The Pink Pen Papers

It just keeps coming...

2006-09-08T19:55:00.000-04:00

I'm a bit of a stats whore. I love my statcounter, seeing who's been visiting, where they're from and all...

And despite me not posting over here for I don't know how long, y'all keep coming by to visit.

So, why don't ya come visit me at my new home? The controversy I was concerned about has passed, and quite frankly, I no longer give a crap.

Find me here: lararose.com/blog

Oh, you participated in my pick a new pseudonym poll and Lara Rose isn't even close to any of the names you had to pick from. Yeah. I know. I'm indecisive. *grin*

Harry Potter freak

2006-09-01T22:57:00.000-04:00

be sorted @ nimbo.net

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2006-07-04T21:46:00.000-04:00

So, here's the thing. I haven't been here in way too long a while. I thought, for a long time, I'd be able to handle two blogs... one for promo for the new name, one to still hang out over here with old friends.

But, with a full-time job, three freelance jobs, and a potential part-time job looming on the horizon, I just flat out can't keep up the two.

This may change in the future, I may come back, but for now, I'm hanging out over at wordpress under the new name.

I'd point you there, but here's the thing. Over there, there's been some issues. Some issues with a person or two who I'd rather not be making the jump from here to there or there to here.

That being said, old friends and all... if you have hung in with me this long, and want to visit my new home, leave me a comment here, or send me an email, and I'll send you the new url.

And thanks. Here's hoping I'll be pink again in the near future.

As real as it may seem, it was only in my dreams

2006-05-25T09:08:00.000-04:00

A couple of years ago, there was a group of women I spent a fair bit of time with. And then I left the group. It wasn't my choice.

And while I admit to still being a little hurt by the situation and how it ended, I've moved on and I'm okay with it. Or so I thought.

Lately, I've been having dreams about these women. It's never the exact same dream, but basically, they all show up in a completely unrelated situation and then gang up on me, poking fun and making me feel, well, like I'm in grade 8 again and being picked on by the popular girls.

And I realize that these women aren't responsible for their actions in my dreams. My subconscious is entirely to blame. But I wonder what exactly it is my head is trying to tell me.

I mean... this was over two years ago. I don't see these women, ever. I've distanced myself from situations where I could see them (possibly to my own detriment, I admit, but I have a lifetime of being made to feel unwanted, I don't need to willingly put myself in that kind of position anymore.)

I know that the friendship I thought we had was more because we were in this group together, than any sort of bond because of commonality and equal footing and, well, friendship.

So why do they continue to haunt me?

A very perceptive friend suggested that it's because I'm a big softie who doesn't like knowing that there are people out there who don't like me. Which is very true.

A teacher I had in high school once said that dreams give us what we're missing in our real lives... So I'm missing being treated like crap? Being made to feel small and unwanted? Being publicly ridiculed and mocked?

What is up with that? What kind of masochistic idiot am I?

Do I need to try and repair things with these women? Because to be honest, I don't think I'm the one who should be making the first move... or if these are even people I want to repair things with.

Or should I just be spending more time with people who make me feel bad?

Cuz I don't really like either of those ideas.

But how do I make it stop?

Bad blogger

2006-05-16T22:40:00.000-04:00

I know. I haven't been blogging in a long time. Although, that's not entirely true. I have been blogging, just not here.

And yet, people still pop by to check in to see me. And I feel guilty.

I guess the big problem, for me, is I'm having a big of an identity crisis. You may recall a few posts ago that I mentioned deciding on a pseudonym... well, not only did I decide on the pseudonym, I started a blog, which is where I've been spending a lot of my time, and I created a website... for the HTML class I was taking. Grade on the website: 100%. Final grade in the class: 99%. Yay me.

So where's the confusion? Well... I don't know who I am anymore, and I don't know who I want to be associated with what. There's the real me...the name that I try not to say over here, or, really, anywhere on the 'net. The thing is, the books that I'm editing? They have my real name, right there on the inside cover. Which is fine, because there are very few people that will be able to look at that name and go, hey! that's Pink.

Except... how I get paid for these books is a percentage of the sales. So, I want to promote them. Because, hell, I worked damn hard on these books, and my first royalty check was $15. And that ain't right. But if I start promoting these books here, then I'm pretty much coming out from behind the Pink wall.

And, had I really thought about it, I would have kept Pink and Lara (the new name) separate. But I didn't. And now it's in a very public place that Pink and Lara are me.

So. I'm not sure how to handle it. And I'm not really sure why it's so important. Who really cares if people know that I'm Pink and Lara and Me?

So yeah. There it is.

I'm still alive, I just don't know who I am anymore.

Stupid is as stupid does

2006-04-20T11:58:00.000-04:00

So, I read advice columns... a lot of them. I find it interesting to hear about other people's problems and how to handle them, it's that whole character development thing that I like to weave into my writing. I saw this one today from Ann Landers (I'm guessing it was a reprint :) )

Dear Ann Landers: I always wondered how a pedestrian could be hit by a car in a crosswalk. I know now. I cannot count the number of times I've seen pedestrians step blindly into an intersection crosswalk when the light turns to "Walk." Do they stop to see if oncoming traffic notices them? No, they do not. They just figure the driver will see them and hit the brakes. They march directly into the street, assuming that because they have the right of way, the cars will stop.

What they do not know is that the driver in an oncoming car just got fired, had a fight with his wife or is trying to find the lighted cigarette he just dropped. The pedestrian may have the right of way, but being right isn't enough when you're laid up in the hospital or, worse yet, in the cemetery.

Wake up, you idiots. Your life is your responsibility, and if you value it, you will not assume that all drivers are sober, considerate and interested in keeping you alive. -- A.H. in Sacramento, Calif.

Dear A.H.: Thank you for all the readers you may have saved today. Your message is clear: Don't assume a driver sees you or that he is competent, sober and alert. The one who isn't could cost you your life.

Now, the sentiment is great... pedestrian or not, pay attention to the road, but in a way the writer of this letter is still blaming the driver... and, seriously, pedestrians need to be cognizant of the world around them, as well as the rules of the road... without blaming the person behind the wheel.

Sure, it's all well and good to say, well, pedestrians have the right of way. But when it comes down to a fight between a two-ton blob of metal and a 150-pound person, guess who's gonna win?

There was one incident that I'll never forget that drove this home for me. Now, I live in Canada. We get snow. We get a lot of snow. This isn't unusual for us and I find it hilarious that people are actually surprised when it comes. One particularly blizzardy afternoon, I was driving with some friends. Now, I was being overly cautious because the snow was still falling and the roads were very, very slippery. My eyes were glued to the road (scanning around for people, other cars, etc.) Both hands were on the wheel at 10 and 2. And my foot was hovering between both gas pedals. (i.e., give it enough gas to move the car, but keep your foot near the brakes in case of slipping or kids running out onto the street)

I was about 10 feet from a cross walk when a woman marched up, pressed the button and, without stopping, stepped into the street directly in front of my car. I slammed on the brake and skidded into her, missing her literally by --> <-- that much. What did she do? She stopped at the sound of my squealing brakes (and my blaring horn), didn't even look at me, and then kept going, completely oblivious how close she came to getting run over.

Now, I'd seen her approach the crosswalk, but knew that if I tried to stop (even though I was going less than 25 km/h) I'd skid and hit her, and considering how close I was to the walk, common sense (snow or no snow) would tell a pedestrian to wait until the car almost in the crosswalk had passed before stepping out onto the street. I would have passed in less than 10 seconds, and I'm pretty sure that extra ten seconds wouldn't have made any difference in her life.

Now, I was paying attention this time. If I hadn't been, if I'd been fiddling with the radio, or laughing with my best friends, or even checking out my best friend's hubby in the rear view mirror (hey, he's cute and he used to make faces at me while I drove :) ), that woman would be dead. And even though she acted completely recklessly, it would have been legally my fault, because my car crossed a crosswalk while the light was on.

There's a very important group of words in the laws of the road that a lot of people on the road (both in and out of cars) tend to ignore and I think it's the cause of a lot of the accidents we see today.

Those words... "When It Is Safe To Do So."

Just because you put on your signal or press the button on a crosswalk doesn't mean that the whole entire world around you is going to be able to instantly stop to let you do what you want. Great, you've signalled that you want to do something. Now wait until it's safe for you to do it...

What *should* happen, is that people will see your signal, and will act accordingly, stop for a crosswalk, let you change lanes, whatever. But, because so many people are acting like "well, I put my signal on, I'm going to do what I want right now, whether there's someone in my way or not", people are going out of their way to prevent them from doing it. (Like the people who speed up to keep you from changing lanes in front of them on the highway.)

It's called common sense and courtesy. Let's use it. Then it really might be Safe to Do So.

Happy Blogiversary!

2006-04-18T21:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Blogiversary,
Happy Blogiversary.
Happy Blogiversary,
HAAAAAAAAAppy Blogiversary.
Happy, happy, happy, happy,
Happy Blogiversary
Happy, happy, happy, happy,
Happy Blogiversary...

dontcha just love the Flintstones? *grin*

Yup, today's my one year blogiversary.

So, where was I a year ago? I was working at Sprawl-Mart, making the 130 km round trip across the city, and unhappy as all heck. Getting regular migraines, colds and all round feeling crappy. And more often than not, I was driving across the city to sit at my desk and do.... nothing. The day I started this blog was two or three days after I got access to the internet at my desk (yeah, try being a copywriter and do research without access to any kind of research material...). And I thought it was something I could do to keep myself occupied during those long hours of thumb twiddling.

And now here I am a year later.. working three-and-a-half jobs from the comfort of my living room. Still waiting for Mr. Pink to propose. Still not any closer to being published, but at least significantly happier with my life.

And I'm finding I like this. I like writing several times a week (tho, yes, not that much lately, I admit. *grin*). I like knowing people are out there who are interested enough to pay me a visit once in a while (thanks for coming! :) )

So here's to another year together. Let's make it a good one! :)

Why pre-ordering from Amazon is never a good idea.

2006-04-13T13:06:00.001-04:00

So, here's the thing. I'm a big fan of Alison Kent's stuff. And that was even before she sent me a pile of author copies of some of her books just cuz I asked for them. *grin*

So, when she sent out a call for people to get the word out, blog-wise, about her new book that just launched, Deep Breath, I was all over the idea. Waaaaayyyyy back in March, I ordered the book from Amazon, so I'd have it in time for this whole marketing campaign.

Well, guess what... I'm still waiting for it.
Yup. See this:

That's my order from Amazon. It says I won't be seeing the books I ordered for another month and a half. Look at that! Ordered March 19, 2006.

Now, when I first started ordering from Amazon, and there were a couple of books that ship immediately and one that would take a while, someone would look at the order and think... hey! let's send the books that are ready so we're not leaving our poor customer in the lurch. Yeah, now? not so much. I should have learned the last time, when I ordered my little sister's b-day present and one book didn't come for six months (despite the "expected ship in 1 week!" promise.)

Grrrrr.

So if you like hot, sexy, steamy, romance, go check out Alison's Book Deep Breath. And if you don't, uhhh, why not? Hot, sexy, steamy romance is fun! :)

And go visit Alison's blog. Tell her I said hi. And if you've read Deep Breath, don't tell me how it ends! *grin*

So what do I do with it?

2006-04-06T17:56:00.000-04:00

Ok, hurting the environment is bad. We all know this.

We've all heard the promotions to reduce, reuse, recycle. What we haven't heard is how hard it is to do it.

So, you may recall that I've been slowly trying to clean sweep my house. Well, we have a ton of electronic equipment that I don't particularly want to just dump in a, well, dump or a landfill.

Included are:

20" tv with remote - no green. you can have all the other colors, just not that one.
56K modem card
computer case with stuff in it (not sure exactly what)
2 broken VCRs
2 broken cable boxes

The thing is? I have been all over the 'net, and I can't figure out what to do with this stuff.

I want to be environmentally friendly, I really do, but if it's gonna cost me more than I paid for this stuff in the first place to recycle it, well, not so much.

Cuz it really would be easier to walk it outside and just leave it for the garbage truck that's coming tomorrow.

Anyone have any ideas? I really want to get this crap out of my house.

Satisfy Our Naughtier Side

2006-04-06T00:06:00.000-04:00

Satisfy Our Naughtier Side Writing Contest

Give us your kick-ass heroines, your drool-worthy heroes, and your well-crafted stories that keep us coming back for more.

We're looking for a few good stories that are hot enough to melt silver. BDSM, anal, same-sex, group sex, we're not fussy. If it can turn us on and still make us sigh at your happily ever after (or happily for now), it's exactly what we want.

So how do you enter? First, check out our submission guidelines for Molten Silver. While we will look at books between 20,000 to 50,000 words, we'd prefer they be over 50,000. If you think you have what we need, send us the first three chapters and a synopsis of your book to mscontest@liquidsilverbooks.com by June 1, 2006.

This is a contest, right? So, you know there will be prizes!
First prize: $100
Second prize: $75
Third prize: $50

And the ultimate grand prize…our standard one-year publishing contract. Whether you win a prize or not, if you have what we need, you will be considered for publication by Liquid Silver Books. Still not enough? Well, we'll sweeten the pot a little more… if you win one of our top three prizes and accept a contract with Liquid Silver Books, we will double your prize!

This contest is open to any unpublished or published authors who do not already have a contract with Liquid Silver Books. If you are already published with us and have a suitable story for our Molten Silver line, please contact Raven directly.

Want to see your name in lights? Or at least on screen? Then get writing!

Pink and Mr. Pink Watch the Junos

2006-04-02T21:09:00.000-04:00

So, I'm not really big on award shows, but there's nothing really on tv tonight, so we put on the Junos.... the Canadian version of the Grammys.

This year, they've brought Pammie Anderson and her little friends to host. MC-ing is Chris Sheppard, who Mr. Pink remembers from his dj-ing days and has spent the past hour regaling me with Chris was and probably still is on some serious drugs and it's the only way he's getting through this program stories. Oh, and apparently he's really bald. :)

So, I'm gonna do a bit of a live blogging thing and post some of our comments.

Oooh, Rex Goudie has been getting elocution lessons. On Canadian Idol last year his Newfie accent was super thick. Tonight we can actually understand him.

Ummm... can someone please get Kalan Porter a Big Mac. Or five? Holy shit boy is non-existent. I met him about a year ago and he was skinny, but now he's just bone. Ick. Mr. Pink hopes he never goes to jail. Mr. Pink's rude. :)

Heh, Pammie just made fun of Ron Sexsmith... He's got this look on his face, like, uh... what'd she say? I was staring at her boobs.

Can someone please tell me why a Brit, Chris Martin from Coldplay, is presenting the Canadian lifetime achievement award to Brian Adams?

Huh. Mr. Pink's cousin is in Great Big Sea, and is the one who didn't show up tonight. The thing is, the one who is there and isn't related to Mr. Pink looks just like his cousin. Hmmmmm.... wonder what Uncle Kev hasn't been telling us?

Wow! Michael Buble is kinda hot. He's cleaning up tonight... best Artist and best Single so far. Is it just me or does he totally look like Michael Deluise? Mr. Pink's waiting for Buble to show up on Stargate SG-1, which is his absolute favourite show. And is pretty much run by Deluises. Still I was pretty much unaware of the talent that is the Buble. Must change that. He's good.

Simple Plan won fan favourite. They had some good songs in the beginning, but then then they got all whiny... waah, dad why don't you love me, waaah, my life sucks, waaaah.

Broken Social Scene won Best Alternative Band. Their performance was totally off key. I've never heard of them before.

Only in Canada, eh? The winners are coming up to accept their rewards with beer in their hands. *grin*

Wow. so not liking this performance by the Black Eyed Peas.

I love Jann Arden, she's hilarious. But I totally can't stand her music...

OH! Another Buble win! Best Album. And he totally said No Fuckin Way! when he won. Awesome.

All right, I watched for Hedley, but uh, Jacob Hoggard is very, uh, pose-y when he performs...

And after all that, it wasn't even Chris Sheppard after all. It was Buck 65. Ba-ha on Mr. Pink. :)

Well.. that was the Junos. Now you know how obnoxious Mr. Pink and I are :)

Where's Pink?

2006-03-31T18:17:00.000-05:00

So, yes, I've been a little absent lately. Mostly, it's that I've tried not to let myself play while I had major projects hanging over my head. (And the worst, hardest, most "really had to get it out of here and didn't want to do it" is FINALLY done! WOO!)

The other thing is, I've started a new blog, for the new pseudonym I decided on. Things happened all very quickly with that respect, I now have a blog that I actually post to more than I do over here (which still isn't that much :) ), and a domain name. Soon I'll have an actual website at the domain name... it's going to be my class project, which is finally back in session now that the strike is over... I'll just have to be sure to keep the x-rated stuff outta there until I get marked *grin*

I'm kinda excited.

Oh! And the other big news!! I have a new (another, not instead) job! I'm now the copywriter over at Liquid Silver Books. We're in the process of launching a very exciting contest (as in a "get published with us!" contest) and I'm going to be writing cover copy for all of their new books that are going to RT. So that's cool too.

And my Exercise Playlist is still in progress, mostly because my internet access has been crap lately and it's taking forever to download stuff, but here's a bit of a sneak preview:

Stray Cats
Lou Bega
The Go-Gos
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
Tone Loc
Salt n' Pepa
INXS
The Killers
KC and the Sunshine Band
Madonna.

Hmmmm... somebody's an '80s geek... *grin*

So to my loyal and faithful readers who keep checking to see if I'm still here... Thanks. I promise I won't leave you hanging so long next time. :)

My new toy

2006-03-27T20:10:00.000-05:00

So, I bought a new toy. It's still charging, so I haven't really played with it yet, but I'm pretty darn excited about it.

Check it out here. Cool eh? And a totally awesome deal considering it's $360 at the store formerly known as Radio Shack.

So now, I need to load it up with music, and I confess to being a little muscially challenged. My deep dark secret? I was twelve before I realized that the music I was listening to was thirty years out of date.

I have my favourites, but I like the mellow stuff, a little James Blunt, Michael Buble, Barenaked Ladies, stuff like that there. The thing is, I bought it to get my fat ass on the treadmill. So I need stuff that I can work out to. Something upbeat, something fun, something that'll keep me moving.

So I'm putting it out to the blogosphere? What's good to walk to? I'm looking for music that'll put a bounce in my step that'll keep me moving.

I subscribed to the Yahoo Unlimited Music Engine, so anything is fair game, at least for the next two months of my free trial. :)

A rather late update

2006-03-27T17:14:00.000-05:00

Gah. I'm sorry it's taken me so long since my last post. I've been a little overwhelmed with all the things I have to do and I just haven't had the chance to write...

I'd started this post a few times and just couldn't post it cuz I figured no one wanted to hear me whine, which is what it would have been.

Most importantly, thanks to everyone who left comments. I really appreciate your thoughts.

Mr. Pink is...better... in that he's not sleeping for two days straight right now. He did go to the doctor's to find out what's going on, and he has an inner ear issue that we think triggered the latest attack.

At least he's not in the pain that he was in last summer, but I still find the sleeping for hours and hours a little worrisome. And, to be honest, a little lonely. Working from home, I don't get out much as it is and don't really have anyone to talk to during the day. So, when he's at his mom's house, I'm alone. And now, when he's here, I'm still alone, cuz it's kinda hard to talk to a sleeping person.

*Sigh* You'd think with all that alone time I'd actually be further along on my to-do list, wouldn't you? You'd think. *Grin*

And Pink Gets a Little Angsty

2006-03-15T15:58:00.000-05:00

So yesterday morning I woke up around 8:30 a.m. I remember Mr. Pink climbing into bed next to me sometime before that, but I tend to get drifty when he does that, so it could have been a few minutes or a couple of hours. He's still asleep. And when I say that, I mean he has been asleep for close to 32 hours, now. I forced him awake a few hours ago to pee and take his medication, but I can't get him awake enough to actually be up.

Now, I know he's sick and all. If you haven't heard me angst over it before, he has trigeminal neuralgia, which is apparently the most painful condition known to humans. (Yeah, worse than childbirth, and he's had this for close to three years now). He's on all sorts of rather potent medication, including a morphine patch that he wears 24/7 to manage the pain. He's been doing pretty well since we got home from Newfoundland last summer, but this has me worried.

Apparently, this is his body's way of handling the pain, and trying to heal... the medication puts him to sleep. But 32 hours? Straight? That can't be right.

I've been going upstairs pretty much hourly just to check on him, but it's not enough. And I don't know what more to do.

I hate this.

What have I been up to?

2006-03-11T23:59:00.000-05:00

So, you'll remember a few months ago I was all angsty about my pseudonym. Well, I chose one, submitted a few stories under that name, even started creating a website (tho the only person who has seen it is the instructor for my HTML class :) ) And the more I thought about it, the more it just didn't fit.

So I think I've chosen a new one. But I'm still trying it on for size. Once I've worn it a few times, maybe thrown it in the wash and made sure it doesn't shrink or warp, then I'll let you in on it.

I've been really sick this week, all snuffy and coughing up assorted internal organs on a regular basis, so that would be why I haven't been around much.

So I thought I'd invite someone to share my pad, so go check out my renter Erin. And, after spending some time visiting here, Janet's letting me crash at her pad. So go give her a looksee too :)

A change of scenery

2006-03-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

I woke up Saturday morning with a serious case of ennui. Actually, this ennui has been building and building over the past few weeks, but after finishing the edits on the book that has been hanging over my head, making me feel guilty as all get out for avoiding it, I finally let things loose.

Within hours I had made my plans and hotel reservations and first thing Sunday morning, Mr. Pink and I took to the road. We drove down to Buffalo, NY (about a 2-hour drive) for a little cross-border shopping. (Did you know the exchange rate is only 15%!!! Last time we went, it was almost 40%... I'm not sure if that's good for the Canadian economy or really bad for the US)

And I realized that I either can't plan a romantic getaway for Mr. Pink and I, or I can't let him drive. Sunday night, after a disappointing dinner, we drove around for close to two hours trying to get back to our hotel. By the time we got back, we were both angry and frustrated and all my plans for a romantic evening were up in smoke. :(

I also can't really say I got any huge bargains, tho I still gave my Visa a really good workout :), and our lunch at a restaurant we were really looking forward to ended with a rather large bone in my burger. I'm still waiting to hear from their legal department, because, ew. And a little ow.

And while my ennui is now soothed a little, it still lingers. I don't know if it's a really bad case of SAD (seasonal affective disorder), or I'm just sick of where I live, but I crave a change of scenery... Something new. something different. something that isn't here...

And, to top it all off, my one "get out of the house" initiative, my HTML class at the local college, has been suspended. The union for instructors, teachers, admin staff at colleges across the province has gone on strike. The last one lasted six weeks.

*sigh* that'll learn me.

I'm finished!!

2006-03-03T15:59:00.000-05:00

And Pink FINALLY emerges from editing hell...

I can't believe I worked on that book all week, from the time I got up, til bedtime every day. Of course, now I have to write a letter telling the author all the things that need to be fixed. Kinda dreading that... cuz there's a lot and a very little time to do it in. *sigh*

There's been a weird analogy running through my head all week with respect to this book. It's like a chicken pot pie. The crust is nice and flaky and doesn't get that gooey texture on the bottom, and inside there's carrots and peas and other yummy veggies. Only, there's no chicken and no gravy holding it together. And there's grapes and bananas in with the veggies.

So what does all that mean? Well.. the author has a nice voice, the story is well-plotted, and I totally didn't see the whodunnit coming, which is always a nice touch, and there's a good flow to the dialogue. The problem is that there's not a lot of action (the chicken) and hardly any introspection holding the story together (the gravy) And then there's all sorts of description that doesn't really add anything to the story, that you wonder why it's there (the bananas and grapes).

Hopefully, the author will take this as constructive and be able to fix it, because this has the makings of a darn good story.

But first I'm going to treat myself to a little Thai food for dinner and take a break from my laptop. Can you tell I'm hungry? :)

Uh-oh

2006-03-03T14:10:00.000-05:00

Stole this from Tracy.

You Are The Sun

You represent the best of life - vitality, success, and and truth.
You tend to have a strong, centered, balanced personality.
Inspiration and discovery are your fortes. You are very mentally strong.
A talented mind, you tend to excel at math, philosophy, and music.

Your fortune:

As well as you have done in the past, the future is going to be filled with more success.
A new creative project is coming your way. Feed it, and it will grow into something huge.
Great riches, recognition, prosperity, or happiness is coming your way.
And it's possible that a fantastic vacation, or a new baby, is coming sooner than you think.

What Tarot Card Are You?

Uhhhh... a baby? I know the whole biological clock has been making a bit of noise lately, but I'm self employed. No EI, no mat leave, no extra benefits. Now is a very, very bad time for a baby. Come on fantastic vacation! :)

Thursday eye candy

2006-03-02T10:52:00.000-05:00

Ahhh Antonio.

You're just so pretty in your Calvins. Just don't go to 1955. I don't think Lea Thompson could handle it. :)

Yay, oh wait, boo.

2006-03-01T00:45:00.000-05:00

So, my day has been very angsty.

First, I won a copy of Repo Chick Blues by Tracy Sharp (check out her blog on my blogroll, Blithering Fool) on the Silver Expressions blog... Which, woohoo... her excerpts look quite good, and I'm excited.

On the other hand, my day job work has been very, very slow, so the days of the week have kinda blended together. In my head, I knew it was the end of February, but somehow it didn't translate that today was the first of March.

Then, sometime this afternoon, I realized that yes, tomorrow, er now today, is the day that Amber Quill announces the Heat Wave contest winners. The contest I entered. So I spent the day scouring the internet... looking to see who else had submitted, seeing if any clues had popped up, just, well, wishing, I guess.

I've pretty much been living on the Romance Divas forum all night waiting for the announcement to come down the line...

And the announcement came.

I didn't win.

Looking back, I think my story may have been a little too sweet for their tastes... but otherwise, I think it's still a good story. I don't have the same, holy shit, what was I thinking? feeling I had with Caught when I re-read it.

So tomorrow, it's going out to someone else.

Tonight, however, I need a good cry.

Editing Hell

2006-02-27T20:22:00.000-05:00

Argh. I'm stuck in editing hell... I've had this book on my to-do list for waaaayyyyy too long. It's late. Very, very late. And I just can't get through it. It's soooooo s-l-o-o-o-o-w. All tell-ing and full of extraneous information.

I don't want to trash my authors or anything, but dayum... this book is killing me.

So, I'm trying not to let myself play (blog, surf, read, watch tv) until I get this thing finished. I'm not even halfway done. *sigh*

In the meantime, go check out my renter, Izzy over at Moonshine. She's another great read. Just don't forget to come back *grin*

And if you want a good laugh, google March 20th. Mr. Pink is so darn excited he's got the date circled on the calendar... *grin*

Eddie Cibrian Eddie Cibrian Eddie Cibrian

2006-02-23T11:09:00.000-05:00

Heh. Ok. I know I'm a geek. And after this, you'll all really know how much of a geek I am. Yes, I still watch Sabrina the Teenage Witch. :) hey, it's in syndication and it's on all the time... what can I say? :)

Last night's episode gave us the passion spell. Say something three times and it might come true. Sabrina's wish? Eddie Cibrian:

Ooooh. Good choice :)

Too bad this doesn't really work...
A million dollars A million dollars A million dollars.

Dammit.

Pink goes on yet another rant.

2006-02-22T22:03:00.000-05:00

Ok... Taylor Hicks, the voice is ok, but the jerky "I'm trying to be Joe Cocker" movements is really getting on my nerves. And quite frankly, he's no Billy Klippert (who I've met! squeee!) If I had any idea how to link mp3 files on this thing, I'd give you BK's Leavon, but I don't, so you'll have to find it your own darn self. *grin* (hint, check his music page :) )

So, I've been taking an HTML programming class at the local college... First, I'm totally loving it, so don't be surprised if you see all sorts of wierd-ass shizznit going down in here :)

Now, that being said, I have a huge issue with the way the class is being taught. First, I'm a kinetic learner. (For those going huh wha?, studies have shown that people learn in one or more of three different ways - auditory (by hearing), visual (by seeing) and kinetic (by doing). Personally, kinetic is best, but I can also learn visually... but auditory, I'm completely lost.) Second, this class *should* be run with the assumption that students have a basic understanding of HTML and the Internet, and at the very least, computers. Case in point: if you don't know how to find a file on the J:drive? you shouldn't be in there.

Only this time 'round the powers that be got rid of the prerequisite and shortened the class from 14 weeks to 10. We just (about an hour ago :) )finished week 5 and we're at least two weeks behind. The reason? The instructor a)is self-taught and is teaching her bad habits; and b)spends half to three-quarters of the class babying half to three-quarters of the class. So tonight, we had it out with TPTB. There's no adding extra weeks to the end of the class, there's no taking work out. We have a set curriculum, and we're going to follow it.

Only, not ten minutes after instructor stands up and says, ok, we're just gonna run through the work, I'm gonna lecture you and you'll have to do it on your own, she spent the next two hours hand-holding the people who aren't getting it. Five weeks in, do we really need to be told *again* to copy and paste code rather than rekeying it six times?

Worse, we were learning image mapping. Pink poses the question, ok, so how does one calculate the coordinates of your image, without the textbook giving us the answers?
Instructor: you don't. Go on the Internet and download an image mapper. Ummm... I'm pretty sure that's not the answer. Pink: So maybe one would take the image and blow it up to like 1600% and count the pixels? Or is that a really long way of doing it?(it's the only one that makes sense to me...)Instructor: I don't know, real web designers don't have time to do it manually, they download a program to do it for them. Fine, that's what they do in the real world, but I'm paying to learn to program myself. You need to know the rules before you can break them. (Also, to the idiot who said the number of pixels in the image would vary depending on your program. um. no. If your image is 300 dpi, it's 300 dpi, whether you're in paint, photoshop or word. duh.)

So, lots of handholding, lesson didn't get finished and Pink is pissed off. I should have saved myself the money and just bought the book and taught myself. I'm pretty much doing that anyway. What makes me really mad is the real beginners dropped out. So we only have three or four stragglers. So tell me why 8-10 people have to sit around staring at the walls while she coddles the stragglers? Especially when we're this far behind... I've started to work ahead, but I get to a point where the stuff I need to know is in her head and not on the powerpoint. Argh.

So here's the thing...

2006-02-19T22:59:00.000-05:00

First, thanks to everyone who commented on my troubles with Mr. Pink, especially for the offers of the bat *grin* (And, *I'm* the one who decided that I had issues with the status quo, so I'd rather not take you up on that, hee.) After many long talks and tears, we've decided to try and work on things, neither of us quite ready to give up on four-and-a-half years of coupledom. So, we'll see.

Second, the internet company that I'm thinking of starting. I've had some very interesting conversations with some very encouraging and helpful people about my plans (all still very much in theory right now...) And it's going to be slow going as I make sure everything is in place and such, but I think I'm definitely moving forward on it. For the curious, the company is actually an e-publisher (The Pink Pen Papers... heh :) ). Yeah, definitely bigger than selling a few things from my website *grin* So, you can see why a lot of planning. But I'm pretty darn excited about it... I'll keep you posted.

Which leads me to my third thing. I'm a little cautious about revealing the real me on the Internet. Y'all know me as Pink here, and I'm happy with that. But, as I'm building up my freelance editing/writing company (which I am doing) I'd kinda like to link y'all to the website I'm building, and vice versa (y'know, try to build a little business :) ) But of course, there's my real name, phone number, etc. sitting there. Kinda weird. And, I get a little, um, swear-y here :) And I ogle half-nekkid men (tho, not for a while now. Will definitely be remedying that this week *grin*) And I bitch about my jobs. None of which is exactly the kind of thing you want potential employers to read. So here are my options as I see it:
1. Create a new blog under my real name and maintain two blogs (yeah, right)
2. Keep PinkPen and all blogging out of my real life writing/editing
3. Edit the heck out of this place and really rein myself in in future posts (no fun)
4. Just let it all hang out.

Not sure I like any of those.... so I have some thinking to do.

On a writing note, i've been so busy editing other people's stuff (and how much am I enjoying the author I'm working with right now...) that I haven't really had time to work on my own writing, which is bugging me on an almost constant basis right now. Yeah, Chase, Leah, seriously can't wait to get it on, darn them. I'm targetting their story as a Torrid Teaser, with a sequel to follow up... (It Happened One Night and It Happened the Next Night. Yeah, I suck at titles. :) ) It's actually a story that first sparked back in University... so I've been fermenting it for a reeeeaaaaalllly long time :) ) I've really got to add writing time into my already busy schedule, because they're driving me nuts...

So. [exhale] here goes.

More Decisions

2006-02-14T10:57:00.000-05:00

As you can probably see, I chose the Rock Bitch, to hang out with me this week. It was going to come down to eeny meeny, but something RB said struck a chord and there we have it. So go click on her link and tell her I say hi.

For those of you who just happened to wander over here and have absolutely no idea what the heck I'm talking about, renting out space on your blog is a perk of Blog Explosion, to drive traffic to your blog. You earn credits and then spend them renting out space on someone else's blog, then hopefully all their traffic pays you a visit too.

In fact, I'm hanging out at two cool blogs this week, both of whom happen to be on my blogroll - The Daily Bitch and Whatchu Tawkin' Bout, so I'm pretty darn excited about that. Feel free to head on over and pay us all a visit :)

On another note, and sort of crappy timing considering I'm trying to bring people here... Someone once told me that you can have a great relationship, a great apartment and a great job, but you'll never have all three at the same time. Needless to say, now that the drama is over, I'm enjoying my job, and as the clutter leaves my home, I'm liking it much more too.... so you can pretty much guess what that means. I swore I'd never have one of those kind of blogs, so if you'll excuse me for a while, I'm probably going to have sporadic posting while I deal with the ramifications.

Decisions, decisions

2006-02-11T18:14:00.000-05:00

So, I'm running a campaign to rent my blog right now, and there are eleven bids. The problem is, I find most of them really interesting. So much so, I can't decide who to pick!

So please go and visit her
And her
And her, mostly cuz she thinks chocolate should be a vegetable (it totally should!)
And her
And her, a fellow Canuck
And her
And her
Aaaaaaaaand him

Still not sure who I'm picking tho, but go read them all anyway :)

Deep in thought

2006-02-11T11:04:00.000-05:00

So, I've become rather obsessed with this one thought over the past few weeks, and I haven't really shared it with anyone.

I'm thinking of starting a company. An internet company. More than that I'm not ready to say just yet. But I wrote a business plan in college for it, had it looked over by an accountant, and I think I did pretty well. Of course, I'm not entirely sure where that business plan went, but still.

So, where do I start? I have the idea, the name, the plan, even the tagline (look up, waaaaaaayyyy up *Grin*). I have a mission statement. I know what I want to sell. I'm pretty sure I have the talent to make a darn good product.
What I don't know... how does one start a business? Do I just set up a website and start selling? I don't know a lot about e-commerce. I mean, it looks like I just say, ok. here's my product. Buy it. You can pay me by paypal or credit card. Right? But there's probably a lot of background stuff that I don't know.

So here's my question. If you run a business on the internet, how did you start? What references did you use before you started? Any tips you can give me? Or did you just hang a shingle and say, here I am?

I've been tagged!

2006-02-10T17:45:00.000-05:00

I was the geek girl that everyone picked on in junior high. It's ok. I admit it now. :) And, I'll confess, there's still a bit of that thirteen-year-old girl hiding in my heart, wanting to be part of the cool crowd. To be cool enough that I'd get tagged on someone else's blog.

And now I have. I feel so loved. :) Rachel has tagged me to list my 8 perfect partner requirements. Granted, I'm not single, and if I could, I'd make Mr. Pink not be sick, and he'd actually quit smoking, instead of promising that he will soon. Heh, I wonder what would have happened if I'd actually listened to my "I don't date smokers" rule, when Mr. Pink first asked me out. We still laugh about that... He asked me to give him a shot, I thought, what the hell. I'm never gonna see him again after that first date. And now here we are, four and a half years later... *grin*

But, I digress:

Pink's Perfect Partner

1. He can make me laugh, and he'll laugh at my bad jokes.
2. He's honesty and trustworthy.
3. He gets me.
4. We can sit and talk for hours about absolutely nothing and have a great time doing it.
5. He finds me attractive, even when I look like crap.
6. I can be completely comfortable around him, without having to worry about whether I'm saying or doing the wrong thing.
7. He's loyal.
8. He says what he means and means what he says.

And a cute butt wouldn't hurt. *Grin*

And I must say, it's a darn sight better than my requirements from before I met Mr. Pink... "He has to be breathing." heehee.

And Pink emerges...

2006-02-09T20:24:00.000-05:00

Seven. Hundred. Pages. of how to install telephone equipment. Yikes.
So, I've been a little buried.

I also started a Clean Sweep of my office. I'd post before and after pictures, but I'm actually too embarassed by the before. *Grin* And, since I'm moving my office into another room, I now have to Clean Sweep that room, too. There's seven bags of clothes headed to the goodwill, six bags of recycling (mostly shredded bills and pay stubs... from 1995!), five bags of garbage, four empty boxes, three broken computers, two ripped up carpets and a very stressed Pink. heeehee.

Oh, yes, you did read that right. Two ripped up carpets. I left the room for five minutes and my mom pulled up the carpet. No, I can't afford to lay down new flooring. No, there isn't nice shiny hardwood floors under there. It's plywood. Unsanded, dirty, water-stained plywood floors. Woo-fricken-hoo. Anyone know where I can get 1000 square feet of laminate that fell off a truck? *grin*

But, I'm back, and I promise to post more soon... :)

Wanna read me?

2006-01-29T00:10:00.000-05:00

So this has been a week. I didn't get a chance to pimp The Art of Getting By as much as I'd wanted to. (Go click the link in my sidebar. Go. Now. Just don't forget to come back *grin*)

My day job went all wonky and I found out just how evil Human Resources and budgets can be. Fortunately it's all been settled, and I'm now the proud owner of a GST number and a contract that'll let me stay at home for another year. Then I found out how good HR can be when I got told to seriously consider applying for a promotion in the next six months so that I can turn my contract into a full-time job.

And in the life is really wierd category, I spent most of my week working on the edits for my second book. My first edits resulted in a lot of controversy, which if you've been reading, you can probably guess what that was. This time around, I was harsh. I laid it all out there and found flaw with absolutely every aspect of the book. And I got a thank you letter mere minutes later. I'm so relieved. I didn't make changes or suggestions to be a bitch, I did it to make a better book. And the author saw that and was grateful for the help. And now, I'm really excited about working with this author and her book. We'll see how things go.

And, I decided I'm being a big fat chicken. I sent out Caught to one publisher. It was rejected and I tucked it back into a little folder and pretended it didn't exist. What I should have done is looked at it again, made the changes it needed and send it right back out. And I didn't.

So. I'm looking at it again. And... I just don't know. I just don't. I had several beta readers the first time 'round and the comments were too much on the "my mom likes it" vein. So I need someone, or a couple of someones, to give it a real read. Tell me if it's crap. Tell me what's crap about it. Then, I'm gonna fix it and send it out again. Because it's one thing to set a goal that this is the year I get published, it's a whole other to do something about it.

So, do you wanna be a beta reader? I'm not looking for grammar help. That's what I do for a living. I'm looking for plot flow, for whether my love scenes turn you on, for whether you fall in love with my hero and cheer on my heroine. Just remember, it's erotic romance. There's sex and swear words in there. Lots of both. If you're still interested, send me an email at pinkpenpapers[at]gmail.com. Thanks! :0)

Half-Nekkid Hot Elf

2006-01-26T13:35:00.000-05:00

I almost forgot today was Thursday!

So a few weeks ago, we did Brendan Fraser from Encino Man. Also in that movie, and long before he became an elf that most of you know and love (I don't, never saw any LOTR movies, and don't have any desire to. Sorry.), was Sean Astin.

Now that's a ripply tummy. :)

PS. Have you gone to visit The Art of Getting By yet? Janet's not gonna be here much longer!

Things that make you go....

2006-01-24T22:17:00.000-05:00

First, don't forget to stop by and say hi to my new tenant at The Art of Getting By. She's witty and funny and a great read.

Now, on to some thoughts...

I can't really go into a whole lotta details about this situation to protect the other parties involved, but this has been really bothering me, and I'm curious.

Let's say you write a book. You're proud of this book. You sell the book, your second or third in this particular genre.

Then, things don't go as quickly as you'd like them to in the editing process, though they still move quicker than many other books. And you go online and hang out in some chat rooms and you hear some people gripe about your publisher.

And your editor suggests that you make some drastic changes in your book. And to meet printer deadlines, you have very little time to make them.

What do you do?

Do you:
A)Write an angry letter to the publishers telling them how crappy their company is and how they suck and you deserve more time because they fucked you over?
B)Refuse to make any changes to the book and stop answering any emails from anyone involved with the publisher?
C)Decide you don't want to write in that genre any more and close down your blog and your website and erase all evidence that this pseudonym existed?
D)Stop making any efforts to publicize your book?
E) Completely disassociate yourself with the book and your pseudonym and move into a whole new genre under a new name?
F) All of the above.

Because I recently heard of the situation where the author picked F. And I just don't get it... issues with the publisher or not (and whether they're true or just online rumours), would you be able to write a book and then pretend you have nothing to do with it?

No matter what, I don't think I could.

Could you?

I have a tenant!

2006-01-23T19:37:00.000-05:00

Fifteen bidders, and only one winner...

I confess, it was a very hard decision, and a couple of the blogs were really interesting, but it came down to a shared crush on an '80s nerd boy, Chris Young, who is totally cute and totally got Alyssa Milano in Dance 'til Dawn, a guilty pleasure I can watch again and again.

So, meet Janet and The Art of Getting By. See that little thumbnail over on the right hand side of the screen? That's a link to her blog. So go visit her.

She'll be here all week. Tell her I sent you :)

Election Day!

2006-01-23T16:28:00.000-05:00

In more ways than one. Here in Canada, we are voting for our prime minister. I've voted, I've filled out my ipsos-reid survey and now it's just a matter of waiting for the results.

I don't want to get political here, but I really think that we're fucked six ways from Sunday no matter who gets in.. Bottom line, Ontario hasn't gotten over Bob Rae to vote NDP. I don't care how good or bad a candidate Jack Layton is (and don't forget, this is the man who, while being leader of his party, didn't even win in his own riding until the winning candidate gave up his spot for him), he's tainted by Bob Rae and his crappy leading of our province. (Yeah, I know, us Ontarians, thinking the world revolves around us... *grin*)
Paul Martin. Sponsorship scandal. Need I say more?
Stephen Harper. I'm sorry, he creeps me out. And he's a little too dependant on the Americans. I don't want to offend my American readers, but really, we are a separate country. We need to have our own opinion, choices, identity. And I don't think we'll have that with Harper.

Green Party? Independant? Yeah, none of them have a chance.

See what I mean?

On another election.... There's about three or four hours left to post a bid to rent space on my blog. I'm actually quite excited that 11 people have bid so far! There's a couple I really like, one that I'm leaning toward, but I don't want to be hasty, this being my first time at all this. Here's a tip though, if you are thinking about renting space... Most people have a statcounter. This usually tells how long you've spent on a blog. If you can't even take 30 seconds to read my blog, why would you want to rent space here?

Stay tuned for tomorrow to see who our winning renter is :)

That's just wrong

2006-01-20T18:19:00.000-05:00

To the guy who left a used condom at the bottom of my outside stairs.

1. EW. that's really gross.
2. Um. I'm pretty sure they're not biodegradeable. That used condom's gonna be sitting there for a looooooooonnnnng time. And I'm not toucing it to pick it up. No, no way, uh-uh.
3. Despite my earlier post today, it *is* still winter. I feel really sorry for your girlfriend, cuz there's no way you were able to keep l'il willie up long enough for there to have been any good stuff. (or your boyfriend, as the case may be. Not that there's anything wrong with that.)
4. Two flights of cement stairs are HARD. I really hope you didn't lean up against them to do the good stuff. that's gotta hurt. And I really don't want to walk out of my house and see that.
5. Didn't your mama teach you to pick up after yourself?

Now stop leaving gross stuff outside my house.

Pink.

Edited to add this:
OH MY GOD this is too funny. Thanks to Killired for this link. I just Gizoogled this post up. This is how it would read in tha hood.

That's jizzle wrong
Friday, January 20, 2006

To tha homey who left a used condom at tha bottom of mah outside stairs.

1. EW. that's really gross.
2. Um . Death row 187 4 life. I'm pretty sure they're not biodegradeable thats off tha hook yo. Thizzay used condom's gonna be hatin' there fo` a looooooooonnnnng tizzle mah nizzle. And I'm not straight trippin' it ta pizzy it up. No, no wizzle uh-uh . It dont stop till the wheels fall off.
3. Despite mah shot calla post today, it *izzis* still pusha. I feel really sorry fo` yo girlfriend, cuz there's no way you wizzy able ta keep l'il willie up long enough fo` there ta have been any good shiznit. (or yo boyfriend, as tha case may be. Not that there's anyth'n wrong wit that.)
4. Two flights of cement stairs is HARD. I really hope you didn't lean up against tizzle ta do tha good shiznit. that's gots`ta hiznurt bitch ass nigga. And I really D-to-tha-izzon't wizzy ta wizzay out of mah hizouse n see tizzle . Fo'-fo' desert eagle to your motherfuckin' dome.
5. Didn't yo mama teach you ta pizzy up brotha yoself?

Now stop pimpin' gross shiznit outside mah house.

Piznink.

I'm sorry. That shiznit's too funny. And so much more effective than what I wrote. :)

Dude, What is up with the Weather?

2006-01-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

Seriously.

I live in Canada. The Great White North. It's January and I just went outside in a t-shirt and capri pants. (Hey, I work from home. You're lucky I was wearing enough clothes to go outside in *grin*

Don't get me wrong. I hate the cold. I hate snow and slush and freezing your frickin' ass off.

But this is just wierd.

It's even starting to smell like spring. I love the smell of spring. But we're gonna have some fucked up animals, trees and flowers if the weather doesn't straighten itself up.

Can you spoiler a show that isn't on any more?

2006-01-19T10:05:00.000-05:00

So, as I'm sure you've realized by now, I'm addicted to tv. I particularly love the new tv season, and my PVR gets a serious workout when I try on most of the new shows for size.

This year, I got hooked on the show Reunion. The premise: each show would capture one year in the lives of six friends over a twenty-year span until the culmination episode, where viewers would find out a) which of the six was killed and b) whodunnit.

Only Fox cancelled the show somewhere around the mid-nineties. Seconds after finding out who was killed, but not by who. Red herrings were dropped, but not enough information for anyone to formulate a proper theory. (I had my suspicions.)

Then... I came across this article. Right there, smack in the middle of the page, the author reveals whodunnit. I can't say I'm surprised. But I don't know why the who dunnit. And that's gonna bug me. As much as I'm still bugged about the cliff hanger season ending of Models Inc. that got cancelled before the resolution. And that was in the early nineties.

I hate when shows do that. I understand ratings and all that, but I like things to be resolved. Would it have killed Fox to at least show one last episode that explains things? Just a little?

Grrrr.

It's Thursday. You know what that means...

2006-01-19T00:38:00.000-05:00

I love me the Irish boys. Mr. Pink? Irish on both sides, by way of Newfoundland. And no, he's never driven to Toronto, seen a sign that said Toronto Left and turned around and gone home. *grin*

Another pretty Irish? Colin Farrell. I love his accent. I could listen to him read me the dictionary all day.

Holy Crap!

2006-01-18T09:45:00.000-05:00

What a surprise this morning to wake up and find I'm Michele's Site of the Day! I'm particularly flattered by the "diverse, fun, bright, and delightful" thought *grin*

So welcome! Have a little look around, feel free to check out the teeny tiny excerpt from You Can't Always Get What You Want, which is the erotic short story I just submitted to Amber Quill's Heat Wave Contest. And be sure to come back tomorrow, because Thursdays are Hot Half-Nekkid Guy Thursdays. *wink*.

And I promise not to go on any of my grammar rants. Today. :)

How do ya like that?

2006-01-16T19:49:00.000-05:00

So, a few weeks ago, I got a letter from Harlequin Reader Services letting me know that I won a mysterious something in one of their contests. All I had to do was answer a skill-testing question and send it back to them. Now, I've gotten all the win a gabillion dollars in our sweepstakes letters and pretty much passed it off to Ed McMahon likeliness. But with this letter, my mind started to wander. Did I win a million dollars? A car? A trip for two to an exotic destination?

Nahh, my rational side said. You know all you won was a year's supply of books to a line you don't even read.

But I sent back the letter and crossed my fingers. Free books are free books, right?

Well. I got the package while I was away and finally sat down and opened it today. I won two autographed books by Carly Phillips and makeup by Bobbe Joy Cosmetics - Eye shadow, totally in my colours, a blush, also my colour and a lip gloss (well, not so much, and I hate the feel of lip gloss).

But still. Free books AND free makeup. Very cool.

The Underlying Message

2006-01-16T09:25:00.000-05:00

I've been in all sorts of workshops where the author pushed the word "theme" and I've always just sort of thought, well, it's a romance. love is the underlying theme. What more do you need? Right? yeah. Boy was I wrong.

When I started out writing YCAGWYW (formerly About last night) I was inspired by the Rolling Stones' song of the same name. But once I'd formed my plotline, I let the song go. When I rewrote the story with a new focus, I kept the song humming in the back of my head... You can't always get what you want. but if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need...
And I found that, as I was better developing my characters, I kept coming back to the song... or, my theme.

And by coming back to the theme again and again, I think it made the story stronger. It also helped me get rid of all that annoying backstory that I needed to know, but the reader didn't, because it didn't really relate to said theme.

So I get it now.

Why couldn't they have just said so in those darn workshops? *grin*

We have a winner!

2006-01-15T15:38:00.000-05:00

Yup, the verdict is in. Thirty-five people voted in my poll. First, thanks for voting, and second, woohoo! I had no idea so many people visited :)

Oh... the name that won? Marlena Laurie. It jumped into the lead pretty much from the very beginning and stayed there. And, really, it was my favourite, so I'm really glad that y'all thought so too.

Although, Marlene McCann and Larissa Alexander (and "these all suck". you guys are mean!) tied for second. *grin*. MM and LA both have a little sentimental meaning and may get used for writing that I don't necessarily want confused with my erotica, so don't think you've seen the last of them.

For anyone who's wondering where the names came from:
Marlene Laurie - My first and middle names reversed. No, my last name isn't coming into play here... it's the Internet. and it's a sucky last name :)
Marlena Laurie - Marlene was a little harsh for the flow of the two names together, so I thought I'd change it up a bit. (apparently, you guys thought so too :) )
Elle Emme - My initials (sorta).
Emme Elle - My initials reversed.
Larissa Alexander - Larissa is Russian for Laurie and Alexander was my grandfather's name. Also the name I used when I was internet dating. Yeah, I lied. Sue me. :)
Arielle Amuren - An anagram for Laurie Marlene
Marlene McCann - my middle name and a last name I like.
Arielle Alexander - A suggestion from my readers.

And, in just a little bit of self-bragging. I finished About Last Night... and renamed it You Can't Always Get What You Want. It seemed a little fitting since it was inspired by the Rolling Stones' song. I'm pleased with how it turned out, very different from its first incarnation. And I'm trying to ignore the huge attack of "I can't write. This sucks. What am I thinking" that I had this morning, and sent it off to Amber Quill before I could change my mind. It helped that gmail doesn't let you recall emails and I accidentally hit send while I was obsessing *grin*

If you're interested, click here for a teeny-tiny excerpt.

Sixty-Nine Dude!

2006-01-14T20:16:00.000-05:00

Totally stole this from Kat

1. What time did you get up this morning?
7:45. Waaaayyyy too early for a Saturday.

2. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds are pretty. I don't have any diamonds. Not even on the third finger of my left hand. hint hint Mr. Pink.

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Tho, I totally don't remember the naked harry scene that everyone's talking about. And why are thirty-year-old women talking about it? :)

4. What is your favorite TV show?
Veronica Mars.

5. What did you have for breakfast?
Two chocolate chip cookies and one chocolate-chocolate-chip cookie. And a bottle of spring water. Healthy.

6. What is your middle name?
Marlene. Haven't you been paying attention? :)

7. What is your favorite food?
Chocolate. :)

8. What foods do you dislike?
I'm not sure I actively dislike anything, except maybe brussel sprouts and lima beans. But I can't eat any tomato-based sauce with Italian spices. Salsa, ketchup, tomatoes, totally ok... My body's wierd.

9. Your favorite Potato chip?
Pringles' Sour cream and onion. yummy.

10. What is your favorite CD at the moment?
James Blunt's Back to Bedlam and, I'm embarassed to admit, Hedley. Jacob Hoggard is a cutie-patootie.

11. What kind of car do you drive?
The Toyota Echo Hatchback. It's called a Yaris now. I dunno why. Love it tho.

14 Favorite drink?
I drink a lot of water and milk. But I love anything that involves Pineapple juice and Malibu Rum.

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would it be?
Ireland. Heh. This is one of many that I had the same answer as Kat.

16.What color is your bathroom?
My upstairs bathroom is a blue underwater scene with fishies all over the walls. My downstairs bathroom is a jungle theme... with sponge-painted animals. I inherited this one. I am glad, however, that I didn't inherit the hand-painted zebra-print toilet seat. It was in the sales contract when I bought my house. I didn't want it anyway :)

17. Favorite brand of clothing?
Don't have one. Pretty much anything that will fit my fat ass. When I get rid of said fat ass, I'll pick one then :)

18.Where would you retire?
Dunno. Hawaii. Newfoundland. right here? I'm too young to think about stuff like that.

19. Favorite time of day?
Dusk.

20. There was no question 20.

21. Favorite sport to watch?
I don't watch sports if I can avoid it. Mr. Pink watches a lot of hockey. Apparently, so do I.

22. Who do you least expect to send this back?
Dunno. I don't really expect anyone to send it back. I don't even know if anyone is reading this.

23. Person you expect to send it back first?
See above.

24. What laundry detergent do you use?
Tide. I like the Cold Water one and the one with Bleach.

25. Coke or Pepsi?
Neither. I don't drink colas. I don't like the taste.

26. Are you a morning person or night owl?
Definitely a night owl. So glad I work from home so I can make my own schedule :)

27. What size shoe do you wear?
8.5

28. Do you have pets?
Nope. We're still discussing the doggie issue. I'd rather wait til I don't have wall to wall carpets. ewww. :)

29. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with your friends?
Yes. One isn't really true yet, and the other isn't official yet. Will share when it is.

30. What (who) did you want to be when you were little?
An actress. One of the big, famous, A-list, on every magazine cover ones.

31. Favorite candy car?
Big Turk. Mmmmm. chocolate.

33. What are the different jobs you have had in your life?
Would you believe I was a cast member at the Disney Store? :) I've done cashier, estate administrator's assistant, receptionist, and since I graduated, editor, writer or combination of both.

34. Favorite season?
Late Spring, early Summer. I like mild temperatures, not too hot, not too cold. Course, we don't get much of that here.

35. Nicknames you've had?
Pink. :)
I've never been a nickname girl. I once wanted Bubbles, after the character in JabberJaw, who was the only curly-haired girl I'd ever seen on tv, but that didn't stick. :)
Mr. Pink once shortened my first name, but thought it was kinda odd. That didn't stick either. :)

36. Piercings:
Four in my left ear, three in my right. No idea why. ;0

37. Eye color:
Green. My best feature.

38. Ever been to Africa?
Nope. would like to one day.

39. Ever been toilet papering?
Yes. The car of my resident assistant in univ. It was the entire college council who did it. He was PISSED :)

40. Love someone so much it made you cry?
Love Mr. Pink. Cried because of Mr. Pink. not sure that counts.

41. Been in a car accident?
Yes. My first car was an accident magnet. I'm glad to be rid of it.

42. What's a question no one has ever asked you?
I was going to say "Will you marry me?" as another dig at Mr. Pink. But that's not true. He did. We were 18 and kinda drunk at the time. :)

43. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday. It's my veg day.

44. Favorite restaurant?
Hmmm. don't really have one. Used to love the pickle barrel. but it's changed. and it sucks now.

45. Favorite flower?
Gerbera daisies.

46. Favorite ice cream?
MMm.... A chocolate ice cream made out of Baci candy. ohhh. so craving that now.

47. Disney or Warner Brothers?
Disney. can't help it. worked for them.

48. Favorite fast food restaurant?
Lick's. Best. Burgers. Ever.

49. What color is your bedroom carpet?
Grey. I have the worst carpet in my house. It's the industrial crap you get in office buildings.

50. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
None. Passed first time. Yeah!

51. Before this one, from whom did you get your last e-mail?
Umm... from one of the many e-loops I'm on.

52. Which store would you choose to Max out your Credit Card?
Best Buy. Love me electronic toys.

53. What do you do most often when you are bored?
TV. Surf the 'net. Read. All three at the same time :)

54. Bedtime:
Usually around midnight.

56. Last person you went to dinner with?
My editing team, my boss, my boss' boss, and some random bigwig in the company.

57. Ford or Chevy?
Chevy. I hate Fords.

58. What are you listening to right now?
The hockey game. The Leafs are playing Gretzky's team. Yeah. like I have a choice.

59. What is your favorite color?
I know I should say Pink... but it's actually purple. Somehow the Purple Pen Papers just doesn't have the same ring to it :)

60. Lake, Ocean or River?
Lake.

61. How many tattoos do you have?
None. May one day. :)

62. Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
Uh. egg. no chicken. No, egg. I dunno.

63. How many people are you sending this email to?
Whoever reads this. feel free to poach.

64. Favorite Cocktail?
Pina Colada. Yeah, some 40-year-old waiter made fun of me for that last night. Jerk.

65. Red or White wine?
Neither. I don't like the taste of wine. I know. I'm a freak.

66. Where would you go for a girls or boys weekend get-away?
Spa resort would be cool. Or Shopping trip.

67. What do you want to be?
A published romance novelist. For some reason, corporate newsletters and retail flyers just don't have the same cache :)

68. Republican or Democrat?
Neither. I'm Canadian. We don't have those. And I still haven't decided of the three parties who is Lesser, Three or Evils.

69. Favorite Family Vacation?
Uh. one without my family? :)

Home Again

2006-01-14T18:31:00.000-05:00

I'm back from the east coast! Have to say I wasn't exactly thrilled to be flying on Friday the 13th, but I'm home safe and sound. It was a really interesting week. First, I got to meet all of the people in my department, including my boss. I think it made it all real for me. I mean, I've been doing the work, and cashing my pay cheques, but without actually seeing real people, it's felt a little surreal.

We stayed in a cute little b&b (and I do mean a little on the cutesy side) and, while it would have been nice to have a little warning about the cat I was more than a little allergic to, I think it was better to be in this little house with everyone than in a giant impersonal hotel. Also, the team clicked really well, really quickly, which I'm very glad about. The people you work with are so important and I think I'll feel a little better about asking questions of people now that I have a face to put to the name :)

AND, I finally got the IT department to realize that my laptop wasn't working properly. My internet connection was hit and miss, which, when you only connect to work via the internet, it's kinda an important thing to have. So now I have a new one. I've been connected wirelessly all day. Woohoo!

AND... It seems I missed National DeLurking Week. Dammit... I want to know who my Barrie reader is. And my other Torontonians... And if there's anyone else out there reading this thing.... So, if you've been lurking around, leave me a comment. I'm glad to have had you here :)

Not really what I was thinking...

2006-01-10T15:56:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure about the pet snake, but I'm so there with the chocolate syrup. :)

Your New Year's Resolutions

1) Get a pet snake

2) Eat more chocolate syrup

3) Travel to Australia

4) Study finger painting

5) Get in shape with disco dancing

What Should Your New Year's Resoluton Be?

Thoughts from the East side

2006-01-10T14:57:00.000-05:00

I'm in Saint John, NB this week, and my internet connection is sporadic at best. Since I'm at my company's head office, the plan is for me to get a new laptop that actually has non-sporadic internet connection and doesn't do odd things with the programs I use for work (I've stumped everyone.. :) ) It's quite beautiful here, though I'm amazed at how... empty... it is. Walk down the street at dusk, and No.One. is around. Not in their living rooms watching tv, not on the street, not in the completely closed down stores. It's very odd, coming from the big city as I do.

I have not yet finished About Last Night... yet, as I pretty much suspected. Fortunately, I still have a few days left before the deadline. I've got the rest of today to myself and a good chunk of time on Thursday, so my plan is that it will be finished in time.

We also have a winner in the I need a pseudonym poll. More on that later when I have more than five minutes of internet connection. :)

Putting the horse before the cart.

2006-01-06T01:01:00.000-05:00

I know. I need to actually finish a book and sell it before I need to worry about pseudonyms and websites and all that stuff. But, I'm thinking about it, and I want to be prepared when the time comes. So please vote in my poll... I'm open to suggestions, although I'd like the name to have some relevance to my real names (Laurie Marlene), or to my family.. (Alexander was my grandfather's name)... or, hell, I just want something that's gonna look cool on the NYT bestseller list. *GRIN*

Leave alternate suggestions in my comments please.

EDITED TO ADD: I'm gonna stickie this up to keep it at the top of my blog until I'm ready to take down the poll. I've decided to leave it up til Jan. 6th, which is right before my self-imposed deadline for getting About Last Night... out and off to the Amber Quill contest.
Can I tell you guys how much I'm loving reading your comments about my pseudonym decision? Please keep them coming... this is awesome. And I find it veddy intereshting as to where my favourite is in the standings so far. No, I'm not gonna tell you what it is yet. I will at the end tho. Promise.

Almost completely nekkid, really hot guy

2006-01-05T12:53:00.000-05:00

Yup. I got suckered into watching Encino Man on TBS the other day. Especially when Mr. Pink confessed he'd never seen the movie.

Pauly Shore notwithstanding, it's a total cheese romp, but completely worth if for the one scene of Brendan Fraser standing on a mound of dirt wearing nothing but a loin cloth.

See what I mean?

Seeing inside my soul

2006-01-04T20:45:00.000-05:00

A little bit of not me, a whole lot of truth.

You Are a Hunter Soul

You are driven and ambitious - totally self motiviated to succeed
Actively working to acheive what you want, you are skillful in many areas.
You are a natural predator with strong instincts ... and more than a little demanding.
You are creative, energetic, and an extremely powerful force.

An outdoors person, you like animals and relate to them better than people.
You tend to have an explosive personality, but also a good sense of humor.
People sometimes see you as arrogant or a know it all.
You tend to be a bit of a loner, though you hate to be alone.

Souls you are most compatible with: Seeker Soul and Peacemaker Soul

What Kind of Soul Are You?

Up to my eyeballs in crap

2006-01-03T13:06:00.000-05:00

Oy. I slacked off a little too badly over the holidays and now I'm playing serious catch up. That's the big problem with working at home... Sit and work on a project that's not due til Jan. 6th or tackle the decorating, cleaning, cooking, sleeping that needs to be done. Guess what I chose.

I did actually get quite a bit finished:

1. Flyer copy for store I used to work for
2. Re-do of line edits for In His Brother's Place, which will be available from WCPT in February. It's an erotic contemporary romance by Stephanie Saint. Be sure to check it out.
3. Worked on edits for erotic twisted tale. Fleshed out areas that need to be addressed in revision letter.
4. Completed rewrite on first half of About Last Night... I'm really liking where it's going. I've really been concentrating on my character development and I'm finding it makes such a difference with the story. I can't believe I didn't know that Seth screwed GothGirl against Abby's ottoman as a passive aggressive way of ending the relationship. Seth really is taking this whole passive thing a little too seriously. I'm the writer. I need to know this stuff!! I haven't gotten to the sex scenes yet, which I know is going to take the most amount of work (as in, right now it's 'sweet' (they head to the bedroom and close the door) and I'm planning on making it hootttt (we follow them into the bedroom :) ) I'm looking forward to it. :)

I did not have a chance to work on the contemp. romance I'm editing, which I really need to get on. I have a feeling that's going to be my project for the plane ride on Sunday. I really hope Air Canada has more leg room than CanJet. We flew them in the summer and I didn't even have room to open a book on my lap, let alone a laptop.

And the 512-page User Manual I'm still working on is taking a looooonnngg time. The thing is, it's really well written. The author has obeyed all the rules in our style guide, except one, and her grammar is quite decent. I'm very impressed. I just feel like I'm missing stuff, because I have hardly any comments. It's like I'm not doing my job right...

That being said, I really do have plans for my New Year's Goals and such, but I just have too much to do to think about them this week, and being gone next week and at the mercy of other people's timelines and restaurant choices :), I've decided to make January 16th my New Year's Day. That's when I'm going to really get started...

For now, I'd better get back to the user manual :)

Books read in 2006

2006-01-01T22:47:00.000-05:00

I've always gotten a kick out of people whose goal is to read like 50 books a year. I'm sure I read tons. Tons and tons. So now, I'm putting my money where my mouth is. This year, I'm actually gonna track and see just how many books I'm really going to read this year...

1. Bait & Switch, Larry Brooks. Really good. He's a new favourite for keeping you guessing right up to the very last page. I like that.
2. Kiss of the Shadow Man, Maggie Shayne. I was at her workshop on writing a fast-paced book. She's really good at that... I couldn't put it down.
3. Out-of-this-World Marriage, Maggie Shayne. It was a three books in one. :)
4. Meridian Link Services Interface Specification. It was for work. It probably shouldn't count, but it was 512 pages and it took me forever!! :)
5. Undead & Unappreciated, MaryJanice Davidson. Good. but was way too quick a read. I hate that. I like to live in a book's world for a while.
6. Brazen, Carly Phillips. Cute, but a little on the standard category format (and considering it was marketed as a single title, that's not good...)
7. Room Service, Jill Shalvis. I liked it. Hot and sexy, good supporting characters.
8. Can You Keep A Secret?, Sophie Kinsella. I hate her heroines. They're stupid. But Sophie's voice keeps me coming back for more. I started this book just before 11 one night, and finished it just after 1 a.m. I hate that.
9. Truth or Dare, Lori Foster. I've always liked Lori's books. Of course, I wrote back cover copy for one of her books, so she's got a little spot in my portfolio (er, I mean heart :) ) The thing is, this is the trilogy that my book Caught was supposed to be, only so much better. *le sigh*
10. Repo Chick Blues, Tracy Sharp. I couldn't put it down. Not usually what I read, seriously intense, but wow. very good.
11. Polar Opposites, Paige Burns. I'm trying to read up as many stories I can from the publisher I'm working for now. So far so good.
12. Hot Target, Suzanne Brockmann. Loved it. LOVED. IT. I love her shit. And that she wrote this kind of story and dedicated it to her son. So cool.

You Can't Always Get What You Want Excerpt

2006-01-01T15:47:00.000-05:00

I pulled into my driveway with a huge sigh of relief and trudged into the house, feeling the weight of my day pressing on my shoulders. It had been a helluva day, and all I wanted was a long, hot bath, some snuggle-time with Seth, the love of my life, my schleppies and the TV.

"Lucy! I'm ho-ome!" I called out in my best Ricky Ricardo. Seth got pissy when I snuck in without announcing my arrival. I wasn't entirely sure how walking into my own home was sneaking in, but whatever, it was a little thing, so I humoured him on it. He spent all day and pretty much all night hunched over his computer, and he got so caught up in his work that I could walk right up to him, strip naked and dance a hula and he wouldn't even notice. Yeah, ask me how I know.

Back in high school, Seth had sold a game he'd developed, Vamp Camp, and it had been an instant success. He was still getting royalties from it. Rather nice royalties, I might add. Only now he was so obsessed with the program he was writing that he was sure would change the computer world as we know it, that he hardly had time for anything else. Including me. We'd been living together for over a year, and I was still without a ring.

"Seth?" I called out. "You are not gonna believe the day I had. Remember Jack? That sleazy guy from the Christmas party that got so drunk? Yeah, he ran off to the Caymans with 30 million dol..."

I walked into the room hoping to snuggle up and get a little much needed action and almost tripped over my feet at what I saw.

What the fuck?

Seth's scrawny, naked ass was pumping furiously against my just steam-cleaned linen ottoman.

Ew.

No, really.

Ew.

My words trailed off into a little squeak, and it wasn't until I tried to compose myself that I saw the other pair of feet. The Doc Marten-covered feet that had to have belonged to the little Goth Girl who lived next door. The feet that were attached to the legs of the girl who was sandwiched between my very expensive, cost me almost a full paycheque, brand-spanking new ottoman and my live-in, about to propose to me boyfriend.

Holy Shit.

Half-Nekkid Hottie from the North

2005-12-29T08:28:00.000-05:00

All right. I confess it. I've always had a little thing for Ryan Gosling pretty much from Are You Afraid of the Dark. I watched Young Hercules simply for the boy toy eye candy.

Eye candy like this:

And now rumour has it he's engaged or about to be engaged to fellow Theatre at York Alum Rachel McAdams. very cool. (I don't remember her, but she either started my last year or the year after. God, I'm old. :) )

Bitten and a little Smitten

2005-12-28T17:04:00.000-05:00

I'm a bit of a brat when I read for fun. I always notice things like a Toyota Echo that gets abandoned up north or a tuna sandwich that turns into an egg sandwich in the space of three sentences. And they continue to bug me long after the book is done. Which, in the long run, is one of the things that makes me a good editor. But it makes it very difficult for me to be a gushing reviewer. And it's why I've been putting this off for so very long.

Months and months ago... (ok, like the end of September) I won an ARC for Michelle Rowen's debut novel Bitten and Smitten. I read it immediately (ok, devoured would be a little more accurate :) ) and promised I'd do a gushing review. I knew from reading Michelle's blog that I'd enjoy her voice, and I was right. Sarah Dearly, newly vamped vampire, is a snarky little brat, much like I am. While trying to figure out how to be a vampire, she falls in love with a suicidal vampire (can you kill yourself if you're immortal?). And, always a little thrill for me, the book is set right here in my hometown. I know. I'm Canadian. We get a kick out of stuff like that.

For a while, I wanted Sarah to be a little more proactive - in finding out more about her new world and the vampire rules and not just sitting around thinking... shit something bad is happening. oh well. I'm going shopping. But then, at the end, Sarah totally redeems herself. She does something that not only did I get a huge kick out of, but something I've often wondered why no one else ever has in her situation... (no, I'm not gonna tell you what it is. go read the book.)

Now I've always been first and foremost a romance reader, but Bitten & Smitten is definitely closer to funny paranormal than romance, despite the love triangle with the Vampire Hunter and the suicidal Master Vamp, making it a great read for men who wouldn't be caught dead reading one of those books as well as women who would.

So. consider this me gushing. Go read Bitten & Smitten. It's in stores now.
I mean it. Go. Right now.

Merry Half-Nekkid Christmas!

2005-12-22T10:25:00.000-05:00

A little Santa-themed half-nekkidness to celebrate the season:

Heehee.

Of course, if you want something a little sexier, check out this guy. Yummy!

Merry Christmas! Happy Hannukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! and Merry Ramadan! And my apologies if I've forgotten any seasonal celebration.

I need help.

2005-12-20T17:02:00.000-05:00

So, you know how most writers procrastinate writing by cleaning their house?

Yeah, me? I procrastinate cleaning my house by writing. I have a gabillion things to do before my family descends on my house on Sunday for Christmas dinnner. (I don't have the energy to link you there, scroll down and look at my to-do list). And my mom and grandma are neat-freaks, so I can't have the usual mess. So what do I do? I happen across the printed out first draft of About Last Night and start reading. Then I start thinking.

For a few months now, I thought about changing it and combining it with Caught to get a longer book. (About Last Night is 7500 words, Caught is about 27000. I was hoping to turn it into a 60000 word category.)

But I sat down and read it this afternoon. It is exactly what it is. A short romantic story. If I just develop the characters a bit better, and ramp up the sex, I think it could be ready to try and sell. I'd been thinking of entering Amber Quill's Amber Heat Wave Contest (prize is publication for everyone they think worthy, not just one or two) cuz it seems like one of the more prestigious epubs out there, and I think I could make this work for them. Now. the entry deadline is only between Jan. 1 and 15th, so I can certainly wait until Monday to start working on this story, rather than procrastinating the cleaning now. But I'm excited about this. It's re-writing. I love re-writing.

I'm going to Saint John (that's New Brunswick, not St. John's, Newfoundland, where I was this summer) for a week leaving Jan 8th for business. I finally get to meet my boss and the rest of my team! I'm quite excited. So, I know me, if I don't get the story out before I leave, it won't get out. So. Jan 7th. About Last Night. Go Me.

And right now, me go get the vaccuum. There's dust bunnies older than me under my bed.

People to do, places to go, things to see

2005-12-16T20:46:00.000-05:00

I've been really bad at blogging these past few weeks, and I probably won't have much to say for at least another week or so, until I get through Christmas Day. I don't know why I always offer to host a big dinner with all of family coming over when my house is totally upside down. I've been working from home for about a month and a half now, I should have gotten it in order, but apparently not so much. Although, I did wait a bit because I was a contender to be on the show Neat, but they never got back to me, so I guess my house wasn't messy enough. Or too messy. :)

Right now I'm mostly done my bedroom, and my allergies are seriously acting up because of all the dust I've stirred up. Yick. My goal is to get the house presentable for next week, and then, after Christmas, target the piles of bags and boxes that will inevitably get hidden in closets.

I've also decided to move my office to another room. I'd always planned on this room being my office, but right now there's a really big couch in it, which I don't really need anymore. Speaking of which, anyone wanna buy a green and peach pull out sofa bed? Cheap! :) I'm not sure what I'm gonna do with it, but it's comin' out!

I'll post pictures soon of the mess I'm working in right now and the end result. I've got some big ideas (partly based on the colour of my blog :) ) and I'm excited to get started... Especially now that my boss assures me my contract is going to be extended to permanent very soon, which means I'll be staying at home and I can't work in such a yucky space much longer. It also means, however, that I'm gonna have to start purging my books. I have thousands, and I just don't have room for them all anymore. Especially since I'm trying to convince Mr. Pink to finally move in.

On top of all the decorating and cleaning, I also have a big pile of projects on the go:

1. Edit 512-page user manual - Due Jan. 6th
2. Re-do line edits for In His Brother's Place - due ASAP.
3. Edit Point Break (400 pgs)
4. Edit The True Story of the Wicked Witch (35 pages)
5. Write 20-page apparel catalogue for store I used to work for
6. Write fashion and food pages for March 11th flyer for store I used to work for
7. Write 4-page shoe catalogue for store I used to work for

I would have liked to work on my own writing, but until I get a good chunk of my editing done I think it's gonna have to wait. I joined Jo Leigh's Uber Challenge for the new year, and my challenge is to finish all the shit I've started. All of it. The Prada Bag Princess, Losin' It, the re-vamped Caught/About Last Night and Dangerous Love. At this point, I don't even care about them being good, or publishable, I just want to be able to put the words THE END on all of them. I'll worry about the re-writes later.

*sigh* I think I may have taken on too much. So, back to the grind...

Some things just aren't meant to be half-nekkid

2005-12-15T10:46:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I finally saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire this weekend. I was okay with it. I find that what bothers me so much about the movies is that so much of the essence of their world is left out. For example, I don't really think the fear the Wizarding community has of the name Voldemort is really ever portrayed, leaving people who haven't read the books confused by who this YouKnowWho (and NOT HeWhoMustNotBeNamed grrr...) is. And with this movie, there were no HouseElves, no SPEW, and they might as well have just slapped a big sticker on TheBadGuy right in the opening scene that said "I'm the bad guy". So much for the mystery.

So for today's half-nekkid hot guy, I thought I'd do a little Daniel Radcliffe, but then I came across this picture, and well, he's sixteen, and there's something just wrong about posting a nekkid picture of him here. If you really want to see it, you can check it out here. Edited to add: Don't say I didn't warn you :)
So, here's Sean Biggerstaff, who a) played Oliver Wood in the first two HP movies , b) is a cutie and c) is legal.

Santa Baby, I'm a greedy Beeyotch

2005-12-12T13:51:00.000-05:00

Ok. Seriously. I really like that I can be at home and listen to the radio as loud as I want and whatever channel I want without someone leaning over and whining that he can hear it. And I'm really enjoying listening to Christmas music, cuz I don't have my tree up yet, I haven't started my shopping and I'm really not in the mood... yet.

But I have heard "Santa Baby" eleventy-gajillion times today alone (not to mention every single day last week.) The Madonna version, which really sucks, Eartha Kitt, Peggy Lee and Ally McBeal for Pete's sake.

It's a crappy song. It's some idiot with her boobies stuck out asking Santa to give her a park avenue penthouse, a really cool car and lots of shiny jewellery. Where's the Christmas spirit in that?

Grrrr.

Yippie-Ki-Yay Half-Nekkid Hot Guy

2005-12-08T20:46:00.000-05:00

All day today, I thought it was Wednesday. Wasn't 'til I sat down in front of the tv and realized that ER is on Thursdays... doh!

I'm watching one of my favourite Christmas movies. Die Hard. Cuz nothing says Christmas like men with guns. *grin* But I got a chance to take a look at the Bruce when he was in his prime.

'Course I still have to watch my other favourites, the You'll Shoot Your Eye Out movie and I'll sing along with the Miser brothers. Ba-da-ba-ba-baaaah-da... Too much!

What's your favourite Christmas movie?

The Sounds of Silence

2005-12-08T12:16:00.000-05:00

So, I took a day off from the Internet yesterday. I got up, I went and got my hair cut ( a lot.... it's really short now. I love it :) ), sat in a restaurant and finished up the proofreading I was working on, did some shopping, came home, made sure I didn't have any work emails I needed to take care of (there wasn't. Have I mentioned how much I love my new job?), and turned off my computer.
I didn't read anyone's blog. I didn't check any websites. I didn't even watch tv with my laptop so I could check imdb, or go to the cool site that the tv said to go to :). I read a couple of magazines. I watched all of Veronica Mars. I went to bed early and got a good night's sleep.

I feel awesome.

Are we too glued to the Internet? I am. I totally am. My MSN messenger is pretty much always on with my work address. I keep my gmail and yahoo accounts constantly open and refresh frequently and I can waste hours reading blogs, websites and advice columns. (yeah, I'm addicted to advice columns. wierd.)
So, I totally needed yesterday. And I'm so glad that I did it.

So try it. You'll like it. Even if your name's not Mikey. And I'll even forgive you for not coming to visit me for one day :)

Too. Much. Girl. Porn.

2005-12-06T18:27:00.000-05:00

hee. Yes, erotic romance, or girl porn, as Mr. Pink calls it.

I've been proofreading an anthology for the e-pub I work for, and I think it's affecting my brain. One of the stories (a historical) told of a heroine who was afraid of sex and wasn't putting out for her new husband. So instead of talking about it with hubby, she turns to hubby's best friend for a little sex lesson. Friend obliged, they had a rousing good time. Only... I kept waiting for hubby to join in.
And I was disappointed when he didn't.

Yeah, I know. I've been reading waaaayyyy too much of this stuff.

But if you want to check it out, it's pretty good... It'll be out in January. Go here for more details about Winter Wishes. I also proofread French Kiss, coming out in January as well.

The books I am actually editor on, won't be out til later. I'll talk about them more later.

All the colours of the rainbow

2005-12-03T00:26:00.000-05:00

Wow! I had no idea how much people liked the Pink :)

So, I played around with the coolest colour picker and changed all the colours to bring back the pink. Ironically, my blog now matches my pjs. That's wierd.

but now it feels more like me around here.

Cooking 101

2005-12-02T14:55:00.000-05:00

I love to cook. I love to bake even more. I particularly love to bake for other people.

I can make a Chocolate Truffle Loaf with Raspberry Sauce that will melt in your mouth. A Lemon Meringue Freeze that will give you shivers. I can make a boring thrown together sandwich that prompts Mr. Pink to tell me I'm a better cook than his mom, except at the boxed pre-packaged stuff (which, I'm ok with :) )

The thing is... I cannot boil an egg. I always get it wrong and end up with half of the egg stuck to the shell. I know. What kind of idiot can't boil an egg.

I'm so ashamed.

Something's different...

2005-12-02T01:23:00.000-05:00

Ok. I'm trying something new. Not sure I love the new template, not sure it's gonna stick around, but sometimes you need a change.

Thoughts?

He'll always be Zack Morris to me

2005-12-01T10:50:00.000-05:00

I think it's pretty darn cool that my 100th post (!!) is a Half-Nekkid Hot Guy Thursday post.

There's not a lot of actors who've managed to avoid the "child star curse" and keep working after they grew up (and actually do real work as opposed to reality show work. ) I used to love my Saturday morning Zack Attacks... and now, Mark-Paul Gosselaar has gone and joined the cast of Commander in Chief and looking prettier than ever.

It's been a long, long time

2005-11-30T19:05:00.000-05:00

I know, I've been a bad blogger. Although I have been keeping up with my blogroll and my readers' (all 2.5 of you :) ) blogs, things have been... interesting... and I just haven't been able to write.

I'm a little gun shy because of the controversy of which I cannot speak, but has left me with some serious doubts about my abilities. Despite the fact that the controversy doesn't have anything to do with me and my actions, so I've been told, the nagging doubt still sits there... I know. How self-absorbed am I?

And speaking of self-absorbed, Mr. Pink and I are having a big of a fight. I know he's ill, and it's having a huge impact on our relationship, but there seems to be a fine line between caring girlfriend and doormat, which I'm afraid I'm becoming. But on the other hand, there also seems to be a fine line between selfish bitch and not putting up with said doormating. And I'm struggling a lot with that. After four years, I'm not gonna let the most painful disease known to man ruin things, but things, I think, must change...

And, I've been wondering a bit lately, as the editing part of my life has taken over the way it has, whether I should just focus on that and let go of the writing for a bit. But the thing is, it won't let me. The Prada Bag Princess, which I know won't work for the target publisher, just won't leave me alone. The thing is, it's gone and rewritten itself so that it no longer reads like a sexy version of the M*nsch story, but is something new altogether. And Draco and Alyssa won't leave me alone, damnit, so I think I'm gonna have to finish it.... soon.

Someone asked me once, why I write... and I remember giving some bullshit story about wanting to be better than some girl who treated me like crap in 5th grade. Only it's not that... and hasn't been since probably 9th grade when we finally went to different schools. Most of the way through school, it was to prove I couldn't.... I was one of two who had stories published in my creative writing class' showcase book... There were 10 people with a Playwriting focus at my school in my year. I was one of them. I got into the program with a short story I wrote the night before the deadline all to prove to my parents that I couldn't get in. Showed them, didn't I? :) And since then, I could have stopped writing any darn time I wanted. Only, I kept going back to it. And my characters keep bugging me, sneaking into my head, yelling at me to finish their darn story. And when I'm writing... I feel amazing. I love getting swept up into that zone, into that world that I've created.

I just have trouble getting there... It's like exercise. You know how you whine and bitch about getting on the treadmill, oh, I don't have time, oh I want to watch tv, and then you do it and you feel great and you're on that exercise high and you wondered why you resisted in the first place? yeah. that.

and worse, I'm beginning to think that my resistance to get there is not because I don't want to, but because I'm afraid to. Afraid of failure, that things won't be as good in reality as they are in my head, but also afraid of success. Of proving that I really am good and then having to keep living up to it.
But I can do it. I just need to believe it.

Separated at birth?

2005-11-24T01:21:00.000-05:00

Ok, so today's hot guys are more cutie pies than hot, but I found this interesting. The other night, I couldn't sleep and ended up staying up really late watching a movie that I didn't really like that much the first time I saw it. And the "kid" looked really, really familiar.

But this movie came out eight years ago, so there was no way this guy was still playing a sixteen year old. I mean, he's not Keri Lynn Pratt or anything. (Have you seen her? she plays 30. she plays 16. and she always looks the part... she's like an age chameleon.) But really, tell me he doesn't look an awful lot like Beaver from Veronica Mars?

What do you mean you haven't seen Veronica Mars yet. I told you to go watch it. Go. Now. *grin*

More about me than you've ever wanted to know. :)

2005-11-22T18:20:00.000-05:00

My first meme. I stole this from Keb:

HAVE YOU EVER:

smoked a cigarette or tried it: Yes, just once and I shared it with six or seven other people.

crashed a friend's car: No. My own... that's another story :)

stolen a car: No.

been dumped: Oh yeah.

shoplifted: Nope.

been fired /laid off: *sigh* oh, yes... once because the new Sr. VP's wife wanted my job, and once because the company didn't want to pay out bonuses.

been in a fist fight: Heh. I have sisters. Yup.

snuck out of your parent's house: Yup ;)

been arrested: No.

gone on a blind date: Yup. many, many blind dates.

lied to a friend: Probably, but it was a little white lie.

Skipped school: Yes, but I used to call my mom and tell her I did it.

seen someone die: No.

been to Canada: Yup, considering I live here and all :)

been to Mexico: Nope. One day...

eaten Sushi: Yes, but it was vegetable, not fish-based.

met someone in person from the internet: Yup. see my response on blind dates above. Oh, and a blogger friend

taken pain-killers: Only when they're forced down my throat. I have trouble swallowing pills. Not good when I was recovering from an appendectomy last year.

had a tea party: Yes! I love to entertain.

Cheated while playing a game: Probably, but did it in such an obvious way that everyone knew and laughed about it.

fallen asleep at work: Yes, but I was in the sick room at the time.

used a fake id: No, I was a total goody-two-shoes in high school.

felt an earthquake: Yes. Here in Canada! My mom started yelling at me for shaking the couch we were sitting on, and I kept trying to tell her it wasn't me. Then the news came on and announced that we'd just had an earthquake.

touched a snake: No.

been robbed: Yeah, from one of the pubs on campus in Univ.

petted a reindeer/goat: Yeah, my parents were big on the whole petting zoo thing.

won a contest: Yes! I won a singing contest held in the city's biggest mall.

been suspended from school: nope. goody-two-shoes, remember? :)

been in a car accident: yes. none were my fault. I got rid of that jinxed car.

had braces: Nope. Perfect teeth, no cavities *grin*

eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night: surprisingly, no, I haven't. And I looooove ice cream.

witnessed a crime: I don't think so.

swam in the ocean: Yes, Pacific and Atlantic.

sung karaoke: Yup.

paid for a meal with only coins: Yes, but we have those damn loonies and twoonies.

laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose: Yup milk. gross.

been kissed under mistletoe: No, I don't think so. :(

crashed a party: Yes. Sort of. My best friend and I picked up these guys in the middle of the street one night and they took us to a party. We left pretty quickly.

worn pearls: No.

jumped off a bridge: Nope. I'm afraid of heights.

ate dog/cat food: uh, no.

kissed a mirror: no.

glued your hand to something: I don't think so, but I used to dip my hand in the white school glue cuz I liked the feeling of peeling it off. Apparently I was a very odd child ;)

done a one-handed cartwheel: no, I couldn't do it. Tried tho.

talked on the phone for more than 6 hours: Yup. Lotsa times.

didn't take a shower for a week: Not since I was 12.

pick and ate an apple right off the tree: Yes. Went out walking with my Bubie.

been told by a complete stranger that you're hot: Yes. the wierdest, I was 13 and walking down the street and two guys leaned out of a moving car and started screaming at me. Freaked me right the heck out.

Well there ya go.

2005-11-22T12:35:00.000-05:00

What is up with TV?

2005-11-19T20:41:00.000-05:00

Ok, as I know I've said repeatedly, I watch waaaayyyy too much tv. Way too much. Put it this way. I scour the Internet just to find out which shows are getting cancelled, so I can celebrate. And take them off my PVR (think Canadian TIVO). My PVR, which at any given moment, is precariously close to being completely full.

The biggest cause for celebration? 7th Heaven. This is the last season. I can't really say why I watch this show. I hate it. I spend the hour yelling at the tv because it's just that bad. The plotlines are ridiculous. The acting is atrocious. And any of us who've had premarital sex? Yeah, we're all going to hell. Kinda a funny sentiment, coming from the guy who writes bad porn. (Yes, I've read it, or tried to and couldn't finish it).

But I'm noticing that a lot of the shows that I do enjoy are just sucking the big one this season.

Alias? So not into it this year. Ok, yes, I know Jen's pregnant and can't do all the cool shit we've come to love, but if you're gonna bring new characters to flesh things out, at least bring back the baddies we've come to love. A little Anna Espinosa, a Julian Sark, or, please, please, please, SpyMommy. Hell, Summerland and Kitchen Confidential just got cancelled, bring back Francie and Will! But JJ, seriously, Lost rocks. We love it. Now bring us back the Alias Love.

Another show I've become addicted to? The L Word. The women in this show are just such strong characters and I got sucked into their world and the whole interplay between them... last season. This season, it's all about Jenny going coocoo for cocoa puffs. And it's getting more than a little tedious. I actually did a dance of joy this week when they announced that next week is the season finale.

But the worst committer of the wtf crime? One of my guilty pleasures (ahh, who'm I kidding, they're all gullty pleasures *grin*) is What I Like About You. Please explain to me why dating Holly turns men into wussies? Seriously, first Ben, starts out all suave English rocker, and then Holly dumps him, and he's whiny geek-boy. And now poor Vince goes from "I'll do anything with tits" to stuttering idiot boy. Can we have a little realism please people?

And don't even get me started on the train wreck that is Charmed. The show ended perfectly last season. This comeback just feels pathetic.

Makes me wonder why I'm giving my PVR such a workout dammit.

Sometimes you gotta say... what the F***?

2005-11-18T16:53:00.000-05:00

Ok, you had to know that my last post had to have some kinda inspiration, right?

I'm embroiled in a little controversy right now, and the more I read around in blogs, the more I'm seeing that this isn't such an uncommon activity. Take a look at MJ Rose's blog. More silly antics by writers.

I can't go into the actual details of what's going on, and I suspect there's more to the story and the reasons for it than I know about, but suffice it to say, there's a very foolish author who's pretty much shooting herself in the foot.

I'm going to say it again. This is a small industry. People talk. People talk a. lot.
And with blogs and email and e-loops, not a lot gets kept secret. And throwing a pissy fit and making threats isn't going to get you anything but a pile of rejection letters.

And I'm gonna be really damn pissed if all that work I put in just gets thrown out the window.

Insert clever title here

2005-11-17T12:11:00.000-05:00

It's Thursday and you know what that means...

In one of his 80's teen movies, John Cusack played a character with the same name as Mr. Pink. And today's Mr. Pink's birthday.

John, you're a cutie:

Mr. Pink: Happy Birthday. Love you always and forever.

Biting the hand that feeds you

2005-11-17T10:09:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been way too long since I've posted, but apparently trying to do three jobs while celebrating both my and Mr. Pink's birthdays doesn't give a girl a whole lot of blogging time.

However, I have noticed a few things in the writing blogosphere that I want to comment on.

The publishing industry is very, very incestuous. Let's look at that whole "venom cock" thing (and really I'm just putting that in my blog to drive more traffic here hee!) It can take a matter of hours for something to be said before it's talked about on one person's blog, then another, then another... Remember that shampoo commercial "and then she told two friends and so on..." ? Yeah. it's a lot like that.
Worse, people have really, really long memories.

Let me tell you a story. When I did my internship at *bignameromancepublisher* in 1997, there was this one author who sent me probably 5 or 6 manuscripts over the 6 months I was there. She was close, but not quite ready to be published. I got to the point where I really hated to write back to her, because I felt bad sending her yet another rejection letter. And in my brand-new-editor ego, I wanted to help her. So I sent her a letter telling her that it was great that she was so prolific, but she may want to take a little bit more time with her manuscripts before sending them to us to make sure they're as good as she can make them. I know, kinda a snotty thing to say, but I really thought if she'd take the time to put her book aside, go back to it with fresh eyes, and really polish it, she'd create something publishable.

Now, the author could have called me and just said, hey, can we talk about this? What do you mean? And I could have told her what her issues were and helped her out a bit. I was an intern. I wasn't too busy or important to talk to people.
Instead, the author posted the letter I wrote on an e-loop. An e-loop that I WAS ON. What followed was a stream of commisserating emails, discussing my incompetence as an editor, how I simply wrote that because I was having a bad hair day, and basically I was a big bitch. First, I'm always having a bad hair day. Second, I'd like to think that I'm good enough at my job that the state of my hair really doesn't come into play. And even after I identified myself on the loop, the author still sent me nasty letters and basically played the "poor me" card. Now, here we are, 8 years later, and a simple google search shows me that this author? still unpublished. Still trying. Yup, you read that right. Eight years later, and I still remember her name. And worse for the author? I talked about what happened with my co-workers. One of whom is now the Senior Editor. Betcha she remembers that author's name too.

My point? Most editors are buying writers, not books. This means, how you behave, how you treat people, how easy you are to work with plays a part in an editor's decision to take you on. This is especially true in romance, where there aren't a lot of players in the game and each house can be as picky as they want. If you're gonna throw a hissy fit every time someone offers a suggestion or asks you to do something, people are gonna remember that. Then they're gonna move on to a new publishing house and talk about you with their new coworkers. And they'll remember you too.

As an editor, I have one job. That's to take a written manuscript, be it a romance novel, a techinical user manual or a flyer for a giant department store, and make it as strong a piece as I can. I don't have time to make up bogus requests or change things just for the hell of it, just to piss a writer off. I do it because I, in my experience and talent for what I do, honestly believe that this change will make it better. And I even hate using the word better. Stronger, more effective, more powerful, take your pick.

If me doing my job is going to make the writer throw a pissy fit every time I do? That's not gonna make me jump up and down to want to work with her again. And when the executive editor asks me about working with the writer and I tell her the story? She's not gonna be jumping up and down either... get it? This is where the "and so on" comes in.

Publishing is a business. And sitting on both sides of the fence, as I do, I know how hard it is to take your story, your heart, your soul and turn it into a product. But that's what it is. A product you want to sell. To a business you want to build a relationship with. Treating the business poorly? Ain't gonna get you sales, whether you're a newbie, or a multi-published NYT bestseller.

And while this rant is absolutely not directed at any one person (much *wink*), I think it's something that all of us writers should think about...

What's your fantasy?

2005-11-12T23:59:00.000-05:00

Now that I have more time on my hands, and I'm spending a lot of it alone here at home, I'm finding myself in my head a lot more of the time, thinking about painted wings and giant rings, instead of oh crap, that SUV is merging into my Echo hatchback!

Which is definitely a nice change.

So, writing what I write, I tend to think about fantasies, my own, my characters', and to a point, my readers'. (Don't worry, this isn't a segue into my sex life with Mr. Pink. That's none of yer darn bizness *Grin*)

But fantasies, much like a good love scene in a novel, (particularly, in an erotic romance... too much gymnastics gets a little tedious after a while), setting and mood and the emotion behind it plays such a huge part.

In university, there was this room, set up specifically for the stage lighting students, that was basically completely empty, except for any light and any cool toy you could add to that light to practice and design your lighting. One of my projects was to set different moods based only on light and colour. Y'know red for anger, blue for sadness, hot pink for hot sex (*nudge* get it.. hot pink, the pink pen... hee!)

And for the longest time, the idea of that room, that being able to set any mood you desire, played a huge part of my fantasies... (and it didn't hurt that my lab partners were two yummy boys who walked around in tight jeans and tool belts *wink*)

But instead of a couple of Lekos here and there with a pink-gelled Fresnel wash setting the stage... setting the mood for your love scene is using all the other stuff, the angst of a first time together, the smell of two people's sweat mingling together, the sound of the ocean waves lapping at the shore in the distance, the first touch of a calloused hand on bare skin, the taste of the perfect mouth.

And it's developing that fantasy, that setting, that mood, that gives you a love scene that works. Much better, at least, than insert tab A into slot B.

Dontcha think?

Still Pondering

2005-11-12T18:17:00.000-05:00

You know how you totally expect something to go a certain way? You've played it out in your mind, you've run scenarios in your head, and you're completely prepared for it. And then it turns out that it's the exact opposite? That would be my day today. I have to say I'm pleasantly suprised, if a little confused.

On a neat-o note, I've always gotten a kick out of other people's odd searches that led people to their sites. Usually, mine are pretty boring, but today I got my first wierd one... someone found me with the search "give me pink ass". totally cool, in a rather twisted kinda way... *grin*

I also had a total a-ha moment today. In my writing, I've always been really good at coming up with a let's chuck the hero and heroine together in a rather odd way opening. My biggest problem is, once I get them there, I have no idea what to do with them. The a-ha moment came in a workshop on writing a page-turner novel by Maggie Shayne. We were doing the GMC for our own books, and I used Losin' It, which I've been really stuck on for a while. And my problem, which is the basis for what I thought was my problem, is that my characters suck. Ok, not literally, although I'm sure they do, heehee. But really, I'm not developing my characters enough. Which is something that the editor pointed out when she rejected Caught.

Where this really shone through is that I have absolutely no idea what to do with my hero... I don't know what he wants or why he wants it, though he did give me some significant insight into his character today, which I thought was rather generous of him. But I think what I'm going to have to do is completely trash the whole plot line of the book and start over.

I find that I'm trying too hard to have my books be too many things... Losin' It is starting to be a Blaze/Brava/Chick Lit/Romantic Suspense. I need to just pick one and stick with it. I suspect it may be that I've studied too much, read too much and I'm trying to do it all at once... kinda like going to the Mandarin and giving in to eyes that are bigger than your tummy. I need to just say, OK, today is honey garlic chicken balls, and a little fried rice, and nothing else.

It seems I've got a lot of pre-writing to do.

Something to think about...

2005-11-10T23:18:00.000-05:00

So, I'm pondering a pile of things.

First, I'm in the process of creating a real website. Ok, it's right now on a free host, but at least it will let me create a couple of pages and maybe get some excerpts in there and have something more writing focused as opposed to whining about my commute and working at Sprawl-Mart. which isn't a problem anymore, but still.

Thought one... I want a funky look to the site, something that plays on the whole Pink Pen Papers thang, but isn't too fugly. Eventually, when I finally get published (or when I actually finish something !!!) I'll get a real domain name under my pen name (whatever that may be), but for now, this'll do. Heere's my first dilemma. I'm not web savvy programmer. or at all. I've been reading through the wordpress websites, but it's like the teacher in Charlie Brown talking to me. Only I have very limited funds, so hiring a designer isn't quite feasible right now...

Thought two, is the pen name... I know, I'm jumping the gun here, but hey, a girl can fantasize can't she? :)
Right now, I've been toying with using my middle and first name reversed - Marlene Laurie. Which sounds a little harsh. So then I tweaked it a wee bit to try Marlena Laurie. But I'm still not 100%... Then I also thought about playing with my initials, something like Elle Emme, which is, well, different. I dunno. It seems like such a big decision that's gonna affect the rest of my life, I want it to be perfect. Yeah, we've already agreed that I'm a dork.

Thought three... a favourite writer is speaking at this Saturday's meeting of the Chapter That Cannot be Named. I'm thinking of going. But, it's gonna be awkward. Probably mostly on my part, but since I'm the one who has to deal with me (so to speak) I dunno if I want to put myself through that. Then again, they probably won't even remember my name, so I have nothing to worry about.

I'm going to bed. I'll let the fates guide me while I sleep.

It's Bonus time

2005-11-10T11:28:00.000-05:00

I know last week's Half-Nekkid Hot Guy Thursday was kind of a letdown, what with the repeat, so this week I've got a couple of pictures.

First, Christian Bale, who's been a favourite since Newsies. Christian, you can sing and dance cheesy musicals all you like, so long as you look like this while you're doing it:

Then, in another repeat, but for a reason this time, you'll remember Paul Walker from a few weeks ago:

Well, I found this picture from that day I met him. I think this is the summer of 1993...

Mr. Pink thinks I haven't changed a bit. I think he's still love blind. *grin*

Happy Birthday!

2005-11-08T13:04:00.000-05:00

It's my birthday!!

Happy birthday to me!

I know, I've always been a geek about birthdays. I love having one. I just don't like admitting I'm a year older. Right now, I'll admit to 25, 29 if you push me, but in fact I'm {mummble}mrrffty-mree{/mummble}. *grin*

Mr. Pink felt the need to wake me at 4:30 this morning to wish me Happy B-Day and to remind me how old I am. Dork. Yeah, cuz I'm a craddle-robbing nine days older. Woo-hoo. look at that May-December romance.

Usually I have big old wish list of what I want, but really, I don't need anything. Except maybe a professional organizer to come and help me organize my messy house. Oh, okay, and Benefit Lip Balm, because you can't buy it here in Canada and my lips are so dry with regular lipstick, and I desperately need the colour.

But today's my day. Cuz I said so.

Gotta love the Gmail

2005-11-06T15:37:00.000-05:00

Ok, so for the last long while I've been reading enviously about this totally cool gmail account. y'know, invite only and all that. I wanted to be part of the in crowd. I wanted one too. But I didn't know anyone who had one, and sadly, I never got an invite to the party.

Then, about a month ago, I was surfing some blogs and came across this one.
The blogger was talkin' about how everybody had a gmail account, and usually more than one. And then she offered up an invite to anyone who didn't have one. And I thought hey! Me! I want one!

And now I have two! And this morning, pinkpenpapers@gmail.com has 100 invites to share. So I'm paying it forward. Want a gmail account? Send me a message.

And this is totally not a ploy to find out who my frequent lurkers are. Not even a tiny bit *grin*.

And one more time

2005-11-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm totally crazy today and have been all week trying to finish off my time here at *store I work for*. (they're working me some serious overtime... geesh... the last week should be clean your desk, hand off your crap, not work your ass off...)

I don't know if I'll have time to post today's Half-Nekkid Hot Guy, so here's another look at Josh Duhamel's tushie.

Yummmmm....

No half this time... this is full-on nekkid hot guy Josh Duhamel. We're six days away from sharing a birthday (same year and everything!)

Rrrwaaaowr.

Pink's Hair Colouring Tips

2005-11-01T12:26:00.000-05:00

If you've been dyeing your hair red for the past thirteen years, and you've been using a permanent dye for a good eight or nine of those years. And you let your mouse-brown roots grow out until they're very noticeable, while the rest of your red has faded to a dull auburn...

Do NOT use a semi-permanent colour. Especially one that has differing "leave on for... " times. And even more, especially not one that is labelled as Red Fusion.

Why?

Because you WILL look like someone tie-dyed your hair. And your mouse brown roots will still be there, and the colour will blend badly to the tip of your hair, which will be bright red. No, really. Super-Hot Red.

Heh. Ask me how I know.

Let's do the time warp again...

2005-10-29T23:34:00.000-04:00

Every Halloween in University, I always watched The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It's been a while since I've seen it, and since I've felt a pelvic thrust that really drives you insa-yay-yay-yay-yane. And for some reason, this year I'm missing it. Maybe it was watching it featured on Freddie, (yeah, I'm their one viewer. It's a guilty pleasure. I think the chemistry between Freddie Prinze Jr. and Brian Austin Green is great. Or maybe it's just Tim Curry in a black teddy. But I've decided this year, I need to see it again.

And sure, I have it on VHS (man, since DVD and PVR, I haven't watched anything on my VCR in months and months...), and I could very well just pop it in, but I want the experience. I want to throw toast and yell at the screen and dress in a maid's costume (yeah, I don't need to do anything to my hair. I'm Magenta already :) ).

There has to be a theatre in Toronto that's still playing it. And I plan on being there.

Disappearing text

2005-10-28T11:17:00.000-04:00

Help... Ok, I admit it. I'm kind of a dummy when it comes to programming computers. And I can't for the life of me figure out why every time I post a picture on this blog, my text disappears. I don't know if it's just my computers, or if it affects everyone, but it's ticking me off.

And finally the good news...

2005-10-26T10:35:00.000-04:00

I have a new job!!

Yes, as of next Friday, November 4th, I will no longer be making the trek across the entire Greater Toronto Area to get to work, but instead will be making the trek across... my hallway. *grin*

The job will allow me to work from home. (and yes, it's for a real company. No stuffing envelopes or making jewellery or anything odd like that...) Besides the money I'll save on gas and eating in the gross cafeteria, I'll be able to actually make use of my gym membership, and I'll have more time to spend with Mr. Pink, which I'm really looking forward to. (especially since I've been afraid he was going to dump me for being such a bitch all the time when I get home from work *grin*)

Better, I'll also have two freelance gigs - editor for the online e-publisher, and still doing some writing for *the store I work for*. Just at home.

I must say, this is a huge sigh of relief for me. First, there's the disrespect for the writers here (anyone who looks at the proofs feels it's ok to screw with my work, because, after all, it's just words), which I find seriously unprofessional. Add in the dirty washrooms and gross cafeteria, and the 4' x 4' working space, and well, it was definitely time.

So I'll be able to listen to the radio as loud as I want, get up when I want to, work when I want to, and no driving. Woohoo. And if I get too lonely without the whole office politics thang, maybe I'll get a dog. *grin*

And some really crappy news

2005-10-23T21:00:00.000-04:00

So, Friday, I was living on the high of the good, exciting news I can't quite share yet cuz it's not official. And meanwhile, the whole time, there it was, sitting innocently in my mailbox, waiting for me.

The thing I've been dreading since February.

The envelope with my name on it in my own handwriting. The one holding the letter that says, you suck. never burn my eyes with your crap ever again.

Only it didn't say exactly that. It said I had a clean style. and engaging dialogue. But then it said I had a whole lotta not that good stuff, so thanks but no thanks. And the ubiquitous, I'd like to see more of your work.

And I'm left devastated.

I spent a summer writing those letters. Knowing that I was crushing someone's hopes with my words, trying to say as much as I could in a few lines, confident in my just graduated know-it-all-ness. And now, sitting here on the other side of the fence and it sucks. And I don't know what is meant by the few precious words that are there. I know the four levels of "rejection letter". The curt, form please don't send us crap again. the form, well, it didn't burn our eyes out, but it sucked and you have to improve a whole helluva lot before we want to look at anything else of yours. The it was meh, but it didn't suck and you have potential, so improve and we'll consider you and the not quite right, but fix these problems, and we'll definitely consider it.

So I made the third level. There was no form to my letter, but no revisions or offers to fix and reconsider either. Which, when you think about it, is pretty good for the first piece of work I sent out into the publishing world. But oh, it hurts. And I wanted to just give it all up and say, fuck it. I don't need to do this.

And yet today, my plan is to keep writing. Finish something else. Work on the areas that she said needed work. And keep sending stuff out.

Your shoes are supposed to match your what?

2005-10-21T10:57:00.000-04:00

Ok, girlie moment here...

So this morning I put on a top that I bought over the summer. This is the first time I've worn it. Now, I know I've gained a wee tad of weight (or all of my pants shrunk in the wash *grin*), but the top was pretty comfy. Or so I thought, Until I got to work and bent over my desk and realized I could see all the way down.

What's funny about the whole thing, besides the fact that you get to see a whole lotta boobie pretty much every time I bend over, is that I wore all black today except for my bright red shoes... and it turns out, my bright red bra.

Yep. I'm so coordinated, I matched my shoes to my bra.

*shakes head* man, I'm a dork.

On a happier note, I have unofficial good news that I can't share til it's official. but it's good. really.

De-Nied!

2005-10-20T06:51:00.000-04:00

So, a long, long time ago, I somehow managed to get VIP passes to this big soap opera convention held at the Sky Dome, er, uh Rogers Centre, (sorry! don't sue me! *grin*)

Anyway, most of the soap stars who were there were the older, lesser known people, attractive mostly to the lonely housewives. Except for one tiny little cutie who was 'bout my age. And when I say cutie, woo hoo, was I right. And look what that l'il cutie growed all up to:

The thing is, Paul Walker broke my heart that day. I summoned up my little fat girl self, and asked that l'il cutie on a date. He turned me down.

And that's my brush with fame.

It's just words... update

2005-10-17T21:54:00.000-04:00

So, turns out BossLady overheard the "it's just words" comment. In the *store I work for* spirit, she went to nasty graphic artist's boss. He wasn't impressed either. I was given the opportunity to pursue this and get this chickie in trouble, but as I'm still smarting from the a**hole coworker's brutal slaying of my work and the final "he was just doing his job, stop being a whiny baby" result (actually, if memory serves, I ended up getting shit for my "attitude" out of the whole thing) and the other stories I've heard about this woman, I don't really see the point.

Besides, I prefer, if you have a problem with me, just tell me straight up and let's talk it out. Get it dealt with and move on. I told the bitch that was a pretty rude thing to say to a writer. I know she's a twit. I'm done with the whole thing. Makes life much happier that way, then just running behind a person's back trying to figure out what they meant and bitching about them to everybody but them (yup, ex-critique group, I'm looking at you.) Yes, in a way I'm doing that about the twit, but I *did* tell her how I felt. This is just a re-cap *grin*.

I'm feeling rather blah today. Have been for a long while. Between the commute that's gotten so much worse now that summer's over, the continuous rejection of me with respect to a new job and the writing babies I put out into the world (STILL no word on Caught. *sigh*), and Mr. Pink's new medication that leaves him sleeping for close to 18 hours a day, I just feel kinda me against the world and I'm losing. Badly.

Perhaps I need a new hobby or friends that are more than usernames and blogs.

It's just words...

2005-10-14T10:37:00.000-04:00

She said with disdain.

This from the graphic artist who created a red and purple jewellery catalogue..

You know, as much as I think our flyers are really pretty um, well, cluttered and drab and rather unexciting, I manage to keep my mouth shut rather than crapping on one of my team members' work. (what's said here and at home to Mr. Pink notwithstanding... *Grin*)

But for non-writers to write an offensive tagline and then get pissed when I say, hey, that's gonna piss people off, um.. seriously? Get a life.

I'm a fat chick. Yes despite the Stop eating fries and gravy for lunch diet, still a fat chick. And yes, I may be overly sensitive, but it seems to me that emphasizing "Sweater Event FOR ALL SIZES" right under the fat lady clothes, kinda rude... y'know, yes, pat, pat, you're fat but we can cover your big ass anyway.

(and let's ignore the grammatically crap implications of the heading...)

People here have no respect for what I do. I have a Mac Artist who cares so little for what I write, that half the time she ignores it and writes her own stuff (all of which doesn't conform with the advertising rules imposed by the government) leaving me with tons of extra work to fix it.... and now to basically be told it's just words implying that it doesn't really matter, no one reads it anyway and who cares.

Tell me again why I bother?

Because Mr. Pink won't shut up about it.

2005-10-13T19:58:00.000-04:00

This is Sean Patrick Flanery. He's in a movie called The Boondock Saints, where he plays an Irish guy. Mr. Pink seems to connect with the Irish guys, being an Irish Catholic and all that.

I don't care much either way, except he's kinda hot. Especially with that shirt open like that. Just don't tell Mr. Pink I feel asleep during the movie... :)

Why do you have to lie to me??

2005-10-11T10:08:00.000-04:00

So, I got my first proofreading assignment for the new publishing company last week, and spent almost all of yesterday working on it. The problem is, the author committed what I've always said is the worst sin a writer can commit... she put herself in the hero's POV and lied to me.

Who sits down and thinks about themselves and lies about what they have or haven't done? No one. So if I can't trust that you're telling me the truth, how can I trust that anything else I read is real? Or why should I waste my time reading your stuff, if you can't even utilize a simply literary technique like foreshadowing, or developing internal conflict? I can understand wanting to keep stuff from your reader. Whodunnit, if you're writing a mystery, the big, deep, dark secret that is going to play an integral role to your black moment... sure, some of that stuff you don't want to splat out there in chapter one. But come on... don't tell me all along that *this* didn't happen.... and then at the very end, have Dark Helmet jump out and say "Fooled You!". I'm not gonna be impressed by you fooling me, I'm gonna be damn pissed off that you wasted my time. There are other ways to get around this, without having to lie...

And I guess what's really making me mad about the whole thing, is editors are buying books and letting authors get away with this. It's not right.

So, let's look at some examples where the author kept me completely confused until the very end, WITHOUT lying... Two books I read recently, Larry Brooks' Serpent's Dance and Holly Lisle's Midnight Rain did this very, very well. Both of these books had romantic elements, were in various POVs and had a mystery running throughout that kept me guessing. Not only did it keep me guessing, but it had me reading frantically, challenged, intrigued as to how things were going to turn out.

In Midnight Rain, there were a couple of ways Holly could have gone... with the paranormal, or with a rational explanantion, that no one, not the police, not the FBI, not the hero or heroine, er, well, except me *grin*, but I'm annoying that way, was able to think of. What she didn't do, was put me in the villain's POV and lie to me about who he was and what he was doing. No, she dropped clues, she dropped red herrings, and it kept. me. reading. Which, really, is kinda the point of a book... And by the end, when the villain had done what I thought he had done, tho not exactly how I thought he'd done it... I was satisfied. I closed the book and sent a mental thank you to Holly for keeping me amused and intrigued for several days.

Now, in Serpent's Dance, the characters Paul and Damian are the same person, although for the first pile of chapters, you see both of their POVs. (Don't worry, I'm not spoiling anything, you find this out pretty early on...) What Larry *didn't* do, however, was put me in Paul's POV and tell me he absosmurfly wasn't Damian. Nope, not at all, except, oh yeah, I am. So there. No... he showed me both, showed me other characters and had me thinking, hey, I wonder if that Paul guy is really Damian... nah, I'm wrong, but maybe... hey, i was right! (er, sorry, maybe I did spoil that...) But by showing me what he wanted me to know when he wanted me to know it, and leaving out what he didn't, I was engrossed, enthralled and I kept reading, waiting to find out who was screwing who (both figuratively and literally :) ). And again, at the end, when all was explained, I was happy and fulfilled.

You see? It can be done, if you do it right.

But, if you're lazy, you can create a mystery lover who appears only in the dark and then you can show me the POV of the character I know is really the mystery lover, and you can lie to me and tell me it's not, and then at the end tell me he really was and all that crap when I said he wasn't? yeah, too bad, so sad.

The thing is... the whole mystery lover thing could have made a great internal conflict.... "Hey crap, turns out I'm a in-the-dark-only mystery lover to the woman I love, only she's not too happy with me in real life. Now how do I tell her I love her and that I've been lying to her about dinging her in the dark the whole time. Man, she's gonna be pissed. Well, a fine kettle of fish I've gotten myself into... dumbass!" Now *that* would have kept me reading. *That* would have been interesting...

But no, yet one more writer chose lazy over literary. I'm not impressed.

Le Sigh

2005-10-10T18:19:00.000-04:00

So, the winner of Simon & Shuster's Downtown Press Author search was supposed to have been notified October 1st. I'm guessing, today being the tenth of October, that it wasn't me.

:(

Well, considering how quickly I wrote the darn story (About last night), I probably didn't deserve to win. But I've already found a new target for the story. It just needs to be expanded a wee bit (i.e. improving the sex scenes.) So I'm gonna be doing that over the next few weeks.

But it still sucks to lose.

So Pretty

2005-10-06T20:43:00.000-04:00

I know he's supposed to be the bad boy scary leader of a biker gang, but one look at those eyelashes and all I can think about is how darn pretty he is...

This is Francis Capra, and he plays Weevil on Veronica Mars. Now go watch it, I need someone to talk to about it.

The Girl with Kaleidascope Eyes

2005-10-06T16:43:00.000-04:00

Dear Migraine Fairy,

You're a bitch. Like the one that's been building all fricken' week wasn't bad enough, you had to give me an occular one not ten minutes after I got to work this morning, turning my eyes into kaleidascopes while dealing with the headache from hell. You couldn't have given it to me before I left for work, so I wouldn't have had to waste the entire day trying to get all the "one last thing" shit that had to be done before I left. Cuz now it's half an hour past go-home time and the 401 is a mess and I can't even get home, so I have to stay here and waste time under these bright lights that are making things worse.

I curse you with a moustache, chin hair and frizzy split ends.

So there.

See how you like it.

Pink

What Lit?

2005-10-04T13:12:00.000-04:00

So, I found this kinda interesting. On her blog a few days ago, Michelle Rowen confessed that she'd never read a "chick lit". Only, I just finished reading an ARC of her first novel Bitten & Smitten, which, while very much a paranormal and definitely a comedy, I would also say is a chick lit. (Oh, and I loved it. It was better than cats. I'm going to read it again and again. *grin* Just kidding, i'll write a gushing review later this week...)

So, then, what exactly is a chick lit? I checked and even the Chick Lit Writers of the World don't really define what it is. And it seems "chick lit" has grown now to include Mom lit and Hen lit and all sorts of other lits. So I guess that would make B&S Vamp Lit?

To me, chick lit is a tone. It's usually first person, usually with lots and lots of humour and the story is more about life changing the heroine and less about the romance, although there's usually a pile of romance in there. Definitely more character-driven than plot driven. And it's all about how the heroine tells her story.

But that's just me. Thoughts?

Will this convince you...

2005-09-29T07:03:00.000-04:00

To watch Slings and Arrows now? :O

forget half-nekkid. that looks full on nekkid to me :)

Don't remember? go back to this post. Then go watch the show.

And I'm liking Thursdays so much more now that it's Half-Nekkid Hot Guy Day. *Grin*

Surrealer and surrealer

2005-09-28T20:15:00.000-04:00

So, I just got a second job. Because, I don't have enough going on right now. *grin*

It was sort of an accident, I'd actually applied to this company a few months ago, and just mentioned in passing that I was still available, and a day later, boom. I'm hired. If only this job paid enough to let me quit my day job. Sadly, not so much. But it'll be great experience. (Ok. I'm freaking out. It's editor for one of the romance E-Publishers!) And it'll be fun. And I'm really looking forward to it. Ok. I lied. Woohoo! *grin*

And several people at the day job have been trying to convince me to apply for a job that just opened up in our department - Production Coordinator. In theory, it probably would be good for my career - exposure in the company with the people who matter, coordinator/managing experience, blah, blah, blah. But here's the thing. It's the same pay. It's longer hours. It's more work. And it would still be 64 km away from my house. And I'm stressed enough as it is. Adding stress may just kill me. And, well, I want to get a book published before I die. Preferably more than one.
So it's probably not a good idea. Even if getting it would mean beating the a**hole co-worker, who's also applying. And that would be fun. But in the long run, probably not so fun for me.

I dunno. To heck with all of it. Veronica Mars is on.

Aw crap

2005-09-27T19:45:00.000-04:00

So a few posts ago, I was writing about the Prada Bag Princess and how it was based on the Robert Munsch story (which, if you haven't read it yet, get to a book store and buy it. Right now. I'll wait.) And I was a little worried that I might run into copyright issues. I decided not to just sit and worry, and I just sent a note to the editor over at Torrid. Turns out, she has the same concerns I had. Which means the story is pretty much heading into the filing cabinet unfinished.

The thing is, the new direction I wanted to take the story, well, it was kinda cool. I just have to figure out how to change it up so it's no longer recognizable as a "based on". Cuz I'm pretty sure dragon-princess sex is probably not going to be popping up in any versions of the RM versions.

But still. Dammit.