Goals for the New Year
31 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Usually I do a list of books I’m looking forward to in the coming year, but I’m so far behind in reading it’s not even funny! I haven’t even BOUGHT the new Nora or new Meljean. I want to read the new Shalvis series. I don’t even know what’s coming up! Heck, I don’t even have any books in 2012. Oh, wait, I think Trish has a bunch of books out this year, a trilogy from Harlequin American, a trilogy from Belle Books and a Nocturne.
So I’ll do my goals for the new year. I prefer goals to resolutions, anyway. Actionable.
Goals for 2012
1) Write 3 books and 3 novellas. I only did two and two last year, but I also had terrible writer’s block, and a new sewing machine.
2) Read 80 books. I read 80 in 2011, so I should be able to match it.
3) Exercise 30 minutes a day during the week. I know that’s not a lot but it’s more than I’m doing. I have an exercise bike and the Wii, and when the weather is nice, I can go for a walk.
4) Be better about saving money. I spent like crazy this year, happy to have it, but I have more STUFF than I know what to do with. I’ll never be able to be a full-time writer if I don’t pay off my house, and then there’s the boy’s college. I’d love to help him as long as I can so he’s not swamped in debt when he gets out of grad school.
5) Have a better attitude. Things are good for me—no need to complain!
And since I finished revisions on Bluestone 2 this morning (YAY!) I’ll start Bluestone 3 revisions, and that means ALEX!
Winner of Norah’s Book #52weeksofindie
30 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
I had to use that picture because of all the annoying commercials on this time of year! I don’t usually watch, but I’ve been staying up late watching Friends reruns 
And the winner of Norah’s book is…..Leslie Garcia, commenter #3! Leslie, you know how to find me!
Next week my guest will be Theresa Ragan, author of Abducted, Finding Kate Huntley, A Knight in Central Park and more. She has a new book, out, too! Come back Wednesday to find out all about it!
This Week in #52weeksofindie Meet Norah Wilson
28 Dec 2011 22 Comments
Norah is the reason I’ve dipped my toe in the indie waters–she’s had some success, and most of all, has been so excited about writing again!
Remember, to be entered in a drawing for her book Guarding Suzannah, comment here, or tweet about it, using the hashtag #52weeksofindie!
Without further ado, Norah Wilson!
1) What was the inspiration for this book?
I actually wrote Saving Grace first, but after I introduced John Quigley as a secondary character (Ray Morgan’s sergeant), I knew I had to write his story, too. Quigg was just so solid and loyal and unshakeable, I figured he deserved his own book (not to mention a little shaking up!). But as it happens, the storyline I devised for Quigg necessitated that he still be a regular detective, which meant that chronologically, his story had to come before Saving Grace. Thus Guarding Suzannah became Book 1 of the series.
2) What’s next for you?
Well, I recently sold a romantic suspense with paranormal elements (Lauren’s Eyes) to Montlake, Amazon’s romance imprint, so I am hoping I can continue writing in that vein for them. Right now, I’m working on a proposal or two to send off to my agent. Of course, I’m also working on getting some of my ebooks into print, writing the Dix Dodd funny mystery series with my writing partner, Heather Doherty (under the pseudonym N.L. Wilson), and also gearing up to write another project with Heather, possibly another YA under the Wilson Doherty pseudonym, or potentially a fantasy. Yes, I like changing it up! Keeps everything fresh.
3) Hey, I’m with you! But your list makes me tired! When you’re procrastinating, what do you do?
One word. Twitter.
4) I am right there with you. It’s been a book budget killer for me. How many books in your TBR pile?
Oh, wow. Too many! I would KILL for more reading time. I have about ten physical books in my TBR pile, and another shocking 90 or so on my Kindle.
5) Trish and I are not shocked. 90. We laugh at your 90! When you’re not reading, what’s your biggest guilty pleasure?
Sneaking off to take in a movie by myself. There’s nothing more glorious! Because I have so many demands on my time, so many responsibilities and relationships to manage, it really feels like I’m playing hooky. Not that I don’t also take in movies with my family or my writing partner, but sometimes I want it to be just between me and Daniel Craig … er, I mean, me and the screen.
6) You know, I’ve done that like twice. I wish I’d done it for The Immortals, so I could have happily drooled over Henry Cavill. Speaking of Henry, name 3 of your favorite things.
Rambling through woods trails with my dog, Chloe. It’s good for the soul.
Getting into the zone when I’m writing. You know, when the characters take over and the words flow, and when you finally look up, hours have passed.
Great TV! I know we share some of the same tastes in TV. Justified, for example. Mmmm. Also Friday Night Lights – that’s one show I wouldn’t have tried if you hadn’t raved about it, and it turned out to be one of the best series I’ve ever watched, though I would still put it behind The Wire and The Shield. Actually, I take most of my recommendations for TV shows from writer friends, because writers understand story. I’m sure it was Trish Milburn’s comments that turned me on to Firefly and Veronica Mars, two fabulous shows. Lina Gardiner gave me a gentle push towards Dexter. BTW, M.J., I’m paying attention to your analysis of this year’s crop, but holding off to see if they survive. I hate falling in love with a show only to have it cancelled.
7) Where can readers find you?
They can visit my website at http://norahwilsonwrites.com.
Follow me on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/norah_wilson
Friend me on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1053773212
Thanks for having me, M.J. This was fun!
Thanks for being here! Please y’all, comment for a chance to win her book Guarding Suzannah, one of my favorite books of 2011!
Movies I’m Looking Forward to in 2012
27 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
I remembered I’d also seen Super 8 in the theaters, so that was 3 for 2011. I doubt I’ll do better in 2012, but with these offerings, I might! These are in no particular order, btw.
1) Hunger Games
2) One for the Money–Jason O’Mara sold me on that
3) The Avengers!
4) The Lorax–I love this movie! Also, same creators as Despicable Me.
5) Hansel and Gretel, Witch Hunters
6) Snow White and the Huntsman
7) Dark Shadows
8) Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
9 ) The Great Gatsby
10) The Hobbit!
What movies are you looking forward to?
How Lyrical Is Your Romance Contest
26 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
The First Annual Lyrical Press How Lyrical is Your Romance? Contest opens on Monday, January 16th. This contest is open to both published and unpublished authors.
Entries must be complete works, ranging in word count between 15,000-100,000 words, any heat level, and fit into one of the following subgenre categories:
- Contemporary romance
- Historical romance
- Paranormal or urban fantasy romance
- Romantic steampunk
- Romantic Suspense
Prizes:
1st Place: $200 advance and digital publishing contract (advance payable as $100 upon finalized contract and $100 upon publication).
2nd Place: $100 advance and digital publishing contract (advance payable as $50 upon finalized contract and $50 upon publication).
3rd Place: Top-scoring contestant in each genre category will receive an acquiring editor’s critique of synopsis and first 50 pages of manuscript.
Guidelines:
- File type: .rtf, .doc, or .docx only
- 12pt black font (Times New Roman, Cambria, Courier or Georgia preferred)
- Line spacing: 1.5
- Margins: 1″ all
- Page-breaks between chapters
Please include a title page listing the following information:
- Legal name
- Pen name
- Email address
- Contact phone
- Working title (include series name and details if applicable)
- Word count
- Genre/category
Entries will be accepted from January 16, 2012 through February 5, 2012, and must be emailed to contest@lyricalpress.com. Entries sent to an email other than the aforementioned will be ignored. Please include book title and contest in subject line thusly: Booktitle – How Lyrical Is Your Romance?. Attach full manuscript, and 2-5 page synopsis in .rtf, .doc, or .docx format (Booktitle_MS and Booktitle_SYN as file names–your book title replaces “Booktitle”). After February 5, the contest will close, but we’ll still be accepting submissions as always at our submissions@lyricalpress.com address.
No entry fee required. Judges reserve the right to Decline to Judge any entry if it does not fit our lines, level of writing is not acceptable, or submission guidelines are not followed.
Entries will be judged on the following criteria: Hook, Pacing/Plot, Characterization, Dialogue, Mechanics, and Author Voice.
Winners will be announced on March 12, 2012 via our bloghttp://lyricalpress.blogspot.com/ and direct emails to winners.
AND I’m back working on Bluestone 2. So here’s some Tim O.
Merry Christmas, and Goals for the Week After
25 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
All the Whos are still a-snooze here. I’m watching A Christmas Story and wondering why my plotting brain ruined a perfectly good reunion story that I was planning to write. Dude. It was going to be so nice and simple. Now the conflict is ginormous.
I hope everyone is enjoying a lovely holiday. We did a big party at Mom’s last night, where we ate tons and opened presents, and will have a bigger party today at my brother’s. This morning, my guys and I will open presents and have a big lovely breakfast at home–something we only do twice a year.
I read four novellas this weekend, and started a fifth. Honestly, I need to close this computer more often to put a dent in that giant TBR!
Tomorrow, back to work–writing, anyway.
1) Finish Bluestone 2 and send it to Trish to read.
2) Put away Christmas. I’m ready to have the space back.
3) More promo
4) Take Baby Brother shopping for his Christmas present—we decided to go after to get more for my money J
5) Go to Castroville for a morning
6) Keep up house and MAYBE get to work in the yard—it’s supposed to warm up this week.
What are you up to this week?
Top Ten TV Shows in 2011
24 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
TV is awesome this year. It was really hard to pick my top ten. Some of my former favorites, like Glee, fell off the list. Some popped back on. And there are new ones. There are others I’m watching regularly, but I wouldn’t say they’re favorites. I mean, I love Hawaii 5-0 because of Alex O, and we watch American Horror Story, but neither are what I’d call favorites. I’m getting hooked on Grimm, too, and I like Andy as the new manager on The Office.
10) The Middle–we love this show about the struggling family. Axl, the son, reminds us so much of our son, who winds up in his boxers minutes after coming home.
9) Haven–From the setting to the love triangles to the trippy “troubles”–Haven hooked me from the beginning.
8) Grey’s Anatomy–despite Derek being a grade-A jackass this season, I’m loving it almost as much as I did when JDM was on. Lots of layered drama, and I’m DYING to know what’s going to happen next.
7) Modern Family–hilarious. I love Gloria. LOVE Gloria. And while I thought Cam or Mitchell should’ve gotten the Emmy, this year, Phil totally sold me. The episode where he’s making a YouTube video with his son by being hit in the head with a basketball had me rolling.
6) Terra Nova–the best thing about Mondays. Dinosaurs? Check. Drama? Check. Jason O’Mara–CHECK I do wish they’d have kept their focus on the relationship between the Shannon parents–they’d been separated for years and at first the show portrayed them as finding each other again. But, I’m also loving the relationship between the older daughter and her soldier boy.
5) Supernatural–this season is absolutely awesome, especially the first three episodes and the last two. Again, I cannot WAIT to see what’s going to happen!
4) Once Upon a Time–aside from finding Emma slightly annoying, I love everything about this show–except the ending from the last episode. I can’t imagine how it will be more than one season, but I’m along for the ride.
3) Revenge–As someone who grew up on nighttime soaps, I find this right up my alley. I added it to my season passes at the last minute because of the cool print ad in EW, and I look forward to it all day Wednesday.
2) The Walking Dead–gross, but so tense and good, and the ending from the last one–heartbreaking!
1) Justified–aside from Winona’s idiocy in those couple of episodes–Boyd, Good, Margo Martindale, GOOD, Jeremy Davies, GOOD, Timothy Olyphant–AWESOME. Also, I’m buying the new book when it comes out in February!
Still between stories–until Monday!
Winner of @trishmilburn ‘s Book #52weeksofindie
23 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
Carol Stephenson of FL tweeted about #52weeksofindie and won Trish’s book. Make sure you come back next week when I have Norah Wilson as a guest. I’ll be giving away the first book in her romantic suspense trilogy!
Today I’m baking sugar cookies and heading to my friend Cindi’s birthday lunch. Also I should try to get rid of some of the billion cinnamon rolls I made yesterday.
I’m between stories, so no hottie picture today!
My Top Ten Movies of the Year
22 Dec 2011 3 Comments
I realized as I composed this list that I only saw two movies in the theater this year–Beastly and Harry Potter. Wow. And I only bought about half a dozen DVDs, including Harry Potter, Inception, Christmas Vacation and Elf. But I stuck with Netflix and when everyone else left, I got new releases much sooner.
So, my top ten movies:
10) Unstoppable, the runaway train movie with Denzel and Chris Pine. Really good action movie, different, very edge-of-the-seat
9) Insidious–creepy creepy movie, good cast, great little kid actor
8) Despicable Me–such a fun movie about an unlikely hero. LOVED when he had to take care of the little kids. TOO funny. I think I may need to buy this one.
7) True Grit–loved the original, but Jeff Bridges did a good job recreating the role, and the little actress was incredible.
6) No Strings Attached–a terrific romantic comedy about two emotionally unavailable people. It would make a perfect Blaze novel.
5) King’s Speech–great performances all around, about a period of history I didn’t know much about.
The next three are pretty much tied for second.
4) Tangled–I cannot say how much I love this movie, and it is wrong wrong wrong to have a crush on a cartoon hero, but he was the perfect rogue. Perfect. And the black moment–OMG!
3) Friends with Benefits–same premise as No Strings Attached, but I liked Mila Kunis’s character so much better than Natalie Portman’s. The relationship and banter was hysterical. You must see it! Not with the family, though Another one I’ll buy.
2) Soul Surfer–I thought it would be a sappy movie, but it was really–real. One of my students suggested it and I watched it because he’d loved it. A great movie for the whole family.
1) Harry Potter of course! I almost bought myself a Team Neville shirt for Christmas. What were your favorites this year?
Special Guest Trish Milburn and a Giveaway #52weeksofindie
21 Dec 2011 10 Comments
I’m starting something new this week, featuring one indie book a week, an interview with the author, and a giveaway. To win, comment here, or Tweet with the hashtag #52weeksofindie so I can track you. I’ll announce the winner on Friday.
My first guest is Trish Milburn, and I’m featuring The Book That I Love, Living in Color. Everyone with a mother should read this book. One lucky winner will receive the book on Friday.
1) What was the inspiration for this book?
I wanted to explore how a daughter who had left her small hometown to travel the world and her mother, who had basically never left the town, mended their damaged relationship after the death of their father/husband. It’s a story of adjustment and healing. The mother had always been dependent on the dad, so now that dependence shifts to the daughter. Determined to show her mother a part of the world outside the small town, the daughter takes her mother on a big road trip. Of course, there are ups and downs along the way, but they both find out they didn’t know the other as well as they thought they did.
2) What’s next for you?
Beginning in January, I have a trilogy coming out from Harlequin American called the Teagues of Texas. It’s about three brothers whose family owns a guest ranch in the Hill Country of Texas. Each of them contributes something different to the ranch, and each unexpectedly falls in love. The first book is The Cowboy’s Secret Son, and so far the covers for the January and March books are awesome. Hot cowboys, what’s not to love? J Can’t wait to see the May one. Then, beginning in February I have a paranormal young adult trilogy coming out from Bell Bridge Books. Coven, which won the Golden Heart for Young Adult in 2007, is the launch of the series.
3) When you’re procrastinating, what do you do?
You know the answer to this one. I watch TV. My TiVo and I are BFFs. J
4) How many books in your TBR pile?
You mean my TBR bookshelves, plastic bins, Kindle and piles? More than 1,000. Yes, I have the book-buying disease.
5) What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?
I love going to the movies in the middle of the day when everyone is at work.
6) Name 3 of your favorite things.
Family and friends of course come first. But I’m assuming you mean other than that. So, chocolate chip oatmeal cookies right from the oven, fresh seafood in a beachside restaurant, road trips.
7) Where can readers find you?
Right now, in the deadline cave! But online it’s www.trishmilburn.com for the website, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Trish-MilburnTricia-Mills-Fan-Page/441289945240 for my Facebook fan page, and @TrishMilburn on Twitter. Also, I’ll be at the Barbara Vey Readers Luncheon in Oak Creek, Wis., on April 10. Then I’ll be at the Romantic Times Convention in Rosemont, Ill. (Chicago area) April 11-15.
Thanks for having me here today!
