Tara Leigh Coons

Matt Fix

2009-11-10T20:17:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm into week 2 of NaNo and I'm falling a little behind, so I'm trying to make up for that tonight.
But I needed a little inspiration---so, if I don't go to Jovi, I go to Matt Nathanson.

Thanks for the find, Kiwi!

PART I

PART II

NaNo - Day 1

2009-11-02T01:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I started up NaNo again...I must be otu of my mind! But at least I have a working novel that will be finished at the end of the month--come hell or come high water.

WC 3132 for day 1.

Pretty good day, imho.

CDOW: Day 5

2009-10-29T07:59:00.000-04:00

Produuuuctive day yesterday!
Wrote on both projects!
WC: 1465 on OYE
WC: 452 on Devotion.

I managed to kick ass on OYE--getting to some of the nitty gritty details on how Emma and Sebastian react to each other in a bit of reality. That the game isn't enough anymore. It helped to move me along again. I knew what needed to happen, it just wasn't coming from my damn fingertips!

Devotion is chugging right along. ;)

CDOW: Day 3 & 4

2009-10-28T00:02:00.000-04:00

I fell asleep last night before I could post. I wrote about 800 words last night on my fun project---Devotion. Building on sexual tension is always fun. The words came quick and full of fun.

Today, I was super distracted with the leaked Bon Jovi album. Helluva thing to listen to as you're writing, that's for sure. Great lyrics and even better...it's a rockin' album!

Very social and delicious--The Circle is going to be one of my faves, I can feel it.

So, worked on more Devotion tonight...gee, I don't know how or why I'd be writing about them. LOL Crappy wordcount tonight. *sigh*

WC: 557

CDOW: Day 2

2009-10-26T08:05:00.000-04:00

I did get some writing in today---not as much as I wanted, but the Jovi distractions were pretty fierce today.

WC: 459
Proj: OYE

Have to run to work---better post tomorrow.

CDOW: Consecutive Days of Writing: Day 1

2009-10-24T17:37:00.000-04:00

How many times have I said put up or shut up?
Yeah--well, here's one more.
Hopefully my last one.
Had a good long talk with Cari last night. We were lamenting about our less than desirable day jobs. She's even thinking about cutting back to PT so that she can focus on her writing and get things squared away.

God, I want that.

More than anything I want to write full time and work part time. I mean, I'm not crazy here. I know how much work writing is...and I also know how much time it will take to get it done. I also know that as hard as I work--contracts aren't all that generous these days. But finding that perfect balance of writing and surviving a day job is REALLY hard.

So...here I am. Working on my CDOW again. A very intelligent chick told me that writing is a muscle. And lemme tell ya. It's not just the muscles on my body that are flabby. LOL I'm working to remedy that.

Today is step one.

Wordcount: 1484
PROJ: Open Your Eyes

Weekend Update

2009-10-18T09:20:00.001-04:00

I played with OYE and Nick makes his first appearance. He's going to be the NaNo story I write in November.

He's a bit of wildcard. I didn't really develop him much before I started the book. I've dived into my notebook to figure out my supporting character for
Emma & Sebastian's story--Open Your Eyes.

It's probably one of the things holding me back on the story. When you don't know your characters, it's easy to lock up about it. So, a little 'back to the drawing board' and I should be able to get myself back on track.

I Needed A Kick In the Ass...

2009-10-10T00:14:00.004-04:00

And my CP, because she is all knowing (and imaginative in her evil), gave me a nice boot in the ass tonight. It's Friday, or it was until about 20mins ago...anyway, we were talking about my current WIP and why it's floundering.

I have the story in my head, but can't seem to get myself together to put it on paper.

Once again, she comes to my rescue. Once again, she bolsters me and puts me back on track. Seriously, what the HELL would I do without this woman? Yeesh! So...the blog is back in business. Public humiliation is just what I need to get myself on track.

Daily posts will be back, even if they're short. Showing that I worked on my WIP. I WILL get this rough draft done before NANO!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, more than ever, there's a personal goal that I will have tacked on my forehead. WRITE. WRITE. WRITE. Even when the world gets in the way, even when tv looks a helluva lot more fun, even when there's a whole Twitterworld I want to play in.

I WILL WRITE EVERY FUCKING DAY!

Word counter at the top of the damn blog. I will make it to 60k.

Thursday Delight!

2009-07-23T19:41:00.000-04:00

ROTFLMFAO!
I just love it! Two of my favorite guys singing the GROWING PAINS theme song?
How does this EVEN HAPPEN?!
LOL!!

Pix and Music

2009-07-09T23:40:00.000-04:00

Soooo....it's a Jake day. Deep into Chapter 3 on my way to 4 and this intense male is all over my head with a nice dose of Daughtry's, You Don't Belong on my player right this moment.

It's a dark and twisty scene with Jake and my MFC, Sophie. I find that music is a main source of the emotions that come through the scene for me. The driving beat and the confusion is necc to keep the scene moving--even if I listen to the song 18 times before the scene's done.

Anyone else feel the same when they're writing a particularly draining scene?

Crazy World

2009-05-25T18:12:00.000-04:00

Pfft. I'm so sick of stuff going on in my life. LOL I'd like to just curl up in Tahiti and write. Think that can be arranged?

What?

Life gets in the way you say? Dammmmmmmmit.
Pfft.
LOL

Seriously.

So, working diligently--FINALLY. This weekend was a bit hairy. Holiday weekend, Grams in the hospital, Tara over medicating herself on Sunday. Yeah--thought it was the flu. NOPE. Double dosed up on PMS drugs and fried my own circuits.

SOFT SERVE.

Yep.

That's me.

It took nearly 7 hrs for the double dose to back off and for me to feel normal again. I took the first one in the morning and went back to bed. Took another dose 2hrs later, not paying attention to the clock.

Nauseous, head tilt-a-whirl reaction. Every time I sat up, stood up...the world went right into black dots. GOD, how freakin' soft serve can I be? But hell, those girl drugs are powerful stuff. I'll NEVER do that again.

Can I just rip out my uterus and be done with it?

TMI?
LOL

Okay--back to work. 1300 new words today so far. Edited 3 chapters with another 1500 words peppered in there. Pretty good stats for the day--even by Taskmaster's standards.

Introducing Me

2009-05-18T01:40:00.000-04:00

LOL - Damn doesn't that sound pretentious!

No, seriously--my deliciously talented critique partner decided she wanted to interview me about Fanfic and the joys of writing.

FF is an intriguing twist in the writing world. Some people don't think it's a viable style of writing and some, like Cari, believe that quality writing is writing--period. That's why I love her, btw.

And as a special incentive to come on over, there's a $10 gift certificate for Books on Board to a random comment post on Cari's blog. If you have to reply anon, make sure you put your email on there.

So stop on by and have a quick read.

Goals thru 5/15

2009-05-11T01:28:00.000-04:00

Well, Cari, Kiwi and I started a new daily goal.
If you saw our outline you'd just die. LOL!

2hrs writing a day - 1k wordcount at least. It sounds easy, doesn't it?
Hmm.
Well, guess what?

LOL SOmetimes it's NOT. But we're bound and determined to get some work done in the next few weeks.

So determined we brought Summer into the fold to whip us into shape. And I think she likes her damn job! We all need a taskmaster and boy does she fit the bill!

My wordcount today...1382.
pfft.

Could be better, but we'll see if tomorrow's better!

Goals ending 5/10

2009-05-04T00:51:00.000-04:00

Oh man.
Didn't think I'd ever actually post this. I'm finishing Home this week!
Gah!!

4 chapters to end this sucker. Sweet Baby Jesus!

So I'm giving myself a little extra time---all the way to Sunday. 3 chapters and an Epilogue. I know, I know...epi's. *sigh* Unnecc. Pfffft. I want my happy ending and that's where the Epi goes, dammit. LOL

I'll also be cleaning up the blog to make sure that the songs are in the correct chapters and the downloads are available in the Live acct. Whew!

Then onto SIN. WOOT!!

Daily 4.20.09 - 2k down! WOOT!

2009-04-21T00:32:00.000-04:00

Oh hi...I missed you muse.

I'm so glad to see you again.

I FINALLY finished a chapter of HOME tonight and even posted it! Helloo...2K words in a few hours. I didn't think I'd ever spit out that chapter. (I'm pretty sure my readers didn't think I would either. *sigh*)

It was nice to put the tunes on and just go at it. Hmm. I think I might want to go at something else with my tunes--but that's a whole different kind of blog post.

;)

I liked the song for the chapter though and figured I'd share it with you tonight.

Goals Ending 4.24.09 - Slacker OFF

2009-04-20T00:47:00.000-04:00

Ooooh it's been awhile since I updated. *wince* I was a slack ass all this week and that's officially over. Blah.

I hate when I get into those modes. pffft. So, back on the wagon again. 1k a day with a goal of 2k a day...but 1k is the min. I'd like to get 3 chapters of HOME finished by Friday--it's stretching me a little thin, but I gotta make up for no updates this past week.

I want to finish up Home and get on with my ZOE GROUP series. But I don't want to cheat Tessa either--so, nose to the grind, girls and boys. Let's see if I can finish this badboy.

3.31.09 - The Spree

2009-04-01T02:35:00.000-04:00

Well--I've been on a bit of a spree. I wanted to do 1k a day since I hadn't quite met my goals last week and now I'm writing like a maniac.

Hit another 1900 words tonight.

This was a write for pure pleasure--not for my book though. Had a birthday promise for a certain Brit in my life that has been an immense help getting my book plotted and on its way.

So here's to you, Summer---I'm a little early--it's not until April 2, but I actually worked on her story early for once. If you can call 2 days early. ;)

Just in the editing stages now.

Goals Ending 4.3.09

2009-03-29T23:04:00.000-04:00

Okay, so I'm late. LOL
It's been a bit of a blah weekend. Oh the joys of being a woman. NOT!

Anyway--goals are simple yet complex this month. 1k words a day - shooting for 2. Cari's been kind enough to understand that the Home project is a force that I can't quite put down so she's letting me ( like the poor girl has a choice. LOL ) work on what I want as long as I write this week!

LOL

So...That's what I'm doing. WORKING. LOL

Last night I did about 2k workds! YAY! And I'm heading for at least 1500 tonight. So there we go.

In non-writing news. Cari and I have bought our first round of ticktets for our summer of concerts. LOL WE plan on 3 so far. LOL

Matt Nathanson and O.A.R. are coming around me in Saratoga at SPAC and we got 10th row seats!!!! GAH!! SO FUCKING EXCITED! LOL I went and joined O.A.R's website/fansite and low and behold they are presale tix available.
WOOT!
Holy! I can't wait to see my OTHER BF!

Matt's become quite the driving force in my league of obsessions.

And...I'm okay with that. ;)

Check out the Vid of the Day--He stars today!

3.25.09 - The Writing Wall

2009-03-26T02:27:00.000-04:00

Soo..almost met my goal tonight---did about 1300 ish words, maybe a little more, but damn.
I'm not sure they were worth the type.
Ugh.
LOL
I'm always psyching myself out when an important scene is coming up. *sigh*
The pivotal scenes in my LONGSTANDING story, Home are coming up. I'm determined not to cheat them, but at the same time, I don't want to stifle the characters either.

It's a different sort of balance when you're posting chapter by chapter--than when you're working on a novel. That bad boy can be changed later. The posted chapter.

Oy--it's posted.

*sigh*

RANT OFF.

I'm going to bed.
PFFT.

Okay--Vid of the day is Matt Nathanson since he got spread around through Twitter today. How could I not? ;)

3.22.09 - Shameless Crit Partner Promotion

2009-03-23T00:01:00.000-04:00

Hey guys!

Do me a favor and go over to my crit partner, Cari Quinn's blog and read her interview with Michelle Rowan. She's a GREAT author and she's even giving away a copy of her book, Stakes and Stilettos as a little incentive if you comment.

Wasn't as productive as I'd hoped to be last night. I've got some serious catching up to do for my 14K limit for the week. Ugh. Work tonight after I get out of the RL job. NO distractions.

Even put Home on the memory stick for work. Hopefully I can get some work done on my lunch hour. *sigh*

3.21.09 - Dads and uh...other stuff.

2009-03-21T23:13:00.000-04:00

It's all Cari's fault. I swear it!
*swoon*

Now that JT and Eduardo have sufficiently caused some heart failure...I'll tell you about my day. LOL!

Today was Dad's Birthday...he would have been 65 today. Wow, can you believe it? I'm officially old enough to have a geriatric parent. Jeeeeeze, that hurts. LOL

We hung out as a family today in honor of him--even watched Babylon AD--totally a movie my Dad would have loved--and went out to dinner. It was a REALLY nice day to remember him.

Even my mom had an adult bevvy when we went out in honor of him. ;)

Working on my 2k goal today---made it to....300. Pfft. But I'll sacrifice my daily goal for a little family time. It doesn't happen every day.

Goals Ending 3/27

2009-03-20T23:40:00.000-04:00

Well....it's been quite the week.

First full week of work--and seriously, it was only training and an hour less than my normal work week at that! And...I'm dead. LOL I've never been so scattered and sleep deprived. I don't know how new mothers deal--Good GOD.

Soo...we shall endeavor to try harder this week. New goals: 2K words a day.

Not sure when, what, how much will be SIN or Home--but 2K a day is the goal. Period.

Now in fun news...I'm a little obsessed with a new band. LOL
Me? Noooooo.

The Script

It's a band that started in Ireland and seriously--Danny O'Donaghue is a great singer with that delicious black Irish look that can kill a woman at 10 paces. But it's the ecclectic flavor of their songs and music that keeps me hooked.

A pretty face is one thing.

A pretty voice---oh yeah, that's another.

Have a listen, and a look. You won't regret it.

Daily 3.17.09 - The Shredder!

2009-03-17T20:03:00.000-04:00

So....You just gotta love TWITTER. LOL! This was on the #queryfail pile for today. God, does it get any sweeter? LOL!

It's been something that's been taking over Twitter for the last few weeks, maybe? Not much more than 2 weeks. A few random editors are doing a best of the worst sort of thing. Infinitely amusing and highly educational in a slap you in the face kind of way. LOL

So--Work kinda sucks. LOL I'm getting used to the whole schedule of things. MERCY--talk about adjustment. I think I wrote 4 sentences last night before I gave up. So, tonight's much better--worked on HOME--got the first half of the chapter finished.

Hope everyone had a great St. Pats!

I have a half day for work tomorrow so I'm hoping to use the afternoon to write.
Yay!

3.14.09 - RWA & The Review of All Reviews

2009-03-14T20:29:00.000-04:00

DA REVIEW: Knight Moves

Um...I had to start off my daily with this. Because #1--it was mentioned at my RWA meeting today by KA Mitchell and seriously...I was already half laughing at it, but then I tripped over it in another blog post from Toni Andrews. So it was fate--I had to read it.

Seriously.

SERIOUSLY! *insert Grey's Anatomy's Meridith voice*

I think I might have hurt a kidney or popped a rib from laughing.

Holy Freakin' AWFULNESS. It's like a train wreck, plane crash and a scene from the movie Dodgeball all in one. You can't stop reading, you can't stop laughing and at the same time you're just horrified that it's now forever a part of your life.

As a writer, it pains me to have this level of response to an author that didn't intend on having this be a satire on erotica. If it was meant to be a comedy--then Bravo! BUT--I honestly think this was supposed to be her version of great writing.

Therein lies the horror.

In other news....I had a RWA meeting today. We played a round of 'speed dating' where you talk to someone for 3mins and move on. Talk about twittering! LOL It was fun, but man 3mins goes by SUPER fast! Talked to a good 25+ authors. What a great meeting.

And--in between TWITTERING - EVIL, I'm convinced of it. LOL I managed to get a little writing done on HOME. I'm doing some writing tonight as well.

I think the review was enough comedy tonight. LOL I put up a new Video of the Day below. A little 3dd. *sigh* LOVE this song--Landing in London. I used it in the HOME soundtrack.

Goals Ending 3/20

2009-03-14T02:56:00.000-04:00

Well--because I'm starting my first week back as a working stiff, I've kept the goals light. If I do more, good deal--but if work kicks my ass?

Well.
LOL
Better safe than failure.

Okay--so it's a 1 and 1 week. 1 Home and 1 SIN.

I've got a RWA meeting on Saturday - Not sure on the topic, but I'll post about that in my daily tomorrow and then of course my SWAG meeting. I'm officially on the chopping block.

I'm interested to see what a group of mostly SiFi/Fantasy writers thinks about my Jake and Sophie. Hmm. I'll let you know on Sunday. ;)

I've relocated my VID of the Day to the bottom of the blog so I can have a nice big video. But I might do extras in my dailies. YT is evil.

Okay--so I'm now follwing Dane Cook on Twitter and I fell back into watching his comedy. Here's some old ADD--God he's a maniac--stuff.

Oh yeah...hello hilarious. And watch 'til the end...I promise it's worth it. *snort*

Daily 3.13.09

2009-03-13T02:50:00.000-04:00

Daily update: GOALS MET! YAY! Finished chapter 2's rough for SIN and even sent it over to Cari to have a look at. Imagine that?!

Playlist at the moment.

Meeting with Cari tonight to discuss goals for the week. I start working IRL on Monday for the first time in...oh...11 freakin' MONTHS. *sigh* So, I'll have to put that into consideration for future goals. Hopefully I can keep up the momentum even with RL sucking at me.

Now...for the Daily video.

*sigh* Okay, so this is a mix of one of my favorite shows and a REALLY great song that I'm trying to uh...procure. LOL Ahem. Scars on 45 - Beauty's Running Wild.

Danny and Lindsay are two of my favorite characters on the show. They've come through a lot of crap in the last few seasons and it was nice to see a little personal happiness in the show.

One of the best things about CSI:NY is the characters--and while I know the focus on the show is the procedural details, a little romance is good for the soul, dammit. ;)

Daily 3.12.09

2009-03-12T17:34:00.000-04:00

Progress: Working on Sin--surrounded in index cards again.
I finished Home chapter last night--so I made the 2 chapter goal WOOT!
Working on SIN---but more of a character chart for the new Jake.

Video of the day!
Stupid freakin' email--I get these email things from TVGuide and this one was actually pretty fuckin' funny. Enjoy!

Daily 3.11.09

2009-03-11T23:45:00.000-04:00

Progress---pretty good.
Worked on Home today--SIN tomorrow--I'm in the Jon zone right now, so I didn't want to move away from it. Hoping to have the chapter done by tonight.

Right now, I'm at 4 pages.

YAY!

Video of the day...A new addition to my Daily Blog.

Gee...I know a few of you won't be surprised to see this one. LOL
But another one, she might just oooh and ahh into a puddle. Enjoy, Kiwi. ;)

My Bald Boyfriend + A YT Frenzy

2009-03-10T16:43:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah--It's a writing blog most of the time, but man....my other guy put up a video blog and I'm soooo excited!!

Daughtry new record coming soon! WOOT! Summer record and then a tour so I can hopefully go see them again! Yay!
He wrote a song with Chad Kroeger and...wait for it.
Waaaait for it.
RICHARD MARX! LOL
God, I just love a rocker that can own up to a love for Pop Icons like RM.
Also worked with Pat from Train as well as Jason from Lifehouse.
It gives me a real kick to hear stuff like this because I'm such a music whore.

Man, I love this guy.
So, I just had to blog about it.

A few favorites from those artists listed...

Lifehouse - Storm

Richard Marx - Right Here Waiting

Nickelback - Someday (an oldie of theirs, but I bumped into in freakin' soulsucking YT and here it is. LOL)

Daily 3.9.09

2009-03-10T02:37:00.000-04:00

Blah--not much happened last night, so I didn't bother blogging. Buuuut. Today was a different matter on the all around.

Even with the blue screen of death heart attack, I managed to get a chapter of Home finished. Of course I had to take a break in the middle of the chapter and back up my entire life. Hell no, I'm not losing all my shit again--that's for friggin' sure.

So--with a bit of a break, I went back to writing and finished about 9 pages/3100 words.

The above pix were my inspiration for the chapter--He's an unhappy bunny in the story right now.

Daily 3.7.09

2009-03-07T23:56:00.000-05:00

Hmmm. I wish today was as productive as yesterday, but sadly it was not.
I did do a little writing, but nothing like yesterday. Like MAYBE a page.
*sigh*
LOL

Tomorrow is another day....and there won't be a PARTY in my house tomorrow. LOL
Beeeeerfest.
Oy!
LOL

Even had the Das Boooot!

Daily 3.6.09

2009-03-06T23:51:00.000-05:00

Had a VERY productive day!
I finished redoing Ch1 of SIN and started in on the RADICAL changes of Ch2.

Boy...redefining Jake is going to require a lot of work! But I'm up for it. Jake's talking...LOUDLY.

Soo...edited 12 pages in all. WOOT!

Goals ending 3.13

2009-03-06T10:53:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhhhh back to the grindstone.
Met with Cari earlier than normal this week so she can go play with a RL friend. *sniff*

LOL--no j/k. Have a blast Cari. Make sure to have an adult bevvy for me. ;)

So...good talk last night. We covered my trip. heeheh. *sigh*

Yeah...he is a distraction and I'm putting him in my goals post so pfffttt. LOL To remind me that I got to play last week so now I HAVE to work. (stares longingly at hot man) No! I must work. I had my fun with him at the show, then my girls on Long Beach Island for 5 days so I'm rejuvenated!

So rejuvenated that I totally went nuts with my goals.

2 Chapters of HOME and 2 Chapters of SIN to be completed this week. Time to work, work, work! (stares longingly at my pretend BF) Work!
I'm off and running.

Dear Author

2009-03-05T22:25:00.000-05:00

So....I love me some Dear Author, but this post had me ROLLING.

http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/2009/03/05/thursday-afternoon-haiku-moment-passion-by-lisa-valdez/

The review is to be done in a Haiku style and seriously.

It just caused a laugh out loud, startle your neighbor kind of laugh. It really has to be read.

VAAAACATION!

2009-02-21T01:43:00.000-05:00

Bon Jovi is taking over my life this week, so no writing for me.

It may happen that I doooo some writing while I'm out and about, but I kinda doubt it. LOL So--you can follow my nutty antics on Twitter along the side there. I can't guarantee anything will make sense as there will be drunk texting involved I can safely say.

LOL

So--be forewarned! LOL

I'll be back March 1st to start work again.

Hopefully I'll get to see this one LIVE on Monday night!

Progress 2.18.09

2009-02-18T22:15:00.000-05:00

Thought of the day!

Is it Male or Female?

THE REMOTE CONTROL: Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he'd be lost without it, and while he doesn't always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying.

*sigh* It's a writing night.

It's about freakin' TIME!!
Seriously--I feel like this week is flying by. I'm working tonight on HOME. I've been in and out all night with car issues, family issues and dinner with a GF. So--the night is mine.
LOL

Progress 2.17.09

2009-02-18T05:34:00.000-05:00

Ahhh the editing cap.
I love it so.

NOT.
That was my sole job today.
*sigh* part of my day was interrupted with the whole family thing too. *sigh* Gram's back in the hospital again. *sigh*

Throw a prayer up for her--she's a feisty 88 year old--but she's still 88.

Progress 2.16.09

2009-02-16T23:55:00.000-05:00

Diligently working this evening on edits/restructuring for SIN.
I'm about 6 pages in.

I also have to do some edits on some of my 'fun' projects to keep up. Totally been slacking there. *blush*

Family/Friends kept me busy most of today, but tomorrow hopefully I can have a full day of writing. *Fingers crossed*

Progress 2.15.09

2009-02-16T07:30:00.000-05:00

Well---I was a bit of a slacker today.
Couldn't seem to get my head in the game as the day cleared out.

I found my nesting gene instead. PFffffft.
I cleaned all damn day.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Progress 2.14.09

2009-02-15T06:38:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhhh Valentine's day.
This one's been making the rounds, but it suits my feelings on the subject. ;)

I didn't get enough accomplished to satisfy myself today--but I did open up SIN and rework about 4 pages. So--not a total loss.

Otherwise I spent the day with family. Seems they were missing me. Awwwwww.

Goals Ending 2.20.09

2009-02-14T02:46:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh it's that time again!

Started finalizing the outline of The Zoe Group series. Getting closer to that BIG BAD that I need to make the whole book. Not to mention the leagues of supporting staff that will be important to the series. Whew! WORK!

Home was on afterburn this week. We'll try to keep that cranked since I'll be MIA at the end of the month.

Aaaaand--worked with Cari tonight on our weekly crit chat. Talked at length about music. LOL! Can't help ourselves there! LOL

We discovered that we BOTH love Bruce's Atlantic City--so that's a little extra for the blog this week.

Goals

Revamped Opening Chapter to SIN (including emailed version to CP)
1 Chapter of HOME
4000 word Short story rough for Writer's Digest
--that's Due Sat for my SWAG meeting MUST be completed!

Bonus: 1 Chapter of Home

Mini: Read thru CP's VT updates

Progress 2.12.09

2009-02-12T23:40:00.000-05:00

Whoops! I forgot to post last night.
*wince*
I finished my chapter of Home and posted it.

Today--working this evening. I wasn't home all damn day! Interview, dog on the loose!
LOL

My dog escaped, so mom had to chase him all over god's creation--then I had to clean him up. (I wasn't home at the time) I came home and he ran right to me. I think my mom had to restrain herself. LOL. She was soaked, chased him through the marsh and wet in the back brush near our house--followed him all over the neighborhood and finally through a huge melty area.
OMG.

HE STINKS! Off to the groomer tomorrow!

Then hair--just got home! LOL We spend way to much time at the hair salon! LOL But I have a lovely dark--cajun chili pepper red set of streaks in my copper red hair! Looks great! So, now I work!

Progress 2.10.09

2009-02-10T22:57:00.000-05:00

I was a good girl today! YAY!
I was in and out with my interview--went really well, btw--and didn't think I'd get anything done, but 1300 words spewed out!

YAY!

I'm going to play with Sophie and Jake tomorrow. I was on a bit of a roll for HOME so I let a bit more pour out of me today.

Turned off the internet for about 90mins today...but I wasn't here most of the day. LOL so, that was good enough for me. ;)

Progress 2.9.09

2009-02-09T23:13:00.000-05:00

It was a GOOD day!
I kept off the internet for a majority of the day today, actually. I got a lot of work done. Even finished a chapter of HOME.

WOOT!

2300 words. *ping* One goal down for the week already! YAY!

Job interview tomorrow! So I'll be in and out all day.

Weekly Goals Ending 2/13

2009-02-09T00:11:00.000-05:00

And here we go--it's that time again! WEEKLY GOALS WITH TARA.
Aren't you excited?

*snort*

Okay, so Cari and I have officially chosen a new night for Crit Night so I'll be doing my weekly goals through Friday now. We also discussed--at length, the choices we make as authors and our path to possible (probable dammit! shhhhhhhhhhhh voice in my head) publication.

While we want to do what's most prudent to get published, we also need to write what focuses on our true voice. Stifling ourselves into a market for the sake of the easy route into one of those pretty acceptance letters doesn't necessarily make it correct for a writer in the end. So, with that thought in mind, I've made the decision to shelve Nate and Miranda for now and focus on the Paranormal Nocturne (or even Samhain ePub) series The Zoe Group.

Nate and Miranda have a great story in my head, but I really want to make a go of the Paranormal field. It's what I read, what I enjoy and what interests me above all else at the moment. It will stretch my imagination, my writing skills and my craft. I might fail, but at least I believe in these characters with all my heart. And that's the important part. That's why I started writing in the first place.

Not to fit myself into a mold, but to let my voice speak for me. Para is where I am now and I rather like it, dammit.

GOALS:

10 pages of Jake and Sophie/Strength in Numbers aka SIN
2hrs daily--turn off internet and work on my writing.
1 Chapter of HOME

Extra: 1 Chapter of HOME

Bonus: work on WD project - need storyline argh!

Progress 2.7.09

2009-02-07T23:48:00.000-05:00

Progress = Minimal
AGAIN.

Stomach flu still kicked my arse today! I did manage to sit up and eat later in the day, but the ole brain wasn't quite with me. I managed about 200 words of gibarish before I gave up. LOL

Pffft.

Tomorrow will be better I hope.

*sigh*

Progress 2.6.09

2009-02-06T22:54:00.000-05:00

Progress = Minimal

FREAKIN' STOMACH VIRUS!!!
I was cross eyed with rumblings in my stomach, woozy headed from no eating and making far too many trips to the bathroom. Kill me now!

I made myself write 500 words today, just so I could keep my Consecutive Days of Writing.
Believe me--they probably don't make any sense. LOL
But I did something!

Barely.

Progress 2.5.09

2009-02-05T22:30:00.000-05:00

Ahhh another list from Cari. LOL Er...Helen. Hmm--I'm always wrapped into these things from SOMEONE! LOL

6 Things That Make Me Happy

Friends and Family (Lame, but true! LOL)
Bon Jovi (Yeah, pathetic, I know...but they reeeeally do!)
My Laptop w/Internet. (Honestly, I'm nearly dysfunctional without it! Proof this week!)
My Dog - Stu (Stupid puppy grin gets me every time!)
Creating a character. (I love to go online and find pix, figure out details and faults...well except with Nate. GRRRRR. LOL)
The Zone. - I love when it happens. That perfect place where the writing is just FLOWING like every clichéd liquid anything. LOL

Progress: Home's just about finished. I have the entire day to myself tomorrow so I'm going to play with Nate and Miranda and see what happens.

Consecutive Days of Writing = 2

Word Count = 1200 + (still working)

Progress 2.4.09

2009-02-04T22:23:00.000-05:00

I was THE BABYSITTER today.
Pffft. So I wasn't home to get much in the way of work done.
I'm working now--so, thru the evening I'll have 4+ pages of HOME done and hopefully that posted before I hit the sheets.

Also starting Consecutive Days of Writing today.
Have to at least write SOMETHING every day. See how long I can go.

Day 1

Progress 2.3.09

2009-02-04T00:45:00.000-05:00

Progress = Limited.

*pout*

I was in and out today and all my computer time was used for NON-writing. Pffft.

I did manage to write 2 pages of HOME. But man--not much done at ALL.

Tomorrow is day 2 of hell--err, 1hr of Internet. *eyes crossed*
Yeah, this is DEFINITELY going to be a once a week endeavor after this. I'm an addict.
I'm okay with being an addict.

I'm NOT okay without my internet!

Vent off!

Progress 2.2.09

2009-02-03T00:01:00.000-05:00

Sweet MARY!
That NO INTERNET thing?
Yeah.
I'm not sure about THAT one. I did it---well, mostly. I think I actually averaged more like 90mins today from 12am--to 11:59.

Gads, it HURT!!

Ahem...anyway. I did work today. Wrote about 3500 words today. So it was a good day.
I'm working on the next part of HOME. It should have been done yesterday, but I kinda had a bit of a blah day and Jon and Tessa weren't talking.

Goal ending 2/8

2009-02-01T22:54:00.000-05:00

SON OF A BITCH!!!

Can I tell you how much I hate being an ARIES sometimes?!

Yeah--today.
I hate it today.

Okay--Cari gave me a challenge and damn if I can say no to them. FUCKING HELL...excuse the swearing. It's helping me cope. LOL

2 days this week--Internet 1hr. OMG. IT HURT ME TO EVEN FREAKIN' TYPE IT! THE REAL DAY....Not the TARA DAY.

12am-11:59pm

Sweet Baby Jesus. I'm gonna die.

GOALS:

Monday and Wed this week 1hr of Internet. *hyperventilates*
15 pages of CP
1 Chapter of HOME.

Bonus: 1 Chapter of HOME
Mini: Idea for Writer's Digest Challenge 4K words.

Progress 1.31.09

2009-01-31T22:07:00.000-05:00

Finished HOME laaaaaate last night..er, this morning. LOL 2500 words in all.
So pretty good work there. Working on the next bonus chapter on Sunday before our chat.

Played around with Nate a bit again--but still--he alludes me. PFFFFFTT.

I'm completely stuttering stupid about this WD thing.

How the freakin' HELL am I going to write a story in 4000 wds?! I'm toooooo freakin' long winded!
PFFFT. That's going to be interesting. LOL

Careless Whisper (Gah!)

2009-01-31T20:10:00.000-05:00

Okay...color me surprised!
One of my FAVORITE Wham songs covered by one of my guilty pleasures, Seether.
OMG!
I actually like the song.
LOL
It's a really interesting cover.

Progress 1.30.09

2009-01-31T00:00:00.000-05:00

Another 2 pages of HOME were worked on and edits.

I'm currently covered in Index cards again. I'm still trying to figure out my THING with Nate. Grrrr. I don't know what I'm going to do for a fault. Everything I come up with is a Cliche. Pfffft.

Took a break to go watch a few comedians. LOL Man, I'm going to miss January for that reason alone. Comedy Central has a lot of funny talent when it's Stand Up Month.

One of my favorites is Steve Byrne. Man alive does he make me laugh.

Progress 1.29.09

2009-01-29T23:14:00.000-05:00

Ahh, woke up to MORE fucking shoveling.
GREEEEAT!

And just as I'm about to finish said shoveling...oh maybe 2 feet of driveway left. Who comes up the drive? Yeah, that's right. Brother dear. GREAT freakin' timing.
Pfffft.

Oy! Okay--got some more writing accomplished. Up to 6 pages for HOME...needs a little bit of tweaking and then it's post worthy. Tomorrow I'm playing with Nate.
hehehe.

That just sounds bad.
Just to remind you of what he looks like. ;)
In case you forgot. heheh

Progress 1.28.09

2009-01-28T23:43:00.000-05:00

So...I hate SNOW.
Truly hate it.
With like one of those long running feudal Hatfield and McCoy type hatreds.

Ugh.

I did get some writing done though. About 5 pages on the all together. It wasn't HOME. LOL But at least I got some writing done!

Instead me and the shovel got intimate.

We're breaking up.

Progress 1.27.09

2009-01-27T23:47:00.000-05:00

Did quite a bit of writing today actually. Started on HOME---need another few hours and that will be postible...postable? Whateva!
LOL

Working on a special project for a gf for her BDay...so that's some bonus work (non pointswise. LOL) And waiting on that same storm that Cari's waiting on. BLECH! 8-10 inches of the white stuff.

GREAT!!!

Blah!

Oh--didn't open ZUMA today! WHOOOHOOO!! Good, Tara! LMAO!

Progress 1.26.09

2009-01-27T03:02:00.000-05:00

Damn--I gotta set an alarm or I'll never get these things up by midnight. LOL

Didn't get much work accomplished today. Went through my notes for CP and talked it out with a GF. Also gave a verbal barrage of info to her about The Zoe Group. LOL She was a little startled.

Ahhhhh World Building! LOL Scares the hell out of the mere mortals out there. hehehe

Oh...

And my new obsession?
EVIL obsession?
Zuma.
EVIL!!!

Goals Ending 2/1

2009-01-25T23:47:00.000-05:00

Another week down---another set of goals to achieve.
I think I had a case of overkill when it came to the whole goals last week. Even unemployed I couldn't fit all that in!

Spoke with Carolynn tonight and we agreed Cross Purposes needs a freakin' OVERHAUL. The NaNo was good to get the juices flowing--but now I have to rearrange the tide. Miranda is getting a repurposing. Nate is getting an ACTUAL story and there will be a plot! YAY!

God help me. LOL

Home is on it's final stretch--about 15 chapters to go to finish that badboy. So definitely 1 chapter this week and working HARD to get a 2nd done in the Bonus portion of my goals.

Writer's Digest is holding it's Annual contest due on May 15th. It's a 4 thousand word story in any genre I like. So, I'm going to figure that out and set myself up for an outline. So--brainstorming session for that one. It's hard to write anything THAT short for me these days. So it's going to be a challenge.

It's also my SWAG - Schenectady Writer's Assistance Group goal to finish the rough before my next meeting in February.

Soooo....the hard truth in regards to goals.

Outline of CP

1 chapter Home

Bonus---1 extra chapter of Home

Mini bonus--work up idea for the WD 4k story.

Progress 1.25.09

2009-01-25T20:15:00.000-05:00

Yeah...so here's Stu 'watching over' me as I work. LOL I'm deep in outline mode today. Edits for Cross Purposes are taking a turn for the better and outlining SIN/The Zoe Group.

A bit horrifying huh? LOL But there I am. Index cards, pens, postits notebooks and anything else you could think of. LOL

Goals up tonight after my meet with Carolynn.

Progress 1.24.09

2009-01-25T00:18:00.000-05:00

Nope--no work today.
LOL
It was MY movie day. I went to see My Bloody Valentine in 3D!!
How cool was THAT?! And then THAT!! Right there!!? Yeah...Uh...*sigh* Hello!

So double time working for me tomorrow. I have to show up a certain girl that's meeting her damn BONUS goals like crazy! LOL

Progress 1.23.09

2009-01-24T03:06:00.000-05:00

Shoot! I'm late!
I was so into my brainstorming that I totally forgot--then went to go watch a few eps of Numb3rs and Shit it's like 3am!!

I had a great day!
I outlined the BIG BAD for The Zoe Group thanks to some help from a few friends of the UK and Kiwi persuasion! Thanks girls! YOU ROCK!!

And I revised my outline for SIN = Strength In Numbers. WOOT!!
I think the name of this book fits even MORE now based on what I've got going on.

*excited jumps*

Whoooohooo!!!

Progress 1.22.09 - Index Card Mania

2009-01-22T23:33:00.000-05:00

So...I'm sitting here in the center of my bed with a notebook, two markers, a pen, scratch paper and a pile of index cards.

Purple = girls
Blue = Boys
White = things

I'm insane.

LOL
I love outlining a little too much. I think it's just an excuse to play with my Office Supply Freakdom issues.

But you know...whatever. So I'm hip deep in my outlines!

I should probably take a picture. LOL It's really a funny site to see. Maybe I will tomorrow when I drag all my shit out again.

Progress 1.21.09

2009-01-21T23:48:00.000-05:00

Kind of a slacker daytime for me today.
Well--not so much slacker, but not home.
LOL
I just got in a little while ago. I've got my WORD doc open for some work on a story I forgot alllllll about that is due in a few days, so I'm working on that as we speak.

Posted HOME yesterday so that's in the can for the week. Tomorrow is Outline for SIN.

I went to the stationary section. *sigh* Yes, I have a problem. LOL
I like to have all my stuff for outlining. LOL
So, new notebook and a brick of Index cards to get my characters all set up.

Oh and watched Oprah today before I went out. *sigh* Got to see my BF again! I'm going to be going through suuuuch withdrawal by next week when he's no longer in the public eye! ARGH!

Anyway---great stuff on Oprah today, here's Jon's little snippet about his family and the Inauguration.

Progress 1.20.09

2009-01-20T20:48:00.000-05:00

Well...It's one of those historic days. The Inauguration has taken over the TV. Not only in my home, but all over the world I think.

But even with all the craziness going on the TV. I did manage to finish the Chapter of HOME today. Well--just about. I'm in the middle of edits on the 9 pages I finished it up with. 1600 words today.

And back to watching Obama on a zillion different stations. LOL Pentagon channel and ABC.
I don't think I've ever been more involved in a Presidential election. I'm very excited to see if President Obama can do what he says he's going to do.

Progress 1.19.09

2009-01-19T23:36:00.000-05:00

Had a full day of crap today. LOL Err..I mean Job Fair.

Does working on my resume for 90mins count as writing? There was a fair amount of fiction in there.

Ahem...I worked on 4300 words early this morning...and started brainstorming for a 15K story for the Writer's Digest submission for May.

Currently working on HOME. That's my late night project today. I do all my work after midnight these days. LOL

Kamikaze Mode!

2009-01-19T02:52:00.000-05:00

Write or Die.
That's right folks! There's a little widget type thing created for the attention deprived writers out there like me that can't stay on their Word Doc Screen.
lol

Too brilliant NOT to share.
I got this from my SWAG writer's group here in Schenectady, NY. LOL Too funny for words!

Watch out for Kamikaze mode---you gotta try it.

Change is Gonna Come

2009-01-18T22:12:00.000-05:00

Jon Bon Jovi sings with Bettye LaVette at the Lincoln Memorial today.
It was on the We Are One celebration for President Elect, Barak Obama's Inauguration kick off.
*sigh*

What an AMAZING version of this song IMHO. It's been sung a million times at this point, but most notably by Sam Cooke. Jonny does loooooove Mr. Cooke. And man can he belt it out!

Weekly Goals Thru Jan 24th

2009-01-18T04:48:00.000-05:00

Well here we go. Cari and I had a pretty fierce Crit/Chat session on Sat night and decided that we're fucking around far too much. We need to get some decisive goals going on and stop with the excuses. We'll never go anywhere if we keep TALKING about our writing. We need to do it.

Finish and submit this year for sure.

So..decisive goals is the deal of the day.

Every Sunday we'll post our goals for the week. And a daily blog post about what we did or didn't do for the day when it comes to our craft.

I have a feeling if it's in black and white, why we're not working on our edits or actually writing our novels then we'll stay on track. Helps with the whole public humiliation angle, I think. LOL

Also, because at the end of the day, Cari and I loooove to be lazy, we'll work for it. We've got a separate bonus program going in the meter on the side panel there. Each week we have a BONUS option on our list.

First Bonus is worth 5 pts.

And one OPTIONAL Bonus that's worth an extra 2 pts.

First one to 30 gets a guilt free day of lounging, watching a movie, reading a whole book if we want. Nothing that has anything to do with our Word Docs, writing or plotting and most definitely editing. LOL

Just a TARA Day or a CARI Day.

So...here we go.

GOALS Week of Jan 24, 2009:

1 chapter HOME - 6+ pages
2 chapter edits for Cross Purposes
Rough Outline of Strength In Numbers (working title)

BONUS - 2 extra chapters of Home
Opt Bonus - 1 extra chapter of edits for CP

16 Things...

2009-01-16T18:04:00.000-05:00

Cari Quinn (crit partner extraordinaire) put this up on her blog, so I'm just going to answer mine on my own blog. ;)

1) Favorite beverage? Mt. Dew--almost all varieties--except Code Red.

2) I started writing by entertaining a childhood friend with a story about our favorite rock stars. I was oh...about 14.

3) I used to be a storyteller--see #2. I used to tell them out loud first. Then changed to paper soon afterward.

4) I'm an epic JoviHead. Even have a bit of fanfic out there. My 'first' book isn't in a drawer. The good, the bad and the ugly is on the Internet for anyone to see.

5) I've been to 3 colleges and only have an AAS in Graphic Design.

6) I finished my first NaNoWriMo right out of the gate--first year I tried it, I finished it.

7) I'm an official member of the RWA!

8) Facebook is my current addiction, with a quickly mounting obsession with blog building.

9) I've seen Dirty Dancing, literally over 100 times. My Mom and I watched it twice every weekend for just about a year. It was also the first movie that I paid to see twice in the theater.

10) I have no sense of direction. It's comedy at its best when we do roadtrips! BUT, I always make it there! GPS does help, let me tell you!

11) I'm a self taught egghead. I love the computer. I should just officially call it my BF.

12) My favorite author is Nora Roberts/JD Robb. LaNora is my inspiration. I ran out of books from her (is that possible?! LOL Well, it was back in the late 80's, she wasn't as prolific yet.) and decided to give it a go. Oy! Talk about terrible. LOL But she's the reason I picked up the pen.

13) I'm a little addicted to TV. Yeah--it's a sickness. Sexual Tension and couples that just may never be are my favorites. LOL ie. Bones. *sigh* Hellooo DB!

14) Cari and I are Rhapsody addicts. Half of our crit night is passing songs back and forth.

15) I'm petrified of the R letter. I know I have to get at least one. LOL I just don't want to see that thin little letter in the enevelope with my name on it. Bills are bad enough, man!

16) Two things I really want? To make my living as a writer and to have an office that's shaped like a tower with a wrap around desk and me in the middle with walls of books and electronics.
LOL

Okey doke--there's me! Feel free to pass the 16 around.

Now THAT's Safe Sex!

2009-01-16T15:41:00.000-05:00

Clever and hilarious!
Can you get any BETTER!!

Ahhh Christmas!

2008-12-25T23:15:00.000-05:00

The Divorced Barbie Doll

A father gets out of work and on his way home he suddenly remembers that he needs one more thing for his daughter's Christmas Present.

He pulls over to a Toy Shop and asks the sales person, "How much for one of those Barbie's in the display window?"

The salesperson answers, "Which one do you mean, Sir?

We have: Work Out Barbie for $19.95, Shopping Barbie for $19.95, Beach Barbie for $19.95, Disco Barbie for $19.95, Ballerina Barbie for $19.95, Astronaut Barbie for $19.95, Skater Barbie for $19.95, and Divorced Barbie for $265.95."

The amazed father asks: "It's what?! Why is the Divorced Barbie $265.95 and the others only $19.95?"

The annoyed salesperson rolls her eyes, sighs, and answers: "Sir...Divorced Barbie comes with: Ken's Car, Ken's House, Ken's Boat, Ken's Furniture, Ken's Computer, one of Ken's Friends, and a key chain made with Ken's balls.

Hehehhe---this is what I get when a friend and I randomly look up Barbie stuff when we were remembering the days when all we wanted to play with was our Barbies!

It Had to Crossover Sometime...

2008-12-16T11:39:00.000-05:00

*sigh*
I love me some Jonny.
People that know me...so KNOW this. And well, I had to post it here.
Jon Bon Jovi really knows how to croon out a Christmas song, and I'll tell you one thing.
I WANT TO BE CINDY! (surprise, surprise)
Swweeeeeeet MERCY! That chin scrape thing?
It's starred in MANY a lovescenes in my books because of this video.

12/12/2008 - The Ice Storm

2008-12-13T16:47:00.000-05:00

The ice cometh. The ice destroyeth.
You should seee the area. The ice was so fierce Thursday night that it actually cracked trees in HALF.
Power is out for more than half the area--and I do mean MORE than.
40,000 people without power in Albany County alone.

It's ridiculous. I can't even believe what it did to the area at large. The streets aren't icy or snow covered but the trees are. The trees are the ones causing all the trouble.

Bowing into the streets, into houses, onto cars, twisted in powerlines, pinning people into their houses.

It's like nothing I've ever seen.

Trees that are over 30-40 years old are cracked down the middle, exploding out like it was a lightning strike.

Mother Nature was a righteous bitch Thursday night and she was determined to be heard, let me tell you.

We were lucky--power came on late Friday evening while I was asleep. It was so cold and dark--what else was there to do? LOL

Now--all we hear is the sound of chainsaws and diesel engines as the cleanup begins.

A little Funny

2008-12-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

I was going through emails today. I found one of those forwards that you forget to delete, but damn if it didn't make me laugh.

And it's SO me right now. LOL

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning,
Satan shudders & says...'Oh shit, she's awake!!'

PRICELESS!!

50,004 words @ 11:57PM EST

2008-12-01T00:16:00.000-05:00

ROCK ON!!!
I did it! I nearly had a heart attack because the NaNo site was freaking out, but I did it!! 50,004 words for the witching out and another couple hundred to make it coherent after the bell tolled.

ALL DONE!
50K words in 30 days.
HOLY FUCK! Yep, gets the big guns!

I truly didn't expect it to be as hard as it was. It was super draining to write THAT much in a month, especially when you fall back a few days beause of family and commitments. WHOOHOO!!! Yay me!

Goodbye COUNTDOWN WIDGET! I loved you and hated you all at the same time.

Get this widget!

NaNo - Home stretch & Excerpt ADULT

2008-11-25T17:34:00.000-05:00

Soooooo.....It's the final week. Miranda and Nate are officially cross eyed with lust. And seriously...so is Tara. This..as a female..is not the good week for me to be writing all this lusty stuff. I'm a mess. Seriously, I need a husband or BF to take all this pent up frustration out on.

NOW!
LOL

Between the sleep deprivation, the sore back, the bleeding fingers and the eye strain, I figure a rockin' orgasm is just what a I need.

LOL

That or a vacation.

*-*

PSSSST....I prefer the orgasm. So does Miranda. If you'd like a taste...

Cross Purposes: Excerpt

She arched up against him, their bodies brushing everywhere. His wide hand cupped her jaw and the angle changed. With each thrust she felt cried out until his mouth covered hers. His tongue was just as relentless. His other hand pressed low on her belly, their bodies so tight together that all she could focus on was the fullness.

Her thighs screamed at the position, her nails bit into his hand as his fingertips found where they were joined. She pulled away from his mouth as the release hit her, the cry as profound as the quaking orgasm that shook her.

His growl of completion was followed by a quick nip at her shoulder kickstarting another wracking shudder. They both crashed into the blanket, him curling her into the crook of his body. Sweat slick flesh and breath stealing awareness had her at a loss. She couldn’t catch her breath. “Nate,” she said on a pant.

“Shh, honey.” He surrounded her, arms and legs cupping her closer. The emotions were alone in the comfort this time, instead of the body slamming sex. His long arms covered her midsection completely, keeping her from touching the cool earth or the scratchy wool. He sat up with her. “Don’t close off, stay with me.” His mouth caught hers in a sweet kiss. “Stay with me.”

She straddled him, her fingers sliding into his hair, her arms up to cradle his head. She focused on his eyes as her breathing evened. “I’m sorry.”

“I hope you can trust me with the reason behind the panic attacks,” he sighed, “It’s okay, don’t tense up on me. It doesn’t have to be today.”

She shook her head. She wasn’t about to give him all of it, but the dark was enough to make her want to share a little. “My past was less than…” she trailed off, closing her eyes against the eager openness of his gaze. “I—“ she looked down at the shallow darks and lights of his chest, “I get so out of control around you. I don’t handle it well.”

His quirky smile flashed in the night. “Watching you come so hard, experiencing the way you let go with me is humbling.” He kissed the crest of each cheek, standing with her in his arms. “Why don’t we get dressed and get you home. You can think on the ride home if you still want me to stay, or you have only to say the word and I’ll leave you alone.”

She nodded as he lowered her to the ground. Self conscious, she pulled up the jeans that never even made it off her ankles.

Being bad feels good, that’s why. I knew you’d remember eventually.

She searched the blanket and the surrounding grass and pine needles looking for her bra. Giving up she tugged on her shirt, her eyes nearly crossing as the cotton brushed against her sensitized nipples. Sweet Pete, it was going to be a long ride home. Under veiled eyes, she watched Nate dress. The thermal stretched over his shoulders and chest, the denim molding to his thighs. Nope, that’s enough of that.

Shrugging her jacket back on, she rolled up the blanket, their scent mingling with the wool and the night. She’d never be able to look at the blanket again. Picking their way back down to the make believe path, she took his hand gratefully. Thankfully he stayed quiet as they suited up and climbed onto the bike.

He pulled into the night, onto the bridge and headed back to her house. The view even from the bridge was breathtaking. She leaned into his back, into the turns and let herself enjoy the closeness.

Go faster.

She closed her eyes against the voice and just held on. She was damn well going fast enough. Pressing her cheek against Nate’s back she locked her fingers around his waist. Smiling as he covered them with his bigger hand.

As they pulled up to her door, she pointed toward the back. Sitting back against the mini seat, she told him how to get into her garage. Punching keys on her alarm system she locked up for the night. Her legs weren’t nearly so wobbly this time as she hopped off his bike. Her eyes widened at the enormity of how sore she was, though. Sweet Pete. She swallowed and headed toward the elevator, Nate close behind.

“Am I walking you to your door?”

She looked up at him, waiting for the doors to open. “Yup.”

“Am I leaving?”

“Yup.”

His eyes shuttered in the dim light of the garage. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

She stepped on the elevator. “I think that can be arranged,” she grabbed his hand and pulled him inside the car. “Since you’re not leaving until tomorrow.”

He caged her against the wall of the elevator. “You are a tease.”

She smiled up at him, easy for the first time in as long as she could remember. “You have no idea, delivery boy.” At his delighted laugh, she tugged him out of the elevator as it dinged. Walking backwards down her hallway, she twisted her fingers around his. “So, Nate…do you cook breakfast?”

“Why, yes I do.”

She dug for her key and opened it, dragging him inside. “Now that is what I like to hear.”

Yes....I am one of these people

2008-11-21T02:26:00.000-05:00

I CANNOT WAIT FOR THIS MOVIE!!!!
I've been waiting...and waiting...and. *sigh* I'm nervous to watch it because I actually read the book. LOL I'm still going though. And yes I'm 33, what of it, dammit?!

*-*

Crawling into Day 18 - Night Owl Says G'night!

2008-11-18T05:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I'm not completely caught up. I choked on the love scene for awhile.

I think I'd prefer to choke on Nate. Ahem. Don't go there Tara. Anyway...the word count is closer to goal. I'm sitting pretty at 25K as I finally lay my head down.

Squirming a little as I head to dreams.

TMI? Perhaps. But that's usually when I know I've written a HOT scene. If I'm turned on, then usually my readers are. And that keeps the pages turning. *-*

<----*sigh* Nate's abs got some action tonight as well as those low slung jeans. *GROWL* Too bad that wasn't my little Miranda Model behind him. Oh well...enjoy the abs and the V. That's what I did. *-*

Tomorrow CH9 has a definite goal in my head. I should probably start on it now that it's fresh in my head, but I want to percolate a little more. I wrote myself notes, so it should be enough for now. I'm finally delving into Miranda's backstory with a little help from some email that I check daily about my favorite guys.

That's all I'm saying.

;)

Off to dreams. Wrote 3500 words today. Not bad if I do say so myself.

13 Days LEFT! Gah!

2008-11-17T21:03:00.000-05:00

Ahhhhhh.
It's coming in on CRUNCH TIME!!

13 days ---barely---left!
Gah!

I'm struggling to get to that 28K mark today, I tell you. *sigh* I'm falling short, but I'm focused on this...but it's my first sex scene in the NaNo.

Man.
I'm usually good at these. I'm stressing myself out about it!
*sigh*

Okay, going to listen to something sexy and hope to freakin' God it works!

Midway NaNo Laugh

2008-11-15T09:43:00.000-05:00

LMAO!
Okay...so I needed a laugh. Especially when I'm currently 6K behind the curve here.

UGH.
Writing weekend! WHOOHOO!

Slumpy 2nd week

2008-11-12T22:53:00.000-05:00

ARGH! Gotta help me out here Nate. I'm in that awful space Chris B mentioned from NaNo. I've got my characters and they're moving along.

But the story has got to get in there too. Not just those quipy banter scenes that make me laugh.

*sigh*

Max...out of my supporting cast.

I know he'll need to be adjusted in the final version. he's a little too snarky gay guy right now, but dammit, he's fun.

LOL

Now...I've moved into the Sexual Tension of things with Miranda and Nate. She's fighting it as she should, but hell on wheels, it's hard as hell to not toss them into bed at this point.

I could.

It's a Blaze book, but it just doesn't feel right yet. So, I'm totally cheating and having her do a crazy sexy dream.

And I think it's got a great little twist to it. BICHOK.

Go write it Tara.

Yes, so I'm going to write it. Off to Miranda's apartment.

NaNo & The STOOPID Wordcount

2008-11-08T02:25:00.000-05:00

SanFran downtown - my current spot in my NaNo. Still unnamed. Man, I hate naming my stories. GROWL

I have a love/hate relationship with the little wordcounter at the bottom of my page.

I LOOOOOOOOOOVE it when I'm typing away and see the little guy catch up to me with CHUNKS of numbers skipping by.

I HATE IT when it's staring at me. Taunting me.

Taaaara, you didn't meet goal yesterday -- BICHOK!

Taaaarrrrraaa, turn off the internet. You have no self control.
Turn off the bloody EMAIL because you have no self control.

*sigh*

Going to my first RWA meeting tomorrow for the local chapter. God, help me.
LOL

I'll post about that tomorrow.

8471 words to date.

Blah! NEEEEEEED 11,669 before I go to bed. ARGH!

Day 5 officially down!

2008-11-06T05:25:00.000-05:00

Boomp3.com

Hello all! 5 days down and I'm rockin' it on time with word count! Whoohoo!
Celebrate with tunage!

NaNo BEGINS!

2008-11-01T03:10:00.000-04:00

Look up.
It even says it in turquois and brown with sparkles. LOL!

Holy Hanna! Here we go! It's finally started. I'm buzzing through my character chart and setting up to write.

ACK!

Nervous
Excited
Ready to hurl.

Yeah, that about covers it!

Nate and Miranda here I come!

Okay...so c'mon it's DOLPHINS!

2008-10-29T17:03:00.000-04:00

I'm not one to jump on bandwagons, but man...killing dolphins and whales? Yeah, I signed the petition. And I am putting this up on my blog. I can't help it.

It's freakin' FLIPPER!

NaNo - MMC: Nate

2008-10-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

Meet: Nathaniel Cross

31
Fun and Creative
6'3
Athletic body
Dark hair/Celadon eyes
Style: Jeans & T-shirt guy

Day Job: FedEx guy
It pays the bills while he perfects his 'gadget.' Also leaves his evenings free to work.

Created the: ThumbLock - Thumb print lock for his bike, but can be used for other things. Cannot be snapped by bolt cutters and cannot be tampered with.

NaNo - MFC: Miranda

2008-10-09T19:06:00.000-04:00

Meet Miranda Woods:

32
A work-aholic
5'7
Dancer's body
Dark hair/Hazel gold eyes
Style: classic

Writer - BlogSite: Rated by Randy - a Stock Market research blog that gives tips and help to those a little in the stupid about the lovely world of Trading and profit.

Her weekly Amazing Ideas column has put her at the top of the must read list.

She leaves her blog in first person so no one truly knows if she's male or female in the industry. Most believe she's male and she's just fine with leaving them in the dark about it. ;)

Lifehouse - Everything LIVE @ Amsterdam

2008-10-08T03:21:00.000-04:00

This song is killing me
Just utterly destroying me.
I had to share.

There's a small link to the side of the player if you want to download the song. *sigh* AMAZING version of this song.

Boomp3.com

Rhapsody...It's Evil

2008-09-28T20:54:00.000-04:00

So, I've discovered Rhapsody. It's Evil....and it's GREAT for me as a writer. I write to music. CONSTANTLY.

I need it.

Crave it.

HAVE TO HAVE IT for mood.

So...here's a taste of my Playlist for SIN...Strength in Numbers

http://rhaplinks.real.com/rhaplink?rhapid=5148805&type=playlist&title=Playlist&from=real

1. Sleep - Plumb
2. Always - Plumb
3. In My Arms - Plumb
4. My Sweet, My Lovely - Plumb
5. Bottle It Up - Sara Bareilles
6. Vegas - Sara Bareilles
7. Come Round Soon - Sara Bareilles
8. Many the Miles - Sara Bareilles
9. Gravity - Sara Bareilles
10. Broken (Ft Amy Lee) - Seether
11. FMLYHM - Seether
12. Remedy - Seether
13. Truth - Seether
14. Learning To Breathe - Switchfoot
15. So Happy [Explicit] - Theory Of A Deadman
16. By The Way - Theory Of A Deadman
17. Got It Made - Theory Of A Deadman
18. Not Meant To Be - Theory Of A Deadman
19. Crutch [Explicit] - Theory Of A Deadman
20. All Or Nothing - Theory Of A Deadman
21. Heaven [Little By Little] - Theory Of A Deadman
22. Bad Girlfriend - Theory Of A Deadman
23. Hate My Life - Theory Of A Deadman
24. Little Smirk - Theory Of A Deadman
25. End Of The Summer - Theory Of A Deadman
26. Wait For Me - Theory Of A Deadman
27. Sacrifice - Theory Of A Deadman
28. Nothing Could Come Between Us - Theory Of A Deadman
29. Make Up Your Mind - Theory Of A Deadman
30. Slow Dancing In A Burning Room (Live At The Nokia Theatre) - John Mayer
31. Gravity (Live At The Nokia Theatre) - John Mayer
32. Love Remains The Same - Gavin Rossdale
33. Vultures (Live At The Nokia Theatre) - John Mayer
34. Bad Day - Fuel
35. Jesus Or A Gun - Fuel
36. Falls On Me - Fuel
37. Scars in the Making - Fuel
38. Leave the Memories Alone - Fuel
39. It's Not Over (Rhapsody Originals (Acoustic) - Daughtry
40. Home (Rhapsody Originals (Acoustic) - Daughtry
41. Breakdown (Rhapsody Originals) - Daughtry
42. It's Not My Time - 3 Doors Down
43. These Days - 3 Doors Down
44. It's The Only One You've Got - 3 Doors Down
45. Can't Stop The World - Gavin Rossdale
46. Drive - Gavin Rossdale
47. The Trouble I'm In - Gavin Rossdale
48. When You're Gone - Avril Lavigne
49. I Can't Break It To My Heart - Delta Goodrem
50. Wasted Time (S-Mix) - Fuel
51. Grace - Saving Jane
52. Distant Dreamer - Duffy
53. 1000 Miles Away (Acoustic Live) - Jewel
54. 1000 Miles Away - Jewel
55. Let It Go - Fauxliage
56. Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
57. Better In Time - Leona Lewis
58. Seven Days - Sting
59. After The Rain Has Fallen - Sting
60. Is This Love - Whitesnake
61. Little City - Bon Jovi
62. My Guitar Lies Bleeding In My Arms - Bon Jovi
63. Lie To Me - Bon Jovi
64. Forever May You Run - Gavin Rossdale
65. Save Your Love - Great White
66. November Rain - Guns N' Roses
67. Love Without Fear - Katie Armiger
68. Never Again - Kelly Clarkson
69. One Minute - Kelly Clarkson
70. Hole - Kelly Clarkson
71. Sober - Kelly Clarkson
72. Don't Waste Your Time - Kelly Clarkson
73. Judas - Kelly Clarkson
74. Haunted - Kelly Clarkson
75. Be Still - Kelly Clarkson
76. Maybe - Kelly Clarkson
77. How I Feel - Kelly Clarkson
78. Yeah - Kelly Clarkson
79. Can I Have A Kiss - Kelly Clarkson
80. Dirty Little Secret - Kelly Clarkson
81. Sick Of Life - Godsmack
82. Awake - Godsmack
83. Greed - Godsmack
84. Bad Magick - Godsmack
85. Goin' Down - Godsmack
86. Mistakes - Godsmack
87. Trippin' - Godsmack
88. Forgive Me - Godsmack
89. The Journey - Godsmack
90. Spiral - Godsmack
91. Straight Out Of Line - Godsmack
92. Faceless - Godsmack
93. Changes - Godsmack
94. Make Me Believe - Godsmack
95. I Stand Alone - Godsmack
96. Re-Align - Godsmack
97. I F****** Hate You - Godsmack
98. Releasing The Demons - Godsmack
99. Dead And Broken - Godsmack
100. I Am - Godsmack
101. The Awakening - Godsmack
102. Serenity - Godsmack
103. Good Times, Bad Times - Godsmack
104. Whatever - Godsmack
105. Keep Away - Godsmack
106. Voodoo - Godsmack
107. Bad Religion - Godsmack
108. Awake - Godsmack
109. Greed - Godsmack
110. I Stand Alone - Godsmack
111. Straight Out Of Line - Godsmack
112. Serenity - Godsmack
113. Re-Align - Godsmack
114. Running Blind - Godsmack
115. Touché - Godsmack
116. Speak - Godsmack
117. Shine Down - Godsmack
118. The Enemy - Godsmack
119. Livin In Sin - Godsmack
120. Speak (New Version) - Godsmack
121. The Enemy - Godsmack
122. Shine Down - Godsmack
123. Hollow - Godsmack
124. No Rest For The Wicked - Godsmack
125. Bleeding Me - Godsmack
126. Voodoo Too - Godsmack
127. Temptation - Godsmack
128. Mama - Godsmack
129. One Rainy Day - Godsmack
130. Nothing Ever Hurt Like You - James Morrison
131. The Pieces Don't Fit Anymore - James Morrison

SIN - Cast of Characters 2

2008-09-20T16:17:00.000-04:00

JANUS - 1 of Grey Triplets

LIZA - 1 of Grey Triplets

DONOVAN - Head of The Zoe Group

SIN - Cast of Characters

2008-09-19T02:23:00.000-04:00

JAKE OWENS- LEAD - *sigh*

SOPHIE GREY- LEAD - 1 of Grey Triplets

I was ready to scream from block so I decided to go ahead and find a few images to help me out to really get a feel for Jake and Sophie for Strength in Numbers. Sophie was an almost perfect match to what I had in mind...down to the GREY eyes on this model. LOL

Jake...well, there's something about all that hair, and the chiseled looks. He's got a strong face, a touch pretty...but just that bit of edge that makes you want to tackle. MERCY.

Can you tell I'm a little in love with my guy? lol

Rant 9/18

2008-09-18T15:55:00.000-04:00

ARGH!! It's been one of those crazy weeks. I haven't opened up ANY writing all damn week. Well, any of my own. Sophie and Jake are clashing like crazy in my head but as soon as I open up WORD...blah. Silence.

You'd think with my current situation (unemployment 23weeks and counting *groan*) that I'd be writing all day every day. So did I.

Am I?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

*sigh*

BICHOK! Tonight! (Butt in chair, hands on keyboard)

Welcome

2008-09-18T00:09:00.000-04:00

Hello there!

Welcome to my little corner of the world. I've been writing for...gosh, over half my life now. Talk about crazy, huh?

I figured it was high time I figure out this blog thing for personal things. I've been blogging in the Jovi world for quite a long time, but I needed a place that was just for me and not my Jovi persona. Tara is...

a writer.
a tech head who loves her gadgets.
a jewelry designer
a Jovi-head (aka - Bon Jovi fanatic)

I'm working on my first novel, Strength in Numbers (SIN for short). It's a paranormal romance that's hopefully going to fit in over at the Harlequin Nocturne line of books. *crosses fingers*

I'm also planning on doing the November, National Novel Writing Month contest at NanoWriMo.
This is the topic I'll be freaking out the most about. LOL

I drool over the Best Buy and Circuit City circulars every weekend. I want, I want, I want is always in my vocabulary.

I'm putting together a website for the jewelry thing. I love beaded design.

I'm a Bon Jovi fanatic! If you love Jovi, drop me a line, I'll always respond! Hell, drop me a line at all and I'll respond.

Okay, that's all you could ever want to know about me. So...I'm closing this badboy up. Normal blogging crap on it's way soon.