You Are What You Read

Okay, maybe that isn't entirely true.  I'm fairly sure I'm not a vampire, FBI Agent, ghost hunter, Sidhe-seer or Anne Boleyn.

Although, being any one of those things would be wicked cool . . . except for maybe Anne Boleyn. Definitely not a Happily Ever After for that one.

I guess as you can see, I have a tendency to be a little over the map when it comes to my reading (though I will give a definitive edge to paranormal/urban fantasy), but I prefer it that way.  I know some people, however, are diehards for one genre and one genre only.

Personally, I think the more widely you read, the better you can round out and strengthen your writing within your genre. For instance, I'm totally digging romantic suspense these days. And if it's romantic suspense with a fantasy element to it.  Sign. Me. Up.

Those sub-genres had to get started somewhere, right?

But I can also see how, for some, it can be hard to pull yourself away from what you enjoy most to give others a try.

So, I'm curious to get an idea for what kind of reader you are. Do you like a little of everything? Do you like to stick to one (maybe two) genre only? Do you not typically read at all? (Promise I won't holler at you, but I may give some gentle nudging on this last one).

Anyway, after you leave your thoughts here, please swing over to the left and answer the poll. It'll help guide me when I select a story for February's Forever Endeavor Online Book Club selection.

Seriously, so glad you guys like the idea, and I can't wait to get it started. Yay for "low pressure" book clubs! :D

Confession: I'm totally not feeling Monday right now . . .

The Forever Endeavor Online Book Club

Confession time: I've been wanting to join a bookclub for a while now, but my schedule can be a bit sketchy. I can't always promise I can make it on a set night to the local B&N (or Starbucks . . . or library . . . or, well, you get the point)

So, I'm thinking about creating one online. I mean, what the heck good is it to have a blog if you can't use it for something you enjoy, right?

I'm still working out the details in my head (scary thought, I know), but I think the way it would work is this. . . .

On the first Friday of every month, I'll choose a book for that month's selection (I'll always be open to suggestions, since the dictatorship thing isn't really my gig) Then anyone who's interested in participating for that month can leave a comment and join in.  

On the final Friday of every month I'll create a post where those who chose to participate can chime in with their thoughts. Just like in a real bookclub -- only behind the flexibility of our computer lives.

But the best part is --unlike with real bookclubs -- with this one you can join in and drop out depending on whether you feel like reading the selected book for any particular month. If you don't like the genre, you can just skip that month. You like the next one, you can drop right back in. 

(The only thing I'd ask is if you say you're going to read the book, please try to remember to read it and join in the discussion).

So what do you all think? Good idea? Bad idea? Anyone have any suggestions on the first genre they'd like the club to focus on?

Would You Rather - Wednesday

Last week's question pitted being able to overhear any conversation vs. having the ability to take back anything you say. Not surprisingly, the comments were split evenly down the middle. Either choice, in and of itself, could prove to be a great attribute, or the start down the road to madness.

Personally, I think I'd go with the ability to overhear any conversation, because sometimes I suffer strong bouts of paranoia. It would be nice to know that more than half the time I really am just . . . paranoid. As for the rest of the time, well, at least then I'd know who to hate.  ;o)

Now moving on to this week.

If you were immortal, would you rather . . . .?


A) Live one, long continuous lifetime  (eternal)


or 


B) Live several shorter lifetimes, with no memory of the previous one  (reincarnated)




Today is Wednesday, which means, if you are so inclined you should swing by Shannon McMahon's blog and help a fellow writer with their Anonymous Critique.

I'm Not HERE, I'm THERE

Okay, I'm taking a quick break from my Tuesday radio silence (seriously, it's the first week of my M/W/F routine, there were bound to be some bumps) to beam proudly, because I'm featured in my first ever guest blog!!

Chris Phillips is allowing me to take over his blog today for his Music to Make Write To weekly feature. So, if you have even the slightest curiousity as to the top three songs I listen to when I write, hop on over to his blog and check it out.

Oh, and as promised.

The Last Sacrifice Contest winner is . . . .

Janet Johnson  -- Congrats to Janet!!!

Okay, my work is done here. Feel free to go on about your lives. Thanks for giving me five minutes of it. :D

Taking A Day Off

So, I was thinking about shifting into a M/W/F blog routine. I mean, let's face it, as entertaining as I like to believe I am, even I have issues sometimes trying to come up with meaningful (really, they're just entertaining) posts five days a week.

And those extra two days of not-blogging would give me time to get around to more of those of you I don't get to see on a regular basis. Sounds like a great plan, right?

It was, until I muffed on coming up with a blog post today.

Seriously? My first Monday on my new Monday/Wednesday/Friday plan and I screwed it up already?!  (In my defense I had a very busy weekend. For a great reason, but busy nonetheless)

Luckily, I think quick on my feet. So, I've declared today as my "I'm Taking a Day Off" day.

This is my first chance to start catching up with those of you I've neglected. If I haven't hit you up already, I promise anyone who leaves a comment here (especially if it's something along the lines of  "It's okay, Tracy, we love you no matter what") will DEFINITELY steer me over to your blog and I promise to come up with some sort of witty quip when I leave my comment. :D

Oh, also, if you're a new follower and I haven't stopped by to reciprocate (I'm big on reciprication...mostly because it's a fun word to say) don't be shy about letting me know.

Alright, so I'm off to enjoy my "day off".

Happy Monday, All!

PS -- Since I was too busy last night to work on it, I promise I'll draw a winner for my Last Sacrifice giveaway, this evening.

Help Wanted: Writing Conventions & Group Associations

Happy Friday, All!!

First: There are only a few days left to enter to win an autographed copy of LAST SACRIFICE by Richelle Mead. (Yes, it's Richelle's autograph, not mine)

Second: While I swore I was going to wait a month or two before partaking in another blogfest . . . that was before I came across the That's YAmore Blogfest. If you love YA and you love love, this looks to be a blogfest you don't want to miss!

Okay, now onto today's post. I don't have anything insightful to say. In fact, I'm hoping YOU all can help enlighten me a little.

As of this moment, I have joined no writer's associations (RWA, SCBWI, MWA, etc.), nor have I been to any conferences. Believe it or not, I want to. I just don't know where to even begin delving into this world. Where does a writer who adores anything paranormal, but also strongly focuses on the love aspect, and enjoys writing both adult and YA works, join in?

I'm curious to hear what groups you're a part of and/or what conventions you've been to. Any thoughts you want to share and try to sell me into one of them is greatly appreciated.

I'm in a great mood today, so I'm going to keep this short.

Have a great weekend, everyone!!

Snooki is an NYT Bestseller?!?

Some of you may or may not have heard that Snooki, of the Jersey Shore fame, has landed on the NYT Bestsellers List.

I've heard both sides of the argument.

There are many people who are disgusted & disappointed that someone who didn't even WRITE her book could wind up on one of our coveted lists. It's difficult, especially for those of us still struggling to find an agent or have an editor purchase a submission, to see someone who hasn't gone through the brimstone fires of publishing hell wind up with a book that (for whatever reason) the public is buying in large numbers.

Then there are others, like Kiersten White, who urge us to realize it's actually a good thing. Does this mean Kiersten thinks Snooki is deserving of her book deal? I doubt it. Her point is, a book like Snooki's makes money for the publishing house. And money for a publishing company means they have the capital to pay for young and unknown authors, etc. Which, is a very valid point.

There's a good chance the people flocking to buy Snooki's book aren't likely to be the same ones who'll run out to buy yours and mine when they hit the shelves. BUT if their money is going to help fund the kickstart of mine or a fellow writer's publishing career, should I scoff at it? These aren't blood diamonds, people.

Me, I'm sort of in the middle. I don't mind celebrities getting book deals.

I don't mind them using ghost writers, because they don't have the time or inclination to learn the craft of writing a book for themselves.

I'm not gonna lie and say I've never bought those "useless" books myself. In fact, I was ALL about reading the inside scoop on what happened in the Real World Hawaii!

And when I was a teen, there was not a book written about New Kids on the Block that I didn't blow my allowance on.

I think for me, my problem isn't another celebrity having a book that has gone on to be a huge success simply because of the person who wrote it.

My problem is, this person is Snooki.

Seriously? ALL the celebrities we have in this world . . .  ones who actually make music, movies, television, radio, run the country, etc, etc, etc . . . and we get Snooki?!? That disappoints me more than anything else, I think.

Just wondering how you all feel. Mad? Glad? Indignant? Indifferent?

Would You Rather - Wednesday

Last week's question still leaned heavily in favor of being smart.

During the last two weeks, you all have also shown me how incredibly shallow I am. I passed on being smart, not once but twice.  So I'd rather be popular & highly attractive, sue me! I've been smart my whole life, I want to see how the other half lives. ;o)

Now on to this week.


Would you rather . . . ?


A) Be able to overhear any conversation


or 


B) Have the ability to take back anything you say

LOL Cats : A Writer's Journey

Warning: If you don't get, or like, the humor in LOL Cats, this probably isn't the post for you.


(Note: All pictures were found on google search and can be located on various websites, such as ICanHasCheezburger.com)

Iz always known being a writur wud be hardz . . .

We writurz has good imaginashuns . . .

But we also has teh ADHD . . .

When I gotz oldur, I lookz for job in writing. . .

And gotz a job in teh bookstorez . . .

Den teh plot bunnies strikez . . .

I tryz to write, but teh computer it breaks . . .

Iz says I'm gunna fixes it, but Iz getz distractud . . .

Iz fixes computer, dog says . . .

Iz knoe wut I'm doing, dog says . . .

Stoopid dog, I shud killz him dead. . . 

Den Iz brainstorm teh story idea. Vampirez is teh latest craze . . .

As Iz writes teh story, bad habitz formz . . .

When Iz finushed my first draft, Iz send out mah queries . . .

Den teh identity crisis hitz . . .

Iz a cat? . . .

Iz a dog? . . .

Iz a panda? . . .

Iz don't knoe who Iz is anymorz . . .

Den teh ilushins startz . . .

Getz out there, dog says. . . 

Meet teh litterarie ashents, dog says . . .

Dog not says some litterarie ashents r shady . . .

Den Iz decide to make ummends to famly for nuglecting dems. . .

Woo! I gotz a litterarie ashent . . .

Now they wantz sum changes . . .

Yay! Mah book getz published . . .

Soon, Iz will hit teh bestsullers listz . . .

And Iz will be biggur den J.K. Meowling . . .

***********

Quick thanks to everyone who stopped by for the blogfest this weekend!  For those of you I didn't get around to, I promise to try to make it by today.

To everyone else. Happy Monday!

Show vs. Tell Blogfest Entry

For those of you who aren't familiar with the blogfest here's the general gist:  Participants choose from a list of pictures & create two brief - or in my case very brief - versions of the same scene. In one you SHOW what's going on and in the other you TELL. The idea being, no matter how good your TELL is, SHOW will always be better (just like in our own manuscripts. Get it?)

So here's my TELL version

There was venom in the princess' eyes as she forbade the knight to come one-step closer to the ailing dragon. He was beyond stunned that she viewed him as a villain and the monster as the victim. While he'd inflicted barely more than scratch on the beast's arm, she glared at him as though he was found guilty of kicking a puppy. Nor was the damned thing helping to further his cause by watching his every move with that frightened gaze.



And here's my SHOW version:

"If you come one step closer, by God, I will breathe fire on you myself."

Her scowl left him with no doubt the princess meant her words. "But . . . but, I was trying to defend you from that monster, Your Highness."

"Monster? Why, he's barely more than a baby." She stopped bandaging the beast's wound long enough to level him with another hard stare. "A baby you attacked like some senseless brute. I swear, you give a man a sword and he'll look for any excuse to use it."

His jaw dropped for a full second before he caught himself. "I am a knight. That is a dragon. I'm supposed to use my sword to protect you from this sort of thing. Besides, I barely scratched him."

"Well then, I suppose it's lucky for him, you're not very good at protecting me." She turned her attention to the skittish dragon beside her and a soothing lilt entered her voice. "There, there, it's all right. I won't let him hurt you anymore, little fellow."


THE END

Okay, so those were my entries. If you liked them, GREAT!

If you didn't, then you should go away because I don't like you very much. (kidding)

Anyhow, if you enjoyed this and are interested in seeing what the other blogfesters have done for their entires, click on the Blogfest banner above. And please stop by Misty's blog on Monday to vote for your favorite.

Hey Baby, What's Your Sign?

Why hello, Friday, don't you look all shiny and pretty!

This has been a busy week in Tracy World  <--- It's a little like Disney World, but without all the rides, parades & abnormally large ducks who don't wear pants. Okay, so maybe it's nothing like Disney World after all.

I'm ashamed to admit that nearly 3 weeks after Christmas, my tree still hasn't been taken down. I refuse to suggest it's due to laziness and choose to blame my busy week instead.

Monday - I announced my very first giveaway/contest. Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a signed copy of Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead!

Tuesday - Got encouraging words of praise from someone currently reading my MS. (Much needed ego boost, since I plan to launch back into the querying process on Monday!! *deep breaths* Here we go, Stina!)

Wednesday - The super cool Colene Murphy came up with a fun new way to approach the surplus of word verifications in blogger land. I've only just recently discovered Colene, but I *heart* her already!

Thursday - Decided to help do my best to give Tony the Tiger a voice and get him freed from his truck stop prison. There should be no place for animal cruelty in this world.

Friday - I've just learned that apparently the Zodiac, as we know it, may be undergoing some changes.   WHAT?!? Supposedly the change affects only those born in 2009 or later, but this is still huge news. The sanctity of tried & true pick-up lines is now endangered.

This Weekend - I'm participating in Misty's Show vs. Tell Blogfest.  I love Misty like a play-cousin, so I'm really looking forward to her blogfest. The premise is simple and should be a lot of fun . . . not to mention there's a great prize! So if you happen to be around this weekend check it out. Better yet, sign up and join in on the fun!

Alright, let's call it a wrap. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

GO RAVENS!!!

Sometimes the Worst Villains Exist in Real Life

I normally don't use my blog to champion causes other than writing & the pursuit of publishing happiness.

But today I'm making an exception.

Animal Cruelty, in all its forms, is one of the problems I despise most in this world. Like child abuse, I don't feel there's any excuse for a person to lord their control over another creature who's unable to speak up for themselves. 

Sadly, there are a lot of instances we're never made aware of & can do nothing to help fight . . . this is one we can -- and it costs nothing more than a tweet, or a blog post, or a forwarded email.

Tony is a 10 year old tiger who has spent every day of his life stuck in a small cage outside a truck stop in Louisiana. 

It's not a wildlife sanctuary. 

It's not a zoo. 

It's a cage at a truck stop.

Imagine forcing a child  to live 10 years of their life in an area no larger than a playpen. All so someone can use them as a sideshow attraction to earn money.

Big Cat Rescue in Tampa has offered to give Tony a home where he can live the second half of his life in peace & quiet. But of course, the owner wants nothing to do with that, because he's too busy exploiting the tiger for his own gain. 

Every year or so, he applies for a new permit to keep an exotic wild animal in a public area . . . and inexplicably every year or so, that permit is renewed. It's renewed, because not enough people are aware of what's going on. There hasn't been enough public pressure, fighting for the rights of the one who doesn't have a say in all this.

The reason I'm mentioning this here is because I've seen what this community can do when it puts its mind to it. I've seen it support debut authors to wonderful starting sales. I've seen it rally around sick and hurting members of the community. I've seen it take on unethical magazine editors and shady literary agencies. 

I don't expect Tony's cause to become a huge concern plastered on everyone's blogs, but if even a few of you are moved enough by his situation to post about his story or tweet about his website, then Tony's situation is brought to the attention of a few more people than yesterday. And hopefully tomorrow, those people will spread it on to a few more people . . . and so on and so forth. 

And maybe one day, Tony will get his freedom. 

Maybe one day he'll get to enjoy what it's like to lay in the grass and hear the sounds of other tigers nearby. 

Maybe one day, Tony will get to know what it feels like to be a tiger.

Free Tony the Tiger Website


Free Tony the Tiger Twitter Feed

Would You Rather - Wednesday

There were some pretty good answers to last week's question!!

Matthew wins the award for being the first person to declare he didn't need to decide since he's so obviously BOTH. 

And ultimately, my thinking lined up with Chris' -- if I'm not smart enough to know how smart I'm not, I might as well be popular and enjoy it . . .  or something like that.

SMART , being the hands down winner last week, is coming back for Round 2:

Would you rather be . . . ?

A) Smart

or 

B) Highly Attractive

(Edit: Don't forget to pop over to Shannon's blog and check out this week's Anonymous Critique)

He's Real to ME!

I'm not delusional. I know the characters I read about in stories aren't real . . . I just wish they were.

Though it's probably best for the men of the world that they aren't, because the fictional dudes would steal away all the women. Don't believe me? Let me introduce you to a few of my crushes.

Lestat de Lioncourt 

(Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice) Lestat was my first fictional love. True, sometimes he's arrogant, flamboyant, selfish, impulsive, reckless & finds more trouble than inhumanly possible. But at the end of the day, I still love him.

Dimitri Belikov

(Richelle Mead - Vampire Academy) Dimitri isn't my normal type. He's such a good guy. Strong morals, level headed. I never would have thought I'd fall head over heels for him, even if he's ungodly hot. But now, I'd travel into strigoi territory to bring him back too.

Mr. Darcy

(Jane Austen - Pride & Prejudice) Fitzwilliam Darcy had me thinking ... "He's not all that. Come on Lizzy, we could do so much better.... Wait, he did what?!? ... Aw, let's marry him and have his little Darcy babies!!"

Jacob Black

(Stephenie Meyer - Twilight Saga) Jacob, so help me, is the only character -- who isn't a vampire -- who's made me forsake the main hero and wanting to rewrite the ending. Every time he uttered his trademark "Sure, sure" I melted a little. Fiercely loyal. A bit of a hothead. Determined. His amazing abs had absolutely nothing to do with winning my devotion -- though they didn't hurt any.




What about you? Any long-standing crushes on men who may not be "real", but they're real to you?

Last Sacrifice Contest

Want a signed copy of LAST SACRIFICE by Richelle Mead?

The final installment in the Vampire Academy series has been perched atop the bestsellers lists since its release on December 7th, and for good reason. It more than lives up to the expectations fans have come to expect from the award-winning series.

Thanks to Richelle Mead's generous signing policy, I not only have my own personal copy... I snagged one to giveaway to one lucky winner as well!

I'm not particularly big on contest rules, so there's only a few for entering mine -- (which runs through January 23rd):

1) Follow my blog. (Old. New. Writer. Reader. Retired Elvis Impersonator...all are welcome to join)

2) Leave me a comment in this post and share with me the name of your favorite book, movie or TV show with a supernatural element to it.  (There's no real reason for this, other than I'm  nosey & always looking for new paranormal material to check out. So, if you don't have one, I won't hold it against you.)

That's it!  That's all you gotta do. The winner will be announced on Monday, January 24th.

Please note: If you refer someone to the contest, make sure they know to mention your name in their comment/entry and I'll add an additional entry in your name for each referral. 

Good Luck!!!

Let's Hear it for The Boys

I was up late last night, so this morning I had to come up with something quick and easy for the blog.

When you need quick and easy, you often think of . . .  well, MEN.

I'm kidding. (Not really)

So, I decided to highlight a few blogs belonging to those who possess a "Y" chromosome. We XX typically seem to outnumber them in the fiction blogging world...but they put up a valiant fight nonetheless. For that, the guys deserve a little recognition.

Slushpile Savant  -  Chris is a trip! You never know exactly what you're going to get from him, but there's a damn good chance it's going to make you laugh. Plus, he has these cool polls, where you can voice your opinion on the things that truly matter. Like, what terrible fate you wouldn't mind seeing befall Justin Bieber.

A Writer of Wrongs - Terry is one, of only two fellow bloggers, I've met in real life. He's brutally honest with his thoughts and always there to give you a little lift when you need it (even if he doesn't always ask for one in return).  And I -- being the long suffering Orioles fan -- have found a baseball soulmate in Terry, who roots for the Cubs.

Karsten Knight -  I discovered Karsten's blog a few weeks back, and he's another one guaranteed to make you laugh with his quirky outlook. What makes Karsten unique is that he doesn't blog. He vlogs. Highly entertaining stuff and well worth the watch!

The QQQE -  Matthew is well known for starting a blog in which he bravely bared his newbie query letters. You know, the ones we all sent way back when. Before we had a clue what we were in for. But his posts have evolved into a lot more. I believe Matt is one of the few bloggers out there, who spends more time talking about and promoting others than he does himself.

There are more who deserved to be mentioned, but I have to cut the post off at some point or it defeats the whole "quick and easy" deal. So, go show the boys some love . . . but let's keep it decent, y'all.

Happy Friday!

Oh Crap! Now, I READ Like a Writer Too

There was a time when I'd hear some actor mumble "I can't watch movies the same way, now that I'm in them" and thought that sounded awfully short-sighted and snobberish. ( <-- It's a word in my world).

Except, now I kinda get what they're saying.

I've been a reader my entire life. But I've only been a reader who's serious about becoming a published author for a little over a year.

I've begun noticing more and more, my opinion of what I consider to be a good book is increasingly altered by the things I'm learning about writing.

With the lone exception of the Twilight Series (which breaks just about every rule of what you should not do), bad writing kills more books for me now than it did two or three years ago. And it's not just stilted or garbled sentences and dialogue that does it.

I'm far less forgiving of weak plots, cliched characters, lack of proper motivation, etc. I get annoyed by numerous things I rarely, if ever, noticed before.

Prime Example: ELIXIR by Hilary Duff.

I was so excited to read that book because of my long-standing girl crush on Miss Hilary. The premise sounded intriguing, especially considering the concept of soulmates & reincarnation is a big theme in my own stories.

At first, I was minorly irritated at how long it took the story to actually START. And when it finally got rolling, the darn thing blasted through a hodge-podge of plot bunnies that felt like something out of a beginner's "How to NaNoWriMo" guide.

But the worse part? The story ended without really ENDING.

Nothing was wrapped up!!

Now, I love reading series. Enjoy writing them too. And it's expected to end on some sort of cliff hanger that leaves readers feeling unsettled. But something has to be resolved. It's a book, not a mini-series for Pete's sake.

Sorry, didn't mean to turn this into a review post.

Point is: once upon a time I might have been fine with a book like Elixir. Now, especially after everything I've learned, it takes a lot more to win my approval . . . and more importantly, my word-of-mouth recommendation to fellow readers.

How about you all? Do you find yourself becoming a more finicky reader than you used to be or can you flip the switch on/off?

Would You Rather - Wednesday

Short and sweet today, Folks. And I'm gonna hold my answer for a bit. Want to see what everyone else has to say before I throw in my two cents.

Would you rather be . . . ?


A) smart 


OR 


B) popular

Hoarders

So, yeah, I watch "Hoarders" on A&E.  It's a great way to give yourself a little extra incentive to do some spring (or fall) cleaning when you're not really geeked about it.

I mean, how can you look at this and not want to just do a quick vacuum job in the living room?

I was trying to come up with a post topic and the show just happened to come on. I thought there was no way I could link "Hoarders" to writing. . . but I did.

Bear with me, it makes sense, I swear.

The sickness of hoarding is where a person falls into the trap of not being able to let go of anything they own. It doesn't matter if it's broken, no good, out of date, or rotting. They're convinced it's worth something. They're positive they may need it at some point in the future and therefore they refuse to part with it. The end results are usually nice houses that are trashed into oblivion by the junk kept inside.

The moral of this story is NOT to let this happen to your manuscript! 

Sometimes we fall into the trap of not being able to properly edit our own stories because we're reluctant to throw away a single word we've written. If you've got a large word count and people are telling you it needs to be cut -- trust me, you can cut it.

Don't. Be. A. Word. Hoarder!!

Here's a terrific post I stumbled across when I was seriously editing my ms about to go to querying (for real this time) and it helped me recognize a lot of my own word hoarding. If you're looking for a way to tighten your writing even more give it a look-see.

Being a Word Hoarder is nothing to be ashamed of. Not doing something about it, is. Don't let your story end up looking like this.

This has been my public service announcement for the week.

So THIS is What 2011 Looks Like

The first Monday of the New Year . . . poor day must feel like the redheaded stepchild of the calendar year. I'm certain there is no Monday more despised. Let's all try to be a little kinder to it with that in mind, K?

For the first post back, I've decided to stay away from talking about my "New Years Readjustments" (I refuse to call them resolutions), because I figure there's a good chance there's going to be a ton of them today.

I'm choosing to be daring and go against the flow.

That and well . . . I haven't actually written any down, so I'm not 100% sure what mine are just yet.

I do want to try to be more honest this year. So I have to admit I didn't get around to everyone who participated in the holiday blogfest. Not enough hours in the day. :o(

However, I did discover a gaggle of cool blogs in my attempt to do so. And I've managed to break into triple digits on the follower count myself. Yay!


Hi, Everyone! 

Okay, so I'm not going to make this a long post. My January plate is already full -- with beta reading, first draft revisions to get underway, and a manuscript to begin querying with my newly polished query letter. Booyah!

My guess is I'm not the only one facing a hectic month, so let's get it started off the right way.

Here's to wishing us all the best of luck in whatever adventures we choose to undertake in 2011!!

It's okay if you don't wish me luck back, I promise I won't remove myself from your followers list. But I WILL stick my tongue out at your picture when I see it (see, I'm doing good with this honesty thing! Last year I wouldn't have admitted that)