Celebration!

I have officially finished my first draft of my manuscript (waiting for the applause...still waiting). Okay, so maybe it was only a big deal to me, but I was excited as can be! So, here is my thank you speech:

Thank you to my husband for believing me when I said, "I'm writing my book," and eating sandwiches many a night instead of a cooked meal. Oh, and for not getting upset when I rejected a few of your ideas during our impromptu brainstorming session on the way to Cincinnati. Raquetball, really? Thanks for the good ideas.

Thank you to my children for walking away (when it wasn't an emergency, of course) so that Mommy could write one more paragraph or finish this scene before jumping into action.

Thank you to my mother, who always encouraged me to write, write, write! And to my sisters, who brought all their essays, stories, and other school work to me for editing and revising (good practice).

Thank you to Candace Havens and her Fast Draft/Revision Hell online course. Without that course, I probably (possibly) would have finished my draft eventually, but the motivation to get it done quicker, made all the difference.

And thank you to my characters for finally straightening up, figuring things out, and coming together for your happily ever after.

Yay me!

So Close

I have officially written over 40,000 words on my manuscript. I have also revised the first 25 pages and submitted the first 4,000 words to the TARA writing contest (that's the Tampa Area Romance Writer's of America), but I really only hope to get some feedback. I'd love to have a critique partner, but right now, that's only my dear husband, whom I will from now on call Sharky in this blog (pet name when we were way, way younger). He does have great ideas, but he doesn't read romance nor, obviously, write romance.

Here's a little taste of what Cole Anderson, my hero in my current wip, looks like in my head. Hope you like.

Updates

Not finished yet, but the word count is above 25,000, so I am making progress. It took me a little while to figure out why my characters ended up at a certain place, but then it hit me, and it was perfect to resolve one of the conflicts that would have easily been a dealbreaker for a relationship.

I think there will be around 18 chapters, and I have 11 completed. I'm excited to know where its going and how it will end. Now, to get the words just right. Easy peasy, right?

I'm also posting a picture of a hottie-alottie that I recently saw in Leap Year--the gorgeous Brit, Matthew Goode. I am totally going to use him for another story I'm working on.

Rolling Along

Yep, that's right. I'm up to 7700 words, and the book is going well. Sure, I get a little unsure when my characters try to lead me down a different path from what I originally planned, but I feel good about it right now.

I do love these characters and this plot. I just have to stick with it through the tough parts when I don't know how to make it work. I have to trust that it will.

I can't wait for the new Kresley Cole installment in the Immortals After Dark series--Pleasure of a Dark Prince. I have been trying to be patient, but it is working about as well as a hole in the wall for a window. I can tolerate it, but I don't like it.

It's out this Tuesday (although it can be ordered online right now), and I have a gift card from my birthday that's getting a little to hot to hold onto.