It's NanoWrimo time again!

          Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am participating in NanoWrimo! In case you're wondering, it stands for: National Novel Writing Month. I need to write a 50,000 word novel and I have 30 days to do it.
I will be busy all through November working on my novel.

          My story is titled, 'Manny the Guard'. Here is a quick synopsis of my novel...
                                               

           Manny's a guard for Carlos Manafred who is into everything illegal.  Manny ends up with the least likely of jobs; babysitting the drug lords girlfriend, Destina. She is the kindest person Manny has ever known, and the violence she endures at the hands of Carlos weighs heavily on his mind.

 It's during this time that Manny reflects back on his troubled life. Starting with his abusive mother, the tragic death of his younger brother and the years spent living in foster homes and youth authorities. He dwells on his past and the crimes that led him to where he is today.

At the age of forty eight, he's tired of being a mobster. His days are numbered living this lifestyle and he wants out. Being around Destina has shown him that good people really do exist. He decides to take a risk and begin doing what is right. Starting with helping Destina escape and then shutting down Carlos and all his drug operations, but doing so could cost him his life.



Thanks for stopping by, let me know what you think of the synopsis. =)

It all starts with good ink.

          Today I've been researching literary agents online. There's a note pad and several pens next to my laptop so I can write down the agents that may be interested in my work. This way I can review my list later and takes notes on who I've submitted to and who I haven't.
          So far I've gone through five ink pens, the fourth one I threw across the room while I swore at it.
This is not because I'm writing everything down like a mad woman and running out of ink. I'm a mad woman because I bought a pack of generic pens for .99 and they all suck, every single one of them.

 I have scribbled small circles that look like bad spyrograph designs all over the top and sides of my agent list trying to get the stupid pens to write smoothly. I'd get a name halfway written and suddenly the ink quits coming out. I ended up with names that were barely readable.
With a deep breath of frustration, I picked up another pen and shook it violently, hoping this would clear any clogs. Then I pushed it too hard onto the note pad as I began to write. I heard a tiny snap as the point of the ink pen broke, and to give you a better idea of what happened next, take a look at this photo of Ernest.

That saying: 'You get what you pay for,' is ringing true right now.
I'm on my way back to the store, to spend a little extra money on some decent pens. My tip for the day: Go for the good ink, there's a reason why the packs of cheapos are on the clearance aisle.

Dog Days

           Meet my newest beagle. He's a rescue, about six years old, and has seizures. He's on medication to control them. We don't know anything about his past life, but we love him to the moon and back. He seems happy with us, and expresses his gratitude loudly to all the neighbors. We named him Marvin.

Whenever I'm at the table with my laptop, trying to write a few chapters, Marvin and our other beagle, Mollie think it's time to play, or be let outside every ten minutes to pee, or be given a treat. I feel like I'm running a doggie daycare. As I sit here and eat popcorn, they're under the table staring up at me with their big, brown eyes and drooling. They know I'll eventually cave and hand them each a piece. It's hard to say no to a beagle.

           Cadbury pastel chocolate eggs, one of my favorite things about Spring.
The hard candy shelled chocolates are my latest addiction. I can't have just one, more like ten or maybe half the bag. Then, I wonder why I can't lose weight. It's Cadbury's fault, not mine.
Every Easter I look forward to buying them, grateful they're only sold in the springtime and not year round. Otherwise, I'd be in big, big trouble, like Snoopy here with his peeps.


Hard to believe the daffodils are already out and the fruit trees are in bloom. I'm barely over Christmas, and still finding stray tinsel hiding under the couch.

          This month I browsed through several writing forums looking for information. Some people are saying that self publishing is the only way to go anymore. I'm not willing to go that route just yet. I'm still learning the ins and outs, and don't want to rush into something that might not work for me in the long run.
I submitted my query letter to several agents last week, now I'm checking my email every ten minutes waiting for a response.
Here's hoping. =D