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What I'm writing in YEAR OF THE DOG

I just finished writing Year of the Dog ! It had a massive plot hole that I had to fix which turned out to be more work than I expected. Here’s a snippet: “Hey, Auntie Nell.” He wrapped his arms around her, bussing her on the cheek and breathing in pikake flowers and shortbread cookies. And suddenly he was nine years old again, and her solid presence had made his chaotic world stable once more. “What are you doing here?” He usually took her to dinner on Wednesday nights, but today was Tuesday. The edges of her smile faltered a little before brightening right back up again. “What, I can’t visit my nephew?” She angled around him to enter his home. “Is this your new house? Looks lovely.” Which was a blatant lie, because the fixer-upper was barely livable, much less acceptable to a neat-freak like his aunt. She also left four matching pink and purple floral suitcases on the stoop behind her. Only then did Ashwin notice the cab driver standing slightly to the side of the walkway. “Can ...
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One Thousand Gifts-14

Captain’s Log, Stardate 12.01.2006

I’m participating in the “One Thousand Gifts” list from Christian Women Online. Click on the picture to find out more about it.

351. The opportunity to do some neat blog marketing with my series characters
352. I got to see the fourth Harry Potter movie last night! It was rather well done storytelling.
353. Yesterday I got an ARC of Tangerine by Marilynn Griffith. From the first page it looks intriguing—the heroine is trying to prove her imprisoned husband is innocent, but things are looking grim, she’s starting to doubt, and her lawyer wants her to let him go.
354. I got my 50K words done for NaNoWriMo! Unfortunately, I still have another 30K to go before I finish the book.
355. Contact-D, which cured my sinus headache yesterday
356. When I can tell a book is going to be bad within the first chapter so I don’t have to waste my time reading a bad story. (Save me from Too Stupid To Live heroines!)
357. I will hopefully order my new laptop computer tonight! A MacBook Pro. Did I mention my current laptop computer is ELEVEN YEARS OLD???
358. When it’s cold, my dog is much less rambunctious and obnoxious because it’s just too cold for her to do more than curl up on her pillow and sleep
359. I’m so lucky to know such talented people in my life (outside of writing talent). Glynna Sirpless made beautiful curtains for her office and Ruth Logan Herne made a wedding cake that looks completely professional.
360. Mary Connealy is going to save me time this winter with 15 meals that you can make in 15 minutes (prep time). She posted them on her blog: http://www.mconnealy.blogspot.com/
361. I was able to get some writing done yesterday despite a very queasy stomach (remnant from my late/early night writing to finish my 50K words) and my very massive headache (I think it was a sinus headache b/c water, Advil, and tea didn’t make it go away).
362. Very yummy pecan pie from Costco that Dineen gave to us
363. My wines from Rodney Strong vineyard arrive today
364. Nichole Nordeman’s CD Brave, which has been inspiring me as I write this second book in the series. The whole album is good, but the first song is what my heroine is—Trish is a bit of a ditz, but she’s also fearless, a quality I wish I had.
365. The Blog Bible Study in Isaiah has really helped me to reorient my view of God, to be more in awe of him and stop taking him for granted.
366. I love going outside and smelling the tang of fireplaces burning along with the brisk bite of the cold air
367. I’m not sure why, but I love drinking wine out of the crystal wine glasses we got for our wedding (an extravagance I shouldn’t have indulged in, but I didn’t know any better then)
368. I love the Chicago Manual of Style online search tool. I can search for any keyword and it’ll give the exact section(s) that word is used, so I can look it up in my own edition.
369. I love Silhouette and Harlequin romances. Sweet, light, short. A nice quick relaxing read. I’m not sure what the new combined line is going to be like.
370. I’m going home to Hawaii at the end of February! My dad had extra airline miles he needed to use before they expired, so he got me a ticket. However, Captain Caffeine will remain at home since he can’t take off work.
371. My small copier machine makes things SO much easier for me when I need a quick copy. It’s perfect for small, only occasional jobs, but it’s also saved my butt several times.
372. My dog’s hair is so soft and fuzzy, but it’s also short so it doesn’t tangle.
373. I love how my office smells like eucalyptus and lavender.
374. Just looking at the Post-It notes on my walls makes me feel organized.
375. It’s so much fun coming up with quirky habits and likes/dislikes for my characters.
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Comments

upwords said…
Camy,
Glad to see you got Tangerine. Hope you enjoy the rest of it just as much. Thanks for sharing too. I see a lot of cool "gifts" here. :)
MG
Fri Dec 01, 12:23:00 PM 2006
Malia Spencer said…
Congratulations on making the Nano count! That's so awesome. And I'm thrilled to hear you're coming to Hawai'i. We'll have to hang out for sure. :)

If you're up for it we'll go sailing in Kaneohe Bay. There's some awesome scenery and Dad's been saying he knows a place where turtles hang out if you feel like snorkeling. I keep saying I'm going to get back on the boat but I just haven't quite trusted my knee to do it yet. Guess it's time to get back on the horse, er boat? If you can do it after having surgery, there's no excuse for me. What do you say?
Fri Dec 01, 11:42:00 PM 2006
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