Heeheehee

OMG! Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE revising my manuscript? Uh, yeah, I'm serious. Seriously LOVING THIS! When the pieces start to fall into place AND make sense, I get all giggly and my heart swells! I had to stop long enough to share my glee.

Of course, I still have to revise the first chapter AND the synopsis for the Golden Acorn final round so I can mail them on Monday. Have I started that assignment yet? No. Oh, leave me alone! I'll get to it. I still have Thursday, Friday and ALL weekend. I'll do it and I'll continue my revisions on the rest of the story. I'll do it because Caitlin (my muse, remember?) and I are on fire now!

And The Beat Goes On

I'm still sick, but not nearly as bad as I was. Today the kids took state mandated testing so I couldn't do a thing. So while I monitored them, I thought about Danger. Once the kids were finished, I started jotting down notes and scenes and came up with some great stuff! I also wrote about 600 or 700 new words on the manuscript! Yay! But the best part of the day was when I figured out my writing plan for the time between now and my summer vacation trip (in July). I've decided I'll have a polished partial, query letter and synopsis by my June Austin RWA meeting. Not only that, but I will have sent off 5 agent queries. Then I plan to have my manuscript completely revised and finished by July 1. So you hold me to it. Keep me on track.

Feelin' Better

Just in time to go back to work. Of course. But that's okay. I spent a lot of time today running errands, doing laundry, thinking about my revisions, reading Karen Rose's book and thinking about grading papers. My appetite had suffered from this cold over the weekend, but today I was back to normal. So tonight I went out to eat and celebrated my final. Now maybe I should focus on revising the entry and sending it in for final judging.

In Between With A Positive

I'm feeling a bit better, but not quite well enough to get back to all I want to do. So I'm staying on the couch and I'm reading and napping.

On my last check of e-mails, I received one from the Charter Oak RWA chapter. Dance Away, Danger finaled in their contest, the Golden Acorn Contest! I have a week to revise if I choose, revamp the synopsis and mail it back to the contest coordinator. It's the first final for this manuscript and it will soon be off to a Harlequin editor for final placement. Oh, and how cool was this? One of my judges said, "Overall impression is that you’re not a beginning writer. You have studied your craft and know how to put this together....Keep writing. We need more writers like you." That just made my day!

The Verdict Is In

It's a cold complete with fever, chills, congestion. I fell asleep on the couch last night (after doing my 100 words for the day). I woke up feeling a bit better, but I just got back from the store (had to pick up more comfort foods) and I'm wiped. So, I'm going to grab a popsicle, pop some more pills and keep watching episodes of Dark Angel. My friend Monika loaned me the DVD so I figure it's the perfect time to watch since I don't have the energy right now to concentrate on much else. But I will get my writing done, some revisions done and some reading done too. There's plenty of time left in the day. Hope your day's better than mine.

And With The End Of The Week

...comes something that's either the beginnings of cold or an allergy attack. UGH! I'm pretty sure it's allergies. They've been bad this year! So I intend to relax tonight, eat some comfort foods, drink lots of tea and water, and read a bunch. I'm looking forward to finishing Alexander McCall Smith's Love Over Scotland during the weekend. And of course I intend to work on my own revisions. Oh and keep up with my 100 words for 100 days. (The kids and I are on day 75!) I could always pop in a Bourne movie too. Hhhmmm, the weekend's looking better already! Have a grand weekend yourself!

Later: Yeah, a good two weeks away from the manuscript and I'm having no trouble finding all the holes that need to be fixed! And to think, I'm only on chapter 2!

The Week's Almost Over!

The students are starting to show really bad attitudes now and it's driving me crazy. The only thing keeping me sane is the fact that we have 28 school days left. This weekend is a 3-day weekend for us and I intend to get a chunk of grading/ school work done. Then the next 2 weeks are filled with various activities and so it shouldn't be a bad time. (Maybe I'll even get caught up! Or close to it.) I'm planning to see Nim's Island this weekend too and of course I want to get a HUGE chunk of work done on Danger. Oh, I can't wait for summer so I can concentrate on my writing again for more than an hour here, a half hour there! My "food plan" is going along MOST EXCELLENTLY this week. I'm averaging an hour and a half at the gym each day and I already feel soooo much better! Okay, off to work with me.

Tagged

Elisabeth tagged me. To find out more about me, read on.

Six Random Things About Lexi...

1. I'm known far and wide for my countdowns. I usually know the number of days until the end of the school year before we finish the first week of August training. I countdown for vacations, TV show premieres, movies, and anything else you can think of. The people at work have already started asking me how many days until the school year is over. I've even got it up on my board in the classroom. (Got this from Dad. He had a countdown of my college graduation before I finished my freshman year!)

2. I interned with the New England Patriots for a season during college. (Met my best friend there.) I got to go to training camp and onto the field for several games.

3. I sing. I wanted to be a singer when I was little, but I HATE getting up in front of people. I would love to sing commercials for cash now. A writer friend recently asked me to sing a song she's writing for her website. I'll let you know if and when it goes live!

4. I went on a trip in high school where we toured 4 countries in 8 days. England, France, Germany and Switzerland. It was a busy time, but oh what a fantastic trip!

5. 2 of my teachers died while I was in their classes. My 4th grade teacher died of breast cancer and my high school anatomy & physiology teacher died of lung cancer.

6. I'm absolutely addicted to bread/ rolls (bagels, croissants, etc.). Plain, with butter, dipped into pasta sauce, in a sandwich. I'll take it any way I can as often as I can.

Feel free to share your own 6 random things about you. If you do, leave me a comment so I can visit your blog and learn more about you!

Revisions

I started my revisions on Danger today and I sooooo wish I could keep going! I've gotten a little bit accomplished, but I have to switch to doing stuff for the day job. You know, the one that pays the bills and keeps a roof over my head. But each day of the work week I expect to get at least a page or two (or more if I can!) revised. Then the weekends I can carve out chunks of time to work on it too. Plus, I've got 3 personal days I can take from work and I intend to take them all and use them for writing!

I happen to love the revision process. I know, this puts me in the minority, but I'm okay with that. I happen to think a story truly takes shape in revisions. I'm the type of writer who does several rounds of revisions. I used to do 3 or 4, with the last being a read-aloud last minute revision.

This time I'm approaching my revisions in a new way. In this 2nd draft, I'm reorganizing my scenes and starting to flesh out the scenes, the characters, the plot. In the next round of revisions, I plan to read through and concentrate on my heroine. Is she doing and saying things she would do and say? Has she grown sufficiently in the story? Then the 4th draft will be concentrating on the hero only. Then the 5th draft will be the "last chance" to pull all the pieces together and make sure it flows nicely.

Okay, gotta go. The day job duties are calling...

I've Decided

Some people see the Phantom of the Opera a kazillion times. I will see Lord of the Dance whenever I get the chance. I remembered a lot from the time I saw it (8 years ago, I think) in Las Vegas, but it was also like seeing it for the first time. My arms ached from clapping, my throat was sore from yelling, and my feet still wish they could move like that! The costumes were beautiful, the lights were dazzling and the dancers were absolutely fantastic. Magical, even. If you ever have the chance to see it, don't miss this show! For now, reward yourself. Click on the link and watch clips of the dancers in motion. Go on, do it. You know you wanna!

I want to end this post with a little humor. Here's a conversation the couple sitting behind me had during intermission:

Woman: This is Celtic (pronounced like seltic). I thought it was supposed to be Irish.
Man: It is Irish. Celtic (seltic) has to do with the Irish and the English.
Me (sitting there thinking the "seltics" are a basketball team in Boston)
Woman: I'm not even sure what the story is.
Man: All I know is there's a fairy in it.
Woman: It's good, though.
Man: Oh yeah.

Hooray to people who venture outside their comfort zones!

Psyched Tonight!

The day job just threw a BUNCH more paperwork at me when I thought I'd almost finished. Ugh! But that's all right. I've got 7 weeks left. I can handle it!

I'm still doing my 100 words a day on several different stories. As for reading, I'm almost finished with Debra Webb's book. I should finish tonight.

I'm excited to get back to Danger. I think the 2 weeks off DEFINITELY works in my favor. (Well, in my muse's favor too!) I've got great ideas and I'm so eager to get back to it. I'm ready to shape it into the AWESOME story it's meant to be. Stay tuned for that...

AND I'm especially psyched tonight because I'm going to see Lord of the Dance! I saw the show when I lived in Las Vegas and LOVED everything about it. When the announcement came that it would happen here in Austin, I actually almost passed on seeing it. But the saner side of my brain said, "Are you nuts?" So, I'll be listening to great music and watching talented dancers tell a wonderful story! I'll share details tomorrow.

I Was Wrong!

My friend Deb DID final in the Fab 5! She finaled in Historical, which didn't announce until today. YAY Deb! I'm off to do a happy dance for her!

Update

Well, I didn't final in the Fab 5 and neither did my friends. That's okay. I still think it's a great contest. Congratulations to all the finalists!! Great accomplishment! As for my entry, what I sent surely was my best effort at the time, but it got so much better in later drafts. We'll see how it fares in the next round of contests.

My "food plan" took a direct hit when I went out for pizza tonight and they had my favorite-Hawaiian (you know, pineapple and ham). To make up for it though, I went to the gym and walked 3 miles on the treadmill while I watched The Biggest Loser. That show is very inspiring! I don't have nearly as much weight to lose as those people, so watching them makes me feel like a wuss for any complaining I do!

Tomorrow's hump day. I get to work the book fair until 6pm. We've barely made ANY money. I can't wait until it's over.

I only have a few more days off from my writing so I'm off to make the most of my time and read!

Monday Check In

As usual, the weekend was WAAAAAYYYY too short. I got some grading done, watched my nephew's soccer game, wrote my bare minimum for the writing challenges, got some serious reading done and got some good ideas flowing for Danger's revisions.

I decided to take another week off from Danger even though I'm jotting notes and thinking about ways to make it better. I just feel very strongly that another week will do me and my muse wonders. Besides, the book fair will be over and my obligation to be at work for 10-11 hours a day will be completed.

I figure next weekend I'll be chomping at the bit to get back to work. Just in time too. I've got a contest deadline coming up that requires a synopsis. I've got the skeleton 1 pager from another contest, but this one needs to be bigger and better. By now I should be able to expand the 1 pager in all the right places.

Lastly, a writer friend reminded me that the Fab 5 contest should be announcing finalists soon. I'm trying not to get my hopes up. There are 3 of us from the Austin RWA group (that I know of) that entered. Fab 5 is a great contest. It was my very first contest back in 2002. I came in 3rd from the bottom in the romantic suspense category, but I got such awesome feedback. (The very next year I entered again with a different manuscript and won the category!) Keep your fingers crossed for my friends and me! (If you entered, let us know so we can cross our fingers for you too.)

One Wrong Step

A Review by Lexi Connor

Love ‘em and leave ‘em reporter John McAllister approaches Celie Wells for information on a news story concerning Celie’s dead ex-husband. But from the moment she greets him, McAllister knows there is a lot more to the story…and to Celie. As the story unfolds, McAllister, playboy extraordinaire, realizes he’s met the woman he can’t walk away from.

When Celie Wells opens the door to her deadbeat ex-husband, she never imagines the trouble he’ll bring to her life again. Within hours though, he’s murdered, the FBI comes knocking with questions she’d rather not answer, and a ticked off, ripped off drug kingpin sets his sights on Celie. But the most dangerous threat of all? John McAllister and the feelings his touch, words and actions stir within her.

Reading One Wrong Step reminded me why I love this new author. Once again, she’s given us a well-crafted suspense and a true romance with believable characters. In Celie, Ms. Griffin has created a wonderfully complex heroine who is definitely worth rooting for from page one. As for McAllister, it was fun to watch him discover his true feelings for Celie as he worked to peel back the layers of her personality and to protect her from the bad guys. And I can’t forget Ms. Griffin’s secondary characters who carve out their own niche in the story and in the reader’s mind. This is a fun read you won’t want to miss. Laura Griffin has a solid spot on my list of top ten romantic suspense authors!

Thursday

The family stress has passed...for now. I finished Laura Griffin's book! Look here in the next few days for a review. I ate my way through the stress and ruined my "food plan" progress. Ah well, another day starts soon. Got lots of grading done today. Tomorrow is Friday! Hopefully planning to see Nim's Island this weekend. Catch you on the other side of Friday! (Or tomorrow if I have anything worth sharing.)

Checkin' In With Nothing To Say

Hiya. Nothing new to tell. I'm just moving along. I'm still reading Laura Griffin's book and hope to finish this week. I'm working hard at the day job (well, not right this second) and starting to plot and plan for the last 2 months of school. (It's always nice to see the light at the end of the tunnel.) Tonight is my Austin RWA meeting. There's still some family drama happening and I'm having some awkward reactions to it. (Well, not so much awkward as disconcerting) I'll try to find some other information to share with you over the next fews days since I really don't think I'll be in the mood to blog regularly for a while but I do want to update the blog.

New Goals

The chapter 2 & 3 clean up? Yeah, not happening. My heart isn't in the story right now so I'm starting my "vacation." For my 300 words for the writing challenges, I've switched to a Scottish contemporary. I'm aiming this week to finish reading Laura Griffin's book. Yesterday at Sherry Thomas's book signing, I bought 3 books: 72 Hours by Dana Marton (Harlequin Intrigue), Silent Witness by Leona Karr (Harlequin Intrigue) and Expecting a Miracle by Jackie Braun (Harlequin Romance). This afternoon I've got some serious school work to do, but I'm also going to see the movie Stop-Loss. Have good rest of the weekend!

Celebrate With Me!!!!

Woohoo! The rough draft of Dance Away, Danger is DONE!! That's right. D-O-N-E!

I'm so excited about it! Yes, I have TONS of work still ahead of me, but all the major details are revealed and now I can dream about how much better I'll be able to make the story on the next round! (In case you've forgotten, I'm one of those odd people who loves the revision process.)

My goal this weekend is to clean up, reorganize and revise chapters 2 & 3 to send to the CP and then I'm taking a week off. Maybe 2. I need a break in between drafts. Caitlin (my muse) has requested a short vacation and so I'm going to grant her that. Can't have her revolting when I start revisions, now can I?

And what am I going to do to celebrate being done with the rough draft? Today I'm going to the bookstore! Have a great day!

A Simple Question With A Not So Simple Answer

This was a conversation with one of my seventh grade boys yesterday.

Student: "Miss, are you going to sell a book?"
Me: (In my mind- "Well, of course!") "Do you mean soon?"
Student: "Yeah."
Me: "Well, I can't answer that. I'm really trying, doing my part to sell, but it's a lot harder than it seems."
Student: "Oh."
Me: "I know it will happen, but you'll probably be long gone from this school before it does. Why do you ask?"
Student: "So I can buy one."

Once I got over the initial horror of thinking of my students reading my material, I thought, how sweet is that?

Babble On...

Poppin' in to say hi. The day job's busy this week. Well, more than usual. I'm still making my 300 words a day. I'm looking forward to finishing the rough draft of Danger sometime this week and then I think I'm going to give myself 1-2 weeks off from that story. I'm actually thinking of taking the time off from ALL stories (well, except for the 100 words a day I HAVE to write with my students!) because I'm feeling a bit burned out and I don't want to overburden myself. I'm getting great ideas for the next book, but no scenes worth writing yet. Just notes. Notes are good. For now, I'm going to read. Tomorrow and Thursday I get to play ESL Coordinator again. My entire days will have only to do with that part of my job. Although it's a bit hectic and stressful, I wouldn't change a thing. Oh yeah! I've talked one of my students into teaching me Spanish. He gave me homework and doubled it today when I didn't bring it in from last night. Guess I should get that done before bed. I hope you're having a good week and I'll catch up with you again soon. Hopefully I'll have some more interesting stuff to share.