Blossoming

I finally see leaves budding on the trees. It seems late for the season considering spring started a month ago. But I'll take what I can get. I am a heat-seeker--I need the sun (well, I am a Sagittarius after all--a fire sign!!!)!
I wish I had something new to report regarding The Dark Prince. Currently it's in the hands of Amazon, going through the publication process. I will be receiving my physical copy sometime in the next two weeks. I've already seen the electronic version and, unfortunately, I found some issues with it that need fixing--these things happen!
The Gypsy Thief has been getting some blog exposure lately which is great. I want to get the word out about it everywhere, especially in light of The Dark Prince's imminent birth. Once The Dark Prince is out in the world, I will then turn my attention to The Shadow King. I need to do a couple of small rewrites and then my cover designer and I will search for the boy who will be the prince featured on the cover. He is a blue-eyed blond and, of course, gorgeous!
I really feel like I'm on a roll these days. I've never been happier and I've never felt better. I've recently lost 21 lbs which means only 19 more to go to get to my goal. Then I want to train to run a half-marathon. Running a marathon is something I've had on my bucket list for a while. I only hope it isn't the thing that makes me kick the bucket. Now wouldn't that be ironic????
Tomorrow I'm going on a 10-mile urban hike. It'll be my third one in two weeks. I enjoy the walk very much--I see things I would never see in my car--small details like the Psychic Reader Shop and other unusual businesses along Mayfield Road. My friend, Laura, is coming with me. We'll have three hours of girl talk and trying to ignore the fatigue and aches that set in about mile seven-hahaha!
I shall close here but I can't leave without commenting on my countdown.
It's nearing its end...only three and a half more days until I take a trip to Nashville. My sisters live a couple of hours outside of Nashville and I will be going down to see them for a few days but first the weekend is mine. Or ours I should say. Of course I am excited and anxious. It's one of those moments in a lifetime that I daresay few people get to experience--at least, not quite like this. I can honestly say that not much about my life has been conventional. I've always done things out of order and random always seems to find me. But this time, it's different. Because this time, I'm allowing myself to believe that this is not an act of randomness that has happened to me. This is a divine intervention...a carefully thought-out plan by the Ruler of the Universe. I have been given an extraordinary gift and as much as I would like to share the details with the world (even those of you who know what I'm talking about don't know it all) I must wait a little longer so you all bear with me. Until next time...

Countdown...

Hello World:
I'm past due for a blog post. Today I feel like an astronaut, which is cool because I've always loved everything about outerspace and the sky in general. Last night there was a crescent moon hanging above the house. I always thought full moons were my favorite, but I think I prefer crescent moons. They look delicate and mysterious. Of course, my new trilogy is called The Crescent Saga, so that might have something to do with it. But...getting back to astronaut mode. Outside of the obvious (walking on the moon, the concept of going to the bathroom in space, weightlessness, etc.), what's one more thing closely associated with going to the moon? I'll tell you:
THE COUNTDOWN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today I'm all about the countdown. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Have you ever felt like you've waited your whole life for just one moment? Reminds me of one of my favorite songs, "Forever," by Chris Brown. If you haven't heard it, YouTube it. The signature line in the song is "It's like I waited my whole life for this one night...it's gonna be me, you and the dance floor...double your pleasure, double your fun." And the whole song is about being above the earth anyway...flying high (on love, not drugs! hahaha). But I keep digressing...getting back to the countdown...
It feels like I've waited an awfully long time for what lies ahead...a new beginning...a new family...a new life...but mostly...love...in its truest, purest form (and no, I'm not trading in my old family for a new one--they're coming along on this ride, too). And herein lies the countdown...10 more days until I am officially awarded my Oscar. Everyone should be so lucky as to win an Oscar. But you'll have to get your own because this one is mine. I won't be placing this Oscar on a fireplace mantle for people to admire (though there is much to admire). Nope...I'm gonna hold Oscar A LOT and continually read the inscription engraved upon him...words that change and adapt to the situations of any given day, but ultimately have the same meaning..."Yo soy tuyo y tú eres mío."
So today the countdown is on...10 more days...diez días más hasta el comienzo de una nueva vida llena de amor y felicidad.
Until next time...

 

Shot Through the Heart

Greetings:
I'm staring out the living room window at the deceptively beautiful day. The sun is shining and the skies are filled with white, fluffy, cumulus clouds. It looks like spring except for the bare trees. But...it is belowing freezing out there--30 degrees more or less. I do think I can finally see the hint of growth on the tree limbs though, so soon we'll have warmth and leaves. I'm hoping for warmer weather this weekend so I can go on an urban hike--my Ingleside Road to Golden Gate Plaza 10-mile hike. I'm itching to put on my hiking boots and take them on a long haul. It's urban alright--sidewalks all the way through Shaker Heights, University Heights, South Euclid, Lyndhurst and Mayfield Heights. I've walked this route before and I quite enjoy it. At the destination there is a Half-Price Books store waiting for me to peruse the shelves, looking for treasures--my reward for walking 10 miles to get there (like I need another book, right??? I DO, I DO). In case you're wondering if I plan to walk the 10 miles home making it a 20-miler...nope. I think 10 will suffice. I'll call someone for a pick-up.
In my Gypsy life, I don't have any real updates. Regarding the script for The Gypsy Thief, I have opted to write a treatment instead, per my instructor's advice. He said a novelist adapting her own book to screenplay is like a lawyer representing himself in court or a doctor treating himself for an illness--apparently it isn't a good idea. That's not to say I won't do it anyway, but for now, I am preparing a treatment for The Gypsy Thief to be submitted to producers. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. The Dark Prince is scheduled for release in May. In the next week or two I will see it for the first time in actual book form. I know I will feel exactly the same way I felt when I held Gypsy for the first time--like I'm holding my newborn baby--oh, what a feeling. And then this summer I will experience it all again when The Shadow King is born. My babies are growing up! LOL!
In my other life--my real life--I have never been happier. I'm on a lucky streak, no doubt, and I just want it to continue forever. It's very hard to keep your feet planted on terra firma when your head's in the clouds. I'm in a continual state of giddiness these days and I'm wondering if I've contracted a killer case of Adult ADHD. I sure as heck hope so! As much as I'd like to elaborate on this subject, I must wait a bit, but for sure when the time comes I will be more forthcoming with information. I've often found it incredibly ironic that I am a romance writer whose only connection to romance is what I dream up and write in my books (and also read in the books written by others), not to mention the romance I see in movies and on TV shows. Imagine! A romance writer who's not in love! The horrors. A pilot without a plane--sad! A gourmet chef with no Sashimi knife--say it isn't so! A limo without a chauffeur! forgeddaboutit! A puppy without a tail--now that's just messed up! But evereything's different now. For those of you not in love at the moment, who maybe have forgotten what it feels like and looks like to be in love...hang in there...and call me...we'll do lunch and you can see it firsthand...cuz I'm Exhibit A. I'll stop here before I make you ill. Until next time...