Lynn Raye Harris

I’ll be wrestling the characters of the newest book this week, so may not be around too much. I’ve got them in a pickle, but the trouble is they are still hiding information from me so I don’t quite know what they’re going to do. This situation cannot continue. I, as the writer, MUST know what’s what. Until I do, they aren’t getting out of the difficult place I’ve stuck them in. I’m pretty sure I’m going to win, though not sure how long it’ll take….

Not in my book! Or at least I don’t think so, which is why I’m carefully reading my proofs that came on Wednesday for CAVELLI’S LOST HEIR and making sure everything still says what I want it to say. Which is also why I failed to write a blog post for Thursday, and why this one is so short.

The best news that happened around here in the last two days was finding out about all my friends who finaled in the Golden Heart and RITA contests! Thirteen of my 2008 Pixie sisters went on to the class of 2009 in the GH, and my dear friend and chapter mate from Heart of Dixie, Danniele Worsham, also finaled in the Short Contemporary category. Yay!!!!

You can read about Danniele’s call at the Writing Playground. The party was yesterday, but I’m sure she won’t get tired of reading all the congratulatory notes flowing in.

Hope you have a great weekend! Any big plans? Mine involve the wine bar tonight, something to do with yachts tomorrow (not on a Presents scale, alas), and maybe a movie at the fancy theater where they serve alcohol and food during the flick.

Today, RITA and Golden Heart calls go out. I am almost as excited as I was last year when I was hoping to get that call for the GH. Except this year, there’s no pressure for me! I’m in transition. Not eligible for the GH because I sold, and not RITA eligible because I didn’t have a book in print in 2008.

But I’m so excited and hopeful for friends, both published and unpublished. I’ll be following the news on the various loops and screaming for excitement when someone I know gets the call.

However, there are inevitably going to be disappointments. And, speaking solely about the Golden Heart, please remember there is always next year, another book, etc. Or, you may sell and be ineligible. You do NOT have to final in the GH to sell. And many finalists are still waiting for their first sale. So don’t put all your hopes in this one contest, please.

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. I entered 4 times before I finaled. And the book I sold to Harlequin was not my finalist. So don’t get depressed, and don’t give up. You can indulge in a few tears, eat some chocolate, and kick the couch. But only for a day, okay? On Thursday, get back to work.

And if you DO final? Honey, get busy making sure that manuscript is revised and ready in case you get a request from a finals judge. And enjoy the pageantry of it all. You’re gonna have a lot of fun, and you’re going to bond with your fellow finalists in ways you won’t believe. They’ll be with you forever.

Good luck!

Nothing frosts me more than watching someone who looks perfectly healthy, and who does NOT have a handicapped sticker, pull into a reserved parking spot. I know that people can look fine and yet have a legitimate reason to use that parking — typically, they have a sticker or something to hang from their rearview mirror. I don’t automatically assume that someone who looks healthy is taking advantage. I know better because I’ve had family in that position.

But I still think it happens. And I think the lady who pulled into the handicapped spot at Starbucks the other day was doing just that. She had no sticker, no plate, and no placard.

She sat there for twenty minutes and talked on the phone the entire time. Not only did she talk on the phone, gesticulating and yelling, but she popped her visor down and proceeded to squeeze pimples on her face. No, I am not kidding. Unfortunately, my table was facing that spot, and each time I looked up, there she was, hollering into her phone and picking her face. It was awful.

And what did she do after she’d sat there for twenty minutes while other people had to drive around to find parking? She left and used the drive-thru. Never even came into Starbucks.

People like that give me ideas for characters, so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much. But I was angry for anyone who legitimately needed that spot while she hogged it (there is only one). And absolutely stunned that someone would sit in full view of a cafe in which they could see people sitting and pick their skin. Hell, I think at one point she pulled out some tweezers and plucked hair. I’m not certain, but I think so. All while talking on her phone. Amazing, huh?

And now for much more pleasant tidings! I’ve employed a scientific method (scrambling names and taking mine from the mix) to arrive at my two winners: Rachael Johns and Patricia!! Please email me at contact @ lynnrayeharris dot com with addresses and your choice of prize.

$10 gift card to bookstore (Amazon, BAM, B&N),
OR
Presents trio, selected by moi from my stash,
OR
My debut book when it comes out, signed, along with two other Presents novels (unfortunately, you will have to wait until mid-July or so, but I’m good with that if you are!)

Congratulations to the winners! Keep checking back, because I plan to have more giveaways, especially as we get closer to my new site launch!

Don’t forget to comment on the one year anniversary post below for a chance to win a prize!

Okay, so I can’t believe it’s Monday already. Probably because I blogged on Saturday (see post immediately beneath this one for link). And I have nothing new to talk about! I’m still so excited about my fab cover, and yes I will be putting it in the sidebar very soon and on my website.

I could just stare at it all day! I love my Alejandro. So sexy. Ahem, where was I? Oh yes, nothing to talk about. The weekend raced by. Hubby and I went out to do errands on Saturday, then went to my parents’ house for dinner yesterday. Suddenly, it’s Monday. Hubby is back at work and I’m staring at the WIP. Characters are stuck in a house together, alone, and sparks are flying. I suppose I should really be listening in and typing, come to think of it.

One of my friends went to Costa Rica to finish her book before deadline. I’m wishing I could do that. Instead, I’ll have to pretend. *sigh* Time to whip out the tropical poster and play island music, I guess…..

If you could go anywhere to finish your book, where would it be? Or where have you gone that was good for the muse? (When I lived in Hawaii, I didn’t write nearly as much as I should have — found the beaches and lifestyle distracting, in fact. LOL!)

I have a rare Saturday post at Romance Magicians today. But keep commenting on the previous post from yesterday to get a chance for a prize!!! Pop over to RM for some thoughts about contests and persevering…..

Today is the one year anniversary of the call that I’d won the Harlequin Presents Instant Seduction contest. Much has changed in the past year! Come on one over to I Heart Presents and see what I have to say about the journey. (And get the inside scoop on the genesis of my second book.)

Leave me a comment here and I’ll put you in for a drawing. Not sure what I’m giving away yet, but I promise it will be good! Perhaps I will let the winner choose…. $10 gift card to bookstore of choice? Scrumptious bath set? A trio of brand new Harlequin Presents? What would you like? (No, not a winning lottery ticket!)

You have until Monday at midnight CDT to enter.

Breaking News: my RED-HOT cover is up over at IHP!!!! In celebration, I’ll pick TWO winners instead of one.

It’s amazing how forgetful I can be sometimes! A couple of weeks ago or so, the lovely writers over at Petit Fours and Hot Tamales gave me a blog award. And I promptly forgot to post it! So, without further ado, here it is:

The Lemonade Award

This is for sites that show great attitude and/or gratitude! Rules for the award:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

And then they were nice enough to include THIS blog along with the likes of Paperback Writer and Murder She Writes. Wow, I am definitely honored!

So, I will nominate, in no particular order:

1. Lucy King

2. The Writing Playground

3. The Soapbox Queens

4. C.J. Redwine

5. Romance Writers on the Journey

6. Courtney Milan

7. Romance Bandits

8. Wet Noodle Posse

9. Tess Gerritsen

10. The Family Letter (not a writer, but a friend with a great attitude)

****

Tomorrow, I’m blogging at I Heart Presents about my one year anniversary of the winning Instant Seduction call! And Saturday I’ll be blogging at the Romance Magicians site where I will begin to blog approximately every two weeks or so for the next few months. Hey, it gets lonely here all alone!

And please go check out the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog. My friend Carol Burnside is a member, and I’ll be a Guest Chef at the end of July right before my book comes out. It’s a great blog!

Because I can’t think of anything intelligent to post today, I give you this picture that totally cracked me up. I laughed so hard that Hubby stared at me and asked what the heck was so funny about it. I dunno, guess it was all those hours and hours of Clue when I was a kid. It was my favorite game for a while.

There was also this one:

I looooved my Bionic Woman game. Can’t remember the point, or how you played, but I played it a lot as well. And it had a kitty on the cover, which I loved. Jamie is about to throw a big net over the cat. Hmm, okay. Why is Jamie Sommers, a woman with a million or so dollars worth of bionics implanted in her, battling big cats and not bad guys?

**Too bad they screwed up the new Jamie Sommers series last year. I thought it was HORRIBLE. So horrible in fact that I did something I have never ever done in the history of television: I wrote to the network and complained about a specific episode that irritated me.**

Do you like board games? I never play anymore, but I used to love Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble too. What vintage games do you recall? There was a Charlie’s Angels game in the late 70s as well, but I didn’t have that one. If you play games now, what are some good ones? Sometimes I think it’d be fun, but there are so many now it’s hard to know where to start.

One of the things I’ve had to begin considering as my book gets closer to publication is promo. Specifically, I mean those items that one gives away — bookmarks, notepads, potholders, etc. And I am NOT having fun. I don’t like these kinds of decisions.

Order 500 pens with my name and web addy? Or go for the sticky notes? What about the potholders? Lip gloss? Personalized mugs? Drink holders? Backpacks? Notebooks?

ARGH!

Obviously, cost is a factor. So is space and tote-ability. And, after visiting the Goody Room at the National Conference, I have very specific ideas about what I like and what I don’t. Truthfully, I wonder how much of that stuff makes a difference or an impact. I get bags full of stuff at the Reader’s Luncheons I’ve attended, and I toss most of it. Except for bookmarks. I figure you can never have too many bookmarks.

What kind of stuff do you like to get in your goody bags? Do you keep potholders and luggage tags? Or do you prefer bookmarks (I know there are TONS at these things, and yet I keep nearly all of them I get). Or do you consider all of it a waste of time and money?

P.S. HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY!