Forays Into Sleepnessness

So, DH and I were up at 2 AM. Little peanut's got croup. Mom warned me that croup usually sounds scarier than it is. Wow, still didn't prepare me for that raspy wheeze. We tried steam, then cold air, then steam. No luck. He still seems chipper, but DH wound up taking him to the ER anyway just for safety's sake. He'll be OK, but they say to alternate between steam and AC today. Good excuse to put in the AC unit that's been sitting on our bedroom floor for a week. Now to go to work and chug some caffeine. Mmmmm.

Triskelion Declares Bankruptcy

By now, most of you fellow romance authors are aware that on Wednesday June 20th, Triskelion Publishing announced it would file Chapter 7 on July 2nd. Many Trisk authors are now scrambling to get their rights back before their books are tied up in legal issues. My heart goes out to all of you, especially my friends Susan St. Thomas and Jennifer Talty, who were due to have their first books out very soon. It's a terrible and heartbreaking thing, and my thoughts are with you as you muddle through the confusion. Susan and Jennifer, you are wonderful authors, and I know you will get through this!

Storms

I don't know when, but sometime during my childhood I stopped being afraid of storms, and started being in awe of them instead. Last night, we had a doozy. Lightning, thunder, high winds. Talk about fireworks!

The last time we had a storm like this, it was just after a scorching hot day, and the rain came down the gutter downspouts so hard that one of the downspouts fell off the front of the house from the force of the water! I was so hot and sweaty that I went outside in my shorts and tank top and stood under the open downspout and took an impromptu rain shower. That felt great after such a hot day.

I remember another storm where my mom was yelling at me to come inside, while I stood outside in the driveway staring up at the lightning because it was going straight across the sky from cloud to cloud instead of coming downward. That was pretty cool!

Yep. I'm nuts. But nothing beats Mother Nature's own light show. :)

May Just Sucks, And I'm Glad It's Over

I found out last night that my first boyfriend (you know, that first-love one) passed away earlier in the week. He was way too young, and even though he moved out of state and we hadn't talked in a while, I still cared a great deal for him, and the world is missing one of the best guys I ever knew.

May hasn't been a good month for me of late. Another boyfriend, my second one, passed away in May of the previous year. It's a vicious sort of irony, and I guess all there is to do is pull my family close around me and hug them and be thankful I have them. And maybe I ought to find a way to skip that effing month next year.

Just Kiss!

DH and I went to see "Pirates of the Carribbean: At World's End" last night while Grandma watched the little peanut. Without giving too much away, I'll just say it lived up to everything expected of a Jerry Bruckheimer film. Definitely worth watching, and better than "Dead Man's Chest." Johnny Depp was hilarious as usual, and lots of fun. And though I may not be into Orlando Bloom, per se, let me just add a WOW for the end of the film, 'cause Purrrrrrrrr.

You'll see.

Pantsers!

Pantsers, as opposed to plotters, write by the seat of their pants. Pantsers don't know anything about where the book is going, and may not even know much about the characters, before they start typing (or writing) away. It may seem scary, but pantsers live for that flash of insight that makes them go, "HEY! This is an awesome twist!" or, "What'll happen if I drop this man-eating lion in front of my hero?"

I used to be a total pantser. I loved that jolt of energy I got just from a sudden idea that went right from thought to paper without any editing in between. And hey, sometimes you can get a great surprise in that way - a surprise even to you, the writer! It can lead to some wild and memorable writing.

Now, I think I'm a hybrid between the two, and most writers are. It's nice to have a loose structure as a road map for my book, but sometimes I'll write a scene without an exact idea of its contents. I'll know where it needs to GO, but not how it'll get there, and I still sometimes surprise myself. Whatever way you write, I encourage you to try it the other way, or even mix them, just for a scene or so. You may be surprised at the results, and it could jog you out of a writing rut.