Sunday Fun—What Would You Do...?

If you were at the mall and encountered a group of firefighters signing calendars, what would you do?

I stopped to buy a couple of calendars and have the guys autograph them.

Then, if you were a romance author who had a blog, what would you do?

After having the calendars signed, I decided to take a couple of photographs to post here on The Writer Side.

So I got my husband to hold my bag of calendars, found a good vantage point for taking photos, and before I could snap even one picture...they took off their shirts.

Seriously.

Well, I’m sure you would have done the same thing I did.

I snapped these.






The last one's a little out of focus. I guess my hands were getting shaky.

My husband was having a good laugh by the time I rejoined him and I was congratulating myself for having such impeccable timing.

The calendar is great, by the way...you can take a sneak peek here...and all proceeds go to charity.

So...to celebrate the July 2010 release of my next Harlequin American Romance—Firefighter Daddy—I’ll be running a contest throughout December here on The Writer Side of Life. Contest details will be posted on December 1 and the lucky winner will be announced on December 31.

What would you do for a chance to win an autographed 2010 firefighter calendar?

I hope you’ll enter my contest!

Until next time,
Lee

The Lighter Side of Life

I'm blogging with the Wet Noodle Posse today, and sharing a few of my favorite YouTube videos. I hope you'll drop by and tell me about yours!

Until next time,
Lee

Tuesday News

Things I’m doing this week, in no particular order:

• meeting with my critique group

• revising Firefighter Daddy

• attending a Christmas craft fair

• blogging with the Wet Noodle Posse on Thursday

• clearing out my office

The work on my office continues. So far this week I have cleared out:

• 10 stacking trays

• 17 cardboard magazine files

• 1 large box of books

• a blue box full of paper to be recycled

Since eliminating stuff and clutter is my goal, I also have to eliminate the things I would use to store the stuff and clutter. So the trays and magazine files will find new homes and the books will go a secondhand bookstore.

I’m making progress!

Until next time,
Lee

This Week with the Wet Noodle Posse

This week the Wet Noodle Posse is Giving Thanks for:

Monday: Trish Milburn/Tricia Mills—Thankful for the Little Things

Tuesday: Terry McLaughlin—Lessons

Wednesday: Maureen Hardegree—Top Ten Tips for Writing Thank You Notes

Thursday: Lee McKenzie—Family and Friends

Friday: Q&A Day—What foods can't you pass up on the Thanksgiving table?

Until next time,
Lee

Sunday Fun—Archie

Say hello to Archie. Archie is a BoShih, which is what you get when you breed a Boston terrier and a Shih Tzu.


One ear is perpetually perked, the other flops. His tail is as straight as a pencil and looks as though it’s been dipped in white paint. He's one of the sweetest and most energetic little dogs I have ever seen, he never barks, and although he’s only six months old, he’s already quite well trained.

Archie and his master often play ball on the lawn of a government building where I sometimes do temp work. In this photo, Archie is waiting for his master to throw his yellow ball, which he will chase and retrieve so it can be thrown again. And again, and again.

A visit with Archie always brightens my day.

Until next time,
Lee

Lee’s Office, continued

Remember when computer software came in a great big box with several manuals and a dozen floppy disks that took more than an hour to load?

Remember when documents and data were stored on floppy disks that had to be labeled and stored in boxes that took up valuable real estate on your desk?

I’m guessing that all of this:


can now be stored on one of these:


I love technology almost as much as I love reclaiming all that valuable real estate.

Until next time,

Lee

Tuesday News—Writing and Dreaming

November is NaNoWriMo—National Novel Writing Month—and many writers plan to write a novel (50,000 words) in thirty days. That works out to about six and a half pages every day, which really doesn’t sound like all that much.

I wish I could do this, but I can’t. The process simply doesn’t work for me. I have tried writing a first draft from start to finish without editing or revising as I go, and have ended up with an overwhelming mess, much of which has to be cut. So I will continue with my pattern of working on the new book and revising Firefighter Daddy.

If you've been following my blog lately, you know I'm also “revising” my office, a little at a time. A fellow writer recently suggested that, as an added incentive, I should create a vision of what I’d like to have in my dream office. I’ve been daydreaming about it my spare time, and have come up with one thing for sure.

I want a big cosy armchair and ottoman. A place where I can sit and lose myself in a book, or sprawl with my laptop and write.

Or maybe a comfy old chaise that has plenty of room for me and a couple of cats.

Good luck to everyone who’s taking part in NaNoWriMo, to everyone who’s plugging along at his or her own pace, and to everyone who's working to make daydreams come true.

Until next time,
Lee