Well, after a LONG week in which I finally finished reading and tweaking WICKED TIES so I can turn it in to my editor before its April 1 due date, I am ready to conquer my massive To Be Read pile.

For the last few months, I’ve been salivating to get at this pile and dig in. Oh, I’d read one here, one there. It’s kind of like stealing a Hershey’s Kiss on a diet–a nice little treat…but it’s only going to last so long.

Now, I’m going to gorge! For a whole week, I’m going to read, read, read. Well, there will be SOME writing in there. I do have other characters in my head demanding I write them their own story, so I have to get to it. But for a whole glorious week, I’m going to make whittling down that pile–and enjoying the heck out of myself–my primary responsibility. Woohoo!

See, don’t I look happy here? Of course I do. I’m signing a FINISHED book. And I know as I sign it, that there are no more deadlines attached to that title.

Fast forward to my current project (formerly To Protect and Service, then Good to Be Bad, then Turn Me On, now…) WICKED TIES. Finishing this book, the first of my Berkley Heat titles, has been on my To Do list since…um, last September. I needed to finish–the sucker is due in 3 short weeks! If I didn’t, my editor might suspect I’d suddenly developed an affinity for Tiddlywinks or gotten amnesia. Frankly, I’m not sure which would be worse.

Anyway, getting to The End is a big deal. No, make that a big, freaking deal. Well , I did type those two magical words last Saturday morning! Then something terrible occurred to me: I don’t do anything to celebrate the milestone of finishing a book. I just take a (brief) moment to smile and move to the next item on my to do list. (In this case, that entailed finishing laundry and cleaning out the garage. Blech!)

Hmm. I think this needs serious consideration. I work long and hard, sweating and slaving over my book. Okay, not sweating–hubby keeps the house too cold for that, but you get the drift.

Some authors buy themselves presents for finishing on time. I can’t picture doing this. It would be like buying myself my own birthday present. The only thing we bought since I finished this book was a new truck–for my hubby. I got squat. I do stack up books that I’ve be dying to read, but at this point, I think the stack is bigger than me, and I’m never going to get through them all *sigh*.

I’ve got to think of something to do to celebrate reaching The End. That’s my 12th completed book for publication. I’m creative. Well, some days. I gotta think of something better than grabbing a broom and rummaging through old boxes. Suggestions?