Back Talk

What does it take to make a book "good?" Does it have to be an Oprah pick? A New York Times Best-Seller? A hardback? Does it need to be a social commentary, a mystery thriller, or an epic Science Fiction? Or does it just need to entertain? To take you away from your everyday problems and stress?

As a lover of romance novels for more than thirty years, I've been on the receiving end of more than my share of sneers and jibes. You'd think I was reading pornography from some of the comments I've received. Of course, these comments usually come from someone who wouldn't stoop to the level of actually reading one.

The old view of romance novels as "bodice rippers" no longer applies. Today's romance novels are about feisty women who know what they want and go after it. They are all about love, commitment, and happily ever after. They are about women who stand up for what they believe in, who have interesting careers, and who can stand toe to toe with a man and hold her own.

If you like mystery and suspense, you can find that in a romance novel. If you like sci-fi and paranormal activity, you can find that too, as well as medical dramas, comedies, and family sagas. So why is there such prejudice against romance novels?

I think the feminist movement was part of the reason. At a time when women were struggling to be seen as equals, the romance genre was still a step behind. The novels of the seventies featured a quieter, meeker heroine than you'll find in current novels. She was still submissive and often taken advantage of. Not so today. Any hero who tries to hold a romance heroine under his thumb is very likely to end up with a black eye!

Like it or not, romance novels are big business. In spite of its undeserved reputation, Romance is still the biggest selling genre, comprising 54.9% of paperback fiction sales. In comparison, mystery novels hold about 29.6% of the market, Science-Fiction a mere 6.9%, and general fiction about 12.9%.

Romance authors like Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, JoAnn Ross, and Jennifer Cruisie consistently dominate the Best-Seller lists. Many people don’t realize that Janet Evonovich is a romance author, as are Suzanne Brockman, Linda Lael Miller, Lisa Jackson, Sandra Brown, Lisa Gardner, Tess Gerritson...the list goes on and on. And not all romance authors are women. James Patterson and Bob Mayer have recently joined the ranks of the Romance Writers of America.

Romance authors are often perceived as bored housewives who lounge at their computers in their satin dressing gowns, munching Godiva chocolates as they pen their stories. Not true. (Well, the Godiva chocolate part might be true.) Today’s romance authors are doctors, dentists, lawyers, college professors, scientists, CPA’s, FBI agents, CEO’s and CFO’s of major corporations, just to name a few. With backgrounds like those, they can’t help but have great stories to tell.

So, I’m issuing a challenge. If you haven’t read a romance novel in the last three years, pick one up. I challenge you to read Lisa Gardner’s latest and not stay up half the night to finish it. I challenge you to try any one of JoAnn Ross or Allison Brennan’s books and not look under the bed before you turn out the lights. I challenge you to be truly well-read by including romance in your daily fiction diet.

Writing through the hard times

I think I finally figured out why writing has been so darned hard lately. I'm trying to work two jobs, deal with kids who are out of college for the summer and either at home (requiring that I cook more regular meals) or are living out of state (adding to my list of things to worry about), and my mother just left after a six week visit. Diagnosis?

I'm stressed and exhausted.

I sit down to write at night after working all day doing hard physical labor out in the hot Texas sun, and all I really want to do is go to bed. But I feel guilty if I don't write, so I end up revising already written pages instead of writing new ones. I long for the days when my husband went off to work and I stayed home and wrote. Now when he goes to work, I'm right there with him. When I'm home, he's home. I never get a break. I love him dearly, but I'd give just about anything for a full day at home alone. A day when I didn't have a to-do list a mile long, didn't have any expectations except how many pages I want to write.

I've Had It!

With clutter, that is. After 33 years of marriage, 4 kids, and inheriting the stuff my mom didn't want to move to Colorado with her, my house, garage, and storage shed are overflowing. It's hard to keep the house clean when every room is packed full of sentimental garbage.

Dh and I are starting today on our decluttering campaign. We're going to be ruthless. If it doesn't serve a purpose, it's outta here. Sentimental crap will be offered to the kids or other relatives. If they don't want it, it's gone. Only papers essential to our survival, careers, or the IRS will be allowed to remain. That cute little ceramic bear I bought on one of our flea markets prowls is history. The clothes in the closet that I keep thinking I might get back into "someday" are going to Goodwill. (Hey, if I lose a bunch of weight, I'm going to want new stuff anyway, right?)

The dogs can sense something's up, and they're nervous. But dang, I'd never get rid of my dogs!

Popped by Pop-ups and some small news

This is a warning to all companies who advertise by putting pop-ups on my computer. Do it, and I won't ever in this lifetime use your services again. Okay, so I'm only one person, but I'm pretty sure these sentiments are reflected by millions of others who hate pop-ups with a passion. I consider any company advertising this way as unethical and borderline criminal. And I'm not talking about the pop ups you get when you visit a website. I'm talking about those ones that come out of the blue when you're surfing. The Windows cleaner, the anti-virus one that first sends you this dire warning that your computer has been infected by some worm. (Yeah, and it's theirs). Like I'm going to just pop over and let you fix it. I'm not that stupid.

Today Expedia decided to join the war on my computer. I've used Expedia in the past to find airline fares, but no more. They just put themselves on my shit list. And yes, I could install a pop up blocker. But then I wouldn't know who to add to my do-not-visit-or-buy-from list.

Same goes for spammers. Spam me, you lose me as a customer. And I know these guys are just shaking in their boots, but hey, I know a lot of people. I'm a writer. I know how to persuade people to think my way when I'm passionate about something. And this is one thing I'm quickly becoming passionate about.

Now for the small news. Got a request for the full of Winner Takes All--something else I'm passionate about. I still love that book. Yes, it could probably use some revision (much as the idea has me shaking in my boots, since it's been revised so much already), but I still love those characters, and I have a sequel idea for it using many of the same characters, but with Suzanne and Stan as heroine/hero. I'm holding off writing it, though, until WTA finds a home. Right now I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but continuing on with the current WIP.

It's a dreary, cloudy day with big thunderstorms threatening this afternoon. We lost some tree branches Friday morning in the big storm that blew through, my daughter's room leaked yet again, but otherwise no real damage. I'd like to keep it that way, Mother Nature, if it's all right with you.

Tori

Great writers must be beautiful???

We've been talking about this on the WNP blog...an agent posted on her blog that in order for authors to get picked up these days, they really need to be attractive so they can be promoted via television and print media. She said that if you don't see the author's pic in the back of the book, it probably means she's a dog (okay, I'm paraphrasing here). This post really bothered me on several levels. One, I started reading some of my favorite authors long before their pics ever appeared on their dust jackets. Would seeing their picture have made any difference in my choice? Not at all. I loved the books, couldn't have cared less what they looked like. But in this looks-conscious society, I can see the agent's point--even if it pisses me off.

This is where I think the e-book revolution can make a huge impact. Most people don't know
what their online friends look like, unless maybe they visit their blogs to look, and most of us don't care. I've learned that sometimes beautiful people have ugly insides, and ugly people often have beautiful insides. And it's what's inside that counts. What's inside is what will show on the page: the morals, the beliefs, the way of looking at life that translates itself onto the page.

But if publishing is only chasing after the all-mighty dollar rather than seeking to find works with heart, soul, and engaging characters, we will probably watch print books fade slowly into the past, and e-books will soar to the forefront.

Tori

Finally, a day off

We've been working 12 hour days lately and I'm beat. My writing is suffering terribly--as in no writing being done at all. I have been trying to edit a few pages a day, but I end up nodding off at the computer and give up in favor of trying to catch at least 6 hour of sleep before the alarm goes off. I keep promising my husband that I'll finish this book, because I have a really strong feeling that this one might sell, but without a break in the work schedule, it just isn't happening. Now I have the next 5 days off--glory hallelujah!--so we'll see how much I can get done. My goal is to finish polishing and editing the 200 pages I have so far and sending those off to Hilary Sares, then hitting the keyboard hard enough to write another 50 pages. We'll see if that happens. But first, there's the mowing and the laundry and the vacuuming and dusting and sweeping and...

I need to win the lottery so I can just stay home and write books!

We did our family Easter party a week early, and we had a blast. Almost the entire extended family gathered at my mother-in-law's house, many bearing dishes for lunch. I love these family dinners and wish we could do them more often, but they're a huge burden on whoever hosts the party, so we keep them to just major holidays. Anyway, it was fun to watch the little ones hunt eggs in BJ's huge front yard. DH took some really good pictures with his new Nikon, and I even let him take mine (I hate having my picture taken.)

My oldest grandson mistook an egg dye tablet for a Sweettart and started chewing it. Much panic ensued (on his part, anyway) when his mouth, tongue, and teeth turned blue. Took his mother 10 minutes with a toothbrush, some Crest, and baking soda to get him back to a semi-normal look.

Hey, don't miss the Wet Noodle Posse e-zine this month. Some really great articles over there.
http://www.wetnoodleposse.com

More Pics

We finally got Daisy out from under the desk for another picture. Blue was not to be outdone, however, and got downright silly in his effort to swing the attention back his way.

A new career?

My husband has pretty much worn out his joints pouring concrete for the last 35 years and is hoping to make a new career out of photography. There's a pretty steep learning curve involved as he tries to figure out his new Nikon D70 digital SLR, but I'm taking advantage of his practice shots to get some new pics for my blog. So here are a few of his first efforts. The first one is Blue, my Blue Heeler. The second is Paddy, the calf we thought we were going to lose. The third is Daisy, hiding from the camera. She's my writing buddy. The last is a view of the back of the house, from behind the barbed wire fence.

Golden Heart and Rita Finalists

Yesterday was a big day in the world of RWA. Calls went out to notify finalists in the Golden Heart and Rita contests--kind of like the Academy award nominations of television. There is nothing quite like getting that phone call. The members of the Wet Noodle Posse (www.wetnoodleposse.com) made a pretty impressive showing, with 8 members getting a total of 11 finals in the Rita and Golden Heart. The WNP is made up of member of the 2003 Golden Heart finalist group who banded together and formed lasting friendships. Many of our members have gone on to sell, others are on the verge. Hopefully these latest finals will push a few more over the top. I couldn't be happier for my Noodler sisters.

I didn't final, but it didn't bother me as much this year. Agents and editors have responded positively to my characters, but other writers take issue with my heroine, at least in the beginning. For some reason, as writers we think our heroine has to be immediately likeable, but I tend to think a story needs to leave room for characters to grow and change. My heroine is initially spoiled and at loose ends, but she ultimately finds her calling and learns that there's a lot more to life than money.

Okay, so it didn't final. That's the last GH attempt for this particular heroine. If she doesn't sell this year, I'll put the book aside until after I sell another, then maybe revisit the ms and see if I can change it in some way to make it better. But I don't think these particular characters will ever leave me alone completely. I still love them all. But now it's time to get back to the work in progress--and it's time to FTDB. (Finish the d**n book)

March Madness

Well, I got a rejection from Kim on the full ms. Yeah, it hurt. I cried. But I got over it. She said some nice things about my writing and characters, but ultimately she didn't fall in love with it. I wish someway, somehow, I could figure out what this book needs to push it over the edge. It's one of those books that just won't let me go. The first two, I was able to move on after the rejections, even though they came so close to selling. But this one just won't let go. Oh well. It's entered in the Golden Heart. If it finals, I'll submit it a few more places, if it doesn't, I might try going the e-pub route.

Had a little bit of excitement around here with the birth of a new calf. He somehow never figured out how to nurse or something, and we almost lost him. But with the help of penicillin for his cold and fresh cow's milk from the local dairy, we got him back on his feet and he's nursing from his mama. I got a bath (licking) from his mama for saving him. You could tell she was saying thank you. Too cool.

Youngest son went to California for Spring Break because he didn't want to just sit at home. So for $200, he got to sit at his brother's apartment. Everyone was too busy or too involved in other things to take him anywhere or do anything with him. That's just sad. I'll have to find a way to make it up to him, I guess.

I've been so busy pouring concrete that I haven't had the time or energy to write much this month, other than to start another story I don't have time to finish. But I'm determined to put my office in order and get back to it ASAP! Just as soon as the DARA conference is over. :)

Goodness, has it really been almost two months since my last post? Well, not really since I post on the 15th of every month over at the Wet Noodle Posse blog (http://wetnoodleposse.blogspot.com/) but I forgot to post here.

Anyway, I got--and quit--a job. Quit before I started, actually. I decided it didn't make sense to drive 45 miles each way, after dark on lonely country roads to work 4 hours a day for $8 an hour. I lost--and regained--an editor. Read a blurb in the RWR that Kim Cardascia had been removed from the list of acquiring editors at St. Martin's and nearly had heart failure. Kim has a full of one book and a partial of another. I love Kim, thought she was the sweetest person I'd ever met when I had my appointment with her at the RWA Dallas conference. She's my dream editor. We even grew up in the same town and went to rival high schools--though admittedly she went many years after I did. Anyway, I was relieved to learn she's still at St. Martin's, just not taking any more mss right now so she can deal with her already heavy work load.

I was totally blown away today. My sister and I haven't gotten along in years and I don't talk to her much. But my mom sent me a copy of my nephew's new CD and I was amazed. That boy has talent. You can listen to cuts from the CD here.. http://www.calebmillermusic.com/HomePage.html

I've been really sad and depressed lately. My oldest son has decided to stay in California for a few more years. We'd just finally gotten him home for a few months when he went back out there for what was supposed to have been a temporary contract. Well, he has a new girlfriend now, and she can't move for several years, so he's staying out there to be with her. Yes, I'm happy for him, but I miss him.

I'll be back soon, but right now some chocolate chip cookies are calling my name...

I'm through!

Christmas shopping, that is. It was a challenge this year, to say the least. Not having much money to spend really makes you think about what you're buying. Normally, I buy way too
much, because I'll see something I think my kids would want, then something else, and something else, and then even more. Half of it never gets used, or gets returned. This year, if they take it back, they'll have nothing left. :)

But I'm glad it's over for another year. Now the cooking, cleaning, and candy making begin. I have to wonder why I do so much. None of us needs 8 different kinds of candy, 3 different kinds of pies, or 10 different breakfast selections for Christmas morning. But traditions are hard for me to break, even when the kids reassure me that they don't really care.

I think I may test them on that next year.

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Tori

I found it!

The Woman's World cover this week is red, and it has "Fit into your skinny jeans by January 1" in white letters on the cover. I found my copies at Walmart in Terrell, TX.

And I got my first bunch of emails from friends who have read it. It feels wonderful!

Pam

It's Out!!!!

My Woman's World story is on the store shelves!! JoAnn Ross reported finding it in Tennessee, and Fredericka Meiners found it in Chicago. If you see it in your town, please post here so we can see Where in the USA is The Christmas Wish.

It's in the issue marked Dec. 20th. Don't know what the cover looks like yet, but I'll post here as soon as I find a copy.

I'm so excited!! (You'd have never guessed, would you?)

Tori/Pam

Happy Thanksgiving

Hopefully, we all give thanks throughout the year for the blessings in our life, but on Thanksgiving Day, we're reminded to stop and take stock, to give thanks to God for what He has done. Maybe it's politically incorrect, but I've never been accused of being politically correct anyway. I believe in God, I talk to Him every day, I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and I treasure my relationship with Him. Today, as I look back over the past year, I have many things to be thankful for even though it's been one of the hardest years of my life.

We lost my father-in-law in May, and we still miss him terribly. This will be our first Thanksgiving without him. But I'm thankful that my children had him in their lives for so many years. I'm thankful that he left them with a lifetime of good memories. He was a man who did and said the same things over and over, which at the time irritated some. But in doing so, he left a legacy of sayings--Paism's, if you will. When the kids were small, I didn't like for them to eat candy. When we went to visit Pa, he'd put the kids in his truck and drive them to Phil's Corner and buy them a Chick-O-Stick and M & M's. To this day, we associate Chick-O-Sticks with Pa.

When we sat down to Thanksgiving dinner, he'd say "A thousand good things to eat, and most of them beans." He always waited until every family member had filled their plate before he sat down to eat. I suspect that's a leftover from the days of the depression when his mother did the same thing, waiting to be sure there was enough before she took any. He'd pull his guitar out after dinner and play and sing, until his fingers were too gnarled with rheumatoid arthritis to play anymore.

It's sad that this Thanksgiving his children won't be gathering around the dinner table together. We're all doing our own thing with our own families and my mother-in-law, who didn't feel up to having the usual family gathering, is going to a granddaughter's house for dinner. But I'm thankful that two of my four children will be home, my grandsons will be here, and that my other two will spend the day together in California. We'll miss them both terribly, but at least they aren't alone.

I hope when I'm gone, my kids will remember me fondly instead of remembering the mistakes I made. Yes, Pa was difficult to get along with for some, but his family always, always, knew he loved them. I hope my kids know the same, that I love them, every single one of them, with an intensity I can't even describe. It doesn't matter if there were years I wanted to lock them away until they gained some common sense. Those years are past, this is now, and I love them, no holds barred. I'm so proud of each of them I could bust. There's nothing they could do to make me stop loving them, even if I was disappointed in them for a moment. Love overcomes disappointments. (Not that one of my kids has ever disappointed me in anything important. They're great kids.)

I have a husband who loves me in spite of my weight, in spite of my tendency to get mad over little things, in spite of my lack of "June Cleaver" skills. Martha Stewart I'm not. I love him with my whole heart, and I'm so glad I still have him with me.

So that's my Thanksgiving blessing. I'll be with people I love and who love me, and we'll hope that Pa and my dad are celebrating Thanksgiving right along with us, even if we can't see them. We'll feel their presence. And I totally expect to hear my husband say, "A thousand good things to eat, and most of them beans," as I set the green bean casserole on the table.

This has been a wild and crazy few weeks. Between tooth troubles and wearing my poor car into the ground driving 150 miles a day, doing an enrollment for a 2600 employee group (and no, I don't get all the money, only a small part of it. Don't I wish though!) and trying to get my entry ready for the Golden Heart contest, I'm dragging.

Yesterday I was at the campus police department doing enrollments, and one of the officers made the comment to someone else that anyone who said they'd never contemplated killing their spouse was lying. I got to thinking about that. I think I can honestly say the only way I've thought about killing my husband was in a literary sense. I have, however, thought about what life would be like if I was alone. I'd write for hours a day, eat whenever and whatever I wanted, go places and do things.

Wrong. I had a chance to find out what it would be like this past weekend. My husband and two oldest kids went to Branson, Missouri, to see Ray Stevens in one of his last performances before he retires at the end of this month. I was looking forward to those four days alone, had big plans for cleaning and organizing things, going shopping, eating things I wouldn't want to eat in front of the dh (read, chocolate. Lots of it!) Did I?

Nope. The days were okay, but the nights were hell. We have a budding serial killer across the street, so being alone after dark made me way more nervous than I'd expected. I didn't sleep well at all. And not sleeping well meant I didn't feel like doing much during the day. My teeth hurt too bad to eat much of anything, either. I accomplished exactly zero, but now I know I definitely don't want my dh to go away again--ever. :)

They had a great time, though, and it was good for them to spend some quality time together. They all have so many responsibilities that they don't get to do that often enough. As for me, I think I like my life just the way it is. That's not to say I still wouldn't mind winning the lottery. :)
The first pic up there is of my dh and our oldest son. The second is of the dh and our oldest daughter. Both pictures were taken at the concert.

Wow, has it really been that long?

Can't believe how long it's been since I posted. I've been busy enrolling teachers in a cafeteria plan. It's been interesting, though exhausting. The highlight of the last two weeks was taking an Aflac duck to an autistic child who says "Aflac" when you ask him what sound a duck makes. He was so excited about the duck. And he was absolutely adorable. I think Aflac should hire him as their poster child.

Anyway, Golden Heart time is almost here, and I'm not sure if I'm going to skip it again this year. As the hubby says, if I were to final, it would cost him over $1000. Well, yeah, because if I finaled again, I'd definitely have to go to the National conference in Atlanta. So, since there's no way we can afford that, I'm probably going to skip it and just try to finish my latest book. There's always next year (which is what I said last year.)

I have a book recommendation for you. Blaze, by JoAnn Ross. It's as hot as its name. Whew! I needed a cold shower by the time I finished it.
JoAnn is a master at the craft of writing, and she's a darned nice lady to boot.

My news for the month: I sold a short story to Woman's World magazine. Watch for "The Christmas Wish" around December 13th. Everyone told me it was a really hard market to break into, so I almost didn't even try. First try, sold the story. Now I'm trying to see how hard it is to sell them a second story. :)

Just two more weeks of 14 hour days and 150 mile round trips to work and then I'll have more time to blog. I know you're all just waiting with bated breath out there. :)

Tori

Writers in the Storm

Romance writers across the country responded to the plight of the hundreds of thousands displaced by Hurricane Katrina. These are women, for the most part, who have full-time jobs, families, deadlines, and responsibilities of their own, yet they set aside their own burdens and took up the burdens of others.

Why? The reasons are as varied as the women themselves. For some, it was because other romance writers, people they knew personally, lost everything to the hurricane. For others it was because they have skills needed by the victims—nursing skills, counseling skills, organization skills. For a few, it was because they’ve been blessed and are quick to share what God has given them.

Kensington Author Sandy Blair opened her beautiful home to a family of total strangers. Her husband grabbed them as they climbed from a bus, straight from New Orleans. He didn’t even wait for them to go through the FEMA processing. He had no idea who these people were, but he knew they needed his help. He took them home, and he and Sandy opened their home, and their hearts. They bought the family clothes and shoes (they were barefoot when they arrived in Texas), fed them, supplied them with toiletries and personal items. Karen Potter offered her calling card so the refugee family could call fellow writer Dr. Debra Holland, who had offered her services as a crisis counselor. (Dr. Holland was also in the process of making arrangements to fly to the Gulf Coast to counsel other refugees.) Other members of the Wet Noodle Posse (http://www.wetnoodleposse.com/) sent Target and Wal-Mart gift cards to the family.

Author Bridget Stuart took her boys shopping to buy supplies to take to relief organizations. The daughters of one Dallas author set up a lemonade stand in their front yard to raise money for disaster relief. The children of another emptied their piggy banks to help out. Three-time Golden Heart winner Delle Jacobs donated custom cover art for auction.

Austin author Amy Elias, a member of the eHarlequin online community and a registered nurse, worked long, hard hours packing relief kits, then treated wounds and gave tetanus shots to refugees who flooded the Palmer Center. She went back the next day to work a thirteen hour shift with patients with Alzheimers and dementia. Many other members of eHarlequin contributed time, money, critiques for auctions, and prayers as they were able. Merry is busy making quilts for refugees. Josh is a Navy weatherman who helped coordinate the flights of relief planes. Harlequin has donated money to the relief effort.

JoAnn Ross was one of many authors and editors participating in auctions on eBay to offer critiques to raise money for hurricane victims. Several of the Dallas Area Romance Authors were on hand at Reunion Arena to offer help, as well as gathering books to help the refugees take their mind off their problems for a little while. Many authors have opened their checkbooks and offered most of their available cash.

Nora Roberts is matching any donations made to Habitat for Humanity if they’re mailed to her husband’s bookstore. And the list just goes on and on.

The stories these authors have to tell about the people they’ve helped would break your heart. We heard about the looters and shooters, about the rapes and murders in the Superdome. But the real people of New Orleans and Gulfport and Pass Christian are the people who have nothing left, yet are grateful to be alive. They are the people who worry more about others than about themselves, telling rescuers to take care of the next fellow because he needs help more than they do—when all they have are the clothes on their backs. They are the mothers who have been separated from their children and have no idea if they are dead or alive. They are the families coming apart at the seams from the stress they've just been through. The children starting new schools far from home, strangers in strange circumstances, who are afraid to make friends because they will probably change schools again in a few days or weeks.

I'm so proud of these women who are going above and beyond to do whatever they can for people they don't know and may never meet.

Nail biting time

I'm haunting the mail box again. Several things are due to show up soon--one of them being the final answer on whether or not a certain popular woman's magazine is buying my short story or not. The editor sent me a letter back in April asking if she could hold on to my story until August or September, because that's when they acquired their holiday stories--and mine was a Christmas story. She said she really liked it, just had to run it by the senior editor during the decision-making time. So my fingernails are gnawed to the bone.

I also have a full manuscript at St. Martin's that's been there since the end of May, and a partial with an agent that's been there since mid-April. I'm chomping at the bit because I have other stories I want to submit, but have to wait a bit on those.

Work is driving me nuts. I signed on with AFLAC, thinking I could do it part-time, around the concrete work and my writing. But after a whirlwind trip to California to take the baby girl to college, we're behind on the concrete and have jobs lined up for the next two weeks, my AFLAC district leader is about ready to brain me because I'm the only one in my group who hasn't sold anything yet (who has time???), and my writing is suffering terribly. I want to turn the clock back and go back to last fall, when I had lots of time to myself to just do what I wanted to do.

Tori
http://tinyurl.com/27kdl

Wow, what a summer!

It's been a wild run and it isn't over yet. Since my father-in-law died in May, I haven't had a single day to myself. Besides working with my husband in the concrete business now, I've also taken on a sales job for AFLAC, selling supplemental insurance products. Great company, great products, but very stressful for a new salesperson. They have weekly quotas that I don't have a prayer of being able to meet--not where I live. Added to that stress is the stress of trying to get two kids ready to go off to college for the first time (youngest), or back to college for their junior year (second youngest) on a limited budget and while working the other two jobs.

And in the midst of that, I got a new idea for a hot, sexy story that I love. Wrote 10 pages last night. The first 25-30 pages of a book are always the easiest to write for me. It's pages 31-389 that are hard (the last 10 pages being pretty easy, also). Anybody else agree with that?

Well, it's after 8 and I should already be headed down the AFLAC highway. Have a great day!