Great Trip

It's been a great week. I flew to San Antonio and had a great time at CDM's birthday party. There were lots of people, cake, a clown, a pinata and lots of gifts for her 1st birthday. She's totally adorable and absolutely the cutest kid on earth. LOL

On Monday we got in the car and drove from San Antonio to Nashville, TN; about 1000 miles. We had to stop over in AR to sleep because we just couldn't bring ourselves to drive any longer. We got home Tuesday evening and went to bed early. I was exhausted!

And Surprise! Surprise! Yesterday afternoon JAM came home from Iraq for his 2 week leave. I'm so excited. I've got the entire family here and I'm loving every minute of it. And we're going to have another small party for CDM on Saturday for those here who couldn't be in San Antonio for the big party. It's gonna be great.

I'm Off

To San Antonio tomorrow morning. I can't wait. I love to fly and I made sure to get a window seat. And I get to see KAM and CDM. We're going down to the Riverwalk and check out all the shops and I really want to see the Alamo, too. This will be the first trip I've every taken on my own and I'm a little nervous, but excited at the same time. And when we get back here on Monday JAM should be in from Iraq or at least very close. I'll have a houseful again and I can't wait!!

Reflections

Ok. Fast Draft is over. I didn't write as much as I was supposed to, but I at least wrote something and I'm farther along now than I was. So, all in all, it was a good experience. NaNoWriMo is next month and I think I'll participate in that, too. With all this "help" surely I'll be able to get finished with a first draft by the end of the year. That's my goal.

On another note, my middle child turned 18 yesterday. I'm feeling a bit nostalgic and I'm feeling a bit blue, but I know it's time to let go, at least a little bit. I can't let go completely, of course, becuase he's still my baby and always will be. But he's growing up, just like the oldest did, and just like the youngest is going to do when she turns 18 next year. I'm beginning to feel the empty next syndrome thing even though they haven't moved out yet. But I know I'll be fine and so will they.

JAM, the oldest, is coming home from Iraq for a 2 week visit next week. And I'm going to San Antonio this weekend for his daughter's 1st birthday and to bring my daughter-in-law & grand daughter back here to stay. I'm so excited. I can't wait to get my hands on CDM. She's growing up so fast, just like her father, uncle & aunt did, and I want to experience as much of her life as I can. I know eventually they'll be stationed somewhere else and I won't get to see them so this little bit of time will be all I have. At least until one of the other kids gives me grandkids (which I hope is a long time coming, mind you!).

I may be feeling a little blue, but at the same time I'm looking forward to just being me again. For so long I've been "mom". I'll still be "mom" of course and now I'll also be "mammaw" but to be just me will be a welcome change. I won't be making decisions based on what the kids need or want. I'll finally be able to base a decision on what I want for a change. So, maybe empty nest won't be as bad as I thought.

Fast Draft

I'm taking a class over at RWA Online called Fast Draft given by Candace Haven. The idea is to write the first draft of your novel in 14 days by doing whatever is necessary to make time to write. Usually you'll do 20 pages per day for a total of 280 pages by the end of the 2 weeks. That's a solid first draft for any stand alone novel.

According to the rules you can't whine about not having time or this got in the way and I couldn't make my goal today. And You can't go back and edit what you've written; you simply keep going and leave everything, even inconsistencies alone. That's the hardest part for me. But for the past 2 days I've been doing it.

I did 5 pages the first day and 18 the next. Not quite my goal, but much more than I've ever done before. And I'm so excited about it. I might actually finish a manuscript. I can't wait until I type THE END!!

Fantasy Romance Workshop

Please join us at Romance Divas THIS WEEKEND!Friday October 10th and Saturday October 11th, we will be joined by some huge names in fantasy and fantasy-romance for a workshop on what the difference really is between the two genres.

Weekend Warrior

I love Army Wives. And I totally love General Michael Holden who is the base commander played by Brian McNamara. He's great to look at but the thing that makes him shine is who he is and how he presents himself. Now that's the stuff of romance novels.

Writing Update

Well, it's that time again. Time to update the writing I haven't been working on. Well, actually I'm researching still (always) and I'm working on the characters since I don't feel that I know them as well as I should. And I'm also working on a short story for a contest that's due in December. Too bad all the research books I'm reading don't have the magic formula for actually doing the writing and keeping my butt in the chair until I'm finished. Maybe I'll try the Fast Draft workshop that's starting next week online.

Time Flies By

I’ve been feeling very nostalgic in the past year. Perhaps it’s that I’m turning 40 on my next birthday or perhaps it’s because I just miss “the good old days”, but I think about my past a lot. There are a lot of things I wish I’d done different. I wish I’d gone to college like I spent my entire childhood looking forward to. But I chose to get married and give up college to be with my husband. As it turns out the only thing good about that decision was my kids. They are the one thing in my life that I’m glad I have. No matter what happens they will always be the light of my life.
They’re growing up now and I feel the empty nest syndrome coming on full force. JAM is already married with a 1 yr old daughter for me to spoil. JWM will turn 18 in three weeks and will surely choose to move out not long after. And baby HNM will soon be 17. The time flies by so quickly and when you look back you can’t see where on earth it went. I miss being the center of their world, but at least I know they will always be the center of mine.

Tigress by the Tail

Lance is a Wizard. He’s not a great wizard, but he’s all right. Descended from a long line of wizards, his brothers taunt him for being slow to learn. And as the youngest, it’s his due course to accept such teasing. Life is good, and normal. For a wizard that is.

Cassie is a Shifter. A tigress to be exact. Raised by her father after her mother’s death she’s as well adjusted as any shifter can be, and still live in the human world, hiding who and what she is.

Bliss comes to a screeching halt the night Satanists kidnap Cassie and her best friend to use as sacrifices to bring forth their Dark Lord. When Cassie literally collides into Lance, she begs him to help them escape their captors, despite the dangers. The couple work together to save the life of Cassie’s friend, only to discover a shocking passion driving them closer together at a time when both should be devastated. But when Lance overhears Cassie’s father threaten his life, he heads for the hills. Cassie follows, determined to clear up the confusion. But evil is still afoot and Cassie is taken by a secret government organization dedicated to the eradication of all things magick. Is Lance willing to put his life on the line for a woman he believes is out to kill him? Especially when he realizes the organization that’s taken her, is the one he works for?

Unlike the worlds most shapeshifter authors envision in books, the beast that reigns in today's city streets are the kind which walk on two legs 24/7. They aren't half man and half "beast" but instead are all man.

Humans rule this world and Tigers, Lions, and all the other big cats must share their limited space. They have no choice. The end result, often, is a cat who's been used, abused, neglected and often destroyed due to our ignorance and negligence. It is up to organizations like Big Cat Rescue to pick up the pieces, and that's where you and I come in.

For the month of October, Teresa D'Amario will donate 40% of all author proceeds for Tigress by the Tail to Big Cat Rescue. Help these wonderful, powerful and sleek animals.

So what exactly is Big Cat Rescue? Big Cat rescue is one of the few organizations within the continental United States which takes in cats from a variety of sources - zoos, retired performers, abandoned pets, or even abused animals from other organizations. This video does a great job of "telling it like it is".

And how will our donation be used? I felt it was best to simply include the statement from their website:

Florida law requires that all charities soliciting donations disclose their registration number and the percentage of your donation that goes to the cause and the amount that goes to the solicitor. Our registration number is CH-11409 and non-program expenses are funded from tour income, so 100% of your donations go directly to save the cats. We are a 501 c 3 charity as determined by the IRS Federal ID#59-3330495. Our 990s are available online at GuideStar.org with a complete breakdown of how your donations are spent.

Wow! 100% of our donation goes to the care of the cats. You can't get better than that, can you?For the month of October, 2008, helping these awesome creatures can't be any easier! Buy a copy of Tigress By the Tail from any number of book stores including Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble. Let's give back a little and For the cat's sakes, Let's MAKE A DIFFERENCE!And for your viewing pleasure, let's take a look at what these great beasts look like when happy and healthy. This video was compiled by Berith, a young 17 yr old girl in Europe who is also concerned about these beautiful creatures.