Countdown to September 30th

Just when the leaves turn to an earthy palette of rusts, gold and reds, I’m packing up and heading for Vancouver Island. It will be a long four day trek, driving through the better half of scenic Ontario, into the prairies where land and sky meet on the thin line of the horizon. On the third or fourth day hopefully we’ll be making our way into the majestic Rockies and at last the island.

This will be the second time we’ll escape winter’s grip in Ontario. With luck the winter will be as good in B.C. as it was back in 2004 when we were last there.

In preparation, we’re checking over our vehicle, pricing tires for the poor old thing. As for the writer in me, I’m planning on getting a new laptop (my old one had seen better days).

I’ve already begun to think about the countless TBR books I have, trying to decide which one to take. I have a ton of 80’s and 90’s books that I’ve always wanted to get through. They’re historicals. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I’m a big fan of Judith McNaught, Teresa Medeiros, Heather Graham… And the list goes on.

I Placed In The Lone Star Finals!

I have to say yesterday was a roller coaster ride in emotions for me. I entered the Lone Star writing contest back in June and thought by the time the announcements were made I would have forgotten I even entered.

Boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong. As August 20th drew near I found myself checking the calendar more often and calculating the days I would get word back from the chapter. The day finely arrived; I was reluctant to check my e-mail--strange I know. But for me it's like having a lottery ticket, for a brief moment your dreams of being a millionaire are still plausible, it's only when you check your numbers that your dreamy bubble bursts.

With the prompting of my mother I checked my e-mail and with a single glance I knew my romantic suspense didn't make the cut. Disheartened I read through the judge's comments which really weren't so bad, the scores were high but not high enough to get me into the finals.

As I wrote out my thank you notes to the judges, there was a long distance phone call. Our immediate thought was that it was a telemarketer. You can imagine my surprise when Karen Hankins informed me that my historical romance placed in the Lone Star finals. Talk about a pick-me-up!

I entered two entries; the story concepts couldn't have been more different from the other. I’m so happy I entered the two--the later, was a great chaser to end all writers’ blues. Talk about a day from lows to highs!

Now the wait begins for October 24th when the winners will be announced. Good luck to all entries.

Even if I don't win I’m grateful that I made it this far.

An Amazing Dog

I thought about it for days, wondering what I should post since I hadn’t blogged in months. I wanted something that would grab people’s attention and that’s when I got this video clip in my e-mail. It tugged at my heart and I nearly needed a tissue. It was a no brainer; I had to share :)