Just a reminder that the OBSESSION Blog Tour is still going on. The grand prize is a $50.00 e-gift card and there are two runner-up prizes of $25.00 e-gift cards.  Go to my home page for the schedule of blog stops where you can enter.

I’m a tad less stressed now as my awesome editor for Entangled gave me until Dec. 1st to turn in THE COWBOY MARINE. Of course, in exchange I may have agreed to write another book. I’m not sure how that happened, but frankly, I’d have given her anything short of Bailey Dog for the extra time, LOL! I don’t have many details on the new book I agreed to, but I’ll share more when I do. And frankly, I jumped on the chance as soon as she asked me

Overall, Wizard and I had a good weekend. We went to see the movie GRAVITY. Sigh…I didn’t love it as much as I wanted to, and neither did Wizard. But others obviously do love it since it’s kicking butt at the box office.  Everyone has different tastes.

I finished writing all my blogs and interviews for the blog tour, so now I can full concentrate on the COWBOY MARINE! And I need to keep rehabbing my leg at the gym.  I really REALLY need to get back to my full workout routine.  All that sitting and eating shows.

So how was your weekend?

Wizard is making me fat, it’s all his fault.  I just feel the need to say that.  And when I tell him that, he laughs and says he loves me anyway.

Men.

If that wasn’t enough, he also told me he thinks I shouldn’t go back to the gym for LONGER than six weeks (stupid Achilles).

And then…THEN he took me out for a lunch that included french fries. I never eat French Fries.

All Wizard’s Fault!

Okay…maybe it’s my fault for ordering the French fries.  But it’s much more satisfying to blame him. (Trust me, it’s fair since he blames me for stuff all the time!)

Sigh…so this weekend was mostly work as I’m rewriting the opening pages of COWBOY MARINE. Hey, we all knew it was going to happen  I’m not happy until I’ve torn a story apart and rewritten it a couple times.  I’m still not happy, but I’m getting closer.

This weekend, we didn’t see RUSH but we rented the Jackie Robinson movie, 42.  It started out a bit slow for me, then picked up and I really liked it.

Last thing, the first review for OBSESSION came in from Reading in Pajamas  It’s a five star review that said, Heart-wrenching, emotional, suspenseful and filled with danger and passion. This trilogy is incredible! Obsession is the perfect ending for The Plus One Chronicles.  I’m thrilled and relieved! I hope readers agree.  I tried but in the end, it’s up to readers to decide.

How was your weekend?

Working and going in the pool is the sum total of my weekend. Oh and I read a new adult book Dear Rockstar but Emme Rollins. It was the first book in a New Adult Romance Boxed Set I bought. It started off a bit slow for me, but picked up a little ways in. I didn’t love it, but I enjoyed it.

I’m diving into writing my new book, The Cowboy Marine (working title)  while waiting for edits on Obsession. What is surprising is that this book started without as much agony as is customary for me.  But I’m not complaining! Since I tend to write in layers, it’s okay if the pages aren’t super strong yet, I’ll go back and layer as I discover more and more about the characters.

Wizard, however, is busier than usual doing things like vacuuming for me. There’s an upside to that thing I don’t want to talk about. (Achilles injury) But I’ll talk about it long enough to say that I’m healing well, we’re just being cautious.

And okay, Wizard jumping up and down, pushing his hands up in the “raising the ceiling” gesture and singing, “Woo hoo. Who hoo!” in a fake girl’s voice makes me laugh. Because that’s more or less what  my nieces and I were doing when I hurt myself. Except no one was saying Woo Hoo–or however that’s spelled. Every time Wizard does it,  I crack up.

So it looks like I keep saying I don’t want to talk about it but then I do

How was your weekend?

Yesterday I gave up trying to write book 3 in the Plus One Chronicles while waiting for edits on book 2. It’s just not possible because the edits on book 2 can change the beginning of book 3 significantly.  I should have the edits today (I hope!!!)  so that wasn’t a big deal.  Except that I suddenly remembered why I started writing.

It keeps me from cleaning.

See I *used* to be a clean freak. There I admit it. But for me, writing trumps cleaning, and characters take up so much space in my brain that I don’t have any room left to fret about stupid cleaning.  Yesterday, however, I got the urge to clean. So much so that I brought in a big ladder, carefully placed it on the landing and crawled up on the ledge over the front door to clean it.

I was fine. This is actually super easy.  It sounds more dangerous that it is.

Wizard, however, FREAKED THE HECK OUT. Boy he was pissed. I mean…ticked off at me.  His comment was, “How do you think I’d feel coming home to find you laying at the bottom of the stair,s flopping like a fish?”

That image baffled me.  “A fish?”

“A dying fish” he amended.

“But I’m fine.” Which was obvious as I was standing right there. Perfectly fine.

But Wizard wouldn’t let it go. “Damn it, what if you fell? And I wasn’t here?”

I’m thinking, Here to do what? Catch me? But I kept my mouth shut and gave him a glass of wine.  And I made him homemade fried chicken tenders which I never, ever make anymore because they are a pain to make and bad for us. He finally stopped lecturing me. Probably because his mouth was full, but still, a victory for me.

I also did laundry, ran errands, cleaned bathrooms, washed some floors, had a guy out to measure kitchen counter tops for granite, filled some forms for my publisher, did my expenses…this not writing stuff is exhausting! So then I set up my files  to start Cowboy Marine (just a working title) for book 2 in my Once A Marine Series written under my Apodaca name.

I’m hopefully going to be working on revisions this weekend. What are you doing?

Today’s The Baby Bargain Blog Tour stop is Page Flippers. Stop by and enter for a chance to win a $50.00 gift card!

So, The Baby Bargain has been out about four weeks now.  When I originally singed with  Entangled Publisher I was cautious and a bit unsure. But now, after three solid weeks in their top ten (the first week out the sales were just building) , I am thrilled with the publisher. I’m very pleased with the editing process (I’m sure mistakes got through–digital is like that for many reasons) but their editing at all the stages including revision, copy edit and proofreading was as rigorous as any I’ve ever been through. My editor not only edits, but answers every question I have and cares as much as I do about the book. So far, I love this publisher  All they work me hard, that’s something I respect (when I’m not griping, LOL).

Then there’s my beloved THE PROPOSITION. It did pretty well for the first of three books in a series. I decided to take a risk and offer it to a reviewer known to be brutally honest.  She read it last night and contacted me today to let me know she really liked it. This, for me was a huge personal validation. The review will be up on her site next week, and I’ll link it then. But you guys have been with me through all this so I just wanted to share.

Now  for our Wednesday Hunk, I went to iStock to use up some credits I had leftover there. It’s a small picture, but what do you think?

Is he hunk worthy?

All I want for Easter is Bailey to come visit!

And here he is sleeping on me last time he visited:

Wizard and I both miss him.

All right fine, we miss out three boys too.   They are all coming home and I am so looking forward to a family day.   I’m going to make Tri Tip, stuffed backed potatoes, corn, rolls and chocolate cake. Easy and fun!

I think I’m making some good progress on POSSESSION. I love Kat and Sloane so much, just hope I’m doing them justice. And thinking about the next Once A Marine book.  Meanwhile, THE BABY BARGAIN is really hanging in there (thank you, thank you!!)

Do you have plans for Easter? Weekend plans?

First me good news! I have signed on for two more books in the Once A Marine series with Entangled. I’m thrilled about that. Next up is Logan’s story, then Hunter’s.

Juggling the deadlines will be interesting.  I’m doing everything in my power to still hit my release dates for The Plus One Chronicles too.

Now the remodel, I think we’re set for the bathrooms. We have the granite guy, the plumber, electrician and the mirror people. We’re just waiting for the guy to check on the granite availability to make our final color selection. Then we’ll get a start date and the fun begins! I’ll try to snap pics to share then.

And while the granite guy was here, we went ahead and  had him quote the kitchen too. A really good price too…so we’re debating that.

And all this will be while I’m on crazy deadlines and doing blog tours.

Now for our Wednesday hunk. I’m inviting back an old friend:

What do you think? Is he worthy?