I usually avoid talking about politics here, but this is big news. Deep Throat, a confidential source during Watergate, has revealed his identity! Bob Woodard, Carl Bernstein and Ben Bradlee have all confirmed that W. Mark Felt is their source. See the Article in the Washington Post.

I was in junior high, I think, when I found a beat up paperback copy of a book called "All the President's Men" by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. I'd never had any real interest in Watergate, but for some reason I can't recall, I picked it up and read it. This book changed my life--kind of. It made me want to be a journalist, to uncover corruption and uphold the freedom of the press to keep politicians honest. Reading this book led me to take a journalism class in high school and to be a journalism major in college. (I later switched from journalism to advertising) But I've always maintained that attending the School of Journalism gave me the background I needed to write novels.

Anyway, one of the most interesting things about the Watergate scandal and the investigation by Woodward and Bernstein was the identity of Deep Throat. Every time I reread their book, I would try to pick up clues. Every time I saw references to Deep Throat in the news, I would read the article or make sure I watched the report because I wanted to know! So this news today is a huge thrill for me. I've been going between channels, watching coverage and it's fascinating.

My opinions on some of this? I can't believe anyone is saying negative things about Deep Throat. I've heard several men, including Pat Buchanan, say that what Felt did was a disgraceful thing. Wrong! What Felt did was save the Constitution of the United States of America from a corrupt White House. We need more men like W. Mark Felt and more reporters like Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. These men are heroes.

I've mentioned several times that I'm not into celebrity, but I would love to talk to Woodward and Bernstein and listen to everything they had to say about reporting, not just Watergate. Can you just imagine the stories they have to tell?

Anyway, Watergate, and the Washington Post's coverage of Watergate, changed America. And Deep Throat was instrumental in the investigation. Very interesting stuff.

(Just a little side comment. A national news station went around Washington D.C. asking people about this. The reporter talked to a young woman who, honest to God, did not know who Deep Throat was. Watergate and Deep Throat are synonymous. I'm absolutely shocked that anyone living in America doesn't know this information.)

Gah!

I haven't pulled an all-nighter since I was in college. A junior in college. Once I hit 21, sleep seemed more important than a few extra hours studying. ;-)

However, I need to Fed Ex my revisions today and I wasn't done. I've been up since before 7am Monday morning and I just finished TACV at 4:12am. Needless to say, I called in to work and took a vacation day. No way can I function with no sleep.

Anyway, the plan for the day is to catch some sleep, package up TACV, and head to Fed Ex. Because it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight. :-)

I'm going to bed now--and I'm not going to run spell check, so please forgive typos as well as any incoherency.

MN Weather Report: 58 degrees.

I'm still revising. I just have chapter 21 and the epilogue left to fix and then I have to print out all my big changes and insert them into the story, make all my little handwritten changes, package the whole thing up so I can overnight to NYC tomorrow. There's a lot of work ahead of me today, but I have to get it done, period.

My big chore yesterday was chapter 15. The original version of the chapter had a problem and I spent hours on Saturday fixing it. It took up the majority of my revising hours. But as I was lying in bed, trying to sleep that night, I started thinking about it. The new version took care of the original problem, but created others. I could cut the chapter, but there's a part in there I really love. I dithered, cut or not cut. I was still dithering when I got up on Sunday. It was while I was in the shower, that the answer came to me. An answer that required rewriting almost the entire chapter. Not just revising it--rewriting it. From scratch. I hope what I did worked.

Anyway, I worked on that for like 5+ hours yesterday, which left me hurrying to get through the other chapters, and left me short of my goal. I wanted to be done revising and start printing changes first thing this morning. I do have some changes to make to both 21 and the epilogue, but I'm hoping they go fast.

I'm really looking forward to finishing this.

MN Weather Report: 50 degrees.

The book signing was a lot of fun! I'm always so nervous about doing them and worried I'll come across as idiotic, but I think I mostly did okay. Once some of my nerves settled down. It really helped that everyone at the bookstore, and the other two authors I was signing with, were so exceptionally nice.

I was on time and I only got a little lost. Usually I wind up really lost, but managed to find the street I needed to be on, turned the wrong way, realized it, and straightened myself out. Actually, the store was really easy to find, I just drove right past without realizing it. But I safely and punctually arrived and got myself settled in. One of the things that registered through my anxiety was how much effort the owner had gone to in order to make our signing an event. That was so fab!

My most memorable moment of the signing: A woman was in town from California, heard I was going to be there (me! wow!) and brought in her copy of Ravyn's Flight for me to sign. How cool is that?

We were also interviewed for a cable TV show, public access. This is where I think I probably managed to sound the most stupid, but I console myself with the fact that it's showing in the Northwestern suburbs and not in my area of town. If I flipped through the channels and heard myself sounding like a moron, I'd freak.

On the revision front, I was up at 3:50 a.m. Saturday to start working. Gah! I have so much left to do! By the time I got home yesterday afternoon, I was so tired. But I took a short nap and went back to work on TACV. I finished the major work on chapter 15, although it took me the rest of the day. I need to reread it and see how it turned out. I'm wondering whether or not I should cut it. :-( There's a section in that chapter that I really like, but if the rest of the chapter is bogging down the story, I might need to get rid of the whole thing. I still don't know what to do.

I hoped to get up at 4am again today, and I did wake up, but since I didn't fall asleep last night until after midnight, I rolled over and went back to sleep. I'm still exhausted, but hoping the coffee and vitamins kick in soon. I have so much to do!

MN Weather Report: 52 degrees.

I think it might be possible that I might have a teensy weensy little problem with internet addiction. I always have coffee, check my email and do my blog post before I get going for the day. So yesterday I wake up, make my coffee and I'm all prepared to read email when I have no dial tone. (yes, I'm still on dial up.) I've had one phone line go out before while the other was fine, but when I checked, both were out.

Okay, I can deal with this. The construction going on behind the house must have cut something, they know about it and surely it'll be fixed shortly. But after my shower, there was still no phone. I got on my cell and called the phone company. After answering half a million questions, I'm informed that I'll have the phone back by 8pm--on SUNDAY! =8-O

I'll get a lot of writing done today, I tell myself. This is actually a good thing. But by the time I get off with the phone company and get ready to work, it's noon.

I can't concentrate. I keep getting up to check if the phone is working yet or not. I alternate with getting up to peer out the window to see if the phone guy is parked out in front of the house. "Come on, phone guy." I sit down, I try to work. I decide to take the dishes out of the dishwasher and put them away. And since I'm up anyway, I might as well check the phone. Nope, still dead. "Come on, phone guy."

Just before 4pm, I can't take it any more. I know the library closes at five. I put on a pair of shoes, grab my purse, and drive over. "Do you have internet access available?"

Maybe they sensed my desperation. Maybe it was the wild look in my eyes or the disheveled hair. The librarian led me right to the computer. Ahh!

First thing I do is check email. All my many accounts. Then I post my adventures from the day before. I run through some of my regular sites and recheck email. I've got 25 minutes till the library closes and I don't want to leave the computer even though I have no other site left to surf to. But... But... But... How can I leave my friend, the computer?

I force myself to logoff. I tell myself that I can come back tomorrow if I need to. I tell myself that I'd have to leave in 25 minutes anyway. On my way back home, at the end of the street, there are 3 phone trucks. "Come on, phone guys." I try to work, but I'm still getting up to check the phone frequently.

Finally, sometime after 7pm, I have a dial tone. I immediately logon the internet. Yeah, I think I'm addicted. All right, I know I'm addicted. I'm just not sure I want to do anything about it.

MN Weather Report: 51 degrees.

He's baaackkk!

(Okay, so I couldn't decide between two movie tag lines for the title to this post.)

I've been working on the laptop in the kitchen most of this week. There's room to spread out my copy edits and my notes on the table. I've stopped carrying hair spray with me wherever I go and I've stopped jumping at shadows. After all, I hadn't seen the biggest wasp in the universe since May 18th and I must have killed him with the zap of spray starch. Right?

So I'm working yesterday and every now and then, I hear this noise. But when I stop typing and concentrate, I don't hear anything or see anything. I figure I'm still just jumpy and go back to my revisions. This happens on and off all day.

Finally, late in the afternoon, I grab the dishrag and wipe up the counter as I'm thinking about the book. I drop the dishrag back over the sink and hear that buzzing noise again. I back up. Fast. I look around frantically. I know I wasn't hearing things. Then I see him. My housemate is back. I don't know where he's been for the last week, but he's hanging out by the window over the kitchen sink today. In fact, I realize with absolute and complete horror, my housemate and I have probably been sharing the kitchen ALL DAY!

I may not be carrying hair spray any more, but I still had the kitchen armed. At one end, spray starch. At the other, old wasp spray. (See previous wasp killing notes where said wasp spray didn't work, just left a wet wasp.) The wasp spray happens to be at my elbow and I grab it. I fire. Nothing shoots out. Damn!

I keep my finger on the trigger, blowing nothing but air at the BIGGEST wasp in the universe. (Okay, maybe not the whole universe, but the other queen wasps I've killed have been 3/4 of an inch. This mutated thing was a full inch, swear to God.) So my housemate feels the air and climbs over the top of the curtain and goes behind it. Just as the wasp spray starts actually coming out of the can. Does that just figure or what?

But now that I've got actual ammo coming out of the weapon, I'm not giving up. I inundate the area just above where he's at, hoping it will drip down on him. I stop firing, assess the situation. He's still back there. He's still alive. This wasp is dying, I vow. I'll be damned if I'm going to spend another day afraid to walk into my own kitchen.

He's low on the window and the curtain just cracks open enough for me to draw a bead on him. I aim. I fire. I shoot half the can of expired wasp spray at him. In the entryway, I've cleverly stashed a six foot slat. Just in case. After last week, I wasn't going to be caught unarmed or unprepared again. I take the six foot slat, and standing about four feet back, I poke at the window with the board. Where is he? There's so much foam on the window and windowsill that I can't see him.

The silence is eerie. I move the curtain with the board, trying to find him, but hoping he doesn't fly out at me, pissed as hell. I'm only holding the slat now. I finally see him. I frantically slap the board against him through the curtain. Whack! Whack! Whack!

I don't feel or hear that crunch that I've gotten when I've killed the other wasps. I slap the board against the wasp (through the curtain) some more. Whack! Whack! Whack! He's gotta be dead now. Gotta be. What could survive half a can of odorless foam and a six foot wooden slat? Half terrified of what I'll see, I use the board to move the curtain. He looks pretty dead. Not mushed, but kind of twisted up.

Shaking, I put the board (two inches at the end wet from the foam) back in the entryway (like I said, I won't be caught unarmed again) and sit down for a few minutes. I need to recover.

I guess I needed more time to recover than I thought because the curtain was nearly dry before I looked over there again. I've got to get rid of the dead wasp. It's either that or never use the sink again and that doesn't seem like a real good plan. The vacuum cleaner, I decide. Perfect.

I plug it in. There's a handle on the hose, but I'm going to have to get my hand awfully damn close to the wasp. There's no really long attachment. I decide I'm tough enough to handle it. One quick suck, and he's gone. No problem. I move the vacuum into position. I want this fast. Just in case that mutilated, twisted body doesn't mean it's dead. I can't take any chances.

Only this is a new vacuum cleaner and I'm so shaken by my assassination of the wasp that I can't remember how to turn it on. I'm getting more and more frantic, feeling along the sides and ends of the vacuum cleaner for the lever to activate it. I look over my shoulder, just in case the wasp is moving or something. Okay, clear there. I go back to searching, pushing everything I can find. I'm just about ready to go search for the instruction book when I look down at the handle I'm holding. There, right on the handle attached to the hose, is an on switch. (oh, yeah, I remembered thinking the first time I used the vacuum that this was a clever idea.) I slide it. The vacuum comes to life. Hurrah!

I suck up the wasp and then I run the vacuum for another 5 minutes or so. Just to make sure the wasp is really down in the bag and that he isn't going to come back to life, crawl the length of the hose and attack me as I write.

I could live without this kind of excitement.

PS. My phone lines--both of them--are out. I'm posting this from the library. Look for my next post when phone service returns.

Yesterday, quite frankly, was one of the most frustrating days I can remember. I took this week off to work on revisions because, God help me, I was only given 2 weeks to do a hell of a lot of work. So yesterday, the entire world decided it was Bother Patti Day.

Five phone calls. FIVE. None of them worth picking up the phone to answer. I have a caller ID box. It's amazing to me that all these telemarketers can disregard the Do Not Call List. I suppose they think they slip in through some loophole or something.

The doorbell rang twice. And since I was sitting right in front of the front window, hammering away on the laptop, it wasn't like I could pretend I wasn't home. Only one of the visitors was worth answering the door for. The UPS guy. He brought me my wonderful bookmarks for Through a Crimson Veil. They arrived just in time for the book signing I'm doing on Saturday.

Then at about 4:30, I couldn't concentrate any more. My eyes felt swollen and my head ached. It's staring at the computer for so long and for so many days on end, combined with allergies. Laying down for an hour didn't cure it and I ended up not able to do anything else the rest of the evening. Which made me even more frustrated over the idiotic interruptions. Let's hope the world leaves me alone today. I'm all out of patience on that score.

BTW, if anyone would like bookmarks for any of my books, Crimson Veil, The Power of Two or Ravyn's Flight, send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope and tell me which bookmarks you'd like. They're 2 inches by 6 inches so will fit in a normal envelope. My addy is:

Patti O'Shea
PO Box 1365
Minnetonka, MN 55345

MN Weather Report: 55 degrees.

There's nothing really wrong with The Ugly Pants except for their color. It's absolutely hideous. I think it's supposed to be some kind of walnut shade, but it looks like puke brown. But hey, they were really cheap and they're comfortable, so if I'm just going to be hanging out at the house, why not?

So I'm home from work this week working on revisions and yesterday I'm wearing The Ugly Pants. I started revising early in the morning and worked all day. Really hard. Then about 6:50 pm I have to make a post office run. I haven't checked my PO box in about 3 weeks, but it's the letter I have to mail that drives me out of the house. I slip on a pair of beat up mocs, grab my purse and keys and head off to the PO.

It's only after I park the car and see all the cars going by the street in front of me that I realize I'm still wearing The Ugly Pants. I look down. Yep. They're still ugly. I look up. Busy street. Lots of traffic. I'm not going home to change, which means strangers are going to see me in The Ugly Pants. GAH!

I carry a big purse. I try to use it to hide as much of The Ugly Pants as I can, but it's a losing battle. I console myself with the fact that my T-shirt doesn't have any holes in it and it doesn't clash with the color of The Ugly Pants. And, thank you, God, the post office is empty. I throw my letter in the slot, grab my mail out of the box and go to the table to sort and toss the junk mail.

Almost done. Almost safe from anyone having a close-up view of The Ugly Pants, but as I'm throwing the last flyer in the trash, a car pulls up. It parks beside me. Let it be a guy, I think. Men don't notice things like Ugly Pants. It's a woman. There's no place to hide. I give her a sickly as she enters the PO and I exit.

I drive straight home. I do not stop for gas even though it's cheap right now. I pull in the garage and lower the door before I get out. I can't risk anyone else seeing me in The Ugly Pants.

Revisions went better yesterday, I got more done, but I'm still going to be really close on the timing. I'm a perfectionist and this too-short time frame is killing me. :-(

MN Weather Report: 60 degrees. Rain.

Just call me Moth Slayer. ;-/

I went back to the kitchen after I finished my coffee and found the poor moth right where I'd left him: on the wall, wings outstretched. Um, he was kind of starched there. I feel vaguely bad since the blast of spray starch was meant for the wasp, but bugs don't belong indoors, so in a way, he got what he deserved.

And now I think I must have slayed the wasp too. First, I haven't seen him since last Wednesday afternoon, so nearly a week. Second, he got hit with spray starch too. Granted, not as much as the moth and the wasp was much bigger, but I think it must have been enough to kill him.

Revisions are still going slowly. Damn, I feel like I'm slogging my way through molasses. I worked and worked and thought I was making huge progress, but then I look at the calendar and how much I have left to do and I start hyperventilating. I have to get more done today. Somehow.

I have a book signing on Saturday that I'm starting to get nervous about. I'm excruciatingly shy and get this deer in the headlights look going when I'm doing them. I've gotten better than I was, I was embarrassingly shy at my first book signing, but it's still not comfortable for me. I'm consoling myself with the fact that it's Memorial Day weekend and a lot of people will be out of town. It also helps that I'm signing with two other authors. I plan to watch them and learn. Maybe I'll be better at this by the time I go to Reno in July.

MN Weather Report: 60 degrees.

...moth.

Bet you were expecting to hear about a wasp, weren't you? :-)

I've stopped carrying hair spray with me, but I'm still opening the kitchen shades with steak tongs. As I'm moving the curtain over the sink, I see movement. Adrenaline kicks in, flight or fight response. I decide to fight. I grab the spray starch--kept on one side of the kitchen, just in case--and prepare to fire. I move the curtain again and something flies out at me. Heart in my throat, I fire.

And hit a moth dead on with a big blast of spray starch. LOL! I was so sure it was the wasp. Anyway, I was left shaking and with a moth fluttering around in a panic.

I had an odd dream last night. In my dream, I meet Richard Dawson. Now, I'm really not into celebrities or autographs or anything, but in my dream, I pull out a napkin and ask him to sign it. I start gushing about how much I loved him on "Hogan's Heroes" and "Family Feud" and "Match Game." He says I was too young for "Match Game" and I remind him of The Game Show Network. Then I go back to gushing. Only now, instead of listing Richard Dawson shows/movies, I'm confusing him with Jack Klugman! =8-O So as I continue, I'm saying "12 Angry Men," "The Odd Couple," and "Quincy." How weird is that? Dreams are all supposed to mean something, but I can't figure this one out at all.

Revisions suck! Pretty much everything I did yesterday isn't going to work. I've got to learn to trust my instincts again. I'm a little shaky on that score now because of a few things that have happened. Anyway, I think my original idea was the way to go, but I didn't do that. Today I will. Only now I'll need to go extra fast since I lost a whole day. Please send positive energy to the universe for me. I need all the help I can get.

MN Weather Report: 59 degrees.

That about sums up my progress on revisions--glacier slow. I've never had to work with the marked up version of the manuscript before as I made changes and I'm finding it difficult. If I could just go in the computer file and not have to worry about anything else, I think it would be faster. But I can't and I'm starting to get a little bit tense when I think about how much I have to do and how little time I have to do it in.

Still no sign of the wasp. I've stood down from red alert and would put the status at yellow. I'm still taking the hair spray with me wherever I go, but I'm barefoot again and I'm more relaxed on this front. I'd still feel better if I had a body, though.

MN Weather Report: 65 degrees. Windy.

No sign of the wasp--either dead or alive--since Wednesday evening when I sprayed him with a little starch. The suggestions from my coworkers yesterday as to the status of my housemate have ranged from amusing to supportive.

The amusing suggestion? That I'd gotten enough starch on him to make him sticky and that he stuck himself to the inside of the kitchen valance. (The last location I saw him.) Being deathly afraid of wasps--either dead or alive--I'm not looking to find out. I'm still using steak tongs to pull down the window shades and carrying a can of hair spray with me everywhere I go.

The supportive suggestions have been that he must be dead, that if he weren't, I would have seen some sign of him now. My reply? I won't believe it till I see a body. Anyone who's ever watched a soap opera knows the character isn't dead unless there's a body. And sometimes not even then... But in the case of this wasp, I'll take the corpse as proof positive that he's dead.

I suppose I should talk about something other than insects since it's been 4 days now. I'm working on revisions and spending way more time on the prologue of Through a Crimson Veil than I planned on. The thing was 8 pages, so you'd think it wouldn't take much time. Well, I've spent 2 days on it so far and I'm still not done piddling around with it. It's been expanded to 13 pages. (My editor thought it would only take one or two more pages. Um, did he notice I turned the manuscript in at 460 pages? That might lead one to believe that I'm not exactly succinct.) And I need to do some transition smoothing. It is almost done.

I'd love to spread out my copy edits on the kitchen table and work on the laptop there, but the kitchen is wasp territory. And he especially likes the lights over the table. So nope, I'll be trying to work from the safe haven of my bedroom.

MN Weather Report: 57 degrees. Thunderstorms predicted.

I was determined that the wasp was going down. While I was at work, I psyched myself up. I had hair spray, I had spray starch. A wasp was going to die.

The sun was actually shining yesterday when I got home, so I expected to see my housemate by the window, trying to get out. But no wasp. Okay, the day before, it had been attracted to the kitchen light. I flipped it on. I put weapons on either side of the kitchen so I wouldn't be caught unprepared to squish him should he land somewhere. Then I stood back in the entryway and waited. Hair spray in one hand, wasp insecticide in the other. (Yeah, it was ineffectual against wasp number 2, but it had a longer range.)

Eyes scanning the sky (okay, the ceiling), I waited. And waited.

I decided to check email real quickly. By the time I was done, surely he'd be out and I could kill him then. But when I went back to check, the kitchen remained eerily wasp-free. I went back and worked on something else. No wasp.

But I was determined. I was ready. This thing was dying today--no matter what!

I'm taking an online class, so I worked on that for a while. Still no wasp. Finally, after nearly two hours, I decided I couldn't wait any more. I have revisions to work on and all my stuff is on the laptop. I had to get to them.

Despite repeated checks, I never saw the wasp.

It ended up being rather anti-climactic. Here I was, armed and dangerous (either to wasps or to myself) and I had no one to fire upon. But I find it oddly disquieting. Where is this wasp? I don't think I got enough spray starch on him Wednesday to kill him, but if I didn't, why wasn't he buzzing around the light? I've reached a state of paranoia. Whenever I open a drawer or a cabinet, wherever I go in the house, I'm afraid I'm going to have an angry wasp flying out at me.

I wish he'd made an appearance yesterday as he's been doing since Tuesday. I wish I'd had a chance to use my can of hair spray. I wish I'd killed him. Should be a fun, productive weekend when I'm already jumping at shadows.

MN Weather Report: 57 degrees.

The wasp and I still share living space. I'm not sure it knows I exist, but I'm very much aware of it. I came home yesterday and armed myself in the garage before entering the house. It's been gray and gloomy here, constantly raining, so I flipped on the kitchen light and cautiously headed to the computer room. Only to find my new housemate flying near the ceiling when I returned to the kitchen.

Unfortunately, he remained mostly near the kitchen light, circling among the three light bulbs and I never had a good bead on it. That didn't stop me from taking a shot. With the spray starch. My weapon jammed before it fired and then the starch certainly didn't spray very far. I got a little on him, but not enough to take him down. I've switched to hair spray. Hair spray is an amazing weapon and kills bugs, especially spiders, particularly well. This is the chief reason why I've stopped using it. Anything that's toxic, even to bugs, might not be the best thing to be spraying on my head. :-/

No open shots once I changed weapons. The wasp has gone to ground again and I don't know where he is. I wasn't quite as tense last night, although I did wake up at 1am enough to realize that, at some point, I'd put my glasses on and was sleeping in them. I'm guessing I did that so I'd be able to see the bastard coming. I know, I know, wasps don't come out when it's dark. But this is a mutant wasp that thinks my house is its new home. Who knows what this evil insect is capable of?

I need more info from the exterminator on this situation. I'm not sure if this wasp is going to gain energy or if it'll grow more sluggish trapped indoors. I am not happy.

To add to my pain, I grabbed the wrong instant coffee and didn't realize it till I started smelling cinnamon. It's not hideous, but I don't like it. Still, it's COFFEE, God's gift to humankind, and I'm not going back in the kitchen to make a cup out of my regular choice.

MN Weather Report: 57 degrees. Rain.

So I'm reading through the markup of my story yesterday afternoon and hear this noise. I look up, and there above my head, is the biggest wasp I've ever seen. =8-O I think I set the new land speed record as I ran away. Once I was safe, I needed a weapon. If you've read my previous wasp encounters, you'll know that the wasp spray didn't kill them--probably too old--and since I hadn't seen one in weeks, I hadn't bothered looking for a new can of spray when I was out shopping. Clearly, I needed a strategic weapon. I looked around wildly and my eyes alit on two choices: carpet spot remover or spray starch. I chose the spray starch.

As I watched from a safe distance, the thing kept flying around the kitchen light, but it wouldn't settle down. I tested my weapon, made certain it would fire. The wasp spray, aside from being old, also had misfired, leaving me shooting nothing but air at first in one of my previous alerts. The starch, however, was primed and ready. Good. Now all I needed was the enemy to pick a location to land.

It didn't. In fact, it started flying toward my defensive position. My reaction? I slammed the door shut. :-/ As I sat, watching the crack under the door in case the wasp decided to crawl under, I tried to work up my courage. I needed to kill this latest intruder. Ten, maybe fifteen, minutes later, I cautiously reopened the door, spray starch at the ready. No wasp.

My eyes scanned the kitchen. I checked out each room, cautiously, carefully. No wasp.

I grabbed my marked up copy of TACV, and with the manuscript in one hand and the can of spray starch in the other, I disappeared into my bedroom to work. But as I read, I continually scanned the sky, looking for my nemesis. He never showed up, but every tingle had me freaking out, scared that he'd snuck in and landed on me.

At 11pm last night, I finally conceded I had to quit reading and go to bed. But that meant returning to the--gasp--kitchen! =8-O I needed to close things up for the night.

Spray starch at hand, I made my way back to the dark kitchen. The wasp could be anywhere and I kept my finger on the trigger. Yeah, I know wasps sleep when the sun goes down, but this wasp was in the house with me. Clearly, he's a dangerous and unknown entity and must be approached with extreme caution. The previous wasps liked to fly near the windows, but I had to pull the shades down. I managed to check out one window and do that, but the other one... Well, I was certain I heard something.

I couldn't stick my hand in there. What if the wasp was holed up in there for the night? If only there were some way to stand at a distance and pull down the shade. Kitchen tongs! Yes, the kind you use to flip a steak. I retrieved them from the drawer, eyed the window a moment longer, and spray starch in my left hand, kitchen tongs in my right, I reached in, pinched the bottom of the shade and pulled it closed. Do I need to mention that it took me quite some time to fall asleep?

As we stand right now, the wasp is still loose, somewhere in the house. I'm afraid to open the shades again, even with kitchen tongs and I'm already worrying about putting stuff in my tote bag to take to work today or grabbing my jacket. The wasp could be ANYWHERE! And when I come home from work today, I'll have to deal with it.

MN Weather Report: 58 degrees and rain.

I received my revision letter on Monday. After a night where I'd had only a couple hours of sleep. Right now it looks pretty overwhelming, especially since I only have two weeks to do them. I'll spend one of those days going over the letter and the manuscript--I'm far enough away from the story that I can't remember everything clearly enough to figure things out just from the revision letter alone.

I was hyperventilating not having revisions, now I'm hyperventilating with revisions. Did I actually say I was impatient to get these things? What was I thinking???

MN Weather Report: 52 degrees.

I wasn't going to post anything since I heard about this from a friend, but since it's being discussed all over the place and on other blogs, I feel I can mention it without betraying a confidence.

Word came down today that Harlequin/Silhouette is discontinuing their sweet romance lines. Harlequin Romance and Silhouette Romance will end Sept 2006. The two lines will be replaced by one, new sweet romance line, edited out of London.

I'm still trying to figure this one out--why not simply discontinue one of the sweet lines and leave the other one since that is--in essence--what is being done anyway. My guess is that H/S is looking for a new image for the Harlequin Romance line, but that's only my guess. I have no intel on this aspect.

I think the title says it all.

I've never liked Mondays. I can't sleep on Sunday nights, so on Mondays the fatigue is incredible. Tylenol PM (or the equivalent) doesn't always work and even taking 1/3 of a caplet leaves me feeling drugged out until about 2pm on Monday afternoon. Last night was one of those nights where the Tylenol PM didn't work--which gives me the honor of being both exhausted and drugged out. Sigh.

The weekends are much too short. Saturday I went to my local writers group meeting, and that pretty much shot the day for anything else. And Sunday I slept so late (not something I try to do on Sundays because of my little sleep problem), and that messed me up too. Although, TBH, I'm not quite sure what I did on Sunday. I do know that it didn't involve writing. :-( I really need a kick in the butt, although it's hard to focus when the demon children are back and running wild through my brain.

MN Weather Report: 44 degrees. Just another day in paradise.

All the Amazon sites have Through A Crimson Veil available for preorder now. The link is to the US Amazon. :-)

TACV is also available for preorder at Books A Million.

The cover isn't up yet on either site, but it's getting exciting. Now if only my revisions were done and I could just focus on the fun events of the book. :-/

It was difficult to pick a topic this morning. There are two interesting discussions happening online that I'm itching to talk about, but I decided on this one since I think I can actually offer some helpful advice. Maybe. :-)

Writing and rejection seem to go hand in hand. It's such a subjective business. There isn't a writer out there that hasn't accumulated rejections. I remember my first conference--I was just investigating writing at that point--and Janet Evanovich was the speaker. Her topic? All the rejection letters she'd gotten. I think having this topic as my introduction to the world of writing was probably a good thing. Here was this published author (now a very successful published author) talking about all the rejection letters she'd racked up. Wow! So I knew from the outset that it wouldn't be easy.

And yet, when I received my first rejection letter, I gave up writing. I wasn't good enough, so what was the point? Keep in mind that I wasn't part of any writing chapter at that point and I didn't realize that I'd received the second best type of rejection note--one where the editor told me what I needed to work on.

For the non-writers or the new writers who haven't heard this before, there are three kinds of rejection letters.

1. The form rejection. The worst kind to get because it tells you exactly nothing. I've gotten this too. On the book I wrote right before I sold. I mention this to underline again how subjective the business is. Looking at the story, I know it wasn't publishable as is. I also know that the writing, characters and story were strong enough to sell with revision. The editor didn't think so because she just sent a form letter. Subjective. I guarantee you, if I rewrote that book--and it wouldn't even take that much work--I could sell it. And maybe I will--some day. Right now I have too many other stories calling me much more strongly than that one. I tend to look at it as part of my learning experience for right now. But use this as Exhibit A for why you shouldn't let any rejection stop you.
2. The personalized rejection. The editor will list in the letter what you need to work on. She (or he) has seen something in your writing and they're trying to help you. This should leave you excited. Look at what the editor felt needed work and then work on it. After I finish listing rejection types, I'll talk more about what I did after I got this kind of rejection.
3. The detailed rejection. The editor will actually go through your manuscript and mark it up with suggestions and issues. Usually, this kind of rejection involves a invitation to resubmit after the revisions have been made. If it doesn't, contact the editor and ask if you can resubmit after you revise. Believe me, no editor goes to this much work if they don't really like your manuscript.

Okay, so I received rejection number two, decided I totally sucked, and gave up writing. For six months. I couldn't stand it any longer--not writing. Just because I wasn't putting the stories down on paper didn't mean that the characters had stopped talking to me. I asked myself the pivotal question: Would I stop writing even if I knew I'd never get published? The answer was no. Writing was part of me, my passion. So it was time to get over it and consider what the rejection letter said was my weakness.

What did the editor cite as my problem? Two dimensional characters. I went to the library and checked out every single book they had that touched on how writers create characters. I read each one of them, I made notes, and I put what I learned to use.

The next rejection letter I received was number 3 on the list, the best kind to get. The editor went through with Post-It notes and marked things up for me. Her insight was a huge, huge help, and while I never sold that book, I learned from what she said. I'll always be grateful that this editor took the time to do this because it improved my storytelling to a huge degree.

Was I this excited and thankful when I actually received the letter of rejection? Um, not exactly. At least by this time, I'd hooked up with other writers and realized I'd gotten a great rejection letter, but they still sting. I think this was the beginning of what I call my Twenty-Four Hour Rule. It's a simple one. No matter how horrible the news I receive is, I only allow myself 24 hours to wallow. I honor the emotion, allow myself to feel it, and then when the 24 hours are up, I have to start getting over it. No exceptions.

I highly recommend the 24 hour rule and it applies to everything, not just writing. No, sometimes it isn't easy to put it behind you and move on, I know, but do it anyway.

I've had a lot of practice putting the 24 hour rule to use. Rejections don't stop once you get published. In fact, I've accumulated a lot more rejections since I sold than I ever have while I was unpublished and I get a lot less information now--or so it seems. Bad reviews? The 24 hour rule. Mean-spirited comments? The 24 hour rule.

Too many talented writers have given up on themselves too soon because they've received rejections. I'm a big believer in Never Give Up. How badly do you want to write? How badly do you want to share your stories with others? That's the question. What's your answer?

MN Weather Report: 48 degrees.

For a year or more, I'd been toying with the idea of putting my research links on my website. I even started to create a page, but it was so much work and took so much time, that I quickly abandoned the thought. There are days I barely have enough time to write, let alone keep up with the hundreds of bookmarks I have.

Then I stumbled on a website called Del.icio.us and the idea of social bookmarks. It made bookmarking my links online much easier than what I was attempting to do on my website. For the last few weeks, I've been slowly adding links to my user account. I've made great progress. Nearly all my research links are up and a large selection of other links as well.

Some of these links are odd, some of them are interesting. Some I've marked as research because I might need them "some day." Others I've already used on projects. Nearly every site I tagged as "research" also has other tags to help narrow down what it involves.

So, without further ado, here are my Research Links. I hope someone finds them useful. While you're there, take a chance to explore Del.icio.us as well. The bookmarks are heavily geared toward computer stuff, but there also some gems in there. This site is great to browse and find new sites that are fun, fascinating or helpful. Sometimes all three.

MN Weather Report: 44 degrees.

The newest Crimson City cover is up on Carolyn Jewel's website and it's absolutely fabulous!!! Dorchester's art department has really outdone themselves on this series and they've always come up with some of the best covers out there.

In Crimson Veil news, I had an email from my editor yesterday afternoon and he promised me at least two weeks to work on revisions, so I've managed to calm down a little bit. I was deathly afraid I was going to have like three days or something. I still wish I'd received the revisions a few weeks ago and that I was able to really take my time, but two weeks is doable.

MN Weather Report: 43 degrees. Wind Chill: 39 degrees.

Yesterday I received an email from my editor--my official editor, not the editor I've worked with on TPOT or TACV. Kate is leaving Dorchester and going to Berkley. It was such a surprise to get that note. Not that I'm plugged in to the NYC publishing world, but it's just that despite all the turn over of editorial assistants, Dorchester has been stable at the editor level since I've been there. Granted, I've only been bought there a little over three years, but still. Kate picked up my first book and she bought the book I'm writing now for release in 2006. It's sad to see her leave.

I've heard about authors being orphaned, but I don't really feel that lost. After all, I have worked for another editor at Dorch for two books, and the woman taking over the position copy edited Ravyn's Flight and loved it, so I'm getting someone who likes my work as my new editor. Plus I've emailed with her back and forth for a while and have talked with her at conferences, so I'm confident things will be fine for me. I'm wishing Kate the best at Berkley, and Leah the best as editor at Dorch.

In other news, still no revisions for TACV and I found some strands of gray hair when I looked in the mirror! =8-O I promptly yanked them out.

MN Weather Report: 43 degrees. Wind Chill: 35 degrees.

I wanted to talk about something different today. Really. But I've reached a point of total obsession with TACV and the fact that I STILL don't have revisions. I'm pretty much incapable of thinking about anything else for five minutes, let alone long enough to write about some other topic. I'm teetering between rampant hysteria and fatalistic resignation right now.

So, since I'm incapable of blogging about anything this morning, I'm going to include some great Time Waster links.

In this Game, you fly a helicopter and try not to crash into any obstacles. Good luck.

Net Disaster isn't quite as addictive, but it's mildly amusing to set disaster loose on the website of your choice. You can go for total destruction or have the site repair itself as the attack continues. Being a futuristic writer, I chose the alien invasion. :-)

From destruction, we move to creation. Art Pad lets you paint, and when your inner artist is satisfied, you can see your work hanging in a gallery. You get to choose what the surrounding paintings look like. I had a lot of fun over here and actually stopped thinking about my lack of revisions for the time I was creating my masterpiece. ;-)

Oh, I almost forgot! The Power of Two is a Beacon finalist for Best Paranormal/Fantasy/Sci Fi. Another finalist posted the list on our author loop. I never heard anything officially and neither had a third finalist on the list. Interesting.

MN Weather Report: 54 degrees.

Okay, today is May 10th and I still have no revisions for a book that needs to be typeset before Memorial Day. Anxiety/hyperventilation is slowly edging toward hysteria. Perhaps slowly is the wrong word, the pace might be a bit more rapid than that. :-/

I'm a perfectionist--and while I've accepted I'll never write a perfect book--that doesn't mean I don't want to try. But I need time to do revisions. Gah! Something tells me I'll be burning more vacation from the day job to get this done.

I know editors are overworked and way busier than they should have to be, but not all authors have the luxury of writing full time. Don't I wish! Some of the changes they think are small, end up being huge deals that require taking apart half the book to make work. If I end up with something like that on this story, I'm completely and totally sunk. Or completely and totally sleepless.

I've talked about this with several published friends--how we bust our butts to get things done on time, only to have the manuscript/proposal/etc. sit and sit until we have to bust our butts again to make another impossibly short deadline for revisions or some other aspect of the book. Sigh. I know, editors are overworked, but so are authors.

Right now, I'm running through all my obligations and responsibilities and trying to think what can be put off and what can't. The day job is the biggest time hog, and since I already burned so much vacation to get this book in on time, the one I'm least able to put aside. If I don't get revisions today, tomorrow's post on the blog will be chock full of rampant hysteria. I wish I was joking, but I'm already halfway there.

MN Weather Report: 56 degrees.

I've been reading articles and other blogs on how to blog. I want to improve here and be more interesting. In my quest for knowledge, I stumbled across this blog. It was bit disheartening to realize I've committed many, if not all, of the sins listed here. At least I've refrained from mentioning what I had for breakfast. But as I continued reading and began thinking about it, I decided I disagree with some of the suppositions made here.

First, the assumption seems to be that all blogs should be news blogs, filling in "the nooks and crannies of information available, if you will, and to make the Internet a more efficient research tool by voting with their links for its best content"

Um, no, I don't think so. A blog can have a theme that has nothing to do with picking up where the NY Times left off. The important thing is the promise a particular blog writer makes to their audience. I've never promised to supplement the mainstream media. My purpose in beginning a blog was to give a glimpse into a published author's life, in particular my life. Some days I'll talk about how my writing is going, other days I'll talk about something interesting I found on the net while I should have been writing, and on yet other days, it'll be another topic. I'm willing to gear this blog to address what people would like to see, but I'm not striving to be a news outlet either.

The author's second assumption seems to be that a web "diary" holds no interest for anyone except the vain blogger as they talk on and on about themselves. Here I'll admit he has a point--now. As I was surfing the blogosphere, I was amazed by how many spam blogs and what I had for breakfast blogs were out there. However, while the diary blogs are not all that interesting now, some day archeologists, anthropologists and historians are going to be in raptures over the vast amount of day to day life they have to wade through. Today, historical diaries, like from the Civil War, give a more complete look at the world back then than any history book can give. This isn't banal--even if it isn't that interesting now.

"If weblogs are to enhance the Internet itself -- not just authors' misplaced vanities, weblog creators should recognize that their contributions to the Internet are important to a world of curious readers and take them -- and, by implication, themselves -- much more seriously than the exercises in vain banality their sites have become."

But who said weblogs were responsible for enhancing the internet? Granted, when I do a search while I'm looking for research information for a point in a book I'm writing, I don't want to end up on some teenager's blog, but on the other hand, I believe blogs are what they are--a forum. It's like television, if the program doesn't interest you, turn the channel.

This blogger needs to lighten up. If there are bloggers out there who want to change the world, hurrah! Go to it. As for me, well, I have a book due December 1st, I'm waiting for revisions on my October book and I'm trying to get things organized to promote Crimson Veil. I don't have time to "enhance the internet," I'm too busy just trying to write and work full time.

MN Weather Report: 62 degrees.

I opened the paper this morning and saw this article with a map of the United States rendered in different colors along side a large can of pop. Curious about this, I read the article. They were talking about what people called pop in different parts of the country. (Yes, my Minnesota roots are showing because it is most definitely pop here, not soda, not coke, not anything else.) There's even a website devoted to this. Of course, I had to check it out. :-)

I admit to a fascination with linguistics and what regional differences there are across the United States. I even took a linguistics class in college. I clicked on Minnesota on the Pop Vs Soda results page and someone suggested a website devoted to the lunch versus supper versus dinner debate. :-)

Yesterday was a pretty relaxing day, despite my stressing over not having my revisions yet. I got caught up on email--mostly--although people answered me, which put me behind again. I also finished putting together the graphics and text for my Crimson Veil bookmark. It's ready to send to the printer as soon as I make arrangements with them. And I did the quiz for lesson six in my CSS class. Now we're finally getting into the fun stuff--the meat of the course. I'm itching to use what I've learned, but any kind of web design is going to need to wait for a while.

Nothing too exciting, right? Somehow, though, I think things are about to become more exciting than I can stand! :-) Just the frantic race to finish revisions should be enough to enliven my life. Although, it won't translate into interesting blog entries. I would like to do one or two more characterization posts--one about issues and growth and another about how the paranormal/futuristic elements should play a role in who the characters are, but I'm not sure when I'm going to get to these topics.

MN Weather Report: 63 degrees.

Well, here's the news I'm sure y'all have been waiting for. The fifth book in the Crimson City series is going to be written by Jade Lee! After all this time, I was beginning to wonder what was going on, but the series will be six books. Yea!!!

However, it turned out that I didn't have the scoop I thought I had. I found out that the news was out at the Romantic Times conference in St. Louis last week. My inner journalist is crushed. :-/

Yesterday I received a disk with the files used to create my cover. I spent hours working on the art for my Crimson Veil bookmark and it looks much better than if I'd only had the cover art to work from. The bookmarks are 6 inches by 2 inches and the cover art looks stretched at that proportion. Now I just need to contact the printer and get these babies made. :-)

And since I love quizzes, here's another one. Which Monty Python Character Are You? Here's my answer:



Well, u-- um, can we come up and have a look?


What Monty Python Character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla



MN Weather Report: 58 degrees.

I have a news scoop!

I'm sure I know who will be writing the 5th book in the Crimson City series!

Nothing has been announced on our loop yet, and until it is, I don't feel like I can give the author's name, but my inner journalist is all excited. (I started college as a journalism major before switching to advertising.)

It was so funny how I found this out too. I rarely go into my listing of groups that I belong to, but yesterday afternoon I was doing lesson 5 (synchronicity? =8-O ) in my Cascading Style Sheets class and one of the suggested links involved signing up for a group that discussed CSS. I didn't, but since I was in that area anyway, I decided to glance at my list of groups. I'm just paging down, looking for nothing in particular, when I notice the number of subscribers to the Crimson loop had gone up by one. Of course, I had to check it out.

And that's when I discovered the author for book 5. Has to be.

I don't feel like I can reveal the name here until something has officially been said to us on the loop, but as soon as the word is given, I'll share. :-)

MN Weather Report: 52 degrees.

I found a fun site that analyzes your full name. There's a theory that the energy of your name influences who you are. I don't know if I buy that, but it's entertaining to see what the verdict is. :-)

NAME ANALYSIS FOR: Patti O'Shea

---

Patti:
You don't fair well under inharmonious conditions. You are very peace loving. You can get very upset when you are frustrated. You have much enthusiasm with a driving attitude toward achievement in life. Your privacy is important to you. You have a rich inner life. You need to learn faith in place of fear. You are relatively demonstrative in your affections. You enjoy being stroked verbally and physically.

O'Shea:

Your privacy is important to you. You are protective of family and family name. You are tenacious and never give up. You try to be prudent. You have good business acumen. You work hard to achieve material success through your own efforts. You can be quite inventive and quite curious. You have a need to be up front.

Hmm. Well, some things aren't right--at least I sure don't think they are--but there are also some very accurate things.

I'm still waiting for revisions on Through a Crimson Veil. I emailed the editor and he's not done reading it--and has about a dozen other things to do too. Gah! I was right about how short the time frame is and I'm hyperventilating every time I think about trying to make revisions with almost zero time to do them.

And I finished chapter 5 in Temple of Dreams yesterday. It seemed to take forever, but to write the darn thing, but I've been very distracted lately and very tired.

MN Weather Report: 57 degrees.

I'm already running late and I haven't even started yet! Gah! I'll try to list as many of the ten remaining books on my most reread list as possible, though. Again, these titles are listed in no particular order, this is just how I found them on my bookshelves.

• Ransom by Julie Garwood - Historical Romance 1999 ~ I'm not much of a historical romance reader, but Julie Garwood is the exception. I adore her stories and totally lose track of time when I'm reading her. Lady Gillian does what she has to in order to rescue a small boy and return him to his parents. She didn't realize quite what she was getting into when she claimed the hero as her fiance. Now that she's made the claim, Brodick Buchanan has no intention of letting her go. Great alpha hero, wonderful heroine who is strong enough to be his match and endure everything it takes to save a young boy. I love most of Ms Garwood's historicals, but this one is extra special.


• Remember My Heart by Janis Reams Hudson - Paranormal Romance 1995 ~ This book deals with reincarnation. The hero and heroine have loved each other in a past life, but their lives were cut short by a vindictive woman who was jealous. Now, in this life, the heroine has been having dreams since she was a small child of this other life. Imagine her surprise when she reads a novel and sees the details of her dreams. Intrigued, she goes to meet the author, and although he doesn't believe in reincarnation, even he can't deny the powerful pull to a woman he's just met. This is probably my favorite reincarnation romance. It's not a perfect book, but the imperfections are easy to overlook because the story is so wonderful!


• The Adventuress by M.J. Rodgers - Harlequin American #520 1994 ~ I totally love this book! The premise makes me think of a movie called "American Dreamer" which I also loved. In the book, the heroine is a librarian and the author of adventure novels. On a trip to Hawaii, her helicopter is hijacked and they crash in the waters off one of the Hawaiian islands. She and the pilot swim to safety--no mean feat--but she's hit her head and now thinks she's the protagonist from her adventure novels--Roxanne Rainey. And she starts acting like Roxanne instead of her usual, timid self. The hero falls for Roxanne, only to find out she's not who she says she is. Great action-adventure romance and a heroine who transforms herself.


• Imminent Thunder by Rachel Lee - Silhouette Shadows #10 1993 ~ A wonderful paranormal romance. The heroine is a nurse who's moved to Florida and bought a new house. She works nights, and when she comes home from work one morning, she thinks she sees someone at the window. Knowing not to enter the house, she runs to her neighbor, a retired airborne ranger who keeps to himself. Ian immediately takes charge. He doesn't find anyone, but he doesn't write off her weird experiences either. As Honor, the heroine, grows closer to Ian, she discovers he's telepathic. Unlike everyone else in his life, it doesn't bother her. Paranormal, a military hero and action--who could ask for more?


• Dreamer's Heart by Lynn Turner - paranormal Romantic Suspense 1996 ~ This book was eclipsed when it was released and it's a crying shame since it's so darn good! The heroine is psychic and starts dreaming of a serial bomber. When she goes to the police, the hero writes her off as a member of the screwball brigade. Only when the next bomb goes off and it's exactly like the heroine described. Rhys shows up on Faith's doorstep and wants answers. Not the usual psychic/cop antagonism. He quickly grows to believe in her and the two of them forge a link between them. And they need it if they want to get the bomber and both stay alive. If you're open to paranormal romance mixed with your romantic suspense, hunt down a copy of this book. It's wonderful!


• Wife Most Unlikely by Linda Varner - Silhouette Romance # 1068 1995 ~ I'm a sucker for romances where the heroine falls in love with her best friend and this is one of the best! Laney moves home with the help of her best friend, Jack. Only a night trapped by a hurricane brings out some romantic feelings neither of them expected. Both of them are fighting it, but it becomes harder and harder to resist the pull. Fun story and a sexy hero!


• The Crystal Prophecy by Janice Tarantino - Futuristic Romance 1995 ~ This is a great futuristic romance and one I recommend frequently. The heroine is from modern day Earth and is having what she thinks are dreams that include a gorgeous man. He thinks he's dreaming too, but Jared is from the future. The Widows are at work, looking to join Susan and Jared so they can fight the evil unleashed in their world. I totally love this story and I wish Ms Tarantino was still writing. Her world and her characters are great!


• All For Quinn by Kay Hooper - Loveswept #631 1993 ~ This is book 4 of the Men Of Mysteries Past series. I'll admit to rereading the earlier books only to see Quinn and Morgan together. They meet in book 1 and their sparring continues through books 2 and 3, but they don't get their own romance until book 4. Quinn is a renowned cat burglar, Morgan is in charge of a museum exhibition that is calling thieves like a siren song. Despite her total distaste of the profession, Morgan can't help being intrigued by Quinn and vice versa. Only there's more going on here than meets the eye. The big mystery from the previous books is concluded and all the twists and turns wrapped up neatly. All For Quinn completely stands alone, but the earlier books give some background. And it's also so much fun to see Quinn! Don't bother with Hooper's rewritten versions of the Men of Mysteries Past series--it doesn't hold a candle to the original--but hunt down All For Quinn. Yummy hero and a great romance!


• Stolen Hearts by Michelle Martin - Humorous Romantic Suspense 1997 ~ I mentioned before that I love books with thieves, and here's another one. I love, love, love this book. The heroine is a former cat burglar working to bring down the man who'd put her to work as a child. To do it, she pretends to be the granddaughter of a very rich woman. The hero is the grandmother's attorney. Laugh out loud funny in places, Stolen Hearts also has some suspense woven in it. There are all kinds of questions that arise and answers seem hard to come by. I've enjoyed all of Ms Martin's contemporaries and I keep waiting to see a new book from this author. Unfortunately, it's been a long time without a release.


• "Lake of Dreams" by Linda Howard, a novella in the Everlasting Love anthology - contemporary romance 1995 ~ This novella also made my highest rated list. As I mentioned in that previous post, I usually end up disappointed in novellas because the author doesn't have enough length to unfold her wings and really tell her story. Ms Howard has written what may be the best novella of all time. She gets every aspect necessary for a great story in here and does it in so few pages! This story has a reincarnation theme and a h/h who are instantly drawn to each other when they meet. But there are things in their past lives that might come back to haunt them here and now too. Great story--I can't recommend it highly enough.

There! I made it! My top twenty rereads. There are other books, of course, that I reread from time to time, but none with the regularity of these stories. Not all of them are perfect, but each and every one of them had something that drew me in and held me--and made me want to revisit the stories again and again.

MN Weather Report: 38 degrees.

I listed the books I gave the highest ratings too in my database last week, but these weren't necessarily books I reread. It made me start thinking, though, what were the books I reread most often? I was going to go with my top 10, but I had a few too many for that, so it's going to be a top twenty list. :-)

These titles are in no particular order, just how I found them as I looked through my bookshelves.

1. The Skypirate by Justine Davis - futuristic 1995 ~ This title made my top ten highest rated books too. I don't want to repeat myself, so I'll just say that IMO, this is the best futuristic that's been written.
   


2. Cool Under Fire by Justine Davis - Silhouette Intimate Moments #444 1992 ~ This is the first romance I remember reading that had a heroine that really was "Cool Under Fire." Her brother is a Navy intelligence officer who becomes friends with a civilian troubleshooter. This troubleshooter ends up nearly unconscious on her bed and she more than holds her own with him. Great story!
   


3. The Morning Side of Dawn by Justine Davis - Silhouette Intimate Moments #674 1995 ~ Fabulous, touching story. Hero is disabled and has withdrawn from society. The heroine is a drop-dead gorgeous supermodel who's dealt with people not looking beyond the surface to who she is inside. Together, these two people manage to heal each other. I can't say enough good things about this book.
   


4. Midnight Rainbow by Linda Howard - Silhouette Intimate Moments #129 1986 ~ I found Linda Howard late, but thankfully, I was able to hunt down her backlist and found this little gem. Actually, nearly all her books are gems, but this one is extra good. The hero is hired by the heroine's father to rescue her. She's been kidnapped and held hostage in South America. Only Jane isn't sitting around, waiting to be rescued--she has her own plans to escape. A quirky, kick-butt heroine, one who shakes the hero's world up good. Gotta love that!
   


5. Shades of Twilight by Linda Howard - romantic suspense 1997 ~ Not only does this book have mystery and suspense, it has deep, deep emotion. The heroine has been systematically stripped her self-esteem by an older, jealous cousin, who later ends up murdered. Ten years later, though, Roanna has come into her own and is a match for the hero--in her own quietly stubborn way. Definitely a few places that bring tears to the eyes, especially the scene that starts when Webb says, "What in the hell have y'all done to Roanna?"
   


6. Kill and Tell by Linda Howard - romantic suspense 1998 ~ Marc Chastain--need I say more? Talk about one hot hero! A friend and I were at the Romance Writers of America conference the year it was in New Orleans and we went looking for the places Ms Howard described in the French Quarter. We even took pictures of the police station where Marc must have worked. ;-) This book has a bit more suspense than romance, but the romance is still more than strong enough to satisfy. And then there's Marc Chastain.
   


7. Gift of Gold by Jayne Ann Krentz - romance with light suspense 1993 ~ The hero tracks the heroine all the way from Mexico to the Pacific Northwest. He's a former professor who left academia because of his psychic talent. With the heroine's help, however, he can control it and explore his abilities. The heroine thinks he's wasting his time as a dishwasher in her restaurant and isn't shy about letting him know it. She's also disturbed by the attraction between them. JAK gets the psychic stuff right which really pleases me.