HAPPY HOLIDAYS, EVERYONE!!

A quick note to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday season. May all your wishes come true and may next year bring you peace and love and all the good stuff in between.

God bless.

Been taking it easy this week

After a torrid finish to NaNo, I've taken it easy in the writing department this past week and simply enjoyed myself reading. I highly recommend Brenda Adcock's Pipeline and The Sea Hawk. The latter was a beautifully done historical romance. I'd been told it was a good read, and I wasn't disappointed. I need to get back to my own writing and plan to do that this week.

We've been waiting for our first real snow here in Indy. We're supposed to get some light snow tomorrow and some heavier on Wednesday. Sometimes, it hasn't felt like winter around here, but this past week it has with the temps dropping.

The Colts were merciful and gave my heart a rest today with a fairly non-nailbiting win over the Titans to go to 12-0. I'm doing pretty well in my fantasy leagues, but have had some of my top players out this week due to injury.

Wow, I just read a very interesting article from Sports Illustrated online about the possibility of a woman playing in the NBA. My argument is a woman could play in major league baseball--hence, my book, Playing for First. But here is the link to Ian Thomsen's article: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/ian_thomsen/12/04/countdown/index.html?eref=sihp. Very interesting....

Alrighty...until next time.

Hit the 50,000 goal for NaNoWriMo Friday!

At about 11:40 PM EST, Friday night, I hit 50,837 words, putting me over the top for the National Novel Writing Month project. Today, I went over some of the last pages I wrote--actually, one of the crucial scenes in the book. And I'll be darned if it wasn't half-bad. lol I've not written anything since Friday night. I decided to take a short break, but plan to get going again here soon. The rest of the book is in my head. I'll see if Amy or Lisa or Frankie or Stacy try to take me in a different direction. So far, Amy's been doing a lot of the leading since the beginning of the book. Although Two for the Show is told from two POV's, it seems Amy's voice is the one coming out loudest. Which is as it should be. I know with Come Back to Me, Angie's voice was louder, but as the story progressed, Meryl began to assert herself more and more. Funny how that works out.

After freaking out over yet another Colts' come-from-behind win, I plan to casually watch a little of the Saints-Patriots game tonight. Even though if they won, the Saints would remain undefeated, I still want them to kick the Patriots' a**. Something Colts' fans will always feel...animosity toward New England, just as their fans hate the Colts and Manning with a passion.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and holiday weekend.

I think I'm over the NaNo hump!

Almost a week ago, I posted that I'd hit the NaNo wall...which I had. Smack dab into that brick baby. But I've managed to step back, shake off the concussion, and plow ahead with the story. Two for the Show is looking better and better. I realize completely it's an extremely...let me say that again, extremely...rough draft. But I'll be damned if I'm not up to 40,200+ words. Past the goal for this time in the month! YAY! And that's after barely writing one day and not writing on another. I just finished a critical scene for Amy--one that's going to affect her in more ways than she knows right now. It'll have to be another obstacle for her to overcome. But she has the support of her partner, Stacy, her friend, Lisa, and another friend on the Reds, Nick Sanders. The question is, can she accept their love and support? Or does she think she can handle this on her own? The plot thickens...and now I can't wait to get back at it tomorrow. Now that is a good feeling.

I think I've hit the NaNo wall...

My wall came a little later than the second week mark they warned us about. I missed out on one night's writing, and it's been hard to get back in the swing of things. I'm about 2000 words short right now to be on pace to finish with 50,000 by Nov. 30. I'll try to get there, but I'm not going to beat myself over the head if I don't. At least I have a decent story started for Two for the Show, the sequel to Playing for First.

Backtracking a bit, HOW 'BOUT THEM COLTS??!! I admitted on my Facebook "wall" that I was ashamed to say I turned the TV off after Peyton's second interception...only because I hate the friggin' Patriots and couldn't stand to see them win. I read more of Kate Sweeney's She Waits, waited a few minutes, and I thought, eh, I'll flip it back on to see what's going on. The score was 34-28 and the Patriots had the ball. I'm watching as they line up for a FOURTH AND TWO AT THEIR OWN 28 YARD LINE!! And I'm thinking, naaa, they'll try to get the Colts to jump offsides. Wrong! Good lord, what the f*** was His Hoodiness thinking?? Anyway...thanks, Bill, for the early Christmas present! And thank you, Peyton, for never giving up. Next time, I promise I won't turn off the game.

Okay...off to read Sweeney's second in the Kate Ryan Mystery Series, A Nice Clean Murder. I like to relax before I go to bed....

Saw "2012" ...

Gosh, nothing like everything getting thrown at you but the kitchen sink. Heck, the kitchen sink might have been thrown in there and we just missed it in the mayhem. What with California falling off into the Pacific, Yellowstone Park becoming one huge erupting volcano, the Vatican collapsing, tsunamis hundreds of feet in the air, etc., one kitchen sink could have been lost in all the excitement. Poor Phyllis had to endure the movie with me since I'm a disaster movie junkie. I have no clue why other than they're totally silly and mindless. I think it started with seeing Towering Inferno when I was kid, having to sit in the first row of the theater because we got there late. I joke that at least Indianapolis will get to host the Super Bowl before the world comes to an end December 21, 2012. The last disaster flick by this director, Day After Tomorrow, dealt with global warming. I thought it'd top everything until this movie. Geesh.

Next weekend, we plan to see Blind Side with Sandra Bullock, and not just because Sandra Bullock is in it, although that is definitely an incentive. lol I loved the story when it came out during the NFL draft. I'm looking forward to a gentler movie than 2012. I'm sure my partner will, too.

On the NaNo front, I'm up to 24,850 words. Gotta keep on trucking....

Colts win! And writing....

The Colts just won a game I'm not so sure they should have. Well, they really shouldn't have. But they're undefeated going into the New England game next weekend. I look forward to their annual game, but then I dread them at the same time. Much too nerve racking.

I've been participating in National Novel Writing Month, or NaNo as we call it. This is my first year. I'm working on the sequel to Playing for First. This is reeeeally a rough-rough draft, as it should be since we're not supposed to be editing as we go along. I have no idea where I'm going day to day. I know where I want to get by the end of the book and I know what I want to have happen to the characters between here and there...it's just the getting there that's fun.

Buddy is happily munching on a bone, laying on the floor between Phyllis and me. Phyllis is reading Lori Lake's Gun Shy. Every twenty minutes or so, she says, "She can really write." Yes, she can.

Okay...the games are turned off. Time to write and then go back to reading Brenda Adcock's Tunnel Vision.

Loved "Mamma Mia"...

...but would have loved it MORE if stupid me had gotten the time right for the start of the show! I convinced myself it was 2:00. We get there at 1:20 and I notice we're the only ones walking to Clowes Hall. I'm like...hmmmmmmm. Then I flip the tickets over and look at the time. Yup. You got it. 1:00. *SIGH* I hate to come in on anything late. In fact, I've never done it and get pissed when people are seated in front of me after a show starts. ANYway, we told them to seat us in the very back where there were still seats open. We probably missed about 15 minutes of the show based on the scene we came in on. At the intermission, we moved down into our "real" seats. We got to sing at the end of the show, too. Pretty cool. That'll be the closest I ever come to singing with a Broadway cast. LMAO!

Sitting here with my best friend

We're watching the Angels play Boston at Boston. I used to be a big Red Sox fan (along with my losing Reds), but I've tired of them the past few years. It seems they've started "buying" championships like the rotten Yankees. I do like Terry Francona, the manager, though. And there are players on the team I like. I like Mike Scioscia, the manager of the Angels. I liked him when he played for the Reds rival during the 70s, the Dodgers. He's an excellent manager. My best buddy hasn't visited in a long while. He' s a flight attendant, so it's hard for him to visit. One of my favorite vacations ever was going with him to Boston to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox play the Seattle Mariners. Nomar Garciapara was still playing for Boston at the time. The people around us were saying, "Come on Nomaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" with the classic Boston accent. So I started doing it, too. Since I had a couple of beers, it wasn't hard to do. Okay, now I switched to football. Man, I hate it when the Colts don't play until 8:30. They've had three games already in primetime! Hope everyone's enjoying their Sunday afternoon! Blessings....

About ready to head off to bed...

...but thought I'd check in for a quick few words. Finishing up watching the Dodgers go ahead 2-0 in the National League Divisional Series. Man, Holliday has to feel like crap for the error. Now the guy has to watch it over and over and over on all the sports stations. BUT the man is one of the big reasons the Cards cruised to a Central Division crown. Ahhh, baseball. It doesn't matter how you played during the regular season. Look at the Cubs the past couple of years. Speaking of sports, Phyllis and I attended the Fever playoff game here in Indy last night. Unfortunately, they lost, but we still enjoyed sitting SIX ROWS UP from the Fever bench. Here's hoping they bring it home tomorrow night.... As for my writing, I've been kicking around story ideas for the sequel to Playing for First while going over my latest that my publisher accepted, Come Back to Me. I imagine editing will begin next month on that one. I hope to start the initial pages to the sequel while working on the editing for CBTM. Silly, klutsy me (did we finally establish how that is spelled? lol) is now in a walking boot for at least the next two weeks. I'm not sure on the fracture part yet. The doctor didn't call me today with the results. I'll be calling her tomorrow. I'm praying it's not. This boot thing is funky enough. I don't need a cast. Okay...off to bed. Blessings....

FEVER WINNNNNNNNNN!!!

YIPPEE! We didn't go to the game since I was still under the weather, but I watched it online through WNBA.com's live access. I should say I watched what I could. I was so damn nervous, I kept the sound down and worked, but checked the game every couple of minutes. I watched the last five, though. :-) Phyllis and I will be out of town next weekend so will miss the October 4th game. They need to win at least ONE for us to go to the game on the 7th. I'd love it if they swept Phoenix, but I'm not sure that'll be happening. Just wishful thinking for a Fever fan. :-) Anyhoo... I'm so happy for Tamika, Katie, Tully, and the team for finally getting over the hump and making it to the Finals. At least they have a couple of days of rest before the first game Tuesday night. Go Fever!

Yay FEVER!

Phyllis and I went to the 2nd game of the WNB A Eastern Conference Championship tonight at Conseco here in Indy. It was a nerve-wracking game, but the Fever prevailed 76-72 (I think that was the score). Tamika Catchings, who for me, is the best womens basketball player that I've ever seen play, was fantastic. She was all over the floor. I was under the weather today and have a slight fever (cute, huh?), so we almost didn't go. But I told Phyllis, no, let's go. They had one of the biggest crowds that I've ever seen there. The owner flat out said if they don't win the whole thing this year, they're gone. I think that friggin' sucks. It's the most positive team here in Indy, including the Colts. A lot of parents bring their little kids to see the game, too. We'll be rooting them on again tomorrow night....

Went out tonight to celebrate

Phyllis got home today from Cleveland. I was so glad to see her when I got in from work. She wanted to take me out to dinner and a drink to celebrate Come Back to Me being accepted. We went to one of my favorite places to go here where we also go for karaoke. I ordered a Long Island. The waiter innocently asked (or so I thought) if I wanted a blue Long Island instead. It has Blue Curacao in it. The first one knocked me on my a**. When he came back after we'd eaten and asked if I wanted another, did I say no? HECK noooooooooo. lol I ordered another. Nothing like celebrating, huh? We decided to make this a tradition after every acceptance and release. Soooooooo, a few months from now after editing and it's ready for publication? Two more Blue Long Islands should do the trick. :-) Now it's on to watching the Colts tonight on Monday Night Football. I'll be a bit more subdued, I think...maybe. lol

Chilling out watching Bears-Steelers game

I'm taking it easy watching Chicago play Pittsburgh in the rain in Chicago. Sundays when the Colts don't play always seem to drag. Of course, that's fine. It's Sunday and it's raining here. And if it means I have one relaxing afternoon before going back to work tomorrow, that's good. I was told yesterday by Emily Reed my publisher that my newest manuscript, Come Back to Me, was accepted. Next comes months of editing, whenever we get started on it. Now that I've gone through the process once, I think I'll be a little better prepared for the time frame and how much work is involved in making the book the best it can possibly be. Jane Vollbrecht, my editor, is the best. She's teaching me so much...I look forward to learning more. Okay, I think I'll get back to reading Blayne Cooper & T. Novan's First Lady. It's the sequel to Madame President. I'm enjoying the two main characters and the read. I have so many other books to read from the Conference it's not even funny. AND I need to start on a storyline for the sequel to Playing for First. Can I quit my day job yet? hahahahaha

Enjoyable evening with Phyllis and Buddy

We had a nice swim...well, Phyllis and I had a nice swim. lol A nice dinner and then a very enjoyable walk here in the neighborhood. Okay, on a different note, I've decided someone needs to smack Kanye West upside the head. That's simply disgusting. I haven't seen the tape of what happened and I have no desire to, but to step up on stage and take away 19-year-old Taylor Swift's moment in the spotlight...it makes me want to hit something. Grrr... Anyway...how WUDE. There was a miniseries a few years back and this one character kept saying that. It's stuck with me since. Wude wude wude! Alrighty, I think I'll relax for the evening reading Missy Good's "Tropical Storm," the first in the Dar and Kerry series. About halfway through. After this, I need to get started on the sequel to Playing for First. Once I hear back from Jane and Em, I'll be working on the edit for my latest...I hope. lol Peace!

Had a fantastic time chatting with Lara Zielinsky

Lara and I shared a wonderful half hour chatting about Playing for First. We talked about where I came up with the idea, the editing and publishing process, and what my newest novel is about. We also discussed women in sports and the difficulties lesbian authors face when attempting to switch over to mainstream publishing, which my newest novel addresses. Here's the link to Lara's website: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lara-zielinsky. Our interview is at or near the top of her list there on the right. It's a 30 minute show. At the end, I offer three free autographed copies of Playing for First to the first three readers who e-mail me at: ckpaynter@ckpaynter.com. If any of y'all are interested, drop me a line. Lara invited me back when my latest is further into production. I plan to do that since I enjoyed our talk so much Thursday night.

Today, we have friends coming over at one for a nice lunch. It's beautiful here today in Indy. Currently, it's 58 with a high in the upper seventies, low eighties. Have to take Buddy the Wonder Dog to his grandparents, though, so we can eat in peace. Take care all!

Interview tonight with Lara Zielinsky

A quick reminder that I'll be interviewed tonight on Lara Zielinsky's blog radio talk show, "Readings with Lesbian and Bisexual Authors." The show starts at 11:30 pm EST. Here's the link again: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lara-zielinsky. We'll be discussing Playing for First, my latest work, writing, editing, and publishing. I'll also have a promotional giveaway to announce, too. Hope you tune in! And if you can't stay up that late, Lara archives the shows on her website, located at the same link. Blessings to everyone!

Finished the rough draft!

I completed the rough draft on my next novel early Sunday morning at 12:30. Now it's a matter of polishing, repolishing it, and repolishing it some more before sending it in to my editor. And then, of course, it'll be a matter of edting, editing, and more editing before we get to the final product. Such is the life of an author.... I'm not complaining, though. I wouldn't have it any other way. Hope to write more this weekend. I'm taking a vacation day Friday to spend time with Phyllis and take a four-day weekend. We're planning on going to Metamora, a little artsy town about an hour's drive from Indy. The drive is always relaxing. However, good ol' klutzy me fell here at home about two weeks ago. I landed hard on my left knee and hyperextended my foot. Everything is still swollen. Since I'd JUST gone to have a foot x-ray not that long ago, I sure as heck didn't want to go again. I'm holding out until a doctor's appointment on the 17th. I'll ask about it then. Oh! Before I forget, I'm going to be interviewed by Lara Zielinsky on her radio blog show next Thursday night, September 10th, at 11:30 p.m. Here's the link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/lara-zielinsky. It's a half-hour program. It should be fun. If you can't stay up that late, be sure and check out the archives section on Lara's website. For anyone out there reading this, too, I've started answering a "random question" from Blogspot. You can find it on my Profile page under the "About Me" section. It was a funny question this time--at least I thought it was funny. Check it out! Okay...back to "polishing."

Heading off to la-la land...

Sometimes this wireless network reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeally pisses me off. I finished my post, or so I thought, when the damn thing went out again. Anyway...I'm reading Helen MacPherson's Love's Redemption. I'm enjoying the read so far. She's Australian. I enjoy reading Australian and British novels because of the different spelling/expressions. For example, "realisation" and "colour" instead of "realization" and "color." 'Course us Yanks probably have it all wrong. lol It'll be nice to unwind after working on my book all night. Looking forward to finishing up my rough draft here soon...

Once again, BTWD loses weight when Mommy picks him up...

Buddy inevitably gains a pound or whatever whenever I pick him up from the vet's office. When Phyllis picks him up, the little bugger LOSES weight. He got a report from the doctor today for his annual: "Down 1.3 pounds. Great job! Keep up the good work!" *shakes head* Phyllis thought she was about to get a lecture when someone said, "The doctor would like to see you." I have to admit, though, we've been walking him more. And then there's the kennel diet, as I call it. I don't think he eats that much when we're not here and we've had to put him in the vet's kennel.

As for my writing, I feel like I'm at a crucial point in the story, and I don't want to screw it up. Therefore, I'm perpetuating a different mindset. I'm not going to worry about screwing up--rather, I'm gonna think about writing a helluva last third of the book. :-) A lot of it's rewriting from the book it was before. This is what I've wanted to write about, but it deals with a difficult subject. I'm getting there....

Chilling out tonight watching an episode of Torchwood

We have BBC America OnDemand. There are some unique and well-written/well-acted shows on here. We liked "Mistresses." It's off-season now. We've just discovered "Torchwood." I guess this is the third season. We may be getting these on DVD. I'd say it's like the British version of "X-Files." What Phyllis and I like about British shows is that not every actress/actor is gorgeous. They don't mind looking NORMAL. We loved "Prime Suspect" with Helen Mirren. The woman can friggin' act. I thought it was cool when she won a Golden Globe a couple of years ago for playing both Elizabeth I and Elizabeth II--Elizabeth I for HBO and Elizabeth II for "The Queen." I had planned on writing tonight, but took a break to catch up on my website and e-mails. So now I'm sitting here watching this with Phyllis. It's refreshing that two of the male characters are gay. They shared a KISS. Not a kiss. lol Contrast it with here and "Will and Grace." As long as Will remained chaste, his character was accepted. Whatever... Back to the show. :-)

book signing went well! yay!

My first book signing went well. Had a good crowd. A lot were friends and family, so it was very homey. But others entered the bookstore and kinda hung out while I read from my book and discussed it afterward. They sold out of books and put in another order. Yay! It was cool, too. They took down the "Book Signing" poster I had made and asked me to sign it. They're going to hang it up in the store. Now that I have that one under my belt, hopefully I won't be nervous the next time. I used humor to diffuse the nerves. Now, I need to get back to writing my other one. Which I plan to do tonight. It was back to work work for me today after two weeks off. That's the longest I've been off of work for a lonnnnnnnnnnnng time. Pays the bills, though! Later!

having my first book signing in 13 1/2 hours

I'll have my first book signing Sunday, August 2 at 2:00 pm at the Out Word Bound Bookstore here in Indy. And my first reading. And my first discussion of Playing for First. I picked out the passage I'm going to read. I think it'll work. I'll have to affect a southern drawl, which I'll have fun with I think. I can joke, "This is why I'm an author and not an actor." lol I relaxed tonight with Phyllis by going to karaoke at Downtown Ollies. We had fun with our friend, Maribeth. I love to sing, and it always help me relax and wind down. Getting ready to turn in. After my signing tomorrow, I plan to get back to my latest. It's starting to flow. :-) Peace!

Thoroughly enjoyed the Conference in Orlando!

I had a blast in Orlando. The ultimate highlight was meeting Emily, my publisher, and Jane, my editor, for the first time. What special, special people. I'm blessed to be in their company. Phyllis and I also had fun meeting authors and readers and making new friends. I signed my first books. Kinda cool. lol One thing I was very careful about was the spelling of names. I even asked twice sometimes. Met Megan Magill who writes with Regal Crest. She introduced herself to me. She recognized my name from a forum and she remembered I was born in Oxfordshire, England. Banbury to be exact. She's from Oxfordshire, too. We had several wonderful chats in the time we were there. I also met Rachel Spangler who publishes with Bold Strokes Books. She won two Goldies, one for debut author and one for best romance. OMG. I haven't laughed that much in years. She's a hoot. There were others there I loved meeting: Lori Lake, Brenda Adcock, Kate Sweeney, Georgia Beers, KG MacGregor.... It was a magical time, which it should have been really. After all, we were at the "Magic Kingdom." :-) I've been working on my latest these past couple of days and feel good about the first 100 pages. I'm still reworking the rest. I hope it'll all meld together. Okay. It's late and I'm pooped. See ya!

I'm such a klutz

How do you spell "klutz"? I think that's right...ANYway.... At work work (the one that pays the bills) on Thursday, I stood up from my office chair, turned and felt a pop in my foot/ankle. Pain shot through it. I thought, "Umm, that's not good." So, then I took a couple of steps and it still hurt, but I was able to walk. I walked a little farther--sharp pain. Walked a little farther--no problem. Then sharp pain. I'm thinking. Crap. I sincerely hope I don't have a stress fracture or something. Yesterday, there was bruising that got worse as the day went along. Swelling. Phyllis insisted I stay off of it and sit with my foot propped up. Which I did. It's the outer part of the foot and ankle, and it doesn't hurt continuously. We think it's a sprain and because of where it's at, I don't feel it every time I take a step. But WHAM! Then I do. Phyllis told me a need to go to the doctor. Nope. Nope. Nope. Not with the Conference coming up this week. Ain't gonna do it...wouldn't be prudent (spoken with my best George H.W. Bush imitation--you know the first dude?). I'm sitting here now in my Lazy-Girl chair with it propped up on a pillow. I plan on taking it easy these next few days. I think it'll get better. I'll probably forgo the pool thing down in Orlando. Heck, if I can't even get up from my chair and make a turn to walk, how do you think I'd be poolside on wet tile?? Klutz=Chris

changed my layout

I thought the black was a little ummm...dark. lol So, I'm going with this template for a while. I believe I might be the only one reading this anyway. :-) Oh well...it's like a diary. Only lots of people can read it and you can't hide it under your bed.

I'm excited about the Golden Crown Literary Society Conference coming up next week in Orlando. First, it'll be sooooo nice to get away. Second, it'll be soooooooo nice to meet authors I've corresponded with and whose work I love. But the best thing is I'll finally meet my editor and publisher! Yay!

Not saying much tonight, but I'm gonna attempt to leave an image in this post. We'll see how it goes. There's Buddy on the side there. Ain't he cute?

My job is driving me CRAZY!

The one that pays the bills...just finished working on an article for the night, and I'm not even done with it (if that tells you anything).

I'm going to try and relax by reading a book, I think. My brain cells aren't functioning enough to attempt writing.

Buddy the tracker

As you will see, a lot of these posts will deal with our dog, Buddy the Beagle, aka Buddy the Wonder Dog. Because he's a hound, he goes into "tracker" mode if he's on the scent of something. Around here, it's other dogs. It can't be allll the dogs in the neighborhood, so I don't know who his favorites are. Anyway...I took him out for his last walk for the evening and he immediately started sniffing and baying. We live right around the corner from a little restaurant (one of many around here) that has outside tables. Guess who they all stare at when he starts this routine? The only ones who find it a little amusing are the residents here at the condo who know Buddy. One of them was laughing in the parking lot. I yelled over, "We're tracking." lol The little guy is sound asleep now. I trained him as a puppy that his bedtime was 9:00. He has a routine. He starts playing with his squeaky ball around 8:30ish. He gets cranky around 8:45 and then it's time for his last walk and bed. He typically whines for a very very short time and, inevitably, in ten minutes, he's snoring. Speaking of which...bedtime for me, too.

My a%$ is draggin'

Went over to the house today to spread gravel. We had ten tons of it delivered Friday. Started in at 9:00 and shoveled, wheel barrelled, and packed it around the house. We started using the remaining stones for the drive, but got tuckered out. It was 90 and oppressive Friday and yesterday. Today was much better with a nice breeze. It's almost done now. Phyllis just has to spread a bit more. I mainly went over today so she wouldn't try and do it all. It's supposed to cool off here this week into the upper seventies THANK GOD. I'm gonna try to relax the rest of the afternoon and evening and hopefully get some writing in.

Buddy our beagle being bad

How's that for alliteration? AKA Buddy the Wonder Dog has hold of a dishcloth and is refusing to give up his prize. I think he's just tired. Okay, back from scolding said dog. lol Just finished with work work for the evening and am about to start on my book again...FUN work.

chilling out watching my Reds

Joey Votto is back!!! Yay!! Even though he struck out in his first at bat, I'm glad he's back. He's my favorite player followed closely by Jay Brucey. I'm about to turn it down, though, and work on my book. I'll glance up every now and then to see how they're doing. I'm missing Phyllis and Buddy tonight. Phyllis is visiting family in Cleveland. Buddy is with my mom and dad. He's so used to Phyllis being here during the day, we thought it best he stay with grandma and grandpa. He loves them, so he's okay. I'm the one who's lonely.

Did some rearranging on the first few chapters of the book. It reads much better. Time to get going with the rest....

going over to my parents' for Father's Day

I'm lucky to have two wonderful, accepting parents. I'm close to both of them. My dad is the one who instilled in me the love of the Game. I can still remember going down to the Reds games in the height of the Big Red Machine Era. We'd take in a business day special together. I also got my love of history from him. When I was a kid, we'd sit around and talk about World War II and the Civil War. Having him say he liked my book means so much to me.

I feel blessed this day, just as I did on Mother's Day, and just as I do every day of my life knowing I have the two best parents in the world. :-) Going to have steaks, hamburgers, and hotdogs on the grill. YAY!

working on next novel

I'm trying to keep up on my writing, but have had trouble concentrating after the release of Playing for First. I'm hoping I'll start to really get into it here soon. That's what usually happens...I get lost in what I'm writing and oblivious to other things. I'll attempt to write a page or two before we leave for dinner at 4:30...or at least have an idea of where I'm going to finish this chapter.

Welcome to My Blog!

Don't ask me if I know what the heck I'm doing, but I thought I'd give this a shot. :-) My debut novel, Playing for First, was released last Monday, June 8th. I'm still in a daze. I've scheduled my first book signing at Out Word Bound Bookstore here in Indy for Sunday, August 2, at 2:00 pm. We'll be getting back from Orlando and the Golden Crown Literary Society Conference earlier that week. That's good, because there'll be an autograph session down there with all of the authors. At least I'll have a little idea of what to expect. :-)

I don't know if anyone is checking this out, but if so, feel free to post a comment. I hope you enjoy the new book.

Chris