national novel writing month

Or NaNoWriMo as it will forever more be known starts tomorrow!

Always had an urge to write a book but just never found the time, incentive, kick up the pants you needed?  This may be your chance!

Every November is National Novel Writing Month when hundreds of thousands around the world promise to write 50,000 words come hail rain or shine.  Harlequin romances are ~ 50k, as was The Notebook, Bridges of Madison County, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in The Rye.  Awesome company huh?

So if you need cheerleaders, or a whip, to get you to make that scary first step of putting pen to paper, this may be your big chance!

I've tried it before and never made it.  Yes me, a gal who's written more than twenty 50,000 word books!  But that's only because I'm contrary and if someone pressures me to write, I'm like, "Na-ah, I'm gonna eat cake instead, so there."

But for you, who knows???   

Sign up here.

Warning: This Post may Be Addictive!

The crazy early Christmas decorations spilling out of department store right now has sent me gleefully scurrying to JibJab.  And no that's not a typo, and I haven't drunk too much wine, it's not even midday here, for Pete's sake!

For those of you who've yet  to waste many an hour there already JibJab is a crazy awesome website where you can put your family's faces on singing birthday cards, short funny Halloween movies and the like!  We're already in the process of picking which Xmas card we're gonna send to everyone this year. Seriously.  It's hilarious fun!

So, to give you a taste of the JibJab experience, and since my hero and heroine in Addicted to Love - the book currently sweating it out on my editor's desk - meet on a dance floor, I give you Dax and Caitlyn doing the Brazilian Samba!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

manga mania

It's always exciting to find out when a book has been translated and released to an overseas market, when those books arrive on the doorstep with such fancy and fabulous new covers and it takes some investigating to figure out which country the book is from!

But there are two times when its extra special.

1.  When it's my first book, The Wedding Wish, which was first released in 2003.

2. When its a Manga.  When my story has been adapted into glorious romantic anime by a brilliant artist and I can see the story evolve on the page even when I can't read the words.

So when the wonderful Daphne Clair sent me a copy of The Wedding Wish in Manga form (my author copy had gone to her place in New Zealand by mistake!) you can imagine my glee!

A big smoochy thanks to Daphne, bowing and scraping to the artist, and here's a link to a site that lists Mangas if you'd like to see if your favourite has been made so!

I'm reading...little earthquakes

I've been on a bit of a Jennifer Weiner glom of late.  (She wrote Good in Bed and In Her Shoes which is just one of my fave movies ever.)  First up I read Little Earthquakes which is the story of four mums and the struggles and bliss that come with the first 9 months of their bub's lives and their friendship.

My littlest has just turned 9 months so it was so accidentally timely, but that's not why I loved it.  This book was rich and delicate and feisty and real.  Enjoyed it so much I dived into Certain Girls -  the follow up to Good in Bed - which I'm having a great time with too.

In Jen's fabulous 'For Writers' page on her website, she also suggests - among other things - that if you want to get published you ought to read Harlequin novels.  How can I not love her?!

Grab Little Earthquakes and Certain Girls from the Book Depository for free delivery worldwide!Follow me on Good Reads.

I'm reading...getting away with it

Julie Cohen used to write for the same line I do, and she's just so lovely we gals have all kept in close touch with her and watched on in delight as she has gone onto write a slew of fab single title stories.

The latest I read is GETTING AWAY WITH IT and I just LOVED IT!  In fact, last weekend I came down with a 24 hour bug that laid me flat.  Felt like crud.  Had to lie in bed all day.  Which would have been frustrating as all get out if I didn't get to rip through the last half of Julie's book ;).

To let you in on a little about the book Julie "toured an ice cream factory, talked to stunt women, interviewed twins and trespassed in a crop circle."  And that's only half the fun.

Check out Julie's website for more about the book!

Grab the book here from the Book Depository for free delivery worldwide!
Follow me on Good Reads.