Plot Monkeys

I’m shopping. Pray for me.

I hate to shop.

I don’t hate spending money…clearly, I have no problem with that. I hate going into a store when I don’t know what I want to buy. I like to go in, grab what I want and get out in the shortest possible time. But alas, as I’ve waited until the very last minute to buy Christmas presents, having just sent in my galleys for Phantom Pleasures yesterday, I have no choice.

ARRRRGGGHHHHH!

I remember back when I worked outside the home. As a teacher, I didn’t have much energy at the end of the day to do my shopping, so I usually saved it all for one day. I was childless at the time, too, so it was sort of fun to get up really early, hit the stores and challenge myself to buy everything I needed in the shortest amount of time. I would call my husband with hourly updates! I think my record was five hours. And that included lunch.

Ah, to be young again!

Now, I have no way of finishing all in one day because my day is really only 8:30am until about 1:30pm, when my daughter is in school. I actually have no business doing anything but writing, since if you’ve been following the little meters on the side of this blog, you’ll have noticed that I haven’t added any new words to my book for two weeks and Carly has totally caught up to me. My book, PHANTOM TOUCH, however, was moved back in the NAL schedule and will no longer be an October release. Instead, it’ll be out in December…which bought me more time.

So, there will be a Christmas after all!

Here’s the plan…tomorrow, all children’s gifts. Thursday, the adults. Friday, I have a half-day to do my wrapping and hiding. By 11:45am, my daughter and her two best friends will be here and despite having a houseful of kids, I anticipate getting back to writing.

Oh…and sometime in the next two days, I have to do invitations for my daughter’s birthday party. Her birthday is January 1. Seems like such a long way away…but it’s not!

Like I said before, pray for me.

And anyone who is NOT finished with their Christmas/Holiday shopping, who has not even thought about sending out Christmas cards, who is having trouble remembering what day this is…you can all enter to win THE FIRST bound ARC (not my home-made ones, but one from my publisher, wahoo!) of PHANTOM PLEASURES. The rest of you over-achieving, OCD shoppers who are already done with all your holiday work are not eligible.

Post a comment. US residents only. Yada, yada, yada and ho, ho, ho. :wreath:

Update: The winner of my ARC, it’s #9, Laura J! Please email me with your snail mail address and I’ll get it out in the mail as soon as possible. My email is julie @ julieleto.com.