Would-be Wayfarer

Happy Turkey Day! This morning, I'm watching Home For the Holidays which stars Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. If you haven't seen it, you should. It's a hilarious take on dysfunctional families over the holidays, and it's become a tradition for me to watch it this time of year. Later, I've got Christmas music to play while I make stuffed portobello mushrooms to take (along with some wine and dessert) to a friends' Thanksgiving celebration. I can't wait! What are you doing? Any special holiday traditions?

"Like music and art, love of nature is a common language that can transcend polital and social boundaries." ~ Jimmy Carter It's such a cool, sunny, beautiful day today that I've got the windows open. It's a little chilly though so I'm editing from within the cocoon of my comforter while drinking hot vanilla tea. Lately I've been in the midst of a reading festival. I thought I'd provide a few excerpts over the next few days in case some of the books I've enjoyed are ones that you might like, too... From Kim Lenox's paranormal romantic suspense titled NIGHT FALLS DARKLY about an immortal who is hunting Jack the Ripper in 1887 London... Without waiting for an answer, he shouldered his way through the crowd, drawing Elena behind, his thumb pressed against the underside of her wrist. Their heels sounded against the parquet. Feeling more ferocious with each passing moment, he took the printed card from her hand and released it to fall in a zigzag des...

"Life likes to be taken by the lapel and told, 'I'm with you, kid. Let's go.'" Maya Angelou I hope you're having a great weekend! Wednesday night I went out for drinks with the girls and had the best time laughing about what lunatics people can be. Some of those stories weren't fit to print, but others I think I'm going to have to post later. In other news, there were a bunch of e-mails last week. One of the documents that Penguin sent was the proposed back cover blurb for Book 2 in the Southern Witch Series, and when I looked at the top, I saw that BARELY BEWITCHED will come out September 2009. Holy Cow! It's perfect timing since it's right before Halloween, but I never expected it to be scheduled so fast since (a) Book 1 doesn't come out until February and (b) I haven't even turned in the first draft of Book 2 yet. (It's not even due until January.) Anyway, I'm bewildered, but thrilled, and considering everything, I better...

This week, I'm editing BARELY BEWITCHED (the sequel to WOULD-BE WITCH) and in it, Halloween plays a prominent role. I don't want to give any details of Tammy Jo's adventure away, but while I would advise you to look both ways for cars when crossing the street, Tammy Jo would advise you to look both ways for accursed creatures. That's right, people. All Hallows Eve, which was once the feast of Samhain, marks the beginning of the so called "Dark Season" when the doors to the supernatural world are opened and all kinds of scary preternatural creatures spill over into our world. This is a excellent excuse for humans of all ages to don a costume...aka, a disguise. Then the vampires and witches will think you're one of them and pass you by, looking for human victims. So dress in scary wear, and be safe! Hugs & Happy Halloween!

Thursday - The page proofs for Would-Be Witch arrived. The fonts are so cute that I got misty-eyed. I know...being a tad ridiculous. Friday morning - worked on creating a brochure for booksellers. It came out really well. Microsoft Word is almost too powerful, you know? I have The Terminator-like fears of the days when the machines take over. It's always the software that you have to be afraid of. Friday night -worked at the "day" job. It was a long shift. Friday overnight - crazy random insomnia. I never take sleep aids, but sometimes I am REALLY tempted. Saturday morning - proofread part of Would-Be Witch . Yay! Saturday afternoon - missed a pumpkin-carving extravaganza because was busy sleeping all day. Arg! (Still waiting to see pix...hint to friend, RH) Saturday night - Kim Lenox & Sharie Kohler's book launch party at La Carafe (cool wine bar in very old/awesome building) Neighborhood was too scary to take my expensive Nikon camera. :( Alas, no pictures. Tra...

"I want to be John Cleese, and it took some time to realize that the job was in fact taken." Douglas Adams I have recently been leaving my gate unlocked because there's been a lot of backyard clean-up since Hurricane Ike and workers have needed to get in and out. So yesterday without any heads-up (pressing the doorbell would have been good to alert me to take a look around before coming downstairs in scanty attire. There are French doors with big glass leading from my living room to my yard.) some men turned up back there. Anyway, luckily I heard them crunching over leaves and hesitated before wandering by the windows. My initial plan was to treat them like all the creatures who pass through my backyard...if they don't bother me, I don't bother them. This policy has worked with squirrels, birds, raccoons, cats, and possums in the past and I couldn't see why humans should be any different. If anything, people should be smarter and require less supervision than ...

"I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it." ~ Elwood P. Dowd (Jimmy Stewart) in Harvey My pal, David, is coming home this weekend from Aruba. Yay! Here's hoping the weather was better at the end of the week, because it rained the first part of the week and he was stuck in the hotel a lot, reading, which, as he pointed out, he could have done in his apartment. Sigh. Would it kill the weather to be a little more cooperative when my best friend's trying to have a beach vacation? Anyway, after hurricane Ike, he stayed at my place and one of the movies we had fun watching together was Harvey, so the quote above is for him. Hope everyone else is having a fantastic Sunday!