Ok.. I posted this link on my yahoo group the other day but I haven’t posted it here yet. It makes me laugh every time I see it. I must have a very juvenile and warped sense of humor, but sometimes laughing is all it takes to make the whole day brighter…

As far as writing goes, I took the last two days off to relax. I’m a bit stressed right now, or was until the DH informed me yesterday that he received a raise–something we were in desperate need of. Worries over our finances among other things kept me distracted the last few days as the phone rang all day long with people wanting their money. So, hearing he received a raise when we really needed it, eased some of the strain I’ve felt lately and finally last night I dreamed…

I don’t know about all other writers, but when I write, my dreams usually tell me where next to take a story when I’m stuck. When things are on my mind, and I’m not sleeping, my creativity level bottoms out and writing is like pulling teeth without novacaine, painful and traumatic. When the dreams start again, I know that the writing won’t be forced and it’s time to get back to work.

So, that’s my plan for today. I’m going to write. I’m determined to write. I have stories to tell and by God, I’m not about to allow the economy or anything else to keep me from it–at least not during what’s left of this week. LOL

Until next time~

Bonnie Rose Leigh

xoxo

I received an email today in one of my yahoo groups requesting everyone VISIT HERE to read about something important to the publishing industry. I didn’t know what to expect, but I clicked the link anyway and I’m so happy I did. I won’t talk numbers, but I know from my own perspective, October was the worst month for me financially as an author since I’ve been published. In fact, it really depressed me until my publisher told me that ALL publishers were having slow, and slumping sales that were growing worse as the year went on.

This isn’t a call for you to go out and buy my books (though I won’t stop you…LOL) but it is a request to spread the word about this initiative. If you can’t afford to buy a book yourself this month, then perhaps someone you forward this to can do so. Money is tight everywhere, and we’re all feeling the pinch right now so I won’t beg you to spend money you don’t have.

I have to agree with the other commenters on the original blog post. Until the publishing model changes, until BSC’s no longer send loads of books back to the publishing houses without repercussions, the industry as a whole will continue to not only stagnate but may eventually implode.

So, your mission if you choose to accept it, is to read the original blog post, found HERE, and if you can afford it, buy a book. Any book. If you can’t, just pass the link on and let others know of this initiative and perhaps in some small way we can help make November a much better month for the publishing industry than October.

Most of my regular readers know, if I find a book or an author I love, I’ll shout it out here. I discovered Dana Marie Bell thanks to some online excerpts she’d sent out in advance of her release today at Samhain Publishing, titled Cat of A Different Color. The excerpt snagged my attention and I immediately started haunting the Samhain site this morning waiting for the book to be released. When I realized it was the third in the Halle Puma series, I decided to buy the first two to read while I waited for book three to come out.

All I have to say is wow. This is an amazing series. I quickly read the first two books, Wallflowers and Sweet Dreams, then purchased the third and all I can say is I now have a new favorite author. Visit Dana’s site and see for yourself why I added her beneath Lauren Dane’s name on my list of favorite authors on the Links page. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised and find yourself spending many hours of reading enjoyment in your future thanks to one of her stories. I’d definitely recommend her to all my friends and fellow lovers of the Paranormal Romance genre.

Title: Book Signing with author Bonnie Rose Leigh
Location: Flights of Fantasy Books & Games
Link to event: Click here
Description of event: I’ll be signing books at the Flights of Fantasy Books & Games bookstore in Albany NY. Prizes and goodies will be awarded to a couple lucky winners…

Address:
Flights of Fantasy Books & Games
381 Sand Creek Road
Albany, NY 12205

Start Time: 7 PM

Date: January 6, 2009

As some of you know, Sundays in my home are devoted to Football during Football season. That’s okay, as I enjoy the game myself. So, when 60 minutes came on last night after the Steelers Game (they were robbed by that last call by the referees), I didn’t change the channel. After all, it was the first interview President-Elect Barrack Obama and the soon to be First Lady had given since being elected President on the 4th. I imagine that most TV stations were tuned to the interview last night.

I’m a white woman who didn’t live during eras where woman couldn’t vote and segragation was the way of life for “colored folk”. But something President Elect Obama said struck me and really made me pause. It wasn’t about how it felt to be the first black president, it was his thoughts about how his mother in law–a black woman who grew up when she had to sit in the back of the bus and enter the back door of restaraunts for service–how she felt knowing that her daughter would be First Lady of the United States of America.

I don’t know how Obama will do as President. I don’t know how his decisions and policies will improve–or not–my life. But I do know that a man who can speak as elequently and with as much intelligence and thought behind his words as he does has the potential to be a damn good president. The question in my mind still remains… Is it Charisma that had so many donating to his campaign and voting him into office when many of us have to choose between putting food on our tables and gas in our cars, or is it his natural ability to lead? What do you think? Did we make the right choice while making history? I’m afraid only time will tell.

I still would have voted for Hilary though…LOL

Well, I spent several hours this morning supporting my fellow Seven Wicked Writer and eXtasy author AJ Llewellyn at a chat this morning, then did a bit of cleaning and laundry before settling down to write this afternoon. I worked on two projects today–Serving Sera and Seducing Serena. I’ll post my word count below.

Serving Sera

4,392 / 25,000 (17.6%)

Seducing Serena

17,736 / 25,000 (70.9%)

This You Tube Video is absolutely HILARIOUS!

Now… On to my NANOWRIMO Word Count… As of 4 PM Saturday, Serving Sera is at:

4,042 / 25,000 (16.2%)

I still have several hours of writing time left this evening, and I’ve finally gotten everything just about reinstalled onto my computer. Anything not on there now can wait a bit until I get caught up on some of my writing. I spent several hours installing documents and programs on my computer this morning, cleaning house after being in hospital two weeks and washing a mountain of laundry that I’m just now sitting down to write. Wish me luck! I think I’ll need it {Grin}

Apparently my operating system, our entire home network, was attacked by a trojan horse, which systematically attacked my computer, slowly decreasing my computer’s ability to function over time. By yesterday afternoon, I couldn’t even connect to my website and blog on the internet or check email. I ended up spending 13 hours reformatting my harddrive and reloading all my data and documents. I lost a good portion of my saved photos and contest entries, so, if you entered my contests this month that were listed on my contest page and newsletter, please send your entries in again as they were eaten by the malicious bug the hacker set loose in my system.

I only managed to write about 300 words today before all hell broke loose, so hopefully tomorrow, err, today will be a better day. On that note, I think I’ll take myself off to bed. I’ll install the printer software tomorrow! I’ve earned a break!! Good night everyone, and I’ll see you at a much more respectable hour~

Until next time~

Bonnie Rose Leigh

Well, I’m home from the hospital–finally. I got in yesterday afternoon. After spending a couple hours with my dude and watching Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D, I went to bed early and crashed for 12 hours. I can never sleep in the hospital, so the first night home I always sleep hard. I’d probably still be in bed if he hadn’t called from work and woke me up at 9 when he went on break.

Unfortunately, I can’t kill him for that because I DID tell him to call so I can get some writing done today. I’m way, way behind where I need to be on my NANOWRIMO count, not so much for the Seventy Days of Sweat. I can still make that up easily easily enough but NANO is going to be practically impossible to catch up on the word count. I should be at almost 25 K right now and I’m not even at 4K yet. EEEK! Hospital stays really mess with the word count!!!

Other than that bit of nonsense, not much going on here other than it’s freaking gray and freezing outside. Winter is coming on fast in my neck of the woods, that’s for sure. From mid-October to mid-March, I wish I lived in Florida, LOL. Every other month out of the year the weather here in NY is just fine with me, but for those 5 months I’d rather be anywhere south of here.

Well, that’s about all I have to rant about today. I’m going to open up my current WIP, Serving Sera and see if I can’t write a couple thousand words today. You all have a fantabulous day. If I manage to get a significant amount done today, I’ll edit this post later with my word count bar for my WIP as I’ve done in previous posts.