I’m going out today with the kidlets to the water park. I am personally sick of the place, but it won’t be long until the kids are back in school.

While out I hope to write in a notebook. Bought a new Moleskin a few days ago at Books a Million. Got the Moleskine Volant notebook. Basically it is bigger than the pocket notebook and in a rainbow of colors. I got blue. I like it as I can clip a printed copy of the previous chapter to it. I need to update my ipod with some music. I have been writing to movie soundtracks, as usual. Right now I like Master & Commander, Charge of the Light Brigade, and 300. Not romantic, I know, but I don’t need it all soft and fluffy to write romance. In the book, it is more of a Battle of Wills *cough* Not that I would know anything about that.

Looks like I will presenting a few workshops in the upcoming months for the Ancient City Romance Writers in St. Augustine. I’ve been asked to present my workshop The Erotic Element in November at the Southeast Regional Library in Jacksonville, Florida, and Creating the Online Presence via Yahoo loop discussion. Check the link about for info about the RWA chapter and their meetings. I highly suggest the Writers Boot Camp in September. Multi published and  Award winning author, Patricia Potter, will presenting a workshop. Also Joyce Holland, an Associate Agent with Robert Diforio Literary Agency, will be taking pitches!

Don’t forget to watch Ghost Hunters International tonight at 9pm on SyFy. Tallahassee ghost hunter and ALPHA Ghost Team pal, Scott Tepperman, will be on! Last week was his debut. It was very cool. (Isn’t he a hot looking guy? It gets better, he is hysterical to talk to. The picture is from last July when we went to an event together. He got me a little buzzed… Oh come on, he’s the perfect gentleman. We had a great time.)

It was a busy day, but somehow, I didn’t get a whole lot done. In the morning I took the kids to the library and we hung out there for about an hour and a half. I wrote a little, but not much. I realized I needed to add a prologue to the Marine book, but I hadn’t planned what exactly. So not much of that is written. It is okay though, I figure I can come back to it later. So I turned my attention on the first chapter. I took out a new Moleskine for it, so you KNOW I mean business. I have to write a lot this month, and that is the most portable way to do it. If you haven’t handled a Moleskine, you do not realize how perfect these little notebooks are. I mean, for Christmas last year, I didn’t want anything but a few new Moleskine notebooks. I got two, one of which I am going to use for Nothing to Hide. Yes, I am also using the Moleskine I mentioned in this recent post, but that is for my note taking. I jotted down lots of info I found on the web and from my Marine technical advisor in that one. The pocket one I actually use to write.

I also use my Alphasmart Neo, and let me tell you, I was ready to throw that sucker out the window today. I wasted 2 hours trying to figure out how to upload texts from the Alphie to my laptop. I couldn’t get Neo Manager to work at all. Wouldn’t sense the Alphie. The laptop kept telling me I needed a special driver. Think I could find it online? Nope. I did manage to get the text off the Neo though. You have to open the file first then plug in the Neo via the USB. From there you can transfer. Two hours…

I took the kids to Pizza Hut for lunch. They were abuzz about pizza so I took them there. I personally would prefer the local brick oven pizza place, but they wanted the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. It was the cinnamon sticks that won them over. I was good, I ate a big salad…then some pizza…with veggies on top. I still don’t like green peppers on my pizza.

By the time I got home and messed with the Neo, my day was pretty much shot. Add in my children kept arguing and one was in a downright annoying (read: flippant) state, I gave up and laid down for a little while. My headache ebbed with a short nap.

I got my new promo cards in the mail today. They are ones I can leave in places and not worry about my personal info being advertised like on normal business cards. Hey, I can leave these in an adult store and I won’t care who picks them up, just as long as they do. In fact, I’m pretty sure they will be picked up in an adult store, I used the goth chick image where she has the cuffs in her teeth. It is one of the random headers on my site.

Tomorrow I pick up my brother at the airport. It is in the morning this time. Thank goodness. I don’t have to traipse around Tallahassee at midnight this time.

I just wanted to add a song tonight. I remember seeing this before Bon Jovi was a household name… Jersey boy…

Okay, I spent my day yesterday at Wild Adventures with the kids. That isn’t to say I didn’t work on the book. I took one of my Moleskines with me and made some notes. I definitely have to say having a Marine as a friend helps with the technical aspects of writing a military set romance. His help has been invaluable. I would never have known where to start with what kind of helicopter my hero would fly and all the details that go with it. Amazing. I had no idea. A big thank you goes out to my Marine technical adviser.

I have some more plot stuff to work out, then I am on to working on the book. The chapter I wrote needs rewriting to reflect some changes in the original storyline. Not too much to change, luckily.

Have I mentioned that I love Moleskine notebooks? Not lately? Oh well, I do. LOVE them. My latest one is like the one pictured. They come in a pack of 3. Love the natural looking cover. And the paper inside is just so nice to write on. I write in it with my mechanical pencil…love it.

Okay, have to get kids ready to go out to the library for a little bit. I plan on working on plot stuff while there.

Okay, in an attempt to find humor tonight, I thought of the perfect song….

Come on, it fits! LOL

And yes, even with surfing online most of the day, I did manage to write on my WIP. Any progress is progress.  I do feel like a mysterious writer…like a Hemingway…writing in my Moleskine (exactly like the one pictured on the left), especially in public. Yes, I did leave the house a few times….tearing my eyes away from the RWA v. Harlequin drama for a little bit. I am amazed how my stats soar when I post publishing news and views.

Okay there you go, if anyone wants to get me something for Christmas, Moleskine notebooks are a good gift. And some black gel ink pens. See, I am easy to please.

Also, my WIP writing is going towards my NaNoWriMo writing total.

Yes, I wrote on my Blaze WIP today. Writing longhand in my little black Moleskine notebook. (Complete with a pink “Book Beads” bookmark with a pink skull and crossbones charm. Goth girlie. LOL) I’ll go back and type it later. The words seem to flow for me better this way. At least for the moment.

Kinda like the story again. Well…yeah, I do. It is still my Albatross though. I will be much happier once the first draft is done. Editing will probably be hellish, but right now, this first draft is fucking killing me. If my calculations are right, I will get the first draft done the first few days of December. Yay!

Here’s a sweet little (unedited) snippet of my Blaze WIP, Chasing the Shadows. I say sweet as it makes me smile. When I set up the scene, I expected it to lead into a sex scene, but then this flew from my fingers onto the page…and I think it is better. I know readers are going to collectively sigh at this part….and love Daniel (my hero) just a bit more.

Brooke moved to the bed, untied her robe and let it fall to the floor in a pink puddle. Naked, she pulled back the covers and climbed in between the sheets.

Surely she wouldn’t have to wait long for him to come to bed.

She sighed and let her body relax. Maybe if she closed her eyes for a few minutes, she’d be more awake for when he finally came to bed.

What seemed moments later, Brooke stirred against the warm skin pressed against her backside. Her eyes shot open and for a split second, she stiffened. Then he moved his hand upon her hip and his warm breath tickled her neck. Daniel. She relaxed and covered his hand with hers. He interlaced his fingers with hers and she closed her eyes. She gently pulled his arm around her waist, wanting to wrap him about her.

Then with a smile upon her face, she eased back to sleep. She may not have greeted him as she’d imagined, she was not entirely disappointed. This was where she wanted to be—close to him.

Oh man,  have to finish up that interview for that magazine in the next few days. It is due before Thanksgiving.