Today was a good writing day. I got the scene done where the hero and heroine meet for the first time, in the middle of someone giving birth. When I posted the excerpt I got feedback saying I'd struck the right balance between grossness and humor in the childbirth scene, which is what I was aiming for. It's been a long time since I've thought about the mechanics of childbirth, so it was nice to have younger eyes closer to the experience review it for me.
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Thanksgiving has come and gone, and it was delightful. We had both boys home, the food came out well and cooked on time, we had wonderful guests for supper. Over the weekend got to see some of the other young adults who grew up with our lads and have since moved away. I just returned from the 4 hr. trek to Orlando's airport so my eldest could catch his plane to NYC. The traffic on I-75 and the Florida Turnpike was intense, but not backed up in any major sense, so it all went well. I was briefly tempted to go to the Florida Mall in Orlando and visit those stores we don't have up here, but I slapped myself upside the head with a reminder that it's the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the mall will still be packed. Plus, I'd rather shop in my own community, even if the selection isn't as broad. The youngest is on his way out the door loaded down with leftovers, heading back to his apartment at UF and the house is once again quiet and the nest empty. Poor Yofi has be...
I've just learned from some of my German fans that there's an excerpt from my second German book in the back of Samt und Säbel ( Velvet and Saber, aka Captain Sinister's Lady). Pirate's Price has been renamed Rache und Rosen (Revenge and Roses), which I think totally rocks! I love how Heyne, my publisher, is coming up with these wonderfully alliterative titles! No cover art has been posted yet, and the release date is sometime in 2008, but I'm psyched!
Just in case you haven't had your daily dose of Darlene, here's an interview with me from the Shelfari Authors site . There's also a review of Captain Sinister's Lady. Here's what the reviewer said: " ...Captain Sinister's Lady was a great read : fun, interesting and definitely a romance. I loved it and I'm rather intrigued enough by the teaser for Pirate's Price that I'll be downloading it as well." Check it out, and join in the Shelfari chat!
When I was young, today was known as Armistice Day for the end of the World War on the 11th day of the 11th month at 11:00 a.m. In that spirit, I offer a snippet from a poem all school children used to know, but sadly, doesn't get much airplay anymore: IN FLANDERS FIELDS the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD, d. 1918 I am not a veteran, but all my brothers are, and my late father was at Pearl Harbor. When he recovered from his wounds, he returned to service aboard battleships in the USN in the South Pacific until 1946. Thanks, guys.
My job with the Alachua County Library District Foundation this past year was to oversee the renovation of one of the utilitarian meeting rooms at the main library, turning it into a board room for the Foundation and trustees. We were underwriting the cost of this project, with the library picking up some of the tab for wiring and related expenses, since their staff will use it for training. We had our first meeting in the new room yesterday and it was spiffy. A beautiful wood conference table, comfortable leather armchairs, flat screen HD TV that can be used for presentations to prospective donors and board members--it was all good. I was pleased to be given the responsibility for this project and I look forward to using it for fund raising for our library endowment fund. It'll be even better when the library follows through on the next renovation project, putting in a coffeebar. Oh, and I used the userpic of my German edition novel, because my book donation was the seed for...
I started writing my new pirate novel, A Sea Change, today. I've been working on it for over a month, reading, writing notes, organizing my thoughts, and doing a 180 on one of my characters. But today I started writing the book, meaning I sat down, typed "Chapter 1" and hammered out a few pages. This is good. Research and note taking is important, but you can only sell a novel when it's written. More on this as it develops.