While reading my friend Jill’s blog and then her friend’s Gena’s, I had to laugh at the photos they were sharing of their high school hair because I could totally relate. So, in honor of what they’ve started, I’ve decided to be brave and share a couple of my wild high school hair photos. Be kind, and remember it was the ’80s and AquaNet was my friend.

Another admission: No, these aren’t from solitary trips to proms. They’re from, uh, beauty pageants. Yes, that’s right. Those of you who know me now can stop laughing at any time. I’m not sure what was happening with that hair in the second picture where I’m wearing the white dress. Perhaps I’d stuck my wet finger in an electric socket. Geez!

Writing update: Amazingly, I finished the partial of my new young adult manuscript in 6 days and sent it off to my agent tonight. Wahoo!!

I like to believe that I’m very sensitive to people’s feelings and do my best not to offend anyone. I’m very, very unhappy when I hear people saying things I find prejudiced or downright bigoted. Therefore, it’s quite odd that I find Reno 911 funny. They say some really un-PC, crude things, but I find myself laughing out loud, snorting even.

On the opposite end of the witty, intelligent spectrum is The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I think Jon is brilliant. I love hearing his hilarious take on the daily news. I’m a journalist by trade and, honestly, The Daily Show does a better job of presenting news than some “actual” news programs. Don’t even get me started on how pathetic I think news coverage is these days. I’ve got to think there’s something more important to cover than the plethora of celebrity trials in California.

Manuscript update: Finished Chapter 3 of the new young adult manuscript this morning. Tomorrow, I’ll begin revising and working on a synopsis. Oh, the joy!

I’m a big fan of two book series that have new installments out this summer. Janet Evanovich’s Eleven on Top is the lastest in bounty hunter Stephanie Plum’s adventures, and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince has booksellers practically dancing for joy. Since I have roughly 400-500 unread books in my to-be-read pile, I’ve requested these two from the library. And wow, it might be 2006 before I get to read either of them. As of this morning, I’m hold number 266 of 276 for Eleven on Top and, remarkably, hold number 391 of 488 for the newest Harry Potter. Wow! For those of you who are writers, can’t you just dream of writing a book or series that is so popular that there are more than 400 holds on your book at one city library before it even hits shelves? I want to have a J.K. Rowling-esque career when I grow up.

Well, it’s nail biting time. I’m pretty sure my Bombshell revisions are on the editor’s desk now, so I’m anxious, hoping she’ll love them. I’m watching the days tick down until National, and while I’d take a sale whenever it comes, what a wonderful conference it would be if I could go in riding high on the news of my first sale. Oh well, only time will tell, and it’s out of my hands now.

Wrote 12 pages yesterday and up to page 13 for today. Plan to get in a few more after a break to walk on the treadmill. I was able to fasten a pair of suit pants yesterday that I couldn’t just before last year’s RWA conference, so I’m pumped to exercise.

And I’m thinking a lot about the wonderful supportive network within the romance writing community. My friend Mary said such sweet things about my Bombshell manuscript in her blog today. Mary is super talented too, and I can’t wait to see her fabulous books on shelves.

I began my new young adult book last night and managed to write three pages late. My goal was five pages yesterday and five today to get the ball rolling on the new manuscript. I’ve made up those two pages from yesterday by writing seven today. Tomorrow’s goal: 10 pages, which should bring me to the end of Ch. 1 and take me into Ch. 2. If all goes as planned, I should be finished with the first three chapters by the end of the week and the synopsis by the middle of the next week. Then I’ll send it off to my agent for her comments.

I finished reading my friend Stephanie Feagan’s debut Bombshell today. Show Her the Money was a hoot, just like I knew it would be. I can’t wait to read the next installment in Pink’s adventures when She’s On the Money hits shelves in August.

Okay, so I had grand plans to work on writing today, but I’ve done nothing so far. I visited with family this morning, then did e-mail and checked out my friends’ blogs, then I got sleepy and took a nap. When I woke up, I had to go to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard since my coupon for buy one, get one free runs out tomorrow. Then I watched the third installment of Into the West. Well, I’m back at the computer now, so need to write at least a page or two to get me started on my new YA book and so today isn’t chalked up to a complete lazyfest.

Today’s question: If you have a big lazy day, how do you spend it?

Since turning in my Bombshell revisions a week ago, I’ve been busy but not on anything new. So when my agent called me yesterday to tell me she’d read and loved the revisions and that she was sending the manuscript out today to the editor who requested it, I asked her what she thought I should work on next. I’ve been noodling new young adult and women’s fiction ideas, so we decided I’d dive into the young adult book next. So, I’ve been writing down random plot and character ideas, naming my heroine, figuring out her GMC, some possible scenes, etc. I plan to actually start writing a few pages tomorrow and hope to have a partial off to my agent before I leave for my vacation/RWA National Conference trip.

So, to try to get some comment traffic on my blog, I’m going to pose a question: When you begin work on a new story, what do you typically do on the first day? Just think about it? Write down random thoughts? Do plotting/character charts? Dive in and start writing? I’m curious to see the answers. And please tell some other writer friends about this blog and questions. I’m getting comment envy when I look at other blogs and see comment numbers in the double digits.

My sister and I are big Dana Stabenow fans, and sis sent me a link a good while ago to a cybercast of Dana’s speech at the 2004 National Book Festival. The life of a writer being what it is, I just got around to watching it today while I was between projects. All I can say is that Dana is one cool chick as well as a fabulous writer. If you’ve not read her mysteries set in her home state of Alaska, get thee to the nearest bookstore or library and pick up a copy of A Cold Day for Murder, the first in the awesome Kate Shugak series. Dana’s writing is, in a word, evocative. I’ve never been to Alaska, but I feel like I have based on reading the Kate Shugak and Liam Campbell series. And for a study in marvelous characterization, you need look no further. Kate, Chopper Jim, Mutt, Bobby and the myriad of other odd and interesting characters make Kate’s real and three-dimensional.

As I listened to Dana’s presentation, I was 25-30 minutes in when she said something that made me go, “Yes!” She hit on a point I often make — that while we’re writers and craft and muse are important, the business side of writing is just as important. It’s just that, a business. Unless you’re writing purely for creative reasons and it doesn’t matter to you if you sell or not, you can’t escape the business side. You can still be creative and write wonderful stories, but you also have to treat your writing as a career. Dana says she writes at least 5 pages a day, and she sits in her chair in front of her computer until she’s written them — whether that takes only a small portion of her day or the whole thing! Can I get an Amen! Every writer is different, and that’s okay. But it’s always nice to hear a successful author advocate for the method I use, setting writing goals and sticking to them. Thanks, Dana.

To watch the cybercast of Dana’s speech as well as those of other authors such as Sandra Brown, Clive Cussler, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Joyce Carol Oates, Catherine Asaro and others, click here.

I got out of the house and enjoyed the outdoors today. I do a monthly freelance travel piece for the magazine I used to work for, and today’s journey took me to Pickett State Park on Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau. This park is located next door to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, a unit of the National Park Service. The area is filled with gorges, limestone cliffs, natural arches or natural bridges like the one pictured below, and caves. Even though it was bloody hot today, as I descended toward one of the caves in the park, I could feel the wonderful cool air. The path toward the cave’s opening was lined with verdant green ferns, rhododendron and the endangered Cumberland sandwort. When I stood at the sandy interior of the cave, I didn’t want to climb back up to where I’d left my car in the blazing sun.

After I finish this article and send it in, I’m going to start some preliminary plotting and characterization work on a new young adult idea. Hopefully this one will garner more interest than the YA that’s been languishing at the final three publishers it was sent to more than a year ago.

My friend Mary blogged about writer branding today, and it got me to thinking — just who am I as a writer? Most of my “success” has come in the field of romantic suspense. All of my Golden Heart finals have been in that subgenre. But as I look back at the manuscripts I’ve written, they break down like this:

1 historical (western, Oregon Trail)
5 plain ol’ romance (though when I look back, I can see suspense beginning to creep into some of them)
1 young adult
1 chick lit
1 women’s fiction
5 romantic suspense
1 suspense (the one targeted at Bombshell)

I can see myself writing any of these types of stories, with the possible exception of historical. I love to read them, not sure if I want to write them. Of course, it probably doesn’t matter since historicals are in a slump anyway. But romantic suspense, straight suspense, YA and women’s fiction — I have multiple ideas for all of those subgenres, and I think being able to write more than one type of story would keep things fresh and interesting for me as a writer.

Well, I’m off to work on one type of story — revisions to my women’s fiction so I can send some chapters to my critique partners.

After a couple of days off and then 9 hours either driving or visiting my dad in the hospital yesterday, I’m back in the writing saddle today. I’m not working on a book, but rather the program I’m doing with Anna DeStefano at the RWA Conference. Finally got my parts put together and sent off to Anna for comment. Next up, some work on the copy guidelines for the Wet Noodle Posse website and back to the treadmill after a few days off from that as well. Even though I enjoy time off now and again, it always feels good to get back to making some progress. Tomorrow, I’ll be back to working on revisions to my women’s fiction book, which I had to put aside when I got the request for the Bombshell revisions.

On TV: When I got home last night, I thought I’d be able to catch the second installment of Into the West at 9 p.m. But evidently they only do the encore, back-to-back presentation on Friday nights. I missed Friday night’s showings because we had company, last night’s because I was on the road home. Luckily, there’s one more showing in precisely 1 hour and 25 minutes. Instead, I lounged on the couch last night and watched what did come on TNT, Dances with Wolves. I hadn’t seen it in a long time, and it was fun to watch again even if with commercials it was 4 hours long! And it was interesting to see many of the same actors who are now starring in Into the West. Remember Otter, the little kid who fell off his horse while trying to steal Kevin Costner’s horse in Dances with Wolves? Well, that’s Michael Spears and he’s now playing Dog Star in Into the West. Made me realize just how many years have passed since Dances with Wolves came out. And, dude, does Wes Studi EVER play a good guy?