Sister, Sister...

The other day I had a chance to have lunch with my Lil Sis. We met at a local Chinese food restaurant, had a great lunch and a lot of laughs. At the end of the meal, we opened our fortune cookies. She saved me the need to find my reading glasses and read mine.

"The great aim of education is not knowledge but action."

Lame. Yes. Most fortunes are. But Lil Sis didn't stop there. She added, "In bed," explaining that even a lame fortune can be made fun if you add "in bed".

"The great aim of education is not knowledge but action. In bed."

Yeah. That really does change the fortune to something much more interesting!

Her fortune read: "You mind is filled with new ideas. In bed." *cackle*

Being around her is always a laugh. Now. Wasn't always.

My little sister is six years younger than I am. When we were kids, she was a massive pain in my ass. We shared a room from the time she was about three. A six year age difference is almost forever when you're nine. It's even worse when you're a teenager.

Yes, I was mean to her. *hangs head in shame* Something she still uses against me to this day. *cackle* I moved out right before I turned eighteen. At twenty, I joined the Army and left the state.

For the next fifteen years, in my mind's eye Lil Sis was still just a kid, the fourteen year old she was when I left. I only saw her on short visits home. Forget the fact she'd grown up, married, had a kid. She was just my little sister.

Then I moved back to Arkansas. The difference between thirty-five and twenty-nine isn't near as vast as nine and three... *cackle*

Turns out, Lil Sis was funny. I mean, dry, droll and wicked sense of humor. She can deliver a comedic line with aplomb, never batting an eye or cracking a smile, but killing everyone in hearing range.

Turns out, she's also a good friend.

Valentine's Day? Bah humbug!

As a romance writer, you'd think I'd be jumping up and down on the bandwagon of the paragon of all romantic days, Valentine's Day. Well, I'm not. Not because I'm not a romantic but because I am!

Why wait until one particular day of the year to buy flowers for someone you love? Why wait until chilly February to offer your sweet something sweet? Life's too short. Who is to say you'll be together come February 14th? Who is to say you'll still be here?

If you love someone, don't forget to show it every day. Don't wait until one Hallmark created holiday to prove your love and affection. How about flowers on April 2nd or September 28th? Chocolate on May 12th or November 1st?

Love the one you're with now because next February 14th might never come.

Cats for Sale! Cheap!

Funny picture, huh? Not so funny when it's true. I love my cats. I really do. But sometimes I feel out numbered and out gunned!

I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep last night. Too much time in front of the computer makes my hip hurt and yesterday was a long day. So it took a while to get comfortable enough to sleep.

Then the alarm goes off. Wow! I'm thinking I actually slept through the night. Something I just don't do! Until I realize the alarm going off had been reset. Not the first time. Probably not the last.

I really need to get new alarm clocks. Yes, plural. I'm not a morning person and I normally have trouble getting out of bed so I have two alarm clocks. But they're old. The kind where the buttons are all on top. Itty bitty kitty paws can change the time with little to no effort.

So my alarm went off at 1AM, shortly after I finally fell asleep. Times like those, I'm ready to get rid of my cats--lock, stock and puddy tat!

Inconvenient Timing...

I hate it when ideas hit at just the wrong time--like in the shower, or a meeting at the day job. Or when I'm with my mother. She knows what I write. She's actually read some of my books. But I still don't want to reveal just how kinky my thought process is by brainstorming aloud!

A short story idea hit me while driving my mother to the eye doc the other day. *cackle* Since the story is a menage, I can't exactly use the voice recorder. Especially with the details that kept flashing through my brain. And because we didn't want to be late to the appointment, I couldn't pull over and make notes. *headdesk*

I don't have the greatest memory anymore. I like to believe it's because I have so many fabulous ideas but I think getting older is the real culprit. So I'm driving along, running the ideas over and over in my head so I can remember them while trying to listen to my mother. ARGH!

We arrived at the eye doc and I whip out the mini-computer. Fingers flying, I'm writing a short synopsis, hitting the high points of my idea. Except we're seeing a new eye doc. Why? The one who will be doing Momma's cataract surgery. She has bunches of new paperwork to fill out. And she has cataracts. Duh! She can't read the paperwork. So I put away the computer to help her.

Oh, and she wants me in the exam room so I can listen to the doctor-speak. So no joy on getting the story idea down. But I had a little bit. By the time I got home, I didn 't have time to work on it. The next day, I had to work the evil day job. I tried to write some when I got home but after spending all day in front of a computer, I couldn't do more than 500 words. Ditto for the next couple of days.

So in the meantime, this story is dying to get out. At least the idea is sticking around in my airheaded brain! *cackle* Yesterday, I'm free from the day job. I headed to my favorite coffee shop and hallelujah, the story is still there! 3500 words later plus the 500 from Tuesday, I'm nearly a quarter of the way through the minimum length. Still not sure how long it will be.

After I got home, I managed to review and edit what I'd written. They were good words! YES! *pumps fist in the air* Sometimes words can flow like water only to find later that the words sucked. *cackle* I'm adding a little layering this morning. Details about the characters, the setting. Later, I'm headed back to the coffee shop. If I keep up the pace, I might have the bulk of the story done before I have to return to the day job on Monday!

Woo hoo! I love the smell of a new story! Especially one that's flowing so well!

Happy Birthday to Me?

I'm older today. Don't feel older. Why doesn't fifty feel inherently different than thirty? Well, it does some. I have aches and pains I didn't have when I was thirty. Arthritis, a bum knee and a cantankerous hip make life more painful than at thirty. Then again, I still had migraines back then. I seem to have outgrown those. Might be a fair trade off.

Still, I don't feel fifty.

My sister is in shock I'm even admitting to a birthday, much less my age. *cackle* Members of our family usually ignore birthdays and do serious injury to those who might remind us of the significance of the day.

I had trouble accepting thirty. Couldn't say the word for months before and after the event. Forty was actually easier although I didn't admit to having a birthday. And now fifty... Well, I don't look at the numbers as much as I do where I am in my life.

At thirty, I was in a marriage with real problems. I was going to night school working on my accounting degree, working long hours at a new job. I didn't have much of a personal life. Most of my friends were tied up in my marriage and they were starting to drift away. Married friends don't like watching someone else's marriage implode. Makes them examine their own and if it wasn't strong... Well, it is uncomfortable.

At forty, I already had moved back to Arkansas, leaving the bad marriage behind five years before. I was in a job I enjoyed. My degree was FINALLY done and I was making a salary commensurate with my experience AND my degree! Things were good. Life was good.

At fifty? Hmmm... You'd think being only part-time employed, living from hand to mouth off royalty checks, would make me ignore fifty even more than thirty, wouldn't you? But while things are difficult, I've found what I want to do when I grow up. I want to write! So far from that accounting degree that took me forever to get! *cackle* But I never felt joy working as an accountant. I took pride in my work. I enjoyed the people I worked with. But who gets a rush of joy so strong it can bring you to tears over financial statements?

So while I'm older, mostly unemployed and always broke these days, I'm happy. I'm really happy. So much so not even fifty can dampen my enthusiasm!

Feature at The Rainbow Studio!

I'm featured at the Rainbow Studio, talking about my new gay scifi book ANGEL MOON. Think space cowboys with fangs! The article also includes a link to the super secret contest for a $25 gift certificate!

Stop by and check it out!

http://theromancestudio.com/rainbow/who8.php