Monday Mayhem – Nothing but good things

Over the past couple of years, I’ve tried to focus more on the good things in life than the things that get me down. I think it’s working. Last year, I started doing the notes in a jar. In 2016, I plan to continue that, but I’m also adding the Happier app to my repertoire. It allows me to take pictures and note the happy as it’s happening.

Still, I love my pretty post-its, so I can’t abandon the good old mason jar. I opened my 2015 good things jar on NYE.

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That sucker was stuffed!

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Wanna see what went down this year? Here’s the scoop:

January

1/1/15 – Pan fried praline french toast in butter. We are rebels!

1/1/15 – 1017 words to kick off the new year!

1/2/15 – The best days are royalty check days!

1/2/15 – Print copies of The Last First Date for RITA have arrived!

1/4/15 – Cracker Barrel with Kathy, Monica, and my man!

1/6/15 – Facebook harassed Kay Fairchild with the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch.

1/6/15 – Spring Chickens re-release!

1/7/15 – Hug therapy and Pillsbury ready-to-bake sugar cookies.

1/23/15 – I got a raise!

1/24/15 – Snuggle nap.

February

2/3/15 – Switched RT enrollment for RWA in NYC with Karen B!

2/4/15 – Colin James Kidwell is born!

2/11/15 – Popeye’s Pandora, and the perfect truffle from my love.

2/12/15- Viva Las Vegas with my Super Cool Party People!

2/14/15 – Spring Chickens will be in the Unforgettable Heroes II boxed set!

2/15/15 – Stranded in Las Vegas with my girls.

2/16/15 – Spa day with Iwanna. There are worse places to be stuck than Las Vegas. J

2/23/15 – Signed up for NOLA Stars conference in Shreveport.

2/26/15 – Finished draft on Full Court Press.

2/28/15 – Request for a full on Full Court Press – agent J.A.

March

3/1/15 – Submitted Bossy Pants (retitled A Will and A Way) to Kensington.

3/1/15 – Tulips, pretty tulips!

3/7/15 – NOLA Stars – request for full on FCP – editor P.B.

3/7/15 – NOLA Stars – request for partial and synopsis – agent L.B.

3/7/15 – NOLA Stars – submitted full and synopsis FCP – agent D.K.

3/7/15 – NOLA Stars – Won 1st chapter critique from Molly O’Keefe in auction.

3/18/15 – Query S.M. on FCP.

3/24/15 – Partial request from S.M.

3/29/15 – 3.5 miles in 44 minutes watching Rory’s Birthday Parties on Netflix.

April

4/4/15 – Flying Fish, grass sledding, Riverwalk, salted caramel ice cream, and Outlander. The perfect day!

4/9/15 – Kensington wants Bossy Pants (to be renamed) and two more to follow Going Deep!

4/12/15 – Sara Megibow offered representation!

4/20/15 – Accepted representation with Sara Megibow, KT Literary. Officially a part of Team Megibow!

May

5/4/15 – Charlotte Castle Kolleng is born!

5/6/15 – Boaz Joshua Kiewiet is born!

5/20/15 – Full Court Press going out on submission.

June

6/2/15 – Jewels booked her flight to Little Rock!

6/10/15 – Chicago! Got to smooch Kat, Becky, Johnny, Katie, baby Lottie, and el Jeffe!

6/11/15 – Chicago part II – visit with Strokie at State Farm, Garrett’s Popcorn, and Lou Malnati’s pizza!

6/12/15 – RUSH at the United Center with Wild Bill, Jazzy Jeff, Dazed Dan, Kat and Carol!

6/17/15 – Terms with Kensington at good. Three book deal is a go!

6/21/15 – Father’s Day Italian beef, sugar cookies, and hoops with my boys.

6/24/15 – Kidneys and bladder passed their tests with flying colors.

July

7/4/15 – Annual viewing of The Music Man.

7/18/15 – DSRA, Café Cinco De Mayo, and pre-RWA mani/pedi.

7/21/15 – Surprise bonus at the day job just in time for my trip. 🙂

7/22/15 – RWA in NYC – I touched Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Such a lovely lady.

7/22/15 – RWA Literacy Signing.

7/22/15 – RWA with Karen B. – Up late girl talking. 🙂

7/23/15 – Kensington party – Cab ride with Sharon Struth, Terri-Lynne DeFino, and Sonali Dev.

7/24/15 – Harlequin party at the Waldorf Astoria – Nine authors, one limo. Danced the night away with Karen B!

7/25/15 – Ate a delicious Steakburger in NYC. You can take the girl out of Bloomington…

7/25/15 – RITA awards – two wins for Team Megibow authors!

7/26/15 – Sad news about my BeBe to start the day, but smooth travel with Renee N Kelly. Now home to my pillow.

7/31/15 – Turned in Flip This Love – 64k in 31 days!

August

8/8/15 – Amazeum in Bentonville to meet Sara Megibow.

8/13/15 – Jewels hits Little Rock. 3 Sams BBQ for PB pie. Shooting hoops in the back yard.

8/14/15 – Burgers, shoe shopping, Flying Fish, cardboard sledding and Willy D’s piano bar with Jewels, Joe and Deb!

8/15/15 – Took Jewels to DSRA for show and tell. Mexican food, Trainwreck, and bopper sundaes.

8/16/15 – Jewels, Kayson, and juggling.

8/29/15 – 1st round edits on Flip This Love.

September

9/15/15 – Going Deep release day!

9/27/15 – 12331 words at the DSRA writing retreat 2015!

October

10/13/15 – Flip This Love cover is FABULOUS!

10/13/15 – An offer on Full Court Press!

10/17/15 – I had a bunny. He made me very happy for a very long time.

10/28/15 – Entered Going Deep in 2016 ROTA awards.

10/28/15 – Signed 3 book deal with Samhain Publishing for Warrior (Full Court Press) series.

10/31/15 – Batman returns for trick or treating!

November

11/1/15 – 1st round edits on A Will and A Way.

11/4/15 – Samhain deal announced.

11/9/15 – Lulu bought a house in Missouri just to be closer to me!

11/12/15 – Watched WKRP turkey drop. “As God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.”

11/14/15 – Loblolly ice cream sundaes for lunch.

11/14/15 – Hogs beat LSU – always a good time.

11/15/15 – Dinner at Marketplace with the kiddos – chocolate mess sundae with my favorite little boy.

11/16/15 – 47th bday – New Kindle and Snoopy book on writing.

11/21/15 – Shared a teeny-tiny birthday cake with Mr. Bill.

11/22/15 – Playtime Pizza with the family for Bill’s double-nickel birthday.

11/26/15 – Thankful for a fun Thanksgiving.

11/27/15 – Finished 1st draft on Love and Rockets…finally!

11/28/15 – Joe and Deb’s wedding!

December

12/1/15 – More good publishing news (announcement to come in January).

12/2/15 – DSRA lunch and PHC party. Eat, eat, and eat some more!

12/6/15 – Christmas lights are finally up.

12/13/15 – I am a turkey roasting goddess. Who knew?

12/18/15 – Sally finally learned to play tug.

12/20/15 – My man bought me cookies after a long day of inventory.

12/25/15 – Family, little smokies, monkey bread, and I left The Isle up $5!

12/26/15 – Kidwell Christmas = Babies, babies, babies, and euchre.

12/27/15 – Bill became the fool who ripped his pants!

12/28/15 – Free bonus charm at Pandora.

12/29/15 – Brinda Berry proved that she is magic, like a unicorn.

12/31/15 – Dinner with my man, puppy play, yoga pants, West Wing on Netflix, football and Little Debbie Nutty Bar.

Whew! What a year! Thank you all for being a part of it!

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The jar is empty again and ready to go. My goal for 2016 is to top 100+ notes. How about you? Are you doing anything to tap into your happy?

 

 

Monday Mayhem – Gastronomic Edition

This weekend, Team Awesome took Little Rock by storm!

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Okay, the reality is that we ate our way through Little Rock. There isn’t a whole lot to do around here other than eat. My fabulous Jewels arrived on Thursday afternoon, and we had her snarfing real southern BBQ and peanut butter pie at Three Sams before we even took her home.

threesams pbpie

Wanna know what else was on the menu?

A movie night feast fit for a Gilmore Girl!

Half-price shakes at the Sonic, David’s Burgers, the Flying Fish, Panera, Dunkin, Cantina Cinco de Mayo, movie theater popcorn, caramel pecan rolls, and of course….

frozen Nutella spoons

AND

 

Bopper sundaes from Shakes.

Yeah…so if anyone is looking for me, I’ll be over here having my stomach pumped.

Between meals we managed to squeeze in a little writing, a spot of shopping, some cardboard box sledding, a bout with some dueling pianos, a few hours with the Diamond State Romance Authors, and about 5 movies.

How about you? Did you indulge in anything particularly yummy this weekend?

Monday Mayhem – Kicking names and taking…

I have to tell you, I had a killer awesome weekend writing-wise. I started a new project called Play Dates. Yes, I know, you wanted Hooligans next, but trust me when I tell you that there’s a whole bunch of convoluted reasoning behind the switch in schedule. Anyhoo, I started Play Dates this week, but didn’t have a lot of time to get words in. So, I scheduled some play dates of my own.

First, I hooked up with my pal, Parker Kincaid, for pastries and pantsing at Panera. No, that doesn’t mean we pulled each other’s drawers off. It mean we both write by the seat of our pants. Fueled by bagels, danish, and toffee-nut cookies, we managed to put up some respectable numbers in the old word count column.

But then on Sunday, I took part in this:

retreat

As I type this, we are in the dinner/break portion of the day, and I am proud to report that I have over 4k for the day!

Between sessions, I did a little stint on the elliptical (part of the Body by Gilmore Girls program-I’m on ep 3), threw together some crock pot salsa chicken with black beans, ran to the store, and frolicked outside with the puppies.

I hope to get at least another 1000-1500 words this evening, and round out chapter 2. Jewels has totally kicked butt too. We’ve decided that we like having more defined writing times. Eyes on the prize and all that.

How was your weekend? Hit any goals? Take any naps? Share! I like to live vicariously. 😉

Oh! And starting this week, I’ll have a new feature on my blog – Teaser Tuesdays. These will give me a chance to introduce you to some of my writer friends and their latest projects.

That means this joint is jumping at least 5 days a week. Remember to stop by for all the fun:

Sunday – 8 sentence challenge

Mondays are Mayhem

Teaser Tuesday

Whatcha Reading? Wednesday

Fangirl Fridays!

Oh! Oh! Don’t forget to add your email address to my newsletter list. I have combined Margaret and Maggie’s previous lists and will start moving most of my future contests, excerpts and giveaways to the newsletter mailings thanks to Facebook and other social media outlets restricting the fun stuff, so be sure to hit then newsletter sign up on the sidebar if you aren’t already on there. 🙂

Happy Monday!

O Canada!

O Canada! La la la la la la…. O Canada!

La la la la la la. La la la la la, la la la la la, la la la la la la la….

We stand on guard for thee!

canadian-flag

So yeah. It’s Canada Day, and as an HonoUrary Canuck, I thought it would be cool to have my Canadian friend and anthology buddy, Evelyn Jules, stop by to entertain you.

You got your party toque on? Excellent! Say good day, eh!

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Hello there, everyone! Happy Canada Day to all my fellow Canucks out there, and Happy Monday to the rest of you! J

I’m a quirky girl. Some might even call me a bit of a clown. I love to juggle, I’ve been on a flying trapeze, and at the very top of my ‘things Evelyn must own’ list is a unicycle. Most of the time I’m loud and proud, but sometimes I’m awfully quiet too. Like a mime. It’s possible I took a four week introduction to physical theatre (aka: miming) course.

Here’s the funny thing. Margaret is kind of (or a lot) afraid of mimes and clowns. She’s also a very close friend of mine. Like an older sister, you might say. And since we’re like sisters we enjoy tormenting each other…which brings me to my reason for being here today. One day I heard that Turquoise Morning Press was putting together a collection of wedding-themed stories. I decided to write a love story about a mime and a clown. Then I laughed at myself because I think I’m pretty funny and stuff. But then I stopped laughing because OMG, this was a brilliant idea! So I found a scrap piece of paper and started jotting down all the bits of plot and dialogue that were floating and bouncing and cartwheeling in my head. And then I pitched my idea, including stick figure art, to the collection editor, and instead of shipping me off to the loony bin, she actually LIKED the idea. She liked it so much she actually gave me a spot in the collection!

Now, back to Margaret. Part of the reason why I wrote the story was to drive Margaret crazy. But you know what? Something amazing happened in the end. She liked it too! That’s when I knew I had to share it with the world. It’s not a dirty story. Shocking, I know. It’s actually a beautiful love story of two circus freaks…Oh, hell, just read the blurb.

All Action, No Talk

Alice Moore is a clown . . . in love with a mime.

Her parents have never approved of her circus-oriented lifestyle and in effort to deter her from wasting her life clowning around, they set her up with family friend, Grant Humphrey. A practical man. A businessman. And the last man on earth she wants to marry, but here she is, marching down the aisle toward him.

Alex Holiday is a mime . . . in love with a clown.

He’s silently followed Alice from venue to venue on the circus circuit, working alongside her, worshiping her in secret. He’s never been able to tell her how he feels . . . until now. When he catches wind of the upcoming wedding, he vows to put a stop to it. But will his objection be too late?
I have cover art too!

WeddingCollection_MD

 

The best part about being in this collection is that I get to share it with Margaret. Her story, Always the Groomsman, kicks things off to a hilarious start! I hope you all get yourselves a copy! And remember, clowns and mimes deserve love too.

Now, tell me, what’s the strangest romantic pairing you’ve ever written or read about it?

The Wedding Day Collection is available at these fine retailers:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Wedding-Day-Collection-ebook/dp/B00DF2IJOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1371389617&sr=8-1&keywords=the+wedding+day+collection+margaret

Turquoise Morning Press Bookstore: http://www.turquoisemorningpressbookstore.com/products/the-wedding-day-collection-anthology

All Romance Ebooks: https://www.allromanceebooks.com/product-theweddingdaycollection-1222660-166.html

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wedding-day-collection-margaret-ethridge/1115674093?ean=2940016477282

Monday Mayhem – From this day forward….

Hi! I’m back from my excursion to the annual Reader & Author Get Together in Ohio. It was a great time, as always. The team of volunteers Lori Foster and Duffy Brown have assembled is top notch, and the staff at the Marriott spoiled us as usual.

The best part of the RAGT weekend is the casual atmosphere. I met so many awesome readers and fellow authors this weekend and also had a chance to catch up with some friends. I thought I’d share a few pics before I got down to today’s post.

Look! It’s Evelyn Jules! Squeeeee!

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My fabulous editrix Lola del Sol!

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I photo bombed Julie Anne Lindsey during the signing

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And pillaged my favorite Viking princess, Renee Vincent

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I also got to show off the beautiful cover art for this week’s TMP release: The Wedding Day Collection!

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Love, love, love it!

Want a taste?

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Maggie. I don’t care about the dress or if your hair isn’t perfect.” He smiled when she automatically reached up to tame her wild mane with her palms. The owner of a successful salon and day spa, beauty was no joking matter to Maggie. “You can’t tell me you don’t have make-up in your purse or the diaper bag. I’ve never once seen you leave the house with less than three shades of lipstick.”

“Not true,” she whispered. “I went into labor with only a Chapstick on me.”

“And you never looked more stunning.” The statement of fact came equipped with a charming smile. “You said you’d marry me, Maggie. I let you put me off and put me off—”

“Put you off? It’s been two weeks!”

Actually, it was three. Three weeks since another stick turned pink and his inner Ward Cleaver roared to life. He couldn’t help it. She was going to have his baby. Again. And damn it, this time he wanted to do things right. As right as he could make them at this point. Seemed the not-so-good Catholic boy in him joined forces with Ward to bring him to his knees. Literally.

That’s all I’m going to give you. I mean, it’s a short story. If you want to know what happens next, you’re going to have to buy the cow story.

Or catch a one of the copies my co-authors and I might be toss out there like a bouquets.

Last week, Louise won the drawing for an advanced read copy, and you can do the same!

All you have to do is comment below,share your favorite part of a wedding celebration, and I’ll draw another winner. Seriously, it can be nothing more than:

I’m in it for the cake!

See? Easier doing the Hokey Pokey!

Don’t be a Chicken dancer! All comment posted before 11:59 Wednesday, June 12th have a chance to win. Speak now or forever hold your peace….

Monday Mayhem – Where’s Margaret?

It’s Monday, so I must be in Texas…. At least, that’s the way it seems lately.

So far I have visited El Paso and Odessa. Today, I’m in San Angelo.

For the geographically challenged. And the Canadians.
For the geographically challenged.
And the Canadians.

Let me tell you, the cowboy/oil tycoon/rodeo star plot bunnies are running rampant, my friends!

So, yeah. Margaret’s not home right now, but if you’re really missing me a lot, you can check out the post I did about procrastination on the Diamond State Romance Authors blog last week. And, if you just can’t wait to hear from me again, it’s my turn to host the blog at Everybody Needs A Little Romance this Thursday.

I’ve been a bit out of my comfort zone (which means I’ve been anywhere but my chair), so I messed up a bit on my posts last week. You see, I shared a post from my good friend, Evelyn Jules, on Thursday, but it was supposed to be this week’s Monday Mayhem post. I guess I got excited that it was her birthday, and posted it on her special day. So yeah…I blew my post lineup and I’ve got nothing. But if you missed it, please click here to check it out!

In the meantime, I’ll give you a special travel-themed round of two truths and a lie and give away winner’s choice from any book on my digital backlist. Got ’em all? Play anyway and I’ll give you a copy for a friend!

You ready? Go!

1) I prefer a aisle seat over a window.

2) I love talking to people on planes.

3) I take antihistamines before flying to keep my ears from clogging.

Have a great week, my darlings! I’ll be home soon!

P.S. Thanks to all who commented on Karen Booth’s Monday Mayhem post. You guys rock!

Special birthday blog!

Today is my good friend Evelyn Jules’ birthday! As her special birthday gift (and because this is one of those big-time-ends-in-a-zero birthdays) I finally gave in and let her come on my blog to play two truths and a lie. Seriously, the woman is obsessed with games. It’s be hard holding her back.

Anyhoo – please play along with the birthday girl by leaving your best guess in the comments below!

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When I heard that Margaret was playing Two Truths and a Lie on her blog, I begged her to let me on. Games are like my favourite thing in the world. Then she gently reminded me that I write steamier stuff, and her blog isn’t really directed toward my kind of readers. I said, “People can change, Margaret! I can change!” And then I cried and prostrated myself at her feet. She finally let me have my spot, mostly out of pity I think.

My latest release, Cheapskates in Love, pokes fun at the trials and tribulations of online dating…especially for cheapskates. I have ventured into the online dating world. I saw some things. Things that weren’t pretty. But I did manage to meet a really cool guy along the way. He’s fascinating, adorably nerdy, big and strong, and he makes me laugh. A lot. That’s the most important thing for me. The dating and the getting-to-know-you-ing is going very well so far, so keep your fingers crossed. 🙂

I figured I’d continue along the same theme with my two truths and a lie and talk about some of the boys I’ve been out with, or almost-out-with, over the years. Two of these stories are the truth, and one is a big, fat lie. Can you guess?!

1. My first almost-boyfriend’s name was Kerry. I loved him all throughout elementary school, but it wasn’t until Grade 6 that I decided to make my ‘move’. I asked my girlfriends to ask him out for me. Picture six twelve year-old giddy, giggly girls cornering him at recess and telling him I liked him. I was a nervous wreck the whole time, hiding behind a tree or something. And after recess, Kerry approached me in the hallway because, conveniently enough, our lockers were right next to each other. He asked me, “Is it true? Do you want to go out with me?” I said nothing. “Well?” he prodded. I finally opened my mouth and spoke words so inspiring they should have been set to music. “I…don’t know.” *cue awkward silence*

2. I met my first actual boyfriend, Jesse, in the recovery room of a hospital after he had his wisdom teeth removed. I was about fifteen but I remember his pick-up line like it was just yesterday. He said, “Heyyyyy, pretty girlllll” very incoherently on account of the excessive amounts of freezing in his mouth. I giggled like a school girl. “What’sss your phone nummmer?” he asked me. I giggled more and wrote down my number for him on a napkin. I soon learned that the ‘loopy’ bit wasn’t just a side effect of the anaesthesia.

3. I was friends with a guy named Victor throughout most of my first degree at university. Then one day he decided he liked me. As in, liked me-liked me. We were walking along the wooded pathway to the university and I believe our conversation went something like this: Victor: Wanna come over tomorrow night? Me: Night? But we can’t play sports at night. Victor: *chuckles* I know. I’m going to cook for you. Me: Oh. Are we going to WATCH sports? Victor: I thought I’d take you to a movie. Me: Ohhh. Is this a date? Victor: *chuckles again* I think so. Me: Oh. *silently processes* What are you cooking?

One of these is a lie. I think. But hey, while you’re deciding on that, here’s the blurb for Cheapskates in Love:

It’s couples’ skating night down at the local rink and Elena Armstrong can’t seem to keep her cocky jock blind date around long enough to knee him in the balls. Sadly, she was too much of a cheapskate to pay for a membership to an online dating site and based everything on Leonard’s personality profile alone. Big mistake.

At the opposite end of the rink, Ben Kessel, another cheapskate on a blind date with Iris, the ice princess, is having a similarly miserable time. Elena, a hater of all things sports-related, inches out into the skating world butt-first and collides with Ben. After sharing their hilarious and horrifying dates-gone-wrong stories, the two disappear and make everything right again on the floor in the players’ dressing room. Almost everything. They forget to exchange numbers. Now these two cheapskates need to make the ultimate sacrifice: pay for a membership to the online dating site so they can track each other down. But is the possibility of love really worth the price of $24.95 per month?

Cheapskates_EJules_SM

My Cheapskates are available at the following locations:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Cheapskates-In-Love-ebook/dp/B00B14OMZI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358281364&sr=8-

Turquoise Morning Press Bookstore: 1&keywords=cheapskates+in+love+evelyn+jules

http://www.turquoisemorningpressbookstore.com/products/cheapskates-in-love-by-evelyn-jules

All Romance eBooks: http://www.allromanceebooks.com//product-cheapskatesinlove-1043038-149.html

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/274775

Naughty Evelyn smaller

I’d love to chat with you all some more! Come visit me at my website! http://evelynjules.blogspot.ca

I’m on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/EvelynJules and facebook http://www.facebook.com/EvelynJules too!

Thank you so much for having me, Margaret! I’m forever indebted to you for this honour! Xoxo Evelyn 🙂

Monday Mayhem – Drive-by posting

I have nothing prepared. Nothing at all.

Therefore I was share a few tidbits with you.

First, this GIF post from Nathan Bransford about killed me. There’s no go way to explain the highs and lows in this business, but this comes pretty darn close.

Second, I’ve been invited to join a group blog! My first post at Everybody Needs A Little Romance will go live on Thursday. 😀

Third, my evil twin has been hogging most of the writing time this year, but I have an idea and a little vacation time over the holiday weekend. I’m going to lock Maggie in a closet and let Margaret run wild!

Last…my friend, Evelyn Jules, has a smutty short story called Blind Faith you should read, and my friend, Karen Stivali’s first full-length novel, Meant To Be released this week. What are you waiting for? Run! Run! Read!

 

 

Monday Mayhem – Bunny Cage Edition

Been crazy busy lately. That’s no excuse for neglecting you, but it’s the only reason I have. I would have asked my mom to write me a note, but then she would want to be privy to the secrets I plan to expose. I guess I’ll just have to forge one. Not that I ever did that… Or mastered her signature….

Ahem. Sorry. Here we go…

Please excuse Margaret’s absence from her blog she has been:

1) Taking up three spaces on the TMP Bestseller list for 8/5/12! Okay, so you may only see two titles with my name on them.

*cough* Don’t tell my mother. *cough*

You’ll have to use your super-detective skills to figure out the third one. For those of you who know my naughty alter-ego…shh!

2) Her inner vixen has busted loose and taken over the works! Almost all of the stories I’ve written so far will be published under that other name, but there are a few Margaret works in the pipeline. I have two of six new Jack and Ellie stories completed for 2013’s Long Distance Love collection written, and the plot bunnies for Containment—the third piece in the Contentment/Commitment trilogy—are running rampant in my head. NaNoWriMo is coming up in a couple of months, so I’m trying to get other things out of the way so I can focus my thirty days and nights of literary abandon on Containment.

3) But with her Evil Twin in control, some big things have been happening. Wow things. Check it out!
› Her story, Portrait of Passion, was chosen to be a part of TMPs Passionate Exhibitions anthology coming in October 2012!
› She has a new series of steaming hot novellas coming soon. Very soon! Turquoise Morning Press will begin releasing the Hot Nights in St. Blaise series in late 2012-2013. These sexy stories all center on the men and women of St. Blaise, Missouri, a blip-on-the-map town where the release of the hospital’s new fundraising calendar sets the nights aflame.
› There may be a sexy fireman short story under submission for a Cleis Press anthology.
› And last, but certainly a big squee, a contract is coming from another publisher for SIX short stories to be included in the Love Letters Anthologies! This is a project she has been working on with fellow erotic romance authors Ginny Glass, Emily Cale, and Christina Thacher.
Whew. Have you figured out who she is yet? Want a hint? Her name may or may not be pretty derivative of my own. Take a look at the TMP Top 15 again. I’ll wait here.

4) Okay, enough about me… or her… us. Whatever. Let’s talk about other things. Did you see that my friend, Evelyn Jules’ first short story released? Blind Faith is now available all over the place. If you want a quick shot of smuff (fluffy smut, for those who aren’t in the know) do not miss this sexy read!

5) Oh! And I’m going to be a grandma. Yes, you are right. I am too young and hot to be a grandma, but what are you going to do? These kids… Squeeeeee!

Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to line the bunny cage. How about you? Any big things, wow things going on in your life? Little things that just make you smile are just as good. It’s your turn to share!

Monday Mayhem – Fresh meat!

I’m traveling quite a bit over the next few weeks, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to introduce you to a few of my author buddies. I’m kicking this little foray into the unknown with a complete unknown. I’m crazy like that.

Meet my very funny friend, Evelyn Jules. Her debut story, Blind Faith, will be released by Turquoise Morning Press later this summer. I had the opportunity to read this sizzling little story, and trust me, you’re going to want to read it too! Without further ado…Ms. Evelyn Jules!

*****

Hi everyone! I’m taking over Margaret’s blog today. *maniacal laugh, maniacal laugh, maniacal laugh* If only you knew how long I’ve wanted to do this. But now I have special permission seeing as how I’m an official author and everything. Yep, it’s true! I signed my first contract with Turquoise Morning Press in April! It just magically floated into my inbox one day. Okay, that’s not exactly how it happened. You want the real story? Here goes….

It all started about a decade ago…Oh. You want the Cliffs Notes version? Hmmm. So a year ago I went to the Lori Foster Reader/Writer Get-together in Cincinnati, Ohio. I attended as a ‘reader’ but I was also there to support my incredible author friend, Margaret Ethridge. I follow her wherever she goes. True story. During the get-together there was a raffle with fabulous prizes. One of those prizes was a professional critique of 10 pages of manuscript from Kim Jacobs at Turquoise Morning Press. Guess what? I love watermelon gum. Oh, and I totally won the critique! 😀

As soon as I got home I started writing like a fiend. It took me close to two months before I had something I thought was presentable. This was my big chance. I didn’t want to waste it. They always say the waiting is the hardest part. Hardest. *giggles* Yeah, I write smut. I might as well come out and say that right now. Anyway, it was another two months before I heard anything. Kim gave me tremendous feedback, offered several suggestions on improvements, and in the final line of the email she told me that if I was willing to make the revisions, she was very willing to look at it again and offer me a…contract. *gasp* The ‘C’ word! What every author and aspiring author dreams of!

So I went back to my writing cave, added another four thousand words to my story, polished it, hugged it, kissed it, and forced Margaret to edit it more times than I can count, then I held my breath and resubmitted it. Fast-forward to April 1st (also known as April Fools’ Day). I got an email from Kim. She said my story made her laugh and cry. She loved it. More importantly…she wanted it! Happy, spastic dancing ensued. But it all came to a crashing halt when I recalled what day it was. Wait a minute. This wasn’t a joke, was it? I wasn’t entirely convinced either way until I received that ‘C’ word. My very own contract! Happy, spastic dancing ensued once more, this time accompanied by fits of sobbing. Margaret can tell you all about that. She was the recipient of a very watery phone call.

And I suck at Cliffs Notes. But I would like to share one last important detail with you. My first story, an erotic romance entitled Blind Faith, will be released this summer. Here’s the blurb:

Faith Lawson is just your average, wholesome librarian with a dirty mind . . . until a chance encounter with a handsome stranger brings her fantasies to life in a frantic night of passion. But when he walks out her door, he leaves a piece of his past behind that changes everything.

Sounds good, right? Just smile and nod. Oh, and please come visit me on my blog, twitter, and facebook for updates, news about future releases, fun games, contests, and general dirtiness! Thanks so much to Margaret for having me here! Don’t tell her I told you this (because she gets all weirded out when I get schmoopy) but she’s totally my favourite author.

So to leave you all with a question, what will you be reading this summer (besides Blind Faith)?

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Thanks, Evelyn! I’m going to bypass the schmoop and post a few links. Be sure to like/follow/bookmark these babies so you’ll know when Blind Faith becomes available!

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