Tuesday Motivation? December 29, 2009

Happy Mon, er, Tuesday Morning! I know, I’m a day late and a dollar short. I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas, or a merry holiday if you don’t celebrate Christmas. We had a wonderful day and it was nice to spend it quietly at home with those I love. I cooked and we all ate until we couldn’t feel our toes. My boys spoiled me this year with an eReader and I truly love it! Seriously, I’m not going to be getting any writing done if someone doesn’t hide it on me.Thousands of eBooks from my favorite authors, right at my fingertips, it’s more distraction than I think I can handle.

But a challenge has been issued by my CP Sally and I’ve agreed to put down the eReader and join in the word count fun. I’ve set a goal to write 25K for the month of January. That will get me almost halfway through Long Road Home and hopefully I’ll be on a roll and able to finish it by February. Can you hear the publishers and agents cheering with joy? No? Do you see the pig flying by your window? Hmm, must just be here.

So, in honor of the hero in Long Road Home, I give you this week’s man candy. Now HC (Hot Cowboy as the hero has been dubbed by myself and my CP’s) doesn’t have a name but he looks a lot like this gentleman here. So enjoy and if you have any suggestions as to what I can name HC, please share. As nice as Hot Cowboy is, I’m not sure it will sell. Have a great week!

Best,

Sophia

Happy Holidays! December 24, 2009

Just wanted to say Merry Christmas to everyone! I hope you all are surrounded by those that you love right now, just as I am! Enjoy the next few days. I hope Santa is good to everyone. I’m sure he’ll wake up in time to deliver all your goodies! Have a safe and happy holiday!

Not Meant to be… December 19, 2009

You know how it happens. You don’t mean for it to happen again but you think this time won’t be like the last. It’s been a while and even though the last one left you feeling beat up and sore in muscles you forgot you even had, this one is shiny and new and you think it would look really nice in your home, in your life. You can’t resist it’s pull no matter how hard you try. You give in and take it on before the horrors of it’s predecessor can fill your mind. I’m talking, of course, about home improvement projects. Wait, what did you think I was talking about? Oh, get your mind out of the gutter! I’m a happily married woman! A good wholesome girl. *Snort* Ahem.

Now, back to the topic at hand. Well JD and I took on a project over the weekend. We decided the MOD’s should now be contained in one room and we could use D’s room as a guest/all purpose room. The saying, “It seemed like a good idea at the time” fits nicely right here. The actual assembly of the beds took only about 3 1/2 hours, 1 1/2 hours longer than any of the online reviews claimed it would. But that’s par for the course with us. Now if that’s all there was to it, no biggie right, home improvement and I are still friends. Unfortunately that’s not all there was to it. There was the cleaning out of L’s room before the beds could even be purchased, a task that was easier said than done. He wanted to keep every piece of artwork he’d ever made. You know those ambiguous pictures they first painted in preschool? I argued that one was sufficient, he did not share that opinion. Then I had to move on and clear D’s room out. My poor baby was so confused, he thought he wasn’t going to have anywhere to sleep and that we were giving away all his toys.

After the rooms had been relieved of their junk and teary eyes had been wiped, we had to go buy the beds. Since I couldn’t do this by myself, the whole family got in the car and went to the store on a Saturday, two weeks before Christmas. Oh, the joyful fun! By the time we got to the checkout I had two smashed fingers, a cardboard paper cut, and two screaming children. It gets better. In order to fit the box in the Jeep we had to move the boys’ car seats over and slide the front passenger seat all the way up. If I was two feet tall and weighed a mere 30 pounds this would not have been a problem. I’m five feet, six inches and much more than 30 pounds of woman. I barely fit in the front seat and by the time we got home my legs were asleep and I had a crick in my neck.

Carrying the box up the stairs resulted in a pulled muscle in my arm, loading the mattresses into the car was done in the pouring rain, and blisters formed on both mine and JD’s hands from using an allen key to tighten approximately 150 screws. For those of you that don’t know, there is a unique sound when a person uses an allen key: You hear a ping, a metal object flying off into the great beyond, and then a person swearing. Hopefully that will be the million dollar clue for a game show I’m on someday soon!

In the end though, the boys’ room turned out great. They love their new, big boy beds and I think sharing a room has made them even closer than before. When I go into their room in the morning they are usually chatting with each other about this or that, just like old friends. Plus, when all the holiday guests are gone I will have my own space for my writing materials. I can spread them out, pin notes up on the wall, and have a quiet space to go and write at the end of a long day. Right now all my research books are in my hidden junk drawer. Shhhh! What is a “hidden junk drawer” you ask. That’s a whole other post my friend! How about you, do you enjoy home improvement projects? Or are you with me, a project every few months is really more than you want to handle?

Best,

Sophia

PS: Anyone have a band aid? These cardboard cuts hurt!

Monday Motivation December 14, 2009

Happy Monday Morning! I realized something today, I have been ignoring this blog. I am lucky if I get two posts a week done and this past week I didn’t even get that. Life here has been, well, crazy. With Christmas right around the corner and both my MIL and my dad coming to my house I have been running around like the proverbial chicken with her head cut off. So I am going to make an effort to post more, if not for the rest of 2009, then certainly in 2010! It’s going in the resolutions!

So, tomorrow, my MIL arrives. Eeep! I’m not saying that because she and I don’t get along. We get along wonderfully, always have and I am sure always will. She is a wonderful lady. I am saying eeep because no matter what, it is nerve wracking to have people at your house for more than say, an hour or two. Your hiding places for all those little things you don’t know what to do with but know you must have get discovered. The fact that you loathe dusting is revealed in the bright sunlight of each new day. Proof of your inability to organize your storage room, no matter how many times you try, is shown.

In between trying to get all those things done, baking batch after batch of cookies, taking care of the boys (who will now be sharing a room come bedtime tonight), I have been trying to get the smallest smidgen of writing done. I am so close to the end of Fated and have so many new ideas for Long Road Home that not writing everyday is killing me. Now that the Christmas shopping is almost done and the house is clean I’m hoping I can get back at it. My goal is to have Fated done by year’s end, so that I have a new year and a new story to start it off.

What are you looking forward to most this holiday season? Are you spending the time with family or doing your own thing? Enjoy this week’s motivation. I wish the sunlight in my house would land on him and not all the dust! Have a great week!

Best,

Sophia

Monday Motivation December 7, 2009

Happy Monday morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend. We had our first snowfall of the season on Saturday and it was absolutely beautiful…right up until I had to go out in it. One numb foot and two near collisions with people that had no business driving in the stuff later and I was over it. I finally signed up for Twitter and Facebook but honestly I don’t really know what to do with either. I have nine people following me on Twitter, I know two of them. Do the other seven count as fans then? I hope to someday have something intelligent or worthwhile to tweet. *snort*

Like science fiction romance? Do want a chance to win a few? Then be sure to check out The SFR Holiday Blitz,  all you have to do is leave a comment by midnight on December 11th and you will be entered to win one of the prizes. Want a chance to win a few more? Click on the links of the participating bloggers and follow the instructions. Easy Peasy!

I have lots planned for this week, pretty much everything that was on the schedule last week is there again. Still cleaning, still trying to give my poor characters some attention (can you hear them whining?), and I still have Christmas shopping to complete. I found three fabulous Etsy shops that carry the cutest aprons I have ever seen. Have a cook in the family? Be sure to check out Fancy Boutique, Boojiboo, and Sassy Apron. All are reasonably priced and the shipping (which I hate paying) was very reasonable. Have a man in your life that you wish could learn how to cook? Check out Chef Lee’s new site And He Can Cook, I’ve been told he can teach even the most hopeless of cases. (There’s lots there for ladies as well, so go ahead and click the link!)

Thanks to Julie for this week’s man candy. She had him in her avi on Romance Divas and was kind enough to share him with me. There is certainly enough deliciousness to go around.

Have a great week everyone and remember, be kind to horses, ride a cowboy instead.

Best,

Sophia

Tuesday Releases December 1, 2009

I’m very excited about my fellow Romance Diva Sela Carsen’s new release. I have been admiring this cover for some time and now I can finally get my hot little hands on it. Check it out:

Isn’t it gorgeous!!! The Tickle My Fantasy anthology is out in print today!!

Go ahead. Try to resist the magic. We dare you!

Carolina Wolf by Sela Carsen
Debra knows that the teensy amount of witchcraft in her veins isn’t worth getting excited about. Yet someone—or something—thinks it’s worth attacking her. Rescuing her seals Maddox’s fate, but only if he can protect her from a rogue of his kind. A werewolf with a nasty streak…and a preference for raw meat.

The Ghost Shrink, the Accidental Gigolo and the Poltergeist Accountant by Vivi Andrews
Lucy is doomed. Not to death. To nightly visits from recently deceased Casanovas without the bodies to scratch her itch. Then a living fantasy arrives on her doorstep. Is her dry spell at an end? Not hardly. Jake has been sent to prevent her from getting laid until a particular horny phantom—and key witness in his investigation—pays her a visit.

ParaMatch.com by MK Mancos
Even though she lives without a paranormalady, Lucille has managed to carve a niche for herself with a paranormal matchmaking service. Enter Jager, deposed king of the Titans and successful paratrader. She can match anyone, except him. She doesn’t know that he’s out to negotiate the deal of a lifetime—a future with her.

Witches Anonymous by Misty Evans
Amy is done with Devil-worshipping. After swearing an oath never to use magic again, she’s in the market for a normal guy to complement her new lifestyle. And Adam looks like perfect hero material. Lucifer, however, isn’t about to be nice about letting her go…

Warning: This book contains hunky werewolves, smart-A** women and men who think that’s sexy, magic, angels, medieval legends, inter-species romance, disco music and flatulent Boxers. (The dogs, not the underwear.)

Read An Excerpt Online

And be sure to check out Jennifer Leeland’s new release also out today from Samhain Publishing:

“The Christmas She Rules”
Control is her kink…and she’s losing it.

It’s another gloomy Christmas for Pamela Dane. Not only is it the anniversary of a dark period in her life, but all her friends had the nerve to hook up. It’s not easy for a female Domme to find a playmate. Maybe The Cage in San Francisco will be the perfect place to escape—and find a willing man to chase away the memories.

Christian Nolan is at the BDSM club for the hell of it. Yet the minute Mistress Dane takes control of him, she not only stuns him with her talent, he stuns himself with his willingness to surrender. Her offer to meet him there for another night is intriguing—and frightening.

Pamela’s session with Chris shakes her to the core, resurrecting memories she’s afraid to face. But Chris isn’t willing to let her past haunt her…even if it leaves his heart in tatters.

Warning: Hot, strong man on his knees, which will bring you to yours. Strap-on action, anal play, lots of leather and tons of tension. Alpha male who likes to do whatever the right woman tells him to do, including another woman.

BUY IT HERE!
Want a taste? Read an excerpt HERE.

Monday Motivation November 30, 2009

Happy Monday! We’re back and I have to say, it has never felt so good to be home. The trip down to Florida was fun and it was wonderful to see my dad, but I won’t be packing up and heading out again anytime soon. We drove for two days, went to Disney World for two more days (and hit all four parks and even squeezed in a dinner in Downtown Disney), spent two days with my dad, and then we were back in the car for two more days. I’m getting exhausted all over again just typing that!

No time to dwell on all that now, there is a lot to do in the month of December. D’s 3rd birthday is on Sunday, the Christmas decorations need to be put up, Christmas cookies need to be baked, and my mother in law is coming to visit on the 15th so I have a lot to do around the house. And let’s not forget about writing. I have stories to critique, plus my own stories that are begging for some attention. Wow, that’s a lot. Maybe I should get to work!

I apologize for depriving you all of your weekly man candy fix, so to make up for it I am giving you a double dose today. Pace yourselves so you don’t get a tummy ache, these two are extra yummy. Have a great week!

Best,

Sophia

Thursday Thirteen November 19, 2009

This Thursday I’m thinking about Thanksgiving and the dishes I would usually make. I say usually because this year we will be in Florida so I won’t be cooking. We are hitting the road for a trip to Disney World and to spend Thanksgiving with my dad, which happens to fall on his birthday this year. So here are thirteen things I usually serve on Thanksgiving:

1. Caramelized Onion and White Cheddar Dip
2. Cheese and Cracker and Vegetable Trays
3. Maple Glazed Turkey with Sage Butter
4. Homemade Cornbread and Apple Stuffing
5. Roasted Sweet Potatoes
6. Mashed Potatoes
7. Green Beans with Almonds
8. Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
9. Rolls
10. Spinach Salad with Red Onion and Oranges and a Citrus Vinaigrette
11. Corn
12. Pumpkin Pie
13. Cherry Pie

So that’s the menu which doesn’t include all the wine, beer, and coffee we usually consume. Do you cook a traditional meal every year? What are you looking forward to eating next Thursday? Me? I’m looking forward to no dishes this year! Have a great weekend and enjoy the holiday, no matter how you’re celebrating!

Best,

Sophia

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Monday Motivation November 16, 2009

Happy Monday Morning! I hope everyone had a great weekend. The rain finally cleared out here in the nations capital and I was happy to see it go. Being stuck inside with the MOD’s for four days is not a fun thing. Needless to say not much writing got done this week. Unfortunately I don’t see much getting done this week either. We leave on Saturday for our road trip to Florida and I have to spend the week getting ready. It’s not all bad on the writing front though, this weekend I got back into Fated and made some nice additions. I expanded a bit on Micah’s character and the changes he goes through, setting up his back story so that I can flow seamlessly into his story when Kierra’s is finished. So yes, at this point I am working on three stories at once but it’s okay. When I get stuck on one I have two others to fall back on and my muse hasn’t jumped ship yet so I’ll keep on keeping on! Have a great week and I’ll be back on Thursday with thirteen things that are always on my family’s Thanksgiving table. So until next week’s big feast snack on my sugar free, but oh so sweet mancandy!

Best,

Sophia

Monday Motivation November 9, 2009

Happy Monday Morning! What a Monday today is turning out to be too. Why? Well if you are a frequent visitor to Angela James’ Blog you know she had a little secret that was going to be revealed today. Well it came in the form of this Press Release. Go ahead and read it, I’ll wait. That’s right, the editor dragging readers and writers to the digital dark side has a new gig. Carina Press is a digital only publishing house launched today by Harlequin Enterprises and Angie is on board as the company’s Executive Editor. The first books are scheduled to hit the digital shelves in Spring 2010 and Carina Press is currently accepting submissions, for more than simply romance. For more information go to their Submission Guidelines.

Lucky for me the plot bunnies were alive to the sound of my madness this weekend and I came up with two more story lines. A magical spy glass and murders at a haunted house. That’s all I can say for now, the bunnies are still growing and my muse and I are busy taking notes. I’ll be updating the projects page as these new ideas take shape! Like this week’s motivation? Me too! Enjoy him and have a great week everyone!

Best,

Sophia