I have mixed feeling about what I did yesterday. Okay, I don’t have mixed feelings, I’m sad.
I ended my children’s fantasy series. *sobs*

I started this series about three years ago. Although I loved the first book – I now look back with a “Meh” in my heart. It was/is a cutsey book with my daughter and her best friend traveling into a fairy tale land and running into three princesses. Since then, I have had their adventures getting harder with each journey. They have gone from helping Cinderella get to the ball and helping the prince find Sleepy Beauty to solving things I recently read in Dan Brown’s latest book!! (I did it first, dammit!!)

I wrote the novel I have getting published in three weeks. The story wrote itself & I couldn’t stop myself. I did 9,000 words in one day (a lot of my friends say if you can get 1K out – it’s a good day). Most of my novels take me about a month and they all go the same way. I have a basic idea then my characters take over. I open my laptop with no idea where I’m going & they run the show. The novels are all 80-85K. My daughters books are only 25-30K but take me much longer. They require a lot of leg work and research. I am thankful for online resources – I can’t imagine having to spend time at the library with my nose in encyclopedias and such.

I am currently working on the 9th in the series & just looked at my notes. I started it in early October. I wrote the end yesterday but I still have a few last chapters to write & I have no idea what I’m doing with it! I’m sure its just the holidays & all the traveling & such but I have never not been able to breeze through it before with a little work of filling in some details. I know some of you would think this is not a big deal but for me it is. I know there are books that take years to write – but that’s just not me. I have never had “writer’s block”. Again, even if I had no clue what I was doing, my characters did. Especially in these books. I had my daughter and her friend running the show. I often burst out in laughter at something they said not knowing where it came from. They have gone from sweet, mischievous 8-years olds to 13-year olds spouting, “If Sam wanted you to shut up, she’d just say ‘shut your pie hole’.” LOL!

Its funny. I like the details of the newer ones & the tricks that it took to throw things together. I often wonder, “How the heck did I make it do that?” Three of my readers have said, “I like the new ones okay but I am still really stuck on the first one.” That’s funny to me because I think I wrote myself out of where the series was going at first and I don’t know what to do. I haven’t queried an agent in years over these & don’t know if I will. I wonder if I should make number one a stand alone cutesy fairy tale & forget the rest or add some to my 7th & submit it to Hollywood as National Treasure 4!

Okay… maybe I’m just blah because of the snow & cold. I’m home because I can’t get to work and although he house desperately needs cleaning, I’m going to open my WIP and attempt to at least do 1K today.

Here’s the website I have that I have refused to share with anyone. (I’m not concerned with my whopping 10 followers here ). Any thoughts are appreciated. You really can’t hurt my feelings here. It’s pretty dead in the water as of yet…

http://www.beforehappilyeverafter.com/

Travel whining posts on hold – I finally have a book update – sort of…

I got this from my publisher today – its exciting news. It’s not about my book specifically, but it looks like more opportunities for when mine does come out.

Champagne Books has just reached an agreement with the Sony Online store. While it will take several weeks to have all the paperwork completed, the behind the scenes work to get our books uploaded into their system will be starting very soon.

Champagne Books is going global!

It’s kind of exciting. Squee!

I haven’t heard yet about cover art or editing & I am amazingly showing restraint about not hounding them. The release date it still August so I know there is plenty of time for all that needs to be done.
I’ll hear when I need to do something and of course, so will you. The e-book will be out in July though so it looks like that aspect of it is growing. I still prefer real books to Kindles & E-readers but I am learning there is definitely a market out there & I’m glad to know I’ll be available that way too for those that prefer it.

What’s your vote? Book or E-book?

With all the traveling I do – especially lately, you think I’d be better about not forgetting things. No. Such. Luck. I happen to suck at this & it’s really making me mad. :{ (Yes, mad – not angry. I’d like nice fluffy white walls to match the men in their coats please. kthanksmuchly)

From the body wash bottle & toothbrush left at my niece’s house, to the rest of my bathroom items including a brand new face wash at the only hotel we stayed at – at the end of the trip outside of Minneapolis at 2 am, I’m tired of buying new travel stuff!! I know its as simple as a walk through before you leave but somehow that even failed me.

add $10 to the trip.

Hubby thought his Gerber (no, not baby food, its a multi-tool like a swiss army knife & then some that he is never without) [There is a wonderful story there too, but I'll save that for another post] was safely packed. It had been stolen out of his suitcase last time he traveled & he thought it happened again until he called my niece.

“Oh, you mean this thing that we found on Amaya’s bed that we are putting the new bike together with?”

I didn’t want her to have the hassle of mailing it back & I figure my nephew would fall in love with it so I tell hubby, “Just get a new one & tell Ruben he can keep it.” They were awesome hosts & we had a blast with them – ‘sall good.

add $50 to the trip.

I found the cutest boots while in CA. Funny that everyone there wore knee high boots. Can you find them where its cold? Fat chance. I took a picture with my phone & sent it to my friend hoping she’ll talk me out of them. She is my shoe guru. We have many of the same pairs – some by chance – some on purpose. Epic fail. She sends a text back:

“OMG!!! Get me a size 7!”

So I do after a hunt for the branch that has a size 7. They babysat our dogs while we were away so of course I wanted to find them for her & it was a fun quest with my nieces & sister in law. I give her mine (I’m an 8 ) by accident before leaving her house after claiming our dogs. Now I need to mail them to her (they live 5 hours away). *sigh*

add another $10 to the trip.

I love to travel but for me the expense is obviously not about airfare, car rentals or hotel rooms. Blonde moment, brain fart, or more ADD? Not sure which to claim. Perhaps I’m just traveling impaired in more ways than one. I await the calls & text messages to see what else I have left between CA & home.

On a bright note, I did score a blanket from the airline. No, I didn’t steal it. They no longer give them to you, they make you pay $5 for one with a small pillow. Some other poor schmuck forgot it. HA!

subtract $5 from list

Of all my memories from this trip, I will have one that stands out. You wouldn’t think doing dishes with your mother would be a memorable thing, but it was.

For those of you that know my mother, you have often thought, “How did Bug come from those loins?” Yes, she is a saint & lets just say this apple has rolled a long way. Hubby will often tell you where the secrets told to him by men of wisdom have failed him. “Meet the mother first, Thomas. You’ll know what she’ll be like.” I laugh in your general direction

I don’t remember ever sparring with her – it’s not like we don’t get along – we get along great. I still have to make the mid week phone calls now & then for motherly advice & such & we e-mail regularly. Now that she’s on facebook its even one step better (& it helps me self-monitor knowing she’s reading). We are just different personalities. She’s uber-sweet & I’m… yanno… not so much

So…. we’re were cleaning up after one of a hundred meals we had at the 4 days we shared at my brother’s house (yes, I ate the whole time I was there) & it was a rare moment that the Roku was turned off & the radio was on. (The Roku [an online version of Netflix] is awesome BTW – we are looking into it – thanks, Robb!!!) Yes, Sweet Caroline came on and as usual, I lost control of what little sanity I have. I usually save such displays for ELKS Conventions & 80′s bars but when mom played along, there was no holding back! I didn’t even know she knew the “bah bah bah’s” & “so good so good so good’s”. I’ll think of her & my CA trip every time I hear it now.

Perhaps next time I’ll try a little strategically placed Electric Slide!! *laughs devilishly*

Here all de wimminz trying to look normal:

Here’s what happens when we think the camera is off:

My family. I think I’ll keep them

I have a lot of blog posts running through my mind to give you some highlights about my trip. I always say I’m going to keep a journal of sorts but never do. Even though vacations always seem too short – a lot of fun & family gets crammed into that time. Although very little is to be desired about LA traffic, I wouldn’t have missed this trip for the world. I’m downloading pictures & sorting my thoughts but I have to start my “welcome home” with a post about what actually welcomed me at home.

First of all, this is what our deck looked like.
”

There were a few boxes that our neighbors brought in for us, one of which I was expecting & I’ll give you the lowdown on that.

When I was in Chicago a month ago with my writing forum friends, we wandered into a Walgreens & I screamed when I saw this:

(that’s Trish holding it so I could text a picture to hubby & beg to buy it.)

I have a thing for the Wizard of Oz. I wasn’t a huge movie freak or anything. We watched it once a year growing up & that was that. When my daughter was 4, she was Dorothy for Halloween so I ran with that for her birthday theme too. Being the freak I am, I bet I spent $500 on the party. We got the whole Barbie set, had melting witch green punch complete w/ floating black hat, emerald city snack mix (skittles & sour green gummy things for the emerald city), witch broom stick & hat mix (pretzels & bugles), chicken nuggets (yellow brick road, duh), pin the heart on the tinman (mommies got hand lotions), throw apples at scarecrow, & a rainbow pinata. Since then, friends had given me Wizard memorabilia as random “Tuesday gifts” (That’s what we call gifts for no reason – stole the phrase from my Aunt Barb ) It was mostly Lola with the coffee mugs, snowglobes, treasure boxes, etc but enough that I bought a curio cabinet for all my prized possessions.

So… hubby said “Okay, if you must,” to the picture and I carried it around the store. When I walked outside without it, my friends, Trish & Leuk said, “All that fuss & you didn’t buy it?” I couldn’t justify it. I’d sooner spend the money on someone else rather than on myself. I said, “I took a picture, that’s good enough. I’ll put that in the cabinet.” I did regret it though & whined to my son when he picked me up at the airport when I got home.

Two days later I get a call from Trish. “Buggers!!! I found it here! It’s in the mail to you!!” I sent Leuk a text. “Trish got it for me!”
“Oh, I guess I’ll return mine then.”
How bloody sweet is that? Do you feel the love? *sniff*

So I get home & there a box on the table. Here’s what’s in it.

I thought it was from Trish but in it is an invoice made out to my son. *gets choked up*

I text Trish hoping she didn’t send it yet ’cause there was nothing else to be found in the house or garage. Maybe she could return it. She said she sent it the 23rd. I look out in the deck (see above picture) & utter “oh…poopy.” (well – you know what I said) This morning I donned snow pants, boots, gloves, jacket, scarf, & hat, grabbed the shovel & commenced digging. Viola!!

Yes, this was in it & a a few other awesome goodies!!

Do I feel incredibly loved? Yes. Do I think I maybe whine about what I want too much? Hell yes. I now have 2 of the coolest Wizard of Oz set ever made. It was potentially 3. How special can one girl feel? Excuse me, I think I need a tissue.