The Glamorous Life of a Writer

Ah yes, the life of a writer is glamorous indeed! What you are seeing here is what I do when I'm not writing(or editing or doing promo.) Because things were so busy before I took the kids on vacation, I got a little behind on the laundry. It took me several hours to get caught up.

I just looked upstairs and they've already started a new load, oy!

When I first started writing I had this vision that when an author sold their book, they'd get a contract in the millions. I fantacized about hiring a cleaning lady and getting a bigger house.

In all honesty, I'm still trying to pay off my Visa bill. No cleaning lady, that's for sure.

Now I imagine that Nora Roberts probably doesn't have the same issues, but the chances of me becoming the Nora Roberts of erotic romance are pretty slim. So I guess I'd better keep up with the laundry, hahahaha

I'm alive, barely

Yes, I actually do still blog here. I have been MIA for the last few weeks it feels like. Here's what I've been up to. . .

End of school year ice cream social
Last soccer game X 2
Soccer party (60 people at my house, oy!)
Major landscaping project (half done)
Trip to New York City (yummy! Love Little Italy, sigh)
Kickboxing, kickboxing, kickboxing (still trying to lose those darn 5 pounds I gained at RT)
Father's Day (how much pampering does a guy need anyway?)
Finished the millionth draft of my Bombshell submission and sent it off, yay! Let the wait begin!
Finished second set of edits on SPITFIRE due out end of July
Wrote, submitted, revised, resubmitted, and did edits on CONVINCE ME a shape shifter story for EC, much fun
Read galley for DARK HEAT due in print soon, yay!
Wrote, re-wrote, re-re-wrote, revised, re-re-re-wrote prologue from hell
working on novella from hell
And now I'm on vacation at the Cape.

My house is a pit, I need to go grocery shopping in a bad way, and I'm pretty sure I'm behind on sending out my bills, but things are moving along.

My plan is to take the summer off from writing and "refill my well" of creativity. Actually, I'm teaching summer school, going to RWA in Georgia, throwing a party for my grandmother, and having my sister and her family at my house for a week so somehow I just don't think I'll have a whole lot of writing time. Instead of making myself crazy again this year, I'm going to focus on edits and promotion and just play around with the many ideas I have for stories. I figure I can just sort of let them simmer in my head and maybe by the time the kids go back to school I'll have the energy to bang some of these suckers out.

Right now I think I need a week long nap. . .yeah, right. . .

Old Friends

Shortly before I left for RT my book DARK HEAT came out from Samhain Publishing. Of course, I was a lunatic so I didn't even mention it. Duh! I don't think I utilize my blog real well, but hey, I'm still learning what can I say?

Anyway, DARK HEAT was previously released and left to languish at another publisher. When I got the rights back I was thrilled when Samhain wanted to republish it. Little did I know what an overhaul this book would get!

I wrote DARK HEAT during a very difficult time in my life. My grandfather had died and my father had almost died. I was in an emotional sink hole. Writing DH kept me sane. It was my first "paranormal" book and I had a lot of fun writing it.

Three years later, when it came time to re-write and re-edit it I cringed at some of the mistakes I made. I guess it goes to show you that you really do grow and learn over time, even if you don't realize it. My editor Angie was great giving me suggestions on how to beef it up and improve the overall quality of the book.

What came out is essentially the same book, but better--in my humble opinion. It's longer, hotter, and makes a bit more sense in spots.

And better yet, IT'LL BE IN BORDERS IN AUGUST!!! WOOT!!!

I'm so excited that so many of my favorite titles that weren't going to hit print before will be out over the next year. It's kind of like holding your child for the first time. Exciting, scary, and a little bit like falling in love.

I'm so psyched to see this "baby" cleaned up and ready to go! yay!
Ari

Here comes the sun

Yay! There's sunshine outside!!!
Here in the northeast we've had so much rain I was beginning to search for build-your-own-ark kits on the internet. It's great for all the flowers I recently planted, but not so wonderful for all the end of the school year picnics and soccer games.

This week I'm really hoping the rain will let up. On Friday my bestest buddy and I will be going to NY City for the day to walk around and shop WITHOUT CHILDREN, it may be the last chance we'll have to do that for a long time.

On Saturday I'm having a party for the soccer team I help to coach and my other daughter's soccer team. I'm expecting around 20 little girls and their families to descend upon my house. It had better not rain on Saturday!!!

Isn't it funny with all the advances in modern science we're still at the mercy of Mother Nature? I'm not talking about big things like hurricanes and snow storms, but the little things like planning parties and soccer games.

As much as I hate the idea of playing a game of chance with the weather, it's still nice to know that man can't control everything.

It's not nice to fool Mother Nature, hahahaha

Faery Foto

Here's our group picture in our fairy finery. This was taken by Tara Kearney and she rocks! It wasn't easy getting all of is in there but she did.
Okay, if I can remember everyone
Top Row (L-R) Me, Mackenzie McKade, Brit Blaze
2nd row from top, Rowene Cherry, Jaci Burton, Isabella Clayton, Sahara Kelly, Cheyenne McCray
3rd row, Tina Gerow, Melissa Schroeder, Sylvia Day, Eden Robbins, Tyler Blackwood, Ann Jacobs
Sitting, Amanda McIntyre, Kathy Love, Denise Agnew

We were quite the group and had a lot of fun!!

If I can get more pictures to load, I'll try to bring them up tomorrow!
Ari

The Faery Ball

Sorry I took so long between posts, I caught a summer cold and it really kicked my butt. Luckily, I'm getting over it now. Yesterday we had my middle daughter's 7th birthday party, and it poured! I had 12 little girls in my house for two hours. It actually went surprisingly well, but I don't want to do it again any time soon. . .

Okay, back to RT!!!

On Friday I had practice for the Faery Ball starting at 8:30, from there I had to go to my workshop at 11:00. I did a workshop with my good friend and fellow writer Lori Armstrong on writing realistic fight scenes. I think it went quite well all things considered. I didn't feel prepared for it as it was the first time I had done this particular subject. No one threw things at us so I'm considering it a success, hahaha.

After that we wanted to get changed and go to the awards luncheon. We waited forever to get in and once in, couldn't find a seat anywhere. When I saw they were serving tuna salad, which I HATE for lunch, I decided to bail. We met up with some friends at the Mexican restaurant and had a wonderful lunch. But, by the time lunch ended, Lori and I had hit the wall. We snuck back to the room for a nap before heading to Club RT for a half hour of meeting and greeting. No one really came over to see us, but we were there. I did manage to get two really cute fairy t-shirts from the woman who did a lot of the backgrounds for the faery ball. She ROCKED!

From club RT it was time to go back to the room and get ready for the Faery Ball. Kathy Love and I almost killed our friends with our wings as we moved about the room in anything but fairy-like grace. Light on my feet, I'm not.

After gathering for a group picture, which I'll eventually get on this computer, we walked through the staff areas of the hotel and crammed onto a tiny elevator, which tested the limits of my claustrophobia, until we reached the ballroom where we were to make our grand entrance.

Beth Ciotta sang BOOK OF DAYS by Enya, and it was beautiful. I mean, not just a little beautiful, bring tears to your eyes beautiful. She is the sweetest, most talented woman and I love her to death. We had to process in with our big ole gowns and do a little dance number around the May Pole. I was told by Mark, who held the May Pole, that we were the worst group to go, hahaha. I don't think anyone really noticed.

To be honest with you, this is the part that chapped my tukkus the most. Many people went to the Faery Ball. In fact there were so many people there, many of whom saved seats for others, that several people couldn't get seats for dinner. During Beth's song and while we were doing our thing, the majority of the people paid not one iota of attention. I found that terribly rude.

If you want to have a conversation while someone is singing, go outside. I realize that watching a bunch of women prance around a May pole might not be the highest form of entertainment, but we shelled out big bucks to have a dinner, the least people could do was be polite during the ten minutes or what not that we were doing our little number. I was more mad that no one was listening to Beth though.

She did a wonderful job and too many people were far too RUDE to pay attention to her. I'm all about having fun, but damn it, be polite.

The rest of the night felt very much like a wedding. We danced too little and laughed and talked too much. There were some truly fabulous costumes and I think everyone had a good time. After the ball a bunch of us stayed after to help. By this point I was almost delirious with fatigue, but so was everyone else.

I can't believe Connie Perry and her wonderful family/staff/slave laborors were still moving. I was downright pooped.

Oh, and I have to give major kudos here. One of the cover models Brooks, who is as sweet as can be, stayed into the wee hours of the morning to help out too. These guys have a grueling schedule at RT and are busy all the time. It was above and beyond the call of duty for him to help out. He really is gorgeous inside and out.

I probably had more to say, but quite honestly, I was so tired, I just didn't have a whole lot left in me and much of that night is a blur. By Friday of RT my reserves are running low and this time was no exception.

I shall go look for pictures now because those dresses were too pretty for you not to see!
Ari