Day 7 and a night out

Nano Nano... I sound like Mork in my own head.
Not doing well all that front. *eyeroll* What can I say? I'm distracted.

Had a good night out with some friends last night. Met someone new. Yay! My first visit to Doherty's was well worth the time it took me to get there. Good food. Good atmosphere... Good Fat Tire. We closed our section on chit chat, laughs and a few hiccups. :D

The kids were sleeping when I got home, so I read for a little bit then went to bed.
Today, the weather is beautiful and everyone has been outside all day. My spirits are up and I look forward to a new week. One in which my husband gets back on the get-a-job wagon and I get back on the writing wagon.

Have a blessed weekend.
With Love,
Bethanne

Attraction vs. Endurance

What brings two people together?
What makes them click?
I've been thinking about this lately. I have a friend--not a writing one--who just got divorced, signed the papers this week. And I'm so sad for her, though she's still in the what-a-jerk camp that I can tell by her facebook profile... although, now that I think of it, what a horribly public medium for having a divorce. Ick.

I got off track there....

Oh, the core of a romance novel. The nucleus of entertainment today, including movies, books, music is Love.

Putting two people together who will survive whatever life throws at them. Is there a formula? A personality equation? Will the love doctor diagnose what ails us or makes us thrive?

I don't think so. I've read the personality books. I've read the birth order books... I get that there are some kinds of people who will compliment another type more fittingly. But there are always exceptions to the rule! And when an author can combine the unexpected and make me believe, when real life has shown me the same, I can believe in love. Twooo Wuv. I believe that a marriage doesn't have to fit an equation. It doesn't have to adhere to any psychological standard. Because love is an action that I wake up every morning determined to do.

...and even when I fail to love as I should, I have Faith in the bonds that God created between Matt and I. And if we do our best--even flawed--to follow His commands, our marriage will survive. We've been through alot...

But there's comfort in our faith and in the grace of sacrifice, and in honor and loyalty. So, I pray for those who don't share that.

*looks around, blushes, and steps off her soapbox*
With Love,
Bethanne

Last day before NANO

My husband is so intuitive. Or maybe he remembers last year, I don't know. But when I made the announcement yesterday that November 1st was the start of National Novel Writing Month...

He immediately said, "So, tomorrow is your day to clean?"

I just laughed.

But yes. Today is something of a cleaning day. The bathrooms, th floors, etc. Obviously, I won't be able to get out of everything--laundry, meals, sweeping and vacuuming. What can you do? I'm a modern woman with responsibilities to my family... and myself.

The novel I'm starting is another Romantic Suspense.

Since the day she discovered several bodies near her home in the Louisiana swamp, Marie has closed herself off to life, and anything resembling joy. Her former friend--one of the murder suspects--has spent years overcoming the stigma of that crime and her betrayal. Together again after fifteen years, will a string of new murders forge their alliance or permanently damage the growing bond?

Well, that's it in a nutshell. :D I really hate those nutshells!
Have a great weekend.
With Love,
Bethanne

Halloween

Yup, it's that time of year again.

Ghosts and Goblins, Fairies and Rockstars....

Candies galore.



Though I LOVE chocolate and hold it in the highest of regard, when it comes to Halloween candy, I'm a candy corn kind of gal...

What about you? What's your favorite CANDY?

Who votes?

I have this threshold for tolerance--maybe it's ethical or moral or maybe it's just plain common sense. I've been hanging around the online writing community for about 3 or 4 years. Supporting the people I care about, the writers who have given to me and the community, is important. In my critique group, there's an obvious balance. In Romance Divas, there's a hierarchy, well-made and well-maintained. There are rules and that makes the forums run smoothly. RWA yahoo groups also has this approach. These places would not exist without its members and those members understand the delicacy it takes to keep peace.

OTOH, I belong to a Writing Workshop yahoo group. In the time I've been on this loop, I've participated in maybe 2 workshops. For me, this is not a place to make friends, to share life stories, to shoot the shit. Writing is my hobby, my joy, but it is also my WORK.

But just when you think a place is friendly.... you find out that IF YOU DON'T VOTE FOR THE WRITER, WHO SHALL REMAIN NAMELESS IN THIS POST, ON A READER REVIEW PAGE, BITTEN BY BOOKS, you get threatened with the removal of LOVE, with the fear that YOU won't be chosen as one of the ELITE.

Our charming, egotistical leader claims that out of 1400 members only 300 voted for her. Even after all that threatening [gasp], shocking. Isn't it??? And she is applauding the people who succumbed to her threats!!! Seriously, how weak are you? I found this really repulsive. This is not a matter of winning by merit. This is out and out indulgence, it's blackmail...

I find it hard to believe that Bitten by Books would be happy to hear that this is going on. Which brings me back to my original theme about tolerance.

Though I LOVE my fellow writers, unless I know you as more than a writer, unless I know how many kids you have or if you've been divorced, and most importantly unless I'VE READ YOUR BOOK!!!, I will not vote for you.

And truly, if a person thinks love is found in a voting both, I don't know how that person can realistically write ROMANCE.

No More Girls

First, I have to show you what's in my yard right now. We have these crazy landpeople who have filled our yard with a number of trees--cigar trees, elms, sycamores, maples, curly-leaved willows... They are on the verge of choking each other out [the trees, I mean], BUT right now, it's too pretty to complain. :)

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I'm really sad to say that the blog I do reviews for has closed down. :( It was fun to be able to talk about the books I've been reading [which seems like none, lately]. The truth is, we all got a burned out over the past few months and we lost a couple of Girls....

So, on to other things...
and now, I may just have to post a review or two here on occasion.
Hopefully, I will be able to pick up my reading habit again. :P

We are a week from National Novel Writing Month.

I am jumping in again this year with a new Work. Another romantic suspense, heavy on the suspense. I've been plotting for a few weeks and feel this is going to be a worthwhile effort.

In other news: 2 rejections on the agent front with 6 still out.

I will be sending more out this week.

Have a great week, everyone!

Love,

Bethanne

Breakfast

I can't eat pancakes for breakfast anymore... or cereal either. They make me feel soooo crappy. LOL That sounds like an odd blog topic, but I sat down to work today, and my head feels funny, my stomach feels off. Bleck. Just when I want to get something done!

Have you ever heard that artists are somewhat absentminded? I've heard that too. oh wait, I am that. It's why I have two calendars and bits of paper everywhere with notes: call Dr. B, Call Amy, phone numbers some with names attached, others without [and I always have to think about who the name belongs to, too]. Today, I stood outside with my youngest and waited for a bus that was never going to come. No school today. Parent Teacher Conferences. Oops. LOL I forgot...and it's not on my calendar, either!

What about you?
Are you disciplined and organized? Do you never miss an appointment? A date? Are you always on time? [well, actually, I'm an on time person, too] I hate being late!