But I think finishing this book and meeting my deadline deserves some sort of reward.  So, since cupcakes are about my favorite thing in the world.  I’m going to reward myself by making these:

The recipe for that divine frosting (and ideas for the cake too) can be found at Our Best Bites, a blog which is the source of much culinary delight. And cupcakes.

No, not that kind of Prairie Chick.  The romance writing kind!

Come by Prairie Chicks Write Romance to talk deadlines and comment for a chance to win a copy of Flashpoint!

My dogs aren’t used to a quiet house, either.  Every time a bug would hit one of our four billion windows, the dogs would erupt in barking as if there were someone lurking outside, just waiting for the right moment to break in. Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep.  So I turned on the television.  Luckily we get OnDemand from our cable provider, so I found a show that I’d been meaning to try and hadn’t.  After one episode of The Good Wife, I was hooked.  I watched nearly the whole season in one gulp.  Talk about characterization.  Each one of them is interesting and for different reasons, even the secondary characters.  But Alicia, the main character, was fascinating to me.  She is a strong character and yet she constantly found herself in situations where she had to choose between survival and making the moral choice.

I think I’ll try to find the early episodes on Hulu so I can see how the series started and how her character has grown.  Maybe after I take a nap.

• Write.  This may seem like a no-brainer, but I’ve been surprised how many people want to write a book, have the book in their head, plan out the chapters, or even have a detailed synopsis and never write the book.  Writing takes practice, lots of it.  So if you want to be published, you have to write. (Come on, you know you want to!)
• Research.  I realized pretty soon after I started writing my first (unpublished) novel, that no matter how much fun I was having, writing a book was way too much work–for me–to do just for fun.  So I started researching what publishing companies would be interested in a book like mine.  There are market guides, there are magazines like Writer’s Digest and Publisher’s Weekly.  Most publishers’ websites have submission guidelines available.  My suggestion would be to spend time learning about the market while you are learning to write.  Then when you are ready to submit your manuscript, you will know what to do.
• Join.  Writing is not something most people can do in a vacuum.  Left to our own devices, we think everything we write is either brilliant or awful.  It’s really important to find other writers to join with and learn together.  There are all kinds of organizations for writers.  From the RWA, to the ACFW, to the ITW and MWA, to SFWA to hundreds of small local writers’ groups around the country, you will find something that appeals to you and can help you improve.  If you live too far away or can’t afford to join right now (where I was when I started writing), there are plenty of online groups.  The internet makes the writing world a much more intimate and fun place!  Just as an example, I met both of my critique partners, now good friends, online–we live coast to coast.
• Network.  Attend conferences if you can.  Frequent message boards and blogs where writers and agents hang out.  Many publishing companies are using Twitter, as are agents and editors.  Follow them.  Learn.  Check out agent blogs.  ( kidlit.com, Query Shark, Nathan Bransford, Rachelle Gardner, just for starters)
• Submit.  You might start with contests to get your feet wet, get some feedback and make some contacts with editors.  But when you think your manuscript is ready, you should begin sending it agents and/or to advance-paying, royalty-paying publishers.  You will know who these are because you will have done your research.  (There is some leeway here because of the ebook market, but as a rule, the money should flow to the author.) If you are like the majority of working writers, you will have to repeat the steps several times, which brings me to the last point…
• Don’t give up.  A writer who is published is one who didn’t give up.  I wrote for six years before the right manuscript landed on the right editor’s desk at the right time.  You might also want to check out this list of famous rejectees at Inkygirl.

Keep writing, keep learning, keep submitting.  It’s good practice, because once you’re published, you still keep writing, keep learning and keep submitting.

There are so many of these milestones in life.  My next door neighbor was sad this week because her youngest moved up to a “big boy” carseat.  Some of us have kids graduating from kindergarten or high school or (gulp) graduate school.  Some of us are looking at life with a brand new degree in hand and thinking, what now?  Some are becoming grandparents.  Some, like my parents, are retired and finding themselves way busier than when they worked full-time.

We have milestones in our spiritual lives too.  Maybe it’s a new commitment to short-term mission work, a new in-depth Bible study, sacrificial giving, or prayer and fasting.  Sometimes we accept a challenge and are amazed at what happens when we partner with God.  Sometimes we’re not ready yet and before we know it, we’ve mangled the garage door because it wasn’t open when we put the car in gear.  Then we have to call the insurance company, make repairs and try again.

One thing’s for sure.  Life moves fast.  I wouldn’t want it any other way.  I love new challenges and learning new things.  I love knowing that God has plans for me.  Sometimes I wish He’d clue me in–a text message at the appropriate moment of decision would be fine.  But there’s that Bible verse from Jeremiah 29:11 that always gives me a feeling of peace, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’”

(For those of you with new drivers:  Zephaniah 3:17:  “The Lord your God is with you.  He is mighty to save.” 

It’s Monday.  It’s raining.

At least it’s not snowing outside–or 12 degrees in my house for today.  (Okay it hasn’t really been 12 degrees, but it’s been cold.  I keep thinking if I lived in Nebraska or Canada, at least I would have a furnace, or long johns.  Or walls instead of glass

For now, there’s a soft rain falling outside.  I’ve got Lady Antebellum on the music player and hot coffee in my cup.   Life is good.

Because every writer needs a little inspiration once in a while…I’d like to introduce you to my current hero, Ben Storm.  (Yeah, he looks a little like Matt Bomer who plays Neal Caffrey on White Collar, but that’s just coincidence ;o))  Ben Storm is the hero who takes on Maria Fuentes, Sea Breeze’s favorite CSI.  Their story will be out in November in Holiday Havoc, a two-in one with LIS author Terri Reed!

I love this statement I’ve been seeing around different forums. I’ve decided to incorporate it into my daily life. Imagine how this simple philosophy can help me out. For example, I love (really seriously love) this new Kona coffee I bought recently but my husband prefers another brew. Instead of telling him he has no taste, I just shrug and say YMMV.

Because it does. In everything all the time. My way, contrary to common thinking, is not the only way. The world would be boring if we were all going the same direction all the time. And all those little things we get fired up about won’t be so bad if we make room for other people to disagree. Diversity is good in most things.