My Recent Comments

I apologize, but what are Nationals?  Is that the National Convention?  Are you all really going?  Isn't it expensive?

i have a hard time not doing the housework.  it's how i was raised.  but i have learned that now that my girls are 6 & 8, for the most part they can be responsible for their own rooms & playroom.  i don't clean the bathrooms, dust or vaccuum as much as i should, but i do keep clutter down.  i find that clutter around me sort of "clutters my brain". luckily, i am a sahm, but my kids are in school full-time.

i like the idea of a reward sysem.  i kind of do that, too.  i set my goals (usually based on what i accomplished the day before) and don't let myself read (my other great passion) until it's done. 

with the kids getting out of school soon, i am toying with writing first thing in the morning...only thing is, when i get into it...sometimes i can't turn it off and my poor kids may never get to the pool!  who am i kidding?  they will badger me until i take them!

i had a very good friend that was a cutter.  of course, she kept it secret.  or tried to.  but it ended up coming out.

she was a perfectionist and she would punish herself by cutting herself.  although, i have also heard of cutters that cut themselves because they feel very emotional and the act of cutting seems to release some of the emotional pressure. 

as far as advice to parents, i think talking to a counselor would be the first step and seeing what the protocol is.  if this girl is a teen, i might approach her first and not really say anything about the cutting per se, but ask how she is doing, how she feels, what's going on...let her know you are available.  then i might ask the parents to come in and based on your impression of them, handle the situation delicately but accordingly. 

additionally, i know that my daughters' school has a school psychologist that periodically meets with large groups of kids to talk about various issues.  perhaps the school can implement something like that.  of course, you don't want to point to this girl.  but sometimes informing the group at large of cutting and why people do it would let this girl understand why she is doing it and that she is not alone.

as a psych major, i have to say that i do think cutting is an unconscious cry for help and while the girl may be reluctant to open up to some people, finding someone tat she can trust is critical.  giving her a support system is imperative. 

as for my friend, it eventually came out and she tried to deny the whole thing.  but eventually she faced it and got the help that she needed. 

 

wow.  thanks for all of the advice and encouragement.  it's nice to know that i am not alone

as far as the kids growing up...I heard this song by Trace Adkins the other day "You're Gonna Miss This" and it just really hit home for me.  Here's a little piece of that song:

Five years later there's a plumber
Workin' on the water heater
Dog's barkin', phone's ringin'
One kid's cryin' one kid's screamin'
And she keeps apologizin'
He says they don't bother me
I've got two babies of my own
One's thirty- six, one's twenty- three
Huh, it's hard to believe
But you're gonna' miss this
You're gonna' want this back
You're gonna' wish these days
Hadn't gone by so fast
These are some good times
So take a good look around
You may not know it now
But you're gonna' miss this

it seems so true to me, when they were babies, I felt like I was up to my eyeballs in diapers and they always seemed to need me and what I wouldn't have given for a moment to myself and now, what  I wouldn't give to go back there for a little while...

Hi everyone!  I just read through most of the posts. 

mbl--my girls are 6 & 8 and i cry for the days when they were babies, so i see nothing wrong with you crying about your daughter turning 18!  i'd be right there with you.  i read a quote once that said having children is like having your heart walking around outside your body.  if your heart is turning 18--independence, adulthood, is she going away to college?-i think it is totally understandable to cry!

as for the hot food--love it!  bring it on!

anyway, i'm here because it has always been my dream to write a book.  and i have had so many starts and then abandoned them for a "better idea" with better hooks or characters or a tighter plot. 

i spent the last few months researching several plots, mapping out key scenes and making rough outlines, only to come up with another idea that seems even better! 

HELP!

Does anyone else do this?

How do you stop?  How do you figure out which is the best idea and run with it? 

 

Congratulations to the winners!  Wow, Jodi, I loved your story!  No wonder you won!  There was a ton of sizzle in there!  Lots of chemistry between the main characters!!  I could really learn something from you!!

 

 

Thanks, Lorie,

I had emailed you back in December to be part of the challenge.  But I wasn't sure if you had my email address.

 

Hi!  i signed up to be part of the challenge.  and i have been logging in my books and book reviews.  i think.  i've just been clicking on book review and there is a little counter on my page that says how many books i have read so far.

anyway, my big question was with regard to the discount code.  i'm ready for some new books!! and i want to take advantage of this free shipping offer.

can someone please email me the discount code? 

thanks!

Hello, Wanda!  Thank you so much for taking time to answer questions.

I really enjoy the realistic sub-plots in the Superromance line.  Can you say on average how many sub-plots seem to work best in a superromance? 

Also, my observation has been that Superromance tend to be on the "sweet" side sexually.  I know this isn't the Blaze line, but would sexual description or reaction between hero and heroine be acceptable?

i've been lurking here for a while.  i entered the contest as well, but have not heard anything, either. 

it's always been my dream to write and i have tried to get my act together in the past, but with two small children it was tough.  now, my daughters are both in elementary school full-time, so it's my time!  i've been coming up with tons of ideas...and having a hard time picking what i think is the best one!  lol!

anyway, just posting this seems like a big step to me!

i wish you all luck and can't wait to see who wins!

btw, my submission was based more on the "creative" aspect, as in where you may not have expected the whole thing to go...it was contemporary and about gang violence in los angeles.