In Search Of…

…lowfat crock pot recipes.

Anyone out there have favorites to share? I really love being able to throw everything into the pot in the morning and have dinner waiting whenever we want it.

A few caveats:

1. Not a lot of prep work, please. Chopping veg is fine; pre-cooking is less so. The whole idea of this is it for not to be a lot of work!


2. Recipes that combine meat, veg, and brown rice or wheat pasta (or at least two out of the three) are the spiffiest! I’m all about the one-pot meal.


3. I can modify to lowfat if needed. For example, recently I used lowfat cream of chicken soup and fat-free cream cheese in a recipe, and it turned out smashingly well.
   


4. Any kind of meat is fine. We’ve cut back a lot on beef, but do eat it occasionally (or frequently substitute ground turkey for ground beef). Chicken (esp. boneless, skinless breasts), pork, lamb is all good. As much as we love it, game such as venison and ostrich is more expensive and harder to come by for us, though.
   


5. Seafood (e.g., shrimp, scallops, etc.) recipes are highly encouraged! I find I’m less and less fond of fish when it’s cooked (sushi is another matter entirely!), but I’m willing to try.
   


6. No mushrooms. If you have a fabulous recipe that contains mushrooms, please send it along; I’ll modify it on my end (I’ll substitute baby carrots or extra onions or something). Just no fabulous vegetarian dishes based on mushrooms. (Besides, we’re carnivores—our teeth and digestive systems say so!)
   


7. I’m not fond of savory and sweet in the same dish, so no recipes containing gobs of fruit. (Maybe a little fruit, if the dish is also spicy. Convince me!)
   


8. Hot-n-spicy is yummy. We’re not afraid of fire…
   


9. I already have good recipes for boeuf bourguignon, beef stroganoff, and Sloppy Joes.
   

Hit me!

Beautiful Trophy

I finally picked up my Beautiful Trophy for the first quarter of 2007, when Teresa and I finished Out of the Frying Pan. I still need to get a plaque made with the book title, but I couldn't resist posting a picture. Isn't it gorgeous? It's one of the glass fishing floats that the Oregon Coast is known for.

Nyquil hangover

Happy Birthday to my mom!

Four stories back in the mail Tuesday, plus a bunch of follow-up e-mails re: languishing ones. The responses are already coming back on those follow-ups. One editor, who has several of my stories for several projects, didn’t have any bad news, although most of the anthologies are still at some level of progress, so there’s no specific “yes” to anything yet. Another market cancelled their series, but those two stories were reprints anyway; not really “rejections,” either.

Yesterday was one of those days where you run around a lot and accomplish little. I went to the chiropractor, came home, and took Ken to TO. We had lunch together at Roma Deli, and I think I’m just not going there any more. Their once-fabulous mozzarella salad has, over the years, slowly become mediocre. I wanted to cry remembering how fantastic it once was.

After that we went to the bike dealer, but his bike wasn’t ready yet, so we went to the mall and wandered around a bit, but my hip starting hurting pretty badly. I dropped him off at the bike place and went home, and when the chiropractor’s office called to let me know my supplements were in (they hadn’t been unpacked when I was there in the morning), I asked for an afternoon appt as well.

I hung up, and the phone rang again: Ken. They found some things wrong with the bike that they’d have to order parts for, so his 50CC trip from coast to coast was now impossible (the plan was to hit FL in time for a long-distance riders’ banquet. He’ll do the ride probably later this month.). So I raced up to TO to get him, then straight to the chiropractor’s, where it was discovered that my hips were two inches off from each other. That would explain the pain, then!

We made quick runs to the library and PO (where I forgot to actually buy stamps, dammit) and then to the grocery store because Ken requested Sloppy Joe’s for supper (since mostly what we had in-house was simple meals for me while he was gone). By the time I’d caught up on computer stuff and made dinner, it was time to wander off to Morgana’s for sewing…

Meh.

Today I woke up late with a Nyquil hangover, and I’ve been draggy ever since. Bleah. I’m slowly getting stuff done, but too slowly for my own impatience…yet sometimes too fast for my easily tired self.

I got through about 2/3 of the edits on my swords story (“Dyrnwyn’s Fire”) tonight and should get it to Denise tomorrow, along with a fresh copy of the story she’s buying and an anthology idea proposal. Then, it’s on to a couple of other short stories as well as getting back into Ghosted with renewed vigor.

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Currently Reading: Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
Lately Listened To: Okay, so even though I had no voice, when I was driving yesterday and Great White’s “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” came on, I had to sing along at the top of my raspy, lurgy lungs. Tonight, it was Within Temptation’s Mother Earth and Evanescence’s The Open Door, because apparently I needed Gothic Rock to edit my paranormal/pagan Welsh WWII sword story. Who knew?
Recently Watched: Ghost Hunters, Cities of the Underworld (Vietnam), Lost, Graham Norton, If Walls Could Talk (That’s all spaced over several days, mind you. And I’ve been sick.)

More workshop photos

Taken by the awesome, gorgeous, and funny Janna Silverstein.

February stats

wrote 8400 words
wrote 9 out of 29 days

story submissions: 4
story acceptances: 0
story rejections: 5
stories written: 1 finished from previous start (“Drynwyn’s Fire,” for workshop); 1 written in full (“If the Shoe Fits,” for workshop)
stories edited: 1 (publisher edits on “Some Old Lover’s Ghost”)

novel submissions: 8 queries or partials for Out of the Frying Pan
novel acceptances: 0
novel rejections: 1 (for Out of the Frying Pan)

Lust Bites articles written: 2 (Mammoth Book of Erotica 7 promo, half each of “In the Future, All Men Will Be Hotter” and “In the Future, All Women Will be Hotter”)

Comments

Honestly, I don’t think the words written and days of writing stats are correct; I think by the end of the month I was so frazzled I was forgetting to list them. No clue what the correct stats are.

Goals for March

More words, more days. Period.

Finish Ghosted if it kills me. Then (or concurrently, more likely), start work on Caressing the Tiger once Teresa and I hammer out a schedule for that novel.

Write a story for the Cats Curious Press anthology. Edit “Dyrnwyn’s Fire” for Denise Little and “Animal Attractions” for Hips & Curves. If I have time, I have a couple of other stories to finish up, and several stories to expand so I can submit them to Spice Briefs. Plus I need to get the recently returned stories back in the mail ASAP. Oh, and I should check out the guidelines for the various best-of anthologies and send out appropriate reprints.

Lust Bites: I’m doing an interview with the amazing Mary Anne Mohanraj and contributing to the “lust.bites” hunky man in the upper righthand corner section. I need to brainstorm a new topic for my April post and beyond, though.

Oh. Ow.

When I decided (over the weekend) that I was officially taking today off to recover from the trip and my cold, I didn’t expect to be also flattened by another headache. Bleah. I was thinking I was taking the day off from writing, but that I’d take it slow and get through other stuff.

Hah.

Actually, I did do a little bit, but I’m still feeling annoyingly unprepared for tomorrow. Some e-mail answered, bills paid, mail sorted, book picked up at library, suitcase and computer bag unpacked. No phone calls, because I have almost no voice. Ken did the laundry and made dinner, because I was in no shape for that sort of thing. Of course, he spent the day in the garage working on the bike in preparation for his upcoming trip (a 50CC, which is coast to coast in two days, a crazy-long-distance-bike-people get-together in Florida, and then back home), so I didn’t even have him to lay on the couch with me and watch mindless TV until this evening. And we had little recorded that I would watch w/o him.

<>-<>-<>

Photos from the workshop have been uploaded here. Enjoy!

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Currently Reading: Agnes and the Hitman, Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
Lately Listened To: hack, cough, throb
Recently Watched: Torchwood Season 1 extras, Clean Sweep

Workshopped hard and put away wet

Thursday, 28 February 2008

Nope, I’m not on the plane yet, but I’m comfortably early to the airport so there’s no stress. That said, I feel like five levels of crap because of lack of sleep, and possibly I’m coming down with a cold, but I don’t know. And I’m thirsty, but I’m also grumpy about the cost of a frakking bottle of water. It would not surprise me one whit to find out TSA is getting kickbacks from the bottled water industry and the cosmetics/toiletries industry for the ridiculous and useless liquids ban.

I have five stories left to read, so I guess I’ll have at them…

On the plane now. Less grumpy. Flying generally makes me happy. We arced out over the ocean, and as always, I looked for dolphins or whales. Should I go whale watching for my birthday? I can’t decide.

Friday, 29 February 2008

Happy Leap Day!

Yep, I have a cold. ::muttergrumble:: I mainlined Nyquil last night and slept pretty hard, and so far the symptoms aren’t major, so maybe I’ll get through this. I even figured out the next story we have to write.

Three rejections (short story, not novel) today. Sheez. Couldn’t they have waited ‘til I got home?

<>-<>-<>

The consensus from Dean and Denise Little is that the story I submitted for the swords anthology is the beginning of a novel. ::pound head on desk:: Allllrighty then, I’ll add that to the list. Because I need a paranormal British World War II novel on the list. (It’s all Doctor Who’s fault, I’m telling you.) Denise also said she’d consider the story again with some rewrites, although it’s one of three stories about the sword Dyrnwyn, so she may not be able to juggle all three into the book.

Better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, you betcha.

I’ve finished the next story, although it’s short. It is what it is. I have no perspective anymore. I do have, however, Nyquil, and I’m almost a zombie…

2 March 2008

Hangin’ out in PDX with fellow workshopper Dave. (This was his first workshop—he’s coming to the Master Class in the fall—and he came through with flying colors.) I board in about 45 minutes, so I’ll wander through security (which has no line) in half an hour, grab a sandwich and a water, and all will be well. Then Ken will pick me up, we’ll go home and watch Torchwood, and I’ll sleep for many hours. Nyquil will be involved. I’m in the process of losing my voice.

That story I had no perspective on? Denise says she’s buying it. Squee! (“Squee” is actually an important part of the story. Hee.)

I also received another one of those “we liked it, but decided against it, and please send us something else” rejections via e-mail.

Okay, I’m going to go ahead and upload this as one entry, because it’s not worth posting a bunch of little ones.

I’ll add that I’m very sad that nobody had any questions for me… :-(

Ask and ye shall receive

Okay, so I'm off to Oregon tomorrow, and I should have been asleep about an hour ago to assure a good night's sleep, and I will never ever ever schedule a 7 a.m. from LAX flight again. Regrets, I've had a few...

In the meantime, I have a challenge for you, faithful readers, my pets. Ask me something. Anything.

Want me to clarify or expand on something I've said in the past? Want me to wax rhapsodic about one of my characters? Want me to explain the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything (which I shall gleefully embody upon my birthday in April. You have been warned.)? My only caveat is that there are a few things too personal to go into depth about, as they may involve other people who haven't given their consent to be discussed in such a manner. Otherwise, I'm pretty open. (You knew that...)

So hit me, baybee! And I'll start posting answers when I get back from Lincoln City.

Tuesday bluesday

Going to bed early last night was an unmitigated disaster. I thought I was suitably tired, but even so, my night owl body wasn’t takin’ any of that shit. I got up an hour later and was up for about another hour and a half, desperately trying to find ways to get sleepier. As a result, I got up two hours later than planned (still sleepy, plus a little headachy). Frak.

<>-<>-<>

The mail brought a nice present, today, though: My comp copies of Yes Ma’am: Erotic Stories of Male Submission. I’ve already been dipping in to it; the stories are fantastic.

<>-<>-<>

My jambalaya kicks major booty. I’m just sayin’. Go me!

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Currently Reading: T is for Trespass, Sue Grafton
Lately Listened To: …but You Can Call Me Larry, Gowan
Recently Watched: Medium, Cities of the Underworld (Dublin)

It's only fair...

Last week over at Lust Bites, Teresa and I discussed why future men rock our warp drives. This week, just to be fair, we're talking about the women who make us wish we could wake up tomorrow in the year 2525. Please come by and join in on the conversation!

More photos, for your viewing pleasure

My photos (taken by Ken) from the "Romance is in the Air...And in the Book!" panel from last Saturday can be viewed here. Enjoy!

And so it begins...

And so it begins… Our first rejection for Out of the Frying Pan. A photocopied form letter in which the editor didn’t even bother to scribble in the novel title after the “Re:”. Ouch.

Ah well. Onwards.

Alison Tyler recently namechecked me in talking about rejections; how some writers never mention them whereas others (like me) list them along with the acceptances. You know, it never occurred to me not to mention them. This journal is, among other things, a writer’s log, and rejections are a pretty big part of the business. While I’m in no way implying that writers who don’t list them are somehow being untruthful, I don’t see how I could accurately portray my own writing journey without mentioning them.

Plus, quite honestly, this journal also serves a backup of my records, since I have to be pretty obsessive about tracking submissions and acceptances and rejections for tax purposes!

<>-<>-<>

The headache lingers as a bad memory in the back of my brain, threatening to return at the slightest provocation. So far, so good, though. I’ve been able to be reasonably productive today, all things considered:

• Paid bills
  
• Read 10 stories
  
• Cleaned out In Box
  
• Finished tweaks on Teresa’s and my next Lust Bites article (to be posted Wednesday!)
  
• Uploaded and labeled photos from two Styx shows (the only ones at which we were able to take pictures. That’s it. There are no more.).
  
• Got adjusted
  
• Um, I know there was more, but I can’t remember now. Dishes, etc. Dinner was leftovers from last night (new batch of potatoes, but Ken handled those)—even better the second time around!
  

Tomorrow’s plans:

• Toss the makings for lowfat jambalaya in the crockpot
  
• Go to the DMV to pick up plates for the old car
  
• Get a massage
  
• Pick up a few things at the grocery store
  
• Go to bed even earlier than tonight in preparation for getting up at 3:30 a.m. to get to the airport in time on Thursday. (I apparently was not in my right mind when I made the flight reservations. Jaysus. I am going to be a frakking zombie.)
  

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Currently Reading: Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie, Holly Black
Lately Listened To: not a whole lot, actually. Huh.
Recently Watched: Ghost Hunters International, Clean Sweep

Photos, photos

Pechanga Casino, Temecula

Anaheim Houes of Blues (with bonus! Polaroid from Hollywood House of Blues). These aren't cropped as well; sorry! But they have more amusing comments.

When the universe speaks...

I spent several days running around doing a decent impression of a headless chicken, followed by being gone all day yesterday, and today I woke up with a raging headache, which is killing my plans of going to the coffee shop to work. Apparently the universe is (a) telling me to take a day to veg in front of the TV and (b) forcing me to accept that Ghosted won’t be finished this month, either. =8-0

Let’s see. Thursday night I went to a local writer’s group session, called Third Thursdays, hosted by a guy who was on the book signing panel at Barnes & Noble with me in January. I’d suggested to him that I organize a panel/talk on writing romance at a Third Thursday, and he’d invited me to come check it out. It was…interesting. Packed with newbie writers, which was great to see. We’re looking at the possibility of a romance talk sometime in the summer. I also found out that the used bookstore where the meetings are being held is also starting to host book signings, so I talked to the owner about doing one at some point. Not too soon, since I just had the one at B&N. Maybe I can do it in conjunction with the talk… Anyway.

Friday I finished writing and designing a handout for the talk on romance some fellow LARA members and I were doing on Saturday. Others had sent stuff for the handout, so I was fleshing it out and making it look pretty. It took a little longer than I expected, but it came out quite nice. We went to Albra’s birthday dinner that night, carpooling with Morgana and Brian, who came over afterwards. Ken and Brian started getting into geeky engineering/electronics talk, so Morgana and I grabbed Afalwen and started going through the I Can Has Cheeseburger archives, because she hadn’t read it in awhile. We laughed until we cried, and then Brian dragged her home.

Yesterday was the panel talk, which was at the huge and lovely Burbank Library. There were six of us, from all stages of our writing careers (well, no best-selling authors…yet!). We had 30-40 people in the audience, and got some good questions, and gave away lots of fun prizes (Ken won one! A LARA mug, which I didn’t have and in which I had my tea today, and an issue of Romantic Times, which I do have a subscription to, and a pen. :-) ), and had a good time. Then I changed into my concert-goin’ clothes and we were off to the House of Blues in Hollywood for the second time in two weeks, this time for Queensrÿche, with our friend Jeff in tow. (Jeff patiently sat through the 2-hour romance panel only to be approached afterwards by a photographer who wants to use him in novel-cover shoots. It must have been the leather pants…and the piercing blue eyes… :-) )

Oh, and a fellow LARA member (alas, I’m blanking on who) told me I needed a new website/author picture, because the one I have makes me look somber and I’m actually very animated. Not the exact words, but it made me laugh. I’m always surprised at how people perceive me vs. how I perceive myself. Someone I’d known casually online for years via Styx fandom spent a few days with me (as part of a group) last year and afterwards referred to me as “a force of nature.” I had a headache the entire time and thought I’d been quiet and miserable (although I’d tried to be personable at the very least). I kinda like being a force of nature, though. Do I get to pick which force?

Queensrÿche were fabulous; all the standing around waiting for them was not, but we survived. I also learned not to share appetizers and then eat the entire “side” of skillet macaroni and cheese beforehand. And the mac-and-cheese wasn’t even as good as it should have been.

The best part, though, was looking up several times during the show and watching individual pieces of confetti from the Styx show a week and a half ago flutter down. I even reached up and caught one. Because it was appropriately silly.

Afterwards, we stood in the rain forever waiting for our car, but I like standing in the rain, so it was all good.

And now we’re back to today and the throbbing head of doom. We’ve watched an ep of If Walls Could Talk, the latest Torchwood, two eps of Supernatural, and one ep of Alias. One more ep of Alias to go and we’ll have finished Season One and can send back that DVD. We also have the extras from Season One of Torchwood from Netflix. Then we have to decide what to watch next: another season of Alias, or the first season of another show, and then swap back and forth.

I also made a huge batch of my killer coleslaw and a cheesy-stuffed meatloaf, and Ken handled the parmesan roasted potatoes for dinner. And we’ve done four loads of laundry. Sitting at the computer? Not so much. The light hurts my head more, as does reading words. I answered a few e-mails, but that’s about it. Have I mentioned I have 33 stories to read before Thursday evening when the Denise Little Workshop in Oregon begins…?

You asked for it...

Angell has been asking for a write-up of the shows, and although I did my usual exhausted semi-drunken rambles to Sarah, I haven't pulled anything together for the rest of my readers. (And other than Angell, I'm not sure anyone who reads this journal really cares about the details!) I will say that I got the chance to talk to Lawrence about A Little Night Music…  ::evil laugh::

But anyway. Because Angell has been so patient, I'll appease her (and amuse everyone) with my favorite picture of Lawrence from last week, taken by Ken at the Anaheim House of Blues.

Thursday 13: Thirteen Things I Wanted For Christmas But Didn’t Get

1. A solid three-book contract for Out of the Frying Pan plus two connected books, with promo commitment from the publisher.
   
2. A new sofa for our media room, that’s comfortable to sit on, comfortable to sleep on, and will fit the space and style.
   
3. A personal chef.
   
4. New sofa and chairs for the living room, comfortable and yet somehow also Victorian in feel.
   
5. Lawrence Gowan. Just for a night. Or maybe a weekend. I’m not greedy.
   
6. Unlimited free air miles to visit family, friends, and Styx shows all over the world.
   
7. To have completed Ghosted by the end of 2007.
   
8. An agent.
   
9. Fat-free cheese that tastes like full-fat cheese.
   
10. The ability to write like Guy Gavriel Kay crossed with Nora Roberts.
    
11. A flying car. Weren’t we supposed to have those by now?!
    
12. Seeing my family, who are all on the opposite coast.
    
13. A self-cleaning house.
    

Shiny!

That's the cover of a forthcoming anthology Teresa and I are in. Isn't it gorgeous?!

In the Future, All Men Will Be Hotter

That's the theme of Wednesday's Lust Bites article, written by myself and Teresa. Whether you're hot for bad boys like Captain Jack and the original Starbuck, or your heart still belongs to Han Solo, or you fantasize about being quietly swept away by the men of Firefly, this post is for you! Please stop by and leave a comment about your favorite man from the future!

Easing back to reality (or what passes for it)

What a strange day this is. After four days of full-time with Ken, not to mention being surrounded by Styx friends and Styx themselves, I’m home alone. Ken’s visiting his mom. Other than a chiropractic appt and dentist appt (to pick up my mouth guard), I’ve been on my own. I’m playing music loudly to counteract the silence I’m having trouble getting used to. I’m feeling out of sorts. I finally realized that I also haven’t had a full night’s sleep since…Tuesday night last week? (I woke up in the middle of last night with a headache, plus Ken’s alarm went off earlier than mine.) So I’m tired. I have to ease back into Real Life and regain my energy, rather than hit the ground running and exhaust myself further.

I got just over 500 words done yesterday at Lulu’s, after taking Christine out to lunch at Versailles for her birthday. We poked around online before we got to writing (given I hadn’t seen e-mail since Thursday morning, I wanted to make sure there was nothing crucial that needed immediate attention). I thought I’d get more done after I got home, but what with unpacking and laundry and e-mail and general exhaustion resulting in catching up on recorded TV (Torchwood geekery: I ::heart:: Ianto.), none was forthcoming. Today, we shall see.

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Currently Reading: Valiant: A Modern Tale of Faerie, Holly Black
Lately Listened To: various Gowan. I’m bringing myself down slowly…
Recently Watched: Law & Order: SVU

PCD and other ailments of the psyche

Yes, I have PCD (post-concert depression). It’s almost a little worse right now, because I had the chance to go to the Vegas show tonight—knew someone selling a front-row ticket, had offers of a ride and a hotel-room share, and would’ve gotten into the Foundation Room afterwards—and after agonizing over it for a day, in the end I obviously chose not to. I’m not fully convinced it was the right choice, but in the immortal words of Burnard & Sullivan (Shock! Not Gilbert & Sullivan, which I’ve been lead to believe since high school!) in Cox and Box, “Oh, it’s too late now.”

I’m tired, I have raspy sexy Concert Voice, and I’m here at Lulu’s struggling to switch from Concert Brain to Writing Brain. I’m strongly considering going to the Novel Workshop in Oregon over my birthday weekend, but that means I not only have to finish Ghosted by the end of this month to get my damned Beautiful Trophy, but I have to have the synopsis and 50 pp. to Dean by March 10 and the full novel ready for two readers at about the same time. The problem is that I’m such a pantser that Ghosted is really all over the place—I’m not sure how all the scenes are supposed to go together, so I’m writing scenes that need to be in there and I’ll figure out how to thread them together later…which means there will be moving things around and weaving things together and picking apart things that no longer flow and stitching it all back together… And editing is the part that’s hardest for me.

I’m going to really hammer at it this week, and if by the end of the week I truly feel I can get it done in time, I’ll sign up for the workshop. Ken and I will go up on the bike and then wander around the coast for a few days afterwards, so I can finally have the birthday trip that was aborted two years ago when I ended up in the ER on my birthday. We won’t go all the way up into Washington, but there’s enough on the Oregon and California coasts to amuse us for days, if not weeks.

Unless, of course, I want to pay through the nose for scalped tickets to the Manchester, NH, Styx/REO/Def Leppard show that’s on my actual birthday…

But either way, I have to get into Writer Brain, and sending Nikki to a rock concert is not something that in any way needs to happen in my book, even if one of the ghosts already in the book was a secret girlfriend of Jim Morrison. And I do not need to think about a sequel involving rock star ghosts.

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Currently Reading: Sea Change, Robert B. Parker
Lately Listened To: Um. Duh.
Recently Watched: Torchwood, Lost, If Walls Could Talk