Post Turkey Day!

Well, for those on the other side of the pond, yesterday was Thanksgiving day! A day spent with family and loved ones, eating way too much, giving thanks, watching football, and groaning with a stomach ache for hours afterward. *grin* Not me this time.

My son and daughter were not with me this year and I had a quiet, pleasant, and very comfortable day. I cleaned my office in the morning, then in the afternoon the dog and I went to the park. We took a long walk in the crisp afternoon air. Yes, even in the desert the temperature drops by 3 pm. I love the long desert shadows at this time of year. We sat on a bench near the man-made waterfall, watched the Koi swim lazily around, and the sun slip over the top of the Santa Rosa's. I even tapped into my muse. My current story is set down here. It's shaping up nicely, but has a long way to go.

Because it was still early, we then drove out to Palm Desert and cruised along El Paseo, which is the designer shopping area. The store fronts were lit up and the street was almost empty. Only a handful of restaurants were open. It's amazing what you can discover in these moments of calm (when you're not watching traffic and avoiding tourists ambling haphazardly across the streets.) Being fairly new to this community, I found stores and restaurants I never knew existed. Now that could be a good thing, or a bad thing. *grin*

Today, I'm getting another contest entry ready, it's for my Doctor/Nurse story which involves strange near death experiences. I've found a publishing house that is interested in medical stories and they're running a contest. I figured why not get it out and dust it off. Plus I need to do the big entry for the Golden Heart contest run by Romance Writers of America. I'm entering Gone Tropical in that one.

I did further revisions on GT and the agent very kindly allowed me to submit a fresh copy of the manuscript to her. I should know her answer in a couple of months. GT is also a finalist in a contest to be announced in December. So it's all good. I can be patient. You learn patience in this game, you have to or you go crazy.

Contest win!

I was notified today that Beyond the Shadows placed first in the Gothic Romance, Haunted Hearts contest in the contemporary category. I'm so thrilled. What a nice finish to an amazingingly busy year. Gone Tropical is a finalist in a contest and placements will be announced December 9th and I'm entering it in the Golden Heart contest this year. Nephele Tempest of the Knight Agency has asked to see the entire manuscript. She had read the first three chapters after the RWA National in Atlanta, and enjoyed those. I'd love to work with her.

Today I took my Roadrunners to a thank you lunch at the La Quinta Resort restaurant, Twenty Six. We had a great time and discussed my next book, the title, Behind the Gates. It's a murder/mystery cold case, with of course a hunky hero, a determined heroine, and a wonderful romance. Won't tell you any more yet because it is in the very early stages, and it may change direction as stories often do.

I made a very difficult decision this month and that was to step down from the office of President at my local writing chapter of RWA. I've loved the position and the opportunity to serve. I had so many dreams for the chapter but life got in the way. If I could possibly have done it, I would have run for another term. However, I need to take care of myself and my family first. My mother had a bad illness in September and although she has recovered quite well, it hit me hard that she is over eighty and no longer has the same bounce-back we've all come to expect of her. I knew I needed to travel back to Australia a couple of times next year and stay in closer contact. That would have been hard to do with the obligations required of the President. I'll stay on the board as Past President and will continue to volunteer wherever I can.
I know others will step up and make changes and improvements and do their bit to keep everything running smoothly. There's nothing like new blood.