Happy New Year's ... Resolutions

I do, do you?

New Year's resolutions are my siren song, my candy at the end of the year, my guilty pleasure. Anything that promises a new beginning whether a new year, a nano novel, a new job are all exciting. The chance to look at the past and decide what's worked, what hasn't and what you want to attempt going forward; these are the things that make my heart beat faster.

I'm not one of those 'lose 20 pounds' or 'eat healthy only' kind of resolutioners. It's not about lying to myself. I know I won't cut sweets out of my diet because cake is awesome and eating cake is the best. An occasional margarita fueled night makes me extremely happy. And I like a burger and the fries that come with it.

This year my resolutions are smaller in scale but very exciting to me. And there's only two.

My first is to turn my bedroom into a color filled haven of creativity. I want a room that makes me feel like I'm in a place where imagination is limitless. I know it's just a room and one can be creative in a hovel or a mud shack but there's something about having a space that is yours alone, unshared and made just to please you. And since I live in someone else's house and have no say about how furniture is arranged or what's put on the coffee table: I need my space.

I bought the furniture paint today.

Resolution number two is to rewrite my nano novel.

That's it.

I have other goals for the year, mostly involving my finances and getting them in a more manageable state as well as improving my cooking skills and getting my car taken of and such.... but those aren't resolutions.

I'd love to know if anyone else out there also does the resolution thing.

And more than anything:

HAPPY NEW YEAR FRIENDS!!!!

Here's hoping that 2016 leaves more laughter than tears, more happiness than sadness and more dreams fulfilled.

Mazel tov.

And from us too.   :-)

Twas the Night

Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the blog
the ladies were giggling
tipsy on egg nog.

"Dig this cover," said Red
"with a hunk I'd kill to bed."
"Oh my," Lea sighed
"I'd like him buried tween my thighs."

Aztec shook her head
her mind on serious things
such as the rules and the rights
and the chance Trump might be kinged.

In Aloha garb, Lori did plan
a traditional feast of turkey and ham
and poi and and the fruits
of this tropical land.

The Kindles were charging
on the mantle with care
in the hopes that the wifi
would be clear in the air.

There were books to be read
and books to be writ
and plans for trilogies
and standalone titles which are really my preference because I'm tired of reading series.

Grace Draven, Lisa Kleypas
even Eloisa James
are some of the authors
we're hoping to name
for many more books
for many more years
that we can all enjoy
and we can all share
and we'll keep this blog
lit up through the night
so we can talk about books
and hot men who are a sight
and things that matter
both far and quite near
because being with all of you
fills us with cheer
so from two old farts
who talk romance
Happy Holidays to all
and to alla Bonne Chance.

Hey From the Other Side

Happiest of holidays!!!!

I'm slipping in and writing this from work since I've lost my computer to a Windows 10 virus that destroyed it completely. I'm trying to spin this as a positive as a way to cure my internet addiction... ha!

However, I'm raising a cyber glass of champagne and toasting anyone reading this. Here's hoping for a happy, sassy, successful 2016.

To those we've laughed with, here's a toast for more laughter.

To those we've cried with, a toast for comfort.

To those we've shared screams in the cold, dark night: may our voices be heard.

Carolyn and I are hoping to update ye olde blog in 2016 and get back to more blogging and reviews.

Happy holidays friends.

Life is So Weird

So, my eldest son had a heart attack.

I feel like I'm living in a mind bubble, where my kids are always young and relatively safe from life. Certainly my eldest shouldn't be 46 years old and having heart attacks.

It's bad enough when a life is on the line, but we had to do some digging to find out absolutely nothing. No information. None. You see, my eldest son is in prison and $25,000 dollars later, we have been unable to get him an appeal hearing. Of course, since I'm his mama, I think he's innocent, but just looking at the facts, I know he's innocent and has been railroaded.

If one of his cellmates hadn't called us, we would still know nothing. Not one official has contacted us, despite my husband calling the prison system. I suppose they don't think a 46 year old man's parents need to be advised of everything that happens to him, but I beg to differ.

He had two stents put in and now I'm worrying about his followup care. What kind of followup care will he get in prison?

I apologize for dumping my personal life like this. It's something I don't usually do, but I needed to vent. Thank you for listening.

When the fuck did life get so crazy? When the fuck did I get so old?

Done Did It

For the second time ever: I completed nano. Thank you Lea so much for your constant encouragement and the fun.

November turned out to be one of the hardest months ever for my family. My SIL ended up in the hospital for three weeks because the chemo killed her white blood count so she couldn't fight infection, she got e-coli growing in her blood and she was running a fever. Plus something was going on with her liver.

She's home now and still has to do more chemo. So we've all been miserable. I've been a cleaning, cooking, laundering maniac and if it wasn't for nano I probably would have fallen apart. But having the word count to focus on and letting my story grow organically has been an amazing journey for me.

I have a very very rough first draft that has maybe less than half of it usable but the story grew, the characters changed and I love what I have to work with now.

And I finished nano. Life is nothing if not a roller coaster.