Plot Monkeys

FRIDAY’S CONTEST:

Laura J. (Comment #12)

CONGRATULATIONS, Laura! Please contact me at janelledenison@sbcglobal.net with your mailing address, and to let me know which one of my backlist books you’d liked autographed. (Depending on availability. Sorry, but BORN TO BE WILDE is not available at this time.)

And now for the Sunday funny:

Eddie wanted desperately to have sex with this really cute, really hot girl in his office… but she was dating someone else.

One day Eddie got so frustrated that he went to her and said, “I’ll give you $100 if you let me have sex with you…”The girl looked at him, and then said, “NO!”

Eddie said, “I’ll be real fast. I’ll throw the money on the floor, you bend down and I’ll finish by the time you’ve picked it up.”

She thought for a moment and said that she would consult with her boyfriend…so she called him and explained the situation. Her boyfriend says, “Ask him for $200, and pick up the money really fast. He won’t even be able to get his pants down.” She agreed and accepts the proposal.

Over half an hour goes by and the boyfriend is still waiting for his girlfriend’s call. Finally, after 45 minutes the boyfriend calls and asks what happened…?

Still breathing hard, she managed to reply, “The bastard had all quarters!”

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ONE LAST REMINDER! Janelle and Leslie’s “Find the Common Scene” contest is coming to an end on September 30th (today!), but if you haven’t entered yet, you can still do so until the end of today. Thanks to all who have entered so far! Here’s a quick rundown of the contest information and rules one last time:

Just purchase your copies of OVEREXPOSED by Leslie Kelly (Harlequin Blaze, available late August 2007) and BORN TO BE WILDE by Janelle Denison (Berkley, available late August or early September 2007). Read both books, find the shared scene in each book, and send an email to: plotmonkeyscontest@gmail.com listing the scene and the page numbers from each book. You must be specific with the scene and the page numbers from each of our books!

A grand prize winner will be selected at random from all correct entries and will receive a $50 gift certificate from Amazon.com. Two runners up will each receive a backlist book of their choice.

Today’s guest blogger is a very special woman. She’s rip-roaringly funny (though she’ll tell you she’s not…don’t believe her) and she’s a super talented author. A few years ago, she was a finalist in Dorchester’s American Title contest and as a result, had her first book, the historical TRUE PRETENSES published.

Since then, Karen has struggled to find where she fits into the publishing arena. She’s a writer that I look to for inspiration because she’s so dedicated to her dream. I’m really excited to have her here at Plotmonkeys…with a message that is straight from the heart….but is guaranteed to get your butt in your chair with your fingers on the keyboard!
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I’ve always loved to write. After I grew up and got my very own place, I’d come home from work and spend evenings and weekends writing novels on my portable typewriter. People sneered that I didn’t have a life, ostensibly because it didn’t mirror theirs. My life with the characters I created was my own, and I loved it.

Except for the keys, the typewriter had none of the features of today’s computers. I didn’t have to go out and buy a whole new keyboard every time—make that every day—I slopped coffee on it. No goofing around with different fonts, because there was only one. No changing characters’ names every week. (’Fess up: How many of you have used “Find and Replace” to give your villain the same name—if only temporarily—as your boss-from-hell, or your two-timing ex, or even that snotty girl with the oil-free hair, oil-free complexion, and fully formed bazoombas, who taunted you for being her opposite back in seventh grade?)

With the typewriter, I had nothing between me and the blank page except the wheels of my imagination. No editing or cutting and pasting as I went, and—perhaps best of all—no crashing hard drives resulting in the loss of all my work because I was too lazy to back it up. (’Fess up: Can any of you come up with a better any other reason for not backing up your work?)

I didn’t have to worry about a thing except writing the book, even if most of it was dreck. But I loved it.

As the years went by, and the manuscripts (and rejection letters) stacked up, I got married, became a stay-at-home mom, and let my husband persuade me that the computer made life much easier than my corroded, beat up, faithful old typewriter. He was right. But with the daily demands of raising three autistic children and tracking down my husband’s misplaced keys, it became increasingly harder to get my tush in the chair every day to write, until it dropped to the very bottom of my list of things important to me (the writing, not my backside).

Oh, I tried all the old tricks to get back into the groove. Like carrying a spiral notebook in my purse, or as I like to call it, “The Black Hole.” Enough said.

Or re-reading what I’d written so far to put myself “in the mood” to write new stuff. That’s where my Word program ceased to be the angel on my shoulder, offering sound advice to help make my book the best it could be. Instead it morphed into “Word Devil”, who lured me astray into a dark, vicious cycle of perpetual self-editing, till I polished and sanded all the life out of the three chapters I’d managed to write—and in so doing, sucked the joy out of writing altogether.

My favorite trick was rewarding myself with a chocolate for every page I wrote. This worked so well that soon I was too busy writing pages to stop and eat the chocolates I’d earned. Then my husband offered me a chocolate for each bathroom tile I chiseled free of soap scum, followed by a chocolate for every picket of fence I whitewashed. Before I knew it, I was back to landscaping, car detailing, and some light roofing, while he took over the computer to play “Beast Slayer IV: Conquest of the Nine Galactic Kingdoms of Lasotania.” I’m too embarrassed to admit how many months went by before I realized he’d stopped tossing chocolates my way.

Then he gave me a laptop for Christmas, a sure sign he still believed in what I’d always loved to do—or maybe he was just tired of having to share the desktop. Yet by then, my writing kavorka was so bad, I couldn’t even get started on a new book.

Julie (the only fellow writer I know diabolical enough to do this) played on my worst fears to get my rear in gear: She told me if I didn’t write three chapters and a synopsis by a date less than a month hence, I would have to apply for a job with a certain well known major retailer, whose career opportunities my husband is notorious for half-jokingly suggesting to me.

That worked, as did a surprise reward from fellow writer Phyllis, aka “The Good Cop who doesn’t have an uncle named Guido.”

But then I stumbled to a halt again, not knowing where to go from there, especially with a synopsis that was a less effective sales tool than my weekly grocery list.

That’s when Cheryl, a participant on our chapter’s Book Challenge loop (members write a book in a year for the chance to win a prize at year’s end), came up with an idea she got from another loop: Write 100 words every day, for 100 days.

What I’ve written here, up to this sentence, is a little over 800 words. Surely I could do an eighth of this each day?

It seemed like a simple enough challenge, so I started doing it—and I easily topped 100 words every day. Before long, my two most endearing traits—greed and competitiveness—kicked in with a vengeance, and I woke up each morning wanting to write more than I’d written the day before, just to see if I could break a new record.

Suddenly, my writing was once again a priority. Just as I needed that cup of coffee first thing each morning, I needed to write every day. I found myself using it to fill in little gaps during the day. When there were 20 minutes remaining before the 5 o’clock newscast, I used that time to knock out 300 words.

I became such a fiend about producing words each day, I stopped worrying about all the little things that had been bogging me down—little things the Word Devil had whispered and at times even yelled in my ear. I plucked him off my shoulder, stuffed him screaming into The Black Hole never to be seen again, and just wrote. Granted, most of what I wrote was superfluous rubbish that seemed to serve no purpose other than to inflate the daily word count, but I also knew I could always go back and fix it later. The important thing was I was writing, getting the words down, and filling that blank page—because there was nothing else to do with it.

It was like being back on my old typewriter again, with nothing between me and those long empty stretches of white space . . . except the freshly greased wheels of my wildly spinning imagination.

On Day 1 of those 100 days, I wrote 549 words. My lowest daily count was 226; my highest 3,218 on the day I finally typed THE END—not on Day 100, but Day 75. The total word count of the book was about 20,000 words over what it should’ve been.

That hadn’t happened since I wrote those early manuscripts now holding up my bed. Now I want to do the challenge again—just as soon as I go back and fix the aforementioned rubbish.

Try it yourself. A hundred words is really nothing, and can take less than a quarter of an hour. Don’t worry if it’s rubbish. Thanks to the computer, you can always fix it later, and it’ll be easier than if you had that typewriter. Make your internal editor—the Word Angel—cool her wings until the book is done. Cast the Word Devil out of the details. His ultimate aim is to take you away from your writing and make you waste time on something less fulfilling and more futile—like housework.

Still stumped? Try picking a “word for the day.” Nothing common or outlandish, but challenging enough to make you think of how to use it in your story. An example is “slug.” It can be in any form—a noun (garden slug, slugs from a shotgun) or a verb. (Out of ammo, she slugged him with the butt of her shotgun.) Write at least 100 words, and make sure “slug” is one of them. Then pick another word—like “bubbles”—and rinse and repeat. See where this exercise takes your story. Like me, you may find yourself writing more than you intended—and that’s worth a lot of chocolate!

All you need is that blank page and the power of your imagination—that same power you’ve always had, that made you fall in love with writing in the first place.

And with that, there’s only one thing to do.

Just write.
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I know we’re still in September, but October is three days away, and since my giveaways are always the last week of the month, I wanted to kick off October by making everyone aware of the fact that it’s Breast Cancer Awareness month.

During October, I always like to giveaway prizes that will benefit Breast Cancer research — as well as remind everyone to get your yearly mammogram done! This year, I’m giving away a gorgeous COACH Breast Cancer Awareness Multi-Charm Keyfob (retail value $58.00). The best thing about having purchased this keyfob is the fact that 20% of the proceeds from each keyfob sale will support the Breast Cancer Research Foundation!

Winners will also receive an autographed book of their choice from my backlist (Depending on availability. Sorry, BORN TO BE WILDE isn’t available at this time).

Most of you know the drill! All you have to do to enter today’s contest is post anything below, then check back on Sunday to see if you’re the winner! Once you’re done entering your post here, please be sure to click on the Breast Cancer Site link below and click on the pink button to help support giving FREE mammograms to women who need them, but can’t afford them!

HELP SAVE THE TATTA’S! CLICK HERE TO GIVE FREE MAMMOGRAMS!

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Visit Romance Reviews Today’s Blog to read an interview with Carly!

I’m becoming more and more aware of just how much time I spend on the internet on a daily basis and I’m truly shocked by what I see. I’m spending HOURS on the internet. Not just one or two, but a whole lot more. The internet has become this huge, endless vortex of information (some of it good, a whole lot of it completely useless!), and it’s also become a huge mainstay of my life. And not necessarily in a good way since I’m noticing just how much time I’m wasting cruising the World Wide Web.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the internet and having access to just about everything I could possibly need or think of. And I’ve met so many great people via email and the internet that I never would have met otherwise. Researching something for a book is a breeze and just a matter of “googling” a topic to get the information I need - - and then some. Most of my shopping is done over the internet, and I love the fact that I can now comparison shop and find the best prices in the comfort of my own home before buying something - - instead of driving from store to store in search of what I’m looking for. The downside to that is that I probably buy far more than I need, because of that “easy access”. Another downside is the fact that I work at home, on my computer, which makes the internet such a great procrastination tool. It’s just one click away at all times.

I can spend hours reading other people’s blogs (and of course THEY have links to even more blogs that sound interesting and I must read!), checking my book stats on Amazon and reading reviews, shopping for things I don’t really need, spend time clicking around MySpace, seeing what’s new at QVC or on Ebay, and checking my email way too many times. You get my drift. I can waste hours on the internet doing everything under the sun, but nothing that matters in the big scheme of things. All those hours just becomes “wasted time”, and I honestly, truly, hate that. Yet, I can’t stop myself!

I can hardly remember what I did with all the time I had before the internet became such an addiction, and that’s what I’m beginning to believe it is for me, personally. An addiction. Something I can’t live without. Which is ridiculous because I lived without the internet for 30+ years and did just fine! In fact, I know I had more time to do other things that I no longer do for LACK of time. Like read two books a week (now I’m lucky if I read 1 a month!), or doing a complicated cross-stitch project, which I used to love to do! I haven’t cross-stitched in years, and I miss creating those projects –but it all takes time that I no longer have. Because of how much time I now spend cruising the internet!

I know I can’t be alone in my addiction. There has to be a few of you out there that are nodding your heads because you completely understand my dilemma.

So here’s a few questions for you all to ponder, and answer, today. How many hours do you spend on the internet every day? Do you feel it has become an obsession/addiction for you? And what would you do with all the FREE time you had in a day as a result of not having the internet any longer to distract you and suck up your time?

You know I’m a freak for all things Disney. And sometimes these things are scary accurate.

Take this Quiz

The Disney Heroine Quiz

You are Megara. Megara is not your typical damsel in distress. Although she is weak in body, she is strong in mind and spirit. She will not let anyone get away with anything she doesn’t like. You are probably quick-witted and sarcastic like Meg. Despite her sharp words, Meg just wants someone to love and be loved in return. She has a deep love, but not many people can earn it. Meg is a guarded spirit, but rightfully so. You may not have the best behaved friends, but you love them and they love you. You’ll find a man who is either a total bad boy or someone like Hercules, who is a gentle person. Either way, you win.
Take this quiz!

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Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

She’s from Hercules, in case you didn’t know. I loved that movie, even though it hasn’t been recognized as one of Disney’s best. I was hoping for Mulan, but if I can’t have her, Meg is a nice choice.

She sings one of my absolute favorite songs. Enjoy!

When I was a kid growing up in MD, one big event we always looked forward to in the fall was the county fair. Now, this area is hugely agricultural, despite being less than an hour from DC and Baltimore, so the fair is still a really big deal around here. The schools are all closed one day during fair week so the kids can attend, and lots of kids miss the entire week of school because they’re living in the barns showing their animals!

Last year, hubby and I went with my two younger daughters and had a complete ball. We spent a lot of time in the animal barns, especially with the baby animals who’d been born during fair week, and the alpacas because they’re so darn cute and fuzzy! And the whole time, we were calling my oldest on her cell phone and holding it up leaving her messages with nothing but mooing, oinking, squealing, and this odd little sad cry the alpacas make. She was so jealous that I had to promise we’d bring her up for the event this year. So, yes, I this year, I flew my 19 year old totally liberal peace-love-hippie-city girl here from Florida so she could attend the Great Frederick Fair.

Unfortunately, this fall is a whole lot warmer than last year. The fair just loses something if you go when it’s too hot. I have such strong childhood memories of walking the midway, smelling the sizzling sausage sandwiches, funnel cake, cotton candy, corn dogs, candy apples and popcorn, listening to the barkers shout at you, hearing the ding of the games, watching the brilliant colors of the ferris wheel reflected on the ground, agonizing over how to spend your limited number of tickets on the various rides, all in cold, crisp autumn weather. Just wonderful sense memories.

But this past week it was about 85, hot, crowded, and not nearly as fun as it was last year. Oh, believe me, I sampled all the food…I mean ALL the food! But I only did one ride and just felt like leaving an hour after we got there.

I was very disappointed for my oldest daughter. What also made it too bad for her was that when we were on the Volcano ride, being spun wildly in a little car while this huge platform went up to a 75 degree angle two stories into the air, her cell phone slipped out of her pocket and flew to the ground. I happened to be glancing that way and saw this red/pink little thing go flying down, nearly hitting some poor guy by the fence and landing in three pieces just a couple of feet away from Bruce.

You want to hear something shocking? He picked the pieces up, put it back together, and the thing still works! Go Motorola Razr!

So while the fair wasn’t quite the magical experience I’d promised her–or even the great time we’d had last year when the weather cooperated and the crowds did, too–I’m glad my kids got to experience it. We just never did that kind of thing in Florida, but something about being back up here makes me love sharing my childhood experiences with my girls. (Um…I even told them about the time my two friends and I accidentally on purpose knocked down the hoochie koochie girl tent, sending nearly naked women and fully dressed men running out onto the midway as the whole back of the thing collapsed. But don’t tell anyone! Note: They no longer have the hoochie koochie girl tents that were a fair staple when I was a kid. Bummer.)

I’ve done the Disney parks ad nauseum, as well as Universal and Busch Gardens and Sea World. So you’d think a local county fair would hold absolutely no appeal. But I’m already planning for next year, when we will NOT go on the hottest day of the week, we’ll go on a cold, autumn night, and I’ll smell those smells and hear those sounds.

And if next September is as hot as this one…well, we’ll just have to skip a year. Better that than to lose the magic.

PS: Don’t forget–this is the last week to enter to win a $50 Amazon g.c. in Janelle & Leslie’s “super secret scene” contest! Find the overlapping scene in Leslie’s OVEREXPOSED and Janelle’s BORN TO BE WILDE and send an email to plotmonkeyscontest@gmail.com with the details and you’re eligible to win! Must be received by 9/30/07!

Guess what? SEALED WITH A KISS is in bookstores tomorrow. Finally! So please, everyone, help ease this author’s stress, get out there and buy the book I’ll be eternally grateful!

The better news though is that I’m not going to spend today talking about why you should buy or read SEALED WITH A KISS. Instead, I’m going to talk about strange phenomenons. Like what? Well, let’s start with the old female “time of the month”. It’s been said (and maybe documented though I’m not sure) that when women are very close friends and/or live together (i.e. college roommates), their cycles fluctuate until somehow, they end up at that “time of the month” at the same time. (No, I can’t believe I’m discussing this the week my book is out but still. It’s true). Now, I can attest to this phenomenon with females in one house. I got my last period (ever of my life - the one before my surgery) the SAME DAY my oldest daughter got her first one ever. How’s that for unbelievable?

I can also attest to the phenomenon with close friends who don’t even live in the same state (but cross country!) because every year at National, Janelle and I would be in sync, if you get my drift. I used to say that we could have a fire sale of feminine products out of our room. Then I had surgery and I no longer participate in that monthly ritual. No more strange phenomenon between friends. Right?

Wrong. A few months ago, I started complaining about tooth pain but the dentist couldn’t narrow it down to one tooth, so he waited until we could figure it out - and last week I began to feel hot and cold sensitivity. Able to narrow it down, I needed root canal in one tooth. That same week, Janelle went to the dentist and discovered that she was in need of root canal in not one but three teeth! Same week. Same antibiotics. Same pain.

Go figure.
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And a list of where you can find me on the web this week
Guestblogging:

Week of 9/24
Guest Author at Romancenovel.tv

9/24
Guestblog at The Soapbox Queens

9/25
Guestblog at RRAH (Romance Reader At Heart)

9/27
Ask Five with … Carly Phillips at Romance Reviews Today Blog!

Congratulations to Barbara, comment #16 for winning this week’s contest!

Please send your snail mail address to me: julie at julieleto.com.

Here’s the funny:

A very brief fairy tale

One day, long, long ago, there lived a woman who, surprisingly,
did not whine, nag, and bitch……..

But this was a long time ago…..
…and it was just one day.

The End

Plotmonkey readers…pay attention. Soon…very soon…you’re going to be hearing the name CL Wilson quite a bit. Just next month, her debut fantasy romance novel, LORD OF THE FADING LANDS, is going to hit bookstores. You need to pre-order your copy now. I have! And the month after comes the follow-up book, LADY OF LIGHT AND SHADOW. Are these covers gorgeous or what?!?

CL Wilson and I have known each other for a few years through my local RWA chapter. She is insanely intelligent, giving to a fault and has a wicked sense of humor. I asked her to come guest blog at Plotmonkeys because as a fantasy writer, she has a really different perspective on things. I asked her to speak on Worldbuilding…something even contemporary authors have to do, we just don’t call it that!

Here she is!

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Worldbuilding for All Writers

Worldbuilding. When you hear the word, most people immediately think of science-fiction and fantasy writers. Tolkien. Frank Herbert. Larry Niven. But contrary to popular belief, world building *isn’t* just for fantasy, paranormal and sci-fi writers. Worldbuilding is something every author does. They just call it by different names, chief among them, research, setting, and characterization.

Multi-published, award winning author Holly Lisle puts it best when she says

You’re worldbuilding … when you create some guidelines about the place in which your story takes place or about the people who inhabit the place in order to maintain consistency within the story and add a feeling of verisimilitude to your work. So worldbuilding is essential to anyone who writes.

Think about it … you have to know where your story takes place. You have to know the types of people and obstacles your protagonists will encounter. You have to know the language your characters speak, the slang they will employ, their personal and cultural history and how that colors their views. You have to…yes, worldbuild.

Don’t just worldbuild for the sake of it, though. Understand the themes and plots of your story. Flesh out the components of the world that will best help you accent, mirror, or throw into conflict those themes and plots. Your worldbuilding should not be window dressing. It should be the flesh that layers movement and life on the bones of your story.

I give a workshop on worldbuilding and have an “Worldbuilding 101” blog series in progress on my website, both of which focus mostly on the more fantastical / paranormal aspects of creating worlds, so for today I’m going to talk about how the processes I use in writing fantasy still apply to authors of “real world” contemporary and historical fiction.

The following are some of the worldbuilding tools that every contemporary and historical fiction writer can use:

1) Maps. All stories take place somewhere. And the location of various setting elements may be important enough to document in visual (i.e., map) form for future reference. For historical writers, it could be the layout of your hero’s castle. For a thriller set in the jungles of Africa, an atlas map of the continent (or countries) involved, with roads, cities, and terrain documented for you can save hours of time and countless mistakes. For romantic suspense novelists, you may draw maps of your crime scenes or lay out a map of the city and mark where the bodies were found. For regency authors, reference maps of London during the Regency era – with all the street names and known shops documented for your convenience – are invaluable tools. If your characters do much in the way of traveling in your book, maps – with distances and travel times documented – can be quite helpful, and may even spawn a few ideas. (I can’t allow my characters to get to Carson City before noon on Friday, what can happen along the way to stop them?) Even something as simple as the heroine’s house – with a floorplan showing which rooms are on each floor – can be helpful if your characters are going to spend much time in that house.

2) Timelines. Timelines are vital for well researched historical novels – clearly, you need to know the dates of major historical events and consider how those events will impact your characters. Every character also has his own personal timeline – his backstory, the events of his life that shaped him into the man he is when the story starts. Timelines in crime and suspense stories are vital and often parse down to days, hours, and even minutes if that level of detail is important to the discovery of clues and the investigation and solving of the crime.

3) Culture. This is the part of worldbuilding that every author should spend the most time on. You cannot be too thorough here. Why? Because no character is unaffected by the culture—and subculture—he lives in. In fact, for most people, the society we grow up in profoundly impacts every part of our lives: our values, our views, our expectations, our way of approaching obstacles and living life. If your heroine is a pampered heiress and your hero a cop from the wrong side of the tracks, they grew up in two completely different cultures. Both may be Americans, but the parts of America that shaped them are completely different. So think about the cultures in your book and ask yourself questions such as: How educated are the members of this culture? What does this culture value the most (money, honor, truth, freedom, power, etc.)? What will they do to protect this value? How much interaction with other cultures does this society have? Are those interactions friendly or hostile? How does this society treat its women? Children? Elderly? What are the traditions and taboos in this culture? Who are the enemies and allies of this culture? How important is family? Religion? Self-sacrifice? Irish policemen in Boston, for instance, have a completely different cultural and societal mores than ranchers in Texas or fashion designers in Manhattan.

4) Language. How do your characters speak? Do they have accents? Do they use slang? Do they have certain “catch phrases” they always use? The way your characters speak says volumes about them. If they are foreign, are there certain words or phrases they use from their native tongue. (endearments are a common usage.) Language stems from the character’s culture as well. Physical gestures are also a form of language. If your characters use certain trademark or instinctive gestures, you might consider making a note of them.

5) Government, Industry, Technology, Weaponry. Depending on the type of story you’re writing, you may or may not need to know this information. In historical novel writing you most likely will – because history is an alien world to most readers, and they need an understanding of what that world is like. For contemporary suspense or thrillers, government and technology is going to be of vital importance, and you need to understand in depth what impact governmental institutions and processes and available technology will have on the events in your novel. If you are writing medical romances, you need a solid understanding of the medical related administration, practices and technologies.

The above is not meant to be an all inclusive list. It’s just the tip of the worldbuilding iceberg. The best worldbuilding tools any author has are questions: who, what, when, where, how…and mostly importantly…why.

As you ask yourself questions and build the world in which your characters live, keep the following in mind…how can I use this aspect of my world to enhance, illuminate or challenge the plots and themes of this book? If you keep that goal in mind and worldbuild accordingly, in the end you will end up with a vibrant story built on a world so solid it feels completely real to your characters and your readers.

So happy worldbuilding! May the words flow, the pages accumulate, and the story be good.

Here’s an added bonus…the video from C.L.’s first book!

It’s the first day of Autumn. It’s actually under 80 degrees here in Florida (right this minute, anyway…and hey, beggers can’t be choosers) so let’s celebrate! With chocolate!

An assortment from my favorite chocolate makers, See’s. Here’s the description:

Autumn Treasure Box
A flurry of fall colors, this elegant gift box arrives filled with a special assortment of See’s milk, dark and white chocolates. Magnetically held lid and reusable 6 ” square box are ideal for organizing special photos and keepsakes.

Post a comment. Only one entry per person, US only.

Be sure and stop by tomorrow (Saturday) for another guest blog post, this time from a writer very near and dear to my heart. Please stop by and tell all your friends! The place to be for aspiring writers is Plotmonkeys.com on Saturday!

OH! And I almost forgot…last Saturday’s guest blogger, KAREN ROSE, just found out she made the NYTimes bestseller list for the FIRST TIME! I don’t think her appearance at Plotmonkeys had anything to do with it…but we should at least help her celebrate! Yeah, Karen!!