What? It's December?

Anyone else out there shocked that it's December already? As for me, I still can't believe it! As much as I LOVE the holidays, they totally stress me out. And for once, I'd like to just enjoy this month. So, here's my plan...

* Today we are decorating the house. (inside and out). Whatever doesn't get done, will NOT get done. Period. I'm not stretching out this whole decorating thing.

*Crazy but true, I've completed almost ALL my holiday shopping!! Hooray for me!! I will, I must, no matter what, finish my holiday shopping THIS WEEKEND. This is non-negotiable.

*I'm not sure how much writing I'll get done this month, but to keep my creative juices flowing, I've decided to make a writing plan. This is something I should've done a long time age, but because this will be a busy month with parties, luncheons, etc, I need to do it! And there's no time like the present!

*I will not over-extend myself this month. I cannot go to all the parties, luncheons, dinners, happy hours that I've been invited to. I just can't! Instead, I will choose to spend time with the people who REALLY matter to me; the friends that I love and who love me back.

So... that's all I can think of right now!! Now back to the decorations...

The Universe is Messing with Me!

(Note: the above is not my kitchen, but may as well have been!)

I love my house, but hate my kitchen! So, I decided to remodel. The job was supposed to have started and finished last month. But alas, the universe found out that I had signed up for NaNoWriMo and decided to mess with me.

Instead of starting on my kitchen last month, the builder couldn't start until this month. And then, everything that could go wrong, went wrong. I will spare you the gory details on that one, but will say that not having a kitchen sink for over a week really bites. Really, really, bites. But it seems like the worst is over, and if all goes well, my kitchen should be finished tomorrow!! Hooray! 

So what to do with Nano? Even though I won't meet my goal, I'm NOT throwing in the towel. My plan is to write full steam ahead as soon as I'm able. (Looks like I can focus on writing Friday!)

What about you? Did you sign up for Nano? If so, how's it going?

Pitch U and the Write Lawyer

I subscribe to and read tons of blogs. They keep me up to date on writers, publishers, agents and more. One blog I regularly read is the Pitch University blog.

Last week I noticed the Pitch U blog featured a column by Jeffrey V. Mehalic of the Write Lawyer. It was to be a featured column in which Mr. Mehalic would review and give his legal opinion on various publishing contracts.

As a lawyer, this really caught my interest, and so I read his review of the contracts from Sourcebooks, Crescent Moon Press, and Entangled Publishing. The rating for each? Sourcebooks: SHRED IT; Crescent Moon Press: BURN IT; Entangled Publishing: SHRED IT.

Today, as I review my RSS feeds, I find that Mr. Mehalic has announced the following: "Starting Monday, September 19, 2011, I will be posting my column on publishing contracts on this blog, rather than on Pitch University. I had my posts removed from PU (appropriate, eh?) after my post was altered by the owner of the site."

WOW.

First, let me say that contracts are ALWAYS skewed to favor the interest of the party who is presenting the contract. Which is, a no-brainer. That's why one must always have a contract evaluated and negotiated before signing. Plain and simple.

As a writer in search of a dream agent who will sooner than later be reviewing my own contract, I appreciated the advice and the heads up by Mr. Mehalic on some of the issues I will soon face. On the other hand, I can see how publishers might not appreciate their contracts on display without having a chance to first address the issues in the post.

But the question is: what do you think of Pitch U allegedly altering the posts? What does that say to you?

The Emily Contest is Open!

Calling all writers! The Emily contest is open!

The Emily is sponsored by the West Houston Chapter of the RWA. According to their website, the contest started back in 1990 to promote publication of previously unpublished writers of romance.

The contest evolved and is open to published and unpublished writers. (You do not need to be a member to enter.) Unpublished authors may enter in any category not contracted in (book-length) by September 30, 2011. Published authors may enter in any category not published (book-length) in the past three years. For a full list of categories, please visit the website. NOTE: there IS a YA category!

The Emily is a highly respected contest. In fact, many Emily winners and finalists have gone on to be published. The contest is capped at 300 entries, and multiple entries are allowed. The contest asks for your first 7000 words. And, there is no synopsis requirement! (Hooray!) The deadline is September 30th, but because of the cap you don't want to wait!

For more info, and to enter, go to the website link above. Good luck!

Back in the Saddle

Hey everyone! I'm officially back in the saddle again! And glad to be back! For those of you who don't know, I lost my mother-in-law to cancer. We were very close, and it was a very difficult time in my life that one day I will most definitely write about. Although I miss her dearly, I know she's up in heaven shaking her first at me and telling me to GET ON WITH IT! So that's what I'm doing.

Then, of course, I had the regular craziness associated with kids and summer. Now that my lovely darlings are back at school, I'm back at my desk and moving forward with finding my dream agent.

My plan is to be more active here on my blog, and to focus on my goals because I know that this is my time. I can feel it!

Until next time!