New Favorite Author Links

Current Facebook Status: has a million things to do to get ready for the girls’ birthday party and isn’t doing one of them ;). Thank God for a gorgeous day for an outside party!
Currently Playing in the Background: Children’s laughter and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Novel Track Update:  Haven’t written a word in days.  Will be happy with my 28Kish because of all the editing I’ve done on UHH.

Before you go look at the links over there…  I need to update my favorite author links.  Actually, I should probably find out what A. K. Arenz’s new site is and link to it because I know she has a zillion of them.

Those I need to add include but are certainly not limited to:

Seekerville
Julie Lessman
Mary Conneally
A. K. Arenz
Erica Vetsch
Don Brown
Randy Ingersoll [sp?]

And others I’m not thinking of at the moment :p.  Seekerville is insanely awesome, by the way.  SO MUCH great info for aspiring authors.  And they’re so wonderfully cool, too.  All of my interactions over there have been wonderfully positive this month!

So updating those links on the side is on my to do list.  Along with the million other things I need to do for the party.  I really should go get started…

Flash Fiction Friday, Vol. 7

Current Facebook Status: ‎- no school for the kids. They get to sleep in. Wishes she could but class then WAY too much to do today!
Currently Playing in the Background: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Choo Choo Express

ACK!  I know I’ve been remiss!  This was going to be Erynn Mangum Week because I’m supposed to be getting a free influencer copy of her new book, but I don’t have it yet.  As soon as I do, we’ll do EMW :).

Last week, Jan was at a conference and we didn’t get to do FFF.  I was going to do it on my own but it didn’t happen.  And this week has been crazy with a sick 9yo [Sinus Infection, pink eye], doc appointments, cookie making and birthday parties!

We actually did this last night and Jan posted hers on her blog last night.  Here’s mine :).  It goes with one from a couple of weeks ago.  I think this is going to be my project for NaNo which starts Monday.  We’ll see…  And yes, I know the pics are of Tony from NCIS and they don’t really fit, but I don’t have much time and I adore him so go with it ;).

They had only met once, but it was a meeting neither would ever forget.

Nick had been stuck at the airport.  He’d met a nice girl on the plane.  She lived in the area but storms in the area grounded any more flights.  There were hotels but they were expensive and he was broke.  Debbie offered to let him stay the night at her place.  One thing led to another and the next thing he knew, he woke up the next morning in her bed.

With her.

He’d continued home.  She’d been asleep when he had to leave, but he’d left his card with a note on it telling her to call him.  She had.  They’d… dated.  Sort of.  They hadn’t actually seen each other again – with him living in New York at the time and her in Chicago, it just wasn’t going to work.  They broke up, such as it was and went their separate ways.

He hadn’t heard from her in well over two years when the call had woken him up.  And now she was telling him that he was a father?

He put all of that out of his mind for the moment.  He needed to concentrate.  Figure out what he was going to do when he made it to the warehouse.  He needed to rescue Debbie and the boy and figure out who to call.  He probably needed to call Dave.

He sighed and picked up his cell phone from the front seat next to him.  “Dave.  I need help,” he said when his brother answered.  “And you probably need the Marshalls or the FBI or something.”  As quickly as he could, he told Dave what he knew and arranged to meet him near the warehouse.  He let Dave believe that he was going to stay outside, but there was no way in hell he really would.

He parked a couple of blocks away and started down the street, keeping in the shadows.  When he reached the building, he was amazed at the apparent stupidity of those in question.

The door was wide open.  Or partially open.

He was just going to scout arount, see what he could see.

But then he heard it.

A scream.

Debbie’s scream.

He entered the warehouse, his sidearm in one hand, a needless flashlight in the other.  A quick peek around the corner showed he was clear.  He ran quietly towards the screaming.  When he reached the main room, he could see them.  They wouldn’t be able to see him as long as he stayed on the catwalk above, but would he be able to help her from there?  They weren’t that far below him.

The first man raised his hand and backhanded Debbie.  She fell and sprawled onto the concrete.  The second man raised a gun.

“You’re going to do it or the kid’s going to die.”

Debbie looked up at her attacker.  She saw Nick behind them.  He knew she did because she relaxed impercebtibly.  The two of you are going to kill both of us anyway.”

Smart girl. There was only two of them.  He moved a bit further to his right.  He had both of them in his line of sight.  He took something out o fhis pocket and tossed it to the other side of the warehouse.

“Go check it out,” Thug One said.

“You go.  I’ve got the gun on her.”

Thug One started towards the other side of the room.  When he was far enough away, Nick made his move.

“Drop it!” he yelled.

Thug Two looked up, his weapon swinging towards Nick.  Nick double tapped his heart.  Thug One was running towards them.  Nick went down the stairs his weapon aimed straight at Thug One.  “Stop.  Hands in the air.”

Thug One wasn’t too smart, Nick decided because he kept coming.  Nick fired two more times, hitting him squarely in the chest.

Debbie scrambled to her feet, tears streaming down her cheeks.  “They’re coming, Nick.  More men are coming.  We’ve got to get Nicky and get out of here.”

Flash Fiction Friday, Vol. 6

Current Facebook Status: bought her cake and ate it too! Okay – it was Maggie’s cake but it was yummy either way!
Currently Playing in the Background: Matt/Gloria playing one of the Rainbow Six XBox games.

So, um, I sort of didn’t get a book review up but will make up for that soon :).

Today’s Flash Fiction Friday is really ‘tonight’s’ Flash Fiction Friday because we both had busy days!  And happy birthday to my wonderful little girl!  She’s NINE!

You can find Jan’s story on her blog.

When he got there her desk was in disarray and the phone was off the hook.  Tim stopped dead in his tracks.  He wasn’t sure why, but he was filled with a feeling of dread.  He’d tried to get her to open up about her past, but she’d refused saying that some things were left where they belonged.

But now…

Now, he wondered if her past had caught up with her.

He felt the blood drain from his face.  Gabrielle had been with her.  He girlfriend was missing and his daughter was with her.  Where could they be?

First things first, though.  He dug through the desk until he found the nondescript envelope – tattered and torn, it looked for all the world like an old love letter.  He knew better.  He opened it, found the book mentioned and started the tedious process of deciphering the clues the way she’d told him to.

When he was done, he called the number he found at the location he uncovered.

“Dawn, is everything okay?” the deep, quite masculine voice said.

“I don’t know who Dawn is, but Elise and my daughter are missing.  Her desk was ransacked and they’re nowhere to be found.”

“Stay there, sir.  Help is on it’s way.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Tim muttered.  “Who are you anyway?”

“A friend.  That’s all you need to know, son.  I’d go to the ends of the earth and back to protect Dawn and since your daughter’s with her, I’ll do the same for her.”

“Unless your name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I don’t find much reassurance in that.”

“My name’s not Gibbs, son.  It’s Clark.  John Clark.”

“He’s a Tom Clancy character.”

“Why do you think that’s my name?”

Time. There’s No Time. England Closing In…

Current Facebook Status: is laughing because she just got the email from Amazon saying her order has shipped – but the box got here about 3 hours ago ;). New books! Gotta love it!
Currently Playing in the Background: Biggest Loser
Current Novel Track Status: 3006 words for the day, 21505 for NT, 47919 for the manuscript

Okay – so that’s how I remember the quote from 1776.  England really isn’t closing in…

I have come to the conclusion that there simply is not enough time to do everything.

There.   My epiphany for the day! 😉

I have many things to do, too many for a mere 24 hours a day.  So I figure I need to break them down into categories and, yes, even subcategories.

Things I Have To Do:

  • Things I Want to do: Cuddle the kids
  • Things I Don’t Really Care About: eating – has to be done, but not always a high on the ‘really want to’ list
  • Things I Sometimes Want to Do but Not Always: Schoolwork, Work Out
  • Don’t Really Wannas: Clean the house, do laundry, bathe children
  • Would Rather Take a Long Walk Off A Short Pier: clean up puke

Things I Want To Do:

  • Things I Really Want To Do: Read, Write, Watch my Shows
  • Things I Sometimes Want to Do: Blog, Write reviews, Talk to Certain People, Emails I Don’t Want to Write

Some things belong in more than one category depending on the day.  Things like grading papers, lesson plans, writing reviews or blogging fit in that category.

The more I looked at it the more I decided that if I prioritized and scheduled – and more importantly STUCK TO IT – I could do all of the have-tos and most of the want-tos.

For me, I think that means doing the least desirable have-tos first and then have the rest of the day to do the want-tos.

What does that mean?  It means I made a schedule based on the day of the week and the HAVE TO have tos [like go to class] and made a schedule around them.

So for Tuesday/Thursday, the day would look like this:

6:30 – Get up, Bible Study, water, breakfast
7:00 – Laundry, Get girls up and ready, Get bags ready, pack lunch
7:40 – Bus for girls
7:45 – Leave for gym
8-9:10 – Gym/workout
9:10-9:30 – Shower, Hair, make-up, clothes
9:30-10:15 – Schoolwork
10:30 – Drop Christopher off
11:30 – School
1:15 – Pick up Christopher
1:45-2 – Naptime for C, Laundry, Change
2:00 – Writing II*
3:00 – Writing III*
4:00 – Room Rescues
4:15 – Kids
5:00 – Dinner prep
5:30 – Dinner
6:30 – Bath, Bedtime for kids
7:30 – Kids in bed
8:00 – Lights off – Em/C
8:30 – Lights off – M/A
8:00-10:00 Writing IV – Check to do lists for tomorrow, update calendar
10:00 – Ready for bed – Teeth, Hair, makeup removal, water for morning
10:30 Lights out

*5-10 minute break at the end of each hour to change/fold/put up/etc laundry or do other little things.

See?  Plenty of time!  No, there’s not much ‘cleaning’ on there but that’s for MWF which I will post another time.

So who’s going to help keep me accountable?

Monday Musings, Volume 1

Current Facebook status: Quote of the night: Matt [watching football]: take the time out! Christopher: I don’t want a time out!
Currently Playing in the Background: Imagination Movers

So now I have three days of standardized[ish] posts ;).  Monday Musings is pretty much whatever occurs to me – News and Notes from the last week or whatever else comes to mind.

Novel Track update: I’m currently at 15402 for the month.  I hit 4000 plus a couple yesterday!  WOOHOO!

News and Notes:

ACFW Conference is in St. Louis next year! WOOHOO!  That increases significantly the odds that I’ll get to go!

Tomorrow, Julie Lessman’s first book A Passion Most Pure should be here!  Her second two are waiting at the library :).

Friday, I got WITSEC for research purposes.  I also got Erica Vetsch’s The Bartered Bride for fun and enjoyed it.  Look for the review sometime in the future.

Saturday, I got to go shopping and to Olive Garden with Penny.  WOOHOO!  Needed a girls’ night out – and we got free dessert because our dinner took forever to get to us :).

Okay – those were pretty random but I’ll plan better next time!

Flash Fiction Friday, Vol. 5

Current Facebook Status: wonders when they’ll come up with self-cleaning, self-pressing and self-folding clothes. Or when the Mary Poppins snappy thing will start working for her. Either one.
Currently Playing in the Background: Big Bang Theory, Season 2, Disk 4

Yay!  Flash Fiction Friday!  Love it!

Today’s prompt was the first two sentences. 🙂  Of course, now I have more ideas flying through my head…  Here’s Jan’s.

I reached blindly for the phone.  “At 3 am, either someone better be dead or this better be Lisa.”

“No,” the voice on the other end of the line whispered.  “It’s Debbie.”

Debbie?  The only Debbie I knew was my ex-girlfriend.  My very ex-girlfriend.

I sat up and ran a hand through my hair.  “What do you want?”

“I’m in trouble, Nick.  I need your help.”

I wasn’t going to turn her down.  She knew it and I knew it.  I sighed and looked at the decidedly unrumpled other side of the bed.  Even if Lisa did make it home before dawn, I wouldn’t be there.

“What happened?”

“Some guys kidnapped me.  They wanted me to, um…”  She hesitated.  “Sleep with some guy to keep him busy while they stole something from him.”

I already had my jeans back on.  “And they’re letting you call me?”

“No.  They don’t know I had my phone.  They didn’t search me very well.”

“Well, that’s one point in your favor.  Where are you?”  I pulled my shirt over my head and hoped I didn’t miss anything.

“I think I’m down near the docks in that empty warehouse near Bleacher Street.”

“I know the place.  Can you get away?”  I tied my shoes as fast as I could.

“I think I could,” she whispered.  “But I can’t.  If you can’t help me, then I don’t have a choice.  I’ll have to sleep with this guy and I don’t want to do that.  I haven’t slept with anyone since…”

She stopped.

Since me.

That’s what she meant.  She hadn’t slept with anyone since me.

“Just get away and don’t worry about it.”  I pushed the button for the garage door, my cell phone tucked beneath my ear.

“I can’t.  They have him.”

“Who?”

I could almost see her close her eyes and pray for strength, just as she had so many times when we were together – when she had something important to say.  “Nicolo.”

“Who?”  I started the car.

“Nicolo Masters DiMarco.  Your son.”

What I’ve Read Wednesday, Volume 5

Current Facebook Status: feels all medicine head-y but hasn’t taken any medicine. Wonders if it’s allergies or the beginnings of a sinus infection :p.
Currently Playing the Background: getting ready to start tonight’s Survivor

Have I mentioned that I love Candace Calvert?  I am deeply saddened that her next book won’t be out for a while!  Three in a short time spoiled me!  The first two were already out when I started reading them and the third was nearly out.  You should check out her Facebook page.  She even tells you when she notices other favorite authors have free e-downloads ;).

By the way, currently Kindle has Brenda Warner’s First Things First is free.  So is Terri Blackstock’s Intervention and Tracie Peterson’s Dawn’s Prelude.

From the Back Cover:

Dr. Leigh Stathos likes her ER shifts fast, furious, and adrenaline-infused-“Treat ’em and street ’em”-with no emotional complications. Life’s taught her a soul-rending lesson: nothing lasts forever, including marriage. And the clock is ticking toward the end of hers. Then an unwelcome confrontation with “the other woman” begins a whole new set of lessons.

San Francisco police officer Nick Stathos never gives up, whether protecting his patrol neighborhood, holding fast to faith-or trying to save his marriage. Seven days is all he has to reach Leigh’s heart. But when a desperate act of violence slams Golden Gate Mercy Hospital into lockdown, it starts a chain of events that will change lives forever.

What I Liked:

  • Leigh and Nick Stathos – this book didn’t have a ‘will they, won’t they’ component to it for me.  I already knew whether Leigh and Nick would end up trying to fix their marriage.  Or I made an educated guess.  They have their faults.  Nick slept with another woman [this isn’t a spoiler; we learned it in Disaster Status].  He’s trying to make things right but he doesn’t completely cut contact with TOW.  He does have to have some contact with her in the course of work, but I think he probably should have been a bit clearer with her about her about the status of their relationship [or non-relationship] – I think a lot of people would have the same problem in that situation.  When the chips are down, though, I want Nick on my side.
  • Leigh wasn’t perfect either.  She had a hard time forgiving [though I don’t blame her for that].  She escaped to spend time with her horse more than she probably should have.
  • Riley.  She’s from Texas.  Something bad happened to her [I’m not entirely clear on what it was except it involved a flight of stairs so either a. I wasn’t paying close enough attention or b. we’re not supposed to really know what happened because Candace’s next series is set in Texas and Riley is going to go back to star in her own book – I’m going with b ;)]
  • Kristi and her kids – She’s just a mom trying to make a life for her kids.  She’s made some bad choices that she’s trying to make better.  She made some questionable choices while trying to make things better.  But overall she has the best interests of her kids at heart.
  • Cappy.  The hospital security guard who did his best to protect others.
  • Caroline – Leigh’s sister.  She’s got hard times behind her and is coming out stronger.  I’d like to see her move to Texas ;).
  • Antoinette and Harry.  So sweet.  ‘Forever and Ever.’
  • The wrap-up – at the end we got to see all three couples from the series together in one spot.  As much as I liked it though, I’d like more =D.  Me and my literary voyeurism!
  • There is a parrot ;).

What I Didn’t Like:

  • Sam – She’s the other woman intent on making Nick fall for her and her daughter.  She wants Nick to end his marriage to be with her.  I don’t think we were supposed to like her ;).
  • Kurt – Kristi’s ex.  But we’re not supposed to like him.  Unlike the ‘villain’ in Disaster Status, Kurt really is a bad guy.
  • This isn’t really a ‘dislike’ per se, but something I would have liked to see.  One of the symbols of their relationship is Leigh and Nick’s lack of dining room table.  As a reader, we know why Nick wants one and why Leigh doesn’t – what things happened to them that made them feel the way they did.  I would have liked to see them talk about it and come to some sort of compromise.
  • No Elmer Fudd or Jonah!  [Okay – Jonah made a cameo at the end but not nearly enough!]

Overall:

It’s not surprising that this is already on my bookshelf.  I thoroughly enjoyed Candace’s first two books [Reviews for them can be found under the Review tab].  I ordered this one since the library hadn’t.  They have now and I actually did get a copy of it from them last week.  I’ll be returning it for someone else to enjoy [didn’t realize I hadn’t canceled my request].  I am, however, saddened that it will be a while before there is another Calvert book out L.  I will have it ordered from Amazon before it’s released.

Edit: I’m squeeeeeeeeing because Julie Lessman posted on the Seekerville blog about hooks at the end of chapters [you know the ones that make you start the next chapter and then it’s 3am and you’ve finished the book].  She used one of Candace’s chapters from Critical Care. She asked people to post the ends of chapters so I posted the end of Chapter 3 and she loved it =D.  She also loved ‘literary voyeur’ ;).

Flash Fiction Friday, Vol. 4

Current Facebook Status: kept Em home because her head and back of her neck hurt and she wanted to sleep longer. She’s doing much better though :). Thanks for the prayers! [explanation: Em fell on the sidewalk yesterday and bonked her head – trip to Urgent Care followed because she was acting weird – Dx: mild concussion]
Currently Playing in the Background: NCIS from this week
Current Novel Track word count [only NT Novel]: 449 words of drivel, but 449 words more than I had this morning

Yay!  Flash Fiction Friday!  Get to hang out with Jan a bit, procrastinate on Novel Track and still write a few words ;).  I’m thinking some variation on this may end up in my NaNo project…  Jan’s is on her blog.  Anyone else wanna take a gander at it?  Use the first sentence, set the timer for five minutes and… GO!

The young executive stood in front of the picture window biting her nails.

The forest spread below her like a blanket.  This wasn’t where she wanted to be.  She wanted to be anywhere but staring at the pristine snow of the mountain meadow across the valley from her.  She wanted to be back in Florida.  On the beach.  Well, maybe not on the beach.  It was the wrong time of year for that, even in Florida, but at least she would have had the option of pulling on a hoodie and going for a jog on the boardwalk.

Instead she was here.  In the mountains.  In a state.  One of the United States.

Maybe.

She wasn’t even sure about where she was.

The window shades had been pulled closed during the flight.  They’d stopped in at least four cities, maybe more because she thought she’d slept through one of them.

All because of what she’d seen and who her grandfather was.

Had been.

Wasn’t anymore.

But still.  The mob didn’t forget and she’d gone to surprise her grandfather – a former federal agent – only to find herself running from a hit.  She’d managed to get away, but she’d seen who killed her grandfather.

Who she was sure had killed her cousins when they arrived not long after she’d left.

Some surprise party it had been.

“When can I go home?” she whispered.

The agent in the room hadn’t heard her so he didn’t respond, but she hadn’t been talking to him anyway.

“I look to the hills from whence my help cometh.”  Quoting the Bible, via The Sound of Music.  She was going to lose it if this went on too long.

Novel Track and NaNoWriMo

Current Facebook Status: is up and at ’em.  Lots to do and so little time to do it.  Or something.  At least she’s not so loopy she’s going on and on about candy pumpkins again ;).
Currently playing in the background: Playhouse Disney

EEP!  National Novel Writing Month is only a month away!

Double EEP!  Novel Track starts tomorrow!

Novel Track is ACFW’s answer to NaNo – four months a year, you set your own goal of at least 10K words and when you meet your goal, you get a badge to put on your blog or website :).  My goal for October Novel Track [January, April and July are the other months] is 50K words which should finish my WIP [Work in Progress] – the sequel to Unbreak Her Heart.  Well, it’ll finish the rough draft – which will be very, very rough, I’m sure.

I think I’ve decided on my NaNo project as well!  I’m going to do something completely different – based in part on the Flash Fiction from Sept. 10.  I wrote a couple paragraphs for a friend and outlined the basics in another paragraph – she liked it as much as I did :).  I’m contemplating turning it into a Romantic Suspense book but that would mean research into things like Witness Protection ;).  I’ve already started doing some other research – turns out a friend’s husband is on the board of an organization in town that my play a role, etc.

So – can I write 100K in the next two months?

Triple EEP!

Okay – yes, I can.  I wrote nearly 65K last Nano and 100K the year before that [nothing I could whip into publishable shape but I did it!] so it’s possible.  I just need to make sure I write 2K a day.  I can do that.  Um, yep.  I can.  [Technically, 50K a month is about 1667 words a day, but 2K a day gives a buffer for those days it doesn’t happen at all.]

One problem I anticipate having is writing in a vacuum. I have no beta readers/critique partners at the moment so no one to send it off to.  Except maybe one.  Hmmm… Will have to ask her about that.  We’ll see how the writing in a near vacuum goes…  ACFW has a critique group designed, as I understand it, to help with critiques and then help people find each other and break off into smaller critique groups.  There’s an orientation of sorts the first 2 business days of the month [tomorrow and Monday] so there’s hope of finding someone soon :).

In order to get it all done, I need to make To Do Lists and stick to them!  That’s my problem – I’m great at making them, not so great at sticking to them.  Working on that too…

So I will be eeping for the next two months as I try to get this done.  I’ll be posting my word counts and excerpts here [favorite sentence of the day maybe?] so watch this space!

The writing frenzy is about to begin!

What I’ve Read Wednesday, Volume 4

Current Facebook Status: was watching Christopher dance and was sad when he stopped. But then he was a race car and now playing baseball. What a fun little guy :).

Currently Playing in the Background: The Hot Dog Dance – do it, you know you wanna ;).  Moving from Daisy’s Dance to Donald’s Balloon [yes, he should be asleep – I don’t watch these on my own :p]

I had planned on reading Code Triage by the fabulous Candace Calvert, but only got part of it read today :(.  Will finish it tomorrow and then post it next week.  Have been working on getting the books due back tomorrow reviewed so I have plenty in the queue.  Today, I’m going with the sequel to the previously reviewed One Tuesday Morning by Karen Kingsbury [and the book of hers I’ve had on hold since June is FINALLY ready for me to pick up].

From the back of the book:

Well, it has no copy on the back of the book so here’s the description from Zondervan’s website:

The hope-filled sequel to the bestselling One Tuesday Morning In this new novel by Karen Kingsbury, three years have passed since the terrorist attacks on New York City. Jamie Bryan, widow of a firefighter who lost his life on that terrible day, has found meaning in her season of loss by volunteering at St. Paul’s, the memorial chapel across the street from where the Twin Towers once stood. Here she meets a daily stream of people touched by the tragedy, including two men with whom she feels a connection. One is a firefighter also changed by the attacks, the other a police officer from Los Angeles. But as Jamie gets to know the police officer, she is stunned to find out that he is the brother of Eric Michaels, the man with the uncanny resemblance to Jamie’s husband, the man who lived with her for three months after September 11. Eric is the man she has vowed never to see again. Certain she could not share even a friendship with his brother, Jamie shuts out the police officer and delves deeper into her work at St. Paul’s. Now it will take the persistence of a tenacious man, the questions from her curious young daughter, and the words from her dead husband’s journal to move Jamie beyond one Tuesday morning.

What I Liked:

  • I liked this one better than One Tuesday Morning.  That one was too clichéd for my taste.  This one was better.
  • I liked Jamie’s work at St. Paul’s.  I hope it’s still going on if it’s still needed.
  • I still love her daughter.  I love her daughter’s questions.
  • I love Clay Michaels.  I liked him in the last book, but I loved him here.  I loved how he came to the rescue of those in need, when in need – including Jamie.
  • I liked Aaron.  I wish we’d seen more of what happened to him.
  • It was fairly obvious to me who Jamie was going to end up with – her late husband’s boss or the brother of the man who looks just like her late husband.  However, the ‘will they or won’t they’ aspect was still interesting enough.

What I Didn’t Like:

  • Nothing in particular.

Overall:
This book was better than the first one in my opinion.  It wasn’t fabulous but it was worth a reread from time to time – probably without having reread the first one first.  It can stand on its own after reading One Tuesday Morning once.  Tom Clancy books I feel the need to reread through the whole series before the new ones come out, but this one I won’t.

7.5 out of 10

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