I’m going to experiment a little with a new format, so bear with me.
Writing News:
I took a week off after finishing the rough draft of Ewan’s book. Trying to write during the Christmas holidays is just about impossible, and it was good timing to let the story simmer. This week, I’m going to hit it hard and see if I can get through about 100 pages or so. It has to be very clean and very tight so that I don’t have too many revisions–otherwise I might not have a book out in the U.S. in ‘09. We are doing something special with Wedded to the Enemy and are trying to do a back-to-back release in 2010. In the meantime, I have to work like a crazy woman to try and get a book ready for this coming year. Lots of books and stories are due, and it’s an exciting time. Can’t wait to dig into the new stuff!
One thing was really exciting this past Saturday. The Chicago Tribune reviewed Her Warrior Slave and here’s what John Charles had to say: “Willingham skillfully combines a cast of wonderfully original characters with a refreshingly different, meticulously detailed setting to create a vivid tale of love and danger in medieval Ireland.”
Definitely a nice holiday present!
Family News:
Hamming it up for the camera on Christmas Day
The children celebrated Christmas and there was a great deal of happiness when they received a Wii from Santa. I was happy to receive the Wii Fit, and have been having fun learning how to exercise with a video game. The hula hooping makes me laugh because I feel like an idiot twirling imaginary hula hoops while watching the screen. But it sure is fun.
My youngest is still working on the toilet training. It’s always a two-steps-forward, three-steps-back sort of thing. We were doing great up until the day or so after Christmas when we traveled. He’s done a lot of backsliding, but I’m not worried about it. Right now, all I’m focusing on is him learning what a toilet is for. I think he’s got that part down. Next step is recognizing when he has to go, and getting there before an accident. I’ve decided not to switch him into true training pants until he’s about 15-16 months old and has better control. In the meantime, there’s no harm letting him use the toilet when he wants to and keeping with the diapers. Once you switch to cloth, you can’t go back. No sense in rushing things. He’s doing fantastic, though, and I think it’ll go fine once he’s ready.
Ewan’s book is done. Well, the first draft anyway. I wrote like a crazy woman this past week, trying to get it done before Christmas. The actual due date is January 19th, which makes me feel so much better. I can relax over the holidays, polish it up, make it all purty, and then send it on its way. Whew!
In family news, my 13-month-old alternates between wanting to be potty-trained and not caring. There are days when he demands, “Baba” and then crawls to the bathroom for help. Then there are the days when he is far too busy playing to bother with it.
I’ve toilet-trained two children, both on opposite ends of the spectrum. My eldest son started at 15 months (could pee on command) and was fully trained at 2 1/2 (day and night). My daughter was 20 months old, took three days from start-to-finish, and hardly ever had accidents. The youngest baby seems to have his own agenda. On one hand, I am baffled by the fact that he’s even trying this. He’s not supposed to be toilet training at 13 months!! But the fact remains–he knows what a toilet is for and knows how to use it. I’ve changed two nasty diapers in the past five days. Only two–the rest, he took care of on the toilet. It baffles me.
I don’t know what to do about this. Part of me says, “Let’s go for it!” Cloth diapers, full speed ahead!
And then the voice of reason intrudes, saying, “Are you insane?” (yes) “Oh, you can go down that path. But your laundry will be just horrendous.” I’m not sure the baby can actually control the functions yet. After naps, he still wakes up wet, which suggests he can’t. Or maybe he’s just trained not to care.
All I know is, I’m changing fewer diapers. And I am ALL over that.
Just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
This week, I’ve been storming my way to the end of my book. Not quite there yet, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. My hope is to finish the draft by Christmas, so I can spend the next few weeks on clean-up. As a result, I’ve been using every spare moment, writing like a madwoman.
The baby has been in an odd phase lately. Until today, for the past four days, he wouldn’t take a morning nap. Would. Not. Do. It. This, of course, was killing me on my writing. Because trying to write a wonderful romance while a 13-month old is grabbing your leg and whining? Not happenin’. Even wrapping presents was not an act that pleased him, and only going out and shopping has made him happy. I think he’s a little bored, and that’s part of the problem. Not that the child has any shortage of toys, and he seems delighted to pull out every piece of Tupperware I own and mix it in with tea bags and Splenda that he snatches from the cupboard.
Other news–he’s shown interest in toilet training. Yes, I know he’s too young. Or at least, the Pampers people think he’s too young (conspiracy!). My 91-year-old grandma? She trained her kids at the age of 1 because the next baby was a’comin’. You didn’t have time to waste. They were also in cloth diapers and learned very quickly what a toilet was for.
My son is also the third child and has picked up on the purpose of a toilet pretty fast. Since I am a toilet training crazy woman firm believer that you seize opportunities when they’re there, I decided to let him try. And the child thinks it’s pretty cool to stand up and pee. Who am I to demand that he continue with the diapers? If he wants to make one less diaper for me to change, I’m all over that. We switched to Pull-ups yesterday, simply because A) I’m not quite ready to go full-out on the training and B) taking diapers on and off is a pain when your kid wants to tinkle. We’ll see how it goes. I figure, if he starts getting into a regular habit, we’ll make the switch to cloth.
As you can imagine, with three books due next year, two Undones due, a toddler learning to potty-train, and 2 older kids, I’m slipping up on the blog. Either I go through a phase where I post very regularly—or I become a major slacker and I stop posting for days and days.
I haven’t decided yet what’s the best way to balance matters. I have to put the book writing first. And blogging, while fun, is time spent away from the books. I feel like I’m splitting myself in half. The way I see it, I have two options. One option is to switch the blog into a “News” section where I’ll probably update it monthly with book information, and possibly family stuff (or more likely rants about the perils of trying to potty-train a young boy).
Or, I could just not worry about it, and post whenever I feel like it. (I see this as me becoming a major slacker.)
Those of you who read the blog, do you think a monthly update would work well? It’s not exactly shutting the blog down, but more of revamping it into a new format. Then, at least, I’d be more reliable on when I’m posting. Any thoughts?
I’m over at Risky Regencies today with Michelle Styles and Amanda McCabe, talking about unusual historical settings. Stop by, post a comment, and you could win an autographed book by one of us!
Today I had my booksigning at Barnes and Noble–thanks to all who stopped by!
Tonight, I’m trying to write like the wind so I can watch Survivor. I have to say, I’m rooting for either Sugar or Bob to win. You?
I apologize for my lack of posting this week. I am closing in on my book’s deadline next month, and while it may seem like I have plenty of time to write 60 pages, I always go into a state of panic. I like having a month to REVISE the book, not finish it. So, I’ve been chaining myself to the keyboard and in the midst of all that, I’ve been volunteering in my kids’ classrooms for their holiday parties.
Yesterday I helped my daughter decorate holiday cookies, and I helped my son make a gingerbread house. He was rather put-out that they weren’t allowed to actually EAT the house, since it was put together with hot glue.
So today, I’m going to let them make a real house out of real gingerbread and then they can eat the thing from chimney to front door. It’ll be fun. That is, when I get myself in gear, go to the store for more molasses since the first batch wasn’t enough to make the entire house. Oops.
Tomorrow I’m doing a booksigning at the Newport News Barnes and Noble. Please, please come if you can! Even if it’s just to say hi because you already bought my book. I love to visit with people!
It’s getting close to winter break, which means the children are having their holiday parties soon. My daughter’s preschool is having a pajama party with cookie decorating on Friday. I volunteered to bake the cookies, so that will be the task for tomorrow. I’m also making the frosting for my son’s first grade classroom–they’re building gingerbread houses. I have a feeling my kitchen will be a war zone tomorrow.
For my daughter’s party, they will also be playing “Pass the Present,” which is a form of Hot Potato. Cute idea, and all we had to do was pick up a present at the dollar store. There’s one at a local shopping center not too far from us, so I took my daughter shopping tonight.
I just about fell over when I saw the prices. Remember when the dollar store actually meant everything cost $1.00 or less? Yeah, that definition has changed. There were $15.00 toys, $12.00 toys, $5.00 toys, and so on. Even wrapping paper was priced at $3.00. The items that were $1.00 were stickers or containers of silly putty.
Now when did this happen? I always thought the dollar store was meant to be for the kitschy, overstocked items that retail stores didn’t want. I used to go there in college with my roommate, and we’d shop for a gift for our dance dates. I bought my future husband an empty jar at the dollar store and filled it with candy. He bought me a Santa hat one year. And who can forget those awesome reindeer ears?
Even when I was a teacher, I’d often buy prizes for the kids that cost $1.00. It was an adventure, trying to find fun items that 12-year-olds would love. But heck, as far as I’m concerned, when the prices go above a dollar? You’re not a dollar store anymore. Sorry.
Okay, ranting over. Maybe this was an isolated incident. Maybe this particular chain of dollar stores has lost touch with reality. But I have my doubts.
Another holiday annoyance? When you see signs advertising 50% and 60% off…and the item’s sale price is actually the true retail value (they just marked up the “original” price to make it seem like you’re getting a deal, when you’re actually paying full price).
Anything in retail land that’s been bugging you lately?
Congratulations to Pat who was the lucky winner of the book drawing yesterday. E-mail me your mailing address and I’ll send your book in the mail!
Thanks to all for the title suggestions. It’s always a tough one, trying to decide what a book should be called. I came up with a few possibilities myself and sent them off to my editor. We’ll see what they decide.
Are you finished with your holiday shopping? I’m mostly done. I think there are a few odds and ends I need to get, but the major stuff is there. It’s mainly my husband that I have to shop for, and he’s tough. He wants some tools, and I’ll tell you, my eyeballs are already rolling back in my head at the thought of Dado blades and drill presses. I don’t even know what a Dado blade is for. I think it’s something to do with wooden notches, but Lord help me on that one.
What are you getting your husband or significant other for the holidays?
Good news! Wedded to the Enemy was accepted for publication and I’ll get the release date pretty soon. Bad news? It needs a new title. The editorial team is probably working on this, as I speak, but I’d like to send them some suggestions. Here’s the basic blurb:
Stephen Chesterfield, the Earl of Whitmore, has no memory of the past three months of his life. After a terrible accident, he awakens at his country home to find himself married to his childhood sweetheart. Emily Barrow wed the Earl in a fairytale-come-true, after her brother was murdered and she was left to support his two children. But now Stephen has forgotten he ever loved her, and they must heal a broken marriage. Worst of all, someone is trying to kill the Earl, and Stephen must fight to keep his wife and children safe.
It’s a Cinderella story, but the heroine also loves to cook. It would be fun to work in a food reference. Any ideas? Post a suggestion between now and tomorrow, and I’ll draw a winner for a signed book of your choice (either Her Warrior Slave or anything from my backlist)! Thanks!
P.S.–I also learned that Her Irish Warrior has been translated into Polish and Czech. Exciting!
This video about a man who buys his wife a vacuum cleaner just cracked me up. Love it.
I think most women can agree that some of the best gifts are the ones that take you completely by surprise. For me, one day I’d like my husband to take me on an unexpected trip somewhere. Just–out of the blue, take me away. Could be a weekend getaway, a surprise trip to somewhere exotic or wonderful. BIG brownie points, I tell you.
The other day I was visiting the library and I picked up this story for my eldest son. I had seen it before at Barnes and Noble and had flipped through it, but I’d never actually read it.
It made me cry. In a good way.
It’s one of those stories that you read very differently as an adult. A child will see the story of a bitter, lonely woodcarver who carves a Nativity scene for a widow and her son. As a mother, I read it as a man who was finally able to face the grief of losing his own wife and son, and by carving the figure of the Virgin Mary and Jesus, was able to move forward with his life, toward a new happiness. If you’ve never read it before, go grab a small child (preferably your own) and read it to them. Most libraries will have it, but I’m going to buy the book, it was that heartwarming.
There are a few holiday books that I like reading to my kids. “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” is always a favorite, but I also enjoy “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas.”
Do you have any recommendations for other books I could read to my kids? Any other classics that I’m missing out on?
“Let’s go for it!” Cloth diapers, full speed ahead! 
I love to visit with people!
and read it to them. Most libraries will have it, but I’m going to buy the book, it was that heartwarming. 
