I caught up with the principal and we talked about the situation. I am upset, but at least the school is making every attempt to correct the problem and address it. At least it is not being ignored. I had this fear it would.

Tomorrow I am going to try Grassroots Coffee, the new coffee place here in town. Looks like a good place to write. And it is right across the street from The Bookshelf too. Sweet. Yes, I am supporting my small town businesses.

I have to prepare for this weekend’s RWA chapter meeting. We meet on Saturday at Julie’s Restaurant [site] in Tallahassee, Florida. There is a meeting in the morning then a workshop in the afternoon.  I’m giving a workshop on “Creating the Online Presence”. I’ll be talking about having a website and blog along with how to use social networks like Facebook and Twitter. For more about our chapter, the Florida Panhandle Romance Writers Inc., check out our site at www.fphrw.org. We are on Twitter (announcements mainly) as TallyRomWriters. Feel free to friend us. Elections for the FPHRW board is this Saturday as well. I’m up for re-election as president. Unopposed. Isn’t that how it usually is, no one wants to be in charge? LOL

Then I have to start thinking about Thanksgiving. That means shopping…cleaning…preparing. My brother flies in from DC that Monday. I am pretty sure he will be sleeping on our couch that week. That isn’t too bad. The kids are out of school for most of the week, so that gives me an automatic sitter in case I need to go out to write.

Oh yeah, Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) I will be over Valdosta for the booksigning at the Waldens there in the mall. Still haven’t taken over my promo. I should do that this week I guess. I will be signing Royal Bondage.

I rejoined The Romance Studio [site] a few days ago. I will be one of their featured authors in February on TRSBlue. Depending on what is going on, I am unsure what title to feature. I said Men After Midnight, but I may go with Bound by Ecstasy.

And yeah…still bummed.

I worked a bit more on my NaNo book, so I am making progress. I won’t give up, but I am unsure if I will ever catch up. Eh…whatever. The point is not to give up, right? Besides it gets my mind off my troubles, even for a few minutes.

Haven’t caught up with the principal yet today. I figure I will go a little early and see if I can’t catch a few minutes with her.

And still, I’m so bummed. I said it yesterday to AM on the phone at the same time she was saying it to me. It was ironic. We are both bummed. Misery does love company.

In an attempt to lift my spirits I went to breakfast. I wrote on my NaNo book while there. Then I went over to Office Depot and looked around. Got a post-it notes pad large enough to add a paragraph or two of notes/edits to my WIP. I print out the pages as I write, so I figure I will go through the hard copy making changes then enter them later on the laptop. I also picked up ink for my printer along with some some new pens. I have a certain love for the gel pens that flow so nicely on the page.

And yet I feel no better.

I still hurt.

Damn it.

I am so bummed out.

Today I am determined to get my word count up on NaNoWriMo. So, I guess I shouldn’t really be HERE writing. I need to get out my NaNo notebook out and write there. LOL I may have to leave the house today just to get a few hours peace to write. I don’t need a whole lot…just somewhere to let me get some coffee and sit to write. Hmm.

Downtown Thomasville has a new coffee shop open called Grassroots Coffee. I bet they are closed on Sundays. All of the downtown stores are closed on Sundays.  site | FB

You behind on NaNo too? On Twitter there is a new hashtag for us:  #nanopanic Although I am not in a panic. LOL Regular NaNo hashtag is #nanowrimo

UPDATE @4p

I did go out and work on NaNo. I am making progress, but not done for today. I am determined to get my count up today. I bought an iced coffee at McDonald’s and then went to downtown to find everything closed, as I suspected. There were some small tables there on the sidewalk so I sat there for about an hour and a half and wrote. (McDonald’s was too noisy.) Not too bad, but I need to write some more before the end of the day. I think tomorrow I will go on out to The Bookshelf and write on this. Although I did say I would get back to my ghost hunter book on Monday. Okay, okay, I will. I promise. I do want to get it in to Blaze…

When am I going to hear back about my Spice Brief submission? Hmm. Maybe I need to email Amanda McIntyre and ask to see if she can give me a heads up. (She writes for that line, and I knew her before then.)

Model Chris Howell

Hey Dana, here’s a pic of Chris for ya! Makes the inner cougar want to come out and play, doesn’t it? LOL  Hey, we may be married and a few years older than him, but we’re not dead.

I’m off to Tallahassee today to meet up with my pal Tracy for lunch. I’m a little less whoozy today. Good thing as we are going to a Mexican place. I’m thinking of going a few minutes early so I can write a little on my NaNo book.

Yes, I worked on it. Yay! I’m behind, but determined to write daily. I’m going to attempt to catch up. Even if I make it close to the 50K, I will be satisfied.

I need to make a soundtrack for writing the book and put it on my iPod. Yeah, it may sound corny, but it’s what I do. I know a lot of authors who do that. Songs to be included in the soundtrack:

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me – U2 (of course)

My Immortal, Taking Over Me, Hello & Whisper – Evanescence (Yeah, anything Evanescence works here)

Eyes in the Dark -  Nox Arcana (anything Nox Arcana fits)

Underworld (soundtrack)

To Victory – 300 (soundtrack) Good for an action scene I think.

Love this song. It fits as the heroine, Marie, is dealing with having to destroy the man she loves, Renaux, because he is a vampire.

After being in a slump for a few days, I did get back to NaNoWriMo today. I took the kids to McDonald’s after school and I wrote while they played outside. Got about 4 pages in the journal written. I plan on working on it more tonight. My one daughter says she will pat me on the head once I fill up the entire journal. LOL

I figure I will get back to my non-NaNo book on Monday. Taking a break from it. Sometimes that helps.

Tomorrow I’m heading down to Tally to meet Tracy. I highly doubt we will be writing. Although I am not sure how much Mexican food I will eat. I’ve been whoozy for a few days. Nothing like pregnancy with twins, though, but just…whoozy.

Speaking of pregnancy with twins, I got word this week that I will be an aunt next year. Twin boys. (A surrogate is pregnant for my brother-in-law and his partner/husband.) They are older than us. I just shake my head. Been there done that. Hell, I can’t even remember much from my twins’ first year. I do remember not sleeping and being dead dog tired all the time. Then one night, I slept through the night and got scared when I woke up that I didn’t hear them cry. Here they had slept through their first night. I think I may have cried. A word from the wise–NEVER hope for multiples.

Spoke to my new editor at EC, telling her what I am working on for EC. I want to give them Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me once it is done and rewritten/edited. I also want to do something for their themed stories for next year. I want to do something for the “Alluring Arts” series.

Okay just for my sake, I’m going to post the cast of main characters for Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me. Maybe that will help me get motivated.

Marie, Kick Ass Bitch with a Machete (Me!!)

Annmarie, Kick Ass Bitch

unnamed, Marie's love interest

Annmarie's love interest, and the twin of Marie's unnamed dude

I did make contact with Tracy and we’re getting together on Saturday. Not sure where, but probably our favorite place. I was so sad she couldn’t make the retreat a few weeks ago because of a case at work. She really missed out on a good time. And we did get a lot of work done. Funny, in looking through the pictures from the weekend, I was the only one not caught sitting and writing. I was out and about too much. Next time, I will stay in until we decide to head out for dinner and fun. Next time? Oh yeah, my chapter members like their retreats. That was our second one. I don’t know when we will do another. We have a conference to start planning for in 2010.

I wrote more on my NaNo book, but have to write some more on it before I go to bed. A little behind, but not too much.

Wanna another snippet? Okay…

“We meet again,” he said, his voice playing a seductive game with my libido.

“It will be the last time, Renaux.”

He cocked a dark brow. “Are you so sure, Marie?”

I tightened my grip on the handle of my machete. “Positive.”

He stepped closer. “I hear your thoughts as clearly as my own. You still have feelings for me.”

“What I personally may feel  means little. You’re evil, and you must die. Only then can I hope to reclaim my life.”

He paused then said, “Or you can take another path.” He stepped even closer, and I could smell the spicy hint of his cologne across his skin.

“Another path?” I absently asked. To me there was only one choice, one outcome to this night…

Okay, off to work some more on the book…