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Middle Monster’s Plague

Over the 4th of July weekend, Middle missed several outings with her friend because she was sick with fever, cough, and aches/pains.  She had a fever about 3 days, but she’s always been hit “hard” by anything like that.  (Which is why she had 3 minor surgergies before Kindergarten)

I thought we all escaped without getting it, until I started coughing Thursday.  Friday I barely had the energy to climb up and down the stairs to work, but I pushed through the day and got as much done as possible (nowhere near my normal daily production level).  Meanwhile, I kept waking up in the middle of the night with horrible sweats.  I almost thought I was having hot flashes already!  They were horrible.  And oh, the aches.

Of course I couldn’t find the thermometer – one of the monsters ran off with it.  I woke up this morning aching all over again.  I’d been trying to blame it partially on our bed (it needs to be replaced), new pillows I’d just bought, and working out more, so my muscles were just sore.  But this morning, I could hardly stumble into the bathroom because I was shaking so hard, which hurt everything.

That Man called in to work so he could take care of the kids.  Of course I need to do the grocery shopping, so we hardly have any food in the house.  I ate a little bit and felt enough better (with a hefty dose of Motrin) to make it to Target so I could pick up cough drops, yet another thermometer, and several cans of soup.

I almost wish I didn’t know for sure that I have a fever.  Because knowing it’s 101 and still climbing makes me feel worse.  At this rate, I hope I’m better for work Monday morning!

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Website Updates

This weekend I’ll be updating my template and installing a new header made by Book Graphics!  Just in case things go a bit wonky…  I’ll be changing the navigation, etc. so be patient.  Hopefully it’ll be fairly seamless and painless.

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RBW Week 1

The Romance Biggest Winner

Well, today was our first weigh in.  I feel sorry for my team because they’re a little handicapped by having a member who’s already been dieting for six months.  No huge loss for me this week but I did lose *some* (whew, I was up a little yesterday and was really worried).  They need not fear that my little .23% loss will win the grand prize, but hopefully I’ll be consistent and steady!

I completed another Power 90 session today.  Pushups are getting a little easier.  I should have done it yesterday, but a short story clobbered me upside the head yesterday and instead of using my lunch to workout, I wrote instead.  *sheepish*  I’m a little behind on walking so I need to hit a couple of miles tomorrow.

My new recipe try today:  mashed sweet potato with Greek yogurt.  This is a huge step for me because I don’t really *like* sweet potatoes much.  Not even my mom can get me to eat her sweet potatoes at Thanksgiving.  But lately, I’ve been enjoying roasted sweet potatoes, so I decided to try it.  I went savory with chili powder and garlic instead of sugar and cinnamon as the recipe called for, and it was good.  Not yummy, OMG you have to try this, but good.  I’ll try it again.

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Good News Monday

I must admit that I’m decidedly grumpy today.  The scale is up for absolutely no reason.  I didn’t get any writing done all weekend, including Friday.  But I’m not going to sit here and dwell about how empty my cup might be.  Instead, I’ll be glad that…

  • We went to Silver Dollar City in Branson, MO Friday for That Man’s birthday and had a blast.  This was Littlest Monster’s first trip and she was incredibly brave, riding several rollercoasters, etc.  The only ride that she didn’t like was the Giant Barn Swing.
  • We walked all over the park on Friday, sweating and getting tons of exercise.
  • I even rode several rides!
  • I managed 2 sessions of Power 90 last week without keeling over.
  • I survived That Man’s birthday without blowing my diet.  I had two bites of his birthday cake and that was plenty (I really don’t like store-bought cakes, which is what he requested, so no hardship there).
  • I’ve managed just over 4500 words on Phantom so far.
  • I started a new short story idea this morning.  My track record for anthology calls sucks, so if this story isn’t a go, you’ll get yet another free read!
  • I updated WordPress on my blog this morning without blowing it up.
  • I joined Google+ this weekend and I actually like it better than Facebook, although I haven’t been out there much yet.
  • I received final files for Golden this weekend, woot!  Any interested reviewers, just let me know what format you’d like!  Formal review queries will be going out this week.
  • I bought this pattern and made a set of slippers yesterday, plus started a new pair.  Still fiddling with the pattern to get the sizes right, but I’d like to make a pair for my SIL’s sister before she heads back to New Jersey.  (They were talking about fond childhood memories this weekend and the ones their Polish mother/grandmother used to make.)

What good news can you share today?

 

 

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Review: Return to Shanhasson

Mea culpa, Sherri actually won the “first review kae’don” but I totally missed it!  I’ve fallen behind on my blog feeds and google alert failed me.  Read her entire review here:

Where Joely shines is her characters. Not a two-dimensional person among them. These characters are so real. (I think I said it best in my review of Road when I said, “I lived a lifetime between these pages!”) I love with them. I laugh with them. I hurt with them. I cry and scream with them. Even with the hints peppered on Joely’s blog I came apart completely at one point. And yes, I screamed, scaring the dog, LOL. There were more than a few tears, not just sad but happy ones too, during this story.

Aw, poor Roxy!  Thank you so much, Sherri!  You’re absolutely right about Shannari being a little exhausted.  *winks*

P.S. Don’t forget – TODAY is the last day to enter the giveaway!

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RBW Update

So three days into the Romance Biggest Winner…and I’ve exercised three days!  In a row!  I know.  I’m shocked too.  Woot!

I’ve survived two sessions of Power 90 sculpt (level 1).  Yes, I’m definitely sore, but not where I can’t walk up the stairs or anything.  Those pushups KILL me.  Even my stomach (core) is sore.

Yesterday, the monsters commandeered the Wii so I couldn’t do Walk It Out as usual.  So I threw in my old Leslie Sansome Walk Away the Pounds dvd on my laptop.  It’s the 1 and 2 mile version, but I’d never done the 2 mile before.  I thought, hey, what the heck.  I’ve been walking 2 miles on WIO.  Let’s see how bad it is.

Not bad at all.  I definitely broke a sweat but I made it all the way through without keeling over ded. 

Who knows.  At this rate, I might get up the courage to go back to Power 90’s cardio….  (I don’t know.  Those upward and downward dogs kill me every time.)

In the food arena, I made a new recipe tonight (Curried Quinoa with Chicken, about 7 p+ on WW if you’re tracking points).  I admit, it was a little risky.  I personally have not liked curry or quinoa before, but it just sounded good.  That Man is working late tonight, so it was just the monsters and I.  Chickens were on sale and I had two in my big stew pot simmering late afternoon.  I have chicken…  I have broth…  I figured worst case, if they all hated it, at least they could eat the dark-meat chicken before That Man devours it.

Wow, so good.  I absolutely loved it!  Although I did leave out the nutmeg.  That just sounded weird (although I love nutmeg on peaches).  I promise to try the nutmeg next time.  Even better, two of the three monsters loved it and went back for seconds!  Littlest Monster did not like the texture, but she did try it and ate about half.  Hopefully it will grow on her, because it’s definitely a dish I’d like to make again.

While waiting on the chickens to cool so I can pick all the good meat off (and then make a huge batch of broth), I decided to roast some chickpeas (kind of like this recipe only I modified the spices, didn’t use olive oil, and prepared the dried beans first).  I’ve been wanting to try crispy chickpeas for a long time — sounded totally up my alley.  All those yummy spices!  I pulled the pan out of the oven to cool and went downstairs to write a while. 

I came back upstairs…and nearly the entire pan was gone.  Gulp.  I guess the monsters approve of roasted chickpeas.  Who knew?!?

(Where’s my gas mask?!?  Because they just ate THREE CUPS of BEANS….)

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Review: Return to Shanhasson

Many thanks to Soleil for not just reviewing all the Shanhasson books — but for also helping me beta read an early copy of Return before submission.  Here’s her review with a snippet:

Shannari has come along way since Rhaekhar, Khul of the Nine Camps of the Sha’Kae al’Dan, decimated her army and won her heart. She’s become such an iconic heroine for me. I have watched her love, hate, fight, win ….and lose. I have watched her suffer, truly suffer some horrific events and come out all the stronger for it. Because Shannari dal’Dainnari never ran from anything. Not for long. Her truly epic capacity for love puts all other heroines to shame. None of them can hold a candle to her passion.If there was one thing Joely managed to get through to this cynic, it’s that love can save you, no matter how Shadowed you are.

*wipes away a happy tear*  That’s exactly what I hoped this series would say.  Thank you so much, Soleil!

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Independence Day Giveaway

Happy 4th, America!  We celebrated last night by driving around our neighborhood in the pouring rain looking for our neighbor’s sweet golden retriever that fled their yard during another neighbor’s fireworks finale.  Luckily Annabeth is home safely in her yard this morning!

The monsters will be shooting bottle rockets and who knows what else today.  Thankfully it rained heavily yesterday so no chance for fire.  (Middle and anything to do with fire is always a scary proposition.)

If you’d like to do a little reading of your own today, simply post a comment on this post telling me which book of mine you wish you could read.  I’ll pick a name out of the magic hat and send the winner their desired book.  (I can offer up Golden although I don’t have the final ARC available yet — I can make you one.)

P.S. The journal giveaway is still open.

P.P.S. or is it P.S.S.?  Lord Regret is up for Summer’s Hottest Hero at ARe but is falling waaaaay behind in votes!

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Ritual Ink

I responded a bit on Twitter but I thought I’d post here too.  Christine was intrigued by the title of the short story I’m working on, “Ritual Ink.”  The idea came from an interesting/weird place…

The monsters love Wizards of Waverly Place on the Disney channel, and I have to admit, out of all the goofy shows they sometimes watch, Wizards is one of the least annoying.  If you’re not familiar with the show, Alex is the middle child and is always getting into trouble, breaking the rules, etc. (Gee, who does that sound like?)  She’s abrasive at times and doesn’t hesitate to tell it like it is.  As a result, her only “true” friend over the years has been Harper, a goofball character with a terrible sense of fashion but a heart of gold.

At some point, Harper comes to live with them, and is sort of the daughter the Russos never had — because Alex isn’t girly or sweet in any way.  Alex has no problem lying, even to her best friend.  I forget how the episode unfolds, but Alex decides to be a cheerleader with Harper, but the only way she can swallow down that much girly silliness is with a spell.  This one has to be painted on her skin.

With the spell, she’s actually…likeable.  She has friends, she’s popular, her parents are amazed.  Of course hijinks ensue and eventually the spell washes off, bringing back the abrasive but fun liar.

The episode is supposed to be funny, but I was left saddened by it.  Just think how it would feel if you could only be likable if you had a spell put on your skin.  If that was the only thing holding back your darker side.  That image has haunted me awhile but I couldn’t figure out the story around it.

Until Ritual Ink.

The general premise is a heroine carrying something very dark, even evil, inside her.  The only things holding that creature at bay are the ritual spells permanently stamped into her flesh as tattoos.  As the years go by, she has to get another and another, chains on the creature trying to break free.  Not just anyone knows the secret of these tattoos, though.  It’s not like she can just go down the street and have a regular artist do it, no matter how talented he might be.  No, it takes a very special warrior monk with the right magic and skill for this ritual.

Too bad he’s supposed to be celibate.

*winks* 

You do know me better than that, right? 

:lol:

This short story is planned for the All Romance E-Books Just One Bite PNR short story contest.  If it doesn’t get picked as a finalist (or goes too long, which is a distinct possibility), I’ll give it away here on the blog as a free read.

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June Update with July Goals

Not a stellar month but not bad either.  I even managed D&E every day this week so far, even though I’m only getting 5-6 hours of sleep a night.

  • Finished the first draft of The Bloodgate Warrior.
  • Firmed up the plot of Phantom.
  • Started Phantom, got about 3K so far this week.  Not NaNoWriMo pace but I’ll take it!
  • Wrote up several guest blogs (forgot how many!)
  • Celebrated the release of Return to Shanhasson!
  • Lost 6 pounds
  • Walked 13 miles.

In July, I’m shooting for the following:

  • First pass revision for The Bloodgate Warrior, with initial read thru and notes this holiday weekend.
  • Keep moving on Phantom with about 500 words a day.  I’d like to finish the first draft this month but the list is long.  I’ll be happy with August.
  • Make initial edit pass for Vicki with Editor Tera’s notes.
  • Write at least 3 more scheduled guest blog posts.
  • Write a short story that’s percolating, tentatively “Ritual Ink”.  Guessing about 3K.
  • Keep planning promo for Golden and print Victor in September. 
  • Walk 15 miles.
  • Start Tony Horton’s Power 90 strength portion only, shooting for 3x a week —> 12 workouts.  If I survive, I’ll add the cardio portion in August!
  • Participate in Romance Biggest Winner.
  • Keep losing weight – but I’m not going to say a number because it’s totally out of my control.  That’s like saying, “Get an agent this year.”  I can query x agents every month…but I can’t make one say yes.  I’ll work my plan and exercise — I’ll get to goal eventually.  I’m averaging about 1 pound a week right now, so if I lose 4-5 pounds, I’ll be happy.