Nothing else matters ...

Today was a do-nothing day. I meant to do things. I really did, but somehow I just sat around and read and slept and ... slept. I stayed up way too late last night and for some reason the 3 hours of sleep I ended up with was absolutely not cutting it.

Oh, wait. I did dry hump the bargain books list at Amazon. Ultimately it wasn't as satisfying as the time I spend with the Kindle books at Amazon but that's only because the Kindle books download immediately. I actually have to wait for the bargain books to ship to me. Hence the dry humping.

Okay. Book stuff.
Book #219 - The Ghost Shrink, The Accidental Gigolo & The Poltergeist Accountant (Karmic Consultant #1) by Vivi Andrews - That is a damn long title for a book. I'm just saying. It's also a good book. I'm just saying.
Book #220 - Force My Hand by Em Brown - Not great by any means but still fairly interesting. I guess.

30 days of books... Day 36 - I ramble about the Poltergeist movies for some reason. It's weird.

I'm pretty sure Cole hasn't finished his homework. The kid sure does like to draw it out.
Later.

I did some major Halloween decorating today. Major. Spiderwebs. Tombstones. Skulls. Bones. Halloween colored lights. I was going to take a picture of it but then it started almost-raining and I decided to go inside. What? Almost-raining. Like, it wanted to rain and I could feel a light mist but there were no actual drops. Almost-raining. I'm sure it's in the dictionary or something. Maybe it's only the dictionary in my head. The one that tells me fifty different ways to describe man parts while writing.

Okay, I need to put all the bookish things down before I forget. Because that would be tragic. TRAGIC!
Short story - Steal Me by Tina Folsom - It's a short story. There wasn't a whole lot of room for character development, people.
Book #196 - Seventh Circle (Vampires Realm) by Felicity Heaton - I liked it. Not as much as the other book I read recently by this author, but it was fun and sexy. Score!
Book #197 - Sisters Red (Sisters Red #1) by Jackson Pearce - Okay. Jackson Pearce is doing a 30 Days of Vlogging challenge and her vlogs crack me up so bad that I had to go out and buy her book. Had.To.

Teaser Tuesday - Sisters Red, Unholy Ghosts (love, love, love this book!) and Radiance.
30 days of books... Day 23 - More free Kindle books! I'm like a ninja- sneaking and finding those free books left and right!

Speaking of which, Standoff: Cascadia Wolves Book 5 by Lauren Dane is a free ebook through Borders for a limited time. FREE BOOKS! Oh, and here's a few more free books from Borders.

Look at me! Promoting literacy like a fiend. Read! Read like the wind! Read like a mad thing! Just read! Oh, and visit my book review site and leave me comments! I love comments.

See, I told you I had a lot of book stuff I had to get out before I forgot.
Pictures of the awesome Halloween decorating tomorrow. I promise. Mostly.
Later!

Success! Of a sort. I finished my novel. I did. However, I'm supremely unhappy with a few things in the final couple of pages. The problem is that I can't think of another way to write it. So, I'm going to put it aside for a few days and come back to it on Monday and hopefully have a bit of inspiration when I re-read the last few chapters.

That said:

Like I said, I pretty much hate the ending. It feels rushed and yet I can't figure out how to rewrite it. Yet.

Anyway, did you read that part where I finished writing my first novel? True story. It took longer than I thought it would and this is only for the first draft. *sigh* I need to have better writing discipline. I will have better discipline.

Btw, if you're not following me on Twitter, you've been missing out on some great fashion photos.
Example:
I take pictures of my legs/feet A LOT. It's ridiculous.

Bookish stuff:
30 days of books... Day 5
I've been trolling Amazon for the last hour or so to get the images and stuff together for tomorrow's wishlist post. Books ...Mmm.
Randomly, I won some ebooks in a contest and I know I won them because it was posted on the site and it says I'll be getting the email shortly, but I haven't heard from them yet. *whining* I want my books.

Okay. I've said enough.
Later.

Umm, when did it get to be night? Seriously. How did that happen? Besides the rotation of the earth and all that. Gosh, I feel like I've had a spectacularly uneventful day. I didn't write, although I did open up Word. That must count for something. I played around on my book review site, but I really didn't do much. Interesting.

Anyway.
Book #179 - City of Ashes (The Mortal Instruments #2) by Cassandra Clare.

I'm 200 and some pages into book 3. Which pretty much sums up how I wasted my day. Not that reading is ever a waste, but ... oh, forget I said that. I spent my day at Hailey's soccer game and reading. There you have it.

Oh, I also put up a post for books on my wishlist. This is the secret Kindle wishlist that I won't let anyone see because (a) you can't gift Kindle books so what's the point in making it public and (b) some of those books are so trashy they make me blush. This way my embarrassment doesn't go beyond what I choose to share.

On My Wishlist (week 1)
Now with snarky commentary about why I'd read such books. Ha! Yes, I do read terribly smutty FILTH! Thank you for noticing.

I must go read now.
Later.

This is going to be one of those nothing posts that people look at years later and go "Why? Why did you even bother firing up the computer if all you're going to write about is nothing?" The upside of this scenario is that people are looking at my journal years in the future and it's making them ask the tough questions. The downside? It's still a journal about nothing.

Yeah. Anyway. I finished the book that I've been belly-crawling over for the past few days.
Book #167 - Forsaken by Shadow by Kait Nolan - I ended up liking it, but I had a hard time connecting to the characters which is probably why it took me FOREVER to get through. Maybe it was the lack of explanation going in as to what paranormal/supernatural powers they had because once we hit the part where the other paranormals were teaming up with our mains and kicking ass, I found myself becoming much more interested. Cade has been living the last ten years of his life with a big fat hole in his memories. In fact, he remembers nothing prior to waking up in a hotel room with burned hands. For the past ten years, Embry believes the man she loved is dead and it isn't until her father is kidnapped and she has to mount a rescue mission that she finds out the truth. Finding him, giving him back his memories and convincing him to infiltrate a secure military base are just the beginning of her problems. Like I said, I ended up liking it, I just had a hard time plodding through the first half.

I'm putting myself on a strict "no new Kindle books that I have to pay for" regime for the next week. I seriously went a little out of control there for a while. Yeah. 100 books later. Oops. However, my one saving grave here is that Amazon does offer quite a few free reads that change often. Therefore I won't be totally hurting for new shapeshifting material. Awesome!

I'm off to do things that require very little brainpower. Or possibly to write, which requires large amounts of brainpower and a small, hand cranked generator to kick start my muse when she decides to lie down and take a nap.
Later.

I'm expecting a fist pump for this! Are you ready?

I broke my 30K plateau! Which means that I can buy that Kindle book I've had my eye on. Love!

In my imaginary world, I've now given my girl a bodyguard (although she's young and not terribly strong, but strength comes in many guises) and had my guy find out that she doesn't wear panties. Good times.

Next up: napping with the heroes, giving my bad guy a bad day and learning that shapeshifting isn't in the cards for all parties.

Oh, I also finished my book.
Book #130 - Wolfen by Madelaine Montague - Okay. This book? Was good. There was good plot progression, well laid out mythology and it didn't feel as forced as some of the other books by this author. In other words, I liked it. Yes, we're still in the multiple partner genre and there's claiming and marking and hot sex. I'm enjoying this set of books I've been reading. Why mess with a good thing? Danika Whitney has been sent to a small town to study a pack of wolves that have been acting outside the norm. She's noticed some hostility from the natives, but that's small potatoes when a biker gang rolls into town and turns Danika's life upside down. Renting the cabin next to her puts her in close proximity to the five hot, dangerous men and she's having a hard time choosing between them. Admittedly, there are grammatical editorial errors that pepper the book, but I DIDN'T CARE. The book was just that fun. Now I can only hope that Madelaine Montague decides to put out another book in this universe.

Time to troll Amazon for my booooook.
Later.

Ooh! Another day of nonstop reading with a little writing thrown in. Awesome. I'd say that this Kindle is destroying my social life, but I didn't have much of one to begin with. I did take a few breaks from reading to do a couple of loads of laundry (the last of which is still in the dryer but since it's only socks I don't really care if they end up all wrinkly and stuff. Plus, I don't really wear socks, except for my awesome over the knee socks and those don't get washed with the normal socks because they're just that spectacular) and take the dogs for a walk or two. I'm pretty sure I ate at least two of the three square meals recommended.

*shrug*

Anyway.

Another not-great word count day, but I like what I managed to write. I'm just so happy that I managed to write past that block I was having on the opening for this chapter. It was painful. I must have started that damn chapter 15 times before I saw where it needed to come from. Annoying.

Things that have happened in those few hundred words: The guy and the girl will be spending time in close proximity to each other for the foreseeable future. A low ranking Pack member begins to see that not all things are as they appear to be.

Things that are going to happen when I get back to writing (aka: as soon as this post is finished): Bitchy Omega gets her ass handed to her by the low ranking Pack member. The bad guy gets to twirl his mustache. The kidnapped girl might make an appearance. Or she might stay chained up in the basement. It's hard to tell with her.

And then we have the books.
Book #113 - Last Hope (Mystic Valley/Carnal Powers #1) by Moira Rogers - Yes, I have been devouring all the books by this author. I really like the dynamic she gives her characters and the different worlds she creates with each new series. They're all close enough that you can see similar themes running through each, but they have enough differences that you're always on the lookout for what's coming next. So. In this series universe, shifters, psychics and spellcasters all live more or less out in the open. Kiara is an empathic nurse who gets involved with an Alpha wolf after a group of supernatural haters start attacking supernaturals in their small town. Adrian finds himself protecting Kiara when she becomes the group's next target. Once again, solid characters and an interesting story line kept me reading.

-and-

Book #114 - Tales from Mystic Valley (Mystic Valley/Carnal Powers) by Moira Rogers - Three short stories set in the Mystic Valley universe. The first, Moonshine, hooked me from the start. It was really the entire reason I picked up book 1. Claire is a dominant female coyote shapeshifter who's tired of acting human. On a whim, she heads out to the local supernatural bar and ends up going home with Lars, a dominant male coyote. The two battle it out in the bedroom and end up finding a balance between them. Both Claire and Lars play fairly pivotal roles in book #1. The second story, That Old Black Magic, was good but not quite as compelling as the first. Max is a shapeshifter who's goal in life is to bring down dark wizards. Polly is the professional thief he runs into during a job one night. Cue sexy music when they get locked in a closet together and have to give into their explosive passion. Not a bad story, it was just left very open ended and I'd like to know where it's ultimately going. The third story, The 13th Step, was a big departure from the previous stories in that there's not a whole lot of romance. Lots of heaving and thrusting, but it ends on a downer note that I found a little jarring. Once again, if the story of Black and Ella is going to be explored further, it could out to be a very interesting ride. What? I like to know what's going to happen to characters that I find interesting. Overall, it was a great introduction to this series and I hope some of the dangling threads get picked up in later books so that my curiosity won't be left unfulfilled.

I also read another short story, but I'll put that up tomorrow. Or not.
I'm done. My werewolves are calling to me.
Later.

First:Happy Birthday, jenah!
May your day be filled with shiny, happy things!

Second: I love my Kindle. It's ... practically perfect in every way. *sigh*

I can't say I did a whole lot today because I really didn't. There was a brief run to Home Depot this morning to buy a ceiling fan for the living room and Cole's room. For the record, we have three ceiling fans currently in our house. None of them are installed. Kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it? The good news is that my uncle will be coming by at some point to help us install them. The bad news is that we have no idea when that will be. Boo.

Anyway. I did read a book-ish today. More of a short story than a book, really.
Book #104.5 - Becoming (Red Rock Pass #0) by Moira Rogers - A short story based 40 years before the events in Cry Sanctuary. It turned out to be a pretty complex read. Considering that I felt that book #1 was a little unsatisfying, I'm going to chalk this into the win category. Taking the Alpha that abused Abby in book #1 and some hints he dropped that Sam (Gavin's mate) had once been under his control, this story actually starts once Sam has broken free of his clutches. Rescued and brought to Red Rock Pass, Sam has to face the fact that not all Alphas are as twisted as her abuser. She learns to trust herself around Gavin and what it means to be a werewolf. Honestly, it was much better than I expected it to be. It doesn't tie up all the loose ends but it gives you a bit of insight into why Gavin and Sam were so ready to jump in to help when Abby was trying to free herself from Alan (Book #1).

One of the freebie books I downloaded is a dud. Not just a dud, but a painful dud. Like, ridiculous characterization, a plot full of holes. Just ... uggh. I'm having a hard time finishing it. I can stomach about a chapter before I have to put it down and walk away. Bad.

Okay. I'm off to watch my hot Viking Vampire.
Later.

My Kindle is here. I have read a book. There are a few kinks I need to work out of the thing, but I think that's more on my end than on the Kindle's end. I guess that means I'll have to read the user manual to get the most out of this bad boy.

Presently, I want to figure out if I can delete bookmarks (I was playing around with that feature and I really don't need three bookmarked pages on one book) and if I can shelve books in any sort of order (because I plan on filling this pretty little thing up and don't want to scroll through 1600 books at a later date looking for one I bought 6 months prior).

And things I like... I love the size of the Kindle. I love how easy it is to hold. I love the navigation buttons. I really like how easy it is to buy books and have them downloaded directly to the device. This could turn out to be a bad thing at a later date if I don't keep a tight rein on that. I just see my credit card bill. Yikes! For the most part I like the sleep mode screen saver that pops up. Right now I have a gorgeous one that looks like a page from the Book of Kells. On the other hand, there was one of an author that scared the pants off of me earlier. It was just downright spooooky. And the screen savers seem to be random so I'm a little frightened that it might pop up again when my eyes are closed and I'll be traumatized for life. I don't even know what author it was. It was just scary. *shudder*

Unfortunately, I didn't hit the 20K goal for my writing that I was planning on before my precious arrived. In fact, I don't think I wrote anything after updating the word count yesterday. Oops.

But I did read a book ...
Book #103 - His Lady Mistress by Elizabeth Rolls - Okay. It was free. I want to start by saying that. It was a free download through the Kindle store and it sounded promising. It wasn't terrible, exactly, but it was terribly contrived. Genteel, impoverished Verity falls in love with the Earl of somewhere when she was 15 and he showed her an inkling of kindness after her father died. 5 years later, she's being used as a servant by her uncaring guardians/Aunt and Uncle when the Earl shows up at their house. A series of half-truths, lies and misunderstandings have the two of them winding up in bed and when the Earl learns who she is, he agrees to marry her. Cue dramatic music. Seriously, the bulk of the problems between the two of them arise from hurt feelings and a complete lack of communication. Talk. That's all you have to do, people, and then you won't spend half the book moping and pining over the love that you've screwed up beyond redemption. But don't worry, I'm sure the two of you will find a way to overcome all of this. Maybe by talking. No, it's not terrible. It's decently written, it's just not absolutely fabulous.

Okay. I have things to do.
Later.

Umm, where did my evening go? I mean, whoa. I was sitting here, innocently reading some short stories of the naughty variety before I settled in to work on my epic masterpiece and somehow I got sucked into trying to figure out some of the finer points of Word so that I could transfer some of my guilty pleasures to my new Kindle (YAY!) when it finally arrives. Suddenly it's almost 11 and I've done no writing today.

Good thing I had all that coffee earlier and don't have a problem with staying up late. Right? Right.

Speaking of the epic masterpiece (aka-The Burning Plot Bunny), I was talking about some of the names I'm using in it with Eric earlier and how I'm doing research on those names and the various ancestries and meanings. It got me thinking along a path that looks promising. Not in this story because I'm afraid this story is going to get out of control if I don't start reigning myself in a little bit. I'm looking toward the horizon with this line of thought. I'm looking at how things evolved in the Werewolf Packs that stem from different cultures. I'm thinking about how my heroine doesn't know who she is and there could be a perfect opportunity there to explore that. For the record, I know who she is. I've known since early on. I don't think I'm going to spill the beans in this story, but I do know.

Am I starting to think too big? Is the story going to become a monstrous thing that scares me and gives me nightmares? Maybe. I'm okay with that today, though. Ask me again tomorrow and we'll see if I have the same answer.

Anyway. I have to write. For serious.
Later.