. =)

Kindle Contest Day 19 – Samantha Sommersby

Please welcome Samantha!

1. What is your favorite thing about the colder weather?

All the great food I get to cook. I live in southern California, so we don’t experience a drastic weather change. But in the summer I do a lot of grilling and cooking with fresh vegetables from the garden. In the winter I make more soups, stews, and roasts. Having grown up with cold New England winters that always makes me feel nostalgic.

2. What kind of books do you like to curl up with on a cold day?

Hot vampires and shape-shifters anyone? Seriously, my favorite thing to read is urban fantasy/paranormal romance. Although I also read a fair amount of thrillers and mysteries.

3. What is your favorite holiday food?

A pork stuffing that my Irish/Polish grandmother taught me how to make. I make it every Thanksgiving and every Christmas. Yum!

4. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Our annual Christmas Caroling party. For the past 16 years we’ve hosted a party before Christmas and it’s become a tradition that many of our friends and family members have come to enjoy. Folks arrive around 5:30-6:00 pm and we ask each of the guests to bring an appetizer to share. After an hour or two of cocktails and appetizers, we all go out into the neighborhood and sing our hearts out. We live in an area where there’s a combination of old residential homes and businesses. We’ve been doing it long enough we actually get asked by local business owners when we’ll be coming and some of them have hot chocolate (some have brandy) ready for our little group. After our trek everyone returns to our house for dessert, coffee, and more holiday cheer. We have a blast.

5. Be honest, how much do you decorate for the holidays?

The house gets decorated for the holidays the Thanksgiving weekend. We go to Mission Hills nursery to pick out our tree the day after Thanksgiving and while other folks brave the crowds at the mall, we play Christmas music and decorate the house. The tree goes up in the living room, lights go up on the outside of the house, we hang fresh garland and a wreath on the door, then more over our fireplace behind our stockings. I love the siding in the living room  in front of the fire at night and looking at the tree.

Scavenger Hunt Question:

Wesley Atherton, the hero from Samantha Sommmersby’s The Sacrifice is a…

a.      Sharp-shooting Navy Seal

b.      Knife-wielding shrink

c.       Spell-casting sorcerer

The answer can be found on Samantha’s website.

Click here to submit your answer.

Kindle Contest Day 18 – T.A. Chase

Please welcome T.A.!

1. What is your favorite thing about the colder weather?

Ha..you’re kidding, right?  I’m not a cold weather type person, but I guess if I were forced to answer, it would be, cuddling up with my SO under some blankets in front of a roaring fire watching movies.

2. What kind of books do you like to curl up with on a cold day?

Mysteries, Fantasies and those sub-genres in Romance

3. What is your favorite holiday food?

Hmmm….that’s a tough one, but I guess pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream.

4. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Gathering with the family on Thanksgiving for dinner and football.

5. Be honest, how much do you decorate for the holidays?

If I had a choice, I wouldn’t decorate at all. Not because I don’t like holiday decorations, but because the place I work at usually decorates at least two weeks before Thanksgiving and by the time I’m done with that, I really don’t want to do anything at home.

Scavenger Hunt Question:

What is the name of the story on T.A.’s blog right now?

The answer can be found on T.A.’s blog.

Click here to submit your answer.

Kindle Contest Day 17 – Joely Sue Burkhart

Please welcome Joely!

1. What is your favorite thing about the colder weather?

Cuddling up beneath a blanket with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book (or my iPhone so I can read electronically) in the other!

2. What kind of books do you like to curl up with on a cold day?

I love to read all sorts of romance any time of the year, but frosty days certainly do invite the idea of sharing body heat.

3. What is your favorite holiday food?

I adore homemade bread, everything from basic rustic white to fancier holiday breads with fruit and nuts.

4. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Family time with the monsters, ages 9, 7, and 6. We always read the Christmas story in detail before they can open any of their gifts.

5. Be honest, how much do you decorate for the holidays?

We do a tree and some interior decorations, but we don’t really do much outside the house. If I put a wreath on the door, it might stay there until Easter forces me to take it down.

Scavenger Hunt Question:

Who is the hero of the next “The Connaghers” book?

The answer can be found on Joely’s website.

Click here to submit your answer.

Kindle Contest Day 16 – Kimberly Nee

Please welcome Kimberly!

1. What is your favorite thing about the colder weather?

I have two favorites, actually. I love the snow, I love playing in it with my kids – I get to be a kid again and be a silly as I want, and I’m always in awe of how quiet the world seems to be when it’s snowing. Oh, and it’s my favorite time of year, because it’s the holiday season, which I love as well.

2. What kind of books do you like to curl up with on a cold day?

I read mostly historical romances, but I also enjoy biographies, and history – especially anything pertaining to the American Revolution or D-Day (WWII).

3. What is your favorite holiday food?

My mom’s stuffing – it’s an old family recipe and it was passed on to me last year, when I inherited Thanksgiving as MY holiday.

4. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

My mom holds an open house on Christmas Eve. It used to be a huge thing, but over the years, it’s shrunk to just immediate family – but since we all have different places to be on Christmas, it’s a chance for my kids to do gifts with their aunts and uncles and cousins and vice versa.

5. Be honest, how much do you decorate for the holidays?

I love the holiday season, so I go all out – but I don’t think I’ve crossed into Clark Griswold territory yet (if you don’t know who Clark Griswold is, rentNational Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – that’ll clear up any confusion.) This is my favorite time of year, so I enjoy it as much as I can.

Scavenger Hunt Question:

What project does Kimberly have on hold and why?

The answer can be found on Kimberly’s blog.

Click here to submit your answer.

Kindle Contest Day 15 – Cooper Davis

Please welcome Cooper!

1. What is your favorite thing about the colder weather?

I love making comfort food—chili, stews, roasts.  That, and wearing thick, cozy socks while I write.  And I especially enjoy writing in the winter months because it’s very inspiring (as opposed to wishing you were beside the pool, not writing a book!)

2. What kind of books do you like to curl up with on a cold day?

Something compulsively readable, either a big series that I consume, book after book.  Basically, the kind of book that can take me to another realm.  Of course, too, anything romantic is always great on a cold day, and I love snuggling under the covers with a book like that.

3. What is your favorite holiday food?

I actually love making gourmet Mexican food around Christmastime! I have some great holiday recipes for homemade Mexican dishes, ones that bring out the red and green colors!

4. What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Watching holiday movies like IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE or CHRISTMAS VACTION.  Never get tired of those! Sometimes, I even watch them in the summer when it’s super hot.

5. Be honest, how much do you decorate for the holidays?

I once bought light up, electronic reindeer for my front yard.  The translated Chinese directions were terrible, including something about attaching “The beth the” to part of the device. Loved those deer! But my house now doesn’t have an outdoor electrical outlet…still, as I type this, am thinking about how to remedy that so I can have yard decorations!

Scavenger Hunt Question:

What is the first and last name of the person Hunter is falling in love with in BOYS OF SUMMER?

The answer can be found on Cooper’s website.

Click here to submit your answer.