Christmas is coming!

And I have been busy, painting, crocheting, knitting, quilling, and recently added hours of searching Pinterest for beaded snowflake designs and ideas. I've been working on the ornaments that usually help pay the bills this time of year, and the last of those will be leaving my hot little hands (okay, they're actually cold most of the time) tomorrow for their new homes. 

What does all of this have to do with my writing? Well... it keeps it from happening, of course.

But never fear... once Christmas festivities are over with and life calms back down to a dull roar, I hope to get back to Ishira and all its inherent issues, romances, joys, and dangers.  And I'll be brushing off the NaNo novel and getting it in shape for beta readers, in case it's something that I might want to publish.

Don't give up on me! I'm working on it, I promise. :D

taking a little break

Sorry that I have not been updating recently. I've been taking a wee bit of a break, since my hubby's been out of school for the holiday. :) I'll be back bright and early on Monday, hopefully with something juicy/good to report on or talk about. lol

In the meantime, please remember to shop local as much as you can, and if you're buying books for your loved ones, try to support independent booksellers, rather than the big-box stores. When possible, buy hand-made from artisans you know, to help support them and their art. All of us indie authors and artisans will thank you for your patronage!

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend (heck, I know folks who are still traveling and spending time with family over the whole 4-day holiday!), and remember that Monday is Cyber-Monday, so save a bit of spending cash for that, too! :)

hugs and much love to you all! :)

oh, and for those that are interested in arts and crafts, I have started a separate blog (under my real name) for that kind of thing... reviews of products, crafts I try, and project processes for different kinds of crafts.

All Strings Attached!
check it out!

The Hat

here is The Fucking Hat (as my sweet hubby dubbed it)
This was his birthday present this year, for his 42nd b-day. *grin* Somehow, it seems fitting...

Please remember: HE picked out this design! I love my man! LOL

 Cuff down

                                         Cuff up

                                                                                                  Original pattern as it was graphed.

For those who are sick/twisted enough to want to knit this yourself, the graph can be found under 'fornicating reindeer' (i believe) on Ravelry.

I used Paton's Classic wool in royal blue and white, on size 7 needles, and did 3 repeats of the pattern. My hubby shaves his head, and this fits well, so if your recipient has a lot of thick hair, you'll probably want to either go up a needle size or two, or add a few stitches here and there to stretch the pattern.

Hmmmmm

yesterday, I worked my fingers off on the sub-plot for Brothers in Arms, second book in the Hearts of Ishira series. I was happy with what I wrote, but not.

The more I write about the sub-plot, the more it thinks it deserves its own book! WTF? You're supposed to be secondary to the main story, NOT primary! LOL

So now I'm thinking it might just be a third book. I just don't know, and not knowing is KILLING me! LOL

okay, it's not killing me, but it is ripping me apart inside, frustrating the crap out of me, and begging me to take each 'part' of this book seriously.

So do I write both stories, trading chapters? Do I put little pieces of the sub-plot into the main story, building up to where the two meet? Do I see where both lead, and if there's enough to each, make them their own separate stories? I think I have enough imagination to make that happen *grin*.

Ah well... All I DO know is that until I get it figured out, my beta readers are going to hate me! LOL

BTW... for folks who bought my book on Nook and Kindle, I've updated the cover to something a little more 'erotic', if you want to re-download the file to update it. :) If you like the waterfall, don't do a thing. :D

Today: trying to decide between knitting and writing/editing. It's my husband's birthday and I haven't finished his present yet. I will post pics of it when I do, though. Trust me... unless you're a prude with no sense of humor, you'll want to see this. :D (and when you do, remember that HE picked out the design! LOL )

Covers are a bear!!!!

Well, after fighting my computer and learning everything that a mouse can and can't do while photo-editing, I was finally able to get my cover for 'Hearts of Ishira' re-worked. I really should say 'new cover', since I didn't include much of the old cover in this, besides perhaps the font.

And I'm not even sure about that.

But it's done!!! I used royalty-free images, so no copyright issues (since I'll be giving proper credit per the terms of use from the photo site from which I snagged these pics). I just need to get that together and into the book.


Here's a peek at it. I'll post a 'full cover' tomorrow, once I've re-worked the Createspace version and have a front and back.

PS for those who have the original cover on their paper-backs, but want the new one, send me a private message or catch me on facebook and we'll figure something out. :) Though you WILL have the 'first edition' printing, should I ever become a household name or anything awesome like that. *wink*

oh, and don't forget my give-away for hand-made swag!!!! Check out the Mystery Swag Bag contest!!! Right now it's heavily leaning to one particular person, so you need to make with the clicks on the rafflecopter or she'll get it all! LOL

will they or won't they?

I'm often amazed by where my characters choose to go in a scene. I have learned that what I wish is rarely important... I can set the scene, but if they don't like it, they'll go elsewhere before letting me write. LOL

Today, for instance, I had a scene firmly in mind, of how my current lady (sub-plot) was going to make love with her companions for the first time. I figured she would make love to one of them, then days later, the other, with the two-fer not happening till later.

Apparently, she's a bit more adventurous than me. :)

Then she ended up with a nasty sunburn, or what her rescuers thought was a nasty burn. But apparently, since she's a ginger, sunburn isn't nearly as painful as so many years of abstinence. And there appears to be a great deal of fun to be had with burn gel, especially if it's from a society advanced enough to instantly diminish pain... but not pleasure. :D

And who knew that it took two sets of big, strong hands to cover a small red-head with burn gel? Huh. You learn something new every day. :D

Time to go back to knitting. And maybe go take a cold shower. Whew!

don't forget to check out my Mystery Swag giveaway, in the archives. Still 4 days to enter, and you can enter each day! :)
contest

Mystery Swag Bag!

I'm running a contest to get word about my book, Hearts of Ishira, out there! Book two will be ready hopefully by Christmas, and I'd love for folks to read book one first! :)

SO... I'm digging into my crafty bag of tricks and pulling out little things I've made over the years... earrings, bracelets, bookmarks... who knows? (That's why it's a mystery!)

FIVE winners will get a mystery gift!

Just enter the Rafflecopter stuff below. Enter as many times as you like!


One of the options is to comment on this post and tell me who your favorite sci-fi/romance author is! (don't say me just to win points *grin*... I'm flattered and I love you, but I'm trying to get ideas for possible future interviews! LOL)




a Rafflecopter giveaway