Amazing week!

What a week! It started off fantastically - an email with the contract for the second in my Beloved of the Beast series on Tuesday.
MY TENTH!!
I was still floating and flying from that when Wednesday evening I got another email - a contract for the third in the Interstellar Matchmaker series!!

I am always so thrilled to get an email, but to get two within 48 hours? Yeah, my feet aren't touching the ground for a while!
And the fourth Interstellar Matchmaker is humming along nicely, and Allura and Barden FINALLY explain why Allura started her matchmaking... and what must still happen.

And the third in the Beloved of the Beast is bubbling in my head and ready to be written.

Busy, busy, busy!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Blizzard of Inspiration

This past January a blizzard shut down the East Coast for a few days. My plan had been to work on an idea that had been spinning in my mind since Christmas. When I woke up though, something entirely different had taken over. Allura and Barden were the little voices in my head and gave me a rush of images - I saw Alice and Tre in the backseat of the car, him coming into her classroom to propose, Bessie in the wine cellar, Chance remembering his sisters, Darcy and Tina finding Hank and Jake in the fields, and everything else.
I've learned to listen to the voices and write what they tell me. And in one day I had Alice and Tre's story roughed out - nearly 10k words, plus the rest of the characters, their stories and the purpose of the series (which is revealed in book four - Tina and Jake's story), and the finale in the eighth book.
I was a bit blurry-eyed when I sent it off to Angela, my editor and amazing cover artist from the beginning. But she liked it and off we went.

I love the Fall season - the colors, the sweaters, football games, cider and hot cocoa. Prepping over Labor Day weekend is essential, but who wants to spend three days doing chores or pulling out boxes and bins? Especially if the weather is so enticing outside? So I mix things up - a few seasonal preps, monthly to-do's, and some pampering. What do you do to get ready for a new season?

Labor Day To-do
1. Pull 'summer-only' clothes and sandals out of closet
2. Pull out some transitional clothes - medium sweaters, heavier skirts and pants
3. Get mums and redo big pots on the deck
4. Check supplies - personal care, cat food/treats (heaven forbid I run low on those!) and pantry
5. Update grocery lists to be ready to make chilis, stews and soups
6. Pedi-mani - Friday - remove old polish to let nails breathe, Saturday - foot soak, Sunday - after bath - new polish on
7. Continue Hobbit and Lord of the Ring marathon