Sexy Saturday ~ An Update

So update on the editing thing. 'We Were in Love' has been placed on the back burner because it was giving me the sh*ts, all was going well than it fell into a piles of ... well you know. So I'm working on 'The Godmother's Wish' instead.

One of my writing buddies Monique Wood is going to have her short story published in the RWA Little Gem anthology how cool is that? I'm soooooo pleased for our Mon.

After posting on Thursday another headaches hit me, than I got all teary. I really think this cleaning out my parents home is getting to me. I mean, this was a big part of my life for seventeen years before I married and moved away. But it's been there, I could always go back anytime I wanted, now it is going to be my nieces home. I'm happy for her and her partner, I'm happy the family home is staying within our family, but I can't just go and use a key and let myself in when ever I want. Tomorrow Jim and I are going down to remove the last of my Mum and Dad's belongings, than there will be just an empty house. I'm feeling a little down today, but things change, life goes on and at least I still have my Mum.

Yesterday I watched 'Mama Mia', what a great movie. So my sexy pics for today is the three maybe Dads. Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgård.

Thursday's Thoughts ~ Still Editing

Yes, I'm still around somewhere. Editing is moving along slowly. I've changed tactics for a while, instead of trying to edit three novels at once I'm working on the first fifty pages of one and than I'll move on to another one.

So for the moment I'm editing 'We Were In Love', I do believe I'm getting somewhere with this. Chopping the first two and a half chapters is working well, even if I'm still not sure where I'll find all those lovely missing words now. LOL. But I will press on and hope for the best.

I also had two more stories jump into my head the other day, Lord I do wish they would stop doing that, anyway I made some notes and I'm hoping that will keep them a bay for a month or two, like until June would be good.

It would have been my Dad's 83rd birthday yesterday so my sisters and I took Mum out for morning tea. She has settled into the nursing home really well, which is great and one worry off my mind. One of my nieces and her partner are thinking of buying my childhood home, I'm keeping my fingers crossed on this one. It would make Mum very happy if she knew the family home was going to stay within the family, we should know for sure by next week I think.

I've also been fighting migraines the last couple of days, I woke up Tuesday with a dozy, yesterday morning wasn't too bad but by the time I got home from having the morning with Mum I went down like a tonne of bricks again. This afternoon I'm feeling a lot better.

That's where I'm up to at the moment. I hope to have the editing finished on 'We Were In Love' by Monday so I can work on at least one other before the Valerie Parv contest entries are due, even if I'm still not sure if I'll enter it yet.

See ya.
Sandie

Tasty Tuesday ~ The Doctors

Yes, I know they have all their clothes on, but I thought I can't really go around exploiting men every week for my own enjoyment. LOL.

So here we have the good Doctors od Seattle Grey (well the attendings anyway) from top right: Patrick Dempsey ~ Dr McDreamy, Eric Dane ~ Dr McSteamy and Kevin McKidd ~ (I'm calling him) Dr McCreamy. Grey's Anatomy just got a whole lot better.

On to my editing for today. I had a pretty good day, edited 10 pages of 'We Were In Love', I'm sure I could have done a whole lot more if I didn't have to do housework. LOL. I'll be back on the editing job again tomorrow, I'm hoping to have 'We Were In Love' edited and off to my wonderful CPs by the weekend.

I've posted the list and links to my reviews for Fallen Angel Reviews to my Review Blog if you'd like to have a read.

For now I'm off to bed, catch ya next time.

Sandie

Monday Madness - Re-Writes

I started on my edits and re-writes again today. So far getting rid of the first two chapters of 'We Were In Love' has cut out 9,500 words. But I did write 1,000 back in with another couple of scenes. I've been thinking about this for the last couple of days, and I do think it will make the story flow better, at least at a quicker pace. This way will bring Jackie and Tyler's meeting a lot earlier in the story. The words I've cut I can reuse some of them, not sure how many yet, I'll just have to keep working on that front.


I've also organised for a topic chat for RWAustralia loop to take place on Friday. I have some great authors to help me out with that, but you'll have to wait for more on that one.

Mum came home from respite today and seems happy enough. She told my Auntie yesterday that she is a bit afraid to be at home on her own, which is a worry. I'm going down to have tomorrow with her and my older sister is going to spend Wednesday with her. I am so thankful that I have brothers and sisters, I really do not know how only children manage at these sort of times.

Anyway I'm heading off to bed, I have to be up early to take Hubby to work.
Happy writing.
Sandie

Yes I'm Still Kicking

Quick post just to let you all know I'm still a live and well. I've been writing up a storm. I decided to take the leap and send in a query for 'We Were In Love'. Guess what? Got a request for the first three chapters. I almost collapsed. You know I though it would take at least a week or two before I heard anything, but no within two days I had my request. YAYAYYAYA. First query letter and synopsis and I got a request. I was very pleased with myself.

A week later I thought I got mt first reject. But no as Natalie pointed out it was a request for a re-write. So now you know where I have been, madly doing re-writes. Adding description, removing characters (I had too many in the first few pages). Adding here, removing there. I finally have it finished I think. One of my new CPs has it at the moment and is going over it. That is scary, letting someone read my stuff and asking them to pull it to pieces. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

I sent off an entry for the Modern Heat contest, that gets announced at the end of the month. Not holding my breath on that one. I have also sent an entry in for the High Five Contest with RWAustralia. Plus I'm still tossing up whether to send in one of my erotic ones for the STALI. I'm a little concerned that it may be a bit over the top.

Talking about my erotic writing, I've decided to do away with one of my pseudonyms, so Sandra Carrington will no longer exist and I'll write my erotic and paranormal under Cassandra Cornell. I've come up with an idea for a series of short stories as well as the other WIPs I have on the go for Cassandra.

So that's me for the moment. I promise not to leave it so long in between post in future. Honest Suz. LOL. Oh and I have some news to share with you on the talented Suzanne Brandyn. She has her release dates for her first novel 'Passion In Paradise' e format is the 7th/8th January 2009 (just in time for my birthday hehehe) and print format is 20th/21st February 2009. If you get a chance drop over and congratulate Suz, I know she'd appreciate it. Here's her link:

http://writerofromance.blogspot.com/

Okay that's my news for now. Catch ya soon.

Hugs

Sandie

I Reached My Target, But Not My Goal

I reached my target today, just not my goal. Well kind of, sorta I did. I finished the novel I was working on this passed week, but I didn’t get to the 50,000 words with it. I know when I edit it I’ll get there but at the moment I just really do not want to go back and add anything yet. The biggest thing with the story is that I started it almost two years ago, my writing has changed, I think, no I believe I have grown as a writer so there will be a lot of changes. Anyway with finishing that one up and doing a bit more to a couple of other WIP’s I reached my target of 50,000 words for the month. So YAYA me. I haven’t told the girls at 50/30 yet, I’ll do that tomorrow. I really didn’t think I’d get any writing done today but just plodding along I got there. I still have a couple more WIP's to work on before the end of the month, so I might get my goal yet.


I’m hoping to be able to see my chiropractor tomorrow. I pulled something in my back or shoulder the other day when I was doing some housework, dangerous occupation housework. Anyway if I sit for too long typing it gives me curry. So on that note, I’m going to say goodnight. Yes it’s night time here in the wonderful land of Oz. Happy writing.

Hugs
Sandie

Two Weeks Down, Two To Go

We are at the end of week two for the ‘50ks In 30 Days’ challenge. I’m on 44,104 words for the challenge and almost finished the second WIP I wanted finished. I had hoped to have it finished today but with two days out with my saggy middle and my daughter and grandson staying with us tonight I didn’t quite make it.

Tomorrow I’m off to the movies with my grandson to see ‘Speed Racer’, the horse show we were supposed to go to has been cancelled due to the forecast of rain. So it is movies in the morning for me, then writing in the afternoon. Hopefully I’ll be able to get the last 5,896 words done to finish this story so I can get to work on the next one.

The next story is my erotic romance. I’m at 30,248 words for it so only have another 19,752 to go. If I can get this one finished this month as well that will give me four full MS’s to edit in July. Of course if I get my finger out and finish this one in the week, I still have another eight I can work on. This will be good practice for me and November with NaNoWriMo, I plan to write an Historical romance, they are normally 70,000 to 100,000+ words, if I can write at this speed in November I just may get my Historical finished or very close to finished.

I’ve been giving some thought to some of my current WIP’s and I may change a couple to novellas. I’ll see how I go, last time I tried writing a novella it turned into a novel. So maybe if I try for a novel it may turn into a novella. Yes I know its Irish but I know what I mean.

Anyway I’m off to bed. I happy I got to do at least a little writing tonight. I have to be up early in the morning ready for my movie adventure and if I’m very lucky I may even get an hour’s writing in before I go. I girl can only hope.

Hugs

Sandie

Day 7 of NaNo and Sven Day 24

Well I did another 1,062 words today and in my personal unbiased opinion it is crap (still), but I'm powering on. I keep saying to myself this is just the first draft, you can fix it all later, but can I? Can I really do this? I getting to the saggy middle and I am soooo scared it is going to sag to where ever it is on the other side of the world, you know go straight through the centre of the earth and just keep on going saggy, saggy, saggy middle.

Have you ever written a book where you think I just do not like some of these people. My hero I like but he never does what I want him to do, my heroine I like but she is stronger the I thought she would be, see just not playing nice. But some of the other characters are just plain pains in the butt, I don't know writing is the pits at the moment. I've been so tempted to go and have a nice chat with Tyler and Jackie (although they don't listen to me either), maybe Rhett and Ella would be better they are always nice, not so much doing as I say but at least they don't go doing 180's on me and leave me looking at the screen like a dummy, and saying "What The?"

Anyway I'm stepping back from it all for the afternoon, clear my head and maybe come back tonight and tackle it all again.

Sorry for the rambling and whining and whinging.
Bye

Hugs
Sandie

It's Sunday Afternoon - Day 14

It Sunday afternoon, we've had some rain YEA (not enough) but some is better then none. I've spend the day writing, wandering around thinking about writing, then writing again.

So it is the end of BIAW and did I make my pledged goal? YES and some to spare. YIPPEE. On to the next challenge. I'm putting Tyler and Jackie to bed for awhile (which is were they nearly ended up today except his nosy sister and her pesky friend turned up uninvited. They can stew for a while. Anyway I'm almost half way to my word count for 'We Were In Love', 24,470 looking good for when I come back. (Now this all hinges on Tyler letting me get to work on a new book. I won...der, if I tell him to take a month, think about some nice romantic ways to woo Jackie, take it slow, real slow. Maybe, just maybe he'll listen.) OH and have a look at my pretty word meter thingy, cool hay.

The next three days I'm going to make sure I have all my character profiles in order and re tidy around my desk and just generally make sure my life outside writing is okay. I need to visit with at least two of my mum's (I have three, two mother-in-laws, how lucky can I girl be?) Do the washing, vacuum, cook, all the things I HATE!!!!

Well that's me for this wonderfully Sunday afternoon. I'm getting a headache, bum ache and my hand is hurting, so I will go and do something completely different. I might read, no that's no good with a headache ... I know I'll go and sit outside in the fresh air and watch the horses. That's nice and calming, well so my hubby keeps telling me. Bye.

Hugs
Sandie

Sven Day Thirteen

I have put yesterday firmly behind me.

This morning I woke up with new optimism. No more feeling sorry for myself, there are bigger things in this world to worry about then a bad hair cut.

I had a good day with my writing 1500 words WOO HOO, back on track. I'm back in front with my pledge for BIAW, that's a good thing and I'm working on my project for NaNo 'Baby Can I Hold You.'

Things are not looking good for me to have 'We Were In Love' finished before NaNo still another 27,000+ words to go, but I should make a good dent in it so that is better then nothing.

Tonight I'm going to put some more time in Character Profiles for 'Baby Can I Hold You'. Once I've done that I'll give you a small run down on the characters and story line.

Well that's it for this sunny Saturday.

Hugs
Sandie

Sven Day Ten

The going was tough yesterday. I got to my word count no trouble but I found it hard going for some reason, so my word count was split over 'We Were In Love' and 'Lovin You Against My Will' which is okay because I need to put some time in on 'Lovin'.

As you can see from my side bar I've added a couple of new WIP's 'Ace Of Hearts' is going to be the third book in the series with 'We Were In Love' and 'Lovin' You Against My Will'.

"Right Where I Need To Be' is a Short Story I wrote for a competition (not judged yet) but I love the characters so much that I thought I would see how I go expanding their story.

Now on a completely different note, I have some very bad people in one of my writing groups. As if I can't find enough things to let Little Miss Procrastination lead me astray on these bad people add more temptation in my path. So I'm going to share them with you, the first one is really cool, it's called Free Rice http://freerice.com/index.php basically you have to work out the meaning of words and they donate rice to the hungry. WARNING:This site is very, very addictive.

The second site is Right Brain v Left Brain http://tinyurl.com/2u6nqa so see what side of the brain you use the most, let me know how you go.

Well I really should be putting some work in on my writing, so better go. It's raining here YEAH, I love the sound of rain the should help get my juices going.

Hugs
Sandie