A Good Night

I have no idea if I met my word count goal. LOL. I'm sure I ran a little short, though. I started adding on to a new scene and then ended up salvaging some stuff from the original MS. My word count was 5K by time I finished, but it does need to be cut down quite a bit. I basically wrote until I couldn't stay awake another minute and then just ended up cutting and pasting the salvaged bits straight into the scene. I fiddled for about a half minute and then called it good for the night. Hopefully I can straighten the whole thing out this afternoon and then move on to something new.

I figured I got close enough to finish up SPECIALS. Okay, maybe I gave myself a little leeway, it being a holiday and all. (g) Finished it a little bit ago -- LOVED it. I'll get to a review in the next day or so. (On to THE SWEET FAR THING!! *yay*)

I decided NOT to go out tonight. So I'll be typing away when the ball drops (theoretically). I'll probably ring in the New Year with a glass of wine, but I really want to stay sharp and focused on my book right now. So no late night parties for this girl. She's on a mission. (g) It'll be good cuz I'll have the house to myself...and I can calm the dogs when everyone shoots off their guns. LOL.

Ohh! And I'm headed over to B&N shortly. Want to see if the fabulous Joanna Bourne's book is out yet. THE SPYMASTER'S LADY is getting some STELLAR reviews and I can barely wait to have it in my greedy little paws. After all, I don't want to be the last person on the forum to have read it. LOL. I (she says sheepishly) don't usually venture over into the romance section, but I'm hoping to snag a few people so I can talk up the book. It's not often I can say, "I know her!" Well, I CAN actually say that quite a bit lately. The community of writers I belong to kicks some MAJOR ASS. I swear, it seems like every other day someone is making a big announcement about finding an agent or selling a manuscript. Very exciting group to interact with, and I hope I can make such big announcements soon. :)

Okay...I'm off.

Load Of Excuses

So, yeah...didn't make my word count goal last night. In fact, I didn't even open up my WIP pages to work on it. I think the consecutive nights of 5am writing sessions finally caught up with me. I lazed around all day, and when I was finally willing and able to write, a friend rang me up to come hang out. It's one of those dilemmas -- I haven't seen a lot of my friends for quite some time because of finals, etc. But man, I really need to finish this damned book. LOL. Of course, my thoughts didn't work nearly that fast and I agreed before really giving it enough consideration.

At any rate, I had a lovely evening -- laughing my ass off and getting caught up on all the gossip (and spreading my own, of course).

So, I've added half of last night's words to tonight's goal and the rest to tomorrow's. EEE. 3750 words. Just starting now--weekends are NOT good for me. Way too many distractions. But it may have turned out for the best in the end -- major breakthroughs the past couple of days and I'm super excited to get started. It's really the first time--in quite a while--that I can "see" the events that I need to write. And the things I'm seeing are in that oh-so-tough middle. (YAY) PLUS -- and this is a huge bonus that practically had me jumping up and down in the aisle at Tarjay -- I figured out a way to reconcile those two scenes I wrote a while back. I wrote them, loved them both IMMENSELY, and then realized they wouldn't work together. But NOW they will. (eee) I'm super relieved and so happy I can include both.

Another realization I've had is that this book is going to be quite a bit longer than my original MS. How long? Hmmm, not sure. I'm usually pretty good at estimating these things, but I hesitate to say out loud that I think it will land somewhere between 115-120K. I. Hope. (oops) I could be way off, but man... that's a scary number to look at. Not that I'm afraid to write that much, just that it will take me longer than I anticipated. BUT...as people keep telling me, it's important to get my first book right. So if it takes that many words to finish, that's what I'll have to write. Personally, I prefer 100K. :)

In other news, I finally decided to start SPECIALS. I wasn't feeling well earlier so decided I would read until my meds kicked in. I got started and next thing I knew, I had used up my pages!!! Waaaaaa. Now I HAVE to write in order to find out what happens next. And hey, I was a GOOD girl -- I stopped when I hit the magic number (well, I went to the end of that chapter). TOUGH. Don't believe me? Try it some time. LOL. This book is SOOOOO good so far. Can't wait to get back, which means I better get to work. (g)

Oh Yeah, Baby

I made it again. Yes, it's late...but I'm happy I pulled this one out. Tomorrow I _must_ start writing before midnight. (VBG)

I had hoped to finish the big scene tonight, but I got a bit burned out -- physically and emotionally. So, I skipped forward, still staying in the same general area of the book. Hopefully I can tie it all up tomorrow. There isn't much left to write. Then I'll likely have to cut some stuff to tighten it up. Oh well -- that is for another stage in this process. (g)

But the good news is that I just banked me another hundred pages. :)

Page Creds: 178 Actually Read: NADA -- got me some reading to do. (g)

Oh..and no line of the day again.. Try again tomorrow. Dang spoilers. lol

Change In Plans!!

The ultimate bit of distraction landed on my doorstep today. Libba Bray's THE SWEET FAR THING (which reminds me that I still need to review REBEL ANGELS). So, because the wait for this book has been longer and much more excruciating, I'm hereby reserving the right to switch my page credits to it instead. I haven't decided which book (TSFT or SPECIALS) will call my name when I actually sit down to read...but it's going to be a serious smackdown. (g)

Anyway, I haven't even started writing tonight. Don't ask. I got distracted talking to some forumites and the night really got away from me. I'm still hoping to bring those 2500 words home, though... *deep breath* Another long night is ahead of me, fo sho.

Oh...and get this... TSFT is over _800_ pages. I'll have to complete FI to have enough creds to read the whole thing. LOL. I may have to up my page allowance...maybe 100 instead. (g) That still equals over 20K. Okay, that won't complete the book...but it will be a huge step. Ack...must get to writing. Must see what Gemma or Tally is up to!!

Did It!

Well, it's extremely late...I'm swaying in my chair, but dang it... I made my 2500 words. Got 2502, actually. (Big Cheesy Grin)

However, I will say that I deleted quite a few words throughout, so I definitely got more than that. But it's the running word count that I'm keeping track of. WHEW.. What a relief. Funny thing is that I probably couldn't hold up a book if I had the energy to read right now. Oh well, I guess that gives me that 78 page credit to build on. Tomorrow I'll find a new goal to shoot for. Same word count, of course. (g) Perhaps I'll ease into my day with a little reading -- you know, when I roll out of bed at noon. LOL.

The great thing is that I'm making extremely good progess on the BIG scene at the end. And I'm actually quite pleased with what I'm coming up with. Not only am I building on the original ideas I envisioned for this ending, but the process of writing is helping to spark new thoughts about other sections of the book. Stuff that is expanding upon my outline and making it stronger. I guess that says something about the kind of writer I am. LOL. That damn outline took me HOW long to nail down? Okay, two revisions...probably about 3-4 weeks spent working on it each time... add a few weeks to hear back from D.A. and I'd say it was close to three months when all was said and done. And not until today do I feel I can actually complete this book. Well, I always _thought_ I could...just never FELT I could when working on it with said outline and in that nasty chronological order. *shivers*

Anyway -- thanks to both Claire and Jenna for listening to me ramble and "testing" various snips out. LOL. You know I'm feeling better about things when I start sharing. (g) Calling it a night...catch ya on the morrow.

P.S. Wish I could post a Line of the Day, but major spoilers involved in this section. Maybe tomorrow. :)

How's This For Torture?

I've made another deal with myself. I will be allowed to read the first 78 pages of SPECIALS....AFTER I write another 2500 words. LOL. Am I rude, or what? It's just that the last deadline worked so well.

I'm getting a bit of a late start today. Here's hoping I can make it tonight. (g)

Ohhh... I went to see P.S. I Love You... really sweet movie. My friend Erin cried _the entire movie_. I kid you not. I've never seen such a splotchy, red face. But all the tears were definitely worth seeing Gabe...erm, I mean Gerry...(VBG)...do his sexy dance. You'll see what I mean. ;)

And those eyes....that smile....*swoon*

I Did It!

Dang it, I won me a book today. (g) I completed my 2500 words -- a little more even, and did it before B&N closed for the evening. About thirty minutes before, to be exact. So I ran on over and picked up SPECIALS -- the third book in the UGLIES trilogy.

And though the scene needs work, it's not bad. LOL. It's definitely a good set of bones I can work on later. It will need some fleshing out in some parts, some tightening up in others... but man, I wrote today. Feels great. Long overdue and missed.

I won't talk about how long it took me. I'm like an old car in winter these days. Hopefully this will be a good warm-up so I can keep the pace. I'd _like_ to have a SFD before school begins. Not sure how many words that is...but it's a lot. LOL. We'll see how it goes. Right now any forward progress is gold in my eyes.

Anyway... I think I'm gonna post a line of the day. Just for S&G's. :)

PRETTIES by Scott Westerfeld

Okay, I attempted to edit my HTML especially for this post...so man, you should feel reallllly special right now. (g) Kidding. But seriously, for some lame reason the "read more" option is appearing on EVERY post when I thought it would be on just the ones I designated that way. So...that's a problem I'm incapable of handling. Hopefully I can figure it out...but for now, ignore them all unless I say specifically to READ MORE. :)

THIS is one of those cases -- but only read more if you want to. It contains major spoilers from Book 1 of this series, reviewed here: UGLIES, and I wouldn't want to ruin anyone's enjoyment of that book, nor the beginning of book 2. So, onward.

PRETTIES by Scott Westerfeld
Young Adult Fantasy



Brief Synopsis: When we last left her, Tally Youngblood had surrendered herself to the Specials in order to be the test subject of an experimental drug that will hopefully cure the brain lesions that make people "think Pretty." We pick up a month later. Tally has become Pretty at last and is leading her life in New Pretty Town--where life is a whirlwind of parties and drinking, and happy acceptance of the world around them.

Although Tally has fleeting "feelings" that she's forgetting something, she doesn't remember her time back at The Smoke, nor does she remember David. That is until one night a Smokie sneaks into a party she's attending and leaves behind a special note--the letter she wrote to herself, along with the cure she had set out to test. With the assistance of a fellow Pretty, Zane, she fights to come out of the Pretty haze long enough to figure things out. When she does, they both take the cure meant for one person--not knowing whether it will work or kill them. It doesn't kill them, but doesn't cure them outright either.

Afterward, Zane and Tally set out to recruit other Pretties, including Shay and Perris--embarking on numerous tricks in order to be "bubbly." It seems huge rushes of adrenaline help clear Pretties' thoughts. Their main objective is to escape New Pretty Town and get back to the Rusty Ruins, where hopefully David and the rest of the Smokies will be headquartered. The only problem is that the Specials have become suspicious and are watching Tally and Zane very closely, doing everything they can to contain and control the pair. And, it's questionable whether or not they can trust everyone within their group. After all, the Specials have planted spies before...

**Evil Cackle**

This book, I have to admit right up front, got on my nerves in the opening chapters -- everything was either "bubbly" "bogus" or "SOMETHING-making" -- dizzy-making, headache-making, etc. Their lingo alone was like nails on a chalkboard. But, on a lot of levels this is a good thing. Tally is completely surrounded by the "Pretty haze" as I'm calling it...and well, she thinks and acts like a Pretty. Which of course is sort of innately annoying. (g) But she can't help it and I have to commend Westerfeld for doing a good job of maintaining her Prettiness -- even if I wanted to smack Tally around and throw the book at the wall. I just really wanted her to snap out of it, which is also another point in Westerfeld's favor. If I didn't already care about Tally, I wouldn't want her to become normal again. And I guess it was my hope/belief that her fog would eventually lift that kept me reading.

Once again, the world sucked me right in. He revealed a lot more of it in this book, and it was interesting to see other facets of the world that the Specials created. Being inside a Pretty's head really gave light to what the Smokies were fighting for.

Tally and Zane do develop a nice little relationship -- very sweet and endearing. The only problem is that I kept wondering why Tally didn't give more thought to David. Even after she started to pull away from her Pretty haze, she didn't really give him more than a fleeting thought here and there... and well, yeah, I didn't get that. I thought her motivations for getting out of New Pretty Town would really be more about getting back to him, when in actuality, he wasn't much of a factor at all. To be honest, that bothered me quite a bit.

Shay -- wow, Westerfeld took her in an interesting direction. I won't say more as not to spoil it. Perris, too, took an interesting route.

One thing I want to say about Westerfeld--it makes me laugh everytime.
That's his ability to plant little seeds in your head that get you thinking about how Tally can get herself out of a fix. I won't give away specifics, but when she runs up against an obstacle, my brain starts churning, and I start thinking, "Use the XXXX!! That'll work!!" The funny thing being that the characters always DO try to follow my directions and they never work. ROFL. That's happened at least three times now over the course of the two books. I suppose it's his way of letting the reader feel like they're actively participating. (g) Very amusing.

All in all, I have to say I didn't enjoy it as much as the first. I think that's because of the lingo and general air-headed comments made throughout. Plus there were times I just didn't like Tally's choices. However, true to the first book, Westerfeld left this one on a serious cliffhanger that makes me want to run out and buy the third. And oh, I will. (g)

Buy or Rent? BUY.

P.S. I've vowed I will NOT buy the third book until I've written 2500 words. I guess I better get started. (g)

UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld

I'm WAY behind on book reviews. So, I'm vowing to post a review as soon as I finish each book. Hopefully this will at least prevent me from falling further behind. (g) Somehow I'm doubtful. But I'm pretty excited to discuss this book and wanted to get right to it.

UGLIES by Scott Westerfeld
Young Adult Fantasy

Brief Synopsis: In the future (not sure how far), those in power have decided that all of the world's problems stem from a basic inequality of physical attractiveness. After all, there are those who are pretty, those who are ugly...fat/thin...short/tall... and if we all looked the same, this would alleviate a lot of the everyday arguments and attempts to one up each other. In essence, life would be bliss.

This is the world Tally Youngblood is born into. Her entire life, she's been taught to hate her looks and status as an Ugly. Her soul focus rests on her sixteenth birthday when at last she will undergo the surgery that will make her Pretty. Her best friend, Peris, has become Pretty, and now she must wait three months for her turn. Only then will she be able to escape her life in Uglyville and go to live in New Pretty Town, where life is full of fun, laughter, and constant parties.

As she waits impatiently for her birthday to arrive, she meets Shay, a fellow Ugly who, horror upon horrors, doesn't want to become Pretty. Shay tries to convince Tally to give up the life and come live with her out in the "wilderness" where Uglies are happy to be who they are, away from the overreaching hands of the Specials (those in charge).

Now Tally must decide. Does she go with Shay into an unknown future or does she stay to become Pretty? In the end, the choice may not be hers to make.

MUHAHAHA. (g)

Okay...

I think this book is fantastic. I know the idea isn't the most original in the world, but this is simply a case of an author taking it and making it his own in a fresh and exciting way. The thing I loved most about it is that I bought into this world right from the get-go, without having to hash through a bunch of backstory. It's a great example of an author just letting you go on the ride without holding your hand every step of the way, or feeling the need to explain every little thing in great detail in order to make sure you "get it?"

The pacing was wonderful--kept me turning the pages. Even kept me THINKING about the book while I was away from it... There were actually times I became annoyed by interruptions. Don't they KNOW Tally's in trouble and I MUST see how she gets out of it?? LOL.

Tally is a wonderful character. What I really liked about her is that she REALLY buys into the rules of her world. You're born...you're ugly...and your one goal in life is to become Pretty. That is the only thing that matters. That is the only thing she wants. To see that first wellspring of doubt appear in her mind was exciting for me as a reader...YES... You're okay as you are... you don't have to be Pretty!

Not to get too deep, but this book had a lot of social commentary about our society today. It was totally intriguing to have the characters reference things that we take for granted today... The funniest/saddest being when they looked at a fashion magazine (an ancient document that the Rusties (us) left behind when their world was destroyed.) It was horrifying for Tally because everyone was UGLY...and that includes the supermodels who were much too skinny to be Pretty. Plus, why would Uglies celebrate their...ugliness??

Anyway, this book is a great example of how, if you're raised to look at things a certain way, it will take a lot to change your perception--if it can be, that is.

Finally, I want to issue a warning: If you start this book and find you _really_ like it in the first hundred pages or so, go out and get the second. Trust me. You'll want it when you finish. (g) Thankfully, I did just that...and now can start PRETTIES. Yay. :)

Rent or Buy? BUY.

That Special Something

This morning I was feeling a bit lazy -- mostly because today is cleaning day and the longer I lingered in bed, the longer I could put off that particularly gruesome chore. Anyway, I decided to read a couple chapters of a new book. On the block is UGLIES by Scott Westerfield.

I started out saying I would read a chapter or two. Just enough to wake up my brain. Next thing I knew, I was a hundred pages in and lovin' it. I only stopped because my uncle wanted to get some lunch. While at the restaurant, my mind kept drifting back to the story...wondering what would happen next. Then I found myself telling my uncle all about it. To be quite frank, that doesn't happen too often. The talking about it part, I mean. Reading is such a personal experience and no matter how well you frame your thoughts and feelings, an outside person is never going to quite get it the way you do. (g) Anyway, I found myself going on and on about the rules of this society...the psychological impact it has on the characters...etc. etc. We had a nice little discussion about it.

Anyway, that got me to thinking about how great it is when a book you're reading has that kind of impact on you. The kind of impact that makes you want to rush back to the pages to find out what happens next...the kind of impact that makes you sad to see it all come to an end...that makes you want to turn around and start the book over again, just so you can relive it.

Isn't that the greatest feeling? And isn't that what we as writers should be aiming for?

More Christmas Cheer

This song always reminds me of Home Alone -- the scene where the little dude is singing in front of the mirror and puts on a good dose of aftershave. (G) Too funny...

Here

...thinking I need to watch that movie now.

P.S. Thanks to Marissa for sending this!

A Little Holiday Cheer

Courtesy of Sara and Helene...

Phew!

Been a crazy couple of days -- whirlwind of dealing with family issues, recovering from a hellish semester, trying to write, and trying to finish that dang book I was reading. LOL.

I'm happy to report I finally finished the book, which shall remain nameless. I simply have nothing good to say about it...and well, even I'm not that mean. (g) I wish the author great success, but man, don't know if he/she will be getting anymore of my duckets.

Other than that--nothing much. I realized today that I have a big Christmas dinner with my fam on Saturday and I haven't done any shopping... Nor have I purchased my gifts for the big family gathering on Christmas Eve. I'm way behind, IOW. :) It's been nice relaxing at home, tho... I definitely needed a break for a day or two. Now back to the regularly scheduled program of hardcore revisions (I hope).

Another Book Review Coming...

...for the Avon Reading Group.

This months book is THE WARRIOR by Kinley MacGregor (aka Sherrilyn Kenyon).

My sister is a huge fan of her books, so I'm interested to read it. I tried one of her paranormal books once, but couldn't get into it because the book was well into the series and I was too confuzzled.

I think this is actually mid-series, so I guess I'll have to suck it up and push forward. LOL.

Anyway -- a review to follow as soon as I finish... Just got the book today, so now I need to decide whether I want to finish the (nightmarish) book I'm reading or start this new one. (g)

It's A Start

Boy did exhaustion kick in last night... then procrastination as I chatted with some friends on IM. I pretty much gave up on that word count goal around 2 when I dragged my butt to bed, shocked I had managed to stay up that long. Just goes to show how IM can do that to you. (g) It's the vaccuum of time suckage.

But true to my word, I pulled out pen and paper and wrote before falling to sleep. I haven't typed the words in for an official word count, but it has to be around 500-600 words. So yay, I made it after all. I even managed to read a few chapters before nodding off. It's probably one of the worst books I've read in quite some time, but I'm sort of fascinated by it in a "car wreck" sort of way. It's a book people have gone ga-ga over, so I'm just a little more than befuddled. Sometimes I wonder -- if the publishing world goes nuts about THIS kind of book, is it a world I want to be in? (g) Then I remember it takes all types... thank God. :)

Whew

Well, I've read through everything -- well, all of the new stuff. Man, I actually laughed out loud in a couple of spots. Crazy considering how many times I've read through this MS. I guess that's a good sign. (g) At any rate, I noticed something very interesting -- I actually liked the newer stuff better than the first 100 pages. Not that those pages are bad, but for some reason I get a greater sense of visuals and setting in the later stuff. It reads much smoother, even though it's a bit darker. So maybe I'll be okay after all. (g) I just need to make sure everything is even throughout, which means I may have to go back and fluff out the first 100. No biggie and definitely not something I'm going to worry about at this point.

Anyway, I'm feeling reaquainted with the book now... now on to those words...

And So Begins My Real Final

Unlike with school, I'm not giving myself the night off on writing. It's been too long since I've written anything, and I know myself too well. First, I'll say I need tonight off to recuperate...then that will turn in to, I deserve to take it easy and watch a movie or read a book tomorrow... and then it will be Christmas preparations calling my name and I'll need to do my shopping... then to visit with family...etc.

Nuh-uh! I'm cutting that crap off right now....stopping it before it starts. (g) As I type, I'm printing out everything I have of FI -- gonna do a read through and then with any luck, get some writing in tonight. I'm shooting for 500-1000 words before I allow myself to collapse. Nothing major, but something that will hopefully get me started in the right direction.

Hey, I allowed myself a good meal and an hour nap before pulling myself out of bed again. (g) I can do this... *she says through droopy eyes* LOL. Nah, I'll be fine. I can at least _read_ through everything tonight. I'm definitely going to pipe in some Christmas music. That's an absolute must. :)

ETA that my IM is officially back on again. (g)

Whoot Whoot Whoot!!

I'm finished -- end game -- all done. OMG, that last final was killer, but it's O.V.E.R.

Now I must sleep. :)

Ending In Sight!

All righty, the official tally is now four finals down, only _one_ to go! WHOOT! I'm so excited to finish and, more importantly, finally manage to get more than 3 hours of sleep a night. (g) This stuff is hard on a person.

It's _beautiful_ outside. We got a few inches of snow last night -- it's light and poofy and the kind of weather that makes a person want to go frolic and play in the drifts until your toes and fingers go numb--and then for 5 more minutes. (g) Unfortunately, I have a feeling if I were to fall down, I wouldn't be able to get back up at this point. The only place I'm headed is to bed for a quick nap before I start in on studying again. lol. Oh man, what a life.

_Two_ more days. *closes eyes and holds on to that thought*

My Eye Is Twitching, My Head Is Pounding, And I Feel Like My Brain Is Imploding

Need I say more?

P.S. Three finals down, only two to go.

Oh Man, Put Me Out Of My Misery

The good news is that another final is over. The bad is that I still have three left. Blah. :)

Today was especially trying. Our dean sent out this "emergency weather" notice last night, making my study group think the weather would deliver us an early Christmas present: i.e. a canceled final. And boy did Mother Nature deliver. I walked outside this morning and found an icicle that sorta resembled my car. Cue PANIC.ATTACK.FROM.HELL...cuz despite the weather, the jer..I mean those in charge, decided to hold our final anyway. Schools statewide were shut down...but not us. Only doomsday conditions will make the University of Nebraska close. Trust me.

It took me a good 10-15 minutes to get a door open. LOL. And that's only because I crawled through my hatch in the back and rammed my shoulder into one from the inside for about 5 minutes. Dude, I'm so sore. I worked my way forward, eventually getting the driver's side open. By this time, I'm full on freakin' out because my final is in 45 minutes. There's at least 20 minutes of ice (if not more) on my windows and with the roads.... *EEEE*

Thankfully it turned out okay. My uncle--who gets to park in the garage (hrm), was out and about already and willing to swing back around to take me to school. WHEW. Yeah. Would've been great if it had been canceled. (g)

Anywho -- next final is on Thursday. I'm off for a catnap and then it's time to hit the books again. Oh...and only 6 days left. (VBG)

8 Days

That's how long I have until this semester is over. And yes, I'm counting down. Here's Chloe's outfit. You can't tell, but she has a nice red/white stole around her neck. She's sooo happy. (heh)

One Down, Four To Go

It's not much of a milestone, but hey... it's something. (g) To help me remember what season it is, I figured I could post some holiday pics. My sister bought this doozy of an outfit and Bailey just LOVED it. (heh, right)

Oy!

I'm tired. I've been on the go all day -- just got home from a six hour study session and man, my brain feels numb.

Anyway, I wanted to share some pics I took this morning. We got our first real snow of the year, and it was so pretty. :)

Notice there aren't any dog tracks coming out of that dog door? When I was snapping these pics, both dogs were curled up on opposite ends of our sofa -- they wanted nothing to do with the cold. (g)
Backyard
Backyard
Out the front door.

Yo!

I'm still here -- counting down the days until this hellish season of finals is over...but here. (g)

True to form, I'm totally getting psyched up to write. LOL. I'm trying to hold back -- journaling about my thoughts for this or that scene, throwing out some questions on the forum... When I finish finals, a week from Monday, I hope to take off at a sprint. I have to say that the snippet thread on the forum went a LONG way with helping me along this road. The comments I received were so encouraging, and I've vowed to read through that thread every time I start in with the self-doubts. So thanks to everyone for that!

Anyway, I think I've figured out how to handle the last complaint D.A. had about my outline. WOOHOO. :) I'm actually really excited about it -- it's mostly regarding the ending. It will definitely have an impact on book 2, but I'm pleased about the ripples it will create. AND...*drum roll* it's nothing that major. LOL. Just a few minor tweaks to the chapter I have at the end already...and it will be good to go. Whoot! That's definitely the best part of it all. (g)

So yeah... I know I should be concentrating fully on finals, but let's be realistic here. (g)

ETA: I have the last line for book 2. (VBG)

Still Kickin'

I just realized that my last post was on Tuesday. I didn't really intentionally set out not to blog this past week, but life and school and such just seemed to be drowning me a bit. Finals for me start one week from today. Yep, you read that right. I have a final on a _Saturday_. Two actually, as I have one the next Saturday, too. How wrong is that?

Anyway, right now I'm concentrating on trying to prep for finals. I'm doing _okay_. It seems like there's never enough time in the day and my study partner and I have the _craziest_ study schedule set-up. It's not a lot of fun. I don't know what I was thinking when I took on this course load -- way too many difficult classes lumped together, let me tell you. All in addition to the pressure of revisions. Well, obviously something has to give, so writing is on the back burner until the 17th. Then FOUR weeks of uninterrupted writing time. Ahhhh.. I can't wait. :)

Other than that, I've been dealing with some personal issues that have left me a bit down. Right now, it's really all about trying to keep my chin up and soldiering on. So any good thoughts or prayers are more than welcome at this point--for both me and my family.

ANYWHO -- not to make this post all kinds o' depressing. Here's a pick me up, courtesy of Helene B. :)