Lyn's Licks & Laughs...with alter egos Bobbie Cole & Sunny

Quick Trip 2 am

2011-12-28T02:16:00.000-06:00

Ever had donut cravings in the middle of the night? Well, here's what it'll get ya. Son & DIL sent me in for a donut run, and there were 4 of the cutest kids horsing around in Quick Trip, taking photos of one another, just having fun. Old gal here got pulled into one of them. So here's a shout out to Marshall (to my left) and Pat (to my right)...and a hello to the girls, Kelsey and...ack...I've forgotten a name. But hopefully one of them will see the blog and let me know. SORRY!

Pat, if I understood, just won a state championship in wrestling. Wow. Having moved from Stillwater, Oklahoma a few years ago (hello...Wrestling Hall of Fame), I can appreciate the hard work and dedication that takes.

I haven't talked to anyone their age for that long since I last taught in college. Should I put these kids in a book, or what?! Maybe once I get back from Australia.

Hawt guys and their incredibly sweet girl friends...not what I'd expected to find when I walked through those doors, but I'm glad I did. They made my day.

~ Sunny

Happy Holidays

2011-12-19T17:49:00.000-06:00

Merry Christma, Happy Hanukkah, and everything else you celebrate. I haven't dropped off the planet, just been busy, then sick, holidays, writing, the usual. I've mailed my packages, haven't filled out a single Christmas card but at least did the packages. Everything here will be rather low key during the winter holidays, but...more on what's coming up in another post.

For now, just let me announce that my Harlequin Carina Press romantic suspense is now in paperback and was selected for Harlequin's Reader Services, meaning it is AVAILABLE in paperback for anyone who goes to the site. If anyone is interested, it's here (and I've forgotten how to do the hidden link thingie, sorry): http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=25028

Color me happy. *smile*

Again, all the best for a marvelous holiday.
~ Sunny/Bobbie

I Confess...

2011-06-20T18:33:00.000-05:00

Literally. We writers are such weird sorts anyway. I'd forgotten I'd submitted this, but I DID, a few months ago. While flitting back and forth from this male/male novel to that romantic suspense, a girl gets squirrely and has to write something "different". I not only made the sale, but my story is the lead one. Title in the upper left corner. July issue, on the stands now. *grin*

Have a good day, everyone. More later...

~ Sunny Bob

Say Hello To Hunter Raines!

2011-05-30T14:07:00.000-05:00

I've been a slug on my own blog, and I don't have anything wonderful to say about myself today, but I promise to have a new post up soon with at least something funny or interesting SOON. For now, if you would, pop over to Cash Cole's blog and read a humorous interview Hunter Raines has done with one of the characters from Paradise Found. = )

http://cashcole.blogspot.com/

Have a good Memorial Day. Stay Safe!

~ Sunny

I need to take a class on Tweeting.

2011-03-26T01:41:00.002-05:00

But if I can't make it to my BLOG, I'm wondering...why bother? Ya know? How do those of you who Tweet, and update Facebook and My Space DO this? I get so bogged down with the should haves in a writer's life that every now and then I have a grade A, homogenized meltdown if the media aspect detracts me from my writing.

That said, TPTB at Harlequin are right. My romantic suspense that debuted Monday was #5 that day for sales. I have no way of knowing for sure whether the Tweets they did and the Facebook promo is the cause or if it's simply that several people were waiting or surprised that I'd gotten off my butt and had a book out. But...I'll give H's marketing strategies the kudos.

I took a leave of absence from my life a while back. Was rather interesting. I came to the conclusion that i was doing too much of what didn't feed my soul. The results? I made a commitment (yes, another one) to quit smoking. Oh, bite me. I can do this. I also refrained from critiquing anyone else for several weeks until I had a come to Jesus meeting with my muse, who kicked my whiny ass.
* * *

Therefore, I've also been writing my buns off. Short stories, 1st chapter of a new women's fiction, a male/male romance or two. Should have news in a bit on a couple of submissions. One debuts next week. Ack. Another launch day.
* * *

I'm amazed at my friends who put up with my obnoxiously harsh critiques of their own work. I do not derive pleasure from those. I simply want them to put forth their best effort when they submit, but i take things too far. I try keeping that thought in mind whenever they blast away at my work. Color me shocked that they still want me back after my self-imposed exile.
* * *

I'm equally astonished if they like something and publicly say so. Lol. Gretchen Jones did a review of Memories Of You and posted this to Amazon. My humble thanks to her.

I'm looking forward to spring weather, not just the calendar telling me that the snow we're to get tomorrow is ACTUALLY DURING SPRING. Maybe I just need to adjust my attitude a little further before gearing up for BBQ weather, sandals, and sunny dispositions. Maybe the weather has nothing to do with my snarky 'tude.

Then again...maybe it does.

Hope your week has gone well.

Sunny Bob The Industrious

My first Carina Press Book DEBUTS TODAY!!!!!

2011-03-21T00:05:00.001-05:00

In my first novel for Carina Press, Memories of You, protagonist Charlene Vargas works cold cases for the Houston PD, and when one case dovetails with the disappearance of her boyfriend, resolving both cases puts her in danger. Seth has a new face, given to him after a tragic automobile accident. What's worse, he doesn't remember the woman who can't forget him. Somehow his memory loss is connected to her cold case, and a killer is determined that neither discover who Seth really is and why he was resurrected after the car crash as someone else with a new name and face.

Memories Of You, release date: March 21, 2011

ISBN: 978-14268-9134-2

Price: $4.99

Cover Artist: Frauke Spanuth

Totally inspiring people who helped me get this book into print:
Heather Rae Scott, who told me to write it
Carla Cassidy, who made damn sure I DID write it
Gretchen Jones who provided transportation and beer
Heather Snow who provided the lake house, breakfast, and a kick in the butt
Members of MARA who encouraged me
Jackie Bannon who drove me everywhere but nuts
Angela James who took another chance on me
Melissa Johnson, my fabulous editor
Aideen O'Leary Chung, Emma Cunningham, & other terrific Carina Press staff
and the other MARVELOUS authors of Not Your Usual Suspects
(romantic suspense authors for Carina Press)
...the list is long...and I owe a huge thank you to all of these folks!

To read an excerpt, buy, or just gawk at a bigger cover:

http://ebooks.carinapress.com/80433746-792D-4DEB-8B0E-B215C6AAEC6D/10/134/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=0AB88471-8D45-4F82-A059-96EF2BC89446

Gad - I hate that huge logo on this blog

2011-03-17T13:44:00.000-05:00

I haven't been able to shrink that sign. Haven't been here to blog in ages. Forgive me. Social media just ain't my thing. I love keeping in touch, love it when folks email me or post here, whatever, but I feel tongue-tied when I go to post.

Right now...let's see...

I have two books out this month. One is a male/male for Resplendence. (Thank you Carol Lynn for kicking my ass). Another is a romantic suspense for Carina Press. I shall have more info on both of them later this month. I PROMISE.

Hope the rest of you are doing okay this month. It's March - yay! Spring is just around the proverbial corner. Think we just had our last snow of the season earlier this week, so temps will be warming up.

I'm plotting new books. Planning trips for later in the year. Won't be attending RT convention this year. Some of you may have read, but my buddy Alexis Fleming's spouse passed away a few weeks ago, so things are pretty unsettled with her, and she's my RT buddy. Major hugs to Alex.

Let's see...there's the RWA conference. Dunno if I can make that one or not either. Cost is astronomical to attend these things nowadays. Love going. Just *wince* hate that cost.

And there's a new conference with m/m readers and writers, editors and reviewers. That one is GayRomLit, and it will be held this year in New Orleans. VERY affordable. So I'd like to go to that one in October.

And that's it for this one. I shall return...
S

Thursday Baking Day

2011-01-06T10:01:00.000-06:00

http://notyourusualsuspects.blogspot.com/

Take a look at Wednesday's post over on Not Your Usual Suspects. Those of you who write murder/mystery/thriller material...answer the question at the bottom of the post if you will. - hehehehe - Just don't mention any NAMES if you've killed off the same person more than once.

Yes, I snagged a photo or two of friends to add to that other blog.

And for those who are shaking their heads...I KNOW...two blog posts in a week? Something must be up with the blogger. Well, sort of. I've just made a determined effort to pop in more often. Now if I can just get to the blogs I want to VISIT...

I accidentally deleted my old blog info in the template while screwing around with "let's see how this looks" - who knew that Blogger would permanentely disfigure the place?! Somewhere on my hard drive there's a copy of all the blogs I used to visit so I can find them again.

In the meantime, I do know how to visit my own and will try to do so more often.

Today is baking day. I plan on pumpkin loaf, banana loaf, pumpkin COOKIES (thanks to Anita, a friend in south Texas who sent me her pumpkin recipe book!!!), chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and something else. Oh, yeah. Something a bit less sweet. Fried chicken tenders, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans with Herbs Du Province. (Did I spell that right?)

The Boy is in Las Vegas for a business trip, so The Girl and I are on our own. She doesn't have long for lunch, so I'd better get busy cooking.

Have a great day, everyone.
~ Sunny

The girl ain't right...

2011-01-03T10:28:00.000-06:00

While I force myself not to make New Year's resolutions, I invariably gravitate toward them, and not in a good way. I berate myself for not having done this or that the previous year (or decade), I loathe the blank page when dozens of "should have done" or "should do now" messages float through my brain. I curse the first cigarette or a day that passes without my having walked a considerable way toward improving my health.

Not this year. A friend of the family visited - one who loves being a domestic goddess - and every time she wanted to make pancakes or pick up something, I bigod let her. So she doesn't put the toilet seat down. Her pancakes are divine, and I love her company.

Did I smoke? Bite your tongue. Did I walk? Heavens, no...it's too friggin' cold. But did I enjoy myself? Absolutely. I read good books (Thank you, Carol Lynne and Sarah Ban Breathnach), ate well (Thank you, Jen), did some stretches, bought a Pilates CD, shopped till I dropped, and made a To Do list rather than a God-You-Suck-So-You'd-Better-Do-These-NOW list.

What's on my To Do list? Bake gingerbread. Every article online, every word of mouth newsfeed, and every intuitive bone in my body tells me to pick up Home Cooking and More Home Cooking, written by a novelist who happened to write two cookbooks before she passed away. Laurie Colwin. Her gingerbread recipe has made it into several books by other authors, so even if I'm the only one who'll eat it, I'm making it. I'm also thawing chicken to make either her roast chicken recipe or the baked one. Then as soon as I can get to the grocery store for supplies, I'm trying her baked spinich casserole.

I'm also pampering myself. The facial scrubs and potions, foot massages, hot tea or cocoa in bed before I retire, and warm, fuzzy clothing that caresses my skin.

This one isn't new, but I'm enjoying it, nonetheless. I call my father almost every morning. Sometimes he gets an evening call, but usually I start the day with talking with the old guy. He's a hoot, a lot of fun, with a dry wit and some interesting stories. He's one of those people who doesn't say much most of the time, but peeling back the layers of memories he has just thrills me. Now and then he'll offer up a story that fires my imagination and makes me want to write.

On my To Do for today was to blog. I totally suck at this. Rarely do I tell myself "hey, I think I'll spill my guts for cyberspace". Now I'm of a mind that if it gets my fingers busy typing, and if Pop fires my imagination, and if friends keep me supplied with books and coffee, I'm bound to write more in 2011 than I did in 2010.

So thanks for reading, whoever you are. And if anything I say motivates you to write - or even think - then good.

Have a spectacular day...
Sunny Bob

Biker Bars & Blogging

2010-12-14T15:05:00.001-06:00

I’m blogging Wednesday the 15th over at the Carina Press blog, Not Your Usual Suspects, hosted by mystery, suspense, and romantic suspense authors. If you haven’t checked them out, they are a HOOT. My blog mate tomorrow is the fabulous Caridad Pienero, and among the goodies we offer up is a chocolate chili recipe for those who like hot, spicy, and sweet combined.

Before I sign off, will share a funny my twisted friend Janet sent me. Said she’d heard I was at my favorite biker bar and that it wouldn’t be difficult to spot!

I told you…the woman just isn’t right, RIGHT?

Again, take a look at Not Your Usual Suspects if you get the chance!
http://notyourusualsuspects.blogspot.com/

Have a great day - stay warm!

thank you - it's a great day

2010-11-07T11:27:00.004-06:00

If I've neglected to send you a personal thank you, consider it done here. (Hello, Janet!) Yeah, it's the old girl's birthday. Someone asked me 'how's it hanging' earlier - ha. Well, it's ALL hanging, but I like to think I do it with flair. *snort*

The Kids are at a wedding, and I'm throwing cyber confetti from here. It's a beautiful autumn day. I have the pets riding shotgun as I fire off manuscripts. I'm working, alas, but it's a good day to do so.

Gretchen took me to a terrific movie (go see RED with Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, Richard Dreyfuss, John Malkovich, etc) and be prepared to laugh your arse off. It's wonderful fun. We went to the Fork & Film, so I had food along with the movie. Later, a clerk at Starbucks thought we were a nice pair and asked if Gretchen was my DAUGHTER. Alrighty. It's time to whip out that bottle of Miss Clairol I've been storing for ages. Nothing like a wake-up call on your birthday weekend. Bitch. That's okay. I am strong. My ego is in-friggin'-tact. Doesn't bother ME - I'm not BITTER.

Jackie phoned before boarding her flight (biz trip). Friends have called or emailed. My parents phoned and sang happy birthday to me. I'm having fun, despite the fact that someone at Starbucks thinks I have a daughter who is only 10 yrs my junior. So...maybe I'll go red. Or purple. I used to do drugs and dye my hair eggplant. Anyone got a doobie? I'm KIDDING. I'm more into Starbucks fraps these days. R-E-A-L-L-Y.

Hope the rest of you are having a terrific day.

~ Sunny Bob The Elder

some days we should just stay in bed

2010-10-16T22:45:00.002-05:00

Helluva summer. Interesting autumn. Lots going on - I haven't blogged much - sorry (to the two or three of you who visit). I'll skip the maudlin parts that have happened and cut to the "why I should have stayed in bed today" part.

400 pages of critiquing for friends and CPs...okay...been there, done that, almost done, but I have 8 contest entries to judge for someone. No big deal. Okay, it is, and I'm sick as a dog, but I'll get 'er done.

Go to store for Puffs with lotion (gotta have that softness during hard times), diabetic cough syrup, ice-cream, and pistachios. Gimme a break. A girl needs her comfort foods and stuff. So I've perused the aisles and can't find the damn nuts. It's late and I want to go home. There's a cute guy squatting in aisle 10, stocking the lower shelves. I'm worried about having enough $$ on me for the pistachios and want to check the prices between two brands, but I can't find either brand.

Me: Excuse me?

Cute guy: Yes?

Me: I need to see your nuts.

CG: Excuse me? You want to see my...what is it you're looking for?

Me: (turning red) Your nuts, please. (I can't think of the word pistachio to save my ass.)

CG: (flustered and trying to rise, not making it - and he can't talk, only point for a second to the next aisle over): 11. Aisle 11.

I nod, unable to say thank you. There's a scraping sound - shoes scuffing floor? Someone farting? I have no idea - I only hope it's not me. I see him fall and his butt hit the ground from the corner of my eye. (And we used to think it was bad having to ask where the tampons were. I can't wait until the day I have to ask for adult diapers.)

Aisle 11 - still no nuts. Well, one - me. So I shuffle toward the front to check out, and a clerk who knows me asks how the writing's going and asks if I found everything. I mumble something about the damn nuts, and she sends a nice, tall, elderly man for them. He's gone forever - I have the line backing up behind me, waiting. And he's deaf as a post to boot, so he talks rather loudly. He comes back announcing to all "We can't seem to find our nuts tonight. Give me a minute." And he takes off again.

By then, everyone is sniggering up their sleeves or pissing themselves. Evidently, I'm not the only one in the store with a dirty mind.
* * *
I get to the car and daughter-in-law wants to know what took me so long.

Me: Don't ask.

So...I'm not critiquing tonight. I'm not judging manuscripts. I'm going back to bed, where I should have stayed all along.

More next time...

Fiction From The Heartland Contest!!!

2010-08-27T11:15:00.002-05:00

Why YOU should enter MARA's Fiction From the Heartland Contest

· FEEDBACK, FEEDBACK, FEEDBACK

o You get TWO full page critiques, one from a published author.

o Our contest provides detailed feedback on your entire entry,
including big picture story feedback from your synopsis

o You will receive your comments back in time to prepare to enter
the RWA Golden Heart®

· Manuscripts that final are read by BOTH an EDITOR and an
AGENT

o Check out 2010's Fabulous Line-Up!

§ Agents

· Helen Breitwieser, Cornerstone
Literary Agency

· Sara Megibow, Nelson Literary
Agency

· Laura Bradford, Bradford
Literary Agency

· Karen Solem, Spencerhill
Associates

· Claudia Cross, Sterling Lord
Literistic

§ Editors

· Category Romance - Susan Litman,
Harlequin/Silhouett e

· Contemporary Single Title -
Danielle Poiesz, Pocket Books

· Historical - Tessa Woodward,
Avon Books

· Romantic Suspense - Lauren
Plude, Grand Central Publishing

· Paranormal - Meredith Giordan,
Berkley Publishing Group

· Erotic Romance – Meghan
Conrad, Ellora's Cave

· Young Adult - Natashya Wilson,
Harlequin Teen

· Inspirational - Melissa Endlich,
Steeple Hill

· Trained judges, who judge in the genre they write. No MARA
members are allowed to enter our own contest.

· Overall winner receive $50 and a commemorative plaque

· Did we say FEEDBACK?

Here's what some past entrants have said about our contest:

"I attribute my first sale to this contest." - Laura Abbot

"I had no idea when I entered the MARA Contest how it would change my
life. Not only did I win the contemporary catagory and the best
overall, but the judging editor requested the entire manuscript and I
went on to become a published author! I can't recommend this contest
enough." -Donna Delaney

And 2000 RITA® winner for Best First Book (The Maiden and the
Unicorn), Isolde Martyn thanked MARA and the Fiction From the Heartland
Contest in her acceptance speech

So be sure to polish up your entry and get it in today! Deadline Sept
10th, 2010. www.mararwa. com

Questions? E-mail: MARAContestCoordinator@gmail. com

>

Am I On Candid Camera?

2010-08-23T13:56:00.002-05:00

Does anyone even remember Candid Camera? - Or am I becoming ancient?

This has been the weirdest month. As you can tell, it's been a while since I've blogged. Went to the lake with friends - had a blast. Critiquing, cooking, conversation - the works. It was relaxing but also energizing for me. Hope the others feel the same.

Then I pup sat for Carol - always enjoy my times with the Dudmeister. She rescued me yesterday, as a matter of fact. I was in a really whiney mood, so she showed up and whisked me away to Casa Carol's for the day. Fed me the most delicious pot roast dinner imaginable.

Today...one weird thing after another. I submitted a partial to a contest last Friday. Late. Heard back first thing this morning with a form rejection email, which is okay - made me wonder if anyone had actually read the sucker, but...oh, well. Then I get a "high" when I find out that Knights & White Satin goes to print with Ellora's Cave next week. Nice high. Okay, a VERY nice high. The book has been out for 2 years and has done pretty well in ebook, if I do say so. Made some heterosexuals laugh and cry, so I figure I must've done a good job with it.

Then I get a contract via email that has been lost in cyberspace for a couple of months. Another high. Can't open the damned thing. Bummer! So now I am waiting to see what it is I'm agreeing to (nice to know since I'm already in the line edits on the book). *wry grin*

I need to develop a website and put the blog on that. Am a real techno dummy who happens to be broke at the moment; otherwise, I'd tackle it myself or hire someone to do it up right for me. Not that I'd VISIT it any more often than I visit here, but it'd still be nice to have.

The Kids surprised me yesterday - they made a big day trip, drove through some pretty country, shopped at a few outlet malls and came home with a nice Coach purse for me. I've promised to downsize the bag I carry, and I've done pretty well for a few months. So #1 Son bought me a new purse that is gorgeous.

I also aped friend Heather Rae and picked up a blazer for myself like hers - a boyfriend jacket. Was marked down for some reason, probably because of my size - I have shoulders like a football player.

Speaking of ball - I found myself sitting in bed the other night, all alone in the house, flipping channels back and forth, watching a Chiefs game and a Royals game (love Kansas - what can I say?)...and before long I heard myself yell "run, you sonofabitch". Dogs looked at me like I was nuts. Probably was. And I wondered...am I turning into one of those old sports fans who will probably wear their baseball caps to bed and dream of stats or Darryl Strawberry, Pete Rose, or whoever? Never thought I'd see the day when I was alone in the house, could watch any cable channel (and I'm nuts about movies), and spend my time screaming obscenities at a television set, encouraging someone whom I'll never meet, to pick up his feet and boogie. *shaking head* I'm channeling Maxine, the cartoon character. Have this picture of myself in a bathrobe, munching popcorn with a bug-eyed dog sitting next to me, making pithy comments about life and sports. Say it isn't so...ack.

Have a great week, everyone.

~ Sunny Lyn

A Helluva Series

2010-07-28T11:56:00.007-05:00

Friend and fellow writer Carol Lynne has an amazing series, for those who like male/male romance and haven't read these. I've read all but one of the older books, and I really enjoyed them. Couldn't believe she made Lucifer a character and that it worked! But she does a great job. Lu leaps off of the page and is so sympathetic that you can't help but want a happily ever after for him.

A disbeliver? Read the 1st book and judge for yourself. The dialogue is snappy, the premise believable (okay, we are talking about an amiable devil here, but what the hell, right?)...

Start with Lucifer's story, Hell Hath No Fury. Then read Ice Water In Hell, Hell On Wheels, and finish with Storming Hell's Gates, which features Archangel Michael.

Here's the link for Hell Hath No Fury.

http://www.resplendencepublishing.com/m8_view_item.html?m8:item=176-201-107-438-6

Dammit Dolls Expressing Themselves

2010-07-11T16:16:00.006-05:00

Micah Doll knew he was a different sort of dolly from the beginning, but he was unaware of his place in the world until he attended the Gay Pride Parade in Washington last month. He was so enthralled with finding others coming out of the doll closet at the Miss Gay Universe pageant--next thing Micah new, he was headed for Las Vegas, where he was certain he would discover hidden talents he hadn't known he possessed.

Friends and theatrical talents Phil & Jim met him at the airport and whisked him to their condo, where they gave him a crash course, training him unmercifully in voice, dance, and stage makeup. When he was ready, they drove him to the Belagio to audition for a chorus line. The powers that be were so impressed that they signed Micah for a feature act to do in drag, where he performed Cindi Lauper tunes as the exotic Mimosa.

Mimosa's troubles started after the first show. Mimosa took off her makeup and headed home. So giddy with the applause and her ability to sing before hundreds of people, she forgot Vegas politics and horned in on a photo shoot between two celebrities. Nic was okay with the intrusion, but Michael's agent, Angelo, took offense, and Mimosa was once again Micah, this time running for his life from intrepid Italian entrepreneurs.

Then he spied it--luggage that wasn't fully zipped. Micah weazled his way into the frayed, red suitcase, where he found a plethora of male/male romance novels to read until he landed. Where? He had no idea. He rifled through the worn clothing, loose tickets and trinkets, keepsakes, and jewelry. Ah! A small flashlight. Then he saw the papers he needed. He'd hitched a ride with m/m authors Carol Lynne and Cash Cole, on their way home from a writers' conference. Perhaps they could help him until he got back on his cotton feet.

Cash Cole, like Mimosa, however, was merely a pseudonym, a persona to be donned now and then. Once they landed in Kansas City, Cash morphed back to her old self, an embittered writer named Bobbie Cole. And Bobbie was upset that she'd be missing the upcoming Romance Writers of America conference in Orlando. Recognizing a Dammit Doll when she saw one, Bobbie grabbed poor Micah by his legs and pounded the nearest table as soon as she arrived home. Yelling dammit, dammit, dammit, she whacked until Micah thought his stuffing would pop out.

It's a metaphor! he tried telling her. Surely, an author would know what that meant. But she was relentless. frustrated.

It was then that Micah decided he'd look for others of his ilk at this RWA conference. When Bobbie finally relaxed her grip on him and took a nap, Micah jumped onto the internet and found the links he needed. The dolls were gathering, alright, at the writers' conference. They were to gather on Thursday night at the RWA Moonlight Madness jamboree on July 29th.

He studied their origination at http://www.mararwa.com/Authors/dammitdoll.html
then made his own reservations for the conference. Maybe he'd arrive early, but it'd give him time to check out nightclubs and find work. He had to support himself, after all. And this time he wouldn't be so eager to climb into the spotlight with other celebrities. He'd be his own doll.

Micah scanned the web page. The next doll's story would be up soon at Heather Snow's home on the web. Maybe she'd be kinder to the doll she encountered. She was, after all, an historical romance writer. Weren't those people more sophisticated, less rough? He hoped so. Making a note of Heather's web address, http://www.heathersnowbooks.blogspot.com/, Micah closed out of Bobbie's computer and packed for his next adventure.

friends

2010-07-10T12:52:00.003-05:00

I love my friends. It's weird how often I measure myself against them, using them as yardsticks when I want to stretch my wings and try something new at which they have succeeded (or drag them into a venture with me). Some friends are my age, and we commiserate on aging, aging parents, cashing in too early with dreams we once had. Other friends are much younger, and they keep me on my toes, making me reevaluate how badly I'd like to do something that will either rejuvinate me or put a new crop of lines on my face.

One friend has a son who is dying. They've fought the battle with cancer for years, and now his doctors have sent him home to let Hospice care for him. He's stubborn and insists he's getting better and will soon be back at work. God, I hope so.

Another pal is so busy stewing over things that have already happened in her life that I fear she's missing out on some "right now" things, such as how wonderful she is AS she is, not to mention moments that cannot be recaptured. I want to tell her to slow the hell down. Time is such a thief. (Ask the aforementioned friend.)

This one makes me laugh. She and her family went camping and didn't have time to get their car cleaned. Someone wrote on it: I wish my girlfriend was this dirty.

And from one side of the USA to the other,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LIZ WOLFE and
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HEATHER RAE SCOTT!!!!

Pleasant weekend to all. Look here tomorrow for a Dammit Doll adventure. If you haven't heard and care to look, here's what the Dammit Doll adventures are all about this month:

http://www.mararwa.com/Authors/dammitdoll.htm

Happy July

2010-07-01T18:18:00.003-05:00

I am at Casa Carol's for a few days with buddy Dudley while his mama is vacationing with her family. Anyone in my neighborhood with a beer and a backrub? I mean it's such torture here. She stocked the 'frig and all that jazz with fresh fruits & veggies, a blueberry pie (ssh - don't tell the carb police), and some nice meals for me. I have the use of her laptops, so I can get on the internet when I'm supposed to be writing.

And I AM writing. Also reading. Have 3 manuscripts to critique (yes, Jackie, Leigh, & Aimee, you are with me in spirit this week), 4 books of my own to read, and a slew of Carol's lining her bookshelves. If you like tearjerkers, pick up her Cattle Valley Days books. That one about Nick becoming mayor and facing a disaster. OMG. Book #12. WAAAAH. And the latest one, a follow up called Neil's' Guardian Angel!!!! ANOTHER tear jerker. (Pretty hot cover, too.) It's here: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=806

Okay, I have some news of my own. I sold to Carina Press. Color me happy. It's a romantic suspense, a Bobbie Cole book. No clue when it'll debut. Gotta meet my editor and go through edits and all of that first. But Sunny Bob is now a Harlequin author. And it feels gooood. :) I wouldn't have gotten the book done, much less submitted, if not for Heather Rae Scott , so thanks, girlfriend. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for pushing me, critiquing me, encouraging me, and listening to me whine about it all.

Happy 4th of July, everyone, whether you are in the states or not.
hugs
Sunny Lyn

never to old to rock 'n roll

2010-06-20T19:33:00.011-05:00

I have had the best damned time the past couple of weeks. Figured I was due, but I didn't push my luck. I thanked the powers that be and kept my eyes peeled for open doors. (Easier to go through one that's already opened rather than have to knock or find a bulldozer, ya know?)

I attended my first Royals game...and they won (seems they haven't had a lot of winning streaks lately). Son got 3 tickets, 2 together, 1 alone, so I opted for the lone one and happened to sit by 4 guys celebrating a birthday. They introduced themselves to me, had a few beers, said a few cheers, flirted their butts off. I, on the other hand, was totally engrossed in watching the Royals whip the Houston Astros. The game was exciting, though, one of those that was close for several innings, with one team getting ahead by 1 or 2, the other 0 for the inning, and back and forth. Until the 5th inning when the KC Royals had 7! It was pretty exciting stuff.

I thanked my son, by the way, for buying this house we're in. Climbing stairs umpteen times a day has paid off royally. I wouldn't have been able to walk from parking lot to baseball field or to have climbed up and down those stairs to get to that underground pub if it hadn't been for living here.

Joined a new critique group - well, new to me, and these ladies are sharp. Great with the hugs or butt kicks, whichever is necessary.

Met some really nice folks at a party at fellow friend and writer Sally's place. Was interesting that 2 people who knew me as Bobbie 20 years ago were there - and 1 of the new friends I met knew someone in MARA besides Sally...this lady had been a member years earlier, long before I joined. Out of the seven women there, seems we were all writers of one sort or another. Of course, there I was at nearly 6' tall, and the others were tiny, like size 2 to 4 and maybe 5'3" except for Sally. I felt like a moose. But they were great and I enjoyed myself.

Diana, Sally, Madonna, Anita (the birthday girl), some damn woman, Wendy, & Terri

Hitched a ride home with Gretchen who took me to meet up with Erin, who was to take me home, and we had dinner at Zona Rosa then went to an Irish pub that was hell and gone from Kansas City but tons of fun. The owner wears a kilt and has a trained tenor voice that can melt bones.

I had kismet moment chasing kismet, revelation after revelation, and so many lessons were brought home that I'd either not learned or had forgotten over the past couple of weeks. #1 is that we are all struggling...some of us just grab the proverbial bull by the horns and get back on the bull until the ride is over. Some of us get sidetracked--okay, we all do at times. But persistence pays off.

I learned more about Madonna, not the singer, the writer, and she's quite interesting. Great conversationalist--who knew? She's usually so quiet. But she's a character, great sense of humor, interested in so many things, big traveler, and her husband is just nuts about her - it's so obvious. Thirty years of marriage and the man's eyes still hold that love and admiration every time he looks at her.

One of my pals is 65 and looks like she's in her 30's. She has a home gym of sorts, works out, rides a Harley, drives a sports car, and cooks and decorates and has all sorts of interests. And she has a bubble machine - lol. Loved it. Bubbles all over that back yard.

Anyway, that's why I've been absent. Nothing wrong. Just resting up from the move, busting ass around here getting things put away, and spending time with family and friends. Hope the rest of you are well and happy and that the Universe grants you a ballgame, a kiss (got one or two of those this past week - lol - another story), clean laundry, and balm for what ails you.

moving, muscles, mayhem

2010-05-29T21:49:00.002-05:00

Have moved. Just haven't finished moving. Internet, cable, all that jazz come on Tuesday. Yesterday the new dining table, chairs, and kids' new bed arrived. I've discovered muscles I didn't know I had, while others are rebeling and letting me know how pissed off they are.

Right now am Dudley sitting for Carol (God bless that woman for rescuing me today/tonight) while she's at a ballgame. I have a promise to get a book in to an editor, and it wasn't happening at home, so I'm working on it tonight and tomorrow morning until C arrives. Then Jackie is kidnapping me - lol. Have I mentioned that I adore my friends???

What I have learned...a new appreciation for those who work fast food. They've kept us afloat the past couple of weeks. I've learned that my legs are still useful, that I CAN climb stairs (over and over)...I just can't carry anything heavy, and I tend to fall (that balance thing that comes with head injuries). BUT...I can grab a box of books or clothes and do the "old lady with the walker" thing getting them up those flights of stairs. Hoist box a couple of steps ahead of me, climb using box as the walker. And so on...

I can also rig up a makeshift closure for a fence that isn't fixed yet so that I don't have to take the dogs out on a leash any more. That 'driving a team of horses' thing was kinda wearing on me. Was beginning to feel like Charlton Heston with chariot and horses in Ben Hur. Didn't realize I was losing weight until my jeans dropped to my ankles when I coughed once. Ack. Broad friggin' daylight while in the garage waiting on a repairman who took care of the front part of the fence. (I took care of one corner of the back.)

Have had Taco Bueno till I'm turning avacado green and my kidneys hate me.

Got on internet at Carol's tonight and cleaned out the mailbox. Thanks to those of you who haven't sent me a ton of mail. A pox on those who have. (just kidding...well, maybe a mild case of rash)

On the good side, I have an office again! YAY!!! And what books I'll read within the next month (if all goes as planned) will go on the big new bookcase while others slumber in the closet. Not having them all out there again collecting dust. Daughter-in-law loaned me her laptop for the weekend (mine crapped out...the LED/monitor went kablooey).

To those who know how grave my dad's health situation was during the move, he's better. For the phone calls I've missed...sorry, phone is acting up and I don't always hear it ring. Have to keep an eye on the red light that alerts me I missed a call, damn it. The Kids are fine, except had to go to an emergency care clinic with DIL whose ankles and legs are swelling from being on them and working such long hours even during the move than afterwards at night cleaning out the old place.

Till next time...hugs...thanks for caring and popping in here while I've been gone.
~ Sunny Lyn

moving sucks

2010-05-17T10:32:00.002-05:00

'nuff said?

less than a week...yay...(groan)

no smoking. have a writers' meeting I'm in charge of on Saturday. moving day is Saturday - lol. house is a total wreck. dogs are losing fur every time they meander the path to the back door. kids are grouchy as hell. all I'd need is for Mother Nature to visit, but there'd be a big star in the east since no ute since 1997. but then I'm looking for a miracle of some sort this week. that, of course, would be a disaster, no? don't need any more of those.

coffee pot is on the fritz, has to be cleaned with vinegar most likely, to remove residue, mineral build-up. ants invaded...and kids blame the houseplants. uh, no, but might be that the freakin' dishes need to be done instead of sitting in the sink, and trash needs to be bagged and hauled out. doh. (when's the last time YOU saw an ant carry an aloe vera to his hole rather than food?)

beer...bourbon, backrub, Calgon, something...please, carry me awaaaaaaaaay.

RT Columbus, Ohio 2010

2010-04-29T11:23:00.007-05:00

<~~~ the lovely and stylish Molly & Pat

***

The first thing everyone has asked is WHY Ohio in the first place? I'm betting it's because it's mid-America and because EC, the biggest contributor (as in their authors and readers, as in their party, which is always a highlight at RT) is based in Ohio. But other than that...I agree. What the hell?

***

Ah, didn't get a photo, but for those who know Raelene Gorlinsky, the publisher for RT? She looks fabulous. I swear, the diet she's on, the way she had her hair fixed (and I didn't see her in a hat - lol - she had just arrived when she came and sat at our table outside), whatever it was...she looks 10 years younger. Very pretty. And Jeania with EC is still cute as hell. The woman never ages.

***

I met some nice local folks there (and wonderful staff at the hotel), but the location sucks. Columbus is a former industrial city, and I'm not sure what it is now, but the downtown area is pretty bleak and void of eye candy. There are some terrific boutiques and food places, but...meh. Lex and I had to take a cab to Wal-Mart and go through 'da hood' (and people, I've lived in da hood in Oklahoma City, and this one scared the crap out of even me)...e-friggin-gad. Did some people-watching, though, and the norm there for women of all ages seems to be Capris, ankle socks, athletic shoes, and ankle tattoos. Amazing. Didn't see but a few flip flops in Wal-Mart, only a few bottle blondes with heels, and no sandals. But tons of the Capri/Nike/tats.

<~~ a sample of Theresa's knitting expertise - omg this was pretty!

The thrills for me were meeting up with friends and editors. Shared drinks and conversation with Angie (Carina Press - I'm too lazy to link you today). Had meals and convo and tons of laughs with Theresa (Red Sage Publishing), Molly, Lex, Sahara, Jill, several authors, readers, and RT representatives. Of course, there's Kathryn The Great (Kathryn Falk, founder of Romantic Times Magazine, discoverer of Fabio and his ilk.

***

<~~ Alexis at our room's window - it always pains me to say goodbye to my friend, and this trip was a short one for me, but it was better to at least spend some time with her than none at all.

***

There are probably a few waiters at the restaurants who are either delighted or dismayed that I didn't stick around. (Yeah, Sunny showed her ass when we were kept waiting. You really don't want to know how I got them to wait on us.) I only flew in for 3 nights prior to the convention so I could see Lex, T, Molly, and others.

***

I'm in the midst of packing up a house (we're not moving far, but it still has to be done), or I'd leave more tidbits (and there's a lot of shake up in the publishing industry at present) and photos. But for now, this is it. Enjoy.

***

~ Sunny

How about that? Two posts within a week.

2010-04-22T15:58:00.003-05:00

I just spent the most wonderful day with another writer friend. Rain, my first Krispy Kreme donut experience, author to author chit chat, hugging a warm puppy (well he was warm after he nestled against my boobs for a bit). Thanks, Carol.

It's always nice to talk with someone who has been in the trenches and survived the war. Have had one acquaintance tell another this week that (for whatever reason) she wouldn't sell what she was writing. Not "you might not", but you won't. And it took me several hours to calm down after that. I would hate to be the cause of another writer floundering with doubt demons simply because I was a friggin' know-it-all. First reaction with me is usually to smack somebody, even if verbally, and worry about the aftermath later. But it got me to thinking.

Over the past ten years I've done some major housecleaning and reorganizing of my personal life. If it (or even they) weren't working for me, if it/they were toxic, then...bye bye. Hurt like hell a lot of times, but wounds heal better when they're not perpetually reinfected with the same affliction. Self-centeredness or self-preservation? Maybe both. And if the world works the way I think it does, there are probably those who got rid of me for the same damned reason! As it should be.

So...my advice was to let it go. (Okay, my first advice was f*** her, but I softened. A little. I'm channeling David Carradine's Kung Fu character.) Path of least resistence, that sort of thing. How can you climb higher if you're willingly swimming with sharks? And there are a lot of sharks in this business, so either learn how to swim better, strap on the equivalent of a bulletproof wetsuit, or get out of the water. And sometimes getting out of the water simply means rising above it, not giving up.

So that is my Thursday advice. Don't give up. Do what you have to do within reason, don't hurt others (shame on the "you'll never sell this" folks), hone your skills, and have a few safety nets in the form of good friends, mentors, self-confidence, and passion.

Issues

2010-04-19T15:30:00.005-05:00

Returned from writers' retreat energized. Tired, looking like hell, back hurting, but...oddly energized, because I learned a few things. #1 - I have issues.

Many of us are so afraid of putting ourselves onto the page that our characters tend to be "cardboard", one-dimensional, two- at best. Some are scared that we'll reveal too much about ourselves and that nobody will like us. Others try so hard that nobody likes them or their characters anyway. And a smaller portion of us fear we'll scare the shit out of folks. It goes beyond "what if they don't like me" to "what if they want to lock me up or avoid me altogether?" - and then...

Some of us are genuinely clueless. We know the mechanics of writing but not characterization, because we are either so shallow that we only scratch the surface, or we're so friggin' deep we're in danger of drowning ourselves.

Somewhere in the midst of character chaos lie those of us who haven't made peace with our baggage from the past. I'm one of those. I'll think I've buried the dead and emerged like some phoenix from the ashes, but whenever my stuff is read aloud, I marvel...you are still angry as hell, and it shows. You're not psychotic, but you definitely have issues. I can say this because I know I drop my pants and put myself 'out there', on the page, every time I write something. And when it's read aloud, it ain't always pretty. Anger comes in many disguises - mine is cloaked in sarcasm and innuendo.

What to do? Keep writing, I guess. Hell, I dunno. I know that I never really smoked, drank, swore, or even skinny dipped (which I love - lol) until I was nearly 29. What happened doesn't matter. What matters is that whatever pushed me toward becoming an adrenaline junkie is still there, lingering in the murky past. It can't drag me back--I'm not afraid in the least of that. But it can cloud the waters of my mind, make me lose focus of what matters most. I used to do drugs and dye my hair purple. Now I just write. But my female characters (okay, protagonists) who are afraid to show emotion, reveal what they truly fear and feel, won't garner me any sympathy or requests for manuscripts until I allow them to soften a bit. They can smart-ass themselves out of danger or relationships, but the chill factor needs to heat up, thaw them, give their arthritic attempts at communication some vitamin E or something. Adrenaline junkies take risks, but they're not necessarily emotional ones...and emotion is what sells, folks.

Back to the drawing board. I've joined a new critique group. Haven't belonged to a do-or-die crit group in ages. Never for once thought I knew it all. Just dropped out of my own life for a spell and watched it from the sidelines. That's the trouble with allowing others to infiltrate your subconscious and become a part of your everyday life - lol. If they give a damn about you, they remind you (even if they are unaware of doing so) that you're still breathing, that you're not dead yet...and, therefore, neither is your writing.

~ Lazarus Sunny Lyn *shaking off the dust and starting fresh...again* (I've had more fresh starts than Richard freakin' Nixon)

MARA Retreat

2010-04-15T15:49:00.003-05:00

26 registration bags stuffed & ready to go
half-a-dozen goody bags as prizes...*almost* ready to go
(Thank God for Borders Books.)

clothes? who needs clothes?

food? Carla Cassidy is feeding me.

where to sleep? Gretchen Jones is housing me - yay - I love camping out, sleeping in the pop-out camper next to the bathrooms, showering in 40 degree weather, having to wear a sock hat and hoodie and sweats to bed - I LOVE it. aaaand, it's supposed to rain that first night. nothing like the patter of raindrops about 2 inches from your head as you snooze.

I'm gonna dance till I drop, play games with other writers, jump into some open critique sessions, smoke (uh-oh, shit - I don't smoke any more, do I???), eat (well, thank God some things never change), play in the rain, and chat it up with other like-minded folks.

ya'll have a good weekend. I plan on it. :) And NEXT WEEKEND...ta-da...I get to hug Lex's neck and spend some time with her.

Shopping

2010-04-10T20:51:00.004-05:00

If I haven't mentioned it, I'm only so-so when it comes to shopping. I get tired or bored, something sparkly catches my eye, and before I know it I'm gone.

So. #1 Son and #1 Daughter-in-law decide to go shopping. I know The Kid needs clothes for an upcoming business trip, and I suggest he take his wife to such & such store, because they're having a tee-shirt sale, $5 a pop. Of course, she finds some rock star pants she wants to go with the shirts, but if he has the money, why not? He's been gone the past week to Seattle, and while he did bring back fabulous coffee that can't be had anywhere but there, we missed him. She missed him. She needed to spend time with him.

Upshot of this trip, however, is that they think Mom wears clothes that are too big and baggy for her, so the boy is picking up a few things for his mother that he pretty much said "just shut up, wear them, accept the gift, and wear something form fitting for a change". *gulp*

Please, God, let it be black or red, something that looks good on me. And thank you for thoughtful adult children.

addendum: half a dozen shirts in various colors - the kids did well - lol. (and nooo, no pics of me in them as yet) - Thanks for stopping by.

Hope you are all having a good finish to the week.
~ Sunny Lyn, aka Amazon Barbie

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T11:19:00.004-05:00

Careful driving, singing, eating, et al. Enjoy yourselves, though. :)

funny for the weekend

2010-03-12T21:11:00.002-06:00

A woman took her 92 year old dad to the mall the other day to buy some new shoes.

She says: We decided to grab a bite at the food court.

I noticed Dad was watching a teenager sitting next to him. The teenager had spiked hair in all different colors: green, red, orange, and blue. My dad kept staring at him.

The teenager would look and find Dad staring every time.

When the teenager had had enough, he sarcastically asked, 'What's the matter old man, never done anything wild in your life?'

Knowing my Dad, I quickly swallowed my food so that I would not choke on his response, knowing he would have a good one.

'Got drunk once, and had sex with a peacock. I was just wondering if you were my son.'

change of pace

2010-03-04T12:25:00.003-06:00

It's been a long while since I've directed anyone over to another blog - and it's not because I'm posting there. I just fell in love with this video clip. It's at http://cherylstjohn.blogspot.com/ - go down to the video clip (it's short) for Monday, February 15, 2010. If you like females or have little girls, it'll be especially appealing. *grin*

That's it for today. Enjoy.
~ Sunny Lyn

Fruit Salad

2010-02-18T14:28:00.003-06:00

When did all of our bath & beauty products start resembling a fruit salad? All I want is a good, hot shower, but the shampoos and conditioners are everything from melon to limon, strawberry to boysenberry, kiwi to grape, with an occasional lilac or orange spice thrown in. I'm surprised nobody has come up with vinaigrette yet. And don't get me started on feminine hygiene products, although I can totally understand anyone wanting to get a fresher smell down there. But garden scents? Are those truly the odiferous memories we carry with us from childhood into adulthood? Why not something from the kitchen?

Maybe my upbringing was a tad different from everyone else's, but Dutch apple pie, cinnamon buns, vanilla added to cookies and cakes, even a damned green bean casserole or beef rump roast would be a change of pace. Hmm. Maybe the fruity scents are to keep the dogs from humping our legs or something. I mean, that roast beef would definitely cause Trouble in my house.

Who knows where ad execs get their ideas. I just wish they'd revert back to the 80's now and then, when female scents were labled My Sin, Shalimar, White Linen. Gimme a female scent, not some food processor re-hash of my refrigerator's fruit & veggie bin. Hell, if it's for the underarms, call it No-Sweat. If it's vaginal cream or spray, call it Puss-In-Boots or Puss-In-Heels. Something that deals with what it IS and what I'm wearing, not what I eat. Lesbian feminine spray? Muff Muncher. Athletic chic? Fast & Loose. Busy mom? Call it Fuck-You-I'm-Busy. Anything but a fruit that only lasts about as long as the damned scent does.

I need to write. Definitely a Lyn or a Cash book, not a Bobbie, not with the mouth I've got today.

Happy Smelling, ya'll...
~ Sunny Lyn

Seriously

2010-02-14T15:17:00.002-06:00

I need a sign plastered on me that says Old Teachers Never Die, They Just Lose Their Class.

I'm in a weird writing space, doing a bit of editing on one hand, writing on the other, and having to say NO to folks bugs me. I mean, I get enough rejection as a writer--I don't need the headache of dumping that off onto someone else.

I'm also having gender issues. My male/male persona has books to write, but the chick lit writer wants her say and keeps crowding him to the back of the room. Never mind that it's no longer chick lit but women's fiction. The pink sheep of the family isn't taking the news well at all, so the feud escalates. I just want the people in my head to shut the hell up for a few hours. Let me enjoy the snow. Formulate a better writing agenda. Maybe a shower would help.

I'd rather be...

2010-02-11T10:51:00.002-06:00

Productive? I just don't have much steam to do anything for some reason. Maybe I'd rather be cooking than writing...or traveling rather than sitting on my butt. Dunno. I filled out one of those 'get to know your friends in 2010' memes, and I wonder why the heck anyone would want to know that much about me. Boring...me, not the meme.

I looka at the snow we've had (not as much as some folks have had, that's for sure) and imagine spring bulbs popping up from the ground like rainbow sprites or something. I look at the WIPs I open and imagine them to be completed masterpieces.

Ain't happening. I am delighted that I've accomplished what I have thus far in 2010, but I see that long stretch ahead of me and wonder how I'll possibly get everything done that I want to do before December 31st.

I'm looking forward to so much...i fear I'm missing some of those "now" moments, and I really treasure those. The family is fine, I'm fine, the weather is pretty, if sucky for most. And I don't want to let go of the comfort of the now, but I have an itch to sample some of the what-ifs of tomorrow.

Color me in limbo. Hope the rest of you are more grounded today. If not, find me in cyberspace and we'll have a cup of whatever and some good conversation. Maybe you can kick me in the pants and get me interested in those WIPs that I've abandoned.

Snow-k-la-homa & Gravity

2010-01-29T17:31:00.002-06:00

A friend in Oklahoma sent me the words to what she and her cronies feel the new state song should be. I couldn't agree more...

Oklahoma is changing the words to the State Song. It now goes like this:

SNOW.......klahoma
Where the cold front's sweepin' down the plain
And the piles of sleet, beneath your feet
Follow right behind the freezing rain.

SNOW.......klahoma
Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Travel home from work and hope some jerk
Doesn't wreck our car in passing by!

We know we belong to the land
But it could use some more salt and more sand

That's why we say.....WHOA!
We're sliding the other way.......YIKES!

We're only sayin'
You're slick as snot SNOWklahoma
SNOWklahoma
SNOW-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

SNOWklahoma, SNOW-K!

* * * * *

I gotta be the only jerk in the Midwest who, during all of this ice and snow, falls INSIDE her house rather than outside it. This time I didn't break my nose, though, just my arse. Have been on heating pads...electrical plus those Therma Care things, plus meds for a week. This is old, but the drugs make me mellow. It's kinda hard to write at times, but I've been keeping busy taking care of the smaller dog. She has an owie on her rump she has to get well before it costs her a surgery. The Elizabethan collar makes her look like some strange flower, and the Puppy Prozac makes her loopier than I am on my drugs.

Hope your week is faring better. Stay warm.

feelin' funky

2010-01-20T15:55:00.001-06:00

I’ve had to face some ugly truths about myself this past year, and it’s rather stymied my ability to write. One of the things I’ve had to face is that I’m limited. I have limitations as far as physical ability to do things I’d like to do. I’m also emotionally challenged in that I hold myself back, for whatever insane reason. A third impediment is that I overindulge my ego, thinking that if I don’t get something done right away, I can always come back to it. The fallacy with that is that quite often what I leave undone isn’t the same when I go back to it. It’s like leaving out a slice of bread to toast and getting sidetracked. Later becomes too late, and the bread is stale. The balance in the bank has changed. The calories or carbs I’d thought to curb have gained momentum and picked up a few friends on their spiral into the abyss.

The first dilemma is a given. I know when I’m overdoing things. I’m just too proud to admit I’m not on par, that the goal and the deadline don’t mesh well. It’s difficult for me to ‘take it easy’. I’m an all-or-nothing personality, either so laid back I’m damned near comatose or so driven that I can’t put the brakes on before I crash. But I think I can lick this one.

Problem #2 is more serious for me, because I’m a people pleaser, and folks generally don’t like overachievers. They also don’t like slackers. (See problem #1, the hair-on-fire-or-in-lap person.) Finding that delicate balance within myself is just damned difficult for me. I want to write, to do well, to contribute to family funds, to be able to do the things I want to do while still doing the things that need to be done for the sake of survival and keeping others off of my ass. I just don’t want to do them on someone else’s schedule or measure myself by their yardstick, and for some reason schedules and yardsticks seem more prolific than my verbiage.

I suppose that these idiosyncrasies feed off of one another. If I took care of #3 and simply got off my arse and did what needed to be done, I wouldn’t have #2, and if I whip #2 into shape by getting rid of my need to be all things instead of 1 thing…ME, #1 should be easier to handle.

Ever tried giving up nicotine, sweets, and well-intentioned but misplaced illusions about yourself, and justifications all at the same time? Makes me wanna smack my forehead and shout “I could have had a V-8!”

I’ll have mine with vodka, on the rocks, please.

Curse you Barrie & Bach

2009-12-17T15:50:00.006-06:00

~~cue the Disney music~~

What do you say to a friend who is leaving a place with mixed feelings? One who has longed to go for so long that she's felt her wings had been clipped, and she's wondered if she can still fly? And why is it that dramatic change generally produces such wide-flung highs and lows within us?

Helluva season for anyone to be uprooted with no place to go other than a direction, at least until they find a place to live, but that's my friend. She's Peter Pan, pointing to the third star on the right and nudging her husband to move in that direction, with nothing but hope in her heart and an ice-chest packed with salad and sandwich stuff. In a way I envy her, but with a closeted push-pull, tug-of-war with my own emotions, I crave the stability of where I live. Am freezing my arse off, and my traveling shoes are packed beneath mountains of leather coats, sweat pants, snow boots, and sweaters, while she's facing blue skies, beaches, and surf and wearing her sandals.

Gad. In a way I guess that makes me a Wendy, and Wendy was not my favorite character in that story. I wanted to fly, I wanted to fight pirates and snuggle beneath blankets while someone told me a scary tale. I wanted to talk to fairies, play pranks, disregard my own safety, and feel invincible.

~~~adult segue in progress

~~~to Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Wait a minute. That bird hit the proverbial brick wall. He fucking died. One adventurer never lived, but then I suppose that means that he also never died. The other...

Well, hell, isn't there a safe place on this planet to have a reverie any more? WTF? Can't a writer daydream in peace, send out good wishes for a dear friend without getting sappy and maudlin or without being bitch-slapped with a reality check the size of God's left nut?

HAVE A FRIGGIN' BLAST, ALEX! CALL ME! SEND POSTCARDS! DO ANYTHING YOU WANT AS LONG AS YOU DON'T MAKE BEDS OR WAIT TABLES.

What's Cooking?

2009-12-02T06:53:00.002-06:00

I've been busy (haven't we all?) - and that's my excuse for not blogging much the past few weeks. I have been writing a bit. Just finished a romantic suspense that doesn't have a home. Did edits for a male ménage that does have a home—it debuts with Loose Id sometime this month.

Have found a couple of really cool sites where people actually cook and offer up recipes and information about ingredients. Take a look at Two Peas and Their Pod (over to the right in the blog roll column) and also at Pinch My Salt. For whatever reasons, I'm craving a good, hearty roasted tomato and roasted pepper soup, and I found recipes on those two sites.

And, too, I'll admit it - I suck at baking biscuits or pie crusts from scratch, and this bothers me. It's like the ghosts of grandmothers past will haunt me unless I rectify this. So color me delighted when I discovered this information on Pinch My Salt's website:

Here’s a quick rundown of some flours and their protein contents, taken from the book Cookwise by Shirley O. Corriher:

Cake flours (Swans Down, Softasilk):
7.5 to 8.5% protein

Bleached southern all-purpose (White Lily, Martha White, Gladiola, Red Band):
7.5 to 9.5% protein

National brand self-rising (Gold Medal, Pillsbury):
9 to 10% protein

National brand bleached all-purpose (Gold Medal, Pillsbury):
10 to 12% protein

Northern all-purpose (Robin Hood, Hecker’s):
11 to 12% protein

Northern unbleached
all-purpose (King Arthur):
11.7% protein

Bread Flour:
11.5 to 12.5% protein

So, keeping in mind that less protein equals light and tender cakes and quick breads, the flours from the top of this list are going to give you the best results for those types of baked goods. And since more protein equals higher rising yeast breads, the flours from the bottom of the list will be best for those.

Fascinating probably only to cooks and weirdos like myself, but that just made my day. You'd have thought I'd struck the Mother Lode of Biscuit Making.

Don't ask what a carb-counter is doing looking at flours - maybe that's what I'll look at next.

Happy cooking, cleaning, or whatever it is you're doing this week.

hugs,

Sunny Lyn

Terrific Turkey Recipe

2009-11-22T12:19:00.005-06:00

Ingredients:
1 whole turkey
1 large lemon, cut into halves
salt and pepper to taste
butter or olive oil, whichever you prefer

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Rub butter or oil over the skin of the turkey until it is completely coated.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you prefer.

Take a knife and gently separate the skin from the breast meat;
Slide lemon halves under the skin with the peel side up, one on
each side. This way the juice from the lemon will release into the breasts.

Cover and bake for 30-45 minutes. Remove cover and continue
to roast until juices run clear, basting every 15-20 minutes.

If you've followed these steps correctly, your turkey should
look like the one in the picture.

Bon Appetit!

back soon

2009-11-09T07:34:00.003-06:00

Have had company since last Wed - have had a wonderful birthday week. Went blonde/plantinum/silver/gray/weird the day before my birthday. Decided to work with the silver and gray rather than against it, so got the back to match the top and front. Let's put it this way...everyone on the floor was coming over to ask my stylist what she was doing, and they all had to run their fingers through my hair, so it doesn't look bad. Just different. *grin* Will post a photo later this week.

Today we're all getting pedicures - daughter-in-law, me, and her mom (her mom is treating us). After that and a frap, we'll probably crash and burn or go shopping and then crash. Amy leaves for Oklahoma tomorrow, so we'll be getting in all the last minute gabbing and shopping that we can squeeze into the next few hours.

Hope you've all had a marvelous time since we last chatted. THANK YOU to all of you for the birthday wishes last week - Liz, Lex, Heather Rae - the MARA members - Kate - ALL of you.

love & talk soon...
Sunny Lyn

Repoed Pets, Flu, Fall, & Writing

2009-11-04T13:40:00.004-06:00

Harley basically got repoed. We took a walk a weekend or so ago, and his owners happened to see us. They described the collar he'd had on him when we found him, and they had 4 crying kids at home who missed their pet. Wasn't like we'd keep him, but we were still quite sad to see him go.

Woke up one morning to a lake of leaves. The trees that had been so lovely were bare, stripped by winds and frost, and so goes the neighborhood. I still like the changing seasons, though. Winter's always a good month for me as far as writing, and I look forward every year of hibernating with the laptop or desktop, drinking hot chocolate or a fantastic herbal tea, and baring my soul through stories. There's something totally inappropriate there, I'm sure, but it's that freeing, like running naked through a forest without fear of brambles. Those come in spring when crit partners or editors get hold of the work.

Am over the flu - whoo-hoo - lol. ACK, but that was a horrid three weeks.

Heather Rae sent me something that had me laughing every time I thought of it, so I'll share. Have you ever thought of how the work week begins with Monday (M), Tuesday (T), and ends with WTF?

All for now.

Hugs,

Sunny Lyn

Rescue Me ~ nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah

2009-10-19T11:46:00.002-05:00

Don't ask me why or how, but we have a new addition to the family this week. Dunno for how long, but he's adorable, and I'm sure that somewhere he has a family that misses him. He's vanilla cream and looks like somebody rolled him gently in cinnamon.
**************
He likes sneaking Cheese Puffs, playing ball, taking long walks, and verbalizing his thoughts. His fur is soft and fly-away as cotton, and we call him Harley. The other two rescue dogs are not happy with this new arrangement, so I'm not sure how long this will last. We've advertised to find his original owner(s), but we haven't heard anything yet.
**************
Oh, and he's a Husky.
**************
Writing has been constant but never enough this past week. Fall weather makes for frisky animals that like walks amongst the leaves. New mouths to feed, laundry to do and dishes to wash (since everyone has been sick and the kids are behind on household crap) has kept me busy, but I'm enjoying myself.
**************
Have a good week, everyone.
hugs~
Sunny Lyn

On The Hook

2009-10-11T15:01:00.003-05:00

I know Heather thought I was weird when we were walking last week around the lake. We passed this mailbox, and I snapped a shot of it on the camera phone. It wasn't necessarily because of the kitschy fish but because of something I was playing over in my mind.

Ever bitten off more than you could chew? I have. And right now I feel a tad "fish-hooked", as if someone is dragging me around by the side of my big, open mouth. They have snagged me but good, and I'm floundering like a fish on a sandbar, wondering if I'll get tossed back into the water to swim or filleted in someone's skillet as they cook me and eat me.

I did this to myself - it's nobody's fault - and it's not THAT bad of a deal. I just feel like I might have been a little too eager to prove myself on something and that I'll wind up not so tasty to the person who thinks I'm terrific right now - lol. Trust me, I want this one to eat me, to gobble me up, to praise my taste (her taste in buying me) and to fish in the weird waters of my mind again.

*sigh* One friend has told me repeatedly - "You are just afraid of success". Another FRIEND has told me point blank that she fears we'll drift apart if I swim in new waters. (She doesn't trust either me or herself, which bugs me.) Yet another has indicated that she doesn't want me to be disappointed, because I'm really not good enough. *gulp* And I'm not sure if she's being sincere or trying to spare me a heartache later or if it's one of those "you aren't allowed to do anything I can't" deals.

WTF, though, ya know? This is the business we chose, and if we're unafraid or timid or any of that crap, we won't get far. Ditto for if we listen to negative feedback that undermines our self-confidence. Love those who support you, but appreciate those whose attitudes need adjusting or those who doubt you and your abilities. That's my motto today, anyway, and so far it seems to be working, and it is keeping me busy writing and hopeful about the future.

Hugs, all...open your mouths, test the waters, swim, enjoy, and try to get hooked on the thrill of it all if nothing else. *grin*

~ Sunny Lyn (who is bathing in memories of "Nemo" as she writes)

Never Too Late For An Adventure

2009-10-06T23:18:00.005-05:00

I gotta tell ya, getting away for the weekend is sometimes the best thing a writer can do. Friend Heather has a cabin on the lake...and I do mean practically ON the lake...right on the water's edge. Friend Gretchen has a big truck that packs everything you'd need that might not be at that cabin (and let me tell you, that cabin was stocked).

* * *

Beautiful blue lake in front while writing on the laptop (Gretchen and Heather both had extension cords - lol), chocolate chip cookies, great coffee (I gotsta get one of those Keurig machines), with things like Gretchen's famous award-winning chili for a meal or two, Heather's quiches with fruit kabobs for breakfast, and the occasional walking stick...it was all condusive to a great time with friends and keyboards.

* * *

We were so busy we forgot to drink. Had the fixins for Bloody Mary, Screwdriver, and a few others. We had the multi-cheese and fruit and cracker platter but neglected to drink much other than water and coffee. G' did have a beer or two, though, and while the ladies didn't get drunk, a walking stick looked pretty self-satisfied the next morning sitting atop one of the beer cans left on the porch.

* * *

Evidently, my time at the lake produced a lot of crap. Crit Partner said she was in a foul mood - lol - but I may have been the one to put her there, so I need to go over everything I wrote, take care of some of the repetition (which I pounce on in others' writing but sometimes fail to notice in my own), and tend to the boring tidbits that made her want to gnash her friggin' teeth.

* * *

That's okay. She was a doll for reading it, and it's my job to take care of business before it gets sent to an editor.

***

Damn it. And I so wanted this one to work. Oh, well. I'm still on a roll with the writing, so I'll just post a pic of the lake somewhere close so I can look at that water and imagine either the sun or the moon (the moon was full last weekend - talk about some dreamy nights)...and get re-energized.

***

It's really easy to get discouraged. Don't let that happen - any of you. Find your muse, stroke and stoke and savor...then jump back into the deep end of the pool and get busy.

***

~ Sunny Lyn

(who also needs to blog for Total ebound tonight...the 7th is "my day" over there...and then for Brim Job - also listed on the right column if you care to peek at those two while you're in the cyber neighborhood)

Blessings & Light...

Kate Duffy

2009-09-28T12:27:00.002-05:00

Of course, you're gonna read the how, why, details elsewhere, so all I'm going to post are a couple of fond memories of this great editor. A really good interview she did with Lori Foster can be found here...

http://www.aromancereview.com/columns/interviewwithkateduffy.phtml

Another one is here...

http://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/2009/01/an-interview-with-kate-duffy-.html

Lex and I roomed next door to Kate a couple of years ago at an RT convention, and she was so much fun. She'd hound us about being so loud that she couldn't sleep, but she was always smiling when she gave us hell. She'd take photos for us (Ann Wesley Hardin was in one of them - this was back after Playgirl Magazine had featured "Just Desserts" - my first novel with Ellora's Cave - in one of their issues). Anyway...one day Kate dropped by on her way downstairs. She said she just needed to take a few moments to pull herself together before she had to "go downstairs and break someone's heart". She was that kind of an editor. Very thoughtful, very human. She loved writers and wanted them to succeed, so when she had to turn them down, it saddened her.

*Kate on You Tube*

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty04pG_kutI

God Bless, Kate. Thanks for all the wonderful memories and for fostering so many authors' careers. The industry won't be the same without you, lady.

~ Sunny Lyn

Fresh Smells

2009-09-25T18:31:00.002-05:00

Before this monster cold or flu bug set in with me about three weeks ago, daughter-in-law, good soldier that she is, tried to disinfect the house so that she wouldn’t come down with this crap. She didn’t have time to vacuum or dust, mind you, but she went to the store and snagged every imaginable Glade Plug-In and can of Lysol that she could. It was getting so that I couldn’t pass from the living room to the kitchen without hearing “ssht…ssht” and smelling white tea and linen fragrance. Bathroom? I’m not sure what was in there…lilacs, I think. Their bedroom, you name it. Everywhere. Hell, I’d simply go to brush my teeth…”ssht…ssht”.
*
I have one dog who can single-handedly (single-paw-ed-ly?) peel the paint from the walls of an entire 12’X14’ room with just one fart. The first two days the kids left on their vacation last week, I fed both dogs Mexican and prayed for whatever odors ensued.
*
Finally, I’m able to breathe better, and all of those plug-ins are set aside, waiting upon the kids to return. I’m not plugging ‘em back in. I’d rather smell the dog passing gas than battle the annoying sound and smell of freshness assaulting my senses. If I want a great smell, I’ll bake an apple pie or throw open the windows and take my chances with autumn pollen and such.
*
Tomorrow Gretchen is giving the program at the writers’ meeting. Maybe I’ll sit next to someone wearing Jungle Gardenia, and then I’ll really go off on a tangent.
*
Hugs, everybody.

~ Sunny Lyn

Still Here

2009-09-23T22:03:00.007-05:00

I'm just not up to par. For those who have been emailing, IM'ing, etc...still sick but doing better. For those who watch the blog (ha - what blog? - I'm rarely here), SORRY...I really have had good intentions.

Just found out a favorite cousin passed away. She was the poker-playin'-est, hair-dressing-est, most loveable, laugh-with-able, engaging person you could meet. Cost five bucks an ante just to join in the family poker games, and she was one of the reaons - she was good. Her mama taught me bathroom etiquette when I was a little bitty girl, and Emma Ruth taught me people etiquette years later.

God bless, Emma Ruth. Know you were loved.

My kids are still gone on vacation, so I'm here by myself, and all I've done for a solid week is sleep, tend to the dogs, watch courtroom dramas or true crime, and eat soup. I've had Tuscan chicken, chicken & noodle, bean with bacon, minestrone, you name it - I'm about 'souped out', but it's all helped.

The weather is cool, the cold or flu bug seems ready to bid me adieu (please, Lord, let it be soon - lol), and I have caught up on edits and art sheets and all that good stuff on all but one book...just have edits to do on that one. Am brainstorming on a romantic suspense and hope to be at least a third into it before the kids return this coming weekend.

Then we'll have a few days together before the quarterly doctor's visits and an upcoming trip to the lake with friends. I missed the last one with 'the girls', so am looking forward to this one. Yeah, it'll be a little cool, and we can't swim, but... *grin* A bit of booze, lots of laughter, maybe some card games, walks around the lake, and critiquing, but if I can shake this respiratory thang that has me down, I'm-a-goin'.

Hugs, everyone. Stay well.

~ Sunny Lyn

Imma Let You Finish

2009-09-16T13:43:00.004-05:00

'Nuff Said???

Saving Noah

2009-09-15T16:01:00.003-05:00

Dexter Krispin arrived in the small Kansas town of Schicksal with one thing on his mind: finishing his doctorial thesis. He hoped getting away from his hectic life in Pittsburgh would allow him to concentrate on the long overdue paper and to forget about his last lover. Life-long Schicksal resident, Noah Stoffel, has managed to keep his sexuality a secret. Yet, after one look at the dark-haired newcomer, he knows his life in the sleepy town will never be the same. But more than Noah's desire for privacy stands between him and Dexter. For years, the residents of Schicksal have been hiding a horrific secret, one that takes Dexter mere days to uncover and expose...a secret that could destroy-or heal-them all.

Read Excerpt

Regular Price
$5.00

Friends With Flowers

2009-09-13T14:24:00.004-05:00

Camped out at Casa Carol's this weekend with her stud muffin maltapoo. Last weekend when I house-sat and pup-sat, I did 7000 words in a weekend and finished all but the last chapter of a m/m novella for Loose Id. This weekend I completed the manuscript I hadn't worked on at home and did little else other than play with Dudley and admire the flowers. Well, I shared emails with other writers while I was here. All in all, it was a good, relaxing weekend, despite how it started, with a sick pooch.

The friends all shared a common ailment--writers' block or even simply lack of motivation. Maybe it's the weather. Maybe it's something more serious. But I told one of them that I feel sometimes we become more involved in our lives than our writing, which can't be such a bad thing. We pay more attention to our health or that of a loved one, we reflect upon what we've done and what we haven't, and we do a bit of self-analyzing and re-directing, determine what's to be done next or what road to take when there's a fork.

Hope this finds the rest of you in good spirits and good health if you're contemplating such things. For me, it's been good to kick back and simply BE, to enjoy myself, to give thanks for what and whom I have in my life, and to look forward to things I have yet to do.

Hugs,

Sunny Lyn

Sourcebooks

2009-08-24T12:23:00.003-05:00

See Gretchen Jones' post (her link is in the right column under blogs I follow) for a good deal of what Deb Werksman had to say to the MARA group on Saturday, but I'll add a few things.

While my work wasn't for her, the editor who spoke was fabulous, very friendly, very approachable, savvy, and if I DID have something they might use, I'd definitely query her.

Werksman said that her chief concerns were an unusual premise and a strong romantic hook. She emphasized this over and over. Blow her away with what makes your book stand out amongst the others, but (a personal aside) I wouldn't compare your work to someone else's. In other words, don't say "If you like So & So..." or "I write like So & So"...

She said she receives between 200-250 submissions a month and reads them on her Kindle and that she prefers email submissions with query, synopsis, and completed manuscript, because if she liked your submission, it'd pretty much piss her off if she was reading and then had to send your query to the back of her queue while she waited for you to submit the complete if she wanted it. If she didn't like it, she'd of course simply stop reading and let you know. **She also said that rejections were her least favorite part of her job and that if she COULD and had a name in mind, she'd happily refer you to an editor who probably WOULD want what you'd submitted.** In other words, if it's not for Sourcebooks and it's strong, she'll try to help you even if she's not the buyer. Ya gotta respect that, folks.

Include in your query, if you're published and if you can do so, your publishing history, sales history, and pertinent info that shows her you are the one to write that particular book. She also appreciates the author's info on every page, as in the header, either TITLE - SYNOPSIS - YOUR NAME or TITLE - QUERY - YOUR NAME, something consistent so that when her Kindle searches for you, that title is foremost, followed by either the query, the synopsis, or the manuscript itself and always your name last.

Reasons she doesn't buy are #1 launch platform--they simply don't publish what you submitted; #2 it doesn't have a hook (and these are one-liners, no more than 2 or 3 lines, that will help her sell you to their sales department and subquently to book buyers); #3 you lack a career arc - Sourcebooks wants to build authors, not publish one-hit wonders; #4 the author indicates they'd be difficult to work with. (That might make an interesting article or blog post some day.)

For you writers, romantic comedies are on an upswing again; romantic suspense has pretty well evened out but is still being sought if it's good; paranormal is still big; and erotic romance is something Sourcebooks is looking into but hasn't launched. Young Adult - ditto - and they do have an editor who is looking (I searched for his name on their website but didn't see it - it's something like Eric Erinhaft or Ernhaft - maybe you'll have better luck searching).

Best of luck if you query them - I was really impressed with Deb Werksman.

Tiramisu Sans Panties & Cell Phone

2009-08-22T19:26:00.003-05:00

I truly believe that sometimes The Universe just thumps us on the head to see which way we’ll spin or whether or not we’ll pick ourselves up if the thump is hard enough. Last week was a bitch enough. Son in hospital, me freaking out, him going in for one thing and discovering he has one or two other problems we didn’t know existed. Now that’s being worked out, and we have revamped the refrigerator and pantry – so all is well. Sort of. But I’m one of those people who has residual stress, leftovers from when they didn’t break down the week or month or whatever before. So while Son and Daughter-In-Law are pretty well over their scare and are handling new lifestyle changes, I had a couple days of meltdown.
* * * * * * *
Weekend comes up, and there’s a writers’ program I wish to attend. Love mah fellow local writers anyway, and haven’t missed a meeting since I joined last year. So Gretchen picks me up, I have a queasy stomach and barf. No big deal. I realize I’m not wearing any underwear – meh – who cares, right? But it made me self-conscious. How does one forget something like that? Well, you don’t, unless you’re used to running around in your barely there cotton jammies most days, puttering in your kitchen or yard, doing laundry, your greatest conversations with the dogs or the radio. (Make note to self: GET OUT MORE.)
* * * * * * *
Then it happens. I can’t find my cell phone. Shit. This one actually belongs to my son, who works for phone company, who is working on all sorts of secret projects and…well, shit. Phone has GPS monitoring, so I know it’ll eventually turn up. But what I fear is that it’s an ID-10-T problem. I have a habit of just stuffing my cell phone into whatever is handy and have placed it in another woman’s purse more than once. So I have to disrupt the meeting to ask everyone with a black bag to please check for my phone. Someone calls my #, but the phone is on vibrate, so here we are, about 30 of us playing Stevie Wonder, searching for a noise we can’t see. BINGO.
* * * * * * *
That solved, we go for Italian food at Cinzetti’s, and I’m supposed to be counting carbs? You gotta be shitting me. I opt for low-carb food for the most part, but dessert time comes around, and I have not only tiramisu but espresso ice-crème. Low enough on the carbs but hell on fats. Who gives a damn? I have my phone, a writers’ meeting under my belt (they’re like AA for authors) and the underwear is at home. It’s nice to be me once again.
* * * * * *

~Sunny Lyn

egregious nut flash

2009-08-17T16:52:00.002-05:00

I just wanted a post with that title. Sorry. This one is actually about diabetes (am posting a new recipe to Lyn's Licks & Laughs Recipe blog - on the sidebar) and rain and brainstorming and being "good" - bleh. And cell phones. My new BlackBerry, to be precise. And swearing. I'm just in a mood, so if you don't like swearing, move on. If you don't mind rambling and gnashing of teeth and tossing out verbiage beneath an educated person's standards, keep reading.

We have a new diabetic in the family, so now I'm learning all sorts of new recipes and the ins & outs of a disease I've only had oh...15 years or so? Shit. I fucking hate pricking my damn fingers, and I'm too old for the bloodwork to be precise anywhere else. ShitShitShitShitShit. Okay, that's out of the way.

I'm also learning how to manage my new cell phone. The phone is awesome. The owner sucks ass when it comes to learning new things and remembering them. And I have a few gripes about having to transfer my damned address book into a new phone manually. Jeeezus Tapdancing Christ, you'd think SOMEBODY would find a way in this technologically superior world to make transferring data easier.

What really sucks is when there's a number and I don't know whose it is, because my notes at the time were taken when I was either tipsy or woozy or in a hurry or just plain ole stupid.

The 'new diabetic' is one for ripping ass, even on a good day, and he has lit into me I don't know how many times for cheating on my diet, with the smoking, with whatever. I mean, I'm beginning to wish I was Catholic so I can just do a mutherfucking pennance and be done with it. We're not Jewish, but you'd think we were, what with all the damned guilt this kid is ladeling upon me.

I've just signed a couple of contracts for male/male, and I need to get back into the writing, but the past week has been horrid, so the writing (as well as my house) has gone to hell.

It's been raining, and I love the rain, but now I have to keep dogs' feet dry, keep the house maintained, while cooking up new recipes, monitoring my own bullshit and blood sugars, and getting rid of ashtrays and junk that has accumulated.

My neighbors finally buried their cat - long story short, the young man has a problem with aliens picking his brain, but he's sweet as pie, and he just couldn't bring himself to bury this old cat, so he had her hanging in the storage barn for a bit. A long bit. Another neighbor, scuzz-bucket that she is, is calling the cops on a new girl who moved in for one thing after another - her dog barking or her trash not being taken to the curb, but we all know it's because the young white woman has a black boyfriend, and I'm ready to just beat the shit out of the old woman myself and force her to watch "Mississippee Burning" about 10 times in a row then lock her in her basement for a month with nothing but Obama pics to view and zeideco music to listen to for the entire 31 days.

Rant over. My glucose was 80 this morning. Color my tired old ass happy.

Have a great day...

Sunny Lyn

Nitty Gritty Neuroses

2009-08-06T11:35:00.004-05:00

So my son has a bit of obsessive compulsive disorder, and it’s throwing him that the new buzz phrase amongst the yuppie business folk is now “I have to take a bio break”. My boy loves the precise, concise, on-the-mark words that don’t need further explanation, and the fact that somebody is taking a bio break really screws with him. He wonders not if they’re taking a piss, grabbing a soda, or having a smoke (not that THAT is kosher among the bio boys and girls), but if they’re molting or if they’re alien and laying eggs into someone’s brain or if they’re just lying to get out of the meeting early. I imagine he’ll blog about it soon, just to relieve the pressure building up in his brain’s personal bio file. I’m assuming ‘bio break’ includes whatever deals with biological functions, but I’m not sure and don’t know any yuppies to ask other than the one who hates the phrase.
* * * * *
Neighbor Dee Dee’s cat was old but wonderful, and somebody hit her the other day with their car. Dee Dee is my friend who ran out into her yard naked a year or so ago hollering for one of the cats and got busted by our cute backyard neighbor. “Trouble! Trouble! Goddamnit, Trouble!” And, of course, our neighbor might not have dropped his coffee cup onto his cement patio if he’d heard “Fire, fire!” or “Rape! Somebody help me!” – he’d have just responded. But a naked Dee Dee crying “Trouble” fucked him up, and all he could do was stare for several minutes until she realized her boo-boo and got her bum-bum back inside.
* * * * *
Anyhoo. Dee Dee’s son is a sweetheart, but he’s a tad schizophrenic, and he was afraid their dog would dig up the cat, and he didn’t want to bury her just yet anyway, so he hung her in a bag in their storage shed. For days. I have no idea if the cat is still hanging or if she’s been buried. I’m afraid to ask.
* * * * *
We’re talking sweet, sweet kid. He just thinks differently. He mows the lawn wearing a motorcycle helmet to keep aliens from picking his brain.
* * * * *
Other neighbor Kelly Jo had to chase her new puppy down the street this morning, because Fido probably heard some squirrel’s heart beating from 1000 yards away and ripped from her arms to find out where the critter was hiding. Bit exciting seeing her in her flip-flops dashing madly towards the UPS man, chasing the little bugger. The dog, not the man. - I felt for her, though. Had to give my own pets their flea & tick meds this morning, and this is not something they enjoy. My own neuroses, I suppose. I feel like a mean mama when I adminster stuff they don't like and a bad one if I don't.
* * * * *
And this is how my morning started. People often ask where I get my ideas. All I can do is shake my head and tell them that I simply tone down the truth. If I embellished, nobody would believe me even a little bit.
* * * * *
The pic, by the way, is one Jackie sent of our adorable friend Gretchen. Doesn't she have the coolest eyes? And that expression makes you wonder what she's up to. I think she was holding a tommy gun at the shooting range at the FBI Academy.
* * * * *
Have a great day, everybody.
~ Sunny Lyn

This 'N That

2009-08-03T17:44:00.004-05:00

- A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

- A snail can sleep for three years.

- A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.

- Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

- Almonds are members of the peach family.

- An ostrich's eye is bigger than it's brain.

- "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".

- Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.

- The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

- There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

- There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous and hazardous.

- Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks; otherwise it will digest itself.

- There are more chickens than people in the world.

- Bill Gates' first business was Traff-O-Data, a company that created machines which recorded the number of cars passing a given point on a road.

- Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

- Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.

- The name for Oz in the "Wizard of Oz" was thought up when the creator, Frank Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N, and O-Z, hence "Oz."

And just in case you have a pressing need to call Antartica:

- The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672

===============================================

I just signed my first contract with Resplendence Publishing last week, a m/m book written with the fabulous Carol Lynne. The title is "Saving Noah", and it should debut sometime in September.

Received another m/m contract, this time from Loose Id, for "Christmas In Killarney", which I am assuming (but you never know) will debut in December. Gotta finish the paperwork and get it off to them, though.

Still working on a romantic suspense. Also trying to work my mind around how to market a chick lit which is no longer a chick lit, according to Publisher's Weekly Daily, but fiction about women who have complex lives and occasionally there are guys involved, ok, featuring profiles of Amy Sohn, Paula Froelich and Gigi Levangie Grazer.

GIVE ME A FLIPPIN' BREAK.

Hope life is well in your corners of the world...

~ Sunny Lyn

The Carol Lynne Reader Weekend

2009-07-27T16:51:00.010-05:00

When an author thinks of a 'reader weekend' with dozens of their readers in their home, in and out of their hotel room, sharing several, several hours, most authors I know wouldn't even attempt engaging. They don't know Carol...or her readers.

***********

I was sooooo impressed with this group and how well everything went. It was truly unbelievable. EVERYONE was so polite, so nice and sweet, so helpful, and nobody wanted the weekend to end. They missed their kids and homes, but if there was a negative ion within miles of this group, I didn't detect it, and my skills are pretty sharp.

Forget that the hotel was fabulous, the food was never-ending, that the group attended a Fork & Film or Cinema Suites at the movies one afternoon. Forget that we had literally dozens of best-selling authors of erotic romance and avid readers mixed together, a pool, a hot tub/spa, and terrific Kansas City barbecue.

The group rented out the theater - quite literally - lol. These long tables? Everyone had their own reclining lounger, a waiter at your beck and call if you but flicked your little switch alerting the switchboard. There were hot moist towels for after you finished eating. Drinks, pop and popcorn if you chose, or alcoholic beverages. Meals - we're talking appetizers, full courses, whatever you wanted that was on the menu. This area of Kansas and Atlanta, Georgia are the only places where these exist. I'm not sure why, because I think the company would make a FORTUNE with them.

It was the people that made this weekend party work so well. I had more fun at this little soiree than I've had in ages. Literally ages. We shopped, swapped recipes, played "Bullshit" - and that is one fun card game. We swam, drank a bit (but not too much), watched movies, chatted, and chowed down on some great food. Carol's sisters helped ferry people to and from bus terminals and airports, and her older sister cooked burgers and hot dogs for about 30 people.

The beauty to the left, by the way, is Silver.

I'm not sure what everyone else expected. I was only worried about my friend. Hoped that everyone was pleasant (not a problem), that nobody fought or cried or ripped her off (not a fucking chance), and that she got enough rest (ok, she didn't, but...2 out of 3's not so bad).

********

Dudley had no problem finding pets or treats. He wasn't above asking for what he wanted either. *grin*

********

Not because she's my friend, but because it's true - one of the main reasons this party was fabulous was because of Carol herself. She's a tad anal, nit-picky, or whatever, but it worked to her advantage here. The details were covered. She might walk off without her wallet or her keys now and then, but bigolly everyone had a room, food to eat, a place to sleep, and plenty to keep them busy...and happy.
*****

I wouldn't recommend this sort of thing for MOST writers, but for Carol Lynne and her group, it was absolutely perfect, and I can't wait until next year's bash.

hugs, all..

Sunny Lyn

Pics From National RWA Conference

2009-07-21T19:07:00.006-05:00

Nooo, I didn't go - I was LEFT BEHIND, remember? But I have friends who went and sent photos. Some of them just didn't make it to me until after those friends were home.

The first one is of MARA President and Harlequin/Silhouette author Carla Cassidy signing books in DC. Looks like Last Gasp is the one up for grabs here. (Carla writes really terrific romantic suspense, by the way. You should try this one.)

The next photo is of four really sweet friends and fellow authors. From left to right, there are Gretchen, Aimie, Erin, and Heather. Aren't they gorgeous?!
* * *

Thanks, Jackie Bannon for the pics.

Jackie's new website is listed on my blog roll (alphabetical order). Pop on over and say hello. She's a riot.
* * *

To the rest of you left behinds, maybe we'll see one another at the next conference. In the meantime, I'm not above living vicariously off of my friends and hawking the photos they took. *grin*
* * *

~ Sunny Lyn, the optimist, who thinks she'll be at RWA next year...and if not RWA, then surely at RT. (Wouldn't it be great to be at both?!)

Brynn Paulin's New Book

2009-07-19T08:36:00.002-05:00

So I did some catch up blogging and found that this book just came out - Brynn's a terrific writer, and menage *sigh* is one of her strong suits. Best of luck with this one, Brynn!

I *think* I'll be seeing her again within a few days at Carol Lynne's m/m reader retreat (well, that's my term for it - not sure how the rest of them are referring to their weekend getaway that's coming up).

I should be writing, but I have mountains of laundry staring at me, not to mention two hungry dogs, some shirts that need ironing, and a load of dishes to do. The four WIPs will just have to wait until after the banana bread bakes and those clothes are hanging up.

Have a great Sunday, everyone.

~ Sunny Lyn

Eloisa James Keynote Luncheon Speaker

2009-07-18T07:37:00.003-05:00

Gretchen sent this a day or two ago, and I'm just now getting it posted. I haven't read this author, but I looked her up. Her website says she's made the NY Times best seller list. (She writes historical romance.)

Her website is:
http://www.eloisajames.com/

As for what's going on in DC, I'm assuming that Gretchen, my fearless adventurer friend, has had to stop playing in the political alphabet soup bowl with FBI, CIA, and God Knows what else. I mean, she IS there for a writers' conference, right? (Nah, I'm not jealous...not bitter.*shiver*)

All I've been told I can say is that one of our published authors is having a good time in DC. She was asked for a trilogy from one of the big houses. Two of our unpublished authors were asked for partials from places like St. Martin's Press (yaaaaaaaaaaaay, LEE and ERIN). There could be more - I haven't talked to Gretchen for several hours.

Hope everyone else is having a terrific start to their weekend. The weather is gorgeous here, and neither of my kids has to work, so...Mom here will be doing the cooking, cleaning, dish-washing, laundry, writing thing no matter what day it is. Maybe if she's lucky somebody else will feed her, though, and take care of the cooking part - lol.

Hey. One can hope.

Hugs,
~ Sunny

Squeeze Those Jelly Donuts

2009-07-16T11:29:00.006-05:00

Gretchen sent another kewl photo from the RWA conference - it's of keynote speaker Janet Evanovich. According to Gretchen, Janet says that writers are like jelly donuts. The jelly is the creativity, and when we're squeezed the creativity comes out the ole romance writing hole (as opposed to the plumber's hole, etc).

Okay. Like I'm gonna turn down any little tidbit from the queen of chick lit mystery?

Where's the bath towel? Because I always leave messes when I squeeze. Eeew.

On a different note...Ann, THE BAT DAME, and her family included me on an afternoon of delights yesterday. I got to reunite with Ann's girls and sister, Jane, and this time I got to meet The Bat Mom, who is absolutely fabulous. Ann's daughters are drop-dead gorgeous. Jane looks wonderful. And 'mom' doesn't look a day over...well...20 years younger than she really is. They all were beautiful. Oh. And Ann got her belly button pierced the day before - lol. They figured it up...15 piercings among her and the girls. She said other mothers take their daughters for walks on the beach to talk about periods. She and her girls bond by getting something pierced and shopping their butts off. Hey - works for me.

We went to the old downtown OP and shopped at Penzeys Spices. I gotta go back and pick up some BBQ 3000, some of their chili seasoning, a delicious smelling cinnamon from Viet Nam, and a bottle of Tellicherry Indian Black Pepper. Later, we shopped at an antique furniture store and got something to drink at a neighborhood coffee shop. *sigh* I love days like that.

* * *

THANKS for the pic of Janet, Gretchen!

* * *

And THANK YOU to Ann and her family for including me for the fun yesterday. Love you all.

More later. In the meantime, all you donutes start squeezing your jelly.

~ Sunny

Women With Balls

2009-07-14T22:38:00.004-05:00

Squeaky wheel...and all that works sometimes...GRETCHEN PHONED - YAAAY - lol. She sent a photo of the shooting range. Nothing like getting to tour the FBI, shoot a tommy gun, and have all the cute young recruits looking at your tour group with a truly WTF look on their faces, she said.

Interesting people she met during the past couple of days include George, a young hottie at the FBI who became the key contact for Saddham Hussein during his stay here. Seems Hussein had a compulsive behavior related to keeping time, so all clocks were removed around him, and George wore a watch with a large face on it...Hussein had to ask George the time if he wanted to know it.

Gretchen informed me that SH had written ROMANCE NOVELS. I will admit...that was my personal WTF moment. Then I Googled and discovered yep. The first, Zabibah and the King, was a love story about a powerful ruler of medieval Iraq and a married commoner girl, Zabibah, whose husband rapes her. (Anyone wonder where he came up with THAT premise? Anyone remember his masochist son?) It's suspected that there was at least one ghost writer.

The fourth title was interesting. Begone, Demons...about a Zionist/Christian conspiracy against Muslims and Arabs. Supposedly, it was finished the day before the US invasion.

Nothing like a hottie with the FBi to spike your interests.

Gretchen said that a woman who reports directly to Hillary Clinton at the Secretary of State building was inspiring as well, said this woman has led such a life of service to her country. Then there were the folks at the postal inspection station who told them about catching different types of mail criminals.

Tomorrow? Who knows? I only hope she sends photos. I may even have a glass or two of wine with her during our next conversation.

Have a good day, all.

~ Sunny

The Left Behind Party

2009-07-14T14:42:00.003-05:00

Had to text Gretchen, who is in DC at the national Romance Writers of America conference - and I'M NOT - WAAAAH - about something.

I'm the (_

(that's left behind, for those who can't figure it out).

ANYWAY...one of her side excursions while with her Kiss of Death members was to visit the FBI academy yesterday, and she got to fire a tommy gun! *sigh* There's just something about power between my legs (get your minds out of the gutters...I'm referring to a good Harley, not something with Energizer Bunny batteries) or in my hands that sends tremors all over me. I'm so jealous.

I have absolutely no information as to what's going on other than that, in case you're lurking and hoping I can drop little tidbits for you. None. Nada. As in the heifers who got to go haven't phoned or sent photos for the blog or ANYTHING. I may just have to make this shit up as I go along this week.

I do know that the sun is shining for them and that it's cool of an evening, much like it was when we were all in San Francisco last year. I know that I'm missing out on parties and drinks and smoker's porch fun (oh, wait...do I still smoke?) and gossip and hearing who did what. And I'm pretty certain that the attendees aren't having to face the innumerable transients that trod through the hotel garage last year.

Still. I miss my friends. I may just have to pull out my photos of San Francisco to keep me company this week.

Happy Tuesday, everyone.

A Bit of Male Male

2009-07-09T14:22:00.003-05:00

Loose Id
ISBN eBook: 978-1-59632-952-2
Genre: Paranormal, M/M
Book Length: Novel
Release Date: June 30, 2009

Suffocation, mutilation and dismemberment aren’t the normal outside influences that bring two people together, but inside the newly refurbished Alcatraz Prison, anything can happen.

Inmates begin dying in shocking in sometimes gruesome ways. The deaths prompt Warden Jensen Black to bring in sexy parapsychologist, Brian Phipps. With the help of Brian, Jensen hopes to get to the bottom of what is killing the men he is responsible for. What he didn’t count on is falling and falling hard for the smaller man with the heart of a lion.

The attraction between the two men is instantaneous, but before they could fully explore the depths of their passion, the ghosts set their sites on Brian. As their relationship begins to heat up, the danger escalates, leaving both men to wonder if they’ll ever make it off Alcatraz alive.
---------------------------------------------
This one was a different Carol Lynne book - Carol does the paranormal WELL. Loose Id covers are getting better and better and better, too. I liked this book and its cover. I'd also just come back from seeing 'the real deal' up in San Francisco when I read this, so the salty air, crashing waves, the sea lions barking on the docks, the open-air fruit and vegetable vendors, the city itself...all brought up great imagery as I read the story. I'd always been an Alcatraz story fan, too, which didn't hurt. Spooky stuff there.
---------------------------------------------

Mia Watts has one I haven't read yet (well, it's because it's COMING SOON), but I absolutely adored the title - ROFL.

You can check out more from this talented author at:

http://www.miawatts.com/books.htm

I wasn't one of the first, by any means, to jump on the m/m romance bandwagon. In fact, I had to be dragged there by a couple of friends who shocked the hell out of me when they even suggested such a thing.

Then a couple of gay male friends sort of blinked and asked: What's wrong with you? You have known us HOW LONG, and it never occurred to you that we might like a well-told story that fits US and our lifestyle? We like romance - we like the paranormal - we like people WE can identify with when we read.

Ooookay. So I'm not always the sharpest tack in the box. Better late than never, huh?

~ Sunny Lyn

Peace, Everybody

2009-07-07T15:10:00.001-05:00

It's my day to blog over on the Total ebound site, so I won't be redundant and post the same thing here.

Just wanted to wish everyone a nice day with lots of love.

~ Sunny Lyn

Happy 4th of July & Happy Birthday(s)

2009-07-03T12:42:00.005-05:00

A FEW SHOUT OUTS

Happy Birthday next week to Liz Wolfe and Heather Rae Scott (who I believe share the same birth date). ***
pic snagged (looked like free to me - hey, I'm cheap but not totally insensitive, gotta have a greeting) from:
***
www.illpic.com/Birthday.html
***
Hope both of you have a marvelous day. I'm chiming in early because I know I'll most likely forget to blog about it on the 10th - lol. Forget the two of you? Never. Forget to blog...uh, yeah.
***
I'm spending the weekend with writer friend Carol Lynne. Our kids have plans elsewhere, so the two of us, like the diligent writers we are, plan on working to justify our expenditures next year - lol.
***
Hugs to Alexis who is house-sitting and providing nursing care to family members having surgery.
***
MAJOR HUGS to Kelly Ethan, who is having the damned surgery.
***
Happy 4th of July/Independence Day to all the North Americans.

Strange Things

2009-07-02T12:28:00.003-05:00

Alexis and I walked from our hotel in Orlando over to the Ripley's Believe It Or Not! museum while we were at the RT convention in April, and we got some interesting photos of the building from the outside. I'd been thinking of this earlier when Gretchen sent me a link to the Ripley's wedding dresses - made from toilet paper.

Little guy in the water has nothing to do with this conversation - I just liked him. I'll try to find my photos of Ripley's building and post them later.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/blog/880000288/post/700046270.html

Anyway, I couldn't imagine making a dress of any sorts out of toilet paper, much less a wedding gown, but I applaud the creativity it took for these ladies to make those dresses. Thanks, Gretchen. :)

And before I leave, a joke Heather sent me - LOVED IT!!!

CURTAIN RODS --- Should they stay?

On the first day, she sadly packed her belongings into boxes, crates and
suitcases.

On the second day, she had the movers come and collect her things.
On the third day, she sat down for the last time at their beautiful
dining-room table, by candle-light; she put on some soft background
music, and feasted on a pound of shrimp, a jar of caviar,and a bottle of
spring-water.
When she'd finished, she went into each and every room and deposited a
few half-eaten shrimps dipped in caviar into the hollow centre of the
curtain rods.
She then cleaned up the kitchen and left.

On the fourth day, the husband came back with his new girlfriend, and at first it all was bliss.
Then, slowly, the house began to smell.
They tried everything; cleaning, mopping, and airing-out the place.

Vents were checked for dead rodents, and carpets were steam cleaned.

Air fresheners were hung everywhere. Exterminators were brought in to
set off gas canisters, during which time the two had to move out for a
few days, and in the end they even paid to replace the expensive wool
carpeting. Nothing worked!
People stopped coming over to visit.

Repairmen refused to work in the house. The maid quit.
Finally, they couldn't take the stench any longer, and decided they had
to move, but a month later - even though they'd cut their price in half
- they couldn't find a buyer for such a stinky house.
Word got out, and eventually even the local realtors refused to return
their calls.
Finally, unable to wait any longer for a purchaser, they had to borrow a
huge sum of money from the bank to purchase a new place.
Then the ex-wife called the man and asked how things were going. He told
her the saga of the rotting house. She listened politely and said that
she missed her old home terribly and would be willing to reduce her
divorce settlement in exchange for having the house.
Knowing she could have no idea how bad the smell really was, he agreed
on a price that was only 1/10 th of what the house had been worth ...
but only if she would sign the papers that very day.
She agreed, and within two hours his lawyers delivered the completed
paperwork.

A week later the man and his girlfriend stood smiling as they watched
the moving company pack everything to take to their new home ......
.... and to spite the ex-wife, they even took the the curtain rods!
I LOVE A HAPPY ENDING, DON'T YOU?

Determination

2009-06-29T04:25:00.005-05:00

Aunt Nora married young, raised a family, buried a husband, sold a farm, and in her twilight years wanted to acquire something she'd missed...her education. When she announced she was going back for her GED, friends and family generally heard this with hidden smiles or raised eyebrows. The way Nora looked at it, she would be 76 years old anyway, might as well arrive at that birthday milestone a little smarter.

*******

I was never extremely close to her - liked her, don't get me wrong, but she was one of several much older Indian females in the family who bossed or babysat me, and while I enjoyed her company, I wasn't fond of feeding the chickens or gathering eggs. Chickens pooped too much and were insidious peckers, and once I had seen one of them drop an egg out of its butt, I'd refused to eat hen fruit for some time.
*******

Little did I know that decades later I would discover something else about Nora - years after she'd passed away, I found out she loved writing and researching family history. She kept in touch with a cousin near her age who'd been adopted and moved to the east coast. Somehow, thanks to the internet and inquisitive minds, I connected with that older woman's daughter, and we've shared photos and information. Annmarie sent me the pic above of Aunt Nora with my great-great grandmother, Alice (Nora's mom), who used to make me drink the most godawful herbal teas whenever I was sick. Indian medicine, don't ya know?
*******

It's strange, the things we remember from childhood. Stranger still are speculations as to what my descendants will say about me - lol. They won't have to point to my kids and say that I carried them across state lines - literally - walking with a covered wagon, surviving yellow fever, a husband drowning in his twenties, leaving me with three babies, which is what happened to Grandmother Margaret, to the left. They won't be able to bring up the American Civil War, or even Viet Nam, other than to mention I was drafted (Uncle Sam thought I was male, not female, until I showed up in a mini skirt for the physical).
*******
On days that I whine about how bad I feel or that I have a case of writer's block, during nights when I can't seem to stop writing on what promises to be utter crap that nobody will buy, occasionally I think of the women who walked different paths but had similar dreams of success, ones who loved the written word.
*******
And I know that while I wouldn't trade places with any of them for all the book contracts in the world, I envy them the raw determination that must've fed their souls, the sheer will power to get up every morning to do what had to be done....
*******
...without benefit of Starbucks, Sara Lee, Microsoft, Polaroid, or Vera Wang flip flops, which feel great, by the way.
*******
Here's hoping you all have a good week and find strength you didn't realize (or forgot) you had. Happy writing,

~Sunny Lyn

People I Love

2009-06-25T19:40:00.004-05:00

Friend and fellow author Liz Wolfe just made my day sending me this (says she got it off of Google, so there's your credit if it's needed). It reminded her (and me) of a marvelous Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Houston, summer of 2007, I believe. The Women of Wit were there with exception of ONE out of six...and we all initially met at eharlequin.com in "The Bat Cave", so...appropriate, n'est pa?

I don't think I have enjoyed a conference so much, other than maybe RWA Reno of 2005. I ADORE my critique partners, and there we were - Liz, T, Lex, Me, and Ann. There were paper peckers, lots of wine, a few cigarettes, and more than one sleepless night involved...for about a week. And OMG what fun.

Anyway - THANK YOU, LIZ.

Here's a cover of one of her books, by the way. She's a hoot to read - love her.

I also want to draw your attention to a loved one who writes better than his mother. Ya can't tell we're cut from close to the same cloth, can ya? - lol - This young man won his first major writer's award when he was 16 yrs old and had a senior editor from Bantam, no less, asking him for books. Did he ever submit? Hell, no. But he got asked, and he held his own at the conferences where he attend with his mom.

He was my traveling buddy, and we had a blast every time. He doesn't have traffic to his blog because he doesn't go blogging much, he doesn't advertise, and few people know he's even a writer, but I'm "outting him" so to speak if you'd just like to go say hello to the guy you've heard about from me for so many years. He's at amamankhet.blogspot.com and if you see this strange drawing he did of himself a few years ago, you'll know you've arrived. Some artists go through a Monet phase - mine went through a Kevorkian one (hey, ole Jack wasn't bad if you're into modern).

I'm sorry to see the passing of Michael Jackson (okay, he was weird, but he was talented, OMG), Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon. And now there are conflicting reports as to whether or not Jeff Goldblum has fallen to his demise in New Zealand, and I HOPE TO GOD that that one is just a false rumor.

addendum: Thank you, Janet - It's a HOAX - assholes - why do they spread crap like that? - http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/website-hoax-jeff-goldblum-not-dead-20090626-cyz9.html

Anyway - I'm in a hearts and flowers kinda mood end of this week, for some reason. I'm not drunk, so I won't be disrobing, and not everyone will become my friend, but I am definitely going through some sort of warm and runny affliction that maybe will end soon, so I'll be back to my old acerbic self.

Till then...loves you...

~ Sunny Lyn

friends & early summer funnies

2009-06-24T18:03:00.008-05:00

CJ sent me something that made me smile today. It's been "one of those weeks" for a couple of my friends. I mean, I grouch about having to eat spicy food, but some of these gals are really having problems, so...here's a heart for CJ and the other two and anyone else who just wants one. You know who you are.

Why Men Shouldn't Take Messages

Gotta have something funny today, though - just gotta. Michael in NY sent this one, and I've been cracking up ever since.

Mary Ellen sent me some funnies, but I can't copy and paste them in blogger...again. So I'll just wave HI to her and send a raspberry to Blogger.

---addendum---

Just because I'm too lazy to create a newer blog post. Storms raged through here last night, and we were without electricity for about 8 hours or so. Winds took off the top of a tree across the street, and #1 Son went over in the rain to help move the sucker. Fire truck showed up - 4 beefy firemen. Landlord's handyman drove up to help. Of course, he never says thanks, and the whole time this guy is just bitching about how he'd be going 'round and round' with the landlord if that tree had hit his car. Car was fine. I don't believe there's an "act of God" clause in his renter's contract, though, and his "round and round" would have lasted maybe one round - lol - but oh, well. Just wanted friends who lurk to know that we're okay. No damage here, thank goodness, but a lot of smaller tree limbs and leaves were sacrificed during the course of an hour and a half.
**********

Hugs, everybody.
~ Sunny Lyn

It Ain't Easy Bein' Me

2009-06-22T14:05:00.004-05:00

I love my kids - let's get that out there. Today, I'd like to whack them upside the head. Temps are supposed to hit 100 without the heat index, and I have 4 loads of whites to do (HOT water - bleach type stuff). 13 total loads. I was up until 4 am doing laundry so The Girl would have her new clothes for work. Went into their bedroom to see why she was so desperate for clothing and hauled out enough for 4 trips. So my day started off staring at...

2 loads of jeans
2 loads of whites
4 loads of colors
2 loads of towels
2 loads of sheets (white)
1 load of dog bedding

Then there's the food issue. I'm trying to lose weight (yah, who isn't, right), and I'd like nothing but a greasy cheeseburger if I can't eat a salad, but I'm flexible. #1 DIL cooks spaghetti, egg rolls, and chocolate chip cookies...all marvelous, but that's it. #1 Son is a terrific cook, but I can't convince him we're Creek & Cherokee...feather Indian, not dot. If I have to eat lamb with masalas, curries, or black cumin more than once a week, I'm gonna shove a zucchini up someone's ass.

I love doing laundry - I'm just weird like that, but 13 friggin' loads ain't my idea of a great day. I'm also trying to get The Kids into the kitchen more often. Trouble is, nobody seems to know how to load and unload the dishwasher, and then there's the food issue. Cook me a goddamned taco or burger once or twice a week if you're not into chicken salad or shrimp fettucine Alfredo. Take me to Long John Silver's or Captain D's. Arby's will do. Give me a SALAD of ANY kind. Just don't approach a semi-vegetarian with lamb very often, and lay off the friggin' spices. (We won't discuss how Mama feels about Roti or Paratha. I'd rather eat chalk.)

Ya know, what goes in must come out, and it seeps through our pores. A guy passed me on the street last week and said hello in Hindi without even looking up.

Rant over. I'm gonna make a salad with garlic bread and bone up on Italian. Isn't variety the cumin of life?

Okay, rant over. It's time to add bleach to the current wash.

See you 'round the writers' block.
~ Sunny Lyn

Upcoming contest and opportunities for writers:

2009-06-15T18:12:00.003-05:00

Anyone besides me having trouble copying and pasting stuff into their blog on Blogger? This is driving me NUTS.
*********

Had a couple of contests to share for whoever is interested. These were in Cindi Myers's newsletter last week. Dorchester is having one - info can be found at http://www.dorchester.com/contests/html
*********

Torquere Press is launching a new penny-dreadful type line of pulp fiction, and you can check them out under submissions at http://www.torquerepress.com/
*********

Veteran editor and author Leslie Wainger is teaching a class for the Kiss of Death Chapter of RWA in July. Info can be found at http://www.rwamysterysuspense.org/
*********

Thanks to Janet for today's cartoon. *ggg*
*********

See ya'll around the writers' block,
~ Sunny Lyn

Still Trying To Make Sense of This A Month Later

2009-06-14T22:34:00.005-05:00

The victims were a woman and her 9-yr-old daughter who were standing in their own front yard when this guy came bearing down upon them before sliding into his own house. He's already been given his 6th DUI and he was driving the company car. The mother threw herself on top of her child when she saw him careening down the street, headed for them. Child lost a tooth and sustained a scrape on the head. The mother lost her life. She was a friend and the mother of three...the youngest was 2 months old and still breast-feeding.

I don't like to "throw stones", but I feel that the company who hired him should be held accountable as well. They gave him a job and a company vehicle--surely, they pulled credit files, police records/traffic violations, things like that, no?
-------------------------
Life's too short anyway. Don't want to spend it grieving and complaining, but damn, damn, damn, damn, damn. Wish those little girls all got to know their mother.
-------------------------
I'm a ghoul - I like my mysteries, suspense, thrillers, and even horror at times, but I gotta have my doses of romance, chick stuff, and feel-good slice-of-life books as well. I like knowing in my gut that Stephen King and Dean Koontz attend birthday parties and get laid, that even Ted Bundy had a mother. I can't wait to see Meryl Streep as Julia Child in the upcoming movie "Julie & Julia". I may not understand a lot of things, but I know what makes it all easier to digest. Hope. Variety. Possibilities. That a little baby, a 5-yr-old, and a 9-yr-old may indeed have some motherly type, if not Gwen, adjusting their veils when/if they marry and that 12-step programs or jail or death await careless drunks, that as long as we're breathing we have the chance to 'get it right'.
--------------------------
I also take comfort in Jane Wagner quotes, such as this one: The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool.
--------------------------
Happy delusions, in that case. Sometimes they beat the alternative...reality.
hugs, all...
Sunny Lyn

Those Poor Editors

2009-06-13T13:25:00.004-05:00

A little editor humor from fellow writer Gretchen Jones. I LAUGHED OUT LOUD, literally. http://comics.com/pearls_before_swine/2009-06-09/

I really feel for editors sometimes. I know it’s evil of me to side with them on anything, but they really must go through a ton of garbage at times to find that proverbial diamond in the rough. I read a Tweet post by one the other day, and she was fuming because of a writer requesting/demanding to be given a contract based on a partial. Evidently, said writer has a few manuscript problems and can’t get past her own ego to see them. Plus, it's not the publishing house's POLICY to contract on partials. That writer probably took the advice of someone else who suggested she do such a thing. Be careful who you admire - lol. They may talk bigger than they walk.

One thing I’ve noticed is that so many of us (writers) tend to blog about more than we should. I don’t mind copping to doing something stupid or bad occasionally – it’s like going to church and hoping SOMEONE still loves you, even though you’re a complete ass. Sometimes they do…sometimes they don’t. HOWEVER. I refuse to blog about what I have sent in to some publisher and naming names, giving ALL the details and then turning around a saying they rejected me. SURE, I have rejections. But here’s the deal, for those writers who don’t think editors and agents read their blogs (sometimes under assumed names, folks)...think again.

Say you submit Naughty, Naughty Nancy’s Misadventures in Misogyny to St. Martin’s or Dell, Bantam, or Harlequin. The editor there rejects you. I guaran-damn-tee you that after you announce this on your blog, an Ellora’s Cave, Samhain, Loose Id, or other editor at a small press or an e-press is reading your post going “Ah, shit – that means she’ll be sending it via email to me tomorrow.”

Why? Because so many writers don’t see small presses or e-publishers as the professionals they are. Some writers tend to think that if NY won’t buy them, ‘oh, an e-pub will’. Not necessarily. How do you think these businesses stay afloat? For every e-book you show me that is a piece of crap, honey, I can raise you a print book that is equally crappy.

Secondly, and this one is important…if you turn around and submit that manuscript to another publisher within 24 hours, you most likely haven’t taken the time to discover WHY it got rejected in the first place. Maybe there’s something you should DO (yeah, there’s that four-letter word WORK) before you fire it off to someone else. Just sayin’ (as Paul Reiser’s schtick went)…

Anyway. That old saying “don’t shit where you eat” applies to the writing world for sure. If your writing is your bread and butter, give that editor a feast rather than a fast for the day.

On that happy-friggin’-note…I still wish a terrific weekend for all of you. REALLY. And if this post can save one of you from making the mistakes mentioned, then I'll stick my neck out and take the chance it won't get chopped off.

I don’t have a damn thing to send in to an editor right now, just wanted to give a cyber hug to ‘em. Bless their rotten black souls. I mean, sure, they enjoy torturing us writers *snort*, but they still need lovin’.

Probably preaching to the choir here...

2009-06-12T13:37:00.003-05:00

Something happened this past week that made me think back a few years. Had a good writer friend who was part of a big group where nearly everyone in it had made their first sale...then the next five or ten or however many. Anyway, they were all good writers, but her star shone just a bit brighter than everyone else's. She wasn't aware of the back-stabbing going on (or maybe she was and just had the good taste and good sense not to mention it). One author in particular made comment that she didn't understand why this one woman (we'll call her Author X) was getting such big advances, way bigger than hers and everyone else's.

I thought okay, tacky...probably a bit of professional jealousy going on, but still TACKY. It was like one high school girl saying "I don't know why the boys all like HER when they could have ME to fawn over."

Thing is, it still goes on. A lot. And it's sad, to me, when one of us can't be genuinely happy for someone else when they make that big break, when they sell to someone we've wanted to sell to, or when they get the big advance. But then maybe I have it all wrong--I feel we're in competition with ourselves, not with each other.

Back to Author X. She had it rough during that time. One of her siblings died, and she wound up raising this sibling's children...children, not child...children. She and her husband fought over her successes, and they wound up divorcing. She had health problems, family issues, all that good stuff, yet she still wrote what publishers and readers loved, and she remained a steadfast friend to the rest of us. Not once that I'm aware of did she ever use her disabilities and liabilities in mail to her editors or her agent. Not once did she complain about not being treated fairly. It's BUSINESS - and she kept everything on a professional level.

Not once did she stop writing, even when she got the blues, when others in her family passed away, when the tornadoes hit and she lost her home, needed surgery, couldn't pay the bills, needed new clothes or better transportation. Okay, you get the drift by now. She was a pro. She had a job, and she showed up for work every day.

So I look at her, and I look at another friend who is having this problem with professional jealousy (okay, actually there are about three who are going through this, and none of them know one another - they just share the same dilemma...remaining friends with back-stabbers). And I wonder why it is so many writers think that the way to get ahead is to make catty remarks or on the flip side to kiss so much ass. Do they really not see that kissing ass only garners them one thing...a bad taste in their mouth?

Instead of feeling "less than" around someone who succeeds, IMO we should support them and work on our own issues, discovering why we're not The Chosen Ones or what we can do to make our writing (and...ahem...ourselves) better.

I'm as guilty as anyone else - caught myself yesterday saying something snippy about someone TO a friend of hers. The woman (I felt) had used me and was using others, and I bitched. Come to find out, she's hurting. She's going through a divorce, her writing career hasn't taken off as she'd thought it would, and she's now working for a publishing house she once claimed she was too good to write for - that HAD to be rough on her to approach them. Do I still feel the same? Sure. Only I'm a little more humble and grateful that it's not me living her life. I have another day, another chance to get a few things right. No professional jealousy on my part, but a whole lot of unneeded bad karma. So color me sorry today that I let my arrogance cash checks my ass was ashamed to cover.

Anyway, hope this day finds all of you happy and healthy and at least a little mindful of your thoughts. Garbage in, garbage out - it's the GIGO effect.

An Officer And A Millionaire

2009-06-11T11:17:00.007-05:00

It's been a LONG time (if ever) since I've blogged about one topic, much less one author, one book, but...blame Heather Rae. She's the one who turned me on to this particular book. OH MY GOD - if you haven't read it, go buy it. NOW. You can thank me later. It's one of the best romances, best Desires, best BOOKS that I have read in ages. Wonderful characters, perfect plotline, terrific writing. Maureen Child (and no, she isn't paying me to hawk this book - she doesn't even know I'm talking about her) has done a fantastic job here. It's funny as hell, romantic, absolutely a joy to read.

-----------------------------------

Blogger isn't letting me copy and paste, much less do links, so I'll try to get this all in here. Just had to share this book (this author, if you haven't read her) with you.

Go to eharlequin's website (link below) and check it out.

-----------------------------------

http://www.eharlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=18339

Have a great day everybody.

~ Sunny Lyn

Springtime Thoughts

2009-06-07T11:52:00.009-05:00

Home from Stud-sitting and wanted to share a blog post for those who haven’t seen it. An editor friend has a blog post that just wrecked me this past week. If you get a chance, pop over and read about mantasy.

Love my long nails, but while I was Stud Muffin sitting, I decided it was a great time to WRITE (shocking thought), so I did the big manicure. Amazing how much easier it is to type on a laptop without a solid inch of nail hanging off the end of your fingertips.

I think I had a better time “on vacation” than did my friend. She traipsed all over Chicago, aching legs, demanding kids, having to fork out money everywhere she went, while I sat on her patio deck with Studley, working on a manuscript that begged to be written (and having a marvelous time doing it). I kept the phone lines busy chatting with Heather Rae, who was an invaluable crit partner—she’s so much fun anyway, and her critiques were spot ON. I look forward to digging in to this one more.

The Kids and I are house-hunting this afternoon. We’ve already done the actual hunting, but there’s an open house at this particular one we love. When we get done, we get a free meal. I don’t remember ever phoning to complain about an order until last night, but that had to be the worst meal ever. I got home, nobody wanted to cook (including me), so we went to Sonic. Instead of getting cheeseburgers with mustard minus the lettuce and onions, we got BARBECUE SAUCE on them with tons of lettuce and onions. Instead of Cheddar Peppers, we got Cheddar Bites. Instead of…well, you get the idea. So I phoned. We get to pick up the order we requested, gratis, if we’re there before 5 pm, so that’s where we’re going once we’re done looking at houses.

My own dogs were thrilled to see me when I got home. The wolf-dog is losing his winter coat in patches – his butt is shedding…everywhere. Poor dog can’t walk without a tuft of butt fuzz flying out. Seems Mother Nature has deemed it’s springtime, after all. Good. Now if we can just keep the tornadoes at bay.

Tomorrow it’s coffee, fraps, or something much stiffer with Gretchen and Erin. Haven’t seen them for a couple of weeks, so it’ll be nice chatting it up with other writers and seeing what’s new in their lives. I know Gretchen has been gardening. The woman is a fantastic cook…even CANS, for godssake…and she writes and grows awesome flowers. Erin is a rock doc, a geologist, and another terrific writer. She also makes a kewl little appetizer. Hollows out cherry tomatoes, mixes the pulp with mayo and crumbled bacon, then stuffs the mixture back into the tomato shells – tastes just like a mini BLT. Amazing.

Erin’s my foot-in-mouth buddy. A few days ago she dropped the F-bomb into an email intended for her critique group…and sent it to our local RWA chapter by mistake – LOL. This past week, I did the same thing, only with the word ‘hell’, as in HOW THE HELL IS EVERYBODY in the subject line. Sheesh. Erin and I are gonna have to buy mint-flavored flip-flops for the summer.

Gretchen is my go-anywhere pal. I love hanging out with Gretchen. We have all these adventures, try different restaurants, visit museums and seed stores, go to art museums. And the heifer cooks. If she were a man, I’d be all over her.

I MISS MISS MERRY – meant to write her last week and say HEY, didn’t get around to it.

Oh, and before I leave, #1 Son sent me this link – down at bottom, click on “high” beneath the first pic. This is the future of gaming and Lord knows what else. FANTASTIC how far technology has come.

Have a great week, everyone. More later…
~ Sunny Lyn

a lesson in male dominance

2009-06-04T11:28:00.005-05:00

I’m pet-sitting for a friend while she and her family are in Chicago. (The pic is of an add she's in that Total E-Bound Books ran recently.) Anyway. I love her pet. The little dog has a menagerie of stuffed animals he plays with, and I video taped a few seconds of him tossing one of them into the air and chasing after it.

After I sent a video of Studley playing with Green Turtle, I started watching something on television, not realizing that Green was merely foreplay. Got a lesson in male dominance. I have no idea when the sex actually started, because both participants were so quiet. But I looked down and instantly felt like a voyeur. Studley had Red Bear on all fours, face into the carpet, and was screwing Red, doggy style, of course. Perfect alignment – right up the hoo-haa.

So focused was the little man’s desire and determination, I didn’t have the heart to stop him. He was masterful—completely dominated that bear. Studley humped and pumped, grunted and nipped Bear on the backside. I could well imagine Studley growling, fueling both their passions. You’re mine. Who’s your Doggy Daddy? C’mon, say my name. Say it!

When it was over, Studley collapsed against his love, snuggled into Bear’s side, kissing him. Then, a true gentleman, Studley took care of Bear’s hygienic needs before ministering to his own.

It was all so intense, I cheated—I had to have a cigarette afterwards. Studley followed me and sat on the porch, surveying his domain like a Malta-Poo of the Serengeti. A rabbit hopped by, and I was sure Studley sent a whispered message. “You’re next.”

We passed by Studley’s harem of sex objects as we trod down the hall to bed, and I know in my heart that Studley strutted, as if to reinforce in their minds, Yeah, I’m the man.

Then like a true male, he fell asleep. For hours. Completely sated and probably dreaming of catching that bunny…then a bird…and leaving nothing but fur and feathers in the aftermath.

Rescue Me

2009-05-29T15:25:00.006-05:00

art = Tea by Mary Cassatt, 1880, oil on canvas

This tip from Janet. Ever lost anything down a sink drain and either lost it forever or had to take the sink apart to retrieve the item? Watch this little video from Family Hack dot com.

Pet fish not wanting to come out and play? I have a betta, and this site is useful.

Bad hair day? Back when I was (ahem) much younger, girls used baby powder on their scalp. I didn’t, because I just couldn’t stand the thought of smelling like a baby’s butt. But girlfriend Debby did, and her hair always looked good. She had extremely oily hair that didn’t do well with constant washing, so she’d shower and wash one day, use the powder the next. Jump ahead years later. Another friend with oily hair, only she uses dry shampoo. Say what? Anyway, she’s using one of these right now, and it seems to be working for her, but read a review from someone who used a dry shampoo (not the one my friend uses, but…I thought it pertinent enough to post):

I've tried the Oscar Blandi stuff. It's expensive, but very much like baby powder. It definitely de-greases the hair, but it turns your scalp white (!) and takes a lot of work to brush out. It makes a big mess too if you're not careful. I think I'd try baby powder first, and if that doesn't work, then maybe move on to a dry shampoo.

Writing…ever want a visual thesaurus? Know what one is? – lol – A writer friend showed me a visual thesaurus, which is basically word mapping (for lack of a better term), but it’s pretty cool.

I know I’m reincarnated—just not sure from what or whom, but I definitely have some ideas that are strange to my generation, my sex, and my place on the planet. When I think of all the above, there’s some smartass part of me that surfaces and whispers…find a man, eat the fish, put your hair in a ponytail or snood or wear a friggin’ cap, and sit down, read, educate yourself if you lack a good vocabulary, and work on your goddamn penmanship or typing skills so you can post some letters…or manuscripts.

----------------------------
till next time,
Sunny Lyn, The Ancient

the book shelves

2009-05-25T14:26:00.002-05:00

Just finished...a nonfiction called French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano - thought it was delightful, insightful, witty, and fun - and I'd love to hate the heifer for being a skinny French woman, but...can't. She includes recipes.

SPEAKING OF RECIPES...learned a neat little trick from Carol Lynne over the weekend. One of those inexpensive packages of Ramen Noodles (chicken flavored) and a couple handfuls of broccoli stems - boil water, toss in the noodles and veggie together (Carol says cauliflower works well, too). Pasta and broccoli are done at the same time. Drain, salt and pepper to taste, and the dish makes an attractive presentation on a plate. You can add chicken or whatever else you like, but it's a tasty and quick dish.

Okay, back to the drawing board. What I am reading now: I have two I'm waffling between digging into. Friend Carla Cassidy has one that looks good called Broken Pieces. And there's one by Madeleine Wickham called Cocktails for Three that appeals.

Have food on the brain. Gretchen and I had lunch Saturday at Fred P. Otts, and I fell in love with their burgers. Here’s a peek at their menu (it scrolls, so just click the arrow on the right to see what’s what).

Till next time, hope everyone has a pleasant start to their week.
hugs,
Sunny Lyn

Tweaky & Geeky

2009-05-20T08:05:00.005-05:00

"Walk a mile in my shoes....." (channeling Joe South)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Smoking is indeed a habit, and I'd wondered what people did with their hands when they quit. I have found one thing to be true—they fill them with something else.

Food, for instance. Not me, I decided. I’d fill my palms with the Wii controls and head-butt soccer balls or stand in strange Pilates poses, but chocolate would not melt in my hands or in my mouth.

At least I didn’t smoke in the house the last few years. I mean, once you’ve smoked in the house (where you also eat, right?), you commit unpardonable sins. Smoking and eating were never meant to be joint activities. Lighting a celery frond or dipping a cigarette into ranch dressing is just a no-no.

Sucking or chewing on plastic straws comes to mind. I’ve annihilated at least a straw per day. Gross, you think? No, gross are the stains on my teeth that I never noticed. Gross = the snipes I thought I’d tossed. Never ever in a million jillion years thought that I would re-light a cigarette butt.

Fish. Now I have your attention, don’t I? Well, with cigarettes five to six bucks a pack (and higher in other states, I understand), I had a bit of extra money, so The Girl and I stopped off at a pet store for dog food and those compressed dog bones. And there they were. A rainbow of male betas. I want to type ‘betta’, and my computer keeps changing the word back to ‘beta’. So you choose.

Anyway, Bleu and I (well, he IS blue, and I’m tired of naming characters, so he gets an easy one) are writing mates now. He gapes at me through his watery place on my desk (and I’m sure that there’s some feng shui law that I’ve broken by placing water near anything electronic), and I vent to him during a rough scene or weep during a sad one and he commiserates.

Patches – those all-day suckers that are supposed to keep us from geeking for nicotine? Ever tried them? Ever fallen asleep with one on?! HORRORS. Worse than any acid flashback you had in the sixties or eighties or whenever. Ten times worse. In Technicolor and Surroundsound, at that. I’ve dreamt of everything from kissing ugly people to being one, from having wild animals chase me to not being able to find a bathroom in time. Every childhood terror imaginable has torn through my subconscious to find me if I am wearing a nicotine patch if I decide to nap and forget I have on ‘the patch’.

Other cigarettes. (hanging my head in shame) Damn, but it’s difficult to break this habit. Whine, whine, whine – yeah, I know. But it is damned hard. I like breathing without hacking. I like being able to actually taste my food and smell better, so why the desire to create worse health and havoc in my life?

Going back to writing now…for real. I’ve just completed another novella that seeks a specific home and have been asked for others. I’m not sure why, but the short fiction is easier for me to write during spring and summer months. Maybe I’ll do something different this year, though. Quit smoking, quit complaining, and write 300 pages of something longer instead of looking for the instant gratification.

Wow. Epiphany.

funnies

2009-05-14T14:34:00.004-05:00

The first from Janet: A REAL man's BBQ.

The second one from Mary Ellen, who knows I love nun jokes.

Yes, I'm procrastinating. I've done two chapters in the past three days, though, so I'm due a little fun, right? I've given up chocolate, smoking, and some pretty good rationalizations the past month, and I've only cheated (pick one) a few times. :)

Kismet Kibbles & Kudos

2009-05-09T16:42:00.006-05:00

KUDOS

1st KUDO = for fellow friend & author Gerrie Shepard, who wrote the cover story for New Love Stories' premier issue: The Admirer's Secret

2nd KUDO = for Gretchen, who is on chapter 8 (or who knows by now) of her new, intriguing novel that doesn't star Maxine

3rd KUDO= for Heather, who knows why - no, I won't give it away, but let's see how often every friend named Heather that I have will get bugged for the plug *ggg*

4th KUDO = for Jamie, who by all accounts is goin' great guns as an editor

5th KUDO = for moi, for getting 10 good pages done while The Kids are in Oklahoma for another funeral - it's like the 5th one within a few months

* * *

addendum: HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, whether you are one, have one, or just have a special woman or two in your life...celebrate.

KISMET

Shout out to Charles, who outted himself. I like summer, too. And half-naked men pushing lawnmowers - lol. It was nice meeting you.

KIBBLES

photos from the EC Author Party at RT

2009-05-01T16:19:00.009-05:00

Catching Up Since RT Orlando

2009-04-28T12:25:00.015-05:00

I'm still a bit groggy. Old ladies shouldn't go to bed at 3 am 7 out of 9 nights, but it was fun being bad. All I'm gonna do for a day or so is post photos and snippets of what went on.

I probably took as many photos of palm trees and lizards as I did people, but I'll restrain myself from posting so much of those.

First, after a night's rest and some shopping, Alex and I mingled with other authors at the Gatorville Bar & Restaurant. The first photo is of the incomparable Sasha White giving Alexis Fleming a hello kiss.

RT had many, many volunteers, and Julie was one of our favorites. Have you ever seen such a gorgeous smile? She was so much fun. We wanted to just follow her around with a tape recorder, waiting for her to say something. Funny, funny lady.

Tuesday night last week was the Ellora's Cave author party, and EC, as always, does right by us. Lots of hunky men, good food, atmosphere, editors and publisher to speak with, great photo opportunities. Got to meet my cover artists, Seneca and Will, mingle with Jeania and Valerie from the office, and talk to old and new friends.

<~~ Ellora's Cave publisher, Raelene, with author Lyn Cash aka Cash Cole.

The cover models were such gentlemen and spent hours taking photos with everybody. I think some of my favorite shots of them were just of them clowning with one another, so I'll share some of those.

Here ya go. Back in a bit with more. ~ Sunny Lyn

sorry to make you wait, ladies

2009-04-25T12:31:00.002-05:00

Alexis can't keep the men offa her. CJ Someone.

And here're some of the lunch guests Sunny Lynn and Alexis hung out with.
Jeremy R is the last picture and reports are that he's really nice.

More lunch guests. Or are they the same ones?

here are your pictures.

2009-04-23T07:34:00.005-05:00

I don't know why the one of the cover models is so blurry. Maybe Sunny Lyn's hands were trembling with lust? Maybe someone was trying to push her out of the way to get a better view?

So we have 3 Romantic Times conference pix from Sunny Lyn and Lex:

the models surrounding some female
an exotic palm tree and
Alexis (on the left) with someone who will be identified later.

And after about ten minutes of clicking and cursing I figure out that of course I can't just copy and load them. Bugger it. I hope this link works.

Dear Lyn and Lex

2009-04-21T08:29:00.008-05:00

Hi you two.

Thanks for calling even if I couldn't understand much of what you laughing hyenas were on about. I did catch the words ya heifer.

Lyn, you asked me to post photos here on your blog. I can, because a while back you gave me blog access, but I can't post any pix from Romantic Times conference where you all are romping and dancing on tables and partying and generally enjoying yourselves. Without me.

No really, I want to post your pix, but I don't see them. I don't know what email address you have for me, but it might not be the right one. Your photos aren't coming through.

Also? Since my computer had a meltdown, I don't have your email addresses to tell you about the problem. What a ~~shame~~ blessing I have access to your blog though, eh?

Jealous? Moi?

xxoo,
Kate

bovine images borrowed from barfblog

Countdown to MARA & Romantic Times Convention

2009-04-14T17:55:00.002-05:00

MARA is having their annual retreat in a couple of days. Think of me when you hear rain, because looks like Gretchen Jones and I will be spending nights in a pop-up camper while the others stay in the lodge. Actually, I’m rather looking forward to it – lol. My usual idea of roughing it means two people to one bathroom, but now and then Princess Sunny likes her outdoors activities and snuggling with a cozy blanket and a good cup of coffee.

Speaking of coffees, purchased the coffee and creamer yesterday to take to RT. Alexis Fleming and I are major coffee drinkers who generally stay up way too late and need caffeine first thing of a morning. Kelly won’t be joining us this year – bummer – but her mum and I intend to party hearty and have a drink or two for her…and Denise Patrick. MMMMWAAAH - love you, ladies. Will miss seeing you at this one.

The Wii and I have become friends, for those of you who figured I’d cave in after one or two work-outs. I’m having FUN with it. Who’d-a-thunk that a virtual trainer named Maya would kick my arse into shape? But working with the Wii has given me energy to do other things…like walk, which I haven’t done much of during the cold months.

Next week I’ll be extremely grateful I’ve been walking and working out.

Ya’ll have a good rest of the week.

Hugs,
Sunny Lyn (who just found out she has yet another book coming out in print soon – whoo hoo!!!)

Happy Easter

2009-04-11T01:14:00.005-05:00

from Janet...I thought this was cute!

(the other side of the flashing sign that isn't flashing - lol - reads JELLY BEANS - as in Do I Smell Jelly Beans?

All I need to know
I learned from the Easter Bunny!

Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
There's no such thing as too much candy.
All work and no play can make you a basket case.
A cute tail attracts a lot of attention.
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
Some body parts should be floppy.
Keep your paws off of other people's jelly beans.
Good things come in small, sugar coated packages.
The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.
To show your true colors, you have to come out of the shell.
The best things in life are still sweet and gooey.

* * *

Happy Easter!

---and from Sarah...

Wii Are The Champions

2009-04-05T17:50:00.002-05:00

So one of my local friends has lost 25 pounds and looks fabulous. Asked her what she’s been doing, and she said she bought Wii Fit and has been using Alli. I have no gall bladder, so Alli wouldn’t do much for me except give me the runs. But The Boy and The Girl love Wii, so I knew mentioning this to them would strike some interest. #1 Son and #1 DIL went out to dinner for a ‘date night’ and came home with a Wii. Cool, right?
***********************
Total humiliation. The store was out of Wii Fit, so I have Wii My Fitness Coach to work with until Fit comes into their store again (they said they can’t keep it on the shelves – it’s evidently quite popular, at least in the Heartland). First I constructed my Mii, my little avatar that looks somewhat like me. Then I had to take my body measurements (as if that’s not humiliating enough). THEN I had to take the tests. First one, I nearly killed myself. Jumping Jacks? I’m lucky if I can walk without tripping and falling. Every time I’d attempt one, I’d wind up ten inches closer to the television, where I broke my nose (after tripping) back in February.
********************************
And ‘the girls’, even in my snuggest, best sports bra, were jumping out and asking WTF are you doing? Are you crazy? The push-ups? Even worse. The only thing I did close to what could be called WELL was the limber, touch your toes type thing. Hands on floor, palms down, and feet twelve inches apart. Move forward, stop when you get to where you can comfortably (are you fucking kidding me?) remain in position for at least two seconds – do this three times. Then find where you measure up on the diagrams. There was actually one diagram where the stick figure looked like she was passed smooth out. I’m not sure if she was on her back or if the bitch could actually flatten herself on her stomach like that and wrap her hands around her feet.
**************************************
Once I had my avatar in place and my statistics recorded, son asked if I wanted to begin my workout. Hell, no. I want a damned frappuccino from Starbucks, a burger from Sonic, a hot tub, massage, and a bed. If Hugh Jackman, Brad Pitt, and Gerard Butler were all standing before me naked, I’d be inclined to ask “wanna go get a pizza” before I’d even THINK of anything else.
*************************************
But Son committed to buying the system, so I committed to 15 minutes per day to work out. Mind you, that trainer had better not get snarky, because it’ll take me five minutes just to hook up the handstrap of the controller, another five to get ON the floor mat, and another two or three minutes just to control my breathing so we can begin.
**************************************
Friggin’ friends. They just have to look good and be inspirational. Motivate, my ass.
**************************************
Kids are leaving to go look at games at Blockbuster. Me…I’m gonna Pii then Wii so I’ll be a better looking Mii after another four or five months of this torture.

End of March This ‘n That

2009-03-30T10:39:00.004-05:00

Have you ever wondered where intellectuals go for common sense? I opened my bag of medicines from the pharmacy and had to phone to let them know that a prescription was missing.
************************************************
Me: Everything is in the bag except for the blood pressure medicine.

*
Pharmacist: Let me check. (She comes back in a few seconds.) I don’t show that we sent you that one.

*
Me: Right.

*
Pharmacist: What’s the problem?

*
Me: I don’t have my blood pressure medicines.

*
Pharmacist: Did you check your bag?

*
Me: You’ve already told me that you didn’t send the pills.

*
Pharmacist: Right. We can’t send them.

*
Me: Why?

*
Pharmacist: We don’t have any mailers.

*
Me: You have envelopes, right?

*
Pharmacist: We can’t mail any prescriptions without a self-addressed and stamped mailer from you.

*
Me: (thinking – How friggin’ difficult is this? – You can WRITE, can’t you? FIND AN ENVELOPE.) I sent that – you returned it with everything in it except the blood pressure medicines.

*
Pharmacist: Do you need them?

*
Me: (thinking: Now, more than I did five minutes ago.) My doctor seems to think so.

*
Pharmacist: Let me talk to the pharmacy manager, and I’ll call you back.

* * * * *
* * * * *
Pharmacy Manager: I’m very sorry, but we don’t have any mailers.

*
Me: Do you have envelopes?

*
Pharmacy Manager: Yes, but we can’t send pills in envelopes. Can you get to a local pharmacy if we transfer the prescription?

*
Me: Sure. Don’t have access to a car, but I can walk to the Walgreen’s on 75th.

*
Pharmacy Manager: What’s their address?

*
Me: I don’t have it – I’ve never used them, but surely they’re listed in the phone book. Do you have a phone book?

*
Pharmacy Manager: We just don’t have mailers.

*
Me: (exasperated) Forget the mailer. Do you need me to look up the address?

*
Pharmacy Manager: No, we’ll just call them.

*
*thud*
------------------------------------------------

My friend Mary Ellen wrote and said: Just read about a new book coming out. The title is: BREWED, CRUDE AND TATTOOED by Sandy Balzo. It may be noir, but the title alone got my attention!
*
Anybody read that one? Sounds kitschy. I like kitschy.
-------------------------------------------The photo of the twisters was taken in Oklahoma a couple of weeks or so ago - my friend Wendy in Yukon sent it to me. Bet those people in the cars were soiling their clothes driving into that. *shudder*

**************
Gretchen has a friend who is trying to raise money to replace her son’s upright bass that was stolen in December. If you take a look on her website (www.gretchenjones. com) you’ll see a post with the details and photos of a bunch of silver earrings that Retta is making and selling to raise money to replace the child’s instrument.

***************************************
And a final word about how important things like 7th grade grammar can become.
*
On his 74th birthday, a man got a gift certificate from his wife. The certificate paid for a visit to a medicine man living on a nearby reservation who was rumored to have a wonderful cure for erectile dysfunction.
*
After being persuaded, he drove to the reservation, handed his ticket to the medicine man and wondered what he was in for.

*
The old man slowly, methodically produced a potion, handed it to him, and with a grip on his shoulder, warned, "This is powerful medicine and it must be respected. You take only a teaspoonful and then say '1-2-3'. When you do that, you will become more manly than you have ever been in your life and you can perform as long as you want."
*
The man was encouraged. As he walked away, he turned and asked, "How do I stop the medicine from working?"

*
"Your partner must say '1-2-3-4,'" he responded. "But when she does, the medicine will not work again until the next full moon."
*
He was very eager to see if it worked so he went home, showered, shaved, took a spoonful of the medicine, and then invited his wife to join him in the bedroom. When she came in, he took off his clothes and said, "1-2-3!"
*
Immediately, he was the manliest of men. His wife was excited and began throwing off her clothes. And then she asked, "What was the 1-2-3 for?"
*
And that, boys and girls, is why we should never end our sentences with a preposition.
*
OR ONE COULD END UP WITH A DANGLING PARTICIPLE!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you’re like me, you probably don't clean your computer screen very often and it’s difficult to do the inside, so click
here.

Have a great week.

~ Sunny Lyn

Midwestern Snow In Spring

2009-03-29T09:41:00.008-05:00

I know I can't compete with the book covers posted on the last blog post, but I thought I'd share what's been going on in the Midwest the past few hours. Mind you, it's SPRING in the States, but...tell that to Old Man Winter, who apparently wanted to take a last bite out of us.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Stay warm, the rest of you who have this storm headed your way. It doesn't last long, if that makes you feel any better - lol. Just about 8 hours or so. *thud*

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Oh, and we got about 8" of snow, but only 2-3 of it stuck.

The last photo is just something The Girl took - she doesn't get to see Mom with styled hair and makeup very often, so we played 'girly girls' the other night, and she took a photo as a reminder.

Passionate Peridot now in print

2009-03-24T06:52:00.005-05:00

Line: Anthology,Twilight
Series: None
Book Length: 344 pages
Book Type: Trade Paperback

Publisher: Ellora's Cave Publishing

ISBN: 9781419958687
In Stock: YES
Price: $16.99

Ring of Seduction by Lyn Cash & Alexis Fleming

(Told ya it was a fun cover! *SMILE*)

Mellika’s lusted after Zeb for some time now, mostly because of his exotic good looks. So when he pauses to admire her peridot ring at an Arabian Nights-themed party, she can’t wait to find out what’s under his genie costume. She’s about to get more than she bargained for, though—Zeb is an actual djinni. As in the magic-making kind.

Luckily for Mellika, her ring isn’t the only thing holding Zeb’s interest. The peridot may give them a special connection, but true passion can’t be conjured by magic. Zeb is about to make all her wishes come true, and then she’ll be a believer for good.

Lex is the fantasy writer of the two of us, and when she'd brought this one up, I was like 'oh, I dunno - I read it, but I'm not sure I can write fantasy' - and now, of course, it's all I've been actively working on. (Have a Native American shape-shifter series I'm on right now.)

Lex is an absolute HOOT to write with - we get so carried away that our neighbors at conferences periodically drop by to see if we've gone to bed yet (Kate Duffy = a case in point, at the Houston RT, 2007..."Don't you two EVER go to sleep?")

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Other covers I may have neglected to post - sheesh.

This one is now kinda old, but I had a blast writing it with Summer and Kris. And the next one is even older, but...I'll be signing all three books at the RT conference in Orlando in about a month.

I'm "Cash Cole" in Wicked Winter.

new print book & other stuff

2009-03-20T22:09:00.006-05:00

What a weird week. Sad - I truly admired Natasha Richardson.

Got home from Las Vegas, almost immediately went with daughter-in-law to a funeral in Oklahoma. The Kids and I are all recovering from the cold from hell. Spring is here, but winter is hanging on with a fierce grip.

Tomorrow is "big trash day" - every couple of years the city sends around trucks to pick up everything from old appliances to broken furniture, whatever is "big" and can't go into the regular pick-up days' schedules. And it's bizarre, at least to me, how many new trucks have buzzed by, stopping to go through what bits I've placed at the curb. It's just strange, almost like they're looking up my skirt or down my shirt or something. Guess it's "big business" to some folks to collect old computer monitors and outdated furniture.

All of that said, PASSIONATE PERIDOT should be in print any day now (Ellora's Cave) - yaaaaay. I can't blog anything until it's up on their website, though. Want to - it has a killer cover, ya'll.

And I'll end with a photo of 'things to come' at the Romantic Times convention...part of one of my costumes - lol. (Blame Lex - I do - she's really big on the parties.)

Till next time...

Sunny Lyn

Serendipity Writing #105 – Developing Characters

2009-03-13T13:39:00.002-05:00

I’ve never been at the “what do I write now” stage – I always have something begging to be written that slacker here just never gets around to writing. One thing I’ve noticed, however, is that fact is more interesting than fiction to me many times.

I read a ton of biographies and autobiographies – even have the books on tape. People are fascinating to me, as are animals. I don’t get a buzz out of disastrous news – I get my charge out of weird news. Wondering “now what would I do in that situation” or “WTF? HOW are they gonna handle THAT?”

I also don’t have a problem assigning attributes to a character, fleshing him/her out. If anything, I have too much information, even on my secondary characters. Can’t tell you how often a crit partner has told me (even had an editor say the same thing) that the secondary character(s) took over my story. Of course, the logical remedy is to give them their own book later, but at the time, in the middle of the story I’m on at that time, it’s difficult to pare them back, because they’re so life-like to me.

Regarding news stories, I don’t go for the sensational, like the young mother who just gave birth to umpteen babies. She’s not interesting to me – I don’t CARE why she did it, because I’ve already decided in my head that regardless of her motives, all I can see is another generation on welfare cropping up, which I KNOW is prejudicial, but there it is, already ingrained in my pea brain. All I can see are thousands of babies in our own country who still don’t have families. I see an Einstein or a Pearlman or a cardiac specialist, I see an inventor, a songwriter, someone who cures diabetes…all waiting for someone to plop the right toy and later the right tool into their hands. I don’t see the possibilities for the babies that Super Womb just bore, because IMO, her story focuses more on her than it does her children. Orphans have their own stories, which tug at my heartstrings.

No, it’s the secretary who out of frustration invents White Out who interests me (it was former Monkees band member Mike, the sock hat dude, whose mother invented that one, by the way). It’s the guy who couldn’t breathe well who invents the nasal strip, the child who has autism and overcomes something, it’s the grandmother who has raised her kids and wants to learn how to waltz – these call out to me, for some reason. I loved Dave Thomas, the Wendy’s guy, because of his story. But then, hell, I also loved reading about Al Capone, so go figure.

Interesting people with interesting things to do. It’s that simple for me. Hope my writing reflects that philosophy, because that’s the one I embrace.

More later.
~ Sunny Lyn

<~~~ Lake Mead photo, taken by friend Michael last week while we were in Las Vegas

* * *

BY THE WAY...one of the hunks in the top photo is Michael and one isn't. I'll leave you to figure out which.

Goodbye From Las Vegas

2009-03-08T03:33:00.003-05:00

The awards banquet was...not bad. The food was great (prime rib, a chocolate cake with a cheesecake centered - mmm. Anyway...

CHERRIES & CHEESECAKE to...

Master of Cermonies...Daniel Reitz, Sr.
Alessia Brio - for all her charity work with the Coming Together anthologies
the Monte Lago hotel staff who served at the banquet

RASPBERRIES & VINEGAR to...

Any writer who has the audacity to say "You write what? I don't read or write _____ (fill in the blank) OR any writer who snubs anyone who writes what they find distasteful. Snobbery will not win EPIC any new members or friends for long. Be NICE.

That said...a special thanks to Carol Lynne, my hostess with the absolute mostess class, style, smile, charm, and generous heart. Special thanks to Angelo for squiring us around Las Vegas, Henderson, and Hoover Dam. Special thanks to Michael for the magnificent haircut. I feel (AND LOOK) about 10 years younger. I LOVE it.

In a few hours, we'll all be headed home. See you on the net once I'm back in the Midwest and catch up on hugs and conversation with The Kids and The Pups.

hugs,
Sunny Lyn

greetings from las vegas

2009-03-07T16:10:00.002-06:00

Long nails, small laptop, so don't grouch, ya'll. Am enjoying some sun and fun with friend Carol who has a book up for an EPPIE award at EPICon tonight, and with a couple of new friends, Michael and Angelo (and yes...those are their real names, and no they didn't plan it that way). We've been here since Wednesday, and I didn't get around to blogging prior to leaving home.

In a nutshell, Nevada is still lovely - Hoover Dam area in particular. Carol, Michael, Angelo, and I took a day trip today. I'll show photos once I'm back home. Promise.

Got to meet JP Bowie and partner this week - Jim made dinner for us Friday night at his place (he lives near here). Marvelous meal - good company, good conversation. Told them I'm putting myself up for adoption next week if they're interested in taking me. *g* And this was before the red wine with dinner and the margaritas later at the casino. I don't get toasted often, but Friday night was a toasted night for Sunny Lyn.

Mr. Bowie gave me one of the few remaining copies in print of MY VAMPIRE AND I, and it's a hoot, I'm loving it.

I honestly can't say much about the conference itself, because I attend the 1st morning meeting that seemed like a bitchfest about members (I'm not one - I'm a guest of one) who didn't volunteer enough, and...frankly, I never went back. We somehow managed to miss the breakfast, and the lunch was late in getting set up that same day. That was 2 days ago. I'm going to the banquet tonight, but I wasn't interested in any of the seminars or other meals after that. I hope they're wonderful and well-worth the money for the rest of them, though - sincerely. I just wasn't feelin' it.

I applaud any organization who is all about the writers, one that encourages its people to become better at their craft, to submit, to meet up with publishers and other writers. I just don't have a stong affection for 8am sour attitudes. God bless all those who do volunteer, and God bless those who would if they could. And for those who wear themselves out volunteering, take a break, force someone else to step up to the plate, or let the organization do like the businesses who can't come up to scratch - let 'em fall on their asses until they can reorganize.

And no I'm not a republican. I just don't believe in feeding those who mismanage. I believe in feeding those willing to fix themselves. Call me what you will, but emotional bankruptcy is there for a reason, just like the other sort. Regroup. Recover. Reconsider. And reorganize once you've done the other three. *shrug* Just my 2 cents.

I may wish to Heaven that I'd never said those words, because I've been on both sides of the handout. Emotional and otherwise. I know what it's like to burn out, to lose hope, to lose strength, and to lose period. But once I took my own pulse and started being kind, nice, etc to others, even the pricks, life became not only more bearable, but more enjoyable.

And I have no idea why that one meeting set me off on this tangent. Probably because I lost some good friends when I quit volunteering, when I shoved the responsibilities back onto them and told them I'd had it. I still think they were wrong in demanding so much of me, but I think I was worse when I forced myself to do more than I was capable of handling at the time.

Hugs to all.
~Sunny Lyn

p.,s. If you were looking for a more writer-professional blog from me, I blogged over at Total eBound last night around midnight.

http://www.totalebound.blogspot.com/

Serendipity Writing #104

2009-02-19T09:23:00.004-06:00

According to Wikopedia: Serendipity is the effect by which one accidentally discovers something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely. The word has been voted as one of the ten English words that were hardest to translate in June 2004 by a British translation company.

How many times have you as writer said to yourself that you want to try something different? Not another career path, but another genre or sub-genre? I think we all hit that wall at some point. For me, it came after months of not producing enough of what I was doing and of thinking to myself “Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?”
* * *
For me, the answer was NO. Write, yes. Write what I was writing, no.

* * *

That doesn’t necessarily mean that I won’t return to my roots. It just means that for today, at least, my mind isn’t where it was this time last year.

* * *

Does that mean that I’m a has-been? Hardly. Does it mean that I don’t LIKE what I was doing? Not at all. There was just something missing, and it’s nobody’s fault, not even mine. It just indicates that like a body needs more potassium at one time than another, sometimes the brain needs a healthy dose of “something different”.

* * *

For anyone else banging their head against their desk, don’t overlook some kewl places to peruse as you consider branching off on another writers’ journey than the accustomed routes.

* * *

Cindy Myers’ weekly newsletter (she’s on vacation, so no news for a couple of weeks). Anyone can sign up for the newsletter by sending a blank email to – CynthiaSterling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

* * *

She always has up-to-date info on which publisher is looking for what.

* * *

Info at eHarlequin.com’s writing site – it’s fantastic.

* * *

And stop kicking your own ass. Treat yourself to a new way of looking at things. Even if you don’t bite at something new and different, you may come away with a different perspective on what you currently DO write.

* * *

Hugs,
~ Sunny Lyn

Serendipity Writing #103

2009-02-17T21:27:00.006-06:00

Always have a clean work space. - Or maybe this post should be titled Housework Can Kill You.

* * *

Somebody left a laptop plugged in with laptop hiding and cord exposed. I rounded the table to pick up something before sweeping, and...boom. One fractured nose, black eye, and a few gashes and cuts later...I'm a bloody mess.

* * *

As for my own writing space, I still can't seem to write without the accoutrements. Fresh flowers, if possible, some votives if not bigger candles, music or a movie that fits the mood. Anyone else like that? One thing that sets me off is bad lighting - if a bulb is burned out, if there's too much sun coming through the blinds. And I think back to 'working for the man', other jobs, and I remember how important certain things were at that time as well. Nobody else would have expected me to do good work with someone yelling at me or making demands while I was working on a project that had nothing to do with them. Other employers wouldn't have asked me to tolerate poor climate controls. They would have all given me a break every couple of hours. So why should working for myself be any different?

* * *

It shouldn't, IMO. That's why once the blood stopped spewing and I could get my bearings, I hopped back into my chair and finished something I was working on. Broken nose - no problem. I don't type with my nose. Cuts and scrapes, whether stitches or not, I can still work. The bills still have to be paid, and others depend upon me to complete projects I've promised them.

Still. I didn't like any of my other jobs as well as I do this one, so I'd probably show up whether I got paid or not. Come to think of it, I HAVE - lol.

* * *

More next time. Have a good rest of the week, folks.

* * *

~ Sunny Lyn

Happy Valentine's Day, Everyone

2009-02-14T12:21:00.010-06:00

< ~~~ Valentine roses from #1 Son - just thought I'd share.

No serendipity writing blog today - sorry - but I'll be back in a day or two. Just have had a lot going on, lots coming up.

A friend has gifted me with a trip to EPICon in Las Vegas this year - and another friend is giving me a trip to the RT conference in Orlando. The first is in a couple of weeks, the second in about 8 weeks. Color me happy to attend both. I've never been to an Eppie conference, and I've only been to one RT (had a blast).

Winter seems to be *almost* over. Let's put it this way, the robins, geese, ducks, et al are migrating back. That said, our little light rain we were supposed to get yesterday had sleet, snow, and hail PLUS the rain - lol. I don't know if you can see the steps out back very well in this, but those little white dots are pellets of sleet. So much for light rain. We were also having low temperatures, hardly spring weather, but...oh, well.

My friend Mary Ellen has a couple of new books out. Here's the link to her website: http://www.murderexpress.net/mecooper/index.htm - and here's the cookbook I've had so much fun reading: In The Kitchen With Oklahoma First Ladies 1907-1957. Mary Ellen’s books, such as Slow Death, have been featured on A&E television programs such as Forensic Files. If you like homegrown murders (to READ, people, not to commit), give her a try. She also happens to enjoy quilting, cooking, and history, and she’s a delight to read.

Photos today are of Valentine’s Day flowers from #1 Son, as I said earlier, plus cards from son and daughter-in-law, stuffed animal & socks from DIL, card from Gretchen. Thanks, family & buddy.

I laughed till I nearly peed when I read Gretchen’s card. One lady asks another: Who are you going to celebrate Valentine’s Day with? To which her friend replies: Don’t end a sentence in a preposition. Come back inside is: Okay. Who are you going to celebrate Valentine’s Day with, bitch?

Enjoy your day. Hope your weekend includes lots of romance and warm fuzzy feelings.

~ Sunny Lyn

Serendipity Writing #102

2009-02-07T14:29:00.005-06:00

Giving birth to ourselves.

* * *
One of the treats I've given myself this year are books by Sarah Ban Breathnach. First, I found Simple Abundance (you can learn more here: http://www.simpleabundance.com/) then Moving On, and Romancing The Ordinary. Since I'm not a big tv person, I missed knowing that as a writer, she is HUGE. Oprah had touted her. ANYWAY...I'm loving her back-to-self methodology.
* * *

Found out she had a similar head injury. Difference: a garage door crashed upon me, while she got whacked by a ceiling beam in a restaurant that flattened her. Mainly, I'm discovering me again. Like I was lost? Well. Sort of. But I'm re-discovering, and it's actually a pretty neat process.

* * *

There are all kinds of exercises, and it's not giving gratitude that hangs me up. Nothing like that. It's coming up with things like PLAY - play? What the hell? Don't guess I've really played per se in a while, so that one kind of kicks my arse from time to time.

* * *

That said, the reconnecting involves simplifying life, and I'm liking that a lot. I like slowing down, smelling the roses, and tuning in to the smells, sounds, touches of life. One of the drawbacks to certain head injuries is that you lose your "senses" - literally. And it's friggin' scary. I chalked it all up to oh, well, that's just me. If I smoke (and I did - a lot), I'll lose my sense of taste. I have glaucoma and other problems, so that probably explains the blurry vision. Hearing loss - I had no excuse for that when it happened. PAINFUL sense of touch, like a sheet touching my bare feet felt like fire scorching them. That weirded me out. So reading that somebody else went through this and that it was NORMAL after a brain injury sort of took me aback and made me go hmm a time or two.

* * *

It’s quite strange, this giving birth to myself. Imagine giving birth to something (someone) who has lived before. You kinda know what you’re in for, but at the same time, the subconscious is scared shitless of the monster that may emerge.

* * *

I’m doing it anyway, like a friend who is having a baby out of wedlock, simply because “it’s time” and “I can and I want to” – so everyone else can either sit and watch or join me for a 2009 writing rebirth. But This Year has been different so far (which is a good thing), and maybe with creative maneuvering and dedication it’ll be even better.

* * *

See ya next time.

~ Sunny Lyn

Serendipity Writing #101

2009-02-03T12:40:00.004-06:00

As I stated in an earlier post, I have *different* ambitions this year. I don't want to start off with a laundry list of shoulds and should nots. I don't want to corner myself into *obligations* I can't fulfill. I just want to write. One of the things I've being doing differently this year includes asking questions and waiting for answers instead of forcing them as I plod along. Another thing that’s working for me is simply observing.

I've found the benefits of a good cup of Guatemalan coffee, drank slowly, with observations that sometimes spark a topic, add to a paragraph, or inspire deeper point of view. The coffee of choice is a seasonal offering from Starbucks, and I'm gonna stock up on it this year. It's the extremely mellow, full, rich flavor of Casa Cielo. That and a good slice of homemade banana bread worked wonders for me earlier this week.

As I sipped my brew and looked out the patio doors, I noticed Wilson, my back-fence neighbor’s dog. Four years ago, he was a recovering scared-a-holic who’d been abused. Now he’s a rambunctious whippet who runs and plays, and noses around the wild rabbits who built a warren beneath his owner’s storage barn. He runs with the self-assuredness of an animal who knows he’s loved. Mike, his owner, tosses a ball for him to catch, calls him to the car, and lets him ride shotgun as they head off for a Super Bowl Sunday with other ‘dads’ and their furry children. Both of them move with the ease and grace of older athletes who have paid their dues, won a few games, lost a few, and came out winners through sheer effort and attitude.

I’ve wondered if Wilson, who was adopted around the time Tom Hanks came out in “Castaway”, was named for Hanks’ character’s companion, Wilson…the volleyball friend who didn’t talk back but who was there as steady as a rock whenever his owner needed a chat.

Dorothy Parker once stated that it’s not the big things that kill us, but the little ones. On the flip side, I like to think that it’s the little things that save us as well. For me, this week, it was discovering that every word resonates to a vibration all its own. And it was discovering how much I like the little whippet in back of me.

If you’re interested in the breed, check out The American Whippet Club’s home page, here.

Cheers, everyone. Talk to you later…
Sunny Lyn