2012 Here We Come

Tick, tick, tick...the minutes are slipping away faster and faster as 2011 draws to a close.  We live in such a fast paced world and our days ahead seem to get pre-planned with meetings and events and things to do.  More than one person has recently commented that this past Christmas seemed to arrive and depart at break neck speed – not always leaving time to nurture and enjoy the spirit of the season properly.  Although health issues with close friends are a good reminder that we do need to treasure the moment we live in and that blessings that surround us amid  challenging times.

For Jamie Tremain, this past year saw the biggest change with Pam’s retirement and her opportunity to attend writing classes which have benefited us both.  We look forward to Bloody Words2012, held this year in Toronto and are definitely planning on attending! 

Polishing Body Perfect as much as possible is the goal in order to have it appeal to a publisher or agent to work with.  While we do have a second story involving Paul and Dorothy brewing (four chapters and more already) and are anxious to get into some ‘new’ writing, we both feel it is worth investing time and energy into an already well-liked story so that it sells!   We are very grateful to our loyal readers who have read both Madelaine and more recently Body Perfect.  Their feedback and suggestions are taken most seriously and always welcomed.  But if we have entertained any readers with our tales then that is a source of pride for sure.

Pam is planning on joining up with myself and a couple of good friends for lunch today so it will be nice to wish her Happy New Year in person. 

My wish for all of you as we close the door on 2011 and open up 2012 is to count your blessings, be kind to one another and have a safe, healthy and Happy New Year!

Cheers!

Liz

I'm ready to rock 'n roll

After four weeks of this retired life I am ready to ‘rock 'n roll’. I had intended to spend a month of cleaning, organizing and generally getting my life in order but the best laid plans etc. After two birthdays, a visit from two grandsons, a country wedding and helping to look after a 95 year old friend with hospital and doctor visits and numerous chores around the house I am ready to go back to work. I was warned about this but I must say I am enjoying the extra 30 minutes I give myself in the morning.

However, the other half of Jamie Tremain has been busy finishing the 2nd draft of Body Perfect and adding a few finishing touches to the story from our last get together. It is done!!!! Yea! Thank goodness Liz is a great typist as I am a two finger plodder on the computer. Hard to believe I took three years of typing in school. The manuscript still needs some polishing but that should take one more go through and then we can send it to be bound while I finish the synopsis and query letters to send to agents and publishers. Very exciting. A book is really never finished as one can always see something that needs to be changed or added. We will expect our trusty reading fans to give us some constructive criticism as we find that very helpful. We tend to get so close to the story that we sometimes miss things.

I did manage to get a bit of reading done over the last few weeks. It has not all been catching mice and ironing. I sometimes managed to do absolutely nothing. I am not too good at that, but with practice I should be an expert. My husband has it down pat so I will take some lessons from him.

When I was not doing anything constructive, I was reading the new Linwood Barclay thriller “The Accident” http://linwoodbarclay.com/ I have read everything he has written and this one is very intense and nerve-wracking. Check out his website for his other books.

I have a list of books from some of my favourites who have books out this fall. Louise Penny, www.louisepenny.com/ has her seventh book in the Armand Gamache /Three Pines series. “A Trick of the Light”. I can’t wait to get my hands on it. The worldwide launch is today.

Also check out John Moss’s new book called “Reluctant Dead” http://www.johnmoss.ca/ new to the Quinn and Morgan series.

The fall line-up of new books is terrific and another I hope I find the time for is by
author D.J. McIntosh and her book is “ The Witch of Babylon” http://www.babylontrilogy.ca/

If I start to read all these I will never get my own writing done. Oh, I forgot I don’t have to go into the office..... Liz will kill me for saying this.

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

By Hook or by Crook(s)

Today was revision day and I’m happy to report that Body Perfect is alive and well!   I spent an enjoyable day with Pam as we continued, and almost finished, the first revision of Body Perfect.  Part of the time was spent outside and some indoors where the air conditioning was most welcome.   A delicious lunch made a nice break mid day and I couldn’t believe it when my watch revealed the day had flown by and it was after  4 pm.

So, the crooks have been dealt with and now it’s a matter of finishing the story on a strong note as we wrap up this first tale featuring Dorothy Del Rio and Paul Barron.

As well, two things were accomplished today, one of which was the result of a “light bulb” moment and the other was something we knew we had to work on.  Both of our main characters, Paul and Dorothy, have  something from their past that they have been keeping from each other and we needed to determine where and how this revelation would take place.   The solution was arrived at and I now need to make a more lengthy revision in the second to last chapter to bring this background to light.  And how will it affect  the  blossoming relationship between our favourite characters?   We can’t tell you, silly…that’s why you’ll need to read the book!

The “light bulb” moment came about as we were reading aloud portions of the story.  Without giving anything specific away, suffice it to say we have been wanting to find some kind of trademark that will be specific to this, and future,  Del Rio adventures.  We had already decided on a specific, easily identified marker for the series, but the little gem we thought of today will be more subtle and tucked away within the story.  If nothing else, it gave us a jolt of excitement and a good dose of motivation, to see this revision completed as soon as possible.  Hopefully another little device to hook our readers.   As with Madelaine, we would like to soon have some bound manuscripts available of Body Perfect which we can lend out for feedback.   So I know what I’m hoping to accomplish tomorrow!  

If the heat and humidity are at the same level tomorrow as it is right now, then strenuous typing will be as much as I’ll be able to muster!  Breakfast with some friends is in store for first thing, and then I hope to plunk myself down here and make some headway with the manuscript.

As noted in my previous entry, I have started reading my first Harlan Coben,  “Play Dead”, and really do find it hard to put down.  Lots of twists, and very interesting characters!

I hope your weekend is going well…stay cool and enjoy the summer weather!

Cheers!

Liz

October - And the Frost is on the Pumpkins

How did it get to be the middle of October already?  Is there someone I can complain to about time speeding by?

And this comes as a week off work draws to a close.  Beautiful weather for the most part, chilly and frost heavy mornings leading to pleasant afternoons.  The evenings draw dark so much earlier now and when I struggle to awake on a darkened morning I can endorse the ancestors’ view of sleeping when it is dark and working in the light!  At times that sounds mighty civilized to me.

The First draft of Body Perfect is basically done.  The last chapter has now revealed gaps  made apparent with some recent changes made along the way.  Pam and I have tentatively booked a Saturday to see how much revising Draft One will need.  I’d like to be optimistic and say none, but realistically I’m pretty sure that won’t be the case. However it will be good to start from page one and see how the story, and characters, have grown.

A new member of the family  has been welcomed into the household since I last wrote – Winston is a 10 week old rescue kitten.  Really, it was only a stop for cat food at PetSmart!

His cage labelled him as being very shy and needing time to get used to humans.  He had been there about 3 weeks along with his brother, whom he hid behind until he was adopted.  Shy he is, but he is making progress and likes to sleep next to me.  The challenge is getting him to the vet for a checkup.  Yesterday’s appointment came and went as he wouldn’t cooperate with being rounded up and put in the pet carrier.  Can’t imagine why not!  So another appointment is booked for two hours from now; needless to say the first opportunity presented to catch him will not be wasted!

And some kudos to the Brick Furniture company as well are in order.  Recently a dining set was ordered – table and 6 chairs, all needing assembly.  The chairs were fine, but when the table was unpacked a good sized gouge was discovered along the table top edge.  Dreading to make a call to complain (after recent battles with Bell Canada) I spoke to a representative.  No hesitation on replacement, and I was even told that I could go ahead and finish assembling the table and use it until the replacement arrived.  They would even deliver straight to the house; normally items are delivered to the local outlet and customers go and pick up their purchases to take home.   The replacement arrived when promised and the driver even took the time to assemble it!    I’m still waiting on a dresser to arrive, and once that’s here and set up, I intend to let the Brick know that they do have a very happy customer.  So easy to complain, and easy to not bother commenting when something does go right.

So aside from an oil change, and installation of snow tires on my vehicle, it hasn’t been a very exciting week off work.  But it has been a rest from work and that is the main purpose I suppose.  Managed to finish reading Linwood Barclay’s “Never Look Away”.  Wow…what a thriller, so many twists and turns.  I hated putting it down and stayed awake till midnight last night to finish.  Excellent story and keeps you turning the pages!

Well kitten catching time approaches, and as the sun rises higher the frost is melting away.  I’m thinking it’s time to find the ice scraper for the car before Monday arrives.

Have a great weekend.

Cheers!

Liz

Summer's End

How quickly summer passed this year, but I am not sad to say goodbye to the heat and humidity which dominated July and August ; causing sleepless nights and grumpy days!

Yesterday was as if someone flipped a switch!  Friday had been another very warm day, but by Saturday morning the temperature had dipped to about 11 degrees Celsius and jackets or hoodies were the order of the day if you were outside.  And they had better have been waterproof too!   Bands of heavy showers swept through most of the day.    A planned outing to a local Fall Fair was abandoned due to the weather.

This morning I awoke, after the best night sleep in weeks, to sunshine and crisp air – my favourite type of weather!

Kids will be heading back to school on Monday and even though it has been MANY years since I have been part of that academic ritual, the start of school continues to signify a fresh beginning for me.  Not even January 1 carries the same weight in that regard.

A new (or clean and re-organzied) desk, unspoiled notebooks and a fresh assortment of writing utensils; whatever the age it can be a great motivator to work toward those goals we writers have.

Pam has enjoyed a week away from work and hopefully it has helped recharge her batteries after an extremely busy summer for her at work.   We do need to have a good day together to go over Body Perfect as its first official draft is nearing completion.  I have a few days vacation this month as well and that will be a “no excuse” time for ensuring it is complete .

Wherever you are, I hope the weather is to your liking, because I’m certainly enjoying mine. And if this is a long weekend for you – enjoy and be safe.

Cheers!

Liz

More of The Same!

Almost three weeks since Pam wrote, and it’s STILL hot, humid and uncomfortable.  So draining.  Intermittent thunderstorms have not really cleared the air as hoped for and so we continue to swelter.  There is no little envy on my part for those of you who have air conditioning.

But enough of the weather!    And I won't even mention problems that have been ongoing with the internet connection at this new address....

July has been a busy month at work and at home.  Here at home I continue to try and get organized after moving at the end of June.  The weather plays a big part in hampering efforts to get to those remaining boxes. Just thinking about unpacking is enough to start the sticky uncomfortableness the humidity brings. Pictures still need to be hung and bookshelves need organizing, but at least my library is unpacked.  I always think it feels like home once familiar authors and favourite tales have once again taken up residence around me.

Progress today though has come in the assembly of a much needed kitchen pantry unit.  Never believe those three little words on the exterior packaging….”Easy to assemble”.  Need I say more?  However after several hours of hard work, the unit now stands ready to be filled with the contents of some of those yet-to-be-unpacked boxes.

Pam has been literally run off her feet at work with one event (charity or social) after another. Hopefully she is enjoying a restful weekend as I write!  So many people at work have come to depend on her for everything from coffee runs to organizing day long company events.  And all with a smile – most of the time.

I am determined to take some time tomorrow to turn my creativity back to Body Perfect.  It has been too long away from this fun adventure and I am missing Paul and Dorothy!

This evening though I will be attending a gathering of family and friends as we celebrate my son and his wife’s 30^th birthdays.  Hmmmm…the hall will be air conditioned, won’t it?

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and stay cool.

Cheers!

Liz

Sloppy and Slothful

I have been looking for a word that describes my state of being today.The best word to describe me is slothful.The dictionary says...disinclined to work...lazy. Yes, that describes me to a tee.
If it was not so late in the day I would have a nap but then I would never sleep tonight.

Gazing out the window onto a perfectly lovely Spring day just being slothful, watching fat squirrels chase each other up and down trees and loads of birds making a racket and fighting, (I think those squirrels got fat on the walnuts I had left over from baking,) My husband fed them over the winter. Cute little rodents but rodents they are. They had better leave my one and only tulip bulb that has just shown up. They have enjoyed the last bulb as I don't intend to plant any more.

I love gardens and flowers but .....it's so much work. My lilac and forsythia are in bud and my perennial beds are sprouting green shoots. Sounds like I know what I am talking about but that is about the extent of my repertoire. I do recognize roses and pansies and such but I am keen to keep planting perennials as they keep coming back for more sunshine every year.

To go along with the slothfulness, I am wearing....what can I say. I have been praying no one comes to the door or have any unexpected visitors as I am not fit for human edification. Hair needs washed and is pinned back, no makeup and the outfit baggy and ill fitting. I had to go out to the post office so I donned my sunglasses to hide behind, well they are huge, and ended up at the bookstore to read a bunch of magazines. Never met a soul I knew and when I checked my fellow shoppers they looked just like me.

Tonight I will get back to reading Body Perfect. I am now on chapter 10 and really enjoying the story. Seeing it with fresh eyes and don't find much I want to change. We will see what Liz thinks when she gets a hold of it.

Tomorrow is another day and I don't suppose the bank would like my sloppy and slothful ways so I had better pull myself together for another week at the mines.

Talk soon.

Slainte,

Pam

Synopsis and withdrawal

Condensing a 300 page manuscript into a 2 page synopsis or less, I find quite challenging. Known for my verbosity... it is harder than I thought. That is my job this w/e and to draft a letter to attach to the chapters I will be sending off on Monday.
Then Liz and I will wait with bated breath for the verdict. In the meantime we will finish the revision of the book from cover to cover. A friend of Liz's and her family are giving us lodging at their trailer. Rebecca will be hammering out any changes we make and Liz and I will edit.

Then we should be ready to find an agent.I have been researching and have narrowed it down to a few and so the journey is really just starting.

"Body Perfect" has been under wraps for a few weeks and we are having withdrawal pains . We are both very excited about the characters Dorothy Del Rio and Paul J Barron and I know for sure Liz has plans for their next adventure. I think maybe a contest is in order to guess where the next location of this series takes place?? But I am jumping ahead of myself. This one is almost finished and then we will start the rewrite while we are waiting to hear about "Madelaine."
Maybe it was not a bad idea to write two books at once!

Weather unsettled and overcast. Just right to tackle the synopsis as there is no danger of me sitting out with a book. I should be washing, cleaning,cooking, and all that domestic stuff but.... An author's work is never done!

All this rain we have been having is making me homesick (almost). The garden is so green but it also brings up lots of weeds. Just maybe I could spend half an hour weeding when I need a break from my trusty laptop.

I am going to talk Liz into taking a short video when we go to the trailer and try and attach it to the blog. Technically challenged that I am I will have to leave that to her.

Talk later,
Pam

Don't forget the....!

Packing for the weekend - you'd think it was for a week! Trying to remember all the important things for our "writing retreat" weekend. And seeing as the last minute items have to go in tomorrow morning before 5:30 a.m., chances are that something will be forgotten!

I don't think Body Perfect is coming along on this trip as we really want to concentrate on Madelaine - Pam has been finding some great reference books on writing/publishing - lots of good ideas and things to watch for. We definitely have our work cut out for us & how much we may actually get done remains to be seen. If the internet connection works for us, we may get an update published on here before we head home on Sunday.

We are going to be daring and wear running shoes to work tomorrow...something frowned upon and not in the official dress code list as appropriate attire! Well, seeing as we are travelling right from work tomorrow, I know I want to be comfortable. At least leaving work at 3 p.m., we miss most of the dreaded Friday weekend traffic and should have a good head start getting away from the Toronto area before the roads bog down.

Wish us luck and a safe journey - we'll check in back here at the earliest opportunity.

Cheers!
Liz

A Day Earlier This Week!

As promised last Sunday, I've made it here with another post before the full week went by!

What a glorious day weather wise! More like summer than spring, but it was sure nice to be able to head outside without a coat! Buds are forming on trees, and fields are turning green almost overnight.

I worked on Body Perfect today, didn't flow as well as I think it should have. But I have sent it along to the other half of JT and wait for her comments. For the rest of the weekend I need to work on my newsletter for work, prepare for the workshop next weekend and also try and find some down time somewhere in there! And then I will turn my attention to Madelaine.

Perhaps the fresh air has caught up with me, for I'm feeling pretty exhausted, although I really don't have much to show for that! So I think it will be another early night and hope the batteries recharge somewhat!

Cheers!
Liz

A Small Revision

Here it is, Sunday again. Seems I am getting into the habit of blogging here only once a week, must try and increase that a bit I think!

I believe Pam or I mentioned a while ago, we have another writing workshop coming up in a couple of weeks. This one will focus on writing and revising, so the timing is very good for us, seeing as we are getting that much nearer to the completion of Madelaine, if not both stories.

As an exercise for the class, we can bring a 1000 word example of our work, so Pam and I decided we would bring a sample from each story, she will focus on Madelaine and I on Body Perfect.

That led to a review of the first few pages of the story. The opening paragraph of Body Perfect is over in the side bar of our blog's front page. Below is what I worked on yesterday, tightening up some scenes and adding a little here and there.


The Porsche was traveling so quickly, he instinctively swerved to miss the bundle tossed from the rear of the speeding van in front of him. Checking his rear view mirror and watching the sack coming to rest at the side of the road, he wondered if it could actually be a body curled up in there, or just a large bag of trash, casually disposed of by an inconsiderate driver? How quickly the mind makes split second decisions. Should he keep driving and dismiss what he had seen, or stop and go back? If it was a body, he would have to call the Portland area authorities and that would mean a delay he could not afford. For if, he was even 30 minutes late, then the long anticipated partnership merger might fizzle to nothing and his business future would take a downward turn.

At this stage in his life, Paul J Barron was an extremely successful business man and he prided himself on his proven ability to think on his feet – making instant business decisions when necessary was his forte. So he could not dismiss what he had seen and knew as he slowed to a stop that his conscience would not let him drive on without investigating.

He dialed into his Blackberry and quickly informed his senior administrative assistant to use all her charm and delaying tactics to hold the Japanese delegation that would soon arrive at his office. The day was overcast and cool but for some curious reason Paul began to sweat. Was it fear of finding a body or, worse case scenario, a dismembered body? His imagination was running overtime.

"Probably just a load of old clothes someone had decided to offload,” laughed Paul shaking his head. This would be a good story for the guys at the club when he played golf on Saturday.

After three years in the Military, Paul had seen his share of dead bodies but this seemed different to him. He swung his car around and made his way back to the unmoving, large lump in the green trash bag. Staying in the car, Paul surveyed his surroundings. “Not one car on the road when I need one”, he thought to himself. To make things even more uncomfortable a soft rain started to fall. Paul stepped out of the car and made his way over to the suspicious mound.
A small branch lying nearby would provide the appropriate tool with which to test the contents through the plastic. “A pair of those disposable gloves would come in handy right about now”, he thought. The first gentle prod yielded a sense of softness within; a little more force and he met with resistance, and a tear in the plastic. There was not enough of an opening to see anything, so with no other alternative, he enlarged the hole. Instinctively, Paul held his breath and prepared to start breathing through his mouth.

“What the…?”

It was a body all right, but definitely not the human kind. Glossy jet-black hair spilled through the opening and it was clearly the crowning glory of an oversized doll. Stooping down to get a closer look, he marveled at the exquisite detail of the fully dressed, life-like creation. Its appearance reminded Paul of a Geisha, with its rich and colourful kimono and ghostly white face. In fact, the doll brought to mind Kimi, a girl he had once met in Japan. Paul began to fold back more of the plastic. He had never seen anything like this, not in all his travels. It seemed to be a unique, hand constructed doll, possibly expensive – but why had it been tossed from that van?

It would certainly make a very special gift once cleaned up a bit, and so Paul scooped up the doll and then got more of a sense of its size. “Must be almost four feet tall!” he thought in amazement, not only at its size, but its eerie similarity to a human body.

Turning back to his car with his new passenger, whom he was already mentally referring to as Kimi, Paul carefully laid the doll in the trunk, as he did not want to have to explain his new companion to the valet at his office building. Now that his breathing was back to normal Paul’s mind switched gears, thinking about the upcoming merger and what it would mean to him should things not go the way he visualized.

The traffic was light and he made good time. His mind on other things, Paul did not notice the silver Volvo slip in behind him as he entered the underground parking lot of his office building on SW Meadows Dr. The vehicle’s windows were tinted black so he would not have seen the two people who were watching his every move. He handed his keys to the valet, made some small talk with the attendant on duty, and then ran towards the elevator.

But, entering the elevator he pushed the button for the lower parking level instead of the topmost floor. He had made the decision to go back to his car and retrieve the doll. His assistant could have a good laugh at his new “girlfriend” and perhaps they could try to figure out where she came from.

His car had been taken to its reserved stall in the lower parking level and as he made his way toward it, he noticed two men approaching his sports car from the direction of the ramp. Not your usual car snatchers, or thugs seen lately and who had committed numerous car heists, especially with premium cars such as his Porsche. These men were wearing very expensive looking suits, but even at first glance, Paul felt threatened by them.

“Never seen these guys before,” thought Paul. They were moving quickly as if they were late, or didn’t want to be detected. Paul had entered the garage unnoticed as they made their way to his Porsche. At that point, the hairs on Paul’s neck were standing up as a wave of adrenaline rushed over him. He had the foresight to duck behind another car as one of the two men momentarily hesitated and began to turn in his direction.


So it will be with some excitment, fear, and trepidation, that Body Perfect come under professional scrutiny!!

Hopefully Pam has recovered from her social activities of last night! I had both my sons and their families drop in for a short visit, which was nice. Some video gaming time spent with 5 year old Michael, and computer time with almost 3 Makenna. And today I am off to a training seminar in Mississauga. As a side line to everything else going on in my life, I am venturing into being a consultant for Beauti-Control skin care products. Part of their initial start up package requires a day long training session and then the balance of the start up kit I ordered will be made available, as well as receiving access to a personalized web-page of my own. This will allow any customers of mine to order directly online. Oh, yes, I will publish a link here - not to miss any opportunities!

And having said that, its time to get off this computer and get ready for the day. I am getting picked up at 7 a.m. to be there for an 8 oclock registration. Hoping to be back home by 4...is that too late in the day for a nap??

Have a good one.

Cheers!

Liz

Inspiration's Unlikely Source

Apr 2 2008

No fooling!

The plan for last evening was to add some more to Body Perfect. It seemed to be a repeat of the last time I intended to write - nothing was flowing. I had had no problem with Madelaine and whipped off a few hundred words just like that! Knowing that Pam was waiting for something new to work with on Body, I started to feel a sense of frustration setting in with my lack of ideas. Where did I want to take this next part of the story? Ideas rolling around in my head didn't seem to warrant the effort of transferring them to the computer.

As a diversion (read - stalling tactic) I decided to check out the day's internet news items. Keep in mind yesterday was April 1 and often there are some cleverly disguised headlines designed to fool even the most observant.

Britain often produces some great hoaxes and I chanced on a news item headlining some. Big Ben due for repairs and the clock face would be replaced with a digital clock - was one of the better ones. And then there was video clip - purporting to show flying penguins! Very well done the story was and I enjoyed a chuckle or two as it unfolded. The snow and ice were the backdrop scenery, with some icebergs off in the distance.

Voila! The inspiration hit, and I started the next line in the story, "Apparently we have just scratched the tip of the iceberg with this case....." And unlikely as it seemed, seeing an iceberg triggered a story line and I was once again working the keys!! From there it just flowed - or maybe I should say "floed" ! Apologies to Webster and Oxford for creating a new word.

At any rate, by evening's end I was satisfied with my efforts and Pam seemed to enjoy it as well, so now Body Perfect is back in her court. And I will get back to Madelaine very soon.

So, don't get discouraged fellow writer, if things don't seem to work when you want them to - the words will come!

Oh, and it certainly feels as if spring is really here!

Cheers!
Liz

What Else is There to Say - MORE SNOW!!!!!

March 8

We are in the midst of a very major winter storm!! Ho hum, what else is new? Apparently the phrase 'major winter storm' does not have as much punch as it did about 6 major winter storms ago!

But truly today, has to be the worst of this winter! Its blowing around now and I see no one is even bothering trying to shovel - no point! So grateful I am that it is a Saturday, although it would most likely have been a legitimate snow day from work - otherwise by this time of day, I'd be booking an overnight stay at a nearby hotel close to work.

So other than snow, what else is news? The beginnings of a cold that threatened me earlier this week seems to have morphed into laryngitis - I have an interesting cough that accompanies it, starts out with a very good bark and ends upward on a little squeak.

And what is new with the children? I refer to Body Perfect and Madelaine, of course! Today I find not much flowing creatively, so have been tidying and organizing. If too much clutter surrounds me, either mental or physical, it really bogs down the thought process. The tidying and organizing concerns mostly Madelaine, bringing the Chapter Summary up to date, and consulting Pam on some ideas at the beginning of Chapter 18. Then some file back ups were in order. It may be time to send out a couple of completed draft chapters to our reading distribution list as well.

Both Pam and I are great fans of Louise Penny and left comments on her blog, she was so kind to respond quickly, offering encouragement to us both. Pam, have you finished reading Dead Cold yet?? (Is that a subtle enough hint that I am anxious to read it as well!)

So perhaps something to eat for dinner and then I will set myself back down here and see what words will flow -not "and if" either!

Oh and something else to remember - Daylight Savings Time comes into effect this weekend.

Cheers
Liz

Still Reviewing/Revising/ReWriting!

Feb 21/08

Well, I'm still at it! I have had some interruptions over the past few days, like work and sleep, which have slowed down the revision process!

I've just finished Chapter 12, and felt like I needed a bit of a break, so thought I'd see about an update here. It's been a challenge, but at the same time a very good exercise to go through. And just think, the same effort awaits with Body Perfect! First things first!

The re-write of Madelaine's family history has gone well I think. As well, I have been keeping track of the time line of the story. It became very easy to lose track of what day of the week we were supposed to be setting events in, but now we have that anchored. Again, for future writing efforts, it will be something to start with from page one!

I'm anxious to get back on course with both stories; as Pam mentioned in her last post, she has left me with a certain someone standing on a gangway with flowers and a toothbrush!

Other writing duties will be needing my attention this weekend. I put together a monthly newsletter for our workplace, with an e-mail distribution of about 250. So all the contributed articles need to be edited and put together before next Friday. I started on it last night, but would honestly rather be working on our novels in progress!

Back to it I suppose - at least tomorrow is FRIDAY!!! And just why is that shorter work weeks end up seeming even longer than normal??

Cheers
Liz