This post is going to sound a bit rambling, but really all topics have one thing in common, and that’s Jill (hence the post title).

1. Is it just me of have blurbs (esp Harl/Sil blurbs) become, well, sucky? I read Jill’s Free Fall last night. I read the blurb before I started and got a definite “eh?” vibe, but since it was Jill, I read it anyway. The book was awesome, but after I finished, I re-read the blurb and then got a definite “Huh?” vibe. It didn’t really have all that much to do with the book.

So, I read a few other blurbs of books that I really enjoy and the blurbs were all kind of “eh?”

For me, that’s one of my favorite things about ebooks. When the author has to write their own blurbs, I think they’re better. I think it’s much more effective to have the author have to sell their own book in blurb form than to have a publisher sell it. There’s not that whole blood sweat and tears thing going on.

But regardless of the blurb, everyone should still read it.

2. Jill’s “big bastard” made it into the book!

The bear scene was so much funnier having read Jill’s escapades on her blog! I actually laughed out loud at a few parts, just because I “know” Jill.

I guess my point here is how much blogging is cool! It’s cool for readers (I’m wearing my reader hat at the moment) to be able to interact with their favorite authors, and I think it brings so much more to the whole reading experience.

I know this has been discussed to death, but there are so many new authors I’ve added to my TBR pile because I read their blogs. (For instance, since I’ve decided I will not be able to wait ’til July to read the new Sherrilyn Kenyon book, I’ll also be picking up The Beast Within when I go to the bookstore this afternoon).

3. I’ve been judging contest entries for a contest that shall remain nameless (unless I already said it and then oh-well). The entries are bad. They’re really not good.

One of the questions on the scoresheet that I’ve been struggling with is “Does the setting enhance the mood and tone of the story?”

Now that I’ve read Free Fall, I understand that No, pretty much none of my entries do that. Towards the end of the book, Logan and Lily (can I say that I think it’s hysterical that when they get married her name is going to be Lily White) are spending their last night together. It’s dark and the snow was falling and it was perfect! There was just enough setting detail that I got how special EVERYTHING was.

Now I have to go lower my scores. *sigh*

So there you have it, three reasons for why Jill should be Queen of the World!

And now that I’ve written this, I hope I don’t come across as crazy….:shock:

So, yesterday I promised an introspective post, and after doing the blog rounds this morning, it becomes even more relevant.

First, go read Kacey’s post on Writing as a Career (go on, I’ll wait, just make sure you come back).

I consider myself having been writing seriously for about a year and a half. I use my “serious writing” barometer as when I joined eHQ, and that was about Jan 2004. I’d been writing before that, but I was a hobby writer.

Now, I’m a professional writer. I’ve been writing full time for 6 months now. In that time I’ve written 2 300+ pages ms (revising now), revised a 200 pg ms, written 1 novella and 1 short story. I’ve sold the revised ms and the novella. The short story is out. One of the ms will go off to the Blaze contest (hopefully before Nationals) and the other will be pitched at Nationals.

I need to have something out at all times or I get really nervous.

But here’s my thing. I don’t know how to relate to people who aren’t as serious as I am anymore.

I used to love to read the Introduce Yourself thread over at eHQ. Over the past little while I’ve found myself not knowing what to say to people.

Questions like: I want to be a writer, but I don’t know how to start, can someone help?

Huh? Well, you start by sitting down and writing.

Or: I’m stuck. How do I get unstuck?

Well, you just do.

Also: I don’t have time to write because of my kids.

Do you think you’re the only writer with kids? Didn’t Nora start writing because she was stuck inside with her kids? Suzanne McMinn has kids, doesn’t stop her from writing. Jill Shalvis has kids, plus a broken leg and a bear problem - she still writes!

I’m losing my newbie sensitivity and it kind of bugs me. I want to be the kind of writer who helps new people, but all I can think of to say is “Stop complaining and start writing” and I’m not sure how inspirational that is.

It’s not easy, but the only way you’re going to be a writer is if you write.

Reading closely doesn’t necessarily mean sitting close to the computer screen. After getting through my edits yesterday I could barely sit up straight.

But, I finished my read through, gotta compose my Errata (I already did so on paper, now I have to type it up) and then this bad boy is ready to go!! Next step, reviewers.

In good news, I awoke to my new N this morning!! The hardest part about putting the sucker on was opening the packaging. I wish I had the digital camera so I could take a picture of the N packaging but the Hubsters got it with him in CT.

First, it was in one of thos impossible to get into bubble wrap bags, in a box padded with foam, wrapped in a bubble wrap bag. It was a N, a laptop N. It could’ve fit in a small envelope.

But it’s back and I can type normally again. Good since I’ve got to start writing again now.

I was planning an introspective post for this morning, but well, N excitement won out so check back tomorrow for the other stuff.

Also, check out Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs because I don’t want to be the only one procrastinating! Let me know what you think!

Jill asked this question the other day, but I’m stealing.

And I’m not asking to get ideas what to read next (my TBR pile is out of control, plus, I’ve got stuff to do). No, really, I’m asking so I can rave about Gena Showalter’s Awaken Me Darkly.

While it wasn’t the amazingly, awesomely wonderful book that The Pleasure Slave was, it was pretty damn great! (I adore The Pleasure Slave. Like, it’s become one of my favorite romances ever. I have an unnatural attraction to Tristan - and not just unnatural because he’s fictional.)

I think that was my biggest problem with Awaken Me Darkly. Not enough of the deliciously yummy hero, Kyrin. I knew going in that it wasn’t a romance, but that didn’t stop me from wanting it to be!

And trust me when I say that Mia certianly didn’t need a hero. At point throughout the book I found myself wondering why I liked it so much (liked it so much to continue reading through a migraine that was brining tears to me eyes). I don’t think I’d necessarily want to be Mia’s friend (she’d hurt me), and at times she wasn’t even sympathetic. But Gena’s got a way with words that makes all of this stuff work.

The other day I also read Her Last Temptation by Leslie Kelly, the last Tempt we’ll ever see in the US. For those around the world, it may not be a good book-may not really make sense even-but I liked it a lot. Frankly, if you haven’t been a regular Temp reader, you probably wouldn’t care. And yes, perhaps I shed a tear or 2 at the end.

So, what are you reading, AND would you reccomend it?

Tracey!!!

Please email me with your mailing address and I’ll get your yummy smelling summer goodies off to you!

And in other good news - Amelia sold again! She sold a paranormal to Loose ID

First & Most Important - My bestest (yes I’m a writer - wanna make something of it?) CP Kim sold to WCP-Torrid!!! Her short story is going to be part of a Winter anthology which I think comes out in January. We’re going to be torrid buddies!!!

Have I mentioned I’m not a morning person? I’ve been up since 6 since I had to take The Hubster (he loves that name, btw) to the airport. Now, I’m crabby and lonely.

He’ll be at a conference for a few days and I just don’t do so well when I’m home alone.

I don’t go psycho or anything like that, but I keep really weird hours and sometimes forget to eat. I think it’s the artistic person in me that, without someone to keep tabs on me, forgets a lot of stuff.

When home alone, I’ve been known to take the laptop to bed with me, sleep from about 3am-6am(with the TV on), wake up and write (or not) for a few hours then go back to sleep, repeat. As you can guess, this messes with my eating habits as well. I probably won’t eat a real meal (unless you could Smart Ones Tuna Noodle as a real meal) until he gets back.

I got out my “Hubster’s Going Away” teddy bear (”Bear”), and the two of us are just hanging out.

What about you? Am I the only one or do others need a keeper, too?

Will be back later to announce the winner of yummy smelling stuff.

It’s to darn hot to post. It’s 90 here and still climbing. I seriously don’t know how people live without air conditioning when it gets this hot. Luckily all of our utilities are included in our apt here, so we can afford to be cool.

In other news, I got my galley’s yesterday! SQUEEK!!! (That was a SQUEE and an EEEK at the same time).

Plus, I got Kim’s crit back on the ms I want to sub to the Blaze contest so I’ve got that to edit. She also sent several chapters of her sexy vamp to crit (that’s not a hardship). I started judging my Inner Vixen entries but still have lots to do and I’m still procrastinating on my werewolf synopsis and pitch. And I want to sub the short story that I wrote for last weeks BIAW.

In short, I’ve got a lot to do next week.

But that’s okay, ’cause the hubster leaves for a conference tomorrow and will be gone ’til Friday.

Anybody wanna take bets on how much I’ll get done? And please, someone bet on my side, I need all the encouragement I can get!!

In other news, my new ($11) N should arrive on Tuesday!

Today is The Hubsters birthday so I’ll have to spend part of my day baking a cake. I don’t know if any of you know this, but I am an actual baking school dropout.

Yup.

I did one semester of pastry chef school before dropping out to become a writer. I thought about it and realized that it was really stupid to waste your time baking things from scratch when Mr. Duncan Hines was nice enough to put it in a box for you.

That opinion is not a popular one in baking school.

That was the last “What am I going to do with my life?” things that I did before really becoming serious about writing.

So, what are some weird jobs that you had while working towards the “What do I want to be when I grow up?” Do you think you’ve found it yet?

Me…well, I can work in retail with the best of ‘em.

This is going to be the last post for comments to win the cool summer stuff!! When I check (probably on Sunday) anyone who’s posted this week will be entered to win. There’s still time to go back and comment on any posts this week! (Your name can be in the had a max of 5 times).

I broke my N. Obviously it still works, but rather than there being a nice button to hit, instead there’s a little nobby thing where the N key is supposed to sit, while the actual key sits next to my computer mocking me. So, if anyone has any ideas where to find a replacement N key for an ibook, please let me know (I tried ebay, and while they had just about every other laptop key availabe, no mac’s).

But really, I was going to talk about writing!! Yes, writing!

I’m stealing this from a discussion we’re having on one of my online chapters. And the question is 2 fold.

1. Do you have to be interesting to be a writer?
2. Is there something of you in all of your characters?

I maintain that no, you don’t necessarily have to be interesting (although for interesting writers, ya gotta check out Jill’s blog). I think I’m interesting in that I know a lot of useless knowledge, but to other people, I probably just come off as really weird. I live much more in my head than I do in real life.

And I don’t necessarily think my characters are like me. I think there’s something of what I want to be in all of them, but that’s different.

So let me know what you think….and remember, summer goodies are still up for grabs!

The AFI has released their list of 100 greatest movie quotes of all time.

As the title of the post suggests, Scarlet and Rhett got the top spot.

Check out the list. Are there any there that you think should be but aren’t? I couldn’t think of any (”Nobody puts baby in a corner,” is number 98 and that was the one running through my head as I read the list).

What’s your favorite? Why? Anybody want to try to relate this to writing somehow (cause I sure don’t)?

Remember, you can still comment and your name will go in the hat for the summery prizes. Everybody still has more chances to win!

Oh, and Happy First Full Day of Summer!!