Finally home and a clarification
May 23, 2006 by Melissa · 4 Comments
Well, after an attack of gnats and a late last night, Kally and I made it home. I am still extremely tired. I have a request from a buyer to look at something I am working on, really excited about that one, and I do have two agent requests to get out of the way. The Cursed Clan is going well, but RT did slide me off track.
And, I just want everyone to know that I was not harping on Recruiters in my post about high horses. I really was ranting about the situation they are put in, where I know that most of them didn’t ask to be there, and now are stuck in an impossible job. I will say that most recruiters are the best they can be, but the few that are breaking rules are making it even harder for the others. I do understand that they don’t want to send people to die, but these few that are breaking the rules are making it worse.
Hopefully, soon, things will be better, but with the AF personnel cuts on the horizon, I am really worried about the state of the military.
I like it when the big man gets it
May 12, 2006 by Melissa · 3 Comments
Okay, I hate Halliburton, with a passion. It ranks up there with liver and hip hugger pants(because even during my skinny phase, I couldn’t wear them, built wrong). So, when I was over at the Huffington Post today and saw this, I couldn’t help but laugh. 100 million dollars!
Halliburton Co. fell victim this week to a group of pranksters pushing a “SurvivaBall” to save corporate executives from the effects of global warming. Members of the Yes Men, a group of environmental and corporate ethics activists, gave a presentation at a trade conference pretending to be Halliburton executives touting large inflatable suits that provide corporate managers safety from global warming. They also distributed a phony press release through e-mail and set up a Web site, halliburtoncontracts.com, similar to the real Halliburton site, halliburton.com.
The whole story is at the Washington Times.
Getting on my HIGH HORSE
May 11, 2006 by Melissa · 6 Comments
I was reminded yesterday just how different my life is from others being a military wife. I got word that someone who was supposed to be coming with her son to SA for treatment isn’t coming after all. See, her 20something son, on his second tour of Iraq, had burns over 60% of his body. He was in Germany as they tried to stabilize him, but unfortunately, he passed away. Then I made the mistake people don’t want you to do, I took it personally. Truth is, I never really met the woman, we are members of the same organization and I had signed up to be called upon to help. And after weeks of stress, hearing that someone else lost a loved one to the insanity, just hit me the wrong way. A few people learned not to push me yesterday, because I am a big girl and when I push back, you tend fall down. Especially on days like yesterday.
Now, I have never made my opposition to the invasion a secret. I have been vocal on a lot of levels about it, and more so since it has turned so bad. But what I can’t take anymore is people saying they support the military, this insanity in the middle east but get pissed when I actually mention what a stress it is on me and other military families. There are no rules of deployment, they keep changing them. So a military member who is safe today, might not be safe tomorrow.
Truthfully, I am sure I will get hate mail, and lose readers to boot, but I am not pledging NOT to change the subject because people are uncomfortable with my reality, with the reality of thousands of families. And before you say, well they volunteered, bite me. Most people in the National Guard and Reserves didn’t think they were signing up for long active duty stints. And, there might be a reason people are recruiting mentally disabled young men, and yes, an austic teenager was told he would have lots of friends if he joined. Of course, he showed his family how to fight the enemy, on his Xbox. It is a bad situation, getting worse, and although I don’t constantly harp on it, at some point, when I say, we are under some stress, or that I am worried about the next TDY or the next assignment, don’t get offended and don’t expect me to change the subject so you can be more comfortable. It is reality for us. If it isn’t a pretty package like JAG, I’m sorry. But as many other military spouses will tell you, people don’t want you to mention the bad stuff, just the good. It infiltrates our lives, and does spill over into my professional life. Those are the times I disappear and just try my best to work through it. But please don’t belittle my feelings, my worries, and my fears. You might not be comfortable with how it affects me but it does.
Grand Prize winner, and THANKS
May 6, 2006 by Melissa · 3 Comments
Caffey, you won the print signed copy of Voices Carry. Again, thanks to everyone who participated and congrats to all my winners:)
Last Download winner….
May 6, 2006 by Melissa · 3 Comments
Is PAM P. Please email me and tell me which of my in print ebooks you would like.
Also, I do moderate because of spammers and because of hate posters. I accidentally posted it, after a long drive and getting up early, but I erased it. I will do it each and every time. Take your hate somewhere else. Oh, and get a life.
Last Day of Winning
May 5, 2006 by Melissa · 15 Comments
Hit and miss today as I try to come up with a list of things I must take with me. It is hard enough to remember things like toothbrushes, but all my free giveaway stuff, it is overwhelming. My friend’s(Karen Kelley) hubby handles everything like that for her. I really need to get myself a Karl*G*. I can’t let Les handle it, because we would fight, lol. I love him, but we are competitive and we always think that we are right and the other is wrong. We don’t fight all the time, but something like this would just give us a reason to argue. We can’t seem to figure out which one of us is the DECIDER.
This is THE last day to get your name into the pot for free goodies. And, with RT it will be awhile before I can do something again. Just so busy and then the move. The housing office will give us about a 4 week notice. Yeah, I am LOVING them at the moment. Anyway, post away to get your name in the hat!
So, I have been packing and…
May 5, 2006 by Melissa · 9 Comments
I have been packing and of course I am behind, lol. I love to travel just hate all the planning. Kally packs days before we go anywhere, as does my husband. Or at least, they both prepare a list. Interesting that both of them are Cancers lol. Anyway, I have to make sure that I have everything with me, bookmarks, magnets, pens, which I got in yesterday and are beautiful. Not much writing today but I am cleaning up bits and pieces of Sinner’s Delight. There will always be something I miss, lol. I’m thinking this guy agrees:)
Off to work a bit more although a nap sounds good:)
Jodi Jodi Jodi
May 5, 2006 by Melissa · 6 Comments
Won her pick of any of my ebooks for her posting yesterday. This is the last day to get your name in the pot for an ebook and the last day for the print of Voices Carry. Everyone, even if you won an ebook will get their name in for this one.
Jodi, be sure to email me and let me know which book you would like along with the format. Since you liked the six pack, here you go!
We had a big huge storm, actually two, that shot through San Antonio last night. Nice to have the rain but the thunder kept me awake*g*. In Texas, it is either drought or drown. But it is the reason I am running so slow today. That and I am packing. First I must wash the clothes I need, then I can pack, actually, lol. I have an out of town booksigning tomorrow that I am leaving for at about o’ DARK THIRTY in the morning.
Congrats, Jodi!
Callum and Sinner’s Delight
May 4, 2006 by Melissa · 7 Comments
Okay, so I am tired. Really tired, lol, so I am combining my last two blogs for the day. First I have to tell you about Callum, head of the clan, and all around brooding hero. He is my first brooding hero, in my books at least, and I hope I don’t get to hate him. Phoebe, who will be his heroine, is sort of this ray of light. Looks like a Botticelli angel, but has the mouth of a sailor, lol. But she believes in doing the right thing, and she truly is what he needs to keep from being an asshole. Darkness needs light and since My Immortal is sort of the theme song of this series, and Phoebe and Callum’s love song is You’re Beautiful you can get the idea this is a departure, like I mentioned. He thinks she is unattainable. At least that is the vibe I am getting.
This is the man, at the moment, that I am thinking of when I am writing. It isn’t exactly what I think for sure, it may change but at the moment, this is pretty close.
Now, Sinner’s Delight is actually Sasha’s club. She used to be a showgirl. Her old friend, another ex-dancer has been murdered but that will work itself out in another book as her sister embezzles money from the man she deems responsible. But once again, I am digressing.
A high ranking official, with a diplomat wife, drops dead while being serviced by one of the girls. The police move in, determine it is murder, especially when the papers he had on him are gone and the “girl” is now dead. Several groups are after the papers, and now they are after Sasha, one roughing her up. Being street smart, she beats it out of town, and Vicentes is hired to go find her. It has been fun to write, but also a pain because I have gone through a series of problems, including a pinched back nerve, both my daughter and I getting the stomach flu, and now this family issue, which has put me off of all schedules. Hopefully soon, everything will get back on track, and I will get their story done. But I do like that cover and the trailer I made for it is on my coming soon page:) Live and Let Die is their theme song.
Playdoh snowmen and the creative process
May 4, 2006 by Melissa · 8 Comments
I am lucky to have several really good friends who help me plot. Some published, some not yet(although two of them I spent the weekend with are AMAZING and will be published any day now). But, sometimes I just have to delve into your own little or not so little mental backyard to brainstorm–get the juices flowing.
Today, while playing with my four-year-old, an idea hit me like a sledge hammer. It is a time travel idea, one that I think I can do and will be a lot of fun writing. I just have to come up with the particulars, but I will combine my love of history with contemporary romantic comedy, very sexy, like on the Brava level of sexy. Still working it all out.
But, you never know when an idea will hit you. And today, while making the snowman for my daughter(because I am not allowed to play with the hair cutting toys Santa grandma bought her) getting my mind off work and just into the fun, characters started popping up. I am sure I will complain later I had no idea what I was thinking when I started it thinking I could do it, but right now, the excitement is there:)
And thanks for all the well wishes everyone. The tension of my worrying today just about made it unbearable, but things seem to be smoothing out, and it is great to have such wonderful readers who truly support me.
