Sorry, I was working and lost track of time . . . and day. Also, what the hell happened to August? It just started a minute ago.

So what did you do during the fifteen minutes it was August?

I haven’t had time to bake for months, so in desperation I spent two bucks on a paper cup that said “Kodiak Brownie.” Add some water, stir, stick in the microwave for a minute, and voila, hot brownie. Not quite as good homemade, but almost instant. Made me so happy.

What almost instantly made you happy this week?

I finally re-read Boyfriend Material, every bit as good as the first read, and started on Husband Material. Same great voice and characters but no push. I think it’s because the protagonist Luc isn’t in trouble and his goal–so far, to get a wedding venue for his best friend–is not pressing. He was so damaged in Boyfriend Material, and so was the Boyfriend, that I desperately wanted them to get together and take care of each other, which they did; wonderful book. Husband Material is more . . . pleasant. Luc’s voice continues to charm, but we’re losing the plot. It is entirely possible that this will pick up soon, but for right now, it reads more like fan service–yes, Luc and Oliver are still together and taking care of each other and moving toward Serious Actions–than like an important conflict for Luc. Luc appears to be safe and happy (YAY!) and suffering for others now (meh). I’d rather see Oliver’s Awful Parents get their comeuppance or Luc finally level his awful father (mom rocks, however) than watch Luc chase all over England to get Bridget a nice garden to get married in. Key requirement for fiction: the reader has to care a lot about what’s happening.

And lecture over. I’m still gonna finish that book.

What did you read this week?

Bob is ripping apart Lavender’s Blue, and I’m ripping apart the first half of One in Vermillion and forgot that today is Wednesday. I apologize.

What did you work on this week?

I am basically a loner. I like doing things on my own, no help. But I’d been writing this book for years, trying to get a grasp on it, giving up and then trying again until finally I invited a collaborator in. Yesterday, that guy said, “You know this opening isn’t working”–of course I know, I just don’t know how to fix it–“so maybe we could try this . . .” and then he laid out this obvious although complicated solution. I have been trying to fix that damn opening for years, no exaggeration, and he just figures it out, writes an outline rejiggering scenes, and in one e-mail makes the book 100% better. I’m so happy I could sing, but that would be bad, so I’ll just sit here and chortle.

It’s good to work with other people. Must remember that.

So what made you chortle with happiness this week?

Our own Brenda Margriet has a novella out now, SECRETS UNDER THE COVERS, (Book One in the Silverberry Seduction Seasoned Romance Series. Can be read as a standalone) and it’s free, so thank you very much, Brenda!:

Two long-time friends…one impulsive seduction…zero percent chance their lives will ever be the same again. Continue reading →

We’re closing in on the end of the rough draft/discovery draft of One in Vermillion, so we’re brainstorming it:
Continue reading →

I really really really want to reread Boyfriend Material and then go straight to Husband Material, but instead this week I read Lavender’s Blue and Rest in Pink for the thousandth time, retconning the stuff that’s showing up in One in Vermillion. We’re at 50,000 words. Stakes have risen. The relationship has arced. The bad guy is going to get his. And then I can read Alexis Hall.

What did you read this week?

We’re at 50,000 words on One in Vermillion, I’m clearing off and repainting my (very small) back porch so I can sit out there now that the weather is fantastic again (fingers crossed it stays that way), and I’m taking the dogs to the vet this afternoon. The days are just packed.

What have you been doing?