Good grief!  I cannot believe that it has been over a month since I last blogged.  And I was doing so well.  Put my disappearance down to family visits and new puppy.  Oh, yeah, and work on the book.  Finally making some good progress there, but need to make up time.
I don't why, but all our family decided to visit us in August -- or at least it seemed that way.  My sister (haven't seen her in six years) sent me a birthday card with the cryptic note "I hope to see you in August."  Gee.  When?  For how long?  And who's coming with you?  She called on a Saturday afternoon to let me know she and her daughter would arrive on Sunday!  Guess who spent the intervening time frantically cleaning house?  It was a great visit though.  Had lots to catch up on -- emails, brief phone calls and cards just ain't the same as a long, leisurely conversation. 
So my sister leaves and Howard's brother and his wife arrive the next weekend -- same weekend we're getting the new black parti female miniature schnauzer.  Had a great time.  The guys went to a Cowboy Poetry and Pie Social put on by H.'s uncle and my sister-in-law and I stayed home and read and nibbled the whole time they were gone (overnight trip).  Then we were up 0-dark-thirty the next day to drive 4 hours to pick up the puppy.  I've forgotten how much work a puppy can be.  Chanel is a doll, but she's a pistol.  The other minis are taking to her pretty well, but this fat ole lady has done more hoofing it around the yard following a tiny 3 pound bit of fluff than she ever thought possible.
And in between all of the above, I've actually been writing.  Glad that I finally had a break through and don't approach the computer with dread anymore. 
We have some old friends, known 'em for nearly 50 years coming to visit in late September so that will slow me down a little, but I think that's it...for the year :-).  Ta, Shirlee

Hi All:  Sigh. Work on the book these days is like pulling hen's teeth.  Shouldn't be, but it is.  Maybe it's the summer heat? 
I keep thinking my problem is that I've started the book off on the wrong foot and my subconscious is trying to warn me that I've made a mistake, but it won't show me the direction I need to go...yet.  In the past when I've been dead in the water, eventually the fog would clear and I would discover that I had made a left turn, instead of a right and that my subconscious was preventing me from going forward because it knew I'd made a mistake even if I didn't!  As soon as I realized what I had done and took a new tack, everything flowed as it should.  If that's the case now, I sure hope my conscious and subconscious start talking to each other soon! Real soon.
On the other hand, maybe my lack of significant output is just that it's summer...  Could be, but I'm so aware of the days passing and the pages NOT piling up -- which only adds to the pressure. 
I keep pecking away though, but it's a case of write two lines, rip out three!  Reminds me of when I started writing GYPSY LADY.  Still, even if I'm having trouble with it, I have to keep at it -- this has happened to me before and I suspect it will in the future -- just part of being a writer.  Howard says that it happens with every book.  Ha!  What does he know?  Oh, that's right, he's listened to me whine through every book  :-)
Sometimes you just have to write through the problem, sort of like punching through a tunnel and when you get to the other side and look back, you think, "Now why was that so hard?"  Wish me luck.  Ta, Shirlee

Why do Mondays follow great weekends?  Here it is nearly noon and I'm still not up to full speed.  Guess I had waay too much fun over the weekend.  On Saturday we met with friends for one of our bi-annual luncheons.  Just a group of pony friends who get together over food and no-holds-barred-natter about ponies and minis.  Of course Sunday is spent recovering from Saturday and then it's Monday aaarrgh.
Work is slow on SUSPICION BECOMES HER.  Think it's the summer heat that frying my brain and of course, Mondays are never great writing days for me.  Gillian is clearer in my mind now.  It's her soon-to-be deceased husband, Charles, who is giving me fits.  He'd needs to die, but I'm struggling to come up with a logical reason to murder him (besides the fact that he's a jerk and Luc can't be fooling around with a married woman!). Sigh.  Oh, muse, where art thou?  Ta, Shirlee

MO'S BOOK BUZZ -- WHAT FUN!

Hi Everyone:  Did my stint as guest author on Mo's Book Buzz last night.  Was frenetic, frantic and FUN!  The questions came hard and fast and I felt like a cork bobbing down a storm-swollen stream.  My mind kept going blank and before I could finish one good question there was another great question to distract me.  It was wild and exhilarating.  Loved it! 
For some reason, there was some confusion with the site (storms?).  Mo's Book Buzz disappeared and we were all dumped into RRT Chat.  Which was okay because we were all there, but it was hairy few minutes, wondering if I was in the wrong place.  I was panicked thinking everybody else was waiting for me in Mo's Book Buzz and I was somewhere spinning in cyberspace -- turned out we ALL were. :-)  Worked our just fine.  Whew! Ta, Shirlee

Mo's Book Buzz

Hi All:  I'll be the guest author tonight, Wed. July 20th at 9:00 PM EST on Mo's Book Buzz.  It's a fun group and hopefull, you'll enjoy the visit.  It's easy to find, even I did it!  Go to http://www.romrevtoday.com/.  Click on RRT Chat over on the left side of the screen.  Once the login screen loads just type in your name and choose Mo's Book Buzz from the chat room menu.  No password needed.  Click on login and you will enter the room.
Story on myself.  After my first visit to Mo's Book Buzz back in November, I wanted to visit again when I wasn't the author and chat with the other authors about them, as opposed to moi --although I am my favorite topic :-).  Anyway, every time I would remember night and time, it would be too late.  We're 3 hours ahead and I don't know about you, but 6:00 PM in our household is pretty crazy.  So finally the day comes that I remember and login.  Proud of myself that I finally remembered day and time....  So I'm there, ready and waiting, but no one else is.  I hang around for a few minutes until the penny drops -- I'm at the right place, and the right time, but the WRONG day!  Ah, the wonders of the creative mind.  Hope some of you will be there tonight on the right day and the right time.  Ta, Shirlee  

Hi All:  Well, I've started the new book. Tentative title SUSPICION BECOMES HER.  I'll be concentrating on Luc, Barnaby's brother, in this book.  He's clear in my mind, but she...  Took me forever to even come up with a name for her: Gillian.  She's nebulous right now, but I have no doubt she will soon take on a vivid form.  This will be the second book in the Joslyn Family Series and I'm looking forward to working with Luc and Gillian and discovering what antics they get up to!  Will keep you posted.  Ta, Shirlee 

Hi Everyone:  Just letting you know that I was asked to be a guest blogger on the http://www.affairedecoeur.com/ site.  The blog was posted on July 9th and since I've been a bad person and haven't done much blogging here, you might want to check out the blog at AdC.  I promise I'll get something new blogged on here soon.  Ta, Shirlee

It's Done!

Hi All: Boy have I been a bad girl about the blog! Sorry. Just been busy finishing up the latest book. Finally finished it at the end of the May and for the first time in my career, I actually sent in a manuscript EARLY. Can you believe it? Bet my editor is going to fall off her chair :-).
I've been calling it FORTUNE COMES CALLING, but I suspect that when it is published in 2011, it will probably be "Something BECOMES HER". As for what that something is, your guess is a good as mine. Hmmm, suggestions?
This turned out to be a big book -- manuscript over 450 pages! Never happened to me before but for the last three weeks, it was like I went brain dead. Couldn't figure out how to logically get the characters where I wanted them to be. Drove me nuts! Bless his heart, Howard suggested all sorts of ideas, but none of them worked. I enjoyed writing this book, loved the characters, especially, Great-Aunt Cornelia, but I have to say, I was soooo glad when it was done.
So now, it's on to the next book. Ta, Shirlee

Hi Everyone: I'm sorry I haven't been posting in a while. Just lost track of the time. Been working on the latest book. Got a lot of pages adding up. Have been, as a favorite writer once wrote, or said, applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair. I still haven't managed to get Emily and Barnaby hitched -- or exchange the important first kiss! They're aware of each other (a lot) and Barnaby knows that Emily is the one for him. He's even declared himself to her great aunt Cornelia. Too bad Emily doesn't know it :-) But that's okay, I've finally had the bad guy strike and before too many more pages Emily will be engaged to Barnaby. Oh, and kissed -- you better believe it!
Because this is the start of the JOSLYN FAMILY series, there are several characters to introduce and I need to set things up for the following books and I guess that's why I've having such a hard time getting the lovers together. Howard is enjoying the book and when I whine and worry, he says, "Look, I'm loving it and I don't read romances, except yours, so quite your complaining and keep writing -- I want to know what happens next!" Hmm. Maybe he has a point. Ta, Shirlee

Hi Everyone: Just rec'd the copy-edited manuscript for PASSION BECOMES HER which is due to be released in July of 2010, so you know what I'll be doing this weekend. Am making steady progress on FORTUNE COMES CALLING. Nothing spectacular, just pages adding up. I am enjoying Emily and Barnaby and all the other characters in the book. I was having trouble getting Emily and Barnaby together -- everyone else in the book wants their day in the sun! I finally figured out yesterday how I intend to get Emily and Barnaby married. Got a bit of manipulating to do, but I'll get them before the vicar before too many more pages go by. Of course, they haven't even shared that first kiss yet, but they've been eyeing each other -- when the other characters don't get in the way :-). All my best, Shirlee