‘Tis the season for…static cling! I hate this time of year because I start to shock myself when I touch metal doors and such, like every time I get out of my car. I have to make sure I de-shock myself before I fill up the gas tank. I’d had to finally have a writing career only to blow myself sky high.

You know how I mentioned that people should get out and vote in my last post? Well, evidently somebody (lots of somebodies) got that message. I popped by the library yesterday to pick up a book, and the place was packed! It was the last day of early voting, and the line wrapped around and around the book stacks. It’ll be interesting to see how many people in total voted nationwide at the end of polling on Tuesday and if it breaks records.

I’m heading out today for Birmingham, Alabama, where I’m taking part in a reader event tomorrow. I thought about getting up early and driving down, but the more I thought about it, the less I liked the idea of getting up before the crack of dawn. Ugh. So, I’ll use my hotel points, get a room tonight, and work on line edits.

It seems like just yesterday that I was vying along with my fellow contestants in the American Title contest, but another year and another group of contestants have arrived. We over at the Title Magic blog (last year’s finalists) are hosting interviews with this year’s finalists this week and next in advance of the opening of voting. So if you’d like to get to know these contestants and their work more before placing your first votes, check out our interviews. Today, I’m interviewing Barbara Longley.

Speaking of voting, it’s the last day of early voting here. I’ve already voted, and by what the news reports are saying we’ve way surpassed the number of people who early voted in the last presidential election. Whatever the outcome, that’s good news. I firmly believe that if we live in a country where we are allowed to choose our leaders, we ought to make the effort to take part in that process. So if you haven’t voted yet, either hurry to early voting before it ends or make the time next Tuesday, no matter how long the lines. Take a book to read or an iPod to listen to as you stand in line. It won’t seem so long that way.

I’m finally home today (i.e. not working at office of the contract job), here to work on my line edits which arrived this week for Her Very Own Family, my May 2009 Harlequin American.

My sister just sent me a link to an article in The New York Times about the death of Tony Hillerman, one of my favorite mystery writers. I was saddened to hear of his passing. I’ve enjoyed his Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee series set on Navajo lands in the Southwest. Someday, I plan to visit Shiprock, New Mexico; Window Rock, Arizona; Canyon de Chelly National Monument and all the surrounding areas Hillerman detailed in his books. He was one of those writers who could make me feel like I’d been somewhere when I hadn’t. I think part of it is a tribute to his writing and part to the fact that a series allows the reader to keep going back to a setting over and over, learning more about it each time. That’s why I often credit mystery authors such as Hillerman, Dana Stabenow (Alaska) and Nevada Barr (various national parks) with being very good at making setting a character itself.

Anyone out there a fan of Hillerman’s? Of mysteries? What series do you like?

One year ago today, I sold my first two romances to Harlequin American. They weren’t my first sales — those had come three months earlier for my YA novels to Razorbill — but it was still the realization of a dream to sell to Harlequin. Now, I’m in wait-and-see mode, hoping that October proves to yield some more Harlequin sales for me. I’ve got three proposals with my editor, and I’ve heard they’ve been passed up to the senior editor for consideration, so fingers crossed.

And speaking of crossed, that’s how my eyes feel after working some more on the really long editing job. The print is fairly small, so I have a big, hammering headache. But because of three days of lots of editing, I should finish the job tomorrow. I only have 25-30 pages left.

Since I had a book waiting for me at the library, I decided to zip over there today and perhaps vote in the presidential election if the early voting line wasn’t too long. I’d tried to vote earlier in the week, but the parking lot was packed. People were even parking in the grassy areas beyond the parking lot. I decided to try another day. The parking lot was still pretty full today, so I took several pages of my freelance editing job in with me, intending to work while I stood in line. Maybe being prepared to stand in line is the key to not having to. I just walked right in, signed my paperwork, and voted. I’m even sporting my “I Voted” sticker.

I don’t go into politics on this blog because that area, along with religion, are two hot-button topics that can turn friends into enemies. I’m not going there. Still, this election is fascinating and historic, no matter what the final outcome. I watch a fair amount of political coverage — I’m heartened by some things I hear, and so incredibly disappointed in others. And this is from the voters, not the candidates. This was the first time we’ve ever donated to a campaign and the first time I’ve ever put a political sign in my yard. I will get absolutely no work done on the evening of Nov. 4 because I’m going to be parked in front of the TV watching the election returns.

Anyone else planning on parking it in front of the TV on the evening of Nov. 4?

more animals
I am a total sucker for baby animals of all kinds — okay, so not amphibians. I “aww” when I see puppies or kittens, always feel a tug toward any sign that says “free puppies” like I saw while driving through Texas last week, and I could spend a lot of time on Cute Overload if I let myself.

Today, in my freelance journalist persona, I went to a dairy farm in East Tennessee where they make their own cheese. They have 800 cows that get milked three times a day. While taking the walking tour, we passed the sheds where the newborn cows are kept. They were so cute! I wanted to pet one, but understandably we weren’t allowed to. There’s a two-fold reason — if they got petted by all the tourists who come through on the tours, they’d become pets instead of dairy cows. Also, that contact would pose germ-transfer risks. Still, it was fun to stand outside the pens and look into those big brown eyes.

Just a quickie post tonight to let you all know about a couple of site updates I’ve done this week. I added some new pages, one detailing what I’m currently reading (because I liked that feature whenever I was blogging on Blogger) and links to the two versions of an essay I wrote in hopes one would be included in an anthology about the show Supernatural, which I believe I’ve mentioned here before. Unfortunately, neither version made the final cut, but I thought Supernatural fans might enjoy reading them anyway.

The What I’m Reading has its own page link on the left. The Supernatural essays are accessible through the Fun Stuff page.

To celebrate the release of my first book, I held a contest asking people to send me pictures of themselves with their copies of A Firefighter in the Family. Today I reveal the winner — Laura Burke! Part of Laura’s prize is to be featured on my blog for a day, so here she is in photos and her own words.

Q. Are you a romance novel fan? If so, how long have you been reading romances? What are some of your favorite types of romance novels?

A. Yes, I am a romance novel fan. I started reading romance novels almost one year ago to date when I picked up Christine Feehan’s Dark Celebration, which at the time had just come out in paperback. I was hooked and proceeded to read the whole Dark Series. My favorite type of romance novels are paranormal romance. I’m not into the heavy sex that takes half a chapter to describe, but more of the “guy” has issues, angst, and the “girl” has her own and they meet and sparks fly and they fall in love. I want everyone to have their HEA! (I’m such a dork, I had to ask a girl on GoodReads what HEA stood for! Hahaha). Your book, A Firefighter in the Family, is the first Harlequin American that I ever read, but I liked it so much that I will be back!

Here’s Laura with her reading buddy, Bumpus. Hey, looks like he likes the taste of my book.

Q. Who are some of your favorite authors, romance or non-romance?

A. My favorite all-time author is J.R.R. Tolkien, and my favorite current author is C.L. Wilson. I also like Orson Scott Card, Sci-Fi.

Q. Tell us a little about yourself.

A. Let’s see, I’m 41 years old and have been married to my husband, Jim, for 21 years. I have two great kids, Colleen Maryed, who is 19, working and going to college online. And then there is Killian James, who is 16 (he will be 17 in one month) who is a junior in high school.

I was born in Dearborn Heights , Michigan, which is a suburb of Detroit . I graduated high school in June of 1985 and decided to go to Detroit College of Business to major in Travel and Tourism. It lasted a semester in which I promptly dropped out. I continued to work, you know same old stuff. Anywho, I knew that I didn’t want to go to college and I had a vision that I was going to end up just like the women in the office I worked in (boring!)…so I up and joined the Army. My Mom thought I was joking! I left Michigan in February of 1987 and did my basic training in Ft. Jackson, South Carolina and in May my A.I.T. (Advanced Individual Training) to become a 91A, which is a Field Medic at Ft. Sam Houston. I loved Ft. Sam Houston! That is where I meet Jim. Of course at 19 I was not getting married until I was 30 and would have kids at 35. FAT Chance! We met in May and were married August 1, 1987! Yes a whirlwind romance (not really). We both took our permanent assignment at Ft. Lewis (Tacoma), Washington. Another lovely state! He got out, and then I got out, and we settled in the San Francisco Bay Area (Jim was born and raised in CA). And then our daughter was born on our 2nd wedding anniversary. (Jim says she’s the gift that keeps giving). We were in the big earthquake of 1989 and then a year later for the fires that swept through the hillsides. We worked and life went on. In November of 1991, our son Killian was born.

By 1994 my two sisters lived in Florida and my parents were going to retire there. So I begged and pleaded with Jim until he gave in and like gypsies (except we had a U-haul cargo van) we traveled with two young kids across the USA to FL with only our most-prized possessions and our clothes, nothing else. My parents moved down in 1997. All was good. My father passed on in 1999 and my mother in 2002. The kids were growing and life was going. I had worked for a company for a long time, when in 2005 I received a job offer (from the company Jim worked for) to do the same type of work I was doing and be able to work from the house more or less setting my own hours. I had always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and this was the closest I would get. In 2007, the owners (a husband & wife team) moved to TN and then began making “suggestions” and “changes” and we were requested to relocate to TN. Since Jim really didn’t like FL and he had moved for me, we discussed this with the kids and in June of 2008 we relocated. It is sad to say that the husband either had (having) a mid-life crisis or thoroughly lost his mind. He decided cutbacks were needed and laid my husband off just after Thanksgiving and then I was “self” terminated (I just love that term) since I wouldn’t “pledge” my loyalty to him and put him before my family, just call me weird. So…I was 40 years old and out of a job, and my husband was trying to freelance. Believe me there isn’t a lot around here! After about three weeks of looking for work, I saw an ad that just clicked. I submitted my application and have been happily working for them ever since. I did win my unemployment suit. I’m the Office Administrator for Coverall of Eastern Tennessee, which is a Master Franchise of Coverall of North America and we sell individual franchises and commercial janitorial services.

Ramblings:

We currently have two dogs, Bumpus (pictured above), and Brodie (American Bulldog), and she was rescued and around 7 years old. Tomorrow we will be picking up two more babies, they are half brothers to Bumpus (they share the same father); they are just under 8 weeks old.

My favorite past time is reading, I am an avid reader. I don’t watch much TV, with the exception of the food shows (Anthony Bourdaine), poker and occasionally I’ll watch the octagon fighting on the sports channel; I am more of a movie type girl.

My passion: In 2002 I started my studies of Shotokan Karate-Do (www.skjf.com) and hold a current black belt ranking. Leaving the Dojo and our Sensei was the hardest thing to leave behind in FL. I hope to one day teach, here or somewhere. I am a Gemini (born May 29).

If I won the lotto (Powerball) I’d buy a big house, with land (Montana area). I’d have a fabulous library that you use and I’d contribute to. My house would have my own Dojo on the grounds and I’d have, of course lots of Bassetts, it would be a Bassett ranch (short fences!).

I am a non-smoker, I stopped about 11 or 12 years ago and occasionally will have glass of wine or drink.

I love candles, good shoes and great chocolate.

I fast once a year, for one month (each October), this is the third year I have done this and the hardest, I’m not sure if there will be a fourth year!

I got to hang out with Cheryl (C.L.) Wilson on Sunday, September 28, and show her around our town! I had a fantastic time and truly enjoyed her company. We talked about family, friends, events and writing. Though I was proud of myself, I didn’t ask about her 4th book or any events in the 3rd or 4th book. I didn’t want her to feel like she was being interviewed. She is very personable and friendly.

Well it is time for a cup of hot tea and my book

—-

Congrats again, Laura! I love the photos, and Bumpus is a cutie! And, wow, we share a birthday!

During the past month, I’ve not only been working feverishly on the revisions to the second YA book, but I was traveling to some extent every week for the past five weeks to promo my first book, A Firefighter in the Family. I’m going to work my way backwards, sharing photos when I can. (Unfortunately, I left my camera in Texas last week, and I’m waiting for it to be mailed back to me.)

I left for Texas on Oct. 10. After picking up the rental car and plugging in the iPod to listen to several episodes of PotterCast, I hit the road. As usual drove to Texarkana and stayed in the hotel I always stay in there. It’s clean, safe, has comfy beds and good Internet access — all musts in my book. I was able to sleep in a bit the next morning then drive the rest of the way to Richardson, a suburb of Dallas, where I was taking part in the Buns & Roses Reader Tea. First up, however, was a group book signing at Borders where fellow Nashvillian Sherrilyn Kenyon was the main attraction. The girl has humongous lines of adoring fans, and after all she’s gone through to achieve that success, I say more power to her. (I say the same about J.K. Rowling.)

On Sunday was the reader tea, where I met several nice ladies who sat at my table and some authors I’d not met before — including the lovely Sharie Kohler, my tablemate at the book signing that afternoon for tea attendees, and Kim Lenox, who sent me this wonderful picture of Sharie and me.

Toward the end of the event, I heard from two attendees who’d driven up from San Antonio that I-35 from Dallas to Waco was closed. Eek! That’s how I would normally go to San Antonio, where I was headed next. So when I reached my car, I pulled out the atlas and plotted a new, circuitous route which added a good chunk of time to my trip that night. I didn’t reach my friend Mary’s house until midnight. Needless to say, she, her husband, her son, and I all slept in the next morning.

That afternoon, we drove to the lovely little historic town of Gruene (pronounced Green) on the Guadalupe River. We ate at The Gristmill, a restaurant in a big, old gristmill overlooking the river. (I’d been hearing the praises of The Gristmill ever since my friend Michelle lived in Austin several years ago.) Then we poked around the cute shops to find a gift for the customer service manager at the Barnes & Noble that was hosting a book signing for Mary and myself the next night. That night, we watched The Happening, an odd movie though it had an interesting concept.

The next morning, it was off to Guenther House for breakfast, a MUST every time I go to San Antonio. They have the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever put in my mouth. Yum! Then I was a good girl and worked on my revisions while Mary (who writes as M.J. Fredrick) worked on her own writing. That afternoon, I made from-scratch pizza before we all went off to Barnes & Noble for the book signing. We had a wonderful turnout of people who know Mary — co-workers past and present, fellow writers, etc. Here’s a picture Mary’s husband took of us before the signing started.

On Wednesday, Mary had to go back to work, so I made good use of the time to knock out some more revisions. That night, I spoke about setting at her local RWA chapter (San Antonio Romance Authors) meeting. I met lots of lovely ladies at the meeting, and it was nice to put faces with names I’ve heard for a long time. On the way back to the house, we stopped for frozen custard then booked it back to watch the presidential debate.

I was up before dawn the next morning to say goodbye to Mary before she went to work, and I headed out when it was barely daylight. Deciding I wanted to avoid the tons of construction all up and down I-35, I decided to drive through the Hill Country, a lovely part of Texas. Along the way, I stopped at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. I’d visited before, but that was prior to me purchasing my National Parks Passport in which I stamp every park I’ve visited. So I stamped my passport and hit the road again. From the Hill Country, I scooted across some northern counties that border Oklahoma until I got back to my familiar hotel in Texarkana for a night of rest before covering Arkansas and half of Tennessee the next day to get home.

Everyone, please join me in doing the Happy Dance! Yes, that’s right folks, I finished the revisions to my second YA book today and e-mailed them to my editor — a whole day early! I feel like shouting the line spoken with such joy by Dobby the house elf from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets — “Dobby is freeee!”

Okay, so not free as in I can lounge around eating chocolates. Now I have to work on all the things I had to shove to the back burner until the revisions were done. Let’s take a look at my scary to-do list for this week (as if you don’t have better things to do — hee hee).

1. Clean the house! That is every room, top to bottom, culling for a trip to the Goodwill as I go.
2. Clean off my desk and put all the various types of paperwork (bills, bank statements, book promotion, etc.) in different piles and prioritize.
3. Cull and respond to necessary backlog of e-mail.
4. Craft a plan for the future of this blog. I’m thinking about devoting certain days of the week to certain topics. What do you all think about that?
5. Exercise every day.
6. Clean the garage.
7. Work in the yard.
8. Perhaps do early voting if the line isn’t tremendously long. Sometimes waiting until Election Day is better.
9. Work on typing in some revisions to another manuscript I’ve redone in hopes of selling it.
10. Keep my fingers crossed that (a) my YA editor LOVES the revisions and (b) my Harlequin American editor LOVES my three partials on her desks and buys them. (All good vibes greatly appreciated.)
11. Cook good dinners every day this week. Since the stock market is tanking, we’re tightening the family belt and not eating out unless necessary (as in when we’re on a business trip).
12. Read a YA partial for a friend.
13. Catch up on some magazine reading.
14. Read some books for fun!
15. Post to this blog every day.
16. Keep up with all the group blogs I’m on and sign up to post some days.
17. Catch up on reading my friends’/other writers’ blogs.
18. Watch the accumulated programs on my TiVo and the Netflix discs that have been here awhile.

Anyone tired yet? At least there’s some fun built in, and I’m actually looking forward to getting lots of things done.