Somebody’s due for a parade! HUGE congrats to Lori Armstrong aka Lorelei James, who is not only an awesome writer and cool chick in two genres, she’s got a big deal for her new mystery series! And a hilarious video.

Also, Michelle Pillow is a Brava Novella finalist. Woo!

Um, the only news here is that once again a herd of elk are blocking the Forks airstrip. Good thing other people have exciting news. Go congratulate these hardworking and genuinely nice women!

I am going to have myself a massive book spree in the near future. There are a couple of December releases I’ve been looking forward to for some time: Jennie Lucas’ first Harlequin Presents is on sale at eHarlequin for 2.99! How can you pass up that stocking stuffer? Sam Hunter’s Talking In Your Sleep is out from Blaze! 3.99, oh how I love eHarlequin. And then there’s Sarah McCarty’s Spice debut, Caine’s Reckoning.

What else should I be tossing in my shopping cart? Got any great books on your list?

Turns out yesterday was Monday. I forgot. So, no Monday poetry. I’m in that stage of being so deep in a book that it’s hard to see out; my head is too full of this other reality. I tend to be mildly distracted that way as the norm, but in the Book Ate My Brain stage, it’s beyond distracted.

I actually like this stage, because I got into this gig to put my vivid imagination to work and I like to fully utilize it. I always got bored with my jobs because they didn’t require enough of my brain. Writing takes all of my brain, which can be really neat, but it does tend to cause Post Book Hangover, when it’s over and the characters move out and Elvis has left the building. Suddenly the intense experience of carrying around this alternate reality is just…gone.

Which is why there’s always another book to write. Anyway, happy Tuesday, world. I’d say more, but the book ate my brain.

Elizabeth Bear nails it.
“Here’s an interesting thing. What do you suppose the purpose of a sex scene is, in literature? Well, unless you are writing erotica, it’s there to… develop plot, reveal character, create tension, worldbuild, and entertain. If you are writing erotica, it should do all those things, and be hot, also.”

Amen. Read the full article, she gets into the nuts and bolts of writing sex.

And I’m wrapping up the discussion at the Cherry Forums, so today’s your last day to ask me about writing the steamy stuff or discuss Wild Wild West! I’ll be checking in periodically.

This book is insane. My editor will either love it, or send a hitman after me. Snippet after the jump! Click if you dare.
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I started to put up a Friday snippet, and then I went back to revising and writing…and never did post the blog entry. These things happen. Hope everybody’s having a good holiday weekend! Over here we’re enjoying sunny (if cold) weather and lots of leftovers.

Looking back over the this month, I’ve been seeing a lot of Mr. Murphy. Well, that’s life. Sometimes it’s unpredictable and things don’t quite go according to plan. But it does beat the alternative. So, 13 things to do when Murphy strikes:

1. Count your blessings. There’s always something to be grateful for.
2. Improvise. Maybe things have not gone according to plan, so make a new plan.
3. Look for the silver lining. I’ve learned some lessons recently that I can see will benefit me over the long term, even though I wouldn’t have chosen to change the way I did things. Sometimes being forced out of one’s comfort zone or forced to learn new techniques is a blessing in disguise.
4. Count to ten. Get calm. Whatever the problem is, it can be dealt with.
5. Do some research. Discover alternatives.
6. Practice being flexible. There’s a lot of truth to the old “the reed that bends is not broken” saying.
7. Focus on how you want things to be, not how things are. It’ll help get the brain looking at ways to get from here to there.
8. Count your blessings again.
9. Adapt.
10. Be good to yourself.
11. Let go. Your original plan is in tatters, so let go of it.
12. If you’re not sure how you want things to be, take some time to imagine it. Or look at pictures, see what appeals.
13. Count your blessings some more.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! Be thankful for all the good stuff and bury the rest in apple pie and a mashed potato-gravy volcano.