Well, I made it back–and without a sunburn for a change. The curse of fair skin… It’s crazy now with Strip Search making its way out the door, a week full of company, a child having a birthday and my taller half slammed with work, so I WILL get to a blog about writing process. I promise! For now, I want to thank Gena Showalter, Angela Knight and Lori Wilde for providing really enjoyable beach reads. One of the highlights of my vacation. I’ll also have pics shortly to share (I hope), including one of me with my youngest niece, who’s just 10 months old. So cute!

More from me when life settles a bit!
Shelley

Yes, yes. I know I just started this blog last week. I know I haven’t updated it in a week. Three reasons: a) I was busily preparing for a trip to the Carolina Coast with my husband’s family (beautiful weather!!), b) I got on a writing tear before I left and spent every spare moment finishing STRIP SEARCH–so I can safely say it’s done!, and c) trying to condense my crazy life into pithy, readable bites has been beyond my brain power recently. When I return home, I plan to be a good little blogger and answer the question about the (always fascinating) topic of the writing process, the fact I finally have running water in my bathroom sinks after the remodel from hell, and anything else of interest I can blog about.

For now…I’ll go back to the beach, sink my newly-painted fuscia toes into the sand, enjoy the time with family and try to make a dent in my To-Be-Read pile, which is so tall it probably rivals Mt. Everest. When I get home, it’s back to writing!

Shelley

You should be. I am! Why? This is my first ever blog for my site. When my webmistresses set it up for me, I had to ask for directions. Step by step ones, mind you. I apologized for being blog-challenged. I’ll get the hang of it. Eventually. But don’t hold your breath right away.

So, what am I talking about today, besides the fact it’s dang hot outside? I think for now I’ll just be Pollyanna and tell you all I’m thrilled to be out in the blogosphere. BOUND AND DETERMINED will be out in February, and I’m counting the days. (I’d tell you that I’m counting the hours but I don’t want to look too obsessive. Yet.) Berkley has put together a cover and backcover copy that are both fun and sexy–exactly like the look itself. And if I can gush a little more, I’m really proud of the quotes I’ve received on the book so far from Susan Johnson, Angela Knight, Lora Leigh and Jenna Petersen. I so appreciate these talanted ladies for propping up my fragile writer’s ego for awhile. Things are definitely looking up!

But I’m also immersed in the here and now. For those who have followed the saga of my bathroom remodel in my newsletter, we’re getting closer. Still no sinks, but hey, people lived for thousands of years without indoor plumbing, so two weeks of having to trudge upstairs won’t kill me…in theory. And we’re making progress now that we have a new potty installed finally. Hubby doesn’t pick out one single thing in the bathroom except that potty. Go figure. Isn’t the life of a romance writer thrilling?

Actually, it does have its thrilling moments. I am 4 scenes away from finishing STRIP SEARCH! 4! Gosh, after writing and writing (and sometimes drowning) in a book for months, it’s so wonderful to be so near The End. These characters have a special place in my heart. I want to tell you lots more about them, and I will…eventually. For now, I’ll just tease you. I’m good at that.

Speaking of The End, we’re at the end of this blog. Oh, I guess this means I’m not a blog virgin anymore. LOL. At least I saved it for something special . I’ll try to think of somthing suitably interesting next time. For now, I’m off to a step aerobics class. Nothing like sweating enough to fill the swimming pool to clear your mind–and work off those dang powdered donuts I indulged in over the weekend.