Wednesday, November 29, 2006

Honey, What Have You Done Now???

I am so enjoying reading all the great posts to the Tuesday Challenge! Keep 'em coming! You have until Sunday night to keep posting. For those who might have missed it, check out Tuesday's Challenge and get your entry in for the contest drawing. The winner will be posted on Monday and a brand new challenge will be posted next Tuesday.

Okay, so I came home from work yesterday and hubby was lying on the sofa.

He says: "Did you check out the Kitty Condo?"

She says: "Well, of course. I hopped out of the car with my arms full and said to myself 'I must go into the back yard and look at the kitty condo'."

He says: "I thought you might have looked when you stopped to talk to the cats."

Interjection: We are caring for fourteen feral cats and hubby built a winter shelter for them which is under the deck of our bi-level house. Kitty Condo vs. Cat House.

She says: "All I did was look at the cats sitting on top of our camper and said 'Hi, cats' and then I came inside. What did you do to the condo?"

He says: "You need to check it out."

She says: "Just tell me. Why should I have to walk outside, down the steps, in the near dark to check it out."

He says: "I want you to see."

She says: "What is so important? Why can't you just tell me?"

He says: "I'm getting in the Christmas spirit."

She thinks: Uh-oh. Trouble.
She says: "What did you do...put lights on the cat house?"

He laughs.
He says: "No. Actually I put a Christmas tree on top of it."

She thinks: I wouldn't put it past him. But I'm safe because there's no room to put a tree on top of it. What did he do?

She says: "Puh-lease. Now just tell me. Why does it have to be such a big deal? Just tell me what you did?"

He says: "Nope."

I stomp into the kitchen, open the sliding door, walk onto the screened in deck, open the door and suddenly my legs are surrounded by cats. Lots of cats. I greet them, pet the ones who will let me, then finally weave my way down to the patio.

She says: "What did daddy do to your little house? Let's go see."

I walk around the end of the deck and...

Above the door of the condo is a Christmas wreath, complete with ribbon and pine cones and all I can think is "And they call me the crazy cat lady."

I go back inside and play it off like a true actress.

She says: "Okay. So what did you do? I don't see anything."

He says: "You're kidding. Did you walk all the way around?"

She says: "Yep. I know you painted the trim around the door. I saw that last week."

He gets off the sofa and says: "You're just trying to get even with me now. I know you saw it."

She says: "Saw what? I'm telling you there's nothing new out there. What did you do, put fresh straw inside?"

He walks outside, weaves his way through the cats and down the steps and looks up at me.

He says: "Are you coming down?"

She says: "No. I've already been down there."

He walks to the condo and looks at it.

He says: "If you came all the way down here, then you had to see it."

She says: "Oh, you mean the wreath? Gotcha!"

Ah, life is never dull when you have a husband with a heart of gold and yard full of cats.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

It's Tuesday!!!

In case you missed the post yesterday...today is the launch of "Tuesday's Challenge."

It's time to have some fun. Sharpen your creative skills and join me for Tuesday's Challenge. Each Tuesday, I'll post a new writing challenge, and one winner will be chosen each week. You'll have from Tuesday through Sunday to post your answer. Monday the winner will be announced here on the blog!

Spread the word to everyone you know. The challenges will be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with! Post your answers here as comments on the blog.

The winner of the very first challenge will win a 2007 Monthly Planner to carry in your purse or to use at your desk. And the challenge is....

Give me your best with this starting line: "It was the most dreadful day of my life." You can write as much or as little as you want. Give me a true story or purely fantasy. Just have fun! Winner will be announced Monday, December 4!

Monday, November 27, 2006

Tuesday's Challenge

It's time to have some fun. Sharpen your creative skills and join me for Tuesday's Challenge. Each Tuesday, I'll post a new writing challenge, and one winner will be chosen each week. You'll have from Tuesday through Sunday to post your answer. Monday the winner will be announced here on the blog!

Spread the word to everyone you know. The challenges will be fun. I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with! Post your answers here as comments on the blog.

The winner of the very first challenge will win a 2007 Monthly Planner to carry in your purse or to use at your desk. And the challenge is....

Give me your best with this starting line: "It was the most dreadful day of my life." You can write as much or as little as you want. Give me a true story or purely fantasy. Just have fun! Winner will be announced Monday, December 4!

********************************
Update on my upcoming romantic suspense release. I received the final over the weekend, but am doing one final read-through to make it the very best for you. I'm so looking forward to this release and I hope you are too. The title is FOXFIRE, and it's set in the fictional mountain community of Foxfire, Tennessee. What I love best about this story, are the characters. They each spoke to me and became so real. Here's a little piece of a scene with a very "colorful" secondary character...

A tap on the door turned all their heads. "Yoo hoo, I'm here. Better late than never, I always say." Harri burst through the door, her bright orange hair dimmed only by the turquoise earrings bobbing on her lobes. She stopped abruptly when she caught sight of Tyler.

Grace hurried forward. "Here let me take that," she said relieving Harri of an oblong pan.

Brad slid Harri's cardinal red sweater off her shoulders. "Harri, meet Tyler Sandford, our community veterinarian. Tyler, Harriet Parton. Better known as Harri."

Tyler lifted Harri's hand to his lips. "Ms. Parton, it's an honor to finally meet you. Brad's mentioned you many times. Are you relation to the famous Dolly?"

Harri yanked her hand back as if burned. "A distant cousin of sorts." Her voice dropped an octave and her lips turned downward. She narrowed her golden brown eyes, made more prominent by the lavish application of lavender eye shadow. "What's the old geezer been saying about me?"

"Only good things, I assure you," Tyler responded.

Harri looked him over from head to toe. "You have an interesting aura. Lots of green."

Tyler's eyebrows lifted questioningly. "Green?"

"Suits your profession. I see some dark purple, too." She lifted the glasses hanging on a beaded chain and slipped them onto her nose. "Interesting," she murmured. She removed the glasses and let them dangle around her neck.

Brad slipped his arm across Harri's shoulders and squeezed. "Now, Harri, don't get started with that nonsense." He smiled apologetically at Tyler. "Harri thinks she's psychic."

Sunday, November 19, 2006

Christmas Special - Available Now

I have a very special Christmas offer on my website--an autographed copy of Hit and Run and a book thong, personally crafted by me, all tucked neatly into a red and white Christmas stocking with gold braiding. Click here to check it out.

Also, Lighting the Tree is now available for purchase! If you like a heartwarming story of sweet romance, you won't want to miss Brenda's story of finding love, coupled with a miracle delivered by an unlikely Santa. It's only $3.00. Available at The Wild Rose Press.

Hope you all have a wonderful week and a Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Extreme Home Makeover

Do you watch Extreme Home Makeover? I do, every Sunday evening. I love that show. Well, my son-in-law called me tonight and he's going to help build one of their houses! He works for a company that does stucco and stone work on buildings and new homes. When the company was called and told to pick two men to do this, they chose him and his crew and another man and his crew! Next Friday he has to be at the location at 4am and they will be putting stacked stone on the front of the house. They have to finish by noon! I'm so excited!

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

My Mind Runneth Over...

You Should Be a Film Writer

You don't just create compelling stories, you see them as clearly as a movie in your mind.
You have a knack for details and dialogue. You can really make a character come to life.
Chances are, you enjoy creating all types of stories. The joy is in the storytelling.
And nothing would please you more than millions of people seeing your story on the big screen!


Well, that was a fun quiz. Thanks to Marly Mathews for that one! Lots to pour out of my overflowing mind tonight. First, I have a release date for LIGHTING THE TREE--drumroll....November 17. Woo hoo! I really like this story and how it fleshed out with the help of my editor, Rhonda. My hubby read it and he loves it...**grin**

FOXFIRE, my romantic suspense novel, is coming along nicely with the edits. Should hae those completed by the first of next week. They were really minor, no rewriting or fleshing needed, but...

I hurt my back and have been in major pain. I have arthritis in my spine and I had some discomfort for the past week or so, but Sunday I stepped out of the car after church and WHAM!!! I was in tears trying to get in the house. Spent the day laying around and refusing to go to the hospital. Monday went to the doctor. Couldn't see my regular doctor who is qualified to do chiropractic adjustments as well as medical treatment. Had to see the new guy in the clinic, who was young and didn't have a clue about me and my "back"ground. So, he says, "What do you want me to do? Give you a stronger pain medication?" Argh! I wanted to strangle him. Then he proceeds to say, "My father-in-law asks me for free medical advice and I tell him, you're getting older. What can I say?" At that point I wanted to punch his face. So...I wound up getting my arthritis medicine changed (at least he gave me a 30 days supply) and told to schedule an appointment with my regular doctor. Missed two days work and went in today, but I'm paying for it now.

So...what's going on in your world?

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

What are You Reading?

What are you all reading? I picked up THE MEMORY KEEPER'S DAUGHTER, by Kim Edwards, which I'm anxious to read. We are going to discuss it in one of my writing groups. When I was browsing the bookstore, I couldn't resist picking up LISEY'S STORY by Stephen King, too. But what I'm reading right now is Fannie Flagg's CAN'T WAIT TO GET TO HEAVEN. I love it! Fannie Flagg captured me after reading DAISY MAY AND THE MIRACLE MAN.

So what are you reading? Tell me about it. I love to hear about great books.