It’s a crazy time right now – so I’m feeling stressed.  To help myself unwind at night I went to my “Keepers” shelf and picked out some Amanda Quick novels.  I’ve been reading the Vanza story lines and enjoying them immensely.  Found Book 2 of the Arcane Society books at the local dollar store (what a find among the cookbooks and such).  Enjoyed those so much, I’ve decided to read the rest in that series.  “Second Sight” will be arriving in the mail soon. I can’t wait

Cannot believe I haven’t posted since Feb.  Where does the time go?  I don’t have any good excuses or reasons, just got busy.  So here’s a short recap of the past few months in random order of occurrence:

• Short stories submitted
• Short stories rejected
• Trying to finish Sebastian’s story – but hate it!!
• Rewriting two rejected short stories
• Practicing the art of scene/sequel in my writing.
• Becoming very self-conscious of my pacing in all my stories
• Shutting down my laptop and stopped writing for 3 months!
• Helping 8 year-old daughter with all her 4-H projects.
• Being a 4-H leader.
• Watching my daughter when 3 trophies! Heart swelling with Pride
• Cry as youngest daughter goes Kindergarten.
• Cry as neighbor’s daughter is diagnosed with a brain tumour, but hopeful that is isn’t cancer.
• Be amazed at a 17-year old’s determination not to let her vision loss from brain tumor get her down.
• Take a job working part-time as an aid & reader at the local high school.
• Thought I was dying one morning as I went into shock from a torsion of 7cm ovarian tumor – that I didn’t know I had! 
• Survived two ER visits (the first one didn’t have the right equipment to find the problem) for intense stomach pains.
• Had surgery to remove tumour and was much relieved when the doctors determined it was a endomitroma, rather than ovarian cancer.
• Once healed from surgury, discovered I felt better than I had for months…maybe even a year.  Getting rid of a large stomach tomur also made my jeans fit much better
• Enjoyed two wonderful snow days at home before Christmas Break.
• Decided to read a few romance blogs and catch up on a few months of reading.
• Wrote my first new post in months
• Eldest daughter just threw up in bed.  Night before Christmas Eve.  Figures.

Based on Anne Taylor’s novel of the same name, this little movie spent the whole weekend in my DVD player.  Well, see my husband was out of town…ah, did I mention Guy Pearce stars as a long-haired guitar player?

Here’s the blurb from the Netflix site:

Drumstrings Casey’s (Guy Pearce) progressive rock sound is music to the ears of one small-town woman. Evie (Lili Taylor) is an amusement park employee who can’t seem to get enough of the musician, even going so far as to carve his name into her forehead during one of his concerts. As the media gets word of Evie’s bizarre stunt, star and fan are propelled toward one another.

Notice Evie’s intensity in this clip.  Can’t you relate? 

 ]

Also notice that fine chest peeking out of Drum’s unbuttoned shirt. Grrrrr!  You get to see lots of Guy’s fine chest in this one

Some critics said it moved too slow, but I found the pace perfect for the characters.  They were interesting, flawed people who found something in each other.  Plus, the way Drum stared at Evie whenever he talked to her sent goosebumps up my spine.  He looked like he just wanted to eat her up and then some!

This is for sure a “chick flick”, but if your guy is into nineties mellow rock he might like the soundtrack.  Guy did all the singing for the soundtrack which has a cool groove.

Drum’s character as hero material: Yes, he’s the quiet hero.  The outsider.  The misunderstood.  A Beta on the surface, yet he gets the respect of an Alpha because he does exactly as he pleases without caring what is acceptable behavior.  Is he perfect? No.  He grows in this movie…and that’s what makes it good.  Both main characters change for the better.  I’m smiling just thinking about it.

I think the answer depends on if you’re an author or a publisher

 Emily Veinglory had a short post on 2007 earnings over at the Erotic Romance blog.  In the comments other people shared their earnings and their opinions.  And as usual whenever money comes up the comments become a bit of a pep ralley about the advantages of being an e-published author over a NY publisher (with Harlequin being mentioned by name.)

 One person commented that her backlist of e-books was really starting to make a difference in her royalty check each month.  While this is a plus of being e-published, I believe that most of the NY publishers are catching on to the $$$ to made by e-books.  My guess is that this digital, always-available backlist is going to aid mid-list NY published authors’ earnings as well.  I don’t know how contracts are worded for NY authors – I’m sure they don’t get monthly royalties like e-pubs – but I’m pretty certain agents aren’t going to let the publishers make all the money on the e-books.

 I recently heard a Harlequin author speak about her earnings.  She releases an average of 3 catagory novels in a year and over a 2 year period she’ll make around $20,000 per book.  That’s not just an advance, but total earnings from domestic and foreign sales.   This author asked not to be mentioned by name, but I trust what she was saying because it was face to face.

Something to think about.

~Margo

So some woman with an opinion did a piece about the evils of Romance Novels.  She got it published in the Guardian. 

Here’s the smart response by the “Teach Me Tonight” crew: http://teachmetonight.blogspot.com/2007/12/bindel-piece-by-piece.html

Now if only I could make their intelligent thoughts fit on a T-shirt logo….

~Margo

Man, can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted. I’m a bad, bad e-published author   Oh well, moving on.

Spent a great weekend in Vegas with my sisters.  Visited the Spa at Mandalay Bay and saw Australia’s Thunder from Down Under.  Can you say “YUMMY”?

Christmas was crazy and January has been very busy.  We did several home renovation projects and it’s tax prep time for us.  With two businesses and my writing – time goes very fast.

I’m working on Roz’s story and a spicy contemporary story targeted for another publisher.  I hope Samhain will buy this next Half Moon Rising story, but no guarantees.  My editor said her slots are closing fast for 2008, so I don’t expect anything out until 2009 – if she buys it.

Sometimes I feel like I’m staring down two roads with my writing career.  The e-published route or the unpredictable road to the NY publishers.  I know there are authors who do both, but right now I can’t devote full time to writing.  Little kids, my husband’s businesses and all.

I know to make good money in the e-publishing world an authors has to do TONS of online promoting…and guess what? Not my strongest suit!  The screen time writing is sometimes all I can take of the technical world in one day.  I swear computers sap my inner spirit and drain my energy.

So rather than blabber on and on, I’m going to go check on my daughter who is home with the flu and write 500 words before supper.

I’m pretty certain the right road will eventually reveal itself to me.  In the mean time - I write.

Hopefully next time I check in I’ll have Roz’s story finished

~Margo

The big studios are denying the Hollywood writers of their fair share of program revenue on digital and DVD sales.  What the studios are doing is wrong.  The WGA is doing the right thing.

Here’s a link to the WGA Strike blog:  http://unitedhollywood.blogspot.com/

Here’s a link to an online petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/WGA/petition.html

This is an important moment for the entertainment industry.  Maybe we should turn off our TV’s and downloads until the writer’s get their due.  Think the studios would notice if we stopped buying DVD’s?

~Margo

I had to check out the link on “The ‘Winners’ of the Wired News Saddest-Cubicle Contest”.  Boy, some of these people must hate going to work.  These desks even make my workspace look inviting

I call it my “Retractable Desk.”  Remove the bread board from the pulled out drawer, slip the laptop back into the desk, and fold chair.  Ta-da.  It’s a kitchen again!

This is what December 2007 Romantic Times Book Review had to say about Half Moon Rising:

“[an] entertaining and action-packed addition to the werewolf genre…”

“…characters are likable, the villain is nicely evil and the ending is highly satisfactory.”

They gave the book 4 stars! Yippy! Needless to say–I’m thrilled.

Today is also the day it is available in print.  You can buy it any of these links: Barnes and Noble.com, Amazon.com, and MBAM (Samhain’s store).

Making this a simple list this week…I’ve got to get my laundry caught up because I’m going to a writer’s conference with Stephanie Bond!!!  It’s going to be great.

Next week I’ll have some exciting news to post: My official print release and the scoop on my first review from RT BOOKreview!  Stop by and visit!

My Last 13 Downloaded iTunes:

1.  I Touch Myselfby the Divinyls

2. Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John

3. I’m Shipping Up to Bostonby the Dropkick Murphys

4. The Look of Love by ABC

5. Move Thisby Technotronic

6. Personal Jesusby Depeche Mode

7. I kissed a Girlby Jill Sobule

8. Extreme Waysby Moby

9. Give Me Some Love by James Blunt

10. Pictures of You by The Last Goodnight

11. Hold Onby KT Tunstall

12. Shut Up and Driveby Rihanna

13. Every Little Counts by New Order

What I wouldn’t have given for iTunes when I was 13 and had to have my sister’s college friends make me mixed tapes!

Happy Thursday,

~Margo

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