Snippets

I am so excited that I can now return to my regular routine of reading and writing blog posts. I've been participating in National Novel Writing Month and yesterday I hit my 50,000 word goal. My publisher has asked me for two books a year and I got a little off my pace this spring, what with new-baby having and new house buying. I needed this to kick off my next novel and get a ton of momentum going, which is exactly what's happened.


Want a sample paragraph? I'll share it (even thought I shouldn't because it's totally unrevised) just because I love it so much:

I'd figured out quickly that Ellie was right. The snarkier I was in my “Single in the City” column, the more readers it drew. I didn't go out of my way to find things I hated about my dates, but I was so, so grateful when I found them anyway. It made the columns much easier to write.

I had just turned in my fifth column the previous night, an analysis of an evening spent with Lewis, a guy who credited the power of some South American berry with righting his gastrointestinal system. In fact, he was so convicted of the power of this berry that he had spent the whole evening describing the change in the frequency of his bathroom visits and the improvement in the quality of time he now spent there. Best of all, I got to hear his pitch off and on through two hours of miniature golf about why I should buy some for myself (“Do it for your bowels!”) and then become a distributor and sign up all my friends (“Do it for their bowels!”). To be fair, I don't think he asked me out solely to sell me on this miracle berry, but really? There's a time and a place. First date, no matter where it is, is not that time or place.

I sat at the kitchen table waiting for my dad to come down. My laptop was open and waiting for him with the column titled “The Bowels of Misery” already on the screen. When he ambled in with his hair still wet from his post-run morning shower, I pointed to his chair. “Sit. Read.”

He lifted an eyebrow but did as commanded. A few times I saw him struggling to keep a straight face. When he finished a couple of minutes later, he lifted his eyes to meet mine. “Did you exaggerate any of this?” he asked.

“Nope.”

He leaned back against his chair. “All right. This guy totally deserved it.”

I grinned. “I know.” Lewis, who I named Frankenberry for the write up, had made this my easiest column so far.

Ah hahahahahaha! So fun.

In other news, it looks like my mom's country Christmas stuff will remain orphaned. Sigh.

And in other, other news, I think I'm going to die of a cough. 

You can still enter my Monday giveaway for Jana's Christmas book. Just go leave a comment. Go on. Do it!

And on Friday, I will be doing yet another book review in just about the weirdest circumstance I can imagine. Short version: I didn't like the book. I told the author I couldn't give it at least a B or better which is generally the only time I'll actually post a review. She was like, "I want you to post the review anyway."

What the what? So I'll even give you word for word her rationale that is the direct cause of me posting my first ever negative review. This is crazy, but . . . okay. So yay. That's Friday.

And I'm off to watch Psych's homage to Twin Peaks. As in the TV show. 'Kay, bye.