In the spirit of unpredictable blogging–I mean who really knows when I’m going to find the time (read: steal a few moments away from actually writing) to blog–today’s post is a plug for Eileen Cook’s debut novel UNPREDICTABLE. With a release date of February 5th, it’s soon coming to a store near you. I’m crossing my fingers that it’ll be available at Target as a Breakout book! Eileen is an occasional poster here and very funny. If the woman can get a great review from the hilarious Wendy French (not to mention Jenny Crusie), she can do no wrong. So put UNPREDICTABLE on your list, and start the countdown!

Eight days to go!

Well it’s been forever since I’ve posted anything about writing–other than I’m either doing it or I’m not. But last Tuesday was my Romance Writers meeting, and something that was said has stuck in my mind. And if possible, I’d like to get some other writers’ input. (Of course, you should feel free to speak up even if you’re not a writer).

Colleen Thompson was speaking on engaging readers’ emotions from the get-go (that is not her workshop title), and she happened to mention Donald Maass’s book Writing the Breakout Novel. I’ve read this book, but it’s been some time, and I don’t remember every little bit of it. Clearly.

Anyway, Colleen said that Donald said that your heroine should do something heroic in the first five pages. (???) Now, mind you, I don’t think I have a breakout novel on my hands here, but I’m wondering if this is more a general rule of thumb. My heroine is definitely not following this rule. And I just picked up one of my favorite books, The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne and tried this little test–I didn’t find the heroine doing anything heroic in those five pages either.

So…either this rule is a little iffy or else Donald Maass and I have disparate views of heroism. Anyone? Thoughts? Input?

Well, I had been doing really good with my writing, getting in at least 2 hrs. at day since almost the beginning of the month (except for one sick day and one travel/prep day). But then I got sick. Friday night, after being convinced by my husband that we were going to have to postpone the Jr. Olympics birthday party due to rain and cold, I started to feel icky. Saturday morning I felt a little worse, and it went downhill from there. Today I’m much better, the sore throat finally having mostly disappeared, but I still don’t really feel up to writing. Not sure if it’s related to this illness or not, but I have the worst pain in my neck, and I can’t even sit in the same position for too long without it bothering me. So anyway, my record is suffering. But the plan is to get back to it tomorrow when the boys go back to school–they had MLK day and a school inservice!!

On the upside, my reading for the year is still going strong! I’m thinking of posting my list of boys read in 2008 as so far it’s looking very impressive. This is as a result of lots of dedicated, lying-around time. (Having a new-for-Christmas Wii provides a girl that option.) I picked up my two library holds, No Place Like Here and Dangerous Admissions and read them both. Liked both of them but was really impressed, as usual, by Cecelia Ahern’s originality (NPLH). Also started Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos, a middle-grade book that I’m also really enjoying.

But tomorrow, I think it’s definitely back to it. And this blog-on-hold thing, while saving me lots (LOTS) of time for writing is actually a little depressing. I feel unconnected. I’ve subscribed to many of your blogs via bloglines, and that’s very nice, because I can easily see who’s posted recently and who hasn’t, but I’m still falling behind. I feel disconnected. Even my critique partner, who wrote and told me she’d be incommunique during December hasn’t gotten back in contact yet. I’m a writer…er, reader adrift. So, I’m going to try to up my blog participation just a little. Oh, and not get sick again. Onward and upward!!