Well, I finished North by Northanger, and it was quite wonderful. I’m excited to read the first two Mr. and Mrs. Darcy mysteries in the series and happy to have discovered Carrie Bebris.

Another library pick I just finished reading is Pug Hill by Alison Pace. In all honesty, I checked this one out just for the cover: a view of the New York City skyline in the background and a view of Pug Hill, Central Park in the foreground, completely covered with pug dogs.

Well, first let me say that I truly enjoyed this book and, especially at the end, the laugh-out-loud moments. (Live for those…) But after everything I’ve heard, everything I’ve read about writing, I actually can’t believe that this book got published. So, so, so much of it is inner reflection, inner thoughts, inner turmoil. Personally, I don’t mind that at all, even find it very interesting and often very humorous. But, I feel like I’m most definitely in the minority. Most people want action and dialogue till the very end. You can have a paragraph of personal thought, and it’s simply too much for people. Perhaps the people who don’t themselves have many personal thoughts. Hmmm….

Anyway, it was a very enjoyable book with a uplifting, even inspiring ending. I wish there had been some romance, but that’s just me. So…you might give it a try. It’s a quietly funny book.

Well, so far my plan has totally and completely backfired. I have not yet had my fifteen minutes of writing and it may not happen today. I have a couple of good snatches of time with two little boys, and when I miss them, writing is often elusive. This afternoon (when I thought I’d have use of the computer to write…my husband monopolized the computer for hours), and now, as I’m blogging, I could maybe squeeze in the fifteen, but I’m not in my ‘zone’. Besides, the boys (any of them, including my husband) could walk in at any time and demand assistance with something, assuring me that I’m the only person in the house able to complete such a task. You know, the toughies, like finding a battery, feeding the dog, getting juice, you name it. And I really don’t like to write late at night. I get caught up and don’t come to bed until really late and then I’m exhausted when my six-year-old pounces on me at 7:30 (like clockwork) the next morning. I’m gonna try, but it may not be until tomorrow that my writing gets any attention. And so it begins… (by ‘it’ I mean the procrastination)

On the up side…I’m getting a lot of reading done…

For something fun , check out these Chickollages–chick-lit themed poetry created out of chopped up magazine articles. I think they’re really clever, and the creator/artist is crafting her ideas into a new business, selling t-shirts and gift items through CafePress. Very cool.

Whew! I’ve started working on my manuscript again, and it feels really good. I put it off for about two weeks with visitors, the holiday, and just general not-readiness, and it was kinda hard to get back into the groove. My little one, who’s four, doesn’t really get the concept of ‘By Yourself Time’ yet. He has a choice of a nap or the BY time, and I can tell it’s going to take some getting used to. I get regular interruptions: requests for coloring help, computer assistance, punishment for his brother, you name it. But a little at a time. If I can just get myself to work on my writing everyday, maybe I’ll make a dent before too long. Usually I skip the weekends, but I shouldn’t. Then I get a little out of the mindset and have to get back in come Monday. I think I’ll try just fifteen or thirty minutes and see how I do.

Plus…I want to get some reading in this weekend too. Currently reading Incognito (from a previous post) and on my TBR pile is Dead Reckoning (the recent release of a fellow RWA chapter member Sandra K. Moore), Cheating at Solitaire (by an author I just discovered, Ally Carter), and Dress Rehearsal by Jennifer O’Connell. The last two were bargain books at great prices! I’m interested to read both because both authors are represented by Kristen Nelson, an agent I respect very much. I’d like to see what caught her eye and the sort of writing she fell in love with.