Has it really been that long?

I just realized how long it has been since I've been out here - oi. Sorry folks. The holidays took over - facebook took over, writing took over - you know the drill. I'm still in wait mode. Glass House Press just released their first book this month - so once the dust settles, the managing editor will have time to take a look at the re-write they have the option on. At least that's what I'm hoping for, we'll see. I'm not getting overly excited until I have that contract in my hand. In the meantime, I'm still plugging away at a mystery I started about a year ago and dabble in when I'm between novels. The short story contests over at Backspace are a great little writing fixes. And I'm taking a few writing courses to focus on polishing some of my glaring weaknesses - yes, I have those! I'll admit it. Anyhow - thanks for hanging in and being patient for me to return and write something prolific - that will happen one day, really, truly . . .

Okay maybe not - but it'll be fun in the meantime.

Have a great March and hope your April brings spring and not just the tax man!

JET

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays to all!

December marked the publication of my first short story Nightmares and the Honorable Mention of another short Grayson House in the Verbs Crime Scene Contest. I finished the revision of Vengeance that I have an option on with a small publisher on the west coast and sent that off yesterday and all my holiday shopping is done.

Heavy, heavy sigh and a woohoo too!

I am gearing up for a very busy holiday season on the home front. This weekend I will have a handful of nine year old boys staying over for the celebration of my son's 9th birthday and I'm looking forward to taking them to see Bolt! I think I am going to welcome going to work on Monday if you know what I mean.

The following weekend we are having my husband's family over for our annual Christmas gathering. If everyone shows up it will be a crowd of thirty something people ranging in ages from one to 75. It is happening on the 21st which is my son's actual birthday so I'll be sure to have a second cake for that event.

Then comes Christmas. On Christmas eve, my family gathers at the house. My sister and her family spend the night and my folks re-join us in the morning for opening gifts. I always miss my brother on Christmas. He's in South Carolina and hasn't celebrated Christmas with us in quite a few years because of the distance, but we always call and say our hellos and I love yous.

My favorite Christmas tradition is watching It's a Wonderful Life with my sister after the children have gone to sleep. Our husbands usually end up downstairs drinking and playing pool, but for us, it is a few hours of nostalgia and hope in an otherwise nutty existence.

I would love to hear more about your holiday traditions!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa and any other holiday that I missed that occurs in December - Here's to wishing all a happy and safe 2009!

The beauty of writing!

I had the funniest conversation with my husband this week. I was extremely frustrated with a situation at work and was ranting, which I occassionally do, if you hadn't already noted that from the title of the blog. :) Anyhow, I was in rare form, enough so that when I sat down to write, he had some sideways comment:

"That's so not fair! You get to take your aggravations out by killing people in your books! Us normal people don't have that luxury!"

To which I replied with a smile. "It's going to be a massacre tonight!"

Of course I didn't write about a massacre that night, but I did scribe one really horrible death, which was satisfaction enough to diffuse the anger I was feeling. Sweet release on paper. There is nothing quite like it!

I can't imagine what it is like not having such a satisfying creative outlet!

I learned to shoot a gun today!

Finally, after years of wondering what it feels like to hold a gun in my hand, what it feels like to pull a trigger, it is no longer a mystery. So very worth the experience. I wish I had given it a go sooner!

I was lucky enough to be coached by a friend who had an assortment of handguns for me to try, so I could get the feel of each, a unique experience to be sure. My favorite was a toss up between the 9 mm and the .40 caliber semi-automatic. I liked the weight of the .40 caliber he had, but it had a hell of a kickback, so my control wasn't as evident. The 9mm was a bit heavier with less of a kickback, and I was able to get to the point that I was hitting the target paper, not within the 9 or 10 score area, but solidly in th 8 range.

Most accurate shot was the .22 - I actually hit within the bullseye circle - not dead center but still within that inner circle with the .22 once I figured out how to use the sights correctly and once I relaxed a bit. Most of the shots with the .22 after I figured things out were within the 9 and 10 circles. This one had very little kick compared to the 9mm and the .40 caliber.

Gives me a whole new appreciation for those that are adept at shooting and a feeling of awe for those that are considered experts. Kudos to police and armed service men and women who mastered this!

All I know is I want to do it again!

Stuck in the Mud

Ok, since the beginning of October, I've been in re-write mode. I've done a fair amount on the second half of the book, but the first half is still for the most part, unwritten. Oh, I've got eleven chapters done, but now I have to get from here to a critical scene in the middle of the book and it is coming S-L-O-W.

I need action and tension peppered with mystery sub story line.

It's not as fun as when the words flow. :(

I'm sure I'll get where I want and once I do, the faucet will turn on again, but for now, I'm getting a wee bit frustrated. On top of that, my other half has made every excuse not to read what I've written, even when I've asked him. Talk about wanting to take a hold of an iron pan and swing away.

Thanks for listening to me whine. It is much appreciated along with any advice on how you jump start the story when you're moving slowly.

I'm Jazzed!

Ok, so it isn't a contract in hand. But an oral option to purchase my book when I've made the requested edits is nothing to brush off.

How did this come about? I saw a publisher reply to some comments in one of the on line forums I am in and took a shot in the dark. I asked her what type of books she represents, and by reaching out, I struck gold.

You know that feeling - the zing that happens when you really connect with another person. You talk and it feels like you've known each other for years, but it's only been an hour . . . you are on the same exact page with your views and goals . . .

Well, that's what happened and even though I'm well aware (painfully so) of the risks involved with small vs big publishers, I can't help but fall back to that connection. Without it, any sort of relationship, whether it is personal or professional, falls flat.

So I embark on a new uncertain journey of revising the manuscript in hopes that by this time next year, I will have contract in hand and a concrete release date for my first book!

Can you believe it?

Our economy. . .

I was livid this evening to hear that our representatives in congress started the finger pointing that led to the defeat of the bail out bill. This is not a by product of "This Administration"! It is something that has built up for years upon years, going back DECADES!

Let's break it down, what this comes down to is the over extension of credit. People bit off more than they could chew - morgages were sold, stripped, sold again and put into a pool of morgages and sold on the market, betting on the fact that the underlying morgage holder would stay solvent, continue paying the bills AND real estate values will only go up. Morgage backed securities were considered stable investments at one time and the big investment firms began investing in these pools, buying large shares of the mortgages to resell in their own funds. Low interest rate offers with balloon payments after X number of years were sold, without really examining the risk or the ability for that client to pay once the balloon payment came due. The people who bought were also betting the housing market would go up and they would be able to sell or refinance at the time of the balloon payment. That didn't happen, so you have defaults left and right, and investments (morgage pools) plummet, with them, the investment firm capital goes in the garbage. No cash flow or seriously stunted cash flow!

What does this mean to the average person if the bail out package doesn't come to pass?

It means money get's tight, even non-existence. Banks won't lend because they, themselves, can't borrow from other institutions. Without the lending flow, people will not be able to get loans for things like cars and college. But the worst aspect, that average Joe is not thinking about, is without short term lending, and banks will restrict short term lending in the same fashion as regular consumer loans, companies will not be able to maintain the cash flow they need to keep their operating budgets running.

That means jobs. Jobs go, interest rates sky rocket and inflation goes through the roof. The dollar will plummet and the mom and pop institutions will shut their doors, financial markets crumble and all you've got is chaos and anarchy.

And all this because of politics in Washington.

I think we should vote out every single sitting representative and put in new fresh, honest, every day people who fight for what we need and not what looks good on the record.