SJP is possibly my favorite actress of all time. I loved her back in the "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" days, and after "Sex and the City" began, I was hooked for life. It's hard to believe she's 44 years old, but time flies... and better her than me.
Sarah Jessica has been happily married to Matthew Broderick for twelve years, and they are one of my very favorite Hollywood couples. Their son, James Wilkie, is already six years old, and I heard they had trouble conceiving him back then. Well, the happy couple has just announced that they are going to be parents again! They are expecting twin daughters this summer!
"Wow! She doesn't look pregnant with twins!" You might be saying. Broderick and Parker enlisted the help of a surrogate. The news conference doesn't say why, but people all over the web have been very quick to judge, saying that SJP is "Vain" about her looks and doesn't want to stretch out her thin stomach. WTF? Who are these people? Did you ever stop to think that it might be (Duh!) the fact that she's 44 freaking years old and already once had trouble getting pregnant!
Having a surrogate basically means that someone else who is healthy and able to carry a baby easily to term is carrying the couple's fertilized egg in her womb. It's still Broderick and SJ's biological child. They just needed some help in the baby housing and growing department. I personally think it is a beautiful thing.
I can't wait to see the cute twin girls, and most importantly, I can't wait to see if they inherit their mother's fashion sense.
Sarah Jessica Parker to have twins at 44!
"Hiring Freeze" My Ass
Day 1 of the Great Job Search did not go too well. In the past when I have applied to a restaurant for a server position, it has gone like this:
- Walk in, say "Hi, are you hiring servers?"
- If yes, get and fill out an application.
- Turn it in, talk to a manager.
- Get hired.
Buzz words and phrases like that annoy the shit out of me. "Hiring Freeze", "Out of Harm's Way", "Unavailable for Comment". They might as well be saying "Bullshit" "Bullshit" "Bullshit". The media makes up these say-nothing phrases and then people pounce on them like they were the last damn piece of chocolate in the world. /sigh. Anyway, I digress.
All in all, I put applications in at about six places yesterday. Then, I sent in my resume to a few hotels hiring front desk attendants. When I got home, I saw an ad online for an office job really close to my house that said "apply in person", so I ran out with a copy of my resume and applied there as well. I guess if I put myself out there, eventually something will stick. Hopefully.
The "J" Word
Yes, it's time. I am looking for a job.
Technically, I already have a job... more than one really. But since no one is lining up to buy my novels just yet, a job that doesn't pay isn't exactly going to help us pay for our wedding. Short of draining our savings (which isn't really an option), this is the only way I can think of to make money for the wedding fast enough to actually get married this year.
With our shift in plans from a Caribbean wedding to a longer road trip Vegas wedding/honeymoon, the cost of our vacation actually got cut by more than half. (Yay!) That's definitely good news. Now I just need to find a job that I can work part-time to start saving up. Finding a job and being more active in general might actually be good for my writing. I'm hoping it will force me to manage my time more efficiently.
So what job? What I really wanted to do most was substitute teach. $90 a day for certified teachers isn't bad at all. Plus, I enjoy teaching. Unfortunately, the school system here is on the dreaded "hiring freeze" that has become so popular these days. I can't for the life of me figure out why that includes substitutes, who are usually in high demand and cost absolutely nothing unless they actually work, but it does. I turned in my application well over 2 months ago, but they will not process it until July. So that's that.
The only other thing I can do where I can potentially make pretty good money is to wait tables. Is that a stupid job for a 32 year old to try to get? It makes me feel old to even think about, honestly. But it can be good money, and to make it even better, I'm sure to lose weight by default. I looked at getting a hotel front desk job so that I could try to squeeze in some writing at work, but those jobs aren't easy to find to be honest. Not sure why, but that's the way it is. So server is the fastest and the easiest. I applied at Carolina Ale House yesterday, and today I'll head in to try to speak to a manager. Wish me luck. Hopefully I'll get hired and can start right away. As long as their training program isn't too long, I could be making good tips in a couple of weeks. I'll keep you posted.
If it Isn't One Thing....
Why does it always seem that just when you get one part of your life on the right track, a different part falls to pieces? Some people would call it Murphy's Law. I don't really know what I'd call it... other than frustrating and completely unfair.
If you get your love life finally settled, you lose your job. You get a little bit of extra money, then you break a tooth and have to spend it all fixing the damn tooth. Those are both just random examples, of course, but it happens. Right? It happens to me anyway, so I'm assuming it happens to you too.
My particular issue these days isn't so much the things I can't control (like a broken tooth or a job or whatever), but rather the things I should be able to control. Let me elaborate. If I start concentrating on working out and I start losing weight, suddenly I realize that I've not gotten any writing done at all. Or if I'm writing a ton and really getting some great progress in, I look around me and notice that the laundry needs to be done and there are papers strewn all over the damn place. For some reason, I can't keep it all together at the same time. Aren't women supposed to be great at multi-tasking?? Maybe I'm missing that gene or something.
If I boil my life down to basic goals and responsibilities, here is what it comes down to:
- Keeping my relationship healthy (and no, I'm not just talking about sex!)
- Writing a novel
- Working online to make extra money through adsense, odd jobs, etc.
- Exercising to be healthy and lose weight
- Cleaning the house
- Creating crafts like baby bows and painted pots, etc. to sell online and at flea market
- Reading books both about writing and by good authors to learn more about writing
If I try to think about getting all of those things done, I start to freak out. But if I try to concentrate on one thing at a time, I start to lose sight of the other things. I know that it's not impossible to do all of those things, because I look around and see other people that have it together (or at least they sure do seem like it). Is it a personality flaw with me then? Or am I just being lazy? How do I change?
Those are the questions running through my mind this morning. The only answer I can come up with for change is this: Don't give up. Keep trying to balance and manage time better. Keep learning more about how to do it right and how to be efficient. Do your best and by all means, STOP beating yourself up when you realize (everyday) that you aren't perfect.
Celebrity "Second Weddings"
There seems to be a new Hollywood trend... getting married twice. And no, I don't mean getting married, then divorcing, and then getting married again. What I'm talking about is getting married by a justice of the peace or some other very small, hardly witnessed, secret wedding, then planning a more elaborate, invite all my celebrity friends and spend a million dollars type wedding afterwards.
Salma Hayek, for example, is having an extravagant wedding in Venice this weekend at a very historic home owned by her husband, François-Henri Pinault, and his family. Hayek married the billionaire on Valentine's day at one of the City Hall buildings in Paris. It was a very low-key wedding. But now, she's inviting all of her best Hollywood friends to join her for a SECOND weddding in Venice.
I ask you... what's the point? Why go through the vows and the rehearsal dinner and all that? You're already married! I mean, the only thing I can think of is that the couple wanted to go ahead and tie the knot, but they didn't have enough time to plan things out, so they just went ahead and did it. Then, later, feeling that she missed out on the dress and pictures and the magazine coverage, Hayek decided she could just marry him all over again. Or maybe there is a part of all women (couples?) that feels obligated to have a big shindig wedding for all of our friends and family. Maybe all Hayek and Pinault really wanted was a small, intimate ceremony, but then they were pressured by the media or by their family to have a big wedding. I certainly don't know the answer.
I just know the questions, really. Hayek is not the only celebrity to get married twice, either. I'm much too lazy this morning to go look it up, but I know there have been others. Beyonce it seems like either did that or is planning to. Mariah Carey I believe. I don't know. I just know that it's something I've read about many times in the past year or so. Celebs get married in secret in some small church or city hall, then go and have a huge $Million Dollar wedding two months later. I just don't understand why they didn't just wait the two freaking months and get married then.
Do they believe that their marriage will somehow last longer or be more meaningful simply because it was originally done in private? That's sad, if that's truly what they believe. G and I are going to get married without friends or family present, but that's the only wedding we're going to have. And we're not doing it to make it more 'meaningful'. We're doing it, actually, because we don't want the big wedding. Turning around and having a big wedding in two months would complete defeat the purpose of us having a city hall kind of wedding to begin with. So why are celebs starting a trend to do this? Any thoughts?
Another "Rejection"
Sort of. I entered a writing contest in the contemporary series category, and I did not make the finals. They sent back the two judges score sheets, and out of a possible 210 points, one judge gave me a 176, and the other gave me a 156. I think the reason the second one was so much lower is because they seemed to count off points because my formatting had some spaces in it or something. That really honestly sucks, because I use open office which is free instead of paying hundreds of dollars for Microsoft Word, and apparently something got lost in translation. Booooo.
The most encouraging thing about it is that the things they mostly mention not liking about the plot or the way I arranged the story have already been fixed. Along with the help of my critique group, I already revised the first couple of chapters of that novel, and I think it's much better now than back when I submitted it to the contest. It's encouraging to see that the things the judges didn't necessarily like are the things I changed already. Maybe if I enter a different contest with my new version of the story, I would do much better.
It would be really nice to get a contract or a contest win at some point, but I"m going to do my best not to let this get me down. The more I write, the better I get, so I'll just keep getting better until I get published.
Family Drama
I am home, thank God. This was not my most pleasant trip home ever, I'll tell you. It started off amazing, but went downhill somewhere at the end of the trip. The first two nights, I spent my time mostly at my brother's house, hanging out with my sister-in-law and their new, sweet baby. It was great!! I couldn't have asked for a better woman for my brother to marry, and their baby is the sweetest thing you ever saw. When she smiles, her whole face lights up! It was great to spend some quality time as an aunt.
Night #2, we all had dinner with my parents, which was nice, but I got the first inkling of trouble when my mother complained that I was going back over to my brother's house instead of coming home to talk with her. Yes, I understand that she wants to spend time with me too, but times are changing now. My brother and sister both have children that I want to see, and I am just not going to spend my entire time home sitting around watching tv with my mom while she complains about her job.
On the third day, I headed to my sister's house to spend time with her and her four year old daughter. We had a blast. So far, the trip was going very well. But then, we headed back to Mom's house on Saturday. We were having fun, but there are a few key things that made it turn from enjoyable to awful very quickly.
Really, there was one thing. My Aunt B. I know I've talked about her evilness in the past, surely. She's one of these people who has a good heart on the surface, gives of her time, volunteers in the community, and appears sweet and giving. But somewhere deep down there is an ugly gnarly rotting heart that she shows on occasion if you are unlucky enough to be one of her "chosen ones." When we were growing up, it was more often my sister who was chosen to be picked on, but as we have gotten older, I have joined those ranks as well. Thanksgiving was the last time I saw her, and she was positively mean to me. Then, stories from Christmas brought out further contempt from her about my career as a writer and my life in general. I wasn't even there to defend myself.
It was around the holidays last year, then, that I decided I simply wasn't going to see B for a while. I could certainly avoid her. After all, if I have a friend or person in my life who is treating me poorly, I slowly begin to cut them out of my life, so why should family really be any different? I was quite clear with my family about wanting to cut B out of my life, and I specifically did not go home last weekend, because I knew I would have to see her for Easter. I thought I was safe this weekend at home, but it turns out I wasn't. It sounded to me as if B was invited over and sprung on me like a cat pouncing on a bird. Mom insisted that no, B invited herself over, but I don't really believe that.
Basically, I wanted to leave if she was coming over. I shouldn't be forced to sit around and be sweet to a woman who says horrible things to me. But my family would not let me leave. They got angry, slammed doors, yelled at ME for wanting to leave. I retreated to my bedroom, feeling like a four year old. Eventually, I had to go downstairs, my mother's plea being that she "is embarrassed" by me. "If anyone should be upset with B, it's me." she said. Really Mom? In what fucked up world does it makes sense that only the most battered person has a right to be upset with the person beating them? Everyone who gets lesser beatings has no right to be upset unless the one whose beat the most speaks up? That's just fucked up. I am not going to sit by and take shit just because my mother is too pussy to stand up for herself when her sister says ugly, hurtful things to her.
Sure, B was relatively nice to me this time, but I think she knew I've been upset with her since Thanksgiving. I did, afterall, say to her in November, "This is why I didn't want to come to your house." Surely, she knew I was upset. But the thing is, B never changes. She might be nice to me this time because she knew she was skating on thin ice, but when I see her next time, she'll be ugly again. I have no doubt. And honestly, life's too fucking short to have to put up with people who repeatedly treat you like shit.
The issue that demands exploration here is this: Why was my family, who proclaims to love me, so upset that I didn't want to see someone who is so mean to me? Shouldn't they be standing up for me rather than stoning me for not allowing myself to be flogged? Why are we expected to be socially polite to someone (esp. family) when they are not nice to us in return? It doesn't make any damn sense. I definitely am going to explore this topic further, but not until I've had some coffee.
Home Again, Home Again Jiggity Jig
Don't ask me where I got that saying... well, okay you can ask. All I can say is that my mother used to say that almost everytime we got home from a trip. I don't know where she got it, but I always think of it now when I'm heading home.
Today I'm on my way again to Georgia to visit my parents and family. I can't wait to see my niece, who is now almost 3 months old. I am also going to spend one night at my sister's house. I hate being away from G, but I do miss my family, so I'll be down there for about five days. I'll write a blog post if I get the chance, but we'll see.
Hope you all have a great week, and I'll be back Monday if not before!
RWA Registration
Well, I did it! I am officially registered for the Romance Writer's of America National Conference in Washington D.C. this summer. I have wanted to attend this conference for so many years, I can't even remember the first time I went to their website to dream about it. It was more than ten years ago, I can tell you that.
Writing was always like a secret dream to me. Singing was my out-there, in your face, everyone knows I love it, kind of passion. But writing was the dream I turned to when it was quiet and I felt restless. When I needed to pour my heart out or work through something, I would turn to poetry or the fantasy of someone else's novels. I always wanted to write, but I was so scared that I wouldn't be any good at it.
I am still a bit scared of never getting published, but just knowing that I've come this far is a dream come true for me. I am really a writer now. Published or not, I am pursuing it and doing my best to climb and get better and finish and create. The RWA conference this year will provide opportunities to pitch my novel, which isn't quite done yet, but will be by then. Maybe I will even get the request at Nationals that will eventually lead to my first publication. All I know for sure is that I'm putting myself in the arena with the rest of the professionals and giving it 100%. It's exciting just to know I'm out there and I'm in the race. D.C. Here I come!
Hand Made Crafts - To Try or Not To Try?
For a very long time, I have wanted to try making some hand-made crafts and selling them at flea markets, on ebay, and at craft fairs. From beaded jewelry to handmade cards to personalized picture frames, I love to paint and create cute things. I just do.
A while back, somewhere on this blog, I posted a picture of a craft table that G and I made for me in the third bedroom of our house. Since that room is also where my closet is, the craft table/desk has ended up being more of a catch-all clothing sorter. Translation: It's a mess. I haven't been using it for crafting. I've been using it for putting clothes and books on. But today all that is gonna change.
G and I have been looking for different ways to bring in some extra money for our wedding. These days everyone needs a little extra, so I think I am going to give hand-made crafts a chance. I don't want to invest too much money on supplies because I do realize that there is a very real possibility no one will buy anything. I have no idea what kind of havoc the bad economy is reaping on the flea market / ebay scene, especially when it comes to decorative items.
Of course, I'm thinking it's possible MORE people are going to flea markets and ebay these days looking for a good deal. Maybe my stuff will catch a few wandering eyes and entice them into buying something they never knew they needed, haha. A booth at the flea market costs $20 for the day. Plus, I'd need one table (to start out) to display everything on. Both of those things are upfront investments. I have a lot of crafting supplies, but nothing really in bulk, so I'd have to pick and choose items trying not to go crazy with the money spent upfront.
Some items I was thinking about making to sell are:
- Picture frames like the one above sold on ebay.
- Hand Painted clipboards
- Decorated flower pots
- Hand-made cards
- Wall Panels with cute designs
- Hanging Letters for the Wall
- Bookmarks
The question I have is whether or not there's any money to be made on cutesy items like these considering the current state of the economy? Is it worth it to even give it a try? Or am I crazy for even thinking of spending the money to buy the supplies and everything I need? I don't know. I'm probably going to head out to some craft stores today to check out supply prices and see what seems feasible. Then, we'll probably head to the flea market again tomorrow to check out what's selling, how many people are out, etc. Any ideas or advice??
Britney Walks Off Stage During Her Concert
Last night in Vancouver, Britney Spears walked off stage during the concert, leaving the audience in the dark and forcing them to listen to the same music they listen to during hockey games. Why? Smoke. People's article doesn't make it totally clear, but it seems that the building, like most buildings these days beside maybe Cracker Barrel where they still ask me if I want smoking or non-smoking, is in fact a non-smoking building. However, Spears and some of her crew members became sick when the smoke from the audience became too much to handle on the stage.
Apparently, she came back onstage, sang some more, left again, then came back. Her departing words for the night were "Vancouver, don't smoke weed." Wise words from someone who obviously has her shit together and has never been on drugs. Mmmm Hmmmm. Riiiiight. Besides, everyone knows that half the reason you go to concerts these days is to smoke some good weed and watch the fucking light show. Telling your crowd not to smoke weed is a little too 'Public service announcement" for me, and not enough "you paid $150 for a ticket and I'm making millions while you are all practically jobless and homeless so I'm gonna give you a great show in appreciation of your loyalty as fans."
Normally, I love Britney, and I'm not ashamed to say it. But I like her better when she's smoking weed than when she's walking off stage in a hissy fit. Just my humbe opinion.
Pirates Seize US Ship
What the hell is happening in our world that now, on top of everything else, we have to start worrying about PIRATES! And I'm not talking about Pirates of the Caribbean. I'm talking about real life, modern-day AK47 carrying pirates who hijack ships, steal cargo, and kidnap passengers for ransom.
Now, it's totally possible that I'm ignorant here and that piracy has been a normal thing for centuries and I'm just hearing about it more over the past year or so because it has been in the news more. I don't know. I'm thinking that it's probably been there in a few isolated incidents, but there has definitely been an increase in threat over the past year or so.
I guess when the economy starts going to shit here, the rest of the world follows. And when people who are desperate see an opportunity for major cash, they go for it. I guess what seems strange to me is that they are calling these people who are hijacking ships with their Oozi's and autmatic rifles and extreme firepower... Pirates. A pirate has become such a romantic figure. Jack Sparrow played by the sexy Johnny Depp. Fabio with a machine gun. There are oodles of romance novels based on the historical idea of a pirate. Dangerous, Mysterious, Sexy. Yet, here are these freaking hoodlums who are terrorizing modern day ships with weapons prepared to kill anyone in their way, and we call them pirates. Why?
Why not terrorists? Can terror on the seas only be called piracy? It just bothers me that they use this term that has been so overdone and romanticized when basically these people are thugs. Yesterday, a ship carrying at least 20 Americans was hijacked by Somali Terrorists (AKA "Pirates"). Usually, the passengers are treated well in hopes of the kidnappers obtaining a ripe, happy sum for their return home. But I'm sure that things go wrong and people die sometimes on these pirate runs.
Even though there has been increased security, it's almost impossible for police to monitor the entire ocean. Ships are going to have to start running in groups with armed escorts to deter piracy perhaps. The families of these 20 Americans on board are being contacted this morning to let them know the situation. Can you imagine getting a call in the middle of the night saying your husband has been kidnapped by pirates?? I would laugh and hang up on them. Pirates?? Pirates don't exist anymore! Hahahaha. But indeed, they do. Sea Terrorists.
I don't know how long it will take for ransom and negotiations to start taking place, but I pray for the people on that ship and for their families. Not because they are American, but because they are honest people who were just trying to do their job. Next time you start to think, "I hate my job" just think about these people. At least you don't have to worry about a boatload of modern day Pirates with machine guns knocking on your door.
Gisele Bunchen vs. Bridget Moynahan
I almost can't believe all of the nasty and negative comments going around the web in regards to the whole Gisele vs. Bridget controversy! If you don't know about it, I'll give you a simple rundown of what I know.
Tom Brady, NFL Quarterback superstar and definitely super-hunk, was dating Bridget Moynahan for over two years. Bridget, pictured here on the left, is an actress who was in movies like iRobot and Sum of All Fears... but of course, we all know her best as "Natasha" or "The Idiot Stick Figure With No Soul" from Sex and the City. They broke up in late 2006, then Bridget announced early the next year that she was pregnant with Tom Brady's child.
Only Tom and Bridget really know if she tried to get him back or what happened between them, but Bridget told a few magazines afterwards that she always believed she would be married before she had a baby, so even though she loves her son, she is probably sad that she is a single mom.
Now enters the highest paid supermodel in the world... Gisele Bunchen. Victoria's Secret 
model and the focus of many boys' wet dreams, Gisele started dating Tom in late 2006. Now, if you look at the dates, you can see why there might be some crazy jealousy and hard feelings built into the situation... seeing that Bridget became pregnant around December 2006, and at the same time, he started dating Gisele around then and broke up with Bridget. Either he cheated on her or he dumped her right after he was still sleeping with her. Sad any way you look at it, really. Well, except for Tom and Gisele I guess, who are happy.
Tom and Bridget's baby boy was born in August of 2007, and is now about a year and a half old. There has been a lot of press surrounding their family situation since Tom and Gisele were recently married. Here's where the controversy comes in.
Gisele did an interview with Vanity Fair in which she says that she considers John Edward to be her very own son. She said that she felt he was her son from the minute he was born. Also, she has been extensively photographed holding the child, causing some people to accuse her of using him as a fashion prop.
On forums and around the web, people have been lashing out at Gisele for these comments, saying things like, "BITCH, you will NEVER be his mother." Are you kidding me people!! In what universe are we actually getting angry at a woman who says that she considers her step-son as close to her as if he were her very own child? Maybe some people are taking her comments to mean more as if she is saying Bridget is not as good a mother as Gisele, but I don't take it that way at all. I think she is saying she loves her step-son like he was her own baby, and even though she is not biologically his mother, she will still be a great step-mother to him.
I think overall, we have a tendency to feel bad for the single mother since she is the one having to be alone and still raise her ex-boyfriend's child when he is happily running off and marrying another woman. And not just any woman... the highest paid and most successful supermodel in the world. Especially when you take into consideration that people say Gisele "stole" Tom from Bridget and that he cheated in order to be with Gisele. I understand some harsh feelings there. However, all those things being said, there is a situation here where a little boy has not 2, but 3 very famous parents. He is going to be in the spotlight his entire life I'm sure. Regardless of how his parents got to where they are, don't we want all 3 of them to love him as if he were their very own child?
I think it's wonderful that Gisele can say that about her step-son. It's a much better sentiment than something like, "I hate Bridget's brat, and he's not welcome in my home." And if you think there are no stepmothers out there who say shit like that, you need to take another look around you.
Any thoughts?
The Wild Rose Press
My pitch with an editor from The Wild Rose Press went very well on Saturday! It's a very small online press that publishes anything from 7,000 word short stories to full length 100,000 word sagas. Everything they publish is romance, but they publish almost every sub-genre of romance (excluding certain things like homosexual romance, which I never plan to write anyway). Their full-length books go to print as well.
I pitched my novella, "Steal My Heart" which is just over 20,000 words. She seemed very interested in the story, said that she'd love to take a look at it and to send it to her attention, then she asked if I had anything else. It certainly seems like I should have something else, doesn't it? So much time has gone by since then! But there's really nothing else, which is sad.
I couldn't very well pitch my 50,000 word not yet edited horror novel, so what else is there? I talked to her about some ideas I have for a young adult series since they also have started a young adult line that doesn't necessarily have to be romance, just needs to have some romantic undertones. She also seemed interested in that and said if I ever finish it to let her know.
As far as pitches to editors go, I imagine they usually will ask to see a full manuscript from you unless the story you're pitching absolutely doesn't fit their guidelines. Like, TWR Press doesn't take "Women's Fiction" stories, so if I had gone in there pitching a women's fiction, they probably would not have wanted to see it and simply told me that it wasn't what they are looking for. However, anything that fits into the contemporary romance or historical romance , or any of the genres they carry, would probably get a request for submission regardless of whether she thought it was an awesome story or not. I mean, hey if it fits, why not ask to see it? It's not like they're going to be able to tell from you talking whether or not the actual WRITING is any good.
Now, I'm not trying to lessen the excitement that I have about getting asked for a submission. It's still exciting because when I submit this manuscript, it will go to the top of the pile rather than sit in the slush pile with all the thousands of other random submissions. I'll get looked at faster and taken more seriously simply because I took the time out to go hear her speak and to talk to her. She knows when she looks at it that hey, this person is actually serious about being a writer and her idea was coherent. That's a start!!
Plus, I think she seemed honestly excited about my idea and my story. She said she'd LOVE to see it and she seemed enthusiastic. One of my critique partners pitched her historical novella and even though she got a request, she said the editor just said that they were looking for more historicals and to please send it on to their email. She didn't say love and she didn't seem excited. Her eyes "glazed" over in a few parts, she said. I'm not putting my friend down because she had a good idea, but maybe the editor's reaction to my idea was genuine excitement. I certainly hope so.
Now comes the hard work. When I sent this story out to three previous publishing houses, it was rejected, albeit nicely, by all three. I have been working to revise the story and now that I have a request to submit it somewhere, I have to seriously get it finished. I was intent on working on my Silhouette Desire novel, but when an opportunity like this comes along, you have to grab it with both hands. So, I'm giving myself this one week to get it done and send it in. Here's hoping that my first story will sell. I had almost given up on it, so it's nice to have new life breathed into it!
Editor "Pitch"
Saturday is going to be a huge day for me. For the first time in my life, I have an appointment with an editor to pitch my novella. The one I finished last year, "Steal My Heart", and which has been rejected three times, is the story I am going to pitch. I have been spending a lot of time this week reworking it, changing the plot a little bit to clean up some messy parts, and adding some hotter scenes to make it more appropriate for the online ebook market. My meeting with the editor is at 4:10, and I can't wait! I don't think there is a ton of potential for big money or anything (after all, I said online market, and it's only 18,000 words), but money is not what's important at this stage. Just to be able to put in query letters that I am already published on a website recognized by the RWA would be HUGE. Wish me luck!!!
Slacking
So whereas last week was a really super-productive week for me where I followed my schedule like a good girl and got a ton of shit done... this week is like a nosedive into slackerville. I don't necessarily think that I'm being a bad person or anything. I'm just not feeling very well. For some reason, my back has been killing me this week, so I have been trying to stand up and stretch as much as possible. Unfortunately, the second I sit back down, it starts to bother me again. Yuck!
The scary thing about motivation is that it doesn't have a very long shelf life. If you can find a way to be motivated today, rest assured that you will have to find another way tomorrow. This week, I just can't seem to get past some kind of wall. I have plenty of reason to be motivated, but for some reason that's not translating into hard work just yet. The good news? It's only Wednesday and the week's not over yet!
